A Funny Story

My kids are hilarious. Really. Some of the stuff that comes out of Evan's mouth is just priceless.

He is now 8 went and for the first 5 years of his life to one sitter. They lived in a neighborhood with a few kids but only a couple his age. The sitters yard backed up the neighbor behind her so he used to play in that yard along with the little boy next door. The lady behind my sitter had grandsons who would come over sometimes also.

I picked him up one night when he was just five. At that time he wanted to wear a ball cap every day like his dad. This particular one had some kind of emblem on it that stuck out. That day he came home and it had been ripped off. I asked him what happened and he said Cooper did it over at Carol's house. I didn't think this was nice but when I gave him a bath he had a large scratch down his back and a bruise on his leg.

I asked him what happened and again he stated it was Cooper. Now the boy next door's name was Mikey and Carol's grandson was Chad so I didn't know a Cooper. I asked him who was in the yard when this happened and he said Carol and the boys and that Carol yelled at him but Cooper knocked him down and took his hat and that is when he got scratched up.

Now I am becoming angry. How dare some kid knock my little boy down! I almost started to call my sitter but I wanted more info. I asked Evan if Cooper played with them often and he said yes every time they were in Carol's yard. I asked if he had done this before and he said that last week he knocked Mikey and Chad over. I asked him how old Cooper was and he kind of gave me a strange look and said he wasn't sure. Was he bigger than him. Evan said yes. Do you know his mom? Again a really strange look.

I finally picked up the phone and started to call Debby my sitter and ask where she was when all of this was happening when he said something that stopped me in my tracks.

He sat there in the tub and said "Mom will you also tell Debby I don't want Cooper licking me anymore?"

Me: Evan, who is Cooper? Evan" Cooper is Carol's dog mom" The way he said it was so matter of fact like how could I not know Cooper was a Black Lab!

Coupon Crazy!

So I totally ripped this idea off of Trina but it is so cute I had to do it myself.

For the longest time I had your conventional coupon holder. The accordion style that you could organize by subject, product, etc. As I started to get deeper and deeper into this obsession of coupons, it became more and more difficult to keep them organized.

I would spent a good 35 minutes in the store just digging for the right one even though they were categorized! Well I perused many a good blogs and sites for coupon organizing ideas and Trina's was the best.

I went down to my local Walmart (although I am boycotting them right now) this was about a month before school started. I bought a Mead Binder. I bought a see through pencil pouch, some pretty pink dividers, that came with some pretty flowery folders, and some baseball card inserts.

**Side note on the baseball card inserts** It took me three trips to Walmart before I could find them. I looked around photo, school supplies, sporting goods, everywhere and the oh so knowledgeable staff kept telling me they were there. I finally found them by the books on an outside aisle.

It took about two days of clipping and trimming and organizing but I finally have my coupons where I can find them. I have places for just Store coupons like Target and Kmart. I have a place for the odd shaped ones. Everything is in its place! It is sooo much easier than the old coupon holder I have! Everything zips up and the only issue I have had is when I had it open and dumped it into my cart. Not a pretty sight but I have learned my lesson!

Random Tuesday Thoughts Part II

So I guess I have had this title before, might as well use it again. Nothing specific going on other than the usual.

My Birthday was last week on Thursday. I am 36! the big 3-6. I don't feel 36 and I certainly don't act it. I also was told my several people that they thought I was only 30 so that was good! I have good genes. My parents don't look their age either.


To celebrate my friends and I went to Oktoberfest and got extremely drunk and had a blast, My best buddy Bridget was my DD and although not everyone I really wanted there was there. We had fun! Nothing like beer and Polka!

School is back in full swing and Evan is doing well, Third grade already and he is going to a different elementary in the same school district. Like I figured he has adapted just fine. He knew some kids from playing baseball and has made the acquaintance of one little girl named Olivia who he has informed me gives him her pudding every day!



Little man has officially hit the terrible 2's. The tantrums have begun and he now is not wanting to go to bed at night or lay down by himself for a nap, thinking now is not the time to also wean from Binky!

I got a new camera and I am really digging it, its a Canon Powershot Elph and its super sweet! Will be having lots more pics to post that goes along with my blog like some of the cooler bloggers out here have!

I am tired of working on Total Drama Island. Leave me alone and I will leave you alone. Don't to me, about me, with me, around me, just leave me alone!!! Enough said.

Tired of living on Total Drama Island! Still waiting for the day I can come home from work and have a relaxing evening with no yelling and fighting. Praying the day comes soon.

I am wondering how much you can obsess about something/someone before you make yourself insane. Thinking I am getting close, although it's a nice change from reality!

Thinking I need to get to bed since morning is right around the corner!!

Too much

Have you ever felt like life was just too much sometimes? Besides the day-to -day struggle to just keep up with the house and the kids. Have you ever looked around you at other people and been affected in a way you can't understand? I feel that way sometimes.

Sometimes I wonder if my heart is just too big. Am I too sympathetic? Too empathetic? Should I just try and be more jaded?

I hear things every day on the news and radio and online. People being murdered for no reason. Children being abused. Lives being destroyed. There are days when I just want to disconnect from it all and take my children far away somewhere where life is slower.

One thing that really bothers me is the homeless. I shouldn't say it bothers me as much as it upsets me. I work in Downtown Flint. Not a place that gets alot of glamorous publicity but not the most horrid place either. There are alot of homeless around. In about a three block radius there are several shelters and missions where people can go spend the night and get a couple meals, but then are supposed to be out on the street during the day. Across the street from the bank I work at is U of M Flint extension. There is a pavilion that has the bookstore and eateries and alot of the homeless people take shelter there. I look at these people and wonder how on earth they got where they are now. What happened in their lives to bring them to this? I don't look at them with disgust and try not too look at them with pity but I do sometimes.
There was one man in particular today I saw at the pavilion. He sat at a table in the corner, out of sight, his meager belongings at his feet. He looked in dire need of a shower, haircut and clean clothes. He was sitting there reading a book and I thought, this man could have been someone great. Did he have a family somewhere? There was something in me that wanted to sit down and ask him, see why he lived this way and wanted to know if I could help.

I try and help as much as I can. I bring clothing and donate food and money when I can to the local shelters. Right now at work we are having a monthly drive and bringing different items request to a housing resource center. It helps families in the area with a variety of things, including clothing, bedding, temporary shelter and even an address to put on a job application if they don't have one.

We all have so much and there are those who have so little. I think everyone should take some time to find out who needs help in your community. You never know whose life you could help.

Personally if my life doesn't unwind and get calmer soon I am packing the boys and going to go live with the Amish!

The Binky Battle

SOooo my two year old. He has an addiction and I hate to say but I am not helping it at all. I never thought it would get this bad. By this age his older brother was this age he was OK just having his binky at nap time and bedtime. I thought that is where we were heading with little man.

Over the last few weeks it has become a nightmare. He wants the things 24/7. I have about six strategically placed around the house. I try and take it away first thing and he screams. I do a good job at getting it away from him during the day at times and so does my daycare lady. The minute I walk into daycare he screams for it and we wrestle it away for the rest of the evening.

I wouldn't be so concerned except he still isn't talking a ton. My pediatrician suggested we limit it to get him talking. He can say words and he knows exactly what we are saying. I taught him some sign language so he signs for more and please and thank you and he is starting to say them but most of the time I am the only one who understands him.

The most frustrating and the funniest part is how he asks for it. Some kids yell binky and my niece used to call hers a goggie. But my kid does this war cry thing that sounds like: "Leedle, leedle ,leedle" And he keeps doing it until you give it to him.

At least I know he won't go to school with it....

What I really would like to say sometimes

We have all been there. You know you have. As nice as you want to think you are, as Christian as you want to be, it just happens. You have things on your mind you want to say but you don't. So you think them in your head, and maybe you say them to one trusted soul or to your blog buddies but never to that person.

Here is a list of things I have wanted to say in the recent week. There are several different people that I want to say these things to:
*Please just stop talking to me about your problems
*If you are going to talk to your husband, boyfriend, baby's daddy, sister, mother,father, brother please be quiet, I don't want to hear it
* Did you even brush your hair today?
* Are you really asking me that question again today for the third time
* can't you figure this out yourself, you make three times what I do.
* Did you get dressed in the dark today?
* You really should have looked in the mirror before coming to work today
* No one was talking to you so keep your opinions to yourself
* the world doesn't revolve around you sunshine
* Everyone has an allergy or something that bothers them,we don't have to hear about yours every five minutes
* No one thinks you are least bit funny or amusing so please stop
* Do you have any idea how annoying you are?
* Here's a dollar, go buy a clue
* Do you ever think about what you are saying before you open your mouth?
* Is it lonely up there on your pedestal?
* Just get off your lazy arse and quit complaining!
* Did you just fall off the turnip truck?
And last but not least...........................Do you have any idea how much I like you and think about you all the time???

Get into the Groove

Back to work! Vacation last week and got to spend about five days at my parent's house. It was awesome, my mom was on vacation too! Even though we didn't do anything spectacular it was nice just to be there with people who love you! Went to the casino with my sister and friend and we didn't rake in the dough but had a good time!

Back to school next week! Yeah! Kids are in bed now by 8:30 which is good because it gives me a couple hours to do some things, but in the same breath stinks because I don't get out of work till six all week. It's very hard to be a working mom sometimes! I feel guilty when Evan asks if we can do something as simple as go to the park when there just isn't enough time in the day.

I have to keep giving myself a pep talk to get back into it though. It was very nice just doing whatever for a week. Now it's back to up at 6:30 and dressing up every day, getting kids places and myself to work on time! Then there is the monotony of sitting at my desk, listening to the same co-workers bitch about the same things they were bitching about before I went on vacation! Plus my job is just getting to me. I need more sometimes. I know in a week or two I will be back into it but some days......