Here she is!

Here's the new Mommy-mobile!

Ain't she pretty?

I'm loving the back air vents. I'm able to cool the kids down quickly since they've each got a vent above their heads. No more blasting the air from the front to get them to cool off. And even though it's going to get dirty more quickly with the kiddos...I do adore my beige (pebble) interior. I've had enough of that dark grey (charcoal).

For me?

I really dislike shopping for clothes. That's why I live in items that I've had for years. T-shirts that I purchased before I had children. Shorts that are too baggy or too small. Shoes that have seen better days.

But today? I went shopping. For clothes. For me!

I went to a clothing store close to my house. They were having some sort of sale today (and tomorrow). The Bear and I went together. Yes. I brought my feisty little guy with me. To buy clothes!

I went to the petite section (only because I'm short -- not tiny in size) and found some slacks that were nice & simple. Streamlined. No pockets. Flat front style. I grabbed a couple different kinds. In a couple different sizes. That's right. I don't know what size I actually am. As an afterthought I grabbed a couple shirts on the way to the dressing room. More to figure out size than anything.

We got to the dressing room. The Bear sat happily on the bench with the big mirror in front of him. And yes. We did go into the extra large and roomy handicapped fitting room. I put on the largest size slacks and found them to be...too big! Yeah! I then put on the next largest size and these fit. They fit really well. I sat down on the bench next to Bear and grabbed a Teddygram from Bear's bag as I checked the fit. These were winners! Just to test myself I tried on the smallest size. And even though I could zip these puppies up? I would definitely not be comfortable in them.

We left the dressing room and made our way back to the petite section. I got a pair of black and dark brown slacks. These are pants that Clint & Stacy (from What Not To Wear) would approve of. Like I said. Simple front. Straight leg all the way down. The waistband hits just below the waist so it's not cutting in. The length was just right. The slacks will look smashing in 1 1/2 to 2 inch shoes. These are the first "nice" pants I've purchased for myself in ages. The last pants I purchased were khaki tapering in ones. Yes. Fashion faux pas. But these new slacks? I feel so much like an adult in them.

Now WHY did I buy these pants? Because I have no work wardrobe. Some of my shirts will still work but I definitely needed new bottoms. All my stuff is too small for me. My waist is much thicker now than 5 years ago. My final purchase? The two pants and two shirts! A rose colored suede long-sleeve button down and a blue/black/white vertical striped 3/4 length sleeve stretch button down.

But I do need to get some new shoes too. Since having kids I haven't worn heeled shoes for longer than a few hours. Now I need comfy shoes that'll take me through at least 6 hours. I still have my old work shoes but they are no longer comfortable. My feet are now wide. No longer comfortable in the basic medium width. Any recommendations on comfy casual work shoes?

Now that I've got a couple pair of slacks, I'm more comfortable about getting a job. I've got the start of a basic wardrobe. Pieces that'll get me through dressy offices and more casual offices. Once I land a job? I'll be off to buy a few more pieces. I do dislike shopping. But today? I had a good time. Go figure!

The end of September [update]

I can't believe that there are only THREE months left in 2005!

Tomorrow is October. Meaning Halloween is just weeks away. Which will turn into November. Which means Thanksgiving. Which will turn into December. Which means Christmas/Hannukah/Kwanzaa (or whatever holiday you celebrate in December).

Once we hit October, the rest of the year seems like a blur.

But today? It's still September. In another hour or so, I'll be headed out to the Prin's school. The kindergarten and kindergarten/1st grade classes will be celebrating all the September birthdays. Turns out there are SIX kids that had a birthday this month.

Before going to school this morning, the kidlings and I dropped by the grocery store and picked up...CUPCAKES! We purchased 3 containers with 12 in each. There are 33 kids in total. The cupcakes are decorated in a generic fall design. No specific girly or boy theme.

The Princess was so excited about the day. I think she's happy to be able to have one more chance to celebrate her birthday. She's also excited to have all our leftover grab bag items in the classroom Treasure Chest. I'm sure the girls that attended the party will know that the stuff came from our house. Of course, the boys will be oblivious (since we did not invite them per Daddy's order - chuckle chuckle).

But I'll be headed over so I can be at the school when they start their 'party' at 2:30pm. I am not going to leave those two teachers to handle 33 kids with cookies, cupcakes, and juices alone! No way! Even though that'll mean the Bear will be in the mix....an extra set of hands is always helpful. I'll be on-guard with a containers of baby wipes to clean up those messy hands and faces.

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Oh my word!

We're back from school. I don't know what to say about kids these days. I guess I didn't realize how lucky I am to have the Princess. Some of the kids in her age group need to seriously develop their 'listening ears' and general manners.

"Kids. Sit down."

How many times did I hear the teacher say that?

"You guys need to sit down quietly so we know who needs drinks and treats."

Now when I said that? They sat down lickety-split. I couldn't believe that the Bear (who will be 3 in January) had the ability to sit on a bench longer than some of these kindergarten age kids. AMAZING!

But the kids all were sweet. I was squating/sitting next to the kiddy-size picnic table that I had the Bear sit down on. It was a located one foot from the garbage can. I had the wipes out. And they came in handy. Once they realized I was there, the kids stood in a small line in front of me. I'd wipe down each mouth/cheek/chin, let them wipe their hands down, and then let them throw the wipe away.

I hope the Princess remembers this birthday month. That she had an awesome party at our new house. That I was able to help out at her class celebration. I hope the kids in her class feel comfortable with me too. They're all sweet. I just know I could not handle being a teacher. The patience that one must possess to be able to handle the mood swings these young kids go through.

MORE POWER TO THE TEACHERS!

Don't be a monkey unless you've got the skills...

Yesterday was a good day. Busy. But good.

When the Bear ended up not napping, I had to go up and get him. Actually, I was in a full tilt RUN to him. There was the normal talking that I heard through the monitor for a long time. Then...

"MOMMY! MOMMY!"

It was in that scared voice. The voice every Mom dreads. I took off in a sprint.

"I'm COMING!"

I wanted him to know I was on my way. That I'd heard him calling for me. Needing me.

The kid? He had managed to get himself hung up. He was in the corner of the crib. He had poked both his feet between the vertical crib rails so that he didn't have anything to push up against. His arms were on the horizontal top sections of the crib. He was holding himself up by his armpits with his arms as support. He was STUCK. And he couldn't get himself free.

Oh that kid!

He ended up falling asleep 3 minutes into the drive over to pick up his sister from school. Thankfully, I was able to park in a good spot (in the shade) and leave the car & the AC running. The kindergarten gate was already open and I was able to get the Princess out of school and into the car in under 2 minutes. The little guy stayed asleep until I had to get him out of the car.

As for my interview? I felt that it went well. I felt like I was able to convey my desire for the job without being too needy. I feel that I refined what my work experience actually entailed. Reading what a person has done versus hearing what a person has done are two different things. I think I was able to convery my enthusiasm to get back to work. Back to a job that'll challenge me while still giving me the ability to drop-off and pick-up the Princess from school. The gal who interviewed me is the wife of the guy who I'll actually be working for. Yes. She works in the office but she's screening all the interviewees and taking lots of notes. I'm really hoping I'll get called in next week for a 2nd interview.

The reason I want it so much? It's in a new industry for me. It'll be a nice challenge. It's a small office so no gossiping and internal conflict to deal with. The hours are 9 to 2, so it sounds like they'll be paying me for my lunchbreak (something I'm not used to). It's an actually full-time payrate job at part-time hours. That's what I've found. Seems that employers pay less for people working part-time. It's amazing. I've read a bunch of ads and they want a person to have a bunch of tasks and responsibility...and then they pay them a low hourly rate. Ugh. If I were to ever own a business I wouldn't pay any part-time worker an hourly rate lower than what I'd pay a full-timer. That's just wrong!

Then dinner? It was fantastic. A huge slab of prime rib cooked just the way I like it (medium rare). A baked potato with EVERYTHING on it. A nice little salad with crunchy croutons. And two kids who actually colored and ate their food. Yeah!

The Amazing Race - Family

Okay, who else watched this 2-hour episode?

Sorry to say that the Black Family was eliminated last night. But they tried hard. I found it most endearing when the little guy went to fetch water and he ended up almost falling into the puddle. His Dad came to his rescue and pulled him up by the back of his jacket. Didn't embarrass the little guy either. He told him he did a good job.

Aiello Family - This old guy with his 3 sons-in-law? Whoa! The old guy reminds me of Frank from Trading Spaces.

Godlewski Family - These sisters are a crack up! What did one of the other teams call them? "Desperate Housewives!"

Weaver Family - Strong family. No internal bickering. The Mom is strong. They are all holding up after the loss of their father/husband. They did a great job. I just felt bad when their cart's brakes failed and it ran over the Mom. I'm sure it scared those 3 kids.

Bransen Family - This man with his three daughters? Seems like the girls get along. I wonder if when he looks at his daughters he just sees them when they were little or as they are now?

Linz Family - You'd think this group of 3 brothers and their sister would have placed in the top 3, but no! They overshot their 'strength' and ended up on the tail end of this leg.

Schroeder & Rogers Family - 2 parents and a girl and a boy. I really couldn't tell the difference between them.

Gaghan Family - These two parents with their two little kids...ROCK! Where the Linz family failed, these two parents hauled with no problems. It was priceless when these parents stoicly pulled their cart past the Aiello Family while the two kidlings sang "She'll be coming 'round the mountain". But those two kids can run!

Paolo Family - What can I say about this group? I'm embarrassed for them. To have the sons yelling at their Mom. And they do it all the time. It's like they think it's okay. How rude is that? Why doesn't the Dad step in and set down the law? Anyway...I guess that's how their family dynamic works. I just can't imagine if it was me. One thing I did disagree with was when the Mom said "Can we hurry this up?" when some guys were folding the American Flag. Now THAT was disrespectful.

In and out...busy...busy...[update]

I don't really have time to relax today.

I've got things to do. Places to go. People to meet.

7:30am - Leave house to drop Princess off at school

8:30am - Arrive home

8:30-9:30am - Get gussied up

9:30am - Leave house to drop Bear off at Daddy's work

10:00am - Leave Bear with Daddy

10:30am - Interview

11:30am - Pick up Bear from Daddy's work Lunch with Bear and Daddy

12:00pm - Lunch with Bear at home

12:30pm - Put Bear down for nap (hopefully)

12:45-1:25pm2:00pm - Search internet for jobs - listen to the Bear talk over the monitor

1:25pm - Get Bear out of crib

1:26pm - Let Bear loose in playroom

2:15pm - Wake Bear up. Leave house to pick up Princess

2:30pm - Pick up Princess from school

3:30pm - Princess' 5year peds appt

4:30pm - Drive home (in traffic) Meet up with the Hubs & eat dinner at Outback Steakhouse

5:30pm - Have dinner Drive home in traffic

6:00-7:15pm - Play with kiddos

7:15pm - Get kids ready for bed

That's my day. Somewhere in there I've got to celebrate my birthday too. Yeah. That's today. I'm old!

Hopefully there won't be any bumps in my 'plan' for the day. But I'm sure stuff won't work out the way I've got it set up in my mind.

P.S. And that gas feeling? I've still got it! Dang it all! I hope I don't need to let one loose during my interview! That is SO not the way to make a first impression, eh?

Ew...yucky!

Warning: This post might have too much body information for some!

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Oh my heaven!

"Pee-uw!"

I am so gaseous today! I don't know why. I don't normally have to toot so much but (gaul darn it all!) the stuff has to come out. And boy is it...stinky. If it wasn't me polluting the air, I would be disgusted. But it is me!

Thankfully, I'm not having the issues that Very Mom is dealing with in her household.

I've got gas but the Hubs is constipated. He finally broke down and mentioned it last night.

Hubs: "I've ben having problems for 3 days now."

Me: "With what?"

Hubs: "I want to GO but nothing really happens."

Me: "You mean you're constipated?"

Hubs: "Yeah."

Me: "Oh. You mean nothing has been coming out?"

Hubs: Little pellets, but that's it."

I didn't know what to tell him. Drink more water. Eat a bunch of salad. He's an adult, he should know what to do. He should be grateful though. At least it's just 3 days worth of backup. It's not like he's just had a c-section and hasn't gone in 5 days. Right ladies?

But let me tell you that I did have to take care of my very first....floatie. Those of you with kids KNOW what I'm referring to.

I took the Bear to the park this morning. We met up with a neighbor and her two boys. We stayed for about 1-1/2 hours before it got too hot (even in the shade). The Bear and I got home and we both needed to cool down. I filled the tub and set him in there with some bath toys. I jumped into the shower (right next to the tub). Didn't take me long to get cooled off so I let the Bear continue to 'play' in the big tub. I got dressed and glanced over to him. He was bent over looking at something. I walk closer...

There was a huge log!

Yes. The Bear took a dump in the big tub. MY TUB! I quickly took the piece out and flushed it down the toilet.

"Poo-poo? All gone?"

Yes my little boy. Your poo-poo is now all gone. Down into the pipes. But I had to drain the tub. Rinse him off with clean water. Get him dressed. And then...deal with sanitizing my tub. YUCK!

Thankfully, he did have one solid piece. The second time he went today was a gooey mess. I can't even BEAR to think how I would have handled that disaster.

Crazy eh?

I knew I wasn't crazy. No where near it.

Out of the great fun of party day, there were those moments that remind me that I'm not surrounded by my parents or my sisters.

************************

After letting the entire IL clan into my home, I walked straight back to the kitchen/family room. They dumped their things all over the place (the bar area, the floor, wherever). There were a few parents (of the Princess friends) in the room.

MIL: "Where do we put the presents?"

I had set up a 'present' table at the end of the couch. As you walk back to the kitchen/family room, you would walk right into it if you continued on a straight line. I mean, you could see the table from the front door. It had about 6 gifts already on it.

SIL: "I guess right here." [she pointed to the table]

I went into the kitchen to continue working away on getting stuff out for people to eat.

MIL: "Well, let's introduce ourselves!"

She said it so loud. Her statement seemed to overpower the room and gain the attention of everyone (the parents who were chatting together) in the midst of conversation. It seemed to me that she seemed to be insinuating to me that I was rude for not introducing them (Hubs' clan) to the people who were in the room. After she said that I looked up from what I was doing. My BILs fiance was looking at me. I looked at her and smiled and shrugged.

To me? When I go into a social gathering at someone else's home, I don't expect to be led around and introduced to everyone. Especially if I've been to someone's home before. I do that on my own. I work the room. I chat with people individually. I don't go in and basically announce my entrance.

How about you?

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I was going outside when I noticed something next to the backdoor. A pair of house slippers. Ones that weren't mine. That's right folks. My MIL once again brought her slippers to my house. Granted we've got tile floor throughout our first floor which might be an issue for people with sensitive feet or legs. But she also has tile throughout her house. Is she making a statement that she thinks our floors are not clean enough for her pasty white feet? What IS she trying to say? If anything...

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When the pizza was delivered, I called everyone to eat. We had the pizzas and sandwiches out along with the fruit and chips. I attended to the kids and the kids' parents. The family had to fend for themselves. I turned around at one point to check on the pizza situation.

MIL: "Son (speaking to the Hubs)? Do you want this?" [she had two slices of supreme pizza on a plate]

Hubs: "No thanks. What're you doing with that?"

MIL: "I thought your brother would want it but he doesn't."

I turn to where my BIL is sitting and he's got two slices of sausage pizza. Now why did she get those pieces of pizza for my BIL? It's not like my BIL is a child who needs help getting his food.

By the time I got around to getting a plate for myself (after I made sure everyone had food), there was no supreme pizza left. I know that she didn't eat the pizza because a supreme has onions on it and she detests onions. I know my FIL didn't eat them because he's lactose intolerant. Plus, I saw him chowing on a sandwich. So, what did she end up doing with those two pieces?

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Around 1:15pm, my BIL told his family they had to leave (he had to meet a realtor at his house at 3pm). They all got up to get their things. My BIL ducked into the powder room for one last visit before the 1-1/2 hour drive home. There were hugs and kisses all around from both kidlings. My FIL went outside. My MIL was at the front door and looked around.

MIL: "Where is my son (my BIL - of course she used his name here)?"

BIL's fiance: "Oh, he went to the bathroom."

MIL: "What's taking him so long?"

Then she turns in my direction.

MIL: "I mean, you have three bathrooms don't you?"

First of all? I'm not my BILs keeper. Secondly. I'm not going to deny anyone who is smart to use the bathroom before they take a long drive. Thirdly. Who knows what kind of business (number 1 or number 2) he was doing in the bathroom. Fourthly. What does the number of bathrooms have to do with the amount of time he's taking IN the bathroom? It's not like there were a ton of people still at the house. There was one neighbor gal and about 4 kids.

Of course, I ignored her statement. I glanced over to my BILs fiance and smiled. And then walked away. Just in time to walk by my BIL who had just finished up whatever business he had in the powder room. I gave him a hug.

Me to BIL: "Thanks for coming. Have a safe trip home."

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Now some might say this is a total bitch session by me. But I am not the only one who was witness to her not-so-pleasant attitude. One of my neighbors (she's Filipino - I'll reference her as FN from now on) talked to me after Hubs' clan left (once my BIL made it out of the powder room - ha!). FN was witness to the Hubs clan exit from our home. She saw and heard my MIL in the situation listed above.

FN stated that when Hubs clan walked into the family room she got her first glimpse of my BIL.

FN: "Wow, you look just like the Hubs!"

MIL: "No he doesn't!"

FN was surprised by this. Especially since it wasn't coming from my BIL. The person who she was speaking to. Just then my Neighbor Across the Street (NATS) came in. He glances over at Hubs clan.

NATS: "You and the Hubs really look alike!"

Of course, FN was giggling inside by this. Both she and NATS said basically the same thing upon seeing my BIL for the first time. It was their first time meeting all of the Hubs family. My MIL went on to say that it is known that the Hubs looks like her and my BIL looks like my FIL.

Okey-dokey. FN said that I was really nice to my MIL. Based upon the behavior and comments my MIL made upon their first meeting, FN doesn't have the best impression of my MIL.

FN: "Dang! I know if anyone in my husband's family acted that way they would not be welcome in my house. EVER."

Let me say that FN did ban her husband's sister from her home for about 9 months after a major disagreement. The two have long since made up - as her husband's sister lives 2 houses down from her in our subdivision.

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I know there are a lot of you who have terrific ILs. Sis#2 has fantastic ILs. I love Sis#2's ILs. The entire clan. My BILs entire family includes my folks, LilSis, me, the Hubs, and the kidlings in all their gatherings. We're a part of them. Being around Sis#2s ILs is like being around my folks and my siblings. It's fantastic. Seriously.

I had wished my relationship with the Hubs family would develop the same way. But it hasn't. I can't put myself out on a limb anymore. I'm tired of being ignored when I speak. I'm tired of the snappy remarks. I try hard to ignore everything. To let it slip away and not bother me. But it does.

My MILs behavior chips away any hope of a great relationship. Every time she acts like she is prone to I take another step away. But I can't back away too much. She's the grandmother to my children. I never speak ill of her in front of the kidlings. Her personality might grate on nerves but I try to put up a good front. For my children.

That's what being a parent is about, right? Teaching our children to deal with other people. To be respectful. To duke it out with silence instead of yelling. To be good people.

But I just know that I'm not crazy. She is. Na-ne-na-ne-na-na! he-he-he-he....