My DUH Moment

Let's rewind back to Wednesday night, shall we?  I was getting my lunch ready for Thursday. I was pretty excited about a salad I was making. It had romaine lettuce, some diced green and red peppers, sliced strawberries, and some fat free cheddar... SO delicious!  I also packed a little container of frozen chicken pieces. My dressing is a strawberry vinaigrette.  Doesn't that sound refreshing?!?!  Well... On the way to work on Thursday, I realized that I forgot my dressing.  My options were to either save the salad for Friday and bop on over to Subway for a salad, or "borrow" some dressing from the fridge at work.  I told a couple people that I forgot my dressing and they both offered theirs!  Perfect!  I found a tasty balsamic vinaigrette in the fridge and was good to go.  Bonus, someone brought in a bag of nuts so I was able to have fresh cracked walnuts, almonds, and pecans on my salad, as well!

Lunchtime comes around and I am probably more excited for this salad than is normal, but who cares?!  I popped the chicken into the microwave for a minute and began cracking my nuts.  I was getting too frustrated with the stupid wrench that we had to use to crack the nuts (note: if you take a sack 'o nuts into your workplace, take a freakin' nut cracker!) and finally gave up.  I was able to get a few walnuts, a couple of pecans, and one lonely almond.  I poured the dressing on and ate that salad right up!  It was really good!

After we got home from Jaden's school carnival last night and I got both girls in bed, I grabbed my lunch bag from my diaper bag so I could pack my lunch for Friday.  That's when it hit me.
MY CHICKEN WAS STILL IN THE MICROWAVE.
That's right.  I never took the flippin' chicken out!  Are you kidding me?!  I was looking forward to that salad all night and day!  How on earth could I have forgotten the chicken??

I got to work this morning and immediately went into the lounge and saw that the microwave still said "END."  That means I was the last person to use it and sure enough, there sat my warm, smelly chicken.  Today, I packed another salad.  I brought my dressing and another piece of chicken.  Let's hope I still have half a brain by the time lunch rolls around again!  Totally explains why I was so hungry by the end of the work day yesterday... TGIF.

Hot Lips

Mike and I went to pick the girls up from the sitter's yesterday.  She keeps her lights very dim, so it wasn't until we got home that we saw what our daughter really looked like.

Bright red lipstick!  Sure, it was cute... until I tried to take it off.  I don't know what kind of lipstick this was, but it did not budge!  I tried a wet wipe.  I tried soap and water.  I tried make up remover.  Jaden was in tears because her lips were being rubbed raw.  She still had red lips.

This morning, she woke up and was upset because she thought her friends at preschool would laugh at her.  Honestly, after all of the scrubbing last night, having a bath, and sleeping, it was very faint.  You could definitely still see it, but it wasn't as bright.  I told her she looked beautiful but maybe Annie could try to get it off.  She also has strict instructions to leave Annie's lipstick alone from now on!  Oh my, child...

Obviously, if I'm taking Jaden's picture, T wants in on the action!

Before taking Jaden's picture, I kind of licked my thumb and wiped a little dirt/food/booger/something from her nose.  She replied, "Ooh, Mom!  Your water smells good!"

"Oh, crap."

I'm tired.  This week has kicked my butt. 

On Monday evening, Taylor wasn't feeling so hot.  We had just finished dinner and the girls wanted to go outside and play.  I went out with them to do a little yard work between swing pushes.  Taylor started moaning and rubbing her tummy.  I asked her if she was going to throw up... no.  I asked her if she had to go poop... no.  Touched her head... cool.  She's fine, just ate too much, right?  She climbs to the top of the slide.  I have my back to her as I am cursing the squirrels and/or bunnies for yet another half eaten tomato, when suddenly Jaden screams.  I turn around and am flashing back to the days of chillin' on the couch at Mom and Dad's watching Double Dare.  Taylor diarrhea'd down the slide!  I scoop her up and tell her to STAND STILL and don't touch the poop!  I run inside, lay a diaper pad down, and start running a bath.  I go outside and Mike is swatting flies away (why do flies like to eat poop??)  Taylor is upset and feeling a little crappy (hehe!)  I get her all cleaned up and back outside we go!  Now, what on earth do I do with poopy pants?  Teach those darned squirrels a lesson, that's what!  This is where it gets a little disgusting.  I sprayed her pants out right by my tomato plants because guess what Taylor had for dinner the night before... CORN.  Enjoy, my furry friends!  Bwahhaahhhahha (evil laugh)!

Well, apparently T had a little virus.  She was acting fine the next morning but didn't eat much of her breakfast.  Around noon, the babysitter called me.  Taylor was having "loose stools" again and wasn't feeling well.  I went to get the poor baby.  After her nap, she seemed to feel a little better. 

Jaden: "My tummy hurts."

Wednesday morning, I head to Walgreen's to pick up some children's Pepto.  Obviously Jaden wouldn't take it and Taylor cried because she wanted more.  No fevers + no throwing up = to the sitters.  Guess what?  They were fine!  No yucky reports for the day when Mike picked them up!

I went to Michigan for a little shopping trip with my mom that day.  I was literally two minutes away from home and Mike calls me, "You should probably go a different way because there is water coming up out of the street and kids (not ours) are playing in it."  I detoured around the block because the police had already taped off the water and were actually standing guard.  The girls had already eaten supper and were ready for bed.  We got them down and I went to make dinner for Mike and myself.  Spaghetti.  Small problem... the water had been turned off.  We called 311 and we were told, "There is a water main break on your street and because the children in the neighborhood were playing in the water, it needed to be turned off.  We wouldn't want a child to slip and be run over by a vehicle or drown."  So basically because parents have no control over their kids (or just don't care) we don't have water... nice.  They estimated that the water would be turned back on around 1:30 a.m.  We opt for Pizza Hut take-out.

After dinner and a little Big Brother, the storms start up.  It is pouring down rain and really windy.  All of a sudden, darkness.  The power went out.  J cries because the storms woke her up and she is scared.  It was really bad out.  We were tempted to go down to the basement, but I didn't want to wake Taylor up if it wasn't necessary.  So, Mike sat with Jaden and we both watched outside and listened for a tornado siren.  Eventually, the storm passed.  We called the electric company and they guessed that power would be restored around 2:30 a.m. 

No water.  No power.  Nice.

Everything was back to normal the next morning!  The shower spit some yellow water at first, but then it was ok!  After work, we came home and had spaghetti.  Mike's mom was on her way over so we could go to a meeting at J's preschool.  I went to do dishes and again, no water.  Luckily, it was turned on by the time we got home so the girls could get a bath. 

It's been a tiring week.

BUT, I did get some good news!  Disney Family Fun saw my post on the Hit The Road badge and loved our road map idea!  They want to feature it in their next issue along with a picture of my girls!  You all will have to go out and buy the October issue when it comes out so you can see these cuties:

Way to go, girls! 

TGIF...

Wunning

I am not a runner.  I have never been a runner.  To me, the only reason to run was if someone was chasing me.  BUT, I have always wanted to learn how to run.  I see people doing it and they make it look so easy!  I have friends talk about "going out for a run... and it just felt so good!"  In my head, I always reply with, "bull crap."  Naturally, the only thing to do was to add it to my Life List! 

14. Train and run in a race.

Like some of my fellow bloggers, I have started the Couch to 5K running program.  It is quite the challenge for me!  I am training with my BFF and we prefer to call what we do, WUNNING.  We walk and then we run and well, RALK sounds dumb.  So, we wun.  We wun every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday evening after the kiddos are in bed.  The only problem is, it's always after dinner and if you have ever wun after dinner, you know what I mean when I say that my food starts to eat me from the inside out!  It sucks.  One night was super busy so I didn't get a chance to eat dinner before my wun meet-up and you know what?  I felt great! I breezed through the wun and felt like I could go more!  Then I stopped at Subway on the way home and get a foot long veggie sub, ate the ENTIRE thing, and hated life.  Last night, I had chicken noodles and mashed potatoes two hours before our wun and my legs turned into knives that stabbed me with each stride.  Last night killed me.  Last night sucked.  But we did it!  Having each other for support makes it so much easier.  Had I been wunning on my own, I would have wun straight to Starbucks, had a venti iced non-fat raspberry latte, and wobbled home.  Actually, I mentioned that idea to Jennie and she just smiled... I think she was considering it a bit :o)

What?  After all that rambling and you're just NOW telling me that you're not familiar with C25K?  Well, allow me to educate you!  Basically it is an outlined running program that takes a couch potato and turns them into a 5K runner in two months.  Training is to be done three time a week.  We are now on week three.

• Week 1, Day 1: Brisk five-minute warm up walk. Then alternate 60 seconds of jogging and 90 seconds of walking for a total of 20 minutes.
• Week 1, Day 2: Brisk five-minute warm up walk. Then alternate 60 seconds of jogging and 90 seconds of walking for a total of 20 minutes.
• Week 1, Day 3: Brisk five-minute warm up walk. Then alternate 60 seconds of jogging and 90 seconds of walking for a total of 20 minutes.
• Week 2, Day 1: Brisk five-minute warm up walk. Then alternate 90 seconds of jogging and two minutes of walking for a total of 20 minutes.
• Week 2, Day 2: Brisk five-minute warm up walk. Then alternate 90 seconds of jogging and two minutes of walking for a total of 20 minutes.
• Week 2, Day 3: Brisk five-minute warm up walk. Then alternate 90 seconds of jogging and two minutes of walking for a total of 20 minutes.
• Week 3, Day 1: Brisk five-minute warm up walk, then do two repetitions of the following: Jog 200 yards (or 90 seconds), Walk 200 yards (or 90 seconds), Jog 400 yards (or 3 minutes), Walk 400 yards (or three minutes)
• Week 3, Day 2: Brisk five-minute warm up walk, then do two repetitions of the following: Jog 200 yards (or 90 seconds), Walk 200 yards (or 90 seconds), Jog 400 yards (or 3 minutes), Walk 400 yards (or three minutes)
• Week 3, Day 3: Brisk five-minute warm up walk, then do two repetitions of the following: Jog 200 yards (or 90 seconds), Walk 200 yards (or 90 seconds), Jog 400 yards (or 3 minutes), Walk 400 yards (or three minutes)

Those three-minute stretches make me want to wun in front of a twuck.  I don't know how I'll make it to (or survive) next week when we have to do this:

• Brisk five-minute warm up walk, then: Jog 1/4 mile (or 3 minutes), Walk 1/8 mile (or 90 seconds), Jog 1/2 mile (or 5 minutes), Walk 1/4 mile (or 2-1/2 minutes), Jog 1/4 mile (or 3 minutes), Walk 1/8 mile (or 90 seconds), Jog 1/2 mile (or 5 minutes)

We officially begin measuring our distance in miles.  Oh boy...  Luckily for us, our race isn't until September so we can stretch it out a little bit.  BUT, our race is not a 5K.  It is 4 miles.  I think I can... I think I can... I think I can...

An expert in avoidance!

Jaden is a curious cat.  She is always wanting to know more about whatever conversation is going on around her.  With all of the babies being born lately, I knew that THE QUESTION was inevitable.

J: Mom, when me and Taylor were babies, how did you get us out of your belly?
Me: Well, I went to the doctor and he helped me.
J: I know, but how did you get us out?
Me: You just come out when you are all ready!
J: *sighs* I know, Mom, but where did you get us out?
Me: At the hospital!
J: *sighs*

Yeah, yeah... Don't judge

Stephanie Tanner said it best, "How rude!"

Listen up, ladies (and the few guys that read, too)!  When somebody so kindly invites you to a party (or any event that would warrant an invitation), répondez s'il vous plaît!  Seriously, it is just rude to not reply.  Here is your lesson.  Pull up a chair and grab a piece of paper... You'll want to take notes.

If you can not attend, or don't even want to, THAT'S OK!  That is an option!  Just call me, email me, text me, get a hold of me SOMEHOW and tell me, "Sorry! Ain't happenin', sista!"  I don't care what your excuse is.  I just want to know if I should plan for your attendance or not.  Obviously I want you there because I invited you, but if you can't, NO BIGGIE.  I hate the excuse, "Well, I didn't call you because I didn't want you to be mad at me for not coming."  To that, I give you a mental punch to the face, NOT because you didn't come, because you were rude and didn't tell me.  If attendance was REQUIRED, the invite would have said that.  When you see those four letters, that means that I understand that life happens and I may not be your first choice... Just RESPOND!

If you can come, don't assume that I already know that.  If I did, I would not have requested an RSVP from you!  Duh.  When I plan birthday parties for my girls, I usually don't request an RSVP from family.  For one, I'll most likely make the same amount of food whether or not one or two people don't show up.  Secondly, their parties are usually at my house so I don't need to give any sort of facilitator a head count.  BUT, should I happen to request a reply, there is most likely a reason behind it.  Do it!

Now, I get that it's not always black and white (dot blogspot dot com).  You may have an instance of, "Gosh, I already have something going on that day but if I can leave a little early, I may be able to make it..."  Than TELL me that!  I will probably just quickly text you a few days in advance and be like, "So, do you think you might be able to make it?"  To that, RESPOND.  Don't ignore.  Don't say that you never got the text because I will ask you to prove it.  Just reply to my text. 

Lesson learned?  GOOD.  If you are already taking the time to open and look at the invitation I sent you (and marvel in my creativity), take the time to look at your stupid calendar and at least text me!  Trust me, I'll be more ticked off at the fact that I can not read your mind and so therefore I have to call YOU, than I would be if you told me you can't come.  Deal?  Oh, and in case you were wondering, this applies to ALL invitations you receive, not just ones from me ;o)

Oh, and just so you know... I have not recently planned a party and not NOT got a reply.  This is just a general kick in the tush :o)  You're welcome!

Have a great weekend!

What we've been up to...

2 people coughing

4 people sniffling

1 sore throat

2 pink eyes

4 with fevers

3 with diarrhea

2 throwing up

1 coughing cat

1 ear infection

4 lost appetites

4 achy bodies

6 missed days of work

3 missed days of daycare

2 doctor visits

1 prescription

18 sleepless nights

Don't you wish you lived in my house?

We are doing everything we can think of to get better!  We are airing out the house (when the weather allows), we are drinking fluids, we are going to bed early, we are washing hands, we are disinfecting everything, we are taking drugs, we are still miserable!  At least one of us has been sick every day since March 4th.  This is getting to be a bit ridiculous... Anyone else battling this nasty virus?

Dating Again...

First, I want to congratulate Jackie!  She won the Madagascar LIVE! tickets!!  I hope you and your little sis enjoy the show :o)

Back to the topic: Dating AGAIN.  No, Mike and I aren't separating... I'm talking about Mom Dating.  It's funny how when I found Mike, I was happy to not be dating anymore.  The whole scene always seemed so fake to me.  Now, almost eight years later, I find myself in a similar situation.  I have some really great girlfriends but most of them do not have kids yet.  It's hard to make time to hang out with them anymore because I have the added responsibility of finding a sitter for the girls.  Plus, if the grandmas aren't free that evening, a $20 night out turns into a $40 night out after I pay my sitter!  Then, when we do hang out, I find it hard to converse because really, if you don't have kids, you don't want to hear about Ariel, Belle, or any of the other princesses that make up 90% of my conversations at home.  This middle ground is a little weird and uncomfortable at times.  It would be great to have more girlfriends that have kids.  Then, not only can I bring my cuties with me, but I have someone that can relate to my 26 minutes of personal time a day.  I have someone else that regularly carries around fishy crackers, crayons, and wet wipes in her purse.  I have someone else that knows how good it truly feels to sit down with a glass of wine after the kids are sound asleep.

I've said it before and I'll say it again.  I'm a blog stalker.  I find you and I hide behind the curtains and secretly watch you until I work up enough guts to say hello.  Silly, I know but that's the way I roll.  I am currently reading a certain mom blog.  I can relate 100% to this momma.  In fact, I know her in real life and actually see her quite often.  I just can't work up the courage to "ask her out."  It is so much like dating, it's scary.  What if she doesn't like me?  What if she thinks I'm annoying?  What if she doesn't want to hang out?  What if she reads MY blog??  Our girls are a year apart and they know each other.  It would be so much fun to get together with them, let the kiddos play, and just talk to another mom.  See?  It IS like dating again... and I thought I was DONE with that!

The Great Thaw

It's about time we get some above-freezing temps!  Lets hope for some most of these 15 inches to go bye-bye!  I am SO ready for warmer weather.  I think what annoys me the most is the nasty slush and the residue the salt leaves on everything.  I know that with melting snow comes lots and lots of mud, but I don't really care at this point.  I am SICK of the snow.

We got a new dryer.  If we are friends on Facebook, you may remember my status update a few weeks ago, complaining that my dryer was dead.  After a few weeks of doing laundry at Mike's parents' house, we finally got our new dryer!  It's nothing fancy but let me tell you, it is QUIET.  I love it.  When the delivery guys were hauling away the old, dead dryer, a little chipmunk fell out of the bottom.  Apparently the dryer wasn't the only dead thing in our basement... I know, disgusting.  I'm actually still kind of grossed out about it.

I've found my flavor of the month.  It is definitely CINNAMON!  I love that sweet little spice :o)  Folgers has a cinnamon swirl coffee that is A-MAZING.

Also, I have been itching to bake an apple pie.  I don't know why this need is taking over every thought I have.  Whenever I log onto the Internet, I immediately start googling best ever apple pie recipe.  I have never made a real fruit pie from scratch.  Anyone have a great recipe to share?  I think I'm going to make one for the babysitter for Valentine's Day.

I live in Fort Wayne.  Have you heard the buzz that Fort Wayne is getting?  Even Jimmy Kimmel had a high horse moment on the topic.  Here, see it for yourself:

Yeah, people are voting to rename Renaissance Square the Harry Baals Government Center.  I think this is completely ridiculous.  I don't care that he was the mayor.  The only reason this was suggested is because it is Harry Baals.  The only reason people are voting for it is to see if, when it wins, they actually name the building that.  Dumb.  Go here and vote on anything BUT the Harry Baals Government Center.

Have a great weekend!

When the moon is in the seventh hour, and Jupiter aligns with Mars...

I don't believe in horoscopes.  People that do, I believe, read their horoscopes and stretch their reality to be able to say, "That happened to me!"  Having said that, I have known for as long as I can remember that I am a Capricorn.  I can recognize my symbol and know that I'm a goat.  I have no idea what type of person a Capricorn is supposed to be or what sign I am supposed to be compatible with.  I have no idea what Mike's, Jaden's, or Taylor's signs are.  I just know that I'm a Capricorn....

I was a Capricorn.
I'm no longer a Capricorn.
I'm a Sagittarius.

Apparently, as the Earth and sun slowly move, the signs gradually change.  Three thousand years ago, 12 zodiac signs were assigned for 12 different periods of the year.  Now, there are 13 signs.  I don't know what that means, I don't care what that means.  Probably the end of the world ;o)

I believe I upgraded!  No longer am I a goat.  Now, I am half human, half horse!  According to my friend, Wiki, Sagittarius is the sign of the zodiac mainly concerned with philosophy, higher education and global thinking... Oh my gosh, I thought about the world yesterday!  That was so Sagittarius of me.  Because Sagittarius is a mutable sign, they are generally very adaptable philosophically because they seek to understand the world from a higher perspective (aka former professional wrestler, Jesse "The Body" Ventura) and are perspicacious in finding higher meanings through their varied encounters.  Also, I am now optimistic... must be the reason I decided to become Amish on 12-21-12.

Here are the new dates for the zodiac signs:
Capricorn: Jan. 20 - Feb. 16
Aquarius: Feb. 16 - March 11
Pisces: March 11- April 18
Aries: April 18- May 13
Taurus: May 13- June 21
Gemini: June 21- July 20
Cancer: July 20- Aug. 10
Leo: Aug. 10- Sept. 16
Virgo: Sept. 16- Oct. 30
Libra: Oct. 30- Nov. 23
Scorpio: Nov. 23- Nov. 29
Ophiuchus: Nov. 29- Dec. 17
Sagittarius: Dec. 17- Jan. 20

Mike gets to be the new Ophiuchus!  He's a snake holder. 

Have a great weekend!

Can you handle it?

After a horrible night of crying, getting out of bed for no reason, and calling Mike and I into her room every two seconds, our conversation in the car the next evening went a little like this:

Jaden: Mom, when we get home, can I watch Pongo?
Me: No, because remember you didn't go to bed good last night so you get no T.V.
Jaden: Oh.
Me: If you go to bed good tonight you can watch Pongo tomorrow.
Mike: No crying, no getting out of bed, and no calling Mommy and Daddy, ok?
Jaden: Ok.
Mike: Can you go to bed good and be a good girl?
Jaden: I think I can handle that.



p.s. I added a photo to my Pumpkin Painting post so you can see the final product!

Randomness right now....

I love fall.  I love everything about fall!  I love the clothes, the colors, the leaves falling, apple cider, the falling temperatures, EVERYTHING!  One thing I am SO in love (like All-4-One style) this fall is PUMPKIN!  It is my mission in life... or at least this fall... to eat/drink all things pumpkin!  So far, I've enjoyed a pumpkin spice latte from Starbucks (more than once!), a pumpkin pie blizzard from DQ, and this morning I devoured a pumpkin filled muffin from Starbucks!  I am also itching to get over to IHOP for some pumpkin pancakes.  What am I missing out on?  What are your favorite pumpkin treats?


Two songs make me turn my radio up and sing my little heart out...
Eminem and Rihanna's Love the Way You Lie

p.s. That is the color that my hair was before I toned it down... yikes!

and Bruno Mars's Just The Way You Are

SO good :o)

Today is going to be a great day.  First, I get off of work early to go to the dentist.  It may seem strange to be excited about this, but just wait!  I have a super cool post coming up about this!  Then, I am having a massage.  Mike got me a gift certificate for Mother's Day and I'm just now getting to use it!  It will be so relaxing!  Then tonight, I am going to Abby's to watch Grey's and Private Practice with her and Kalie.

Get this!  This is so lame.  Yesterday, I was at my desk when a co-worker came in and told me a reporter from the newspaper was here because we were given zippers.  Apparently someone called our warehouse and asked if we could use some zippers.  That someone was Vera Bradley and those zippers were in the amount of two pallets stacked six feet high each.  I still don't quite understand the donation... Most likely VB wanted to get rid of their junk zippers so they thought that if they donated them, not only would they get a tax write-off but also get their name printed once again.  Jackpot!  Anyway, you can read the rest of the story here.

Last but not least, you all should head over to Amanda's blog and wish her congrats!  She gave birth to Miss Rosalie Pearl last Friday!  Dad, Mom, and baby are all doing great!  Congrats Michael & Amanda!!

Happy Thursday, everyone!

As tempting as shooting your sister may be...

A week or so ago, Lala requested that I go to the Johnny Appleseed festival and take lots of pictures so she could live vicariously through me since she can't justify spending hundreds of dollars on airfare to come to the Fort to visit me... Personally, I thought friendship was priceless.  When I was hanging out in Salt Lake City for a few hours, I looked at the departure board and thought to myself, "Seattle!  Hmm... I COULD bypass Vegas and go visit Lala for a week..."  We all know how that thought ended ;o)  Just kidding!  I still La-la-love you :o) 

Anyway, the girls and I actually DID go to the Johnny Appleseed Festival!  Apparently Mr. Appleseed made his way through the Fort (he didn't think Hawaii or NY were more important... just saying...), dropped a couple of seeds, caught pneumonia and died.  He is buried right here in Fort Wayne, Indiana!

photo found here. Crowd was too big for my red wagon.

I tried explaining the whole thing to Jaden... Maybe next year. 

I grabbed the wagon and headed to the park for the festival!

I told J we could get a snack... Apple slices, popcorn, or ice cream.  Popcorn actually won but when she found out it was "sticky popcorn," she changed her mind and chose ice cream!

You're telling me pioneers didn't have chocolate ice cream?!?

Taylor wants a bite...

Enough funny business!  Taylor wants a bite NOW!

No time for pictures... Must. Have. ICE CREAM!

I told Jaden that if she wanted to stop to look at anything, just tell me and I'd stop the wagon for her.  Every time she saw a pumpkin, she wanted to stop!

Jaden brought her money.  She was allowed to buy one thing...

A pop gun!

Our conversation went a little like this:

Me: "You can get it if you promise not to shoot it at anyone, ok?"

Jaden: "Not even Taylor."

Me: "Right."

J: "Why?"

Me: "Because you could hurt her. You could shoot her eye out!"

J: "Can I shoot her feet? She doesn't have eyes on her feet!"

Me: "No, you can't shoot her feet."

J: "I can just shoot her arms, right?"

Me: "No, you can NOT shoot you sister!"

J: "Ok, sorry Mom."

*pop*

J: "I shooted Taylor's leg. Sorry, it was a accident."

No more accidents after that!  It was a fun time :o)

Sweet and innocent... YEAH RIGHT!

*Start saving you change now, Ang! Maybe you could come WITH us next year!*