A penny for my thoughts...

I don't normally like to give out advice, unless someone has actually asked me for it. That's kind of my thing....I hate unsolicited advice and assume that everyone else feels the same way.

However, due to a few recent happenings I feel that perhaps, just this once, I'll break my own rule and dish out a few thoughts. You can take them or leave them. And, I won't be offended if you leave them.

Here we go...

1. So you're not a parent of a child under the age of 12? Well then, feel free to keep your "you should be doing it this way" look to yourself. Things have changed some in the decade since your child was my child's age and I don't appreciate your annoyed stare. I'm going to need you to put on your adult pants and just look away.

2. There are only a few times I can say this and actually mean it....Yes, I am the end-all, say-all, all-knowing person on a particular professionally-related subject (to remain unnamed). What I say goes. Don't question my advice. Just listen to it.

3. I don't care who you are or how often you frequent your local Starbucks. It is never okay to bypass the line (especially on a busy Wednesday morning) to wait for a barista to notice you, make your drink (while those in line are forced to wait longer), and then take your money in between other customers. We all have places to be honey so get your rear in line and wait your turn! Plus, really? You leave your house with hair like that? Wow....

4. When you're at Target and all of the lines look long, don't despair. There are way too many idiots who miss the second row of registers. Those always have shorter lines so find one and get in there. You might have to muscle your way past one of those idiots that I mentioned earlier but believe me, Target has two rows of registers for a reason and it's not their fault that some people don't know how to get into double lines.

5. Wait at crosswalks. Yes there are a million students running around this town, crossing the streets wherever and whenever they jolly well please. But, that doesn't mean you need to put your own life in danger and cross with them. And, to the young man who made fun of me for waiting last night, refusing to cross so that traffic could proceed...learn some respect.

6. Sometimes it is okay to let your two-year-old win. Sometimes.

7. Did you break the color printer in your office? Here's an easy fix- bagels on Friday for everyone!

8. Groceries can be purchased later, bathrooms can be cleaned this weekend, and, if it sits long enough, laundry will fold itself.

9. Are you new here? I bet you have a brilliant idea for an organization-wide initiative, yes? Perhaps your idea isn't as original as you think. You might consider holding it in until after the big meeting and then maybe just discuss it privately with a few people.

10. Always plan ahead. Giving a big speech soon? Make sure your presentation slides will work in the room you're presenting in and that you know how to use the equipment. Hungry for ice cream? Wait until after you put the child to bed to get it out. Planning a trip to Florida in January? Pay the extra $40 and buy the trip cancellation insurance.

Happy Friday everyone!

Happy birthday to Rachel...

It has been almost two weeks since we celebrated Rachel's 2nd birthday and I am just now getting around to doing anything with photos from her party. There are no excuses for my shameful actions...other than I just haven't had time. Does that count? Can I use that as an excuse? Yes. I vote yes.

It is hard to believe that just two short years ago our little Pooh Bear started out like this:

And here she is, already such a big kid.

Okay, so before we start the party let us all give a big round of applause to my wonderful husband for making this toy shelf...from scratch. Thank you honey.

Look Mommy, ELMO Balloon!!!!!!

Blowing out the candles, with a bit of additional wind power. Thank you daddy.

And then we opened presents. Lots of them. Too many of them. Here are just a few pictures. I love the first one...she's back there somewhere.

So now we venture into life with a two-year-old...suddenly I feel very old and very slow.

We love you Rachel!

I'm tired...

I hate the Winter Blues. They make it hard for me to get motivated to do anything. Laundry has been piling up a lot more lately, blog posts aren't getting written, exercise has fallen out of my vocabulary, and I have yet to post any pictures on facebook from Rachel's birthday party....which was over a week ago.

Some might call this slacking; others would say it's normal; I say it's a bit pathetic.

Winter should be a time for cross-country skiing and fun indoor projects and parties. Instead, I'm exhausted and bored. I'm tired of being tired, and I'm ready for spring.

I'm ready to take Rachel mushroom hunting with grandpa, plant early garden, go on long evening walks, and sleep with my windows open.
I'm ready to see what my house looks like in daylight and stop having to worry about bad roads.
I'm ready to forget about cracked dried hands and heavy winter coats.

The other day Rachel jumped....that's it. She jumped up and down for almost 10 minutes and then ran into the other room to show daddy how much she can jump. Wow, wouldn't that be amazing to have that kind of energy? Can anyone actually keep up with that? I know I can't. And it makes me feel horrible. I should be able to chase my little girl around and jump up and down with her. Instead, I sat on the couch and grew tired as I watched her. And as her smile got bigger and bigger so did the weight of my guilt. Why does sitting at a desk all day take so much energy out of me? How is that even possible? What can I do about this?

I wave the white flag at you, winter. You win this time. Now, can we move onto spring?

I hate bugs...

So, apparently there is a "bug" going around.

Not a Love Bug either.

Nope. This is the kind of bug that...
causes your entire family to wake up sick;
cancels your vacation to Florida;
leaves you hovering around the toilet every 45-minutes from 4:00 pm - 2:00 am; and
makes you thankful for the opportunity to return to work...in almost blizzard conditions.

Last week was a loooooong week folks.

Not that I'm complaining but....

Today at noon the bank clock near my office listed the temperature as 53 degrees. Now, I'm not one to complain about a lack of snow but, come on. Where is winter?! And, the longer we go without a heavy blanket of snow the more nervous I get about this summer. I keep picturing hot dry days and a whole lot of time spent watering my garden in the evenings. Ugh.

There is something to be said about winter. Don't hate me for saying this, but you know... it's actually kind of nice. I'm sure that if/when we get our first blizzard of the year I'll eat these words. But, for now....


Why winter really isn't so bad and might actually be kind of nice:

1. I miss the crisp cool morning walk from Starbucks to my office. Now I just curse at myself for wearing such a hot winter coat.

2. Naked trees and dead bushes are much nicer to look at when they are covered with a fresh blanket of snow.

3. Thick winter sweaters are super comfy and hide the post-holiday flab better than short-sleeved blouses.

4. Soup tastes better when you can hear the wind whipping around outside. We have a freezer full of the stuff and we can't bring ourselves to eat it.

5. As much as we might not like snow, we kind of need the moisture and are actually quite dependent on it.

6. It hasn't even gotten cold enough to kill all of the stupid bugs, drown out the stuff that causes allergies, or send all of the animals into hibernation. Epic fail.

7. Rachel looks simply adorable in her snow pants but has yet to wear them or get to play in the snow.

8. It sure would be nice if our gravel/dirt/mud road would freeze once.

9. In the winter you can go grocery shopping, buy ice cream, and then run several more errands before having to head home to the freezer. I miss that.

10. I have to wonder, how many families are suffering this year because they rely on snow plow income?


But, even after all of that I can honestly say that I do not miss:

1. Trying to work like crazy so I can leave early and get home before the roads get too bad.

2. Rescheduling events because of the weather.

3. Frozen snot.

4. Praying like mad during a treacherous drive home and then sighing in relief as we pull into the garage.

5. Getting up early to shovel the walks, watching the news for cancellations, and trying to decide if we should make the trip into town.

6. Paying the winter heating bill. ouch.

7. Having to drag my butt out of a warm car to close a garage door that doesn't like to close in cold weather.

8. Having to wait for the car to warm my butt up.

9. Gravel being pushed from my driveway into my lawn by the plow.

10. Hat hair. I do not miss that. Not one bit.