Jewelry Madness!!!!

I am really excited!  I have always loved making jewelry and have pretty steady sales at my mom's art gallery.  I've been making jewelry for almost 11 years and am fairly good at what I do.  I won't say my jewelry is particularly difficult to make, but then again, it just comes naturally to me and my jewelry is very high quality.  I think the hardest part is finding the right combinations of shapes and colors.  Anyway, I enjoy it and it has always brought me a steady supplement to my income.  This month all of a sudden I had a increase in my sales at the gallery.  At the same time, the bead shop in my town has sadly decided to close.  Although I will greatly miss The Bead Cafe, I was able to take advantage of the deeply discounted beads.  I was wishing I had a little more extra money to buy more, but times are tight for us, especially with vacation about a month away, so I bought what I could.  The store closed officially on Saturday.  My mom kept saying I should call and see if they still have anything left and what are they doing with it.  I kind of hemmed and hawed afraid it was being a little too pushy.  So, my mom called for me today.  All of the bead strands were sold, but the loose beads were all still available.  They have all the loose beads on a table and in little boxes.  I've always loved buying the loose beads because it gave me a bigger variety without buying a whole strand.  We bought the all of the semi-precious beads!!!  I also got some cool pendants and silk cord to knot pearls with.  OK, I am sure this isn't half as exciting to you as it is to me, but this was such a great opportunity for me!  And it couldn't have come at a better time, I was just thinking about finally expanding and selling at another gallery somewhere else.  I just feel like this is all a sign that maybe I should venture into a wider demographic and make my hobby into something with a bit more substance.  I made a bunch of really awesome necklace/ earring combos this weekend!  It's going to be so much fun to have n even bigger variety of beads I'll have to choose from (truth be told, I have a pretty amazing collection of beads already)!!! 
When I get a chance, I will post some pictures of my new jewelry!!!

True Blood Season!! (SPOILER ALERT)

For today, I am going to write about TV shows.  My personal life is so chaotic and stressful right now, escaping to an alternative world sounds just about heavenly right now.  I've made a goal of not whining too much on my blog....hence the small break I've recently taken :)  I figured I haven't mentioned Alexander Skarsgard in a post in a while and the season premiere of True Blood was on this weekend....

I assume telling you how much I love True Blood is probably repeating myself.  The season premiere was a little slower than normal, but it definitely had it's good points and I am going to hope that this season will be better than the last few.  This is the first season without Allan Ball involved, so there may be some subtle or not so subtle changes to the way the show plays out.  I may be alone here, but I am kind of thinking Bill turning into Billith will finally make the character more interesting.  Let's face it, Bill has been a wet rag for the past 5 seasons.  A little evil can't hurt his character!  I wasn't sure how I'd like the plot line of Andy and the four babies...even watching this episode at first I was feeling a little meh about it, but I love that they turned into toddlers in one night!  That's no doubt going to give Andy, Terry, and Arlene some fun stories!  I still love Pam...can she do any wrong?  Come on..."sand in your cooch"?  CLASSIC True Blood line.  Still unsure about Tara.  She tends to be the Debbie downer in any scene.  I have never seemed to entirely enjoy the stuff about the wolves.  Do they bore anyone else?  Maybe if their drama played into main plot of the show more (a common complaint of True Blood has always been too many different story lines at one time).  In the books (I know...they are two different entities...but sometimes True Blood could use a little return to it's roots...), the werewolves and vampires have a little more interaction.  I always liked that Eric had control over Alcide and his father and each group of supes knew what was going on with the other group.  I'm holding out judgement on Alcide and his new pack till later in the season.  And finally, the most important character (or to me anyway), Eric...swoon....  I love that Sookie staked Billith over Eric.  So sweet.  I do just love Eric.  I'm looking forward to him being evil too this season!  Eric does evil hot.  Bill tends to do evil boring...let's hope Billith is more captivating this season!  I am excited to see how things progress!

Billith!!

 Eric and Sookie

 Just cause he's mad hot....

Still mad hot! :)

I'm Excited!

I don't think before I had kids you'd ever find me being super excited about a child of mine getting assistance and going to a preschool with other kids with behavioral/ developmental delays (forgive me, I hate the term "special needs", and I really don't know what the correct term is), but today I am so happy and excited for L!  Last week was L's graduation and summer program from preschool.  It was kind of awful.  I should explain....L went to a preschool affiliated with a church and for Christmas they did this adorable singing program during a church service.  L did terrible.  He yelled "momma" through one song, he sat down, ran across the stage, didn't sing or dance like the other kids, etc.  He was by far the kid who was paying attention the least, but there were a few other kids who didn't go with the flow.  One could easily say, this was L's first time at such an event, he was learning.  Well, the summer program proved just the opposite.  Only this time, he was the only kid not paying attention.  The rest of the class all sang and danced (oh by the way, thankfully, this was only done in front of the parents and grandparents rather than the whole church!) and L stood there picking his nose, hands down his pants, lifting his shirt up, and trying to get his hands on the microphone stand.  The first time, it was kind of funny.  This time I left feeling really upset and sad.  I just hated seeing him and how so very clearly he was different from everyone else.  Now, don't get all up in arms that I am that parent who hates her kid to be different.....that is NOT even remotely the case.  I love the fact that L is a little quirky.  I was by no means the normal child.  I suspect A wasn't entirely normal himself.  Normal is so boring!  Mostly, I felt bad for L that it was so evident that he just didn't fit.  It really hit me hard and lit a fire under my butt to pursue the county school for "special" kids (I can barely even stomach that title!"  I had taken him last October to be screened, but they mostly tested intelligence and that is not AT ALL an issue.  L is a ridiculously bright boy.  I figured with his teacher's help (she had mentioned tri county preschool to me at conferences in the winter, but I didn't want to disrupt L's school year and start a new school...that's if they even had a spot for him) and the results, even if not entirely conclusive yet, I had a better leg to stand on.  Earlier this week, L did the more complex screening (what they would have done after the first pre-screening).  Amazingly enough, they saw basically all the same things we have struggled with and his teacher from this year agreed 100%.  I say, "amazingly enough," because there are times when I have worried that I am projecting things on to L and making things worse in my head.  It's always nice to hear that I am not crazy after all.  So he will be going to school 4 days a week for 2 1/2 hours.  The class size is around 12-13 kids and half are on the normal scale of development and half are with L, in that they need some help with behavioral or developmental issues.  This is great for so many reasons, but mostly, it's a start in the right direction for all of us.  Hopefully, with A and I going to therapy and learning ways to cope, discipline, and coordinate and L going to a school on the same page, we have a much better chance at L being successful and making things a little easier for all of us!  Anyway....wanted to share our good news! 

My Garden

If you thought that I was plant crazy last year with my garden and flower beds....wait till I tell you about this year!  ;)  I've become obsessed and I love every minute of it!  This year, I started even more of my plants by seeds indoors.  I planted tomatoes, peppers (mild and hot), zucchini, cucumbers, cantaloupe (which oddly enough I didn't even plant in my garden), cauliflower, cabbage, sunflowers (a mix of short and tall), carnations, dahlias, LOTS of marigolds, foxgloves, and basil.  Wow!  This year I got a little more savy than last.  I had plenty of veggies to share with my in-laws and my dad, but I also had enough to sell via Facebook.  It actually worked out famously!  I pretty much broke even on what I spent for the seeds, containers, and soil...so basically, my garden (and everyone else I gave veggies to) was free as well as most of my flowers!  Here are some pics of my hard work!!!

As I look at these pictures, I realize they barely look different from last years, but I swear I've done a lot more work!  Hahahaha!

Dead Ever After (SPOILER ALERT!)

I am going to try and put up a few blog posts today.  Maybe this is ambitious of me, but I haven't done much in a while and I wanted to write something more upbeat. 

I have been an avid fan of Charlaine Harris and her books for quite a while.  I've read all of her series and most of her short stories.  This month, the last book of the Sookie Stackhouse series (True Blood) was released.  I had mixed feelings before starting the book.  I am a little bummed that the series is over and I know there was a lot of buzz about who Sookie would finally end up with.  If I am honest, the books were getting to be a little all over the place, so I suppose this book was as good as any to end the series with. 

If anyone has already read this, I would be curious if you agree with me....  To me, it seemed like there was a lot of loose ends to tie up in a short amount of space.  I knew in my heart that Sookie and Eric would have to break up.  I have always been a fan of Eric and Sookie, but I figured that it wasn't going to be meant to be.  Gosh, I don't want to be negative about this book, because I really did enjoy it, but I am having a hard time even remembering the highlights. 

The book started after Sookie saved Sam's life using the Cluviel Dor (magical fairy artifact that gives the owner one wish). I don't think I will go thru the whole plot of the book, but we see three of Sookie's enemies, Steve Newlin, John Glassport, and Claude team up to frame Sookie for Arlene's death and Sookie even ends up in jail before Sam secretly borrowed money from Eric to bail her out in exchange for not ever being more than just a business partner to her.  We get to see all the troops called in to help Sookie...Mr. Cataliades, Diantha, Amelia, Bob, Barry the Bellhop and even Quinn.  Eric and Sookie officially break up and he marries Freyda, as promised.  Amelia's father, Copley Carmichael, is another enemy of Sookie's who sells his soul (and his driver, Tyrese's soul) to the devil for the wish of gaining the Cluviel Dor, which had already been used by Sookie.  So Copley decided he too wanted Sookie dead and went after her.  After Eric moves to Oklahoma with his new wife, Pam becomes Sheriff!!  Jason and Michelle got married!  Tara and Sookie strengthened their relationship and Bill and Alcide all ended on a positive note with Sookie.  Sam, of course, couldn't stay away from Sookie and eventually they realized they were better as a couple than as just friends.  Sookie has her "happily ever after" with Sam.  

Obviously, for most avid readers of the Sookie books, who Sookie finally ends up with has been the most heated debate/ moment to look forward to.  I've always pushed for Eric and Sookie (like most people, I think!), but I knew that it would never work.  I do have to say, the break-up was kind of glossed over with little to no emotion from either of them.  I would have liked to see a little more of Eric rather than end the book with the feeling that Eric is a total dick.  I had a sneaky suspicion (as well as lots of spoiler alerts) that Sookie and Sam would end up together and I wasn't really rooting for them.  So boring!  Yeah, yeah....she wants a normal life and a family, etc...but Sam?  Ugh.  Basically, I thought a lot of things were rushed/ garbled all together and I am completely meh about Sookie ending up with Sam....that about covers it.  I wish it wasn't such a lackluster finish, but at least everything was tied up in a nice little package and even as the worst book of the series, it's still better than lots of other books! 

Ming

Lately, things have been really chaotic in my life.  I have been dealing with, as the doctor's all seem to think, a minor nuisance of some female issues, which has been going on for a little over three months.  Another ongoing problem we were having was my cat, Ming, had been sick.  It's been around a month and a half.  I can't honestly say for sure when we noticed Ming getting a lot thinner, but I mostly attributed it to taking the cats off of wet food.  Anyway, one day I noticed she was getting really thin and wasn't acting quite right.  I probably let the symptoms go for too long without really realizing what was going on, but I finally decided to call the vet.  I took her in and they immediately told me she needed to spend at the very least, the weekend getting IV fluids.  She was very jaundice (I swear I never even noticed, but to be fair, she was a tortoise shell cat and tended to look a little brown/ yellow anyway) and they diagnosed her with a fatty liver.  The vet was very concerned.  She took some blood as well to try and determine the underlying cause of Ming's weight loss.  I explained to the vet the Ming has been basically ravenous and eating me out of house and home.  The vet took some blood and thought for sure it was Ming's thyroid.  It came back negative.  So we sent out for an even more detailed blood test...negative.  We even treated for thyroid with no luck.  I'm getting a little ahead of myself, Ming spent 5 days at the vet's office after that first appointment and got IV fluids.  When we took her home, we were taught how to give her fluids at home (basically putting a needle under her skin and giving her 240ml of fluids...which seems like a LOT!)  For the next 5-6 weeks, she was at the vet every weekend.  She just wasn't getting better.  At one point, on Saturday, I called the vet's office after hours and we met with the intention of putting her down.  The vet questioned if that was what I really wanted, of course it wasn't, so we tried some cortisone and vitamins.  After that she felt good for a day or two, then her back legs started failing.  The vet gave her a shot of pain meds and that helped for a few more days.  We started slowing down on the fluids, but after a week, I noticed she was getting really jaundice again.  So we tried more fluids.  After two days, she retained all of the fluids and her belly was completely distended. I finally asked A to take her to vet while I was at work and have her put down.  I cried all morning.  A told the vet if she wanted to see what was the problem, she was welcome to for the learning experience.  She had cancer.  Poor Ming.

Ming was completely my cat.  Anyone who has cats know, sometimes they pick one person as their owner.  Ming definitely picked me.  She slept with me religiously (up until her illness) and she would only come to me when I called her.  Every night she was on my lap.  She really was the sweetest cat I've ever met.  She was always so loving.  I will definitely miss her.  I swear, from the moment I got her (and Trooper, our other cat), I knew that when something like this happened, I would be crushed.  My cats were my lifeline when we lived in Wapakoneta, they were my friends and kids when I had no one.  I'm just happy that I was lucky to have 10 1/2 years with Ming.  Now I am going to spoil our other cat, Trooper!

  

Labels

As maybe a few of you know, life with L has never been entirely easy.  Wait, did someone say parenthood was easy?!?  Obviously, we all know it's not, but with L, it's been particularly challenging.  For quite some time, I've had suspicions that there was maybe something happening with L that was beyond our control.  I've discussed going to therapy in the past (with no success) and taking him to various speciality doctors.  The first to suggest seeing a behavioral Dr. was by the sleep specialist.  So I made an appointment with a doctor at Akron's Children's.  We had our initial appointment last October and decided to go forth with some testing.  Of course, said testing took EIGHT months to schedule.  The testing was for hearing, speech and autism.  Hearing proved to be a little difficult because L wasn't a fan of the headphones and he had difficulties with the directions.  The speech test seemed to go quite well.  The lady told us that he had an amazing vocabulary, but that he had issues with articulating words.  She said he has a tendency to talk fast and not pronounce everything fully.  I can only assume that's because I am a fast talker and he's picking that up from me.  The autism test was interesting.  We (A, my mom, and I) sat and watched the whole test, but we weren't allowed to help or interject at all.  It was all about using your imagination while playing, connecting events, and making stories using different items.  I am not going to lie, it seemed like it was a hot mess.  L had no idea what he was doing.  The test was on a Monday and they told us to call to set up an appt on Friday.  I called on Friday and they tried to schedule us for OCTOBER 3!!!!  Five months from now!  That wasn't going to fly with me, so they put us on a list to call if any appointments cancelled.  Shockingly, they called me back and set us an appointment on Saturday.  Sadly, A wasn't able to get off of work, so I took my dad (my mom couldn't come because my brother and his wife were busy in Columbus having a baby!!!  YAY!).  The doctor took at least an hour meeting with us.  He had a good conversation with L and I.  L did end up testing positive for being on the autism spectrum, just barely.  After all was said and done, the doctor decided that he was not completely comfortable slapping the label of autistic on L right away.  L does have quite a few red flags suggesting a mild autism, but he also have quite a few characteristics that don't fit either.  The doctor suggested A and I do some parenting therapy for the next six months to see if that doesn't help our situation.  If things have gotten a lot better, he is happy without diagnosing L as autistic.  If we are still struggling, we are going to go forth with a title of autism.  Once he has that "label" (I am using this word because this is the term the doctor used.  I am not entirely comfortable with it.  Labelling sounds so harsh), we would be able to receive help we otherwise wouldn't qualify for. 

I am still trying to come to terms with how I feel about this.  For years, I've had a fear that autism might be something we are dealing with, albeit it very mild and high functioning, but I've always talked myself out of it because L has never completely fit the definition (obviously, I have been way more on par than I ever thought).  I realize that lots of children have it worse than L does and bless the parents that have been through this.  That being said, raising L has been difficult in many ways and when finally asked in a way that I could understand, the doctor finally got it out of me that we have indeed altered and modified our lives completely around L.  I've spent lots of time feeling like a bad parent and guilty for giving in to a lot of L's quirks rather than being tough and not letting him rule our lives.  It has always seemed to make more sense to avoid things that set L off and avoid a bigger scene than to keep fighting.  When I told that to the Dr, he conceded and said that if that is really the case, then most likely there is something going on rather than not.  In my heart, I've always known that L was a different type of child.  He's quirky, extremely intelligent, and very sensitive.  All of which I LOVE about him, but also tends to cause a lot of struggles.  My rational mind tells me that either way, whether it be a summer of therapy getting some parental techniques that we can use to make things easier and it helps a bunch or a true diagnosis of autism, we are finally getting closer to helping make our lives a little easier and helping us to raise L as a happy and well adjusted child.  I'd be lying if I didn't admit that I was shocked when the doctor told us he tested positive, even if it was just barely, for autism.  I'm also tired just thinking about the work we have ahead of us (not that things have been easy by any means up until this point!)  The one thing the doctor said to me that makes me feel a little better is that it is very possibly that he could outgrow autism.  Ultimately, as parents, all we want is for L to be successful at life.  We will do everything in our power to make this happen.  Isn't that what matters in the end? 

Hemlock Grove (SPOILER ALERT)

Today, I thought I'd talk about the new Netflix show, Hemlock Grove.  First, I kind of wanted to discuss Netflix and their series.  I think I kind like the new format that Netflix is offering.  Currently, Netflix has three different TV shows exclusive to them.  This is a first as far I know, offering series exclusive to a company not available through your cable company.  This gives Netflix free reign to do basically anything they want, be it different lengths of episodes, profanity, nudity, gore, and most interesting, making the entire season (13 episodes or whatever amount they decide) available all at once.  It's pretty cool to be able to watch as many episodes as you want in one sitting.  I am very interested to see how or if this effects award shows.  Will they recognize a non-cable company series?  Netflix's House of Cards is an amazing show starring Kevin Spacey.  If I was voting for best actor, Kevin Spacey could easily be at the top of the list for his performance in House of Cards.

On to Hemlock Grove....
This is another werewolf/ vampire show.  I know, I know....everyone groans when they hear that, but at the same time, people are still eating these shows up like mad!  I can say with 100% surety that I have followed the whole genre for years, long before Twilight/ True Blood/ Vampire Diaries.  I haven't gotten bored with it yet!  In Hemlock Grove, a family (well, mother and son) of gypsies moved into the town Hemlock Grove.  Immediately, a girl from school took interest in him for research and called him out as a werewolf.  By the time school started, everyone had heard the rumor.  Meanwhile, on the "other side of the tracks" is Roman Godfrey.  He is the rich, entitled son of the deceased heir of Hemlock Grove.  His family started the steel business in Hemlock Grove and when that business died down, Roman's father switched to bio tech development.  Roman is also supernatural in a way that he doesn't quite understand until the end of the season.  There are murders happening in Hemlock Grove that leave everyone scratching their heads.  Roman and Peter find an easy friendship after Peter lets Roman watch him change into a werewolf.  They come to find out that the murderer is a "vargulf," a rogue werewolf.  Roman and Peter team up to solve the mystery (among other things, including discovering more info about themselves). 

I liked Hemlock Grove.  I won't say it was the BEST show on TV, there were definite moments where it was a little slow and a few different plot lines I'd have liked to see fleshed out a little more, but overall, I thought it was perfectly addictive.  I watched the whole series in 24hrs or so.  I stayed up late, dragged the ipad everywhere as I did laundry, dishes and cooked dinner, and even skipped naps! 

Alright...now to the final reason I enjoyed Hemlock Grove.....Bill Skarsgard!  You all now I have a HUGE obsession with Alexander Skarsgard.  Bill is one of Alex's little brothers.  I have a lot of love for the whole Skarsgard clan (and there is a bunch of them).  Aside from having amazing genes, talent runs rampant through the household as well.  Bill is 22 and just breaking into the American scene.  Honestly, I know this is hard to believe, but if Bill was just a little bit older, I would almost be comfortable saying he is the hottest Skarsgard.  He's tall, lanky, and has amazing hands like Alex.  You can definitely tell they are brothers by their mannerisms.  Bill has a little bit darker, creepier look to him.  I love it!  To me, watching Hemlock Grove was worth it for nothing more than having a chance to enjoy a new Skarsgard son.  ;)  By the way, the whole entire time I was watching Hemlock Grove, I was hoping that Bill got to keep his wardrobe.  He wore the hell out of it!!  ;)

Here are some pictures:

         

List Time!

I can sit here and apologize and go on and on about how bad I've been at keeping up with my blog, but really, do you want to hear it?  I don't even want to write it!  Hahaha.  So onward....I had a good idea for a post and here I am....nuff said! 

The other day, I was reading an article about the top 100 vocalists of Australia.  Yeah, I know, random...but it got me thinking....what would be my top 10 vocalists (I can't do 100, I'd lose interest). I may even break it down to top 5 men and top 5 women.  I like that.  OK...now I have to give it some thought.  Hey!  I had the idea to make the list, just not necessarily the list.

Top 5 Men Vocalists
1. Michael Hutchence- INXS (his mention in the article is what interested me in the first place)
2. Matt Bellamy- Muse (we all know my obsession with his voice)
3. Bono (does it get better than Bono??)
4. Adam Duritz- Counting Crows
5. Jim Morrision- Doors

Runners-Up: Francis Black- Pixies and Robert Smith- The Cure....Trent Reznor too!

Top 5 Female Vocalists
1. Karen Carpenter
2. Janis Joplin
3. Natalie Merchant
4. Delores O'Riordan- The Cranberries
5. Poe

Runners-Up: Mama Cass Elliot and Florence Welch

So far, this is what I've come up with....I may still change my mind.

Question #21 To Cook or Not to Cook....

For most of my life, I have hated cooking.  I admit that at the beginning of our marriage, I wasn't that great of a "typical" wife.  I let A cook more often than not.  It was never because I couldn't cook, I just hated doing it!  Once I had a child, my domestic goddess finally kicked in.  I guess if you give me a person I HAVE to cook for, I'll do it.  I even sort of enjoy it.  I do go through lazy periods where I don't want to cook a single thing.  But overall, I cook pretty regularly.  Do you love cooking or do you store your winter clothes in your stove? 

Lately, I've made some really fabulous dinners....if I do say so myself ;)  I'm a big fan of simple meals.  I have raved about McCormick Gourmet seasonings for a while.  Here's the website: http://www.mccormickgourmet.com/Products/Seasoning%20Mixes.aspx.  Anyway, I made some amazing zucchini fries using the sweet basil and oregano bruschetta chicken pack.  I cut up my zucchini, threw them in a baggie with some flour to coat them, dipped them in eggs, and then covered them with this mixture: breadcrumbs, some of the McCormick's mix, parmesan cheese, and a little salt and pepper.  I didn't measure anything, I just kind of threw it all together.  Put in the oven at 350 degrees for 14 or minutes.  They turned out SOOOO delicious and they were nice and crispy!  We dipped ours in marinara sauce.  I was surprised to find out the next day that A had come home from work and eaten every last bite of the leftovers! 

Another of my go to ingredients is Tyson's Grilled and Ready chicken.  I love it because it's already cooked and so easy to use.  I made chicken enchiladas the other day.  I put two small cans of enchilada sauce (or one big can) in my crock pot with about half a packet of taco seasoning, a can of green chillies, a handful of Tyson's Grilled and Ready regular chicken and a handful of Tyson's Southwestern chicken, and a can of rinsed black beans in my crock pot on high for 4 hours.  I shred the chicken, put the chicken and beans in a flour tortilla shell and roll them up.  I cover the rolls with the enchilada sauce and a bunch of cheese and throw it in the oven for a little bit to warm everything up together.  They really are AMAZING!

Finally, on Saturday I tried a really yummy Pinterest recipe.  It was pretzel covered chicken with a honey mustard sauce.   Here's the recipe: http://friedgreenpickles.blogspot.com/2013/03/tasty-tuesday-honey-mustard-pretzel.html?m=1.  I served it with asparagus.  Yum!!!!

Now that I've told you all the yummy dinners I've been making I am hungry! 

Question #22 Cartoons

Before L, I hadn't watched cartoons since I was a kid.  Now that's all I watch!!  :)  Overall, I'd like to say they have mostly gotten better.  When I was a kid, they weren't as educational as they are now.  Shoot, you can learn to count, add, sing the ABC's, practice colors and shapes, even speak Spanish!!!  It's pretty awesome.  Regardless, I don't know a day that goes by that I am left confused by a cartoon.  Hahaha.  I know that sounds ridiculous, but it usually ends up in hysterical conversations between A and I.  Here are some of my observations as well as some questions.

Why is it that everyone in Curious George has a name, including a monkey, besides the man with the yellow hat?  I asked A this exact question this morning and he said it was because the show was about George, not the man with the yellow hat.  Duh!

Do Nick and Sally's parents ever care where their kids actually are on The Cat and the Hat?  They sure never mind the kids running off with the Cat and the Hat.  I'd like a Cat in the Hat to take my kid on adventures and give me a little break.  That would be amazing....anyone else game....as long as they are back before dinner!

What cartoon do you find yourself completely glued to even if your kid isn't really paying attention?  For me, it's Dinosaur Train.  That show captivates me and L is completely uninterested.  Seriously, what kid doesn't like dinosaurs and trains?  TOGETHER?  I do worry a little about the Pteranodon family when Buddy finally grows full size.  Not only will it be a lot harder to carry him while they fly around, but he's a T-Rex....he might just snack on the whole family down the road.  Another thing....and maybe it's because I was never into dinosaurs before...but does it seem like there are a bunch more types of dinosaurs since I was younger?  I haven't heard of half of of the species they talk about on Dinosaur Train. 

What cartoon/ kid's show makes your skin crawl?  I really can't get into The Wiggles.  I just have a really hard time with four adult men hanging with kids all the time.  It's really annoying and weird.  I always find myself wondering what kind of an adult decides they want to do a kid's television program.  Seems to me, you'd almost have to be a little backwards to sign up for kid's TV.

Cartoon voices....which make you cringe and are there any you don't mind?  Obviously, SpongeBob is the first that comes to mind when for a voice that makes you cringe.  Ugh that dang laugh...it is enough to make your ears bleed.  I often think of what it would be like to be that guy in real life?  Could you imagine being married to the voice of SpongeBob?  Good God.  I just envision settling in with some husband/ wife cuddle time and he breaks out in the voice of SpongeBob.  Seriously, there isn't enough money to make me marry that.  I have a a really embarrassing thing to admit.  I think Handy Manny has a totally sexy voice!  I realize it's Wilmer Valderrama...I mean, I went and googled it the first time I watched the show. But I couldn't recall what his actual voice sounds like, all I could come up with is Fez from That 70's Show, so I was surprised to find out he is Handy Manny.

Let's discuss Mickey Mouse Club House....particularly the "mouseketools..."  I swear Mickey and gang are the modern day Macgyvers of the cartoon world.  Every time I watch Mickey Mouse Club House, I am fascinated and surprised at how they use their mouseketools...for example, using a baby elephant to blow up balloons.  Really?  That's what baby elephants are handy for?  And I swear they have bouncy shoes/ roller skates in almost every episode.  Crazy stuff.  Don't even get me started on the "Hot Dog" song (yeah, you know that dang song is in your head now!  Bawahahahah)

L loves Thomas the Train.  He has Thomas EVERYTHING!  I generally don't mind Thomas too much.  I'm not a huge fan of the older ones, I prefer the animated ones.  My only beef with Thomas is this: Thomas never listens to what he is supposed to be doing and somehow someone comes and bails him out of trouble and it all works out in the end.  So basically, you are telling my kid that he can do dumb stuff and someone will come along and help him clean up his mess and it will ALWAYS be all good?  Hmm.  A perfect example of this is in one of L's Thomas books.  Thomas decides that, against the conductors orders, he doesn't want to wear his snow plow.  He ends up getting stuck and Terrance the caterpillar tractor comes and digs him out.  He gets scolded, but does he really learn his lesson?  I doubt it because he keeps doing dumb stuff.

Finally, I want to talk about Calliou.  First off, who the freak names their kid Caillou?  Umm...hands down WORST name EVER!!!  It's just so bizarre.  I'd love to know who came up with that.  Second, Caillou is quite possibly the whiniest child on television.  I get more than my fair share of whining from L....I really don't need to see it on TV and L DEFINITELY doesn't need to see it on TV and validate all his whining!

This turned into a really long post.  Obviously, I've given lots of thought to this topic.  It's actually really hilarious.  I never get tired of tearing apart cartoons.  Maybe it's because that's just about ALL I get to watch these days!  So tell me, are there any funny/ weird/ annoying things that you observe when watching hours of cartoons??

PS- Before I post this...I wanted to mention Yo Gabba Gabba.  That show is one of the trippest shows I've seen.  But really, they have the BEST musical guests....The Killers (introduced by their first names...I was curious how they'd get around the name Killers), MGMT, The Ting Tings, Jimmy Eat World, The Shins, and Shiny Toy Guns.  Bravo Gabba Gabba for introducing our youth to some rockin' music!!!

The Killers on Yo Gabba Gabba

Let the Fun Begin!!!!

Sometimes, I just love that life keeps me on my toes.  I decided to sign L up for swim lessons.  He is mostly comfortable in the water, but he has a yellow life vest that he uses as a crutch and doesn't like to swim without it.  He *can* swim underwater for a very short distance without it, but lately he's been really clinging to that life vest.  I figured now is a perfect time to get him started with swim lessons...maybe by the time we leave for vacation, he will be comfortable without the vest!  At least, he loves putting his face underwater (he even does it in the bathtub....practising his swimming!)  I am really excited about the lessons.  I know it's going to make our life a little more hectic, but I am excited to get him started with this AND I am kind of thinking this is a nice opportunity for me to step up my swimming.  I'll have a half hour to swim a few laps while he is doing his lesson.  So potentially, I will have the opportunity to swim 5 days a week.  I say potentially because it really is going to depend on my shoulder.  Regardless, I can at the very least get in the pool with L after his lesson and play with him a bit, which will be loads of fun! 

I am really getting jazzed for Spring...we are expecting a huge snowstorm tomorrow...hahahah!  As much as I am looking forward to warm weather, I am also eager to go to my cousin's wedding, a new nephew, planning a baby shower for my friend, and another cousin coming to visit!  There are just so many things to be joyful about! 

I have been feeling completely amazed at how fast days pass lately!  Being busy and having things to be excited for is wonderful, however, it sure makes your life go by quickly!  Anyone else completely shocked it's already March?  I am still having a hard time writing 2013! 

Completely random....I have finally started to finish the Hunger Games books.  I read the first one a while back and thought it was good, it was a really fast read.  When I was finished, though, I didn't feel really thrilled to read the second and third installment.  I had been reading the Merry Gentry series by Laurell K. Hamilton and need to obtain the last two books available, so I had nothing to read this weekend...I figured I hate leaving the Hunger Games series unfinished, so I started "Catching Fire".  I started and finished it this weekend.  It was really good, but again, I am left feeling like I wouldn't feel too terrible if I didn't read the last one.  I am going to read the last book, but I am kind of meh about it.  I can't explain why I feel this way either, because when I am actually reading the books, I think they are really good.  I think maybe the whole "young adult" genre just isn't all that interesting to me.  I like my books a little more mature.  They don't have to be complete smut, but I do like a little more adult.  By the way, the Merry Gentry series by Laurell K. Hamilton is pretty decent.  I still have the last two to read (which I procured this weekend....SCORE!)  They are a little far fetched, but whatever....I'm willing to stretch my imagination a bit ;)  Ahhh...I just love reading!

Crafts and Activities for L

I don't know about anyone else, but I am a pinterest addict.  I have done all kinds of different things off pinterest and really love having a place to trade ideas.  Matter of fact, I seriously wonder what we would do without Pinterest anymore.  I have a whole "board" for activities and things I think would be really cool for L.  I've decided instead of spending SO much time on Pinterest, I am going to take some of the new ideas and try some activities and crafts with L.  Last night, while I was making dinner, I set up a car wash for all of his matchbox cars.  He seemed to enjoy it, but it was actually shorter lived than I imagined it would be.  Either way, it kept him busy for a few minutes and wasn't THAT much of a mess to clean up.  It was kind of fun because he could play in the kitchen with me and talk my ear off while I was cooking.

I am going to try and do a few more activities with L rather than throw him in front of the TV and let him tear my house apart!  I think he is finally starting to enjoy doing little crafts a little more.  His attention span is pretty much nil, but little activities to keep him busy while I'm making dinner or whatever don't need to be super in depth and time consuming.  I am really excited to try some of the ideas I've found on Pinterest....like making a masking tape road all over a room so he can play cars on it or an Easter craft using paper plates.  I've got a few ideas that should be very cheap, if not free, and not too complicated.

Here are a few things I think we are going to try....perfect timing too since my mom just texted me that she needs to take a trip to Pat Catans....time to stock up on some more craft supplies!  Woot woot!

By the way...once we do some of these things, I'll post pictures!  I know...you're on the edge of your seat waiting!!!  :)

Question #20 Are You A Car Person?

Last night, the fam and I went to the Cleveland Auto Show.  We usually go every year and enjoy getting out of the house and doing something different.  Plus, A and L love cars!  ;)  We took my mom this year...she was a car show virgin!  Last night was a lot of fun.  We went right after work and had dinner there.  After dinner, L went DIRECTLY to the booth that sells die cast cars....big shock hahaha!  We actually got out of there without buying him a car, but out of the corner of my eye I noticed some leather coin purses in the shape of animals a few booths down....bad...just bad!  Two Christmases ago, my mom got me an AMAZING owl purse (I don't know if I have talked about how much I love owls on my blog, but I LOVE owls).  She bought it on eBay. I have had SO many compliments on this purse...not even kidding...I've had people grab my arm and drag me to their friend so they could show off my purse.  If I had a nickle for every compliment I've gotten on this purse, I could buy three more of them (the purse is $88!)  Anyway, this lady was selling matching coin purses and key chains to match my purse.  She actually had two purses too!  My mom and I were so excited.  She said she sold her stuff on eBay, so I guessing this is actually who my mom got my purse from.  I ended up getting the matching coin purse and key chain.  Duh....they are ridiculously cute!

 My new coin purse and key chain!!!

 My awesome owl purse!

OK, so on with my actual question....Are you a car person?  What is your favorite car?  I'll admit, I like cars, but I am not really a "cars" person.  Does that makes sense?  I can appreciate the design and form of a vehicle, but anything deeper like engine size or whatever is completely a different language for me.  Walking around the car show last night, I realized that I wasn't all that impressed with other cars like I used to be because I now finally have the car I've been wanting for years.  Yeah, yeah, I know....a Ford Edge isn't all that great of a car, but for practical, affordable purposes, it's my dream car.  Don't get me wrong, the BMWs, Mercedes, and Audis are awesome, but they don't have any place in my real world!  I'm just as happy with my Edge.  I was pleased to find that almost the exact same model, color and all, was displayed at the car show.  Coincidentally enough, it was parked RIGHT NEXT to the almost exact same Ford Escape my mom just bought a week or two after we bought our car.  What are the chances of that happening?  Needless to say, I thought that was just too cool.  Hahahaha.  What can I say....I'm easily amused ;)

My gang and I in front of "our" car at the car show!

Question #19 Best and Worst Dressed

The Oscar's were last night.  I love award season.  It's so fun to see all these stars dressed up!  The fashion is either amazingly awesome or awesomely ridiculous....and I love it all!  There's nothing better than sitting in front of your TV at home, with dirty hair and in your comfy yoga pants judging all the outfits of these stars.  Hahaha.  You know, because I am so perfect!  No doubt anyone not living in a cave probably has his/ her best and worst dressed of the evening....do tell :)

My favorites were Jessica Chastain, Charlize Theron, and Naomi Watts.  If I had to say who had the best hair it'd be Anne Hathaway hands down.  I adore her short hair style.  It looks so amazing on her.  I can't look at her without the strong desire to chop all my hair off.  In the past, I've never shied away from a short hair cut....maybe a change is in the future!  I actually really love Charlize Theron's hair really short too.  If there is anyone that can pull off a haircut like that and still be amazing, it's her.  Runners up would be Sandra Bullock (I wasn't terribly fond of her hairstyle) and Octavia Spencer.  I would have really liked to see Melissa McCarthy and Adele pull off some really fabulous plus size fashions off, but again, I was left disappointed and they were left looking like they were wearing a grey garbage bag and a black, sparkly garbage bag.  I always feel a little disappointed that the plus sized women don't find something better.  I realize we are in a society (and especially Hollywood) where being plus sized means you are limited to designers, but they are rich, commission someone to make a dress for you!  Wearing an amazing dress and looking just as beautiful as the rest of the teeny women in Hollywood would be an amazing boost for plus sized women all over.

My worst dressed were Kristen Stewart, Catherine Zeta Jones, and Zoe Saldana.  I will say, I don't think Kristen Stewart's dress was ugly, it was just ill fitted.  But her hair and make-up was just awful....did she just roll out of bed?  Good grief.  I realize she has a hurt foot and was hobbling around for the cause, but still...at very least wash and brush that rats nest of hair.  Gross.  You can only take angsty so far...then it's just called being dirty!  Ew.  I really don't know what Catherine Zeta Jones was thinking.  The whole entire package was a disaster.  The dress was awful, her hair parted down the middle was so outdated, and her make-up was really heavy.  She looked SOOOO much older.  I am sure she was trying for just the opposite, but she failed miserably.  And she's such a beautiful woman...you really have to be trying hard to make her ugly.  I just wasn't feeling Zoe's dress.  Too much happening...flowers, bow, belt, the grey to black fade at the bottom...not into it.

Alright...your turn!

Question #18 Shopping Anyone?

This weekend we bought a nice, new corner desk to replace the rabbit's cage (our bunny, Ollie, passed away a few weeks back).  Now we have a desk to put our big computer on.  This is good news because now I can blog and not have to be in our basement wondering what kind of trouble L is getting into!!  Clearly, this doesn't STOP L from getting in trouble, he can just do it in front of my face now.  Good stuff.  Cool, I totally just vacuumed my family room while thinking of what I wanted to write and skipped the running up and down steps.  This is all just too cool!

 New desk....yup....I'm in the middle of blogging....Yay for being above ground on the computer!!!  ;)

Alright, I don't know if you noticed, but I've kind of been on a shopping binge...last weekend Ikea, this weekend new desk...and that's just 30% of it ;)  I am addicted.  Are you a shopper like me or is shopping torture to you?

I hate shopping when I don't have any money (which, sadly, is more often than not) because you always find stuff you want, but can't buy.  We just got our tax refund...bad news....I can't stop.  I just love shopping for deals and I have this one store (well, technically it's two, but they are owned by the same person , are next to each other, and basically the same store just different stuff in each) that is like crack to me.  This weekend, they had a 75% off sale and I couldn't/ can't stay away.  To be fair, most of what I bought this weekend was gifts.  In the next few months, I have 3 birthdays, 2 babies, and a wedding shower.  I figure I better shop while I can afford it!  Plus, now I can buy more because everything was 75% off!!!  I am such a good shopper, I actually have friends and family texting me with items they are looking for...for example, one of my good friends just found out she's having a baby and she needs everything!  Yay!  This is a perfect way to satisfy my shopping need, my love for baby stuff, and helping a friend. I have already helped her find a co-sleeper, baby swing, and crib/ changing table (all at my favorite store, of course!) 

 Here is a text from my friend giving me my next shopping challenge....challenge accepted!  Hahahahaha!

I love shopping....maybe I should be a personal shopper...not sure I am going to find anyone in my town that needs a personal shopper....maybe we need to move...hahahahaha!!!!  How about you?  Are you a shopper or hater?

PS- I forgot all about Ziva's birthday...she's gonna be four in two days....here's what she got for her b-day!  She is sooo happy :)

Question #17 Seasons

Last night and this morning I was brutally reminded that it is winter.  The wind has been blowing really hard and it's snowing.  It's enough to take your breath away.  So, today I thought I would ask what is your favorite season?  Living in Ohio, you practically can experience all four season in a weeks time.  The weather here changes so fast you can't keep up.  However, as far as I can remember, it wasn't always this way and we had a lot more clear cut seasons.  I always liked that about Ohio...you got to experience spring, summer, fall, and winter. 

If I had to chose a favorite season, I guess it would be fall.  I love the leaves changing colors, the warm days and cool nights, Halloween, picking out pumpkins, getting your sweaters and pants out, Thanksgiving, mums, I love all of it!  Fall is the perfect transition season.  That being said, I really do appreciate and enjoy all of the seasons.  In spring, the air is fresh, everything is warming up, flowers are blooming, Easter....it's all so fresh and rejuvenating after a hard winter.  Everything is coming back to life.  Summer is great because it's so hot, gardens grow, flowers are bright, the sun is out, picnics, swimming, Fourth of July....I love it all!  I know a lot of people who aren't huge fans of winter.  I would say winter is probably my least favorite season, but there's a lot about winter I still love.  There is nothing like a fresh layer of snow, sitting inside all warm and cozy, Christmas and New Year's, hot chocolate, snow days....shoot I even like driving in the snow.  I take it like a challenge given to me by mother nature.  Slow and steady! 

What is your favorite holiday?  Do you love snow or sun?  Or are you like me and soak up each season as they come?

Question #16 and Weekend Wrap-Up

If you were an animal, what animal would you be?  Personally, I haven't given the question a lot of thought, so off the cuff, I'd say some sort of big cat.  Maybe a white tiger?  I guess I wouldn't mind an orange tiger either.  As we've established in a previous post, I am a cat person.  While being a normal house cat would be fine, I like the idea of a big cat better...more power.  Roar!  Hahaha.  I love how graceful big cats are. It's also really awesome how they still purr like a domestic cat.  Cats in general are great because they can be completely bi-polar and it's accepted by all!

The animal question flows right into my weekend wrap-up.  Sometime...I believe it was in late November, we took L on a train ride through the Cuyahoga Valley National Park.  He loves trains and the area is really beautiful any time of the year.  They had recently opened a little store/ train depot where we bought our tickets and even bought a few Christmas gifts.  They have a little play area and we noticed a contest to name their mascot, an Otter.  L immediately picked Ollie for the otter (we had a rabbit named Ollie...he just passed away two weeks ago) and so we filled out a form for him and forgot about it completely.  In January, I got a phone call and it was from the little store.  They had picked the winning name for the otter and it was Ollie.  They wanted to have a little reception/ ceremony for the winners (there were six).  I thought it sounded fun, so we RSVPed.  It was this past Saturday.  Four of the six kids showed up and L was the youngest by at least 5 years.  Ollie the Otter was a cartoon and he was painted on the wall of the store by the kid's play area.  There were color form clothes, etc to stick on the painting.  It was all very cute.  We met the artist and she was really sweet.  She did a little demonstration on how to draw (L wasn't really into the art lesson, but my mom got into it!), then a park ranger came in and swore the four kids in as Junior Park Rangers.  This was super cute, they got a button badge and a patch (he wore the badge all weekend and kept telling me he didn't have anything to save anyone with...it was pretty funny!)  They also gave each kid a bag with a really nice stuffed otter, a bunch of wildlife toys, a signed picture of Ollie, etc.  Overall, it was really fun.  We had a heck of a time getting L to cuddle his Ollie...he wanted nothing to do with it until later in the day at nap time....he's such a funny kid.  Needless to say, we know L will never tell us if he could be any animal, it'd be an otter.  Hahaha!!!

My mom and I had been talking about taking a trip to Ikea for years.  Well, on Sunday, we finally broke down and went.  The nearest Ikea is 2 1/2 hours away in Pittsburgh, PA.  So we loaded L up and heading to PA.  I'm not even gonna lie....that place is HUGE!  I'd love to say L was having a really good day and was behaving, but really he was awful and complaining about everything.  We did end up spending 2 1/2 hours there, so I can't blame the kid for getting cranky towards the end.  I was pretty overwhelmed and exhausted too.  I ended up buying a chair, a six drawer dresser, a two drawer dresser, a set of 12 silverware, 18 glasses and a few little odds and ends.  Wow....you definitely have to have an idea of what you are looking for/ budget when going to Ikea.  I'm glad I got the chance to see what it's like to go there, but it may be a while before I will be heading back!  Hahahaha!

Question #15 Favorite Ethan Hawke Movie

Since I wrote a normal post about how freaking dumb cancer is, I figured I'd still do a question too.  A little more specific of a question.  And don't forget random....I LOVE random questions.  For years now, my BFF and I have swooned over Ethan Hawke (I'd say she's more into him than I ever have been, but I definitely think he's not hard on the eyes).....I mean, since "White Fang"...that's a long time ago (side note...that was my brother's favorite movie and I never seemed to mind watching it...hmmm....).  Anyway, obviously one of the best Ethan Hawke movies is "Reality Bites"....if you weren't school girl crushing after that movie, something is wrong with you.  So here goes Ethan fans....what is your favorite Ethan Hawke movie?

Before I go on and tell you which Ethan Hawke movie is my favorite, I want to tell you what brought this whole topic up.  This picture......

Yes, that's our beloved Ethan Hawke.  Looking like he is suffering a serious mid-life crisis.  I mean, really?  He looks terrible.  And manliner?  No.  Just No.  I can't stop talking about this picture....it's like a train wreck I can't stop watching.  It's so embarrassing.

Man....I am seriously so distracted by the disaster of a picture...I almost forgot to tell you my favorite Ethan movie.  I love "Great Expectations".  That movie is so visually beautiful and the story is great.  There isn't anything I don't love about it.  I love all the green clothes Gwyneth Paltrow wears.  Overall, I just love the movie.  "White Fang" comes in second.  And probably "Reality Bites" afterwards.  I know there are lots of people of who love the "Before Sunrise" trilogy.  I watched the first two a long time ago and wasn't super inspired, but I kind of think maybe if I watched them now, I could appreciate it more.  I also really enjoyed "Gattaca" and "Taking Lives".  After looking at his movie resume, I've come to realize I may be more of an Ethan Hawke fan than I thought.  Interesting....

  So I will close this post with a MUCH better picture....Troy Dyer....who doesn't love Troy Dyer?

Cancer Blows UPDATE

Seriously, is there a single person alive who hasn't either directly or indirectly been effected by cancer?  Ugh.  What a freaking pain in the butt (and for me, that is literal).  I remember a year, or five after I was diagnosed, I'd go to the Dr.'s for a cold and come out looking like a pin cushion because they wanted to test my numbers.  Just in case.  If I had a dollar every time I've heard that I could retire.  And worse, it's not just doctors you hear it from.  It's literally everyone in your life.  And for YEARS after having cancer.  You know at this point in the game, I have no more of a disposition to get cancer than any other average Joe?  None the less, my family and even myself, are bound to worry about any strange little change in my body.  Granted, I am usually the least worried out of the bunch.  Still, it takes it's toll.  I'd be lying if I said I never worried a little about it.

So, anyway, what prompted this rant is that I found a hard lump on my ankle.  I have had a small, hard lump on the outside of my left arm for a few months that I just chalked up to a fatty deposit or something.  Well, now I have a similar lump on my left ankle.  Goody.  Under the advice of my mom, I now have to go to the Dr.'s.  Boo.  I honestly can't decide if I am more worried about what it is or more annoyed at having to go see ANOTHER Dr. who probably doesn't know what's going on and will send me to another, and another....you can see a pattern here, I'm sure.  My best guess is that it's nothing to really worry about.  I am a little worried that even if it's just a calcium deposit or something like that, I'll have to have it removed and that ticks me off.  Ideally, I'd like to go through a whole year without having surgery.  I know, it's a lofty goal!  Ugh.  I actually feel raging mad about this whole situation.  I am so fed up with body crap.  I don't want to think about this stuff let alone worry about it.  Grr.  Yup, definitely more angry and annoyed than worried.  Alright, I'm gonna take my lumpy body and go get ready for work now.  And in a half hour....sigh....I'll go call the doctor.  Yippee.     

UPDATE:
I went to my internist and she wasn't sure what the lumps were.  She sent me to a surgeon.  I was supposed to have an appointment on Thursday this week, however, they called because there was a cancellation, so I went in yesterday.  The Dr. said the one on my arm is a lipoma (fat deposit...just what I thought!), but he was a little perplexed by the one on my ankle.  He did an ultrasound of it and still wasn't a hundred percent certain what was happening, but he thought it could possibly be an inflamed vein.  For three weeks, I have to wear a compression sock and take anti-inflammatories.  If it doesn't go away by then, he said he'd have to open it up and figure out what was causing it.  Here's hoping the compression socks work!!!

Valentine's Day....Love it or Hate it?

I have a lot of mixed feelings about Valentine's Day.  While I like the fact that there is a day to focus on your love you have for your loved ones, I also think it's gotten ridiculously commercialized.  Besides, why do we need a day to remind us that we love our spouses, kids, family, friends, etc?  Shouldn't we remember this daily?  I guess with life being so busy for everyone, Valentine's Day gives you a chance to show someone you appreciate them, I know that can sometimes get forgotten in day to day living.  But really, do we need heart shaped EVERYTHING to do this?  A and I have never really been big into celebrating Valentine's Day.  I usually get him a card and a little treat (sometimes I even make him something cool like bacon roses....I'll have to find a pic to post...they were super cool and yummy!)  I do have to admit, having a child that is school aged now and making Valentine cards for his classmates is kind of fun (ask me how I feel about it after a few years!  Hahahaha).  Being that it's L's first year of Valentine's Day in school, of course I had to find something really cool to make.  So....I spent TWO hours peeling the papers off crayons (L helped a teeny bit with this, but lost interest fast), breaking them into little bits (he liked this a little better and helps some) and melting them down into shapes of little hearts.  I am so thankful I did this the weekend before L's birthday party, or else they would have never gotten done.  Last night, my mom, L, and I bagged all the little heart crayons up in clear bags and tied a construction paper heart on with ribbon.  Inside the heart shaped card it read "You bring color to my life!"  We let L put stickers all over the front and backs of the hearts (I had all kinds of stickers, but he preferred the car stickers....and he literally put STOP sign stickers on every heart that he did)....L petered out after half of the hearts and we were left haphazardly putting stickers on the rest, but at least he lasted that long!!!  They really turned out super cute.     

 

 

 

 

 

 

Lego Birthday Party

Sorry it's been so long since I've actually blogged, but between celebrating L's FOURTH birthday and the flu running rampant through my house, I've been quite the busy/ bedridden girl.  I am going to write a little about L's birthday party today.  Honestly, I probably overdid it big time, but really it was so fun and everything looked amazing.  When I do something, I want to do it right.  And when I have a theme, you can bet I am sticking to it like glue.  Hahaha.

Here are some of the pictures of the things I did (with some help from my mom...thank you mom!) that made this party so cool!!!

 I guess I should have put these in order, but I am assuming you can figure it out.  This is a picture of the cake before it was frosted.  I actually made three cakes.  One 9x13, one 7x11 and one in a bread pan.  We toggled back and forth with ideas for the "nubs" and if we should put something between the layers.  One of the ideas for the "nubs" was jumbo marshmallows, but I couldn't find those anywhere.  Last minute I thought Oreos would be great and mom got the double stuffed so they were a little bigger, which worked perfectly.  We really aren't that skilled in cake making, but I think we pulled this off alright.  I bought some sort of gel frosting color and boy, was that stuff ever bright.  And let me tell you, it looked great, but was EVERYWHERE!!!  Everyone had red, yellow, or blue lips!  In the end, the second layer didn't fit exactly as we had originally planned, but I liked it put at an angle better...gave it more depth.  The little Lego men sitting on the cake was an awesome last minute addition as well!!

 I really love these goody bags.  They turned out SUPER cute.  I just bought colored bags at the party store and cut out 6 circles from an empty roll of toilet paper, painted them, and CAREFULLY glued them on.  Shockingly, not a single "nub" fell off and I had those bad boys PACKED with goodies!!!

 It's funny, but something as simple as this was really the hit of the party.  One night after putting L to bed, I stole his Legos and built this.  It was super simple, but such a neat touch.  I actually ended up putting some Lego trees and two Lego guys in that empty green space.  Everyone loved it!  So easy, but really tied the whole party together.

I saw this idea on Pinterest.  I thought it was really sweet!  I had to hide both the "4" and silverware/napkin caddy from L until his actual birthday for fear he'd get excited and end up taking it all apart!  Hahaha!

We also had your normal party decorations like Lego plates, streamers (with Lego pics on the end of them),
and a "Happy Birthday" Lego sign.  We also had tons of balloons.  I sent A and L to go to the party store the day of the party and said get ONE Lego balloon and maybe FIVE regular balloons.  They came back with 12 regular balloons and one Lego.  For some unknown reason, the regular balloons started popping, so mom and I had to run back and get more.  They gave us extra since A called and said more had popped while we were gone.  We had balloons everywhere.  The kids loved it.  Overall it was really a great party and well worth all the work.  L had a blast and cleaned up like a fat rat!!!!

Question # 14 Parenting?

Gosh...keeping a blog daily is difficult.  Today's question(s) is something I've been giving a lot of thought to lately.  What kind of parent are you (or would like to be)?  What are things you do well related to parenting?  Where could you improve?  These are hard questions to answer truthfully, no matter how candid you think you are with yourself.  No one wants to admit they make mistakes...even if you can own your mistakes, learning from them, and changing the way you deal with things is not a simple fix.   

I am going to preface this with some excuses.  No matter how valid they are, to me, they still come out sounding like excuses.  We all have our crosses to bear.  Some have it worse than others and you will always find someone out there who have overcome adversity worse than yours.  That being said, sometimes these things compile and make it hard to manage anything, let alone being a stellar parent.  I live with chronic pain.  I am not the chronic pain patient who is happy with "take your meds and you'll be fine".  I've fought my pain tooth and nail for eight LONG years so far.  I've suffered through four shoulder surgeries and two surgeries to implant a spinal cord stimulators with hopes of helping relieve some of the pain I suffer.  Currently, I am in the "take your meds and you'll be fine" stage of things, but not by choice and certainly not happily.  I am always looking for new ways to take care of my pain.  Anyway, having chronic pain takes a very real toll on your body.  Not only are you always exhausted from being in pain constantly, you are also on medications to help which makes you constantly tired.  Add to that, having a spinal cord stimulator sends a numbing/ tingling feeling to my whole body at any given move of my neck which can leave me feeling weak at different times.  Basically, I am not perfect and this kind of stuff greatly effects my parenting.

I think I am a parent who is quick to hug and sooth, yet isn't afraid to get crazy at my kid if he is making me nuts.  I am not that parent who will tell you that having a child completes my life.  I love L.  I love L unconditionally.  He is a huge part of me.  My child is wonderfully different and quirky and I love that the most about him.  He is ridiculously smart and never forgets anything.  I'm proud at how clever he is and how he thinks things through in a way that I never could.  He also makes me absolutely crazy mad and frustrated.  He has and probably always will keep me on my toes.  Nothing with L is simple.  Sometimes, I even love that about him.  I want to be the parent that knows how to help a child like L grow and be successful and happy.  I am not that parent right now.  I feel like a fish out of water most of the time.  Nurturing may come natural to me (more natural than I actually expected...that was my big fear during my pregnancy), but disciplining and teaching my child the ins and outs of life are definitely not a natural skill to me.  I push and want things just so and perfect and even though L is not far behind me in perfectionism, a four year old's idea of perfect is vastly different than mine.  I try to reason with a child who doesn't know what reasoning is yet.  It is so hard to describe what kind of parent you are.  I can say though, with 100% surety, I give parenting my all.  My effort is stellar!  I am always trying to think of new and exciting things to do with L.  I go above and beyond to celebrate milestones in his life.  I never stop trying. 

Wow....such a simple question led to a deep look into my life as a mom.  Sometimes it helps to just write it all out.  Like any good mom, I have lots of areas to work on.  I need to slow down and enjoy my child more.  Help him learn things like writing and spelling.  Being a parent is a never ending job.  I know before I became a parent, I knew that I'd probably mess up my kid somehow, because we all are a little bit of effed up, seems like it's a natural thing to do!  When your child knows that he/ she is loved and is happy, that's all that matters in the end.  :) 

Question #13 How Did You Meet Your Spouse?

This is a questions for all my married friends (which strangely enough, aren't too many!  The handful of my really good friends are ALL single).  How did you meet your spouse?  How long did you date before getting married?  Big wedding or small one?  How long have you been married?  I realize this is more than one question, but they all kind of tie together.

A and I's story is actually pretty fun.  We met in 7th grade thru a cousin we both share.  I know this sounds kind of weird, but I assure you it is not!  My mom's first cousin married A's mom's first cousin. When they had kids, A and I were related to them by the same degree. My parents and some family friends used to do an annual canoe trip right around the time of the fourth of July.  Every year, the group of people that went grew.  One year it included A and his family.  Of course we all had a blast hanging out together....these canoe trips were a lot of fun.  So A and I would see each other occasionally.  In 9th grade we spent the 4th of July together (well our families) and his parents' cat just had kittens.  I was dying to have a kitten (Mitzi), so we took one home (it almost started WW III between my parents....a whole other story).  On our way home, my mom teased me that A had a crush on me.  I wasn't really into him like that, but it was kind of funny.  Throughout high school we saw each other at different family events....somehow he was always single for me, even though he always had a girlfriend.  One random day, I got a phone call from A and he wanted to ask me out on a date.  I was so shocked and a little nervous and said sure.  I was a little backwards in the dating department, so this was kind of new to me.  The more I thought about it, the more I was kind of grossed out by A.  Hahahaha.  We went to different schools and I thought his was really dorky.  Anyway, I went through with the date, but decided I would do my best to sabotage it.  A wanted to go to dinner and a movie.  I had completely different plans.  I insisted that I drive (I had a super cute lime green VW  Beetle).  We went to Friendly's for dinner and then met my BFF (same one I swim with!!) at a boy's soccer game.  Hahaha..  This story is hilarious.  I thought the soccer team boys were super hot and didn't want to miss a game.  If you think that I was terrible doing this, it only gets worse....  We decided to ride down to Overton to "Cry Baby Bridge"....so BFF, A, and I piled into my BFF's car (I sat in the passenger seat and A in the back) and went driving.  When the date was done, he tried to kiss me and I freaked and shut the door in his face.  I didn't find out until way later that A had spent a whole day detailing his car and getting ready for our date.  I was a total goober.  He did call for another date (now that is some persistence!) but I turned him down blaming it on the start of swim season.

I went off to college and didn't think twice of A.  Every now and again we would email each other, but nothing real interesting. I would always get a kick out of his emails.  The year I got cancer, for some reason, we had started talking a little more.  I was in a relationship for 2 years, so I never really thought it was anything more than friends.  After I quit school to have my surgery and heal, I realized that my long term boyfriend just wasn't the right person for me.  A was home and around and we started talking even more.  He would come in to work and see me every now and again.  While I was still in a relationship, A and I decided to go see a movie together.  This was a really hard time for me because all of my friends were in college still and my boyfriend was living in Canada, so I was really lonely and trying to come to terms with just surviving cancer.  Having A as a friend and around was huge.  The night we went to the movie was really great.  At one point in the evening, I thought to myself that it would have been an amazing first date. I definitely started to evaluate my life, my relationship, and my future.  Again, I can't really stress where I was in my life....I wanted someone stable to be with.  It meant a lot to me that A was there for me and keeping me company.  Suddenly, I realized that I knew all the things I didn't like about A, but I never really gave him a chance to learn the things I could like about him.  It all happened fast, I broke up with my boyfriend and immediately A and I started dating.  I knew instantly that he was the one.  I swear, if you would have told me a year before that A and I would be dating and how sure I was that he'd be my husband, I would have died laughing.  All those years of laughing at him because he had a hopeless crush on me and here I was falling for him!  We were pretty much inseparable after that.  I finished my senior year of college closer to home and went home every single weekend to be with A.  We were engaged in 7 months and married 11 months after that.  We have had a lot of ups and downs, but I wouldn't want to do it with anyone else!  This past September we celebrated our 10 year anniversary by renewing our vows on the beach.

I love our story.  It's one we will tell our grandchildren years from now.  OK, your turn....tell me your story!!

Question #12 Where in the World?

If you could live anywhere, where would it be?  For some reason, maybe because I actually like living in Ohio, I can only imagine enjoying living in a new place for a year or so.  Weird, right. Anyway, not that I've explained my weird little Maggie quirk.....

If I could live anywhere, I think I'd like to live on the coast of Italy somewhere. I've been to a few different places in Italy, but never the coast. Everything I've seen is amazingly beautiful. And living on the coast will satisfy my desire to live by the ocean. It'd be super neat to go and live in Calabria where my family is from.  From the photos, it's amazingly beautiful.  I figure I've also lived in Germany for awhile, I should live where my other side of my family is from (I am second generation on both sides of my family....my mom's parents came from Germany and my day's Italy). It would be so cool to learn Italian too!!!  I love exploring and learning about my culture.  Since both sets of grandparents came from their respective countries, they have passed down quite a few traditions. I love having that ethnicity in my life. It's awesome!!

Who wouldn't want to live here for a little while??  Amazing!!!!