Lego Game

I so was not going to say anything about this game I made up (Susan came up with an alt. version), but it was fun and I don't have time to get a patent...plus with this economy no one would buy it. So last night Susan came over to watch Grey's. Bailey was not in the best of moods - probably because she wasn't able to play outside all day because of the rain and she is still adjusting to her new class at school. Well Bailey goes to bed at 8 which is when Grey's starts so from 6:30 - 8 she wanted to play. She has two sets of legos: really chunky and chunky. She loves it when I build her things and then she puts her littlest pet shop animals on them. Well this is how I thought of the game....the suspense is killing you isn't it?!? So in order to keep Bailey happy and ourselves entertained I told Susan to make something out of the legos as fast as she could. So first I said "umbrella" and she made it. Then it was her turn and she told me to make a toilet. It went on for a little while: bowl, hairbrush...Then Susan said "Okay, I've got an idea...I will make something and you have to guess what it is." That is why props go to her for the alt. version. She made a toucan and I made a giraffe...by that time Grey's was about to come on and Bailey was off to bed. But I was thinking...you could make cards that say what to make and divide into teams or just 2 people and play. You could have a race between two teams to make the object and the first team that guessed would win. It would be like pictionary, but with legos! Kids would love it and even adults. Legos are for every age! I also have this really good idea about a game you play in the car, but I'm saving that one!

Little Bailey

So I thought Bailey was going to be doing half days this week in her new classroom - 2 year olds. She had actually been doing it all last week and today was her first full day. She towers over the kids in her old class but not in this new one. She looked so small. I think it is because the other children are at least 2 1/2 and Bailey is turning two on the 28th. It reminded me of the 5th grade - my first year at a public school. I walked into the classroom and walked right back out to my mom. I told my mom there was no way those kids were in the 5th grade and that we had the wrong class. The teacher came outside and said that we were in the right place. I couldn't believe how small I felt and poor little Bailey was now dealing with it. The teachers were really friendly and the new classroom has a big fort inside so I know she will love it. They only drink out of cups so no more drinks with lids and straws for her...oh the mess! Better them then me! She is also going to see that most of the kids in her class are potty trained or are working on it so she will become familiar with that and hopefully catch on quickly! I spend about $60 a month on diapers so it will be nice to save more money. Her grandmother filled her stocking with Dora the Explorer underwear and training pants so we are ready. Her potty chair is pink with a soft cushion and she has used it once while waiting on her bath to fill up. Her old teachers said they are going to check on her throughout the day to make sure she is doing okay. They said she did great last week on her half days so that is good. It will be an adjustment!

Yard Work

This weekend I wanted to shampoo the carpets and get them all nice and white again - the rainy week we had two weeks ago brought in mud on some shoes and paws. I had decided to do in Sunday while Bailey took her afternoon nap, but instead I decided to work in the yard and make it kid-friendly for the summer since we would be spending a lot more time out there. There was all these bushes around the storage area that made it look cluttered and old pine straw from many years ago probably. So I put on bathing suit top - no straps and some short shorts and got busy. I cleared probably 5 bushes and one tree (yes, a 6 foot tree) from around the storage shed and raked up all the pine straw. I trimmed all the low branches from the big trees in the middle of the yard as well. I started at 2 and went inside around 5:30...yes, I am sore. There is still a lot to do in the flower bed but I'm thinking of just ripping it all up and not having one at all so there isn't anything to fool with. I love flowers, but really only the ones that comes in vases or that are in other people's yards. I also want to paint the ramp to the storage, pressure wash the storage shed and dog house, and paint the dog house a really fun color. So here are my pictures!

On Friday I also had some energy. Bailey wanted to play outside so while we were playing I went to get the wagon out of storage and saw the swing my parents got at a yard sale for their swing set but it was too long so they gave it to us. We have had it for a while but never did anything about it. So I found a tree limb that would be perfect for it. I got out the 6 foot ladder, some chain, and hung it within the hour. Bailey loves it!

Dog for Sale...nevermind...He's FREE!!

So this week has been an adjustment - Daylight Savings Time. I have not woken up once this week early enough to work out before getting ready for work. I hit snooze a few times and when I finally get up it's a rush to get ready. Well this morning as I was putting on makeup I called for Meiko to come back inside after he had been outside for 5 minutes, but he didn't come back. Well finally he comes back inside after 10 minutes of roaming around (we don't have a fence...he comes back when he feels like it). I had a funny feeling that he was getting into something since he didn't come back when I called. I looked down and he was covered in dirt and smelly dark stuff (yes, dog poop). This will be his second bath this week. I threw him in the shower and sprayed him down - thank goodness we have one of those removable shower heads. It's moments like this when I wonder why we have pets - they are supposed to bring joy and relieve stress from your life. Instead they cost you money, add extra chores, and make you late for work. By the time I get home I will have forgotten all about this smelly incident unless he decided to tare something up and then all those feelings will come back plus more. But then he will look up at me with those sweet puppy dog eyes for forgiveness and I will say "it's okay buddy". Plus deep down I know Bailey will do something to him that he does not deserve like chasing him with the broom, throwing his ball in her crib so he can not reach it, or my favorite: sitting on him.

Living up to Expectations

I am turning 24 this year and Blake is turning the Big 2-5. When I was 21 I pictured my life at 24 to be something completely different. I see friends/acquaintances excel in things and think - Why is that not happening to me?! I truly am completely happy for them, but in the back of my mind I'm wondering what did I do wrong? I joined every club imaginable in High School and in college I did the same thing if not more. I held an office in my sorority every year and I was in 4 or 5 other clubs/organizations - part of it was about happiness, but the other part was about net working and putting it on my resume to show leadership, time management, and organization. I would give campus tours and get up early on Saturdays to be a Peer Leader; I took minutes for the Economics club meetings and sold doughnuts in the freezing cold; I paid for sorority dues with my credit card when I could not afford it!!!

Last night in my Wednesday night class at church - She said we need to keep our eyes focused on God and everything else will happen the way it should. So I know the answer, but what's hard to understand is - Do I just sit here and do nothing? or Is someone going to come knock on my door and hand me _____ or am I still supposed to be killing myself trying to find it/answers? I'm just so frustrated because in my book I did and keep doing everything right.

She also said that being in your 20's and 30's you constantly feel like there is more to do - which is exactly how I feel. It's just hard when things go unchanged for so long and you begin to wonder - is this it? Is this how it is going to be for the rest of my life? Thank goodness for Bailey because with a toddler running around she turns an ordinary day into something exciting and new.

My Little Extreme Makeover

So lately I have been focusing on looking better. About 3 weeks ago while I was getting my pedicure done (Valentine Gift from Blake), the owner and I were talking about loosing weight...the next week I find myself going to a weight doctor for shots and appetite suppressors. I have hypothyroidism which makes it almost impossible to loose weight if your levels are off and you are lucky if you can just maintain your weight. I have been battling with it for 2 years and have had zero results. So its been 2 weeks and I have lost 5 pounds! My pants are fitting looser and my face looks thinner. It isn't easy being on a low fat diet, but I feel better without all the greasy things I used to eat. The shot will not work if you are eating fatty/fried foods. I've had people ask me about it and I can honestly say the program works and it would work even better for people without Thyroid problems. I still want to loose 15 more pounds to get back to my pre-pregnancy weight, but finally I am heading in the right direction.

Okay my next secret: I started going to this AMAZING dentist. On my first check up the dental person who cleans your teeth asked me about smoothing the front teeth out. It had always bothered me a little that the edges were not smooth, but I didn't really think about getting them fixed. I said that if it wasn't that expensive and if my insurance covered it then why not?! Well they do cover most of it so Wednesday I went in and now I can't stop smiling! They look so perfect! It cost as much as buying an outfit, but it will last forever and since I'm not buying clothes until I loose all my weight...I went for it. It still feels funny when I look in the mirror - it wasn't a huge change, but I can see it and that's all that matters. You might be seeing me in teeth commercials...just kidding.

I mean who knew all this stuff existed?! I could have lost weight a long time ago instead of battling with it and I could have had perfect teeth if any of my previous dentists would have mentioned it. They say plastic surgery is contagious and I believe it because I am like wondering what else I can get fixed that I don't like...not really, because I don't have the money and I don't want botox or fat injected to my lips - plus surgery can be very scary. So I'll update on my weight progress. I'm hoping to loose just a couple more pounds before Blake comes home for Bailey's Birthday Party.

Snow in Alabama

I woke up Sunday morning, March 1st, to let Meiko out and there was snow all over the ground and house. It was still falling pretty hard so when Bailey woke up we all went outside to see what the white stuff was. This was Bailey and Meiko's first time seeing snow. Bailey loves Frosty the Snowman so I told her that's what was falling from the sky. I then made 3 tiny snowmen - Daddy, Mama, and Bailey. The second picture is her being upset at Meiko for touching the "Bailey" snowman. She loved them, but it was too cold for me to be outside so that was the end of our snow experience. About 2 hours later I was driving to church and the snow continued to fall...it was so beautiful! It was so weird to get out of the car and have snowflakes land on you. After church a group of us went to eat and we all were still shocked that the snow was still falling and watched it through the big windows while we ate. This is the most snow I have seen in a LONG time. The last time it snowed a lot that I can remember was in 1996. The snow was so deep our shoes and socks got soaked. We took cookie sheets and slid down the big hill across the street with all the neighborhood kids...It's Alabama - no one had sleds so we had to improvise.

Zeta Day

Much of you know that I was in a sorority in college and I am now an advisor as well as the historian for the Montgomery Alumnae group...anyway, we have this regional conference day once a year for all the ZTA's in Alabama and Mississippi to get together for a fun day. This year was in Tuscaloosa. It also happened to be the worst weekend of weather for Alabama 70's on Thursday, Tornadoes on Friday and Saturday, and Snow on Sunday. Anyway the drive was tense but alas we made it. So me, Amanda, and Brittney were the alumnae from our Montgomery chapter that went - we all are advisers of our collegiate chapter as well, so we were there for two purposes. Scene: there are I guess 1,000 people with tables all over and like 4 tables in front reserved for alumnae. So here we are sitting at the front table at the end of the conference and they are handing out the BIG awards. The last award was being presented - both alumni chapters and collegiate could win this - so the odds are very slim in getting this.
Presenter: This is an alumni chapter that I have visited.
Me (in my head): Oh, well she has come to visit us.
Presenter: They have grown their chapter by 10% and more.
Me (in my head): Oh, well we have grown a lot this past year.
Presenter: This chapter has a website and they are the only ones in their region with one.
Me (out loud): OMG! I made a website!!! - Amanda and I look at each other like - NO it couldn't be!
Presenter: This chapter has made pamphlets to pass out
Me (out loud): MONICA MADE PAMPHLETS!!! - Amanda tells me to calm down
Presenter: The Montgomery Alumnae chapter!

I was so excited I had the shakes! It was like I was back in college and winning the award as a collegiate. We were so shocked and we all three went up and had our pictures taken and we got to take home this gigantic silver plate and certificate. It was just so funny to us because we never expected to win anything. Moments like that will stay with you forever.