More coming to this space soon

To be honest, life has been horribly hectic. And so, I've neglected this blog. For that, dear internet, I'm so sorry. To bring you up to speed, I'm a single mommy for this summer, for another 7 weeks or so. I'm going on my 4th week in this state. I do not know how folks do it as a lifestyle, as opposed to a summer. What I'm finding is that I've become bitter, angry, tired, frustrated, and generally not very pleasant. My coworkers have taken the brunt: they have listened, sympathized, and supported. However, I need a place to vent, and I need to stop bugging my friends. So coming up soon will hopefully be more tales of mommy woe. Oh, the poop-tastic stories I have to tell. And, the cuter than ever kid stories. And some which span both categories!

Take Little Miss S tonight. We were having our evening bath tub. Such a grand time. I even bought a jumbo bottle of Mr. Bubble for her to enjoy. I hear her talking about not pooping in the bath tub. Oh, that's good. Then she says "Mommy! Can I go to the potty?" I don't know why she's compelled to ask permission! Of course, I say "Yes!", and finally settled Baby MC down for her night's rest. By the time I get there, I see her on the potty. Poop on the floor, on the toilet. But not IN the tub, so yay! She made it. So she pulls her legs up, and she's holding on to her feet. "Mommy - it's GROSS! Pick it up NOW!"

So that's my life. Poop and picking it up. So that's what I've been up to.

89-78

Couldn't watch the game - too nervous. WOOOOO! GO DUKE!

Alignment

I think my husband and I agree on the best choice for President. Now, what we are actually going to *do* with our votes (open primary) in two weeks remains a different story. Here's how the candidates align with my views:
92% Chris Dodd
92% Barack Obama
89% John Edwards
89% Hillary Clinton
88% Joe Biden
85% Mike Gravel
83% Dennis Kucinich
77% Bill Richardson
47% Rudy Giuliani
34% John McCain
23% Ron Paul
21% Mike Huckabee
21% Mitt Romney
21% Tom Tancredo
11% Fred Thompson

2008 Presidential Candidate Matching Quiz

Smowmans!

Being built on the top of the slide as we speak. Don't as me why the "Snowmans" has to be on the slide - to explain would require 3 year old logic, which sadly, I don't possess.

Snow is COOL when you know it's going to go away in a day or so.

2008 Will Be Great

I just know it.

In looking back over the past year, it's been another one of ups and downs. My year began with the deaths of two close relatives, and then it quickly progressed to new life, specifically that of my latest daughter. I found employment, found myself in a significant way, and found out that I can manage multiple children, a job, a husband and a household. Now, if I could just regain my sanity things would be nice.

2008 gives me the opportunity to begin putting together my revised professional growth plan, and what I want to be now that I'm grown up. There is training and certification, all of which will take some time, but it's a good place to be headed. I'm finding that I'm genuinely good at what I intend to do, and I believe that others will share in this assessment as time goes on. 2008 also finds me trying to help Mr. Mac focus on where he wants to be. On the one hand, he has a job offer in another city, in a general business firm, that would be steady and reliable. On the other, we don't want to leave this place and Mr. Mac doesn't want to do general business transaction work. Do we take the bird in hand, which is nice and calm and, well, there or do we hunt for the two much more exciting and appealing ones we know are lurking in the bush? I don't know.

My kids have become my life, and I need to do something about that - I'm not saying they should be anything other than most important, but I have got to get away from them being the only thing I have - my only hobby/interest/thing I talk about (for real - it's awful). I'm losing myself, and I need to bring back my inner adventurer. Instead of following the proper path, I need to begin taking the right path for me, and trust that inherently, this path will be the right one for my family. Getting back to this place involves significant changes on my part - most importantly, I need to gain back my self confidence. From that, I believe, the rest will flow.

My tangible personal goal is to lose 30 lbs. My tangible professional goal is to undertake the training and certification that I need as my career moves forward (I have a concrete list). With those accomplished, I will be back on track for getting back to being myself. I've been pushing myself aside, or allowing myself to be pushed down, for too long now.

Word up....

In the great Sunday Morning Ritual that is VH1 Classic, the following question will follow me the rest of the week... Red panties? Really? Over a black unitard? Man, Cameo... I don't think Little Miss S needs to be watching this......

To refresh your memory:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u_7Kp_TapA4

Potty Failure....

I am a complete failure at potty training my dear Little Miss S. I beseech you, internets, help me. Please.

Here's the deal. We have the components of understanding. She knows that she's not supposed to go in her panties. She knows how to hold it, and she can hold it for impressive lengths of time - up to 4 hours, AFTER having something to drink. She knows that her pee-pee is supposed to go in the potty. Yet somehow, it doesn't connect together.

This morning captures the frustration I'm feeling. I was here alone with the two kids for a while, and she was kinda doing a little dance. Crossing her legs and whatnot. So I said "Come on sweetie - let's go to the potty." So we went. And we sat. Baby MC started crying, and so I left LMS on the potty and went and got BMC and a bottle, and we sat. LMS talked about going potty. She put her hand in warm water. She talked about being a big girl. We sat on the potty for a freaking half hour. Nothing.

So, she gets up, and I start making her lunch, when LMS starts crying. And yes, she had an accident. Not three minutes after she got off the potty.

What do I do? I didn't scold - I told her that she had an accident and now we had to clean it up. I said that we have to put pee-pee in the potty, and not on the floor. She was pretty inconsolable until we got everything cleaned up, then she was fine.

She has shown all of the "signs of readiness" by pretty much any list you see out there. But there's something that's not connecting with her. Any thoughts? Help!