A Much Needed Break

Contrary to what some people may believe, I don't really get that much of a break.

My life is pretty routine: 6:30AM wake up call, get the kids fed, dressed, and out the door (dear hubby drives them to school- he works there), eat something, maybe do a workout from Hulu, try to get in a little me time before Tucker wakes up.

Once Tucker wakes up it is trial and error in trying to figure out what the boy will eat because he won't talk. Then after I get him to eat a bowl of cereal, he spends every waking minute trying to get candy. He's sneaky, too.  He will get me distracted then he goes and finds a way to climb on top of the counter to reach the candy bowl. Moving it doesn't help, he just looks for it. And don't let him watch me throw it away, he has been known to knock over the trash can to dig one out to eat. You know the saying "one track mind"?  Well that it Tuck when it comes to candy. I must say NO a hundred times a day.

So Tuck is up and fed, now I get to do the dishes, wash about four loads of clothes (because my family changes clothes about three times a day except for the boys who stay half naked throughout the day), straighten the living room, clean the bathrooms, put up the four loads of clothes and I need to do all of this before 1:30. Somewhere in there in have to remember to eat and oh yeah, I have got to feed Tuck who still refuses to give up on his candy pursuit.

After 1:30, I then have to get ready to get the kids. Sometimes I have to drop off Tuck at the in-laws because Judson has gymnastics. Sometimes, DH gets to bring them home from school, too, but lately he goes to the gym. Other days Mel has piano, or soccer practice in the fall. On top of school activities, random subbing for teachers, room mom responsibilities, MOPS leadership responsibilities and actual MOPS meetings, going to church (usually one church on Sundays and another on Wednesday), we try to find time to eat together before bedtime.

This is also coupled with my older two children arguing and fussing and tattling and aggrevating and crying and whining and everything else 8 and 5 year-olds do.

So, when I had the chance to get away for a few days, I jumped at the chance. Now you have to understand, I cannot remember a time in the past two years that DH and I have been away together without the kids. He gets time away due to his band director duties, but I really can't think of a time when I haven't been at night with at least one of my children.

Proud to say I am in Savannah. I am getting to walk up and down the Spanish moss lined streets. 

I am sleeping in a bed that looks like this.

I am window shopping in every shop.

I am eating local cuisine.

And tonight when we came back to the hotel we had chocolates on our bed. (I ate one before I took the picture.)

This is such a needed break. I am enjoying every minute.

2. 13 Websites to Kill Time

Sometimes after I have cleaned the kitchen, washed the clothes, put the kids to bed, checked Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest and other blogs, I just want to veg-out in front of the computer and waste time.  I don't want to have to think or make a decision, I just want to giggle a little. I have found 13 websites that are truly utterly useless.  They have no function except to make the minutes go by a little faster.  I guess they are not useless at all then.

Disclaimer: As much as I wish everything was Rated-G, some images or user-submitted entries may not be kid-friendly.  Please use mommy discretion when viewing for the first time until you determine whether or not it is ok.

In no particular order:

1.  Unnecessary Quotes - I am bit of a grammar nerd, so this appealed to me.

2. The Longest List - A index of the longest whatever. I said you did haven't to think; I didn't say anything about not learning something.

3. Wordle - I happen to LOVE Wordle.  You can make the neatest little word clouds.

4. Snopes - I like to go here to debunk every scam, chain letter, spam message I get.  Ok, this one is VERY useful.

5. The Drama Button -  This is so silly yet, so fun.  Try it once, and you will bookmark it forever.

6. Do Nothing for 2 Minutes - The title is self-explanatory.  A good way to just relax and take a break.

7. Dear Blank Please Blank - Funny and endearing, sometimes gut-wrenching letters submitted by readers.

8. Attack of the Cute - Enough cuteness to make you go into Awww overdose and an Adorable coma.

9. Cake Wrecks - I bake three cakes a year, one for each of my children's birthday.  I understand the hard work that goes into baking these special cakes.  These are just too funny.

10. Awkward Family Photos - Just makes you feel better about yourself.  Can't wait to see my pic up there one day.

11. Grouchy Rabbit- One-liners that make you go HA, UMM and EWW.

12. Craft Fail- When you need to remind yourself that everyone else is NOT Martha Stewart.

13. Free Rice - OK, my last choice and you do, in fact, have to think. I like vocabulary and feel like I am helping people.

So, there you have it.  A few websites to help you wind down after a productive day.

Are there any you would add to the list??

Stop it! My Brain Hurts

Here I am sitting in carpool, and I am so frustrated because I have so many ideas in my head I can't get them all out before I forget them. And some of them are really good ideas and topics. 

I don't know how fast a mind is supposed to run, but mine is going ninety-to-nothing. Blogging topics, craft ideas, (imaginary) business plans, not to mention designing woes for the MOPS newsletter I am supposed to be working on. This doesn't even include the things I am actually doing. Aren't we supposed to think about the things we are doing as we do them? I keep thinking about the things I want to do to my house like clean the table in the corner, sort the clutter, in my bedroom. I feel like I have To-Do lists on top of To-Do lists and the only thing I have accomplished is making a To-Do list.

Some can argue that it is just a matter of using my time wisely- an issue of organization. That may be true, but I would like to think that my awesome is just overflowing and hard to contain.

So I will try to get out as many ideas as I can and will focus on the ones that keep me up at night.

Sorry, I have to go now. I have some things I need to write down before I forget. 

1. 13 Random Things about Me

I thought I would try a new series.  In the spirit of 2013, I thought I would write about Thirteen 13s.  Thirteen lists about 13 "things."

The first "13" is 13 random things about me.

1. I love the smell of Vick's Vapor Rub, Turtle Wax and Lowe's.

2. I don't like The Cat in the Hat. It annoys the heck out of me. It is almost a requirement for English teachers to like it, but I don't. Other Dr. Seuss books don't bother me, just this one.

3. I love toe socks. I think they are very comfortable. I bought and wore a new pair for the birth of each of my three children.

4. I grind my teeth and talk in my sleep I have since I was a child. I have also been known to cry and to spit (yes, spit) during slumber. Gross, right?

5. I had two favorite dolls growing up and they were my very favorite dolls in the whole wide world.  One was just a plain doll, Missy, and the other was my Cabbage Patch Doll, Eleanor Nan. They are still at my parents' house.

6. When I was younger, I used to fantasize that Luke Perry somehow got lost on my dirt road and had to stop at my house for directions. What can I say:  I loved 90210, and Luke Perry was so much cuter than Jason Priestley.

7. My favorite snack, to this day, is a whole dill pickle dipped in mayonnaise eaten with BBQ corn chips. It sounds disgusting, but I LOVE it. And, No, I am not preggo.

8. I had the lead in the school play my junior year of high school. It was a silly little musical based on a cartoon called LuAnn. Everyone said I was made for the part because my life somehow tragically resembled the cartoon-it was about a girl who longed for the attention of a boy who didn't know she existed. Yup. That sounded about right.

9. About 7 months after I turned 18, my friend, Maria, and I drove to Valdosta and we both got a tattoo. It is a blue rose on my abdomen, so no one ever sees it.  My mom just found out about it this past summer, and I think that in-laws still don't know. It is the most rebellious thing I have ever done.
10. One of my "bucket list" items is to sing the National Anthem for a crowd somewhere. The only problem is I have a fear of singing solo. I can talk and act the fool (drama all the way) but singing- gives me the butterflies. Something fierce. Despite the fact that my voice isn't perfect.

11. One of my goals is to write a novel someday. I have several outlines and have even wrote a little, but I can't seem to work through it. 

12. I can't stand Mariah Carey. I don't like her voice, the way she looks, her songs. I am sure she is a nice person. I just don't have anything for her. It is entirely superficial

13. I picked my college (Mercer) because I heard about it from the best friend of my cousin. I had never heard of it until then, but I knew about Macon because we drove through it on the way to see my Grandma who lived in Roswell. I didn't even apply anywhere else. 

Any random things you would like to share with me??

2013: Word of the Year- Believe

A couple of years ago, I heard on K-LOVE the prospect of choosing one word on which to focus throughout the year instead of numerous resolutions that are forgotten and ignored.

In 2011, I chose the word Change. Believe me, we went through some changes. For some reason, I didn't pick one for 2012.  I guess that God wasn't finished with the changes yet, because we went through even more in 2012.

I have started thinking about my one word challenge for 2013. I have thought about Patience, and Strength, Faith but the one that keeps returning to my brain is Believe.

So this year I will focus on what I believe.

I BELIEVE in the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirt.

I BELIEVE that Jesus Christ died for my sins and loves me in spite of all my wrong doings.

I BELIEVE that I will NOT let doubt overwhelm my mind.

I BELIEVE that God will lead me through challenges.

I BELIEVE that through prayer and study, I will become a better wife and mother who glorifies God.

I BELIEVE that I am a wonderfully made person.

I BELIEVE that through His strength that I can better myself, mentally physically, spiritually and emotionally.

I BELIEVE that no matetr what the devil throws at me, I will make it through my valley.

I BELIEVE that I will make mistakes, but I will not let it define who I am.

I BELIEVE that God wants me to be a healthier version of myself. (Click here for details)

I BELIEVE that God will bless my family in more ways than I could ever imagine.

As I go through the year, I will focus on one thing and how it applies to every facet of my life this year, instead of five or six or more declarations that are bound to discourage and frustrate year.

One word challenges or not, have you thought about how 2013 will be different than 2012?