Huh...

Kind of out of words today. This is one of the problems with NaBloPoMo - sometimes there are only so many vaguely good posts in a person. As of today I may have run out.

In reality it was just a serious Monday, that followed a sub-par weekend - add a case of PMS (yeah, again - seriously I think I have PMS two weeks a month) and lack of sleep and it really adds up to a crap-tastic day.

The good news is that I should be able to look forward to a better night of sleep tonight, given the fact that it's cool out and Scott won't have to run the air conditioner ALL NIGHT LONG (insert Lionel Richie clip here). Also with a little help from my friend Midol served up with a side of Ho-Hos I should be slightly less crabby (and when I say crabby I mean super bitch-o-rama).

Perhaps I'll be able to find some more exciting words tomorrow.

Current Music: Sociopath - Anya Marina

Late Night

Here's the top ten reasons why I shouldn't watch late night TV (and why I love tivo).

1. Are there really lots of singles waiting to talk to me?

2. When did Trojan start making vibrators and how are they allowed to advertise them on TV?

3. Ice cream tastes better before you brush your teeth.

4. Viva Viagra!

5. Do male enhancement creams really work?

6. Wine does not make any of these commercials funnier, thought it does help with sleeping.

7. Why do commercials for "feminine products" always have to be so peppy?

8. Where is the closest Sonic - and do they have anything besides dumb people in their cars?

9. Ice cream and wine after midnight gives me heartburn.

10. David Letterman isn't as funny as he used to be.

Current Music: no music, just bad late night TV.

Never Had A Doubt

So, I just did the best thing EVER. I used my new Ped Egg. It. Was. Awesome.

I had seen the infomercial and thought "well, maybe". Then I thought back to my "Ab Roller", and decided that it was probably crap (like the stuff in most other infomercials). So I decided against ordering one (even though I really, really wanted one).

Then not long ago, my girl FADOKG waxed poetic about her new Ped Egg - and I have to say I was intrigued. And of course, now that I had a credible review I could go out and buy one.

Not long after that, Scott and I were watching TV and the commercial popped up again. I said that I was going to order one, that I was really excited about it. He, of course, said it was a dumb idea and he was sure it wasn't going to work. So, my hopes and dreams of smooth feet were dashed and I decided not to order one (even though it was two for the price of one!) again.

Then today, as I strolled through Target, I saw it there. Shining like a beacon on an end cap (between the kitchen utensils and the dog food), there was my Ped Egg. I couldn't help myself - it was fate or kismet or both - what ever it was, I had to have it.

So I'm not ready for a guest shot on the infomercial just yet - but a few more times with this little bad boy and I'll be ready the foot loose and fancy free days of summer.

Current Music: Think I'm In Love - Beck

As Good As It Gets

It's 5 minutes till Midnight, I've just arrived home from the restaurant and mowed down some Taco Bell - and I'm worried about NaBloPoMo. I hope they appreciate this level of dedication, some how I think they don't...

Current Music: me humming "Story Weather", it's not all that good.

There's No Place Like Home

There's a saying, "Home is where your Mom is." That means that as of now, my home is in California. And I will say that that's very true, even after four years I still feel that my home is out there. But if home is where your Mom is then, Michigan is going to be home for a bit - 'cause Mom's headed this way.

She's headed in for a week and a bit of vacation - we're doing a driving trip to Pennsylvania (you know doing the history thing) and then back home for a little visiting and then she leaves. Should be long and painful, with highlights of fun.

I jest, sort of. It should be fun. I've never been to Philly and I hear there are good cheese steaks and there's an old bell with a crack in it - good times. We're going to hit Hershey, PA on the way - just cause there's chocolate there. Then I'm not sure what, Gettysburg, Yorktown and on to Philly? We'll go where the toll road takes us...

So I guess this means that home is going to be in Pennsylvania for a bit too!

Current Music: Country Roads - Me First and the Gimmie Gimmies

Happy Birthday Pop!

Today is my Dad's 67th birthday - and I wish I could be celebrating it with him. Ever since his heart transplant I've felt like each Birthday, Christmas, or vacation is a blessing - but I worry that if I'm not there for this one, will there be another?

I know it's morbid, but due to the transplant and the rejection issues his days are numbered, we just don't know what the number is. I wonder if it's easier to know a more exact time frame or not.

Anyway - enough of all that... Today he is celebrating a birthday and that is a wonderful thing.

So happy birthday Pop, my world is a better place because of you.

Current Music: Beautiful Day - Bedouin SoundClash

I Promise

Just one more night, then I'm all yours again! We've just got to get through the graduation tonight and the inevitable tears when I tell the kids that their parents won't be home before they have to go to bed and then I'm free.

Unless they've changed their plans and decided to stay in France permanently. In which case I will have to take a blogging hiatus as I hunt them down and kill them - wait no, bring them back, why would I want them dead?! I have confirmed that their flight left and is theoretically winging it's way to Detroit, but sadly there is no way to confirm that they are on it.

Anyway, as of tomorrow night I'll be sitting curled up in my comfy chair with my laptop, my tivo remote and a glass wine (or something stronger if tonight doesn't go well) - ready to read up on all that's new with you dear friends (so quick, run out and do something impressive) and maybe, just maybe crank out a really awesome post, though I wouldn't hold your breath or anything.

Current Music: Musicbox - Regina Spektor

Priceless

House cleaned up - 1 Hour

Kids fed - 2 Hour at a crappy restaurant and a Migraine

Clothes for field trips laid out - One fight over a bathing suit

Plans for Graduation set - 3 phone calls and one fit of crying

Parents returning from France tomorrow evening - priceless

Current Music: Listening to the storm roll over, wondering which tree we'll have to take down next.

It's Baaaacckkkk

You know how I said that I was excited that Scott had managed to get the AC into the house and we weren't going to have to sweat our asses off. I was wrong - I've decided I'd rather sweat. Now I know that most normal people really wouldn't want to sweat to death all summer long, but I'll take that over the noise.

In general, Summer is a noisy time around here. First you get your thunder storms; then there are all the lawn mowers, weed whackers and leaf blowers; of course there are all the boats up and down the river (we live right along the no wake zone, so it's really loud!). But the worst part is our stupid Air Conditioner, well and the fans too.

All night and every night of summer I have to listen to the fan going constantly and the AC cycling on and off. I basically sleep deprived from June to September. And that's just at night, during the day I have to constantly raise and lower the volume on the TV/iPod/telephone, you know anything I'm trying to hear.

And let's not forget going to work, where I sit directly beneath an AC unit all day. If I'm lucky I can hear myself think, but I definitely can not hear anyone that calls, or the intercom or even some clients when they come in the door.

Current Music: I don't know, I can't hear...

P.S. SATC was awesome! I haven't been the most avid watcher of the show - I always liked it, but I never watched it religiously; but it sure was a good movie. I'll agree, there were a few outfits that were, well even for SJP they were a bit much; but over all v. fun. The plot was good, and clear enough for a non-watcher - and the ending was good. All in all, two thumbs way up.

Dang It

Apparently my phone post didn't get to where it was supposed to go (namely here)! So I suppose I goofed up NaBloPoMo, but I tried.

Here's what you missed...


Yeah - Finally seeing Sex and the City.

Silver Lining

In the spirit of my new improved attitude (and a lot of caffeine), here's the brighter side of me today...

It's hotter than Hades today - bright side, I get to wear my cute skirt that makes me feel all Audry Hepburn-y along with my sassy silver flats (also very Audrey Hepburn, well maybe not the silver part).

I am a seriously white individual - bright side, say it with me "Self-Tanning Lotion".

The self-tanning lotion that was supposed to be streak free left a big fat streak on the top of my foot - bright side, my one foot looks very defined. Can a foot looked "ripped" - cause mine kinda does.

Less than a half an hour before I have to head off to the restaurant to work - bright side, tips, hopefully they will be good. Another bright side is the thought of a cold beer in the bar at the end of the night, I do love that part of the restaurant thing.

It's going to be hot and ridiculously humid all weekend long - bright side, Scott got the AC up and running today, so my plan for being unproductive just got a lot cooler.

Just got off the phone with Scott, child #1 is having a melt down - bright side, I'm not the one that has to deal with it :-)!!!! I was nice enough, however, to call their aunt and let them know that she might be cruising into a "Perfect Storm".

Oh and I'm super excited to got to see SATC tomorrow night with a bunch of gal pals - as long as I don't have to work. Guess there's no real bright side to that one, but pretty excited anyway.

Current Music: On the Sunny Side of the Street - Billie Holiday

Almost There

Alright - the kids are all packed off to head to their aunt's house for the weekend - and I get to go home (well, for the weekend anyway)!!!! Sadly, we get them back for Monday and Tuesday, but then we really are done.

In between today and the return of the parental units (now also known as the ex-friends) we are due for insanely high temps with the humidity to go along with it and tons of rain. That means that the weekend will be less than productive, and if it's still raining when we get the kids back they will be suffering a severe case of cabin fever (which I have now found out leads to fighting and meltdowns of the first degree). Needless to say, I'm not really keen to get the kids back, but there is a little light at the end of the tunnel!

Now I'm off to double check that everything is packed for tomorrow, homework is in the correct backpacks, lunches are ready, and clothes are laid out - a baby sitter's work is never done.

Current Music: the theme song to Two and a Half Men

Nobody Home

Such a useful expression - and so very accurate. Now, most of the time I use it figuratively, but this week it's very real. That's right, nobody is at my home (oh wait, there are three attack cats and a viscous guard dog, so even though we're not there it's very well protected). We've left the peace and quiet of our little house for a bigger one, filled with two kids and a geriatric dog. I now have a new appreciation for the expression "There's no place like home".

I'm not saying that the house swap isn't nice - the kitchen is bigger than my bedroom, there's a huge shower and a great hot tub - what's not to like?! Oh that's right, the house comes with the aforementioned children.

How, you ask, did we end up with kids all of a sudden? Well, a couple of months ago our good friends asked us if we would take care of their kids so that they could go on a romantic vacation to the south of France. We, being the childless idiots that we are, said no problem (as I said yesterday, we didn't think it would be that tough)! Needless to say if our dear friends, whom we love very much and would do almost anything for, ask us to do this again we will laugh and laugh and then say no.

Every night after dinner and homework are done I've been running home to my little empty house - to feed the animals and take the dog for a walk. The quiet is astonishing. And as I lock up the house to head back to the madness I realize that I can hardly wait to get back home the next day. Dorothy was so very right!

Current Music: Adrift - Barenaked Ladies

Yeah, I Guess So

Well I guess I'm doing NaBloPoMo! Since I feel the crushing need to post, I think it's safe to say that I've "committed" to it.

Speaking of being committed, I don't know how you folks with kids do it! I've had these kids for a couple of days and I'm already going nuts (hence the short posts). I came in the door tonight and promptly got yelled at by three people - usually it's one person and a couple of cats, (somehow the dog never gets mad at me).

When we first agreed to take care of the kids (months and months ago) I thought it would be easy - two adults against two kids, can't be that tough right? So very wrong. It's hard work and I have a new found respect for you moms out there.

But it's late and I'm cranky and tomorrow is another day - maybe it will be better.

Current Music: I Wanna Be Sedated - The Ramones

Need Sleep

Does 11:30pm seem a bit too late to work on a Harley? I say yes, but perhaps I'm in the minority?

I'm already working on 4 hours of sleep and I need to go to bed, but now I get to listen to some red-neck jack-ass play with his toys.

I still haven't committed to the NaBloPoMo thing, so just consider this a random rant...

I Might Be Dumb

Well, really there's no "might be" about it, but here's why I'm dumb this time. I'm pondering doing NaBloPoMo for June. Not really sure that I have time, or the energy, or even the brain cells. The thing is that the theme for June is "home" and that struck a chord with me. That and the fact that saying the other day that my blog makes me happy makes me think that I should do it more - and since I tend to post more frequently (say, every day) when I'm doing NaBloPoMo, then maybe it's a good thing.

I haven't completely committed myself to this yet, but I'll sleep on it and see what I think in the morning.

Oh, and to stay true to the theme I am posting from a friends house tonight (and if I do NaBloPoMo all the rest of the week) - but more on that later!

Current Music: Home - Barenaked Ladies

Things That Make Me Happy

So, as it usually happens, I've been in a bit of a funk - feeling that I've not the best blogger, pet mom, friend, wife, sibling or child. I've decided to not be in a funk anymore (well, till the next one happens). I've also decided that the best plan of attack is to think about the things that make me happy, little and big things that get me through the day.

1. Scott - yeah, he's a pain, but you've just gotta love a guy that will put up with me (well, I do anyway - you guys are on your own). He's been a champ lately, doing a surprising number of chores and things around the house and being very supportive of cranky, moody me. He's even gone so far as to suggest I go buy shoes to make myself feel better!



2. My Nieces - these two little girls make my heart swell. I think they are spectacular, they can do no wrong and they are most definitely the cutest things on the planet. All right maybe not, but they make me about as happy as I get - even when they are busy being awful and their mom is reconsidering giving them up for adoption.


3. My four-legged kids - These little buggers make me smile like nothing else. And even when they aren't make me laugh they're helping me out in other ways.
Bad day? Well at least the dog is happy to see me.
Don't want to wake up? 16 pounds of Maine Coon sitting on you bladder will solve that.
Sorry you didn't have kids? Cleaning the litter box is way easier than diapers.

4. This blog - yep, you all rank in my things that make me happy! I love having my own little corner of the Internet to bitch and whine and then have you all tell me 'it's okay, you're not the only one'. So thank you all.

5.My iPod - shallow, yes but I love it and it makes me smile and dance around my house like a dumb commercial (yes, an iPod commercial!).

6. Scrapbooking - oh I know it's a bit silly, but I find it so relaxing and fun. How can it be bad playing with beautiful things and looking at all your favorite pictures?

Sadly, I can't think of a full top ten, but 60% isn't bad. I guess I still only get a D for happiness, but I'll study harder next time.

Current Music: Molly's Chambers - Kings of Leon

How May I Disappoint You Today?

I hate to be disappointed, and yet I am disappointed frequently. Typically it is due to my own expectations, or rather over-expectations. But most of the time I've learned to live with disappointment by managing those expectations.

As much as I hate to be disappointed, what I hate more is disappointing people. Not that any of us really want to go out of our way to disappoint others, but it is truly one of my least favorite things - (it's guaranteed to make my stomach churn and head pound). But this week I think I've managed to disappoint almost everyone in my life.

I thought I had pre-ordered a Wii Fit for my sister's birthday. Apparently I did not complete the order and now my sister has no birthday present, until the next shipment comes in (in a month). I did some checking around on line and unless I'm willing to twice the retail value I'm SOL.

I yelled at Scott for the umteenth time, and he finally got mad back and sulked for a few days. Normally I wouldn't really care, but in his own lame way he has been trying to make my life easier and I've been taking that for granted.

My two year old niece called and wanted to talk to me, but I couldn't answer the phone (in my defense I was working).

I completely forgot to order some parts for a client, and now it's going to be 3 more weeks till they can finish their project.

I haven't taken my dog for a walk for over a week.

I forgot to call my dad back with a recipe that he really needed (I did manage to get him the information a day after he needed it).

Since I've disappointed my nearest and dearest, I figured I'd put it out there to anyone who needs to be disappointed... So how may I disappoint you today?

Current Music: What Can I Say - Brandi Carlile

Blog Neglect

Can I be arrested for blog neglect? Is there a Blog Protective Services, could there be fines involved for the fact that I've been a crap blogger? I hope not, cause I have in deed been a crap blogger!

But, since I'm sure you're all dying to know what's new with me, here's Mandy Lou in bullets:

• The sewage pump is f'd up again, nothing major but if I see those stupid plumbers again... well just keep an eye on the news "Suburban lady opens a can of whoop ass on two under age plumbers".
  
• Scott cleaned both bathrooms this week, no really both bath rooms (and yes, there was much fanfare)
• I am only just now dropping my sister's birthday card in the mail - can it make it to Cali by Saturday?
• I've been working 9+ hours a day, that bites
• I've had PMS for like a week now, that really bites
• I walked over 15,000 steps on Saturday (I had to work at the restaurant)
• May bangs are growing out, again - yeah, I cut them, again. So what's your point?
• I am a week and a half away from becoming the mother of a tween girl and a crazy hockey playing boy - the good news is that it's only a week, but more on all that later
• Even without all the restaurant steps, I'm pretty much making my goal of 7,000 steps a day - gotta love those long walks through the mall!
• Work is sucking - most of the time I dream of using the stapler on my boss' forhead
• Scott spent "all day" cleaning 4 windows - no really, it's hard work being him.
• I'm scheduled to work both Friday and Saturday night working at the restaurant, it's going to be a long weekend, and not in a good way!
  

Well, that's about it for now. I would promise to be a better blogger, but I'd probably let y'all down. So I'll just say I just say see you soon (ish).

Current Music: Ain't Nothing Wrong With That - Robert Randal & The Family Band

I Would Walk 500 Miles

Well, it's not really 500 miles, it's more like 280. That's 5 miles a day for 8 weeks, or 10,000 steps for 56 days. What ever way you want to break it down, that's what I'm doing.

The 5th Annual WOMAN Challenge started on Mother's Day. I did it last year for the first time and had a really great time. My sister, Mom and a couple of friends all joined the same team and we encouraged each other (via email) to walk our butts off! Of course it's just a self-enforced thing, sort of like NaBloPoMo - it's all about the ability to say that you did it!

So for the next 8 weeks I'll have my handy dandy pedometer on my belt, making sure that I'm doing all my steps! And if I'm running a bit short one day, there's always shopping or "Dance, Dance Revolution" (I don't see why that can't count)!

Now for the standard "I'm a sucktastic blogger lately" speech - but the whole work thing is taking up waaaay too much of my time (like I don't have personal things to do during the work day!). I have succumb to the Twitter phenomenon, so if you're desperate for more Mandy Lou - you can follow me there!

Current Music: I Would Walk 500 Miles - The Proclaimers (on The Graham Norton Show - are you watching this, cause you should be!)