DONE!

Whew! NaBlaBlaBla is over with! Finally!

At first the month just blew by. Subject matter kept presenting itself over and over again. I had no shortage of material to write about. It was a breeze. Then as the weeks moved along it became a bit more difficult until we got to this last week and it was downright painful. I wrote about things that didn't matter because I just didn't have the energy or brain cells to write about the other stuff.

I heartily apologize for my posts this last week. Dreadful, I know. But I had made a decision not to complain about NaBloPoMo in any of my posts this month and I tried to come up with something fresh for each post. Didn't work so well. You can see this week suffered. Sorry.

So! No more boring one paragraph posts telling you what I'm doing. No more lame-o pictures of me in my jammies (although I do still adore them). From now on I will only post when I have something interesting to say. What a novel idea!

I will tell you that:

1- Wednesday morning was a nightmare. By far my worst day in a long time. The boys were devils and even told me that they just want daddy, not me. That is was fine if I went away and didn't come back. It was depressing and horrible. My mom came over to stay with the boys during their naps while I went to get my hair done and I had all I could do to keep from crying on my way out the door.
Todd came home while I was gone and I knew he was home but I didn't want to go back home. I was dreading walking in that door with those sassy children. They were just wretched. Instead I went to a coffee shop, stopped at my mom's house, and then went down to the lake. More than three hours later I finally came home.
It was like a light switch was flipped with the hubby home. The boys were happy. I was peaceful. And all was right in the world. I have been an awesome mom since. Granted it has only been four days, but I haven't even run out of patience and yelled ONCE! That is a miracle for me. A Christmas miracle.

2- I felt the affects of the stressful Wednesday and woke up Thursday morning with blurred and flashing vision. An early sign a migraine was coming. It was very odd since I've NEVER woken up with a migraine before. I guess it was a good thing I injured my knee because otherwise I may have missed the migraine signs and tried to run the 10K. That would have been awful. Luckily I was able to get rid of it before we headed over to Todd's folks for Thanksgiving lunch.
We stayed at Todd's folks for a while and then went over to my mom's house for Thanksgiving dinner. The whole day turned out to be a success. One of the nicest holidays I can remember and that is saying a lot since there was a fair amount of sadness surrounding a part of my heart without my dad with us. We had tried to stop by to see my dad but he was so tired he couldn't keep his eyes open. I guess in the end I again remembered that he is where he needs to be. And there was comfort and strength in having our family together and saying a blessing for my dad before we began dinner.

3- I am almost done with Christmas shopping! I have Todd and the boys done and now I just need get some things for the parents, nieces, and nephews. Easy peasy!

4- I finally buried St. Joseph. We had another open house today and I figured it just couldn't hurt. We only had one couple look at the house so we'll just see where it goes from here.

5- I finished Twilight in two days. I liked it. Yep. Good stuff. I asked the hubby to get me the book set for Christmas. I can see how some people have trouble with it, however. It is written for teenagers. The writing is basic and the narrative through the eyes of a teenager may not appeal to all adults. But sometimes it is nice to not have to think so much when I read. To be able to escape into a world so different than mine now, and yet a world that I can easily recall. I had an Edward, too. No, I wasn't in love with a vampire. But I was left feeling sucked dry and lifeless when the relationship ended. Most of us have had that one obsessive relationship. A relationship that seems so incredibly perfect until you find that one glaring, nagging flaw. In Twilight that flaw is just much more obvious.

Yes, for those of you that asked, I enjoyed Twilight immensely.

6- Still no word on whether or not I have West Nile Virus. They said the results would be in within the week, so I'm guessing no news is good news. Right?

7- I must be taking over where Tommy and Joey left off because I haven't been feeling the greatest these past few days. Please continue to be patient with me and I promise I will be around to visit y'all shortly. Thanks.

8- It is snowing here. It looks absolutely beautiful. Big, juicy snowflakes are furiously fighting their way to the ground. It makes me want to sing Christmas carols and make cookies. Or maybe just eat cookies. Either way, I'm in the Christmas spirit!

Date Night Review

Every year when the hubby and I run out and do our Christmas shopping for the boys we try and make a day out of it. We tackle all the shopping and then unwind with a nice dinner and a funny Christmasy movie.

This year we were a little pressed for time. We called Todd's mom over at the last minute because after the boys had so easily picked out their favorite toys at the store earlier in the day we wanted to rush back and get them that same day before they were sold out. Thankfully, she made it to our house by dinner time. We rushed out the door, spent less than a half an hour piling up the gifts in the cart, and hastily threw them in the back of the car. We had less than an hour to find a place to eat, drive twenty minutes to the movie theater, and get there early enough to find good seats for the 7:20 movie showing that we had already purchased tickets for online.

After debating the pros and cons we opted to eat at Taco Bell. Not exactly what we had been hoping for, but it was quick enough that we could make it to the movie theater with time to spare. We ate our crappy fast food and hustled on over to the theater.

We had plenty of time to grab popcorn and soda (yes, we had just eaten. ya got a problem with that?) and find the best seats in the house. We snuggled down in our seats, played the trivia, and my favorite, watched the coming attractions. After the rush of the day I was more than ready to enjoy a good laugh.

Then our movie came on. Four Christmases.If you are looking for a light and funny Christmas movie this just might be the one. This movie kept the hubby and I laughing the entire time. I was laughing so hard as certain points that there were tears running down my face. The surprising pairing of Vince Vaughn and Reese Witherspoon works to the comedy's advantage with not only their comedic timing but also the visual affect of them together. He is so tall and dominant next to a petite little Reese that the two even standing next to each other look funny.

My husband and I are HUGE Vince Vaughn fans. I think I have been since Swingers. I really don't know if you can go wrong with a comedy when he is in it. The man could read the phone book and it would be funny. I was pleasantly surprised by Reese's comedic chops although a few scenes in the beginning did feel a bit more acted than others.

Add in a few more big name stars like, Robert Duvall, Sissy Spacek, Jon Voight, Jon Favreau, Tim McGraw, Mary Steenburgen, and Dwight Yokem and you can see you have a full cast. Each of the talented actors had their opportunity to shine in this hilarious movie. From the cage fighting brothers to the cougar mother, there are scenes that I'm sure you will be walking out of the theater talking about.

Sure there were a few downsides to the movie. The plot was fairly typical and predictable, it was vulgar in some points (but I'm sorry, I thought it was hilarious-cause I have that kind of sick sense of humor sometimes), and a little overwhelming at times. But at only an hour and twenty-two minutes it really did keep my attention and I was laughing in just about every single scene.

If you are looking for the romantic, feel-good movie of the Christmas season this is not it. Maybe try one of the classics. Or something newer like Love Actually or Serendipity. Four Christmases is a comedy. And they do it well.

Sometimes you just want to go to a movie to laugh a lot, think a little, and leave feeling happy. And this movie did that for me. If you are looking for a hilarious, shallow, fun Christmas movie this is the one for you.

Last Minute Surprise

Date night! Woohoo! Todd's mom came over and we are on our way out for an impromptu date night. A night of Christmas shopping for the boys, dinner, and a movie. I'm so excited!

Now if we can only get out the door!

Many Thanks

It was a bad start to the day, what with the blaring migraine staring me down the minute I woke up. But thankfully, with some well-timed meds, an ice pack, and a quiet(ish) room I was able to get rid of the headache in time to enjoy the Thanksgiving Day festivities.

The boys muscled through a nonstop playfest with their cousins all day and without taking their usual naps. And when we dragged them into the house for a much later than normal bedtime they were still in relatively good spirits. Now after plenty of turkey at Todd's folks this afternoon, and then even more turkey at my folks this evening, I am lying on the couch with my belly stretched out enjoying my slow slip into a tryptophan coma.

I hope your Thanksgiving was everything you hoped it would be, with more blessings than you ever could have imagined.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Missin'

Just a few hours. Just a few hours and he'll be home. I can make it.

Yes, the house was cleaner while he was gone. One less pair of dirty socks, underwear, shoes, and clothes to put away. No half empty coffee mugs on the desk, or used cereal bowls to rinse and put in the dishwasher. I wasn't constantly searching for something he had misplaced. The grocery bill was half of what it is when he is here. No need to try and calm the boys down before bed after rough-housing with daddy. I went to bed when I felt like it and spread out and enjoyed the whole bed.

But I heard a noise that one night. And I knew I was the one who had to investigate. The boys saw a huge bug, and I had to squash it. The bed was cold when I crawled into it and I didn't have my oven to warm me up. I didn't get my kiss goodnight. Or my, it's-been-a-long-day hug. I didn't get to laugh with him at the boys antics. We didn't get to exchange a wink and a smirk when the boys threw their silly tantrums. I watched our favorite TV shows alone. I was really freaked out watching Fringe by myself.

And then? Then I tried to make the coffee. Yes. I know how to make coffee even though he usually is the one to make it every morning. But this morning? Awful. I'm used to grinding our own beans and I know exactly how much to use, but I had gotten the already ground Dunkin Donuts coffee as a treat for this week. I don't know if it was too much math for me so early in the morning, converting cups to ounces and then dividing by scoops, but ugh, it was horrible. It tasted like sludge. It had tasted so good when he made it. And I missed him. His coffee is always perfect.

And then guess what. It snowed! A few heavy inches of snow. And I had to shovel because I don't know how to use our brand new snowblower, not that it had any gas in it anyway. I was flying around shoveling, taking out the garbage, and brushing off my car so I could get Joey to school on time. And I missed him.

But I can deal with all that. I can handle it. I can kill the bugs, make the coffee, take out the garbage, shovel, and rough house with the boys. That is not the problem. I just miss him. I miss his deep, soothing voice. His warm smile. I miss how easily he can make me laugh. I miss his bear hugs. I miss his laugh. I miss his furrowed brows. I miss his sarcasm and I miss his enthusiasm. I just miss who he is. And I am READY for him to come home. I miss my buddy.

Miss you in the morning
Miss you in the night
You seem as far away
As a satellite
Miss you partly
Miss you completely
Miss you from my headly
Down to my feetly
Sittin' around missin'
And it's a big fat bore
Just missin' and missin'
Til my misser gets sore

-Anonymous

Taking Time For Me

That's right. I'm doing it. I'm taking time for me just like you all suggested. Okay. Maybe not JUST like you all suggested. I mean, I'm not going anywhere. But I am pampering myself a bit.

I have a pajama obsession. I don't know why, but I love pajamas. Every year I ask for pajamas and slippers for Christmas. I wear the same pajamas pretty much every night (except when it is hot in summer then I wear boxers or something-TMI?) so they really do get pretty worn out in one year. The pajamas I received last year for Christmas are still holding up pretty well, but I've been feeling the jammie itch already. I need new jammies.

While the boys and I were at Target this weekend I spotted an adorable oversized long sleeved t-shirt pajama top. And guess what. Sale! I grabbed it off the rack and went searching for pants to match the top, because hello! This is Wisconsin. An oversized pajama shirt may work in some places but not in Wisconsin in an old drafty house. A few racks away I found the perfect pants. It looked like they were made to go together with perfectly matching reds and even the same snowflake pattern. And guess what. SALE! It was a done deal.

Then the boys spotted the slippers. I was already feeling a little guilty about indulging in my pajama obsession but my little smarties convinced me to get the slippers too. The boys were so excited when I put the slippers in the cart you'd think they were for them. Little cuties.

So tonight I'm going to pamper myself. I'm gonna take an extra long shower (what's that?), and put on my brand new pajamas and slippers. Yay! And then when I'm good and cozy I'll grab a cup of tea and start that book I've been meaning to read. I think I could get used to this whole pampering thing!

A Fresh Start

Never did I imagine that I would be the kind of mom that would scream and yell at her children. Never did I think for one second that I would use the harsh words I have used. Never could I envision having such a hard time keeping my cool. And yet here I am hanging my head in shame.

Sunday morning was really tough. The boys threw their worst tantrums and behavior at me and I responded in kind. I tried walking away. I tried counting to ten. I even locked myself in the bathroom. Nothing worked. Each time I blew my top. I screamed, red-faced and wide eyed. I shook my finger in their faces. I told them how awful they were being and said things that were ridiculous and out of line. The minute the words came out of my mouth I was desperately trying to grab them and stuff them back in.

I'm the adult. I should be able to do this. I should be so much better at this than I am. What is wrong with me?

By the time we were ready for church I had decided I had tried all I could that morning. For the first time in their lives I dropped the boys off at Cherub School and went to church by myself. Happy to be playing, and not trying to sit still in church for an hour, the boys eagerly waved goodbye as I left all three of them in the church daycare. And though the boys were happy, I was miserable. I felt defeated. Like a failure.

I sat down in the pew at church and had all I could do to keep the tears from coming. I feel as though I am failing these boys every day. Every day there are moments I can look back on and hang my head in shame. Times I could have done better. Should have done better. This, my most important job, seems to be the only one I am not succeeding at and yet it is the only one I must.

Mass started and I listened to the scriptures. The music soothed me and the sermon inspired me. I became more and more at peace as the mass went on. And I realized, for maybe the millionth time, that we all fail at times. It is human nature. No one is perfect. We all fail. And it is in failing that we learn how to succeed. We learn how to live. And we learn how to love.

The good in this is that every day is a new day. Every hour is a new hour. Every minute is a new minute. A fresh start is just around the corner. And I'm taking it. And I'll do better this time.