Happy Birthday K!

Today is my longtime BFF, Kristen's, special day. She is officially "over" 30 just like me. You can learn more about her over at Livin' the Duffey Life. In the meantime I thought I would share a few special memories from our many years of friendship. I don't even think she will remember some of these.......

• Many years of friendship. I don't remember meeting K, but we were in the second grade. We have remained friends all these years minus a few altercations over some silly boys. Looking back, these certain boys were not even worth thinking about much less fighting about. Hindsight is 20/20.


• Roommates at A&M. I don't know how this came to pass since we spent a lot of our high school years fighting, but thank goodness it did. We remained roommates all through college minus the one year she had to live at the sorority house. Since we were both in college for 5 years that would make a total of 4 years living together. I would never have believed it possible, but not only was it possible, we made a really good team.


• Gossip Hotline. I think we were in the 3rd grade when we debuted our new magazine publication, Gossip Hotline. We planned to keep the elementary school gossip mills running with important information and interviews. We made two issues and I still have them. If you would like to subscribe, let me know. My need for gossip obviously started early.


• San Antonio and Schlitterbahn in the 9th grade. I don't know if K will remember, but we thought we were super cool, like most 9th graders. We swore all the lifeguards at Schlitterbahn liked us. Now, I realize they probably thought we were silly little girls. Whatever the reality, it sure made for a fun trip and lots of laughter.


• Cruise during high school junior year. It was my first cruise and I loved every minute of it. Of course, I was the one in bed early while K and her mom stayed out late. I have always been the responsible one!


• Moving day at A&M. The first day we moved into the dorm I was just getting back from fish camp. Fish camp is fun but a very overwhelming and crazy experience. I was really nervous starting my new life at college. When I got into my car, K had put a note on my windshield. I don't know how she found my car among the thousands, but she did. I don't remember the exact wording of the note, but it was welcoming me to our new life. I will never forget that note and how good it made me feel.


• Roommate Sunday. We decided we would do our roommate bonding on Sunday by going to dinner together. This lasted two Sundays, but it was a good effort.


• No shoes on the carpet. We had a nice square of carpet in our dorm room. K made a strict rule to not wear shoes on it. She was relentless about it and I made fun of her. Now I realize what a good rule it was! I don't like shoes on my carpet.


• Ghetto house. After K lived in the sorority house we decided it was time to get an apartment for our last two years of school. We didn't have a lot of time to look and picked something pretty quickly. It was not exactly nice on the outside, but we loved it. It was two story townhouse with a laundry room. What more did we need? We just had to ignore fading and peeling paint on the outside and really horrible carpet on the inside.


• Budget Suites. I have mentioned this before, but it is always worth sharing again. K and I both had internships in Dallas one summer, so she came up to look for housing. She found a room at the Budget Suites. It sounded wonderful. Two bedrooms, maid service, pool, fitness center; all the amenities you could ask for. They were also willing to let us live there short term without hefty fees, which was the biggest selling point. Upon arriving we had to flip a coin for the bedrooms. You see, one bedroom had a big hole in it overlooking the living room. I lost the coin flip, but in the end I think I actually got the better deal. We had decided that whoever got that hole bedroom would get to set the living room rules. I am all about rules, so I had a few.


• Shaggin' Wagon. K had a wreck (while talking to me on the phone) and I headed over to keep her company at the rental car company. Apparently, there was a big run on rental cars this certain day and nothing was available. K noticed there was a big, white cargo van sitting out in the parking lot. It was the type that had no window. Seeing the wheels turn in her head, she asked the agent if she could use that car. He looked at us like we were crazy, but a few minutes later we were driving off in what we proclaimed the "Shaggin' Wagon." Don't worry moms, there was no "shaggin'" taking place, just a fun name. We had so much fun with that van. That night we cruised around Northgate, where all the bars were, honking and waving at everyone. At one point we saw a guy walking to his car from a campus building. We pulled up next to him and pretended to know him. This was made even easier by the fact he was wearing a nametag. You could tell he was totally trying to figure us out, but didn't have a clue. To top off our fun wagon experience, we hightailed it to Dallas for one of K's friend's parties. We decorated the back of the wagon with rugs, pillows, curtains and even an entire papasan chair. We drew pictures with the Shaggin' Wagon name and hung them on the outside. Two others joined us in our trek and it was an adventure. I think we even ended up sleeping in the van because there was no room at the party.


• My dad's funeral. K came to Midland that very next day after she found out about my dad. I don't know what I would have done without her support. She is such a fixture in my life, that I needed her there. She stayed for several days, even missing work to be there.


• My wedding. Again, I don't know what I would have done without her. There are too many little special memories from this weekend to write here, but I will always treasure that weekend with her. I remember her being so strong and in control for me, when I was a nervous wreck.


• My spa weekend at the Gaylord. I didn't really want a full-blown shower for Landen, since he was my second. So, K and Darby planned a spa weekend for the girls. It was such a treat and became a tradition.

There are so many wonderful and special memories I have of our friendship. Like most long term friendships we have had our share of disagreements, but the good times outweigh them. We also don't get to see each other or talk very much because of little ones at home. It doesn't matter, we will always have a special bond. Like I have said before, we are really sisters and that is what being a sister is about - fighting, making up and always being there. Here is a picture from my wedding day. I love this picture of us. This is right before I walked down the aisle. She is obviously the one on the right, holding me up and just being there for me.

Annual Strep Party

When: End of April, beginning of May
Where: My house
What: A celebration of strep throat. There will be sleeping contests, free Chloraseptic spray, and plenty of soft, mushy food for everyone.
BYOA
(Bring your own antibiotic)

As if my lingering cold was not enough, I was confirmed with having strep today. According to the doctor, I had strep this exact same time last year. At A&M we used to say if you do something once then it becomes a tradition. Since this is my second annual case of strep, I officially declare it not only a tradition, but worthy of its own party. I may be the only one attending the big fiesta but that's ok. I realize this kind of party could easily get out of control. It's not for everyone.

Tooth Fairy Blues

I don't like the tooth fairy. That's right, I said it. Don't get me wrong, it hasn't always been like this, the tooth fairy and I used to be on good terms. I would lose a tooth, she would leave me money. How could I possibly not like that arrangement? Well, easy - she took a part of my little girl away this week.

The day started innocent enough with our typical schedule - gymnastics, errands, and then a meet up of friends at Chick-fil-a. Just another Friday, until suddenly little A exclaims, "my tooth hurts." I thought she might just have something caught in her tooth, until my friend asked if she had a loose tooth. I immediately hushed that silly idea, little A is too little to lose a tooth. Then, I saw it. The tooth was bloody and barely hanging on. How could this be happening? Ashley started screaming in fear. I tried to pull the tooth but was way too nervous. In an odd turn of events, my single, male neighbor happened to be eating lunch. So, my friend, Danesha called him over to pull her tooth. He actually came, ready and willing to help! Poor guy, he might be a little scarred from having children for awhile. Ashley would have none of that. Fortunately, J had just finished a test and was at home. I called and he came to our rescue. What a miracle worker! The tooth came out pristine and all was well within a few minutes. Little A was super excited about having the tooth fairy visit her last night. She drew her a picture and wrote her note asking where her tooth was going to go. It was all very sweet.

So, why does that hurt me so much? This tooth just happened to fall out the day after I had to go to a sneak peak of her kindergarten next year. I have been really excited about this, until I was actually there. Seeing all the little lockers and tables really got to me. The teachers were all super cute and nice but hearing their day's schedule made my head spin. Then there were all the forms: PTA, Handbooks, Manuscript practice, Requirements, Guidelines, How to prepare for next year.... the list could go on and on. I realized I wasn't ready for this even though Ashley is. Then, the tooth. It was like the straw that broke the camel's back. How did I get here? When did it all happen?

Don't get me wrong, I love many things about her getting older. To celebrate her big day, I took her to get her nails done with me. It melted my heart to sit next to her while we did something girlie and special for us. At the same time my heart hurt to know I would never be able to go back and hold her as a baby. Why does life have to be like that? We want our kids to grow up and be independent but at the same time yearn for them to be little forever. I am sure it seems silly to agonize over one little lost tooth but I know that this one little tooth is about to lead to another. Then, the next thing I know there will be no little teeth to pull and she will no longer be my little girl. I look forward to seeing the young lady, then the woman she will become, but I also will always be longing for that special time I will never be able to get back.

Tips

They say that we learn something new every day. I learned a couple of new things yesterday. Some of these things I already knew, but it never hurts to be refreshed from time to time. Since I like to contribute to the greater good, I thought I would pass them along.

1. An entire bottle of ibuprofen is not toxic to small children

While taking a phone call for just a few minutes, I returned to find little man pointing to an empty bottle of ibuprofen in the sink and a chair he had pulled up to the counter where we had the medicine stored. We had just opened this bottle a couple of days ago. There was a little tiny bit on the floor but I asked him if drank the bottle. He replied "Yes." I looked everywhere and couldn't find any other trace of it. He loves the taste of the Berry flavor, so I knew he probably had really done it. Poison control and hubby medical student both calculated the dosing and confirmed that he would probably be ok but would need more food and water. He did have some diarrhea but overall was ok. The one positive was the super good mood he was in.

2. Don't ever turn your back on your child even while on the phone with poison control.

While on the phone, I came back in the kitchen to discover that little man had chosen this perfect time to get himself some orange juice. He opened the fridge pulled down a brand new carton of OJ and spilled the entire carton all over the floor.

3. Soup is messy.

Right after I got through cleaning all the messes, it was lunch time. I thought I would serve veggie soup to the kids. I knew at the time this wasn't the best option cleanliness wise but thought the broth and veggies would be good for little man after all the medicine. Sure enough, during our meal Ashley dumped her entire bowl all over herself and the floor. This is on top of Landen's usual mess. I also had the honor of dropping their plates filled with grapes and chips on the floor.

4. Don't wash disposable diapers.

During the course of my super day, I threw in a wash of the kids' laundry. When I went to put it in the dryer I found that two diapers had been mixed in with the load. Fortunately, these were not dirty diapers but they caused a huge mess anyway. They broke apart and those little absorbant crystals were all over my washing machine and the kids' clothes. This was another really fun cleaning task.

5. Just when you think nothing else will go wrong, it does.

At the end of the day I discovered our upstairs air conditioning is broken. It wasn't so bad last night but it is still broken tonight and is really hot up there. Landen is having a tough time falling asleep as I type because it is so warm.

That was how yesterday went around here. Those were actually the high points, there were several other minor issues that aren't even worth mentioning. Suffice to say, the fun just kept on coming. Today, I decided retail therapy was in order. I am almost healed but a nice pedicure on Saturday might really put me in full recovery.

What am I doing?

Recovering from my bad day. I will tell you all about it tomorrow.

Keeping it Real

Today was what I consider the BIG test. You other moms know what I am talking about. It was little man's 2 year checkup at the doctor. I know, you are sitting there acting like you don't know what I am talking about, but let's get real. Moms get very little recognition for our daily care of children, until this day. The annual checkup is when we can highlight all the wonderful things we do for our kids: "Doctor you ask if little man can walk - why yes he can! Can he use a spoon - he can do that too! Can he stack a tower of blocks - YES, YES, YES!!! He is normal. I am doing something right. You mean he also gained a few pounds and grew two inches. MY GOD, I am working miracles around here, I am keeping him alive!"

So, using this logic it only makes sense that we want to shine. Things were going well for me today. Landen weighed in at 32 lbs and measured 361/2 inches. He was in the 90th and 95th percentile respectively, which if I am not mistaken is considered a grade of A (don't bother disagreeing, my delusions are all I have). However, this category is a little biased for Landen since he was born at 10lbs. Then came the section I had been a little nervous about - food. I had come in prepared for what I would say. See, little man doesn't drink milk and don't bother writing in with your comments and suggestions, I have tried them all. I hate milk too, so why shouldn't he? Doctor's don't like this answer though, they want to ensure that kids are drinking gallons of the white stuff. Here is how this portion of my exam went:

Doctor: "So how much milk is Landen drinking?"
Me: "Well, he doesn't drink any but I do everything I can to supplement..."
Doctor: "So he eats plenty of cheese, yogurt..."
Me: (cutting her off very abruptly and loudly) OH YEAH I give him LOTS of cheese, yogurt, and...
Suddenly a sweet voice cuts me off, very loudly and distinctly
Landen: "AND MARSHMALLOWS!"

BUZZZZZZ, WRONG ANSWER! GRADE F! You must return to pregnancy and start all over with this child. He will never amount to anything with junk food like that. Actually, my doctor laughed. I love my doctor. I wish we could be best friends. She never fails me. I guess Landen is just like his father and can't keep secrets. Next year we will just have to practice more before the big test.

Going once....

I haven't been so good lately at doing my week in review. Things have been pretty routine and have mostly involved a spring organization frenzy. I have gotten a lot done, but it makes for boring reviews. Here are some brief highlights from my past week.

• I have been lucky enough to catch a cold and even luckier that everyone else here caught it too. It is still hanging around, even though I tried to kick it out a long time ago.
• I was able to transfer little A to a better school. This has been stressing me out for some time. The school she was supposed to go to was not to my high standards and I was threatening J with private school if things did not go my way. Fortunately, everything worked out. J is thrilled we will not be paying for private school for now. It is still my goal to have them both go private one day, but for now little A is in an excellent public school.
• I finished organizing the garage, Hallelujah! This was a hard job while battling a cold. It is probably one of the reasons I can't get rid of the cold. Dust and dirt are not friends with nasty cold viruses. Now, if I can just sell all the stuff in my "sell pile." If anyone is interested in any kind of electronics equipment, I have some deals for you.
• On Saturday night, the kids' preschool had a fundraising dinner and auction. It was so much fun. They provided child care so we dropped the kids off and enjoyed a nice dinner of Macaroni Grill. They had a silent auction and a live auction. In the silent auction I won a professional photography session and a 11x14 print for $37 and two kids haircuts at a kid hair salon for $10. Now, those are bargains. I also went in with some other 4 year old parents to win a camp out night in one of the teacher's backyards. Little A has been begging me forever for a camp out. This way she can camp out and I can sleep in a bed. The best part of all of this was using my paddle to bid. How fun is that?? If I had more money, I think going to auctions would quickly become an addiction.
• My tivo is starting to fill up with shows. Tonight, I have a new Gossip Girl, XOXO to that! Love it! The Office was very disappointing this week after a good last week and Desperate Housewives is still sitting there. I will say that we are still watching Heroes on DVD and it is probably the best television show I have ever seen. It even beats Lost as far as creativity and execution.

What am I doing?

I quickly grow tired of things, some may even say I am a "quitter." That's fine, I have come to accept it. Since I embrace by quitter status I have decided to stop using my fancy WAID post title. I am over it.

So, what am I doing this week? Organizing the garage. Spare me your jealousy.

What am I watching?

I forgot to mention but some shows are back on post strike. Surprisingly, I didn't care very much. I got used to not watching tv. Of course, watching season one of Heroes on DVD helped me with my transition, and Lost was still on.

This past week I watched new episodes of Office and Desperate Housewives. Office was hilarious. I loved it; however, Housewives was awful. They are officially on probation with me.

What am I reading?

Just finished my polygamy book, so I am in between books. I received my Real Simple magazine in the mail today. I signed up for a free promo thing and am officially hooked on it.

What am I clicking?

My friend JaLisa at Life's Journeys discovered Blogthings. It has tons of fun, silly quizzes that I am totally addicted to. It helped me discover that if I were a nut, I would be a hazelnut and if I were to belong to a generation I should be a baby boomer. That explains a lot.

All in a Morning's Work

Little man's To Do list from yesterday morning. He gave himself a couple of hours to get this all done.

• Take a lid off of a cup of water and "accidentally" pour it on couch and big sister. Watch sister scream.
• Climb precariously to reach a tall shelf containing many wooden puzzles with many wooden pieces. I really need a certain one. Result - spill puzzles with their tiny pieces everywhere.
• Get into Mommy's purse and find hand sanitizer (my personal hygiene fave, you never can be too clean). Pour contents all over tile floor and spread it as far and wide as possible because I think the floor is a little dirty.
• Find Daddy's aftershave and pour into his contact lens case. When Daddy needs to store his contacts at night they will smell extra good on his eyes.
• Since Daddy's eyes will smell good, I will squirt some aftershave on me too and while I am at it go ahead and spritz on several of Daddy's colognes. After all I am a big boy now.
• I am in the bathroom so take the opportunity to squirt nasal spray out on floor. That is cool to watch.
• Mommy will need her deodorant later, so help her by opening it up. Test it out on counter to make sure it will work.
• Go to guest bathroom and find kids' toothpaste. Squirt this out on my hands, to get some tactile stimulation It is so fun to be slimy.
• For my grand finale, find some glue and dump contents of bottle on mommy's label maker, thus ruining it. She is way into that thing anyway.

It was an aggressive plan but he was able to accomplish every last bit of it. There is no doubt about it, my son is a "go-getter." My personal favorite was the glue on my label maker. I loved my label maker and was planning some great things for it this week while organizing the garage. J asked me where I was during all this pandemonium. Honestly, all took place within a few minutes of me turning my back. I already watch him like a hawk because I know how he is, but now I guess the only alternative is to super glue him to my hip.

Crazy Day

Yesterday morning we woke around 4 am to what I thought was a tornado. The wind was so loud it felt as though the house was going to blow over. Looking outside it looked as though we were in the midst of a hurricane. I have never seen winds like that, they were 75 mph to be exact.

As morning broke there was a lot of damage, but we luckily did not have any to our house. Two neighbors had enormous trees fall and block their garages. Amanda at Those Dandy Dillards has some pictures of her tree. Since I was still able to back out of my garage I took one neighbor's little boy to preschool and another neighbor's husband to work. All I needed was to paint my car yellow to make myself official! I really liked being able to help friends and be useful even if it was just a ride.

I can't imagine what people who really experience a major hurricane or tornado go through. Just with our brief storm, it was crazy driving around and seeing trees and power lines down everywhere. It is just amazing how helpless we are in bad weather and how great a power it is.

Long time.....

I am sorry for my absence from my blogging duties. To be honest, my excuse is laziness. With post-vacation stress disorder, Easter, Landen's birthday, Landen's birthday party, and monthly deep cleaning duties I have been too tired to write. I finally feel caught up and have survived a busy few weeks. Now onto our usual routine, because I am all about routines.

Weekly WAID

For those of you just joining us, WAID stands for "What am I doing?" as in What am I doing Wednesday with the Wednesday part dropped for obvious reasons.

What am I watching?

Nothing. You heard me - nothing. That is how busy I have been. There was one night though I caught a part of a movie J was watching. It was called Idiocracy. Whatever you do PLEASE do not watch this movie. If you do happen to watch this movie and actually like it, rest assured you will be banned from ever having a conversation with me or my loved ones again. You can also count on an intervention from me. For those of you have seen it and claim you like it based on its attempt to provide a satirical comment on the way our society is headed, prepare for my wrath. I know satire and this is not it. It is directed by the same person who created Beavis and Butthead - enough said. As I write all of this, please know that my very own husband actually thought it was funny too. He is currently banned from conversing with me too - wait maybe he is getting the good end of that deal.

What am I reading?

Still on Shattered Dreams, the polygamist book. It is ironic I am reading this as the big polygamist camp was invaded this week by the FBI. I find the book interesting but the author does not write to my liking. It is also so hard for me to fathom how these women can find the arrangement acceptable. I know it is drilled into them and they are brainwashed, but I just don't see how they can live that way.

What am I clicking?

If you haven't found Pandora radio yet you need to try it out. It will match up a special song selection for you based on your music taste or fave artist. J listens to it all the time and loves it. I find it a little hit or miss but I am hard to please. Overall, I enjoy having access to a lot of variety.

What am I listening to?

Call me old school but I like Van Morrison (hey, don't blame me, blame my former hippie parents). I noticed today that for the first time his CD broke into Billboards top 10. This man has been singing for decades so he deserves some recognition. My favorite song is Into the Mystic. Once you hear it, I don't know how you can't fall in love with it.

WAID?

This week instead of typing "What am I doing Wednesday?" I decided to go the abbreviation route with the cool "WAID?". Feel free to pronounce it how you like. I prefer "wade." I saw on some other people's blog they have a "Works for Me Wednesday" shortened to WFMW. So I copied the idea but thought I would drop the Wednesday to make it a real word. Now, when you wake up on Wednesday you can say, "Hey, it is WAID day over at Jenn's blog I am just dying to know what she is doing this week." It is all about efficiency people.

On to my list. As an FYI (yet another efficient abbreviation) I am currently eating some Kettle pop corn, it is yummy. If you have never tried it, go get some, you deserve it.

What am I Reading?

I finished "Pledged" and am reading "Shattered Dreams: My Life as a Polygamist Wife" by Irene Spencer. Yet another memoir. Will the madness ever stop? Unfortunately, not for a long time.

What am I Watching?

Tomorrow I will be recording the pregnant man on Oprah. I think that is "must see" tv. I also finally watched the Bachelor Update Show. It has been on my DVR for a few weeks. This show has to be the most degrading piece of filth on tv. It plays to every stereotype there is and makes women look like desperate fools all competing for one lousy guy. Do I still watch? ABSOLUTELY!

What am I clicking?

Family Fun has a great website. They have lots of recipes and activity ideas. I have been clicking on their site to find the best activities, craft ideas and healthy recipes for my children. Yes, I am a super, fabulous mother. There is no reason to dwell upon the fact that I happened to enter a free Disney cruise contest and just glanced at the recipes, crafts and activities in order to figure out how to get a prize.

What am I listening to?

Sadly, there is nothing to write about here. I just haven't been paying attention to music this week. The pregnant man story just has me all messed up in the head. I can't focus on other things.

There you have it. My WAID. Like usual, I have a super long to do list and still managed to stay in my pajamas until 3:30 today. I also managed to cross off two of my list items while taking a nap. Don't even bother asking my secret, it will go to the grave with me. Let's just say it goes back to being that "super, fabulous" person I am.

Random Thought/Question of Week

My BFF Kristen over at Duffey Life, included a random thought on her blog one time. I thought it was cute, so being the copycat I am today (see abbreviation idea above) I decided to copy.

Why is it every time I go to a pharmacy, it takes forever to get my prescription? I have been to different places, at all times of the day, every day of the week and with different numbers of people in front of me and every time it takes an eternity.

Often I will get excited when I pull up at the drive thru or go to the counter and see that there is only one person in front of me. I am soon to discover that this doesn't matter. The standard minimum 20 minute waiting period still applies. That one person in front of me has a million issues with their medicine. I just don't understand. When I go to pick up medicine, I simply state my name and I receive it immediately. Of course this is medicine I have already ordered. When you actually have to take a prescription in to get filled I hope you remember to bring supplies with you because you will be there for awhile. Food and water are a must unless you plan on buying the 5 dollar mini water bottle they have for sale.

A-HA! I just figured it out. They make you wait so you will get desperate enough to buy all those impulse items at outrageous prices. "You say the Snickers is 10 dollars? I will take it, I know I will be here awhile!"