Did you know...

That daddies give the best horsey rides?

You probably did.

But did you also know that they don’t really like to be photographed while doing so?

Do you know what happens when said photograph finds its way to this blog?

Hmmm.

I don’t either.

Did you know…

That this fifteen month old will find a way to climb and conquer every major appliance and/or item of furniture in the house?

That the complex mysteries of the dishwasher are a bountiful source of fascination?

And also mischief.

Did you know...

That when you walk into the kitchen to find your fifteen month old sitting complacently on the counter top bar all by herself you will, in fact, suffer a small stroke?

I didn’t. But I do now.

Did you know…

That the Olivia books by Ian Falconer are actually NOT based upon my 2 ½ year old daughter?

Well, they aren’t. But I can see where there might have been some confusion.

Because my daughter is also very good at wearing people out.

And avoiding naps.

And placing paint in places it should not go.

Did you know…

That a 2 ½ year old is perfectly capable of strutting (yep, strutting) in her mother’s three inch spike heeled boots?

And might I add, she is more skilled at walking in those boots than her mother ever was.

I know all about this girl and her shoe obsession.

I also know that while I was watching Pretty Woman, so was she.

And finally…

Do you really, truly know what it is to gaze upon the face of sweetness?

Take a look.

You do now.

Ch-Ch-Ch- Changes!

A few of the blips on our radar lately...

JOBS! Husband has one but needs a new one. I don’t have one, but need to get one. Along with the rest of the transportation logistics industry, Greg has undergone a 20% pay cut.

It’s rough out there.

So…he is looking for new employment and so am I. I really just want part time, but I can’t seem to find anything. At the very least, I am probably going to start cleaning houses a couple of days a week to bring in some money.

If I seem upbeat about this..well…I’m not.

I’m seriously stressed out.

The pickens are slim as far as available jobs. I have had no luck finding part time employment, which means I may have to get a full time job and frankly I have no desire to leave my kids full time (yet) and I don’t have a clue as to who would be able to keep them.

If Greg can’t find a better job soon, Big Decisions will have to be made. The difficult kind that keep you up at night.

Mixed into this whole job search issue is the question of whether or not I should go back to school now. I would have liked to go back this fall but it appears I have missed the FAFSA deadline. So depending upon how all that turns out, I will definitely be going back soon (maybe spring?). I have been debating what to do with my life when my SAHM days end, which may be sooner than I thought.

My first choice was Art Education, but that will require a minimum of three years (full time) and I would basically need to start from scratch. My Art History minor will not be as much help as I had hoped, as I still need all of the education requirements and several studio classes.

So that brings me to English Education. With my BA in English, I lack only the Education credits, which I should hopefully be able to knock out quickly. Reading Billy Budd essays written by surly teenagers will not be quite as much fun as finger painting with elementary kids, but I can live with it.

And speaking of kids…

They are wearing me out!

In retrospect, I can say that it was a relatively easy transition from one baby to two, after the initial shock dissipated. But those two babies have now graduated to two toddlers and this has rocked the boat a bit.

Gone are the days of long peaceful naps. Now only Sophie will nap so I do not get the break I so depended upon. Rylie is a live wire at all times of day and napping is simply not in the cards for her, try as I might to stack the deck.

This threw me off our routine for a while and our house was utter chaos.

It was a bad time to be Randi’s Husband or Randi’s Child.

Seriously.

But we are back on track and I am learning to accept the new normal. Sharing space with two rambunctious, ever curious, stubborn, highly emotional little people is the life I now live. One takes a nap and one chills out with some toons in lieu of a nap (if I’m lucky).

(Don't judge me.)

By the way, I have a question for moms of toddlers.

Someone please tell me that it is perfectly normal for a 2 ½ year old to be so …ahem…well…terrible?

Awful?

Insufferable?

(Again, don't judge me.)

I feel like I am living with an unmedicated manic depressive. She’s pretty intense. In fact, I may have a promising future as hostage negotiator by the time she is five, as I have become pretty good at talking down irrational and volatile personalities.

Are they all this bad? Are just girls this bad? Or is just (gulp) my girl this bad?

Thoughts?

Total ECLIPSE of the Heart

I saw Eclipse. And I saw it at midnight.

Terribly blurry picture (sorry!). Here we sat for two hours waiting on movie.

I promise I do not consider myself a Twi-Hard, in spite of the title of this post, which I suspect may be an embarrassing mistake.

However, I was accompanied by some die hard Twi-Hards.

Paula and Christy pose with very unTwilight like vampire.

Paula stocked her mini van with Twilight music and declared that she needed to focus. Christy wore a black Edward tee and scurried to gather abandoned collector's cups. Amber issued loud catcalls inspired by the shirtless Jacob and his glistening abs. Amanda, eight months pregnant, ranted against Bella (and also trapped gas pain, but that was completely understandable). Andrea had just finished the book and compared every detail. And then me. I wanted to see the movie but would have waited till DVD release. I read the books a year or two ago and I had forgotten most of it. But I really wanted a girls night out.

Amber with same creepy guy. We are not sure whether or not he was employed by Rave.

I am not sure if I exhibited any Twi-Hard characteristics besides the fact that I smuggled Starbucks into the theater and waited for two hours to see a midnight showing.

Yes, am an adult woman and I like Twilight. I like it for what it is, pure escapist fiction with a healthy dose of melodramatic teenage angst. As an English major, I would lose all credibility if I did not also add that these books are rather poorly written. But I have to give them props. They are a phenomenon and poorly written or not, the intense relationship between heroine and vampire is addictive.

I read the first book in January of 2008, two months after my first baby was born. I had been utterly unable to read anything but Dr. Sears and breastfeeding books, which I literally obsessed over. Stephanie Meyer's awkward Bella and smoldering Edward drew me right in, and for a few hours (I read the first book in one day) I could be just me, not an overwhelmed new mommy. I anxiously awaited the releases of the next books and after I completed them I turned around and read them again. It was something to look forward to amidst night feedings and diaper changes. I was the type of new mom who had more separation anxiety than my baby, popped a boob in her mouth every time she whimpered, and was afraid to put her in a crib. Reading Twilight might have been the only thing I did for myself in the entire first year of motherhood.

So I had fun seeing Eclipse. I'd do it again.