Aww, shucks

So I've been given a few awards.

And I'm just now getting around to blogging about it. Whoops.

First up, the amazing Princess Jenn & sweet Amber bestowed upon me the Honest Scrap Award.



Here are the rules for receiving the award:

1. Present this award to 7 others whose blogs you find brilliant in content and/or design, or those who have encouraged you
2. Tell those 7 people they’ve been awarded the HONEST SCRAP AWARD and inform them of these guidelines in receiving the award.
3. Share “10 Honest Things” about yourself.

So...here are my 10 Things

1. I absolutely hate my hair. I've got a terrible receding hairline & since having kids, it's only gotten worse. If it gets any thinner, I am honestly considering shaving it all off & wearing wigs. That's no joke.
2. I have a disgustingly horrible diet. I rarely ever eat breakfast-unless you count my coffee, lunch is most often a cookie or two, followed by a Sonic pop, & dinner is usually my only meal of the day. I graze throughout the day, but it's never healthy. I still haven't figured out how I don't weigh 150lbs since all I eat is junk.
3. I'm not quite sure when the last time I exercised was. I've had the 30-Day Shred sitting on my counter, giving me the stare down for 3 weeks now. I've been too lazy to even take the plastic wrap off of it.
4. I've started no less than 3 blogs to keep family updated on the kids. The last one I started hasn't been updated since shortly after we moved, back in April. I'm not even sure I remember the log-in info for it.
5. I firmly believe that naptimes are mom's break time. Most days I end up sitting on the couch, catching up on emails & blogs or thinning out my DVR rather than being productive.
6. I'm in a wicked sleep pattern right now & seriously need to break it. Most nights I'm up til 11:30-12:00 & then the first screams from the kids' room come anywhere from 6:30-7:00. I know I need more sleep than that but late nights are the only time I get to spend any time with Chase.
7. When Chase is gone, I can't sleep. Wednesday night I stayed up cleaning, doing laundry & goofing around online. And only slept from 7-10am.
8. That Thing You Do & Bring It On are my two favorite movies. I've seen them each at least 75 times.
9. I know absolutely nothing about politics & don't really care to learn.
10. I wish they'd never taken Passions off the air. Stupid Today Show & their stupid need to have seventeen hours of programming per day.

Next up is the Over The Top award, from Lu, Ash & Jennifer.


All there is to do is answer these questions:
1. Where is your cell phone: On the couch
2. Your hair? Messy
3. Your mother? Taking care of the beastlets for me
4. Your father? Relaxing at home?
5. Your favorite food? Chinese buffet. I always regret it afterwards
6. Your dream last night? None...I was in a heavy, drug induced sleep
7. Your favorite drink? Coffee
8. Your dream/goal? No more hand surgeries
9. What room are you in? Living room
10. Your hobby? Baking
11. Your fear? Being home alone
12. Where do you want to be in 6 years? Volunteering in the kids' classroms
13. Where were you last night? Bed
14. Something that you aren't? Motivated to exercise
15. Muffins? Cranberry & orange, please
16. Wish list item? These gorgeous, soft leather riding boots from Coach
17. Where did you grow up? Oklahoma
18. Last thing you did? Dozed off at the computer
19. What are you wearing? Sweat pants, warm tee & lots of bandages on my hand
20. Your TV? Uhm, big?
21. Your pets? Non-existant
22. Friends? Amazing, varied, spread all over the country
23. Your life? Simple. Rich. Fulfilling.
24. Your mood? Complacent...lots of pain killers right now.
25. Missing someone? Chase & the babies
26. Vehicle? Jeep
27. Something you're not wearing? Shoes
28. Your favorite store? Coach. Target. Old Navy.
29. Your favorite color? Brown
30. When was the last time you laughed? Minutes ago
31. Last time you cried? Wednesday night after dropping the beastlets off
32. Your best friend? The perfect compliment to me
33. One place I go to over & over? Grocery store
34. One person who emails me regularly? Mi madre
35. Favorite place to eat? The Chinese buffet

I'm not tagging anyone for these...I'm lazy, the drugs are kicking in, & I think most of you have already been tagged.

It's a big jumbly mess, but it's something

I'm back. I didn't intend to stay away for so long, but it's been nice. A much needed break.

Even still, I'm struggling to come up with something to post about. I've been overwhelmed, underwhelmed & in between lately. I have a feeling this post will end up quite disjointed, bouncing from here to there, because I've had hundreds of things I've wanted to write about but can never remember them once I sit down.

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Information overload on the internet. Toddler tantrum overload. Bad health overload. Doctors appointment overload. Lack of energy. Lack of motivation. Lack of inspiration.

Carter had tubes put in last Friday. I'm keeping my fingers crossed they work as well for him as they have for Claire. I go in for my second hand surgery next Friday. Same as the first time...the surgery itself doesn't phase me. I'm already panicking about getting the stitches pulled out.

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I think part of my apathy towards blogging & communicating online lately has been due to feeling disconnected from people in my every day life. Here, online, if someone asks you a question or vice versa, it's easy to ignore if you don't want to answer. It's easy to pretend you didn't see the message or got sidetracked & were too busy to respond. It's easy to ignore someone who rubs you the wrong way, knowing you don't have to see them.

If you know me & have been my friend for any length of time, you know I dislike talking on the phone. Almost to the point that Chase often wonders why he pays for me to have a phone. I'd rather email, chat, or just see you in person. Last week I ran into a friend & thought something was off. I debated for 6 hours. SIX hours, people. Debated if I should call & ask if everything was OK. I didn't want to just send her a message because I felt like, if I was concerned enough to think I needed to ask if everything was OK, then it deserved a phone call. But I hesitated to call because what if my concern wasn't welcome? What if I was sticking my nose where it didn't belong? Because if I called, she couldn't just ignore me like she could if I sent an email.

(I did call. And things were OK.)

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Twitter is too much sometimes. Constant back & forth. Knowing every little detail of someone's day.

Getting close to someone you think you know, only to find out most, if not all (will you ever know? Can you trust anything they say ever again?) of what they've told you in the past is a lie.

Perhaps friends on Twitter come across as more passionate in their 140 characters than they do on their blogs because they have to figure out how to cram everything into such a small blurb. Does this make us more inclined to believe what they are telling us? Because they are more persuasive? Is this what leads us to their blogs, to share in their lives?

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My kids are growing. Seasons are changing. I'm starting to be hit, for the first time in 13 months, the reality of having two 2 & under. Carter isn't so "portable" any more. He's developed quite the stubborn streak. Isn't quite so content to hang out in the baby carrier. He wants, no-needs, to be where Claire is, doing what she is, eating what she has, grabbing the toys in her hands.

Claire is finally coming into being two. Defiance, attitude, outright naughtiness. Yet she almost always manages to make us laugh, even in moments when she should be being punished.

I think this winter will be a long one. With Chase working as a pharmacist, he's #1 or #2 in line to deal with all the sickness. He does as much as he can to limit the kids exposure to anything he encounters during the day, but he can only do so much. I'm grateful for how healthy my kids really are, but in all reality, they seem to catch anything the neighbor two blocks away has.

We'll be spending a lot of time at home this winter, trying to minimize our chances of catching anything. And already, that thought is getting me down. We've skipped so many things already, after coming off of 6 straight weeks of someone being sick with something.

I'm not going to let it get me down, though. I've been there before, many many years ago & it's not somewhere I ever want to go back to. I'll figure something out. Baking & cooking have been my crutch lately. If we can't get out of the house, at least I can get into my kitchen.

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Wordless Wednesday

AKA-I'm too lazy to come up with a real post.

Wise words from my 2 year old

Me: "Claire, you're my best friend!"
Claire: "Yah, momma. Move. Elmo."

Me: "Claire, I love you so much."
Claire: "I know, mom."

"I tooted in my bottom, momma. It's really stinky."

"Das my brubber. He has a wienie. Claire doesn't have a wienie."

"Claire tooted. I tooted in my bottom. It was on you, mom."

"Mom, you stop pressing those buttons, mom. Don't smash my buttons, mom. Dat makes me mad."

"Momma, I no like dat weggie. Don't put my panties in my bottom again."