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Friday, March 29, 2013

Enough

All I wanted was a diamond band. Not an expensive one, it didn't have to be from any fancy store. Just a diamond band. I got one on our wedding day and have tried to convince my husband to get me a matching one for the other side of my ring for our last 4 anniversaries. My convincing was falling on deaf ears.

Sooooo.......this year with our tax return, I tried again--and he agreed! Finally! I got online to order the exact same one that I already had from the same store and it was on sale. But they didn't have my size. They had one size bigger and one size smaller, but not the size I needed, of course. Instead of letting that deter me, I ordered it one size bigger thinking it wouldn't make THAT much of a difference. I also wanted to be sure to get it while it was on sale because it was around $80 off the original price. It said it would take a few weeks to arrive and I'd been on pins and needles just WAITING for the UPS package to come through the door in the hands of the man dressed like a brown turd (poor guys that have to wear those uniforms).

That was on March 19th. But a few things have happened since then. One night I was laying in bed and was reading my book with a flashlight. I was getting irritated because the light started fading and then going out. My hubby can't sleep unless it's pitch black, so I can't really read with a lamp and a reading light is the only way to go. But I mean, I was REALLY irritated. As I was trying to talk myself out of body slamming the flash light on the floor in order to let it know how truly upset I was that it wasn't working, I said to myself, "Self, you are laying in a pillow top, king sized bed reading from a book that you bought by walking into a store FILLED with books and are laying next to your husband who is alive and well. Get over the flash light."

See, I just finished reading In the Presence of My Enemies by Gracia Burnham. If you want reality to bitch slap you in the face, read it (sorry for the cuss word but I don't think any other word would have portrayed how truly hard truth slaps one in the face). On the other hand, if you're not ready to change your world, don't read it. Long story short, her and her missionary husband are kidnapped at gunpoint by a terrorist group in the Phillistines and forced to wander in the jungle at the mercy of these strangers for a year. Sometimes all they had to eat was one bite of uncooked rice. Sometimes they had no toilet paper. Sometimes they had to sleep sitting up, handcuffed to a tree. But they NEVER stopped giving God the glory.

And I was mad about my flashlight.

After that happened, I spent the next few days trying to expand my thought process. When I walked to the fridge, I would say to myself, "I'm walking to the fridge that's in my kitchen that's generated by electricy that is stuffed to the brim with food that keeps me and my family fed and alive." Or if I had to do laundry I would try to say, "I'm folding these clothes that were washed and dried by a machine. Thank you God for providing two months worth of clothing for every member in my family."

If you stop and think (and I mean REALLY stop and think), what is enough? When is your house ever big enough? When is your car nice enough? When is your closet full enough? When is your bank account big enough? When is your family healthy enough? When do you have enough friends? When are you considered successful?

Why do we feel like we never have ENOUGH? We have cable, but it's not working right so we get mad. We have heating and air conditioning, but we're always too hot or too cold. We have access to fresh fruit, vegetables, meat--it's all at our fingertips, but we get annoyed because we have to park too far from the door and nobody wants to walk from the back of the parking lot. We have vehicles--have you ever thought about how amazing it is that we are driving cars? Some people walk miles just to get a jug--ONE JUG--of water that has to last them for days. But we're still empty.......still hungry for something more. Still waiting to feel full.

It's so easy to forget that we live blessed lives. I get reminded on a daily basis that things could be worse. Where I work, I see children with disabilities--a lot of them permanent and severe--and I feel grateful at the time that I didn't get dealt that hand in life. But then I drive home and traffic is bad and I forget. My kids aren't moving fast enough and I forget. My husband isn't answering his phone and I forget. Nobody is there to fan me with feathers and feed me grapes and I forget.

Psalm 73:26
26 My flesh and my heart may fail,
but God is the strength of my heart
and my portion forever.
 

I got my diamond ring in the mail. I wasn't as excited to open it as I thought I would be. When I put it on, it was huge. It was super shiny and new looking next to my slightly darkened engagement ring and wedding band that I've been wearing for 4 years. It didn't look right and it didn't feel as good as I anticipated.

I want to feel full again. I want to remember what He has done for me. I want Him to be enough.

Thursday, March 28, 2013

Remembering

It takes awhile for her to answer the door. While we're waiting to be let in, Tommy's running up and down the ramp and I'm shielding Tessa with my coat so the cold night air won't bother her. Our breath comes out in little puffs and hangs in the air like a cloud in the sky.

We can hear her moving around, the sound of her feet shuffling on the carpet, the creak of her wheelchair as she leans forward to unlock the door. We finally get inside and I welcome the warmth that envelopes us. I rub my hands briskly to put life back into them as Tommy runs to the stuffed animals she has leaning against her TV cabinet.

I look around at the now familiar living room and I can tell she hasn't been doing much today. She sets up everything she needs in a circle around her recliner at the beginning of the day so she doesn't have to go through the struggle of getting the necessities later on. There's stacks of papers, wadded up kleenex, a few plates with scraps of food on them. Despite all of this, everything else in her house is pristine and in it's place. Her computer is open and sitting on her side table. It still surprises me every time I see it--that a woman in her seventies knows or cares how to use technology, but I've underestimated her. I think a lot of people have.

We start with the pleasantries--how the weather's been, what our neighbors have been up to. She answers our questions, but I can tell she's distracted and living in another time. I'm watching her, but she's watching my daughter. As Tessa cries and leans into me, I see a smile whisper across her lips. I see days gone by in her eyes....and I know she's remembering. When her daughter used to sit on her lap. What it was like to be able to hold your whole world in your arms. Each curve in her crooked back speaks of years of lifting babies, pushing grocery carts, moving loads of laundry, picking up after her teenagers. Everything about her screams that she's a mom.

She tears her eyes away from Tessa and I can tell she's exhausted. She absently runs her fingers through her thinning white hair and leans back. Tommy asks for a cracker and I see her brace her hands on her chair to lift herself up to get one. Nick reassures her he can find them and she sinks back into the recliner, dissappointment flickering across her face, knowing she can't do what she used to be able to.

We talk a little longer and I feel my body relaxing as I listen to the musical lilt of her voice --the kind that comes with years of triumphs and heartaches and energy spent. My mind wanders to her past and I try to picture the mother that she was. I bet she was the kind of mom that disciplined frequently, but had to hold a hand to her mouth to hide her smile while doing so. Judging from the wrinkles around her eyes, I think she did a lot of laughing--at her children and herself. I wish I could have known her then--to be her friend, to share our mom struggles, to walk back and forth across the lawn that connects us to exchange recipes and laughter.

But as I pull myself from the what-ifs, I see a comfort in knowing that someone else has been where I am. She has raised children and survived. She has cared for her household and done well. She has lost a husband she loved more than life and made it through to another day. She has had cancer and is stronger than ever because of it. Our eyes meet for only a moment and I know that she sees her past in my future. She reassures me with the slightest smile that although life can be hard, it's not unbearable. She's lived a long, good life and knows that the best is yet to come in eternity.

I thank God that her children still come to see her. That they take care of her and love her. I know it has to be hard to reverse roles with your children in old age--to let them bring your meals, to tuck you in at night, to make sure your bills are paid and your house is clean. I'm guessing as they do these things for her, her mind turns to the hours she's spent in the kitchen, preparing meal after meal for her family. I'm sure she remembers the times her hands have pulled their blankets up to their chins....when she's smoothed back their hair and said their bedtime prayers. But too much time has passed; too many days gone by for anyone but her to linger on them.

And as we wind down our visit and gather our things to leave, I can see in her eyes that she's begging not to be forgotten. That somebody in the world realize the part she's played, the work she's done, the love she's given. That although by some people's standards, she was only a mother, she changed somebody's life....she was the reason somebody existed....she was somebody's world. With a nod of my head, I let her know that I will not forget.

 Because I, too, am only a mother.

Wednesday, March 27, 2013

8 months

Tessa Grace, at 8 months, you are:

*around 20 lbs--you are ROCKIN those thunder thighs, sister!

*27 inches long (pants are impossible to find for you....doesn't it seem like all moms say that? so who's in charge of making baby pants? if nobody can find pants to fit infants, somebody's not doing something right!)

*in size 3 diapers. We recently switched to the off brand rather than Huggies because you leaked through Huggies like crazy. It worked for about 2 weeks and you had NO leaks...but you got your first horrible diaper rash. :( So sad. We switched back to Huggies and your rash disappeared. You sure have a high maintenance hiney. Why can't my kids ever tolerate generic brands?

*in 9-12 months clothes and some very small running 18 month stuff. I'm ready for summer cause you got some super cute dresses waiting to be worn!

*crawling!! Like crazy! You're very fast now and we sometimes forget that you're mobile. I'll remember and start looking for you and find you in another room happily entertaining yourself. Does that make me a bad mom? :)

*pulling up on everything. You've already had several bumps and crashes because you haven't quite figured out that if something is on wheels or not very sturdy, you can't pull up on it. But you cry a really dramatic, red faced, full fledged cry for 30 seconds and then get over it. And you think you're pretty hot stuff when you successfully stand up!

*eating a 6 oz bottle in the morning, 1 jar of baby food in afternoon, 1or 2 6 oz bottles in the afternoon, 1/2 jar of baby food at night and 1 5 oz bottle at night. your favorite baby foods are mangos and mixed vegatables. You don't seem to be a huge fan of anything with berries in it.

*eating a few "human foods" as we call them :) You've had mashed potatoes, really smushed up mac and cheese and those little cereal puffs. You aren't a huge fan of the puffs. You get frustrated with trying to get them in your mouth and then gum them like an old lady with no teeth. But you LOVE mashed potatoes!!
*growing your 4th tooth. You already have 3 poking through and I just know you're working on another one. You have your 2 bottom middle teeth and 1 of your incisors on the right side. Looks pretty silly :)

*following your brother EVERYWHERE. It's so funny because he'll run past you and you crawl as fast as your little legs will carry you. Then he runs the other way and you turn yourself around and start following him again. But you just aren't quite fast enough to keep up! Soon enough, little girl. Soon enough.


 *obsessed with the curtains in the kitchen. Which kinda works out, cause you usually play in them while we're cooking dinner. But we'll hear you just squealing away and when we look over, all we can see is your little feet sticking out :)


*finally starting to love on Daddy more! You've been such a momma's girl for so long and now you can be left with dad without crying and crying and CRYING until mom gets back. You guys are starting to have a lot of fun together. And don't tell him, but you've got him wrapped around your little finger :)

Tessa Grace, you are hilariously dramatic. It's so fun to watch your facial expressions and I think you're going to wear your heart on your sleeve. You are cute and fast and funny and sweet and entertaining. You keep us so, SO busy! I cannot believe how quickly time is passing and that in a few short months you're going to be ONE. Not possible. I can't wait to see your little personality develop even more! I love you, sweet girl!

Thursday, March 21, 2013

Thomas James

I'm not a mushy type (ok, yes I am). But in the last few months, I have absolutely fallen head over heels in love with  my son. I know what you're thinking---what about the other 24 months he's been alive? Didn't you love him then? Of course! I've loved him since the moment I knew he was growing in my belly.

But lately, it's been different. I don't even know how to explain it. But seeing the little person he's becoming.....watching him grow up and change before my eyes....knowing we already have a lifetime of memories and a million more in our future......it just moves me in a way I didn't know was possible. These babies come out so dependent and needing you the second they start breathing. And while you love them and feel like you already know them at birth.....there's so much more to love and know! I feel like every moment, every second that he's alive, he's changing me and bettering me and challenging me and growing me and teaching me.

Nick and I joke that he's my personality twin. Truly, this kid is a mini-momma. He feels with every ounce of his being. And whatever he's feeling, he's VERY passionate about it. When he's mad, he is SO mad. When he's happy, he's the sweetest little fellow to be found. When he's upset, it's all tears and red cheeks and runny nose and drama. When he's sorry, he says it one hundred times and hugs you until you're laughing again. When he's hurt, it's the worst case scenario (he's recently told me his hand was "dokden" due to a tiny scratch he had on it). He can't stand sitting in the house too long. He always says, "Ne go to da store!!" That's my boy!

He's so funny. He's already playing "jokes" on us. He tries to trick us when we are making him eat something by putting it up to his mouth and making a chewing motion but not actually taking a bite. He calls us "mac-n-cheese heads" and thinks it's the funniest thing ever. He says silly things and then says, "Ne deasdin, mom!" (me teasing mom!).

He's so sweet. He tells me that he loves me "Up a heaben, up a earfff." (Up to heaven, up to earth). He is constantly telling us he loves us and hugging our legs. He throws himself at us and wraps his skinny little arms around our necks. He's started puckering up and giving us big, juicky kisses.

He's so curious. His favorite question is, "Dut doin, mom?" (Whatcha doin mom?). He says it a million times a day. He has to know where everyone is and what they're doing. He hasn't started with the, "Why?" question yet but he pays close attention to everything that's happening so he doesn't miss any of it.

He's smart. SO smart. I might be biased, but he catches on to things so quickly. He knows all his shapes and colors (and has for about 3 months now). He says his name--Nomny Names (Tommy James) and knows my name (Dady Nynne) and dad's name (Dickodas Names) and Tessa's name (Sister Grace). He recognizes peoples cars and knows as soon as we turn on our road that we're going home (or as he calls it, "Nomny's house!"). He just amazes us every day with the things he's got figured out.

In case you can't tell, I'm enamored with this child. There's never a dull moment with him and even when I'm frustrated to no end because of the things he does, I have to laugh at the things he does and says. I can't get enough. I have actually started getting kind of sad when he goes to bed because I can't hang out with him anymore. I saw a mother and her teenage son at work the other day and they seemed to still be really close and get along well. As I watched them interacting, I wanted so badly for me and Tommy to be that way in the years to come. So many teens come in with snotty words and hateful looks towards their parents and I pray SO hard that doesn't happen to me and my kids. I will fight tooth and nail for good relationships with them.

So Thomas James, I love you more than words can say. You have forever changed me and I am a better person because of you. I couldn't be more proud to call you my son.

Tuesday, March 19, 2013

To my son

I want to hold you longer,
keep you tight against my chest.
I'll never let you go because
Mommy knows you best.
There's nothing I love more
than my chin upon your head,
Feeling your heart beating
and breathing in your breaths.
I keep your hand in mine,
just trying to hold tight
to my little blond-haired baby boy
who's growing up before my eyes.
Not knowing what will be,
I pray when each day is done
hoping you always need me
but knowing the time will come
When I can only watch
as you make your own way through
asking God to help me
to let go and give Him you
So I'll hold you a little longer,
keep you tight against my chest
before I lose this moment
because mommy knows you best.

Monday, March 18, 2013

It's official!

She's crawling. Everywhere. On March 11th, she started doing this funky kind of crawl where she was getting up on her hands and her feet with her butt poked way in the air. Then she would hop her feet forward and move her hands one at a time. Then she took a rest for 10-15 seconds. And then she would do it again. I wish I would've got it on video, but I thought she'd be doing it for awhile.

Little did I know, that only lasted one day and the next day, March 12th, she was legitimately crawling. I was picking her and Tommy up from Brooke's and me and Brooke and Michael were sitting on the floor entertaining Tommy and talking. Right in the middle of her sentence, Brooke yelled, "Holy crap! She's crawling!!" We looked at Tessa and sure enough, she had started at one end of the living room and she was crawling to the other! So exciting! She wasn't the smoothest mover ever, but she was definitely moving!!

I can't believe my little girl is already crawling. Time is moving too fast and I try to hold onto each day for as long as I can. I'm so thankful she's a normal, healthy and happy baby but I get so sad when I think about that fact that in 4 months, she'll be ONE. How is that possible?

She started pulling up on things before she started crawling, so I have a feeling walking is not too far out in our future.

Somebody make it slow down!!!!!!!!!!!

Sunday, March 17, 2013

Black Betty vs The Blue Hag


Tommy was obsessed with my Jeep. Like OB-sessed. He would always say, "Ne ride in da Deep!!" or "Ne dwive da Deep!" He liked to look at it, touch it, drive it, ride in it....you get the idea. But then The Blue Hag (my non-affectionate nick name for my Jeep) took a turn for the worse. I broke down on the side of the road and I. was. DONE. 

I'd been getting really frustrated in general with The Blue Hag and I was only getting 16 mpg. SIXTEEN. When they sold it to us, we got told it was 25 mpg. I figured it would be a LITTLE bit less than they said, but not 9 mpg less. I was filling up every 4 days at $65 a tank. Yuck. After we bought it and I had driven it for a few days, I wanted to take it back. And we should've! We had 7 days to return it at no cost and I was thiiiiiiiiis close (imagine my fingers being held up really close together). But I decided not to. I liked having an SUV just because I thought it was the cool thing to have and we were having a baby, so I assumed there would be more room. Wrong.

But here's the kicker. The day we bought it, I was at work and Nick had gotten off early, so he went car shopping. He called me and told me to come out to the front of my office because he had found something he really liked and wanted me to see it. I told the girls I worked with that if it was blue, I was not going to drive it. And it was blue. And we bought it. I HATE blue cars. WHY then did I buy it, you ask? No clue.

And here's the 2nd kicker--when we bought it from Davis Moore, they told us they did a 101 point inspection. Okay, that's awesome. Everything had been checked out so we thought we were good to go because we were buying this vehicle used. We take it in 3 weeks after we buy it for an oil change and they call and tell us there's over $1000 worth the work they found on it that needs to be done. Excuse me?!? We had purchased it less than a month ago. I asked them why that stuff wasn't found in their "101 point inspection." Their answer?.........wait for it.............it was found. But they only fix things they find wrong if it's vital to the life of the vehicle!! What the?!?! WHAT???? And the "extended bumper to bumper warranty" we had bought from them didn't cover any of the repairs. I was FURIOUS. What kind of dealership does that? Knowingly sells a vehicle that needs $1000 worth the work WITHOUT reporting it to the buyer and then tries to get them to spend that money at their dealership to have it fixed? SO rediculous. Since that happened, I've had a vendetta against Jeep liberty's and Davis Moore.

But I digress. After The Blue Hag started crapping out on me over and over again, we decided to go car shopping. We were debating buying new or used (but leaning towards new since I'm sure Davis Moore isn't the only dealership that does crappy stuf like that). We test drove a Suzuki but found out they were going out of business and decided against it. If you're car shopping in Wichita, don't go to Rusty Eck Ford. We had taken the Suzuki for the weekend and went to Ford while we were test driving it (isn't that horrible?! :). We had driven straight from Suzuki to Ford and when we left Rusty Eck Ford to go home, the price tag from the Suzuki had been taken off the window and put over our liscense plate and there was a HUGE scratch in the side that had NOT been there when we pulled off the Suzuki parking lot. Somebody at Rusty Eck had to have done that because we were the only customers there (it was late in the evening) and there were about 15 salesmen standing around when we pulled up and when we left.

So we went to Ford of Augusta! Who I am now in love with. We had the nicest salesman ever (Tyler) and had quick and easy service. We ended up walking away with a 2013 Ford Focus named Black Betty. It's black (in case you didn't pick up on that). We traded in The Blue Hag and got more than I thought we EVER would for it. Black Betty gets THIRTY mpg. I still fill up every 4-5 days but am spending half the amount on gas that I was before. The payment is a little higher (of course) but the gas evens it out and our insurance went down by $30 a month, so that evens out too. And there's just as much room because our Jeep, although an "SUV," was still super tiny inside. The trunk was huge, but the leg room wasn't much.

Things I LOVE about my Focus--the Sync phone system (hands free and nobody has a problem hearing or understanding me), the buttons on the steering wheel so I can adjust the radio settings and do stuff on the phone without taking my hands off the wheel, the digital displays, the system checks (if you run a system check, it tells you if it detects anything wrong in the way your car is running), of course, the gas mileage. But the best thing is something that I don't yet have a need for but wish SO badly I did because I think it's amazing. You can program your keys to only allow the vehicle to do certain things. For example, if I gave Tommy a key, I could program that key to only allow the car to go 70 MPH or to not start until his seatbelt was buckled or to not run while the radio is on, etc. Wouldn't that be awesome?!? I thought about programming Nick's key to only allow the vehicle to go 40MPH but figured at some point he would retaliate :) Overall, I am SO happy with our new car!

Tommy's had a few withdrawals from The Blue Hag and still asks, "Where da Deep go?" and says that he wants to drive it. But I, for one, could not be happier that she's plaguing someone elses family with high gas bills and broken car parts. So the moral of the story is, don't buy blue cars, don't shop at Davis Moore or Rusty Eck Ford and do NOT go against your gut when buying a vehicle!!

Bye-bye Blue Hag!! Good riddance!

Saturday, March 2, 2013

7 months

Well, she's OVER half a year old. We're heading towards one MUCH faster than I like!

Tessa, at 7 months, you are:

*at 19 lbs!! Whooee little girl! You're so cute and chunky and round. I LOVE it!

*you're probably about 26 or 27 inches long (not 100% sure because your doctor didn't say it and I forgot to ask)

*in size 3 diapers

*in size 6-9 month, 9 month and a random few 12 month. I'm finding a lot of stuff is short on you, so we have to go up to the next size

*in size 2 shoe. Not that you keep them on your feet.......EVER

*CONSTANTLY ripping your socks off. You will not keep socks on to save your life. It's rediculous. I put them on you right before we leave the house and by the time we're to the car, they're off. So we resort to tights

*sitting in the high chair and you're MUCH happier :) We have started putting you in there more while we eat and it's like you really enjoy being a part of things!

*still rocking back and forth on all fours. You haven't started crawling yet but I feel like you could at any moment.

*able to get where you want to go even though you can't crawl. You get on all fours and scoot yourself backwards or you get on your tummy and pivot in the direction you need to go. We've also seen you scoot on your hiney to get places.

*have started opening your mouth to give kisses. I'll say, "Give mommy a kiss!" and you open your mouth wide and throw yourself at my face. Too cute!

*ALWAYS have something in your mouth. I think you're getting more teeth because you're drooling like crazy again, too.

*sat up on your own!! We didn't get to see it, but daddy said he looked at you once and you were on your tummy and when he glanced back up, you were sitting up and had a VERY big smile on your face! Nobody else was in the room, so you had to have done it by yourself!

*have waved bye-bye a few times. When aunt Brooke and cousin Whitney were leaving, you started flopping your little hand around and have done it a few other times.

*not shy about letting us know how you feel. You have thrown a few insane fits. It's kind of funny because you ball your little fists up, hold them in the air, bare down and scream to let us know how mad you are :)
"Excuse me?!?"

"Did you just try to tell me no?!"

..aaaaaaaaand, this is the angry stance.

*hating when we get you dressed. You get so mad! You would much rather be naked and really hate when I put tights on you, but as mentioned above........it's the only way to keep your feet warm!

*trying to pull up on stuff. I don't think you got the message that you're supposed to crawl and strengthen your legs before you start standing up. But one day I put you in your brother's bed to nap and came in to find this..........


*now familiar with snow!! We just got about 12-16 inches. You had no idea what was going on, of course, but we went out a few times and you had fun looking around!
*sleeping in your crib like a big girl!! It's not gone as smoothly as I would have liked due to the fact that you and your brother take turns waking eachother up, but you seem to like the extra space and you sleep really well except for him making too much noise!!

I swear, you are changing by the minute. One second you look like my sweet little newborn and the next, you are well on your way to being a little girl. I want time to slow down, but I enjoy watching you grow so much. 95% of the time, you're a sweet, smiley baby girl. The other 5%....well, we'll just say you show your sassy side! I think you're going to be the perfect blend of sweet and spice. You and your brother are going to keep us busy!! I'm pretty sure you two already conspire against me...


We love you Tessa Grace!!

Friday, March 1, 2013

Confessions of a tired mama

*Tommy needs potty-trained SOOOOO badly. But I just can't make myself fight him over it yet. The thought alone makes me so unbelievably

*I yell at my Sync phone system in my car on a daily basis. Most days, I tell it to call people and it calls the wrong person or makes the error noise and gives me a million options that I don't need. So I yell at her and ask her if kissing my a** is option 1 or option 2.

*While everyone else on facebook was talking about their perfect snow day at home with their family, I was almost in tears at the thought of being stuck in my house another day. I need civilization to survive!!

*I WAS in tears the morning my car got stuck in our driveway. I was literally driving 2 feet, getting out, shoveling snow out from under all 4 of my tires, getting back in, driving 2 feet, getting out.....well you get the idea. And our driveway is freaking long. It took me an hour and both kids were yelling the whole time.

*I love Lucky Charms. I just bought a big bag and I like to eat all the cereal pieces first and save all the marshmallows to eat at the end.

*I wear my scrubs twice befor ewashing them. Don't judge.

*Sometimes...........just SOMETIMES.........I wish we had waited longer to have kids. I wouldn't trade them for ANYTHING, but I wish Nick and I had traveled more and had a little more time alone.

*My temper has been super short lately and my language has been.....colorful. Yeah, we'll put it that way. Long story short, I need to get better control of my temper and my mouth. My great aunt put something on facebeook that said, "Dear Lord please put your arm around my shoulder and your hand over my mouth!" Well said.

*The most exciting thing that has happened to me all week is that we found cheaper car and house insurance. I can't even begin to tell you how happy this makes me!

*I hate laundry. I sometimes let it pile up all week and then have 20 million loads to do on the weekend. Boo. Somebody needs to invent disposable clothing.

*I think we might be out of diapers for Tommy. I just now realized that. What kind of mother am I?!?

*The show Doomsday Preppers scares the pooh out of me but I can't stop watching it.

*Right now, my idea of vacation is locking myself in the bedroom for a full 24 hours by myself, watching The Bachelor and eating cookies.