On a Lighter Note....

(Erin and Griffin in the bathroom, both under the guise of needing to use the potty)

Erin: I poopy on the potty!

Griffin: Woohoo, Erin! That's so pretty!

(They go to wash hands, and water fight ensues, wherein they're simultaneously trying to use the faucet as a drinking fountain and laughing madly when they kiss eachother trying to get a drink.)


END ACT I, SCENE I





This, my friends, is why I've not killed them yet.

Now, if you'll excuse me, I have a bathroom to clean up. As well as a kitchen, because my friend came over tonight, and we were too busy playing with her stamps that we pretty much left them to their own devices....within reasons...put the phone down....that's a good reader.

Mean People Suck.....

....and sometimes I wonder why I ever give people the benefit of the doubt. I care about people. I want to help the underdog. But sometimes, the underdog is a pit bull in disguise and takes a huge bite of my ass. I want to believe in the good of all. I really do. But it really becomes hard to do this when there are so many mean people out there. Did I mention that I'm naiive? You didn't guess? Well......

....It amazes me that people could be so underhanded. I don't have the capabilities to be underhanded. A sarcastic bitch? Why, yes. But a two-faced lying bitch? I don't have the energy.

....I truly can take the hits that people throw at me. I might not take it very well, mind you, but I take my lumps all the same and do a Dory (just keep swimming, swimming, swimming). My life has been rittled with things that have tested my strength more than I ever would have thought. But I really can't take it when something happens to anyone I truly care about. Especially when it's a member of my family. You do what you want to me, but if you do anything to someone I love..... well....just stand back.

....I will not disclose the details behind this, but suffice it to say that I'm really sad about trying to believe in people. Especially people who turn around and are knowingly horrible to someone I care about.

....And I know that most of you probably have visions of Scrappy Doo in your head. But damn it, let me at 'em! I'll splat 'em!

So Nothing Much Ado Today....

....the whole gang is here today. But it's been pretty good. We danced to "Elmopalooza", played with puzzles, blew bubbles, and colored Peanuts pictures. We also watched bits of The Incredibles. Erin and Griffin have really been interested in them lately. It's quite cute. Every so often, I'll hear one of them humming the theme tune.

....The weather changed again, which has left my sinuses in a tizzy. I think we're even supposed to get some snow flakes again, too. So much for Spring. If anyone sees the fucking groundhog, give him a good kick in the head for me.

....So this past Sunday, Aaron had some friends over to do a Fantasy Baseball draft. You know, our house is always in with the sports, but this time of year is fairly ludicrous with how often we're watching or listening or reading sports. When I get into the car, I have to switch it off of the AM radio. When I turn on the television, I have to switch the channel from ESPN. *sigh* I suppose there are worse things to be than a Sports-Fan Widow.

Geriatricville....

....is where Aaron's headed, apparently. In recent months, he's been gifted with reminders to join the AARP. And today, he received a video and information on the latest motorized wheelchair.

....someone has a wicked wicked sense of humor. too damn bad it wasn't me to think of these things!

so...it's really sunday...

....but i've not gone to bed yet....

.....no stamps or paper were purposely harmed in the making of my sister-in-law's baby shower keepsake book. *winks*

.....and no Zookeepers were harmed in the cleaning up of the mess.... *wretches*

A Good Weekend.....

.... so I got a pleasant surprise last night. My aunt, who lives in St. Louis, calls me up (which she never does, btw), and starts chit-chatting. Then, all of a sudden, she asks what we were doing that night, and did we want company. Well, I did what my mom warned her I would do, and squealed with delight in her ear, rendering her deaf for a few moments. You see, my cousin, who is wanting to major in communications disorders (speech pathology/audiology), is looking at Butler University, which is less than a half-hour drive away from my house. And, if you live in/near a big city, is nothing, and worth trekking every day. Anywho, she's still deciding between Butler and University of Tulsa. Of course, I think most of us would love for her to be in Indy, but I especially want her just to be happy. I'll be happy as long as she's happy. She's a muy sweet girl, so I would love to be able to spend more time with her.

....Anyway, I went to good ol' Target today, and ran into my friend, Jen, with whom I worked with at that little accounting firm (which, I shall remind you...was NOT involved in the 2001 scandal that brought a bad name to accountants everywhere). She had a little boy the same year that I had the twins, and I got to see his big cute self. Hopefully we'll be able to get together sometime soon with the kidlets.

....So tonight I need to finish up some stuff for my sis-in-law's shower, which is next weekend. And then, I can get going on Kari's album for her sweet girlie!

feeling better, but still diet-coke-deprived....

....so i went to a doc-in-the-box yesterday. actually, it was an np-in-a-box, but who really cares, right? so long as you get the drugs and relief you want, eh? so i went there. and he reminded me of a gay version of my father. very very strange, that was. he gave me drugs, though, so he's not all that bad. so here's me, on a friday afternoon at 1:45, not knowing what i should do. i already ran two loads of laundry and folded them, and cleaned one of the bathrooms. i need to clean the other two, but really can't be bothered at the moment. i seem to have lost my mojo that was going so very nicely this morning.

Not a good Technology Day.....

....OK, I'm not a techie by any stretch of the word. I USE technology every day. But to know all the nuances of each machine and how to fix them when they're down. No way in hell. So two very important pieces of equipment are giving me fits right now, and I'm not sure how to fix them. One is my phone. For about a month now, I've not been getting voice mail! I thought, perhaps, it was just because no one wanted to talk to me. But I just went through the voice mails that we'd received and there were some very recent ones that had never been listened to! There is a special dial-tone that we hear when we're supposed to get when we have new messages. It's not been there for a while. And I'm not sure what the hell is up with that. *sigh* Add the television, and my lack of dish on one television in my house, and you have a grumpy girl. I was on the phone with the dish tech support, when they asked me to unhook my receiver and replug it in on another television..... well, this would be fine and dandy if the back of our entertainment center didn't resemble a spaghetti nest! *sigh* So, after unplugging the wrong thing, I told the guy (in my I'm-so-sick-and-aggravated-at-the-state-of-the-wires voice), that I'd have my husband call back later. Which is what I'll do. I don't feel well enough to try to deal with another person for a few hours whom I can't even understand anyway. Seriously, I'm not prejudice, but it is a bit difficult to understand a person who just came to America. I'm happy to give them a job. Really, I am, but oy, does it have to be in communications???

Ever the Crafty Girl....

....and ever the girl with hopes that the children WON'T tear up her house today (those are all made in vain, I'll have you know!), I got a book on Sensory Activities for two year-olds. Did you know that if you take some plain ol' Elmer's glue and some liquid starch (like Grandma used to use for Grandpa's workshirts, but we never use that shit in my house....), that you can make your own silly putty or gak (for those children of the eighties)? The kids liked it and were enamoured with it for about ten minutes. So if you feel yourself up for a challenge, go try it. Your kids will think you're gross.

.....and being the bad bad friend that I am, I didn't give the shout-out that poor Judy deserves for interrupting the hell that is sometimes my life to bring me Steak 'n Shake. It was soooo nice to have another adult to witness in person the craziness that is mac-n-cheese day! I hope that it all came off your boots, Judy! *winks*

....It's those brief interruptions with friends. The two-or-three-hour phone calls, the surprise lunches, and such that totally make my life worthwhile sometimes. Oh, yeah....and those rare occasions when the kids are good and treat me like the queen I am. Those, too.

Snow.....

.....and we didn't get the 6 inches of it. Not even close. We got three or four tops. *sigh* So everyone went to school today, and no one is coming home early. I still have all this sinus crap going on, too, so we're all just hanging out and barely keeping pace. Which is still busy, considering I had seven for lunch today! And a two of those seven are strippers..... yeah, baby!

....Nothing much going on at the Zoo today. What about you guys?

....On the diet front, I've sucked up a hind tit, because I found the Girl Scout Cookies this morning. I did exercise a little self-control and only had one sleeve of cookies instead of the entire box. This, my friends, is a start. If any of you know me, I will eat one box at a time for breakfast, lunch, and dinner until they're all gone. And I know that I've mentioned it before, but the road to diet hell is, indeed, paved with Thin Mints. Couple the cookies with a few pieces of bread for lunch (at the very least it is whole wheat bread!) and a bowl of Thin Mint ice cream (if the Girl Scouts of America are the Anti-Christ, I would have to say that Edy's is a Dark Angel), and you have me driving the bus again.

....Tomorrow is another day. I did, at the very least, have a bowl of Kashi Go-Lean with skim milk and 1.5 bananas for breakfast. 21 days to make a habit, right? I've already come close to whipping diet Coke's ass! I really do wish I had a cold soda during the day, but not having so many at hand means that I don't drink six a day. So that is progress. Next step is to maim the gremlin (aka Aaron) who keeps bringing things like cookies into the house!

Food and Diets.....

....ok, so some of us have been trying to diet over the past few weeks. Some of the time, this goes very well for me. I eat high fiber, low-fat, high-protein cereal and this is good.

....Some days, however, dear husbands and friends gift me with breakfast, lunch, and dinner. So today's rundown of food are as follows:
1 cinnamon roll (thanks, Aaron!)
1 fruit and yogurt parfait (thanks, Aaron!)
3 cups of black tea with stevia
1 bowl of Kashi Go-Lean cereal with skim milk
handful of m&m's
1 grilled cheese and bacon sandwich (thanks, Judy!)
1 regular (large? *gulps*) french fries (thanks, Judy!)
2 cinnamon muffins (care to ride on that fantastic slide with me?)
2 bottles of Dasani water (not that it HAS to be Dasani, but bottled somehow always tastes better than tap!)
3 bowls of salad with ranch dressing in the dip and stab method
1 (very large, very gooey with cheese) piece of Chicago-style pizza
2 glasses of Mt. Dew

Why yes, I'm driving the bus to diet hell. Care to join me?

Happy Spring....

....or so you think......

Taxes are For Shit....

.....OK, I spent the ENTIRE day doing taxes. I had two breaks, one when Rebecca came over to give me my stamps and to chat (thanks, girlie!), and one when our good friends Marty and Julie came over to eat some yummy grilled chicken and sauces that Aaron had made. The benefit of my labor is that we're getting a hefty refund! I think that this might be the end of the good refunds, though, as we had a special mortgage credit certificate on our old house, which we won't have on this one. The good thing is that I used up all the carryforward credit on this year's return, so we got all the benefits of it! (confused yet?) And because of the move, I'm really glad that I enlisted help this year, as it would have been a complete bitch to figure out all the extra stuff on my own.

.....and this does bring me to another area of my life where I NEED. TO. IMPROVE. I must MUST become more organized, or I will forever be the raving bitch around tax time. I absolutely HATE doing taxes. And why? Because I have all the forms spread out all over the house, and have to go through everyfuckingreceiptfromthelastyear in order to figure out what I can and can't deduct for tax purposes. And if you've ever tried to read a Wal-Mart receipt, it's very difficult at times to determine just what the fuck you've just bought! So I need to do a better job of categorizing the receipts. It just must happen. There are no ifs ands or buts about this.

Anyway, I think I shall go shopping with my fat cash now. Adieu!

A pretty Good Saturday....

...aside from the pain in my head that is the sinus crap that's been my life for the past few weeks, the day was pretty good. Aaron and I got a nice, slow start to the morning, as the twins and Collin were at Aaron's parents for the night. They did really well for them, which makes us happy, as it might mean a few more kidless nights in the future. Anything more than what we've had for the last three years is fine with us!

...I've decided that iTunes is a good way to go for buying cd's from now on. When you have children, chances are your cd's are going to be scratched to hell and unreadable in about 6.4 seconds. And if that's the case, it's better to be able to just burn another copy of it! That is my current thought, at any rate.

....I went through all the receipts that we have to figure out what I can use for my tax return. Which leads me to wonder if my anti-depressants and diet Coke would be considered tax deductible, as I only need them because of my job. Perhaps I shall ask my old boss. Ya know, at that accounting firm that wasn't a part of that big scandal a few years back.

....I really hate the fact that the meth labs of America has rendered it nearly impossible to get Sudafed. The fuckers have made it to where you can't get your children decongestants (that work) without signing away your life. It also renders it useless to have a 24 hour Wal-Mart in the vicinity if you can't go get said cold medicines in the middle of the night. Bastards.

So how was YOUR weekend? (Yes, I'm being comment needy.....humor me, please. *winks*)

The Best Time.....

.....I love him.....

.....I don't think I'd wanna have his love child, really, but I'd just loooveee to sit and have a conversation with him. Ask him all the nagging things that Inquirers want to know and all that. Like ask about his kids and stuff. Are his twins as rotten as mine? Just how old are they? Ya know....mommy stuff. *sigh* Yes, I've been reduced to nothing more than a birthing machine, whose world is fully encompassed by her children. And boy, do I look the part.

Anyway, it was a fabby time, and the kids are nestled safely in the bed that we built them at Grandma's. Yes, folks, we shall be sleeping in tomorrow. So don't come knockin'!

A Nice, Easy, BEAUTIFUL Day.....

So, in the land that's usually brimming with under-twos who are whining, crying and biting, there was peace and happiness to be found. I had one family today, and they were here until 3:00. Yes, the girl who usually works a twelve hour day worked the normal 8-9 hour day! The family did consist of four children, but the oldest two don't count as much, since they're eight and twelve. The eight year old is one of Collin's best friends, so we didn't see them much today. The twelve year old is a girl, so she is like a little mommy to the others. She was such a big help. I fed everyone, but other than that, the day was cake.

And the weather is beautiful. It's not a wonder that my sinuses are angry, as yesterday it was horribly cold outside. Today, it was sunny and fairly warm in the afternoon. My head is killing me, but it could be worse, eh?

This afternoon, while everyone slept, I talked to Katie on the phone and sorted through my embarrassingly large stash of paper. I have a stack that's about two and a half feet wide. I know that there is no way that I'll be able to use all this paper. No way. But I do know that others have a much larger stash than I do. They frequently appear in Creating Keepsakes, and have rows upon rows of the stuff. No, I am not that bad. But I'm still embarrassed at the amount of paper I have hiding about my room. But nearly all of it has a home now, which wasn't the case before. I still do need a few more things to keep my paper in, but overall I'm doing fairly well! *big, cheesy grins*

I have decided that paper is my embarrassing shopping addiction. Anything scrapbooking, really, but especially paper. When I feel down in the dumps, nothing is as exhilirating as getting some new stash. I feel guilty about it later, but at the time, it sure does help this locked-up-zookeeper a happier girl. Which is why I think I'm not headed to divorce court or financial counseling. *winks*

So tonight, I'm off to see my boyfriend. This title used to be held by someone else, but now he's a total sell-out, and not worthy of definition of the particular singer. Sad, because I think he would have made an awesome love child with me. (sit down, Aaron, I'm only joking!....well....sort of....)

Happy St. Patrick's Day! May you drink all the green beer you can hold!

Bad Internet Day....

....the gerbil who works my dsl modem died today.....spent NEARLY TWO HOURS!!!!!! to get a new one, and forgot that i was supposed to go feed my friends' animals while they're away on vacation! ack ack ack.....shitty shitty day today.....

....grrrrrr

I locked myself in the bathroom today.....

....because most of the kids were fighting over my lap.

How's your day been?

Tired Tuesday.....

..... So, Katie made a word cloud from her blog. So, being the nice friend I am, I made my own, running with her idea (that, of course, she stole from someone else....). I am not computer literate enough to figure out how to copy it into my blog, so you're just going to have to trust me that my word cloud had the words shit, premature, kids, and pics in it. oh, and don't forget the word Katie. Fitting, since without her, I'd likely not have embarked on a journey in the blogging world.

****Warning....long rant follows.....****

.....Events being what they are, and I know that this is a common thread amongst my blogging buddies, I am going to have to seriously, seriously look at eating better and exercising. Stop laughing at me, for you know I'll likely try and fail at this, too. But, I did weigh myself last night on someone's scales. Methinks if I broke down and bought my own set of scales, that I'd likely turn anorexic and never put anything in my mouth ever again. But I weighed myself. 165. Yes, you read that right 165. I've never in my life weighed more, aside from the very brief time in which I weighed something like 175. Mind you, the Gruesome Twosome had taken up residence at the time, but let's be reminded that I gave birth at 26 weeks, so my body wasn't that for very long. And, two babies is a good excuse, no? Anyway, I've seriously gained 25 pounds since the twins were born. omg....my math sucks. I think it's closer to 30 pounds. See?? I really really really need to get on the stick. 30 pounds in three very short years. If I keep gaining weight at this rate, I'll be gargantuan before long. Kids are supposed to gain 10 lbs. a year, NOT mommies. And I know that I have a few things that work against me. Anyone on an antidepressant knows you're bound to pack on the weight. I still can't figure out whether it's just because my stomach isn't in serious knots all the time, thus paving the way for all the happy calories flooding their way into my mouth, or whether there is some sort of chemical that simulatenously slows down my metabolism as it gives me my false sense of a seratonin high. Probably a bit of both. But dammit!! How come people are not allowed to be skinny and happy? Most mommies do not have the time to dedicate to being thin. Not in this world that requires us to do three things all at the same time. I can't figure out when I'm supposed to be able to find the time to exercise and shower and still have a house standing when I'm done? It takes me a good hour to exercise and another half-hour to shower and dress. The gyms don't open at 4:30, so that leaves me with after work. I could work out a bit during nap, but I'd become all sweaty, and the sad sorry fact is that the kids I watch would burn my house down if I wasn't on top of them, ready to prevent them from doing so! So, that leaves me with an interrupted work-out after which I can't shower. Which, some people, who apparently have no sweat glands, can do. This girl, with overactive glands of all sorts (reproductive, mammory, sweat....you name it), can NOT spend the rest of the day with the post-work-out stench. This leaves me with after work. A very brief period of time where I'm supposed to help with kids and dinner and cleaning. I feel so frustrated at my lack of options.

.....so I did what any couped up mother and daycare provider would do. I put on the Wiggles and danced to it. Then we got out the exercise ball (and dusted it off), and everyone got a go on it. The kids bounced while I did crunches. So we shall see. I have to start moving more. Maybe then I will at least STOP gaining weight. Most of my problem with gaining is that I'd rather use the money that I have to buy scrapbooking supplies or books rather than new clothes. *winks*

Nothing Much.......

......to say today. things are going ok, despite being a bit tired and full of sinus issues. this crazy-ass weather leaves my head wondering what the hell is going on. Hence, an achey head. Ugh.

.....the rest of the weekend went pretty well. i sat a-scrappin' into the wee hours of the night both friday and saturday, and it felt good. i miss having the energy to do things i want to do! i suppose any time you work more than forty hours in a week, you're going to get worn out... ESPECIALLY when you work with little kids, whether it be as a SAHM or a daycare provider or teacher. eight hours a day is MORE than enough when working with people under age 18....well...probably anyone, really, but i like to pity myself, so humor me. ANYWAY, go look!

.....i have a lot of good stuff to look forward to this week.... ok, ONE GREAT THING. yes, i'm going to see him on friday...yes i have a huge crush on him, especially upon finding out that he has boy/girl twins, too. he's such a private person, though, so i'm not sure how much more i'm going to be able to find out about him. damn rockstars? don't they know their lives are public domain?? *wink* another shocking thing about friday is that my children will likely be spending it with Aaron's mom....one of their grandmas! she's never kept them overnight before, so please cross your fingers, say hail mary's and touch wood that the twins will not be rotten like they are for me so that both aaron and i can sleep in on saturday morning!

A Good Saturday....

....of course it started off with Aaron letting me sleep in. I got up around 10:00. It's very nice to get to sleep in when I get up at 5:45 most days. After showering and all that fun stuff, we went to Skyline Chili for lunch. Aaron and the twins love it, Collin and I tolerate it. But to look at a table of five (or seven, in Katie's case), all you see is mounds and mounds of shredded cheddar cheese. Even Erin mentioned Wallace and Grommit off that one! After Skyline, we went to Half Price Books, where we got a ton of books and a They Might Be Giants "Here come the ABC's" album, all for $21! It was awesome.

....So, you know how I keep saying that my friends are awesome? Here is proof of that....my friends are very sweet to me, I tell you! They spend hours with me on the phone in the day so I don't go insane, they bring me Taco Bell because I can't get out during the week to get it for myself, they bring me chocolate when I have had a bad day, and they make me such wonderful things. So thank you, Judy, Katie, and Rebecca. You guys seriously rock.

A Shit(e) Day with a Good Ending....

...OK, so maybe giving up diet Coke practically cold turkey wasn't the best idea. I'm soooo jonsing for a diet Coke. Why? Because when I get really frustrated with the children (say...when they're tossing the guinea pigs' shit-catching piney stuff all over the floor and eachother), I can get some instant gratification by cracking open a can of diet Coke (instead of whip-ass). The caffiene and bubble deprivation has led me to be one head-achey, stomach-churning mess. Well, with the help of my friends....the animals at the Zoo. Not to mention the fact that I horked up Mexican food last weekend and poor Aaron, who wants nothing more than a (good) margarita, wants to go to a Mexican restaurant. Why so adamant about it? Because he gave up BEER for lent. So a good maragrita is a reward for not drinking it for a week. So, when he called some friends up, not getting prior approval for Mexican, but inviting them anyway...I kind of went ape-shit on him, and got sad and pissed when he wasn't particularly kind back. Oy, the spiral that goes downhill at the speed of light.

...On a good note, Griffin only went in his pants/pull-up at nap today! Woot for the big boy. I had to tell you, since I've done so much complaining about him pissing and crapping himself everywhere we went last weekend. hehe So it's not all that bad. (Erin, on the other hand...oy.... she fought me yesterday about peeing on the potty, despite the fact that she hadn't gone all morning, and was mad that I wouldn't give her the pull-up until she did the deed on the potty....GRRRRRR....)

....So, how did this day-from-the-pits have a good ending? Well, Aaron finally gave up hope of going to Mexican (despite the fact that I told him that I would go and just have chips and cheese instead of the otherwise yummy burrito that I usually get), and ordered pizza. He went and got margarita mix, and was fairly disappointed by the drink. I might as well be Jewish for the guilt I'm toting around. Catholics don't compare in this area, despite the fact that I am one. Oh, the guilt! Anyway, I said fuck it to the diet (by the way, I did fairly well today...until about 3:00 when I went for an ice cream cup) and had three pieces of pizza...1 mushroom and 2 onion (and my breath is sooo not pretty right now)....topped off with a fountain Mt. Dew.

....After supper, I scrapbooked for myself (sorry, Kari...I promise to get the album done before she turns three....). I'd left the twins' albums hanging for the past few months. So I did a few pages that were identical (thanks for the inspiration to do it that way, Katie). I went back and re-created a page for Griffin (heavily improvising, much to my dismay) that goes with this one in Erin's book. I'll post pics of all these when I'm completely finished with them. I also did some new identical pages, which are nearly the same, except for appropriate individual photos and having to switch the style of alphabet due to letter shortages (oh, the horrors!). Those, I used crystal laquer on, so I'm having to let them dry. That's one thing that's hard for me in scrapbooking. Not getting INSTANT GRATIFICATION due to having to allow for dry-time. *sigh* They'll be finished tomorrow, though! I also made a card.

So I can go to bed feeling less like my head will implode at any given moment due to stress. Which, considering it is already Saturday by nine minutes, I should do right now. Good night all...hope you had a lovely Friday!

Rain, Rain, Go Away....

....cos Little Stephie's kids wanna play outside.... (that does NOT give you premission to call me Stephie!)

....I do like the rain when I don't have to go anywhere, but it would have been nice to take my little 'uns outside for a few. They did, however, manage to get in a few rounds of dancing to the Wiggles (Yummy, Yummy cd...and yes, Walter, it has Wags the Dog on it!) and coloring pages (and walls).

....I had a light day today, which gave me inspiration to do none other than organize my stash a bit more by cataloging my rubber stamp collection. Yes, I'm that geeky that I feel the need to do this. But I have a lot of good stuff that gets left behind in the shuffle because it has to be put away....Out of sight, out of mind! So, I now have TEN PAGES of stamp images to look through when I go to make a page/card. Yay! I have so much stuff, that it's very easy to forget what I have. This has led me to want to catalog my punches and die cut collections, too.

...Not only did I do that, but I managed to get in a few loads of laundry today, too! (Oh, and make sure that the kids didn't kill eachother or piss on my floor.) I didn't, however, do anything for supper, which I need to do soon!

....as far as eating today, I managed to polish off all the good ice cream in the house, so I was back to actually not doing too badly. Every day always includes a few handfuls of M&M's (hey...shut up, you, I gave up diet Coke....), but I didn't manage to overeat today.

....AND, the BEST part of my day today?? I GOT A NEW PURSE IN THE MAIL FROM MY FRIEND KATIE!!!!!!!!!!!!! Katie, who has known me longer than even some of my family. Katie, who knows the names of all of the skeletons in my closet. Katie, who knows where all the bodies are buried (wait, no...I suppose we aren't mobster families....strike that last one.). Anyway, I was going to buy the yarn for her to knit me a purse, but SHE DID IT HERSELF!!! :)

.....AND, the SECOND BEST PART OF MY DAY?? My friend, Judy (who so would have a great following should she open her own blog), stopped by today with a goody bag (complete with chocolate!!). That had everything from our favorite Bazzill cardstock to books on how to do altered books!

.....Everyone needs friends like me. I think I need to bust out my stamps and churn out some thank-you cards, no? ;)

Wednesday....right?

it doesn't feel like a Wednesday, but it is, I suppose. Erin and Collin are both under the weather, but are on the mend. Collin came home yesterday from school after he vomited. Erin ran a fever last night that felt much higher than what the thermometer read. *sigh* I hate when my kids are sick.

so today I finally finished the wedding/civil ceremony scrapbook for my sister-in-law. I hope that she likes it. and i can't for the life of me remember whether or not she knows about it. I think she does. *shrug* you can see it as soon as I get it put up on my scrapbooking blog. (for those of you who know all about the painting escapades that Aaron underwent this past weekend, I promise to post pics once those rooms resemble something of clean...)

So that was that....."So where is your run-down of food?" you might ask? Well, until Aaron stops buying ice cream, I shall keep eating ice cream. Which negates any diet strategies I had going....so I'm taking a bit of a break from that right now. I'll hop back on the wagon when I think I can do it. Actually, I finished the last of the ice cream off this afternoon, so hopefully that will help me a bit! ;) Let's just say that I've had me fair share this week!

If You're Potty Training a Toddler....

you MUST get this book.....

Monday's always get me down....

....and other people. why is that?

....so the nap time today was spent doing this.... i didn't get all that far, but have all of my Stampin' Spots colors on my sheets! I figure I don't have the energy right now to scrap, so I may as well do something productive that might get me in the mood. Some of my Stampin' Spots are new, so that's always nice...they're so perfect when you just open them! ;)

....I've been working lately on my handwriting. A few of my friends and I have this book, but none of us have gotten very far in it. She has some great tips, though, so I'm looking forward to working with them. Don't buy her rub-ons, though. They're for shit. Not that you didn't already know that. ;)

....I feel down in the dumps right now. Part of it's hormonal, but some of it's just this time of year. Plus screaming children, and you have a Zookeeper down in the dumps. *sigh* I know I'm not the only person down right now....and I know that I have it better than most, so I shall just figure out how to get myself out of this. I'm hoping in a few days I'll feel better.

OK....

....still off of the diet coke habit, but there is no way in hell i'm gonna fess up to what i ate today. let's just suffice it to say, it's not going to lose me any pounds!

....i've been obsessed with reading lately. over the past few days, i've managed to read the entire Shopaholic series by Sophie Kinsella. Most of them i've had from an ebay purchase, but some are ones I've bought. She's definitely good for a light read!

....I'm feeling better after my few days of doom. (Obviously, or i wouldn't have been able to have a serving of ice cream for lunch, right?) I need to get back on the diet bandwagon, though, as i'm starting to feel a bit down about it. *sigh*

Oy.....

....ok, so I'm embarrassed to tell you what I ate on Friday. But it included a pint of chocolate cookie dough ice cream. There. I said it. And, I'm not buying anymore ice cream until I can get some of these bad habits out of the way.

....Starting with over-shopping. Yesterday I went to a Stamping and paper Crafts festival at the State Fairgrounds. It was fun, but I didn't spend more than my allotted 45 dollar budget (which was more than I intended in the first place, but the machine wouldn't give me tens, and I'd originally wanted to take 30). The 45 dollars included lunch (more on that in a minute), which was 12, entrance to the festival, which was 5, parking, which was 1, and gas money to Judy, which was 2.75. I got two packs of paper, some pensacore stuff (with which you can make your own stamps), a glue pen, and a set of alphabet stamps. Oh, and a "made by auntie" stamp for my friend Rebecca. Not too shabby, if I do say so myself. Cos, ask Aaron, self-control, and Stephanie aren't usually uttered in the same sentence, unless it does with LACKING.

....So all was fine and dandy, had a good time, then went to Cancun to eat lunch. I got my favorite, Cilantro Cream Burrito and regular Coke (still haven't drunk diet yet....*unreligiously pats self on back*). All was great, until the waves of nausea started. I won't elaborate, but suffice it to say, I gently turned down the chance to eat Mexican food again today, shuddering at the memories of yesterday.

....But lemme tell ya. Despite the fact that I'm feeling shite, I have a sneaking suspicion that I might be losing some of my weight! hahaha

So Aaron painted both the kids' bathroom and the hall this weekend. I shall take pictures once I find my camera. Aaron has put it safely away somewhere. I just have no idea where that might be. I shall also post pics of the neat little invitations Nain and I made on Thursday. And the thank you notes I finished on Friday. They're nothing special, but I think they'll be cute.

OK, there you have it folks. My weekend.

By the way, we finally found a duvet cover for my down comforter! I shall take pics of that, too, once Mt. Needtofold has been conquered.

Thursday.....

.....so not much new is happening around the Zoo. Griffin continuously keeps us in stitches, and I always think that I need to write it down, but never get back here in time with it in my head. The lack of diet Coke, I tell ya!

************wake-up to 9:12***********
1 large mug of almond tea
1.5 helpings of Kashi Good Friends

**********9:13-1:02***********
still no diet coke... *pats self on back*
4 lil' smokies
1 pancake
1 4oz. yogurt
handful of m&m's
2 bottles of water

*************1:02-10:02***********
oh, my, this is embarrassing.....
1 large mug of chocomint green tea...slurp
2 bottles water
handful of trail mix
handful of m&m's
handful of Kashi Good Friends cereal
2 glasses Cherry Coke
1 very large, but not so large as the ones in Terre Haute tenderloin....which is so an Indiana thing
1 serving potato salad

In my reflections on what I eat, I've also discovered that hypoglycemia is soooo not my friend. When I'm feeling the shakes and light-headedness coming on, I eeeeaaaaattt like there's no tomorrow. And if you've felt that way because of the shakes, you understand why I want it to go away. Now. Yesterday, even. So I need to be more careful about what I do to help me feel better.

I've also discovered that my addiction to diet Coke knows no bounds, and that I felt homicidal for the want of a diet Coke today. Kudos to Nain for putting up with my sorry ass.

I've also discovered today that Aaron's school has a new firewall to their network, so I can trash his ass all I want to.......but I don't really want to, because, frankly, he's a good guy. He cleaned the daycare again tonight. I helped a bit, but he and Collin did the bulk.

And last, but not least, today, I, with Nain's help, made 33 baby shower invitations for his sister's shower. Whew. Glad that's done. I still, however, have a backlog of projects.... *waves at Kari and hangs head that it's not done yet....*

OK, so not last, I did get the Stampin' Up! order today! WOOFUCKINGHOOT! It's like Christmas, I tell you. I've already sorted out the orders and have cut and mounted my stamps..... And GSilva...please don't read this...I promise to order from you, too! *winks and waves*

Now, who else from the blog world can I mention in my post?


Waist measurement: 38" 1 in. down.....10 to go! *sniggers*

I've Made a Grave Mistake.....

....yes, other than the overconsumption at both snack and dinner....

......Did you know that if you turban-wrap an older toddler's hair that you will have to repeat the task four times and STILL hear them scream when it falls off....again?

Hump Day.....

.....not that kind of hump... *winks*

.....so yesterday was a loooong day. I worked 12 hours, then went to Applebees' to see about organizing Aaron's sister's baby shower with both sisters *waves to Nain* and Andrea's sister-in-law. A very productive time. Then I went to Wal-Mart to get some essentials for the house, which landed me back at home at 9:30. Then I gave Ginny and Lucy their meds, and read for a little while before going to sleep. *whew*

....today's been ok so far. Yesterday when I was outside with the kids, we collected pine cones, pine needles, branches, etc, to make nature collages this morning. That went as well as it possibly could with six kids five and under.

*****food 6am-11am******
1 cup strawberry flavored black tea
1 16.9 oz. bottle water
handful of grapes
(I'M STARVING!!!!)

*******11 am to 1:38 pm********
1 cup Kashi cereal (like bran flakes....)
1 4oz. yougurt
1 cup chocolate chip cookie dough ice cream..... *sigh* it was good....
1 bottle water
a little over one serving of trail mix...forgot that.... :-S
(After the ice cream, I feel better.... *winks*)

.....so yes, I'm trying to give up diet Coke. And I'm finding it easier in some ways, but harder in others....what else can you drink when you're thirsty for something cold? I'm going to have to revert back to my diet Snapple days. On the other hand, this has been easier, because I don't have a retched headache, thanks to my black and green teas.

.....By the way, I lurve Adagio Teas. I shopped online on Monday to redeem my "frequent cups" dollars ($12.00 by the way!), and spent something like another 10.00, and got my order TODAY! Go forth, my tea friends, and buy from them! They're honestly the best place I've ever shopped online.

.....And I've figured out just how I've been able to gain the weight that I have. I'm a die-hard snacker. I snack when I cook, mostly, but then also snack between meals. Somehow, I've got to let go of this habit. Any ideas, my faithful following?

******1:38-8:00************
I'm not sure I should tell you this.....
1 cup green cocomint tea...*slurps*
1 cup of Strawberry Special K
5 Samoas
3 seafood salad croissants with sharp cheddar cheese (these were mini-croissants, by the way)
1 salad with hearts of romaine lettuce, mushroom, and cucumber

....But did you know that.....

........the average pouch of fruit snacks contains 100 calories
........the average muffin which I've been consuming one or four of at snack is 150 calories....


.......Not a flipping wonder......

.............By the way.................I'M JONSING FOR A DIET COKE.................................