WiId and Crazy Mama out on the Town!

Drunk pictures are never flattering! The proof is here. However, we did have a blast this weekend at the Bachelorette Party. In addition to too much alcohol, I did acquire some new knowledge:

1. Next time I go clubbing in DC, I will remember to "pre-drink" so that I can limit the number of beers that need to be purchased at the bars.....seriously, $5 for a Bud Light bottle! Crazy!

2. There is absolutely no reason to stay awake past 3 am even if you do have a limo to drive yo home.

3. Pizza is the best food ever at 4 am after drinking for 5 1/2 hours straight. Especially when it is Jumbo Slice!!!! A slice is about the size of half a pizza, there are 1,000 calories in each slice, the grease outweighs the cheese, and it was the best food I have ever had!!!

4. Limo drivers who are an hour and 15 minutes late to pick up the sober bachelorette get an earful when the bride must SCREAM at him to get in the damn car and drive!!!!!! Seriously, we are all grown ups....we can figure out how to use the "features" of the limo without a personal narrative from ghetto-man driver!

5. While I am not planning on a night out like this one for awhile, I had a ton of fun and even felt like I was in college again........drunk, care-free, and awake at 4 am!!! Man, did that pillow feel good when my head finally hit it at 4:45 am!!!!!

The bar Scene

This weekend is my sister's bachelorette party. 10 girls crammed into a limo, barhopping all over D.C. Sounds funs, huh? (There is a TOUCH of sarcasm in there in case you hadnt realized!).

Before we were parents, the hubby and I went out all the damn time. Man, we could stay out drinking until 4 am and get up for 12 hour shifts at work the next day like it was nothing! Oh, those were the days! There is a restaurant/bar in Northern Virginia that can attribute many mortagae/lease payments to us! I used to be able to call the place and whoever answered the phone would know my voice instantly! It was great---like having my own Cheers!

Once we had little Gracie, things changed. I was no longer interested in hanging out at a bar, watching my friends and myself get drunk and then try to figure out how to get home. Standing in a bar with no room to move just doesnt sound fun to me anymore....I cant imagine why not!!! I would rather hang out at home with the hubby and the kiddo, have friends over, or go to the neighborhood restaurant/bar where I dont have to scream at the top of my lungs to hear my friend standing right next to me.

As the maid-of-honor, I am sucking it up and going out on the town with 10 early-20-year-olds-in-the-prim-of-their-clubbing-days. Now, here are my questions: What does one wear to a bachelorette party after bearing a child? The tummy is not for public display anymore so there goes any thought of tummy-bearing tanks. And the "girls" are too large to be supported by a tube top. Ahh, the clothes issue! D.C. clubs have dress codes (see I told you it was more fun to hang out at home with a martini and friends!) so if I choose to wear jeans, they must be designer style style and there must be heels on my feet! Guess I should get a manicure tonight just in case they check my nails upon entering the shrine of drinking....mommy nails (youknow the kind...chipped poilish, each nail a different length, and oh the jagged edges!) just wont cut it!!!

The problem is that I really do want to be excited. I know that once I get there, I will be fine and will have a great time. Getting there is the battle. I sound bitter, dont I? Just a little bit like an old lady? Or (gulp) a mom!?!?!!? I guess there is just a point in all our lives where we outgrow the crowded, smokey, loud, and trendy bar scene. Guess its part of growing up. My boss today said "Growing older is required; Growing up is an option". Guess I chose to take that option. Having a baby will do that to you, huh?!

Arent you all jealous of my weekend plans!?!?!?!?

SuperMom and More!!!

Well, that just about sums up the conversation I have with myself daily!

I found a website today that I am adding to my "visit daily" list, www.mothersandmore.org. While the Mommy Wars topic has been blogged about, talked about, argued about, etc, etc, etc.....this site is amazing. The organization lists their core values as:

• A mother is more than any single role she plays at any given point in her lifetime. She is entitled to fully explore and develop her identity as she chooses: as a woman, a citizen, a parent or an employee.
• All the work mothers do — whether paid or unpaid - has social and economic value.
• All women deserve recognition and support for their right to choose if and how to combine parenting and paid employment.
• All mothers, all children and all families are unique. We respect the wisdom of each mother to decide how to care for her children, her family and herself.
• Mothers have the right to fulfill their caregiving responsibilities without incurring social and economic penalties.
• The transitions women make into and through motherhood are challenging and can be difficult.
• Together, mothers are powerful.

Mothers Day is coming up. What is it that we all want? We want hugs and kisses from our precious little ones and we want a hug and a kiss from our hubbies/sig. others. And sometimes, on any old random day, we all want someone to say "Thanks for being a good mom". That's all.......well, I do still want the crayon drawings from my toddler and a trip to the jewelry store never hurt a husband!

Seriously, though - Mothers work hard, whether they have a job out of the home or not. I think that Mothers & More is on to something! Check out the blog too; mothers from different walks of life writing about their take on motherhood and all that it encompasses.

Okay, advocacy is done for the day! Enjoy!

The Latest Style

What do you think!?!?!?!?! The blog is pretty stylin', huh!!?? Had some downtime at work today so I went surfing around the web to take a look at the other blogs out there and came up with this template. I wish I could take credit for all of it but I can't.......found it here. Still , I like it for me.

Check out the time...........I must leave now to make it to day care for pickup! Traffic was HORRIBLE this morning (90 minutes to go 25 miles is RIDICULOUS!). Enough chatting---I am outta here!!!!

Letters to Olive Garden

Dear Olive Garden waitress:

For the fifth time, we said $28 on one card and $29 on the other, NOT $20 dollars on the first card. Is it that hard to understand? Seriously!!

On your way back to the table, could you try to look a little less enthusiastic about your job? I know---I was a waitress too and it sucks. Seriously!! Let's try to be a little more animated when dealing with customers next time.....monotone is NOT a good sound for you.

Can I give you one more tip? When there is a child, specifically a toddler at the table, can we NOT put the ceramic plates and glass cups at her setting? Really....paper plates are fine. Remember when I ordered dinner, I asked to have the child's meal brought out as soon as it was ready. Maybe I need to be a bit nore clear, but that does not mean it has to wait to come out with the rest of the food. It means "Bring the kid her food as quick as possible so that she can eat and NOT throw a tantrum in your restaurant". Maybe that is how I will order next time. Your tip would actually INCREASE (from me at least) if you used these tips! Good job with the cheese grater----for 20 seconds you had the toddler's attention.

Thank you.

That Mother



Dear Olive Garden Patrons:

Last night, I was THAT mother. The one whose child screams the entire meal, the mother who cant get her kid to sit at the table for longer than 2 minutes, and whose toddler drew a beautiful crayon picture in the nice new Olive Garden menu.

It was not that long ago that I was you, the patron who just wanted to have a decent dinner out with my friends. I remember looking at THAT mother with annoyance and, quite honestly, hatred because the kid wouldnt stop the tantrums. You are probably thinking "Keep the kid at home". I dont always disagree with you.

However, in my own defense, she had a busy day at day care coloring, building sand castles in the sand box,and dancing. After a long day at work, arent YOU a little cranky? I know I was a little cranky last night.

Short of barricading my family in our house, there is not much I can do about the stutation. She is 2. She throws tantrums when the world stops revolving around her for more than 30 seconds. And no, I was not ignoring her, per se - just trying to get a few bites of my $15 dinner before I left the restaurant.

Maybe you could stop the "Oh, you are a bad mom" looks when I walk by you on my way out the door? It really would be appreciated!!!

Kindly,

THAT Mother

I think the Green Outfit is my fave!

Its Friday so time for a good laugh. I dont know that there is anything I can really say about these fantastic photos!

Enjoy.

( What are these women thinking!!??!?!?!?!?!?! )

Mothers and Daughters and Communication (or lack thereof!)

Last night, I was invited to a Speakers Series event by one of the meeting industry vendors I work with. The topic: Mothers and Daughters Communication. Larry King interviewed Dr Deborah Tannen on her new book, You're Wearing That?! Understanding Mothers and Daughters In Communication. I took my mom with me to the event.

Dr Tannen's theory was that mothers and daughters argue about the Big Three----hair, weight, and clothes. She also made the point to say that while mothers think they are showing they care by mentioning your haircut looks like crap, daughters take that as a criticism of them as a person, not just the haircut. SO TRUE! Mothers and daughters look and scruntize each other on the same level they look at themselves; no one else in our lives gets that kind of scruntiny. Why then do we look at each other like that? Daughters want approval so every time their mother speaks, she looks for it. If the comment can be turned into a negative, we dauighters turn it, even if it was meant to show caring. Mothers think they are mentioning our bad haircuts, our extra 5 pounds, or our need for imporvement on the house (always a hot topic with my mom) because they care and they want to show their daughter(s) that they care. Daughters---we take that caring as criticism.

As a mother and a daughter, I was able to see both sides of many of the issues Dr. Tannen discussed. However, my thoughts were interuptted 7 times (yes, I counted) by my mother elbowing me throughout the speech. If I have to hear "Oh you do that to me!" one more time I will scream! After the event, my mom and I were heading back to our cars and she says "Oh I dont do anything like that! I dont mention your hair or weight or clothes!". SO I guess the comment the other day about my boobs looking bigger lately and the pants I had on were too tight for her liking didnt count. Oh wait, dont let me forget about the hairbrush she handed me in front of industry colleagues to tell me to brush my hair!

I took my mom with me to this event in the hopes that we could both learned something. Maybe she did. Not too confident about that though. I, on the other hand, did learnsomething. I learned that every one has issues with their mother, no matter how old they are or how close they seem to be. I learned that she does care and criticism comes out of care. And I learned that even though I will continue to stick up for myself, my mother isnt always attacking me, she really does care about me.

So there it is folks! Comment away---mothers vs. daughters always makes for interesting conversation!

Drum Roll Please!

My house has recovered. You can see the kitchen table, new toys have found homes in various places, and all the dishes are finally cleaned. I spent 2 1/2 days cleaning (well, I spent a little bit of time over 2 1/2 days) cleaning my house to have a party and then spent another day cleaning up after the party. Why do we do that? I dont know why I ask that question every time we host a party because regardless of the answer, I will still clean for the party and then clean up after the party.

Anyways.........the birthday party was a success. The kids had an Easter Egg hunt and had a great time. The adults enjoyed the adult Dora beverage---Margaritas!!!! Yummy! The party continued long after Grandma and Grandpa and all the kids went home!

And here, my internet friends, is the Dora Cake that I VERY proud of! The cake spent 30 minutes in the oven, then 3 hours to completely cool. Only after it was cool did I spent a solid HOUR with my brand new icing bag with various tips to create my Dora masterpiece. The icing was all white when I started so each color had to be dyed, mixed, loaded into the icing bag, and then applied to the cake. I had pink, brown, and tan dye on my hands until this morning! But, what a cake!!!! (Take a close look cause I am not sure that you will see this kind of work from me on a cake again anytime soon!).

Something Fun on Tax Day (YUCK!)

Your Lucky Underwear is Green

You're a total go getter who will scrape and crawl to get to the top. And your lucky green underwear will help you get there without a struggle.A fast learner, you enjoy a good mental challenge - whether it's getting your law degree or running a successful business. Sometimes you push too hard to succeed, alienating friends and wearing yourself out in the process.If you want to reach your goals while still maintaining a full life, put on your green underpants. They'll help you slow down and enjoy life.

Is This All Really Necessary!?!?!?!?!?

23 people have responded "Yes" to my low-key party Evite for Grace's 2nd Birthday Party this weekend! 7 people have said "Maybe". WHAT!!?!??! My 2 year old gets more guests at her birthday party than I do. She is definitely much cuter than I am but come on.....does a 2 year old even know what is going on? Does she realize all those people are there for her enjoyment?

I decided this year that I would have a low key birthday party for Grace. After all, she is only just starting to realize what these birthday things are all about. I figured next year I could invite all the little kids from day care for a "real" kids party at Chuck-E-Cheez or something. This year, just family and close friends. How then did I end up with 30 potential guests for tomorrow's party!?!? I guess low key just isnt going to happen this year.

Really, its totally my fault---the event planner in me never quits! Since it is Easter weekend, the kids will be going on an "Easter Egg Adventure" followed by some hard boiled egg dying. The theme is "Dora the Explorer", complete with Dora dangling decorations from the ceiling, tablecloth adorned with Dora and Boots, and of course, the Dora shaped cake that I am going to attempt to make AND frost in the correct colors. Seriously, I bought the Dora themed icing dyes at Party City the other day. I am neurotic about these things.....there is no stoppng me!!! :) Wish me luck---I have never attempted a cake frosting job such as the one I am going to embark on, all for the look on my little girl's face when she see Dora the Cake on the table! The cake is supposed to look exactly like Dora's picture here---we shall see about that!



My favorite part of the party agenda: while the kids munch on the Dora-themed food (tacos, nachos, taquitos, etc), the adults will be joining their own Dora beverages; margaritas!!!!! Yummy!!!

Six Things

I have been tagged by Life in Mama Land! And since I am swamped at work (really dont even have the time to blog but here I am anyways!), the tag is perfect timing----no original thoughts needed for today's post!! :)

Here it goes: Six Things You Really Don't Need To Know About Me But I Am Telling Anyways!

1. As a child, I LOVED Michael Jackson. It was during the Bad and Thriller days, not the wierd scary and completely strange Michael we all know today! My best friend Coley and I had matching Michael posters (they were the Thriller posters that everyone had!) and mine hung on the back of my bedroom door. I guess I had good intuition back then because I refused to get dressed in my room---I swore Michael Jackson was watching me through the poster! While that is really funny, the truly embarassing part of this story is that I own the Michael Jackson Greatest Hits cd and it is currently in my car. AND I listen to it! AND I can Moonwalk!

2. I have a first husband, a real life husband, and a continuous fling. Granted most of them are simply fantasties but come on---cant a girl dream? Here is my line-up: Tom Cruise (pre-crazy days; prefer the Tom Cruise from Risky Business or Days of Thunder) is my first husband. I dont want to talk to him. All I want is for him to mow the yard wearing nothing but jeans (no shirt) then make me breakfast and read the newspaper across the table from me. Simple enough. M yreal hubby is of course Bill. He is the person I actually want in my life at all times. My continuous fling is The Rock. There is just something about him I cannot ge over. And Yes, the real hubby know all about my other men!

3. I am terrified of clowns. In fact, I wont even walk on those sewer grates on the sidewalks or park near the sewer openings on curbs. Nope, that stupid clown in the movie It lived under those things and I will NOT tempt fate by walking on or near one! I have never been to the circus and have no plans on taking Grace to the circus. If she wants to go, it seems like a perfect Daddy-Daughter activity to me.

4. I am a total cliche! I was a tennis player, cheerleader, yearbook editor, and was on honor roll all 4 years of high school. Then I went to college, got a job, got married in my early 20's shortly followed by parenthood. Now I am a mom, a wife, we have 2 cars, 1 child, 2 pets, and we are total yuppies! Someone please take me out of this cliche world I live in!!!!

5. I collect Barbies. I love them. Now I can buy Barbies whenever I want---I simply claim they are for my daughter when in reality, they are for me!!! I have a Marilyn Monroe Barbie, Malyasian Barbie, the original Barbie, Birthday Barbies from various years, a proclein Bride Barbie given to me as a gift, and many many more!

6. FINALLY, #6!!! I put my wedding dress on every once in awhile when I am home along just to make sure it doesnt fit. I was 4 1/2 months pregnant when we got married so if the dress ever fits again, I either need to go on a diet or there wouldbe another little one on the way. Which wouldnt be a bad thing!!!! :)

So, now that I have completed this post, I get to tag someone else. Here are the rules:
1--If you are tagged, you have to post six things about yourself on your site.
2--Then you should leave a comment on my site to let me know that you have posted.
3--You can then tag 6 more people. To tag, just leave them a comment to let them know they are IT!

Really---its fun so give it a try. Here are my tags:

1. Mama Chix
2. What I'm Thinking
3. WonderMom
4. Motherhood Uncensored
5. KBFixIt
6. Katie, Joe, & Grace
7. YaYa Princess ( I am tagging 7 people because I like to be an over-achiever!!! Oops, thats 7 things about me!!! )

Birth Story in Pictures

Grace was 13 days overdue and my doctors FINALLY listened to my pleas to be induced. After 6 hours on the fabbulous drug, Pitocin, and, with the greatest epidural in the world, Grace entered our life at 12:09 pm on April 12, 2004.

Here is a few pics of her first hours. Enjoy!

A friend of mine (she's a professional photographer) did a whole belly-photo shoot with me when I was 7 1/2 months pregnant as a surprise for the hubby. Very cool and I am so glad I did them looking back.

Hey, I dont look 1/2 bad immediately after labor!!!

Daddy was already wrapped around her little finger after only 10 minutes!

Grace Marie @ 3 hours old

"How can you describe the love of a child? It's not like your family, you loved them before you can remember. It's not like your partner, that was a process, you learned to love them. But a child? The moment you saw it for the first time it was awe inspiring and you knew...you knew from this moment on you'd laydown your life for this small being. You discovered the truth about love at first sight. " -Unknown

Where did all the time go?!?!?

Warning: You are about to read a post written by a mother who just realized that her little one is no longer a baby but is a kid. This mommy is feeling very emotional about it. Consider yourself warned!!!!!

2 years ago today, I was 12 days overdue with my first baby, running from store to store making sure that I had everything I needed at the apartment, and cleaned until the counters sparkled. Then at 4 am tomorrow morning, I went to the hospital for mu induction appointment.

One piece of advice I heard over and over and over again after Grace was born was "Time flies, take a ton of pictures, dont forget the video camera, and enjoy the time you get bacause it goes by quicker than you can imagine". Well, I knew all those people were right but it wasnt until today that I realized just how right they were.

I can clearly remember laying on the couch or sitting in a chair with Grace curled up on my chest, asleep. I can remember her little bird face that she used to make when she was hungry. And I can remember when her favorite place to be was in Mommy or Daddy's arms. I can remember these things so clearly that I can almost still feel her on my chest or in my arms. Now, Grace still cuddles, still makes faces at the dinner table, and still loves to be carried; only now 25 lbs instead of 9 and she is a kid with her own agenda and plans.

Where did my baby go? I was home with her for 3 months and then back to work I went. Since then the time has passed so quickly and I feel like we blinked and our baby grew up. How does that happen? Wasn't someone supposed to ask me if it was okay to turn the baby into a kid? I am not sure I was ready for all that!!!! Dont get me wrong---this toddler stage is a blast but now that the crib has turned into a toddler bed and potty training is around the corner, I am missing those innocent newborn moments so much. Grace was a gift to my hubby and I........is there any way to stop the gift from growing so fast so we have more time to enjoy it all!?!!?!??!

SUCCESS!!!!!!

For the past few weeks, we have been waiting for the perfect weekend to start the "toddler bed transistion". Well, we decided this was it! So, Saturday morning, we all spent some time in Grace's room taking apart the crib and transforming it into the toddler day bed. Daddy did all the work while Mommy sat on the toy box, reading the instructions. The moment that the crib slider rail came off the bed and it was no longer a crib, Mommy got a little teary (yes, I am admitting it!!!). Once the crib is gone and a bed stands it its place, there is an actual tangible sign that Grace is no longer a baby, that she is a little girl, a kid! What happened to that cute little baby girl of mine? Well, she grew up and is now the most charming, sweetest, and best little girl we could ask for!

Grace loves her new bed and has yet to fall out of the bed (knock on wood!!!). However, I went in to get her up for day care this morning, I found her under the bed, hiding with her blankie and books. Guess I will need to figure out how to prevent that but for now, I am just happy that she is adjusting well to her big girl bed. SUCCESS!

Not a Friend of Mine!

I had my first real "run-in" with Holy-Than-Thou-SAHM and I dont like her.

There was a networking meeting last night for my new venture, Entertain with Jaime, TOHR. Well, most of the women I met last night were so nice and I am really looking forward to getting to know them. I dont have many friends with kids the same age as mine so thats a bonus to this new business of mine.

However, when we were all talking about what else we do in life (besides kids, husbands, pets, etc), I said "I work as an event planner and am also a full time mom. SO I guess you can say I work double-time". Immediately, one of the moms said straight up and said "I refuse to send my children to day care because I am their mother and I want to raise them. I dont understand why people have kids and ship them off to some other woman to raise so that Mom can spend 40 hours a week away from her family!". I was dumbfounded and speechless. What do you even say to that comment? I just said "Well as long as the kids are all happy and well taken care of, everyone has to do what is right for them." I guess that was the right thing to say. However, I really wanted to say "Look, you dumb snob! Not all of us are wearing Coach shoes with our Ann Taylor outfit and Louis Vuitton diaper bag!!! Not all of us have husbands/partners/whoever making six figures so that we can stay home with our children. AND there are actually some people who enjoy working as well as being mothers!!!!"

I have written about Mommy Wars before but this was the first time that I have really experienced the nasty comment directed right at me. To be honest, it made me feel angry and sad and even question myself and choice. Angry because there are reasons for the choice I made; mainly because we need my income to get by month to month. Sad because I do miss my Gracie during the day and deep down I do really want to be home with her to teach her ABCs and colors and all those things. And because of all that, I am now questioning myself-----can we make it work on 1 income? Would I really even be able to handle being home all the time? It was always assumed that I was going back to work at the end of my maternity leave; did I do the right thing? Is it too late now to re-work it?

After sleeping like crap last night and thinking about it all night, I have decided "to hell with her!". My family is doing okay. Grace loves her day care and the kids there all love her. I finally have a job that is challenging me on a daily basis. We need my income to pay our bills every month. i still question myself-----what if one day hubby and I can finally agree on the prospect of baby #2...if we decide "no more babies", there is no issue because our current situation is working just fine. But what IF (big if at this point i think) we decide to go for it. How can we afford 2 day care payments???? I would have to stay home. So then I would be the complete opposite situation.......now, I have to work to pay bills. IF that happened, I would have to stay home and find a way to make some money to help out with bills just because day care would have eaten my entire paycheck. So, I guess in the end, I didnt really settle the questions last night...just came up with more.

Its an ongoing struggle but that lady was totally out of line! Guess she wont be on my list of newly-acquired TOHE friends!!!

(To cheer me up, I am added a pic of Miss Gracie to this post; just to make me smile and remind myself of why I do everything that I do!)

An Arrival (not to me!)

Ava Marie

born 04/05/06

7 lbs. 21 inches

Just wanted to share this picture of a most adorable baby girl. She is the lucky daughter of my high school sweetheart and his new wife. Is it strange that I am posting a birth announcement to celebrate my ex's first baby???!!!! Maybe, but who cares! Its a baby, he is a great guy, and its my blog so I can!! :)

The Joys of (Old) Home Ownership

It is raining here at the house. Outside, it is 65 degrees, sunny, and not a cloud in the sky! However, in my basement, it is raining. Again.

My hubby and I inherited (well, we are in the 2 year long process of inheriting---thats ANOTHER story!) his childhood home. Yes, that is wonderful. Yes, that is the silver lining to the horribly sad experience of losing the best mother--in-law I could ask for. Yes, its a big house with a huge backyard and a TON of closet space (important when there are 2 girls in the house!). Yes, I am glad I have a home to call our own and I know that we could not have afforded the house (or one like it) without this inheritance.

HOWEVER.......the pipes spring pinhole leaks at least once every other month, there are 6 pieces of siding missing on one side of the house, the driveway has more potholes than I-66 (if you live in DC, you know what I mean!), and the yard is being overrun (not really, but I feel like it) with old dead bushes/scrubs/trees/plants, Oh, did I mention the lime-green marbled-look linoleum countertops in my kitchen (they match the scallop-edged cabinets in my master bath!). Every time we turn around there is something else to be done. Yes I know, "Welcome to Home Ownership:. Everyone tells me that and I know that these things happen but right now I want to bitch.

So far, we have replaced all the floors on the 2 main levels, stripped the wallpaper and repainted the walls, and have one bathroom that was remodeled about 5 years ago. Next on the list: kitchen remodel. But as time goes on, I am finding so many other things----replacing cooper pipes, new deck (Grace got her first splinter the other day and I really dont want to go through that again!), landscaping (i.e. ripping out the old dead spreading scrubs all over the place), and buying new couches to replace the "it-used-to-be-blue-velour-in-the-1960s-but-now-its-blue-and-green-and-silver" couch that does not match the rose pink loveseat in any way whatsoever!

Sometimes, I think it would be easier to just sell this house to someone who has the money to handle these maintenance things. At least with a newer house, we wouldnt have to worry about these things ALL the time. Maybe we could make it 6 months without seeing the My Plumber van in the driveway. Maybe we could be in a neighborhood where there are kids Grace's age. Maybe we could live in a house that we could actually work on, make decisions bout, throw a child's birthday party in, without permission from the "head of the family" (FYI: working through a loved one's estate is NOT fun for anyone involved!). Maybe, maybe, maybe. But the emotional attachment is so strong to this house that those maybes are not even an option. And so I move on........

Hubby is home this afternoon waiting for My Plumber to stop by to pick up another check from us. Seriously, the operators at My Plumber probably recognize our voices by now. I need to end this post on a "silver lining" to prevent the tears of frustaration at work----at least by the time we are ready to do the kitchen remodel, the plumbing cost will be lower than expected becuase we are replacing the piping 3 feet at a time!!!!

Pity Party is over now! Back to your regularly scheduled leaky pipes...oops, I mean program!

Crayons and Boobs

Okay, so this is totally gross----who spent time thinking of all these disgusting crayon names!!!!! When I saw what the quiz gave me for a crayon name, I couldnt resist posting it here. After the week from hell last week with a sick toddler, I found this all too appropriate!!! :) The sad part----I can actually say that I have seen this color, in real life, and in the Pampers at my house!!!

You are

What Rejected Crayon Are You?

Ummm, this next quiz......not sure what they are talking about but if they think I am Gisele, then I dont think I will argue!!!

You Are Most Like Gisele Bundchen

Slightly exotic and perfectly gorgeous

Which Victoria's Secret Angel Are You?

Wine, Dooney and Bourke, and Mommy Wars!

My birthday was this weekend.

I had a great time Saturday night at a Margaritaville party and then spent Sunday relaxing. For the first time in awhile, the hubby and I spent all day on the back deck, sipping wine, reading books, and blowing bubbles with our little princess. At no point during the day did I clean, fold laundry, cook, or lift a finger to any kind of chore. FABULOUS!!!! I highly recommend finding a day every once in awhile for that kind of complete block of household duties!

It has been awhile since I have looked forward to my birthday. 2 years ago, I spent my 25th birthday at my mother-in-law's funeral while 9 1/2 months preggers. Last year, we moved into our house on my bday weekend.....the hubby threw me a surprise party and actually tricked me into unpacking the entire house and making deviled eggs for my own damn party!!! :) But all in all, my birthday has kind of become "just another day" in the past few years. As a kid, I loveed my birthday so I hated not having good days every April. This year was spectacular so I think I can start looking forward to April again!

Here is the rundown of gifts: Hubby gave me a gift certificate for a massage at a new salon down the street! Oh, how I am looking forward to a hot stone massage!!!! My mother and Grace worked on a special project as well----a mug that they made at a ceramics place....Grace fingerpainted it and then the store made it into a pretty mig for me! I love it. Oh yeah, I must not forget that my father bought me the Dooney and Bourke bag I have been eyeing online for months!

A friend came over yesterday and brought me a copy of Mommy Wars. I am sure that you all know there is a book out there written by a Washington Post exec that explores the choices mothers make, stay home or go back to work? It has caused much drama in the mother-world lately so I am excited to actually read it and see what all the buzz is about in the book. I definitely have my own opinions on the matter so I am sure that reading the book will get me all worked up, or make me feel validated as a working mom, or something else complately! No worries----I will defininetly post my thoughts here.

All in all, great weekend. Now I must get back to work! Ahh. Mondays.....arent they horrible!?!?! :)