PMS Junction

So, I work with like 800 other women. 

Ok..that may be exaggerating..it only feels like that sometimes. In reality its about 50? women and like 6 men. 8 if you count the IT guys. 

I am not sure how we don't all pms at the same time. I see many of them almost more than I see my husband, you'd think we'd all be nuts the same week every month. That whole syncing thing...its real people. 

They all seem to be able to handle their mood swings just fine. I don't ever hear an annoyed tone in their voice. Maybe I'm the only one with mood swings? I mean, I am a pretty emotional person as it is...so why wouldn't I have crazy swings? If we ever have a girl, I should probably just stay away from other humans. Extra estrogen? Awesome. 

Last month I was so crazy I started to cry and Thane had had enough of my day and my stomping around and goes "WHAT is wrong!?" "I doonnn't knoooooooooooooow!" 

No. I'm not pregnant. Seriously. Just crazy hormonal apparently. Oiy. 

I wear my emotions on my face in general. 

The biggest compliment a coworker once gave me was that she knew inside I was fuming, beyond fuming..about to lose it, but she said she couldn't tell. I kept my cool on the outside while inside I was throwing snarky comment after snarky comment. I'm pretty proud of that moment. Maybe I am making baby steps towards becoming a more rational thinker/reactor? Slowly I'm becoming a real grown up!

 I am an emotional thinker. This is important to know if you work with me...or if you are within like 30 feet of me. 

If I'm stressed out..give me time. Don't throw things at me. 

If you make me mad...walk away before I lash out. I tend to say..no snap..something and then think obsess about it later. 

If you change my plans last minute...tell me and then walk away and let me process them. These tips will make us get along better. 

I am almost 30. Ohmygod..I just typed that. Sigh..I AM 30. I should have this shit under control by now.

So anyways, fair warning for tomorrow. I'm in bitch mode. I can't help it. 

I'm not pregnant Lindsay. 

S50 to last....

for two weeks.

I posted that Thane and I are each getting $50 every two weeks to spend on whatever we want.

So today, 2 days after I got my $50...I have $24 $23 left. I forgot I got a Dt Pepsi today.

Thane....well he has $49.

He is going to have such an easier time with this than me.

Although, this budget saved us money and me calories today!

 I went to the gas station on the way to get Parker and I hadn't had breakfast or lunch yet so I was drawn to the deli area. I looked at all the sandwiches and thought, "2.99? I need to print like 6 pictures and buy cardstock yet...I think I'll pass."

Sadly, I didn't think "$2.99 or 299 calories?" That should be my mentality..buuuut it's not.  Yet.

I should really get back on track with that though. Starting with ya know...digging my gym bag out of my closet before I go to bed. I'm kind of wrapped up in the Ghost Whisperer though...

Resolution 2015

It's that time of year again. 

Resolutions. 

How can I make myself a better person? How can I make this the best year yet? What can I do to make my family's life better?

So here it is: Take control of our finances and own them. Don't let them own us. AND pay off a student loan. Just one of them. Just one. 

I am so sick of being stressed out because I don't know where all our money goes. and then Thane is all like..Have you SEEN our account?!?! Ugggh. Yes dear I have. Don't remind me. 

I'm sick of that. 

This is the 3rd time I have tried to figure our money life out...and I think I finally got it. 

The other night I stayed up til 1:30. Yes...1:30, but that is because it took 2 hours to put Parker down. Anyways, I stayed up til 1:30 figuring out our financial life and making our Family Budget Binder. 

It sucked.

I looked up ALL my loans. That sucked.

I wrote down all our bill on a calendar and when they are due. That sucked.

I wrote down our pay days and how much we roughly make. That sucked. 

I discovered that all we need to do to get in control of our bill is....win the lottery. 

Then I stopped daydreaming and found a handy sheet off of Pinterest to keep track of all our money in each account. We have a few accounts, and money in each for several different things. I had been keeping track of deposits on a piece of notebook paper, but if you know me...that was super annoying and not pretty enough. So I paid $2 to download this:

I'm sure you could easily make this, and not pay $2, but at 12:45am I didn't want to. If you like this you can find it here: Bill Tracker

I also decided that I need to keep track of our doctor visit bill this year so when it comes time to do my FLEX spending for next year I have a better idea of what we spend. So I found this:

Which you can find here: Dr Visits

I then dug through all my college crap resources and found some old binder dividers and set up my binder. I love binders. They make me happy.

I think I will put us on an allowance. $50 every 2 weeks. I haven't run that one by Thane yet. I'm sure he will be thrilled. 

So I know it's just a binder full of our bills...and I haven't actually set a budget yet...but it's a start! and it's only the 1st. Geesh...

Maybe I will try to read a book this year too. That seems like a good idea.....

NYE

The last few hours of 2014 are upon us. 

I am sneaking in a few minutes to blog because it is Thane's night to put P down. So lets be real...I have like 30-40 minutes to blog. 

A LOT has happened this year. Parker turned one. Tanya got married. We sold our duplex..that we have been trying to sell forever. I was able to live with my in-laws and get to know them better...and have my son spend more time with them. Bought a house. Katie got married. A few people I know got knocked up..and I'm ecstatic for them. Parker got a big boy bed, because you know..we need the crib.

For whenever the next kid comes along. HA! You thought for like 3 seconds I was going to say I'm pregnant didn't you? Heehee. Nope.

Thinking about getting pregnant for the second time is terrifying. Almost as scary as the first time around. It's amazing how many things change, and how quickly. I know people say you are never fully ready for the first one. Well, are you ever ready for the second one? 

Not that we don't want more. My second kid is going to read this blog in like 11 years and be bawling thinking we didn't want them. We do! We do! You are just really really scary hunny. Mommy loves you. 

So anyways. 2015 should be interesting. Already have some great things on the books. 

Parker turns 2. TWO. What? 

I have my first Pinterest Saturday coming up. Stoked.

A little thing called....SARA AND DOUG'S WEDDING!  Also stoked. 

You may be wondering how or why I am blogging at 10:03 on NYE. Well. Let me tell you. We have already had our excitement for the night. 

We went to US Bank Eve at the Terrace. My lovely coworker went to the one at KEVA but I was skeptical and said "no no..the one downtown will be WAY better Amanda."

Man I hate when she is right. (said with love.)

We should have gone to KEVA. While the one we were at was great, I feel like it was for older kids. 

We did try the bouncy house. P was pretty jacked up to go in. Jumping and laughing while we waited in line. He stepped foot inside...aaaaaaaaaaaaand lost it. Terrified. Screaming. Sobbing. 

So, that ruled out the other 5 bouncey houses they had. 

The train! They had a train. This kid loves trains. 

Ya. "Children Only." 

Oh ok....guess not. 

There was a Bubble Show. This is what I was excited for! In my head I pictured like 70 bubble makers in a room just blasting bubbles. Parker was going to LOOOOVE it. Hell, I was going to love it.

Sadly, it was nothing like my imagination. It was a man. With some bubbles. Who talked. A lot. 

There was a DJ..who I loved. He played "What Does the Fox Say?" and then "Shake it Off." right in a row! If I got married again...he'd be my guy. 

Parker? Not so much. This is where he hung out the whole time...

All about the water. I picture him being that kid at a school dance who spikes the punch. Sigh. 

We even had to have a picture with the water glass. 

So after we danced...I danced to a few songs we decided to go. 

but then Parker decided he need a few more rides and booked it for the escalators. 

and we rode them up and down about 10 times. At least.

Then we did a lot of this...

We figured, Hey..if he is happy riding the escalators and running down the empty hallways..shit. It's New Years Eve...let's go crazy!

So to recap. There is a lot of room to run at the terrace. The water coolers are fantastic. The escalators are thrilling. And bouncy houses are scary.

P's favorite parts:

Hope you all had/are having a fantastic night!!! 

Happy 2015 to you and yours. Hope this year is great too you!

The Adventures of the Big Boy Bed

We got P a big boy bed for Christmas. He is almost 2, we felt it was time. No we are not pregnant. Yes, we think he is ready for it. No, it's not too early.

I had talked to another mom at work and she wished me luck. She said the first 2 weeks were easy, and then they figure out they can get out..then it's downhill.

Great. I was banking on him getting out of bed right away, while I was off of work and could lose sleep, and us teaching him he has to stay in it. 

Christmas morning he opened some sheets for his bed on Christmas morning and I said, "They are for your big boy bed!!!!" Which I pointed to and apparently he hadn't seen it because he squealed and ran over to it.

Ya....I can see how he missed it.

So fast forward to the 26th at night. After 2 days of crazy Christmas time, and going to be at like midnight the night before, we decide its the perfect night for his first night in the big boy bed!

Well, first he had a nap in his bed and nailed it. Weird. He was exhausted. he barely made it to 2 before he passed out. High hopes for bedtime.

Well, he napped for like 4 hours.

Ya...that was dumb on our part. 

So we read a story in bed, kiss him goodnight, and walk out.

We walk to the couch and minutes tick by. Maybe we will make it! Maybe he will just be a natural!

All of a sudden he shows up in the living room. Obviously I knew he would get it, but it was still a shock to see him standing in front of us with a *gigantic* grin on his face.

Great.

So I walked him back. Tucked him in bed. Told him he had to stay. Gave him a kiss and walked out.

3 minutes later. He is standing in front of us...grinning.

So I walked him back. Tucked him in bed. Told him he had to stay. Gave him a kiss and walked out.

*repeat like 25 times*

Then I gave up. I laid next to him. Don't start. I know. I know.

I laid next to him for about 20 minutes. He was out. I slowly got out of bed and snuck out.

2 minutes later he is standing in the living room grinning.

He punked me.

Now when we went to get him, he dodged us and ran to the play room.

So I stayed with him longer this time.

Next night, repeat everything from the first night but now its a game. 

I would take him in, do all the stuff, walk to my room and watch part of netflix. When I heard him get up, I would go in right way and put him back in bed. Except for the time that he was in stealth mode.

I didn't hear him until he was standing in his doorway, poking his head in to see if I was looking. We locked eyes, he started to squeal and took off to his playroom. 

Which wouldn't be funny, but he runs so fast and then he tries to turn the corner. It's like watching a cartoon. He kind of bobbles on one leg on the corner but then catches and takes off...only to do it again in the kitchen. Which about 80% of the time, he wipes out in the kitchen. Oiy. 

He is also waking up at night. He has been for a while now. Just once, but he usually ends up in bed with us. So just to make sure that I don't miss him getting up I have created an obstacle outside out room in the form of a laundry basket. I figure if he runs into it I will hear it and wake up, or it will stop him and he will come in our room. 

Ya, I was awake last night to see him disprove my theory.

He ran out of his room...stopped just before he hit the basket..skirted around it and booked it for his playroom. At 1:30 in the morning. 

Sweet life. 

It is getting better. It only took me 20 minutes to get him to sleep for nap today. And bedtime last night only took 30 minutes vs 2 hours. Yes. 

2 hours. Thank god....well hopefully...that is over! 

20 Minutes in the Snow

that is all we made it.

It took us 30 to get ready.

Was it worth it? Sure..of course. P had a blast.

Was it insanely annoying to get him ready? Oh man.....

It all comes down to be me being unprepared to go. I should have had his boots ready, his gloves out of the package, the layers of clothes ready. Rookie mistake.

This is the first time we have really gone out to play in the snow. Last year, he still wasn't really walking so we couldn't go sit in the snow and get cold. Well, we probably could have, but no. We used the sled, but this time he got to walk in the snow. 

So let's start. 

First, 2 layers of pants and 2 layers of shirt. Easy right? No. I had to dodge stinkies and toy tractors that Parker somehow manifested on his changing pad and was throwing at me. Ya...we are in that stage of life. 

Step 2. Snowpants. Have you tried to put snowpants on a wiggling toddler? He won't sit still....makes it a little difficult to put snowpants on. But as soon as I got them up and the zipper up he was in awe. He loves zippers right now. 

Step 3. Boots. I HATE snowboots. I can't get them on him! We tried his boots on the other day and I can't get his heels down. (So if anyone has any tips please share) I swear, on our snow day, I tried everything...I worked up a sweat. 6  minutes later I think I have them on. 

Step 4. Mittens. Seriously...its so difficult to get stuff on a kid that he has never worn before. "Push your hand in there Parker....No.;..push. Parker..PUSH!" Oh wait....you have no idea what that means. Great. 

Get his mittens on......boots fall off because they weren't really on to start. Insert a mini tantrum on my part. 

Step 5. Find his old boots...I know I saw one in the playroom. I'm in the playroom looking for them when I hear Parker going "Oh!! SEE?!" I look. Ya. I see him throwing off his gloves that just took 2 minutes to put on and unzipping his snowpants that I wrestled him into. I say screw it to worrying about that and keep searching for the other boots. Found 1. Good enough

Step 6. Find where Parker has wondered off to and redress him. Find him in his room, snow pants around his ankles, reading a book. K. Start over. Put one old boot on...it worked. Crammed him in the other new boot..stood him up. He smelled like poop.

Really? Really????

So what did I do? What every mom of the year does.....ignores it. Which luckily I did because he had just farted....I would have been so mad if I tried to change him! 

So anyways, lesson finally learned. I threw him in his new awesome Packer coat, threw on his hat, shoved myself into my snowpants and boots (all while he is screaming) find a random coat and rush outside. 

Outside was awesome. I showed him how to push his hands into the snow. He thought that was the coolest thing ever. 

Our new neighbors dog was outside, Lobo the beagle. He hates Bernie. So we watched the dogs run back and forth for a while and watched while Bernie tried to pee on him. Parker thought that was funny, 

We lasted 20 minutes before his boots started to fall off and my hands were numb and mommy called it. 

Lesson learned. Get my shit together before I start. 

Day 2.

Today I am grateful for:

1. Having a job where I can still enjoy the magic of the First Day of School! I may not currently be using my degree, but I am doing a job that I love AND it gives me a chance to still have that First Day of School excitement because I get to hear about it from all the kids after school. I get to see a whole bunch of new kiddos moving up in the preschool world. I get to share in their excitement...and then I get to leave it and be home with my family....and my couch. That is the one thing I don't think I could do anymore when it comes to teaching: bring it home with me. I really enjoy my nights at home with Parker and Thane and Bernie. I barely have time (or energy) to clean my house at night, so I can't imagine having to grade papers or lesson plan. Kuddos to my friends who are doing it! I'm not that far removed that I don't remember how stressful and rewarding it is. You guys are amazing people and you are often not given enough credit for the things you do. I wish you all the best of luck tomorrow and the rest of the school year!

This is amazing. 

2. On that note, I am grateful for my job. For obvious reasons, we have bills, but for much more than that. I'm grateful that KJ gave me the chance to see what office work has in store for me. They had enough faith in me to let me try something new..and I love it. I still don't have it down, and that bothers me...I don't like making mistakes. I learn something new every day...and something new stresses me out everyday...but I'm good with that!

3. My coworkers...who I consider to be my friends. I love you guys! Without them I couldn't get through the stressful days...and there seem to be quite a few of those lately. I can talk to them about anything going on...and often cry to them. We all share in each other's excitement about life..the downsides of life..and all the sides of life in between. 

I tried to find a good Pinterest thing for coworkers...apparently everyone hates their coworkers. Guess I'm lucky!

Good luck at school tomorrow everyone...especially YOU Cassie!!!! Congrats on the new job. You're going to nail your first first day of school!