Little NOT SO BLACK Dress

MY LITTLE JESSICA McCLINTOCK DRESS

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MY BETSEY JOHNSON CUT OUT WEDGES
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Sin City fun for me!!!!
(AND TOMMY TOO!!!)

I know that the little black dress (LBD) is supposed to be a staple in every woman's wardrobe. I know that you can wear them anywhere and everywhere and they are always acceptable. I just don't own one. I never have. I don't know why, but I have never felt that need to have one. For me, black is not the it color.

For our friends wedding at Paris, in Vegas, I thought long and hard about getting the ultimate little black dress. I wanted to have one with some bling on it. Something I could wear and wear and wear. I wanted the sex appeal for Vegas but still subtle.....and not very expensive. I searched online for days and then in stores....... Alas.. the LBD is still not me.

You see, Tommy and I had plans of a shopping day together. He needed a suit and I had to find the perfect "Vegas" wedding dress. We had already lined up a sitter and we were going to do the day together and enjoy the hunt for the perfect Vegas attire. A "Pretty Woman" shopping excursion if you will.

Unfortunately, Jax and Pudgie both spiked fevers over 102 degrees on Friday night. We had to put the brakes on shopping together. I was so bummed. Like a child that had lost Christmas.

Tommy left early Saturday to seek out the perfect suit. I just couldn't resist the opportunity to go watch him try on suits. Call me a bad mom or worse..... uncaring.... but something about my man in his uniform and my man in a suit that just makes me quiver.... With reassurance that he felt well enough to just lay in bed, I left Jax behind and decided to drag Binx and Pudgie to the store, just to get an eyeful. It was just like pretty woman... in reverse. I loved it. I loved watching him try everything on and picking out everything. I love the suits he picked out. It was more fun for me than Tommy or the kids, I'm sure.

Then, to my surprise, he wanted to do the same with me as I went to pick out the perfect dress. I think he was rather dissappointed though. I only picked out 4 dresses to try on (I really only liked 2 of them but a girl needs variety right?)... but immeditely fell in love with the polka dot dress. Once I put on this baby, he kinda fell for it too. I love that my shoes cost more than my dress, that, and the fact that Binky blurted out in the dressing room, "Wow Mom, that dress makes you look really, really skinny!" BONUS!!!

And, hot pink and polka dots, at a wedding in Vegas..... is soooo me.

Look out sin city.

If only it were not so far away.

SUCKDOM....

I don't know what it is... but about every three months or so, I go through a serious case of suckdomism. Everything just flushes itself right down the proverbial toilet and everything just sucks. Seriously.

I did so phenomenally well with my workouts over the holidays that I got down to 15% body fat and won another membership to our gym. My workouts had me getting flippen ripped and then we all got sick and I have spiraled out of control ever since. It, again, sucks. This month we are having a 5000 squat challenge. Tommy smartened up. He bowed out gracefully, or not so, and me, well, I the not-so-smart one, took the challenge head on. Some days I walk funny... ok, funnier than normal, because of it. At any rate, all my workouts are in suckdom mode.

I have no desire to use our beautiful pull up bar we have in the garage now. I was up to 7 in a row without dropping to shake the hands but then I just started grimacing when I got under it. I absolutely loathe the squat bench I use everyday. I walk by it and flash terrible hand gestures to it. Like it will hurt its feelings or something. Like it really cares. I even kick it sometimes. Like a dog that has been bad.

I woke up this morning with one thing on the brain. I have a wedding to go to in a couple weeks and my butt needs to shrink....... and my shoulders need more striations and my abs... well, they need cosmetic surgery but that is another story.

So onward and upward because it really sucks,

sucking!

COUSIN FUN!

I often wish I we still lived closer to my sister and her kiddies. My little ones miss their cousins so darn much that I feel like we have jipped them by moving way out to Gilbert. Although, when they do get together, they love almost every second together and they appreciate it so much more.

I have had my 3 nieces for a few days now and the fun is going non-stop. Two of them even ventured to the gym with me this morning. My kids are actually behaving like humans and I am somewhat sane! Makes for a good end of spring break let me tell you!!!

Today was Water park Wednesday for the crumbsnatchers. I was so excited to see my neighbors there. Ruth and Kelly remembered me telling them I was going to take all 6 kids there on Monday night, right as Pudgie started projectile barfing in the garage. They surprised me and saved chairs for all of us and all the kiddies played all morning! It was a blast watching Pudgie finally start to want to go under the water and get splashed.

I have to say, the best part, for me, were the looks of disgust I was getting that my 3 year old was wearing my Pink Taco hat. Some people are just slightly too uptight in this world I tell ya. Plus, I was the most ill-prepared mother on the planet there today. I didn't even have my swimsuit on since we went straight from the gym, grabbed my kiddies that were still at home and off we went to have some fun in the sun. And besides... if my 3 year old wearing that hat to keep the sun off his precious blonde hair was offensive... I wonder if they looked in the mirror when they put their suits on, before they left their house......hmmmm... can you say.....exercise?????

(You can hear the tolerance in this post, or lack there of today, can't you?)

~STRAIGHT~

Obviously, I was not thinking this way last night when I got the wild idea to paint stripes on my wall. Holy cow....... I am usually really good with colors. I am lucky that way. Tommy never ever disagrees with the paint colors I choose. He actually really likes the colors I choose for the house and we get tons of compliments on them. The crumbsnatchers love how I have decorated their rooms and the house as well, so life was all good.

Until last night.

After a day of fighting like cats and dogs...thus the previous post, my mind was like mush. That is the excuse I am using because there is no human on the face of this earth that would put stripes on the wall like I did and think it looks nice. The two colors I used really do compliment each other well. I have used them both in the past, but they don't go together in my dining room that is already spicey orange and chocolate brown. I do not know what came over me but I decided to paint the wall that goes into our garage and our toy closet.........................................

purple and mocha tan.

To use Pudgie's newly coined phrase of the month.......

WHAT THE LECK MOMMA?

The funniest thing about it is that I normally love stripes on walls. If I were to paint stripes anywhere downstairs, in my house, it would be my dining room and the walls leading into my garage and toy closet. Stripes just ROCK. I totally think they elegant-up a dining room and whimsy-up kiddie rooms. They just simply made me want to THROW-UP when I got up this morning and saw what I was halfway through.

Poor Tommy was either really tired this morning after our workout or just did not want to say they were simply...barf worthy. Thankfully I have 50 gallons of paint to choose from to fix this little mishap.

Like Cats and Dogs

I normally love my Sundays. Normally.

We have been forced to take Sunday off from the gym so now I have a designated day that I could sleep in on but unfortunately Pudgie comes to me in the morning and anyways.....We usually have no plans or places we have to be unless we are invited to my parents house or my sisters for dinner or something.

I usually get to finish one of the, "weekend warrior," projects that we started on Thursday or Friday and then I hang outside most of the day while the kids play or color or dance or play soccer. Something fun and relaxing! I get to go through my 6 Sunday papers..... or not, and catch up on emails.... or not, and just lounge the day away or grocery shop....or not! Our neighborhood is usually deserted because of church and the kids are not allowed to play because of it, so we have the street pretty much to ourselves and the three mighty munchies can wreak havoc if they like. It is usually my favorite day.

Not lately though. The past two Sundays have come with screaming and yelling and unending battles like I breed rabid dogs inside this house or something. My kids are at each others' throats and short of choking them, I have done everything I can to separate them.

I am sure my neighbors hear me. Some times I am outside screaming at these kids like some psycho that just got out of the sanitarium. Others, well, at the octave I have been at lately... heck, I am sure the little rest home on the corner can hear me. My kids have been ridiculous and I told Tommy that our escalating scale of punishment to fit the crime has gone out the window..... this woman has moved onto corporal punishment. I even threatened Binky with (No, I am not proud of this but it is what it is)..... "If you touch him again I will hit you with a wooden spoon, if that does not work I will hit you with a metal spatula and if that does not work I will punch you just like you punched Pudgie." (Now I may sound like I would do something like that... I may have even considered it after dragging her off her 3 year old brother for the 100th time today... but I wouldn't do that...... I have leverage now and taking away her cousin from California's visit has done wonders to punish this little girl.)

I think that the worst part is, like the last pictures, even when I do get the three of them apart, they start chasing each other around like animals instigating the fights all over again. It is killing me and I swear, my kids are gonna kill each other before this spring break is over. I don't know why they are like caged animals lately but this three ring circus ring master is ready to bow out and hand over the top hat or the whip to someone else. I swear I need a UFC ring in my backyard!!

Spring break can not be over soon enough for me. I am so frazzled I have started redecorating my house and this puppy doesn't need it.

~Mack Moms R*O*C*K~

First it was Me and Pudgie and 14 tons of gila brown rock.
Then Kelly came out to lend a hand with baby monitor attached.
School let out and the kids came home at 11:20.
Then came Jax and Binky.
Then Ruth and Gregory.
Then Nevan and Trish and Mayzie.
Then Zen and Julia and Max.

It was an absolute free for all of helpers and I was so thankful.


Tommy has been working hold overs all week and timing was not the greatest for rock delivery but I had it in my mind that I would just chip away at this enormous pile and it would eventually get done.


That was not happening with my awesome friends. They are amazing and I am not just saying that in case they read my blog. Tommy got three whopping hours of sleep today and almost fell over when he came downstairs and saw that the pile of rock was down to about 3 tons.


This group worked their tails off for me and my family today. I can not thank you all enough. I am so darn lucky to live on such a loving and caring street!!!


Brian came with the bob cat to finish off the last of the rock and I could have just hugged him at that point because complete exhaustion had set in.


You are all the best and I seriously love you and appreciate all the hard work you all did for us. Even all the kids were simply amazing. We had strangers stopping and asking how we got all the kids working together the way we did. Gotta love Grammie Diane's trip to Sonic for slushies (a.k.a serious bribery)!!!


Like I promised... dinner is on us tomorrow night. Pizza party in the front yard about 5:30 people!!! Be there or be hungry and sore!!!!!!

Playin'

It is official... I am a soccer mom.....minus the mini-van.... and other things.

Jax has begged to play on a team for the past two years and I finally let him. I would not give in until he proved he could keep his grades up (a given) and his behavior perfect (another given) at school and home.

Tommy has not to even had a chance to watch Jax practice so I think he was extremely surprised to see just how well Jax plays. It is almost funny to watch the other little guys back off when Jax starts running full speed at them. The tend to cower over to the side.

We are working on Jax getting a little more agressive and not worrying about hurting the other team when he is kicking (we hear the, "oh man, I am sorry," a lot).

Jax is very lucky to have a coach that has 13 years of soccer experience as a player. He is an exceptional coach that is stressing the importance of skill rather than just running aimlessly with the ball and kicking it down the field to just get a goal. Jax earns a dime for every skill he uses during his game. I have never seen my son more proud of earned money than on Saturday when his coach annouced he would receive 3 dimes at practice on Wednesday.

We are certainly having fun screaming for this big boy. Pudgie couldn't yell, "go Jaxi. Good Job.. KICK IT JAXI," enough during Saturdays game. Brinkley even got into the action hugging him when they won! I think Jax may have found "his sport," although I can imagine him being recruited for football when he is in high school because of his size .

Man do I love this kid!!! I tend to think the feeling is mutual!

Organizing Tips...

Okay all you type A personalities. I am begging you for any and all help on how you organize your house. This is my spring cleaning week and I need to figure out a real system for my house. Everything from how you organize your tupperware lids and bowls to cleaning supplies. Linen closets to kids toys. I am looking to everyone who is crazy anal about an immaculte house. I was in my girlfriends house yesterday.... you can eat off of her floors and I am just inspired to clean this little shack we live in so that Jax and Binky's spring break is all about fun in the sun with friends and family..............

1, 2, 3, GO!