My overachiever....

I got the word the other morning that Bug is moving up to the 3year old room (her 3rd birthday isn't till October)! Way to go Bug! They feel like she is ready verbally and she potty trained outstanding! I always knew that she was exceptional and gifted (don't worry, I am rolling my eyes at myself as I type this!) but now there is proof!! Way to go Bug!!!

I've still got it, the crazies I mean...

Here is my latest craziness at work... Just recently I was invited to join an online social networking site for my collegiate alma mater. No problem, actually, seem like fun. At this point in my life I am ready to get back in touch with some of my old chums. So I sign up, set up my page, write my profile and now I am off searching through folks from my past. Now this was last Friday, just before the long holiday weekend. 4pm strikes and I am off for a fun weekend with E. By about noon on Saturday it occurs to me that I hate my profile! I have said that I was married and now seperated and all but declared that I am living with my family... That will NOT do!! You see there are friends on that site, there are also "friends", ex boyfriends, friends of my X, and maybe even the X himself. Crap! What have I done? 2 1/2 days till I can fix this one.
You see, I am not a loser and I sure don't want to be defined by this glitch in my relationship status. Damn it! This profile is about me!!
First thing Tuesday morning I type and retype my profile. I outline my career path, my moves, and E's birth. I even pat myself on the back a bit and put my current job title which sounds kinda imporntant... Lead Inorganic Chemist. I have my full name with my maiden name in parenthesis and list my status as: Single. No mention of him! Then I do what any normal and insane woman would do... I post only the most adorable photos of E (especially the ones where she looks more like me than him) and a few of myself with E and friends where I am at the hight of my weight loss from the divorce and I look pretty good! Damn it I will make this seperation work for me in more ways than one!! Happy with the outcome I save my changes and now I check it almost as often as I check my email... I know, pathetic, but oh well!
Anyway to sum it up... Yes I am still neurotic since the split up. However, I am getting better! Lets face it, this was like a high school reunion (OMG, my 15 year is coming up soon, UGH!) just online. I got to see fat exs and old friends I lost touch with... bittersweet. Next thing I just have to get a few more pictures looking fabulous... just in case!

For more than just a good time...

So I was looking around MSN and found this awesome list for odd uses for Vodka. Hmm? Well, I check it out! I found all of these uses for the clear college standby. Check these out...

Cleans mildew in your bathroom.
A few drops in your vase with some sugar will help to keep your cut flowers fresh longer.
Pour on affected area (of skin) after rolling in poison ivy to prevent allergic reaction.
Pour on jellyfish sting to ease pain.
Swish in mouth to disinfect and ease pain of a tooth ache.
Spritz on laundry and let dry to remove odor in clothing (remember it dries without any odor) if you can't get to wash it.
Add lavander to bottle or jar and fill with vodka, cap, and steep in the sun... room or body spray, see above... watch out Fabreeze!

Ao much more than just a social lubricant! Who would have thought!

This one was not listed but I do this every summer! Not only is it clever but it is a huge $$ saver! In a fifth of high proof vodka add 2-4 vanilla beans that have been split in half length wise, cap, and store in cabinet. In 3-6 months you will have a fifth of vanilla extract, a hell of a lot cheaper than those 4oz bottles for $6.99 each at the grocery store and will last longer too. I will make it in time to use for all of my christmas baking.

WTF Super Nanny...

Here it is, one of my guilty pleasures... Wife Swap. I can't help it, I love it! But lucky for you that is not what I am writing about today, today it is about the show right after... Super Nanny. Now normally I wouldn't watch a show like this but lets face it... it is always a train wreck and it makes you feel a million times better about anything you do as a parent! And sometimes, just sometimes, someone else's failures can make you feel better. Are you a parent? Do you need an ego boost? More cowbell won't help here, watch Super Nanny instead!
Usually when I watch I get that "Phew, thank God, thats not me" sense of relief but, oh no, not this week. The mother of a two year old didn't know her daughter's favorite book and Jo nailed her on it. She said that every toddler has a few favorite books and you don't pay enough attention to your child to even know what hers might be!
OMG! You know what it is like (and if you don't, play along)... get home hopefully by 5:30 and that is of there is no traffic, fix dinner, bathtime, actually talk and get them into bed by hopefully 7:30. Well now add your well intentioned family all up in your stuff to that routine along with the proven knowelage that if you go more than one day in a row with a bedtime of 8pm you will have a little bitch on your hands for the next three days and last night... you had to stop at the store on your way home pushing everything back a half an hour so last night way your 8pm free pass for the week. Needless to say, books are kept for the weekends. It is sad to say but it is true!
Now lets talk about the guilt trip I had after hearing that damn Super Nanny, I say screw you and your british accent! 99.9% percent of what you say are right on but this, Super Nanny, is where I put my foot down. I talk with my Bug, we eat together most of the time, we play together, but damn it! reading a story before bed does not make me a bad mom!! (Granted the woman she was talking to was leting her 2yr old eat spray cheese and crackers to go to bed and rest assured... NEVER in my house!)
So, maybe I am a little sensitive these days, but the next night I told Bug to pick out a book for bedtime. And as luck would have it... she picked out her stand-by... Who's Tail Is It, Peter Rabbit? The one she always picked out before we moved and we read it twice. Maybe I over reacted but I did know her favorit book and now I will try to find an extra 5-10 minutes in my day for stories.
PS- If you have a spare few minutes pass them over this way, please?

As I leave you from my rant... Enjoy some Flight of the Conchords

A Mother's Day thought...

A friend of mine sent this to me and instead of forwarding it, I think that this is the perfect place... Enjoy, it is so true!

Mothers...

This is for the mothers who have sat up all night with sick toddlers in their arms, wiping up barf laced with Oscar Mayer wieners and cherry Kool-Aid saying, 'It's okay honey, Mommy's here.'
Who have sat in rocking chairs for hours on end soothing crying babies who can't be comforted.
This is for all the mothers who show up at work with spit-up in their hair and milk stains on their blouses and diapers in their purse.
For all the mothers who run carpools and make cookies and sew Halloween costumes. And all the mothers who DON'T.
This for the mothers who gave birth to babies they'll never see. And the mothers who took those babies and gave them homes.
This is for the mothers whose priceless art collections are hanging on their refrigerator doors.
And for all the mothers who froze their buns on metal bleachers at football or soccer games instead of watching from the warmth of their cars.
And that when their kids asked, 'Did you see me, Mom?' they could say, 'Of course, I wouldn't have missed it for the world,' and mean it.
This is for all the mothers who yell at their kids in the grocery store and swat them in despair when they stomp their feet and scream for ice cream before dinner. And for all the mothers who count to ten instead, but realize how child abuse happens.
This is for all the mothers who go hungry, so their children can eat.
For all the mothers who read 'Goodnight, Moon' twice a night for a year. And then read it again. 'Just one more time.'
This is for all the mothers who taught their children to tie their shoelaces before they started school. And for all the mothers who opted for Velcro instead.
This is for all the mothers who teach their sons to cook and their daughters to sink a jump shot.
This is for every mother whose head turns automatically when a little voice calls 'Mom?' in a crowd, even though they know their own offspring are at home -- or even away at college ~or have their own families.
This is for all the mothers who sent their kids to school with stomach aches, assuring them they'd be just FINE once they got there, only to get calls from the school nurse an hour later asking them to please pick them up. Right away.
This is for mothers whose children have gone astray, who can't find the words to reach them.
For all the mothers who bite their lips until they bleed when their 14 year olds dye their hair green.
For all the mothers of the victims of recent school shootings, and the mothers of those who did the shooting.
For the mothers of the survivors, and the mothers who sat in front of their TVs in horror, hugging their child who just came home from school, safely.
This is for all the mothers who taught their children to be peaceful, and now pray they come home safely from a war.
What makes a good Mother anyway?
Is it patience? Compassion? Broad hips?
The ability to nurse a baby, cook dinner, and sew a button on a shirt, all at the same time?
Or is it in her heart?
Is it the ache you feel when you watch your son or daughter disappear down the street, walking to school alone for the very first time?
The jolt that takes you from sleep to dread, from bed to crib at 2 A.M. to put your hand on the back of a sleeping baby?
The panic, years later, that comes again at 2 A.M. when you just want to hear their key in the door and know they are safe again in your home?
Or the need to flee from wherever you are and hug your child when you hear news of a fire, a car accident, a child dying?
The emotions of motherhood are universal and so our thoughts are for young mothers stumbling through diaper changes and sleep deprivation... And mature mothers learning to let go.
For working mothers and stay-at-home mothers.
Single mothers and married mothers.
Mothers with money, mothers without.
This is for you all. For all of us...Hang in there.
In the end we can only do the best we can. Tell them every day that we love them. And pray and never stop being a mom..
'Home is what catches you when you fall - and we all fall.'

Ted and Stella...

Last night I sat down and watched one of the only shows I watch on a regular basis... How I Met Your Mother. I can't help it, I just really like that show! That crazy Barney, sweet Ted, horney Lilly, and dopey Marshall, and don't get me started on the fact that Robin was a pop-tart in Canada... Genius! Anyway, I love those characters and I love the newest one of them all... Stella. She is played by Sarah Chalke (also Elliott Reed from Scrubs), and is a single mom with a 6 year old daughter that just started dating Ted, well 2 months into it. I think the reason I lke her character so much is because it hits so close to home.
Last night we find out that she and Ted haven't slept together yet (2 months) but also that she hasn't had sex in 5 years! Side note... Not that long for me. Also that Ted hasn't met her daughter either. She hit the dail on the head... It all comes down to trust. It wasn't that she couldn't trust Ted, but she was afraid of getting hurt again. By the end of the show they close the deal but first she introduced Ted to her daughter. Lets face it... it is a sitcom, of course it would all work out!
Anyway, that brings me to my point... I have to confess something. I have trust and committment issues. But then again, who wouldn't in my shoes, right? Should I buy or rent? That is my big quesion now. I don't know if I want to committ to a house right now... what will happen in a few years. What about the bills that go with it? The repairs and yard work. I have a million what ifs and lets face it I may not be just talking about a house! I will get through these issues but for now I have my fence up and hopefully one day like Stella, I will meet my Ted.
PS- He better not screw this up or else I am never watching this show again!

New old friends...

So, this weekend I took Bug down to the local spring festival. It was a beautiful day once the clouds went away. We shared a gyro, got her face (actually hand) painted, looked at toys, balloons, books, and clothes. We listened to music and even watched ballerinas. Once she was getting antsy in the stroller (I laid down the rules before we got there) we were off to the kiddie area... there were rumors of inflatable gyms and a petting zoo!
We petted the goats and rabbits, listened to a donkey "Hee-Haw", and even rode on a pony... exciting times. Then, next stop... the inflatable playground to give her the final 1-2 knock out to seal the deal for nap time. Don't worry, this isn't about the inflatable playground (my mind drifts... imagine what an adult one would be like... insert devilish smirk then return to reality). Bug is running around like a crazy woman high on life and I am attempting to keep up with her. While she is on one of the bouncers I notice a woman and a man standing close by and they look really familliar. And this time I take a chance (read earlier post about the gym), "Excuse me? Are you Whitney?" "MB?" "OMG! How are you...." And you can figure out the rest. But I had run into a girlfriend of mine from high school and the last time I saw her it was post college years and pre marriage years... for both of us!
Well we chit chatted and come to find out we both have kids the same age and we are both seperated. She has six months under her belt to my year. Here is the funny thing... she is seeing the same guy from high school. Whats so funny about that, right? Well, I lost my virginity in his grandparents house the night of my boyfriend's Junior Prom. That is what was so funny! Talk about a trip down memory lane.
Anyway, I met up with her and some others that night and had a blast! We laughed about the old times and caught up some on the the time in between. She toasted to nNew Friends, I had to correct her... "Here's to New Old Friends!" Life is funny that way.