Things I've Learned As A Mom...

1. Most parents are not going to parent the way you do. As long as they are doing their best and no one is getting hurt, that is OK.

2. You can eat a peanut butter sandwich with no hands, especially if there is a diaper blowout in your midst.

3. My children can drive me absolutely to the brink of sanity, and reel me back in an instant with a sweet gesture, genuine smile, or I Love You Mama.

4. Portable DVD players are a gift straight from the baby Jesus.

5. Every parent on the planet has experienced a complete child meltdown in the aisles of Target. If they tell you they haven't, they are lying through their teeth.

6. Mom intuition is as powerful a tool as a doctor. If it feels bad to mom, you know it ain't right.

7. It is OK for your kids to not like your friend's kids, but it certainly makes you better friends when they do. :)

8. Lower your expectations for home decor.  I love a stylish house, but if it makes me a screaming Cruella DeVille on Xanax, it is not worth it.  They will grow up and you can get your depression glass out again. Up high, but it's still out. :)

9. Kids don't care about "stuff." My kids have two favorite things: Sloane's are her blanket and a ball. Sam's are his blanket and a Hot Wheels toy.  We've got toys out the wazoo, and these are their cherished things. Grand total price, about 4 bucks. (blanks were gifts from Aunt Ryan)

10. There is no such thing as "too many pictures."  I've tried, and I still feel like I have missed so much. They grow too fast.

Lame, with No Regrets.

Remember at the beginning of this month when I apologized in advance for some of the lame-ness you would all witness?  Weekends, you are going to find a lot of it here.

I like to blog, but I like to write really cute or really fun or really quality blogs. I am finding it hard to crank one out each day that I consider good, mainly because I don't have really cute/fun/quality topics happening everyday in my life.  Sometimes they are few and far between.

Regardless, I am coming at you lame tonight, because I was hosting a dinner party with friends.  Sunday Supper at Casa de Hot Mess.  I love having friends over, I love the closeness that my girlfriends and guy friends have with my family.  Since most of my family lives a car trip away, many of these friends make for great aunts and uncles "because we think you're awesome, and not because we're blood relatives and have to like you," as one friend puts it.

I am still going to rock the blog-a-day, but sometimes you've just got to live life, and not report it.  Tonight is one of those nights.  Happy Sunday peeps!

PS- We had Jim and Patti's chicken enchiladas.  Totally awesome.

Raising Kids...

It is hard.  Trust me on this.

Oops.

Well, I failed.

I didn't get a blog posted yesterday.  I was busy, tired, and there were still guys here doing work on our house.  They found problems yesterday, and had to basically rebuild a side of my house (thank you water damage), but we're all good today and the bill for that extra repair wasn't too bad.  Mainly because when you live in a house equivalent to Pandora's box when it comes to home improvements, you learn to save about $1500 more than what any quote is.

And so, here is my I AM A FAILURE blog for today, but I will hopefully get another, better one posted today too. Two in the same day, that should totally make up for missing one, right? RIGHT?

Comin' At You With Crowbars and Sawzalls...

Well ladies and gentlemen, I am short today on many things. Patience and time being a few of them.  We're having our new windows installed today. I love home improvements, but I do not like the process of home improving. There are strangers in my house. Hilariously funny, totally my-kind-of-people strangers in my house, but strangers nonetheless.  I am far too neurotic to witness the destruction of my home, but I did manage to get a few pictures today before I collapsed in full panic attack mode.

And so, here's my lame ditty for the day. Here's what a bedroom looks like with no windows.  I'm sure my neighbors are loving the sneak peak into my home.  Enjoy neighbors. Enjoy blogosphere.




On the menu for tonight: mass quantities of wine. Maybe some food, I don't know yet.



All Roads Lead to Old and Responsible...

It is becoming ever-so-apparent to me that I am becoming a real, live, breathing adult.  I've resisted this notion for a while, but as things have started falling into place in my life, I am starting to give up the ghost.  I am a parent, and a homeowner, and a tax payer.  I have life insurance AND health insurance.  Cuh-razy.

So it comes as no surprise to me that this morning was like an adult version of Christmas at my house.  John and I have needed to replace some windows at our house for quite some time, and we finally saved up enough money to make that happen.  Turns out, windows are not cheap.  John and I used to save money to go to Vegas and buy really important things like Bud Light and hot tubs and dinner out 6 nights a week.  Now, we buy windows (and diapers). And we jump up and down and get excited when the Pella man rings our doorbell.

This, my friends, is what a whole lot of money-saving looks like. Sitting on the floor of my garage. Waiting patiently to be installed.  It is beautiful. BEAUTIFUL.  And it is the reason you don't see us out much anymore.

Next stop, the early bird dinner at Perkins. Oh well. I'll get home in time to stare at my new windows before bedtime at 6:30. :)

A is for Awesome!

Dinner time at my house most nights is chaos.  Between the hours of 4 and 6pm, my kids are usually in the throes of some level of tantrum at my feet, the dogs are barking at the neighbor kids, the phone is ringing, and someone is whining for a snack or movie or trust fund or something.  And you know, I'm trying to make dinner, too.

And then dinner is usually it's own adventure. Is Daddy going to be home to eat with us tonight?  Which kid will ask for nuggets or cookies first? Who is going to spill their drink?  It usually ends up with one or both kids on my lap trying to eat my food, which is the same food that was on their plates but Mom's is on a glass plate so IT MUST BE BETTER.

Tonight, for the first time since I can remember, we had a really really great family dinner.  It wasn't anything fancy, (though my meatloaf is sort of the bomb)  but we were all together eating at the same time. The kids ate what I cooked, loved it, and wanted more.  Nobody cried, or yelled, or threw a fit when they couldn't bring their toys to the table.  Sam asked to be excused, and washed his own hands.

WTF has happened to my family?  Believe me, I am not complaining, but I could SO get used to this. :)

They even ate their vegetables. Maybe Aunt Kathy needs to come stay more often.