Raffle Tickets, Fees & No Sucking

One of those mornings again.
I washed the whites, pulled them out to put them in the dryer, only to discover I no longer have white clothes. I have Pink clothes. With bright pink spots all over them. ERRRGGGG!
Apparently, when we went to the kids school the other night for Pizza Night and a raffle drawing, the 50 omg yes I said 50 raffle tickets were still in the pocket of my white shorts. You know the kind, you fill out one ticket, then separate them, so you have a copy of your number? I had put all the losing they all were losing tickets in my pocket. I even told myself to remember to take them out.
I didn't.
Now my shorts are pink with pink splotches. Hubbys socks are pink. Hubbys underwear is pink. And they are not only just pinkish, but where the tickets stuck on the clothes, there are bright pink spots. So pink with bright pink polka dots.
I am currently rewashing them in lots of bleach. I also divided the loads into 3 smaller loads, so that they get more bleach and baking soda on them.
What a Great thing to do on Earth Day! 3 extra loads of laundry!

In other news, my 18 year old just texted me.
"Mom, yearbooks are on sale till tomorrow for only $75. Next week they go up to $90."
So I am expected to pull $75 out of my wallet by tomorrow. Only problem is my wallet doesn't have $75 in it. It doesn't even have $1 in it. But if I don't find a way to magically make it appear, then after tomorrow I will have to find not only $75 but $15 eXtra dollars.
Senior year is seriously breaking the bank.
Prom dress was $324. Prom tickets are $90.
Senior Fees for all the little things like Senior Picnic, and Senior Ditch Day, and Senior Dinner, and Senior Whatever the Hell Else, have added up to over several hundred dollars.
Not to mention Cap and Gown and Class Ring and Graduation Announcements, and a Graduation Party since her dads entire family is flying out for it.
Plus fees because she is in a Culinary Class and when she makes a recipe for a grade, you have to make it for 25 kids.
ACT costs $40. And she took it twice because she wasn't happy with her first grade. She didn't fail, but she didn't do well enough to qualify for the scholarship she wanted.
Are you getting the picture here?
She drives now, so there is the new added cost of gas.
I think someone will be getting a Summer Job as soon as school is out.

Oh, and my vacuum is NOT sucking. I vacuum alot and for years I bought cheap vacuums, and then I get disappointed when they don't pick up all the dirt and sand that we drag in. Plus they spew out more dust than what I think they are picking up. I toss them after a year or two, and go buy another cheap one.
Last year, I was using yet another cheap one, and it was spewing so much dust that my oldest son was coughing. He has asthma as it is, and that can NOT be good for him.
I got online and spent hours and hours researching types of GOOD expensive vacuums.
I finally decided on Dyson. A Dyson Animal since we have cats.
When it arrived we vacuumed the living room with our old one really well. Then we vacuumed over it with the new Dyson. OMG! The canister filled up more than a quarter full! EWWW! I had been letting my kids crawl around in all that sand and dirt and put their toys down on it and pick them up and put them in their mouths?
I immediately fell in love with the Dyson.
I babied it. I never let the canister get too full. I even vacuum my vacuum. What? I take Hubbys Shop Vac and blow out all the extra dust and dirt that accumulate on the inside of the vacuum. I do this 2 or 3 times a month. My Dyson is probably the cleanest vacuum that anyone has.
Yet its broke now. Why? Well, because of its wonderful strong suction, sometimes I accidentally vacuum up things I don't mean to. Like kids' toys when I am using the hose and running it along the underside of the couch, toys that I didn't even know were under the couch will coming flying
right into before I can stop it. Thats what happened last time I vacuumed. Something flew in there, I don't even know what kind of scary huh? I knew immediately because the vacuum stopped sucking.
I had Hubby take it apart and look for the clog. Couldn't find it. So he took more of it apart. Couldn't find it. I mean theres only so many places for this thing to go right? Apparently not.
He put it back together and said ok, it works.
Nope.
I can't even get it to pick up a hairball.
So, Hubby is going to have to take it all apart even further, did I mention he is out of town for 2 days? or I am going to have to send it to Dyson for them to figure out where the clog is.
Which means, I have NO vacuum right now!
I hate dirty floors.
With 7 of us, the floors get dirty in just one day. It has been 4 days.
Alot of the house is tile, but I have a large area rug in the family room. I may just roll it up and
take it outside. I'd rather them play on clean tile than dirty rugs.

Boy is this a post of complaints or what?

Sorry about that. I will have to try and find something happy today to counter the negative.

Poached Egg Salad!!! I Mean Exercise

I am trying to get healthier. I actually bought a treadmill last week. On Craigslist of course, because there is no way that I am paying full price for something I should use, but know myself and may not.
Geez thats so bad. I know I need to start walking more. Living here, it gets way too hot in the summer to walk or jog. A treadmill makes perfect sense. I can watch Rachael Ray that I DVR'd earlier, and walk the entire show. 45 mins!
I should be doing that right now instead of sitting here blogging about how I should be exercising. But I just ate a big salad for breakfast. Yes, breakfast. It had poached eggs on it, so it can be considered breakfast. I put tons of stuff on my salad. Romaine lettuce, freshly shredded carrots, radish, onion, green scallions, tomato, cucumber, chopped mushrooms, fresh basil, rosemary, parsley, my homemade mustard vinegrette dressing, and 2 poached eggs. Which by the way, I have totally perfected! Now that I know the secret of adding a splash of vinegar and swirling it before putting the egg in it, I have beautiful poached eggs.
Oh wait, this post was supposed to be about me exercising wasnt it?
Well, after all that big salad, I am too full to go for a 2 or 3 mile walk right now.
Give me, oh, half an hour? An hour?
I will do it.
I did it yesterday! I walked/jogged 1 mile. Woohoo!
I know, oh boy, 1 whole mile. You go girl. But since it was the first time in 4 long months that I have done that, it felt good. I only burned 127 calories tho. Thats probably the amount of calories in my little bit of vinegrette, and the eggs are what? 80 calories each? So I wont even burn off what I just ate, if I go only 1 mile. I will try today for the entire time that RR is on. Except for the commercials of course since I FF thru them.
But the whole point is I am starting up again! Yay me! I deserve to feel good AND look good.
I just have to get up off my bum so I CAN look and feel good.
I will...
Soon...
Half an Hour.
One hour at most.
After my nap that I am going to take now.
Really! I will exercise today.

No Tooth, Just Cat Pee and Deep Breaths

Today has already been one of those days where you just think, 'already? Its only 10am!'

My youngest son swallowed his very first loose tooth this morning during breakfast. He doesn't even get the joy of hiding it under his pillow for Miss ToothFairy to visit. Of course she still will because we told him that once a tooth comes out she automatically knows. We will write her a note so she knows why she wont be able to take his tooth home. He liked that idea, and yes, he has a whole mouthful of future teeth to hide. I'm bummed about it because it was his first tooth! Silly, I know. But I secretly keep my kids baby teeth in a little plastic tooth. I guess I am feeling it as my loss. Must be a 'mommy' thing. I will just have to suck it up and be as OK with it as he is.

The other thing that happened, school called at 9am and my oldest son was having breathing issues. So we had to rush up to the school and pick him up. Brought him home to give him a treatment only to realize that the breathing machine was in our car, that our oldest has at her school. We should know better than to leave that in there. But, we have a bad excuse I know, we stayed at a hotel over spring break, brought the machine with us, and then proceeded to leave it in the trunk. So son is struggling to breathe and we are driving over to the school to get the machine. Then rushing back to give him his treatment.

After his treatment, he feels so much better Thank you! I walked into my living room and immediately knew it smelled bad. One of our 4 cats I am sure I know which one but can't prove it since you cant beat all 4 PEED on our couch. Cat PEE! That has got to be one of the worst smelling things and also the most hardest to clean up. Plus, no matter how much enzyme spray I use, I will forever get a whiff of it.
I love those cats, but really really dislike when they do this. And why?? Hubby cleaned all 3 boxes last night. He cleans them every day to every other day. There is NO reason at all for them to do this. Except that I think one is mad because I do not let him outside. He got out several times and now he thinks he should be an outdoor mouse, lizard killer cat. He is neutered and all, but still thinks the big outdoor world is better than our house. He is declawed so he can't protect himself if he needed to. But if he keeps this up, see I am really thinking it is him I might just kick him out. I refuse to live in a house full of cat pee smell! YUCK!

See, its only 10am and I have already had enough stress to last me the rest of the day.
But I know better than to say "what else could happen" because I know there are plenty that of bad things that could still happen.

So I am going to finally make some tea and eat some breakfast read the paper and keep an eye on my son.

Today WILL get better. I'm an optimist!

A post of stupid people and delicious food

So my week was so full! Full of what? Full of Not Much topped with Nothing Much.

It was a difficult week. A stupid family crisis that never even needed to happen, let alone turn into a crisis. But for the most part it is over and things can begin to settle down for a few months. I say a few months, because then the crisis will start over, only this time, I hope, that my family lets me be able to say what hubby and I have to say our way, and that my #$%!& parents stay the #%^&* out of it. Like they should of done in the first place.
But whatever, they made their beds and now they can sleep in them.

Ok, enough about stupid people and stupid stuff.

I have been trying to do more exciting culinary things. I wish my kitchen was bigger like it was in AZ. My kitchen, in the home we still own tho we live 2300 miles from it, was so big and nice. Not gourmet, but lots of counter space, a center island, and a pot rack that my so ingenious hubby created and built by himself, leaving me with even more room in my cabinets. This kitchen in this house is small. Its funny because this house is 600+ sq ft bigger, but smaller pathetic kitchen. I barely have room to chop several items at once.
So anyway, I have been on a cooking adventure the last few years. 12 years ago, you would of called me the TAKE OUT QUEEN. Or the boil a hotdog and Mac N Cheese. Then I started dating my hubby and I dont know, somehow the whole 'the way to his stomach is thru food' thing came into play. First I started with boxed ewww god that turns my stomach today
foods like Hamburger Helper. After awhile I got more comfortable, and moved on to a more Sandra Lee style of cooking. Lots of processed foods, but with a touch of homemade.
After moving out here, and no longer working, I found a blog in which the writer makes things from scratch. She also talks about how much junk processed food has. The more I read, and then researched, the more I realized how much garbage is actually out there, and I HAD BEEN FEEDING MY KIDS IT!
I embarked on a new method. No more boxes, no more canned soups, no more canned veggies, no more canola oil, no more red dye#40, no more msg. You are getting the picture right?
Its been a work in progress. You cant just throw it all away in your head and start anew. But the last few years, I have been cleaning out my head attic and slowly but surely its becoming a place where I can put new ideas.
As I grow more comfortable in my abilities and techniques, I am ready for bigger challenges.
So my goal each week is to create, and by create, I really mean copy and change to suit families tastes new and more complex healthier meals for my family.
Last night was roasted garlic roasted eggplant pasta. It was soo scrumptious. And not technically difficult, just different for us. My kids loved it. Hubby unfortunately saw the ingredients, and with him its a I see Veggies Ewww kind of thing, and anytime he thinks theres something in it he wont like, no matter how good it is, he puts up a wall.
Oh well, WE all knew it was good!
So, on to more fun, healthy and hopefully tasty meals for my family.

And all others be damned! I mean that in the most sincerest way too.

Oh So Stuffed

Stuffed to the max today!
Our power went out. The "powers that be" around here are not very good at keeping the power going for some reason.
Since hubby and I had to go out anyway, we went out to lunch.
A new Chinese place opened near our grocery store, so we decided to check it out.
We walk in, and there are 3 others there. The waitress takes us to our seat then asks for our drink orders.
Hot tea for me, water with lemon for hubby, and sprite for the littlest one.
Then she leaves, comes back with our drinks and leaves again.
Wheres the menu? so after sitting there for a min just staring at each other we finally see the waitress again.
'umm, can we have a menu please?'
she says ok, goes and gets us one,
then leaves, but as she walks away she goes, 'this is also a buffet'.
Oh.
We didnt know that because the buffet is not out in the middle or really noticable.
duh.
we look stupid.
oh well.
We decide on the buffet.
Oh man, WHY????
I LOVE buffets. toooooooo much.
I get a taste of everything. And I mean e.v.e.r.y.t.h.i.n.g.
Hubby gets all his fav and tries a few new items.
Everything was delicious.
I ate most of my plate, then went back for seconds on my favs.
Oh man. Stuffed am I!
THEN I went grocery shopping.
Ugh. Walking around a grocery store when your belly is hanging over your pants and you feel so bloated like a bowling ball with legs, is never a good idea.
I never buy much of anything when I am full and shopping.
I bought all that was on my list, because thank god I had made a dinner list this morning.
but I bought nothing else. Nothing FUN for us to snack on, or for desserts.
Yet somehow I still spent 250. how the heck does that happen?
One shopping cart and 35 in coupons, plus the on sale items I saved 108. Yet spent 250.
Our grocery store is way to expensive. Milk for crying out loud is 3.09!
In my old state of AZ it is 1.69. Usually on sale for 2 for 3. Everything here is just so much more.
Refried beans are 2. At home they are .99. those are just 2 items that I always buy as staples, so I defintely know the cost.
So now I am broke and stuffed. but I need to fix the kids dinner.
Tonight is smoked sausage, fried aspargus, and carmalized onion and mushroom orzo.
I bet it will taste wonderful when I am unstuffed at 10pm.

Lazy Sunday

There are things that need to be done. I need to do laundry. I need to go grocery shopping. I need to pick up the house and probably vacuum it.
Will I do those needs?
Yes, but maybe not today.
In fact, probably not today.
In truth, Nope. Wont get done.
Today is Sunday. Today is a lazy day. Im entitled right?
I am so lazy today that I had my wonderful saint hubby take our 6 year old son to a birthday party for his girlfriend. Yes, I said GIRL friend. My 6 year old son and this girl are the best of buddies. When I pick my kids up from the busstop in the afternoon, he and Girlfriend stare and wave at each other until they physically can no longer see one another. The father of this Girl looks at my son like "If you were older than six, I would so kick your ass for looking at my daughter in that way." To which I think, "If your daughter was older I would so smack her across her face for giving my son that 'come hither' look." Of course neither of us would ever do such a thing, but it does cross our minds.
Its crazy, once your children were these little beings who only had eyes for you. Now they are starting to realize that Mommy and Daddy are not the only people in the world. Although they are still way too young to realize that someday they will be looking for mates to grow old with that will not be Mommy or Daddy, you as a parent can see that glimmer, having lived thru it yourself.
As much as Hubby and I want to take our son, and cover his eyes and pretend that the entire world is still all about Mommy and Daddy, Hubby took him shopping for an HOUR yesterday for a girl toy for a 6 year old, when neither of them had any real idea of what to buy. My advice, anything DOLL like and you'd be just fine. Then son and Mommy woke up early, I got him dressed in nice clothes, teeth brushed, hair combed, while Daddy woke up early, put on his clothes and a hat so lucky, and got in the car to drive him to the party.
Then in 2 hours one of us Daddy will get back in the car and pick him up.
We will see the sparkle in his eyes, having spent his morning with his favorite girl next to Mommy of course.
The rest of the day will be spent lounging on the couches, checking facebook, and watching the Masters on Golf. We will be rooting for the guys in our golf pool, and of course Phil Mickelson, a home town fav, while also watching Tiger, and marveling at how despite the fact you can completely screw up something so good, you can make a come back, and grow into a stronger, wiser if you are Wiser because you learned a lesson person.
I will ponder on what to cook for dinner all day. Having made homemade spaghetti two nights ago, and Hamburger Mac n Cheese homemade of course because I hate processed food last night, I do not want a heavy pasta dish tonight. But, since I am too lazy today to go to the store, I will use ingredients I have on hand. Will it be a baked crispy garlic chicken dinner? Or a chinese beef, ginger noodle dinner? Or pork chops with baked apples? Oh the choices. And I will not decide until its late, because thats how I am sometimes. Especially on lazy Sundays.
I love that this is my life, and my choices, and not a single person in my house will care that the laundry is still sitting in the laundry basket, or that the floors are not vacuumed.
I will let my other son play the Wii. And my niece play with her dollies. We will hang out and just enjoy the simple fact that we can just simply hangout.
And that will be my day.
Yours?

Me Me Me

This is ME:
House Wife Yes, But so much more....
Wife, Lover, Fantasizer, Best Friend, Mom, Maid, Teacher, Friend, Stylist, Listener, Talker, Smiler, Frowner, Cooker, Smart, Gullible, Energizer, Lazy, Planner, Disorganizer, Organizer, Grower, Rider, Driver, Noncomplainer, Complainer, Writer, Thinker, Over Thinker, Whiner, Sulker, Giggler, Silly, Tattooed, Pierced, Funky, Boring, Giver, Taker, Decorater, Painter, Artist, Conformist, Liberalist, Independent, Dependent, Happy, Resilent, Survivor, NASCAR Follower, Non Sport Player, Exerciser, NonExeciser, Agreer, Disagreer, Daydreamer, Realist, Alive.
And probably lots of other things I simply can not think of this moment. But I can always add to the list as I realize them.

I love my hubby. I love being a mom.

I'm not Perfect. He's not Perfect. Our kids aren't Perfect. Our home isn't Perfect. Our lives aren't Perfect.

And thats Perfectly fine.

Life is what you make it. Life is about living it. To its fullest.