Today my oldest daughter turned 5 ^_^. Boy was she proud of herself…..and extremely eager to go to the Chinese Buffet lol. We kind of unintentionally started a tradition of taking them out to eat for their actual birthday (because you know most of the time your birthday is during the week and if you don’t do something it’ll just pass by). We let them pick, and this year Vera picked ‘the buffet with all the Jello’ 0_0. Does anyone know if you can put a candle in that stuff and safely light it (her request)?
I’m excited for her to open her present from us here in a couple hours when dad gets home. We got her a game and a DSi we snagged off ebay. Matt and I were basking in the fact that we won’t be able to get 2nd hand stuff like that for very long without our children knowing and calling us out on it lol -_-. Ah, to be 5 again….sigh.
Her party is this Sunday at a Peter Piper’s pizza and she is just as excited about that. She’s already started counting down the days. The strawberry shortcake cake has been ordered and all of my preparations have been practically completed. Here’s a sneak peek at the party favors I’ve been slaving over making.
This picture is a little blurry, but it was taken indoors with very little light so I apologize lol. I found this sweet little paper craft on etsy, and bought it so I could make about 10 for all the little ones who’ll be in attendance. When the boxes were finished Vera was in awe; ‘Just like the baskets Strawberry uses to pick berries!’ she said. So Yay, she knew what they’re suppose to be. Hopefully the other kids will too.
Each basket has two little paper strawberries that are stuffed with funsize M&Ms. I’m going to make a few more this week just for decoration on the table because they’re so cute. Then there is a little strawberry grow kit that I scored in the Target $1 bin section. No party is complete either without that annoying party-take home item so we put some silly putty in each basket too.
I’m a little bummed that Peter Piper’s doesn’t give us as much time or the kids as many tokens. I rather have had the party at Chuck E. Cheese’s and that’s saying something. Hopefully the better pizza will make up for it haha.
Well we’re 100% certain without a doubt it’s a boy. This summer we’ll welcome a son ^_^. That’s going to take a lot of practice saying son; new word in our vocabulary.
Aren’t his little feet adorable? I think so too, but they weren’t so adorable when they were kicking into my pelvic bone. The little guy really did not like the ultrasound and it took a long time because of all the things they had to check for. We think he’s going to look more like Naomi. His face is really similar to her sonogram. I was a little disappointed we didn’t get to take a better look since they don’t do the 3D during a diagnostic ultrasound. Bummer. There’s still five months to go so maybe we will.
I am really relieved to know too that he is fine and healthy. Actually they even said he was a little big for his gestation week…..meaning I need to cut back on all the steak,hamburgers, and protein this little guy is making me crave.
In other news after visiting with our new midwives for the third time I’m really satisfied with our choice. It is a little hard for me to wrap my mind around giving birth in a hospital :0, BUT I’m confident in my body and know that the midwives have me and baby’s best interest at heart. I’m still a little sad though that the midwife who delivered Vera and Naomi won’t get to see the last addition to our family since she moved to Houston;(. At least my great coach will be by my side. Matthew’s amazing during delivery even if he won’t cut the cord or volunteer to catch the baby lol. On that note I leave you with a little something my mom forwarded to me ^_^.
Have you ever waited for something not knowing what lies ahead of you? If you have then you know how suspenseful that can be.
Wednesday afternoon I get to find out a little bit more about the child I’m carrying. If it’s a girl or a boy. If the office has it I’ll get to see them…3D…truly see; not a black and white outline. With Naomi’s ultrasound we opted for the 3D. It was pretty amazing to see her before she was born (even more amazing when she came out looking like her first ‘photo’ lol).
Carrying a child within you, you connect with them the first moment they flutter around saying “I’m here”, BUT for me ultrasounds really kind of allows me to visualize that little person and connect to them a little bit better. I’m a very visual driven person. Probably why I enjoy art so much.
For Matthew Wednesday is either about being empowered or further emasculation of his household, and I feel for him I truly do. For his sake I hope it’s a boy. However I on the other hand have no preference. Girls are comfy for me….and all those pretty dresses ^_^. Not to mention the added bonus of all our baby gear already being girly. A boy would be an adventure… all those legos ^_^ and that other side of the clothing isle I’ve never explored.
That being said the suspense is really killing me…..it’s like waiting for an ebay auction to end…. wait bad analogy -_-. We’re not winning our child; we’ve already got it lol.
We were headed home from a night of grocery shopping and we always get take out after one of these nights. We asked the girls what they wanted from Wendy’s that went a little something like this:
Matt: Do you guys want chicken sandwiches?
Vera: Yeah, with lettuce on it and a fruit cup.
Naomi: I want a chicken sandwich, a french fry, and a fruit cup.
Matt: That’s a little too much food [laughing because it was funny she spouted off such a complete order....she just turned three recently]. Which one do you really want; fries or the fruit cup.
Naomi: Both. Don’t worry Mom & Dad. I won’t get fat.
BTW I had two very angry little people in the car when Wendy’s said they don’t currently have fruit….it’s seasonal -_-.
To hear your three year old spout off such an order and then told she wants too much food she tries to assure you she’s not going to gain weight from it is sadly heartbreaking and comical all at the same time. Her father and I have NEVER criticized what she eats or how much. We’ve only ever begged they eat their vegetables -_-. We try our best to provide healthy options and portions and our daughters are never included in that conversation because that’s our responsibility as their parents until they’re older. Unless of course we are shouting something like this “EAT IT! It’s good for you!!”.
Therefore I know she’s hearing nothing about ‘fat’/obesity from us directly. I would be the worst model of health right now since I eat whatever/whenever….I’m also pregnant and getting fat. The only time she’s ever heard anything about food correlating to our bodies is when I taught the different food groups to Vera during Little School. I only really taught them about how food provides the energy our body needs to do everything we do. Very elementary. I didn’t even teach her that it makes us grow because I didn’t think at the time she’d understand that. Naomi was only two and a bystander in our little lessons too. It makes me wonder what is being taught to our children indirectly through our society or even better yet through our public broadcasting. That’s the only tv they watch; PBS morning cartoons. I leave it on until lunch while they eat breakfast and play. They never sit for an entire program, and sadly I am always doing some chores so I’m not paying attention to what is on either. I’ve sort of blindly trusted that it’s quality programming. I’m sort of rethinking that though. I’m not saying they’re the culprit for my child’s worries about gaining weight at a tender age of three, but I am speculating. I’ve noticed how much ‘health’,'health foods’, and need for more physical activity is being pushed on these programs and wonder if we’re not going a little over board in our nation’s quest to eradicate this thing Mrs. Obama has coined an ‘obesity epidemic’ .
I don’t know about you, but I don’t think my three year old daughter should be worrying about being ‘fat’. She’s a healthy child who’s somewhere in the 60th percentile for weight/age development.
I just pray that this ‘health’ overload that everyone is pushing doesn’t give these kids some kind of crazy weight complex as they get older. Just saying.
This year’s Christmas planning was done between bouts of exhaustion and morning sickness lol. I knew beyond a doubt I wouldn’t be capable of painting so many little toilet paper rolls and I scratched the idea of doing what was done last year (plus want to make it more interesting). SOOOOO this year I turned again to the crafty people of the internet. I often use chicaandjo.com for fun things to do with the girls, and was pleasantly surprised to see that last year they entered a crafty contest with a Grinchy advent calender. Best of all they practically did all the work for the reader ^_^. They provide simple easy to follow instructions and the PDF file of all their hard work it must have taken resizing and smashing together of the beloved Christmas tale of How the Grinch Stole Christmas. In total it cost me $15 to put together (not including little things for the calendar itself). However because I’m so not in the mood to do anything mine is severely lacking something….
Yeah…mine is rather uninspiring. Next year when I’m not in such dispose I’ll redecorate the shoe holder. Maybe redo it Charlie Brown style like they suggested. Anyways It’s day 5 and so far the shoe holder thingy has worked out beautifully. It’s easy for the girlies to visualize how far away Christmas is…..even if it does depress them a bit lol.
I am so thankful for people online who take the time to share their crafty thoughts/projects and produce tutorials to share with the world. Without them my pregnancy brain would have ruled and there would’ve been no advent calendar this year. That would have been sad because we had so much fun with it last year.
This is more than likely my last blog post of the year so I wish you all a Merry Christmas, Hanukkah, or whatever you may celebrate and a Happy New Year. If you don’t celebrate anything then I hope you are enjoying the winter season.
Yesterday Matthew and I got to hear our baby’s heartbeat. At my first appointment I got to see the little peanut fluttering around via sonogram. That was pretty cool ^_^.
Family and a few friends have been informed of our third child’s impending arrival (June 17th 2012), and now I think it’s safe now to break the news on my blog.
When Matthew and I got married we took a little marriage class thingy with our Pastor and one of my fondest memories was when Pastor Ed asked us how many children we wanted. Simultaneously we blurted out 6 (me) and 1….ok maybe 2 if that(Matt). The look on the Pastor’s face was comical, and the glares exchanged between Matthew and I were probably even more so from his perspective. We compromised and decided on 3 if everything was kosher after having 2 lol. In January our oldest turns five and we didn’t want them to be too far apart in age. SO after a few months of trying we’re really excited that our family will now be a party of 5. It’s going to be one crazy ride, but I wouldn’t have life any other way.
It was kind of interesting breaking the news. I think overall everyone was happy for us, but at the same time most people don’t really understand the desire to have a big family. I hope it was good natured, but one family member even joked we needed another kid like we needed a hole in the head lol 0_0. A lot of family members even needed reassuring this was our last one lol. Which it is by the way. I’m happy that it is too.
I wanted a big family, but I’m thinking a family of 5 is big enough for us ^_^. Come January 11th we’ll even know if the little tyke is a girl or a boy. I can’t wait! ^_^ Poor Matthew is dreading whether he’ll be extremely outnumbered by females or not though hehe.
I have been prepping things for Naomi’s party. Boy am I glad we decided not to have it at home. The house is a disaster area and I am not in the mood to do some massive cleaning lol.
All I had to do really for Naomi’s party was book it, send invitations, and make a trip to party city to get some goodies and a little decoration. Then earlier this week I put together the goodie bags. I had bought some cheap purple goodie bags and transformed them into Dora’s backpack. I hope the older kids can forgive me lol. Hopefully their more age appropriate goodie will make up for the Dora overload.
Naomi is extremely excited, and her seeing the completed goodie bags really got her going. She’s been talking of nothing else except her party.
Nick Jr. online has a lot of print outs so it wasn’t hard to find one of backpacks face or the map. I just cut a slit in the side to stick the map in and cut the top to look like a backpack’s flap. Rather simple. However it did take a whole day off and on just to make a few bags. It was really time consuming to cut out the face and glue it to the bag.
I played a ton of skee ball on Chuck E. Cheese‘s web page to insert free tickets into the little map of the goodie bag. I think I’ve perfected my game though haha. Thirty one tickets is an odd number, but it’s the only consistent number I could get.
For the little girls in attendance they get little bracelets that look just like Dora’s and the older girls get a little friendship bracelet kit. The boys get a bead lizard kit.
Hopefully the boys will be graceful about the pink Dora sucker too lol. Party City just had a deal I couldn’t pass up; 10 for $1.
They’ll also get 20 tokens so it should be all good ^_^.
Believe it or not I like to read….wait for it…news articles. I eat my bowl of cereal in the morning (much to Matt’s dismay at the computer) and read what the world is saying. I check local news and then major news outlets. I would probably get more writing done if I didn’t do this. However this morning I read a great article by Bob Sullivan on MSN regarding my generation and what the recession has threatened us with and why it’s inspiring the ‘occupy Wall Street’ protests; Recession threatens generation of young adults, inspires ‘Occupy’ protests. So instead of cursing my procrastination habits this morning I was cheering a journalist on.
I’ve thought this for a rather long time. Listening to disheartened friends and watching the world around me. Just observing everyone around me’s situations. I feel sad that it takes some ‘research’ and a protest to get heard. If more people just looked around them they would see the dysfunction and disparity that our generation feels. I feel like I played it safe….skipped college. I didn’t know what I wanted to do (still don’t), but I could see from examples that college wasn’t my ticket to a guaranteed enlightened life DESPITE what I was told. My generation had ‘you have to go to college to have a good life’ shoved down our throats. I saw several people in my life have to move back in with family after finishing college because they were drowning under the cost of living on their own and paying back loans.
I’ve always struggled, but I’ve always made my own way. When we had our first child and I decided to stay home Matthew was determined to make that happen. It’s been a hard road but we’ve been happy. I don’t really foresee things getting better with the attitude the majority of my generation has. It’s true what the report says. They’ve lost hope. It would take one drastic event within our family unit to send us reeling. I don’t have hope in the economy. I’m placing my hope in myself and my husband. Our finances are fragile and on thin ice always. We put the minimum into Matthew’s 401k (so we fall into the category of not planning for our future) and there is nothing to speak of in the savings department except the $5 that holds our savings account open. We’re lucky if there is money carried over from paychecks.
Aside from myself I think about my sister particularly when reading that article. She’s a part of this generation too, and she fits almost every stereotype of our generation. There are no jobs for her to find. No experience or college degree to recommend her ( not that that seems to matter anymore) pickings are slim in this slow almost non-moving economy. It’s almost even a waste of her time to go out and look for a job. She’s living with my dad, and they are living off his income. He’s put off retirement in order to take care of them both. At first I felt ‘if she were more determined’ she wouldn’t be in this position, and then I realized how unfair that was. I realized you can have all the determination in the world, but if the opportunity isn’t there and you have nothing to make opportunity with you are stuck. They are more than likely going to be moving here next spring because San Antonio is blessed with a surviving economy i.e. there are still jobs.
I wanted for a time to go back out into the workforce, but when childcare eats up so much of the income I discarded the idea.I would better serve my family in the home.
*The price of child care, a major concern in two-income households, is rising faster than inflation. The average monthly child care fees for two young children exceed median rent in nearly every state.
This quote is quoted in the article from the research. I have to explain a lot to relatives and acquaintances why it makes more sense for me to stay home, and a lot of them just don’t understand. Yes I would be making a little extra for our family, but at what cost.
If I lived in New York you know where I’d be. I’d be occupying Wall Street. Like I said you can’t make opportunity if there is nothing to make it with; we are the 99%.
As a child I LOVED Halloween.In my book it was the best Holiday ever;free candy got to run around town dressed silly with all my friends. I lived in a small town where everyone knew you, and it was great to tease the neighbors for giving out shitty candy all year long. Also you knew exactly who was giving out yummy popcorn balls, carmel apples, or WHOLE candy bars. As I got older it meant haunted houses with my friends and parties. Still an awesome holiday.
Fast forward to me with children, and I hate Halloween. Every year I cringe throwing away $20 + dollars on each costume that falls apart the next day because it’s sewn crappy and made out of cheap fabric. $40+ thrown down the drain…not so free candy. Ontop of that people here in the city give out HORRIBLE candy. It’s practically all hard candy and tootsie rolls. Stuff my 2 year old and 4 year are really going to dig right into. This year however we lucked upon a neighborhood where majority gave out chocolate and m&ms.
What really gets me about Halloween is how it’s totted as a child’s holiday. I saw TONS of kids over the age of 15 out there trick or treating, and the majority of their costumes scared the pants off of my little children.
Vera woke up twice last night with nightmares….she very rarely does that. This will continue for a week or two too. Just like the years before that.
I’m left with a ton of candy my children can’t possibly eat, sleepless, and broke.
Tell me what there is to love about Halloween because I’m just not seeing it.
I didn’t want to do the whole Halloween thing this year, but the kids ‘know’…they guilt you into doing it. They don’t even have fun after a couple of blocks they’re begging you to carry their bag OR them.
I change my mind about things rather often, but not as often as my two daughters -_-.
Thankfully they haven’t changed their minds regarding Halloween because it’s today. Ships already sailed
However they have changed their minds about their birthdays. Naomi is now celebrating Dora the explorer style at Chuck-E-Cheese’s (Sun the 20th vs. the 19th now, but that’s Momma’s fickleness there….got 100 bonus tokens if party was booked for Sunday lol).
We went to look at the bakery at Strawberry Shortcake cakes, and ended up selecting a Dora cake instead. Good thing I hadn’t gotten the invitations. I dislike the character Dora….it’s hard to explain, but she gets on my nerves. I almost shed a tear when I purchased Dora invitations, but alas it’s not my birthday. There is still hope though haha. Vera has moved in on the Strawberry Shortcake, but we’ll see what actually happens.
I’m working on sending out Naomi’s invitations today and I need to fix a sleeve of Vera’s store-bought costume that was falling apart when we bought it -_-. I’ve no idea how I’m going to accomplish this I’ve been pretty sick/feel sick still and on top of that I’ve gotta take two overly eager little children trick or treating this evening.
Earthquakes in South Texas are a rarity since there are no major fault lines around here. Interestingly enough yesterday morning while I was laying in bed reading blogs off my google reader app I felt my bed vibrate and then the headboard smack up against the wall. Things shook on the wall, and Lilo out in her Kennel was whimpering. It even woke Naomi up.
It didn’t really register to me that it could possibly be an earthquake lol. My first thought was holly cow what was the military testing?! We have a ton of bases here within the city it just seemed like a more natural line of thought haha.
It was a 4.8 earthquake 0_0. Earthquakes higher than 6.0 can do some major damage….in CA. We’re not equipped here for any type of earthquake. We’re so lucky that it wasn’t a larger magnitude.
As if my day wasn’t interesting enough experiencing that I guess my oven decided it was going to die. I turned it on to preheat it and I saw sparks shoot out of the bottom instantly. Thinking wtf I turned it off and right as I pulled away it exploded in fire all flame thrower style. Literally blew the door open. Poor Lilo, she was freaked out and inches from getting her tail singed off. OMG I am so thankful that we had a fire extinguisher. I put out the fire, but the house soon filled up with smoke and dust from the extinguisher. The girls were freaked out naturally; especially when all the alarms were going off simulatnously.
The icing on the cake was that the maintenance people came and tried to tell me they’d ‘fix’ the oven x_x.Yeah so I threw a fit and they came back with a new oven. Only this new oven was only new to me….as in it was the SAME model (which is really funny because the Kenmore model number is 9 11 something…)that is 28+ years old (older than me). I filed a complaint with the office manager and got a call back from her lackey saying that that the oven they replaced mine with works and they’re not giving me a newer model because that’s what ‘came with the apartment’….yeah like that’s what they first put in when it was built :P. Also to boot the rejects are not replacing our fire extinguisher.
My best friend from High School and my maid of honor at my wedding is getting married in two days.
I’m a horrible friend -_-. I’m not going to be there. I am currently feeling miserable about it. I wanted so badly to go to Illinois to be there for her.
Blah, enough of my whining. I’m really excited and Happy for Veronica and Randy ^_^. She’s been with him since I’ve been married so I’d say it’s about time heh ^_~.
So while all my old friends will be dancing, laughing, and cheering them on this Friday I’ll be probably watching Firefly on Netflix -_-. Did I already say this sucks?
For the Past two years I’ve thrown parties at our home, but after going to several other kids’ birthday parties my little ones have developed a little green-eyed monster better known as envy. I would like to continue having them at home, but our apartment’s space is limited **makes for a crowded party. It’s nice to have it here because we are able to have pinatas and there is no loading the car up with everything because you’re already there.
Despite my feelings on the matter the search for an affordable place to have a birthday party has begun. Unfortunately my searches have been unyielding as I can’t really find a place that offers a reasonable price (as in under $200…yeah I know). Then on-top of that there is food,cake, and decorations to consider as well. SO I may end up with our home being the only option.
At least the problem of what they want on their cakes/theme has been solved.
Naomi whose birthday and party will be November 19th wants Strawberry Shortcake
Vera whose birthday is January 25th and whose party most likely will be on the 28th has decided on Barbie
I couldn’t have chosen better had I picked them myself. I love both Strawberry Shortcake and Barbie so this should be pretty fun. My only challenge on the themes is that half their cousins are boys heh. I’ll have to make some special goodies up for them to make up for the pink overload.
I would appreciate any suggestions and ideas thrown my way ^_^.
I love this song ‘This is the Stuff’ by Francesca Battistelli. On my way to the grocery store this morning with two little girlies this came on the radio { on my fav. radio station K-Love }.
Have you ever just had one of those mornings? It was stereotypical that mine happened to be a Monday lol.
So here is my list of stuff that’s been driving me crazy…
I had to kiss my husband goodbye this morning knowing I wouldn’t get to do that for another 5 days.
I couldn’t find things I needed for the diaper bag while packing to go grocery shopping {completely outta little kid undies}
Had to do emergency load of laundry when not on the day’s agenda since we were out of underwear….yes my girls were wearing swim pants lol -_-. Felt like worst mom EVER.
Felt bloated today 0_0….not a good day for the scales -_-
Eyes are itchy/suffering from allergies…..not even the Zyrtec D is helping me.
I had to grocery shop with a 4 year old and 2 year old….do you have any idea how many trips we took to the bathroom?
I’ve got a weekend’s worth of dishes to do. Only made it half-way through.
Spilled Juice….this happens at least once a day at our house.
Had to clean my couch because of the Pug (this involved a mask, heavy duty cleaner, wet vac, and lots of elbow grease)
Cleaned the dirty Pug
Had to deal w/ the chaos of dad not coming home this evening even though his business trip was thoroughly explained
Needless to say I’m glad I heard this song this morning. I’ve been humming it all day, and you know what’s really stuck with me? The part where she says ‘BUT this is the stuff you use’.
It made me really think of one of my favorite bible verses Ephesians 6:7; Serve wholeheartedly, as if you were serving the Lord, not people. When stuff falls into that ‘ugh’ category I think that is when this is a good time to apply this to our lives. So this may sound more bizarre than anything you’ve ever heard, but I wasn’t giving the Pug a bath today because she stinks/is a brat. I was cleaning her for the Lord :P.
I think God uses all the ‘stuff’ in our life to take an opportunity to talk to us. I was glad today to know that even in the middle of my little mess that I am blessed.
Ignore me in this picture. I’ve no other explanation for Spock in the background, my apparel, or the grass green chair other than I was a teenager. This is Frenchie when she was a baby. She was sick when we rescued her. She had a boil the size of a tennis ball on her stomach, and she was very sickly. The farmer who was giving her, and her two sisters away tried to persuade us not to take her too. That he would just go put her down out back. Well, that just wasn’t acceptable to us.We honestly didn’t think the frail little puppy would outlive the week when we brought her home, but I adamantly found homes for the other puppies after family told me to hang on to one of the other ones because they didn’t think she could make it. I knew she was a fighter.
She was a very protective and obedient dog. We learned a year and a half after we had moved to Texas that she had diabetes. She was suffering from renal failure. She was placed on an IV treatment, and we were told there would be more incidents like this and that she wouldn’t have much longer.
Vera was four months old at the time of the second incident where the vet advised us to have her put to sleep. Other than dealing with the symptoms of her condition she was such a happy loving dog. Her quaility of life to me was still good and so I boldly took her away from that office and didn’t look back. When I brought her to my mother in law’s house to stay because of her inconstancy we thought she would pass within the month. Boy, were we mistaken. Living with my in-laws Frenchie made a miraculous transformation not in health, but in whom she touched. She became EVERYONE’S dog . She was loved and spoiled by everyone who walked through their doors. She lived four and a half years with them…..years we didn’t think she would have. Frenchie has always lived on borrowed time; time that I am so grateful for.
I was hoping she would pass easily on her own. She was a fighter and dug her paws in. With every seizure she fought more. It was getting to where she was in so much pain, and after biting her tongue during a seizure I received the call I was dreading to get.Taking her to the vet in the middle of the night with Bianca (MIL) was sadly like old familiar times. Me sitting in the sterile waiting room holding her body that was failing her.
The procedure was so quick and shatteringly final. I asked them to give her a sedative because she knew where she was and was not happy about it. Sitting there with her while she feel asleep stroking her fur and talking to her was so hard. I hope she knows that I wasn’t giving up on her. I knew she could do it. We just didn’t think she should have to do it in pain. When she was asleep it was as if her entire body finally relaxed and her breathing leveled out. She didn’t even startle awake when they administered the euthanasia. It was surreal, almost like you could feel the life leave her body. It’s almost as if it lingered stiffeninglyin the air.
I always knew this day was coming. It didn’t make it hurt any less.
We love you Frenchie, and I pray that your spirit went peacefully back into the folds of creation. You blessed us with your presence these past 9 years.
Life lately has been a roller-coaster I can’t seem to get off of. Up one minute and down the next. My tear ducts are swollen, and it’s now even painful to cry.
I was thrilled to watch my sister in law get married, and I teared up then. It was such a joyous moment, and my emotions ran away with themselves. I am beyond happy for them.
My mom came to visit for a week, and we had a really good time. Vera started to cry as we pulled away from the airport to drop her off, and I couldn’t help but shed a few tears too. It’s not often that my family can come visit or vise versa. Last time I went to Illinois was a little over four years ago.
Frenchie, our senior dog who lives with my MIL, is in the end stages of her life. There are a lot of decisions to make, and at the same time I’m grieving because she’s such a good dog. In a way she’s become the whole families dog by living there, not just Matthew and I’s. I feel so helpless though because she’s not here, and I can’t help.
Crying is exhausting. Doesn’t matter if it’s because your happy or sad.
This is a pathetic blog post to sum up what is happening, but I’m completely spent.
I’m an affiliate for Teefury, and a customer. Half my tee collection has been tee’s I’ve selectively purchased from them. ^_^ There are a ton of great artists that contribute to this site (limited editions), and the quality of the actual shirt is awesome. Today they are doing a discounted $6 shirts because it’s a surprise; who knows what you’ll get. Normally they’re $10. There are going to be over 100 designs that they can pull from.
I personally got one for me and Matt each because who doesn’t like a little surprise in their lives. I’m just crossing my fingers I don’t get the NeKo Bus…already have that one +_+. I’d post more and babble because I haven’t even blogged about my SIL’s wedding, but my mom’s visiting so I’m out ^_^. Get a shirt; suprise yourself!
Life around here lately has been quite the hullabaloo (one of my new favorite words; the joys of writing haha). It means: Great noise or excitement; uproar.
The Chihuahua we were going to be adding to our family found that out rather quickly unfortunately. We took him home for a night telling the girls we were ‘dog sitting’ to see how everything went (were going to give him two weeks w/ us). Lilo loved him, I loved him, Matt won’t admit it but he liked him too, BUT the kids about killed him…..TWICE. They loved him a little too much. Being as he’s never getting any bigger or any less fragile the little boy went back to Olivia and Johns the next day (if you are looking for a sweet little boy and your kids are past that toddler stage hit me up w/ an e-mail and I’ll connect you to Olivia!). There were a few tears from the girls, and I’m thankful we didn’t tell them it was theirs. Couldn’t imagine the waterfalls that would have happened then. We’ve concluded because Lilo did so well with him that we will defiantly get her a friend. She’s been mellowed out a little since then too. We’re just going to have to find a friend the girls can’t smother to death or drop from deathly heights. We’re most likely going to wait until we get our house, which is in the pipeline for next years financial plans.
Last weekend besides for the doggy escapade I went to Olivia’s (SIL) bridal shower. It was at a really nice classy restaurant. Kyle’s (Matt’s bro) girlfriend, Lauren, got them the little secluded area because she works there. It was rather humorous in itself to behave silly while getting a kick-ass three course meal.We played all the silly funny games like dressing up as a bride in toilet paper there.I almost even won one game where we were competing for who could take the most rings from people who’d say either wedding or John (soon to be BIL). I was so close, but Aunt Arlene,the quiet passive aggressive player, won hehe proving it’s always the quiet ones who gets ya. However I did get a prize ^_^ for coming close.
Then that evening our plans to go out were almost foiled by a temper tantrum from a party member 0_0 (whom we still love, so I won’t dish on a public blog lol). This really upset and hurt Olivia and she wanted to call the whole thing off so to make her feel better I suggested we bring along the guys since she wanted to go dancing, and maybe since we’d be a small party without the offender it might cheer her up to go as a big group. Well the problem with going dancing we realized was that almost all the clubs in the city are 21+….meaning our four month shy bride couldn’t get in. Our options were slim: gang infested club that played bad music or the gay club that played good music.
Yeah we went to the gay club. I’m not homophobic, but I know that it’s not somewhere I belong lol. I have a relative who plays for the other team and I love her dearly so keep this in mind when you’re reading what might seem like very prejudiced statements lol. We had a really good time dancing, and hanging out. There were actually quite a few bachelorette parties there and straight couples too so we weren’t necessarily out of place. It was quite a hoot though. For some place that touts their belief in equality it was hilarious to see bartenders refuse to serve Matt, Kyle, and John. I had to order a couple times for Matt lol. Then once Matt went to pay and the bartender all but said his money wasn’t good there haha, but took it anyways and handed me the change. Also while sitting outside in their little terrace Olivia was approached by two very older gentlemen (too old to be at a club if you ask me) who were gay identical twins (very trippy). They gave her such a hard time about getting married, and then an even worse time for us bring the uber straight guys. It was hilarious. It was definitely quite the experience and I’m glad she had made the decision to bring the guys because even though the thought behind going to the gay club was it being the safer option (i.e. not having guys approach you and no gangs) I can testify that we were clearly wrong in our assumptions; the place was packed and wild.
Anyways, she’s getting married in 9 more days! I am getting really excited and anxious ^_^. Relatives that we haven’t seen in like three years are coming down for it. I’m so excited to see a little guy that was about two when he left and he now has a little sister I’ve never had the joy of meeting that is around Naomi’s age (and of course we’ve missed their Mom and Dad too lol :P) . Also that means that four days after the wedding that my mom will be coming for a visit ^_^.
All of this means that I am cleaning my house like a mad women -_-.
I’m looking forward to my night out tonight **sigh**. So tonight I’m forcing myself to stop working on what was once my ‘side project’ because now I’ve caught up to my initial writing that I started lol -_-. I need to touch base with it or more or less finish it. I’ve got all the ground work now it’s just time to plow through it. It’s going to be hard switching gears because they are completely different types of work. Think side project urban fantasy romance and my first project sci-fiction dystopian . Yeah, they’re like Day and Night. I’ll get through it though. I’m setting a goal for myself that I’ll complete my first novel by December. I’m publishing this goal here on my blog so I can flail myself if I don’t make it haha.
Once in a blue moon I get the chance at reviewing music and products that are sponsored by ‘mom networks’, and this post is one of those product reviews; just so you know. One2One Network sent me Mat Kearney’s new Album Young Love to listen to and share my opinion with the online community.
I use to be a regular Grey’s watcher (LONG time back) and I loved his song All I Need. I remember looking it up after the show. When his name came up in my e-mail for a CD review I bit. Anyways his new album Young Love was released this month, and I’ve been listening to “Hey Mama” for the past 2 months on the radio so I was all like sure I’ll check out the rest of the album. I really enjoyed the soulful lyrics and upbeat tune to this song, and I was looking forward to hearing more current music from this artist.
I think Mat Kearney writes really poignant lyrics. However something I did notice about this album was that listening to it over and over it was almost like one song blended into another; no distinct sound for each song. That’s not necessarily a bad thing, just kind of makes for a droll kind of easy listening album. Some artists just have a distinctive sound that’s all their own, kind of like Cake for example, and I think Mat Kearney is one of them.
That being said there were some great songs on this album that I found myself singing while cleaning up around the house. Ships in the Night being one of them. This album reminds me of what Pop music use to be. It’s got this good old school feeling to it that I really enjoy. Young Love is definitely an album worth checking out.
I enjoy ironic things….like the funny ironies NOT like Alanis Morissette Ironies that are not really ironies at all.
That being said lately I’ve been watching the Fullmetal Alchemist (you can watch full episodes online too ^_^, <3 Funimation), reliving my Adult Swim (not what it use to be) days only unfiltered, on instant stream via Netflix (literally in love w/ this company). I’ve never seen it not “meant for TV” and never watched episodes in a consecutive order. I figured now was a good time to do so since I’ve decided I’m going to do more things I enjoy; one of them being watching decent anime.
Anyways one of the main characters, Edward, looses his arm and his leg while performing human transmutation i.e. trying to bring back his dead mom with alchemy. They believe that the fundamentals of alchemy is equivalent exchange and so he gave an arm and a leg in order to perform this botched transmutation.
I’d seen the show before, and this never occurred to me haha. Matt and I were in the car and he was talking to me about my choice in anime and key points of the show when all of a sudden he stopped talking.
he looks at me and says “It cost him an arm and a leg” and then bust out laughing hysterically…
I”m all irritated because we were having a decent conversation only for him to go off track w/ a bizarre interruption and was like “yeah I know their tacos are expensive **we were outside the drive through of Cha Cho’s**”
“No Ed, *insert maniacal laughter* his arm and his leg; it cost him an arm and a leg”
3 minutes later
“Ooooooooooh ** insert my even cornier laughter followed by snorting….I am a pug owner for a reason** Oh, the irony”
More laughter from Matthew “Irony….ahahaha his arm is automail (i.e. metal…more than likely iron)”
SO yeah….good Irony ahaha Hope this makes you laugh as much as we did. If not, I apologize for wasting your time by publishing a bloggy rant of my not so deep thoughts haha.
Yes, we had Hamburgers & French Fries at our wedding…. best damn burger I’ve ever had too :P.
Tomorrow is Matthew and I’s 6th anniversary. He started this week off right w/ bringing home Roses that were the same deep shade of red as the ones we had at our wedding. Aunt Olivia is taking the girls for a sleepover tomorrow while we go out to dinner and spend the evening out on the town.
I am so looking forward to some grown-up time spent with my husband ^_^. I’d write a mushy bloggy rant about how much I love him and how he still makes me laugh,smile, melt, but I’ll spare you only to torture you with a ridiculously cutesy picture of us :P!
Within a few weeks, if all goes well, we’ll be adding a doggie family member into this wild bunch. Olivia (SIL) and John (soon to be BIL) rescued a chihuahua puppy who was critically malnourished and hurt. They have as many doggies as the law allows, but would hate to see this little guy go somewhere bad and in the condition he’s in currently the shelter said he’d probably get sent over to the kill shelter ;(.
If you read my blog often you more than likely know that we are the unfortunate owners of a demonic sweet little pug, Lilo. Also we have an elderly dog who has diabetes and bowel issues who lives with my MIL . Over the past 3 1/2 years Frenchie has become a member of their family, but if anything were to happen she’d come back to us. With that in mind I have one dog at home, and technically one who is being given extra special attention (i.e. not tormented in her end stages by two crazy kids). I feel a little nutty for adding a dog to our family, but at the same time I think it will be a really positive thing for Lilo.
The girls will love anything that’s furry….they are not my concern. Lilo is an extremely high strung spastic animal. I knew that pugs were rambunctious puppies, but what I didn’t know was that they are extremely needy and vindictive. They can have “puppy stages” up to four years -_-. I thought I was in for a happy go lucky dog for 4 years…a dog who could keep up with the kids, and then be a lazy bum the rest of it’s life. For real, her parents were the calmest things I’d ever seen. They didn’t even bat a big ugly eyeball at us when their baby was given to us. They just chilled in the car during the exchange.
This may sound like I don’t love Lilo, which couldn’t be further from the truth. We’ve had her since she was weened, and I’ve nurtured and spoiled the little brat pug until my heart was content. It’s just untruthful for me to say that she is a good dog.
Aside from providing the little chihuahua a home I think adding another dog to our family would balance Lilo; give her a “pack”. Since it’s a puppy I’m also hoping it appeals to her to be nurturing. Does it sound insane to add a dog to your household just to rein in the dog you already have?
I found myself telling everyone I’m so busy I can’t see straight. Ever heard that expressionism? Well the truth is I can see straight, but am overwhelmed at what I see.
Do you just ever have those moments where your house overwhelms you? There’s the DUST, dishes,laundry, disheveled bilious piles of paper needing sorting, or just the random junk laying around because everyone you live with doesn’t know how to pick up after themselves.
Do you feel like those in your care or ,if your a mom like me, your children will never know how to be obedient,respectful, or capable of exerting some kind of manners? Or maybe it’s that someone never listens to you, or they say they’re listening but they don’t HEAR you.
Do you have a to do list of projects that jeer at you from the back of your eyelids when you close your eyes for the night after not having completed or began those said projects?
Do you have a blog that you rarely type away at, but really would like to have a successful writing platform so you make yourself write nonsensical rants (like this one) or post “informational” posts?
Do you,if your a writer like me, have an imagination raging with plots and character that are trying to claw their way out of you’re brain, but your too busy for them to even be jotted down?
Here’s another recent expressionism used by me lately; there aren’t enough hours in the day. I don’t even know if I would want there to be more hours in a day….imagine the guild felt then with the amount of things that just would never be gotten too.
At the Harry Potter movie there was a BA teaser trailer for the newest Batman movie coming out. I wanted to check it out again, and turned to the Youtube. Only I didn’t find the trailer I was looking for….. I found these
I love that Alfred is a tiny little yellow pony with bright pink hair. My inner 5 year old loved this….lol. I had one of those 10 gallon rubermaid tubs as a child just full of good smelling pretty and jeweled My Little Ponies.
These parodies do have me incredibly curious what this My Little Pony movie is about haha.
Sunday I had gone with Matt and the Girls to the Mall to look for a dress to wear at my sister-n-law’s wedding (in less than two months), and the girls had spied a play area at the mall while we were there. I inadvertently sealed my fate for today by promising to bring them back during the week in order of bypassing it at that moment.
This morning I primmed because I didn’t want to wear my usual weekday fashions (mesh shorts and tee)to a mall. I never spruce up during the weekday. There is no point. By the end of the day I am always usually covered in something and smell like team spirit. So I was a little put out by the whole situation. Then I threw clothes on the kids (usually they lounge in whatever they went to bed in ha), and took them to their desired location; THE MALL.
Ok, I’m being dramatic.
I was really dreading the day’s whole plan;return books to library, go to mall for spelunking(hate malls, are like caves to me) and lunch, and then go to Washtub to clean the Mazada who had suffered abuse during our beach trip. However it turned out to be a lot of fun. I got myself a venti java chip frappuccino sat down with my yellow legal bad & bic pen, and jotted down plot ideas for my side project while they ran,jumped, and screamed until their hearts were content or better put, until it was time for lunch. I even chatted it up with a Nanny. How someone on the Northwest side affords a Nanny I haven’t the slightest, but there she was. She was way cooler than any mom I’ve ever conversed with at a playground. Maybe it was because we could talk about actual shit instead of how wonderful little Buford is, I don’t know. Lunch was awesome. I got to have that BIG MAC I’ve been craving…this is going to sound whiny….but Matt gets to eat out all the time and I have peanut butter and jelly lol. They were pleased with their little Strawberry Shortcake happy meal toy…..unsure as to why since they have a gazillion shortcake toys at home. The girls behaved themselves at the car-wash (you wait inside while they work their magic) which has never happened before. Usually they want to touch every thing in there (it’s like a weird gift shop inside)or jump from couch to couch.
All was well.
Until my four year old told the car wash dudes that handed me the keys “Holla” lol.
I detest the stuff children pick up from each-other -_-.
Oh well. I got REAL coffee this morning so this trip to an indoor play area with readily available amenities may become a regular excursion.
There was a sermon at our church a long time ago about the differences in men and women, and how to find balance in each-other’s strengths and weaknesses. The only thing that stands out in my mind from it (and is even a testament to the sermon) is that men compartmentalize things in their brain, and women’s brains are like spaghetti noodles. There are distinct and separate sections in a man’s brain for food, sleep, sex, and each interests; all separate little cubies of the brain. Then women’s brains are like noodles; tangled and intertwined. At any given moment we could be thinking about all the things we have to do that day along with that appointment we have two weeks from now or an art project we want to work on and if our significant other is lucky, sex all in a single thought. Matthew is constantly asking me “What brought that up”. It’s no wonder he tones me out sometimes….ok like all the time lol. I am a constant rambler of plots I’ve come up with or things I mention that need to be done OR talking about wild schemes and dreams.
This blog post is a spaghetti brain blog post so therefore I am pre-apologizing.
We went to the beach Saturday. I think I’ve officially become a beach bum. I don’t care if I’ve only been three times. It’s like the ocean has supplanted a piece of my soul. I’ve found immense peace and enjoyment from wading into it’s waters and sitting out in the bay letting the waves roll over me while silently sitting there with my children and husband soaking up the suns rays.
The couple times we’ve gone to the coast we’ve seen on a hill overlooking the marshes a DOME house. I’ve begged Matthew to drive into the neighborhood so I could get a better look at it, but he hadn’t relented until this trip. I am obsessed with domes and will someday live in one. I blame Star-Wars. It was guarded by a BA security fence so couldn’t exactly get a good look at it, but I was so thrilled to actually be close to one. I’ve never seen one in person. Yes I’m weird. I did make a mental note though to build myself a BA security fence when I build my dome to keep out weirdos like me though so it was a productive excursion haha.
Then on Sunday the girls spent the afternoon with Grandma Bianca playing on a slip-n-slide and kiddie pool (dude I wish I were little again….slip-n-slides look so short now ;( ) while Matthew and I went to see the final movie installment of the Harry Potter movies.
Crying would be an understatement. I think I was weeping. I was embarrassed to leave the theater when the movie was over my eyes were so red and my face swollen. My love for all things Potter began on a whim. My mother had picked up the first book for me off an end table of new releases (she’s always nurtured my love of reading) and it was a book she read to me aloud before bed every night. I was eleven…I know…I could have read it by myself lol, and I did reread it by myself afterwards, but it was something special we did together every night. That actually was the year she stopped reading to me before bed, but I’d slip in and listen to Haley’s stories. I’d always had a hankering for fantasy and the series had fit the bill. I hadn’t even realized how my admiration for the whiny wizard had created an image I was looking for in all the boys I dated lol. Matt coined it my “Harry Potter Hotness Complex”. I guess husbands are allowed to poke fun at the boys dated in adolescence :P. They all had dark hair, green eyes, and glasses…only thing missing was the lightening bolt scar. In the end I’d made an exception for the whiny boy with dark hair for not having had green eyes…..lol. Anyways The stories captured my imagination and a piece of my heart.
I was happy when the last book was published, and I’m happy that the last movie is completed. I am the most impatient person ever so the fact that I was able to withstand waiting for each installment is beyond me lol. I can’t wait until my children are old enough for me to begin to share the stories with them, and relive the literary magic all over again.
“The time has come,” Brittany said, “To talk of many things: Of bills–and saving–and renewing apartment leases– Of Pro’s–and Con’s– And why the desire to move is strong– And whether we move or not.
I have lived in this apartment complex for 7 years. I lived in a 1bdrm across the yard where I planned my wedding, and came home to after my honeymoon. Then we moved across to the other side to a larger downstairs 1bdrm where Vera was born….literally. Then she became too old and was considered an occupant so we moved back to the other side of the complex into a 2 bdrm, where we’ve brought Naomi home to and have celebrated many birthdays and holidays together.We’ve been here since….Going on four years.
We need to move. I WANT to move. I am running out of creative options of fitting our life into this apartment. I’ve downsized again and again. I think a minimalist would look at me and be envious. Yet still we’re all on-top of each-other. Our apartment is the definition of cozy. I rather my home be the definition of spacious or clutter-free.
It would make sense that we move, but we’re not.
We’re staying here, on the condition I’ve made Matt PROMISE, (you all are my witness) that we are buying a HOUSE next year when the lease is up.
Until then I will need to be content, and saving every leftover penny.
Vera: “so this chicken was a bird….and we eat it? Was it a Rooster?”
I thought it’d honestly be a long time before those two were connected, and being as it’s only 1 of a handful of items we can get our picky four year old to eat I think Matthew and I were both a little devastated she had made this connection. She was not pleased with us haha. I think Matt’s comment was something like this “WE HAVE A VEGAN?!”. To which I had to comfort him with “No, she doesn’t even eat vegetables 0_O”. For the record I have nothing against vegans heh. In fact two of my good friends are vegetarians….unsure if one of them wasn’t even completely vegan herself.
It was a complicated process of explaining animals for food, and animals for pets;”No honey, we don’t eat Pugs 0_O”. However I think we pulled it off because although she didn’t finish her chicken the night before she ate it last night. It was really complicated to explain to her that animals were placed here by God to nourish our bodies, and that he said we could eat certain animals (then Matt had to snicker that we even eat the animals he told us not too -_-….so immature sometimes heh). That is hard for me to even understand since I’m such a bleeding heart; the killing of a living animal so that I may nourish and feed my body. It’s hard to expect a child to understand that as well. It seems cruel. We may have fibbed a little and said that they are all old animals that are at the end of their lives.
The food chain is fascinating. We didn’t go there though. We have domain over the animals and we are so bold to say that we are on the top of the food chain, but if we’re in the way of a powerful beast and aren’t on top of our game we can easily become the bottom of it. Just makes you think.
Anyways then this morning she threw another curve ball at me…
Vera: “Mom, where did I come from?”
Me: (dodging the bomb)”God..”
Vera:” I know that….Jesus had a part too right?….I mean how’d I get in your tummy”
Me:” Yes, he played a part. Well God was Happy Mom and Dad were married, and gave you to us to grow in my tummy until you were ready to be here with us” (this seemed to appease her for a few moments, but then she came back for more haha)
Vera: “Where was I born”
Me: “In the water, and I brought you out of it and you smiled at me…..and then you started screaming -_-”
Vera:” So I”m a mermaid….I knew it! Was I born in the ocean??!! ^_^”
Me: ** Head hits Desk ** No….mom was at home, and had a giant tub in her room that I used to relax in while I prepared to have you be born. You just happened to be born in the water. It was very peaceful, and you even seemed to be a happier baby for it.”
She smiled at me serenely and went on her way back to playing with her strawberry shortcakes. I fervently pray that until puberty I get no more questions regarding where babies come from -_-.
Life is short, and precious. I’m learning to bend like a tree…
The weekend before this 4th of July weekend we took a family trip to the coast. It didn’t go exactly to plan…well there was no plan, but the situation wasn’t ideal. Some of us woke up sleep deprived the first morning, and angry (all is forgiven). However we trekked on, and drug our arses to the beach.
With the waves crashing in, and my children running in and out of them covered in the sand they had been playing in this song, How He Loves Us, was playing in my heart.
There was tension among us, and I was having a hard time letting that go. Then there was resentment that we were disappointed in how family members had behaved the first night. It was fascinating because those afflictions were eclipsed by the glory of god; the beach and the ocean. “Heaven met earth like an unforeseen kiss” .God’s glory and mercy was working on my heart.
It occurred to me that He loves us despite our faults and misgivings. We need to love everyone else that way; forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us.
I took away more from that weekend than the “typical family vacation” sentiments….you know what I’m talking about lol. I took away knowing God’s love and mercy more
He is jealous for me,
Loves like a hurricane, I am a tree,
Bending beneath the weight of his wind and mercy.
When all of a sudden,
I am unaware of these afflictions eclipsed by glory,
And I realise just how beautiful You are,
And how great Your affections are for me.
And oh, how He loves us so,
Oh how He loves us,
How He loves us
Ohh, He loves us,
Ohh! how He loves us,
Ohh! how He loves us,
Whoa! how He loves.
Yeah, He loves us,
Ohh! how He loves us,
Ohh! how He loves us,
Ohh! how He loves.
We are His portion and He is our prize,
Drawn to redemption by the grace in His eyes,
If grace his is an ocean, we’re all sinking.
So Heaven meets earth like an unforeseen kiss (or sloppy wet kiss in some versions lol),
And my heart turns violently inside of my chest,
I don’t have time to maintain these regrets,
When I think about, the way…
He loves us,
Ohh! how He loves us,
Ohh! how He loves us,
Oh how He loves.
Yeah, He loves us,
Ohh! how He loves us,
Ohh! how He loves us,
Ohh! how He loves.
I was going to write about the recent beach trip, but Matt ran off to Pittsburgh with the flash drive with pictures Kyle so graciously shared with us that he took. That and I haven’t gotten the water disposable camera developed yet.
That being said I am simply going to rant about Allergies. They suck. Days like this where I get feverish chills and my sinuses feel like they’re imploding are days that I lament ever moving to Texas. NOT even my Zyertec D was making a dent. Thankfully I had a good book to curl up with.
I despise how Allergies can completely render me useless, especially since I’m not a completely put together person and do things at my own leisure. This puts me behind so it’s hard to ever catch up with anything.
I feel completely like a lazy bum. I want to get up and do things, but it’s so much easier not too. I hope I feel better tomorrow. It’s Matt’s 27th Birthday. I’m glad he’s going to be home tonight. I missed him terribly and slept horrible.
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