Unnecessary Tears

I have been sitting on the couch crying for an hour. A couple of days ago, a guy I went to high school with was killed in Afghanistan. We weren't really friends or anything, nothing beyond school mates. But as I sit here this morning reading all the posts his friends and family have written, my heart breaks. He had four children, a wife and lots of family and friends who love him. It is just so sad that so many lives have been lost. It just hits a little harder when it happens so close to home.

No real segue here, but I guess I will catch you up on the latest in our lives since I havent updated in awhile. The girls are doing great. Meaner than ever :-) We have a new pet. I bought the girls a bunny. His name is Ollie (those Wonder Pets lovers will know what that's about). He is really cute.

We have another temporary pet as well. On the way home from preschool yesterday, we saw a little chihuahua shivering on the side of the street. He didnt have a collar or anything, so I brought him home. He is the sweetest little dog. I know someone must be missing him because he is spoiled rotten! He wants to be held all the time. The girls love him. I took him to the vet this morning to see if he had a microchip, but no luck. We are going to put an ad in the paper today. Hopefully we can help him find his home.

We are going to the Bears game Sunday. Neither Dave nor I have ever been to Soldier Field. We went to a Bears game the year that they played in Champaign, but that's it. We are going to FREEZE! Oh well, I am sure we will have a good time. We always do when we are together (*puke*).

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Hello from the new stay-at-home mommy. I almost took a job, but for several reasons Dave and I decided at the last minute that it wasn't the right move for us. So for now, I am staying at home. Not really something I ever thought I would do, but I think it is right for us, at least for right now. Wish me luck. I always said I would make a horrible stay at home mom. I hope I prove myself wrong. I mean, who wouldn't want to spend their days chasing toddlers, changing diapers, refereeing fights ... right? Right?

We got Sarah's school pictures today. How cute is this kid?

The girls are doing fantastic. They had a great Halloween. Emily was the cutest puppy you have ever seen and Sarah was my little ladybug. Sarah got a bloody nose at Laurie's house at the Halloween party. I thought it was broken for a minute - turns out it was just bruised. Then funny enough, Emily got a bloody nose on Saturday. We took the girls to the park cause it was beautiful outside. Emily smashed her face going down the slide and got a bloody nose. My kids are so clumsy. Just like their mommy.

Ouch!

I am so freaking old. We went to Doug and Sandy's last night to carve pumpkins (which, btw, mine is awesome and Dave's is lame). When we got home, I got out of the car, simply stood up, and I think I broke my back. Well, maybe not broken, by pinched a nerve or something. I am in so much pain it isnt even funny. I can hardly move. Even sitting still hurts. I did this last year too - it hurt for about 6 weeks. I can hardly wait.

This weekend was fun otherwise. Friday night I went out with some friends from work to celebrate my escape from Time-O-Matic. Nothing like an evening with friends at BWWs. Nothing I like better than beer and wings.

Saturday was the CASA hog roast. I went early to help set up the kids area. Then I hung around and ran the scavenger hunt. After the scavenger hunt, they drew for the winners of the raffle - guess who won 1st place? Thats right! I won a quarter of a hog. I dont really know exactly what that means, but I like the sound of it! Oh, and Sarah and I got our faces painted. I dont have a picture of mine, but here is my beautiful butterfly! Then after the hog roast, I took Sarah to the mall and got her ears pierced. My little girl is growing up!

It's only Tuesday

Things I hate ...

You know who
Being sick
Missing my husband
Doing the dishes
Drama
The little plastic pieces that hold tags on clothes
Outside
Cheap vodka
Lies
Being late - and when other people are late
Missing my mamaw

Things I like ..

My kids (most of the time)
Dave
Quitting my job
My new job(s)
Beer
Good wine
Who am I kidding - cheap wine
Listening to Sarah sing
Holding Emily while she sleeps
shopping
5 more minutes
Girls' night out

Survival of the fittest

Dave has been gone since about 5:00 Saturday morning. So far so good ... everyone is alive, fed, and at their proper locations this morning. I had to do dishes about 3 times yesterday, cook dinner, pick up 1,000 toys, put the girls to bed, take the trash out to the curb (for the first time, I might add) and then start all over this morning. I don't know how all you single parents do this day in and day out. I'm 2 and 1/2 days in and contemplating surrender.

Two weeks left at work. I am already doing some freelance marketing work (which I love doing), so the job front is looking okay. I am still holding out hope that Vermilion Advantage will be able to budget me in for some part time work in 2010 - keep your fingers crossed.

Sarah told me this morning that I have a fat belly. Just thought I would share.

I miss Dave. And not just because of all the extra work I have to do when he is gone. I think I just kind of miss having him around. This is the longest he has been gone from me since we moved in together. Of course, ask me how I am feeling next week and I will probably telling you I am counting the days until his next trip - especially if I can talk him into taking the girls with him :-)

Free At Last

Well hello again. I haven't forgotten about blogging, just havent had a lot of time amid all the changes that are happening. The change that I am most excited about is that I am quitting my job. While I like my job for the most part, there are some things that were making me very unhappy. So that, along with the fact that I really want to spend more time at home, Dave and I decided that I should quit my job and look for something part time. I have them a months notice, so I have three weeks left. I am counting down! If you know of any part time work, be sure and send it my way.

Tonight Dave and I are going to Monday Night Raw with John and Jill. It is in Indianapolis and Jill, with her fabulous connections, scored us some free tickets. I have had that stupid Randy Orton theme song in my head all day. This must be what it is like to be John. Scary.

I have found that since I am quitting my job, I like my kids a whole lot more. Not that I didnt like them before, but I worked too many hours and I was always stressed out, so when I got home, I was always tired and irritable and just wanted to be left alone. Now, I find myself missing the girls like crazy when I am not with them. I look forward to all the time I get to spend with them. I think for the first time in three years, I am really learning what it is like to feel like a mom. I think it's pretty cool.

Dave leaves this weekend for San Francisco. He leaves Saturday morning and will be gone until Wednesday night. It will be the longest he has been away from me or the kids since we got married. If you are in my neighborhood, you might drop in and make sure I am still alive ... and the kids too. I know I just got done saying how much more I like them now, but seriously - five days alone with two girls? Sarah with a mouth like her mommy and Emily with my temper? It is going to be interesting. I should film it - I bet we could get a reality show. "Watch as Alicia tries being a single parent for 5 days ... 3 people enter - how many will be left standing? Catch it all here on Panic at the Pettigrews."

While she was sleeping

I love McDonald's french fries. They are like kryptonite to my diet.

Emily and I are figthing. Apparently, she has recently learned how to throw a fit. A real fit. Like the throw yourself on the ground, scream and pound fit. Monday she threw one when I got to daycare because I did not immediately put her shoes on her. Yesterday it was because I got there as they were going outside and she was mad she wasnt going to get to go. But the reason we are fighting isn't really because of her fit throwing. Its because of her dirty looks. Today when I dropped Sarah off at lunch, Emily refused to hug me. When I got near her, she turned her head and told me no. So Laurie hugged me, trying to get Emily to do it. That little brat gave me the dirtiest look she could muster (which is pretty dirty since she looks like me) and said no. I told her I wasnt coming to pick her up. She didnt care.

Sarah is doing so great at gymnastics. She finally gets to move up to the next class. I am so proud of her. That is where the McDonalds came in, btw. I took her there last night after class to celebrate.

I think I am officially old. I mean, I kind of knew I was when I turned 29. But then I got proof. Saturday, our friend Chris got married. Thomas and Tasha were going to keep the girls all night so we could hang out at the reception. About 8:00, Thomas texted me a picture of Emily. I told Dave I wanted to go home and get her. That might  be the first time in my life I have turned down free beer for anything. She's cute when she's sleeping and not throwing a fit.

Good work

My birthday was fabulous! I got so many birthday wishes from so many wonderful friends! I didnt even know that many people liked me ...

Good news on the birthday card front. When I got to daycare to pick up Sarah, she had a card to give me from her and Emily. It was adorable. Sarah can't right her name yet, so she drew me a picture of a dinosaur. Emmy just scribbled. I love it. Then after we got home, Dave had a present AND a card for me. It was very nice. I got a new Bears shirt, one of my favorite bottles of wine, and a new movie. Then we had a WONDERFUL dinner at Timpone's. The food was fabulous. It was a little fancier than what we are used to ... in fact, we couldnt say most things on the menu. But except for the pretentious old men sitting next to us, it was a perfect evening. The only thing that would have made it more perfect is if we could get Emily to stop sleeping in our bed, if you know what I mean :-)

Should be a fun weekend. Our friend Chris is getting married, so we will get to hang out with a lot of people we havent seen for awhile. I'm really excited to see Graham and Peri and Jessica and AJ. I havent seen them for ages. Plus, weddings usually equal free beer, and you know how I feel about that!

Happy Birthday, Darlin

Well folks, this is it. No more birthdays after today.

This morning, Dave worked really hard on getting the girls to remember to tell me happy birthday. As I was getting Sarah's shoes on her, she told me and gave me a hug. Then she said "Mommy, did daddy forget to get you a card?" (Let me give you a little background here. On Mother's day - I got no cards. Nothing. Nada. Zilch. I was a little upset.) So I looked at Sarah and I said "Probably." So she comes back with "Mommy, after you drop me off at school, I think you should just go get your own card." Man that kid is smart.

I got my first birthday present this morning from my work husband aka Thomas. He got me a Dwight Schrute bobble-head doll. That's gonna be hard to top. But apparently Dave has known for a long time what Thomas was getting me, so if his present isnt better than that, he only has himself to blame.

It should be a pretty good day though. Work has been pretty slow so far. Thomas is taking me to BWW for lunch and Dave is taking me to Timpone's for dinner. I hope my pants fit tomorrow. Good thing I have held on to my fat pants so far. I have a feeling I am going to need them.

This is it

I think Saturday was Bizzarro Day. Most people who know me know I hate the outside. I hate getting dirty. I hate physical activity. And I really hate things that involve teams. So what did I do on Saturday? I played mud volleyball. For hours. And you know what? It was actually fun! The 11 hours of beer drinking I also did while playing volleyball may have something to do with the amount of fun I had. But I am even going to do it next year. Some people took some pictures, so if they send them to me, I will post them. You wont recognize me :-)

So we all know what Thursday is ... my FINAL birthday. Dave is taking me to dinner. I chose Timpone's. I'm super excited about that. It should be nice. Plus I get presents, which is definitely nice.

Calgon ... you should know the rest (if not, you are too young to be reading this)

I need a nap. And a vacation.

We had another nice, uneventful weekend. Friday, Thomas and Natasha and their kids Aeris (Sarah's BFF) and Lenneth came over. Aeris spent the night with us. Saturday was movie night at Watchfire Signs by Time-O-Matic (my job requires me to call it that at all times now). We saw Ice Age on the billboard. The girls had a blast. Emily was double-fisting all night - just like her mommy. Of course she was double-fisting popcorn, which not usually what I have in my hands, if you know what I mean. She ran around with a bag in each hand and refused to put them down. So much, in fact, that she face-planted on the concrete since she couldnt use her hands to stop herself. She looks more beat-up than usual.

Last night Thomas had a late flight so we let Aeris spend the night with us. I was a little worried about getting the girls to fall asleep at a reasonable hour. Turns out if you threaten kids enough, they will do whatever you tell them. They were fast asleep by 9:00. Don't you just love my parenting tips?

Mmmmmm

 I love sugar free life savers. They are awesome. They are most awesome right after you eat and your brain hasn't quite figured out that your stomach is full enough. At like 6 calories a piece, they keep my mouth occupied (that's what she said).

So I figured out a way to make my lazy-a$$ exercise. I went for an hour-long walk last night. Wanna know why? I have been wanting to watch True Blood. So yesterday I downloaded episode one and put it on my iPod. Then last night I watched it while I went for a walk. I couldnt go home until the show was over cause there was no way I would be able to finish watching it at home. Hey, whatever it takes to get motivated, right?

Labors of Love

We had a very nice Labor Day weekend. Friday night, Dave's friend Jason was in town, so he went out with him and I went out with a friend from work and his wife. It was a good time.

Saturday I went shopping with Somer. I had to get a dress to wear to a wedding in a couple of weeks. I finally found one I was happy with. Then we went to Chili's for lunch. I had a really great time. I dont get to spend enough time with her.

Sunday we went to see Dave's grandparents. His grandma had surgery last week, so we took the girls out to cheer them up. They get a kick out of all of their energy. If they had to deal with it all the time, it probably wouldnt be so cute ... After that we went out to Dave's parents'. They took us to Mike's Grill for dinner then over to Mike's Chill for ice cream. Just like grandparents to fill your kids up with chocolate and then send them home.

Yesterday we went to Westville for Lawlyes-Palooza. The girls had a great time sporting their Lawlyes and Lawlyes tattoos. I had to scrub Sarah's (and mine) off this morning. Can't exactly send the kid to catholic school with a tattoo on her arm. Sarah got lots of candy, but was disappointed that she didnt get to see any clowns. They had a great time, but were both so tired they fell asleep on the way home. Can't wait til next year.

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Look at me, already falling behind on the blogging. I guess things have been kind of boring. I had my fantasy football draft the other night. It would have been nice to maybe have done a little more research beforehand ... apparently drafting Brandon Marshall wasnt a cool thing to do. Stupid suspensions ...

I am way super excited about today though. I get to have lunch with Theresa at BWW! I miss her so much. Its not the same not being able to gossip/complain/chat with  her every day. There arent many people in this world that understand how obnoxious most people are the way that we do. She gets me :-)

Dave met with Sarah's teacher the other night. She said that Sarah is a great helper, is a leader in class (nice of way saying she is bossy) and is good at multi-tasking (cause she is a girl). She seems to really like Sarah though, so that is really important to me. 

Daddies and (are) Babies

Why are men such great big babies? Especially when it comes to their daughters. Case in point - last night, Dave took Sarah to bed at her 8:00 bed time. She of course, got out of her bed for some mundane reason - I think she had a hang nail. We told her to go get back in her bed. She cried, but she went. She came back about 10 minutes later wanting her seahorse. We told her to get back in bed. She SCREAMED. This girl has some freaking lungs, let me tell you. Dave kept telling her to knock it off or he was taking the toys out of her bed. She continued to scream. He finally took her to her room and took her toys. She threw the worst fit for about 10 minutes. Im talking kicking, screaming, throwing things - I dont know where she gets that temper from. So since Sarah was mad at Daddy, daddy was mad at the world. He pouted the rest of the night. And me, being the kind sensitve soul I am, might have made things worse. I went into Sarah's room after she stopped crying to talk to her. Once I explained some things to her, I asked her if she wanted a kiss and hug. She nodded. Then I asked her if she wanted to go give daddy a kiss and hug ... she said no. Was it mean of me to tell Dave that?

I hate naming blog posts.

Good weekend at the Pettigrew household. My parents are painting their house, so we kept Jacob all weekend. Saturday we met Thomas and Natasha and the kids up at Burger King for lunch and playing. Emily got so tired she laid down on the mat as all the kids just ran and jumped over her. I'm not sure if we were even out of the parking lot before she was asleep.


So, you may not know this, but pretty soon I will be having my very last birthday. I've been thinking about it a lot, and when I turn 29 next month, thats it. I am just going to stay 29 forever. I hate the idea of being 30. I dont FEEL 30. I dont look 30 (right?!?!). Why should I have to turn 30. I'm done after next month. Maybe I will throw myself a giant party since it will be my last.

Here are a couple more pictures of the kids in case you forgot how cute they are. Aunt Mary brought a bag of Lainey's old clothes and it included a nuch of purses and hats. The kids had a blast dressing up. I know everyone thinks their kids are the cutest, but mine really are!! (hahaha).

Tweet Tweet

So, Im now obsessed with Twitter. I dont "tweet" but I am in love the ridiculous things celebrities say. Im not proud of this, but its a fact.

Some pics from Sarah's first day

Back pack and pink ball and she is ready to go!

Mommy and Sarah

Daddy and Sarah

Emmy needed some attention too
She also stole Sarah's pop tart

In the parking lot of the school

Aeris is here!!
Already having fun
Cheer up, AerisAt the end of the day :-)

Clingy kids and Clingy Crap

I hate cling wrap. Seriously, why would anyone choose to use that crap? Last night I made dinner (thats twice in 1 week I cooked, folks). Emily had gymnastics, so I went ahead and made the salad before we left. I wanted to cover it and stick it in the fridge, but we were out of foil. All I could find was that cling wrap crap. Cling crap. It doesnt tear easily, it sticks together, yet wont stick to the bowl. I hate it.

Last night was the first time I got to take Emmy to gymnastics. She started last week, but I had to work. Anyways, she is so much different that Sarah was! Sarah spent about the first 4 weeks in my lap. She was so shy. Emily was the opposite. She had a good time doing all the stuff. And man can that girl walk a balance beam! Sarah better watch out cause her sister is going to give her some competition!

So I found out why Sarah didnt cry at preschool yesterday - her Grammy bribed her. Apparently my mom told Sarah that if she didnt cry when I took her to school, that she would bring her candy. It worked. My kids, much like their mommy, can be bought. She tried not to cry this morning so she could get more candy, but when we got there there was a new teacher there that she hadnt met yet. She was upset when I left, but Thomas said she was fine when he dropped Aeris off. Most important - Mommy didnt cry.

Alicia's guide on how to parent

Okay - I know that I am not necessarily the most "motherly" mother in the world. I have my own way of doing things. It doesnt mean that I dont love my kids, that they are not well taken care of or that I dont get proud of them. It just means that I am not that person who doesnt have a life outside of their kids. Yes, I am going somewhere with this. So, last week we started a new session at gymnastics. Most of the girls in Sarah's class moved up, so we got a lot of new kids. Which also means we got a lot of new moms. I almost killed all of them. They bring all their kids and let them run around and scream and annoy everyone around them and pay no attention to them whatsoever. And they squeal - the PARENTS, not the kids. Like 5 moms were gathered in front of one of the tvs where you can see the kids and they were SQUEALING because their kid walked across the floor or something equally as meaningless. They were loud, inconsiderate and completely obnoxious. Now, dont get me wrong, I am super proud of Sarah and think she is about the most amazing person I have ever met - but never once in her life has she made me squeal. Scream, cuss, stomp, laugh, cry ... yes. Squeal - no. I'm sorry if anyone reading this is a squealer or who doesnt think their kids annoy other people when you dont make them behave. Feel free to blog about the ways that I annoy you. I look forward to reading it.

On another note - Sarah didnt cry when I left her at school this morning! In fact, she told me to leave. Then when I was leaving, she ran across the room and hugged me with a big smile on her face. When she got back to where she was playing, she turned around and smiled and waved and said "Bye, Mommy!" So again, I cried all the way to work. Hey, I never said I was easy to please.

Who is this (in Jerry Seinfeld voice)?

Well, since it's been almost a year since my last update, I decided it was about time for another post. I wont bore you with trying to catch you up on everything that has happened since my last post. I'll just pretend like I have kept this up to date and start with the last week or so.

As many of you already know, Monday was Sarah's first day of preschool. She did perfect. She was excited to go, and didnt cry at all when I left. It was way more traumatic for her daddy and me than it was for her. However, today my kid was THAT KID. You know, the one screaming like she was being tortured by CIA operatives in exchange for classified information. I kept waiting on her to take her suicide pill (Yeah, I know you might not find that as funny as I do, but spare me the criticism). I cried all the way to work. And as you might have guessed, she was fine about 30 seconds after I left. Its all about control- She's kind of like an abusive boyfriend. You know, the kind who says you dont love me if you go out with your friends? Thats my kid.

Emily started gymnastics last week. Dave had to take her because I was getting my hair did and a girl has got to have priorities. Oh, and I was on call for work, but whatever. I'm taking her Thursday, so I will give you a first hand account of how that goes.

I joined my very first fantasy football league yesterday. Its with a group of people from work. I figure it is going to get me fired because you know how guys feel when they get beat by girls. I named my team today - thats the most important part. I was going to go with Urabuncha homos, but Dave said that wasnt cool. So instead I went with The Cereal Killers. Sounds like a winner to me.