Work'n 9-4:30 What A Way To Make A Live'n

Lucy has been at her new job at the real estate agency for little over two months now and she absolutely loves it. She was at the last place for 9 years and is a much happier person now that she has moved on…..but of course this blog is all about me and I’ve got some issues concerning her new gig.

When you’re in a marriage in which both people work, you look at each other’s jobs and compare how crummy things are.

What did you do today?

I applied credits for six hours straight.

Heh. I got yelled at by a stinky dude with a mullet who couldn’t add up the number of children he’s got.

It’s really important that nobody has too good of a job because it makes things that much harder on the one that suddenly finds themselves with the less than spectacular place of employment.

What did you do today?

I had to pull a proof of delivery on every invoice we sent to Company ABC last year.

Heh. I went to a meeting at the country club for female business leaders and won a mani/pedi!!

See what I mean? The scales have tipped. It’s one thing to complain about work when the other person has it just as bad, it’s a whole other enchilada when you’re the only one griping. Not to mention it makes it worse for the lesser person cause he knows it’s probably not so bad, but look how awesome things are on her much greener side of the mountain.

The only way to deal with this is to look at how happy the other person is and how much more fun they have suddenly become. Specifically speaking, Lucy is bouncing around like a teenager again and I find myself happier than ever because of it. Let’s face it when mama is happy, everybody is happy. She’s laughing at my jokes, eating healthier, asking me to take long walks in the afternoon, meeting me for lunch, and well….well I’ll just leave it at that. LOL

And The No's Have It

Well the votes are in (no not the BoB's they are still going strong for a few more weeks). I'm talking about the two polls I have been conducting on the sidebar. Here's how they all went down:

Should Fred Get A Hair Cut?         

Yes: 27%

No:   72%

Should Fred Get A Cat?

Yes: 15%

No:   78%

Hamster: 5%

As you can see it seems the NO's have it. Does this mean the golden locks are safe....unfortunately no. What it does mean though is that only a few of them will trimmed and his curls will remain!! After all, they are like his trademark. The cat issue is a different story. Lucy really wants him to have a kitten since Buttons is 12 and not the nicest pet a 2 year-old ever had. The issue is still being kicked around, but your vote may have helped cool the waters. 

Thanks to all that participated and look for more voting opportunities soon!!

Back To The Real World

It’s always hard to get back into the swing of things after a vacation. Even if it’s just a three day weekend, there’s just something about having to come back to work that puts a grimace on your face. Things have been especially tough this time around due to a couple of special occasions. A trip to Granny’s and The Blue’s Clues Birthday Bash And Dash.

Fred was spoiled before the week of his birthday, but after 3 parties, 3 cakes, 7 days of presents, 2 Easter egg hunts, and 1 day at the golf course with Daddy….whew I just get tired thinking about it…..he has forgotten the meaning of the word NO. In there somewhere you can add a trip to Granny’s (technically his great-grandmother) featuring his favorite uncle/aunt combo Broccoli and Brookli. It’s no wonder Lucy and I now have to figure out just what to do with this new personality our 2 year-old has decided to adopt.

NO BATH

NO SCHOOL

DO NOT HIT YOUR MOTHER

CLEAN UP YOUR MESSES

NO EAT

NO KITTY

WE DO NOT HIT THE KITTY

OUTSIDE

IT’S TOO COLD TO GO OUTSIDE

HOLD ME

I CAN’T HOLD YOU ALL THE TIME

QUIT DUMPING YOUR TOYS IN THE FLOOR

BUBBLES

WE HAVE TO PAY FOR THE BUBBLES BEFORE YOU CAN OPEN THEM

BUUUUBBBBBLLLLLEEESSSSSS

WE’VE BEEN OUTSIDE BLOWING BUBBLES FOR TWO HOURS

NNNNNNOOOOOOO

THROWING YOURSELF ON THE FLOOR IS NOT GOING TO GET YOU ANYTHING MISTER

DO YOU WANT TIME OUT?

Other than the occasional swat to the hand we have been pretty luck in the bad behavior department….I think our luck ran out last week and to be honest who could blame him. If I had all that done for me on my birthday (the parties, the constant stream of presents, all that cake, trips to the park) I’d probably drop to the ground and demand it to continue as well.

At 32 I still come home grumpy after leaving Granny’s. My grandparents live in a world where nobody screams, nobody worries (not out loud anyway), there’s very little in the way of work, and everything is in God’s hands. Now in my old age I’m sure of two things 1) It’s only this way because they put life on hold just to get everything out of the little amount of time they have with us and 2) it’s never really as green on the other side as it seems.

Still though after every trip I come back proclaiming this will be done (I was going to take drama my Senior year in high school) and this habit will stop (no more biting my nails!!). Then reality sets in and I too am left kicking and screaming cause I can’t spend all day/everyday with my family. Bills have to be paid, grass needs to be cut, and rules on how we are to behave need to be re-established. That’s what makes the special moments in life so enjoyable….if they happened everyday we’d never learn to cherish them.

A Birthday, A Bunny, & A Beautiful Day

 

Welcome To Charlie. Have A Seat. Take A Look Around.

The last time I changed the furniture around here at Charlie I swore it would be the last time for at least a while. It takes me forever to find a design I like and that green/bear/rainbow thing I had going on will always be my favorite. The problem I was having wasn’t with the look, it was with how hard it was to make changes to Blogger. I mean I had to teach myself HTML all over again every time I wanted to do something as simple as add a link.

Since Lijit is a major sponsor of the Best Of Blog Awards I felt I needed to test it out so last week I attempted to up load it and was told that I would have to update Charlie to the newest version of Blogger before I could do anything. The only problem was that I’d loose my design. Still I had been having serious issues with it anyway so I figured if it made posting just the slightest bit easier, than I’m all for it.

Now a week later I have to say I absolutely love it!! I’ve got a couple polls going on over there on the right of the screen (Lucy wants Fred to have a kitten cause Buttons is to old to have any fun) and you can also check out what I’m reading/listening to. The behind the scenes setup and navigation is easier than ever, plus I can add widgets at will.

What do you guys think? Anything I can do to make it more enjoyable for you?

No Shirt, No Shoes, No Bath

I know I said I wasn’t going to post again but all this work over at the BoB’s has put the fun back into it. Today I’m wondering how to tell my boss that the reason I was late this morning was because I couldn’t get Fred’s shirt off.

Not that he’ll ask but on the off chance I’d like to have something better for him than “My 2-year old locked his arms in the down position and refused to take his shirt off.”

How can something that small be so strong?

“NO SHIRT!!!” After fighting him for 15 minutes, Lucy’s answer was “Just put him in the bath anyway. The shirt needs washing too.”

He ran around the house for a half hour naked from the waste down threatening to pee on everything from the cat to the coat rack, finally I got it him off him. Then I heard “NO BATH” Once I got the shirt off, this one was easy. Just dunk him and go. Before he even knew he was wet he was out and screaming “NO SHOES”

Meanwhile the clock is ticking for both Lucy and I as we realize the Control Freak (as we are beginning to call him) is about to make us late. That’s when Lucy found the ultimate “get out of the house without having to beat him” card “Don’t you wanna see your girl Drew?”

Drew is this adorable blonde girl that can often be found holding Fred’s hand when Lucy arrives to take him home in the afternoons.

It’s funny to see his face and watch how he deals with questions by saying them out loud.

“Drew?”

“Dreeeewwww????”

“Drew.”

“DREW!!!”

“SHOES ON!!!”

What can I say dude’s got a thing for the chics man.

Blue's Birthday Bash And Dash (Part II)

Well we did it!! Despite having to turn a boring cake into something unforgettable and having Fred almost fall asleep in the middle of it, we pulled off the best Blue's Clues Birthday Party any 2-year old has ever seen. With his actual birthday coming up on the 20th we are planning a smaller get together and that's when he'll get the ultimate gift A TRICYCLE!!!! Thankfully he can't read yet and I know none of you will spoil the surprise (not that he knows what the word means anyways) We are going to Granny's later this week and the plan is to take Fred to the golf course for the first time to use his new clubs Pops got him before we leave town. Just in case I don't get around to posting again this week, feel free to wish Fred a Happy Birthday here, and enjoy the video/pictures of the celebration.

Blue's Birthday Bash And Dash

  

 

Fred’s 2^nd birthday party is this weekend and though we’ve been planning it for months, it’s coming down to last minute details. Like for example our cake maker calling the day before we were to pick it up and telling us she has the flu. Since we did not order a "germ"an style birthday cake, we quickly had to come up with an alternative. Cross your fingers with me and pray it turns out ok.

The BoB’s are going full blast at the same time as the party prep’s and Lucy/I are swimming in a sea of Blue Blue. Half of every night is spent on party prep and the other (9-Midnight) half is devoted to the awards. Tonight we make bone shaped cookies with blue sugar frosting and hand drawn blue paw prints in the center (again cross those fingers). Since the party hasn’t happened yet I don’t wanna give away too many details but I will say we finally managed to get a shirt for Fred just like the one Steve wears ($25 used on Ebay!! We found one for $15). Tomorrow night we set up at the church gym and then at 10:00 Saturday morning the best Blue’s Clues party ever given will be in full swing (cross whatever you’ve got left to cross).

Technorati Tags: Blues clues,birthday party,turning 2,best of blog awards

My Favorite "Before I Became One" Fantasy

As the parent of a toddler I'm continuously shocked by my misconceptions of what kind of parent I was going to be back when I was yet to have one. It's something we all go through when we start thinking about kids. I remember seeing a parent lose control once at a retail store and thinking "If that was my kid there would be none of that. No sir my child will know who the boss is" Which didn't turn out to be too far from the truth, because let's face it we both know he's the boss. I'd visit friends with children and look around in amazement at the warehouse of toys that dared to take over their entire home. Again I'd say, "My child will know the joys of playing outside. Forget video games and personal DVD players. My child will like to read and will be able to carry on an actual conversation without referring to Pokeman or Yugi-o" Two years later Blue and Steve seem to be on an endless hunt for the latest clue and it's a wonder the wonder pets ever get turned off.

My favorite "before I became one" fantasy revolves around dinner. When you're married without children dinnertime rarely ends in somebody crying, never is the scene of a crouton-throwing contest, and typically only one set of silverware is needed per person . Nowadays I find myself wondering if we should stop by that "Clown" place on the way to where the rest of us plan to eat because for some reason clowns make better chicken tenders than those so called professionally trained chefs at the lobster house. Not to mention somehow clowns have found a way to charge less for their efforts.

To say I have a fussy eater would be an understatement, but it's not so much he doesn't like eating different types of foods rather it's the fact that he's very moody about it. I'm to the point where I'm keeping a mental journal of what he's eating at every meal in hopes of predicting his next change of tongue. Don't get me wrong there's nothing bad about having a favorite food, but what do you when your child eats chicken seven nights in a row and then on the eighth night looks up at you like you've just committed a crime. "How dare you feed me chicken eight times in a row. What kind of parent are you!!!" Of course we all know the answer to that question, we have learned to be parents that come prepared with not just plan A's but also B's, C's, and even D's. Unlike the parents before us, we don't just send our kids to bed if they don't like what is being served. We realize that doing that will only result in us having to make fried bologna at 2:00 A.M. because Jr. knows that the best way to get what he wants is to deprive mommy and daddy of sleep. We are parents in the year 2008 and that means if Suzie doesn't want the hamburger we bought her than no big deal!! There's a granola bar and a banana in the diaper bag. Plus, they are 10 times better for her than some greasy hamburger.

I know some people think that parents of my generation are doing nothing but spoiling their children and depriving them of the tough skin they will need to survive on their own. I disagree. We simply have the financial means to provide our children with more than our parents provided us. After all that's what we were always told by our parents wasn't it? "These two jobs will be worth it someday when I see you working in some cozy corner office with three degrees on the wall." The way I see it, by giving my child choices as dinnertime I'm simply fulfilling my parents wishes. Besides he won't act like that when he's a teenager...

Technorati Tags: fussy eaters,parenting,married life

My Brett Favre Moment

Long before Lucy and I had Fred we were people that would leave town at the drop of a hat and drive 600 miles in the middle of the night just to spend 24 hours on a beach and come back. One year we hopped down to Gulfport, MS. to see Tim McGraw put on an outdoor concert next to the beach. All of the proceeds from the concert went to the Brett Favre foundation and rumor had it he was lurking around backstage somewhere.

So the concert's over, we had the time of our lives screaming about how we were Indian Outlaws and Real Good Men, we make our way to the back afterward to catch a glimpse of McGraw getting on his bus...and there goes Brett not 10 feet away from us heading to a hotel/casino across the street.

At this point I could lie and say I shook his hand and took my picture with him and he signed Lucy's..never mind. It would be a lie so I won't tell it. Nobody wants to have to keep up with a purse during a concert. There's too many people all crammed in together so backpacks are too bulky as well. Of course you wanna go have a good time and not worry about baggage, so you leave everything but your wallet hidden under a blanket in the trunk of the car and put your cash/I.D in your front pocket.

We're standing there and sure enough Brett Favre walks by some ten feet away. 

We all scream "Hey Brett!!!"

Then it hits me. I gotta get him to sign something. "WHO'S GOT A PEN!!!! IT'S BRETT FREAK'N FARVE!! I NEEEEDDD A PEEEENNNN"

I can't very well ask the man to borrow a pen to sign his own name, or can I?

"HEY BRETT CAN YOU SIGN MY.." My what? I don't have nothing for him to sign!

"WHO'S GOT A SCRAP OF PAPER!!! I NEED A PEN AND SOME PAPER!!! COME BACK BRETTTTT! I NEED TO BORROW SOME PAPER AND A PEN SO YOU CAN SIGN YOUR NAME!!!!"

Alas it never happened...no paper, no pen, nothing for him to sign except for Lucy's..and she'd probably want to wash them sooner or later so there went that as well. At least I got to say Hi though. Sunday's will never be the same.

 

Technorati Tags: brett farve,greenbay packers,nfl,greatest moments,tim mcgraw

The Best Of Blogs

Recently I some how managed to successfully apply for the job of Project Mgr. for this year's The Best Of Blog awards (The BoB's). The BoBs are an online awards program that celebrates the lesser known blogger and attempts to send some major amounts of traffic their way. As Project Mgr I'm responsible for a whole blog load of duties including regularly posting on the site, sorting through 3,000+ nominations, and eventually picking a winner. The event takes 2 months to unfold starting yesterday and lasting until the final vote tally the first week of May.

Most of my Blogging Buddies you see to the left fit in the "under 250 hits a week" eligibility rule so do yourself (and me) a favor and go on over and nominate one. Oh and we changed the rules this year to allow for bloggers who want to nominate themselves, so if you are one of the Blogging Buddies I just spoke about go get yourself some free publicity!!