We made it back from our whirlwind trip dirtier than when we left.

Why, you ask?

I’ll tell you.

While setting up Rt’s pack ‘n play, late Friday night, hubs stood in the bedroom doorway with a certain look on his face that came across quite frightening.

He said,

“We forgot something.”

“Something of Rt’s??????” (in total panic)

“No.”

“Your golf clubs??” (like who cares, but sucks for you)

“No.”

“What???? You are scaring me!”

“OUR bag.”

Yes, you read that right. HUBS forgot to pack our bag into the car before we left for the weekend!!! What is hub’s job when we go out of town? TO PACK HIS OWN THINGS AND PACK THE CAR. What is my job everytime we go out of town? EVERYTHING ELSE. Everything Rt is left to me, because of course I know where everything is, what he needs, what he might need. Where WAS our bag prior to leaving the house? In the doorway of our bedroom…………… zipped and ready for departure. Sigh…

So, “operation: what the hell do we do now?” was put into place. We put Rt down for the night and hubs took off to the local Longs Drug store to get some needed supplies.

What did he come home with?

2 sticks of deodorant

2 toothbrushes (no toothpaste, um, hello?)

1 3-pack of men’s briefs (of course cool and normal looking)

and these……

1 3-pack of women’s “underwear”

I asked hubs to buy me size M cause my normal underwear are mediums, so I thought that translated to all kinds of panties. So wrong. Hubs brought back Size M alright, but M in the Hanes world means for sizes 8-10. I fall into the Small category in the Hanes world, so these granny’s were LARGE and IN CHARGE. They covered everything, including my nipples. Let’s just say I had to roll them 7 times over so they would not show out my low rise khaki pants.

All in all, the weekend was lovely. Tiring, but lovely. By the time we returned home, it didn’t matter how many showers we had throughout the weekend, we still felt diiiirty. Wearing the same clothes for over 48 hours just shouldn’t happen. Well, unless it’s completely intentional and then, only then is it ok.

e

16 weeks and heading out of town. Hub’s family has an annual golf tourny every year. So, we’re off to Sonoma for the big event. This year, I am not playing. First of all, who in the hell is going to watch Rt? Second, due to my recent back issues over the summer, racking up 18 holes probably wouldn’t be good for the ‘ol bod. And lastly, hubs doesn’t think I can play due to being pregnant. If it weren’t for my back, I’d be so out there. I’d just tie Rt to the back of the cart and away we’d go. Nah, I’d tie him to the front so he could see where we were going. It is Sonoma after all. So perdy.

Quick wrap up of the our latest local ventures to celebrate the season.

Rt searching high and low for HIS pumpkin.

Rt and I enjoying a casual choo choo ride around the pumpkin farm.

Rt taking the lead through the apple orchards.

Rt seeing the world from the height of a calf.

The best thing about our walk down nature lane was the homemade sour cream apple pie we brought back from the apple orchard. Well, the caramel apple from the pumpkin patch was THE bomb on its own, but let me tell you, this pie WAS the bee’s knees! It’s already gone. Long gone. (Did I mention we went on Sunday and today is Wednesday? And last night was the night the plate was licked clean?) Luckily, I wasn’t the one who demolished it. That would be my husband, the sweets trash compactor.

So. If you are ever in the mood for apple pie, I would recommend making/buying one with sour cream. It adds a sort of tang that you just can’t get over. (Does anyone else agree with me that my taste buds might be in high gear as of late? Goodness. This bambino has got to slow down.)

When you do take my advice, Hell, invite me over for dessert. I’ll bring some near beer.

“I can’t wait to just be a mom. I’ll only have to take care of the baby!”

These words were spoken by yours truly while pregnant with Rt. I was working full-time and looking forward to only being a mother and not a “working woman”. I was looking forward to the “time-off” and a break from the stresses of the outside world.

How utterly wrong I truly was.

While my words were slightly on the naive side (um, hello??), there is something quite sad about that statement too. What ever happened to just being a mom? When and why did it get so complicated?

Since becoming a mother, my main “side job” was to save money. I sure as hell wasn’t bringing home the bacon and we had to make due with what hubs was providing. The more I saved, the more I could buy, (or save. whatever.) So, with that, I scoured all the stores and found all the products I needed and bought them according to who had the best price. Not too shabby, right? Wrong.

The tide began to change. Now, it wasn’t just about price, it was about WHAT product you were buying.

First up, Organic.

Now, when I started buying baby food for Rt, two years ago, the “organic craze” hadn’t gone too mainstream, but I somehow bought Gerber’s Tender Harvest Organic anyway. My purchase was first based on flavor selection, then availability. Target, plus most local grocery stores sold it. Fabulous! Then, I stumbled upon Earth’s Best at Walmart. Even better flavors! 55 cents a jar! Sooo up my alley.

So, Rt ate organic, mainly by happenstance.

Due up, Cleaning Supplies.

This is somewhat new in my household. I switched over to a few Method brand items sometime earlier this year, but only recently added more to round out my collection. In all honesty, the prices on most of their items (at Target) are not much more than other cleaners I have purchased in the past. (except for laundry detergent, and wood cleaner, for example) (can someone please tell me where to get their dish washing detergent? Target didn’t have it) The reason I decided to make the switch was envisioning Rt licking the side of the tub that had just been cleaned by the house cleaners (at least they clean the tub, I’m not sure I ever did. eek!) and think that Comet would be stuck on his tongue and then swallowed. Probably not going to happen, but we’re having another little tot who just might be an obsessive licker. Ya, never know.

And lastly, regular everyday crap like baby shampoo.

Ok, so in being a lurker on my “You’re due in April, read about other ladies due then too” board on BabyCenter, I have come across many articles about Johnson and Johnson products containing an ingredient called Quaternium-15. Quaternium-15 is a preservative found in many cosmetics and industrial substances that releases formaldehyde. Now, I am sure there are many “concerning” ingredients in many products we all use on a daily basis, but where do we draw the line? What do we do about it? I went and looked at all the bath products we use for Rt and I would have to throw out his bath wash, shampoo and some random bubble bath we have. I still haven’t decided what I am going to do about it. There really isn’t a need for his bath wash, when a bar of soap can get the guy cleaned, but what about his thick locks? (or fine baby hair that is) Is bubble bath not an “OK” treat for our little ones anymore?

So, I’ll end this with this question. How far are you able to go to raise your children in today’s world? When is believing everything you hear, follow every new guideline out there, and live in totally germy, poison fear taking it too far? When is following last years manual not good enough?

My jury is still out, but I am a mom. I am willing to go the distance. It’s just that, how much stamina do I need? Every choice I make seems to matter so much. It’s truly tiring.

e

Entering into the “best” stage of pregnancy has many advantages. I have felt more “myself” than I have in weeks. However, it can come with some alterations.

The following are changes I have had to make in my life due to current, expanding circumstances.

1) me, hubs and 1000 pillows.

All I can say is, thank goodness we have a king-sized bed now. I don’t know how I, or we, did pregnancy before with only a queen. The amount of fluff that surrounds me throughout the night is record breaking. Let’s see. There is the pillow behind my head pillow that serves no purpose, only to match the one hubs uses. The head pillow that I have had since high school. Who knew I would actually get my Ralph Lauren worth out of that thing? Yes, I have thought about dust mites. Moving on. There is the pillow to the right of me. This one is to keep me in place. So, if I do roll over onto my back, from my left side, I am caught by this pillow to keep me from sleeping flat on my back. (a big no, no while pregnant. a circulation/baby issue.) Next, the pillow in between my legs. Due to intense back pain over the summer due to over-flexing in yoga, I have used this pillow to support my hips. And lastly, the chenille decorative pillow on my head. Ever since I was pregnant with Rt, hubs breathing kept me from falling back asleep in the night, so I used a pillow to drown out the “noise”. Now, I can’t live or sleep without it.

2) me, bathtub, and the meat thermometer.

After learning that you should only bathe in water that is 100 degrees while pregnant, (something about not getting your body temperature over 100 degrees and cook the baby) I decided I would follow this rule the best way I knew how, with the meat thermometer. I did make sure it was disinfected or something to that affect before plunging it into my bath water, but the image still remains, a little odd. I have to confess, the baths I took while pregnant with Rt, were BLAZING HOT. My only thought was my entire belly was sticking out of the bath while the rest of my bod was under the water, so that should keep him from blaming everything on me when he is in therapy at 30, right?

3) me, undergarments, and loads of detergent.

Ok, so I may be getting a little too Jenny McCarthy here, but man, I tell you, the natural essence of a woman is heightened when you are pregnant. I am just going to come out and say it. The abundance is clear. It was actually the first sign for me to take a pregnancy test at 3 weeks, 3 days. It was noticeable and it wasn’t going anywhere. I haven’t gotten to this stage yet, but when I was pregnant with Rt, I started doing a single load of laundry just for undergarments. They just needed that alone time to come back to me in original form. If you still don’t know what the hell I am talking about, email me and I’ll explain further.

On that note, I am off to finish the rest of my Now ‘n Laters I purchased last night at Walgreen’s. Somethings, just don’t need to be altered, like my love for candy. However, due to my current expanding circumstances, they may be heightened, just a wee bit.

e

14 weeks, 2nd trimester!

best I could do by myself with little munchkin waiting in the wings.

I just lost my entire post. I saved it before I had to restart my computer, but it has disappeared from the file that is sitting in front of me. While I curse like a sailor, know I am trying to put my word out there. Clearly, the universe has a different plan for my Monday. Oh ya, the kid didn’t nap, but pooped like a mother fudger.

e

I have exactly two hours until I have to get into my car and drive 30 minutes to meet my mother-in-law to pick Rt up. What do I plan to do, or have done with my remaining moments of mommy freedom?

-I slept in. Well, I staying in bed till 7:30a.m. until the urge to pee for the 3rd time in the night was too much to bear. (It was really 9:30am CST, so I technically slept in, right?)

-I made breakfast for just me. Frosted mini-wheats never tasted so sweet. Next up, Godiva hot chocolate.

- Enjoying complete control of the remote. Currently watching Brothers & Sisters from Sunday night. Might try to fit in House, Bones, or Biggest Loser, if time permits.

-To take a bath. Considering I spent way too much time in the Vegas airport, on a layover, (no offense LVgurl) I am in need of a good ‘ol bubble bonanza.

-To whip out the bag of very cherry jelly beans I purchased last week and not have to share, actually hide, them from any interested party.

Tell me……

what would you do with two hours of free mommy-time? You only have until 10am. What would your morning be like?

e

On the jelly bean front, I am quite happy with the 17 of you that decided to appease me and tell me your favorite flavor of jelly bean. To those of you who picked PEAR as your favorite, I am not sure what you’re smokin, but I threw in a few “testers” alongside my bundle of Very Cherries yesterday, and what did they taste like?

A PEAR.

An actual pear. I’m not sure what you are looking for in a jelly bean, but all I want is FAKE FRUIT flavor. Very Cherry is right up that ally. I know for a fact, cherries don’t taste THAT good. Actually, I don’t like real cherries, or have had that many in my life, but I do know I HEART cherry flavored candy.

To the handful of you I have never heard from before, thank you for sharing! Ya’ll come back now, ya hear?

I can say, next delurking day, I’m going to need more from you people. Maybe I need to get more creative with my luring you into my den of slack. Let me know if you have any suggestions.

On a more serious note, hubs and I are heading to Oklahoma tomorrow for the funeral. Rt is staying with the in-laws and he’ll do plenty of staying up too late, eating all kinds of good shit, and will never want to come home. I can’t worry about any of that now, I’m too distracted. Being with my family will help me feel more connected to all of this.

We are staying at my grandmother’s house. It’s the only place in town to house all of us under one roof. It will be bittersweet, no doubt. We are putting her house up on the market next Wednesday. Whaaah. Why so soon, you ask? There is only 6 more weeks until Thanksgiving, so everyday will be needed to sell the house before the prime season ends.

Man, this is all happening so fast. I have spent every Christmas with my family in this house. Waiting at the top of the stairs with the rest of my cousins and brother until it was time to come down to see what Santa brought us.

All of it will be put on the market next Wednesday. Crap.

e

de-lurk, de-lurk where ever you are!

I first want to take a moment to thank all of you who have posted such lovely words during these past few weeks. It has truly been a bizarre roller coaster ride, but you have helped me. So, thank you. :X

So, now we’ve got some business to attend to. I was thinking of what whoorl did last year for delurking (name your favorite crayon) and came up with my own “bright idea” at 1:45am this morning while trying to fall back asleep. (I hate having to pee in the night.)

It’s time to name your favorite Jelly Belly.

You have 50 choices, so you have plenty of options.

Also, do you like just one? Or is a combo platter your bees’ knees??

I’ll go first.

Very Cherry. There is no other in my world. I want some now.

Bring it on delurkers! I am counting on you today!!!

e