Solo weekends and other thoughts

I have said it before and I'll say it again (and knowing me again and again)... I hate solo weekends.

They depress me. Even when they are for the most part delightful like today there is just something about them that feels off. As if something is missing.

Oh wait..... something is missing.

Like I already said today was, for the most part, a perfectly delightful day. The weather was a very comfortable 72 degrees with a wonderful breeze.

Side note, in case you think I'm a weather dork I never was until I moved up here to the land of window air units, now I watch the temps like a frigging hawk and suddenly cool comfortable days mean so much more to me.

The kids didn't wake at the crack of dawn, I wouldn't say we slept in by any means but I wasn't up before the rooster thankfully. They played nicely and with the exception of a horrible horrific poop which took half a pack of wipes to clean up and a tantrum at S@m's club, it wasn't a really stressful day.

And besides which, poop and at least one child having a tantrum in a day are more the norm around here then the exception. And in what household are they not I ask you?

But still, all day the day just seems off.

I don't know if its the hormones messing with me or if, as I do on some trips, I just seem to miss my dear flyboy more then usual. I wish there was someone to talk to at night, I wish I could bounce ideas and child rearing stuff off of him. I wish every time the phone rang my son didn't ask if it was daddy, only to have to explain to him for the 189th time that we can't call daddy right now.

I wish I had my best friend here to just be with. He doesn't paint my nails or do my hair but he's still a wicked good best friend. And not bad on the eyes either.

And I really wish he hadn't asked for how long daddy would be home before he flew away again. But I suppose that is, in fact, the reality of our lives. It's at the point where neither flyboy or I, or for that matter apparently the kids, knows if its normal for him to be home or if our normal is for him to be away.

And I do realize it could be worse, he could be gone for a year, but again remember this for us is constant. Oh and I'll throw in the disclaimer too that yes, yes we did choose this life. Don't you just want to cram a plunger down someones throat when that little gem comes out of their mouth?

This trip has sucked. As always, things have been missed (career day at dash -1's school and really how cool would it have been to have his dad there in his flight suit talking about his job? He would have totally be the coolest dad there), problems have come up, problems have been solved, kids have driven me crazy, I have driven them crazy. All in all, suck as it may, we have survived.

Who knows when he'll be home, hope to goodness before that field trip thingy, so perhaps I'll just say that we will survive. You know I hate to tempt the fates too much.

We'll even survive this weekend. Off as it maybe.

Military discount!

I always love a discount. Now if only select comfort gave a military discount.....

ps. I've actually emailed them about offering a military discount. I'm waiting to hear back and quite frankly I'm not holding my breath. But one can hope right?

Yeah its a no go on the military discount. Oh well.

rules of the game

I got to talk to my dear flyboy some online last night. He's on an odd trip and so connecting has been sketchy at best. I should have known something was up when I saw him pop online.

Murphy has had it out for me since flyboy left, why would he throw me a bone now?

Here's what's bothering me about our conversation, he started it with there is good news and bad news.

I'm going to have to be sketchy so excuse me. Good news was that they took off for their next place, bad news they turned around. And what bothers me? You know besides him not coming home on time and not even knowing when he will be home, well yes, that does bother me, but what bothers me more is his lack of understanding about the good news/bad news game.

That's just bad news/bad news. And I realize the news could be far worse but still that's not really good news/bad news, doesn't he know how to play the game?

There are rules dammit. Rules to be followed, give the person some good news and then slip the bad news in there. Or if they so pick, deliver the bad news and then reward them with the good news.

In case you get on here to read this flyboy let me demonstrate this for you, bad news we wont be back on time, and we don't know when we will be back, its totally out of my hands, HOWEVER (and this is a key part of the good news bad news game) I made an appointment for you to get a pedicure and arranged a babysitter. Which I realize is totally impossible for him to do from where he is and what his schedule is, I'm just saying.

That is good news bad news. That is how the game is played.

He tried to make me feel better by saying they decided not to land on a small island filled with head hunters. Still, after the past two weeks around here I needed a little more then that to qualify as good news for not coming home on time.

I know very selfish of me, sue me I'm tired. Dash-2 has been sleeping crappy at best. The past few nights he's been up off and on all night. Really last night it was 11:30, 2, 2:48, 3:34, 5, 5:58 and then up for good at 7:20. I'm just amazed he made it all the way to 7:20.

But mama would like too sleep some and a break. But it looks like that's just going to be put on hold a little while longer till my better half comes home to the rescue. I will survive. I will survive, I will survive.... don't mind me I'm just saying my mantra over here and rocking back and forth.....


oh and by the way, you know I'd probably be a happy person right now if I had a sleep number bed. sigh. Allright I'm gonna let that one go now.

no cute title... damn

Blog marketing never ceases to amaze me. I never cease to be amazed who stumbles on my page from where. Random comments and marketing stuff just comes with the territory I suppose.

I got a comment on a post I wrote a couple of days ago. The one about being content and all, the comment was from someone who works for select comfort talking up their beds. Something tells me she's not a regular reader to my page, quoting my title as the wrong title was a start, but that her job is to find where her companies name pops up.

And the linking of her companies website, not once but twice was another hint that this was their form of free advertising.

Hey I got nothing against plugging products, I use stuff, read stuff, find stuff I like, I write about it. I mean I write about what I know and that kinda stuff. But I must say, getting free advertisement on my space kinda annoys me.

But good news select comfort people, I really like your beds, my parents have one and it rocks, I'll write you the most kick ass blog post you've ever read.... if you send me a bed or a coupon to go towards one. Really I will post pictures of my beautiful bed, I will make sure the boys are wearing your company logo, hell I'll make them wear the company logo in our Christmas picture.

Really. I swear. Word up to all you companies out there, I can be bought.

And as any good mom would do I've passed that trait on to my kids too.

toys, the crapper, field trips, and alpha moms

I bought it.

The toy is purchased, the money, I think, well spent. Now I just have to fight the urge to give it to him early. I'm just so excited about his reaction, seldom do I get a really kick ass gift for him that when I do I just want to give it to him.

He is plagued by this same problem, by the way. In fact far worse. Last December he got me an anniversary ring and came home and gave it to me right away.

While I was on the crapper.

That was a touching moment.

Dammit I started this post with something else in mind and now that I've gotten that out of the way I cant remember it.

Oh yeah, this ties in so follow with me. Dash-1 has a field trip coming up and not to sound like a horrible mom but I don't wanna go.

There I said it, I should file this post under "being an honest mom" or "keeping it real". I love my sons, I take them everywhere with me, really, I've taken them to a three hour pre-op work up appointment before which in my opinion is the big time for a mom to drag her kids too. The point, I can take 'em anywhere, nothing phases me.

I just don't wanna go.

It's to the local children's museum that we are members of so I have taken the kids there before. I just don't want to deal with chasing dash-2 and keeping dash-1 in check with all the other class kids and dealing with the other parents.

I'll be the first to admit, I'm not in the nursery school mommy cliche. I get along with a few of the moms, we talk in passing and have had a few play dates. But I'm clearly not in the mommy cliche.

I didn't go to high school with them like most did, I don't know them because of who their families are, because well I don't know who anyone is around here, and well, I'm usually run a little ragged because well, my husband doesn't come home every night.

Oh and I'm not willing to kiss the alpha mom's ass. News to all you new moms out there, mommyhood is like high school. There is always an alpha mom. And well I'm too tired and stubborn to kiss any ones ass.

Part of me is bothered by it and part of me could care less.

So my ramble.... I need to make a doctors apt for that week, how funny would it be to schedule my appointment the same day as his field trip and make flyboy take both boys solo on the trip.

HA! I love my husband but I'm going to out him and keep him real, he does NOT take both boys out solo. EVER.

I'd probably have to buy him every add on for the toy I got if I did that to him. But it'd almost be worth it. I'd PAY to see that. And good money too.

Truth be told I probably will see if he can come with us. And he's a good guy like that, if he's home and he's able he's usually always up for it. And when he's with me I know I'll have someone to talk to and sit with at lunch. I might not be part of the mommy cliche but I have a pretty sweet posse of my own.

But I still think it would be funny to send him solo..... 'cause I'm kinda demented like that.

To buy or not to buy

I'm so torn.

Despite having a crappy week last week. One where Murphy (of Murphy's law) was after me at every turn and I was occasionally silently (all right when I wasn't around the kids it might not have been so silent) cursing my husband for yet again being away on a vacation , I mean work, away on work. I'm torn on his father's day gift.

I want to get him a toy. An expensive toy that I wont come right out and say what it is because apparently, one wouldn't be able to tell from all the comments he leaves but he actually reads this thing!

I want to get him a toy that is just for him, that serves no purpose outside of something he could fiddle around with and knowing what a tech geek he is he would love. But.... it's expensive.

I mean we could afford it I'm just feeling like maybe that money should go towards other things or that maybe I should just get him the boring old lawn equipment that he asked for. But the toy is so much cooler. And I know he would love it. But it is pricey. Or at least for me it is. It's more expensive then the weed wacker lets put it that way.

But as hard as he works isn't he worth it? And the answer is always unequivocally yes.

Despite that he's had a few down days in a tropical local and I'm left home to step in pee. Yes he is worth it.

So ladies.... to buy or not to buy? Do I get the toy or the lawn equipment? I mean really, can't the weed wacker wait another month? Especially since he's never here to use it.

The princess and the pee

I'm starting to think that lesbians are on to something. No men in the house = no pee on the seat.

Or on the floor for that matter.

I love me my boys, I love the big one that looks stinkin sexy in his flight suit, to my eldest child who was so wonderful to potty train, to my soon to be middle child with a devilish smile. I love them all. Almost everything about them.

I. Do. Not. Love. The. Pee.

I am tired of sitting in it, I am tired of stepping in it, I am tired of wiping up after them.

Though to flyboy's defense he's pretty good about aim and what not, but he annoys me in that he doesn't think its such a big deal and that it's just part of having boys. I get that.

But really, the other day I walked in the bathroom and dash-1 was peeing standing a solid foot away from the toilet staring out the window with his willy nilly going well, all willy nilly. He was just in his own little world, day dreaming and peeing.

Seriously, not one bit of pee hit the toilet, it was all in a giant puddle around the base of the toilet. I will admit, again in my pledge of honesty, I hit the roof. I lost it.

His defense? And let me bold it for the full effect. He didn't want to step in the water that was around the toilet and get his feet wet. The water that, by the way, was from him splashing in the bath tub.

God forbid he get soapy water on his feet but my standing in an inch of pee is a ok.

So I did what any good mom would do. I got him some paper towels and made him clean it up. And explained that if he ever did that again, I'd sell him.

I betcha he'd bring in good money on ebay.

We have a little bit of a joke around here, that since I'm the only girl and will probably be the only girl for a very long time, that I am the princess.

Apparently this princess needs to get used to the pee.

A day in pictures. Well most of the day.

The one alarm clock, well besides kids that is, that does not have a snooze button. As of late he likes to start the crowing at a bright and sunny 5:30 am.... on the front porch.

There were bails of hay to be counted and of course, certain little boys had to attempt to move them.

It was a no go.

We welcomed back the horses.

This was the spot I hoped to spend most of my day in.

A chair built for me by my love, to sit outside, enjoy the breeze, and watch my little ones. I got to sit some, but there were horses to visit, butterflies to catch, bird's nest to spy on. You know the exciting things around here.

Like any day with little boys there were boos.

Nothing a Popsicle can't fix.

And then the smiles returned.

Call it back scratching or just showing the world how very hot his abs are, I haven't a clue but he looked pretty funny.

Trying to explain to the horse that the apple slices were all gone. It's hard to determine who listens better... a horse or a four year old.

Two brothers on the hunt for butterflies. One was in charge of spotting them and the other was in charge of chasing them.

Butterflies spotted: approx. 40-something

Butterflies caught: 0

And as requested... a belly shot at 26 weeks to the day.
Yikes I should lay off the ice cream.

Remember

Today is not just about a day off from work, bbq's, or great sales at the mall.

It's a day to STOP and to take PAUSE.

To remember those who have died, far away from those who loved them in foreign lands and here on our soil. To remember people who left this life early, who left behind mothers and fathers, sons and daughters, wives and husbands who loved them.

This is a day to remember that our freedoms come at a very high cost.

Today is a day to remember, with gratitude in our hearts, those who have paid that very, very high cost.

So enjoy your day. Spend it with friends and family, laugh, smile, and enjoy being free, but remember those who have laid down their lives for that freedom.

Pay it forward

I saw this on -Sarah's :-) page and thought it was a great idea.

Goodness knows that the world could use a little happiness spread around. And really people it doesn't take much to make someone smile. Hold a door for someone, pay someone a genuine compliment, let a car go in front of you in traffic. It's terribly difficult.

And now it's coming to the blogosphere!

The rules are:
The first 3 people to leave a comment on this post will receive a small gift from me within one month!
You must be willing to host a pay it forward too! As well as send the gifts out to your recipients within a month.
Post this same thing on your blog and then come back and leave a comment telling me you're in! Please remember to leave me your e-mail! (or have your email on your page or something)

And now back to my words, I hope people won't let having to come up with three things to send stop them. It doesn't have to cost a lot, happiness is not dependent on cost or creativity.

It can be something small from where you live (or are stationed) something yummy from your kitchen, something funky, sweet, smell goody, whatever. Just something to make someone smile. And I know that we are all like my 4 year old and get giddy when we get mail.

Mail that isnt a bill that is.

Happy to just be

For all the things I know I need to work on to be a better person, for all the shortcomings that flyboy and I have, we have one thing working to our advantage... we're pretty darn content people being just us.

We don't have much desire to keep up with the Jones. I'm not sure if its part laziness or the fact that life keeps us busy enough, but at the end of the day we rarely ever think or care about what other people have that we don't.

In the interest of keeping it real as I vowed the other day to do let me share some of these tidbits with you, some may shock you.

We do not own a wicked cool big ass flat screen that you can hang on the wall. We do however have some tv's that when I use the term big ass to describe them I mean in the sense that they weigh a ton and take up a lot of space. The youngest tv we own is 6 years old and the largest screen is like 27 inches.

My car does not have power locks and windows. Really. I'm serious.

Stop the laughing out there.

Seriously, no power locks or windows. And its not that old only a 2003 but it was thousands of dollars cheaper when we picked it up, used of course. And you know what, it doesn't really bother me. Again I'm serious. My power windows used to go out all the time in my last car and it drove me to drink, my arms are much more reliable.

And it was totally worth it when we valeted once and the guy spent five minutes looking for the button to unlock all the doors. Really that was priceless.

Flyboy and I sleep in a double bed. The same double bed he had before we were married. Six and a half years ago. Yeah. This one I'm not as thrilled about.

We keep talking about getting a pricey sleep number bed (we live in an old farmhouse and nothing larger then a double will fit up the stairs that and well, I've always wanted a sleep number) but whenever we start looking and get ready to hit the purchase button...we freeze. Our bed is good enough. And honestly, most of the time its just me in it.

And to be on the up and up here, flyboy did say that he thinks he's going to bite the bullet and finally order me a nice, new, big bed, especially since I'm becoming a beach whale and our kids are starting to push us out of bed in the morning when they climb in with us. And since we are paying off the above mentioned car with no locks, it wont be as painful.

Please don't think I'm saying that there is anything wrong with having nice things or splurging on yourself or your kids from time to time. We hardly live in squalor afraid to buy nice things. We just don't feel the need to always be keeping up with someone else.

I know this girl, I've mentioned her before on this space, her husband served with mine when we first moved up here and then thankfully he got out and took her back to her home state. Far, far, far away from here. (Proof there is a God)

She had to compete with everyone about everything. And would make comments about what you had that she didn't feel was up to snuff. Our apartment, our car, hell, my husband's rank at one point. When we had babies around the same time, I registered at Target.... she registered at Pottery Barn.

And hey there is NOTHING wrong with wanting to register at Pottery Barn, but really must you then say, "Oh target..." like that?

When we saw them last year when they were in town, really it was totally against my will, it was a bbq with people from flyboy's work so I didn't have much say in not going, she kept making comments about how much her husband now makes.

And you can bet your ass she spends every cent of it and then some.

I think one of the most important thing in life is to be content with what you have. I don't think that being content means that you aren't a hard worker, its just that you understand where you are at the moment is where you must find happiness.

Happiness isn't a flat screen tv or a giant California king, that's just stuff, and stuff can't make you happy. Especially if its stuff you can't afford. Just look at where that's gotten a lot of people.

Where's the respect?

Yesterday we had a lovely day. The weather was beautiful, breezy, in the 80's and the sun was just making everything brighter. Even my mood.

The boys and I headed down to the big base for dash-1's followup visit for his asthma attack. It was simple enough, is he breathing? check. Is he back to his normal self? sigh. CHECK. Any other issues? Nope. All right simple enough.

Although he did complain that his brain was hurting. Though the reason was simple enough, he was going to space the night prior and you know the changes in the atmosphere can do that to a kid. See clearly back to normal.

After the doctors the kids love to go run around at Trophy Point and well so do I. Well I don't run, but I like watching them run. And I never tire of watching the kids shove their heads into the ends of the big cannons.

For the most part my kids just run around and pretend to fire off the big cannons or run down the hill at full speed rolling when they get to the bottom (sometimes on purpose, sometimes not so much). I have few rules when we are there.... a. don't run near or onto the road and b. do not misbehave on the memorials. I'm more willing to relax on the first one then the last one that's how much that type of behavior annoys me.

There was a family there, most likely for graduation and they were letting their children act like wild beast. Look I get kids running wild. Trust me. I get it. But there are times and places. And these kids were probably 10 and 6, old enough in my mind to understand the concept of time and place.

We always go over to the monument, how could we not, it's big and well small kids like big things. They are boys after all. But as they are getting older I am trying to explain what exactly a memorial is. That these names represent people who deserve our thanks and respect. That they may have come many, many, many years before us, heck some centuries before us, but still, they were not lucky enough to come home. Therefore we treat their names, the spot that their names occupy with the utmost respect.

At first I didn't know how to broach this subject with the kids, I don't want to scare them that daddy may not come home so I kind treat it like the sex talk. Age appropriate frankness.

Dash-1 started to run a little wild, its so hard not to when others are was his defense and I get that, but I took him aside and I made him run his hand over the names. I explained, apparently loud enough that the parents of the other kids could hear me, that these names were someone, someone like daddy, who had a mommy who loved him, who maybe had little boys like him, who wasn't lucky enough to get to come home. That we have always been lucky that daddy always comes home to us, and that these people didn't get to. And we MUST respect them and that this monument was to help us remember them.

Similarly we went down to the wall overlooking the river. Kids were running back and forth on the wall and dash-1 wanted to get up and I could tell, run. I told him he could get up on the wall to see better but that he would not step on the plaques. These plaques were listing the names of soldiers who died as POW's in the Pacific War. We had the similar discussion, what can I say he's four we are working on our retention skills and he did see to catch on sooner.

He asked why the other kids were running around and my mother came out of my mouth, "Because they aren't my children". Again I'll admit maybe I'm just nuts about this, maybe I take this stuff to serious, maybe I'm old school or some fuddy duddy.

I taught dash-1 to say "aww snap" cause I thought it was funny, I realize that's probably inappropriate but I don't see the harm in that. (Honestly it's even more funny when he says it to flyboy and you can see the steam coming out of his ears!) But I want my children to realize that respect must extend beyond just saying excuse me or pardon me to the living.

Am I alone in this?

it's getting better and what I've noticed about fish

Today was a better day for all of us here. Especially compared to the day that the two fish I flushed down the toilet today had.

Just a side note, I thought fish were supposed to be a great no brainer pet. Clearly I am not ready for anything bigger as I can hardly remember to feed and turn the tank light on, let alone cleaning the tank and checking the water and all that stuff.

Really, every time flyboy gets home from the road he has a look on his face when he sees the fish tank that I'm pretty sure is disgust and dismay but really, you are coming home to living children. Pick which you want me to care for that's all I'm sayin....

Thank you all for your kind words and comments. It's nice to know I'm not alone in feeling some of what I was feeling. I think I'm going to try to put one honest post a week around here, not that they aren't all honest but you know what I mean. Even if it's just a picture of the inside of my messy refrigerator or the towering pile of laundry I often let collect while flyboy is away (or here for that matter).

Something to put these in perspective, because friends, life is all about perspective.

The honesty of it all

Blogs are what we make of them. It's a chance for people to get a glimpse at what you allow them to see. I think it's natural in a way, despite airing our lives out on a webpage, that people self censor. Who wants to put all the ugliness of their lives out there. Who wants to admit self doubt, self pity, hell the occasional bout of self loathing? Not many.

Including myself. I know I tend to write fluff pieces a lot. I whine and complain about this and that, but all in all, nothing of great importance or anything that could be labeled as anything but fluff with a sense of humor.

So when I write that I am tired and fed up and the person I'm fed up and tired with is primarily me it's not an easy task. I've been going over and over this in my head for most of the day. And when it comes down to it, I'm human and this is my space. And today has been one of those days.

I know I have so much to be thankful for. I know that I am blessed, truly blessed to have two amazing children in my life and one on the way. But dammit if I'm not just feeling like a dud lately. As if this motherhood thing just isn't fitting me the way it should and that I'm just scarring my children in the process.

And now we are bringing a third into the picture?!

What's wrong with me? Why doesn't motherhood just glide along seamlessly enough?

I look at other blogs and other moms and they seem so much more together then myself. Something tells me they aren't feeling at wits end because they can't get their kids to eat dinner, the dinner that they made to their exact specifications. Or fighting with their 2 year old to get them to stay in bed at night.

I hate that I feel like a horrible mom because I am jealous, yes I admitted it, I am jealous that my husband gets to go away and I can't shower without an audience. I know I'm blessed to have such wonderful kids but I just need a break. And it seems that I just can't get one. Or I don't know how to take one. Or that I feel like I don't deserve one.

I hate that when I share this with my husband he makes me feel just awful for thinking these things. I don't think he realizes how hard it can be sometimes. Or at least how hard it feels.

Maybe I should be stronger. Perhaps in all harsh truth that is it.

I wouldn't even describe it as overwhelmed or wits end. I don't know what it is. I just feel like I'm a big meanie. That everything is getting to me and I'm not reacting as I should be.

I had to corral the kids at the car service place for close to two hours, they were probably ok but I just wanted them to sit still, and I still have issues with my damn car's inspection so that still needs to be dealt with which means dragging them back; dinner was a nightmare, I had to yell to get them into the bath, then out of the bath, then wrangle them into jammies, and bedtime made dinnertime look like fun. Oh and the mouse. It is indeed dead. But its stuck in the wall. Behind the dishwasher so my kitchen has a funk to it.

And now I have a headache from not just from my headcold but I'll be honest I've been crying. And my dinner burnt while I was sobbing.

And again, we're having a third?! What's wrong with me. Screwing up the first two wasn't enough I had to go for the hat trick?

Brutal honesty is just that. Brutal.

There isn't any way to paint it up to look pretty. I wish there was maybe it would make me feel better.

I want to be a great mom and I think sometimes I'm a pretty good darn one but sometimes I just feel like this. That I'm failing miserably.

It's the little things

I am freakishly annoyed by little things. Things that should bother me don't and the things that shouldn't eat me alive.

I need to work on this. But as I've been saying that for the better part of a decade I'm obviously I'm not making much progress.

My annoyance for today, one of them anyways, will probably seem petty and trivial. And I realize it is. But still... it's annoying me.

I've talked about the email list that the we have for spouses at our small base before. I'm not really involved in a lot of the wives/housing stuff. It's hard when a. we don't live in housing and b. my husband in in the very small percentage of guys who flies and is never home. You would probably think that b. would make me want to be more involved but its the opposite. And very hard to make all the wives things when they are always at night and well, I just don't have the energy to go out once my kids are in bed.

Oh and the state frowns on leaving small children unattended.

So anyways, I do like to be involved in the rare good things that go on, you know cooking Thanksgiving dinner for the guys in the barracks or supporting the local Marine Corps parents group stuff like that. So I stay in the loop.

But I'm annoyed at how people are using the email list. Personally I think the list should be kept private, you know so you cant see the 50 other email addresses. If I want you to have my email I'll let you have it.

I'm tired of opening up my email and finding 10 messages from people I don't know inviting me to Tupperware parties, sex toy parties (and no I'm not kidding on this one), or some idiot who is sending an email to one person on the list but yet sends it to everyone.

I get supporting military wives businesses and what not and I get the whole "sisterhood" of military wives (yeah I sound real supportive don't I) but really, if you don't know my name and send me an evite that has my email user name in the name slot then DON'T invite me.

Seriously I got this evite and had no clue who it was from. It took me sometime until I noticed some other names on the list and put two and two together.

I don't think that the email address that I provided to the Family Support Officer should be used for someone to pimp their business out. That's not why I gave them my info. And I know I can just delete it but it's the principle here.

So what's leading me to my rant today was an email I had today about some five year old's luau birthday party this weekend. I don't know who this kid is, I didn't know who the parent was. I thought maybe it was someone in dash-1's class. Again I sat and blankly stared at my computer trying to figure it out and then I read the list of email addresses and figured it was the list gone wild again.

Here's how it starts... First off, I just want to say that I'm horrible at remembering everyones' email addresses so I just sent this to everyone on the email list. I invited most of you but, I'm certain that I don't know who everyone is and not everyone knows me either so, if I accidentally sent this to you and you have NO IDEA who I am ...I apologize.

Well she did apologize but really... sending a mass email out to people that you haven't invited? I hate to go all Countess (yes yes I'm making a Real Housewife reference) but that's just classless. And come on you can't keep track of the people you invited to your kids birthday party. She's five... how many people could you have invited?

All right that ends my petty rant of the day. I know there are far greater things happening in the world but like I said, little things annoy me. And this... annoys me.

today Herman appeared

I found a stretch mark this morning. It's a doozy. HUGE, GIGANTIC, GINORMOUS.

All that fun stuff.

And since we're going to be best buddies for a while, ya know like forever, I've named it Herman.

I'm hoping its just Herman and me kickin it for a while all by our lonesome and this isn't the pregnancy that totally alters my stomach. But seeing as though I wasn't wearing a bikini before I became pregnant I'm not going to be crushed if I don't waltz around in one afterwards. Flyboy might but I know my place in life.

And it aint in a bikini.

That and in all truth, the miracle of life is totally worth one or two Herman's.

But they need not all be this big.

Names and things to be thankful for

We're still in a bit of a hold out on agreeing with a baby name, flyboy is still sticking by Seamus and has now added Piermont as his middle name. Give that we had some 22 hours in the car with the boys we figured we'd get their opinions of names.

Yeah... ummm... what they brought to the table was about as viable as flyboy's pick. Dash -2 selected Diego. I have nothing against that name, its just that my kids are blonde hair, blue eyed, Irish kids, and Diego while it is a great name, wouldn't fit so well.

Nor would his other choice, Lightening McQueen. Can you tell what he's into lately?

Dash-1 on the other hand suggested, Whatcha-ma-call-it. Then he actually sided with his father on the whole Seamus Piermont name. I think he just realized that he was annoying me and found it amusing.

So it has been decided. The boys will have no say in the name of this child.

In other news it's been just another weekend around here. Saturday was spent at the ER with dash-1 due to asthma and a fever. Not to worry he's all healed, breathing a ok and he hasn't stopped talking since he woke up.

Literally, I heard him before I saw him this morning and it hasn't stopped. But he's feeling better and that's all that matters. Though why do these things always creep up on the weekend and thus require an ER visit rather then just a trip to the doctors?

And just as exciting, it would appear that we have a dead mouse somewhere in the kitchen. (We live in the country, in an old farm house, mice come with the territory. Lucky me.) I'm thinking behind the dishwasher. Flyboy, luckily, is in town and has promised to find it before he leaves in a few days. And trust me. I'm holding him to it.

My kids are healthy and my husband has promised to search and retrieve a dead mouse with absolutely NO assistance from me.

That my friends, is a lot to be thankful for.

Family photos

I got an email from my father the other morning. The email was just a link (click here) and you people MUST go look at it.

It's like cake wrecks for family pictures. And look thru all the pages if you get a chance, their aren't too many and trust me. It's worth it. There is one family photo of a group wearing very "odd" outfits that just doesn't make sense on any level. You'll know it when you see it.

Again... trust me.

It's hilarious and quite appropriately timed if I may say so. Flyboy and I were just having the discussion about our Christmas picture. I know I know its only May but still these things take time and planning.

Every year I try for a really nice picture of us all. Together. Is that so much to ask?

What can I say, I like to show off my family once a year, especially to a really bitchy gal I know who once insinuate I was fat and she now weighs like 200 pounds more then me. No lie, hers is the first card I address every year since losing weight.

I know I wish I was a better person then that but well... I'm not.

But yet every year getting the family picture taken is painful. And as the boys get older its getting more painful. Dammit their will is getting stronger and stronger every year. And my dear flyboy is little help. In fact he's just as much a pain in my ass when it comes to the picture.

Every year he puts it off so that we have such a small window to get it done that inevitably everyone is cranky. And then we have always tried to do it ourselves so its an endless juggling of running back and forth to tame everyone, set the timer, adjust the camera, tweak this tweak that.

This year we have decided that despite our cheapness we are paying for a photographer. Whether we just go to picture pe0ple or we really spring and get a photographer to come out to the house and take pictures of us on the farm is yet to be decided. I'm sure the boys wont like it anymore but at least then we don't have to hassle with the camera stuff. Besides with three, they outnumber us. And why not pay a photographer and share the suffering?

That and flyboy really had a look of fear in his eyes when I even brought up the taking of the family picture. I just don't think he has it in him to do another year.

But thankfully the link from my father was a perfect example of what NOT to do in our family picture.

Oh and proof of how the whole family picture thing usually goes down, I tried to get a nice shot of the boys and I after dinner on mothers day...

and a few outtakes of the Christmas card fiasco. Again flyboy was in the really good ones where everyone is squirming and screaming. Ah Christmas memories....

Photo recap

I found it difficult going thru the pictures to put up the really good ones that really show what vacation was like because I'm often the one behind the camera and flyboy is usually the one in front of the camera with the boys.

My basic policy on my blog is that, despite how stunningly handsome my husband is, I don't want to show his face. You know, no need to make others jealous.

But here are my adorable children and even a shot of me.

I'll have you know he walked right up to Mickey and Minnie, didn't cry or fuss at all, but he just had to make the pouty face. It's all for show I think. No pic of -1 and the mice as he was off riding Splash Mountain with Dad and Grandpa. I would have posted that picture, his face is hiliarious but I'm too lazy to figure out what to do with flyboy sitting next to him.

The boys at Epcot, I'll have you know it took 6 shots to get one reasonably peaceful like this one.

Adorable as he is... I do believe that he is my shifty, sneaky child.

For some odd reason this is how my dear dash-2 likes to hide from the world. I think it had less to do with the sun and more to do with his very loud big brother.

That's the way I felt by the end of vacation as well.

The boys outside of Cape Canveral.

Exploring beautiful Savannah.

So long disney... see you YEARS from now!