ememby

Confession time…

Posted on March 13, 2012 | 4 comments

It’s that time again, time for me to confess to you all…

I already facebooked* this one: over the weekend but I finally took down the Christmas decorations (why yes it is March, why do you ask?); comments on Facebook revealed I’m not alone in the slackerdom – aside from over-achiever, Heidi, who took hers down before Christmas but who also gets a pass because she was moving back to Michigan the following week
Related confession: we don’t put up a Christmas tree, instead I decorated the windowsill about my kitchen sink with my favorite Christmas ornaments
Another related confession: along with not having a Christmas tree, I also don’t intend to dye Easter eggs with my kids; don’t worry, they get an Easter basket and we do an Easter egg hunt (of the plastic, candy-filled variety)
I love it when Liam gets stuck on something while playing the Wii because then I get to step in and help him out. I love this for two reasons: 1) I love playing the Wii and 2) Liam thinks I’m pretty cool for that one minute
I do not love helping out in Liam’s classroom (but I also don’t hate it). In theory, this should be a great, fun experience but in reality it’s like wrangling a herd of hyperactive cats. Last week I made green eggs for 24 kids, scrambling them up for four different groups of six kids – it was the fastest 60 minutes of my life. It makes me glad I’m not a teacher (mad props to those who are) and that I don’t have 24 5-to-6 year olds – can you imagine?
I also don’t love meeting with potential new clients for the first time – the introvert in me hates making small talk while the extrovert just wants to be liked… but it’s a necessary thing if I ever want to get more business. Why can’t people just give me work over the phone or by email?
Saturday I stayed in my pj/workout clothes until mid-afternoon, this is nothing new but I just thought I should tell you.
I downloaded a Rihanna song, it’s this one:

(it’s a great song, perfect for working out, but I kind of hate Rihanna)
I socialized every night this week and couldn’t be happier about that – not so much a confession, I realize… but that’s my prerogative to share it; I also love that my kids have my social butterfly tendencies (not that Simon doesn’t, I’m just much more of a joiner, planner than he is) life is just nice when you enjoy being around people.
I fear this week won’t be as exciting and I’ll feel distant from people because last week was so chock full of stuff – the downside to having fun; you can’t keep up the pace forever.
I love, love, love my boys!
When Jack gets out of bed for the tenth time in an hour, I don’t know how much I like him. I feel bad that the last thing he hears before finally going to sleep is often me yelling at him. But if he would just GO TO SLEEP, there would be no yelling.
When my nail polish grows out of gets chipped (typically on my toenails) I simply paint over it with the same (or a darker color), I never take it off and start over unless I’m getting a professional pedicure.
As mentioned, I got a shellac manicure on Friday. Friday and Sunday nights I had nightmares that my manicure peeled off – I woke up relieved to find it was perfectly in tact. I think it’s sad that my definition of nightmare includes “nail polish that doesn’t live up to expectations”

*Yes, facebooked, I’m going to pretend it’s totally a verb, along with “googled”

4 Comments

Posted in Confessions, Life in general

Music Monday: Songs for the one you haven’t met yet

Posted on March 12, 2012 | 2 comments

Like every girl I know, I spent hours in my teens and twenties thinking about who it was I was going to marry, wondering what he would be like and who exactly he would be. And I was in luck when I found a number of songs that were about meeting that person or directed at that unknown person.

These are dedicated to all the single girls out there, hoping and praying to find THE ONE. I can’t promise you that he’s out there but I can say either you’ll meet him or you’ll find a way to be at peace with being alone.

Just Haven’t Met You Yet | Michael Bublé

To Whom It May Concern | The Civil Wars

We Could Fall in Love Again Tonight | David Gray

Just to Look at You | Bebo Norman

Table for Two | Caedmon’s Call

2 Comments

Posted in Music

Favorite Pins and Posts

Posted on March 10, 2012 | 2 comments

Here’s a look back at my favorite things I pinned this week and posts that I read…

Pins

Source: interiordesign.ws via Michelle on Pinterest

Because I would love a customized home with built-in nooks and crannies.

Source: modernparentsmessykids.com via Michelle on Pinterest

Minimal effort for great visual effect!

Source: tastykitchen.com via Michelle on Pinterest

Because nothing beats a homemade tortilla, except maybe the fresh ones from HEB.

Source: etsy.com via Michelle on Pinterest

Love personalized things for our family.

Source: whatscookingamerica.net via Michelle on Pinterest

Because the best cake I ever ate was a Russian Honey Cake in Kazakhstan, someday I will make one. Someday.

Pins I’ve “Done”

Sources: closetcooking.com and cookiesandcups.com (I used my own banana bread recipe and added peanut butter and mini PB cups) via Michelle on Pinterest

Posts

A blogger’s dream, having something you created grow bigger than you ever could have imagined: My Blog Story by Oh Amanda!
From a newly-discovered blogging fave (thanks Alyssa): Lowering the Bar by Momastery
I may not always agree with her, but she makes me laugh more than any other and inspires me to keep it real with my writing: Eleven Years by Dooce

2 Comments

Posted in Favorite Finds

Five Question Friday

Posted on March 9, 2012 | 7 comments

TGIF, here are a few things I’m looking forward to for the weekend…

Manicures with Keri this afternoon (the weekend starts at noon today, didn’t you hear?) and a pit stop at Sugar Momma’s.
Simon’s taking Liam to a monster truck show tonight… I’m not sure who is more excited about this the big guy or the little one. I’m excited to put Jack in bed and enjoy a glass of Malbec (has anyone else enjoyed the box wine from Target – I kind of love it).
Saturday night is date night! Whoot! Sadly, after date night Simon will have to go to work for a few hours and with the time change he’ll end up coming home after midnight – sad face. But working Saturday means he gets to leave early to take Liam to the show tonight – a fair trade.
Sunday afternoon we have small group and I’m so looking forward to it, I really like our new small group! It’s been a long time since we had a small group and our last one spanned five years so we’ve definitely lucked out with the groups we’ve been put in. Some of the women from our group came over Tuesday night and we had a great time talking and getting to know each other, such a treat!
Actually having time to work out… since Jack can’t be trusted while I work out when he’s still awake and now takes forever to fall asleep since moving to his new bed I haven’t been able to get my mid-week workouts done. I can’t wait until it is warm enough to take them walking again…

1. Are you looking forward to the time change this weekend?
I don’t think that anyone with children looks forward to any time changes – it always screws up someone’s schedule. Hopefully this one will be as pain-free as possible, except for Simon who will be working and losing an hour of precious sleep. I much prefer gaining an hour in the fall.

2. Are you getting the new iPad/would you want a iPad?
We aren’t getting a new iPad (we opted to go for the Kindle Fire) BUT if Apple ever wanted to send us one for comparison purposes (also because my husband doesn’t really get to use the Kindle) we would absolutely take one. 🙂 I will continue to enter drawings to win one when I see them!

3. If money was not a problem, what is the one thing you would splurge on?
First class tickets. Even business class. Heck, even premium economy. Because it’s definitely a splurge if upgrading to premium economy for ONE flight would cost the same as purchasing all our round trip tickets to Australia. [I learned this when I inquired about upgrading on our return flight since we got inexplicably bumped up on our way to Australia; to my credit I did not choke when the desk clerk told me the cost. Ummm, no thank you.]

4. How did you and the Mr. (or Mrs.) meet?
Blind date set up by my lovely friend, Jonna. She has had a 100% success rate with her matchmaking skills (we were her one and only journey into that realm). We met at Panera in the mall and closed the place down, perhaps because we can both talk a lot, but really because we just really liked talking to each other. On the way home I ended up stopping at my college roommates’ house and recapping the date with her and I remember thinking, I might have just met the man I’m going to marry. And I had.

5. Summer is right around the corner. Bikini or one-piece?
Ummm, really?

Linking up with Mama M for Five Question Friday!

7 Comments

Posted in Five Question Friday

I want to tell you…

Posted on March 7, 2012 | 5 comments

Jill from Diaper Diaries retweeted a link to a Hallmark contest from Mary at Giving Up on Perfect yesterday and I thought, sure, I’ll leave a comment and then I thought, why not write a blog post? The prompt was to say what you need or want to tell someone. Get ready for a genuine post, not one that is snarky and addressed to the people at the gym next door or judgmental shoppers at the grocery store – I’ve thought and said plenty to them (pretty much entirely thought, aside from that one time I told off a rude old lady at the post office).

One of my resolutions in 2011 was to send real mail to people which I opted to do for my friends and family at holidays like Valentine’s Day, Mother’s Day and Father’s Day. It felt so good to send those little treats to people and I’d like to continue to send real mail or notes of encouragement over email so people know I’m thinking about them or have them on my minds. But while I get my act together on that, here are a few things that should be said.

Thank you to my parents for raising me right and never once making me feel like I was an accident (because hello, I’m pretty sure I wasn’t planned when I came along 19 years later)
I want my brothers to know that despite the big gap, I so love them and appreciate their roles in my life. This also goes for my sister-in-laws because I’ve known both of them nearly as long as I’ve known my brothers.
I want my sister-in-law in Australia to know how thankful I am that she played such an important role in Simon’s life and that we appreciate beyond words everything she does; also, take it easy because she pushes herself too hard.
I want to tell my high school youth group leaders that without them I would not be the person I am today. It’s because of their love and Christian example that I ended up going to the college I did and that set the path for where my life is today.
I want to say thank you to my high school yearbook teacher for encouraging the creative side of me and introducing me to graphic design, without him I might have ended up pursuing my teenage aspirations of being a pediatrician for far longer than I should have.
I want to say to Julie that I miss you and your friendship but I understand the distance.
I want to tell my First Rooks Girls (so named because we all met living on that floor in college) that you are my heart and without your friendships I would be lost.
I want to tell my MOPS ladies that you have given me so much more than I could ever give you, making new friends as an adult is hard but you guys make it easy.
I want to tell Simon that I know our current work/life/house situation isn’t ideal but there isn’t anyone else I’d rather go through this with and in another couple of years this will all be behind us and we’ll be stronger than ever. And I still love your accent and you.
I want to tell Liam and Jack that they have made me a better person because I am their mother and that they have taught me how to love selflessly, endlessly and fiercely.
I want the future wives of my boys to know that I am praying for them and hope we have a good relationship but that they can feel free to tell me if they feel like I’ve ever over-stepped my bounds and also to please not take my sons from me (dramatic, but you know what I mean).