Oh Those Teenage Years...

(I just want to say as a side note that i am being very honest here and i hope not to face any harsh judgements. I think we all stumble through our childhood and hopefully come out the other end as more intelligent and experienced adults.)

Today at 5 Minutes For Mom Susan is asking what your teenage years were like and how you plan to keep you kids from falling into the teenage pitfalls.

This is something i have thought little about. Not because i am not a caring mom or worried about it just because my kids are so young. I never thought i would need to prepare them this early for their teen years, but after her insight i am thinking maybe i should think about it some more.

My teenage years were marred with tragic deaths and a lot of partying.

With in the first month of my freshman year of high school, 2 friend's lives were lost in senseless accidents. A few months later my Grandma Shawver passed away of cancer. Then my mom had a heart attack a month later, followed by a stroke in January. She passed away in March from a brain tumor. Needless to say finishing out my freshman year was hard and i did not handle it properly or with much guidance.

After that i went down hill. I fell in with the wrong crowd and started partying heavy. I started smoking socially (which turned into the worst and hardest habit of my life), I was drinking socially (thank God that never turned into more since alcoholism runs in my family), and i also turned to drugs.

The drugs i was taking were not the light hearted drugs people joke about. It wasn't like i was just firing up a joint, blunt, bong, or what ever you wanna call it with friends in the girls bathroom. I was drinking and then doing things like cocaine and pills. I had no regard for my life or the lives around me. This would continue through high school until i met my (now) husband and got my life straightened out.

I was not promiscuous despite my ability to flirt my butt off. I will say that i lost my virginity very early in life and that is something i regret everyday. I had boyfriends and girlfriends and no one ever really talked to me about "the birds and bees". My parents came from a generation where you just didn't talk about stuff like that and so i found out most of everything from school and friends. What i then thought would make me cool lead to a lifetime of regrets.

I think i hit every teen pitfall that any one parent could worry about. Drinking, drugs, sex, parties, i did pretty much all of it. Then i did not know why, but now looking back i do understand some of it.

The lack of communication (or what i saw as lack of communication) between my parents left me to discover things through experimentation instead of education. Then the tragedies i went through only made my experimentation go further. I wanted to hide the pain and cover it all up. I just never knew the right ways to do it so i turned to what my 15 year old self knew worked best.

I pretended a lot to be happy and i pretended not to care. I dressed provocatively and flirted with danger. At the time i thought i was cool and no one could touch me. In reality i was a scared and hurt little girl who needed someone to show me the right way.

With this long past it makes me even more scared of what will happen to my kids as they enter those teen years. The world has changed so much even since i was in high school (which was just 5/6 years ago {Class of 2004}). Kids are dealing with problems that i dealt with in high school in middle school now and in some cases even elementary. So that is what leads me to having trouble answering Susan's question as to how to prepare your kids.

How do you prepare a 3 and 4 year old for the harsh reality of problems they will be faced with? How do you teach them to be their own person and not to let others influence their decisions? How do you instill in them the confidence that they don't need anyone else to to make them whole?

I guess the best way i can really think of is leading by example.

I want to show my kids everyday that i don't let anyone else define who i am.

I want to show them that even though i am not a 6 foot super model i am confident in myself and know who i am.

I want to be honest with them about my past and let them know why the decisions i made were not the right ones.

I want to show them how to handle situations with grace and dignity instead of fear and anger.

I want them to learn from my mistakes and have a open line with me that they can always count on.

I want to be a parent and a friend even though i know that is a thin line.

Most of all i just want them to know that Mommy is not an angel. She has a past and it almost destroyed her. I want them to listen and learn. I want them to know that even if they fall i will be there to help them back up without judgement. I want to show them the way even if i stumble along the path trying to find the right way. I want to be the best parent i can even if that means educating them only to step back and watch them fall.

As much as i hope and pray that they will avoid the pits i fell into i know that sometimes you have to learn from your mistakes. Sometimes that is the only way to learn. It is like my mom use to tell me when i was a kid, "how do you know not to touch a hot pot if you have never burned your hand on one before".

My kids are 3 and 4 (and Sione will join us soon enough) and they have scraped their knees because they didn't listen to mommy when she said not to run. They have bumped their heads because they didn't listen to mommy when she said not to climb. They have fallen and gotten hurt because they didn't listen when i said not to do this or that.

In the end all we can do is our best. We can give them all the information in the world and instill in them all of our values but they still will have choices to make and a mind of their own. We just have to step back and pray that when that fork in the road comes they will take the right direction. The direction that we have told them is right.

Not Just Because I'm Pregnant

So i have this cold appetizer that is one of my favorite. It involves some regular ingredients that when put together make most people go HUH?

My Aunt Kay had these at a party one time about 8 years ago and we have been making them ever since. They are salty, creamy, savory, and plain, out right YUMMY!

Do you wanna know what they are? Really...do ya???????

Ok i guess i will share. They are Pickle Cream Cheese Rolls and they are the best thing ever!

These little yummies may not look good but man do they make my mouth water. It really is an easy little finger food to make for any occasion. All you need is ham (the kind that is rectangular and sold by the bologna), cream cheese (whipped works better as it is easier to spread and you can get the yummy flavors to add an extra punch), and large pickles (i get the big gallon jar of deli pickles).

Make sure you dry both the ham and the pickles off thoroughly or it will make for a not as attractive finish (as seen above lol because i was too impatient).

Take one slice of ham and spread the cream cheese as evenly as possible over the ham from end to end, corner to corner making sure it is completely covered.

Take your dry pickle and place it on one end of the ham and roll the ham around the pickle. Since the pickle is dry the cream cheese should act as like a glue securing the ham to the pickle.

Take a sharp knife and slice almost like you would a sushi roll just not as thick (probably about a 1/4 in. thick but what ever looks right to you). I prefer to trim off the ends first and eat them while i work but that's just me hehe.

Place the sliced product on a plate and wrap with plastic wrap and refrigerate until chilled (you can eat them as soon as they are finished but i like them chilled better).

I promise as weird as these might sound they are quite delicious and it isn't just because i am pregnant i promise.

For Lack of Words

Since i really dont have anything to say and since i am in need of a beach and dont have one here is a video from our vacation back in April! Ahhh the sound of the waves crashing and kids squealing. And the feel of the sand and waves on my toes. I wanna go back right now!

WW - A Day At Summerfest '09

This past Saturday My friends Mary and Sara took the boys to a local fair. It is called Summerfest and it is in South Charleston, WV. They have lots of things to do, food to eat, and music to listen to. The kids had a blast and i got a 2 hour break (which i spent at the grocery store with hubby).

The boys loved the horses and the carriage ride. Although Phabian was not to happy about the wait in line to ride the carriage, he told me "Mama that line was looooooooong and we had to wait forever". The horses were beautiful and looked so strong. I wish i could have been there (but this outing was the same day as this and i deperatly needed those 2 hours).

The boys enjoyed snowcones and a go in the bouncey house. They danced to the music and Phabian learned how to do the Bunny Hop! They returned home tired and hungry but over all exited to have been.

I will appologize for the grainy quality of the pictures. I sent my Flip Camera with them so i could have videos of all the fun and these are all snap shots (minus one can you find it?) taken from the video.

Speaking of the videos i will post them as soon as get them loaded onto YouTube.

For more check out Wordless Wednesday, 5MFM, MomSpective, MomDot, Ordinary and Awesome, and Seven Clown Circus.

Jesus Take The Wheel

I cannot get this song out of my head. I have it on repeat on my computer. I just sit here crying and listening to it. The words say so much of what i want to say right now. I just want to scream out to God to take the wheel because i can't drive this car anymore.

My head is spinning, I am overwhelmed!

I never expected to get a break when i had kids. Honestly when i had Phabian i never even thought i would need it. I thought i would be SUPERMOM! I would do it all and never complain.

I would wash the dishes and clean the house. Make the beds, wash, and fold the laundry. Feed, bathe, and coddle the kids. I would have dinner hot and waiting on the table when my perfect hubby came home from a hard days work. I would sing and kiss the kids goodnight all with a smile on my face!

I would never be too tired or to frustrated. I would never scream or yell. I would never ignore or try to escape for a few moments of silence. I would not be THAT mom.

Because THAT mom is not SUPERMOM.

She was the one in the store with the screaming toddler out of control. She was the one who looked like she hadn't had a good nights sleep in years. She is the one who's house is disorderly, with dishes piled beside the sink waiting to be washed. With mounds of laundry way past needing to be done. With trash over flowing from the bin because she is too tired to take it out. She is the one who collapses into bed and prays that tomorrow will be different. She also prays for patience and sanity, compassion and forgiveness.

I was never, EVER going to be THAT mom!

Guess what???

I am THAT mom!

I am begging for a break. I am praying to God to help me. I spend many days yelling instead of loving. I go to bed at night hoping that tomorrow will be just an ounce better than today or yesterday. I pray that i will have patience and can keep it together. I cry because i am so frustrated and exhausted.

There is so much that needs to be done and often i spend the day looking at it all overwhelmed and just too exhausted to get it all done. Dinner is never on the table when my husband gets home from work. The laundry is always piled up and the dishes often go undone.

The beds are never made and often i just want to forget that i even got up out of it.

What i have realized through all of this and thanks to many other bloggers is that i am not alone and that the REAL supermom is the one who gets up every morning and does it even when she doesn't want to or know how to.

I am not perfect and for that matter i don't know if perfect exists. I try and that is all i can do most days. I have good days and bad. I complain and i bitch but in the end holding those beautiful kids in my arms and knowing that they love me despite my imperfections is enough to get me out of bed in the morning.

I still need a break. I need a day to myself. I need to breathe. But until i get that then i will do what i can and life will go on.

Childhood Entertainment

There is a commercial that comes on one of the children cartoon channels and it has enchanted my kids.

Maybe you have seen it? Maybe not, but either way it has made my kids perfectly content with playing with plastic cups for hours. Building a castle and then tearing it down just to build it again as fast as they can. Oh how exciting the little things are when you are a child.



For more please visit Wordless Wednesday, 5MFM, MomDot, Ordinary and Awesome, and Seven Clown Circus!

Happy Blogoversery....

To Me!!!!

I have officially been blogging for 1 YEAR today. I am proud of myself for not only keeping up with this blog but being honest regardless of what the response might have been.

I didn't make any plans on what to write about today. I have seen a lot of blogoversery post over the last year each different in their own way. But for the most part they go through the past year's posts and remember how the last year went in writing.

So here we go in a whirl wind of post.

I remember starting this blog and not really knowing what to write about. So in order just to give myself a starting point i wrote a intro to me. It was all about the details of my life and my family. Wow how corny, but as good a starting point as i could find at the time.

I also celebrated/mourned the one year Angelversary of my beautiful niece Nadia Mo'nee! I can not believe she left us so long ago. It will be 2 years soon and it is hard to believe. We still miss her and think of her everyday.

In September i sent my first born off to his very first day of school. Oh how it breaks my heart to think that this time next year he will be starting kindergarten. I guess i need to hold on to his youth while i still can because it is passing by faster than i would like.

I had some bad mornings and some good mornings!

I bitched about life and lived it to the fullest!

I started laying the foundation for my own business. It is still only a dream but has had some good times and makes me look forward to the future.

I welcomed another beautiful niece to this world! It has been so fun watching her grow and learn over the last year. I was a proud Auntie to be there for her very first steps just the other day.

I have had very serious and sometimes controversial posts.

I have bragged to no end about Phabian and MJ.

I blogged about trying to quit smoking and how hard it is.

I celebrated 4 years of marriage to my wonderful husband!

We mourned the loss of a dear friend and family member!

I got a job and then got pregnant lol!

I celebrated another year of life for myself, then for Phabian, and then for MJ!

I celebrated the life of my mother!

I have posted pictures, gotten huge, and prepared to welcome another baby boy to the world.

This last year has been full of surprises and i am sure the next year will be the same. I have met a lot of great people and have received a lot of love and support from the blogosphere! I look forward to all the people i will meet in the next year and the friendships i will continue to build.

I didn't ever expect to be a "Mommy" blogger, for that matter i didn't even know what to expect from this blog. I have gotten, what i feel, is much more than what i have given. I am a lucky and blessed woman.

Thank you all for making this last year great and i look forward to what the future holds.

Midwife Update - 27 Weeks

I had a Midwife appointment today. I am officially 27 weeks which means i only have 13 more weeks (or less AHHHHH) to go.

Here are some of the stats and then i will tell you how i have been feeling.

Weight: 216, which means i have gained 8 lbs in 6 weeks. The good thing is i am still only +10 lbs overall. WOOHOO!
BP: 104/70
Baby's HR: 152
Measurements: I am 27 weeks and measuring 30 weeks (wow)! This is a first for me as i never measured ahead wit either of the boys. I always measured right on or slightly below. Sione is looking to be a big baby!

So i have been complaining a lot lately. I am enjoying every second of this pregnancy, i promise, but it is extremely different than my first 2 pregnancies. For that matter if my pregnancy with Phabian had gone like this one than this might be my 2nd pregnancy not my 3rd.

My pregnancies with Phabian and MJ were highly easy and enjoyable. I was never uncomfortable til the very end and i didn't have much to complain about (other than back pain and swollen feet which i think i complained about before i ever got pregnant anyways).

This pregnancy has been the complete opposite (which maybe has something to do with this apparently huge baby [see above measurements]). My sides feel like he is going to bust out! He is head down which was confirmed today by the position of his heartbeat (which i already knew from the pressure in my crotch), so i don't really understand why it feels like he is busting my sides open.

I have heartburn now 24/7 which would be cool if i could take Tums but now Tums make me absolutely sick. The midwife suggested that i start taking Pepcid ac instead. I will give it a try and hope for the best as i can not take waking up 5 times a night to chew on chalk.

Speaking of waking up 5 times a night. I can not sleep through the night. I have horrible pregnancy insomnia this time around. I normally go to bed around 11pm and wake up every 2 hours looking at the clock. Then i am up at 5 to pee because once again i have a huge baby bouncing on my bladder. I go back to sleep only to get up at 6:30 to start my morning routine! It is torture. I just want one straight night of sleep before i have Sione here to act a smy personal alarm clock.

So that is enough whining i guess lol, although i could go on and on.

On some more positive notes, i love to feel this little guy move. He is so active and loves to tumble around and kick my belly, sides, kidney's, bladder, spleen, or what ever else he finds amusing.

I love love love love my midwives. They are some of the most caring and intellient women i have ever met. If i would not have to move to a different state to attend school i would so consider becoming a midwife myself. They are a great group of women and always treat me wit the up most respect, even answer some of my more dumb questions with a smile and pleasant ora.

So that is how it is all going. Wish i had a picture or something for ya but no luck today.

Whatever Works For You...

Some of you may have already seen this as i posted it on Twitter (follow me here) the other day. However i am just in love with this picture and thought it worked well to post it again today.

This is a toy box in case you can't tell. Santa brought it this past Christmas, but apparently my boys have gotten bored with using it for it's proper use.

In the last 2 weeks it has been a spaceship, a fishing boat, a pirate ship, a hide out, a car, a truck, and now....

A comfortable reclining chair for watching TV. MJ put 2 pillows in the box part, lined it with his blanket, grabbed his blankey, and curled up to watch Mickey Mouse Club House on Saturday morning.

When i walked in to check on him i could not resist snapping a picture (and then cropping it all to Hades so you couldn't see their messy room in the back ground). Didn't bother him though. He just kept on lounging and watching his TV as i snapped a few pictures.

One thing i love about MJ! He is so laid back and doesn't let anything interrupt his priorities.

For more please visit Wordless Wednesday, 5MFM, MomDot, Ordinary and Awesome, and Seven Clown Circus!

Phabian's Birth Story Pt 2...

So now where was I? Oh yes we had just arrived at the hospital.

Our local hospital locks its fronts doors between the hours of 11pm and 8am so we had to ring the bell to security and tell them where we were going. At this time i was having minor cramps and my back pain from the night before had returned. So i wobbled over to admittance and filled out some papers (this is why you should always pre-register cause if I was in full blown labor i would have been so mad). They ask me if i needed a wheel chair and i am all like, " no i walked from the car i think i will be able to make it up the elevator, through the doors, and down the hall just fine thank you!".

So i did just that. All the while my cramps never got any worse but my back pain sure did. Once again i dismissed the back pain as just a side effect of being really pregnant. I, at the time, had no clue what labor felt like, and even though we took the birthing class i had never head of back labor.

When i got into my room they told my husband he had to wait outside for 30 mins while they did intake and ask all the personal questions (am i the only one who finds this dumb; as i don't hide anything from my husband). I got into a gown and peed in a cup so they could confirm i was indeed in labor and that my water had indeed broken.

The doctor came in around the same time as my husband and checked me. I was 3 cm dilated and 75 percent effaced at a +2 station (Phabian had kept his head in my pelvis from about 27 weeks on or so). I was so excited that i didn't even notice the pain in my back. The monitors the had me strapped to showed that i was only having small, mild contractions so i didn't pay any attention.

At about 9am they moved me to a labor room but i was not allowed to get out of bed because my water had broke. This is where my birth goes down hill and my plans fly out the window.

I had already informed the nurse that i had no intention of getting any pain medicine or having any unnecessary procedures done. I was going to do this all natural and i was going to enjoy it lol. She smiled and agree but had me sign the papers anyways so that if i changed my mind i wouldn't have to worry about signing anything while i was in immense pain.

They came in and hooked me up to an IV (because i had GBS [Group B Strep]) so they could administer my antibiotics and without me knowing also Pitocin. I also at this point was informed that i was not aloud to eat. So now i am mad because i have not eaten since 9pm the previous night.

By about 11am my adrenalin rush had come down and i was feeling like my back was being ripped apart. I tried to roll over to my side but every time i moved they would put me back on my back because they would lose the monitors. Needless to say when your back hurts the last thing you want to do is lay on it.

Finally at 11:30 i screamed for the nurse to get me an epidural!!! My spine felt like it was going to break in half. I was always under the impression that i had a very high pain tolerance but i guess i was wrong. Nothing in this world tests your pain tolerance like back labor and doctors who wont allow you to move around.

My sweet nurse told me that they had to check my cervix before they could administer my epidural and i was all like," Well hurry the F*CK up" because when you feel like you are being sawed in half with no anesthesia the last thing you want is some nurse sticking her hand up your crotch!

So she checked me and i was 6 cm, 85% effaced and +3 station. So she ordered my epidural which took (a life time) 30 mins to get there. All the while i was withered in pain and crying.

The Anesthesiologist came in and told me to roll to my side and hold my knees to my chest. This was the most relief i had, had in hours. I will spare you the details of the epidural itself but it was quick and effective. They had me on a very low dose so that i could still feel my contractions but not so much the pain in my back (turns out Phabian never lost the ability to be a pain the butt, um i mean back). Here i am happily on the phone after my epidural kicked in.

At around 12:30pm i fell asleep in between contractions. When i woke up at 2pm i told the nurse it felt like i had to poop! She reassured me it was just the pressure from the baby dropping. She told me i was a first time mom and that i would probably be in labor for at least another 4 or 5 hours. Yea ok!!!

So by 2:15 the sensation to poop turned into a sensation to push. At this point i looked at my nurse and told her she needed to go get my doctor "NOW". She insisted that i needed to be checked first and that i was probably only around 8 cm. Boy was she in for a surprise.

She checked me and i was 10 cm, fully effaced, and at a +4 station. She immediately left the room and called the doctor to report the news. When she came back she turned my epidural drip off so i could feel even more and push efficiently. We did about 2 practice pushes before the Doc came in at 2:30.

Now because this is a teaching hospital (and i was the only vaginal birth of the day) there were a million people in and out of my room all day. None of them being my doctor because he was not on call that day. So i ended up with a very funny (not so funny when you are in labor, but after when you think about it) and sweet resident. At 2:35 i began to push. About 5 mins in she decided that i needed an episiotomy!!! At that point i didn't even care. I just wanted this kid out of me (because thats what labor does to you).

She sliced me open (a 2nd degree cut i do believe) and then told me to push. I pushed 4 times and out popped my handsome baby boy at 2:51pm. He was sunny side up which is what i was told was the reason for the episiotomy.

They swept my boy away to the warmer and did all the weighing and stuff while i was being stitched up. The adrenaline ran so high that i didn't feel a thing. I just wanted my baby boy in my arms.

Thirty mins later (after about 3 people had already held him before me) i was ask if i wanted to breastfeed and he was handed over to me.

At the time i was so happy to have him in my arms that i didn't think about any of the things that didn't go my way. I was just overjoyed that Phabian was here and in my arms.

Nothing will ever compare to the first time i looked into those big blue eyes. I knew that day that my heart was way bigger and capable of more love than i had ever thought. I am still amazed everyday by the blessings i have been given even if it didn't happen exactly how i planned.

Tomorrow (or the next time i have time) i will starts MJ's birth Pt 1.

Phabian's Birth Story Pt 1...

So i have put a lot of thought into Hospital vs Birthing Center and Midwife vs Doctor. It is something i have thought about since i became pregnant with Phabian. Unfortunately my thoughts didn't transfer over into a plan until this 3rd pregnancy. But this post is not about plans so much as it is what made me get my butt in gear and choose the plan i have this time around.

I have wrote before about how i wanted my pregnancy and birth to go with Phabian but never really elaborated as to how it did go. I have been reading a lot of birth stories lately and thought i might share mine as well.

The story really starts on March 8th 2005. Hubby and I had just got our income taxes back and decided to go get some last minute stuff to prepare for the birth of our first child. We did not have a camera or a printer for the computer so off we went to Wally World (other wise known by people as the evil corrupt Wal-Mart). We walked gazing at all the precious baby boy outfits and gadgets, that as all first time mother's find out, are not as important as you think they are.

After an hour of browsing the clothes and toys (and picking out some cute little outfits) we made out way over to the electronics department.

Now i will add in here that my due date was not until March 30th so i had no worry of early labor. It is common knowledge that first time mom's have long labors and often go past their due date. So when i started having contractions on the way to pick out a camera i didn't think another thought about it. I just figured they were Braxton Hicks or something of that nature.

We spent another hour picking out the perfect (cheap) camera and a printer that was good enough to print out pictures of Phabian once he arrived. By the time we left i had stopped having contractions but my back was in agony. I just gave it up to standing on my feel for 2 hours and walking all over God's green earth.

You know big belly + bad posture = back pain.

By the time we got home my back was in knots. I went and took a long, hot shower just letting the steamy water beat on my back. When i got out i felt 100 times better. So i figured the first pictures taken on our new camera should be of my big, beautiful 37 week pregnant self, and boy oh boy am i glad we did.


This would be the last decent image we got of me pregnant with Phabian.

At 4am i woke up and was wet. I thought i had peed on myself (cause you all know you have had the infamous potty dreams and couple that with lack of bladder control when your pregnant...yea you get the idea) so i got up changed clothes and went to the bathroom. I crawled back in bed and fell quickly back to sleep.

I awoke again at 4:30 wet. This time it struck me as odd. So i woke myself up fully and went to the bathroom to discover light pink blood when i wiped and a lack of control over the fluid that seemed to be leaking out of me.

I flipped out and ran to the bedroom, flipped on the lights, woke up my hubby (who needless to say was not happy) and made him sniff the tp. Yes you read that right! I made my half asleep husband smell the light pink, bloody, used tp. I needed his opinion as to whether or not it smelled like pee or not. He confirmed what i already knew at the time. It indeed did not smell like pee. My water had broke!!!

The next hour seems like a blur to me. I changed clothes again, gathered my things, and called the hospital who told me to come in asap. No waiting on contractions, no laboring for awhile at home, just get in the car and come now.

And so we did. If only i knew then what i know now. We arrived at the hospital at 7:45 am and although i was having contractions i was soon to find out that back pain isnt just always regular back pain when your pregnant.

Pt 2 tomorrow!

Is This How It Goes?

I have been told a million times that tossing and turning during pregnancy (aka pregnancy insomnia) is your body preparing for a newborn.

So here is my question to you (and this might be TMI and kinda rhetorical)...

If pregnancy insomnia is your body's way of preparing you for having a newborn and a million sleepless night, is constipation your pregnant body's way of preparing you to push out your baby?

Just a thought!

Web Culprit

I got up at 6:30 as always to have my 30 *uninterrupted* mins before the kids get up. When i walked through the dinning room to go to the kitchen to get a cup of coffee i walked through a spider web. IN MY DINNING ROOM! At that point i was not awake enough to terrorize myself by turning on the light to look for the web culprit so i got my coffee and sat at the computer trying not to think about it. When Phabian got up at 7 i turned the dinning room light on to see a Texas sized web that stretched from ceiling fan to floor (with a huge hole in it from my body) and on the fan i saw a huge spider (like the size of a quarter). I immediately went into panic mode. I tried to stay calm as i did not want to make the kids upset but i was terrified!

So i grabbed the broom and removed the web and tried to kill the spider with it but the darn thing kept moving to where i could not reach it. Finally i called Marcus at work almost in tears (yes i have a bit of arachnophobia) and he told me to go get the spray bottle of bleach and try to spray it. So for 5 mins on the phone with him i cried and whined and sprayed this damn spider. Then i informed him that if i couldn't kill it before he got home i would not be here, i would be at him moms. Finally about 2 mins after i hung up the phone the spider started its decent to the carpet where i finally was able to kill it with a shoe.

What made it all the more humorous was the fact that i was making this Kung Foo type scream (still trying not to scare the kids) while chopping at this quarter sized spider with a rather large (my husband's) size 13 shoe. The kids got a good laugh at it for the next 30 mins as they reenacted *Mommy's craziness*! And it was hard for me not to laugh with them (you know since it was over with now).

So needless to say i have had a *GREAT* morning so far.

Since i did not get any pictures of this above stated craziness i will give you some pictures of my huge, 26 week pregnant, whale of a self.

Seasons of Love

Sorry about the blurry pics my scanner is still broke and my camera sucks!

Sunday my friend Sara took me to see Rent as presented by Charleston Light Opera Guild. I am so forever grateful to her for this opportunity as it was a beautifully done and great production.

For those of you who say,"Oh i have seen the movie and didn't really get into it" i must urge you to see it on Broadway or at your local theater when you are given the chance. I am a theater fanatic and love a good production. I had a hard time as well getting into the movie Rent. It was good but just didn't hold my attention like other musical movies (Chicago, The Sound of Music, Mary Poppins) did.

With that said seeing it live on stage is like nothing i have ever seen. Whether it was the great, yet simple set, the incredibly talented actors, or the well played music i will never know. All i do know is i will treasure this experience.

On an end note here is the my fave song from Rent:

Source

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