Markstra

You know those things that you have to fill out random letters to post things. (Oh my gosh, Alicia, use English when you type.)




You know the "word verification" boxes where you have to type in random letters to post, say a comment on a blog. I might be crazy, but I like to pretend they are real words and make up definitions. Today, my word was "Markstra."


Markstra. V.
     To point at with great joy and excitement.

In a sentence: My daughter likes to markstra at her night light everytime she walks past it. Sometimes, her markstring casuses a delay in bed time, as she has to stop and look at every detail of it and make sure mom sees this cool giver of light as well.

What I will teach my daughter

This weekend I learned a few things that I want Zoey to understand.

*I want her to know the importance of being graceful in ones actions.
*If she says one thing I hope she realizes that it still applies when the tables are turned.
*Life is not a matter of what you are doing, but who you are doing it with.
*Family comes first. I know there will be a time when she thinks otherwise, but eventually, I hope, she will understand that family is our most important asset in life.
*Running around in a diaper will one day be unacceptable. :)

I hope you all had a great Christmas and are enjoying the holidays together with those you love.
Now, I am going to enjoy my sisters while they visit for a few days.

I've been pretty busy working and getting ready for Christmas. I probably won't have a post of substance for a week or so as my sisters-in-law are visiting after Christmas. I'm pretty excited!

I hope you have a wonderful Christmas season. Remember, this is the biggest birthday party for a special man. Pause a moment in all the crazyness and thank Heavenly Father for letting His Son to come to earth for all of us. Being a parent has given me a greater understanding on just how hard that must have been.

How to survive Walmart.

My husband worked in the Tire Lube Express (TLE) at Walmart when we were dating and our first few months of marriage. We learned a lot of things on how to not get overwhelmed by the hoards of people. I've narrowed it down to 4 easy steps.


1-Do not park at the front entrances. Simply drive to the back or side to the TLE. Most people don't realise they can park in the tiny parking lot there. But you can. It not only helps with finding a parking spot, but also with step three.


2-Say hi to the TLE worker at the desk. They may ask if you are getting your car serviced. Don't let this scare you about being parked there. Its ok. Trust me.


3-Shop. There really isn't a trick to this part. But have a game plan, it helps a bit.


4-Check at with the TLE worker at the desk. Often times they are just sitting there waiting for something to do. So help them pass the time by letting them check you out. Every once in a while there will be someone there, but chances are even then you won't be waiting for 30 minutes like everyone else at the front check stands. Also, if there is a line sometimes they get someone else to help out. That means that there are 2 people helping maybe 3 customers. That's a much better customer/employee ratio than anywhere else there. Make sure you say thanks for helping you out. This is especially helpful if you are alone with your children because you don't have to sit by all those impulse buys that they like to grab. :)


 

And that, my friend, is how we do Walmart. 

What I learned today...

*A ball point pen is harder to scrub off a wiggly toddler than a gel pen.

*Do not go to the store and leave Z-dawg sitting by two bags of chips and my laptop with Chris when he is playing a new video game.

*Animal Crackers look different than when I was a kid. They actually look like animals rather than blobs with 4 legs.

*Zoey loves said animal crackers. She also likes putting things in containers. Animal crackers almost dissolve in a cup of Mt. Dew.

*Nothing is safe anymore.


I'm kind of worried about this whole being a mother to a toddler thing if this was one day, and she turned 14 months today. But, on a good note, I found the first sippy cut we bought that she didn't like. Now she loves it and she carried it around with her favorite cow animal all day. I love that little girl.

Public Service Announcement

I'm all for public bathrooms. They are the constant in an incontinent world.

 However, they do not clean themselves. So please, if you leave a mess on the toilet seat please please please take care of it. Because there will be a girl who writes an amazingly entertaining blog who will clean said mess, and will thus write about your poop on the Internet. Now you don't want that, and I don't want to really clean it up. So lets make a deal and just not leave nasty messes for the retail associate to spend an hour cleaning up. k? k.

Dunk Tank

Can you remember a moment that changed your life?

It was my first weekend "on my own." I moved out of town to get a dance degree, but in reality it was so I could be friends with this boy  I met without getting in trouble with my boyfriend. He would say I was cheating if I talked to this boy while living at home, even if I wasn't. So in my head, if this boy was the only person I knew my boyfriend couldn't get mad for me talking to him. Strange  logic. I think in the back of my mind I knew I was being led somewhere else, and I just didn't know where.

Instead of going home for the weekend, I decided to hitch a ride with this boy to my aunt's house who lived 20 minutes away from where he grew up. Also strange logic to ride an hour with someone I hardly knew, but I was 19 and crazy. Don't judge.

That Saturday my cousin's drill team was in charge of a dunk tank at a big carnival party thing. It turned out that this boy's parents were in charge of the grill, and so he just so happened to be there. He and his friend kept trying to convince me to get dunked. Eventually I got up there. The line was full of children, and each one missed. And then someone hit the bulls eye. The last thing I remember before falling into the water was this boys smiling face in victory.

The party ended. I went my car parked on the side of the road to get my phone and call my boyfriend. I was planning on leaving that night so I could have time to go home home Sunday because I didn't have class on Monday. I sat in the backseat with the door open and my legs dangling out, kicking the curb. He was mad that I was still there. We were in another "one of those" fights: I didn't understand him, I was being stupid. The usual. As I was almost ready to cave and say I needed to get back I saw the boy go up to my uncle and help them take down the dunk tank. Now this is no easy task. He knew just what to do and didn't have to be asked. I remember thinking that if this was my boyfriend, he would have waited until someone sought him out, and then do the bare minimum to make himself look busy. But not this boy. He as so occupied in the task at hand that I hardly saw him. As I sat there watching him while arguing on my phone I realized I was in love. And it wasn't with the boyfriend I was on the phone with. I don't know what it was, but the juxtaposition of hearing how horrible I am for doing nothing wrong, and watching this boy help my family for no reason behind it is something I will always remember.
This was the moment that changed my life. It was a scary feeling. So vulnerable. And no one knew it but me.It empowered me to finally stand up for what I want. I didn't go home that day. My family, the boy, and the boys friend all went to see Hairspray. I laughed through the entire thing. Not because it was funny, which it is by the way, but because I was so nervous of what just happened. I didn't trust myself to do what I needed to do.
We left Sunday and I went straight to my house once I got to my car. I drove right to my boyfriend's house and broke up with him. I can't remember what I said. I just remember knowing that this was final. It was over. Two and  half years gone. And not even a glance back. I didn't know if this boy was "the one," or even if we would become good friends for that matter. But I had to give it a shot.

And now, 3 years later I get the opportunity to watch him play with our daughter. I get to cuddle up next to him when it gets cold at night. And most importantly get to say that he was the best thing that ever happened to me because he has brought me so much happiness. And it all goes back to a dunk tank.

Linking this up with my thoughts and treasures because being able to blog with a snoring husband next to me is a treasure.

It's like being underwater...but not.

In my 14 months of being a mommy I have discovered my super power of being able to breath only through my mouth. Why is this unique or blogworthy you may ask? Well you see, it is very useful.


See these examples:

1-THE diaper.

     You know the one I'm talking about. Like when you are at the grocery store and there is a screaming child on the other end of the aisle. It's not the screaming that notifies you that there is a unhappy 1 year old down there, but rather the stench she left behind when she was sitting right where you are standing looking for the butter beans. It just so happens that that poor, unhappy child will soon get her diaper changed. And her poor, unhappy mother will unleash the fury within the diaper. This is the moment that being able to breath solely with one's mouth is a servival skill.

2-What goes down, tends to come up.

     Chrildren throw up. It happens. And when it happens it just so happens to get all over your hair, feet, shirt, airmpit.... And cute, sick baby decides its squishyness is fun to play with and rub in the carpet, and then do it again. Yay more squishy stuff!!! Obviously,  you can't rely her to clean it all up. And so you must do so without throwing up yourself. And so mommy survival skill comes up again...pardon the pun.



3-The husband

     Husbands do silly things. My husband likes to take a lot of left overs to work. He also likes to come inside our house as fast as possible once he gets home from work. This makes him forget his tuperwear containers from his lunch, and so every Friday he cleans out his car and brings them all in for ME to clean. Some smell kinda grose. But tolerable, especially with my new skill.

Sometimes when it snows he takes my car because it is 4 wheel drive. And so his weekly car cleaning doesn't involve my car. And my car is full of clothes and baby bags and snacks and school stuff. (I basically live in my car). Things tend to get pushed to the side to make room for something else. Well sometimes, like today, I have enough time to reorganize my car and Chris's little prizes show up. Sometimes, also like today, Tupperware with a whole chicken from almost 2 weeks ago makes its appearance. Lucky for me it has been pretty cold so it wasn't as nasty as it could be. But opening the Tupperware container was done the correct, non-nosed way.

There are many other times this comes in hand, such as throwing away the garbage with said diaper or chicken. Or sleeping with a husband her just had the butter beans he was looking for. I'm not too sure when I acquired this mommy superpower, but I'm sure glad I did.

Criminal Minds

So lately I've been obsessed with Criminal Minds. It has given me some pretty good company late at night while I've been studying for finals. It has lead me to think a lot about humanity, and my role within it.

One mom said she killed her son and got executed, when in reality she was saving him from her serial killer husband by secretly giving him to a family across the country. She looked death in the face and kept her story, despite being abused and mocked in prison as people tend to be if the kill a child. It brought tears to my eyes as this story unraveled. It really got me thinking, what would you do for your child, for your loved one? Would I be willing to put my life on the line to save my family. I really think I would, but I definitely don't want to test it.

Another episode ended with a Mexican Proverb: A house doesn't rest upon the ground, but on a woman.
I wouldn't have truly understood what this was saying before I became a wife and mother. But I really like it. It is like a glamorized way to say "if mama aint happy, no body's happy."

Do you guys watch Criminal Minds? Don't you just love the quotes at the end that basically sums the entire episode. I think it would be interesting if they said the quote at the start of the episode too it would make this ending even more powerful. What do you all think?

Early Thanksgiving....ish

Ever since I remember Thanksgiving has always been at my grandma's. This year, however, she isn't in the best of health and so we are getting our dinner brought in from somewhere. Chris was kind of sad that we aren't getting a home cooked meal. So I, in my infinite knowledge, decided to make a mini Thanksgiving dinner with my friend, Charlotte, tonight because we cook dinner and desert every week. (Ok, so it really has only been one week in the past 2 months. But, we pretend like its a weekly thing).

We were going to make a little chicken, red potatoes, salad, and a pumpkin cheesecake. Well, due to a blizzard warning she didn't want to come over in her tiny sports car. So we decided we would do it later. While I was at schoo,l Chris text me saying he wanted a big dinner because someone stole his lunch at work. So I decided to go do it anyways. Minus the pumpkin cheesecake because I figured we will make something like that next week on our weekly dinners, and substitute funeral potatoes for red potatoes. Chris loves those. Class got out early so I ran to the store before I picked up the Z Dawg. As I was roaming the store I decided it would be fun to surprise him with a set table and candles and the whole sha-bang.

I got home, looked at the recipe. I didn't realize I needed string for this chicken. I called my mom to see if it was really necessary. She said it would probably fall apart without it.

So I bundled Zoey up and off we went. I roamed the store for a while and finally asked the butcher where it would be. I figured this close to Thanksgiving it would be easy to find. Turns out, they didn't sell any. But, he was nice and said he could go give me some. I think he had pity for the girl hauling around a screaming baby, who must be her younger sister because there is no way that a 14 year old would be the mom. I felt bad for just leaving without buying anything since this wasn't the store I originally bought all my groceries at. So we went down the baby section and bought Zo a plate. We are starting to work on using spoons....but that process is a whole different post.

I got home around 4:30 and put Zoey down for a nap since her first one got cut super short. I decided to start on the chicken even though it said it takes 1 hour and 15 minutes to make. I generally take a bit longer, so I wanted to be ready to surprise Christopher at 6:30 when he got home. It turns out you have to remove the giblets...I still don't really know what those are. So I called my mom again.  

I got to cleaning and pat drying this baby and realize the close says 5:10. How did I just spend the last 40 minutes just taking junk out of the chicken and drying it? Anywho, so I put the rub on it. Wrap it up...I didn't really know what I was doing, so I just kind of mummyfied it... and put it on the pan thing. (Can you tell I'm not much of a cook?) I reread the directions and it says to put it breast side up. Ummm..... Which side is the breast side. I thought I had it the right way, but called my mom just in case. Call number 3. This was starting to remind me of when I first moved away, I had to call her hundreds of times for the simplest of things. I had it the right way. YAY! But she told me it stays more tender and moist if I do it the other way. So I flipped it over. By now it was 5:40. So much for having this a surprise since it takes an hour to cook...

So I clean up the kitchen a bit and set the table with our nice place mats and everything. By the time I get it clean enough to make the funeral potatoes, he was home. I hurry and whip them up and put them in the conventional oven so they would be done the same time as the Chicken, then all I'd need to do is pop in the rolls for 7 minutes. Our conventional oven started to crisp the top a lot sooner than wanted, so I turned up the oven and put them in with the chicken. I checked the temperature of the chicken and it was 160 and needed to be 180. I figured I would be done soonish anyways, so I didn't see a problem with putting both in there. This is around 6:30...so 2 hours after I started this epic meal. Next thing I know its 7 and Glee is on. I check the chicken again and now it was reading 150! Not at all what I was expecting. At 7:15 the potatoes had been done for a while, and I figured the thermometer just wasn't working so I decided it was done. I put in the rolls in our convention oven and sat down to watch some more Glee. On the commercial I check on them and they were black and hockey pucks. I'm not sure how it happened. But it did. So Luckily, being the smart woman I am, I buy the tubes of croissant rolls whenever they are on sale. I check the meat again and it still hasn't made it back to 160. So we make the new rolls and take everything out. We spoon up the potatoes and cut the chicken. Turns out, it STILL wasn't done. So I put it back in and we just ate the potatoes and rolls.

Finally, at 8:30 it finally read 180. But by that time we were already full from snackin on the potatoes. So we ate a few bites and put it in the fridge. I called my mom one last time to tell her that I'm never cooking one of these again!

I kind of want to make this cranberry salad and take to dinner Thursday, but I'm a bit scared after tonight.

I'm linking up with Small Treasure Tuesdays because cooking is a treasure...and one day I will find it. Somewhere. Hidden in a shoe box or something.

I'm in a funk. Nothing is coming to my head to blog about. I've started 3 different posts today. And they go nowhere. I've just danced in 5 performances and my body and mind is just drained. (That's why I haven't posted anything in about a week). So, I'll just write short snip-its of what they were.

I've been been at school during the day til around 2 then back at 5 until 10ish all week. Then all day Saturday except for 2 hours and 11-5 today. By Thursday Zoey realized I was leaving for a long time and would just cry and cry and cry when I left. She also woke up a lot to get some mommy time. It made me feel so bad to leave her. So I've been letting her get away with more things than normal. I know it is going to kick me in the booty this week. But someone once told me there's no greater guilt than mommy guilt. Well, this week has showed me how true this statement is.

Its crazy to think how much I have changed since high school. My life experiences has changed me. I am more confident. More open minded, and not afraid to stand up for myself or my family. What would it be like to go back to high school right now being the person I am today. Would I have the same experiences? Would I have the same outcomes? Have you ever thought about what would happen if the you you are today could go back to the you you were a few years ago?

I watched a tv show on the food network about candied bacon. I don't know what I think about it. But I am slightly intrigued. But not enough to actually try it.

Day 13 Music

Day 13 is about music that has helped you get through some tough times.

I can't really say that there was a moment in my life that I turned on the radio and the perfect song came on with the perfect lyrics that changed my life. Sure, there have been times when I related to what the song was talking about, but I can't  really remember a big "AH HA" moment.

There is a band, however, that I will always go to to get me in a good mood. This would be Cute Is What We Aim For. (the main website is under construction, so thats just the facebook page). I'm not entirely sure where they came in the picture, but they became the band my best friend and I have clamed as ours. We've seen them 4 or 5 times. One concert we even drove 7 hours to go to.

It was a long drive. And I was bored.

Charlotte and I were on the ballroom team in college and my nick name became cucu tete because a sweatshirt of I always wore that we bought at one of their shows.

It is now my lucky sweater. It used to be black, but it is really more gray now because I literally wore it every day for about 2 years. I made sure I put it on when I went to the doctors when they thought I might have had a miscarriage. Yes. It is THAT lucky.

 We have even gone backstage and had a CD signed by the band. (Now, everyone but the main singer is gone. But thats ok. I still love them/him). For years in the "who I'd like to meet" section on myspace they were the answer. I was so excited to change that and say I did. Woot Woot.

Perhaps they aren't the "best" band ever with moving lyrics and never done before drum solos. But to me, they are pretty darn awesome. They remind me of the crazy teenage days. And as soon as I hear their songs I get a big smile on my face from all the crazy memories.

Here is their first main song that came out. We were obsessed with his little smerk. ahhh. His hair is kinda crazy, but gotta love his smerk. :)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UAQcNo9yWbM

And now the other half on the cucu tete obsession.

She is wearing stunna shades to protect her identity.



I'm linking up with Tuesday's treasures because having a best friend who actually understands the beauty of the smerk is a treasure.

Peak a Boo!

What baby doesn't love peak-a-boo? Zoey has loved for us to play it with her since she was about a month and a half old. Lately, she finds it funny to hide behind the shower curtain when we give her baths. She'll wrap it around her then peak out at us and laugh boisterously. (this wasn't the word I originally wrote, but its what came up with spell check and I liked it better anyways. Sometimes its a good thing I'm a horrible speller.)

She has never actually tried to do the real peak-a-boo. And so today at dinner, Chris tried to teach her.

He would do it. Then he would grab her hands and put them over her eyes. Then he let her do it on her own. And this is what we got. Every. Time.



No matter how much we tried to get her to do it the "right way" she would do it the Zoey way. But she still thought she was pretty darn funny. And, well we thought she was the cutest little thing ever, so we just let her do it her way after a while.

So now, she puts her hands on her ears all the time and laughs. and laughs. and laughs.

Silly girl.

Baby Hungry

Yesterday we found out that 2 of my husband's friend's wives are expecting a baby. They are 3 weeks apart from each other. I am really happy for them. They deserve to have the blessing of a baby. Especially with the unique challenges they both have faced in the last couple years.

As soon as Z Dawg turned 1 I kinda got bit by the baby bug and can't wait for another. One might even say I'm baby hungry. But, I really don't like that phrase. It reminds me of this...

And since I don't want that guy running around, I'll just congratulate the lucky girls who defeated this monster, wish them luck in this amazing journey, and hopefully wait until I'm done with school in 5000 years to see him again.

What I learned today...

If your child spills baby food on the floor at breakfast, clean it up right away. Even if you plan on mopping within the next 20 minutes. Because something will get in your way and you won't get to mopping for another 7 hours. At that time it is now stuck to the floor and is relentless to get destroyed. And so you must get on your hands and knees and manually get it off. However, the only way you can keep your child happy is to put her in her high chair with food. Which, is directly above where you are scraping away. And so you are left with a clean floor, but who knows what in your hair from the sweet thing dropping everything she has on you...after it has already got mushy in her mouth.

Today, I got in a fight with a spider.

We gave Zoey a bath last night and I didn't put her bath toys up. So this morning when I went to take a shower I turned on the water, and out crawled a big ol spider from amongst the toys. I squealed. I'm pretty happy that no one (AKA as my husband) was home to make fun of me.

Anyways, as the spider was frantically trying to climb out of the tub I slowly picked up all the toys to make sure there were no more hidden spiders in there. Thankfully I only had to fight one today. I then turned on the shower part and tried to drown it. It worked. He was all crumpled up and not moving. Score! So I turned off the water and let it drain.

Then before my eyes, he unraveled himself and came back alive. I screamed again. Now, I had not only a huge spider in my tub, but an eternally living MAD spider in my tub. Great.

Now what was I going to do, he obviously won't drown in the water like I hoped. I could easily smoosh him, but then had to figure out how to get spider off the side of a wet tub. A paper towel would get soggy and break, leaving me to pick him off with my bare hands. No Sir-y.  So maybe if I let the tub fill with water.... I try that and he just goes into the little" pretend I'm dead" ball then try to frantically climb out once he floated to the wall. So I finally figured out what to do! Burn him. I feel really bad, but I turned on the water as hot as it could go (which is pretty hot because Chris turned up our tiny water heater so we could actually have enough hot water to take a shower). All of a sudden I saw his little legs twitch. With that I tried to find a shoe close by to put him out of his misery. I'm not a heartless spider killer. But, I was scared to let him out of my sight in fear of him mutating to an even madder spider. So I grabbed my shampoo bottle and had it over my head to get him. But then he changed from a "pretend I'm dead" ball to a "really truly dead" ball. So I turned off the water, and watched him swoosh down the drain.

I took my long needed shower, watching the drain entire time to make sure he didn't come alive once again.

tender moments

We put Zo down to bed at her general time and I went off to school to study for a bit. I got home around 10 and went straight upstairs to study some more.She woke up around 10:10. I thought Chris was sleeping, so I let her cry for a little bit to see if she would go back down on her own. But Chris ended up getting her and brought her to our room. I decided to go downstairs and take her since he gets up at 4:30. We ended up staying in bed for a little while and had some good family time. I may regret it tomorrow night when she decides its fun to hang out in the big bed instead of sleep again but this is why it was worth it:

She cuddled next to Chris and started to play with his beard for 5 minutes.

She decided it was pretty funny to head butt him for another few minutes.

She was all cuddles. (besides the head butting).

My favorite part of the night...She was busy doing who knows what when this commercial came on.



She then stopped what she was doing, turned to the TV, started dancing and had the biggest smile on.

I love this commercial anyways, she just made it that much better.

Times like this make the crazyness of life worth it, and so much more.

Day 11 Something People Complement you on

I'm skipping a few days. I feel like they are a little to personal to be sharing with the entire universe. I've learned something about blogging after "accepting the challenge:" Always read the challenge in its entirety before committing to it. I realize now, that some of them are kind of out there. And they swear. You really don't need to know who has made my life bad or who I have drifted away from. Its not like you know them, and even if you do I don't want you to think differently or anything about someone because you read some lowly little blog known as The Journey of a WAHM Wannabe. That's not cool.

So on to day 11. (besides I was pretty behind, so skipping these days puts me pretty close to where I should be in the first place.)

I get complements on being so tiny after having a baby. And I know 99.9% of you mothers are going to shake your head at me for saying this, but....I really don't feel like it is a fair complement. I only gained 17 pounds. I had diabetes and a few other various health issues that made me gain very little. So after giving birth I only had 4 pounds to loose before getting back to my pre-pregnancy weight. Breastfeeding made that pretty simple. So I feel guilty when people look at me and say things about me being so tiny yet having a 1 year old. (Oh, gosh. I still can't believe i have a 1 year old, I think its going to take a year to get used to this idea). I didn't work to get this, and I know mothers who work their butts off to get back to where they were before having their baby with little success. They are the ones that deserve the complement. Not me.

But for all you who find themselves with gestational diabetes, remember its not a death sentence even though it may feel like it. You potentially will gain less than 20 pounds and loose it all  within the first week of being a mommy. :) There is an upside to that battle.

Twilight VS Glee

You turn on your TV now days and you see basically one of 2 things: vampires, or teenagers singing. Twilight and Glee has taken pop culture by storm. When it comes down to it, I really wonder how this is even possible.

*Now, I want to make a disclaimer on this blog. I would definitely consider myself a Gleek. For those who don't know, that means I'm an avid Glee watchin gal. I've watched all the Twilight movies and read the books twice. So I obviously like these 2 things. So this isn't a total hate bashing blog. Just comparing my findings.*

The first Twilight book sucked you in. You fall in love with the characters, the story line, Forks. You have no option but to keep reading the other books. (Now, anyways since they are all out for you to read).

*If you don't want to know what happens in the books I suggest you skip these next few paragraphs. But, I'm assuming if you haven't read them by now, you don't care too much....*

You start New Moon and expect the same mythical lore that keeps you turning the pages like the first one. But its not there. Its boring. She is depressed. And there is no McDreamy McVampire for at least 1000 pages, or so it seams since it is soooo boring. But you keep reading because it just has to get better. And so you sit on the couch at 4 in the morning, just as you did Twilight. However, you addiction to this book has changed from "I love it and don't want it to end so I keep reading", to "I have to keep reading because I know it gets back to the good stuff that I loved." And then the book ends.

So now you are torn, you have just spent the last 56 hours straight reading a book and not paying attention to any other responsibilities, such as hygiene, children, eating. You can't just stop reading after such a crappy book; you have invested too much time already. And so you read the third one. It doesn't quite have the same lour as Twilight, but definitely better than New Moon. You kind of get into it and remember why you just waisted your life reading book 2 because vegetarian vampires are pretty intriguing. But, you know that Bella is going to choose Edward. She says she has no choice in the matter. So the whole Team Edward/Team Jake thing is kind of pointless because you know what team she is on. It gets a bit cheesy at points but you just move on until you finish the book.

So then the next thing you do is hurry and read Breaking Dawn. The wedding is cute. Aww tender. A bit on the dramatic side, but what ev. Then it just goes down hill from there. If it wasn't for the cute daughter there would really be no point in even knowing how it ends because the plot is just so out there and unrealistic. The reason why you started loving it in the first place is because you could totally see the scenario in the first book as "realistic," even though we all know there are no such things as vampires. But by the end of this last one we have wolf shape shifters, mention of werewolves, VAMPIRES, and half human creatures that grow at an exceptionally fast speed. Where did all this come from!? They survive, live happily ever after in their ridiculously overly romantic life with their overly developed daughter.

*You can continue reading if you skipped a few paragraphs*


You have successfully read all 4 books and go on with your life. Something tempts you to read them again, such as a movie coming out. And so you do knowing quite well what you thought about it. So maybe you decide to just read the first one since it was by far the best. But then it sucks you in AGAIN, and so the cycle continues and you finish the last page of the fourth book wondering how you went through that for the second, third, or forth time.

Glee is very much the same thing.

You get sucked in the story of the first season. The songs are fun. The characters are great. You watch every episode. Perhaps even buy a song or two on iTunes. They have great regionals (I think that's what the last competition was...) and leave just enough questions for you to die during the summer when there aren't any new episodes.

Season 2 starts and they have really great songs. Some relationships changed, new students. You are pretty   much excited for this season. But as the episodes go on the plot takes a nose dive. Everything has turned to tribute episodes and sex with very little intriguing plot business in the middle. It gets sooo boring. Just like the second Twilight book, you just wait it out and hope it gets better. If it wasn't for the fun songs there really wouldn't be a reason to watch it. But you do. Religiously. Every Tuesday.

And so, in closing, I really hope Glee turns back around and stops trying to be shocking or have the most songs on the Top 200 for that week. I'm still a die hard Glee fan. I'm just getting a little annoyed that the Glee I fell in love with last year is not the Glee it is now. I do not want it to become like Twilight--loved by most despite being ridiculous in the end.

Almost Wordless Wednesday---Cute tennies

I had to get Zo cute new shoes for trick or treating! I love em, and so does she.

Day 6: something you hope you never have to do

Something I hope I never have to do is come across a situation where I have to do CPR, especially to Zoey. I'm CPR certified and I really don't think I would trust myself to actually do it right. And if something were to happen to that person and they wouldn't make it, I would blame myself for not being able to save them or to do more. And if it was Zoey I'd be an even larger wreck. Although I am going into nursing and will see life or death situations, having to do CPR just scares me. Practicing on a dummy is not the same thing as doing it on a real person. Besides I don't want to work in the ER or anything anyways, so hopefully these situations won't be something I deal with on a daily or frequent basis.

Day 5: Something you wish to do in your life

This is something kind of cheesy. But, the one thing I truly hope I get to do is sit next to Chris as we go to a Cowboys game. Few things in life could make him happier than seeing his team live. As much as I get bored watching sports, I know that this would make my husband's life complete. Being able to share in that moment with him would be an honor.

Other than that, I'd love to go to New York and see all the ballets and shows. But, I think I'd turn all that down if it was between that and Dallas. Call me crazy.

Day 4: Something you have to forgive someone for

I've been thinking and thinking about what to post for this one...hence the gap between day 3 and day 4.

Basically, I've come to the conclusion that this is between me and this person. The Internet doesn't need to know, and neither do you. Sorry. Making it public would just exacerbate my problem even if the chances are pretty slim of actually ever reading this. This issue has been something I've been struggling with for some time now, and hope one day I can put it all behind me.. :)

purse cleaning....

Yesterday I left my car keys in my husband's car. He was at work an hour away, so I was carless for the day. We had an extra set of keys at one point, but have gotten lost somewhere. I figured I'd try to find them. In this search I decided to clean 2 of my old purses in case they were in there. Unfortunately, no keys. But I did find a few fun things.

* 6 lip glosses ...no wonder I've been missing them for a while.

*thousands of tutie footie candies.***

* a spoon...

*multiple bags of fruit snacks, or protein bars

*$3.57 in change

*2 snickers wrappers

*1 Twix wrapper

*2 name tags for work. 1 was mine, the other one was my friends that I stole one day when I couldn't find my other one. I lost hers shortly after.

*lots of chocolate crumbs that attached to most of the change above

*anti-nausea pills

*Many other tiny things I've "lost"


Needless to say, I used both of those purses when I was pregnant. (Before I was diabetic). Can ya tell??



***(I'm only exaggerating a little when I say thousands. When I was pregnant I thought it was a great idea to go buy some tutie frooties. Unfortunately, they only come in 1 pound bags of one flavor. I couldn't have just one flavor, so I ended up getting 5 pounds of candy....)***

Day 3: Something you have to forgive yourself for.

I guess the easy stance on this would be to say I need to forgive myself for not being selfish in a time when I should have, and to forgive myself when I was selfish and shouldn't have been.

I was in a very bad relationship. It was definitely one of those everyone is telling you get out but you just don't listen because you're "in love" relationships. Everything about it was bad. Now, 3 years later I'm still haunted by some of the things I've had to go through because of it. Things that only I will ever know, or understand. I hate the fact that I didn't listen to my gut a lot earlier in that relationship. I needed to be selfish, but I held on because he "needed me." The only reason he needed me was because he had too much emotional baggage and needed someone to leach on to and suck all their blood and money out of. He needed someone to pay his bills. I didn't realize how abnormal it was that a freshly graduated 18 year old was paying the rent for a 22 year old. Someone who didn't have a car. Someone who didn't have a kid. (as far as he ever told me...). Who didn't have a credit card or bills of that nature. Who had a full time job and only paid $300 a month. Now, I'm a 22 year old with a baby, a mortgage on a house we OWN, car payment, house bills ect. We manage perfectly, it may get tight at times, but we make it work. I really wish I would have realized how emotionally, and financially abusive that relationship was when I was actually in it, rather than now. I saw the signs. I just didn't listen until I had a cute boy who showed me what a real gentleman was like. (who I ended up cuddling with last night because that's what married people do :-) )But, I also wish I could forgive myself for making that mistake. I really wish I could.

Day 2: What I love about myself

What do I love about myself, besides being totally awesome of course. :) I guess I would say my drive and dedication to my school work. School doesn't come easy to me, even if it looks like it. I have to work on it. A LOT. Now, add being a mom on top of a student and it makes my choice to keep going to school that much harder, but the end result that much better. I only have my associates degree, but I'm pretty proud of that. This time next year I should be a 1.5 months away from having my BA in English. I totally see why people say get your education done before you have children, because it is hard work. But, to me, accomplishing this while being a mom is something to be pretty dang proud of.

I also love being me. Is that bad to say? I have the best husband, the cutest daughter, amazing family. I have learned you need surround yourself with happy people if you want to be happy yourself. It took me a while to get to this point. But I love myself for it. I love that I'm no longer scared to speak my mind (for the most part). When I say something I do it. I stand up for my convictions. I may get the crappy end of something because of it, but at least I'm not a sell out.

(almost) Wordless Wednesday "The Beast"

The Beast. AKA our truck that is at my inlaws because it still doesn't work. "But it was a good investment" according to the hubster. And he has wanted this exact kind for ever apparently. I'm such an understanding wife at times. :)

Day 1: Something you hate about yourself.

Oh boy, any to start off with something uplifting.

There are a few things that I don't like about myself. One, I have a hard time keeping to one task. I get distracted. So it takes FOOOORRRREEEEVVVEEEERRRRRRRRRR to do things. Especially housework. Or shopping. Or homework. Or Showers. You get the point. I have been diagnosed with ADD so that may have something to do with it. But I don't know if I really trust that diagnosis because he said a lot of other crap too. And I was at a crazy place. And yada yada yada about that. But it definitely makes sense.

Anywho, back to keeping on one task...I totally just realized I went off track there for a bit. I guess that just shows you that I'm not making this up. :)....anywho again, I hate how off track I get. I really wish I could say I'm going to clean the kitchen and it be done in 10 minutes like it would my husband. He doesn't understand how it takes me so long to get small things done, and, frankly, I don't either. It drives me nuts, and I really wish I could change it.

I have realized that sometimes, ok, more than sometimes, Facebook gets in my way and I stop what I'm doing and go see if someone said anything new. But, as you know because of my death to facebook post, I have since gotten rid of it. So, technically it hasn't gotten in my way of things nearly as much as before. However, I have yet to remember that its pointless to sign in my Facebook, and I log in at least once a day.

So there you have it, I hate my distractable mind and my lack of a mind when it comes to signing in to Facebook. :)

30 days of truth? Can you handle it?!

I ran across this blog about 30 days of truth. I think it is a great idea. Granted, I doubt I'll be able to write for 30 straight days in a row, but I'm gonna try. :)

1)I won't have to come up with new, amazing, epiphany-ish things to say.

2)It will give me an excuse to open up on here and write more than just the surface of my life.

3)It will force me to think inwardly about who I am and how I got here. Sometimes my life gets so crazy I tend to forget about Alicia and just go on auto pilot...which, unfortunately for hubby, is generally a cranky auto pilot. Maybe I won't be so cranky all the time??? We can hope, right?

Here are the 30 days:

Day 1: Something you hate about yourself.


Day 2: Something you love about yourself.

Day 3: Something you have to forgive yourself for.

Day 4: Something you have to forgive someone for.

Day 5: Something you hope to do in your life.

Day 6: Something you hope you never have to do.

Day 7: Someone who has made your life worth living for.

Day 8: Someone who made your life hell, or treated you like shit.

Day 9: Someone you didn’t want to let go, but just drifted.

Day 10: Someone you need to let go, or wish you didn’t know.

Day 11: Something people seem to compliment you the most on.

Day 12: Something you never get compliments on.

Day 13: A band or artist that has gotten you through some tough ass days. (write a letter.)

Day 14: A hero that has let you down. (letter)

Day 15: Something or someone you couldn’t live without, because you’ve tried living without it.

Day 16: Someone or something you definitely could live without.

Day 17: A book you’ve read that changed your views on something.

Day 18: Your views on gay marriage.

Day 19: What do you think of religion? Or what do you think of politics?

Day 20: Your views on drugs and alcohol.

Day 21: (scenario) Your best friend is in a car accident and you two got into a fight an hour before. What do you do?

Day 22: Something you wish you hadn’t done in your life.

Day 23: Something you wish you had done in your life.

Day 24: Make a playlist to someone, and explain why you chose all the songs. (Just post the titles and artists and letter)

Day 25: The reason you believe you’re still alive today.

Day 26: Have you ever thought about giving up on life? If so, when and why?

Day 27: What’s the best thing going for you right now?

Day 28: What if you were pregnant or got someone pregnant, what would you do?

Day 29: Something you hope to change about yourself. And why.

Day 30: A letter to yourself: tell yourself EVERYTHING you love about yourself.



Feel free to follow along with me! I'd love to enjoy this journey with others.

Cupcake Party

I'm lucky enough to have a best friend who loves baking. So last night we made 54 cupcakes. 3 different kinds. Pink Lemonade--a recipe she made up herself MMMMMM--Chocolate, and butter pecan. Then on top of that we made a super large cupcake for me to decorate as a castle.

We started this cupcake cooking spree at 8 at night, so needless to say we were up pretty late. Around midnight we were taking a break and thought we heard some people up by our door. Then soon enough our door opened and a guy with a case of beer walked in laughing with a bunch of girls behind him. We told him you have the wrong house.

"No, this is the right party."

Ummm.... no, unless you plan on having a cupcake party this is definitely the wrong house.

Then the girl behind him got to the door. My husband looked down at the door and repeated that this is the wrong house. She looked up and said "dude, this is the wrong house." And they walked out and didn't even close the door.

It was a pretty exciting moment. Kind of scary that random people would walk in our house. But we always lock the door when we are in bed. We had just been going back and forth to the store so we hadn't locked it this time. I'm just very glad they didn't ring the doorbell and wake Zdawg up. I would have been very mad to have to deal with a crabby baby and a billion cupcakes, so much so I potentially would crash their beer party.

Anywho, this is the Princess Pink Party cake I made. It started out as a castle, but mid way through I wasn't liking it at all and my MIL made a statement it looked like a magic pumpkin. And so the creation was born. :)

There is a story about rubber ducks in our household. So that is why we have ducks and not horses. :) Its not as random as it might look like.

One year...

(This is the same as my personal blog, so if you have read it once, you have read it all.)

One year to the minute I was in my 7th hour of labor. I was crying from pain. (remember I didn't get an epi until 12 hours in...). I was scared to death that these 9 months had come and gone. I was going to have to be responsible for more than just myself. I was going to have a screaming (hopefully), beautiful (obviously) baby girl (if all predictions were right). I was finally able to see this precious bundle in all her glory: touch her soft skin, smell her sweet smell. I also was coming to the reality that I now had to share her. She was no longer just mine, she would soon be the worlds. Daddy would want to see her, grandmas, grandpas, aunts, friends. She no longer would be "my baby." I was going to be alone again (kinda). One year ago, I had heard of all the changes in my life that were about to come forth. I knew as soon as I saw her "I'd fall in love." I didn't know how deep that love could be, what it could make you do.



I didn't know the deep gratitude I would have to my Heavenly Father for blessing me with such an amazing miracle. I didn't know that I would one day be covered in poop, spit up, pee, yet be smiling and laughing, for my daughter laughed at her diaper flinging across the room. I didn't know that signing the discharge papers for her as "mother" would throw chills down my spine. One year ago, I wasn't aware of this secret club going on known as motherhood. One year ago I was so excited that I wouldn't be responsible for anything bad that would happen because of my diabetes. Having her out of me, in my vision, was going to be such a relief. Now, I would give anything to be able to protect her that way again. I wish I could cover her up every time she fell. I wish I could eat 3 meals a day, drink water, and get enough sleep and know I was doing everything in my power to protect her. Now, I only wish it was that simple.


A year ago, I never cared about babies. I had never changed a diaper. I had never held a newborn longer than a minute, let alone change its clothes or burped it. I didn't know breastfeeding would be one of the hardest challenges I'd face this year, but one of the most rewarding when we were finally successful. I didn't know I would cry when I no longer produced enough milk to satisfy her and I knew these moments that were just ours were going to be over forever. I never know how much I could cry and cry and cry about her reaching a milestone, because it meant that she had finally succeeded, but was also getting more independent with each one.


I didn't realize how she would change my relationship with my husband. We have learned to compromise. We have learned to care about more than just ourselves. I have learned that I married one of the kindest men out there. He is so in love with Zoey. A year ago, I didn't know how much I wouldn't mind seeing him light up when he kissed another girl--how much I would love seeing his eyes look only at her in a way I have never seen before. I was scared of loosing "us." We never lost us, we just made it better. I didn't know how much I'd hate going in public with him and not have my darling daughter, because people wouldn't know that I'm a mom, he is a dad. They wouldn't know this sweet little girl was mine. I didn't realize I'd feel guilty of being somewhere and they not know I'm a mom.


I've been bit, puked on, pooped on, kicked, and bonked. I've been attacked with kisses and ran to as soon as I walked in the room. I've been loved in a way I'll never be able to explain. I've had my heart riped out, only to beat in another. I've felt God's love on this earth. I've seen the world in a new, amazing light. I am honored to be called a mom, and be blessed with such an amazing daughter. I now know what love is, what it can do. I am eternally grateful to be able to say that yes, this crazy, screaming, opinionated little girl is mine.



This has been featured on Project In My Daughters Eyes. Check out her awesome blog!!

I did it! ...kinda

I was going to delete my facebook. But I have too many photos on there that I'd loose, and I'm too lazy to get them on my computer. So, I just deleted all my friends. So that counts for something, right? It was consuming too much of my life, which is sad. My priorities are Zoey, husband, school, and our home. Facebook was squeezing its way in that list. And so there you have it, I'm only a blogging lady now. :)

Fail...ish

So my epic plan to be super woman and start couponing, meal plans, ect didn't really work out in the time frame I wanted. Little Z will be a week in less than a week. Yes, less than a week. I remember when I started this I thought I had lots of time to figure it all out. Oh well, maybe by her second birthday?

In other news, I did take the time to really figure out what I want to do with my life. And so, I'm currently finishing/starting my pre-reqs for nursing. They require 4 mandatory classes you need before you start the program, and several support classes that you need to take before you finish the nursing program. Luckily in my crazy years of taking general classes I took most of the supporting classes. I just need 2 more. And then I need 3 more mandatory ones and I will have everything done. The pre-baby me would have had these classes knocked out in 2 semesters. But, now, I plan on having them all done by next fall. Which, by the way also includes the 15 more credits I need to get my BS in English. So in a year and a few months I will have a Bachelors degree and be going on for more school to get another Associates. To get your RN you only need to get your associates. You can get more, obviously. I'm going to just work on the 2 year degree before even thinking about more. I realized I've been in school since Fall 06 with 1 summer and 1 fall semester off. That's a long time.And I plan on going through the summer next year to get everything done.


And so my epic plan may have failed, as I'm still working, still schooling, still going crazy.... But in my attempt to simplify my life I figured out what I want to do. My goal is to work at an OB/GYN office. This way I'll have fairly normal hours with a nicer pay check so I can spend normal hours with Zoey being a mom.

I just do it

I had a dream the other night that I was talking to Kate, from Kate plus 8 (which is really strange, since I've probably only seen half of an episode). Anywho, she wasn't all fame-ified in my dream, just a regular person. The only thing I remember from this dream was asking her how she did everything. And I specifically remember her looking at me as she put her arm around me and said "I just do it."

This was an answer to a lot of my problems lately. I've been super stressed juggeling my school, family, work, house, laundry.... And I just have to remember to just do it. Don't stress out about it. Don't get distracted (ahemm...blogger....). Just do what I have to do. No questions asked. Maybe this is how I will get through this semester. and next semester. and next semester. and next semester. and a few semesters after that....

There are good people

The other day at work a little boy who was probably about 5 years old wanted to buy a candy that was $1.99 and he only had a dollar. I tried to tell him he had to choose another candy. So I took him over to the candy and picked a few that he could buy. He wanted the king size reeces, but that was too much so I showed him the regular size that he could afford and he didn't want it. As I was showing him what he could a get a man came up to the register and his older sister came in to get him. I'm assuming the family was next door at Ross. The little boy got up to show her what he wanted (his original 1.99 candy) and she said you don't have enough lets go. I could see his face drop. With that, the man waiting took the candy and bought it for him. It was the cutest thing. I don't think the little boy understood at first because he came back, taped on his arm, and said thank you.

It was a very touching moment.

the next day

I'll start out by saying my Granddad passed away over 3 years ago. It was very tough loosing him and I miss him more than I thought possible.

Well, yesterday at work his youngest brother came and bought something. I can't even tell you what it was he bought since I was focusing on not crying. I've seen him several times in the last 3 years, and have been totally fine. He is just Uncle Dick. But for some reason, as I searched for his Rewards Card under our last name my Granddad's name came up. And at that second I saw his name Dick looked down and out of the corner of my eye he looked just like Granddad. And then I had to realize he wasn't, and he is gone. I really didn't like that feeling of being so vulnerable and raw again at work. And so I went to the bathroom and had a mini pity party for 3 minutes.

That happened on September 11th. It really made me think about all the people who were morning the life of their loved ones who were taken so abruptly. How many of them have moments like I did where they are cut open and the wound is fresh again. I didn't really understand what was going on, or the importance of it at the time. In fact, I didn't even know that the World Trade Towers were and the Pentagon were in different cities at first. Which goes to show I had a lot to learn about the atrocities that happened that day, and the subsequent years after. There are still times when I see a plane flying really close to the ground that my heart skips a beat.

used to??

For those that don't know I was a pretty hard core dancer growing up. Six days a week sophomore, junior, senior, and half of my freshman year of college. This included every Friday night and most of Saturday. Needless to say dancing was my life. I took about 7 months off when I was 18. Not really by choice, but because my studio was being too dramatic and by the time I was forced to leave there it was too late to sign up for the classes at school. I then transferred schools and was a dance major. That was where my husband and I feel in love. (But, that's a story for a whole different post). We decided to more back to where my family was. So I went back to my first college, and then took dance classes there. Second semester there the second time I found out I was pregnant. So when it was over in April I took a break from school to have her the following October. I went back to school part time in the spring, but didn't take any dance classes. So here I am in a jazz class after a 16 month break.

Yesterday someone in the class asked me "did you used to be a dancer." I answered yes and went on with the class. But that got me thinking. Used to be??? Am I that bad that I'm no longer a dancer? Is there a time in your life when you can say "I used to be a dancer." I think something like that stays with you you whole life. I didn't used to be a dancer. I am a dancer. To me that's almost like saying I used to be a mom when your children move out and leave you. You are still a mom, you can't take back those 18+ years. They are so ground into you that you can't change it. Dance is just like that. Possibly, I guess I could say I used to dance, but still a dancer. However, right now I am dancing. So I can't even say that.

I don't know how one little question can make you go into philosophical mode. But, it just goes to show how careful we need to be when we are talking to someone. We don't know what they are going through.

fork in the road

There comes a time in everyone's life when they have to make a choice. Dunk the rest of the Oreo in the milk and get your fingers all milky, or leave a tiny bit un-milked.

Well, I came up with (ok, maybe I read it somewhere a looooong time ago, and just now trying it out) an idea. You stab the middle frosting with a fork. That way you can easily dip your cookie and not get your hands all in the milk, or loose the last part of your cookie.

Try it out. It really works!

Best Job EVER

This week I have been kind of discouraged. I'm trying to find a job teaching dance and I totally had it, except they needed me to work at 3:30 and my last class ends at 3:30. I've just been thinking I'm going to be stuck where I am forever. Don't get me wrong, I love my job and everyone I work with. And when the day comes that I actually do quit I will be a total wreck and bawling like a baby. But, really, I make next to nothing, and a set work schedule will be amazing.

I got rejected into the nursing program. Which, honestly I would have been in shock if I made it because I haven't taken the pre-recs and don't have my cna yet. I took the class when I was preggo, but haven't done the test yet. silly me. So that added to my pity party of being stuck, for a better word.

Then today I had the day off to be alone with Zo while hubby was working. We just had breakfast, and I had pandora running. When I was cleaning up I started dancing. She started laughing like crazy. So I did a little performance for her. Let me tell you, it was the best time dancing I think I've ever had. Best audience. Not worrying about anything. Just dancing. While I was shakin my stuff I realized I don't need to find a better job, I already have the best one--Mom.

So for now, I'll keep my hopes up and keep trying. But in the meantime, I'm going to go dancin with my baby.

Weekend Wind Down

Q: What's your favorite meat to throw on the grill- steak, chicken, hamburger, pork chops, or hotdogs/brats?


This is a perfect question for us. I married into a bbqing crazed family. I have learned that everything can tast so much better on the grill. I hear people say "I'm having a bbq today." And I think "Man, we have one just about every night hubby and I are together." I've learned that there are few ways to cook a steak, chicken, hamburgers, pork (he loves pork ribs, so I can't narrow this down to just pork chops.), or hotdogs/brats that is comparable to my father-in-laws grilling powers. In fact, we hardly cook pork, hamburgers, hotdogs or steak anywhere but the grill.

So I guess to answer the question, I say ALL!

take your daughter to work day...?

I give my schedule to my parents as soon as I get it so they can work around having Zoey. I was scheduled to work at 3 and my husband was to pick baby girl up when he got home around 5. Monday, my dad asked if I can go to work at 4 instead of 3 so he can make an appointment with someone 50 minutes away. Luckily, my friend was supposed to get off at 3 so she just stayed the extra hour for me.

The day starts off normal enough. Zo is teething, and has had a crazy runny nose the last day. We fight over the bugger sucker, I win. She gives me a big poopy diaper. She wins. One of those days. Hubby calls around 1:30 seeing if I can get it off today because he isn't feeling good. Its one of our busiest times of the year, so I don't want to just call in and leave them hanging. I see if anyone can trade, and there is no one. So we figure out that my parents will just watch her longer.

Around 2 my mom calls and says that my dad still hasn't gone in yet, and she'll pick up Zo if he is late since she gets off between 3:30-4. (You need to know she generally works like 10 minutes from my work). So I get ready for work, get Zo dressed, pack a few toys and leave early. I wanted to get a bite to eat before I went in. My dad calls around 3:40 saying he is just barely leaving. I figure that is probably better anyways, since he generally picks her up with just enough time for me to be chronically 2 minutes late to where ever I am going. I call my mom and she is off. Perfect, I think. She will be there when I am to make the trade. Nope, she happened to work in the other site 40 minutes away. So here I am 10 minutes until I have to be at work with a snotty baby, waiting in line at Burger King next door. By this time, I'm figuring life did not want me to work for some reason.

So what do I do? Just haul her with me. I've done it before, but generally someone is just getting off and watches her for the few minutes it takes someone to get her. Today, there is no one to watch her since I'm coming in at such a strange time. So I just put her in a shopping cart, and go to work. Naturally, the district managers were there for a visit. So I kind of just chill in the back, hopping they don't walk by. I had to do freight and put new items on the shelf, so I just chucked all the stuff in the cart, pushing it along to all the places, and gave Zo the empty boxes. I had enough boxes ready so if the big bosses came by I could try to hide her. I'm glad I didn't have to though. It did get kinda awkward when customers came over asking for help, and I'd have to explain why I was pushing a baby everywhere I go.

My mom eventually came and got her, and the work day went on as normal. The only thing was, they double booked my department so there was an extra person there. I so could have called in, and it would have been just fine. Ah well, that is life.

Wordless Wednesday :)

My camera is mia, so we get a crappy phone photo today. :(

Tuesday's Teeth

Today I noticed Zdawg had something in her mouth. It turned out it was 2 teeth she didn't have earlier today. The funny thing is, its her top right and the one next to it. She is still missing her top left tooth and they say they get them in pairs. I'm hoping that this doesn't mean her teeth are off center...

Wordless Wednesday

sad

Between work and school I have to have a sitter for Z dawg every day for the nexy 2 weeks. (not counting weekends, thank goodness). I so want to stay home. She changes so much, I don't want to miss anything. I feel like I drop her off and I pick up a totally different baby. Oh well, this is life for the while I guess.


Oh, yea. Needless to say, I'm gonna be pretty busy the next couple weeks so posts may be lacking. I know you are sad, but it will be ok. I'll be back in no time. :)

Wordless Wednesday :)

Mama and baby

Camping Trip Chapter 1

(I'm writing this for a class in school. its 99% true and 1% could very well be true, just not in this time frame)


I had planned to wake up early, pack, shower, and get my homework done before my baby, Zoey, work up in the morning so I can be on time for our camping trip. But, naturally, she wakes up 30 minutes after I do and doesn’t go back to sleep. I try everything: a clean bum, two bottles, a few cuddles. And nothing. She is wide awake trying her new trick of standing while holding onto the crib. So instead of working on my to do list, I bring her to bed with me. We cuddle some more, and she finally dozes of. Unfortunately, so do I. The next thing I know, the little princess is pulling my hair. She let me sleep in until ten in the morning. She never sleeps in that late. Naturally.


The morning is spent running around like a drugged fly. I decide to forgo the shower, an often occurrence in my life. Who has time for daily hygiene? Definitely not a full time student and worker with two children, one she birthed and the other her mother-in-law did.

My mother-in-law is taking Zoey for the weekend so my husband and I can go camping at the lake. We live two hours away, so the plan is to meet half way by 1 o’clock. That doesn’t leave much time. Somehow I get Zoey fed, dressed, and packed in time. I still have a billion things to do for myself, but at least she is all taken care of so I can drop her off in time.

Naturally, they aren’t on time. This is a reverse from normal. So I wait in the Chevron parking lot and just watch the people. A man in a polo shirt and plaid pants runs to catch the bus that is slowly driving around. I look at him closer. He has tattoos all over his legs, and is holding a brown stuffed animal. I think it is a dog, but he is too far away and I don’t have on my glasses to tell for sure. I wonder if he is giving it to his child? Isn’t that a twisted fate? He is late to go see his son or daughter and my in-laws are late taking mine away.

With that, I go sit in the back with her. As I open the back door, she gives me the biggest gummy grin. As I take her in I realize she is wet. That can mean a few things, and all of which I don’t want to deal with at this gas station. As I get closer my nose gives me a good idea of what I’m dealing with—major diaper blowout. Naturally. I unbuckle her from her car seat and get a better look at what I’m dealing with. My aunt calls dirty diapers, muddy diapers. Well, Zoey has a freaking mudslide on her back. I clumsily try to fish out a diaper and a change of clothes to go deal with this avalanche. This is a hard task one handed anyways. Now, add a wiggly baby I don’t want to get too close to me in the other hand. I can feel my pants settle a centimeter too low, yet I don’t have an extra arm to fix it. So here I am trying to magically shimmy my pants to the correct location, holding a smelly, dirty, now crying baby, and digging in my diaper bag I swear Marry Poppins made because I cannot find the diapers for the life of me. My phone is vibrating in my pocket, but I don’t even bother to worry about answering it. Instead, I just yell to my pocket. Not right now! I look like a crazy woman, for sure.

I eventually find her diaper and change of clothes and go in the store and take care of the issue. As I walk back out to my car, here comes the in-laws. Naturally, they get here 5 minutes too late to help the crazy woman screaming at her pocket. We make the exchange without a hitch.