My little girl is growing up. :(

Come on Dec 9th!

LOTS of things going on: last minute papers, quizzes, exams, Thanksgiving, two sets of friends coming into town two different days, studying for finals, attending concerts so I can write aforementioned papers, packing up all the doc offices at work, two birthday parties (in ONE day, no less!), and then finals begin on Dec 6th. The very same day that my office is scheduled to move into our new offices. No fun. At least I have one final per day. My scariest one is Dec. 7th. I'm terrified of that one.

Once my last final is over Dec 9th at 12:30pm, I'm going to be one happy girl. I might even partake in a few tasty adult beverages. Well, after my final, I have to go back to work, so those beverages will be after 5pm when I get home. :)

Asleep at the kitchen table.

Vintage Christmas Toys

Christmas is coming up and this year I am even more excited because Bayley is almost THREE which means she gets cuter toys! I am SO getting excited to get her things for Christmass 2012 because she'll be big enough for some amazing toys that I wanted as a kid.

The first one was the Snoopy Sno-Cone Machine. Now they're called vintage. Guess that means I'm vintage, right? :) I LOVED this toy and will totally get one for Bayley when she's a little older.

The second one is one that I never got, but it seemed like everyone else had one: the Easy Bake Oven. They have made a comeback and they're newer and fancier than before, but something makes me want the vintage one. Joe found one at a yard sale several years ago and bought it for me. The only problem was that parts were missing and I had nothing to bake. :( We ended up donating it to Goodwill or something.

Do you have any toys that you wanted as a kid and will now buy for yourself? Or maybe for your kids?

My Big Three.

My Big Three are: Finances, Education, and Fitness.

Those are the things that really need attention in my life. We have some debt. It's a lot to me, but to other people I'm sure it's not much. I'd like to get rid of it, so I've begun new repayment plans and hope that within a year or so it's gone. Well, my husband's student loan repayments are just now kicking in, so that'll be a loooong time but the rest can be paid off within a year if I'm diligent.

School is a thorn in my side. I never finished my degree because I changed my major several times and I just couldn't afford to finish in 4 years. I was working to put myself through and I was not eligible for student loans. Now I'm back in school with loans and working full time with a toddler is H A R D. If I was a better student, I'd probably do a lot better but I am just sick to death of school. I love it in theory, but the actual work sucks. Maybe I should change my major to something I enjoy studying, but I've changed my major so many times that I feel like I shouldn't. I can't afford to be in school forever and my options are limited to mainly online classes.

Fitness. You've all heard it many times from me before. I seriously need to lose weight. I know working out will make me feel better. I'm stuck in that rut of "I'm too tired to go workout." I need to just make myself go. It gets easier after I've done it a few times. It will make me feel SO much better. I know, I know, I KNOW. Seriously. I do.

So, I'm making progress on two of my three. Now I just need a nap before I work on the third. :)

Duck Face.

Am I the only person who finds the "duck face" photos of teenagers totally ridiculous? You know the ones... where they pucker up their lips and make googly eyes for the photo? I HATE THOSE!!

Anyway, as I'm on my way to daycare to get Bayley, one of her teachers (who I absolutely adore) sent me a photo.

Behold....the Duck Face.

Of course, it's much cuter because it was totally unplanned and she's TWO. :)

Fiver.

I have almost totally stopped blogging. Sad. And even sadder is that a lot of bloggers I read regularly are doing the same. I guess it's how it goes. If you have something major and life shattering, you blog; otherwise you just live your life. My life isn't earth shattering, but I'm going to attempt to blog more regularly again. I have made some incredible friends along the way and we actually talk via FaceBook and we text, and sometimes call. YES! I am a normal, sane person. For those of you who don't live in the South, I'm told I have a cute accent. Whatever. I don't find Southern accents "cute" -- I think we usually sound lazy and retarded. HAHA! Just kiddin', you peeps from Texas, Louisiana, Georgia, etc. I think YOUR accents are cute. ;)

So... lemme see... let's kick this back off with 5 things about myself that you may not know... and if you are still reading my little blog, will you PLEASE comment and tell me 5 about you? Pretty please?

1. I am secretly competitive. I may not always show it, but inside, I am trying to beat you to the checkout line.

2. I have always been very dorky. I'm the girl who is nice, who makes friends, but inside I am in awe of a lot of the "cool" people. I try to think of witty things to say, super intelligent remarks to make, and just give off the "Joe cool" vibe. Doesn't work 99% of the time and I sometimes feel like Bambi when he was trying to stand up for the first time: goofy and awkward. :)

3. Despite this goofiness/awkwardness, I really do like myself. I think I'm a genuinely nice person who is a good friend, wife, and mother. "I'm good enough, I'm smart enough, and doggone it, people like me!" ~Stuart Smalley

4. Movie quotes are beyond me. I remember the gist of the movie, but can't for the life of me remember something word for word. My husband and best friend both are incredible with watching something one time and then being able to turn around and quote a funny line from a movie. I just look at them like a deer in headlights and they get somewhat frustrated and say, "GYAH!! That's from (insert movie title)!! You don't remember that?!" But hey, I'm great at math and they aren't. So there.

Thanks and have a great day! :)

Mopey Moperson.

Ever have a day where you just want to go back to bed and sleep through til the next day? Ugh. Having one of those days today.

Overslept, so was late to work. Got a phone call from a neighbor that Z had broken her window the day before playing baseball in her yard. She told him she wasn't mad, but to tell Joe and me so we could get it fixed. He never said a word. Did I mention that a couple of weeks ago he stole almost $10 out of Bayley's piggy bank and hid it in his room? He told me he had no idea what I was talking about. Then ignored me to play with his Legos. I just blew it off because he had been so good lately. I even took him to get a new movie he had been dying to see and got him a new Star Wars blanket. Joe talked to him later and the truth came out. I was livid. Stealing money from your 2 year old sister.

Z's egg donor had a baby a few weeks ago so I'm sure he's feeling a little neglected at her house. Not an excuse to come to ours to act out. This window is going to not be cheap to replace.

Joe and I are going to talk tonight to see what punishment we agree on. Z comes back to our house for a few hours on Tuesday, then back to his egg donor's house that night. I think Joe needs to talk to her and his punishment should extend to her house. I doubt she'll follow up because she's lazy and worthless like that.

I'm in a super foul mood, so I'll just end this post now and go mope elsewhere.

Sickly Sweet.

This week has been crazy. First, Bayley woke up Monday morning at 4:45am with a fever of 105. I called in sick and treated her with Tylenol. Four hours later, with Motrin. Her fever was only down to 103. I finally called the doc's office (mainly so I could get a doctor's note for work, sad I know) and got her in to see my PCP. In the past, Bayley's ears are infected when she gets a super high temp. Not so this time. She just had a "fever virus." I hate those.

Bayley loves "Scoooby Dooooooo!" and took him with her to her doc appt. This is her in the waiting room at the doc office.

My sweet girl is growing up! The doctor asked her if she wanted to sit in my lap or in a chair by herself so she could get examined. Bayley said, "I sit by myself!" then crawled into a chair and was such a BIG GIRL!! She let the doc look in her ears, in her throat, up her nose, and she even took deep breaths so the doc could listen to her lungs. I was so proud! Then the nurse came in to do a throat swab and Bayley sat very still and didn't even flinch when it was done.

Not that you can tell in these photos, but she's wearing big girl panties now. My sweet girl is potty trained! She won't be 3 until the end of March, so she's done it early!

So very behind.

Gosh. I feel badly that I haven't posted (not sure if I have more than 2 readers anymore!) and not sure what's interesting enough to say.

Bayley now has added a few "colorful" words to her vocabulary that I hope she soon forgets. Let's just say that they are the GrandDaddy of all Foul cusswords. :(

She did walk out to the car the other day and said, "Oh gawwwwd." Don't know where that came from or why, but it did make me giggle. It was just so put-your-hand-to-your-forehead dramatic that I couldn't help myself.

School is going well this semester so far, seeing as how I'm only taking 12 hours and two classes are "easy" courses. So let's hope for all A's and B's and some sanity this semester. :)

Cuteness.

So much cuteness that I just can't stand it!! :)

Expedition.

I am now the proud owner of a new (to me) Expedition. Yay me! It's big and roomy and I like sitting up higher while driving. It's the first time I've ever owned something that has a key fob. (I had to look up how to spell that.)

So, that is all nice, but now I have a car payment. Then I find out a week later that I am denied for my original mortgage modification. I'm all sad for another week then find out I am approved for a traditional modification. I'm now saving $300 a month on my house payment. Good thing, since now that will go to my car payment.

Now we are trying to pay off old credit card debt. Not sure how that's gonna work, but I'm going to try really hard to not get electricity shut off in the meantime. Good thing I have internet at work! :)

Smarmy Salesmen.

Is it me, or are used car salesmen just smarmy? I get the creepy crawlies when I pull into a car lot.

My Blazer is ready to go to Car Heaven. I am sad but am kind of ready for a new vehicle. I do love my 1999 Blazer, for it has been a fantastic transporter of bodies and groceries for 7 years.

Yesterday this total JA was so excited to sell me a minivan for $15k more than the asking price. WTF ever. I brought my husband in to talk to him and Joe schooled that poostain. We walked away. I got like 6 or 8 emails afterward, with my payments and down payment getting smaller. I wasn't impressed.

We went to a few other places and finally found something that we loved and only had one minor issue that we noticed. We brought it to their attention and said we'd have to think on it and see if we could get enough of a downpayment to keep our payments lower. We did. So today we will go test drive, make a couple of requests, and hopefully sign away any extra money we had for the next few years.

Wish me luck!

Wagon Photos

I was asked about photos of the wagon. It was a landscaping wagon you haul tools and whatnot around in, that you can purchase from Lowe's. Some pretty pink fabric and a pink boa later.... viola! It's a wedding wagon. :)
What you don't see is the many fruit snacks, goldfish crackers, sprite, and toys in the wagon to lure the girls into it. The other girl, sadly, ended up too tired to participate in the wedding, so another little girl rode in the wagon with Bayley.

They Clean Up Well.

My gorgeous kiddos were in my niece's wedding this weekend. Z was a junior groomsman (the most handsome one, of course) and he pulled the flower girls in a pink wagon down the aisle. Bayley was one of the flowergirls and by far the cutest one.

Say Cheese!

Bayley has a toy watergun that she runs around the house with. It's tiny like her and she loves going around saying, "Pow pow!" Not sure where she learned that from, but before anyone gets all "up in arms" (pun intended, ha) rest assured that she's not watching Lethal Weapon, Die Hard, Terminator, or any other violent movies. She watches Disney and Nickelodeon.

So anyway, the other day she walks up to Joe and grabs his face and pulls it towards her and says, "Look at me, Daddy!" (She does that a lot.) So he looks at her and she points the watergun to his forehead and grins really big and says, "Say cheese!"

Critically Beautiful.

Bayley likes to check my answers on my accounting homework.

She likes to inspect her food before eating it.

And I like to stare at her every second of every day to drink in her gorgeousness. :)

Then vs Now

A friend of mine from high school and I were roommates for one year in college. We have kept in touch over the years and are amazed at how our lives have paralleled, despite her moving across the country to Vegas. One of the best parallels is that we got pregnant two weeks apart. :) We were so excited to let our little angels "meet" and take their photo together. Look at how little and cute they were!
We haven't seen each other since that photo, but she came into town for a visit over the 4th of July. I drove up to her parents' house and we let the kids play at a park down the street. It was MUGGY and HOT outside, but the kids had a good time playing. Isn't this cute?!

He was a little bundle of energy and Bayley was Miss Attitude, of course. :) But they sat still long enough to get a couple of photos.

Hold You Too!

No news is good news, right?

We had to get an appliance repairman out to fix our icemaker on our "new to us" freezer. We got a good deal on a clean steel side by side and the ice maker has never worked for us. Long story short... $80 to tell us the line that goes to the icemaker was crimped. We now have ice. Hallelujah!

Bayley's speech is growing by leaps and bounds. It cracks me up how she parrots whever people say. Monday, my best friend came by and I wanted her to see Bayley's room (I had cleaned it and hung up a few things) so I said, "Come see Bayley's room," and Bayley looked at Courtney and said, "Come see my room!" It was too cute.

She likes to say, "Hold you!" when she wants you to hold her. I'll say, "Want me to hold you?" as I pick her up and she'll say, "Hold you too!" and giggles.

Yesterday she started saying, "Oh! Cool!" Very cute, especially the expression on her face.

I could go on and on.... maybe I will when I'm done with all this stupid homework for summer school. WTF was I thinking?!

I not reach!

Bayley is into the "What's that?" phase. She points at something and asks. You tell her what it is. She points 2 inches to the right of the same thing and asks again. You again tell her what it is. Repeat this 3000 times a day. :)

Joe and I were sitting in the driveway while she ran around the yard, asking what things were. She then pointed at the sky and Joe told her those were clouds. She then streeeeetched upward and was reaching for the clouds and said quite sadly, "I not reach them, Daddy!" Just melted our hearts.

Sweet girl.

Sorry for the lack of posting... I've been making time for myself. I may spend a few minutes making Bayley's hair bows, organizing a closet, etc. But it's time that I do something that I want to do. Yes, sometimes I want to organize a closet. :)

This morning as I dropped Bayley off at daycare, she said, "Lah loo. Hab a goo day!" (Love you. Have a good day!)

I must be doing something right.

I'm the Mom of THAT kid.

Yesterday when Joe brought Bayley home, he said that Bayley had been in "rare form" that day. She decided to hit some kit for no apparent reason and was put in time out. Later, she bit another kid ON THE FACE!! Time out again. What has gotten into my sassypants daughter? Yeesh. She's never done it before I hope that was her first and last time. I don't want to be the mom of that kid.

You know what I'm talking about: the kid who throws rocks, bites/kicks/hits other kids, the potty mouthed kid, etc. I was struggling with something in Bayley's room while Joe changed her diaper (I'm documenting for all to see that Joe changed a diaper!) and I said, "Dang it!" Bayley then chimed back, "Dang it!" Joe just looked at me. Why do I feel guilty when he says all sorts of very colorful words all the time, and I'm constantly reminding him to watch his mouth? "Dang it" isn't a bad word, so to speak, but I still don't want my 2 year old loudmouth running around saying it.

I guess I'm preparing for the worst. She stuck her hands up in the air Sunday afternoon and shook her booty at me and said, "neneh neneh neneh!" (or however you spell it) because she thought I couldn't reach her with the water hose. I got a good laugh out of that, but then realized that she's sort of learning how to "talk back." She likes to push things out of her way and tell you, "I don't want that!" or she'll push me and say, "Go away!"

I'm glad she's expressing herself, but why do they have to be so mean?? Last night she slapped me (not hard) on the face and I told her that that wasn't nice and gave her a very sad look. She tried to lean into me for a hug (without hugging me) and I just kept looking down and very sad. She whimpered out, "Sorry," so I hugged her and told her, "Thank you." I want her to learn that while it's not okay to hit, she'll be forgiven with a sincere apology.

Finding the right balance between discipline, forgivness, and love is going to be tough, but I am not the mother who screams at her kid, nor am I the mom who just lets it slide or makes excuses. I want her to be well-balanced and think before she speaks/acts.

Maybe I need to teach myself that sometimes. :)

Summertime.

Summer is already so sweltering hot when I get off work, that we have to stay inside until after 7pm. Then we go outside and play for an hour before coming in for our bedtime routine. I can't believe how many new words and skills Bayley has developed in the past few months. Sunday night she COUNTED. TO. TEN. She's only 2! She did it twice in front of a neighbor, then she wouldn't do it for her daddy. Thank goodness I have a witness, else no one would believe me.

The words she now says, she can put them in small sentences. It just blows my mind. She's still so tiny and it's amazing that she can walk, talk, and jump. Seems like she should still be a baby.

4 down, 1.5 to go...

4 finals down, 1 more to go for me. But I'm helping Joe study for his and helping him do his homework in that class so technically that's half for me.

I am going to nap for a week after this is over Tuesday at 11:59pm. The first couple of days? Gonna do nothing. Sleep. Eat. Lay around.

So very, very tired.

5.

It's no secret that I'm trying to get pregnant again. My clock is impatiently ticking and I'm READY!

My weight has been an issue over the past 7 years since I quit running everyday, packed up my life in the NW and moved to the central part of the state to date and eventually marry my husband. I got a desk job and holy cow...I packed on the pounds. I was eating what Joe ate and when he ate, even if I wasn't hungry. Bad habits to start. So here I am, 5 pant sizes larger and miserable. Today I'm sitting at my desk with my pants unbuttoned because I feel so FULL.

I decided that if I am not pregnant this month then I am going to spend my summer trying to get back into running again. I mentioned this before, but I am thinking about it a lot during the day.

Last minute exams before finals are underway and I'm stressed. My own doing for not spending more late nights studying and doing homework, but I'm paying for it now. Next week I have finals and then I'll be DONE.

Then in another couple of weeks I can see if I'm preggers. Keep your fingers crossed.

Hodge Podge.

It was a good weekend. Got some stuff done, but not nearly enough.

I finally finished the mobile I've been working on for Bayley for over a year, though. Joe wanted to hang it up in front of Bayley's window so that meant we had to move the chaise out of her room. We put it into Z's room, but that meant we had to move his bunk bed. Well, the bunk bed's shelves underneath were on backwards, so Joe fixed that when he had to move the bed. Then we had to move toys around in Bayley's room. All the rearranging made the kids' rooms look nice and tidy while I neglected the rest of the house. I'll get to it after finals. :)

Last night I made my first ever homemade lasagna. Not from scratch, mind you, but it was still pretty good. Joe's favorite food is lasagna and he liked it. Said it was a teensy bit salty, but still good enough for him to want leftovers for lunch. :) That spells success!

This is the last week of school and THANK GOODNESS. I am burned out. I need a break and have no motivation to study for finals. I need to, because I need to do well this semester so I can take the classes I registered for for next semester.

I need a big, long nap . Guess I'll settle for breakfast.

I Want.

I did not sleep much last night and the little bit that I did was very restless. I hate nights like those because you're finally able to fall asleep when it's time to get up.

My house is trashed. I haven't had the energy nor the desire to clean this week and it shows. I can't wait for the semester to be over so I can have carefree evenings after work and just sit outside and enjoy the sunshine with Bayley. I want to continue making hair bows and start making tutus. I want to learn to use my fancy new camera and take amazing photos. I also want to learn to sew and use patterns. I have a sewing machine and have already forgotten how to thread it. I want to start running again and get into shape. I want to wear clothes that aren't plus size and start to wear cute outfits, rather than just whatever will fit. I want to go to the lake and spend all day there, getting a fabulous tan, then coming home and showering and going to bed because we're all exhausted from laying around in the sun and playing in the water.

I want all of this and hope to conquer all of these things this summer.

Meanwhile, Joe will take Bayley out for joyrides in his mid-life crisis car.

Five Question Friday.

My brain is too tired to come up with new content lately, so I'm stealing this from a few other blogs I've seen today.

1. What words do you use on your blog/online that you don't use in real life?

I can't say that I use words on my blog that I don't use in real life. My blog is pretty simple and it's just me, so I use them all. However, I do like the word "damn" and say it occasionally in real life, but not much on my blog.

2. Do you still write checks?

Yes. Daycare, things purchased through daycare (photos, etc), photos for my stepson's sports, school, etc., and various other school/daycare related things. Oh, and to Z's mother for medical expenses.

3. Who was your favorite President and why?

I can't say I have a favorite, but I am enjoying Obama. I'm pretty conservative but I voted for him because I felt we needed a change. I truly feel like he is out there trying to help our country. While I may not agree with everything he says/does, I appreciate his efforts. Now if he would just take the financial burdens OFF of the middle class then I think I would put him up on a pedstal. :)

4. Are you a yeller?

No, not really. I'm pretty mellow.

5. Have you ever dumpster dived?

Ugh. No. I've seen people do it, though. I just won't climb into a dumpster. There are too many nasty bacteria and virus germs out there that would LOVE to latch onto me. So no thanks. I'll just go buy what I need, thanks.

Happy Easter 2010

Junk Mail and Momma Bear vs DQ

I am trying to refinance my mortgage and holy crap... the stress of it all may just kill me.

And why do I keep getting so much junk mail lately?

Bayley's birthday party was a successful. Smaller crowd because it happened during spring break, but she got some really great gifts. I went overboard as usual but she LOVED it! I can't believe my little princess is TWO! YEARS! OLD!

She's speaking in 2-3 word sentences now and it's just precious. "Where dat?" "Who dat?" "Mommy okay?" "I want juice..." and so on. It's definitely calmed her tantrums somewhat. I am glad because the girl can THROW DOWN. My mom is her biggest fan and even she says that Bayley looks like the kid on tv and in movies who throws a monster fit in the middle of the store. Yes, that's my kid. It's always in Target too. Maybe all the red sets her into a fury. I don't know.

Speaking of childish behavior, there is a girl at daycare who is a teacher (we'll call her DQ)and she always says how Bayley is her favorite. She has two boys and so she really wants a little girl. She seems kind of fake to me because whenever a parent shows up she has to compliment the parent and the child. I notice she does it a LOT so it makes it seem disingenuous.

They have this sheet that they call "Toddler Talk" that tells you how your child ate and when they were changed. That's all great, but I really like to know if she slept and WHEN she ate, not HOW she ate. Bayley's old daycare had the perfect form. I spoke with all the main teachers in the room and asked if I could make up a new form. They all agreed and finally I did. I made it half a page instead of their whole page of wasted space, and made a ton of copies for them. The director and two of the main teachers loved it. I gave it to them Thursday. On Friday I took Bayley in for half a day of daycare and showed up while the kids were laying down for a nap. DQ apparently does not have an "inside voice" and practically shouted HI BAYLEY and then proceeded to tell me about how all the parents "hated" the new form and was it okay for them to go back to the old form? She had already pointed out a "typo" which I researched and it's NOT a typo (whiny and whiney are both acceptable) and then she said I needed to change "daycare" to "preschool" on the name. I just said that was fine. She kept going on and on and on about it and I cut her off and said, "That's fine, DQ. I was just trying to help out and save you guys some money." She said, "Oh, I know..." and kept talking. I just started talking to Bayley and got her things and left.

It's a daycare and you always encounter the Drama Queen (hence the DQ label. ha) with the childish behavior. I'm not trying to be all buddy buddy with the teachers but two of them have become my friends. One of them took care of Bayley at her old daycare in the infant room, so she knows Bayley since she was 6 weeks old. So yes, I have developed a friendly relationship with her. The other teacher Bayley LOVES and that teacher spoils Bayley. Bayley always wants this teacher to hold her and the teacher happily obliges. It's pretty cute. We have mutual friends in common and a lot of things in common despite our age difference (she's 19).

I've heard several things 2nd and 3rd hand so I take most of it with a grain of salt. However, one story is really bothering me and I talked to the director. I didn't tell the director the story, I just said that DQ makes me uncomfortable. The director said, "I've already spoken with another parent today that has a problem with DQ too. I'll be taking care of it." I thanked her and left.

The story? Well, DQ apparently is jealous that Bayley calls the other two main teachers "momma" sometimes. This doesn't bother me because Bayley knows that I'm her mommy and the teachers are not. These teachers do not encourage it, but they love Bayley to pieces. DQ took it upon herself to chase Bayley around one day, trying to pick her up (Bay was running away from her) and she tries to get Bayley to call HER "momma." This bothers me.

1. Do NOT chase my child down just so you can hold her. If she doesn't want to be held, and she's not in danger, leave her alone!

2. DO NOT try to get her to call you "momma" or anything other than your name. It will just set me into Momma Bear mode.

Random Stuff.

We decided to wait on the crib tent since Bayley hasn't tried to climb out of her crib since that one time. I think we'll just move on to the toddler bed when she does, though. I will have to put her baby monitor back up so I can peek in on her.

Been going through a lot of turmoil with my husband's ex-girlfriend, Z's mother. She's made a lot of changes and they are not for the better. Poor Z is suffering but she convinces him that these changes are exciting! I don't like seeing him used as a pawn and her worst qualities are starting to rub off on Z. While she makes these reckless changes, there's a wake of destruction and I'm cleaning up her mess.

While this mess goes on, I had the stomach flu last week and was m i s e r a b l e. Thankfully that only lasted a few days. Now I have a raging sinus infection and am going to the doctor tomorrow for antibiotics. Hopefully my face doesn't explode from all the sinus pressure in the meantime.

We're in the process of doing a home loan modification. It's very stressful because I like to get things done and not leave big things hanging in the air. They take their time and I am trying to remind myself that it will all be worth it in the end to have our loan modified with a lower interest rate, thus lowering our monthly house payment. That would be very nice.

School is keeping me busy. I'm taking 15 hours and all but one class is online so I try to work on it during the day at work or in the evenings after Bayley has gone to bed. So far I'm keeping my face above water, but I really need Spring Break to come so I can get caught up. I'm taking a day off of work to relax, enjoy the weather, and get some stuff done.

I dug Bayley's summer clothes out of the attic and she's still in a 6-9 month waist! The capris look more like long shorts on her, but at least they fit in the waist. The 12 month shorts and capris still won't fit. I'm sure she'll fit by the end of the summer, but DANG. She'll be 2 in 2.5 weeks! She can wear bigger shirts like 2T, they're just long on her. She has no summer shoes yet but a friend gave us a pair of white crocs in a size 5 that fit her, thankfully. Her little foot is finally getting into shoe sizes that I don't have to special order. I can buy them straight out of Target, Old Navy, Children's Place, etc. :)

I'll leave you with this:

Baby Tents

Joe took off work yesterday and Bayley was in her crib watching tv. Joe had just opened his Ecology notes and heard a muffled thump! then Bayley started crying. Joe, terrified, ran back to her room to find her standing next to her crib -- on the outside of it. Almost two years of baby jail and now my baby is an escape artist.

I posted this on Facebook and a friend suggested a Crib Tent. She said it has saved her sanity and her child still sleeps in the crib. I googled it and lo and behold, it appears I can prevent the toddler bed for another year! It looks like a white mesh tent that attaches to the top of the crib and zips from the outside, so I can lock her in there for another year.

I know this is really selfish, but I think every mom (and dad) will totally understand my reasoning. I love sleep. I really, really love sleep. And I like to sleep in on the weekends. I like to sleep at least 8 straight hours without worry, interruptions, or strange noises. If Bayley were to transition to her toddler bed now (her crib converts to a toddler bed then a twin bed), then I would be up worrying that she's destroying her room, found a way to open her bedroom door (she's still a teensy bit too short), and is roaming the house or found something that will harm her. This means I get NO sleep. Not a good way to go.

So, all that said, has anyone tried this Crib Tent? What are your thoughts on them? Am I just really selfish?

*The photo below is not Bayley's room. It's just a photo from the internet.

Me time.

Yesterday during the beautiful weather, Joe and I worked on cleaning and organizing the garage. He got onto me for not using my sewing machine. He said, "Use it or get rid of it!" It's been in a container in the garage for 2 years, untouched. So I drug the container inside and cleaned it off. I am going to put it on my antique sewing table that he got me for Christmas. I use it as a nightstand, but I am going to really use it for crafts and whatnot. I don't ever use it because I don't know much about sewing and I think I've forgotten how to thread it. I suppose now I can google it and get instructions on the internet. I also feel guilty doing crafty stuff now that I'm a mom and in school. There is always housework, homework, or Bayley wants my attention. I seriously need a girl room like Shannon, but since I can't have that I'll just have to figure something else out.

That being said, I've decided that I'm going to give myself some "me" time each day. It may only be 30 minutes a day, but it's going to be "do what I want guilt free" time. I can do crafts/sewing, self mani/pedi, watch tv, etc. But I can tell you it will NOT include:

• house work
• homework
• taking care of anyone/anything except ME

It dawned on me last night that I put off doing fun stuff because of that mountain of laundry waiting to be folded and put away, dishes needing to be loaded/unloaded from the dishwasher, clutter to be put away, Bayley needing to be played with, homework that is screaming at me to get done, etc. I never have time for it all if I want to be in bed by 9:30pm.

So I'm going to start ME time tonight after Bayley goes to bed. Joe has to study for a test so I can't do it during the time Bayley is awake.

I need to start getting up earlier and working out in the morning before I shower. That will take a miracle from God because honestly, I just would rather sleep. Would sleep count as ME time? I guess it would. Guilt free nap. :) That sounds realllly nice.

Bill Binder

A year or so ago I felt overwhelmed by our bills and all that I have to try to keep up with, so I created a Bill Binder. I took an ordinary 3 ring binder and put dividers in it. I have 5 sections:

• Living Expenses
• Medical (Joe, Jenn, & Bayley)
• Z (because we are required to pay half of all incurred expenses)
• Credit Cards
• Misc

I keep the original of all bills and write on them what I've paid, when, and how (check, bill pay, etc). I keep this in there and staple the newest bill on top and repeat the process until something is paid off (this applies to the big bills like hospital, etc). It goes to the back pocket when it's paid off. I keep that for a few months then retire it to a folder called "Paid/Completed Debts" that I keep in my desk drawer.

Even if I can only afford to pay $10 on a bill, it's nice to have it marked as paid and it shows me that I'm closer to paying something off. Keeps me motivated to get it paid off.

I have neglected my binder for a few months and am now back on track. It feels good.

Blahs and Shoes.

I'm kinda down lately. Financial struggles are exhausting me. The bad news is that our big tax return is gone and we were going to use part of it to build a new deck. That will have to wait now. We've wanted to tear down our old one and build a new one to enjoy our backyard more. Right now we don't ever really go out there much.

The silver lining to some of the struggles is that some major bills will be paid off by the end of April if all goes well and our house payment may go down by $200 a month because of a loan modification. I'm trying to see the silver lining of it all.

I started my period yesterday so we're not pregnant - again. My best friend pointed out to me what I was already thinking but didn't want to say out loud: it's probably for the best that I'm not pregnant right now because of the financial struggles. Yes, very true. I just hope for a positive pregnancy test within the next few months. In the meantime, I need to focus on school, finances, and losing some weight.

The shoes I mentioned in my previous post are, by far, the most comfortable shoes I've ever owned. They make me want to walk and jog. Last night I took Bayley to Target (retail therapy for my blues) and it was cold so I ran and pushed the cart into the store. Then after waiting to buy her a smoothie for a few minutes, I realized I had left my wallet in the car so I RAN back out there to get it and RAN back in. Bayley thought it was exciting and fun to be whizzing across the parking lot in the cart, but it felt good to run. The best part? No shin splints or hurting feet. I realized I had gotten a decent mini workout (I had parked pretty far out) because I felt it in my lungs. It was a good feeling.

I haven't watched the dvd that comes with the shoes nor have I watched any videos on youtube or anything about them, so not sure what I'm supposed to do. I just wear them and am LOVING them. I just wish they had some dark brown ones too. I am wearing my black shoes with brown pants and a sweater with pink and brown. Shhh... don't tell! My pants cover them up pretty well, but I hope no one notices. I just didn't want to go back to my regular shoes.

So... my review so far...is that they are EXTREMELY comfortable and I bet running in them would be awesome. With my mini jog, they were fabulous. I hope to try them out for real (like really jogging in my neighborhood) this weekend.

Tightening my booty and calves one step at a time.

I bought a new pair of shoes last night that I've had my eye on for a while. They are the Sketchers shoe that promotes weight loss, better posture, higher IQ, and wealth beyond imagine.

The above pair is the one I got and I am wearing them with my slacks and blouse at work today. We'll see how it goes.

Has anyone tried these? I figured I need all the help I can get, so I am going to make myself get up and walk around the hospital every couple of hours today. So far it feels like I'm walking on marshmallows.

My main motivation to lose weight is obviously for me, but we've been trying to get pregnant for several months now and I hope that dropping some weight will help speed things along. And if I am blessed with another pregnancy, I hope to find some marshmallowy shoes to keep walking on.

What happened to adjustable waistbands in kid clothes??

I'm mad at Old Navy and their jeans. Bayley has outgrown the 12-18 month pants in length. She needs an adjustable waistband; however, Old Navy no longer offers adjustable waist band jeans until they are a size 2T, which is way too long for her right now. She needs the 18-24 month size. WTH? I'm mad at Old Navy for this. So Bayley is now wearing dresses and tights until she can grow even MORE. Ordinarily I'd be thrilled to have her in cute dresses with tshirts underneath, but I just spent $300 on dresses, tights, and a couple of jackets and sweaters for her to wear in the meantime. Yes, she can wear the dresses this spring and summer, but that's not my point.

BRING BACK PANTS WITH ADJUSTABLE WAISTBANDS FOR LITTLE KIDS!!!!

Yadda Yadda Yah.

Not much news as we've been iced in for the past few days and today is my first day back at work. I have a whiny, screaming toddler who wants to go "potty ni ni" every few minutes. She has peed in her potty twice, though, so that's good.

Bayley and Z played like crazy yesterday since we got him for several hours before he had to go back to his mother's house. She took away all of our "extra" visitation back in October so that has been really upsetting for Z and Bayley both. Yesterday they had so much fun and Bayley looks up to Z so much. He loves doting on her. It's really cute.

I'd post photos, but I'm too lazy to figure out how to get them off my phone to my computer.

Joe is prepared for Valentine's Day this year. He told me he already ordered my gift and it may not be here in time, but he is excited. Part of me thinks it's a stand for my bike so I can ride it as a stationary bike in the garage, but I'm not sure.

I guess I need to decide on what to do for him. He's really easy to buy for and I'm a great gift giver, so I'm not too worried.

What I AM worried about, however, is Bayley's 2nd birthday is in 6 weeks and I have no idea what I'm going to do. I want to rent somewhere that has a big place for Joe's family and mine to come, but I don't want to shell out $400. Her 1st birthday party was too crowded, as we were in our house and I didn't expect many people to show up. Joe's entire family showed up and he has a BIG family. EVERY.SINGLE.PERSON showed up. And then some neighbors, some of my family, and a few friends showed up. Holy cow. My little house broke some fire codes that day, I'm pretty sure.

I think I am going to use the Elmo theme (or as she says "Memo!" ) and go with that. I'm just too tired to think today. Gonna hit up another cup of coffee then drink a gallon of sweet tea. :)

New Relationships.

I have reconnected with a friend of mine from high school that found me a couple of years ago on MySpace. He emailed me this HUGE email and talked about what he's been up to, told me about his wife and kids, and recounted some memories of our high school days. I was so enthralled in the email that I just stopped working the rest of the day and emailed him back. Since then, we have kept in touch via texting, email, and one phone call. Then we friended each other on FaceBook and had a lot of laughs.

Recently I thought it may be appropriate to make an effort to get to know his wife. I mean, it just seems weird to me that I am all chatty with my friend but don't really know his wife. I knew of her back in high school (she went to a different one than us) but that is it. Guess I'm old fashioned, but I believe that boundaries change for opposite sex friends once one of you gets married. Nothing ever happened between my friend and me, nor was there ever a hint of it. He was like my big brother and was very protective of me.

She and I kind of talked on FB by making fun of her husband, but never really had our own conversation. I asked my friend if I could get her cell number and if it was okay for me to text her. He was pretty psyched about it so I texted her immediately. It has only been a few days, but she and I already have established a really good friendship so far. The day after we first texted, she sent me the sweetest email saying how she enjoyed our chat and was looking forward to getting to know me.

We live in neighboring states, about 8 hours of a drive away, so we won't get to hang out in person. They won't be moving because he has a fabulous job with a Big Company and my husband hates that state because they don't have whitewater for kayaking. Guess our visits will be limited to when they come to visit family or if we win the lotto and can go visit them.

All in all, I am excited about my new friend.

Jiff's Jibber Jabber.

Joe and I have been enjoying our time off from school. Classes begin Monday the 11th and I'm registered for 5 classes, all but one are online. Joe is taking 4 classes and then he'll graduate this May. YAY!! We just have to find him a job in his field now. That will be a challenge.

BMD (Baby Mamma Drama) has been happening, although we're waiting for the real poostorm to hit. Just a matter of time. I think the court system is a joke and don't expect any help there. Fathers are given a bum deal and egg donors aren't necessarily mothers and don't deserve automatic custody with no rights for the father. Just sayin'. Some egg donors just want their monthly paycheck and blow it on their unemployed "husband."

Does anyone have an explanation for why Bayley seems to think that she's Miss ToughGirl and has been in her Terrible Twos since around 12-13 months old? Ugh. She wears me out. She says, "NO, Mommy! Mean Mommy! Nooooo!" when I suction her very snotty nose. She hits and pushes like nobody's business. She doesn't even turn 2 until the end of March, and I hear it's worse when she's 3... I'm just gonna die now.

I'm taking Joe to see Avatar at the IMAX theatre in 3D on Saturday as our Date Day. My mom is going to watch the kiddos and we're going to an early lunch and then to see the movie. $25.50 for TWO tickets for a matinee. This movie better rock my socks off.

I started menu planning. Last night I gave Joe several recipes and told him to pick 4. He did, so I made a grocery list right then of what we needed and then we went to the grocery store and bought only those ingredients and then sandwich meat, bread, and fruit. Tonight will be my first night of cooking from the menu. I think it made Joe feel good to choose his dinners and go grocery shopping with me.

We're starting out easy on the menu plan:
Chicken fajitas
Beef pepper steak
Chicken enchiladas
Baked ziti

Sunday we'll do the process over again, but with 7 meals. We'll have enough to take leftovers for lunch the next day and anything left after that will go to the neighbors. I've removed all the candy from our house and our "snacks" are fruit. We still have less than healthy stuff in our house, but we're just slowly making changes.