I'm Alive!

I'm just throwing a fast post out there to my millions and millions of blog followers that I haven't died. My pro paper is due on August 10th and I'm in serious crunch time...which is expected with my usually procrastinating ways. I do my best work when I'm down to minutes! 4.0...4.0...4.0...

I had major dental work done this morning...totally down for the count. OUCH.

As soon as this paper is submitted I'm hittin' up the blog again! I have lots to ramble on about. My new job, people, my little hunk, ridiculousness, etc.

Have a wonderfully awesome day! Peace, love and pumpkin butter!

Birthday: #33 Was Awesome!

I had the most awesome birthday this year! I didn't do anything spectacular, no big trips or surprises, but I had an amazingly wonderful day with the people I love most!

On Thursday my sweet friend Wendy took me out for a relaxing early birthday pedi and some lunch at Kincaids! Hellooo relaxing! Who says you can't have riesling at 11 o'clock in the morning? We had a great time gabbing 100mph while making sure to stop often enough to thank the nail gals for their amazing work!

Then I decided to push through that afternoon and hit up Crossfit for a 10,000m row. Hey, I wanted to make up for the extra cals I'd inhale on Friday. Thankfully my girl Megan was there to give me some support, as well as her hubs Jeremy...they got me started on a positive note! #blisterhell

Friday was my actual birthday, and I had a FABULOUS lunch with an awesome group of friends at one of my fave spots, Brio! 

These are seriously the sweetest, most fun, "real" girls I know, and I cherish my relationships with each one of them! I definitely missed a few that couldn't make it...ahem Em, Morris, Bauer! ;) I thought a nice, sunny, 11am lunch on the patio would be great. Ummmm, fail. It was balls hot before noon LOL. These sweet girls toughed it out though...love them! :)

Me, Lisa, Jess, Megan, baby Tegan, Jaclyn, Wendy, Laura, Hayley

 

Jaclyn and Wendy were melting on their side of the table...this was right before we left. Look at their expressions...they were thinking "good Lord Sarah let's go with the pictures, we're dyyyying". LOL

Lisa (from PA) underestimated the Texas heat at 12:00 on the patio. Next time she'll sport a cami and bikini bottoms instead of a tee and jeans. I met Lisa through her mom's group a few months back, and we have a BLAAST together! #pumpkinbutterrr!!!!

Jessica (brunette) is pregnant, hot and probably silently cussing me right there...LOL. Look at Tegan's face, she's like, OMG it's hot mommy!

Laura (shades) is pregnant with twins, gorgeous, and probably cussing the heat as well...in her sweetest, kindest tone of course. :) I wish I could wear fedoras like Hayley. My head is too big. Hayley is always stylin'!

My beautiful friend Jessica (pregnant with baby boy!) and Megan my awesome CrossFitting buddy. We like to get tortured together.

 My strawberry basalmic chicken awesomeness salad...with pecans. #win

Aaand, this is my sweet Wendy and her gorgeous, flowing red hair. Wendy and I have been best friends since like high school, and our sons are just a couple of weeks apart in age! She teaches in my district and lives in my neighborhood too! 

We ate our lunches, I took a million pics and opened a ton of sweet gifts from my girls. Then the server surprised me with a little glass of chocolate heaven with a candle. 

Feeling the love!!!!

After Brio, I walked over to one of my favorite "professional and LBD attire" shops, WHBM. I tried on a few cute things and modeled for my girl Jaclyn. C'mon...acting like you're 12 and trying clothes on is always fun! 

I left the Southlake Town Square for the day, and picked up my sweetie pie. I was SO excited to see him! Here he is as soon as I picked him up. Obviously he's more interested in his cold milk cup than seeing mommy!

When we got home, my friend Emily told me to check my mailbox, and there I found another perfect bday surprise! Check out this little book...Emily knows me too well! This is a perfect book for us LOL! Thanks Em! Hilarious...

Michael got home around 6 or so from work, and we talked about movie, nice dinner out, etc., but we decided to lay low and stay in. We were both pooped from a long week, and we wanted to hang out with our little man. So, Marcos' thin crust veggie pizza was my birthday dinner, and it was DELISH! This place doesn't disappoint. Helloo fetaaaa...

I caught the sweetest picture of the day here, when Kyle was smelling my flowers from Jess. They're so bright and happy! I LOVE bright, fresh flowers. He loved them...is this not adorable?? #meltsmyheart

This past year has been wonderful. I think year #32 was the best yet. A lot of things have changed in my life, and I've changed a lot myself...all for the better! I can definitely say that I am happier at this point in my life, than I have ever been! I'm embracing all of my blessings and living each day to the fullest. I have wonderful friends, an amazingly supportive husband, a healthy, sweet boy and the best family ever! Blessed beyond measure!

Cheers to 33!

Home Decor Hell: I Need Nate

I'm kind of in a home decor hell. I'm a serial procrastinator, and this has affected my shopping and decorating ability as well. I was walking around my house earlier and it hit me...we've been in our house FOUR years. WOW. When we moved in here four years ago, I remember looking around at my blank palette of a house, thinking, okay...I'll transition our urban loft decor into some type of transitional, home-y feel in no time. Six months, tops!

Then, life, work, and baby happened. 

What am I staring at now? Well, I still have blank walls, even less accessories, and mix-matched crap all over the place. Don't get me wrong...I LOVE our house. I never imagined our "starter home" to be as nice as the home we have, and I think it's put together pretty well for the most part. I just feel that I'm shaming it out with the sub-par decor flow. 

I. need. Nate.

Then I can't decide the direction I want to go...I love modern, but I like personal and comfy, as well. The only home brand/store that I love EVERYTHING in, is Pottery Barn. But, our budget has tightened a tad since I've been staying home, so I haven't seriously looked into new stuff in a while.

But, momma's gettin' a BIG raise come August! Hellooo cash monaaay!

So, I thought it would be helpful to make a "to buy" list...kind of like people make "to do" lists. I don't make lists at all, but I know I should. I just can't keep up with them. #attentionissues Maybe I can post this list and reference it when I decide I want to buy something for the house. Some of this may never happen, but hey, high expectations equal high results, right?

-pottery barn seabury couch and loveseat...LOVE

-pottery barn or crate and barrel coffee/end tables...preferable not matching...liking the whole mix-up decor thing ol' Nate suggests...I'm loving the trunk idea, like this one? 

-two large candles to go inside my glass things on the kitchen table

-new formal dining set...pottery barn's round table maybe? nice table but casu chairs? hmm

-wine fridge custom made into our bar

-hardwood flooring for our foyer (I know, ching ching, but I want it)

-new curtains for our giant master bedroom windows...the light, linen, beachy white kind

-new guest room "shabby chic" furniture (but, if we have baby #2, this will be a 2nd nursery, so maybe I should just leave it?)

-new giant clock for the foyer (I have one but, just not feeling it anymore)

-frames to hang pics up in our blank hallway

-a large, black "D" to add to our little family picture collage in our foyer, and maybe some others to spell something out on a shelf or mantle...I love the giant letter thing

-I need to move my piano from my mom's house to our office

-a new slightly modern lamp for the foyer table...I kind of like this one from PB, but I'm not sure if it screams "I just murdered a deer"...

-2 bar stools from Pier One...totally dig these for our kitchen bar...I'm all about mixing up textures

-a back door that has the blinds made into the glass...I'm done with the pull-up shade business

-round "reading" table that matches our bedroom suite, to go in our "sitting area" of our master bedroom

-a gold/tan colored chaise lounge to set next to the above mentioned "reading" table

Yeeah, that's a lot of stuff. Hopefully I get our starter house "complete" before we upgrade...or Kyle graduates from college.

Nate...call me.

Rant #128

Before I begin, I need to include this disclaimer:

I LOVE being a mommy. I LOVE my sweetie pie son. I LOVE that I've been able to stay home with him for 12 months now. What a blessing. I know I'll cry my eyes out the first few days I'm back at work in August because I'll miss my little monkey. He makes me happier than anything else in my life. With that said...

I am effing exhausted. Yep. I said it. I'm sure any working mom reading this would want to backhand me, after working a long week and raising children at home. I've done that too...I worked about four months after having Kyle before resigning. Regardless, I'm EXHAUSTED. Being a stay at home mom is by far the hardest job I've ever had. 

-waitress

-sprint rep

-bartender

-retail

-admin

-graphic designer

-marketing

-teacher

-SAHM (ding ding ding ding!!!!!)

Kyle still doesn't sleep well. He's definitely improved since his ear/adenoids surgery in February, but crap...he's always teething or sick. I think the record for consecutive sleeps from 9:30-5:30 is four nights. FOUR in 18 months. Sweet baby Jesus. 

"Why don't you just let him cry it out Sarah"? Well, hmmm. First of all, it stresses me out and I have this weird mommy reflex to where I pour sweat when he's screaming like that. We have a video/audio monitor so I literally lay there, wide awake at 12, 1, 3, whatever, and watch him. My hubs tells me to shut our door and just turn off the sound. How can I do that and fall asleep!? Okay...so a few weeks ago he was crying, wheezing the coughing so bad, so fast, that we ended up calling 911 at 5am. He could barely breathe and with "asthma/reactive lungs" he was in bad shape. What if I had turned off the sound that night and we never heard him!? Then recently, he's enabled to get his foot stuck between the bed rails and screams bloody murder. That's all I need it a toddler with broken ankles. I'm an obsessive mom...what can I say. Here's an average sleep schedule:

5:30am  wakeup

11:00am  nap for 1.5 hrs, maybe (oooh snap!!! maybe I can wash my hair this week today!) then, Kyle hears the shower door shut through two walls. Yeah. This wakes him up. Or a neighbor talking outside. Or a dog bark or me getting a dish out of the cupboard. Seriously?!! Eff me.

9:00 pm goes to sleep (much improved from the 10/11pm until March)

12, 2 and/or 4 or 5, wakes up crying, wet, lonely, molars hurting, full of snot, coughing, etc.

5:30 he's awake! weeeee!

this is Kyle and I at 5am...yeah, I'm as excited as I look

Now, it IS improving, last night he only cried out for about 20 min around 2am, but geez...when you're used to getting up every two hours for almost two years, you barely sleep. Then when you're up, it takes you 20-30 min to fall back asleep. It was meant to be, my staying home this past year. I would not have made it a month with my lack of sleep combined with 20 little kids everyday. #nervousbreakdown

Another challenge with my son is that...wait for it...

HE NEVER STOPS :)

This is Kyle at 3:30, no nap, up from 2-4 the night before, and still going strong. That's me, with 8 pound bags under my black circle eyes and hair that hasn't been washed in days. #deadsexy

No, I'm not exaggerating. I'm the mom at the park, play areas, play dates, restaurants, etc. that all of the other moms feel sorry for and I get the "oh wow...he's a handful, isn't he?" grin...or, the "wow you  must be exhausted with him!" comment. Yes, I'm sure these women are trying to sound empathetic, but I'm so tired of these comments...EVERY FREAKING DAY. He's not really hyper, he's just, active...nonstop. He likes to be entertained every single second, he's curious, he wants to know everything that's going on, he's giving attention to 20 things at once...he's def my son. He is an awesome little reader though...he's sit through multiple books and "read" them to himself. :)

Another reason motherhood has exhausted me is because we have no family to help us. I see friends  dropping their kids off at grandmas to run up to the store or gym, or hey, last min date night. Not us...our parents are 2-3 hours away. They help when they can, but it's not the same as having several relatives willing to watch your little one...for free...at the drop of a hat. A movie and cheap dinner costs us $100, minimum. #babysitterfeesarebrutal

Anyhow, I'm sitting here at 11:00 at night, hubs is in Canada, my house is a wreck, the chardonnay is warm, I need to shower, I have a ton of grad work to do, and I'm wasting time blogging. Why? Because ranting feels good. Women, or maybe it's just me, feel better after ranting. We don't even care if other people care, or listen even. If I won the lottery, I would totally hire a shrink (or any random person, actually) to rant to on a moment's notice. How awesome would that be? Girlfriends don't see you as negative, no more complaining to the hubby, it's a totally great idea. Until then I'll rely on a few close girlfriends and this here blog. :)

So, to sum up...mommyhood has really exhausted me. I had no idea how much your life changes or how much work it was. IAnd I thought toddler years were easier? Baaahahahaa I'm hilarious. My staying at home is such a blessing, but wow, it's been very challenging...mentally and physically. I just hope I'm doing the best job I can. :)

loving my cuddles

I think I'm ready for a little mommy/daddy vaca this summer. Heels would be nice, and a full night's rest would be too. It's the little things.

Wow that made me feel much better! YAY!

Maybe we should start on number two...

Karma's Bitch Slap: My FB Post

So, today I had a pretty relaxing, laid back day. I thought I'd share my happiness in the moment by posting my day's activities on my Facebook page for all my friends to read. Perhaps they would share in my happy-go-lucky, aquarius like, splendor of a day...

Woke at 7, GMA, eggs and pancakes for breakfast. Crafts in pjs, lunch out with Wendy, then a two hour nap cuddled with my sweetie. Next, shopping, a nice run, then cooking dinner for the hubby. Maybe some vino.
Staying. home. rocks.

Yeah, so I posted to the world how effing wonderful my day was, and how kick ass it felt to be able to stay home. Karma was laughing at me from across the room before he ran over and shanked me in the neck.

Michael went to sleep, and I was back on baby duty. Over the next TWO hours...

1: Kyle runs around laughing and trying to slap me. Repeatedly. In the face. Shit ain't funny.

2: I rock Kyle in his room in the dark, he jumps up and runs down the hall laughing at me.

3: I let him play, and he manages to get his fat little leg stuck in the coffee table railings, and screams murder until I untangle him.

4: Coke is spilt on the floor, leather couch, my blanket, and on him. This is the second diet coke spilt. Today.

5: I rush over to grab something from Kyle and stub my toe on the table leg. I let out a sweaty, white faced m*ther***** just low enough to hope that my son doesn't magically repeat it.

6. Kyle runs up to me on the floor, hugs me, and pukes all over my hair, shirt, and arm. This is no spit up. This is acid smelling, foul, puke. Then he rubs it in, sticks his hands in his mouth and rubs it all over my face before I can get him off of me. The towel I quickly grab to wipe my face with is covered in 409.

7. Kyle ran into the bathroom to play in the toilet water. And my face is on fire. 

8. I try rocking Kyle again, and he runs away. Again.

9. I chase him, pick him up, proceed to tickle his fat thigh, and I get a hand full of shit. Shit.

10. I try to put him in his crib, he screams bloody murder for 15 minutes. I pick him up and see he's busted his upper lip on the (padded) crib railing from throwing his tantrum. Blood everywhere.

11. I finally rock him to sleep...at midnight. And, he WILL wake up at 6am. My child doesn't sleep.

12. I return to my laptop to see all my shit was totally erased when it died.

And I still have no bacon.

Shit Girls Say...So True

Seriously. I say this crap all.the.time. I'm sure most of you have seen these already, but it's still funny even after watching it ten times.