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Tuesday, October 25, 2011

I want to be a soccer mom

I never thought that I would udder these words but I want to be a soccer mom.  Growing up I expected my family to be a modern day Huxtable family. I was going to be a lawyer and my husband was going to be a successful business man. We would have 3 or 4 kids, a home office, and dance and sing to jazz music.  Then I realized that things in real life don't always work out that way.

My husband and I are both restaurant managers working 50+ hours a week. On top of that I have a 45 minute drive to work everyday. We have to work opposite schedules in order to have someone home with baby girl. This alone can be stressful for a family. It is very rare that all three of us are home at the same time unless we are asleep. This routine can get very old quickly.

Lately I have really been wanting to do something different career wise.  I have been wanting something that would allow me to be home more. I want  my daughter to have a somewhat normal life. If we could pull it off I would love to be able to stay at home but right now that is not an option. I want to be able to be home to cook and eat dinner with my daughter every night.

I've also been thinking about expanding our family (I'm still on the fence) but I do know that I don't want to bring another child into our crazy, hectic, and rushed lifestyle.

There are some upcoming opportunities that may change our situation *fingers crossed*. I'm in prayer about it. I will keep you all updated on what's going on.


Have any of you working parents shared some of these feelings?

Tuesday, September 27, 2011

From one parent 2 another:

To all my moms and dads out there; I have a question. What in the heck do you do with all the papers that your kids bring home from school EVERY week?

I love my daughter's preschool / daycare. She just began their 3 Pre-K program and they do a lot of great things. Every Friday baby girl comes home with a bag full of papers and different things that they did during the week. I love to go through them with her and talk about what she did but I honestly don't know what to do with all the stuff.

This is what she brought home last Friday:



These are the pictures we have 'stored' on top of the microwave:


We also have a scrapbook full of things already. At the rate that we are going I am going to have to get a storage room for all this stuff by the time she actually starts kindergarten. Some of the stuff is really cute and some of it is......well you know. I just have a real hard time discarding any of it.

What do you do with all your kid's artwork and crafts?

Sunday, September 11, 2011

Walk to Defeat ALS


Often referred to as Lou Gehrig's Disease, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is a progressive, fatal neuromuscular disease that slowly robs the body of its ability to walk, speak, swallow and breathe. The life expectancy of an ALS patient averages 2 to 5 years from the time of diagnosis.

Every 90 minutes a person in this country is diagnosed with ALS and every 90 minutes another person will lose their battle against this disease. ALS occurs throughout the world with no racial, ethnic, or socioeconomic boundaries.

To be perfectly honest with you; I never knew what Lou Gehrig's Disease was until a few years ago. I vaguely remember an off color joke made about it in an episode of Family Guy (I'm a little ashamed to say it but yes...I watch this).

Then in 2009; ALS hit very close to home for me. I had been at my job for a little over a year and my boss Todd Cook was having severe leg spasms that would keep him up nightly. After several doctors appointments they finally diagnosed his condition as ALS. I will never forget that day. Todd called me to let me know but I wasn't able to answer the phone. He left me a voicemail that I still have saved.

Most people would be somewhat concerned for their boss but it is a little different when your boss is also your friend and mentor. Todd continues to motivate and push me to try to reach my full potential. Heck, if I could be only as half a good as he was I would be very okay with that.

This disease not only affects the individual diagnosed but family and friends as well. It is very hard to watch someone that you have known to be such a strong person start to lose the use of their muscles. I can say this about Todd; he has not lost his sense of humor and remains positive. Those are a few of the things I've always loved about him.

Myself along with many others are going to be joining in on the Walk to Defeat ALS. It will be held on October 22, 2011 in Atlanta, GA. I have posted links to my personal page where you can find more information about the walk and also make donations. I've set a goal for myself to raise $210.00 before the walk and right now I have raised $25.00 (self donation).


This crippling disease can strike anyone. Presently there is no known cause of the disease though support is bringing researchers closer to an answer. In the mean time it costs an average of $200,000 a year to provide the care ALS patients need. Help make a difference and donate or join a walk today.




Friday, September 9, 2011

Quick Update: Where the heck have I been?

I took a super long hiatus from blogging to try to get some order back in my life...yeah, that didn't work. I was struggling in my classes so I tried to concentratee more on studying. Who knew that work 60 hours a week plus other household duties would make studying so hard. Unfortunately; I wasn't able to recover in time and ended up with a 2.99 GPA and we are required to maintain a 3.0. So I was pretty much kicked out of school with no chance of getting back in until December. I took this as God telling me that I needed a little break....

Other than the school situation; things have not quite settled down at work yet. We are no longer short staffed but the stress level has not been reduced. I'm still hanging in there and making the best of it. Everyday hoping that things will get better *fingers crossed*

My baby girl is no longer a baby. She has started 3 Pre-k in August and she loves it. We also got her started in gymnastics. The goal was to try to burn up some of that extra energy that she has EVERY day. Unfortunately, gymnastics for her age is only offered one day a week. What the heck is one day a week going to do for me? I'll tell you...not a gosh darn thing. She enjoys it so I guess that's all that really matters.

So that is what has been going on in my world. I hope that everyone out there is doing well. Thank you for sticking in there with me.

Sunday, May 1, 2011

I Suck!

UGH!!! I officially suck as a blogger. I logged into my account to create new post (two weeks late) and saw that I had 15 incomplete drafts....yes 15!  That is really ridiculous. Over the past two month; things have been really crazy at work and we have been short-handed.  Hopefully now that we have another manager in place I will be able to breath a little bit.

Along with all the drama that has been going on at work; I was trying to plan baby girl's 3rd birthday (which went great). I really appreciate all the readers that have stuck with me through my sporadic postings. *fingers crossed* things will get better soon.

THANKS!!!

Friday, April 29, 2011

Happy Birthday Baby!!

I almost didn't get this post done on time but today is baby girl's birthday. I really can not believe that she is three-years old already. She has grown up so fast and I wish that I could put the breaks on it....(when she gets out of the terrible twos / threes).

We've come along way.....

*Warning: Pic Heavy*




















The Day My Heart Stopped

I have been meaning to finish this post for almost two weeks...yeah, I know I suck.


It is so rare that I actually have weekends off to spend time with baby girl. So I was so excited to be getting a Saturday to have a girl's day. I never would have thought that this particular Saturday would be the day my heart would stop.

Let me rewind a little and tell you about our day. The day was all planned out. We were going to go to one of  her boyfriend's birthday parties at the park and then we would go swimming at her 'cousin's' house. Sounds like a pretty fun day.....doesn't it.

Well, we get to the park for the birthday party. Of course she had to wear her favorite dress and bow; even though I told her we would be playing at the playground and going to the zoo. We opened presents and had a little cake and then the kids all darted off to the playground. Me being the very amateur photographer that I am; I wanted to try to get some good pictures. I began shooting pictures and when someone asked to see the pics I realize that I left my memory card at home...UGH!  Things like this are pretty typical of me. You can ask the hubby if you don't believe me.

The day continues on (sorry no pics) and we spent five hours at the park/zoo. Let me give you a little insight about me. I absolutely hate cold weather but my body doesn't really care for extreme heat either. I was sweating in places you wouldn't believe. I was very ready to leave, get cleaned up and hit the pool.

We went home got freshened up and drove over to the pool.  The girls had so much fun (sorry still no pictures). This seemed like a perfect ending to the day. All that was left to do was go  home eat dinner and go to bed. It had been a long day for both of us. Neither one of us got a nap and we get a little cranky when we don't get our naps.

OK...this is where things get exciting....ready?!?

Right now I am driving my father-in-laws Chevy S-10 truck that is a manual. It is a two seater so baby girls ride up front with me in her car seat. This has cause problems before. Anyway, baby girl likes to climb in on the driver side and then climb into her car seat...I have no ideal why. So I open the door and before I knew it baby girl had pulled the break release on the dashboard right next to the door. Oh did I mention that we are parked on a steep hill? At this point everything became a blur. I was trying to get her out of the way and stop the truck from rolling into the street.

And that's when it happen....

MY HEART STOPPED!!!!

All of a sudden I hear baby girl let out a scream like I have NEVER heard before.

Baby girl was on the front end of the truck so I couldn't see her. As I am running to get her all I could picture in my mind was the worst. I had never been so scared in all of my life. When I got to her I saw her holding her ankle and screaming. I didn't even look at it at the time. I just picked her up and ran back to the house. When  we got inside I got a good look at her foot and ankle and it was looking pretty bad. I was trying my hardest to remain calm so that she wouldn't freak out. We got all the scraps cleaned up and then I did the wiggle your toes test and moved her ankle around a little bit. Nothing seem to be broken so I thought maybe it just got scraped up pretty bad.
A pic of her scraped up ankle


Being that baby girl is truly my mini-me; after she stopped screaming (she never cried) the first thing she said was: "Mama, my nail polish is gone." REALLY....that's what you're worried about?!?

I was going to wait to see how her foot was the next day before I took her to the doctor. We went to Walgreens to get more bandages and went home to eat dinner. While she was playing with her food; I looked down and notice that her foot was beginning to swell...oh crap!

Thank God, her daddy got off early and I met him at the door to tell him what happened. We called baby girl's doctor to see if we needed to go to the hospital. She told us that she would recommend it.

So,we head to the hospital for baby girl's first emergency room visit. Since she is my daughter I'm sure this won't be the last. They called us back pretty quickly and asked what happened and took a few x-rays of her foot and ankle.  I was so proud of baby girl because she was so cooperative even though she has been up since 7AM and it is now 10:30PM.
they had to make a splint for her foot


We ended up being at the hospital for three hours just for them to tell us they can't tell if anything is broken or fractured because she is so young. They said we would have to take her to a orthopedic doctor on Monday.

The next day baby girl began to try to walk on her foot and it didn't bother her too much. I was so excited because that meant that it was not broken. We took her to the orthopedic doctor and the final verdict was that it was just a sprain and she would have to keep it wrapped up for about a week.

This was really good news especially since baby girl's birthday is in two weeks. Her birthday party is at a gymnastic studio. Do you know how bad that would suck if she couldn't play at her own party?

Well, that was my weekend. How was your's? Better I hope.

Monday, April 18, 2011

PSA: Stop being so dang nasty!!

I've been working in the restaurant for about five or six years and I have seen some crazy stuff. I know you think I'm talking about the staff but I'm talking about customers. I have come to the conclusion that people are just nasty for no particular reason. If you are one of the people that I'm about to talk about...GOOD! Because you need to be called out for your nastiness.

*Disclaimer: If you have a very weak stomach; you may want to stop reading now*

1.  If you are the two people that came into my restaurant with your grandkid and let him throw up at the table while you continued to eat...you deserve to be slapped. That is not only ridiculous; it is nasty. How could you continue to eat with vomit on the table? Then you get upset when your server won't clean it  up for you.

2. To the lady that come in threw up on her plate and told the manager that she wanted another meal...Shame on you. Oh, and please stop writing bad checks and get a purse. Nobody wants your nasty boob money.

3.  Please to all the parents out there...STOP changing your baby's diapers at the table and leaving the diaper for someone else to clean up. This is why there are baby changer in the bathroom. Please use them next time. Please and Thank You!

4.Hey you!...yes you. Yeah, I just saw you drop that on the floor and eat it. A word of advise....you might not want to do that. Do you know how many people walk on that ground on a daily basis?

And last but not least...the Pièce de résistance:


5. Let's talk restroom etiquette:


 This is more for the 'ladies'(if you can call them that).  If you know you have the bubble guts please excuse yourself from the table in time to make it to the toilet. DO NOT...I repeat...DO NOT take a crap on the floor and toilet. That is just *enter expletive* nasty!!! Oh, and then there is the lady that not only didn't make it to the toilet in time she left her panties at the scene of the crime.


Also please dispose of your sanitary items is an appropriate manner. This does not mean on the floor or the sink counter. Do you do that at home? I hope not!


What the heck is wrong with these people?!?


I apologize but I just had to get this off of my chest...

Tuesday, April 5, 2011

I was sooooo not ready...

I just had to share this with you all...

The day was just like any normal day. I was off but took little bit to school so I could get caught up on some of my homework. There is nothing like spending you day off writing papers, answering discussion questions, and of course doing a little laundry.

Well, after I got done with my homework; I went to go pick up baby girl from school. The previous week she began getting notes on her daily sheet saying that she was not listening. This was a little odd because she never had trouble in school...now home is a totally different story. Wen I got to the school she was so excited to tell me that she was good in school and did not get a note on her paper.

As a little treat I let her decide what she wanted for dinner. Go figure..she wanted Burger King and wanted to eat outside by the playground.  The weather was great that day so I decided what the heck...why not?!? We got up to the counter to order and I pulled my debit card out of my pocket. The problem is  that my card was completely split in half. My card was already splitting but I was holding on to it for dear life. It finally decided to give out on me today. It was quite embarrassing because they can't just enter the number; they have to swipe the card.  The cashier called the manager out and the manager; who proceeded to try to tape my card back up for me.

Then she turned and looks at me and said

"You know you can get a new card for free...right"

I replied

"yes, I'm aware of that; I just haven't had time to go to the bank."

Anyway we were able to finally get the card to swipe and got out food. We went outside to the playground an one of her friends happened to be there too.He is one of baby girl's favorite friends at the school.  The two of them ran around the playground for what seemed like hours. It was so cute...if one of them lost the other; they would come as us where the other one was.

The next thing I know they are both standing by the bridge and he gives baby girl a hug...no big deal. Well baby girl decided to reciprocate by planting a big kiss on his lips!!!!

Did I just witness my daughter's first kiss? Or is this just the first one that I have seen?

His mom and I just looked at each other completely stunned. The first thing she said is is to make sure I tell my husband that it was baby girl that initiated the kiss.

Baby girl is only two...she is not suppose to be kissing boys yet.  I am sooooo not ready for this.

Do you remember your first kiss?

Thursday, March 31, 2011

I'm really a Mom!

It has been quite some time since I've had a few free moments to blog. Hopefully with me getting a new boss next week; it will take some of the pressure off. I decided to join in on Mama Kat's Writing Prompt this week:


What I know for sure: I'm A Mom!!

If the creation of a 'mommy blog' wasn't enough to solidify my position as a real mom; there are a couple of other things that helped me to realize it:


  • I am constantly taking pictures of every 'cute' thing my daughter does
Reading on the potty. She must get this from her dad...LOL
  • There are always crumbs in my bed and they are not from me
  • I have the stretch marks to prove it.
  • McDonalds is now a must have in my house for dinner
  • I have been to every local festival within a 40 mile radius

  • I've tried breast milk (don't judge me...)
  • I know every Disney sing-a-long created (My favorite is Toy Story "you have a friend in me") Take a listen...
  • I can't take a shower or use the bathroom without being stared at
  • I have a stack of beautiful 'art' created by my daughter at daycare
  • I have to spell out things now when talking to my hubby
  • I'm turning into my mom...

Wednesday, March 9, 2011

Wordless Wednesday: Mardi Gras in Albany


P.S. We didn't have to show anything to get the beads...just in case you were wondering.

Wednesday, February 23, 2011

Wordless Wednesday: Fun in the sun (finally)

It was nice to get to play outside!

Wednesday, February 16, 2011

Legacy Run for Life: Walk, Run or Trot?



My church is hosting their inaugural Legacy Run for Life 5k on March 26, 2011. The money raised from this event to go toward the Alpha Center  a ministry of Sherwood to reach out to women of all ages and from all walks of life, who may be pregnant and are possibly facing difficult decisions. Over the last 10 years it had grown and expanded to help so many women.


I have decided that I am definitely going to participate in this run. I can't decide if I want to try to do my first 5K or should I do the toddler trot so that baby girl can do it with me.  With the toddler trot everyone that finishes gets a shirt and a medal. I wish I could do both but the times of the events overlap.


*sigh* I really don't know what I want to do. I've always wanted to run a 5K. I don't know if I'm really ready for one yet but who knows. I have until March 18th to make a decision


Should I run or walk?

Friday, February 11, 2011

My other birthday surprise

Wow!! Talk about slacking. This was part II of my birthday post that was suppose to be up more than two weeks ago.  I have been working like crazy and this statistics class that I am taking is really kicking my tail...

Without further ado....Here is part II (hey, that rhymed)

Before we left to go to Atlanta; the hubby told me to buy something really nice to wear. This was going to be part of my second birthday surprise.

So I went shopping which I love to do. The only problem is that I absolutely HATE shopping for clothes by myself. I am not good at putting together outfits. If it is not on the mannequin then I usually don't buy it. I spent two hours walking around the mall like a lost child.  Finally, I walked into Belks and saw the perfect dress.
A Byer Ruffle Front Pickup Dress
It's not that short on me

That was the easy part. The hard part was getting shoes to go with it. I felt really creepy because I asked a couple of complete strangers what kind of shoes they would wear with the dress. An hour later I finally picked out some shoe.

Well, we got up to Atlanta I remembered that my birthday is in the middle of the flippin winter and I was going to freeze my buns off in the dress. My sister-in-law convinced me to stick with the dress and promised we wouldn't be outside long.

After my surprise birthday lunch we came back to the house to rest before the rest of my birthday festivities were to commence. After what was suppose to be a nap (Kyla was not cooperating; as usual); we finally got dressed.

I have to admit; there is something about putting on a cute dress and some heels that really makes you feel super confident.  The hubby was loving the dress. It's probably the second or third time that he has ever seen me in a dress.

Part II of my birthday included going to the Fox Theater to see the Blue Man Group.  It is so sad that I have lived in Atlanta most of my life and have only driven by the Fox Theater.  The show was fantastic and I had such a great time.  



















After the show we went to grab something to eat and to end my birthday on a perfect note; we had to stop by one more spot.



The night couldn't have ended any better :)

Saturday, February 5, 2011

Walmart launches a tween makeup line

Now, I love my makeup but I did not get into makeup until I was well in my 20s; other than mascara and eyeliner. When I heard that Walmart would be launching geoGiRL, a makeup line for tween girls; I had mixed emotions.
GeoGirl Beauty Line

I don't think that there is a girl in this world that did not play in their mother's makeup when they were little. Well, not girls won't have to because they will have their own makeup to wear.

The makeup line is set to launch February 25, 2011 and will be available at your local Walmart.  The skincare and makeup line is going to be eco-friendly will not contain any parabens , phthalates, and sulfates.  The line will also avoid synthetic color and fragrances for tween's sensitive skin.

The brand is trying to focus on the green movement that the tween have grown up in.  Most of the product packaging is recyclable, they contain natural ingredients, and a portion of the proceed are donated.  The donation will go to girls empowering causes fund.

Most of the makeup is to be very sheer and the 69-item line does not contain black mascara or eyeliner. Most items are priced under $5. The product names remind you of text shorthand used by tweens(e.g., QTPi (Cutie Pie) and iCU (I See You)).

As much as I love makeup; I don't really think that girls that age should be wearing makeup. It all fun and games when they are just playing around with it at the house but to actually be wearing makeup out of the house...ummm NO!  I love that the brand is eco-friendly and trying to empower girls but I don't think makeup is the way to go about it.

How young is too young to wear makeup?

When did you start wearing makeup?

What do you think about this new line?

Wednesday, February 2, 2011

Wordless Wednesday



This is one of my favorite pictures from her 2-year photo shoot. It is a reminder of a sweeter time.

Monday, January 24, 2011

I Snapped..

Have you ever had one of those moments where you feel like you are a bad parent? Well I had one of those moments today. I was trying to keep my cool but I just snapped.

Let me tell you exactly what happen. I went and picked up baby girl from daycare. Of course she wanted a piece of candy they have sitting out everyday. WhytheH they have candy out for the kids everyday is totally beyond me. What kid needs to have candy everyday? Don't they understand about childhood obesity? Anyway let me get back to the point.

I tell baby girl that she couldn't have any candy and she starts crying. Now, I can handle regular crying and pouting but that is not what this was. This was the fall down on the floor shrieking kind of crying. I get her off the floor and try to calm her down. She continues to scream and try to jump out of my arms. We finally get out of the building without too many looks and get to the car. This is where she decided to turn it up a notch.

I put her in the car and she refuses to sit down in her seat and buckle up. She starts kicking, and unbuckling herself. Finally, I just like fine we will just sit here until you decide to calm down. Well, 15 minutes goes by and there seems to be no end in sight. I got her down and buckled her up and turn the truck on. As soon as I turned the key she jumps up and turns the truck off and is blocking the ignition so I couldn't turn it back on. This went on two or three more times. I popped the mess out of her hand...why? I don't know; because popping her never seems to work no matter where you pop her.

Somehow I managed to turn the truck on and began driving off. She jumps out of her seat again and turns it off the AS I'M DRIVING. I just want you to imagine how dangerous this scene is....I'm driving, she's out of her seat, I have cars behind me and she turns the truck off.   Thank God we were still in the parking lot.  We tried again and I got a little further and she did it again...this time while I was on a main road. I was lucky enough to pull into a store's parking lot but not before I ran up on a curb and almost hit a sign. Did I mention that she is only two?

This is when I SNAPPED....

I screamed...I mean screamed. I screamed louder than I've ever screamed at a football game or concert. She could've killed both of us...over some dang (not the word I really want to use) candy. And what was her response?!? Of course she started screaming back and get this...pinched me and told me "you don't talk to no one like that"

By this point I'm just thinking..."I just have to make it 2 miles to the house". Baby girl finally calmed down and was acting as if nothing happened asking me what was for dinner. Is she bipolar...WTH?!?  We made it home safely and I've calmed down.

I am so sick of these tantrums that she has. I don't know what else to try. Time-out, the corner, popping, reasoning and talking don't seem to be working.

Anyone been through this or have any tips that I could try? I'm willing to try almost anything at this point.

Best Birthday EVER!!

We just got back from my birthday weekend in Atlanta. I'm completely worn out but it was soooo worth it. I was really worried about what my husband had planned. It turned out to be my best birthday ever and I wouldn't change a thing about the weekend.

The original plan was to drive up to Atlanta Thursday night but I was really tired so we decided to leave Friday morning. I kept begging the hubby to let me know what the plan for the weekend was but he refused. Some say that I'm a control freak...I just need to know what's going on at all times. Is that a control freak?!?

We got to Atlanta and just hung out at my brother-in-laws house. I was thinking "There better be more planned then just sitting on the couch all day." Then around 6:00 he told me that we were meeting my mom for dinner. That's cool but not quite what I expected. We went to a pizza place called Chicago's Nancy where my uncle was playing his saxophone. Two of my aunts, two of my cousins were also there and it was really great to see them.
Pizza this big should be illegal



The next day was my official birthday and I was waken up my my precious daughter singing happy birthday to me. To start the day off even better; my sister-in-law made us French toast, bacon, and fresh fruit for breakfast (bye bye diet).



I was then told that we were all going to all have lunch at my favorite restaurant.

Olive Garden (OG)....here we come

When we got there my mom was already there waiting on us. Then I turned around and saw one of my best friend that just moved back form Canada. What a great surprise. My mom told me that we were still waiting on some more people to come. Me being the control freak curious person that I am; I asked her who else was planning on coming. Of course she wouldn't tell me.

More people started coming and it was some of my favorite family members that I don't get to see that often. We finally sat down and the table. I was enjoying my oh so tasty glass of Moscato and then I I looked up and standing there was....

MY BROTHER!!



I hadn't seen my brother is almost six year. I ran to him and hugged him like it was a scene out of one of those sappy movies. I almost started crying but rememberer that my mascara wasn't waterproof. That was the best gift that I could have ever gotten for my birthday. I have missed my brother so much.

The hubby did good! Maybe I shouldn't doubt him so much...
 
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