The Irony of Mother's Day

Mother's Day...
There's this part of my personality that I don't particularly like...
It's the part that tries not to look forward to things in attempt to shield myself from disappointment.
Is that twisted??  Normal??

Anyway...Mother's Day falls into this category.
While Kevin is a very thoughtful person, who loves and appreciates all I am and do for our children...I still struggle with this tendency.

Take today for example...I know it is the day BEFORE Mother's Day...but Facebook makes one feel like Mother's Day is now an extended weekend holiday...

Only husbands still work. Kids still bicker. Brothers still threaten to kill their sister's imaginary fairies. Stomachs still get hungry. Dishes still get dirty. Dogs still roll around in only-God-knows-what. (Seriously. What did he roll in?!?!?!) So floors still need to be cleaned. Laundry still needs to be done...and all of a sudden it doesn't seem like Mother's Day AT. ALL.

And while I tried to not set myself up for disappointment with low expectations, I still find myself disappointed...even before Mother's Day actually happens.

Guess Who is Diving Into Her Pintentional Archives Already...

Me.  That's who.

So...I have started working part time.
Mostly from home. Only one day in the office.
Only 15 hours.
And my brain has felt like mush for the past two weeks because of it.

Also-working-outside-the-home-mothers...my respect for you has only increased over the past two weeks.

How do you handle the constant feeling of forgetting something...or letting someone down??
Does this go away?? Ever? Not ever?!?

Last week I had a melt down on the eve of Chloe's Valentine Party.
In my pre-working-part-time world, remembering on Sunday night that I have a party to organize would have freaked me out a little, but I would have been comforted by the knowledge of a sprawling Monday the day before the party.  Monday would then be deemed 'party planning/party errand running' day. And all would go my kind of smooth with all kinds of bumps along the way.

So, remembering on Sunday and working in the office all day Monday lead to a tiny melt down.  Both Sunday and Monday night.  Ok. Monday's may not have been so tiny.

You know how you are mentally aware that things are going to be stressful...so you prepare yourself...give yourself a little 'you can do this' pep talk and resolve to 'hold it together.'  And then totally blow it??

Me too.  As I was out with the masses on Valentine's Day Eve (seriously...why are you people out in droves?? Since when did Valentine's Day become Christmas???) I maneuvered the crowds, thought I misplaced my phone across town, drove back across town and returned home to find my phone sitting by my computer (only after I had cursed and judged the people at the previous store who would 'clearly steal my phone if given the opportunity', and finally bought the candy hearts that I had meant to buy at 3+ stores over the past 3 days.  Once home, I assembled C's Valentine bags, did a couple hours of work and then collapsed in bed.

The rest of the week was pretty touch and go.
This week has been better, but my brain is still adjusting to the new level of activity.  I am thankful for the work...so trying to keep my head and heart there even in the adjusting.

All of that to say...lacking in Pintentionality this week. 
But Chloe and I did this back at Christmas time for her gift to her classmates.  :)

 Hope your Winter Break is REFRESHING! Love, Chloe



On Washing Our Dog...

Note to self:

 When the dog smell reaches an embarrassing and completely unacceptable level,

read this blog BEFORE you get started.

Things I need to remember (but tend to forget) before I am up to my armpits in wet dog hair:

 - Wear a bathing suit.

 - There can never be too many towels.

 - 90 lbs is kinda a lot when needing to be hoisted into a bathtub and is met with much resistance 

 - Dog will become both obstinate and pathetic whilst being bathed.

 - It may be impossible to truly prepare oneself for the imminent 'shake.'

 - Water droplets scattered from the shake will reach unimaginable heights.

(Read: walls and mirror will not be spared.)

 - Even after the water and flopping and writhing has taken place on the bathroom tile, it can not be considered mopped.

 - and the bathtub...yep, that thing is going to need a massive scrubbing to be considered safe for human use.

 - Have an extension cord for the blow dryer.

 - My Conair ion Shine 1875 was not intended for this purpose.  It will not get the job done in an acceptable amount of time.

 - Dog turns into a major Diva (Divo??) when the blow dryer is used. (Loves. it.)

 - Even after the dog has been bathed...you will still wonder if he is really clean.

 - Strategically plan dog bath with enough time to bathe yourself afterwards...lest you have to interact with humans and completely overcompensate with body spray.

(this is his mad face.)

Dear Samson,
You were named this for a reason.  You are BIG. and you are HAIRY.  You are a great member of the family, but your smell is repulsive and offensive. Don't you smell yourself??

I hope you will forgive me for the terrible thoughts I have about you while I bathe you.  I really do love you.  Maybe the blow dry will re-endear me to you?? I'm the one that feeds you, remember??  You and me. 6:30 am and 4:00pm...every. day. On the dot.  That's me.

You may not be as clean as if we sent you to the Puppy Boutique...but you smell a whole heck of a lot better. Thank you for enduring the humiliation.

Love your person,
Sarah

Our Naked Tree

I mentioned our Christmas tree shopping experience and how all our decorations are way. way. way back in storage.  Was that a week ago? 
I think it was.

Well, our tree is still naked.

Other than a few ornaments the kids made at a friend's house (thanks, Jill!) it is completely naked.

I have been to multiple stores (over two days in the gross rain) in search of regular white twinkle lights. 
Each one is sold out of them.
SOLD. OUT.

All that is available are the LED white lights.  Which, in my opinion, are not white at all.  They are this futuristic color of whitish-blue.  Which is fine if you want your tree to look like a computer screen or like the bottom of one of those thumpin' kind of cars.  But that is not quite the look we are going for.
(If you are...good for you...seems there is an unending supply of lights that will accomplish your purposes.)

Call me old fashioned, but I am digging my heels in on the need for regular white twinkle lights.  LEDs may be all the future of Christmas lights...they may save energy and last 2 lifetimes...but, I want nothing to do with them.

And since we ALL know that lights must go on the tree FIRST...
our tree is naked. 
Indefinitely naked.  Until I can find some plain old white lights.

And don't be jealous of my 'tree skirt' and garbage bag liner...

sigh

this poor. poor. tree.

It could have gone home with a perfectly prepared family.

Instead it got us.

We do affirm it daily for it's lovely smell though...does that count for something?

One Frazzled Mama

I am going to vent a little bit here today...
We have had a couple of rough napping days for the E-man and I am frazzled.

How, Little Man, can you go from "Mommy, you're the shiniest." to "Mom - AAAA. I AMN'T going to sleep with out my Elmo slippers on!!!" in 10 seconds flat?

(okay, I should have let you wear the slippers...I am sorry.  I just knew in t-minus 2 minutes your feet would be sweating buckets with all your 'cushions' (covers) on. But I could have let you learn that lesson for yourself. My bad.)

Also, why is it so stinkin' important that the Nutella be ON TOP of the jelly...and who ever invented that combo for you...and why oh why is it not okay to just flip that little sandwich over...SEE??  See that?? Now the Nutella is just where it is supposed to be.  Magic.

And how do you decide which cars to sleep with on any given day?  And why do you all of a sudden become thirsty after we have said 'sleep tight' even though I offered you something to drink just a few minutes prior??

You are taking your persnickety-ness to a whole new level...and to be honest, your Mama is a bit forlorn in how far to let this thing go...

I get it.
You don't eat meat.  We will not kick that dead horse one more time.  I surrender.
You like your crusts cut off. Oh, fine.
You like your blanket straight down your side for sleeping. But also have specific 'holes' in said blanket that your fingers must stay in. Good enough.
You like your water from the fridge. Nice and cold. Got it.
You like your butter melted. Check.

But this Nutella thing?  It's kinda pushing me over the edge, honestly.

Maybe this is a stage.  Maybe you are needing a sense of control...
But the thing is...I am still in charge.  I know it is hard to be reminded...but it's the truth.
I love you.  I want you to know what you like and don't like.
Those are good qualities.  We just need to figure out how to function better when things are not just exactly the way you want them...or figure out a way to make it more the way you want it without a completely rude meltdown. Mkay?

We will work on this together.  Be forewarned...it probably won't be much fun.

For either of us.

It's that time of year again...

...and I ain't complainin' (really)...
the 74 degrees and perfect I will take...anyday.
the flip flop wearing for over a month now...love.
sleeping with the window open...sigh.
booming thunder and pounding rain while I sleep...yum.

but the yellow haze that covers every cotton-pickin' thing...aaachoo.
that makes my nose run and eyes water...sniff.
that causes me to attempt to scratch my itching throat with my tongue and contort my jaw in the doing...yuck.

yes, there is a medication I can take to help alleviate the down side...
I am on it...
and so is our dog.
seriously.
our 90 pound Golden Retriever is on the same allergy medicine regime as me.
he is conked out at my feet as I type...snoring away...snore.

didn't know I was that kind of dog person...geesh.