My Real Life

1.  Chicken McNuggets.

Forget the 6 piece.

When we go to McDonald’s, I get the 10 piece.

And, to be honest, I could easily down the 20 piece without even thinking twice.

Chicken McNuggets in hot mustard sauce and I am in heaven.

Pure heaven.

2.  Driving fast.

Driving really fast.

There is something about speeding down a highway that is so freeing.

I don’t speed with the kids in the car, but I’ll admit that if I ever get to be alone in the car, (which is pretty much never), my foot gets a little heavy.

I once got a ticket for going 97 while I was driving my little Nissan Pulsar through Pennsylvania to college in Ohio.

When the cop came to the window, he said, “I didn’t have my radar on when I saw you, and by the time it kicked in, you were at 97. I know you were going over 100, but can only ticket you for what I clocked you at.”

I said, “Oh my gosh, I can’t believe it!  I must have lost track!  I was just following the traffic!”

But in my head, I was saying, “Over a hundred?  Try 110, buddy.”

I have a need.  A need for speed.

3.  Movie theater popcorn.

I don’t get the butter…it actually makes me a little sick to my stomach, but even the regular popcorn has enough salt on it to dry up a snail.

But, I love it.

I can’t go to a movie and not get some.

It’s just so delicious.

Makes the whole movie experience better.

My eyes are always bigger than my stomach and I can never eat all I buy by myself, particularly because my lips dry out before I can even get a third of the way through, but that’s why I bring Real Man to the movies with me.

Cuz we share the popcorn love.

Oh, and because I love him.

4.  Wearing really high heels.

I love my heels.

However, I have a job that has me on my feet for most of the day.

I wear them anyway, and they don’t bother me while I’m wearing them.

Because I have flat feet, the heel is actually quite comfortable for me while I’m wearing them.

But, coming home and taking them off is painful.

My foot goes from 8 hours of tiptoe to flat on the floor and it hurts.

Badly.

I should probably by some halfway heel slippers and wear them when I get home to ease my feet back into the flat position, but that seems silly.

So, instead, I’ll just suffer for my beautiful shoes.

5.  Pinterest.

I love Quora, as I spoke about a few posts ago, but I still enjoy Pinterest.

The reason it’s bad for me is because it makes me feel bad about myself.

Someone posted on Facebook the other day a poster that said, “All of my friends are posting about the pinecone wreaths they made after finishing baking their perfect pound cake.  I’m just happy the kids got a bath and nobody died.”

That’s pretty much how I feel most days, and some days, we don’t even get to the bath.

I look at some of the recipes and crafts on Pinterest and think to myself “Do people really have time to do all of this stuff?”

And they must, because there is the picture proof!

I guess the only way to stay with Pinterest and not feel like a failure is to just stick to the pictures of hot guy celebrities and book reviews.

Sacrifice.

Daily Gratitude, Day 28

Today I am grateful that my parents are both still alive and well.

1.  So…the new washer and dryer are here.

We went with the LG and they are beautiful.

I haven’t had a chance to use them yet, however, as soon as I got home from work and saw them, I realized our mistake.

All of the buttons and dials are on the front.

Within reach of Tiny.

Who has already forced the dishwasher to create new error codes for itself due to the constant button pushing of his little fingers.

Laundry room is right off the kitchen and the door has no lock, as it is a pocket door.

Gonna need a latch.

Fast.

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2.  I am totally digging Maroon 5’s “Just One More Night.”

It’s just stuck on replay in my head.

And on my iPhone.

Good song.

Stupid video, but good song.

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3.  We have turned this place inside out and upside down and I can officially say that Monkey Girl’s iPod is just gone, gone, gone.

There is no possible way she lost it in the house, unless…

Tiny picked it up and threw it away.

And, if that’s the case, it’s in some landfill somewhere, entertaining the junkyard dogs.

I just hate the feeling that we don’t know where it is.

When she got it, she asked if she should have iCloud turned on and I, in my infinite wisdom, said “No…I don’t think you’ll need that.”

Guess what.

She does, if she wants to use “Find my iPod.”

So, it’s gone, she’s heartbroken, I’m heartbroken and pissed, and Real Man is just pissed.

We run the gamut of emotions, here, folks.

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4.  The good news:  I’m typing this on Monday night and I’m actually pretty tired, which means I seem to be heading toward a Monday night full of good rest and not the usual Monday insomnia.

The bad news:  It’s 8:34, Tiny has been in bed for an hour, and he is still calling me through the monitor.  I went in about 40 minutes ago and rocked him for a bit, but it didn’t take.

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5.  My friend, S.W. Hubbard just had her newest book published.

You’ll definitely want to check it out!

Another Man’s Treasure

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6.  Countdown to love and awesomeness.

Kim is getting married this Saturday!

I’m so incredibly happy for her and cannot wait to celebrate this joyous day!

Yeah for Kim!

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7.  Someone shared this on Facebook.

Yep.

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8.  You know how when a baby is having trouble falling asleep, and they are whining a bit, but not really crying, and then they are quiet for, like, three minutes, and for the whole three minutes you sit perfectly still, holding your breath?  Then, he/she cries, and suddenly you let out the breath that you were holding and you realize that maybe it’s a good thing they started crying again because you might have passed out because you didn’t realize you were actually holding your breath the whole time?  Yeah.  That’s happening here.

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9.  I don’t really have a #9, but I feel like stopping at #8 is shortchanging the reader.

Like, it either has to be 5 or it has to be 10.

Unless it is like  “The Tuesday Two,” but seriously, why would you even bother with just two?

So, 10 it is because it just feels more right.

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10.  My Draw Something app on my iPad tells me that I have 99 notifications waiting for me.

I haven’t played in months and I am afraid to open the app, at this point.

I just sorta ran out of steam with Draw Something.

I love words, so I’m still on top of Words With Friends and love Phrase Friends, as well.

But Draw Something and I had a brief, but fiery love affair, but it’s all fizzled out, and I’m left with the whiny app on my iPad that stares at me every time I turn it on, saying “C’mon, Amy…I’ll try harder…I can make you happy…I know I can.”

But you know what, Draw Something?  You can’t.  You just can’t.

I have a holiday nemesis.

It’s not the Elf on the Shelf, although I hear he’s a popular nemesis.

(And…if you are looking for some holiday laughs, go buy my middle-school friend, Jen’s, book Spending the Holidays with People I Want to Punch in the Throat  She has lots to say about the Elf on the Shelf, and I can guarantee it’ll make you laugh!)

No…my nemesis is something much smaller.

Something that disguises itself as holiday cheer.

Something sweet to share with the family or with guests or to bring with you if you are invited somewhere.

Something to make people smile.

Russell Stover Caramels and Chews.

Not just any box of Russell Stover candy.

The Caramels and Chews box.

There is not one single piece of candy in this box that I don’t love.

I thought I’d escape it, this year.

We hosted Thanksgiving at our home for my parents and my father-in-law.

I knew what they were bringing for dessert, and so I thought I was in the clear.

But Real Man headed to the store and came home with the box.

Good Lord, I love them.

I’ve been relatively well-behaved with them in the house.

Well, I mean, I ate the Roman Nougats (both of them) within 30 seconds of the box being opened.

The fruit and nuts were close behind.

Oh, and the peanut chews.

I guess I wasn’t as well-behaved as I thought.

However, I’ve been exercising and my glucose numbers have been good, so I’m going to allow myself a little Thanksgiving fun.

And if another box comes in the house.

I’ll do better.

Perhaps.

Instead of a blog post, today, I’ve spent some time cleaning up the blog.

I deleted a few pages like the Real Food page.

This isn’t Pinterest.  No one cares what we eat.

I also deleted the Grocery Goal page.

I still try to do my best when I shop, but I don’t remember to post it…ever, so I don’t think we need a page.

I’ve kept Books Read 2010 and Books Read 2012 and will be adding Books Read 2013, because I think some people like to see what books others are reading.

Kind of like Goodreads.

Love that site.

I don’t always remember to keep up with the Books Read 2012 page, but when I do, I add.

I kept Real Weight Loss, as I am trying hard to keep myself accountable with the exercise.

I do great when I’m not in school.

I do terribly when I am.

My major goal for 2013 will be to figure out an exercise plan that I can stick with, even during the week when I am working.

It may involve some very early hours or some late nights, but I really, really, really need to take better care of myself, for so many reasons.

I’m always open for ideas, if there is anything you’d like to see on the blog.

New feature days, new pages, etc.

Comments and questions always welcome!

Daily Gratitude, Day 25

Today I am grateful for my health.

Hide and Seek!

Daily Gratitude, Day 24
Today, I am grateful for family. The one that lives in this house and the rest that don’t.

Daily Gratitude, Day 22

I’m grateful that I have so many things to be thankful for that I have a hard time narrowing it down, each day, for the daily gratitude.

Daily Gratitude, Day 21

I’m grateful that 15 seconds after crying, Tiny can give a smile like the one above.