What Happens When I’m Sick

I had a great day yesterday!  I’ll fill you in later; however, we got home about 6 or so, and by 7 pm…

I was sick.  It was awful.

This morning I feel better and my fever is finally gone, but I’m not well, yet.  On top of not being fully well, I have all of the after affects of yesterdays episodes.

By 8 am it was clear that we were skipping church today.

I made a cup of coffee, got my Gatorade and made myself comfy on the couch.  Football doesn’t start until 11 am, so I have time to kill and channels to surf.

After an hour, let me tell you –

I think this should be my backyard – I think that I have the skills and talents to do this myself.

I think this should be my kitchen.  I fully believe that I can do this all on my own.  No joke, this kitchen episode is the one I just watched!! I want those counter tops!

Now, if only that bathtub poured out money instead of water… I’d be all set.

Calling All Graphic Designers!

Have a design you want to showcase? Want to make some money? The Book Boozer is looking for you then! Check it out!

thebookboozer

Do you have a whole folder of brilliant designs just sitting on your desktop? C’mon. I know you do. You’re not fooling anyone!

Well, guess what?

My husband and I are in the process of launching an online shirt company, 7 Day Apparel!

The idea of the company is to sell shirts with designs on them from independent designers. I have raved on here before about how much I am inspired by the art I see all over the internet, whether it be inspired by books, movies, what have you. You are all incredibly talented, and we want to be able to give you another platform to show your work! And make a little money while you’re at it! When we decide to use one of your designs, you will get $1 from every shirt sold.

Here’s the twist: each shirt design will only be available for a week- but…

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When Do Kids Stop Ruling The House?

I know when kids are little they rule the roost. You have to adhere to their schedule cause they can’t tell you what they need.

When they are toddlers you follow their lead as they explore and learn the world.

When they start school the schedule shifts to accommodate the new sleep schedule, making sure they get plenty so their little brains are ready to learn.

At some point, though, aren’t you supposed to get your house back?

It’s 8:30 pm and I am in bed.

You heard me. And, this isn’t the first time this week it’s happened! The problem is that I’ve been so conditioned over the years that this habit is hard to break. I put Mr. T in bed, do the man of the house routine and make sure all the doors are closed and locked and then I get in bed. Normally I’ll read or watch TV for a bit; however, it’s habit that after he goes to bed I do, too. That’s my quiet time, and hour in bed with minimal distractions.

Why is my quiet time happening so early this week? Cause twice this week at 8 pm Mr. T has given me a hug and said “goodnight, I’m going to bed, love you.”

So what else am I supposed to do? I hug him, do the routine and get in bed.

In other news, it was “neon” day at school. I think he nailed it!

I Thought That Was What Mom’s Were Supposed To Do

I picked Mr. T up from theatre rehearsal last night and he was limping a bit – and several of the cast members yelled into the car as T was putting up his backpack and then getting in “He really hurt his toe.”  “It might be broken”  “It bled all over the place!!”  “We didn’t think that it would ever stop!!”

If I was a normal parent, I might have been alarmed; however, you know I’m not normal.

Here’s what happened:  Mr. T can do the splits.  He’s been able to do them for years.  In the latest play they are rehearsing, the director thinks it would be great if T could drop to the splits and pop right back up during one of the scenes.  No big deal getting down – but he’s been working on “popping right back up”.  Apparently yesterday he “popped” and miscalculated on the rise and didn’t get his foot under him properly and ended up landing on his toe.  Like landing ballerina style on his big toe.  Ballerina style.  On his big toe.

Best guess is that when he landed – ballerina style on his big toe – the toe went one way and the toenail went the other.  Kinda like “/\”.  I’m not surprised that he bled a lot with that kinda boo-boo!  The good news is that one of the student athletic trainers is also in theatre and she bandaged him up properly and gave him good instructions for taking care of it last night.

He needed to clean it last night so he got it all unwrapped and showed it to me.  Then he asked for pictures.  Then he asked me if I wanted to kiss it and make it better.

Uh, no.  (I hate feet, he knows that I hate feet – feet freak me out – I don’t want them to touch me.)

His response was “I thought that was what mom’s were supposed to do!  Kiss it and make it better!”

To which I replied “Not when it’s feet!”

That’s the new parenting rule – you don’t have to kiss and make it better when it’s feet!

If you are faint of heart – do not scroll down.

I warned you.  (Erica – just stop now, I’m serious.)

Weapon of Choice in the 80’s

I’m house/dog sitting this weekend.  We all know how much I love to do this – remember the time I thought there was a ghost rearranging the furniture at my parents house? Turned out to just be the dogs… So, we are sticking close to home to try and alleviate any issues.

The problem is, it is too nice a day to be stuck indoors!!  Way too nice! So, I figured it wouldn’t hurt to run into town – grab some lunch and see if the Halloween store is open yet! I ran upstairs to mom’s vanity to try and find some makeup to dust on my face.  (Yes, I know you aren’t supposed to share make up.  It’s my mom’s, I’m not worried.)  (Hi Mom! Uh, by the way, I went through your make up!) Despite the fact that we have similar coloring, we wear different colors when it comes to makeup.  It’s always fun to dig through and see what I can find.  Eventually I found some powder and some eye shadow and mascara.

Then… I found this… the weapon of choice of every 80’s girl!

It looks like a simple black box; however, when you open it up

Ka-Chow!  You are a ninja!  You mastered the flip and could pop the lip, flip your wrist and all of the sudden the world was at your feet!  You had the mirror so you didn’t have to fight for sink space to use the community mirror; you had mascara, lip liner, eye liner, and oh my – the eye shadow!

Look at those colors!  But wait! There’s more!

What?? You say there are 10 different shadow options? There isn’t a girl out there that couldn’t do her eyes with all of those colors!

But wait!  There is still more!

Five lipsticks?!? Get out of town!  Oh, the lipsticks can double as blush?

We are not worthy! We are not worthy!

There you have it – my mom is apparently a makeup ninja!  The funny part is – this isn’t left over from the 80’s… it’s pretty new! Either way, I had fun having an 80’s flashback this morning!

Now I’m off to enjoy the day!  Happy Saturday everyone!

My 40 Random Acts of Kindness

I found this pin the other day and it really spoke to me!

The Rebel Foodie put together a list of 52 Random Acts of Kindness and helped me imagine what a difference I could make.  I’ve already started on my list, but I feel compelled to share and bring you along with me on this journey.

I spent some time on the web and gathered up some ideas and combined it with items from The Rebel Foodies list and created my own list: 40 Random Acts of Kindness.  I have a birthday coming up, and felt this was a great way to Pay It Forward and help me celebrate the time I’ve spent on Earth.  My goal is to complete these items before I turn 40; which is closer than I think!

I visited the Random Acts of Kindness foundation website and found some great ideas, as such, my list is actually longer than 40 items.  In the end, I wanted to make sure I left myself open to opportunities that presented themselves.  Also, because I realized that a lot of the items on the list are things I do regularly, I needed to stretch my boundaries and give myself acts of kindness that would help me grow as a person.

I am super excited about this new chapter and Mr. T doesn’t know it yet, but he is too!

I’ve created a new page for my 40 Random Acts of Kindness and I encourage you to check it out – and come back and check out what I’ve crossed off and remind me to get busy if you notice I’ve been slacking!

For your reading pleasure, I’ve also included it here!  Thank you, as always, for being part of my journey and letting me share my life with you!

(Update! I told Mr. T about this the other day “hey, here is what I’m doing and I’d like you to be part of it – we have to finish before my BD.”  He asked what was on the list and I read most of it to him… Let me tell you – T has taken off!!  He immediately picked up his phone and called half a dozen friends “I just wanted to let you know I’m thinking about you.  Nope, that’s it.  Okay, bye!”  And every where we go, he is picking up trash!  I’m just so proud of my kid right now!  I have to get busy or he’s going to put me to shame!)

1. Hold the door open for someone
2. Teach a child something you wish you knew at that age
3. Tip a waitress more than you normally would
4. Spend some time with a senior citizen
5. Smile at a stranger
6. Compliment a stranger
7. Put a quarter in a meter that is about ready to expire
8. Leave the mail person a thank you card
9. Donate unwanted items to a homeless shelter
10. Donate your unwanted suits to a place that caters to single moms re-entering the work force or older workers re-entering the work force.
11. Smile at the Walmart greeter
12. Help someone learn something new
13. Bake someone a cake
14. Carry someone’s bags to the car at the grocery store
15. Walk or run for charity
16. Thank a soldier
17. Let someone go in front of you in line
18. Say “thank you” to the cashier
19. Share inspirational quotes
20. Donate books to a school or library
21. Give your box tops to a school ( found on General Mills products)
22. Help someone for free
23. Bring flowers to a co-worker, friend, or someone that may be having a hard time.
24. Tell your family you love them.
25. Donate coupons that have expired to a military family (they are honored at the military commissary)
26. Buy that young mother a gallon of milk, a loaf of bread, and a jar of peanut butter.
27. Praise a parent for their child
28. Praise your boss
29. Instead of asking for gifts ask your friends to do random acts of kindness on your birthday.
30. Donate stuffed animals, coloring books, crayons, stickers, and little toys to the police station to hand out to sick, abused, or scared kids.
31. Give someone a hug
32. Help someone whose car is broken down
33. Send a sunshine box to someone that is sick (put in Kleenex, their favorite cough drops, magazines, and anything that might cheer them up. Don’t forget the get well card )
34. Hand out pennies at a wishing well or fountain. You never know whose wish you may help come true.
35. Surprise someone with a cup cake, muffin, cookie, etc.
36. Pre-stamp some thank you notes and hand them out, letting the recipient know to send it to someone they appreciate
37. Hide notes in library books for someone else to find.
38. Make or buy hats for kids that are suffering from cancer and donate them.
39. Be a friend who listens
40. Stick your change in the Ronald McDonald box at McDonald’s
41. Make care packages and take them to a homeless shelter.
42. Leave your newspaper for someone
43. Donate blood
44. Donate school supplies to a school or preschool
45. Call a friend and let them know you are thinking about them
46. Donate a $1 (when asked in line at grocery/convenience store “would you like to donate” say yes)
47. Thank the police or fire department (drop off a case of water)
48. Return a shopping cart for someone and save them the trip
49. Take new parents a date night kit. (Movie rental, popcorn, 2 liter of soda, and candy.)
50. Collect canned food for a food bank
51. Hand out Valentine cards with lollipops on Valentine’s Day.
52. Write a letter to someone who made a difference in your life.
53. Pick up trash.
54. Plant a tree
55. Pat someone on the back
56. Take little care packages to a Cancer center. Fill them with a travel size hand lotion, chapstick, and purse size package of antibacterial wipes. They will be much appreciated!

I Love Halloween

The look of my blog is a bit different – I can’t help it, I am so ready for Halloween.  The other day we spilled something on the tablecloth, and I took it off to wash – and I was so very tempted to go ahead and put up the Halloween tablescape! I haven’t yet, but I also haven’t ruled it out!

Every year I decorate for Halloween – and I mean decorate! I have actually paired down the decorations, but it’s still pretty darn awesome when you walk into my house!  I have a spooky monster that greats you in the living room.

Here he is posing with Joshua last year.  Yes, that is a witches cauldron bubbling in the background.  And if you look closely, an apparition has appeared in the mirror.

Mr. T and I live with the decorations all month long – and yes, there are times that spooky monster, or, as I like to call him, George, will scare us when we walk in the room and forget he is there!

I have a graveyard that I set up in front of the fire place, an old man hanging in a cage in the corner and T’s bathroom was apparently the site of a grizzly murder as there is blood spatter and bloody hand prints all over the place!

I think I could do this! It would look great as a backdrop to my graveyard!

The highlight of the season is the fact that I’m blessed to be able to throw the annual Halloween party for all my friends!  The day before I take off work and crank up the oven!  I like to make treats and eats!  I always have some type of main course and half a dozen sides, and all my friends bring something to toss on the table to share.

We have brains – in both red and blue – a bucket of poison and even some veggies for the non-zombies in the group!

Most importantly, we get to dress up!! I love costumes, always have! Every year, going way back to my teenage years, I’ve dressed up to hand out candy, so I get super excited when it’s time to pick a costume for Halloween!  I don’t mind spending time or money on them, as I reuse them over and over again – and having said that, I think that this year I have to buy a new tub to hold the costumes… or go hang them up in the spare room closet!

I love that I have friends who get into the spirit of things – they aren’t fuddy-duddy’s who won’t play along – they enjoy participating and it makes the night and the memories even more special!  (yes, there are a few that don’t play along and show up wearing a shirt that says “this is my costume”, but that’s okay – they just don’t get to take a whack at the pinata!)

Queen of Atlantis and Pippy Longstocking (2011)

Pinata Time! (PS, I put down a big patch of astro turf on the grass under the pinata, that way, once it is busted open, it is easier to gather the goodies and nothing gets lot that Shorty could choke on or get sick eating) (2011)

Even Shorty gets in the spirit! (2011)

George, Gypsy, nun and do you remember those Barbie heads? You could brush the hair and put make up on them? That had to be the most inspired costume of the bunch – there was even make up on her tray! (2012)

So, tell me – don’t you just love Halloween?

Conversations with The Girl Next Door

One of our group of Diva’s is the Girl Next Door.  GND is just about as super sweet as they come, and super funny!  She is the mom of an adorable 5 or 6 year old, something like that.

Sadly, she announced the other day that after 15 or so years of being together, she and her husband are getting divorced.  My heart just breaks for her, but, she has really given her marriage her all and we will support her through all of this.

Girlfriend pregnant, wife knows, need money!

It has not been easy so far, as her husband has vacillated between being amicable and being down right hateful.  GND is amazing as she recognizes that hurt feelings are sometimes hard to work through and she is trying to be as calm and reasonable as she can.  Her goal is an amicable split, division of assets and for this to impact their child as little as possible.  This goal is not always an easy one to reach when feelings come into play.

She texted me the other night – and I’m sure she won’t mind that I’m sharing the conversation.  At least, if none of you tell her, then she won’t mind!  But here is how we deal with bad days in our world.  Enjoy!

Tuesday

GND: What are you doing?  Feeling a little lonely so I’m harassing people

ME: LOL! I just got back from a lunch dinner 🙂

GND: A lunch dinner? It started at noon and lasted through happy hour??

ME: Lmbo! I meant work dinner!!

GND: Lmao oh! That makes more sense.  LOL

ME: hahahah.  Thank goodness the place was only two blocks away. 🙂 How are you? Besides the obvious?

GND: Good thing! Meh, I’m okay, I guess.  Mentally worn out. Ready to be done.  Trying to get with my attorney to get paperwork done.

ME: Yuck, that sucks!  I’m glad you are getting your paperwork together.

GND: yeah, I got the referral yesterday, so I’m waiting to hear back on cost and what they need.

ME:  I haven’t shaved in three days…

GND:  Lmao… I shaved this morning and it looks like it’s been days, lol

ME: When I win the lottery I want to get laser treatment on the lower half of my legs

GND:  Heck yes! Me too.  I want it from my eyebrows down.

(There was a little more conversation after that, but it was back on serious items.)

Thursday 

ME:  I finally shaved today.  Just cause I know you were wondering about it.

GND: I was wondering when you’d finally cave!!

So, when you are feeling down just text me.  I’ll tell you how long it’s been since I shaved my legs.

Hawaiian Chicken – Freezer to Crockpot!

I inspired someone! 🙂 I don’t get to say that very often – and well, technically I didn’t say is – ortsofsorts said it! Since I like it being said, I think you should all go read her blog, too! Happy Sunday!

Double The Fun

Winding Road is one of my new favorite bloggers.  She tends to get sentimental when she posts late at night, she writes beautiful poetry, and she’s learning to not be afraid to take risks! As a mother of two, she has some great stories and I’ve been touched and inspired and had great laughs as I’ve read her blog.  If you don’t know Kerry at Winding Road, I highly suggest you give her a follow and spend some time getting to know her.

While all of the above is very true, today I really love her because she nominated me for two awards! You heard me right – Two!! If that wasn’t awesome enough, these are two really cool awards that deal with the blogging community and our relationships with each other.

First is the Reader Appreciation award for those that like or comment on a regular basis.  I love this award because it recognizes those that take the time out of their busy lives to acknowledge that they’ve read the post.  Even just a simple click of the “like” button lets me know that you stopped by.  A comment means that something I wrote was enough to stop you for just a few minutes.  I’ve really enjoyed those who have commented on my blog as it has given me a chance to get to know you all a little better!

I am so very blessed to be able to pass this along to those that have been very interactive on my blog.  I’m very grateful for the time you have taken to let me know if you liked, agreed with, totally disagreed with or even when I’ve completely and utterly freaked you out!  Those little comments and interactions have given me great joy and I’m very pleased to pass this along to you!

1. Me, Myself and Kids
2. Surviving the Madhouse
3. Motherhood Is An Art
4. My Journey to Live an Authentic Life
5. To See the World in a Grain of Sand
6. You Caught Me Sitting Still

The second award is Semper Fidelis Award. 

 Semper Fidelis is Latin for “Always Faithful” or “Always Loyal” and I’m giving this award to Me, Myself and Kids as he is the embodiment of this award in my mind.  I know that I’ve mentioned him before and I will mention him again.  MMK taught me the meaning of becoming a community and has been there for me with advice (both solicited and not!), comfort when things were going wrong and a sounding board when I’ve needed.

I love writing, which is why I originally started this blog; however, due to all of the wonderful people in the blogosphere I’ve gotten a very unexpected side benefit – becoming part of the community.  Arms have been opened wide and welcomed me in – and we’ve shared laughter and a few tears together and I’m so very grateful and very blessed to have all of you as part of my community.