Weekend/Holiday

I can't believe how quickly the holidays are flying by us, let alone the year! I feel like we just moved into our house - it was June, I feel like we just had Halloween and now it is almost 2010! Where did the time go?

Wednesday night J and I took the kids to check out this house we heard about that had crazy amounts of lights. Before the lights, we took them to dinner and Fro Yo. They actually didn't fight too much. The restaurant was crazy busy because of the basketball game. We tried to convince the kids that a dessert from the restaurant sounded much better than cold frozen yogurt but we got veto'd...so cold it was.

Thursday afternoon I took the boys to see the Alvin and the Chipmunks movie and it was adorable. After, we came home and made some more Santa cookies and then the boys got to open their presents from mom. They changed into their new pj's and we just hung out getting ready for bed. We checked NORAD to see how close Santa was to our house and he was still on the other side of the world. Around 9:00 they went to bed and around 11:00 they were still up. Santa was getting sleepy. :) Eventually they fell asleep and Santa came. Noah was certain when he got up just before 6:00 in the morning that he had heard Santa come hours earlier. He knew he heard Ho, Ho, Ho. (I do not Ho....contrary to J's belief)

Our Christmas was GREAT! The boys opened Santa's gifts and swam in the wrapping paper, boxes and new toys for the rest of the morning. Later we headed out to M's house for more presents and dinner. We played with the kids new toys, laughed, fought over who got to hold the baby next, ate, ate and ate some more. We stayed forever and just had a great time. Later that evening I took the boys over to see their dad. He asked them if they wanted to spend the night and they said yes so I was headed home alone. I figured it would be a good chance to clean up the mess and get some rest from all my Santa helper work the night before. I took one look at the mess and decided wine and TV was a much better idea. A couple of glasses and some bad TV later and I was ready to crash. It was actually pretty late (for me) and I was beat.

Saturday morning the boys came home and told me that their dad got them a BB gun to share. I'm not at all a fan of that plan but it isn't my call. I explained them how important it is to be careful and never play with it unless they are with their dad. After that we just jumped right back into the playing....with EVERYTHING! My fingers will never be the same after cutting open all that hard plastic. We played all day and didn't clean a single thing. We stayed up watching TV and checking out their new Pokemon cards in my room until well after 10:00.

Today was make-up day. We CLEANED! I'm not a fan of Christmas after Christmas so I took down our tree, our decorations, our lights and packed it all away for next year. Our house is back to normal, save the million new toys in the play room.

N's kept saying on Christmas morning "I love life!". His enthusiasm, as well as E's, for everything can be pretty contagious. It makes it so easy to have fun and be thankful for my family.

Back to work tomorrow. Short week again and lots to get done. NYE is scheduled for our house this year. I can't wait!

Do you believe in Santa?

E - "Mom, do you believe in Santa?"
Me - "Of course. Why do you?"
E - "Yeah, but someone said yesterday that Santa wasn't real."
Me - "What did you say?"
E - "Well he said that your mom and dad are Santa and that they go shopping while you are asleep and then hide the presents."
Me - "And, so what do you think?"
E - "I told him that I didn't think that was true. You don't leave me and N home alone at night and plus last year you got me some toys and I opened them on Christmas Eve and then on Christmas morning I had more stuff to open. And I didn't even ask you for a scooter but Santa knew I wanted one. You couldn't have bought us all that stuff"
Me - "Your right, I would never leave you and brother home alone at night."

OMG! I love how logical my little 8 year old can be. His heart wants to continue to believe so his mind is helping him out. I wish I could find ways to do the same.

Merry Christmas!

End of the week!~

I am so excited that I decided to end my week early. Today is my last work day until Monday! :) I just finished packing up my office for the big remodel and will have to unpack it all next week. *I am not writing much about work still because I am in the midst of a attitude problem. I hate it and wish I could just move past it but I am having a very hard time. I still love my job but some things seriously need a CHANGE! I don't want to focus on that and am still grateful to have a job, this specific job to be exact but no of that changes my issues. Anger management anyone?

This week has been just dandy! Monday night I took the boys over to meet their newest cousin. N was very excited in the car. Once we got to my sisters he soon realized that the baby couldn't "do" anything so he was off to play with his older cousin. E has always been a baby man and so he was very eager to hold little baby N. After we ran to the store to get their secret Santa gifts for today.

Tuesday was surprise day! :) J and I go to the gym on Tuesday and Thursday (mostly!). This Tuesday there was a change in plans. Her husband kept the kids and she and I did a little holiday shopping...it was awesome! My shopping is seriously behind so it was good to get a little more taken care of.

Tonight is a "party" of sorts. I don't know that I am supposed to talk about what kind...a salesy (yes, I know that isn't an actual word) party of some kind but I am really excited about it. I hope it lives up to the expectation.

Tomorrow I will take the kids to school and then come home for some SERIOUS cleaning and then back to school for E's play. Friday will be filled with holiday shopping and wrapping and who knows what else. Maybe some margaritas? If only D would promise to take the day off too...we will have so much fun and you know it! The weekend will be more shopping and wrapping and getting ready for the family kid party on Sunday. Perhaps some more time spent with the BFF's..hmmm? What could we do? :)

Weekend Update! (I love SNL!)

Friday I was pretty much a waste after spending all that time at the hospital waiting for my sister C to have her baby. Everyone thinks I am crazy for spending that much time at the hospital but that is just how we are. I wasn't alone. My other sister, three of my nieces (two of them were the laboring mothers children) and my dad. My mom would have been with us too if she had been home. I don't think any of us have ever been in the hospital without a gaggle of visitors. Nor has a kid in the family had a school performance or a sporting event without a few extra family and friends to watch. I may have lots of issues with my family but I do so love that!

I worked for a few hours and then came home to sleep for a little bit before I picked up my babies. I was greeted with the fact that PTD let his dog eat N's shoes...LOVELY. We grabbed some groceries and Chinese food and just hung out at home. It was decided that a sleepover in my bed was needed. Yes it is big but not for two squirmy kids and a big dog...so who got kicked out again? ME! That's ok, I survived.

Saturday morning my dad came and got the boys. They took in our recycling and used the money to buy mommy a Christmas present. I love my dad and those monsters. :) From N's little hints I am pretty sure I figured it out..THANK YOU DAD! Saturday night A and the fam came over for pizza and our annual tradition of lighting. We found some great houses and listened to all the kids fight and whine...why did we do this again? After a sleep over commenced at my house. N and I had some wine and watched bad TV while the kids played. A mostly read magazines. :) The two big kids passed out and the little ones ran around like crack babies until almost 1 in the morning.

We had pancakes for breakfast on Sunday and then everyone went home to get ready for the kid party at Nana's that afternoon. After I got out of the shower I heard a million sirens outside our house. I look out to see all these cop cars outside our neighbors house. I think the worst only to be quickly corrected. The officers started unloading a tree, presents and food. It was AWESOME! Total holiday spirit booster. After I dropped the kids off for the party and N, A and I hit T-Bell and then off to N's dad's to return his pimp mobile. We used his mini van for the lighting. He and I watched football while N ransacked the house. :) After we went to Starbucks and then back to get the kids. We totally had plans for these four hours and ended up doing none of them...and it was still great! We always have fun.

My house is a wreck, I did no shopping and my house is a wreck (it bears repeating). I have a full week at work and a busy following weekend to catch up on all this mess. It's fine...and I will totally manage because I am special....I totally wear tank tops and sparkle like a princesses tiara! FORSURE! Anyone got a personalized doorbell?

Welcome to the world!

I woke up at 5:30 in the morning on Thursday, got ready, got the boys ready for school and then took them to school. I then headed to the hospital in hopes that my nephew would soon be born. I arrived just before 8:00 in the morning. My nephew...he didn't "arrive" until 3:47 Friday morning. We love him anyways and he is adorable but I am TIRED! Going home just to turn around in an hour and go to work seemed silly so I just came straight to the office, after hitting the only Starbucks I know that is open at 5:00 in the morning. I have no idea how long I will last today...not long I am assuming.

WOOHOO! Baby Nicholas 9 pounds 5 ounces and 22 inches long...not to mention PERFECT! :)

(This is the third Thursday in a row that I have not slept and then tried to function on Friday...I really hope it is the last!)

HELP!

I am having serious anger management issues lately. SERIOUS! I literally had to hide in our file room on Monday to prevent my mouth from spewing all the things I wanted to say. I am usually pretty good about maintaining my "work vocabulary". I don't use foul language during my department meetings, on the phone with clients or talking with others within the company. Well, unless the "others" are D, D2 and J....they have to listen to me from time to time. This week? I feel like everyone should hear it! This is not rocket science people. I work in a job that basically pays you for your knowledge and the ability to use it. We don't sell a tangible product and it cannot speak for itself...you have to do it! More importantly, you have to be able to do it! It is not my job to babysit you or your work. GRRRR!

Yesterday J and I had to escape for lunch so we could vent. It was a much needed break and yet, the afternoon did not improve. Today was a repeat but the lunch was catch up with D. Maybe it has something to do with the fact that all my time off this year has been moving and/or illness related? Or maybe people are really just that stupid! Either way, it is my problem and I better figure it out before it gets the best of me.

Tomorrow is our holiday party and then a function at the boys school so that should be nice. Thursday my sister will be induced if she hasn't had her baby already...that should be nice. Friday will be the following day so that should be nice. Saturday the boys get to go to Nana and Papa's for a holiday party that we adults are not invited to attend so that should be nice. After the kids go to bed I am going to drink a glass of wine from the bottle L gave me and maybe take a bath...that should be nice.

Ok, enough of the should be nice....now I should be nice!

Weekend?

Where the heck did this weekend go?

Friday night I ran some quick errands after work. Not as many as I should have but a couple. Then I went and hung out at T's house. We had some wine and bread and just talked for a long time. The plan was a movie but I had been to bed way too late all week and had to work on Saturday so we cut it short around 10:00ish so I could come home and go to bed, which I promptly did. :)

Saturday was an early day. I so did not want to drag myself out of bed but I did. Picked up A and headed to Starbucks on the way into the office. It was file room day. Our entire file room has to be packed in the next couple of weeks for some work in our suite and it isn't pretty. A came to help for the day so we grabbed some coffee and met D2 at the office for a day-o-fun! We rocked out to some 98 Rock and proceeded to cut the hell out of my hands for the next 7 hours! We stopped for lunch and bathroom breaks but that was about it. D2 shared some of our more interesting past employee stories for A to enjoy. After my plan was to come home and shower and hit the Galleria for some retail therapy (holiday shopping) before the evening plans. That so did not happen. I laid on the couch for hours...then showered and randomly ended up at A's house for more wine, nail painting, brownie batter and some crazy dancing. Her dog broke my shoe so I happily hopped to my car and came home around 10ish again. This time I watched a little TV and had a serious conversation about sharing with WallE.

Sunday the plan was to get up and do laundry and clean before the boys came home and then head back to A's for some holiday decorating. Instead I woke up at 10! THAT NEVER HAPPENS! It was amazing! So basically I showered and then the kids were home. We ran to the store for some party items and then over for the festivities. We had a blast! It's just like being at home when we are together. The kids were nuts, M cooked us all a yummy pasta lunch, we decorated, we laughed, we froze our asses off! We stayed longer than planned and so once we got home the kids were ready to be home. They need some time to be "normal" after getting home from PTD's house. We all lazied around and then they fell asleep. We still need to go grocery shopping, I only did a required amount of laundry and my floor needs to be vacuumed. I also did none of my holiday shopping and the Galleria is so calling my name! Instead the boys are watching a Christmas movie and I plan to go read my book. Good thing the mess will wait!

December started off with a bang!

What a crazy long week! Work has been busy but that is nothing new. Monday night I was looking for a box of Christmas decorations and ended up finding an entire box of CD's...it was AWESOME!

On Tuesday J and I went back to the gym....finally! I really should not take that long of a break. It is just too easy to come up with better things to do with my limited free time. I whined...nothing new with that either. I was pretty pleased that we didn't wimp out and did what we normally would have without the "break".

Wednesday A, N and J came over to help me pick an outfit for a holiday party I had the next night in SF. We laughed at the interesting (inappropriate) combo's we tried. At the end I decided to wear a dress that I didn't really think I liked and yet it worked (Thank you J for dragging it out of the closet and making me try it on). J and I then took the kids to ice cream. While I was at work that day my dad came to my house. Why? To decorate the outside for Christmas. He put lights around the trees the kids decorated. He put a huge lighted Santa train in the yard and candy cane lights down the walk. It was adorable and we were all totally surprised. :) Told you he was amazing, crabby but still amazing. He also bought a lock for my side yard gate...it was really bothering him that it wasn't locked. I don't believe many people would try to venture into my back yard with WallE but you never know. My mom did my dishes too. What a sweet gig I had that day!

Thursday was the party. A train, BART, a Cadillac and a Jag...all in one day. Plus sushi lunch, Starbucks and LOTS of wine! The party was on the 25th floor of a building right in the heard of the financial district. It was an amazing view. Not to mention lots of food, the football game on a large screen, a DJ, guitar hero and LOTS and LOTS of liquor. Saw many friends I hadn't seen in a long time, got offered a job in front of my boss and had a DD for the drive home. The DD even stopped at McDonald's on the way home. :) Got home after midnight and then right back to work. YIKES! It has been a long day but that is ok...it is almost over.

My hope is this weekend holds some Christmas shopping, Starbucks and maybe some more girl time. The boys will come home Sunday from their PTD's house so we will spend the rest of that day snuggling. Maybe I will have wrapped a present or two for them under the tree. I have to work for a little bit on Saturday but A and I are going to bust that out and be done in time to enjoy the rest of the weekend doing whatever. The Galleria is calling my name!

Blink and you'll miss it!

I swear that is the best way to describe this glorious 4 1/2 day vacation. It truly feels like I just walked out of my office early on Wednesday with all this free time ahead of me and now its over!

Wednesday I ran a couple errands and picked up the boys. We came home and hung out and then S came over for a little while. J picked her up and ended up staying for a little while and having dinner and pre-Thanksgiving pie. I knew I wanted to get to bed early so I was ready for the run in the morning.

Thursday morning I took the boys to my sisters house and picked up my niece and we headed over to my other sisters house. The last couple of years me, my sister, brother-in-law and two nieces do the run. Last year we did the 10k but this year we had a bit of a scheduling issue so we were only able to do the 5k. I had a terrible time sleeping the night before so I was totally ok with that. Even my pre-run Starbucks didn't do much to motivate me. After I picked up the boys and the pies and we headed over to my parents for dinner. WE HAD A BLAST! :) All the kids and family were home. We just hung out, watched the game, played with the kids, laughed, laughed and laughed some more. Not to mention all the eating! Man, we ate. We also tried to get my sister to go into labor...no luck! Later that night I brought the boys to Nana and Papa's for a sleepover and then over to A's for some shopping strategies. I guess the rest of this story is actually Friday! :)

Friday - J, A, N and I hit Toys R Us at midnight. Spent the hour or so before in line watching the crazies...not to mention the two homeless guys in front of us trying to sell their spot in line. CRAZY! Once we finished we had a couple hours to kill before Old Navy opened so we thought Denny's sounded good. WRONG! We waited forever and no one came to take our drink order so we bounced out and hit Del Taco instead. We ruined a family while we sat in the car waiting for the store to open...not our fault. Don't listen to conversations in other people's car! :) After ON we hit Starbucks (THANK YOU!) and then off to Target. We walked out of Walmart just as the sun was coming up. At this point I had been up for about 26 hours. We had a BLAST! Laughed so much it was crazy. Built our "friendship foundation" for life. :) I came home and hit the loot and then slept for a couple hours before I picked up the boys. I ended up having lunch with Nana and the kiddos. Awesome. The rest of the day was a total waste. I couldn't get off the couch/bed all day. The kids and I mostly just watched TV. I crashed early!

Saturday we cleaned, and cleaned and cleaned. Then we ran some errands and got some candy canes for our tree. :) It was a pretty low key day....and the wind was just crazy! We just hung out as a family.

Sunday - Today we got our Christmas tree! We went out and cut it down with family. The boys picked it out...not my most favorite tree but that's ok. They love that they picked it. My parents were over so my dad could install my new security screen door and my mom hung out in the house with us while we listened to x-mas music and decorated the tree and house. We had pizza for lunch and then the boys went out to decorate our mini trees in the front yard. I HATE those trees but they do look cute covered in tinsel and ornaments. :) I hope to get some more outside decorations soon....weather/energy/money permitting. I am a huge fan of the holidays. I loved this four days of family and friends and can't wait for more!

Tomorrow is work, work, work! Oh well, it couldn't last forever. Next week is the first of the holiday parties...this one in SF on Thursday and it is a fun one so that's good.

What am I Thankful for?

Ok, right at this very minute it would be that my office is closing at noon today and my brain has already closed for the holiday. Seriously (or not so much)....

1. Most important - I am so thankful for my adorable children. I love those boys more that I would have ever imagined before I had them. They are truly terrible kids, they fight, yell, scream, make messes, break things, require huge amounts of food, clothing and toys. Who am I kidding? N give the most wonderful hugs and ALWAYS tells me he loves me and isn't too old to kiss his mommy. E does not find me as important in his day to day life as N but he still loves me and tells me from time to time. They are smart, loving, caring boys who will continue to grow into wonderful men.
2. My family. I love my parents so very much. I don't care that my mother didn't give birth to me...she is still my mom. I can't even being to understand what my life would be like with out my dad so I won't...not today, not EVER! My niece Madison is a miracle. Open heart surgery before she was a year old and now a rowdy silly girl that I love a ton. (Ok, this family story could go on for days so I will condense.) My sisters, my nieces (young and old, biological and otherwise), their babies (lots of them), my nephews (even the one that I will get to meet in a few weeks) my grandma (and grandpa that I miss lots), the family that adopts me from time to time.
3. My friends. If hardships teach you anything it is the value of friendship. Friends in good times are pretty easy to come by. Friends that will stand by and let you bash their dirtbag brother...those are few and far between. A friend that will join in on such bashing...ALMOST UNHEARD OF! Friends that tell their girlfriend they must like you or they can't be together...really, that happened! :), friends you tell everything too, friends you have sleepovers with even if you way too old for that sort of thing, friends that will run from a restaurant with you (no we didn't dine and dash), shop with you, go see movies they would rather not see. Friends that listen to you whine about things that seem totally unimportant to them but are devastating to you, friends you talk to daily or several times a day and still have things to talk about, friends that let you know and love their children and love yours back. Friends that you work with, that later become such a great solace, someone who understands things the same as you and that totally gets your work bitching. Friends you go to the gym with (ugh sister!). Friends that live far way but you still email or txt or talk all the time like you see each other every day, friends you can count on always...yes these friends have names...and they are...Amanda, Jene, Deana, Jennifer, Deseree, Michelle G., Michelle K....oh how this list could go on and on and on and on. A life without friends is really no way to live!
4. My Dog - he is a beast, he snores, takes up the bed, eats a lot and gets pissy when we are late...but I love him and I can totally tell he loves us back! :)
5. My JOB! Yes, I am glad I have one. Yes, I complain about this one A LOT but I do love it. The boys can drive us crazy but we stick around because of them. I enjoy what I do. I get challenged a lot and that is good too. If only I could make them pay me more... :)
6. My house - the boys have a place to run, have friends over. A place I can have surprise parties, dinner parties, drinking parties. I can paint it purple if I wanted. I have all these dreams of things to do to it. I don't have the $$ to do them but at least I have the dream.
7. I know that I should say something about being thankful for the hard times, divorce, breakups, death, financial issues...blah, blah,blah. Yes they make you who you are and yes, I learned a lot about myself from those experiences but I don't know that thankful is the right word so I will go with "aware" of them and ok that they happened. I would be even more ok if they were followed by a big lottery win and Big Ben calling me up to get married. :)
8. Trivial I know, but damn I am thankful for the following: Starbucks, TiVo, cable, books, Target, internet access, chocolate, bread, cheese, wine, margaritas, home improvement stores, Sephora, Diet Pepsi, peanut butter. (I am sure this list could go on forever too!)

Hmmm, I know this list should/could be expanded but that should do it for now. :) I thank God for my family and friends and all those things above. Tomorrow is the Run to Feed the Hungry in the morning and then off to eat and be thankful together and then...oh yes! THE SHOPPING! :) I can't wait for our first Christmas in our new house.

Anybody thankful for anything? :)

WOW!

What a weekend I had. For most it will sound very run of the mill ordinary, nothing to be excited about! For me...it was pretty great! I don't have a lot of kid free time and when I do it usually is for chores and work. I honestly do not recall the last time I had this much me time! I certainly don't want, or need it very often but occasionally it is nice. And to spend it with such great ladies! :) If only D and I hadn't let the storm chase off our margarita plans....

Friday night the BFF's and I stopped off at Pete's on the way home for BOGO coffees, then off to grab dinner and then to see New Moon. Isn't that the best part of having girlfriends. Someone who truly wants to do those things rather than dragging someone to it. It was way too much fun. We almost had to throw down in the movie line, ended up getting free tickets out of the deal and getting great seats for the movie. Laughed so hard we cried at the people that would clap and yell at the screen as if the movie stars could hear them. And really, while I may think a certain werewolf character is deliciously hot I shall not say it...he is a baby!

Saturday I slept in and then got ready to hang out with another friend. We went shopping at Old Navy and Target and then went and had a yummy lunch (and dessert) from Bella Bru. We first went to another restaurant that we had not been to before. We sat down to have a look at the menu..ummm, no thank you. The waitress came to take our drink orders and we asked her to come back in a minute. We then decided to exit the building! After the yoga fiasco...we are pretty honest with each other. Why suffer if you don't have to! After that I ran a couple additional errands and then took a nap. Watched random TV and crashed pretty early for a good old Saturday night.

Sunday was a little more sleeping in and then my babies came home...WOOHOO! (Dark spot in the weekend - loser can't pay. Seriously, my bills don't pay themselves and what about Black Friday shopping...not to mention YOU OWE IT!) Whatever! Anyways, they came home and we hung out for a few hours and then went to the store for a few additional dinner items. Later that night the C family came for dinner. Fried chicken, homemade mac & cheese, bacon-wrapped asparagus, bread and just for kicks, a salad no one ate. We even had chocolate cheesecake for dessert. D and I had a glass of wine and I got to snuggle with two-month old baby L while the crazy big kids ran around...like crazy big kids. Poor T had an accident earlier in the day and was pretty beat so he slept on the couch...poor guy! I so loved catching up with my friend. We don't get a chance to talk (almost daily) like we did before so it was nice!

Short week this week! We will close our office early on Wednesday. The kids have friends over tonight, tomorrow night we go see the premier of The Fantastic Mr. Fox, Wednesday will be cleaning and getting ready, Thursday is Run to Feed the Hungry in the morning and then dinner at my parents, later that night we will have a sleepover at my house and get ready for Black Friday shopping. We have a posse this year! I can't wait. :) The kids will spend the night with Nana and Papa so as not to be involved in the "Santa" shopping. Saturday is some chores and what nots with my Dad and then Sunday is off to chop down our Christmas Tree. Our first Christmas in our new house.

Well, this is one of those easy to be grateful posts.....

Parent-Teacher-Conference

My children are brilliant! :) No, really, it isn't just me! Today was PTC day for both of the boys. PTD always love to come to these and take credit for the boys overall attendance, homework completion, overall smartness and preparedness for school. ARE YOU KIDDING?!? He comes for the one-on-one "hey look at me teacher, I care". E's teacher didn't even know who he was. N's did but only because she has had both boys in prior classes. I know that it doesn't change the anything but I don't understand how you can feel ok about taking credit for something you had no part in. You don't fight N out of bed, argue with him to do homework, praise them and help them when they are doing well or confused. I can tell you, listening to a six year old try and read something that is difficult is not entertaining. Don't get me wrong, I am so happy to be a part of that. I am grateful that I get to be the person that shapes them, but it isn't all fun, games and pats on the back. Well, enough on that....

E is in the 3rd grade and is now reading at the end of 5th grade level. He was offered a spot in the GATE program again. Does wonderful in all subjects and is a very helpful, responsible child. WOOHOO, way to go E!

N is an author in the making. His teacher showed me his journal. The kid has this crazy imagination and wrote the most detailed stories about things he doesn't know about. Did you know that elephants are grey because they are too big to hide so they lay down and pretend to be rocks. How awesome is that! He is also a class leader, makes sure no one is left out or picked on. His teacher wouldn't believe that he is anything but perfect at home. Um...yeah, right!

After those fantastic meetings we picked up A & H and took them with us to my office to see their mom and congratulate her on a new position. Then I took all four punks out for ice cream to celebrate their wonderfulness. :)

The boys and I have just been hanging out the rest of the night. We all laid by the fire for a little while and watched TV. Tomorrow they go with loserface for two nights. He hasn't kept them for two nights in a long time. He has suddenly decided that he might give it a try. Even if he doesn't plan to see them on Thanksgiving...way too go!

Tomorrow is FRIDAY! Drinks with D, maybe a trip to Target. I really want to see New Moon (but maybe not this weekend), J and I are planning some girl time on Saturday possibly and DC and the fam are coming over Sunday night for dinner...I can't WAIT! I miss them mucho!

Oh, weekend!

How much cleaning is one person expected to do already! UGH, I feel like that is all I did all weekend. Friday night - cleaned. I surprised the boys by bringing the full size mattress from their bed into the living room and making them a big comfy bed in front of the fireplace and TV. They loved it. Saturday - cleaned. Ok, well not the entire day. I did squeeze in a couple of movies (Twilight - while I cleaned my room, The Ugly Truth - while I cleaned the toy room and Bride Wars - while I cleaned up the boys room.) Sunday - yep, more cleaning. I folded our laundry mountain, including every blanket we own while I watched my man suffer on TV. Can we get some offensive coverage already! Come on boys - Ben needs some protection, not to mention a hair cut. :) After that it was out to do yard work and clean up the garage. FUN, FUN, FUN! I did take time to cook several random things this weekend. I made a roasted pepper bake and even roasted my own peppers and this morning I made a stew in the crock pot that we have eaten several times. After I finished the yard work I took the boys to Big Spoon - N got Citizen of the Month at school. We then ran to the store for milk and some crusty bread to go with our dinner. I also stopped for gas since I didn't figure I would want to do it at 5:30 in the morning tomorrow.

I don't want to go to Seattle. Not because I don't like the place - I have never actually been before. And, a friend pointed out it is the home of Starbucks! It will be cold and rainy and the people I am going to see would probably rather I not. Why can't I just go to work and hang out with D. We always go to lunch on Mondays...come on, PLEASE!

Friday!

Tonight I am home with my babies!

I have been so looking forward to the weekend. Work is hectic and angry lately (mostly I am angry). Too much work, too many attitudes, too much giving in. Add planning employee lunches, moving employees and travel plans and I am toast! I don't do well with unproductivity..especially when it's mine. Monday in Seattle will be, umm interesting? Tuesday will be catch up and Wednesday will be meeting and possible packing for TI work. Thursday I will have to leave early for PTC at school - still hoping they can reschedule them close together instead of trying to leave work early twice in the same week. I can hardly wait!

Today D2 took me to lunch (almost an every other Friday ritual) but today it was Zin instead of Chipotle. I had a YUMMY dish and we shared an even better dessert. We don't always see eye to eye but dessert is usually a safe bet! A dark chocolate truffle cake with ice cream and white chocolate sauce...OMG! It was awesome. :) PLUS, he mentioned the NY call went well which likely means very good news for a friend.

The week wasn't all bad - game night was fun. Wednesday night I ended up having dinner at Nana's house. Not only was is so good, but I got to hang out with A, N and M. I love those girls. Not to mention SAMMIE! God, I wish I could quit that dog. I knelt down in the kitchen to love on him and he happily agreed. Sat right down on my lap and we snuggled right there on the kitchen floor. He looked good - that baby will ALWAYS have a puppy face. Even a short bit of Sammie love is better than none. I swear he and WallE would get along great. I have no idea where I will sleep but it would be fine.

Tonight we came home and had dinner and I am trying to get some cleaning done, E is watching Elf by the fire and N is playing tug-of-war with WallE. I am enjoying a glass of wine and a couple new CD's with my cleaning and a quick blogging break. I love a clean house, with wine, lots of groceries and delicious smelling candles burning all around. The main ingredient is the boys. I LOVE when we are home together.

Tomorrow will be more cleaning and possibly some yard work and then who knows after that. Hopefully something FUN!

E was talking about something they do at their dad's house today and I asked why they don't do the same at home? N said "because we don't like doing it". So I said that must mean I no longer have to do things I don't want to do...that didn't go over well! E waits a little bit and then said "mom, at dad's we do it because he is cold-hearted and mean and you are so warm and loving." HA! That kid is going to talk his way out of EVERYTHING! The kid was totally making that up but it was still nice to hear! :)

The best part of the day? My mom went to the doctor today and got better than expected news. I hate that she is sick and we can't change it but knowing that whatever she has been doing the last year has worked in our favor and things looked ok. Ok is the best we can hope for...either way I have made her promise to live until the kids are done having kids...I think we should be good in about 20-25 years or so...right? Actually, I prefer to believe that I will always be able to call on them. I can't imagine what I would do without my dad - he knows EVERYTHING! :) How many adult children still believe that. And I can't even begin to explain my mom...she just is!

Happy weekend of babies, a house I own that needs to be cleaned, my very own yard to mow and trim, our mountain of laundry and possibly some friend fun?

(Having said that I still plan to whine about traveling to Seattle - 42 degree high and rain...blah!)

I am exhausted! I feel like I could sleep for days! I could sleep right here at my desk, for hours! Last night D and I went to dinner and then out to the Kings game (D2 didn't come with us but he paid! :)). It was fun. We went to BJ's for dinner and beers before the game and then headed over to Arco. The seats were awesome, the game was ok. I like basketball, not like football but it can be fun to watch. I hate watching baseball unless my babies are playing. Spencer Hawes is adorable but can't seem to understand that he is not a 3-point shooter. Seriously honey, just give it up for now. You have a lot of other great moves. The rest of the players are unknown to me - it just isn't the same as before. I have never heard of the Oklahoma City Thunder before - when did they become a team? The Kings won but D and I left before it was over. We left for a few reasons - one being the girls that sat in front of us! OMG! They paid all that money for good seats, parking and drinks to take pictures of each other...millions and millions of pictures. They took pictures with their phones, with their cameras, together, separate, "candid - pretend like you aren't posing", pose, lets ask the person next to us to take one, over and over again. It was insane. I don't think they realized a game was being played or that their surrounds, clothes, and facial expressions NEVER changed in any of the pictures. This one girl must have had implants and/or a mountain of Botox because her face never moved and she was young! I mentioned to D that I would most certainly remain single for the rest of my years if I had to pretend to be that stupid to compete. Oh, these girls!

After the game I picked up the monsters and went home and forced them to bed at 10:30. They got to go home with J and N last night and had a great time. Fog machine, band equipment, manly man to play with, talk of broken bones! (I like to spread the kid joy around - last night was J, Monday morning will be A and Monday afternoon the parents. Last night was fun - Monday is a trip to rainy, cold Seattle for business...) WallE then decided to show me how unhappy he was at my late evening (and the fact that I came home smelling like J's dog). He insisted on laying right next to me and under the covers. He then decided to continue to scoot his butt over closer and closer and wiggle his giant head until I fell off the side of the bed. What do you do to move a 150 pound dog out of your spot? I pushed him back over and told him to knock it off or I was going to take his half of blanket away. After that he settled down and we shared a small corner of my very large king size bed. He is just like sleeping with a very large child. Always squished up next to you.

This morning came way too early! The kids are out of school for Veteran's Day but I had to work. BLAH! This afternoon was an all employee lunch in the office that included me acting as the bartender with my margarita machine. Who doesn't want mexican food, cookies and margaritas in the middle of a Wednesday afternoon. :) The only problem has been my total inability to concentrate this afternoon. Not because of too many drinks but the combination of a little alcohol, too little sleep and too much work is just pushing me over the edge. Thankful I can go to bed early tonight..even if I have to work again tomorrow.

(This post rambles about so many odd things, in no particular order and typed while I should have been doing above mentioned "too much work".) UGH

Bliss (not your typical Monday word)

Football, yummy Big Ben, good wine and a fire. If only every Monday could be this good! Tomorrow night D and I hit up a Kings game...should be fun!

I Love TV!

I loved Taylor Swift's monologue on SNL last night!
The Soup/The Dish are hilarious!
The Good Wife is the BEST new drama.
Still gotta love The Hills/City.
Sunday Football is awesome / Monday Night Football is Better!
Why are there so many wonderful cheesy movies on TV to compete with my need for football?
Dexter is on in less than two hours.
Law & Order CI marathon is on.
I will watch/skim the Kardashian Wedding - I have no idea why but I feel compelled to see it!

Umm, I think I need a TV detox. Maybe a book or some news...work even! I don't think I have ever watched so much TV in a two day period. (Other than when I was sick and that was mostly in and out of consciousness while the TV was on.) This was pure joy! I am a slacker, with an unkempt house...however, my children have been thrilled with the day. Did I mention we have brownies from last night? WallE has loved it as well. He has spent most of the day under the covers with us!

Anyone want to come clean my house, fold our laundry, go to the grocery store, take the kids to school and go to work for me so that I can stay home and watch more TV? PLEASE!

Best Laid Plans

This weekend I was going to catch up on some MUCH needed house work. Well, it is after 5:00 on Sunday and I have yet to get a grip on that! :)

Friday night D and I went and had drinks and then checked out the sale at Old Navy. After I went to T's house to help get ready for her sons party the next day. I ended up staying way later that I thought I would. Came home and chilled out a little.

Saturday morning I woke up and decided to just watch a little TV before I got going. I had almost two weeks of Tivo saved. A little TV turned into hours of TV. I honestly do not recall the last time I laid in bed and just watched TV...uninterrupted! I took a quick shower and started cleaning up the yard when the boys came home earlier than I thought. Ok by me! We went to the party and had a blast! After S came over so her mom could go on a date with her husband! :) We rented a movie and had popcorn and candy "like we were at the movies". Again, no cleaning occurred other than random scrubbing of the grout and some dog brushing. J & N brought me a "present" from the party...so funny!

This morning we got up and had breakfast and hung out a bit. I got a jump start on my eleventeen million loads of laundry and then before I knew it the kids wanted to watch a movie together. So, we did! N fell asleep so E and I went and hung out on my bed with WallE and then N woke up and we all watched another movie together. LOVE the family time!

I also watched Dirty Dancing. I LOVE THAT MOVIE! I haven't seen it since Johnny Castle passed away. I made me really sad for some reason. Maybe it was just that kind of day but I actually ended up crying. I still love the moving it was just bittersweet I guess. I now have a large mountain of clean laundry that is so not going to fold itself. Its funny, in my apartment I really didn't care. We never had enough room for everything so I figured it really didn't matter but now it seems to drive me crazy. Not enough today to get cracking on it but I will. Soon...I'm sure.

Terrific Tuesday!

Skipped the gym to come home and hang out with my dad! Man I missed that guy! I know how lucky I am to have him and how happy I am that he and my mom get to travel but I got so used to seeing him all the time that a month seemed like a REALLY LONG TIME! Not to mention, I couldn't just call and ask him to help me. He is good at over the phone instructions but it just wasn't the same. We had McDonald's with the kids and caught up on the everyday. Laughed at all the silly things the boys needed to tell grandpa and then my mom and I watched the three of them fight over a tape measure. My dad wanting to explain to the boys how it worked and to be careful and them wanting to measure everything they could - the table, a fry, my phone, me. WallE was also happy to see them. :) Much to his dismay, WallE seems pretty attached to my dad.

I just watched Empire Records - who doesn't love that movie! Oh, sexy Rexy - HA! Now the kids are laying down with a dryer warmed blanket and I am trying to decide what to do next. Work should be first on the list or laundry or finishing the removal of all things Halloween but instead I think I will go snuggle in bed with WallE and start a book I have been meaning to read. The Good Wife and The Hills/City are all on tonight. Totally earth shattering, life changing TV viewing. Maybe it should be called Totally Shallow Tuesday.

Yet another weekend!

Friday night after work the boys and I went to Target to get my sister a shower gift and my mom a birthday present. We came home and just hung out after that. I should have gotten a head start on my cleaning but didn't.

Saturday morning we got up and did a couple things and then headed off to Z's last game. I had only made it to one and the boys hadn't been to any so we did. I finally got a chance to talk to my parents and they are now on their way home...WOOHOO! :) The T's got some bad news about their mom and it was of course, Halloween! E had decided that pumpkin carving was off the list after cutting himself last year so I thought we were skipping it this year. At the last minute on Saturday he had a change of heart. So, we hit the store and came home to carve them up. WallE was in desperate need of a bath and since we were already getting dirty I decided to force the issue. He was NOT happy but smelled better. This year N got a cut so I finished making his face for him and then it was off for trick or treating. This was the first year I haven't done it with A and the fam in so long! I missed seeing the girlies in their costumes. Originally she and the kiddos had other plans so I made other plans and then her plans changed but I couldn't change mine (confusing!)...I was sad but I know we will pick it up again next year. (We are already on course for our next tradition - Black Friday Shopping! We signed up for online ads and everything.) The kids had fun and ate way too much candy. N's costume was really a hit and very scary! E's ripped early in the night...DARN IT!

We set our clocks back and went to bed a little later than usual. So imagine my surprise when my lovely sons woke up at 5:10 this morning...ARE YOU KIDDING? I need a nap. We cleaned house most of the day and then my nephew A came over and hung out with the boys while I went to my sisters shower. The shower was at his house and he didn't want to hang around for it so he and the boys had a testosterone afternoon at our house. Poor WallE is barfing again today. Three times so far. Once this morning - so gross! And twice while I was gone. :( I am so ready to rip out my carpet...if only I could afford it. Some how I am certain the boys don't want Santa to bring them hardwood floors for Christmas. Hopefully he is feeling better and we can get a good night sleep.

Almost made it!

Man it has been a looonnnggg week! I knew it would be since I didn't get anything done on Sunday. I have a hard time focusing all week when my house is a mess and my laundry isn't done. I wouldn't give last weekend up for anything EVER! I love my BFF and so glad we got to celebrate her birthday. And we had F-U-N!

Tonight I had to take my grandma's dog to the groomer. She has a little fluffy dog that wasn't looking too fluffy. We took her to this great little place by my house. At first they weren't entirely nice but that was my fault. Traffic and crazies were working against me. We were totally late but they still took her. The dog is a little nervous should we say and she ended up peeing on me...GROSS! So I ran home and changed and then we went to dinner while we waited. This made for a very long day but it was totally worth it. I thought my grandma was going to cry when she saw the dog. They had shaved her and bathed her, clipped her little nails and then topped it all off with little bows in her hair. It really was adorable and my grandma just loved it! And I just love my grandma.

I felt a little like Trixie last night, I got to have my hair done. :) I swear, if I was a wealthy person I would pay someone to wash my hair every single day! Maybe even twice. Why does it not feel so good when I do it? I didn't look nearly as adorable when I was done but I got my fuzzies trimmed off and changed up the bangs a little - living life on the edge! Actually, I don't believe my hair has been this long (for this long) ever. I really like it....it is versatile. Up or down. Looks decent in a ponytail - this is good because it spends a lot of time like that during the week. Gym, cleaning, sleeping and normally at some point during the day up it goes. Or I can have flowing locks should I decide. I actually found a color I like too. I did the blonde thing for way too many years. Then reddish and various shades of brown. My hair is actually blondish naturally but I enjoy this very dark shade of brown. It does nothing for my ever growing collection of grey hairs but every few weeks I put them under cover for a little while.

Tomorrow is Friday. S is coming over in the morning so we can take her to school and her mom can go gallivanting around with her work husband. HA! Tomorrow is also crazy hair day at school so we have a variety of color spray and some plastic spiders. I can hardly wait. I hope S lets me do something extra crazy with hers. It is so going to be a picture day!

We have a busy weekend ahead of us - Trick or treating is #1 on the list. Saturday morning we are going to go watch Z cheer and then run out to finish getting my sister a shower present. Sunday is the shower and lots and lots of cleaning and laundry at the W house. It is a must for us. I am really looking forward to an extra hour but I so hate how early it gets dark with this change. Time change is extra hard on the little people...they so don't get it. This year they can both tell time so it should be interesting to see if that helps at all.

So I know that I complain about work A LOT! And mostly it is justified but today my boss did something really nice. The boys are having a school fundraiser and I don't like to push that stuff at work so I just set it on my desk in case anyone was interested. My office gets a lot of foot traffic. I am sure it mostly has to do with my knowledge and sparkling personality and less to do with the giant container of M&M's I regularly have on my desk - right. D ordered something from each of the kids because she loves me and remembers what it is like to hawk your fundraiser like a common street walker. (Kids can no longer walk the streets with door to door sales!) But D2 surprised me. He walked in to ask me something and ended up ordered 3 things from both the kids. Seriously, who needs six different kinds of cookie dough. I just thought it was very nice of him. He then stayed to leave me a bunch of work but that was going to happen anyways. :) AND, he agreed to our "heavily suggested" Christmas lunch restaurant. GOOD JOB D - you should be in sales!

Punks!

When J and I die from our over active imaginations my children (along with S) will go and live with J's N. Not my parents, my sisters, A or even their own father. Nope, they decided they would go and live with N. As J pointed out moments ago, without any sadness at having lost the best mother in the entire world - ungrateful bunch of heathens! At least S doesn't have to move...just share her room.

Maybe J and I will go away on a trip and see how much they like it! Ironically, N didn't say no either. We told him he could hire a nanny with the lawsuit $$$!

Is it Friday yet? :)

Happily changed that channel

Ever wonder if having an extraordinary memory is a bad thing? Randomly in the car on the way to work today N (not baby N – co-worker and friend N) and I were having an odd conversation when it hit me. It was one year ago today that my path to happily ever after changed again…for the better. It certainly didn’t feel like that at the time. It felt devastating, heart breaking. It was all of those things and now it is none of those things. It is amazing what we choose not to see, what we allow ourselves to overlook when it is something we believe we want. It was not wonderful and good, it was not love and honesty. It was lying, empty promises and in the end cheating and more lying. It was lashing out with negative things because it was the easy way out regardless of how it made me feel. It was leaving me to deal with the fall out for everyone. I got to be the bearer of bad news. Um....what is that saying - missed that train wreck by the skin of my teeth? WOW, and the end of all that made me sad why again? I KNOW that isn’t how it is supposed to be. I see that with J & N, D & T, A & N (ok, so they are both girls so they totally don’t count since of course they are both smart!), G & A. When it is right it is great and I love that and all of these married folks above! :) No, we were not married, not even close. But promises involving little people are pretty high in my book! I have even read A’s SIL’s blog and it isn’t all sunshine and roses for her either but they made a promise and the are sticking to it…THAT is what promises are right? I guess everything does happen for a reason. I am a planner and my plan never seems to work out...good thing someone else's plan appears to be much, much better.

I no longer have to pretend to be less than I am to make someone else feel better. I don’t have to compromise what I believe is right and wrong. This last year has brought so many things. A renewed interest in me! More time for my babies, friends, family. Traveling for business and pleasure (Las Vegas twice, LA a couple of times, Phoenix, Scottsdale), more concerts in one summer than in the last five years (Nickleback, Coldplay, No Doubt and Jonas Bros!), better relationships with the peeps new and old, back to the gym, back to church, back to reading like a fiend, bought a house, heading a new division at work, became a handyman, became a landscaper, became a killer of monster spiders, brought home our new dog baby, tried and quit yoga. No longer feeling like I need someone else to make things complete…I am HAPPY! Not happy all day everyday, not always ready with a clean house, clean desk, laundry done, seven course meal on the table, everyone bathed and dressed to the nines, having all the answers. NOPE, but happy with me, happy with my life, happy with what it all looks like this 32nd year of me. Happy for the boys, happy that I don’t have to share the remote, the radio, my side of the bed (ok, this last one isn’t true. WallE ends up on my side of the bed more often than not). I am happy that I choose E and N’s hearts over my own. I am their protector; I may not get to protect them from all the bad but as a mom even one less thing to worry about is a victory. They will no longer face the uncertainty of someone else walking out of their lives or learning from the wrong example. They will learn from grandpa and papa and uncles and friends husbands. They will learn from me. One day when they are happily off to college (or limo owning school for N) I will run amok with my wild and crazy ways. For now those wild and crazy ways can have little outbursts every other Friday night. Oh yes, they have been wild – skipping out on work early with D, wild $3 margarita nights at Chevy’s, silly shopping and dinners with A & N. :) THE BEST! Ok, so last weekend the wild and crazies up’d the stakes a little at A’s party…

The enjoyment of what the next year will hold!

Happy Birthday Friend!

So my BFF turned 30 this Saturday and N and I spent two months planning her big surprise party. Warned people to be busy that night if she asked, made sure the kids were taken care of, order the cake and all that jazz. Guess what? She found us out! It wasn't her fault and all was good. So we decided to surprise the guests instead. No one knew but N and I and a couple other people. The "couple other" people did not know she told us she was in the know. SO....we made her hide in the bedroom with the dog while everyone was arriving and then while they all stood at the front door in the dark waiting for her to come in she surprised them from the back and said something along the lines of "what are you all waiting for?". It was awesome! Then the real fun began! It was a costume party and everyone looked great! Drinks were had by all, food and cake too! We had lots of great conversations. J, N and I personally offended one of the birthday girls co-workers and his girlfriend. Accidentally, of course! And somewhat hilarious...YIKES! :) A loved her party and her gifts. We had a big sleep over with a few of those not ready to drive.

I FINALLY got to meet N's BFF M! She was awesome and one of the ones that joined the after party party and ended up spending the night. Rumor has it pics are all over Facebook but I'm no longer a member so I wouldn't know about those things. :) I was shown some "interesting" (incriminating) ones that will remain in a personal collection only! Unfortunately, A doesn't find my terrible, uncoordinated, drunken dance moves to be off limits so I guess those are available for viewing. Yes, I am having a blast in them and Yes, I am that bad of a dancer. I do believe me and all my cowgirl glory were seriously busting a move to some NKOTB. And who can blame me! :) A and N both said it was a favorite pic...me not so much! No such ridiculous pictures will appear on this blog thank you very much! HA!

Sunday was a looonnnnggg day! I was not ill, just sleepy. Some party goers were ill. Sorry peeps! I promised the kids we would have a second party for her and instead she ended up cooking dinner and inviting us over. I felt silly about all of that. I brought some leftover party supplies and cupcakes and the kids had fun. We got to hear all the fun Nana and Papa had at Bridgeschool this year. And some how today was Monday already!

Date Night

Ok, so it is only 8:30 in the morning and I am already late but I had to stop and memorialize last night. I should have done it last night but I was so tired. D and I skipped out together from work yesterday for a Dr. appointment. No, we didn't really lie, D2 knew exactly where we were going. So we went to see a movie yesterday and OMG! Law Abiding Citizen is interesting. The last movie I saw Dr. Butler in was The Ugly Truth...funny and cute. This movie was none of those things! I should have known when the previews for upcoming movies started to give me the creeps. I will not ruin it for anyone but I will tell you that at one point in the movie something happened that was very unexpected and surprising and I then unexpectedly and surprisingly grabbed D's arm and very loudly exclaimed OH, FUCK! It was not my greatest moment but seriously it was a completely uncontrollable reaction to a scene in the movie. YIKES! Overall, really good movie. After we went out for drinks and dinner. That part was fun too and then home to snuggle with my man. Seriously, I only seem to date my straight, female co-worker and I sleep with my dog! HA, I am so ok with both of those things. D's a good date. :)

Ok, so I have a million things to do today before the big shindig and I am LATE!

TGIF(ish)

Tomorrow is FRIDAY! WOOHOO! I actually have no idea what we did Monday after work? Tuesday J and I went to the gym. The kids were singing a Taylor Swift song from S's IPOD in the car and I secretly recorded them...it was adorable! Yesterday D and I went and had a couple drinks after work to "discuss" some of our office issues before I picked up the boys at church (I know, even typing that it sounds terrible!). Today D and I went on a lunch time adventure and then changed our minds. After work the boys and I stopped off at A's house to pick something up and see how N was feeling. We got plans this weekend ladies...let's get it together! This sickness thing is for the birds. Nana came over for a bit and we chatted. Then the headed off to run errands. I finished up my costume shopping and ran into S - I haven't seen her in a long time (much to my hairs dismay!), then we hit Target and Bel Air to order a cake. I picked up some extra things at Target (the likes of which I can not blog about until after Saturday!). I swear that store is like a drug for me! I bet it cost me as much as a good habit would too. Tomorrow night D and I are going to dinner and a movie after work. Saturday I have some work to take care of most of the day and then a costume party that evening...very exciting!

WallE has been acting silly lately. That dog is obsessed with dirty socks. I have two boys so we are never in short supply of those. He has been "talking" lately too. He doesn't bark as much has he tries to talk. It is strange and hilarious at the same time. I love that silly dog. If only he would work on some food manners! Our house is a mess and lots of laundry considering I didn't do any last weekend. I have been on a reading binge lately and glad no one is around to stop me. I also can't seem to drag myself out of bed this week. It is killing me. I think my body still recalls the old day light savings time and does not recognize this extension! I really miss my parents but am glad they are having such a good time gallivanting around the state. I am sleepy but I need to get some laundry done for school tomorrow and I am almost done with this book I am reading. A book is such a great escape. I love to read in bed and the bath. I saw the nook today and would LOVE it but $250 so isn't in the budget these days. Christmas is right around the corner! Our first Christmas in our new house!

Ironically, the house loser (I mean my ex-husband) and I sold during our divorce just went on the market. They destroyed my house! Yes, I know it isn't my house anymore and I know that selling it and moving on was the right thing for us to do, but it was my all time favorite house. We picked out all the colors and spent a fortune on the backyard. This house was not cheap and the people who bought it from us paid some serious $$$. (I am so not bragging - I made a whopping $800 on the sale that I then paid my lawyer - FUN!) How could they just let it go? This was a brand new house and now it is listed as a bank owned fixer upper with "good bones". Meaning lots of square feet and a foundation but everything else is thrashed. I love our current house and it is a great fit for me and my three boys. I wouldn't want to go back when I have spent so much time moving forward but it still made me sad to see a wonderful house rot. I am grateful that I didn't let us sit in it and rot too.

MONDAY!

I swear the universe has something against me having a good Monday. I always start out optimistic and then it comes crashing down. GRRR!

First off, my Sunday was spectacular. S stayed for a breakfast of bacon and waffle pancakes before her mom picked her up. We were going to hit the pumpkin patch with A and the fam but little H got sick so we didn't go. I had an agenda of what I was going to tackle - it was long. Instead I read a book, watched TV, took a bath, played card games with the boys, played with the dog, cooked, made brownies, watched the boys play Wii and never, not once considered getting dressed. We pj'd it all day long. It was AWESOME! No laundry, yardwork, dishes, dusting, car washing/cleaning/vacuuming...nothing! A glorious time was had by all. My lack of exertion all day made staying asleep a little difficult. Plus I had a terrible dream about my baby Sammie. I haven't seen him in forever and I miss him mucho. I dreamed that he had passed and I didn't get to say goodbye. The saddest part about that dream is it will probably be accurate at some point in time. I hope he lives to be 20 years old (140 in dog years) but I still won't get to tell him good bye. :(

I rolled out of bed tired but figured some Starbucks would take care of that. It was raining! I love it when I am home...not so much on a Monday! The kids had gotten their very blonde heads spray painted on Saturday and that stuff was so hard to wash out this morning...it took forever! But still, I was ready to hit Starbucks and get to work. Plus D and I go out to lunch on Monday's so that was something to look forward too. Well, I haven't gotten anything done and a situation at work made me MAD! Not just frustrated but actual anger. It (and I) was unpleasant. I did get a phone call that I adored a few minutes ago and it totally made me laugh but that has been the highlight let me tell you.

I just want to pick up my babies and go home and have an instant replay of yesterday. That so isn't going to happen. All the things I didn't do yesterday will be waiting for me along with a new dinner to make, homework to complete and work to catch up on. Perhaps a glass of wine after the kids go to bed?

Tomorrow will be better! PLEASE.....I am begging! Something down right fantastic should happen to me tomorrow. Ok, I will settle for no disasters and a good workout at the gym.

(Well this was a total whine-o-rific post!) WOW! I need to get a grip. :)

My Star Child

E's performance was adorable! It was a pretty warm day today and he had to be outside in jeans and a long sleeved flannel shirt for a good hour waiting to perform. S had an adorable prairie dress. They sang their songs and then we walked around and checked out some of the stuff. The kids did an obstacle course a million times. I loved watching the kiddos but I also loved getting to hang out with friends at the same time! J and S carpooled with us over to the community center and D came and brought Little T and baby L. I miss her and was so glad to get to hang out. :) Yeah friends, kids and sunshine!

After the performance J and I took the kids to lunch with some kids eat free coupons we got. We ate and ate some more. My children were dorks (normal behavior!) and we had a good time (no one was kicked out and I don't even remember any disapproving looks). We were eating at an odd time of day - in between lunch and dinner. We ran by my grandma's to pick up some pomegranates for J and the fam. My children then invited themselves over to her house and she obliged them. She even said I could come home and nap. Well, that didn't happen but that's ok. So I went back over and hung out at her house for a little while where my child made several inappropriate remarks, one of which I rightfully lost my mind over! I was appalled at his behavior...it was terrible. He cried and apologized and J said it was ok but I felt awful. We have moved on and she didn't kick us out so I guess it is ok. She even let S come over for a sleep over.

I am tired! I spent the first two and a half hours this morning chopping up trees and fighting pomegranates to the ground. I almost fell of the ladder a few times...that was fun! Next thing I knew it was 10:30 and we had to rush home to get ready for the performance. B said he would come back another day to help me finish it. PLUS, I broke my lopping sheers on a stupid branch! Ok, so it wasn't a branch it was more like a trunk but whatever...I beat the tree but it beat my sheers. B said he things he can fix them so we will see. They weren't top of the line or anything so I will live. Grandma is somewhat appeased for the time being and we have pomegranates coming out of our ears and no, I don't can or make jam!

No idea what we will do tomorrow. Sleep maybe? Laundry, dusting, baking and maybe some yard work in between catching the games. I also need to get some semblance of a Halloween costume together? Hmmmm.....

TGIF!

What a crazy/boring week! Tuesday's weather left something to be desired. The power at the kids school went off early in the day and they were unable to make lunch so everyone was sent home. I had two wonderful friends call and offer to get my monsters while they were picking up their own but the boys after school care provider was already on her way. Too bad, the friends would have been free! :) It was AWESOME to have them think of the boys...love them! Our power at work went out around 3:30 and ended up crashing one of our servers. My 35 minute commute turned into an hour and 15 minutes of hell. People, it is rain and wind...stop freaking out and drive. Being stupid does not make the lights suddenly work! Fortunately, we had power at home so we turned on our fireplace for the first time and just stayed home. Our cable/phone/internet went out a couple of hours later so we watched a movie and called it a night. The only problem? My TiVo couldn't record my show so I still have no idea what happened on The Good Wife. I guess I will try watching it on Hulu...if they have it.

Wednesday and Thursday were gym days since Tuesday was out. I haven't done two in a row in a long time and forgot to really eat much that day so I wasn't feeling great at the end of day two. The kids started back up at Awana on Wednesday nights so I went to the gym without spending $$ on daycare and while I love that my children are going to learn valuable life lessons I am also SOOO excited at the thought of having a couple hours during the week. It's like Christmas came early. :)


Today was going to be a get things done day and then my boss decided to come in and work. We ended up chatting the morning away, going to lunch and working on a project that we needed to get done but that wasn't on my agenda for the day. Also, random question day! After work I picked up my babies and we ran some errands before coming home to hang out.

Tomorrow we help grandma clear her pomegranate tree in the morning. I get to be the tree climber and then we are off to E's performance at a community jubilee. He is very excited! D is also going to come and I haven't seen her and the fam in a couple of weeks so I am excited. Other than that we just plan to hang around and get somethings done. WallE needs a bath...seriously! Who knows what other fun and exciting things we might fall into.

HAPPY WEEKEND! (wow! that was even boring to read!)

Happy Saturday!

I love weekends! Who doesn't? Probably those people who have to work? Our weekend has been great so far. I have by babies. :) PTD showed his big time loser skills yesterday and I ended up with the kids. I mean I know one night a week every other weekend is a tough schedule to keep and all so you can understand making other plans and demanding that I figure out our scheduled...that is so realistic. L-O-S-E-R! Not to mention the glaring fact that you haven't spent time with your children.

After work I went and had some drinks with the girls and then off to get the boys (later than I said I would!) so we could go to a birthday party. The party was fun and we were exhausted by the time we got home. The kids were excited to be home but still crashed out within 20 minutes of being home - on the couch, fully dressed and without brushing teeth...not to mention it was only 8:45. So I took of shoes covered babies and then went and snuggled with my man (not the imaginary one, the one with four legs).

Today no one is sick in our house! I have my meds and the kids feel good - PLEASE make it last! We have a million things to do today and have all day to do them...together!

I love drugs!

The prescription variety. I have been sick, so sick!

Our Friday night was pretty low key with a birthday party for my niece and a quick trip to the store for Halloween decorations (that we still haven't put up). My niece is officially 16 today and now a licensed driver. Look out world. Her family party was Friday night and we all had a really good time.

Saturday was the kids carnival at school and I had volunteered to work from 10 - 11 and that turned into asking to be relieved at 12:15 since we had plans with A and fam later that afternoon. Things didn't go as planned since little A got sick and didn't want to go get ice cream so N and I took the rest of the kids and then got to pick up the cutest small dog that they were babysitting for the evening. I planned on cleaning and decorating when we got home around 3 but I was really tired and we decided to lay down and watch a movie instead. We all fell asleep! The rest of the day was shot so we just lounged around and went to be early.

N woke with a fever so we had to miss an event we were headed to Sunday morning so we spent the day around the house. I mostly waited on him hand and foot and watched cartoons and movies while we waited for the cable guy to come that afternoon and check on the old Internet connection. Late that afternoon he felt better and S came over to play while her mom ran some errands. Seemed like a good day. I didn't clean much or decorate before the game came on and I certainly wasn't going to miss one of the few times I actually get to watch an entire Steeler game on TV so the three of us snuggled on the couch and watched the game. They WON! and all was good. UNTIL...I woke up in the middle of the night sick.

I normally go to work if I am just a little sick but not this time. I missed 3 days! Once I broke down and got some antibiotics I started to feel a little better until I got to work this morning and realized why I hate not coming to work. 322 unread emails in three days...UGH! I didn't burn half of them today as more just kept coming in. I may never dig out of this hole. This was really, really sick. The kind of sick that prevents you from telling your 6 year old to stop eating a bag of cookies for dinner or making your 8 year old from feeding your monster dog anything with tomatoes since you know the result will NOT be good (and it wasn't). I still can't believe I let him eat cookies for dinner, I signed a reading folder without making certain he read the book, I let them do nothing all night but watch TV. I can officially go down in the BMHOF (Bad Mom Hall of Fame!) I did learn a few things while I was home.

1. One version of Law and Order is ALWAYS on and likely on 12 times a day. I believe I love them all. I feel a real connection with all the Detectives....we are totally friends now!
2. We have a lot of lawyers just waiting to help us get money from a settlement, asbestos, FICA, car accidents, your cult, the moon, Tuesdays...you name it they can make us some $$$.
3. I can no longer watch any Court TV related shows. Seriously!
4. Sleep is my enemy! I now feel like I need a nap twice a day at least. That so isn't going to happen!
5. I haven't had Starbucks in over a week and it is just WRONG! I should have know that death was around the corner when I wouldn't even drive to get Starbucks!
6. N will forever remember eating cookies for dinner and E will always remember his poor mother falling over in front of him. The poor kid wanted to call 911. N really got the better end of this deal.

My parents leave for a month on Saturday and I am so happy for them but also not sure what I will do! :( I don't remember the last time I have gone that long without seeing them (yes I do, and it wasn't good. My mom got really sick and the were far away and didn't tell us until it was over!). My dad was over tonight helping me with a project. That guy knows everything about everything...it is awesome. Well, I have some work to get done...Ha, like anyone will notice with all the things I won't get done!

I am still very glad tomorrow is Friday. May we all stay well! Birthday party, possibly a movie, mountain o'laundry, grocery shopping, cleaning, decorating, working, Starbucks, Starbucks, Starbucks! :)

Title goes here

I got nothing tonight so a title seems useless but I felt like getting it all out. I am done with this week for several reasons and all happen to be work related. BLAH!


Monday was just that...Monday. They should move Dexter to Monday so I have a reason to rejoice.


Tuesday I was funky, blah, sissy-whiny baby (I believe I used just those words in an email to J). Later someone made an off-handed remark and it totally threw me off...kinda ruined my day. It was just unexpected so I didn't know what to say really so it bummed me out. Must have just been one of those days. But then family skate night was a mere couple of hours away so I snapped out of it and picked up the boys for some BK - I LOVE BK and never go. The last time was skate night last year. We skated like rock stars for a couple of hours. No broken bones or trips to the hospital so we had a great time. A's poor toe is funky again (seriously doctors...get a handle on this already would you?) so no skating for her. I got to spin around the floor lots of times with little A and my N. E and H could have cared less...those two are maniacs (adorable but nuts!) We all three got roped into working booths at the PTA carnival on Saturday - I can hardly wait! The Good Wife was on - second episode was as good as the first.


Wednesday the boys and I went in search of their Halloween costumes. They both got one and I got some things I need and then came home and watch The Hills and The City from the night before. Yep, I am so that big of a dork! I did read an article that the target demographic for those shows is 15-34 and I am still in that range so does that make it ok? Not so much? Ok, I read the news as soon as it is over.


Today was gym day and I sucked! I was pumped to go and then woke up with a raging headache. I was so used to living with headaches before glasses that I just naturally lived on a steady stream of Excedrin. I haven't had a real headache in weeks so I think I may have just been a sissy about it. My brain got confused - it thought we were done with those. I am still hoping that we are done with the migraines...UGH! After about 40 minutes of gym time I mentioned to J that I really wanted Panda Express...so did she! I love going to the gym with someone who isn't totally Type A about it. We have fun when we go...we gossip, listen to music, not hear our children fight and sweat our asses off (well not yet, mine is still extra large and I would rather sweat my bat wings, belly and back fat off first). It's fun! Some days I just ain't feeling it and today was one of those days. So we did a quick workout and then hit Panda across the street with the kiddos. I had a great time, even if my youngest child decided to be a MONSTER! I know most people would find this insane that I work out only to then go eat but I happen to think it was a great idea. As I explained to the girls at the gymcare, I am a bitchy skinny girl and I don't care to be hungry so I guess I have to live with what I got. I like going to the gym to make sure I don't become bigger than a house but skinny isn't for me. Starbucks, chocolate, wine, chips & salsa, margaritas, bread...ummmm did I miss anything? I guess I should go to the gym 5 days a week for 3 hours at a time....no such luck universe!


Tomorrow is Friday and D doesn't have to work - jerkface! :) My niece is having her sweet 16 party tomorrow...woohoo! At some point this weekend I have sworn to get my house in order. Good God, I should have started 12 days ago. A mention was made of having ice cream at a totally yummy place on Saturday. Ice cream should be added to the list above. I love you ice cream and didn't mean to forget you.


WAIT....the best part? I get to go see baby L! He was born last week and I haven't gotten to squishy him yet. I can hardly wait. I love me some baby love and I bet he is adorable! AND, he doesn't live in my house so I get to steal him and return him. I also haven't seen D since she went out on maternity leave so I am stoked for that too.

And a good time was had by all! :)

Hmm....

"Anger, jealousy and bitterness are the poisons I drink expecting someone else to die." - Author Unknown

Sunday, Sunday, Sunday

Why does Sunday always seem to get here so fast? This weekend has been nothing like I planned but yet so much fun! Friday night J came over to shop in my closet for a wedding she had the next day and A and fam came over for dinner and ended up staying the night. We all hung out and watched TV and ate. Watched the dancing baby video..ADORABLE!

Saturday I made breakfast and we hung out some more...more eating, more TV and some nail painting. Very little cleaning, very little working, no dog bath, LOTS of kids. :) S came over for the afternoon and hung out with us for a few hours so we had 5 kids total. My dad stopped by to fix my sprinkler only to learn I had not gone to Home Depot yet. He surveyed the damage that was my house and beat a hasty retreat. :) Not before telling me he tormented my ex-BIL...I love my dad and his "get away from my daughters mentality!". Laid back is never a word I have associated with my dad. Later that day we went out to Sting Rayz and watched the Blues Houndz perform. AWESOME fun had by all. E said on the way home that "Papa is the best singer EVER!". On the way home the boys and I made a quick stop at Big Spoon - who cares that it was after 9 and I was feeding my kids frozen yogurt! I did limit them to only four toppings.

Today we got up and ate and showered and hit Toys R Us so N could spend his birthday money...that took a LONG time but he and E had lots of fun. We ran a couple other errands and hit Starbucks on the way home. The Steelers are up by 10 at the moment, my house is a DISASTER of epic portions - I feel moments away from a Clean House intervention and my dog is a big ball of stink. We are going out to an early dinner with gang in a couple of hours so bathing him now is not in the agenda, cleaning and working just keep getting pushed aside. I am protesting both for no good reason! Especially since they have no other means of completion. It's no like procrastination will make someone else come along and do it. AND - tonight is DEXTER! I can't wait. Just a few short hours until the Season 4 premier. Later this week are my silly MTV reality shows and I LOVED The Good Wife - it has been added to the Tivo rotation (PLEASE don't cancel it!). I have last nights SNL premier to watch too. I hope it's good. I loved Casey Wilson and was sad to see her go and I am not a huge Megan Fox fan so I didn't stay up to watch it. Tuesday is family skate night for the boys school and J and I swore to get back on the gym bandwagon after falling (or intentionally jumping) off last week. When will the house get cleaned, the dog bathed or all my work done between that and all the TV watching? I have no idea! Oh well, I only have to wash jeans for next week since we get to wear them EVERYDAY next week in the office...WOOHOO! It is so the little things. :)

I love home!

I hate business travel. Not really. I actually like the travel, its the being away from home that I don't really care for. I miss my babies and my bed. I will give it up for the hotel...that bed was AMAZING! And G picked this awesome restaurant for us to have dinner in. We normally have to eat at those places that charge you $$$ to pick between three things on the menu you don't really like. The wine is always good....especially at those places. I do love a good glass of wine but if given a choice between a restaurant that actually serves bones as an appetizer and good wine or some kick ass mexican in the hood with great margaritas....I will take the hood every dang day of the week! Last night the food was very good and normal and the wine was good too. I refrained from too much since I had to be up early to host our meeting and so that some how made me the DD. What? I had no kids and still had to be the DD...WTF? :) So not a big deal. We had a presentation at a hotel and after I am flying home and G is off to another event so he asks if I can take our projector back with me. I already have my suitcase and my "personal item" that is the size of a small country with my reading materials, purse, IPOD...but I said I thought I could figure it out. SO, after the meeting I go up to my room and try and fit this in my suitcase so I don't have to check my bags. (Our IT guy doesn't think it should be checked...damages and all.) HA! It was comical. In the end, I make it work. It requires some interesting configurations and shoes in places they don't really belong but hey it worked so off to the airport we go. What does the very nice TSA employee tell me? "Sorry Miss., we consider anything of this nature to be the same as a laptop. I am going to have to open it up." Good luck to you sir. Let me know what high heel is the one that takes out your eye as it goes flying out of my overstuffed bag! ALL of my bag was unpacked and I was left to try and cram it all back in while standing in the middle of the airport. That was certainly a highlight of my trip!

Today I got off the plan and got my babies. We went to dinner and then came home and did a puzzle together and then watched a new movie N got for his birthday. HEAVEN! I understand the human kids were good but A didn't have a great time with WallE. I don't have all the details but I am guessing it has something to do with his unwillingness to share his side of the bed? :) I am so grateful she and N were able to come over and watch all three of my babies for me. THANK YOU, THANK YOU!

Tomorrow is FRIDAY! I have enough work to keep me at my desk from now until the end of time but I am still glad for Friday. Maybe D and I will hang out tomorrow? Saturday I am taking N to spend his birthday loot at Toys R Us. I need to visit my new favorite store - my local hardware store. For a small town store it has a crazy amount of things. I need a new sprinkler head, weed-eater twine....OMG! I might expire from the excitement of it all. No matter, my babies will be here.

Can I finish a sentence? A thought? A.....anything?

This weekend was all the crazy it promised to be with a little extra thrown in! Friday was final prep work for our Tuesday morning meeting - this consisted of eleventeen meetings/conference calls/side conference calls/training and some errand running. After work the boys and I ran some much needed errands and then home to make sure everyone got to bed early.

Saturday morning was our Team Maddie Grace walk. My niece was born with CHD and we do the heart walk every year. This year she wore the most adorable outfit EVER! After that we came home to get our house ready for N's party on Sunday. First, a closet catastrophe. The wooden rod broke and clothes were all over the floor. So I said some curse words and got out the wood glue and went to work on my home repair. (Yes, I totally consider that task worthy of the moniker of home repair!) Closet puzzle resolved and so I go out to hit the yard work before it gets much hotter. As earlier mentioned, my lawn mower HATES me. It was really mad at me on Saturday and decided to break. I gave up and went next door to pay the neighbor kid $10 to mow but he wasn't home. SOOO...I came back and reviewed the issue and was actually able to fix it with some more cursing, lots of anger and some new screws. Lawn mowed! Weed eater - out of string half way through...LOVELY! At this point my BIL rescues me by coming over just in time to watch the five alarm fire breakout entirely too close to my house. BIL and I decided we need to get a better look to determine if we should be more than just mildly concerned. We spend the next hour watching field after field and structure after structure burn to the ground. Lucky for me the wind was blowing the fire and embers away from my house. Not so lucky for those in the line of fire. After that it was back home to clean and run some errands.

Sunday started at 5:00 am...YES! UGH. N's party wasn't until 2 and yet I couldn't sleep so I got up and finished getting some stuff ready. The bouncy house came, the people came, the pizza and cake came and a good time was had by all. N is a great present person. He responds with such enthusiasm for everything, even the clothes. After the party we went to A's house for dinner. YUM - Nachos. :) Delicious.

Yesterday was a true Monday. I made it to work all day and then came home and CRASHED. I made the boys grilled cheese for dinner - for dinner? Seriously! We then stopped the ice cream man for what is likely the last time this summer. E is still getting over his bug so he fell asleep early so N and I watched the game (the only reason to ever love Monday) and did some I Spy books (love them!).

I had a big meeting today and when I got back I found out my grandma's sister passed away. :( My grandma is the oldest of 8 kids and now she is the only one still alive. She was sad and I had already canceled my concert plans due to my trip tomorrow (Hi Ladies - hope you are enjoying The Killers..sorry I missed i!) so the boys and I took her out to dinner and then to the store just to get her out of the house. She is an adorable grandma and we love her so much. UGH - I am still sad I missed the show tonight but I am glad A was able to use the ticket. I LOVE The Killers and they kept playing them on the radio today. I just felt so terrible about the thought of having the boys with a sitter two nights in a row...even if one was work related...it just didn't seem right and plus, I will miss them tomorrow while I am in LA. I know that A and N will take great care of all three of my boys. They are going to have a good fight on their hands with WallE - he is going to kick one of them off his side of the bed. :) I almost wish I could be here to see who wins. HA!

If I make it to this weekend it should be decidedly less insane and possibly even include a moment or two of peace...maybe, just maybe!

I should so be packing and/or working and/or cleaning right now. Think I will go play with the kids instead. Happy Not Monday!

Welcome to the middle of the week!

I'm bored! Seriously!!!! I am overstimulated and bored...again! Work, homework, housework, yardwork, more workwork, workout, and on and on! Wow, I guess I should say I am boring instead of bored - YIKES! Maybe more entertaining things could be renamed to include work so I can find time to "work" them in - shoppingwork? sexwork? bookreadingwork? moviewatchingwork? Maybe if I submit them to Webster's it will happen - yeah, I'll get right on that!

This weekend is going to be nothing but crazy and I am unprepared. We have eleventeen things to do on Saturday - Heart walk, three birthday parties, two cheer games, two soccer games and getting the house/yard ready for N's party on Sunday and then having N's party on Sunday. I finally ordered his cake and bounce house and now I need to get decorations and decide what we should eat. Since it is late afternoon and well before dinner I am leaning towards no "meal" food and more snacks. You know, the cheaper route! :) He decided on a Dora party. How much do I love that he could care less what others think and isn't afraid to show is Dora love. It is awesome.

D and I decided to start bringing our lunch to save on time and money (mostly $$$) but it is so boring to sit on our lunchroom. Not to mention she is ditching me for three work days...come on! :) Where is the love? G introduced me to an agent today and mentioned we had lots in common. What may you ask? She is getting the big D! Seriously, am I the only person in the world to have gotten divorced? I know that isn't the case - half our company has but for some reason I was singled out as being in the know. I guess I am now the Divorced-Single Mother-UW Manager. Wonder if that will fit on my business card? :) So not my first choice....oh the suggestions. I do so love G and he does nothing with malice so all is forgiven.

On a less whiny note, on our way home from the gym J and I stopped at a video store that is going out of business. I got two seasons of Dexter on DVD. I LOVE that show and now I own it. It's always On Demand but still - this is better! See how easily impresses/distracted I am. Oh, is that something shiny? HA! So easily I forget all the fun we had this summer that wasn't work related. Good think I probably blogged about it and can quit my whining and go read about it all.

Happy Birthday Baby!

My baby is 6! I can hardly believe it. I asked him, begged him to stay 5 and he said "why would I ever want to do that?" :) That kid is so funny. I can remember everything about the day he was born. I told him about it again today and he thought it was great that he was very blue when he came out. I did not find it at all funny! I remember my mom screaming about it and freaking out. The only reason I didn't jump off the table was my sister W was in the room too and she wasn't freaking out (she knew if she did I would have lost it!). The cord was wrapped tightly around baby N's neck and he couldn't breath. Once they got it taken care of he screamed like crazy and pinked right up.

I knew he would be my last. I loved being pregnant and having babies but D and I agreed two healthy boys was plenty. Little did I know we would not be raising our babies together. I know my "age" would allow me to have more but I am most certainly done. I love my boys like crazy and they are enough. BUT, it is going by way too fast. I spent too much time while they were growing up dealing with the "end" of relationships - wasting time on things that aren't worth it. No more of that! This last year has been such an awakening for me.

Today N wanted brownies for his class so I made them last night. Finished just in time to realize E still wasn't ok. Fever all day and just all around blah! We picked N up from school and came home and did some of his homework. Birthday boy picked dinner - homemade cheeseburgers, BBQ chips, root beer and more brownies. Poor E took a couple of bites and is now throwing up again. :( This is when I hate the guilt of being a single working mother. I want to be able to keep him home as long as he needs without wishing he could go to school because I NEED to go to work. I can do some from home but I really need to be in the office. It is a terrible thing to balance the needs of your children and the financial needs of having a job! I hate that he is sick and I hate needing him to get better just as much as I want him too. I am praying HARD that the rest of us do not get it. PLEASE! My parents are still sick so I hate to ask them to come sit with him and PDT is useless to even try. Not to mention E just wants me to sit next to him on the couch ALL of the time or he cries. I have watched a lot of Disney channel today.

I did get to go outside and play Moon Sand with N for a little while. That was his birthday gift today. He loved it. I think he had a great day and bearing any future disasters Sunday will be his little party at our house. Our first party in our new house. :)

My Poor Baby!

E is sick! :( We had H at our house until around 1:00 this morning and all was great. I fell asleep around 2ish and E woke up barfing @ 5:30. I think it was mostly because of a stuffy yucky nose but still! Now he is laying on the couch with a headache. Nana called to come over for the second time and we had to cancel :( Tomorrow is N's birthday and picture day at school...I hope everyone is all better.

N is one of those kids who doesn't change much when he is sick. He does not understand the concept of being still or quiet so he runs around like nothing is out of the ordinary. My poor E is not so lucky (or I should say I'm not so lucky) he is a total man, I mean baby when it comes to being sick. He whines a lot, requires constant contact and personal maid service. His Sprite doesn't taste right, he needs a new pillow, N is "moving". It is going to be a looonnnnggg day at the W's house! No nap in sight.

N is driving his lego car over WallE's back at the moment. I don't know if WallE realizes he isn't getting a massage but is actually being turned into a race track! E is calling....

What just happened?

This last week was NUTS! It started last weekend. I cleaned house, painted walls, tables and the grass (accidentally) and did major yard work. Top that off with taking my ex-husband to the ER!?! Yeah, I still can't wrap my head around that one! Monday we snuggled down in our clean house and slept the day away before our crazy week started.

Tuesday our audit began at work. Lots of people, computers and drama followed. Smack in the middle was Back to School night (fun!) It's odd to use a word like drama when talking about work but that is the best word I can think of. I made for a long week! Thursday was of course the season opener of the NFL and my man was on TV. Not just the sidelines but actually playing. I do so love to watch him play. We had to take the audit team to dinner so I missed the live game. :( I recorded it to watch later and randomly checked the score on my Blackberry. Most of the audit team were male so they thought it hilarious that the one girl in the group was the one checking the score.

D and I decided we should cap the strangeness off with margarita madness on Friday. IT WAS AWESOME! WHY? Well margaritas were had by all but I got carded! It was hilarious! I am WELL over the legal drinking age and I look it. After I ran some errands and picked out N's b-day present. How is my baby a few short days from 6!

I guess in light of the crazy week I didn't realize that Friday was 9/11. I mentioned before how obsessed with that event I was/am. It still makes me cry to think of it. When I got home last night I watched the "As It Happened" special on MSNBC. It's strange to think that I didn't realize it was coming. It made me a little sad to think I almost forgot what a horrible, striking day in our history that was. I feel so sorry for those left to deal with the aftermath of that day. I wonder what it would be like to live in NYC or DC and see the reminder ever day.

Today we went grocery shopping and my friends daughter H is over at our house while they attend the Blink 182 concert here in town. She has the best giggle in the entire world....not to mention she is adorable. After all my hard work last weekend, our house is a mess.

I am officially the oldest living single 32 year old in history!