Mommy's Healing Powers

Lil Mootz is sick.  We're taking him to the doctor's office this afternoon.  The poor little man has very bad diarrhea, his tushy is so sore he cries when we change his diaper, and he has a fever.  Add to it that he didn't sleep very well last night and he's just a sick little boy today.  I feel so bad for him.

You know, I don't like when my child is sick or hurt.  My heart aches for him when he is unwell.  However, I've got to admit that I do love being his comfort zone when he is sick or he's hurt himself.

When he's hurt, that moment when he cries and I open my arms and he comes toddling towards me as fast as his little legs can carry him and he lets me envelope him in a hug while laying his head on my shoulder is pure love.  He lets me kiss his finger or his toe, where ever he's hurting, before wriggling free, a happy boy once again.  My heart grows a little bigger every time he reminds me that I have the special healing Mommy kiss now.   

When he's sick, I feel more helpless.  A kiss and a hug can't make it better this time.  However, when he reaches for me and snuggles his little body into mine and looks at me with his big blue-green eyes, I remember what it was like as a child and knowing that Mom can make any sick moment better.  I didn't realize until I was a mom that I was capable of stopping tears and subsiding tummy aches with a kiss and a cuddle. 

They must have slipped me something in the hospital when Lil Mootz was born because I can't figure out how else I've acquired this trait.

Stonewall has his own theory.  He says it's the boobs; a comfy built-in pillow, plus arms for hugging all in one. 

I wish he would never hurt or he never had to be sick, but I know that's just a part of life.  I only hope he always knows he can come to me and I will do everything in my power to make him feel better.

Makes My Mouth Happy

I know I already posted today, but I was just overwhelmed by Twizzlery deliciousness that I had to blog about it.

Twizzlers are my absolute favorite non-chocolaty candy.  I can eat a whole bag during a movie.

One of the best parts of my job is we do business with the company that makes Twizzlers.  On rare occasions they give us bags of Twizzlers freshly bagged.

And when I say freshly bagged, I mean the Twizzlers are still warm and gooey when we open the bag. 

It is warm Strawberry chewy heaven in my mouth.

A Wintery Weekend!

We're supposed to get snow this weekend!

Actually, we're supposed to get LOTS of snow this weekend.  As in 12 to 24 inches of snow!

And it's already started.  I'm looking longingly out of my office window wishing I was already at home snuggling up on the couch with Stonewall and Lil Mootz in front of the fire.

I love getting snowed in.  There's just something incredibly fun and toasty about being stuck in your house because you can't get your car out of the driveway.  There's no pressure to be out running errands or getting things done.  It's just Stonewall, Lil Mootz, and me tucked away in our house.  Our house always feels more cozy to me when we're surrounded by snow. 

The world, actually, feels more cozy to me when it's covered in snow. 

I know tonight, after Lil Mootz is in bed and the world is darker, I'll take our dogs outside and the snow will be falling and it will be peaceful and almost quiet.  Normal sounds are muffled, yet everything feels so clear and open.  The only time it feels or sounds that way is when it is snowing or about to snow.

Who else is getting snowed in this weekend?

I hope everyone has a good one!  Enjoy the Superbowl, whether it's the actual football part or the commercial part!

He Got The Job!

In case you don't follow my Twitter updates (which I don't know why you wouldn't), Stonewall is employed!  He had to pee in a cup! WOO-HOO!

We are both so psyched.  This is a huge weight off of our shoulders.  We've been living off one paycheck and savings since the end of November, so this is just....wow!  It's wow! He has a job!

He starts at the end of February.  The only part that's up in the air at this point is where he'll be working.

The job interview was for a job in Maryland, about an hour and a half from where we live now.  After the interview Stonewall was pacing back forth in the lobby, drinking lot of coffee (getting ready for his pee test) and his contact came out to get him and said, "You did good.  You did really good.  In fact, you did so good they want to talk to you about a different job."

So Stonewall went back in for interview number two.  They told him right off the bat that he was hired, however, they felt that with his experience he would fit in better with their primary staff in Virginia.  They told him that they were going to try and pull some strings and get him a position in Virginia.  So after orientation he'll be in either Maryland or Virginia.  Either way he got the job!

Of course, another major aspect of all of this is whether or not we'll be moving.  With the Maryland job, we'd already decided that Stonewall would commute and we would keep our house in PA for another year or so.  Hopefully, by then the economy would be better and we could make a quick and profitable sale.  Then we would move about an hour or so South.

However, if he gets the Virginia job, we'll probably be moving much sooner rather than later.  A commute that far just wouldn't be very feasible. Plus, living separate from my husband for long periods of time when it isn't by force because of a deployment doesn't work so well for me.

So there you have it.  He got the job!!  And we may be moving!  But most importantly, Stonewall got the job!

A Job Interview & A Pee Cup

Tomorrow is the day we've been impatiently waiting for since December.  Stonewall has his big interview tomorrow at 11:00.  This is the job we're desperately hoping he gets.  Stonewall's chances of getting the job are really good, so we're trying to stay positive that everything will work out.

Stonewall spoke with his contact yesterday and the guy told him, "After the interivew you'll wait outside while they make their decision.  If you're hired I'll come out and hand you a piss cup for the drug test."

Stonewall later told me, "I've never been more excited for a piss test!"

So everyone keep your fingers crossed for Stonewall and if you see any shooting stars tonight wish for a pee cup for Stonewall!

Honest Scrap Award!

Many moons ago Hannah at "That [Officer's] Wife" passed on to me the "Honest Scrap Award"!  And I have been waiting to get this award for awhile! I'm jealous when I see it on other blogs, so I was psyched to see my name on the list!

"The Honest Scrap award comes with a caveat or two. First, you have to tell your readers ten things about you they may not know, but that are true. Second, you have to tag 10 people with the award. Third, let all the people you've given the award to know that they've gotten it (comment on their blogs or something). And finally, make sure you link back to the person who awarded you."

("A caveat or two"? Try a caveat or four. I guess the original writer of this award couldn't count to four.)

Anyway....ten true things. Here goes...

1. I believe in karma. That doesn't completely stop me from doing bad/mean things, but it does help lessen the amount of those things. When someone does something bad/mean to me believing in karma helps me feel better about the situation because I know eventually that person is going to get a nasty paper cut or flat tire.

2. I can make a meal out of just the skin on a rotisserie chicken. Stonewall caught me doing just that one weekend when he came home unexpectedly during a drill weekend about two years ago. I still haven't lived that one down. I can't resist the crispy rotisserie deliciousness!

3. The pink park bench blog background was inspired by "Forrest Gump," one of my all time favorite movies.

4. In general, I am not OCD.  However, there are certain things that must be done in certain ways or I can't handle it.  Milk must be shaken before poured into my glass or it freaks me out to drink it.  When showering I have to wash my hair before my face.  If I wash my face before my hair, I'll wash my face a second time. I have to put my deodorant on AFTER my bra.   

5. Before Stonewall deployed last September we had a Daddy doll made for our soon-to-be-born Lil Mootz.  However, I refused to give it up to Lil Mootz in December and slept with it every night until Stonewall came home a couple months ago.

6. I use sunscreen like it's going out of style. Every day I put 30 SPF on my face (which is the highest SPF in a moisturizer that I can find and afford). If I know I'm going to be out in the sun for a longer period of time I use no less than 45 SPF on my body. I prefer 55 SPF or higher, but not all stores sell SPFs that high (which I just don't understand). I intend on looking at least 10 years younger than what I really am for the rest of my life and always using sunscreen and not burning (or barely tanning for that matter) is the way to go.

7. I have four small tattoos. I have a daisy on my right shoulder/back that I got when I was 16. Right now it's (faded) white and I want to get it re-done in pink. I got my second tattoo for my 20th birthday and it is a pair of shooting stars on my right foot. I got my third tattoo during my junior year of college. It is on the middle of my lower back and it says "Beautiful" in Arabic. (I know for a fact that it does say "Beautiful" because a random guy came up to me at a party and said, "Do you know your back says beautiful?" and because Stonewall sent me a drawing of the word beautiful in Arabic during his first deployment.) My fourth tattoo is on my left inside wrist. It is a four leaf clover. My mom and sister have the same tattoo.

8. I love good brie cheese. Especially on crackers with apple slices or grapes when its all melty and warm. I think bad brie takes like semen.

9. I once wore a white dress to a formal wedding. I figured if I had to spend the money on a formal dress I was going to get one I loved and I didn't care what color it was. Plus, I was not fond of the bride, so I really didn't care what she thought. I now regret that decision. The bride still isn't one of my favorite people, but it was her day and I feel incredibly remorseful for wearing white to her wedding.

10. I love teen movies.  I'll never get tired of watching movies like The Princess Diaries, Ella Enchanted, 10 Things I Hate About You, Clueless, Can't Hardly Wait, Bring It On, etc.  I also love watching any and all Disney movies.

And now I have to tag 10 people. (If you already did this and don't want to do it again, let me know and I'll pass it along to someone else.)

Lisa @ Quest for Success
Ashley @ Raising Brats
Alison @ One Lucky Monkey
Wifey @ Wife of a Sailor
Penny @ The Winter of Our Discontent
Alicia @ It Ain't Easy Being Cheesy
Jessie @ What You Wish For
Amanda @ Life in the National Guard...As A Spouse
MG @ Magnolias and Mimosas
Rae @ Us In Tejas

I always hate that part because I don't want anyone to feel left out and I did another list thing in December and I don't want those people to feel like I'm overwhelming them with questionnaires.  So if you're not listed and you're like me and you really want to participate in this award, but feel a little weird about just jumping in without the "invite", slip me an email on the sly and I'll add you to the list.

100 Calorie Packs

Is anyone else out there a 100 calorie pack fiend?

I love the 100 calorie packs. My favorites are the

Milano Cookies,

the Oreo Cakesters,

and the Fudge Stripes.





I realize that some people just don't understand the idea behind the 100 calorie packs.  I frequently get the, "Why don't you just buy the regular pack and only eat 100 calories at a time?" question.

For a few reasons, actually.

1) The little packets are exactly 100 calories.  Which is what I want: 100 calories.  Have you ever looked at the Nutrition Panel and the information reads "about 25 chip" is 135 calories?  First of all, how do I count out "about 25"? "About" was not a fraction I learned in school.  Second, so 100 calories of these chips is equal to...well, y=x and 25=135, so x divided by y is 5.4...then....math was never my strong point...umm, I think 100 (which is z?) divided by 5.4 and you get 18.52.  Right, so 100 calories is "about" 18.52 chips.  Great.  Let me just divvy that s#!t up.  Finally, by this point I figure I've worked off enough energy I can just eat all of the "about 25 chips."

2) If I had enough energy to do all the crap I just figured out in #1 and enough self control to only eat the 100 calories out of a normal bag, don't you think I would be out exercising and buying carrot sticks instead?! I like non-healthy, sugary, sweet snacks, dammit!  At least, this way I'm controlled.

3) A little foil pack the size of my hand causes less guilt.  And less guilt means less stress.  And less stress means a higher metabolism.  Suh-weet!            .....(I actually have no idea if this last part is true, but it could be.)

So there you have it.  Why I love me some 100 calorie packs.

Kindle Cover, Gone With The Wind, LBDs, & Bath Time

Mondays are bad enough, so I thought I would start off the week with some things that have brought me great joy as of late.

For my birthday, my mom and (step) dad bought me an Amazon Kindle! I think I may have mentioned before that little technology gadgets get me all excited, so every time I pick up my Kindle I get a little thrill and I feel all cool. I've been on the hunt for the perfect Kindle cover since January 4. Let me tell you, it hasn't been easy. There are a ton of options out there, but I'm picky, so just any ol' cover wasn't going to cut it. After dozens of websites, hundreds of reviews and one discontinued disappointment I found the perfect cover at Bobarra.

It's even prettier in real life!

Recently, I started collecting Gone With The Wind books.  I have four English editions published during different years, so I decided I might as well make a habit of buying one of my favorite books.  My most recent acquisition is a German edition.

Actually, in German, the title is, Blown Away By The Wind. 

I don't know if any of my versions are worth anything, but I highly doubt it.  They are all later editions.  However, when I do finally score my first edition I'll let you all know. :)

One of my favorite reads is Carrie at Tinkering L8.  She makes awesome layouts!  I totally covet her mad paper skills.  A couple of weeks ago she posted some pics of little black dresses she made for her daughter's room and I thought they were awesome! I (half-jokingly) asked her if she would make me some and she totally surprised me by saying, "Yes!"  I received them in the mail over the weekend and words cannot explain how excited I am to hang them in my room.

I haven't bought the frames for them yet, but if you head over to Carrie's site you can see how sweet they look with frames and mats.

Bath time is one of our favorite times at our house.  Lil Mootz is a little water baby.  He loves splashing around and playing with the bubbles.  However, he also likes trying to stand up in the bathtub which gives me a mini-heart attack and sends me into a panic that he is going to fall and cut his head open on the water spout.  I was at Target the other day and I found this:

A rubber ducky spout cover! (Stonewall's grandfather was a firefighter, so I love when I find cute firefighter things for Lil Mootz.)  I was so excited to get it home and put it to good use.  Lil Mootz has fallen into it twice now and no trips to the ER!

That helped brighten up my Monday! I hope it brightened up your Monday also!

The Pitter Patter of Little Feet

I don't believe I've mentioned that Lil Mootz is getting his sea legs. Yep, that's right. He's becoming a walking fool. Granted, a drunken sailor can walk a straighter line than Lil Mootz, but he's getting the hang of it. And it's a good thing diapers are so padded these days or else Lil Mootz's little tushy would be awfully sore from all the falls he takes. He doesn't let anything stop him though. Well...except remote controls. Really, though, that's such a guy thing.

I Love You, Sargie!

I love my dogs.  And I would never, ever, in a million years do anything that would cause them discomfort.

Except for this...because it makes me laugh.

To which Sarge replies, "En primer lugar, tener en mis bolas, y ahora se lleva lo que queda de mi virilidad."

Olé, Sarge. Olé.