I NEED A VACATION!!!!

Thank goodness I am getting one next week. Just to visit family, but we are going to the beach for a week as well.

So why do I need a vacation? The last 3 days have just been crummy. Crabby children, early rising dogs, only making $42 at a garage sale are just a few of the things (but at least I made more than Melanie and Denae!! HA!) Yesterday we were picking up a cake for my MIL for her birthday at the grocery store. I had shopping to do, and by the time we were checking out, Mackenzie had had enough. She was screaming and I was holding her (she had spent too much time running around the store like a wild child while Bailey "watched" her). I had put all the food on the conveyer belt (is there another word for it?) and it was almost all the way full. There was a little spot for the cake, so I asked Bailey to hold it there so it wouldn't fall. What does he do? He decides to hold it above his head. I tell him to put it down, but does he listen? And can you guess what happened? Yes the cake fell on the ground. It was actually in really good condition considering it fell upside down and the lid was starting to come off. I was so frustrated with him because he continues to disobey me.

Today I had to pick Bailey up from summer school, and we were also picking up a friend who rides another bus. Bailey's bus arrived first, so he waited in the car with me for the other bus to come. When the bus came, he jumped out of the car and crossed the parking lot to get his friend. A van was coming, but I watched him stop for it and his continued to cross. No problem, right? Well, a man who works at the school came over to my car and told me to cross with him next time because he almost got hit by the van. Now, I was watching and from my viewpoint he didn't almost get hit by the van. If he did, don't you think his mother would almost have her heart jump into her throat? The man proceded to tell me that he is too little to be crossing the street by himself. I couldn't believe it. He will be 8 in the fall. I know he is small for his age, but he has to learn how to cross the street sometime. I understand his concern and everything, but at the same time it made me mad and embarrassed. The more I think about it, the more I think he probably just saw me as his babysitter and not his mother. As his mother, I am allowed to make choices for my child, like whether or not he can cross the street on his own or not. And maybe it wasn't the most correct choice, but it was my choice to make. He didn't get hurt, or even almost get hurt, so it is OK.

Yeah. So I am feeling like I just need a break from everything.

Anyone want a dog?

There are some days when I would love to give my dog away. Like when she runs away for instance. As I have mentioned previously, I am not a morning person. So when the dog we are pet sitting for barks to go outside, I let our dog Snickers out as well. I completely forget that the gate did not get shut the night before. I was actually sitting outside thinking how nice it was to not have the dogs right under my feet wanting my attention at this way too early hour. It was after I went inside that I realized the gate was open and the dogs were gone. Wait, just one dog was gone. Mine. The dog we are watching obediently came when I called him. But Snickers? She thinks running away is some really fun game. The closer I get, the faster she runs. Brat. I was smart and picked up her leash before I went chasing after her. As I was chasing her, many thoughts ran through my head. I thought of all the positive things if Snickers was gone (no more gate in the kitchen, cleaner house, no worries about petsitters, save on dog food). But as those thoughts entered, I also thought of how sad the kids would be if Snickers was gone. She is good with them. So I said a little prayer of help me catch this dog please!!! There was a few times that I almost had her, but she is a quick little dog (she's a cockapoo and can be energetic). As I ran down the street, boobs bouncing because I was parolling the streets in my pajamas, I was starting to get downtrodden. We were approaching a busy street, and I thought for sure I would watch my dog get hit by a car. But thankfully, and angel appeared. Well, not really an angel. More like two dogs in their own fenced in yard. Snickers was so busy chasing these dogs up and down the fence that she didn't notice me and I was able to nab her. Mission accomplished, thank you prayer given. Of course the dumb dog had to poop on the way home, making me look like one of those owners who doesn't clean up after her dog.

All this before 6:30 am!! Gotta love it!

I Stink

I thought I would be a great blogger. Ha. I guess I just realized how lazy I am. Typing can be so tedious at times. Someone needs to invent something that you attach to your head and you can think all the words that you want to type. I will say that I am glad that I took typing 1 and 2 in 9th grade. It is so much better than the hen pecking my husband does.

So school is out for the summer. Bailey is going to summer school. Here summer school is like day camp. The best part is how cheap it is. Only $30 for 2 classes in the morning for 4 weeks. What a steal! Plus he is having a great time. We walk up to the nearby school, which is a mile away so he can catch the bus to his school. I have felt really good with the attempt at exercise.

I got a new camera! It has been fun to play with! I ended up getting a Nikon D40. I saved up a bunch of credit card points and talked my husband into letting me use them for myself. I do need to hone my photo skills a bit. I noticed a few pictures I thought were in focus were not. Hmm, I hope this doesn't mean I need glasses or anything!!

My goal for this week is to blog at least 3 times. Help me make it!

2nd Grade here I Come!!!

Yes, Bailey has a mowhawk. I think it looks sort of cool. Don't worry, it isn't permanent. I am planning on cutting it before we go to church on Sunday. But it is sort of fun to bug old people with it!

Yo Gabba What?

Sorry I have been MIA lately. For those wondering my FIL is doing well. To see him you wouldn't even know anything is wrong with him. Sadly, we know that something like this could happen again, and next time he might not be so lucky. But we are so grateful for the time that we do have with him, and having an idea of what the future could hold makes our time together so much more precious.

Anyway, on to my post title. Mackenzie is not a big TV fan. Which is a good thing for the most part. But there are moments when I would like to shower in peace without getting the whole bathroom wet in the process because she insists on opening the shower door. One day I was getting desparate for something to distract her because I just needed a few moments to myself. I flipped through the kids' channels and found Yo Gabba Gabba on Nickelodeon. Instantly, she was mesmerized! And I took a shower without hearing "hi, hi, hi" 100 times. And when I got out, she was still perched on the couch where I left her! I am a little worried though. Out of all the shows to watch, this one is a little strange. There is a guy who wears tights, glasses and a wig (he reminds me of Roj from the 70's show "What's Happening?") who has these toy monsters that come to life in a diarama. They do a lot of singing and dancing, and the monsters, whose names I haven't figured out quite yet, are bright and amusing. My favorite so far has been when the green monster tries to bite one of the other monsters, and they break into song about how you don't bite your friends. Funny huh?

I love having a DVR, because now whenever I need Yo Gabba Gabba to come to my rescue, I can turn on one of the episodes I have taped. Thank you Nickelodeon for giving me my sanity back!!!

Sad

My father in law is in the hospital. He has had a series of strokes today. Having kids, I have to stay home, where it is hard to feel "in the loop". Bailey is super close to him, but he isn't worried at all. He feels like he will be OK, and I hope he is right.

I love my own dad, but we aren't close. I haven't talked to him since August when I was there visiting. He isn't very talkative, but I know my mom fills him in on everything going on. But I am close to my father in law. He is truly like a dad to me. He does so much for me and truly cares about me. When someone gets really sick or hurt, you start to think whether they would know how much you care about them. I think my father in law knows I care, but I feel bad that I don't ever say "I love you" to him. It just feels awkward for me to say, since he isn't my dad. But I do love him. He is a wonderful Papa to my kids, and they adore him. He is always so willing to help our family and is a good listening ear. Of course he has his quirks, but I think anyone who knows him loves him as well.

The Big 3-2

So it was my birthday on Saturday. I am now 32, which isn't a big deal, right? Except that I have been dreading this birthday for YEARS. Why would I dread this particular birthday? Well, when I was 16, my little brother was born. He was quite the surprise, and I felt too old for there to be a baby in the house. I always thought about when he would be 16, the same age I was when he was born, I would be 32. It seemed like he would never turn 16, so I would never turn 32.

Well, that day has arrived. He still has 2 months to go before he is 16, but here I sit at 32. The number that seemed too far away to ever come. That makes me feel OLD. So old that when I looked at myself in the mirror, all I could see was gray hair. So the night before my birthday I went and bought hair dye. I have been wanting to dye my hair a medium/dark brown for some time. I think girls who have dark hair and blue eyes are so pretty. So I wanted to try it out. $2.50 later, I have practically black hair. My husband was not a fan initially, but he likes it more and more. But I have a problem. I have these weird horizontal streaks where the color is fading already. Oh well. I really don't want to fry my hair by re-dying it again, so I will leave the streaks for "character". If you see me, just tell me you love my hair, whether you do or not. Please. I just turned 32 and I messed up my hair as if I was 16. I need an ego boost!