I Am So Confused......

For those of you who have been reading my blog, you're aware that I have been using the "Love and Logic" approach on my children for the last couple of months. You have to really be on top of everything with this approach, and be prepared to enforce the consequences when things go in the wrong direction. I am in general a pretty easy going person. I don't want to micro parent my children. The last few weeks I have been easing up on them, because they've been good, and I thought they earned a little freedom. When they would pull their antics I should have jumping right on it, but I let it go a time or two. I figured, kids are kids they make mistakes. But then they just kept pushing, taking things to the next level. I know they're testing the limits, to see if I'm still serious about things.

Here's the confusing part. I noticed when I was on them like white on rice, they were better behaved. When I give them more freedom they're heathens. What gives? I don't like to be micromanaged, why do they? Maybe I'm weird, but even as a child, I hated people watching my every move, making sure I had done what I was supposed to. I policed myself. I went to bed on time, did my chores (except for picking up the dog poop-I hated that), did my homework-you get the idea. Why do my children want me to be a drill sargent?

And....the thing that really gets me.....is when you do take away a privilege or ground them, their friends and the friends parents don't seem to get it. They think you're the unfair one....

If there is anyone out there with wisdom to share, please send it my way.......

How Did I Get Here?

The last year has been a true whirlwind for me.

My husband had been talking about moving to the DFW area from Austin for the last few years, but since my family lives here, I didn't think he would really pull the trigger on that one....Then he just decided that it was time for a change. I couldn't think of a good reason to hold him back from a good job opportunity, he is the only one bringing in a salary......So, I supported him, managed the home improvements, put the house on the market and packed up our life and moved on. Everything seemed to be going so well, the house sold in two weeks-pretty great considering the market. Chandler came up here about a month before me, because his job started before the house sold and closed. He stayed with my parents, and all was well. We really thought we would find a home in no time-WRONG! It took three miserable months. We found a beautiful home, more than we wanted to spend but....you know how it goes. We moved in late March, and the home repairs started. You know that movie The Money Pit? We're living it.

In thinking about all the projects to be done, the thought occurred to me....How did I get here? We live one street away from my parents-same neighborhood. In the same town I graduated high school in and couldn't wait to get out of.

I graduated on a Friday night and started college the very next Monday. I never thought I would be back here, and here I am. Weird....Moral of the story-never say never.

Who Knew Pinking Shears Were So Expensive?

Megan's birthday is Friday. We have planned a slumber party with her two best buds, where there will be a cookout, croquet,spa time, and an art project.

The art project is making those fluffy flip flops. The girls are all excited, and we went and bought the fabric today down at the local JoAnn's. I went to get a pair of pinking shears, and those little gems are thru the roof! The Fiskar's were $35........I'm not the craftiest girl in the world, so I had no idea of their apparent value.

Needless to say, we went with plain straight edge. This could turn out to be a mistake, one I'm willing to risk....

I'll let you know how it goes.

Chuy's in Round Rock

We went to Austin the other day on the spur of the moment. After our errands we wanted to go to our favorite mexican restaurant, Chuy's. We have now been in the metroplex about 8 months and have not had truly wonderful mexican food-a shame really......So as you can imagine we were dying for some good ol queso, margaritas, chuychangas, enchiladas, creamy jalapeno dip and pico. We stopped by the Chuy's in Round Rock on our way out of town and I think it might be up there with the best meal of my life. To understand my loyalty to Chuy's you should probably know that we used to go there every Friday night while pregnant with Jacob, and most Friday nights after that-so you see I love the place. We had a short wait and were seated in the back. I had a sublime margarita which I enjoyed every drop. The food was better than I had remembered, and the service-perfect. If you ever get a chance to go there-do yourself a favor, run don't walk.

I left with a full tummy and a happy heart as it was not just nourishment for my body, but for my soul as well.

We got home late that night, and after telling a neighbor about our visit, she tells me there is a Chuy's in Dallas. Woo hoo I'm a lucky girl :-).

What's a pimento?

That is a question I have asked many times, and have never answered.

The wait is over people! I have a definition according to Epicurious.com.

Pimento: A large, red, heart-shaped sweet pepper that measures 3 to 4 inches long and 2 to 3 inches wide. The flesh of the pimiento (the Spanish word for "pepper") is sweet, succulent and more aromatic than that of the red bell pepper... Pimientos are the familiar red stuffing found in green olives.

Let's all make a martini and celebrate, shall we?

PawPaw's Grandbaby's

I was on Martha Stewart's blog the other day and under her "pets" section she talks about her chow chow, PawPaw's passing. Now I know in my logical mind that this is ridiculous, but I was so upset. I actually cried about a dog I don't know passing. I have seen him on her show forever, he definitely had a presence about him.Well, the good news is that I was on her blog again this morning, and she blogged about the possibility of adopting his grandbaby's. It turns out that his daughter has had a litter, and they are just precious. There are three in the litter, and she's trying to decide which one to pick, though all on her blog insist she take them all. I guess she does have the space......Anywhooo, if your a dog lover like myself you should go to her website and check out the picks.BTW-I'll miss you Estelle Getty. Megan and I still watch Golden Girls re-runs, and you make us laugh every time.

Barn Swallows

In this "new" home we have had visitors for the last few months. A couple of barn swallows. They are lovely in theory. A place for birds to take shelter, have babies- what could be sweeter?

Well, I tell you their poop is not so sweet. They poo on everything! Forget sitting on the back porch, their home, they poo on the chairs, table, grill, anything they can find, really.

When I went out to feed the dogs this morning, at 530, they were not in their nests. They haven't been around all day either. Could it be true? Could they really be gone?

I hate to admit this, but I would like to make it where they won't come back. In the meantime, I'll be power washing.......

Trip to Brady

The day started off quite early, 5:30 to be exact. We hit the road at about 5:45 coffee in hand. The kids were actually pretty good. The griping didn't start until about 6:00.......

We arrived in Brady about 10 after a few potty breaks, and of course a stop at Starbucks. My Dad's mom lives in Brady which was the purpose of our trip. We had a great day, Granny had made 2 german chocolate cakes-from scratch. One for my family and one for Mom and Dad.

She met my son for the first time, and fell in love. J's 3, but he had not been on previous trips. Granny gave Meg some jewelry, and J a piggy bank. We ate at Hard 8 BBQ. Very good-if you go thru, get the turkey-surprisingly moist....

Granny is dying to get the measuring cups that Paula Deen has been using lately. They're made from pewter-very pretty. She's not computer savvy, so asked me to locate them. I called her this morning with the news. The good-I found them, the bad-they're $158.00......
We both decided they're not that pretty.....

We left at about 3:30 and got home a bit before 8.

It was a great trip.

Burgers Lake

So, I was invited to go along to Burgers Lake today, with the kids that is. We went and had a good time. Of course my dad was freaked out, because I had a cousin who died after swimming in Lake Texohma a few years ago. He died from the amoeba parasite. He was about 9 at the time if I remember correctly. I told the kids to just keep their faces out of the water, and it should be fine. What was I thinking? I feel more and more every day that I'm just a ghost around here-no one listens to me......Of course their faces are going to get wet.....I'm feeling a bit better about it though, because it is a spring fed lake, that is definitely not stagnant, and is constantly filtered.


The good news-the kids are worn out, and are taking a nap. Ah...if only for a little while....

Hoping to go to the Kimball Art Museum soon to see the Impressionists Exhibit soon-will let you know....

A Visit to the Doctor

Do you ever wonder why it takes so long to see the Dr. when you have an appt, and then he/she only spends 3-4 minutes with you? I do....

So, we had an appt with the dermatologist this morning for my son (he has eczema) at 945. Yes, the doc takes Sat appts-great.

We got there a couple of minutes early, like your supposed to....and then waited an hour and ten minutes to see the doctor. Yes, waited with a 3 yr old boy, and 9 yr old girl-lots of fun.

When I asked the receptionist how much longer it would be at 1015, she said there was 6 patients in front of us. That is absolutely ridiculous!

The doctor finally came in at 1035 or so. I swear he didn't spend more than 3 minutes with us....

Whew, I feel better....thanks for letting me vent.....

The Jonas Brothers

I finally got the pleasure of rockin with the Jonas Brothers.

Quite honestly, I had heard of them, knew my nine year old daughter loved them, but beyond that-forget it.

My best friend from high school had two extra tickets for Wednesday's concert in Dallas, and invited Meg and me to go. It was outside, which at first wasn't the most exciting prospect seeing as how it was 100 degrees outside.....but it was actually pretty nice. We sat on a blanket out on the lawn and got to listen to about 10,000 girls scream at any inkling of a sighting.

The concert lasted about two hours, I really didn't understand 3 words out of any given song, but it was good for some mother/daughter bonding time. It didn't hurt that I was the coolest mom on the block that week, because nobody else had tickets....

State of the Economy

We're all being hit with higher prices on everything, but no higher incomes. There are times it really does worry me. I know we can let our minds wander, and make things worse than they actually are, but things are looking bleak-in my opinion.

Yet, in an election time, we're not hearing much from our candidates on how they are going to handle this. I know McCain and Obama came out today and said a few things, but they didn't really answer all of our questions. I don't know that they ever will, really. I know McMcain is ready to continue tax cuts to big business, and all Bush's tax cuts. I know Obama has come out and said he wants to give more tax cuts to the middle class and families with children. That sounds great. But, how are we really going to get our economy back to where it needs to be? Back to a point where not all companies are looking at layoffs just to survive, where filling up your gas tank didn't cost 2 arms and 2 legs, where a gallon of milk didn't cost more than an hour of minimum wage.

At the end of the day, I would like them to be more specific. This is incredibly important, I want to know what I will be voting for, not a glossed over version of the truth.

I have always been republican, big Bush supporter (hate me if you will) but now I find myself identifying with democrats more each day......

I would love to see more efforts to save the environment, more efforts to help the middle class, and more jobs of value so people can actually earn a decent living. Though, I don't think we should bring all the troops home just yet, and I don't agree with having illegals (without work visas) in our country, and supporting their children.

Well, one thing I can say for certain, this election with be heated, and it will be interesting......

Trash TV

I don't usually watch a lot of reality TV.

Disclaimer: I did watch Survivior the first season or two, last season's Big Brother, and Paradise Hotel. These are things I am not proud of.....

But yesterday, I just wanted to veg out. I discovered The Kardashians, Denise Richards, and Kathy Griffin. I can't believe I'm going to admit this, but I actually enjoyed them....

The following is my opinion of each.

The Kardashians:
I feel sorry for Bruce. He lives with all those women, who I think the mother has lost her mind. To convince Kim (her oldest daughter) to pose for Playboy...what is up with that woman? Having her daughter pose, and then nagging her to take it all off...get a grip! Then to publish the calendar that she made for Reggie, without even asking-I felt for Kim.... You really do have to watch this show to believe it all.

Denise: She doesn't seem to be as much of a B as she has been portrayed to be. Her show is my fav. She seems to be a great mom, and a down to earth person.

Kathy: Wow does she have a mouth on her. What is her obsession with gay people? I don't have a problem with gay people, but she is just in love with them......

The Bark Collar and the Lamp

I have had an objection to bark collars has long as I can remember. I have since let that objection go. Since we have moved into our current home, about 3 months ago, and my daughter has turned into a social butterfly, our doorbell never stops ringing.........

We have two dachshunds, affectionately called wiener dogs, that yip like you wouldn't believe.
I have tried telling them to hush, holding them, you name it-it doesn't work. So, I made the fateful trip to Petco and got 2 bark collars.

Well our oldest wiener, Norman (black and tan mini) has wised up and decided he will no longer be wearing that damn thing-his words not mine.

I went to go put his on and he decided he would hide. He's little so he can hide a myriad of places. I looked everywhere, and found him under the couch. As I squeezed behind the recliner to get to the couch, he darts out from underneath and goes out the front. I try to squeeze back out and trip on the dog bed. I'm okay-I rebound and chase him into my son's room where he's under the bed. I act like I've given up so he'll come out. After a few minutes he does and goes back under the couch. I say, "Ah-ha, I'll pull the couch out and grab his tail"! I pull the couch out with a vengeance and the lamp flew across the room with that same vengeance......I put the couch back-he's gone by now. Put the lamp back on the table, and I hear him near the laundry room. I sneak up and grab him. Have you seen that new Huggies commercial where the Dad goes to change the baby boy's diaper on the bed and when he opens the diaper pp goes everywhere? Well, a mad wiener dog can do that too....Pee everywhere! Not to fear, putting him outside and cleaning all that up. I waited him out. It's hot outside, he eventually wanted in. He had to have a bark collar on before he was allowed entry.

You always have to watch out for those small, wiry ones.

Who Is That In My Backyard?

So I'm sitting in the living room yesterday with a full view of my backyard. I was actually on the computer when something moved in the corner of my eye. I looked up to find a strange man in my backyard. It wasn't the guy checking the meter-he was younger, dressed in pants, short sleeve shirt, ball cap, and wore a back pack. Does this sound weird to anyone? It's July 2nd, approximately 98 degrees, no school in session. As he passes thru my yard into my neighbor's, I call the non-emergency police line and report the "incident". They assure me someone will be here shortly to check things out. I call back later to see if I can find out just what exactly is going on and am told that they made contact and it was fine. I said, "okay", and moved on. Then I gave it more thought and decided, I'm not comfortable with someone passing thru my backyard, so I call back to investigate further. Funny thing-the police dept has no record of me even calling-they don't know what I'm talking about.

Yeah, I feel safe.

Am I Happier Now That I Have Children?

There's a new report out today that states that married couples who have children, are not as happy as married couples who do not.

For those of us who have listened to the continual whining of a 3 year old for hours on end might just agree, but with those days come the hours of starring into our newborn's eyes with complete and total admiration.

I think I go in phases. You can't possibly know the heartache and the complete and udder joy of being a parent, until you have been one. My daughter (she'll be 9 in Aug) has been shall we say, less than agreeable for the past few years, and we actually started going to counseling to seek help in dealing with her. What I discovered there is that maybe, just maybe it wasn't all her fault. We love our children so much that we want them to have it all. We want them to have it better than we did, and we never want them to hurt. In protecting, and providing we create a monster. One that believes the world is their oyster, and that your main function is to provide endlessly. I discovered in therapy that it is actually okay to discipline your child. I thought over the years that if I made her friend go home, or took away her dessert I was being mean. Now I realize it's exactly what I should have been doing. Children need to learn the hard lessons we all learned. They need to learn respect for their parents and others. Our therepist recommended the book "Parenting with Love and Logic". At first I thought it was a bit harsh, but by that point I was willing to try just about anything. Well, it works. The secret-you need to find their currency. If you don't have that, forget it, it's a waste of time. Now, she's back to being the sweet person I always knew she was. So my point, is that going thru all the trials and tribulations I think I would have been happier without children, but now that I have the tools to deal with the issues, I think I'm happier with them. Sure I would like to go to the Kimball Art Museum to see the Impressionists Exhibition with out the kids, but I also wouldn't give up hearing "I love you Mommy" for any exhibition, house, car or freedom in the world.

Am I the only one who's hot?!

I know there are a lot of things that others are dealing with that are much worse than the heat. The fires in CA, the droughts in FL, flooding in the midwest, but gravy.....I'm hot! So, this new home (10 yrs old, new to us) that we are in, apparently is not very energy efficient, we learned that the hard way....and to make a long story short, we are keeping the AC on 80, day and night. Our bedroom gets to 85 during the day, and I'm feeling the heat this year. With the increase in electricity rates, one just can't afford to keep cool, unless of course you're a Rockefeller.

Speaking of rate increases, I know I speak for many when I express my anger about gas, milk, bread, veggies, well....everything! I've had it. I'm going to stop buying as many things as I can. Clothes, home decorations, stuff in general. I'm going old school. I've already started canning, and I'm now planning my first garden. I'm getting the bed prepared now and letting it rest over the winter. I think this is a good idea not only to save $, but also so I don't have to worry about food safety. Now, it's not just tomatoes, but cilantro, jalapenos and more.......what gives?

Welcome All

Hello and welcome to all.

So, as you can see from the about me section, I am a happily married mom of two. I stopped working when my oldest was three. In my past life, I was a Human Resources Professional. I loved my job, and the work that I did, but in my heart I felt that it was important to be home with my daughter. Once I started staying home, it just seemed natural to have another. My children are 5 1/2 years apart, and so many people told me that would be the biggest challenge, it's normal for us, so it seems to work.

We moved to Mansfield in Dec of 07 from the Austin area. I actually graduated from Mansfield High School, and vowed I would never return, funny how life works out.....Chandler (my husband) got a new job that brought us to the area. I miss Austin, it will always be a special place for me.