Some Pretty Priceless Passing Points...

Once upon a time, this blog consisted of 10 random things on my mind. In an attempt to keep it real (read: procrastinate loading the dishwasher) I thought I'd share 10 things that are floating around in my head. Be afraid.

1. I'm currently working on 10 (more) Things I've Always Wanted to Do. So far, I have created a piece of art to hang in my house and this week I am delivering a bouquet of balloon flowers each day to a friend of a friend. This has been a very cool experiment in living with purpose. There is something to waking up each day knowing that I am going to be serving someone and knowing how I'll be doing it. I think most people provide service every day and maybe that's more commendable because it's just a part of who you are that you serve, but I have REALLY enjoyed serving on purpose. Next week I am learning how to decorate cakes. Can't wait!!

2. True Confession: I think I might be a Hoarder. Not like an "Everything Hoarder" where I have piles and piles of crap everywhere. (Oh dear. I may be that kind of hoarder too. Which leads me to wonder..how many hoarders are actual HOARDERS and how many are like me and are just too lazy busy to put that stuff away?) Anyhoo...I hoard boxes. I currently have a pile of probably 5 or 6 boxes nested inside each other that, for some ridiculous reason, I am afraid to throw away. Boxes are just one of those things that I never need until I don't have any.

3. Speaking of hoarding ridiculous crap...I may officially have a Pinterest Problem. Now please do not confuse this with a Problem with Pinterest. I heart Pinterest. Big time. It may be my very favorite invention ever. But here's the problem. I have always been a thrower awayer. I don't keep anything because I hate clutter (except, as it turns out, boxes). But ever since I've learned all these fancy ways of reusing random crap, I am afraid to throw something away because, "What if I can use it to make something cute I saw on Pinterest??" I literally have to force myself to throw away used toilet paper tubes. This is not who I am. I'm a monster. Look away!

4. So let's talk about television. I love television, especially trashy Reality TV. However, we have these children now who hear EVERYTHING. Little sponges, they are. So these days, if our television is on we are probably either watching Johnny Test or My Little Pony. This is my excuse for having no clue what is going on in the world today. An entire nation could be swallowed up and I wouldn't know unless someone posted something about it on their Facebook page. This leads me to my point. I am ashamedly unaware of the issues surrounding the Presidential campaign. Now, this doesn't cause me to lose TOO much sleep since I basically think all politicians are in it for what they can get and as a result will promise pretty much anything. Who knows? Maybe if it were me, I would also use my influence for evil. And by evil I mean, free Diet Coke. It just makes me sad that you just can't believe a word either of these men--who are probably really actually GOOD men--are saying. I say we pay them the same amount of money we pay teachers and see who still wants to be President. That'd sort the wheat from the chaff! 

5. I try to be a nice girl. I suck at it, but I do try. I try to be as open minded and non judgmental as possible. Having said this, I just cannot comprehend that there are people in this world who can afford tattoos, but not teeth.

6. Do you believe in Karma? I do. Therefore, I gleefully await what Karma has to offer the guy I called today who owns a limousine company. I asked him if he could donate an hour of his limousine time to our elementary school to take 4 kids and a teacher through the drive thru at McDonalds as a prize for our school's fundraiser. His response in his exact words, "Lady, you're killing me." You, sir, are going DOWN.

7. I'm tired. Always. Always, always tired. I like to think that one day, I'll wake up and feel rested but I am smart enough to recognize that will probably NEVER happen again. Even if I'm not being woken up by sweet little children, I will probably lie awake worrying about them, waiting for them to come home, praying for them...and when the day comes that they grow up and leave us (not that I'll ever allow that. They have been instructed to stay little and let me cuddle with them forever) I will probably lay awake worrying and praying for my grandchildren. This is why they say, "You can sleep when you die." 

8. Let's talk about beautiful children. Namely, my beautiful daughter Elisabeth (also known as "Lizzy" "Lu" and, more often than not, "I Swear Little Girl You Are Going to Drive Me to Distraction." This is her:

(This is the day she picked her own clothes. There was NO convincing her she looked like a psycho.) She's beautiful (despite her tragic fashion sense) and sweet and wonderful and I love her. Except...she will not eat dinner (unless it's one of the 4 things she'll also agree to eat for lunch) and she won't sleep in her room. Now, I am a super picky eater..I get it. But DUDE. And I will not make her something special just to get her to eat dinner because I have two other children and I am not a short order cook. I have done the whole, "Well, sorry. That's dinner, you can eat it or go to bed hungry." thing. She's gone to bed hungry..and then woken up at 2 in the morning crying because she's starving. Ugh. Help? Also, she won't sleep in her room. It takes her like 2 hours to finally fall asleep because she keeps stalling and coming out of her room. When Jack went through this phase, we put a baby gate up to keep him in his room...we've tried that with Lu and she just stands at the gate and screams. Then the baby wakes up. So now it's 2 AM, our entire family is awake and she's not looking as beautiful and sweet and wonderful. In fact, I'm mostly just trying my best to not Google "Band of Gypsies" and call it a day. We tried telling her if she was going to sleep in our room she had to sleep on the floor and guess what? She's fine with that. She just doesn't want to be in her room alone. Afraid of the dark? We leave a lamp on all the time and she has a little flashlight. Her room has been organized and cleaned so it "feels" good and like her's. She has her very own favorite blankets. We've tried not letting her take a nap and she crashes wherever she happens to be by about 6PM and that makes the problem worse. We only let her nap for like an hour. (We've tried an even shorter nap and it leads to her alter-ego Devil Lizzy coming out to play for the entire evening.) Sage women who have raised amazing, if not simply functioning, children: please tell me what to do with this sweet stubborn little girl who isn't going to do a dang thing she doesn't want to do? 

9. I heart pumpkin pie. I think I need to make pumpkin pie.

10. I think I'm getting a cavity. Is anything in the world worse than getting your teeth worked on? Especially when you have a cavity and you go in to have it checked out and the dentist has to see how deep it is so he sticks the metal sticky thing in it. GAAAAA! Why are we not providing free dental work to terrorists? That'll get em to talk but they'll have a winning smile and maybe they'll stop being evil. Maybe the source of their hatred for us as a nation stems from our exemplary dental care. I'm just sayin...

Until next time!