Good-Bye, Weekend....

...OK, so the weekend's over, but I can say that I did get quite a bit accomplished! I wound up doing SEVEN pages this weekend, and by the end (just a few minutes ago), I was able to get myself out of the funk I was in, and get back to work. I no longer agonized over every page, and let the scrapping happen. THIS, my friends, is what I'm doing lately that makes me happy. I feel like my old self again when I can sit down and not feel overwhelmed or anxious about what I should do with the pictures and the pages. And the last three pages that I did today, one of which is uploaded to that other blog were FUN. FUN, I say.

...Don't worry, Judy, I did have to fold a ttoooonnn of laundry this weekend, and managed to get it all put away. Did I scare anyone? I took my own temperature, and it was normal, so I know that this wave cannot be a moment of fever-driven insanity. This is why I think that whatever mood I was in has lifted. I attribute it to the exercise... maybe I just needed to sweat all the crap out in order to have a bit of energy and clarity....

....oooh...the thought of being really buff, energetic, and creative really makes me happy. Now, if only EVERYTHING on me were as easy to fix....


*****ETA*****
go here for some funny stuff.

So you know how I said I joined the gym.....

....well, I'm up to a whopping 35 minutes cardio! Of course, I have only gone twice now. lol I still have issues with doing things like crunches at the gym, so I came home and did some of those until my belly and back burned, and then hopped in the shower. And I feel awesome.

...am hoping to be as cool as Katie, who is going to buy herself an iPod because she hit 135 this weekend (it's ok, she's really nice, or I'd hate her, too...)! Go tell Katie how awesome she is with her new diet/exercise regime! OK, so I don't necessarily have to be 135 lbs, which I haven't seen since 1998, but I would love to be closer to 100 than 200... ;)


.... i've been playing around with taking photos of my layouts. I need to turn the flash off on my cam when I do this. Occasionally the twins will come in and see what I'm up to, and I'll snap a few of them, too. Here's my favorite of the day. Fuzzy, but I love the expression on his face!

OK, so my techy-stupid self cannot seem to get this picture right, so you're just going to have to deal with it as is. Yes, I've become "one of those parents," who has to show the world their "cute" children. Deal.

I'm feeling quite introspective today. Not entirely sure why, but there you have it. I'm feeling a creative lull with myself, and I don't like it. Perhaps it is because I'm nearly always exhausted. I know that part of it is because my conversations take place within the vocabulary of the same basic words found in the toddler vernacular, and include words such as "no!" and "i do it!" and "want watch monkey george!" Anyway, the creative lull makes me sad to a degree. What do you do when you feel like your creativity has left the building? What do you do to get your mojo back?

***** ETA******
at 12:02 am Sunday morning, I'm happy to report that I did four layouts today. and agonized over each one of them creatively. I'm even past the point where I'm feeling the emotional tug at any of this shit. I know that sounds terrible.... but I don't feel it quite as badly as I did when I started this endeavor back in September. I am happy to say, however, that I am nearly all the way through Erin's NICU album (yes, their first three months warrant their own album!), and half-way through with Griffin's! I can seriously not wait to start scrapping different things. Like all the photo shoots of making the twins do mean things to eachother.... like the picture we have of Erin laid out on Griffin's back.... He, of course, is wailing!! And THAT, my friend...is a joy of having twins. Perhaps, though, they are getting their revenge right now....I should rethink further torture....

An Awesome Friday night....

....we had a laid back and fun supper at our local Mexican restaurant. Then, we had some awesome ice cream, of which you'll find a picture once I can get Blogger to agree to put the damn thing up. It wouldn't automatically load it, so I'm trying photobucket. but my computer is being awfully snarky since ATT/SBC/Yahoo took a hiatus a few days ago, thus requiring me to find alternate ways of connecting to the internet. love ATT. love it so much that I'm going to be sending them back their wonderful little DSL modem in June and find SOMEONE else with whom to exchange fat cash for high-speed internet service....fuckers. (What do you MEAN, I'm bitter? Moi??)

....and by the way, I think that Jack Johnson has to replace Ben Folds as the musical boyfriend for a while. You'll find out why if you listen to the seventh song on the Curious George soundtrack. Lovingly called "Monkey George" by one of the animals in the Zoo. I did about piss myself laughing when she screamed "Steph! See Monkey George!" OMG, is that kid a hellion but cute!! Anyway SEVENTH SONG, Curious George Soundtrack.... prize goes to the person who can tell me in what other movie that song is featured. Double prizes for the person who can name the band that also does "The 3 R's"

My Friend Judy.....

She MADE this...she is one of the leaders in the throng of very cool very artistic people in my life. Go ahead, tell her how very freaking cool she is....

*****UPDATE******
back to me now....four loads of laundry through, and most of the others sorted.... Erin will have undies to wear! lol

Woot! Friday!

....and only two extra animals at the Zoo today! That makes for ONE HAPPY ZOOKEEPER!

....although, not all the laundry from last week got done, so the need for clean undies has increased. If I don't get the laundry run through today, we just might have to go to "ww.com" and purchase some new.

Whoring this Blog Out Again...

for the egotistical maniac in me.... go look at my newest page.... LOL

AT&T is the Devil....

....ok, so perhaps not the devil, but this is the second time in not so long that I've been puterless to some cock-up on their part. So yesterday left me with no computer and napless (yes, you heard it, and i've been complaining to you all for two and a half years about napless children) daycare girl.

....Oh, and don't forget the fevering three year-old who just wanted to snuggle with mommy all day, while the others ALSO wanted to snuggle with their Miss Steph.

....love.my.life.

....ok, I shall go bitch elsewhere now....

OK, so the Day Got Better....

...Thanks to my dear husband, who came home and helped me clean the daycare and made dinner. I took Collin to karate, and spent a lovely time reading my current scrapbooking magazine.

...So, while it's not the birthday cards I promised you, I did update my scrapping blog. Go give me some constructive criticism.... ;)

Peace and Quiet....

....is so overrated. Everyone should have to work 11.5 hours with not so much as a break. I finally get all the runners down and asleep, when the second runner I have wakes up. Runners=the animals that have managed to escape the pack-n-play, and are happy to tear up anything within a 20-foot radius of their crib while the naiive Zookeeper expects them to be sleeping.

*sigh*

I'm Hoppin' on the Wagon...

....the excercise one, that is. I have been tossing up the idea of joining a gym for a while now, and have finally decided to go ahead and bite the bullet and go for it. So yesterday, I went and laid down the fat cash to use their machines. It's a nice enough place, to which Judy will attest. They have tons of cardio machines, and a bunch of weights, both free and machine-based. So the Zookeeper will go blow off steam (and hopefully drop a few sizes) a few days a week. I went this morning at about 6:00, and it was peaceful enough. I only worked out for 25 minutes (15 on the cross trainer and 10 on the bike), as I really don't relish the thought of being so sore that I don't want to go back. I'll work my way up. Before I became the Zookeeper, I joined the gym nearest my work. I got up to about 40 minutes on the cross trainer. Of course, I only dropped a pound the ENTIRE YEAR, but hopefully I'll do better this go around. And one can always use the extra time away from the kids, right?

...other than that, not much new to report. I've got a busy week ahead of me, so keep the sanity vibes flowing my way....

So.....

....when are tantrums just part of being three, and when are they indicative of a larger problem? Scenario that I just lived through.....

Erin: I do princess body wash.

Mommy: ok holds washcloth as Erin puts dab of Suave's very own "princess strawberry" body wash onto cloth, after which rubs the soap in so that child can commence washing herself

Erin: "No!! I DO PRINCESS BODY WASH!! I DO IT MYSELF" proceeds to kick, scream, bite me and Griffin throughout duration of the shower, toward the end gets thrown out of shower stall so that I can rinse my hair...not thrown, but I certainly did put her out of the shower so that I could have 30 seconds with which to rinse the conditioner out.....and kicks, screams, and bites while I try to dry her off, foregoing all drying to hold her in baby-straight-jacket for the next TEN MINUTES

OK, folks, there you have it. The ugly truth. This happens in the Byers household at least once a day. I begin to unwrap a chocolate to gift her with, and she throws it across the room and starts wailing on me. I do anything that she even thinks that she wants to do, and she goes ape shit.

When is this a problem? Where am I going wrong? Seriously, I'm trying NOT to help her with ANYTHING, but then that can sometimes spur a tantrum.

OK, taking my two-inch-high-on-the-verge-of-tears self downstairs to see if we're friends yet.

Lazy Sunday morning...

....so I'm sitting here, listening to my boyfriend, making birthday cards for the three people who are celebrating this week. My mom, Sharon, has her birthday on Wednesday, and my brother, Danny, and my sister-in-law, Alaina, have theirs on Friday. So today might find me going and getting some presents to send them. I'm quite happy with the cards I made! I don't generally make a ton of cards, but I actually was fully aware that their birthdays were this week, so I figured that I'd try to plan ahead for a change. Crazy, huh? Don't worry, they'll probably still be late. I'll post them on my scrapping blog later today.

....So I love my daughter, I really do. There is no question about that. BUT, she is going to drive me to an early grave with how she gets into everything. It doesn't matter if all of the things in the office are put away or if they're everywhere and the joint's a complete mess....she'll find a way to get into things and tear something (of mine, no less) up. I just have to remember that this is a phase that she's going through. And I have to say that if this isn't a phase, then one of us will not likely make it to see her graduate. *sigh*

....Last night found me coming up with some things to do with the animals next week. We went to Target to find the little big man some summer clothes, and I hit the dollar bins, as usual. They will often have some really cool things there. So I found a whole bunch fo dinosaur things...all for a buck. So naturally I spent about five to ten dollars loading up my cart. *giggles* So I need to make some copies today so that we can have them for the week. I will have no less than five extra animals to take care of each day next week. Not a wonder that I'm feeling exhausted and having very odd, very vivid dreams lately!

OK, here's the list of things I should accomplish today:
1. grocery shop
2. make copies and prepare for the daycare week
3. clean up the office, including everything that Erin tore up
4. help fold the laundry that Aaron pushed through this weekend
5. play outside in the beautiful weather with the kidlets

Bliss

....a three hour nap on a Saturday afternoon after buying two new scrapbooking magazines.

....What constitutes your bliss?

Thank Goodness for the Weekend....

....am hoping to find a way to relax this weekend. this week has been busier than anything! aaron has been so wonderful to me by letting me be a bum at night, despite a few mean remarks. but i really do have to figure out a way to make my days go by a little more smoothly. i've been so wiped these past few days that i've done hardly anything around the house, which is just so uncool.

....we had a lovely dinner out tonight. at good ol' "old mcdonalds" as Griffin would call it. the twins played like maniacs, and so did Collin and his friend, who is spending the night tonight. Aaron grabbed a paper, and I chatted it up with a girl sitting at the next table. she was such an inspiration to me. it turns out that i actually met her at one point, but didn't recognize her because she'd lost a HUNDRED pounds! she did it by sticking to weight watchers. she said that it took her about 2 years to lose, but she's been able to maintain it. I gave her my phone number, and hope to hear off her again. she, too, might join the throngs of Zookeepers out there.

So what are everyone else's plans for the weekend? I think our plan is to relax as much as humanly possible.....though our need for clean underwear has alternate plans for us, methinks.

Job Hunting....

....ok, answer me this, dear readers....when you look for a new job, do you tell your current employer about the fact that you're job hunting?? Um, that would more than likely be an answer that takes on the form of about "hell, no, are you fucking crazy?" So does everyone NOW SEE why I declined to tell my CURRENT EMPLOYERS that I interviewed for a job? A single solitary job? Because why have their feathers ruffled needlessly? And why should I have to look like an ass (again), when no one hires me at this current juncture?

fit over, you may now talk amongst yourselves....

oh no you didn't just say that....

....some people. oh.mah.god.

....so, you know how i talked to the friend who *might* watch my kids *if* i should get a new job? well, she told one of her friends, whom i know, and can't really stand. she didn't mean it to be spouting *my* business, but *hers*...which i wasn't aware of, nor did i care about....until....i saw the "friend" in the neighborhood park today (the old 'hood), as i was returning a blanket *to a daycare child*. you know where this is headed, don't you? well, if not, fear not, dear reader, for i will tell you. she says (in front of the daycare mom, in case you hadn't figured that out already), and i quote...."i hear a congratulations are in order."

...yes, not being a great liar, i told the daycare mom that i'd interviewed for a job.

...good lord, why do people keep doing things like this to me??? this is the second time i've explained to the SAME mom that i've been looking for a different job.......

many unanswered questions....

....the most important of which is of course whether or not i got this job. the answer is, i will not know until monday, probably. the funny thing is, is that i would quit tomorrow if i had a definitive answer. the other funny thing is that every time i go through this, i look at my daycare children in a different light. i love all of the kids who come through my door. even the ones that rip another kid's hair out, even the ones who have explored every nook and cranny of my home and torn stuff up. all of them. i will miss them almost as much as i will miss my own children. i think i'm not terrible at what i do....though i know that i could be better.

....oy, the waiting game makes me a very uptight Zookeeper. just ask my friend Rebecca....for i've been stalking her lately....that so has to stop before she tells me she doesn't want to hire me! LOL

You Are an Obsession, you're My Obsession....

....now that the ball has started rolling, I can think of nothing else but getting this new job. The potential for only working 40 hours a week (as if that's a SHORT workweek!) and actually having a little energy left over for other necessary and fun things...like cleaning (my life's fun knows no end), is so exciting to me. So here's a further update for you all.....

....I talked to my friend Julie last night, and she would take the twins for a very reasonable amount. Which is her normal charge for two kids, but spread out over 52 weeks, instead of the normal rate just when the twins are there. So we will be paying during the summer, but it will be less all at one time. And the charge wouldn't be too much more than one child at regular rate. This also helps Julie out, because she would be getting a standard rate for the entire year, but would have less kids at breaks and summer. So she could potentially get a week off and still be paid! I think I could manage this. We shall see. Shelling out fat cash for daycare is a bill that will make us suck in our breath at first, but I think we'll get used to this. Plus, there will only be a few more years of having to pay any daycare at all. And, like I told my potential employer....I'm not having any more babies! LOL (I offered this information...he in no way asked about this!)

....So it all boils down to whether this will all work out. It's now in my potential bosses' court to determine whether they still want me. This means some crazy days ahead, and some potential weeping and gnashing of teeth, but I think it will be worth it!

My World....

....instead of feeling guilty for everyone else, I should be doing what I can for the betterment of these guys. There are draw-backs to everything, but I think that perhaps this change will have more positives than drawbacks. We shall see!

ETA: yes, the twins have sticky shit on their mouths again.... love the green color? we went to a Mexican restaurant and the kids got ring pops....again... lol...NO, they don't ALWAYS have sticky shit on their mouths, but with potty training, methinks you'll see tons of it until we get to the point of pottying on demand without reward...

Omens.....

....not sure I believe in them, but I got a few today.

....I found a four-leaf clover this afternoon while playing outside with my kids. This is the first one ever.

....The potential "main boss" said, "I'm interested."

....Of the two, my head so goes with the second. My heart with the first. But both very good signs.

Now, someone tell me that I'm not an awful person for wanting this change!!

At A Crossroads....

....of my life right now. Tonight at 7pm, I have an interview for a job. I have a big bag of emotions attached to this. I know, it's just an interview, and doesn't guarantee me of anything. But I'm quite nervous about it. It means giving up parts of what I've built for the last three years. Both good and bad. It means potentially giving my own children over to someone like me to take care of. It means also giving up some of the stress associated with staying home with my and others' children. It means potentially giving up the feeling of being isolated from everyone except said children. It also means potentially having to make sure three kids are ready in the morning.

...there are so many negatives and positives of this venture. I think that the positives would outweigh the bad, considering I would have a few more hours of the day where I could potentially move out and about. With or without kids. If my kids have a program at school, it means actually being able to go to it sometimes, instead of shaking my head and feeling incredibly guilty that I can't get someone to watch everyone else's kids so that I can go.

...I'm trying to teach myself to let go of the feelings of letting all these other parents down. The honest truth is that the feelings of obligation aren't always mutual. People tend to only look out for themselves, and those feelings extend toward their childcare as well. They go with cheapest and most convenient. Hell, I was the same way before I became a caregiver.

....wish me luck/pray for me/think of me around 7pm tonight. My stomach churns with all of these emotions at the mere thought of this interview.

Busy Ol' Day Today....

....I got up earlier than my usual 10:00 lie-in this morning. Why? To go with some awesome friends of mine to Archiver's in southern Indy. We had a blast. I really did a good job of restraining myself, but was soooo tempted to buy a TON of stuff. Mostly stuff I didn't need, so I opted for a set of envelope templates, an embossing "punch", and some Making Memories baby rub-ons. I got to eat at Pizzeria Uno, too, which I devoured. They have an excellent salad with walnuts and gorgonzola on it. After the salad, I had a Spinocoli pizza. Awesome stuff.

....I then came home and scrapbooked while the twins played outside and then later slept. For the first time, I wrote something a little more heart-wrenching in my journaling. Daddies wouldn't get this, but it was about the guilt that a mother feels when her body is unable to carry a baby to term. Most of my guilt has abated somewhat over the last three years, but only because I have been among the lucky ones with such a premature baby. Many have far more long-standing issues than Erin and Griffin have had. But the guilt that my body dumped them out at 26 weeks is something that only time has been able to heal somewhat. I think that a bit of that guilt will forever be with me. ANYWAY, they say you need to scrap these things in life, too, so I have.

...After Erin woke up from her nap, and Aaron came home from Lowe's, I took the kids to my friend Judy's house for an egg hunt. Said egg-hunt was supposed to have taken place last night, but the weather and not getting to supper on time prevented us from our planned night-time egg hunt. Her boys did go out and get some of the eggs, which I'm happy they were able to do. It was a bit warm out, but the kids had a blast. I will post pictures of this tomorrow or the next day.

...And tonight, I gave the kids another round of hair cuts. Some days I feel so freaking confident in my abilities as an amateur hairdresser. Today was not one of them. Sorry kids!

I hope that everyone has a very Happy Easter! May the weather cooperate with you more than ours has!

Musings of the Day....

....so here's the picture of my redder than seasonal face. Gotta love drugs and their side effects.



....and the best part of my day was just before I took my oh-so-horrid self-portrait. Griffin comes up to me and says "MOM! You've got a nine on you shirt!" Way to go, little man. Perhaps I'm actually teaching you something after all.


...and the last one is this picture I took of the Easter Eggs that we dyed today during daycare hours. Yes, that is a little hand that was trying to steal and egg. No, this wasn't particularly a pleasant activity.

Musings.....

Because I always do what everyone tells me to do....



And you all must think that my kids are constantly dirty, as the past few pics have found the twins with chocolate on their mouths (yes, chocolate, not dirt or something worse). They are potty training (still...*sigh*), and are rewarded with mom's treat of choice. I've gained five pounds since we started this gig!

There Must Be Something Amiss...

....in the blogosphere today, as there have been many people commenting on what others have said in and about blogs. I am no exception. But I would like everyone to bear in mind that this is the way I communicate so as not to disrupt the lives of those around me. I have no co-workers with whom to bounce ideas and frustrations off of. Those few people who know only the work-side of you and do not know all the other people who play a role in your life, whether it be significant or not. And sometimes you need the opinions of more than one person to validate your thoughts. You, members of the blogosphere, are the people with whom I bounce ideas off of. Those who read and comment or read and lurk. Or those of you who know me outside of the blogosphere who read. But sometimes people say things in their blogs that they don't necessarily want feedback on. They say things that they would write in their own personal diaries. Well, readers have to know when they need to just move along and not internalize anything that they read. That this person is using their own blog as the method through which they leave some baggage behind. That even if the people, albeit anonymous in all reality, mentioned in the blog are people that they know, that they just need to leave it be. You name one person that hasn't spoken out of his or her ass when upset and bothered, and THEY can be the ones to judge me for what I say here. You see, there are very FEW people who haven't said the types of things I say here when I am upset. We're all human, and humans have a tendency to not plug either hole when they're angry. I will not apologize for anything said here, because they have been what was in my mind at the time, and to me, those feelings are valid.

No one Ever Called Me Brilliant....

....nor has anyone ever called me a computer genius. They say that you learn something everyday. And they're not lying. Did you know that you can press Ctrl and then use your mouse to scroll up and down to change the appearance of font size on your screen? I never knew. Honestly.

...Right now is a good place to be. At peace. All the animals at the Zoo are sleeping. And when they wake up, it will be chaotic while everyone gets their butts cleaned, but then we're going outside. Life is a little easier to take when I can get them outside for a good part of the day. The parents marvel at how well they sleep at night. And, no, my literal ASS doesn't get tanned, but this new medicine I'm on certainly acts like a medicinal tanning accelerator (boy, that was nice to be able to use words containing more than a syllable each!). Because after this week, I'm already sunburned and my skin is itchy. I know, cry you a river, right? Especially for all those stuck inside all day every day!

....If I get around to it, I'll see about posting a pic of the new red-faced Steph. lol

Thought-Provoking Stuff, I tell ya....

That I stole from someone else's blog.....who really isn't that person, but a guest writer. ;)

The Good Thoughts

Thinking the good thoughts today for my friend. Without the bad we might not recognize the good. Even in the most blessed lives, adversity rears its head, lacing our thoughts with fear, doubt, uncertainty. Sometimes we wish for yesterday's problems, as burdensome as they once seemed. We think, "If I can just get back to where I was when this all started, I'll never complain about xyz ever again."

Sometimes adversity can make us look at our lives differently. It can certainly cast a different light on everyday events. It can make us appreciate the little things that are sometimes taken for granted. Like walking without aid. Or breathing without difficulty. Or eating without pain. Adversity is a strange beast. It can galvanize, it can clarify, or it can shatter. I'm confident that this literal and figurative bump in my friend's road will soon be in the medical waste bin where it belongs.

Join me in wishing her the good thoughts today.

So the person who wrote these words wants to remain anonymous, so I'll honor that. But man, did these words hit me like a ton of bricks. Especially given what I've been scrapping lately. If you know me for more than five minutes, you'll know that my babies were born at just 26 weeks gestation. In layman's terms, they were a little over half-baked. They would have been throw backs if they were fish. They almost didn't make it. And if you know me for ten minutes, you'll know that I very well could have died after giving birth to two severely premature babies. This, my friends, was MY bump......and it has rocked my entire world. I'm no longer the same person I was three years, two months and two days ago. That person was sad to have the mundane life of a twenty-five year old who has never done many fun things or has never been any cool places. That person was fed up with a mediocre job that paid the bills. That person wanted MORE from a career. MORE from life than the mundane and normal. That person was afraid to make others mad, especially people who are deemed important and all-knowing.

That person had also never experienced the uncertainty and pain and growth that the next three years, two months, and a day would bring. It absolutely amazes me all that I went through while the twins were in the hospital and while I had problems with the pulmonary embolysm. Those are very real, very serious events. The fact that sixty percent of my family could have died within ten days is a very heavy thing to ponder.

Let's face it. There are bumps in EVERYONE'S road. There is that one bump that you hit so hard, you are never ever the same. I'm not sure whether the aforementioned person is dealing with the "one" that makes her a different person. But the guest blogger certainly made me think of mine.

I often hate life right now. HATE it. I'm tired of working so many hours. Tired of my house being ripped to shreds before my very eyes. Tired of not being able to prevent every bump and bruise that I get questioned for. Bumps I feel I should be able to prevent, but can't stop before they happen. Tired of waking up by 6:00. Tired of never feeling rested. I'm just tired! But I do it because for the last two and a half years, I've felt it's been the best thing for the twins. For me and the rest of the house, it's been a trying time. But I feel like the twins have been better off.

As for the future, I know that if I knew then what I know now, that I would have cherished that normalcy. I would have strived to be the best person at what I do. Not wish for more out of life. Because my normal, my mundane life, was really pretty good. I hope that I can someday have that again.

OK, get your head off the keyboard, for if you stay there too long, you're going to get drool on it and short-circuit it..... well, if it does the same wonders as juice does, at any rate! I do know for a fact that electronics don't like moisture....

sheesh...i'm closing now, before I become like this guy.....just teasing, boy.....sit down and concentrate making your font bigger for me and the other near-sighted folk. *sticks out tongue*

Easter Party today....

....we held it today instead of Friday because more people were here today. It was fun, but oh-so-exhausting....

Griffin

Don't judge a book by its cover, folks....he's no angel, either.....

would you ever believe that this was the girl that was causing so much trouble??

Remind Me Again......

.....why it is that I try? I'm feeling a bit despondant right now. I have planned a week's worth of seemingly fun (and not all that difficult) activities for the children for Easter. Only to be met by my daughter, kicking, screaming, hitting, and biting me. The fit lasted for probably ten or fifteen minutes. Not your average short-lived tantrum. All because I helped her with the freaking glue stick!

....these tantrums have been happening quite frequently in my household. And one little spark gets a forest fire going. This is happening with both parts of the Gruesome Twosome. And I don't like how EITHER of us acts when they do this. She bites me, so I smack her mouth. I hold her in baby-straight-jacket, but have to also pin her head so that she doesn't bite me. I hate this. Hate it.

....it's times like these where I think that someone else might be better equipped to deal with my children. That it is foolhardy to think that I can take care of them until they're in school full-day. Foolhardy to think that I can be a good daycare provider.

My Peace....

....is all to short-lived today. They didn't sleep enough during nap! Bah! So outside we will go, and I'll work really hard to not go to the garage and get a Mt. Dew. I've been so good today (well, I had ONE 24 oz. bottle of Mt. Dew and only two or three pieces of chocolate and two bowls of Kashi Crunch cereal), so I'll not start letting the children get me down to where I must have more chocolate and Mt. Dew!

....So we already had several meltdowns over our art project. But the good thing is that I'm going ahead and DOING it, no matter how stressful it gets. *pats self on back* We also did a cute Easter fingerplay and a song, which took up enough time that we only watched a little bit of television today. And, since we're all going to go nutty, we're going outside this afternoon. Zookeeper shall work on her tan (and legs and ass, too, with running after all the children!), and the children will run off their energy. All's good!

....I might get an interview for a few more kids. Not sure how I feel about the next few months with extras, but it will be good to have the income for when the teacher's kids go on break. We shall see how it all works out. Perhaps he'll think I'm a waste of his times, so who knows. Not getting my hopes up either way. If I get desperate for cash, I'll keep making people albums, or I'll sell off some of my stash on ebay. Never could hurt, right? lol

A BEAUTIFUL DAY....

...omg, it couldn't have been more beautiful today. I got up early with the kids....ya know...the 8:30 that they were able to wake us up this morning. I turn on Noggin and lay back down and sleep until 10:30. The twins didn't tear up too much, but sure managed to bring a lot of toys into what should be deemed toyless territory.

After lunch, we repeated the trip to Dick's sporting goods, so that Aaron could buy the treadmill-like thing for his bike. So when it's too cold, he won't have to go outside to bike. He's training for the Tour de Cure, which will be in June. We then feasted on quesadillas from Qdobe. I have been eating Easter candy like a freaking maniac, so I wasn't really going to be able to eat the huge mound of tortilla and cheese that I ordered. *sigh* This will not help me at all in my quest to lose weight, will it? hehe

We went home afterward and put the twins down for the nap, and Aaron went for a bike ride and I scrapped. Felt so good to sit down and try to create! I find that I'm limited when I build a page around a few accents, rather than the pictures themselves. Was very strange to pair purple and hunter green for a page. Those are two colors that my sorry butt just doesn't like to scrap! Felt very much out of my comfort zone. But stretching my creative muscles was good for me.

I just spent an hour and a fortune at Wal-Mart. Can I tell you how much I'm growing to hate that place? If they didn't have the cheapest prices in town, I would sure as hell go someplace else. But, no, they don't, so there I am. At the very least once a week. I decided to do some of my grocery shopping there, since they have canned goods and Totino's pizza in the frozen food. Which is on the daycare menu for tomorrow... lol.

I'm back to finish the pages that I created today. I shall not regale you with any more tales from the Crypt.....ummm...I mean... ZOO!

Because Inquiring Minds Want To Know....

.....a couple of things. Last night was really no big deal. I had the equivolent of three shots of gin, mixed in with my Mt. Dew. I, my friends, am a lightweight when it comes to drinking. The biggest! So I woke up this morning with a big ol' headache. I then proceeded to dope myself up on caffiene from more Mt. Dew and some Excedrin Migraine. So I spent the next few hours shaking my ass off!

.....and, thanks to those who played along to the "Elmopalooza". Miss Novaks8 was closest by saying Sesame Place. We once had one of those stores in a mall in Indy, but it sadly closed! *sob* Elmopalooza is none other than Blockbuster. Why? Because the first time they can remember going into the store, we rented Elmopalooza. Still not sure how he got "ww.com" from Wal-Mart, though!

two words

hung over

The Big Three-Oh

Happy Birthday to Aaron! He turns 30 at 12:00 today! ;)

In order to celebrate, I took Collin out last night under the guise of getting milk. Not that we didn't need milk (we were completely out!), but I hadn't gotten Aaron anything yet. So we decide to go to Barnes & Noble to see what we could get him there. I'm turning onto the road to get there, when I hit a pothole. Hard. Yep, I popped the tire! *sob* This makes three within nine years. Go me.

By the way, I'm very disappointed in you all for not guessing at what "Elmopalooza" is in this household. I'll give you a hint. He's not talking about the movie....it's a place. NOW guess. Or I shall never post again!

Creativity....

Creativity is allowing yourself to make mistakes.  Art is knowing which ones to keep.  ~Scott Adams

As always, forgive my scan.  But I just wanted to shout out to my friend Rebecca and tell her what an awesome girlie she is!  The above card is one she MADE.  Tell me how awesome it is! 

ww.com.....

....so, ww.com is really a site about people with webcams. But, in the Byers' household, it's actually Griffin's name for Wal-Mart. A crazy guy, no?

....so guess what Elmopalooza is? correct answer gets a prize! (but I'm not a-tellin' you....and if you already know, you're not allowed to play....yes, i'm pimping for comments.... ROFL)

A Long Day.....

....not a bad day, but a normal long day. Well, I take it back.....not a "normal" long day. And it wasn't for two reasons......

....I actually had a LESSON plan today. And I CARRIED IT OUT. Abnormally good, if I do say so myself.

....Aaron's on Spring Break....Which brings about a sense of unbridled jealousy. Breaks? Who gets those when you run a Zoo 60 hours a week?? Then Aaron does something fun....like goes to this world-famous (ok, more like upper-Indiana famous) ice cream place and gorges himself. OK, the fact I don't make it out of the country is a depressing thought. But not even being able to drive an hour for some kick-ass ice cream? That's just downright pathetically depressing.

*sigh*

OK....

.... go check out my scrapping blog.

....go tell someone congratulations on the secret they've been keeping.....

Not A Bad Day....

....so it's been busy today, but not all that bad. Yesterday, while I didn't get a break, I made mini-lessons for the kids for the rest of the week and part of next week. So, we sang "Itsy Bitsy Spider", did a finger play called "My Garden", sang "Springtime", made foamie flower necklaces (gotta help them with their fine-motor skills, you know), read "Hey! Wake Up!" and "Bob the Builder's Telephone Book", and did Bingo-Dauber pictures.

....the only downside is having to put one of Erin's old onsie-shirts on one of the girls who would not. keep. her. clothes. on. and. kept. peeing. on. my. floor.

I did get to go out for about an hour to Wal-Mart to get some essentials. And I didn't really buy any non-essentials. I suppose the micro-derm abraision kit that I got wasn't exactly essential, but my acne might beg to differ! *winks*

So.... the day finally got better.....

....at about 10:00 when I chatted with Katie and worked on the same scrapbook page set for an hour.....must go to bed now, or I fear that tomorrow will be worse, and I'm running low on Mt. Dew.

....and I know you're sitting there wondering why the hell I don't just give it up and drink the 10 cans of Diet Coke and the 2 ltr. that are in my garage. Well.....I'm not sure, either.....

Sweet dreams, all! I shall scan the 14 pages I've done and post them in the morning! or tomorrow night, depending on how the day goes.

a yucky day....

...it's raining....i had to wake the kids up last night about 10:15 to get them downstairs, for threat of a tornado.....

....the kids are being R.O.T.T.E.N. today.

.....i got no naptime break, but did manage to plan some activities for these monsters for the rest of the week.

.....i'm in a really really shitty mood myself.

So, the Shower....

....It went well. And it was yesterday. My sister-in-law was very happy and very grateful that we put it on for her. But man, oh, man, was HER sister-in-law something else to work with. I really really wish that she would have enlightened us on how much she had spent. I was totally reeling with how much we laid out for that shower! Oh, well, it's done. And thankfully, I had my big-fat-refund to put toward it! lol

....Other than that, the only thing a-bugging me right now is this whole time change bull. Why? I want to move to Arizona, who doesn't follow this bull-shit. For 28 years of my life, I've not had to change times. Why start now?? I was perfectly ok with allowing the hour or whatever for where another person was. I don't care that for part of the time I was the same time as one part of the country and for the other part I was the same as another. But now, I will always be on the same time as New York. And this is fine with me. When the big ol' apple drops each year, it will ALWAYS be right on time. And the UK (waves to Cath and Shelley and Debs and Neil) will ALWAYS be five hours ahead of us. BUT..... I'M NOT ONE FOR CHANGE!! It happens all to frequently for my taste, and this will be just another two times a year that I have to change. Blagh!

Would I Rather.....

.....work a day or five in my home as a Zookeeper

OR

.....throw a baby shower for my sister-in-law with a militant in-law (the sister-in-law of MY sister-in-law) who spent way too much fucking money on food, thus setting me back 74.13 for the shower?

go ahead. guess.

i can't decide, either.

gee, i love my life sometimes. W.A.F. W. O. A. W.........bet you'll never guess what that acronymn is for. *wink*