You Are An Obsession, You're My Obsession..."

Thanks to sarah for the lovely award. Here are my obsessions:

1.) Having fun:
I think about my childhood and I remember having a LOT of fun, and laughing a lot. My parents liked to make everything fun for us, and taught us to seek out the humor in life. I remember a whipped cream fight with those reddi whip cans that broke out in the kitchen, when Amy's can exploded accidentally and sprayed my mom a little. So my mom sprayed back, and pretty soon we all were covered in whipped cream, and Amy's friend was holding my mom down as we sprayed whipped cream into the space between her eyelids and her glasses.

My dad was king inventor of games, and many of them ended with a hole in the wall somewhere, or something (or someone) being broken. We had numerous sock wars when folding laundry. We placed bets on who could move a playgound ball from the corner of the game room to the sticks and weeds in the living room, using the least amount of kicks. Everything was a game. We cheat. We play hard. We certainly don't play fair. If you are losing you are fair game for insults. There is always a chance for the loser to retaliate.

My mom once took a hose right into the house and totally soaked my dad, who had escaped inside to avoid a water fight in the yard. We were always allowed and encouraged to help cook, build, craft, paint, or be involved in whatever the current project was. We all played sports, sang in choirs, belonged to the local theater companies, and my parents made sure we were all involved in our siblings events and supported each other. Even with the large age gaps between us, I still consider my brothers and sisters to be some of my very best friends.

I am so glad to have memories like this, and I want my kids to remember that I did more than make them clean up toys and go to bed at 7:30. I obsess over whether or not I am providing them with the right balance of responsibility and fun...but mostly just that I am a fun mom.

2.) Lists:
I have to do lists, to call lists, to buy lists, to clean lists, to fix lists, to go lists...etc.
I make them constantly, and I use them constantly.
I love crossing things off a list, and I love throwing away a complete list.

3.) Food:
Is this your first time on my blog? No? No real need to elaborate then, but to humor Sarah who gave me this tag... I love food. I don't eat what I don't like, and I eat a LOT of what I do like. I am really really really looking forward to a Cafe Rio fajita grilled steak burrito with black beans, lime rice, and smothered in cheese and green sauce. yeah baby. I'll be having that more than once. If we can find the time and a car to use, which I doubt we will, but if we can...we will also trek over to Brookside (hi Breanne, yes if we come we will of course, pop over to your place after) for the best grilled ham and cheese on the planet, seasoned crinkle fries and a cherry flavored sprite.

My current food loves (meaning this week) are:
-anything I don't have to cook. I do love serving my family, but it is a real treat to have someone wait on me.
-tacos (thank you Jeru for helping me love them again)
-really really good salad (like the one at Gusanos with the mozzerella and really good buttermilk ranch)
-Oranges! I can't buy a good orange if it isn't between thanksgiving and new years, so I don't. Really. I do not purchase them outside of those 5-6 weeks, because they are always bad. Right now we are stocking up on oranges and cuties like they are going outta style...which, for us, they will in 3 weeks. LOVE them. I'm also loving orange juice right now. Tropicana some pulp homestlye premixed. Love it.
-all things pasta. Dear Pasta, where have you been all my life? How did I forget about you? Homemade lasagne? Loaded Baked Spaghetti? Can't get enough. Tomorrow I'll be experimenting and trying out a thai peanut angel hair pasta that I had once at Carrie's and have been craving all week. I'll let you know how it comes out....or if it comes up.
-Kasey's frogeye salad
-gingersnaps...the soft kind, covered in cinnamon and sugar. I've now got a great recipe, but others have been making them and dropping them by for the holidays, and so far I haven't had to make them myself yet. I think I ate 6 of them today.
-avocados
i'm getting hungry, therefore this list could go on and on. I start talking about food and can't stop myself.

4.) My hair:
it's awful right now. awful. Not curly, not totally straight. bad length. Something should be done. I haven't had a cut in....I don't know, like 5 monthsmaybe longer. It's time. I am considering a good chop chop, but I can't because I need to be able to pull it into a ponytail when I'm throwing up all the good food I wasted in obsession #3. That part seems to be getting better though. I'm not losing weight this pregnancy, AND I have had days in the past few weeks where I don't throw up at all. So far, I feel very blessed that this pregnancy has been so fantastic. I have my 20 week ultrasound right after new years, so let's hope this baby cooperates and shows us a little somethin'-somethin'.

5.) Menu:
I like having a menu for the week. I am very particular (see also cheap, tight) about my grocery budget, and without a menu, that doesn't fly. I've been fairly lazy about cooking regular decent meals since I've been sick, but now that I'm feeling a little better, we are getting life back on track. I like new recipes that aren't weird, and try to have one new thing every week or two...even if it's just a variation of something we usually make. Gotta have a menu. Even if I plan on serving frozen pizza (digiorno cheese stuffed crust is the best in that dept. btw) it still goes on the menu.

6.) Goals:
I set the goal, and can sometimes become obsessed until it's complete. I like to track progress in a journal. I try to have 3 or 4, but usually focus on one or two until they are complete, before I really put much effort into the others. Most of my goals are private, and therefore I do not share them on the blog. You already get to hear most of my embarrassing moments here...I think that makes us close enough.

7.) Smells:
I smell everything. Not always by choice. I just have an incredibly sensitive sense of smell. Don't sit by me if you are wearing musky perfume, a lot of leather, Aussie hairspray, if you have bad breath, a poopy diaper, burned popcorn, broken the belt on your vacuume, just ran 5 miles (or climbed a flight of stairs...whatever makes you schwetty...don't sit by me if you have B.O.) if you use moth balls for anything anywhere in your home, if you are a smoker, or if you sharted recently and haven't excused yourself to go take care of it (ok, if you have a habit of sharting...just don't sit by me ever).
I can tell pretty much as soon as I walk into a house if there are cats there...especially the naughty kind that spray your stuff. Anyone can smell that, but to me the smell is so strong I often can't stay in the house. Gross. My OB thinks my strong sense of smell has a lot to do with the Hyperemesis Gravidarium symptoms that I eperienced with the last two pregnancies. If that's true, then why didn't it last as long this time? My nose certainly didn't break. My friend, Connie laughs because I see her every wednesday night, and I can often guess where she went out to dinner by smelling her sweater. If it was Maria's, I can smell it when I walk in the room. Mmmm Maria's...

I haven't been able to focus real well on this post since the food obsession part. I keep thinking about the dinner I should be preparing instead of blogging. Aaron will be home in 15 minutes and I have eggs to nest, juice to pour, and a polska kielbasa to sautee.

"...Can't You Hear That Thunder? You'd Better Run, You'd Better Take Cover..."

remember Thunder?

A little update... the other day I was again on my way to Carrie's, and noticed that our dear canine friend is now harnessed and chained to the tree in the front yard.

Not only were several neighbors sick of having their children terrified to go outside, fearing they might be attacked by the neighborhood beast, but apparently the local sanitation workers were also tired of picking up Thunder's little trail of destruction every week. Thunder had a habit of making the rounds on trash day, knocking down everyone's cans, shredding the Hefty bags and dragging the contents out in into the street. Someone finally got fed up and called animal control.

Enjoy your leash, Thunder. I'm sorry your owner (guy on phone) is not aware of proper animal maintenance and control. I'm not sorry that you have been sentenced to the confines of your own yard. Perhaps you will think about the scratch you left in the paint on my van, the next time you have to poop 6 feet away from your water dish.

A Dream Is a Wish Your Heart Makes...

2 Cinderellas
3 Sleeping Beauties
2 Snow Whites
1 Princess and the Pea
1 Princess Fairy
9 little girls waiting for cake and juice boxes...

I haven't figured out how to dump photos from my new camera onto the laptop, but here are a few pics that Kasey took.

Meg: Make a Wish, Cinderella!
Reese: I wish to eat one of those glass slipper cookies after my cake is done.

My first (and probably last) homemade birthday cake. Strawberry cake, with Strawberry cream cheese filling an pink strawberry frosting. That is a glass slipper on the top. We just took the princess toys out of the dishwasher today and Reese asked me why we couldn't have just like them all clean. gross.

Thank goodness for Abby. Q wanted to be held all weekend long. She seems to be fine now, but by Saturday, I thought my arms were going to fall off or my ears were going to break from hearing her cry for anyone to "carry me up, pweeeeeease?". When I put the Snow White dress on her, she gushed, "ooooh pretty princess" and looked at herself in the mirror smiling, until she saw that Reese was wearing Cinderella, and Q quickly changed her mind and pouted, "I don't like this dress, Mommy! I want Thinnnernennnaah...(more unrecognizable whining)" Unfortunately, her Cinderella dress is still covered in chocolate something (at least I hope it is chocolate) from Halloween, so Snow White had to deal with it. Abby came just in time to the rescue. I can't wait until she is old enough to babysit. My girls adore her, and she is a great mothers helper.

Aren't these cute? Reese handed each of her guests a blue, purple, or pink glass slipper sugar cookie (made from scratch and iced by hand at 2am the night before, by her wicked stepmother/evil queen/yours truly) tied with a princess ribbon and a pink note attached that read, Thank you for coming to my party! Love, Reese. She also gave out scented glitter lip gloss and Disney princess fruity snacks for party favors.

Reese was so excited that her friends were there to dance and play and celebrate with her. She was so cute when opening her gifts, and loved every single one of them. We made her wait until friends went home before she could play with her new toys, and I think she started to get a little antsy toward the end of the party. Once she had access to her loot, we didn't see or hear from her the rest of the afternoon.

I have more pictures, with the rest of the little princesses in it that are pretty dang cute. I'll add them later. I can't believe she is four! It just doesn't feel like it has been that long since I was spending hours a day swaddling, rocking, feeding, singing, snuggling, wiping, and reading to my teeny tiny little newborn baby girl. One tiny little baby to get all the love and attention that a mommy had to give. This lucky girl had her parents to herself for two whole years before baby sister came along. I say she was lucky, but I think we were the lucky ones. Reese, you are wonderful firstborn, and a great helper, friend, and big sister to Quin. I am grateful everyday that you were our guinea pig, and I am even more grateful that we haven't screwed you up beyond anything a little therapy can fix later. I am so happy to be your mommy. You've given me the ability to feel more emotions than I knew I had in me, and have stretched my ability to give and care and love more than I knew I was bargaining for when I signed up for this job. I wouldn't trade it for ANYthing. I am the lucky one. You are a blessing of great worth.

"Oh The Weather Outside is Frightful"

I know I am behind on my birthday celebration posts...I'll get to them eventually.
For now, I gots myself some things I need to say about the current weather conditions that have recently turned bitter and cold on me!

It is snowing outside.

My first adult experience with Snow involved my college roommate, Jen, and I excitedly stomping around in the parking lot behind our apartment, giggling like little girls and totally beside ourselves over the fact that we could make footprints on the sidewalk. (Don't judge me, I'm from California, and the only snow I ever saw was made by a machine and dumped on a mountain for me to snowboard on. Twice. Ever.) My roommates (who had experience with Snow) stood inside our ghetto apartment house and mocked our over-excitement through the window, teasing us about wanting a 10 minute head start before we got on the road, and warning us of the dangerous conditions that come with snow. I didn't listen.

My second adult experience with snow occurred later that evening, when my Honda Civic (less than a year old at the time) slid across a patch of black ice on I 15 and slammed me into the metal rail thing...leaving a beautiful dent in my new car, and proving everyone that told me I would never survive the Snow, to be totally right. Luckily Aaron knew an amigo in Springdale that hooked us up and fixed the Civic for half the cost of all the bids I got.
Needless to say, me and snow...not a healthy combination.

In Boise, I cursed out my window every morning that I woke up to snow, and cursed again as I shoveled the snow off my car, and cursed at the snow as I hurried into class, (late because of the snow) and then I cursed a whole lot when I slipped and slid and fell (more than once) in icy mud puddles (because I was rushed, because I was angry, because I was late, because of the Snow)
The simple EXISTENCE of snow ruined my day. I could not, WOULD not enjoy myself in it's presence. Take THAT snow!

THEN, a wild twist and turn of events landed us in the frozen tundra of Green Bay in January, with a brand new baby (with pneumonia and RSV), no grandparents, family, or friends, coworkers, students, or really anyone or anything around but snow.
SNOW. SNOW. SNOW....and a LOT MORE SNOW. Everywhere.

I had made a promise to myself that year that I would bloom wherever I was planted, choose to be happy in spite of my circumstances, and embrace the snow...as much as possible anyway.
I discovered that while I totally hated snow, we could have still a working relationship and each of us could get by just fine. No need to be nasty to one another. I finally learned how to work around the snow, because unfortunately, Snow wasn't going anywhere. After a given amount of time and effort, I could even begin to appreciate it's beauty, as I once had, the first time I watched it fall and giggled in awe.

I once despised the Snow for the horrible things it did to me, and the way I thought it made me feel. I now realize that I am in control of how I feel, and today I forgive and forget. The dent in the Civic is long gone, the hurt ankle I twisted on the icy steps at BSU has healed. I now have a garage to park my car in and I will hopefully not have to rescue myself out of that kind of mess again ...or at least not for a very long time. I am moving on...because holding grudges against the Snow is childish and immature.

And now I can just enjoy.

Snow is pretty.

And the best part is that when I look out my living room window, that faces my neighbors' yard (the naked neighbor- for those who read my blog often enough to follow stories about my neighbors and want to be able to separate the 80 yr old square dancing neighbors, from the naked neighbors, the WT neighbors-moved, and the don't park on my lawn/I have a cat in a vase on my mantle neighbors) I no longer see the 20+ pieces of tacky yard ornamentation/bird feeders/crap.

Instead, I see a blanket of white snow.

Goodbye sparkly mosaic stained glass bird bath with a pink ceramic naked fairy on it.
Goodbye 5 foot tall green and yellow PVC humming bird feeders.
Goodbye silk flowers that have been "planted" in the cedar chips.
Goodbye two large plastic Canadian Goose stepping stools.
Goodbye wind sock.
Goodbye 11 pairs of white old man underwear that hung on the clothesline yesterday.


Thank you, Snow.
I am actually glad you're here, and I think it's possible that we can get along with one another just fine.

"...And I Feel You, Crawling Underneath My Skin..."

Tonight as I tucked Reese into bed:
Reese: Mommy, my underwears are stuck up in my bum.
Me: Oh, you should get it out of there then I guess.
Reese: Ok, but it will just get up there again and again and again.
Me: That means your underwear is getting too small and we need to buy you some more. Hey, maybe you will get some pretty new underwear in your stocking from Santa!
Reese: Ooooh Yippee!
Me: What kind of underwear would you like Santa to bring you? Dora, Disney Princess, or Tinkerbell?
Reese: (thinks for a moment) Hmmmm....Well if it's Christmas, maybe Santa can bring me underwear with Baby Jesus on them! Yippee!

Call me a Scrooge, but I don't think the Elves have "Baby Jesus underwear" on their inventory at the North Pole.

A-W-E! (clap! clap!)S-O-M-E! (clap! clap)

Category: People Who Are Awesome.

Question: Why is Missie so Awesome?
Answer: Because she is Awesome.
Question: What else is Awesome?
Answer: This doll house is Awesome.
Question: Why did Reese have the Most Awesome Birthday Ever?
Answer: Because she got this Awesome doll house from Awesome Missie.

"Gimme Gimme Gimme A Man After Midnight..."

Or how about "a haircut after midnight", which seems to be when I do my best work. Aaron was looking pretty scruffy and we'd ignored the clippers for far too long. The last 3 times I have cut A's hair, I swore I'd never cut his hair that late at night again....at least not until he starts leaving me a better tip.

But again, a few nights ago, we put the kids in bed at 7, and started to watch Elf, but were both asleep by 7:30. I woke up at 12:30 and had somewhat an out of body experience. I was so confused. Where was I? What time is it? How long ago did the movie end? Wait, what movie were we even watching? Man, I feel like I've been drugged. I'm so tired, and so so so comfortable. My bedroom down the hall seems like it's miles away...I could just sleep here on the sofa a little longer. Ok, five more minutes here and then I'll get up and go to bed. Maybe ten more minutes. Really...I'll go...eventually...

And then I realized that THIS must be what it feels like to be Aaron! He falls asleep EVERY night on the sofa by 8, and then when I am ready go to bed I spend 10 minutes trying to wake him up enough to turn off the lights and wander down the hall with me. Half the time, he is so "out" that he says silly things to me, and it takes a 3rd or 4th attempt before he actually is conscious enough to realize where he is and why the wifey is barking at him.

So I realized finally where I was, and that it was past midnight. I woke Aaron up and was given the response, "Hey, do you think you could give me a haircut?"

Seriously? A haircut? now? It's 12:30. No way, man. Pull an Edward and put a whole can of mousse in that hair and make it work for you for one more day. You can even put some baby powder on your face, eat a red popcicle and maybe the ladies at the office will swoon.

He didn't think that was as funny as I did, as he has to stare at the Twilight movie poster all day, as there is one hung up on the wall in his assistant's cube right across from his.

Usually when I get the post-midnight haircut request, it is rejected unless Aaron has some important meeting, or is flying out of town the next day and the haircut can not be postponed longer than the duration of his trip. This time I had 5 hours of sleep and, now that I was awake, I felt like I'd had a full night of rest. So again, I gave a haircut in the middle of the night. They always seem to turn out better than those that I do in the afternoon, or right after the kids have gone to bed.

The 3:30am "Hey, I need a haircut and then a ride to the airport. By the way I'm going to be in Dallas for about 5 days"-haircut still takes the cake for my best work ever. Aaron got an ear full of my wrath while every possible mean thing I could think to say came out like "word vomit" as I snipped away at his too-long locks. He happily took a cab to the airport at 4:30.

Which brings us back to the present. And so, out of love for my husband, dislike of his too-long hair, and since I was already wide awake I went ahead and gave a haircut...yet again in the middle of the night.

Why not just go to the barber? He did about 6 weeks ago. At that point, most of my evenings were spent with me in bed ridiculously early, or with my head in the toilet throwing up. Knowing every last ounce of energy was being spent on caring for our children and attempting to keep up with laundry, he went to a salon and payed $20 for a terrible haircut. He knew I was far too exhausted to do anything but try and keep food down, and therefore didn't even ask. He also brought me home fried food that night. That's better than flowers, baby.

But now that I am feeling a lot better, and almost totally functioning, I return to my haircutting duties as resident beautician. My reasons:
1) I am cheap. My hair cuts are mostly free. All I require is a thank you and a kiss, and sometimes one of us will treat ourself to a movie or lunch with friends later with part of the $20 we saved.
2) Aside from the time I yelled at him the whole haircut (did I mention that I had JUST gotten our baby to sleep through the night, and would have to wake her up to take him to the airport? or that we lived in WI and a blizzard had just blown through, dumping another 10 inches of snow on the ground?) yeah, aside from that time, giving Aaron a haircut is some of our best conversation time. I always wait to cut hair until kids are in bed, because my little darlings can't help but run through the pile of hair on the floor and track it through the house, leaving a gross mess. And Q likes to eat the hair, and that's double gross. We don't answer the phone if it rings, because my hands are full, and Aaron is, well getting a haircut. And we're in the kitchen, where there is no TV, radio or other noise to drown out conversation.
No distractions.
No interruptions.
Just us. Finally alone, and having a date with a pair of scissors in the kitchen.

I hate cutting hair in the middle of the night, but there is something romantic about grooming the person you love.
And MY groom is well groomed indeed.

I also gave Pieces a haircut the next day. It's pretty cute. Now if only I could get a haircut, and if Quin could grow enough hair to need a haircut, we would be set.