All the randomness you can handle

I have issues with words that end in "le". I always want to switch it to "el". Such as handle (handel), candle, (candel), sandle, (sandel), vandal - just kidding on that last one.

I can never spell the word “definitely” right on the first try. I always spell it “d-e-f-i-n-a-t-e-l-y”. It never fails, thank goodness for spellcheck!

I am a failure at getting up early and staying awake. Taylor has to leave the house every morning at 6:40 am to get on the bus. I have set my alarm to 6 am, but always turn it off. I end up waking up at 6:30 and send him out the door with a hug and kiss, but then I return to bed and don't get up for another 2 hours.

I have had the urge to go shopping a lot lately. I don’t care where (give me Goodwill or the mall), but I just find pleasure in looking at things, and even more when I buy them. But sometimes, if I’ve spent more than usual, I get home and have buyers’ remorse. And it doesn't help that we are in the market for a new table and chair set, living room set, and bedroom set. But that's a whole other post.

I did order a sweet new pair of running shoes. I hope to get them in the next few days. I need to break them in before I run a 5 mile race on Sept. 6^th. My husband will be running the same race with me and I am hoping to kick his butt, but don’t tell him that, even though he reads my blog and all. A little friendly competition is always good. Bring it baby!

I love the sound of a clock ticking when the house is quiet. But it shouldn’t be this quiet right now. Crap – I better go check on the boys.

Oh – they’re fine. They’re playing in the garage since it’s raining out. Those two sure have become good play buddies since we've moved. Sure, they have their moments, but it's so wonderful to see them having a good time together and giggling. It makes my heart happy.

Both Taylor and Carson started school this week and it is going really good. Every morning Carson gets up and takes a bath on his own. He says he has to be clean for school. Works for me, but we'll see how long it lasts. Luke starts a 2 day a week preschool program next week. We're trying to get him excited, but he seems a bit hesitant. Even my hubby is starting school in a few weeks. He is going for his MBA which is awesome. As for me, I will be the supporter and homework checker. I am content with that.

Tonight is going to be a fun one for Taylor and Jason. They have front row tickets to the final pre-season Browns vs Bears football game here in Cleveland. And they are on the Bears goal line - I am a bit jealous. I asked Taylor who he'll be cheering for and he said he is going to wear both his Browns and Bears jerseys and switch with each team that's in the lead. Such a true fan. It will be televised and I believe it starts at 7:30 (eastern time).

This past weekend we traveled back to our hometown and enjoyed some family time and a date night. I had my first Chipotle Mexican Grill experience and can easily say I am hooked. I had no idea how delicious and filling a fresh burrito could be. Then we saw Jim Gaffigan perform. Our seats were great (4th row) and we enjoyed the show. I think the best part of that day was running into Beth and Brian and being able to visit with them. Oh, how I miss that girl!

And on the way home we stopped (one too many times - again another post) at a rest stop and I saw the strangest thing in the front seat of a car next to us. Now tell me that isn't weird. Freaky, eh?

Protecting my lawn ornaments

I had an interesting conversation with a 5 year old neighbor boy today. He came over to play with Carson and while we were outside the boy asked what this particular statue was.



















"It's a gargoyle lawn ornament." I told him.

"Wow - Who told you that?" The boy asked.

"Well, I suppose the person who gave this to me did. It's supposed to watch over the garden and scare bad people and things away." I responded.

And the boy replies, "Well, if it tried to scare me I'd kick it in the balls! And that would hurt!"

And to that comment I had no response but to turn around and get Carson before he saw me cracking up.

Wordless Wednesday - door graffiti

If you're going to to do graffiti, at least don't sign your name to it!

And if you look closely underneath he even wrote the word "No."

At least it was only done in pencil.

For more Wordless Wednesday participants, click here.

The Exam

It seems to be official. It looks like I may be an actual resident of Ohio now. I have been diligently transferring car titles, plates, registration, registering to vote, and just this past week I ran out of checks and when I opened the next box it contained ones with our new Ohio address.

The last thing on my to-do list was to apply for an Ohio license. I didn't realize how much work it entailed. They make all out of state applicants take a written exam.

As in a test.

I hate tests. They make my anxiety level rise, so needless to say, I have been putting it off. I had been reading the manual on and off for the past 3 weeks, so I got a little studying under my belt. The only place that had a testing site was a half hour away. So me and the boys made a day of it. But first I had to get this test out of the way. I should have thought about the fact that the boys hadn't eaten yet and they would have to sit quietly while I plugged away at the exam. Not an easy task for 3 boys who have ants in their pants and like to make fart noises when it's supposed to be quiet. Embarrassing? Yes. I did take them to lunch afterwards and we made it to 2 animal shelters to visit the doggies.

But, back to the test. It had a total of 40 questions and in order to pass you could not miss more than 11. The test was done on a touch screen computer and it would tell you after each question you answered whether or not it was correct before the next question was presented. Each time I would answer one wrong, I would jump a bit in my seat and a swear word would slip out under my breath. I felt the pressure rise. Apparently, I didn't study well enough because I ended up missing 7. But, I did pass (at 70%) and I am now the owner of an Ohio drivers license with a very blurry picture on it.

Hey, I even told the truth about my height and weight. That should have earned me some bonus points!

Reality check please

It’s just been one of those days. You know, the one’s where you sit and think of where you’d rather be. These moments tend to get me emotional. And tonight was no exception.

The kids were running me ragged throughout the day, I woke up with a headache, and started my period. What a way to start the day.

Tonight I came outside to watch the boys play and drown my sorrows with a bottle glass of wine. I was sitting there feeling sorry for myself when the tears started to flow. And wouldn’t you know it, Luke starts to scream and cry. I look over and he’s holding up his foot (in which he’s not wearing any shoes or socks). I instantly knew what had happened.

About 5 minutes earlier, I let the dog out to do her deed. Normally I take her on a walk every night where she relieves herself, thus leaving our yard nice and poop-free. Well, tonight Jason had a business dinner and I wasn’t about to take 3 kids (who have been driving me batty) with me around the block, so I let her use our yard to crap in.

Do you see where this is going yet?

Sure freakin’ enough – Luke stepped right smack dab in her one and only fresh pile of poop. Of our whole half acre of yard, Sasha poops in a 3 x 3 in. square section and ironically Luke ends up stepping in that same exact location. What are the chances? Well, that turned my tears into hysterical laughter while Luke continued his sobbing.

What a reality check. I might feel sad and alone at times, but at least I didn’t step in a pile of hot poop!

Well, excuse me.

Taylor and Carson came outside with new white socks on and no shoes. I yell at them and ask why they are wearing brand new white socks outside. Carson looks at me like I'm an idiot (I get this look all the time) and says, "No Mom. They're not White Sox, they are Chicago Bears socks."

My bad.

What do I need? Let's find out.

This looked like a lot of fun so I thought I'd play along. I first saw this on Teresa's blog Living the Army Wife Life. If you would like to play along just Google your first name and add the word 'needs' to see what it comes up with.

Lynette needs:
1) new glasses (yep - that's in the process of being taken care of.)

2) help with pit (as in bull, as in the dog breed. And yes, true, I need help to stop me from wanting to adopt one- they are so cute!)

3) to put him in a nursing home (who the heck are we talking about here?)

4) pure oxygen (some days that feels so true.)

5) to get a grip on her vanity (Really? Naw!)

6) pampering (y'all read my mind!)

7) to drive now (sweet home Indiana - here I come!)

8) a lobotomy (a bit extreme if you ask me.)

9) more balls (last time I checked I was a girl, now if we're talking about toys - I'm up to my ears in balls. That sounded really bad, didn't it?)

10) to look on the bright side (I like this one - good one to end on!)

The last days of summer

Yes, the last week of summer break is here. I am looking forward to getting the boys (and I suppose myself) back on a schedule. I have enjoyed the sleeping in, but I haven't enjoyed the boys at each others throats. They need school. They need it now. Mom needs her sanity back.

Since these are the last few days of "freedom" as Taylor would call it, I have decided to make the best of them. First we packed up our lunch and had a picnic next to the lake and then we made our way down to the beach front. (You'll have to excuse the quality as this was taken with my camera phone.)























We pretty much had the beach to ourselves which was nice, that way I could yell at my kids without the usual audience. I kid, I kid - there was minimal yelling. When the boys are at the beach they are transformed into happily contented children. I look at them and think, whose kids are these? They are playing together and not fighting (90% of the time). It is actually fun to watch. I forgot to bring the sand toys, but they were okay with that and ended up collecting sticks, rocks, feathers, and garbage. They were being very creative while playing with what they had found. I have noticed that the few beaches I have found around our area do not have much sand. That was a hard realization for me since I am used to The Dunes - there is no comparison.




















Today I was planning on taking the kids to a few parks in our town, but it doesn't look like the forecast is going to cooperate. Therefore, it looks like we're off to see a movie at the theater and maybe hit the mall for some shopping afterwards.

For the rest of the week I have a few ideas up my sleeve. Some of which include a visit to our county fair, a visit to an animal shelter, mini golf and driving range, roller skating, shopping for more furniture, and a trip back to our old hometown to see my favorite comedian, none other than Mr. Jim Gaffigan.

Getting used to the changes

Since moving to Ohio almost 2 months ago I have noticed things here that are different from Indiana. There are things that I have never heard of before such as a clambake, which I still really don't know what it is, but it sounds disgusting.

Also something new and a brilliant idea if you ask me is a drive through liquor store. No, I am serious. It is similar in style to a car wash, without any of the machinery, just whatever type of alcohol you want. You drive your car in one side, place your order, they put it in your car for you, and then you drive out - after paying of course.

Then there is the grocery store experience. One store in particular does not allow grocery carts to leave the store. I realized this as I was pushing the cart out of the store loaded with groceries. Oops, but no one stopped me. They have a separate parcel pick up area. When you're done shopping, you take the cart filled with your groceries to the drop off area where they give you a number to hang on your car window. Then you pull up in your car, hand them the number and they load your groceries for you - for no extra cost and they don't expect a tip.

It seems that this state is becoming a bit lazy or is the better word convenience? You be the judge.

While in a different grocery store, which had an amazing wine section, I was heading to the check out lanes and noticed a sign above which read, "No Candy Lane." At first I was confused what that could possibly mean and then it dawned on me that another brilliant idea was to help us parents out who are shopping with children. You can check out in this lane and not have to worry about your kids pestering you for a candy bar, etc. This store also had a daycare in the front, which I am not sure how it worked. Apparently, you can drop your kids off (for a nominal fee) while you grocery shop. I would SO pay for that service. I wonder if a mom is the owner of this particular chain of grocery store? Daycare service, no candy lane, enormous wine department. Yes, a mother has to be the brains behind this place.

We visited a local ice cream shop which has the best peanut butter cup sundaes. Holy cow! And look what they have hanging from the wall. Creepy - just a bit.














Another place we went to check out was a mini golf family fun park center. It was a bit outdated and I was confused and frightened by the mechanical old lady in a rocking chair who was missing a finger. She had the creepiest hollow looking eyes that would follow you when her head turned. It just wasn't right I tell you. I kept waiting for her to jump out at us or start talking like an evil witch.















We have some pretty decent shopping around here. Although there is no Menards. The closest one is over 100 miles away. Same with IKEA - that one is over 200 miles away. But I do have these two stores - and they happen to be neighbors which makes me very happy.















And speaking of, I need to get my butt out the door. Old Navy is having their summer clearance sale today. I'm off to find some bargains!

I like mine strong and sweet!

Did you think I was talking about my man? Well, that's partly true, but guess again.

I’m referring to drinks. And my latest drink of choice is none other than the McDonald’s $1 large sweet tea. It’s highly addictive, caffeinated, sweet and easy on the wallet. I was a bit shocked to find out it has 230 calories for the large 32 oz. Ouch! But, I have figured out how to make my own crack sweet tea at home by the gallon. Here’s how:

· 8 cups boiling water

· 8 regular size tea bags

· 1 ½ - 1 ¾ cups sugar

Boil the water and remove from heat. Steep the tea bags for 5 minutes. Add sugar and stir well. Transfer the tea & sugar concentrate to a gallon size pitcher and fill with cold water, stir to combine, refrigerate. Serve over a tall glass of ice.

Heavenly!

Warped & Twisted

Taylor bought a web cam using some of his birthday money. There are a lot of cool features to it. Countless hours have been spent by my boys entertaining themselves. Here are a few examples.





You gotta love technology!

Wordless Wednesday

My son's desperation...........

For more Wordless Wednesday participants click here.

Psycho eyes

This past weekend I had my annual eye exam. Being that we moved and all, I had to find a new optometrist. Since the fifth grade I have worn glasses and was going to the same eye doctor until the last 2 years when he opened his own practice and no longer was covered under my insurance. I didn't mind so much having to find a new doctor. But the crazy thing was at this appointment was the very first time I have ever had my eyes dilated. Yes, 20 years or so of wearing glasses and not once have I ever experienced enlarged pupils. And when I say enlarged, I mean mammoth proportions! It was very freaky. Take a look yourselves. That's right, click on the picture if you need to and you'll see just what I am talking about. Insane. Downright psycho!

This lasted for a good 5 hours or so. My vision was very blurry and my eyes were very sensitive to light. Good thing I had my appointment at high noon on a cloud free bright and sunny day! Oh yes, that was a fun drive home by myself. I attempted to shield my eyes from the burning rays of sun by wearing 2 pairs of sunglasses. Yeah, I was a fashion statement. Then I remembered when I used to go to a tanning bed that I still had my eye protective goggles in the van. So I pulled those babies out and it was magical, except the way I looked of course. But I didn't care. Whatever it would take to get me home. And it was a good thing I knew my way home and didn't have to rely on street signs or I would have been in real trouble.

What's one of the first things I did when I got home? You would think I would have gone in a dark room for a nap and let the dilation wear off. Nope, not me. I decided to make homemade cookies. You should have seen me trying to read the recipe. Here I am holding it close to my face, which just made it more blurry and then holding it as far out as I can guessing that my measurements would do. The cookies turned out just fine.

After those were done, there was still so much day left and it was a beautiful one so we didn't want to waste it. What better to do after getting your pupils dilated then to spend it outside at a local county fair. So, that' what we did. Luckily the dilation was starting to wear off so I didn't have to completely embarrass my family by walking around with tanning goggles on. I sure would have fit in with some of the other freak shows that were there.

Three's a charm.

Before we had kids I never really thought about the kind of family I wanted to have or how many kids, if any, I was hoping for.

It was the unexpected that blessed us with our first born son. Becoming parents at such a young age had it's advantages and disadvantages. I felt that being a mom came naturally to me, or maybe I was ignorant, but I didn't seem to freak out with the newness that came with a newborn. I just went with the flow and I have very fond memories of our early days of becoming parents. Even if Jason and I and our new baby made our start living in the bedroom I grew up in, we still felt like a family, an unexperienced family, but none the less, the 3 of us were making our start.

The years went by, we went from renting an apartment, to buying our first house together, and having an only child that hung out with adults all day was starting to stir up feelings of wanting another baby. By this time Taylor was getting ready to turn five and I wanted him and his sibling to be somewhat close in age. I felt Taylor could use a playmate and selfishly was hoping to add a daughter to the family. It would round things out nicely and we'd be done. The perfect family of 4 plus dog.

But, then again, those were my plans and ideas, and I have come to realize that I am not in control of what is to come. I figured since it was so easy, and quite frankly way too easy, to get pregnant the first time without even making a conscious effort, then this time around would be a breeze. I remember going into my yearly ob appointment thinking for sure I was pregnant and when they gave me the test and it came back negative I was honestly devastated. How could it be? I was convinced that I was pregnant. So we were back to trying, which you know, isn't bad, but when you're on a quest to conceive, it puts a whole new perspective on things.

The next month approaches, and I anticipate a visit from aunt flo since I had no hopes or feelings of being pregnant. She didn't arrive. I took a pregnancy test and sure enough, I was pregnant again. When we didn't expect it - there it was. I was so excited and couldn't wait to share the news. When we went to the ultrasound and found out we were having another boy, I was happy, yet at the same time my hopes for a girl were taken away. I had to snap back to reality and be grateful that we were able to get pregnant, and also that a healthy baby was growing and would soon enter this world.

The arrival of Carson was explosive. I was scheduled to be induced the next day, but we barely made it to the hospital on time the morning before, and 45 minutes later he made his appearance. That is just like Carson. He does things on his terms. He can be such a difficult boy at times, but then I see his independence and realize that him and I have so much in common. I just hope he can use this positively and to his advantage as he grows older.

Our family was now a foursome. A very nice foursome too. Taylor had a sibling that I wanted him to have. But there was still that lingering thought in my head. What would it be like to have a girl? How cute would she be? How much could I and the grandparents spoil her? These thoughts would not go away. And I thought that I had a good chance that if we were to have one more child, it would have to be a girl. I came from a family where I had 2 older brothers and then came me, and my dad's family had 2 boys and then a girl. The odds looked good, so after much discussion we began our attempt for Jaylyn.

Well, as you all know, our Jaylyn turned into Luke. But I couldn't be more excited to be a mommy to my 3 boys. They are a blessing in our lives. I may not think it every moment of every day, but I am so glad that my plans and ideas of the "perfect" family were very different than what they turned out to be.

Now when people ask me when we are going to try for a girl, I look at them like they have bugs crawling out of their head. We are done and have made sure of that.

I'll just be waiting for those granddaughters, you know, the ones I never was able to give to my parents and in-laws.

Yeah, this is my house at the moment.

From the looks of it, one would think someone had come and ransacked our house.

But don't be concerned, it's just the messes that my 3 children create day in and day out.

I am so tired of picking up after them, that, as a matter of fact, I have stopped.

I am going to pick up my own messes from now on, you know the kitchen and bedroom.

That's it.

These kids need to learn how to clean up after themselves and actually care about their belongings.

Who the heck am I kidding? I can't believe I am blogging right now when my house is a disaster.

I am a compulsive cleaner - there I said it. Do you know how hard it was to post these horrible messy pictures of my house? I prefer it to always look like this. But then again, I have no life.

Will this pattern ever end? Some things never change.

More "kid" sayings for you.

Here is another installment of the things my boys say, and I threw a couple in there from a few adults. I have been keeping track of them in a notebook which I take along with me in my purse. We were out to lunch the other day at the Cheesecake Factory (don't hate me!) and to help keep Luke from poking the people in the head who were sitting in the booth behind us, I had him draw in this notebook. As any 3 year old, he had to fill up every page in the book with his doodles, I mean artwork. So, before I lose these documented kid sayings to more graffiti, I better type them up here for you all to enjoy.

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We were in the hair salon and Carson was being his usual "drive-Mom-crazy" self. As we were walking out he asked, "Mom, was I bad, but not that bad?"

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Carson was trying to find his shoes and we were in a hurry. I could sense his frustration and he announced it by saying, "Oh Barnacles!" Looks like he's been watching one too many Spongebob episodes.

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In our new neighborhood we have a few ponds that have fountains spraying water out of them. We were driving past one and there was a house on the corner that had a nice back porch that went right up to the water. Carson commented by saying, "Wouldn't it be cool to sit there and watch the pond and drink wine?" He knows me too well!

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We arrived at the gym, parked the car and was getting ready to cross the street. There was a car approaching with it's windows down, but it stopped and the man waved to us to cross. Since his window was open, I told the man "thank you!" Carson looks at me and says, "Mom! You shouldn't talk to strangers. They might take you away!"

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We went to Burger King for lunch and I got Luke a cheeseburger. He unwrapped it and much to his delight announced, "Oh, look! Pumpkin seeds!" Apparently, that is what he thought the sesame seeds were. Miniature pumpkin seeds.

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Another day and another visit to Burger King to get the kids a bite to eat, Jason pulled into the drive thru and began to say our order. He got a bit tongue-tied and instead of saying "kids cheeseburger meal" it came out as "chids meal". I guess you had to be there to hear it, but I couldn't stop laughing.

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During our visit back home for Taylor's birthday party, my best-est friends Jenny, Mandi and I were having a conversation. Jenny was attempting to refer to a "rotary phone", but unintentionally called it a "rotisserie phone". She didn't even catch the mistake until we were all dying with laughter. She will never live that one down. Nope.

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Luke has the cutest way of saying the words parking spot. He says, "Sparking Pot."

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Carson's word for Darth Vader is "Dark the Vader".

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While in the van with Taylor's friend Jacob and the boys, Jacob looked at the temperature and said, "it's eighty-eight degrees out." Again he said, "Wow - I can't believe it's 88 degrees outside." Luke had a look of annoyance on his face and said, "Jacob, stop saying 'idiot'!"

Later that same day, Carson was playing baseball and announced he was on the Indian's team. Luke then said, "Yeah, you're an idiot."

We need to get that boys' ears checked.

Summer Photo Contest

Yes, I am jumping on the band wagon. I see there is a summer photo contest going on over at 5 Minutes for Mom. The theme is Summer-fun, anything that represents summer. Below is my crazy old dog, Sasha whose favorite way to cool off in the summer is with the kids in the sprinkler.


You can join in too. The deadline for submissions is Wednesday, August 13th. Click here for more details.