When in Doubt, Eat Chocolate

In case any of you were wondering, Why hasn't Meg updated her blog in a few days?... I have created a list of excuses reasons. In no particular order, they are:

• Two words: snow days. Oh my word, am I ever sick of these! Ten for this school year -- two this week --and it is still officially winter. In other words, I am not exhaling yet...
• The dog had surgery this week and she is trying to make me feel guilty. See Exhibit A:

{Fur baby guilt trip}

• I already have a heaping load of guilt on my plate, thankyouverymuch. Everybody else is talking about how they are signing their similar-aged kiddos up for kindergarten, and we are redshirting Logan. He truly is NOT ready, but still, it makes me feel like I have somehow failed.
• I was honestly avoiding my blog for a bit because I was thisclose to writing a snarky post about how much it stinks to be the classroom volunteer who counts and sorts the Box Tops. I do try to keep it positive around here, but I just have to show you this Exhibit B and I think you may understand why I am going slightly bonkers and will never again volunteer for this job. EVER! 

{Why would anybody tape these to a random piece of paper -- front and back -- why?!}

• I've been kinda busy coordinating meal deliveries for a couple of mamas in my MOPS group. Note, I am not complaining about this, just stating a fact. It is part of my job as hospitality coordinator, and it's one of the few things that has made me feel useful and good this week. So there's that.
• I will do just about anything for my children. This now includes scooping a rabbit carcass (and assorted innards) out of the road immediately in front of our house, tromping through the huge drifts of snow in the back yard, and burying it under a mound of snow behind a tree -- all so that when Mia gets off the school bus, neither child will see any evidence of the Easter Bunny's demise.
• The time change is kicking my butt. (And if I ever meet Benjamin Franklin, I will be sorely tempted to kick his butt! I think all the moms will understand.)
• I am doing 40 Bags in 40 Days as my Lenten sacrifice. Truthfully, I have not given up anything for Lent in years. I used to do this in the BC (Before Children) era of life, but since doing 5+ years of pregnancy and breastfeeding, I have a hard time wanting to give up anything. I am making pretty good progress -- only missed one day -- and I have completely sorted through both kids' wardrobes and already given a bunch of things away! So, this worked out well as a way to purge things I don't need without having to give up chocolate, and let's face it. If you just read all that junk I just unloaded up there, you can probably guess that I have been hitting the chocolate.

And that brings me to the happy point of all this. Chocolate. Mia was bummed last night because Brett told her that it was Pi Day, and I had not made a pie. (Obviously, I was tied up with all that other stuff, but how do you get a seven year old to understand that?) 

{Chocolate Strawberry Pie! Isn't it pretty?}

I went shopping and got a few things to pull together a pie today, but I wasn't really sure what type of pie I wanted. I had gotten both a graham cracker crust and a chocolate graham cracker crust plus strawberries. I was waffling between making strawberry pie or making chocolate pie. Then, this phrase popped into my head, When in doubt, eat chocolate! Yes, of course, chocolate was the way to go. 

After I made a batch of chocolate mousse, I realized that it would not be enough to fill the pie shell. Disappointed, I turned to Brett and asked now what? His suggestion was to add strawberries, (They are the bottom layer.) which made for a tasty and beautiful pie. (Prettiest I've ever made!) Perfect! I love when he comes up with the perfect solution to my kitchen quandaries. We're a pretty good team -- not unlike chocolate and strawberries.

{Somebody finished hers and then sidled up, hoping for more.}

Notes to self: This recipe for whipped cream came out better than previous attempts. Might be the stand mixer, or the use of powdered sugar over granulated sugar. Or maybe I just rocked it! Next time, try sandwiching strawberries between two thin layers of mousse.

My Name is "Mom" (and I am Tired!)

Initially, I was a train-wreck, full of apprehension about my husband's impending business trip. It had been over a year since he had gone away for work, so I didn't remember how smoothly (or not!) things had previously been while he was gone. I did my best to take care of the things I could control and tried not to worry so much about the rest (easier said than done!).

Then, I realized that I would have all sorts of time to myself in the evenings after the kids were in bed. (Okay, maybe not tons more time, but at least I wouldn't feel torn between being a good wife and doing what I want to do.) So, I decided that I would use this time to do some writing, and I even made a fairly lengthy list of potential blog post topics. Yeah!

Or maybe not? This post wasn't on the original list, but sometimes life feeds me other things to write about. Also, sometimes I just plain get sick and don't have time to write. (In case any of you were wondering why I hadn't posted anything in a bit... I was pretty out of it.) Although, for what it's worth, I was drafting this in my head while in a feverish delirium, so I think that has to count for something.

Mommies don't get sick days. That is a sad fact of life. And, unfortunately, I didn't pay attention to my body's signals until it had gotten out of control.

See, the Monday morning before last, I had a dizzy spell and I needed to sit down. I thought That's weird... I'll deal with it.

Then, on Tuesday, I woke up with my left ear aching. That's really weird... I'll deal with it.

I waited two more days. Brett had left for Nashville. My ear was still hurting, but thankfully, I hadn't had any more dizzy spells. I took Mia to school, came home, and started scratching things off my to-do list. Pretty normal, boring stuff. Then, around 11:30, it dawned on me: I am sick! I have another sinus infection.

I tried calling my "regular" doctor, but I couldn't get in. No big surprise there. That's why I had seen an urgent care doctor for the past 5 sinus infections... Yes, I have been getting a LOT of sinus infections, and I really did hope to see the "regular" doctor.

Feeling kind of annoyed, I called Brett's doctor's office since I had been meaning to switch over to them, anyway. Of course, they couldn't get me in either. I had called "too late in the day." I get it. It was nearly lunch time for these office-type workers, so by their calculations the day was nearly done. Not so for this stay-at-home mama who was flying solo. (To be fair, the receptionist kindly pointed out that if I had been an established patient she could have gotten me in at 10:00 -- because time travel is one of the skills that she apparently assumed I possess.)

Having no other options (other than to wait until the following week when they could have fit me in, by which time I would have keeled over), I got Logan into the van and we headed for the urgent care. The great thing about the urgent care is that they almost immediately took me to a room. On the way the nurse chatted with Logan, asking him all of the most important little person questions. (What's your name? How old are you?) He eagerly answered her, "My name is Logan and my mom's name is... Mom."

I told the doctor I was pretty sure I had a sinus infection and he immediately confirmed this fact. "Oh yeah, it's messed up in there." (This was after jokingly accusing Logan of making me sick, and I told him that I randomly got sick so I guess he could be let off the hook this time.) Well, obviously, I don't pay these people for their sparkling bedside manner, but I was in and out in 30 minutes, with a script for antibiotics in hand, which at the time seemed so very important!

Also, Logan left with three Hot Wheels stickers. When the receptionist asked him if he wanted a sticker, he looked over their stash, and quickly replied, "No. You don't have any car stickers!" Of course, I am trying to joke away my embarrassment and his bluntness, saying "Got that? My name is 'Mom' and you don't have any car stickers." Then, she reached behind the desk and actually produced those more desirable car stickers! I was relieved when he then said "please" in order to get the coveted stickers. Lucky little dude -- he made out better than I did.

At the Kroger pharmacy drive-through, they told me it would be at least an hour. We headed to a nearby park and he found some boys about his own age to play with. I did my best to enjoy the little detour, but mainly I just wanted those drugs.

Once we were able to pick up the Bactrim and Claritin D, I was relieved, assuming I would start to feel better in a couple of days. (Usually, that is how it goes.) Boy, was I wrong this time

By that evening, I was really spacey during soccer practice. I didn't even realize that Logan was crying because I was staring off into space, in the opposite direction.

The following morning, I felt worse, and I was so relieved to hear that a meeting was canceled since there was no way I was making it. Plus, Mia complained that her stomach was hurting -- never a good sign. I called and excused her from school, but after a couple hours she was bouncing off the walls and wrestling with Logan. She begged me to take her to school, and I wasn't sure what to do. I knew that I wasn't really up to driving, but I also knew that I wasn't up to having two kids going bonkers ALL day. I wasn't in my best clarity of mind when I decided to drive her to school.

She was fine for a couple of hours and then I got the call: she had thrown up in the classroom! Well, I felt guilty about that since I had known it could happen. Then, I felt worse upon picking her up. She was crying and worried that I would be mad at her since I had made a point of saying that I hoped I wouldn't be getting a call later in the day. Not my best parenting moment.

Never mind the fact that there was so much pressure in my head by that point, about 1:00, that my eyes were insanely bloodshot. The thought of changing out of my cropped black workout pants and putting on decent looking jeans was just too much. (Normally, I never leave the house in my yoga pants unless I am, in fact, going to work out.) My hair was a frizzy heap, and I was laughing inside because I was just cognizant enough to know that I looked truly dreadful, kind of Bride-of-Frankenstein-ish and that is when I knew for sure that I.Was.REALLY.Sick.

Somehow, we made it to school and back in one piece. Mia changed into pj's just in time for the refrigerator repairman to arrive and finally fix that darn thing. I had plugged both kids into the TV, and I was just trying to stay awake as the guy worked. (I can only imagine what he thought of me and my household, but I honestly felt like the living dead, so I didn't even care.) At some point during that Friday, Brett had informed me that had had caught an earlier flight and he was on his way!!! Refrigerator guy left, fridge fixed, and Brett got home about 3:30! This was awesome because I was barely able to hold my head up by that point, never mind think about fixing dinner...

The next couple days are not really clear to me. I was very, very confused. I was exhausted all the time, but ironically, I was also suffering from insomnia. I had no energy to do anything, and I spent so much time in bed, that my back and legs were starting to hurt. Brett kept using the phrase, "You're going to turn the corner soon," (like I normally would after a couple days on antibiotics) but it seemed like he wasn't really believing it after awhile. I know I wasn't. I just felt so run down.

Then, all of a sudden, the pressure was almost unbearable. I swore that somebody was concocting a Molotov cocktail inside of my skull. Then, despite the improbability, it actually got worse. The Molotov cocktail creator decided to get really cruel. He started drilling behind my left eye socket with a cordless drill. This continued off and on for the entire weekend. I laid in bed with my eyes covered, trying to block out all the light, and trying to avoid the kids, especially Logan, because he was unbearably LOUD. On some level, I realized these were migraine symptoms, but I don't have a history of migraines so it just didn't make sense. Not that I was trying to make sense of it, really. I just wanted it to end, preferably without a brain tumor diagnosis.

On Sunday morning, I woke up feeling almost human. I sat up and watched TV while everyone else was at church. (And, this in itself was HUGE. Prior to that, I couldn't watch TV, I couldn't read, I couldn't write -- Oh, my gosh, I really wanted to write! I guess that solidifies that fact that I am a "writer" -- I missed that most of all.) Then, all of a sudden, the drilling behind my eye was back. Oh, the agony! I was gone for most of the day, and then in a moment of lucidity, I pieced it together: It was the drugs. They were making me worse instead of better. Brett had come to the same conclusion that afternoon, and we agreed, no more Bactrim!

I called the new doctor's office first thing Monday morning. (8:00 -- not 11:00 -- I had learned that lesson the hard way.) Sadly, they couldn't get me in until Tuesday. Brett missed that first day of work, and Tuesday morning, taking care of the kids and everything else for me. Even though the migraine symptoms were under control at that point, the Molotov cocktail was still raging in my head. When I saw the new doctor, he was skeptical that it was a drug reaction, saying it sounded more like a migraine. (For the record, I am not disagreeing, here. I did have a migraine. And it really, really sucked!) All, I am saying is that I am positive that this was a result of the antibiotic. He said they would put a note in my chart to avoid Bactrim in the future, and in the meantime, I was just going to take Sudafed and try to beat the sinus infection without any more antibiotics.

Playing it conservatively sounded like a good plan. It just made it harder for me to get well. I am not 100% better, but at least I am getting back into the swing of things. Wednesday was my first full day without Brett's help, and I had to sit down because cooking chicken nuggets exhausted me (sad, but true!). I know he was relieved to not have to play Mr. Mom any longer, but it was a difficult transition for me. Friday was the first time I got some housework done, and I even made it through the day without a nap (or quiet time upstairs while Logan watched some TV).

Moments of frailty like this remind me of how much I usually take for granted, just being able to do all of the million little things that I do all the time, most of which I don't think about -- until I am no longer able to do them. Mommies really don't have time to get sick, and I hate when I do. I hate not being in control. It really ramps up the guilt factor. On the other hand, I think it's my body's way of forcing me to slow down. Message received.

Party Like It's MCMXCIX!

We're kind of dorks. (That might not be a news flash, but I thought I would state it up front, in case you didn't read this.) That's why I was pretty geeked (pun intended) to find these "Roman Candles" a few months back at Marshall's for $3.99. I tucked them away, feeling they would be perfect for my math nerd husband's birthday cake.

For his birthday, he requested this Toffee Cake, and I agreed to make it, because it was his birthday, and also, because he's pretty awesome. When he was looking for cake recipes, he decided to skip bookmarking any that called for a stand mixer since we didn't have one at the time, and he selected this particular recipe that called for a boxed Devil's Food Cake mix. Then, in a somewhat ironic turn of events, I finally got my stand mixer!! (See, I told you he was pretty awesome.) Brett's birthday cake was its inaugural usage, and I have to say that this was such a joy to use with a boring old boxed cake mix, I can hardly wait to make something from scratch. (You know, when I have more time... like when I'm not busy preparing for our tropical vacation sans children. Eeeeeeeee!)

Even though I linked the recipe from cooks.com, I'm going to take the time to type it out here. Why? Well, I lost one recipe (that I know of) for some white chocolate strawberry muffins that I posted here and I have forever been looking for a substitute since then, and falling hopelessly short. So, in the event that I really want this recipe again, (and I am sure I will!) I will have a fail-safe. Smart, huh?

• 1 box Devil's Food Cake mix
• 1/2 (14 oz.) can sweetened condensed milk (I used a bit extra.)
• 6 oz. caramel ice cream topping (Again, I used extra.)
• 3 bars chocolate covered toffee, chopped
• 8 oz. Cool Whip

1. Bake cake according to package directions in a 9" x 13" pan. (To make the cake look a bit more elegant, I decided to make it a layer cake instead of baking it in a 9" x 13" cake pan.) Cool on wire rack for 5 minutes. Make slits across the top of the cake, making sure not to go through to the bottom.
2. In a sauce pan over low heat, combine sweetened condensed milk and caramel topping, stirring until smooth and blended. Slowly pour over warm cake, letting it sink into slits; then sprinkle with the crushed candy bars. (I skipped doing this in between my two layers, but I did add extra caramel sauce.)
3. Let the cake cool completely, then top with Cool Whip. Decorate the top of the cake with more toffee bar chunks and swirls of caramel topping. Refrigerate.

For display, it was placed on a new-to-me glass cake stand that I had picked up at a rummage sale for $1 the very morning that I was planning to make the cake. Serendipitous, indeed! I was a bit harried, though, since it was the last day of school for Mia, and I didn't end up trimming the two rounds to make them even and flat. It turned out not to be a big deal, though, because the Cool Whip made excellent, easy-to-work-with frosting. I had never used a tub of Cool Whip for frosting before, but I expect to use it again because it was very simple to apply with my angled spatula and it covered up a multitude of baking sins (like those uneven layers I mentioned.) I was thankful to have reserved a small amount of Cool Whip to do touch-ups, as we were traveling to Brett's brother's house to celebrate, and it got a just a tiny bit messy looking on the way there. (My strange method that I came up with for transporting the cake worked very well: I stuck the cake stand into a large pot so that the stand rested just on the outer edges. This was I was able to hold it in place and rest my hands on the handles of the pot during the drive, and remain reasonably comfortable while doing so.)

In addition to looking pretty, this cake was very moist, too, thanks to the caramel sauce that was drizzled into slits cut into both of the layers. I topped it all off with the extra caramel sauce and some smashed up Heath bars, Brett's favorite candy bar. (By the way, pummeling candy bars with a rubber mallet is very cathartic. Just make sure they are sealed in a baggie and then wrapped in a towel, and you're good to go.) On another side note, the left over condensed milk was very happily used for condensed milk paintings, which Mia had been asking me to do again, so that was a happy coincidence, and it meant no waste (because obviously, we will eat the remaining caramel topping soon...). Everyone agreed that the cake was delicious, but the Roman numeral candles were truly the Pièce de résistance!

{All you need to know is that I am younger!}

On Getting My Way (without Even Trying Too Hard!)

Today, as I was going to make cookies, I discovered, sadly, that the hand mixer had bitten the dust. Rats! I unplugged it, took out the beaters, put them back in, and tried again. It still didn't work. So, I tried the other side of the outlet, and when that didn't work, I switched to another outlet. Yep, it was completely dead. This was pretty frustrating, however, I did learn that it is possible to cream sugar and butter together by hand. Note, I don't recommend this; it's quite time-consuming and my arm was pretty tired by the time I had completed the cookie dough, stirring in my cocoa powder/flour/salt/baking soda mixture, and then adding the peanut butter baking bits. Honestly, I would have given up on this had I not already poured sugar into the mixing bowl. That meant that the butter couldn't be salvaged for another use, and I was committed to the task at hand.

Somewhere in the midst of this challenge, I started sending text messages with Brett, leading to a whole silly conversation (which I have taken the liberty of editing so that you don't have to deal with all of our spelling and grammatical errors).

Me: (12:31 pm) "I was getting ready to make cookies but hand mixer will not work."
Brett: (12:32 pm) "Is the outlet working?"
Me: (12:33 pm){Wondering if he thinks I'm dumb...} "Tried different outlet. :("
Brett: (12:49 pm) "Guess we'll have to get stand up mixer."
Me: (12:50 pm) {Trying to play it cool, but WHAT?! Is he serious? I've only wanted one since forever!} "I guess so!"
Brett: (12:52 pm) "Don't sound so excited."
Me: (12:52 pm) "Hey, I'm doin' it by hand here, so give me some credit."
Me: (2:17 pm) {It's been a while since I heard from him, so I figure I'd better test the waters to see how serious he is...} "I will need something in the next couple days in order to make your birthday cake!"
Brett: (2:19 pm) "How convenient. I better not come home and find dent marks on the hand mixer from where you 'accidentally' dropped it."
Me: (2:20 pm) "Don't worry... I will cover my tracks."
Brett: (2:21 pm) "Good. Feel free to blame the dog, too."
Me: (2:24 pm) "Actually, I was thinking of those kids who supposedly will get a puppy if that get so many 'likes' on FB. I could try it for 'my hubby needs to buy me a stand mixer!'"
Brett: (2:30 pm) "Kohl's has Kohl's Cash available right now. Buy mixer. Get sheets?"
(We actually just discovered that our sheets have holes in them, so sad, but I guess that is inevitable after almost 12 years of marriage.)
Me: (2:45 pm) "Now you're being sensible. :)"
Brett: (3:01 pm) "When wasn't I being sensible?"

Around 5:00, he called me to say he is at Kohl's and he asked what color stand mixer I wanted. Pretty awesome, but all I could think was, I've got to be at a meeting at church soon! So, I told him, I can't decide without seeing them, and anyway, I need you home NOW! I was pretty surprised by how serious he was about going through with my stand mixer pipe-dream... but I just didn't have the time for it right then. He surprised me further by coming home with $400 worth of Kohl's gift cards that he had bought at Kroger, explaining that they were currently doing extra fuel points with gift card purchases. This is cool and all, but seriously Who are you, and what have you done with my husband? I gave him a kiss (I think!), collected the gift cards, and scooted out the door, all the while wondering, What in the world is going on?

After my meeting was finished at church, I resumed our text messaging.
Me: (7:55 pm) "Done at church. Going to Kohl's."
Brett: (7:57 pm) "Feel free to buy something pretty for yourself."
{Um, yeah... I'm getting a stand mixer! What's going on here, anyway? This is when I came up with assorted scenarios that would explain this uncharacteristic behavior, mainly the okaying of spending money, money, money. Seriously now, Who are you and what have you done with my husband?!}

I tried on the following ideas:

a) Someone has stolen my husband's phone and he/she is having fun messing with my head? {Not likely.}
b) He's being held at gunpoint, and this is his way of sending me a hidden Help! message? {Even less likely.}
c) He has some sort of brain tumor that is applying pressure just so... as to alter his personality? {Gosh, I sure hope not!}
d) He's having a affair, and this is his way of compensating for his guilt? {Highly improbable!}
e) He's feeling super geeked about our upcoming vacation sans children, (To a tropical island! Eeeeeeee!) and is, therefore, feeling generous? {Yes! This MUST be the answer! It's the only thing that makes sense.}

While this interesting turn of events initially threw me a curve ball, I ended up deciding that it doesn't matter why he was giving me the green light. The only thing that mattered was that I was getting my stand mixer! Decision time led to more conversation.

Me: (8:15 pm) "Looks like the least expensive model is only in white."
Brett: (8:17 pm) "My original thought was the $350 model."
Me: (8:18 pm) {That explains the $400 in gift cards. Also, score!} "It is nicer. Do you like cobalt blue or the silver color which looks like our major appliances?
Brett: (8:20 pm) "I see that you're easy to convince. I figured silver to match, but it's your choice."
Me: (8:21 pm) {I am drawn to the blue, but the silver seems more practical.} "It probably has staying power. Plus, it will go with any decor from current to whatever... I will get the chrome then."

And, I almost did pick it up right then to head to the check-out, but I remembered his suggestion to "buy something pretty" for myself and I decided that I should probably ride that train as far as I could. So, naturally, I started in the shoe department. Unfortunately, the two pairs of elegant, metallic, gladiator sandals that I tried out weren't very comfy, which meant they weren't to practical for our upcoming trip. (To a tropical island! Without kids! Eeeeeeeeee!) I did, however, find a cute and comfortable pair of brown sandals that meet my criteria (nothing between the toes and not too high of a heel), and I had truly needed brown sandals, so this was a smart purchase for under $20. Then, I tried on some clothes and came away with a pretty purple sun dress, which fit me perfectly! (It was on clearance. Plus, it's usually hard to find things that are small enough for me. Obviously, it was meant to be!) I also found a fun short-sleeved cardigan in my favorite shade of green, which was also on clearance, and also in my size. Yeah! So exciting, but I knew I needed to head home before I really went overboard. I have been on a spending spree lately with preparations for the trip. (Did I mention it's to a tropical island? Eeeeeeeee!)

At the check-out, I was prepared to spend all of the gift cards and pay the difference with my credit card when the sales clerk told me about their scratch-off special for Kohl's card holders. I had never gotten the Kohl's charge card because we don't make such large purchases that it would be worth it to us. However, she let me scratch one off to see what my savings would be if I did: 15 percent. I realized that would be about $60 in savings, more than what I was spending on my "pretty things for myself," so I went ahead and got the charge card, mentally crossing my fingers that he wouldn't be mad at me. I think he was still surprised when I got home and told him what I had done, but not as surprised as I was to have been making this shopping expedition in the first place. And, how could he argue with saving that much money? I even had money left on one of the gift cards, over $40, in fact. Combine that with the $60 in Kohl's Cash, and we should be able to pick out a nice, quality sheet set to last us our next 12 years. And, if that's not enough wonderful news for one day, just think how much better my baked goods will be now, thanks to my beautiful new metallic chrome KitchenAid mixer!

My Parenting Kryptonite

Just in case you are wondering why I haven't been around as much lately, (not that I have ever been one of those amazing blogger types who posts every day... but I was on a nice roll until just recently) it is because the dreaded stomach flu has hit our house once again. It just seems to keep coming in waves. As soon as I think we are in the clear, and I have tidied and sanitized the house, it rears its ugly head once more and the battle resumes. It's not much of a battle, though. We're always on the losing side of things. As exhausting as this is, I am thankful for one thing: my awesome husband! Thankfully, Brett is much better equipped than I am to deal with the stomach flu. I think that this must be why God gives children two parents, so that one can take over when the other is incapacitated.

I'll spare you the disgusting details of what has transpired off and on over the past couple of weeks and just say that I can deal with most anything parenting dishes out at me, some things better than others, of course. There is one thing, however, that continues to be a disabling weakness for me: vomit. Ugh. I don't even like the word. I try so, so hard to be there for my little ones while they are getting sick, but it's difficult to even be in the same room with someone who is throwing up. Brett actually yelled at me to get out a few nights back while Mia, poor baby, was getting sick. I am all but useless when it comes to cleaning up vomit because I have such a sensitive gag reflex that I very nearly join in with sympathy to their plight.

This, folks, is my "parenting Kryptonite." So, now that you all know my weakness, I hope you will not send any sick children my way. I'd love to help you, but I'll be in the other room.

Best.Weekend.Ever.

I am having a beautiful, blessed weekend. On Friday evening, Mia and I attended our first Mother/Daughter banquet at church. It was so fun to have Mommy/Mia time, and the theme was cupcakes, which we love.

Yesterday was my birthday. I'm 33 in case you are wondering. I would love to tell you I am 29, but I fear that those little "crinkles" (I'm not ready to admit that they are wrinkles...) that have cropped up in the past couple of years will give away my little white lie, so what's the use? To start off my day, I got to sleep in!! Then, Brett made me blueberry pancakes for breakfast. Heaven on a plate. After that, he gave me a super-sweet and amazingly thoughtful gift:

{I am not sure I did it justice, but the shoe is super cute!}

These are some shoes I found at DSW last year... They were so cute and amazingly comfortable, but not so practical, and being a full-time mom meant that I couldn't justify spending the money for something I didn't need. We waited and waited for them to get down to an acceptable sale price. Sadly, they never did and I was bummed at the end of the season when we lost out on the price-is-right-waiting-game. Enter Brett. A couple of months ago he informed me that a box would be arriving from Amazon, and that I was NOT allowed to open it. Do you know how hard it was not peaking into that box on the top shelf of the closet, especially when he told me it was my birthday present? My curiosity was heightened since I have not received a birthday present from him in about 3 years. (Okay, the back story there is he got me a lovely emerald heart shaped necklace on my 28th birthday, which like this year, fell on the day before Mother's Day -- my first Mother's Day. The problem was that the gift caused stress for us because he kept talking about how he shouldn't have spent so much money. However, I can't really wear it much. If you have little ones you know that they love to pull on jewelry. I have lost plenty of costume jewelry to little hands, and I definitely do not want anything to happen to something I will always treasure. I still don't know how much money he spent, and I don't want to know. All I know is that the necklace is beautiful and I love it. So, I think that this is why he has avoided giving me gifts for my birthday and/or Mother's Day since then.) Now, you can imagine my surprise when I found out what the contents of that box were.

I wore my new shoes to church today, and I felt so pretty. (Plus, I was relieved to discover that they continued to be comfy throughout the morning, and I didn't have any problems with my hip. I'm not able to wear heels any more sine it aggravates the bursitis in my hip -- yet another reason I probably can't get away with claiming to still be 29. However, I can apparently get away with wedge sandals. Hooray!) I think that he has resumed gift-giving at the perfect time, when I needed to be reminded that I am not just a mom; I'm a woman, too. And sometimes, moms need pretty things, even if they aren't all that practical. Now, if Logan will just out-grow the pulling phase, I can get back to wearing that emerald necklace.

After getting my fantastically impractical gift, it was time for me to pack up my gear because I headed off for an entire day of scrapbooking -- 8 whole hours to myself to do what I enjoy!! Oh, yeah, I even accomplished a few pages. One or two more sessions, and I should be able to finish the 2011 album. On a side note, while scrapbooking, my parents called to wish me a happy birthday. My mom asked if I felt "older and wiser." I told her, "Well, I definitely fell older, but I'm not sure about wiser." (It turns out that eating the fried chicken at the Mother/Daughter banquet wasn't a wise choice. I haven't had it in years, and there's a reason for that. It doesn't really agree with me, and it has been that way for awhile now. Oh, the joys of getting older. Do you see why I am in a bit of denial?)


Now, all joking about getting older aside, this was the icing on the amazing cake that was my weekend, a sweet hand-made Mother's Day card from a sweet little five year old. Brett must have patiently told her how to spell each word and I am sure it took awhile for Mia to write this message: "DEaR MaMa I HOPE YOU HaVE a HaPPY MOTHERS DaY." (Don't you love the backwards "S" in "Mother's?") The drawing on the left is a self-portrait of Mia walking her stuffed dog, Browna. So cute! 

Mia gave me another Mother's Day card that she made during Sunday School. Okay, this one wasn't really a surprise since I am the Sunday School teacher, but it's nice that she still wanted to make one for me.

Oh, and I almost forgot to mention that Brett got me a Mother's Day present, too. I got $30 in iTunes gift cards. Oh, to splurge on music for myself -- what a foreign concept! I am sure I will love it once I get over the shock and uncertainty. I don't know how many years it has been since I have bought a CD for myself, and the tiny little iPod I own (which I am sure is hopelessly obsolete as it has been sitting in a cupboard for quite awhile) never really got much use. I have never even downloaded my own music before. (Maybe doing so will help me to not feel so old.) Seriously. All the music I listen to is kid-friendly stuff I play in the mini-van while driving kids to and fro. It's either kids' music CD's, Disney soundtracks, or the Christian station, not that there is anything wrong with those. I enjoy them all, but sometimes Mommy misses country music and 80's rock, for example. (Another side note about how old I have apparently become: Do you know that they play 80's music on the oldies stations now? How can it be possible that the music I grew up listening to is now considered "oldies?")

So, now I need to back to my point that I really want to remember: My weekend was fabulous. I received beautiful, thoughtful gifts from my amazing family. But the best gift was the one I gave myself, the gift of some downtime (and not feeling guilty for taking it). I thoroughly enjoyed letting myself relax and celebrating the fact that I am a person, too. I went for a walk in the warm sunshine with my mother-in-law and sister-in-law, and this is the best part: there was no dog tugging on her leash or needing to have her poop cleaned up, there were no children whining that they were too hot/too cold/too tired/too whatever, there was no need to turn around and tell anyone to get his fingers away from the wagon wheels or to sit down or we'll have to go home... It's interesting that I know that I need to get to church each week in order to feel centered once more, but after 5 years of being a parent, I still struggling to understand how important it is to have me time. It really does make such a huge difference. Good thing I happened to have read this blog post recently, aptly titled, "Mommy Is A Person." Sometimes we need gentle reminders. Other times we need to be bombarded with the same message over and over. I think this weekend was cathartic for me in this way because it really helped drive home the message that even though I am all of this stuff to my kids, Mommy is also a person!

The "Suite Life"

Every time Brett sees me working on my blog he wants to know if I am writing about how awesome he is. It seems that it is time to feed his ego. In addition to being a great daddy, he is a pretty awesome husband. I give you the following three examples:

Exhibit A: Over the weekend he took me to IKEA and let me get more of these cups and bowls, and two sets of these plates (which we did not already have, but obviously needed). I am also excited about this play mat that Little Man will be getting for his birthday. (Shhh! I am hoping that he has already forgotten about it since he was with us when we bought it).

Exhibit B: He made dinner on Monday night and washed the dishes. Enough said.

{Even the tickets look classier.}

Exhibit C: (Prepare to really be jealous.) Brett won two tickets to a Tigers' game, in a suite, and he was gracious enough to take me along. Yesterday, we were driven to the stadium, where we parked in the Tiger Parking Garage. I did not even know this existed, but it is obviously much ritzier than paying to park in some crumby parking lot in Detroit and then walking a mile in 90 degree heat! It was through the administrative office, not the main gate, where we entered the ballpark. We even passed through a metal detector instead of a turn-style! Next, we rode in an elevator to the third floor and walked past a souvenir shop that was exclusively for "people like us" as we made our way to the fancy schmancy air-conditioned suite.

I had prepared myself to be blown away by the suite experience and I was not disappointed. Inside was a TV, a computer, one of those high end coffee makers that makes one cup at a time... Never mind that I didn't use any of that stuff. It was there and it was cool!

{The Suite View}

Outside the seats were like regular stadium seats except with padding. There was another smaller TV mounted under the overhang. Oh, yes, it is critical to note that box seats are protected from the sun, something that I was very appreciative on such a toasty day. It sounds silly, but my favorite amenity of the outdoor box seating was the long, narrow tables in front of the seats. They were just right for holding my purse, sunglasses, camera, and of course, food and drinks.

Speaking of food and drinks, who doesn't love free food? This is especially true when it is free stadium food! Our dinner choices were hot dogs and chicken tenders, which were both hot and ready for us when we arrived, complete with all the condiments. I have to say the chicken was tasty, and I was even impressed with their ranch dressing, and I am super picky about ranch dressing. We finished our meal off with plenty of potato chips and sweet treats-- they had brownies and an assortment of big, chewy cookies. I couldn't help but think that we would have spent a small fortune on drinks alone since it was so insanely hot and muggy! We kept heading back to the small refrigerator for one cold beverage after another (Sierra Mist, Pepsi, and bottled water for me; Brett had water, Sierra Mist, and a beer.) Of course with all that drinking, we had to use the facilities, and any ladies reading this will appreciate that the very best part of watching a baseball game from a suite is that it has a private bathroom!

{Please ignore the extra chins. It's the best photo of us.}

For a little while, I got a taste of the "suite life," and I was definitely not disappointed. To top it all off, the Tigers won 8-3. It was a fantastic night out in the "D" with my awesome husband.