The Waiting Game (and The House We Chose)

Now that we've gone house-hunting, and confirmed for ourselves that there is indeed a perfect house for us, we put in an offer.

Gulp.

That, itself, is scary enough (and if we're friends on Facebook, you'll know first-hand the freak-out I'm currently experiencing). It's unfortunate, though, that the sellers have hired a realtor who doesn't seem to know her ass from her elbow and grasp the freakin' situation we are in.

We, as military, in a move like this, have to get orders "cut" (written) that state we are reporting to another base/post. Once those orders are set, my husband attends a levy brief with which he is walked through (with other soldiers in similar positions) the paperwork to file to get transportation to move our household goods from here to our new post. My husband chose the date May 27th so that we could clear this post on the nice, round date of June 1st, month's beginning. (He would have chosen later move out date, but it's a holiday weekend - Memorial Day).

Unfortunately, once this move-out date is chosen, this puts us on the "clock" so-to-speak (think NFL Draft pick scenario). This means we have to have a house by the time the driver of our moving truck arrives to San Antonio or our stuff goes to government storage until we obtain a house, and getting our stuff back out again will take up to 30 days to get. That's worse case scenario, people, and something I want to avoid.

Also, USAA, our lender for this home loan, needs 30 days to close. If all goes well and this offer on the house goes through, USAA told us we will close June 3rd, which might be too late for the movers. To thwart that, included in our offer is the offer to the sellers pay "rent" to them (we calculated a week's worth of mortgage & tax) to take possession sooner than our closing date, to be sure we are there, in the house, to receive the truck should the movers arrive earlier than our closing on June 3rd.

All reasonable things to ask, all in writing, all submitted crazy-fast, with the emphasis to their realtor that we need an answer SOON, like, NOW.SOON.NOW.

Currently, we are told there is a counter-offer, but nothing has been sent to our realtor as of 2pm CST when she was told half-hour for the counter at 11am. I am shocked and dismayed, friends. (And did I mention freaking out?)

This house has been on the market for almost SIX months. Usually not a good sign, but it's been on the market because the seller's realtor made a mistake (a few in fact). A mistake that has fated this house into our lap, I feel, and I am hoping it will become ours. But, because our realtor doesn't think too highly of the mistakes the seller's realtor has made, this has left me to doubt whether or not this other realtor is really doing the sellers a disservice and ill-advising them on this offer, our situation, all of this. This other realtor doesn't understand military, it seems, nor sees that the offer we made was a good, strong offer. We gave them their asking price, for crying out loud! We could have low-balled them, but we didn't. We wanted no counters, just a quick acceptance, we put down $500 earnest money (which we won't get back if this doesn't work out) because we WANT it, we want to take possession VERY soon (and have to) and I am so besides myself that they want to counter, being lead by a realtor who hasn't a clue what she is doing.

I am trying not to be a ball of nerves right now, because this is SUCH a huge process. I want to think positively. I know our realtor is a freakin' NINJA and she was born and bred this realty game, not to mention, she's the proud parent to EIGHT children, so she truly "gets" us on so many levels. (Big props to USAA Mover's Advantage folks for the hook-up with our Ninja Realtor of Awesome).

But seriously? What is the hold up? What is this other realtor smoking? And after 6 months, wouldn't you jump at a good offer that is GIVING you your asking price?

Think positively for us, friends. I will update this post (or create a new entry, even) if we hear anything. Stay tuned. And cross your fingers, eyes, toes, hands, feet - whatevs for us. We need it.

P.S. And for those of you who asked? We chose this 3200 sq foot beauty on a cul-de-sac, across the street from the homeowner's association pool and park. Per-freakin'-fect!

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Nervous. Overwhelmed. Excited. Hold me.

Hubby's creepy smile
about receiving orders

Today we're going to pile all eleventy-kajillion of our kids in the car to begin an adventure to our soon-to-be new hometown of San Antonio, TX. Six hours and many gray-hairs later, we will meet our USAA-approved realtor for the first time, a lovely woman with eleventy-kajillion kids herself, and brainstorm our "shortlist" of favorited homes to hopefully find our new-to-us home.

I am a huge ball of nerves, friends. This move is way different than any other we've ever done. Buying a home is serious.

Sitting here, gazing upon house listing after house listing, envisioning our children in the pictures I see, playing in these backyards, sliding down the stairs on their rear-ends - I can see it as plain as day before me. We are going to see these real-life houses up close, in person, and one of them will hopefully be "our" house. It's SO hard to quantify that into words, into something tangible and express my excitement, joy, yet nervously overwhelmed feeling of OHMYGODWE'REGONNABEHOMEOWNERS. GAH!

We've never done this before. This isn't how this has worked for us previous moves - the Army says move, and we move - on post. We've rented off post before, but whoa, buying? A house? One that will be ours to keep? Whoa, dude. Whoa.

And then there's that whole rule about not falling in love, especially if it doesn't pan out. How can I not fall in love? This house right here? TWICE THE SIZE of what we have now. And huge. And perfect. Did I mention huge? With a kitchen we can have more than one person in at a time with space and light and a yard that's fenced on a cul de sac. It is, by far, my favorite house. I don't know if I can leave it once we see it, and wait a month to move in. (And I haven't even seen it yet. Good gracious...)

Picture me, waving from that porch. My minivan 'o many kids in the driveway.

And this one? Kind-of makes me want to burst into song with the Sound of Music or something cheesy like that. For serious.

And this sunny yellow house? Bee-yoo-tee-full.

This one here has lush green lawns, a nice-sized yard, and makes me happy.

And OHMYGOSH, this one?? This one is a FIVE-BEDROOM with TWO MASTER BEDROOMS, a LOFT AND GAMEROOM. I may have fainted when I saw the listing.

Yesterday, hubs attending the transportation brief - our household goods get picked up for transport May 27th - exactly one month from today. And today, one month before our stuff gets packed onto a ginormous moving truck to take off to the house-we-haven't-found-to-live-in-yet, we're off on the adventure to find it, like a treasure hunt. And tomorrow we will see all of them, first-hand.

Tomorrow is going to be a big, big, BIG day. I am so nervous, and excited, and nauseous.

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A Little Dirt Ain't Killed Anyone

It had become apparent to me, as I watched my daughter pick up her pretty fluorescent pink ball to throw down the lane in an effort to hit some/most/all of the pins, that she still had dirt on her face from being outside earlier today.

Her hair was back in a pony-tail, gathered at the nape of her neck, tattered in places, curls slightly matted, sweat had seeped into her golden tresses and they shined in an unclean way on her head. As adorable as she was, she was in desperate need of a bath something fierce. The added grime from the bowling alley wasn't going to help her cleanliness matters any, but you could see from the smile that kept sprawling across her face that she was happy.

It didn't matter if she got all the pins down or not, or that she had remnants of playing outside painted on her face in streaks - she was happy, and dancing, and being a complete goofball alongside her siblings, dancing to the barely-heard music in the background.

They all seemed a little worse-for-wear with dirt behind their ears and under their fingernails, dirt I hadn't noticed before we left, or dirt they attempted to get off but were unsuccessful but too excited about bowling to try harder to remove.

It didn't matter of my children were the sloppiest ones there (they weren't). What mattered was they were outside, enjoying the sun and the dirt, and jumping and living for their activeness outside, making the most of their Spring Break outdoors for most of their day.

My kids have dirt, and I will surely have to wash those tubs of the dirt rings they left behind, but those dirt rings signify they played well. And that makes me happy.

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Earth Day and Healthy Me

Spending last weekend in New Orleans at Mom 2.0 was definitely counter-productive to my desire to watch what I eat for Mission: Healthier Me. I was so surprised by how easy it is to overindulge in the Big Easy. (I blame this on the Beignets and fabulous Ritz Carlton staff for making incredible food and being top notch, offering anything and everything we could ever want. Okay, no I don't. I blame it on my inability to say "No," because it was there, and delicious, and plentiful.)

As you can imagine, overindulging in New Orleans cuisine has left me feeling quite craptastic physical-wise this week, but I will tell you, the trip was quite healing for my soul, and emotion-wise, I feel fanfreakintastic. It was just what I needed.

Lately, I have not been able to carve out an appropriate time to run, with it already being in the high 80s and 90s. I intend to run when I can (early mornings, I guess?), do the elliptical on days in between, and I've restarted the 30 Day Shred starting today, to work-out for the next 30 days, every day, non-stop (barring illnesses, injury, or anything getting in the way). I haven't been diligent in my fitness lately, and it shows, so I am taking my fitness routine to the next level, and I'm excited (but nervous) about it! Will you help support me?

I feel pretty at peace, though. Today was filled with happy - it begins our Spring Break, as well as today being Earth Day and Easter this weekend (my favorite, dirt-between-the-fingers holiday). My Baby Dude is celebrating, too, with his organic "Reduce, Reuse, Recycle" shirt from Barley and Birch.

Today, I sat outside, I did five miles on the elliptical, and let Jillian Michaels kick my ass on the 30 Day Shred while Baby Dude squatted and stretched with me.

Today was good. This past week was also very good. But for me? I am not only good, I am getting better. And that, my friends, means the world to me.

Join us, will you? You might decide your Mission: Healthier Me is to lose weight, or cut out soda, or to make healthier choices, or incorporate exercise daily. Whatever you choose, choose something healthy, that's it! And follow along with us while we support one another to achieve our missions together. We plan to post every week on Fridays what we're up to and how we're doing.


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My Next Halloween Costume - My Girly Toddler

I think I'm going to dress up as a toddler girl for Halloween.

I'm going to slap on anything I deem looks pretty, even if the colors don't even remotely match, with mismatched clickety, cloppety plastic heels that make me walk funny, and stuff every barrette I can find in my hair, half hanging off.

I'm going to grab the smallest purse I own, and cram random things in it, like, stray money, tchotchkes, and my leftover chicken nuggets or grilled cheese lunch.

I'm going to snatch and wear every necklace my mommy owns, and wear them all at the same time, Mr. T-style.

I will secretly paint my finger-and-toe-nails blood red, to include finger-tips, and freak out my parents, even though I think I did a magnificent job.

I will frighten my mother by breaking into her make-up bag with all her expensive make-up, and painting my face like a clown, and make her cry - not only because of the crazy painted face, but because of the expense of having to replace everything I used that is now ruined.

After all is said and done, and my wardrobe is complete, I'll demand to go out in public, dressed exactly like this, and wonder why the smiles that greet me are paired with giggles and sympathetic pats to the back for my sulking parents.

Yup - my costume's gonna rock! My kids are gonna love walking around, house-to-house, with me. {high five}

Who's with me?

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Mom 2.0 - Just What This Writer-Mom Needed

I have to unpack my mind as well as my suitcase, both are full from the past three days. Having clothed me this weekend, fuller by the day, chock-full of memorable trinkets, gluttonous moments made, and brimming with intention and new-found purpose after recharging my writer-battery.

I am so filled with happy, I could probably piss sunshine and rainbows right now, friends.

Missing these faces already. (Click to enlarge)

For now though, I'm going to happily revel in my return to my family, my glorious husband, my over-excited-to-see-me yet sniffling kids, and seek solace in simplicity, in picking my son's boogery nose among the endless amounts of laundry await me. The glitz and glamour of the fabulous Ritz Carlton may have been left behind in New Orleans, but the treasures I found there this weekend I hold close to my heart, now and forever.

P.S. Watch this, created by the very lovely and talented Katherine Center for Mom 2.0. This just about sums up the meaning of MY LIFE in a video. One of the many, many reasons this weekend why I was a big ball of soul-cleansing tears - so emotional, moving; so perfect, poetic and heart-stoppingly beautiful.



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Mission: Healthier Me (Inside and Out) - Join Us?

Updated weight loss pictures

As you may or may not know, it's been two years since I began my weight loss journey. (OMG! Two years and I missed the "dietoversary" date! Whoops!) I can't believe how much my quality of life and health have changed in these two years, and how different and wonderful I feel since I started. I feel as though a weight has been lifted (um, literally), like I was given the gift of a second chance at living and loving life the right way. I feel so foolish for all those years wasted, doubting myself, doubting that I could do it, and I feel even more foolish for what I'm about to say.

I still feel that same hunger-pang of self-doubt and failure, sometimes.

That gut-wrenching, nervous-stomach feeling, like you've failed, that you're never, ever going to get "there" (wherever "there" is), and that you're fighting a losing battle? I can't believe it, but I still get it. After all I've lost, and strengthened, and healthified on my body, to admit these words is downright ridiculous! Yet, unfortunately, it's still sometimes true. It seems it isn't my body in need of an overhaul, it's my brain.

I confessed to you about how I raided my closet before Disney, looking for conference-worthy clothes, ones I hadn't touched in months (with nothing razzle-dazzle to attend) only to find them too tight, and having to resort to larger sized clothes that were in the In-Need-of-a-Tailor pile (thank goodness I never sent them).

Ever since, I've straightened myself up, and vowed to make a change to try to ascertain why my body is being so stubborn, considering this a fail on my part. Surely, I must be doing something wrong, right? I began alternating running with kettlebell workouts, and purchased an elliptical recently. I have also chose to try eating gluten-free, which, I will admit, makes me feel more energized and healthier, but while I feel good, being so fit and active, the scale still is not budging, nor are my measurements. And, while completely frustrating, I see what needs to happen, now; what needs to change is not my fitness routine or eating habits, it's my HEAD.

My Mission: Healthier Me is to try (desperately) not to feel so defined by "the number" and to relish in the fact that I am healthy, even if I don't feel the number accurately depicts that. I'm going to stop focusing so much on the scale and realize it's the overall accomplishment of health that matters. I will stop being a naysayer, a party pooper, and a Debbie Downer, and go easier on myself, instead of being my toughest critic. 

{Insert confession-filled exhale here}

I am going to stop beating myself up, and, instead, hold my head up high, and work my ass off, just as I have been, and ENJOY it! I enjoy running! I enjoy eating well, and enjoy choosing good foods, and enjoy working out, and looking at my new reflection in the mirror. So what, if the Wii Fit scale doesn't say I'm at my lowest weight since partaking in this journey - why should it? Isn't the fact that I'm healthy what's important here? And why is it old habits die so hard?

I am on a mission now, friends. I need to stop being so damn overly critical of myself, and give myself a freakin' break once in a while. The end result of all of this, in the beginning, may have been to lose weight, but I think my body is telling me that I did it, I'm done. And any fine-tuning I need to do, now, shouldn't have anything to do with weight or the scale, if I'm doing the right thing - working out and eating right.

Would you like to join us? You might decide your Mission: Healthier Me is to lose weight, or cut out soda, or to make healthier choices, or incorporate exercise daily. Whatever you choose, choose something healthy, that's it! And follow along with us while we support one another to achieve our missions together. We plan to post every week on Fridays what we're up to and how we're doing. C'mon, join us!



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Mom 2.0 Summit and The Traveling Mom Conundrum - Keeping it Real

450 of you will see me this weekend at Mom 2.0 in New Orleans, and I'm gonna have on all kinds-of cute things from my wardrobe that NEVER get to see the light of day, except for occasions like this. I'm going to wear actual big-girl makeup, have the ability to leisurely slurp coffee without losing balance with small people tugging at my legs, and eat a whole meal without rushing and getting up forty-two kajillion times to fetch drinks or another fork when a child's mysteriously makes it to the floor.

I will be wearing something probably closely resembling this (okay, so maybe I'll be wearing exactly this):

Note: Hair done, make-up on, but still super-cheesy grin

But, in actuality, my day-to-day, mom-to-six fashion consists of this:

(Don't judge, yo.)

I think we all struggle with some semblance of trying to maintain a balance in-between these two extremes, yes? I know I certainly do. (Isn't it evident above?)

I will stuff my suitcase filled with way-too-many outfits and shoes, brimming with uncertainty about whether to wear any of it, to venture to New Orleans to play parental hookie with other bloggers to network, connect, and breathe.

(Unbelievably enough, for the three years we've lived in this state, this will be my first trip to New Orleans!)

In the interest of keeping it real (or, even MORE real): I will admit, I have pre-conference butterflies.

It's always tough in these travel situations, peeling myself away from the kids, my husband, and the confines of my oh-so-cozy home. It's odd how I simultaneously have this travel bug, eager to see new places and friend's faces, yet, I am pulled towards the comforts of my home, my things, and familiarity. Such a conundrum, no?

My bags are half-packed as we speak, phone and iPod charging, laundry's tumbling, coffee is being consumed with not-so-subtle slurping, and yet, I'm half-paralyzed, semi-procrastinating, dreading the last hugs from little arms I'll get before I close the car door and leave to drive four hours for my NOLA adventure, despite how much-needed the alone time and dressing up is.

But then, I'll arrive, find my first familiar face, "squee!" with delight while we hug and super-fast catch-up while muscling my ridiculous luggage to my room, and that exhale will occur, the one which announces "I have arrived!" And for three days, I'll have time to myself, I can work without constant interruption, breathe without changing numerous diapers and the constant nagging of laundry-and-dishes-deadlines looming. I'll get to "be pretty" while taking time to do my hair without smallish Mini-Me's tugging at my legs, and I'll remember what it's like to just think for myself, about myself, and do things just for me. Even if it's for work, time away like this feels like a semi-vacation for most of us, a return to a once-pre-kid kind-of normal, a desperately-needed self-balance that recharges you, even if there's underlying mom-type guilt involved.

Such is the traveling mom conundrum. Do you suffer from it, too?

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Kissy Face with Daddy

Baby Sis gettin' some smooches from hubs in her sweet-as-Apple-pie pigtails. Could you not just DIE from cuteness?

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An Ode to My Husband. He is Awesome. The End.

(I apologize if I get mushy here, folks, but I can't in good conscience go another day without letting everyone know how awesome he is. And no, he didn't take over my blog and post this himself, but I wouldn't be surprised if he tried someday. Ha!)

Being a good dad, posing with Goofy

My husband is kind-of like my backbone; I wouldn't be upright, functional, or working properly without him. He's the one that's given me a voice when I couldn't find one, the one whose picked me up and lifted me when I wasn't able to myself. He holds my hair when I barf, and picks up tampons when I need 'em. I mean, he's a real Prince Charming, except I kind-of envision him as the dude from Chuck in Tangled instead, in a "Here comes the smoulder," kind-of way - funny but heroic. He's not just my partner in life, he IS my life.

I remember sitting at lunch at Disney with Katja, and we both gushed on and on about our love for our husbands, how we're going to be old bitties being chased by our husbands with canes and walkers (and vice versa), bouncing around the conversation how they are so supportive of what we do, only helping push us to succeed. And because he wants me to do so well, he's readily gives up his own free time for me to be able to accomplish things, like time-crunched deadlines, blog conferences and brand trips, as well as appointments and conference calls.

He gives up golf time for me, man. That's kind-of amazing, no?

When we tried, without fail, in putting together our new razzafrackin' elliptical the other night, he packed it all up, and with both babies in tow, yesterday, he drove the hour back to the store to get a replacement for me. That's love, man. While I picked up the kids from school, he saw to it that we got a replacement that worked this time. It's those acts of awesome, y'know?

Like how he has taken over making dinner more times than I can remember, and yet, it's kind-of hot to see him get his hands dirty in flour, hip-deep in making a mess something from scratch, or getting passionate about a sauce he's created, or a cake he's baked for someone, seeing how proud he is despite him thinking it's the Frankenstein of birthday cakes. I think back to a time when I first met him and boxed dinners with water and sauce packets were his expertise. My heart flutters to see how far he's come, how much he just rolls up his sleeves, this big, protective soldier, to get into the nitty-gritty of parenting and such right along with me. There he is, down on the ground, letting his toddler daughter do pretend "hair-dos" on him, or endlessly playing trucks with our Baby Dude, or jumping around on the trampoline with the older ones. Or changing dirty diapers. Dude, dirty diapers? He's my savior, man. He is simply the glue that keeps us all together.

Being a dork in Disney with me

I can't wait to move to San Antonio and see him finish college there (he is 16 credits away from his degree in Business Administration with a concentration in Marketing). We want to continue to travel all parts of the US together with our big family in the minivan. (Yes, more ass-numbing travel FTW!) Currently, we're actually in talks about buying our first house in San Antonio, and I couldn't be more excited to see him so excited about it. Like a kid in a candy store.

We're that couple people roll their eyes at.
We're that couple our kids get embarrassed about because we get smoochy-smoochy and huggy-kissy.
And, like I said earlier, he's gonna be chasing my ass down beyond when I'm old and gray and toothless.

But as long as he's by my side, I'm more than okay, I'm freakin' fantastic.

That is, so long as I don't put together any furniture or fitness equipment and ask him "Is it in yet?" because, apparently, it's against some man-law to ever say those words to your husband. Whoops!

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First Baseball Game EVER!

He is our first child to play baseball, and today is opening ceremonies and his first baseball game. He is so proud, so excited, and simply over the moon.

They gave him his jersey at practice on Thursday, and he hasn't stopped wearing the hat. In fact, you'll notice, his pants are dirty. He loves playing so much, he hasn't given me his pants to wash yet. Ew, but adorable! (He's such my sentimental kid!)

Congratulations, sweetheart on your big first day! I hope you have a wonderful game today (especially after all you've been through this week).

Would you congratulate him, too? And wish him well? It would mean a lot. (And thank you!)

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One of the 23498237 Reasons Why I'm Going Gray

Actual conversation: 

Toddler: I want to take a bath with Super M.
Me: No, baby. Super M already had a bath.
Toddler: But I want to take a bath with Super M!!
Me: But Super M took a bath when he got home.
Toddler: But how? There's no bath tub in the car!?
Me: {Smacks head} Ugh! Baby, go take a bath with Captain Obvious.
Toddler: I don't want to take a bath with Captain Obvious, I want to take a bath with Super M!
Me: But you can play girl games with Captain Obvious.
Toddler: But I don't want to play girl games with Captain Obvious, I want to play girl games with Super M!
Me: But Super M's a boy, he plays boy games.
Toddler: But I want to play boy games with Super M!
Me: You can't, baby, you're a girl. You can't play boy games, you play girl games.
Toddler: Then what games can I play with Super M? Cuz I want to take a bath with him.
Me: {Smacks head}

It's about this time I smell smoke. Apparently, it was coming out of my ears. And I'll give you two guesses who she ended up taking a bath with.

@#&*$^@#*$@#$

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The Time I Scared the Poop INTO My Son

I was watching out the glass front door when I turned to see my youngest shying from my gaze. I thought he was trying to play with me, so I sneaked every-so-slowly towards him, peeking around the corner at him, as he shied away from me further. I realized this wasn't hide and seek, he was trying to poop without prying eyes. "Hey! Are you trying to poop?"

"NO!" He snarled at me, shying away again, wanting privacy.

"Oh YES YOU ARE! C'mere, let's try to go on the POTTY! C'mon dad!"

I called to my husband to help me. My husband lept up, excited, already filled with potty-training mojo with our older toddler. Baby Dude, however, emphatically was NOT excited. "Noo!" he yelled, half-whining, half-pouting.

"C'mon, it'll be okay! Here..."

I unsnapped his diaper and plopped him on his sister's Dora potty seat insert. He's not the biggest fan of heights (read: scared to DEATH of 'em), so, in true, Baby Dude type fashion, he hated this with the fire of a thousand suns that I've propped him UP to get him to do business.

"Cmon baby. Poop! G'head, push! Grrr!"

I motioned bearing down and pushing, squinting my eyes, making fists. Baby Dude did not care, even if I did look ridiculous. He didn't want to sit on his sister's potty seat, he didn't want to be high, he didn't want to poop on the potty. For that matter, I'm pretty sure he didn't even want to poop anymore, either.

Once we gave up and gave into his demands to put him back down, despite smelling that he obviously had to go, he didn't go. For the rest of the night.

That's right, folks, I am the anti-potty trainer. I scare the poop back into children. Go me!

Fail.

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Actual Letter Sent to My Son's Teacher

Ms. Teacher-Person-I-Won't-Name,

Yet again, my son came home in an absolute puddle of tears because of some pen-clicking incident you gave him a conduct mark for. A conduct mark for pen-clicking? Really?

You know, instead of punishing him for finishing early and being bored, is there not ANYTHING you can give him to do, or send him to do, for you to utilize his time better? He also claims he has another conduct mark from you for something else he did, but he isn't being specific, I'm not sure if he's even aware of what he did.

I'm really not sure what is going on, but how is it he only gets these conduct marks in YOUR class? He's a good kid, but you just can't seem to treat him with respect, and so, he thinks you hate him, and I have to agree with him, and that's pretty SAD! He's told both myself and his father that he CAN'T come to you with problems, he doesn't TRUST you, he thinks you'll get even MORE angry and upset with him, and it will result in further punishment. I mean, you ARE the teacher who made of him with other students involved previously, can you blame him for not trusting you, especially with this ongoing behavior?

Not only that, apparently, after all this time, you don't know him well enough to know that the child is super-smart and will always finish his work early - he needs other tasks or "busy work" to keep him busy while other students finish.

I'd really appreciate you being a little more sensitive to him and stop picking on him all the time. (I underlined this because I am utterly sick of SAYING this to people of authority there!) I am so sick of my sensitive child coming home in tears because you take out whatever angst you feel on him CONSTANTLY. This child was up for Student of the Year, he gets rave remarks from every other parent, teacher, coach, he's a BRILLIANT, TALENTED CHILD, and you can't seem to let up on him, ever!

Perhaps, if you can't manage him or other children, you're in the wrong profession.

Oh, and if this happens again, I don't care how late in the school year it is, I'll be taking my complaints to the school board and/or higher for failure to act on a child's behalf when his teacher is berating him emotionally.

Thank you for your time.

Lisa Douglas
A------'s mother, and fed up

Seriously.. what the f*ck is wrong with the schools here? And when the hell do we move? I AM READY!

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Hide and Seek Fail

Toddler's are cute, man, but they totally suck at playing hide-and-seek.(Just watch. I dare you not to laugh!)

But I'll take listening to his laugh ANY FRIGGIN' DAY!

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Importance of Getting Proper Fit for Running Shoes

Until now, my husband has been one of those, whatever-the-store-has kind-of guys. "Eh, this feels okay," he'd say to himself, slap it on the register counter, pay, and be on his merry way. Unfortunately, now he really needs to be measured and evaluated for a proper fit, or else. After having been measured for running shoes myself, seeing first hand the importance of being evaluated, I vowed to take him to be measured, too, at our local running store where I was fitted. I couldn't let him continue to run in just anything anymore, especially with an injury like his.

You see, in the past year, my husband spent a lot of time wincing from foot pain. As active as he is being a soccer coach and airborne soldier, it appears all those years jumping out of (perfectly good) airplanes and running with the military has caused foot issues which now needed treatment and therapy. He was diagnosed with plantar fasciitis, and given specially-made insoles for his combat boots and shoes. While these insoles have helped him, as well as the New Balance Truebalance Men's shoe he wears everyday, he was still in need of good running shoes to properly protect him from further injuring himself.

Run Wild is a store about an hour away from where we live that evaluates your foot type and gets you into a set of running shoes based on your foot structure. The importance of having your foot structure evaluated is super-high, especially if you want to avoid being sidelined with injuries (or, in my husband's case, more injuries). I am thrilled beyond belief with my running shoes I bought from there, and really wanted to get my husband into a pair he could say the same thing about. Not to mention, I wanted to be able to run with my husband without fear of him hobbling like an old fogey the next day.

Despite the horrible weather, we ventured to Alexandria to get him into a comfy, supportive pair. Once my husband was evaluated, the saleswoman picked out five pairs for him to try. He wavered back and forth on a couple, finally settling his comfort level on a pair of New Balance 870. (Side note: I captured his experience of being fitted, which shoes he liked, etc., however, I don't think the woman thought too kindly of my photographing the store.)

Why can't you just choose any ol' shoe off the shelf? Why do you need to be assessed? Have you ever heard of these before? Pronation, Supination, Overpronation, flat feet, high arches, etc. With all the variables and all the shoe choices out there to help, why would you want to spend money guessing on something that could potentially hurt you? Your feet are the first thing that hit the pavement when you run, don't you want them protected? Consider these running shoes like a bike helmet for your feet - for protection. The right kind of protection can go a long way to the health of your legs, feet, hips and back.

My recommendations:

1. Take your time in finding the perfect shoe. It might not happen at the first store you visit.
2. Bring in the socks you plan to run in, and a pair of shoes you already run in or work out in. It helps them diagnose your foot type.
3. Be prepared for some sticker shock. You might feel like fainting at some of the prices of shoes, but understand these brands make it their goal to make a high quality shoe to help thwart injury and provide comfort. With that kind-of higher quality comes a higher price. Your feet will thank you, I promise.

If you don't have a local running store to turn to for a full, professional evaluation, you can at least diagnose your own arch-type by watching this video from Runner's World on how to complete the wet test and what it means for your arch and proposed shoe type. Armed with this knowledge, you can take this to any sports store to ask for help. It is preferred to visit a store where a runner actually works in the shoe department, one who is knowledgeable about shoes and the sport and can help by asking the right questions. Try calling ahead to find out, if you can. If no one knowledgeable is available, print and follow these wonderful tips from Runners World to at least get you started on the right track.

Knowledge is power, friends. If you're going to run, I want you to do it safely, and the right way. Okay? And if you need help, let me know, I'll see what I can do for you!

Collective Bias sponsored our trip to purchase running shoes, but our shoe choice, experiences, and opinions are very much my own, as always.
Note: New Balance sent us the True Balance shoes to try. While this isn't a review for these shoes, since these shoes were mentioned before the review was written, I felt I needed to mention it.

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Nintendo 3DS Summit of Awesome #NintendoEnthused

Returning home from my whirlwind adventure in Seattle was bittersweet, as always. Coming home to the loving arms of my family, whom I missed dearly, is always the sweetest of the sweet part. Especially when they missed me enough to surprise me with this:

Talk about sweet! My husband watched all six kids and baked me a cake. Dude, he is freakin' AWESOME!

Some friends I miss already!

Unfortunately, by coming home to my very-much-missed family means I'm leaving my friends (new and old) behind, which is the bitter part. It's always difficult, since we're so scattered all over the country. Only seeing each other once (if we're lucky, more) a year is tough, friends. Real tough.

But this incredible Nintendo 3DS event was pretty much the coolest fricken way to hang out with my fellow-gaming friends, learn all about this new system, as well as get an inside look into Nintendo and their facilities in a fun and inviting way, and I could not be more thankful to Brand About Town and to all the Nintendo folks that made this magnificent weekend happen.

I have long loved the Nintendo gaming systems, reminiscing my days as a child playing Donkey Kong and Mario Brothers alongside my pre-pubescent friends, dueling each other on Zelda with game cartridge after game cartridge. Folks, it has been my pleasure to watch and experience Nintendo flex it's gaming muscles into the sophisticated gaming systems they are today, and share them with my children, as well as all of you, too. Becoming a Nintendo Brand Ambassador was pretty much the awesomest thing to ever be offered, ever, and such a natural fit for me and my family. As if being an Ambassador or Enthusiast wasn't already spectacular enough, then they invite me on this trip, to see where the magic happens and be formally introduced to their newest system. Won.der.ful.

During this action-packed Nintendo 3DS-based trip, we got the unique opportunity to tour the Nintendo Headquarters, too. Unique, as in, you can't even ask for a tour, or buy one, they are only available to Make-A-Wish or via raffle for charity - that's it! So special! And while touring the facility, we were not allowed under any circumstances to capture any pictures. As aesthetically beautiful as the building was, with all the wonderful Nintendo paraphernalia around, I couldn't capture a single Mario, a single Luigi to share with you the extent of the beauty within their offices. I understand why, but as a writer/blogger/natural-sharer? That part was way tough! Their offices are as green as possible, with bamboo floors, a "green" roof with plants and shrubs, lights on motion sensors and heat coming from the floors. It meant a great deal to see how they were striving for green perfection in their headquarters and being so very eco-minded. I truly wish I could have shared some images with you.

During the actual summit part on Friday, during which we had extensive playing time with the Nintendo 3DS, I asked each Nintendo employee I came across how they liked working for Nintendo. Each person unequivocally answered, without a stammer - "I love this job!" I was bitten by their enthusiasm. As I ate lunch in their healthy-living cafe that day, I kept pointing out to other ambassadors how even the employees on their lunch-breaks were playing hand-held gaming devices while they ate. Talk about passion! It was contagious. They were so inspired, so enthusiastic about what they were doing, the real definition of "enthused" - which I suppose is the reason why they consider us "enthusiasts" or #NintendoEnthused on Twitter.

What's my take on the Nintendo 3DS? Amazing. Game-changing. If you have the opportunity to try one, do it! Try it! Because anything I say to you here will pale in comparison to trying one for yourself. I am wholly impressed by their technology, by the parental controls that give YOU piece of mind while you're children play, and wholeheartedly blown away by how different and cutting edge these units are, like nothing you have ever seen. Turning yourself to steer your ship in Steel Diver? Bringing your surroundings to life and having your table come alive with a dragon attacking you with the AR Games? Creating a Mii using Mii Maker and trade Miis with others using StreetPass? Take 3D pictures of yourself, and then fight yourself in Face Raiders? Seriously. Try it. And if you live near me, ask me. I'll show you. Unreal stuff here, folks.

Here are some pictures from my whirlwind weekend. My neck is still recuperating from hauling my DSLR around, but I had to. I couldn't not capture everyone and everything.

Snow-capped mountains on my flight to Seattle - gorgeous!

Sign in the lobby. The Twisted Cork was INCREDIBLE!

My gorgeous hotel room at the Hyatt Bellevue. *swoon*

Logo on all the flat-screen TVs in the conference room.

Reggie Fils-Aime, President and COO of Nintendo, taking time out of his busy day to speak to us!

Game time, yo!

We visited different gaming stations to try each game by group.

I may not have been able to take pictures of their offices, but I got an outdoor shot!

Cocktails before dinner! (I had to take this picture, too. It seems the other event had their choice of meeting OR coffee break. Ha!)

The view from Anthony's Pier 66 on the water - breathtaking!

The gorgeous, delicious, mind-boggling food we enjoyed!

Even at breakfast, we were gaming-it-up!

Mount Rainier on the flight back - isn't it beautiful?

Words cannot express the wonderful time I had. Many thanks to the courteous and professional staff at Hyatt Bellevue, including the electrician with a kind-smile who visited my room when my TV wasn't working properly (the cable plug wasn't inserted all the way, it was not operator error. Ahem.), as well as the deliciously entertaining waitstaff/bartenders who smiled and thoroughly entertained us at each cocktail party.

The attention to detail was incredible, and so very thoroughly appreciated. Thanks to all, again, who made this weekend an experience I'll never ever forget.

*Disclosure: As a Nintendo Ambassador, I am sent Nintendo items/games/devices from time to time to play with and enjoy, as well as access to exclusive events and parties. This trip was paid for in full, and I was given a Nintendo 3DS for attending. My affiliation with Nintendo does not sway my opinion of them at all, as I have long-loved their company before becoming an ambassador.

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