Sorry!

I'm not sure if Milton Bradley or Hasbro came up with the Sorry! game, but wow, they must've made millions off the concept of upsetting 6 year olds and husbands when you send their little translucent colored pieces back to their home! Yep, you guessed it, we had family game night tonight. It's been a while and we needed it, especially after the puppy fiasco. So, as we were picking the cards and little guys off the floor when the 6 year old "accidentally" knocked everything off the board, I thought to myself, I am having dejavu! Every generation must experience this kind of rite of passage game playing that continues to torcher and gratify us depending on our age. I won't mention any names (it starts with a "J"), but he actually accused me of cheating in front of the kids. The 8 year old thought that was hilarious and almost wet herself with laughter. The remaining puppy tried to eat the dropped pieces from the oops, my leg hit the board round. It was extreme and blissful chaos. I looked around at my family at one point and thought to myself, this is what my life is. A Sorry! game with crying and laughing and howling and spilled pieces on a Friday night. I am living large! I hope your weekend gives you that Titanic, "I'm on top of the world" feeling of gratitude. Maybe it's because I won!

Puppy Woes

As many of you know, Santa brought puppies for the girls for Christmas. Well, yesterday, we found a new home for one of them and despair set in. It is a beautiful time of good lessons and how to see the positive in an emotionally driven situation. THE most important thing we had to convey to them was just because we had to do something that was best for the entire family did not mean that they had done anything wrong or that they were loved any less. It was a tear filled evening and I didn't sleep great from it last night, but it had to be done. Our family is growing this year and I can do one puppy, but two was more than I could handle. That brings up another thing we talked about with them, limits. Finding a balance in our busy world and seeing their mom admit that she has reached her limit and that it can still be a positive thing. I think I've always thought that if I admitted I had reached a limit, that I was not good enough or I was incapable, lots of negativity attached to that word-limit. I think a lot of moms and women in general struggle with this. What a gift that through this situation that these little eyes and minds could see that stories, popsicles, and a warm lap of tickles and giggles can comfort us when we're sad, but that it's ok to say I've reached my limit, I'm at my max, a new solution has to be found, and have that be ok. We are enough. I am enough. You are enough.

Easter Delights

Well, I'm grateful to say that although we have coughing and runny noses, we were well enough to participate in the egg hunt yesterday! Look at the bounty!

We had a beautiful Easter morning, the sun was shining, and every year is so special. I was a little homesick, but love to see the girls' eyes when they go through their baskets!

Oh, and did I mention Peeps for breakfast?

We hope you all had sugary sweet surprises this morning and Happy Easter!

Good Friday Lesson

We have now been in the house 4 days, 20 hours, and 32 minutes minus the diagnosis trip to the dr. Cabin fever has officially set in as I hobble from room to room trying to remember why I was out of bed to begin with. Girls are fed, still in jammies, wondering if we can risk attending Good Friday service at the risk of possible germ sharing and fever induction. Jury's still out. So, I switched the laundry as I was wandering through the house. The girls were doing their required reading and I was sending a few emails and heard this terrible noise. I got up, walked past the girls, and said "It sounds like there's rocks in the dryer." I checked it out for loose change, the mischievious wandering pen that somehow hops in there, and nothing. I restart it and walk away. The noise starts again and I sigh, not wanting to deal with it, I go and take each item out one by one. To my starry eyed surprsise, what did I find, a rock. But it wasn't any rock, it was the rock that Chloe decorated in Sunday School last week. I asked her if it was hers and she said, sorry mom I forgot it in my pocket, but it's ok, the tomb is empty. Indeed, the tomb is empty! They were asked to draw a picture of the empty tomb on one side of the rock and there's an empty cross on the other side. Rocks really were in our dryer, as they often are in life, but not to worry, the tomb is empty! Happy Good Friday!

Missing the Ocean

I found this template today called the Harbor. My girls and I were talking about how much we miss living at the beach and I thought this was appropriate for a nice spring feel. First day of spring is tomorrow, we're supposed to get snow. That in and of itself is despressing. To add despair to the fun filled fruitcake of Utah, the girls have strep again and now we're talking tonselectomy. I can't even get the 8 year old to the dr without a mild panic attack, let alone to a hospital. I realize it's not the end of the world, am already bribing with popsicles.
Hoping your spring comes in like a lamb, but if it does, watch out for that lion, it apparently likes to eat lambs! It's a dog eat dog world and I'm wearing milkbone shorts! Cliff Claven, Cheers 198o something....I must be getting old. Am now quoting food network show celebrities that I used to laugh at as a child. Good Times....

Sappy Saturday

My current baby (please refer to adoption blog) is 6. We've had a lot of firsts, but none as exciting as today. We should've videotaped it I know. She's our second and the novelty always seems to not be there anymore until the milestone is finished. She's crawled, walked, said goodbye to her sucky face, potty trained, gone to big girl preschool, and now first grade. Being that she's the youngest in her class, she's been asking me when, when mom will I have one come out? You guessed it-we're talking teeth. Well today it happened and as tears poured down her face everytime she let one of us wiggle it, that and the fact that her older sister kept following her around saying, "It's gonna hurt. Don't let her touch it. It's gonna hurt!", we finally managed to get the fossil like thing out. Note the new grin. Aaaah, you gotta love firsts and really (other than the bad lighting from the cell phone cam), does it get much cuter? Have a great weekend and may you experience a grin like this one!

Fairytale Friday

My first grader's teacher implemented this concept of Fairytale Friday where a parent comes in to class to tell a fairy tale and do a craft. I was all in for the telling of the story, the craft intimidates me, especially here in Utah! These women are crafty chicks! Long story short, I haven't signed up for one as of yet. Today's friday and my kids are off track and as I closed my bible I wonder how many women, like me, sometimes crave for that fairytale friday. Just one day, every week, where the dishes do themselves, dinner makes itself, and birds sing enchanting songs in the background. The animals following me around might creep me out a bit, but I gotta be honest, today, I'm all in for a fairytale friday. I am craving the beach, the peace, the quietness of my soul. Instead, my day is filled with loud activities of playground equipment and pool parties. I sound ungrateful. I'm not. I'm grateful for those invitations, its just when the coffee pot stopped brewing this morning and it beeped it's polite "drink me-I'm done" buzzer, I rolled over and moaned. Darn the efficiency of pre-set timers! In my fairtytale it's truly all about me. I think it takes place in a winery and all glasses are on the house and there might be a karaoke dance floor outside under this huge lit patio and the dessert wine is served in chocolate cups. It's a wonderful fairytale, note no men are there, I'm surrounded by my favorite people and I don't have to shave, anything. Now I might be mistaken for a forest animal, but it's worth it, it's my fairytale. Happy Fairytale Friday to you all-hopefully no one gets shot in the woods today!

I Got Chaired!

James and I had a "discussion" before he left for work this morning. All humans in any kind of relationship know that when a word like discussion is put in parentheses it is really code for an argument, smackdown, wwf in the living room type of scenario-we aren't fooling anyone.
So, when I hadn't heard from my hubby until 3:33 (I know, I can't believe it either), I was not surprised. I thought he was bitter at my confrontational ways from this morning and that he was giving me a "cooldown" time (again those parentheses). I gave him too much credit, he was just busy. That's ok, I'm grateful for his short term, easily distracted, non-grudge holding attitude. It compliments my elephant like, bring things up from 1992 judgmental side.
With that said, we exchanged the pleasantries of the day and being that it was my turn to pay at Blockbuster, I began to rush him off the phone. He says wait, I forgot to tell you something that is causing me pain. Wow, I thought, that must be deep. He must be having an issue deep down that's hurting him. He just got a new boss, maybe there's an unexpected situation going on there that is bothering him. My mind leapt to scenarios of depth and introspection. Again, too much credit. I kindly step out of my place in line and ask him to go on. He does.
Long story short, he was in his friend's office and was sitting in his chair. Meanwhile, the friend came up, got the other chair, and moved it out of the way as they both stood up to look at something computer or brain surgery related. The friend thought James was going to sit down in the "other" chair and therefore pulled "his" chair out of the way for him to get to the other one. My six foot four, two hundred and something husband fell like he was at the top of the beanstalk and it had been chopped from underneath him. As he laid there rubbing his bum, checking for broken ribs, and yelling a mantra about workman's comp, the previously mentioned new boss walks in to see him in the fetal position moaning. I don't think we're getting a raise.
I start laughing, debating if this story was worth my losing my place in line, and ask him so, you got chaired? He starts howling, I Got Chaired Baby!!! Wow, that was deep. I wonder if we could get workman's comp. I may have to look into that. We'll see....

The Bone

This wonderfully huge shedding creature we have had for the last 5 and a half years, I have now decided has a life to be envied. Not only is he allowed (not vet recommended) to be obese, which to be fat and happy is sometimes something worth living for, but his schedule demands nothing of him. His large comfy bedding, courtesy of Grandma Linda posing as Santa, in his kennel big enough to fit both my kids is where he resides most of his doggy days. He does a little shake and yawn at 6:30 every morning, that's our alarm clock, and waits for his turn to be fed. He then stalks James or myself, whoever will stand still the longest (usually James, but I'm not judging) to get his morning walk down the block and back. He then walks in and finds the biggest patch of sunshine he can and you can see him circle around it in an attempt to find just the right sun bathing position. Does my hiney need a little warmth, ok yeah, right there....So, this morning, as I'm sweating my 10 minnah, you come in 10 minnah Chinese food off from last night, I hear this clunking come down the stairs. 110 pounds on 4 legs is hard on stairs, so I knew it was either Zeus or 5 toys getting thrown over the bannister, I was hoping for the first. Lo and behold, here comes this big ohf tumbling down with something in his mouth. At first I thought he found a My Little Pony, but hence no fur tail sticking out, and then I remembered I had given him a little bone stick 3 days ago! Where has that thing been? I asked out loud. He looked at me, did an eye roll and shoulder shrug (I think he's been watching the 6 year old) and proceeded to walk in and out of all the furniture, under the table, between end tables, between couches, and then I hear him walk down the hall to the girls' rooms. He's hiding his bone! This mongrel is looking for a new hiding spot for this little tiny, germ infested, bone! A few minutes later he walks up to me on the treadmill, mouth empty, as if to say Ah! Ha! I did it! And you can't find it! And then he turned around and found a new spot of sun and like an elephant or giraffe at the zoo, he laid down, yawned, and went to sleep. I want a bone darnnit! I want something so special I have to hide it from all others and when I do hide it I want to sleep with the same peacefulness that he had! Then I realized I have a bone. It's sitting on my dresser, there's another one in my car, and it's divided by New and Old. The difference is I don't want to hide it. I want it to eminate from me like Shrek's bad odor, but maybe more tastefully.
So, today, with the sun shining and my schedule on overload, per usual, I am now going to find my bone, brush it off, and spend time savoring it. May you find your bone today as well!
Cheers and Happy Thursday!

Three's Strike Again

I thought I was done writing tonight-I was wrong. I forgot to talk about how Monday was March 3rd, 3/3 and that my total at Target on Sunday was 33.33. When the cashier told me that, I looked at her and said Of course it is. She said huh? I said of course my total is 33.33, that number is stalking me. It is stalking me and when I woke up Monday morning and realized the date, I got a shiver. I, in turn, thought that maybe it was a lucky number and immediately made plans for making more sales calls on a Monday than ever before. Of course, as all good things planned evolve, I made calls, but no one nibbled. The housekeeper showed up 3 hours early with me half naked (ignore the visual), the kids yelling mommy it's the door, mom answer the door, mom she's here, mom are you coming, mom get dressed, mom you forgot a boob, and the 110 pound white lab howling incessantly at the overrang bell that to the outsider looked and sounded like an earthquake drill in an under funded southern California public school. Chaos does not even describe the beginnings of my 3/3. I make it through the day, the kids have to be picked up from their day camp at what time? You guessed it, 3. I get there, one doesn't want to leave, the other one flops on the couch in the lobby yelling, it was too long mommy, it was too long, you were gone too long!! Let the guilt set in. So, I have errands I need to run and the yeller is bargaining for junk from the vending machine and I make them swear to make it through the errands if I get them a goodie. It works, until we're at the 3rd place to look for a doormat and the yeller finds another couch, I lost her, then she has to pee (or piss according to the 6 year old, who now has to have the Ivory soapshank threatened every time she says it). Pretty much the 3's took me full circle today and quite honestly I'm considering hiring a private detective to end this stalking. I need a new number.....

It's 1am-enough said!

I have no babies right now. The pups are asleep. My entire house is asleep. I am not. I am trying to breathe. I am trying to forgive people who don't even know I need to forgive them. I am angry. I am frustrated. I am still trying to breathe. We have a situation here at the Nelson's. It's a crossroads of sorts and I need to pray, but I don't even know what to say. The Give Me Words to Speak song keeps replaying in my head, but I don't even want words to speak-I want to brood. How human of me. Read the Shack, people. So, with that said I know that I have said nothing at all-tomorrow's going to be a rough day. I'm useless without my 8 hours and I have kids off track-what man designed the school schedule? Most likely the same man that thought up stalettos, pantyhouse, and the epilady (takin' it old school). Speaking of old school, I listened to Baby Got Back today, I guess my hubby thought I needed a shiggle and added it to the iPod. I think it's good for elementary kids to ask their mommy what uh, double up, uh, uh means. I told them it was a pretend language like pig latin. This was after my 6 year old asked me why I wasn't pregnant and how I got pregnant. I laughed out loud and she changed the subject. Mother of the Year right here-I'll accept the 08 statue early this year. Then this afternoon I called for her to come in the living room and she yelled back-I can't mom, I'm cleaning up piss!!! Piss???? What in the world??? Who says piss I asked? I guess daddy's up for the father of the year prize. We don't need a tape recorder, we have a six year old. BTW-who's piss was it anyway? I decided if I didn't step in it I didn't need to ask or know. May all your fluids be recognizable. Cheers and good night!

I'm Back!!!

OK-So, I've been checked out for a good couple weeks here and man oh man-It's Good to be back-sort of. Here's the deal, my girls and I have had every cold, sinus infection, strep throat, etc known to mankind for almost the entire month of February (so much so I had to cancel my hosting bunko last minute, and you all know how much I love to roll those dice) and I've been praying that March would be different, but as I'm typing this Rory is downstairs coughing and she had goo coming out of her eye today, so whatever-Welcome to Utah! The germ cesspool capital of the US most likely due to the outnumbering of children. Our dr must make bank!!! I digress...so speaking of cesspool's, I took a me-time vacation to Vegas compliments of a Flamingo room hookup and I gotta say, I still got it! I did not go to bed before 4am almost every night (4 nights total), we rode the float at the Rio where the dancers throw beads (note to anyone considering this activity-they make you dress up in a poncho and tie you in, seatbelt really, a chair, and give you a tamborine and pretty much tell you to perform like a monkey in a looney bin-it was FABULOUS and one of the more inexpensive activities to do there), we went to the Wine Cellar, which I loved at the Rio, the VooDoo Cafe, and topped that night off dancing the night away next to a half naked lady on a lit stage-my hand kept bumping hers, but she didn't seem to mind....this picture is the view from the Rio. We could see the Bellagio fountain show and the strip from our room and when we went dancing at Poly-Esthers at the Stratosphere, I got personal requests for my "running man", a couple people came and told me how great of a dancer I was, and I got picked up on by a 22 year old wanna be lesbian. Yes, as great a self esteem booster as one might think that would be, the actual highlight for me was the outrageously priced room service the first morning/afternoon there and the chatting that occurred that may, in turn, evolve into a great book idea. Needless to say I came home with a great hat and feeling more like me and that is the gift that not only the strip gives me, but friends who know me and still want to be with me give me.

So, today (with possible eye goo and all) we went as a family to the Children's theatre in SLC for a performance of Pippi Longstocking (is my life diametrical, or what? Pippi does the strip...). As a fellow redhead and orphan lover, I had a great time, and got to see and hear my daughters laugh outloud and hopefully appreciate the beauty the stage offers. They dressed in their prettiest dresses and we surprised them-it was a great day, with a bittersweet night. It started to snow AGAIN (it was 64 degrees this morning) and James left to go back into work at 10pm, and I'm alone, and I'm quiet, and I'm reflective. I'm grateful for all I have around me and unable to express in words the love that I feel inside sometimes as I watch my husband leave, see my girls in their theatre seats, and think to myself-"Last week at this time I was dancing in Vegas....how lucky I am to have had that and how grateful I am to be here with my family." If you haven't read the book The Shack-go get it. It's freedom on paper. It has given me the gift to transition home and have each moment be enough, no matter how I perform.

So happy Saturday night to all you bloggers and Cheers!