Randomness Of The Day... PLUS... future giveaway information

Last night I had two separate nightmares about being with Baby in an armed robbery. Hands down being in an armed robbery was one of the scariest situations of my real life. It completely altered my perception of my daily safety. And it taught me I'm a runner. As in I'll choose flight. In my 2nd dream I was getting away with Baby in my arms. I still woke up feeling stressed.


This week I made a whopping $150 babysitting. Which sounds and feels impressive until I divide it out by the hour. And then... well... it's less than minimum wage. It also leaves me feeling like all the bone marrow was drained out of my body by the end of the day. I'm watching for LONG days. 9-10 hours. And yesterday I had both extra kids... plus... my own. And with kids ranging from 5 months to 7 years (some of you may know exactly what that is like) I never get a chance to sit down. I'm meeting needs THE WHOLE DAY. And since I haven't worn Baby in a sling in almost 2 years and the little baby goes down in it... my back is killing me. I need to build those particular arm and back muscles that get tweaked while carrying a little one around... and... trying to cut apples, wipe butts, build towers, etc.... because I woke up today and something is pinched and I feel like I can barely breathe.


I need to get back to meal planning and batch cooking. Especially on sitting days when I'm watching kids right up until dinner time I just don't have time to make dinner. That will get easier as the baby gets older... and sometimes he sleeps at the right time and I can still get stuff done on time. But this week several times I wasn't able to get dinner on the table on time and we were eating about an hour later. The problem with that means I then don't have time to workout... and Kid is practically eating and then going to bed. If I could get some freezer meals stocked up I'd be able to pull something together a lot more easily. So this weekend I'm going to focus on finding some good things to cook up and stock the freezer with. If you've got a tried and true big batch recipe that freezes well please send me a link!


This weekend we are also going to work more on eradicating the mold that is in both our basement and garage. Unfortunately that is also where all my workout equipment is... and I haven't been able to workout because of the mold. My eyes immediately start burning and itching when I'm down there. That is another frustrating set back. I'm going to need to make myself do the 30 Day Shred until I can get things cleaned up down there. The problem with that is that I just don't get the same level of stress relief from that as I do from working out on the treadmill.


In other random news I'm starting to think about Christmas (12 weeks away!) and this years gift boxes. I'll be giving away 4 boxes this year... so... get ready. Oreo truffles anyone?! Yeah that's what I thought.


I also just ordered THIS BOOK for myself last week. I found it on Amazon for $3. You may recall that I recommended this book a few years back after my good friend lent me her copy to read. I like this book enough that I'm thinking of including it in the gift boxes this year or doing a separate giveaway. I highly recommend it to all mothers... and the title is a misnomer... it is not a religious book. It is a book about simplifying. And this is the perfect time of year to read it. Before we get all caught up in the stress of holiday time.


That's what I've got for you today. After I have my coffee and my back starts to feel a bit more pliable I need to put away the girls summer clothes and put the huge piles of winter clothes that have been washed and dumped on the couch away. I'd also like to go to Barnes & Noble this weekend and spend a couple of bucks on a mocha and a slice of lemon cake and let the girls listen to the story time. I've decided that I can take $5 a week of my babysitting money and spend it on something frivolous JUST FOR ME. I think that's fair.


I've also decided to give away a $10 Target giftcard (or iTunes, or Gap Options card) to someone whose life is falling apart on October 5th, October 19th, November 2nd, and November 16th (four separate giveaways). I know what it's like to have a shitty ass week and I know what it is like to have so tight a budget that you can't afford a single luxury. I know it's not a lot but it is enough to get yourself a bag of candy and a people magazine, or a pumpkin scented candle, or a tee shirt. And sometimes that is what you need to make your life a little more bearable. I was going to give myself $10 a week for luxuries but then I thought I'd go halfsies with you. For every $5 dollars I give myself I want to be able to give the same to someone else. SO stay tuned for that. I'm not entirely sure how I'll choose the winners... that will probably be the hardest part.

Who Am I To Say No?

My friend Torey suggested I start "Bitch Fest Friday"... and I was like... well... I was probably going to do it anyway why not share the joy?!


So here you go...

Today is Bitch Fest Friday.

That means that YOU are free to bitch about your life in the comments.

Cause lets face it... sometimes you just need to get things off your chest and stop being such a big person about your problems. Sometimes you need to whine about them for a bit and cry like a little baby.

I hear you.

You know I hear you.

The rest of your day you can pull yourself together and put on a happy face... but here... you can be a basket case.

That might be my new motto.

Feeling Tried

Lately I feel like I spend all my time just trying to get back up.
When I let myself dwell on it I can sometimes think we have a lot of bad luck.
It just doesn't seem like everyone else goes through all this.... all the time.
I wonder what it would be like to have a couple of months of just regular life.
A life where things unfold without crisis.
I wonder what it would be like to actually live life instead of react to it.
I feel like I am always reacting.
And it is exhausting.

ER Follow Up

She most likely has Erythema Multiforme. What started out as hives turned into a more severe allergic reaction (so not stress related... I had wondered that too). In retrospect I do know when it changed... so next time I'll be quicker on the uptake.

She's on steroids now. Since she's had hives in the past we'll have her tested for allergies. This could be an allergic reaction to food, etc. or it can be an allergic reaction to a virus... which is what we're assuming right now. Just to be sure we're discontinuing the foods she's had in the last couple of days (of course with Putty dying I wasn't exactly paying 100% attention to that). She goes in for a follow up tomorrow.

We are now supposed to look out for the symptoms of THIS. Cause you know if it's my kids they can't just get the regular version of something they have to get the crazy ridiculous life threatening one. Awesome. Two year olds are super complaint with mucus membrane checks... they love it.

On the positive side I did the right thing. I didn't overreact or under react. They said I followed it perfectly and brought her in just in time.

Well, I suppose that means I should have brought her in last night but whatever... close enough.

I absolutely love it when doctors tell you that things are okay UNLESS they aren't and then you need to RUSH BACK HERE because this can become a medical emergency.

I love that.

I haven't had enough of that in my seven years of parenting.

Good News Bad News

Well the bad news is MY DOG IS DEAD.

The good news is that it has completely taken my mind off of "project change" (or lack thereof... whichever it may ultimately be).


As far as the grieving goes... it's still going. I am shocked at how grief stricken I am. I never really appreciated what the loss of a pet was like for someone before this. I really feel like what I would up until now only have thought you could only feel for a person. I said to Mr F that I have to rank this right below losing either him or the kids. Not just because I have spent everyday all day for over a decade with him (or... yes... maybe that is it) but also because dogs are so dependent on you. They need you. And that is where the guilt comes in. As I said to Kid "unfortunately Putty didn't speak English and he couldn't tell us if something was wrong." And, right now, that is killing me. The what ifs. I'm working really hard to let them go as they come up... but they do come up about every 5 minutes.


I'd love to have something else to write about... but other than watching the horrifyingly large hives that have taken over Baby's body... I've got nothing but tears.

This week has been one of those weeks where I just want to turn my grownup badge back in.

I just want to get one of those beer helmets and pop some cold cans of cherry coke in them and watch 12 straight hours of real estate shows on HGTV.

But Baby just woke up. The hives are now around her eyes. We're off to the ER.

Heartbroken

My chest literally aches. I just keep seeing all his puppy days running through my mind. Then I see his bone left under my desk. His food bowl still filled waiting for him to come home and eat it. His basket of toys overturned in the living room.

I'm devastated.

Just completely devastated.

You can read Mr F's eulogy HERE.

Rest In Peace

We are both grief stricken and shocked to report that today at 12:30 PM our dog passed away of sudden heart failure. This was unexpected and we are having a hard time processing such devastating news.

Putty

March 1st, 1999 - September 28th, 2009

Down For The Count

We had a fabulous time this weekend (really we did... pictures, etc. to come)

Except for that pesky food poisoning...

Should've listened to Barry and gone to Taco Boy!