Coombaya my Lord.....Coom-ba-yaaaaaaaaaa....

I haven't had a whole lotta time to enjoy this "blog party"...I've been too busy the last few days BEING SICK! I'm not even going to bother telling you about it because I know how redundant I'm sounding and as sick as I'm sure you (my 2 loyal blog followers) are of reading about it....I'm even more sick of typing about it...being sick that is!

I finally got a clue what this "blog party" is all about (please forgive my newbie ignorance) and really wanted to make a cool party page...but now the party is almost over and I'm sick. So this year I'll have to "eat & run".....Now that I've been officially sucked into this blogosphere I'll make sure I'm better prepared next year. =)

I also Didn't have time to prepare for the party because we were on another road trip this weekend. The boys had another gymnastics meet on the other side of the state. In case you were wondering, they did fanTAStic! They both took 1st place in their age group in the All Around...I'm just so darn proud of all their hard work!

Papa Smurf & I drove there in separate cars because he had a plane to catch Sunday evening. Destination? Europe! No, not Europe....FRANCE!.....oh....wait....& ITALY! What a booger! He leaves me sick and knee deep in snow to be a single parent for a week while he goes gallivanting across Europe....no....not Europe.....FRANCE!....and lets not forget ITALY!

Maybe that's what I'll do.....I'll have my own little blog pity party....get out the finger violins....lets all sing together.....

hmmm......what should we sing.....

Coombaya?......nah....we'd need a campfire...& I'm not prepared to take this party outside....It's 50 below zero out and my patio is covered in frozen dog shit.

Swing Low Sweet Chariot?....Nah....too mellow dramatic....

never mind....I can't sing anyway.....

AH....I know!....lets get drunk instead! How about a Long Island.....my hubby makes a mean Long Island....oh but wait....he's not here. (*note to self - have hubby teach me how to make a Long Island before his next trip).

K.....so no singing....& no drinking....my party SUCKS!

I'll tell ya what...I just made a big bowl (and "big bowl" translates into 10 pounds worth) of tuna noodle salad....I purposely made a huge batch so I wouldn't have to cook for the rest of the week.....but that's ok....I can share....we can all sit on the floor in a circle and pass the bowl around. And since we're all sitting around in a circle...presumably Indian style...hows about someone teaches me how to meditate. I've been meaning to learn how to meditate ever since reading "Eat, Pray, Love"....it's on my "to-do" list. Maybe we can knock that one off the list tonight. No??

Never mind...I'll just tell you a little about myself....that'll kill some time....

Let's see.....I'm a 35.8 y/o SAHM to 3 wonderful, beautiful, and healthy kids (Hefty Smurf 11, Dreamy Smurf 9, and Smurfette 5) and wife to a wonderfully intelligent, witty, funny, patient, and attractive man.....Papa Smurf. We've been married for almost 13 years and together for 17 years. College sweethearts. I recently officially resigned from my job as a registered nurse...I haven't decided yet if that was a wise choice....the jury is still out. I loved my job but our lives are just too hectic for it to be worth it right now. I originally had hoped to go back in the future when all my kids are in school full time....but I'm kinda enjoying being at home.

I have lots of interests and my days are always full. I love to scrapbook, read, sew (although....truth be told....my sewing machine has an inch of dust on it....I have a drawer full of untouched patterns though and hope to get to them REAL soon) hang out with friends, go shopping in my free time....oh, and lets not forget blogging.....my newest obsession.

I recently went through a self proclaimed mild....or maybe not so mild....depends on who you ask.....mid-life crisis. I decided in the midst of this said crisis that I had to run a marathon to recover from it....never ran a day in my life...couldn't even run the length of 2 houses without turning blue....but I let a very dear friend of mine =) convince me (and 5 other dear friends) that this was the thing to do. Turns out that I actually really enjoyed the experience and will be repeating the experience come October.

When I'm not at home I'm usually at my kids' school.... or at the gym working out ....or at gymnastics with the boys...or at dance class with Smurfette....or visiting with friends....or scrapbooking....

I used to be obsessively organized before kids....now, not so much.

I used to be the perfect parent before kids....now, not so much.

I used to be neurotically punctual before kids.....

I used to enjoy cooking and baking before kids.....

I never used to procrastinate before kids.....

I used to have a squeaky clean home before kids....now.....you get the idea....

The kids pretty much sucked all Type-A personality traits right out of me....well, maybe not all....I still know everything....

Lets see, what else....ah, important fact....I lack the filter between my brain and my mouth....it tends to get me into trouble more often than not....I'm working on that....

I hope to learn how to play the piano one day as I've had a key board in the basement for the past 5 years specifically for that reason...I insisted that was what I wanted for Christmas 5 years ago...and.....well......that too has an inch of dust on it.....

I've recently been trying to educate myself on politics...trying to identify with a specific party. Up until recently I had no clue whether I was republican or democrat...didn't know what either side stood for....and, quite frankly, didn't give a shit. I've always voted in the past with the eenie, meenie, minie, moe approach. So now, thank you satellite radio....I can officially say with a small amount of knowledge and certainty that I am a republican.....I think.....

And that's it in a nut shell....if you stick around long enough you'll learn more about my charming kids and their antics....or maybe I'll even tell you about how my first piano lesson goes....or I can show you my completed sewing projects....or my newly organized closets and drawers when I get to them....Sorry I couldn't offer you a drink. Take care, and come back soon....I promise to have better drinks and food next time!

Blog Roll Junky....I may need a twelve step program...

Hefty Smurf came home from school yesterday all happy, smiling, and short of breath and starts yelling...

HS: HEY MOM.....I GOT A FUNNY....FUNNY....FUNNY STORY FOR YOU.....
me: K...lets hear it...
HS: I was at school arguing with Taylor and.....
me:.....hold up....arguing as in a fight....or arguing as in ha-ha....
HS:....arguing as in ha-ha...we were passing notes back and forth in class and....
me:....hold up....passing notes in class while the teacher is teaching??!!.......
HS....NO!...WOULD YOU LET ME FINISH.....
me: K...sorry....
HS:....so we're passing notes and she says "you're so cute"...and I pass it back saying "no your cuter"....and she passes it back saying "nuh-uh"....and I said "uh-huh"...and she says "nuh-uh" and so I passed it back and said "OK...OK....I'm cute....but your HOT"

OH dear God....hear my prayers....I'm not ready for this....please give me a little more time to prepare for this tween adolescence....I'm just not ready.....I need at least another year....perhaps two?

Went back to the eye docs yesterday for the follow-up on the contact situation to see how the boys are doing and to order the long term supply...Hefty seems to have it down pat but Dreamy is still struggling. I'm still putting them in for him every morning. His gymnastics coach is getting a little irritated at the whole thing. Apparently earlier in the week Dreamy thought one of his contacts fell out so they stopped practice to put on a search for the "missing" contact which was found later on.........still in his eye! So we'll keep practicing and see how it goes.

I originally started blogging last May as a way to journal my 1st marathon experience. When the experience was over I decided to start a new blog as a way to journal our family memories. I'm obsessed with preserving our memories. That's why I love scrapbooking. I want my kids to remember EVERYthing. It's a morbid thought, I know, but....if something (God forbid) ever happens to me or Papa Smurf....I want my kids to have something to look back on to read and remember. I want them to know who I am and that I view every minute of every day with them as a blessing. I know this obsession comes from my own father's early death. I have very few memories of him because I was only 5 when he passed and that bothers me. I also think that because he died at such a young age (as did his sister) that I have this feeling of impending doom that my genes may also be rigged in such a way that I too will die young. I know this is irrational but I have to believe that thoughts of this nature are not all that uncommon for people in my situation. I've been journaling....or blogging.....with this sole purpose in mind. Keeping to my own little blog world. The only other blog I've ever visited is Because I Said So....I found her blog from the original ebay listing that she posted and have been reading ever since because I think she's hilarious. But I've never ventured outside of my own little blog world to discover this vast blog society that exists. Until this week. OMG. I had NO...CLUE....that this whole blog world was so large. NOT...A....CLUE! I started looking at the blog roll links in Dawn's blog and then at the blog roll links in Dawn's blog roll link's blog roll....never mind...I know what I'm trying to say....and 20 blog rolls later I'm hooked...I'm so addicted to this. It's so much fun catching glimpses of perfect strangers' lives. And some of these women are just hysterical. I've laughed so hard this past week by reading about other people's lives. It's a great way to start the day. I honestly have no idea why it's so intriguing. Probably for the same reason that reality TV is such a hit these days. So not only is this blogging a way of journaling but it's also a way of meeting new people around the world and making friends with people you have lots in common with. I really have to reign it in a little though....I've spent the majority of my free time in the last several days glued to the computer discovering this world....my poor daughter is starving for attention. Thank God she has become a "High School Musical" junky...it's keeping her occupied. But I really need to cool it.

A New Weight Loss Plan

So I just got back from the doc's office.....again......I've been on 3 rounds of antibiotics since December and this sore throat problem keeps recurring. Bottom line is....he says I have "cryptic Tonsils" with chronic tonsillitis as the result....he said my tonsils are huge. My glands in my throat are so swollen and painful from this chronic throat problem that I just about jumped off the table when he was feeling for them. So, he gave me a 3 week supply of antibiotics and said that if this doesn't knock it out then the next step is an ENT and tonsillectomy. My first reaction was....HELL no....I have no interest in going under the knife. But then I started coming to my senses and thinking that a tonsillectomy might be just what I need to kick my weight loss plan into gear!! It's a little extreme but drastic times call for drastic measures!

The Moment of Truth

So how about that new show The Moment Of Truth!!?? Ya know, when I first saw it advertised I thought...what a stupid game....how can they possibly keep the questions fresh...how can they possibly keep this interesting...people would have to be total losers to NOT make it through the questions...I mean, all you have to do is be honest....LOL! So hubby & I were watching it last night and we went back and forth with each question.."How would YOU answer". None of the questions were particularly disturbing to me UNTIL he asked the question...."Do you think you're a better mother to your children than your mother was to you"

.....My first response was "what a bullshit question". That's really seems like a very grey question...there's no yes/no answer for it. So hubby says..."what would your answer be"....and I honestly don't have an answer. I think the lie detector would bounce off the table regardless of how I answer. On the one hand I think "yes" I am a better mother. But I would have to clarify that by saying...I have many more resources available to me than my mother did, she did a damn fine job with the raw hand that life dealt her. Widowed at 27, 2 young kids (ages 5 & 2), no job, no college education. She was never home because she was always at work or at school and when she WAS home she was cooking, baking, or cleaning, or carting our butts to our extracurricular activities. So my "yes" answer is only because I'm home with my kids...I'm available to them...she didn't have a choice in the matter.

But on the flip side...I would also have to say "no" because if I had been handed the same raw deal in life I know there's no way I would have handled the situation with such grace and control. I would have completely fallen apart. My mother is a saint.

Anyway...changing the subject....I feel like doo-doo...AGAIN! This throat thing keeps coming back...I feel like I've been sick this entire winter. it's getting a little aggravating. Back to the docs. In case you missed hearing me say it...."I hate Michigan"....

Worked out the last 3 days. Met with my trainer yesterday. I begged her to focus on lower body because my upper body was screaming in pain from the last 2 work outs. Was planning on working out again today but promptly changed my mind when I rolled out of bed...went to the bathroom and groaned in pain when my butt hit the toilet seat...Oh boy does my butt hurt. I couldn't see how another 500 squats would help the situation so I played hooky today.

Wordless Wednesday

She's Ba-ack.....

I try really hard to be an understanding and supportive wife...I really do....but every now and then I get so damn irritated with my husband that my inner bitch must poke her nasty little head out and show her presence. In my husband's defense, this inner bitch usually emerges once a month and her level of nastiness is directly related to the level of hormones flowing. With that said.....Do I get angry when he says he'll be home by 6:30 for dinner and doesn't show up till 8?....no.....irritated would be a better word. Do I get angry when he's putting in 12-14 hours days....every....single.....day?......no...I understand that his success comes at a price...it's hard work...I get that. Do I get angry when on the rare occasion that he DOES get home at a relatively decent hour (maybe so we can actually eat dinner as a family) he'll be in the home office working half the rest of the night....no, I don't. I try to be supportive. But Friday he played poker with the guys and so of COURSE he was home early....Last night he went out to dinner with the guys and so of COURSE he was home early. He spared me a 3 minute phone call earlier in the day to tell me he'd be home to change his clothes. How kind of him. I hear every day about how busy he is, how he can't get out of the office because he has meetings scheduled till 7pm, how he can't get his actual work done because of the meetings, his to-do list is growing....but MAN it's amazing that when he has something planned with the guys he somehow MAKES it happen. K....I'm done....I'm laying the inner bitch to rest for now.

The itch is back...

We had a fabulously boring weekend over here. We don't get many of these in the winter with the competition season in full swing....so we enjoy them when they come. Saturday, I got a work out in...I'm getting into a routine of 30-40 minutes of cardio and 45 minutes of resistance training. Smurfette had a birthday party to go to...one of her friends from school. Sleeping Beauty visited the party...and "it was the REAL sleeping beauty"! LOL! & the boys had a friend from gymnastics spend the night.

Sunday I did a little cleaning, a little laundry, and a little scrapbooking...first time I've touched my stuff since the weekend scrapping slumber party like 6 weeks ago. Papa Smurf took the boys bowling and my SIL picked Smurfette up to take her with them to the Palace for the High School Musical on ice. So I had a couple hours to myself.

Papa smurf & I had decided to wait another year or so before trying to move to see if the economy picks up a bit...we're worried about trying to sell our house among other things. BUT...every now and then I get the itch. So I went on line Saturday night to check and see if a house we fell in love with last summer was still for sale...it's a model home in a perfect location and just beautiful...but they were asking a ridiculous price for it and we just couldn't do it. So I was very excited to find what I think is the same house...not only is it still for sale (if it's the same house) but the price has dropped by $150,000. So yesterday while Papa Smurf was at the bowling alley and Smurfette with my SIL I called my mom to see if she wanted to drive over there with me to take a look at this house....I was dieing to see if it was the same house. I picked her up and drove up there to read the sign that said "closed till 3/13"....UGH! Maybe it's a sign. It wasn't meant to be. To be honest, I was kinda hoping I'd drive out there and find out it wasn't the same house...one that I wouldn't like as much....that way I could get this itch out of my system without being disappointed. But I'm still not sure if it's the same house....there are 3 of them next to each other that look very similar...I just can't tell. I can't stop thinking about it. The house is still over priced. After looking at other listings on line with the same square footage...same location....same home features...some with MORE features...that were asking another $50,000 less than this guy. The trouble will be convincing Papa Smurf. He still wants to wait another year. OMG. He's killing me.