It's Been A While

Hello ladies!  I guess it's been a couple of years since my last post.  I don't know if I got lazy or busy or both.  It's been a trying couple of years. Let's catch up, shall we?

The girls are so big!  They are 9, 11, and 15 now!  Roger and I are still together and very happy.  We are in our 15th year of marriage.  Yay us!  Roger has been a commercial roofer for the last two years, and I have been working at Target for about the same time.  (I love Target!)

That's the good new...now the bad. We lost our home of seven years to foreclosure, and now we live with my mother-in-law.  Shortly after we moved in, my hubby's brother lost his home and moved in too!  It's nuts, right? Anyways, we have anywhere from 10-14 people here at any given time.  It's a good thing we are a tight family. It has been rough, but we are working through it day by day.

I think that's all I need to tell for today.  Check in tomorrow, and I will update you on my bucket list, and my recent surgeries.  Fun!

It Finally Feels Like Spring Break!

I was so excited for spring break to start, until I saw the weather forecast.  It has been in the 40s for four days, and it snowed over the weekend!  The kids have been so bored and have decided it is their life's mission to figure out a way to reside in my rear.  I had a gyno appointment on Tuesday morning because of some bloating and abdominal pain.  The doctor must have gotten the memo, because he decided that he needed to check it out as well (while a medical student was watching)!  I didn't even get a drink afterwards.  At least I get to go back next month for an ultrasound.  Maybe I will be lucky enough to have the kind with the vibrator(ish) attachment. (You all know what I'm talking about.)

Anyways...my dear, sweet mother is taking vacation this week and was awesome enough to take the kids for two nights!  I don't know what I'm going to do with myself - maybe a colonic and back rub from the hubby.  It's finally starting to feel like spring break.

"Hi, I'm Kaitlyn's Mom."

Me and my nephew, Jaxon

My younger sister, who swore she would never have kids, gave birth to my nephew, Jaxon Eli, last November. Being a seasoned mother of three, I have tried to be a good big sister and give her a heads up about a few of the perils of motherhood.  I schooled her in the art of swaddling and gave her all of my best tips to make parenting a little easier.  The one thing that I, or any other mother, had a hard time accepting was the loss of my own identity.  I have tried to prepare my sister for this, but when it happens,  we are all a little taken aback.  I think you all know what I am talking about.

I first realized that I had lost my identity shortly after the birth of my first daughter in 2000.  I was only 18 years old, and I was no longer Jessica.  I was Kaitlyn's mom.  Every time I spoke to my mother on the phone, the first question out of her mouth was, "How is Kaitlyn?" She stopped checking on me, her little girl, and worried about the baby.  Whenever she introduced me to someone new, she would say, "This is Kaitlyn's mom".  It did not take me very long to figure out that I was no longer a singular unit...I was a mother.  From then on out, no matter where I went, I was a unit of two, and my daughter was the more important of the both of us.  It did not matter that I was married...he didn't count.  From that point on, I was Kaitlyn's mom. 

Most new moms fall into this new role rather easily; I was no exception.  I lived and breathed for my daughter.  That did not change even after the births of two more daughters.  It was not until after my youngest was one that I realized I had to break away from this unit.  I had to reclaim my name.  My name is not mommy.  It is Jessica, and I have my own likes and interests and feelings that have nothing to do with my children.  My girls are in my world, but they do not own it.  It took a long time to learn that I could be a great mother without sacrificing myself.  That was my hardest lesson to learn, and I hope my sister takes my advice and learns is sooner than I did.

Nerd Vomit

Let me start this post by saying that Olympus Has Fallen was awesome! Also, I let my frugalness get the best of me, and I used my big purse during the movie.  The only downside was that the movie was so intense, I almost forgot that I had food.  By the time I remembered, the Reese's Cups I had stowed away melted...I ate them anyway.  If you aren't sure as to what I am talking about, you can refer to yesterday's post. 

As for my day today, I just want to thank my mother for sending back my girls all hyped up on Easter chocolate.  My 6 year old came in with a movie theater sized box of Nerds and proceeded to drop the entire thing on the floor!  It looked like a rainbow threw up all over the floor.  My broom must be broken, though, as I am still randomly kicking random Nerds across the room every time I go in the kitchen.  I have a feeling I will be doing that all week.  On a brighter note, hubby and I will be watching Argo later tonight, and I am really looking forward to it.

Photo courtesy of EvelynGiggles on Creative Commons.

Mom Morals VS Saving Money

So I find myself in a tiny, moral dilemma today.  Hubby is taking me to see Olympus Has Fallen tonight, which I am super stoked to see.  We very rarely go to see movies in the theaters anymore because they are so darn expensive.  Forget about trying to take our three girls with us.  Thankfully, they are staying with my parents for the night. Since the cost of snacks usually amounts to more than the price of the tickets, I tend to sneak food into the theater.  So, I pulled my roomy, knock-off, Juicy Couture purse out of the closet in expectation of filling it with chips and candy and water, but I find myself feeling a little guilty about it.  I cannot be the only morally sound person to do this, especially in these hard, economic times.  I do get a little rush after I take my seat, knowing I have gotten away with it, but the guilt is always there.  Should I let it go, or just go without? Thoughts?

 

Photo courtesy of ell brown on Creative Commons.

Why TEOTWAWKI Scares Me To Death

TEOTWAWKI truly does scare me...but not for the reasons you may think.  I am an information sponge.  It doesn't matter how small the inquiry is...I have to Google it.  My name is Jessica, and I am a Google addict.  How to grow potatoes in a container...How many movies have Johnny Depp and Helena Bonham Carter been in together?...Do cats sweat? It doesn't matter...I have to Google it.  What am I going to do when a massive solar flare knocks out the archaic electrical grid and I have a question? 

It may seen silly, but I have actually started my 'Google' binder.  Every time I need the answer to a question that may benefit me during the end of the world, I Google it and print it out.  I add my printouts to my binder, and I feel a little piece of mind.  I know this sounds rediculous to most people, but my hubby is a 'prepper', and he is constantly talking about the fall of our country.  I'm not sure when it will happen or how it will come about, but as long as I have my binder, I will have a small bit of reassurance that I will always have some of the answers.

Photo courtesy of clicksense on Creative Commons.

I Got My First Tattoo!

Most of us have seen the movie The Bucketlist. That movie inspired me to make my own bucketlist. I have things like travel to China and learn to play the guitar on my list...nothing too astronomical. On Friday, I was able to check off something on my list and I wanted to share it. I got my first tattoo! My goal was to get it by the time I was 30 (10 months from now) so I decided to suck up all the fears I had and do it. I chose three butterflies, one to represent each of my three girls. I cannot save face here...it hurt. Badly. It starts on the top of my wrist and winds slightly to the underside of my forearm. I sat there for 1 1/2 hours in agony. All I could do was squeeze my husband's hand and hold back the tears. This is the point where someone may want to call me a wuss but I don't care. I went through with it and I couldn't be happier. I was able to achieve a goal that I had wanted for so long but I let my fears hold me back. I feel on top of the world and I am super pleased with the results. Although not fully healed, the tattoo is quite beautiful and feminine...not girly though. I just wanted to remind everyone through my experience that no matter what you are scared of, if you want something, go after it. You will not regret it.