My Parenting Skillllzzzzz

I know that it may be a hard concept to stomach but I truly am deserving of an award for Mother of the Year. At the very least a nomination.

Just a few of the tools that I use in raising my children…..

Negotiation -Children cannot truly develop without learning the art of negotiation. It is important in their adult life so they may as well learn it at an early age. Who’s to say that M&Ms for crapping the potty cannot someday translate to $$ for the crap you will produce in your career?

Learning to respect authority: For instance the following conversation with Pierce
"Why do you always get to tell me what to do"
"Because I'm the boss"
"Who do I get to be the boss of?"
"sorry bud, you don't get to be the boss of anyone"
"Can I be the boss of Mallory?"
"No" "Can I be the boss of the dogs?"
"No bud, Scarlet bites remember....she is the boss"
"Well, I cannot wait until I grow up so I can be the boss of myself"

The Art of persuasion—Mallory is WAY better at this then her brother—one day as we were on the couch with her up my ass snuggling….
"I want my milk"

"It's right there, go get it"

"I want Pierce to get it" (I wan Piewce did it)

"Pierce is not going to go get it Mallory, it is RIGHT there, get it yourself"

"I want Pierce to get it"

"No"

And then…..Pierce all exasperated gets up, sighs very loudly walks over to get the milk, shoves it in her direction and says "HERE Mallory" and sits back down. To which Mallory says..."thank you Pierce" (tank you Piewce")

Family togetherness.-There is more bed hopping in my house then in a brothel. Most nights Mallory is in bed with us by midnight because quite frankly….I'm a bitch if I don’t get enough sleep and I don’t have the energy to fight with her in the middle of the night. However, because I am getting to the point where I am over this…..her new big girl bed MIGHT have to come with straps

These are just a few things that I practice daily with my children. After all, they ARE the future of our world.

PS----if you need a kozy pal cart cover.....and trust me you DO then click HERE. She is having a 50% off sale just today!!!! Im getting ready to order one for a gift today with my gift certificate I won last month! Makes a great gift!! I never went anywhere with mine without getting asked about it.

I am an open book

Thanks for playing Q&A with me. I got some good questions out of you! So, without further ado.....it's time to play What do you want to know about Cammie.......

Kami wants to know---"How did you choose the names of your children?" Actually, we had BOTH of our children picked out before they were even conceived. I had Pierce's name in the back of my mind before I even met Joe. It is my mother's maiden name. Had he been a girl we were going with Anna after Joe's grandmother. Joe picked out Mallory's name from guess where......"what will we do baby....without us......sha na na na na" Had she been a boy her name would have been Jack.

JananaBee asks....."Are you going to have any more children?" Well Janna let me put it to you this way.....Joe is no longer capable of knocking me up. I on the other hand can have another baby anytime I want to also have a divorce.

Crazy girl BeeAndRose had a few questions for me...."how much wine does it take to get you seriously wasted these days" Well Ms BeeAndRose my answer might surprise you.....I actually can cap a nice buzz on 2 glasses of wine. Based on my antics of my Jersey Train Wreck weekend to get seriously wasted I need 2 xanax and a full bottle of wine. She also wanted to know "The weirdest thing you have ever done while drinking wine?" I stole a very large plant from BW3 once in college (this is a wings type eating place) Very large. Walked right out the door with it. "Are you a cheap wino or do you lean toward pricier wines????" For the most part I am an equal opportunity wine drinker. I stay away from the likes of Boone's Farm though. "red, white...which do you prefer...box or bottle?????" Ahhh the good old days of boxed wine....or as I liked to call it.....a party in a box. I'm mostly a red drinker but I also like white.

TheBookKitten asks...."...how would you react when you finally got some sleep in your house?" Since she is new to my blog I wont tell her that me getting some sleep would misalign the cosmos and thus make the world disappear like the island on Lost. Kitten....truth be told, I would probably implode.

Yaya wants to know What my favorite color is and how I met my husband. Well yaya....I can't tell you my favorite color.....that is WAY to personal. However I will tell you about meeting Joe....I had just gotten dumped by some asshole when my aunt decided to start nagging me to meet this guy she worked with. I kept telling her I did not need my AUNT to hook me up with a boy thankyouverymuch. Finally....to shut her up humor her I decided to meet her out with a bunch of other people including Joe. We were engaged 7 months later. Um, thanks Aunt Janice.

Jineen asks...."When did I get my Uggs and what kind do I have" Joe got them for me last Dec for my bday---I have the kind that give your feet orgasms when you put them on. I mean...I have THESE ones

She also wanted to know "Where is the craziest place I have ever done the deed" That would be the library that I worked at in college. oh the irony of the book loving girl getting busy in the library....WAIT.......this story is not true at all. I saved myself for marriage. uh huh. sure did. "Would you like to write a book? What kind?" I would like to. I would have NO idea how to do it. Believe it or not I would like to write a children's book. And why oh WHY could I have not been the person who thought up Brown Bear Brown Bear....that book is SO not rocket science. Jineen also asks if I enjoy celebrating the holidays and if they include wine...... Yes, I LOVE Christmas, Thanksgiving, ect. I love when my entire family gets together. And yeah, there is generally a bottle of wine in my purse somewhere.....

Bee and Rose is back.....this time with "Why did you choose your wedding date? Was it based on time of year? Time off work?" We knew we wanted to get married in the fall sometime. I picked Oct because it usually has the best fall weather.

TheWifeORiley throws in...."Describe the worst trip you have been on" Thankfully I have always had great vacations (knocking on wood here) However....back in 2000 I had to go to my companies corporate office for a week of training. This normally would not have been a bad thing...I had been the year before and had a decent time. This week however....sucked. I wound up with some random roommate from another branch....so I spent a week in a hotel room with someone I had never met (and it was not even scandalous....) PLUS we had a tornado one night....so we were ushered sans bra and makeup in the middle of the night with all of these co-workers into the hotel hallways. Good times that trip.

Francesca at 3BayBChicks wants to know how my parents came up with my name. There is no excitement behind this at all. My dad saw it in a book he was reading. My middle name is after my grandmother.

In keeping with the "Year of the Hula" Hula wants to know what I have done for ME lately. Well, I took a couple of girly trips in the last 6 months, plus some scrap booking here locally. Mostly I just try and get a little book time in every day

Alexis wants to know my most embarrassing moment. Well I actually have TWO. One that had the potential to really suck, and one that DID really suck. Before I started working where I do full time I spent 3 summers as an intern. My very first summer was back when we still had to wear panty hose.....one afternoon I came out of the bathroom with my hose stuck in the back of my dress. HAWT. Thankfully the ONLY person who saw me and thus came to my rescue (Jodi I know you read...do you remember this?) was my friend Jodi who YEARS later would become my roommate. Bless you Jodi. God forbid anyone random see my panties. Without having bought me a drink first. Fast forward a few years....I am late for class in one of the biggest lecture halls on campus. This classroom has steps that are far apart...you know....one step, walk a few feet, another step. Got the visual? Good. Now picture me falling down one of the steps. In the middle of the lecture. The professor actually had to control himself so that he did not laugh at me. Awesome.

Heather asks me...."How long have you been scrap booking? Who is your favorite scrapbooker (famous one, that is)? Have you ever gone on a scrappin' retreat? If yes, where?" I actually started scrap booking before I knew what it was. I'm talking slap some construction paper down in an album with sticky pages and cut some pictures out to add. I did not get serious about it until about 2001. I don't really know that many famous scrappers so I will have to go with YOU.....you Heather are my favorite famous scrapbooker....and you are famous because of the 86 followers that read my blog who know that you made me a kick ass book for my girls weekend. I have been on a few retreats.....here in Ohio in Amish country with some friends...we stayed in a beautiful hotel with about 4 wineries nearby....thus my fondness for "scrapdrinking"

And finally.....a new blog friend Tooj wants to know the funniest conversation that I have had with Pierce. Those of you who know me here in the real world know that this is an every day occurrence with him. One of my all time favorites though had to be regarding an old hat of his. Please take note of the following:

I have no clue what he is doing in this picture but it is the best example of him in his Gap hat. Please note that it is about a second away from popping right off his head. He is probably late 3 early 4 in this picture and he wore this hat EVERYWHERE for a good 2 years. One day I was trying to explain to him that it no longer fit. The conversation went something like this.

"Hey bud, come here...I want to show you something. points to the size tag inside his hat that says 18-24 months See this tag right here? This tag says that this hat fits you if you are TWO years old. You are not two years old are you??"

Pierce points to the OTHER tag inside his hat....the one I never cut out that says "please remove before wearing...I think it was the security tag "See this tag right here mommy? This tag says it fits" He then promptly put his hat on and walked away from me.

WHEW. That took a loooooong time. If you decide to play this on your blog, please let me know so I can come ask you some questions too!!

100th post and I want 100 Comments!!

Wow. It seems like I just started blogging and was all concerned that no one would care to read it. 100 posts and 72 followers later here we are! Thank you all for feeding my obsession with myself, my kids, Edward Cullen, and putting up with my sarcastic sense of humor....or lack there of

For the big 100 I thought I would highlight 100 things that I love. In groups of 10.....

The Rambler gave me a great idea to try and get 100 comments on my 100th post so please go tell your friends to come and worship me.....attention whore that I am. Go give me some love on your blog!! If you are brand shiny new and want to fall in love with me at first sight..and who would'nt....then read THIS It is a tale of bravery in the face of loss......

Ready. Go.

My top 10 Favorite books (or series since Twilight would take up 4 books) in no particular order

1)The Twilight Series. Duh
2)The Harry Potter Series
3)The Great Gatsby
4)Flowers in the Attic
5)The Shopaholic Series
6)The Time Traveler's Wife
7) Snow Flower and the Secret Fan
8) My Sister's Keeper
9)A Million Little Pieces (yes even after the truth came out)
10)The Gossip Girl Series


10 favorite movies
1)Dirty Dancing--"Nobody puts baby in the corner"
2)Goonies-"Hey, you guys!"
3)Twilight---Duh....
4)The Breakfast Club (words to live by:Andrew: "Why do you have to insult everybody?"John Bender: "I'm being honest, asshole. I would expect you to know the difference.")
5)Titanic-"I'll never let go...."
6)Beaches-But enough about me, let's talk about you... what do YOU think of me?
7)Shag the Movie-"Y'all is the horniest bunch of white folks I ever seen!"
8)Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory-you cannot beat lickable wallpaper...wonder if it comes in Merlot?
9)The Parent Trap-(the original one) "I'm not saying a word. Not one single word."
10)Sixteen Candles "Oh sexy giiiiirrlllllfrieeeeeend"


10 Favorite TV Shows
1)Lost-even though I want to bang my head on a wall while watching it
2)House-yeah, um. Can he be my gynecologist. Yes I DID just go there
3)Bones-however if Booth and Bones don't get busy soon I may stop watching

4)America's Next Top Model--FIERCE

5)American Idol-after the auditions....those make me crazy

6)Beverly Hills 90210 Dyan and Kelly were SO soulmates

7)90210--trying to bring back the olden days but doesn't QUITE hit it....still love it through

8)Intervention--I love being reminded that some people are more jacked up than I am

9)Cold Case--this is my secret career choice--but I don't like dead people
10)Mickey Mouse Clubhouse (seriously.....makes me smile to watch my baby girl watch "her friends"

10 places that that I would love to travel to:

1)Italy-wine
2)France.....but not Paris....somewhere south---wine
3)Cabo San Lucas-beach
4)Napa Valley-duh
5)Hawaii-beach and wine....must be heaven
6)Maine....somewhere on the coast-seafood
7)England-get back to my roots
8)Los Angeles-because I'm a stalker and I would love to chase down a celebrity
9)Ireland-again with the roots....
10)Australia-wine


10 favorite places that I have been

1)Disney World--I love it even more as an adult then I did as a child.
2)Xcaret in the Rivera Maya--underground snorkeling and swimming with dolphins....so awesome
3)Boston--home of the New Kids and was a kick ass get together with my mommy friends
4)Holden Beach, NC-summer vacation every year!
5)Biltmore Estate in NC--they have a winery.....
6)New Orleans--very cool to see even if I did have a one year old with me at the time
7)Cancun---drunken spring break with my sorority sisters----crappy hotel though
8)The Dunns River Falls in Jamaica---I did not hurt myself and THAT was an accomplishment
9)Key West--an entire street to party on....this is a happy place
10)Chicago--only been one time....fun shopping!

10 favorite posts on my blog

10)You can read my fairy tale HERE Be warned...it is not for the faint of heart

9)My first venture into Dear Diary Thursday....I call my mom a garden tool HERE

8)Say my name right or I will cut you...... HERE

7) Read about how cool I USED to be HERE

6)My first Letter to my children

5)A letter written by Mallory

4) Pierce's response

3) Introducing you to myFIRST baby....way before kids....

2)The sarcastic things I was thankful for last Thanksgiving HERE

1)Yes this was very recent but I meant ever word of it HERE

10 Things I would take if I were stranded on an island (other then my kids)

1)My iPod--cannot live without it

2)My phone--I need it to facebook about being stuck on an island

3)My computer--for blogging

4)My Ugg Boots-they keep your feet at body temperature no matter WHERE you are

5)My makeup--to look pretty when I get saved

6)My Mary Jane Crocs-they are cute AND practical for being stranded on a beach

7)My Tiffany Tag bracelet....the first piece of jewelry Joe ever bought me--memories.....

8)My Wedding set-so that when I DO get rescued by a hot pirate (Johnny Depp) I can remind him and myself that I am spoken for

9)My book collection (okay, I cant just pick ONE)

10)My scrapbook stuff ---gotta scrapbook those memories of being stranded

10 Things You May Not Know About Me:

1)I hate the dentist. The thought of getting a filling makes me all anxiety-y

2)I no longer have a relationship with my father. I have not seen or spoken to him in over 10 years. I am okay with this.

3)My favorite years in school always hit every other year. 6th, 8th, 10th and 12th grade were my FAVORITES

4)I went to THE Ohio State University

5)While I was there I was an Alpha Omicron Pi sister

6)I am a video game nerd.....big time.

7)I once had...ahem....relations with my boyfriend in a library while in college

5)I do not like beer. I never have and will never "acquire the taste for it" like everyone always told me. I was the girl in school pouring a bottle of wine into a "to go cup" to take to parties where I knew there would only be beer

4)I have very strange taste in food....I like anchovies, raw oysters and could eat blue cheese by the pound

3)I have only had c-sections, never had to push (never dilated) and I think having babies the old fashioned way is kind of strange

2)Some of my best childhood memories are from spending summers in New Jersey with the father that I no longer have a relationship with. This has nothing really to do with him but more with the friends that I made there....2 of who I still keep in touch with.

1)My mom ran over my foot once with her car. It was my fault. I jumped out while it was still moving. It hurt.

10 Jobs that I have had:

1)Lee's Famous Recipe Chicken

2)Ponderosa Steakhouse.....the ONLY time I have been a waitress

3)The Library at Ohio State.....if you are smart you will make a connection here

4)The Office for Disability Services at Ohio State....very cool job....I got to put books onto tape for visually impaired students and also read and scribe tests for them.

5)Victoria's Secret---hello free bras!

6)Elder Beerman (also retail)

7)A Tanning Salon

8)The Traveling Vineyard.....In home Wine Consultant....THIS was a fun job

9)Fire Insurance Underwriter

10)Health Insurance Underwriter

10 Things That Rock About Being ME

10)I live in a great city that has tons of cool stuff to do. Both for adults AND kids. We have the best college football team and awesome shopping. I never want to move.

9)My husband is the best man I have ever met. He is a wonderful father and a wonderful husband. Some might say I take a special person to put up with me.....he is it. I am lucky to have him and I am happy to be spending my life with my soul mate.

8)My kids kick ass. yeah, they don't respect sleep and I pretty much live as a zombie most days but they are so funny, sweet, cuddly and lovable that I just cant bring myself to sell them on eBay

7)I have a cool mom. Granted she gives me opinions more then I would like but other then that she is like a BFF....she is fun, likes to have a good time and makes me laugh with her randomness

6)My friends rock. I have the best friends EVER. My college girlfriends and I are still close...I love spending time with them and love watching as we all "grow up" together. Those of us that have kids....I love watching THEM grow up together.....those of you that still have that coming down the line....I cannot WAIT to help you plan your weddings and teach you how to not break your kids. My mommy board friends.....you don't need me to tell you how much I love you all....we have something special that many people don't ever have in their lives, it has been unreal going on this journey with you all.

5)I scrapbook like a mad fool. Okay, so maybe not everyone will think this is something COOL....but I do. When God made me he seemed to forget to give me coordination (that went to my sister) or any sort of musical talent (brother)...no athletic ability (sister again) but he DID give me enough talent to take semi decent pics and put them all together in pretty little packages that I call scrapbooks. And like I tell Joe (usually when he is pissed at how much money my "talent" costs) Preserving our family memories is hard work.

4)Not only do I have a job....I have one that I like. I have been fortunate enough to work for the same company for 11 years. I have never had a supervisor that I did not like, I have made very close friends here that make the time go by fast, and my mom works one floor up.

3)I grew up in and still have a very close extended family. My mom is one of 7 kids....I have tons of cousins and my grandparents on this side are still alive. Holidays are chaotic but they are fun. I'm glad that my kids are growing up with all of these crazy people too.

2)I take pride in being a good person. If I love you I will do anything for you. I am honest to the point of being blunt, I will not lie to you (except when I shop at the scrapbook store) and if you need me to cut someone for you I will. Nothing pisses me off more then someone doing something shady to someone I love.

1)And the last thing that rocks about being me......I have the MAD capability to nap at any given time. Not in a narcolepsy kind of way but if I need a nap I can nap like it is my JOB. None of this half asleep on the couch with the TV on crap (JOE). I'm talking full on jammies in the bed with my curtains drawn. Now I'm tired.

I hope you enjoyed my 100th post. If you didn't....eh, never mind. I will be nice today.

A Letter To My Children....#2

Dear Pierce and Mallory,

It is time for mommy to have another talk with you. A few months ago we had a talk about your morning habits. This time I would like to chat about dinner time. You know....the time of day where mommy serves you the meal that she daddy spent hours preparing for you. Oh WAIT a second....that is not what happens at all.

Let me try again.

Dinner time. You know....the time of day where we fight about what you will or will not eat. Let me take some time to point out the things that you WILL eat.

pizza
chicken nuggets
peanut butter and jelly
white rice
"sketti-o's"
lunch meat
peas
yogurt

lather. rinse. repeat.

Now a few things that mommy has suggested for dinner that were not acceptable in your eyes.

Chicken and noodles over mashed potatoes....mind you this is the ONE thing that Mommy knows how to make and make darn well. Please do not look at it like I just served you dead rats on a platter.

Tacos. Mexican is mommy's favorite. Apparently it is not yours Pierce because you ran from me like they were loaded with poison darts just waiting to take you down.

Remember when Mommy made vegetable soup in the crock pot? Even daddy had to agree that is was good. I was so excited for the two of you to try it. Mallory, you took one look at it and told me you were "all done". Pierce, you at least tried it....after spooning it up and letting it fall back into the bowl a few times....you were not impressed to say the least.

It is not one of mommy's favorite times of day. The 2 of you will stare at me with utter confusion in your eyes when I say to you "we are going to try something new tonight" and immediately protest that you "don't like it" before I even tell you what it is. I can assure you that I am not trying to poison you..... ground up sleeping pills is NOT poison after all because sleep is an important part of a healthy lifestyle.

Those threats about the starving children of the world.....they fall on deaf ears.....it is not helpful when you suggest to me that I "mail your dinner to them"

One final thing about dinner time.....when you declare to me that you are "all done" or "full" and I concede (after all, I am not mommy dearest) I expect that to mean that you are all done. I don't want to have the following conversation

"I'm full" (the visual here is that there is still at least half of your dinner on the plate)
"okay"
"can I have a snack?"
"no, if you are still hungry than finish your dinner"

So please keep this conversation in mind. Tonight we may just go CRAZY and have something NUTS like pork chops. I promise you will make it through the trauma.

Love,
Mommy

Operation Big Girl Room and another cool project....

The husband worked his butt painting Mallory's room this weekend. We are ready to move her into a big girl bed but still have to get a mattress for it. Meanwhile we got the painting part done. By me I mean Joe of course. Just when he thought he was done for the weekend we realized that the border we had ordered was on the porch! Yeah! I'm so SO happy with how it turned out, the bedding we got for her new bed has pink and brown dots too so it will all look great together once we put it up.


I do have a slight obsession with bows....and that IS the moon in her room....it is very cool


My sister in law knitted this doll for my Mallory, clothes and all

Still have to get the curtain up but that is in the set with her bedding.

Now THIS is awesome. My mother in law gave this to Joe and I to restore for Mallory. Her father or her grandfather made it, either way it is at LEAST 50 years old. Right now it looks like the scene of a crime but once we are done with it it will be AWESOME. Needs new paint, a new roof, new lighting, all new furniture and eventually a little doll family to live in it. I cannot wait to see the finished product and I am so happy we have this heirloom to pass on!

Things I am looking forward to in 2009

I have so much to look forward to this year.

Most importantly THIS sweet "baby" will be starting Kindergarten this year. *sob* Now as a scrapbooker this event is WAY up there in things to get excited about....I will probably start buying things for this momentous event around June. I still cant believe my baby will be starting school.

But let's backtrack just a little bit. January is kind of going to suck due to Joe's work schedule so I am holding my breath and counting down the days until I am reunited with my mommy board BFFs. These girls are truly my sisters and I miss them all SO much. Our last big get together was in Boston back in 2007. We had that kind of fun that leaves you in tears with a sore face from laughing and smiling so much (not to mention the hangover we all took home with us) So in just a little over a month I will be playing with some of my bestest friends who I miss SO much.

In April I have a girly trip of a different kind....my very first visit to

That's right....I have never EVER been to New York City. So my mom, a few friends and some other people I don't know are hopping on the fun bus to drive ALL night to spend one fabulous day buying fake authentic Prada and Coach bags, and to stand in front of my favorite place EVER
Even though we have one now in the town that I live in.

My Sweet baby turns 3 in May and that means no more diapers.....right?

In July the fam heads to Holden Beach, NC for a week's stay in the In Law's beach house. We did not go last year and I have really REALLY missed getting my annual shot of Joe walking the kids across the pier.

2004

2005

2006
2007

Also in July....and it is about DAMN TIME

In November.....my fabulous husband has a big milestone......one we are hoping to celebrate in ChicagoAnd SOMETIME in 2009 this gem will finally be released so I can get my Twilight fix without reading the series over again for the 3rd time (which I am likely to do anyways)And of course NEW MOON the movie will be released. Did you REALLY think I would get this far and NOT mention my boyfriend Edward?

A busy year indeed but it will be a good one!!

Not Me Monday

Is it really Monday again already? Last week flew by so fast but I am sure there were lots of things that I did NOT do. hmmmm.

I did NOT wrap gifts at the last minute. That would have been stressful and unnecessary

I did NOT spend hours mumbling under my breath and cursing toy packaging. The joy in my children's faces when they beheld each new toy was enough to just make me smile with glee.

I did NOT ask Joe to put the tree away the day after Christmas telling him I was done with it. The kids love the tree, therefor I also did NOT tell him to put it away this week while they were at daycare

I did NOT drink 3 mimosas on Christmas day at the in laws before dinner even started. I love my in laws (you know I do Gina) but that many people in one place just makes me want to have a beverage. Or 3

I did NOT watch A Christmas Story for the first time EVER. You know, because everyone in the free world has seen that movie at least 100 times because it is a Christmas classic and it is on 24 straight hours and blah blah blah

I did NOT ask an employee at Lowe's if it was legal to murder my children right there in the paint department. Why would I do that when they were just being so GOOD and LOVING to each other. With their feet.

That is all for now. My brain is all muddled due to the fact that I did NOT forget to bring cold medicine to work, therefor I do NOT feel like crap and just want to put my head down and take a nap.

Twas the night before Christmas.....

Christmas Eve has always been my favorite day of the year. When I was younger, it was the only time where my entire family was together at one house. I have 13 cousins. My mom is one of 7 kids. To say the least Christmas Eve was always rather chaotic. It was a WONDERFUL chaotic. Us kids probably drove our parents nuts. With 14 grandchildren the the floor around the tree was covered with gifts from our grandparents, aunts and uncles. We would complain wait patiently through dinner to open gifts....a process that destroyed the living room in about 10 minutes flat and then be told by the grown ups to go play. My best memories are from the years when I was probably between 8-12. My cousin L and I would do whatever we could to avoid our little sisters because clearly THEY were the most annoying people to walk the earth. We would find some area in the house to try and hide which was usually would not last too long before moms would make us include those darn little sisters. Fast forward a few years and there was a new baby cousin to love and fight over....L and I always tried to snatch her up and again....hide from those little sisters. The older we got the more the dynamic changed....some older cousins moved away and we did not see them on Christmas Eve. It was always still so much fun. Fast forward a few more years...I would be home from college for Christmas Eve.... once again a totally new dynamic....my cousin L who I love so much had made some bad choices in her life and she was not around to avoid those little (teen aged) sisters with. In the last few years things have taken an entirely new direction. 14 cousins no longer celebrate Christmas Eve together because we have mostly all grown and started our own families....that baby I used to cart around will be turning 18 in a few months. Now the presents are around my mom's tree for HER grandchildren. My son is the one who will be avoiding his little sister on Christmas Eve....after he suffers the TORTURE of being forced to eat dinner before opening presents and being shooed away. Now there are 5 cousins who hopefully will grow up to know that Christmas Eve is the one night they can always count on being together and making those same memories that I had growing up. I really hope that it means as much to them as it did to me.

Dear Diary and other fabulousness.....

um, yeah....this is gonna be a long one....It is Dear Diary Thursday but first I have to accept another award (I would like to thank the academy, and my family, who I could not have done this without) and do a meme.

First off, the award....compliments of Stephanie. Funny how we have only been blogging buddies for about a month and she has caught on to my complete and utter lack of a filter....hey, it's how I roll kids! Thank you Stephanie, I am thinking about you!

I shall pass this on to Hula and her secret blog and that is it....because I'm too lazy to pass it on to anyone else....again with the no filter thing.

On to the MEME from DramaQueen's Mom. List 6 things that make me happy.

1) My kids of course. I love how they interact with each other and the special love that they share that only siblings can have.

2) Joe-He is the BEST husband ever...takes such good care of our family

3) my friends....I am so blessed with the best friends ever. They make me laugh so hard I cry, and or pee my pants. I love you guys!

4) Wine. enough said

5) Scrapbooking supplies. Oh how I love thee....I can never ever have enough

6)

Seriously....how many ways can I use this picture in this blog?

And now onto Dear Diary Thursday....again with my clause....no grammar or spelling will be corrected.

Sept 10, 1991 10th grade
OK me and Dalin are Kaput. I broke up with him today. I really like J. I dont know if he likes me. he told me he did but I dont know if he meant it as a friend or what. D is being really sweet. L wants to go out with me but I cant. ooookay. Here we go again. Return of Dalin apparently...I don't recall us getting together again in high school....apparently it was not worth remembering. J....he was the one who broke up with me because I would not sleep with him...and then he got my friend pregnant a few years later. YEAH ABSTINENCE. and D...don't even get me STARTED on him...those of you who know me from forever know who that asshole is.

Sept 25
Me and J have are still going out. Its a week today. Boy have we had our ups and downs the past few days but we are okay now. weve kissed 5 times and he asked me to homecoming. Me and D are still really good friends. aaaah J....so cute, such an adorable KY accent, he was such a good kisser to my 15 year old mind....this was all BEFORE he wanted my virtue. Again with D...this was way back when we first met....if only I knew then what would happen in the next 15 years....yowza.

I think that will do for this week. This trip down memory lane made me cranky...stupid D. heehee.

Not Me Monday

I'm getting a good giggle at all of the people playing MckMama's Not Me Monday. So you know, being the follower I am....I'm jumping on board. Here are some things I did NOT do this past week...

I did NOT finish the Twilight Series for the 2nd time...and I am NOT thinking about starting it again. You know, because I am NOT obsessed with Edward Cullen

I did NOT eat like crap this past week only because I know there is no sense dieting until the first of the year.

I did NOT get into a big fight with my sister at my mom's holiday party. That would be immature

I did NOT turn 33. That is WAY old...I also did NOT remind my husband that when we met he was only 31 and I thought that was SUPER old.

I did NOT have a hangover the day after my birthday because I did NOT do jello shots and drink a bottle of wine by myself at my mom's party

I did not take a nap with my daughter that day and when she woke up then take one with my son.

I also did NOT have a big ass margarita at dinner that night with Joe and friends Sunday night since I was hungover

I did NOT buy myself a 2009 Twilight calender to hang in my cubicle at work...again with the immaturity.

I did NOT lie to my 5 year old that the play area at COSI was closed after spending 2 hours in the Sesame Street area because I was ready to go.

I think that about covers the main things that I did NOT do this week. Wonder what I wont do this week?

cheers

I was thinking about skipping today but then the anal girl in me that has not missed a day yet since I started this kicked in. I really have nothing exciting to add to the blog world as I am packing up for the night to head out to my mom's (the one who is NOT a garden tool) for some drinking festivities. She is having a girly party tonight and guess what...I'm NOT coming home...which means a sleep in day tomorrow...WAHOOOO.

Pet Peeves

I can go from zero to SUPER annoyed in about 2 seconds. Not many things set me off like this but I do have a few hot buttons.

Such as.

People who laugh for no reason at all. There are 2 ladies I work with that are NOTORIOUS for this. Drives me bat shit crazy. They will transfer a call and laugh when they give me the name of the person on the phone. Ask how they are and they are fine with a giggle at the end. Seriously....why are you so nervous? Do you have a body in your car?

My husband answering a questions with the sound "eh" I asked you a question that requires a yes or no response...do NOT make a noise that sounds somewhere in between...unless of course you just want me to pick the answer I like best....."But honey you said YES when I asked if I could go shopping"

My mother....it is safe to post this because she really only reads when I send her the link to a really good post....My mother has a habit (that I don't think she is aware of) of bringing my sister up every time I do something that she wishes that my sister would or could do...it makes me feel like crap. For example...most recently my Christmas cards that I put together from Shutterfly..."those are So cute. sigh. I wish L would do something like that" or when we take the kids somewhere...."sigh....I wish L would do that with her kids" Okay, when you say this to me you make me feel guilty and then I get pissed.

Empty wine bottles. MAN that chaps my ass.

Thinking about the fact that Stephenie Meyer may or may not finish Midnight Sun. Gets my panties all in a bunch whenever I think about not ever reading Edward's version of Twilight.

Oh here is a good one....at work.....people who call me and immediately start chirping my ear off without telling me what their name is....or pretend like they are the ONLY person that I am dealing with that day.

I know there is something I am forgetting.....yeah, forgetting things gets on my nerves too....

What are your pet peeves?

I guess I always have been a little on the dramatic side.....

So, my sweet friend Megan gave me the idea from one of her blog posts last week to go fishing through my diary and post some gems from my teen aged years. Now, let me preface this by saying that I really TRULY love my mother and sister and apologize in advance for the nastiness that may come out....really....truly....love them (sorry mom). For extra grins I will not be correcting grammar or spelling. Okay, here we go....

Jan 22, 1990
"mom treats me like I am 4 instead of 14. I cant call boys, no phone calls longer then 10 minutes, no dates. she used to let Lee Ann wear makeup and I cant even call Clay or Andy. What if Jason would have answered the phone when she said no calling boys? MOM MAKES ME SO MAD SOMETIMES" (underlined 3 times) okay. So my 32 year old self has taken note that 3 different boys are mention in this entry. I do remember all of them. One is probably in jail, one streaked across the campus our senior year and the last broke up with me when we dated a few years later because I would not sleep with him. Then he got a friend of mine pregnant. Good call mom.

Jan 26th, 1990
"Well here I am again the live in babysitter. I should be going skating tonite with all my friends but noooooo I have to sit and Shannon's gonna be there too, and mom has the nerve to make me sit again next friday. I cant believe her. If I lived with my dad Id never have to baby sit for Lee Ann." Well then. Yes, I lived at the skating rink for probably 3 years. And yes there is a new boy mentioned 4 days after the above entry. And live with my dad? Holy hell THAT would have not ended well.

Feb 11, 1990
My mother grounded me for calling my sister a brat. She can be such a hoe. The ONLY fun I have in my life is when I go to school, skating and when I'm with my dad. If I dont get to go skating this weekend I will run away. Im going crazy in this place. Im staying in my room ALL DAY. ohhhh, Im sorry I called my mom a hoe (Im even sorrier that I spelled it like a garden tool) but really? run away over the skating rink? and again with the dad? This was back when I actually liked him but WHOA....DRA-MUH

Nov 22, 1990
Im sitting here talking to Darrick on the phone. Im really starting to like him but Heather is a problem clingy bitch It looks like things arent going to well with them the dont match up too well. She really likes him, he likes me. I hope I can go skating tomorrow. More tomorrow
yeah, I remember that boy too. Thank God that crush did not last long...oh and that Heather chick...she could have kicked my ass.

Well, I think I have embarrassed myself enough for one day. Maybe we will do this again next week....and My mom.....she is NOT a garden tool.

The Santa Dilemma

Oh the things that I did not ever think about before becoming a parent. When I was little Santa always came and we were pretty much always happy with what he brought. I'm not sure at what age I stopped believing in Santa but even after I did I had a little sister so I had to play the game. We did not get presents from our parents, Christmas gifts came from Santa. Now don't get me wrong, we were raised to know that Christmas is really to celebrate the birth of Jesus but still, every Christmas we were up at the crack of dawn....sometimes earlier thanks to said little sister to see what Santa had brought. Now I AM Santa. But this Santa knows that sadly not all little boys and girls get to experience the joy of coming down those stairs to see what has been left because they come from families that may not be able to afford Christmas. Or even children that churches do those Christmas boxes for in other countries that have nothing. The kids' daycare even has a toy drive for families that may need help this Christmas. My thoughts are rambling here but my point is I'm just not sure how to explain this to Pierce. I want my children to know the magic of Christmas that I had as a child but I also want them to understand that there are less fortunate families out there and we need to have compassion for them. To a 5 year old though he is just going to wonder why Santa does not bring them gifts. I know that the easy answer is just to have most of the gifts come from Joe and I and have Santa just do a few things....but I'm a stickler for tradition.....I want them to have Christmas like my brother, sister and I did.

sigh. I guess I don't know what the answer is. I wish they could just stay innocent forever and not have to know that there is so much sadness out there, and not even just at Christmas time.

yeah for my first rambling post that may not even make sense.

I am thankful

I am thankful.

I may not say it much in the craziness that is every day life but I really am thankful.

Im thankful for my family. For my beautiful children that make me laugh every day, for the hugs and kisses that they give me, for the pictures they make that hang on the walls at home and for the way they love each other. Im thankful for Joe....the love of my life and best father there is. For how he loves our kids, and takes just as much of a role in their day to day life that I do, how he plays with them, snuggles with them and defines "daddy" in the eyes of someone who had forgotten what that was like. Im also thankful that he cooks.....since I dont so much do that.

Im thankful for my mom....how she raised me to have good judge of character, and to love God. How she was both mom and dad to me for most of my life, for being there for me when I need her to be and for loving me unconditionally as only a mother can. As an adult I am thankful for her friendship now too, how she has taught my sister and I how to be good moms. Im thankful for my children's maw maw who loves them so much and plays with them and makes memories with them that they will always have.

For Jim, for being my stand in father and paw paw to my kids who have no idea that he is not my real dad

Im thankful for my brother....for memories of being forced to play dungeons and dragons, only being able to walk on certain colored carpet squares in the basement, for walks to the store to get candy and stopping to play in a drain pipe on the way.

Im thankful for my sister....for all of the memories of being little....for shoving our beds together so we could sleep together, for being woken up in the middle of the night to be told that Santa came, for her older years when we started to be friends as well as sisters....for all the times we did not get caught doing things we should not have been doing, for my maid of honor, being pregnant together and now being mom's together, and for 3 beautiful nephews.

Im thankful for Joe's family.....for having 3 big sisters and lots of nieces and nephews to love and cousins for my kids to grow up with, for his mom and dad who I love.

Im thankful for my friends that I have met in all times of my life.....for the friends I grew up with that are still in my life, my AOII sisters who are my partners in crime, keepers of all secrets and who are my best friends that I will grow old with and most recently for my work friends (even the one who no longer works here).....who are no longer just "work friends" but make it so fun to have a job where you get to "play" with your friends all day. For my friends of the "sweet" variety....you are some of the best friends I have ever had, I just wish we could see each other more often...but I am thankful for those get togethers......

I am thankful