At least I'm consistent at being inconsistent

Well here it is, January again. The start of a new year. A time when gajillions of people push the "reset" button on their lives in an attempt to get back on the right path - whatever that path may be to them.

I'm one of those gajillions of people. Not that my life has ever been even close to being on the "wrong path". It's just that I'm a goal oriented person and a planner so that's why I look forward to the start of a new year with excitement and anticipation. Every New Year's Eve of my entire life has been spent not getting drunk and screaming at the television as the ball drops but instead contemplating my achievements and failures of the past year and my goals for the next. Probably sounds a little bit crazy and a whole lot boring to most people, but it works for me.

I read quite a few times that when you want to accomplish something, it helps to make your goals public. When people know about what you want to accomplish, you're supposedly less likely sit around on your arse. So, with that in mind I thought I would make my 2012 resolutions "public" right here on Captain Crazy. I say "public" because to say that anything I write on this blog will be read by lots of other people is pretty laughable.

But I digress so let's get back to my resolutions. There's just a few of them and they're pretty simple, really. Here they are in no particular order:
Resolution #1 - I'm going to focus of being HEALTHY. This means paying less attention to the number on the scale and more on just being healthy - being physically fit and keeping my blood pressure low and my arteries sparkling clean. I resolve to continue to make healthy decisions about the food my family eats and to exercise more and stress less. I resolve to be a savvier consumer, more "reduce, reuse, and recycle". I will include more "me time" in my schedule - after all, a happy mommy makes for a happy family! etc.

Resolution #2 - I'm going to learn something every month about a person or a thing I know nothing or little about. This resolution came to be simply because I've realized that I'm basically pretty damn stupid. Really. I can't tell you how many times I can't answer a question from one of my kids because I either don't know enough about the particular topic or worse yet -I'm completely clueless. And my boys are 4 and 7 for God's sake! How I manage a multi-million $$ Federal grant as my full time job astonishes me when I think about how stupid I am!! I took quick and decisive action on this resolution and am already reading Steve Jobs' autobiography. Boring right now, but I have learned a lot about a man and a company I knew nothing about. For instance, i Have learned that it really pisses me off that a multi-billion dollar company was basically started with $1,300.00 - the amount we pay for daycare every month!

Resolution #3. I'm going to embrace my inconsistency and stop fighting against it. I'm going to look at this core trait of my being as a positive thing rather than a negative. At least I can deal with change well - right? Seriously though, being inconsistent is something I have fought against for sooooo long and it's futile, really. I do have things I can do faithfully, like going to work every day and showering and picking my kids up from school, and drinking coffee - important stuff like that. But when it comes to stuff like journaling, blogging, exercising, finishing projects, forget it. Let's take this blog for instance. No one reads this blog anymore and that's my own fault. My blogging is too inconsistent and has been for a long time to attract any faithful readers. When I first started blogging I worked in an office, all alone, with a workload that took me approximately 1 hour to blow through. The rest of my time was spent surfing the web and getting into all kinds of trouble - can we say EBay? Now I spend my entire workday in front of a computer, working with lots of people, and putting out lots on mini-fires. I'm mentally fried when I get home at the end of the day. I barely have enough functioning brain cells to read my boys their Skippy Jon Jones bedtime books, let alone put the effort into a blog post. All I want to do is curl up on the couch and check out watching episodes of Hoarders or some other type of program that makes me feel awesome about myself. So I dropped off the face of the blogosphere and I felt bad about it for a long time. I actually posted a couple of "come back" posts - I felt like Michael Jordan or Brett Farve. They came back, I didn't. But no more feeling bad about my inconsistent blogging. I started my blog as a way to improve my writing and as a way to pass the time during an incredibly boring workday. It was meant for me and that's it. So, i will continue to write when I can and be content with what I do. After all, the only person I have to make happy is me. The same goes for finishing projects, exercising, journaling etc.

So there they are - my three little resolutions that I plan to integrate into my daily existence.

I think I hear Steve calling. Better go for now.

That time of Year Again

I LOVE Fall. Love it, love it! I swear the crisp air tinged with apple rot invigorates my very soul, and my stomach does a little flip when I see the piles of pumpkins appear in front of grocery stores.

Yep, the arrival of Fall brings with it many of my favorite things - adventures to pumpkin patches, piles of crunchy leaves in the streets, beautiful colors in the countryside, apple cider donuts, honey crisp apples, Harvest Festivals, Halloween, and Pumpkin Spiced Lattes - just to name a few. Hell, I don't even mind that the craziness of the holidays is just around the corner.

What I do mind, however, is that it doesn't last long enough. At least around here. It always seems that to me that the leaves turn and fall too quickly and after maybe 2 months, if we're lucky, it's over.

Then it's really Wintertime. With the constant rain. And that sucks. A lot.

So as usual, I am really trying to enjoy every single day of this season by squeezing as much out of it as I can. We're going to another pumpkin patch this weekend and I will lug 10-15 pumpkins home and they will grace my yard until after Thanksgiving. I will bake my favorite fall pumpkin recipes, I will make jam, I will get the garden ready for it's long rest and I will take a lot of pictures - at least those will be around forever. Their promise of better times to come something to cling to in the dead of Winter.

This was taken in 2009 at a pumpkin patch at one of my favorite country stores. I had just been laid off and this was the first time I had ever been to a pumpkin patch with the boys during the week. I think we went to a different pumpkin patch every week that fall!!
This was taken in my backyard.
This was also taken in 2009. It's the boys with our next door neighbors - who obviously really dig Halloween. Brad was a Mad Scientist and he made a "lab" complete with boiling "stuff" in test tubes and eerie green lights and smoke. He set it up in their front window and it looked awesome. They had a crowd of people watching his "work" all night long. But I still think Cookie Monster steals the show.
Another backyard pic. The pile was a lot bigger than it looks in the picture and the boys were having so much fun - one of the rare times during that age when they weren't bugging the crap out of each other!
This was taken at a Walmart. This tree was flaming red and had tons of black birds hanging out it in. I actually drove home and returned with my camera. Luckily some of the birds were still there.
Another pic of Little D at a Pumpkin Patch - this time as a guest with Captain Crazy's class.
The view of my street as I turn onto it. This wasn't even taken at the height of the color because a couple of the bigger trees still hadn't turned completely yet.

Easy DIY Home and Garden Water Conservation Tips

Everybody knows that it is important to try to consume less water. It is especially important for North Americans though. Clean drinking water is becoming scarcer all over the world and the average North American uses 105 gallons of water every day for drinking, washing, and cooking. The average person in the developing world uses only 3 gallons of water a day.

Practicing saving water at home not only helps preserve an irreplaceable natural resource, but also reduces costs associated with urban wastewater systems and your own utility bill!

Here are some easy things you can do around your home to save 1,000’s of gallons of water per month!



Check for Leaks and Fix ‘em too!

Leaking faucets, toilets, and sprinklers can really add up. One leaking bathroom faucet can drip about 140 gallons of water per week! Use your utility bill and water meter to help you discover leaks. If you notice an unusual amount of water usage then it’s time start your investigation.

The Faucet

Walk around your house and tighten all your faucets firmly. If any still drip, grab your wrench. You will probably have to replace the watertight seal (a little washer) that is holding back the water when the tap is in the ‘off’ position.

Watch this video for easy step by step instructions. Basically just turn off the water to the sink, pop off the handle cap, unscrew the handle, unscrew the big nut and pull out the valve stem. Then replace the washer and put the handle back together again. Easy!



Tip: Remember to teach the kids to make sure the faucet is always shut off completely and also to turn the water off while they brush their teeth to save an additional 25 gallons of water per month.


The Toilet

To check for a leaking toilet, choose your favorite color of food coloring and add some to your toilet tank. Now sit and watch or come back in an hour or two. If you see some of the color seeping into the toilet bowl without flushing then you definitely have a leak which can be wasting up to 1,000 gallons of water per month!

The fix is really easy, you don’t need any tools just a new flapper valve. Basically all you have to do is turn off the water to your toilet, flush and let the tank drain, remove the old flapper, clean surrounding parts for a good seal, and clip on the new flapper. Check out this video as a guide.



Tip: Make any old toilet water efficient by displacing water in the tank. A plastic juice/milk container is ideal. Remove the label, fill it partially with sand or rocks, top it off with water and add it to the toilet tank. Displacing half a gallon per flush can add up to saving 350 gallons of water per month!



Extra Everyday Water Saving Tips

Start saving more water by incorporating these tips into your everyday living:

• Only run your washing machine and dishwasher when there is a full load to wash. If you have to do a small load to match the water level to the size of the load and save up to 1,000 gallons a month!
• Cut back your shower by 5 minutes a day and you’ll save over 4500 gallons of water a year.
• Replace your shower head with an energy efficient model.
• Save a minimum of 584 gallons of water per year per person by peeing in the shower!
• Don’t wait for water to get to temperature, put in the plug in your tub or sink right away and adjust the temperature accordingly.
• Keep a pitcher of cold water in the fridge so you are never running the tap waiting for the water to get cold.
• Save the water you use for cooking and washing fruits and veggies and use it to water houseplants.
• When you have a bunch of ice left in your cup from take-out give it to your houseplants for a cool drink.

Building a Water Cautious Lawn and Garden

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency estimates that lawn care accounts for 30 to 60 percent of water consumption during the summer months. Just like in the house there are lots of easy things you can do to minimize the amount of water being used on your yard.

Gain Sprinkler Efficiency

• Aerate your lawn at least once a year so water can better make its way into the ground and to the roots of your grass.
• Adjust your sprinklers or get ones that shoot out big drops of water close to the ground. The smaller the drop of water and the longer it’s in the air the more easily it can be evaporated before it hits the ground.
• Set sprinklers to come on in the morning or evening when temperatures are cooler to minimize evaporation.
• Do not turn your sprinklers on during windy days as there will be an increased rate of evaporation and the water drops will blow away.
• Play with the placement of your sprinklers to make sure they are not wasting water onto streets, sidewalks, driveways, or against the house.
• Instead of watering the lawn every week, check how moist the soil is two to three inches down. If you had a little rain or it wasn’t too sunny or hot you may not even need to water.
• Let your grass get a little longer during to help the lawn hold in moisture.
• Ever year spread a layer of organic mulch such as bark mulch over flower beds and around trees. The mulch will help retain moisture in the ground around the plants.

Collecting Water Runoff

When a big rain is coming bring out your big plastic barrels and collect the water that comes shooting out of your gutters. Use this water the next few days to water your gardens. Also anytime you wash your car or pet make sure to do it on the lawn to water the grass at the same time!



Choose When and What to Plant

Choose to plant new plants outside around your home in the spring and fall when rainfall is more plentiful and when temperatures are more forgiving. When you are considering a new flower or shrub choose one that doesn’t require a lot of water.

Water efficient plants can save about 550 gallons each year. Also try to group plants with similar watering needs to avoid overwatering of some and the underwatering of others.

Place plants that love water in places that get a lot of shade in the afternoon. Even sun loving plants will do fine if they receive morning and early afternoon sunlight. For post plants the afternoon sun is a little harsh anyways. Check out this list of drought tolerant plants and a few highlighted below.

The Coreopsis is a yellow flowering Native American plant. There are over 100 species available which are all low maintenance and drought tolerant.

Achillea are also hardy North American natives and bloom multiple times throughout the year. They come in many different colors and do well in dry and hot conditions.

The Gaura lindheimeri or 'Siskiyou Pink' blooms pinks and whites from mid-summer to fall. They strive in full sun with partial shade.

Water conservation is a global issue that North Americans can truly address without drastically changing lifestyles. A little bit of effort, mindfulness, and knowledge about water conservation and we can really make a big difference.

Challenge yourself to cut back on your water usage by trying these easy water conservation tips. You’ll notice the difference in your utility bill and the environment will notice savings of up to 3,000 gallons of water per month and 36,000 gallons per year!

This guest post was brought to you by PartSelect.com, retailer of Dishwasher Parts with over 30,000 sets of installation instructions, a growing library of how-to videos.

Dim

I don't know about you, but it seems like some of the funniest and wittiest sayings I have either heard in a bar or read from a bumper sticker while tailgating someone down main street. These saying are usually lightheartedly sarcastic comments about the opposite sex and also include the word "beer-goggles".

But the last two sayings I've come across haven't been like that at all and instead seem to speak towards the overall sense of hopelessness that seems to have slowly been tightening it's grip on our nation.

I need to throw in an aside right here and say that I do not frequent bars that often. I was trying to round up some grub for dinner the other night because we were just too tuckered out from our weekend "let's lay flooring in the attic so we can store our crap up there and finally fit the fishing boat in the garage" project. Our usual go-to teriyaki place was closed which left a Mexican restaurant and a sports tavern as the two remaining choices that were still close to home. Remembering that my husband had brought home some really tasty burgers and stuff from the tavern, I cast aside all our earlier efforts towards healthier eating and ventured in.

Written in neat block letters on the column that divided the bar in half was this saying:

"Due to recent cutbacks, the light at the end of the tunnel has been shut off"

Clever.

But a bit sad, right? I mean, this is how some - actually probably a lot - of Americans really feel right now.

Then this morning on my way to work I saw this saying on a bumper sticker:

"It's called the 'American Dream' because you have to be asleep to believe it"

Again, clever but sad.

I started thinking about how, as a kid, the sentiment was quite the opposite. America was the big, fat cherry on top of the triple-decker ice cream cone of the world! Everyone wanted to be like us. America was lthe promised land where anything could happen if you just worked hard enough.

But things have changed a lot since I was kid. This good -ol country of ours has been taking a hammering for quite some time. Morale is in the toilet. Russia called us a "parasite" that lives off of other countries because we live beyond our means. China practically owns us because we are so indebted to them. We've been steadily falling behind in education for years. Our health care system is a hot mess. Oh, and let's not forget the War. And how about the Recession (that's still not over) that kicked our asses two ways to Sunday. That's been fun, hasn't it? The rising rate of childhood obesity has to say something and I'm sure it's nothing good. And the latest and greatest -Standard and Poor down-graded our credit rating - not because we are a credit risk per se, but 'because the squabbling in Washington is not indicative of a country with a Triple A' rating. Basically, our Government just isn't working very well.

Our cherry has popped.

And of course the stuff mentioned above is just the tip of the iceberg. I could go on but honestly I'm too tired. I'm tired of worrying and caring so much. I don't really know why I do, but for some reason I really do and now more than ever.

I'm guessing I care now because I have kids - which I know is a lame reason. But I think you know what I mean -kids open our eyes to more things then we care to think about like our own mortality or the drought in Africa. And once my eyes have been opened and I care about something, I just can't not do something about it. So the question that lies ahead for me is not the "when" but the "what".

Once I figure that out, maybe the light at the end of the tunnel will shine a little brighter for me.

Bounce Back #2

You might say I got a wild hair tonight and decided to stop by my blog - you know, just to see how the neighborhood has been holding up since I packed up and moved out in the middle of the night last year. My poor little blog - if it had been one of those electronic pets - what are they called? Tamagotchi? It would have died of digital neglect a looooong time ago.

And I was supposed to have "bounced back" - which is just too funny. More like an epic flop since my "return" only lasted four months. I feel like Lance Armstrong or Michael Jordan or even worse, Brett Farve saying they're done only to reappear again (and again in some of their cases) except I never said I was done. I just stopped showing up. Which isn't like me. When I start something I stick with it - no matter how bad it sucks. That's why I stayed in the Army Reserves for 8 years when I only really had to do 6 - I gave it my all and then some.

Now to be clear I'm not saying that blogging sucks. It's more like I think MY blogging sucks...... or something along those lines. Whatever it is, writing is difficult for me and I want to get better at it. And what better way then to blog? Just put everything out there for everyone to see?

And by everything I mean everything! Soooo much has happened since my last post "four score and seven years ago" that I can't even begin to list all the stuff I could talk about. There's been my kids' birthdays, our family adventures and of course mis-adventures, my DIY projects, and I can't forget our three new little girls -Chloe, Maggie and Alice. They lay some super tasty eggs! Oh and then there's my latest weight loss effort - starting P90X. I would do a fist pump if I could but it seriously hurts too much.

So once again I'm going to hitch up my britches and give it another whirl. Slow and steady wins the race, right? At least that Tony Horton says. See you soon!

Tight Rope

Today is November 17th. I should probably get around to putting away the Halloween decorations. The wind is blowing like crazy and it feels like snow in the air. I should probably fetch the baby pool from the back yard and put it in the garage before it blows half way across the neighborhood.

All these things I should do. All these things I planned on doing a while ago but just haven't gotten around to it.

This exact time last year I was unemployed, but I was on top of my to do list mainly because I didn't have too much else to do. Seasonal decorations were put out and packed back up in a timely manner, summer toys were rounded up from the back yard and stowed neatly in the garage, the air conditioning unit was covered with a nice new tarp to keep out the winter rain and leaves. Jesus, all of my spring bulbs were planted by the end of September.

It's definitely a different story this year. Not that I am not thankful for my job. I am. It's just that the delicate balancing act I have been trying to perfect since I went back to work at the beginning of the year just seems much more difficult right now.

I feel scattered. Maybe it's the holiday season breathing down my neck. Or maybe it's because my kid is sick and I haven't slept well in days. Or maybe it's because work is flipping crazy right now. Or maybe it's ALL OF THE ABOVE.

I know a large part of my problem stems from expecting too much out of myself. Oh, and it would be helpful if I knew when to apply the brakes - when to say "enough is enough" Just this morning as I was driving into work I caught myself thinking of Christmas presents to MAKE, (really?!) for my sons teachers at their school. Forget about the gazillion family members I need to buy for, let's see where I can fit in homemade Christmas presents for 15 teachers! Maybe in between planting the rest of my Hyacinth bulbs and the two birthday parties the kids are going to this weekend.

Seriously, what is wrong with me?! Enough is enough!

In all fairness to myself I know I can't be the only person on earth who feels like they are constantly walking a tightrope while juggling a million things. So, if you are one of those folks and you have any secrets for staying balanced I would love to hear them.

The Hood

Here's a little video my best friend showed me today. It's about our hometown - Raton, New Mexico. Raton is a tiny little town and growing up there was a mixed bag so to say. I couldn't get away with practically anything because everyone either knew me or my parents and my friends and enemies alike knew my business before I even did.

My friend and I like to reminisce about the "good 'ol days" growing up there - when the town was a lot more vibrant and seeing better times. Back then we had a racetrack and we even had a very small, but thriving mining industry. But all of that shut down a long time ago.

I've been back to visit only a couple of times in the many, many years since I've been gone, and I each time I leave I can't help but wonder how long it's going to be before the whole place shrivels up and blows off the map.

I have no idea who these people are who made this video but we got a few good giggles out of the whole thing so take a gander for yourself. But before you do I need to make one thing very clear- I NEVER wore Wranglers or western shirts and I wouldn't be caught dead in a pair of "mockies". Mother huggas.

Extreme Makeover Recap

Extreme Makeover - Home Edition rolled into town in the middle of August. Work officially begin with the "door-knock" on September 6th at 5:00 p.m. and for 7 straight days after that I put in 12-14 hour shifts as an on-site volunteer coordinator with 4 other lucky folks. I had a fantastic time and would do it all over again even though I saw my family about 30 minutes a day and I felt like I had been hit by a semi-truck by the time I drug myself home at 9 at night.

The Oregon State School for the Deaf was chosen as the site for Extreme Makeover and it received a brand new, green living, dormitory wing and a complete "over-haul" of it's haunted house, The Nightmare Factory, which is one of the school's main sources of revenue each year. The haunted house has always been super scary, but Extreme brought in Rob Zombie for this makeover and now it is truly over-the-top, shit your pants SCARY! I am going to wear a Depends when I go because I know I'm going to mess myself!!

All-in-all I had a great time and I was lucky enough to make some new friends, meet some incredible people, including Ty Pennington himself. And yes, he really is that crazy, energetic and nut-so in real life.

I vaguely remember saying in my last post that I would write during the week and post pictures and all, but I was completely oblivious to what laid ahead of me. It took every last ounce of strength I had just to get my teeth brushed at night so blogging was out of the question. But better late than never, here are a few pictures of my week. Be sure to check out the episode when it airs on Halloween night - it's going to be wicked good!

This is the beginning of the scene the show's producers call the "Brave Heart" scene, where all the blue shirts come marching in. On TV it looks like it happens just once, but of course we shot this scene three different times.










There were soooo many cool things being created in "Art World" that I could have went nuts taking pictures. They didn't really want a lot of pictures being taken of the haunted house stuff so I behaved myself and just nabbed these guys as they were "bringing out the dead". These are just a few of the beauties that will grace the haunted halls of The Nightmare Factory for years to come.
















Here's a group of firemen who came to add some additional "heat" to the work-site. Especially the two cuties on the left. Smokin!














I like to draw, especially on dusty patrol car windows. For some reason the cop didn't appreciate my work so much.














This is "Big Dave", one of the main behind-the-scenes guys with Extreme. I had to get an adjustment from the on-site chiropractor after this hug.















This is what a 12 hour shift will do to people. And he was just delivering pizza!



















And finally, this is Jeanette, my good friend with ridiculous connections. If it wasn't for you being who you are and knowing who you know I wouldn't have experienced all that I did. Thanks for asking me to be part of your team - you are a rock star!

A great weekend and a BIG BIG week!

Now that I am a full-time working stiff I treasure my weekends more than anything. Most all of the time they pass waaaay too quickly and most of the times they are pretty good.

But, once in a while I am treated to a weekend that is nearly perfect in every way - the boys behave for the most part and treat each other like brothers, we have some really cool adventures and no blood is shed. This weekend was one of those weekends.

It started out early, on Friday morning,(one of the reasons is was so great) with myself and the boys loading up the van and heading up to Neskowin, Oregon with my best friend and her son which is also Captain Crazy's best buddy. My husband's cousin owns a beach house there that is truly a little piece of heaven and we are lucky enough to get to stay there pretty much whenever we can.
The weekend ended with us pulling into the driveway late Sunday, very tired and still nice and sandy. In between Friday and Sunday our time was filled with lots of playing on three different beaches, long walks exploring new paths, ice cold Mike's Hard Lemonade, lots of sunshine and fresh air, and watching the boys play Star Wars on the deck overlooking the ocean. Our husbands got to go fishing and we even got to go shopping!

I wish I had taken pictures but our camera really sucks and we are in the market for a better one. And even though I am trying harder at remembering, I just get caught up in the moment and forget to snap a few shots. Hopefully I will get better as time goes on because this is the only shot I took on the whole weekend - Captain Crazy playing with his bubble gun after we got home.
Now that I have rambled on about my great weekend I guess I should let you in on the BIG BIG week I'm going to have, right?
Well, today I start work on the set of Extreme Makeover, Home Edition. I am one of the daytime volunteer coordinators. I report to the work-site today at 3 - about an hour after they have done the "door knock" and surprised the family.
For the next 10 days I will be working 10 hour shifts at the work-site - coordinating volunteers and making sure people are where they are supposed to be. That's why I guess it was so important to me that this weekend was a good one - I feel like I'm not going to see the boys at all until sometime next week - and I feel badly about that. But this is a once in a lifetime opportunity and I didn't want to pass it by. My husband has pledged to keep the boys alive and happy and the house relatively intact while I'm doing this so I guess I am set.
So for the next week or so I will try my best to post often, with pictures, about my experiences throughout the week.

Anniversary

This year it should have been copper, last year candy, the year before that wood, and the year before that flowers.

If you are the other half of a couple that marks milestones with presents, cards and sweet little nothings, then you get the picture.

This past weekend was our 7th anniversary. And this year, just like in all the past years, it came and went without much fanfare. Again it felt like the date snuck up on us, took us by surprise. We scrambled to find a baby-sitter and rushed to make dinner reservations. Again no presents -just dinner and a movie and then home before 12 so the babysitter wouldn't be out too late. We didn't even open our cards on our anniversary - I forgot to take mine to dinner and I left his in my purse - so we opened them separately when we each had time this weekend.

Our lackadaisical attitude would surely bother some, but my husband doesn't have a romantic bone in his entire body so this kind of half-assed attempt at celebrating such a big milestone doesn't bother him. In fact, we often poke fun at how unromantic he can be - which we often back up with the story of how he asked me to marry him by handing me my ring in it's box and saying "here ya go" while his roommate ate a burrito the size of a small baby on the couch right next to me.

Sometimes I think back and wonder where the time went. but other times it feels like I have been married F.O.R.E.V.E.R. Not to dump on my marriage or anything because I know for a fact he feels the exact same way at times. We each have our little habits that drive the other to drink. He swears that I have poor organizational skills which he likes to point out every time I misplace my car keys or my cell phone. He leaves his shoes right, smack in front of the doorstep so that when you step out the door, you risk twisting your ankle or falling and breaking your neck - it all depends on the size and number of his shoes that are left there. We both of course deny having any faults of any kind - but I have photographic proof. This was taken last year on our trip to Hawaii to visit his parents. It's a death trap! So now I know why he does what he does. Yikes!


But as half-assed as our date nights and milestone celebrations might be - it's still great being married to him. And what he lacks romantically he makes up for with heaps of loyalty, dependablility, kindness, and humor - which comes in handy when I'm yelling at him because I just tripped over his sneakers....again.

Bounce Back

I started this little blog of mine a little over a year ago when I was working part-time and still had time to peck out a few random posts here and there. Then that nasty recession caught up with me and overnight I went back to being a full-time SAHM.

That's when things got a little crazy. Being home with my two boys was non-stop activity and by the end of most days I had just enough energy to keep my eyes open until 9 and then it was "game over". My blogging decreased dramatically and I missed it. I made several feeble attempts at a "come back" swearing to myself that I would resume a regular schedule of reading my favorite blogs and throwing a little something up on here as well. I failed miserably.

Then I got another job and found myself juggling the demands of working full-time and being a full-time mom all the while beating down the guilt and sadness of not being with my boys. I enjoyed working though and soon adjusted to the entirely new pace my life had acquired when change swooped down again. I was asked to apply for new position within my company. This new position came with more pay but also more stress, hours, and responsibility - so of course I took it. I am a glutton for punishment if nothing else! Now my work sometimes calls me into the office at 7 and keeps me there until after 5. Most nights it keeps me awake long after I should be asleep.

Being so busy has forced me to zero in on my priorities and focus on what is important to me. I have dropped a lot of activities from my schedule and I haven't missed them - except for blogging. For months now I have been thinking about all the things I would like to whine -I mean talk about, on my blog and I have just decided once again, to yank back my towel, wring out and go another round.

This time I plan to stick around.

Some times you just have to laugh

I know this has been on YouTube forever but it's one of my favorites. It's literally impossible to feel crappy after watching this little guy.

The Rat Race

Boy howdy folks - time hasn't been flying for me - it's been moving at warp speed - or so it seems.

Again it's been forever since I have posted and I really miss you all. Honestly I am trying to post more, but finding the time has been hard since I don't have a job where I sit on my arse all day where my main responsibility was to just look busy.

I AM busy in this job....very busy and I love it. At first I have to admit it was very difficult being away from the boys. There were a few times I tried to write a post about what a crappy mother I felt like for going back to work, but I never had time to finish it. Now I'm more or less over that feeling. More or less. It also sucked having to be at the gym at 4:45 AM so I could get my workout done and be home in the shower by 6. And it really sucked having to pluck the little guys, all warm and toasty out of their beds at such an early hour and then listen to them whine, argue and complain all through breakfast because they were so tired and cranky. Yes, the first couple of weeks were very lovely.

But as we humans do, we have all adjusted to the new routine of mommy bringing home some bacon too. And things are going well. Little D and Captain Crazy are doing great in school and honestly I think they adjusted faster and easier than I did. (I actually carried one of Little D's socks around in my pocket one day I missed them so much)

I do have lots to write about. Some of the people I work with are crazy, and some are a few fries short of Happy Meal, but they are all good people and really nice and fun to be around. One of the managers is a nice, tall drink of water and since he's not my boss so I don't feel bad getting all slobbery when he walks by. But, more about all of that and other things will have to wait for now. I have to hit the shower early this morning.

Thanks for still stopping by and checking to see if I am alive. I do love to see to you here!

Day 3 and the best Christmas gift ever.

So so so much has happened since I last posted what seems like a thousand years ago. The obvious major holidays like Thanksgiving and Christmas, and the visits from family, trips out of town, and all the other little ups and downs of life - all stuff that came and went without so much as a whisper about it on my blog.

Why?

I don't know really. It could be that I knew my time at home with the boys was limited and I wanted to spend it as fully engaged with them as possible. Or it could be that they just kept me so busy that even if I had wanted to write, which I did try to do several times, I only got a few lines deep before something blew up, broke, or blood was shed. Hmmm, yeah, I think that was it.

But anyway, today I want to share two big things with you all so here I am - up waaaay before I should be so I can hopefully get this post up before the chaos of the new day begins.

Drumroll please.......I finally found a job - a full time job with nice pay and nice benefits to boot. Yah! I finished day three of orientation last week and my two week training starts Monday.

And while I am quite thankful to have a job now, I have a lot of mixed feelings.
When they offered me the position, part of me was jumping up and down and the other part of me panicked because in just 5 short months my boys and I tossed structure out the window and slipped into some pretty comfortable and relaxed routines like sleeping till 9 (them, not me)and I didn't want anything to change that.

Anyway, I'm back at work now and the first week, which thanks to the New Years holiday, consisted on only three days. The boys seemed just fine but the real test will come next week. When they have to get up at 6:30 am for five days in a row and go to school and daycare all week long - then we'll see how they do.

And selfishly I pray they do fine - I hope they rock the house. It would be so much easier on me because I have some major guilt about going back to work. I just wish I could split myself in two sometimes. I don't have
to work. We could continue living the way we have been these past 5 months - cutting out the fat and living leaner. But I still have professional goals and the longer I stay out of the workforce the harder it will be for me to achieve them. And what happens when the boys are older and in school most of the day? What happens when they want to be with their friends more than they want to be home? What then? So yes, I am trying to put some salve on my guilt by thinking of the future - a future that has me working and earning money and "getting ahead". I just wish I could prolong things a bit.

The second bit of news is that Dane potty trained himself the week before Christmas. I had tried coaxing him into using the potty on several occasions, all with mixed results. He knew exactly what he needed to do but actually told me a couple of times that he just wasn't ready and still wanted to use his diapers. Can't argue with that so I let the issue drop completely. Then one morning I casually asked him if he wanted to try using the potty and he said he didn't like his potty because it hurt his butt and that was why he still liked his diapers. So, we got him a different potty and he never looked back. Problem solved and diapers gone!

I have to hand it to Little D. He knows what he likes and doesn't like and when he's ready to do something, he does it. No wishy-washy crap and no looking back.

Maybe I should take a cue from him.

Happy New Year's everyone.

I'm still here -surprisingly.

Wow it's been a long time since I last posted and it seems to be getting harder and harder to find the time to sit down and write.

It seems like now that I am a full time SAHM I am busier than ever. I have been a SAHM mom before, but back then I only had one kiddo to watch over and I wasn't trying to find a new job on top of everything else. Now I have two kids - not that two is some unmanageable number but it is more than one, and I'm trying to find a new job and juggle about a billion other things at the same time. And the juggling thing - I know why I'm doing it - because I feel like I have to or I should because I'm not working right now. I just can't seem to slooooowww down and enjoy the ride. Crazy, I know.

Anyway, so many fun things have happened that I just haven't had time to write about. The Captain's 5th birthday, waaaaaaaay back in September. (I know, shame on me) A family trip to Colorado - again waaaaaaay back in September. And who could forget the arrival of Autumn with it's pumpkin patches, pumpkin carving and Halloween? And now Thanksgiving is staring me in the face and Christmas is right around the corner. And then there all the funny things I see and hear my kids do on a daily basis - the very reason I wanted to start this blog in the first place. So, so many things to write about and yet I have barely managed to eek out one post a month. I am trying to figure out a way to carve out more time to write because I really do enjoy blogging and visiting other blogs.

But for the immediate future -sporadic posts will have to do for me. So with that in mind I want to make sure I wish all of my bloggy friends who stop by here a "Happy Thanksgiving!"

Now I have to go - Little D is up and he wants his "Bweckfist"

I should be sleeping right now

I have been up since 4:45 this morning.

I am tired. Very tired.

And I am completely pissed off that the ONE freaking day I get to sleep in past 5:30, I wake up at 4:45.

I didn't do it voluntarily. No. I woke up to Little D hacking his head off so of course I got up to take care of him. Except he didn't much feel like going back to sleep after his 45 min. coughing spell. Instead he laid in his bad and called for me non-stop for another hour. When I finally went back into his room to tell him in a nice and loving way to SHUT THE HELL UP ALREADY!, he looked at me and ever so sweetly and said, "Mommy, I need my orange binkie"

For Christ's sake!

After I fished his binkie out from under his bed he was pretty much completely done with the whole going back to bed idea so up we got.

He's currently in his room, making all kinds of noise again when he should be taking his nap. This does not look good.

You're probably wondering why I just don't sneak in a nap while he's in his room, right? Well, I tried but my wacky next door neighbor is in his garage, banging in his drum set and I can hear everything. And he sucks too.

And as I finish writing this, my husband and The Captain are back from running errands, and Little D is now calling for his big brother - hoping that he will rescue him from his naptime hell.

Who is going to rescue me?

DISCLAIMER - I would never actually tell my kids to SHUT THE HELL UP ALREADY
but the thought has run through my mind on more than occasion.

Cumpumbers and Pamatoes and other interesting things

My Little D is a smidgen over two and half and to my delight he still massacres words every now and then. For example, "cumpumber" is his word for cucumber and "pamato" is his word for tamato.

His older brother could pronounce words like "kaleidoscope" "rutabaga" and "trapezoid" perfectly at age 1, which always made people think he was older than he was.

But not Little D. He called grapes "beeps" for a long time. Chicken nuggets were "chicken nugwits" and he replaced every "S' with an "H" so "snack" was instead "hack" and "Santa Claus" was "Hanta Claus".

My husband and I would correct him every now and then, just to make sure he knew the correct way to say such words and then we let him figure it out on his own, which he did. There's only a few words he doesn't get now and it sort of makes me a little sad because it means he's growing up. My last little baby is very quickly becoming a big boy -right before my tired eyes.

Anyway, I have seriously neglected my blog and I haven't been checking in with a lot of you and I feel bad.

But there's only so much a mortal woman can do, you know? And this blessed job search is the pits. So much has happened since I posted last but instead of throw all kinds of crazy at you all at once I thought some pics of our trip to the farm to pick "pamatos" would do nicely....for now.

We are big fans of community supported agriculture. In the summer, we basically buy a "membership" to one of the gobs of small farms around the area and then we get all of our produce from them until the fall. The farm we have "belonged" to the last couple of years does this thing called "salsa time" where it's members can come out to the farm and pick 50lbs of tamatos, peppers, garlic and cilantro to make salsa.

This year we picked the perfect day and the perfect time to visit the farm as the weather was gorgeous and we were the only folks there. It was heaven.

A lot of people tell me that I am very lucky to have little ones that like veggies enough to eat them raw....off of the ground. I would have to agree.

Let the games begin

Oh joy - my job search has started in earnest people and all I can say is.....it blows.

A lot.

Every single minute I have spent on the computer in the past couple of weeks has been dedicated to prowling job boards, placement agency websites, newspaper websites and "how to write a kick-ass cover letter" websites.

No blogging, no Facebook, no Twitter, no email. No nothing.

I feel disconnected. Unplugged.

I did come across a position pretty early on in my search. It happened to be with a past employer - an "esteemed institution of higher learning". I thought I just might luck out and end my job search in short order seeing as how I worked for so-called institution for almost three years, and I did a good job while I was there. I also had every single iota of experience they were calling for so I wasn't surprised when I landed a phone interview. How could I not, really?

I also fully expected to be called back for an on-campus interview.

However, about three days after my phone interview, I received a rejection email from the search committee chair letting me know that they while they appreciated my interest in the position they selected finalists whose experience better suited their needs blah, blah, blah.

Whatever, Cornholio.

I do admit that my telephone interview wasn't stellar. I spent my entire morning running after, cleaning up after, and refereeing my boys. I laid Little D down for his nap and kicked The Captain out the door with the sitter about 5 minutes before the start of the interview. I was prepared, but not ready for it. If that makes any sense?

And it probably didn't help me in any way that the department Vice President is still pissed that I left my job after The Captain was born - after I promised that I was coming back and after he created a new position for me that kept me from traveling so much.

I don't really have much to say about that except 'Sorry dude, but that's how the cookie crumbles. If you didn't have a dick you'd understand'

Sadly, being cast away like a piece of trash by a former employer hasn't been the cherry on top of my delightful job search. I think that might be the numerous rejections I have received for jobs that require nothing but a heartbeat and a will to live to qualify.

This whole job search thing may be harder than I thought.

It was a whopper!

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So we took the boys fishing last weekend. It was The Captain's third or fourth time and as you can see, he already has the ability of a seasoned pro. Just look at the whopper on his line!




But Little D was not to be outdone by his big brother and landed his first catch of the day too.

We took them fishing at some ponds outside of town. I hate fishing in ponds. Actually I just plain hate ponds. Especially the kind that have half weed, half nasty-ass scum-of-some-type covering the surface. These ponds did - as you can see by the picture. Doesn't that look like the perfect pond home for a swamp monster, or a dead body??? Shiver.

I have never been a fan of large, murky bodies of water. I have always had a problem with swimming in them because I'm totally afraid that something could be lurking right below the surface, just waiting to get me. I saw a movie a loooong time ago about a big swamp blob that ate a pack of swimmers after they took an innocent afternoon dip. I was at a very impressionable age so I'm sure that's why I'm such a freak about it.

Anyway, after the boys grew bored with fishing, they ate some watermelon and then went exploring.

Then we drove to a nearby peach orchard and picked some peaches.
Notice Little D going for all the rotten fruit on the ground. But he quickly figured out that the peaches from the tree were much tastier.

After we had eaten/picked our fill we went home. The boys were muddy, tired, sticky and exhausted - a sign of a very good day.

Looking back at this summer, I think we have had quite a few great days and I'm really thankful for that. I have enjoyed being able to spend more time my boys, taking them to the beach, the zoo, and the water parks.

I'm looking for work now and will probably end up going back full-time. Even though I knew this time would come sooner or later, it's still going to be hard, so my plan for now is to enjoy the rest of the time that I have left and really make the most of it. I think I hear the beach calling my name again!

Ouch - that hurt!

I started my day by shelling out $950.00 to our friendly neighborhood plumber. I guess the good news is that now my toilets flush again and my dirty little monsters can finally take a bath after going all weekend without one.

I HATE! HATE! HATE! unexpected repairs - especially ones that cost an arm and a leg. And it only figures that I almost had enough money saved up for new windows, which we desperately need. Now I'm probably going to have to go through another winter with our shitty-ass, old-as-dirt windows because my dear husband, bless his heart, violently opposes using credit cards which means we try to save up for big ticket things instead of whipping out the plastic. I must confess it's nice not to have any credit card debt, but when things like this happen I really hear Mastercard calling my name!!!!

I know it could be a lot worse so I'm trying to look on the bright side of things - which I usually try to do. But sometimes it would just be nice, for once, not to feel like some circus juggler trying to keep all the balls in the air - you know?

I'm off to cry in my coffee now.