He Doesn't Know...

Sir: "Mommy! I got gogurt! I got gogurt Mommy!"
Ma'am: (wispering conspiratorily) "It's ok. He calls it gogurt but its really o-gurt. It's ok. He doesn't know."
Mommy: "He calls it gogurt but its..."
Ma'am: "...yeah, but its really o-gurt. He's so cute. He doesn't know."

Did I correct Ma'am and tell her that its yogurt? No. She's so cute. She doesn't know.

Christmas Parties Galore!

I love the holiday season and how we take the time to celebrate with those that we love. Friday night, we attended a party with a group of very special friends. When we moved to the home we are living in now, Ma'am started attending a brand new daycare that is around the corner from our street. She became fast friends with 3 other children and now 4 years later, The Henchmen (as I call them) are all still fast friends. And even better, all of the parents are friends too! The kids had a great time exchanging gifts and the parents had an even better time drinking Toasted Almonds!(Fill blender with ice. Fill 1/3 with Kahlua, 1/3 with Amaretto, 1/3 with vanilla ice cream, blend and enjoy!) We also had the pleasure of the daycare's old owners' company. They recently sold the daycare but we all still stay in touch. They are actually watching Ma'am and Sir right now while Mister is at the Bucs game and I'm home sick on the couch blogging.) I am so thankful that our children are all growing up together and my hope is that these relationships will continue to grow as time goes on!

Then on Saturday night, we attended a party in a beautiful Seminole Heights bungalow thrown by one of my employees. I've blogged before about how great my work is and one of the things that makes it so great is one of the team's I lead. I am so fortunate to work with such a great group of people who truly act and feel like a family. Unfortunately, the nasty cold that has me sidelined today started in last night and we weren't able to stay as long as I would have liked to but we had a great time while we were there.

So here is to all of my friends and my hope of a Merry Christmas for all of them.

Santa and Snow, Hold the Vodka

One of our favorite things to do at Christmas is to watch the boat parade down at place called Channelside. Several years ago, there wasn't much to do in downtown Tampa especially for families. Thankfully some developers invested money into turning our cruise port into a destination. There are restaurants, clubs, shops and a movie theatre built around a courtyard where they hold events. During the holidays, they have Florida snow (foam) falling from the sky (shooting out from the palm trees)and Santa. We have a lot of fun taking the kids down there to let them watch the lit up decorated boats,dance, drink hot cocoa and visit Santa.

Last night, Mister and Ma'am were cutting a rug on the dance floor and drawing such a crowd that the Santa photographer left his post to take pictures of them. The elf had to keep coming over to grab him back to take his Santa pictures. And then during a dancing break, before I could grab her, Ma'am grabbed my drink to quench her thirst. Unfortunately for her, what she thought was chocolate milk, was the last sip of my Kaluha and cream. In slow motion as I'm reaching for her; I see the sip, the frown, and then the look of disgust at the cup. And then I hear, "Mommy, your milk is yucky!". I guess I should be happy that she didn't think it was delicious! And that it was only Kaluha and cream with no vodka. A nice shot of vodka in my 4 year old would have really made me feel like mother of the year!

Beauty School Drop Out... Go Back to High School!

In these tough economic times, like many of you, I am cutting my costs. I haven't bought a new purse in months (ok, since the beginning of November but it was on sale therefore didn't count). I haven't been going out to lunch with the girls. And if you can believe it, I went to a private shopping event at Nordstroms Sunday night and did not buy one thing. Nadda! Zip! Zero! (Even though I really really need another tube of MAC Viva Glam V). I am very proud of my new fiscally responsible ways but I have to draw the line. And line is drawn straight through the cosmetology school I went to this week. For $55.00 I got a basic facial (not too bad; no steam, no extraction but over all not bad results), color (horror of all horrors... I can barely say it... I. Am. Going. Grey. There, I said it. The secret is out. I'm fine with it, I really am. Especially with my new cheap solution of the beauty school dye job.) and a cut.

Ah... the cut. This is where it all went awry. Up until this point, I was feeling pretty good about my frugal find. I should have known I was in trouble as soon as I sat in Tracey's chair and she had to call Ms. Ann, her instructor, over before she even picked up her scissors.

Tracey: "Um, Ms. Ann?"
Ms. Ann: "Yes?"
Tracey: "She (indicating me) has a lot of hair. And uh, from what she told me she wants, I need to do a 135."
Ms. Ann: "Well,that's great timing! I just taught you the 135 this morning. Isn't that funny?"

At this point, I'm starting to sweat. I did not expect perfection when I walked through the door however I also did not expect to be Tracey's FIRST 135!! (Whatever that is.) I keep my cool as Ms. Ann walks Tracey through the easy part, trimming my split ends in the back. Once that was done, the heat was back on. Tracey would comb a piece of hair and then wait for Ms. Ann to tell her it was ok to cut it. ON EVERY CUT! At one point, I went spider monkey on her, slightly raising my voice saying, "Cut it! Just cut it! Give me the scissors, I'll cut it!"

Needless to say, my lesson in frugality was really a lesson in patience. And what did I learn? That I have even less patience than I thought I had.

Facial? Color? Fine. Hair cut? No freakin way. You'll catch me at the barber shop before you ever see me back in Tracey's chair!

Cookies? Check!

Sugar cookies all decorated
Fa la la la la la la la la

Snickerdoodles and peanut butter
Fa la la la la la la la la

Chocolatechip cookies, six dozen
Fa la la la la la la la la

I am done with Christmas cookies
Fa la la la laaaa la la la laaaaaa!

(Note: These are not my cookies. No way in hell mine look this good; I totally bogarted the picuture.)

Dear Nice Lady...

...who rear ended me. While the hug you gave me was nice, what would have been nicer is if you hadn't had run into the back of my car. While I was stopped. Completely stopped. I know you're sorry but now I'm sorry too. Sorry that I can't stop being cranky about the whole thing. I know you didn't know that I had back surgery 2 years ago and still have numbness in my leg from the nerve damage. I know that if you knew that, you would have tried to hit someone else; someone perfectly healthy and in fine shape, someone who wouldn't be sitting here now all achy and sore. And while I'm sharing my feelings, new friend, I'd like to say how much I hate carbs. Yes, totally irrelevant to the little love tap you gave me, however it is totally relevant to my crankiness. I bet you also didn't know that the lady you bumped into is on a low carb diet; that I am an Italian (naturally predisposed to love all things carby) on a low carb diet. Yes, Dr. Garcia and his magical vitamin B shots are miracle workers but if I didn't have a weigh in tomorrow, I would be drowning my achy back, scratched up car, overall cranky ass sorrows in a Lovers Size Chocolate Devotion with a swirl of fluff (my own special touch).

The hug was a nice touch though. I felt your sincerity. But I'm too small a person to overcome all of this right away. I'm gonna hold a grudge. At least for tonight. And I pray that the iron fist of hate that is clutching my heart oh so tightly is gone tonight. Because if I see you tomorrow on my long drive in... your little hugging butt is mine! All mine! Muwahahaha! And then once I take you out, I'm knocking over the next Cold Stone.

Signed,
Hurting, Hugged and Hungry

Thanksgiving has passed but I am still thankful!

I am thankful for...

1. My salvation. While I'm not great about attending church, I am grateful for my Lord and Savior.

2. My husband and best friend. I am deeply, passionately and thoroughly in love with my husband. All throughout my teenage years, I prayed for "a date that would make a good mate" and boy did God deliver on that one. I am so incredibly lucky.

3. Ma'am. Not only did Ma'am fix my broken heart years ago when she was born, she completed me. She is one of the most empathetic and caring people I have ever known. She has an amazing ability to clue in on how people are feeling and then feels what they're feeling. She is a special gift.

4. Sir. Looking at him playing last night, I remarked, "He is the best surprise ever." You see, after years of infertility and treatments, Sir was a... how shall we say it? a surprise?! When I look at him I see pure sunshine. This magical miraculous boy has stolen my heart. He is love, hope and happiness all rolled into one sticky mess. Joy, pure joy.

5. My job. I have been with my firm for 10 years and they have afforded me the opportunity to grow as an individual and a professional in ways that many are never fortunate to experience. As the President of my firm is known to say, "We live the dream that other's dream." Yes its a job and yes there are pitfalls but overall it has given me a world that I never thought possible for myself.

6. My friends. I've never been one to have a lot of friends but those I do have I am so very thankful for. They have lifted me up through some pretty tough times and have helped me celebrate the great times.

7. My in-laws. Yes, you heard me right, my in-laws. From the day I met my mother and father in-law, I have felt welcomed, accepted and loved. I only knew my husband for 3 weeks when he took me with him to his family reunion as a surprise. He was going to surprise his family with me and his mom was going to surprise him by bringing his then girlfriend of several years. Good thing his mom had second thoughts before bringing her! They were obviously shocked to learn about me but upon meeting me, his dad gave me a big hug and whispered in my ear "I already like you better than the other one."

8. My life experiences. While I haven't learned all of the lessons hidden in the crappy events of life, I've learned enough to know that I need to keep an open mind and heart and the lesson will come. And I will be a better person for it.

9. My home. It's not always clean (except for Thursdays - Thank you Daisy!) and its not magazine ready decorated but its cozy. And love lives here.

10. The ability to give back. I've always been much better at writing a check than giving of my time. This year I made a commitment to give more of myself and I am so thankful that I did. It has really given me a sense of community that I have never felt before.

With all of that said, here are a few pics from our Thanksgiving Eve!

Ma'am and I at the beginning of the baking

Ma'am tasting the chocolate cake batter

2 pumpkin, 1 pecan and 1 key lime (hey, we live in FL!)

Bedtime stories with Daddy

The best note of gratitude ever!

We held our annual Thanksgiving potluck at my office today. Part of the tradition is to hang envelopes up around the room for each person that you can write them a note of gratitude. It's a great opportunity to really tell people how much you appreciate them and its really nice to hear how others are thankful for you. One of my notes was a show stopper. Hands down the most sincere exhibition of gratitude. And I quote...

"Dear Jen,
You are my boss. Thank you. Happy Thanksgiving."

Touching. Really touching. Brought a tear to my eye.

Last trip to Disney

We are fortunate enough to live an hour from Disney World and have annual passes. And they do not go unused! The problem is that when we go, we do the SAME THING EVERY TIME! Two weeks ago, we had a plan to do those things that the kids have never done. Ma'am was amazed at the Swiss Family Robinson's tree house! "I didn't know Mickey had this!". And then when the line for Aladdin was only 5 minutes long opposed to the 40 minutes at Dumbo, she says "I didn't know Mickey had this!". Of course we had to do the Pirates ride but that's more for mommy. (Johnny Depp even in claymation form is HOT!). And the kids had to spend time in their favorite part of the park... Winnie the Pooh's playground! Its a regular old playground but they love it! Why I spend their college tuition to take them to play there rather than the park down the street from the house, I'll never know. I had to bribe Sir with candy to get him to go see Mickey and Minnie. Where he promptly marched up to Minnie and counted to 8 for her. I think I saw a glimmer of jealousy in Mickey's eye. Lil bit.

Mid-day...

I found myself trying. Fastforward a couple of hours, lots of tears and raised voices and I have resolution. Despite the dull headache and shadowed eyes, I am better. Thankfully. That... was a close one.

Have you ever been hurt...

...so badly that in an instant... the very moment that the careless words are said... your whole foundation is crumbled? The words are said in haste and the Sayer has no thought to the depth of the words. A watchful night is spent, for once I am not trying, I am watching. Not trying to understand, rebuild, get past the hurt, plan my re-introduction. Watching. Watching my spirit encompass the words and what they mean to me. The Sayer does not understand and I do not have the words to explain. I'm on day two since the words and there is no improvement. I am whole but detached. Detachment is new to me. And it scares me how readily my heart accepts it.

It's official...

I love this dress. And I'm pretty sure I'd be cute in it. ;-)

Hallelujah! And the angels sang!

It's a sad day

The brother of one of my friends was assaulted last night and passed away this morning. It was a random and senseless act of violence. Although I only met him once, I know he was a good and kind man. And he will be missed greatly by his friends and family. My thoughts and prayers go out to them. I've learned through my own horrible loss of my newborn twin sons that asking why is never gives us the answers we crave. But the lesson learned is to hold tight to those that you do have. Hold them, love them, pray for them and be grateful for them. This horrific event keeps me mindful of that.

Tell the people that you love them. And that you are grateful for them. And pray for those who are in pain tonight.

Rest in peace Jeff. You are with the angels now. Hug my boys and tell them that momma will be there before they know it. Our lives are but a blink of the eye.

Yes, I'm a Grown Woman...

and yes, I love Twilight! I have read 3 of the 4 books and will go see the movie when it comes out. Who cares that the books are about teenagers? And vampires? And werewolves? They are excellently written and damn it, they're hot. Not hot as in a steamy "oh my word!" hot but hot like deep passionate love hot. "Ride or die" love hot. And if you know me at all, you know know I don't joke when I say "ride or die". If you haven't read the books, try the first one out. I think you will be surprised at how quickly you read such a thick book.

Now, I've seen many comments about which team you are on; Team Edward or Team Jacob. And while I'm not ashamed to say I LOVE THESE BOOKS, I am embarrassed to say that I have given this question some serious thought. I've debated the qualities of both and I think it comes down to my need for warmth. So because I'd rather be hot than cold any day, I'm Team Jacob. Well, that and I do like my men big and brawny.

"And so the Lion fell in love with the Lamb..."

Virus's suck. Not feeling so well.

I've been hit with my first official virus courtesy of Facebook! And boy do I feel sick! It completely crashed my system. And when I say system, I mean my work laptop. Yeah... that was fun explaining to our tech team that my Facebook addiction caused them extra work bright and early on a Monday morning. However, they graciously told me that my laptop was fried and they were giving me a new one. Which I received in record time, unfortunately, I lost all of my settings and ALL of my data. And all of my favorites! That one really hurts! That list was 7 years in the making! So my evening will be spent trying to reset all of my settings. I don't like this new world that I am living in.

A word from the wise? Don't click on any odd email links from FB. Fluids and plenty of rest are no cure for what ails me.

Finally! A deep breath

I have been such a lunatic for the last couple of weeks! Between the hysteria of the elections, work (had to give a presentation to our executive committee regarding our 2009 plan-no pressure, just grow 23.9% and then a 3 day long management meeting), Junior League (had to work my volunteer shifts for the Holiday Gift Market and then of course shop at said Gift Market) and the family; I am ready for a break! Here's to a nice two week slow down until Thanksgiving hits. And then Christmas. And New Years... Gasparilla... Ma'ams 5th birthday...Superbowl...my birthday/valentines day... Yes, I'm very excited for the next two weeks cuz the next 3 months... I'm back to lunatic status!

Not a good equation...

PMS + Presidential Election + Exhaustion = A very weepy, on edge me. Calgon take me away.

Ma'am for President!

7:15 am Halloween morning, Ma'am asks me, "Mommy, who are we going trick or treating with? Meagan? Ethan and Lexi? Who?" She didn't seem too excited when I told her that it would just be her and Sir. But she accepted it. Fast forward to 7:00pm. Ma'am (aka Ariel) and Sir (aka Sir wearing glow in the dark skeleton pj's) are walking out the door ready to commence with the night's festivities. And who do we find standing in our driveway? Two of her very best friends from Pre-K. Totally unexpected. I didn't even know they lived in the neighborhood (despite being on the board for the HOA, I am a horrible neighbor! I speak to no one! Unless of course if I am spoken to first. I have a weird social anxiety and don't like to be too nice to people b/c they might like me and want to me by friend. And then I have to pretend like I care. And then if I don't care, they live right next to me! There is no escaping! But I digress...). Before I can introduce myself to the parents, Ma'am is off on a tear with her two very best friends. Mister and I oddly join the roving band of trick or treaters uninvited. Then the small talk begins. One of the mothers starts telling me about how her daughter takes everything my daughter says as gospel. And that her daughter cries that she needs more dresses because Ma'am wears dresses every day (she hates pants, unless they are rhinestoned in some fashion). And on and on and on. And then she looks at me with a nice (but tight.... ok, that could be me making a very lovely woman into a snarky mom) smile and says, "Ma'am is very popular you know".


I had always thought Ma'am had something special in her. That she glows an ethereal light. That she can turn a frown upside down. That her giggle makes an entire room smile. And now, this mother that I have never met (and may never see again although we live 2 blocks from each other and our children attend the same Pre-K. Scroll up to re-read the bit about my social anxiety. I know, I know. Freak!) had confirmed it. So take a minute, look at all of the pics that I haven't but should have been posting over the last couple of weeks and think (seriously think) about Ma'am for President. Yeah, she doesn't meet the age criteria and doesn't always wipe till its white (eww) but dog gone it... people like her! Which is more than can be said for most candidates these days!

Sir

Ma'am modeling at the nursery

Ma'am and her two very best friends

Carving pumpkins

Sir in the flower cart at the nursery

So when you go to the polls on Tuesday, go ahead and pencil her in. Ma'am will ROCK the Whitehouse!

Dude!

Ma'am dropped her first "dude" today. I'm so proud. We were sitting on the kitchen floor carving pumpkins, she comes cruising around the corner and said, "dude! that's so cool!" Mister and I looked at looked at each other, then at her and I said, "totally dude". She says "yeah".

I'm a Lazy Photographer

I've been spending a lot of time with a new friend lately and she happens to be a fabulous photographer. Which means that I never take my own pictures anymore. Unfortunately, I don't get copies of her pics right away. Which means I have nothing to post. And they are great pics too. And the great pics are holding up the great stories because I don't have the pics to paint the picture.

But let me tell you, they are great! They're just not here. Which means they are pretty much worthless and I have a sucky blog. Its time to find my own camera and get busy snapping pics!



Gratitude of the day: My son's growing vocabulary. He's talking up a storm and I love it!

A little gratitude please

Listening to talk radio on the way to work this morning, I began to feel very grateful for my job. Even though I question my place in the home, I am so very grateful to have this as a problem. While I think the family would like it if the house were a little cleaner, Mommy was a little stressed out, and we all had a little more play time; I think they are all pretty happy with our life and its really just me with the problem. One that I will probably continue to struggle with from time to time but for now, I'm glad to have a great job. Also, I'm grateful for my husband's birthday wishes. He asked for a cast iron skillet and new dishes. Ha, he was probably tired of hearing me fuss over the ugly dishes we've had for the last 14 years. Mister better cook me some bacon on his new skillet!

When I grow up...

When I grow up, I want to be a Housewife. Not of the desperate sort but one who is fulfilled and nourished by providing a home for her family. It took us so long to have children that I became "a career girl". Which is fine, it was actually great. It taught me a lot about myself, about how I feel about the world around me and is a large contributor to who I am today. The problem with that is, I'm not sure I like the person I am today. I firmly believe that you can have it all. Just not all at once. My career has grown considerably over the last few years and next year, I'll have an even bigger chance to make an impact at my firm. Things are really looking up and I have an unbelievable opportunity to really reap the bounty of my harvest. Problem is my little one's, their only little for so long. How well am I harvesting them? They are really my life's work. Don't get me wrong, they have a great life. And a fabulous Daddy who works from his home office and is able to give them a lot of time and attention. I guess you could say we are in reverse caregiver modes. I leave the house at 7:15 each day, returning at 6:15. Daddy gets them ready for daycare, goes to gymnastics, school parties, and cooks dinner. I clean the house, clean the kids and kiss them goodnight. Wow~ writing that made me take pause and explained why I feel like a servant. I...wow...I can't even finish this post. Or post the cute picture I have picked out. I have some soul searching to do.

A parting wish for all of you, I hope you feel fulfilled in whatever it is that you do.

Vampires and Vaseline

Mister took Ma'am and friend to see Beverly Hills Chihauahua at the drive in (boy, I dodged a bullet with that one!) and I'm catching up on the entire season of HBO's True Blood cuddling a sick sleeping Sir. I'm trying to really enjoy the show but I'm distracted by a sweet smell. The smell of Vaseline. The Vaseline that Ma'am used earlier to spike Sir's hair. The Vaseline that will not wash out, brush out or be scrubbed out with a towel.

I'm loving the Vampires, pretty much hating on the Vaseline. So if anyone out there knows how to remove petroleum jelly from hair, I'd appreciate the help. Cuz right now... it's a sticky mess.

I'm a Republican AND I recycle

Here is Sir circa 2008, wearing his sister's shirt circa 2004. Debates start in 40 minutes. Let's get ready to RUMBLE!

My Baby is Growing Up

It took my husband and I, eight years to successfully have a child. We had been through a miscarriage at 8 weeks, fertility treatments (for years) and the horrific loss of our twins, Nathan and Noah who were born prematurely at 23 weeks. To say the least, when Ma'am was born she fixed my broken heart. She was a shining beacon of hope in a very ugly time. And now... she has layers. Yes, you heard me right. Layers. At 4 1/2 Ma'am got her first haircut. She has long beautiful curly hair but it was getting too fuzzy at the ends. It was time. And she was sooo proud during the whole experience. And worse than the layers that she loves to talk about, she now has her own product. Mousse. I'm starting to become afraid. Very afraid. Of my beautiful little baby... my beacon of hope... the fixer of my broken heart... of her growing up. I think I need a drink.

Policemen, Firemen, and... Aliens

While on our way to Super Target to buy MORE decorations for our Halloween party, Mister and I are continuing our education on Strangers with Ma'am. What do you do if a Stranger talks to you? What do you do if a Stranger grabs you? etc. Ma'am then has a question for us, "Who do you call if a Stranger tries to get you? You call 911. And then the policemen will come and help you. Or maybe the fireman will come. Or the aliens. They will all save you from the Strangers." Aliens? Me, I'm not a big fan of space. Not even all together sure if I believe in it. It could all be a hoax. And my daughter, precious Ma'am, thinks that ALIENS will save her in a time of need? Where have I gone wrong as a Mother? And then I realize that she doesn't mean aliens of the UFO kind! She means aliens of paramedic kind! Aliens, ambulance. Tomato, tomahto...

A Haiku

My mojo is gone

Could I be getting sick? No!

I will not give in

Poor Choice

I got home just in time to kiss the kids and put them to bed and flip on the TV. I chose with my head rather than my heart and I think chose poorly. The debate put me to sleep. I woke up to my husband's snoring so my guess is that he wasn't that enthralled in it either. I'm sure Housewives would have not only kept me awake but would have also filled me with enough fluff to last the week. Good thing Bravo keeps their more popular shows on a continuous loop so I'll be able to catch it sometime this week.

My thoughts on the debate... As indicated by my McCain/Palin sign, I support them. I fundamentally believe in what they stand for from the economy (big fan of Reagan and trickle down economics) to energy to the social issues. I do not believe that he will be another 4 years of the current administration (which I think history will look more fondly on than we do in the present). Unfortunately, I think too many people vote on charisma and showmanship. If this were a beauty contest or a who's most likable contest, I would say Obama wins. However, being well spoken, polished and looking good in a suit won't take care of our current needs. Or our future needs. In an Utopian world, with rainbows and unicorns, Barack would probably be a great candidate. But that's not the world I live in. Sorry to get all political but I'm scared and I need to support my candidate.

Big Problem, Big Decision

I have a Junior League meeting tonight which really needs to wrap up by 8:00 so I can chit-chat until 8:30 and make it home by 9:00. I HAVE TO BE HOME BY 9:00. Why? What's the big problem? Prime time TV. Here's my issue... Do I do my civic duty, educate myself and watch the Presdential debate? Or do I fullfill the completely shallow and constantly hungry side of me and watch The Real Housewives of Atlanta?

What do I do? What do I do? The angst!

**Update 10.15.08**
I finally caught up on Housewives of Atlanta. Umm... One word... TRASHY! But! riveting!

There's no place like home... There's no place like home!

Let's see... This time last week, I was spending my first of two nights in an illustrious Boston Holiday Inn. After spending two hours in the Boston airport trying to convince airport security and the state police to not let the the obviously cracked out guy on the plane, a short flight landed me in NYC. One night in the city, countless taxi rides, a couple of client visits and one of the best burgers I've ever eaten landed me at home at 1:00am Friday morning. Auto pilot through a couple of hours at work, come home to kiss the kiddies and Mister and then Saturday morning off to Disney World. Finally last night, I settle back home to stay. Hopefully for a while. I think I'm even too tired to click my heels.

Off to Boston and then the Big Apple!

Not for fun, just for work. But I'll take it.

Boston Skyline

NYC Skyline

If I must work, then work I must. See you on the flipside!

Daddy's Little Girl

Is it wrong for Mister to say he's going to get his gun polished up when Ma'am's suitors are only 4? The other night, Ma'am informs me that you don't marry your brothers, you only marry your friends. And... that Kevin (a kid at Pre-K) loves her and her friend Avery. How does she know that Kevin loves her? He covered her up with his blanket at nap time. That is obviously love of the highest caliber. While I am telling this story to the Pre-K Director (with Mister) standing there, she starts laughing and proceeds to tell us a story. One of the other boys at school was sitting at home with his family one night when his mother asked him if the lady on the television was pretty. He replied, "No, she's hot! And you know who else is hot? Ma'am!" At this point, Mister's breathing has deepened and the vein in his forehead is starting to visibly throb. We turn around here comes Kevin walking into the school, we walk by him just in time to hear him whisper, "Ma'am...Kevin" as he is pointing to their name tags on the wall. Needless to say, Mister had to be quickly escorted out of the school before he could inflict harm. Hence the question... Is it wrong for Mister to say he's going to get his gun polished?

Why Can't I Stop?

What's wrong with me? Why can't I beat this sickness? Every year, twice a year I tell myself, "Self ~ don't do it!" And every year, twice a year, my self says back, "You don't understand! I have to!" I clearly need help, can't kick the addiction by myself. I don't even enjoy it anymore but I can't drag myself away. CBS... why do you do this to me? Jeff Probst...why won't you just retire?

Hello, my name is Jen. And I'm addicted to Survivor. (It's shameful.)

I. am. a. horrible. blogger.

I. am. a. horrible. blogger. There, I said it. One week ago today, I made my commitment to be timely and interesting and I have failed. Miserably!

However, I do have my excuses. Ready?

1. It was Sir's 2nd birthday last Friday and I was too busy celebrating him and the fact that he has made it this long. As previously mentioned, he's adorable but stubborn. So much so that at times, I have questioned how much the world could really take of him before he was voted off the island. And by island, I mean Earth.


2. A 2 year old's birthday is obviously a multiple day event. In addition to the train set he received for his birthday, we also went to a local train museum and rode a real train. That my friend, will really take it out of you... corralling 3 young un's under the age of 5 while riding on a train through a swamp in the FL heat!


3. I'm lazy. Really lazy. While I have not updated MY blog, I have lurked YOURS! I even posted my first comment! I'm really on my way now! CHOO-CHOO!

Lurked Long Enough!

I've finally decided that I have lurked long enough and am ready to enter the world of blogging! While I can't guarentee that my life is entertaining enough to capture an audience, it sure makes me smile. My sitcom life includes Ma'am (4 going on DIVA!), Sir (adorably stubburn) and Mister, the love of my life! Me? I'm your average every day mom. I work outside of the house, love reading, spa treatments, long walks on the beach (that's a lie... I don't hate long walks on the beach but certainly can't say I LOVE them) and oh yeah... lurking!

I hope to be a good blogger. Timely, funny, with lots of pics... all of the things I've loved about the blogs I've been lurking.

Now its on with the show!