Some advice needed

A little over a month ago my husband did something that made me lose some of my trust in him. Nothing so drastic as cheating on me or anything but something that we had talked about and both reached an agreement about.

He lied to me blatantly to my face, and it was a really bad lie at that.

After a few days ( I needed some time to cool down and think.) we talked and I explained to hin how much it hurt me that he lied, and how it was going to take me a while to get over that, and that it would take me a while to be able to trust him again. He said he knew that and could understand that and that he was sorry it would not happen again. But how do I know? Like I said he has pretty much lost my trust.

How do you fix something like that in a relationship? I have no experience with this. I have always been the type that when things got rough, I got out. I do not want that to be the case here though. I love Jeff.

I know he loves me and I love him very much but at the same time I guess I am still hurt maybe?

I know this is not anywhere near the end for us and that eventually we will recover, but what can I do to make it better?

Should it be up to me to try and make things better?

BLECH! I am soooo confused.

Answers to a few questions about Dryer Balls

There were a few questions about the dryer balls I posted about yesterday. Here are the answers that I have.

Bobbi, I have noticed that there does not seem to be as much static in my clothes. I have a couple of fleece blankets and normally when I pull them out of the dryer you can hear the static in them, but Sunday I did not notice any static.

Janelle, supposedly they work by creating more space between the clothes for air to flow through thus shortening the drying time. As far as how they make the clothes softer and stuff I honestly have no idea. From what research I have done online it seems like because they do not have the chemicals that dryer sheets do that build up a residue on your clothes and prevent them from being soft and fluffy. Expecially with the towels the residue causes them to be less absorbent.

Nellie's Dryer Balls: A Review

I have been reading a lot about using dryer balls instead of fabric softner sheets for the past few months. Supposedly they reduce drying time, lint and wrinkles, make towels more absorbent and clothes softer and of course they are better for the environment because they reduce waste. You spend less money on energy as well. Like the no-poo (which I am still doing by the way) I had to give it a try.

There are people that make their own out of wool, and then there are the rubbery plastic type ones like I got. ALDI'S had them for $6.99 for the 2 pack, so I picked some up last week. After getting home from camping I had a TON of laundry to do. I washed my first load and then threw them in the dryer with my new balls.

The results? Since I have an older dryer I always have to let it finish one complete cycle then turn it on for another 30-40 minutes. With the dryer balls I am only having to add on an extra 10-20 minutes. Honestly I have not noticed if my clothes are any softer or my towels more absorbent, but for me the energy savings plus the fact that they are reusable instead of disposable makes them a winner in my book.

First Camping Trip of 2009

On a spur of the moment trip, we decided to head to the Natural bridge/Red River Gorge area of KY and go camping this weekend. We had an absolute blast! I think if Daniel had not been made to take several showers, he would have brought home a sample of every type of dirt that can be found in the area. Here are a few pics:

Aren't they cute?

The Natural Bridge from a distance.

He just HAD to play in the water. Of course he "accidentally" sat in the water.

Showing off his dirt. He had to be "naked" like Daddy.

More dirt. He took a LOT of showers.

One of the reasons he was so dirty. He was building this wall.

After one of the many showers, he was "fishing" in the stream with this stick.

The moose in one of the stores in Slade, KY. They also had a stuffed lion up in the rafters of the building.

Entrance to the Red River Gorge. You had to drive through the mountain in a one lane tunnel. Daniel loved it!

Turtles at the KY Reptile Zoo.

PS I did not barf on Friday! I did a great job!

I hope I do not puke on someone

Back in November or so, I talked with my boss about getting together a packet for the local credit unions here. In AL we had quite a few that we got good business from and there are a TON of them here. With the craziness of life (ok and my procrastination) I had not gotten anything done on it until a few weeks ago.

After being connected to the right person in our corporate office, who could get me the material I needed, I quickly whipped my business packet in to shape.

Tomorrow is the day it begins. I start visiting all the credit unions making my presentation. I have to represent my company. And be professional. And DRESS UP. No blue jeans tomorrow :( My boss telling me they were all counting on me does nothing to help my nerves either. I am sure after the first couple I will be fine, but I am afraid in those first few I just might barf on someone. That would be REALLY professional.

Did I mention that I have NOTHING to wear. Or that my hair is horrible right now because of it's in between lengths growing outness? It never cooperates.

Oh well at least they have confidence in me that I can handle it myself instead of sending someone from our corporate office to do it. I see that promotion to branch manager within reach! WOOHOO! Payraise!

A rant

You know I moved 400 miles away from home for my job, because I could not keep working with a certain person. Made my life hell. Why is it that from 400 miles away she is STILL trying to make my life hell? All it does is make you look bad to the clients and to our bosses with our company! GET A LIFE! You are a LOT older than me and should freaking know how to act like an adult! NOT A KID! BLLLLAAAARGH!

Ok feel a little better now.

REEE Clunk REE REE Clunk (or something like that)

Last year Jeff won tickets to the Nascar Nationwide series race at the Kentucky Motor Speedway. We took Daniel and camped out that Saturday for the race. Daniel had an absolute blast! Unfortunately, I lost my camera when leaving the track, so no pictures.

For months after we went he would ask us when we were going back to the races. He loves everything to do with cars. From the movie CARS (Probably why it looks like the movie exploded in his room.), to coming to work with Mommy and seeing the tow trucks.

We have been talking about going back to the race this year. I looked into the ticket prices the other day and was talking to Jeff about them. Daniel is THRILLED because he heard us and knows we are going to go to the races again! Once again, every day he asks, "Are we going to the races today?"

The ultimate though was last night. I picked him up from daycare and he wanted to call and talk to Melgie. (My sister. She was gone all weekend and he was VERY upset that he could not talk to her.) He was playing with a race car when I handed him the phone. He then proceeded to demonstrate to everyone who got on the phone, the noises that the cars make when they are doing a pit stop. He also explained that the car was getting it's tires changed, and then that it had wrecked and had to go to the garage. Funny thing is, he sounded scarily like the air wrenches they use. Maybe he will be a sound effects person for movies when he grows up.

Or a NASCAR driver.

And Mel, from now on you have to stay home so that when Daniel calls, you are there.

I NEED one of these.

Anyone want to buy me one?

Wish I did not have plans this weekend

So I could go meet some hillbillies.

Garlic pesto and spinach pizza

A couple of months ago I made some homemade pizza dough. I used half of it and froze the other half for future use. I can't remember what recipe I used but here is one that is a LOT easier than what I used. I will be trying this one next time.

I decided Wednesday night that pizza sounded good for supper on Thursday and set out the dough to thaw. I am GLAD I did. Corvette hunting took longer than I expected.

My 2 years working at Papa John's came in handy last night and impressed my son. He kept wanting me to "throw it again." Those skills are not nessecary however. Just fun.

This recipe is what I used, but you can change the toppings to reflect your tastes. My husband was horrified when I told him there was not going to be any meat on the pizza, but changed his tune when he tried it.

1 pizza crust (homemade or store bought does not matter)
2-3 Tbsp Garlic Scape Pesto from Blue Moon Farms (Any pesto will work but this stuff is AMAZING.)
2-3 Tbsp spaghetti sauce (I only used about 2 because I do not like a lot of sauce.)

Toppings I used:

Spinach drained and pressed to remove as much water as possible.
Sliced mushrooms
Sliced black olives
Italian blend cheese

Spread pesto over pizza crust. Then add spaghetti sauce and spread. Add your toppings and cheese and bake in a preheated 350 degree oven until cheese is melted and slightly browned on top and sauce is bubbly.

My CHILD ate 2 pieces. Of course he has been watching Popeye and thinks it is cool to eat spinach because it will give him big muscles. My husband raved, even if it didn't have meat on it. (I might add some crumbled bacon next time, just for him.) I could have eaten another WHOLE pizza myself. It was wonderful, if I do say so myself!

Corvette Here I Come!

Oh yes baby. I am coming to get you and I am going to LOVE driving you back to work every minute of the way.

Savings 2009 Update

It really amazes me how much money we have been able to save in such a short time. I do not even miss it from my bank account! Which leads me to why the !@$%@% were we not doing this before?

So far since January we have saved, drumroll please, $622.19! We only have $878 to go to our goal! That is not counting the change we save, which is adding up now that we do not have to use our quarters for the laundry. We plan on using that for a vacation fund. Plus I find more and more that there is more money staying in my checking account as well.

Even with a week long trip to AL, moving and buying stuff that normally I would make, and buying a washer and dryer, we have managed to keep our expenses low enough that we can still put money in our savings, and within a pay check or so of the big expenses our bank account has been right back to where it should be!

We are starting to get our bills for our new place too and so far they have been pleasantly low. Our water bill was a little higher than normal because of the activation fee but even with all the clothes we wash and all the times I refill the bathub (Yeah I know I am working on my bathtub addiction, it is not very green of me to waste water like that.) it would have only been $20 without the other fee. I am hoping that we can continue to keep our bills so low, that way we can have more wiggle room in our budget to do the things we want too.

I guess the biggest thing for me though is the fact that I do not feel like I am deprived by not eating out, or not buying new clothes every season etc. We have a happy, healthy family that enjoys spending time together. What more do you really need?

Are you making any more lifestyle changes with the ongoing problems with the economy?

Yummy corn casserole

I saw this last week and gave it a try Friday night. For once I did not make any changes to it at all, although I did think about adding some chopped onion. And more cheese. Because cheese is good and IMHO you can never have enough. I was skeptical if I would even like it due to the massive (to me) amount of sour cream in it, but it was REALLY good. And I could not taste the sour cream which made me happy!



Corn Casserole - Paula Deen

Ingredients
1 (15 1/4-ounce) can whole kernel corn, drained
1 (14 3/4-ounce) can cream-style corn
1 (8-ounce) package corn muffin mix (recommended: Jiffy)
1 cup sour cream
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, melted
1 to 1 1/2 cups shredded Cheddar

Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.In a large bowl, stir together the 2 cans of corn, corn muffin mix, sour cream, and melted butter. Pour into a greased 9 by 13-inch casserole dish. Bake for 45 minutes, or until golden brown. Remove from oven and top with Cheddar. Return to oven for 5 to 10 minutes, or until cheese is melted. Let stand for at least 5 minutes and then serve warm.

My dog is mad

Spot is VERY upset with me. I took her in to the Lexington Humane Society yesterday to be spayed and get her shots. As soon as we got out the hair on her back stood up and she had her tail tucked between her legs. When the nice attendant tried to get her to walk down the hall with her she flat out refused to move. She had to be picked up and carried away.

When I returned to pick her up she was not quite her normal boisterous self, but pretty close. She whimpered and whined in the back seat of the car the whole way home.

When we got home, she went to her normal inside resting place, under the window bench. A few minutes later I was looking for her and could not find her. She was under the chair. And refused to come out.

Later on in the evening she did venture out to get some attention, but then she would go right back under the chair. Because of the surgery she has to stay inside for the next few days. Hope she does not pee all over the carpet while I am at work.

For those that live in Lexington/Fayette Co. The humane society has a low cost/no cost spay and neuter program. Go by their office to sign up and they will contact you in a few weeks and set up an appointment if you qualify.

70% off Restaurant.com code

You can use the code FEAST when you checkout at Restaurant.com to get a 70% discount. I just bought a $100 giftcard for $12!

Easter happenings

What a wonderful weekend! Ok staying home doing nothing would have been nice too but then I would have nothing to blog about!

The Lexington Farmer's Market kicked off it's season on Saturday and after a nice cooked by someone other than me breakfast at Denny's we headed to the Market. It was nice to see the familiar faces and some new ones as well. I picked up a bunch of baby green garlic and Daniel had to have some honey straws of course. I got a new bar of soap from the honey lady as well as I am down to my last bar at home. I also sampled some of the local wines that were for sale and ended up getting 2 bottles. What a way to start your weekend huh? The Farmer's Market here is seriously the most awesome thing ever. And it promotes your local economy as well as a greener lifestyle by buying local.

After getting the running around done we dyed eggs and hung out at the house cooking, cleaning and all that fun stuff. Daniel still did not have a big interest in dying the eggs. He helped with 3-4 but then it was outside to play in the yard. He was soooooo excited about Easter though. He told my mom that he was going to watch the Easter bunny put the candy in his eggs. That he would come out of his room and sneak up on him so he could see if he was big like Mommy and Jeff or little like a rabbit.

We spent Easter morning at the house and then went to Jeff's boss's house for another Easter egg hunt. He had a huge yard and several 4 wheelers for the kids to ride. Jeff took Daniel for a ride and I could hear Daniel screaming the whole way. "YAAAAAAAAAAY."

No nap+lots of excitement+lots of sugar=CRANKY child.

He fell asleep watching his movie last night and he NEVER does that.

Hope everyone else had a wonderful weekend and Easter!

I'm in the money!

Ok maybe not really, but when you open your bank account online and see more money than what is supposed to be there, yeah it is a good feeling.

My AL tax return finally hit my bank account today! Now if my KY check would hurry up and come in the mail, it would be wonderful.

I am going to take $100 of it and put in my savings account, for our emergency fund. I will probably have to break down and buy myself a few spring/summer shirts. I got rid of most of mine when I purged everything in my closet that did not fit when we moved. I have been looking at the thrift stores but I have not had any luck finding anything. So Wal Mart here I come! Some will go towards Daniel's birthday party next month, and if there is anything else leftover it will go in the savings.

Oh yeah and I am going to treat myself and we will go out to dinner tomorrow night. Can't squirrel everything away without having a little treat!

The Great Chicken Caper: SOLVED

My husband always calls me when he gets off work, to see if I need him to do anything or pick Daniel up from daycare. When he called yesterday I asked him if he knew anything about the chicken in my car. He swore up and down that he did not.

We were sitting on the couch watching TV last night when all of a sudden he shouts:

"Mrs. Sharon!"

"Huh?"

"Mrs. Sharon gave me a bag when I was leaving her apartment yesterday, but I did not pay attention to what was in it. Must have been the chicken and I left it in your car."

So the great chicken caper was solved.

And Bobbi, I think the problem might be that I'm NOT on meds. ;)

How did that chicken get in my car?

Ok from my post yesterday you can obviously tell, I am not a morning person. Combine that with insomnia, and some mornings are just ROUGH for me. This one was no exception.

When I got to work I grabbed my purse and my plastic lunch bag. After I was in the office for a few mintues, I decided to munch on something from my lunch. I grabbed the bag and inside was a bag of breaded chicken fingers from Meijer's! WHAT!? That is NOT my lunch! Where in the h e l l did these COME from? I don't buy stuff like that! As hungry as my husband is and as much as he complains that I am starving him to death by only letting him take 2 sandwiches for his lunch, I know he did not buy them. So WHERE did they come from? After all this runs through my head, I decide to check my car for my lunch because I could have SWORN that I grabbed my lunch out of the fridge this morning. Sure enough there it was on the front seat of my car.

Which still leaves me with the question: How did that chicken get in my car?

Also, I DID check my underwear this morning ;)

I sleep by myself

Daniel loves to talk on the phone to all of our family back in AL. That is, when he is not "busy" with toys, cartoons and the like. Last week he was talking to Uncle Brian and this is what we heard:

"Mommy and Jeff sleep together in their big bed."

"I sleep by myself in my big bed, but I have 2 pillows. That way when I get a brother he can sleep with me."

At this point I added:

"You mean when he is a baby?"

"NO Mom, when he is a big boy like me!"

Evidently he has not given up on a brother or sister, and now he wants them to share his bed. (He has a full size bed which was given to us free, that is why he calls it a big bed.)

The NEW crotchless panties

I have a beagle puppy who is right at a year old. If you have ever had a young dog, you know that they like to um EAT underwear. In very specific places. Like the crotch. Needless to say I went through a LOT of underwear with Spot. Well I try and reuse as much stuff as possible instead of throwing it away, so I kept the chewed underwear and use them as rags to clean with. AFTER washing them of course.

Most people who know me, know I am NOT a morning person. So I stumbled out of bed this morning, grab a pair of underwear from the drawer and the rest of my clothes, and proceed to get dressed. I go to work, procrastinate, do some work and then run to the store. While at the store I decided to make use of their facilities instead of having to use my cold porta potty. Imagine my surprise when I notice that my underwear is only being held together by the elastic on one side! Thankfully there was no one else in the bathroom because I about died laughing.

Obviously I need to lay my clothes out the night before, AND pay more attention when I am sorting clothes. I must have put the rag in my underwear drawer by mistake.

OOPS!

Why do moms feel guilty?

It seems that every Mom has something that they wish they were better at, or did not do, or just plain makes them feel guilty.

As a mom there is a lot on our plates whether you are a SAHM or a WAHM or a working mom. I think Mrs. B made a good point that so many times we as women/mothers spend too much time concentrating on putting other women/mothers down because they do not do things the way WE do or what WE personally think is the best way, and instead need to concentrate more on supporting each other.

I feel guilty because I moved our family 400 miles away from the people that Daniel spent most of the first 3 years of life with.

I feel guilty because sometimes I let my temper/frustrations get the best of me and I yell. If I was like THAT Mom I would NEVER yell at my child.

I feel guilty that I do not get to stay at home with my child, but have to work to keep our family functioning.

There are so many things that I feel guilt over at one point or another as a mom. BUT. None of those things make me a bad mother or any less of a person. It is normal to feel overwhelmed and angry at times. It is normal to want time to yourself every once in a while. It is normal to think about well what if I could be a SAHM. Honestly I would probably go crazy if I did not go to work every day.

What is it that makes you as a mom feel guilty and why?

The mind of an almost 4 year old

5:45am

*Creeeeeek*
Roll over look at door. Daniel is naked.
WAIT!
"Daniel why are you naked?"
"Because I had an accident."
"Did you pee in your bed?"
"No I pooped my pants! I tried to get to the bathroom but I didn't make it!"
"Where are your clothes?"
"In the dirty clothes."

At this point Jeff gets up with him. He has used approximately half of a roll of toilet paper to try and get the poop off of him and he still missed a few spots. After inspecting the clothes it seems like he peed as well. Bed was not wet but the ummm skid marks were a little disgusting so sheets had to be changed anyway.

Not sure if he has an upset tummy or what. That is the first time he has done that. NOT what you want to wake up too. Especially at 5:45am. Especially when you are not a morning person. Especially when it takes you so long to go back to sleep that the alarm is going off.

Mom of the Year Award! My first award!

Joell over at Life with a Toddler nominated me for a Mom of the Year Award! She is quite possibly one of the sweetest people I have met through my blog. Thanks so much for the award!

Admit one thing you feel awful about involving being a mom. Get it off your shoulders. Once you've written it down, you are No Longer allowed to feel bad. It's over with, it's in the past. Remember, you're a good mom!

I feel bad that sometimes when it has been a long day at work or my back is really bothering me, that once I get supper cooked, I disappear into the bathroom for a nice LONG, and I do mean LONG, (like waaaaay over an hour) soak in the bathtub. I could be playing with Daniel or we could all be watching a movie or playing a game together, but I would rather hole up in a hot bath with a beer and relax. He is in daycare all day and if I was a good Mommy I would wait until he goes to bed to do my relaxing, but then I would not have time for the LONG soak. Just a normal one. Is that selfish of me?

Remind yourself you are a good mom, list seven things you love about your kids, you love doing with your kids, or that your kids love about you. These are the things to remind yourself everyday that you Rock!

1. Daniel's smile can lift my spirits even when I am not at my best.

2. I love taking him to new places and seeing him experience new things and the joy that experience brings him.

3. I love the way he comes into our room on the weekends, crawls in bed with us, and then proceeds to "hide" under the covers and we have to "find" him.

4. I love how the smallest thing can fascinate him.

5. I love the ritual of kisses we go through at bedtime every night. Kiss, then a butterfly kiss, then an eskimo kiss, then a fish kiss, then a normal kiss again. And believe me if he does not get them all he WILL get back up and come find me.

6. I love when he laughs.

7. I love his Daniel-isms. The unique things that only he could come up with and say.

Send this to five other Mom's of the year that deserve credit for being great moms and remind them that they are the best moms they can be!! Remember to send them a note to let them know you've selected them, and add a link to the person who nominated you.

Jessica at Don't Give Him Crackers

Heather at And Baby Makes Four and Bookworm Mom in KY

Janelle at Everyday Stories

Stacy at I Eat Snowman Poop

Mrs B at Confessions of a Pagan Soccer Mom

Stay out of my container garden Peter Rabbit

I got several herbs and various flowers planted yesterday in containers as well as I got some onions in the ground. It was such a beautiful day. I even got a touch of sun on my arms. Alas my legs refuse to tan and are still blindingly white. Oh well. Daniel and I were literally outside all day yesterday. Today I do not even want to open my door. It is sleeting right now, and it is supposed to turn to snow later. Temp was at its high point this morning and will drop all day long. WTF!? Winter go away! NOW! Stupid KY weather.