Unpacking...it's an art form and thanks to my family I didn't have to learn it!

Let me start off by saying I LOVE MY NEW HOUSE! This house couldn't be more "me"! from the layout, to the color scheme (thanks for the help mom), to the kitchen (my personal favorite part), to the "man cave", to the art and craft corner, and the backyard! I have a list about 10 miles long of what and when for this place! And so far, Home Depot knows me by name and bank account...

So I realized, unpacking is like getting new stuff! I packed 9 weeks ago, so I didn't even remember I owned some of this stuff. And I'm pretty sure my family slipped some stuff they no longer wanted/needed into the pile as well...ha ha. Last night my kitchen was officially COMPLETED! Everything has it's place and I actually have room to spare (except in the pantry, but I buy too much!) My linen closet is stocked, the bathrooms are complete, and the kids rooms...let's just say there is a dent...

I'm really excited about the basement! James has his man cave and I don't care what he does with it! So far he's got glowing Nintendo lights to plug in, movie posters, and game posters. He's like a kid in a candy store. And the kids! Oh the kids! They have their own space down there! They've got and art center (thanks to the world's best sister... MINE!) They have an easel and a huge art table to keep everything in! Never again will we wonder where it's "safe" to paint!

But if it weren't for my family I would never have any of this! My wonderful husband let ME pick out the house without any trepidation. He let me pick all of the colors (even though he hates the living room). My kids happily sleep in their own rooms and their own beds! My dad has put in countless hours painting, repairing, remodeling, moving, and shopping! I get choked up just thinking about the sweat he's putting into this for me! My sister has unpacked, painted, sorted, and done so much...all with a toddler in tow! My mother and grandmother have organized, unpacked, and sorted! I just am the luckiest person on earth! I will never find ways to express my gratitude to my family! I am so lucky and probably pretty undeserving of these wonderful people! So thank you all for making this art form something I didn't have to learn! I love you all!!!

In the end it all pays off!

http://ow.ly/1b9ax
If you've ever been on the PTA you'll know what I mean. Countless hours working behind the scenes to make sure the kids school get what the kids need! With all of the budget cuts it's so hard for teachers and administrators to get the kids everything. Now-a-days a lot is left to the parents. I have to say...I'm pretty lucky! My children currently belong to the most wonderful school with the best faculty that you could imagine! My first experience with kids in school has been an amazing one because of these people! So the PTA is actually fun and exciting. Especially when we see the faculty so excited!

I joined the PTA not knowing what I was getting into. Made up of a lot of "Stay At Home Moms." And not a bad amount of "Working Moms." Thank goodness for the mix, because this great group of mom's can always pick up where the others left off! So the countless hours of running back and fourth to school, sending in supplies, volunteering at booths, and helping build projects is totally worth it! Because of this great group of people our kids will have $10,000 worth of SmartBoards to help them be the best they can be!

Thank you for making our school experience great!

"Thursday is like Friday Eve! I'm not gonna be able to sleep tonight! Get out the milk and cookies, cause Friday's almost here!"

I don't know about you, but on Thursday's I always get my second wind. I feel like this week couldn't have possibly been THAT bad, and that there is only one more work day left. It's kind of like Christmas Eve or the day before Vacation. You're waiting, and waiting for Christmas to get there and then Christmas Eve comes and you're feeling like it came fast and are renewed. You can't sleep, but you're renewed.

This time I'm excited for Friday because, Friday night I'm going to be over my "new house" pulling an all nighter to make sure that every last piece of everything is out of my apartment! I want to sleep there by Sunday! I'm determined to get this all done!! Then, after the new house glow wears off, and mortgageville rolls in it will all be too clear! The stress will be back, but the good stress. The gaining equity stress my parents won't shut up about. The kids will be in their own room. Thank you Jesus! And I will unpack. My stuff will feel like new! Mostly since I haven't used it in over 9 weeks...I'm an early packer with issues! It's amazing what you can live without!

That last little bit of throwing all willie nillie will be the death of me though. James informed me last night that I was to spend Saturday throwing everything that was "left" into boxes. I let it sink in for about 5 minutes, rolled over and tapped his shoulder. He looked back at me, and I said, "Yea, I should just tell you now, I'm not gonna pack." He looked back at me and said, "What??" "I said, I'm not gonna pack, I thought I should let you know. I'm really over it. I'll go and help you with the house, and I will unpack everything all by myself, and help move...but yea, I'm not packing anymore." Just like that...I have to chuckle thinking about it really. He just smiled at me and said, "Okay honey. You've done a lot. I understand." And that is when I came to the realization, that I may actually be done! I may not have to argue with my loving husband one more time. So I've marked my calendar! It's complete! And Thursday Eve is now the most exciting day ever!

The Modern Day Mom and the Lack of Children Around

Let me start by saying, I have never seen this much snow in my entire life! 12 inches in 24 hours in Kentucky is unheard of! They called for 4-6 but my my they were wrong...

So in preparation of the inevitable snow, I sent the kids packing to Mom's house. My sister is a wonderful "stay at home mom" (she and her husband rent the basement at my parent's house), my mother has Monday's off, and my grandmother (who lives with my parents) is home. So the kids were off to "every one's" house. James and I came home to an empty house (with the exception of Jackson), and went into separate rooms to finish laundry. I finished up the kids laundry and James ours. I love it that my hubby does laundry, but we'll have the 50/50 blog later. So laundry is finished rather quickly (because there are no interruptions) and we sit and watch a scary movie. That's a typical V-day staple for us. You'd think romantic night right...HAHAHAHAHA! Yea, we have two kids...so as predicted we're in bed asleep by 10. OH the glorious night of sleep with no interruptions...ha! The poor kid in the upstairs apartment was sick so not so...but I digress.

I called the kids twice to see how they were. My mom said they were all slap happy and having a ball! Great news! They were doing pajama day. I explained that we probably wouldn't get them tonight as the snow would not stop falling. She said she figured as much and had them prepared for that news. So when schools called off and James and I went home for another kid free night we thought..."what will we do now?" Nothing! We are obviously the most boring people on earth. Because he's playing Xbox and, well, I'm blogging. I'm so bored off my behind and the lack of kid sounds are deafening. I actually even called them to dinner, obviously they didn't respond.

So why is it that I can't wait for an off day as a mom and as soon as it gets here I'm a lonely mess? I get annoyed with the complete and utter chaos that is my everyday life, but it's what makes me breathe! It's what makes my life complete! So in the end, "sometimes I sit back and wonder 'what if' I had made this decision instead of that one...and then I look at my children and realize...it doesn't matter."

I love those babies more than life itself. I love the fits, the fights, the hugs, the cries, the moans, the smiles, the kisses, and most of all, the unconditional love! They are the reason life is worth living, and work is worth working!

ttfn

Uh, oh, Mommy can't be sick!

This morning my alarm was going off and I was too sound asleep to hear it. I felt a shake on arm and heard a gentle "Mommy, it's time to get up." It was my 5 year old trying to gently wake me from my medicine induced slumber.

I turned over and smiled. And he said, "Mommy, you smell sick." I said, "Mommy doesn't feel good buddy. But I'm going to get up." He said, "Wait a minute." He touched my forehead with his palm, shook his head, put his lips and cheek on my forehead and said, "Mommy, you're burning up! I'm gonna have to stay home from school today to take care of you!" I smiled, thinking what a sweet boy I have! I looked at him and explained, "Buddy, you don't have school today. That's why Granny stayed the night." He smiled wide and looked at me and said, "Oh, in that case why don't you take a shower and go to work."

Gotta love these babies! It makes everyday worth while. I did, in fact, get up and shower. I then made it to work. Because all mommies know that we save our sick days for the kids!

ttfn

Apparently I'm a Nazi??? What?

Sometimes you just have to laugh! It's all we can do to get through the day. I laughed a lot today.

Pretend that you know what I mean when I say I want to take a sling shot and shoot someones eye out!
STRESSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS
We all have it! Sometimes it's worse than other times...today seems to be one of those worse days...

Let's start by saying this, I have a problem with some forms of assertiveness. People who know me will surely be shocked to find this out, because in my social life I generally do not have a problem with it, but in my business life I don't want to offend anyone. So, I try to stay calm, cool, and collected no matter what the circumstance...there's your background.

I think I'm pretty nice and accommodating to people so today when I simply asked someone to turn in their keys after they vacated 3 weeks ago I expected them to say, "OH, I'm so sorry, I completely forgot." Instead I was called a Nazi and told that I was a demanding shrew...and that I was mean, forceful, and threatening. And the keys were tossed on my desk, although I'm sure they were meant at me directly, I'll give him the benefit of the doubt.

I shrugged this off thinking that this person must be having a terrible day...and moved on with mine. So when I was threatened by someone else, saying that I was unfair for asking them to pay their living expenses I was even more taken aback. I explained that as part of their agreement they had to pay these things, I was told that they twisted their leg getting into their car and they were now going to take it out on us because we've created an unsafe environment for them..OH MY!

So again, I got over it and went on with my day, so imagine my shock when someone tried to blackmail me...like I even have anything to blackmail...seriously! I was told that they could no longer afford their place. I apologized and explained the legal terms and the option for the student wife to gain employment as they had no children. I was told then that their heater was broken and causing the bills to sky rocket and that's why they couldn't pay. I sent maintenance over to fix the problem and explained that the energy company said they hadn't been paying the full bill and that is why the next one was high, due to rollover. Then they had pests and could not deal with them. When I called the exterminator and he alleviated them of the pests I was told they could no longer stay there due to the pest spray. I explained that by state regulations we used stuff that was not harmful to people. That's when they found out they were pregnant...yup, right there in my office...that very moment they decided to break it to me. So I offered them comparable accommodations since they just couldn't live in these...thought it was over. Boy I should know by this time in my day it's never over. They "countered" (like that was an option) with paying more than $200 less than the one bedroom price for a two bedroom. Trust me when I said that I tried very hard not to laugh. When I explained that it wasn't an option they threatened to post the pictures of the deplorable all over!

Suffice to say, I've given up on this day. My sister is making me some homemade spaghetti and meatballs and I'm going to eat my emotions...because between the drama of buying a house, raising a family, being a fire fighter's wife, and working full time...eating my emotions is the safest route!

At least I can laugh about it now that it's over....say la vie

ttfn!

Oh Snow!

The beautiful snow is falling down and hitting the earth. It looks like a veritable winter wonderland around here. I walk to work, at least for the time being...so why do I dislike this weather so bad? SNOW DAYS...that's why...schools are down, and for anyone with elementary children you know it's next to impossible to find daycare of days like this. I know tons of moms that don't work, but it's not their job to watch my kids! At least that's how I look at it. I'm sure that they are fully capable, and the kids would love it. But who am I to pawn off my kids on them on their day to frolic with their children. So my husband and I alternate vacation days (they should really call them time off for kid days because I never actually vacation with them). And when I say alternate, I mean he takes one for my every 11...but such is the life of a working mom.
Luckily, or unluckily on some occasions, I have the luxury of occasionally bringing my children to work with me. On those days we pack the whole house...all of the barbies, both of the Nintendo DS's, board games, coloring items, videos, snacks, more snacks, lunches and by 10am they are stir crazy. But I do not have to take vacation time on these occasions, and that to me is sometimes worth it. And there are times (like the second snow day in a row) that my boss will look at me with a furrowed brow and squint...this means if you even ask about bringing those kids I will kill you. So I let her know that if there is a snow day I will not be in.
So enough about the snow...I've got to get dinner plans ready, we're having roasted groundhog.

ttfn

I arise in the morning torn between a desire to improve the world and a desire to enjoy the world. This makes it hard to plan the day. ~Elwyn Brooks

So this is it...my first blog! I don't claim to know much or have anything important to say. But I always have lots to say...

This morning as I was fighting the kids out of bed, I thought of how this could be any harder and I realized just how lucky I was.

I have two healthy, crazy, lovable children. What was I complaining about? I spend 9 hours a day away from them. Yet it seems that 20 minutes after getting home I want to pull my hair out. Why to they fight with each other so much? This is a question that has been plaguing me for a year. So we're buying a house so that they have their own rooms. This is so they they have their space, James has his space, and well....my sanity is that they have their own space.

I've got a ton of plans for the new house...we'll see how many come into fruition. Thus my title. I've decided to improve the world and make it a little more enjoyable for myself. Well, in theory of course. I have decided to plant a garden. Not just an average garden...oh no. Jamie goes big! Which is probably why I always have headaches. HA! I've decided to plant tons of veggies, herbs, and whatever else I can get my hands on. Now, I've never planted a garden, and killed my mums by day two...but I'm determined to eat healthier, replenish the earth, and not pay so much on organics at Kroger.

Once the hell of buying a house has passed we'll see how far I get. For now, I'll be content living with boxes in my small apartment and pulling the kids apart from their fight. Eating on the coffee table and trying to make it through the night sipping a glass of wine and reading them a book on the solar system while James enjoys Fire School.

TTFN...ta ta for now.