Weekend Recap

As promised, this post is to tell you about the fun part of the weekend. 
Friday night, Hans and I had a sleepover with Hayley because Mom & Dad were going to a concert.  We went to Taco Bell and came back to watch Hannah Montana Forever (jealous?) and then it was off to bed for Hayley.  I will say-Friday night was a turning point in our relationship (Hayley & me) due to the fact that this 11 year old girl looked me right in the eye and lied straight to my face... :(  I didn't like it at all, and the worst part of it all, was that it was such a silly thing to lie about.  I stepped out of the room to change into my PJ pants and when I came back into the living room, she quickly hid something behind her back...
to which I said, "What are you hiding?" 
Hay: "Nothing" 
Me: "Clearly it is something, so what is it" 
Hay: *sigh* "it's a pixie stick"  as she says this she produces a blue pixie stick and adds "but I haven't eaten any of it because it isn't open"
Me: "your mouth is blue so I know it is open and that you have been eating it."
As I say this she hangs her head as if to say "crap i just got caught" 
I proceeded to tell her how disappointed I am in her about the fact she just lied to me, and told her that I do not lie to her so I would appreciate it if she offered me the same respect and courtesy, and then told her that if she was going to lie about eating something, to make sure it isn't something that could a) dye your mouth (tongue, lips, cheeks, teeth, etc) or b) isn't all over her face (she is a very messy eater for an 11 year old-seriously-nacho cheese gets ALL over her face when she eats it-as seen at the aforementioned trip to Taco Bell). 
When I woke up Saturday I headed off to the gym for some training with Heather followed by Spin class at 9.  I was spent after that spin class!  Smelling ripe I headed out to Target so Hans and I could listed to the Cat In The Hat readings they were hosting at Target in honor of the Cat's birthday...afterwards (and after getting so fresh and so clean clean) we headed out for a lunch date with my mom to Chic-Fil-A (side bar-Hans is OBSESSED with the chic-she wants to eat it ALL OF THE TIME-every meal-when you ask her what she wants for lunch she says "Hmmm...Chicken-Fil-A" I think she might turn into a chicken one day).  After our lunch date we had to go to Walmart to get some Elmers Rubber Cement-why it had to be Elmers I don't know-I am pretty sure all of the brands do the same thing, but what do I know about glue products?  And of course, no trip to Walmart is EVER complete without a trip to the Poor Man's Aquarium

We have to say hello to all of the fish before we can start our shopping journey

I may or may not have purchased some Girl Scout Cookies for me Jason & Hannah during this trip as well...I told myself i wasn't going to eat any of them but that lasted for approximately 1.5 minutes into the car ride home because Hans asked for a cookie and those shortbreads were just calling my name!

Darn you cookie for being so delicious!



Saturday Night we headed out to watch the Charleston Stingrays play (local hockey team)  Dad decided that he didn't want to go because he had a late night the night before, so he stayed behind with Hannah who developed a nasty sounding cough after her nap following our earlier adventures...So Hay, Mom, Nick, Ashley, and myself headed out to dinner and a hockey game-we had a BLAST!!!  We decided to take a shuttle from the outlets (across the street from the coliseum where the Rays play) to the game so we didn't have to fight the parking situation.  Well the shuttle was what appeared to be the World's Oldest School bus...

Ashley does NOT appear happy to be riding the cheese again

Say (Riding the) Cheese!

I don't know why this still makes me laugh, but it does

Love my Nick

Ashley

Hay & Mom being silly

A 7th grade marching band performed after the first period

This little boy did a dance to Beat It-it was awesome!

For the Record-Nick is making the Bunny Ears-I am only Cheesin it up behind Megan

Malanos Mania

Casey & Big Poppa

Cara & Ellen

This picture isn't that dark on my camera so I am not sure what happened here-sorry Kayla and Benji

The Carlisles crashed the party too!

Like I said-we had an awesome time at the game.  When Hans woke up Sunday her cough had gotten much worse so I decided we were going to go to the doctor...6 hours later we were advised that my baby has the flu :(  to make it worse, there are only 2 pharmacies in my area that have the medicine the doctor wrote the script for, so it took a long time to get to the store, and while we were waiting for it to be filled, Hans threw up all over me and the isle of Walgreens...she looked at me and said "Mommy, I'm so sick"  I literally started crying right there.  I felt awful for her. 

When we got home, I gave her a bath and tried to give her her meds in the bath tub (hey, before you judge, her tummy was already upset and if this bad smelling medicine was going to make it worse, I figured it would be easier to clean up if she was already in the bath tub...) So she gets it and won't swallow it!  She cheeks it and holds it there until her mouth is so full of meds/drool that it just starts coming out of her mouth...and she looked at me and said "That's gross, Mommy"  (This was after Hubs asked if he could pinch her nose and rub her throat to get her to swallow it-um no Hubs, she is not a dog.)  Hubs tried to force her to take it Monday morning which caused her to projectile vomit all over the place, and, subsequently, she refuses to take any kind of medicine...not even the "good" tasting Tylenol or Motrin...it doesn't matter what we mix it with...*sigh* so we visited her real doctor today and she told us to wait it out, and gave us an orange flavored medicine for her cough to help her to have restful sleep-which Hubs mixed with her apple juice and she is drinking it as I type-maybe she will kick this flu a little faster now that she will be getting a little more rest!

I hate when she is sick-the weather is so nice she only wants to go to the park and play

Who Has 2 Thumbs and the Flu?

I hope you all had a great weekend (more about the weekend outings in a later post).  Mine started out nice, and then ended rather sadly, as my Hannah officially has the flu-and it kills me to see he so sad and helpless-she is like an Eeyore when he loses his tail. 








1. What are you wearing right now?
Anytime I hear/read that question I always laugh a little because it sounds a little stalkerish... but none the less, I am wearing a black dress with thin white horizontal stripes on it (or maybe it is White with thick black stripes...hmmm...I am going with black because it isn't appropriate to bring out the white just yet) with a 3/4  sleeve black jacket and RED heels...I like to give a little color punch with my shoes.

 2. Do you have any freckles?
Not in the Pippi-Longstocking-a funny freckled face girl-kind of way-but I have a few freckels here and there, and Hannah never fails to point them out

 3. What is your favorite Lifesaver flavor?
I am going with red...but I really don't eat them all that much

 4. What is the last movie you saw in the theater?
Saw in a theater?  Wow...it has been quite a while since I have done that...so long, that I think it was Baby Mama...I can't think of one I have seen that is more recent than that-if it wasn't for my Netflix, I would never be able to watch movies that don't involve Curious George, Nemo or some other underwater critter...

5. Would you rather live without tv or without music?
TV...hands down, I don't think I would make it too long without music...and if I chose music, does that mean that there wouldn't be any music on my TV?  I am interested to see how that would work...guess that means no more Glee...also, am I still able to watch my shows on hulu-it isn't  technically tv at that point...

Join in on the Meet Me Monday On Monday Madness with Java!

ATTENTION WORLD

I got my VERY FIRST Award today!  WOOT WOOT!
(If you are reading this, I hope you are picturing me doing a dance and fist pumping-because that is what is happening-also if you are reading this THANKS for stopping by!)

Thank you Emily P for the Award!!!

Rules – Fill out the following survey & then tag some folks..

1. Who/What inspires you?

Well, my dad.  My dad lives by a few simple rules and they are: Do the right thing, even when no one is looking, and I know, first hand, that my dad does this, and when I was growing up, I always wanted to make sure anything I did would not cause the "parental look of disapproval" from my dad.  2:2:1 What is that ratio you might be asking yourself-well I heard it so much growing up that it is cemented in my brain-God gave us 2 eyes, 2 ears and only 1 mouth for a reason, so you should be extra observant, listen that much closer and make sure you know what you want/need to say before saying it. 

Also, My Aunt Susie is an inspiration to me.  Susie is a fighter.  in 2000 she found out that she had breast cancer...I was shocked, I couldn't believe it, here she was in her early 30's (and she even found out on her birthday to top it off...) and people that young just don't get breast cancer!  After a tough battle, Susie beat the cancer-she was NOT going to let it beat her!  Susie is also a proud member of the Army.  After her battle against the cancer, Susie got orders that she was deploying to "The Sandbox."  Again I couldn't believe it!  How could this woman put up the fight of her life, only to have to turn around and go fight for our rights in another country?!?!  While she was deployed she coordinated a Breast Cancer Walk for the other actively deployed people in her "area."  She is incredible, and seriously my eyes are watering right now as I am typing this blog.  I only hope that one day, I am as strong as my aunt Susie has proven to be, time and time again.

2. What is your favorite season and why?
My favorite Season is Fall!  I love when the weather is cool enough to wear jeans and a hoodie (this was my general "uniform" when I was in school) but not so cold that you feel like your fingers have turned into icicles.  The leaves change colors so it makes the traffic during the morning/afternoon commutes just a little more bearable, and it means the Holiday season is just around the corner!


3. What are you looking most forward to this year?
Hmmmm...honestly I am looking forward to getting to my goal weight.  I have been working on reaching different goal weights for a few years now, but this year, I am GOING TO reach my ULTIMATE goal weight-and I don't care what it takes.  When I reach it, I am rewarding myself with Lasik for my eyes...I can't wait!!!  I am also looking forward to July 4th.  Hannah loves and I mean (LOVES) fireworks and the beach and July 4th this year = 3 day weekend and we will most definitely be making a trip to the beach AND watching fireworks.


4. If you could write a book about anything, what would it be about?
Me of course!  Wait-did you just roll your eyes, as if to say you wouldn't be interest in reading about me and my life?  You know I am awesome...I would probably write a book about the things no one ever tells you but EXPECTS you to know or ASSUMES that you already knew...like in labor and delivery-Everyone talks about how AMAZING the epidural is, but no one EVER bothers to mention how ridiculously painful it is when they stick you with that needle...they just just assume you already knew it...or how if you just get yourself a little zippered lingerie bag and put your baby's wee socks in it, you will never have to worry about the dryer monster eating the little socks like it does to yours.  (Seriously, I know there are probably 10000 unmatched socks in dryer limbo, where ever that may be.)  Or how If an elderly gentleman backs into your car and says he didn't know it happened, then we clearly can't hold him responsible for that, even if it happened in broad day light, with witnesses and the paint of your car is on his bumper...(still a bit bitter) things like that...


5. What is your greatest passion?
Hannah hands down.  She is what I live for.  The best part of my day is when I get to leave work and go see her.  I love her-Someone once said that To choose to have a child is to choose to watch your heart walk around outside of your body for the rest of your life...I agree.  I hope that I never let her down and that I give her all of the things she needs in life to be successful and has no regrets about anything. 

Always #1 in my eyes!

Before Hannah it was helping others as much as I possibly could.  I like to help other people-it is a simple as that.  If I can donate something, some time, or some money, to help ease the burdens of someone else, I am happy to do it.


6. If you could change one thing about your life or yourself, what would it be.
Boy this is tough...I would like to have more control over when my face turns red...seriously.  It turns BRIGHT red all of the time...it is embarrassing.  I hate to be put on the spot-which happens a lot-so my face is frequently red at work...and people do not hesitate to call you out for it.  (My other thing would be to reach my Goal weight, but I already mentioned that above)
7. Lastly, what is your favorite novel?

I don't really have a favorite novel...I have books that I like to read, but lately, I don't have much time to read for fun-Hannah keeps me pretty busy.  I do enjoy Jane Green and James Patterson (specifically the Alex Cross series) books though

As for the tagging part, this is tricky, as sadly, I don't have many followers (hoping to change that this year!) but I will tag some of the blogs that I try to keep up with so here goes:

http://charlestonladiesyearofchange.blogspot.com/
http://ababblingbrunette.blogspot.com/
http://penniespoundsandponderings.blogspot.com/
http://fromatozmylifeasad.blogspot.com/

Thanks again Emily!



No One Brings Cabbage To Work For A Mid-Morning Snack.

It's FRIIIIIIIIDAAAAAAAYYYY!!!! This morning, the sun was out, though I have heard that we are in for some thunderstorms this afternoon-which can't be good for the commute home-people forget how to drive in the rain-I mean-it could be just a very slight mist on your windshield and all of a sudden people don't know where the brake pedal is r how to steady their steering wheels...I digress-IT'S FRIDAY-and because of that let's jump into Five Question Friday!

1. Can you drive a stick shift?

Heck yeah I can.  When I was a Junior in high school my dad told me that the only way I was going to be able to drive to school was if I learned to drive Cole (yes, I name my cars...).  Cole was a Honda Civic hatch back which also happened to be a stick shift.  I tried to fight it KNOWING that Bessie was still in the driveway (Oldsmobile) and was very functional, but no, Pops said learn to drive Cole (and change the oil & tires on it-It was Pops' policy that I had to learn to do those things on any car I wanted to drive-because if you don't know how to provide basic maintenance on the vehicle it you shouldn't be driving it...) or I was riding the Bus-WHAT?!?! Ride the Cheese as a High School Junior?  No Way...  The day before the first day of school we went out and practiced-and on the first day of school I was stalling out zooming off in Cole...it was a rough ride at times, but I now am appreciative that Pops made me learn to drive a manual vehicle-because I can be a DD for anyone no matter what type of transmission is in their car :)


2. What are two foods you just can't eat?

Bananas-blech I hate bananas-I hate way the smell, the texture, the taste the gross peel that people tend to throw anywhere they please when they have finished eating the nasty thing...they turn brown and look gross and become mushy-ew, they are just awful.  I can smell a banana if anyone in the office is eating one or has eaten and the silly peel is still in their trash can.  I am practically gagging thinking about it.  As for one other food I can't eat...steamed/boiled cabbage...blech...I had to eat that when I was younger and I remember going over to a friend's house after dinner, and while we were playing, I threw up...all over the place, multiple times, and the only thing I can think that caused it was the cabbage my mom served with dinner...and told me I would be sitting at the table until all of it was gone...there is nothing like cooked cabbage that is cold...ew...I think this is worse than the bananas-except no one brings cabbage to work for a mid morning snack.

3. Do you buy Girl Scout Cookies? What is your favorite kind?
We do order them.  I am a fan of the lemon ones, myself.  I love most anything that is lemon flavored.  I do also love a tag-a-long and a shortbread cookie...mmmm shortbread....Hubs is a fan of the Samoas-so that makes for a lot of cookies to purchase, and one (or 3 ) happy Girl Scouts.

4. How do you pamper yourself?
Pedicure-I LOVE LOVE LOVE a pedicure.  It is so relaxing to sit back in a massaging chair, put my feet in the warm foot jacuzzi and have someone rub my feet-and then when I leave my toes are presentable and I can wear my beloved flip flops again without feeling self conscious about the fact that people are judging my chipped polish or ashy heels...

5. What is your nickname and how did you get it?
I have a few.  Boo Boo or Uubs-came from Hubs.  ELOP cam from Melinda- Those would be all of my initials if I hyphenated my last name when I got married.  Mary calls me Eeyore-Because my maiden name startes with Or...and the first letter of my first name is an E...E-or=Eeyore.  Those are pretty much it as far as nick names go for me.

Join in the FQF Fun with Mama M!

{one} do you always wear your seat belt in the car?

Yes...when I am driving or am riding in the front seat. When I am in the backseat, I sometimes don't, but I am pretty sure the law states that you only have to wear it in the front seat, so at least I am a law abiding citizen...

{two} do you crack your knuckles?

Sometimes. When I was younger, I did ALL of the time, now, I only do it when they hurt or accidentally.

{three} what is your favorite flavor of gum?

Spearmint...specifically Extra Sugar Free Spearmint (I am pretty sure I sound like a Biggest Loser Plug right now)

{four} what is your favorite piece of jewelry that you own?

Well...I would have to say it is a 3 way tie (is that cheating? The tie is a set worn together so to me it is like one piece) My wedding ring, engagement ring and my thanks for having my baby ring, I wear them all stacked on my left ring finger, and when all 3 aren't there, I feel naked.

{five} who is your best friend?

Hubs-He knows everything about me-I look forward to seeing him everyday (and at the risk of sounding SUPER cheesy) I am so blessed to have found and married by best friend

{six} what is your favorite smell?
Fresh Laundry or Acqua De Gio by Georgio Armani-this smells AMAZING and I can tell when any man is wearing it...ahhhh...

{seven} what is your favorite lunch meat?
Turkey... or Roast Beef...really it is a toss up between the 2, I don't really each much lunch meat though

{eight} do you still have your tonsils?

Why yes I do...there isn't much that I was born with that I am without today :) (even baby fat...or at least that is what I call it)

{nine} do you untie your shoes before you take them off?
Well...I rarely wear shoes that require tying laces to wear...but when I do, no, I don't untie them first.  I probably should though because when I take my shoes off after working out at the gym I just put them straight into my gym bag.  The next day when I go to put them back on it takes a good 2-3 minutes to untie them and put them on again, which, sometimes, causes me to be late for training sessions with Heather...and late=nothing good for me!  All that being said, will I start untying them when I take them off from now on...probably not-hey I am a creature of habit!

{ten} what color is your car?
Red...and oddly enough, so part of the bumper of Mr. Smith's car, even though he claims he didn't know he hit me (click here to read about why I sound just a wee bit bitter-and to see the pretty red color of my car)...but I love a red car.  Hubs' car is a red color too.  (Though I am pretty sure he picked the color of his car to show his undying Gamecock support-I picked mine because it is pretty)

You can join in the Wee Bit Wednesday fun with My Leigh Ashley too!

What I'm Loving Wednesday

The last few days, the weather here has been BEAUTIFUL...until today-it is like someone turned on the A/C outside...oh well- here we go with this week's installment of What I'm Loving Wednesday!

1.) I am loving the aforementioned BEAUTIFUL weather we have been having here lately-when I got in my car yesterday, my dashboard said it was 80 degrees-and it brought a smile to my face

2.) When you are in your car and a song comes on the radio and it makes you smile because it brought you back to an old memory.  This just happened to me and it made me think of my dear friend Alana (or Alama or Anala or LanieBoo or whatever else I felt like calling her that day)  Sadly the last time I saw her was at her wedding but she looked beautiful so here is a picture from her wedding-I miss her terribly and all of the fun we used to have "back in the day."

Kristen, Alana, Erin & Me.

3. Starbucks Vanilla Latte...I know, it isn't a very exciting drink, but it is delicious none the less and I love it!

4. Flowers...Flowers are starting to bloom here (due to the AMAZING weather) and I love them...My favorite is a Stargazer Lily as seen below



5. As usual, My Hannah.  This week, specifically because she was selected as a Star Student of her class and she received her award this week.  I am so proud of her!  She was so excited to see Hubs and me at the ceremony that she did not want to sit with her class when the presentation was over. 



So excited that she got a pencil, sticker, certificate & medal :)



Love her!

So excited about her new Medal!

Join in the WILW fun with Jamie

Clothes Don't Grow-Kids Do

If you read my previous post (thanks in advance for keeping up with me) then you saw a reference to me making a (traumatic) trip to the Post Office to send a package for thredUp.  If you did not read my previous post, I strongly encourage you to do so (for selfish reasons in that I want you to read what I blog about, that's why I blog...) or you can just take my word for it that thredUP is mentioned in the blog...your choice.  Any how, Saturday I sent a thredUP package.  Now, you might be asking yourself "What is thredUP?"  Well if you are a parent (and by that I don't mean a parent to pets-sorry) then you should be interested in reading further...if you aren't a parent, you can still read, but you might not be as interested...so if I am losing you here, thanks for stopping by for a minute :)

If you have kids, you know that they grow out of their clothes practically before you have time to remove the tags and wash them.  Hannah has tubs and tubs of clothes that she has outgrown, and we, of course, saved them just in case Baby #2 happened to be a girl as well, but if you read one of my previous posts, you know that Jason and I have decided that our family is perfect just the way it is...so now we need to find something to do with all of her "old" clothes (how old can they be, I mean she is only 2...)  I went out and did some research and stumbled across thredUP. 

Very simply put, thredUP works like this: create an account, pick a box you like, pay $5 plus shipping, prepare a box of items that no longer fit your child, when someone picks your box, send it for free.

thredUP sends you the boxes for you to pack-I received 10 medium flat rate boxes in the mail, and you fill them with the clothes your child(red) has/have outgrown.  It is super easy.  The person who selects your box pays for the shipping costs so all you have to do is send it, and you can even have your mail carrier pick it up from your front door so if you can't make your way to the Post Office, the pick up is scheduled for you!  It really couldn't be easier!

The more boxes you post, the more you can choose from other people's boxes.  The person selecting the box gets to rate & review your box based on style and quality/quantity of the clothes in each box. As previously mentioned, I built a box, and literally 5 minutes after I posted it for others to view, it was selected! (I firmly believe this was due to the excellent description I provided for each item in the box-and it was PACKED) I don't want to toot my own horn, but (toot toot!) I was awarded 4 stars and 10 stylie points (max points in both categories) by the person who selected my very first box.  thredUp has a Golden Rule and it is "Send only what you'd be willing to receive."

I chose a box and it arrived within a few days, and I loved all of the clothes in it. 

If you find yourself in a similar situation with the clothes, please check out thredUP and join in the trading fun.