Infomercials

Does anyone else think infomercials are just hilarious? I mean honestly... where do they find these people to over act and be so dramatic?! So I know its sad how many of them I'm about to talk about.... but this is the price we pay not having cable!

Ez cracker... please visit https://www.ezcracker.com/?mid=547819&a=55959&s=99
Seriously? Is it really that hard to crack an egg? I dont think so! I know there are times when yes... a piece of eggshell can sneak its way into what I'm cooking... and you just pick it out! but not like these people are showing?!

Kangaroo Keeper... visit https://www.kangarookeeper.com/?MID=582833
Now this one I could probably see myself buying... cause my purse is VERY disorganized. My purse is also too small for one of them I think. I do love those big purses though... that way you can sneak in candy and pop at the movies!? If I were to get one I'd prolly have to go purse shopping too!

WEN shampoo... visit http://www.wenhaircare.com/
I still haven't tried this... but would LOVE to. I still see the infomercial often too....

Lifestyle Lift....... visit http://www.lifestylelift.com/
I know I know... .I'm only 25... well soon to be 26 yikes!!! but I couldn't help watching this one! It was crazy to see the before and after photos and videos. I know I don't need this procedure now, but man I prolly will in a few years! I never thought I was a vain person but I might have to be if I look like these before photos!

Pillow Pets.... visit http://www.pillowpetstv.com/
These are actually pretty cute. My mother in law gave one similar (pillow pal I believe is the name) to Johnson for Christmas last year... the pillow pets are machine washable though! I mean honestly... shouldn't everything be machine/dishwasher safe? I hate spot cleaning or hand-washing... its annoying!

Ok that's enough for now I guess.... if you're bored enough you should check out some of the sites... but really some of the people in these commercials are so over the top. You can't help but laugh at them!

Priorities

So sometimes in life you have to think... what's more important?! Checking your email or reading your son a book........ Doing some laundry... or giving your child a bath? Taking a nap.... or writing on your blog....

I could go on and on... These are my daily "dilemmas". I often have to choose between doing my workout while both boys are occupied (aka sleeping) or picking up around the house! I know what you're thinking... those probably really aren't dilemmas to you. But they sure are to me! Sometimes I have a hard time choosing what I'll do! Most days I pick kids over myself (I dont think I peed all day yesterday?! not until JDub got home from work anyway.....) and sometimes well I just need a little "me" time too. I'd like to think I have my priorities straight... but sometimes by the end of the day who knows right?

I guess you just have to hope you pick yourself some days... and your kids on the other days... and hopefully it all balances out....

Caffeine

I'm pretty sure I am addicted to caffeine... I'm not sure when it happened... It must have been this year... but I cannot function if I do not get some form of caffeine in me before the day is over. Bubba loves to help me make my coffee in the morning! He helps me get the filter (sometimes he wants to give me several.... not just one) and then he brings me the bag of coffee grinds to pour in... and then of course he always wants to push the button to start the pot. For some reason our coffee maker likes to beep several times when the coffee is finished brewing. I guess if you don't hear the first 3 beeps it makes sure by beeping 3 more times! But anyway... I guess I usually say oh the coffee's done.. whenever I hear the beeping. So now of course Bubba has to make sure I know when its done... and he says in his cute little voice "THE COFFEE'S DONE!!!" Not just once mind you.... if any of you out there have an almost 2 year old... or have had kids... you know they must repeat it over and over and over... sometimes I try to ignore him when he does this. But most of the time he gets mad and starts pouting unless I say something like "Oh yep... the coffee is done thank you."

If I haven't mentioned this before... Dunkin Donuts coffee is VERY good. It is my favorite. It makes me wish they still had a Dunkin Donuts around here! I should just open one up somewhere... that way I'd get my coffee fix... and I'd help everyone else who might want one! Then again..... if I were to open up any kind of food establishment.. I'd have to do a Krystal... Its just so ridiculous not having one up north! I could still get my caffeine fix with the sweet tea there!

SIDE NOTE:
So I just stopped down in our office in the basement... It has been weeks since I've been down there... JDub usually handles the bills and well I'm a little busy these days with 2 boys constantly needing me. So anyway... right out on the desk is this graduation card... and it read like this... I quote " JDub.... Congrats on graduating! It seems like yesterday when you were a freshman and I was in the 8th grade heart-throbbing over you and gawking at you from across the lunch room! :) Where does the time go?! Good luck in your future endevers! I'm sure you'll be successful in all you do! Keep in touch...." blah blah... signed we'll call her GiGi....

So looks like someone just had to hold on to this card for some reason... Do I need to mention he just had his High school's 10 year reunion? I wonder why...pretty sure he's thrown out plenty of little love notes and cards I've given him over the years... but oh we just have to keep a hold of this one right?! JEEZ!!!! What are your thoughts out there?

happy freaking mother's day

I know its not good to say freaking.... cause it resembles something else... but yea what nice present did JDub give me for mother's day.... HE LEFT TOWN UNTIL THURSDAY! Yea so Mother's Day itself was great! We went to church for the first time since Baby was born... yea we were a little late... but that's expected right? Then we hung out at home until my parents and sister and husband came over. We grilled out hotdogs (which were yummy! you're not suppose to have them when you're preggo so I really enjoyed mine) and brats and had family time. I know I was a little hard on JDub... I made him chase Bubba around...and change a few poopy diapers of Baby's... but hey... it was mother's day... I'll do the same for him on Father's Day coming up (yes its in writing so he has proof of it being said!).

But yea... what does he do... he leaves town for work and wont be back for 2 more days!!! At least I can count on my family in town to come over and help me... Most people would probably not ask for help... but hey... I know I still need it so I'm willing to ask! And as long as they're willing to help... I'll take it :). Mom came over last night.. and my sis is coming over tonight... thank you Lord! Baby is still a pretty good baby... but he has his colicky moments and that's when I need some reinforcements... I'm still getting the hang of having two boys around.

I really shouldn't say its JDub's fault for leaving... afterall... it was my own father who made him leave town for work!

Aww the joys of motherhood...

You don't really realize how much your life will change once you have children... You're not only responsible for yourself anymore! You can't get caught up in life and forget to feed your children... or bathe them... or wash their clothes... sure you let yourself go a little bit. I can go days w/o washing my hair (they say that's good though right? Its better for your hair to not get washed every day?) I grab something to eat when I can. I haven't quite gotten up the motivation to start working out.. but hey lil Baby just turned 2 weeks old today... so that's not too bad. I use to make sure my hair and make-up was done before I left the house... but sometimes I just don't have time for that!

Its amazing how much you can love someone you just met. And how much you can love someone who drives you crazy! (Bubba.....) I imagine its a lot like how God loves us... unconditionally. No wonder he is able to forgive us all the time! No matter how many times Bubba spills his froot loops all over the floor on purpose... just after I've picked them up.... or dumps his milk on the newly cleaned kitchen floor... I'll still love him. Even though Baby is a very good baby most of the time... at 1:00 in the morning he decided to explode all over his clothes and the changing table... lets just say I wasn't plannin on needing JDub's backup.. but I called in reinforcements anyway... it doesn't mean I love him any less.

With Mother's Day approaching quickly... I just thought I'd drop a line to say how much I appreciate my mother! Some days I think I wouldn't make it w/o her! She has been such a help to me and JDub since Bubba was born... and now that Baby is here too. I feel so fortunate to have her in town (and semi-retired)! I know I call her waaaay too much... and depend on her alot... but I hope she enjoys the time she spends with her grandsons... and I know they love their "Grandma." Sure she spoils them a bit much... and creates new routines I must now do as well.... Bubba has learned that word Candy and repeats it constantly... and now every time we go into his room he has to build a little fort with the blankets in the bunk beds... but hey its worth it in the end.

I'm still working on being the best mom I can be. I just take it one day at a time... its all you can do! I love you mom and thanks for everything. And don't forget to appreciate your own mothers on Sunday :)

MAJOR UPDATE TIME!!!

As many of you probably know... we had our little bundle of joy arrive almost a week ago!!! He is adorable, and a very good baby. I am still working on a nickname... so that will have to come a little later.

Monday morning I awoke to Bubba talking to himself in his crib.... I did my usual go to the bathroom... close the child gate... and then when I went to pick him up... whoosh... my water broke! I did a little happy dance... saying "yay! today is the day!!!" Bubba wasn't sure what to think of that.... I immediately called JDub.... who of course didn't answer my call! Go figure... he answers every other call... but not "THE" call.... He called back within 20 minutes and we were off! Well sorta... I wasn't quite done packing my hospital bag (I kept thinking if I finished I would jinx it and I wouldn't have the baby until May!) and JDub had to pack his.... then of course Bubba needed a bag too....

I won't bore you with the details of delivery (if you really want to know just ask me... I'd love to tell you, I just know some people aren't into that!) but things went well and we had our newest son at 6:11 pm! He is yet another red-head :) so hey even if everyone keeps saying he looks like JDub at least he has my hair!!! Oh and he is such a good baby. He gave us a scare there for a little bit on Tuesday... he wasn't eating... and his breathing levels weren't as high as they like... he was a little jaundice too....but his doctor visited him and said ship up!!! so he did :). He is doing so well at home. Bubba is adjusting fairly well... he can still be a little rough sometimes...but we're working on it. He can be very helpful when he wants to be. He even picked out his little brother's outfit!

Anywho, thanks to all for the congratulations! We are so happy he is here. (especially mommy :) )

Never Ending...

Doesn't it seem like there is always something you need to do to your house when you're a homeowner? I mean its never-ending!!! Here's just a small list of the things I would love to have done... and believe me there are plenty more but I won't bore you for too long...

-New front door... one w/o dents and preferably more glass to let some more light in! I know this means I'll have to watch what I'm wearing b/c of nosey neighbors and whatnot... Don't worry they don't have the internet so I know they don't read this!!!
-New back deck... if you can even call it a deck! Its so small and pitiful... the wood it all dry and cracked. I'm worried Bubba's gonna get splinters in his knees from crawling up and down it this summer.. there aren't any railings and the steps down are terrible. Not to mention its on cinder blocks... so that's real classy. (I blame the people that lived here before us!!)
-New light fixture for Bubba's new room. We officially have bunk beds!! I love them soo much. They were on sale so we just had to go for it. Bubba really likes them too. He's always wanting to go into his new room and play on the bunk beds. But there was a ceiling fan in there before... so that obviously is not going to work out now. I just saw the ad for Menards though... they have some fixtures on sale we might just have to go! We were lucky JDub and I both had twin beds until we got married... no need to buy mattresses!
-New bedding for Bubba's new room... Since he'll be in a big boy bed we'll need to upgrade and get him some new bedding... That stuff isn't cheap either!! Especially since w'ell have to do it double time!

SIDE NOTE: Bubba officially used the big boy potty again last night!! And I DIDN'T traumatize him this time :) So hey who knows.... maybe we'll only have one child in diapers by the end of the summer... it could happen right?

-JDub seems to think we need to paint the house... Which is probably true. Who even knows when the last owners did it. And we have that composite stuff so it does need to be painted every once in a while or whatever. I really wouldn't mind doing it... I don't hate painting... I just don't see how we'll get that down with an almost 2 year old and a newborn!?

Ok ok... I'm probably boring everyone... but yea there's a lot of stuff that needs to get done around here... but as you all know it requires time and money... neither of which I think we'll have an abundance of once this new little one comes! I am officially 37 weeks along... I made it further this pregnancy than with Bubba.... don't know how happy I am about it... but what can you do. I guess God had a different plan for us this time around. I'm definately the heaviest I've ever been in my life... but for good cause I guess. At least I'm not all swollen and can still wear my wedding rings!

Family Feud

Having no cable and all (sometimes I feel the need to remind people b/c it seems like everyone and their mom has cable except me!) you learn to either not watch TV much... or you find out exactly what time certain shows are on the limited channels you receive. We get this Ion channel which is actually pretty good! Monday thru Friday they air Family Feud (with John O'Hurley) from 4:00-6:00! Now we don't watch it every day... but sometimes its fun to watch a couple episodes while we wait for JDub to come home from work. And of course JDub enjoys them when he gets home too!

I seriously think I would be awesome on this show! Not to sound all full of myself or anything... but I tend to get most of top answers when it comes to the questions they ask. I think it would be so fun to be on the show too! But then I have to think who would I want to be part of my 5 family members? First off... JDub of course. Now I'm a little worried about him cause he DOES NOT like to be the center of attention... like ever... so I'm wondering how he would do being on TV and all.... the audience staring and waiting for your answer... I mean you get around 3 seconds to answer before they buzz you! So you have to be quick on your feet.... Which brings me to my dad. He is pretty much the smartest person I know.... but I'm not sure he's be the quickest on his feet. You know what they say about people from the south.... they move at their own pace or whatever. My mom on the other hand is very fast! She's obsessed with Jeopardy and extremely smart as well. I'd definately have her on there.

Ok so where am I at... I think you have 5 people.... so myself, JDub, Dad, Mom.... that leaves one spot open. Now I have 2 sisters so it might be hard to pick just one of them.... It really doesn't matter how they're related to you... they have cousins and brother in laws... aunts and uncles... Maybe I'd pick Dommie!! That's my grandmother... she's obsessed with crossword puzzles so again... very smart woman.

Well there you have it... so who's ready to try-out with me?! They're having auditions this month in Florida and Boston. I guess good old John O'Hurley is leaving though.... so it'll have to do with Steve Harvey.

Hair!

So apparently there's a right way to wash your hair... who knew right? I mean I thought it was all wet, later, rinse, repeat... And I always use to skip the whole conditioner thing... but now that my hair is getting super long (and JDub was a wonderful hubby who got me one of those amazing hair straighteners the CHI for Christmas) I do condition... but yea I was reading in a Glamour Magazine that there is a specific way to wash your hair! I'm trying it out... and so far so good I think. I do think my hair is less greasy now that I've started doing it this way. I have been taking my prenatal vitamins so that could be helping as well. But here goes just in case you're interested!

1. DETANGLE. I've always done this.. but they say its best to brush your hair before you wash. That's just a no brainer for me... but maybe some of you out there skip that step! I lose enough hair in the shower as is...

2. LESS IS MORE. Now I've been using a minimal amount of shampoo and body wash for a while now. I guess It could be my cheapness or something! But a quarter size blob is what they recommend (double for long hair).

3. LATHER. Use the pads of your fingers (not nails) to knead the scalp! As far as shampoo goes, it can be very drying... probably because of its cleansing agents or whatever... but they say to skip applying it to the ends of your hair. Which makes sense... I mean that is the driest part of my hair!

4. CONDITION. Apparently conditioner is a must for all types of hair.. and they say you should AVOID your scalp!? Who knew? You should start to condition with the ends and stop 3/4 of the way up. (Otherwise you'll have greasy roots... duh no wonder my hair was so greasy the next day!)

5. SOAK. Now you should comb conditioner through to coat every strand and leave on for 5 minutes. They suggest turning the water off for this time to save on water! But yea right... who's really going to stand naked in a shower w/o water running? I don't think so! I try to wash and condition first that way the rest of my shower the conditioner has the longest time to soak in!

6. RINSE. Of course this sounds like a no-brainer... but they say you should also use your fingers to separate the hair while rinsing. They also said its best to rinse in cool water to seal the cuticle... but most of the time I'm taking a nice hot shower to get warm.... I might do this in the summer when its hot...  but not during Iowa winters!

So anyway... I thought it was interesting... and I think it couldn't hurt your hair anyway!!

Terrible Twos?!

I don't know if we've already hit the infamous terrible twos... or if I'm just thinking its bad and it hasn't even begun! I love Veggie Tales! I mean its cute... its about God, there's silly, catchy songs.... but I really don't need to watch it 4 times a day! I thought I'd be nice and buy some Veggie Tales fruit snacks.... oh man that's all Bubba wants to eat! All he does is run to the pantry and say "Bob!"For those of you who are not familiar... Bob is the tomato from Veggie Tales. I usually let him have a pack of fruit snacks a day. I know you're prolly thinking that's too much... but he just loves them! He smiles and pops them into his mouth and goes 'mmmmmmm' like its the best thing ever!

I have the Silly Sing along video of Veggie Tales where they highlighted a few of their favorite songs and have little skits in between. This is the only Veggie Tales video my son wants to watch. He has no interest in watching an actual episode with a lesson and Bible verses... no... he just wants to watch the silly songs! Don't worry, I know them all by heart. I know exactly what skit will be coming on next and what song is to follow. I can pretty much recite the entire 30 minute video! I limited him to watching it twice yesterday.... Only the good Lord knows how many times he will request to watch it today (so far just once but it is only noon). He just cries and cries and throws little fits saying "Bob!" over and over again....

But I will tell you one good thing. I know you might think I'm terrible but it is the best baby-sitter around. He sits like a quiet little zombie glued to that TV when it is on. So there's my 30 minutes to run around and try to get something done. I don't just leave him... I check in on him from time to time... he might glance up at me and then back to the TV and say Bob!

So not a morning person...

I will be the first one to admit that I am not a fan of morning... If I could stay up all night and sleep in all morning I would be the happy little camper! But oh well that can't happen. And I have responsibilities and those really do make me happy too. I have to admit I have been quite spoiled with Bubba. He usually sleeps in until at least 7:00 (sometimes 8!). I know a lot of other mothers who are not so fortunate. But alas.... I will soon have another little bundle to wake me up in the middle of the night.. and early in the morning... so I will have to learn to become a morning person.

It really doesn't make sense though cause I love certain things about morning. When Bubba was just a little babe I use to wake up with him and do my workout before starting my day. Man I felt good when I did that! Its amazing what a little endorphins will do to boost your mood. and Breakfast!!! I love breakfast! Eggs, bacon, sausage, french toast, pancakes, muffins, orange juice, omelets... I love breakfast foods so much I find myself making breakfast for dinner sometimes. And who can forget COFFEE!??? Oh man I love coffee. Its just so good. Its kind of a bummer not being able to drink that much of it being preggo and all... but its all good. I take mine with lots of creamer and sugar... so I don't know if you can really even call it coffee after its all said and done.

I suppose once spring hits and morning comes... and its NOT 20 degrees out... with snow and ice covering everything that will help too!!

working mom for a week

Well I just had my official working mom week.... My old boss and his assistant (who took over for me when I decided to stay home) were out of town all week "in training meetings". While they were away I tried my best to hold down the fort and answer emails and phone calls.... fax in applications and what not! I worked 8-4 Monday-Thursday... cause those were the days I could get a free babysitter :). JDub and I actually switched roles! He took a few days off work and stayed home with Bubba while I went in. Hopefully he enjoyed the time alone with our son more than the opportunity to take a 2 hour nap in the middle of the day...... I'm not gonna lie... it was kinda nice! It was a nice change of pace for a little bit... But by Friday I was glad to be home with my lil guy. And leaving in the morning and him crying was kinda hard..

It kinda makes me think maybe I could be a part-time working mom... like 1-2 days a week work outside the home... but then still be home most of the time with my soon to be 2 children. Obviously this won't be for a while... considering those first few months with a newborn are exhausting... or at least they were for me! And of course we'd have to get free babysitting to really make it worth it (aka grandmothers :) ) Money is so tight sometimes it would be nice to have additional money flowing in! I guess we'll see...

Monday was an insane day though... it just made me glad I don't work outside the home anymore. I use to work in the insurance business.... and it being the end of the month (when people decide to wait til the last minute to get insurance for March 1st effective) and also apparently a certain insurance company decided to increase their premiums for all members and send out a notice.... it was craziness. Most people were very nice, realizing that I couldn't help them but they had to wait until my boss got back... but others of course freaked out yelling and what not... You'd think it was the end of the world!

All in all I'd say it was a good week! JDub got to see what it was like to be me (sort-of... I mean its not like he did a whole lot of cleaning....) and when the paycheck comes in that will be nice too.

Public Restrooms

I don't enjoy using public restrooms... but sometimes it is a necessity (especially when you're prego). I think it should be a law that all public restrooms have pull handles when you enter... and push when you leave. It just makes sense right? I mean you would hope that people wash their hands after using the restroom (I know I do!) but you'd be surprised how often I see people use the facilities and then just leave! Gross!! So then I have to touch the door handle they just touched with their dirty hands?! I don't think so! Might as well have not even washed my hands at all!

Paper towels, hand dryer, pull down towel.....
Personally I prefer paper towels... I know they aren't the best for the environment... but I don't have to worry about a soggy towel... or the hand dryer taking forever or having to push the button over and over and over again until finally my hands are dry! I also like to use the paper towel to open the door if it happens to be a pull handle for a little extra protection..

I know you're probably thinking I'm some kind of germ-a-phobe! I'm no Howie Mandel.... but I do like to be clean!

Automatic flush, soap dispensor, paper towel......
I remember the first time I heard about the automatic flusher! I thought how cool is that?! I hate having to touch the flusher handle! Who knows what went on in that stall before you. But then I tried one... not only did it flush at the wrong time.... it wouldn't flush at the end when I really wanted it to!? What is up with that? as long as I can kick the handle or push it with my foot I'm good to go...
The whole soap dispensor thing seems kinda cool... but half the time I'm waving my hand around like and idiot trying to get it to sense I'm there! JDub said he was using the urinals and kept hearing  this weird sound... next thing he goes to wash his hands and there is soap all over the place b/c the thing was going off w/o people being around?! Seems like a waste...
I like the auto paper towels... they seem to work pretty well, but I dont mind working for it either!

To all you people designing bathrooms out there... think about these things before you start! I love those bathrooms that dont even have doors... just the walls that line up just right... smart! And don't even get me started on Port-o-potties.....

Valentine's Day

Honestly.... I find Valentine's Day a holiday that is kind of a load of crap...... I mean I'm a girl... so of course I love pampering, chocolates, flowers, all of those things... but is it necessary for them to declare a day when all of these things MUST happen? And everyone's all ooo what are you plans? What are you getting JDub? Well we're really cheap and don't have money to spend on frivolous things... so I wrote him a poem! Yea I know..... pretty lame.. It's not the first time I've done this. Sometimes I'll write them for his birthday... or our anniversary... just random things. I figure its more personal than buying a card someone else came up with. And I try my best to put a little bit of humor in there as well. Actually its mostly humor and I try to throw in a little appreciation or love dovey stuff.

We're not one of those PDA (public displays of affection) couples... In fact those couples kind of gross me out (you know who you are out there!). I mean what do you have to prove to everyone around that you love the one you're with? Get a room! j/k....

Well I hope you all have a wonderful Valentine's Day anyway! Just cause I think its a silly holiday doesn't mean I don't want you to enjoy yourselves. I hope you have a special someone to spend it with... I know I have 2! (JDub and Bubba of course :) )I have a feeling it will be like any other day for me... but hopefully I won't get any judgemental looks from my husband if/when I stuff my face with chocolate! :)

And for all your enjoyment... look at this cute puppy born with a little heart shaped pattern!!!

dreamin....

Do you ever have re-occuring dreams? They say being prego can make you have some weird dreams... and that is VERY true for me. I really don't remember them after the fact though. I just know I wake up and go what?! and then try to get back to bed. But there are some dreams, or certain themes that I dream about more often than others for some reason.

I think I've figured out why this is a re-occuring dream for me... but it is still very weird! The people involved in the dream or places I am at are always changing... but the situation remains the same. I will be trying to talk and can't b/c there is a huge wad of gum stuck to the roof of my mouth. I'm constantly reaching into my mouth and pulling and pulling at the gum... stretching it and thinking I'm getting somewhere... but low and behold, I can't talk b/c the gum is still stuck. No matter how much I pull out... its never ending and I still can't talk! Usually when I wake up from this dream my mouth is very dry, and in fact my own tongue is stuck to the roof of my mouth! So that makes sense right? Its still annoying though. You'd think something would click and I'd realize I'm dreaming b/c it keeps happeneing to me?! ... but so far not so much.

Another dream I'm always having is being late for class! I haven't been in "class" in years... high school or college... but I'm still dreaming and freaking out about being late! I have my back-pack but can't find my schedule. I can't figure out where my classroom is. Or I get to a classroom and realize its the wrong one. Ususally I'm trying to walk as fast as I can or run even and am unable to. Its like everything is in slow motion..... I can only move my feet in the slowest way possible. There was a shuttle I would take in college to get to class sometimes, if that's in the dream its usually me trying to run after it and make it on time but I always miss it b/c I can't move any faster!

I know there are lots of dream books out there... or people who can tell you what your dreams really mean.. I dont know if I believe in that or just think its a load... But I do know I've talked about these dreams and I'm not the only one who has some of these themes... I wonder why?!

Do you ever have any repeated dreams?