Dr staff = Irritating

I had an eye doctor appointment yesterday afternoon for annual testing.  Since my vision is so crappy (-11.5 and -12 for my eyes, if you understand that), I get to do fun visual field testing every year.  This is where I get to look into a machine, stare at a light, and then click a button every time I see a pinpoint of light elsewhere in the machine (for each eye).  This takes about 15-20 minutes.  Then, I get to to another machine where I'm supposed to stare at an asterisk and not blink while they scan my eye.  Joy.  Anyway, I had an appointment at 12:15pm to do this.  It went fine, no issues, and I was done at about 12:50pm.  Great, I thought, plenty of time before my appointment with the doctor, which I assumed was just after 1pm.  Nope.  The lady at the front informs me that my appointment isn't until 2:15pm.  What?  I asked her why in the world would I be scheduled for a 12:15pm visual field testing and then nothing until over a hour later???  There were other people there waiting to see the doctor before me!  No sense.  She just repeated herself, saying my appointment wasn't until 2:15pm, would I like to stay in the office or go out for a bit?  I was irritated enough that I said I'm going out, see ya.  I went to Beyond Bread just down the road for a little bite of lunch, read my book for awhile, got some breath mints at Safeway, and then was back in the doctor's office by 1:45pm.  Apparently, as I was questioning the desk staff as to their (stupid) scheduling, the doctor heard it all from the back.  HE came up front and asked why they would do something so asinine and ridiculous.  Anyway, I don't know what their answer was, but I was ushered into my appointment as soon as I came back.  He apologized for the mix up, checked everything out for me, and then I was out the door again.  The desk staff asked if I wanted to scheduled my appointment for six months later at that time, and I just kind of smirked and said "I'll call you when the time gets closer so there aren't any mix ups."  Then, off to home.

Kind of irritating when you have to get a babysitter in the first place and then they waste your time. 

Kitchen

I've been looking around on Craigslist for awhile now for a play kitchen the girls could have.  It had to be fairly small, have a fridge, have an oven, and be easy to move (i.e. not heavy).  I also didn't want to pay an arm and a leg for it or drive a million miles to get it.  So, it's been a couple months that I've been looking, watching, trying to contact sellers (it's amazing how many sellers will NOT reply to emails and voicemail!), and figuring out if it was worth it.

Last week, I saw a posting for the perfect kitchen.  It met all my criteria, and the best part was it had been purchased at Christmas time but hardly used.  The reason for that was that someone else had gotten the same family a Pottery Barn play kitchen at about the same time, and the children loved that one so much more.  So, basically brand-spanking new play kitchen!  However, the seller didn't put any contact information in the ad.  ARGH!  It reposted three times with no contact information.  I finally posted a listing of my own in response to that ad, asking for the seller to email me with contact information.  Lo and behold, not 20 minutes after I posted that listing, the seller emailed me her cell phone number! 

It took about 25 minutes to drive out to her house last night, and I got lost in rural Marana.  Nice.  But, I got there, got the kitchen, and brought it home to clean and set up.  I can't tell you how excited I was for L and E to see it this morning.  Even my husband thought it was awesome, especially when the hot plate lit up and made frying noises when you stuck the frying pan on it!  The girls came downstairs this morning and I said "SURPRISE!" when they saw the kitchen.  L almost started crying and managed to gasp out "you...got...me and Eva....a kitchen????"  I told her yes, I've been trying to get one for awhile and finally found the perfect one.  She then threw her arms around my legs and said "oh, thank you Thank You THANK YOU, Mama!!!!"  Melted my heart.  E squealed with joy and immediately began trying to eat the salt and pepper shakers.  They both got upset with me when I made them stop playing with it for breakfast, but then immediately went back to it after eating.  YAY!  I'm so glad they enjoy it!

If you don't have a play kitchen for your kids (boys or girls), you're missing out!  They make up the best play stories to go along with it.  :D

L and E playing with the kitchen.

Ding!  E's salt and pepper shakers are done!

Copycat

I love how the girls imitate what my husband and I do and say.  L sounds like a little copy of me when she gets angry, which means I can usually see where she's headed and try to divert her.  E, however, gets into everything and wants to imitate me, husband, and L all the time.  Today at lunch, the husband got out his Nintendo 3DS to let me hear the music for a game.  After lunch, you can bet your pants that E crawled up into his seat, got the 3DS, and opened it up to play and dance.  Love my little copycat!

E:  "...and if I keyboard mash, I get THIS pretty picture!"  *husband loses saved game*

Quick! Drive 250 miles!

We went up to Phoenix yesterday and came back today.  Le tired.  Visited Brian's grandfather in Chandler, then went to his other grandparents' house in Tempe, had dinner and hung out with them, I went to Ikea in Tempe to make a return and check out some furniture (nothing purchased), didn't sleep well, got up early because the girls got up early, drove into central Phoenix to visit my friend M and her kids, drove back to Tempe for lunch and to collect the husband, and then packed our stuff to drive back home.  TIRED.  I know I've said it already, just emphasizing the point.

That was the first part of my weekend.  Now, I'm just going to relax the rest.  Screw being productive!

Why is it...

...that when you announce you're going to go somewhere later in the day, children immediately get ready to go, ask you 50127519 times when you're going to go, and then demand to know why you aren't leaving that very minute?  Next time, I'm just going to say "get in the car" when the time comes.  *tears out hair*

Dearest E,

Dearest E,

There are so many things I wish you could understand right now so that you wouldn't cry at me when you do them (because you've been caught and Mommy has to tell you not to do that).  Let me start listing them for your future review:

1.  Your hair.  When I put your hair up in a ponytail or pigtails, please don't rip them out and then come back to me asking to put it back up.  I won't do it because you're just going to rip it out again.
2.  The dog door.  That is an entrance and exit for the dog, not you.
3.  DVDs.  DVDs are meant to be on the rack/shelf, not on the floor.  When you keep pulling them down, I will continue to make you put them back up, no matter how much you cry at me.  Maybe that will teach you (someday) not to bother them.
4.  Toilet paper.  No matter how much you unroll, you are not allowed to eat it.
5.  The stool in the kitchen.  It is meant to stay by the sink for hand washing, not be toted around the entire downstairs so that you can reach things.
6.  Diapers.  Diapers stay on your butt, not anywhere else.  Stop.  Taking.  Them.  Off.
7.  Hitting.  Do not hit anyone, including the pets.
8.  Saying "yes."  If you would just say the word YES now and then, you'd make everyone so happy.
9.  Your pacifier.  You're 19 months old, you don't need it anymore, so stop acting like it's a life-saving drug every time you manage to get ahold of it in your crib when it's not bedtime.  That thing is going bye-bye very soon.
10.  The dog.  She is a dog, not a horse.  Stop trying to ride her.
11.  Books.  Books are for reading, not tearing out the pages.
12.  Throwing things in the car.  Believe it or not, I'm not likely to unbuckle you from your car seat when you start doing that.  Wow, incredible, right?
13.  Sitting when watching cartoons.  Sit on your butt, on the mat, or else.
14.  Baby wipes.  Baby wipes are for your butt, not for playing.
15.  Pinching.  Pinch me or your sister one more time and I'm gonna spank you.  Seriously.

I love you much, but you've got to start following simple rules around the house.  When you don't, you get in trouble.  Don't cry about it because it's not going to change the rule!  Mommy is frustrated with you and needs you to listen.

Love, Mama

Ornery child...

Potty frustration

L has been potty trained since last August.  She's done great at it too - she's only had probably 2-3 accidents since she started being in underwear full time.  However, we've run into issues in the last month that is driving me bonkers:  she'll go potty, and then five minutes later will need to potty again.  Or, she'll wait until we're settled down for a meal and then announce she needs to potty.

The first one:  extra pottying.  I've tried repeatedly to get her to "go potty again, get rid of all your pee!" and it doesn't work.  She inevitably tells me she's done, she doesn't need to go anymore, and she needs to wipe.  Then, she'll wipe and say "uh oh, I need go again!"  Waste of toilet paper, and it drives me bat shit.  Then, after she's redressed, she'll wander off for a few minutes, then start pulling at her crotch like she needs to go again.  I ask her "do you need to potty again?" and she says "no."  Two minutes after that and it's "I need go potty!"  How the heck do I get her to empty her bladder completely the first time around so that this repottying thing stops?!??  How about the rewiping?!??!

The second one:  going during meals.  I always ask her before we start meals if she needs to go potty.  It's always NO.  Then, two minutes into eating, it's "I need go potty."  A lot of times I know she's trying to get out of eating her meal, but that doesn't work because when she's done she goes right back to the table.  Last night, I got fed up with it and told her no, no pottying until you're done eating.  She gave me this look like I had just hurt her in some way, took another 20 minutes to eat her dinner (GAAAHH!  DRIVE ME BONKERS HERE TOO!!!!!), and then went potty.  So, I know she can hold it through a meal and it's not super crucial, but why the F* is she doing it???

You'd think just potty training a child would be enough.  Nope, there's SO much more to it.  Just like eating a meal - once they get the eating portion done, then you've got to start on manners.  The list goes on and on and on...

My typical morning (with video)

My typical morning always consists of the girls doing something silly together, usually with something that they are NOT supposed to be playing with, and then trying to clean up the catastrophe that unfolds due to the silliness.  Today it was the Swiffer mop.  Tomorrow - who knows!

Pet store...and temptation

Whenever we need to go to the health food store, we always go to the pet store because it's next door.  The girls adore the pet store.  They especially love the fish, guinea pigs, and birds.  I love the kittens, but that's only because I have this gigantic urge to get one.  It's terrible, isn't it?  We already have a dog, and a cat, and the cat is pretty dumb and poopy.  Why on earth would I want to get another cat that could potentially do the same thing?!?  But kittens are so CUTE!  I could raise one to be cute, snuggly, and good.  However, I know the husband's answer is no, so I just gaze longingly at the cute, playful, sweet little kittens.  Someday!  *fist*  In the meanwhile, I have to explain to L why we can't have a bazillion goldfish at home...

E's vocabulary

My dear, sweet, almost 19-month-old daughter has a vocabulary full of words and "words," if you know what I mean.  I just thought I'd commit this to being typed out so I can remember them.

Mama/Mommy
Dada/Daddy
Di-ee (L's name)
Belle (our dog)
Da-ee (doggie)
Mow (rhymes with "ow," as in meow - kitty)
Hi
Bye
Up
Dow (down)
Mo (more)
Mine
Me
Nang (Ng-Ng, her grandmother)
Bapa (Grandpa)
Baba (Obaasan)
Map (her way of asking for Dora the Explorer)
Backpack
No
Nana (banana)
Pop (for either a lollipop or popsicle, depends on where she's pointing)

Random thought...

Reading about the theater shooting in Colorado has made me think:  how young is too young to go see a PG movie?  PG-13?  And how late is too late for these youngsters to see these movies?

I have yet to take L (or E) to a movie in a theater.  My reasoning is simple:  if they can't sit still at home and watch a movie, what are the chances they'll do so in a theater?  However, now that L is approaching 4, I'm beginning to think she might be able to handle a G-rated film.  I would take her for the very first showing of the day (around 10-10:30am), and I would make sure it wasn't super long (no longer than 1.5 hours).  I'd also not give her tons to drink (so she has to potty all the time) and try to get there as close to show time as possible (so she's not stuck in the theater forever before the previews start).  I've really thought this through - do most parents, or am I the exception?

I'd never take my children to a PG-13 movies that I know has lots of violence, dark/scary scenes, and/or suggestive dialogue/material.  Why do some people think this is fine and/or doesn't matter?  It definitely makes an impression on the children, and probably not a good one.  PG-13 means parental guidance if under 13, which implies to me that my children shouldn't be watching these films PERIOD until they are around 13.  Obviously there's some flexibility there, but really?  Not meant for children in kindergarten or younger.

Your thoughts?

Pilates

I'm not a person that does pilates/yoga/that kind of stuff on a regular basis.  However, awhile back, I picked up a Winsor pilates DVD to use for some ab/back strength training.  I decided to do it last night to start getting back into working out after my back problems/nausea week.  WOW.  I just...I'd forgotten how tough it is!  I have almost zero balance, so it was comical to me that I kept falling over.  However, it did dawn on me that this DVD was easier to do now than about three months ago because I felt more in shape.  I could actually attempt the "normal" stuff instead of doing the easier mode.  And the people doing it on the DVD?  I'd kill for their figures - even the guy's!  Also, it's kind of fun.  Maybe I'll look for another pilates DVD to pick up at Bookmans, or see about a class at the YMCA.  You should try it if you haven't before!

There's a WHAT in the garage?!?!?!?

This morning, since it was still overcast and under 80F at 7:30am, I decided to take the girls to the playground.  Perfect weather.  So, we grabbed our water and headed out to the garage to get in the car.  My minivan has doors on both sides to let people in the back, but I usually only open up the one on the driver's side to let everyone in.  L crawls in and over to her seat, and I pick up E to put her in her own.  Typical set up.  After I had strapped E in, I went around the back of the car to walk around to L's side and strap her in.  That's when I saw IT.  I did a double take, not quite believing my eyes, and then let the feeling of freaking out/pure fear course through me.

GAAAHH!  TARANTULA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

What if I had let L walk around to her side alone?  What if either of the girls had gone back there?!?  I'm so thankful that I had them go in like usual!  I promptly went back to the driver's side, closed E's door, got in the driver's side, closed my door (because, really, gigantic dead spiders will crawl in my door?  ahahahaha), and then crawled through the car to go buckle L in.  Backing out of the garage, I tried to run over the sucker but he's too close to the edge.  When we came back from the playground, I made sure the girls came out on my side, put them in the house, and then talked myself into getting the broom and just sweeping him out of the garage.  Then I wouldn't have to see him, right?  Well, I got about as close as where I took this picture and just freaked out again.  I don't know why, it's not logical or sane, but I did.  I just couldn't get close enough to put the broom on him and sweep him out.  So, I went back inside and told myself that the husband (who is even more scared of spiders) can deal with it when he gets home. 

He must have come in during the really strong storms on Monday night.  I had the garage door cracked at the bottom to vent the heat from the dryer (it goes into the garage).  Then, when the husband was leaving or coming home, he must have tried to make an escape and got smooshed by the garage door.  In any case, I want it gone and I don't want to touch it.  Pest control is coming next week to spray and set up traps, but I WANT IT GONE NOW.  Maybe I should call a neighbor or something!

Funny little girls (and baking)

The girls have specific requests now for me to make certain things.  They've fallen in love with banana bread, raspberry buckle (think raspberry coffee cake), and cookies of any sort.  I'm more than happy to oblige, as I can control the ingredients (and sneak stuff in!) for their consumption.  However, the best part is that they insist on helping me.  E will carry around my measuring cups and spoons, while L will pour in ingredients, mix, and comment on everything as I go.  Of course, at the end, they are extremely happy to eat the fruits of our labor!  It makes me happy to be able to make them things to enjoy, and I love watching them try to help out.  I'm happy and grateful everyday that I get to stay home and watch them grow, even if they drive me up the walls most of the days.  ;)

Huzzah!

My back is working properly!  Now off to do all the things I haven't been able to do the last few days!!!

Injury = Lazy = Feeling pathetic

Like I said previously, I injured my back on Friday.  It was feeling much better Sunday morning, but then it went kaput again Sunday afternoon/evening.  I thought this morning was going to be okay, as it was feeling alright, but then I was changing a diaper on E when it literally cracked and I couldn't move.  YAY.  For the last hour, I've been laying on the floor in the girls' rooms playing with them, reading to them, and making various phone calls I've needed to do.  Now, they're watching Dora the Explorer and I'm catching up on computer stuff.  How am I going to survive the day?  I've taken three Ibuprofins in the hopes of alleviating some of it, but the husband went to work today with his carpool (so he can't come home early) and my in-laws are on vacation.  I guess I have to grin and bear it but OMG does it hurt. 

On top of hurting my back, I haven't exercised since Friday.  That makes me feel extremely lazy.  THAT makes me feel really pathetic and my weight issue from last week is coming back to haunt me (I weigh 3 pounds more now than I did before I started working out daily three weeks ago).  I wish I could exercise, so I can feel like I'm taking a dent out of my weight issue, and so that I stay in shape.  I've decided to train for an 8K in early October to celebrate my birthday (8K = 4.97 miles), so of course my body decides to crap out when I decide to really start training for it.  DAMMIT!  I feel really lazy, fat, and pathetic right now.

Off to wallow in pain...argh...

Bad dreams suck

Yesterday afternoon, I laid down for a nap like I always do when the girls laid down.  This time, however, a monsoon storm moved in while I slept and has thundering/lightening like crazy while I napped.  This created really unsettling, bad dreams.  I dreamed about being in the prison again, having no electricity, prisoners escaping, having L with me and trying to protect her, trying to escape myself, etc.  It was awful.  Even when I woke up, I couldn't shake that horrible feeling.  The husband was upstairs at that point, so I asked him to turn on the lights so I'd wake up fully and maybe shake it.  Didn't help, but it eventually subsided over the course of the afternoon.  Yuck.

What do you do to help yourself after a bad dream?

Ugh, my back...

I wish I knew what I did to my back.  Was it running yesterday?  Was it working out all week?  Was it at the Children's Museum yesterday?  I have no idea.  All I know is now it is super painful down around where my tail bone is.  Definitely muscular, and definitely awful.  I had to skip my long run this morning because of it.  Laying in bed now is making it feel better, but I have tons of company
(read:  my husband and girls) wanting my attention too.  Ugh.  I hope this is better so that dinner tonight with the family goes well!

Another fun time at the CMT

More fun at the Children's Museum today!

You'd have thought the water fountain was an exhibit, the way E played with it!

L the firefighter

E getting balls to put in the vacuum tubes

L playing in a block arch

Story time at the Children's Museum!

Funny things lately

I just wanted to put these down for memories later on.  They struck me as hysterical at the time.

1.  Lily tried to get me to eat her boogers last night because "it taste so good!"  I kept saying "eww, gross, eewww!" and eventually walked out of her room, all the while she was laughing at me and pleading with me to eat the one on her finger.  LOL!
2.  Belle likes to lick the girls' faces as her defensive move when they get too close.  Apparently E thinks this is a great tactic, because now when L invades her space, she tries to lick her face!
3.  L has started putting her cars into "families," of which only certain classes of cars can be in.  It's okay for Optimus Prime to be the daddy of Lightening McQueen, for example, but not the daddy of Ronald McDonald.  I wish I understood her system.
4.  I must work out with the girls around too much, because randomly during the day now E will bring me my hand weights and start lifting them over her head.  Work it, girl!  Also, maybe I need to work out more because E always brings me my weights and then tries to clear the floor for me to start my videos...
5.  E has taken to stepping out of her diapers and then running to a tiled/linoleum area to pee on the floor.  The husband has gotten so fed up with it that he's threatened to duct tape her diaper on.  This strikes me as hilarious.

Daddy's clothes are pretty freaking awesome too!

6.  E works really, really hard to get the cap off the Miralax bottle.  Man, if she actually got into it?  I don't think she'd appreciate having liquid poo for 24 hours!
7.  Mommy's bras are great hats.

8.  When driving your own grocery cart around the store, you're apparently supposed to try to ram all the guys that look like total punks/douche bags.  At least according to L.  Her punk radar is awesome.

Playing in the monsoon rain is pretty fun too!

Dinner time conundrum

For once, I have a meal question that doesn't involve the girls!

Let's say you and your children are sitting down to dinner.  Everything is ready for your spouse to join all of you when he arrives home.  Soon after, spouse arrives home.  After greeting everyone, he goes off and does his own thing.  He doesn't join the family for dinner.  When told that there is food ready for him (or would he like me to make him a plate?), he says thanks.  When asked if he'd like to join the family for a full family meal, he says something like "I'm not hungry," "maybe in a bit," or even "I've got other stuff I want to do."  While it doesn't bother the girls, it bothers the shit out of me.

Growing up, the one thing my family always did was have dinner together.  If it meant waiting until Dad was home, so be it.  I realize that I'm starting dinner a little early for the girls because they are super little and can't understand waiting for a meal much.  However, I want the husband to join us when he gets home instead of doing other stuff!  If he gets home later than dinner, the most insulting thing he does is ignore what I've left out for him and make himself something else.  OUCH.  I realize I'm not the greatest cook in the world, but really?  I eat what he makes, why can't he afford the same courtesy?  I really want to have dinner together!  How do I convince him to do it?

What would you do if this was your spouse?  This is a big deal to me, and I am willing to fight for this one (pick your battles, right?).

Nephew, part 2

This time with pictures!  S came to play this morning and he seemed to have tons of fun with the girls.  Here are pictures from yesterday and today to prove it!

S, E, and L playing on the coffee table.

Handsome S!  So cute!  So big!  So...SWEET!

E and S playing piano.

L, E, and S eating quesadillas and playing truck/dolls.

S showing off his cool side with pretty sunglasses.

S giving E a ride on his lap in the cozy coupe.

Yes, apparently, you CAN fit three children in the cozy coupe.  Poor S!

The three of them decided to demolish the pile of stuffed animals in L's room.  Ha!

Nephew!!!!!

I have one nephew, S.  That's it.  No nieces, no other nephews, just him (until his little brother/sister arrives in October).  He is the cutest little boy ever and I love everything about him, even his little fits he throws when unhappy.  S is currently staying with my in-laws for a few days (and then off to his other grandparents' house), so I took the girls and myself over there this morning to go play with him.  He's just over 2 now and wow, can that boy talk!  S is definitely further along in his speech than L was at that age.  He's also happy, super playful, loves his cars/trucks, and loved playing with L and E.  E loved following him around and giggled constantly when he would play with her - it was almost like she was the blushing schoolgirl following around her crush!  We played all morning, had lunch, and then came back here for a nap (and to give my MIL a break from three kids running around).  S will come over here in the morning to play, which I'm sure the girls will adore, and I love the fact that I'm getting to spend some time with him playing, talking, and just hanging out.  He's my favorite nephew!  :D

Relaxing...

There is nothing quite like a relaxing weekend with the family.  That being said, I'm going to go right back to doing that.  See you tomorrow!  :)

Half Birthdays

Today is L's half birthday.  That means she's 3.5 years old now.  Crazy how time flies.  Last week, E turned 1.5 on the 28th, so we kind of combined the half birthdays to today for a celebration.  With both their birthdays being so close to Christmas, it's much more fun to put an extra celebration in the summer to make it more their own!  We took them to the park this morning to play, then to Target for small half birthday presents, and then we'll have a little cake and Chinese tonight to celebrate.  You always have noodles on your birthday for long life, according to the Chinese, so we'll comply!  Hard to believe my girls are getting so grown up already. 

E going down the big slide for the first time.  She loved it!

L going down the big slide.

E playing on the little kid play set.

My pretty L!

Eating

Both of my girls take an extraordinarily long time to eat any meal.  Breakfast, for example, was 30 minutes this morning to consume one cup of yogurt and a glass of milk.  30 minutes.  Afterwards, I had a bowl of cereal and timed myself to see if I have expectations that aren't realistic.  It took me 6 minutes to eat my cereal, including an interruption to change a diaper.  WTH?  Lunch and dinner can take upwards of 45 minutes to eat, even with me helping E.  L will stare off in space, talk talk talk TALK, poke at her food, or just play with her silverware, plate, etc.  I'm constantly telling her "eat," "pick up your fork," "eat your [insert food here]," or "stop talking, start eating."  Doesn't seem to make a difference.  E will sit in her chair for about 10 minutes eating various things, and then she'll spend the next 20 minutes yelling about being "stuck" in her chair (aka strapped in so she can't stand up), struggling to get out, refusing to eat, and just being a pain in my @$$. 

Any suggestions?  Please don't say "they're probably not hungry," because I know for a fact that they are.  I just need them to stop taking forever to eat and to focus!!!!

Phone calls

If you want to call me, please do. 

If I don't answer, please leave a message so that I can get back to you.  Sometimes, being the mom of two rambunctious kids doesn't allow me to get to the phone in time.  Sometimes, I'm not home.  Sometimes, I'd rather not answer the phone.  In any case, if you leave a message, I'll get back to you.

If you want to get on my shit list, call my house every hour on the hour five times a day every week day and never leave a message.  I am thisclose to calling the FCC and reporting your ass for obscene phone calls because you won't leave me alone.  I won't answer because I know you're a spam caller, but I get the feeling that even if I did answer, you'd still just keep calling until I listened to more than three seconds of the call.  JUST.  STOP.  CALLING.

If you want to get back on my good side, stop calling.

:p

Oh, humidity, how I loathe thee...

 There is a reason I live in the desert portion of Arizona.  First, it doesn't snow (very VERY rarely it does).  Second, it's so nice in the winter.  Third, it's not humid.  It's not humid until monsoon season, which we are now in the midst of, and IT SUCKS.  I went out for a 5-mile run this morning and it felt like I was running in a wet blanket.  Not only was it 75% humidity (I'm used to, say, 12%), there was a steady sprinkle of rain on me the entire way.  I was soaked by the end of mile 1, covered in mud, dirt, dust, grime, and bugs by the end of mile 2, and out of steam before mile 3.  There was a LOT more walking this morning than I usually do, but at least I did the whole run/walk, right?  Ugh.  Then, the sun came out in the morning, steaming up the entire area and making it miserable.  Luckily, it brought rain in the afternoon, but did we really need almost 1 inch in 30 minutes?!??  The girls went outside and splashed in puddles (while it was still raining), making themselves big happy muddy messes, so we had an early bath.  Lots of humidity in the bathroom.  My hair is HUGE, my body feels weak from the humidity (not the running, I swear!), and have I mentioned that I HATE HUMIDITY????  Yeah.  Yuck. 

Un-thankfulness :/

This post is about UNthankfulness.  Is that a word?  I have no idea, I just know that it's what I want to discuss today.  You know unthankfulness - it's when someone never bothers to thank someone else for things done.  It could be a chore, attending an event, giving a gift, whatever.  It happens all the time, and it boggles the mind that some people can be so selfish and unkind.

Example 1 - A friend in high school started chatting with me again a few years ago when she decided that she'd like to try dating someone from HS again.  They had dated while we were in HS but broken up (I think she broke up with him).  Apparently, they had both thought a lot about each other in the ensuing years, to the point that he (let's call him Art) would give up pretty much anything just to see her (let's call her Mary).  Mary lived out of state, while Art still lived where we grew up, so Art literally drove 1000 miles to see Mary one weekend.  She was hesitant to see him again, afraid of the old feelings that might be there, but I encouraged her to just visit.  What could it hurt if they were just friends?  She ended up talking to me a lot during that early phase of dating him again.  Art ended up proposing, and Mary said yes, so then there was the invariable chats about weddings, moving, combining lives, etc.  I was thrilled for her!  For her wedding to Art, I got them something really nice off their registry and had it shipped to them.  They married and I've heard about two peeps from Mary since.  No thank you for the wedding gift, no thank you for your help talking things through, nothing.  1.5 years on, I'm beginning to wonder why the heck I helped her out in the first place.  I feel used.

Example 2 - Whenever I offer to make some food item for anyone (i.e. husband, in-laws, etc.), they always turn me down.  Or, if they don't turn me down, they say something vague like "oh, it's not necessary, unless you want to."  Then, if  I do end up making something (time, energy, ingredients, money, etc.), they only eat it out of politeness.  It really makes me want to cry.  If I suck as a cook/baker, then please tell me.  Otherwise, why are you being so awful to me about food?!? 

Example 3 - My girls beg and beg and beg me to get a Dora the Explorer book at the bookstore.  I finally relent, get it for them, and they tear/rip out pages within the hour, even with supervision.  *rage*

What kind of examples of un-thankfulness have you run into?  How does it make you feel?  What do you do about it?  How do you try to make sure it doesn't happen again?  How do you avoid the invariable feeling of worthlessness when it happens?

PUT IT AWAY! *angry face*

Whenever I get ready to type up posts like these, I always think that I should start by saying "I love my husband, really, but..."  Instead, I'm just not going to say it this time and take it as an assumption that you already understand.  I've been with the guy for almost eight years now, and it's definitely not for his six pack.  :p

Why is it so hard for him to put things away and/or throw away garbage????  This has driven me absolutely nuts since we had kids.  For example, yesterday we went to Wal-Mart and got some things for the week.  When we got home, he put the bags on the counter (and blocking the entire freaking counter, another complaint I've had about him) and walked away.  In fact, they were still there this morning.  How the heck he made dinner last night with zero counter space is beyond me, but here we are.  Why it is so hard for him to get through his thick skull that when you bring stuff home, you put it away so that it doesn't take up space it's not supposed to?!??  It's not my job to put everything away that comes into this house.  If I brought it in, I'll put it away.  Seriously.  Another example:  after he got home from his trip late Friday night, he washed all his clothes on Saturday.  Kudos to him for taking the initiative to do that!  However, he never did anything with them after drying them.  I had to take them out of the dryer to stick in other stuff yesterday (Sunday), so I put all his stuff on the glider in the living room.  He can fold, right?  He's not impaired, he can do it.  They are still there.  Supremely wrinkled now, with the giant suitcase there too (he hasn't put THAT away either!), and annoying the SHIT out of me every time I glance that way.  He got annoyed yesterday that the girls were playing with his laundry but hey, I'm not going to say anything because the solution is so obvious to just PUT THE FREAKING STUFF AWAY!

With garbage, that's another thing.  Trash gets left where it is made.  I've tried to just leave his trash everywhere he's left it, but that's very hard to do when I'm more of a neat freak and the girls will get into it too.  I've mentioned it to him over and over and over to no avail.  Even if I get upset and yell at him about it, he remembers for about three minutes and then...goldfish.  How the heck do you get the guy to put his trash in the trash can?!?

Oh, and since I'm complaining about him (lol, let's just add to the list!), I'll add one more thing:  not thorough.  For example, if you're going to clean up all the alphabet blocks on the ground and put them away, you find all of them in the general area and put them away, right?  Wrong.  Apparently, you only clean up the ones easily within your reach and leave the rest where they are.  This had been a huge argument with us because then I have to go back and redo the cleaning/putting away of things because he didn't do a proper job the first time around.  And then he wonders why I get so pissed off when I'm cleaning after him.  It's almost worse than cleaning up after the girls - at least they have their ages as an excuse!

Dresses

Yesterday, I found some cute fabric and decided on a whim to make the girls dresses.  No pattern, no idea where it would lead, but a lot of fun for 2-3 hours doing it.  In the end, they aren't great but they work.  L is wearing hers today, and E's fits.  Here's a photo before I put straps on (sorry for L's nipples!).