This Little Piggy...

I'll do just about anything for a free something. Make that free something a pedicure and I'm sold! Check out the contest happening over at EdenCrest Day Spa. These people will make your feet pretty! (And seriously... who doesn't want pretty toes?!?)

Just Kickin' It

Life is awesome. Totally worth dancing about. And then you trip and fall. And seriously... you're already down there, so why not take a nap? My kid totally gets me.

Here We Go

Well it's done. No turning back now, right? I mean, you can't just put down money to hold a lot, and then actually go and order a house to be built (putting MORE money down on that) and then change your mind, can you? No, I suppose not. Not that I want to change my mind. Still, sometimes I have to remind myself that it's not even an option anymore. Not without losing a lot of money and sleep over it. (Both of which I happen to hold quite dear, and would really hate to lose).

What's that you say? We're building a house? Oh yeah... hadn't I mentioned that? Maybe not. Well, since you asked... yes, Rick and I decided that we've put our due time in. We've rented for our entire lives together (7 years!) and it's (FINALLY) time to get into our own home. After over a year of watching the market and looking at both existing homes and builders galore, we decided to build. So, for those of you who live/know the area and want the details, here ya go:

We're building with Olin Homes. We looked at almost all the builders and decided that they would give us the most house for our dollar. Our floor plan is a two-story and has 1947 Sq.Ft. They are located back behind the Trac, pretty close to where they are building the new chapel. (We're thinking it's 1st Ward, but don't quote me on that). They guaranteed closing no later than June 30th, so we're pretty stoked.

Excuse me while I go hyperventilate for a minute... something about blogging about it makes it very... REAL. Alright well... you can all consider yourself warned. If every post between now and then is oozing with boring house details, you can't say I didn't try to warn you.

Help!

Alright, I'm reaching out to my fellow Tri-Cities bloggers. I'm in the market for two doctors. First, I need a good pediatrician for the boys. Anybody you can recommend? Anybody you would definitely stay away from? We've got one now, but he doesn't really give me the warm fuzzies I'm looking for. And alright... I'll admit it. When looking up some info on our insurance website the other day... I noticed that our current pediatrician is 70 years old. Would that bother anyone else? I mean, wowza... I love grandpas as much as the next gal, but seriously, as a pediatrician? It just bugs me for some reason. And don't go picturing some sweet little grandpa that loves kids and plays all cute with them. Our pediatrician has more of the "grumpy old man" personality. When I found out he was 70, well, lets just say that totally explained a lot. Anyhow, now you can see why I'm in need of some recommendations.

So, the second Dr. I need is a good OB-GYN. No, we're not pregnant, but it's about that time of year when I have to face the music (or that cold metal thingy, as the case may be) and bite the bullet. I could avoid this forever, but lets face it... what wouldn't I do for a good solid hour without my kids? So I need the goods, ladies. Don't be shy. And again, I'll take the bad with the good. Even if you don't know who I should see... don't hesitate to tell me who I shouldn't see.

Help a sister out and I promise that the next boring post wont be so, er... boring. :-)

I Hate to Admit...

I'm totally stealing this idea. I read about it first here, and then of course read the additional sister versions here and here. That lead to my own sister's edition, which of course meant that I couldn't resist.

I hate to admit...

• That I'm addicted to anything fizzy. No, scratch that... because that wouldn't even be so bad. I'm actually addicted to anything NOT DIET that's fizzy. Trust me people, I've tried to like the other stuff. It's just wrong. When I hear people say they can't live without their DIET COKE (or any diet soda, for that matter) I experience extreme feelings of negativity... usually directed at them. (Sorry, Shayla... I still love you)

• That I will try in the very near future to, yet AGAIN, make myself like diet soda. What was that definition of insanity I once heard?

• That I really dislike visiting teaching. That, my friends, is putting it mildly. I hate that I have to do it (or rather, should do it). I hate that other people (aka women I don't know) have to come visit me when I would rather them NOT. I realize it's infinite potential for both giving and receiving blessings, but seriously... do we have to bring my social anxiety into my home?
  

• That I'm starting Weight Watchers (AGAIN) tomorrow. Need I say more?
  

• That my bathrooms have gone months at a time without seeing any Clorox and most of the time I just really don't care.

• That I'm glad the original owners of this house had such terrible taste in kitchen flooring. I can now go months weeks without mopping and nobody can even tell.

• That I just had to do a google search to figure out how to use strikethrough in blogger.
  

• That I have a sister who does oober-cool designs for many-a-person's blog, but I haven't even asked her to do mine. Am I a loser for using pre-made templates?

• That I secretly like Hamburger Helper and make it for my family.

• That it only just occurred to me that there are apparently A LOT of people who think that Hamburger Helper is disgusting and I might need to be embarrassed by my last admission.

• I kind of wish they'd call me to some really high-ranked calling, but every time I get ANY calling I always end up wishing I didn't have to do so much work. (Okay, any work, but still...)

• That my sister thinks that she's a loser and that I'm cool. I happen to think that I'm a loser and that she's cool. Does that make both of us cool or both of us losers?

• That I'm a total blog-stalker. If you're not sure who's out there secretly reading your blog, don't worry... it's just me.
  

• That I'm more addicted to my child's pacifier than he is. Can you say plug, anyone?

• That I wish it were socially acceptable for my 4 (almost 5) year old to have a pacifier. I can't get that kid to shut up sometimes. What's worse is that the 10% that is sooooo adorable, almost makes up for the 90% that makes me want to blow my brains out.

• That it's after 11 o'clock and I'm seriously considering eating something more. (After all... if I'm starting WW tomorrow, then this is kind of my "last night".)
  

• That I compare the way I feel about starting Weight Watchers tomorrow to the way a criminal would feel the day before heading to the electric chair. (See above... last meal, anyone?)
  

• That I've spent an hour on this post and we haven't even hit the tip of this iceberg!
  

Plan A

I'm grumpy today. I'm all snappy and sarcastic and my poor boys have had to put up with me all day. I don't even have any good excuses for it. Well... maybe a few.

Oh, hadn't you heard? I'm suddenly single. Yeah, my husband up and disappeared again. Okay, well... it wasn't really all that sudden.... and he didn't exactly "disappear" either. (See what I mean about the sarcasm?) He's back to Oklahoma for the next month. More training in the world of Air Traffic Control. He left me all alone here in the world of peanut butter and stinky diapers.

In an attempt to put an end to this mood I'm in, I'm going to take a walk on the bright side of things. Just so you know, if this doesn't work, my "plan B" is to plop down on the couch, watch some mind numbing TV, and eat everything that isn't good for me. Hmmm... now that I think about it... Plan B sounds WAY better than that bright side crap. ... But since I'm already here...

- A month is a long time without your spouse. Having said that... it is WAY shorter than the three months he was gone last time. Plus... we're in our own house this time. Plus... I'm not 8 months pregnant. Plus... I don't have to move us in or out by myself.

-A month in training means one majorly awesome thing: We have a job. Rick is progressing in this job and really likes it. This will be the last time he'll have to go back to OK for any extended amount of time. A month without my husband is so worth the sacrifice if it equals a lifetime in a great career.

-This time a month in training means a month of regular salary PLUS any per diem that Rick doesn't spend while there. Last time he went through training we had no income. It was a little scary.

-For the next month I don't get to sleep in even ONCE. I now have not only "mommy brain" but weirdly enough, I also have "daddy brain". No girls night out, no impromptu trips to the store (or anywhere, for that matter). If I need something after the boys are in bed, that's just too bad because it'll have to wait until morning, when I'll have the joy of loading them into the car and taking them with me. Having said all that, for the next month I get to wake up to sweet hugs and kisses. I get constant reminders of how simply wonderful life can be. I get to spend my days with the 2 greatest kids on earth. I get to see this every day:

and this:

-This month may be a rough one, but there is one major thing that's going to make it absolutely awesome. For over 2 weeks of it, I'll be taking the boys back to Albuquerque. Lots of aunts and uncles and cousins and Grandpa and Grandma time! We are so excited! Every day Noah goes to the calender and we count how many days are left until we go.

-I tease Rick a lot about all the freedom he'll have and "livin' the bachelor life again", but in all seriousness, it's not exactly a vacation for him, either. Being away from family can be really hard and I know that you can't be the awesome dad that Rick is, without really missing your kids when you're gone.

-A month is a long time to be separated. But speaking from last years' experience, distance really does make the heart grow fonder! There's nothing like keeping a family apart to make them appreciate how much they love being together.

Alright. I'll admit it. I'm feeling much better. But just to really solidify things... I think I'm going to have to follow through with Plan B. I mean, really... it would be irresponsible of me not to, right? I have my children to think of, after all. If I don't do EVERYTHING in my power to make sure I'm not so grumpy tomorrow, then I haven't really done my job as a mother, don't you think? Yes. It would be down right WRONG of me not to sit and veg and eat. I'm glad we agree.

What Was I Saying?

I am sucking on a grape jolly rancher right now while staring at my computer screen. It's already September (in fact it's almost October!), and I haven't blogged since June. Will my diligent blog followers eventually give up and stop following? It suddenly doesn't seem so important because my grape jolly rancher has dwindled down to nothing and I have to grab another, only this one is cherry. And I'm wondering why I ate the grape one first... because anyone who knows me knows that I always save the best for last, and anybody who's anybody knows that grape is better than cherry.

And what in the world made me think that only 2 jolly ranchers would be enough? Rick and I went exploring model homes the other day. One very brilliant builder must have known we were coming. Their model home had a plethora of toys set up in the corner for my boys. (How thoughtful!) And then on the counter there was a whole jar filled with colorful jolly ranchers. I gave Noah one. (Grape, of course... I am a very generous mother, if nothing else) Cade glanced in our direction looking utterly betrayed. Had the jolly ranchers come on a stick, I would have caved and given him one, too. As it were, I'm pretty sure there weren't any. (I was secretly relieved because Cade can make a disaster out of a sucker. The child has more saliva than a full-grown St. Bernard.) And then, feeling more than a little proud of myself for thinking ahead, I quietly poked 2 more jolly ranchers into my pocket in case the next builder didn't like giving children candy.

I took a grape one, and then a red one. (Because everyone knows that you're almost always safe with red). Well, by the time we left that builder, all of the other's had closed. So we went home. And I didn't have to appease my oldest with more candy, after all. And I could keep it all for myself. (I've never denied having a very demanding sweet tooth). I hid them in the cupboard where Noah couldn't reach them, and Rick wouldn't notice them. (His teeth are not nearly as demanding as mine, but sometimes he gets the urge... and then my teeth get mad because they were saving that sweet for a very specific time!)

So tonight I sat down at the computer and began the essentials. (There was a lot of reading, clicking, scanning, and scrolling). You know how it is... Then I decided it was definitely time for some uploading. And out came the camera. And then, amongst all the technology, my teeth started quietly requesting something sweet. Or was that my stomach? Sometimes it's hard to tell. It really could have been my tongue, too. That happens from time to time. Well, whatever it was, it didn't have to ask me twice. (My head, after all, knows how to pick it's fights... and there was no winning this one.)

And then the oddest thing happened. I reached into my little hiding spot and, without thinking, simply grabbed whichever one came first and plopped it into my mouth! How careless! How utterly lackadaisical of me! (By the way... I have to confess that I looked in a thesaurus and found that word... do you love me more or less because I'm just that weird?) So... I sat down in front of my computer. I clicked my way onto my blog. I clicked to start a New Post. And then... the grapeness was gone. And everyone knows you can't write anything worth while if you're teeth (or stomach or tongue) are too loud. So I went back for the second one. And it was red. But instead of a strawberry red (which everyone ALSO knows is the best of all the reds), it was a cherry red. Which, okay, let's be honest here. It's alright. I mean... it's definitely not green apple (eewww) or that new blue one (what's that all about?!). So it could be way worse. But cherry? Left for last? What was a I thinking?!?

And now it's gone, too. My sweet tooth is satisfied. My stomach is appeased. But my tongue? Well.. my tongue is not at all happy. And I realize that perhaps it was my tongue all along. And I blew it. Now I'm going to have to go find something else to officially leave for last. And suddenly... I remember there might just be a few M & M's left hiding in the cupboard...