All In A Day

I often set daily or weekly goals for myself that I have every intention of seeing through, but then I get distracted or lazy or just put off for tomorrow. I lay in bed at the end of most days beating myself up for things I should have done and didn't or, more often, things I did instead. I lie there exhausted, tormenting myself and feeling guilty for being so tired when I did "nothing" that I had planned to accomplish for that day.

Last night was yet another night of guilt and frustration with my lack of ambition. I didn't take that long walk with Seth that I had planned. I didn't call the new dentist's office and make the appointments we need. I didn't start back on Weight Watchers as intended by counting my points. I didn't list that pile of outgrown clothes and baby gear in my living room on Craig's List. After awhile of tallying up all the things I didn't do, I started to wonder what exactly I had done with my day and played it back in my head from the beginning...

I woke up at 7am, dressed and readied two kids for school, depositing them on the bus-stop by 7:30; cleared the breakfast dishes; dressed the third child; made four beds; ate breakfast. I watched the emotionally riveting movie Taking Chance with the husband; jumped in the shower, dressed, did my hair and make-up; headed out the door with my portable steam cleaner to help a friend. Before leaving, I emptied out the back of my car and removed the kids' car seats so I could lay the back seats flat.

Stopped on the way out of town to drop movies off at the library and buy kids' toothpaste at Walgreen's since my own children think the various regular toothpastes we have in this house are disgusting; was detoured due to an accident on the way to my friends house; finally got there to help carry exercise equipment out of her basement, random furniture across the street, and suck all of the rain water and stink out of the floor of her car; loaded about eight big bags of her garbage into my car to stick on the curb at home.

I drove home, unloaded the garbage while attacked by bees, put the rear seats back up, reinstalled the car seats, put all of the soccer gear and chairs back in my car; attempted to nap with husband while Seth slept, tended to my wifely duties instead; greeted Noah and Gwen when they got off the bus, sorted through the numerous papers in their school bags; worked on dinner; cleared the table after dinner; did homework with both kids; hosted a neighbor kid for a couple of hours before baths.

While the kids played with their friend, I washed a load of diapers; filled out our September family calendar; picked up the house; filled out a permission slip making sure to place the exact fee amount in a properly labeled envelope; brought the hamster out for the kids to torture; laid out jammies for after baths and the next day's clothes; broke up a fight over the hamster between the neighbor boy and Gwen, sent him home, Gwen to her room, and Sarah the hamster back to her cage.

I bathed and dressed three kids for bed, brushed three sets of teeth, cleaned six dirty ears, brushed three heads of hair; tried to get Noah's loose tooth to wiggle out; cleaned up the bath toys, hung towels, made sure dirty clothes found the hamper; dug around in the crawl space for Gwen's blue mermaid Barbie along with Barbie's dolphin sidekick that she had to have for show-and-tell; read to the kids, tucked the older two into bed, stuck a movie in for Seth.

I transferred the load of diapers from washer to drier; packed two lunches; watched Design Star; tucked Seth into bed; chatted with my friend a bit, checking in on her progress with her final day of moving; finished the very long book I have been reading for the past week and a half, pulled the next book in the series out of the nightstand; turned the light off to get 5 hours of sleep before another day of much the same.

I must remember to mentally replay my days like this when I am lying there feeling unaccomplished and lazy and wondering why I am feeling so tired. I may not have managed a single thing on my to-do-list yesterday but, honestly, when did I have time? Today is a new day and maybe, just maybe, Seth and I will get that walk in and, now that I am thinking about it, I know those dentist appointments will be made. If nothing else, I now realize that I have earned the right to my exhaustion at the end of my "unproductive" days.

He's Lucky He's Cute!

Yesterday was "Bring a Friend Day" at our church's Vacation Bible School so I invited the twins on the next block figuring one stop and each of my kids would have a friend to bring. I got my three kids dressed and fed breakfast, picked up their friends, and safely deposited all but Seth at church. I usually go home after dropping the kids off, but I wanted to be close just in case one of the twins had issues being dropped in a strange place only knowing my kids so Seth and I headed to the pet store for hamster treats.

Seth and I took our time looking at the birds, fish, guinea pigs, and other furry rodents. We picked out treats for Sarah the hamster and also found treats for the dog and a few tiny toy mice for our cat. Seth convinced me that he absolutely *had* to have the green squeaky ball for himself. Ball is one of the only words that the kid says on a regular basis so how could I say "No." with him looking up at me with those beautiful baby blues, pointing and repeating "Ball, ball, ball."? Yeah, I'm a sucker. We looked at all the cats for adoption and I had to drag myself away reminding myself it wouldn't be fair to the wonderful kitty we already have.

Seth and I killed over an hour poking around the pet store, but he was not ready to go when I took his hand and steered us toward the door. He launched into a full blown tantrum so I scooped him up, threw him under my arm and continued out the door. At this point, I get a text from my friend so I call her back as I'm approaching my car. You need the visual on this: screaming 2yr old under one arm, shopping bag and purse hanging off the other arm with keys in hand, phone pinned between ear and shoulder.

I unlocked the car with the remote key chain, opened Seth's door and plopped his sobbing self in. I closed his door, opened my door, dumped my purse and bag in the driver's seat, put the keys in the ignition, did not start the car, but turned the accessories on so the A/C would start as I continued to chat with my friend. I shut my door, turned to open his door to strap him in and, as I was reaching for the door handle, I heard it... *click*. H-o-l-y S-h-i-t!!! My kid, mischievous little monkey that he is, scaled the center council and pushed the lock button... with my keys inside the car!!!

My stomach dropped to my knees as my heart jumped into my throat. I briefly explained to my friend what had happened and hung up. I spent the next ten minutes trying to coax Seth to "hit the button for, Mommy." which he did, repeatedly relocking the car. I may not have had my purse or my keys or my kid, but I did have my phone so I sent the husband a text, "Call me now." He responded, "I'll be on lunch in 30 minutes." To which I replied, "911, I need you now!" He called back, I explained the situation, he left work to rescue both his trapped son and panicked wife. Thank God he is in training this week. He cannot leave his work station unattended which means he has to wait for backup to be called in if he needs to leave mid-shift. He would not have been able to leave to help me if he was working his normal job.

I still had at least 20 minutes until the husband and his set of keys would arrive so I called my friend back going straight to voicemail twice. I pleaded with her in my messages to call me back as I began to realize I had other problems... the four kids that I had dropped off at VBS were going to need to be picked up. The thought of this sent me into another wave of panic. I don't know the parents of the twins all that well. We are neighbors, their mom was an aide once a week at Gwen's preschool, we sat together at the kids' T-ball practices and games. We are friendly and I really like them, but we are still in the getting-to-know-you phase.

I was terrified at the thought of having to call them and explain that I had been irresponsible enough to let my 2yr old get locked in the car the first time that I was entrusted with their children. They don't know that this is the first time in the 6.5 years that I have been a mom that I have done anything remotely this stupid. I just saw our relationship and maybe the relationships of my kids and theirs grinding to a screeching halt on the premise that I'm a negligent parent and a bad mother.

As you can probably tell, this is the point in the story where the stress was starting to get to me and I was starting to overreact. My friend got my messages and showed up to stand just as helplessly at my side in the pet store parking lot. Her arrival signaled to Seth for the first time that something was wrong. Up until this point he had been bouncing around, relocking the doors over and over, enjoying the freedom of not being tethered to the car. Seeing both of us standing outside looking in at him triggered something in that little head of his and he started to cry.

People were noticing through this whole ordeal what was going on and were asking if I needed help or if there was anything they could do. With the husband on his way and the A/C going inside the car, everything was as under control as it could be. Seth's crying did add another sense of urgency and panic, though. A woman had walked by and made comment that I should call the police because it was probably getting hot in the car. I assured her that the A/C was running but, as she walked away, I started to question whether or not it was. Seth was crying harder now and starting to break a sweat. Was he sweating because he was crying or was he crying because he was frying to death?

With this new doubt, I started calling the husband every five minutes for reassurance that he was getting closer and wasn't stuck in traffic or encountering any other delays. My last call to his cell placed him 3 minutes down the road. The relief that this would soon be over, that my child would soon be free and that I would have enough time to get to church for the other four kids began to edge in through the panic. That small ease in the stress lasted all of 30 seconds before the police showed up. Damn it! Someone called the cops.

In hindsight, I don't blame the caller one bit. At that moment, however, I was pissed as a whole new set of worries came crashing in. Could I be in trouble for neglect or endangerment? Would the police question me and how long would that take seeing as I just figured out that I could actually make it to VBS pick-up on time and not have to rat myself out to the twins' parents?

I told the cop that my husband was on his way and only two minutes down the road. He asked if I wanted him to try prying the lock and I said, "No, since my husband is almost here, but I understand if you want to hangout and make sure." He did a once over of the car taking in my crying child, keys dangling from the ignition, purse and shopping bag on the front seat. He didn't get the chance to ask me any questions before Seth's daddy was pulling up along side us and setting our child free. By the time I turned around, the cop was gone.

The rest is fuzzy. I was in a daze once it was all over... 40 minutes of intense panic gone in an instant left me a little dizzy and sick to my stomach. The husband and I had a few words before he headed back to work, my friend went off to run her errands since she was out, Seth and I picked up the kids as if nothing had transpired while they were at church. The one thing that I do remember clearly is hugging my sweaty child (the A/C was running), kissing him multiple times before looking into those beautiful baby blues and yelling, "You don't touch buttons!"

Always a Snag!

It appears that my calendar with Todd's work schedule was off and I booked my little getaway at the wrong time in his shift rotation. Ugh! My calendar is NEVER wrong, just for the record. So I now have three options:

1.) Reschedule for the week before which means I will be leaving town on the kids' first day of school and will not be here to see Gwen get off the bus safely for the first time ever unless I check-in late cutting into my "me time".

2.) Find a sitter to be at my house at 4:30 in the morning when Todd leaves for work who will get the kids on the bus and watch Seth until I arrive home. Any volunteers?

3.) Hope against hope that Todd's idiot bosses actually have a clue what September's training schedule will be and reschedule my trip for next month.

I just thought of another option that I'm not quite sure if Todd would even be willing to do...

4.) Use the vacation day that he had previously scheduled and ended up not needing because above mentioned idiot bosses can't agree on a schedule for my husband which is why my friggin' calendar was off in the first place!!! Aarrrggghhhh!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

OK, I feel better now. Plenty of options so I'm sure I will figure it out somehow and keep my mini-vacation mostly intact. I hope...

Planning My Escape

I just booked a two day getaway for myself in Nashville, Indiana. I am beyond excited!!! 44 glorious hours all to myself to read, shop, wander, and sleep at my leisure. Ah, bliss. I was feeling a bit guilty at first and started thinking about taking a friend, but then I realized that I don't want anyone to go with me. I don't want to have to take someone else's wants and needs or boredom factor into account. The whole point of me going is to spend time on my own schedule with nobody's demands but my own to meet.

I find it funny that I can justify a girl's getaway or that I don't think anything of the husband going to Vegas with the boys every now an then, but it is hard for me not to feel selfish going away alone. I guess because the purpose of trips like those is to spend quality time with your friends where as this trip is about running away for a bit. I guess a girl's weekend is the same thing, but it can be disguised better behind bonding time and comradery with others.

My little escape is about getting away so I don't have to listen to the kids being cared for by their dad or feeling obligated to help him do so despite my claim of being "off duty". Is a mother ever off duty in the vicinity of her children? Even when the family does go out leaving me behind, I feel guilty for not participating in family time or for not being more productive while everyone is out. Yes, I need guilt free me time. No laundry or dusting or other random chores glaring at me while I sit on the couch. Only time carved out as I desire, to do as I please. I simply can not wait.

Here's a link to the cottage where I will be staying and the photos of the boys' room with their new bunk beds that I promised in my last post:

http://im3.imagemaker360.com/Viewer/12.asp?id=85735

Lilacs and Lofts

We have been in this house for just over two years and I have *finally* gotten the kids' situated into the bedrooms that I have wanted them in from day one. Seth has moved out of his crib and into a brand new set of bunk beds with his big brother. Miss Gwen, who has been rooming with Noah for at least a year and a half, has moved back next door to the room she was in when we first moved here. We found that it was best for Noah that Seth sleep alone and not wake him every night so we swapped.

I was nervous that Gwen was not going to adjust well to being alone again at night or that she would have separation issues from Noah, but she was thrilled to see the crib come down and to have her very own "big girl" bedroom. The room needs paint (eventually a soft pink), but it has come together nicely and my favorite part is the loft area that I finished today. I made the seat (was so proud to make my first lumber purchase ever!) and Gwen helped me make the pillows a few nights ago. The stairs were the last piece to complete the project and I put those together while dinner was cooking this evening.

I'll take pictures of the boys' room and their new beds soon. For now, here are the photo's of Gwen's room (which I absolutely adore)...

Poppin' Cherries

I spent a fortune grocery shopping yesterday, but I think my splurge in the produce section was totally worth it. Everything is in season and looked so delicious. Besides our normal staples of oranges, apples and bananas, I also bought apricots, cherries, red plums, black grapes, and strawberries. I did have to practice self control, however, as the pineapples, watermelons, and nectarines were also begging for a spot in my cart and a ride home.

Oh, I also picked up some fresh sweet corn. I think I'm going to cook some of that tonight with the apple, cinnamon pork chops I just started. I must remember that there are some tasty benefits to summer the next time I am complaining about the heat and humidity.

Happy 4th of July

It is raining and cold. We stood in the rain for over an hour waiting for the parade this afternoon. We are soggy, but the kids had a blast jumping in puddles, twirling umbrellas, collecting water-logged candy from the street. Today was definitely a "continue as planned for their sake" kind of day, so I'm glad they had fun.

I'm thinking tonight's plan to set off our personal firework display might have to be postponed, though. Maybe it will be better weather tomorrow night... or maybe the rain will stop in the next few hours and we can proceed as planned. We took the kids to our town fireworks show last night and Seth loved it! I kind of hope this weather clears up so I can watch him get excited and screech in delight again!

I set this blog to private today as well. I have a link to my blog on my Facebook and I don't necessarily want everyone who views my Facebook profile to be able to stalk every aspect of my online life. My last few posts were a little raw and there are definitely people in my life that I do not show those vulnerabilities in fear of what they may do with them.

That being said... I'm feeling better now that I've shaken off the doldrums. Looking forward to the rest of this summer with water parks, camping, and a few other activities slotted. We've also started planning our big Disney vacation for later this fall. Things are good, schedules are hectic, the kids are doing their slow summer burn. Life is as it should be. It may rain on my parade every once in awhile, but I'm learning not to let that spoil my fun...

Monday Minutes

Ah, it is time for the summary of our weekly adventures. Do you think it is a sign of old age that I have trouble thinking back just six days ago to what we were doing with ourselves? It is probably more likely that the daily interaction with three kids is (or has been) slowly frying my brain. In any case...

This was DH's long week which always leaves me with the bulk of the responsibility of entertaining the children. The week went fine with Noah having school and his kindergarten Valentine program Tuesday evening to keep him busy. I toted the other two kids to the 'Y' with me a few times which got them out of the house and they went along with me to Noah's school program. The husband and I even managed to workout together once or twice on his off days.

The weekend was full and busy with Valentines Day to celebrate, errands, and chores, but the kids were doing a slow burn and my nerves were growing thin by Sunday evening. They were just wild (all three of them) from the moment Noah stepped off the bus Friday afternoon until I hit boiling point Sunday evening. I snapped primarily because I had a great "mommy weekend"... craft projects and coloring, the library on Saturday, I cooked a special Valentine's dinner with pink cupcakes for dessert, a trip to the 'Y' after getting the four of us to early service on Sunday... and it all seemed wasted on them.

By the time Gwen was thrown across her bedroom floor in an all out tantrum Sunday night, I was feeling completely under appreciated and majorly exhausted as I had done all of this by myself while lugging three ungratefuls along. On top of all the running around, I spent 72+ hours trying to discipline and keep my three manic munchkins in line. For whatever reason, they all seemed intent on not listening and testing their boundaries. At least they were good when we were out and about but, the minute we would cross back over our threshold, mayhem!

All of this misbehavior and frustration came to a head last night after dinner when Noah and Gwen refused to quit messing around and clean up the toy room... yet again. I finally had enough and sent them to bed about an hour and a half early which meant no Alice in Wonderland for them. This set Gwen off! All out kicking and screaming on the bedroom floor while poor Noah was curled up in his bed stuck in there with her because I think he knew I was *done* and didn't dare set foot out of his bed.

In the end, they were let out of punishment and allowed to watch the movie. Noah was out first while Gwen got a good whooping for her display. Once she calmed down (she actually claimed her "brain hurt" because she was crying so hard), I let her out for family movie night as well. I do not know when the last time I spanked any of these kids was and I always hate how it makes me feel to reach that point. Seth had also gotten spanked earlier in the afternoon for blatantly defying me... looked me right in the eye while my words were still in the air and kept beating the furniture... after I had told him to stop. Two spankings in one day after months upon months of none.

As crummy as I feel about doling out the spankings, it seems to have done the trick. The older two were both off of school today and all three of them have been playing nicely, listening, and have been much better behaved in general. I just don't understand why it takes me reaching breaking point for them to snap back into shape. *sigh* Hopefully, they won't get it into their little heads to revolt again for awhile.

Saturday Snapshots

All things Valentine's...

Noah & his teacher after the kindergarten Valentine's program.

Gwen dressing Seth up in her Valentine's best.Gifts for daddy and the kids.Can you say spoiled?Heart shaped meatloaf that tasted better than the photo looks.Pink cupcakes for dessert.No one seemed to care that they weren't homemade.Leave it to Seth to make a mess!DH brought home flowers for his girls...Gwen'sMineWe're all so very loved!!!

Wednesday Write-Up

No book review this week. I haven't been very motivated to start the book that has been sitting on my nightstand for the past week and a half. I need to get to it since I have to return it to the library on Monday. I could renew it I suppose, but I rarely read a book in the second two week if I didn't get to it in the first two weeks. At least that has been my pattern in the past. I did read a few chapters this evening while the kids were at church and, I have to say, it has drawn me in. If all goes well, I will be reading and reviewing this book, Blood Brothers, along with The Hollow and The Pagan Stone over the next few weeks. The three books make up Nora Robert's Sign of Seven trilogy.

Movie Review: Taken

I did manage to get to the movies this week with DH (this was before date night went bad). We had a list of movies that we were possibly interested in seeing since we didn't know exactly how long dinner would last and which time would be best. As it turned out, none of those movies worked out so we decided to give Taken a chance because it worked time wise.

I am so glad that we ended up seeing this movie. It was excellent! The storyline was fantastic, there were no slow or unnecessary scenes, and it kept me on the edge of my seat. I have nothing bad to say about this movie. It is quite simply a must see! The husband and I usually have very different tastes in movies, but Taken was a definite 'thumbs up' across the board.

Monday Minutes

Let's see... What have we been up to this week? As my previous posts have indicated, I signed the family up at our local YMCA last Wednesday. We have been taking full advantage of our new membership; swimming, working out, aerobic classes, shooting hoops, and especially the childcare. Wednesday, I took the kids swimming and did a class. Friday, I did another class and DH worked out before playing a little basketball. Saturday, we both worked out (I took advantage of the free weight room introduction complete with a personal program for me to follow) and then we took the kids swimming again.

After the 'Y' on Saturday, we came home for lunch and naps before heading to the bowling alley right around the corner from our subdivision. We really should go more often since it is so convenient unlike everything else that we have to drive for. If you missed the pictures from family bowling night, you can find them here.

I spent the day with a few of my favorite girlfriends on Sunday shopping at the Premium Outlets in Aurora. I did manage to get to an earlier church service with the family before heading out for my day-o-fun two hours from home. It was a really nice day full of female bonding (we shopped for perfume, maternity clothes, handbags, all things girlie). We went out to lunch before hitting the stores and then, after shopping until the mall closed, we headed back to the house of our friend who lives in that area for a few drinks.

It has been a full week (Isn't it always?), but we were all healthy and happy and enjoyed ourselves in a myriad of different ways. I wish all of our weeks could be this wonderful and fulfilling. I am sure that we will continue to be blessed with many more fantastic days in the future and I look forward to creating and sharing each and every moment!

Saturday Snapshots

We took the kids swimming at the 'Y' today and bowling this evening. It was a full day to say the least! I didn't take my camera to the pool (for obvious reasons) and I forgot it when we went bowling. I had my phone with me so I did get some pictures, although they are not of the greatest quality.

Friday Frustrations

It is 10:30 at night, we are child free, and the husband and I aren't speaking. So much for date night...

Wednesday Write-Up

Book Review: Mommies Who Drink by Brett Paesel

Mommies Who Drink was tossed out as a book club idea with a mom's group I used to belong to. The group never ended up reading it, but the title amused me so I kept the email as a reminder that I *might* want to look into it someday. I'm on this kick of reading more and I'm starting with the random books that I've been meaning to get to (the entire series of Harry Potter books is coming up soon on my list).

I found myself blissfully entertained by this book, yet somehow disappointed. Brett Paesel basically pieces together excerpts of her venture into "mommydom". A lot of her stories were laughable, although somewhat trite. Bottom line... I've heard it all before. Yes, there is a loss of self when you have children. It happens, it is to be expected. If it weren't for the story line with her girlfriends and their Friday bar dates, the book wouldn't have been nearly as amusing.

It is a cute book and another easy read. I wouldn't advise against reading it even though I was personally left feeling like there should have been more. The ending seemed rushed to me as well which may have added to my feeling like the story didn't really go anywhere.

Movie Review: Underworld: Rise of the Lycans

I went through a lot of "effort" in preparation for this movie. I had never seen Underworld: Evolution and vaguely remembered the first Underworld movie which I had watched more for my love of Kate Beckinsale than anything else. Don't get me wrong; I have more than a normal fascination with vampires which pretty much solidified that the first movie was simply "a must see". I decided that I needed to refresh my memory with the first movie as well as get caught up with the second so I could see the next of the Underworld movies.

The movies are kind of written backwards. The second movie explores the history of the first, while Rise of the Lycans delves even further. Evolution and Rise of the Lycans are pretty much on par with each other as far as quality, but they are both a far cry from the first movie. I absolutely loved the first Underworld and was disappointed that the next two didn't live up to the same standard of excellence. The absence of Kate Beckinsale in the third movie was a let down (at least for me) as well.

Monday Minutes

A bunch of the same old, same old around here. Gwen's progress report came today and I was pleasantly surprised. She seems to struggle with us when doing "homework", but she apparently taps her store of knowledge when it counts most. I'm curious to see if she will be recommended for full day kindergarten next year or if she will only need half day.

Our big anxiety right now is over contract negotiations at DH's work. His current contract expired at 12:01am on Sunday and is now being temporarily extended in 24hr increments while the union and refineries continue their talks. The last thing we want is for this to lead to a strike. So we wait with our fingers crossed...

Only other news is that I am quiting Curves. No, I am not giving up on working out... Todd has decided he wants to start working out again so the whole family is going to join our local YMCA. It makes more sense to pay $52 a month for all of us (which includes childcare) than the $64 a month it would cost for me to stay at Curves and him to join a local gym (neither of which have childcare).

Plus, there are so many other bonuses to the 'Y'... discount rate for the swim lessons we already enroll Gwen and Noah in, we can workout together (you'll have to check with Todd if he sees this as a bonus or drawback), the hours are fantastic and I can workout whenever I want (not just when Todd is home) with the childcare, and we can take the kids swimming after our workouts. I am super excited and just hope that Seth will do okay with being left in the daycare. He refuses to be left in the church nursery, but I'm hoping having Gwen with him will help.

Saturday Snapshots

I finally got tired of the robes we had for the kids... Seth was wearing pink and purple hand me downs from Gwen, Gwen was complaining that her robes were all short sleeve and I didn't like them because they were pull-overs, Noah's were faded and looked dirty no matter how many times I washed them... so I did some bargain shopping on eBay. These are quality, heavy cotton robes that easily retail for $30 each. I got them for $12 a piece including shipping. Score me! And look how happy my kids are...

Friday Frustrations

Did you know it is virtually impossible to cancel a credit card? I received a replacement card in the mail the other day for my soon-to-expire card. Problem was, I had already received a replacement card about six weeks ago. After further investigation, I realized the second replacement card has a completely different account number. Turns out, this is a replacement card for an account that I had before I was married.

So I called Discover, naively believing that I would *simply* close the old account once and for all. Ha! The representative on the other end of the phone was not so willing to just let me go despite the fact that DH and I have another account with a flurry of activity. I have not used *my* account in the seven years that I have been married and, quite honestly, thought it was closed until the replacement card showed up.

After my experience this time around, I'm convinced that I did call once-upon-a-time to get this account closed and it never happened. I was warned that my FICA score could be severely impacted, that my husband's death would cause our card to be canceled leaving me with no credit (to this I replied, "I'm pretty sure you'll give me another card if and when..."), and lectured on the importance of building my own credit "just in case". After enduring all of this, I finally convinced the guy that I knew what I was asking and I still would like the account closed.

How much do you want to bet 5 years from now a shiny, new replacement card will be showing up in the mail?

Thoughts for Thursday

I am sick and all I can think about is my aching bones, pounding headache, and rattling chest. Between the aches and pains and the exhaustion, I feel like I've aged a decade in the past week. I hate when my body feels older than I do.

We're out of adult cold medicine so I took a double dose of the kids'. I wish I knew more about proper dosing of medication. Too bad I didn't think to become a pharmacist; it would be nice to possess the knowledge of which medicines are safe to give the kids simultaneously without having to consult someone. Becoming a pharmacist or a doctor would have been extremely helpful as far as raising kids. Wow, can you tell we are still in the grips of cold & flu season?!

I napped for a few hours this afternoon, but I'm already worn out again and ready to call it a day. Gwen gave up and went to bed about twenty minutes ago and the boys will be in bed as soon as the movie that is in ends (about ten minutes).

As soon as the boys' heads hit their pillows, I plan on curling up under the covers with my book and reading until I pass out. I hope I can find my place in the morning and not because I drooled on the last read page. I don't think the librarian or any future checker-outers would be too thrilled with that.

Wednesday Write-Up

Book Review: Me & Emma by Elizabeth Flock

I randomly picked this book up while killing time perusing the book section of my local Walmart. The back-cover summary peaked my interest and, with a sale price of $4.99, I figured I could afford to take the gamble on a book and author I had never heard of before.

I bought the book on a Tuesday afternoon and had its 400 pages devoured by Saturday evening (it helped that it was an easy read). The story was compelling, full of surprises and beautiful imagery to counter the desperate scenarios within. Me & Emma is a disturbing tale of surviving childhood through horrific circumstances; i.e. witnessing the murder of a parent, physical and sexual abuse. I would definitely recommend this powerful and emotionally riveting book.

Movie Review: Twilight

Having read all four books of the series, I simply *had* to see Twilight the movie in all of its horrible glory. I expected the movie to be terribly cheezy and destroy all of the value and character of the original book. I was surprised to find that the movie was not nearly as bad as I had anticipated. Minus, of course, the absolutely ridiculous "sparkle scene". If nothing else, that stupid scene was worth the hours of laughter and mocking afterward.

The casting of some of the characters was 'off' in my opinion. The actor playing Carlisle was entirely to young, his blonde dye-job and pasty make-up were simply atrocious. Esme didn't feel right to me either, but that might have been due to her pairing with the awkwardly cast Carlisle. I also found the portrayal of Emmet odd, though, I cannot put my finger on exactly why. I think this was more a character flaw than anything with the actual actor. Likewise, I found the character of Jasper weird but, again, I don't think this was due to the actor's being physically wrong for the part. Instead, I think it might be a reflection of his acting abilities. Rosalie, no offense to the beautiful Nikki Reed, was not nearly as breath-taking as the book had conjured her to be.

At first, I was put off by the casting of Robert Pattinson as Edward for the same reason Rosalie didn't work for me... He is simply not gorgeous enough for what the book (and my mind) conjured Edward Cullen to be. The actor's talent served him well as I quickly found myself believing this man to be Edward Cullen, putting aside my earlier perceptions.

For as many characters as I thought were poorly cast, there were just as many that I thought brilliantly played. Bella and Alice were simply perfect and everything that I had ever imagined them to be. The actors playing Charlie and Jacob were also a good fit for their roles. Overall, my opinion of Twilight the movie is that it was decent. I think the average adult can save their $$$ and wait for its release on DVD. Perhaps the theater viewings can be left to those of us adults who have invested our time reading the books along with the rest of the twelve year old girls.