Face Mask

My daughter, AbiLyn, doesn't need a whole lot of sleep. She goes to bed between 9pm and 10 pm, and is up ready to go anywhere from 7:45am to 9am. Compared to her brother, that's not much. If she takes a nap, lately, it's only about 45 minutes. Well, as she's gotten older, it has become more and more difficult to get her to go to sleep. It's been a struggle for years, but the past few months, it has become extremely frustrating. I wouldn't even bother with it except that on the days she doesn't get a nap, she starts to absolutely LOSE IT over everything beginning at about 6pm. Well, that's when Eric gets home from work and we have dinner, so our daily family time isn't very enjoyable for ANYONE!

Last weekend I went on a Girls' Trip to Chattanooga with my sisters, mom, and AbiLyn. Well, in the excitement of getting ready to go, I wanted to buy AbiLyn a little something. She is so girly and prissy, I decided to get her a little sleeping mask from the $1 aisle at Target. She LOVED it! She sleeps in it all the time. Nap time is a complete breeze now. As long as I make her lay down and put it on, she goes right to sleep.

Eric and I decided that was the best purchase of the year!

By the way, you can read about our trip to Chatt on my sisters blog by clicking on "Girls' Trip" above.

New Job

I got a job at Cyber Cafe on MTSU campus. I will be a night and weekend supervisor. (don't be fooled... it barely pays more than minimum wage) It's the only late night venue on campus, and is centrally located to all the dorms, so they don't get really busy until the night. We currently have a Subway and a Kirkenburts. We are in the process of getting a Smoothie Bar and a Starbucks. Those may not be ready til after Fall Break though. It should be fun. I really want to learn how all of this works since Eric and I want to have our own coffee shop, eventually.

I was sooo relieved to get a job that would work with our schedules without having to put my kids in some type of childcare. Eric will have to do dinner and bedtime alone, but I'll be able to be home with them during the day. It will probably be tough for a while, but it will provide some much needed progress in our finances! I'm sure I'll have lots stories to tell about it.

Sugar Babies Results

I got my check in the mail today for what I consigned in the Sugar Babies Consignment Sale a few weeks ago.

I sold a lot of the fall/winter clothes AbiLyn and Lex had outgrown from last year. In order to have very first choice of clothes in the workers sale and have the consignors' entrance fee waived, I worked 10 hours the last day of the sale, breaking it down.

After selling last years items and purchasing, pretty much, a whole fall/winter wardrobe for this fall/winter (including 2 pairs of shoes, each, and winter coats) I ended up with... drum roll please... a +$60 balance! I'm pretty pleased!

Guilty Pleasure

I love to litter. I haven't done it since I was a teenager, maybe early twenties, but I do still get, and suppress, the urge now and then.

It all started when I was about 15. Dad bought my sister, Michele, an older mustang convertible to drive/tote me and my other sister, Carla around in. It wasn't super nice, but it was a CONVERTIBLE!

One particular time, I distinctly remember my mom telling us not to make any extra stops on our way home from church. So, what did we do? Naturally, we pulled though the Checkers that was on our way. They have the BEST french fries. Knowing mom, being the wonderful mom she is, would have dinner ready when we got home and having the added bonus of being told not to make any stops, we had to dispose of the evidence. It was so easy with the convertible. It was a back road that, at the time, wasn't even in the city limits. All you could see were empty fields in both directions. We just raised our Checkers' litter above our heads and let it go. Unfortunately, now I associate the freedom of that time in my life and the "badness" of that small disobedience with littering. Oh well, it's a battle I'll fight the rest of my life.

Gods Rollercoaster for Parents

Today has been one of those days that makes me want to run away from home. Luckily, my husband is so hot, I would never seriously consider that.

Why, oh why, do children have random bursts of mental retardation? I can't understand it. Nap time... such a simple concept. A 4-almost-5-year-old should be able to grasp this, right?
Easy steps to a good nap: Turn on humidifier and ceiling fan, close blinds, pull hanging curtains over window, lay down on top of fluffy white down comforter, pull today's favorite stuffed animal close, cover up with personalized "Abigail" blanket, close eyes... sleep!

It's even easier when your (smirk) beautiful, hip mother does everything for you to have this perfect nap. BUT WAIT... I need to sing, potty, put on lip gloss, read, sing some more, tell a story to an empty room, brush hair, tangle hair in lip gloss, put sponge rollers in the mane of Lex's stick horse, stare with a blank look at my beautiful, hip, mother as she threatens me with a paddling, ("If I hear one more sound -look at my face- coming out of your throat, I will -look at my face- spank you with the paddle. AbiLyn, -look at my face- what will happen if -look at my face- I hear one more -look at my face- sound coming from your room?") endure 2, YES 2, paddlings, in spite of said warnings.

Finally, I give up on thinking she will be able to fall asleep simply out of fear of yet another spanking. I just sit on the end of her bed, stewing about the stubbornness of this disobedient child, and reading my book... It crosses my mind, that I am reaping what I sewed as a child, but I quickly push that out of my mind. Then this crazy thing happens... My intense anger at this obstinate child evaporates. I happened to look at her face at the exact moment her eyes finally dipped closed and stayed closed. I stare at her beautiful eyelashes as they rest against her cheek; her lips that, when relaxed, stay in a bit of smile. I realize that I'm looking at complete peace: a 4-almost-5-year-old, asleep on a white, down comforter with the glow of the closed pink curtains from the window making the pink of her cheeks and the red of her lips resemble a fairy tale princess, listening to nothing but the humidifier and ceiling fan. I wonder, is there anything more beautiful than her?

That's when it hit me, God knew what he was doing when He made kids so darn cute! He was ensuring that the human race would exist past Cain and Abel!

I Can't See You!

My daughter, AbiLyn, LOVES to sing. She sings all the time... real songs, made up songs, instructions I've just given her, etc. She just flutters around the house singing. She really loves to sing about Jesus. It's so pure and sweet that I can't help but smile when I hear it coming from another room while I stomp around, taking care of my daily chores. It softens me and I'm so thankful for that.

The other day, she was singing about Jesus and how much she loves Him. Then I heard, "Jesus, you're in my heart. I wish you could come out of my heart because I can't see you when you're in there." I just had to laugh, albeit quietly, to myself. I would never want her to feel self-conscious about it, but it was so funny. Ahhh, kids.

Who's the Real Victim?

I was going to blog on this incident that occurred while my husband, Eric, was taking our 2 kids and our dog for a walk yesterday, but he did a great illustration of it today and told the story wonderfully.... so here it is:

Even though the file is huge, when I tried to expand the illustration, the words were still blurry. Below is a direct quote of the story above:

"Sometimes we let Caesar run loose in the fenced off intramural fields behind our house. The kids are NOT supposed to go in because I can't fit between the gates held by the chains. Yesterday, however, everyone decided to throw a coup against me and run in the fields like wild animals. After being penned up all day, Caesar was especially rambunctious. He knocked AbiLyn down and stole her flip-flops. She started screaming at the top of her lungs, frozen to the spot in the middle of the field, and apparently instantly deaf as she would not follow my instructions from beyond the fence. People on the track were stopping to stare at the child mauling scene as Lex walked up to Caesar and started whacking him with the little stick pony he brought along. I had to 'jump' the fence and stop the madness before the cops came. I can barely walk today because I bruised both of my heals when I 'jumped.' Oh well, a small price for saving my 4-year-old from my dog, my dog from my 1-year-old, and myself from serious jail time."

Seriously... Make the Investment

The other day, I was rollerblading. If you follow this blog, you already know about my obsession. So anyway, I was gliding along. Enjoying my "positive thinking" mental picture. The one where as I begin to feel my legs burn, my thighs magically begin to slim down to a Cameron Diazish size. Anyway, I'm bopping along, got my ipod, got my positive mental image going and OH YUCK! Some lady comes jogging towards me with all her "blessings" just a-bouncin'. I am all for finding a fulfilling exercise and just killing yourself at it, but, you just gotta know! She wasn't even very heavy. And even if she was, she was doing what she needed to do to lose a few. So my complaint isn't seeing heavy people exercise... b/c Lord knows, I've definitely been there! My issue is how cheap sports bras are! The world at large will appreciate it! Really... before you knock yourself or an innocent bystander unconscious, head down to the Walmart and PLEASE, make the $6 investment!

Shackle-Bill and Potts-American

We have a fantastic dog named Caesar. His mom is a Great Pyrenees on my aunt's farm in Kelso. (I talk about her family so much, y'all probably think she's paying for ad space!) The dad was some random stray dog. So Caesar is going to be big. This was him at 3 months old, a month ago.

Caesar has taken to barking... a lot. A huge loud bark that sounds like it's coming from a dog much older than 4 months old. He lives in a HUGE crate inside the house with us. We have figured out that when he doesn't get enough exercise, the barking is worse... rocket science right? We have a 0.6 mile long track behind our house that circles fenced intramural fields used by MTSU. We have, also, figured out that we can squeeze Caesar through the gate of the fence and let him run like mad without a leash while we walk around the track. Some days, that just isn't feasible. For example, rainy days. Yesterday was one of those days.

We decided to go to Target to get out of the house. While I was loading AbiLyn into the van, she seemed very frustrated and looked at me and told me she wanted to get a different dog. A dog named Shackle-Bill. Amused, I asked her where she had learned that name. She kind of looked down at the ground and mumbled this reply, "What? it's a good name." It nearly broke my heart! She was so sweet and I HATE making her feel embarrassed! Anyway, I laughed and agreed with her that it was a good name.

This isn't her first off-the-wall name suggestion. Last year at Christmas we bought her a fake puppy that made a bunch of puppy noises. She named him Potts-American. I have NO idea where that one came from either. If you are ever in need of an interesting pet name, just ask AbiLyn.

Life's Not Fair...

First let me say, I can't think of the phrase "life's not fair" without thinking of Scar on the Lion King... but that's not what this post is about.

Last week when I was visiting family in Kelso, my cousin, Laura, said something that really made me laugh. Her 5 year old daughter was fussing about something and saying how it "wasn't fair." My cousin didn't hesitate a bit before she replied, " Life's not fair, but God is good." I asked her to repeat herself, so I could make sure I heard it right. She said that her dad, my Uncle Randy, has been saying that all her life. It was so funny to me at the time, but it is so true. It's surprised me how many times it has popped into my head over the last week. Thanks to that one unexpected moment, I'll never again hear the phrase, "Life's not fair," without first thinking of Scar-that's a really old habit-, but then thinking that God is still good.

35 Years

I just wanted to send out a Happy 35th Anniversary to my parents, Mr. & Mrs. Mike Dugan!

They have managed to raise 3 daughters- put them through private school and college and marry them off.

My mom graduated with her bachelors in 1997 and her masters in 2007.

Dad has made several HUGE career changes and been successful in each one.

They have also kept our family close. I love them very much and am so thankful to them for instilling their, somewhat lofty at times, values in me, and for teaching me that if I'm willing to work hard enough and show enough discipline, I can accomplish anything.

Thanks Mom & Dad. Congratulations and I LOVE YOU!

Nothing Like a Handfull of Boogers

Friday night, I took the kids outside to check on the laundry hanging on the line. Yes, I use a clothes line, but my electric bill for July was amazing!

Anyways... it was one of those summer evenings with cicadas humming, lightening bugs beginning to appear, and a little bit of a haze hanging on to the last rays of sun as it set. The kind of evening that is very difficult to ignore by going inside. Trying to put off going inside, I decided to fill up the kids' kiddie pool so it wouldn't be too cold for a 'swim' on Saturday. That, of course, turned into becoming a sprinkler for the kids to play in while they ran around the yard. In between their circuits around the yard, I added water to the pool. Lex, apparently not liking to have his face wet, started running from the spray to the clothes line. He had pair of footed pajamas, among other things, hanging there and would wipe his face on the feet. Very cute. He thought it was hilarious.

Later that night, I was folding the now dry clothes. I grabbed the foot of some pajamas and received a really slimy, cold, disgusting surprise. I let go of the pj's and looked at the palm of my hand. I had a heap of boogers the size of a half-dollar stuck to my palm. Apparently Lex wasn't wiping just water on the feet of his pj's! Yuck!

I'm Kind of Slow

Hey there all you bloggy people! I figured out how to add a "followers" section, so be sure to sign up. I see my little "counter" going up, but since no one but my sisters leaves comments, I have no idea who is reading my ramblings... :) I'm just curious. :) Thanks, y'all!

Take What You Can Get

Everyday after lunch, I require my girls, AbiLyn and Lilla (and Marley on Thursdays), to put their plates in the trash and their cups in the refrigerator. This has a three-fold purpose... 1) It saves some clean-up on my end. 2) It teaches them responsibility at meal times. 3)when they get thirsty 10 minutes later, they know where their cups are.

Well, today, Lex decided he didn't want to be treated like a baby and INSISTED I give him back his plate, that I had picked up off the floor of course, and cup after I took him out of his high chair. He was such a big man throwing his plate away and putting his cup in the fridge. I was so proud. I noticed later, though, that his cup was empty and sitting on the counter. Then, an hour later, one of the girls asked me if I had done something to her drink... that it didn't look like the same amount. I started really paying attention, at that point, and was educated. Once Lex finished off his drink, he was going back and drinking ALL of the girls' drinks in turn, until they were empty. What a sneaky little guy...

Can You Tell Time?

Today, my sweet little AbiLyn wanted me to untie her unicorn stick horse from her bed. She had "hitched" him there for the night and couldn't get him loose. It was in like a deci-knot... While I was untying it, I asked her, "How long did it take you to tie all these knots?" My question was barely formed when she replied, "7 minutes." SHE'S 4 YEARS OLD! She can't tell time! Why 7 minutes? What's the logic? This is a very mild example of the unanswered questions of parenthood, I guess....

Day at the Farm

Today my kids, AbiLyn and Lex, my honorary kid, Lilla, and I went to visit my Aunt Kathy on her farm. She lives in the thriving metropolis of Kelso, TN. (smirk...)

I really enjoyed the beautiful, country drive, despite the fact that there is no interstate to Kelso. I once lived under the impression that if I couldn't get to a city via Interstate then it had nothing to offer me... Then I married a man from Hohenwald.

My Aunt -my mom's sister- has an adorable log cabin complete with wrap around porch, some goats, horses, and 1 baby mule- a surprise from one of her horses 11 months after she bought it. Most importantly, she has loads of room for kids to run. My cousin, Laura, and her daughter, Savanah, came for the visit as well. We all had a wonderful time, a wonderful visit, and some wonderful, home-made chicken salad croissants.

On a quick side-note, my dear Aunt doesn't use this farm solely for the enjoyment of her family. She and my Uncle Randy are foster parents through Youth Villages. Her foster kids hate punishment there. They have to muck out a goat or horse barn!

I included some pictures of the kids riding Sweet Pea. Don't be alarmed, I didn't allow a 4 and 6 year old to ride alone. The horse is being led by my Aunt.

AbiLyn and Lilla

AbiLyn and her cousin, Savanah

Lex wasn't nearly as interested in the horses as he was in this little car.

A Bit of a Shock

Tonight while Lex was playing in the tub, I sat on the toilet lid and looked through a new cookbook. I looked up from reading just in time to see something that nearly made me fall over, laughing. Lex was standing up in the tub, leaning over, looking at his own little PP. For some reason, he thought it would be a good idea to pinch it. He shocked himself so badly, he fell backwards back into the water.

Um... Ewwwww

Don't you just love when you're boppin' along in your house, reach to open a door and the knob is sticky? Glazed doughnut sticky? Oh, that doesn't happen to everyone? My bad.

Christ is My Best Friends Frien...d

I had 2 out of the ordinary interactions today... you know, the ones where you look around and wish, with all your heart, that someone else had witnessed it, too.

The first one was at the Sugarbabies Consignment Sale, this huge consignment sale that occurs twice a year in the old Food Lion building in Smyrna. This year, I am volunteering to work in the sale on one of the days so I got to attend the very coveted "workers pre-sale" tonight. As soon as all the clothes are checked in, all the workers get to shop the sale before it is open to the consignors or the public.

As I was standing at a counter, checking in the last of the clothes I was putting in the sale, lots of the workers were wandering around finding shopping carts to use in the upcoming pre-sale. They had taken to taping note cards to the seat of the cart to reserve it for themselves. As I am standing there - with my stuff in a cart - sorting the last of the items I was entering in the sale, a lady walks up and takes one of my note cards out of my cart. No biggie, they are free to all the consignors for the purpose of labeling the clothes. It just felt like an invasion of my space. Without speaking a word to me, she then proceeds to write her name on the note card, take a roll of packing tape and start taping it to the handle of MY cart. I'm standing there in disbelief, watching her. Seriously, the cart is FULL of my laundry basket, note cards, safety pins, and the additional clothes I'm in the process of checking in for the sale. Ever so politely, I tell her that I am also a worker staying for the sale and that I'll be using that cart. She ripped her tag off my cart, looks me in the eye and replies, "I didn't see your name on it." Luckily, she then turned and walked away, because I have no idea how I would have responded. I was so taken by surprise, that for once, I had no words. Later, I was struck by how hilarious it would be to do that to someone in Walmart just to see what they said.

The second incident was a little more indirect. When Eric and I got home from shopping the aforementioned sale, there was a note stuck in our door. It appears as follows:

****

Erik, Im a writer

And Im with no-one

Christ nows, me.

And he is my best freinds frien

d

Who U dont apparently

see

C.

****
Please don't adjust the formatting on your screen. I typed this, line by line and misspelling by misspelling, the way the note was written. I wish I had a scanner so you could see it. It is scrawled in, what appears to be, male hand writing on a piece of lined paper ripped from a spiral notebook.
Our 2 neighbors' first initials are P and L, so we have no idea who left this little treat for us. We also have no clue what this "writer" is trying to say. It sounds like it should go with a previous conversation, and yet, it doesn't. If it makes sense to you, let me know.

While the writing skill of the self proclaimed author did add a little humor to our night, the delivery and anonymity of it made me want to make sure all the blinds were closed!