Not Me Monday

I did not pretty much ignore my blog all week!

I did not ignore, so far, the recipe exchange email from my cousin because I don't have 20 people I feel I can forward the email to.

I did not get sad over the holiday because I saw no one from my family at all.

I did not think it really did not feel like Christmas because not only did I not see anyone from my side of the family, we did not even make it to our church's Christmas Eve service for the first time in 5 years.

My house is not a complete mess and I haven't pretty much ignored that fact for the last 7 days.

I'm not still feeling lazy and typing this blog instead of cleaning like a madwoman.

I didn't laze around doing nothing most of the holiday because DH is home and will entertain the kids while I do nothing. I joined in on all the family fun because that is what a good Mommy would do rather than lounge on the couch watching the Naked Archaeologist (he's not really naked BTW!)

I did not finally list a bunch of books on Paperback Swap and actually get enough credits for 2 new books. That said I certainly picked serious literary classics rather than Christian Chick Lit. I'm an intelligent well-read Mommy who wants to expand her intellect not waste precious time on fluff--albeit Christian fluff.

I did not despite my lazy ways do at least 1 to 2 loads of laundry every day of the last week. A family of 4 could NOT possibly generate that many dirty clothes. That said I certainly am not wearing the same sweats I wore yesterday because I have a tendency to dry my hands on my pants when I'm cooking because I'm in a hurry(I am also certainly not phobic about cooking meat and don't wash my hands constantly for fear of giving the kids some horrible bacteria). Of course I only dry my clean hands but still...

I'm not now typing my Not Me's when I told DH I was answering Craigslist emails for the couch and chairs we are selling.

Of course I just love selling on Craigslist, answering all the emails, especially the one's that come in after I've gone to the trouble to update the ad as PICKUP PENDING (notice the all caps? No one else ever does!) I also love dealing with people who think I am a retail business with nothing better to do than sit here all day and wait until it is convenient for them to wander by and pickup the items I'm selling way below what they are worth anyway. And I especially LOVE the people who are desperate to buy my items than drop off the face of the earth leaving me to move through the list of other people desperate to buy my underpriced things.

I'm not using Craigslist because DH refuses to let me have a garage sale. I certainly don't agree with him somewhat as people at garage sales seem to want me to give them my furniture and whatnot so cheap I might as well pay them for the privilege. Not to mention the people who pile half the stuff up and ask if they can have it for $10, "for Mexico", then I find out they don't give it away they sell it for 3 times what it's worth and 5 times what I had it priced at to begin with!

I didn't tell my friend I was giving up bread, pasta, rice, etc until New Years Eve because we have a party to go to that night and I know it will help me lose a few pounds. After not saying that I certainly did not eat 7 slices (small slices, but) of pizza DH brought home after church yesterday. That pizza is not calling to me now as I type this with it's delicious crust...

Finally, DH did not go against what I told him about no gifts (because our Property Tax is due next month and we need to SAVE) and buy me the most amazing COACH purse. He did not, thank goodness, go to the outlet and get it for $300 UNDER retail which was only $50 more than I told him he could spend if he didn't follow my instructions. He didn't, again thank goodness, ask for advice from the salespeople and NOT get me the patchwork style I liked LAST YEAR, and instead buy a huge (I can't believe it was only $150!!!!!!) classic brown one from this years line!!! AND I did not seriously think about taking a picture and posting it because I really really love it. It SOOO did not make up for that hideous fake croc, horsehair, silver buckled thing he bought me for my 40th birthday!

Drat, okay I"m not sad that MckMama is not doing Not Me Monday this week because I had So many Not Me's! Darn!!!

Merry Christmas--I think this Hobby Lobby ad says it all!

Not Me Monday

I didn't forget it was Not Me Monday until just now, no not me.

I didn't sleep during Connor's nap today. No not me I've got lots to do before Christmas.

I haven't wrapped a total of 0 Christmas gifts for under my tree yet wrapped all 18 of Sean's teachers gifts for the students (it is my month as classroom helper).

I didn't take on a way to complicated project for Sean's class instead of just handing out candy for Christmas.

I am not trying to overcompensate for my less than average domestic skills by trying to impress the other parents with my creativity. No not me!

I'm not yet again doing Not Me's while leaving DH to entertain the kids when he really does need to be working.

I didn't keep Connor up more days then let him nap hoping he would end the cycle of waking up at 3 AM.

I'm not still unmotivated even though it's been over a week of solid sleep for me!

Christmas isn't next week and I still don't have anything for my in-laws, no not me, I always plan ahead.

I'm not done because I still have to put away the laundry I did last night and just folded tonight. Not me, I always fold and put clothes away promptly.

Goodnight all, Happy Not Me Monday!

Christmas Card

Yay! My scanner is working so I can scan my Christmas Card. The photo is on another post but I'm putting the actual card on here. I have to admit I think I like the casual photos. Good thing too since I'm too unorganized to get it done early enough for a studio shot!

3 Full Nights of Sleep!

Connor has slept for the last 3 nights. He has not napped on those day, however, and today he napped for almost 2 hours. I suspect he will wake at some point but we will see. If he does not wake up then maybe it was street noise that was waking him as I have moved his bed to an inside wall.

I'm so happy because Mike's company has decided to halt all travel until the end of the year. We had him home for 2 weeks at Thanksgiving (home meaning no overnight travel) and now the rest of the month. We aren't going to know what to do with ourselves! I'm especially happy because next week is Sean's last week before Winter Break. It will be nice having Mike home in the evening after being home with both boys all day. I'm going to have to find lots to entertain them!

I do finally have the tree up. I can't say it's a thing of beauty since I only used child-friendly ornaments. Most of them are Sean made so it's definately not a fancy tree! Connor likes to put as many as possible on one branch so I'm constantly trying to even them out but I suspect they will go right back as soon as he is near the tree again. I'm not sure what to do with the presents. I bought plain brown paper and ink so I plan to decorate it myself and today I thought perhaps I'd just glue the wrap down so Connor can't tear it off before Christmas. Of course, Connor being Connor he just might anyway!

Okay, so awhile back I was contemplating a post telling all sorts of things about myself that most people wouldn't know. Since then I've gotten more sleep so I might not be as forthcoming as I would have but why not right!?!

The first thing I was going to say is that deep down and not so deep down I really want to get a tattoo. However, after watching a newscast of women having them removed I'm not as interested. I should note that I don't think I will get one. Obviously, it's not even something I would have ever contemplated if my mother was still alive. When I was 21, yes 21, I had 1 ear double pierced and she completely freaked out. Kept talking about rebellion and where was it going. It was really funny considering most of the girls in my high-school had both double pierced and I'm talking about the preppy rich girls. It was no big deal but to my mother it was. Strangely enough she's the one who talked my father into letting me get my ears pierced in third grade in the first place.

Okay back to the subject. I'm so rebellious that the tattoo I'd like is an ICTHUS ("Jesus fish") on my inner ankle. I just like the idea of having it with me always. On the other hand I'm not sure I'm a good enough witness to sport that permanently! I really don't think I will ever follow up on this because at my age I can't pretend it was something I did in my wild college days as none if the girls I went to school with did that. It really wasn't done much when I was in school except by some of the Sig Ep's I knew and then it was usually frat related so I thought it was cool.

On that note, yes, I was a Sig Ep Little Sister. They called them Golden Hearts and they got discontinued so no one knows what they are anymore. The first few years were fun. Sig Ep's are conservative for a fraternity so it wasn't THAT wild. It was, however, wilder then a good Christian girl should have been. On that note I'm conflicted. I deeply regret the years I wasn't living the way I should have been as a Christian. I truly wonder what God had in store for me if I would have followed his path rather than my own. On the other hand I do have some good friends and some fun memories if I allow myself to look past the shame of some of the other times.

I love to dance and I was out several times a week dancing. The places I went didn't lend themselves to good behavior and that is where my downfall was. But I do miss the dancing. I have danced on table. I was at all times fully clothed when I did so but I had a blast doing it. I have NEVER been in a wet T-shirt contest or any such thing. I did the Hawaiian Tropic thing at South Padre (the one time I went) just because I was annoyed that my friend assumed she would be the only one of us to enter. It was hilarious because even when I have a tan people tell me I need to get some sun! On the other hand people regularly think I'm about 10 years younger than I am so not tanning is always a good thing in the end. The fun thing about the contest is there were a bunch of guys from UTSA that recognized me as a Golden Heart and yelled their heads off. What an ego boost when you feel like fool.

Lets see. Hmmm...I am very frustrated as a SAHM. I'm just not domestic. Probably because my mother was so good at it and did spoil me some. I hate to clean but I like a clean house. I'm hoping Connor will keep sleeping and eventully I'll get enough energy to streamline our lives. Really, we have way too much junk. Mike and the boys are packrats and I tend to get a little panicked sometimes that I will need something I'm throwing away. I'm fighting it though and I know we will all be happier without chaos and with structure in our lives. I'm just praying I can find the energy to do it.

Okay, deep dark secret-or maybe not, I'm vain. That one is hard to believe because I'm also very insecure. The truth is I hate getting older. Hate, hate, hate it! If I had the money I'm afraid I'd do something about it. I see every wrinkle and line on my face and neck. If I lived in a cooler climate I'd probably wear turtlenecks because I have alot of sun damage on my chest and lines on my neck. I'm ashamed that it takes up so much of my thinking because I don't think how you look makes a person but I guess I'm not sure what else I have to offer. Wow, that's really sad and now you know why it's hard to admit.

I feel like I haven't accomplished enough in life. Since I'm not good at the SAHM thing and I didn't exactly have a fulfilling career I have this desperate need to do something more. I think I really need a creative outlet but I have a hard time pushing myself to start. I have ideas for cute kids shirts but I don't do it because I figure it won't go anywhere. However, one day at Target Connor an I schlepped out wearing shirts that were errors in the trial and error. The lady behind me liked them and asked me if I'd do a craft day at her MOPS. I haven't called her because they really were bad and I don't know what I'd do. I'm hoping when I get the energy that I need to clean I'll also get started on some creative outlet.

Okay, I still miss my mother so much sometimes it takes my breath away. It worries me that it's been over 3 years and I still feel that way. I also completely feel like I let her down. If I had had cancer she would have forced me to fight and exhausted everything in her to make me better. I feel like I just gave up on her because it was so hard to see her like that and with Mike in Iraq and Sean's ADHD I just didn't know what to do. I think at one time I really thought to myself, okay she will be out of pain and then we'll see what to do. I think I really couldn't believe it was happening and she wouldn't really be dead. I'm not sure what that says about my sanity at that point. I know now after having Connor, the Staph infection and the last 3 years without her to fall back on I'm a much stronger person. Most of the time at least. I wish I'd had more strength then!

Okay, well not too amazing revelations and now I'm trying to talk to DH as he drives home through the hill country so I guess I'm done for now. Maybe I'll reveal more later...

Not Me Monday

I did not eat almost 2 pecan pies by myself Thanksgiving weekend.

I did not act like a total jerk to my husband because I was missing my family so much and I was "mad" that my parents are dead and his are not. No, not that I wish them dead just that I'm annoyed he has 2 and I have none. I'm also not sure he knows that's why I was a total jerk or if he just figures it was normal for me.

I have not been making my children listen to Christmas music while they watch their DVD's so I can try and get in the spirit.

I am not, as usual, having a hard time getting in the spirit because temps are in the 70s still, it is dry and dead (everything this year) and it's just not Christmasy looking in S. Texas. I couldn't possibly have a hard time considering I was born here and have lived more of my life here than anywhere else and never outside TX anyway.

I am NOT complaining about living in TX because that would mean I am not one of those annoyingly proud Texans who can tell you exactly how long her family has been there (except on the Comanche side because that really all depends on how you feel about carbon dating!). I love every moment I live in TX (okay, except at Christmas time because it's so darn not Christmasy!)

I did not actually mail almost all of my Christmas cards TODAY because I never mail them until the week before Christmas.

On the same note I did not wait until the last minute, last night!, to actually take the picture for the card. If I had, I would have had to spend hours making the card on the Kodak Gallery and then find out the one I picked couldn't be picked up at Target. Of course I started way in advance so I would have had time to get the cards I picked in the mail.

That said, I certainly did not check out 4 other sites to see if I liked any of their cards but realize I liked the one at Target best because it actually worked with the non-Christmasy bible verse I picked. I am also certainly NOT annoyed that the "religious" cards are on the lame side and I had to for the second year in a row (or third) take a generic Christmas card and add Christ to it! I did not go back to the Target site and find out I could make the card if I made it glossy instead of matte and didn't pick it up bright and early this morning!

I am not very proud of my card which I can't scan because DH won't fix the scanner, but I'm using James 1:17 because I love the verse. I am not kind of tickled at the way I made it fit Christmas.

I do not love Mondays because I get to do this post and visit others.

I did not totally LOVE SITmas last Tuesday and get 30 comments on my blog. Since I never visit all my commenters, I of course did not get to read lots of fun SITSmas posts and find some new blogs to stalk.

I did not spend many nights in the last week up with Connor yet again and conclude the child does not have Pinworms again. I did not secretly wish he did because at least I could fix it with a little pill.

I did not move his room around and turn his crib back into a crib from a toddler bed because I just can't deal with it until I get more consistant sleep. I also did not move the rocking chair away from the bed hoping he will no longer be able to escape so easily.

I most certainly DID NOT keep my poor child up all day because he slept all night last night after not napping so I'm seeing if it works again. Only an evil Mommy would deprive her child of a nap just so they could both sleep through the night.

I did not DVR the Alan Jackson Special on CMT and get chocked up because I really do like him and Denise so much. That would make me a scary fan and I am soooo not a scary fan.

I have not decided I love love love my DVR because I can actually watch shows that come on in the evening now by waiting until after the kids are asleep. I don't love even more that I can watch an hour show so fast by skipping the commercials.

Finally, because my dinner is getting cold and my nap-free little boy needs to get to bed soon, I did not actually utter the words, "thank you, Jesus" when I saw NATIVITIES for sale at my fave store TARGET. After being told 2 years ago they didn't carry them at all I've felt guilty shopping there (about 3 times a week every week). I feel so much better about it now!

Failure last night but pictures today

We tried, we really tried, then we caved! I caved in and rocked him to sleep. He woke at 1 and I rocked then put him in his bed. He woke and we tried to do it right again until Mike brought him in our room to go potty. Incidentally, he's not potty trained so I think he was manipulating Daddy! After that I rocked him again and at 3 or so Mommy got to go back to sleep. We slept until after 9 so little heathens that we are we skipped church. I deliberately kept him up all day and need to get him to bed ASAP. I hope tonight is better because Mommy is exhausted. I've moved his crib again and turned it back into a crib plus moved the rocking chair he uses to get out. I also moved the crib to an inside wall because I still think it might be related to all the kids who drive by all night with their stereo cranked.

I just spent a few hours making my card only to find out it can't be picked up at my target so now I'm going to start over with HEB. Since I'm so behind I can't afford to wait more than a day or two and HEB came through for me last year. I really liked how it looked at Target darn it.

The main reason I'm posting is because I finally downloaded photos from my camera. I'll post a few, all the way back to Halloween-yikes, so I can feel like I accomplished something today!


My little Curious George



Yes I made Daddy wear that but it was originally his idea




Just so you can get the full "yellow" affect! I had to dye the shirt and pants and we won't even talk about that darn hat!!!!



Sean as Cooper from the Playstation game Sly3, and no you cannot buy that costume in stores. It must be custom made by a Mommy who swears she is going to take sewing lessons but hasn't. Of couse it's so obscure that no one knew who he was but he was happy!





Finally, this will be my Christmas card photo. Now I just need to put it together again. Since I never plan ahead I can't get one done at a studio so it's candid photos only for my friends and family!

Sleepless in San Antonio

Yes, Connor has decided to be up at night once again. Apparently the peaceful and restful Thanksgiving week was just a short-term gift. Last night was only an hour which would not have been so bad except Tuesday he was up from 3 AM on and would not sleep anywhere but on Mommy. Connor seemed to be fine the next day as he did sleep but of course with Connor's head crammed on Mommy's shoulder, Mommy did not sleep much. I did wake at 9 in my bed with some wild dreams going on so apparently I drifted off some but the dreams were so unsettling I think it made it worse.

Tonight since I'm delirious anyway I've decided it is time for him to grow up. I've turned his crib into a toddler bed. Of course we can't find the rails that actually came with the bed so I'm using the fold down rail from when Sean was younger. Just to be safe I've taped it, with packing tape, to the bars under the mattress. I also put the blanket I use as a rug back in his room and put a pillow under the edge of the crib. I'm hoping to find the actual rails in the storage unit tomorrow.

As for tonight I do not have high hopes. I honestly expect to spend most of the night putting him back in bed, but it's long overdue. We've done the whole CIO many times but every time he gets sick I revert to rocking. Before he could climb out of the crib would have been a much better choice to solve this, but then what would I have to complain about, LOL! Yes, knowing me I can always find something to complain about...

Unfortunately, bathtime seems to be winding down so it's time to start. My saving grace is that I can always tag-team with Mike so we can each get a few blocks of sleep. Now I'll need to convince Mike to return Connor to his bed without trying to reason with him about it. Mike honestly believes our boys will get it if he just explains it to them long enough. I'm going for the book advice, as far as I can tell pretty much every book out there, which is to make it so boring and annoying that the child will give up and sleep.

This post was going to be a post about all sorts of things you would never think about me or things I should be too embarrassed to admit. However, considering the lack of sleep, I'd probably give out way too much info and have to change my name and leave the country. I'll save that for a day when I'm more rested and hopefully have some restraint. Not too much though because why would that be fun! God Willing, seriously if you pray or even if you don't send up a word to HIM for me, Connor will miraculously love his new grown-up bed and stay in it. I should note though that he's already said he didn't want a grown-up bed. On the other hand, it's not exactly bringing Lazarus back to life, walking on water, rising from the dead, etc so maybe there's hope!

The Secret is in the Sauce: Merry SITSmas!

The Secret is in the Sauce: Merry SITSmas!

Okay today is the day and I missed several hours as Connor had me up again last night--it had better not be the wormies again is all I can say! On to better subjects. SITS is having a giveaway every hour. The one this hour is great--a painting from a photo, I'v always wanted one of those. We are supposed to include our SITSmas card in the blog but I haven't even TAKEN a photo of the boys for it yet! AND I've already received a card already--Jennifer how are you so organized? Since I have nothing to put in from this year I'll used last years photo. You'll note the boys are in their jammies so it was also a last minute effort as the Christmasy ones I tried to take didn't work out! Story of my life...

Merry Pre-SITSmas

Wow SITS is doing a special event tomorrow with prizes every hour. ALSO, there is a grand prize of not only being the featured blogger on Friday (great because it is comment heaven) but a $200 gift certificate to TARGET. My favorite store. I'm beginning to think it's everyone's favorite store. Anyway, if you head over now and post about the event today you get 10 free entries in the grand prize giveaway!

Not Me Monday

I did not eat most of 2 pecan pies by myself over the Thanksgiving Holiday.

They certainly were not pies I made myself so I know exactly how much butter, and not margarine, and even Crisco (specially purchased because I never use the stuff!) they had in them. If I did I certainly wouldn't have consumed that many calories.

I also did not continue to eat the second pie after actually blogging that I was leaving it for the men in the house. That would make me a pig!

I did not still manage to lose a pound the other day, haven't checked since then, because that would mean my working out was paying off.

I did not get up with the crazies at 4:30 AM and head out to purchase toys for my children. That would be insane! However, had I done such a thing I would be proud to report that in San Antonio everyone was well behaved and at Target they were even waiting in a single file line for the store to open.

Had I gone out at an ungodly hour on Black Friday, I certainly would not have felt inclined to tell people I never did such a thing and only did it that day because HEB had DS's for $99 and Sean wanted one. That said I certainly did not get THE LAST ONE at 5:15 when the store opened at 5! People were well behaved but obviously much more desperate than I to have gotten there so early and snapped them up (I only got one because a lady put 2 down right when I was heading for the empty table to doublecheck that they were really sold out)

Since I was already up and out I certainly did not then head to my favorite store, Target, and wait 10 minutes until they opened at 6 AM. They did have a deal on Leapster games and I did need to grocery shop but I could have done that at HEB then gone home and made breakfast for my family.

While I wasn't at Target I certainly did not decide Mike didn't really need the Guitar Hero's game they had on sale. I know he secretly wants the game and I would not deprive him of it because I think it's silly and a little too old for our kids anyway. What wife wouldn't want to make her husband's dreams of being a rock star come true-sort of.

I did not then have to go back to Target yesterday because I left my food list in the car on Friday and was too lazy to go back out for it.

I certainly did not make sure Connor had a nap because I was now so sleepy I needed one myself. Connor needs his naps not grown up Mommies who should have gone to bed earlier if she was Not going to go out at 5 AM.

I didn't do 4 loads of laundry over the Thanksgiving weekend but still have a messy house and was secretly glad no one came over for the holiday.

I didn't get annoyed with DH when he kept staying at his parents Thanksgiving when I knew Connor would fall asleep on the way home because he didn't nap. What wife would deprive her husband of family on a holiday especially when she didn't get to see any of her own family.

When Connor did go to sleep I certainly did not shoot said husband dirty looks and mutter under my breath especially since Connor did then go back to sleep within an hour and sleep all night.

I did not really really miss my mother this holiday, especially since I didn't make her cornbread dressing and it really is better than any other.

I am not hiding upstairs in our almost completed office and letting Connor watch a movie so I could actually do my Not Me's early this time.

I am not really looking forward to the special SITSA day tomorrow so I can visit blogs and maybe get some traffic on mine.

Hope everyone had a great holiday and is ready to start the next one. I need to dress myself and Connor and get ready for the gym!