Moving makes you sore, tired and broke.

But I would be even more sore, tired and broke if it weren't for my family. 

Anyone who has attempted to pack a house, move it, and then clean the old place all with an infant can tell you it is challenging at the very least.  Every time we attempted to get something, anything, done Nikolai would cry, get into things or want to be held.  If you can picture it, I tried to pack the kitchen with Nikolai in my arms.  Kid in one arm, dish in the other.  It got really complicated when I needed to wrap the dishes to protect them.  Based on my packing performance I am really hoping my dishes are in tact when I open the boxes. 

Two days before we moved I still had so much to pack, clean and prepare and no time to do it.  Enter family favor number one.  My sister, sick as a dog, came to my house to help me load up our clothes to take to the new place so we could take advantage of our NEW washer and dryer.  Enter family favor number two.  My mom also shows up (I had no idea she was coming) and after helping us get our clothes to the new place announced that she was buying us lunch and taking the kids to her house for the afternoon so we could finish packing.  So, sans children, my sister, Anwar and I knocked out the rest of the house. 

Along comes Monday (moving day) and we get family favor number three.  Besides paying for movers (so, so nice) my mother shows up with GROCERIES so we can have food for lunch at our new place.  She must have been psychic, because we had no clue what we were going to do for lunch.  It was good - we were so hungry!

Later that evening, we had a random knock at the door (yes, our very own front door - not a common one).  Enter family favor number four.  My dad randomly showed up with coupons to a local food place and offered a helping hand.  He made sure we had the stairway gate properly installed and all beds put together so that we could have a safe and comfy place to sleep that night.  It was so nice to put Nikolai down and know he was safe from the stairs.

Then, yesterday, Anwar and I knew we had a long day of cleaning ahead (darn apartments that their security deposits).  Enter family favor number five.  My sister called and informed yes informed me that she had taken the day off of work so that she could take the kids off our hands.  Then, after watching our kids all day long, she called and said she was coming over to help us finish up the cleaning.  In fact, my sister, my soon-to-be SIL, my nephew and my BIL all came over and helped us. 

I can honestly say that if it weren't for my family that I would be sobbing, hungry, sleeping on the floor in front of the stairs so to act as a barricade while figuring out how in the world my old place would ever get clean.

So, all I can say is, thank you.  Thank you, thank you, thank you.

We have a guest. It's Last Splash time!

So, I have never had a guest blogger on my blog other than Noelle.  Today we step into new blogging territory, as I am at my wits end with moving and need someone to take the reigns.  I am very proud to have as my first guest blogger, Cannonball14 from Last Splash.  She is a great writer who has some hilarious stories and great perspective.  After you read this post, hop on over to her blog because there is oh so much more!  Enjoy her post, I know I did :)

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I am so excited to do my first guest blog, and especially for the lovely, lovely Anne. She’s kind of like my “blog mentor”. The fact that she is sharing her readers with me just makes me feel really, really special. She also introduced me to the Blog Brew Review. And by introduced, I mean she wrote up a nice little blurb about my Blog O Randomness over at Last Splash. I have discussed everything from in-laws to bewbies to Caboodles lately.

But today I will be discussing something much more dear to my heart: alcohol. The Mommy’s Little Helper of the new millennium. In fact, I have to admit I had heard of the Blog Brew Review before but always thought it was something about blogging and beer, like maybe on Fridays all the bloggers got together in their online world and had a beer. (I realize, in fact, that the brew means coffee, which is probably more realistically Mommy’s Little Helper of the new millennium.)
Alcohol obviously has quite the history in pop culture, most recently extending to mommyhood with babyonbored.com blogger Stephanie Wilder-Taylor’s admission that she was, in fact, an alcoholic after penning books that encouraged new moms to find a release in a glass of wine or occasional cocktail. In fact, just googling “alcoholic moms” brought up more blogs than I’d find if I googled “PPD”. And it’s no surprise…as a breastfeeding mom myself I found around 6 or 8 weeks (when my little man started sleeping longer stretches) that I longed for his bedtime so that I could have a beer and de-stress from my day of mommying. And in my mom’s-group, out of 25 women with babies just under 1 year, two have at already come forward to admit that they feel their drinking is at the point where to protect their little ones, it’s time to quit cold-turkey. This behaviour has inspired me to examine my own relationship with alcohol, and I discovered that I was having an almost-nightly glass of wine or beer.
Excuse the pun, but this was a very sobering revelation! Coupled with the fact that 3 of my grandparents were alcoholics, and my own father is currently sliding down his own slippery slope of Natty Light, this really made me wake up and examine why I drink. I certainly don’t need it to function (thank the Lord) but it does relax me on the days where being a working mom feels like a little too much. And that scares me a little bit. I don’t want to lose my sense of self, but at the same time as a mother I feel an obligation to always do what’s best for Jacob, and that includes keeping myself mentally and emotionally sane without chemical help.
So, where do I go from here? Well, first of all, I have started watching when I drink. If I’ve had a beer with dinner two nights in a row, I make sure to take the next couple of days off. And my blog host Anne is an inspiration: her goal to do the couch-5K was just awesome, and as a woman who gets the baby down at 8, cleans the kitchen at 9, and usually finds my day ending around 9:30 as I plop myself on the couch with a bowl of cereal and the DVR remote, I cannot even imagine the drive it took to do that. Healthy goals are a must, and mine are small: walking around the neighbourhood with the baby at least 3 times a week and getting out to do something active on the weekends: swimming, going to a festival or farm, or anything that involves getting out the stroller or Baby Bjorn and hanging with Jacob will all work.. Most of all, I’m trying to focus on the joys of having this baby in my life rather than the stress it causes.
To keep from turning Anne’s blog into Debbie Downer day, I’ll share some of the good things I have with this new life I’m navigating: first of all, chasing after a crawler for the last 2 ½ months have gotten me over my weight-loss plateau and I’m now 7 pounds lighter than when bebe was conceived (only 43 pounds to goal!) Also, I’ve rediscovered how delicious plain Cheerios are when fed to me by my son as he smiles at me with his loving eyes. And, because he spends 80% of his waking time at home face to face with the floor, I vacuum about 4 times more often than I used to and keep the house relatively picked up, which means that I no longer panic if the in-laws call and say they would like to stop by in 10 minutes.

I’d say all in all, I get a much higher high from those small joys than a beer buzz could ever deliver!

A work in progress

No, I did not run this week.  Yes, I ate nearly everything in site.  No, my pants do not fit any better.  Yes, they do in fact feel pretty snug.  No, I am not giving up.

Right now I am going through a bit of life construction.  I am moving.  I am for the first time ever taking care of both my kids on a full time basis (harder than it sounds, really).  I am trying to decide what the hell it is I should be looking for, job wise that is.  I am re-evaluating my current mind-set.  So for now, all you get for McFatty Monday is this....

Sunday Funny: Don't mess with old people

For real.

Moving, sweating and winner picking!

We are in the midst of packing up so we can move on Monday morning.  This sucks in general, but the fact that I am sick AND we did not have power due to a thunderstorm until late this afternoon made it horrendous.  So, I finally got around to picking a winner for the Bazzle Baby giveaway - sorry it was so late :)

We had 21 valid entries and the winner is....

and lucky number 13 (wow, for once that is a LUCKY number)

Congrats!  I will send you an email so we can get you your prize! Thanks for all the entries, this was a great giveaway :)

If I don't blog by Monday, come check to be sure I am still alive after this move.  Later gators!

I am not an octopus.

Which makes it ver hard for me to blog, hold a baby, pack boxes and throw out our accumulated crap.  So instead of my usual rants, you get a picture...

...and also, go enter my giveaway.  You only have 13 hours left, so hurry up.  Smooches :)

Cause we are living in a material world and I am a material girl!

This song could quite honestly be my theme song, you know, if I had a sitcom or something like that.  Well, if I had a sitcom I would probably not have an issue with being materialistic because I would have the means to support my habit hobby.  Not that I've let money stand in my way before. 

You see, having and showing off nice things is my foible.  Want some examples?  Sure you do.

When I started prosecuting misdemeanors during law school as part of a clinic I kept fumbling around with my papers and other courtroom items.  Most people would have just dealt with it for the semester, but no, I needed something to help.  I used my handful of papers to rationalize the purchase of a purse in which to carry said items.  Not just any purse, but a coach purse that I had previously walked away from at the Coach store after glancing at the price tag.  Yes, it was that bad. 

After some thinking (read rationalizing) and ebay searching I, without hesitation, hit the bid button and paid half price for that lovely coach purse (so maybe my strength foible is good rationalization?)  Please note that half price was still more than most people would ever consider paying for a purse...or 12 purses.  Maybe 20. 

Don't get me wrong, I LOVE that purse.  I constantly get compliments on it and that purse held my court necessities oh so nicely.  Notwithstanding all of these lovey dovey things, I purchased that purse while still in law school living on student loans.  So yes, I will be paying for that purse until I am 60.  So maybe student debt is my foible?

There are other "things" that I parade around.  Like the Bvlgari sunglasses I *had* to purchase because my husband could get a discount.  Or maybe the newer, cooler, laptop I *needed* for law school.  Also like the expensive, name-brand, clothes that were a *must-have* for my career as an attorney.  How about the always *necessary* pedicure?

Funny thing is, now, I walk around in my old navy flip flops (sans pedi) and jeans sporting a pony tail and a shirt that I probably got from target along with my Bvlgari and Coach and I feel totally mis-matched.  I walk through Bloomingdales almost ashamed that I am not wearing the frilly cute blouse hanging so nicely on the mannequin.  So I start up the rationalization again of "oh, I can just spend $50 on that shirt, just this once," knowing full well that my rationalization is not true.  I always walk away and consume myself with thoughts of Express, Ann Taylor and Macys for the rest of the day. 

So maybe my foible isn't being materialistic, a good rationalizer, or a forever indebted to direct loans borrower...maybe it is just that I am too damn insecure to realize that nobody cares that I am wearing my old life - Bvlgari and Coach - along with my new life - old navy and target.  What they probably see when they walk by is a mom and her two adorable kids.

This post brought to you by Word Up, Yo!

Cooties. I've got 'em.

In my younger days - and by younger, I mean end of high school beginning of college - I was a pretty healthy individual.  Yeah, I would get the occasional ear or sinus infection.  Sometimes I would get a case of the sniffles.  Overall, however, I was in good shape!  In fact, I could brag to others that I had not had the stomach flu since I was probably 9 or 10. 

Fast forward to the birth of Noelle and all those good healthy vibes went away.  Add it to the list of things nobody ever tells you, but after kids you get sick ALL THE TIME!  With Noelle I got the stomach flu constantly.  I even got it after I'd had my wisdom teeth out and developed dry socket.  Yeah, that was tons of fun. 

People constantly informed me that my constant ills were due to Noelle being in daycare and not at home.  Not the case.  SAHMs get sick too, as evidenced by Mr. Nikolai.  Since Nikolai has been around I have had a nearly constant cold.  We just seem to pass back and forth the same one over and over.

The funny thing is, sometimes the kids will pick up some random virus and they won't get sick, but YOU will.  Okay, maybe that isn't very funny, but whatever.

So here I am, lots of boxes to be packed and things to be cleaned before our move this weekend, and I all want to do is drink a big glass of OJ, blow my nose and take a nap.  That's right, mommyhood has bestowed yet another gift.  Cooties (aka a cold), I've got 'em.

To experience some blogging fun - go enter my giveaway.

Bazzle Baby Review & Giveaway!

If I had a dollar for everytime I heard a friend say: "my baby pretty much wore a bib the entire first year of his/her life" then I wouldn't really need to worry about finding a job. 

I am in a similar situation as my friends in that there is either food, spit up or a constant stream of drool coming out of Nikolai's mouth 24/7.  I can either chose to let the stuff flowing from his mouth get onto his outfit for the day or I can strap him into one of his boring bibs so that just the bib can get dirty.

Well, thanks to a great company called Bazzle Baby, I get to lose the boring bib option! Instead, I get to adorn my super cute little boy in a super cute bib!  Then when that super cute bib gets dirty, I can just toss it into the dirty clothes leaving his outfit for the day in tact. 

Want more info?  Well, good! Bazzle Baby is a family company started by a mom who thought those constant bib wearing babies deserved to toddle about in style.  The result of this epiphany is a whole website full of adorable bibs, nursing covers, little aprons and more!

I was fortunate enough to be able to review their award winning Banda Bib.  I got the bib in the mail and my first reaction was that the pattern and colors were so cute! My second is that with my bib I got a sucker!!  Serioulsy, the way to my heart is through candy :)  Finally, the material has a really soft, thick backing perfect for catching the gallons of drool Nikolai puts out on a daily basis.  Besides excusing my total inability to capture a still picture of my little mover these days, Banda Bibs are a total win in my book!

This whole thing gets even better because our friends at Bazzle Baby have generously offered to give one of you lucky people a choice of any product from their site!  Now THAT is a great prize.  Wanna win?  It is super simple:

Mandatory Entry:

• You must either "like" Bazzle Baby on Facebook or follow them on Twitter.  You should totally do both - but it is one entry in any case.  (leave a comment WITH your email address). 

Optional entries:

• Follow my super fun blog! (leave a comment).
• Tweet about this giveaway using @AJDplusThree and @Bazzle_Baby in your tweet (leave a comment).
• Vote for me on Picket Fence Blogs (leave comment - can do once daily).

That is it my friends. This awesome giveaway will go through Friday, June 25th and I'll pick a winner on Saturday, June 26th!  Good luck everyone!

Two steps forward and like tweleve back.

In the last two weeks my running has gone a whole lot of nowhere.  There are reasons, like having Noelle around 24/7 and a slight injury...but honestly I should not use those "reasons" as excuses.  Unfortunately, that is just what I have done.  I need a major kick in the butt - so if any of you are willing to oblige that would be great.

The result of my lack of exercise?  It took me 5 months to lose 6 pounds.  It took me two weeks to gain 5 pounds.  I stared at the scale in shock and disbelief.  I mean, yeah I had slacked off a bit, but to gain back nearly all of my weight that quickly is just sick and wrong.  I asked Anwar why the hell my body hates me so much.  Poor guy just sat there and stared at me until I told him I didn't expect an answer. 

You'd think after 15 years or so of dieting that I would have this weightloss thing figured out.  Yeah, not so much.  After 15 years I could not have imagined derailing my hard work in such a short amount of time.  I am wondering if along with my money tree that I plan to grow in the back yard if I could also grow some sort of a magic weight loss remedy too. 

Well, anyway.  I guess I am right back where I started and all that is left to do is keep going.  After I am duly kicked in the ass by one (or several) of you, I will head back out on the trail and pick up my feet.  Hopefully the scale decides to cooperate in my endeavours.  If not, I will plan a scale destruction in some random field with a baseball bat much like they did in Office Space.  No, no, I do not own a red stapler. 

I hope your week went better than mine.  If you have any enlightening thoughts for me, please let me know.

Sunday Funny: For He's a Jolly Good Fellow!

That's right.  Today is father's day.  In honor of such a day, I will attempt to mix a little hilarity with a little tribute to Anwar.  As you all know, I am not a funny person, so we will see how this goes.  I, naturally, think this post is hilarious, but then again, I laugh at all of my own jokes and the look around to see a room of straight faced people.  So, we shall see...here goes nothing.

I told a bunch of friend's earlier this week that I know I married the right man.  Anwar always does his best to make sure I am happy, rested, and cared for.  The party where he is incredibly handsome is just the icing on the cake. 

In addition to being the perfect soul mate...Anwar is an amazing dad.  Not many men would take on a girlfriend with a two-year old, but he did.  Not only did he take me, but he took Noelle and cares for her like his own.  Just the other day Noelle and I were talking about Anwar (who she still calls Anwar because she said calling him something different after so many years is odd) and I said he is pretty much your dad, right?  She responded by saying, "he is my dad, I just call him Anwar instead of dad."  It is so true.  Anwar also takes on parenting without me nagging him 24/7.  He very obviously loves his kids and I appreciate him for that every day.

So let's see...we've covered how he is caring, selfless, giving, an amazing dad, a great partner and friend.  So that would mean he is perfect, right?  Well, almost perfect...it appears his spelling needs a bit of work...

Haha!  (see, I do laugh at my own jokes).  Happy Father's Day!

Wordless Saturday...because I am super busy and somewhat lazy.

I suppose not all times are good times for them to play together...

Maybe when he is a bit older ;)

He's a heartbreaker!

My little boy is ten months today! Nikolai has accomplished a lot in the last ten months, including WALKING! That's right, every day he walks a little more and crawls a little less.  It is more than adorable to watch my teeny tiny boy toddle around.  He is only 16.9 pounds, so most are surprised to see him walk so well. 

He also has started taking to solids better this last month.  The pedi said more food - less formula, so we are really offering up more table foods.  He loves toast, potatoes, bagels, ground beef, and grapes. 

The poor guy also got his first black eye and just yesterday skinned his nose and literally ate dirt when he fell at the park.  New walkers fall a lot and I have a little heart attack each and every time. 

He is getting more personality every day and I love him :)

Fear: A Guest Blog

Hey, hey y'all.  It is time for a little Word Up, Yo! The task? Use one pre-determined word (appropriately) in your post and link up via the badge below, the badge in my sidebar or the nice linky I put in the prior sentence.  At the end of the week the best post is chosen and your blog gets featured!  I followed a bit of a suggestion and asked Noelle to help me with my Word Up, Yo post.  When I asked if she could help me write a cool blog post to help win a (sort of) contest, she replied: "well, I am pretty funny."  Yup.  This was the right call.

As always, these are Noelle's thoughts.  This time around, however, I was asked to type because it is Summer and Noelle didn't want to do all that stuff.  I also helped out with the vocab...you'll see.  Take it away, Noelle!

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I was afraid of getting my stitches in my leg, going down the big waterslide, my school presentation, going to soccer for the very first time, going to the doctor after I cut my finger (note: she doesn't like going to the doctor anytime she hurts herself...which is often) and getting shots.

Sometimes I can be afraid of a lot of stuff.  But then when it is all over I don't have to worry about it anymore.  But you have to do what you don't want to do so that it will be all over.  This is how I get through it:

You can take three deep breaths and close your eyes so that you don't see what happens.  This works in the doctor's office very often.  And maybe you can ask someone to tell you a joke that cracks you up every time because laughing helps you get better. If I can't do these things I would just think of good times in my head.  If you are afraid of going on a waterslide, just try it out first, then see if you like it, but if you don't then you don't have to go on it again. 

Here is I got through my scary class presentation.  I was scared because I didn't know if I knew all the words to the Gettysburg Address.  One of my fingers was kind of shaking and my heart was pounding really fast.  I took a big gulp because I was scared and it felt like a big ocean went down my gullet.  In my head, I said I could do it.  Then I said all the words I knew and left the words I didn't.  I was really proud of myself.  Next time if I get scared like that, when there is a long thing in a presentation, I should practice at home too.

If you are scared of things then find something that will not make you scared anymore.  Everybody can get scared and that is okay.

Hair. I like having it.

After having Noelle I did not experience the slew of bodily mishaps that can occur with the sudden loss of all those pregnancy hormones.  In fact, evidence of my pregnancy (after I lost the weight) could only be seen on my belly...which looked like it had been attacked my a tiger I had so many stretch marks.  I suppose being a young mom has its perks - like a body that bounces right back. 

I always said my age showed more with Nikolai's pregnancy and after.  I experienced more adverse pregnancy symptoms and after Nikolai was born I had a more difficult time getting back to my good old self.  The thing I notice the most - and consequently the thing that bothers me the most - is hair loss.

I'd heard people tended to lose their hair after birth...but I thought I had escaped.  After 8 weeks or so and no hair loss, I confidently proclaimed I had won the hair loss battle.  W-R-O-N-G.  Around the three month mark or so my hair started falling out at a record pace.  I was afraid to brush my hair because I never knew how much would come out.  I didn't want to run my fingers through my hair in the shower because the result was many, many strands of hair following my hand off my head.  Even my hairdresser commented on how thin my hair had become around the temples.  Embarrassing.

Everyone said not to worry, that my hair would come back.  Well, where the hell is it?  I have often disguised my newly acquired balding with my hair style (no, it is not a comb-over), but the other day I had my hair up after the pool and paid little attention to its condition.  We ate lunch after and Noelle captured this great shot of me and Nikolai...well, great except for my horrible, horrible hairline.

I mean, seriously, that deep of a "V" should only be allowed on a little black dress or a great t-shirt.  It is totally inappropriate as a hairline.  I've always had the widow's peak, but it has never peaked this much before.

So, I have been told to use Nioxin and have (only part jokingly) said I will use Rogaine.  Either way, not funny Mother Nature.  Not funny.

What I want to be when I grow up.

Remember when you were little and you used to tell people what you wanted to be when you grew up?  When I was really young I would tell people that I wanted to be a teacher (like most super young kids do).  When I reached an age where I realized you could do things other than be a teacher, I told everyone I wanted to be a singer.  I wanted to be FAMOUS! As time, again, moved along I wanted to be an opera singer and was quite confidant in that career until I reached the end of high school/beginning of college.  The reasons I abandoned that is a story for another day.

When it came time to actually chose a career I realized I knew nothing outside of education.  You see, both of my parents and grandparents (aside from my paternal grandpa) went into teaching.  A Spanish teacher, a civics and government teacher (and bball coach), a choir teacher and a college professor.  I knew I did not want to be a teacher (and trust me, your kids don't want me to be a teacher either), but since I knew nothing else, I was at a loss of what to really do. 

Many things intrigued me about being a lawyer.  One of the main things is that lawyers do just that - they practice law.  It is certain, it is ascertainable, it is controlled.  Naturally, my type-A self would be attracted to the profession.  So off I went.  I loved the law, I loved the environment and I loved that I knew what I was going to be when I grew up.

I was laid off nearly one year ago.  On June 26, 2009, both of my bosses walked into my office (which is never a good sign) and told me they could no longer afford to keep me.  I knew prior to this news that something had to happen, I just hoped I would not be the first to go.  That hope was incredibly unrealistic considering I was the most junior associate.  For the first time in my life I was unwillingly out of work.  I was 32 weeks pregnant.

At first I thought I would get a job right after I had Nikolai.  Then I thought by Christmas for sure.  By January I started to panic.  By February I started to give up.  Now I realize that there are thousands of unemployed attorneys in the twin cities and I am just another drop in the bucket.  Employers can chose whomever they would like - and for whatever reason I am not what they like. 

With the end of my unemployment compensation looming and the prospects of my legal employment dimming, I am once again facing the question: what do I want to be when I grow up.

I have (with the help of some great e-buddies) officially started applying for jobs that required neither legal work nor a JD.  Whether I will be accepted outside my realm is yet to be seen.  I really have no idea what I am really looking for when I search for jobs.  I don't have a specific career path in mind.  I wish things were different and I will never shake the feeling that I have simply given up on my dream, but life doesn't always take you down the road you planned. 

So, wherever this new path takes me, I hope I end up being what I want to be when I grow up.

I look a beached whale.

Seriously.  That is the phrase that came to mind when I thought of myself in a swimsuit.  I couldn't imagine any person on earth would want to see me in a super tight piece of spandex.  So yeah, Anne in a swimsuit = beached whale. 

I have quite contently gone without owning a swimsuit since about 2006 (when I started gaining all of my weight).  By that time Noelle was old enough to swim without my aid in the kiddie pool and had tons of fun with her friends.  I was never needed by her side.  I just sat poolside soaking up the rays in my tank top and cropped pants - which led to an awfully funny tan line that my OB made fun of at every single appointment last summer - but that is another story.

Well, anyway, as Noelle's birthday pool party approached I made sure several adults were swimming, as I still did not own a swimsuit and had no desire to spend my days shopping for a piece of clothing that is tantamount to wearing spanx all over your body.  However, my feelings changed everyone got in the pool.  I watched from the sidelines as my whole family laughed and played without me.  They all jumped in the pool without hesitation and had a fantastic time, as I sat and watched my son's first experience in the swimming pool from afar.  As I watched my daughter laugh and splash with Anwar and her aunts.  As I watched my son attempt to swim by himself in the shallow water.   I got teary because I knew that, once again, the only person stopping me from living life was me. 

In fact, there were several people my size and bigger enjoying the pool that day...but I was the only dumbass who was too self-conscious and too afraid to what others think to have fun with my kids. 

My sister, a fellow curvy girl, also got in her swimsuit and had a blast at Noelle's party.  In fact, she told me that after the party she got into her car and felt really, really happy.  The thought that she had worn the dreaded spandex suit did not even cross her mind.  She was likewise sure that it hadn't crossed anyone else's mind either. 

Well, she was right.  Nobody cares what I look like in a swimsuit (except for me obviously).  Despite my (again) irrational complex, I never again want to miss out on my kids' experiences because I am too afraid of a little stretchy material.  So, I went to the store, bought a swimsuit and went to the pool.

Fear conquered. 

Sunday Funny: I heart lol cats.

I really don't need to say much for this week's Sunday Funny.  Here you go.

Squeee! I got some new bling!

What is the meaning of the totally gratuitous blog post? Well, when I opened up our mailbox today I was very excited to see a small package from Personally Forever. 

You see, not too long ago I was lucky enough to win a giveaway hosted by Modern Mom at How to Survive Life in the Suburbs.  I saw the amazing necklaces created by Rachel at Personally Forever and nearly died because they were so gorgeous.  Well, lucky little me won that giveaway (and it was because I voted on TMB, see, it totally works) and I had the great pleasure of working with Rachel to create my prize!   Wanna see?

SWOON!

I think it is absolutely beautiful.  I have such a wonderful piece with my kids' names and birthstones.  I cannot wait to show it off to all my friends :)

So thank you, thank you to Modern Mom and Personally Forever!

Kooky Pen Winner!!

Congrats, we have a winner! There was one unqualified comment - so I took that out of the equation.  Drumroll please...

and lucky number 15 is....

Yay, congrats! I will email you and you have 24 hours to get back to me or I will have to pick a new winner.

Enjoy your Kooky pens!

My husband says this will put me in my grave...

Mommy guilt.  I have it, big time.  If there were a drug to assist in the feeling of mommy guilt I think I would be an exemplary candidate.  Yes, it is that bad.

With Nikolai it is about whether I'd done a good job giving him solids that day or whether he had a cute outfit to wear to the family BBQ or whether he will ever get into a good daycare.  Nothing too bad here.  Where my mommy guilt is most apparent is with Noelle.

Noelle came into this world under less than ideal circumstances.  Instead of going to a loving, in-tact family with money, jobs and a place to live, Noelle got a single mom who was still in school, had only the tiny paycheck she received from the local starbucks to purchase everything, had nothing even close to an in-tact family and who lived in a bedroom in somebody else's house.  Definitely not ideal.

As the kid of a single parent, I knew that statistically Noelle was expected to fail.  To drop out of school, to get into trouble, to work a mediocre job - and I very simply refused to believe that would happen to my daughter.  So I promised she would always have everything she needed to succeed and to be happy.  At my young age I did not realize what I large promise I'd made.

The result? I am terrified that every little thing is going to adversely impact Noelle.  I hate punishing her severely because I am afraid she will hate me and act out (please note I do punish her, I just don't like it.  At all).  I try to make sure she is never left out of anything because I am afraid she will think she is being left behind for my new family with Anwar and Nikolai.  I am afraid that if something does not go her way that she will be devastated beyond repair.

Want a great recent example? Noelle's birthday party was set to take place at a local swimming pool.  There was a picnic area right outside the pool, so the party would stay in our budget because I'd just have to pay to get the kids into the pool and then we could do cake just outside.  Invites went out and we felt good about it.  Until the pool delayed the open date by one week.  Yeah, that's right, I scheduled my kid's birthday party at a closed pool. 

In any other crisis situation I am typically calm, cool and collected.  I usually show no signs of stress and just take care of business (note: I typically get upset later, after all is taken care of).  With this, however, I was VERY upset.  I had no idea where we could do her party using the same amount of money.  Most of all, I felt horrible because I was so afraid Noelle's party would be ruined (FYI, she had to cancel her last pool party because she broke her wrist the week prior).  I just did not want her to be disappointed. 

Of course, Anwar stepped in and took care of it and reminded me that I was probably worried about nothing because Noelle would be fine.  He was right - she was fine and seamlessly moved from one party plan to the next. 

I think I need to remind myself that happiness and success do not necessarily come with a perfect life.  Noelle will at some point need to learn to deal with disappointment, failure and heartache.  I cannot protect her from life - even though it hurts my soul to think she would ever experience the bad things in life.  What will get Noelle to happiness and success is to recognize when she is in a good place - and that takes knowing what a bad place is or could be. 

Yes, I have the mommy guilt.  But, despite promises and my guilt complex, life must be had by everyone, including Noelle. 

Now, somebody remind me of this epiphany next time things don't go so well. 

What is that about the apple not falling far from the tree?

Well,  these apples do not fall far from my tree, that is for sure.  Do you remember my post about how I lack any sort of coordination or grace?  Check it out if you haven't.  Those who know will recall that Noelle seems to have issues with hurting herself all of the time because she falls, runs into something, hits something funny, whatever.  We have come to know this about Noelle, and surprisingly enough she is much better than she used to be thanks to gymnastics (ahhh, the principles of balance). 

Anwar had high hopes for Mr. Nikolai.  He hoped that Nikolai would be more graceful and less injury prone.  He hoped that we wouldn't be at the doctor 24/7 treating some cut or bump that occurred in such a silly way.  He hoped we'd skip the gymnastics for the little man.  Unfortunately for Anwar, he was wrong.

Nikolai is in his "heart attack" mode anyway.  Any baby learning to crawl/walk/cruise is bound to fall.  But this past Monday Nikolai showed he was indeed part of this family.  We were at the doctor's office of all places for a belated 9 month check up.  Nikolai was playing so nicely in the waiting room...until BAM! He decided it would be a good idea to tug on a large wooden toy on top of a table.  That threw off his balance, causing Nikolai to fall - and since Nikolai held a death grip on that toy - it came down with him.  Right on to his face. 

The injury...

Oddly enough, this was taken Monday and it looks much worse now because the bruise darkened up. At least we were at the doc's office already, so they could take a look at it - nothing huge, just a bandaid and a kiss.  Everyone who knows me says "only your kids" because they know of our issues.  And besides the lady at Kohls who accused me of hitting my 9 month old, everyone just says poor baby.

I guess gymnastics is in the cards for this kid after all.

Holy cow!

I will let the video speak for itself...

WTF people. This is going too fast.

Now go enter my giveaway.

Kooky Klicker Pens - Review and GIVEAWAY!!

I always include Noelle when I recieve a product review request from a company that offers products geared towards older kids.  After all, I am old and lame and Noelle is young and knows what the kids really like. 

So, when I recieved a request to review Kooky Klicker Pens, I went right to the website to get Noelle's thoughts.  First word out of her mouth: "Cool!"  Next words: "Mom! They have iCarly!"  And the next: "The Twins, look, the Twins!"  Yeah, I pretty much knew right then that I should say yes to the review.

Kooky Klicker pens are indeed very cool.  We recieved a variety of characters/themes to review and Noelle giggled with excitement as I showed her each one.  Her two favorite are iCarly and the Twins pen with the catcher's mitt (GO TWINS).  She loved the expression on Spongebob's face too.  I asked Noelle if her friend's would like these pens and she said "Oh yeah." 

Now, these pens don't just look cool, they write well too.  The ink flowed well and writing was smooth.  I also did not need to scribble a whole bunch to get them started, the pens just worked right away. 

You know how kids lose things...a lot?  Well, consider these pens found because there is a super useful little hook at the top so the pens can attach to just about anything.  No more digging through Noelle's backpack (or my purse for that matter) to find something to write with, these pens are always handy!

If only Kooky Klickers carried a Vikings pen...then we'd be set!

Our friends at Kooky Klickers have graciously agreed to giveaway a Deluxe Starter Kit (pictured below) for either a boy or girl! How fun. 

These pens make a great addition to any kid's desk, they are collectable and make GREAT GIFTS! Want to know how to win?

Mandatory Entry:

Go to Kooky Klicker Pens website and tell me which pen you love for yourself, a friend or loved one! (leave one comment WITH your email address)

Optional Entries:

*Tweet about this giveaway using @AJDplusThree and @KookyKlickers.  Feel free to use the following:

I wanna be cool and win a Starter Kit from @KookyKlickers by visting @AJDplusThree at: http://tinyurl.com/2ahuan8

(leave a comment - can do 1X/day).

*Vote for me on Picket Fence Blogs by clicking here. (leave a comment - can do 1X/day).

That's all! You have until Friday to enter and I'll pick a winner Saturday using Random.org.  Good luck and have fun!

So, about that 5K...

I DID IT!!!!

I finished my very first 5K alongside my wonderfully supportive husband.  My official time was 42:13, which was about 2 minutes longer than my goal - BUT - I finished.  Not only that, I finished much faster than the slowest time and I crossed the finish line running.  I should also add that I finished one second before Anwar ;)

Now, I certainly walked more than I would have liked.  However, I pushed myself and was really motivated when people on the sidelines cheered.  At one point when we were nearing the last 1/2 mile I saw my brother-in-law who yelled: "why aren't you running?!?"  I laughed and kicked it into high gear.  Thank you, thank you to him. I should also add that this 5K took place at a street fair...so there was lots of yummy food cooking along the way.  We started by joking that on the way back we'd grab this and that, but in the end none of the food sounded as good as hitting that finish line.

When we finally got within a few hundred yards of the finish line, I saw my sister clapping and heard her yelling: "you did it, you're almost there!" That was awesome.  It was sort of surreal crossing the finish line because I never though I could do it.  But I did do it - and I couldn't be more proud.

I am very glad that I did this 5K because I learned many things.  First and foremost I learned that I can do it.  I am more than just a person sitting at home wishing I could run, I AM a person that can run.  Next, you cannot judge a book by its cover, or a person by their size.  My sister (especially after reading this post) was quick to point out the many, many skinny girls that came in after I had already finished the race.  Curvy girls can run!  Finally, I learned that I am not done.  I would like to point out the 5K ticker I've had up since I announced I would be running a 5K....well, if you glance at it now you'll notice it still has some time on it.  That is because Anwar and I have already committed to running another 5K on August 1, 2010. 

Thanks so much to everyone for cheering me on!

Sunday Funnies: Desperate times call for desperate measures.

Yeah, I am pretty sure I complain about it enough for you all to know that I am unemployed.  I know that being creative in my job search and networking is important...but apparently some take it a little too far.  Here is an excerpt from an article on Yahoo regarding job searches.  The article can be found in its entirety here. 

I still can't fathom how this person ever thought this would be okay....

Author and productivity consultant Barry Maher relates the story of a PR job seeker who got too much attention--the wrong kind. "He went to the website and found the names and contact info of everyone he figured would be making the final decision on the hiring. Then, cutting out letters from a newspaper, he sent each board member a series of letters. The first had just his first name, 'John.' The second read, 'John Smith.' Then 'John Smith Is,' 'John Smith Is Going,' 'John Smith Is Going to,' and 'John Smith Is Going to Blow.' Then, apparently thinking he was clever enough to avoid creating a problem message, the next letter added two words rather than one. It read, 'John Smith Is Going to Blow You Away!' Which is when the police showed up at his door."

Yeah.  That is creepy.  For sure not a way to make a good first impression.

Eight whole years...

Today, my little miss Noelle turns 8 years old! We have come a long way and have had tons of fun.  I cannot wait to see what the years to come have in store for us. (Noelle would like me to add that she is excited for presents).

Noelle has changed so much over the years...

She has seen me through a lot!

Even though she isn't a baby anymore - she is still my baby (and still looks really great in yellow).

HAPPY BIRTHDAY NOELLE!!

I should not have what I do, you know.

I am talking about life accomplishments - I should not be here.  That is according to the collective "them" at least.

When half-way through undergrad at the age of 20 I found out I was pregnant I felt completely lost.  My former boyfriend was gone faster than I could spit out the news of our impending newborn.  I had no savings, no dependable income and no clue what I was in for.

Statistically, I should not have made it.  Statistically, I should be at home collecting welfare.  Statistically, I should be uneducated.  Statistically, my child should be acting out in school and getting poor grades.  Statistically, I should be a failure.

I recall sitting on the steps of my former boyfriend's family business and his mom saying to me that I should have an abortion because I would never make it.  I told her I wanted to finish school with the baby.  She said that financial aid would not be there for me and that - again - I would never make it.

I nearly left school that semester just to "take a break", but I knew deep down that if I left I would never come back...and that would mean "they" would be right.  So, I got my butt back in class and finished the semester.  Granted my grades were not stellar that semester...but I felt that was okay. 

Despite my critics, I went back to class each and every semester until my graduation.  Then I kept going.  I studied for and took the LSAT and scored very well - well enough to be accepted into all but one of my law school choices and well enough to be offered scholarships to each school.   I went to and finished law school - and finished well.  I graduated in the top 30% of my class. 

And my child? Well, anyone who regularly reads this blog knows that I frequently comment that Noelle is perfect.  She is perfect.  She is well behaved, very kind-hearted, has loads of personality and does so well in school that she constantly performs above grade level.  Oh yes, did I mention she is drop dead gorgeous?  Yep, she is.

So, I guess this means that "they" were wrong.  I did not fail.  My child is not destined for failure either.  I did it, and I did it as a single mom. 

So to those of you who think single mothers are dooming their children and themselves - think again.  To those who think children of single mothers will suffer due to a lack of a father-like influence - you are wrong.  To those who think a person cannot possibly make some pretty dumb decisions yet still come out okay - you obviously have no life experience.  Finally, if you read this post and still do not believe that single moms can make it - you are an idiot.

I love this time of year because...

It is time for soccer! Noelle is really into soccer - and I am really into Noelle being really into soccer.  She had her first game last night and it was great to pull out the chairs, grab a soda and watch the action.

Aside from her coach arriving 10 minutes late, frantically passing out jerseys that should have been passed out the week before and arguing with the ref - things got off to a really great start!

Go Noelle!

She looks like she is flying here, lol!

Noelle is doing pretty well so far and had 2 really great assists! She is also very excited that her jersey # is 11, because that is how old her cousin is this year.  I should mention that last year her jersey # was 10...yes, if you do the math you'll know that her cousin was 10 last year.  Pretty cool, huh!

We all had a great time...although, you wouldn't know it from this pic. Haha!

In the end Noelle's team won 2-1.  The other goal was made only because the poor goalie from our team was standing too far into the net when she caught the ball.  Oops! :)

Can't wait until next time! Do you have a favorite summer sport or a sport you hope your child will play?

I think I can, I think I can...

Taking the advice of a friend, today I will focus on the things I have accomplished with running, as opposed to rambling on about things I have yet to accomplish.

1. I recall when I was upset over running for 5 minutes at a time.  I can blow that out of the water now without even thinking about it.

2.  It used to take me over 30 minutes to go 1.6 miles.  Now I can go twice that distance in the same amount of time.

3. I used to get horribly out of breath just walking up the three flights of stairs to my apartment.  Now I can walk up the stairs carrying my 17 pound son, a few bags a groceries and my purse without huffing and puffing.

4. Even though I haven't really lost weight, I am in much better shape and FEEL better.

5. I have wanted to do a 5K before, but was too afraid and overwhelmed...next week I will be a 5K runner.

6. I am setting a really good example for my kids - if I am fit hopefully they will be too.

7. One of these days I will keep up with my husband (who is a runner) no sweat.  He'd better watch out ;)

8. The good thing about being the fat girl that nobody thinks can run is that when it comes time to start running, they can eat my dust.

9. I may not be able to run the entire 5K, but I will finish.

10. Next Sunday, I will have accomplished a really daunting goal...and I don't plan on stopping at just one 5K.

Thanks for all your support :)

Lions, steak and new toys: OH MY!

I had a great holiday weekend.  So today I wanted to share a little of that holiday with you.  Monday was my younger brother's first day off of work (he has two jobs) in a long time.  Instead of hanging with his friends, he wanted to go out with the family so we all headed to the zoo and then had a BBQ at my mom's house.  Here is how our fun went down...

We went to the zoo - it was really, really crowded.

We got some random pictures of the kids...

Nikolai wanted to be right up against the habitats.

Noelle, even though she is nearly 5 feet tall and about 90 pounds still wanted a piggy back ride from my brother.  Yeah, that didn't last long.

Nikolai wanted nothing to do with his stroller.  Instead he wanted to show off his supported walking skills.

This is my favorite pic of the day.  They are so sweet.

We went back to my mom's house for some great BBQ.  My mom is super smart and bought a great water toy for the kids to play with while they waited for food.  They LOVED it.

We ate and laughed.  The best was Nikolai going after my ice cream as if I hadn't fed him in days.  I believe he has my sweet tooth, uh oh. The weather was great and I so have the sunburn to prove it.

I am so sorry this great weekend is over...but I can't wait for the next one :)

Did you have fun?