Turning 8

The boys are now out of school, and Conner’s 8th birthday is fast aproaching. It seems that I get more sentimental (and sad) about Chase’s birthday each year simply due to the pure Hell endured surrounding his birth, but Conner’s story is a much calmer one. The squeaky wheel gets the grease, they say…

Conner was quite the patriotic pregnancy. I found out I was pregnant with him on Voting Day. My ex-husband and I found out he was a boy on President’s Day, and he was due right around July 4th. If any those things had any effect on him, it shows in his red hot passion for all things explosive and firecracker-esque.

He’s a tinkerer, a thinker, a worrier, and he has his mother’s lack of ability to tell ANY story in a short amount of time - coupled with the need to pace just to get all the words out. He is outright hysterical - a practical joker with a side of sarcasm.

Conner is caring, although the fights between his brother would often times prove different. He’s the first person to sniff me out if I’ve been crying, and without saying a word, he will be there to make it better. He’s a comforter and a snuggler - those little hands reaching out each night as I lay between him and his brother. He loves to talk till he falls asleep, telling me about the dreams he wants to have. A dream planner - that’s him.

And he’s just 8.

For his birthday this year, we are having a game truck party - complete with Minecraft themed goodies and cake. One gigantic trailer filled with flat screen TVs, dozens of gaming consoles and remotes for all his friends to line up and play - what a birthday he’ll have! Of course, little brother Chase is along for this one and just as excited. Being very close in age has tons of perks - I think Chase would agree.

To my biggest little man - Happy Birthday. I hope one day you’ll hum this lullaby to your children, as I did to you. I love you.

Tell me why the stars do shine 
Tell me why the ivy twines 
Tell me why the sky’s so blue 
And then I’ll tell you just why I love you 
Because God made the stars to shine 
Because God made the ivy twine 
Because God made the sky’s so blue 
Because God made you, that’s why I love you 

Ish HushAmanda Does Not Recommend - Part Two

Welcome, ladies and gentlemen that will never admit they read this, to another rousing edition of 

Stuff I Don’t Recommend! 

First up: Ann Taylor Loft’s Drapery Pant - also available in petite!

Let me just say that The Loft, as I affectionately refer to it, makes up 20% of my closet due to my [all too handy] in-store credit card. There is, however, this obvious riff in The Loft, and it makes me tumbly all grumbly.

Apparently, although marketed towards us Gen Y’s, OLD people shop here too. So to make them happy, I suppose, Loft would like all of us to look like our grandmother’s curtains (your grandmother’s, because my grandmother rocks) - mostly around our hips too.

For $69.50, you’ll never have to run from family events again! Stand beside the windows, and people will blow right past those hideous curtains you are wearing as pants.Or don’t buy these. Ever.

 I do ACTUALLY love this store, so I can’t believe I’m going to make another dig, but y’all - the marketing email I received this morning from Ann Taylor Loft had this image in it:

I don’t love meth (meth being another thing I don’t recommend), but apparently this model does. What’s happening here? Why all the accessories? Why the ugly purse? Why the horse non-smile? WHY THE PANTS THAT WOULD BETTER SERVE MY BED AS A THROW?

Sigh.

Second Up: Printing a Phone Book

Approximately twice a year, my boss asks me to find a company or a person and if 10 minutes has passed in my online search, he’ll instruct me to find the phonebook. Of those two times per year I’ve had to dig out ONE of the NO LESS THAN FIFTEEN COPIES that were sent to us, as a company, only ONCE has it been useful. 

So basically, every year, this company spends oodles of dollars to mass print a document (that is outdated the millisecond it is printed), wasting forest loads of trees, only to chunk it (or 15) in front of my door so I trip over it?

Thanks. No, really.

I’m tired of doing this:

So as something I recommend you not do?

A) Print a phone book

but also

B) Not recycle it after you trip over it.

A lotta love, a little sweat, and a bunch of carpentry...

We’re expanding!Hmmm… I’m beginning to think you are on to something…
Or at least, in square footage.

In the next half year (to year), my 1,200+ square foot home will get a new 2-car garage, a master bedroom suite (with walk-ins and a large shower) as well as a revamped, open floor plan for the living room area. When the dust and the bills have settled, we are looking at nearly 2,000+ rsf!

[That’s “rentable square footage” in real estate short]

The kids will have double the play space too, and you can’t beat that with any sized stick.

But what to do first? Refinance and take out a loan against the house. This won’t be the easy part, but in the end, the boys and our little family will have all the room we need to grow, GROW and GROW! And that makes us all happy :)


***Legalities: This blog post in no way represents, falsly, that my current boyfriend and I are in any way living together. We have the intentions of moving forward with our relationship in a legal manner, in accordance to the divorce decree in full force and effect, so that this home may become “ours”. In other words, I’m not breaking any rules here.*** 

When They Were Young

Awww…

An oldie but goody

http://www.hushamanda.com/blog/2011/4/19/i-taking-pictures-momma.html

Blocks on the Brain

Dear Internet,

Yesterday, February 19th 2013, my now 7.5 year old son discovered the beginnings of a hole this generation knows as “Minecraft”.

Let the games…. begin.