Two Questions:

#1: When did you start skipping one of your kids naps?

My little Sweet Pea hasn't been so sweet lately. She is a fighter. She does NOT want to go down for her naps at all. She screams and yells, kicks and flails, and sometimes is all ends in her throwing up all over the place. So frustrating. Do I skip the morning nap at 10 months? Or do I continue to fight with her? When did your kids start skipping naps?

#2: What do you do for your younger kids in the car on long trips?

We are taking the 11 hour jaunt to Californ-i-a this Christmas and I need a few ideas for keeping a 10 month old busy. Now that she isn't so much of a sleeper I don't know what to do with her. Help.

Friday Confessional

I do exhaustingly comfess:

• I love Christmas
• which means that I am filling my 10 month old full of carols and Christmas movies.
• yeah, I know. She shouldn't be watching so much television and neither should I
• BUT I just can't help it at Christmas.
  
• I don't want to miss one of my favorite shows. (The American Christmas Carol, How the Grinch Stole Christmas, Miracle on 34th Street, Prancer, Once Magic Christmas, The Muppet Christmas Carol, etc.)
  
• there are just so many.
• my house is still not unpacked from our move 4 weeks ago. (I blame the carpets and the walls)
• I have done NO Christmas shopping.
• I'm not one that has all the Christmas shopping done by June,
• BUT I usually have it don't by this week.
• UH-OH!
• Good thing we are leaving for vacation in a week.
  
• Crap!
• My tree is up.
• I get points for that, Right?
• I'm not enjoying my Christmas as much as I would like to be
• We haven't done any of the things we normally do at Christmas time
• Bake, visit Temple Square, see The Forgotten Carols, walk around the neighborhood to see all the lights. (you put yours up right?)
• The year has gone by so quickly and the Christmas season is no exception.

How has your Christmas been so far?

Beauty Lesson #2

Never let your hair look this poorly. Wash it every other day. Condition at least twice a week. And brush it every day.

This is what happens when you fall off the wagon:



Oh, yes. This is my hair (and me with no make up) that is in much need of a new style and probably color. My hair is long, scraggly, dull and I just don't do anything with it anymore.



I need a new look. I'm thinking something shorter and darker.

Any ideas for my new look?

Carpet Dilema Over

So much for me putting up the Christmas Tree. We had to move all of our furniture into our kitchen. We moved it the first time for carpet cleaning, but this time is different. A couple of days ago, I sticky rollered my living room and hallway. This is what I found:





These were the 2nd time that I had rolled the carpet. I did it 3 more times. All of them looked the same. Gross.


My sweet Hubby took every single sticky roller paper to the corporate office of the management company of our complex. They found that this wasn't just us over reacting to a little bit of hair. This was a huge problem. They decided to rip out the carpets. Halleluia!! I'm so excited to not have hair all over the my clothes, food, and furniture. It's going to be wonderful.



This is the wall in my bedroom. Hair all over it. I have to wipe it all down and pick off the hair. YUCKY!!



I'm so glad that we are going to have new carpets in our home. No more yucky pet hair.

If you have a pet, please PlEaSe PLEASE bathe your pet regularly, brush them regularly, feed them a high quality meal, and CLEAN YOUR LIVING SPACE. We all love your animals, but we don't want to have them with us after we leave your home. Thanks.

OH The Hair

There is still a lot of hair in my apartment. I just don't know how to get rid of it. Anyone out there know a good way to get it off the walls and tile floor?

We are waiting on the management to decide whether or not they will be cleaning the heating ducts and filters. Hopefully they do. Anyone know what to do if they don't?

Getting Ready For The Season

I don't know where the year has gone, but Christmas time is upon us. I haven't done any shopping. I have put up my tree and pulled out my decorations. And by Christmas decorations, I mean my Christmas Tree. It doesn't matter that I haven't finished unpacking yet. Here is my tree. I will have to get a good pic with the lights on another time.

Thanksgiving Week

I just can't catch you up on everything that has gone on. There is just too much; however, I will let you in on some of my 2 week drama.

First of all, we moved into our new apartment. It was seemingly perfect. But then my Hubby couldn't breathe and neither could my Sweet Pea. And I noticed black and white hairs everywhere. And the smell in my Sweet Pea's room was horrendous. So, the apartment that they said didn't have a pet in it(when I asked 3 TIMES) really had. They replaced the carpet in the baby's room, which has been wonderful, but I had to go get her a breathing treatment done at the insta care because of the rest of the apartment. We convinced them to clean the rest of the carpets because they wouldn't change them. So, we put all of our possessions in the kitchen and baby room. And we left for the week.

While we were gone they cleaned the carpet. (I still haven't seen the carpet yet, we haven't been back) I can only hope they are better and we don't have to find a way out of our contract.

We had a wedding to go to. My Brothers. (yes, I did go) the extended family was visiting from all over; Great White North and Hot Gambling South. Lots of laughing and bantering.

Thanksgiving. Bowling with the In-laws and dinner with my extended family. YUM. Homemade Dressing= the BEST!

Then there was Black Friday. I have never before participated in Black Friday. I was kind of excited. Everyone talks about the great deals they find and benefit from. I just didn't find that much. There were a couple of stores that didn't have any deals going on. I couldn't believe it. I only had a couple of things that I was looking for and only found one. (yes I did go through the ads from the paper before) It made me not want to spend the time next year. But the company was enjoyable. Maybe that's why everyone goes. Is that why you go?

Now, the Utah/BYU game. Who are you cheering for?

Stuffed Animal Break Down

It's been a long week and it's only Wednesday. We found a place to live. Halleluia! So, we are moving. Saturday. I am frantically packing.

Monday, while I was packing, Sweet Pea was on the other side of the room playing with some of her toys. So, I decided to pack up her stuffed animals. I put them in the box and started to close it when I hear her scream. She crawls as fast as her little hands and knees will carry her to where I am; crying the whole way. She bangs on the box and wont stop until I open the box. When the box was open, she pulled a couple of the stuffed animals out, hugged and kissed them, and then went back to her playing. Who knew a 9 month old would be so attached to her little friends already?

You're The Problem #2

So I've been thinking about it for three days. That's a long time. I don't usually keep running through my mind the horrible verbal encounters I have (I don't usually even remember what my Hubby and I were fighting about 24 hours later), but this just isn't going away. Probably because my reaction makes a huge impact on a large bunch of people.

I know that I'm not the real problem. I know this, but what they said still hurt. There's no way that all problems in the whole family could be my fault. I'm not around all the time, and heaven forbid everyone have their own opinions about things that may make them (what I call) lovingly banter once in a while. (By the way, it's healthy for people to disagree. It would be an EXTREMELY boring life if we didn't)

The whole thing started over what I said. It makes no difference the sentence as much as one word. Ass. Now, I know that swearing is one of the less graceful things a female could do; however, I do reserve the right to do it anytime I hurt myself, run my car into something, I am angry or annoyed. ( For the record, I did not swear when I ran my car into the cement barrier on I-15. I thought I would, but I didn't.) I don't use the "f" word. I don't like it. It's foul and indecent, even on a bad day. I don't use the Lords name in vain. It's just not my style and I kind of like Him. (even though we don't get along all the time) Ass, by the way, is NOT a swear word. It is:

1

: any of several hardy gregarious African or Asian perissodactyl mammals (genus Equus) smaller than the horse and having long ears; especially : an African mammal (E. asinus) that is the ancestor of the donkey

2

sometimes vulgar : a stupid, obstinate, or perverse person ass of himself> —often compounded with a preceding adjective ass>
http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/ass

All the others, I reserve the right to use if I so please. Keep in mind I don't use these words all the time. Just when the before mentioned situations happen. They aren't a common find in my everyday vocabulary. I do try to respect others habitat and mimic their vocabulary while in it. I don't say these words to everyone and I don't think I need to.

This is not something I'm sorry for. If someone (this person in particular) doesn't like it, that's just fine. They don't have to speak that way, but DO NOT lecture me (for 15 minutes) on how I shouldn't. And how because I do, it has caused the life around them to go terribly wrong. One little word is not going to end life as we know it. (not mine anyway. Maybe the Queens words, but certainly not mine)

Tootles made an excellent point (backing my Hubby's) by saying that I should analyze what has happened. I did. I don't like it. And I will do as this person wants and avoid them. I will be continuing all forms of family activities though. My good friend Heather suggested that if I didn't attend actities I (and hopefully they) would regret it later. She's right. So, that's what I'll do. Decision made. No more need to concentrate on it any further. Right? Right.

You're The Problem!

Have you ever had a co-worker, friend (you thought was close), family member, stranger, or fellow church goer say that you were the problem? It was all your fault that there was contention within a group of people? And that you are the bad influence on everyone around?

I never thought I would. OH, I DID!

What happened? What did you do?

Did you avoid that person/people forever?

Did you keep your kids from playing together?

How much did your situation alter your life?

How did it impact you emotionally?

I seriously need your advice on this one.