Our happenings...

I feel like so much stuff has happened over night in our household. We went from lounging around grandparents' houses in Alabama to a crazy schedule here in Oklahoma.The first thing that we started was Awana on Wednesday nights. The boys absolutely love being Cubbies and wearing their little vests. If you're not familiar with Awana, it's the Bible based version of boy/girl scouts. If your church doesn't have one then start bugging someone into starting it! They learn weekly Bible verses and it's so adorable hearing these 3-4 year old recite them!

Then, Eli started PreK! At first I wasn't going to send him. There is a large community of homeschoolers here, but I just was not able to focus the amount of time that Eli needed and he longed to be in school like many of his friends. It's only 2&1/2 days a week so it gives him and Drew a nice little break from each other and Drew and me some time to have 1 on 1. He has learned SO much, things that I never would have thought to teach him. 

 We typically drop off Eli, go the the Y, go home to eat lunch, play and nap and then it's time to go get Eli. Someone asked me the other day what we do all day and I feel like I always get this weird look, like "that's all?!" I didn't want to add in the awesome: I also make beds, clean toilets bc my children urinate EVERYWHERE, sweep up what was half of the kids' breakfasts from under the kitchen table, start a load of laundry (I usually forget about it and dry it that night or next morning if it doesn't stink yet), and make the never ending requests for snacks and food that these people require to survive.  

The most exciting thing I've done is a few weeks ago I decided that I would run a 5k with a friend. I kept putting off and putting off training (yes, I know it's only 3 miles but when you're not a runner you've got to train for these things!) until a week before the race. So, in a span of 6 days I ran 18 miles to "train." The run was on Sunday and I finished under my goal by 16 seconds so that in itself was a victory! It was a really awesome feeling and yesterday I even thought about training for a 10k and then maybe a half sometime next year. I just thought about it. 

Today, I started working for the first time since 2008! The Kid's Day Out program at our church was looking for a teacher assistant for the infant class and it is so precious. All these sweet, lovable babies ranging from 6 weeks to not even a year. I get to love on them and smell their sweet baby fresh scent and then their mommies and daddies come and get them. It's perfect. And the boys are each in their own class down the hall. Drew has been adamant about starting school now that Eli goes and it's opposite days of Eli's other school. Eli LOVES that he has so many different friends now. He is such a social kid, totally opposite from Drew! I'm also hoping that it does help Drew's social skills and help prepare him for preK. His teacher said he had a great first day so I hope that doesn't change. 

I'm not sure when my boys became so big but it's so weird and so fun. 

Relationships

Our Sunday school class (full of married people and people who are about to be married or someday want to be married) has split the men and women up and we've been reading For Women Only and For Men Only. And ever since I read my book I am constantly aware of whether or not what I am doing is benefitting Daniel's and my marriage. 

When Daniel and I got married we went to Disney World on our Honeymoon and then I flew with him to California (where he had been living and I would move to after I finished college in a few months) for a week. When we were dropped off at his apartment I noticed that his truck wasn't there. It was his dream truck, a beautiful sporty 4 door Tacoma that he bought right after he had commissioned into the Air Force. It was gone. He had traded it for a Chevy HHR. I laugh about it now. Then, I was shocked. But, now that I look back I see why he did it… For me. It was cheaper than his truck, got a lot better gas mileage, and really he thought that I would like it. It was a really nice car/thing. It was fully loaded and actually rode really well. And let's just say it was nicer and safer than my Kia from college. 

Back to my book I've been reading. A lot of centers around men's egos and how we women hold the key to how they feel about themselves. I think back to a little over 6 years ago. While I didn't freak out on him, I didn't tell him that I loved the car. Heck, I could have just told him that I appreciated that he was thinking of me and wanted me to have something that he thought was great! And I made several comments over the next couple years (how pathetic to hold on to that for so long!) about what a dumb choice that was. Ugh, if time travel was invented I'd go back and punch myself. While he never even said a cross comment about the situation I am sure he was thinking about what a brat I was. And, OH! I  was. 

So, my encouragement to you is…Read this book. Even if you're not married. Even if you have been married for over half your life. It's game changing. Maybe not instantly, but implementing these small things and understand how men's brains work… And I will let you in on a little surprise- it's nothing like we think.

Beauty Blogs

In the past I have been so tempted to start blogging about fashion and beauty products because they are things I like, understand, and enjoy. However, I doubt anyone I know would even begin to take me seriously.

My hair gets washed about once a week these days, either Saturday nights or Sunday mornings, even though I have very oily hair. But I go to the gym every (almost every) morning and it's just annoying to get clean hair all sweaty. 

Then, due to gym participation I tend to stay in a tee and shorts. 

Gym clothes and sweaty hair in pony tail. 

Not quite the fashionista I think I am.

This morning I skipped the gym and washed my hair… although, I'm still wearing an outfit that doesn't qualify as a fashionable choice… and I put on makeup. I had a few stray brows so I began to pluck. Anyone who knows anything knows that when you pluck your brows that you don't want a HUGE gap between the two and you definitely don't want the end that is closest to your nose to begin in the MIDDLE OF YOUR STINKING EYEBALL. Well… I kept trying to even up my left brow and plucking further and further right to left. 

 I'm going to pick up a brow kit later today so that I can use  that to make them look a little more even until they grow back in… 

Broken Arms and Stuff...

Two weeks ago Eli fell and broke his arm. 

Everywhere we go people ask something along the lines of, "Hey buddy! What happened to your arm?" and Eli falls quiet. Last Sunday on our way to church Daniel told him that if someone asked what happened that he should tell them he fell on it and it broke. We laughed and said that he would probably say, "My daddy said to say…"  He has done a pretty good job of answering questions though without sounding like he's covering up a child abuse scenario. And he has thoroughly enjoyed collecting signatures of all his favorite people. After I had explained that once he got his hard cast that he could get his friends to sign it that was the basis for most of our conversations. And that evening he went next-door where two older girls (8 and 10) happily signed and our new neighbors (also two girls) and their mom signed also. 

He's been an absolute dream during this ordeal. He's not complained about the cast itching or being uncomfortable and he's never complained about pain. Not even in the first couple days. The ER did a fantastic job setting the bones back in place and he's only having to wear the cast for 3 weeks total (2 weeks to go!) We also got the waterproof cast that allows him to bathe and swim without having to put a bag over his arm. I'm sure it helps cut down on the stink as well…which is good because Eli is a total smell freak. He will let you know how funky your breath is and he's always the first to detect someone passing gas.

Sorry if this freaks you out but here is his arm after he broke it. The kid hardly cried and this is what his arm looked like. I don't know if it's because it happened so close to bed time or because he really is a super hero. I feel like his staying so calm helped me. I cried a little less than he did. 

Not a whole lot of things have happened since the arm breaking incident other than the temperature reaching a wicked 99º. 

Things Eli said over a bowl of sherbet...

"My sick little Drewboo.  He's so precious.  I need him to feel better so we can play like best friends again." 

In a very Eeyorr tone, "I wish we could go to a partyyy.  And play with friennnndssss. And eat some icecreeeeeam."

"Trying new things is scary. Like swimming.  I want to swim, but I think I'll wait until I'm just a little bit older.  Then I'll be good at it." 

"Sometimes when I say words that start with one letter, it sounds like a different letter.  Like cake. I don't think it should start with a C" 

"I need to start making monies. I need a job. If I'm going to be a superhero I need a costume. Batman wears a really nice costume and has a lot of Batarangs. They cost a lot of monies."

 

"I always want to call that girl Harley Davidson.  But that's not it.  What's her name again!?" 

"You're the best, Mom." 

 

"Joker don't want to mess with me. You know why? Because I'm Batman. I'll slap him really loud, right in his face."

Earlier this morning after sleeping about an hour last night, "Why are you in such a crappy mood, Mom? It's not really nice and I don't like it."

Eli- "I'm gonna kick Joker in the stomach.  I'd kick him in the nuts but you don't like it when I say that."

Me- "Well you still just said it.  That's really not nice to say or do."

Eli- "Right.  That's why I didn't do it, I just told you I would have.  But I didn't."

Me- "uh.  Ok."

No New Clothes

I made a commitment to myself that during the month of April I would not buy any new clothing. I don't know about the rest of you, but this is a big deal for me. 

I don't go on crazy shopping sprees (often) but I do have an awful habit of picking up something here and there and "Oh, it's 30% (heck, even 1%) off, I need it!" I had also tried to get dressed every single day. I kept it up for about a week and then ***thumbs down and mouth fart noises. 

I have gotten better about not going to the store in my workout/lazy clothes, granted I may not have my hair fixed and make up on…but progress. Baby steps. 

I didn't really think through the whole April is Easter thing though but I stuck to it and wore something that was in my closet. And guess what. I didn't die and my family still thought I was beautiful. I'm really ashamed of the amount of clothes I have and how much I love them. I always think that with the change of seasons I need at least 3 or 4 new outfits…so not the case. How dumb. I plan to continue not shopping throughout May! 

 I can do this! 

Silly post, but…it's just my thoughts for the moment!

My Jams

Don't judge me by what I'm about to tell you... But I think the most important part of getting a good workout in is the music pumping into your ears.  I'm not a cool person who knows what songs/bands/groups are popular until they're playing on the radio every other song.  And I'm not the kind of person who gets annoyed by this, unless it's any Frozen song on Disney XM. So, unless these songs are overplayed and you hate them, listen to these songs! I like them.

And this is where the please don't judge me part comes in :)

1. Beyoncé - Partician 

2. Katy Perry- Dark Horse

3. Imagine Dragons- Radioactive 

4. Lorde- Team and Royals

5. Jason Derülo- Talk Dirty to Me

6. Macklemore and someone else- Can't Hold Us 

7. Pharell- Happy 

8. The Lumineers- Charlie Boy 

9. The Temper Trap- Sweet Disposition

10. Mumford and Sons-The Cave

Some of these are good for running and some are good for weight lifting. These are just my top 10. I left off my Miley songs because I know that I would most definitely be judged for those. :)

Easter Weekend

I believe that most military families will agree that one of the best things in life is when family and friends come to visit you. It's really rare for a lot of us families that this happens. And it's understandable, everyone has their own lives and their own things going on. But I have to say, my parents are tops when it comes to dropping things for a weekend and coming to visit us. They hadn't been out since February for Eli's birthday and these boys were counting down the seconds until they saw ChiChi and Papa. They usually take off early on Fridays and drive to us but we found awesome ticket deals this time and their trip was about 10 hours shorter than it usually is. When we got to the airport and when they saw their grandparents, I am not sure who was running harder to the other to get hugs. My parents hugged me after the kids had had enough of the loving. When you become a parent, your parents only care about your kids ;) 

On Saturday afternoon we dyed eggs. This was not good for my nerves. Andrew kept dipping his hands into the dye to get the eggs out and by the time we were finished, his hands were Hulk green. He was so happy about that. Thankfully ChiChi got his hands clean that night at bath time. Daniel and I went to eat and watch the new Captain America movie. I wasn't really looking forward to seeing it, but it was so good! I cried. Sunday morning was a little rainy so we had to wait until the afternoon to hunt eggs. Drew was once again hilarious because he wouldn't pick up the plastic eggs, he only wanted the hard boiled eggs. Sunday night they took us to see Rio 2 and it didn't disappoint. My parents got the first one for Eli when he was about 18 months old and they have watched it a million times. We laughed throughout most of it. It may have even been better than the first. 

We had so much fun, I'm sad it's time for them to go now. Now it's time to start counting down to the beach this summer!

My Life

I pride myself in going with the flow. For the most part, I don't make a ton of plans. If I do, I stick to them but I hate the thought of something looming over my head. And it's hard (for me) to make plans with little kids. You never know if you're going to get the Dr. Jekyll or Mr. Hyde of their personalities...every day, every hour/minute/second/millisecond is an up in the air coin toss. Recently though, my friend Heather (who has 3 small kids of her own) and I have been visiting the YMCA about 4 times a week to work out while our kids go to the child watch area. This is my only "every day" plan. I've gotten better about making sure Andrew takes a nap every day after lunch (although he isn't today). I've never had the boys a set nap schedule and I wish it's something that I had done. Ah well. Can't go back now.

My ADD has kicked in and I've forgotten where I was going with this post. After the last paragraph I looked up to watch my youngest jump on the trampoline for a moment and then had to run inside and grab my camera. I wanted better quality that my iPhone camera. I leave you with a picture that let's you know just what I'm dealing with on a daily basis. I did make him put underwear on after I took this. He thanked me and said, "That's good. I don't want my peep to blow away!"

What I eat...

Oh I am on a roll today! 

Another big question I get is "What can I eat!?" when someone wants to know about the challenge.

And the answer is really simple… You can eat anything (sort of). 

Anything real. During the first 10 days you are cleansing and detoxing. Dairy, white bread, sugar, and caffeine (other that what you get in your Spark) are off limits. Making 80% good decisions (where as I use to make maybe 30% good decisions) is key.

If you see that it doesn't have dairy then I ate it on the cleanse. Most everything I ate on the cleanse portion I carried over into the max phase…I just sometimes put a little cheese in there!

Breakfast Options:

• Oatmeal- Steel Cut or Old Fashion. I would sprinkle a little Stevia bc I just can't eat it bland and add either a couple cut up strawberries or blueberries. A boiled egg or two on the side (sometimes I would eat the yolk and sometimes I wouldn't). I have realized that if I eat more protein at breakfast then I am not absolutely starving at lunch time. 
• Omelet or scrambled eggs bc I stink at making omelets -self explanatory. You can put so much goodness into these! I like chop up spinach, mushrooms, red bell pepper, onion,  and tomatoes and throw them in. You can also have whole grain during the cleanse so a piece of toast wouldn't kill you. I just stayed away from the bread during this part. 

I am not very creative when it comes to breakfast so that's about as crazy as I get. Once the max phase begun I mostly used my meal shakes in the AM. It was just easier.

Dinner (usually had leftovers for lunch)

• Gilled/baked fish/chicken. This was always an easy option. I looked up recipes for salt free seasonings and it was pretty simple. My favorite sides have been roasted asparagus, diced roasted sweet potatoes, roasted zucchini and squash… Get the picture? It's also an easy option. The sweet potatoes have been our favorite. I dice them up, drizzle olive oil and lay them out on a baking pan. I sprinkle with black pepper and just a little garlic powder… I never thought that would make a good combination but it does. I only thought that sweet potatoes went with marshmallows, sugar and butter!
• Anything that I use to cook with ground beef I replaced with ground turkey. We ate burgers without buns, tacos on lettuce, spaghetti with spaghetti squash instead of noodles…It's all about little changes. And to me the ground turkey is just so much tastier. And back to the spaghetti squash, if you haven't tried it, DO IT! It is SO cool! 
• I would make up a whole dish of baked chicken and tear it up for salads. Instead of salad dressing I just mixed half virgin olive oil and half red wine vinegar and drizzled a little so it wasn't dry. Once again adding in lots of extra veggies and berries. I love strawberries on my salad…
• And finally (some people consider this gross) but a can of tuna and mustard. Add a side of veggies and it's a quick meal! 

Snacks!

• Unsalted almonds
• Fresh fruit and veggies 
• Hummus with veggies or my weakness- a warm pita
• Plain rice cake with natural peanut butter and banana…if I'm being bad I add a couple of dark chocolate chips. 
• Apples and natural chunky peanut butter
• Plain sunflower seeds, not the kind you have to open yourself. Ain't nobody got time fo' that!
• Beef jerky- (not Slim Jims) I'm not really sure if that is really healthy or not, but I like it...

What I Dank:

WATER, LOTS AND LOTS OF WATER! And Spark! 

These are just some of the things that I liked to eat and cook while on the challenge, and even now that I'm done. And can I just say, my afternoon slumps are gone. I get up in the morning and most days I  have all the beds made, breakfast dishes cleaned, floors swept from breakfast mess, at least 1 load of washing started and us ready to go for whatever we are doing that day by 9:30. My kids are up by 6:30 every day at the latest. I use to give them cereal, turn on cartoons and snuggle with them until 9. It was so hard for me to get going, even with coffee! Yay for being a functioning morning person now!

Woo hoo!

24 Day Notes

I kept a few notes while I was on the challenge and thought that I would post them here to share with anyone who is currently on the challenge or thinking about it. 

• Day 1: Fiber drink is WHOA. I'm not sure what I expected because…It's a fiber drink. It's kind of sweet but the texture is a little rough.
• Day 2: My mom suggested using a straw for the fiber drink and that made a huge difference. I haven't pooped my pants, so…yay
• Day 3: I definitely feel more energized this morning. Drinking all the water every day is the toughest part.
• Day 4: YAY, no fiber drink…I am definitely more "regular" … I feel lighter but a little like something is missing since I didn't take the fiber drink earlier.
• Day 5: Still feeling good. No crazy cravings.  
• Day 6: I can tell my stomach isn't as bulgy in my clothes. I almost peed myself today. Remember to go immediately before leaving the house. Drinking 1 spark in the AM and one around 3 pm helps get me through the roughest parts of my day!
• Day 7: Going to the bathroom like clockwork for the past few days. No surprises… I was worried this was going to make me "go" a lot…
• Day 8: I was so glad to have the fiber drink back today! After going the few days without it, it was kind of a sweet treat!
• Day 9: no notes…
• Day 10: I put my pictures side by side from today and day 1. I can't believe that just by eating healthier and ridding my body of all the junk I have had such a drastic change. I know I felt bad but I didn't know I felt THAT bad…I feel like a brand new person. And a little psycho for being so excited about this. 
• Day 11: Lots of pills today! Luckily I love vitamins. The green one reminds me of the alfalfa hay we use to feed our horse…Oddly comforting. haha
• Day 12-15: No notes
• Day 16: I started adding in a little whole wheat pita bread. I ate one today with roasted red pepper hummus. It was so good…I felt like I was doing something bad…
• Day 17: I have changed up different days when I drink the shake. I skipped one day so I drank 2 today. I have never liked any meal replacement shakes until this…super yummy…
• Day 18-23: No notes
• Day 24: 8 lbs down and almost 9 inches gone. I can tell that I'm toner in my butt and thighs and obviously my stomach, which has always been where I am most self conscious. Why in the world did I wait so long to do this?!

I don't believe that I ever shared on here my final pictures… On day 10 a light bulb in my bathroom was blown and it made me look tan. I was a little disappointed on day 24 that I really don't look that dark… HAHA. There was not a HUGE change in 10-24 but I can tell my "pooch" had shrunk, and I had gone down an inch and a half in my waist. I should have taken the pics at the same distance and junk but it was always really early in the morning and I wasn't really thinking about anything other than taking the pic and then eating.

Probably shouldn't have said that...

The kids have been bickering since before the sun came up.

Andrew has cried 13 times because his brother pushed/hit/pinched/said something that was not received well.

Eli has cried 7 times because his brother wouldn't follow the rules he had established upon their early rise. 

Me: (in a frustrated plea) Please guys, just PLEASE, no more yelling. No more fighting. Just be kind or stay in different rooms. You two have been acting like fart heads all morning and I just can not take it any longer. I need you to be nice if you want to go swimming. That's it. And if you can't do that the you'll get spankings and have to nap for the rest of the day. 

Eli: (choking back tears) I don't know why you would say that.

Me: What are you talking about?

Eli: You called us fart heads.

Me: No, I said you were ACTING like fart heads. And I shouldn't have said that. I'm sorry.

Eli: It's OK. I just don't know what a fart head acts like. (He does a silly face and dance.)

Me: That's the opposite of fart head. That's fun and nice.

Eli: Well fart heads aren't nice?

Me: No. They are mean to their brothers and don't listen to their mommy.

Eli: Well, I think me and Drew ARE fart heads sometimes.

Me: Well, maybe. But let's try not to be. Let's be happy, good boys. And that will make us all happy.

Eli: I will try.

Drew: I want a snack.

I wasn't allowed to say 'fart' growing up. Or 'butt' or even 'pee'…

Someone tooted, their bottom hurt and they had to tinkle…

We were in Target one day and the Despicable Me Fart Gun toy was picked up and Eli enthusiastically announced what he'd found and another mother nearly passed out. She grabbed her kid who was probably 8 or 9 and scurried away. Do you let your kids say fart? I don't really encourage it (which you may not believe due to the conversation above) but I don't scorn them for saying it… Just curious… 

Mommy's Weekend Away

Several weeks ago (maybe even a couple months ago) two dear friends of mine moved to San Antonio for work. Texas is right below Oklahoma so I thought that this would be the perfect opportunity for me to go visit some old friends and have some girl time…

When I googled OKC to San Antonio, I was told that it would be about a 5 hour drive. Maybe from south OKC to northern San Antonio… It took me about 7&1/2 hours each way… Oh my Lord. I didn't need that much alone time. But it was so worth it. I listened to a couple of short Jack Reacher novellas on audiobook which made me realize how grotesquely inaccurate it was for whoever made the movie to cast Tom Cruise in that role. I'm late to the party, I know. Anyway, I made it safely both ways…obviously.

When I got down there Friday afternoon, Daie and I chatted for a bit and then went to dinner at my absolute favorite place that Daniel and I use to eat at, Tiago's and then we went next door to the Palladium to watch Divergent and then next door again to BJ's for a pazookie dessert.  Those 3 things (plus seeing my sweet friend) made the whole day of driving SO worth it. Meanwhile Elizabeth (who is a nurse) was sleeping and then left for work since she was on night shift. When Elizabeth came in from work on Saturday morning we went and ate a delicious breakfast at The Pancake Haus. OH MY WORD. Do Germans do anything wrong? Blueberry pancakes, scrambled cheese eggs and ham plus 2 cups of coffee later I had died. 

Yea, eating like I had just escaped from prison did not sit well in my…system. 

Still, I continued to live like each meal was my last. 

After breakfast Elizabeth went to bed for the day and Daie and I went to the outlets. We came, we shopped, we conquered. That night we went down to what I think was the Pearl District for food. A BBQ joint we went to first was what I can only describe as hipster fancy and not as BBQ-y as we had hoped. So we went to a little food trailer called The Luxury and ordered at a window… We were handed a toy alligator and sat waiting for our food to be delivered. The wait was long but SOOO worth it. I have never had a sandwich as delicious as this and I devoured it in about 6 bites. Daie ordered special fries for us to share that were topped with onions and some type of mayonnaise sauce and ketchup. Heavenly is how I choose to describe this meal. The only thing I did "good" was getting UNsweet tea...

The creepy little toy alligator with babies on its back :/

Elizabeth does paleo and this was her steak salad. The tenderness of that steak was unreal.

my mouth is watering…

Later we went and walked around the River Walk and I introduced them to the dueling piano bar Howl at the Moon… Everyone in there was either really young, really old, or having a bachelorette party. 6 years ago I felt like I fit in a little better…plus, knowing that Daniel was at home with the kids, I felt just a little weird and out of place. But, I am often weird and usually out of place…

Sunday I drove back home to my loving family and was only asked what prizes I brought home after/during the reception of big hugs… Everything is back to normal and no one even remembers me being gone…  

Instagram Post

April Fools... Of course, I'm the only fool in this scenario.  

My Kids

Yesterday the kids and I had SUCH a great day. We got to the YMCA at 930 and they were all excited to go play and I was all excited to go workout. I dropped them off, I worked out, and then I went and picked them up. I surprised them by bringing their swimsuits and taking them to the indoor pool. We get in there and as they're splashing in the water, the lifeguard comes and tells me that the pool isn't open for "open swim" for another hour and a half. All of the parents on the other side of the pool seemed to be staring at the little rednecks ruining swim lessons. oops. So I hurriedly dress the boys and we go get haircuts. They were angels. So I take them to Chifila. Because I am the kind of mom who if you behave, you get rewarded. And if you're bad… you get nothin'. And OH! it smelled so good. But I was a good girl and drank my protein shake... We went back to the Y and the kids had such a blast playing in the water. I took lots of pictures and I was the bestest mommy ever. 

Fast forward to today.

 We get to the Y and Drew starts freaking out. He yells and cries that he doesn't want to play and even though I KNOW that if I just leave he will be fine, I continue to hang around and try to bribe him into going peacefully. Uh, no. So, finally I just bite the bullet and let him over the half wall that separates the play area from the drop off area. Kid is whaling about and hits/scratches me directly in the eyeball. Thank God he wasn't in arms reach because natural reflex may have gotten CPS called by a worried care giver. As I was walking up the the cardio gym my eye is watering and my nose is pouring. Fluids are draining from my face and the only toilet I know of is occupied. Other mothers told me not to be upset, that he would get used to being dropped off. I took me a few comments to realize they thought that I was the one who was upset. I'm not really sure if telling them my terrorist 2 year old had assaulted me so I just said thanks and continued on. When I went back to pick him up he was playing with cars and totally happy. Figures.

Moral of my story:

Some days are good and some days are just full of $#!*

I will never post a picture of my children on Instagram saying how well behaved they were.

I will still post pictures about how cute I think they are. At least that doesn't change.

Parenting the way you probably shouldn't...

My boys like to argue.  A lot.  They fight over everything that we don't have 2 of and sometimes they even fight over those things because they can't find the twin object. 

 Today's delima: 

We have 1 Batman cape that has a hood with bat ears and 1 Batman mask.  Today, Eli was wearing the cape and Andrew had the mask. Andrew decides he wants the cape.  After a long begging session from A, E makes it clear that he's not giving it up.  I reassure A that it will be OK, because really...the mask is cooler. E's eyes widened and he immediately traded objects.  We have been trying to teach Eli how to manipulate Drew into being content with what he has but Eli just can't commit.  He knows that his (whatever he is playing with) is better and he laughs, giving Andrew the knowledge he needs to know that Eli is playing him.  So, for now... I'll just keep manipulating whichever one I need to to keep the peace. I'll worry about the consequences later.  

About Last Night

I'm going to go ahead and confess that when it comes to bedtime, I really funked it up as a mom when my two were babies. I really enjoyed loving on my sweet boys so I rocked them to sleep when they napped and for bedtime. Sometimes I even held them for an hour or so after they slept because I too had fallen asleep, or Daniel and I were watching a show or movie so we just stayed like that.

OH. OH, how I see the error in my ways! I really wouldn't give that sweet time holding my babies back for anything, but I probably should. I should give it back so that they (Andrew) will go to sleep on his own and not call for anyone to sleep with him in the middle of the night. We JUST (a couple weeks ago) quit having to lay down with Eli to get him to sleep… But really, it wasn't that big of a deal because, unlike his brother, he literally falls asleep the moment his head hits the pillow. Andrew, this kid tosses and turns for 30-45 minutes until he just wears himself out. Then, I leave. I go to my bed and somewhere between 11:45 and 1 am he yells,

 "Mommy!                       MO-mmy!?                    MOM-myyy!                 MOMMMMMMMAAAAYYYYY!?!?!?"

I go in, lay down and he is back asleep. But so am I. Sometimes I don't even remember going in there. I wake up confused and not sure where I am or how much I drank…

Oh… yea.  Not a wild night in that sense.

I have tried cutting out his nap thinking it would make his night sleep more productive but it only make things worse. He is great at falling asleep at nap time. We lay down, he says he isn't tired and then falls asleep just 2 minutes later. We cut out a lot of screen time. I have cut down on his sugar. We do relaxing things after dinner and try not to get too riled up.The other day we were outside after nap time and I know that kid ran a mile around our neighborhood, he jumped on the trampoline and chased Duke around the yard. 

I'm giving him 18 more months. Then he's on his own. I don't really know how Eli would have done if we had quit trying to lay with him at this age so I guess we will just push through.

Last night I fell asleep in his bed while trying to get him to sleep. I got up at 12:45 to brush my teeth and get into my bed. While I was brushing, he started yelling. He continued to talk in his sleep until we got up at 6:45 am. He wanted specific toys that Eli was apparently taking from him. He wanted a peanut butter spoon. He wanted to go to the park. It. Just. Didn't. Stop. 

I was wide awake until at least the last time I looked at my watch-3:30.

I had a million thoughts running  through my head so I typed them on my phone's memo pad. Glad I did because I don't even remember what they were now. At least I have a few blog topics due to being awake for such a miserably long time early this morning! I have a lot of friends who are recently becoming moms. They're all smarter than me to begin with so I am sure they're laying their babies down once they even begin to look tired. I'm not going to tell them to read this, but if they do…I hope they heed my warning and buy some earplugs and let those kids cry.it.out.

;)

I'm going to drink a Spark and start feeling better!

WOW!

I am just COMPLETELY blown away by the responses I received yesterday! By noon I had helped 3 people get on challenges, 1 friend sign up as a distributor and order a challenge, and I still have 4 more people who wanted to talk it over with their spouses before they commit. And that is SO important. I hope that I stressed enough that this is NOT a DIET! This is a LIFESTYLE CHANGE! 

I just can not quit smiling. And I know that when these amazing friends (and some family) start, they won't be able to stop smiling either! 

I talked to SO many people yesterday, and I told them, I feel like one of those people on an infomercial at 2 am saying "DO NOT LET THIS OPPORTUNITY PASS YOU BY!" Which, it won't. AdvoCare isn't going anywhere. But just the opportunity to feel better NOW is at hand. 

My blog isn't going to be all about AdvoCare now, but I will keep sharing. I know many of you are here for the 2 little people that live in my home. Eli is incredibly excited about the warmer weather because the kid LOVES new clothes. His ChiChi sent him and Drew some short sleeve shirts in the mail and he had to try aaalllll of them on. Drew wasn't as excited, he doesn't like wearing "short shirts and short pants." He told me the other day that they… and I quote… "freak me out."

OK, little 2 year old. Wear your long sleeves and blue jeans on this sunny and 78º  day. He was sweating after 10 minutes and I finally convinced him to change. 

I will leave you with this conversation I overheard coming from the back of the car the other day:

(One child has a Batman with a blue costume and the other has one wearing black)

D: Hey Black Batman, let's go see ChiiiiiChi and Paaaapaw

E: YES! Let's go, but you know it is a very long drive. 

D: That's OK, Mommy is driving us. 

E: And when we get there it will be like Christmas because they will have lots of prizes for us to open!

Spoiled much?

The truth

Before I show you what I've accomplished past 10 days, I want to share with you all the truth why I started this challenge.

1. I have zero control over anything in this entire world, except for myself. And for the past 27 years and couple of months I have not done a very great job at exercising any control. I can't control the way my kids act in public (have you ever tried stopping a melt down on isle 6? Although they are punished for their behavior it doesn't mean they're not going to freak out about getting Fruit Loops instead of Trix.) I can't control the bipolar weather that makes my self diagnosis of SAD linger. 

2. Referring to previously mentioned lack of control, I am a binge eater. My friends who know me best know my weakness for hotdog buns and generally any bread or carbohydrate of any type. I can and have eaten an entire large pizza by myself on more that one occasion. I have eaten an entire pack of hotdog buns in much less than a day's time. Just a few weeks ago I made the no bake drop cookies and ate them until I sugar crashed had to make the boys nap so that I could as well. My addiction is real. And it hurts.

3. After binging, I won't eat until Daniel comes home for dinner for a couple days. Then I'm left with even less energy. 

Now, I'm telling you why I am sharing all of this with you. 

1. I feel like a brand new person. Let me expand...

2. My own little personal saying these past few days is "put good in and good comes out." This can be taken in a couple different ways. The first being that pooping is much more pleasant when you eat healthier. Sorry but it's true. It's magical and I will just leave it at that. The second way is just that my whole disposition feels completely different. I don't wake up and dread getting the day started. I wake up HUNGRY and ready to eat something that is going to fuel me to be the person that I need to be. The person I WANT to be. The mom that my kinds want and deserve.

3. If you're a Christian (and I know not all of you are, so I'll save your conversion for another blog, jk) then you know (or maybe not) that gluttony is a sin. Food is suppose to nourish US to serve HIM. I wasn't doing much serving when I was sugar drunk at 2 in the afternoon. I can't describe how ashamed I am for what I've put in my body. It may sound so silly to you, but this has truly been a life changing experience for me.

And now, I share with you my before and afters… Have any of you heard the saying "abs are made in the kitchen" ? Well this is why, not that I have abs…yet, but this is all because of putting good food and the right nutrients in my body with AdvoCare. Yes, I did work out…but nothing that was overly strenuous. Seriously, anyone can do some squats, lunges, crunches and arm weights while watching TV. I have always had a belly pooch and I have always been insecure about it. But now seeing how much I've changed (inside and out) gives me all the more motivation to continue. I've always said I won't have abs because I love bread too much. Well, I can still have bread…just not the whole loaf. And I can have abs. I will have abs…maybe. Daniel isn't a fan of abs, and he's the only one I've got to impress anyway!

Please don't judge too harshly, it has been only 10 days. I can't wait to see what the next 14 days of the challenge have in store. If you have any questions about Advocare, let me know! I have some amazing friends who have been doing this a lot longer than I have and if I can't answer your questions then they definitely can. 

BTW! I've ordered some samples of Spark to send out to you guys just so you can see what all of the fuss is about! Even if you're not up for the challenge, this stuff is Waaaaay better than Monsters and Red Bull!

I just...

I just have to share with you guys! Today is day 9 that I, Brittany Land, have gone without dairy, sodas, bread, and sugar. Last Monday Daniel and I started the AdvoCare 24 day challenge. Tomorrow will be our final day of the 10 day cleanse. I never in my life thought that I possessed the will power to keep from taking a bite out of the boys PB&Js. I baked two or three times a week. I always had homemade cookies or cupcakes or pie or SOMETHING that I can eat at a cravings whim. 

I am addicted to sugar. 

The first 3 days were very hard, but I stayed strong. Having Daniel, my mom, a friend and my coaches that I could text or call to take my mind off of wanting something I didn't NEED made this so much easier. At times I wanted to run down to the cupcake shop and stuff my face, but I didn't. And now, I feel like a brand new person. I use to CRASH every day between 1 and 2 pm. I was loaded up on simple carbs and my body just could not handle it.

For breakfast I've been eating steel cut oats (which I can't believe I never had before now) with either strawberries, blueberries or banana and just a tiny dash of Stevia in the Raw in it with a side of 2 egg whites (sometimes scrambled and sometimes boiled). This has been the hardest part because I am NOT a breakfast person…unless it's 6 bowls of Lucky Charms. 

I should add that the first and last 3 days of the cleanse I drink a fiber drink in the AM before breakfast. The first 7 days I took herbal cleanse supplements at bed time.

The last 7 days I took a pro biotic before breakfast. 

In between meals I munch on nuts, seeds, fresh fruit and veggies, hummus, peanut butter, and just anything that is high in fiber and protein and not processed. 

Lunches are either salads or left overs from the night before or both. Yesterday I opened a can of tuna, mixed in a tsp of mustard and sprinkled with pepper and it was so delicious. I have seen my sister do this before and thought it was gross… But I tried it. And I liked it. A lot. I ate that with a slice of avocado and some cherry tomatoes. 

For dinner I have been cooking a lot with ground turkey. We have had tacos with homemade seasoning wrapped in lettuce, Spaghetti squash with turkey meat sauce, Chicken fajitas and using lettuce again instead of tortillas (which I am surprised I liked so much. I usually hate myself after Mexican food but not this week!), ground turkey made into patties stuffed with mushrooms and onions (we ate them like hamburger steak), and turkey meatballs (made like meatloaf but with turkey and instead of bread crumbs I used oats). 

This is my second biggest accomplishment. Cooking EVERY night. I'm not going to pretend that we don't normally eat out twice a week. Because we did. And it was showing. 

Third accomplishment is my water intake. They say that you should divide your weight by 2 and drink that many ounces. I've been working out so I've been drinking about 100 oz each day plus my Spark once or twice a day. This is probably AdvoCare's freaking golden child because it is loaded with vitamins and has only half the caffeine of a cup of coffee. I would usually drink a cup or two in the morning but Daniel and my mom would drink it all day every day, and even into the night. Both of them have said that they have had no issues with giving up coffee solely because Spark gives them hours of energy without jitters or a crash. 

I first signed up as a distributor for AdvoCare so I could get 20% off when we ordered our challenges. Now, it is a company with quality products that I truly believe in. It isn't a diet. It is a lifestyle change. And I know that Daniel and I HAD to change the way we were eating or we'd be diabetics within a few years. Now, we will STILL eat our cake, but just a piece. And probably not every day. My friend Ashley who first introduced us to AdvoCare says it's about making good choices at an 80% to 20% ratio. If you're going to eat a muffin or bagel, just keep the rest of it clean. I feel like this challenge is getting us off to the jumpstart that we needed to show us that we CAN make good choices and that they can be healthy and delicious. I am so blown away by not only the discipline I've had these past few days but that everyone on the challenge with me has shown. 

(I feel that I should disclose that during Mr Peabody and Sherman on Saturday I ate 8 of the boys pretzel M&Ms and about 6 of the little sour gummy things.)

Growing boys and screen time

I can tell that my boys are constantly growing. Eli's been getting new jeans every 2 months and Drew grows into the ones that Eli retires. Thank goodness that I have 2 boys. I can't even imagine buying two separate wardrobes… On Saturday we were at the Monster Jam show and Andrew was complaining about his feet. Well, the poor child's toes were cramped up into the ends of his shoes. He'd been wearing this pair since the end of summer. I buy them with the suggested thumb nails length and I believe this is the longest he's ever worn a pair of shoes. This winter he's mainly been wearing his boots though so maybe that's why the tiny tennis shoes eluded my attention.

Yesterday Eli had his 4 year check up and shots and I thought Drew was due for shots since he didn't get any at two (they didn't have his immunization records at the time). They both were weighed and Eli is a little over 36 pounds and Drew is 33. I can't remember their height but when I called my mother in law to see what their measurements were at Christmas (my FIL measures them in the doorways), they'd both grown a solid inch. They're both over the 95th percentile for their height (Drew is also for weight) but Eli is in the 50th for his weight. Tall and skinny and tall and thick. Eli was still thick at Drew's age so I'm curious to see what changes are or aren't coming for him.

We've seen this Dr. one other time and I really wasn't fond of her the first time. When she was giving them their exams I answered a few questions about what was going on. I wish I was able to coherently type out the conversation that we had about Eli not starting school this year (5 days a week for 6 hours a day for a freaking 4 year old) but I get to upset when I think about it. But she was sure to mention that I shouldn't let them watch more than 2 hours of television a day. (Because that's what I do, throw them in front of the television with a big back of cavity causing candy full of red food dye!)

2 hours…really? I'm a stay at home mom. I cook, clean, play, teach, shop, shit, and everything else in between with my children right up under me. Lately our days start at 5am. My kids get a cup of dry cereal and a show while I drink coffee and make actual breakfast. Then, we play playdoh or paint or something like that. If we are going somewhere then I will go shower and get ready and while I do that, I turn the tv back on. Having the tv on means that my kids have a less chance of getting into something they shouldn't. Blah, blah, the rest of our day is spent grocery shopping, errand running, going to the playground if weather permits, nap or quiet time, legos, some "school" work or craft time, we spend a lot of time running around claiming which super hero we are and then when I start dinner the tv goes back on or I give them their gameboys or whatever they're called now. By now we've been doing this day for nearly 11 hours. Now, once dinner is ready (around 5:30) all screens are off for the rest of the night, no questions asked. 

I am annoyed that I feel the need to defend myself or the way I parent, but this lady has no clue what she's talking about. She wakes up, sends her kids to whatever childcare option she's using and then picks them back up at the end of the day.

 I think back to the school conversation and when I told her that they'd be in school for the next 13-14 years that this was my time, she looked so disgusted. Maybe not disgusted, but she just looked at me like I was some weird little alien who just fell out of the sky.

 I get that being a SAHM isn't for everyone. Some days, it isn't for me. But I truly believe it's what is best for my family. I am so thankful that Daniel is able to provide a comfortable lifestyle for our family and that I can stay home and teach my kids what I believe they should know. I can't imagine missing the things that I see and hear every day! I don't have to worry that someone is being mean to them or abusing them. I know that they are taught every day to use their manners, be kind to others, share, clean up their messes, pray before their meals, and how to count, identify shapes, colors, letters and numbers.

I don't know why I ranted this long, maybe to justify that my kids have 4 hours of screen time most days. If they grow up to have severe mental issues, y'all can blame me for letting them watch too much tv…

BTW, this post has nothing to do with working moms…Just how I was made to feel by one...

Pardon me...

If this post is totally incoherent. But I have to ask, "When is this going to stop?!" 

"This" being the constant notifications of my children's toys, safety seats, vitamins, medicine, and whatever else under the sun containing poisonous paint, not securing your child as intended and rubber in my food. 

Last week an article was passed around announcing that Subway's bread contained an "ingredient" that was also used to make rubber yoga mats and the soles of our tennis shoes. I mean, really? That doesn't sound like eating fresh to me. Another Facebook friend posted today about the dangerous ingredients in foods at Panera (which if you're like me, you love this place.) 

I'm so discouraged. There are hormones in my milk and meat if I'm not buying organic. God only knows what's in the noodles and sauce I made my lasagna with last night. What do I do? 

What do we do?

How is this legal? Studies are showing the side effects of the poisons that are being passed off as food and yet they're still on the shelves. Do I put my kids in daycare and go to work so I can buy 5-$8 gallons of organic milk a week…on top of the 3x higher price tag on fruits and vegetables that aren't genetically modified and doused in bug killing chemicals before they make it to the market? 

Do I make my own bread and pasta from scratch? I'd say I don't have the time but I'm sitting here blogging during a rare occurrence of naps in my home. I was actually vacuuming with all of these thoughts and questions in my head that I had to just sit down and write it all out.

I'm just so annoyed and upset that I'm poisoning my family daily, multiple times each day, with every bite we take. 

This post is full of first world crap that makes me feel like a horrible person

I like to think that I would be much better at decorating my home if I had an endless supply if money.  I look on Pinterest at ideas and think how simple it would be to just hang some crap on a painted wall and call it a day.  And then I go to the store.  And the prices of things.  Outrageous.  I'm the type of person who would rather spend money on doing things. And I'm pretty sure Daniel is too, although he keeps telling me to please pick out some curtains to replace the ones that were hanging when we bought the house. But, when it comes to the weekend, I want to go to the movies, out to eat, take the kids to discover new museum or park or go shopping for "fun" stuff. I'm a sucker for board games and playdoh and paint and markers.  You see where I'm going? I'd rather spend my movie on things I can do with my family rather than things that get looked at hanging on my walls or over my windows.  BUT, I want our house to feel like a home. So yesterday I bit the bullet. I was selling some baby things at a store yesterday and next door was a Pier 1. I'm in love with that place. Can I just have everything??? I was so overwhelmed with all of the color choices and patterns and textures and my kids acting like Rabbids (a cartoon that you should never  ever let your children watch.) With my children as my own personal time bomb I finally decided on some throw pillows.  I figured if I found pillows I really liked then I would be able to pick a paint color and curtains from there? We will see. But I love throw pillows. I have to keep blankets on my seats because of my disgusting children who will wipe their snot or Godknowswhatelse on them. I'm not a total germ-a-phobe but I would rather my furniture not look like little snails had been drag racing like Justin Beiber all over my couch cushions. So here are a couple of the pillows I picked out. I won't be keeping all three on this little couch but my other one is covered with half folded laundry :/ The tags are still on them so please let me know if these pillows are hideous and I'm a colorblind idiot with zero taste. 

My Friend

You guys, I meant to share the other day but I didn't so I am now. One of my very best BFFs has started a blog and it makes me laugh my butt off. I swear she reads my thoughts and puts them into words better than I could ever dream of compiling. Please, take a look and follow her. She's a genius. And if you're the kind of person who is kind of struggling, but not really, and you are stressed out about it she will make you feel better about yourself. She's in it a little deeper than Lena Dunham's character on Girls. And if you don't watch Girls then don't start. I am ashamed that I even mentioned it… anyway, 

 http://fannieflaggcool.blogspot.com

The Great Bread and Milk Scandal

I feel like I am the only person (other than those participating) who feels there is justification in going out and buying bread and milk before bad weather hits. For one reason, I buy bread and milk every other day or every two days. We go through it quickly and if I think it's going to snow or rain for the next 3 days, I will buy extra just so I don't have to leave my house to go get it. It just makes sense. My kids drink milk with their meals, if I'm binging I will eat an entire box of cereal in a day, and my kids practically live off of peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. These two things are the staples on which we survive. I really don't have any other support for my argument. I just don't think it's so impractical and I become annoyed with the "everybody is out buying bread and milk before the big storm" posts. I even saw one that said "Went to the grocery store and I couldn't get bread OR milk, I guess everyone is getting ready for the big ice storm!" Well genius, you were there and trying to buy bread AND milk, why wouldn't anyone else. They may have been out and had been putting off going to the store, not unlike I do sometimes. 

That's all.

The Book of Eli

Last night at 7 pm I decided to go to Target. The boys were fighting and had been ALL day, so it just seemed logical. Having a Super Target 2 miles down the road is dangerous. But I went, and it was very relaxing just strolling around the store by myself looking at things. While I was digging around in the dollar bin I found this pack of blank books. 

I'm great at starting projects with the boys and not finishing them.  But you know what, they're boys.  And they are not going to care when they're grown that their baby books are partially done.  I probably will but we will cross that bridge when we get there.  

Eli and I started working on a little book about him.  First of all, he was incredibly upset that I had him write that he's 4 while he is obviously still 3. It doesn't matter that he will be 4 in two weeks to him. My bad.  It was easier for him to write, too. But, I thought it would just be fun to put together little things about him and maybe do it every year and see how things change.  These are the first two pages. He needed a break. It may take a whole year to do this.  

I plan on printing off pictures of things that whatever the page is about and letting him put stickers on it and color in it. He really has great handwriting for a(n) (almost) 4 year old. He knows what letters look like so if I tell him what to write he usually does it.  Sometimes I have to show him on another piece of paper what a certain letter looks like.  He was determined to have a page with Batman on it.  So here you go, folks.  This is the whole reason I am writing this post.

Eli is on the left and the devil Batman is on the right. Eli has just started drawing "bodies" on his people.  (The part that the arms and legs are coming off of.) The limbs use to come straight off of the head. 

I kind of wish I had grabbed a few more packs of these...

Where'd my waist go?

Since moving here, I have been hesitant about joining a gym. Mostly because after living on base for 3 years and not having to pay for exercising, I have a hard time justifying purchasing membership. Plus, I knew that the last couple months of 2013 we would be in AL and I would be paying for nothing. And then, I really didn't want to join at the beginning of the year to avoid the glares from faithful gym goers as a "resolution-er." 

So, here I am smack in the middle of January and I've done some crunches once this week. I'm not trying to get a bikini bod, I just want to fit into the jeans I was wearing before Thanksgiving. I read a statistic that on average people gain between 5 and 15 pounds during the holiday season. I am a testament that this was not made up. I texted a friend about a week ago to let her know that I was taking and writing down my measurements in hope that I would feel some sort of accountability to drop an inch off my waist and blog to you all how I did it. I might have expanded even more since then.

I start my days off great. I juice, eat a couple eggs. Then around 10 o'clock I'm all Cookie Monster hangry looking for anything I can get my hands on. A few nights ago I made a bunch of Auntie Anne's pretzels and the next day, ate a vast majority of them. With each one I was like, "Oh, I'm going to regret this." And that night, I looked 4 months pregnant- and not like "first pregnancy 4 months"… more like 4th or 5th time around 4 months pregnant. (If you have multiple children then you know what I'm talking about.)

There really is no point to this post today, just wanted to let you all in on what's been weighing me down…no pun intended. 

New Year, New Jewelry!

You guys, I cannot even explain how GORGEOUS the new items are for the 2014 Spring and Summer line. I JUST placed my own order.  The items will be available for viewing on the Stella&Dot website on January 13th.

I will send you everything you need for a successful catalog show. Just message me on Facebook and we will get your new year started with fun and FREE jewelry! 

And we rejoiced, for we never had to buy diapers again

It's been a very exciting week over here! Last Sunday afternoon Andrew decided he wanted to go peepee on the potty, and he did. He had been mentioning over the past couple of weeks every time he would get his diaper changed that his cousin Powell went peepee on the potty and I would tell them that he could too because he is a big boy too! 

I can't even begin to describe the change that I have seen in this child. He has always been the one to get into trouble for instigating fights with his brother, being the messy one, the stubborn one. We would say, "Drew, you're so bad!" Jokingly of course, but I think he began to believe it himself.  After he potties he gets to put a sticker on his chart and gets an M&M. But immediately after he goes, before getting off the toilet a look of sheer excitement and pride comes over this precious child's face and he reaches his sweet little arms out for the biggest hugs he's ever given. 

This little bit of praise he has been receiving shows me how LITTLE he was receiving it in other areas. I'm so afraid of what damage I could have done had I not noticed this. It scares me and breaks my heart.

He's a wild little BOY with so much energy, determination, and love. I'm so proud of what he's done in this week. He really did it all on his own, and you can see that each day he's just gotten better and better.  I thank God for this child, and for his brother too.  They're my sunshine. 

                Excuse the drool! :P

A little personal…Warning, TMI.

I don't encourage Daniel to read this blog. I don't tell him if I've posted anything new, 

and hopefully that will keep him from reading it. 

You see, I have no shame. He, however, does.

I was raised in a family that locked the car windows when someone farted. I don't know if Daniel's family ever discussed farts.

Anyway...

This weeks' events have worn my soul thin.

 I'll start from October when Daniel first went to SOS, I asked if I could have whatever money was left over from his per diem. Not to blow on myself, but buy some new curtains for our living room, a few new things to hang on the walls, and stain and knobs to go on our very outdated kitchen cabinets. Not that I thought I would be able to buy ALL off it, but I had my wish list. He said sure. He hates the curtains we have now (they were hanging in the house when we bought it) and he agrees that our cabinets are not overly appealing to the eye.

I was shocked that the amount he had left over from his school was so high. He didn't eat out a lot though and I know he probably didn't for a reason. He's such a good man.

Fast forward to now, we had a few unexpected things to pay for. Daniel got a new (used) truck back in December. In Oklahoma when you register a car for the first time, the price isn't determined by what you paid for the vehicle, but it's actual worth. So, we paid a lot more for the tag that we would have in Alabama since we paid a lot less than the truck's actual worth. You follow?

We also couldn't get our gas fireplace to ignite. Had to have a guy from the gas company come out and light it. 

And now, you'll get to know me better than you could have ever wanted to. Stop reading now.

On Friday afternoon around 12:30 I was in my room folding laundry (WHAT!) and I kept hearing my toilet gurgle. I went and checked and thought that maybe I had been washing too much laundry that morning and it had something to do with that. I don't know, I'm not a freaking plumber. 10 minutes later I here the water running in the toilet. Overflow. I can't get the valve to turn off and I call Daniel (being a super B, because I know deep down this is ALL his fault) and tell him its stuck. "Get a pair of pliers." Click. I hung up on him. I'm not stupid, but why didn't I think of that. This made me even more mad at him.

It worked. So I went to the boys bathroom and turned off their water just before it overflowed too. 

I went to my neighbors' house to see if they were having any plumbing issues, hoping maybe it was something to do with the cities' line and not just my own. 

It was just my own. When I walked back into the bathrooms, my tubs and shower were filled with…

dirty water. 

Daniel called a plumber, and they wouldn't be able to come until after hours which is more $$$.

What were we suppose to do? Not shower or poop all weekend? 

I then had a looming feeling in my stomach.

This was all my fault. 

I am a woman... and I flush way more stuff down the toilet than anyone else.

(Still there?)

Oh, I knew this was going to be embarrassing.

Please let there be a little Buzz Lightyear or anything, ANYTHING else stuck in our pipes.

After the plumber finished his job, which took a maximum 8 minutes, he and Daniel were sitting in the kitchen and I heard him quietly say,

"You might let your wife know that maybe she shouldn't be flushing her tampons down the toilets." 

So, now that all of my shame is gone, I can share this with you all. It doesn't even phase me. 

At first I was angry that all of my house money mostly spent, but now I'm just so thankful that we had it. Isn't that how it goes though? 

You get some money saved up and then your period ruins everything!