Bathroom Habits

            I’m so used to wearing maternity pants that when I went to the bathroom and tried to pull them down, I forgot that real jeans have a button and a zipper that must first be undone. I’m glad I didn’t have to go any more than I did or there would have been a puddle on the floor.

            Amazingly, this incident didn’t occur until about 2 in the afternoon; nearly six hours after I put those (non-maternity!) jeans on, and it was the first moment I had a chance to “go”. Crazy how I can be home all day, in such close proximity to a toilet, yet somehow I can’t find the time to get in there until it becomes an absolute necessity (emergency?).

            Due to the demands of my three beautiful children and household crap to finish, my toileting habits have begun to resemble those of a potty-training toddler; waiting and waiting until the urge becomes so intense that everything must be dropped immediately in order to make it just in time.

Thankful

 Thankful…….

For the wind through the trees

Feet crunching through the leaves

For crisp nights and bright days

Brilliant autumn stars and porch lights

For morning frost and cold cheeks

Fuzzy scarves and flannel sheets

For candles’ flicker and long shadows

Scents of soup and family’s laughter

Thankful for these basic things

All the joys that life can bring

Cravings

I love food. I love it to the extent that every time Matt and I decide we are going to cut back on eating out to save on costs, I start to crave any and all food that is prepared in any other kitchen but my own. At times I wish I could go back before we went down the road to discovering food. Back before countless episodes of Iron Chef America and Top Chef, back before the experimentation in our kitchen with new ingredients and new flavors, back before our date nights at far-too expensive restaurants with food that should have remained out of our reach. All these things have only accomplished in turning the two of us into what I can only dub as food snobs. Although I am still happy eating the usual home fare, I would much rather be dining on gourmet cheese plates, risotto, and steak au poivre.

But at this time, on our constricted budget, I will have to make do with the occasional late night snack of bread and cheese (read: baguette, garlic-infused olive oil, balsamic vinegar, and parmesan cheese), and dream of the day when I can sit down to an exciting dinner that will satiate the food nerd waiting within.

An Unhealthy Adoration of a Product

My original intention was to sing the praises of dry shampoo; an amazing product that must have been developed with new mothers in mind. It sure cuts down on the bad “mom ponytails” I’m so often guilty of sporting. I can take my dirty head of hair, spray in some dry shampoo, and look put-together in mere minutes without the hassle of getting baby into a deep sleep or getting older children distracted enough so they let said baby sleep.

Dry shampoo really is a remarkable life-saver I only wish I would have discovered when my other two munchkins were babies. However, with time, a downfall has surfaced alongside its many wonders. It works great on day-old hair. I’ve even had success with days two and three; yet, after this it seems that dry shampoo can no longer disguise the fact that my head nor the rest of my body has felt a shower of anything besides bodily fluids for an extended period of time. In fact, I think dry shampoo, along with my already fatigued memory, is causing me to lose track of just how long I’ve actually gone without a shower.

It’s hard enough to find time to bathe, let alone find the energy to do so. The last thing I want to do when time suddenly opens up is exert the effort it takes to wash myself; I’d much rather crawl into bed and dream about the day when showering will be easy again, then wake up, spray down my hair and be on my way.

Because of this, dear dry shampoo; it is with sadness that I must put you away. You have been a wonderful help, but it seems that you have become an enabler. I must set you aside now because you are only helping me deceive myself. It is time for me to shed my denial and go back to proper hair-washing techniques. Someday when I can exert more self-control, I will take you out again; but until then, I need to step out from under this fog of powder and once again embrace real shampoo.

Long Day

                What a long, unproductive day. I’ve given up. There is no way I am going to get anything done. Madison has contracted the ever-traumatic pinkeye infection. What started in one eye has now spread to both, with fierce itching, watering, and crusting over at night that only viral conjunctivitis can cause. With no hope from the help of antibiotics, all we can do is wait it out.

                Madison cried hysterically yesterday morning when I made the all-important decision to keep her at home to prevent the wrath of the entire second grade population’s parents. I somehow felt that I would be providing a major disservice to everyone if I gave into her pleas that “no one will notice.” Sorry dear, but there is no way to hide the obscenity of pinkeye, unless of course we somehow fit it into the theme of a Halloween “costume”, but considering we don’t celebrate anyways, I hardly think that is appropriate either.

                Not only is she being held captive against her will, she is also banned from contact with her little brother. The poor thing; you’d think I was the evil stepmother locking the princess in a tower for all of eternity.

                Add to all that some boredom and an irritating little sister and it’s made for some heated moments around here. I’ve done really well at not yelling too much lately, but today I threw in the towel and bellowed about the ridiculousness of their actions. After I got that off my chest and the girls commiserated together about how crazy their mother is, a sort of peace followed for quite some time.

                So for the rest of the day, I am allowing myself the freedom to stop worrying about the dishes in the sink and the unfolded laundry and the toys on the floor….ugh, I better stop talking about it or the battle in my head is going to start all over again.

Days of the Week?

So I was just trying to count the days....Wednesday, Thursday, October, November, December. Almost made it to January. My brain, or rather its absence, is really beginning to scare me!

Sinking....But Not Sunk!

    I don't know if there's anything more frustrating than being broke. It is always difficult to not have any money to spend, but moreso when it is self-inflicted through a series of poor financial decisions, particularly regarding vehicle loans, credit cards, and lines of credit. Slowly, but steadily those choices creep up in the form of higher and higher payments until all of your money becomes tied up in minimum monthly payments. Throw in an ankle injury resulting in lower workman's comp wages and an unpaid maternity leave, and you find yourself treading water, barely able to stay afloat.
  
       Determined to end this cycle and climb out from the massive sinkhole that is debt, you find yourself further inundated with ways to spend your money. For it is not easy to live entirely thrifty; it requries much forethought, energy and time to produce cost-effective meals at home, and somehow come up with entertainment to at least help from not feeling so deprived. More often than not, that means staying in and watching television, and being subjected to endless advertisements, particularly for fast food. I have come to realize that commercials are money well-spent for the companies who use them - they work! I feel most destitute when all I want is some "Good Mood Food" and I know there is no way I can get it.
  
     Feeling this way only heightens the struggle as I do not want to fall victim to the cunning of marketers; I do not want to be a part of our highly materialistic society, nor do I want to pass that on to my children. But as we all know, it is much easier said than it is done.
  
     Somehow, someday, we will figure out a happy medium where we are living within our means and not relying on credit to get us by, but for now we must live very prudently so that we may do so in the future. We must sacrifice now so that we can get out from under this completely and make sure we never fall victim to our spontaneous wants again.