Monday Mumblings

I finally did it.

I clicked THE button.

You know the one of which I speak.

The "mark all as read button".

When my reader hit 748 I knew I was just going to get further and further behind.

So last night I mustered up all my strength.

Closed my eyes and clicked it.

Guess what?

Nothing blew up.

My heart didn't stop beating.

The earth continued to spin.

I felt a sense of peace wash over me.

I will never know what I did not read.

Right?

I am going to be okay.

I now challenge you.

When your reader gets too full and the pressure becomes too much...just click it.

You will thank me later.

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Claire has come down with Fifth Disease.

Also known as "Slap Cheek".

Her cheeks are rosy red and her upper body is covered in a fine rash.

I sent her to school because she is no longer contagious.

She called me at noon to ask if I could pick her up.

She thought it had spread.

She could possibly have a fever.

And her back was a bit itchy.

I went to school and signed her out.

Funny thing...since she has been home... no mention of fever or itching.

I think she got me...AGAIN!

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I have been working hard on my class reunion.

I am collecting the monies.

And harassing the non-payees.

I feel more like a thug than a treasurer at this point.

It also just occurred to me I have 2 weeks to lose 30 pounds.

That IS possible... right?

I can just chew on air for the next fourteen days.

That is my plan anyway.

I mean I have only known for 20 years that this day was coming.

Nothing like waiting until 2 weeks before to freak out panic starve start a plan of action.

I am nothing if not a procrastinator.
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I have a horrible cough.

I am not sleeping well at night.

Because I am coughing.

And hacking.

My voice is hoarse and my throat is sore.

This Friday is the Thanksgiving Program at the preschool.

Remember who the music teacher is?

That's right....me!

After three days of practice, I wonder how I will sound?

Maybe if the audience is lucky I will lose my voice all together.

If I am not around much this week, just know that the busy got me.

Hopefully, next week will be slower.

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I am a lucky girl.

Tomorrow I have a free afternoon.

To do with what I wish.

My husband was coerced tricked so kind as to give me some time sans kids.

I haven't decided what to do first.

Suggestions?

I may just drive my car around the block, park it, and take a nap.

I wonder if the neighbors would notice?

Tuesday Tidbits

I am sure you don't need reminding, but.....

Get out and vote!

I voted last week.

The lines were long, but I was still in and out in 30 minutes.

Four years ago I waited in line for 3 1/2 hours.

With a 7 month old.

Not. good.

It could only be worse if I had to take a four year old.

And possibly a nine and twelve year old.

So glad I don't have to go there.

I puffy heart early voting.

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My husband is off today.

One guess as to where he is.

Nope.

He already voted last week too.

Next guess?

Oh how right you are.

He is on a boat....fishing for um, well...fish.

The weather forecast?

Cloudy, windy, and 90% chance of rain.

Not 10%.

90%.

That would mean in all likelihood it will rain.

When will he learn?

I am so glad my addictions hobbies involve being indoors with heat, plumbing, and electricity .

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Last week the busy never let up and I am way behind in my visiting and commenting on your blogs.

My reader is sitting at 614.

I see no other way out of this.

I may have to resort to that "mark all as read" button.

Please forgive me?

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Last Thursday I went on a field trip to the Outer Banks with a bus load of 4th graders.

Lets just say that the 12 hour excursion provided me lots of blog fodder.

And 200 photos.

Stay tuned.

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Has anyone started their Christmas shopping?

Please don't tell me if you have already finished.

I may have to hunt you down and beat you.

I have started.

I now have 5 presents.

Two of which are wrapped.

My goal is to have my shopping completed by the end of the month.

A girl can dream ...can't she?

Monday Mumblings

I know you are jumping up and down with excitement that you do not have to endure one more post about the State Fair.

Sorry, I think I posted every day about my six hour experience.

Can you tell how boring my life is?

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What is up with google, Gmail, and reader?

All the fonts are much bigger.

Is it just mine?

Maybe they heard my vision wasn't quite what it used to be.

And that I am in denial about needing an eye exam.


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We went to Nana's last night for dinner.

Yup, you guessed it.

Fried chicken, homemade buttermilk biscuits, and an 8 layer chocolate cake.

My jeans almost didn't get buttoned this morning.

I can't begin to tell you how disappointed I am that Nana did not provide any "Nanaisms".

Thus no good blog fodder.

I am sure you are just as disappointed in Nana as I am.

If you are not familiar with Nana you can read about her here and here.


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This morning as I hurried about the kitchen preparing snacks, lunches, and a roast for dinner, Cole walked in.

He looked straight up at me and said, "It must be hard to be you, you have so much things to do."

"Yes Cole it is hard to be me and you may be the only person that has recognized that lately. Thank you."

"You welcome Mommy!"

He is now my favorite.

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Chase and Claire have a teacher workday tomorrow.

It is supposed to be cold and wet.

Would you think less of me if I said I was not looking forward to the day out?

Monday Mumblings

Last week just before the Presidential debate I announced I was going to my room to watch the debate.

Cole looked puzzled and asked, "Mommy, are you going fishing?"

I turned around, giggled and said, " Of course not silly. You know Mommy doesn't fish."

To which he replied, " But you said you were going to your room to work on your baits!"

Laughter ensued.

There is certainly NO question who his father is.

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I guess sometimes you really do get what you ask for.

I asked for the weather to remember it was fall.

It listened.

We went from mid eighties to the sixties.

I guess when I asked, I should have mentioned I needed a little warning.

Last night it dipped into the thirties.

BRRRRRR!!!

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I plan to go on my crawl slight jog run later today.

I am going to use all of you wonderful advice.

And most importantly, I plan to breathe!


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Tomorrow we are headed to the State Fair.

Let the artery clogging, deep fried eating begin.

I can hardly wait!

Hmmmm.

Maybe I should run twice today?

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I have been reading the Twilight series by Stephenie Meyer.

Is it possible to have yet another addiction?

The answer is YES!

I am currently half way through the third book, Eclipse.

Pardon my absence today as I go finish it.

My dear Edward awaits.

Monday Mumblings

I haven't posted since Thursday.

I haven't touched a computer since Thursday either.

Which obviously means I have not visited your blogs.

I was seriously having withdrawals.

My addiction has been in overdrive.

I guess I took a little break.

Unintentional....but nice.


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I had a big date with Chad on Friday night.

Well, maybe not BIG, but dinner and a movie.

We haven't been out in forever.

I lined up a sitter.

Chase freaked out.

It seems all my sitters are now way too close to his age.

Since Claire was at a sleep-over we agreed to let him sit for Cole.

He watches him all the time for an hour during the day.

But never at night.

I was a wreck.

He did a great job.

They were both asleep when we got back.

Cole said his brother was a great babysitter!

I now have a live in sitter...yay me!


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Chad and I saw "Nights in Rodanthe".

One word: Fabulous!

Two more words: Bring tissues!

Such a chick flick, but I enjoyed watching it with Chad.

He knows what a huge Nicholas Sparks fan I am and took me to see it.

Thanks for the sacrifice Chad!

I highly recommend it.

Go take a friend to the movie or get the book.

Both are wonderful!


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I finally got my fall wreaths , pumpkins and mums put out Saturday.

If the weather would just remember it was fall...

It is especially hard to think about Halloween when it is still in the mid eighties.


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I took Claire and Cole on a mini road trip this weekend.

We left Saturday afternoon and spent some time with my parents Saturday night.

Sunday morning we headed to Greensboro to meet the newest member of our family.

It was great to hold Miss Caroline.

What a cutie!

So glad my tubes are tied because I think I would be in baby mode right now.

The 3.5 hour trek provided much entertainment and blog fodder.

I will save that for a later post.

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Happy Monday!

I will be by to visit later!

My reader is bursting at the seams with 354 posts....be patient!

Monday Mumblings

My poor desktop computer crashed on Wednesday.

As in...nothing works.

Nada.

I can use my laptop, but my desktop houses all my photos.

All 10, 000 of them.

Guess who was depressed and crying uncontrollably last week?

Guess who has been researching external hard drives?

Guess who bought 2 flash drives?

Guess who has been meaning to back up all her photos?

Guess who thought she was invincible?

Yup, that would be me.

My computer guy, who I am now in love with for saving my photos, is being bribed with money food kind words.

I hope he really is able to retrieve all my pictures.

I can't imagine having to tell my kids that there is no physical proof they even existed for the past two years.

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With one computer out, we are back to sharing the Internet.

I am not good at the sharing.

I liked it better when it was MINE!

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My Internet is still giving me panic attacks.

It is going out a few hours at the time each day.

I am still wondering if I have readers at Suddenlink who have staged an intervention.

If they are reading: Not. funny.

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I went to my High School Reunion planning meeting last night.

It occurred to me that I have less than 2 months before the reunion.

I have only known about this for oh...about 2o Years!!!

Why have I procrastinated my weight loss program?

I should be so motivated.

Okay, after last night I AM motivated.

I WILL be at the gym tonight!

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What do a Sonic Gift card and an autographed copy of Bunkco Babes have in common?

Absolutely nothing.

Except I won both of them this month.

Can you believe it?

Turns out Mr. Random Generator doesn't hate me after all.

Thanks to Beachy Mimi and Laskigal for hosting such wonderful giveaways on their blogs.

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I am going to try and comment on as many of your posts as possible tonight.

What doesn't get done tonight will not get done.

I am going to try to blog guilt free.

I am taking your advice and I am using my "Mark all as read " button for the first time.

Wish me luck!

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I am in need of one more "swapper" for my Favorite Things Swap.

The first one to respond and give me your information will get a partner.

Email me a becausewendisaidso(at) gmail(dot) com

Monday Mumblings

*Tropical Storm Hanna did finally make her presence known early Saturday morning.
She brought high winds and some rain.
She left lots of debris in my yard.
With Chase's help, we had it cleaned up in a few hours.
I noticed some of my neighbors have not attempted any clean-up efforts.
I am not sure why.
I wonder if they are waiting on the yard guy to do it...or if they will just hold out until the end of Hurricane season.


*My loss of Internet connection over the weekend only confirmed for me that I definitely have serious addiction issues.

*As if that addiction is not bad enough, I have fallen into another.
I am officially a twitterer.
I think they refer to them as tweets.
I kind of see myself as more of a twit!
I would like to thank McMommy for getting me hooked.

*Cole starts preschool today.
That is right.
5 days a week.
3 hours a day.
I am so excited sad I think I might cry.

*I start preschool today too.
Remember how I filled in for the music teacher last year?
Well, apparently I did a little too good of a job.
That or they were desperate.
I am going with the later.
Anyway, I will be howling singing with the children two mornings a week.
I will be creatively moving with them one day a week.
What happened to all the free time I was planning to have this year?
One word: Gone!
Note to self: Learn to say NO!

*After all that cleaning and preparing for Hanna, Hurricane COLE came through and left destruction and devastation in his path.
If you could only see my house this morning.
I may need to call FEMA.

*I had a headache all day yesterday.
I tried to nurse it with Tylenol.
That did nothing.
Then I tried Excedrin Migraine.
It worked.
But with the aid of lots of caffeine.
I have been up ALL night!
When you look at the time I left a comment on your blog...do not wonder.
Yes, it was THAT late!

THINGS I HAVE LEARNED THIS WEEK!!!

*No matter how hard you try, it is impossible to attend a baseball game *and* a softball game at the same time, on two different fields, on opposite sides of town.

*Children can survive on concession stand hot dogs and snacks twice in one week.

*They may even ask for it a third time.

*If you plan to go to the gym at night...your husband will work late.

*Or the ballgame will go into extra innings.

*You will not be as motivated to go at 10:00 pm.

*You will also not be as motivated at 6:00 am.

*It may be years before you find the bottom of the clothes hamper.

*Or the bills!

*Your Google reader is overflowing too! Unlike the laundry and bills... You feel a need to get to the bottom of it.

*Blog reading is far more entertaining than laundry and bills.

*You can not over schedule your kids this summer. The more camps and activities you sign them up for, the less likely you are to hear these three little words: "I. am. bored!"

*When your daughter turns nine...you. will. not. believe. it.

*One computer in the house is not enough. Every time you have a great idea for a post... someone is on the computer.

*Writing down your post long hand is more time consuming than typing it.

*It is also a waste of time since you have to type it anyway.

*Driving a suburban is great for transporting a big family.

*It also provides lots of ample space for groceries, bat bags, dance bags and dog kennels.

*Driving a suburban will blow your gas budget.

*You may need to take out a second mortgage car loan to pay for the ridiculous amount of gas needed to drive a suburban.

*Having a neighbor that owns "peony" farms can be very rewarding.

*Your house will have lots of pretty bouquets of flowers and it will smell heavenly.

*Having a sister that is the GM of a minor league baseball team can be very rewarding too.

*It is possible to be just as excited as your child when he is asked to be a "bat boy" for a daytime game.

*It is possible that standing in the hot sun trying to get just the right shot of the "bat boy" can cause your arms to get fried.

*Your mind will also feel fried as you try to take pictures of the "bat boy" in the hot sun while your four-year-old runs wild in the box seats.

*Four-year-old children are great multi-taskers.

*They can flip over the railing, hang over the dugout, drink a Gatorade, and talk to strangers while whining to go play on the playground.

*Whining can induce headaches.

*Silence really is golden.

COPYCAT

Lisa and Queen B both posted a little meme/tag on their blog. They did not tag anyone...so I am tagging myself. (Due to lack of material today)

Where is your cell phone? on the charger...so that I will forget to take it with me to the ballgame tonight.

Your significant other? at work... where he is 95% of the time.

Your hair? not good today. Kinda mousy brown with a few too many grey hairs popping up.

Your mother? 2 hours away.

Your father? With my mother. How I wish they were closer.

Your favorite things? My family.

Your dream last night? I never remember my dreams. I am not sure I have them.

Your favorite drink? It was Diet Coke. I gave up soft drinks over a year ago. Now, my drink of choice is a glass of ice water with lemon. ( I know I am living on the edge-huh?)

Your dream/goal? To sleep through the night again. To go to the bathroom alone. (these are short term goals, but they are important!)

The room you’re in? Living room

Your ex? Nice guy. I have no idea where he is right now.

Your fear? Dying before my kids grow up.

Where do you want to be in 6 years? Right where I am. (with more money, less debt, better hair and much skinnier)

Where were you last night? Which part of last night? I was dropping Claire off at dance, getting the boys hair cut, picking Claire up from dance, cooking dinner, taking Claire to Softball practice, taking Chase to baseball practice.... but at 9:05 I was on my couch glued to the tube. Finally, a new episode of Grey's Anatomy. It did not disappoint.

What you’re not? A Hunter. A Fisher. A Camper. A Sports junkie. A Car dealer. (oh, hey I am NOT my husband)

Muffins? Blueberry

One of your wish list items? Only one...please let me name two. A laptop and a new SLR camera.

Where you grew up? Eastern North Carolina

The last thing you did? I just threw in another load of laundry. (does that count?)

What are you wearing? Yoga pants and a t-shirt. I taught Creative Movement this morning and thought if I just kept on the "workout attire" it would inspire me to go to the gym. It hasn't.

Your TV? Is on entirely too much. It has to be tired.

Your pets? A 1 year old black lab named TAR.

Your computer? A Dell desktop. There are too many of us using it. I need a laptop!

Your life? Complete. Very crazy and busy. But Complete.

Your mood? Tired. Ready for bed. And it is only 4:00.

Missing someone? My father-in-law. He passed away in October. It still does not seem real.

Your car? White GMC Yukon XL

Something you’re not wearing? shoes

Favorite store? Ann Taylor Loft and Pottery Barn

Your summer? Almost here. I cannot wait!

Like someone? I like my family. I like my friends. I like my blog readers (all 3.5 of you!).

Your favorite color? Pink

When is the last time you laughed? A few minutes ago.

Last time you cried? Last week.

Who will repost this? I have no idea. Just let me know so I can read it!!!

Things I Have Heard Come Out Of My Mouth This Week...

Stop.
Please don't do that.
DON'T do that.
I would not do that if I were you.
Don't jump on the bed.
Don't jump on the couch.
Don't jump on your brother.
No more fighting.
Tell him you are sorry.
Tell him NOW!
Don't throw baseballs at the house.
What was that noise?
How many panes broke?
Go get your bath.
Don't splash.
How did this much water get on the floor?
No, you may not have candy for breakfast.
Clean your room.
Have you finished your homework?
Then, no.
What time is ball practice?
No, I do not know where your leotard is.
Try the drawer.
Do you have Scouts this week?
Money does not grow on trees.
Are you sure you have outgrown two pairs of shoes?
The store clerk said you need what size?
I am going to add your FEET to our boat insurance policy.
Yes, I made this for dinner and no, you cannot make a sandwich.
Give me a second.
Give me a minute.
Give me some privacy!
Get your hand out of the toilet.
You do not need that much toilet paper. Ever.
Go back and flush.
Did you wash your hands?
Go back and wash your hands.
Twice.
Don't pick at that.
You will not be wearing THAT to school.
Or that.
Please brush your hair.
And teeth.
Pick up that piece of paper.
No, the one you have walked over four times.
Put away your shoes.
Stop screaming.
And whining.
Especially the whining.
Close your mouth when you chew.
Do not embarrass me like that again.
I will embarrass you one day...only worse.
Yes, you have to play with him.
Get off the computer.
Smile.
Wait, before you eat that I need to take a picture.
No, that is not a choice or a viable option.
Stop yelling at your sister.
Don't you ever grab me like that in public. (oops. I think I said that to Chad!)
Stop running in the house.
That is it.
You are going up for auction on eBay at 5:00.
Why must you be soooo messy?
And so cute?
Thank you.
You are welcome.
No, really it was MY pleasure.
You are gorgeous.
I am glad to be your mommy.
Hello handsome!
Goodnight princess.
I love your eyes.
And nose.
And mouth.
To the moon and back.
I love you this much.