What’s Up with That?

I woke up this morning on the low-end of another emotional, hormone-induced roller coaster. My emotions have been through the roof lately and, trust me, I’m so ready to get off this ride!!

Please excuse me while I vent but, here are some of the questions that have been running in my head all day long:

1. Why is it that all the men in my neighborhood insist on driving muffler-less, souped-up trucks? Listen, I know you’re a man, you don’t have to remind me every morning by revving your engine and practically shaking my house to bits. Stop it! I don’t like waking up to your boisterous displays of maleness. Get over it.

2. How long do I have to continue being stressed out by the same stressors? God, I love You and I know You do what’s best for me, but I’m ready to move on to something else. Please. People always say – enjoy the simplicity of your life now. Really? Because, number one, it’s not that simple. And, number two, if more complicated means less bills and more income, then I think I’ll give it a whirl.

3. Why is it that when I don’t put on makeup everyone asks if I have the flu? No, I don’t have the flu. I just happen to look awful. That’s what my face looks like when I don’t put pink blush on my olive (aka yellow!) skin. So, stop telling me that I need to go home and take a rest. I could sleep for 24 hours and my face would still look like this. Get used to it.

4. Why must my Swiffer Wet Jet fluid run out right in the middle of rainy, cold weather? Rainy cold weather happens to equal muddy dog paws stamping all over my floors. I hate having yucky floors. It doesn’t matter how clean your house is, if you have yucky floors, your house is dirty. Curse you, Swiffer Wet Jet. And, furthermore, curses to all dairy products, which insist on emptying themselves right in the middle of pay days. You suck, too.

5. Why do people insist on asking me why Gabi doesn’t have a coat on? Listen, if the gold shoes and hot pink pants have not clued you in, then allow me to say that I have VERY LITTLE say-so in what Gabi wears. She happens to hate coats, sweaters, windbreakers, hoodies, etc. She also hates sneakers and socks.  She insists that she enjoys being cold. I believe her. If you don’t, then try avoiding getting a swift kick in the face when you attempt covering her up at night! I would most definitely love it if she would wear a coat. But, I’m unfortunately not willing to hog tie her into one. Please, lay off of me. If she gets sick, it won’t be you wiping her nose.

6. Why don’t I shop earlier for Christmas? Every year, I tell myself that I will buy a little here and there for Christmas all year long. I never do it. And, then I’m left stressing and worrying and hating the holidays. Note to self: Shop earlier!!

7. Why is there not a Meals on Wheels program for stressed out moms? When I’m feeling good, I don’t mind cooking. But, days like today, peanut butter jelly sandwiches overwhelm me.

Ahhh… that’s better… that’s one load off my chest, sent with love into the mysterious intangibleness of the world wide web. Crazy hormones or not, I am determined to get through this day without hurting anyone or slicing my neighbor's truck tires to shreds. I think I can. I think I can.

Cry Baby

Holy Hormones! I’ve been a crybaby all day today! Earlier today, I started crying because of the soldiers holiday messages home. Then, we watched “Up” for Family Movie Night and I cried the whole time. And, now, Gabi’s watching “How the Grinch Stole Christmas” and I’m getting misty reminiscing about how I used to watch the same movie as a child with my sisters.

I think I’ll blame these emotions on the holidays… But seriously, what gives?

So Diva

Today, for Family Home Evening, we used an Olive Garden gift card to go out for dinner. Ms. Gabi had some issues with her attire (she’s not a fan of jackets or long pants). Kyle and I threatened to leave her at home.

She called our bluff.

We actually drove around the corner, thinking she’d be crying her eyes out by the time we came back.

Nope. She’d locked all the doors (even the top latch) and was happily playing. When we returned a mere minute later, she didn’t want to unlock the door and said, “I think I’ll just stay home.” I’m convinced she would have done it! Miss Independent.

After persuading her to go with us (and learning a lesson about Gabi’s penchant for independence), we enjoyed a nice dinner followed by some driving around to look at Christmas lights.

Finally, we returned home and put up our Christmas Nativities. We have a family Nativity and then Gabi has her own Dreamsicle Nativity set for her room. (Courtesy of Grandma) This year, she wanted to do it herself – with no help from Mom or Dad. I let her do it, thinking she’d organize it in a unique fashion. But, I never dreamed she’d “accessorize” her Nativity with dollhouse furniture. This is the final product.

That would be Mary, Joseph, and Jesus in the Pageant tent. The manager is in a high chair. The angel is on the picnic table. Two Wise men and a shepherd are in chairs, the other wise man is in a camping tent, and the sheep are in a dog bed. A Santa board book completes the look.

At least she shows some understanding of how the Nativity is supposed to work?

Ah, what a night. Just so Gabi.

These are the videos of our family decorating our Christmas tree. I apologize that I'm so shaky in them but I had Ellie and Louie sporadically jumping in my lap!

Christmas Already??

What an amazing few days we’ve had!

Here are some of my top moments:

1. As Gabi announced over and over, “We have two Thanksgiving parties!” We were able to spend time with both my family and Kyle’s family for Thanksgiving. I consider it a cross-country Thanksgiving. My family cooks a very (VERY) Southern feast, while Kyle’s family, coming from Long Island, cooks a more Northern meal. Both are delicious and both fill your belly with only a few bites. Mmmm.

2. Black Friday shopping with Kyle. Every year, I carry on the tradition my siblings taught me and Black Friday shop. However, with most of my sisters living across the country, it’s usually just me, myself, and I battling it out for the best deals. This year, Kyle and I did something different. Because we didn’t need any DoorBusters, we went together in the afternoon. And, much to my surprise, we were still able to score some MAJOR deals. We have a few more things to get but most of Gabi’s Christmas is done! Woo-hoo! I love a good sale!

3. Putting up our Christmas decorations. Wow – talk about emotional. This year I got teary about many of our ornaments. I can remember my first Christmas with Kyle and my first Christmas with Gabi like it was yesterday. Where did the time go? And, furthermore, when did I accumulate so many Christmas decor?!? It took hours longer than previous years to get everything in place.

4. Louie’s comic relief. I probably would have cried more over our Christmas ornaments had Louie not been such a little toot! That dog was having a heyday with all the decorations. He was tipping over Rubbermaid bins, having his way with Frosty, and being an all-around stinker. After getting scolded over and over, he got a bit sneakier. He laid down with his toy and started gnawing it. We were praising him for finally settling down. Ha! Underneath his belly was our Christmas ribbon and he was really gnawing that whenever we weren’t looking. After that charade, he had to enjoy the rest of our Christmas decorating from the privacy of his kennel!

5. Seeing my sister Kristie and meeting my nephew, Ben, for the first time. They flew in from Arizona for a quick trip. Loving on that Ben was just a blast! What an easy, happy baby, he is! And, of course, I love visiting with my sister. We’ve always been close and it’s wonderful to gab with her without having to prop a phone between my ear and shoulder.

6. Hillin Family Reunion. My dad’s side of the family has a reunion every year on my Uncles farm in the country. It is basically TONS of people, lots of outdoor games, and some really delicious barbeque. This year my dad’s out-of-town cousins attended as well as his estranged brother, who is reconnecting with family after decades of no contact. The best part of the reunion is enjoying all that delicious food in the company of livestock and domestic pets. I shared my meatballs with a Rat Terrier and gave a goat my bread. It might not sound appealing to everyone but I loved it!

7. Crashing. With all the running around we’ve been doing these past few days, we were all suffering from extreme exhaustion. After dinner, we all crashed. We didn’t even go to church this morning. None of us could bear to change out of our pajamas.

This is exactly why I love Thanksgiving. Not only  do we get to spend time with family and gorge on delicious food. But, it also carries with it the anticipation of Christmas. And, who doesn’t love Christmas? I can’t wait to do this all over again at the end of December!

Life with Lou

Well, it was recently brought to my attention that I’ve failed to include Louie in my photo sidebar. :) Just so you know, there is a reason for that! That little booger is so fast – darting ALL over the house – that it’s hard to catch him in a photo. Usually, you’ll just get one big, black blur. So, today I gave him a bone (the only thing that settles him – somewhat) and tried to catch some images of the (in)famous Lou, most commonly referred to as Nugget (short for Chicken Nugget) or LouLou.

I really wish Kyle would do a photo shoot with Lou so we could get some better pictures but, for now, this will have to do:

He is forever gnawing on something – better a bone than the trash can or Kyle’s charcoal bin or random papers. We buy more bones now that we have Louie than we ever bought for Ellie. It’s kind of like television when you have kids. The bone is our “babysitter.”

 

There’s that happy Cocker smile…

  

And, another one. (Really, I was holding his bone up and his expression was saying, “Are you Crazy Lady?!?”)

I realized this morning that Louie is now seven months old! Wow – does time fly. The very first day we had him, he was this sweet, solemn little man. Today, he is one wild and crazy man beast.

What can I say to describe Louie? All the AKC temperament standards say that Cockers should be “merry” dogs. And, that is Louie to a tee. He is very merry, very jovial and FULL of energy. As soon as he wakes up till the moment he goes to sleep he is interested in one thing – Trouble! (Yes, that is with a capital T!)

Louie is very curious about everything. As I type this, he just went into my unzipped purse, pulled out my camera case, and brought it to me with his little, nubby tail just a-waggin’. He’s gotten bigger so now he can jump onto the furniture. He is not above “climbing” to get what he wants. Louie has figured out that most of the “good stuff” is kept up high.

Let’s see… Louie is very smart. He catches on quickly – sometimes, TOO quickly. Recently, he’s discovered that if  I’m closing a door, it’s probably because there’s something behind it that he’s not supposed to have. So, you have to be careful when you shut doors around here because Louie will frequently dart between your legs and squeeze inside.

And, while he is very happy, in nature, he also has what I call his “Charlie Brown” side. Louie is very sensitive, easily offended, and can mope and whine (literally cry) when he doesn’t get his way. It’s rather annoying but, eh, that’s a boy for ya…

Louie is absolutely, 100% fearless, which can be scary – especially when he acts like he’ll eat up our neighbor’s pit bull. He is the epitome of the saying, “It’s not the size of the dog in the fight but the size of the fight in the dog.” Louie’s got a bit too much fight. In fact, I’m hoping after Christmas we can snip off two of the sources of that “fight” and alleviate some of his manliness.

Louie loves people, a little too much. A few weeks back he came ttthiiisss close to being hit by a car. I had just finished walking him and was working on some training techniques in the front yard when my neighbor from across the street started over to get his mail. Well, before I could stop him, Louie took off running to greet him and was almost creamed by an oncoming car. I screamed bloody murder. Luckily, it was a responsible, cautious driver and they stopped before anything happened.

Louie loves kids, too, but he gets a little hyper with Gabi. Or, maybe Gabi gets a little hyper with him. I’m not sure. Either way, they’re trouble together. He adores Ellie – I mean ADORES her. She likes him. Put it this way – she’s not above putting him in his place very quickly. He, thank goodness, has finally stopped challenging her Alpha role.

We definitely love Louie and we’ve come to accept his differences. I’ve given up the dream that he will be a mini-Ellie. That will never happen. Louie is most assuredly ALL boy. He likes athletics, catching little critters, barking ferociously, digging holes, rummaging through the trash, eating foreign objects, and running around the house like a madman. But, we’ll take him – the good with the bad. I’m praying that in a few months, he’ll settle down more. If not, well… we’ve got an interesting decade ahead of us. But, that’s life with Louie.

Worst Mom Ever

Tell me… what kind of mother sets up a play date with her daughter’s best friend and then sends their daughter to their grandparents house, completely forgetting about the appointed play date until the door bell rings and they’re on the doorstep?

Mind you, this is the same mother who forgot to get groceries last night, leaving NOTHING in the house for breakfast besides a can of cinnamon rolls (probably expired) and a few strips of bacon (also probably expired).

This same mother somehow forgot the cinnamon rolls in the oven (even though they smelled delicious), resulting in a brown, crisp breakfast.

This is the same mother who would have never turned in her timesheet this morning (thusly, not getting a paycheck) had her husband not abruptly awoken her and asked her if she’d completed the task yet.

And, this is the same mother who lost steam on the laundry last night and left piles of folded laundry stacked all over every living room surface, giving her two separate early morning visitors a nice glimpse into just how lazy she can be.

If you haven’t guessed – this mother is ME and I feel like a sack of doggie poo today. Bottom of the barrel low. Where has my brain gone to? Seriously!