Oh my goodness! Can I just say that today is absolutely beautiful here in Western KY? Because it is. It so totally is. This is the kind of fantastic weather that puts me in the best of moods and has me feeling energetic, ambitious, and motivated. Not necessarily to write in a timely fashion, or to stay on task for any extended period of time, but fantastic nonetheless.
My husband has been amazingly helpful this week. I mean, he’s always great, but I just really felt like this was the most laid back week I’ve had in a while as far as things around the house went. I wasn’t always in the best of moods, and Lil’ C and X-man brought some challenges to me. DH helped me get through the week with most of my hair still attached to my head though. He cooked dinner on Tuesday AND Wednesday night, then last night we got an unexpected (yet much needed) date night. Lil’ C left a night early for the weekend so that he could go to the fair in his grandparent’s hometown while X-man went to spend the night at his dad’s and got to croon over his new baby brother that was just born this week. Cam and I went out to eat, to Wal-Mart (because that’s about the only time-killer option in this one horse town), and to a late movie (“The Other Guys” with Will Ferrell, Samuel L. Jackson, and Mark Wahlburg… it was okay). Then we came home, tag teamed the cross stitch blanket we’ve been working on for Baby M, and played some Karaoke Revolutions (because we’re nerdy like that).
I actually slept in this morning until nearly 10am which felt refreshing. Then, I did my favorite thing to do these days… I took a shower in the middle of the day without anyone running in there and asking me a question or stomping through the house and leaving me rushing because I’m afraid of what I might find in shambles if I take to long. I even cleaned the garbage out of my car for the first time in… well, much longer than I probably should have gone. And tonight? We’re headed to my wonderful in-laws house to celebrate the marriage of one of my husband’s uncles and his fiance. I get to play shutter bug (photographer).
As stressful and hectic as the beginning of the week was, this ending to the week has really made up for it already. I feel the most relaxed I have, probably in weeks.
It’s just a fantastic Friday! I hope everyone else is having a good day.
What do you have planned for this Labor Day weekend? Leave a comment and fill me in!
Oh, and next week I will be posting the give away for September!!
I’m getting excited. I’m getting super duper excited! Why? Because I’m currently in the preliminary planning stages for one last “big” trip before Baby M arrives. It’s not just any trip, but a trip to my “second home” that I haven’t gotten to make in three years. Michigan! I lived in Michigan for 7 years and the only negative thing I had on that state were simply personal circumstances at various stages in my time there. Otherwise, I love all the cities I lived in and near, all the friends that I made, and the weather. Yes, even the winter. It has been 3 years since I’ve ventured to my “old stomping grounds”.
X-man’s Fall Break coincides with Michigan State University’s homecoming and as an Alumni that sends an extra rush of adrenaline. Sparty On! So long as everything pans out as I am hoping we will be at the Homecoming parade.
More importantly and much more exciting is the fact that I get to see so many dear friends. Some I’ve seen since my last trip because they have traveled the 10+ hours to KY to visit, while others I haven’t seen in quite a few years. X-man is excited because we’re working on touching base with his best friend in Michigan so that they can possibly hang out while we are in X’s birthplace of Hastings.
I was planning to take the trip with just X-man but DH mentioned that he is going to see what he can do to get some days off work so that he can go too. WOOT!
The trip to Michigan in October of 2007 was the first trip DH, X and I took together. At that time X’s dad was finishing his doctoral program at a college outside of Grand Rapids and we were taking X up to spend some time with him during his Fall Break that year. DH and I stayed with one of my best friends, K, in Hastings which is only about 45 minutes from Lansing and Kalamazoo and 30 minutes from Grand Rapids and Battle Creek. For all practical purposes this was the first vacation DH had ever taken. I’m pretty sure that week was just as enjoyable to him as it was for me. He got to meet several of the MI people I was always rambling about and we all took him around to some of our favorite places. He might not have been real thrilled with the snow flurries that decided to strike while we were standing outside on Grand River watching the Michigan State Homecoming parade… but he didn’t complain TOO much (he had a coffee in his hand). So… it makes sense that DH is itching to go up with us because this trip guarantees to bring more great memory building with those same great Michigander friends, plus some we didn’t get to see three years ago. HOPEFULLY we’ll be going up for long enough that we can make a jump over to the Detroit area so we can visit my cousin and her family. MAYBE if we get really ambitious we’ll take a drive across the bridge to Windsor, Canada.
Can you tell I’m excited? I just keep rambling.
I think that while I’ve been bouncing around with all these memories of Michigan in my head I’ve realized where we should take our family vacations while Baby M is little… I’m beyond comfortable with the surroundings in Michigan and there are so many things and people to see up there while still taking it easy. Yes indeedy… I don’t think DH would disagree with that idea either. I know that those special friends up there wouldn’t mind us visiting annually for a while.
I’m off to do some planning/browsing. Go Green! Go White!
Clean clean clean. Yep, I’m back in the cleaning bug again today. I’m just taking a break for the time being. If there’s one thing my body (and thus, Baby Micah) has been teaching me, it’s that I can do my housework, but I can NOT go full throttle for 10 hours straight.
I woke up this morning, came out of my bedroom and my nose was instantly offended. I noticed that the kids’ bedroom door was open (they normally sleep with it closed all night) and my nose was getting more offended the closer I got to the room. What on EARTH is that stench? OH. NO. Oh yes… Lil’ C had apparently woke up in the middle of the night needing to go to the bathroom, but decided not to actually go use the toilet. He pooped in his underwear. I felt my gag reflex trigger.
After waking up X-man and warning him to be careful where he moved to get off the bed, I went straight to work. I ran a bath for C and started the most disgusting task of clean up I’ve had to do in a while. Blankets, stuffed animals that share the bed, etc…. off to the washing machine. Removal of the toxic waste…. into the toilet with undies and all for the time being (I treat the toilet like a wash tub when these things happen, to get the majority out). And I got sick about 5 times. Baby M didn’t appreciate those muscle spasms in my abdomen.
Let me tell you something else I figured out today. The Febreze spray for pets? Yeah… that stuff worked WONDERS to cover the smell so I could flip my gag reflex off. Thank you Mr. Febreze Pet Odor Eliminator… it’s good for the elimination of smells from kids who usually don’t have accidents in their pants, but do like to crawl around the house acting like a puppy or kitty (Lil’ C likes to do this a lot).
—————————
Alright, so I got distracted and busy, then I got tired. haha.
Countless times I have told myself I was kicking you all out, evicted you from my memory. However, I suppose I hadn’t put my heart and soul into battling you and keeping you out of my mind. Somehow you have each haunted me in rotation. Sometimes, several of you think it’s okay to gang up on me. No more. I declare today the beginning of the final battle. I’m turning a corner, closing doors, sweeping the remnants of broken pieces off my front step, and taking a new fork in the road.
There is no room for you in my life. I will no longer waste my time or energy on the pain you all brought me. Bring your army at full throttle and face me. I will slaughter you with my bare hands. Then I will cry the tears of victory as I conquer the fear, self doubt, and pain you’ve all tried to engrave into the deepest parts of my being.
Your denials of what you have done to me will no longer prevent me from healing. This is MY time. Time to rise above it all and complete the formation of my SELF… my Ego and my Id.
Now, you can contact me directly through a dedicated e-mail account. If you have any special comments, requests, or concerns you can message me at: jen@mommahen.com How easy is that? For those of you who entered into the contest, please add this e-mail address to your “safe list” so that when/if I try to contact you it won’t disappear in your Spam box.
Groceries. It seems like my list is continually growing, and it seems I can’t quite keep up these days. There’s a down side to staying at home for me: I’ve gotten a little to laid back about my shopping trips since we live in town. When I was juggling X in soccer and school, Lil’ C with all his doctor appointments, working nearly full time, college half-time, and trying to keep up with everything around the house I was much more efficient with my shopping trips. I was strategic with my lists and menu planning and made sure that I bought everything I needed for two weeks at a time.
These days it seems I need to go every other day to get something. Some of that is because I’ve been cooking a lot more, or at least more elaborate meals that actually require more effort. While I’m tweaking my routine, I’m adjusting to what I need as “staples” to make it through a week.
In the past week or so I’ve been working on getting myself back in shape with menu planning and grocery list making. It’s a slow process. haha. I think it’s going to be crucial to my survival once Baby Micah joins the family in December so I want to be in the swing of things, as best as I can, before he gets here. Obviously, with children there are always adjustments and I have to remain mostly flexible. I’m already working on that. For instance, I have a dinner menu plan for two weeks at a time, but I don’t necessarily stick to the nights I assign. It’s simply a guide for me. I generally have what I need in stock so that I know what the options are for the family and I switch things around according to moods and “tastes” for the day.
My line up for last week:
7/26: Spaghetti
7/27: Salisbury steak and veggies
7/28: Pancakes
7/29: Date night w/ DH
7/30: Turkey and veggies
7/31: Ravioli
8/1: Taco Salad
What actually happened was:
7/26: Ravioli
7/27: Salisbury steak and veggies
7/28: Taco Salad
7/29: Date night with DH and X-man
7/30: Turkey and veggies
7/31: Spaghetti
8/1: Pot Roast
The pancakes got moved to one night this week, and the pot roast moved from this week to last week. It just fit the schedule of our days better. Now, if I could just make sure I get everything when I go to the store the first time. Then of course I’ve been randomly craving things so I have to go to the store to get the stuff to make whatever I’m in the mood for that night. One night I had to go get the stuff to make cookies. Another, I needed banana pudding so I had to get those ingredients. haha. Let’s just say I’m pretty sure that I’ve completely blown the “I’ve only gained one pound so far” with the pregnancy. It was during this same time frame in my pregnancy with X-man that I put on something like 8 pounds in a matter of a couple of weeks. I guess I’ll find out how much damage I’ve done when I go in for my check-up next week.
I’ve got my grocery list ready for the rest of this week. Today, Lil’ C and I will venture off to the store. I’d put it off, because I like to procrastinate a bit, but I have to have a few ingredients TODAY. See that? That’s procrastination. haha
Yes, that was a reference to Aerosmith. Yes, I also realize the song says “pink”, but since this month’s NaBloPoMo theme is “green” I had to tweak the lyrics a bit. Lame? You betcha. Typical of me? Yes ma’am, er, or… sir.
I easily get a little green in the face. No, not with envy. More like nausea. Thank you, Baby M. He’s pretty good at making me feel like I’ve just ridden a rollercoaster directly after eating a buffet’s worth of food. Even though at this point I’m lucky if I can finish one full plate off a buffet without having to wait 30 minutes to eat anything else.
And smells… oh boy. I’m pretty sensitive to smells still. Luckily there aren’t THAT many that trigger the green face, but there’s still more than enough. Tobasco sauce for one. And my DH loves his Tobasco. *puffs cheeks out and crosses eyes* Fortunately he’s also been pretty sensitive to my aversion and spared my moody stomach.
Are you getting excited about seeing BABIES in theaters this weekend? Then you’re going to be even more excited to find out that you can get a group of your Mom (and Dad) friends together and get a special group rate! Check out a list of theaters showing the movie, and get details on how to get the special group rate:
Don’t see your city in the list? (Mine isn’t… BOO Cheri theater, Boooo) Vote here to let your city know that you want to see BABIES!
BABIES, the movie releasing this Friday from director Thomas Balmes, has paired up with the March of Dimes. Please view the following public service announcement to find out what you can do to help make sure that moms have healthy, full term pregnancies.
I haven’t added anything new about the great new movie coming out Mother’s Day weekend (May 7th) in a few weeks! There is SO much more to share too!
“Watch this video from MommyCast and learn about the many lasting lessons a baby can learn from being in the presence of animals. From empathy to responsibility, these lessons will carry through from infancy to adulthood!”
Don’t forget, this is one of those wonderful perks of being a BzzAgent. If you want to get a sneak peak at things, or try out new products and voice your opinion while spreading word of mouth, please check out www.bzzagent.com.
