Sooo Not Slutty!

I just had her try the so called, slutty dress, on and it looks great. It's not slutty at all and I can't believe we had a slutty talk. Crazy.

Kinda Slutty!

‎"Hey Kelsey, remember that dress Grandma bought you for your birthday? Do you think you can wear that for homecoming?" I innocently asked. "Ugh, no Mommy it's kinda slutty." !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Welcome to homecoming season. She has a cute little dress she's never worn and it's not good at all..lol. I love that she considers the dress her grandma bought her, "kinda slutty." Classic.

And So It Begins.....again....

Yesterday wasn't too bad. I logged my food and stayed positive. It's always easy on day one and two, I know. I have to attack my weight one day at a time. I will keep typing and blogging about it, every single day. Deep breath and begin the day starts now! Good luck to you, too.

Templates and Earl

Time to make this cute again. I'm going to search for some templates and maybe go for the third column blog. That would open up so many options for me to play with. Kids are off to school, so it's time to get busy. Before I forget, let me just say I'm praying that Earl makes a shift to the east and misses the coastline! i don't want the Outer Banks washed away by the waves.
xoxo
C

September 1st came and went in the blink of an eye. It was a great day with the kids doing all the homework easily and really getting into school. I'm beyond happy! The came out and the moods changed and became a little wild. So much for easy.
xoxo
C

Another day ....The Same Thing.

Well, I thought things were going pretty well tonight. Homework was so much easier than last night and we had no tears or craziness! Dinner didn't burn dinner like last night when the pizza fell through the dracks of the the pizza pan with "air holes for crispy light crust." LOL...It's not so good with homemade pizza.

All of this was so far so good until about 9PM hit and then boom....same old same old. I need a deep breath and a little Klonopin to relax until the morning. I can get the kids off in no time at all and then I can go off to the Y and work out the areas in my world that just piss me off righ now! Ugh.....! Not much to complain about really, but jeez certain things just don't seem to ever change.

Yay, though, for no burned dinner! One for Christie..LOL.

Not So Fast Miss Know It All......

Some days are tougher than others. I know, what a brilliant concept Christie. Well, just when I think the day is over and it's time to relax it comes crashing in on all sides. It's not the end of the world. One of the pizzas was ruined, middle daughter had a meltdown, oldest had a hormonal meltdown, and all this caused me to have the meltdown that is kept inside of me. I wish I could just make everything ok and scream at the same time. It's not the time, though, for screaming. I'll save it for the Y tomorrow.
xoxo
C

Happy Monday!

Well, homemade pizza with the kids in charge can be messy. However, they will eat anything they make! They love it! Dough,sauce,and cheese can make one simple and easy pizza. The stores carry packs of dough that just need water added or you can pick up premade awesome dough for a dollar at Trader Joes. These days we just don't live near a TJ, so I depend on the mix with water. The kids mix it up and make the pizza after the dough rises. Easy easy meal, friends.

One of the before pizzas.

Now, as I type I'm listening to mom on the phone go on and on and on about her back to school, because she's a teacher. Multitasking at it's best, by me!
Happy Monday Friends!
XOXO

Summer...coming to a nice quiet end....

Summer is coming to an end. What a great summer! I'm happy it's back to school time ,though. I just played the Swagger Wagon (the post below) moves and he told me he found it disturbing. LOL. Love that video! Just a few more pics of summer. Facebook makes it easy to forget my sweet blog! I need to be a better blogger and pay attention to you. I promise! Cheers Friends! xoxo

SWAGGER WAGON

I'm loving this Video! I need a Swagger Wagon! LOL! I can even do all the mom moves, too. So funny if you need a laugh. LOL.

We All Feel The Crazy Sometimes....

I hope my friends are feeling good this weekend. I know some of you are dealing with emotional life changing days, lately. I love you guys. It's ok with the crazy. We all feel the crazy sometimes. It just takes time to move on and to feel better. xoxoxo

Feisty Needs Feisty

It's been hell of a rough weekend. I spent the entire weekend trying to figure out which end was up or what to say. That damn Kyrptonite. Fuck the Kryptonite! That's right I said Fuck it! All right my vent is over for now. I love this song. It's as feisty as I feel right now!

Short But Sweet!

‎"Mommy I heard Sammy and Daddy keep saying boner! Sam is rapping a song about boners! Mommy, what's a boner?!" That's right...lovely, I know.

After a busy week we have one more thing to do and that would be a swim meet in the AM. The oldest wants to go shopping with her friends...lol...of course. So let the weekend begin. Day 2 is short, easy, and done.

Day 1 Down!

I couldn't believe it when I saw that I hadn't been on since the 22nd! Summer is kicking up into high gear. My cheerleader, yes she made it!!!!, has night practices. My swimmers have swimming super early every single morning, except Fridays, during the week.  Saturdays are swim meet days. Throw in some camp for the boy and all the other driving and doing, we've been busy! It's been awesome watching my kids come into their own and realize that it just goes by so fast. 

Just wanted to write something and check in tonight. My goal is to post one post every single day for a year. Here's for day one! Day two can only be better. :)
XOXO

I Got Over It!

Wow! What a feeling I had today. Initially I started to push my daughter towards a sport she was getting excited about joining. Then she came down to me and in tears she told me she was too old to begin a new sport, like swimming. This is my oldest and she's not on the swim team, like the other two kids. I began to feel like I failed my daughter and didn't work hard enough to get her involved in sports earlier. Was she the child that had 17 surgeries and left with a little kidney that can? Yes. She is amazing. I guess I protected her during the early years. Her medicines just make her so susceptible to the sun. She's an academically amazing student. The years have gotten away from me and all of a sudden I woke up and she is 15. So, things are what they are and now I'll just allow her to tryout for cheer again. In Virginia she was a cheerleader and just loved it so much. We moved here, to Tampa, to late for her to get involved with Cheer or tryout for her Freshman year. Sigh.

I'm now over feeling like a failure. It isn't about me. She is going to begin a new journey on Monday with trying out for a competitive team and I have so much confidence in her! Let the fun begin! Also, let the next few years go by very slowly.
XOXO

I'm Feeling It

Totally feeling the whole "Julie McCoy, Cruise Director" vibe right now. I just need a clip board, name tag, and a nice big ship would be awesome! I'll have Issac make me a Christietini at 5!

I'll have a summer full of 6AM wake ups for the swim teamers and that's enough to get any mama going!

In A Blaze of 40!

It's been a great Birthday Week! Loved it! Thank you for my wonderful wishes! Forty is ok!

The first day of Summer Vacation for the kids! Now what?! I need to figure out what to do with the kids! It's quite the task.

Oh and BTW...Helllllllooooooo New Dehli!!!!!!!

Who knew I was so popular in India?!

Aaaah 40 has come fast!

Well I haven't posted in a few weeks. I've been working on getting better, but the end of school has really rocked my world! The kids are great and the school year is almost over! Between the parties and the state testing it's enough to make the kids and mommy stressed and happy all at the same time! There are only 3 days left and I'm working on all kinds of fun plans for the summer.

Tomorrow is a big day! Tomorrow I turn 40 and I'm just wondering how it happened so fast! Believe it or not 40 is not so scary! I think I'm holding up pretty darn well! I walked into the kitchen and a beautiful vase ful of Pink Long Stemmed Gorgeous Roses! I'm loving my "Holiday Weekend!"

What? Seriously?

I woke up from a nightmare this morning. I reached over and I wasn't alone. I took a shower and walked slowly to wake the two little ones, one at a time. I knocked and my oldest was putting her make up on her sweet face that needed nothing. My mom probably told me the same thing at her age.

My dream brought the past present and drove lightening bolt through my brain.

My babies are growing up so fast. I wouldn't change a minute of it,well except for all the time k was sick and in the hospital. Well, and I'd waste much less time on the little crap that muddles through our female brains. I'll take 40 and some of the wisdom and run with it, also fight my damn slowing almost 40 metabolism the entire time! :)

Happy Wednesday. Enjoy it! Cherish it! Have a glass of wine at the end of the day and forget it if you need to, because it's that bad! XOXOXOXO

Christie

Just A Little Bit...

So life does happen and we need to go with it, whether we like it or not. Choices are made. Learning from the choices and owning them can make a person move forward into the light. God doesn't expect perfection. Lord knows I'm so beyond perfection. Loyalty, devotion, and kinds to others is expected of me. After 40 years on this planet I can say I'm doing pretty well. The kids keep me going and on my toes every single day. They crack me up, make me want to scream, and sometimes just cuddle nice and quietly with me. I'm excited to watch them swim and kick butt in the pool. They love swimming. I'm so proud of my open minded girls that don't live with blinders and know that if two souls are in love tolerance is necessary.

That's all I really have today. I hope it didn't sound preachy, because that wasn't my intent. It comes down to love, acceptance, and living without fear. More importantly I had to find my voice. I had to learn to tell someone when something was OK. It felt good. It feels good. I was brave and it paid off immensely.

xoxoxo
Christie

Sluggish

I don't know what is going to happen today. Everything seems like it's in slow motion. Days like today, when I'm feeling like this, I completely overthink life. Do you know what I mean? Hmmm My keyboard is slowmotion, too. LOL..now that is someone or something trying to tell me something.

Ok, I grabbed a Zone bar and a cup of coffee. I'm sure the fingers should catch up with the brain soon enough. Bye for now...
xoxo
C

Talking About A Revolution.,...

Feeling Feisty! Loving this right now. Stand up friends...work it...work hard..make it work (a little Tim Gunn style.)

Doing The Best We Can Do...

I have a blog friend and she wrote a post about women judging women in regards to attachment parenting vs non attachment parenting, co-sleeping and non co sleeping. She was just so sick and tired of all the extremists on these issues. I agree!


As women, shouldn't we support one another? Judgement should never be present, unless physical harm is emminent to our little ones. We do what we do to survive during the tough moments, and just try to enjoy them during others.

I pumped for my preemie while she was in the hospital and didn't know how to even suckle. I pumped and bottle fed the second because after preeclampsia she was not taking anything that required work. I breastfed my boy for maybe 5 months...because after you have 3 children running around, finding the time to just sit and nurse is quite the rarity. LOL. My point is,who the heck cares. My kids flock to me like I'm the Candyman. The one who never ever breastfed is the closest with touching and being near to me in proximity..so no bonding was ruined there! I just say hey...we're all moms. We've been there. Done it all and if you want to vent...let me help. Screw the extremists in any debate on "CORRECT" parenting. LOL. I don't think there is such a thing. Plus, one day they'll be 15 1/2 and not want to color Easter Eggs and you'll sigh an remember all the Easters before and just cherish those memories. They grow up and we need to enjoy them while we can.

Love is a given and unconditional. I think we should all learn the signs an symptoms of postpartum depression and help our friends with staying healthy and letting them know sometimes a doctor and an antidepressant can change the entire parenting paradigm for their infant. Just love one anther and support one another. xoxoxo

Just When You Open Up A Little....He

All I had to do what read the text message that she couldn't stop crying and didn't know what to do or who to call, my heart broke for her. What can I do all these miles away? What I do is listen, offer advice, and just try to encourage her to trust her decisions she's made. Divorce isn't easy...but continued verbal abuse, secrets, and disappearing is not what loving husband does to his wife and children. Skillfully a manipulator can work himself right back into a soft part in an already vulnerable heart. It's our jobs as women, friends, and family to remind ourselves and one another of all the previous crap that the manipulator has caused and put everyone through.

I'm sorry my sweet sister that he tried to get some serious sympathy from you. He got what he needed, a rental car, and he left after trying to make you feel bad about telling your family he demolished his car that is in your name. You're a strong, beautiful, amazing woman/Mom/and sister. REMEMBER that always. I love you.
xoxoxo

Ironing The Sheets!

I read on a great decorating blog by Jill Vargas , about ironing your sheets. Ironing your sheets you say? Who has time, you ask? Well, I did it tonight! It took all of 10 minutes. The Rowenta was hot and the sheets were warm and smelling like my perfect cocktail. You don't know what my cocktail is? It's the Tide with liquid Downey in the ball insdie the washer and the Bounce sheet in the dryer! Yum. Ok, so I took the sheets and ironed them. They folded up perfectly soft and tightly, like they do at my mom's house. I'm sure my mom doesn't iron her sheets. :)

We'll see what happens. The whole goal is have the bed feel like a spa hotel bed. I'm sure it will feel soooo good when I climb in tonight.

In A Rush Without My BRA!

The bus arrives, to drop the kids off home, at 2:30Pm every single day. Yesterday it was 2:20 and I realized I had to grab the Sweet Keeper. The Sweet Keeper is the keeper of the coupons and I needed it for the market stop that was going to happen right after picking up the kiddos. Sooooo, I was in a little bit of a rush. Ok, it was a HUGE RUSH. What do I do? I grab the Sweet Keeper, big bag of a purse, keys, phone....and get to the car. What did I forget? Hmmm...2:27 and something is missing! That's it....NO BRA! Car in park, it's on, and garage door is open , so I run into to grab a bra. Of course there's always a spare on top of the dryer for this exact reason! Grab it and pick up the kids.

I was going to put it on incognito in the bus pick up line. No one would have noticed. However, at this point it's 2:30 when I pull up and the bus is pulling up to the curb. Shit!

That's right it's going to have to happen at the market parking lot! I make the kids get out and stand right next to the car. In a split second..that bra is on under the shirt and I'm in business. Was there a problem? Did it go smoothly? Everything was fine except for the boob shot the old lady in the handicap spot caught. Well, hell if you're going to stare at someone in their car long enough you will see something unsightly eventually!

Bra on, sweet keeper in hands, kids wondering why they had to wait outside the car, and me no worse for the wear! Just another thing in my Wonderful World that I rocked so great, only the old lady staring at me knew I was doing a quick change in the parking lot! LOL.

No Idea....

I have no idea why I get so wrapped up and riled up with what's going on in the world of politics. The violence and stoking of the flames after the bill was voted into law, is unacceptable.

All I can say is this. If you don't like what is happening go register new voters. Get your voters out on election day and vote your candidate into office.

Now, I'm off to make a grocery list and think about all the good going on in our world. :)

Stoking The Fire of Violence and Hate

Where have you gone John McCain? Where is the man I once so greatly admired? I just listened to a man who looked like McCain and Sounded like McCain explain away Sarah Palin's Lock and Load and Cross hair map for "Taking Democrats Out" as nothing more than what he's scene in politics all his life. Really?

He continued to tell Ann Curry that he condemned violence occurring because of Health Care Reform, but then continued it was happenening because people were mad and it's all because of the back room deals and "sausage making" the democrats have done behind closed doors. Really?

Wow. So, throwing bricks at congressional member's offices in the capitol and in their home towns isn't so bad? Threats of violence and the N word thrown at the Rep. John Lewis who marched that bloody Sunday in Selma Alabama isn't so bad, compared to the sausage making of the democrats. Wow. Sarah Palin going on her Face Book and telling her followers to RELOAD with a map of the cross haired states of the reps to "take out" isn't as bad as politics as usual. Really?

Wow. So, now McCain says he won't work on anything bipartisan for the rest of his term. I wonder how this will help his opponent J.D. Hayworth down there in Arizona? I imagine the Senator will change his mind about that really soon.

Senator Boehner, you let me know when Armageddon happens. You said this was the beginning, with the passage of the bill. Is that Armageddon to begin with the violence from the right fringe? All the stoking of the flames might get you just what you've wished for, but then what? If all else fails I'm sure you'll turn to Glenn Beck and let him try and sway the Tea Baggers toward McCarthyism 2010 with all his communist talk.

Beck's Witch Hunt: The New McCarthyism
- Watch more Politics Videos at Vodpod.

What about the Tea Baggers?

How many Tea Baggers don't have health insurance of anykind? How many have Medicare, Medicaid, form of publicly funded care? How many have had times of not being able to get their children insured or seen by doctors due to lack of insurance? How many of those people couldn't get insurance for their children because of a pre-existing condition or a lifetime cap already in place? How many Tea Baggers have walked with signs picketing President Obama as a radical muslim, with a mustache like Hitler, or anything more radical like Obama caricatured like a monkey eating a banana? How many Tea Baggers knew tea bagging was a sexual act involving a man putting his testicles in woman's or another man's mouth? Simple questions to ponder.

Let's have debates! Our differences allow for new ideas to emerge when debated with respect and an open mind. Vote. Vote. Vote. Do the right thing and voice your opinions, but does it have to be demeaning to a human being? Should disparaging race or gender be part of pulling America apart into factions of haters? What does this say about our humanity if we lose sight of our fellow human?

Finally, if you're one of the people who starts posting how we're becoming Communists, then I must draw the line there. I'm sorry, but Obama is not the second coming of Stalin. No one called Bush, Napolean, over his war in Iraq that was over something that didn't exist, like WMD. You know what, strike that. This has nothing to do with Bush or the crazy amounts of millions and millions of dollars the Republicans used to try and impeach Clinton over a blow job in a closet. When their top leadership were also having affiars. Ok, I give in it was the lying about the BJ
that got Clinton in trouble.

I'm now done with the rant of the day.

My Coupon Organizer…

This website is amazing. It's so user friendly and it's very easy on the eyes! Love it!!!!
My Coupon Organizer…

Changing It Up

I am going to work on making this blog into three columns. I'll just put it on my list of things to do. I'm so impired by so many new bloggers, their use of colors, and approach to style. It's very inspiring. I love the creativity!

I'm all over it!

Supersticky Discovery!

How cute is this?! Superstickies

Tuesday's Product Ponder...Bounce Dryer Bar

I love my cleaning supplies. Near and dear to my aroma therapy soul is anything that has to do with great smelling laundry products. Not only do my products need to smell awesome, but they must clean!

Since we have to do laundry, unless you're one of those that just let's it pile up and then uses the cheapest detergent to get the job done, then it might as well smell terrific! There are no allergies in my family and from what I've noticed when trying some of the eco green cleaners, is that they don't work, as well. I'm not against the Eco detergents, but nothing has worked like my Tide or Costco's Kirkland Liquid brands.

This Product Ponder is not about detergent. It's all about the fabric softener. I use both liquid and a sheet. My liquid of choice is Downey. That April Fresh scent is so light and yummy that I can feel the aroma therapy working as I move the clothes from the washer to the dryer. Ok, maybe not so much therapy, but damn it smells good. Oh, and yes I use the Downey Ball. I love that ball! For my fabric softener sheets I do not waiver from my favorite sheets. I use Bounce. Freshly dried clothes with Bounce are the ablsolute softest and best smelling produced loads of laundry in my house.



A few months back I ventured into uncharted territory and bought the new Bounce Dryer Bar. One sticks it (literally) into the dryer with a adhesive holder to its dryer tub. It looks like a long oval bar of soap. I didn't use the sheets with this bar, because it was supposed to work in place of the dryer sheets. Well, it didn't work as well as the sheets. The clothes didn't come out smelling as fresh. The towels were not soft and fluffy like with the sheets. The deal breaker for me was huge, though. This Bounce Bar was supposed to last for 4 months. It was broken into pieces by day 9 of my experiment.

Fast forward to 3 days ago. I had a coupon for $1.50 odd and it was on sale at my market. So, I succumbed to the Frugalista in me and bought, it with the coupon. This bar was only the 2 month lasting version of the Bounce Dryer Bar. Three days into the re-do of the previous experiment and it failed, again, miserably. It cracked again and came loose from the holder. I ran it again and then realized it was so worn in after 3 days and cracking apart that there was no way this was going to work again in it's holder or with the clothes. The smell wasn't there, again. It seemed as though I dried a few loads of clothes without any dryer fabric softener, even though the Dryer Bar was being used.

Grade: D-
I will never give up my Bounce sheets and go to the Bounce Dryer Bar. In my opinion, the bar is just a waste of money. The only reason it didn't receive the worst grade F, was because I use the bar on a shelf in the laundry room for a little extra Aroma Therapy on the days when I don't want to run another load, for the life of me.

Sincerly,
Christie

Organizing Me...

I have become engrossed in saving money. It's a little sickening and empowering, at the same time. It's sickening to admit it and show my Sweet Keeper,aka geeky Trapper Keeper, with all my coupons and deals that around town. On the other hand, it's empowering to know I can save a TON of money just by some careful clicks of the mouse. Said clicks take me some great websites. There are some terrific women out there sharing some great knowledge with the rest of us. I'm taking to my blog to say...you can save money. Some of the websites say it's easy to find the deals and organize with their printable couponing and parts of it are easy. For me I need to look at my circulars, cut my coupons, print some online, and then list by store. The tough part is making sure you get what you need and making the most of coupons online/newspapers/circulars. For me it does mean going to at least two stores if I want to grocery shop and do the Walgreens or CVS rewards! Walgreens and CVS are amazing. To many of the hardcore couponers it's called The Drugstore Game. Of course there's the Coupon Mom many of you have heard of in the news and online. My new FAVORITE is the Deal Seeking Mom! What great about her is that she always has new deals constantly outside of just the normal circulars. Go to her site and learn about CVS and Walgreens. It's worth it. I have a few more frugalistas on my blogger list.

Discipline, saving, making plans, and then the execution of said plans are all good things. All of this has inspired me to focus on what I want to do with my goals. I don't want to run a coupon site. It wouldn't be fulfilling to my passions. The people running them are so fabulous at it that I couldn't do it any better or add anything more to their deal finding. The focus and organization is bringing me out of mommy land and back to the Wonderful World of Christie! I see the On Ramp right up the road. All this organizing and saving has me working towards a goal. What goal am I looking for? I am not sure. I'm learning about what makes me happy. Not quite sure what the happiness is EXACTLY, either, but I'm pretty close. :)

OMG, I’m Obsolete! - DivineCaroline

OMG, I might not be too obsolete, after all! I've been blogging since 2004 wonderfulworldofchristie.blogspot.com, joined Facebook before my girls, joined LinkedIn, and chose to do Chrisy Snow from Three's Company rather than the feather from Farrah. I will admit to making my girls not use ghetto slang and Z's for S's in their text messaging! The biggie was quitting my job after my second child being born. Not only was child care $1200 a month,b ut how could I leave a tiny baby? With my first child, four years prior, I was fresh out of college and went to work when she was 11 months old. My conclusion is that technically I'm obsolete and I'll be 40 in 10 weeks, but I'm working up that On Ramp in a cool SUV.

OMG, I’m Obsolete! - DivineCaroline

Spanx..for men

I don't even know if I need to type more than the picture says. LOL. The guys are now getting their own Spanx for their tummy and man boobs. :) Sooo cute! It was huge news on Weekend Today. I just wish Lester would have sported one so we could get the full effect. :)

Crazy Christie

Talk about a dumbass? That would be me! LOL I wrote an entire post about being a crazy woman the last few weeks, while being made to wait 2 weeks for test results. I admit to crazy, crying, overly hormonal in a very very bad way, and ok bitchy.

My post made no promises about going back to my perked up self, but I promise less bitchy. Oh and I'll also try to figure out the all over the place crazy ass posts! LOL.

Never a dull moment my friends...never a dull moment!

My uber favorite female...Crystal Blowersox! She will win the whole damn thing, I think. :) She's still really sick form her being hospitalized a few weeks ago with her diabetes. It must have been really bad, because she's sits down at the end. Sweet amazing and talented woman.

Big Mike ..American Idol

Give Big Mike a listen. He absolutely blew me away and had me in tears. There's just something about him singing that put him on the one to beat list. Favorite Guy. I'll post my uber favorite lady in a bit! He's just so worthy of this right now.

Katherine Heigl lands plum role in One For The Money | Celebrity News Now

Want to get a bunch of bookwhores worked up into a tizzy? Tell them that Katherine Heigl is going to play our beloved Stephanie Plum from the Janet Evonavich. She plays a New Jersey bounty hunter working for her cousin Vinnie. Her best friend is Lula, the self proclaimed for Ho who fits her size 16 sexy African American body into lots of size spandex and she loves to eat.

So we're all discussing how Katherine is going to pull off Stephanie, but we all want to know who can play our sexy Ranger and yummy Morelli! We have some awesome discussions on facebook. My choices for Morelli..Gerard Butler. I love Vin Diesl for Ranger!

Sherri Sheppard would be the absolute perfect for LUla. If you say Mo'Nique, I'll say she's just lost her mind now that she has won the Oscar. Ok, those are my picks! I wonder which men they'll choose?

Katherine Heigl lands plum role in One For The Money | Celebrity News Now

Zen in full....

My Oscar Night was wonderful. I was alone for the big show, but got to take in the E Red Carpet special with my little Missies...and soooo happy with the winners. I simply Love Sandra Bullock and Jeff Bridges.

Ok, I take that back. Avatar should have won best picture. It was a magnificent spectacle of movie making, imagination, and heart. Maybe the vote was against James Cameron. I don't know. I'm a mom in Florida, but that just didn't jive with me. I am so happy with Kathryn Bigelow. Did you know she is one of Cameron's ex wives. He's on his 5th marriage. LOL. They still collaborate and talk almost every day. Maybe he's just not the kind you can live with, but nice to have on the side.

Ok so I'm taking the Zen approach to life today. The kids are kids and will do their best on their state testing. It will be what it will be for them. I don't get the stress put on the kids and the parents. I don't know the answer for all of the education problems of the system, but something has to be done. We should not depend on teaching our kids to one test the entire school year. Bring on the Zen.

I did really well until the doctor called to tell me to go pick up a new prescription. LOL..So I'm making myself feel better with Nachos and Diet Coke! Y.E.S I A.M.! Oh and it's goooood.

Sleep well friends...
xoxoxo

This Too Shall Pass...Brazilliant!

This came to me just when I was getting pretty low. What this friends. It's awesome and the words are perfect! Happy Day Friends. I love you. xoxoxo

"THIS TOO SHALL PASS...WHEN THE MORNING COMES!"

Yes, Another iPod Exchange Needed!

I love my iPod Touch. I love any iPod. It's one of my I can't live without items. I'd give up my cell phone before this, because I can even Skype and text with my touch. However, I hate the "Home Button" at the bottom of the pod. I'd call it the menu button, but it's actual name is called the "Home Button."
One night it worked and the next morning it didn't. That's how I find iPods work lately. This will be my 3rd return in two months. The first one returned was my daughter's 5th generation nano. Crap. I don't know if there's just too much on it, with the video, camera, am/fm, or just another flawed iPod. The next one was when my disc drive on my reg 32 G ipod just stopped working. Finally, I'm left with the very expensive touch. I was told by Apple that the home button was such an issue, but I challanged the customer service rep to browse all the discussion websites. I even told him to check his own website and read about all the people with their flawed iPods home buttons. It's just a warning. The button sticks and then it won't work. Then, it's time to return the iPod to the Mac store. Crappy, huh. I know it's not the end of the world, but when you spend soooo much money on an iPod Touch..you'd expect it to work. Oh, did I mention you better have the right equiptment for charging. I was finally so fed up that I went and bought an iHome that is compatible with 3rd Gen iPod Touch and 5th Gen Nano, because you can no longer charge to the wall. Ok..I'm done.
The Poor Customer Service Rep from Apple just had to listen to me complain for almost 30 minutes.
Off to the Genius Bar. xoxoxo

Seriously ?!

This is one woman who needs to read "He's Just Not That Into You." Seriously.
News - Bachelor's Tenley Still Stumped by Jake's No "Connection" Remark - Movies, TV & Music - UsMagazine.com

News - Bachelor's Tenley Still Stumped by Jake's No "Connection" Remark - Movies, TV & Music - UsMagazine.com

Music

I need some new song choices. Tomorrow.

I.Will.Win.

• Wow what an emotional few days. I had the uterine biopsy on Monday. I was a crazy wreck leading up to the procedure. For the TMI factor I will not explain. I already have, but I will add this small detail. Imagine you're not numb and a tube goes all the way to the endometrial uterine wall. At the end of the tube there's a brush at the end. Think sharp bristle end of a baby bottle cleaner. There you go. Results will be on the 17th. I know it's forever away. Can you believe that? I'm sure everything will be fine. So, I'm relaxed much more now.
• Next, I realized I was feeling extra bitchy. I wasn't acting bitchy, but really feeling it and holding it inside. So I stopped the megesterol just to see if it was the cause of "Bitch of Christie." I realized it might be a little of both. LOL. The hormones are crazy! Just knowing it is what it is and that there is a bright sunny light at the end of this tunnel makes me smile a real smile.
• Finally, tomorrow is a new day. Do one thing to make tomorrow make you smile. I know that just being outside for 1 hour with my kids relaxing was just what I needed.

HOW CUTE IS THIS?!

I am so completely proud of myself!!!!!! What does Christie do when she has a ton of extra pent up energy? Well, I make a new blog template, of course! How cute is this? I'm loving it so much!

Off to bed. xoxoxo

There's something seriously wrong with me. I'm watching Nascar! LOL. OMG! There is some seriously hidden redneck in the gene pool, but NASCAR?! Ok, I couldn't handle Hockey, The Time Traveler's Wife, and I need something to do while I fold laundry. So, I guess I'll watch NASCAR and pick out the cute cars. Seriously...there's a Target, Old Spice, M&M, and even a pink car!

Pulling A Christie...Again.

Do today I pulled a Christie. I dropped the kids off at the bus and as it pulled away I noticed a yard sale. I never stop, but I saw TVs! Kelsey wanted to go get one this weekend, with all her saved up money. In my brilliance, well not so brilliance, I thought I should just pick her up the one for sale! As the mommy I figured she want to use her saved up money for clothes!

Here's where I pulled the Christie. It wasn't a flat screen, but I thought it would work anyway. Hmmmm, it wasn't such a bright idea. LOL. I can't even get the damn thing hooked up to the TIVO/DVR, because I can't figure out where the input 1 or even input 2 is on the screen. UGH! What a bust! I tried.

Can anyone guess what we're going to be doing tomorrow? LOL..Yes, my smart friends, we will be at Costco or Target getting a flat screen. She'll use her money and she'll be happy. I'll be happy. We'll all be happy.

Hmmmmmm....I wonder if I can find a coupon for the new TV. I think there just might be one for Costco and I think that TV has a DVD player on the side of the panel.

Wishing you all a Happy Friday Night and Saturday!

Side effects!

Guess what? My new medicine, has a great side effect. It says 'stim u lates appetite! Yay me! Lol! Xoxo.

I don't need my coffee to be organic. Who does? I've never had a good strong cup of organic coffee. Just give me a nice steaming strongish flavored, with some 1/2 and 1/2, and a little sweet-n-low. That's right I ruin it anyway with all the other stuff..so who needs organic.

That, my friends, is a simple thought for the day.

Oh and one other thing. If you intend on purchasing an Second Generation iPod Touch or Fifth
Generation Nano ,then you will need a good charger. My computer, a nice Toshiba Satellite or my husband's new Dell, won't do the trick. So when you get the charging station, like an iHome that allows two, to charge at a time, make sure it's compatible with 2nd Generation iTouch and 5th Generation Nanos. That's the newest technology.

Oooooh a little Organic and a little Tech for the mind. :)
Happy Thursday!
Xty

That Damn Estrogen!

It's been a long road to get here. I've always ...always...had ovarian cysts. I can actually date the first one back to 7th grade. I went to the ER for what my mom thought was my appendix and it turned out to be a cyst on my ovary. What did we do? Nothing.

Then 1992 arrived and I had another episode. That time my doctor decided to do an emergency "draining" of the grapefruit sized cyst. Long story short...many more instances of finding cysts. Nothing made them go away. In 2007-08 I had horrible pain and episodes of cyst/ovarian pain. What was the decision of the doctors then? Wait and See.

I'm here to offer some information to those of you who may have not be aware of this, but the years can lead to endometrial cancer. The estrogen feeds the endometrium and can make lots and lots of blood. This can lead to a thickening of lining of the endometrium. Go ahead and throw in fat cell that also feed on estrogen and that can lead to endometrial cancer.

Lesson of the story is this. Don't just take a wait and see approach, just because that's what a doctor might say to do. Get more opinions. I knew something was wrong for years, but just listened and did what the doctor's told me to do. Now here I am getting ready for a uterine biopsy after 9 straight weeks of bleeding. I'm sure everything will be fine, but it still pisses me off immensely.

I do feel better, though, now that I've vented!

I send a smile for the night. I love e.e. cummings. Tonight I spent time discussing the poetry of Emily Dickinson. I became a little side tracked and came upon a favorite. Enjoy.

may i feel said he
(i'll squeal said she
just once said he)
it's fun said she

(may i touch said he
how much said she
a lot said he)
why not said she

(let's go said he
not too far said she
what's too far said he
where you are said she)

may i stay said he
which way said she
like this said he
if you kiss said she

may i move said he
is it love said she)
if you're willing said he
(but you're killing said she

but it's life said he
but your wife said she
now said he)
ow said she

(tiptop said he
don't stop said she
oh no said he)
go slow said she

(cccome?said he
ummm said she)
you're divine!said he
(you are Mine said she)

e.e. cummings

Shame...? Really...?

Why are women, or men for that matter, ashamed of medicine for depression, manic depression, or any other mental need? Why is shame involved, too? Believe it or not, "Herbs" do not offer the same benefits for some that need serious chemical balancing.

I'm not going to go on any further. I was just thinking.

Happy Happy Birthday Baby...!

Happy Happy Birthday To My Ava! Love you so much my sweetie!

Love,

Mommy

Wordless Wednesday Pic...on Thursday!

My Jedi Guys

(Styling by S. Little)
Sometimes the greatest moments just happen. The boy asked if he could be a "Padawan" and of course I was clueless. "Mommy the kids who train to be Jedis!"

Of course they are. What was I thinking. "Daddy let's use the Wii lightsabers and not the other ones. The wii ones light up!"

As you can see, I have a Jedi Master and a Jedi Padawan. So cute. It made my day.

Stuffed Yummy Bell Peppers

When you have no idea what to make for dinner here's an easy recipe..

Take some bell peppers and slice them in half (clean them of course.)
Brown some ground turkey.
Cook some rice.
Cut up some tomatos or get a can of diced tomatos.

When everything is cooked...mix the cooked turkey,tomatos,and rice together. I usually add a little spaghetti sauce just to moisten the mixture.

This time I mixed in some crumbled bleu cheese and topped with some sharp cheddar.
Cook for 15 minutes at 400 and Voila! YUMMY!

Bitch and Whine.

So last night I was was feeling like a failure as a mom. Do you guys have those days, too. It just seemed like every time I turned around there was one child yelling, another child melting down with 5th grade math, and finally a less than fantastic report card brought home by another child. Deep breath.

When did 5th grade math get so hard? It was hard or I just have had my brain cells die at a rapid rate over the years. I mean fractions shouldn't be that hard for me. I just wish there would be some sort of example sent home so I could figure out the homework. LOL..yeah I wasn't so lucky. Seriously...no example? There never are any examples. Maybe they figure that the moms and dads should already know fractions. Ugh! That all ended in a meltdown. I did figure it out, eventually, with the help of Google. LOL.

My boy is trying his hardest with school. It just takes quite a bit of mommy help. He's getting back to normal. Third grade is a tough transition when you go from one state to another. For anyone interested, Florida schools leave much to be desired. The poorly written textbooks make learning difficult for the kids. This is when you can really see budget cuts' effects. So ready to leave Florida.

And finally...all the hormonal activity in this house are killing me at times. LOL! I need the doctor to figure out what's going on with my body. The hormones in me and the girls just make for a crazy little house! LOL. Ok..only at times. Life is good, but once I figure out why it is I'm out of balance then I'm sure I'll feel better.

So, I'm not a failure...ok. I'll go with frustrated. Sigh. A nice little vent seemed to be just what the doctor ordered. My bitch and whine session is complete and so am I. :)

Slumber Success!

The slumber party for my Ava was a HUGE success! My suggestion for an eleven year old girly party is to limit the party to about 6 and I have a reason for that. You will always have a girl or two that will want to go home early! It always happens. So, then after pizza, prank calling boys, wii American Idol singing, more wii, cake, ice cream, and makeovers...you're down to 4 girls. That is the perfect number for a bedroom with sleeping bags, sleeping bag sledding down the stairs, and more wii Idol before crashing at 3AM! LOL...yes...I did say it was a success!
xoxoxo
C

Check...

Monday Monday....

1. Kids off to school..check.
2. Coffee thoroughly enjoyed and savored..check.
3. Shoes out and ready to go workout at Y..check and check.
4. iPod sync'd...check.

I'm off to workout and get to the place that is supposed to be ZEN. I need some zen in a serious way. Happy Monday Friends!
xoxoxo
Love you
Christie

3 Day Walk

Well after some serious contemplating, I have decided that I'm going to do a 3-Day Susan Komen Walk! I need to fill up my team and raise some money for Breast Cancer! It's a cause near and dear to my heart!

1. Coming up with the friends and sisters that won't let me down...check.
2. Asking friends...not check. LOL.
3. Get to walking in a few minutes...check check check.

Brain Dump..

Sometimes the pain and tears take my breath away. I wish I could just take those pieces and rip them out of me and put them into a box. I'd just stick the box on the top shelf of my closet. It's not that I want them gone forever. Peace is sometimes more important than the thoughts replaying over and over in my mind.

Move on damn it! Let the pain go. Let the tears dry up into a glossy happy eye. Not going to happen anytime soon. I can mask it and pretend, but it torments me inside on those days when it's too quiet. The dreams are raw and real. Sometimes I soak up those moments knowing that I'm dreaming, but it's real. Fucking Crazy. I know.

I don't think I'm going to look at my sitemeter and check the locations of viewers/posters/lurkers. LOL. At least I know I'm popular in India, Kenya, Korea, France, The Netherlands, and Ireland. So hey...HI WORLD!

xoxoxo
Christie

"I Say It's Your Birthday...lalalalalalala!"

Fifteen years ago today I gave birth to the most beautiful little baby. She has grown to be a sweet, amazing, and a beautiful girl with a gentle soul. I'm so proud of her and she continues to amaze me and teach me every single day.

Ok...now for dinner out and some yummy cake!

Happy birthday my girl. I love you.

Need

Tonight I need closeness.

And Chocolate wouldn't be so bad either.

Keurig For Me

It's official. I am no longer the drinker of "Granny Coffee." Granny Coffee is the warmed up left over coffee from the morning. It's been easier to do that than to make a fresh pot when all I need is one good jolt of java!

Say hello to my new Keurig. It really does make a good cup of coffee and fast! I need to buy more of the Italian blends. So..if you're the drinker of Granny Coffee like I have been, this little marvel can do wonders for the taste buds.

What do you use for the afternoon cup?

I was about to click publish and catastrophe hits with a huge crash upstairs. It was a lamp next to the bed that was knocked off the table. Oh yeah..it was one of the new swirled eco friend bulbs. Yep..it broke. I know there's something about them being hazardous material, but here's the thing. If we're supposed to change to the eco bulbs..didn't anyone think that breaking one would eventually happen? How many bulbs have you ever broken? I have dropped, smashed, and dropped a few more than my fair share. So what do I do now? I swept up the pieces,vacuumed them up, and now will empty the vacuum. It was a bulb...not hazardous waste. Ugh. I'm perplexed now.
I'm sure we'll live.
xoxo
C

Waking Up Asleep

I woke up in a faze of exhaustion. Why didn't I sleep last night at all and yet now I'm ........

Edit..I fell asleep typing that! Yes I did! :)

Today was just a going to the market and then Costco. Oh and I went to dinner and the best Margarita! Believe it or not, it was the cheap house Margarita vs. the crazy expensive 5 sip one. :)


Happy Saturday night. We're just sitting here doing a little Guitar Hero challenge. I'm singing along...no playing for me tonight. It's hardcore scorekeeping time! LOL.

Night Night...
Cheers!

Happy New Year!

It's 2010! Happy New Year!!!!!!

How amazing to wake up on a wonderful New Year Saturday morning! We rang it in with Star Trek, Chinese, and some seriously full bellies. Was it a full moon? It felt like it, because no one in the family slept well.


Playing off the no sleep from New Year's Eve, I thought we'd be going to bed earlier. What happened you may ask? We popped on Julie and Julia and I'm still awake. WTF? What a great movie. I didn't think anyone else was going to enjoy. By the end of the movie I was inspired to pull out our vintage, first edition, Mastering French Cooking and pick a recipe to try and also dive into my blogging even more.

Face Book makes it so easy to cheat my much beloved Wonderful World of Christie. :)

Happy New Year friends...
xoxo
Christie