Breakin' the law

Yesterday I broke two of my own personal do-or-die laws: 1) never EVER EVER EVER buy a bag of Halloween candy that includes Reese's PB cups and 2) never EVER EVER EVER open Halloween candy a minute before we see the trick or treaters approaching the door.

Both laws were enacted in 2003 after I ate a whole bag of mini Reese's cups by myself in one dark mid-October week. Since then, for my safety and well-being, our H'ween candy has mostly been Snickers & Kit Kats, neither of which I like and am not tempted to eat. And we usually wait until the actual day of Halloween to buy any candy. And we don't open it ahead of time.

But yesterday in Target I had to buy candy for the kids' school Halloween party. So I figured I might as well get our trick-or-treat candy too. And so I grabbed about 8 of those huge (on sale) assortment bags not realizing they had PB cups in them until I got home and unloaded. I should have got right back in the car and returned them. Because OF COURSE as soon as Anders was napping, I popped that bad boy open.

And yes I practically mainlined 4 PB cups in a matter of minutes. I haven't had one since about Valentine's Day and they tasted mighty good. Now I need to dig deep into the musty corners of my mind and try to find my will power for the next 36 hours.

Not right

Let me see if I have this right.

October 29. Check.
Costumes ready. Check.
Candy bought (more on that tomorrow). Check.
Nice cool fall weather. WRONG.



Yes. That is actual. My car thermometer read 100 this afternoon. The kids are going to get heatstroke trick-or-treating.

And how about our lovely "bonfire?"



Let's pray that summer is finally over before Thanksgiving gets here.

I'm thinking

"Courage is contagious. When a brave man takes a stand, the spines of others are often stiffened." - Billy Graham

Still in shorts & flip-flops

C'mon weather. I mean it's not like I expect a White Christmas or anything, but really highs in the 90s in late October. Boo.

See this chart? The red zone means temps in the 90s. Another sweaty Trick or Treat night coming up....

Low priority

What kind of kids am I raising that would rather watch some ridiculous cartoon than the last nail-biting seconds on the Alabama-Tennessee game!?!!!?

Why do we only have 1 TV?

Why? Why?

I'm going to check the Box Scores again...

Great Scott!

In my last post, as I was carrying on about work and home and motherhood and stuff, I DID neglect to mention a truly stellar individual from my previous WorkingGirl life. So please allow me to introduce my good friend, former mentor and all-around Best Boss Ever, Scott.

Scott hired me onto his team just when I thought I'd be unemployed due to a relocation from Pittsburgh to Florida that was wholly out of my control. I was happy for the opportunity, but even more happy to be working for someone I suspected was going to be really fun to work with.

Scott is one of the kindest, most generous people I know, but can always be counted on for a hilariously snarky and/or honest comment when needed.

Scott was, and I am sure still is to whomever he works with these days, a Great Boss. He made our job fun. I always learned something from him. And although he let me "run with the ball" far more often that I probably deserved, he always knew when he needed to step in, rein me in, or redirect my efforts. And he always did so in the most gracious and professional way. He may have often gone home and drank heavily after a day of dealing with me, but he never let it show at work.

Scott is unbelievably creative, although I bet he'd deny it if you said so directly to his face.

Scott always had my back. He always gave credit where it was due. I always knew exactly where I stood with him. Scott made sure I - and we, as a team - shone!

Scott was one of the reasons I really, really, really, really loved my job, and was one of the reasons it was incredibly hard to leave. I was insanely jealous of the person who replaced me because I knew HE was working with Scott.

Scott is a great cook! I still have dreams about these awesome lobster enchiladas he made in 2001. I raved about them and he gave me the recipe. Years later, I showed the recipe to Mr. J and told him that's what I wanted for my birthday dinner. Mr. J offered that perhaps we should just ask Scott to make them for me because he was pretty sure that he wasn't up to the task.

I'm pretty sure that my family feels like they've met him because I used to talk about him all the time. Come to think of it, I still do on occasion.

So there you have it. Just a few of the many wonderful aspects of my friend Scott. I haven't even touched on the many funny stories, what a great dad he is, etc. You'll just have to imagine all that. Or, better yet, hope that one day YOU get to meet Scott too.

Thanks Scott!

Because I am

A few months ago, I had a mini-epiphany about being a Stay-at-Home-Mom (SAHM).

I started my new career when Dags was not quite 2, leaving a job & a career that I loved. It was an incredibly hard decision. I worked for a great company with people I was really friends with; I learned a lot and I think I contributed a lot too. So the decision to become a SAHM was unusually protracted and I tried to keep working for as long as I could before Mr. J and I decided that the place that I truly needed to be was at home. We are blessed and I am grateful that I have been able to continue to stay at home.

Even so there have been times, especially since Anders was born, where I questioned what I was doing. I felt jealous that I couldn't go out to lunch, or shop, or relax like I used to. I even missed the positive feedback and approval of my co-workers. So much of being a SAHM can be seen as drudge work. It is an incredibly thankless job.

But then, right about the beginning of this past summer, I suddenly realized that one of the reasons I was feeling stressed and confused and envious of my friends who seemed to have more free time was that I had been trying to do too much, focusing on the wrong things and not really thinking about what it means to be a SAHM. I am a HOMEMAKER. I make our home what it is. Mr. J may provide the means, but I am the catalyst for almost everything here. If the kids are miserable and cranky, it is my job to figure out why and help them learn to work things out. If the house is dirty, it is my privilege to clean it and watch it sparkle and shine. Accepting these things, rather than inwardly rebelling against them, helped me to have a much more positive outlook. An "attitude of gratitude" as they say at school.

So today, after yet another sleepless night with Anders up every 20 minutes, I reached down deep, said a prayer and dove in to my day with a smile on my face. Laundry, cleaning, fluffing pillows and sheets, baking a pumpkin spice cake ... I asked for all of this and in return? The satisfaction of a job well done. By me. For my family.

Also? It doesn't hurt that we're inaugurating our anniversary present tonight:

Yeah, you're darn right that's a 45,000 BTU, 3-burner, rotisserie-and-side-burner-equipped, granite work-surfaced, stainless steel grill hooked up conveniently to the natural gas line at our house (no toting LP tanks for me). What more could a girl want after 10 wonderful years of marriage?!

This is Anders

He is three. He is sweet. He is stubborn. He is emotional. He is very talkative. He can be shy. He can drive you crazy or smother you with litt*le-boy kisses. Sometimes at that same time.

He does not sleep much.

He is a very picky eater.

He does not like to play by himself.

He thinks it's funny to use "potty talk."

He is allllll boy.

He is smart. He likes to be read to. He can count to 20.

He has a volatile temper and we're trying to teach him to "use his words."

He spends quite a bit of every afternoon in time out.

He is a lot of work.

He challenges me to be a better mom every single day. I pray every morning that I will rise to that challenge, meet it, and surpass it.

This and that

Crazy week. Girl Scouts, gymnastics, cleaning, dr. appts, vet appts, deliveries, yard work, meetings, Halloween costumes to make, company coming this weekend, trip to Naples to see my mom & dad .... lots of balls to juggle right now.

If you're looking for something to do this weekend, how about the Euclid/St.Paul neighborhood Haunted Hike? It's a lot of fun, and the weather is supposed to cool off by Saturday. I so need a break from 90 degree days!!!

Lizard Update: If you've been following the saga of the Lost Lizard, I'm happy to report it has finally been FOUND. Unfortunately found by my poor Dagny, but still FOUND. We were cleaning out the MomMobile on Saturday and as she was sorting through the bag of beach toys she suddenly let loose this piercing shriek and started to cry. She ran inside and I found her frantically scrubbing her hands. I asked what happened (I thought she got stung by something) and she said a "dried up lizard with its eyes popping out" fell out of a bucket onto her hand. While not happy that it happened to her (although I'm glad it didn't happen to me because I can feel my heart racing just typing that sentence), I helped her scrub for a few more minutes and told her that it was probably the Lizard that had crawled into the car and now we don't have to worry about it anymore! So it was ultimately a Good Thing. Though maybe not for her.

Look who's on Oprah

I don't watch Oprah, but I'll make an exception today for one of my favorite "mommy-bloggers" - NieNie.

I don't know her IRL and I'll most likely never meet her, but her story and her faith are truly inspirational. Her outlook on being a wife and mother may not be for everyone, but her outlook on family life is something we should ALL aspire to these days.

Down the drain

Holy greenbacks. Another institution goes belly up.

Read this. Two of my magazine subscriptions - SHUTTERED. I don't care much about Cookie - I think I got it as a gift subscription with an Amazon order. But Gourmet? COME ON. It's been around forever. And I just re-upped for another year!

Argh.

Happy fall y'all

While the rest of the country is talking about the crisp air, frost on the ground, sweaters and pumpkins, we Floridians are enjoying a perfect beach day. Blue skies, UV index out the roof, no humidity. PERFECT. I love fall.