The Final Lap

I am so happy and excited I just needed to blog about it! One. More. Day of work and then...3 whole days celebrating Christmas,sleeping in and enjoying some much needed time with Vern and the kids!

But first I must dig deep and "sprint" this last "lap of the race"...7  straight hours of back to back haircuts. Let's do the math.

7 hours - 1/2 hour lunch break (if I'm lucky)=6 1/2 hours of work
6 1/2 hours X 2 haircuts per hour=13 haircuts

I can do this! I will do it with joy knowing that when it is all over I can FINALLY focus on holiday fun!

Ready,set,GO!!!

A Christmas Photo Shoot

Chipper,waiting patiently for Maxine to cooperate...

But we all know  that's not going to happen..

So this Mommy chases the kids around for some individual shots.

 And here she is looking so angelic,

it almost looks like she cooperated?

Thank you photo editing software!

"Ok,just a few more before you two completely mess up your hair.."

Ohkay...

that went well..

Chipper,was that a smile?!

Now,let's try another shot together. 

 Well,that's progress but...

I think we can do better.

You'd think that getting them to sit AND stay,

at the same time,

 while you bribe them with a handful of treats

 would be easy?!

So,after many attempts later,

I finally found my favorite.

.

.

.

.

.

.

A twisted back,

2 sore knees,

an hour of photo editing

 and $30 later,

 I have the CUTEST Christmas cards ever!

I Think I Am Dating Clark Griswold...

It still hasn't really "hit" me that Christmas is right around the corner. I think part of me is still numb from Thanksgiving and the other half of me seems confident that I will whip it all into shape at the last minute like I usually do. Did I just admit I am a confident  procrastinator? Sheesh ;/

Our little house is decorated with a record amount of lights this year. Once Vern got started,the spirit kicked right in and he covered the eves,the deck and the fence with every string of lights he could find in the Christmas decorations. He admitted that it is no longer about the lights,it's just funny. I love that silly man of mine <3

Later,we found ourselves  in a tangled mess of mismatched lights for the tree. LED bright white,LED soft white bla bla,missing bulbs,burnt fuses...I finally looked at Vern and said "I could be totally fine with trashing this mess and buying all new." I think he had them in the garbage before I finished the sentence! (although he later admitted to digging them out a short time later and using the bulbs to replace a few bad ones that were already hung) The next day I came home to a  Christmas tree full of brand new, multicolor pine cone lights...puuuurfect! Another thing that I love about that man of mine,he always knows how to make me smile :)

Finally,about a week later, we got around to decorating.In only 4 years our cute little hodge podge collection of ornaments has grown quickly...as each year we add another memory,old or new. This year, I secretly snuck in a whole box of pink ornaments that I had from my old apartment. I'm not sure if Vern noticed or just hasn't said anything..? I assumed he or Del would be teasing me about all the pink by now?!..

I love it,our little Christmas tree,
assembled by plastic numbered branches,
bent to make it fuller and more "realistic.
Take a peek at it's branches
 as you may be surprised what you see.
 Rocking horses,Spiderman,playful kittens and gold bells,
a few Carebears and a frail popcorn chain.
Pink snowflakes and garland with shiny gold stars,
a special little elf always placed by Vern.
On top of it all is a gold medal star,
It's not real shiny,doesn't even light up.
The reason I like it
is because it is a simple reminder of what this season is really about,

*

A star,

the strength of love

 when it is assembled in numbers,

 All bearing unique gifts but intentionally united

with the same purpose and together,,, they created something beautiful.

Just like our tree :)

I Rhyme When I'm Angry....

You

My head is swirling quickly

I don't know what to say.

You've hurt me many times before

but never as bad as today.

So here's my resignation

From my efforts to try and get along.

I'm finally standing up for myself

No more apologies,

You're the one in the wrong.

You are toxic and conniving

Back stabber extraordinaire.

You've also taught your daughter

You two make quite a pair.

I almost let you get into my head

For a second I doubted my heart.

I thought I was a good person?

Or maybe I'm not very smart?

Thankfully I quickly remembered

How people like you work.

You always play the weak helpless victim

and try and make others feel like a jerk.

Not today Sweetheart.

This chic has had enough.

No more little miss nice girl,

time to get a little rough.

You see,

Most times I ask God for forgiveness

and now I ask for restraint.

I kept praying I'd find good in you

but there isn't...

there just ain't.

You have completely taken for granted,

the many nice things I do for you.

Maybe you will take notice now

Cuz I'm done going out of my way to do..

ANYTHING for you.

And as the years go by.

I will go on being me.

And I don't care if you don't like it

I will spare you my company :)

Valium

This is a blog I wrote the other night before my dental appointment and ( for obvious reasons) I fell asleep before finishing or posting it.  I thought I'd be a good sport and share it ha ha!

Have you ever taken Valium? Me either,until now, Have you ever tried blogging on Valium? Me either,until now. I was given a prescription of it to take before my dental appointment tomorrow so I decided to take one this evening to be sure of any possible side effects. So,for the fun of reading this later,I thought I'd blog about it.

Everything feels a bit dreamy and in slow motion and I am super duper relaxed. I still don't love the idea of going to the dentist but my worry and anxiety about it has all but disappeared! Awesome.

Today I challenged my friends on facebook to a  December Challenge-
"Do one good,kind,random,generous,loving,supportive and or selfless thing each day this month. Big or small,it's all contagious! Hold the door for someone,drop off a few cans at your local food bank,hug someone and brighten their day,it doesn't have to cost a thing and takes 2 seconds ;)  I'd love to see my friends join me and share happy stories of giving and the joy it brings!"
Day 1- I prepaid for a coffee for the next random customer at my coffee stand. The best part was the surprised look on the barista's face as she said "Wow that's cool,Merry Christmas!!"

So far a few friends have anxiously joined the challenge and I hope it continues to be contagious!
Honestly,the reason I did this is because so many of my friends seem focused too much on material things or petty selfish issues.

Annnnd....then I fell asleep,a deep,happy sleep. My dental appointment the next day went great (the tooth came right out!) and so far I am healing up nicely! So glad it is all over,I really hope next year is a healthier year for us!
Day 2 and 3-Vern and I put up the tree while listening to Christmas music and then we headed downtown to the parade.It was freezing but lots of fun and I got to snuggle with my mini BFF Maddy! My good deeds for the past few days were- making a few gluten free freezer meals for my MIL, surprising Trevor's Mom with Starbucks and holding up traffic on the highway for a pedestrian. The Christmas Spirit has finally found me!

Tails Of A Doggy Mother

My theory was that raising dogs would be easier and cheaper than having kids...but at times I am not too sure!? So here's a solute to all you doggy Moms...

Potty training-we've been working on it for almost a year and we still have the occasional accident. The area rug in my living room is ruined. Thankfully with our schedules we are able to take them out every 3-5 hours at night. Yes we still wake up with our kids all.night.long yet they are 1 and 5 years old. On weekends we can sleep through the night but if we sleep in...well,you know. On road trips,there are many times we have pulled over to find a potty for our little passengers when it appears the urge has arrived at the most inopportune time.

Illness-Just this evening I found myself practically dropping my laptop as I jumped up...Chipper had puked and my doggy Mommy instinct knew I better clean it up quick...before he ate it! Ew.Last month Maxine got stung by a bee. She had a horrible reaction and almost had to go to the Vet! Note to self-Maxine is allergic to bees.

Discipline-Chipper,a typical oldest child is smart,obedient and responsible. I was much younger when I adopted him and I followed a strict obedience regime. He was not allowed on the bed,or to bark, or run out the door before me or anything else the experts said to do. He was kennel trained and spent his days in there while I worked. And then came along Maxine 5 years later. I have become a more relaxed Mother. Now both of them sleep on the bed,Maxi on my head and Chipper at my feet.She barks as she barrels out the back door if she suspects there is even the smallest "security threat". I read a new puppy manual..but I have yet to apply any of the advice. She thinks her kennel is a toy and only gets locked in it for a "time out" and is allowed to roam free in the house most of the day. I have become such a softy! BUT..I love my kids.

Grooming-My kids need haircuts too. Every 6-8 weeks and it costs almost 4 times more than a child's haircut at the salon. I also have to bathe my kids and use special shampoo I have to order off the Internet. It costs the same as my hair products do. I HAVE TO brush them at least every other day or they matt horribly.

Teething-In the last year Maxine has chewed through 2 cell phone chargers,2 laptop cords and the cord to my blow dryer for a grand total of $140. Just like kids,you can buy them tons of great toys but they'd rather play with things they aren't supposed to or could potentially harm them. Maxine will also eat just about anything that spikes her interest,she especially likes to eat her poop. Lovely.

But don't let all this complaining fool you,I wouldn't trade my furbabies for anything! I love them both so much, they melt my heart on a daily basis. The snuggles,the kisses and the unconditional love is more than I ever expected from a dog...I don't even like calling them "dogs",they are MY KIDS!! ha ha
So here's to you,the Moms with furbabies! It's not always easy but it's always worth it :)