Yeah, Right!

And the road to hell is paved with good intentions. :P Let's just say everything here looks the same as it did when Maggie and I left yesterday afternoon. I still need to clean up the kitchen (which looks fine and doesn't distract me from here, since I can't see down the hall and around the corner), pick up Maggie's toys (even though she'll just get them out again!), and work on my office (for me! And because maybe I'll find some gold coins or something in this mess). But to throw out yet another quote, "I'll worry about that tomorrow," (Scarlett O'Hara in Gone with the Wind).

For now it's time to finish up my six pages of reading for my church class this afternoon and get showered and ready to go.

And I did get to sleep until 10:30! I woke up briefly at 8:10, but rolled over and went back to sleep just because I could. :)

The Best Laid Plans...

I really thought I'd get a ton accomplished tonight while Maggie stays at Mimi and Papa's house. Although the main reason was because I needed someone to watch her tonight and tomorrow afternoon, and this saved any of us an extra trip in between, I was optimistic that I'd also be able to take advantage of a little 'me' time and get some stuff done around here. Hahahahaha....

I got home from a very successful chocolate party just before 10 PM. Unfortunately I also then had more computer work, with entering the show. Plus my regular bloggy stuff and other computer work. See, these are the hours when she's usually asleep and I'm usually working in here...so there really hasn't been any 'extra' time so far. Hopefully tomorrow morning I'll be able to show some progress on, well, something, since I won't have my little 'helper' underfoot.

And even though she's usually asleep now, I still miss her :( I guess I'm just silly that way.

Work from Home?

Tonight is the first night this year that my 'work from home' job is taking me, well, out of my home! It got me to thinking about all the different sorts of work from home jobs there are.

My job is direct sales. I do most of my work from home. I do some (by choice) away from home (like making my copies at Kinkos, for better quality and less wear and tear on my home machines). A lot of my contact with people is via the phone. The 'money-making' portion of my job is when I go to someone's home to do a chocolate tasting party. That's what tonight is, for me.
If I did something like hand calligraphy or first communion invitations, I may be able to have even less contact with people, but I think it would involve more discipline to actually have work done by a deadline.
Watching additional children in my home would be a whole different sort of working from home. Yes, I'd be staying home, but I'd have to share my space with kids who may not be as well behaved as my daughter is - seriously!

There are, of course, other options. But for me, direct sales is just the right amount of 'working from home' for me.

10 Random Things for a Friday

1. Tonight is the 'wolf moon.' (The link is a pretty interesting read - I'd recommend it...)
   
2. Maggie and I were considering going to a party tonight, but then I realized I'm busy for a lot of days going forward, so tonight we're staying home.
3. Last couple days of a $79 starter kit with Dove! (Ends January 31)
4. My to-do list for today/tomorrow morning has 17 items on it! Yikes!
5. I'm nervous and excited to finally be doing an in-home chocolate tasting tomorrow! Over the holidays everything was formatted differently, so it's good to get back to doing it 'old school.'
6. I had gotten so excited when I found the whole 52 to Fabulous stuff last night that I forgot to attribute it correctly. After her comment I remembered that I first saw it at MommaDJane's. Thanks for stopping by, and thanks for posting about something that looks like it'll be very rewarding!
7. I finally called to schedule my initial consult for my health thing. It's a heart defect that's been there forever, but is now diagnosed. The cardiologist can't get me in until February 19 - whoa! Thanks to the friend who passed along the anecdotal story that they had a friend with the same thing, and once it was fixed she felt much better! How great would that be to feel better, when I never knew I was feeling bad?
8. I wrote the above without disclosing it was a heart issue at first, and all the mystery made it sound like an STD. So I decided to just say what the problem was instead of you all assuming something with more stigma :D
9. This blog post is actually one of the 17 items on my to-do list, so I'm finally writing because I should be, instead of because I'm procrastinating. You see what I did there? :P
10. Your TMI for the day? Every time Maggie poops, she insists it's just a "tiny one" (with the 'i' in tiny super drawn out). Then I have to show it to her, and no matter how unbelievably huge it sometimes is, she still confirms after seeing it that it was just a "tiny one."
    

Interesting Book

I just started reading a book from an author I've read before. Jasper Fforde has some of the most imaginative fiction I've ever read! The book I'm in right now is Shades of Grey, and it ranks all citizens by the colors they can see. The Greys (as people, not colors) are at the bottom of the social ranking, then Reds, and so-on and so-forth right up to the Purples (I think...). They talk about stuff left over from the Previous (which sounds like 'real' life to me), but they aren't allowed to have real engines or things like Ferrari parts, for example, because access to these things would tempt people to try and do things above their rank, like use their imagination.

It's an odd sort of book, and I'm pretty sure it heads to the point where the main character starts breaking all the crazy 'rules' of his color. He's already living in some outlying area doing a chair census because of some infraction. Yes, a chair census. What an author, to think these things up!

52 to Fabulous!

Wow! I was surfing around to different blogs just now and found something I LOVED that I'm not entirely too late for! It's 52 to Fabulous! 52 weeks to fabulous-ness! There's a general theme for each month - making a different aspect of your life more fabulous than it was before. Sign me up!
The first weekly assignment was to recognize what you want. A nice big, three item list of some overall goals for the year (and I won't call them resolutions because, heck, it's practically the end of January, right?).
1. Consistently improve my business follow-up. What I'm holding in the back of my mind for #2 will certainly help this, but I'd like to be more consistent in doing what I should for my chocolate business. I'm doing okay so far, but I know I have plenty of room for improvement. Without spelling out all the little steps to this, just know I want to consistently stay in contact with my team members, hostesses and guests to facilitate more growth and satisfaction in my business.
2. Re-organize my office. Yeah. I know I've said this more than once, and I really hope hubby doesn't read this and think it's okay to yell at me for it again, but a more organized office would help me with, well, everything. As bad as it looks, I can still usually put my hands on the paperwork I need, but a new organizational system here would make it easier to keep track of my follow-up attempts and make them more uniform to everyone I try to stay in contact with going forward.
3. Do something regularly for myself. Okay, so that's really too vague for here, but I think it's what I'm trying to say for now. See, I almost said improve my fitness level, since I'd kind of like to exercise more. Then I almost made it getting caught up with my scrapbooks, but that's not really what I wanted entirely either (although I do want that too!). What I really want is to hold on to some sense of identity that is me. I'm feeling lost, somewhat, as a wife and a mother, but no longer a woman or as much of a friend or the other roles I've fulfilled in the past. I'm afraid of losing me, and I want to do something to stake claim to that on a regular basis. I hope that doesn't sound selfish.

Wow. So there's my top three - What a Girl Wants. I realize I'm going to have to hustle to make up my other two lost weeks, so I'll probably have more about this up on Saturday night. Be sure to check in and hold me accountable (everyone but hubby, please, on #2 ;) ).

My First Book Bash!

Tonight was my first 'book exchange,' and I'll totally do it again! I had some books to give away (more on that later) so I invited everyone go bring good books they'd already read, and take home some of the books brought by others.

Although I'd hoped for a better turn out, the three people that were able to make it were obviously book lovers :) We had a lot to choose from, and I have less left than I started out with (which was one of my goals).

Conversation was the best. Since we were pretty much just hanging out, other than the 15 minutes or so we spent perusing books, tons of different topics came up. Lots of Maggie (of course!), everyone else's funny work stories, someone who knew someone with a successful social security disability story, fun plans, and some basic 'getting to know you' stuff that's always fun with people you've known for a while - you forget some details from time to time, you know?

Overall it was a great girls' night out, and I'm looking forward to doing it again in a few months. The people here tonight said they'd love to do it again, and there were people who couldn't make it who said they really would've liked to have been here. So we'll pencil it in!

Random Tuesday Thoughts

I keep waiting for things to get better, but instead they get worse. If you're not in the mood for my negative PMS-y whining, back out now :)

Within the last week I've been called offensive and ignorant. Tonight hubby got mad at me, and tomorrow morning he leaves for a work trip, so I may get to sit with this one on my own for a while. I found some unfortunate news about my health today that I'll have to deal with soon. And on top of it all Aunt Flo came to visit. Really - does anyone know where I can steal a break (cuz I sure can't afford to buy one, and apparently I'm too bitchy to get one for free).

So some of this could be solved if I'd just keep my mouth shut, but whenever I try to do that I feel like I'm shriveling up and disappearing inside. And then I'm sad because I don't think anyone would notice anyway.

Maggie and I didn't have to go anywhere tonight, and we don't have to go anywhere on Thursday, but tomorrow we have plans. I hope the snow we're getting tonight doesn't make that a challenge!

I was lucky enough to watch Monday's episode of 24 on Hulu today. I was afraid my old machine might not be up to the task, but we made it. That, and my adorable daughter, seem to be the only bright spots in my week so far...

Go, Mariah! Go, Yelp!

Do you Yelp?

Yelp started in San Francisco in July 2004 and is a community based review site. You may have heard of them recently when Google put an offer to buy them last month - and Yelp refused. I was one of the 'Scouts' who helped get lots of initial reviews on the site as they were launching the Detroit area about a year and a half ago. Once the area was launched, Yelp was smart enough to bring on Mariah Cherem as the Community Manager.

The Detroit Blog put out a great article last week about Mariah as 'Detroit's official aficionada.' She works her tail off and is quite deserving of such a glowing article! In between working with business owners to promote their products and establishments to Yelp members and serving on community panels, she also has time to visit with all of the attendees at any of the events she sets up. I have no idea how she does it all with such grace :)

Check out the article to find out more about some great perks Mariah has arranged for Detroit Yelp members and the wonderful things she does to promote Detroit. If you want to join the fun, please head over to Yelp wherever you live! Make your voice heard about your favorite places, and get great recommendations from like-minded folks.

Hot-wiring Becoming a Dead 'Art'?

Hubby told me a rather interesting story last night that he'd heard from someone he met through work (we're just outside Detroit, so everyone works - or is unemployed from - the auto industry). This guy he knew was overseas for a spell, and the vehicle he had was one with the funny new-fangled key that doesn't look like a key. Sorry I can't explain it better - it actually is important to the story.

This guy had left the vehicle parked on the street when he was in a shady neighborhood or country or something (yes, this is how I tell stories live too - deal with it). When he went to leave, there was a slew of wires hanging from the steering column, but the car was otherwise fine. It turns out that someone had attempted to hot-wire the vehicle, but they were unsuccessful because the electronics detect the new-fangled key. Since the key wasn't with the person attempting the hot-wire, none of the electronics - including the ignition - would engage, no matter what the person tried.

Oh, and the legitimate user of the vehicle? Was still relying on 24 hour towing to get out of the shady area. Apparently even if you have the new-fangled key, the vehicle won't start if the wires are all just tangled together under the steering column...

Really? I Don't Agree.

So someone's status on Facebook earlier today was, "Don't be an a$$. Donate for Haiti." Seriously? I bit my tongue, but all I could think was, "Get over yourself." The status was for someone who is either employed or voluntarily staying home. So in between looking for the best weight loss supplement since having a baby, she's telling me how to spend the money I'm barely making? Thanks for nothing.

Maybe it's just me, but when there are celebrities dropping MILLIONS of dollars to help rebuild Haiti (which, if they'd been there helping out before, maybe it wouldn't have been so devastated BEFORE the earthquake...), I don't feel guilty for not giving part of my grocery money to help out. When something is getting so much focus and dedicated efforts, I'd rather spend my charity money a little closer to home. There are still Americans asking for help every day. As long as George Clooney, Wyclef Jean, Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie are doing their part for Haiti, I'm sure no one there is going to miss my $5 donation.

10 Random Things for a Friday

1. I almost typed 40 random things for a Friday...that would take me a month of Tuesdays to finish!
2. We tried to go to the gymnastics/bounce house place this morning, but the open play time was full! And to go one better, you couldn't see the sign saying it was full until you got all the way up to the door. Luckily Maggie is pretty easy going and was satisfied to go to the library instead. Another girl in the lobby was very upset! My suggestion: They should get one of those silly little garage sale signs to put by the driveway when they're full. Save us the unbuckling and walking across the parking lot.
3. We still got to have a nice lunch out with our friends after we went to the library. :)
4. Didn't even know I was gone, did you? I went to call a couple customers/potential hostesses (got two voicemails) then decided to go get the mail. On my way to the mail I saw some boxes I hadn't unpacked (yes, more chocolate). I unpacked one of them, started on two more, and found a packet of cookie mix from something else. Now I want to go find a recipe I know I saw for making the cookie mix into snickerdoodles - YUM!
5. Oh, yeah. I also got the cat box scooped out. Not sure how I ended up there.
6. I just got an email in a totally obscure account I only used for the job that I did on-call until last June, when they laid everyone off for lack of work. I spend a couple minutes thinking how great it would be to have regular income again! Then I opened the message. Still nothing. But at least they keep me in the loop ;)
7. You know what annoys me about drinking out of a can? Seeing the ceiling. In my office, I see the knitting I meant to try on the shelf over my head, and the stupid ugly fake flowers I got from Partylite like a decade ago that I still haven't thrown out. If I'm drinking in the living room, I see a random food splatter. How did food get on my living room ceiling? No idea.
8. The good news? When drinking in my living room I no longer see the tiny little cord holder hubby put on the ceiling to hold speaker wires (until I told him the little holders were way too 'college-dorm-decorating' and had him put the wires down behind the floor moulding). The one lonely little clip that was still there was taken down by me yesterday. And it wasn't easy.
9. I've got one of my favorite sorts of projects to do this weekend. I need to import a bunch of someone else's previous contacts into my newsletter list. I poked around and see no way to automate it, so it'll be copy and paste city for me! This honestly doesn't bother me. It feels productive, somehow.
10. In between copying and pasting, I'm going to look for simple snack-ish dinners for Maggie and me while daddy is traveling for work. We don't eat enough to 'cook,' so I'll get stuff like refried beans for nachos, veggies and dip, and fish sticks!
    

Close?

Whew! What a productive morning! Some of it even by choice ;) For the last two nights, Maggie is waking up around midnight. Not waking up and talking, just sort of whimpering and sounding miserable. The first time daddy gave her some water and she went right back down. Last night she was even less coherent and just wanted to be held. She's not feverish or anything, so I'm not sure what's up with her internal clock. We finally just took her to bed with us. She slept fine the rest of the night - at least until 7:00 AM when hubby's alarm went off. To go one better? Hubby said she slept more on his side. I say about time! She spent the first year of her life (and nine months before that, if you want to get technical) sleeping on my side. Paybacks, buddy.

So anyway, she was up at 7 instead of 8 (yeah, I know I don't have much to grumble about), so now she's already nursed and had her breakfast, and I've even worked partway down my list of tasks. I've paid the bills (since the direct deposit came in overnight) and I have a comfortable cushion of time to finish up a grocery list, transfer money for that (and some certified diamonds?), and take a shower before we meet friends for a fun time at a gymnastics/bounce house place and some lunch. I've done so much already today I'm ready for a nap! My only anticipated catch today is that I don't think Maggie will be up for grocery shopping right after playing - we're going to need to fit in a nap and head for the store this evening ;)

At Least It's Fun!

So hubby's out this evening, but I can't complain. He and a friend of his are recording the music to use in my Cakes for the Queen of Heaven class. Since Maggie went to bed relatively close to on time, I'm killing a bit of time on the internet before I work a little more on the office (yes, it's still a work in progress...). Over at The Work from Home Mom, I read her post about Instant Cash Sweepstakes. She says she's already gotten a bit of cash from there so I figured I'd check it out.

I already took my limit of surveys for the day. I usually dread the 'survey' sites, but these are literally three-question bits about some silly stuff (favorite chocolate, candy bars, how you spend your free time). I don't know if the questions get any harder, but these were not at all painful. I got some tickets and some coins, and I'm too lazy to figure out what that means, but the payout is apparently only $2 via PayPal. I figure I'll try it for a spell and see if I get anything. Want to join me? Visit Instant Cash Sweepstakes.

Tell Me Thursday

As I pretty much let you in beforehand, the picture for Wordless Wednesday yesterday was from swim class! I had never been to this pool before and was used to the community recreation center one from the next town over. A high school pool is much less...entertaining! No spraying thing, or dumping buckets, or mounts for a basketball hoop. Just a pool and a couple diving platforms. Hubby said there used to be a high dive, but that wasn't there anymore (his memory was from back in high school, not just the week before).

I'm glad I joined them yesterday instead of just going with Maggie myself when hubby is traveling on business. When we first get there, you get ready, but you can't get in the pool until the instructor gets there (rumor has it she usually runs late...). Yesterday she took a few minutes suggesting things for us to work on with the kiddos like floating on their back on your arms, jumping off the edge of the pool into your arms, and putting their head under water. Yeah. Maggie was keen on none of those ;) After a bit of swimming around with the instructor checking in with everyone, the last few minutes are spent singing songs (admittedly, my favorite part). Everyone got in a circle with the kids and sang the motorboat song, the wheels on the bus and the pancake song (which I remembered from the swim class Maggie and I took together a couple years ago).

Maggie loves going swimming! When she got out, she was shivering and her lips were blue, but she kept saying, "More swimming?" Next week, girly!

Wordless Wednesday

Fun for Me, Too!

Well, we just found out that hubby may be on a business trip as early as a week from now, so tonight I'm going to swim class with Maggie and daddy - yay!! I mostly want to see where everything is, but it will also give me a chance to take some pictures of our girl having fun with her daddy. She told me everything they did last week, but I'm not entirely fluent in toddler-speak. ;)

All the fun changes keep us on our toes. With the U.S. being what it is lately, it's better than chasing around St Louis job search stuff or something.

Something for Women in Treatment for Cancer

I got this in email yesterday and had to pass it along. Please share it as well to help as many women as possible!

If you know any women currently undergoing chemo, please pass the word to her that there is a cleaning service that provides FREE housecleaning -- once per month for 4 months while she is in treatment.

All she has to do is sign up and have her doctor fax a note confirming the treatment. Cleaning for a Reason will have a participating maid service in her zip code area arrange for the service. http://www.cleaningforareason.org

Please pass this information on to bless a woman going through breast cancer treatment. This organization serves the entire USA and currently has 547 partners to help these women. It’s our job to pass the word and let them know that there are people out there that care. Be a blessing to someone and pass this information along.

And Despite it All...

I keep trying to remind myself that some days will be brighter. It's not like I would realistically look for jobs in Philadelphia. My life is good. I try to show a happy face to those around me and not let my petty concerns bring down others - everyone has their own problems, right? Which inspires me to list (oh, yeah..another list from me? There's a shock!) five great things about my life.

1. Maggie.
2. Hubby.
3. My overall health.
4. Family close by (the 'rents and GiGi, as well as my brother, SIL and niece).
5. The freedom (if not the energy) to do what I want with my life, within reason...There's some places I couldn't say and do what I want nearly as much as I do here and now.
   

Hopefully this isn't too trite. Honestly, when I get a shower and apply make-up these days I count them as accomplishments. My job doesn't pay well, but the boss is cute and the dress code is pretty lax ;)

Random Tuesday Thoughts

Yes. It's Tuesday. I'd like to post about some random Tuesday thoughts that don't turn into a huge bitch-fest. Give me a few minutes here.

Maggie and I made it out of the house bright and early this morning! The free story time in the next town over started at 9:30 AM (what? That's early for us!). After story time we hit the store. With a $5 coupon and some bottle returns, I ended up getting milk, apple juice, cherry Coke and some aspirin for just 32 cents! Yay!

Tonight Maggie and daddy get to spend a fun evening together! I'm going to a Lia Sophia jewelry party at a friend's house. I don't have any money to buy anything, but it'll be nice to get out for a bit anyway.

Speaking of jewelry, I've got a really icky looking rash under my wedding rings. It looks like a burn, and the skin is peeling off in big (well, as big as fit under the rings) pieces. And it's itchy. Today it started bleeding. Unfortunately, it's probably from either my new lotion that I got for Christmas, or the new soap I got for the bathrooms around the holidays. If I don't use the lotion, the rest of my hands are turning red and cracking because they're so dry. It sounds like I'm just screwed. :(

And I just this instant broke one of my favorite necklaces that a friend got for me last year. This would have been a good day for me to just sleep through, apparently.

24 is Back!

I didn't get weeks to anticipate the return of my favorite show or time to work out on home gyms to feel like I could help Jack out, you know, just if he needed me. I don't watch tv, so I had no idea it was coming until my mom happened to mention it in passing - thank goodness!!

24 is back! They replayed the last episode from last season, then filled an hour with a new preview or something (that I didn't get to watch because that would have meant FOUR HOURS straight of tv viewing - my brain would have turned to mush fallen right out!) - and then a TWO HOUR premiere. I still love all the realism. Jack was able to use a little handgun to hold off a few guys with semi-automatic weapons. Yup - that's my Jack.

Tonight is another hour - I can hardly wait (even if I do feel guilty about Jack accomplishing more in an hour than I do all day!).

And Even More Fun!

My 'bonus day' yesterday was well used :) We had a leisurely morning at home before hubby and Maggie drove me to my class at church. Something I have to clear up once and for all: Cakes is NOT a class involving food.

For more information on the curriculum, check here. The basic answer to 'what is Cakes for the Queen of Heaven' from the site says:

“Cakes for the Queen of Heaven” is a woman honoring adult RE curriculum by Rev. Shirley Ranck. It examines pre-Judeo Christian cultures that may have worshiped the female as divine. The concepts of equality and reverence for the female in a religious setting are eye-opening to many participants.

More than Goddess 101, this workshop series examines important elements of today’s women’s lives; personal, interpersonal and societal. It examines how our culture has been influenced by Judeo Christian values. The primary question raised is: How would your life have been different if, when growing up, the divine had been imaged as female? Participants are encouraged to share their own experiences and beliefs, creating trust and strong bonds of friendship.

All that being said, my first Cakes class was good. We talked about our own body images as well as looking at a lot of slides of ancient depictions of the goddess. If you've seen some of these, they greatly emphasize the breasts and bellies. These are some 'large and in charge' chicks in stone!

Bonus Day!

Today feels completely like a bonus day tacked onto the weekend. Sure, plenty of people have tomorrow off to (MLK Day, of course), but we packed enough into yesterday that TODAY feels like my bonus. Go, me!

On our way out for the day we stopped at Kinko's (it will always be Kinko's to me...) and the post office for me to take care of some work stuff, then we headed to pick up Uncle Bunny. The four of us headed to the gun show. Maggie calls it going to see the 'crazy people.' She's not too far off.

I was hoping she'd fall asleep when we hit the road again, but no such luck. We went back to the house for a few minutes and an outfit change for Maggie. Our next stop was a surprise birthday party. There's nothing I appreciate like taking my toddler to the bar :D The party was at a brewpub where those younger than 21 are welcome until 9:00 PM. Since we were starting at 6:00 PM I was pretty confident we could have our fill of fun before then.

I was right! There were balloons that Maggie and a 'kid' (probably around nine or ten years old) played with, as well as pizza and cake. Since I'm not a big beer fan and that's what they had to offer, I just had one and passed the drinking torch on to hubby for the night. Once I got done driving the comfy company van home and dropping Uncle Bunny back at his home, we asked Maggie what she liked best about the party. She promptly said she liked that she got to drink pop. Who would have thought that my sharing a Faygo Rock & Rye could make her night like that?

And this is all from only one day! We did a lot, even if I didn't accomplish anything drastic or get dental implants Plano or solve world peace, it was a good day.

I Must Be Excited

I start a class of sorts at a church tomorrow. I know I've been looking forward to it, and I even finished my homework before the very morning it's due! We're looking at women's roles in society and religion, to cover it loosely.

The reading assignment for class tomorrow was just a page and a half printout, but it covered some pretty darn powerful information. Women used to be in charge of a heck of a lot more than we are now. They ran the village/community/whatever frequently while the men were out doing their hunting and gathering thing.

The part of the reading that I'm betting will really touch a lot of women in class is the objectification and sexualization of women in today's society. Not only are women's bodies set up as sexual parts on a regular basis, it's even extending to anyone's primary means of identification - our face and head...how much time do we spend changing or enhancing the appearance of our face and hair after we've already tried anything for quick weight loss on the rest of our body? And how much of this societal pressure actually influences men making changes to themselves? Not nearly as much.

Let's all make an effort this weekend (women and men) to appreciate what nature has given us. We are all beautiful and divine. Don't listen to anyone who tries to tell us otherwise!

10 Random Things for a Friday

1. I really liked numbered lists. They make life seem so...simple.
2. Sometimes I think being home with Maggie may be turning my brain to mush. Right now? I'm not sure if there are ten things in there to write down.
3. Good thing numbered lists are simple.
4. We're going to a surprise birthday party tomorrow night and I'm not really happy with my wardrobe options. Anything I have that looks remotely fancy isn't as warm as the hoodie sweatshirts I usually wear. Duh.
5. I like hearing that hubby still finds me attractive, so I should probably make the effort to wear something other than one of my hoodie sweatshirts, once in a while.
6. I have a new hoodie at my mom's house!! Yay!!
7. I realized today that when I come up with something of substance that I could write about here, I stop myself because it will either offend someone, or reveal something that I don't want some people IRL to hear. Go ahead and think either one is you, if you're paranoid ;) Just kidding. It's someone else.
8. Some guy that's a total a-hole completely made himself look like the loser he is today. Give an idiot enough rope and they'll hang themself.
9. I smelled a fireman on your car because that's how I roll. Just sayin.
10. You haven't been subjected to as many of my 'to-do' lists lately because I finally got a desk calendar that I carry with me, clipped open to the appropriate week. On each day I write stuff I want to get done, then check it off. Go, organization!!

Will I Ever Stop?

I've finally started another grocery list. I'm not usually very good at them, and when I do make them I tend to forget them at home anyway, but somehow I've forgotten to pick up the best prenatal vitamin the last couple times I've gone shopping. No, I'm not pregnant, but a woman is supposed to keep taking them as long as she's breastfeeding as well. Luckily the ones my midwife recommended are available at the grocery store. I don't know if I could tolerate having to go to the pharmacy all the time for them. I feel like I've been taking them forever (by my calculations, it's been since early 2006). This should mean I'd have beautiful, healthy nails as well, but I think I posted about removing my own gel nails just before the holidays. My hands are still sporting ten bloody stumps where fingernails should be. Oops!

Disney on Ice: Let's Celebrate!

Are the ‘blahs’ of winter getting to you and your little ones yet? I’ve got just the remedy! I just found out there’s a Disney on Ice show coming to the Detroit area February 24 - 28!

You can check out ‘Disney on Ice: Let’s Celebrate’ for just $44 for four tickets – use the code MOM when purchasing tickets online, by phone or at the Palace box office (not valid on VIP or rinkside seats). Tickets go on sale today!

The show description reads: It’s one colossal party on ice, with all your favorite Disney friends! Join Mickey Mouse and Minnie Mouse as they celebrate a Very Merry Unbirthday Party with Alice and the Mad Hatter; a Royal Valentine’s Day Ball with the Disney Princesses, including Cinderella, Ariel and Tiana; a Hawaiian luau with Lilo & Stitch; a winter wonderland with Woody and Buzz Lightyear from Disney/Pixar’s Toy Story; a Halloween haunt with the Disney Villains and more in a magical medley of holidays, celebrations and festivals from around the globe.

In exchange for passing along the discount information about this show, I’m receiving four tickets. Hope to see you there!

Tomorrow's Directive - Sleep In!

Here's hoping lil Maggie gets the message. She usually sleeps til 8:00 AM, almost exactly. But Tuesday? She woke up at 7:30. And today? 7:00 AM. Please do not tell me she is planning on this or any earlier tomorrow....

I have a slow waking system. It's partially because I'm lazy, and partially to try and minimize my back pain. Maybe msm supplements would help, but for now my own little plan works. I sleep on my right side, then wake up when hubby's alarm goes off the first time and start a little rotation. I lie on my back for the first snooze, then switch to the right when the alarm goes off the third time. Usually it's starting to feel a little more flexible by then.

But if someone decides she needs to join us (which means I'm staying in one spot while she nurses), or worse yet wants to head to the living room and start the day, all bets are off. An achy mommy is a cranky mommy!

Please sleep in, Maggie!

Thursday Thirteen - Twenty-eight Edition

Last week was somewhat fun to put together, so I'm going that route again...
In no particular order or sorting by genre, here are Thirteen Songs I Like.

1. I Will Follow You Into the Dark by Death Cab for Cutie
2. Whiskey Lullaby by Brad Paisley and Alison Kraus
3. Walkin After Midnight by Patsy Cline
4. Take the Skinheads Bowling by Camper van Beethoven
5. Bubbly by Colbie Caillat
6. Bad Day by Daniel Powter
7. Walking with a Ghost by Tegan and Sara
8. Mad World by Gary Jules
9. The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald by Gordon Lightfoot
10. Headhunter by Front 242
11. I Come from the Water by the Toadies
12. Laurie (Strange Things Happen) by Dickie Lee
13. This Love by Maroon 5
    

Snug as a Bug...

Yet another day when we didn't leave the house. Oops - make that when I didn't leave the house. Hubby has now taken Maggie for her first day of swimming class. I did everything I could to get her excited about it - I hope it's going well!

At least today I made it to the shower. I'm not sure how much good that did, since Maggie fell asleep on me this afternoon (which I loved) but her butt was SOAKED so I think my shirt has some baby pee on it (which I'm not complaining too loudly about, since it was my own fault).

Tomorrow will be a busy one for me this week. I've got to call about some test results in the morning, then we're heading to a play date with one of Maggie's favorite friends. I'd like to stop at the store and get some much-needed face moisturizer, but that will depend on whether or not some anticipated funds hit my PayPal (seems to be a recurring theme, eh?).

Would you rather stay in when it's cold and blustery, or are you someone who goes stir crazy unless you're out and about?

(Nearly) Wordless Wednesday

Just a couple shots of our nice shiny new bathroom :)

Time to Get Fancy?

I know I've mentioned it here before, but I'm planning on upgrading my blog a bit - soon! I'm waiting now for some funds that are on their way, then I'll get my 'own' domain and talk to the person who will design it for me.

I read an article in Parents magazine yesterday about 'famous' mommy bloggers. I've read these sort of articles before, and while part of me loves the anonymity of my lil blog, a part of me of course asks why I can't be rich and famous for my blog. Am I not using the best seo software? Is my writing, well, bad?
Looking over their list of the big-time mommies, I realized something. There's not a single one that I read regularly. A few I've checked out once or twice, but I've never kept going because they - quite frankly - weren't writing what I wanted to read. So there's my answer, in black and white. What I find interesting to read and write about isn't what the masses find appealing.

On that note, I'll keep writing what I like and need to write. I would rather have sincere readers who like what I enjoy writing than masses of readers chasing some persona I'd have to create to be one of the big ones.

Random Tuesday Thoughts

Yesterday Maggie and I made bird treats (big pretzels dipped in peanut butter and bird seed) and today I hung them outside, but there are no birds. Where are the birds??

I think I just may eat cocoa fudge until I throw up today. Yum! I made it yesterday and it turned out right on the first batch (this doesn't happen every time...).

Hubby got his new blog going. It's Lost Ski Slopes of Old about old, abandoned (or destroyed and rebuilt as something else...) ski slopes in Michigan. We've only checked out one so far. It was pretty and peaceful, and a beautiful day when we went exploring.

Luckily I think I've eliminated most of the 'naughty' words from my day-to-day grumblings, but I can tell what I'm still saying by Maggie acting like my little mirror. Last night at dinner she dropped some chicken off her fork. While focusing on picking it up again, she said, "Shoot. Oh, Maggie." I still laugh just remembering it.

Hubby has said I should post the funny conversation in our living room over the weekend. Maggie has started calling the old toilet paper rolls 'pirates' and she looks through them like a periscope of sorts. She handed one to Uncle Bunny (who is blind in one eye - this is very important to the funny part of the story). He held it up to his bad eye and complained that he couldn't see a thing. We're so used to him, I figured he was just joking til hubby said, "Try the other eye." Completely tasteless, but funny. We're lucky to have our Uncle Bunny and his sense of humor.

Sunday Stealing

Today I was reminded of the Sunday Stealing meme over at My Life as Mama Jodi. Today's specific meme was stolen from Minnestota Mom. One of the first Sunday Stealing memes was from her back on September 7, 2008. Minnesota Mom actually wrote this meme!

Instructions: Answer the Current Obsession category and then explain WHY you chose that response. Easy enough? Thanks as always for playing! (I've got to admit, a lot of these aren't really 'obsessions' for me, but it's late and I want to get this done, so some of them are more or less what comes to mind. Yeah. So much for following directions!)

The Current Obsessions Meme

Book: Several by Kristin Hannah. I hadn't heard of her before, but got a few from HouseParty.com - yay!

Snack: Popcorn – I think it's more Maggie's addition than mine...

Restaurant: Applebees. Two for $20!

Beverage: Cherry Coke - always and forever!

Decor: Anything not holiday right about now ;)

Actor: No real obsession..

Actress: See above...

Movie: Changes from day to day, but we see a lot of Snow White around here lately (my movie, but guess whose choice it is to watch it again, and again, and again)

TV show: Phineas and Ferb. Especially with popcorn. The short person here seems to think they just go together.

Hobby: Reading. It's easy enough to sneak in a few pages here and there.

Band: Death Cab for Cutie last week...and now it's popped back in my head again.

Song: I Will Follow You Into the Dark (by Death Cab for Cutie)

Meme: No favorites… they're just usually nice for changing up the writing pace.

Blog: Lots!

Lover: My hubby, definitely.

Friend: No real 'obsession' here. Wouldn't that be kind of creepy?

Quote: "You've got two options - get over it or die pissed." Applies to almost anything.

Peeve: Luckily I don't obsess over them, or I might go crazy.

Sport: Absolutely none.

Singer: Maggie! She does a great rendition of Old MacDonald lately. :)

Fun Day!

Today we went exploring :) We never left Michigan, so it wasn't quite as exciting as exploring Caribbean Hotels or something, but we definitely had a very good time!

Hubby has decided to start a blog exploring old Michigan ski resorts. It turns out there are a lot of resorts that opened years ago - some of them he's heard about from his dad knowing them back when they were open - and are now gone. But the hills, of course are still technically there.

Today we went to Fenton, Michigan, to what used to be the Kandahar Ski Hills. There's a new development there now, and you can tell the actual skiing has been gone for years by the size of the trees. It was beautiful and peaceful, especially since many of the development lots have been sold but not yet built.

Here's a gorgeous picture that hubby took at the top of a bluff. He walked up the hill and said he got quite a cardio workout, while I waited in the car with the napping baby. I'll have to get some boots before we go on too many more of these expeditions.

Whether the Weather be Good...

What Type of Weather are You? (Kawaii!) Your Result: Wind   You are energetic and bold, but there is something graceful about you, even if you tend to stir things up a bit to make life more interesting. You can zip through any task with elegance and class!
Sunny
Flood
Derecho
Cloudy
Tornado!
Mist/Fog
Rain
Hurricane
Snow
What Type of Weather are You? (Kawaii!) Quiz Created on GoToQuiz

10 Random Things for a Friday

1. Lists two days in a row? Oh well.
2. Did you know that a ton of IT infrastructure needs can be taken care of by data center virtualization? Sounds handy...
3. I have a boo-boo on my tongue after eating two orange suckers this week. Is it because they were still left from Halloween?
4. I think we're going into a weekend with no plans! Wow! I bet hubby has something cooking... I could stay at home for days (heck, I do!) but him? Not-so-much.
5. I was severely bummed that we got one of Maggie's holiday cards back in the mail yesterday. We'd already sent a family card to the same address, but when I sent Maggie's homemade adorable card it got sent back saying they didn't accept mail there - only at their P.O. Box. Now I guess they'll get their reindeer decoration and picture of Maggie with Santa in time for Valentine's.
6. I am the only woman in the matriarch line of my family to not have a name starting with a 'J' in at least four generations (my mom is Judi, her mom is Jessie, her mom was Janet, and her mom was Jane).
7. Maggie and I made it to story time this morning - and then we even had a playdate afterward. I think it counts as the most activity we've had this week. Definitely the most fun activity, anyway.
8. Does FastPlay only work the first time through on a Disney video? I think I'm hearing the same song over and over from Snow White out in the living room...
9. My tongue still kinda hurts.
10. I'm ready for warmer weather, but I think next week is supposed to be even colder. Ugh.
    

Thursday Thirteen - Twenty-seventh Edition? (maybe?)

As I work on a writing challenge, my 365 photo challenge, some laundry, and finishing up the bathroom (done!), I wanted to post too, but nothing was coming out of my lame brain. Thanks for the idea, Momspective!

Here, in no particular order, are ten of my favorite movies (of unspecified genres).

1. Shaun of the Dead
2. City of Angels
3. Still Breathing
4. Girl, Interrupted
5. The Wedding Planner
6. Enough
7. Dante's Peak
8. Secretary
9. Ghost World
10. Double Jeopardy
11. Final Destination (all of them, really)
12. Clueless
13. Practical Magic
    

Now you know some of the secrets of my low-brow taste in entertainment ;)

Achoo!

I'm not sure if it's good timing or bad, but as soon as he had to go back to work, hubby started getting that annoying, tickley cough in his throat. I was ready to just yell, "TAKE SOMETHING," that first evening, as I sat working on my computer and he was surfing on his laptop down the hall, until I remembered I had just the thing. Complete Health had sent me a package of their flu vaccine, Respiratory Guard, to sample just that afternoon. Perfect timing on their part!

I walked down the hall to where he was working and lovingly set two lozenges by him. As I turned around to get a snack, he told me the packaging was not the sort to be opened without scissors. So I cut them open for him. I read the package to him stating that he could chew the lozenges or allow them to dissolve in his mouth. Considering the problem taken care of, I went back to my office to work.

Of course I had asked him to tell me his impressions about the product so I could write my review, but I can't actually spell his first impression. I think it was, "Arrghh! Ugghh!" He was solidly not a fan of the flavor. As I went back to peek at him, he was grasping desperately for the glass of water I'd left on the table after dinner.

His cough hasn't gotten worse, so I'm hoping the flu vaccine lozenge he got down had some benefit for him. But I have to say if that was his result from chewing, I don't think it would be too pleasant to allow the lozenge to dissolve in your mouth. Hopefully others found the taste more palatable.

This review is a result of a feedback campaign by Respiratory Guard. The recipients were asked to give their honest opinion about the product they received. Good reviews were not incentivized and poor reviews will not be censored for their opinion of the product.

Random Tuesday Thoughts

Woo-hoo! I just found out yesterday that I'm still a Yelp Elite member, and then today found out where hubby's and my first 'date' this year will be :) See, as an Elite, I get invites to cool events set up by the community manager and sponsored by different venues, usually including food and drinks. At the end of January, we get to go to an art gallery for a party, but before the party is a one-hour Elite reception with - you guessed it - free cocktails and munchies :) I love it!

Maggie pulled a lulu today. And by lulu I mean big, bad screw up. The first hour of her 'nap,' I sat in there with her, but she didn't go to sleep. Finally I just told her to rest and walked out. She screamed. And screamed. And then? She screamed some more. After about 20 minutes I went back in and she asked for a tissue (to dry her tears, of course). I picked her up and we went back to our nice playing afternoon. But the next time I took her in there to change her diaper I found what else she'd been doing besides screaming. She peeled off the wallpaper border from the wall at the head of her crib. Mommy and daddy? Were not happy.

I just have to get this off my chest once. It's 'Two-thousand ten,' not 'twenty ten.' I have a long list of reasons that I won't bother you with for now. I said two-thousand nine and now I'll say two-thousand ten.

I'm starting to crave cocoa fudge again. It's super sugary and crunchy and I love it. I think once hubby gets paid on Friday I'll go purchase the sugar (yeah, go figure, I ran out of SUGAR of all things...) and try to make the perfect cocoa fudge. It often takes more than one attempt, but I'm dedicated.

Maggie has got to nap tomorrow. I have chocolate business calls to be made, and I can't do it with her competing for my attention, you know? Never mind a few minutes of quiet for my sanity...

Everyone's Doing It...

I've taken on a new challenge this year. I'm trying the Project 365 - a photo a day for the whole year. Whoa!

I am not a professional photographer at all. My camera is also very unprofessional. Accompanying my unprofessional camera are unprofessional editing skills ;) So my pictures (at least until further notice) are straight out of the camera. It is what it is.

Check out my photo each day at BSquared - 365. I'm working on a button to put on my sidebar too. Quite the creative girly this year, now aren't I?

What? It's OVER?!?

Yes, indeed. Vacation is nearing it's crashing end for many people, including dear hubby. There's never enough time. He did a WONDERFUL job putting in our new shower (and the accompanying tile, and painting the walls....), but it meant that consumed much of his time. A lot of the time I spent with my Linksys router, I wish I could have been spending with hubby. Ah well.....

And the bathroom? Looks wonderful. I'll wait til I can get a picture of the actual completed room, but it will be soon. All that's left is installing the shelf and towel holder, the hand towel holder and the toilet paper holder. That is unfortunately my fault. We had perfectly functional ones, but the toilet paper holder was the kind that's open on one end, and whenever I needed the toilet paper most, I'd somehow fling the whole freaking roll across the room when trying to tear some off. There are a few things that make me irrationally angry. This is one of them. But now it will be prevented with our new toilet paper holder. Yay!

Starting tomorrow, I'll work on figuring out what day it is on a regular basis. With the holidays falling at the end of the week, I always felt like the day after the holiday should be a Monday. Which would make today, for example, Wednesday. In case you're wondering, tomorrow is actually Monday. Sorry if you thought it was Thursday.

Creamy Cheese Chicken

I saw this over at Confessions of a Psychotic Housewife and had to try it. I used a slight 'modification' to the recipe (making my own Italian dressing on the fly...), which I think contributed to why hubby didn't like it as much. Next time I'll follow the recipe and I bet it'll be even better :)

3/4 cup Italian Dressing
1/2 stick butter
1 pound boneless skinless chicken breast
1 can cream of chicken soup
1 package cream cheese (softened)

Go ahead and turn your slow cooker on high while preparing everything (lid closed). Place the butter in the slow cooker, and let it melt. (If you are short on time, feel free to cheat and have the butter melted in the microwave. When the butter has melted, add the Italian dressing and stir into butter, making sure it's well mixed.

Now, you can either cut the chicken breasts into 1" strips OR just place it in the slow cooker, and shred it in the end. I found it easier to serve shredded than cut. It's your personal preference though.
Place the chicken in the slow cooker and stir well to coat with the Italian and butter mix, or if you are using the whole breasts, turn over a couple of times so they're well coated.
Next, cut the cream cheese into half and place on top of the chicken. Then follow with the cream of chicken soup.
Cover and cook on low for six to eight hours.
Serve over rice or spaghetti/noodles.

We had it over noodles and it was good.

Happy New Year!

I couldn't resist sharing this - enjoy :)

December Top Entrecard Droppers

A huge THANK YOU to all of my visitors and entrecard droppers! Here are my top droppers from December 2009!