okay, i have not written in FOREVER! and if you don't believe me, just ask my mother because she has reminded me of this fact at least twice! i have been crazy busy lately! my first grader (who i guess will now be known as "the little lady") just finished up school. the last week of school was filled with first grade graduations (don't get me started) and parties and watching movies and more parties! it sounds like nothing but i'm the room mom so, of course, i was up there everyday and helping with the parties and activities. the week before that was teacher appreciation week, which as the pta president, i was in charge of organizing. we had a "treat" for each day of the week and then on friday we had a big "escape to the sea" luncheon! it went really well but it was a lot of planning and work! all i can say is ... i'm no longer the pta president!!! YEA!!! we are now in the midst of summer - which means going to the pool almost everyday, eating fresh fruit, going on playdates, and catching up on big jobs around the house (i have cleaned out my closet already)! my only schedule is taking the girls to gymnastics, art camp, music camp, vacation bible school and doctor appointments (which really isn't that bad)...except for the doctor appointment that i have already missed!!

april lights

why on God's green earth would anyone take the time to put up lights on their house for christmas and then be so freaking lazy to not take them down?! don't get me wrong, at our house we are not these crazy people that take down all signs of christmas on december 26th! we leave everything up until at least after the first of the year. usually we wait until january 6th (the epiphany). i can even understand people that may be out of town or have been in the hospital or just really busy from the holidays, but how in the hell can you not have 15 minutes to walk outside and rip the light cord down from your roof! IT'S ALMOST MAY!! i find it very hard to believe that you haven't had even that small amount of time in 4 months!

tattoos

i don't have any tattoos. that isn't to say that i haven't thought about it! i even seriously considered getting one for my 35th birthday! and i very well may still do it! i do think that if you are going to get one, it should mean something to you (i mean, you will have it for the rest of your life)! maybe you got it for a loved one that died. maybe you got it for the birth of your child. that, to me, makes sense!

most people that i know (that have tattoos) have them in discreet places and/or they are small. if you have a butterfly on your ankle or a star on your shoulder blade, it looks cool now and when you are 80, you probably won't be wearing clothes that show it off.

but then there are other people that must not expect to live more than about 5 years! why on God's green earth would you tattoo your neck? or more especially YOUR FACE?!? a face tattoo says "i've gone as far as i want to go in society...in fact, i think i want to take a few steps back"! okay, mike tyson can sort of get away with it because he's rich, famous and weird but the guy that works at my local target, really should have thought a little more before he got his multiple face tattoos!

i ♥ the 80's

i really do! i loved the music, the movies, the tv shows and especially the clothes! i so wanted to dress like madonna in 1983 (with all of the necklaces and bangles and fluffy,short skirts) but i was 8 and my mom wouldn't let me dress like that. now, a lot of the 80's fashions are coming back in style but i'm too old to dress like that! can you imagine me coming in to the pta meeting at my daughter's christian school and i'm dressed like cyndi lauper!? i think i might get a few weird looks!

i told you all of that to tell you this: today is my 35th birthday and last night we had an 80's themed birthday party! it was like so totally awesome! we had a lot of fun dressing up and having 80's music and 80's movies on tv. we had 80's themed food and drinks - st. elmo's fire roasted salsa, the breakfast club sandwiches, and pretty in pink lemonade (with vodka in it)! i didn't want the night to end - partially just because i wanted to keep wearing my 80's outfit!

tonight we (me, the hubby, and the girls) went over to my parent's house for a fish fry! i made a pig of myself! i'd have to say that this was the best birthday that i've had in a long time! i'm not thrilled with being 35 but this birthday was actually much easier than when i turned 30!

interesting things about me

1. i have NO patience (inherited from my dad).
2. i hate to snuggle - if anyone (even my kids) are touching me i cannot sleep!
3. i love rap music and country music - not really a "normal" mix.
4. i watch way too much tv - thank God for tivo! i don't know how people who had kids ever watched television before tivo was invented. my husband is so annoyed by how much stuff I have recorded and never get a chance to watch (kids are always around)!
5. i used to read books but have given that up since having kids (it takes me at least a week to get through a magazine).
6. the only reason that i like to do cardio is so i can read a magazine (see #5) but i love to lift weights.
7. i don't drink soft drinks at all (don't like the carbonation).
8. my whole life i've wanted to be a mom and housewife. i love it, but it is the most challenging job that i have ever had!
9. my hubby and i have been together for more than 17 years. that's over half of my life!
10. i'm a germ-a-phobe!
11. i love food! i actually will think about what my next meal will be before i finish the meal i'm already eating!
12. feet gross me out yet i wear flip-flops (almost) year-round!
13. i've never had short hair. the shortest its ever been was just past my shoulders and the longest was past my waist.
14. i'm a right-wing, conservative republican yet i watch the view every day. (i guess i like to torture myself!)
15. i'm a casual girl (my "uniform" is jeans and a tank top or hoodie). i'd rather be underdressed than overdressed anyday!
16. i sucked my thumb until i was over 10 years old. i didn't do it at school or in front of my friends but as soon as i got home i would have to get my "fix" (like a drug addict)
17. i'm an awesome bargain hunter! i often get food and household items for free (or the store pays me) and i've bought clothes from target and old navy for less than a dollar!
18. i hate to be cold - give me 100 degrees in the shade anyday!
19. i can't stand the sound of apples being chewed - it's like fingernails on a chalkboard to me!!
20. i love the 80's! i wanted to dress like madonna and cyndi lauper (circa 1983) but i was only 8 and my mother would not let me. now the 80's style is coming back and i'm too old to dress like that. can you imagine the looks that i would get dropping my kids off at school dressed like madonna in her like a virgin video!? i am having an 80's theme for my 35th birthday party in a few weeks though!

i think this pretty much sums it up. it all makes perfect sense now doesn’t it?!

weirdos need love too.

if you watch only one show...

...make it the soup on e! the great thing about the soup is that they show (and make fun of) all of the crazy things that have happened on reality tv for the week - which is the whole reason i watch reality tv!

i am the queen of reality television (just ask my husband). if i could, i would spend all day watching reality tv but "my reality" does not allow that! i tivo and then eventually watch celebrity fit club, celebrity rehab, toddlers & tiaras, little miss perfect, keeping up with the kardashians (even though i don't like any of them), the hills, the city, kendra, girls next door, my life on the "d" list, 16 and pregnant, teen mom, real world (which was of course the original reality show), brooke knows best, all of the real housewives, and the list goes on! i know that it sounds like a lot but each of those shows have a short season (maybe 2 months) and they are staggered throughout the year. and like i said, it takes me forever to get around to watching them - usually while i'm folding clothes or cleaning.

and when i do miss a show i can see the highlights on the soup!

welcome sadie

well, we finally got a new dog. i wanted a cute little puppy - we got a gigantic german shepherd that's full grown (i hope)! her name is sadie and she is a great dog...when I am home with her! she's sweet, rarely barks, is housebroken and walks well on a leash. she loves the girls and they love her! when the girls go to bed, sadie lays at the foot of my little one's bed. she follows me EVERYWHERE (like i really need someone else to follow me around all day)!

those are her good qualities - now for the bad stuff! she suffers from major separation anxiety! when i leave the house (even for just a short time), she howls, scratches the door, tears stuff up (fence, trampoline, etc) and gets out of the backyard! the first two days we had her, she tore the bottom of the pickets off of the fence to get under it and get out. saturday night we went out to dinner and a movie and put her in the backyard. we put her on a 25 foot leash (so she couldn't get out of the yard) and we left her on the back porch with food, water and rawhides. when we came home she had pulled the table and chairs off of the porch, ripped off and tore the window screen and chewed up the door frame! everytime she comes back in the house (even if she's just been outside for a few minutes) she gets way too excited and jumps up, paws at you and rolls around like crazy (this is also another sign of separation anxiety)! i don't know if she was abused by a man when she was younger but she is terrified of all men that come to our house! it doesn't help her case any that she won't go near my husband! he was the one that wanted her the most and i think he would have more patience and be more willing to work through all of these problems if sadie would at least have something to do with him!

the biggest problem is i know that she is probably this way because she has had so much instability in her short life and i don't want to contribute to that but i also don't know if we can handle it. i have been reading all about separation anxiety and trying to do everything that is recommended but unfortunately there is no "magic switch" to flip and it just takes time to make her feel secure - and i don't know how much more time we can give her!