Friday, Friday, Send Me Home!

There is nothing.
Daddy wants to go out to dinner tonight, his job gave him a $50 Christmas bonus (woo-hoo?) so he called and said we should blow it on food. Why not? We couldn't get eachother anything for Christmas, so this would be it, a nice dinner. His shoulder is still hurting a bit "when I turn it this way" so I tell him not to turn it 'that way.' We're hoping all is well when they re-take the X-rays on Tuesday, so he can go back to work. The poor guy is bored at home. I should have left Little Man home with him this week, but I think it would have slowed down the healing process, because Little Man loves it when Daddy carries him, and does The Superman with him. (You know the Superman right? When you 'fly' the kid around? I can't do it, I'm a weakling. I can hardly carry my 25 lb, sack-of-bones son for too long.)
I'm here tapping my fingers on the keyboard, and still there is nothing.
I'm bored.
Send me home!

"Don't touch any of my stuff."

Those were the words spoken out of my Princess Niece's mouth yesterday. They were directed at my son who was looking at one of her toys.
She is lucky she didn't get punched in the mouth, because that's all I wanted to do.
Instead, being a grown-up, I said to her "Well, you know what, when you come to my house don't expect to touch a single one of his toys. You like coming to my house don't you? And you like playing with Little Man's toys, right? If he can't touch your toys you aren't going to touch his. You guys SHARE. And if you can't share you aren't going to play together."
She went off crying.
And I don't care.
I'm sick and tired of her and Little Daddy pushing my son away everytime they are together. Granted her and Little Daddy are the same age, but still, my son looks up to them and loves them and wants to do everything they do. I'm tired of having to pull my son away and distract him because they don't want him around. I'm sick of them coming to me saying Little Man doesn't leave them alone. HE IS TWO FUCKING YEARS OLD. He just wants to play with his big brother and his cousin, he doesn't get to see them all the time.
I left my SIL's house pissed. I took my son and left, I went home and played cars with him.
Sick and fucking tired.

They are trying to KILL ME!

We just got another Cookie Basket.
This mortgage company has already given us two this year, and they just came and dropped another off.
I wonder if any of the agents are actually using them?
They better be, for us to be getting this special treatment...and for me to be gaining 40 pounds a day.

After Holiday Shopping

Has anyone been to the stores in the last few days?
NIGHTMARE!!!
Daddy and I went to the mall last night (in spite of his Disability Certificate, which I was secretly hoping it would get us in the parking garage faster, and maybe valet parking...no such luck...) to cash in a Gift Card he had gotten from his sister. I was hoping to avoid the mall for the rest of my life (working there for four years made me haaaaaate it) but I went along.
Did I mention that it was a NIGHTMARE?!?!?!?!?!
I really wish I hadn't gone.
I should have told him to just get online and buy something there (use some Eddie Bauer coupon codes HONEY- SAVE SAVE SAVE!!!), but God only knows they wouldn't take a Mall Gift Certificate. Which I think she did on purpose, because she secretly hates him and wants him to kill someone when we go to the mall...LOL! We always leave there so pissed off, four levels of pure hell...ugh.
We went, we didn't find what he really really really wanted (picture the pouty face on a grown man) so we left empty-handed. And still had to pay for the parking. It's a conspiracy, I tell you.
On-line shopping it is.


This post is brought to you by Coupon Chief.com.

It isn't Christmas without a trip to the ER

So how was YOUR Christmas???

Ours was a doozy. Christmas Eve was spent at my MIL's house, where everyone cheated and opened their gifts at 10 p.m. She had to work on Christmas (Hotels don't close on Holidays, you know. She is a supervisor, she got the stuck this year since she had last year off.) but still wanted to see all the kid's faces when they opened their gifts. It was nice, the dinner was delicious- would you believe there were STUFFED SHELLS there?!? I was in heaven, partly because they were so good and I didn't have to make them. My mother wasn't feeling well, so her Christmas Eve dinner was postponed till Christmas, which took a load off my shoulders because I really didn't feel like driving and rushing all around.
Christmas was...interesting. Little Man got to open his gifts on my bed since we never did put our tree up. I left the toy trucks for last since I knew he would run off with them and ignore everything else...which he did.
Getting ready for dinner at my mother's I sent Little Man to go shower with Daddy since everyone in the whole house seemed to be showering at the same time and there was very little hot water. I was in the bedroom getting Little Man's clothes ready when I hear a very loud thud followed by some very loud swearing and screaming from Daddy. I made it to the bathroom in three giant steps, hoping I didn't see Daddy or Little Man hurt. I pulled the shower curtain back and see them both standing there, but Little Man was crying, pointing at Daddy and saying "Daddy boo-boo!" I look at Daddy who was rubbing his shoulder and still swearing. "Take him out." he managed to say. I grab Little Man's towel and wrap him up, waiting for Daddy to tell me what happened. It turns out that Daddy had (for some stupid reason) reached out to grab something under the sink and when he was coming back into the shower he hit his shoulder on the corner of the mirror-the thing is that the mirror is an old-fashioned vanity mirror with the lights on top and a plug for you hairdryer or what-have-you-so he got a shock. I look at his shoulder and he had a nice-sized welt where he hit the corner, and it was swelling. "Get out of the shower" I said to him and went to dress Little Man. Little Man wouldn't let me dress him, he wanted to see Daddy and kept asking about Daddy's boo-boo. Daddy came into the room and laid down.
We decided he would stay home while I went to my mother's (I think that was his plan the whole time anyway. He knows I can't be around my mother without my head spinning, he does it on purpose...) and he would see how he felt. I didn't want to leave him alone, but he said he was fine. "Just going to sit for a while."
I went to my mother's where she and my sister gave Little Man enough gifts and clothes to make me need a whole new room in the house to fit it all. I fought with my mother. I ate very little. I went home. Daddy was sitting there watching t.v, said he was fine.
The next morning was a different story. He couldn't move. His shoulder was still swollen. "ER time buddy!"
Little Man went to daycare and off we went.
They thought he might have dislocated his shoulder with the combination of the force of the shock and the hitting of the shoulder, but thankfully that wasn't the case and his muscles are just really swollen and angry so he got sent home with muscle relaxers, some 600mg Advils, a sling, and a "Disablility Certificate" to be out of work for a week. (I have been making fun of him with the Disability Certificate since I saw it. I'm an asshole.)
Someone always has to get hurt on the Holidays, right?

How does your heart not burst?

Two things I want to share before going away for a few days...

• The other day I was getting Little Man's bath ready and asked him if he had to go potty. "No." he said. He hasn't used the chair at home since that day, so I figured I would give it a try. I took his diaper off and said "Let's sit on the potty for a few minutes." I sat on our big toilet right next to him and just waited. He kept looking into the potty chair, and finally looks up at me and begins to pee. I smiled and started to say something, but he puts his finger up to his lips and says "Shhhh..." I shut up. I guess it's quiet reflextion time for him when he is on the potty.
• I was doing motherly things around the house and Daddy and Little Man were in the living room watching t.v. I hear Daddy shut the t.v off and I tohught they were heading to bed. I look at the clock, it was only 8, too early for the boy to go to bed, he would wake up at like 4. Daddy turns the radio on, I hear him and Little Man dancing and being silly together. Then the music turns slow, Daddy put on a cd he plays once in a while when he's feeling all romantical and wants to 'sing' to me. I didn't hear anything coming from them, and started towards the living room, wondering why they were so quiet. Little man was in Daddy's arms, laying on his shoulder while Daddy two-stepped around the living room. My boys were slow-dancing. I actually thought Little Man might have fallen asleep, he isn't one to just lay on us for the heck of it, but Little Man lifted his head, smiled at me and put his head back down. My heart might have grown three sizes like the Grinch.

That is all. Sappy moments...

For all of you: Have a wonderful, and exciting, and SAFE Holiday. May Santa give you something nice. Hugs and sappy kisses to all of you.

Why does it REALLY matter to you?

Stoopid seems to be on a quest to find out just how much everyone in the office is making/spending. She has been on this quest since she got here, but only now is it showing to be her one true mission.
If an agent sells a house, they have to bring me certain paperwork so that they can get paid their commission. If she sees any agent bringing me these papers (they are on 8X14 legal size, can't miss 'em) she rushes up to my desk to ask "Oh, so you sold something, 'eh?" The agent will always give her a strange look, then look at me (where I just make a face) and just nod their answer. (Everyone already knows not to get into a conversation with her.) The silence doesn't work, she starts asking all kinds of questions that frankly aren't any of her business, all this shit is really actually confidential.
The kicker is that she is always trying to get the other agents to tell her how much they pay the office in fees a month. (Also confidential, my bossman has something different worked out for every agent.) She doesn't want to feel that she is getting 'over charged', which between you and me, she isn't. She is actually getting a good deal since the bossman used the lower fees as an incentive to come to our office. But I'm not going to tell her that, I will let her keep thinking she is getting charged the most out of all the agents. Because it's fun.
Beantown bought me lunch the other day just so I would go and pick up a pizza at the Greek place down the street. He bought a giant pizza, so that anyone who was in the office could have a slice or two, and had me put it in the conference room after he grabbed his slices. I sat down, ready to take a bite out of my club sandwich when she came running up to my desk (this lady likes to run. I'm surprised she isn't super thin.) to ask me what that wonderful smell was. "Pizza." I said. I didn't want to talk, I had a delicious sandwich in my hands calling my name. "Is it for everyone?" she asked. I nodded. So she calls out to Beantown, whose office is slightly to my left "Oh, so I see you made a big sale and now want to celebrate." Beantown scoffed and said "Stoopid, I didn't sell anything. I just wanted to buy lunch today. That's all. Why is it that you automatically think someone is selling millions of dollars just because they bought a ten dollar pizza?" Thank you, Beantown, I couldn't have said it better myself.
Bossman is hosting a Holiday Lunch at The Other Office tommorow, he is closing both offices at 12 so we can all go there and lunch. Stoopid came to me after she read the e-mail and said "Oh, Bossman must have sold something nice for him to feel this generous and host a lunch for all the agents." I took a deep breath, I didn't want to come across as an asshole. "Bossman does this every year for his agents, he actually does it a few times a year. It doesn't mean he sold anything nice, it just means he is a nice boss who actually cares about his employees."
If she spent less time worrying about everyone else's sales and more time worrying about her own, she might actually get to sell something.
And maybe buy the office a pizza.

Do you...? And other random crap

• Does anyone actually use their CVS 'Extracare' coupons?
  I just went to go buy Christmas cards (YES! BUY! Five days before Christmas!) and I used my little card and they printed coupons out for me: Save $2 on any $10 or more purchase before January 3rd.
  Chances of me having to spend more than $10 at CVS before the 3rd? Slim. Chances of me remembering to bring the coupon in if I go to CVS before then? Slimmer.
  So I chucked it.
  Am I horrible?
• Little Man is staying at my mother's on Saturday night. Daddy and I are going out. Bad Mommy Moment- I asked my sister to pick him up from my mother's on Sunday morning and spend a few hours with him...so Daddy and I could sleep in. Am I horrible?
• We are addicted to the Arizona Ice Tea...especially now that they sell the huge 23 oz can for only $0.99 everywhere...get this though: I passed a place by my mother's house the other day-kinda like a warehouse type place- that sells the cans for $0.50!!!!! I think we'll be quitting soda and moving on to Ice Tea...not that it's any better but it has to be a little healthier, right? And it still had caffeine so I won't die from withdrawal...And maybe I should just start drinking the Green Tea, wouldn't that be good to lose weight? (I hear it's naaaasty, though...thoughts on green tea?)
• I still haven't made those damned stuffed shells yet, but I still can't get them outta my head. My family always has a big Christmas Eve dinner, so I'm thinking on telling my mother not to make any pasta dishes so I can make them and bring them to her house Sunday night.

Stupid Mommy Brain

I forget things.
A lot.
Don't mention this in front of Daddy unless you want to hear him go on and on about how he has to constantly remind me of things, even things we just spoke about yesterday. I tell him not to blame me, it's just that the brain cells I lost during pregnancy never returned, and I have Mommy Brain...while I can remember the most irrelevant things in the world I will forget anything of real importance.
(Please don't tell me I'm the only one that is still like this...)
At least there is someone out there willing to help me cover my Mommy (Scatter) Brain...I found a free online calendar service that will send me an e-mail or text message to remind me of important events like birthdays and anniversaries. Very easy to use calendar, you provide the info you don't want to forget and you get a reminder...no need to look like a spaz (like I do...all the time) when someone says "Hey, it was So-and-so's birthday yesterday..." Now you can say "OH! I know, I sent a card a week ago!" instead of just hearing crickets in the backround as you try to remember what month we are in. (Because I do that...all the time. And I work in an office...sad...)
The sign-up for the calendar is easy and free, just provide them with a few details and you can start looking like you've always known what was going on!
So, go ahead and sign-up (only if you want to!) and remember to write down my birthday- it's in JULY!


This is a paid post.

That BAD word

Hearing it makes my teeth ache, like nails on a chalkboard. I cringe when it is released in front of people, making me feel more embarrasment than if my shirt button was open. It makes me want to scratch my eyes out, how could such a word be coming from my child, my dear sweet child.

NO.

I hate that word. It's a new one at my house. I thought my eyes popped open the first time he said "Shit!" and began using it in context. (BTW- he no longer says shit.) The first time he said this was when I asked him to come into the bathrom for his bath. It surprised me, I didn't even know what to say, I just walked over to the living room and asked Daddy "Did you hear what your son just said to me?" He nodded, and told Little Man to get into the bathroom. There was no "NO!" for Daddy. Why would there be? Isn't there like a natural fear of fathers? I know I was afraid of mine, and he didn't even live with me.
Then any little request was met with that word, and I wanted to punch him in the lip every time he said it. Obviously I didn't, but I wanted to. Badly. Everytime he would say it, I would tell him he couldn't say "No" to Mommy or Daddy. He cut back to only saying it during tantrums and fits. So naturally it was ignored, because I'm the asshole Mommy that ignores screaming children that throw themselves on the floor when they want something. So he stopped saying it.
Somewhat.
His teacher told me he said it to her all day the other day. Everything was "No!"
*SIGH*
I hate that word.
Have any of you gotten through this without pulling your hair out?

What is better?

We have this place here that comes along with goodies at least once a month. They have just provided us with a delicious assortment cookie basket. Yummy-but oh my belly! They are always coming in hopes that one of our agents will refer clients to them, and figure if they cleanse my palate enough, I will bring them some people. I can't say their name, obviously, but to those ladies who bring cookies and baked goods. I heart all of you. My waistline hates you, though. Sorry.
The place rents out luxury apartments as an alternative to hotel rooms. These are good for extended stays, where a client may be getting their house built or rehabed, and need a place to stay that is more comfortable and personal than a hotel room. I love looking through their bruchures and seeing the interiors of these luxury serviced Holiday apartments, because God knows I will never be in one myself. These apartments offer a greater alternative to the hotels especially during the Holiday season, so if you still want to host a party, you can do so without disturbing half of the hotel, and your guests will be super comfortable. How comfortable can 20 or so people be in a small room? The good thing about these apartments is that they usually don't require you to sign a lease, so you never have to commit to them.
So the agent gets a referral payment everytime one of their clients rents an apartment with them. Why can't I get a referral payment???


*This is a paid post.

An Oldie

I miss posting pics of my baby. I'm still having issues with my phone and the internet connection on it (which is required to upload the damn pics) so I had to dig in my old pics to find a cute pic of my baby boy. This picture was taken when he was about 9 or 10 months old, we took a lunch break at the Subway inside the Walmart and it'smy son's first time tasting BBQ chips. Love the face? Love the little mohawk he had going? (All natural, his hair grew that way, I didn't style it.)

The Christmas Par-tay!

Friday night was our company Xmas party.
LOL.
What a time...It was scheduled to begin at 7, I got there at 7:30. (I had to be fashionably late, I only live about five minutes away from the restaurant we had it at.) I couldn't count on both my hands how many people were already drunk. The appetizers were set up buffet-style in the center of the room, a delicious array of cocktail shrimp (that I ate about a million of), cheesy foccacia bread (yummy), salads of all kinds (overload of Caesar on my plate), cheeses and hams, plaintains (yeah, I couldn't believe that one)...way too much stuff.
As soon as I walked in, I saw my (drunk) bossman, and he handed me my two drink tickets. "These are only good for wine, beer and soda. Special drinks are extra." I wanted to ask him how many special drinks he'd had, but I went to put my coat away. This year's party was a no-spouse party, so we were all there solo, except for my boss whose wife has to show her Tiffany Diamonds everywhere he goes. (Yes, I said he, as in my bossman.)
I spot Head Admin and Other Admin as soon as I walk in, they had saved a seat for me at their table. Head Admin grabs a napkin and covers my chest. "I can see your boobage." she says. I winked at her and said "I know." I was wearing a nice red and black gingham shirt that was very tasteful, but very low cut. And my boobage was very noticeable, but I said "Hey, I can't wear this to work, gotta wear it somewhere." (Daddy liked the shirt...wink:wink)
One of the agents from my office walked in and made a bee-line for me. I love her, let's call her Blondie. "Did you hear that the tickets are only good for beer and wine?" And soda, but I guess no one cares about soda tonight... I nodded. She grabs my arm and heads for the bar. "Two Grey Goose and Cranberry." She pays and hands one to me, I could barely make out any cranberry juice in the glass. We load our plates with appetizers and sit at a table. Another agent from my office arrives, My Honey, and sits with us. She grabs at my chest like Diana Ross did to Lil Kim...I felt so violated. She and Blondie laughed. We talked and laughed and I sipped at my drink (that was STRONG!) and Blondie kept asking me if I needed another. Hell NO. Two other agents from my office arrive, two gay men who I also love, My Prince and Old Navy (totally a walking advertisement for Old Navy) and My Prince looks at me and says "How much did you pay for those things?" Old Navy laughs and says "That must have been a good Christmas bonus..." Assholes. My answer to them all after a while? "This is the best present my son could ever give me..."
Then the food comes.
Oh my God, the food. The meat cut up right in front of us, all kinds of stuff- filet mignon, top-whatever sirloin, chicken wrapped in bacon (also being called a heart-attack), turkey, chorico, garlic bread, fries, and more and more and more. I could hardly eat, but it was so good. I told Daddy we would have to go there for dinner one day. I got a soda to wash all the food down with and Blondie asks me why I didn't get another grey-goose and ice (I swear there was no juice in mine) and I told her I actually wanted to get home in one piece. She laughed at me and called me a light-weight.
Then there was the dancing. The band was a Latin-American band (Spanish, dammit, but the bossman wanted to be PC) and everyone was out there shaking to the music. Beantown pulled me out to the dancefloor, and I was too busy trying not to let him get too close to pay attention to the steps. (He was super drunk...) Then Loud-Mouth (from The Other Office, [TOO]) pulls me out for a slow song, and I'm all like Baby from Dirty Dancing saying "This is my dance space, that is your dance space."
Everyone started making plans to go to a bar together after the party, bossman included, and they kept asking me to go. "Nooooo....Thank you" I left at about 11, just as Crazy Lady from TOO was falling out of her chair. With no one around her. Yup, time to go.
I went home to find Little Man and Little Daddy asleep together on the futon, Daddy pretending to be asleep on our bed. (I caught him looking at me from the corner of his eye.) So I get into one of his t-shirts and curl up next to him to watch Sex and the City re-runs...or not. (wink:wink)

I don't hate ALLLLLLL Christmas songs

AMV - Twelve Pains of Christmas



This has got to be by far my favorite song in the world this time of year. There's nothing but honesty in it, forget the sappy stuff for a minute. I totally forgot about it till they played it this morning on the lite rock station, i guess the DJ is getting sick of the Holiday music, too. I found this on Youtube, and someone put some Japanimation to go along with the music, and it looks great.
Enjoy! And play it loudly!

Send me home, please!

I'm all alone in the office. Chatterbox has gone to a six-hour training (YAY!) and The Shitter and Stoopid have given up hope and jumped ship.
I'm feeling sooooo tired, exhausted. I ate two cookies from the cookie basket that a mortgage company sent to us, and now I feel over-full even though I haven't had lunch yet.
Ugh.
I need to go home and sleep until tomorrow.

Chatterbox

Just when you thought Stoopid was the most annoying person in the office, let's introduce Chatterbox. She actually started a while ago, maybe a couple months now, but I get a headache just thinking about her.
As you can tell by her name SHE DOESN'T SHUT UP. I thought it was going to work in my favor, since she and Stoopid know eachother from the Stone Age, they would stick together and I would be freeeeeee!!!!
Nope.
Because all of a sudden Stoopid doesn't spend every waking moment in the office.
And Chatterbox does.
Oy.
Chatterbox will ask the basic questions a new employee here will ask, but she will ask them fifteen times in a different form to see if she will get a different answer at any time.
An example: Chatterbox: So how does the calendar work?
Me: blah blah blah (explaining the calendar policy)
Chatterbox: So if I'm not here but I am on the calendar you will call me?
Me: Yes.
Chatterbox: But what if I am here and the person on the calendar is not, do I get their call?
Me: No. I call the person on the calendar.
Chatterbox: But what if they don't pick up, do I get the call then?
Me: No. I leave them a message.
Chatterbox: But what if you aren't in the office and I pick up the phone but I'm not on the calendar do I get the call then?
Me: NO. Because you should NOT be answering my phone at any time.
(Doesn't this all sound familiar from when Stoopid started? Is it really that difficult a concept to understand?)

Guess what Chatterbox has done??
Go on, guess.
She has answered my phone trying to be sneaky and take the phonecalls.
*Deep Sigh*
She doesn't understand that not every phonecall here is a new client, and other agents actually get calls here. So in her trying to be sneaky and answer my goddamn phone she was faced with a dilemna...she doesn't know how to transfer calls. (Also a very difficult task, you know.) So she had to come to me for help on getting the agents call to them...while admitting that she answered my goddamn phone when she was specifically told not to. By me and my boss. Twice. So she said "Maybe I should just mind my business when the phone rings..." and I guess she was expecting me to be all "Oh no it's okay, really" but instead she got "Yeah. Just leave the phones alone."
Every question she asks me gets an answer. After I answer her she turns around and calls my bossman to ask him the same exact question. And then she'll come and ask me again. And then she'll ask Stoopid.
She listens in on my calls, whether I'm on the phone with another agent for something or on the phone with my mother, or on the phone with my boss. She will always come up to my desk to make a comment about something that was said on the phone. And I hate that. Don't listen in on my calls, no matter who I'm talking to. So I've taken to speaking only Spanish to my mother. And I've taken to mumbling to the other agents, because frankly what I speak with them is none of her business. It's between the agents and myself, or my boss and myself. I cannot get around this particular trait of hers, as she has chosen to make her home at the very first desk in the office, the one that is about ten feet away from me. But there is a wall separating us. A large wall, about nine feet high, but she makes it almost invisible. I should have told her that particular desk was taken so she wouldn't have settled there. I should have told her Stoopid was looking for an office mate...

A PSA?

When I logged in this morning there was an announcement from blogger on my page..."Your new version is ready!" blah blah blah, "SWITCH NOW!"
I didn't 'switch now!' I want to ask if I should. Is the new blogger better? Is it still in crappy testing? Opinions...
Cripes now I forgot what I was going to post...

Get my Beach Bum outta me!

I used to be a huge beach bum. I loved going to the beach. I actually went into the water, I didn't just go to decorate the sand like most girls do. We have very many beaches here, so you could go to a different beach every day of the week and you would have a different scenery, a different atmosphere every time. What I could have used in my beach bum days was a beach cruiser. (Check out this Beach Cruiser Shop...the website is awesome and the prices are reasonable.) Instead of walking on the boardwalk, just cruise along and enjoy the scene without getting your feet tired or stepped on. I could have also used a nice handbasket to carry my lotions and towels. Park far from the actual beach? As in most cases here, parked across the main road and have to trek for twenty minutes to get to water? No worries, just get on this cute little puppy and ride down to the sand. That's my personal favorite, I like the pink/teal combination, it's not too girlie, but it is still feminine...you know what I mean...and I like the style of the bike, very sleek and comfortable. For men they also have some Harley-style bikes that I'm sure our husbands would like.
I haven't really been to the beach since I had Little Man. I think I went once this past summer, whereas he went almost weekly with my sister. I think the last time before this last summer was when I was pregnant, and I was not happy to be on a beach with a belly. Hopefully this next summer I can get my inner beach bum out again and get down to the waves. I do miss it, I am a Cancer after all, I belong on the beach...

A Meme

Being Bold...What things have you done? Feel free to try this one yourself. Just BOLD the items you've done before, and post it to your own blog, or email it to everyone you know... just don't send it to me... LOL ... Good Luck!
01. Bought everyone in the bar a drink
02. Swam with wild dolphins
03. Climbed a mountain Did fun stuff like this at camp
04. Taken a Ferrari for a test drive
05. Been inside the Great Pyramid
06. Held a tarantula
07. Taken a candlelit bath with someone
08. Said “I love you” and meant it
09. Hugged a tree
10. Bungee jumped
11. Visited Paris
12. Watched a lightning storm at sea It's beautiful!
13. Stayed up all night long and saw the sun rise
14. Seen the Northern Lights
15. Gone to a huge sports game
16. Walked the stairs to the top of the leaning Tower of Pisa
17. Grown and eaten your own vegetables Green beans. They were delish!
18. Touched an iceberg
19. Slept under the stars
20. Changed a baby’s diaper Still doing it.
21. Taken a trip in a hot air balloon
22. Watched a meteor shower
23. Gotten drunk on champagne
24. Given more than you can afford to charity
25. Looked up at the night sky through a telescope
26. Had an uncontrollable giggling fit at the worst possible moment
27. Had a food fight
28. Bet on a winning horse
29. Asked out a stranger
30. Had a snowball fight
31. Screamed as loudly as you possibly can
32. Held a lamb
33. Seen a total eclipse
34. Ridden a roller coaster
35. Hit a home run
36. Danced like a fool and not cared who was looking
37. Adopted an accent for an entire day
38. Actually felt happy about your life, even for just a moment
39. Had two hard drives for your computer
40. Visited all 50 states
41. Taken care of someone who was drunk
42. Had/Have amazing friends
43. Danced with a stranger in a foreign country
44. Watched whales
45. Stolen a sign
46. Backpacked in Europe
47. Taken a road-trip
48. Gone rock climbing
49. Midnight walk on the beach
50. Gone sky diving
51. Visited Ireland
52. Been heartbroken longer than you were actually in love
53. In a restaurant, sat at a stranger’s table and had a meal with them
54. Visited Japan
55. Milked a cow
56. Alphabetized your cds
57. Pretended to be a superhero I'm usually Superman at my house.
58. Sung karaoke
59. Lounged around in bed all day
60. Played touch football
61. Gone scuba diving
62. Kissed in the rain
63. Played in the mud
64. Played in the rain
65. Gone to a drive-in theater
66. Visited the Great Wall of China
67. Started a business
68. Fallen in love and not had your heart broken
69. Toured ancient sites
70. Taken a martial arts class
71. Played D&D for more than 6 hours straigh
72. Gotten married
73. Been in a movie
74. Crashed a party
75. Gotten divorced
76. Gone without food for 5 days
77. Made cookies from scratch
78. Won first prize in a costume contest
79. Ridden a gondola in Venice
80. Gotten a tattoo Hurt like hell, but I think I want another
81. Rafted the snake river
82. Been on television news programs as an “expert”
83. Gotten flowers for no reason
84. Performed on stage
85. Been to Las Vegas
86. Recorded music
87. Eaten shark It's actually quite good...
88. Kissed on the first date
89. Gone to Thailand
90. Bought a house
91. Been in a combat zone
92. Buried one/both of your parents
93. Been on a cruise ship
94. Spoken more than one language fluently
95. Performed in a Rocky Horror Picture Show
96. Raised children Raising...
97. Followed your favorite band/singer on tour
98. Passed out cold
99. Taken an exotic bicycle tour in a foreign country
100. Picked up and moved to another city to just start over
101. Walked the Golden Gate Bridge
102. Sang loudly in the car, and didn’t stop when you knew someone was looking
103. Had plastic surgery
104. Survived an accident that you shouldn’t have survived
105. Wrote articles for a large publication
106. Lost over 100 pounds.
107. Held someone while they were having a flashback
108. Piloted an airplane
109. Touched a stingray Very common along the shores of Puerto Rico.
110. Broken someone’s heart
111. Helped an animal give birth
112. Won money on a TV game show
113. Broken a bone Is a fracture the same thing? Fractured two of my fingers.
114. Gone on an African photo safari
115. Had a facial part pierced other than your ears
116. Fired a rifle, shotgun, or pistol Does a BB gun count?
117. Eaten mushrooms that were gathered in the wild
118. Ridden a horse
119. Had major surgery
120. Had a snake as a pet
121. Hiked to the bottom of the Grand Canyon
122. Slept for more than 30 hours over the course of 48 hours
123. Visited more foreign countries than U.S. states
124. Visited all 7 continents
125. Taken a canoe trip that lasted more than 2 days
126. Eaten kangaroo meat
127. Eaten sushi
128. Had your picture in the newspaper
129. Changed someone’s mind about something you care deeply about
130. Gone back to school Best decision I ever made. Can't wait to do it again.
131. Parasailed
132. Touched a cockroach
133. Eaten fried green tomatoes
134. Read “The Iliad” Is it weird that I liked it? And The Odyssey?
135. Selected one “important” author who you missed in school, and read
136. Killed and prepared an animal for eating
137. Skipped all your school reunions
138. Communicated with someone without sharing a common spoken language
139. Been elected to public office
140. Written your own computer language
141. Thought to yourself that you’re living your dream
142. Had to put someone you love into hospice care
143. Built your own PC from parts
144. Sold your own artwork to someone who didn’t know you
145. Had a booth at a street fair
146. Dyed your hair
147. Been a DJ
148. Shaved your head
149. Caused a car accident
150. Saved someone’s life

Any questions? Leave 'em in the comments, I will answer!

Just so you know-

I can't comment on anyone's blog that has beta blogger. It won't let me. And I had all good comments for you guys, too. but they will have to wait until blogger beta recovers from its brain fart.
And if you still don't see your link on my sidebar, let me know. I'm still trying to find everyone I used to have on there...so do'nt get offended if you're not there now. Drop me a comment so I could have the link!

So much for not making it about ME.

Yeah, so remember when I said I wouldn't make a big deal about being sick? Yeah, well maybe I should have.
Because I am SICK.
Yesterday started off like any other day, I got into the shower, getting ready for a nice (HA!) day at the office. While I was brushing my teeth (yup, I do that in the shower.) I suddenly felt sick. Like pukey sick. Um....eeeewwwwww. So I spit, but then I start to cough and blood comes out. Yeah, BLOOD. I call out to Daddy and he informs me that my nose is also bleeding, hey, let's take you to the ER!
We drop Little Man off at daycare and off we go.
My nose still wouldn't stop bleeding.
So after three hours and millions of X-Rays and lots of sitting and waiting, they come back to ask me if I have been coughing the last few days. "No. I've been really congested (which I told them four times) but I haven't been coughing at all." "Hmmmm, that's weird." the doc says. Let me tell you when a doc says something is weird, there is something wrong.
"You have an ear infection, a sinus infection, and your lungs were about to get infected. Like beginning stages of Pneumonia. So you should have been coughing..."
So I get sent home with a nice list of scripts to take. And lots of people to answer to, because Daddy had called my job and a few other people to inform them that I was probably dying.
But I'm here at work today, because I still don't feel sick I just still feel really congested. And I can't hear out of my right ear, but that's okay because I use my left ear for the phone at work. And I'm still not coughing. So I figure I could be here earning money instead of being home. Unless I start feeling sick, then I'll go home. Or unless I start coughing up blood again, then I'll go back to the hospital.
But for now I'll be here, smiling and nodding, pretending I can hear these people talking to me.

Where is this coming from?

This sudden Domestic-ness about me? (Yes, it's a word. Because I said so dammit.)
All morning I've been thinking about Stuffed Shells. Eating them is mostly the thought, but realizing I would have to make them in order to eat them, because where the hell am I going to go right now and get Stuffed Shells? (Besides Olive Garden, but hell no I'm not rich so nix that.)
So I'm hoping that I can get to the supermarket and back home again before my house is flooded with Daddy's friends who have no home (or so it seems) and I can cook for just my family.
Here's the thing- I want to hear your Stuffed Shells ideas. I know everyone makes them a little different, so I want you to share how you make them with me. Or at least what you stuff the shells with, because mine will most likely probably consist of meat and sauce and maybe some Ricotta cheese.
The floor is open. Grab the mike and speak to me.

Crazy Xmas Shopping

I haven't gone.
And I won't be.
This morning there was a strange thud-like sound coming from the rear of my car. Please don't be the tires again...was all I could think. We just got the one with the hole in it replaced not two months ago...
Daddy gets out of the car and does his manly inspection of the exterior of the car. He gets into the car shaking his head, it can't be good.
"Shocks are gone."
What? WHAT???
"The back right shock is shot to hell, the car is leaning pretty far down. Not really safe..."
I stopped listening. I don't want to hear this. I really don't. I thought I was going to be able to buy something nice for my husband and son for Christmas this year...but instead it's going to be my car that's going to get something new for Christmas. Selfish bastard of a car.
The only comfort I have is knowing that Daddy works for a car warehouse, but they mostly sell racing stuff, and that can turn out pretty expensive. I don't want my car to be a racecar (much to Daddy's disappointment) so I'll probably just start shopping around online for prices. One of the guys that work here (one of the nice ones, I haven't mentioned him here before) just told me about Auto Anything coupons that are being offered on their website. Maybe I'll just try there. I'll see if I can get a better deal than Daddy's job. He actually pointed me towards a whole website that offers coupon codes. They could come in handy for those of you that can actually buy Christmas presents.
What I am going to have to do before the afternoon comes is move Little Man's carseat over to be behind the driver's seat (which I hate because I don't like him behind me when I'm driving and it's just me and him...) but it'll be safer for him and he won't feel the bumps so hard. I just hope I can get the stupid shocks replaced before it does any damage to anything else back there.
I hate cars.

Sometimes my own husband is STOOOOPID

Me. Him. Got it?

What do you want for dinner?
I don't know. What are you planning on making?
Well, I was planning on making some pork chops and baked potatoes.
Eh-
Eh? "Eh" what?
I don't really feel like eating potatoes.
Well, what do you feel like eating, then?
What else is there?
Nothing, That's why I'm making pork chops and potatoes.
Then why would you ask me what I want to eat?
Just to see if you would have said pork chops and potatoes, then I would have felt like a good wife making you what you wanted for dinner...
*The phone rings. It's his sister, he talks to her for a few minutes. Hangs up...*
You don't have to cook.
Why not?
Selfless is bringing food, she was at Wendy's and bought us all food because she was on her way here to visit Selfish anyway.
Good. I don't have to cook, then.
*Selfless arrives, gives us our food and goes upstairs to visit with Selfish. Little Man eats his nuggets, Daddy and I both eat chicken sandwiches. And french fries. I hold up a fry, and look at my husband...*
Dude, what are you eating?
Food.
What are you eating, what's in your hand right now?
A fry. Why?
What are french fries made out of? A smirk on my face...
Potatoes.
I thought you didn't want to eat potatoes tonight?
Shut up.

I fear her vacation time...

Vacation time for Head Admin is coming sometime this month. If she doesn't use it up by January, she loses it, since she was hired when the company opened four Januaries ago. (Or is it five, now?) Whatever- the point is- when I was taken from my safe-haven office to The Other Office Head Admin was teaching me Quickbooks, so that if any agents sold any properties while she was gone I could cut checks for them and take care of our finances.
She showed me the basics but can I tell you that I'm scared shitless for when she does go (even though she isn't going away she is just a phone call away...) because I think I'm going to screw something up. Before she took the Quickbooks course, Bossman used to have some outside company do our books, and they used to charge him an arm and a leg so he smartened up (cheapened up) and had Head Admin learn the books. I know it would be stupid to ask or suggest, but I wish I could tell him to temporarily hire a small business payroll expert to do the books while she is gone. On this website, there are people who do your books for you on a monthly basis and charge depending on how many employees you have. Or he could have them on for the end of the year, and they can do the W-2's so we won't have to do them. (Yup, we do the agent's tax forms, it's nice seeing how many of them are bringing home in a year what I don't see in five.) I wonder if they would work for my boss for just two weeks? Then I won't feel like an asshole of the accounts don't balance, and they would actually know what they are doing. I know it's a learning process with the books, and practice makes perfect, but my paranoia of showing my boss my incompetence is making me wish Head Admin didn't have to take her vaca time. How selfish of me. Even though right now the market is (STILL) slow that I don't think I would even have to do much with the accounts...I don't know. I still say he should hire someone temporarily so nothing gets effed up by me...
Hell, he should look inot hiring an outside business to do the books just for the fact that they provide the company with free direct deposit. I need direct deposit, and he says it would be too expensive to set up right now...I'm going to have to talk to the bossman about this...

Earning my Mommy Brownie Points

I made my first-ever successful batch of Rice Crispie Treats last night. (First-ever successful? YES. ADHD- I would never stay in front of the stove to watch the butter/marshmellows...disaster!)
So I'm earning some great Mommy Brownie Points here, except that my son didn't even get to eat any. I made them at nine o'clock at night and he was about to go to bed, I was NOT about to give him a snack covered in melted butter and sugar...so he'll have some today when we get home.
They taste goooooood! Just ask Daddy, who ate a whole bunch last night. And Googlio, who 'just stopped by to say hi' but I know Daddy called him to tell him that I made the Treats.
I just wanted to share my Mommy moment.
Next time we'll try putting some M&M's in there...it could be my 'dish' when we go to our mother's houses for Xmas so I won't really have to cook anything!

Yesterday's Snowfall Lesson- taking a moment

Yesterday was the first official snowfall of the season here. I had been warned by the local weatherman that the snow would come, so I knew about it. I just didn't think it was already outside. When Little Man woke up (earlier than usual) he was being very clingy. I need to get dressed, Daddy needs to get dressed, we need to decide who can get Little Man dressed, I don't have time to have a child hanging off my neck when I'm trying to button a shirt. So my sweet little annoying hero Melmo came to my rescue, since PBS airs Sesame Street right at the time I'm dressing. I sat Little Man on the couch and he didn't even want to watch the annoying creature. Last resort: open the shades and let him see the snow. His eyes almost fell out of his sockets, "snooooowwwww...." he said, mesmerized by the falling white bits. "Mommy!" he called out to me. I went into the living room to see what he wanted. "Sit down." he said and patted the sofa. He held my hand and pointed outside. "Snow." he told me. I was about to get back up and continue my morning routine, but he held on to my hand and said "No! Sit, look." I sat with him to watch the snow falling outside for a good ten minutes. I forgot how beautiful it is when it falls. These kids really take us back to the important things, don't they? They make us appreciate life...
Okay, that was it for my sappiness of the day. Just forgot to write about it yesterday.

In need of a new scene

It's snowing here. I watch a morning show called the Daily Buzz that's based out of Florida while I'm getting dressed in the morning. The guy from that show told me this morning that it was going to snow here, but the weatherman from here (when they give the local weather) said it wasn't going to snow, it was going to be 'partly sunny.' Tell me why the man from FLORIDA could tell it was going to snow in the NORTHEAST and NOT THE MAN IN THE NORTHEAST???
Morons.
So I came across some free desktop wallpapers from American Greetings...they have some awesome scenes to choose from that are easy to download, you don't have to go through a process to get to them. They have a bunch of categories for the wallpapers, like Holiday and abstract designs. You can choose from different calendars or cartoon characters. I have chosen to download the Rocky Beach wallpaper, based on a photo from Hawaii. It's beautiful, and it's taking me away from the snow!


I almost chose to download a thunderstorm where the photos of the lightning are amazing, but I don't want to jinx the weather here and make it rain, so I'm sticking to a vacation photo from Hawaii.
They have nice screensavers, too, including some animated screensavers that are too cute for words, but my computer is never idle so I might as well not get any of those.
If you get any wallpapers, let me know what you chose and why!

Pee-pee in da potty!!

Did I say I wouldn't be so excited when my son pooped in the potty? Well, I didn't say it for pee-pee!!!!!!!!
He pee-pee'd in the potty TWICE last night!!!!!
He ASKED to do it!
I was laying on the couch (watching cable, REBECCA! HAHAHA) after dinner and he was laying next to me. (Showing him great things, I am.) He turns around to face me and says "Mommy, pee-pee." My eyes went wide, "You have to go pee-pee?" I asked him. He nods, and says "Toilet." and headed for the bathroom. I followed him, trying not to skip the whole way. He lowered his sweat pants (day care attire) and I unstrapped the diaper and he sat. And waited. And then it came out and the stupid potty chair distracted him with the music (it plays when they are actually going. Stupid motion sensors.) so he stopped but then kept going. It took everything I had not to break into a touchdown-style victory dance right there in the bathroom. I took my son back into the living room and he jumped up and down and clapped to tell Daddy the happy news. (Daddy is dying now by the way. Really, really sick.)
The second time he went to Daddy while he was in the kitchen and he assisted him.
It was awesome. But I do think I'm taking the batteries out of the potty.
So there are some happy news in the Stuck Household. Now I guess I should buy him the Elmo Goes Potty video, for more encouragement...
And I totally gave him a cookie after he went. He didn't expect it, but I felt I should have rewarded him, it was his first time in my house after all.
I'm all excited....

Um- EEEWWW!!!!

Pukefest 2006.

What fun.

Wednesday I picked Little Man up from day care, he was fine. We went to my mother's house. He was fine. And then he wasn't. He puked whatever he ate at day care, on her nice cream-colored rugs.
"Maybe it was just something he ate, it upset his stomach." My mother said, handing him a glass of water and some apple slices. I was hoping she was right. But as I was putting his jacket on to leave, he puked again. Everything slowed down for me then, I knew it wasn't something he ate. Into the bathtub at Grandma's for him, off to the phone with Dr. Dummy for me.
I spent Wednesday, Thursday and Friday awake the whole time. It wasn't enough to go to the ER (Thank GOD!) but it wasn't enough to be okay. He would be okay for a while and then he wouldn't be. I never was. There are no clean towels in my house. There is an overload of Pedialyte in my fridge, which smells like shit to me but the kid likes it. Saturday it was scrub-down city at my house. Sunday I fell asleep when I should have been getting dressed after my shower, because my cousin was here from NYC and I was supposed to be showing him a good ol' time. He, Daddy, and Little Man let me take a nice nap.
Now I'm sick, and Daddy is sick. But it isn't the stomach virus Little Man had, we feel colds. Please, the whole time I was up with Little Man, or just up watching him sleep to make sure he didn't puke in his sleep I was just wishing the sickness would come to me and get away from him. So I'm not going to complain about feeling sick. I'll survive. I can handle it. I can't handle seeing my baby like that- I couldn't. My heart goes out to anyone with Pukefest going on at their house...my wishes for health will be sent your way.

The thing that killed me the most was the fact that he couldn't understand why he couldn't eat, he would beg me for food, cry to me and I felt like shit having to tell him no. It killed me a thousand times over. I didn't eat the whole three days, either, because I wasn't going to eat if he couldn't. I didn't even feel hungry, so it's not like I was starving...even though I know it is part of why I'm sick now, my defenses got weakened. I felt like such an incompetant mother during this whole time, not being able to make him better. This whole "wait it out" theory does not work with me. At all. Daddy was going to work with a heavy heart, knowing the day I was in for. He would come home and I would still have dinner for him (what a good wife I am!) but he would sit with Little Man while I showered instead of eating. The first time my Little Man pooped the soup I finally gave him was celebrated more than his first steps. I swear if I had ballons left over from his birthday I would have blown them up and made a cake. Come on- FOOD WAS KEPT IN! Long enough to pass through his system! Shit, I almost called the family in Puerto Rico to tell them of this accomplishment! I don't even think I will be this happy when he poops in the potty.

That's it for now.
Thanks again for your well-wishes. Much appreciated.