2010

I borrowed your picture Mrs. Short - Thanks! =D

It's New Years Eve and I've been thinking about the resolutions I'd like to make (and keep) for 2010. I'm really not one to make resolutions but my friends have all been talking about theirs so I thought I'd join in. The Husband likes to do a "Family Plan" every January 1st which includes personal, financial and social goals for the year. Yes, this includes his goals for me and Little Man as well as himself. He's a giver he is! =D

Here's a list that I've thrown together:

1. Go to the health club at least 4 days a week.....and going to the Spa at the club DOES NOT count as working out. =D

2. Stop going to Starbucks and start having green tea at home. Um...we'll see how long this lasts!

3. Read the newspaper everyday. I read the MSN.Com homepage everyday but that doesn't really count. We get the USA Today and the local community paper so I don't have an excuse not to stay up on current events.

4. Finally read the manual to my camera and cell phone so I know how to work the darn things! Have to get past using the AUTO and Default settings.

5. Make sure to mail a Birthday card to everyone this year. Emailing an eCard the day of the birthday because I forgot to get one in the mail is just lazy.

6. Cook dinner for the family. I do, well, I try, well, I REALLY DO try, just not on a regular basis. It goes in spurts. I'm a spurt cooker. Well, that just sounds weird and kinda gross but you get my point. Goal: No cooking chicken 4 nights out of 7. You can only do chicken so many ways. May actually try to cook fish and pray that the house doesn't end up smelling like a Seattle fish market!

7. Take a trip as a family. We go back home for some holidays and some birthdays every year but the Husband, Little Man and I haven't taken a family trip....just the 3 of us. Well, this is really isn't a resolution....just a goal.

This is all I have so far!

Hope you're successful at keeping any resolutions you decide to make!

A Merry Christmas was had by all!

During our 8 hour road-trip home for the holidays, Little Man treated us to his vocal stylings of a Jingle Bells/Old MacDonald music mix.

Little Man and his cousins Christmas morning

(Couldn't get my video to load! Ergh!)

We enjoyed a white Christmas with 7"-10" of snow!

The Husband picking up Little Man and Uncle J helping a cousin up.

Little Man's first snow angel!

Hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas and have a Happy New Year!

Christmas Past..

I was flipping around on the ipooter, looking at old holiday photos and thought I'd post some of Little Man from Christmas past.

Baby's First Christmas

8 Months Old - 2007

HOW CUTE IS THIS?!

Found the Santa suit at Babies-R-Us...the best place to find fun holiday outfits for your baby. You know the ones..the outfits that you see & laugh out loud, but you buy it anyway, take it home and dress up the kid while they squirm but they can't really protest because they can't talk yet, and then the husband gets home and shakes his head, mentally thinking "poor kid" but then laughs himself and agrees with you that the child IS the most adorable thing on the planet. Yeh, those outfits!

1 year 8 months - 2008

First of many "Dapper Little Man" outfits.

I'm all for cute baby blue clothes and such for babies but once the kid can walk, I'm a firm believer that they can be stylish! Only if it's machine washable of course because I'm not crazy!

2 years 8 months - 2009

Sporting a tie and hat this year!

Little Man has ALWAYS liked to wear hats. Guess that comes from getting him started early with ball caps and bucket hats around 3 months of age. I bought this outfit while Little Man was in school hoping that he would like it so I wouldn't have to return it...but he liked it! Actually, he wanted to hang out around the house wearing only the hat, tie and a diaper. He's such a fashion risk-taker. =D

All I Want for Christmas....

The Husband and I took Little Man by the mall to see Santa Claus last week. We've been lucky, he's never cried or screamed when he sees the big guy so we always get a good picture. This year Little Man took his green super bouncy ball to show Santa and told him that he wanted Transformers for Christmas. Now Little Man didn't even know what they were until he saw the toys at his cousins house. Then The Husband thought it would be a great idea for him to see Transformers 2 (because he still needed to see it). Hmmm. Not so much. A lot of heavy editing involved. But even after watching Megan Fox's award winning performance (**cough** she sucks **cough** **cough**) he still wants the toys. =D Merry Christmas!

It's Beginning to Feel a lot like Christmas!

Little Man's first snow! Here is south Texas, it only snows one day out of the year...if that. Last year it snowed at night while Little Man was sleeping and the year before that it snowed while we were out of town! Being from Oklahoma, we're used to getting a GOOD snowfall. The kind that gets you a snow day from school so you can go sledding and make snow angels and snowmen! Since moving down here 5 years ago, the holidays just haven't been the same. This year we have had a nice changing of the leaves and the snow we got today brought some much needed holiday spirit! We also took Little Man to get his picture taken with Santa! (pics to be posted soon).

Trying to catch snowflakes with Daddy

Ahhhh!

Bah Humbug!

I have to honestly say that I'm not quite into the Holiday Spirit...just not feelin' it...not yet anyway. The shopping is done, travel plans have been made and I'd like to get the decorations down from the attic but I'm just not motivated! I'm even running late on taking Little Man's picture for our holiday card! Maybe if I listen to Christmas music non-stop for the next few days, that will help. Oh! And I have the Rudolf nose and antlers that I need to put on my car!!! How festive is that! Ok....maybe feelin' it a little bit. =]

Soapbox time!

A friend of my recently blogged about being opinionated so I thought I'd join in!

I usually keep my opinions to myself, trying to be sweet, not offend anyone, be politically correct (I hate that term by the way).....my mom always told me, "if you can't say something nice, don't say anything at all". But I need to VENT! While running errands yesterday, several things got me thinking and some got me irritated! Here's the list:

1. Radio DJ: A radio station I was listening to asked listeners to call in if they had unfinished projects around the house. Apparently there was a poll taken and the average household has at least 15 unfinished projects around the house. Really the DJ's were asking wives to call in and complain on-air about their husbands not getting the projects done. But the male DJ didn't expect all these women to call in and say, "why does society expect women to take care of the cooking, cleaning, laundry & childcare, while the husbands are supposed to do the handy work?". I remember a time, pre-husband, when I mowed my own lawn, painted my own house, rewired a lamp, changed light bulbs (COME ON! HOW HARD IS THIS!) and other projects around the house! Loved It! Well...the male DJ says, "maybe we need to hear some positive reinforcement so we'll be more eager to get these projects done?" [[[[[GASP]]]]]]] OH, NO HE DIDN'T JUST SAY THAT!!! We have to stroke the male ego?! We don't have time for that! Being a mom is the most thankless job on the planet! Do we get a "thank you honey, I just love the way you fold my shirts", "I love the way you're taking care of our child" or "I think you're so wonderful for being able to chase a toddler, nurse the baby every 2 hours and clean the house with little or no sleep at all". (((crickets chirping))) Yeh, no thanks there! So that comment from the DJ set off a firestorm of angry calls and I was getting pretty agitated so I just changed the station. stupid guy. I think spouses should divvy up the chores according to what each person likes to do or doesn't mind doing and pay someone to do the rest! =D

**I do have to mention that John does tell me what a great Mom I am and while I was putting Jaden down last night, John emptied the dishwasher for me. I did say "Thank You" and he said "you don't have to thank me". Ahhhh, no ego stroking required in our house! =D

2. Drivers: Female - If you have a dog on your lap, a cell phone on your ear and are applying makeup while driving, GET OFF THE ROAD! I usually have my kid in the car and I really don't want to have perform some lifesaving vehicular maneuver to save our lives!

Male Drivers - If you're in a designer suit, have a Bluetooth (hands-free device) on your ear, possibly running late for a meeting and your car costs more than most people's houses, that DOES NOT give you the right to be a rude driver and cut people off. I'm tempted to catch you at the stoplight and chuck my DECAF Starbucks out the window at you! And that coffee isn't cheap!

3. People using profanity while on the cell phone in a public place: While at the airport, waiting to fly up and see the Grandparents a couple of months ago, Little Man and I had to listen to this woman on her cell phone, apparently trying to fix a situation at work with a co-worker and she was saying, SH*#, HE%% and the big one F&#$! Look around you! You are sharing a public space with people who do not want to listen to your foul mouth! Especially if children are present. Although you may think you sound like you are taking charge, knocking heads and getting things done....You sound like an idiot! Finally took Jaden on a tour of the terminal so his little ears could take a break!

Whew! I feel so much better now for getting that off my chest!

Thank you so much for stopping by my blog! I hope everyone has a lovely day! =]

What the....?! Noo, Noooo, NOOOOO!

Think Poop, not finger paints.

I know......GROSS!!!

It's official, Little Man is in his "Poop Exploration" phase. 2 weeks ago, I picked Little Man up from Mother's Day Out and he was wearing his "backup" outfit. You know, the one the teacher asks you to pack in case they get REALLY messy during lunchtime or have a diaper malfunction. So I'm thinking, "Must have had pasta today...oh well, I'll Oxy Clean the heck out of it when we get home".

I Wish!

The teacher told me that he had gotten into his diaper during nap time and smeared his poo on himself and his nap mat and then she handed me a trash bag filled with the mess to take home and wash/disinfect/maybe burn?!!! Once we got home, Little Man was watching a video while I was doing laundry and did he did it again! And he's so stealth about it! You don't know what is going on because he's so quiet (maybe that's a clue!) but then he comes to get you because his hands are "Yucky!".

Well, it happened at school again today so I Googled, "How do I keep my toddler from sticking his hands in his diaper?" and found lots of posts on the subject. Apparently this is common for the toddler age group! Ewww! Really?! I think the worst thing I did as a kid was eat Playdoh (salty, in case you're curious) and a dog biscuit (on a dare)!

Some of the solutions that moms posted include duct taping the diaper on the kid (which really isn't practical if you're trying to potty train), a quick cold shower immediately after the diaper diving incident (some Moms said that this was borderline child abuse - maybe), increasing playtime with Playdoh is supposed to help because they're curious about "squishy" stuff and then there is a product that looks like a wetsuit but is really pajamas or an undergarment that apparently the kids can't get in or out of by themselves. I may try the increase playtime with Playdoh method and hope he doesn't want to try and eat it! ***5 minutes after this post...yes, he tried to eat it... (((sigh)))

This picture was taken during what was supposed to be our potty-training marathon weekend. Yeh....that lasted all of 1/2 a day. I made a big production of it all! Showed Little Man the big boy underwear that he would get to wear, the M&M's he would get if he went and how cool is that Potty Time watch?! It's shaped like a potty and beeps every 30 minutes or every hour to remind you to use the potty! WOW! Well...the training was a bust! The PullUps came off, he peed on the towels covering the couch and announced that he "didn't want to use the potty anymore". Friends said not to pressure him and that he would do it in his own time. I hope so!

Little Man playing with his new puzzle I bought for the occasion.

Yes, we use bribes in our house.

Look at my cool watch!

Crazy for you Baby!

Aunt K emailed a funny this morning...... =D

Just because someone doesn't love you the way you want them to, doesn't mean they don't love you with all they have.

Ralph and Edna were both patients in a mental hospital. One day while they were walking past the hospital swimming pool, Ralph suddenly jumped into the deep end. He sank to the bottom of the pool and stayed there.

Edna promptly jumped in to save him. She swam to the bottom and pulled him out. When the Head Nurse Director became aware of Edna's heroic act she immediately ordered her to be discharged from the hospital, as she now considered her to be mentally stable.

When she went to tell Edna the news she said, "Edna, I have good news and bad news. The good news is you're being discharged, since you were able to rationally respond to a crisis by jumping in and saving the life of the person you love. I have concluded that your act displays sound mindedness. "The bad news is, Ralph hung himself in the bathroom with his bathrobe belt right after you saved him. I am so sorry, but he's dead."

Edna replied, "He didn't hang himself. I put him there to dry.... How soon can I go home?"

Happy Mental Health Day!

Ohhhh Ohhh Ohhhh, listen to the music.....

Not a whole lot going on so I thought I would post a short playlist for your listening pleasure...Enjoy!

The secret of a long, happy marriage.....

A friend of mine emailed this and I thought it was too funny not to share. Enjoy!

THE SHOEBOX. A man and woman had been married for more than 60 years. They had shared everything. They had talked about everything..They had kept no secrets from each other except that the little old woman had a shoe box in the top of her closet that she had cautioned her husband never to open or ask her about. For all of these years, he had never thought about the box, but one day the little old woman got very sick and the doctor said she would not recover. In trying to sort out their affairs, the little old man took down the shoe box and took it to his wife's bedside She agreed that it was time that he should know what was in the box. When he opened it, he found two crocheted dolls and a stack of money totaling $95,000. He asked her about the contents. 'When we were to be married,' she said, ' my grandmother told me the secret of a happy marriage was to never argue. She told me that if I ever got angry with you, I should just keep quiet and crochet a doll.' The little old man was so moved; he had to fight back tears. Only two precious dolls were in the box. She had only been angry with him two times in all those years of living and loving. He almost burst with happiness. 'Honey,' he said, 'that explains the doll, but what about all of this money? Where did it come from?' 'Oh,' she said, 'that's the money I made from selling the dolls.' A Prayer....... Dear Lord, I pray for Wisdom to understand my man; Love to forgive him; And Patience for his moods; Because Lord, if I pray for Strength, I'll beat him to death, because I don't have time to crochet. Have an awesome day! *** I LOVE YOU HUSBAND! =D ***

Calendar Boy!

2010 Hope Calendar - December

This is the December sneak peek!

www.hopecalendar.com - go order yours today!!!

After a week of checking the photographers website for sneak peeks, Little Man finally showed up on the month of December! (on the left, wearing the knit cap)

Oh and Grandparents, don't buy one unless you want extras to give to all your friends. You'll be getting one in the mail! =D

I get it now!

I remember when I was young, my Dad ALWAYS had loose change in his pockets. As I got older I wondered why he had so much loose change in his pockets and that it had to weigh his pants down! Now, as a parent, I get it! You never know when you'll need pennies for the wishing fountain or quarters for the candy machines & mechanical rides at the entrance of stores! So now I keep a film container of quarters in Jaden's diaper bag and I ALWAYS have pennies in my purse....and it doesn't weigh me down. =D

Driving with Snoopy!

Halloween of Years Past

A friend of mine posted pics of her daughter in previous years Halloween costumes on her blog and I thought that was a great idea! So here's Little Man in his!

This is the first Tigger costume I found but then.....

6 months

I found this one!

And it was so much cuter that I had to get it.

He was sweating to death so I had to change him

into something less sweat inducing after taking pictures.

6 months

He was going through a phase where he liked to listen to your heartbeat,

take your temperature and give shots.

Maybe he'll grow up to be a Doctor! Hmmmmmm.

18 months

And now this year!

Cowboy!

Still a Sooner by blood though! =D

2 years

School Party

Little Man's school had a Costume Parade yesterday! All the parents waited in the great room while the kids walked through and waved. Little Man was eating it up! Looking around and waving to everyone. Such a ham! After the parade, we met up with the kids in their classroom for the Halloween Party with lots of snacks and picture taking!

Little Man waving and saying "Hi" to everyone.

Class getting ready to sing songs.

Group Fun!

Our playgroup had their Halloween Party today!

The kids were very patient about having their pictures taken, then enjoyed some playtime and Halloween goodies! I think I ate more sweets than Little Man did! Time to hit the gym! =]

Our Wednesday Playgroup gang!

My Cowboy the left end, a ballerina, an octopus, a butterfly, a fairy, a flower princess fairy, a UPS Driver and a Pirate!

(some of our friends were missing today)

I'm a cowboy!

Weeeeeee!

Little Man's first time on a zipline!

Great Day!

Today our playgroup went to a local Pumpkin Patch to take a group photo. Thanks Mrs. Short..friend and group photographer! =]

The weather was great! Temp was in the low 50's, which was a nice change from the 80-90's we've had within the last 2 weeks. Reminds me of fall back home!

Handsome boy!

The cuties!

Things that made me smile this week.....

1. The little girl at Target, about 5 years old, British accent.

Kept taking things off the rack and running over to her Mom & Grandma saying, "This is lovely!". Too cute!

2. The little old couple in their car.

They could barely see over the dashboard but they were both smiling and enjoying their drive. Now....if they were behind me....that would have made me nervous! =D

3. The little turtle in the road.

He had slipped off the curb and was spinning around on his back so I turned the car around to go back and help him up. By the time we got back around, he was on the curb, kicking his back legs furiously, straining his little neck but by God he made it up without our help! Jaden and I cheered and high fived for that one!

4. The field mouse we saw in the grass under the intercom in the Starbucks drive-thru.

He was decent sized and the SB employee said, "Yes, we've had some sightings of him this week, although none of us have seen him." I asked that they not kill him or anything because he was so cute! Even threw some of Jaden's goldfish crackers out the window to him......Jaden was not happy about sharing his crackers. (FYI-Because I know you care....I ordered a decaf!)

5. My Little Man.

We were at the grocery store when I picked Little man up out of the cart and put him over my shoulder like a sack of potatoes to get him loaded into the car and he says, "Mommy you're big and strong!" (like this surprises him!) and I ask, "Like Daddy?" He says, "Yes!"

Yes....I am....Super Mommy!

What put a smile on your face this week?

This won't hurt a bit.....

"You want some of this?"

Saw Dr. Kim (my acupuncturist) yesterday and I made the mistake of telling him that I had a little back pain. So, face down I go on the table, face in the donut hole. He starts sticking the needles in my back and OMG! WTH! I was thisclose to coming off the table and running out the door!

Dr. Kim: "Did that hurt?"

Me: "yeeessss!" sniff sniff

Dr. Kim: "Are you crying?"

Me: "yeeessss." sniff sniff (nose running...not good when you're face down)

Dr. Kim: "You have inflammation." "It will hurt little but then o.k."

Me: "It hurt A LOT." sniff sniff

And yes, a few more needles did hurt (almost as bad) but after he hooked up the electrodes it did start to feel better.

Dr. Kim is Korean and is probably one of those "he has a calm exterior but could totally take you out with one karate chop" kind of guys but if he does that again, I'll have to Bruce Lee his ass!

Who is that?!

Went through my Aunt's photo's and found this one that I had sent to my Grandma back in 1994. I was 25 years old and having Glamour Shots photos taken was the big thing to do. The Husband just snickers when he sees this picture. Doesn't care for the BIG HAIR. =D For those of you not familiar with the Glamour Shot experience, they poof your hair, apply 2 inches of stage make-up, wrap you in some sequined jacket that could have been used on the set of the t.v. show "Dynasty" and ask you to strike a sexy pose.........how glamorous!

This is about as "sexy" as it gets.

The picture where I was really trying to look sexy just made

me look like I was confused....definitely not sexy.

Some quick pics...

Little Man and I took a quick trip back to OK to see the Grand-Parents and spread my Aunt's ashes....here are some pics from the trip.

The flight attendants asked Little Man to hand out peanuts to all the passengers.

It was great!

He got to get out of his seat, run up and down the aisle and high five people.

I, of course, germ-x'd the heck out of his hands when he sat back down. =D

Went to Incredible Pizza with

Grandma M & Grandpa D.

Little Man wasn't really tall enough to get the hang of ski ball

so Grandpa D let him do it his way.

Little Man loved the kids bowling!

This picture cracks me up!

You can see Little Man's little head with a big smile on his face!

I was driving so fast we were a blur! Put me behind the wheel of a race car and the competitive spirit kicks in! We were right next to a 10 yr old kid who says to me, "You're not going to pass me!" So I'm thinking! (OOooooooo! You're mess'n with the wrong woman!) Of course I have to try and pass him! Well, I passed him and he rammed my car (sore loser!) so they cut the power to the cars, we got in trouble because of the "no bumping rule", they turned the power back on and everyone else passed us! At least L, Grandpa D's grand-daughter, won the race!

The kid's family gave me the stink-eye afterwards! WHATEVER! If you can't take the heat, get out of the kitchen! =D Hmmmm.......Does that make me a mean person?

Shake Your Money Maker

At first I wasn't going to post this on my blog for fear of some nasty pervert checking out my kid but I think it will be okay...not like he's naked or anything. I'll probably take this one down by tomorrow night....just to be on the safe side.

Back Story:

Little Man and I love to surf YouTube.com for funny videos. After seeing a baby dancing to "All the Single Ladies" on a family members Facebook page, I found it on YouTube.com and played it for Little Man.

If he doesn't get a college scholarship for grades, he can pay his way through as a male dancer! Hello Chippendales?! =D

In Memory of Aunt Kitty

Guelda "Kathleen" Brown

(Kitty to her friends)

1930 - 2009

My Aunt Kitty passed away on Monday, Sept. 7th, 2009 after a short battle with cancer.

We happened to be in town Labor Day weekend so Jaden and I went to visit her in the hospital that Friday before. So glad we did. Jaden is too young to really understand what was going on other than Aunt Kitty was sick. Eventually Mom took him outside so I could say good-bye. So much you want to say in that moment but all I could do was hug her, tell her how much I loved her and kiss her on her cheek. Mom later shared that Aunt Kitty told her that she was so happy to see Jaden and I and finally felt at peace.

Aunt Kitty was an artist who loved to paint, sculpt, carve wood, etc. She always doted on my brother and I (mostly me), always talked to us like we were adults even when we were little and I loved spending time with her. Aunt Kitty always joked about being the "black sheep" of the family....I just think she was one of a kind and always did her own thing. She was eccentric and cool in my eyes! When I was a teenager, I went through a phase where I didn't want to listen to my parents (who doesn't) so I'd go to her house to paint or sketch while she enjoyed a glass of wine, listened to Julio Iglesias, and pet her teacup poodle.

Years later, on 2 different occasions, she took care of my Grandmother. I remember spending a summer up there helping her redo the window screens on grandma's rent houses, painting the interiors and whatever else she would let me help her with. She always made me feel like I could do anything. 2 years ago my grandma passed away so last year Aunt Kitty moved closer to my mom and dad, it's sad that she didn't have more time with my mom...I know they missed each.

I recently went through her things with my mom, organizing what was to be donated and things to be given to family. Such a hard thing to do, so many memories, you really just want to sit and look around you and reminisce. Hard to believe she's gone.

She wanted to be cremated and told my mom "just scatter me someplace" so during my visit, Jaden, Mom and I took her to her daughter's (my cousin Terri who died when I was 4) grave site and and spread her ashes around the headstone. I think she would have liked that.

Miss you Aunt Kitty!

Love,

Little One

Frankenbaby?

I had another acupuncture appointment yesterday and we did some electrical stimulation! Woo Hoo! As soon as I walked in the door, Dr. Kim says, "Hello June!" (grinning ear to ear), then says, "Or is it May?" (still grinning at his own lame-o Dr. humor). "Hello Dr. Kim!", I said and smiled, (mentally shaking my head). Guess I could have thrown him a bone and laughed a little bit like I've NEVER heard that joke before but I just wasn't up to making the effort. =]

Didn't take any pictures this time as I was laying on my stomach with my face in one of those massage table donut things with a BUNCH of needles in my lower back, shoulders and back of my neck. When Dr. Kim flipped the switch, I about jumped off the bed! Scared the crap out of me! Didn't really hurt...just startled me! After he adjusted the voltage, he turned on a relaxing CD, turned off the lights and said "Goodnight" and left me there for 1/2 an hour. I actually fell asleep this time!

Dr. said that it would improve circulation to my ovaries which in turn helps promote better egg quality during ovulation. Hmmmm. All I could think of was that my eggs were getting shocked and that The Husband and I were going to end up with a Frankenbaby! Green with bolts coming out of it's neck and instead of my OBGYN saying "It's a boy/girl", she would be yelling, "It's alive, it's alive!" Mmmmmwwwwwaaaaaa. <------ attempt at typing an evil laugh.....oh well....

We'll see if all of this pays off.

Thud! Ouch!

That's the sound of me falling off the caffeine-free wagon!

Date Night went well...no caffeine. Sunday was great even though they do have Starbucks in the Cafe at church....I resisted! Today I caved! Jaden and I were running errands and he wanted pumpkin loaf so really...IT'S JADEN'S FAULT! Yeh! That's my story and I'm sticking to it. But seriously, I can't have any tomorrow because I see my acupuncturist again and I REALLY don't want to see that disappointed look on his face when he asks me if I've had coffee that morning!

Now, after all that, I've decided that I'll only periodically post how the wagon ride is going because all this "trying to stop drinking coffee" business just isn't interesting blogger fodder! So from this point on you can count on me to post intellectually stimulating information! Like farting cockroaches! (see Sept. 18th post) =D

Let's try this again.....Day One without Starbucks!

So far so good but it's date night and we ALWAYS stop at Starbucks at some point during the date. I'll have an updated post of the evenings events by tomorrow! =D

Day One without Starbucks.....

Ahhhhh....Starbucks...you seducer you!

Day One without Starbucks:

Day started out pretty well! Only had one absent-minded caffeine withdrawal moment in the car when I missed my turn that I make all the time. But I feel the pressure in my head coming on.....or maybe my sinuses are acting up? (denial?) The lovely green awnings of 2 different Starbucks caught my eye as Jaden and I were out running around but the force is strong within me......must... resist... the dark brewed side. ;D

John called me on his way into work and asked how my morning was going...Going Well! I said...half surprised at my answer. "Good, Good", he says. "You know, the Dr. told me this morning that I needed to quit drinking caffeine too!" Then I hear him muttering to himself, "Hmmm, I thought there was a Starbucks down here." What did he say?!?!?!? I explained that if we both had to give it up, and I hadn't had any today, then he shouldn't either! He says, "Well, I thought I'd start tomorrow." Right, Right, traitor.

After lunch I put Jaden down for his nap and I found myself googling and checking youtube.com for pics and/or videos relating to craving coffee, Starbucks addiction, etc., for this blog. Seriously?! What a waste of time! But I did find this really cool vid on youtube.com! 2 teens going through the Starbucks drive-thru and they do this rap. So funny! Really! It is! Go to YouTube.com and search for Starbucks Rap. For some reason my caffeine deprived brain could not figure out how to download it from YouTube.com to my blog. {{{{heavy sigh}}}}} It's going to be a LONG weekend.

Correction made at 5:01 p.m.:

Sadly as of 4:12pm, Jaden and I hit the Starbucks drive thru. {{GASP}}}

Jaden was in the back seat screaming, "I want my pumpkin loaf now!" so that didn't help my headache! He was only faking the tantrum because as soon as he said it, I started laughing which got him laughing and because he made me laugh, he kept repeating it until we got up to the drive thru girl.

I feel guilty for giving into my cravings and the drive of shame back to the house was a downer......WHO AM I KIDDING?! I was in heaven, sipping my Iced Tall Latte and sharing my chocolate chip banana coffee cake with the boy! (they were out of pumpkin loaf and cream cheese pumpkin muffins!) =D

Here's our conversation:

April: Mmmmm? (after handing the boy some cake)

Jaden: Mmmmmm Mmmmm MMMMMMMM! (smacking away with chocolate on his face)

April: Mmmmm Mmmm (in agreement)

Jaden: Let me hold it! (real meaning: give it to me, and when you do it's mine and I will eat all of it).

Better luck going cold turkey tomorrow huh?!

Relax?!?!?!

Today I had an acupuncture appointment! 3 years ago I was getting acupuncture treatments once a week to aid in getting pregnant....it worked after only 3 months! John and I are ready to try again for #2 starting next month so I wanted to get started with the one thing I know really helped us conceive Jaden. But I must say that going to a new Dr. was a little intimidating....I mean...you don't want just anybody sticking you with needles! So upon a recommendation from the pilates instructor from our health club; I called Dr. Kim and set up the appointment.

So we sit down in the treatment room, go over my history and he tells me that I have to quit eating sugar and cut out caffeine. WHAT?!?!?! I went in to get help and he wants to kill me! So I ask him, "does my husband have to cut that out of his diet too?"...thinking to myself that if I have to be denied the goodies and suffer....I'm taking John down with me. Doc says...."No". ......greeeaaaaat.........Thank goodness I already had my Starbucks fix that morning!

Then the treatment began! Before the first one went in, the doc says to me, "I have to use the long needles for your pelvis area". And I say....."How long are we talking here?" And he holds his hands up about a foot apart, "About this big" and laughs. He laughs! Not sure that the length of a needle is something to joke about but I gave him a weak/fake laugh....just to be nice. After he worked on my stomach, he says "Pin cushion!" and snickers.....I had to laugh at that one because I did look like a pin cushion or a porcupine! I had AT LEAST 20 needles stuck in me! (Man I wish I had thought to bring my camera with me to take a picture!)

Once he was finished sticking me, he turned on the heat lamps, turned down the lights and said to relax for 30 minutes. Hmmmmm. Problem is, when I start to fall asleep, I twitch! Annoying habit that drives John crazy but there it is. So I got nice and cozy under the heat lamps, I started to doze off and in turn start twitching which moved the needles which then immediately woke me up because it hurt like #$$$! So I just laid there thinking about how much I wanted to put up the Halloween decorations, how hungry I was, where should I eat lunch.....blah, blah, blah. Not real relaxing huh? But it was nice to just lie there and do nothing which is so not like me. I'm usually GO GO GO GO GO! Hmmmm. I'm sure that has nothing to do with my caffeine intake! =D

But seriously....it's all worth it. John and I want to have another baby so we'll be trying through the end of this year. We'll keep you posted!

Farting Cockroaches?!

Recently we went home for my husband's grandfather's 80th Birthday party and had the opportunity to visit with family and friends that we don't get to see very often. It was great!

One evening, Aunt Kathi, Uncle Lonnie and I were discussing different ways to kill outdoor pests. Example: Slugs like beer, just stick a can outside and they'll crawl in and drown or pour salt on them and they'll dissolve. And all of a sudden the discussion takes a very intellectual turn!

April: I saw a GIGANTIC cockroach outside the other day! (everything is gigantic in TX, you should see the mosquitos!)

Uncle Lonnie: (smirking) Just pour baking soda on the ground. They'll eat it and die because the sodium bicarbonate causes a build up of gas and cockroaches can't fart so they explode.

April: (pause) Are you serious? (starting to laugh) They just go boom! (laughing now)

Uncle Lonnie: (laughing) Yes they explode!

April: You know this is great material for my blog. No seriously! I'm going to blog about this! =D

So I Googled "Do cockroaches fart?"! Here is what I found on one site: "Cockroaches are among the biggest contributors to global warming, since they break wind every fifteen minutes. Furthermore, they continue to release methane gas for eighteen hours after they die."

And on another site: “Insect flatulence may account for one-fifth of all the methane emissions on this planet. (Termites are also prodigious farters; indeed, dogs trained to sniff out termites are actually following their farts.) Cockroaches are among the biggest contributors to global warming, since they break wind every fifteen minutes. Furthermore, they continue to release methane gas for eighteen hours after they die.”

Seriously?!?!?!

How do people know that cockroaches fart?! Do they put their ears right up to the little suckers backsides and listen for one?! Eww Eww Eww!

So I guess Uncle Lonnie was wrong! I guess you just have to step on them!

Save the planet! Kill a farting cockroach!