It’s October 15th! October 15th! Is this a sign of the Winter to come?
To a Friend. . . August 13, 2009
My heart is breaking a little bit this week. An amazing friend is moving away, very far way. I know it’s hard for her to go and equally hard for me to see her leave. Will she still be an amazing woman in her new home? ABSOLUTELY, POSITIVELY YES! Will she still be a friend even though she won’t be a few minutes away? GOD, I hope so. I wish her and her family safe travels and that their future is bright and beautiful. You’ll always have a place here and in my heart. And remember – friends are like stars – you might not always see them but you know they are there.
Giveaway from Another Mommy Blogger July 27, 2009
Another Mommy blogger, and a mommy’s group co-member, is giving away an awesome baby carrier on her blog. Here’s the link to check it out http://thoushallnotwhine.blogspot.com/2009/07/first-giveaway.html.
I Remember When. . . June 25, 2009
I remember when I was 23. I remember late nights out with my friends. I remember the freedom of not knowing where my life was going and constantly changing my mind about what I was going to do with my life. I remember living in no less than 6 different places between the ages of 22 – 25 and a few roommates from hell. I remember dating a least the same number of guys in the same number of years. I remember feeling like someone was digging my heart out with a old, dull spoon every time one of the (well at least 2 of them broke up with me). I remember some of the stupid decisions I made along the way – not quite remembering how I got home after a late night out at the bar, doing 95 (and faster) on I-95 after last call, giving a complete stranger - really a dance with a guy at a club does not mean you know him – a ride home and go in for a “cup of coffee” – Yeah right. Stupid, stupid decisions, and that’s just the tip of the iceberg. Do I regret doing some of the things I did? Yup. Am I thankful every day that I made it out alive from that time in my life? You betcha. Am a grateful that I Higher Authority kept me save and everyone around me save from harm? YES!
So why am I writing all this out? One – because it’s 1:50 in the morning and I can’t sleep. Two – because I feel it’s very therapeautic to reflect back on certain times of you life and realize how far you’ve come (and how thoroughly stupid you were with some of the decisions you’ve made). And three – because I hope someone of my what dozen followers and find a lesson for themselves that I’ve already lived through.
It wasn’t easy being that age – 22 – 25. For the most part, unless you decide to go on to grad school, you’re education is done. Think about it since the age 5 your job has been school. That’s your primary responsibility, the moving force in your life. Sure you may have had part-time jobs during high school and college but your primary goal was to complete your education, no matter how far you wanted to go with it. Then all of sudden – WAHM (no not work-at-home mom) you’re thrust into the “real world” with rent, utilities, student loans, credit card debt, insurance, car payments and the drudgery of a 40 hour work week. Sounds really appealing doesn’t it. Of course, who wouldn’t want to blow off a little steam now and then? Who wouldn’t throw caution to the wind and make decision that lack any amount of common sense? I did. I’m sure just about everyone I know did. As did many others out there. I didn’t have a husband, kids or a mortgage. I didn’t have anyone else dependent on me. My decisions didn’t really affect anyone else. Or did they? How easily some of my decision could have turned really bad, really fast for not only me, but people around me, total strangers.
Like I said, I’m so very thankful that nothing seriously bad happened because of my decisions. I’m thankful that my parents probably never fully knew all that I did (well, now they do). I’m thankful that no one got hurt. And I’m thankful that I grew out of it. That age was fun. I saw a lot, learned a lot about myself, and grew a lot. But I wouldn’t want to relive it – not in a million years.
Desperately Seeking . . . Myself June 6, 2009
Did you ever look in the mirror and wonder – who the hell is that staring back at me? Where did the young woman that worked 40 – 50 hours a week outside the home go? The one that would make nice romantic dinners for her husband without warning. The one that would enjoy spending time just doing nothing – maybe reading a book or doing some crafts. The one that would have “date night” with her husband once a week and take off for the weekend on a moments notice. You know the one. Where did she go? She’s there – a little gray in her hair (you should really take care of that woman in the mirror), a little more wrinkles around her eyes (can we say, “time for a facial”). She’s there – a little older and wiser (that’s debatable). She’s a mom now and a wife of almost 11 years. She works out of the home so she can be with her kids more than the babysitter. She tries to sneak in little things that she used to like to do now and then. She tries to remember who she used to be. . .
. . . Then she realizes who she used to be made her who she is today.
Frustrating Friday May 29, 2009
The lesson for today is business is business, and 15 years of loyalty to a business does not mean that they’ll have loyalty to you. Long story short – my husband prepaid for materials from a local lumber yard. Said lumber yard closed it’s doors today and, low and behold, never ordered the materials. Not only that but then they accepted a huge payment for more materials yesterday, knowing that they owed a credit and that they would be closing their doors. All I can say is “UUGGHH”. I’ve temporarily fixed the situation. But I wonder – what has happened in our society that a business would pull what they pulled to a loyal customer of 15 years? I know the economy is struggling; believe me I know first hand how hard it is these days. But don’t businesses realize they’re only making things worse by doing these types of things to people?
Feeling a Change Coming On May 16, 2009
A while back I wrote about how it seems like every couple of months I shake things up a bit and get a new lease on life type of attitude. I feel one coming on again. I quit a job that just wasn’t working out for me and my family. I’ve committed to going back to working out 3 – 4 times a week. I’ve started a diet and fitness journal. I planted some new flowers and a vegetable garden – we’ll have to wait and see how that works out. I’m the self professed Queen Dunce of Gardening. I’m trying to take more time each day to just enjoy my kids – play with them, read to them, snuggle with them. I’m trying not to stress out over the little things, because in the end all that’s really going to matter is that I was true to myself and my family, and friends.
On-line Buddies Day April 10, 2009
Happiness keeps You Sweet,
The IRS keeps you broke.
Trials keep You Strong,
Sorrows keep You Human,
Failures keep You Humble,
Success keeps You Glowing,
But Only God keeps You Going!
Today is ‘ online buddy day ‘
This Is Why. . . February 2, 2009
This is why I call this blog “Of Cheerios and Conference Calls”, a perfect example. I don’t use my checkbooks much. Most bill paying and balancing I do on the internet, so I don’t write out a lot of checks. Because of this my checkbook is usually in one of two places – my purse or my desk drawer. Well, this morning I was pretty frantic for about an hour. I couldn’t find the house checkbook anywhere. Husband’s business checkbook – check. My business checkbook – check. Line of credit checkbook – check. House checkbook – no check. I have no idea where it went. Double checked the car to see if it might have fallen out when I went to the bank last week. Not there. Tore the kitchen apart in case someone (um, Husband) took it out of my purse. Not there. Tore my desk apart in case I missed it in the first look. Not there. Went through Buddha’s diaper bag – you never know. Not there. OMG – Husband is going to pitch a fit if I really lost it. Let me check one more place, my laptop bags. Not in the first one. Okay – don’t panic, look in the second one. Oh, wait, what’s in this outside pocket? The checkbook! Gee I wonder who put it in there. Oh, and look what else is in here – a handful of cheerios. I attempt to reprimand her for taking Mommy’s checkbook. But come on, how much can you really reprimand a 17 month old especially when she keeps saying “Momma” over and over and making a kissy face to you.
