Long day

Had a long day today.  It started last night.  Could not find a comfortable position to sleep in and tossed and turned. Had to get up and use the bathroom.  THEN I finally found a comfortable spot.  And not just a little comfortable, I was in heaven.  Seriously, I haven't been that comfortable in months with this pregnancy.  But my joy didn't last very long because then my cell phone started beeping because the battery apparently was dying.  Noooooooo!  I couldn't believe the timing.  I tried to ignore it hoping I could just fall back asleep and deal with it in the morning.  Yeah, no.  So I got up and plugged the dumb thing in.  Lost my comfortable spot.  Then about an hour later it was time to get up.  I was irritated to say the least.  Went to work and had some rough patients.  They didn't want to cooperate and they most definitely didn't want to be safe today.  My job is hard enough with capable patients but ones that are continually not safe takes a huge toll on my body.  I came home from work and my pelvis was completely locked up.  Ever tried to walk with a locked pelvis?  It's painful and you can't do it without severely limping. I took a nap which helped a little but I woke up with a headache.  Tried to help the kids with homework and their lessons.  Got them to bed late.  Now I'm sitting here trying to get some things done.  I did take some Tylenol which will hopefully help my head and maybe my pelvis a little.  Tomorrow will be better.

Looking for a home

Every time my husband applies for a job somewhere, if I get a minute, I like to look at the houses in that area that are for sale.  One day we'll own our own home and looking to see what I like and don't like I think will help when that day comes.  Just recently, I was looking at some homes in one area and was floored to see how expensive they were.  Seriously, the job paid well for where we're at now but having to live in the area by the job, we actually couldn't have afforded it.  It was crazy to me!  I was only looking at the mortgage price too, not even taking into account taxes and insurance costs.  I'd be a little nervous to look for homeowners insurance quotes in that one area.  They are probably through the roof where the homes were so expensive.  Something perfect will come along at the right time, right?  That's what I keep telling myself.  One day...one day...

Best dog ever

I have been so happy since we got another dog.  She is so good for our family!  She's still in the puppy stage which means she has her naughty moments, but overall, those moments are few and far between.  Seriously, such a good dog! I find myself constantly comparing her to our first dog.  We loved our first dog, don't get me wrong.  But we picked her out solely based on her cute factor.  Gosh she was cute!  She had so much energy and we didn't have a lot of time to let her get it all out.  She needed constant attention and really struggled to entertain herself.  She hated being left alone and we struggled to take her with us when we went anywhere.  But we loved her and have a lot of cute memories of her little quirks. When we had to give her up, it was really hard.  It took a lot of years before we could get another dog and we have been really pleased. We did our homework and found the right dog for us.  She really fits into our family and we're in a better place to give her what she needs.  I am so grateful we have her!

Weddings

I have been enjoying watching wedding shows on Netflix.  Getting married is a big step and it's fun to watch as new brides get so excited for their big day.  I was pretty stoked when I got married!  I can still remember the butterflies I had, not because I was nervous, but because I was so excited.  My husband was truly my match.  I knew it then and I still know it now, over a decade later.  He's awesome and I am blessed to share my life with him!  I hope that these couples I see get married, their marriages work out as well as mine did.  I hope they find that perfect dress, find the perfect location, and even find a a wedding DJ in charleston sc if that's what they choose, to make their day special.  It's a day you always remember as a bride so you hope it's everything you dreamed of! 

Speaking of pregnancy

My last post was pregnancy related and now my mind is in that mood.  I was thinking about how this pregnancy has been different from my others.  One big thing that comes to mind is I haven't been able to wear my contacts this time around.  My last pregnancy, I could tell me eyes changed during pregnancy.  They got a little worse as the pregnancy went on but I could still wear my contacts without a problem.  This time however, I don't think I made it more than 2 months before my contacts started to really bother me.  My eyes hurt and the contacts never felt like they were in the right place.  It became so painful I finally had to stop wearing them.  Darn.  I miss my contacts!  My glasses are fine I just don't love them.  I wonder if I would love cheap rimless frames instead of what I have?  Glasses can be pricey if you're buying them all the time so I don't usually get new ones unless I have too.  Thankfully I have glasses as a backup but I hope after the baby is born, I can switch back to my contacts. 

Getting bigger

The baby is getting bigger which means I am getting more uncomfortable.  It's a blessing to be pregnant though.  There was a time I wasn't sure I wanted kids.  Mainly because I was scared of the unknown.  I didn't know how pregnancy would be.  I didn't know how I would do with labor.  And I didn't know if I would be a good mom.  Thankfully, I've gotten past all of that.  Well, mostly lol.  Each pregnancy has been different and this time has definitely been the hardest. Part of me worries how I will make it through the rest of the pregnancy but I keep going, one day at a time.  I still worry about labor, each one has been different.  Having a c-section still terrifies me and I worry that at least one of my pregnancies will end up in one.  I HOPE not but that thought is in my head.  And as far as being a good mom.  There are a lot of days where I feel like a great mom but then there are other days, not so much.  But I figure that's pretty normal right?  Overall, I am glad we have children and I'm glad to have a body that can bring these sweet babies into this world.  I am truly blessed to be a mother!

Updated pictures finally

Like most families, we have family pictures hung up on our walls in our home.  But I am really bad at keeping those pictures updated.  Is that pretty normal?  We have a tradition to change out the pictures at the end of the year with things that we did all year long.  But that tradition has slipped for the past few years.  Three to be exact.  I kept meaning to do it and even started a folder on my computer of which pictures I wanted to print but I just never finished.  Finally my husband and I sat down about two weeks ago and did it just to finally get it done.  I am so happy we finished!  It's nice to see new ones up and remember what we've done this past year.  The kids have been happy to see them too and reminisce over our adventures.   Now we just need to have our family pictures done.  Not just regular pictures like we have but getting some professional ones done.  It's been about three years since we've done that too.  Maybe we'll wait until after the baby is born then we'll really be caught up. :D

"Why does it go by so fast mom?"

I was asked that question in reference to Christmas.  "I wanted the day to go by slow and instead it went by really fast!"  Yep, that's pretty much how it goes around Christmastime.  I actually had most of the week off from work and the first half of the week went great.  I didn't feel rushed and had time to get things done that I wanted to.  Then Christmas came and the day was wonderful.  The kids got excited over every present and my husband and I loved our presents too.  I was so happy to be able to surprise my husband this year with a few gifts he wasn't expecting.  That made me feel really good.  Today, three days later we are still playing with and enjoying our presents. I wish I had a few more days to spend with the family before returning to work but the few days I did get, it was a nice reprieve.  My family needed me to be home and I needed to be here too.  So while it went by fast, it was still very enjoyable and has been a great week!

Say yes!

I have started watching a new TV on Netflix called "Say Yes to the Dress."  It's a show about women looking for their perfect wedding dress.  I think I really like the show because a part of me is living through these women.  I never found the perfect wedding dress when I got married.  Wedding dress shops were few in my area when I got married.  Plus, I am tall and I'm not skinny and I wanted something modest.  Those four things made looking for a dress really hard.  I remember feeling frustrated and sad that I couldn't find anything.  Finally, my MIL took me to a lady she knew that rented dresses out of her home.  I found one that would work but I didn't love it.  I didn't hate it but I remember thinking that it was the only one that fit and was modest and I was out of time and had to go with it.  So watching this show and seeing how happy the women are when they find the "perfect" dress, it makes me really happy for them.  My dress wasn't perfect but my husband was and still is.  Who cares about a dress I wore once when I have such a great husband to spend the rest of forever with?  Yep, I'm good. :)

Clean and organized

I like to have things organized.  Or at least as much as I can and have time to do.  I have bins for my flours and sugars which I've always thought was helpful.  We have a number of shoe organizers throughout the house because shoes all over the floor are really annoying.  I have containers in my hall for bathroom supplies and essentials.  It just makes sense to have things organized and in spots that are easily accessible.  I know I  need help trying to organize our closets.  We have some big tubs containers but we could also use different types of cabinet organizers for the other things that aren't in tubs.  But one project at a time is about all I can handle and my closets are last on my list at the moment.  I'll get to them eventually.

Bahumbug

Worst. Thanksgiving.  Ever.  But maybe I'm not being thankful enough.  I just wanted today to turn out so differently than it did.  I've cried more times than I can count over today and I should be counting my blessings.  I just really wanted a great day.  I had today off from work and I wanted to wake up and watch the parade and the dog show with my family.  That's our tradition, we've been doing it for years.  It's my absolute favorite part of Thanksgiving, even more so than the food.  I just wanted it to be like it always is.  But that didn't happen.

The dog woke up at almost 4am and had to be taken out.  Which was annoying but didn't kill my mood.  But then my husband got a call from his family asking for help to move a couch.  Again, not a big deal, it was an hour before the parade started and plenty of time to move a couch right?  No, three plus hours later he came home.  I was heartbroken.  I had tried to enjoy the parade with the kids, hoping he would be home soon but it didn't happen.  Not to mention the station cut out for about 30 minutes and we couldn't even watch it.  That's when I broke down. The day I was looking forward to all week.  The day I needed with my family because work this week was so difficult.  The day I needed to get me back on track and it fell apart.  I caught maybe 30 minutes of the parade and about 5 minutes of the dog show.  I was hurt and angry and I couldn't stop crying.

We went to my family's for dinner and it felt like just another day.  Nothing special.  We came home and here it is the end of the day and I feel like I didn't have Thanksgiving. So yes, I'm being selfish.  I am complaining because I didn't get what I wanted.  I wanted to be in bed an hour ago and here I am blogging because I have work to do and the baby took too late of a nap.  I'm uncomfortable, exhausted, emotional, and whiny. I am going to need a prayer to make it through work tomorrow.

When will it be fixed?

Over a month ago our dishwasher stopped working.  After my husband looked it over we determined it was an electrical problem because it wasn't just the dishwasher that stopped working, so did the outlets all around it and the garbage disposal. So we called the landlord and since our maintenance guy quit we had no one to come fix the problem.  So we waited until someone new was hired a few weeks later and then he came out and looked things over.  Determined it was an electrical problem (yep, we said that) and said they would call an electrician.  That guy ended up quitting because he got a better job so we keep calling the landlord to see if this can get fixed soon and she hasn't even called an electrician yet. Grrr.  It's been over a month!  I don't mind doing the dishes by hand but not having a garbage disposal really sucks since I can't use that sink.  I didn't ask her to look at a website for a hydraulic valve or anything that complicated.  All I need her to do is to call an electrician and let him do his job.  Not my fault the wiring is all screwed up.  I really want my dishwasher and disposal back.  This week I hope.  Sucks.

The Voice

Are you into the show The Voice?  I am.  I have liked the show since it started a few seasons ago.  Although I admit, I didn't care so much for last season with the new judges and I'm glad this season all the originals are back.  Next season they won't be though ugh.  Anyway, I like that the judges can't see the singers and choose then based solely on their voice.  I especially like that they don't put on crappy singers just for ratings like some other shows.    Then I love the battle rounds.  So good!  I loved that they added a steal to the knock out rounds too, awesome!  I can't tell you at this point who I want to win, but I do have a few favorites.  You'll have to wait until closer to the finale to find out my favorite!  Sometimes it's hard to pick a favorite and then not have them win.  But I still enjoy the show and watching all the artists grow and excel at what they do.  The best singing competition on TV right now!

We got a little snow!

All of my coworkers don't like the snow, don't want any snow, and loathe seeing anything that resembles snow.  So naturally they don't like that I love the snow lol.  They have been saying for weeks that hope it doesn't snow.  I keep saying "uh, remember where we live??  It's going to snow."  And today, it finally did a little bit yay!  I saw big flakes starting at work and I almost started jumping up and down with joy! (Jumping while pregnant is not very fun lol.)  The snow didn't last more than a few minutes before it stopped and nothing stuck, but it was nice to see anyway.  Of course all my coworkers said I jinxed it, saying I wanted snow so it snowed lol.  I think it's silly to have really cold weather and no snow.  Don't you think that's weird?  Maybe it's just me.  Anyway, it snowed a little more later in the day, nothing really sticking but I still love to see it.  There's something so peaceful about seeing white everywhere.  I LOVE IT!

Made it through

Halloween has come and gone which means Thanksgiving and Christmas are around the corner.  I don't know about anyone else but once Halloween is over, the rest of the year's holidays FLY by.  I'm ready though, I love this time of year!  As far as Halloween went though, it was good and the kids had a great time.  I finished our homemade costumes at the last minute and they turned out so cute.  I was really proud of myself for putting it all together and finishing it.  I was a little worried towards the end but it worked out great.  We got a lot of compliments on them.  The best part was that the girls loved their costumes and I love that it was a family costume we all could do.  The kids are already starting to think about ideas of what our costumes will be next year.  I love that they get so excited. 

Good variety in the family

I would think most families have a variety of occupations in them. Don't you think?  Maybe if you're family owned a restaurant, you all work in the restaurant but maybe one or two of them do something else.  But I would think as a whole, most families each do something different.  Me, I'm in healthcare and I have a brother also in healthcare.  But I also have a brother in retail and motivational speaking.  I also have a brother (yep, lots of brothers) who is a lawyer.  Not working with Meservy Law but he does have his own practice.  I like that we have a variety.  Each of us has something different to "bring to the table" and I like that.  It helps to save money too when you have a question or a need that a family member can help with.  I know sometimes family members may feel like they're taken advantage of but I haven't seen that in my family so far.  I got pretty lucky I guess. :)

It's that time of year!

I love this time of year!  I know, I keep mentioning that fact, but it's true!  When I was in school, I hated this time of year because all of the new seasons of TV shows started up again and I had to do homework instead of watching them lol.  But now, I can watch them!  I've really liked watching The Voice and The Amazing Race started up too.  I think I heard Parenthood started again but I've missed that one so I'll have to check it out online.  I'm trying not to find NEW shows to watch because there are so many and boy, I could spend hours and hours in front of my TV if I had any more shows to watch.  Sometimes it's nice to veg on the couch and relax but other times it's nice to be productive and get things done.  Or sometimes I'll be productive AND watch TV.  How's that for a compromise? :D  So, what kinds of shows do you like to watch?

Clean floors

We've lived in the same place for awhile but I'm beginning to see that the carpet here doesn't hold up to much.  I wouldn't say it's the cheapest carpet on the planet, but it's definitely not far from it.  Stains show up easily and it doesn't stay fluffy.  We do have a steam cleaner we've used a few times which helps a ton but then after about a week it seems to go back to the usual blah.  I wonder if there's another way to keep it looking nice and fluffy?  We vacuum one to two times a week, you'd think that would be enough.  Maybe a new vacuum would be more beneficial?  We spent over a hundred dollars on the vacuum we have, which is my book is expensive enough.  But maybe for a little more money it would make my carpets better?  Hmm, I'm going to have to research that one.  But first, I will wait until my vacuum dies.  No sense buying a new one when the one you have works ok.  Even if it means not the best looking carpet lol.

I wonder

Which type are you?  Are you the type of person who's really involved in the government of your city, state, and country? Or are you the type that kind of knows what's going but doesn't get actively involved in the government?  Or are you the type that doesn't have any idea of what's going on and you prefer it that way?  (There are more types I'm sure.)  There is so much going on with our government right now it's almost mind blowing.  The whole new health care reform is especially huge right now.  It seems not too long ago that there was a huge thing about illegal immigration but you don't hear about that as much now or about those who try to come here legally but need help from an immigration attorney.  Sometimes I feel really out of the loop but at the same time, I don't put myself directly in that loop.  I'm realizing though, that nothing will change unless people like me start standing up and making our voices heard.  Change doesn't happen while sitting on your couch.

It's Autumn!

It's true, Autumn is officially here and I am loving it!  I love to see the leaves change colors and have the cooler temperatures.  Granted, I am still adjusting to the temperatures lol but it's nothing a sweatshirt and a cup of hot chocolate won't fix.  I think I am most excited about the upcoming holidays.  Next month is Halloween and I think I found a cute costume idea that we could do as a family.  The kids liked it, I just have to find the right clothes to match.  Also next month, although it's not a holiday, we find out the gender of this baby.  Pretty excited!  Then in November is Thanksgiving  The parade, the dog show, and yummy food woohoo!  Then it's Christmas a month later!  Yep, pretty stoked!  Aren't you excited too??

Is it that close, really?

Someone told me recently how many days left there were before Christmas.  Over a hundred, I can't remember. I do remember however, thinking SHUT UP!  I cannot believe it's almost here again!  I LOVE the holiday and Thanksgiving too but it feels like we should still be in summer, not fall/winter.  I've heard stores have Christmas stuff out already, which doesn't surprise me, they usually do about now.  But still!  I guess I should be thinking about Christmas and what we can do this year.  I'm not working near as much as I was last year so I know things will be tight.  I'm not even sure what the kids want at this point.  Maybe a shure sm58 at musician's friend?  Or some new ponies?  Maybe some new dress up clothes? Music? Clothes? Er, probably not clothes.  Gee, now I'm feeling nervous that I don't even know!  Guess I should get a jump on that like all the stores...

Where did the time go

With each pregnancy, I feel time is slipping by me faster and faster.  You would think most parents feel that way right?  The older kids get more and more active.  The younger ones seem to hit milestones sooner than you expect.  You feel like you can never get a decent night's sleep because someone has to stay up late to work on homework, or needs to be taken to an activity, or gets sick in the middle of the night, or about a billion other things.  You are almost constantly on the go and doing something to create memories with your family.  Some days you wonder how you will make it until bedtime and other days you cherish the little moments and never want them to end.  So yes, time feels like it's slipping by faster and faster with each new day but there is SO much good and joy that comes from being a part of a family.  I wouldn't trade this time for anything. I am truly, truly blessed!

Feeling bad for them

Went to back to school night and learned a little about the new "common core standards" that school districts are to be implementing.  First, it's confusing because the schools, at least our school, doesn't have all the instructions they need to implement the program.  They were talking about grades and how instead of using letter grades, there will be "targets" set.  So on our child's 6 week progress notes, we will see MT (met target), NT (near target), or BT (below target).  Sounds ok except that our teachers don't know what the "targets" are yet.  Yep, they haven't even been told. Ugh! I feel so bad for them. They don't get paid enough as it is and now they have all this to deal with too.  I was told because I school adopted into this they received extra federal funding. Which any money for schools is HUGE these days, so I can't blame them for wanting some help, but they should have at least been taught what to do BEFORE school started.  I wonder what the extra money will be used for, probably something good.  I know two years ago our school got a new PA system which was hugely needed.  Might have been a good kustom pw50 at wwbw?  It's been great for our school.  I know our school will put any extra money to good use, they always seem too!  Now if only there was enough to give the teachers raises...

Did a little, paying a lot

Today I had a couple of moments where I didn't feel completely awful.  So what do you do when you feel good?  You take your child to the dentist.  Then you come home feeling like crap.  But, after resting for a few hours and taking it easy, I started to feel better again.  So I took the kids to their music lesson.  And felt like crap.  But I didn't have time to think about it because it was back to school night.  So we went and picked up dinner, picked up the rest of the family, then went to school while eating dinner in the car.  The majority of the time at school was spent on my feet in classrooms full of other parents/kids which made them suffocating hot.  After an hour and a half, I couldn't take it anymore and had to leave.  I was shaky and close to passing out and in tears.  I had another obligation to go to after the school thing but I couldn't do it.  I felt really bad but the people for it were really understanding, which made me feel better.  Now, I'm resting again.  Sucks not being able to do much. 

Showing off a little

Two of our kids are taking violin lessons right now.  They're doing a great job and they have been practicing every day.  They're both at that stage where they wished they could play really well and fast like violinist's they've seen on TV.  I keep telling them the more they practice, the better they will get and one day they will be able to play as fast as they want.  Usually it's not hard to get them to practice when we have talks like that.  Other times, it's a little harder and they sigh and hang their heads, but they will do it. We have a guitar that my husband will get out occasionally to change things up.  I wonder what the kids would think if we had a korg pandora at musicians friend that we used on our instruments.  They'd probably love it and not want to NOT use it lol. I'm glad our kids love music and we don't have to force them to be involved in it.  They have their moments when practicing doesn't sound as exciting as playing with a friend, but I'm sure that's normal.  Their grandmas came over yesterday and they were so happy to show her how much they've learned and what they could do.  Showing off a little?  I think yes!  It will be neat to see how well they do come a few years from now.