Tuesday, October 23, 2012

A Weekend of Fall

I got a bit of decorating done over the weekend.


















(free printable subway art here)

I also took time to make cupcakes, cookies & crumb cake. A few years ago, I would have felt guilty that 2 of the 3 came out of a box. Today, not so much. Ok, maybe a little. But, I'll get over it.

Also grocery shopping, cleaning, 13.4 loads of laundry, and some alone time with my camera. Ok..we weren't really alone, but time with the camera is sufficient, or me, for now.

My daughter:





































Her eye, her request:

















I love fall, and I love that I finally got a chance to enjoy it, for a fraction of a moment.

 




I'm already looking forward to this weekend, and hopefully pumpkin patches, carvings & costumes.

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Thursday, October 18, 2012

Thursday Thankful's

I'm not promising a weekly theme, but today is Thursday.

















Source: limitlessdaydreams.tumblr.com via Jennifer on Pinterest

Defiant teens? Overdue bills? Empty bank account? Meh.

Paperwork drowning from 9:15am to 5pm? Pffft.

More chores then I could do if I didn't sleep for a week straight? Whateva.

In light of all the things I could (and frequently do) complain about, I am choosing this moment, today, to be thankful for some of Life's little things.

1. Boots. (my flip flops are going to be jealous...)

















Boots are da bomb diggity. Pair 'em with a cute skirt, some rockin' jeans, or (if you're 19 and a size 3) some short shorts, and you could quite possibly rule the world with your sexy boot-wearin' self. Just remind yourself to de-pill your leggings before leaving the house..

2. Earrings. Whoever invented them, I love you. Would marry you, love. Errrm, would bring a really nice bottle of wine to your wedding, love. Whichever..you are awesome.

3. Pens.

















Without them, the world would be less ink filled. Pencils aren't low maintenance enough for me, and I never learned sign language.

4. Music. It makes me smile. Unless it's a sad song. Then I cry. But that usually means I needed to cry, so I'm still thankful.

5. A good smile. It's like a light fixture in a very deep closet. When it's off, you really miss it. When it's on? Everything is sooo much easier.

6. My kids. They make me smile.





























7. My camera.











It always waits patiently when I'm too busy to give it attention. It quietly does it's job when I ask. It never criticizes when I make it look bad. And it fits nicely in my hand.

8. Google. Without you, I would have won many more bets with my (imagined) brilliant responses to random questions like "what are fingernails made out of?" Ok, ok...I'm not thankful you cost me bets. I'm thankful that when I find your hidden easter eggs, I get giddy like a school girl.

9. My puppy.
















He puts a smile on my face, at least once a day. And then he pees. If you're peein', you're still alive, so I'm thankful.


What are you thankful for?


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Wednesday, October 17, 2012

Routines

For years, I've been rushing out of the house by 7:20 am, dropping unfed (and sometimes undressed) kids at a sitter, going off to my day job, and coming home around five. Dinner was usually by 6, and sometimes we had homework done before bed. Free lunch at school saved my ass many times...ok, almost every time. The baby sitter saved it a few too, with last minute homework scrambles, forgotten snack replacements & a few "I'm gonna be late" days too many. It worked. Not well, but it was our routine.

Now, I have a new routine.

Up at 6:30 am.
Make coffee, throw together 3 lunches, feed puppy, kiss T goodbye, perhaps claim the bathroom as mine for 34.9 seconds.
Leave at 7:05 am.
Drop off a child at school, be home by 7:35 am so another child can leave for school.
Make 2 more lunches, finish up any 1st or 2nd grade homework that got ignored missed the night before, corral two boys & convince them getting dressed is good for their health. Double check that i didn't forget to give them breakfast. Prep a dinner, let puppy out at least three times, get dressed, perhaps take another 34.9 seconds to throw some makeup on my face. Throw in, switch around, or fold a load of laundry. (did you *really* think I'd not mention laundry?) Hair brushing has never been optional. I'm almost embarrassed to admit that... sometimes, now it is.
Boys on the bus at 8:45. Hopefully, I have remembered to give them both snacks AND lunches.
Puppy-proof the kitchen. Earrings in. Shoes on. Baby Puppy Gate up. Check pockets & hands. Keys? Coffee? Purse?
8:55 am. Out the door to work.
9:15 am - 5:30 pm. Work.
6:00 pm. Home. Kiss T, pet puppy, feed puppy, finish making dinner (unless T has gotten home first & already done so), serve dinner. Eat. Fold laundry (maybe). Decompress with T. Attempt to catch up boys' homework. Maybe read a story, give a bath, trim some nails, or other mom-ish stuff. Play with puppy. Some days there's taxi service thrown in, or errands, or grocery shopping, or last minute scrambles for projects, pet supplies, beer, etc. Get boys ready for bed. Secretly wish I was going to bed too.
8:00 pm. Boys in bed. Chit-chat with girls. More decompressing with T. Sometimes more taxi service. Shower at some point before midnight. Let puppy out..again. Think about all the things I wanted to do today, but didn't. Fall into bed & dream about smashing my alarm clock into millions of teeny tiny pieces with a 40 lb sledge hammer.

And here's the kicker.

Every single day, I feel less accomplished, less organized, less....DONE. Every. Single. Stinkin'. Day.

I thought for sure with 2 extra hours every morning, I'd have time to cook, time to enjoy sons & mommy time, time to clean. I'd have time to be a better mom, a better significant other, a better me. Time to actually help with homework. Time to take pictures. Time to calibrate a kidney-friendly canine diet. Time to do bills, cut coupons, scour the web for new recipes. Time to blog, at home. Time to paint my nails. Time to... clean my room gasp!. I don't. And I don't get it... perhaps the puppy ate my super-mom cape. Perhaps whichever one of my brain cells that controls "organization of life as a mom" is fried. I really don't want to be super-mom. It's just that...well, I had all these visions of all these things I'd be able to cram into that 2 hours a day, and all these ideas of all these things I'd be able to do in the evenings. Haha! I sure laugh at me & my ideas... sigh.

How do I start feeling less like I'm chasing my tail, and more like I'm chasing the dream? And, for the love of all things good & evil alike....how the heck do I STAY caught up on ANYTHING? I just want to NOT feel at the end of the day like I did nothing, and yet exhausted myself in the process. Is that really so much to ask?

I did have make time to whip up a batch of home made chocolate chip cookies this morning, in between lunches & make-up. The laundry lost the "I'm of upmost importance" battle, for once.







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Tuesday, October 16, 2012

And the award goes to...

Me?

I was nominated for a Liebster Blog Award! Don't know what that is? I didn't either, til Tina gave me one. Apparently the rules are as follows:

* You have to list 11 things about yourself.
* Answer the 11 questions sent to you by the person who nominated you.
* Choose UP TO 11 bloggers that have less than 200 followers to nominate to get their own award.
* Post 11 questions (in your blog post) for them to answer (on their own blog).
* Go to your nominees page and inform them of their award.
* You CAN NOT tag back.

So, here goes...
Eleven Random Things About Me
 1) Flip flops are my favorite foot adornment.
 2) I forgot to feed my boys breakfast one day last week.
 3) I believe God is real, Stephen King is amazing & coffee is non-negotiable.
 4) Blue is my favorite color. Purple is my least favorite.
 5) I hate my job. This makes me feel ungrateful, but it's true.
 6) I totally heart John Mayer
 7) I love silver & white gold. Hate gold colored gold. 
 8) I think making people smile is one of the best feelings in the world.
 9) I am slowly loosing my ability to multitask efficiently, or even partially effectively. (see #2)
10) I will die without having ever eaten escargot. I'm perfectly ok with that.
11) When I wash dishes, my legs itch. Are they screaming for hydration? 


1. Name something you can't go a day without doing.
Coffee. It's an addiction.
2. If you were given the keys to a time machine, where would you go and why?
I'd go back to the day my oldest was born, soak in everything about his precious little existence I possibly could, and tell myself about all the mistakes I'm going to make. I'd remind myself that patience is a virtue, forgiveness is important, and hindsight is (almost) always 20/20. Then, I'd grab my cellphone, an IPod & my camera, and hop backwards a thousand years, give or take a few. Hi, my name is Jenn. I'm from the future. Mind if I show you this cool gadget? What's that you say? Music coming from my hands? Voices of people hidden in strange devices that vibrate? I must be a witch? Nah..just a cool chick with some technology that might give you a heart attack..say cheese!
3. Do you prefer blue or black ink?
Blue. And even more important then the color of the ink, is the thickness of the pen. Can't be too think, or too thin. I'm a pen snob.
4. What's the last thing you regretted buying?
A Tim Horton's iced coffee. In fact, I asked my daughter to kindly remind me next time that when it comes to iced coffee, I'm always disappointed I didn't hold out for Dunkin' Donuts.
5. Who is your favorite cartoon character?
Dory. She is like me, only in a fish's body.
6. Would you break the law to save a loved one?
What am I saving them from? And will I go to jail or just get a fine? Important details! I'll go worst case scenario, and say yes, I will break a really really big law to save a loved one's life, limb or coffee.
7. What's #1 on your Bucket List?
Grand Canyon
8. Name the first song that comes to mind.
It Will Rain, Bruno Mars
9. If you could trade lives with anyone, who would it be?
No one. My life might not be great, but no one's is perfect. At least with mine, I have what I need, and the ones I love.
10. What's your favorite game show?
What the crap kinda question is that? LOL kidding!!! I haven't watched game shows in f-o-r-e-v-e-r! I guess I'd have to say Price is Right (old school with Bob Barker). Wheel of fortune was always interesting, and Jeopardy was too hard....There was that one with slime..that always looked like messy fun. 
11. Do you own more books than movies?
Sadly, no. I used to. I wish I still did. 

~~~~~~~
My Nominations:
*** FYI, I chose to use first names, not because I'm like creepy stalker-sh, but because I want to honor the writer of the blog, not the blog itself. Hope you gals don't mind! :) ***
Elli  - I follow her 365, but she has several blogs. I love her positive vibes!
Cindy - I found her while looking for organizational ideas, etc. She's got some great ideas!
Kim - a pretty sweet food blog, with a twist!
Shavon - This lady has a great sense of humor, and I love her posts! She's a new-to-me blog, but I'll be following her, for sure!
Mom to a peanut - hehe, I don't know her first name sorry! But her blog rocks! A little DIY, a little mom stuff, a little photography, etc..check her out!

Dear Nominees, here are your questions...
1 ) If you could change your name, what would you change it to?
2) Your happiest memory from before you were 10?
3) Do you like your job? Why or why not?
4) Name the first three things that pop into your head, that start with T
5) Favorite Book?
6) Where did you meet your best friend?
7) It's 2:34 PM. Where are you on a typical day, and what are you doing?
8) Do you use coupons?
9) What was the last thing you bought for yourself?
10) Coffee or Tea?
11) If you could tell your 16 yr old self one thing, what would be?

Just wanna send out a huge thank you to Tina @ Tina's Tid-Bits for thinking me worthy of the Liebster Blog Award! This was fun!


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Friday, October 12, 2012

Spilling over

I feel a bit like I'm walking into a confessional booth.
"It's been two weeks since my last.." Sigh.


Spilling over.















T.J. struck in the ten minute gap between my daughter leaving for school and me returning from another child's school drop-off. I don't even care that the picture is shitty. I do care, immensely, that my pup is finally being a pup. And while a smile-tainted "ohhhhh, you're a bad boy" did escape my lips, my first thought was of my camera. And wondering why I didn't have a baby book for him. This would have been on the "T.J.'s Firsts" list.

Two weeks ago today, T.J. was admitted into an emergency vet hospital. He was in severe kidney failure. It was a whirlwind weekend, full of many tears, lots of questions, and very few answers. In hindsight, it explained his lack of puppy behavior for the last few weeks. The vets suggested euthanasia. We couldn't do it. Today, after fluids, meds & a special diet, he is the most bouncy, pouncy, clumsy & playful boxer puppy a woman could ask for. Tomorrow? We won't know til then.

He sleeps in our bed, between us. Legs straight out. This 32 lb boxer can take up half a queen sized bed, no problem.






















This weekend, his diet will get special-er. I've been researching home cooking for dogs in renal failure, and am gonna give it a shot. The food he's on now is good for dogs with kidney problems, but reminds me a bit of meat flavored jello. He's gonna get boxer stew. Smile.






















He's learned how to ring bells when he needs to go out. He still has accidents in the house, daily.
He speaks, knows "down" but ignores "off". He will (if you're lucky) sit quietly & wait for you to let him eat. If you're not lucky, he will have it half gone before the bowl touches the floor.

I have yet to figure out how to get a good shot of him, sitting still, in focus, unless he's not looking at me.






















He is on meds, and every other day sub-q fluids. I never knew how hard it would be to stick a needle in something that's alive. I think it bothers me more then him, at this point.
He will die, from this, someday. No one can say when. We just hope that someday is not soon.

~~~~~~~~~

Spilling over.

When titling the garbage photo, that's all I could think of. Spilling over. And how very accurately that describes the mental state I've been in. It's like a bucket that's too full. A washer with too many bubbles. A tub left to run, and run, and run.

The puppy, bills, work, the kid's homework, struggling with dinner schedules, parent teacher nights, more homework...ugh. There's been a few moments of "oh dear lord, I just need to cry". And cry I did.

And then there is teenagers.

Car accidents. Tongue rings. Attitudes that would make a hardened criminal blush. Gas leaks. Insurance loss (due to said attitudes). Entitlement. Meddling grandparents who are lied to, and enforce the entitlement & attitudes. I could tell all the gory details, but I think I'll just leave it to the imagination. It's sufficient to say we have two almost-18 year old children who want to be adults in every way, except the responsibility & respect for parental authority part. And that has been a battle, every day, for a very long time. And it's all coming to a head in more ways then one. And that means more spilling over.

~~~~~~~~~

I have yet to do anything fall or Halloween related. I suck. Pin It