Car Shopping

I have a love/ hate relationship with car shopping. I love looking at things and dreaming about what I would like to get. I'm not so fond of the actual going out and doing part. But since it will be primarily driven by me, I guess I need to do some of the actual going out and doing part.

Right now we are looking at Honda Pilot's and Buick Rendezvous. Both 4 wheel drive, both with 3rd row seating, and both with enough space for multiple car seats and double strollers and the like. And, neither one is a tank nor is it a mini-van, which is very good for the girl who isn't sure she really wants to give up her car, and always swore that she would never drive a mini-van. (Now, don't get me wrong- there is nothing wrong with a mini-van, I would just prefer something else... and Matt definitely isn't sold on the idea, so it's SUV shopping we are doing)

Any other recommendations that fit those requirements? 4 wheel drive, 3rd row seating, not TOO big, reliable, etc? I'm all ears!

South Beach Update

Things are going ok on the diet front. Last night Matt and I had our first cheat night... we went out for Mexican food. I had been really craving it, but in the end, it just didn't seem worth it. Like Matt said- I think I just needed comfort food as much as anything. Things have gotten a wee bit stressful lately. As of the beginning of this week- I was down about 15 pounds, and Matt 16. The meds that I am on slowed things down this last week, but I am hoping that since I am off them for about another month and a half, I'll be able to get back on track. My goal is to be down 30 total pounds before Brody turns 1 in October.

We have a lot of special occasions between now and then though, and since cake is my downfall, I'm a little worried about falling into old habits. We have 6 birthdays, 3 mom's night out, and the addition of meds in September.

We should have seen Transformers

Matt and I had a date night tonight. I've been anxiously awaiting the new Harry Potter movie, and date nights are always a good excuse for a full night of sleep... and MeMa and PapPap are only too happy to oblige. In fact, we "owed" them a night with Brody for babysitting two weeks ago for Brody, Lukas, and Sean. Yes that's right- our payment for watching our child, is more time with the child... =)

ANYWAY... the movie. Matt liked it. He thought it was a bit slow, but overall not bad. I HATED it. It was disconnected and while true to the theme of the book, it just didn't follow the story line well enough for me. They changed things that didn't need to be changed. I understand that a 900 page book isn't all going to fit into a 2 hour movie, and that's not my beef. I'm not upset about the parts that were missing (except my favorite part in the end of the book.) But there were parts that they put in in place of things that happened in the book, and I honestly don't understand why. It isn't a time saving thing, it certainly didn't help the flow or the pace- it just flat out didn't work for me. For those of you "true" Star Wars fans- I likened it to Episode I to help Matt understand my disappointment. Definitely my least favorite of the movies...

(I'm specifically not mentioning specific things because I don't know who will want to see the movie, or perhaps read the books...)

A great success!

So I would rate week one as a HUGE success! I am down 9.6 pounds... it's really a drop in the bucket, well, I guess it's more like a splash. The first two days, I lost 3 pounds each. Since then, things have obviously slowed down a bit- but I expected that. I also think that if my agitation level is anything to go by, there's a slim chance I might be PMS'ing, and once things start, I typically drop 3-5 pounds, and if I haven't gained it beforehand, I'll take that as a wonderful sign.

My mom is down 7... Matt is still in bed, so I'm not sure what he is down yet. I'm guessing 12 or so... (yeah, men suck!)

I am making him hide the scale today so that I stop obsessing this week. I know myself well, and I know that as things slow down, I will get discouraged- I would much rather step on the scale down 3-5 pounds next week and be excited than get on it every day and see no progress or a half pound or something like that. So it's getting put away to get rid of the temptation.

Out of the closet

Matt, my mom, and I started the South Beach diet yesterday. If you ever want to know just how much you are addicted to carbs- try to go a day without them. Geesh! The hardest parts for me were when I was feeding Brody. It's so natural to touch his food to my lips to see if it's too hot- or to lick my fingers if something gets on them. Not to mention, I realize what I am missing- feeding him yogurt and manderine oranges- it's HARD.

Matt wasn't too pleased to be eating lettuce sandwiches for lunch instead of bread. We are constantly reminding ourselves that it's only two weeks, and that as evil as it may be for these two weeks, the payoff will be worth it.

I wasn't going to mention it here- I figured that way if it didn't work out, then nobody would know. But I figured if I did write about it, it made us more accountable. So there ya go. I promise I'm not turning this into a diet blog- but there may be mention of it for awhile. Hopefully it will be touting how wonderful it is going, and how easy it got after the first few days.

Books

So during nap times, when I wasn't just driving around town- I was reading. I managed to finish two books. The first one I was well into by the time we left, and the second I finished this morning... I read fast, but not that fast!

Both books had me doing a lot of thinking- in completely different ways. The first was The Faith Club. It's a book about three women, a Muslim, a Jew, and a Christian who came together after 9/11 to try to understand each other and to write a children's book to help explain how each of the 3 religions had similarities and that we all weren't really as different as it may seem on the outside. I can't begin to tell you how much I learned from this book- how much I was wrong in my own preconceptions about these faiths and these people. It's hard for me to admit that I am wrong. I pride myself on being open minded, on being accepting- on not judging. But my background and my experiences have molded me, and while I have always accepted that everyone has the right to their own beliefs and to live their lives without my persecution or judgement- I had many assumptions that simply aren't true and this book forced me to admit that... well worth the time for anyone of any religion, or of none at all.

And to totally change things up, I read The Tenth Circle. I'm always entertained and enthralled by the stories that Jodi Picoult weaves. This one wasn't any different. I was obsessed. Until the end... perhaps it's that I have read many of her books, but I knew the outcome. And it ended very abruptly I thought. I don't know... I guess I was left wanting more. Is this how people who watched The Sopranos felt? I never watched, so I wouldn't know... but I imagine it was kinda the same. Except I'm not sure that Jodi Picoult had actually intended me to feel that way. Still good- just disappointing I suppose.

3...2...1

Countdown with Keith Olbermann really sucks without Keith Olbermann.

The words and stories are the same, but so much is lost without the proper delivery, and none of the replacements have ever come close....

Drunk Diving is NOT a Laughing Matter

Seriously, Mom's Night Out needs to happen more often. It was so fun to get out with the girls. We ended up doing dinner, drinks, and a movie- and it was just what the doctor ordered. Well, I'm not sure Keri's doctor ordered the stress on her already painful back- but I was glad she got to come out for awhile- and I'm glad that she didn't get caught driving all the way home drunk & on pain killers... well, and I'm glad she didn't die either. =P

Today- Matt, Brody, and I are headed to some comic book stores in hopes that they will help promote a local artist and order and recommend his books. Some decent sales would be VERY nice! (Of course, that's just my way of saying that the 2 jobs that Matt already has just aren't enough- and my shoe budget needs a nice bump!) (You all get the sarcasm, right? I mean seriously, if you know me, you know I don't want to spend the money on shoes...)

ANYWHO... that's our weekend fun. OH! But we are celebrating Father's Day tomorrow with a trip to the zoo with Pap Pap, Me Ma, Uncle Chad, and Addy. Fun times! At least we are getting the most out of our membership! =)

I've been talking to some people from work over the last few days. Is it bad to say that sometimes I miss it? Not that I want to go back- but I truly loved the people I work with- and I miss them. Despite the fact that Matt is home and I do have adult interaction, I miss having something to talk about other than the baby. I actually miss the work to. It took awhile, but I found a job I was good at that I truly liked. I wish part time was an option. Part time would be perfect for me I think. I could spend most of my time with the baby, we would have minimal daycare costs, and I would have some time to be a grown up.

But my job doesn't offer that unless I want to go back to retail... which is always an option, but not one I'm keen on taking advantage of. It would mean nights and weekends almost exclusively, and that's not what I'm looking for. It would also mean working basically every holiday- and that's DEFINITELY not kosher.

Going back to school is an option... I've been looking into taking classes to become a sign language interpreter. But that means more money going out instead of money coming in, and once I have the intro classes done, it would mean M-F 8-5 for 2 years... with a long commute since there are no programs close by.

So basically, I feel stuck between a rock and a hard place. I don't want to give up my seniority and such with my current job to go somewhere else- but I doubt that I'll really be able to find something in line with what I want.

Seriously, this has to be about the most boring post ever... definitely more of a purging of what's on my mind than a trying to actually be entertaining. Sorry about that...but I needed it.

Sad day

We have to get rid of our kitty cat. There are a multitude of things that have led us here- but the two biggies are that she has constant bladder infections and won't use a litter box, and we think Brody is allergic. I'm holding out hope that we can hang on to our other kitty, but I'm not entirely sure yet.

I can't begin to tell you just how upset I am about this. I feel like I should try to put up with the peeing, should try antibiotics yet again... but it's been 4 years, and it hasn't gotten better. And now with the baby, I am not comfortable with her peeing on his stuff- I've become an expert at getting the smell of cat pee out of things, but with him wanting to put things in his mouth, I would feel like I had to throw away everything, and well, we just can't afford to replace all of his toys and clothes, and our clothes, and everything else that he touches.... which is well, everything.

And then there is Brody... I took an online "does your baby have allergies" quiz, and answered yes to almost every question. The main reason I started thinking he might is because he's started getting rashes on his belly when he wears shirts that don't tuck in. But only when he spends a lot of time on the floor, or has actually been playing with the cats... and then he is likely to get a rash on his arms as well. He's also been getting red itchy eyes, and been sneezy a lot lately... so while it is possible that it's just the time of year and such, the cats are a strong possibility.

I am debating asking my parents to keep the other kitty for a week or so, steam all the carpets and furniture, and see how he is then- but for the moment, I can only handle losing one of them... and I'm not sure I can handle that.

Thank Goodness for Carter

Linkity Link

I can't tell you just how much I am starting to love him. I applaud him for coming out and saying what so many of us are thinking. I applaud him for calling the "faith based initiatives" what they are- crap. I applaud him for realizing that calling yourself christian doesn't mean squat when you squander real American values.

Just 609 days left....

Grrrr

I'm on a message board for moms, and there was a post from a woman about starting to try for her 2nd baby. She had her first no problem, but now is having issues with the second. I replied and have been keeping track of the thread and her updates to see how things were going.

So maybe it's the fact that it's 3:49 in the morning and I've been up for over an hour with a teething child, but the following reply kinda, no REALLY, ticked me off.

im in my second month of trying for number 2. Its not been easy because apparently my old infertility problems have come back to haunt me and I dont have the $$$ for clomid. I guess that means back to the bedroom........i mean, back to the drawing board for me!!! MUAHAHAHAHAHA!

Now, I will be the first to say that Clomid isn't cheap... but it's a heck of a lot less expensive than a kid! If you can't afford the Clomid, how on earth would you afford the kid? How exactly is she planning on paying for diapers? Or if she needs formula?

Am I crazy here????

I'm not sure this one needs much explanation for why it upset me...

My husband and I are trying to have our 2nd child. We have a healthy and happy baby boy who is 8 months and a joy come true. We had him right +after we got married, so we would like to have another one close in age. PLease be patient and relax, you body will know when its time.

The woman she is replying to has a diagnosed short luteal phase, which means she needs help getting pregnant- yes, it could happen on it's own, but it isn't likely. Telling her to "be patient and relax" is just asinine.

I'm a dork

I am super excited that our new camera is in Colorado- it was in Henderson, Colorado as of 7 pm tonight, and left there around 9. Yippie! It's supposed to be here Monday... I swear- I'm like a kid waiting for Christmas. I don't know the last time I've been this excited about something material. Mainly I think because we should get some really cool pictures of the little one- but also because I'm such a geek when it comes to gadgets, that I just can't wait to play with it!

Yeah!

Sick

Horrified... I know quite a few women- some online, and a few IRL who could be dead if this had been in place before now. This law makes NO EXCEPTIONS for the health of the mother. I'm angry, I'm sad, I'm... well.. speechless. Words simply can't portray my disappointment that there are people who believe this is a good thing.

But while I'm at it... just how the hell can the man who decided to execute 155 people can claim to have a "Sanctity of Life" initiative????? He makes me sick.

Too funny!

I have no idea when this is from, but I just ran across it, and found it quite funny actually.

Movie Meme

I totally stole this....

SUPPOSEDLY if you've seen over 85 films, you have no life. Mark the ones you've seen. There are 239 films on this list. Copy this list, go to your own blog, paste this. Then, put x's next to the films you've seen, add them up, change the header adding your number, and click post at the bottom. Have fun!

(x) Rocky Horror Picture Show
(x) Grease
(x) Pirates of the Caribbean
(x) Pirates of the Caribbean 2: Dead Man's Chest
() Boondock Saints
() Fight Club
() Starsky and Hutch
(x) Neverending Story
() Blazing Saddles
(x) Airplane

Total: 6

(x) The Princess Bride
(x) AnchorMan
(x) Napoleon Dynamite
(x) Labyrinth
() Saw
( ) Saw II
() White Noise
() White Oleander
(x) Anger Management
(x) 50 First Dates
() The Princess Diaries
() The Princess Diaries 2: Royal Engagement

Total so far:12

() Scream
() Scream 2
() Scream 3
(x) Scary Movie
() Scary Movie 2
() Scary Movie 3
() Scary Movie 4
(x) American Pie
() American Pie 2
(x) American Wedding
() American Pie Band Camp

Total so far: 15

(x) Harry Potter 1
(x) Harry Potter 2
(x) Harry Potter 3
(x) Harry Potter 4
() Resident Evil 1
() Resident Evil 2
(x) The Wedding Singer
() Little Black Book
() The Village
(x) Lilo & Stitch

Total so far: 21

(x) Finding Nemo
() Finding Neverland
(x) Signs
(x) The Grinch
() Texas Chainsaw Massacre
()Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Beginning
() White Chicks
() Butterfly Effect
() 13 Going on 30
() I, Robot
() Robots

Total so far: 24

() Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story
() Universal Soldier
(x) Lemony Snicket: A Series Of Unfortunate Events
(x) Along Came Polly
(x) Deep Impact
() KingPin
(x) Never Been Kissed
(x) Meet The Parents
() Meet the Fockers
() Eight Crazy Nights
(x) Joe Dirt
() KING KONG

Total so far: 30

() A Cinderella Story
(x) The Terminal
() The Lizzie McGuire Movie
() Passport to Paris
(x) Dumb & Dumber
() Dumber & Dumberer
() Final Destination
() Final Destination 2
() Final Destination 3
() Halloween
() The Ring
() The Ring 2
() Surviving X-MAS
(x) Flubber

Total so far: 33

(x) Harold & Kumar Go To White Castle
(x) Practical Magic
(x) Chicago
() Ghost Ship
() From Hell
(x) Hellboy
() Secret Window
(x) I Am Sam
(x) The Whole Nine Yards
() The Whole Ten Yards

Total so far: 39

() The Day After Tomorrow
(x) Child's Play
() Seed of Chucky
() Bride of Chucky
(x) Ten Things I Hate About You
() Just Married
() Gothika
() Nightmare on Elm Street
(x) Sixteen Candles
(x) Remember the Titans
() Coach Carter
() The Grudge
() The Grudge 2
() The Mask
( ) Son Of The Mask

Total so far: 43

() Bad Boys
() Bad Boys 2
() Joy Ride
() Lucky Number Seven
(x) Ocean's Eleven
(x) Ocean's Twelve
(x) Bourne Identity
(x) Bourne Supremecy
( ) Lone Star
(x) Bedazzled
() Predator I
() Predator II
() The Fog
(x) Ice Age
() Ice Age 2: The Meltdown
() Curious George

Total so far: 49

(x) Independence Day
() Cujo
() A Bronx Tale
() Darkness Falls
() Christine
(x) ET
() Children of the Corn
() My Bosses Daughter
(x) Maid in Manhattan
(x) War of the Worlds
() Rush Hour
() Rush Hour 2

Total so far: 53

() Best Bet
(x) How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days
(x) She's All That
() Calendar Girls
(x) Sideways
() Mars Attacks
() Event Horizon
(x) Ever After
(x) Wizard of Oz
(x) Forrest Gump
() Big Trouble in Little China
(x) The Terminator
(x) The Terminator 2
(x) The Terminator 3

Total so far: 62

(x) X-Men
(x) X-2
() X3
(x) Spider-Man
(x) Spider-Man 2
(x) Sky High
(x) Jeepers Creepers
(x) Jeepers Creepers 2
(x) Catch Me If You Can
(x) The Little Mermaid
(x) Freaky Friday
(x) Reign of Fire
(x) The Skulls
() Cruel Intentions
() Cruel Intentions 2
(x) The Hot Chick
(x) Shrek
(x) Shrek 2

Total so far: 77

() Swimfan
(x) Miracle on 34th street
(x) Old School
() The Notebook
(x) K-Pax
(x) Krippendorf's Tribe
(x) A Walk to Remember
() Ice Castles
() Boogeyman
() The 40-year-old Virgin

Total so far: 82

(x) Lord of the Rings Fellowship of the Ring
(x) Lord of the Rings The Two Towers
(x) Lord of the Rings Return Of the King
(x) Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Ark
(x) Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom
(x) Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade

Total so far: 88

() Baseketball
() Hostel
() Waiting for Guffman
() House of 1000 Corpses
() Devils Rejects
(x) Elf
(x) Highlander
() Mothman Prophecies
() American History X
( ) Three

Total so Far: 90

() The Jacket
() Kung Fu Hustle
() Shaolin Soccer
() Night Watch
(x) Monsters Inc.
(x) Titanic
(x) Monty Python and the Holy Grail
(x) Shaun Of the Dead
( ) Willard

Total so far: 94

() High Tension
() Club Dread
(x) Hulk
() Dawn Of the Dead
() Hook
(X) Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe
() 28 days later
() Orgazmo
() Phantasm
() Waterworld

Total so far: 96

() Kill Bill vol 1
() Kill Bill vol 2
(x) Mortal Kombat
() Wolf Creek
() Kingdom of Heaven
() the Hills Have Eyes
() I Spit on Your Grave aka the Day of the Woman
() The Last House on the Left
() Re-Animator
() Army of Darkness

Total so far: 97

(x) Star Wars Ep. I The Phantom Menace
(x) Star Wars Ep. II Attack of the Clones
(x) Star Wars Ep. III Revenge of the Sith
(x) Star Wars Ep. IV A New Hope
(x) Star Wars Ep. V The Empire Strikes Back
(x) Star Wars Ep. VI Return of the Jedi
() Ewoks Caravan Of Courage
() Ewoks The Battle For Endor

Total so far: 103

(x) The Matrix
(x) The Matrix Reloaded
(x) The Matrix Revolutions
() Animatrix
() Evil Dead
() Evil Dead 2
() Team America: World Police
() Red Dragon
() Silence of the Lambs
() Hannibal

Grand Total: 106

(because we all couldn't have guessed from the beginning that I have no life!)

Cabana Boys & Pina Coladas

Apparently we forgot to hire the cabana boys before I stopped working. Oops! But luckily, the hubby's second job is for a liquor store, so the Pina Coladas aren't a problem.

I have to say, this morning has been just about exactly what I expected it to be. Brody woke up at 6:30, so I replugged him and checked my mail. By 7, he was up for good. So he played in his swing while I threw in some laundry, we got him some breakfast, cleaned him up, played with Daddy for a few minutes, and then I put him down for a nap. The only shocking thing is that he is actually sleeping in his crib... with very little effort! Yippie! =)

The rest of the day will be LOTS of laundry (to give you an idea, I have not a single clean dish towel, no clean underwear, no clean jeans, Brody had no washcloths, bibs, or blankets clean... yeah, the mountain of dirty cloths is quite scary!)

(Are you bored yet? I am...)

So this stay at home thing, in the everyday mundane- is exactly what I expected. What I wasn't prepared for was the emotional side of it. I am scared out of my mind. I have no doubt that I will be able to fill my days. My worry is that I will waste my days. I know that playing with Brody, seeing his smile, hearing his laugh, they will fill me with joy. But how do I make sure that I am stimulating myself, and him at the same time? Is my analytical brain capable of being fulfilled with days filled with jumparoos and silly songs? I know my heart needs it- but what about my brain? Yes- I'm scared, and yes, I'm a little afraid to admit it in public, but I honestly don't think I'm experiencing anything different from most moms. Right? I hope so....

Podcast

So there is a podcast about Matt up.... it's kinda surreal to hear a guy interviewing his editor and asking questions about him, and talking about how wonderful he is. =)

So anyway... check it out, and if you feel the need... buy the book! (please?)

Click here....

Are you kidding me?

I don't normally talk about pop culture, but this just can't be helped. (Yes, I am differentiating between politics and pop culture, even if sometimes they are remarkably similar) So anyway- where was I? OH!!! EWWWWWW!!!! Have you seen the pictures? I have to admit, I'm drawn like a moth to the flames with all the antics that Britney Spears has been doing lately. I was duly outraged with the car seat thing. I thought the transformation after Kevin was quite impressive, and I thought the panty thing was just kinda funny. (cause who hasn't gone commando once or twice?) But this??? This just proves that she's gone off the deep end! Why would anyone willingly want to look like this?

I guess really it just proves my theory that 75% of celebrities are addicted to publicity... good or bad. The hype had dimmed a little, and had to go off and do something crazy to get her name back in the tabloids. Yuck!

Finally!

I forgot to tell ya'll that I did finally get things worked out at work. My last day is officially March 9th, so I have 3 weeks left. I am both excited and scared out of my mind. I've always wondered how good I would be at being a SAHM (stay at home mom).... I'm a very social person, so it makes me nervous to not have daily adult interaction... but I simply cannot wait to have the time to spend with the little man. =)

Yikes!

So I went to tell my boss today about the leave of absence. He told me I had to tell his boss. Geesh. So I emailed the bossy boss man to find a time I could meet with him, and well, I never heard back. So I am still in limbo... It's maddening!

Really- there isn't a lot I can say that isn't whiny right now. I haven't felt good for the last couple of days, and it is wearing on me... it's making me grumpy... and I hate posting when I'm grumpy, but I wanted to let ya'll know that I don't have an official end date for work yet... I'm still hoping for March 9th though...

Smoke & Fog

So last week the Denver area was covered in fog... fog like most around these parts have never seen. A fog that rivals (though in my mind doesn't beat) some of the best of east coast fog. I believe that was Thursday morning. Friday night, the inside of our house looked very similar- but didn't quite smell as good.

I had gone to bed at 8:30 with an agreement with the hubby that I was going to get to sleep- THE WHOLE NIGHT! The monitor was nicely moved to his side of the bed, and he was going to do baby duty every shift. In return, I was going to reciprocate tonight. At 10:21, my dreams were shattered. I was abrutly woken up by the smoke detectors- but I couldn't quite figure out what was going on right away. Apparently, there was a pot on the stove that was supposed to be boiling pacifiers but well, it kinda was forgotton about... and the water melted... and such a sight I have never seen.

The child? The child slept right through it. We managed to get the smoke cleared enough after about 15 minutes that the smoke detectors stopped going off. Then we realized that we weren't really comfortable letting Brody sleep in the fumes, and what was destined to be a very cold night of trying to air things out. So we threw minimal things in a bag and were off to my parent's house.

Luckily when we got home, it wasn't that bad, and I think once I get all the blankets and other things that soaked up the smoke washed, it won't be too bad.

(OH- and the news is posted on the other site.)

Truly....

I am not trying to keep you all in suspense. (All 3 of you that followed me to the new blog...) But I am waiting for confirmation of things. I am horrible- I tend to get my hopes up about things. And I want to talk about them because I'm so excited- but at this point, I don't know if they will come to fruition, so it doesn't really seem prudent to talk about it.

But please, keep your fingers crossed for us... and hopefully we will soon have resolution.

The WORST!

I am the worst secret keeper EVER. Oh, I can do great with someone else's secret, but when it comes to something about me and my life? Yeah, I suck. I SOOOO want to shout something from the rooftops right now, but well... I can't. Nothing is firmed up yet, and it still could fall through. But for the most part? Something wicked this way comes... put probably not in the way that was initially intended to sound, but more in an 80's slang kinda way. I PROMISE I will share the second I am able to....