Ah, Sugar Sugar

Sugar- thought to be made by God, thought to be a heavenly product. So sweet, pure, kind. Tasty. I really don't actually have much of a sweet tooth per se, but I love lattes, frapps, sugar in my tea. That sort of thing.

***NEWSFLASH*** Sugar is the enemy!!!! It's sits on the right hand of satan! Think about it. Carbs are like wolves in sheep's clothing! Carbs break down into sugar in your body and sugar makes you fat. Candy, cake, even yogurt and fat free cappucinos are loaded with sugar. A minute on the lips, lifetime on the hips is what my mom's friend used to always say! It seems inviting, yummy, delightful then BAM. You have those pesky pounds that won't go away! Darn you, satan! DARN YOU!!!!! (Angela, use the voice like, grrr. CINTAS! With a dramatic yell on the last darn you!)

So, I'm going to make an effort to cut back on sugar. Thankfully, I'm not really a cake, ice cream, candy kind of person. But I am a carbs kind of person. So in the fashion of my friend Debs, I'm going to cut way back on sugar during the week. Saturday and Sunday I can cheat, but still be careful not to over indulge. Now, I'm going to be realistic. I will have carbs and sugar during the week. I'm just cutting back. No pop, no dessert-type foods, limit breads, no pasta, limit dairy (chock full of sugar), cut amount of sugar in my tea to 1/2, no carb-filled snacks like Cheez-It's. And this starts of course today. After I finish my Hazelnut Iced Coffee from McD's. It's not sweet, but there is cream and I'm sure carbs...darn you satan, darn you.

My headache

I have a crazy headache right now, but dang gone it, I'm blogging. For days I have been researching ways to make money from home (with no avail) and now I'm not sure if my headache is sinuses, stress or this new lotion I picked up at Bath and Body that smells wonderful, but maybe a little strong.
I've been sort of down this week, surely because Alexis is gone and Marty and I both get into a bit of a funk and can't quite figure out why. So I decided on some retail therapy last night. When I got home from work, I fed Sammy and off we went. I (gasp) skipped church so I could spend some one on one time with my boy (Marty had to work late). I debated between Fairlane and Southland, which is strange since I never go to Fairlane, so off to Southland we went. FYI- Children's Place Monster Sale. Nuff said. I got 5 shirts for $10. We went to Disney Store, American Eagle, Bath and Body...farted around. I did get two shirts for myself at AE, but instantly felt guilty when I left the store. Why is that? Why feel guilty? I have to have clothing. And I don't mean, "Oh, I have nothing to wear!" and my closet it jam packed. No, I literally have nothing to wear. I mean, I have some clothes, but I don't have much for this weather. Or fall either. Or winter. Or....oh, nevermind. Since I'm carrying an extra 20 lbs since pre-baby, I have a hard time finding clothes.
So funny Angela blogged about guacamole. I rarely eat after 7:30, definitely not dinner that late. So we get back from the mall at about 8pm and I'm fine. Then Marty gets home at 8:30 and brought home McDonald's Big Mac and fries. FRRRRIIIIEEEESSSSSS. yum.
I tell him, "Uh, we have spaghetti, and it's dee-lish."
"You didn't tell me you made dinner."
"You didn't ask. Couldn't you assume?"
"Ok, fine. So I wanted McDonalds."
"Thanks for seeing if I wanted something."
"You don't eat this late."
"You still didn't ask." So then I got up and ate Cheez-It's. I love Cheez-It's and hot tea. I know, weird. But that dang Big Mac smelled so wonderful, my stomach actually started growling. But, I had dinner and two pieces of bread with it, plus the stupid Cheez-It's as a snack! I DON'T EVEN LIKE BIG MACS. So like Ang, I fought the temptation to feed my belly something I didn't really need. Then I just went to bed and thought about how I wish I had a hot, juicy cheeseburger with pickles. And fries.

"McDonalds announced it’s considering a more humane way of slaughtering its animals. You know they fatten them up and then kill them. You know the same thing they do to their customers, isn’t it?" - Jay Leno

ew, mornings

I know this is no major revelation, but I am not a morning person. I have to use some super human power to drag myself out of bed, into the shower. Once there, my mind drifts to the many things I wish I could do this day rather than work. Work is such an interference when there are other important things I need to do. Then I usually realize I've been in the shower too long, so I hurry out, brush teeth, put contacts in, rush back to my room and try to figure out what I'm going to wear before Sammy wakes up. This works 1/2 the time. And yes, people, I have done the "pick your outfit out the night before"....it just doesn't always work out. The pants are more wrinkled than I thought and I'm too lazy to run to the basement to either iron them or throw them in the dryer or the shirt must have shrunk because surely I didn't gain weight or something. Or, I remember that it is 20 degrees in the office and this short sleeve shirt just won't do. I just need better time management. But, how can I improve on time management when I just don't have the time to manage?

So I haven't been to the Y in, oh about 6 weeks...the approximate length of time Alexis has been here. I do plan to jump back on the wagon today. I just can't get motivated. I can't tell if it's because I'm exhausted and drained or if I'm entering this funk I often enter when it is time for Alexis to return to the enemy's camp. I need a strong cup of coffee and a Prozac. Just kidding! I know, all I need is Jesus. Thankfully, I do have a Savior who cares for me and I have that hope. Can you imagine life with no hope? You might as well crawl under a rock and wait to die! Ok, that was harsh, but really! Atheists must be miserable folk. Oh, or my mom's friend is a Unitarian. They believe in God in some sorts, but they believe when you die, your body just becomes one with the Earth again. You don't go to Heaven or Hell or even Purgatory. You just die.

Well, my babbling thoughts for the day are done. I must get some work done. I'm praying for the day that I'll be a stay at home mommy, or work part-time. Until then, I am a slave to "the man".

Thinking is the hardest work there is, which is the probable reason why so few engage in it. - Henry Ford

Friday, again? Already?

So today I realize, CRAP it's Friday. Normally Friday's are a thrill....whooohooo, weekend! But, today I realize Alexis is going up north tomorrow evening to spend the next two weeks with Marty's parents. So our time with her ends this weekend. We didn't go to the zoo. We didn't go to the beach, Splash Park or Turtle Cove. We didn't go camping or to Great Wolf Lodge. We didn't go to Chicago or Niagara Falls. Those are all things that were on our list of fun things to do, but just like every summer, it went by way too fast! It sucks, because since I work full-time and too new to have much vaca time, work interfered with fun. She did go to two weeks of YMCA camp and we did spend a lot of time as family just hanging out. She also swam at her friend's in their gigantic pool just about every day. It's a depressing feeling, knowing we're "throwing her to the wolves" in just two weeks. Sending her back to the enemy's camp. Yes, we pray for her daily, and over the next two weeks I will fervently pray for a miracle and that she ends up staying. Unfortunately, I know deep down it's not time yet. God is still doing something. As much as I can't take the waiting, God's timing is always perfect, so still I must wait. Although I'm very sad she is leaving, at least I will be able to have more time for me and to get things done. Life sort of stops when she is here and chaos sets in for the 5 or so weeks. Then she leaves and the big projects begin. Here is a partial listing of August projects. 1/2 will go undone, I'm sure:
1. Landscaping. My yard is in dispair.
2. Paint the kitchen, paint the cabinets, change the hardware.
3. Paint the bedroom.
4. Paint Alexis's bedroom.
5. Paint the basement.
6. Paint the basement floor.
7. Get new exterior doors.
8. Decorate the bathroom. I think after 4 years, it's time to decorate.
9. Scrapbook for Sammy. I'm laughing at the thought that I may actually get to do this.

Anyone wanting to come over, hang out, HELP out, let's do it.

THE BIG "2"!!!!!!!!!

Today, July 17th, 2008 at 7:21 pm my little baby will turn TWO years old! I cannot believe how time has flown by. It's ridiculous! I can remember pregnancy, the hospital, preparing his room and bringing that little bundle home just like it was yesterday! The first few months he was home is a bit of a blur because the adjustment was quite overwhelming, but if I think about it hard enough, it all comes back. Now my little fiery, energetic baby is a running, screaming, chatterbox!

Of course, the obvious question that I get so often these days is, "So when you going to have another?" Now, I don't mind when it comes from people I know- all of you who read the blog are safe, even if we really don't get to chat that much these days. But, you know those people that you don't even know, maybe you've met them, maybe you haven't, but they notice this toddler and strike up conversation about what a darling he is and then BAM with the question. Sometimes I want to say, "What does it matter to you?" But, I don't. I'm not really that mean. I just smile and nod, act exhausted and say never. One is enough. He wears me out. I have two already. Sometimes I like to throw in there that I have a nine year old daughter and watch the expression on their faces go from confused to judgemental before I add the part that she is my stepdaughter. So to answer the question for my faithful reader...I mean readers, it is now in God's hands. Yes, we want more children and I want to be able to work part-time if I can't stay home full-time when the next one comes along. So things are coming along in that area and hopefully sometime in 2009 or early 2010 we will welcome another little Mouser. Doesn't 2010 sound REALLY far away? I remember thinking for SURE the rapture would happen before 2001. Course, I still remember the frenzy of 88 reasons the Lord will return in 1988. And I was only 8.

My Big Boy

It is official. Sammy is a Big Boy. Ok, semi-official, but shhhh...don't tell him. He's starting to use the potty a few times a day, especially at the sitter's, where she is potty-training 3 other kids. He likes to "run with the big guns" there and now instead of napping with the "babies", he naps with the big kids on a mat in the play room. She said he does so good and doesn't try to get up and run around or anything!

The other big step......BIG BOY BED. gasp with me. I came home from work yesterday and Marty had taken down the crib. boo hoo. I didn't get one last look at him bouncing on the side or reaching his arms through the bars to grab my leg. I would have taken an extra minute to get him up in the morning had I known! My mom bought him one of those Firetruck beds by Step2. It is SO cute and he loves it! He slept in it last night, perfectly. It has a light on top that shuts off after a few minutes and he just thinks it is so cool! Actually, he tried to take the mattress out because it was in his "way" of standing in front of the steering wheel! It's so cute though! It takes up more room that I thought it would, so I need to rearrange the room, get a small/medium book shelf and pack up the toys he doesn't play with.

So July 17th, at 7:21pm he will officially turn 2 years old!

Well...on the summer goes

Sammy survived, and so did I. We returned home yesterday, oh around 3:30pm. He was thrilled to see my mom, who came down around 3:40pm to see him, er...us (let me remind you, she lives 6 houses away!) It is GOOD to be home. I don't feel the same about being back at work, but well, what can I do.

Strange to think, Alexis is only here two more weeks! Technically, four, but two with us, then almost two with his parents. I don't think it will be good for her to be up there that long, but our hands our tied. Just pray for Alexis!

Sammy is going to be TWO in 10 days. It's CAR RA ZY. I have nothing planned, as of yet. We are "party people" and I'm not really going to throw a party per se, probably just have the family (cringe) over for cake and ice cream. I'll have to invite the neighbors and their 5 kids, since well, they are RIGHT THERE and invite us to everything. Plus, Alexis is BFF's with their oldest and nothing will ever pry those two apart.

Kell- is Maddy a FREAK about clothes? Good LORD ALMIGHTY send me mercy from Heaven. This child cannot match an outfit to save her blessed soul. I have run out of ways to explain to her why that pink, shear summer skirt does not match the green long sleeved t-shirt. It's like teaching me about trigonometry...ain't gonna get it so don't even try. Oh, and she wants to wear that outfit with her pink and gray, dirty Sauconi sneakers and purple Hannah Montana socks.