Lazy Blogger of the Month Award!

So... I know that I fully intended to blog more often than I have. I could offer up a bevy of excuses - my INSANE allergies (I've not been able to taste or smell for a month thanks to my allergies), I had a recent wisdom tooth extracted, I went on vacation.... The plain and simple truth is that I'm lazy. Thus, I think I'm entitled to an award - Lazy Blogger of the Month. :)

Wow... since my last blog Elisa is just getting smarter and sassier by the day. She's got big girl potty down to an exact science. She's taken to naming some of her toys. The most recently named are some McD's Happy Meal Toys (specifically Littlest Petshop) - she's got 2 and they're named "Pinchy" and "Pinky." They're her best buds for now. Loodle greatly enjoys singing along with movies & shows (even if she doesn't REALLY know the words). Dress up is also on her radar right now, too. Suffice it to say, I've got a girly girl on my hands.

Husby is SUPER busy now. We're in the thick of wedding season. He's also started a new diet & workout program. He's lost 9 lbs so far... and I've gained a ton of more prep time in the kitchen.

We recenty went on vay-cay to see my family in Idaho. It was quite fun & we enjoyed some family time.

I know I have tons more that I could add - but in all honesty, my head is in a cloud from all this dag-blasted allergy medicine I've taken lately. I was gonna try to go cold-turkey today, but the idea of breathing was to intoxicating. Speaking of intoxicated, my head is just swimming!

These are a few of my favorite things....

Yeah, yeah... I know I blogged already today. Buuuuut, I am home alone & catching up on SYTYCD & thought I'd blog again. You're welcome. ~;o)

As I sit here drinking some tea, watching tv & having alone time, I am reminded of some of my favorite things and thought I'd share 'em with you....

~ Sleepytime Extra Tea - it is not only delicious, but it's oh-so-relaxing.

~ Alone time - Yes, I adore my daughter & cherish every moment with her... but there's something to be said about the time she spends with Daddy. It's good for them and good for me.

~ Pajama pants - If I could live in 'em & go out in public (without seeming like a nut job), I totally would. I'm currently wearing my Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer pajama pants, in case you were wondering (you know you were...).

~ The recipes that I know I can make AWESOMELY - Not to brag, but there are some recipes that I just knock outta the park. Okay... so maybe that's bragging a little. But there is just something so great about feeding people and having them love it. Some of my best recipes include (but are not limited to) - Turkey Tacos, Baked Beans, Potato Salad, Lasagna, Spaghetti Sauce, Chili... maybe there are some other things I do alright, but those are all that I can think of right now.

~ New recipes - Who knows what will be the next addition to my "awesome" list. I love to try making new things. (send me any... I'll try 'em!)

~ Food - 'nuff said.

~ Family time - Since Hubby works so hard to support our family, we don't get much time together. So, when we're able to be all together, it's great.

~ Watching my daughter learn - What more do I need to say? The feeling that I get when watching her "lightbulb moments" is a bliss that I cannot put into words.

~ Dorky moments with my husband - Our mutual dorkiness is one of the reasons we fit so well together.

I am 1,000% certain that this list could be much longer, but my alone time is done. So, perhaps I'll continue this later. Perhaps I'll do a list of my least favorite things, too. We'll see what the future holds...

Sickness, new addiction & my Loodle...

Crap. I had a bit of blog done and thru some stupid, sickness clouded key strokes, I erased the whole dag-blasted thing. Oh well... here I go again (on my own).

As is normally the case when I blog, I've plenty of other things that I should be doing instead. However, in light of my cold/head cold/severe allergies (or whatever the hell I have that has my head filled with mucus and fuzz), I'm opting to rest & blog on the couch with my daughter naps beside me. Rest makes you get better quicker, no?

I'm sick. Yes, sick. Either that or my adult onset allergies have decided to take it to the next, more vicious level. My nose is so clogged that I can only breathe thru my mouth (super attractive, if I do say so myself) & yet it's running so fast that I'm blowing it every few minutes. (Can someone say SEX-AY!?!?!?!) I am seriously considering a run to the store for tissues with lotion in 'em, but for the time being, I'll settle for applying lotion to my nose by hand between every few wipes. (Total hotness. Betcha wish I was single, huh?) Yesterday & the day before my throat hurt, but it's fine now. My only symptom really is this nose issue. So, I guess I shouldn't complain... but complaining is just one of my talents, so complain I shall.

I'm also experiencing a massive guilt surge. I babysat my Godson yesterday (and also held his 6 week old sister and hugged their mom). It is quite possible that I at least infected my Godson if I am, in fact, sick. See, he's still young enough that he puts everything that he finds in his mouth, including an accidentally dropped (and used) tissue of mine. So, if this is more than allergies, then I've infected him. Crikey. What a bad Godmother I am.

On to brighter things... like my many addictions. I recently blogged about Trader Joe's Coffee Creamer (bought more today). I'm still loving it. My new addiction will also, no doubt, result in additional future Trader Joe's purchases. Today whilst browsing the oh-so-wonderful aisles at TJ's, I found some Chicken Cheese Tamales in their freezer section. Thought I'd give 'em a try just to see how they were. Granted, I can't taste too much today (thanks, Mucus!), but I ate 'em for a late lunch and they were ah-may-zing. Great texture, great taste (on the few bites that I could taste), not a bad price ($2.49 for 2 hand wrapped tamales). As far as microwave food goes, some of the best I've ever tasted. Guess I'm gonna have to taste more of their freezer fare!

And, what is an Ellen blog without something about my Loodle? A extra-boring Ellen blog, that's what! My Loo is, as always, quite amazing. I fear that she may be getting touch of what I've got going on as she's been a bit extra clingy today. Not that I mind the extra snuggles, mind you (and I've got a LOT of 'em today). Matter of fact, she wouldn't fall asleep for her nap without me holding her. She hasn't required (or allowed) being held to fall asleep for well over a year. But she needed it today. I truly do appreciate moments like that... moments when I'm reminded of a time when she was younger and needed me so much more. Moments when she wasn't this independent, sassy little girl who could do it "every day, all by myself" (a direct Loodle quote). While I love the fact that she grows and matures so much, there will always be a part of me that longs for the days when she needed me for everything. I'm happy that she's growing up, but it is so bittersweet. I'm meeting a new girl each day, but each day I'm also saying goodbye to the daughter I already knew...

Enough of that, or else I may cry soon. And crying with my current nasal condition would be a major suckfest.

Today the weather is indeed beautiful. If I felt better, I'd totally be outside weeding... but spending too much time leaned over the garden would probably cause a pressure headache. So, instead I think I'll just enjoy having the windows opened and perhaps work on the dishes later. For dinner tonight, I'm making turkey tacos... and once again Hubby will be home for dinner! Yay! It's a nice treat, since he would have otherwise been at a networking function. Instead, I get to make a dinner I've been craving for a while. If I were smart, I'd just reheat lasagne for dinner, but as delicious as it is, I'm kinda getting tired of it. Next time, I'll make 2 eight inch pans instead of one 9x13 pan. Then I can make one, freeze one. :) Ah well, each time I cook it's a learning experience... one that I truly enjoy!

(And now I have to ask... how many folks got "Here I Go Again" by Whitesnake stuck in their head after my inital paragraph? 'Cause it's still stuck in mine...)

Hello from your resident slacker...

So, when I started this blog, I had every intention of blogging at least weekly. It's been well over a month since my last post. What a slacker.

One might think that I've been super busy. Nope. Not really. I have had a fairly busy week & a half. But not a busy month. Ah well.

I am no longer the proud mom of a two year old. I'm now the proud mom of a three year old. Yikes. Three. She's even more spoiled than she was prior to her birthday thanks to very generous friends and family. However, the over-abundance of gifts hasn't stopped her from asking if she can have this & that various object for her birthday. (sigh) The kid is seriously set. Seriously.

She's doing rather well on potty training. We have only 2 diapers in our posession, but we probably won't use 'em. She spends her days (and nights) in big girl panties. On occasion, she has an accident. Doesn't make me TOO mad unless she pees on me. I know some adults who have less control than my big girl.

The State of Washington is experiencing more rain than usual (at least that's how it feels). We had sun this afternoon & I honestlty can't remember the last time we had sun. The brief sunbreak gave me a chance to get outside and pull a few weeds & lots of morning glory, as well as plant 6 petunia plants. Elisa got a chance to dig up (and kiss) some earth worms, play with her bubble machine & ride her big girl bike.

I made lasagne for dinner and as soon as I turned on the oven, the sun came out. Figures.

Hubby is entering the REALLY busy season, so it was a rare night that he was home for dinner. Kinda nice to have all three of us around the table.

I've also been doing my best to eat a bit better. I no longer drink CoffeeMate. Now I drink Trader Joe's Soy Milk Creamer it's ah-may-zing! I was a CoffeeMate addict for years, until we took a recent health food class. The next day, I read the label on my beloved creamer and discovered that I certainly wasn't doing myself any favors. So, with the help of a dear friend, I discovered my newest addition, the Trader Joe's Soy Milk Creamer. It tastes every bit as good as my former coffee addition, without the guilt! I'm also trying to make other healthier choices, but they're slow coming. At least I'm trying, right?

I'm quite certain that there has been more going on in my ultra-mundane life, but I'm not thinking of it right now. I AM thinking that I should be playing with my daughter right now, tho!

Forgot to post my most favorite recent Loodlisms!

In my haste to catch up on blogging, I forgot to post my most favorite recent Loodlisms.

Enjoy!

"You gotta be kidding me!"

"Don't be ridiculous!" (sounds like "Don't be wee-dik-wus")

"Aw, c'mon!"

(Often these are used in combination with one another)

... as well as other equally cute & sassy things. Will possibly post more today as she undoubtedly finds more funny things to say.

Edited to add the following:

She is a big fan of asking for hugs & kisses. Now, after hugs and kisses she'll say, "Gimme a high five, man!"

She. Is. Amazing.

Long overdue update ('cause I know you missed my musings so!)

It’s been forever since I blogged. I could say it’s because I’ve been so very busy doing “spring cleaning” type activities. I could also say that my exciting life has been FAR too exciting for things like blogging. Yes, I could say those things, but I’m not fond of lying. The plain and simple truth is that I’ve been lazy. Yep. Lazy. Go figure.

I have been spending a bit of time outside daily working on the patio/deck/garden. It’s getting closer and closer to being “summer ready” out there. Loodle is an AMAZING helper. She’s helped me plant several plants & is an excellent plant waterer. While saturating my plants, she tells me, “Momma, this guy really needs a drink!” or “I grow dem up!” It’s pretty adorable. She’s also developed quite the fascination with worms, which is a pretty big deal for her. Until recently, she’s been terrified of all bugs/crawly/slimy things. However, I’m sure that I’ve now got quite the earthworm graveyard out in my garden from the poor little guys being sliced in half by my daughter’s eager shovel. I’m going to have to start to keep a really sharp eye out for worms inside my house, as she wants all the worms to come inside and live with us. I’ve taken to advising her that they like the dirt & need to stay there to grow big & strong. She seems to be buying it.

I’m also planning my daughter’s THIRD BIRTHDAY PARTY. Yes, she’ll be three. I can’t even fathom where the time has gone. This year we’re going ‘simple’ and doing it here at home. And by ‘simple,’ I mean 2 different parties, one for family & one for friends/family with kids. Sure wish I had a bigger place! Ah well, it will be fun & Loodle will love the attention. She is VERY well aware that her birthday is coming up and asks me multiple times a day for something new for her birthday. Yesterday it was “Tinkerbell jammies” (I got ‘em). Before that (and still at least once daily), it was a Pillow Pet (it’s on the way). She’s sure not spoiled…

She’s also become even MORE lovey-dovey. I truly didn’t think it possible, but apparently it is. Her most recent heart-melter – she will gently touch my cheeks with her sweet little hands, stare sweetly into my eyes & then give me a kiss. It’s VERY hard not to cry when she does this. She’s also started to tell me that she’s going to marry me. I tell her that she doesn’t have to marry Mommy, ‘cause I’ll always be hers. Gosh, I sure love this girl!

In other amazing news, I’m a Godmother again! My dear friends had a beautiful baby girl recently. Mommy & daughter are doing wonderfully and daughter has already stolen the hearts of all the people she’s met. Holding her is almost like holding an uber-cute pocket of air… at least in comparison to my nearly-three-year-old daughter. We are so happy for their family & cannot wait to get to know our new Goddaughter better!

In housecleaning news, I’m always behind. In a few loads of laundry, I’ll be caught up today… until we change clothes again. I really wish we were rich enough for a maid.

Well, as it’s been so long since I was on here, I have to go ‘stalk’ my favorite blogs now. I hope to blog sooner next time…

Waaaaah! Whiney Blog Alert!

Today was a... day. We got up & headed to Southcenter as a family (Hubster had a meeting & Loodle & I decided to shop). The day started out fine... I even drove. I never drive when Hubster is in the car. He didn't even give me the normal 'constructive criticism.'

Loodle was pretty good in Target. She chose a cute outfit to give the birthday girl for the party later in the day. Hubster met up with us and we went to the mall for food. I HIGHLY recommend ChickenNow.

We got home at about the time Loodle's attitude started to go south. Deep south. She got upset that we weren't headed to the birthday party right away. She cried a bit. I knew that the absence of nap would only make my day get better... and my headache get worse. Okay, okay, it wasn't a physical-pain headache... more like an oh-my-goodness-she's-gonna-drive-me-batty!

The birthday party was fun - there was a bouncy house & big bouncy slide. Loodle enjoyed them greatly... until somehow the thing started to deflate (I think it had to do with fans & a chair, I'm not certain). At the time The Great Deflation started to happen, so also began The Eternal Meltdown.

Elisa cried, and cried & cried some more. She's normally not so emotional - but today was a record. I honestly forgot all the different reasons she came up with to sob.

We were the first to leave the party. After the party, I still had to go to the store. The trip thru the market included a LOT of hugs. My daughter was finally ready to be consoled. It's hard to push & steer a cart while hugging a kid. Or, rather, while a kid clings to your arm like I cling to cheesecake.

As leaving the store, I was smart enough to WHACK myself in the jaw with the corner of a car door. I swear that I tasted metal the whole way home. I thought the pain was all gone, but as I lie in bed right now, I swear my jaw hurts.

Got home and worked on taxes with Hubster. We owe mucho. He's got a meeting with a tax guy this week - we'll see how it goes.

Plus sides of the day:

My oven works. Just had to put a new bulb in it (like I thought). Hubster was kind enough to test it out... by reheating pizza directly on the rack. So glad I scrubbed it.

Hubster fixed the extra vents in the attic. That means that my big strong man had to climb around in 2 different attics, ours & the neighbor attached to us.

We colored eggs tonight. Great family fun!

I'm pretty sure the house is ready for the Easter Bunny to come tonight. No, it's not "clean" - but he's not gonna trip on anything in the living room & Elisa's baskets are out. Hope she gets something good!

I am typing this in bed (plus) but am nodding off as I type. So, I will spell check & reread, but make no promises about how much sense this will make.

I almost fell asleep 2 times while "proof reading" this. Ugh.... I'l read tomorrow and possibly earase!

Busy, busy bee, that's me!

So, if I'm gonna be completely honest (and a blog is a good place to do so), I am normally lazy enough to give myself plenty of time on the good ol' 'puter. Often my cute little HP Mini is another appendage. (Sending out this quick shout-out to my Hubster for the ever-so-thoughtful birthday gift!) However, the past few days I've actually been busy.

~Saturday I helped Husby with the Tacoma Wedding Expo. Afterwards, we had dinner out with D, T & Lex at Adriatic Grill.

~Sunday was a baby shower for my soon-to-be-born-Goddaughter (daughter of D & T). :) That was an all day affair. Okay, the shower wasn't all day, but I did help with set up, some of the tear down & had LOTS of visiting.

~Monday my grandparents came over for dinner. I planned on making meatloaf. Meatloaf requires the oven. Upon preheating the oven to make lunch for my husband and daughter, I noticed while rushing around doing the oh-my-goodness-someone-is-coming-over-so-I-gotta-clean-and clean-fast shuffle that my oven had smoke billowing out of it. So, the kid & the hubster got PB&J & I got to go research to to clean a gas oven.

I am ashamed to say that I've never "actually" cleaned an oven. Yeah, I've got the gunk out, but not really used real, grown up, oven cleaner & scrubbed. But, I had to on Monday. My husband reheated some pizza in the oven, directly on the rack. While he swears that it wasn't his pizza (and all the oil that MUST have dripped off of it) that made the oven smoke, it didn't smoke BEFORE he reheated his pizza. I'm just sayin'.

AnyHOO - I made turkey meatloaf (amazing, if I do say so myself), mashed potatoes, corn, broccoli, & rolls. Had a great visit with my grandparents.

~Tuesday we had some Ang & Kyle over for dinner. I made lasagna. This was only my 2nd attempt at making lasagna, but I'm not tooting my own horn when I say that I think I did pretty damned good. Ang & Kyle brought salad & dessert (brownie bites & Tahitian Vanilla Bean gelato). Dinner was grubbin' & company was RAD. We played Catch Phrase. Girls won 2 out of 3 rounds. Hell yeah!

~Wednesday (today) we started the day out with tax prep. Yeah, we should be done. But we're SO not. Ugh. Help Hubster out with that for a while, had some de-lish leftover lasagna, then the cable guy arrived. Our Internets connection had been unstable at best. It's now fixed.

While the cable guy worked on cable-y things & Hubster did tax stuff, I organized my closet, part of the top of my dresser (it's the ULTIMATE catch-all), and also hit my bathroom counter & vanity. I feel a bit less like an upcoming episode of Hoarders (or Buried Alive: Hoarders) after that. I then TRULY deep cleaned the oven, did some dishes & rewarded myself with some cookies (Luscious Lemon Tea Cookies - eating the rest now). I worked on a bit of laundry, but decided that I was done cleaning for the night.

Made a VERY gourmet meal for Loodle & I tonight - lil' smokies, mac & cheese, & raw carrots. The BEST part of the meal... Loodle requested the carrots!

Did some more dishes (why did I cook ANYTHING?!?!?!), some more laundry,too. While doing more laundry, I noticed how TOTALLY messy the 1/2 bath downstairs looked. So, I dusted the walls, dusted the pictures & shelves (nick-knacks, too), rearranged the nick-knacks, cleaned the toilet, mirror & sink. I didn't clean the floor because it gets cleaned a few times a week - when Loodle pees on it. :) Guess I shouldn't complain - I'd rather she pee on the tile floor instead of the carpet. (Aaahhh - the joys of potty training!)

Truly, I'm done now. Not with the whole house. Oh, far from it. I'm just hoping that I can have more energy tomorrow. It would be GREAT to get some more Spring Cleaning done. Here's hoping that I can go thru the whole house. Do me a favor & cross you fingers for me. And keep 'em crossed, okay? (Because that's what it will take, folks)

~Thursday (tomorrow) we have a roof guy coming. He's got to go into our attic (thus the cleaning of the closet - the access point is thru the closet ceiling) to check out the possible mold situation. Yep - we found out that our roof isn't properly vented (too MANY vents = improper air circulation) and as a result may have mold issues. Aaaahhhh - the joys of home ownership. I also have another tax-date with the hubster in the AM. (Don't be jealous) After that, I'm hoping for more spring cleaning. Yay!

In family news - I have a new sister. My dad & step mom adopted a beautiful little girl. That makes my total sibling count 6 (3 sisters, 3 brothers). Yes, I am 30... with a sister that's 1 year old. Mine is a very modern family. My family pretty much rocks. I love my family.

In Loodle news - I am pretty certain of the following fact: she gets cooler each day. AND sassier. And I'm also pretty sure she gets cuter daily, too. She is REALLY into a hugging & kissing stage right now. She adores cuddles, too. I am very pleased that she offers up so many hugs & kisses lately that I don't think I could even count the number of free hugs & kisses I get.

We're also doing a new bedtime routine. After brushing teeth, washing face & combing hair (willingly on her part, I might add), we go to bed... rather she goes to bed and I get her room ready. I turn on her various night lights & the local jazz station (used to be classical, but the station doesn't come in well) and tuck her in. We then share more hugs & kisses, sing a song or two (it's been "Peter Cottontail" lately), & talk about "happy things."

She used to not offer up any "happy things," by that wasn't the case tonight:

Mommy: Tell me one happy thing...
Loodle: EASTER BUNNY!
Mommy: EASTER BUNNY?!?!?! Can you tell me one more happy thing?
Loodle: I pway with Audrey. (Audrey is a friend she met a few weeks ago)
Mommy: Yes, you did!
Loodle: An Oxin & Rocksan (Austin & Roxanne)
Mommy: Yes, Audrey's mommy & daddy. Can you tell me another happy thing?
Loodle: *taps her chin thoughtfully*
Mommy: Is helping a happy thing?
Loodle: Yes! I help with forks an' knives an' spoons!
Mommy: You do help me with dishes!
Loodle: An' laundry an' cwean my toys inna wivingwoom.
Mommy: You are my good helper.
Loodle: You are my FAY-BRIT mommy inna WHOLE world!!!
Mommy: *beams, hugs & smooches simultaneously*

Closing note: Must have hit the mouse pad & hit 'publish post' - kinda freaked out until I realized that I can at least do spell check. I almost lost my head for a minute... phew! VERY tired tho, so making zero promises on grammar and/or content. I just got razzed by Amy and felt like I'd better blog something tonight. I think I'll go eat some grapes & then hit the hay! No wonder the numbers on the scale keep going up...

Geriatrics, Idiots & Construction – Oh my!

Aside from falling asleep at 3:20 am and waking up at 8 am, today started out pretty well. Since I was up late doing dishes (or rather blogging and watching Hoarders), I made my coffee last night so that all I had to do was turn on the pot this morning. First problem solved. I’m a firm believer that chance favors the prepared mind. Perhaps someday I’ll be a firm practicer instead of just a believer. Heh, I’ll put that on my list of things to get to, someday.

Anyhoo…

It became apparent while helping Sir Handsome the Hubster get ready for the upcoming wedding show that I would have to go to the store for supplies, namely mints. So, as Hub was getting ready to leave to help set up the show, I got Loodle ready to head to Wal-Mart.
I feel the need to preface the following section by saying that I have nothing against older folks. Matter of fact, I get older each day. I do have something against older folks that drive but shouldn’t. It IS possible to be TOO cautious and cause an accident as a result of said caution.
On the plus side, it wasn’t a weekend. So, the crowds were much better than they could have been. On the downside – it must have been National Geriatric Driving Day. (Damn it, I didn’t send out cards!) On 4 separate occasions I got stuck behind either someone far too old and cautious to still be driving or just a general idiot.

(Cranky + Tired + Hungry Kid) (Road Construction +Geriatrics + Idiots) = Cussing Mom

The formula might not be written correctly, but regardless how you work it out, the answer is still the same.

Wal-Mart went pretty well, aside from the fact that I had about 5 items on my list and came out having spent around $100 (biz purchase of $12, personal purchase of $88, the giant, GIANT hairdo I saw at Wal-Mart - Priceless). Really expected my husband to flip his ever-lovin’ lid, but he took it well. I didn’t get anything too extravagant. Most of it was groceries… and none of it wonderful-fatty-goodness snacks.

After working my way past geriatrics, idiots & construction (oh my) – we hit up the bank.

Loodle KNOWS the TRUE purpose of banks. They’re the place that you visit for a free sucker (just like all 7-11’s are called “Slurkee” and all Starbucks are “Cookie House”). She was all over the place in the bank and must have lost her hearing the moment we stepped thru the doors, because she didn’t listen to me once. So that must be why she didn’t hear me say, “Girls who don’t listen to their mommies don’t get suckers at the bank.”

So, the fact that she didn’t get a sucker didn’t register until we were leaving. And then the meltdown happened.

“Oh NO! My suckah, my suckah!”

“You weren’t a good girl, so you don’t get a sucker”

{Hysterical sobbing}

“What my gon do NOW?”

{More sobbing as car seat is buckled}

“Vers nuffing to DO!”

You see, my 2 year old isn’t turning 3 on her next birthday. She’s actually going to be 14. She constantly tells me, “Vers nuffing to do.” She also got on my case in Wally-world today saying (whilst holding up her hand like a crossing guard making traffic stop), “Don’t make me MAD!” She’s also got pelvic moves better than me. Okay, maybe not quite better than me, but better than me at 16. I can thank “Alex Madamasmar” for that (aka Alex the Lion from Madagascar). She also talks on the phone like a CHAMP. Not always the real phone, mind you. She’s very hot & cold with that. But, when she’s on her play phone, she’ll pace the floor, switch ears & use phrases that Mom & Dad use. Thankfully they’ve all been good so far.

~~~~~
Brief break for Loodle’s bath
~~~~~

Tonight whilst bathing my daughter, I discovered one of her new vocab words. She grabbed the colloidal oatmeal from under the cupboard and informed me, “It’s hell-fee” (that was ‘healthy’ – in Loodle speak) I mean, I know it helps soothe her poor, eczema ridden skin. But to hear that phrase coming from her mouth…

After the bath, she informs me of the following fact, “Mommy, you’re my best fwiend.”

And on that sweet note – I’ll close. Can’t compete with THAT!

Well... it's 'officially' tomorrow...

... and that means that I resisted the urge to blog twice in one day. It was hard, but I did it. What, you may wonder, was so exciting about my day that I felt the urge to shout it from... well, somewhere really great/high/exciting? Nothing. Not a thing. It just comes back to that 'obsessive' thing. Why, for the love of everything holy, can't this quirk manifest itself in the cleanliness of my home? {insert dejected sigh here}

Ah well. I digress.

So, as it turns out, getting overly jazzed on vitamins, caffeine & 5-Hour Energy kinda makes it hard to focus. Okay, okay... maybe I already knew that. I would love to be able to report that my house is in such a state that it's fit for Better Homes & Gardens or Real Simple (both of which I love). But it's not. I did get a few things done - laundry is mostly caught up, pantry is somewhat organized, dishes are done & folks can traverse the living room without breaking their necks (what can I say... I love to leave my Little People toys all over!), my bed has fresh sheets and my dining room table is cleared off. This may not seem like a lot to some... but it is for this gal.

Now, as a reward, I'm indulging in one of my other obsessions - Hoarders. It's an amazing show on TLC. Okay.. maybe I'm overselling it. I am fully fascinated with it. It kinda motivates me to clean. And, if I'm gonna be completely honest, it makes me feel like I don't do such a bad job at my housekeeping. No, I'm not judging these people. They have a disorder. I'm just saying that on the spectrum of embarrassingly messy houses, mine is on the pretty mild side.

In Loodle News - she fascinates me daily (daily occurrences aren't news, I know). Of course, all parents say that. I also know that it would be cliche' to say that she's extraordinary and different from other kids. The truth of the matter is that each person... adult or kid... is different from every other person on earth. What I can say with confidence is that I'm glad that I'm biologically wired to be fascinated with my kid. It would really suck to spend day after day (after day after day) with someone that I didn't love to the core of my very being. And I'm pretty much in love with this kid.

So... what, you may ask did she do that was so awe inspiring today? Well... we had about 45 minutes of 'whisper time.' Not because I was playing the quiet game. No... that wasn't the case. SHE instituted it. Any time I tried to talk above a whisper, she very firmly reminded me to be quiet. What this whole game tells me is that I might have a future quiet game champ on my hands. Score!

She also is somewhat under the weather. Something every parent hates to see. But... there's this part of me that really enjoys the extra cuddles I get when she's sick. And I like hearing her say, "I need you." Also on the plus side is the fact that she's only got the sniffles, which is nothing, really.

Yowza. It's been an hour since I started this blog. Guess that's what happens when watching TV, blogging and trying to stay awake. On that note, I think I'll head to bed. Heck, who knows if this blog even makes sense. I'll probably read it tomorrow and shake my head in shame. Oh well. :oP

This blog goes out to Amy, queen of the world.

Well... my fist blog is off to a wonderful start. When I SHOULD be cleaning, I hit "publish" on my blog and lose the whole dag-blasted thing. Crap. I'll never be as insightful as I was before. Ah well... here's the poor-man's version of my previously splendiferous entry:

Those of you who know me, know that I'm an obsessive sort of gal. This is not a fact that I'm proud of... but if you should chose to read this blog with any regularity, it will become apparent rather quickly. Thus, I'm just gonna put it right out there.

One of my more recent obsessions was with my friend Amy's blog. I found it rather fun to read as she's a very clever and witty lady. You should read it, too. Upon reading her entire blog history (again, I'm obsessive), I decided to do my own blog. And so, here we are.

Additionally, as I've finished Amy's blog (until she makes another entry... hint hint), I'm looking for my next obsession. Any volunteers???

(As I'm writing this, I'm increasingly bothered by the lost blog that I almost had published. This one is FAR more lame. Crap.)

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And on to my ever-exciting life....

Today is a day-o-cleaning in this house. Spring cleaning, no. Out of absolute necessity, somewhat. Truly, today I will clean because I've ingested artificial energy in order to get my hiney in gear. Thank goodness for B-vitamins, caffeine, and 5-Hour Energy. Yep. I may be a housewife, but I'll never claim to be good at it. So, I look for 'fake' energy in order to motivate myself to do the things that most people do on a daily basis.

Since I lost all the tasty nuggets that I had in my lost post, I feel that I need to close with something great. And... since I'm drawing a blank, I'm gonna steal one of Amy's techniques and close with something that my daughter said/did. Something that made my mommy-heart simultaneously melt, burst with pride & swell with love all at the same time. Enjoy!

(I'll set the scene - Loodle and I are playing with her play jewelry on the floor... specifically her rings.)

Loodle: With dis ring, I vee wed. (places a ring on my pinky)
Me: (smiles so wide my face started to split)