Mini Break

Today Jon (it is his birthday) and I are going away this weekend WITHOUT the kid. I am so excited that I am pacing and waiting till he gets home from work. My mom is so awesome and she is coming to watch Julia for the weekend. We will only be gone till Sunday afternoon, but I have a whole suitcase of clothes packed. I must be thinking I am a moviestar and need 8 changes of clothes for 2 days away. I also have to bring my blow dryer and straighter so I can get pretty for dinner out. These are things a girl can't live without- you know?

Well I hope you all have a good weekend. Thanks for reading!

-Amanda

She Works Hard for her Money

Today I have been working for my friend Catie doing some research for her. I jumped at the chance to do something that I had to use my brain. I have now worked since 8:30 am while Julia was a school and now she is taking a nap so I was working too. I love it and everything, but my eyes are tired. I also realized that my brain is so filled with "Strawberry Shortcake" and "Care Bear" songs, that there isn't a lot of room for much else. However there will be a nice check coming my way so I am not going to complain :)

So here is my story and now you see why this post is so boring.

Thanks for reading!

-Amanda

I am Such a Cry Baby

Why oh Why does "Oprah" always have to make me cry? Today was one that I actually had to use a tissue to wipe my eyes. I just hate it when I am in a good mood, thinking everything is right in the world (well in my world at least) , and then I turn on the TV to find out that is not true. I also cry everytime I watch "Extreme Home Makeover".I mean those people have the crapest houses and the most moving stories that you have to cry when they see their new house for the first time. And if TBS shows "Somewhere in Time" one more time I am going to float away in my own tears! If you have never seen that movie- break out the tissues. You are going to need it :) Maybe I should really be crying over how much TV I watch and how it is affecting my emotions- right? :)

What TV shows or movies make you cry all the time??

Thanks for reading!

-Amanda

Mom's Night Out

What do you get when you combine 5 moms with toddlers, a bowling alley, and 5 pitchers of beer?? A really bad hangover the next day :) Saturday was the monthly moms night out and usually we just go to dinner, but this time we decided to go bowling. There must have been something in the air that night because we got crazy. I think at one point there was shopping cart races in the grocery store parking lot next door. We talked about everything and I feel as if I know these women on an entirely different level. It was so much fun, but I am sure next month we will be back to going out to dinner and home at a decent hour :)

I hope you all had a great weekend. Thanks for reading!

-Amanda

Aren't I Too Old??

This morning I woke up and as I was passing the mirror in the bathroom on my way to go pee (I am only saying that because I know you all do it) I noticed that I had three huge zits on my chin. WTF? Aren't I too old for that? I mean one here and there is expected, but three right there where everyone can see them. I felt like I was 16 again searching through my peach Caboodle for my Jane make up stick to cover them up. And to make matters worse Julia said to me "Mommy you have a big boo-boo on your chin" Kids- they can be too smart for their own good :)

It made me think though that there are still things that make me self conscious like they did when I was a teenager. I still cover my mouth when I laugh because I had braces when I was 15 and was always afraid there was stuff in my teeth. Is there anything that you still do that you did as a teenager?

Have a great weekend! Thanks for reading!

-Amanda

I am in Love

Is it okay to love your new blog design so much you want to marry it? Well that is how I feel! I am in love! Thanks so much to Ro and Ciao My Bella for putting up with me and coming up with this design. I recommend her highly :)

Let me know what you think. Thanks for reading!

-Amanda

Potty Mouth Update

Today as I was washing the dishes in the sink instead of actually emptying the dishwasher and putting them in there (duh!) I dropped a dish and said "S%#$". Julia, who was eating her snack at the counter said "Don't ever say that word Mommy. It is not pretty". It made me so happy that she actually listened to something I said, but then made me realize that I need clean up my potty mouth. So I guess I need to work on making "fudge!" and "shoot!" work in certain situations :)

Hope everyone is having a good Wednesday. Thanks for reading

-Amanda

Nothing

I've got nothing to talk about today. My kid is not sick, there has been no drama in this house, and the husband even cooked dinner last night (yes I was shocked I tell you.) So lets hear from you today. I want to know your favorites:

1. Movie
2. Song
3. Book

So don't be shy- let's hear it. I will even start it off for you :)

My Favorites

1. "When Harry Met Sally"
2. " In the Groove" by Madonna
3. "Circle of Friends" by Mauve Binchey

Thanks for reading!

-Amanda

Panty Head

At least she is using them for something.

Little Black Dress

I have this dress in my closet that I bought for my honeymoon. Now that was almost 5 years ago and I have never worn it. It is super simple, but it is too cute. This morning I thought "What the hell" and tried it on. It fit!!! I wanted to run outside and knock on the doors of my neighbors and show them. Of course I don't know any of my neighbors so I am sure they would have thought I was a tad bit strange. I am just happy to know that I have a cute dress to wear if we ever go anywhere. Maybe I need to make a date with the husband?

Jon is building in Julia's closet today so we can make room in her little bedroom. The thing about track homes is that you get this great large downstairs, but they make the bedrooms so small. As she is getting older she will need a desk or something so I wanted to be able to put all of her clothes in her closet. Lowes has the whole kit you can buy and it was not even that expensive. I have not heard bad words coming from her room yet so I am assuming all is going well in there.

Well I hope you all have a great weekend. Thanks for reading!

-Amanda

PS Go check out Genuine's photo challenge. Now if I could just find my pictures from college :)

Lesson Learned

Don't buy Crest Whitening Expressions toothpaste in Cinnamon Rush flavor. Not only does it burn the skin on the outside or you mouth, but this morning I discovered if you accidentally flick your toothbrush while the paste is on there and a big blob goes in your eye that burns like hell. Just thought I would give a little warning :)

My kid wore underwear all day today with no accidents and she even put herself on the potty. I am sure the mom readers out there will understand how big of a deal this is. I am very happy today. Now if I could just get her to do it everyday :)

Thanks for reading!

-Amanda

Do you Kiss Your Mother with that Mouth?

I feel a little embarrassed about what I am going to tell the blog world. I had a feeling it would happen sooner or later, but now I have not clue what to do. Yesterday afternoon as I was carrying a 30 lbs. child up the stairs for her nap, I dropped my water bottle and saw it roll down the stairs. Before I could get out my words of reaction Julia says " F#$%ing water bottle." I almost dropped her as my soul was crushed into million pieces. Granted she has said the s-word before and I have had laid the law down on that one, but the f-word!!! I also know that it is a normal thing for kids to use words they don't know, but the f-word!!!! I feel like so ashamed since I am sure she has heard me use that word before. I am hanging my head in shame right now as we speak. What do I do if it happens again? Do I pull out the soap and put it in her mouth? Do I pretend she didn't say it so she doesn't get a reaction? Help! I am so afraid my little darling has a sailor mouth!

What am I going to yell at slow drivers now??

Thanks for reading :)

-Amanda (bad mommy)

Computer Hell

For those who love your computer you will understand that a day without it is like a day without sunshine. We caught a virus in this house thanks to the hubby downloading free software (well that is what he told me) and it caused havoc on our system. Luckily after hours of reinstalling EVERYTHING we are up and running today. But believe me it was like we lost our will to live because of it. I totally sulked all day and probably asked 50 times "Can I use it now?" I could not live without checking my blogroll or comments on my last post. I could not stand that there was unopened email just sitting there waiting for me. It was driving me crazy. So now that the computer is working and I able to do all the above I realized that maybe this is my first inclination that I am on my way to becoming a Blog Whore. To which makes me very happy and I have all of you to thank :)

Thanks for reading!

-Amanda

Smile

I have been reading "Mommy Matters" for a couple of months now and Christine is awesome. She turned 30 today and lately she has making lists about things that she was thankful for and things she still wanted to do with her life. So I decided that I would make my own list and I ask you to share you thoughts as well. This list is 10 things that make me smile :)

1. When I see an older couple cruising in their 1950's car that they have taken so well care of. Too me that is everlasting love and devotion- for the couple and the car.
2. When Julia sings- she gets really into it sometimes and closes her eyes. Super cute
3. When I follow a recipe to a "t" and it comes out looking like the picture and tastes awesome.
4. When I get my hair done and it looks cute for about 2 days.
5. When there is one last clean coffee cup and my husband leaves it for me and has to wash another one BY HAND for his coffee.
6. When I find a piece of clothing I forgot I had and it fits!
7. When Julia wakes up from a nap and wants me to hold her a little while.
8. When I get an email from a friend I have not heard from in a while.
9. When my best friend Summer calls just to tell me she found a song from high school on Itunes.
10. When my husband comes home and says "Let's get take out tonight"- I love that!!

So lets hear it- What makes you smile :) Thanks for reading.



-Amanda

Having a Girl

When I was younger my hair used to be down to my butt and my mom would braid it almost everyday like Laura Ingles on "Little House on the Prairie." I am sure she did it out of convenience since I have pretty thick hair and it must of been a mess if it was not put up. I don't really remember if I used to fight when she had to brush all the tangles and such out in order to braid it. All I know is I have a pretty hard head now and you could pull my hair hard and it wouldn't hurt (freak of nature I am sure). Now that I have a daughter who's head of hair is getting longer and longer, I feel that brushing it and putting it into some style must be torture for her. She runs away if she sees the brush! I have tried everything to get the tangles out and I still have to pull in order to do so. It just seems that having a girl is a lot harder as she gets older. My friends who have boys just put them in jeans and a t-shirt and they are on their way. Now that my daughter is turning 3 she is getting an opinion about what she wears and it take her 15 min to pick it out. Oh I can't wait to see how she is as a teenager when she has "nothing to wear."

Happy Friday! Thanks for reading :)

-Amanda

PS I promise there was a point to this story somewhere in there :)

Counting Sheep Sucks!

So last night was another night of me not sleeping. It is like I can not turn off. My button must be broken. I don't think that there is anything bothering me, but maybe in my sub consciences there is? No clue. All I know is that I need some sleep. Any suggestions? I have tried the whole Tylenol PM thing and it helps for a few nights, but then stops. I need like a mantra that I chant before I go to bed-"I will fall asleep and stay that way" 100 times in a row. Oh yeah before I forget- Thank You Starbucks for your "Breakfast Blend" coffee. I would not be able to make it through the day with out you.

Other than my insomnia things are pretty much back to normal here. The rain finally stopped and it starting to dry up outside. Julia woke up from her nap yesterday and said "Mommy let's go" and I said "Go where?". She replied "Out of here." Funny how kids even know when too much inside time is enough! So it was nice to get outside yesterday. I am just glad she is well enough to enjoy it.

I hope the weather is treating everyone out there good. Thanks for reading :)

-Amanda

Oh So Cute!!

I have not put any pics of my darling little niece Isabella in a long time, so I just had to post this one. Isn't she the cutest? Looks like her Mommy :)




-Amanda

All Good

It is funny when your kid is sick they are also mellow. So I am having a good day watching movies and playing with the kid. I am so thankful for a day like this. So I am in a better mood. Thank you so much for bearing with my rough week. I love having my blog buddies :)

Hope everyone is having a good day. Thanks for reading!

-Amanda

All Was Nice Until...

Okay I am now officially sick of my kid being sick!!!! I am tired of funding the couch medicine industry. I am tired of the doctor's office knowing me by my first name or saying "Oh Hi Amanda, what is wrong with Julia today?" I am tired of the Walgreen's pharmacy saying "Oh Hi Amanda, what can I fill for Julia today?" I am just tired!

Yesterday we wake up in the morning and Julia had a little cough. No big deal I think, she coughs all the time. By 3 pm her cough had turned into a full blown nose, cough and throat thing. To make matters worst, this green sticky stuff was coming out of her eyes. Now I am okay with snot and boogers, but green stuff coming out of your eyes- so gross!!! So the doctor says we have to go to Urgent Care. So we get in the car, in the pouring rain, and wait 1 1/2 hours to see a doctor who says she has a upper respiratory infection that is coming out of her eyes! Yuck, Yuck, Yuck!! Then he tells us we have to give her eye drops twice a day for 5 days. Has anyone ever given a 2 year old eye drops?? Well it is not a pleasant experience. Well she slept good and didn't wake up with too much stuff in her eyes, but then I look at my husband and he has the same thing!! I have now disinfected the whole house, washed every sheet and towel in the place, and I am sitting in a plastic bubble till this goes away.

So that is how my weekend is going. Seems like I have had a bad week. I promise to be more postitve when the plague has left my house. I hope all of you are having a great weekend. Thanks for reading!!

-Amanda

Better Day

As a punishment for being a terror yesterday, I took Julia's most prized possession away- her apple juice. Instead she got only water for the rest of the day. You would of thought I ran over the cat. She cried about it like 3 times before I put her to bed and even woke up in the middle of the night crying about it. She did receive some this morning after she said "Mommy I love you more than apple juice" How could I could I resist??

Did anyone watch Amber Fry on Oprah yesterday? Did anyone think that Oprah did most of the talking and Amber seemed to not know her own story too well? It could have been nerves, but it just seemed odd to me that Oprah was filling in all the blanks. Interesting stuff though.

Hope everyone day is going good. Thanks for reading.

-Amanda

Working Late

Why is it when the Hubby is working late my child picks that day to 1) Not take any kind of nap 2) Have a fit over a having a hot dog at Target 3) Cry and scream the whole ride home from Target for no reason?? This is the first time today I have sat down for any period of time. I praise all mothers who husbands are in the military or work far from home. I am also going to give a shout out to all single mothers because I have no clue how they do it. Can you tell that I am done today?? Luckily no nap means early bedtime so that is a good thing :)

I hope everybody had a better day! Thanks for reading!

-Amanda

Rant for the Day

Alright folks, here is my rant for the day. The Hubby and I were laying in bed last night watching TV and of course there was nothing on. We have satellite so you would think with 50,000 channels there would be something! (you may have thought that was my rant, but it wasn't) So anyway, I am flipping channels and I turn it on FOX and there was an actual show called "Who's Your Daddy" where a woman wins $100,000 if she can pick her birth father out from a group of men. WTF?? Are you kidding me?? Is this what Reality TV has come to? Don't get me wrong I am a big fan of Reality TV, but come on now. Next thing you know there will be show called "Be my Babies Father" where women pick men to sleep with and get pregnant (hmmm, no stealing I might have to call FOX with that one) I guess it just proves that people will do anything for money or fame. Just kinda sad though.

Okay I am done. Thanks for reading :)

-Amanda

Rain, Rain Go Away

So it has been raining tons since early this morning and I am so done with it. It has been raining here all last week and supposed to continue this week! Ugh- make it stop! My kid needs to see the outside for a change and I need to put make up on and get out too. I did manage to take Julia to the Ear, Nose and Throat doc today and she doesn't need tubes in her ears which is great news! I also thought the doctor was awesome so it made me feel better about seeing her in the future. But other than that we have done nothing. And doing nothing makes me want to eat! I have been bad this weekend so I am trying to get back on track. Damn Corona Beer! Damn Rubio's Fish Tacos!!

Well I hope you all had a great New Years. Thanks for reading!

-Amanda

PS God I am really boring!

2005 Here we Come!!

Just a quick "Happy New Year" to all of my wonderful blogging friends! We are off to a fabulous party where I get to dress up and look totally hot. We will eat good food and drink good booze. And after dancing all night we will kiss at the stroke of midnight :)

Okay, Okay, so I am soooo dreaming! Wouldn't that be nice though? Tonight is Taco Friday at our house where we will be dressed in our PJs, watching TiVoed episodes of "Lost" and be in bed by 10. I might throw in some good booze at least :)

Happy New Year!!

-Amanda

Will We Ever Learn?

So the hubby has been coming home early this week since no one is in the office and the traffic from all the rain is horrible. It has been really nice since I took Julia out of preschool this week to help her get over her 18th (I am totally exaggerating, but it feels like that) cold this winter. And as of yesterday she finally has an appointment with the Ear, Nose, and Throat Doc to see if she need tubes in her ears. Thank god! So anyway, it is so nice to have him home so that I can take a break once and a while.

Last night we decided that we were going to attempt to have dinner in an actual restaurant. Yes folks, a place where they serve your food and pick up after you. Now that may not sound like a big deal, but when you have a 2 year old working on 40 min. of sleep in the afternoon, it is a HUGE deal. So the beginning of the meal was fine and Julia was somewhat well behaved. Then we our food came and as I am lifting the fork into my mouth, she lets out the scream heard around the world! My kid has one of those screams that actually rattles your eardrums and your ears ring for 5 minutes afterwards. After the scream she got underneath the table and took off running. My poor husband is in the middle of the restaurant running after our daughter. I of course pretend that I don't see the stares of those who don't have children and proceed to shove most of my dinner into my mouth in record time. Jon finally comes back to the table with Julia and she is crying. The waitress comes over with a box and says "Do you need a box?" a not so subtle hint that your kid is crazy and you need to leave. So Jon put his now cold food into the box and we leave. Will we ever learn that toddlers and restaurants don't mix? Will we ever learn that taking a toddler anywhere on when she has no nap is not a good thing? It was just a sad scene as my husband had to eat his dinner sitting at our kitchen table with no one to serve him or clean up afterwards. I guess it will be take out and home cooked meals for at least another 10 years! Then again I did find a new babysitter so maybe I need to be using her soon!

So please tell me if this ever gets better? I can only hope :) Thanks for reading!

-Amanda

Nothing Much

I want to be a blog whore today- I really do, but nothing is going on here besides buckets of rain. I did attempt to find some stuff on sale at the mall and then bought stuff that was not on sale. I think I need lessons in bargain shopping- anyone want to help me out?? I did buy the last installment of "Sex and the City" today on DVD so luckily I will have something to watch when the cable goes out from the storm. Other than that, life is pretty boring in this house. Hopefully something exciting will happen so that I can officially be a blog whore :)

Thanks for reading!

-Amanda

PS Why does Blogger's spell check not recognize the word "blog"? It certainly corrected my spelling of "whore".

All Done

So I thought I would get rid of the Christmas design since it is over :( I am still cleaning up from it and refuse to take the tree down like the hubby wanted yesterday. Christmas takes forever to get here and then POOF it is gone. I guess that is what video camera are for so that you can relive your child face after they saw what Santa brought them. Oh well- there is always next year :)

There is are a couple things I learned this Christmas that I will have to change next year- 1) My kid is super spoiled! Being the only grandchild on one side and the first on another I can see that, but damn the kid is spoiled! Maybe I should be getting a start on having another child so there is another to shop for. I will have to work on that :) 2) I am never buying another toy again until I go though the stuff she has and give it to children who don't have any! There is too many in this house for one little person to play with. She is so getting socks and underwear next Christmas!

Well I hope that you all had a great holiday. What did you get? Let me know :)

Thanks for reading!

-Amanda

Merry Christmas!

Taking a break from the blog for some Christmas celebration with family. So from my family to yours hope you have a great holiday! I look forward to hearing what you all got from Santa :)




-Amanda

Diet Tip #6

Don't watch your husband open the 2 lb. box of Sees Candy he got from work because you will want to snatch it from his hands and run away screaming "IT IS MINE ALL MINE!!!" as you shove all the contents into your mouth at once.

So here is my plea to Mrs. Sees- please create a no sugar, fat free, carb free, taste good, looks good, piece of Bordeaux candy. I will be ever so grateful and promise to only eat 10 in a sitting :)

Hope everyone is getting all of there stuff done and is ready for Saturday! Thanks for reading.

-Amanda

PS Hey Gabs- call me back will ya!

Two Words

Wrapping Sucks!

I will have to take a picture of how the last of my presents got wrapped because you can tell that I was not having a good time after almost 2 hours. Plus there is some freaky weather going on here (we are talking 80 in December!!)and it is so making me not in the Christmasy mood. All I want to do it drink my peppermint hot coco by the fire with some Pjs and slippers on. Instead I am sitting in shorts and a t-shirt with the fan on while I wrap a million presents :)

Hope everyone had a great weekend. Thanks for reading!

-Amanda

PS For all of my friends who live in the places where it is really cold, sorry that I complained about it being warm. It just doesn't seem right is all :)

All Good

Things are much better round here. I took the kid to the doctor and she has yet another sinus infection, so I think that is why she had been so grumpy. I would be too! So after 2 days of yet another round of antibiotics, she is a different kid. Thank God! This week has been a little stressful with trying to get all of my stuff done so I won't have to do it in a rush next week. I think that the people at the grocery store are starting to recognize me since I have been in there at least 4 times this week. I am having my annual family Christmas party tomorrow and that is about 20 people. I guess now that us grandkids are older and have homes of our own we get to have the party. My cousin better have it next year because it is not fun cleaning, planning, and pulling off a party. I was actually on my hands and knees yesterday cleaning my banister! Aw the work of a housewife (or domestic engineer as I like to call it) is never done :)

I did notice one thing about cleaning yesterday and that is that I was not spent like I used to be afterwards. I think that my diet and exercise is really helping. I have gone down 2 sizes and I feel great! I have lost enough weight to where everyone notices now, especially my mother who is my worst critic. Of course I have some more to go, but I am the same weight I was before I got pregnant. I just wish I was the same weight I was when Jon and I started dating- I was so cute! Also I don't think that everlasting baby pooch is every going away. Good reminder though of what I have now :)

Well that is enough talking for me :) Hope everyone enjoys their Fridays! Thanks for reading.

-Amanda

Kid For Sale

Cute 2 1/2 year old girl for sale. I will throw in her entire wardrobe, including all of her Barbies! I will of course want visitation, but she is all yours for a low price :)

Can you tell that I am just done today? I think this is Julia's 5 the tantrum today and I just let her do it in her room. And for my very sweet SIL- look what you have to look forward too :) She can be so sweet and loving and then a minute later be the child from hell. Please tell me this either goes away or gets better- Soon!!

Thanks for reading.

-Amanda

PS I am a good mother- right??

My Little Princess

My sweet and kind MIL gave Julia a Barbie that is from the Barbie movie "The Princess and the Pauper". I really don't think that she had any kind of clue the impact it would make on my household. Not only does this Barbie sing (2 freaking songs), but there is also another Barbie that goes with her that sings a duet with her. Well needless to say, we have both Barbie's now and all I hear all day is "I'm just like you, you're just like me" as the two Barbie's sing together. It even came with a CD and now that is all I get to listen to in the car. It just seems that all of a sudden Julia is a total girl. She wants to dress up and wear a crown. She even wants to be called "Anneliese" which is what one of the Barbie's names. The other day she came out in her ballet outfit and shoes and told me to put on music so she could dance. It just amazes me because she was never like this. Never paid any attention to any particular doll or even had the notion of wanting to be a princess. I really honestly thought she was going to be a tomboy. Next thing I know she will want a bra and be going to prom. Damn Barbie :)

I hope everyone is having a good week. Thanks for reading!

-Amanda

What is Up With That?

Alright another Google search today for "dirty mommy and daughter pics". I am listed under porn sites or something?? So weird! I mean I can see why my blog comes up, but those who click on it must think that I am a "dirty mommy" (whatever that is) with pictures! Well sorry for those who are because there are no dirty mommies here unless you count the language I use occasionally :)

Well today well pretty uneventful. I had to take Julia back to the doctor again, but luckily it wasn't her ears. I just have one of those kids that catches every sickness that a toddler can get. I can even call the doctor's office and use my first name and they know who I am. Other than that I went grocery shopping and made spaghetti sauce. Oh the exciting life I lead!!

Well I hope you all had a good Monday. Thanks for reading!

-Amanda

Another Weird One

Today's new Google search was for "My friend the hot mommy". There must be tons of websites devoted to hot moms that I have no idea about. I wonder whoever clicked on my link thought when he came to my non hot mommy site :)

-Amanda

Date Night

I think I have mentioned before that my husband got a new job a couple of weeks ago. He loves it and the company he works for has really out done themselves. At his old job they never had any kind of Christmas party or really did nothing to boast moral in the company. Well last night we got the taste of the good life. Went to the company's annual Christmas party and I have never seen anything like it. It was at The Grove of Anaheim, which is a concert hall right by Disneyland. The entrance was like walking the red carpet at an awards show. There was food, drinks, ladies with candy, music, and TONS of people every where you turned. There are about 5,000 people that work for this company and I think that everyone plus a guest was there. They do this every year! I could not believe it! Needless to say we had a fabulous time and it made Jon feel like he made the right the choice in taking this job. Also when we got home the baby sitter was asleep with Julia on the couch and it was the cutest thing I ever saw. This was the first time we had this particular baby sitter and Julia loved her. Hopefully she will come back :)

Tonight I am going to make potato pancakes. We do not celebrate Hanukkah, but I thought maybe tonight we could bring out the spirit of it. Jon has never had potato pancakes before so I will introducing him into the world of pancakes with sour cream or applesauce. They are not in the diet plan either, but I have not really rewarded myself for losing weight so tonight I am going to eat :)

Well I hope everyone is having a great Saturday. Thanks for reading :)

-Amanda

Not Much

So there isn't a lot going on over here. I thought I would think of something by the time I turned the computer on, but nope- nothing. I thought of resorting to making stuff up, but then that would not be very honest of me and also a little pathetic. So how about you tell me what you want for Christmas? It can be anything. Also I don't discriminate between naughty and nice since I think that we all have a little bit of both in us :)

For Christmas I want to be 30 lbs. lighter, my kid not to have a cold every other week, and for my husband to start cooking :)

Thanks for reading!

-Amanda

PS We got a fake tree this Christmas- is there something taboo about that??

Diet Tip #5

Don't think that when you make your world famous snickerdoodle cookies (this time with real sugar) that you are not going to be tempted to eat them. And when your husband goes up stairs for the night, don't stuff three in your mouth as fast as you can because he will smell the cinnamony goodness on your breath. Just stick to your low carb, sugar free, fat free, no taste, made of wood, snack bars that cost $7.00 for 4.

-Amanda


PS I just realized that I talk about cookies way too much! Damn Holidays!

The New Telephone

For those of you that don't know, I have a sister in law named Gabrielle who just had a baby (my 1st niece ever) about 2 months ago. I have to say I got extremely lucky in the in law department. Not only does Gabrielle rock, but so do her parents. Anyway, she has a blog and she was the one that got my hooked with the whole blogging thing. I go to her page everyday to check out the latest pictures of my niece or to read Gab's witty insights. We don't talk on the phone much, but when we do we always talk about stuff we posted on our blogs. So this made me think, are blogs the new telephone? I could go weeks without talking to my SIL, yet still know everything that is going on in her life and vise versa. I am very honest on my blog and I write how I would speak to anyone, so why do I need to call people anymore? Also, I have to make time to call someone so why don't I just use that time to write a post instead? Of course there are some family members that I would not refer to my blog, so I will still have to make phone calls to them. I just find it interesting that if I really didn't want to talk to anyone again, I could just email them my blog address and tell them to read it.

Alright that is enough insight for the day :) I would be interested to know if any of you have any family memebers you blog with instead of speaking? Let me know! Thanks for reading!

-Amanda

Pulling the Santa Card

So I think I have found the secret to disciplining a toddler- use Santa!! Julia was being a real menace today as we were putting up of all of our Christmas stuff. I have all of these special ornaments I have collected over the years and she kept getting into them. I know she is 2 and that is her job and everything, but after 50 times of saying "Don't touch that" and nothing works I had to get creative. So I said "If you touch that one more time I am going to call Santa and tell him you are not being good." She flipped out and didn't go near the ornaments again. So all afternoon I have been threatening to call Santa. I actually had to do it once and she cried "I am sorry, tell Santa I am a good girl" I should find someone in the family that I could call and pretend they are Santa on the phone. I am probably going scar her for life, but at least something worked for once!! Or I will live to regret when she brings it up at the table when we meet her future in-laws someday. I am just tired of saying "No" all the time and it not working. So thank you Santa Claus for allowing me to use you to control my 2 year old :)

Hope everyone is having a great weekend! Thanks for reading!

-Amanda

It Never Ends

I am sitting here with a nice cup of...TheraFlu! Oh how my life has been like this week. I won't go into the messy details since all I would do is bitch about everything. I am just thankful that tomorrow is Friday and then it will be the weekend. That is the only thing keeping me going at this point. I even went to a therapeutic trip to Target and bought the cutest clutch purse for Jon's Christmas party and that didn't even help. Maybe I should spike my TheraFlu. At least I would have a good nights sleep!

Well sorry about the bitching. Hopefully I will be my old cheery self tomorrow. Thanks for reading!

-Amanda

So Long

My dad just called and told me that he had to put our family dog down today. I knew it was going to happen soon, but I wasn't prepared because I didn't get to say goodbye. Anyway, his name was Radar and he was 16 years old. We got him when I was in 8th grade and he was so little! I remember the car ride home with him because he sat in my lap and peed on me :) When my parents got divorced when I was 21 he went to live with my grandparents. There he was even more spoiled than he was at home. I last saw him about a month and half ago and he didn't look well. So I know that this is for the best. He will be a missed member of the family.

So if you have beloved pets at home give them some extra love today. Thanks for reading.

-Amanda

Diet Tip #4

Don't tell your Mother in law it is okay if she leaves a WHOLE BUCKET of Trader Joe's mini chocolate chip cookies at your house. Not only will each individual cookie scream your name whenever you open the pantry, but you will find yourself doing dieters math-

If there are 23 grams of carbs in 19 cookies, how much will there be if I only eat 5 of them?

Being too hungry to think about it you will then eat the five cookies and feel guilt about it later.

Thanks for reading!

-Amanda

Back to Normal

The husband starts his new job today so things will be going back to normal. He had all of last week off so it was the best week ever. I miss him terribly today :( The good thing is that I can get back on track with this whole diet thing. We did a lot of eating last week, but I was really good and stayed pretty close to my diet plan. I even bought 2 sizes smaller jeans on Saturday. That made it all worth it to me. Now I hope to get through this next month and be even lighter by Christmas. I see a red dress in my future :)

Well I am off to the grocery store since I am so tired of turkey it is not even funny. I hope you all had a great weekend. Thanks for reading!

-Amanda

PS- Please let me know if this template works and if you like it :)

What the Hell??

What in the hell was I talking about that I would get a MSN search for "anal mommies"?? Sounds like a good name for a porn to me, yet not one I would participate in :)

-Amanda

Am I Stupid???

Thought I would go to the mall today- I must be smoking something over here!! It would just be nice to get some Christmas shopping done so that I don't stress over it. Yet going to the mall the weekend after Thanksgiving is making me stress a little. I love to shop, but there is something about waiting in lines or having to navigate around people that takes all the fun out of it. That is why most of my purchases will be from Amazon.com (free shipping!!) I also am not taking the kid and that makes it so much easier-strollers are the worst in crowds! So please wish me luck that I don't kill for a parking space or because someone took the last bright green sweatshirt with the sequenced Christmas tree on it :)

I hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving. Thanks for reading!

-Amanda

Congrats!

Congratulations to Peggy and her new little boy Brogan Javid Peter!

-Amanda

You Know When

You know when your In-laws are coming when it is 9 am and you have been cleaning for 2 hours already. Also, you bust out the Floor Mate so that your tile floors can become their original color and you can scrap off all the embedded Goldfish on them. Now I smell of Soft Scrub, Tilex, and 409. God I wish I had a housekeeper. Wait, I am the housekeeper!! Well then I should get a big fat raise :)

Thanks for reading!

-Amanda

Must Have My Shoes

I have been on the pursuit for the perfect pair of black flats for about two months now. Yes, I do have a life, but when you where a size 10 shoe the perfect pair is very important. So anyway, I bought I cute pair at Payless Shoes because I wasn't going to pay a lot of money at first. Well I wore those shoes for about 4 hours and they gave me the worst blister ever! So my mom got a nice only been worn once pair of black shoes. So then I thought maybe if I spend lots of money on a pair they would be better. Well I ordered a pair of Born shoes from Nordstrom for about $80. I waited a whole week to get the shoes and I got them yesterday. I was so excited when I put them on this morning. Well, I now have three new blisters on my feet and I am sooooo bummed. What do I do? Do I still wear them with band-aids on my feet? I was thinking of wearing big thick pair of socks will them around the house to stretch them out a bit, but I am not sure. Does anyone have any suggestions? I really want to wear my cute shoes!!

I hope everyone is having a great Tuesday. Thanks for reading!

-Amanda

Freaky Things Happening Over Here

I live in the desert out here in California and it has never gotten below 40 degrees here. To us that is so cold that you don't go outside. In all of my 28 years of being raised in the state I have seen snow maybe 3 times in my whole life. This is to what we woke up to this morning. It was actually snowing! Snow flakes and everything! So all day it is has been super cold outside and the city out here seems like a ghost town (except for the one place I had to go today- the grocery store) So as you can see we really do freak out about weather changes here and when something this extreme (I am sure all of the people who live in snow are laughing right now) happens we take pictures and write about it in our blogs :)



Hope everyone has had an awesome weekend. Thanks for reading!

-Amanda

So Not Exciting

Yeah so I haven't posted for a couple of days and to be honest I have really nothing to blog about. I find myself searching for stuff in my head to blog about, but if I did that all the time then you would all think I was crazy! My best friend came and visited this week and we had tons of fun. She is the one person that I could tell anything and there would be no judgment. Of course it hasn't always been like that, but I think since we are both moms and wives we have grown up a bit. It was just nice to have someone to giggle with- that kind of laugh where you can't stop and almost vomit. Those are the best :)

I did get my hair cut and colored today. I went back to blonde since I am pale and look almost dead as a brunette. It was fun while it lasted, but even the husband was like "Hey there Mama" in his total lame sexy voice when I came home blonde today. I just wish that the hairdresser girl can follow me around all the time and make my hair look as pretty as it does today. Makes me not want to wash it for a week.

Well that is all that is happening here. Hope you are having a great weekend. Thanks for reading!!

-Amanda

Still Around

I am so laggin on posts lately. Ever feel like your blog runs your life and you just need a break? I also have some company this week so I have been having fun and no time to sit down. So I am still around and I will post my week tomorrow. I hope someone out there cares :)

Thanks for reading!

-Amanda

So gross

Today I woke up at 6:30, did the usual morning stuff (feeding the kid, changing the kid, drinking coffee) and then Julia and I went out for a walk. We have this cool neighborhood by our house called Harveston. It is like the Stepford Wives, but the houses are not that big. Anyway, they have this lake in the middle and I like to walk around it so Julia can see the ducks and such. There is also a park there so we went there too. After that we came home and I made lunch, emptied the dishwasher, talked on the phone, and after a small fight put the kid to down for a nap. I went downstairs and into the bathroom to wash my hands and I catch a glimpse of myself in the mirror. I almost died! I had black eye make up all under my eyes and my hair was a mess. Then it hit me, I hadn't taken a shower today! I totally forgot to take one. If I hadn't looked in the mirror I wouldn't have remembered that I needed to take one. I feel sorry for those people I passed on my walk who had to look at me. So my point to this whole story is that I think the diet has sucked my memory because I am not eating all the high fatty foods that help with memory like cheeseburgers and chocolate cake. Or maybe it was the Splenda I baked with yesterday that robbed me of my memory?


Thanks for reading!

-Amanda



PS Okay,Okay- I know it is not the diet that makes me forgetful, but I had to blame something and why not the thing I hate the most?

Diet Tip #3

Don't attempt to make your famous Snickerdoodle cookies with Splenda. Not only will you have a artificial after taste, but horn will grow out of your head and you will sprout a third arm. Not really, but I am sorry when they say "tastes like sugar" they must of not tried it them selves. Ugh! I was really hoping that I could be on a diet and have my cookies too :)

-Amanda

Sunday

As you can see from my title, nothing too exciting going on around here. Jon and I did manage a whole day to ourselves yesterday and it was great! He even suggested that we go to the mall and shop. I almost spit out my coffee yesterday morning. I asked several times if he was serious being that I don't think Jon has been to the mall in like 2 years. Well he was and I swear we shopped like rockstars! Why is it when it is your husbands idea it is okay to spend a lot of money? But if I was to go and spend $100 on a pair of shoes (I got some yesterday and they are soooo cute) the Husband Police comes and interrogates me for 2 hours? Of course I am totally exaggerating, but sometimes it can feel like that. So I took full advantage of Jon and the mall yesterday. We also ate lunch together and got to have an adult conversation. I miss those :) It is great when poop, Barney, diaper rash, and snotty noses don't enter into a conversation. I think we actually talked about politics!! It was a nice day and I love my mom for suggesting that she come out and watch Julia so we could do it.

Well I hope you guys are having a great weekend. Thanks for reading!

-Amanda

How Cute

I found this today in one of my magazines. How cute is this apron!! It is from Kitsch'n Glam and they have a whole collection of cute aprons. Anything to make housework look glamorous!




-Amanda

Second Grade

Last night I went to bed at 7:45 pm! I don't think I did that since I was in the second grade. I feel rested, but I have also been up since about 5 am so I am in for along day. I have already done 2 loads of laundry, cleaned the dishwasher out, and read two magazines. Of course the 2 cups of coffee I have had helped, but maybe I should get up this time everyday so that I can get stuff done before Julia wakes up. Then again maybe I am crazy and should just sleep in. What time do you wake up?

Warning- Husband Griping! Anyway, Jon was home on Tuesday since he had some work he could do from home. He told me that since he was home, he would hang out with the kid and I could relax (this was because I don't think I sat down at all this weekend) Well I wasn't stupid and decided to take full advantage of him being home. Little did I know that meant I would be answering 50 million questions about what to do with Julia. For example: "Hey Babe", how much pasta do I put in her bowl to eat?" or "Hey Babe, should she wear white socks or pink ones?". Now these questions would not normally bother me if Julia was a 3 week old infant, but she is 2 1/2! That has given him almost three years to know the answers to these kind of questions. What if I wasn't there to answer the questions- what would he do?? It just makes me laugh because I know he is trying to do this the way that I would do it. The reality is since he is the Daddy his way is also my way, so he can do it whatever way he wants. Then it made me think, am I that anal about what color socks she wears that he would ask me a question about that?

Well that is my rant for the day. Thanks for reading!

-Amanda

Home

So nice to be home. Isn't it funny you can't wait to leave, but then you can't wait to get home once you are there? I think it is because we have the best bed in the world so it has spoiled us for any other bed we sleep on. Julia also had another ear infection flare up this weekend so she was not feeling so good. I had to take her to the doctor when we got back yesterday for antibiotic shots. Other than that we had an awesome time. My niece is the best baby ever!! In the three days we were there I think she may have cried for a half a second. My SIL is very lucky. Julia cried all the time the first three months of her life. Makes me a little jealous to tell you the truth. Hopefully our next kid (whenever that happens) takes some lessons from baby Isabella :)

Well that is about it. I hope everyone had an awesome weekend. I will post something more worth your time tomorrow. I am just so uneventful lately. Thanks for reading!

-Amanda

Friday

So we are actually going somewhere tomorrow! Yeah I get to get out of this place for a weekend. I think that when you stay at home a trip to the next town is a cause for a celebration. I am just looking forward to seeing the family and hanging out. Not to mention that my MIL is babysitting on Sunday night so we can go and have dim sum. I have been so good on my diet this whole week so that I can stuff myself with those little wrapped bundles of pork! Yummy!

Today I did the typical $100 (actually $126-shhh don't tell the husband) trip to Target. I actually have not been there for about a month so I made up for lost time! Man I love a store where you can get diet coke, wrapping paper, panties, and a new outfit all in one place. I just wish we had one of those Target Super Centers that has a whole grocery store in it. I would just pack my bags and move there :)

Well I hope everyone has a great weekend. Thanks for reading!

-Amanda

Back to Normal

Alright so I am done with the whole political thing- what can I do about?? Nothing, so as of right now I am going back to ranting about my life. Aw I feel like I can breathe so much better now.

So we are going to the bay area this weekend to visit my In-laws. I also get to see my niece for the first time and I am so excited! Another plane trip for Julia so lets hope that she is good. Is it true though they don't have to be in a car seat on the plane?? If that is true then I checking the car seat instead of lugging it all over the place. It is unbelievable all the crap you have to take when you travel with a child. I used to be able to carry a small bag that fit in the overhead compartment. Now I have to bring the whole house in hopes that we didn't forget anything! It still is nice though to get away for a few days.

Well as you can see my life is not so exciting this week. Hope everyone has a great Thursday. Thanks for reading!

-Amanda


PS What happenend to all my comments? For a moment there I felt popular :)

So Sad

I have no words today. I am just sad and disappointed. I really thought Kerry had a chance. So here is my plea to our President-

Half the county tried to get you out of the office. Please learn something from that and listen to the People. Use it to make a positive change in this country. We deserve that much.

That is all I can say. Sorry about the political rant. Thanks for reading.

-Amanda

Bad Mommy

Ever have one of those days that reflects what the rest of the week is going to be like? Jon has some computer training this week so he is gone early and home late, which means I am the parent all day long. Last night, Julia locked herself in the bathroom and I had to jimmy the lock with a knife. This morning she was on my heels as I was going into the bathroom and I accidentally hit her in the face with the door. Ugh! I feel like such a bad mommy though. And why is it when the husband calls you on the phone and ask how your day is going you have to turn into instant bitch? I think I want him to feel how my day is going in the tone of my voice. Now I feel like a bad wife. Let's hope I get through this week in one piece :)

One thing I did that made me feel good today was voting! I look forward to wearing my "I Voted" sticker all day today. This year I was an informed voter and read everything about the stuff I was voting on. That may not be a big deal, but it was the first time I didn't go in there and vote "no" on everything. I was a bad voter, but not today!

Well at least I was good about one thing today. I hope everyone has a great Tuesday. Thanks for reading!

-Amanda

PS- This new template is my tribute to the 80's. Let me know if there are any problems or if you like it :)

Do You?

Do you respond to an email that you get from the Alumni Connection at your old high school that someone you may have talked to once 10 years ago wants to email you??


-Amanda

The Morning After

Isn't Halloween great? I just love passing out the candy to the little folks that come to the door. I also enjoy seeing my little one dressed up so pretty! That of course is until she gets into her candy!!! Her face was all blue and sticky from a candy necklace, she had ripped the hem of her costume, and had managed to have three suckers and a bag of M&M's within a 30 min. time period. I think it took us like 2 hours to get her to calm down and when she did she passed out! Aw the joys of sugar-what comes up must come down. I was so good too- didn't eat anything except for a piece of bubble gum. There is a bowl though filled with candy galore downstairs, but the diet gods have forbid me anywhere near it. I should put up one of the those electric fences around it so that I or Julia for that matter doesn't go near it. Hey that is an idea- making a device for people who are a diet that if they go anywhere near food they get shocked. I can see it now- QVC here I come!

Well I hope everyone had a great Halloween. Here is a picture of Julia dressed as Belle from Beauty and the Beast. She was so pretty!! Thanks for reading.




-Amanda

Diet Tip #2

Don't talk to the skinny girl next you on the treadmill at the gym. She has already run 6 miles while you are working on your second, she does not sweat when you are dripping, and she says she used to weigh 100 lbs more which is total bullshit. Just listen to the $300 ipod you had to have and don't look at anyone in the face.

I had the strangest dream last night. I was on some kind of game show and which was being hosted by a red haired woman. She told me that if I didn't answer the questions right then I would be killed (yes I know so dramatic), but if I got them right then I got to spend the night with Justin Timberlake. So of course I went for it! So while N'Sync music played in the background she asked me a series of questions. The only two I remember were 1) What is the square root of "pie"? 2) If you add the number 25 25 times to 1985 what do you get? Well needless to say I got them wrong. So Justin walked away and I had to run from someone trying to catch me and kill me. Luckily I woke up before that happened. Alright, so what in the hell do you think that was all about? Does it mean I need to learn some math? Does it mean that I have been listening to too much boy band music? I have no clue. I would be interested in knowing what you guys think.

Well have a great Thursday. Friday is almost here! Thanks for reading.

-Amanda


PS I just know I am going to get Googled now for Justin Timberlake.

Wow it Worked!

Did I actually get 11 comments on my last post?? Blog Explosion must be working! I have to admit though I am pretty lazy when it comes to checking out other people's blogs. Please don't hold that against me :) I like the visitors so keep coming back!

Today has been a better diet day. I think that the more I think about it the more stressful it becomes. And I am doing this in a healthy way- eating right and exercise- so I am not starving myself. I am just used to eating whatever I want and it is hard not to stuff 4 Oreos in your mouth whenever you like. That is something I will have to get used to. Thank you though for all of your kind words. I am going to need all the help I can get :)

So Julia decided that she would wake me up this morning. She usually does anyway, but it is with a soft touch on my arm or her little voice saying "Mommy". Well this morning she slapped me across the face and yelled "WAKE UP!!" right into my ear. So of course I open my eyes, use the worst words ever heard, and told her to never hit me again. I was in shock! So that was just a prelude to the day I have so far. There has been a lot of yelling and "time out" in this house today. And I am tired of trying to use any of Dr. Phil's parenting advice. What in the hell does he know anyway?? Everywhere I turn someone is quoting him. I have had enough!

This was not going to be a bitchy post, but it sure turned out that way! I hope everyone's Wednesday has been great. Thanks for reading!!

-Amanda

Diet Tip #1

Turn off the f@#$ing food network!!!! You don't need to see Emeril making Halloween goodies when you can not eat them! Must stick to your low carb pudding bars in the freezer!!!

Am I going to be able to handle this? Do I really want to torture myself and be on a diet?? Okay so the answer is yes. I am just hungry which makes me have second thoughts. And of course I had to start a diet 2 weeks before Halloween. The four bags of candy in the hall closet have been calling my name for a week. I should remember next time to buy all the crappy candy so I don't want to eat it. I am a sucker for little wrapped bundles of chocolate and caramel. Now I get Diet Coke with Lemon as my sweet treat :(

Okay so I am turning back to Sweet Amanda instead of Bitter Dieter. I hope everyone has a great Tuesday. Thanks for reading!!

-Amanda

Monday, Monday

Is the weekend over already? Where did it go? I swear it was just Saturday :( I hate that when I have no clue what I did or where all the time went. We really had a nothing weekend. I did have Mommy's Night Out on Friday, which was a blast. We discovered that since it is all married people and families out here in desert suburbia, it must suck for single people. The bar we ended up at after dinner was where the married men pick up on the married women. I would be lying if I said it was not flattering to get some male attention other than my husbands. Builds the ego a bit :) Also, I am too old for a hangover. I was like in bed for most of the morning with a wicked headache. Didn't I outgrow wanting to feel that way like 5 years ago??

So today I worked out, grocery shopped, and picked up dry cleaning. The life of a housewife is so exciting!! I hope you all have awesome weekends. Thanks for reading!

-Amanda

In the Clear

So I guess I must of had a 24 hour thing because I feel much better today. I am still being a tad bit bitchy for some reason, but I am hoping that will pass too. I am not pregnant because I am regular pill taker and you have to have sex to get pregnant right?? (total joke, but true latley) So I guess I just had a little bug. I will take that over having the flu any day.

So since there is really nothing to blog about today I will post a picture of my sweet girl getting her face painted. Gotta love that she isn't afraid of clowns- I sure am!


Hope you are all having a great Friday. Thanks for reading!

-Amanda

PS Blogger sucks today!! Took me at 5 times to get on the site today!

It's Starting

I can feel it creeping around in my body! I am achey, tired, nauseous, cranky, headache, etc., etc., etc. Ugh! I can not remember the last time I have felt like this. Maybe I will just feel yucky today and it will go away. Luckily I dropped Julia off at school today so I can get some peace and rest. And due to the storm we have had here, our phone lines are down so I can not even get sympathy calls! Also, who takes care of mommy when she is sick? I take care of everybody else when they are sick, but no one takes care of me. Oh no- the whinnying has started. I must be getting sick :)

So just wish me luck so that I don't get the flu. Hope everyone else is having a good day. Thanks for reading!

-Amanda

So Spoiled

Today I indulged myself and did my grocery shopping on line. It was so nice! I made a list then I was able to go through and pick out from pictures what I wanted. I felt very spoiled since the grocery store is down the street and I didn't have to trek myself and Julia in the rain to go shopping. If you have not tried it you must! It is every stay at home moms dream!!

I also cruised the internet for a bit while Julia was taking her nap and discovered that Hersheys.com has a recipe section. OH MY GOD!!! I want to make and then eat everything in there. I am a chocolate freak so it was right up my alley. Of course those kind of things are not part of my whole getting in shape plan, but maybe I will reward myself after I see some progress. I know just the recipe to make too:

HERSHEY'S SPECIAL DARK Chocolate Layered Cheesecake




I have to say is yummy! Hope you are having a great Tuesday. Thanks for reading!

-Amanda

Okay Now I am Sore

So I have been doing this exercise thing for about a week now and I have had just a little bit of soreness in the butt region, but today my whole body is aching!!! I think I pulled a muscle in my back which hurts when I breathe. I can barely lift my arms above my head and my butt still hurts!! As Darrin the trainer says "Push through the pain"- this coming from a guy who has worked out for years!! I am not pushing through anything today so I am going to sit my sore ass on the couch and take a break for the day. Oh Wow I am beginning to sound bitter about exercising. Must be working then :)

This morning I was making breakfast for Julia, which I guess she did not like because she looked at me and said "Mommy you are a Poopyhead" and then stuck her tongue out. I must have given her the dirtiest look because then she ran up to me and hugged me. Then I realized this is when it starts- "Let me show you what I really learned at school today Mommy" I was reading JuJuBee's post about her son picking up bad habits from his friend at school and I was hoping that I would not have to deal with that. I know that it is inevitable and I am sure it will get much worse, but it took me by surprise. She does hang around all the boys (that's my girl!) and the one she does tend to talk about was the one who on the first day of school has one had in his mouth and the other in his pants. Ugh! I am just not prepared and it looks like I am going to have to be.

Well it is still raining here and I am so happy! Since it is a rare occasion for it to rain out here in desert suburbia, we can not stop talking about it. I think my husband is the most excited because he does not have to water the grass for a couple of days! So I hope you are all having a great Monday. Thanks for reading!

-Amanda

Much Better

I am feeling much better today. I guess it was just one of those days. It is actually raining here today which makes me happy. We don't get much rain so it is nice when it happens. Also means that we don't have to do anything today- so nice.

Well I hope everyone is having a nice weekend. Thanks for reading!

-Amanda

Must Run Away!!!

Ever have one of those days where you just want to get in your car and drive away? It doesn't have to be anywhere just away from your life? Well today is one of those days for me. Jon worked late last night so by the time I got home my patience was no longer and it still has not returned. My butt hurts from yesterday's work out that I can not sit down for long periods of time. My kid threw the biggest temper tantrum in the car on the way home from the children's museum. How come no matter where you take your kids they can STILL have a temper tantrum? There should be no crying when I am doing something fun for my child. I am not there for my benefit. I am there so she can have fun yet she still has to throw a fit. Don't get me wrong I love hanging out with Julia. It is just one of those days!

Hey it is Friday so that is a good thing. I am going to need to break into to the beer soon. My usual therapeutic Diet Coke just isn't cutting it. Sorry for venting-I hope your day is going better than mine. Thanks for reading!

-Amanda

My Ass Kicking

I went to my first training appointment and it is a amazing I can actually sit in this chair!!! I was at the gym for an hour and 45 min.! Darrin (my trainer) had me work my whole body with weights. Half way through I thought I was going to die. I also had to weigh myself which, one is a terrible thing to do and two, I didn't weigh as much as I thought. Don't get me wrong, the number is quite big, but I thought it was like 20 lbs. more than it said. So now not only am I am going to work out, but I have go on some kind of diet too. Yippee!! I am going to be so much fun these coming months- NOT! Hey at least it is an excuse for me to be a bitch sometimes. Gotta love that :)

Julia also did not fuss at all last night when we put her to bed. The night before it was for about a minute or so, but last night nothing! I could feel the stress leave my body after 10 minutes of silence. She also did not cry when I dropped her off at school this morning. Maybe she was going through something and she got over it. Let's hope that is the case.

Such a "All About Me" post today. I don't want to talk about the debates-makes me crazy! And I have nothing else going on in this exciting life if mine. So I hope you are all having a good Thursday! Thanks for reading.

-Amanda

Wednesday

From the title you should know that things are not all that exciting around here. My child has decided that she does not like to go to sleep at night so she screams for around an hour. I just wanted to get in my car and drive away the other night. Last night though she only cried for abut 30 seconds and then went to sleep. I think she is getting afraid of the dark or something. I don't know. All I know is that is sucks! It is like just when you get comfortable with their routine they have to mix it up a bit. I just only hope this is not a regular thing :(

I joined LA Fitness yesterday and I have my first appointment with my trainer Darrin tomorrow. I am hoping he is hard on me, but also lets me do it at my own pace. I am trying to lose some weight so I can feel good about myself. I don't really have any self esteem issues, I just would like to fit into the clothes I have. I just want to be comfortable in my own skin. And if we decided to have another little one, I would hate to pack on the pounds to the stuff that is already there. I know that I am very lucky that I have the time to work out. Let's just hope I stick to it!!

For all of you knitting girls, check out Robin's site. She knitted the biggest poncho I have ever seen! That will be keeping her warm for sure!

Well have a great Wednesday. Thanks for reading!

-Amanda

Here she is

As promised a picture of my new niece Isabella. She already has a mischievous look on her face :) I hope all of you are having a good start to your week. I will post some thoughts later. Thanks for reading!




-Amanda

Ever Had...

Ever had one of those moments that you look back and wish you said something different or in my case looked better? Well I happened to have one of those yesterday. I was in Cost Co with Julia and my Mom browsing the meat section and I turned around and bumped into a cart. When I looked up to say "Excuse me" I realized it was an old friend of mine. Mind you this is someone from my past (my sexual one to be specific) and I looked like crap!! God I hate when that happens! He didn't look all that good either, but I could at least had make up on and not have my hair in a pony tail! So my lesson learned is if I decide to hang out in my home town maybe I will look better. I know I shouldn't care, but it is hard not too. Especially since when I knew him I was 40 lbs lighter and hot :)

Isn't it great that it is the weekend? I needed to have Jon home so that I can get some stuff done. Aren't husbands awesome? (I am sure my thoughts on that will change tomorrow) My SIL came home from the hospital today and we decided that we are going to visit the first week of November. Oh god do I want to hold that baby! Makes me want to have another (I am getting used to the idea). Maybe I just miss the baby stage? Let's hope that seeing Isabella will cure that :)

Well I hope you have a great weekend. Thanks for reading!!

-Amanda

My Day

Yesterday was one of the best days I have had in a long time. It didn't start off that way, but in the end it was great. Here is how it went...

So I was expecting total family drama at my Grandpa's funeral yesterday. Well it didn't happen. We arrived at the funeral site and everybody hugged and cried. It was nice to see some emotion out of these people. The funeral was lovely- very patriotic and honorable. They really do it up when you are a veteran. Then we headed back to my Uncle's house where I hung out with all 8 of my cousins. We are all so different now, but it was nice to catch up. Julia was also the best little girl yesterday so it made the day so much better.

After I left my Uncle's house, Jon stayed home with Julia and I went with my parents and my brother to the casino over by my house. This was a rare outing since my parents have been divorced for 6 years and never speak to each other. We had such a good time! My dad taught me the ways of blackjack and I turned $20 into $150! We also all ate dinner together which was nice. It was just nice to be a family again even if it was only for a few hours. I cried when I was driving home because it reminded me of the good times we used to have.

When I came home from the casino, Jon had told me that my SIL was having a c-section. So last night at 8:23 pm my niece was born. Isabella Archer Peterson!!! I was so happy! It just really capped off a wonderful day! When I get some pictures I will post them.

So that was my day. I hope you all had a good one too. Thanks for reading!

-Amanda

Finally...

My SIL is actually in the hospital having a baby as we speak! All I have to say is finally! I will update when my little niece is here :)

Today is also my Grandpa's funeral. My mother has named it "Jerry Springer has a funeral"- that best describes my family. All of my dad's brothers hate each other so it will be interesting to see what happens. My aunt also told my mom that the last time I saw her (mind you this was 5 years ago) that I had an attitude problem! Yeah I can not wait to see her! So anyway, wish me luck and hopefully there is no drama- yeah right!

I hope you all have a good day. Thanks for reading!!

-Amanda

I Lied

No niece- false alarm. Oh well I am sure that still means any day now :)

She's Coming!!

My Mother in Law called this morning and my SIL is having contractions 15 min apart and that has been all night long. My niece is coming folks and I can not wait!!! Also my SIL' s birthday tomorrow- what a present she will have!! I am so excited (as you can see) and I can not wait to hold my niece for the first time. So keep your fingers crossed that things go well and that there will be a new little girl here by tomorrow!!

Thanks everyone for the thoughts and prayers for my Grandpa. I talked to my uncle the other day and I asked the questions I needed to know. That made me feel a little bit better. The funeral is on Wednesday and it will be a full military one. I think that is a nice way to honor him. He would have wanted it that way.

Our weekend was not too exciting. My hubby did drive me to the coast on Saturday (about a 45 min. drive) and took me to my favorite restaurant. We then took Julia to a pumpkin patch and she loved it! I will have to post the pics we took. Then yesterday we did not do a damn thing. I actually got my knitting stuff out (just to practice) and started something. Not sure what it is yet, but we will see. I am not very good so I am starting off small. I just really wanted to see if I could still do it. I just wish I had the time to sit down and do it all day.

Well I hope you all are braving your Monday morning. Thanks for reading!

-Amanda


PS- Is anyone having problems viewing my page? Is my template screwed up?? Let me know :)

Not So Good

The last two days have been kinda tough. I think I have been good at handling things, but I guess we will see. Luckily I am not anywhere near my period because then I think my husband and daughter would have to move out just to get away from me. First thing, my Grandpa died on Thursday night. This was my dad's father and we were not very close, but still I am sad. We all know it was for the best since he has been very sick for a long time. My guilt has also gotten the best of me since I have not seen him in about a year. I just hope Karma is not listening :) second, Jon has had such a tough week at work. It is hard when your husband comes home from something like that (especially if his mood sucks!) Hopefully hanging out this weekend will put him right! If it doesn't then I am moving out instead!!!

Sorry for such a sad post. It is funny, but I have not been this blue for a long time. My SIL better have my niece this weekend so I have something to smile about (no pressure Gabrielle) Thanks for reading! All of you rock!

-Amanda

Still No Niece

Well I talked to my SIL this morning and her doctor said that she wasn't going to have my niece today! I really want my niece! And also I know how those last days of pregnancy are- anxious and so tired- that I want that to end for my SIL. So is doing awesome though and seems so relaxed about the whole thing. I guess I am the one who can not wait!!!

Julia is at school right now and I went and spied on her to see how she was doing. The school has a TV that you can watch was goes on the classrooms. She has had a rough couple of preschool days and I just wanted to make sure that she was okay. She actually bit a little boy last time, which is so not like her. Lets hope that today went a better :)

And I happy to report that the weather has taken a turn for the better! I am actually wearing jeans today and don't have to put my air up because the back of my neck is sweaty! Oh how I love the cold! Oh course by March I am sure I will be complaining that it is too cold and I want to wear shorts. Will I ever be satisfied??

So that is my story. Exciting as ever! Thanks for reading!

-Amanda

Tuesday

I promise I will not talk about the "sick" that still lives in our house. I cleaned today so hopefully that will get rid of it for a while. Anyway, I was excited to see that my trash magazines were in my mail box today, yet disappointed that they all contain stuff about Britney Spears and her loser husband. For one thing, why make a big deal out of something that may only last a year? And do we really care all that much? I for one think that the girl needs a break so that she can maybe have a good start to her marriage. I just hope next weeks US Weekly will have somebody besides Britney Spears or Jennifer Lopez (another one of those lost souls) on the cover. There has got to be another celebrity screwing up their life somewhere!


Other than that things have been nice and quiet here. My SIL has one more day to go before her due date! I want my niece now!!! I am sure she wants the same. Send her good labor vibes!

I hope you are all having a good day! Thanks for reading!

-Amanda

House of Sick Part 2

Well I woke up this morning with a cold! Then I looked over at Jon and he has one too!! So our house it officially the "House of Sick". Oh well it was bound to happen and I am going to pretend that I am not too sick. Maybe mind tricks will work this time :) Keep your fingers crossed!

Today we did manage to come up with some stuff for the community garage sale that is happening next weekend. Funny as I look at the pile there is nothing in there that I would want to buy, and I was the one who bought it! I think garage sales are just an excuse for you to sell your crap and than use that money to buy more! I will be interested though in taking a tour of my neighbors crap. You never know, I might find something worth while! I have heard stories about that happening. Maybe someone is selling a pair of Jimmy Cho shoes for $2.00!

Well I hope that Sunday is going good for you all. Thanks for reading!

-Amanda

Hot Doc

Well I had to take Julia to the doctor this morning and ends up she has strep throat. Where in the hell did she get that?? Hopefully she is not playing the kissing game with any of the boys at preschool! She has been really good though, just tired and a little cranky, but who can blame her?

Julia's doctor is a total hottie. My friend and I call him "Hot Doc" because he really is!! When he talks to me I get all flustered and I am sure I am blushing. For example:

Hot Doc: So, is she eating or drinking anything?
Me: What? You know you have great hair.
Hot Doc: Thanks. Want to run away together??

Of course that is how it happens in my mind. But today I was having a hard time because right before he walked in, Julia coughed so bad that she threw up all over me, so I wasn't in the mood to be witty or anything. And besides I have no idea how flirt anymore and if I did I should be using it on my husband. I can day dream though right??

Tomorrow though I am taking a mommy break and going shopping. Jon said that he wanted to have a day with Julia and I was "Hey you don't have to tell me twice" I can not wait to buy jeans and some warm stuff. Maybe I can tell mother nature that it is time for it to be cold instead of 92 like it was today!

Well I think I have said enough! I hope you all have a great weekend! Thanks for reading.

-Amanda

The House of Sick

So it is official- Julia is sick! Oh why, Oh why does this always happen to my kid! I just wish that we could go at least 6 months with no sickness in this house. Now I am afraid Jon or I will get sick and that will just make it worse! Oh well, I will deal and she will get better. I am sure there will be a beer or two in my future!

My 10 year high school reunion was last weekend and I did not go. To be honest, there is no one from high school that I would want to have any kind of contact with. Besides, I keep in touch with those who I have stayed friends with and none of them were going. I did get my memory book in the mail today and it was interesting to see what everybody was doing. There seems to be a lot of people who are attorneys now. You see I went to a very up scale high school where kids got BMWs for their 16th birthdays and they all lived in huge houses. I was not one of those (I did have a car though) kids so it just seems fitting that some of them chose professions that would make them a lot of money and they can be jerks doing it :) I shouldn't judge, but some of those people have secrets and I know them. My bio in the book is says I am a Homemaker- not a lot of money in it and I can be a jerk sometimes, but I find it a lot more fulfilling than any job I could have. It was nice though to see the people I did have a connection with were doing well.

Alright I am done ranting for the day. Hope you all are having a great Thursday. Thanks for reading!

-Amanda

Out of It

I am so out of it today! I am forgetting things and my mind is wondering into space! Maybe I am getting sick with a cold or something? Of course that is the last thing I need. Julia has one now and when her and I are sick at the same time it sucks! I don't get to call in my boss and take a sick day! Well anyway, Julia slept so bad last night because she could not breathe. There is only so much cold medicine I am willing to give to her. Tonight though I might break out the Robatusin w/ codeine that the doctor gave me when she had an ear infection. Hopefully that will make her sleep better. I might just take some too :) (not really, but the thought of passing out the whole night sounds nice!)

I did manage to take the kid to the Wild Animal Park today with my best friend Summer. It was so sad though because she fell asleep on the tram ride for about 30 min. and just kinda chilled out in her stroller the rest of the time. I wasn't going to go, but I thought she might want to get out of the house. Right now though she is on hour #2 of her nap! Poor girl!!

Well that is my story for the day. Hope you are all having a good one. Thanks for reading!

-Amanda

PS- Where is everybody lately?? Is Blogger not working???

All Better- Now I am Hungry!

Must stop eating!!! How come after you have been sick you want to eat everything in sight?? Well that is me! I was watching a thing on chocolate chip cookies yesterday on Food TV so I decided to make some. I used Mrs. Fields chocolate chips and the recipe on the back of the bag and they were so good! I will never pay $1.50 for a cookie again! I have to admit I had one for breakfast this morning- the breakfast of champions! My Dad also told me that he had made Beer Can Chicken and that it was so good, so I made that last night too. What you do is take half a can of beer, place a whole chicken on top of it, and grill it on the bbq for about 1 1/2 hours. It was so good and so easy! So I was quite the porker yesterday. Today I will have to watch myself :)

The weather has also been fantastic! Upper 70's with a chill in the air. I am hoping to take Julia to the park today to get some fresh air before it heats up again. I just wish it would stay this way till next summer, but I bet it won't! Aw the joys of living in desert suburbia!

Well I hope you all have a great Monday! Thanks for reading!

-Amanda

Sick

Thursday night my husband suggests that we eat out at our favorite pizza place. I was like hey I am all about not cooking. We order the same thing we always get, pizza and a antipasto salad and it was yummy as usual. Well 2 o'clock Friday morning I woke up with the worst stomach pain. I knew what it was right away because I have had food poising before. Well to end this unpleasant story, I have been out of commission since yesterday and I am still not 100%. What really bums me out that I got it from a place that we have eaten at 100 times before and now pizza in some way is ruined for me. I hate being sick, especially with something you have to wait out till it ends. I was able to eat some soup tonight and that made me feel better. I just hope that it ends tomorrow so I can have a good start to the week.

I did manage to make it to my grandma's house today for her birthday. We bought her a DVD player and her first question was "Where do I put the tape?" It took us about 20 minutes to explain that there is no tape and that you have to rent DVD's in order to work it. She was being pretty funny! Gotta love grandma :)

Well I hope you all are having a great weekend. Thanks for reading!

-Amanda

Being Picky

I was watching Bobby's Flay TV show on the Food Network this morning and it made me realize how much I don't like him. I mean, I am sure that he probably makes yummy food, but there is just something about him I dislike. It is like he shtick is to be a cocky bastard. I saw him on "Celebrity Poker Showdown" and he had a purple suit and if I remember correctly he was the first one to go. Maybe I should just watching his show and I would feel better :)

I am taking Julia to get her first school pictures taken today. My kid is not a dress wearing child, but I thought I would throw a bow in her hair so she looks somewhat girlie. I am sure my mom will want me to out her in a dress, so we will see. I assure you though that no matter what she wears she will be super cute! I have a tendency to dress her better than I would ever dress myself. Why is that??

Well this has been a non-exciting post. Things are slow here for now. I hope you all have a great Wednesday. Thanks for reading!

-Amanda

Monday

Isn't that the most exciting title you have ever seen??? Sorry, I could not think of anything clever today! Well this morning has already been an eventful one. I woke up with the worst cramps I have ever had and the thing is, I am due to have my period for 2 weeks. I was kinda freaked out and of course the mind makes it much worse. Anyway, after a long hot bath and some Motrin it went away. No clue what was wrong, I am just glad it is gone. Julia was awesome too- slept through the whole thing! Gotta love my kid today!

Yesterday I went and got my hair colored. I have my hair colored every 8 weeks since it starts to grow out and my lovely roots show. You see, I am a natural blonde, but since I have colored it for 10 years, I have to have help to maintain it. Well, I have been reading all of my trash magazines and there is a picture of Reese Witherspoon with brown hair. I thought "Hey I could pull that off". I have been wanting to mix it up a bit. My hair dresser, who I have seen for 10 years, told me that she didn't want me to lose the blonde that was already there. So this is what she came up with:



It is brown, with blonde highlights. I like it, but I think it makes me look older. And every time I look in the mirror, I do a double take. Sorry about the horrible picture. I guess it would help if I was cuter :) So that was my Sunday. We will see how it grows out in the next couple of weeks.

Well I hope everyone has a better start to their Monday than me. Thanks for reading!

-Amanda

So Nice

I was never really popular in high school. I was always the really talkative girl who would get in trouble, but I only had a few close friends. As I read everyone's comments on my previous post about my anniversary, I felt kinda popular. I can not explain how much it touched me and made me feel special! All of you who make visits to my little blog and read about my not so exciting life are the best! I am so happy that I have had the chance of sharing your lives. Thank you so much! You rock!

Alright that enough corniness for the day. I have a rep to protect :) Anyway, today was a good day. Actually this whole week has been good. Julia has really taken to preschool and I have really taken to my time off. It is funny, but I think she is listening to me more (which was a huge problem) and today she said "Hey Mommmy, it's Friday!" Um...Okay. Who taught you the days of the week??? School did- so cool! It just made me so happy!

Well I hope you all have awesome weekend! We are going out for anniversary to go and have steak. Can't wait :)

Thanks for reading!

-Amanda

Four Years

Today is our 4 year anniversary! We were married September 9, 2000 in La Jolla, CA. It seems like such a long time ago. I think I got the pick of the litter and I am so lucky for having a great husband and father of our child. I hope that 4 years become 40 and in the words of Elton John "I simply love you more than I love life itself."

-Amanda

Just Messing Around

Okay so I still am working on the whole html thing and so far I can change the color, move things from left to right, and some what make a table. So as you can see I have used all of my skills to make this new one! It may be a little bright and please let me know if that is the case. I am trying to figure out how I can make plaid for the background (kinda for fall) and mix up the page a bit, but I am not having any luck. I will have to break down and ask the hubby. The only problem with that is that he talks all this computer lingo and it goes right past me. When I was in collage I took a computer course and I would ask for help. We always ended up fighting because he would make it more complicated than it was. In the end I got an A- all by myself! So I learned my lesson about asking him anything about the computer :)

It is hot here AGAIN! Can I complain enough about it? Sorry, but it seems to determine my life when it is 100 or above outside. These are the days that I wish I had a pool in the backyard that I could just dive into! Oh well, maybe one day :)

Well I hope everyone is having a happy Wednesday! Thanks for reading!

-Amanda

PS- I would love any suggestions that you have for my blog. Color, design, content, anything!!

My Girl

Today was Julia's first day of Preschool. You know this whole time of waiting to put her in I was so excited, but this morning I cried a little. Made me realize that she really is a big girl and there is so much that goes along with it. I want her to be independent, yet I still want her to be my little baby! Maybe I will just have to have another one- wait did I just say that??? Anyway here is a picture of my girl in her new school outfit. Thanks for reading!

-Amanda

I am Getting Old??

Since there has been nothing to do around here besides house work (Yuck!) I have been subjecting myself to the TV. It is also 101 today so we don't leave the house for fear of melting. Anyway, MTV had a marathon of "The Real World- San Diego" and I ended up watching it. I am sorry, but I think I am getting old or the cast of that show is getting younger. All they do is drink and have sex! Then I think "Oh yeah I used to do the same thing.", but that seems like a million years ago. Now I am a mom, housewife, and can't even drink one beer without getting tipsy. It just made me realize that I am officially an adult and I must embrace that! It also made me realize that I have no idea what music is all about these days. I need to get with it :)

On another note, Julia did finally go pee in the potty. I thought I was going to cry! I am just hoping that school will help in the potty training department. OH GOD I hope!!! School starts tomorrow too and she is so excited. I have been hyping it up for the last week so lets hope it lives up to all the talk. I am excited too because that means I can finally get my eyebrows waxed because I will have some time!!

Well I hope everyone is having a great holiday! Thanks for reading!

-Amanda

Nothing to Blog About

Okay who loves a three day weekend?? I do! So nice to hang out and have Jon deal with the kid. He loves to spend as much time as he can so I let him :) We have no plans for our three days, but I am sure we will find something to do!

See- nothing to Blog about today. I did have sushi today and my tummy was very happy :)

I hope everyone has an awesome weekend! Cook something good. Thanks for reading!

-Amanda

Back to Normal

Well my friend Summer left today and now I am trying to get things back on track. Julia has not taken a proper nap in the last three days, so right this minute she is crying in her bed and saying "No nap Mommy!". I am just hoping I can have some time to myself so that I can do my wifely duties I have been neglecting.

I had a blast this past week. We were out of town this weekend and that was fun! I got to see my SIL all pregnant and she looked awesome! Pregnancy agrees with her! Then we found out that my other SIL who is 5 months pregnant is having boy. It will be the first boy grandchild in our family. So that was pretty cool. Then Monday Summer came to visit and have been doing nothing but shopping and playing with our kids. I am sad that she is gone! I have known her for almost 20 years and we have been friends for 13 of that. It is funny how we have changed into adults and mothers. We have a crazy past together and I am glad we can still share our lives today.

Alright I am done being corny :) I hope everyone is having a good week! Thanks for reading!

-Amanda


PS 5 more days till Preschool!! Yippee!