Will see ya later.......

I haven't had time to blog much lately, and I really do not have time tonight. I will say that I had a blast at Kayne's fashion sh0w. It has even inspired me to get some much needed knitting done. It makes me want to bust out my creative side and actually get some things accomplished, which I haven't felt like doing for the past 4 months. Maybe I can get some doggie sweaters made for my Dad and Stepmom's pooches in time for X-mas? Hmmmm............

I had a wonderful time last Friday at the Fashion show and YES, I got a picture with Kayne! He is so adorable in person too. I also fell in LOVE with some of his shoes. Hopefully I can snag a pair for X-Mas. I did get a coupon to get one of his 2008 dresses for 50% off, so I am hoping to have a chance to browse his store in the coming weeks. Not that I would have a reason to wear any of his creations, but I do have a 14-year old niece that is in Rainbows!!!

Okay, enough gushing. I have reality setting in of laundry to do and crying baby to tend to. But as soon as I upload some pictures, I will have them posted from the event.

Newest Addition... AKA Husband's Newest Obsession

So my DH has been arguing with me for the last month about getting a bird dog for our family. This started after I took our Australian Shephard, Brooks, to the vet for his yearly checkup and to look at his back knee that we have already had to repair (to a tune of $1500). The vet has commented that Brooks may be needing a playmate because he is getting very bored in our backyard and becoming destructive. With me supposedly staying home from work this year, we thought that I would have more time to spend with Brooks, thus stopping his bad behavior, but it turns out that I am spending more time driving, then at home.

Thus my husband's obsessive-compulsive nature kicked in. With hunting season upon us, both for deer and birds, he was bound and determined that what our family needed was another over-active dog to add to our family. He justified it (to himself, basically), that the bird dog would have the energy for Brooks, plus as a "bonus" Jeff and Jarod could go walk the fields on the land that we have leased, or head to the preserve in Tecumseh for "exercise and bonding time" for all of them. Yeah - right. I really see my 5-year-old son walking for hours with my husband as he runs the dog in the field trying to kick up some birds to shoot. Then again, Jarod is just as obsessive-compulsive as his dad and loves watching hunting on TV, so he may really love it.

As an agreement, Jeff worked extra jobs on the side to earn the money for the dog. There was no way I would be budgeting that expense in. He earned his money and off we went yesterday for a day-trip to a town north of Joplin, Missouri to see the German Short Hairs at Muddy Creek Kennels. Thus Blaze has now entered our family. He really had a good temperment at the kennel, but he is not finished being trained. He is only 9-months old and started pretty well at pointing birds, not being afraid of being shot over if he is in pursuit of a bird, and has tracked some of the kill pretty well. But he is still a "pup" and has a lot of work to do. Hopefully Jeff can get him off to a guy he knows to finish him up by Thanksgiving next month.

Right now though, Blaze and Brooks are running non-stop in the backyard. Brooks is thinking he is going to be the Alpha, but in a few months time, I'm sure Blaze will come out ahead when he is fully grown. Now if my husband would just have the drive to work the extra jobs to earn money for a trip to Disney World, I wouldn't be complaining!

My DH

I love my DH. He really does try to do the best that he can. And when he feels guilty for some reason, he REALLY tries to do something extra special for me. Case in point, my DH did not get home until around 9:30pm last night. He was working a side job trying to get money for a bird dog he wants. Since he was gone so long, he came home with a "present" for me. He made an exchange and received 2 tickets to Kayne's Fashion Show on Oct. 24th in Bricktown. For those of you who may think this name is familiar, he is the Oklahoma fashion designer that appeared on Project Runway. He has a store in Norman and designs a LOT of pageant dresses. Jeff remembers me watching him obsessively as he was on the TV show, and he knows that I have even been to his store in Norman to browse.

I would normally be so ecstatic, but after having 3 kids (and 1 of them only 4 months ago), I feel like my nickname - Fat Mamma. I nicknamed myself this. I know I am bigger than I was pre-children. I know that I have not had the time to get back into shape right now either. I know this shouldn't bother me at all - but it does. My self-esteem has now plummeted.

Now I have to figure out what "Business Casual" attire is (for me, that would mean exercise pants and a t-shirt or pj's and a bathrobe at this time), try to find a babysitter for the evening (and cancel taking my kids to the Gymboree Pumpkin Family Party that night), plus try to make myself feel the prettiest that I can that night, all while sitting next to a lady (the one who is getting us into the show and whom my DH knows, I don't) I have never met that is one of Kayne's best friends who is a model herself. Self-esteem knocked down another 10 points.

So if anyone wants to come peruse my closet, or offer me advice on "Business Casual" (I'm a former school teacher and the last 2 years were at an Elementary School - not much to go on people), I am going to call my man, Derek, to get my hair done that day, hopefully get a pedi and mani, and pull out the granny girdle for the night. The next time I talk about this event, I hope to have a picture of me with Kayne!

Survivor!

I have survived! I have survived almost 1 full month of driving the stinky feet van, and now I have my own van back. I have survived my in-laws calling us last Friday night to let us know that they are coming down the next day and will be staying the night. I have survived my MIL and did not have to take her shopping. I have survived watching OU lose, and OSU win and I only had 1 beer to get me through the anxiety of the games. I have survived working the church nursery with my daughter who tried to fake being sick because she didn't want to be upstairs by herself in her class, but had no desire to sit in big church with her brother and grandparents.

Now it is a short week of school for the kids, and I am really looking forward to having 4 days with my kids. I hope we can survive all of the activities I have planned for them. We will be appreciating the upstairs this week because my kids have to pick up the mess they have made up there, but not until I have fun playing with them first.

SAH Training Classes

I think I have missed the most important parenting class. If there isn't one, then there really should be. It should be called SAH (stay-at-home) Parenting 101. It would teach SAH parents (moms or dads), how to create a routine, get their personal needs in as well as their families, and still find complete and utter satisfaction in the daily lives that they live 24/7, 365 because they don't do anything else outside of the home. Maybe I should see if I can borrow a manual from someone who did attend this class?

I've really had a great misconception about the SAH-life. I can remember all of the times my fellow colleagues and I would just wish we could stay at home and not be full-time employees trying to parent in the evenings and weekends. We felt there would be so much more freedom, less stress, and more satisfaction in our families and our lives. Dang - were we wrong!

Sure - it would probably be easier if I didn't have to spend almost 4 hours each day breastpumping and then feeding a child. It would also be easier if I didn't have to spend a couple of hours each day transporting 2 kids to and from their different schools. But where is all of this time I thought I would have to be at home, living in a spotlessly clean house (because I would have so much time to clean it daily), doing my crafts, and becoming an aerobics queen like how the other SAHM's looked whenever they picked up their kids from school in their sports-bra shirts and jogging shorts! Or maybe they just dress that way to make us full-timers think they had the freedom to meet their needs as well as their families and live a full and satisfying life? Somehow, I am just not getting any satisfaction in completing a load of laundry and dishes every day. Those chores used to be my "escape" in the evenings. They would give me the down time I needed to unwind by doing simple and mundane things. Now the mundane things are my only things.

So I have set a project out for myself. My goal is to spend time WITH my family in a different part of our house each night and enjoying and doing things there, while getting things cleaned. Tonight, it is the backyard. The kids decided this, so I am not complaining. We have a HUGE backyard (to get an idea - we could fit a tennis court, a swimming pool, a garden, and probably a batting cage and still have room for other things - no exaggeration). I'm going to have my kids go play, while I garden and spray them with the hose. It is time we fully utilize and appreciate the things we have in our home. Tomorrow night, it is the kitchen and laundry room. We are going to do crafts at the table, while I clean up the other messes that are there. Saturday, it will be the front yard........... Oh it is so nice to have a plan again! Keep your fingers crossed that this works........... otherwise, I will be on the search for that manual.

I love playdates!

I've found my new drug. It is called, "Playdates"! Why I haven't planned any sooner, or actually followed through earlier on playdates that were originally scheduled, I don't know. I have some former teacher friends that all have kids around JT's and KD's ages (even RP's too). We have been trying to get together for 3 weeks, but I have bailed out. First excuse, car wreck and no wheels to get there. Second excuse, rain. Finally - we met today and it went by so fast! I felt we had only been there a few minutes, when it had actually been more along the lines of 90 minutes before the other moms had to leave. I am now craving adult attention! I couldn't seem to get enough of it this afternoon and I am still needing more. I am on such a high and my kids are seeming to be addicted to it as well. The bonus of this new drug - both the big kids are racked out in their rooms. I guess you could say they "overdosed" themselves today.