This is how lucky I am (not lyrics)

The last post title was from the song "What I Wouldn't Do" by a Fine Frenzy. No winners! Sorry for the week long mini-hiatus. I could whine and complain and go into great detail about why I have been a lazy blogger, but I'm trying to work on being less whiny. So on that note...

This is how lucky I am:

* Lila woke up screaming an hour after I put her to bed tonight. This is pretty rare for her these days so I went in and picked her up. I usually don't do that. I usually rub her back and talk to her until she seems to be headed back to la la land. When I picked her up she clung to me so I sat down and rocked her while she basically hugged me like she might never see me again. We sat like this for about ten or fifteen minutes. I knew she wasn't going back to sleep. She's never been one to sleep well anywhere other than her bed. So I stood up and put her in her bed and she just stood in it. She wouldn't look at me for a minute so I just stared at her with my face in her face. She suddenly giggled, grabbed my face, and pulled me close for a snuggle. As quickly as that happened she plopped down to go back to sleep and I haven't heard a peep since. Apparently she just needed a little late night mama love.

* This weekend I had a sleepover at a friend's house. Yes, I did say sleepover. Lila and I loaded up and spent the night out with a couple of fabulous ladies. I love that I have friends that love my child enough to let her run amuck in their home. Somehow I figured out how to have friends that are as close to family as non-relatives can get and I am constantly reminded of just how much that adds to our lives.

* Speaking of family, my mom and my sister came over Friday night and babysat so that Seth and I could go on a date. No, it doesn't take both of them to keep my little toddler under control. They just both wanted to come. It makes my heart happy just to think about the amazing influences in Lila's life and how they will make her who she is just as much as Seth and I will. It also makes my heart happy to spend time with Seth outside of my house and away from my child. If you can't tell, Lila is the center of our universe. However, the universe will collapse if the two people holding it together don't get to enjoy each other every once in a while. Thank you to my lovely mother and sister!

* AND, speaking of Seth. I plan to devote an entire post to him in the near future for a variety of reasons. At this point, I just want to say that there are girls who get lucky. They find a man who loves them and takes care of them. Then there are girls like me who get even luckier than that. They find a man who will clean a poopy cloth diaper, listen to their wife whine, and sport short shorts all at the same time. I will leave you with this...

If we were children I would bake you a mud pie

Today we ventured to the land known as Hippo Hopp. Similar to a Monkey Joe's, Hippo Hopp is filled with toys and jumpies that little kid dreams are made of. Most little kids that is. Apparently Lila's dreams aren't made of such. She wanted to get in the jumpies but then she wanted to scream about it. She did play a great deal with the toys and balls on the floor so it wasn't a total loss. I guess I am hoping that the more we go one day she will just love it.

I found it interesting how quickly I could spot the mommies from the nannies. I used to be a nanny, so I'm not knockin' it. However, I am sure I was a much better nanny than the ones I saw today. I'm just sayin'. One such person was there with two crazy little boys. She had her work cut out for her and yet she didn't really work. The younger of the two wanted everything Lila had and he wasn't above shoving, slapping, or yelling to get it. Maybe this is karma? Maybe Lila giving Carson a hard time is coming back to bite her? Regardless, only one time did she cry because of this kid and that was when she hit the ground because he pushed her. Otherwise it was more like she was mesmerized by him. I wanted to shake her and say "no, no, no! Boys who shove you DON'T actually like you." Instead, I tried to redirect her away from the crazy kid whose nanny didn't ever know where he was or what he was doing.

I also learned today that Lila needs to be around other kids more often. I knew this would be a struggle for us because she doesn't go to daycare or really anywhere where there are many kids to encounter. We have play dates, but they are short and usually no more than three or four kids. So when we go somewhere like Hippo Hopp she spends 90% of the time staring. She is so intrigued by the multitudes of kids that all she can do is put on her best zombie face and watch them. Others are doing it too though so I don't feel that bad. But she is shy and timid...that's just her nature. I just hope she doesn't always let boys shove her while she stares at other kids having a good time. At least I know she has Teddy and Grant (her neighbor friends) who will stand up for her.

Video killed the radio star

(Ok so the post title is the title of the song...if you know the artist I will seriously buy you dinner)

Pardon my redecorating. I don't totally love it yet, but I'm getting there. I know in the land of blogging changing things up even once is a no no. But, the people who read this are my friends and family for the most part. I'm assuming they (you) won't hold it against me.

I have something very serious to discuss. Are you ready?

It's really, really serious. Are you sure you're ready?

The topic I want to discuss is television. Not so much just the big box in your family room, but what's been on it of late. It's fall which means premieres, new shows taking off, and old favorites coming back. I don't know if the trash tv of summer has led me to become so...um...enthralled I guess. I do know that I was digging some major tv today.

First, I love Oprah. You've probably noticed once or twice. It's not so much her I love, but what she is willing to talk about. Oprah as we know it (the show) is coming to an end and this is the last season. She is packin' it in too. Today's show was about the new documentary coming out on Friday called "Waiting for Superman". I am a SUCKER for a good documentary. This one will be a must see for me. If you haven't heard of it, it's all about the state of public education in this country. I knew most of what was covered on Oprah today. I would hazard to guess that most people who haven't dealt with public education don't know just how bad things are.

I was a teacher for three short years. I learned many, many things. The most important questions I left my job with were "can I really handle sending my child to public school knowing what I know?" and "can I really handle ever going back to being an educator in a public school knowing what I know?". I realize I make it sound all glass and mirrors. It's not. But, I know that my faith in public education is incredibly tarnished...as a parent and as an educator. I'm glad Oprah and Bill Gates and whoever else were on the show today are trying to shine a spotlight. I wonder how many documentaries and Oprahs it will take to really make a difference. I also wondered that about things like Food Inc. too though. I mean for God's sake...soon we will be eating genetically engineered salmon without even knowing it. Anyway, I will give an update once I actually see the documentary (once it goes to On Demand that is :-)

Next, MTV. Yep, that's what I said. MTV is a load of CRAP....for the most part. This show may or may not be new. I have no idea. But, one of my new favorite shows is on MTV and it is called "The World of Jenks". Andrew Jenks is a wannabe film maker. Every week he lives the life of someone very different from himself. Tonight's episode showed Jenks meandering around with a young homeless woman in San Francisco. He became homeless with her for a week and asked her EVERY question he could think of. Well, then a rerun was on afterward of a show he did following the life of an autistic twenty year old for a week. Seriously this guy is making really great tv. If you aren't digging tv these days, watch this show. It's very educational and well done.

Alright, I have RAMBLED immensely tonight. Thank you for humoring me. I have to admit, I deleted a lot about education because I can kind of get on a soap box based on my own experiences. I only stepped on it for a second I think. I am trying to learn to be more objective. I would love to hear about your latest feelings about tv. Any new shows you just can't wait for? Any oldies but goodies you already have set on DVR? If you are one of those people who never turns it on and goes running instead just don't tell me that. No sense in making me look bad right?

Belated pictures

I tried to change the header, but the site I use to do that is doing some updating and I can't seem to get to my stuff. So the header will be really, really late now. Gives you something to look forward to though right? To make up for it, this entire post is going to be me playing catch up in pictures. Lila and I have been a little out of sorts lately, but we are getting back on track.

I do need to mention that two very fantastic events happened to me last week even though I didn't feel 100%. Kim and I went to see Kings of Leon on Wednesday night and Sara and I went to see Grace Potter and the Nocturnals Friday night. I thought KOL was incredible until I saw GPN. If you know nothing about Grace Potter you seriously need to look her up. You can even click on the song of the week tab and get a taste. She is probably the best live show I have seen since Lauryn Hill. And since Lauryn Hill hasn't technically toured in roughly ten years, you can imagine just how impressed I was. Unfortunately, in my haste to go have a good time I forgot my camera for both events. So, if anyone sends me pictures from either show I will again put up delayed pictures.

So, here's some backtracking by photos....

1) Asheville



2) What Carson and Lila have been up to:

3) That thing I told you was a secret that I had been working on was Josie's baby gift (diaper bag and accessories)....thank you Meg for taking pictures of it!

Alright, that's all I got for now. No lyrics today due to late posting and lack of inspiration ;-) Happy Monday ya'll.

What a night for a dance, you know I'm a dancin' machine

SIDE NOTE

1) "Kick off your shoes and sit a little" = Devil's in the Jukebox, Ray Lamontagne and the Pariah Dogs

2) I think there has been ample time for the this one so I am just going to tell you what it was...."Your candy coated bloated ego, platinum pile of..." = We're here to save the day, The Constellations

I have not changed the header and Lila was 16th months on the 13th. My only excuse is that I haven't been feeling so hot. I had a cold over the weekend and felt great by Sunday, but then late Monday this really fun hacking cough started and I haven't slept well for days. Plus, I haven't taken any pictures AT ALL. So, the new header will arrive this weekend sometime.

Even though I don't feel 100%, Kim and I are headed to see Kings of Leon tonight (hint, hint)! I tend to feel like an old lady at things like this recently, but I am going to go and do my best not to show up with food on my shirt or in my hair. I am very excited about this concert. Unfortunately, I can't even remember the last time I sat on the lawn at Lakewood (or whatever it's called now). Seriously, when my life took a turn for the uncool it turned and never looked back. I try to stay hip to some degree, but it's getting harder. Although, I do really appreciate that Nicki made me feel like I make a fantastic effort to still hang when we were at Josie's baby shower on Sunday. I like to think we try to get out when we can and hopefully we will always be that way.

On that note, we struggled with whether or not to go tailgate in Athens on Saturday. The end decision is not to go. The game is at noon and Lila isn't old enough for going to the actual game yet. If it was later in the day and we were going to be there longer we would be going hands down. It's just a lot to load up a toddler and get your crap together to tailgate for such a short time. Hopefully there will be another opportunity for us to go. Plus, Georgia/Florida weekend is just around the corner and that is one of my favorite weekends of the year!

PS - If anyone is interested, Sara and I are going to the Dave FM free concert at Atlantic Station Friday night. We are primarily going to see Grace Potter and the Nocturnals (because I am SERIOUSLY obsessed with them), but others will be there too. If you would like to meet us let me know!

Can you tell I am trying to make a point of how cool I do try to be?

Your candy coated bloated ego, platinum pile of....

Seth and Jana's conversations as they watch the VMAs:(Seth entered about thirty minutes into the show)

(J) I know you hate awards shows, but you will like this one because of who's hosting....although I think she may be high...
(S) Chelsea Handler?
(J) How'd you know?

(J) This performance is the stupidest thing I have ever seen
(J) At least we know Justin Bieber can play an instrument
(S) That's what I was going to say!

(J) I want to punch Kesha in the face

(J) I actually REALLY love this song
(S) YES...this is MY theme song
(song being I Wanna Be a Billionaire)

(S) Are they really relevant enough to be on this show? (referencing the cast of Glee)
(J) (blank stare)

(J) Seriously, if eight people have to help you get to the stage every time...
(S) That's not even what she wore there!
(J) ...it's just too much effort.
(S) God, she's such an idiot (that would be Lady Gaga)

(J) I like Drake
(J) I also really like Justin Timberlake
(S) (blank stare)
(S) Is that white guy Drake? Is that guy even white?
(J) (hysterically laughing)
(J) No that's Drake
(S) Who's the white guy?
(J) The piano player
(S) No they said his name was Swiss Cheese
(J) (hysterically laughing again)
(S) (rewinding to where JT introduces Drake and crew) SEE, they said his name is Swiss Beats...I was close

(S) Is it really necessary for these people to change their clothes eighteen times?
(J) Apparently

(J) SWIZZ BEATZ...that's his name...they just put it up on the screen with Jay-Z
(S) (throwing hands up) sorry!

(J) I am totally digging these H&M commercials

(S) Mickey Mouse did a lot of drugs...his head is all lit up...he must have done a lot of E...get it? His name is MickEEEE mouse?
(J) ?

Alright, I think I'm going to stop. If you didn't watch the VMAs or you just find this mindless babble to be stupid (because it is) I apologize. I love awards shows no matter how ridiculous. But now I have a headache which may turn into a seizure from Usher's light show of a performance a while ago. I can't be sure.

PS - Sara won the present for the last lyric post title. Bravo Sara! Present coming soon...

Kick off your shoes and sit a little

Well holy CRAP! My last post broke the record for comments on my blog! Good job guys. I would love for you to stick around and keep reading if you are a newbie. Thank you for the fantastic advice as well. I have to admit that all of what you said has crossed my mind. Seth's vote is to let Molly bark for an entire day. I was leaning towards trying to be an adult about it like mom suggested. At the end of the day, I don't have the energy to do any of it. I tend to get real lazy when it comes to stupid things that irritate me. I just pretend it's not happening. That is until crazy lady yells at me again. I can't promise the adult route will be taken next time. Until then, I will just do my best to maintain status quo.

Anyway, I am going to make an attempt to title my blog posts with lyrics from here on (this one counts). If you are the first to comment with the correct artist I will send you a present. Name that tune blog style if you will. No cheating allowed. I know you can type anything into google and get right to it. Cheaters lose in the end. Hopefully that bit of wisdom will stop you from cheating. Basically, this is my way of doing a giveaway without actually giving into the giveaway mayhem in bloggy land. You won't know what the present is so don't get too excited. You may or may not find clues within the song of the week tab. I know, so much to do, so little time.

Lastly, because I know you are all dying to know what I do with my life, here are some updates:

1) Gardening - in the crapper - bugs ate it and are still eating it and I can't bring myself to go pull it all out. I want to apologize to my really awesome next door neighbors who have to look at it.

2) Canning - never even started or bought a canner - Patty told me I could come over and borrow her canning materials and I would still like to do that. Until then I will just have to pretend like I am on top of it.

3) Sewing - current project is a secret and will be revealed next week. Until then just know that this may be the only thing I am actually on top of.

4) Consignment sales - well, somehow I missed the good ones. It's a good thing my cousin's little girl Anna Kate likes to share her wardrobe with us. If you see Lila in the same outfit every time you see her this fall just don't tell me.

5) Tot School - I have decided my child is a genius and doesn't need to be taught things by someone as unintelligent as myself. Just kidding. Tot School still consists of all of the previously posted stuff. I added a very expensive magnetic puzzle that I bought in Asheville. She hates it. I will stick with the pasta transferring until she hates that. As of now, that's all she wants to do.

I think that's about it for now in the realm of things I want(ed) to accomplish within my new(ish) full time job called mommy. If you can think of anything I should throw in for good measure I'm all ears.

What would you do?

I live on a dead end street off of a very busy road. On either side of our street are two bigger neighborhoods. I rely on their neighborhood watch info to find out about the gagillion break-ins around us. Katie lives in one of those neighborhoods so I hear about their safety concerns from her. Recently I found out that someone on our street also hears about the safety concerns of the neighborhood on the opposite side. When I worked at Livsey down the street there were car break-ins constantly. All of this is to say that I don't really feel like we live in a safe part of town. I'm just sayin'.

A few weeks ago a house on our teeny tiny street was broken into. That same week there were random strangers walking down the street. One was a woman going door to door selling gutters. Unfortunately, when asked questions by the people next door about said gutters she couldn't come up with any answers. She did not come to my house. Do you want to know why? I believe she skipped us because of Molly. Molly barks at people. I saw this woman only because Molly barked at her as she walked down the street and she then walked right on by my house. About the same time there was a white van sitting in front of a neighbors house for quite a while. Call it conspiracy theory, call it overly cautious....I don't care what you call it. Recent break-ins (all the time) plus random people "selling" things (aka, sizing up the street) equals red flags all over the place if you ask me.

I am telling you all of this to then tell you about the people that live behind me. From the day Molly could bark they have barked back. They hate her. It's quite evident. They scream at her, leave nasty "anonymous" notes in our mailbox, and show up in their pajamas in a tizzy when we are out of town. Initially we bought a citronella spray collar that she would wear outside and it would spray her when she would bark. I tried to teach her while using it, but then I was getting confused. How do you teach a dog not to bark at the people that live around you but to definitely continue to bark at possible intruders? It's not possible. Dogs are smart, but come on.

When the collar stopped working I decided to take a different approach. Since I was going to be home all of the time I would make her come in if she started barking. There has NEVER been a time where I let her bark for more than five minutes at the very most (and that only happens if I seriously can't get to her right away). Usually it is instant. I hear her barking, she comes in. She is very good at coming when I call her. The only times this may not have been the case is when family members have stayed here with her while we are out of town. That would be when crazy lady would show up at my house and have a fit.

I will be the first to admit that I would not want a dog barking at me. However, I need to point out a few more things:

1) The people across the street from the crazies have a dog that is outside ALL DAY and barks ten times more than Molly. Do the crazies harass them?
2) There are about ten other dogs (at least) in our general vicinity that also bark all day.
3) Molly goes outside for no more than five minutes unless I am out there with her. All of these other dogs are outside for hours at a time barking.
4) The woman SCREAMS at Molly. I would bark at her too. In fact, I am getting very close to doing just that.

She also screams at me. "Shut your dog up!" is usually her favorite phrase (this would be after Molly has been barking for thirty seconds). I have tried to stay calm and not let myself get really, really mad but it puts me in a foul mood. Molly is a part of our family. I realize not all people are dog lovers, but I have had enough.

So my question is, what would you do? I know there are probably ways to train her not to bark. But I don't want her to stop barking. To me, that defeats a percentage of the purpose of having a dog. I can continue just ignoring the crazies and make just as much of an effort as I do now to bring her in. That's honestly more than most people would do.

There are actually two houses behind us that Molly can see. She barks at the people that live in both houses. The difference is, the other people have never complained. I bring her in so quickly it astonishes me that anyone would have time to complain.

At any rate, I doubt there is an answer. Some people are just bored and need something to get fired up about I guess. But, if you have any suggestions I would love to hear it! Even if you want to say I am a jerk and need to shut my dog up. I can take it.

I am totally lame....and ambitious

Labor Day was spent at the beach. Yep, we made a six hour trek to Destin with Meg and Skip. It was ambitious for such a short time, but that's how we roll. My camera somehow stayed on the kitchen table. Sorry to disappoint.

I make it sound like we live on the edge but I have to admit I'm feeling quite lame. I think that will be my biggest struggle with being a stay at home mom. Believe it or not my brain is somewhat overactive. Therefore, when my day is constantly spent saying the words Molly and shoe over and over again with a peek-a-boo thrown in here and there my overactive brain runs circles around itself. Fortunately for me I have A LOT to do this week due to my continuing absent mindedness. I will explain more with pictures next week when it's all said and done. Let's just say, again, that I am overly ambitious. Unfortunately for Seth, he will be helping me. Good thing he is a rockstar of a husband.

Anyway, just because I know you are wondering, here are the latest additions to Lila's QUICKLY expanding vocabulary:

-peek-a-boo (yes she says the whole thing!)
-shoe
-toes (and she points to them)
-ears (sounds nothing like ears actually, BUT she points to them and says something that she thinks sounds like ears)
-belly button (and she points to it, but again she mostly only says belly and something that she thinks sounds like button)
-baby
-milk
-no (yep, love this one)
-go
-book

Oh happy day

Today was a long one. I spent a large portion of the day trying to stop one child from waking the other. Lila feels the need to scream about everything. Sometimes she's being dramatic and whiny and other times it's just her latest version of talking. Carson doesn't scream/talk per say, but when she gets upset or hungry she can wail with the best of 'em. Throw in the fact that Seth came stomping into the house for five minutes this morning (still not sure why) waking Carson from her first nap instantly and you have the makings of a tiring day...for me that is.

Then, I got all ambitious again and wanted to make a dish by The Pioneer Woman for dinner. I had these grand plans until Seth again came rushing in asking when it was going to be ready because he had a fantasy something or other draft at 7. Not only did he have the draft but he had to do it at the office. Really? Sorry honey to call you out, but really? If you know ANYTHING about TPW, her recipes aren't exactly quick or on the low end of ingredients so I was already compromising in many ways. So dinner was pretty much disgusting. Seth left and I promptly went to Dairy Queen which inevitably made me feel worse.

I try really hard not to let Lila watch much TV. I honestly don't think there's anything wrong with TV for toddlers, but I would just rather be doing other things with her. Tonight I decided she and I were going to sit on the couch and watch something on the tube because I was grumpy and it was too early to put her to bed. I chose the going to bed video on the free Sprout channel. Stupidest thing I have ever seen. It's basically characters from all of the shows on Sprout sleeping. That's right. You spend thirty minutes watching cartoons and puppets sleeping. Some are even snoring. As I am about to pass out from boredom I look over and my perfect little girl is entranced in this silliness all cuddled up next to me. This would be why I do not create shows for children. We are quietly sitting in the dark watching and halfway through she starts softly "talking" in that way she does where she isn't saying words but she is SURE you know what she's saying. She's pointing and looking at me in the eyes as I say "oh really?" and "no way!" back to her. She is snuggly and happy and it just melts away the day.

When Katie picked Carson up today we started talking about how fast things go by. People tell you your kids will grow faster than you are prepared for, but people tell you a lot of things you don't fully hear or understand. Now I understand. Lila could have whined and screamed and woken Carson up all day long and at the end of the day she still makes me happier beyond anything I could have imagined. The biggest problem is that I have no way to bottle her up as she is right now...with her she-mullet, whispy blonde hair and roly poly legs....and her never ending list of new and exciting words....and her hugs that make you never want to let go...and her intense gaze into your eyes like that is the only way she can get you to understand. How can I EVER let her grow up?

It's a really good thing I have Seth to save the day when Lila is all grown up and living away from me. He may have frustrated me today, but he has a fantastic way of making me feel better at the drop of a hat. She really is her daddy's daughter isn't she?