Darn American Brain...

So I'm in the drive-thru at McDonald's...yes, really...and I say to myself, "The double cheeseburger is only 99 cents, and the cheeseburger is 79 cents, so it's a better idea to get the double cheeseburger. It's a better VALUE. Otherwise, McDonald's is pulling one over on my by getting 79 cents out of me for only a single cheeseburger!"

ARGH! This is terrible thinking! In the end, of course, it means I've spent more money, eaten more fat/calories, etc. It's REALLY more money if you count the gym membership I need and the angioplasty I'd prefer to avoid.

So now to commiserate, I'm going to go have a bowl of ice cream...

Comic I like...

I find this guy hilarious...
http://basicinstructions.net/

Some of my favorites...

How to Avoid Sounding Condescending

How to Avoid a Pointless Arguement

How to Teach Someone to Use their Computer

How to Listen to Other People's Problems
How to Apologize without Accepting any Blame

Silly Daddy...

BB has a little cold with a cough, so we went to the store today and got some cough medicine. I gave him some in the car...

BB: mmm...good...
J: Is that good BB?
BB: Yep.
J: Is it grape?
BB: No.
J: Is it cherry?
BB: No.
J: What is it?
BB: It's medicine, dada!

My worst nightmare...

I needed to buy jeans. I am making progress on the weight thing, but I can't wear sweat pants to work until I can fit into my jeans, so...

I went to Target over the weekend, and they had jeans on sale for $15, so I figured it wasn't too much to spend on "temporary" jeans. However, they had every size EXCEPT the size I needed. Argh. Ok, no problem, I'll just go to a different Target and buy them. Of course, I couldn't go the same day because I had to go home and take care of the boys. So today, I had a little time, and I went to a different Target. They no longer had any jeans on sale, AND they didn't even have the same style of jeans as the other Target. So I tried on 2 of the styles they had (for $23), and neither of them fit right. I wasn't about to try on the $30 jeans because I would probably like them, and I didn't want to spend $30 on jeans. I wanted to run some other errands while I was out, but I had spent too long at Target looking for the jeans, so I headed home, jeanless.

At this point, I start to wonder if the universe is against me. Am I "meant" to go jeanless to inspire me to lose weight so I can fit into my other jeans? Or am I just unlucky with jean buying? I could get on the jeans at the first Target (on sale), but they didn't actually "fit," if you know what I mean, and I didn't buy them because I can "get on" the jeans I already have, but they don't "fit" in any going-out-in-public-in-them sort of way...

On the way at home, I passed Goodwill, so I decided I'd run in and see if they had any jeans that I liked. I had very little time, but I tried on 9 pairs of jeans in less than 15 minutes. I found 2 pairs that were worthy of coming home with me for $6.99 each. (And I have to say, they are much nicer jeans than I would usually buy - as far as being nice brands that are more expensive than I would even buy new.)

So maybe the universe isn't against me. Or at least not in the arena of jeans...

On a different note...I'm thinking about joining a gym. I have always said I wouldn't join a gym because if I'm not going to workout at home, I wouldn't workout at a gym. Plus, we have a fitness center at work, and I don't use it, so...it seems like a waste of money to pay money to work out somewhere else. But here's the kicker - I have 2 kids now. It's not so easy to workout with a 2 1/2 yr old and a 3 month old. So the idea of a gym with childcare sounds good to me, and I have a friend that already goes a few times a week right after I pick up my kids from daycare. I recently realized that in the past my alternative to spending time working out was spending time relaxing - shopping, reading, watching TV, etc. Now my alternative to working out is working IN...taking care of 2 kids, doing laundry, cooking, dishes, cleaning house, etc. I think at this point in my life, it might be LESS work to work out!

He likes it...

So J had to have a CT scan today, and he had to drink that barium stuff before the scan (last night and again this morning.) So last night, I got it out to take to him at work (since he forgot and left it at home)...
BB: Mama, want some that.
Mama: You don't want this, it's for Dada. We'll make you chocolate milk.
BB: Dada's milk, Mama. Want some.
Mama: No, you won't like this. It's stuff...for Dada's Colon...
BB: (sly smile) Like Colon Stuff, Mama.

Nice. This is the same kid who won't try anything I WANT him to have, but he wants the barium stuff - even claims to like "colon stuff." Of course, I didn't actually let him have any of it, and he got over it. But I have to say, it's almost too much fun to hear a 2 year old say, "Like Colon Stuff, Mama."

Spaghetti...sure...

I think to myself...let's have spaghetti for dinner...


So I get out the ground turkey (which I even moved from the freezer to the fridge yesterday so I would have it for spaghetti today), and start cooking it. I fill the large pot with water and set it on the stove to boil. I get out the pasta. I find the colander. I get out the...um...the...uh oh. I'm sure I have spaghetti sauce in here. Really, I do. Really. Or...not. Crapbuckets.

So I continue to look around for something to put with the ground turkey (happily, I had not yet put the pasta in the boiling water...) We ended up with turkey manwiches, which is fine, I guess, but of course, I really wanted spaghetti once I thought I was making it for dinner. For whatever reason, I just looked up Manwich (partially to make sure I spelled it right...I think it should be ManWitch...) and it's older than I am. It was introduced in 1969...who knew?


By the way, I think Manwich tastes a lot like ketchup, but J likes it, so I buy it sometimes for a quick meal that will make him relatively happy...as happy as ketchup covered ground turkey can make a person...

Tantrum Boy

In the last few days, BB has earned himself the nickname "Tantrum Boy." (Though I am smart enough not to call him it to his face, as he may think it's his cool superhero name or something...and start to have MORE tantrums to live up to it.) Though he has been 2 for about 7 months, the "terrible" part of the "terrible 2's" is beginning to manifest itself. I'm sure the fact that SuperJ is only 3 months old and gets lots of mommy's attention is probably related to the manifestation of the "terrible" in him. BB is actually still very good most of the time, and he's got the cute factor really going for him. He has well timed, "Mama, hug please?" to save himself from being sold to the gypsies.

I told my husband(J) I was going to sell BB to the gypsies this week. I was expecting a response along the lines of, "What did he do?" or "Hasn't he been good?" but what I got from him was...
"I don't think you'd get much for him." Clearly, he doesn't understand the point of selling the boy. While I am always in favor of making a good profit (I like to consider myself frugal...J would call me cheap), that's not really the point of the whole selling-BB-to-the-gypsies thing.

Today, BB has been a little less of TantrumBoy, though it's probably because I haven't made him do much. We slept through church for multiple reasons (one being that I forgot to put the sheets in the dryer last night, so at bedtime, we had to stay up late while we dried the sheets...), so I didn't get him up and make him get dressed. He wore his pajamas until about an hour ago when we took them off to take a bath before bed (and now he's wearing pajamas again, though clean ones). We did some of his favorite things today - vacuumed (yes, he loves to vacuum), took the trash out, snacked all day, drew animals on the dry erase board, and jumped around acting crazy (ok, so that was all him - I didn't jump around much.) It would have been a perfect day to play outside (high of 65 today), but we just didn't make it, unless you count taking out multiple bags of trash and recycling "playing."

Tomorrow morning I plan to get up early and sneak away to work, leaving unsuspecting J to deal with both boys in the morning and get them to daycare. (Ok, so that won't actually happen, but I would like to. I will probably leave both boys with him when I go to work, but I won't just sneak out.)

A contest! Woohoo!

Ok, so I'm not having a contest, but I know someone who is!!

At this great blog, she having a contest for a really cool product that these cool people made. I really like this idea as I think it encourages something really important that not enough families do anymore (yes, you'll have to go check it out to find out!)

Go check it out!

Goals Update

So here's an update on my goals...


I am surprisingly now only 2 pounds from pre-baby weight, but it doesn't seem that way to me. I think the body shape changes that come with pregnancy make the same weight seem bigger. Either way, I wasn't that happy with my pre-baby weight, so this is one step in a larger goal, I guess.

I took the boys for a walk yesterday in the semi-double stroller (it's a Sit-N-Stand so BB can ride sitting, standing, or hop off and walk). This is a relatively large step for me in the exercise arena, and I'm going to attempt to take another walk today.


The whole family got up and went to church on Sunday - woohoo! Our church is in a weird location transition right now, so we are having services at a different church 2 hours earlier than we usually go to church, but we made it!

On the keeping in touch with people more side, I have invited a few more folks to the blog, and I have started an account on birthdayalarm.com to remind me of folks' birthdays. Since my mother-in-law doesn't have the internet (or a computer), I am really bad at keeping up with news of the kids and pictures with her. I have semi-outsourced this, and my mom is now printing and sending pics to MIL when I email them to mom (Mom actually volunteered to do this - she is that cool.) (I am also going back to work this week, so that will keep me in touch with my work-friends more, but I don't really get credit for that one.)

The music truck...

So there's this truck that comes by our house...we like to call it the music truck because it plays music as it drives slowly around the neighborhood.

Some people call it the "ice cream truck," but I think saying that in front of BB might cause more trouble. So, for now at least, it's the music truck. He thinks it drives around just to play music for the people in the neighborhood. So far, he hasn't even seen it stop and give ice cream out to people.

So last night, we heard the music truck on our way home from daycare, but he didn't see it.

BB: White music truck?
Me: Yep, the white music truck.
BB: Where, mama?
Me: It already drove by, we can't see it now.
BB: Hear it, mama.
Me: Yep, we can hear it, but we can't see it.
BB: Yep, white music truck.

The music truck does happen to be white, and I figured he remembered that. After we got home, we went in the backyard to play for the 20 minutes or so before it gets to dark to play outside. Lo and behold, the music truck comes back.

BB: Mama! Music truck. Hear it!
Me: Yes, I hear it.
BB: Mama, blue music truck?
Me: Um, blue?
BB: Yep, hear it, mama? Blue music truck!

I guess this one sounded blue. It was actually the same music truck, but since we couldn't see it either, he decided it sounded blue. I like that something can "sound blue" to him.

Less dropped calls than any other imaginary network...

I'm talking on my cell phone, so BB decides to talk on his (toy) flip phone. He opens it, dials some numbers, holds it up to his ear, and starts talking to Dada.

Hi Dada.
What doing?
Yep.
Uh-huh...Play toys.
Dada?
Hello??

At this point he pulls the phone away from his ear and looks intently at the screen. He puts it back to his ear.

Dada??

He shrugs his shoulders and closes the flip phone and looks at me. I say, "Did you lose your call?" He says, "Yep. Lost." He opens his phone and dials again...phone to ear...

Dada?
Ok, good...and continues his conversation.

Apparently our cell phone network even drops imaginary calls. Amazing.

Translating Services...

Some translations from/conversations with my 2 year old...

BB: Mama, change diaper me?
Me: How about, "Mama, change my diaper."
BB: (looking at me like I'm crazy) No Mama, change MINE diaper.

To BB, mine and my are the same exact word. My favorite phrases are the ones that makes him sound German...

Mine boots! (emphasis on boots)

UncleJ: (pretending he's "cool") What's up, my dog?
BB: No, MINE dog!

"Thank you" was one of his first phrases, and he uses it well, but I don't think he understood the concept of "No, thank you" until recently. In fact, every negative response sounded like he was being tortured.

Before
Me: Do you want some green beans?
BB: NoooOOOooooOOO!!

Now
Me: Do you want some green beans?
BB: No thank you. *smile*

While he's still not eating green beans, at least he's being polite about it.

Also, for whatever reason, in the phrase "Don't want it," whatever he doesn't want comes after "Don't want it." So instead of "I don't want this movie," he says "Don't want it, movie" or even "Don't want it, this movie," or the oh-so-descriptive, "Don't want it, this one."

Oh yeah, and he leaves the opening consonents off most words that don't start with D, M, or B. (though even M is iffy - Mama has the M, movie is "oovie," but "moo" is "moo")

So there you go, if you need to have a conversation with BB, you're clued in.

Misplaced pockets

Have you ever put on an outfit and thought...this would be a great outfit if only it had pockets? (Probably not if you're a guy...I don't think guys have this problem, though I could be wrong.) (Maternity clothes are the worst for this offense, and if you're a guy wearing maternity clothes, you may have other issues...) Well, I have found where all the pockets we need have gone.

They are on baby clothes. Yep, baby clothes. I mean, what 2 month old DOESN'T need pockets? I'm amazed at how many of SuperJ's 0-3 month size clothes have pockets. This child is luckily to be able to control his arms enough to not hit himself in the head, so I'm pretty sure there is no way he has the dexterity required to work pockets. And even if he did, what on earth would he put in there? Anything small enough to fit in his pockets is probably a choking hazard anyway, so even if he had the skill, there would be no use for it. BB (2 year old) is just now getting the whole pocket thing, mostly used to put his hands in, though sometimes he keeps his money there (his money being whatever money he finds and claims as his own...smart kid...)

So I was watching Oprah this week...yes, really (I'm on maternity leave!), and the current fashion guru she had on said pockets add volume, so they are bad on people who already have volume in places they don't want to accentuate - mainly side pockets on hips and back pockets on butts. I can see how you wouldn't want to accentuate those parts if they were already big, especially on pregnant ladies, but come on. Is a pocket really going to make that much difference when you're preggo belly is so big you can't see your feet? Like someone is going to look at you and say, "You know, that little side pocket really makes you look big." Please.

So if any of the 3 of you who have read my blog happen to be clothing designers, GIVE ME BACK MY POCKETS!!

Thanks.

Happy New Year...

I always think about making New Year's Resolutions, and I never actually make any. Rather than believing that this is my extreme procrastination rearing it's ugly head, I choose to believe that it would be a waste of time to make them. Now, it's not because I have nothing that needs "resolving," because I certainly do, but I guess I feel like making resolutions just because it's the first of the year is too random.

But since it's the time of year that people share their resolutions, I'll share a few of the things I'm working on...

1. Baby weight...so it's been 9 weeks since Baby Jeff was born, and while I've lost some of the weight, I'm not back in my pre-pregnancy pants (which, honestly, isn't the size I want to be either, BUT it's my first goal). I keep saying I'm going to start walking at least, and eating better...but I haven't really been doing that yet.

2. Debt. Yep, we all have it. I'm actually feeling pretty good about that fact that we have less now than we did last year, so that's a move in the right direction. We have a new baby and some other new expenses have come up recently, but I think we're still going to be on track as long as we don't lose sight of what we're going for.

3. Exercise. Yes, it's kind of related to #1, but I also realize I should be doing some exercise just for my general health as well...

4. "Me" time. I don't do it. I have work time, taking care of the kids time, and sleep time (which includes taking care of the kids time since they both sleep in my bed), and since my husband works evenings, I don't have the opportunity to go out or even sit and read a book. I have often said that is part of what being a mom of 2 little ones IS, but I think a little me time would be a good idea. One of the challenges here will be to make sure this doesn't counteract the debt thing (i.e. Me time can't = spending money time)

5. Keeping in touch with people more. So I'm thinking that maybe this blog will help a little there. People who want to know what's going on in my life can read it and see some pics of the family if they want. In addition to the blog, I'm trying to keep up with people through email, but honestly, I've never been good at that, except in spurts.

6. Going to church REGULARLY. I enjoy going to church. I like my kids going to church. I like the people at my church, and the minister. I'm not good at getting out of bed and getting the kids ready to go to church and actually making it there, and my husband is even worse at those things.

I'm actually working on a few more little things, but I think if the list is 25 things long, you'll all think I have nothing good going for me. Ha ha. Honestly though, these are the big ones. I actually think writing them out here will help me pay attention to them. I do know that experts say that you should concentrate on one or two at a time...and that's just not how I am. I'm an all or nothing kind of person...I honestly have a very addictive personality, and I guess I've known it for a long time, so I've always stayed away from things people are generally addicted to (alcohol, tobacco, gambling, etc...)

Ok, my fussy baby boy has decided this post is long enough for today. Feel free to share some of your goals if you're so inclined.