If you stand for nothing, you will fall for anything.

We are sprinting to the finish line for 2009 and I cannot wait for it to be over. It has had its bright spots but for the most part I am ready to ring in the new year and hopefully a few new happier moments. 2009 seemed to be a year of loss for us, which seems weird - it seems like every other phone call or knock at the door was another dose of bad news. I asked Lance the other day, when I found out that my second cousin had died in a vehicle accident in Texas, if death had always surrounded us and we never knew it or has it really been a bad year? He agreed, it has really been a bad year. The individuals that we lost this year were not old, actually not a one of them died of old age - nor were they expected. The series of events have kept us humble and perhaps given us some much needed perspective during this holiday time. To say that this holiday season will be tough will be an understatement. We are living pay-check to paycheck and sometimes not even making it then. Lance has...

Okay so as I bitch and moan thru 2009 I dug deep to find a little good....good that I thought I would share. Work - thinks are getting better. I am getting my arms around it more and more each day, and starting to feel like someone who deserves to her paycheck, rather than feeling like a complete moron. That folks is a good feeling, as each day passes I dive deeper and deeper into the 'ins' and out's ' of this place. And although it has its dark moments it is by far a better place than my last job. The people are just as nice, the politics still suck, but by far a better place. I am getting grounded and starting to feel like I get it and I belong. Whew - just shy of 6 mths in the making. I am thankful to have a job in this market and the recession. I know alot of Finance people are struggling to get work or keep their jobs, I feel pretty secure that my job will be available regardless of the market. The pay is not top notch but the benefits are great, the fl...

I keep trying to remind myself to count my blessings this year, to take it all in and remember the good. This year has been a REALLY, REALLY tough one, and it seems like it gets worse with each phone call or knock at the door. Last week we had to attend the funeral for our 20 year old football coach. This event rocked us to the core. My son is sad beyond words and my husband even put a suit on. We had only know Kyle and his family for a brief time, but it felt like a lifetime. We spent a lot of time together over the past few months. The loss of Kyle has left us with a lot of sorrow. Lance and I continue to remain close to his father, step-mom and brother - all a constant reminder of what a great guy Kyle was. We spent last week getting food together, going to the viewing, going to the funeral ect. All of these events came with their own level of emotions, and helped to place some items in prospective. Last night we get the news that our babysitters brother was in a car accide...

2009 Halloween was a success at our home. Rylan decided to be a football player for the 2nd year in a row. Pyper decided to be princess with football player make up. Because once she saw her brother with the make-up out she HAD to have some too. Pyper had been telling us and everyone she met that she was going to be Snow White, which was fine - we have two dress up Snow White outfits. As you can tell, she did not end up being Snow White, she decided to be her version of 'Bell' (from Beauty & The Beast). Well, more like Bell the football player. This was the first year that Pyper really 'got it'. She carved her own pumpkin, she dug out all the goo and luv'd the finished product. At the same token, Rylan seemed rather bored with the process. Half way thru his arm got tired, his eyes hurt - blah, blah, blah. This was the first year, we did not stay home in our subdivision. The kids got more crap and candy than they will ever eat, none the less.

So as we were sharing stories about our kids this morning at work, over coffee one of the ladies said 'have any of you ever heard of a bu-thigh (buh-thigh)?' We all looked at each other, our brains churning trying to recall if the doctors ever mentioned an issue with a bu-thigh or trying to determine if it was some new crazy virus. In our morning haze, we all came up blank.....blank, and still blank. Well, apparently it is alot like cankles - you know the cross between your calf and ankles. I know I had them twice, one with each kid. No one could tell where my calf stopped and my ankle began. And today I learned that I have a bu-thigh as well. This is where your butt meets your thigh and no one call tell where one ends and one begins. ahem.....sigh......ahem. As side from being a little depressed about the conversation, and not feeling like this is a term I ever really wanted to learn I gave a little thought to my back-side. Which folks is in sad shape - no need to go ahead ...

So by now everyone has heard that Disney is going to refund anyone who bought a baby Einstein video between 2000 and 2005; which by the way would be a ton of people I know - Including myself. Of course we bought the video's, we watched them - hello bold colors, random movements and silly sounds. My household rather enjoyed them, my son found them to be interesting and they did keep him occupied for a good 10 to 20 minutes - which is mommy world, equals relief. Hell, I would pop in Porky's if I thought it would give me 10 to 20 minutes of relief during the baby, toddler stage. As a consumer, as a parent and as a semi-level headed adult, I never imagined that the videos would actually make my child smarter or create the next Einstein. I found them to be a better option then the Ed, Edd and Eddy cartoon their father insisted on watching. I found that 8 years ago I could tolerate the videos better than Barney the big purple turd. Because during those day, no I did luv barney...

I swear I am married to a morphed form of Martha Stewart and Ed Bundy. I refer to Tuesday as our hell days, these are the days when Pyper has gymnastics and Rylan has football - we run around like idiots. Well this past Tuesday, we were also at the hospital with Lance's dad. So I decided to put on my mom pants and be the one who would run the kids around, normally I am at work and Lance gets it all done. I left the hospital in enough time to go home and catch a quick half hour nap prior to picking up the kids from the sitters. I managed to convince myself that since Rylan wasn't off the bus yet, I could go home and make nice with my couch, open my windows, say a few prayers and attempt to unwind. That lasted like a milla-second. I get the kids, get home and start the Tuesday scramble......start Rylan's homework, find the uniform, find the football crap, feed the kids, pack snacks, pack chairs, pack a cooler, pack Pypers mystery bag of stuff to do for 2 hrs of football p...