Technologically challenged

Last year it was time to upgrade my cell phone so instead of a traditional phone, I went with a Palm Treo', thinking I would be able to lose my "planner", store music, use the calendar, phone, etc. Well....I didn't use half the crap on the phone. NOT the easiest phone to use, plus our office didn't support the Palm so syncing was a b****. Now I think I want the iphone, but is the iphone better than the blackberry? Can I store music on an iphone that can be docked on a d. station? Do I really NEED an iphone? How easily will it scratch/break? I'm so confused.

I miss the moon

No, silly - not the moon in the sky, the Sam Moon. OMG. I haven't been in over a year but I just went online and...wow. I must make time to visit sometime soon! Anyone want to go?

The Fourth of July

The many things that I love about the fourth of July -- and what I associate with the day:

• marching bands


• summertime


• patriotic music (Lee Greenwood anyone?)


• fireworks


• cookouts


• family & friends


• red, white & blue


• water / beach

When I was little, I remember spending many birthdays at the beach -- it was our vacation destination. Because the fourth was a day after my birthday, I always thought the fireworks and celebration were for me. Yes....that's why I STILL make a big deal about my birthday. Maybe one day, when my "number" is much higher, I will not expect everyone to wish me a happy day, but until that day comes.....:-)

Sweetest Boy

My boys are all so different and they all have their sweet moments, but Mason takes the cake. Last week we stayed at Dennis' house and have started gradually moving over our things. Mason is pretty territorial -- he likes his space. When I was cleaning out his dresser, he had one drawer of what I call "treasures". Things that are important to him and he wants to hang onto. There were erasers, bookmarks, money (he is my SAVER) and other little knick knacks. Sunday night, I found him organizing Dalton's room -- putting clothes in the dresser because we haven't moved the desk out of the office - which will be Mason & Rylan's room. Everyone is adjusting well to this move. I'm so pleased. I feel like we're falling into routine and structure which is so good for them -- they need it. Yesterday he made Dennis and I cards.

Here's the notes he wrote for us:

Have you ever seen anything so sweet? I love this boy!!!!

Sweet Little Brycen

matt is so proud!

ouch

Friday, during my errand runnning, I went to get my brows waxed. I've done it many times before but try to pluck to maintain. Maintenance was no longer an option.... So I go to my fav. place and in about 5 minutes, i was done. afterwards, i went on about my way but before bed, noticed my eyelids were burning. one look in the mirror confirmed what I feared....a burn. my eyelids hurt so badly. it scabbed over and despite my efforts to lubricate with vaseline, i have burnt eyelids. Next time...tweezerman!!!

Success!!!

....sort of. Took off Friday and spent the day preparing for the garage sale --- it is a lot of work. Ran errands. Spent some time with my mom. All in all, a good day. This morning was the sale. Den helped me get an early start (my fav. morning quote is 5 MORE MINUTES - he he) and we began setup. Woo Hoo. For the most part, the customers were great but we had a few that....did some SERIOUS negotiating. Okay, really...? You want to negotiate over a brand new boys shirt (with tags) marked for $1? Yea, well - I didn't feel like arguing so I lowered the price when asked....We made a decent $ for 4 hours work. THANK GOODNESS IT'S OVER~~

3 down...more to go

On Monday I started a "new, healthy way of eating". I'm old enough to know that magic potions and pills are not the solution. Eating right and exercise is it. Seems simple enough, right? The first 3 days were a prep and some people lose quite a bit in those 3 days. Apparently I'm not "some people" because I only lost 3 pounds. Today I'm tired, but I don't have to worry about feeling overly stuffed anymore. It's similar to Atkins minus the cheese but it's just smart choices - eating healthy, portion control. I'm not discouraged, but I wish those scales had moved a little more, alhtough a pound a day is not bad... Next weigh in is Sunday.

Tuesday

Today is day 2 of a 3 day cleanse/diet. It's not so bad really, except that I'm having caffeine withdrawals and general bitchiness from no-carbs... :-) I will survive this.

We've started staying at Dennis' this week. I don't feel like the house is 'mine' so I'm a little on edge - making sure the kids don't drop a crumb, but this morning I get up and one of the dogs (MINE) shit in the rug in the living room. I cleaned it up the best I could at the moment but I was gagging the whole time. Tonight I'll have to see what I can do.

We don't have the boys rooms set up yet, so mason and rylan wanted to sleep in the floor beside us. Sometime in the night rylan snuck into the bed. A habit that must be broken....and soon. He's getting so big and doesn't stay still.

Getting back to work. I am NOT going to dwell on the dr. pepper or sweets that I cannot have. nope -- not doing it.

Weekend Wrap up

I wasn't feeling well on Thursday or Friday. Friday night I met up with the girls for a drink and then keeno. It's always fun to have some girl time. I was glad a shot and a beer got me going and out of my funk.

Saturday I spent the afternoon working on my house -- clean up, sorting for garage sale. I felt a sense of accomplishment...I had 4 bags of trash. Big bags. After the garage sale this weekend, I hope I really have a dent in getting moved out and getting the house ready to rent. My entire house must be cleared out. It's a big task, but I'm very excited about our future!

Yesterday we had a late lunch, visited w/Den's uncle, came home, checked out his jeep in storage, went to my sister's, grocery store, home, swimming. By then, the day was near over. Amazing how time flies when you're with someone you love.....:-) went to bed early but couldn't fall asleep.

11 PM - can't sleep

I'm reading My Sister's Keeper. I wanted to read the book before I saw the movie. I think it starts next weekend. Sad, sad story. I'm close to the end but my eyes won't let me keep reading tonight so I put my book down and tried to get into the sleepy zone....no such luck. My mind is racing. I told ex- this evening that I'm renting out the house. He was not so happy with my decision. I can't say I blame him but I really don't care what he thinks. So I think that is on my mind, along with the idea of packing up and moving, plus the kids don't want to go with ex- tomorrow, plus I've got a weekend of work lined up ahead of me, plus....it really doesn't end. Dalton asked me tonight why I look so sad. I think the word is stressed, not sad. Overwhelmed, not sad. Anxious, not sad. I tried explaining my lack of energy, no TV, etc. but how much can an 11 yr old really understand? So here I am, sitting at the computer, trying to clear my head so I can settle in and get some rest. I started cleaning off my bathroom cabinets, yes -- my lack of sleep is THAT bad. Okay, back to cleaning, then hopefully off to dreamland soon!

XOXO

Changes

Change is very difficult for me. VERY. It's difficult to get motivated, slow moving, then I procrastinate and run through the finish line with full-on energy. That is exactly where I am, the slow moving part. I am officially putting my house on the market for rent. To me, this means, compressing the last eight years in my home into one of these categories:

• garage sale
• trash
• storage
• comes with me

The decision is so tough, but I've kept these categories in mind while sorting through our stuff. If you've read lately, I'm planning a garage sale. Next weekend, I think. I have LOTS of decor items, clothes, some furniture, kitchen stuff. I'm taking work type clothes to a consignment store tomorrow. Clothing generally doesn't make much at garage sales, & some stuff is still good condition, I just outgrew it.

SO....I'm hoping to be out of my house in July. get the word out if you know anyone looking for a house to rent. 3/2/1600+ SF

Monday is Over~

Woo hoo. As I've gotten older (not REALLY old), I have realized how difficult Monday's are for me. I don't sleep well Sunday night, I think in anticipation of the following morning (thank you Sandie :-) so it just all starts out on a bad note. Not that all Monday's are bad, just slow to get going, I guess...

So it's Tuesday now. Last night we went to Den's. The kids helped him lay grass in his yard (it looks SO good). We swam. Ate dinner. Went to bed. OH...and I watched TV. SCORE!!!! I can't explain how difficult it is to have no TV. i did at least have a couple of fuzzy channels but with the HD switch over last Friday, I lost even that. movies or video games. being broke really sucks. really!

Looking forward to the weekend. Friday night we're having drinks at the Pub then going to Keeno, which is always a blast.

Productive Weekend

Friday night was pretty much NON-productive, but after taking 2 hours to get home, I thought a little relaxation was in order.

Saturday I cleaned house then got ready for the wedding. My AC in my car was on the fritz so we had a quick detour to go back and get Den's truck and off to Weatherford. The wedding was beautiful, but HOT. Can you see the sweat on my face?

Sunday, Den came over and put us all to work. Fo' real. Dalton started it, but it ended up us working all day - the boys mostly in the yard, and me in the house (sorry, I can't stand the heat unless a pool is closeby). All in all, it was productive. The boys cleaned their rooms. I worked on the kitchen/dining/living rooms, although Mason swears he did more than I did, and I just walked around. LOL.

Garage Sale

It has been brought to my attention that my house is full of needless stuff....crap, if you will. Den and I told the boys whatever they get ready to sell, they can keep the $$ from. Talk about incentive. Right now they are going through the toy box and I'll bet they find toys that they didn't know they had. They really don't play with many toys.... This will be great. Lots of prep work, but hopefully we'll make a little cash-o-la. I am taking quite a few clothing items to a consignment store next Thursday and I hope that stuff sells for more than what I could make in a garage sale. It's work, but it is necessary!

COMPLETELY off topic....I think my inner 12-yr old girl is dying to get out. Last year (around Halloween) I got into tutu's. Love them. Everything is better wearing a tutu. Housework in a tutu, is suddenly not too bad. Tutu + stilletos = Oh la la. This year, my obsession is the flowers in the hair. They look so freaking cute on little girls. I downsized the flowers and made my own hair clips because I couldn't find them anywhere (anywhere = waxahachie).

Accomplishment

I did it. The day is not over yet, but it's pretty darn close. One Dr. Pepper and guess what? I survived! I'm having a glass of wine...and might have another, but my mini-goal had absolutely NOTHING to do with wine! Oh...and I found some low-cal alcohol treat recipes that sound pretty delish. I'll post them Monday in case anyone else wants to try.

LOL. Ry is watching Kung Fu Panda and has apparently seen it enough times to have the lines memorized....too funny!

HOpefully getting some cable hooked up tomorrow....no more fuzzy 4 & 8, although I have to go thru the trouble of packing up my dish receivers and shipping them back...but desperate times.

Going to my friend, Jill's wedding tomorrow night. Super excited. I haven't been to a wedding since....Jeff and Meegan, several years ago. It'll be fun. I think we're staying the night because it's in Weatherford & we don't want to drive back to Hatchie afterwards. I hope the storms stay away. Must check weather.

Bug bites

In the last few weeks, my kids have been eaten alive by bug bites. I have no idea what is biting them but due to these bites, we've had 2 dr. visits and limitless lotions, potions and concoctions to stop the itching. This weekend I am bombing my house for all buggies just to make sure it's not here.....we'll see!

Mini-Goal #1

I wandered across a website today called bookieboo . Funny name, inspiring stories. It's where mom's discuss and encourage other mom's to reach their weight loss goals. My first (& only thus far) post was about my lack of willpower. It's too easy to that the path of least resistance...the drive through, the dr. pepper, the quick (& non-nutritious) meals. I set a mini-goal. ONE dr. pepper per day. I have been drinking about 3 on average. THat's bad! It's an addiction, but I am determined to slim down. No big number goals. I'm going to try the mini-goal that is achievable and see if I can stick with it. Wait, I AM going to stick with it. Go me!

Jon & Kate Plus Eight

Back in the day when I had a television that showed more than a fuzzy channel 4 and 8, I watched Jon & Kate + 8. I thought their story was pretty amazing. I would imagine that 8 children would be hectic and that a very consistent (strict) routine would be imminent. How else could you keep structure in a house of 10 (plus help)? So, I was a little disappointed when the news broke about Jon having an affair. I hope it's not true. Last week US Weekly ran a story about one of the kids calling Kate "mean". Okay, obviously the writers were grasping for straws. I'm told at least once a week that I'm mean. For what? Saying No for the most part. Hell, Rylan even asked his teacher to pray for me. when I asked him why, he said -- "i prayed that you would be a nice mommy". Great. Christian school, come knocking on my door. So I asked what he was talkign about, he said, "remember when you said I couldn't go to hannah's house to play?" Good grief. So, give Jon & Kate + a million a break & let them (hopefully) mend their relationship.

...and if a child calls their parent mean, it probably means they're doing something right!

I don't want it to be over....yet!

I took the day off on Friday, partly some previously made plans that didn't pan out, partly because I wanted a day off! Thursday I had a very traumatic experience with my love muffin's mother. She wanted to see my house. YIKES. I wanted to vomit! Seriously. I am not a "tidy" person and a phrase rings in my head that my ex-mother-in-law once told me in a heated debate....I am a horrible homemaker. Well, first of all, not a homemaker...a breadwinner. Second of all...when I get home, I'm exhuasted and finally...I see no end in sight. My house is so overwhelming, I don't see a starting point and ultimately an ending point, so I just pretend I don't see the crap everywhere. We're discussing our future plans and renting out my house may be an option (just not sure on timing). Anywho, she wanted to see my house. I was mortified. She was kind but I know she was probably thinking I'm a slob. HUMILIATION = MOTIVATION. I spent my day off on Friday cleaning house. I had 3 bags of trash (clutter) and started some boxes for a garage sale (hopefully in the next month). Work in progress but headed in the right direction.

Friday night Den and I went to the movies to see The Hangover. I seriously think this ranks on my top 5 movies. It was greatness...absolutely hilarious. We left and went to Courtside for a drink but left without finishing because the place smelled like vomit.

Saturday I had a hair appointment with my super awesome hairdresser - Cara! I wanted to go dark, I love my hair dark. I think it makes my eyes look more blue. So we put some LAVA on it...yes, that was the name of the color. I look like a straight up rocker chic. Cara....I may have to do this again just before DEF LEPPARD in August!!!! After my hair appointment, Den and I had a couples massage (a Valentine's gift) at One Fine Day. He was asleep in the first 5 minutes but I enjoyed mine...of course it's always over a little too soon. Sat. night Den went to TMS for a race, so I hung out at the pool, reading and watching TV.

I woke up this morning at 11! Who the hell sleeps til 11? ME!!! Got up, Den cooked lunch and I came home to feed the dogs, steam cleaned the hallway and Dalton's room, went back to Den's, fell asleep on the couch, came back home. Dreading the work week.

Did you notice I mentioned vomit in this blog twice? LOL!

Frogs and Snails and Puppy Dog Tails

....those are things little boys are made of, and rightly so.

Last night we get home and I told the boys to clean up the front yard. It's time to mow (again) and Dalton and his friends had some boards in the front yard that they used as ramps for their skateboards. They last moved these boards about a month ago - i remember this because I REFUSED to move them and I just mowed around (sorry Den). they were excited about moving the boards. Why? When grandpa helped move them over, they picked them up and snakes scattered. baby snakes, but snakes nonetheless. In my previous life, as a princess, I wouldn't dare get near this plot, but as a mom of three boys, I stand there with my stick, waiting to "catch" the slithery little creatures. Sure enough -- 2 baby snakes. And what do boys want to do with snakes? What else -- kill them. I supervise while Mason runs to get a shovel....wait, no - a rake. A rake? that's what he came back with. Gotta love them. They proceed to cut the heads off, then carry the lifeless slinky around the front yard and down to the neighbor (girls) to chase them with a snake body!

This morning I took Rylan to grandma's and there is a possum in the flower bed. Looked like a giant rat. GROSS! I try to scare it with the sound of my car -- success. I shoo the giant rat to the carport, then down the driveway. I follow him in my car to get it far away from the front door that I'm just about to go into. Rylan is in the back seat yellling -- RUN OVER HIM MOM!!!!! :-)

I wonder what creature awaits me tonight!

Baseball Weekend

We had a baseball field (hee hee) weekend. Den and I took Mason to his tournament in Irving. We were there for about 7+ hours on Saturday and headed back at 9:00 Sunday morning. We got beat -- all weekend long. The kids toughed it out although their frustration was pretty apparent during the game on Sunday. We felt sure that we were playing against select teams, not rec teams, so we had a disadvantage from the start. I must say we were glad it's over.