Monday, January 23, 2006

List of Fours

Tagged by Carolyn...

4 jobs you have had in your life
1. Buffet girl at Ponderosa Steakhouse
2. Waitress at Perkins (worst job ever!) and Ryan’s too
3. Child care worker at a daycare center
4. Recreation Specialist (for 7 years and counting)

4 Movies You Could Watch Over and Over
1. Shawshank Redemption
2. The Incredibles
3. Finding Nemo
4. Legends of the Fall? maybe? I'm having a hard time coming up with these.

4 Places You Have Lived
1. I was conceived in Canada while my parents were there on vacation LOL
2. New Hampshire
3. Missouri
4. Missouri

4 Shows You Love To Watch
1. Desperate Housewives
2. Grey’s Anatomy
3. Survivor
4. Scrubs

4 Places You Have Been on Vacation
1. Jamaica
2. Grand Teton Mountains
3. Grand Canyon
4. Too many to list- I’ve been to all 48 continental states

4 Websites You Visit Daily
1. Blogger.com
2. Yahoogroups.com
3. Hotmail.com
4. FLYlady.net

4 Of Your Favorite Foods
1. Real mashed potatoes
2. Crablegs
3. Chinese (esp. chicken fried rice)
4. hot wings and beer

4 Places You Would Rather Be Right Now
1. The mountains
2. Anywhere on vacation
3. Scrapbooking
4. Sitting around a campfire drinking with hubby & friends

4 Bloggers You Are Tagging
Like Carolyn said, If you are reading this, have a blog, and haven't done it, consider yourself tagged!

Better weekend

As far as I know, my husband doesn't read my blog, I've never really told him where to find it. But sometimes I think maybe he found it on his own and reads it? After that frustrated message I posted on Friday, he was a lot better, and suddenly was helping more all weekend. Hmmm...maybe he does read my blog! LOL Anyway, he *did* do much better, even grabbed my plate after dinner and put it in the dishwasher, did the trash (and yes got my tire taken care of & the new one put on my suv). And together we worked on clearing some stuff out of the basement and setting it up to where we can use our treadmill, exercise machine, and recumbent bicycle easier. I suggested this, as it would be nice if we could exercise together at home instead of us trying to figure out a way to do it somewhere else separately. I had been getting up at 5am to exercise by myself for a long time, but lately that hasn't been working out very well. So, if we can both do it together, that will not only help make it easier to exercise, but will also give us some more time actually doing something together each evening after Adam goes to sleep, and while Brendan plays in his room. Getting healthier again while spending couple time together...sounds like a win-win situation to me!

Friday, January 20, 2006

Am I wrong?

Okay, so in addition to working full-time outside the home, I do about 99.9% of all the cleaning and picking up around the house every day, and about 90% of all the responsibilities & tasks of taking care of the boys. I drive both boys to and from daycare every day. I feed them dinner, give them their baths, and tend to their needs every night. If the baby (okay he's more of a toddler now I guess) wakes up at 3am I get up with him. When the boys wake up on the weekends at 5am, I get up and stay up and let my husband sleep- every weekend. I pay the bills and balance the checkbook. The only "chores" that my husband takes on are mowing the yard (which is only a few months out of the year & yes we have a riding mower) and trash. And I end up doing the trash about 40% of the time for him because I just can't stand it overflowing and can't wait for him to get around to it. (Did I mention that we still had rotten pumpkins on our porch until this past weekend because he said he would take care of it back in November, and I forced myself to wait and not to do it). Not only does he not help with things, but he makes it even harder on me by leaving his clothes laying on the floor, and when he walks in the door, he drops everything he's carrying in the middle of the floor in the living room and leaves them there (his lunch cooler, coat, etc). He frequently leaves his dirty dishes all over the house, used napkins, etc. Any and all papers get left on the kitchen table. Yes, he works full-time, but so do I. (I am getting to a point, keep reading...)

So, yesterday I had a flat tire. Yes I do know how to change a flat tire, and yes I am capable of it. But I still asked if he would change it. He did. No problem. He was going to run it by Wal-Mart to have it replaced on his way home. He didn't. So he said he'd do it today. No problem, I don't mind driving on the spare for a day (it's a real tire, so it's okay). Well, this morning, as I'm rushing to get out the door with both boys, he tells me I need to take my tire into Wal-Mart and drop it off and get it replaced. Ummm...yeah. That's not happening. I remind him that he said he would do it. (after all, it is right along his way to work AND he doesn't have 2 little boys in the car with him! He can drop the tire off on his way to work and pick up on his way home.) He was annoyed by this! Did I miss something here? Yes, of course I *could* do it, but it would be so much easier for him. After everything else that I do on a daily basis, to me this is something that he should do. And I think most guys would volunteer to do this for their wife, wouldn't they? I said, "well, since I do practically everything else, you can do the "guy-type-jobs" when you can...it should be my reward for doing everything else." Am I wrong? Am I asking too much? I just don't understand him sometimes. In my opinion, I shouldn't have to even ask. And he's annoyed with me?

I'm the "You Suck and That's Sad" Bunny LOL

Here's a "nice" little bunny quiz for you, (found on Kdubs blog)

you suck, and that's sad
You are the "you suck, and that's sad"
happy bunny. You're truthful, but can be a bit
brutal.


which happy bunny are you?
brought to you by Quizilla

Wednesday, January 18, 2006

Out of the mouths of babes...

We have a new Hooters in town. The other night, we were all in the car and drove by Hooters. They have some fake palm trees outside the building, and Brendan (my 5-yr-old) looked over and very excitedly exclaimed, "Look Mommy, COCONUTS!!!" Joe & I died laughing, but we couldn't tell him why it was so funny. I finally just said, "yep, lots of coconuts over there".

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Brendan has also become quite the joke teller lately. He always wants to tell jokes to me in the car. Thing is...they don't make any sense! lol He doesn't quite understand the concept of a punch line. It's still cute though. Jokes such as:

"Why did the frog go to the doctor?"
"Because he had a lily pad!"
(insert fake laugh here)
"Why did the sign have legs?"
"Because it fell on an elephant!"
(Get it?! No, me neither)

"Knock, Knock"
"Who's There?"
"Me"
"Me Who?"
"Brendan"
(silence)
"Mommy, say Brendan who?"
"Brendan, who?"
"Door"
(silence, as I'm totally confused at this point)
"Mommy, say Door who?"
"Door who?"
"Cat"
(and on and on making no sense whatsoever)

"Why did the chicken cross the road?"
"Because he has a nest"

And they go on & on like that, he can belt them out one right after the other for the entire 25 minute drive home every evening! LOL

Tuesday, January 17, 2006

This past weekend

I visited my mom this weekend, to help her out where needed. I was really surprised at how well she is getting around after her knee surgery! She has to use a walker, but she really didn't need help with anything except making meals & cleaning up after them. Her physical therapist said she is ahead of schedule in her range of motion and such right now. That's great! I was really worried that with her having MS that she would recover slower. Thank goodness that doesn't seem to be the case.

Monday we looked at another home daycare to move Adam to, but we've decided to move him to the first one we looked at last week instead. She was so much more affordable, and both places seemed to have about the same type of "average day" for the kids. They both provide breakfast, lunch, and snacks. The more expensive one is in a better neighborhood, but the less expensive one isn't in a *bad* neighborhood. So, we figure we can save a lot more money by going with the first lady. In fact, by going to the first lady we will save $340 per month compared to what we've been paying for him at the daycare center he currently goes to! That's a big difference! And that money can go towards the addition we're hoping to add on to our house. That will help a lot!

Once again, I'm back in a "blah" mood, and can't think of anything exciting or fun to say.

Friday, January 13, 2006

30th Birthday coming up...any ideas?

My 30th birthday is coming up in March. I'm hoping my husband is planning something, but I'm not counting too hard on it. He's so hit & miss with stuff like that. There have been many times that he didn't get me anything for birthdays, Valentine's Day, Mother's Day, Christmas, etc. I *think* he will try to do something for my 30th, but I also want to have something in mind in case he asks what I want to do. I love camping and canoeing, but not in March! lol For his 30th a few years ago, I had a surprise party for him at a campsite on our favorite river. Most of his friends and both of our families came, we had lots of food, drinks, campfire & drinking & such at night, etc. Then the next morning we went on a float trip (for those out of state that aren't familiar with that term, it means canoeing LOL). It was a lot of fun. But again, not so fun in March when it's still cold. So that won't work for mine.

Just curious, what some of you all did for your 30th? Or do you have any ideas? Maybe it will spark some ideas for me.

What Kind of Girl Are You?

Here were my results...

HASH(0x8c2a934)
An Average Girl
You are the all american girl. You goal in life is
just to find that special someone. You are
very simple and tend to follow trends. You love
to be with your closest friends and just have a
good time!


What kind of Girl are You? (With Pics)
brought to you by Quizilla

Colorado a no-go, Mom, and Looking Forward to Monday

Well, sounds like the whole Colorado thing isn't going to happen. Would have been nice, but Joe's boss has pretty much decided he isn't going to send Joe for the training. Oh well.

My mom is home from the hospital after having her knee replacement surgery. She sounded good on the phone! Sounds like things are going okay so far. My grandma & step grandfather have been staying with her all week to help her get around. I'll be going there on Saturday afternoon and staying with her until Sunday evening.

I'm looking forward to Monday. We get off work for Martin Luther King Jr day, and daycare is open. I have so much I need to do around the house, I'm hoping to be able to be very productive with those precious few hours without the boys there.

Well, I'm feeling kinda blah and boring today, so I'll end for now. lol

Wednesday, January 11, 2006

Make your own tub paints

Make your own tub paints. Easy & fun for little ones...

Color-me-clean Tub Paints

MATERIALS:
½ cup liquid hand soap, clear or white
1 teaspoon cornstarch
Food coloring

Time needed: Under 1 Hour

1. Combine the soap and cornstarch in a small bowl.

2. Divide the mixture into separate containers, then add food coloring one drop at a time.

Caution: Test the paints on a small area of your tub or wall first to make sure they won't leave a stain; darker hues may be more difficult to wash off.

Tips: Apply to tub and body with fingers or paintbrushes. Use bathroom cleanser to clean the tub if any color remains. Keep any leftover paints in airtight containers in the refrigerator for up to three days.

Originally published in FamilyFun magazine.
http://jas.familyfun.go.com/crafts?page=CraftDisplay&craftid=10388

Links to 2 neat sites

I have stumbled across 2 sites today, completely accidental and really had nothing to do with what I was actually searching for, but turned out to be neat ones that I thought were worth sharing. (especially worth sharing with other parents).




This first one is actually a blog. Wow! Check out all the really cool cupcakes! If you ever need any cute, creative ideas for cupcakes to bring into your kid's school or for a party or whatever, check this out. This person has pictures and step-by-step directions for tons of really cute cupcakes: http://kidscupcakes.blogspot.com/


The other site is one that most people probably already know about, but that I didn't. lol It is http://www.kidshealth.org Great resource with tons and tons of info, articles, links, you name it to all sorts of topics for young kids, teens, and parents. If you didn't already know about it, you might want to check it out.

Tuesday, January 10, 2006

My brain is an un-organized mess!

I really need to re-organize myself. I have been so bad lately. At work I think about and remember everything I meant to and need to do at home. And then I get home, and suddenly remember everything I meant to and need to do at work. This has been a horrible circle of unorganization. It is driving me crazy. I guess I need to just carry around a master list at all times so that I remember when I'm at home what all I needed to do at home, and likewise at work. Ugh! Like for instance right now, I'm at home, came home early because my younger son was sick and daycare had me pick him up. And for the life of me, I *know* there were at least 3 things I thought of at work that I needed to do and thought, "I'll work on those when I get home". And you see where I am and what I'm doing...I'm sure blogging was not one of those 3 things! LOL Oh wait! I need to wrap a birthday present for one of Brendan's classmates for the party tomorrow...that was one of the things! The way my brain has been, I think I better go do that right now before I forget again and end up running around in a mad rush tomorrow morning trying to get out the door. As one of the blinkies on my blog says so well about me..."I used to have a handle on life, but it broke!" Amazing what having kids will do to you! LOL

Join in Annual De-Lurking Week!

Don't know exactly where this challenge originated, but I found out about it from Kdubs blog.

Everyone is challenged to join in Annual De-Lurking Week! Everyone who just peeks at blogs and doesn't comment, this is your call to leave a comment on the blogs you read. (Or those of you who do leave comments, visit a new blog and comment). Even if it's just to say hi and let other bloggers know you're there.

Join in Annual De-Lurking Week. I don't know how to make buttons, so like some others, I'm borrowing this already made button below:

Monday, January 09, 2006

Tagged! 5 Weird Things About Me

I was tagged by Kdubs to reveal 5 weird things about myself...

(not sure if these are considered all that weird, but it's all that came to mind right now!)

1. I am a deodorant freak! I put on deodorant at least 5-7 times a day...no kidding. I don't know why or when this "obsession" started, but it's just something I do. I put deodorant on right after my shower in the morning before I dry my hair, then put it on again when I get dressed, then sometimes again after I do all the other getting ready before I head out the door. Then I have deodorant I keep in my cabinet in my office at work, and I put it on at least once or twice during the day at work. Then when I get home, I sometimes put deodorant on again when I change into my comfy clothes for around the house. And then I also usually put it on one final time before climbing into bed for the night. LOL Crazy, I know, and I really don't know why I do that, I just do. I'm so afraid of having B.O. and don't trust the deodorant to work all day long, I guess!

2. I love real oranges, but can't stand orange juice or anything orange flavored.

3. I like to drive barefoot.

4. I don't like cheesecake, mayonaise, sour cream, cream cheese, ketchup, chocolate pudding or chocolate icecream. (things most people love! I don't think that's "weird", but I get lots of weird looks when I tell people I don't like these).

5. I'm a little bit non-stereotypical female: I don't like shopping, I don't even own a purse, I've never in my life had a manicure or pedicure, I'd rather drink beer than "girly" drinks, I did not have big dreams all my life of my wedding like people always say little girls do, diamonds are not my best friend nor is any jewelry (I have some basics in jewelry but I don't really care about having jewelry in general), I don't like the color pink or anything frilly, I would never go after a man for his money, I don't care about having all the latest trends, I refuse to buy overly expensive clothing or jewelry or anything material like that...there are so many other things I'd rather do with my money, I don't like to talk on the phone, I don't care what the celebrities are doing, I have no desire to go to big cities, Fancy restaurants do not interest me, I don't really like mushy romance books or movies, I don't need a lot of foreplay, and basically anything you hear someone say is "every woman's dream" does not apply to me. LOL

Tag you're it!
Carolyn
Janet
Daphne
Beth
Kathie
Katlyn
Cathy

Friday, January 06, 2006

Possible Colorado trip coming up???



Joe just called me at work from his work to tell me there's a possibility he might be sent to Colorado for some training on larval fish. I am so excited! We could turn this into a vacation if all goes well! I LOVE mountains. I like Wyoming even better, but hey I'll take Colorado!!! Mountains are my favorite...I'd rather go to the mountains than the beach any day. So I am REALLY hoping that this all works out and he gets to go, so that I can go too! It is SO hard to get Joe to go on a trip, and I love to travel, so this would be great. He's not sure when it would be, but he thinks it would be somewhat fairly soon, maybe in a few months. I'm trying not to get too excited, in case it doesn't work out, but I'm keeping my fingers crossed!

Thursday, January 05, 2006

Thursday Thirteen (trying this out for the 1st time!)


Thirteen Things about COURTNEY'S FAMILY LIFE



1. Joe and I met in 1992 at Ponderosa, where we both worked at the time (I was 16, Joe was 19).

2. At age 18 (1994) I convinced Joe to go to Jamaica with me, and he proposed to me while we were there one night at sunset.

3. We were married in 1997.

4. We had our first son in 2000 and our second son in 2004.

5. We now live in and own our 2nd house which is on 10 wooded acres. We regularly see deer during the day, and once in awhile hear coyotes at night.

6. We have 3 vehicles: I drive a Kia Sportage SUV, Joe drives a Kia Rio, and we have an old '85 Ford Pickup for those times when you just need a truck!

7. We have 1 cat named "Pippin", and our other cat disappeared several months ago.

8. We have an aquarium made up of fish, freshwater shrimp and use to be turtle, all from Missouri rivers...even the rocks and plants.

9. We lost 3 pets in 2005: A turtle, a green snake, and our other cat.

10. My husband and I both work full-time outside the home.

11. We like living out in the "boonies" away from busy city life.

12. We absolutely DO NOT plan on having any more kids. Two is plenty! lol

13. On our first date in 1992 we both agreed we were not looking for a long-term relationship...that was 14 years ago and we've been together ever since. LOL

Links to other Thursday Thirteens!
1. KDubs
2. Karen
3. Chickadee
4. Ivy

5. confessionsofabusymom

6. dana



Get the Thursday Thirteen code here!


The purpose of the meme is to get to know everyone who participates a little bit better every Thursday. Visiting fellow Thirteeners is encouraged! If you participate, leave the link to your Thirteen in others comments. It’s easy, and fun! Be sure to update your Thirteen with links that are left for you, as well! I will link to everyone who participates and leaves a link to their 13 things. Trackbacks, pings, comment links accepted!



My Mom's Surgery

Today my mom had a knee replacement surgery. The surgery lasted about 6 hours, and we just got word that it went well. She will have to stay in the hospital 3-5 days, and then will not be able to walk for at least 11 days. She can't drive for 6 weeks, and can't work for 3-4 months! My Grandma will be going to stay with her to help her during the week or two after her surgery, helping her to do things. We're planning to go up next weekend and try to help her and relieve my grandparents for a little while.

I'm really glad the surgery went well, but the concerns are not all over yet. My mom has Multiple Sclerosis, and any trauma, such as surgery, can cause a major set-back and worsening of her MS symptoms. I'm really worried about that. This past year she has gotten noticeably worse anyway, and I really hope that the surgery didn't cause too much further harm. Only time will tell, I guess. I'm trying to think positively and think good thoughts and pray for her, that's all I can really do.

Tuesday, January 03, 2006

Our date day and movies

Yesterday was a pretty good day. Joe and I both had off as a holiday (since the actual holiday fell on a Sunday), and daycare was open! So, since it was the first Monday of the month (our monthly date night) we went ahead and took the boys to daycare and spent the day together without having to pay a babysitter for the evening. We took the next step for getting our butts moving on plans for the addition to our house. We finally took all the measurements and staked out on the yard where our proposed addition would be, got the floor plans down on paper (instead of just floating in our heads! lol) and by doing this realized that we had enough room on the upper part to actually put both boys' bedrooms, and master bedroom with bathroom and walk-in closet. Originally we just thought we'd put master bedroom and 1 of the boys' rooms up there, but we had so much room leftover that we could do more. We're pretty excited about the addition plans. Our "ideal" addition would include a new living room, laundry room, workshop and garage added to the bottom floor, in addition to the 3 bedrooms I just mentioned for the upper floor. I'm trying not to get too excited yet, because we don't have any official estimates yet and it could totally blow us out of the water! But at least I feel like we're advancing on the plans to *see* if it's possible. Then we went for hotwings and beer, followed by a movie before picking up the boys. We saw Fun With Dick and Jane It was pretty funny.

Then later after Adam went to bed and Brendan was playing in his room, we watched
The Longest Yard (we do that Blockbuster online thing similar to Netflix) We both liked The Longest Yard! Good movie :) And WOW, tons of HUGE men in that movie! Just when you think the guys are huge, you see another one even bigger. Oh, and a few days ago we watched March of the Penguins with Brendan. That was good too, and I learned something. After watching that, I'm convinced that I'm so glad that I'm NOT a penguin! lol

Sunday, January 01, 2006

Happy New Year!



HAPPY NEW YEAR EVERYONE!!!

Well, here it is 2006! Last night I worked at the First Night event in the children's area. Luckily the children's area closes down at 10pm, so after cleaning up and driving home, I made it in time to be at home when midnight came. (Only about 25 minutes to spare, but I *did* make it). The boys were already in bed. We didn't really do anything, except watch the countdown on tv and have a glass of champagne. We were both so exhausted we went to bed about 15 minutes later. Today Joe is working, so it's just me and the little ones hanging out at home today. (They are watching Veggie Tales right now, so I actually was able to sneak in a few minutes on the computer!)

Here's hoping for a happy, healthy 2006 for all!

Friday, December 30, 2005

Looking Ahead to 2006...

(I'm on a posting spree today! lol)

I've been coming up with my resolutions/goals for 2006 list, and this is what I've come up with so far...

-lose 20 lbs/eat healthier/exercise more (still trying to shed the last of the baby fat)
-continue to have monthly date nights with Joe
-have family fun weekends once a month
-make my FLYlady routines a habit to keep the house under control
-declutter basement (and other areas as needed)
-find and join a church
-be a better and happier wife & mom

(I think I had very similar ones last year...shows how much I did NOT accomplish in 2005! LOL)