1. My parents are here and Alex is out of town, so I'm using his computer. (My mom is borrowing my laptop.) It feels so weird and wrong to be sitting at a desk and using a normal keyboard.
2. We went to the zoo today. And we saw both a rhinoceros and an elephant pee. I could have gone MY ENTIRE LIFE without seeing that. It was a little traumatic. Hopefully wee little Jack won't be scarred for life.
3. In the last two weeks, I have seen a car with an Alaska license plate and one with a Hawaii plate. Isn't that bizarre? Also? How much does it cost to ship your car from Hawaii? Because I just ordered a copy of Jack's birth certificate and it was obnoxiously expensive. I can't imagine shipping a CAR.
4. With my parents here, we've been eating out a lot. So far we've had fried catfish and burgers from Five Guys. Clogged arteries, ahoy!
5. And my mom bought me an Icee today. I've been an on Icee ban in order to be healither (more on this in a bit), but I did get one a few weeks ago as a little post-cruise pick me up. Other than that, I've been Icee free for months. But my mom offered and I caved. After all, who doesn't want a free Dr. Pepper Icee?
6. So. This health thing. It's really frustrating. I haven't mentioned it much lately, probably because I could write a full post on it, but I haven't lost ANY WEIGHT. Despite the fact that I have been consistently working out and eating well for MONTHS. I mean, I could be eating EVEN healthier, but I've been pretty darn good. And nothing. NOTHING. I wanted to punch myself in the face the ENTIRE cruise because all the other girls were all so cute and skinny and I looked like a swollen marshmallow.
7. Thanks for the votes on the great Cardigan Debate of 2010. I think I'm going to go with the gray one. I'm taking my mom to Kohl's tomorrow to make the final decision. I'll be sure to let y'all know which one I purchase. I am sure you're all losing sleep over it and I promise the wait will be over tomorrow!
Friday, November 05, 2010
Thursday, November 04, 2010
Back to the Past
First: My parents will be arriving here in about an hour and the house is already clean. I'm not sure how that happened. I guess I'm becoming more responsible?
Anyway.
Today's big trending hashtag on Twitter was #tweetyour16yearoldself.
A lot of them were funny. And it seemed like most people wanted to warn their younger selves away from making dumb mistakes. It took me a while to come up with something, but I eventually posted this:
You're really skinny, enjoy it. Put on some make up. OH, and it's best just to avoid the boys until you're 26.
Because, dude, I was quite skinny and had NO IDEA. I had no concept of how to dress myself, either. I also didn't wear make up AT ALL until I was well into my 20's. And sometimes I wish I had had more fun being pretty when I was younger. Or at least put some mascara on. I look back and think, what was I trying to accomplish? I guess I always felt like I was dressing up and someone would call me out for not being pretty enough for cute clothes or make up. And I KNOW I was terrified of being noticed. So I dressed in baggy clothes and stayed away from make up. Silly, silly, silly me.
I threw in the last sentence as a future life warning. Boys were a non-issue for me at sixteen, and this wasn't #tweetyour22yearoldself, but I figure if 16 year old me got that memo, then 22 year old me might not be such an idiot. I figure it couldn't hurt.
I thought about adding in that DC Talk is not the end all be all of music. And that getting those straight A's and that seal on your diploma? So not worth it. Take the half day your senior year instead!
What about you? Any advice you'd give your 16 year old self?
Anyway.
Today's big trending hashtag on Twitter was #tweetyour16yearoldself.
A lot of them were funny. And it seemed like most people wanted to warn their younger selves away from making dumb mistakes. It took me a while to come up with something, but I eventually posted this:
You're really skinny, enjoy it. Put on some make up. OH, and it's best just to avoid the boys until you're 26.
Because, dude, I was quite skinny and had NO IDEA. I had no concept of how to dress myself, either. I also didn't wear make up AT ALL until I was well into my 20's. And sometimes I wish I had had more fun being pretty when I was younger. Or at least put some mascara on. I look back and think, what was I trying to accomplish? I guess I always felt like I was dressing up and someone would call me out for not being pretty enough for cute clothes or make up. And I KNOW I was terrified of being noticed. So I dressed in baggy clothes and stayed away from make up. Silly, silly, silly me.
I threw in the last sentence as a future life warning. Boys were a non-issue for me at sixteen, and this wasn't #tweetyour22yearoldself, but I figure if 16 year old me got that memo, then 22 year old me might not be such an idiot. I figure it couldn't hurt.
I thought about adding in that DC Talk is not the end all be all of music. And that getting those straight A's and that seal on your diploma? So not worth it. Take the half day your senior year instead!
What about you? Any advice you'd give your 16 year old self?
Wednesday, November 03, 2010
Help Me Buy a Cardigan
Internet! I need your help!
First of all, it is finally cold enough in Texas to wear sweaters. I suppose it was bound to happen at some point, so here we are. Sweater weather...at least in the morning. I actually didn't wear one yesterday because living in Ohio for seven years has hardened my exterior to the point that I don't feel cold until it is AT LEAST 40 degrees. It's...kind of awesome, actually.
Anyway. While I have a plethora of coats and hoodies, my cardigan collection is lacking. As in, I own maybe 2? 3 at the most. And I only like one of them. AND they are brown, which is fine and dandy, except brown doesn't go with everything.
Which means I am in need of a black or gray cardigan. I was originally set on getting a black one, but then I got to thinking that gray would be better because I could wear the gray with my black sweaters/t-shirts and not clash too much. I was hoping to find a dark gray cardi that would be dressy enough I could throw it on over some of my short sleeve dresses and wear it to church without looking like a moron.
I found myself at Kohl's this morning. (Yes, I FOUND myself there. Definitely didn't drive there with a purpose or anything.) I love Kohl's because all you have to do is wait and things will go on sale and then they will give you a coupon for even MORE off. I found two candidates that I think will work, but I can't decide which one. This is where you come in. I need some opinions on which one is better! I have to choose only one, so the answer "both" is not an option. (As much as I'd like it to be.)
First up, we have a black, open front cardigan from Apt. 9.
Cute, right? It's on sale for 25 bucks and is the style I was looking for. Here is a picture of me actually wearing it. (Please forgive my unwashed appearance, complete with day old, smudged mascara under my eyes.)
(I also just realized I look REALLY fat in this picture. When will I learn to stop pulling my chin into my neck? I don't really feel like cropping my face out of this picture, so believe when I say I don't weigh 300 pounds.)
Anyway, the cardigan is actually black, even though it looks navy blue in the picture.
Next up, we have this gray sweater from Elle. It's on sale for 30 bucks.
Again, open front. But this one is much longer in the back and has a little bit more complicated front. Here I am modeling it in the store:
Blurry, but you get the point.
I feel as though the gray looks more flattering in the pictures, but I think that's because I didn't have it pulled over mah boobs, which are large-ish. (TMI! Welcome male readers that are not my husband!) In real life, I felt as though the black was a bit more flattering. HOWEVER, the gray one looked just fine and it might be more versatile? If the gray one had been darker, then I think I would just go for it. But it's lighter shade (and higher price...5 whole dollars!) are giving me pause.
So what do you think? Gray or black? Help a sister out!
First of all, it is finally cold enough in Texas to wear sweaters. I suppose it was bound to happen at some point, so here we are. Sweater weather...at least in the morning. I actually didn't wear one yesterday because living in Ohio for seven years has hardened my exterior to the point that I don't feel cold until it is AT LEAST 40 degrees. It's...kind of awesome, actually.
Anyway. While I have a plethora of coats and hoodies, my cardigan collection is lacking. As in, I own maybe 2? 3 at the most. And I only like one of them. AND they are brown, which is fine and dandy, except brown doesn't go with everything.
Which means I am in need of a black or gray cardigan. I was originally set on getting a black one, but then I got to thinking that gray would be better because I could wear the gray with my black sweaters/t-shirts and not clash too much. I was hoping to find a dark gray cardi that would be dressy enough I could throw it on over some of my short sleeve dresses and wear it to church without looking like a moron.
I found myself at Kohl's this morning. (Yes, I FOUND myself there. Definitely didn't drive there with a purpose or anything.) I love Kohl's because all you have to do is wait and things will go on sale and then they will give you a coupon for even MORE off. I found two candidates that I think will work, but I can't decide which one. This is where you come in. I need some opinions on which one is better! I have to choose only one, so the answer "both" is not an option. (As much as I'd like it to be.)
First up, we have a black, open front cardigan from Apt. 9.
Cute, right? It's on sale for 25 bucks and is the style I was looking for. Here is a picture of me actually wearing it. (Please forgive my unwashed appearance, complete with day old, smudged mascara under my eyes.)
(I also just realized I look REALLY fat in this picture. When will I learn to stop pulling my chin into my neck? I don't really feel like cropping my face out of this picture, so believe when I say I don't weigh 300 pounds.)
Anyway, the cardigan is actually black, even though it looks navy blue in the picture.
Next up, we have this gray sweater from Elle. It's on sale for 30 bucks.
Again, open front. But this one is much longer in the back and has a little bit more complicated front. Here I am modeling it in the store:
Blurry, but you get the point.
I feel as though the gray looks more flattering in the pictures, but I think that's because I didn't have it pulled over mah boobs, which are large-ish. (TMI! Welcome male readers that are not my husband!) In real life, I felt as though the black was a bit more flattering. HOWEVER, the gray one looked just fine and it might be more versatile? If the gray one had been darker, then I think I would just go for it. But it's lighter shade (and higher price...5 whole dollars!) are giving me pause.
So what do you think? Gray or black? Help a sister out!
Tuesday, November 02, 2010
Doughnuts!
So. I went to bed at 6:30 last night. Mostly because I just couldn't stay awake anymore. I was so exhausted, that Alex laughed at me when I claimed I was only gong to lay down "for a little bit."
I got up at 5 am this morning. And I was INCREDIBLY productive from 5 to 8 am. Like, AMAZINGLY productive. Maybe this is what I need to do every night? Get a ton of sleep and then do a lot in the wee hours of the morning when my two boys are still sleeping? Maybe. But I doubt it'll happen.
Of course, I'm really tired right now at 4 pm, so my current goal is to try and make it until AT LEAST 8 pm this evening. Progress!
In other news, I brought doughnuts to my MOPS group this morning. (I wasn't being NICE or anything, by the way. It was my table's turn to provide breakfast for the whole group.) I went to Shipley's Donuts for 2 dozen doughnuts and my word, they are DELICIOUS. The problem is that only 18 were eaten at the meeting. Which means I took 6 home. Which means there are only 4 left. Because I ate not one, but TWO (2!) for lunch. I have no self control people. NONE.
Also, I managed to not do a single housework-related chore the entire time the baby napped. Which was for THREE HOURS. I am the least successful housewife OF ALL TIME.
I got up at 5 am this morning. And I was INCREDIBLY productive from 5 to 8 am. Like, AMAZINGLY productive. Maybe this is what I need to do every night? Get a ton of sleep and then do a lot in the wee hours of the morning when my two boys are still sleeping? Maybe. But I doubt it'll happen.
Of course, I'm really tired right now at 4 pm, so my current goal is to try and make it until AT LEAST 8 pm this evening. Progress!
In other news, I brought doughnuts to my MOPS group this morning. (I wasn't being NICE or anything, by the way. It was my table's turn to provide breakfast for the whole group.) I went to Shipley's Donuts for 2 dozen doughnuts and my word, they are DELICIOUS. The problem is that only 18 were eaten at the meeting. Which means I took 6 home. Which means there are only 4 left. Because I ate not one, but TWO (2!) for lunch. I have no self control people. NONE.
Also, I managed to not do a single housework-related chore the entire time the baby napped. Which was for THREE HOURS. I am the least successful housewife OF ALL TIME.
Monday, November 01, 2010
NaBloPoMo is here!
It's November 1st, which means it's time for NaBloPoMo again! Frankly, I can barely believe that it's November ALREADY, but the calendar tells me it is so and the calendar does not lie.
So prepare yourselves for the very best in mediocre blogging for the next 30 days. Woo! Hoo!
So prepare yourselves for the very best in mediocre blogging for the next 30 days. Woo! Hoo!
Friday, October 29, 2010
7 Quick Takes - I Miss the Caribbean Edition
1. I went on a 4 day cruise to Cozumel last week with some of my very best friends/most awesome people in the world. I wish I was still on this ship right now.
2. Alex and I went to Cozumel last year on our anniversary cruise, so I actually knew what to expect this time. We decided to just go to a free beach for a few hours in the afternoon and it was beautiful. I never ever wanted to leave.
3. We did some shopping in Cozumel as well. We docked at a different pier from last time, so I got to see some different shops and some pretty tourist-y areas that we missed last time.
4. Also, we ate A LOT. I don't have many food pictures to share, probably because I was too excited to start DEVOURING the food the second it was placed in front of me. But it was all so good and it was so nice not to have worry about the dishes or cleaning up afterwards. I also probably gained 5 pounds, but let's not talk about that, shall we?
5. Before said trip, I purchased the most amazing travel mug of all time. It's a Contigo Stainless Steel mug. I purchased it at Costco, which is why I'm linking to those particular tops, but it is AMAZING. It keeps my beverages hot long beyond the promised 4 hours. And it DOES NOT LEAK. I accidentally knocked it over the other day and nothing spilled out. I highly, highly, highly recommend them.
6. In all the cruise hub bub, I forgot about getting Jack's costume in time for the Parents' Day Out celebration on Wednesday. So I spent several hours Tuesday night going from big-box-store to big-box-store, trying to find a costume. I eventually found the perfect costume at the 2nd Target I went to, a half an hour before they closed. Way to go loser Mom! (Also, I haven't bought any candy yet either. Nor have I taken my child to a pumpkin patch. I suck!)
7. Jack looked really cute in his costume.
2. Alex and I went to Cozumel last year on our anniversary cruise, so I actually knew what to expect this time. We decided to just go to a free beach for a few hours in the afternoon and it was beautiful. I never ever wanted to leave.
3. We did some shopping in Cozumel as well. We docked at a different pier from last time, so I got to see some different shops and some pretty tourist-y areas that we missed last time.
4. Also, we ate A LOT. I don't have many food pictures to share, probably because I was too excited to start DEVOURING the food the second it was placed in front of me. But it was all so good and it was so nice not to have worry about the dishes or cleaning up afterwards. I also probably gained 5 pounds, but let's not talk about that, shall we?
5. Before said trip, I purchased the most amazing travel mug of all time. It's a Contigo Stainless Steel mug. I purchased it at Costco, which is why I'm linking to those particular tops, but it is AMAZING. It keeps my beverages hot long beyond the promised 4 hours. And it DOES NOT LEAK. I accidentally knocked it over the other day and nothing spilled out. I highly, highly, highly recommend them.
6. In all the cruise hub bub, I forgot about getting Jack's costume in time for the Parents' Day Out celebration on Wednesday. So I spent several hours Tuesday night going from big-box-store to big-box-store, trying to find a costume. I eventually found the perfect costume at the 2nd Target I went to, a half an hour before they closed. Way to go loser Mom! (Also, I haven't bought any candy yet either. Nor have I taken my child to a pumpkin patch. I suck!)
7. Jack looked really cute in his costume.
Thursday, September 16, 2010
Parent's Day Out and Sweating it Out
This was Jack's first week at Parent's Day Out. It's Monday and Wednesdays from 9-2. That is 10 full hours spent away from me. I fully admit that I had a FULL ON FREAK OUT last weekend. I completely regretted my decision to enroll him and basically drove Alex bonkers with my fretting. I sent out texts about my fears. I cried. I paced nervously. I panicked that my son was going to hate me for the rest of his life.
It was FINE.
Kid didn't even cry. Granted, I sneaked away so he wouldn't see me leave and have his very own FULL ON FREAK OUT, but still. He was happily playing when I left and happily snacking when I picked him up. His teachers told me he only got teary when it was nap time. Which I totally expected because he is used sleeping in a big boy bed, while a parent reads to him and lays down with him while he drifts into dreamland.
Which...yes, let's talk about that, shall we?
My kid is a hustler. Straight up.
He slept in a crib at Parent's Day Out. A CRIB. Homeboy hasn't slept in a crib since he was 2, maybe 3, months old. He hated his crib. HATED IT. He would fall asleep in our arms and instantly awake the second he hit the mattress. And then he would scream bloody murder. He acted like I was ripping him apart, limb by limb, if I put him in the crib so I could do things like, I don't know, go to the bathroom. (Oh, how long for those halcyon immobile days when I could pee without a small person standing next to me, hitting me in the back with the toilet seat.) We co-slept mostly out of laziness because it was SO MUCH EASIER to sleep with him than fight the crib fight. We moved him to a big boy bed very early because we were desperate (desperate!) for him to sleep in his own room and the crib was NOT. AN. OPTION.
We were hustled. HUSTLED. That child has napped two days this week with STRANGERS in a CRIB. If I were one to use such phrases, I would offer a great big WTF to this. Because seriously? SERIOUSLY? My own child has been playing me for a full year now. I had no idea crib sleeping was even an option for him anymore. Do you know how much easier that would have been? GAH.
Also, I have joined the MOPS (Mothers of Preschoolers) group at our church and it's been great fun to meet new moms and we even had a MOPS-wide play date this week. It was at this indoor playground place with lots of slides and bouncy houses and other child-friendly items. Jack had a really great time and I got to talk to lots of different moms. The only problem was that I was sweating like I was at the gym. Seriously. I had to go to the bathroom to TOWEL OFF. The owners apparently turn the air conditioning off at night to save on costs, so when we arrived at 10 am that morning, they had only just turned the AC on. And oh my word, it was so embarrassing. My forehead was glistening, I had sweat stains on my arm pits, my back had a line of sweat, even my CHEST was sweating. MY CHEST. I looked like I had just run 3 miles, not just sent my son down a slide 3 times. I wanted to leave, but Jack was having a great time, so I stayed for him. To everyone's credit, they still talked to me even though I was covered in a layer of sweat from head to toe. I'm just afraid they're going to remember me as "that sweaty girl in the Saints shirt" instead of, you know, MY NAME.
It was FINE.
Kid didn't even cry. Granted, I sneaked away so he wouldn't see me leave and have his very own FULL ON FREAK OUT, but still. He was happily playing when I left and happily snacking when I picked him up. His teachers told me he only got teary when it was nap time. Which I totally expected because he is used sleeping in a big boy bed, while a parent reads to him and lays down with him while he drifts into dreamland.
Which...yes, let's talk about that, shall we?
My kid is a hustler. Straight up.
He slept in a crib at Parent's Day Out. A CRIB. Homeboy hasn't slept in a crib since he was 2, maybe 3, months old. He hated his crib. HATED IT. He would fall asleep in our arms and instantly awake the second he hit the mattress. And then he would scream bloody murder. He acted like I was ripping him apart, limb by limb, if I put him in the crib so I could do things like, I don't know, go to the bathroom. (Oh, how long for those halcyon immobile days when I could pee without a small person standing next to me, hitting me in the back with the toilet seat.) We co-slept mostly out of laziness because it was SO MUCH EASIER to sleep with him than fight the crib fight. We moved him to a big boy bed very early because we were desperate (desperate!) for him to sleep in his own room and the crib was NOT. AN. OPTION.
We were hustled. HUSTLED. That child has napped two days this week with STRANGERS in a CRIB. If I were one to use such phrases, I would offer a great big WTF to this. Because seriously? SERIOUSLY? My own child has been playing me for a full year now. I had no idea crib sleeping was even an option for him anymore. Do you know how much easier that would have been? GAH.
Also, I have joined the MOPS (Mothers of Preschoolers) group at our church and it's been great fun to meet new moms and we even had a MOPS-wide play date this week. It was at this indoor playground place with lots of slides and bouncy houses and other child-friendly items. Jack had a really great time and I got to talk to lots of different moms. The only problem was that I was sweating like I was at the gym. Seriously. I had to go to the bathroom to TOWEL OFF. The owners apparently turn the air conditioning off at night to save on costs, so when we arrived at 10 am that morning, they had only just turned the AC on. And oh my word, it was so embarrassing. My forehead was glistening, I had sweat stains on my arm pits, my back had a line of sweat, even my CHEST was sweating. MY CHEST. I looked like I had just run 3 miles, not just sent my son down a slide 3 times. I wanted to leave, but Jack was having a great time, so I stayed for him. To everyone's credit, they still talked to me even though I was covered in a layer of sweat from head to toe. I'm just afraid they're going to remember me as "that sweaty girl in the Saints shirt" instead of, you know, MY NAME.
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