Peanut Butter Blogger Time! Peanut Butter Blogger...Werd.

So this is going to be a short, quick blog, because I have another hilarious blog that will be coming later on today…

Last night at Wal-Mart I needed to purchase some peanut butter, because at our house, peanut butter and jelly sandwiches might as well be freaking crack. So if we run OUT of peanut butter, the boys start jonesing for it hardcore.

Now for those of you who know me, I am cheap. C.H.E.A.P. cheap. What’s that you hear? A bird? Cheap. Cheap. Cheap? No, it’s me, being a tight-wad. So of course there is rarely any name brand stuff in our house. Great Value is a daily staple at the Price crib.

BUT!!!!!

Last night at Wal-Mart…they were OUT of Great Value peanut butter. OUT! Gone, vamoose. Non-existent. I was SO sad. Because that meant I had only two options. 1. Don’t buy ANY peanut butter and face the wrath of Jack or 2. Break down and buy the $4.18 dollar jar of flipping Peter Pan peanut butter.

WHY. Someone please explain to me WHY groceries are so flipping expensive? If I didn’t love eating so much, I would totally stop JUST to save money. Bull. Bull corn.

Of course, I broke down and bout the $4,000,000 dollar jar of peanut butter so that my kids and husband could be happy…but not before I stood there for at least 5 minutes contemplating my excuses of coming back WITHOUT peanut butter. Which, I probably wouldn’t have lived to tell the tale today if I had.

A day in my life, for real. :)

Did I Win the Lottery?! No!

So Fishstick goes to daycare, and I LOVE his daycare. I love the girls that work there, and it’s just awesome…It’s reasonably priced so I can’t complain, and I really would recommend it to friends. My sister on the other hand…got the short end of this stick apparently. Her youngest son started “pre-school” this morning along with about 3 million other kids…but apparently he is starting a school that either A) has absolutely NO money or B) Has absolutely NO idea what they’re doing…I personally think it’s probably both.

Now, before I tell you why I think this school is out of their effing mind, I just want to say that, we are in a really piss-poor economy, IN CASE YOU WERE UNAWARE. So for those of us who weren’t born with silver spoons in our mouths, or have procreated to the point of poverty, we just can’t afford to drop $1,000 green slips on SCHOOL SUPPLIES!

Yes, SCHOOL SUPPLIES. Crayons, glue, scissors…the usual. Or at least it used to be. When I bought school supplies this year for Jack, my 1^st grader, I only spent a grand total of $130.00 bucks, give or take a little, and that included about 6 new outfits, new tennis shoes, new flip flops, a back pack AND a lunch box!

I am about to show you something that will shock the living daylights out of you…This is my nephews PRE-SCHOOL, school supply list. Now of course I have added in my own little quips and comments to make it funnier, but on a serious note – this thing is re-freaking-donkulous.

·         Two bottles Elmer’s Glue – Because 1 Glue Won’t Do!

·         1 Pair scissors

·         1 pkg. loose leaf multi colored construction paper

·         2 pkg. white copy paper – Are they learning to FAX??

·         1 pkg. 8 washable markers

·         1 pkg. 8 Jumbo or Chubby crayons – Do I DARE make a ‘chubby crayon joke’ There’s just too many to choose from really, so I’ll pass J

·         1 pkg. 3 or 4 Play-Doh NO Rose Art – Um, excuse me? Are you trying to be fancy when you let 9 different children stick they’re booger and peanut butter covered hands into the modeling clay?

·         Glue Sticks – Wait…didn’t I just buy liquid glue?! Yes, yes I did!

·         Water color or finger paint

·         Paint smock – Why yes Timmy, Daddy’s old Hooter’s T-shirt will make a PERFECT paint smock! Great idea.

·         Bag of play sand – Wtf. Who was the half-wit who came up with the idea to bag up sand and sell it?! You know he did not come up with that game plan sober.

·         Tooth brush – Because apparently as parents, we are incapable of making our children brush their teeth at home…what were WE thinking??

·         Tooth brush cap to cover ONLY the bristles not entire toothbrush – So what, the rest of the toothbrush isn’t afraid of the dark?

·         Kid’s Toothpaste – Again, my child has great dental hygiene and the idea of having a toothbrush in a classroom where kids are sick ALL THE TIME is a little strange to me…

·         Bottle of fun foam – This sounds like something you would buy at a sex store…Don’t tell me you didn’t imagine some oily-beau-hunk on the bottle in a silky pair of shorts…jusssst sayin…

·         Kleenex – Achoo.

·         Band-Aids – Ouchies. And if they think they are getting ones with Buzz-Lightyear and Charlie Brown on them they are SADLY mistaken…

·         Envelopes – For all those letter’s they’re going to be writing…IN DAYCARE.

·         Crib sheet – Fair enough.

·         1 pkg. of cotton balls or brown paper bags – I just hope this is for crafts, because the last time I tried to take off nail polish with a brown paper sack it didn’t turn out so well

·         Paper plates – Again with the frivolous killing of trees…jerks.

·         Magic erase cleaners – NOT regular erasers….MAGIC ones…for walls…

·         Clear contact paper – I wish I knew what this was so I could honestly come up with a witty response as to why it’s useless.

·         1 roll of colored duct tape – no silver! – Because let’s face it, only backwoods hillbillies use NORMAL colored duct tape that is $3.00 cheaper than hot pink duct tape with Hello Kitty’s face plastered on it

·         Pre-cut foam shapes or craft sticks – What in the hell is a craft stick? Is that the same thing as a Popsicle stick? Here Timmy, become a diabetic and eat these three boxes of discounted popsicles instead…I’m sure it’s cheaper and with Obama-Care you’ll get free insulin…It’s all good.

·         Colored feathers or pom-poms – Seriously?? Just…wow. If I see my colored feather I paid $4.00 for in some little kids hair I will flip out.

·         Googlie eyes – Presumably to use my glue to stick to my paper plates and call it a monster…I hope.

·         Self-stick Velcro – We all know non-stick Velcro just won’t work as well

·         1 bag of beads or buttons – Here, go pull the buttons off of all of grandpa’s pants, he doesn’t remember to button them anyways these days…

·         Crepe paper – I’d rather just eat crepes…oui oui!

·         1 pkg. of AA or D batteries – What in the hell was on this list that required batteries?! Nothing? Oh ok, good just wanted to make sure that my hard earned cheddar was going to something my kid would ACTUALLY use. Gotcha. Thanks for clearing that up.

·         1 disposable camera – I better be getting AWESOME pictures…approximately 27 of them to be exact, and I want the high gloss finish.

I actually went through and did a rough total of what all of this would cost plus sales tax, and I was well over $200 because not only do they have to buy THIS now, they have to buy it AGAIN in February! So I totaled this up and then multiplied it by 2. Ridculous.

Plus, not only does my sister have to buy all of this, but she also has to pay $100.00+ a week for the actual childcare, so what I want to know is what the hell that money is paying for!!!! And the kicker is this stuff doesn’t even stay specifically with HER child…it gets thrown into the box for the ENTIRE SCHOOL to use…No no no! Jeez people come on – you should be questioning what you are paying for, don’t just give away your hard earned money!

Do NOT get me wrong, I am all about my kids’ education and if the school told me I had to go out and buy them a $300.00 laptop because it would help them reach their goals, you’d better believe that I am right there in line buying that laptop. But when it comes to buying supplies for the teachers and the school as a whole, I am MORE than happy to donate a few extra packs of markers, or even some cotton balls here and there. And I can even understand everyone chipping in a package of dry erase markers, some Kleenex, and soap because I remember having to buy that stuff for our teachers. But being REQUIRED to spend $400 dollars twice a school year and then $100 dollars a week in order to stock up the daycares art supply box, I don’t freakin’ think so Pal!

I’m just saying, I have a huge respect for our Teachers and what they do, I just can’t afford to pick up the slack for the entire school…and we shouldn’t be asked to. We purchase these things for OUR children, for THEIR educational experience…not everyone else’s.

That is all.

Let's Talk About Sex, Baby!

I already know that this blog is going to ruffle some feathers for several reasons, and frankly my dear I don’t give a damn, but I will gladly play Devil’s Advocate and take a look at them.

1.   I live in the Bible Belt, and I do NOT mean that in a bad way. God’s presence is everywhere in our house and in our lives…but let’s face it, there are some people out there who take judgment into their OWN hands and they don’t dish it out lightly.

2.   Sex seems to be the most awkward subject between a parent and their kids. I even feel awkward talking about it, so don’t worry – I get that.

3.   “Abstinence” Is all anyone around here knows to teach, and when you even think about bringing up sex education, you might as well go join the Lepers, because you just signed your own death warrant.

4.   Kids are a touchy subject. What should they hear? What do they already know? They’re our babies, we need to protect them. They’re our babies, but they need to know what the “real world” has in store for them.

These are all DIFFICULT decisions and situations to have to handle as a parent, and I completely understand that!

Which leads me to today’s blog post…SEX. The big nasty, the horizontal mambo, the dirty deed, whoopee, WHATEVER you prefer to call it. This is it.

I’m still a fairly young adult and I remember what I learned in my high school health class with Mrs. Bryant, and it definitely was not anywhere NEAR sex ed. We learned what foods were healthy, that STD’s were out there, and that babies came from your uterus. That was about the jest of it. How did those babies get there? No idea, of course we all actually KNEW how they got there…but aside from that, we pretty much had to either A. Ask our parents or B. Ask our friends about the P’s & Q’s of sex.

So I think it is AWESOME that New York schools are going to make sex education a requirement! And not only are they doing that, they are taking it one step further and requiring that students take it TWICE, once in 6^th or 7^th grade and again in high school. Of course, they have the option to “opt out” or “cop out” as I like to call it for those parents who just don’t want their kids “exposed”…I’m just like, “You live in NEW YORK! Take a look around, they’re exposed already, trust me!” But I think sex ed in schools is a great idea, and I think Northwest Arkansas is only being stubborn and ignorant if they don’t jump on this bandwagon. I think 6^th & 7^th grade is a PERFECT time to start introducing sex education, especially with everything that is going on in our world today and all of the information that is readily available to our kids. Anything younger than 6^th or 7^th grade seems excessive to me, and they probably wouldn’t listen very well, or take anything you say into account…But I agree with the officials in New York. Our kids need to be educated.

The statistics for teenage pregnancy are ridiculous! I’m sure shows like 16 & Pregnant and Teen Mom (Which I am completely guilty of watching) don’t help, they tend to glorify teen pregnancy in some ways, and since I was a teen mother myself, I had our oldest son Jack, when I was 17. I got pregnant when I was 16 and I can testify that it is NOT glorious. I had to work hard to get where I’m at in my life today, and it was not a simple task. I love my boys more than anything on the face of this Earth, and I wouldn’t change any of the decisions I have made in my life, good or bad, because I look at them as learning experiences…but teen pregnancy is not fun, and if it can be prevented, then we should be the ones teaching our kids how to do so. Everything turned out great for me, but there are babies being dumped in trash cans and dumpsters because the mothers are too young to know how to handle that and they were too afraid to go to their parents for help for fear of what they would say or think…and that my friends HAS to stop.

Here in Northwest Arkansas the message is Abstinence. If they don’t do it, it can’t happen. Well duh. I would be willing to put money on the fact that 100% of the teenagers attending high school along with the majority of the younger school aged kids could tell you that. But at the same time, I would say that even though the majority of those teenagers know that if they just don’t do it, it can’t happen…there is still going to be a surprising percentage that are still doing it.

So WHY are we not equipping them with knowledge and power? Why are we letting young girls go into these relationships and get pressured without having ANY idea on how to protect themselves? Why are teenage boys so painfully unaware of what a condom is, or what STD’s can do to them!?

Here’s the answer –because we as adults, are just too afraid to talk to them about it. That’s the bottom line, you can twist it and turn it and try to justify it in any way that you want…but that is the fact of the matter. Adult’s feel uncomfortable talking to their kids about sex…it’s awkward. Hell yes it is. No one wants to imagine that their young kids are thinking about or even having sex!!! I don’t! But I also don’t want my boys to lose any opportunities in their lifetime because they were unaware of the consequences their actions held. I will NOT let that happen. So if I have to have an awkward conversation with them telling them to keep protection on them no matter what, even if nothing happens or nothing HAS happened…then that is what I will do.

Do I want my kids to go out and start having sex at a young age? No way, Jose! I don’t even want them to know what sex is! They’re my babies, and I want them to stay that way. But as a sane, well-educated adult, I know better. I know what kids talk about at school and on the bus, and I KNOW what the television shows and songs on the radio are ALL saying, even if it’s subliminal.

So I am going to teach them, that sex is something special that you shouldn’t just do because everyone else is, or because you “think” you love someone after a week. And that once they do it, EVERYTHING changes. You change as a person, your relationship will change, it is not something to take lightly.

There’s no need to go into detail about the physical aspects of sex, trust me, they’ll hear all of that from their friends and the internet I’m sure…but they need to know the basics. What condoms are, what birth control is…and MOST importantly, they need to know that they can come and TALK to you. That is going to be the most important aspect of your kids growing up. Communication. They need to know, that even though you don’t want to know they are having sex with the girl next door when you guys are still at work, you are still there for them to talk to no matter what.

I think we should all face it. Some kids, NOT ALL KIDS, are going to have sex at a young age…You can tell them that they aren’t allowed to have boys or girls up in their bedrooms or over at your house when you aren’t home, you can set curfews and be strict and authoritative, but face it…kids are resourceful and if they WANT to do it, they will find a way. So they should be educated and prepared.

Even though our kids watch us drive a car every day and they probably KNOW the basic idea of driving a vehicle well before they are actually old enough and mature enough to drive, we wouldn’t just assume that because they have been semi-exposed to the information they need that they could take our car on the interstate and know how to correct a spinning car on black ice. So why would we assume that they automatically know how to protect themselves when it comes to sex? We shouldn’t. Period.

Talk to you kids, it could be a changing factor for them and their decisions.

Anywho, that is my rant. I know that I can’t change the mind of everyone in America, but if ONE person reads this blog and say to themselves, “Wow, maybe I should talk to my kids about sex education, they’re getting to be that age now…maybe they have questions…” That little glimmer of hope is all I need to know that I made someone think a little harder about one of life’s harder decisions.

The end. J

So NOW I want to know what YOU think! Should sex education be taught in schools? What about in Northwest Arkansas? Leave your responses and comments below!!!

It's Just Those Rainy Days

For those of you not from around here, or just completely oblivious to the ridiculous amount of heat we have been having this summer, the south has been in a bit of a drought. Extreme drought is what they called it on the weather this morning…and let’s be honest – it stinks.

Fortunately, last night and today since it has started raining, it has been a very VERY welcome sight J I am actually hoping that it rains all night and most of tomorrow so that I can adorn my completely adorable rain boots, so fingers crossed!

But all of this rain has kept me indoors and given me a lot of time to think of the things I LOVE about the rain. So in order to keep Zeus happy, and keep the rain a coming, I have decided to dedicate this blog post to my most favorite weather system…Rain – and all the things I love about it!

1.   Puddles. I love…L-O-V-E…splashing in puddles. It seemed a little odd doing it alone before you had kids, but now that you have them, you can splash equally, without fear of looking like a completely goof.

2.   Indoor Games. What better time to break out some Twister, Hide and Seek, Monopoly, or my personal favorite, Mario Party N64. Yes, I have whooped many booties at Mario Party on rainy days…

3.   Rainy Day Appetite. For some odd reason, I tend to crave chocolate more so on rainy days than any other days, not to mention chili, hot cocoa, and grilled cheese sandwiches. Nostalgic childhood foods? Yes, I think so.

4.   Cuddle Time. Need I say more? Whether it is with a book, the hubby, the kiddos, or all of the above, being cuddled up with a cozy Razorback blanket and listening to it rain makes for a pretty good day.

5.   Rainy day music. What is this, you ask? YES! There are a plethora of rainy day songs that just make the world go ‘round. Rainy Dayz by Ja Rule & Mary J. Blige, Raindrops Keep Falling on My Head by B.J. Thomas and Rainy Days and Mondays by the Mamas and the Papas. Unfortunately Rainy Days and Mondays is a bit of a downer…but you get the idea. Tons of songs dedicated to rain.

6.   The Rainy Day Movie List. This could literally go on forever if I let it, but there are about 5 movies that just deserve to be watched on rainy days.

a.    New Moon. Hello, show me ONE person who wouldn’t be thrilled seeing a tan, hot, Taylor Lautner in the rain in HD in your living room while it’s raining outside. Thank you Summit Entertainment…thank you.

b.   You’ve Got Mail. Simple classic feel good movie. Who couldn’t love this on a rainy day??

c.    The Notebook. Again, who wouldn’t want to watch Ryan Gosling rowing a boat in the rain? Not I. Please deal me that hand.

d.   Singin’ in the Rain. Self-explanatory, at least I hope it is. Gene Kelly is just…uh-mazing. If this movie doesn’t make you want to get up and go play in the rain, then you should just move to the desert.

e.    Last, but NEVER least, Just Friends. My ALL TIME FAVORITE movie ever. If you haven’t exposed yourself to this hilarious Ryan Reynolds comedy yet, I HIGHLY suggest that you do so. Now. Go, now, you’re still sitting here reading…hurry!

7.   Rainy Day Attire. Score! Rainy days give you so MANY different wardrobe opportunities, even in the middle of summer. You can wear rain boots, rain coats, have cute umbrellas OR if you choose to stay inside, it is perfectly acceptable to perform any of the tasks on this list in yoga pants and your husband’s Razorback hoodie.

8.   Coloring. Yes, I said it. I am a HUGE coloring fan. Give me a coloring book full of adorable puppies, a package of Crayola markers and crayons and I will literally decorate an entire refrigerator in less than an hour. Especially on rainy days. I even draw in my own little rain drops so they are weather appropriate.

9.   Sleep. I honestly cannot think of a time that I have ever slept better than during thunderstorms and rainy nights. It is so hard to get out of bed in the morning because of it. I could lay in bed and listen to it rain for hours.

10. “Rain” Dancing. Love going outside and playing in the rain! Dancing around and smelling the wet dirt. That’s kind of strange, but I LOVE the smell of the outdoors when it rains. Everything is so fresh and renewed.

So that is my blog post dedicated to rain and all the things I love about the rainy days…Feel free to share your favorite rainy day things in the comment sections! And make sure you follow me on twitter for Funny Things I’m Thankful For, Bad Ideas, and HILARIOUS things that my kids, and myself say! @JackNFishersMom

Your. Side. My. Side.

This is a blog COMPLETELY dedicated to the “your side” of things. Your side of the bed, your side of the road, your side of the table…and so on and so forth!

Your Side of the Bed.

I love cuddling with my husband in bed, and talking about our day and the days to come, and just enjoying each other’s company…but let’s face it, he has HIS side of the bed and I have MY side of the bed…and once the cuddle time is over and we are trying to actually sleep, I want MY side to remain just that…Mine. So be that as it may, when I have to get up in the middle of the night to change Fisher’s diaper and then walk back across the room to the bed, I would like my side to be exactly as I left it. But of course, it isn’t. It’s like Sean has some sensor built into him that when I get up out of bed, he breaches the boundary line and crosses onto MY side! And then it takes a Sherman tank to get him up and out of the way so I can lie back down. Would I have it any other way? Probably not…but just sayin.

Your Side of the Road.

          This is one of my FAVORITES. And I actually have pictures to document this particular infraction. This one can occur one of TWO ways. A) You have some jack-wagon driving down the road, obviously preoccupied with something, and they start slowly swerving into YOUR lane. As such, causing you to lay on your horn, shout obscenities, pray…whatever the occasion calls for. Or you have option B) Bikers. And not the hot ones on motorcycles, I am talking “cyclists.” Although they are on a bicycle…they are pretending they are on a motorcycle or in a giant van and proceed to pedal their little bicycle in the middle of your lane…also causing you to have several instances of panic & loathing of their choice of transportation. Ridiculous. So this is my message to the bikers and the distracted drivers “Stay on YOUR side of the road or stay on the SIDEWALK!!” Typically I am in a good mood when I’m driving and listening to the Glee Soundtrack…but when I see you pulling your Evil Knevil stunts, just know that I am NOT afraid to total out my vehicle to prove a point, so long as my children aren’t with me, because it has full coverage insurance and a GREAT market value. J No one wants to run you over, I promise. So flipping me the bird when I honk at you to avoid a head on crash, or pass you because I’m afraid of running you and your two wheeled contraption off in the ditch, is just rude…so don’t do it.

Your Side of the Table.

          This is another one my husband is completely guilty of. I love him to death but when I eat, I prefer to have room to move around my cup or saucer or napkin, if necessary. However, that invisible courtesy line that gets drawn at a restaurant that divides the table into two perfectly sectioned off halves tends to get crossed. A lot…especially after the salad course, just saying. Is it that hard to keep your cup and plate and utensils on your side of the table? No. Now, I understand that sometimes the hostess thinks it’s HILARIOUS to stick you at the smallest table in the house because you two are on a date and it seems “romantic” but she is mistaken. This only causes massive amounts of plate & utensil crossover. Once you’re married and you get to go out to eat alone, without little hands that reach into YOUR plate, the last thing you want is to be cramped for space when you can pig out on appetizers, entrées AND a dessert. You need ample amounts of table room people…it’s just a fact.

Your Side of the Car.

          With this one I don’t mean the “actual” side of the car that you are on because let’s face it, that changes based on mood, weather, blah blah blah. I mean the way the rules go in terms of the radio control. IF you are driving, then radio control gets passed to the person in the PASSENGER seat. If you are in the passenger seat, then you have control of the radio/song selections. There should be NO gray area…but there is. It seems like my husband and I tend to bicker more about what we should listen to on car trips more than anything…but the best part of this one is…WE LISTEN TO THE SAME MUSIC. So I think we just fight over the “control” part of it…we like to see who is the Alpha-Male of the radio. But it usually starts with a gradual volume decrease by the opposing party…just to say “I’m aware of the song on the radio, and I don’t like it. So by placing my hand on this volume control, I hereby take control of the radio.” This can go back and forth for several songs actually, volume down, volume up. Until one person takes the next step into either changing the station completely or inserting a cd or iPod in the middle of the song. Usually it’s a song the other person is singing or actually likes, and then the great ‘Radio War of 2011’ begins. I usually win…but that isn’t the point. I am just as guilty of not living by the radio rule as anyone, but if we all would abide by the common courtesy of passing the radio control to the passenger if you are driving, we wouldn’t have the “Your Side of the Road” category. J

Your Side of the Sink.

          This one can by far be the worst and most disgusting categories I am going to write about today. Your Side of the Sink. Eegads. There are mornings when I wake up, and go into the bathroom to brush my teeth and wash my face and just wake up and enjoy the day, and I LITERALLY think that a small animal has gotten into a fight with my husband’s beard trimmer. YUCK. All of the little whiskers from him shaving are just everywhere! And it is LITERALLY like glitter…it sticks to everything, and you can’t get rid of it not matter how much you clean. Over the years, I have of course learned to put all of my things in the medicine cabinet to avoid picking up a hairy toothbrush, or a perfume bottle that has dripped toothpaste, or shaving cream on it. And I wish I could say that even when we had our OWN individual sinks instead of just one shared sink, it was better, but even then his nasty man-face hair STILL crept over onto my clean, organized side of the bathroom. Ick.

This blog was actually a lot of fun to write! I’m sure there are PLENTY more ‘your sides’ that we can all relate to! So leave me some of yours in the comment sections! J

Crazy Busy is SUCH an Understatement!

This is how BUSY I have been…I wrote this blog “Sour Puss” about three weeks ago…and I am just NOW getting around to posting it…I promise you though, I am in a MUCH better mood than I was in when this particular post was written. J

Sour Puss.

So do you ever just have one of those days where it seems like EVERYONE, yourself included, is in a super bitchy mood?

Today was that day in Northwest Arkansas.

I woke up in one of those, “I can already tell today is going to require me to use my bitch ammo,” type days. So when I was showering I had already started thinking about everything that I had going on, who I could have pissed off, what they were going to say to me, what I would say back to them. Then I started thinking about people who had pissed ME off, and it just didn’t make for a pleasant shower. So I just decided to skip shaving my legs and wear jeans because I was ready to just get out of that shower that was trying to make me feel better. 

So of course I was expecting to turn on the news and see terrible things, more terrible than the normal news, and it was going to ruin my day even more, so I kept the news off and decided to check emails…and BAM! There it was in all of its glory…an email, ranting and raving at me from someone who, frankly, I’m not too fond of right now anyways. My first thought was to turn on the news instead…and then my second thought was to snap back, with some well thought out witty puns and low blows, but I knew that was a bad idea. So instead I sat, and sat, and tried to come up with something nice to say because I am pretty sure that’s how the saying goes…’If you can’t say something nice, don’t say anything at all…’ something along those lines. Either way, I tried to respond to said email as politely and cordially as I could muster…and apparently that was an EPIC fail, because I got an even LENGTHIER, sarcastically written email several hours later. Damn it.

I feel like I should be more upset about being on bad terms with someone that I’m close with…but let’s face it. Today is NOT the day to try and convince me that I am a nice person, because honestly I feel like the world’s biggest bitch today; a crabby, sarcastic, selfish bitch. Eegads. I don’t even want to be around my own attitude today. Haha.

I have to admit though, as the day has gone on I have gotten in a slightly better mood. My kids do that for me. It could be the worst day of my life, and their little arms wrapped around my neck giving me a hug makes it all just disappear.

I've Got Friends in Low Places...

          So today at the office I was chatting with our brilliant Lindsey Management repair men, and it made me start thinking about Kevin Bacon’s Six Degrees scheme. Jeff, one of our repair men, has a niece-in-law who is from Pine Bluff, which means I could PROBABLY connect myself to them in six degrees. And then Eddie, the other repair man, is from Forrest City, where my sister-in-law is from…so I could probably connect myself to him in six degrees. It really just blows my mind how small of a world it ACTUALLY is.

          Second story to prove my point – My best friend, Katrina, and I met each other in 2^nd grade, briefly because she went to school with one of my cousins, who
I am not terribly fond of… J Either way, I remember hanging with her at a birthday party at the park, but we went to different schools, and then my cousin moved away, so I never heard from her again until 6^th grade when she was on my

class team. We still didn’t talk or hang out but we knew who the other was. THEN
in 8^th grade we were in the same Science class and we paired up on our science
 

fair project and we have been best friends ever since. Literally like 10+ years. But here is the INSANE part of the story. We were looking through pictures one day because we had both actually taken a trip to San Francisco the summer before 6^th

 grade, and we were looking at each other’s pictures, now keep in mind, that we were NOT friends at the time the pictures were taken, but in the background of the pictures when we went to Alcatraz Island, you can see the other one of us in the background. I knew it was Katrina right away because she was infamous for these bangs she used to sport back in the day…the wall-o-bangs, we like to call it. So it was destiny that we were meant to be best friends!

          AND THEN. Sean and I met on our own, without anyone trying to play matchmaker or anything like that…but after dating for a while I realized that we had SEVERAL mutual friends, who could have possibly brought us together much earlier…which only proved to me that we had some hurdles to jump before we could find each other that way whenever we DID find each other, we would know what we were doing, or at least some of the way, and we could be a better spouse to the other because of our past.

Crazy, crazy stuff.

          This was just one of those blog posts that I was thinking about continuously, and if I hadn’t shared my thoughts I wouldn’t have been able to concentrate on much of anything else. Which tends to happen a lot the more that I think about it, because I’m sure on top of my crazy obsessive compulsiveness I have some mild form of adult ADD. Haha.

          I have also noticed that the formatting on this post is incredibly wacky, which is driving me absoltuely insane, but I have tried to fix it...and no luck, so just bah! Lol.

Padded Toilet Seats and Peas & Carrots

WOW! It has been a while (once again) since I found the time to post a blog! So lucky you…you will get TWO blog posts combined in one! So exciting right? There should be a warning label on this level of excitement. J

So I have come to the realization that the hubby and I are the textbook definition of an old married couple. And oddly enough, we are both ok with it. Today is Saturday…and instead of getting up and going and doing something fun, we were up at 7:00 a.m. getting ready to go grocery shopping. And what was the main “golden” item on our grocery list that we needed to rise at the butt crack of dawn for you ask? A PADDED toilet seat…no pun intended. Yes, the hubby was complaining about the toilet seat that came standard on the toilet at the new house, so he has been begging for a new one. Finally, I broke down and we went to Wal-Mart to purchase said necessity. There were many options to choose from, wooden toilet seats, toilet seats with gaudy butterflies and frogs on them, regular cheap plastic toilet seats, $30.00 toilet seats…it was every butt’s Mecca. So after standing there for a good 5 ½ minutes, literally having a DISCUSSION about which one would be the best options for our tushies, Sean decided on a padded toilet seat. To me, they sound like a semi truck letting out the brake pressure whenever you sit down on them because they are deflating, but everyone is entitled to their own opinion. I also associate padded toilet seats with older people…I guess because every grandparents house I have ever been to, my own included, had at least ONE bathroom that had a padded toilet seat in there. So to me, this is a milestone in our relationship…going toilet seat shopping together as a family.

On another note! A few weeks ago, we were up once again at the butt crack of dawn on a Sunday morning, and we were laying in bed watching infomercials. It just so happened that one came on for The Baby Bullet…I of course was instantly hooked. It is a blender with a smiley face on it, who wouldn’t be. There is actually a lot more to it than that…it is a system basically that allows you to make your own organic baby food. After watching the infomercial for about 15 minutes we finally decided that it would be a good investment to make. AND BOY WERE WE RIGHT! I have been making Fisher’s baby food for a couple of months now and he loves it, and I love it even more. I know exactly what is going into his food, and where it is coming from! It is super cute, and really simple to use. I can make an few weeks worth of baby food in about half an hour! Seriously, parents it is amazing. I have posted a link to the website, any of you Moms out there that are considering making your own baby food, check it out! It is amazing. http://www.babybullet.com

I’ve also got some really great recipes for baby food that Fisher loves that I have come up with on my own, plus the Baby Bullet comes with a great little cookbook that comes with it, and an even bigger cookbook you can purchase extra, which I highly recommend. It comes with recipes that go all the way up into toddler age groups.

Plum Good Yogurt ‘Smoothie’
                   1 Plum – Peeled & Pitted
                   1 Apple – Peeled & Cored
                   ½ Banana – Peeled
                   2 Tbsp. Vanilla Yogurt

Make sure all of your fruit is cut up into small cubes to make blending easier. Combine all of the ingredients into your baby bullet batch bowl, or blender if you don’t have the baby bullet just yet! Remember, if your baby is just starting on solid foods, you want to make sure their food is a smooth consistency, in order to achieve that consistency hold the baby bullet down for 10 seconds, or until everything is well blended and you do not see any chunks of fruit left. If everything is blended, and the consistency is still a little too thick, you can add apple, or pear juice to thin it down. If your baby is eating chunkier foods you want to pulse the baby bullet until their food is at the right consistency for their stage of eating! You can also pour these into Popsicle trays and freeze for your toddlers! They make a great summertime snack!

Sweeter Sweet Potato & Corn Casserole
                   1 Whole Sweet Potato – Peeled & Cooked
                   1 Small Can of Sweet Cream Corn

I prefer to use canned cream corn for this recipe, it makes it so much quicker and I just make sure to read the label and make sure there are no additives in it. Buying organic is also a great way to make sure that there aren’t any nasty things in your baby’s food. If you prefer, you can cream your own corn. Make sure your sweet potatoes are nice and soft and cut into 1 inch chunks. Combine the sweet potato and can of creamed corn into your batch bowl and either hold it down for 10 seconds or pulse it, again depending on what stage your baby is at. Warm in the microwave for 10 – 15 seconds and serve!

          Those are two of Fisher’s favorite recipes that I thought I would share with you guys. I will have more to come, because let’s face it…Fisher is a little piggy and LOVES to eat, so I have come up with some pretty snazzy combinations! J Also remember, that if your baby is just starting out eating solid foods, to introduce their foods to them one flavor at a time, so you can weed out any allergies they may have. Once you are sure which foods they can and cannot have, you can start combining flavors and keep your mind at ease!

          What exciting blog posts right!? I’m pretty jazzed. I have a marketing work to do tonight along with making dinner, cleaning AND folding laundry…and of course, watching my new favorite show…Glee! J So hopefully it won’t be another month before I post again!

Keep your eyes peeled for new posts and remember to follow me on twitter!! @JackNFishersMom

Cloudy Day Picture Dump

So I realized this morning that I have some pictures on my camera from this weekend that I need to post on here along with some other random pictures I will post as I get to them! So you can expect a few photo dumping sessions to occur over the next few days I’m sure! In the mean time, enjoy!

Jack decided he wanted to change Fisher’s diaper…he later discovered he didn’t want to! LOL

Whee! Going down the slide!!

Fisher was really ‘digging’ the sandbox...bad joke...bad haha

Just Jack…chillaxin’

When…when when when did he get so big and grown up?!

Tall skinny boy on the slide is MINE?! No way…

Rock climbing

Mom, I need another star…they’re so delicious

Lake Fayetteville!

Grandma and Grandpa came!

Who has Fisher!? Grandma does!

Thinking….

Everyone loves grandbabies!

Whew! That’s all I have for now! I will be posting more later on today once I get the boys down for naps!

Catch Me If You Can

Wow. I don’t even know where to start. Let’s see…my last blog was February 17^th…

so much has happened from that point until now. This blog could just be considered a catcher-upper.

Monday February 14^th was Valentine’s Day of course. And it was also the day that

I left my job at RE/MAX. It was a very relieving act that is for sure. I was getting fed up with the way things were running, or not running for that matter, don’t worry I’ll spare you all of the gory details. J So after that point, Sean and I sat down and had that great marriage chat of, “Let’s make some changes in our lives, what steps do we want to take.” And that, ladies and gentlemen, is when I decided to go ahead and do real estate classes, in an actual classroom so I could pass, and just be my own boss. It would give me more time to spend with the boys, and still be in the career field I love. So once that was all said and done, I called the real estate school and signed up for classes, which started on the 28^th of February. I don’t

really remember much else of what happened that week, it must have been pretty dull after that point.

The next week however, was when my life took a dramatic turn.

Over the weekend my grandmother took a turn for the worse. We knew it was getting close, but let’s face it, no one ever wants to truly admit that it’s coming, and so we were all on edge and waiting. Wednesday February 23^rd I got a phone

call from my mother saying that I needed to go up to the hospital and prepare myself to say my goodbyes. Sean drove me up there and I hugged and kissed on that beautiful woman until I felt like I couldn’t breathe. I made my peace and thanked her for everything she had done for me, and for the person she had made me. I told her I loved her, and I thank God each and every day, that for a few moments that night, she had the strength and the lucidity to tell me that she loved me back. And I won’t ever forget the sound of her voice saying those words. That night was a haze, and the next day wasn’t any better. I had never prayed or cried that hard in my life, and I knew deep down in my heart that everything I had been preparing myself for was right around the corner. I was right. On February 24, 2011 my wonderful grandmother left us, and went to join God. It’s so hard for us still here, and we know we shouldn’t dwell, but it’s hard.

The next day Sean stayed home with me, and we let Jack go on with his day as usual. I hadn’t quite figured out how to tell him that she was gone…so we spent the entire day at my mom’s house with my big brothers and had a good time. We laughed and we cried and we just spent time as a family. I know it would have made my grandmother happy to see us come together like that. The weekend was a blur, and by Monday I had gotten up the courage to tell Jack. He was heartbroken and didn’t understand, and asked a lot of really hard questions that I tried my best to answer…but let’s face it. No matter how many parenting books you read or classes you take, NOTHING can prepare you for that conversation. But, once it is all said and done, you move on together as a family and begin healing.

Which leads me to the next phase of the catch up blog.

The Monday after my grandmother passed, I began my class for my real estate license. It was a two week class, every day…and let me tell you, it was exhausting. Haha! But I made it through and passed! Woo! I will post a picture of my diploma on here! Somewhere in those two weeks, we managed to sign a short lease on a place in Fayetteville so that we could move down there to be closer to Sean’s work. Then, the weekend AFTER my class ended we packed up our amazing house, and moved. L I can’t say that I was 100% keen on being in Fayetteville, it is unfamiliar territory and a little overwhelming at times, but we have been here for a week now, and it is slowly growing on me. Never will it hold a flame to Bentonville, but let’s face it, we want to be down this way because of the land and country that is available to us so if living IN Fayetteville temporarily helps us fulfill our goal of buying a house then that’s what I’ll do!

So that is where we are as of now. In Fayetteville, adjusting, healing, growing, loving and just being together as a family. J There are a lot of little details that have happened that didn’t make it into this blog, but you’ll pick up on them as the blogs go on. Now that things aren’t so hectic anymore I will have time to blog everyday again. Whew! And that’s good, because I missed it!