A Little Wipe Down Does Wonders

I've decided that 2014 will be year I get my life together...somewhat. I decided to start with the three areas of my place that are in utter disarray: my bathroom, my bedroom, and my kitchen. The boy stayed a little later than he original planned today, so I didn't get a huge start. I have managed to tackle my bathroom since he left.

I'll admit. It's been WAY too long since I've deep cleaned my bathroom. I scrubbed the shower, the toilet, the floors, the counter, and the mirrors. As I was going about my deep cleaning, it had me thinking about how this year I want to make more of an effort to keep this place tidy. Aside from just keeping a semi-clean home, I want to make an effort to be more intentional. The reason this place looks like it does is because I haven't made an intentional effort to make it better. I haven't been intentional about how I clean my apartment. I realized that just a small wipe down of the bathroom each week and then doing a deep cleaning once a month, would make a huge difference in how it looks. Surprisingly, it also doesn't take THAT long to make it look a little better. I started thinking about how just a little wipe down every once in a while can do wonders for how it looks.

Just like that, I had an epiphany. If a little wipe down can do wonders for how my apartment looks, it can do wonders for my whole life. So this year, I'm going to take time to wipe down my personal life every once in a while. It was a reminder that sometimes you have to take inventory of the actions that you take, the people in your life, the way you live your life, etc. and wipe down the things that don't fit with where you want to be. I'm going to make a point to be more intentional with how I live my life.

I think I'll start my actually getting dressed tomorrow, even though I don't have to. After all, a little wipe down does wonders, right?

Catch Phrase

Not many people can have a toddler with their own catch phrase. Mine does. She says it at the end of phone conversations, before bedtime, and before I leave for work in the morning.

 "Making money! Making soup!" 

I don't know where she got that, but it's pretty awesome. I can get the first part because when I leave for work I tell her that Mommy is going to make money. The latter is a mystery. I don't know how to make soup. I don't think I've even had soup around her since she was born. Maybe she wants me to learn how to make soup. Who knows. 

If I felt we could make money off of this, I would slap this phrase on t-shirts, coffee mugs, etc. and make some money to buy some soup. 

Mini-Masters Champ! (Sort of)

This Sunday I competed in the Mini-Masters mini-golf tournament to raise money for the local Children's Museum. It was lots of fun, and I entered expecting nothing more than to have made a donation to the Museum and gotten a goody bag and t-shirt out of the deal. We pulled up to the mini-golf course and immediately went for our swag after registering. Why else would one enter a mini-golf tournament if not for the free swag!

The adults were put on the more difficult course of the two (they haven't seen my lack of skills) and we were off! I made a goal to score a 61. That doesn't sound like a good score to most people, but for me it's a pretty killer score. I surprised myself and finished the day with a 60. It was my personal best as an adult. (I swear I was better at mini-golf when I was a kid!) To top it off, I placed 4th in my division!

See! I placed! Ignore that there weren't that many adult females participating. I still beat a few of them. 

I didn't take a picture of it, but if I had been allowed to compete in the 5 and under age group, I would have killed the field!

Funny or Not?

I found some articles about a guy who posted pictures of his toddler on the internet with the different reasons that his kid was crying. I found it hilarious. As the mom of a toddler who has some epic meltdowns, some of them can be down right hilarious. Some people are claiming that it is mean of a father to post pictures of his son when he is crying and the myriad of reasons ("I wouldn't let him drown in the pond", "I closed the refrigerator", etc). For those who don't have children, it may seem mean. For those of us with children, sometimes you just have to laugh.

If I had posted a page like that, it would be of my kiddo yelling at me. Just in the past hour, she's yelled at me at least 5 times. The thought bubbles would reach as so "Mommy wouldn't let me climb in a tub full of water!", "Mommy wouldn't let me climb out of my crib!", "Mommy wouldn't give me more ketchup!", "Mommy asked if she could go potty!" and "Mommy told me I could only take ONE of her Reese's Peanut Butter Eggs!" Some of the reasons that my toddler yells at me are pretty damn funny. I think it's part of what makes her awesome. :)

Cute Kid Moment

The kiddo feels that everyone is her friend. It's one of the many ways that she's like me. She never meets a stranger. Our neighbors across the way, Paige and Jimmy, are part of her little entourage.Friday, Paige let the kiddo pet one of her cats. In the kiddo's mind, Paige had always been cool but now has moved up on her little list of favorite people. Jimmy has had a harder time breaking into the kiddo's top peeps list. He found a feather and used it to tickle her cheek which instantly earned him a spot because she thought that was almost as cool as having a cat. The kiddo has an open invite to come visit them before they move. (It'll be sad for all of us when they move because we really like them.)

 On Saturday, she wanted to go walk. She's just gotten the hang of this walking business and now that's all she wants to do is go walk. In the back of our apartment complex, people park their boats. The kiddo LOVES the boats. Saturday morning she wanted to go walk to see the boats. (I know it won't last, but I'd love her to stay this easily entertained forever.) When we got back home, she looked across the grass to Paige and Jimmy's apartment and this conversation happened:

Kiddo - "Paige"
Me - "Yea, that's where Ms. Paige lives."
Kiddo - "Cat"
Me - "Yea, Ms. Paige has a cat."
Kiddo - "Meow"
Me - "You are so smart! Ms. Paige's cat says 'meow'."
Kiddo - "Jim-Jim"
Me - "Yea, Mr. Jimmy lives there too."
Kiddo - laughing as she walks to our door and sits on the doormat "Ticky-ticky-ticky" while pointing to her cheeks

The kiddo has found friends and I'm not looking forward to the day they move and I have to tell her they don't live there any more.

Lessons Learned Dating

I had full intentions of making this blog more than just a weekly update, but with how crazy busy things have been with work it seems like fate has decided that it should be that way for a bit. Also, the kiddo is usually at the g-parents for the weekends and I don’t have to try to think of a clever summary of my day after she goes to bed. There are a few things that I wanted to address that aren't normal blog topics, and I guess this post will do just that.

ADENTURES IN MOMMYHOOD

Well, I guess this one kind of ties in to the #moty theme of the blog. To catch some of you who may not know up, my parents watch the kiddo for me during the day while I’m at work and they stay with me during the week and then take the kiddo to their house on weekends. The kiddo, much like me when I was younger, spends most of her time with her grandparents. The only difference, I guess, would be that she is always with them as opposed to always being with me. This works for our family and I’m very grateful to my parents for the support they are providing me and the love they have for my little kiddo.

Now that you have some background, we are running into a small problem. The kiddo is going through the separation anxiety phase…and not with me…with Grammy (Bebe to the kiddo).  The kiddo is resilient and is used to being separated from me, so that’s probably why it doesn't faze her when I leave. However, she cannot stand to be away from Grammy. We are dumbfounded because she starts to get upset if Grammy is just going to take a shower and she is left to play with Granddad (Dad-dad to the kiddo). It would make more sense to us if she wasn't always with both of them. We know the people that she is being left with, and know they aren't hurting her. In fact, she even WANTS to go with these people. She’s just starting to freak out after she’s been with them for a bit. We've tried everything people have recommended to us, but so far nothing has worked. Grammy, poor Grammy, feels horrible hearing her cry. Prayers and kind thoughts are appreciated as we go through this. I know the kiddo will outgrow it eventually, but we hope it’s soon.

CRUEL TO BE KIND?

This one is a slight detour from the normal topics of this blog. This week I had to do something that I dreaded doing but knew had to be done. I had been on three dates with this guy who was a really nice guy, but I could tell that he wanted a relationship. I had made things clear up front that I couldn't commit to a relationship right now. However, he acted and treated me like we were in a relationship. It also became clear to me by listening to what he had to say that he wanted to be in a relationship, but he never really made it sound like he wanted to be in a relationship with me, just wanted to be in a relationship. I knew I had to let him know that this wasn't working out and that I wasn't interested in a relationship, especially with Valentine’s Day looming.

Now, I’m not the kind of girl who puts a lot of stock into Valentine’s Day. I don’t expect a guy that I’m in a relationship with to get me a gift for Valentine’s Day. I buy things for my daughter, but that’s different. I buy her a little gift for every holiday. (Example, for Mardi Gras, I bought her a Mardi Gras Princess t-shirt which you will see later J ) BACK ON SUBJECT – I could tell that he was the kind of guy who plans to go all out for Valentine’s Day, especially after he asked if I would mind him cooking for me for Valentine’s Day.

Knowing it had to be done, I spent an entire morning stressing over how to tell him. Since there wasn't a relationship (I don’t consider 3 dates a relationship…I think he did though…) so I felt a text message was fine. I told him that he was a great guy but I could tell he wanted a relationship and that I couldn't give that to him. Then I was nervous waiting on a response. When it came, it made me realize just how right the decision was. It started out by him saying that he knew I wasn't into having a relationship, but he felt if he tried hard enough that he could make me want one. (Newsflash to anyone who is in the dating world – you cannot make someone want a relationship when they don’t want one!) It was followed with the fact that he’s so used to being dumped (Can you call it “being dumped” when there isn't a relationship and you've only been on three dates?) and that he’ll be single forever. (This is the point that I literally rolled my eyes at the attempt of a guilt trip being laid. I don’t tolerate that well.) Later, I got a text saying he was glad I told him because he was planning on buying my Valentine’s Day present that day. (3 dates does NOT constitute buying someone a Valentine’s Day gift!)

What I've learned from all of this is quite simple. I need to continue to be upfront with guys that I date. I feel being upfront doesn't offer false hope for something that isn't there. I also learned that when I know it isn't going to work out, that I should say so immediately. I feel that 3 dates is a good measure of being able to tell if you want to continue seeing this person or not. I don’t feel that telling someone after three dates that it isn't going to work out is harsh; I feel it’s being honest. I would rather be honest with someone and have them try to guilt trip me, then to lead them on for a few months when they've invested a lot more than a few weeks. Also, if you have to pretend to be someone you're not to make the guy happy, get out ASAP. As the song says, sometimes you've got to be cruel to be kind. 

ADVENTURES IN COOKING

I may as well go ahead and share this week's adventure in cooking with you. I went with a recipe that I have made in the past and has been a crowd pleaser - BBQ Beef Cups. These are SUPER easy for those novice chefs such as myself, but tasty enough that people won't think about how simple they are!

           Really, this is all you need!                                      BAM! See, super easy!

Mommy and kiddo approved! 

(Grammy and Granddad approved too...) 

My dad actually told me that I could make these any time I wanted. As you can see, they are easy and quick to make. Brown some ground meat, mix in some BBQ sauce, dump that in refrigerated biscuits that are in muffin tins, top with cheese and BAM! instant crowd pleaser! 

 
#MOTY BOOK CLUB
My first book of the month of February was Wild Pitchers by Dirk Hayhurst. I love Dirk Hayhurst and all of his books that give you a glimpse into the life a professional baseball player are well worth the read, even if you don't like baseball. He is hilarious! Seriously, check him out here. Then buy all three of his books. In fact, if you tell me that you want them has a birthday or Christmas present, then I will buy them for you. You know I must really think they are good if I'm offering to buy them for you. Trust me, if you like to laugh, then you'll love these. If you don't like to laugh, then you should read them anyway because you should like to laugh.

#MOTY GREATEST HITS PLAYLIST
This is kind of a last minute addition to this post. I did a quick cross-fit-esque workout this morning and then had breakfast and wrote this post and my ITunes has been KILLING IT! Here's what I've been rocking out to:
I Will...But - SheDaisy
New Dark Ages - Bad Religion
Summer of 69 - Bryan Adams
Trouble With Goodbye - LeAnn Rimes
Ain't No Rest For The Wicked - Cage the Elephant
Dearly Beloved (Acoustic) - Bad Religion
Carry On - FUN
Only Prettier - Miranda Lambert
The Show Must Go On - Queen
Beer on the Table - Josh Thompson
Getting Away With Murder - Papa Roach
Santeria - Sublime
Just a Dream - Cover
Supersoul - Dilana
Jessie's Girl - Rick Springfield
Call Me Maybe/Payphone Mashup
Drive By - Train

This post brought to you by the letter I for ITunes and Folgers Coffee. Off to work, so just throwing a quick shoutout - Go #LUSoftball! It's an exciting day in the history of the program as it's the first Opening Day after a 25 year hiatus. It's sure to be crazy, but hopefully lots of fun! 

Where Did This Week Go?

Even though it hasn't been that busy of a week as far as multiple nights full of games, it seems that this week has been extremely busy. This week was filled with multiple cooking adventures (yes, you read that correctly, MULTIPLE!), a girls day in to celebrate the last weekend of freedom from work for a few months, a special birthday party, and more!

KITCHEN WARS

Since there were multiple cooking adventures, that seems like the best place to start this post. This week’s planned cooking adventure was a beefy mac and cheese. It seemed like a slam dunk because we love beef and we love mac and cheese. 

Look! Lots of ingredients and kitchen gear! It must be difficult!

My sous chef. 

Seriously, I have one cute kid. 

Getting hungry yet? 

You should be hungry now!

In my spare time, I take abstract photography...yea, that's it...

Elise - 3, Kitchen - 1

The next night, I had a "cooking" night as I had a frozen pizza in reserve in case the beef mac and cheese didn't taste quite right. So I got all creative and this was the result: 

A DiGiorno pizza and Little Ceasar's crazy bread = perfection!

BOOM! See what I did? I added pepperoni to a cheese pizza. 

That counts as cooking!

Emily's Birthday

Friday was a very special day in our house. It was Emily's birthday. No, Emily is not my daughter. She is my daughter's doll. Emily is a Cabbage Patch doll, which means she has a birth certificate. I'm using this as a full on excuse to eat cake. 

 

        The birthday girl                                                               It's not a party without Elmo!

Homemade meatballs. Yea, HOMEMADE by yours truly! 

Crescent rolls just waiting to have delicious meatballs rolled in them. 

How tasty does that look? 

Fuzzy's chips and queso finalize the party menu. 

Kiddo, Lion, and Gorilla approved!

Cute Kiddo Moment

Just have to brag on what my kiddo colored for me this week. It is the first piece of artwork from my kiddo and is hanging in a place of honor on the fridge. 

It's light, but there is some color on there! 

Also, this is just a cute picture of my kiddo enjoying an Elmo cupcake. For the record, Grammy had one with blue icing and she would say "blue" to let her know that she wanted the icing on that blue cupcake of Grammy's. 

Again, I have a ridiculously cute kiddo. 

#MOTY Greatest Hits

Gives You Hell - All-American Rejects

Bounce - MSTRKRFT

Best Days of Your Life - Kelly Pickler

Animal - Mike Snow

The Day That I Die - Benjy Davis Project

I Want You To Want Me - Cheap Trick

This Ain't A Love Song - Bon Jovi

True To Your Heart - 98 Degrees (Mulan soundtrack)

Love Your Love The Most - Eric Church

I Go To Extremes - Billy Joel

Mr. Brightside - The Killers

Honeybee - Blake Shelton

Lagniappe 

This is just a little something extra. It has nothing to do with any of the reasons mentioned previously for this blog existing, so for instances like this will fall under the lagniappe title. (Lagniappe = a little something extra) There was a very recent moment in my life where I had a close friend tell me they could no longer speak to me. I won't go into the details, because that isn't important to this mini-story. I had a devotional this week that really stood out to me and felt the need to share. It's a Joyce Meyer devotional, so I take no credit, but what it had to say was this: 

"I cannot make myself acceptable to all people, and neither can you, but we can believe God will give us favor with the people He wants us involved with. Sometimes we try to have relationships with people God does not even want us to be associated with. Knowing who we are in Christ sets us free from the need to impress others. Once we know who we are and accept ourselves, we no longer have anything to prove." 

As hard as it is to think that this person will no longer be a part of my life, this devotion gave me peace that it is for a purpose. I don't need someone in my life who doesn't want to be there. It's as a simple as that. I chose to embrace the people who do want to be a part of my life. The people who I can have girls nights (or days) in with while cooking, drinking margaritas and watching stupid movies (such as Crossroads and The Challenge); the people who e-mail me while we are both at work so it's like I never moved so far away; the people who feel that when it comes to receiving important news, that I am worth a phone call and not just a mass text or notice via Facebook; the people who have always been there for me and believed in me, even when I didn't believe in myself. Those are the people that I know God has placed and kept in my life for a reason, and those are the people that I need to focus my energy on, not those who chose to walk out.