I am not a huge football fan but my hubby is totally into it. So much so that when football season is here I generally am what I call a “football widow”. My hubby has decided that this Sunday would be Black Sunday. This Sunday is the Super Bowl. In Denver it is a time for mourning. To commemorate the day we are all wearing black.
Ok so our team choked in the playoff game at home. We had such hope. So yes Ben and Sydney hubby still has not recovered from the huge loss. He’s thinking about going on meds to deal with his depression!! (snicker) (I also find it funny that when I spell checked it picked up meds and wanted me to insert meads)

I was talking with my sister (she’s a nurse) yesterday telling her about my friend that just had surgery. Gravity was going its thing (after having two children) and her bladder fell off her inner lining. She was turning septic. They did emergency surgery last week. When she came out of that surgery she explained that she was extremely sore. They had done all the repair vaginally, yet she was hurting like everything.
She explained that she was afraid to look and see what was wrong. She also hurt too bad to bend over. She asked (with a blush) if I would look. I did not think twice about it. As I looked I almost felt sick. She was so black and blue…let me rephrase…she was so black it looked as if everything would just die and fall off. Granted I did not tell her this but I confirmed that she did indeed get stitches and she was bruised worse than I’ve personally ever seen.
As I was explaining this to my sister she got this strange expression on her face. She gawked and told me she was shocked I looked “under the hood” per say of another lady, much less a friend. I got to thinking about that. With the line of work I want to do I will be doing a lot of “looking under the hood”. The fact that I did not even flinch when she asked showed me that medically I will not be nervous or squeemish. Honestly, that was a relief.

It’s always wonderful to be a part of something creative! When Sydney was here she made me a gift of a lovely bag. I love it. It fits me to perfection. When I explained that I felt she could sell them she thought I was crazy. I knew I wasn’t crazy. Since carrying my bag I have had numerous women ask where I got it. When I explain that a friend made it they can’t believe it.
Through the weekend we kept talking about the possibility of her going into business for herself. I kept pushing the fact that she does beautiful work. (I should know because my mother was and is a master seamstress/tailor) I started brainstorming about what it could be called and how she could go about marketing these bags. I asked her to make me a few so that I could put them out at a MOPS function. She did it.
As of yesterday she is officially in business. The name of the company is Playfully Chic (I had a brain storm at midnight!) She started selling her bags and I am officially spreading the word. She now has 7 that she is sending me. WOO HOO!
If you get a chance pop by and see what she has done. Let her honestly know what you think. Some of the pictures do not do the bags justice but we all know how that goes!
It is fun to be a part of something that has so much potential!

Played a competitive game of volleyball last night. “The old gray mare she ain’t what she use to be” is all I have to say about that!

Looking in our back yard we still have about 6 inches ofsnow. We had that storm last week but yet my back yard (because of the way it faces and we are on the downside of the mountain) still has snow. The kids like tromping through it but now because it has been a week it has a crust on the top of it.
This year has been strange weather wise. We have not had any snow up to this point on our little mountain. We have had beautiful weather averaging in the 50’s. Last week when Ben and Sydney were here we were having 70 degree weather and then they left and voila it was cold.
The children have decided that making snow angels in the crusted snow is no fun. The dog thinks she can walk on water because she doesn’t sink into it like the fresh snow. She struts around like the queen of the hill. Crazy dog.
I still can’t get the layer of ice off our driveway.
I was walking down the driveway (which is very steep) carrying a load of dishes for the teacher’s snack day and of course found an icy patch. Just call me Grace. I hit the ground with such force but did not spill the trays. Figure that one out. I have no clue!
I am babbling this morning. I am still not quite awake. I haven’t had coffee. We have my goddaughter staying with us for a few days…may be weeks who knows. I have to take her across town to get to school. bleck. Yep see what I’m like early in the morning?!

“What were you B.C.?” That was a question posed by a new acquaintance. What was I B.C.? I kind of thought she was a little weird then she explained. “What were you Before Children?” As I thought about that question I vaguely remembered who I was before children.
Before children I worked in a bank. I did debt counseling and financial planning. My last students graduated 3 years ago and became debt free. (after being 120,000 in debt and that was not including their house) It’s kind of strange to think about what I did before in relation to what I do now! At this same time I had my own small catering company. I loved it. It kept me busy at least one if not two weekends a month. Before that I worked in a bond house placing trades on the exchange and assisting the brokers. If I go further into the recess of my brain I remember that before that I was in a rock band. I played keyboards and did back up vocals for a heavy metal band. We did not do a ton of traveling but we played in local bars. I enjoyed that outlet.
Whether you have children, in hopes of having children one day or children have been a huge part of your life there is a B.C. It is just kind of funny to think about who and what you were before the responsibility of a child.

I have always suffered with ohmandoIhavetodothelaundrytoday. If there is one chore I hate the most it is laundry. Give me the toilets, the poopy pants, the tub, even rubbing feet (just put in there for Laura’s enjoyment!!) …etc but please don’t give me laundry.
About a month ago I was given a laundry tip that has changed the way I view and do laundry. I have bins that I separate laundry into. One of my biggest problems is putting it away. It is a total mental thing I know. (or is that that I know I am mental!) Anywhoo this tip saved my husband’s sanity! Are you ready for it!!

#1 Only do a person a day. Divide the laundry into individuals and then towels. Dividing laundry by people makes it easier to take the basket into one room and put it away.
#2 After that person is done for the day and put away…walk away and don’t look back
#3 Don’t feel guilty that you only did two loads.
#4 Have the children put away their own clothes (of course little man has my help)

Talk about freedom. How something so simple freed me I have no idea but I am one caught up laundress! WOO HOO!

I think the one thing I struggle with on a daily basis with my children is being consistent. Consistency takes a lot of patience. Quite frankly there are days when the last boat has left with all my patience aboard and it’s only 9:00 am. That ragged edge between sanity and insanity frays just a bit more with every moment that passes.
My mother told me before having children she could handle circumstance that came her way with little difficulty. When she became a mother the choices that she made directly influenced us. Her ragged edge became vulnerable. Let me tell you what…I liked to walk that ragged edge as a teenager. I do not know why but I enjoyed seeing my parents slightly ruffled. Now as a parent, not such a good thing!
Being consistent takes effort and time. When I am cleaning the house it seems as if I become a Drill Sargent trying to get everyone to do their part. Keeping their chores and responsibilities a daily thing drives me crazy because life gets in the way. Making sure homework, piano, school responsibilities, cleaning their room,…etc gets done feel sometimes like I am in a rat race. Although I do tend to err on the side of being almost militant at times. That loving compassionate side of me fades away into the woodwork and this person that I do not recognize comes out full force.
If I am to do one thing this year it is to try to have a balance between consistency and life. I want my love for them to pour out of me. Also I want that loving person that isn’t on the ragged edge to be more consistent as well. That is my hope for the year to come.

The great debate has started. We have this conversation when our children hit 3 1/2. Do we do a preschool program or do we just hang out another year here at home and I teach him. Hubby is of the mind set that no matter the child, at 4 they should go to school. I am not fully convinced. We did it with Hula Girl because I needed to go back to work. This time that is not the case. Plus he’s a boy. I feel that he will not be ready for school every day all day. I feel one more year and both of us will be ready.
See….he’s my baby. He’s my last. I want to hold on to him just a little longer. Plus when he goes to school I will be pursuing my career and going to school full time. This scares me just a little. I don’t know why but it does. May be it’s because I am afraid to fail. I never finished college before why would I now all of these years later? I want to. I am fearful to make the choice of putting school before my children. I have not had to do that. It is a strange thing. May be it’s just cold feet.

Mr. Spam man, bring me a dream
Get off my blog and never be seen
You’re making me crazy and I’ve been bummin’
Letting you know lonesome nights are comin’

Spam man, I’m not alone
I have my family to call my own,
So turn on your magic please
Mr. Spam man, give me my dream

Mr. Spam Man keep my site clean
Don’t need Viagra or Tetracycline
Put your ads where the sun doesn’t shine
Quit littering my blog with your unwanted lines

Spam man, I’m not alone
I have my family to call my own,
So turn on your magic please
Mr. Spam man, (big finish now!!!!!!!) GIVE ME MY DREAM!!!!!!!!!

Normally I am not this aggressive with words but 200 spams in a day! (and yes I do have spam control even though you wouldn’t know it!) Only so much a girl can keep up with!