Miss M and Her New “Buddy”

We were house-sitting/dog-sitting for some friends last week. Madeleine loves their dog. He may be 5 times as big as she is, but she adores him. He is the nicest, most mellow, patient, awesome dog. He’d let her get right up in his face, chase him around the house, follow him absolutely everywhere, try to feed him fruit snacks and god knows what else, and just overall harass the holy crap out of the poor dog. She loved giving him his treats at night, hated leaving the house because he couldn’t go with her, and she talked about him all the time. In the mornings, when I would get her out of bed, the first thing she would say is, “I want Buddy.” Five days after we’ve been home, it’s still the first thing she says in the mornings. And often, the last thing she says at night. It’s beyond adorable.

Pancakes

This kid. She loves her some pancakes.

The picture isn't recent. No, it's back from when she used to actually eat her pancakes. She used to eat 6 mini-pancakes on the way to day care in the mornings. Now she takes maybe 3 bites. She's just too tired.

I'm not really sure where she learned it, but when she eats things - like mini-pancakes - she has to stack them on top of each other. She won't eat them one at a time and they have to be stacked exactly even (yes, she throws them down and throws a fit until her bite marks are exactly lined up in each piece). Usually it's just 2 or 3 at a time. However, as you can see in the picture, every once in a while she gets really over-zealous about her pancakes and stacks them all together and tries to eat them that way. But then... the bite marks get out of whack and she has to put them all down and start over.

Project Say Something: Just a Small Gesture

"You have the chance to cure the world of Cancer or AIDS or stop the violence in Africa or Israel/Palestine...which would you choose, and why?"
Cancer.

No matter what you do, no matter what precautions you take, cancer can still sneak up on you and kick your ass. No matter who you are or where you are. There is no preventing, no predicting, no choice you make will impact the outcome. (Of course, you can choose to help it along – smoking, tanning – but for the most part, you won’t have a clue.)

My answer surprises me actually. I have always had a form of compassion for the AIDS epidemic, it has quite an effect on my emotions and my heart goes out to anyone who is a victim of it. And women and children of war – I can’t even begin to go into the emotions there. And of course they can’t help where they are, they didn’t choose it. But other humans did. Cancer picks its victims so blindly. It closes its eyes and points, “you, you and well… maybe not you, but oh yes, definitely you.” I guess I always feel better when there are “reasons” for things. Diseases that have no reason are the most difficult to bear. So I choose cancer.

Project Say Something: My Trip in the TARDIS

You've been given the chance to take one trip through time - backward or forward. Where do you go, what do you do, and of course, why?

There are two ways I should answer this question.

The first:
I would travel back in time and somehow change the stupid-ass decisions I made that I am still paying for today. But I am pretty sure that would Marty McFly my baby and I just don’t feel like doing that. I kinda worship her.

The second:
I HATE surprises. I read spoilers to all my TV shows. I often read the last page of a book. I hate getting gifts without knowing in advance what they are. So, naturally, I would want to fast-forward to see what happens for me/my kids/my grandkids in the future. But I don’t think I could come back and live now knowing what the actual future-that-matters holds. No, not a matter of think, I couldn’t.

Just the other day, I posted that if I could go back in time, I'd undo this job decision I made. Still tempting, but not my answer.

So my answer, if I could take one trip through time, I would go to 18th Century France and steal me some dresses!

*Don’t know what the TARDIS is?? Well, you’re missing out!

The Life and Times of Someone Losing her Ever-Loving Mind

Hi. Wondering where I’ve been the last few weeks? Why the posting has gone down the drain and there are no pictures to get you through your day? Well – let me sum it up for you….

I get up at 5:30. At 6:30, I get in my car and head for work. On good days, two hours later, I get there. On not so good days (which seems to be most days lately), it’s closer to 3 hours (or more! GASP!). Then I work – for real (not like the last 4 years) – for 9ish hours. Then anytime between 5:30 and 7, I get to head home. Luckily that drive is two hours. I have dinner, I clean up dinner, I put the child to bed and then guess what? Yep. I go to bed. By 9:30.

I know. I’ve done lost my mind.

I am a night person. I have never, ever been a morning person. 8 AM is too early for me. So 5:30? I hyperventilate just thinking about it. Going to bed before midnight is painful. I’m the most alert and productive and creative at night. Now I go to bed early and I get up early and my brain is mush because of it. So once I get a little more used to this crazy life that is now mine, I might be able to get you a few more posts and some more pictures – cuz really? What *does* my kid look like now? I couldn’t even answer that myself – given I hardly see her anymore.

Project Say Something: Nothing Like Typing up This One While I am Sitting Here Starving

Okay. I cannot put off answering this question any longer. I get stumped and my brain can’t move forward with anything else until I finish it. I have put off answering it because every time I have the chance to answer it, I’m not at home and of course, all of my recipes are at home. So: Last week’s question (nothing like being way behind, eh?)…

What is your favorite home cooked meal/why... and what is your favorite recipe (please include it).

My favorite home-cooked meal would be Dan’s steak. Some friends call it the orgasma-steak and while I don’t know that I would go that far, it’s really damn good. I don’t know what he does to it, it never turns out the same way twice. But the common themes are: filet minon, Montreal steak seasoning, red wine, blue cheese, bacon, and other things I am sure I am forgetting since he hasn’t made it in AGES. That paired with bacon-wrapped asparagus and whatever potatoes he chooses to make – yum. (Orgasma-steak? More like heart attack on a plate now that I think about it.) The number one reason it’s my favorite meal? It means I didn’t have to make dinner.

Project Say Something: The Good, the Bad and the Enabler

In the story of your life, who plays The Hero, The Villain and The Trusty Sidekick?

I knew my answer to this question the second I read it. Why it’s taken me a week and a half to actually type it up, I have no idea… (Well, yes, I do. Starting a new job is a bit nerve-wracking and distracting.)

I’ve spent that time explaining to Dan that HE is my villain. And it may be a surprise to some, but that’s just not true. Nope. He’s actual the hero of the story if you can believe that. The uber-villain would be - well - me. I am a professional self-saboteur, an expert in complicating absolutely everything, and quite talented at being completely crazy most of the time. “You are your own worst enemy?” I take that to an extreme. He talks me down, he rationalizes me, he reminds me that I am just kind of a dork who really needs to CHILL. There are days when I can barely function because of some stupid commotion going on in my brain and all he has to do is talk to me (or look at me like I really am the biggest idiot in all the land) and everything settles down. He keeps me grounded.

The trusty side-kick in my craziness? That would be my sister. No question. I can count on her for anything and everything and she’s always along for the ride. And boy, do I make it a loopy one for her. Though she did literally save my life once, so maybe *she* should be the hero of my story?

Random Blurbs #9

I am sure I have mentioned at least a million times how much I love Heather over at OMSH. How I think she is an amazing writer and an amazing mother. She says things I think - but coming from her, they actually make sense and they even sound good! Her post today was no exception. And yet again, it was something I really needed today. Go check it out, it will make you feel good too!

Ripping Out and Stomping All Over my Poor, Little, Sensitive Heart

I would take back every time I ever complained about being stuck with my child, about wanting "just 5 minutes," about Dan not just dealing with her. Every single time. I really would. If it meant I could go back to a month and a half ago and say, "No. Thank you. I'm just not interested."

This is going to take some getting used to.