Hey everyone, how was your week!?

I know you are wondering. Gee, Jenn. How’s the house selling going? Notsogood. And to add to it, this sign that says “Suspicious Activity – Call it In” was added to the end of our road due to a lovely arsonist who decided to begin their career in destruction just in time to lower our property values! Super. Anyway. We’ve had only one showing 🙁 Hoping this week will bring more!

We had some nice warm days this week, and the kiddos are on school vacation so I had a week full of looser schedules and time to take my main man walking. Hi, Skeeter!

Here’s my work badge. Meaning, I worked this week. Not that that is unusual, or anything. Just taking random pictures. Ahem. Moving on…

I surprised Casey and ordered him another wedding ring! Do you like it? Seeing how our wedding bands were originally engraved with “so this is love,” I’m going to get this one engraved with “so this is love… part two”.. 😉

Draw Something feature of the week again comes via Casey! What are your guesses? When I asked around I got, sink drain, fallopian tubes, and the map of a cow’s leg. Guess what it really was? AMERICA. Apparently the arrows are pointing to Alaska and the Continental United States. Right. Totally got that.

Friday brought a LOT of cancellations. I’m sure it had something to do with the gorgeous 70 degree weather, school vacation, and general irresponsibility. I was not impressed, but I did take a minute to put my feet up and read….

The new book by The Bloggess! If you want to pee your pants laughing you should probably buy it. SO good.

The three year old I see put together an amazing force of “stuperheroes” to protect her from her bad dreams. Who would guess that Bart and Lisa Simpson could join forces with Spiderman, He-Man, the penguin from “Happy Feet” along with many others to protect a sweet little girl? Miracles can happen.

Stacey humored me on Saturday and agreed to go for a walk. A five mile walk! Yup, it was epic. And can I just say long walks go by so much faster with a good friend?

Skeeter sayz… “Walks are for the birds.” But even when I said “Skeeter, wanna go for another walk?!” he jumped up ready to go again (but hoping I was joking…which I totally was).

Just looking at this picture of us from last night, made me go WOW. When did we get so grown up? The picture on the right is from our senior year in high school. I know, we’re all happy Stacey grew out of the bangs phase 😉 But really. What a difference 11 years can make, no?

Well, the finale of the week was joining a whole bunch of awesomely-decked-out-in-neon-and-teased-hair ladies at a Pat Benatar concert! It was AWESOME. My one and only complaint was that it was only a little over a hour long show. I know that she’s not 25 anymore, but she should have at least gotten someone to open for her – because we got there a few minutes before the concert started at 8 – and were out by 9:30. Kinda lame, Pat, kinda lame. But singing “Hit Me With Your Best Shot” and “Love is a Battle Field” and “Invincible” with tons of other fans was soso awesome.

I will leave you with a youtube upload from last night’s concerts. I’m glad my fellow concert go-er was so on the ball to have already uploaded this! Good job, whomever you are!

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Have a great week, everyone!

22 days ago, I lost something…

…something that was purchased spontaneously while immersed in the thrill of being enganged…

…something that was worn several times over the next few months, at times while I was “fake married”…

…something that was put on my finger by my soul mate after reading our wedding vows on a beautiful September morning…

…something that I tried very hard to protect, as it tended to slip off my finger…

…and 22 days ago, it slipped off my finger for the last time.

Goodbye, Wedding Ring, wherever you are.  May your future replacement help fill the void.

Welcome to another edition of Kid Quotes! Link up your favorite story about your kid, someone else’s kid, or your significant other acting like a kid! (Button is over there —>) Oh and Happy Friday!

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Me: TGIF!

Kid: IDKWYMMG

Me: What?

Kid: I don’t know what that means Mrs. G. –11 y. o.

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Me: So are you supposed to be cleaning your room like your brother is?

Kid: I’m not aware of that.

Mom: Yes you are supposed to be cleaning your room. Are you aware now?

Kid: Oh, well, I’m aware of other things right now. You know, like, lunch. —10 y.o.

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Kid: I found out about the tooth fair.

Me: Oh yeah?

Kid: Yeah. I’m kind of relieved. I was super scared that a fairy was flying around my room collecting dead teeth. I mean, really, that’s the kind of thing nightmares are made of!

–8 y.o.

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Me: What do you think your parents did before you were born?

Kid: Oh. Hmm. Probably not much. I make life exciting for them, you know? –9 y.o.

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Kid: NO ONE UNDERSTANDS ME.

Me: Why is that?

Kid: Because my parents are so old. They probably were never even 13. They were probably born 35 years old and completely clueless. –13 y.o.

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A contribution from Lea!

Lea: Ri, eat 4 pieces of mango then you can have some pirates booty.

Ri: Mom. I have a compromise. I’ll eat 3 pieces then you give me the booty. –3 y.o.

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Get linkin’ folks!

I took this picture on a walk over the weekend. Trees never cease to amaze me, with infinite analogies to life. Strong roots. The need for both rain and sun to create their strength. Their ability to withstand storms. Branches that sometimes crack and fall. New branches that grow and take their place – even stronger. Their willingness to reach for the sky, even with the odds of wind and gravity against them. They bend, they break, they grow, and they leave people around them in awe.

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Linked up with for Memories Captured!

and Frankly My Dear…

Is it just me, or do people get a little too riled up about things they read on the internet? I know that  bloggers (and especially the well known bloggers) put themselves out there sometimes, and they need to expect criticism.

But, seriously. I feel like people get overly involved in situations that really don’t affect their daily life at all. AT ALL!  That’s right. I used my caps lock.

And if I could “Reply All” to some of these people, I would. To say – don’t take yourself so seriously. And for goodness sake, don’t take the internet so seriously. Try taking the time you use to criticize everyone else, and go cultivate a relationship that you have right in front of you. In your own house. In! Real! Life!

This is not to say that I downgrade the internet as a place to interact and meet new people. I, (hands down) feel like I have the best crew of regular readers/commenters here, and I have enjoyed getting to know new people and create new friendships all while spilling my proverbial guts and trying new writing techniques.  I also have Real! Life! friends that I met on the Internet!

But I wholly believe that getting involved in a pissing match with people that I don’t even know, about something that has nothing to do with me, isn’t really worth my time.

And my time? It’s precious.

After all, I have a house to sell, a husband to enjoy, dogs to walk, kids to help, and a yoga class full of fabulous 70 year-olds to attend.

So be well, friends.

Take a deep breath and go enjoy your day! Internet free, perhaps?

Linked up with Shell to Pour My Heart Out

I picture it as a hooded figure.

Black and shadowy.

Lurking in the background.

Waiting for a moment of vulnerability. For a moment of weakness.

It does not come all at once.

It seeps in through a small leak in a concrete foundation.

Its grip is cold, and grows like a vine.

Once it grabs hold, it begins wrapping itself slowly around my stomach, my heart, my brain.

Squeezing until I gasp for breath.

Intruding thoughts begin to form.

Did I lock the door?

Did I turn off the oven?

Did someone break into the house?

What if there’s a car accident?

Do those sirens mean someone I love is hurt?

Why can’t I do anything right?

My heart beats faster. I feel sick to my stomach.

I try to shake the thoughts. I use all the tricks in my arsenal.

Thought-stopping, reality checking, cognitive triangles, singing loudly and badly, working out, checking in with Casey, my Mom, Stacey, someone who will answer the phone and make me laugh.

The hooded figure retreats, as a sliver of sunshine comes through the window.

I want to curl up in its warmth, like my dogs do on a lazy Sunday afternoon.

For awhile, the light will win.

Sometimes for months at a time. Sometimes for only a few minutes.

I can always feel the darkness, the shadowy figure of doubt.

Uncertainty, anxiety, fear.

It is waiting for its opportunity.

These words are my life preserver.

I unravel them, throw them out, and hope that they will be something to hold on to.

To keep my head above water.

To thwart the hooded figure.

To bring light to the darkness.

The irony doesn’t escape me, with the light and the dark.

That we wouldn’t be able to distinguish the light, if not for the dark.

The fact that one cannot exist without the other.

The overwhelming awareness that the light casts shadows.

Distorted images of darkness.

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Linked up for Yeah Write #53 & Just Write! Come check out some amazing writers!

Oh, hey blog. Sorry I’ve been neglecting you for the last week. You see, it’s been a BIG PUSH to get the house ready this week, and as of Monday it will be officially on the MLS (#1048647 or visit the house at http://41shawsmillroad.com). We encountered all kinds of problems that meant me opening up my checkbook and handing it over to various contractors. This in turn put me in a whirlwind of stress that eventually involved copious amounts of ice cream and buffalo chicken pizza. Which isn’t a great response. I did go to the gym, as well, but it just wasn’t cutting it. So enough of my excuses, and on to the pictures! I will try to do better this week, (but I’m not going to make promises).

That’s right folks. On Tuesday, I deactivated my Facebook account. Not forever, necessarily. But for now. Facebook is an infertile person’s worst nightmare. Especially an infertile 29 year old. BABIES ARE EVERYWHERE. PREGNANT PEOPLE ARE EVERYWHERE. And perhaps more annoyingly, whiny pregnant people and parents are EVERYWHERE. Not that everyone doesn’t have a right to whine about life now and again, it’s just painful when it’s about something you so desperately want. Like, say if I whined about the fact that I was eating the best ice cream ever but it was giving me an ice cream headache and all you, my reader, wanted, in the whole wide world – was a huge ice cream. I don’t want to read it anymore. For now. I’ll be back. When 99% of my friends are no longer of child bearing/raising age. So, you know. In 20 years or so. Or whenever I can feel less sensitive to this subject. Whichever comes first.

Here’s a lesson for you. When your therapist says, “don’t squeeze that toy too hard, you wouldn’t want it to explode all over you,” LISTEN TO THEM.

Here’s one of the problems that came up this week: a kerosene tank on it’s last legs. Quoted $500 to pump out the kerosene and take it away. Thanks to my father-in-law however, we were able to siphon the kerosene into our heating oil tank! Hurrah! Now we don’t have to buy oil again for awhile. But we do have a tank to get rid of. And the hazardous waste people only take it if it’s cut in half. So my answer? Throwing that baby up on Craigslist. Those people take everything. Cross your fingers that someone wants an old used oil tank!

No, no. This isn’t some sort of crazed Asian monkey ninja. It’s….an Eskimo. Apparently. By Casey’s estimation anyway.

Remember the odyssey of getting my rings cleaned? Well, they are FINALLY back in my possession after several episodes of incompetency. I am SO HAPPY to have them back!

Our local creemee stand opened up! (“Soft Serve” for you non-Vermonters). Everyone, yes – the dogs too, got a creemee on Thursday night. YUMM-O!

Daffodils are coming up in my flower beds. Also? My flower beds desperately need some TLC. But “they” say yellow flowers put people in buying mode. So c’mon daffodils -work yo’ magic!

Here’s what we say to the past week. May this week bring an interested buyer, and some stress reduction. Or I might totally flip out on someone. And may that person not be you.

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Have a great week, everyone!

Last Sunday we were in Vermont. I miss it already.

Mom and Dad’s side of the brook by our house got “tagged,” by kids practicing graffiti. Apparently this increases the cool factor of my house in Vermont. Exponentially.

We had some delicious sugar on snow. For you flatlanders, you must have maple syrup, crushed ice/snow, a raised doughnut, and pickles to cut the sweetness! Yuuuummmm…

Surprise snowstorm on our way back to Maine. Thanks, Vermont..for a last look at winter.

Wednesday I did my first yoga class, but it seemed inappropriate to take pictures. So here’s a picture of after yoga, where I got to visit with my Bing Bing!

Casey will only eat gummy vitamins. And I found the coolest gummy vitamins ever for him.

Yesterday after a long day of working on the house, Julie and Justin took us out for a wild night of bowling!

It was a lot of fun! Stacey won one game, and Jeremy won the other! Which means, I won neither. This is not surprising.

Our Draw Something feature! Now, this is a great picture. But all I could think was two-headed bird! Two-headed blue bird!!!

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Happy Sunday, everyone. Hope everyone has a great week!

Hi everyone! Welcome to Kid Quotes Friday! Sorry that I missed last week. The end of the week was kind of rough, lead to impulsive hair decisions and a whole lot of tears. So forgive me. I didn’t think y’all would mind if I skipped a week. Turns out you did! I got all kinds of e-mails, tweets, and messages about the absence of this post. Who knew? Guess you enjoy it as much as I do! So link up already! Hint, hint!

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Kid (while playing pretend): here’s your baby.

Me: this is a baby orangutan.

Kid: yeah, it looks like the hair you got cutted off.

Me: of course. I think I should name my baby Butterscotch.

Kid : BUT IT’S A BABY.

Me: yes it is. What do think it should be named?

Kid: Mrs. Wigglesworth. –4 y.o.

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(prepare to AWWWW)

Kid: I’m trying to learn how to mimic my brother’s voice.

Me: Why is that?

Kid: So when my Mom says “love you!” to him, I can say it back in his voice. He never says it back and it makes her really sad. You should always tell your Mom you love her. –10 y.o.

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Kid: Did you cut your hair?

Me: Yes, I did.

Kid: Where’d the extra hair go? Can I have it? I’ve always wanted curly hair. –7 y.o.

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Kid: Where be all your hair?

Me: I had it cut.

Kid: Well you sure look weird-o now. –6 y.o.

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Kid: My liver hurts.

Me: Your..liver?

Kid: Uhm, yeah. Don’t you think I probably should have stayed home? My liver has a big temperature.

Me: How can you tell?

Kid: I’m a-burnin’ up inside! –7 y.o.

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Kid: Dad says he’s sad because he barely took baby girl out at all this year.

Me: Baby girl? Who is that?

Kid: Oh. That’s what he calls his snowmobile.

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Happy Friday, everyone! Link up below!

At the beginning of the new year, I hopped on a bandwagon of my own. I was determined to make 2012 the year of ME! To start doing things that would allow me to focus on myself instead of everyone else around me all the time. I know, a journey to selfishness really? And although selfish has a negative connotation, I believe we all need to be selfish to some level so that we can take care of ourselves, which in turn makes us better for everyone else, too.

At least this is the mantra I keep giving myself.

First, I quit one of my jobs. And every day after (and it’s only been a month),  I begin to travel down the road of, “WHAT HAVE I DONE?!” “WE NEED THE MONEY!” “WE ARE BLEEDING MONEY!” To be fair to my inner voice, we have spent a lot of money on the house lately and we do owe 3k in taxes, so a freak out about money isn’t exactly unwarranted. However, I need to keep reminding myself that having two jobs meant that I didn’t have dinner with my husband more than once or twice a week, that I was on call ALLTHETIME, that the sound of my work cell phone ringing literally made my eye twitch. That I would cry every morning on my way to work, stressed underneath the trauma and needs of 40 children I was working with. 40! Children! With! Problems! That I was soveryclose to burning out in my profession. Still, letting go of work stress has been stressful. If that even makes sense.

My newest “focus on me” project is to take a yoga class. Which is funny because I own a LOT of pairs of yoga pants, and at best I’ve worn them to do yoga maybe 15-20 times. But always a video, in the comfort of my own home, where I can swear at the TV and give it funny looks when it suggests the newest way  that I should attempt to contort my body into.

Yes. I’m nervous.

So nervous I nearly went out and bought new yoga pants. So nervous I nearly talked myself out of going at all (after all, inner voice says we don’t really need to be spending money on such things).

But I am focusing. Focusing on my dedication to myself. To doing things that are new to me, stretch me past my comfort zone, force me to listen to myself (in all my crazy glory).

So, at noontime, I’ll be spreading my hot pink  yoga mat down next to a stranger. I will have weird butterflies in my stomach like it’s a first date. I will practice deep breathing and meditation, and I will wear my yoga pants proudly… to actually do yoga. Wish me luck.

Namaste.

 Linked up with Shell for…