Nice

Once a year (well, we DID skip one year), the women in my immediate family get together for a weekend getaway full of relaxation and indulgence. It is something that I have always looked forward to. I must admit (grab your trash cans lest this next sentence induces your vomiting), this year I’m a little less excited. I haven’t been away from my hubby in our LONG marriage of 2 months and I miss him already. That being said, the past few weeks have been more stressful than normal, and heading out of town to veg with the girlies is probably just what the doctor ordered.

These weekends usually go something like this: We eat, go shopping (not my favorite part), eat some more, watch movies in p.j.’s, eat at a really good restaurant, play games, go to a luxurious spa to have treatments like full body massages, facials, pedicures and manicures, and eat.

The group objective is to stay in our jammies as much as humanly possible. I’m going to do my very best at reaching this goal.

I must offer thanks to my extra special, super awesome, hunk of burning love husband for taking a day off of work to care for the kiddies. Thanks sweetie!

Goodbye Muke

Some of my earliest memories are of trips to the Hogle Zoo. I remember riding on the back of an elephant (during a time when kids could actually DO stuff and the word “liability” wasn’t so liberally used). I remember the ape that would eat it’s own barf and poo. I remember my brother’s 8th birthday party and how my mom had a baby chimp from the zoo come and entertain all of the kids in the neighborhood. I’ve held a baby chimp!

I have a Hogle Zoo membership. Do you get the picture? I love the zoo!

I am sad to announce that Muke, a 44 year old gorilla, died today after a long battle with cancer. I remember her from when I was a kid. You’ll be missed.

Where Have You Gone?

Where in the hell did everyone go?!? Blogland (at least my list of reads) has been rather barren as of late. Frankly, it’s a little disappointing to have nothing new to read during my 3.4 minutes of free time each day. Is it the change in weather? Are people actually getting out and becoming an active participant in their lives? LAME! Come on people, entertain me!

Your Day Just Wouldn’t Have Been The Same

What would you do without my inconsistent and yet TOTALLY fascinating and enlightening life updates? I don’t want to find out the damage THAT could cause so, here you go:

• As of last night, I’m back in the swing of volleyball. I was looking oh so forward to it. Summary of the game? CRAP! I played like crap. My teammates all played like crap. It was sort of fun, except for all of the crap. 0 of 4 games is how well we did. Sigh… I hope we can redeem ourselves next week.
• I had a few weeks without pain and then BAM! My neck and back got screwed up yet again! It usually only happens a few times a year. I guess I’m just lucky. A fairly new addition to my deformity is that my left shoulder hurts like a mo-fo. And when I say hurts I mean the pain is so bad I can barely use the damn thing. Last night it was so bad that I couldn’t sleep, and ended up getting up at 3:30 am to ice it. I propped my arm/shoulder and finally fell asleep with the ice bag on it. 3 hours of ice makes for one cold shoulder.
• I can think of better ways to be woken up in the morning than to the sounds of your son throwing up. Ugh.
• I’m LOVING this weather. And it’s supposed to be 70 on Saturday… the day I’m having my sons family b-day party. PERFECT!
• I’ve been having spurratic bouts of nausea lately. NO, I AM NOT PREGNANT (no, it’s not even possible). It’s really getting annoying being fearful that I’m going to hurl every time I brush my teeth.
• Last night was a first, and not the best first. I’m hoping it was also a last.
• Just an FYI… I would not recommend renting a home to your ex, unless you hate yourself.
• This morning was SUPER productive for me. I: went to the bank, went to the storage unit to make a payment, started AND finished shopping for my sons b-day (which required a visit to 3 different stores), got the car emissions done and then renewed the registration, and registered my eldest for baseball. In less than 2 hours! Luckily walking into the less than perfectly clean house humbled me.

)$(#&@(*

There is a lot I WANT to write right now, but I can’t. Because I have to be all politically correct and peaceful and crap. What I will say is that there is a certain subset of people who absolutely and unequivocally SUCK!

Ain’t That Sweet

It’s weekends like this past one that make EVERYTHING worth while. I got the wonderful privilage of spending a few days alone with my sweet husband, and I enjoyed every minute of it. I had so much fun with him and his great friends who I am adopting as my own :). How amazing and cool is it that I am married to my soul mate and best friend!

Love and Cheesecake

It’s a rarity when I get to spend some one-on-one time with my kids. Last week it hit me… I really miss them. So I decided to start something new.

Once a month, on a night the kids are at their dad’s house (don’t worry, Dad supports this), I will take one child and do something fun with them. Just the two of us.

Last night was numero uno.

My oldest and I went to the Cheesecake Factory, where, according to him, he ate the 2nd best pizza he’s ever tasted :), AND the best cheesecake.

Then we hit Toys R Us so that he could show me what he wants for his birthday. He can be my most difficult child. But he is also incredibly adorable, smart, funny, and sweet. The night literally couldn’t have gone better.

I’m usually so busy cleaning, breaking up fights, attempting to keep order between 5 “spirited” children that I sometimes forget to see them as the amazing little individuals that they are.

I had a fabulous time last night and look forward to my next child “date”.

Why I’m A Freak

I miss my dog.

I don’t want to get another one anytime soon, but just wanted to look at what types of dogs were available for adoption. I ran across this page and…

I cried like a 33 year old freak of nature baby.

Today

Todays Ramblings

• I’m pretty sure that I saw Kenny Rogers today. I was taking my kids to school, and he was driving a Chevy Malibu. Definitely Kenny Rogers.

• Do you think it’s kosher to ask the parents who day after day, ignore the line of cars (in which other parents wait patiently to drop off their kids) and butt in line, to fight me in a cage with medieval weapons?

• Why does Crystal Light make me have to pee so much?

• It’s funny how many times a 3 year old can say I love you and I hate you within a 5 minute time period.

• My ganglion cyst disappeared on it’s own. Yippy!

• Today I was lucky enough to not only receive and email from the last man I dated before my husband, but also ran into one of my worst blind dates. Lucky me :).

• Someone needs to tell Mother Nature that it’s time for her to break-up with winter.

• Michelle Pfeiffer not only spells her last name funny, but she also screams A LOT in the movie What Lies Beneath. And Batman.

I Want It!

I am a woman of simple pleasures.

I don’t get a rush from shopping or have a huge shoe collection. I don’t get my hair colored or my nails done. I don’t have a weakness that causes me to spend large amounts of money.

That being said, damn it, I want a hot tub!

I’ve wanted a hot tub for quite some time now. Well, I sort of wanted one a few years ago. But in the past two years, I’ve REALLY REALLY wanted one. Like even more than a pony. I even created a blog begging and pleading for someone to buy me a hot tub, or at the very least contribute to my hot tub fund (I hope you enjoy this months masthead… it’s the one I created for my hot tub site. Delightful, isn’t it?). OK, so the hot tub blog was a joke (sort of), but my unquenchable hot tub desires burn within me still.

Why do I have such dark secret yearnings to soak my bod in a steaming pool of water?

Sure, hot tubs (especially public ones) MAY be a cesspool of dead skin, urine, boogers, as well as millions of unrealized offspring. But don’t underestimate the awesomeness that a spa is.

They are relaxing, perfect on a winter evening, perfect during the summer nights, fun for the kids, MORE fun for the adults. Hot tubs make the world a better place. In my humble opinion, hot tubs make life worth living.

I’m not saying that all of my problems would instantly disappear if I had a hot tub… I would just face them warmer and slightly more relaxed.