Craziest Picture of Me and the Littles Evah...

The littles and I decided to goof around with the remote control for my camera. I cannot believe I am about to share my Gene Simmons tongue with the world, but this picture is just too ridiculous not to laugh about. Layton is in his underwear and socks; Ella is looking at everything but the camera. I am being a complete goofball. What can I say? We like to goof off and have fun.

 

Loves the Environment...Or Does She?...

Hadley has always been passionate about the environment and animals. She has urged me to recycle. She has begged to adopt every animal you can imagine. She has told me to buy a hybrid. I admire her passion to protect the world.

...But...
 

No joke. She got in the shower. I knocked on the door a bit later to tell her to hurry. The water kept running. I knocked again to let her know we needed to speed it up. The water kept running. Finally, I knocked on the door with gumption - meaning I beat on the bathroom door like I was looking for brains because I was high on bath salts. She eventually hustled out of the bathroom. I asked her what on earth took her so long. I could have showered five times in the length of time she was in there, and I have triple the surface area to scrub.

She fell asleep. Seriously. She fell asleep standing up in the shower. Hmm. With water consumption like that, she's going to need to step up her environmental game.

Let Me Put This Bow on Your Head...

To be honest I'm not sure if Lacey put this on herself or if Ella did it. All I know is that it about half cracked me up.

 

Too funny and cute!

Random Thoughts and Observations...

-Effic. Ephic. Hear this one out. Layton described his skills on the river as effic. Or maybe it's spelled ephic. When asked what effic means, Layton told me, "it's being awesome only more effic." Sweet boy, the word you are attempting to use is epic. Although. I think ephic works just fine for Layton. Feel free to use Effic/Ephic this week. Just make sure you explain that it's being awesome only more effic/ephic.

-The codependents are taking swimming lessons this week. I am considering taking Valium to cope with it. I mean, really, A-Ro, really? You had to schedule this for a week when you were already slammed with things to do at work, home, and with Spirit of Athens? Clearly, I need a freaking CT scan because I have gone full-on stupid.

-Going full-on...that's what I call it when I don't just half-a$$ something. Like when I go full-on Whitney Houston and say, "Oh, Hell to the No." Know what I mean? Did I ever tell you all about when I went full-on Whitney when a Cracker Barrel employee hung up on me while taking my to-go order via telephone? I seriously got in my car, drove to the restaurant, placed my order under a different name (Hello? Have you seen Waiting?), waited for the food, paid for my food and then....oh me oh my...then...good grief...you are not going to believe this, but then I demanded the young man come up front and apologize to me. It was one of those moments that made me sick with my own bad self. I also refused to eat at Cracker Barrel for a good 8 months after that. I was so mortified that I did it! Yes, it was rude of the kid to hang up on me mid-order, but for crying out loud, I drove there and demanded an apology. Citizen of the year, I am not!

-Also, I may have littered in the not so distant past. It was at the river. Good lawd, I have "diarrhea of the keyboard" today. I did pick it up the next day when we went back. Still though. I am not city council material. Ha! Actually, the election is upcoming for city council...hmmmm...maybe one of these days I will run for office. HAHAHAHA!

-Sweet Cherry Limeade. My post regarding Things I'm Afraid to Tell You seemed to hit a nerve with some folks. I knew, know, that some of my beliefs anger some of you. What I did not know was that some who vehemently disagree with me would not only be okay with my decision to publish the post but would send words of support and encouragement. I am especially grateful to Kayla for being in knots for me. That has saved me a good bit of time this week. Feel free to have your stomach knotted up on my behalf anytime. :)

-Speaking of my beliefs...none of them have gone without gut wrenching thought and internal debate that resulted from life experiences and spending time with people who opened my heart and mind to what life outside my own shoes must be like. To be brutally honest, I spent far too many years of my life failing to understand and empathize with others less fortunate than myself. I am as "normal" or "fortunate" as it gets according to society. I am a white, heterosexual, married, mother of three, employed woman of ordinary intelligence. I have no right to complain about the life choices of others when clearly I have never had to make a single choice of gravitas. Ever. I regret not looking and feeling beyond my own self for as long as I did.

-Layton is helping me create a cloning machine this week. It's very Phineas and Ferb. Should it work, there will be three of me floating about town this week. Should it not work, one of us will end up in the ER. Or with paint on our clothes.

Things I Love...

I am loving this watch this season. It wraps around and is an uber adorable shade of turquoise.

 

I have picked up a couple of bracelets that also wrap around my wrist. What trends are you loving this season?

Overboard...

One of the charming yet dangerous things about my family is that you never know when someone will go overboard.

 

We spend a lot of time circling back to pick up swimming family members. I gave J's form an 8.4 for this particular jump.

Things I Should Probably Not Show You...

My bedside table is a graveyard of books, lotions, hairbands, night time medicines, pencils, and keys that I have no clue as to what they open. It's true. The worst thing about my bedside table is that I pile up books that don't fit in the bookshelf in the den for one reason or another. I also keep out books I might like to read through more than once.

I like to read a variety of genres. I'm not too picky. Fiction. Non-fiction. Cheesy. Heavy. I like to read.

This is the leaning tower of paper on my bedside table at the moment. A lot of these are hardback and simply don't fit in the den, but it looks so skeezy to have this pile of pulp in my room. I realize I could probably cut down on the pile if I used any of the Kindles in my house. I'll be honest though. I prefer actual books over the e-reader. There is something about feeling the pages of a book and smelling the ink of the print that warms me.

How about you all? Do you have stacks of books all over your house too? Or is it just me?

Still Looking at the Garden at School...

Still looking. Not touching.

 

What Do I Do at a Water Park?...

I sit back and take pictures. Yes, in my jeans. :)

Light It Up...

Happy Fourth of July! Stay safe and enjoy some fireworks. We have some fireworks left from last year that we will probably be lighting up later tonight. :) Fun times!

Another Self Portrait...Layton Style...

 

Mmmmmm....

The garden at school sure is looking yummy these days.


 

I still have the urge to take something but keep forgetting to ask if we are allowed. Whoops.

Random Thoughts and Observations...

-It is hot. It is way too hot for me. It's been in the triple digits for what seems like an enternity. It's actually only been a few days. It probably wouldn't be quite as hot for me if I would wear something other than long pants and shirts with sleeves. I decided to give the Clinical strength deodorant a try a few weeks ago. It's holding up better than my hair in this heat. Rumor has it that it will only be in the 90s this coming week. Wow, a regular cold front. (Read that last bit as sarcastically as possible.)

-Watching TV with Layton is not an easy task. He smack talks through every show. While watching America's Got Talent, we all heard snoring. Oh yes, Layton was faking a loud snore to show his boredom with the act that was on screen. He followed it up by whispering in my ear, "You should throw up now." Really? Son, really?

-The codependents are very into My Little Pony right now. One of the 8,000 channels it seems like we get airs a few episodes every morning. Hadley got clever and set up a season pass for it on the Tivo. My three lovelies sit and watch each episode every afternoon. It's so campy, but they love it. When asked what they want for their birthdays, all three of them said they want a My Little Pony stuffed animal. What's up with that? 

-Did I mention that all this heat has me in a really crabby mood? Well, it does. The poor kid who helped bag my groceries at Publix the other day noticed. Publix Guy, I am sorry for seeming snarky when I told you I didn't need help getting to the car. Honestly, I was trying to be nice when I told you to help someone elderly with their bags instead. It just didn't come out that way...

-Speaking of the baggers at Publix...I rarely allow one to help put the goods in my car. Do you? Truth be told, it's entirely possible that one might pull back a nub after reaching into the back of the Volv-Ro seeing as how I am growing new species of animals and insects on the many spills and empty food bags. The back of my car is either a genius plan to prove evolution or a lawsuit waiting to happen. At least there is also a first aid kit (complete with a CPR mask) back there. Note to self: take CPR class; you may not be able to read the instructions under pressure.


-TomKat. The divorce. I'm going to go ahead and confess my obsession with Suri's Burn Book. If your soul is as black as mine, you simply must read through a few pages of "Suri's" blog. It is soooo wrong but soooo entertaining.

Good, Ole Six Eyes...

Ella has glasses. Duh. She is also really big on wearing sunglasses in the Summer. For the past couple of years, I have bought her cheap sunglasses that will fit over her glasses, and she has been okay with it.



 

This year she has been begging for prescription sunglasses. I just can't seem to justify spending that kind of money on sunglasses for a child though. What do you think? Is it a waste of money? I wouldn't want to invest in a nice pair knowing that her vision is likely to change by the next season. I prefer to use our vision coverage for her daily frames and lenses as opposed to sunglasses.

I can remember being a child with glasses and really, really wanting a pair of prescription sunglasses. I never had any though. I never wore sunglasses much until after I was an adult. J introduced me to the joys of sunglasses. I guess I just got in the habit of not wearing sunglasses as a young person and didn't want any. Now though, I wear sunglasses every day that is even remotely sunny.

Things I'm Afraid to Tell You...

There has been a blog movement that I have thought about participating in for several, several weeks. I have debated whether or not I would really publish a post.

I heard about it on Creature Comforts. I read quite a few blogs, and women listed the things they have been afraid to put out there for the world to read. I do feel there is a gap between what (a lot of) mom bloggers put in their posts each day and what really happens in their lives each day. No hardwood floor is always spotless, but one rarely sees a dust bunny in a blog post. Look at my beautiful home. Look at my impeccable children. Do you like my shiny car? These are the yummy cookies I made for a treat. Check out this faboosh baby shower I threw. BUT. I don't care how perfect your blog makes you look; your turds stink the same as mine. Ya know what I mean?

There are certain things that I do not put on the blog. Most of those things are intensely private and do not belong in my public space. Some of those things are sacred. Only for me. And then...there are those things that even though I would love to say them, I don't. Until now.

- There are clothes in my closet that I have never worn. Expensive, nice things. I buy them but can never bring myself to wear them. For example. I have a gorgeous dress from Anthropologie that I have never worn because it is sleeveless, and it hangs in my closet tags and all. Two years after I bought it.

- I hang on to guilt even worse than my thighs hang on to ice cream. In 1994 I inadvertently helped with a joke that hurt a classmate's feelings and embarrassed her beyond all reason. Let's leave it at that because I am long-winded. Eighteen years later. I feel guilt. I know I should have told her what actually happened that night. I know there is a million to one chance she reads my blog, but just in case...Jennifer, I am sorry, and I wish I had told you eighteen years ago. Nope, still feel guilty.


- I have a crippling lack of self confidence. Crippling might not even be a strong enough word for it. I think of myself like Chinet. Cheap, plain, disposable, only allowed at the dinner table because you don't want to fool with it later. Occasionally, it comes in handy to not suffer from an inflated sense of self worth. I try very hard to appear confident and strong, and maybe I have been able to fool some of you over the years. The brutal truth is that I am paralyzed by my insecurities and always have been.

- I have not spoken to my younger sister in almost a year. I don't know if we will ever speak to one another again. Sometimes, the hurt is just too big for words.

- I am pro-choice. Emphatically so. I am also in favor of legalizing gay marriage. Emphatically so. I do not believe that something must be biblically justifiable to also be legally justifiable. Morality cannot be successfully legislated in my opinion. The majority of the blogs I follow are written by Stay-at-Home, Christian mothers. I would guess that most are Baptist. I would guess that the majority of the people who follow my blog are also Christian mothers. I would also guess that I will lose a good number of followers because I decided to "come out" as someone who does not believe that religious beliefs should dictate the law.

- Ok. This is kind of silly, but I have never, ever confessed this on the blog for fear of what others might say. I have a tattoo. It's in a place where no one ever sees it. In fact, I could wear a bathing suit, and you still wouldn't see it. If I ever wore a bathing suit. Ha! I think J is the only person who has ever heard me talk about when I got it and why. Truthfully, the when and why fall into a sacred category, but nonetheless, I have ink. Do I regret it? Sometimes. Other times, I am acutely aware of what it did for me at the time and know that it was actually an experience that I needed to have.

This list barely brushes the surface of things I'd love to put on the blog but don't. Maybe I will work up the courage to post more things over time. I would love for my blog to have so much transparency that it aches. That's a dangerous thing to want. Everyone looks awful under a microscope.

Hobby without the Lobby...

Hobbies. Free Time. Those are the kinds of things I am supposed to tell you about today. I googled "free time."  It's this neat concept of not having anything to do!! There was a caveat that clued me in to the fact that free time is only for people who don't have a gaggle of children and a job. Hmmm.

This blog is pretty much my only hobby. I don't craft or sew or make adorable hats for babies. When I do have free time, I mostly spend it sitting on my enormous rear end and catch up on TV shows I have on Tivo. Ahh. Tivo. He's my best friend. But. Do not confuse him with my boyfriend, Roomba. He cleans the floors for me. Tivo relaxes me. Roomba cleans for me. I love my electronic friends. :)

Stalking You and You Stalking Me...

Today's topic for the comment challenge is all about social media. Twitter, google+, instagram, facebook, etc. I prefer to think of it as ways to digitally stalk my favorite people on the planet. Sure, they may not know that I exist, but I know where they are and what they are doing at all times. Ha!

You can stalk me on Twitter, or google +...actually, it probably wouldn't do much good to stalk me on google +; I rarely update it. I'm on instagram, but I haven't done anything with it yet. If you really want to find me, my user name is amandamromine. I also have a personal facebook page.

Hey, if you decide to leave a comment, please leave your blog info as well, so I can visit you too! :)

Dorito Face...

I love Dorito face. That's what I call it when you've been chowing down on some processed, cheesy, deliciousness, and the evidence is all around your mouth. :)


 

Why Do I Blog?...

Today's topic for the commenting challenge is about my blog. Why do I blog? What do I blog about? Etc.

I started blogging several {6} years ago. Originally, the idea for starting a blog was just an inside joke between me and the hubs and our good friend C-O-D. I was feeling inspired one day and did it. Then, it kind of became something that I did a little bit more often. By 2009, the blog started to take on more of a diary/scrapbook for me. I love to look back at all the pictures and read about what we were doing five years ago. It's a part of my life now. I have made connections with other bloggers and have watched their families grow just as they have watched mine grow.

I mostly blog about the things we do as a family or the things I take the children to do. I blog about the things I love and the things I hope to accomplish. I also like to get all the random thoughts out of my head from time to time. I sometimes like to blog about some of the more challenging conversations I have had with my children. Some day, I will be grateful that I actually made note of the fiasco of 2012. Occasionally, I get a little bit fired up and rant and rave. I try to avoid religion and politics if I can. I'm more of a mindless fluff kind of blogger.

There is no homeschooling advice here. I openly admit that being a mom is a huge struggle for me; therefore, I take full advantage of government subsidized daycare (read as: public school).

There are no recipes here, but I think I might throw one out there from time to time in the future. Especially, some of my gluten-free recipes. The hubs and girls have not made a single comment about pancakes tasting strange in probably a year. To me, that says that I have perfected gluten-free pancakes. Gluten-free biscuits? Not so much.

I have grown to love my blog. This is my space where I can say whatever I want whether it's right or wrong or somewhere in between. This is my little corner of the Internet. I like it here.

Life Jackets, Hot Dogs, and My Jeans...

Layton is completely obsessed with his life jacket. He has worn it the past few times he's gone swimming even though I think he can swim just enough to be safe without a floatie-thing-a-ma-bob. He insist on wearing it though. He told me he wants it to be good and broken in before we take him tubing at the river again. Speaking of tubing at the river...is it just me, or does being at the river all day make you want a grilled hot dog something fierce?
Anyway....Here's Layton breaking in his new life jacket.



 

 

 

 

 

 

 

And yes, I was probably wearing jeans. :)