Slacker!!

I'm talkin' 'bout myself. I'm the slacker. Big time. It's been a busy summer full of both lots of fun things and lots of less-than-fun things.

How 'bout we just play a little catch-up? In no particular order...

• Little Man turned 2 years old! He is amazing and we love him so much! He had a wonderful monkey-themed party (seriously...it was fun!), got his crib turned into his "big boy bed" on which we put a new rocketship toddler bed set, and now calls my hubby "Dad" most of the time, which makes him sound like he is 15 years old. haha!
• After lots of resumes, several interviews, and lots of stress, I accepted a job offer. It's part-time, and I'll be teaching 2 year olds. I am so excited! I think it will be fun to teach the age that my son is currently at. He will be in a classroom right down the hall from me, and the school is very similar to the school I previously taught at, and I feel confident that it will be a wonderful environment for both me and Alex.
• I have to tell you about one of my interviews. Holy cow. I will not use names of any sort, but it was at a daycare facility, and the director was a 40-something female. I arrive for my first interview with this place and rang the bell to get in the door. (You can't just walk into daycares these days...they have to buzz you in. Safety reasons.) I rang the bell, and waited. Then waited some more. Then a woman came to the door inside and held up a finger to me to tell me to hang on a minute. She left and I stayed outside waiting some more. Finally another lady - the director this time - came and let me in the door. She said, "Hey...here you go, just fill out this application. I'll be back." I sat down at the desk and she went back through the door into the school area. There was a lot of noise coming through that door. I heard kids laughing, screaming, crying, running, etc. I heard adult voices saying, "Sit down!" "Stop!" "I guess you don't want to do this fun science experiment!" "I'm not going to give you the gummy worms for your dirt pudding!" "HEY!" "OK, you can forget it...we're not doing our project." None of these threats or warnings lowered the noise level or chaotic atmosphere. 30 minutes later the director finally comes back and says she is so sorry for keeping me waiting and that things are "just a little crazy" around there today. Seriously? I didn't notice. She asked me questions, I answered. She called herself an "Education Guru" about 5 times during our interview - all because of the fact that she doesn't think children should do worksheets all the time. She liked me. She wanted me to come back so that I could "see what I was getting into". I should have said no. Not for one minute while I was there for over an hour and a half did the place feel calm and like learning could take place. But, I wanted a job, so how could I not come back for the second interview? I was actually let into the building as soon as I rang the bell the 2nd time I came back. But unfortunately, I walked right back into a chaotic mess. She'd had one teacher quit the week before and had had to shut her classroom down, and another teacher just didn't show up that day that I was there. She left me with a teacher that I was supposed to shadow and disappeared. That teacher made several jabs at the fact that I am educated..."I guess someone who is actually educated will be able to teach the children more." Ugh. When I asked this teacher about how it is to work at the place, she said - and this is a near quote, people..."Well, you know. Everyone has their days. But, I guess if you are a true teacher, then you should just be here just for the kids." Oh me. Yes, teachers do it for the kids, cause we obviously don't do it for the money, but it is pretty hard to run a classroom in a place that is constantly out of control and in an uproar. After chasing down the director at the time I was supposed to leave, she takes me to her office and says, "So, what do you think?" And I kind of stammered, and she said, "Well, do you want to think about it? I mean, I should call your references, anyway. I'll call you tomorrow by 2pm, and you can let me know." I told her that that sounded fine, and I hit the door thinking, "There is no way." (I am not even listing all the craziness of this place here because this little bullet of bloggin' fun is already too long.) Guess what? The next morning at not quite 8:30am, I received a phone call saying I was being offered the job. I had talked it all over with everyone close to me the previous night, and had already decided that this wasn't a place for me. (Not to mention that the pay was laughable...another lesson I have learned while interviewing with daycares...) Well...when I told her that I appreciated her time, but that I was not going to accept the position, she HUNG UP ON ME. Seriously. I have met more professional people at McDonald's, y'all! My thought? I made the right decision in turning it down.
• We went on a week-long vacation with my family. Those people are amazing and they make me LAUGH. We all laughed so much all week long. My favorite parts of the week were the nights where we sat at the table and played card games. So much fun!
• I petted a bird. You may be thinking, "So what?" But, this is a huge thing for me. I am absolutely creeped out by birds. I don't like their beaks or the way they move. We were at a theme park and saw a magic show (ooohhh, aaaahhhh) and for the magician's last trick, he made a white dove appear out of a popped balloon. (How'd he do that?) Anyway, we were the only people at the show, and he thought my Little Man may like to pet the bird, so he came on down and brought the bird over to us. My brother nudged my mom and said, "Watch this." She said I turned white! I was trying to back away and he just kept coming because he had no idea. Alex was reaching out for the bird, and I was pushing his hand away until I realized I had no choice, because Magic Man was not backing off. So, against my better judgement, I put my hand out there and touched the bird. I felt victorious, and after much picking from my family, I proclaimed, "I'll pet TEN birds!" But I won't. Ever. Birds are creepy.
• I saw Eclipse with my BFF and her cousin. It was amazing. I think the word I would use for the movie would be "intense." I loved it. Edward was sparkly, Jacob was H-O-T, and Bella was a blubbering, clumsy girl who annoyed me a little. I hate that we have to wait until NEXT November for the 1st movie of Breaking Dawn. Hurry up, Eclipse DVD.

I am going to try to blog more, y'all. I promise. Some of you asked me why I hadn't in a while, and it really all boiled down to the usual busy-ness of summer and the job hunt. I enjoyed typing tonight...gotta get back in the groove of bloggin'. I know for sure I have a Facebook blog coming up soon because I have noticed some definite craziness on there this summer. So, please check back, because I am making a vow to do better! I'm just sayin'...

Appalled in McCormick

On our way back home yesterday, Alex said he wanted to eat. So, I stopped at Subway in McCormick for a quick bite before continuing on home from our long weekend.

When we walk in the door, I see a couple standing in line with a baby who was probably about a year old. The little boy had nothing on but a diaper. The girl was holding him and then walked over and grabbed a high chair and set it at a table and put him in it and then said, "Don't move!" in a mean voice and walked back over to the counter to continue ordering. She left the child at the table alone. This ticked me off to no end and I kept looking back to check on him and make sure he was okay. When I look back, I realize that he is sunburned, and I mean very red. I got even more mad! There is no excuse for that at all!

They finish ordering and get their food and head over to the table. I never hear the guy utter a word, but any time the baby boy made any sound at all the girl would yell at him to "shut up" or if he tried to stand up in the chair, she'd yell at him to sit down in a very mean voice.

I was irate by this point...there is no excuse ever for treating a child like that...an infant nonetheless! He needs some clothes and shoes, he needs to not be sunburned like he is, and he needs to be talked to in a nice way...even though he's little, he's a person and he deserves to be treated like one. And he needs to be loved, and I can tell you that I sure as heck didn't see any love coming from those two people towards that little boy.

They left, and I just felt sad, mad, and worried. And it made me wonder if there was anything I should have done or if there was anything I could do. Do I call the police and say, "There's a couple being mean to their sunburned child in Subway."? Do I get their tag number and call and report them? I do know that I can pray for that little boy and for the couple he was with. And I hope you will, too.

I know there are children in this type of situation - and worse situations - all over the world. Seeing it firsthand reminds you of how blessed you are and reminds you to give your little one(s) an extra hug or two or three or four or five.

I am so very thankful for those parents, such as my parents and my BFF and her husband, who have felt called to adopt. And I am thankful to those who realized that they were not ready to be a parent and made it possible for their child to be adopted and have a wonderful life with a loving family. I'm just sayin'...

A List

Everything you never wanted to know about me...

• I have to swipe my deoderant the same number of times under each arm.
• One of my favorite sandwiches is a bacon sandwich. Bread, Miracle Whip, and crisp bacon. I have to make sure every piece of the bread is covered by bacon, then put the other slice of bread on top and then smoosh it until it is flat. Yum. It reminds me of Saturdays when I was a kid and everyone would have their tomato and bacon sandwich. I don't care for tomatoes, so mine was always just bacon. I had one for lunch today.
• I am a stacker. I am not so good at the filing away. I always end up with stacks everywhere. It drives hubby insane, but I know where everything is.
• I am a hypochondriac. It's ridiculous.
• I love to watch old shows like Bewitched, I Dream of Jeannie, Full House, etc.
• I am notorious for not feeling like folding clothes, so I just turn the dryer back on about 2 or 3 times before I actually get them out.
• I am a t-shirt addict. You want to make me happy? Get me a t-shirt. It used to be (before we became frugal) that I had to have a t-shirt from everywhere we went. If the place sold t-shirts, I had one gosh-darn-it. I blame this on my mother. When we were younger she never wanted us to wear shirts with words on them. Now I am obsessed.
• One of my favorite things to do in the whole world is get a haircut. It's so relaxing to me.
• I don't mind the occasional rainy day. There's something peaceful about it.
• I hate getting dressed in the bathroom as soon as I get out of the shower. Thankfully there are rare occasions when I have to do that.
• I love shampoo. I have a ridiculous amount of shampoo, because I like to try new ones and I like ones that smell good and ones in funny-shaped bottles. One of my favorite shampoos that I like to keep around is Redken All Soft.
• I'm not afraid to go eat at a restaurant or go see a movie by myself.
• The Office is my favorite sitcom. HILARIOUS, people. So dang funny. Some people don't get it, but me and hubby love it.
• I feel good when we go to church. I can tell a difference when we haven't been in a couple of weeks.
• I am Little Man's personal paparazzi.
• Krispy Kreme Doughnuts are the best. My favorite: Maple Iced Glazed. Yum. Wish I had one right now.

Just Plain Wrong

This is causing a lot of debate right now.

Where the heck were these girls' parents? This is not okay. Ever. Whatever happened to sweet little baton costumes and harmless twirling? 8 year olds should not be gyrating like this and wearing "sexy" costumes.

As a parent, I could not imagine allowing my daughter to participate in something like this. You can't tell me these parents didn't know what the costumes looked like or what the dance moves were, because yours truly was once a tap dancin', baton twirlin' little girl, and my parents saw me dancing around the house all the time practicing what I'd learned. And I can promise you the moves weren't nothin' like this.

Inappropriate. Period. I'm just sayin'...

You might be a mommy...

Yep, I made these up on my own. Don't tell me I'm the only one... :)

...if you have ever told your husband to watch the little one(s) while you went to the bathroom without really having to go. (Everyone needs 5...10...15 minutes alone every once in a while!)

...if you have ever used your child to get off the phone with someone. (Oh no! Little Man is making a huge mess! Gotta go!!) *Dear friends and family of mine...please don't be paranoid that I do this to you, I promise I don't.* ;)

...if you have ever used your child to get out of something you didn't want to do. (Oh, we couldn't find a sitter...oh, we will have to bring our child(ren) and will not be able to stay too long so we can get them to bed...)

...if you love naptime almost as much as you love chocolate. (A peaceful time in the middle of busy days!)

...if hearing "Mooooooommmmmmyyyyyyyyyy!" coming from your little one(s) after nap or in the morning makes you smile and feel so happy and blessed.

...if you hardly ever let your camera leave your hands. (This may be a serious issue of mine...I take a ridiculous number of pictures!)

...if you have the urge to call, text, or e-mail those important to you when your child(ren) say something funny or do something funny or learn something new. (I love to tell a Little Man story, and my family members get a few of them a week!)

...if you clean up toys what seems like a zillion times a day.

...if you have the urge to tell a story about your little one(s) after someone else shares a story about their child(ren). (Yep...I am guilty of this. I know it can seem annoying and like you're trying to one-up, but it is just a natural reaction, I think, because their story reminds you of something your child(ren) have done. So, if I've done this to you, I swear I am not trying to be a heiffer...we are all just very proud of our children and love to talk about them! :) )

...if you give your child(ren) something to hold in the store so that they are occupied (since they don't care about the toys you brought in your bag, of course) and then hand it to the cashier when checking out since you never intended to buy it. (This one bit me in the butt one time...and a certain little monkey ended up coming home with us and is now my little boy's best friend.) :)

...if you think your child(ren) are the cutest, smartest, funniest, most amazing child(ren) in the history of all the world. :)

...if you love your little one(s) more than you ever thought possible.

I'm just sayin'...

Mother's Day!

I have a few minutes during nap time today, so I thought I'd do a Mother's Day post.

My Little Man is sick, and I am hoping he is better before the weekend so that we can go to our hometown to celebrate Mother's Day with our families.

This year I am having Little Man make all of his grandmamas a special gift. I am so excited about it! It is so fun to have him actively involved in the gift...and I hope they love it. I know he doesn't truly understand what it's for, but he sure knows who these special ladies are and he says their name while he is working on the gift. So sweet!

I am blessed with a whole slew of mothers, and they each mean the world to me. They are there for me whenever I need them, always know what to say (and what not to say!), they seem to always know what to do in any situation, and their love for their family and friends is limitless. Not to mention that they are so much fun to be around and laugh with and just enjoy life with. AND they are the best grandmamas in the whole world! My family is blessed to have them in our lives!

Bein' Thankful

Every night around 8ish, my hubby asks Alex if he's ready to go brush his teeth. They go off and do all the getting-ready-for-bed stuff and then they come and get me and we go and read a Bible Story and say our prayers. Last night the story was about God creating the world. While saying our prayer, I was naming off all the things we are thankful for, and Little Man added in, "and books!" Andy started laughing and then I started laughing and could barely finish the prayer.

Watching Alex see everything for the first time and learn about everything has been amazing. It makes me realize even more that as we grow older we really start taking everything for granted. Even just little things (like books!) are things to be thankful for.

He is excited, amazed, and impressed by everything...flying a kite, cooking on the stove, lifting the blinds up on the window, rain puddles, flushing the toilet, watching airplanes and helicopters, animals and bugs of all kinds, and a host of things that we grown-ups think are ordinary and sometimes boring.

Take some time to be thankful for all the little things that so easily become ordinary and expected. I'm just sayin'... :)

Friday Afternoon Shopping

I am a people-watcher, and it is amusing to me to see what people have in their baskets, buggies, and hands at stores on Friday afternoons. Folks are preparing for the upcoming weekend and their plans are clearly - and sometimes not-so-clearly - displayed by the stuff they are buying.

Some of my favorites:

The person: Older black guy
The items: Icehouse and pork rinds
Seriously...what else do you need? My brother said, "That's what you call keepin' it gangsta."

The person: Mid-40s woman wearing sweatpants and a sour look on her face
The items: 2 packs of hot dogs, 3 bottles of water, and chocolate syrup
First of all...where are the buns for all those hot dogs? 2nd of all...chocolate syrup...whatcha gonna do with that?? And why 3 bottles of water? Did she have 2 friends waiting on her? Would you need approximately 3 bottles of water if you were to eat, say, 2 packs of hot dogs?

The person: Late-30s, well-dressed white man
The items: Condoms. two boxes, different brands
Well, isn't that considerate? Offering some variety. Noticed you didn't go for the lube. Cocky, are we?

The people: 2 teenage boys
The items: Oreos, Rock Star energy drink, Pop Rocks, Coca Cola, Maxim
Obvious. They're going to have an Oreo eating contest just like the one you see on the commercials, and use the Rock Star to boost their energy for it. Then they are going to see if anything explodes when you mix Pop Rocks and Coke. Then they are going to read some intellectual articles.

The person: Mid-20s girl
The items: Midol, Tampax, YooHoo, various candies, Dear John by Nicholas Sparks
I just felt sorry for her. She needed to add Kleenex to the mix.

Pay attention to the folks around you when you are out and about on Friday afternoons...it is fun to guess what they're up to. I'm just sayin'...

Stuff Little Man Says

Our Little Man has been talkin' up a storm for a few months now. It is amazing watching him make connections and say more and more each day. I read that toddlers learn 10 words a day, whether they say them immediately or not. Isn't that something? In the last month, he has been saying a lot of sentences, too! I'm so proud of him! I know that y'all are going to sit there and roll your eyes and laugh at my teacher ways, but back at the end of March I made a list of all the words he was saying...it was over 100 words and phrases! Aaaahhh!! It's well over that now, I'm sure...I'll add to the list and let you know. hahaha!

Here's some stuff he says...some of these he's been saying for a long while now...others are new things he's saying!

"I love you." - I have already blogged about this one. :)

"I love you my monkey!" - He said this to his favorite stuffed monkey last night while we were headed home from dinner. So cute!

"Thank you my daddy!" - He said this to Andy while they were playing.

"Chugga chugga chugga chugga choo choo! All Aboard!" - Hubby taught him to say this while playing with his trains.

"Hey Mommy! I color!" - He peeped around the corner at me while I was washing dishes today and said this. I said, "That sounds fun!" He nodded and went back to his little desk.

"What are you doing?" - He came over to me while I was loading the washing machine and said this.

"Okay" - This is usually "okay okay okay okay okay"...when you are doing something like wiping his face or hands off and he's ready for you to be done. hahaha!

"Come back here!" - One of his favorites!

"Awkward" - I said this while on the phone with BFF the other day, and he said it over and over for the longest time.

"Bless you!" - If you sneeze, or if he sneezes, he's gonna say it.

"I got it!" - Self explanatory. ;)

"Thank you" - He's got manners.

"High five!" - He loves to give a high five!

"Monkey and a hug!" - He said this when he had monkey in his arms and then Daddy picked him up for a hug. :)

"No" - One of his favorites, and he's still sometimes confusing "no" and "yes." If I say, "Are you ready for a snack?" He'll grin and say "nooooooo" and then head to the kitchen. hahahahaha

"Mine!" - Self-explanatory. ;)

"What happen?" - He just said this at dinner tonight when I raised my voice in annoyance at Hubby. Gotta watch that!!

"Oh no! What did you do?" - This is always said together just like that. hahahaha! Love it!

He is at such a fun stage! He cracks us up every single day...we love our Little Man!!

I still say he's growing up tooooo fast, though. I'm just sayin'...

Potty Training!!

*I know I am a slacker when it comes to my blogging lately! It's harder to find 15 minutes to sit down and write a blog when I'm keeping the neighbors' kids, because there's more cleaning and catching up on stuff to do when they are napping. Not to mention that I can't think about much of anything besides peace and quiet by the time bedtime arrives! (Yes, I love these kiddos, but boy do they wear me out most days!) My last day with them is next month, so I should be bloggin' more this summer.*

**Disclaimer** This blog may or may not contain TMI. Just warnin' ya.

So, we have officially entered potty training. I bought his sweet little potty a couple of months ago, but I have been putting off the potty training. And then when our neighbor's daughter came back to stay with us during the days, I decided not to do it because I did not want to potty train her, too. (Not trying to be mean, just sayin'...)

However, he has had some poopin' issues lately, and I decided yesterday to put him on that potty and see if it could speed the force of nature. And it did. ;) He had been trying to go all day, with very little luck. I had put him in the shower (yes, he likes showers...he wants us to put him in there, then sit there and watch him play...he has the best time in there!), and I saw him start trying to go again. So, I pulled him out and put him on his little potty. He screamed at me and was so mad...but he WENT. I just sat there with my hands on his waist and talked to him and encouraged him. When he stood up, I showed him the poop in the potty and he was fascinated. I high-fived him, praised him, and put him back in the shower. He kept coming back over to peek over in the potty to check out the poop.

When I got him out of the shower, he squatted down next to the potty and got his face as close as he could to the potty without me telling him to back up, and he just stared at it. And he would say, "Poop!" "Potty!" and "Icky!" (He said icky because he was trying to put his hand in there, and I told him it was icky so he'd stop! ha!) He stared at that poop for the longest time. I kept praising him and then he finally looks up at me and says, "All done!" and shuts the lid and walks out of the room. haha!

This morning when he started trying to go again, I took him to the potty and sat him on there and he went some more. I praised him and he inspected it for a few minutes and then we flushed it in the big potty. Then a little while later he started trying to go again (I told you, he has issues...and, yes, I am adding more fiber, but this is inherited unfortunately.) I looked at him when I realized he was trying to go, and he said, "Go?" I didn't say anything, because I wanted to see what he was going to do. Then he said, "Poop potty". Aaaahhhh...really?? Can it be this easy?! Off to the potty we went.

So, I think it is safe to say that we are in full-blown potty training now. I mean, you can't just stop and start this stuff, right? So, a-pottyin'-we-will-go! Wish us luck!!

I never thought I'd be so happy that someone had used a toilet. I'm just sayin'...

"I Love You"

That's a pretty powerful sentence, isn't it?

My little boy said those three words to me this morning (accompanied by a huge hug). I am not going to lie...I cried...happy tears of course. It was the best feeling ever. I mean, I love a hug from Little Man and I get millions of them every day, but this morning when he added "I love you" to it, I just melted. I love that little boy to the moon and back and it was so awesome to hear him say that to me.

Sure, he's said "byebyeloveyou" all together a couple of times, but really only 2 or 3 times in the last few months that he's been talking. But, today it felt like he was saying it because he knew it meant something good. (Of course, he did the same with Monkey (his favorite, go-everywhere-he-goes, cry-when-Mommy-washes-it stuffed monkey) shortly thereafter, so I know he means it! hahaha!) *Did I just use parentheses inside of parentheses? Wow.

I can't wait for him to say it to his Daddy!! (And aaalllllll of his grandparents and uncles and aunts and everyone who is special to us!)

And now these three remain: faith, hope, and love. But the greatest of these is love. ~ 1 Corinthians 13:13

I'm just sayin'...

Prayer Request

Hey, everyone! I am writing asking for your prayers...

My BFF and her husband have been in the process of adopting from Russia for quite some time now. I am sure most of you have probably heard on the news about the woman who returned her child to Russia, citing that he was "mentally unstable." I obviously do not know the woman, nor do I know the events and incidents that took place in her home leading up to the child's return, but I am shocked that a mother would return her child this way. That's your child! He was not Russia's anymore...he was hers...and she just sent him back on a one-way plane ticket. It is a horrible situation, and one that I just cannot understand.

This incident created outrage in Russia, and they are now wanting the U.S. Government to sign saying that they will assist in regulating American adoptions of Russian children. I saw on the news this morning that they have formally suspended American adoptions until they can work something out with the U.S.

The article I read on CNN stated that U.S. representatives are going to Russia next week to try to work something out. They said that there was no reason for Americans in the process of adopting from Russia to be too concerned at this time, because they did not believe it would have long-term effects on the ability of Americans to adopt from there. Easier said than done, I'm sure, for those families like my BFF's who are waiting every day for a referral, not to mention those families who have already met their little one(s) and are eager to bring them home.

Please pray for all of these families, all the children, and pray that this gets resolved quickly.

My BFF and her husband are eager to have their little one(s) home. They are going to make the most wonderful parents, and I know their home is going to be a happy one! Their faith in the Lord throughout the entire adoption process has been inspiring. They know that He has plans for them (Jeremiah 29:11!) and they are trusting that He will bring them through this and give them the patience and peace they need as they await the day that they will bring their bab(ies) home!

So, please, remember my BFF and her hubby, and all of the families affected by this one woman's decision, and keep them on your prayer list. I know every one of them will appreciate it. I'm just sayin'...

Random Ramblings

Whew...the last week or so has been so busy! I'm gonna play a little catch-up with this blog.

• Strange happenings at Target: Why in the world am I always caught up in a Target adventure? Well, this one was dangerous! That's right. Dangerous. While shopping, I noticed a guy that I would classify as "annoying." He had a boy with him who was probably about 10 years old, and he was just acting crazy. He was talking to the kid while running up and down the aisles saying stuff like, "Oh! We should get some JuJu Beans!" I was wondering what the crap was the guy's deal, but went on about my shopping, chalking him up to one of the crazies you run into occasionally. Well, we ventured over to the Easter section and there was a Target employee standing next to me while I tried to choose between Milky Ways or Snickers. (In case you care, Milky Ways won. They're out of this world. Get it? ha!) The employee's radio went off and a voice said, "The previous customer has returned and is in the sporting goods section." Another voice said, "Are you sure it's the same man?" 1st voice: (sounding a little scared) "Yes. I am positive. Come to sporting goods." Well, being a human, I am nosy, and apparently so were the other people around me because we all start nonchalantly making our way over to the sporting goods section. (Before you say it, trust me...it's been said. Yes, I was an idiot for going over there...it could have been dangerous, blah blah blah.) Guess who the "previous customer" was? Yep...annoying guy who loved the JuJu Beans. He was up and down every aisle like a true ADHD adult male. He was all over the place. Employees were standing around and one girl actually had tears in her eyes. Enter Target Security Officer. Well, kind of...he stood at the end of an aisle in true action movie style, peering around toward the suspect. When suspect moves, security guy shoots across the aisle and assumes the same action movie pose at the end of the aisle, ducking his head back around the corner lest he be spotted by the suspect. The suspect keeps moving around all over and so does security guy. It finally hits me that I am an idiot and this guy could actually do something stupid, so I decide to get me and Little Man out of there. The other spectators watching everything apparently think the same thing. On my way to the front to checkout, I see that big, brave security officer had moved himself further away from the suspect while still maintaing the action movie pose at the end of various aisles. I really felt safe with this brave man on top of things. I got out of there and still don't know what in the world had happened. How's that for a cliff hanger? I got nothin' else for ya.
• I did not spray tan myself. I decide to just believe in the saying that "Pale is the new tan." Let's just hope all those folks at the wedding had heard that saying, too.
• At the rehearsal for the wedding, the flower girl tried to teach Alex how to skip. I am kicking myself for not having video of it. It looked like he was doing the Hammer dance. But, boy was he laughing and smiling and happy while he tried it! It was hilarious!
• The wedding was beautiful and the reception was a blast! Little Man's tux was huge on him, but he was the sweetest little ring bearer! When the flower girl dropped the petals, he stopped in the aisle and said, "Oh no!" Then he started picking up the petals. When we finally convinced him to come down the aisle, he stopped in front of the groom, spun around slowly, then ran back up the aisle. One of the bride's family members got him to come to her and then my mom got him and took him to the nursery. The ring bearer's pillow did not make it down the aisle with him, but his buddy Monkey did. :)
• My BFF did my hair for the wedding. Let's just say it involved a curling iron and a can of extra strength White Rain hairspray. Wooooooo. My hair did not move. It was super cute, and it went from wedding hair to Easter hair easily. When we got home Sunday night, I brushed it out, but when I got in the shower the next morning, it was like the water made it all suck back up into itself or something. It took me forever to get all the tangles out of my hair! Little Man was in the shower with me, and by the time we got out he had long brown locks like me since mine was shedding so bad while I tried de-White Rain it.
• Easter was great! We celebrated with all our family and friends. I finally found my son's Easter outfit at Dillards...and it wasn't a pair of khakis and sweater vest! It was a cute blue and white striped John-John outfit. He looked so sweet in it. I decided to go with that since I thought this may be the last year that we'll be able to really get away with the pretty baby-ish stuff. He loved hunting eggs...well, he loved opening them and eating the chocolate. (Yep, all the chocolate and dirt stains came out of the outfit! I am the Spray-N-Wash queen!)
• MamaSherry came and spent the night with us yesterday. We had so much fun going to the park and going downtown. Alex got up from nap this afternoon and was sad to see that she'd left! He walked in the living room and looked around and then looked at me and I told him that Grandma had to go home and he said, "noooo!"
• There's a new billboard up near our apartment. That billboard changes constantly, yet I never see anyone up there putting the new one up. WHEN are they doing it??? In the wee hours of the morning?! I am tempted to make random checks in the middle of the night until I catch them in the act. I mean, come on...with as much as it changes, I should see them up there, right?

Random thought from a song..."When your tree is breaking, just bend." I'm just sayin'...

"Bree Tanner"

www.breetanner.com

OK...I'll read it. Especially since it will be offered for free for a month.

I refuse to read the graphic novel that they published - it just doesn't interest me at all, but this newborn vampire story could be interesting. Not to mention that Stephenie Meyer said that they worked some of it into Eclipse, which of course interests me. (FYI: 91 Days left until it comes out...but who's counting?) Eclipse was my favorite book...they better do a good job! I'm just sayin'...

Just a little rant...

Dear Clothing Manufacturers,

SEW SOME DANG BOY CLOTHES, WOULD YOU?! (And make them friggin' adorable!)

Go into TCP, Gymboree, Gap Kids, Target, Kohls, etc...the boys are hugely misrepresented in the clothing department!! I can tell you that moms (and dads) want to dress their boys in cute stuff just like they want to dress their girls in cute stuff! So give us more choices for boys!! Especially dressy clothing...there is usually a decent selection of play clothes...we need more dressy clothes.

Easter is this Sunday, and I still have not gotten my Little Man anything to wear for it. I have been disappointed by every store I've gone into. He is in a wedding Saturday night, and I am thisclose to having him wear his tux to Sunrise Services!

We really need a good selection of boys' dressy clothing, okay? And not just varied colors of sweater vests paired with khakis and a collared shirt. Give us some dressy rompers to choose from. (And don't put animals on all of them...leave some plain!) Give us awesome collared shirts and polos that are cute enough to stand on their own and go with some nice pants. Maybe even colored pants paired with said cute shirts. Just give us a variety, please!

If you don't do this for us, my BFF and I are prepared to make millions of dollars by starting a clothing store chain only for boys. We will take you down and leave you in the dust...you best believe it! So, just sew some handsome little boy clothes and we won't take a bite out of your profits. Consider yourselves warned.

All the best,
Ashley

Little Man

Every single day I think that I couldn't possibly love my Little Man more than I already do, and every day I am proven wrong. He is amazing, and he brings so much joy and laughter and love to our life.

I am getting to spend this whole week with just him since we are not keeping our neighbors' children this week, and I am loving every second of it!! We have so much fun together!

So...today's blog will be a bunch of little random thoughts about my sweet, rambunctious, funny, and lovable Little Man.

• He is talkin' up a storm these days! His current favorite words are: Mommy, Daddy, monkey, messy, blank (blanket), car, go, open, mine. His current favorite phrases are: "Oh no! What did you do?," "Ready to go," "Nite-nite," "all done," "come back here!" It is unbelievable how much his speech has picked up in the last two months or so. He says something new every single day. Sometimes he'll just say random words he knows over and over and over. Last night it was, "nana, apple, nana, apple, nana, apple, Barney, Thomas, Barney, Thomas, car, go, car, go, nite-nite!" (P.S. I am trying to curb his love of Barney. We hardly ever watch it, but boy does he light up when it comes on. Darn that purple dinosaur.)
• He loves to go in his closet and sit in his old car seat and play while I put away his clothes.
• When he hears airplanes, he points up in the sky and says, "airpane!" He once heard a motorcycle crank up and thought it was an airplane. When we have the windows open and he hears birds, he points outside and says, "bir!"
• The child loves a banana. More proof that he's a monkey! He also loves mini blueberry muffins.
• He also loves monkeys. We can be in a store and there'll be a basket full of stuffed animals, and he'll automatically grab the monkey even if it's not on top. When you say monkey, he makes monkey sounds. (Which is friggin' adorable.) :)
• He loves naked time. A lot.
• He loves to be outside. All day long he constantly goes over to the door and points and says, "outside!"
• He has a special bond with his Nana. (My mama.) Boy does he love her! And of course she loves him! MamaSherry tells me it's a lot like the bond Mama and I had when I was a baby.
• He doesn't want you to give him just half of a graham cracker. If you only give him half, he looks at it and frowns and then puts his hand on his forehead in frustration.
• He loves to wash his hands in the sink.
• His hair is starting to get a reddish tint. And it is growing, growing. It curls up.
• He has been known to put himself to bed. Sometimes when we have friends over on the weekend, he stays up with us and plays with everyone. One night he was playing and having a good time and then he went to each person and said nite-nite and then walked to his room.
• He likes to shop - as long as he's riding in a buggy. Sometimes he enjoys the stroller, but mostly he just likes the buggy. So, Target, Kohls, Bi-Lo, Babies-r-Us, etc...are usually fun and easy trips. Going to the mall or out to outlets or anywhere else where he'd have to ride in a stroller is a crap shoot. He may do fine, or he may demand to walk or be held. I'm not sure why...maybe because he can look directly at me and see all the stuff around him at the same time when he's in the buggy? I do know that he definitely takes after his father in the shopping area...if we are in the mall or at the outlets, he cries and kicks immediately when we cross the threshold into a store. hahaha!
• Sometimes we'll be relaxing and sitting together and he'll pat me on the arm or leg and look at me and say, "Hey, Mommy." I love it!
• He is getting really good at the shape puzzles with the pegs in the pieces. He is so smart!
• Every afternoon when he hears Andy's key in the door, he gets so excited and jumps up and down and stands in front of the door. When it opens, he says, "Daddy!!" in the most excited voice you've ever heard. Then he lifts his arms up hubby picks him up and he tells Daddy about his day.
• His favorite way to bathe is in the shower with Daddy.
• He makes up funny sounds and says them over and over, cracking himself up all the while. At dinner the other night, he started going, "biddy biddy biddy baaaaahhh!" and he'd laugh and laugh. So, Andy and I started doing it and our Little Man laughed so hard that no sound was coming out and then he'd let in a big breath and resume the laughter. All three of us had tears in our eyes from laughing so hard.
• He has the sweetest personality. He is rarely in a grumpy mood, and if he is in one, he is either tired or hungry or sick.
• He doesn't like it if he has to stay in one spot for too long. haha! He is a boy on the move, people!

I could go on and on about our son. And I probably will in a future blog. :)

"If you think my hands are full, you should see my heart." I'm just sayin'...

Spray Tan in a Can!

I have mentioned the wedding I'm in in previous posts, and that wedding is fast-approaching! It's next weekend and I am wearing a strapless dress and I have zero tan. Really, I am p-a-l-e. Which is technically supposed to be the "new tan," but it is my personal opinion that tanned fat looks better than white fat. Just sayin'. :)

SO...I call a salon to inquire about their spray tans and it was going to be expensive (we don't even have cable and I expect Andy to understand my need to spend money on a spray tan that lasts for a few days? I don't think so.) and for best results you'd really need to go with a person airbrushing you rather than going for the booth. I decided against it and gained a promise from my BFF that she'd help me acquire a decent-looking fake tan.

Let the experimenting begin.

I go to Target, where I buy two different kinds of spray tan in a can - Neutrogena and Banana Boat.

Smart me had the genius idea to test it out on my legs first...I never wear shorts, and I made sure (kind of) to spray above the capri-pant line. Let's just say that I am oh so thankful for long pants. As my BFF stated, I look diseased. I can't believe I am doing this, but I will post a picture for reference...The left leg is Banana Boat and the right leg is Neutrogena. (Keep in mind that carpet cleaners always suggest using it on a hidden patch of carpet first to test color-fastness. I was using the same idea here. :))

The Neutrogena not only ran, but it is also pretty orange-looking! The Banana Boat is better, and would probably look tons better if it weren't next to the Neutrogena and would also look better if it had been applied evenly and over my entire leg instead of just the random patch that I sprayed yesterday.

So...I am not sure if I am brave enough to let BFF spray my upper body (the dress is long - you won't see my legs, anyway, so I am not as concerned about them as I am about my back, arms, and chest...oh and neck and face because I suppose I would look even more ridiculous if we left those out). It says the color lasts for only a few days, so it should be gone by next week and if I like it I can apply it again (well, BFF could re-apply it). But, do I want to risk potentially looking like a deranged orange zebra?

Stay tuned...We are making the decision to spray or stay tonight!

If I can make it through the wearing of this pretty dress between the MiracleSuit and the Spray Tan in a Can, I will feel like I can make it through anything! I'm just sayin'...

Ode to the Elusive Hair

I shaved my legs today. (Hey, it's the 25th...that's the day of the month I reserve for this task. Kidding, kidding.) And, surprise, surprise, the same thing that has been happening to me since I started this task (which I actually used to consider fun when I was young and stupid) happened again today.

So, what's the problem? That one elusive ankle hair. Yep. Every time. I hop out of the shower, dress, sit down and put lotion on (or in today's case - a trial run of spray tan in a can (oh, yes...that will be it's own blog later, friends)) and look at my ankle and there she is. Stupid long brown hair. The thing could wear a bow or a pony tail! How do I miss it every time?! Really. It's dreadful. And today, guess what? There is a group of about 3 teeny-bopper hairs hanging out on my other ankle. Why do I call them teeny-boppers? Cause they're shorter than their mother. I'm assuming teeny-bopper age here. So, the ol' girl is reproducing and building her clan! I think I am going to have to start shaving all the way down to the top of my foot. Next time I will get her...and her little clones, too!

Just for fun.

Stay tuned...you're gonna want to know if she escapes the razor next time! I'm just sayin'...

Ridiculous FB Statuses

I slacked off again, friends, and I am sorry! Keeping my neighbor's kids from 7:15 in the morning until 5:30 in the afternoon is a little tiring! haha! I know there are many many women who take care of multiple children all day every day, but I am fairly new to this, okay? Give me some time...and then maybe I won't want to just crash every night instead of writing a blog. :)

I have some inappropriate FB statuses for you today. These are saved up over the last few weeks.

• _____'s child is an idiot. And I have no problem telling her so. (This one flat-out ticks me off, people! Wrong, wrong, wrong!!)
• _____ just really needs some. You know...SOME! Any takers? (Hmmm...are you talking about SOME milk or SOME rest? I am guessing NO.)
• _____ is like a leaky faucet. I have probably produced and blown out 11 gallons of snot today. (This is just disgusting.)
• _____ wishes my mother-in-law wouldn't criticize every little thing I do. She hates me. (Please go vent about this to your BFF...don't put this out on FB for the world to see, because...guess what!...it's getting back to her and things will just get worse. Note: I did notice later on that the post had been deleted...I just hope it was before any damage was done.)
• _____ doesn't know whether to sit on the toilet or hang over it. D&!n this stomach bug! (Really? We needed to know that?)

Oh, people. Really. I thought we'd covered this. Your status is a precious thing. Put something meaningful up there. Not something offensive or disgusting or that will start a fight with someone or that gives us horrific visuals. I'm just sayin'...

Errryyyone who seen the Leprechaun say YEAAAHHH!!

This will make you laugh. Just sayin'...

Just a little FB rant...

OK, you crazy kids...I understand that texting has done away with proper grammar and spelling. I sort of understand why you'd want to shorten something you are having to type with your thumbs on a tiny phone. BUT...if you are at a computer with a real keyboard, why do you still need to talk in text code? It drives me insane! Maybe it is the teacher in me or something.

I can tolerate LOL or OMG or even TTYL, because those are actual abbreviations for longer phrases. But I cannot tolerate using 4 for "for" or c for "see"...those words are already short, people! How much time is typing one letter versus 3 actually going to save you??

And, for Heaven's sake, please oh please do not misspell words on purpose. I don't know why you think it's cool, but it's not. Tyme is not how you spell "time" and lyfe is not how you spell "life." When did we change from i to y?! (The person I have in mind when thinking of this one is 28 years old, anyway...way past the point of "coolness" as it is!) And don't use a k when it's supposed to be a c...krazy is spelled with a c, folks. (This one holds a special place in my heart because...bear with me...this will be hard to tell...Well...when I was in 5th grade, I was in a Spelling Bee and my word was clown. The teacher said, "Clown" and I started sounding it out and immediately said "K-l-o-w-n"...hang on a minute...have to dry my tears from this painful memory........................ok, I'm back. I knew clown started with a c but that pesky /k/ sound got me under the stress of the Spelling Bee! So, please...help keep this painful memory from resurfacing every time I see you use a k for a c...just don't do it.)

I hope u have learnt yo lesson. 2 missuse grammar is a str8-up shame. Git wit me 4 a tyme we can git 2gether. I want 2 c yo face. We can meet @ tha spot. Holla!

You Can Find Me in the Club...In the back, where the floor isn't vibrating as hard...

Alright, friends. I had a new experience over the weekend. As I mentioned in my MiracleSuit post, I am in a friend's wedding in a few weeks. Well, Saturday night we celebrated the end of her Bachelorette days with a night out in the big ATL. We stayed at a hotel in Buckhead and went to Opera, which boasts "Atlanta's hottest dance floor!" (Oh, sure...it was muy fuego!)

Let's start at the beginning...

Until Saturday night, I had never spent the night away from my son. I was feeling anxious about that, but I wanted to be there for my friend as she celebrates her upcoming nuptials. Last week Little Man had a stomach virus, so by Friday I was thinking, "A break will be just fine!" So, Saturday morning I get up and clean the house and fix the boys lunch and get all my stuff loaded in the car. I say good-bye to my boys and get in the car, turn the radio up and head out to my night on the town. Oh, wait...but I had to turn around to go get my prescriptions. That's right...on my way out to a night of dancing and fun, I had to turn around to get my daily medications. (Let's call this sign #1 that this may not be Ashley's "thing.") My husband laughed at me when I walked back in the door and he saw what I was getting.

On my way to meet the girls, I stop by BFF's house and get her to do my make-up. (I am not so good with the make-up...and hubby doesn't like make-up, so I don't wear it, well, ever. So I entrust my good ol' BFF when I need to be dolled up for any reason. Thanks, BFF!)

I meet the girls, and we head to Atlanta. By the time we get to the ATL, I am feeling nauseated and thinking, "Surely I am not getting that stomach virus now." We had plans to go eat at The Cheesecake Factory, but since we got a later start than we expected and needed to be at the club by 11pm to get in free with the guest list, we decide to just run over to Chick-Fil-A, where I proceed to be nauseated and not eat. By the time the taxi arrives to get us, I am thinking I should stay at the hotel, but I suck it up and head out to the club, and I do end up feeling better by the time we get in.

Long story short about getting into the club...we ended up having to pay $30 a piece to get in! Wooooo that's expensive, right? But, we were out celebrating, so we went for it. If my hubby had been the one going in with me, we would have turned around and left and went to play Putt-Putt or something.

We get inside, and the first thing I notice is that the floor is vibrating. The music was loud, and they were playing MJ's Billie Jean and we all go straight to the dance floor and start dancing. We get up on the lit-up stages and dance for a long time before getting down to go in search of the bathroom.

The bathroom. Woo. There was an Opera staffer who sat in the bathroom on a chair the whole night playing on her phone...not sure if she was just monitoring or what. There was a black lady who helped you out by handing you your towel to dry your hands. There was a basket on the counter for you to put her tip in, and she told us that that is the only money she makes. Well, I gotta tell ya...she wasn't hurtin' that night because the basket was full and there was a random selection of bills in there. I mean, think about it...you have drunk girls going into their wallet to get a tip, and half of them probably didn't know what they were throwing in the basket. Also, on the counters were all sorts of hair products, make up, lotions, and candy. I am not sure I would want to use a "communal" eye shadow or mascara, people. That's kind of gross, and, let's face it...a health risk.

The drinks. One drink cost $8. $8!! I had ONE and the glass was itty bitty. For $8!! After that, I had a bottle of water that cost a wopping $5. And it wasn't even special water. Just plain ol' bottled water. For $5! Do they know I can go buy a whole case of it for $2.50 at Wally World?!

The crowd. Unbelievable. You could not move. This was a big reason that me and the clubbin' thing were not clickin'. I can't stand to be squished up amongst strangers. Heck, I don't like to be squished up amongst anybody unless it is for a hug or other good reason. Also, because of the close parameters to your fellow clubbers, you got groped by random people...and that is just unnerving and annoying, and makes you want to slap someone, only you don't know who to slap because there are too many suspects.

The people. There was a huge range of people there. Some were the "typical" clubbers you would imagine. Others were older, younger, bachelorette and bachelor parties...almost any type of person you could think of was represented pretty much. I love to people-watch in general, and this was a new-fangled kind of people-watching for me. It was hilarious, and at times, disgusting, watching old men get grinded on by younger girls, or guys trying to hit on girls, or a girl trying to keep her drunk bachelorette friend from flashing everyone (not us, mind you...we were pretty tame, really).

The DJ. I'm not gonna lie...he was AWESOME...I do love me some good dancin' music, and he did a great job.

The special effects. I learned that I cannot walk when there is a strobe light flashing. I get too dizzy and stumble like I am drunk. The smoke/fog they blew out smelled funny. Thank goodness for the random bursts of cool air they set off every once in a while.

The outfits. Listen up, Girls!! If you are having to hold your dress down to keep your underwear from showing, then the dress is too short. And you obviously care because you are holding it down to keep from flashing people. So buy a longer dress, idiot. (I should state that there were some girls who did not care to hold their dress down and may or may not have enjoyed the fact that we could all see their underwear. Whores.)

The smells. If you have intentions of dancing your buns off, please invest in soap and deoderant. And the other smell that we got several wiffs of was weed. Yep. Ugh. But there were some good smells and that was men...some guys have the most amazing-smelling cologne ever. I wanted to ask what they were wearing so I could get some for hubby. I do love a good-smelling man. (Well, I love MY good-smelling man!!)

The taxi drivers. They were hilarious and put up with our girls night out craziness. I am so glad we got good ones both times.

My nausea. Off and on. Obviously after the dancing and getting hot I was feeling pretty crummy. I went to the bathroom several times just so I could sit down! I was pretty happy when it was time to head back to the hotel! I did end up getting sick at about 5:30am and then thankfully made it back home Sunday morning before getting sick again. Stupid stomach virus.

Me, sheltered? Maybe. I thought I had experienced a good bit, but I had never been anywhere like this before, and I can say it is just not for me. Some of the girls said they could go out like that every couple of months, but I will be okay if I never go back to a club like that. Just give me a bonfire with a truck backed up to it blaring music and I am good to go!! Besides, I missed my boys so much and it's easier to make sure you take your meds on time when you are at home. Just sayin'...

"Miracle"Suit...yeah, right!

I am going to be in my friend's wedding in April. I am so happy to be a part of her big day...and she chose black for the bridesmaids' dresses, which is awesome. So...in my quest to get ready to go have my dress fitted this week, I went to find shoes and also a strapless bra. The shoe-buying was no big deal. The bra-buying, however...

I decide to go to Belk, and head on over to the Intimates department. (Can I just take a minute to say that I am so very thankful that they have women working in this department? And not just women, but, normal, non-judgemental women at that!)

I start looking around and one of the sales ladies comes over and asks if I need help. Boy, did I. I told her that I needed a strapless bra and that I wanted something that would "suck everything in." She cracked up laughing and led me to the Miraclesuits. I chose one of the bathing suit kinds and she measured me and I took two different sizes to the dressing room.

I put on the bigger size first and it was a disaster and a half from the beginning. The cups were too big and just had big open spaces underneath my boobs...and, trust me, there are never any big open spaces underneath my boobs. So...I go to the smaller one. This one worked better in the cup-size department and once I fought with it to keep everything it was trying to suck in from bubbling back up, I decided it was probably okay.

Just in the knick of time, the nice sales lady knocks and says, "How is it working for you? Can I see how it's fitting?" And, without waiting for an answer, she comes in...I immediately grab my pants trying to preserve some modesty, but then give up when she looks at me and says, "I just don't like the way they're sitting." I told her that my hubby doesn't either, and she laughed and laughed. She told me to "grab the tissue and pull it in" and said that she wanted to see some more cleavage. No one's asked me to see more cleavage in years! I laughed and pulled them in and told them to "Stay!" She said I may have to tape them. This is getting better and better.

As far as it being a "miracle"suit, I have my doubts. I put my pants on over it, and they did fit a little looser.

I did buy the contraption, but I am thinking I better give it some trial runs before the wedding. I am terrified it is just going to explode. I'm just sayin'...

Do the "Terrible Twos" start around 20 months??

My sweet little man is growing and changing every single day. Most of it is good and so much fun...some of it, though...oh boy...

We have a hard time in restaurants now. It used to be no problem to take him out to dinner, but recently he has started screaming when he has to sit in the high chair for more than a few minutes while waiting on his food. Sometimes if we have a booth he will just sit beside us and play, but he throws toys and books on the ground and just wants to get out and be free. I try to keep new toys and books in my purse for him in the hopes that it will be new enough to keep him entertained, but it doesn't always work. And then when he is done eating, he is ready to get out and play, and he doesn't want to sit any longer than he has to to eat. He is a busy, busy boy and restaurants cramp his style, okay? If anyone has tips, SHARE them for goodness sake! I love going out to dinner, and will keep trying until we figure out what works - at the risk of being banned...hahaha! (Note: This is not every single time, mind you...sometimes it goes perfectly fine! I just need help with the times when it's not going so fine!)

I mentioned in my most recent post that we are now spending our days with our neighbor's children. The little girl is with us all day, and the little boy is here for 2 hours in the afternoon. Little Man loves watching the big boy play, but he does not want to share anything - including, and especially, me - with the little girl. Honestly, I was not looking forward to losing my carefree, do-whatever-we-want days with my son. But, I couldn't turn down the extra money I would earn from keeping the kids, and for the first two days, Little Man had so much fun. They were so sweet together and would just sit across from each other during snacks and meals and wave and say "Hey!" I was so glad he had a friend to play with every day. Then, Wednesday came. And my sweet boy was done sharing me and his toys with this little girl. He screamed when she wanted me to pick her up. He screamed when she touched a toy he was playing with. He screamed and clung to my leg while I changed her diaper. He said, "No" a thousand times. I thought to myself that this was just a normal reaction for a little boy who has had me and his toys all to himself for 20 months now, and assumed it would get better. It hasn't. It's Friday and he is still screaming and clinging to me at all times. I am trying so hard to ignore his tantrums. I mean, I know he isn't hurt, I know he isn't hungry or thirsty, so I know that it is just a tantrum. But, seeing my little man screaming like that hurts! I just want to hold him and tell him he doesn't have to worry about that cootie-infested little girl. But, I ignore it and teach him to share and tell him I love him and hope that this phase passes...soon.

Parenting is just as amazing as I thought it would be, but also a lot harder than I thought it would be. The love I have for this little boy is unlike anything I've ever known. And disciplining him is harder than I thought it would be. I mean, come on...I am a teacher. I thought I'd have the discipline part down pat. Not the case. I am learning every single day. I am figuring out what works and what doesn't, and finding out how to not cave in to his sad, hurt face when I tell him "no" or get on to him about something. The most amazing and wonderful thing is that no matter how bad I feel for having to be stern, he may pout for a little bit, but he always ends up running at me smiling and giving me a hug. So...when I'm in the moment of feeling like the "meanest mom ever," I remember that face coming at me for a hug.

My BFF reassures me that I am not going to "screw him up." She reminds me that one of the most important things is being consistent, and that is something I am working on. (Mostly because I have been known to cave in to the sad face from time to time.)

My hubby and I are, thankfully, on the same page when it comes to discipline, so we are working on it together. He is better at ignoring tantrums than me. Maybe because he has more patience than me in general!

I don't want this post to come off sounding like I have an out of control toddler, because I assure you I don't...sure, the jealousy is something that is happening every day right now, but I know that learning to share me and his toys with his little friend will be worth it once we get past this learning stage!

I will leave you with some fun Little Man stories...and trust me, these happen way more than the stressful stories!! :)

~ He is becoming quite the artist...check it out...

~ He is talking so much!! He repeats everything and will name things in the house and in stores. He even says some tiny sentences...one of his favorites is "Come here" and he moves his little hand like we do when we say it.

~ My hubby usually handles the bedtime routine and after he's done with everything, he sends Little Man in to tell me goodnight. Little Man comes running in the living room, gives me the biggest hug, then hops down and goes back to Daddy and waves and says "Bye bye!" on the way to his room. It is the sweetest thing.

~ When he wakes up in the mornings, he sits in his crib and talks and talks. When I go in to get him, he hands me all of the stuffed animals that are in his bed so that I can say good morning to them and give them a kiss. Then he runs back and forth across the crib, talking and pointing at things and naming them. When he's finally ready to get out, he lifts his arms up and says, "biaper!", which means diaper.

~ If you say, "Let's brush your teeth," he sticks his finger in his mouth and pretends to brush with it.

~ He thinks that every round fruit is an apple.

~ He loves, loves, loves bananas.

~ The top of the diaper genie looks like a potty seat when you open it up, and when I was changing the bag cartridge the other day, he was holding the top and opened it and said "Potty!" and put it on the floor and then sat on it. I am thinking we are getting close to potty training!

I could go on and on about him. I love that little boy to the moon and back. I'm just sayin'...

Let's Catch Up...

Wow...it's been a while since I last blogged. There are several reasons for that, none of which I intend to blog about, so suffice it to say that I am back and am going to try to do better about sharing my thoughts on random stuff with you, because I know you love it and miss it. :)

Here's some random thoughts to catch up for the past week or so...

• The Bachelor, Jake, chose...*shiver*...Vienna...to be his wife. Ugh. This girl is immature, bratty, trashy, and has crappy hair extensions. I hate the way she talks, and she has crazy eyes. I am pretty sure she's a gold digger. (As Kanye West says, "If you ain't no punk, holla 'We want pre-nup, we want pre-nup!") I know that all of this is very judgemental of me, but she rubbed me, and let's face it - the rest of America -the wrong way from day one. Tenley is such a sweet girl, and I thought she handled being dumped very well. And I wanted to jump up and hug the TV when she said, on the "After the Final Rose" episode (and this is a loose quote), "Do you think it was fair to Vienna to feel like you say you felt about me and then propose to her? Honestly, I have to say I am happy that it wasn't me if you say you were feeling that strongly for the both of us." Good. For. You. Stick that in your juice box and suck it, Jake! Why I think he chose Vienna over Tenley: a) Jake is, obviously, a very physical person. And Vienna has "do me" written all over her. b) Tenley has morals. She probably wouldn't have moved in with Jake quick enough for his liking. Vienna said on the "After the Final Rose" show that she is going to Texas immediately. Whore.
• I am now keeping my neighbor's children again. So, from 7:15am until 5:15pm, my day is filled with a 2 year old little girl and my own 20 month old little boy. There is lots of laughing, lots of crying (mostly by me! haha!), lots of lessons learned (both for the tots and for myself), and lots of playing. After school, the little girl's big brother (who is in Kindergarten), joins us and argues and whines with the little ones. He doesn't have much patience for them, and he tends to whine because he thinks it will help him get his way. It doesn't. If there is one thing that gets on my nerves, it is whining. Despite the whining, he is a funny kid who always comes up with the most hilarious things to say. When I kept them in the fall, he said to me, "Mrs. Ashley I don't think I want the kids to call me (insert his name here) when I grow up." "Well, hun, what would you like for them to call you?" "Oh, I don't know. Mike or John. Something like a man." It cracked me up that this 6 year old was already worried about his manliness. Just this week he said, "Do you know what the wonderful thing about me is?" "What would that be sweetie?" "I love to do homework. And I draw an American flag on it so that if it gets shipped to another country they know it is made in America. And it's got my name on it, so they know who constructed it."
• It snowed here on Tuesday. It was absolutely beautiful as usual, but I am ready for sunny, warm days where I can take Little Man outside for some fun. I am so excited about his first trip to the zoo and trips to the beach and mountains...I am just ready for warmer weather. Not hot weather, mind you...I don't want to be sweaty and miserable...just a nice 70 to 75 degree day would be perfect. Actually, a whole bunch of them in a row would be spectacular.
• Dr. Suess' birthday was Tuesday...I love me some Dr. Seuss! He has so many great quotes. Here's a link that will take you to some.

I leave you with this:

"If you judge people, you have no time to love them." ~ Mother Teresa

I'm just sayin'...

My New Favorite Thing to Do...

So, I have a new "thing"! Exciting, right? I think so.

I have recently rediscovered Barnes and Noble. My husband and I used to go to B&N and just roam around, with me looking for new books to read and catching up on magazines and him checking out travel books or comic collections (Calvin & Hobbes!) or car books. That stopped somewhere along the way, and the only time I ever went was when I wanted something specific. But, that has now changed my friends.

This past Saturday night, my hubby and I had a little argument. Alex was in bed, I scrubbed the kitchen until it shone, and I still felt frustrated. I looked at the nightstand where the book I'm currently reading was sitting, and inspiration struck! I said, "I'm going to Barnes and Noble!" Hubby stared at me and said, "It's 9 o'clock!" I said I didn't care and that I was going to B&N and that I'd be back later. He looked uneasy about it, but said, "Well, be careful." (He knows it's no use to argue with me when I am in the "we just had a fight and you suck" mood.) So...out I went...at 9pm...which never happens because...well, because I'm a responsible adult now who thinks it is crazy to go out a) past 8pm and b) when it's dark and I'm by myself (don't tell my Daddy!).

I felt free and lighthearted as I drove the 2 miles or so to my favorite bookstore. When I walked in the door, I went straight to the Starbucks, got a big ol' hot chocolate, then started perusing the shelves. I scoped out a new series that I'd like to read, took a spin through the children's section, and headed up front to the magazines to grab Cosmo, Glamour, People, and whatever else caught my eye. I settled in to an extremely comfortable chair next to the window and sat there reading magazines and drinking hot chocolate for well over an hour. It. Was. Spectacular.

Move over hot bath...B&N has just leaped ahead of you in the "Mommy Needs a Time-Out" race! I'm just sayin'...

Why is it...

• that whenever I have something specific I want to watch that channel loses its signal? (Thank you, ABC, for losing signal during "The Bachelor's" "The Women Tell All". I will be watching online tomorrow, but I won't like it!)
• that I cannot keep my eyes open during the day, but when my son is in bed for the night I can't make myself go to bed and get the sleep I would have given my arm or leg for during the day?
• that the taste of something can trigger memories? I had some Sprite tonight and it immediately reminded me of watching TGIF with my family. We would pop popcorn and drink Sprite every Friday night while watching Full House, Dinosaurs ("Not the Mama!" Honestly, the baby dinosaur creeped me out!), Boy Meets World, Step by Step, Family Matters (my favorite line from the series: "I'm gonna rain on you like a Georgia thunderstorm!), Perfect Strangers (I used to laugh until I cried at Balki...hilarious!!)...you know, the good ol' shows! I miss these shows!
• that I always feel at least a little tired? (This fatigue set in approximately 19 and a half months ago!)
• that the shower seems to be a "think tank"? I always remember important things when I'm in the shower and at least once a week my husband tells me about a great idea he had while he was in the shower.
• that Spring will not hurry up and get here already?

I'm just sayin'...

Facebook Inappropriateness

Well, FB friends, it is clear that you did not take heed to my previous post. Tsk, tsk, tsk.

Really, people. I understand that Valentine's Day brought out the lover in all of us (well, some of us), but share your thoughts with your significant other...not your FB friends.

These statuses are not okay:

• _____ is so happy the kids are asleep. It's time to give my hubbers his VALENTINE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! WOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!
• _____ "She likes to call me Mr. Flintstone cuz I make the bedrock!" (This person's girlfriend followed up by commenting that, "Until you have had what I have, you will not know. I love it when the bedrocks.")
• _____ loves the c&!k. (Yep...that happened.)
• _____ is ready to go to bed, and my hubby better not be asleep cuz I'm READY!!!!!!!!!!!!
• _____ sent her to work with a smile this morning. Oh yeahhhhhh.
• _____ bada bing! (This person's wife soon commented, "woot woot!" Are you people updating facebook immediately following sex?!)
• _____ nothing like some good hot lovin' on a cold night!

(*Note: Names have been omitted to protect the over-sharers, and some statuses have been altered in minor ways just in case the offenders were to accidentally wander over to my little blog and see me talking about them.)

Now, people...we are so very happy that your love life is, um, healthy...but we don't need to know any details about it. When one reads statuses such as these, one cannot help but to think about your fornicating. So, make it stop. Refrain from posting these lusty statuses. There are some things that just don't need to be shared. I'm just sayin'...

Tiger Woods, Y'all!

Okay...I am going to share my thoughts on Tiger Woods...take it or leave it. :)

The famous golfer gave his apology speech yesterday...and it was treated like a message from the president! It interrupted our regularly scheduled programming and everything!

I don't see the purpose in making this big of a deal out of his family problems. People screw up and have to deal with the consequences every single day. If I were his wife, would I still be with him? Umm, NO. Definitely not. And I don't think you can even say she is staying for money, because the woman would be rich whether she stayed with him or not. But good grief...if she can forgive him, then I say it is between him, her, and the Lord to sort out what's left of their marriage and try to fix it if that is what they wish. It's none of our business, and I was glad he said as much during his interview.

He apologized to everyone he could think of including family, friends, colleagues, fans, and even parents who had used him as a role model for their children. Sure, it was obvious that someone had coached him on the whole, "Say you're sorry and then stare at the camera for at least 3 to 4 seconds to prove that you mean it...it's like you're looking in the eyes of the people you have let down when you do that...they want to see the hurt in you. Show them." And, he did. I thought he looked like a broken man. Definitely not the self-confident Tiger we're used to seeing.

He says he's been in therapy for 45 days and that he is going back. Good for him. He also said that he is going to put aside golf and work on himself and his family. VERY good for him. Do I think he hates it that he got caught? Oh, heck yes. Do I think he is honestly trying to work on the issues that got him to this point? I think I do. Maybe I am just a sap, or maybe seeing his mom and mother-in-law with tears in their eyes softened me, but he seemed like a man that wanted to try to fix the things he's broken. Either that, or he should look to adding acting to his repertoire. I mean, come on - at this point, if he really wanted to just live a wild and crazy life, he could do it...and if his family meant nothing to him, then he would...but he is staying with his wife (and she's letting him!) and trying to work things out. (Again, I don't think you can say he's staying because he doesn't want to lose however many millions of dollars...she's getting money either way...and enough to last her the rest of her and her children's lives more than likely.)

I am glad that Elin didn't stand beside him and I am glad that he defended her and told the media to leave her and his children alone (and I hope they do). I know he says they are working on their marriage, but I am glad that she chose not to stand beside him, unlike many politicians' wives who have stood beside their unfaithful husbands during their speeches and apologies. This was his mistake (and, really, the word "mistake" seems like such an understatement here), and he had to own up to it like a man. He stood there and told millions of people that he had had "affairs"...notice that "s" on the end. That means plural...the man cheated on his wife multiple times with multiple women. His reason was pretty much that the fame and money went to his head and he had too many temptations surrounding him because of said fame and money. Do I believe that this could be true? Eh, maybe. I believe that he had more opportunity to screw up his life because of the fame, but, come on, Tiger...you also had the free will to say NO, mister.

To sum it up: I think Tiger is scum for doing what he did to his family. S-C-U-M. I don't think I would have the strength to stay with him after being hurt on that deep of a level. And while I hurt for the thousands - maybe millions? - of children who looked up to Tiger as a role model, I think back to other times when parents have had to explain to their children that the celebrities they look up to sometimes make mistakes (when Jamie Lynn Spears got pregnant, I had many Kindergarten girls who were very confused and trying to sort out what it meant...one even said it was "cool" to begin with)...and, lets face it, unfortunately there are times when a parent has to explain their own or their spouse's mistakes or good friends' mistakes to their child. I say that you just use these unfortunate and disappointing times as another opportunity to teach right from wrong, how to cope with something like this, and reinforce the values that you are teaching your children in the first place.

As far as his getting back on the golf course, I say he should go for it...after he has healed his family. He has too much talent to let it go to waste. Besides, it wasn't the golf that made him cheat on his wife...it led to his fame, but it was Tiger the man that cheated...not Tiger the golfer. Just because he can't keep it in his pants doesn't mean he shouldn't go swing it on the golf course!

Tiger...I hope you get your act together for you and your family. May I leave you with a song that I think you should have listened to before your infidelities began...Taylor Swift's "Should've Said No". (I am sure there are many, many more songs that would fit here...perhaps a return trip to Beyonce's spectacular Grammy performance of "If I Were A Boy" and "You Oughta Know". )

And to Elin...make him work for it...I'm just sayin'...

Get a Haircut and Get a Real Job

Yer gettin' a two-fer!

Get a haircut...

I got a haircut tonight. This is a big deal to me. I love "gettin' my herrrr did"! Hubby got in from school, I showed him where his dinner was, and I was out the door for a little time to myself. Woohoo!

Getting a haircut is so relaxing to me. If I could afford to have someone come to my house every day and wash, dry, and style my hair I would do it in a heartbeat. The girl that did my hair tonight was awesome, too. She didn't talk to me much. Now, don't get me wrong...I love to talk and I will most certainly chat it up with my hairdresser any time - especially if I know him or her and we know the same people ;) - but just feeling comfortable sitting there in silence while this girl took care of my hair was amazing. I was so sad when it was over!

A couple of things occurred during my visit:

• A woman brought her four children in to sell chocolates for her daughter's school. (No, I did not buy any...I am trying to be good, people!) She was obviously a frequent customer at the salon, because she just talked and talked to everyone in there and caught up on the latest news...while her children ran rampant throughout the salon. I am not kidding. Her son laid on the floor next to me and started pumping the empty chair up and down up and down. The youngest girl went over to the hair dryers and turned it on and sat down and got up and sat down and got up. The oldest girl took over the counter with the chocolates. The other little girl just followed her siblings and kind of kept to herself. A lady gettin' her herrr did in the seat across from me offered to buy chocolate, and all four children rushed her and the youngest stood with her hand dang near in the woman's face waiting to grab money. It was crazy. The girl doing my hair didn't say anything, and I just closed my eyes and pretended like they weren't there. Since they weren't my children, it was really easy to tune them out. (Yay, teacher skills! Oh, wait...teachers really shouldn't tune their students out very often, should they? haha!)
• While I was getting shampooed, I overheard the woman next to me talking about how she had gained some weight. While she and her stylist were lamenting that fact, she said, and I quote (I memorized this so I could get it just right for y'all), "I think my problem is that I don't eat enough. I really don't eat much. I need to eat more. My body is just taking what I do eat and storing it and making me gain weight because I don't give it enough food." Let me let y'all marinate on that for a second... I sat there waiting on the laughter to show that she was joking, and it never came. Never have I ever heard of not eating enough causing you to gain weight. Can we say denial? Who wouldn't love to believe that if they ate more they could lose weight? (Pass me the Reese's Peanut Butter Cups, would you?!) If any of you try this theory, let me know how it goes!

Get a real job...(not that being a Stay at Home Mom isn't a real job...cause it dang sure is!)...

It's that time again. The job search has begun. Last year, obviously, was not successful. (I am not complaining. I got another year at home with my Little Man!) But, I know how beneficial it would be for me to be bringing in some dough, not to mention some good health insurance. So...it's time for applications, cover letters, and resumes again. I seriously dislike this process. The anxiousness plain ol' sucks. No matter how many interviews I do, I am always nervous when I go in to visit with a principal. I am confident in my teaching abilities, but my nerves are ridiculous.

To be honest with you, most of the anxiousness is Little Man-related. I have been so blessed to stay home with him since he was born. I am not ready to give it up, even though I can already tell that he will love school based on his experiences in the church nursery. (To be even more honest, I am not ready to believe that I have an almost-2-year-old!!)

I think I will be happy to be back in the classroom when I get back into the routine of things, but it will definitely be a hard transition. (I may or may not be just a little spoiled seeing as how I have been doing pretty much whatever I wanted every day for the plast year and a half!) I will have to learn how to find a good balance between my family and my work. I used to go in to school extra early and stay extra late almost every day, but that will not be an option when I have my family to come home to. It's going to be like my first year of teaching all over again - just on a bigger scale since I have more to juggle now.

Maybe the budget will still be in terrible shape and I won't find a job. I'm just sayin'... (Hubby, if you are reading this, I am kidding! Really.)

The Bachelor

Whyyyyyy does Jake like Vienna so dang much?! Seriously! I really don't think her face is all that pretty, and she is very immature compared to him and she's just flat out annoying. And did I mention last time that the way she moves her mouth and clenches her teeth together when she talks makes me cringe? I just don't see what he sees in her. Except...

Jake is a man whore. I think he's a nice guy, but it is obvious that he is all about the physical attraction. Sure, sure...he has some nice words to say about relationships and what he wants and blah, blah, blah, but how many times during a show do we hear, "She is smokin'!" "She is hot!" "She is drop dead gorgeous!" And the girls all roll their pretty little eyes and act flattered at his accolades. Eh.

Ali. Ohhhh, Ali. You made your choice. I liked you, I really did, but when you left him I knew even when they showed you calling him that you were done. And, girl, you looked like a hot mess sobbing over him. How about getting out there and finding someone the way the rest of us did - in day to day life.

I can't stand the way Gia talks...it always seems like she is struggling to get words out or something.

Jake asked Vienna what kinds of rings she likes, and I was wondering how he could ask her, but not the other girls... But then I remembered that the producers all know how much we hate this girl and of course they would show us him asking her that...I bet he asked all three, but they chose to show us him asking her...another way of getting us to tune in to "The most dramatic final rose ceremony ever!"

I really, really like Tenley. I want her to marry my brother! (Call me if it doesn't work out with Jake, girl! I'll set you up!) She seems genuinely sweet and she has morals and values. (Hmmm...maybe not a good match for my brother. He's not big into girls with morals. Just kidding...kind of.) And she's not psycho as far as I can tell.

Going into the final rose with Vienna and Tenley is wild, isn't it? They couldn't be more different.

TEAM TENLEY!!! I'm just sayin'...

The Best of the World Wide Web (Well, according to me...)

Here is a list of some of my favorite places to go on the internet...

• http://www.cnn.com/ - News, news, news, weather, news, news, and more news.
• http://www.people.com/ - Celebrity gossip! (Yes, there are times when I hate myself for wanting to know what celebrities are up to, especially when I spend minutes of my precious time reading about Heidi Montag or someone just as ridiculous, but it's something I love nonetheless.) By the way...Jennifer Aniston is rumored to be dating Gerard Butler now. How unfair is that? The girl has had smokin' Brad Pitt (I say smokin' because he was when they were together - this new beard thing he has going on is horrendous - what is he thinking? Is Angelina making him grow it so that he will be less attractive and therefore will not be accosted by millions of women every day? Guess what, Angie...we still know what's under that mess that makes him look like Hank Williams, Jr. We still want him.), hilarious Vince Vaughn, hot Bradley Cooper, crooner John Mayer, and now my current favorite actor Gerard Butler (oh, yes...you get another picture of him. This times sans Aniston!). All of the above men make my teeth sweat and she has been wooed by all of them! Lucky, lucky girl. At least these men are with someone of quality instead of, say, Britney Spears or someone like that. Woooooo...can you imagine having a lineup like hers? (Hubby, if you are reading this...I love you! haha!) Oh...and I wonder how Jessica Simpson and the aforementioned Aniston feel about this. Wow is all I have to say.
• http://www.facebook.com/ - Does this really need an explanation? Stalking at it's best - anonymous and legal.
• http://www.sleeptalkinman.blogspot.com/ - This is a blog by a woman who writes out what her husband says in his sleep. Hysterical! I send my brother random text messages with some of the stuff from this website. (Be warned that this blog is not G-rated!)
• http://www.fmylife.com/ - Having a bad day? Go to this website and hear about people who have had worse days than you. (Again, some of the stories are a little rough...)
• http://www.twitter.com/ - Okay...I don't go to this one too much, but I do have an account, and follow a bunch of random celebrities and some friends of mine.
• http://www.weather.com/ - I am a weather junkie! If my desire to be a teacher wasn't so strong, I would have been a meteorologist. You would've been hearin' Ashley's 3 degree guarantee on your nightly news! (Nightly because I hate getting up early!) Heck, with education in the state it is in, I may have to fall back on meteorology anyway!
• http://www.foodnetwork.com/ - Recipes! My hubby would say that I need to spend more time on this website! I love watching Food Network (I sure do miss it now that we don't have cable!), so of course I love their website.
• http://www.zone.msn.com/ - Games! Boredom at its best!
• http://www.postsecret.blogspot.com/ - People anonymously mail in their secrets on post cards. Of course I find it interesting, as I am naturally nosy.
• www.peopleofwalmart.com - I am now very very careful about what I wear to WalMart!
• www.awkwardfamilyphotos.com - Wow. Seriously...go to this website.
• http://www.youtube.com/ - Duh! You can find whatever your heart desires on here. Funny videos, instructional videos, informational videos, clips from shows and movies, music videos, etc... The possibilities are endless. Some of my friends love learning all the random dances that people put on there...may I suggest you learn to do "The Wop" or "The Stanky Legg?"
• http://www.last.fm/ - Free music on the internet. (And also on Xbox Live if you have an Xbox.) May I suggest the 90s tag radio? Oh, and just a note - if you choose to listen to, say, the "Josh Turner station" know that it won't only play his songs - it plays his songs and songs that sound like him. That is one thing that frustrates me. If I choose an artist or group's station, I want to hear them...not random folks that sound like them. I love that you can "heart" songs as you are listening, and then go and listen to your own station, so you hear songs that you have "hearted." I usually turn this on through our Xbox while I am cleaning or trying to be productive.

Well, now that you know that I waste most of my "free" time rambling through all of the above sites, go visit the ones that fancy you! It's okay to take some time occasionally to do things that don't require much brainpower. I heard a quote that said, "Time you enjoyed wasting was not wasted." I like that...now I feel like I never waste time. I'm just sayin'...

Quotable Quotes

I love reading and hearing quotes, and I thought I'd list a few of my favorite ones today.


"If you want to lift yourself up, lift up someone else." ~ Booker T. Washington

"In three words I can sum up everything I've learned about life: It goes on." ~ Robert Frost

"Anger is an acid that can do more harm to the vessel in which it is stored than to anything on which it is poured." ~ Mark Twain

“Be who you are and say what you feel because those who mind don't matter and those who matter don't mind.” ~ Dr. Seuss

“The more that you read, the more things you will know. The more that you learn, the more places you'll go.” ~ Dr. Seuss

"Give thanks for what you are now, and keep fighting for what you want to be tomorrow." ~ Fernanda Miramontes-Landeros

"Do what you can, with what you have, where you are." ~ Theodore Roosevelt

"Don't look where you fall, but where you slipped." ~ African Proverb

"Time you enjoy wasting, was not wasted." ~ John Lennon

"Whatever you are be a good one." ~ Abraham Lincoln

"You know you're in love when you don't want to fall asleep because reality is finally better than your dreams." ~ Dr. Seuss

"The whole purpose of education is to turn mirrors into windows." ~ Sydney J. Harris

"Education is not filling a pail but the lighting of a fire." ~ William Butler Yeats

"The wise still seek Him." ~ Author Unknown


There are so many quotes that I love...I am sure there will be more posts like this one in the future.