{on my time}

I am a Type A perfectionist. Life should, but doesn't, revolve around my schedule and planning. You think this sweet face would let me run the show all of the time?! Doubtful, hehe!

Of course, I'm a mom, so life doesn't. But it doesn't more so because of my lovely fiancé than anything. Part of me is counting down the hours until Jay is gone during the week because then if something needs to get done, I'll have no choice but to do it and then cannot get annoyed if it doesn't get done.I mean, sometimes I just get so exasperated that I look like this! (My lame attempt at adding a little humor to this post because it is bound to get a little whiny sounding today.)

I am a BIG believer that the way our house is kept clean and how the parenting duties are divided should be 50/50. I am not the only parent, so I shouldn't have to do everything myself. I am not the only one living in this house, so I shouldn't have to clean everything myself. I will admit, that with cleaning, sometimes I am a bit neurotic. I like things in their place. Our house may not pass super clean standards. I don't dust or vacuum nearly as much as I probably should (I can see a layer of dust on our TV stand as we speak), but it is organized for the most part. I tend to pick up the living room each morning before I leave... folding blankets, putting shoes away, having Ayden pick up his toys from the night before, putting remotes where they belong, etc. I like our rooms to be fairly clean and organized. The kitchen table is one of those places at our house that I can never seem to keep free of clutter (probably because we don't eat at it).Theoretically, since Jay has been not working consistently for the last three plus months, it would seem that he should be doing the majority of the house work. WRONG! That guy doesn't know how to do anything of his own volition. (Minus the dishes, since that is his only 'assigned chore' that he can see. He is supposed to clean the litter box as well, but that only happens after I ask him about four days in a row to clean it.) Honestly, he cannot even clean the entire kitchen without me bitching about it. He starts by putting the dishes in the dishwasher... but then stops. I mean, seriously, if the counter is dirty, how hard is it to WIPE IT OFF?!

Another example is emptying his bag from a weekend at his parents house. It shouldn't take an entire week for him to empty it and that only happened because he needed to fill it up again. I will admit, that I sometimes let the little things get to me. Well, not just sometimes, a lot more than just sometimes… I mean, for being a guy, he is VERY good about putting the toilet seat down. Maybe that should count for something, right?! Haha! Some little things that bug the heck out of me are when he throws his keys on the table RIGHT NEXT to the key hanger by the door. How hard is it to hang your keys up when it is RIGHT NEXT to the table you throw them on? And then he doesn't put his coat in the coat closet, but instead walks right past it and hangs his coat on a chair in the kitchen. I mean, REALLY?! You walked RIGHT PAST the coat closet! Argh! Have I mentioned I’m a little neurotic?! It’s not every day that I get annoyed with this stuff. I mean, there are days when I come home from clinic, throw my bags down in the kitchen and leave them there until the next day. (I may or may not still have a dirty fork in my lunch bag from last Thursday yet, oops.)AAAHHHH, seriously, a dirty fork in your lunch bag yet! Come on mom! Haha!

Is it so bad though that I like a neat house? It doesn't have to be spotless, but really, is it so hard to sweep the kitchen when you see it getting dirty or put the cookies you made that day in a Tupperware container? Do I always have to be the one to telling him to do things? It is a big source of contention between us (especially lately) and honestly, I think it will probably only get worse after he is gone during the week living at his parents because my guess is that he won't be doing much cleaning there.

It is just my Type A personality shining through... I like things done my way and on my time. Okay, maybe I have some obsessive compulsiveness as well, haha! I like the remotes lined up on the table versus just laying their haphazardly (well of course, this is essentially when no one is watching TV) or that I prefer things in straight lines versus not. I am not neurotic on most things. There are definitely times where you can walk into my house and find a pile of MY clothes on the bedroom floor or a pile of dirty clothes in the hallway outside of the bathroom (because for some reason that is where we have designated the dirty laundry pile until it gets pushed down the laundry shoot by Ayden), or that there are dirty dishes on our counter, or our office area is cluttered with papers, or the basement has toys strewn about. Our house is by far spic and span and someplace that cannot be lived comfortably in, but sometimes the clutter gets to me and the fact that I am the only one doing things about it bothers me even more. Left to his own devices, Jay's house would be a lot messier than mine for a lot longer. We just clash in that area.Really mom, you just need to chill out!

Whatever though, I am in an annoyed mood today. I wish I could say I wasn't, but I am. Ayden was supposed to get his hair cut this morning (at home), but then he whined and complained about not wanting it done. Then Jay said he didn't really even want to cut it, after he said he would last night. I've asked for the kitty litter to be cleaned probably every day this week and it still isn't done. Jay wants to go bowling, but I don't really want to, then he gets pissed that I told him, when I asked him to come on a bike ride with me and Ayden yesterday and he was too lazy to come and instead just watched more TV. My car is in the shop waiting to be fixed and the $200 repair that it was supposed to be is now going to cost us probably $700 and that means I don't have a vehicle to drive and I would like to go to Best Buy this morning, but don't like driving Jay's truck and he's currently acting pissy towards me. I'd really like Jay to take Ayden golfing today so I could have a few hours to myself, but I doubt that that is going to happen. I'm letting the little things bother me this morning and I know I shouldn't, but knowing and doing are two different things and sometimes my brain doesn't like to listen to logic. I suppose everyone is allowed a few hours of life not being perfect, right? I'm bound not to let the rest of my day be bad. I could probably use a nice long bike ride, but I just showered, so I don't want to go out and get all sweaty right away and I think I will wait for it to warm up a little bit.

On a more positive note, I have been able to sleep until 8:30am the last two days and it has felt GREAT! Not to mention that the weather has been G.O.R.G.E.O.U.S!!! It is spring break and I am SO ready for some relaxation!I gave myself ‘off’ on Saturday and Sunday from doing anything school related and it has felt quite nice. Tomorrow I am going to get my butt out of bed at 7:00am…Yeah, I know, I said 7:00am… it really isn’t that early!

I didn’t ‘work out’ at all this week. I mean, yes, I did exercise in some way or another every day except Tuesday. I biked on Sunday, worked out on Monday, skipped Tuesday, biked on Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. I logged about 30-35 miles on my bike this week. I do want this week to be a little bit better with actual working out like I have been doing so that is my goal. Working out and biking some. The weather is supposed to be pretty decent.

Ayden and I did end up going for a bike ride today. We ended up at the beach and he made two little friends and got almost soaking wet in super cold water. Oops! Nah! Even though the water was pretty cold (definitely too cold to go swimming, I mean, it is only March 18th), the weather was so nice that I knew he would be okay. And it is not as if he was in his swimming suit and actually went swimming. He was just splashing around and running at the edge of the water with his new friends. I knew he was probably going to get a little wet and that was okay with me. All apart of being a kid! Having fun, getting dirty, and lots and lots of laughing!

Okay, blogging did me good today, I am in a much better mood now than when I started this post. Just needed to get it out. And even though Jay still irritates the heck out of me sometimes, he did make spaghetti for supper tonight and it was really yummy, so maybe I’ll forgive for today. Maybe…

CIAO! LOVE ME!

{to tip...or not to tip}

*I'm not writing this to start some debate, just expressing my own feelings and opinions.*
What got me thinking about this whole topic was a simple trip to Cold Stone Creamery for ice cream with the little man. (That, and a picture I saw on facebook of a some chick complaining about not getting a tip at her job.) We waited in line, gave our order, and got some ice cream all in about five minutes. I went to go pay and used my debit card as a credit card and got the slip to sign. On the slip there was a spot for a tip. A tip. At Cold Stone. Were they really expecting me to tip them? Did they deserve a tip? When did this start? Should I tip?

I did. I tipped one dollar, despite my feelings against it. Did I think the girl who scooped my sons ice cream into a bowl for a full thirty seconds deserved a tip, nope. Sorry, but I didn't. That's her job. Scoop ice cream. I have some mixed feelings about how much I should tip at restaurants. Part of me thinks I shouldn't tip anything. It is these people's job to serve me food. Why should they get extra from me? Well... they only get paid like $2.50 an hour, so they kind of depend on tips for the rest of their wages. I get that and so I do tip.

Where I get shady on is who all deserves a tip these days? I mean, if we tip waitresses for bring us our food, shouldn't we tip the baggers at the grocery store too, I mean they are providing us a service too and really, both of them are doing their job as they should. I tip my hair dresser (she deserves it... LOVE HER!), but should I tip the chick at Cost Cutters who waxes my eye brows? She is just doing her job, and it only takes ten minutes... if she does deserve a tip for ten minutes of work, what kind of tip should it be? Sometimes I'm flabbergasted.

I provide a service when I'm at clinic, shouldn't I be tipped? Doctor's provide a service, shouldn't they be tipped? When does it stop?!

Like I said, I tip at restaurants, I know that the servers get paid measley and need the tips, but that doesn't mean I have to be happy about it, does it? They may bring us our food, refill our drinks, act friendly, make sure we are doing okay, but that isn't ANY different than me seeing a patient and cleaning his or her ears because they are dirty, acting friendly and chatting with a patient, fixing their hearing aid, doing a hearing test. We are both doing a service to people. It is OUR job to do that sort of stuff. So, shouldn't I get tipped too?!

The next time I go to Cold Stone... no tip. Sorry, someone who serves me some ice cream there doesn't deserve a tip anymore than the person who serves me at Culvers and they don't have a tip line on their reciept.

Just my opinion...

CIAO! LOVE ME!

{out & about}

Because the weather has been so gorgeous outside lately, we have been taking as much advantage of it as we possibly can! That means getting out and about! Ayden and I love to go on little adventure together. Often times it involves going someplace with water! I have countless pictures of my child throwing things into the water, looking at the water, playing in the water, at the end of the water... etc... and these pictures aren't any different. Well, technically they are different, but you get the point, haha!

The sun was shining and my new camera was screaming to be used outside and I couldn't say no. So, instead of sitting down to work on capstone stuff Sunday afternoon before heading to a Pampered Chef party, Ayden and I ventured to Iverson Park for some fun. Me, camera in hand, him, boots on and ready to go! We didn't get to spend as much time there as we both would have liked, but I did get lots of pictures and Ayden played in the water! It was fun! It was a typical mom and Ayden outing. Loved it!

We have instituted a new reading routine at our house. We try to read with Ayden at least 20 minutes a night. Some nights go better than others. If it has been a long day for him, he gets antsy and doesn't try as hard at it as I would like him to. Then we both get frustrated and nothing gets accomplished. This past weekend, I thought maybe it was time for Ayden to start reading silently to himself for a little while. His reading teacher at school says that Ayden's reading comprehension is very good. We gave it a try on Saturday and Ayden read to himself for 10 minutes. Afterwards, I asked him some questions about the story to see if he was actually reading or just pretending to read. He was reading, that's for sure. He did great explaining what he had read to him.

I then decided that we would read together for 10 minutes each night and then separately for 10 minutes each night. The last two nights we've only read 15 minutes and it was silent reading. Ayden and I cuddled in my bed together and we each read our own books. It was so precious! Plus, it gives me an excuse to just relax and read a little bit each day. I could think of nothing better than reading next to Ayden. Fifteen minutes was pushing it a little bit last night as I could tell that Ayden was getting a little antsy towards the end. But, just like the first time, we both asked each other questions about our books and Ayden did a great job summarizing what he read to me. I love that he is comprehending what he is reading and that he is enjoying reading silently with me. I think it is going to be something that works well for him and I when Jay leaves.

Speaking of Jay leaving... d-day has been decided. Haha, I talk about him leaving like it is something major. His work start date is set for March 26th... a week and a half from now. It is two weeks sooner than what we had originally thought, but I suppose that it will work. We are planning on going home that weekend anyways, so Jay will just stay home I guess. I knew this nice weather would have him start working sooner than he wanted. It just means it will be more time for him to be in town to find a place for us to live. Keep your fingers crossed on that! I called on two places yesterday. One was a house and one was termed a condo. The house ended up being too expensive and the condo was really an apartment that I had already been to (a friend of mine used to live there) and although nice, they would not work for us. We have too much stuff, there is no garage, and I just really don't want to live in those apartments. We'll just keep looking!

The week is young and I am hoping to get a lot accomplished this week and next week with it being spring break. Ayden and I are going to see The Lorax on Friday with his second grade class and then it's spring break time! I took off work on Monday and Friday of next week so I can fully enjoy some time off and hopefully be productive with my capstone information and some assignments that will be coming due. I have made a to-do list of stuff that needs to get done for school before the end of the semester and although it isn't super long and hopefully won't be the source of much stress for me, it is a good visual for me to keep in mind what needs to be completed. I am a list person. I know that in just a few weeks I am sure I will be making list after list of what needs to be done regarding our move as well. So much more complicated when you are moving across the state. I've already even started thinking about babysitters for Ayden for the summer... a necessity actually. I am fairly certain we have the majority of the summer covered, but the logistics of it all need to be figured out yet. Alas, one more thing to add to the list and to not worry about for right now.

My mantra right now... ONE.DAY.AT.A.TIME!!!

CIAO! LOVE ME!

{roller-skates, pizza, and family}

I had the best weekend! The weather was fabulous and I had an overall great time and it went WAY too fast! It started out on Saturday morning. I sold my camera! How exciting! I recently upgraded my camera and had just posted my old one on Craigslist this past week. I had priced it a little high because from past dealings with Craigslist, I know people like to haggle. I've done it before too. I didn't think I would get what I had it priced at, but I sort of knew my bottom dollar. I had one offer on it earlier in the week for $225 LESS than what I had originally posted it for. The lady must have been nuts, haha! I politely declined her offer. I mean, at that point it was only posted for like two days! Saturday morning I got a text about it and ended up selling it for only $50 under what I had listed it for. YES! Super excited to have that done with! And I am in LOVE with my new camera. It is a beast compared to my other one. I did a lot of research before purchasing my new camera and went back and forth about when I should get it. I had originally wanted to wait and save up for it, but that would have taken until the end of the summer probably. Because I already have like 10-15 photo shoots scheduled for 2012 already, I know that I will be able to make that money up fairly fast. And that isn't counting anything else that gets scheduled for this summer. I decided to go with the Canon 7D. I had the Canon t1i and loved that so I knew I wanted to stay with Canon. I had originally wanted the Canon 5D Mark ii, but that is a heavy duty professional camera with an even heftier price tag that I just couldn't justify. The 7D is the next step down and it still fits the other two lenses that I have.

After that we headed out to go roller-skating with my dad's side of the family. My aunt and uncle threw together an afternoon of roller-skating and a pizza buffet. I was surprised at all of the family that showed up. Almost everyone was there, even my grandma! (Although she didn't roller-skate.) It was SO much fun! I love rollerblading and hadn't been in SO long so it was great. My sister, Emily, ended up not coming because she was not feeling very well and she was missed because Ayden was looking forward to seeing here. But, my sister, Alexis did end up coming and I was surprised about that because my dad was out of town and she was staying with her other grandparents. But I was so happy to see her!

Jay and I started out trying to get Ayden to roller-skate. We had gone once before about a year or two ago and Ayden wanted nothing to do with it and I was kind of apprehensive about going this time. The first and second time around were no good and Ayden pitched a fit about wanting to go back out. He had had enough, but I wasn't going to give up. I didn't come skating for him to not go. So, we got back up and back out and after a few more times around he was having a great time! He still didn't really get the hint of picking your feet up and pushing them outwards to go. His method was more of put one foot in front of the other and push yourself along using the wall and he was going pretty fast too.

After getting Ayden out there and going I ran into Alexis and took her out on the roller rink. It was her first time out there as well and after a few times around she was getting the hang of it pretty good too. She actually got the concept of roller-skating. I tell you though, my arm was definitely sore by the end of the afternoon from holding up Ayden and Alexis for three hours. But I'd do it all over because it was a lot of fun!When everyone was done skating we headed over to a new pizza buffet called Stevie B's and I have to say that it was pretty good for buffet pizza. The cost was pretty reasonable for a buffet as well... I think for an adult supper it was just under $7 and kids under ten its like $3-4. Worked for us. They had tons of different kinds of pizzas too and you could order your own. They had the normal sausage and cheese and then ones like taco, mac and cheese pizza, BLT pizza, loaded baked potato pizza, lots and lots of choices! I think it is safe to say we will probably be going back at some point! Yummy in my tummy!

I’ll end with a few pictures of the sky as we were driving home that night!CIAO! LOVE ME!