Whoosh...

I think I'm going to vomit.  Has anyone noticed how SKINNY Rachael Zoe is?  Goodness!

Oreo Coupons...

Seems like I always post my Oreo deals after the fact.  Well for those of you who share my weakness, here's a coupon for a $1 of 2 packages of one of my favorite vices.

New Revelation

So, here it is.  My driver's license is no longer a lie.  I'm actually at the weight that the great State of Ohio says I weigh (and I didn't change my DL!).  That feels good.  Truth will set us free.

It's Blahday

I guess I should be thankful.  I'm not an emotional person.  Often I take things at face value without a lot of "to do".  I try to make lemonade out of life's lemons and I try to take the perspective that there's something I need to learn from each and every situation.  Most of the time I can take the emotion out of it and look at whatever it is with perspective.

Today I'm struggling.  It was Meet the Teacher today.  After a FABULOUS Kindergarten year for my twins, I'm not so thrilled with the year that is ahead of us.  The teacher isn't what I thought she'd be, the classmates aren't who I thought they'd be and if I had the calendar in front of me I could tell you whether this is all PMS.

I do hope that's all it is.  I just feel blah.  It could be the weather as it's gray and drab today...although the temperature is more than perfect.  Too chilly for the pool but the windows are open and the breeze is lovely.

Just had to vent a minute.  Anybody with similar feelings about the school year ahead of us?  Tell me I'm not alone.

Wait til You See...

Wait til you see my master bathroom people.  It is all new and all improved.  Just to give you a verbal glimpse, I had a vanity that was missing a door.  Apparently the "crazy lady" (We'll call her CL for short.. RIP) who once lived in our home had several BIG dogs.  One of the dogs charged through the bathroom and broke off the cabinet door.

Of course she never replaced it because she never cleaned or mowed either.  That's a story for another day.  Let's just say our neighbors were kissing our feet when we bought this wreck home and we can do no wrong in their eyes.  Always a good position to be in...especially when we have a habit of running a tile saw at midnight.  Sorry neighbors.

Besides the door-less vanity we had a decent laminate flooring and one of those ALL in ONE shower deals with SEATS in them.  I'm sorry.  Is it really necessary to sit down while showering?  I've never understood that one.  I have a problem with sitting unless there is some sort of fabric between my who-who and the seat.  The vanity top was fine.  Honestly all of it was fine if you don't mind SCREAMING 80's decor.

The All in One shower had to be replaced though.  It was just beyond cleaning in my opinion and it's always nice to start anew when you're moving in a previously occupied home.

This is our last BIG project.  Thank goodness!  So far (just to bore you a little more) we've torn out most of the drywall (from the 4 foot mark down) out of our lower level.  We've carpeted 85% of it and tiled another 15%.  We ripped out the shower and vanity and replaced with all new.  We've painted the entire lower lever ourselves.  The only thing that was done by an outside source was the carpeting.

On the main level we refinished the hardwood floors, installed carpet in all the bedrooms, tore out the kitchen completely (almost to the studs), re-tiled and painted. Replaced all the interior doors and most of the exterior doors.  We re-constructed the deck and stained as well as re-graded the back yard AND landscaped.  We replaced the windows (did I tell you about the Winter that Boy Wondertwin had icicles growing in his window?  The windows were 40 years old and NOT double paned...I'm not even sure I'd call that glass in those windows).  We've torn out the bathrooms on the main level and now finally we're knee deep into the last renovation right now. 

Thankfully we've found a contractor who does "finishing touches".  We're hiring him to do all the trim work and ideally make our "DIY projects" look professional.  And no.  He's not a miracle worker.  We'll see but I plan to post some before and afters....just got to get my act in gear and start praying that my computer decides to function again.  Lovely.  Did I mention we bought a bank owned property?  Stay tuned for how God answered that prayer.

And So It Begins...

Boy Wondertwin was happily playing on the kitchen floor (which usually makes me just a tad crazy because I'm not a fan of kid stuff in adult spaces) and I glanced down to see a little boy who is on the verge of growing up.
First Grade is a big year I'm sure.  I'm already seeing flashes of his future teenage self and in the next moment I see a person who is trying desperately not to revert back to his 2 year old self.  6 is a strange age.
So school starts this week and it's time to get in the groove.  The big change for us is the adjustment to full day school.  We're ready.  We're ALL ready.
I'm not emotional about the all day part.  Correction:  I'm JUBILANT about the full day part.  There are so many things I'd like to accomplish.  Mopping the floor has been Mission Impossible over the past 6 years but I plan to tackle that one with a vengenance this school year.  I WILL have CLEAN floors!

I'll go into my plans for being ALONE another day but right now I just wanted to say that Puff the Magic Dragon might just be the SADDEST song on the planet.  Couple it with my little people growing up and ugh!  Sad. Be sure to take a listen and if you have a little boy (or girl for that matter) be ready to cry. And just for nostalgia's sake, check out the Peter, Paul and Mary version!

What I Did ALL Weekend...

Eat Pray Love

For a week now I've been meaning to post my thoughts on this book.  Since I have yet to pencil them in, I'll post a link to this blog for now.  I agree with this post completely...I have much more to say.  Maybe I will.

My computer is NOT working well.  It shuts off AT WILL for no apparent reason at all. Frustrating.  For obvious reasons my blogging has been stunted.  Dang it.  No wonder I've been grumpy.

Promised link HERE.

Huge Milestone!?!?!?

Boy Wondertwin has been wet every night of his life since birth.  He's now 6.5 and it's getting old.  Have you seen the price on those "GoodNights"?  They make me say, "GOODNIGHT" like my grandmother used to do...you know...like an old lady cuss word.  Seriously.  I think I paid $41 for 3 packs of Goodnights.  And that was ON SALE, ONLINE and FREE shipping.  Ick.

Well, I hate to blog too soon but I'm thinking we've hit a major milestone.  Boy Wondertwin has been DRY for 6 out of 7 nights.  You have NO IDEA how happy this makes me!  I'll keep you posted.

The master bath remodel is calling my name.  Ick.

Um...yes.

So the in-laws were in town for 10 days.  Yep.  10 days.  My FIL thinks it's cost effective to come 3 times per year and spend a LONG time here when they visit.  It's fine.  The kids love love love having them and for that I'm thankful.
One thing about my in-laws.  For the most part they say what they think...when they think it.

Example.

The kids and I picked them up from the airport.  I got out of the car to load their bags and my mother in law says, "Wow, are you pregnant? You look pregnant.  Do you have a surprise for us?"

Yep.  She did.

You know (if you've been following over the past 2 months) that I've lost 13 pounds which evidently is as noticeable as if I had a centimeter cut off of my hair. I really have no explanation for her "observation" other than I did have somewhat of an umpire (is that how you spell that?  surely not.)  waist going on with my dress.  Really though.  You just never say that.  Never.  Not even to your daughter in law.  Especially to your daughter in law.  My FIL quickly chimed in with, "Wow, you've lost weight."  Hmm.

Perfect Sense

Don't you think my picture should be here?

My nemesis?  Oreos.  Full packages of Oreos to be descriptive.  I need not buy these evil circular objects.  They do bad things to me.  Why must they be so delectable?  I just can't resist.  There (was) a package in my pantry.  My cooking pantry.  I know NOT to keep it in the snacks pantry.  That would be ludicrous.  They would disappear before I could even finish a row.

Is that bad?  I buy Oreos just for me, hide them and eat rows at a time.  I didn't used to be this way.  Previous to 2010 I hadn't had an Oreo in a few decades...since I was a kid I guess.  That FREE package of Oreos did me in.  It renewed our love affair and now I can't break it off.  That pretty blue box calls my name as I'm innocently picking up Goldfish snacks for the kids.  It says, "KP, You know you want me" in this totally irresistible sexy voice that I find so alluring...and I just can't help it.  Into the cart it sneaks itself just to have its way with me.  Oh, the affair is sweet until the walk of shame in the morning...to the scale.  A wretched love those Oreos are.  They do as they wish with me and then leave me to pick up pieces and spend yet another morning on that dreadful treadmill, trying to forget my transgressions.

But yet they leave me wanting more.  And more.

Dear Nabisco, Post Optionsplease stop offering free and BOGO coupons.  You are derailing my life.

Happy Homemaker

I'm not a homemaker.  I'm just not.  Yes.  I've been "home" for 6.5 years.  Well, if that's what you call it. I'd say I've been at the Library, Park, Zoo, Science Museum, Red Barn, Water Park, Pool, Sports fields, Bible Study, music/sports lessons and any other possibly imaginable place besides home.  Really, who "stays home" with 3 kids 25 months apart?  Show me that person and I'll show you someone who is ready to be committed.

I'm not good at much around the house.  I'm no Martha Stewart.  I do enough to get us by.  I cook "just enough", clean "just enough" and buy "just enough".  I'd really rather be doing just about anything else besides "keeping house".  The kids can tell you.  We're out more than we're in and they are going more than they're stopping.

One thing I AM good at is laundry.  I can do laundry with the best of them.  I'm on the ball when it comes to laundry.  Never is more than one load sitting in the basket.  I love to throw it in, get it out, divvy it up and send it into the arms of my trio to be put away.  I'm all about that.  It's the choleric side of me.  It's something I can check off.  Cooking just makes more mess.  Cleaning seems to NEVER be finished, decorating?  Well, I'd have to start that to know if it ever finishes.  I KNOW renovating never ends.  But Laundry.  I can do that.

One of THOSE Days!

It was 11am and I was pretty sure the day couldn't get any worse.  After sleeping 9 hours (well...2 bathroom trips of course...rare to sleep 9 STRAIGHT hours after 3 babies...but I digress.)

I got up early, ran to the gym, hit the treadmill for 20 minutes and then took the fastest shower ever, only to be late for my 9am doctor's appointment.  Bitter.  I even got a LECTURE from my family practitioner.  I thought those lectures were reserved for the dentist office.

After the tech left mega bruises all over my arm (drawing blood) I flew home to pick up the kids in order to get to the airport.  My in laws are in town.  For 10 days.

In a rush I pulled (attempted to pull) into the garage forgetting the car top carrier on my van. Crunch!  Thankfully the garage and the car are okay.  The carrier is no more.  Did I mention we borrowed it from someone else?  Yep.  Crap.

I enter the house to find my mom explaining to the kids that they needed to say goodbye to her dog (they think he is THEIR dog) because she was heading to the vet to put him to sleep.  Yep. Crap.

He was 15 years old.  For a 65 pound dog that's a long time.  And it was time.  Have you ever smelled death?  That's what this dog smelled like.  For months.  He smelled like death and before our eyes he was deteriorating...rotting like a dead, moving corpse.  Gross.

Just now I was in Little Dude's room and he said, "We never gonna see Winston again?"
No, Little Dude.  He's gone.
He's dead right now?  Never again we see him?
No Little Dude.
And then the onslaught of tears.  I have a feeling that this will be an on and off thing for the next few days and weeks.  Anybody out there have advice when it comes to death of pets and little people?  Not easy days around here.