At Last

Well, we are all settled into our new home and I LOVE it!!!! It is nice and big and only a few years old so it even has that new smell to it, which is something you don't usually get in Army housing. The move was not without its glitches. The movers in El Paso were HORRIBLE! My poor husband was left to deal with them on his own as the kids and I frolicked on the beach in Amelia Island, FL (so sad for him). I am pretty sure he is blacklisted from moving companies in El Paso, but they were late and unreliable. What can you do other then complain? Then I rushed up here with a feverish child in tow because I thought I had to meet the movers here. WRONG! It took them over a week to make it to VA from El Paso! How is this possible??? So I had my sick child, my mother and my antsy child all with me for over a week. Although we did make a detour through Hickory, NC along the way and my mother found a new dining room set so we detoured my husband through Atlanta to pick up a UHaul and to bring her old set with him. So score for me since I was in DESPERATE need of a nice table. We also bought a new couch before the movers got here since sitting on the floor is NOT fun.
The day the moving truck pulled up to my new house was the day my mother was leaving, which defeated the point of her being up her for a week. She was supposed to help with the move. Oh well, luckily my sister stepped in to save the day and took my kids that day. In the end everything got here in good shape. We only had a few minor things break, which is a change from the norm. I have told my husband I don't plan to move for awhile and that he better find a way to make that happen. We will see though, you just never know.
I am slowly getting to know the area and learning that I REALLY hate traffic. It is horrible at ALL hours of the day here. I am just going to have to learn alternate routes, because sitting still on the interstate is not my idea of fun. I can't wait to really get out and see the sights around here. I love the fact that I have so much right at my fingertips.
I registered John for kindergarten this past week. School unfortunately doesn't start until September. Flah! I am very ready for full day kindergarten. Don't get me wrong I love my son, but we will all be happier with a break. Plus, he loves school and needs the outlet to get rid of his energy. I started the school shopping today, which felt really good.
So onto my new life in a new city and actually having friends and family around.

I've Done My Time

Today is my last full day in El Paso. I am always excited to move no matter where we are living at the time, but this time it is at a whole new level. Even when I am excited to move I am usually a little sad to be leaving something behind, whether it be friends or memories. I just don't have that here. I haven't attached to anything here. I really feel like I have been in a kind of prison over the past year. I know that sounds horrible, but that is really how I feel. I have found no redeeming qualities to this city at all. The school system is horrible, the people are rude and not very welcoming (and have NO meaning of personal space which drives me insane), not to mention you really do feel like you are in a whole other country since I am pretty sure that English is not most peoples first language. We just didn't bond. Maybe if I would have had a house that I liked...nope not that. I have cursed these "school" tile floors more times then you could even imagine. I am just ready to break free. I will be saying Adios to El Paso as my plane takes off in the morning and not looking back.

Now of course I am VERY excited to be moving to the DC area. I am not only excited to be moving the a city that has nice stuff and a ton of stuff to do, but more then that I can't wait to be near my friends and family. I love the fact that I am not even there yet and I already have things planned. It will be so great for the kids to have their friends back and to be near their cousins. This is such a great move for us and I am going to be baking LOTS of stuff for all the people who made it possible for us to leave El Paso a year early. I hope they like sweets:)

So ADIOS El Paso! I would say it has been nice knowing you, but it hasn't!

Yes, that is me in jeans I haven't worn in two years!

I have lost 15 pounds and counting! I have decided that there really isn't a better feeling then putting on a pair of pants that you couldn't even button a couple of months ago. My mother in law asked if I was going to buy new clothes. Not yet, right now I am enjoying the ones that used to fit me.

I would like to say that I have been so good and have exercised it all off, but I haven't. My wonderful broken toe has put a hold on cardio. I have just been dieting. Now I would LOVE a big juicy cheeseburger and some fries, but I just keep on telling myself that the numbers on the scale taste much better. I still want to lose about 10 more pounds, but that really isn't that many anymore. I can do that. I just feel so good right now that I don't want to stop. I think that once you get over the first few pounds and really start to notice a difference it is easier to continue.

Now I just have to make myself exercise (once my toe feels better....it still hurts) to tone up my new smaller body. That is the hard part, since that is the part I HATE!

No! I am not ready for this yet!

My daughter is convinced she wants to potty train. Here is the problem

1. She is not even 2!

2. I AM NOT READY!!!!

Potty training is a lot of work and messy work at that. I don't like the messy part at all. My son caught on to this the first time he pooped in underwear and never did it again. It is just gross and luckily he realized that quickly.

My daughter has been pulling me into the bathroom for the past few days to "pee pee". She really does go and is so proud of herself, but I am just not ready for this step yet. Diapers are easy. Yes, you heard me right...easy. I hate it when you are in the middle of a meal in a restaurant and you get to hear to six little words, "Mommy, I have to go potty." When they are first training you can't tell them to hold it either. It is go or deal with the messy consequence. There is a reason that my son wore a pull up for all outings for the first couple months after he potty trained. I don't like to clean up messes!!

I don't know where this sudden eagerness of hers to use the potty is coming from. I am not encouraging it by any means. Yes, I praise her after she goes, but I am not asking her if she has to go. My husband thinks this is absolutely wonderful and that she will be potty trained before she is 2...yeah...I don't think so. It would be great if he was the one home all the time with the kids, but it is me who deals with the brunt of all things kid. He really thinks that he had something to do with our son potty training...right. He was working late at the library on his MBA!!! Nothing wrong with that, but I do deserve the credit on that one and am not willing to share. He did his job and I did mine.

potty break....

Back from the baby going "pee pee". This is really getting old!!!

Maybe I should just rejoice that she has an interest, but I really don't mind another year of diapers. Trust me there are worse things. Like...wet clothes in the middle of a restaurant. Just saying.

I just don't feel sorry for you!!

I have been reading all of the "gossip" on TMZ about the Mel Gibson and his baby mama Oksana's drama. I wish I could feel sorry for this woman, but I don't! If you are the woman who broke up a marriage you don't get any sympathy from me. Did she really think that he was going to be this upstanding father after he cheated on his wife with her? Boo hoo he isn't paying enough child support. She should have kept her pants on in the first place. The only one I really feel sorry for in this situation is the baby. Poor thing has a duds for parents. It doesn't have a chance!

Yeah...I am still here.

So I have been slacking. I just haven't had much to say lately. To say my life has been boring might be an understatement. Now that it is summer and I don't have to get John off to school in the morning I am finding it REALLY hard to get motivated. I am doing stuff around the house to get ready for the upcoming move (three weeks from tomorrow I am out of here), but other then that not much is going on. The kids are going out of their mind being cooped up in the house, but it is TOO hot here to do anything outside. I am pretty sure we haven't had too many days below 100 degrees this month. Our backyard is just crunchy and not very inviting. The wind blew the kids pool into the neighbors fence and impaled the thing. John is very distressed about this event. He keeps on telling me that we need to go and buy a new one, but I just don't see the point of buying a new kids pool before we move.

I did get rid of some junk at a yard sale only to realize that I still have too much stuff that I didn't sale. Luckily it looks like Fort Belvoir will be having a post wide yard sale a couple of weeks after we get there. I always find it easier to put stuff aside after a move.

I broke my toe last weekend, or I should say my daughter broke my toe. I don't recommend keeping hand weights within reach of toddlers. They really hurt when they are dropped on a toe. It was my first broken bone. I will always be able to tell her about when she broke mommy's toe.

My sweet husband is coming home early. He gets home on Wednesday and I cannot wait. I haven't told the kids yet. I am just going to surprise them at the airport. John is going to be SO excited to see Daddy. Poor Daddy is not going to be as excited when he realizes that all we are doing over the July 4 weekend is move prep. I am determined to be organized this move. After moving every year to year and a half the past few years things have just gotten thrown into random boxes to never be seen again.

We will officially have two house by the end of next week. I am so relieved that we already have an address in VA, but at the same time it is irritating that we are paying for a house for a full month and won't be living in the place. But this is the price to secure it for us and so that our stuff won't have to go into storage. We have never done a point to point move. I am hopeful that less stuff will break this move. The past move was ridiculous with all of the broken items, but our stuff was in storage for six months. This time it will be put on a truck and taken off that same truck and put into our house.

So to keep in line with my boring, unmotivated life right now I think the kids and I will spend the day in our pj's. We haven't done this for a couple of weeks and I just don't feel like going anywhere today. Hopefully the kids won't drive me insane today!

Wine Rack

I was innocently searching for wine racks on Amazon.com this afternoon and I came upon a contraption called "The Wine Rack". It is a sports bra that has a "belly" (like a camelback) that is inside the bra with a straw attached. I cannot make these things up! I tried to copy to this post, but no luck. This will teach me to search for wine racks. The funny thing is that when I was trying to find a picture to post here I looked it up on other websites and there are actually reviews on this device. One review said that the bra was very comfortable, but was afraid the straw would drip on the carpet and she didn't want to leave stains on her friends carpets. This just strikes me as funny. Are people really walking around with this thing on??? Maybe I should pick me one up for my next wild party (because you know I frequent wild parties). They have them in small and medium. It is so nice they are accommodating to larger breasted women. They have thought of everything. They also have a beer belly that attached to a the belly with a straw. I am sure this is very popular on college campuses.

So the next time you want some wine and are feeling lazy and don't want to carry around a glass just pop onto Amazon and pick yourself up a wine rack to wear. Your significant other will LOVE you!