livin' a large & lavish lifestyle

(mostly just large)

So, I bought myself a girdle today.

I had one already, from my last postpartum stage of life, but poor thing has been used & stretched to odd dimensions- that couldn't possibly resemble a normal body shape. Must be because the kids played with it.....yeah....that's it.

What is your latest totally unnecessary make-ya-feel-better-about-yourself purchase?

(Bonus, got it 50% off).

Lovely lady lumps.

4 weeks left.
Already 10 pounds heavier than ever before.

We'll blame it on the recent entrance into my 30's.

(....yeah.....that must be it.....not the cinnamon rolls consumed for breakfast, lunch & dinner today)


Conclusion: The Ponytail Challenge Blog will be a necessity once again in my life- so stay tuned.

good, bad & the ugly

good: I am pregnant!

bad: allergy season = sneezing

ugly: ponytails & plaid maternity shirts

yeah, yeah, I know.

I have been searching everywhere for my ambition! Hall closet? Countertop? Just as soon as I find it I really will begin this again....

Reunited and it feels so good.....

Alright- after a few requests, this blog might just have new material coming it's way.
But, first, I need to know if anyone out there cares. 20 comments on this post by Friday and we will start Ponytail Challenge again.

knocked off my pedestal

While I've been without the internet, I have had many enlightening conversationswith my children.

Day one of riding in the new hand-me-down carseat:

son: Mom, why is my car seat all fuzzy?

I don't know. What do you mean?

son: Fuzzy. It is all fuzzy.

Like a blanket or a stuffed animal?

son: No. You know, fuzzy, like the hairs that are always in my food.

(gag)

Mental note to self: invest in school cafeteria quality hair nets.

Hope you all feel better about yourselves now.
Your welcome.

m.i.a.

We finally closed on our house yesterday. *phew*
This means I am officially in the process of moving.

..........which means that I officially have a good reason to have a messy house.

Life is good.

I love when things are official.

oh-yeah- Did I mention that my husband is officially on crutches for 3 more weeks and has been for the past 2?


How have you been?

breaking up

A year ago, in the midst of 9th month heartburn, I spent late nights scouring the Internet, surfing the time away while my baby worked on her cardio kicks inside my womb. Night after sleep deprived night (my theory: nature's way of preparing a mother for the sleep loss that comes along with a newborn), in these late hours, I discovered blogs.
We hadn't had the Internet in our home for a few years in order to save the budget. People actually put their lives out there for the whole world to see?
Day after day, home with my children, I was in need of adult camaraderie and it was only a few clicks away in this new cyber world.
Then, the baby came and feedings ensued. Oh, the feedings! With a glowing screen beside me, I nursed the nights away with my daughter tucked in the crook of my arm.
At first, it was a big extended home town reunion on my computer screen. So and so had so many kids, lived in a big house, still was in school, started a business, traveled the world, took the cutest pictures of their kids in their beautiful and spotless homes.
Soon though, I noticed myself comparing my dirty kitchen to the beautiful, spotless countertops in backgrounds of pictures. The family blog I started could only have the 1 out of 1000 pictures that I felt worthy to be posted for the world.
How was it that I felt fully confident to go to the grocery store sans make-up, with ponytail and sometimes even lounge pants? Yet, this image I was starting to portray online was very different. In a late night light bulb moment, I decided to start this blog. Maybe if I found a way to work on a few little things about myself; I could be more content with who I was, what I already had, and who I could become. I didn't really need to look good for other people. I needed to feel good for me. Maybe other women out there felt the same way. And wow! You did!
Something so simple as spending a few minutes each day actually fixing my hair rather than slicking it back with the closest baby head band did wonders for my daily outlook. I have spent the past year concentrating on little personal "fix-ups" with the weekly challenges.
As small and simple as they have been, I feel so much better about myself. A risque streak in the night gave us the giggles. We all found it difficult to recognize the good about ourselves, but we did. It was a good reminder. Good to know that after all of the wiping, cleaning, picking up, commanding, asking, begging, cooking, driving, rocking, reading, etc.; there is still a little room for recognition of myself, and the good that I possess. The good that you possess.
We will be moving in a few weeks to a new home. With this new home will come a new budget, which will be held tight for the next few months as we ensure that all bills are paid and more than Ramen is digested. (I am a strong believer in Ramen. Except for the shrimp flavor. Seriously, who eats that?)
Examining our finances, we decided to, (at least temporarily), cut the unnecessary. I gave contemplation to the idea of pulling my son from pre-school, but in the end gave-in to the fact that it might rank slightly higher in importance than my daily blogging fix. I'll still be posting here and there, (especially in the next few weeks), but challenges will be fewer and farther between.
I've never really introduced myself on here or shown pictures of much besides my fat rolls......so that will be coming too. If you have future challenge suggestions, or would like to "guest post" one, please share.
I've never experienced much of a long-distance relationship, but we'll see how it goes. Let's stay friends though, ok? Friends. Good friends. (name that show)

a series of unfortunate events

Whilst walking in to a local business establishment:

:01 Gingerly lift the sleeping baby in car seat from car.
Whack car seat against side of car. Baby bonks head.

:03 Crying begins.

:05 Mother distracted by baby, other two children goof around, causing middle child to slip, fall, child bonks head.

:06 Crying x2

:07 While balancing baby in car seat with one arm, mother reaches to help up middle child. Baby's shoe drops.

:09 Oldest child, the helpful child, reaches down to get shoe. Comes up to hit head on bottom of car seat.

:11 Crying escalates x3

Mother laughs. What else can you do at this point?

Finally, get from parking lot to building. Minutes later. Middle child needs to go to the bathroom. Locks self in the stall. Needs help. Mother can't give it. You know what comes next. Yes, yes the child did. Of course she did.

We had granola bars for dinner on the drive home.

The big announcement I promised? On a day filled with multiple head wounds and sanitizing public bathrooms, I'll do my deep thinking/posting a little later on.

winter's warmth

Thankful Monday.
Last week, winter cried truce and temporarily faded away.  In the midst of muck in my front flower bed, the bulbs have claimed back their yearly presence.   I couldn't have been happier.  New, green plants!  In January.  In Idaho!  

We, (being me and my children by default), were so excited that we ignored all rules of winter, donned our work wear and spend an afternoon outdoors.  I, cleaning out weeds and plants that should have been pulled last fall and the kids, turning on hoses (in January.  in Idaho!), and digging in the mud. 

It was as if we transported to June for a few hours.  Absolutely as good as going someplace tropical for a winter reprieve, but without the busy airports, language barriers, strange bugs and sunburns.  

Today, Thankful Monday, I am grateful for my little glimpse of warmer days to come.  Who needs a groundhog to predict winter's demise when you have tulips to do the job?

Speaking of demise, the next up-coming post is going to have a big announcement.  Stay tuned.

What are you thankful for today?