In the Market for a New Podiatrist

So last week Tuesday, I go to the podiatrist at the hospital in my little town. I'm all jazzed because I'm anxious to get this damn painful ingrown toenail removed and start treating the knife sticking out of my heel....I mean my plantar facitis. So the doctor removes my ingrown toenail, applies some solution that kills the part of the root where the ingrown toenail was growing out of (so it won't recur), has x-rays done of my foot, and diagnoses me with plantar facitis. Groovy. He tells me to make another appointment to start treatment for the plantar facitis. So I make an appointment for last week Friday. He seemed competent on Tuesday, but it all went downhill on Friday.

It all started on Friday when he walked in and introduced himself like we had never met before. Um, I was just here 3 days ago. I realize you may have forgotten me, but you're holding my chart in your hands. You could have read it over and pretended like you remembered me. I was in slight shock and said something like I was just here a few days ago for my plantar facitis and ingrown toenail. So he removes the bandaid from my ingrown tneoail, looks at it and says, yep we'll take care of that. HE STARTS TO TAKE OUT THE STUFF TO NUMB MY TOE AND REMOVE THE TOENAIL!!!! So slightly panicked, I exclaim "you just did this on Tuesday!!!" or something intelligent like that. So he apologizes and finally starts to look at my chart and realizes that yes indeedy he did remove my ingrown toenail 3 days ago. Oh and he reeks of cigarette smoke like he just chain smoked a pack in the last 20 minutes. So without washing his hands or putting on gloves, he gets out this metal pokey thingie that may or may not be sterile and starts poking my toe. He puts some gunk on it, bandages it back up and writes me a scrip for antibiotics. I'm wondering why he didn't prescribe antibiotics on Tuesday, but seeing how fast this appointment is going downhill, it really didn't surprise me.

Onto my heel. He starts to write me a prescription for something tor reduce the inflammation. I ask if this will interfere with pregnancy because Mike and I are ttc and I may be pregnant and just not know it. He says "no I don't think so" but then crumples up the paper and throws it away. He seems rather disgusted by this tidbit and again I'm wondering why he went through the trouble of writing the prescription. I told him I'm taking Clomid-I'm not taking it just to see if I really will get hot flashes and sore boobies. So apparently I'm not getting any medication to reduce the inflammation because he doesn't say anything else. He tells me that Marge, his wingman (wingwoman?) is going to see if orthotic shoe inserts are covered by my insurance. He leaves, and a few minutes later he and Marge walk in. Marge is carrying a bowl of water and these long paper mache looking strips. I'm wondering if we are going to start doing arts and crafts. He puts the chair all the way back and tells me to roll over on my stomach. WTF?!?!?!? So I do, and they start paper macheing my feet-making the molds for my handy dandy shoe inserts. It felt weird. So while this is going on, I'm asking all kinds of questions about how often to wear the inserts, icing my foot, should I wear shoes all day, how often should I get new shoes, etc. I was really looking for a specific treatment plan and got nothing. He basically blew off my questions and seemed like these inserts will magically cure me. No information on if I'll ever need new ones, do these wear out, etc. It was so weird. So I go out by Marge who tells me the inserts will be ready in 2-3 weeks. So I ask if my insurance covers these and she says that Oconto County employee insurance has covered them before so there shouldn't be a problem. She didn't even call my insurance!!!! Oh, but to reassure me she says, if insurance doesn't cover these, the hospital will "work with you on payments." Oh gee thanks, that's comforting. Then Marge gets in a dig about how government employees insurance is usually much better than those working in the private sector. Again, gee thanks. The 3 people in the waiting room glared at me for having good insurance. What they don't know is that I pay out the ass for it because I'm part time.

Good times. So yes, obviously I'm looking for a new podiatrist. This one scared the heebie jeebies out of me.

In other news, I have a nephew!!!! Dylan Thomas Barnhart was born on December 5th at 1:42 am. He is perfect and we love him dearly. Will post more later about that. I really should get to work. Plus Dylan deserves his own post!

My Own Personal MacGyver

I love my husband, I really do. I love the fact that he is fairly handy, and if something is broken around the house, he takes the bull by the horns and fixes it. Even with stitches on his hand and being super tired from the weekend, he tore apart the wash machine and concocted a fix for it consisting of electrical tape and wire. It seems a little iffy to me, but he assures me that it will work. And if it doesn't, then the part we need is only about $25. PHEW!!!! Not looking forward to having to shop for a new washer.

I'm done taking the clomid and did not have any side effects, which I'm happy about. Now it's time to pee on a stick and get the hubby to impregnate me.

In other medical news, I'm going to a podiatrist next week to get my ingrown toenail removed and my left heel evaluated. I think I have plantar facitis which hurts like a mo'fo. May as well take advantage of the fact that I met my deductible this year.

I think I've finally decided what to get Paige for Christmas. We'll get her that Barbie My House and ask my family for furniture for it. I'm also going to ask for the game Hullabaloo and this Play Doh ice cream maker thingie. We'll save the Leapster for her 5th birthday. I can see it really frustrating her right now.

I am so nuerotic. I have this wild hair up my ass that Paige's winter gear MUST MATCH. So I went to Younker's and Kohl's a few weeks ago and got her a black, white and pink jacket, black snowpants, pink boots, and a pink hat and mittens. Adorable. Also ran me about $80. Well last year Mike's dad and stepmom got her a blue winter jacket to wear this year. It fits her fine and looks really cute. Since I'm all stressed about money, I decide to try to find blue snowpants to match her blue jacket and take the other stuff back. After Margarita's last night (YUM-O) I ran to Fleet Farm, Walmart and Shopko and found nothing. Shopping in the big girl section really sucks. The clothes are so much more expensive. So after stressing about this the whole way home, I complain to Mike about it and he tells me to let it go and keep the stuff we have. She can wear the blue jacket and black snow pants on the weekends at home. He also tells me to chill out about her having to match. See why I love this man?

When It Rains It Pours

So because Mike was out of town this weekend, I guess the universe decided to conspire against us and break stuff in our house. The wash machine stops in mid cycle, leaving me with a load of semi-dirty clothes soaking in water and not moving. I have to keep turning the dial until I find a spot where it will keep moving on to the spin cycle. I think the dirty clothes are onto me and are multiplying as we speak.

As I backed out of the garage on Saturday night to go to my friend Amy's house for supper, the garage door opener blinked a bunch of times and would not close. It was pretty freaky looking. Mike has a bunch of expensive fishing stuff in there so I didn't want to leave it open while we were gone. So I shut it manually, but couldn't figure out how to lock it. So on Sunday I had to get out and open and shut it manually when we went out. Not fun.

Then I'm driving our truck because we are under strict orders from our mechanic not to drive the Taurus until it's been aligned. The power locks on the truck don't work which doesn't sound like a big deal, but it really is a huge pain in the ass. Plus only the passenger side door opens to the back seat so I always have to go around to that side to get Paige. The power locks not working wouldn't bother me too much, but you have to get the key in the lock JUST RIGHT for it to open. UGH. Couple this with Paige asking EVERY SINGLE TIME I put her in the car seat "are you going around the front of the truck mama, or the back?", I was really sick of driving the truck. Paige has suddenly developed this phobia about being alone in a vehicle and not being able to see either of us. She usually screams from the time we shut the door until we get in.

On Saturday night I get a call from Mike saying that he shot a doe, but as his group was cutting up the deer, one of his cousins basically just about sliced his fingers off (Mike's, not the cousin's). This is why it's important not to drink when weilding knives. Mike claimed that it wasn't that big of a deal, but I ordered him to go to an urgent care to get stitches the next day. Promising he would, I hung up and hoped for the best. Sunday I get a message from him saying that he went to the ER in Rice Lake because the urgent cares would have cost the same as the ER and you're supposed to get stitches in a cut within 12 hours after, not 24 like Mike thought. So yeah, that bill won't be expensive AT ALL.

I know I just went off on how we can afford to do what we want when we want, but I am seriously stressed about money now. Here's why:
$1600 for the Taurus (about $600 more than we thought)
$2000 for the new furnace
$400 for a new washer (most likely)
$375 for Paige's 2nd tuition payment due right after Christmas
$350 (guess) for our land taxes, due at the end of January
$1000 for my medical bills at Aurora (at least I met my deductible)
$500 for Mike's chiropracter, at $50 a month
$400 left at CMH for my ingrown toenails and bladdar infection

Oh yeah and Christmas!!!! The first three are going to be paid for by a cash advance on a credit card. Not thrilled about that but it's at 3% interest and we had to do it. No other options, since our house didn't appraise high enough for a home equity line of credit.

Here's an FYI for ya, HSG tests are expensive!!!! Plus another $50 to get the Taurus aligned. I'm getting that done Friday morning. At least I've met my deductible, so I'm calling a podiatrist tomorrow to get in this year yet for my plantar facitis and 3rd ingrown toenail in less than a year. I'm tempted to have him remove the whole damn nail. And my next progesterone test will be covered too. I think I'm going to be paying Aurora for the rest of my life.

I hear the kid crying, almost her bedtime THANK GOD. She has been a bear today. She's probably mad at us for sending her to daycare, ha ha.

Dear High and Mighty SAHMs

*DISCLAIMER* Before I proceed, I realize that maybe 2 out of my 5 readers are SAHMs. This post is not about you because I am friends only with super cool people. This blog is a place for me to vent and boy do I need to vent about this. There, you have been warned. Proceed at your own risk.

Dear High and Mighty SAHMs:
Get off of your high horse. Just because you SAH does not make you a good mother. Good moms come in all types. If I stayed at home, I would be a bad mom. I know this, and there is nothing wrong with admitting that.

I work because I HAVE TO!!!! I make about $9 more an hour than Mike, and even working 20 hours a week less than him, my yearly salary is still a little more than his. However, neither one of ours is enough to stay at home. I married Mike because he is a good, honest, loving man, not because he brings home the bacon, or because "he works hard enough to allow me to sah." If I hear that statement one more time, I may puke. We did not live together before we got married, so we each spent money on our own rent. Meaning we did not have a big down payment for a nice house. We live in a small house and like it that way. It's less to clean.

I am good at what I do. My work saves lives. That's a big deal. I'm working to make workplaces in Wisconsin smoke free, making cigarettes hard for kids to buy, helping women receive lifesaving mammograms and Pap tests, and saving your children's lives by making sure you have safe car seats and are using them properly. I also teach you how to prevent getting sick from the flu, MRSA, whooping cough, norovirus, etc. My work is rewarding and I'm glad that I have a career in the field I got my hard earned degree in. What a concept, huh?

*Stepping off of my high horse.*

I don't have to ask Mike for money. I contribute more than my share to our household income-it's our money and we spend it how we see fit. We can do what we want, when we want. We can afford to send Paige to a Catholic school. We can afford to give generously to our church and to Paige's Christian Witness projects at school. We can afford gas for our vehicles and don't have to say we can't go somewhere because it costs too much. We can take Paige to fun places and do fun things BECAUSE WE CAN AFFORD TO!!!!

Because I work, Mike sees me as more than only to a mother to his child. We are equal partners. I am not "under his thumb" and can go out with my friends when I want to, even if I've worked all day. He does not expect a hot cooked meal on the table every night when he gets home, clean laundry that's folded and put away, and a clean house. We each keep the house and laundry taken care of.

Do not feel bad for me. Do not feel bad for Paige. She is a sweet, healthy, active, smart child who loves life and loves to laugh. I think we're doing something right. She is learning to listen to and respect other adults besides Mike and I by being in daycare. She is learning to play with and socialize with kids of all ages by being in daycare. We are often complimented on her behavior and good manners. Yes, she is not perfect, but is a good kid overall. Do I miss her every minute of every day while I'm at work? No. Do I cry every morning when I leave her at daycare? No. Are there some mornings I'm thrilled to be dropping her off? You bet your ass. Yes, there are mornings when I feel pangs of guilt for dropping her off, and yes, there are days at work when work sucks and I wish I was at home, but that's ok. And yes, there are days when she is at daycare 10-11 hours a day...horror of horrors. I can live with that. I know I am doing the right thing for my family.

I have had the opportunity to go full time and I am choosing not to. I chose to come back from maternity leave part time so I had extra time with Paige. The extra money and MUCH cheaper insurance would be nice, but time with Paige is more important.

Sincerely,

A Proud Working Mama

Wow, that felt really good. If I offended you, I apologize, but I am speaking my mind.

Madison

I leave in a few hours for a work conference in Madison. YIPEE! Two nights, kid free, and husband free in a hotel room all to myself. Heaven.

Our weekend was fun and slightly busy. Took the Taurus to the mechanic to get fixed on Saturday morning. Mike took the dog hunting and left around 11am. Paige and I left for my mom and dad's in the afternoon. Had supper there and went to Appleton to see Beauty and the Beast at Xavier High School. I really enjoyed it! Paige liked it too, but it didn't start until 7:45pm so she was almost asleep at the end. Went to church with them Sunday morning, then headed back home. A friend and her daughter came over in the afternoon and we went to Cinderella at our high school. It was ok, not nearly as good as Beauty and the Beast. Paige was rather antsey and we were both glad when it was over. My friend and her daughter came back over afterwards and stayed for pizza for supper. Paige and Abby play so well together-so cute to watch!

Now I'm here at work and have been a huge slacker. My boss isn't here and I'm leaving soon, so I have taken unproductivity to a new level.

Pregnancy update: My progesterone level is slightly low. It's 11 and it should be 15-20. I'm still not exactly sure why or what that means, but the nurse told me to wait to see if I'm pregnant or not. If I was pregnant, I may have to take progesterone supplements. Well I'm not. I started spotting yesterday. I am waiting for a call back from the nurse now. She suggested Clomid and I'm ready for it. I know the side effects aren't that pleasant, but I don't care. I want another child so badly.

Some chick on my mom's group message board started a post extoling the glories of being a SAHM and I could just puke. Of course like 8 people have responded to it since last night and it's so sickening. I'm ready to post something back, but I'm trying to formulate a thoughtful and intelligent response. They are of the understanding that if the wife can afford to SAH, then she should. Doesn't matter if she WANTS to work...oh no, you made those babies, you stay home with them. So, if you see on facebook that I'm irritated, that's why.

Back to being a nonproductive slacker!

Busy Busy Day

After stuffing my face at Margarita's last night and enjoying an absolutely huge and delish margarita, I was in no mood to wake up this morning. But I did. Off to Aurora I went for my progesterone blood test. I'm such a wimp about getting blood drawn, but it wasn't too bad. She tried my right arm first but no blood was coming out, so she had to poke my left arm. But I was a trooper. The lab tech was very sweet and made a joke about me never wanting to come in for blood draws again. I made a comment that hopefully the next time I come in, I'll be pregnant. The way she said "ooohhh I hope so" was so sweet and made me tear up. So feeling sorry for myself after sitting in the waiting room with a pregnant woman there for her blood glucose test, I decided to partake in some retail therapy. Kohl's is just way too close to Aurora and I had some things to return, so I felt obligated to go. I got a Christmas ornament for my mom's group Christmas party ornament exchange, 3 new shirts and a new purse. I returned $30 worth of stuff and spent $60. Nice.

Got to work and did not want to be there. After slacking off for most of the day, I left early to get to the sitter's by 4pm. Picked up the kid, went to the high school to get tickets for Cinderella at the high school PAC on Sunday for me, Paige and my friend and her daughter, to my work immunization clinic to get our flu shots (flumist for her, shot for me, my arm hurts) and to the grocery store. All in like 45 minutes. Got home, put up with a cranky kid, threw a pizza in the oven, and went to a 6pm meeting for a committee I signed up for through my church. Three pokes today-ouch. Mike offered to give me a 4th poke, he's so eloquent. I turned him down. Anywho, the committee is called the Family Life Committee and it's the brainchild of our priest. He wants us to plan family events that involve all three of the parishes. We are sort of merged with two other churchs, one about 5 miles away and one about 15. The other people on the committee are really nice and I think it will be fun. Our first event is a Family Game Night on a Friday night. We'll have snacks and refreshments, and people of all ages can play the games that are there-Scrabble, Trivial Pursuit, etc. I'm in charge of making the flyer advertising it.

Came home and Paige was sleeping already. I haven't seen her much the past few days. Mike has been dropping her off at Sandi's in the AM which is AWESOME. But last night I ended up staying late at work and going straight to Margarita's, this morning Mike dropped her off, then we ran errands after work, and I took off again around 6pm and she was sleeping when I got home. But we'll be together all of this weekend and next weekend.

I guess I'll find out about my progesterone test tomorrow sometime. I'm peeing CONSTANTLY which is making me get my hopes up, but my boobs are starting to get sore tonight. I always get sore boobs about a week before my period starts. I was also super cranky today making me think I have PMS, but I think I may have forgotten to take my happy pill this morning. Damn happy pills. I hate it when I forget to take them.

Money Money Money

Holy shit, I just checked wbay.com and the wind chill is 18 degrees. WTF?

I did another Turbo Jam workout the other day...LOVE IT! So glad I got that DVD. I'm going to try the Turbo Sculpt tomorrow. No workouts this weekend. We raked the yard today so I'm counting that. Plus I did a ton of walking around while shopping yesterday and my heel was hurting.

Friday was my usual day off with Paige. We annoyed the crap out of each other all morning, then joyfully bid each other adieu at her bus stop. I frolicked into my house with glee at the thought of another 3 hours of a quiet house all to myself. Took pictures of a bunch of crap that I'm going to list on ebay, and then listed a couple of things. We need money BAD.

I'm so stressed about medical bills right now. We are currently paying $50 a month for Mike's chiropracter care this summer ($500 total so it will take us almost a year to pay off), we still owe for my ingrown toenail removal this summer (that was around $450), $80 for a recent trip to Urgent Care for another UTI that I had, $150 for the dentist for me from last month, and I really don't want to think about how much all this stuff with Dr. Gibson is going to cost. We've already gotten a $166 dollar bill from 2 different lab tests he ran at my office visit last month. Plus my HSG and now this week I'm having a progesterone blood test. Part of the problem is that we went on my insurance starting September 1st thinking it would be so great. We failed to notice that basically all labs, x-rays and other services are subjected to our $1000 individual deductible or $2000 family deductible and then covered 100%. The ingrown toenail and chiropracter stuff happened on Mike's insurance. We really were so stupid and should have waited until the first of the year to switch insurances. I'll probably just hit the $1000 mark at the end of the year and then start all over next year. I'm really not sure about the dentist bill. The first EOB from my insurance looked like all $400 worth of my services at the dentist were covered. I just got a different one from the insurance on Friday that said I owe like $150. Whatever. I'll just wait for the bill and go from there. The good thing about my insurance is that I can get a 90 day supply of my happy pills for $30, where on Mike's insurance it was $45/month. So we're saving about $100 right there. Plus we each get $150 in vision materials per year which is nice since we each wear contacts and glasses and routine vision exams are covered 100%. Infertility is covered 100% after the deductible. So if we have to pursue the infertility route, it won't be insanely expensive. Office visit copays on my insurance are $10, where Mike's is $30. So if Paige has an ear infection or something, it will only cost us $10, plus the prescription will be cheaper. Our premiums are about the same cost so I guess it comes out in the wash. But what's really nagging me is that whenever I've gone to the doctor in the past on Mike's insurance, I've only paid the $30 co pay and nothing else for lab, bloodwork, etc. The only thing is that with my $10 co pays, that if I ever decide to see a therapist (which I should, I have emotional eating issues) it will only be $10 per visit. I saw one last year and it was $30 a visit and I was going weekly for a while. My ingrown toenail is ingrown again, I think I have another UTI, and I really should get my heel checked out for plantar facitis.

On top of all the medical bills, we need a new furnace, the Taurus needs tires, and the Taurus also needs a bunch of front end work. We're going to slap all this on one of our CC's then transfer it to a no interest card and pay it off in one year. Not a huge fan of doing that but we both have awesome credit scores, and we didn't get the home equity line of credit so we have no other options. Wells Fargo Financial has contacted us about some short term loans but they have insanely high interest rates so I don't want to go that route.

I am so demented about money. We really need to save save save right now, but because I am feeling the pressure to save, I go out and spend a shitload of money. I'm like a defiant teenager-oh yeah? I'll show you who's going to save money!!! In the last week, I bought three pairs of pants at Old Navy for around $70, spent nearly $50 at Gymboree on pants and 3 pairs of jammies for Paige, $65 on a new pair of tennies for me from zappos.com, $75 yesterday at JCP on 3 new bras, a pair of shoes for Paige, hairspray and this leave in conditioner for Paige's hair, and $15 at Payless for new shoes for Paige. RIDICULOUS. Plus about $20 at Pro Bowl/Suamico Ale House on Saturday for lunch and bowling with Paige and a friend of mine and her daughter. So now Christmas is coming up, our land taxes will be due at the end of January, and Paige's school tuition will be due right after Christmas break. WTF?!?!?!? I have so much more I have to list

I have a bunch more stuff to list on ebay but it's rather time consuming. I'll have to plug away at it this week.

Our 44th President

Last night at 10pm, Barack Obama was named the 44th President of the United States. Mike and I watched the election coverage most of the night and could tell that Obama was going to win, but it was still so exciting when it was officially "called."

I was undecided at first, then watched the debates and did some research and decided to vote for Obama. Mike bashed Sarah Palin constantly and I always got on his case for it. But after learning more about her and hearing how she charged many personal trips to her travel expenses as the Alaska governor, forcing the taxpayers to pay for her family trips, that put me over the edge.

Once I made up my mind that Obama was the man, I became a big fan of his! He is so charasmatic, and I can really see him leading our country out of this huge mess. I also agree with where we stands on many issues. As a Catholic, it was difficult to vote for someone who is very pro-abortion, but there were other issues, namely the economy, the war in Iraq, and health care that are so much more important. So now I'm very excited and hopeful for our country's future. I think Obama will be an excellent leader. I think any Republican that ran would have lost after the last 8 years of GW the worst fuck up in American history.

So if I have any readers who support John McCain, I'm curious what made you support him. Out of my, you know, 5 readers, this could be a long shot, but who knows. I'm honestly curious, I'm not trying to start an argument.

What other exciting news do I have to share with my 5 readers? I'm very close to getting a positive OPK! Today is day 14 of my cycle and have been expecting to get a +OPK, but I haven't gotten a thing since Sunday. Tonight, I started to get a second line...yahoo! So guess what we'll be doing the next few nights. =)

I've worked out every night this week! YAHOO again! Tonight I did a strength training workout for the first time in a long time. It felt really good to lift weights.

Epiphany

I just got done doing a Leslie Sansone exercise video. It was a 15 minute 1 mile walk and I loved it! It's from a set that I used to do when I was pregnant and in halfway decent shape. Now I'm not pregnant, just very overweight. With my plantar facitis, I've been getting so frustrated that I can't exercise, but I've decided to start VERY VERY small. This was only 15 minutes and just the right intensity. I broke a little bit of a sweat, and I feel SO GOOD right now! So now I've decided I'm not going to do any of my Firm or other really tough workouts and am just going to stick with the Leslie's and other easier ones. This way, I'll look forward to working out and actually DO IT. I'm searching on ebay for a lot of Leslie workout videos. I'm so excited!

Halloween Festivities

We celebrated Halloween all week! On Monday, we went to the high school for their annual Halloween party. A bunch of the high school kids set up a ton of games in the gym, and the little kids go around and play them and get candy. Yesterday we went to Sweet Street at Shopko Hall in Green Bay. It's basically this huge expo center with a ton of kids stuff in it. There were about 5 different bounce house things, the Little Gym, an entertainment stage, mini golf, pumpkin bowling, and trick or treating for the kids. It took Paige and I both a while to get used to all the activities and figure out where she wanted to go, but after discovering the YMCA bounce house, I think we spent the majority of our time there!

Then today we went to a "Trunk or Treat" event put on by my playgroup. A shitload of us went to our main organizer's house (and by house, I mean 6000+ square foot mansion in the woods), parked our cars on the empty lots around her house, decorated our trunks and set candy out for the kids. My decorations consisted of Halloween garland, "caution" tape and plastic spider rings that I hastily bought at Walmart on the way there. Some people (the ones with WAAAAYYYY too much time on their hands) went all out. I was not one of those people. I also bought WAAAAYYYY too much candy. I don't know what I was thinking. The mom's group event was ok. There are just so many new members and so many people I don't know and it seems like no one wants to make any effort to get to know each other. Kind of frustrating. But Paige had fun and actually left my side a few times, so it was a success! Tonight we had trick or treating in our little town and Paige made a haul. My mom and sister came up and we're sending a bunch of candy home with them. I think I'll have Mike take a bunch too, and I'll get rid of some at work. Not the good stuff though-we're keeping all the chocolate here! I feel like we are finally starting to break into this town a little bit. I actually chatted with some of my neighbors today and may have even found a potential babysitter! YAHOO! The lady that taught Paige's Vacation Bible School this summer has a 7th grade daughter and they live just up the road from us. Her mom even offered to have Paige come to their house. SWEET.

I'm a little crabby right now. I have a canker sore way up on the left side of my gums, my ingrown toenail that I've had cut out twice in the last year is ingrowing again and hurting, my left heel hurts from my plantar faciitis, and I have this HUGE zit on the right side of my waist. WTF? It's super painful and I want to pop it so bad. But the canker sore won't stop me from inhaling ridiculous amounts of candy.

"Whatcha Doin' Hon?"

OK if Mike asks me this one more time when he can very clearly see what I'm doing, I might have to punch him. Yesterday he came downstairs when I was surfing the net (reading blogs, email, my mom's group message board, etc.) and asked me "whatcha doing?" I was so annoyed I said "what do you think I'm doing? I'm on the computer!!!!!" Seriously. I just wanted a few minutes of peace and quiet and alone computer time, and he comes barging in and then asks me what I'm doing?!?! WTF man?!?!?

Tonight I had our checkbook and a printout of our checking account from online, holding a pen and calculator. He turns to me and goes "whatcha doing hon?" Again, seriously?!?!?

I love that man dearly, but sometimes he just annoys the crap out of me.

So I had my HSG test this morning. It was uncomfortable, but not painful. The worst part was showing my crotch to my new doctor, his medical student, the radiologist, and a student radiologist. I was ready to call some janitors and the registration people in there too. Maybe Miguel, the guy that answered the phone at Dr. Gibson's office when I called to tell him I had my period should have come over too. The dye went streaming through my wide open tubes, so no problems there. It's good because there's no scar tissue and no endometriosis showing up from my ovarian cyst. On the other hand, I wanted an answer to why I wasn't getting pregnant. So now I have to take an OPK to make sure I'm ovulating, then call his office when I get a positive OPK. I guess I go in for bloodwork then to test my progesterone level. I'm going to call my friend tomorrow who is his nurse to confirm this. Maybe Miguel will answer the phone again when I call to tell him I got a positive OPK. Be better than telling him I started my period. That wasn't embarrassing AT ALL.

I enjoyed my quiet day to myself SO MUCH. I have got to do this more often. I was out of the hospital 40 minutes after I got there this morning, so I had the whole day to myself. What a marvelous feeling. I browsed around Kohl's for a while (picked up a pair of brown cords, and winter mittens and gloves) then went over to my friend Melissa's house to hang out with her and another mom's group friend. It was so nice. Got back in time to meet the appraiser then bummed around the house. Started to look for our camera under the bed, but that turned into a cleaning fest. Under my bed, behind the nightstand and behind my dresser were absolutely disgusting. Full of dog hair, dust and random crap. So I vacuumed and dusted like a crazy woman. Still haven't found our camera but at least there aren't piles of dog hair and dust in every corner of our bedroom. Have you noticed that the more you clean, the more you find you have to clean? I noticed that the walls in my bedroom really need to be wiped down and I need to dust the blinds and curtains in my room too. UGH.

I need to get some new pix on facebook so I'm off to download from our piece of shit camera.

Bailey's

So it's been a stressful week and I'm sitting here enjoying a Bailey's over ice. YUM. I very very rarely drink, let alone at night at home so this is a rare and enjoyable treat for me. Why such a stressful week?
1. We can't find our damn camera and it's driving me absolutely crazy.
2. I was stuck at work on Tuesday with a dead battery.
3. Mike replaced the battery which cost $60. Not a ton of money, but still.
4. Paige has been, in general, an annoying pain in the ass.
5. Paige is the world's worst shopper. I took her shopping with me in GB two nights in a row-wtf was I thinking?
6. I got my period yesterday and it came with a bang. Major cramps and super heavy bleeding.
6. There is ALWAYS something to do around here-cooking, cleaning, laundry, etc. It never ends.
7. I got Paige to her bus stop about 1 minute later than I normally do, and we missed the bus because one kid didn't ride it because he's sick today. UGH!!!!!!

I am just feeling overwhelmed with the responsibilities of being an adult. I am so sick of ALWAYS having something to do, whether it's balance the checkbook, reset my pin number on my debit card, order new checks, fold the 4 loads of clean laundry, pay bills, get Paige to the bus on time on Fridays, re-decorate our bedroom, wait for the home equity line to get approved so we can get our new furnace, etc. and that's just here at home. That's not counting the 10 million things at work that I'm responsible for. I know I'm lucky that I have Friday afternoons to myself, and I shouldn't complain. But I need more down time just to myself. A quiet house with no one here and nothing to do.

Stuck At Work

So it's 6:30 pm and I'm still at work. Why? Because my car won't start. It's so dead that it won't even start after someone tried jumping it with jumper cables. UGH. So I had to scramble frantically to find someone to pick up Paige because my sitter had to leave for a doctor appointment. Mike wasn't answering his phone so I had no clue where he was. I had to call three people before the third person was able to go get Paige. I called a couple of people here at work and they either didn't answer or didn't know how to jump a car. Tried calling 911 but the cops won't jump cars. UGH. Finally a cleaning guy helped me out, but no go on the car starting. So I had Mike go get Paige, and now he is on his way to get me.

I still can't find my damn camera! However, we were able to get my wedding ring off the other night-good thing. And Mike found out we can get free checks through our bank. I tried ordering new ones last night, but they were like $60 for 4 boxes...no way.

Man we are going to be spending money like crazy, a new battery for my car, new tires for my car, a new furnace...UGH. I'd also like to redecorate our bedroom since ours is obscenely ugly.

Blah

I'm at work and I so do not want to be here. I'm so tired and so crabby. Paige has another cold and is also tired and crabby. It made for a crabby morning at our house. She's up at 6am, Mike leaves at 6:45am, I don't know why he can't take her to Sandi's. I casually brought it up one day, but I think I'm going to have to forcefully bring it up again soon. Since I'm the only drop off and pick up person, it gets rather old.

I also hate the way I look today. I'm wearing black pants that are too short and slightly faded out, a blouse I got on clearance that looked good on the hanger and I didn't bother trying on, but looks really bad on me, and I'm having a bad hair day. Combined with the bags under my eyes, I look hot.

I really really really do not want to be at work today. As I got back in the car after dropping Paige off, I had an overwhelming desire to just drive home and be a bum all day. Maybe I can just be a bum here.

On a good note, people have donated $75 for the Humane Society for us to donate in memory of a coworker's dog-she had to have her put down a couple of weeks ago.

I am selling more candy bars for St. Anthony's. Hopefully I won't get stiffed this time around.

Relaxing Weekend

It really was a nice weekend. Saturday, Mike took Paige and picked her up from dance class and I was a busy little bee then. I vacuumed the house and washed and hung up three loads of laundry. We played outside in the leaves for a while, Paige rode her bike and played hopscotch. I took a ton of pictures with our old camera since I can't find our regular one...it's driving me CRAZY!!!! Also driving me crazy is the fact that I can't get the checkbook balanced. After spending almost 2 hours attempting it, I said fuck it and wrote in the new balance according to wellsfargo.com. But I digress. Mike cooked on the grill, he got the kid to bed, then went to the Avenue to work at a fundraiser for St. Anthony's. The Avenue is a bar/restaurant and every year, they host Octoberfest which is a all you can drink, all the pizza you can eat for $15 a person. Mike worked the paddlewheels and earned us 3 hours towards our fundraising quota.

Today we went to church and listened to a very strange, inappropriately political homily by a substitue priest. Went to an apple orchard about 20 minutes from here, then turned my kitchen into an applesauce factory. I made applesauce and apple crisp out of 20 pounds of apples. The apple crisp kicks ass and I can't stop eating it. Paige went to play with the kids across the street while Mike and I enjoyed a quickie (gotta get it while you can) and watched the Packer game. Paige was almost falling asleep during supper so we got her in bed, I took the dog for a walk and we watched Desperate Housewives.

I have a wild hair up my ass to get my way too small wedding ring off my finger. I just found an article on ehow.com with 5 different methods to try. I tried spraying Pam on it and working it off, but because I've gained so much weight, that baby is stuck on there. Wish me luck.

Whining

OK, so if you don't want to hear me piss and moan, stop reading right now. Don't say I didn't warn you.

Work, in a nutshell, sucks. We switched to these stupid VOIP phones which I guess are internet phones or something gay like that. Well for the last week or so, they have quit working. The voice on the other line after about 5 minutes into the call gets all distorted and robotic sounding. Every so often, your phone will ring, you pick up and it keeps ringing. Or you can't get to your messages. When that happens, you have to unplug this cord in the back of the phone, sit there for a minute, then plug it back in. Lovely. So since our computers, phone lines, fax machines and copiers all seem to be connected on one cord, our fax machines and copiers are all taking a shit too. It's great. I'm waiting for our computers to crash now too.

I'm taking a collection for a coworker who put her dog down last week. We are donating it to the Oconto Humane Society in her dog's memory. Someone put an envelope in my mailbox with 3 singles and 4 quarters. Seriously. Am I supposed to tape the quarters in there? Just stick a $5 in the envelope...not hard people.

My boss is a fricking retard. She's on meds for god knows what and I think her docs have been messing with her meds because she is more fucked up than normal. She can't hardly speak a coherant sentence and is giggly one second and a homicidal maniac the other.

I think I'm going to quit my bible study. It's a 24 week long one every Monday night and I made it to 18 weeks-through the Old Testament. It's just getting too hard to go every Monday night. I think Jesus understands.

I'm not pregnant. Everyone around me is pregnant and I am not. This really sucks. I don't want to go down this path again like I did from October 06-Sept 07. We had three adorable babies come in for car seat appointments and I held them all. I ached inside and wanted to cry. Please God let this HSG test be normal, or show something that can be fixed. Or if I have something wrong with me, let it be fixable. I want to make Paige a big sister. I ache when I see her around little kids, she wants to be a big sister so badly and I feel like I am failing her.

What is the point of a blog? Is it to make people laugh? Is it supposed to be entertaining? I wish mine was funny. I think I'm a funny person, but this blog is not funny. It's basically me bitching about my life.

October

Ah, October. This month stirs many memories inside of me, both good and bad.

October 2001: Mike and I got married! October 5, 2001. It was a beautiful day, slightly chilly, but sunny and crisp and the leaves were gorgeous. I bawled like a baby coming up the aisle with my dad and was so thrilled to be marrying Mike!

October 2003: I was newly pregnant and feeling it. I was very sick, threw up several times a day and was overall just plain miserable.

October 2006: CBS #2 (Crazy Bitch Sister, the 2 girls that falsly accused my dad were sisters. How convenient.) falsly accused my dad of sexually assaulting her. The cops arrested my dad around 10pm one night at home. He had a hearing and was bonded out that night on a $10,000 cash bond. Between then and his trial, he couldn't be alone unsupervised with Paige. A horrible time.

October 2007: October 18, 2007 to be more exact. The day my dad was found not guilty. His trial started on October 15, 2007. I will never ever forget October 18, 2007. I tend to look at my life as pre 10/18/07 and post 10/18/07. Every time I look at pictures I think "before" or "after." I hope this goes away. I will also never forget the time on October 18, 2007 that I heard the jury had a verdict to the time we left my mom and dad's after celebrating. I was the first to hear the jury had decided and called my sister. I will never forget my reaction to hearing "not guilty." I literally fell to my knees from sitting on the bench. I will never forget the bright lights of the media cameras or their voices "what do you have to say Dave? No one is saying anything?" when we left the courtroom.

October is just generally a busy month here at work too. Flu clinics and breast cancer awareness month make it busy for me.

I think October 2008 will be a good one! The Brewers are in the playoffs, Mike and I are getting away this weekend for our anniversary, I'm going to see Rascall Flatts in concert next week, and Paige will have a blast trick or treating!

GO BREWERS!!!

We are so excited!!! The Brewers made the playoffs for the first time in 26 years! Being 32, I really don't remember the last time. But since I married an old man, he was 10 the last time it happened and remembers it. He was so excited today, I honestly think he was teary eyed! Since Spee Dee has season tickets, they get playoff tickets too. So he put our names in for them and I'm hoping we get them! But it's all of Spee Dee and in GB alone out of like 25-30 employees, 15 put their name in. So it's a long shot, but we can hope.

Random annoyances. We had a baptism at church today, once again a couple we've never seen before and probably never will. Same thing last weekend, baby got baptized, never saw them before and didn't see them today. Very rare for our church to have 2 baptisms in a row, much less in the same month. Honestly for a while, it was a baptism every couple of months. For a while it was at least 2-3 funerals for every baptism. To get married in a Catholic church you have to go through all sorts of preparation...meetings with the priest, tests, meetings with other couples, a day long retreat, etc. which I think is good. Marriage is a sacrament and a big deal. Baptism is a sacrament too....don't you think there should be some sort of preparation for it...like you have to attend mass regularly for at least the month leading up to the baptism.

Another annoyance. My computer. It sucks big ass. It's at least 6 years old and is running super slow lately. When I type, the letters are way behind, so I can't see what I've typed until a few seconds later...extremely annoying. I want a laptop SO BAD. Probably won't happen since I also want a new dining room table, a makeover in our bedroom, and slipcovers for our furniture. I also need some wall hangings in the kitchen, it's really blah. Mike also thinks we may need a new furnace since our makes a god awful banging noise when it runs and rather than stick a bunch of money in a 15 year old one, it would make more sense to just get a brand new more efficient one. Plus the Taurus squeaks constantly. But Mike seems to have figured out the problem and thinks he can order the part pretty cheap and him and his dad can fix it in a few weeks when his dad is here. Hoo boy, I'll have a lot to blog about then. Thank god I'll be at my sister's baby shower! Wow, I have really digressed.

Let's keep going. In today's paper there was a section on the GB Gamblers, a local hockey team. A bunch of kids right out of HS, they play here for a few years before they play college hockey. Anyway, each player had his picture in it, with his hometown, stats, etc. and they were each asked "Fave Hottie." A little tacky, doncha think?

Good thing I have the Brewers to lift my spirits!

Seriously?

So I'm selling Seroogy's candy bars at work for a fundraiser for St. Anthony's. They're actually going slower than I thought they would, but about 30 have sold in the last 2 weeks. On Friday, I counted the money in the envelope and I should have $52.50-I had $50.65. WTF?!?!?! The bars are $1.50 each and there were a bunch of nickels and dimes in there. If people just threw a bunch of change in there that didn't add up to $1.50...not cool. I mean seriously people, let's not rip off the Catholic school fundraiser. I sent my daughter there to learn good morals so I find it ironic that people are ripping off the fundraiser of that very school.

So Paige I went shopping yesterday and it was actually an enjoyable experience. We hit up Shopko where she got a pair of shoes and I got jeans. Then down to Target where she got another pair of shoes (I exchanged 2 pairs that were too big for her), and I got Kristin's baby shower gifts. We decide to eat at Fazoli's so on the way there we stop at Factory Card Outlet for a bday card for my mom and Once Upon a Child just so I can check out the new store. She was so agreeable and actually behaved in the stores. BREAKTHROUGH!!! She must have overheard me complaining about what a terrible shopper she is, so she kept asking "I'm a good shopper today, Mommy?" She's so sweet. Made me feel bad about complaining about her, but she is usually not a good shopper. After lunch at Fazoli's she crashed in the car on the way home.

Back to watching The Hills!

The Bold Are True

Appearance:
- I am 5′4 or shorter.
- I think I’m ugly.
- I have many scars.
- I tan easily.
- I wish my hair was a different color.
- I have friends who have never seen my natural hair color.
- I have a tattoo.
- I wear glasses.
- I am self-conscious about my appearance.
- I have/I’ve had braces.
- I’d get/have gotten plastic surgery if it were 100% safe, free, scar-free.
- I’ve been told I’m attractive by a complete stranger.
- I have had more than 2 piercings.
- I have had piercings in places besides my ears.
- I have freckles.

Family/Home Life:
- I’ve sworn at my parents.
- I’ve run away from home.
- I’ve been kicked out of the house.
- My biological parents are together.
- I have a sibling less than one year old.
- I want to have kids someday.
- I have children.
- I’ve lost a child.

Embarrassment:
- I’ve slipped out a “LOL” in a spoken conversation.
- Disney movies still make me cry.
- I’ve snorted while laughing.
- I’ve laughed so hard I’ve cried.
- I’ve glued my hand to something.
- I’ve laughed till some kind of beverage came out of my nose.
- I’ve had my trousers rip in public.

Health:
- I was born with a disease/impairment.
- I’ve had stitches.
- I’ve broken a bone.
- I’ve had my tonsils removed.
- I’ve sat in a doctor’s office with a friend.
- I’ve had my wisdom teeth removed.
- I’ve had serious surgery.
- I’ve had chicken pox.
Traveling:
- I’ve driven over 200 miles in one day.
- I’ve been on a plane.
- I’ve been to Canada.
- I’ve been to Niagara Falls.
- I’ve been to Japan.
- I’ve been to Africa.

Experiences:
- I’ve been lost in my city.
- I’ve seen a shooting star.
- I’ve wished on a shooting star.
- I’ve seen a meteor shower.
- I’ve gone out in public in my pajamas.
- I’ve pushed all the buttons in a lift.
- I’ve been to a casino.
- I’ve been skydiving.
- I’ve gone skinny dipping.
- I’ve played spin the bottle.
- I’ve crashed a car.
- I’ve been skiing. water and snow
- I’ve been in a play.
- I’ve met someone in person from the Internet.- I’ve caught a snowflake on my tongue.
- I’ve seen the Northern Lights.
- I’ve sat on a roof top at night.
- I’ve played chicken.
- I’ve seen the Rocky Horror Picture Show.
- I’ve eaten Sushi.
- I’ve been snowboarding.

Relationships:
- I’m single.
- I’m in a relationship.
- I’m available.
- I’m engaged
- I’m married.
- I’ve gone on a blind date.
- I’ve been the dumpee more than the dumper.
- I have a fear of abandonment.
- I’ve been divorced.
- I’ve had feelings for someone who didn’t have them back.
- I’ve told someone I loved them when I didn’t.
- I’ve told someone I didn’t love them when I did.
- I’ve kept something from a past relationship.
Sexuality:
- I’ve had a crush on someone of the same gender.
- I’ve kissed a member of the same gender.
- I’ve had sex with someone of the opposite gender.
- I’ve had sex with someone of the same gender.
- I’ve had sex with more than one person at the same time.
- I am a cuddler.
- I’ve been kissed in the rain.
- I’ve had sex outdoors.
- I’ve hugged a stranger.
- I have kissed a stranger.
- I have had sex with a stranger.

Honesty/Crime:
- I’ve done something I promised someone else I wouldn’t.
- I’ve done something I promised myself I wouldn’t.
- I have lied to my parents about where I am.
- I am keeping a secret from the world.
- I’ve cheated while playing a game.
- I’ve cheated on a test.
- I’ve driven through a red light
- I’ve witnessed a crime.
- I’ve been in a fist fight.
- I’ve been arrested.
- I’ve shoplifted.

Drugs/Alcohol:
- I’ve consumed alcohol.
- I smoke cigarettes.
- I smoke pot.
- I regularly drink. what is regular??
- I’ve taken painkillers when I didn’t need them.
- I’ve taken cough medicine when i wasn’t sick.
- I’ve done hard drugs.
- I’ve been addicted to an illegal substance.
- I can’t swallow pills.
- I can swallow about 5 pills at a time no problem.

Mental health:
- I have been diagnosed with depression.
- I shut others out when I’m depressed.
- I take anti-depressants.
- I have had an eating disorder.
- I’ve slept an entire day when I didn’t need it.
- I’ve hurt myself on purpose.
- I’m addicted to self harm.
- I’ve woken up crying.

Death:
- I’m afraid of dying.
- I hate funerals.
- I’ve seen someone dying.
- I have attempted suicide.
- Someone close to me has attempted suicide.
- Someone close to me has committed suicide.

Random:
- I can sing well.
- I’ve stolen a tray from a fast food restaurant.
- I open up to others too easily.
- I watch the news.
- I don’t kill bugs.
- I hate hearing songs that sacrifice meaning for sake of being able to rhyme.
- I swear regularly.
- I am a morning person.
- I paid for my mobile phone ring tone.
- I’m a snob about grammar.
- I am a sports fanatic.
- I play with my hair.
- I have/had “x”s in my screen name.
- I love being neat.
- I love Spam.
- I’ve copied more than 30 CD’s in a day.
- I bake well.
- I don’t know how to shoot a gun.
- I am in love with love.
- I am guilty of tYpInG lIkE tHiS.
- I laugh at my own jokes.
- I eat fast food weekly.
- I believe in ghosts.
- I am online 24/7, even as an away message.
- I can’t sleep if there is a spider in the room.
- I am really ticklish.
- I love white chocolate.
- I bite my nails.
- I play video games.
- I’m good at remembering faces.
- I’m good at remembering names.
- I’m good at remembering dates.
- I have no idea what I want to do for the rest of my life.

3 Hours of Freedom

Ahhh, the sweet sound of silence, of freedom, of a child-free house. I just dropped Paige off at the bus stop (it was 10 minutes early...GRRRRR....) and I have the next three hours to do ABSOLUTELY NOTHING. I could almost cry with relief. It has been a long morning, starting with her wake up time of 6am. Luckily Mike can get her a couple of waffles, snuggled up in a blanket in front of the TV and she's good for at least an hour. She was ok for me today but it all started to go downhill around 10:30 am when I got her out of the tub. She wanted fish sticks for lunch which I made along with some green beans. She had about 25 minutes to eat so we could get to the bus stop in time. I went to hang up some clean laundry in my room and I think all she ate was the ketchup. After about 10 minutes she declared she didn't want lunch. I was so mad I almost spit fire. I'm so sick of spending time cooking food only to have her not eat it. Plus the amount of food we waste on her makes me sick. So I told her I'm wrapping it up and it will be her supper and also that she would be hungry at school. She didn't really seem to care so just to make myself feel better I sent her to her room until it was time to leave. I think she was worried about missing the bus and that's why she didn't eat. Well she'll be hungry at school and I honestly don't care. I almost danced into the house with giddiness when I got home. The only thing I really have to do is make zucchini bread for the MNO tonight. But that won't take long. Of course I can always clean out drawers, the freezer, fridge, etc. but screw it. My other days off where she's been in school I've either worked from home or ran errands. Off to go enjoy my FREEDOM!!!!

Nice Day

I stayed home with Paige today since I have to work on Saturday, I was happy to find out she didn't have school today because it's an early release day. 4K doesn't go to school on early release day since they'd be there for about an hour.

We had a really nice day, and I was actually quite productive. We snuggled in bed until about 8am, then had breakfast where I had to break the news that our neighbors including her beloved Ava are moving. She did not take the news well and cried for a while. I got teary eyed too, but had to keep it together. She recovered, and wanted to play on the computer (www.starfall.com..LOVE IT!) So I threw in some laundry and vacuumed my upstairs floors since they were beyond gross. Aren't I just the happy housewife? Then we went outside so I could hang up my laundry. And I swear, the planets were aligned just right because we had the best time out there. I was able to hang out my laundry, play fetch with the dog (she actually chased after it, brought it back to me AND dropped it...in that order!!! Big deal for her.) and Paige played by herself beautifully. She didn't whine when I sat down, hung up clothes, went inside for a minute, or played with the dog. She had a ball mixing sand, water, flower petals and leaves in this bucket, dumping in the sandbox and starting all over again. I couldn't believe it, I think I heard angels singing at one point. She played with her scooter and her and Duchess chased each other around for a while. It really was cute. Came in, ate lunch, and she went down for quiet time while I attacked the back bedroom. It was a mess in there, it's our catch all room and you seriously could only take about 2 steps in there because it was FULL. After quiet time it was raining so I made some fingerpaint from scratch...I swear I was channeling Martha Stewert today or something. Then Ava came over for about an hour, they started snipping at each other so I sent them over to Ava's house. Paige came back after about a half hour, we had tacos for supper and Mike took over the bath/bedtime routine. I decided to get my fat ass off the couch and exercise so I did a work out DVD....haven't done one in months. It felt pretty good but I got bored at the end like I always do. It was a good workout, I just have such a short attention span.

So tomorrow is my usual day off, and Paige goes back to school. I'll have Friday afternoon all to myself for the first time (last week didn't count since I was rummage saleing and running errands all afternoon getting ready for our trip to Milwaukee) I'm definitely planning to vacuum my basement since it's even worse than my upstairs and give myself a pedicure. AAAHHH, a quiet afternoon all to myself. I can't wait!!!

It's Proactive, OK?

So Thursday night, I get myself ready for bed and notice I have a big zit on the side of my face. Because this Proactiv zit mask is supposed to be some miracle in a bottle, I spackle it on the zit and go to bed. On Friday, I decide I really can't resist going to some rummage sales and have no choice but to bring the kid with. The first one we go to is at a house where the mom sends her kids to St. Anthony's, so we sort of know each other. She seems nice enough, but a tad bit snooty. I pick up a Pooh Bear Halloween costume for Paige there for $2, I think it's the deal of the century because it's really heavy, has a hood and mittens. Plus she looks darn cute in it. It's a little tight in the crotch, but I'll make it work. On to the next sale. Total crap, so we move on. I see a few people I recognize from town, but really overpriced. Paige seems to be holding up so I say let's go to the St. Anthony's rummage sale because I know the stuff is priced super cheap there and she can play on the playground while I shop. So we pull in the parking lot, I look in the rearview mirror to say something to Paige and notice THE ZIT CREAM IS STILL ON MY FACE!!!! Obviously in the 2 minutes it took me to get dressed, brush my teeth and throw a headband in my hair (no contacts or make up, I looked HOT) I did not notice this white crap on the side of my face. Luckily I keep wet wipes in my car (call me McGyver) and wiped it off, recalling all the people I saw at the previous 3 rummage sales. UGH.

The Packers won tonight! WHO HOO! And so did the Brewers! Better head upstairs...hubby has been all over me and it's easier to just put out so he quits groping me. Aren't we so in love.

Why?

I read in last night's paper that a baseball coach in Appleton accused of sexually assaulting a few boys killed himself on Monday. I believe he had a either a hearing or his trial was supposed to start this week. His name was Michael and he and his sister were at my dad's trial last October and we became friendly. Mike even called him right after the jury decision in my dad's trial to tell him that my dad was innocent. He told us he was falsely accused like my dad and was going to be tried in Outagamie County by the DA there, Carrie Schneider (aka She-Devil.) I guess they were there to get the inside scoop.

I don't know if he was guilty or innocent, but our society has forgotten the concept innocent until proven guilty. Some of the comments left online in the papers are just downright cruel, they assume he was guilty. I have so many questions and ache for his family. If he was falsely accused, we know exactly what they were going through and this is a horrible ending. Why did he kill himself? Does that show his guilt? Would it be better to end his life rather than going to prison? If he was innocent, imagine the pain he went through and figured it was just easier to end it all. What is wrong with our society today? Don't people realize that there are false accusers out there?

Labor Day Weekend Recap

We had such a fun Labor Day weekend! Friday we packed up and headed up to Kristin and Tom's cabin near Eagle River. It's an old trailor that he is tearing down and fixing up. He's already tore down and started rebuilding the kitchen and living room. So it's a little rustic-no hot water, and no running water in the kitchen. But there is electricity so we had a microwave, toaster, frig, etc. and running water in the bathroom and flush toilets. Plus it's on a small private lake so it's super quiet and beautiful. So we all (my parents, Kristin and Tom) got there Friday afternoon, unpacked, and hung out the rest of the day. Mike and I grilled fish, potatoes and sweet corn for supper. We had a bonfire where Tom scared Paige with a scary story. She wanted to tell scary stories but after Tom scared her, she was done!

Saturday, we lounged around all day. I read, Paige ran around while everyone entertained her, her and Mike did some fishing, etc. After her nap, we took her mini-golfing and go-karting for the first time. She LOVED it all and was actually pretty good at mini golf. My parents cooked out for supper that night. Had another bonfire where we roasted marshmellows and told FUNNY stories, at Paige's request!

Sunday, we went to church, then to Tom's mom's cabin to pick up her pontoon boat. We spent all afternoon on the pontoon and did some swimming. It was the perfect day for it-hot and sunny. Paige had a BLAST! Went back to Tom's mom's for some well-deserved showers (sorry to the people who sat by us at church) then Kristin and Tom cooked out that night. Back to Kristin and Tom's cabin where we all turned in pretty early.

Monday, we got up, cleaned and packed up and was out of there by 10:30 am. Got home and did a bunch of laundry and unpacking. Paige was pooped so we were pretty low key all afternoon. Cooked cheddarwursts on the grill for supper and got her in bed by 7:30pm.

The whole weekend was so much fun, it was great spending so much time with my family. My mom and sister fought some, and Kristin and Tom fought some, but everyone else got along and we laughed so much. I have many memories of the weekend that make me laugh when I think of them. We're so lucky!

Not sure if this will work, but here is a link to the pix I posted in facebook:
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=7085&l=463b5&id=1248601763

School

So tonight was Paige's 4K orientation at St. Anthony's. She was beside herself with excitement and I had a knot in my stomach.

After putting on our nametags and checking out the other parents, we gathered in the 5K room where we prayed for our kids, then the 5K kids stayed in their room, 4K went into their room, and us parents went into a different classroom for our meeting. It was all very overwhelming-early release days, bussing, dress code, fundraising, home and school association, etc. I pretty much had tears in my eyes the whole time and was on the verge of a major breakdown. I even volunteered to sell candy bars at work for fundraising-aren't I just a top notch parent? =)

Then we went back into the 4K room where Paige was in 7th heaven. The teacher said she asked for us once, but was totally fine when she was told that we would be back when we were done with our meeting. She'll have 9 kids in her class. I asked about bathroom breaks-weird I know, but when that kid has to go, she has to go!

So we mingled a little bit, Paige drank several glasses of juice and got totally wired, I paid the snack fee and filled out her school vaccination record. The secretary was quite impressed that I kept her vaccination record in my wallet-I thought all parents did. If I didn't keep it in there, I'd definitely lose it. Paige was in love with her teacher and gave her a hug before we left.

Paige, you have grown up so fast! I've made many mistakes over the past 4 years and I'd give anything to go back and have more patience and yell ALOT less. I hope we have prepared you in the right way so that you are ready for school and love it. I don't know how I'm going to keep it together on Tuesday when you get on the bus. I know I can't cry in front of you because you will be so excited. I know it will be scary-but what an adventure you are starting! Please smile for me because I'll take lots of pictures-this is such a big day! Daddy and I love you so very much!

Color Quiz

Just for kicks:

Sara took the free ColorQuiz.com personality test! "Seeks success, stimulation, and a life full of exp..." Click here to read the rest of the results.

TMI Tuesday 149- When you wish upon a star edition

You find a fairy. With a wave of their wand they can change anything for you.

What is the one thing you would change about your body?
My weight. I'd like about 75 pounds to just go away.

What is the one personality trait you would change?
My quick judgement of others.

What is the one thing about your job you would change?
The fact that my boss keeps dumping shit on me because I seem to be one of a very few who gets anything done. Here's your reward...more work.

What is the one thing about your home you would change?
I’d add either a hall or bathroom closet.

What is the one thing about your Significant Other you would change?
That he doesn't seem to think sometimes before doing something.

Who is the one person you would poof out of your life and why?
A certain co worker. She is SO ANNOYING.

Who is the one person you would poof back in and why?
My college best friend Tara. We ended up living about 3 hours away and kept in touch for a while, but after I had Paige, we drifted apart...our lives were different.

Weekend Recap

Friday: had a super lazy morning, got my haircut (LOVE IT!), then got together with some friends at Brain Freeze and afterwards went to an elementary school playground nearby. Then we went to Shopko to get her a box of wipes and kleenex for school, and a flat iron and hairspray for me. Total nightmare-that kid is the worst shopper. I found her a couple of basic jeans on sale for $12 each. I guess that's a good deal, but I'm still shocked at how much more expensive big girl clothes are. Gone are the days of finding nice stuff at rummage sales for $1. She fell asleep on the way home, was a total bear when we got home and gave me a really hard time about going down for quiet time at home. I'm proud to say I won that battle because Mama needed some quiet time of her own! Cooked supper, Mike got home, then we took the kid to our county fair. I'd like to say it was "Let Out Your Weird Day" but I have a feeling that's the audience that is attracted to the Oconto County Fair. As long as we just looked at the animals and not the people (who were surprisingly animal-like) we were fine. Paige went on a few rides, I got an extremely overpriced funnel cake ($5! for fried bread!!!) Got home way too late and threw the kid in bed.

Saturday: again, had a super lazy morning (do we see a theme here), then met some friends at Art Street in Green Bay. Paige whined while we looked at stuff we wanted to and had a blast doing crafts. She was fascinated by the Oneida Pow Wow dancers-I found it pretty cool too. Went to our friends house for supper while Paige and their daughter ran around like two peas in a pod and the adults enjoyed the time away from our respective offspring.

Sunday: Mike went fishing in the morning, I took the kid to church, then we went to my sister and brother in law's new house all afternoon. It's a very nice house and they seem to like it alot. They are about 45 minutes away which is AWESOME!!!! They house is way out in the country, but they have a 4 wheeler so they have a bunch of land to ride around on it. We all took turns on the 4 wheeler-FUN!!! The total rednecks that we are, we even let Paige go on it a few times, I think they went a total of about 5 MPH when she was on it. Ate at Fazoli's in GB, then came home. Picked a shitload of beans from our garden, took the laundry off the line and got sucked into a few episodes of Snapped. Man, that show is addictive.

Today: at work and I really don't feel like being here. I was only in the office last week Monday so I have a bunch of stuff to catch up on. Suppose I should start with checking the 9 voicemails I have. UGH.

Back on the Ranch

So I've been out of town the past few days for work. I pick Paige up tonight from the sitter's and she has been rather nightmarish since we got home. I know it's because she really missed me, but seriously, show it in a nicer way. Plus the dog has been halfway up my ass. Again, I know you missed me but constantly jumping up on me isn't the way to show it. It will just lead me to yelling at you to get down and eventually slapping your fat ass. Mike took her to the vet last week for her yearly check up and she's rather portly-up 8 pounds since last year. We haven't sent her to doggy fat camp yet, but we are giving her less food and trying to exercise her more. But no biggie, I've probably gained 8 pounds since last week and I haven't gotten spayed recently.

So as soon as we were done with supper I escaped to the basement for some peace and quiet and time away from the kid. All is quiet upstairs, so Mike must have her under control.

So tomorrow I'm trying a new hairstylist for a hair cut. Mine has been sucking ass lately and I have to figure out how to break up with her if I like the new one. I have a picture of how I want my hair to look so we'll see. Not sure if this will work, but this is the cut I want: http://www.womensbeautylife.com/albums/short_hair/short4.jpg.

My eyebrows are getting slightly crazy too so I'll have her wax them too. Good times. I'm bringing the kid with so we'll see how she does. Well I'm being beckoned upstairs so I best be going.

Monday Secret

So this really isn't a secret, but it's something I'm starting to become very worried about, especially after last week's Monday Secret.

I'm deathly afraid that Paige will have major eating disorders as she continues to grow up. It runs in my family, I over eat, my sister doesn't eat enough and it's all about control with her (my sister.)

I've noticed that Paige will not eat just to have control over a situation and to prove a point. The other day for lunch she wanted spaghettios and basically picked the meatballs out and proclaimed she was done because she was full. I knew this couldn't be true but I've decided not to argue with her about food. So Mike says no you are not full, and how about if we take turns eating? So he covers his mouth with the bowl during his turns and doesn't really put any food in his mouth and Paige scarfs down the whole bowl in like 5 minutes. WTF?!?!?!

Food is such an issue for her and I'm so mad at myself for allowing it to happen. I have no idea how to fix this mess.

Neighbors

So about a year ago, we had new neighbors move in who I'll refer to as M & D. At the time, they were boyfriend and girlfriend, but are now married. M has a 4 year old daughter from a previous marriage (A) and A and Paige play pretty well together (for the most part, there is some drama, but not bad).

Last summer the girls would go back and forth between houses, ours one night, A's the next. Maybe they were at our house more but it didn't really bother me much.

This spring/summer is a different story, we bought the swing set (a cheap ghetto metal one from Kmart, but they LOVE it) and A is at our house ALL THE TIME. Typically when we get home, Paige sees that M's car is home and runs over to their house before even coming into our house. Fine. Next thing you know A is shooting out of her house and both are dashing to our swing set. Again, fine. I'm starting to notice that A is ALWAYS at our house and the girls are never playing at A's.

So last night it's cool and rainy and not a good night to play outside. The above scenario plays out, and after about 2 minutes outside I tell the girls to come inside and play. They are rather good at entertaining themselves, but I still have to referee occasionally. So Paige pulls out her "new" (from a rummage sale with 2 pieces missing) strawberry shortcake game for her and A to play and it's painfully obvious that A has never played a board game before because she has no clue what to do. She finally seems to grasp it, I leave to change my clothes and Paige comes storming in a minute later saying A is playing it wrong. I tell them to put it away and play with Paige's barbies.

A is over for about an hour before I send her home so we can eat. After supper Paige wants to play with A, so we send her over there with instructions to play at A's house, A is eating and will come over when she's done. Great. So A comes over a little while later and we say, why don't you go over to your house? A replies "my mom doesn't want us to play at my house." WTF?!?!?! I was livid. A was over for about 5 minutes and we sent her home.

Mike looked outside a little while later and noticed A sitting on the steps outside of her house alone. Again, WTF? She's only 4. Someone could grab her so fast. Granted I leave the 2 girls outside alone for a few minutes, but my windows are open and Duchess is outside. She'll bark protectively at a kid biking down the street so I know she won't let anything go down.

I really really really like M and D, but am really starting to doubt M's parenting. Her ex gets her EVERY single weekend from Thursday afternoon-Sunday afternoon and then she's at our house almost every night. How about spending a little time with your kid? I have a feeling that she's sending A to our house all the time so her and the new hubby can have a quickie. But hey, I wouldn't mind one too!

I know I need to say something to M, but it's hard. I don't like to confront people and this is such an awkward topic. I don't want it to come out petty, but hey one night over at A's so I can have a quiet house-is that too much to ask?

Yep, You're a Better Mom Than Me

If I see a statement to this effect again I think I might puke: "I just saw on the news somewhere that stay-at-home moms would get about $138,000 / year if we got paid. Not to bad!"

Some nitwit on my mom's group board posted this. I'm THIS CLOSE to posting, "Since I work outside the home, tack on an extra $35,000 for my pay from my job."

And this one too:
"A man came home from work and found his three children
outside, still in their pajamas, playing in the mud, with empty food boxes and wrappers strewn all around the front yard. The door of his wife's car was open, as was the front door
to the house and there was no sign of the dog. Proceeding into the entry, he found an even bigger mess. A lamp had been knocked over, and the throw rug was wadded against one wall. In the front room the TV was loudly blaring a Cartoon channel, and the family room was strewn with toys and various items of clothing.
In the kitchen, dishes filled the sink, breakfast food was
spilled on the counter, the fridge door was open wide, dog food was spilled on the floor, a broken glass lay under the table, and a small pile of sand was spread by the back door.
He quickly headed up the stairs, stepping over toys and more
piles of clot hes, looking for his wife. He was worried she might be ill, or that something serious had happened.
He was met with a small trickle of water as it made its way
out the bathroom door. As he peered inside he found wet towels, scummy soap and more toys strewn over the floor. Miles of toilet paper lay in a heap and toothpaste had been smeared over the mirror and walls. As he rushed to the bedroom, he found his wife still curled up in the bed in her pajamas, reading a novel. She looked up at him, smiled, and asked how his day went.
He looked at her bewildered and asked, 'What happened here today?'
She again smiled and answered, 'You know every day when you come home from work and you ask me what in the world do I do all day?'
'Yes,' was his incredulous reply.
She answered, 'Well, today I didn't do it.'"

Oh ha ha, aren't you all just laughing your heads off? I think I've only gotten that one about 1 million times before. So I do all that in addition to the 8 or so hours I'm away from home.

And horror of horrors, I'm starting a Bible study tonight so that's even more time away from my precious offspring. How ever will she cope? Good thing her dad's around to "babysit" her.

Boy I must not be pregnant this month, I have killer PMS.

Monday Secret

I'm copying my favorite Indiana resident and changing Sunday Secret to Monday Secret. Here's mine: I'm obsessed with food. It's sick. After thinking about having something chocolate all afternoon, I finally paid 85 cents for a stupid Butterfinger candy bar and devoured it in like a minute. I'm THIS CLOSE to getting another one. Meanwhile, I'm picking the Butterfinger pieces out of my teeth and hoping that will tide me over until I stop at Dollar General on the way home for a package of shortbread chocolate covered cookies. UGH.

TMI Tuesday

1. How many credit cards do you own? Are they paid off? 5-One Visa that I use WAY too much for day to day stuff, a Chase card that has a balance that we're paying off, a Kohl's card for the awesome deals, Menards and Home Depot. Chase card is not paid off, but will be by the end of the year. Menards and Home Depot have landscaping and appliances and they'll be paid off within 3 months.

2. Can you be in love with someone you don't trust? I don't think so.

3. Should prostitution be legal? Honestly, I don't really care. It's going to take place anyway.

4. On a scale of 1-10, how good of a lover do you think you are? (1 is lowest, 10 is highest) Mike seems to be a happy camper so I'd say a 7.

5. What are three mistakes someone could make on the first date with you that would automatically make you turn down a second date with them?
I haven't really dated much, but if someone was rude to the waitress or other customer service person, if they were condescending, and if they smelled bad.

Bonus (as in optional): Tell us about your worst date ever. Kind of sad, but I never really went on very many dates. The 2 boyfriends I had in college, we just sort of "hooked up" and were together. I went on a first date with Mike and it was obviously good!

My Baby is 4!

I still can't believe it. I'm really having a hard time with this birthday. Maybe it's because 4 seems so OLD, kwim?

We had a really nice day, I took off so we could spend it together. My parents came up, and we all played outside and enjoyed the beautiful weather. In the afternoon, we went to buy some flowers so Paige could have her own flower garden. I told her she could pick out whatever she wanted and she would be in charge of it. She thought that was pretty cool. While we were there, my mom and I started to look at shrubs, and almost $300 later, the front of my house has all new shrubs in it! My dad kept Paige occupied while my mom and I planted about 12 new shrubs in the front. We cooked on the grill and ate outside, which Paige loves to do. She opened a few presents and we ate the cupcakes my mom brought. It was such a nice day and I'm dreading going back to work. I have a long day tomorrow too, a car seat appointment at 5:45. UGH.

I made this movie to celebrate Paige's 4th birthday, let me know what you think!!!




Paige's 4th Birthday

Mom's Night Out

OK, for some reason I'm feeling the need to get this out. It's really not that big of a deal, but I think I'll feel better. WTF is my problem?

So my mom's group had a mom's night out (commonly called an MNO) last night at Atlanta Bread Company. It was called "Ask Anything over Coffee" where we wrote down questions anonymously and went around and answered them. There was probably about 12 of us there.

For some reason last night I felt like a bumbling idiot last night! Everyone else was all prettied-up because they probably had time to get ready, opposed to me who left the house at 8:30am, worked until 5:30pm, ran to a rummage sale, then to Atlanta Bread without going home. So I was kind of stressed about that. Then for some reason because I think people see me as the "funny one" I have to put on this big show and make people laugh all the time. I felt like I couldn't stop talking and all I wanted to do was shut up and sit there quietly. I also felt like I was making a huge ass of myself and probably turning some people off since I was coming off as an obnoxious loudmouth. AGH!!!!

I should have left early, but I stayed until the bitter end. I think I have to tell myself to just chill out, I don't have to impress anyone, and just be myself!!!

Knot in My Stomach

I just looked up the first day of school for the 2008-2009 school year and it's September 2nd. That will be Paige's first day of 4 year old kindergarden. She'll ride a bus to her school, St. Anthony's. As I was putting that date on my work calendar, I started to get a knot in my stomach and I'm on the verge of tears thinking about my baby going to school. The same little baby I brought home from the hospital and fed at 2am is going to get on a bus and go to school. I wish I could put into words how I feel, but I think my mama friends get it.

I always get a little sad around her birthday too. I tend to spend a lot of time looking at baby pictures and little movies we took on our camera. It's just amazing how fast they grow and change. I think I'll put together a slideshow of her the past 4 years. I better get back to work before I really lose it!

TMI Tuesday

Copied from a different blog; thought it was fun!

How many cell phones have you had? How long have you had your current cell phone number?
I think I've had this same number since Mike and I got cell phones together right around our wedding. So almost 7 years. I think I've had 4 cell phones. I remember my very first one, it was this huge yellow thing, but I thought it was so cool! Is this really a TMI question?

Where was the last place you had sex?

On my bed.

On a scale of 1-10, how satisfied are you with your love life? (1 is lowest, 10 is highest)?

9, my husband is awesome and I love him a lot. He's not perfect though!

Does Bliss sound like a fun game to you? Have you ever played it?

I've never heard of it, so I don't know.

Is there anything or anyone you would be willing to die for?

Paige.

Bonus (as in optional): If you were (or had) a magic genie and could only grant wishes for others and you only had three left, what would they be and who would they be for?

1. That Paige is always healthy and happy in life.
2. That my sister and BIL will have a healthy baby (I'm sure they will, but it's still a wish)
3. That my single mom divorced friend meets a nice guy and gets remarried.

In Between

So Paige is very annoyingly in between sizes right now. She's shot up to 44 inches, and has been growing in her legs. On one hand good because her TCP tops from last summer fit this summer. She's NEVER been able to wear clothes from a previous season.

However, size 4 pants are a bit too short, and size 5's are a little too long. She gets super annoyed when her pants are too long and rolls them up to a ridiculous length. Size 4 underwear are too small, size 6's are too big. Why they don't make size 5, I'm not sure.

I've also noticed that she's outgrown a few of her size 10 shoes, but a few of them still fit. Size 10-11 flip flops from TCP are too small, but the 12-13's fit. AGH!!!! So today, we go shoe shopping and what an ordeal. She's measuring around an 11.5 and I've been stuffing her into 10s!!! So after trying on a variety of size 11 and 12 shoes, we finally leave there with 2 cute pairs of shoes. (BOGO half off, so you HAVE to get 2!) I also got 2 pairs of sandals. I still have those croc/mary jane type shoes from TCP size 11 that I want to try on her, we'll see if they fit.

It seriously took us a half hour this morning to get her dressed. It started innocently enough with me asking her to pick out a ponytail holder that would match her clothes (we were going bowling with a friend and I wanted to pull her hair back.) She decides she wants to wear turquoise blue ponies which didn't match her clothes. So being super anal mom that I am, I tell her to pick out a shirt that matches the blue ponytail holders. We find one that matches, and I tell her to get dressed. She has her size 6 undies on and she's whining because "my underwear are all goofy." I've discovered that she can't wear jeans now because they make the size 6's bunch up and the too small size 4's ride up her hiney. So we try on several pairs of both the 4 and 6 undies with the jeans and nothing works. So I pick out black yoga pants that match the blue shirt. Fine. FINALLY after braiding her hair to her satisfaction, we attempt to put on the unbeknownst to me too small shoes which sets both of us off. Finally she wears her Dora tennies. AGH!!!!! She was very mis matched and it annoyed the crap out of me. It also made us 10 minutes late.

Damn high maintenence girls.

Tired

So I've been slacking on the couch to 5K program. I took about a week off then finally got on the treadmill again last night. UGH. I am so not a runner, but I know it's a good way to get in shape. I'll probably just stick with the alternating walk/run for a LONG time!!!

I have to work tomorrow at a stupid all day mandatory agency inservice. BOOOORRRINNNGGG. Sit all day and listen to speakers who have nothing to do with my job. But I'm taking next week Monday off to make up for it.

I took Paige to a kindergarden screening tonight to make sure she's on track and she is. She had a ball and didn't want to leave! I also had her hearing and vision screened and she passed both. I'm sure she'll need glasses soon, Mike and I are both blind as bats.

Mike's dad and stepmom are coming over for the weekend. Hopefully, they'll behave themselves better than last time they were here. Last time, step MIL clipped her nails in the living room, left the clipper on my end table, made a huge mess in the kitchen, stunk up my one and only bathroom, and the kicker, bagged up the garbage from their van and left it by my garage door as they left. So as you can imagine I'm TOTALLY looking forward to this weekend.

Man, I'm boring I really have nothing to report. I have clothes in the dryer and I need to hit the hay.

Couch to 5K

I'm not really sure what is possessing me to do this, but I'm on week 2 of the Couch to 5K program on coolrunning.com. Well it's week 2 for me, but I'm still on week 1 of jogging for 60 seconds and then walking for 90. I actually don't mind it too much, I put my Friends DVD in and I'm on the treadmill for 30 minutes. I'm hoping to bump it up to week 2 next week, which is jogging for 90 seconds and walking for 2 minutes. My new New Balance shoes ROCK! I totally love zappos.com, I ordered the shoes around 10pm one night, they were at my house by 4:30 THE NEXT DAY! And for free shipping! Not sure how they do it, but it's awesome.

Grrr I'm trying to print a bunch of stuff on our only color printer in the whole agency and it's not working. Love technology.

OK, so today is tax day and all that has been on the news is people waiting until the last minute. Are we supposed to feel sorry for them? Seriously, people you have like 4 months to do this. Luckily, Mike does ours online and we get our rebates within a week. I have no clue how to do our taxes, if I were ever single, I'd take them somewhere. I like to think of myself as self-sufficient but that is one thing I'm totally clueless on.

Happy Birthday Meredith!

Paige-isms

So Paige said a couple of cute things tonight that I wanted to remember. First we were at an icecream store (Coldstone Creamery) and it's obviously prom night at several high schools, and apparently CC is the spot to go. So a huge limo pulls up, about 10 girls all dressed up get out and Paige is totally fascinated. She can't stop staring at all the girls and says to Mike and I "I want to go say hi to all the princesses." It was so cute! She finally did, but Mike had to go with her-she was so proud of herself!

Second, her and Mike were browsing the end caps of Target looking for deals and she spotted something Hannah Montana and recognized it as such. When Mike asked her how she knew HM, she said she didn't know. He asked her another time and she goes "Dad, you've asked me that LIKE 20 times." WTF?!?!?! Is she 3 going on 13?

PMS

OMG I think I have the world's worst case of PMS right now, I feel like I'm going to jump out of my skin. Mike is off today and getting ready to go fishing, he won't be home until midnight or so. Paige and I are going to Hardee's with some friends to play later on this afternoon. My current bitches:
1. I got my haircut yesterday and it looks nothing like the picture I showed my stylist. I'm considering starting to hack at it myself and switching stylists. She's been going downhill on my past few cuts. But she also waxes my eyebrows and does a really good job with them.
2. Paige is driving me nuts. She's acting all weird and hyper and generally annoying.
3. BIL keeps calling Mike to talk about fishing and he talks really super loud.
4. I had an ingrown toenail removed on my right big toe, but the doc didn't get all of it. It's really starting to hurt and I don't want to have to pay another $300 for the anesthesia and go through the pain of having it removed.
5. The weather here is going to suck all weekend and we have no plans. We'll all drive each other crazy if we don't get out of this house.
6. I ran out of happy pills this morning and hate having to pay $45 every month for them. This is an ongoing bitch.
7. I REALLY REALLY REALLY want a patio set and hubby is against it. JCP has one on sale for $229 and I'm tempted to go get it today while he's gone. Damn men.
8. I have a shitload of laundry to do and I can't hang it outside because of the crappy weather.

OK enough bitching. Off to go work on the 10 loads of laundry.

Wisconsin in April

really sucks. We had 60's over the weekend, 2 days ago it snowed about an inch, and now the winds are howling and it's about 30 degrees. We're under a winter storm warning right now. But no worries, it's supposed to be back up in the 60's by the middle of next week. WTF?!?!?

So Paige is totally ga ga over her new swing set. She has been wanting to play on it non-stop which is kind of hard when it's snowing. Last night her and the neighbor girl played on it for almost an hour. I was freezing when we came back in finally.

I'm starving, I'm going to be eating lunch soon. Leftovers. It's this really yummy sweet and sour chicken that I cooked last night. I'll have to post the recipe for my ya yas.

I ordered some new shoes from zappos.com-New Balance Running shoes. I hope they get here soon because I'd really like to stick with the couch to 5K program, I'll be walking/running again tonight. I have a feeling I'm going to be stuck on week 1 for a LONG time.

MIL gave us each $75 in Visa gift cards for Christmas, but they expire at the end of this month, we each got a $50 one and a $25 one. So I tried to use the $50 to buy part of new shoes and put the rest ($14) on my CC. No go, you can only use one card. I keep forgetting I have it, so I HAVE to spend it by the end of this month. I can't just let $75 go to waste! Maybe I'll go shopping again this weekend, the weather is supposed to be crappy. I wish she would have just gotten us $75 in cash-much easier to spend!!!!

OK my tummy growling is disturbing my co workers so I better eat.

Copied from Mere's blog

1. Do you like blue cheese? Hell no

2. Have you ever smoked heroin? No, I honestly would have no idea where to even get it.

3. Do you own a gun? Technically yes because Mike owns several

4. What flavor do you add to your drink at Sonic? We don't have a Sonic here

5. Do you get nervous before doctor's appointments? Yes

6. What do you think of hot dogs? Prefer a brat (my WI people understand)

7. Favorite Christmas song? O Holy Night

8. What do you prefer to drink in the morning? Lots of coffee

9. Can you do push ups? A few of the girly kind

10. What do you order at Starbucks? A vanilla latte

11. What’s your favorite piece of jewelry? My engagement ring

12. Favorite hobby? Read and/or sew

13. How do you eat your eggs? Over medium

14. Do you have A.D.D.? At work, yes, I can't stay focused on one thing for too long

15. What’s one trait you hate about yourself? I'm extremely judgemental

16. Your eye color? Blue

17. Name three thoughts at this exact moment? I'm blogging again...weird.

18. Name three things you bought yesterday? I don't think I bought anything yesterday. My most recent purchases were on Friday during a shopping spree for me and Paige

19. Three drinks you regularly drink? Water, coffee and Crystal Light

20. Current worry right now? Will I ever lose weight?

21. Current hate right now? My body

22. Favorite place to be? At home

23. How did you ring in New Year's? At home sleeping

24. Where would you like to go? Home, I'm sick of being at work.

25. Name three people who will complete this? Not sure

26. Do you own slippers? Yep

27. What shirt are you wearing? A robin's egg blue sweater with a white shirt underneath

28. Do you like sleeping on satin sheets? No too slippery and I'm a major tosser/turner

29. Can you whistle? Not a lick

30. Favorite color? Blue or pink

31. Would you be a pirate? Nope

32. What songs do you sing in the shower? I don't sing in the shower, but I do rock out in the
car :)

33. Favorite girl’s name? Well Paige of course, but other than that, Faith, Gabriella, Annaliese

34. Favorite boy’s name? Ryan Logan or Landon

35. What’s in your pocket right now? Nothing

36. Last thing that made you laugh? Talking to a work friend

37. Most frequently dialed phone number? Mike's cell

38. Worst injury you’ve ever had? Probably a concussion after a bad car accident.

39. Do you love where you live? Not love, but I like my small little house and am starting to get to know people in town.

40. How many TVs do you have? Three

41. Who is your loudest friend? Tara

42. How many dogs do you have? One

43. What are you thrilled about right now? Not sure

44. Do you have a crush on someone? Nope, I've been married too long! =)

45. What is your favorite book? Marley and Me, made me laugh and cry

46. What is your favorite candy? chocolate

47. Favorite Sports Team? Green Bay Packers!

48. What song do you want played at your funeral? Anything by Kenny Chesney

49. What were you doing at 12 AM last night? Sleeping

50. What was the first thing you thought of when you woke up? UGH, I hate mornings!