things that bug me

I just read Kristi’s blog post about things that bug her

http://multiplemayhem.wordpress.com/

you know what?  This is a great idea!  I think I will join in the fun.  Thanks Kristi for getting me going

#1 – It bugs me when people complain about the remodel that is being done in their home.  Really, you are complaining that your kitchen (which I promise is at least 5 times nicer than mine right now) is going to be beautiful with granite? 

#2-  it bugs me when I spend all day cleaning the house and Doug does not tell me at least 10 times that it looks great and I am amazing.

#3-  it bugs me when I go out with my two kids and people tell me my hands are full…I only have two kids.

#4-  it bugs me that at Christmas time walmart, target and every other store move the things that I buy on a weekly basis to stock awful Christmas presents that should never be given like smoked salmon, sausage and cheeses that do not need to be refrigerated.  Who eats that stuff?

#5-  it really BUGS me when people say they have no money then go out and buy expensive toys like new tv’s and cameras.  Then they complain because of their credit card debt.  I just don’t get it.

#6-  I bug me when I sit on my laptop on flickr, facebook, reading blogs and then I complain that my house is messy.  Why don’t I just shut off my laptop and clean my house?

On that last note…I really need to pick up my house which I worked my butt off to clean on Friday.

having it all

What did you think your life was going to be like when you were a kid…and by kid I mean “high school” age.  I always pictured having a happy marriage, getting married young of course!  I wanted to have 3 boys, like the show home improvement.  I thought somehow I would live in a big nice track home like most of my friends in Diamond Bar.  It would have 3 bedrooms, 1 bonus room, a great fireplace, it would be two stories (so we could slide down the stairs in sleeping bags), have a large pantry filled with snacks and food for the kids and their friends (you know…like friut rollups, gatorades, juice boxes, crackers), and maybe even a pool in the back yard.   The smell of fresh baked cookies would fill the air often in my home.  I would be a stay at home mom who was happy to be a taxi cab to her kids and their friends.  Life would be perfect with my wonderful hubby who made a killer living as a….well I didn’t have that part planned. 

So then you “grow up”  I got married to a great guy who was just beginning the journey to become a marriage and family therapist.  So we both work ed jobs that we don’t love to make ends meet.  One year into marriage I get pregnant…with a boy!  How the heck am I going to be able to stay at home?  Doug makes $29,000 a year and now I have no income.  We move in with my mom and Doug gets his bachelors and then gets his masters.  Do you have any idea how long the road is to be a marriage and family therapist?!!!  This career takes at least 8 years!!!  So my mom gets married and we struggle to make it in a tiny 730qft house that we can almost afford.  But, this house is only temporary…like a year or so!  Four years later we are still here and to be perfectly honest I get grumpy about it!!!  Haven’t we paid our dues?   Doug got his masters with straight A’s and we have worked hard to be almost (next month or so) out of debt.  I feel like so many people around us are buying big beautiful homes, or at least renting them.  We have no central air or heat, dishwasher, garbage disposal, hallway or a hallway closet, doors that work, this kitchen has had almost nothing done to it since it was built…80 years ago!  The carpet is old and orange in half the house, gray linoleum in another part and orange linoleum in the kitchen.  Don’t be jealous now folks!

So during this season of soccer I saw “that mom” you know the one who shows up looking good at every practice in a very nice SUV.  Her hair was perfect, highlights done and nails done.  It was obvious that the family had money by the clothes, cars, baby blankets that cost a ton of money.  She didn’t really talk to me at all, or anyone else.  Well at the end of the season we had a party and the Dad had the two older boys and the baby and mom were not there.  So I asked “is your wife with the baby?”  No he says “She’s out shopping and the baby is with the housekeeper”  I choke on my drink and think “huh?”  I have nothing against housekeepers and I have thought about getting one during the busy seasons of photography.  I have even thought about having a close friend watch Kim one day a week so I can focus on work and have better quality time with my kids.  The strange thing was that Doug pointed out they did not interact with their kids.  No great job, go gettum, nothing.  It made me think…maybe I do have it all.  As I write this my girlie is dancing in a princess dress with a pirate hat on and my son is playing with something in his room…my husband is off teaching at APU and I think of how blessed I am.  I am at home with my kids and make no mistake we give lots up for me to do this!  Sure, I could make more money with photography.  I could be gone more…I could build my little photography empire LOL  But for now, Lord help me remember I choose to work less and spend more time with the kids while they are little.  I need to try to remember that knowing the God of the universe and being blessed with a husband who puts up with my craziness and having two little ones is the biggest blessing.  This does not mean I will never complain about this house…in all honesty it gets hard to live here.  We are busting at the seams with no more room to grow.  But I do want to keep the big picture in mind a bit more.  I am totally blessed!!!!

where has this week gone?

It’s 11:14 pm and I should be in bed sleeping, but here I am posting a new blog and thinking about eating yet another piece of candy.  Oh good it’s within arm’s reach of me…another piece of candy it is!  I wish that I was looking forward to this week, but I am not!  I hate elections!!!  I am so over all the media and phone calls to my house.  I want it to be over!  So from now on I am not talking about the election!  Enough said about that…

This past week has been crazy.  I am doing so much photography work, but barely doing any shoots.  I am getting ready for next year.  Halloween was busy and fun.  We had a great time walking around the church, then our nieghborhood.  The kids had total “candy brain” and Kim had at least 3 crying fits.  Ry did pretty well and tolerated the sugar better. 

Okay that’s all the updates I have for tonight.  I need to do my Bible study and get off to bed.  I promise the next blog will be better!

what’s for dinner?

Long time no post by me, so here we go!  I know that it is hard for some people to plan out dinners but I love it!!!  I have it down to a science.  When Doug was working on his masters I was pregnant and then with a newborn and toddler so I came up with tons of dinner ideas   I thought it would be fun to post this weeks dinner plans.

Monday: semi homemade pizza, dough from fresh and easy or trader joes, speghetti sauce and cheese.  I serve it with salad or if I am lazy carrot sticks and ranch.

Tuesday:  Meatloaf…but not normal meatloaf.  It has BBQ sauce in it, the left over spehgetti sauce, italian bread crumbs and eggs.  I serve it with mashed potatoes and veggies.

Wednesday:  Cheese tortolini (for the kids) spinach tortalini (for us) with vegies and a salad.

Thursday: meatlaof sandwiches (with the leftovers because I made a double batch) and some side dish, but I have not picked it yet.

Friday:  BBQ chicken with rice and veggies (and I will BBQ extra chicken)

Saturday:  take leftover chicken and a Caesar salad mix, make Caesar salad and wrap it in tortilla or a spinach wrap.

Okay there you go a weeks worth of dinners at our house   Pretty simple!

onslaught

Before I begin this post or you watch the video I want to warn you that it is pretty gross!  With that said read on…

I have a confession…okay I have several but today is about my body .  I get jealous of strange things.  Ready for this one?  I get jealous of the moms that have babies and end up with a little more padding than before having kids.  I am jealous mostly of their mommy curves.  You see, when I got pregnant with #1 I weighed (yes I am going to put my weight on the internet…mostly because it’s funny) 113 pounds and I am 5’1.  That was perfectly normal for me.  Then I had Ry and ended up about 100lbs…how is that possible?  When I got pregnant again I weighed 103 lbs.  After having Kim I am about 99lbs.  Let me state publically that, that is gross, not cute!  I am amazed at the amount of people that say they would love to weigh that amount!  Really!?  You want to look like skin and bones, have no curves?  So the easy answer is, I go visit doctor 90210 and trust me I think about it often, but then I see something like this…

oh man!  Is that what my kids see on a daily basis…in the stores, on TV and even in the way people dress everywhere (church included).  My precious baby girl will one day feel this pressure?  My little boy will have to choose between picking a girlfriend/wife one day based on looks or what’s inside?  I hope I can do a good job teaching them to love the way God made them.  I hope I can do a good job teaching myself to love all of the things pregnancy and 3 1/2 years of nursing did to me.  Our kids have quite the battle to fight one day, but for today the battle is mine…and I want the victory!

When Doug Coaches Soccer

This episode of Reba was on TV the other day and I laughed so hard!!!  Doug needs some coaching lessons from Van LOL  I paused the show and brought Ry to ask him if he wanted Daddy to coach like that.  Ry laughed so hard!  We watched this scene over and over.  For anyone who has a kid playing sports this is funny!

Where this week has left me…

Well as most of you know Monday I came down with the flu, by Tuesday morning I was super sick…throwing up and all of that “other” gross stuff.  On Wednesday I went to the doctors and they gave me compazine.  That is a miracle drug!!!!!  It made me feel better, then problem was that I took too much and Thursday morning woke up like a drugged momma.  Luckily it only took a few hours to go away (but it was a hard few hours).  Now Friday is here and I got myself up went with Ry to school this morning, took Kimmie to go see Joy and baby Shea, and picked Ry up.  Then I started to not feel well.  This time not from the flu but from not eating for 3 1/2 days (other than a few crackers and applesauce).  I called Doug and begged him to come home to cook me chicken which was the only “normal” food that sounded okay.  He could not come so I got up the strength and cooked chicken and plain potatoes.  Once that hit my body I felt a smidge of normalcy.  We got in the car to take Ry to practice and his soccer ball exploded in the car.  It was loud…like a balloon times 30!  He cried that his soccer ball was a goner and we promised to by a new one for him after practice.  I ate more food and now Doug is off buying me zantac (or something like that). 

So here’s where the week has left me:

about 96lbs (that’s gross…not cute)

with a long list of meds I have taken – compazine, imoduim, gas-ex, tylenol, tylenol PM (to make me sleep..didn’t work…moved to the next med) , xanax (to make me sleep), benadryl, and now zantac 

feeling very week and wanting to feel normal

so pray for me…please!!!!  Food still sounds gross and I would rather not eat, but that’s just not an option.