Ketchup Post

Sorry for the lack of posts, it's been crazy busy! I ended up spending about 4 weeks as a non contributing member of society. Don't think that I just sat around eating bon bons and watching Oprah (or Maury in my case. I'm totally trashy like that) I got a lot done! I spent most of my time gardening, I redecorated Will's bathroom and the guestroom, cleaned the hell out of our house (which has already gone to hell again) and organized a ton of stuff. Oh, and I shopped. A lot.

I also read a book! A whole book without pictures and it had nothing to do with Elmo! Pure bliss! It's called Escape, by Carolyn Jessop and it was awesome. I had read "Under the Kingdom of Heaven" by Jon Krakauer a few years ago (back when I had time to read) and liked it, although it was tough to get through. I called it "my airplane book" because that was about the only time that I could make myself sit down and read it. Kingdom is all about the Mormon religion, from beginning to present and focuses on the FLDS church. (Which is the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints) Escape is the story of Carolyn Jessop, who was born into the FLDS church and at 18, was married off as the fourth wife to a man who was in his 50s. In 14 years, she had 8 children with him, then escaped and won a long custody battle against him. Her testimony helped to bring charges against Warren Jeffs. (Who, if you read the book or anything about him, is freaking insane. Or evil, I don't know.)

Anyway, it was an awesome book! I'm now (slowly) trying to read "Me Talk Pretty One Day" by David Sedaris. It's good, and I've heard really good things about it, but I just don't have any time to read, yet again!

Which brings me to my current schedule. I accepted a job with a great company, but it's still close to downtown. The commute isn't nearly as bad as it was when I was working downtown, but it's not ideal. I'll put up with it, though. The job is pretty easy, the people that I work with and work for are fantastic and I'm still making about the same as what I was with BBcom. Not too shabby!

It was really quick process. Within days of applying, they called me for interviews, then more interviews, then almost immediately offered me the position and I started two days later. It was so quick that I hadn't had time to finish one of my garden beds where the last of the purple sage bushes had been cleared. Oops! With all of the work that I did around the house, (and only being 5'1") I developed tendonitis in my right elbow. At least that's what my self diagnosis is. It's getting better, but I'm still blaming it for not having finished that garden bed.

Mr. Will on the other hand is one lazy sonofa... just kidding. He's getting HUGE! It's so crazy how fast he's growing. I'll have to post some videos soon! In the meantime, here are a few pictures.





This is his "funny face". We tell him "Will, show me your funny face" and this s what he does. A total coincidence, but this is the same face that I used to make when I was little.



This is why I should never sit back and relax when he's quite. Although, I'll admit, that it could've been a lot worse.








And finally, this is a cute picture that my Aunt sent me last week. No, we didn't put a wig on Will! And yes, I guess you've all seen my boobies now. ;-)

Baby Jail

Tonight I was putting Will to bed, but he was kind of wired. When he gets like that, he tends to run around his crib until he falls down, then he laughs and does it all over again until he's tired. Weird, huh? Well tonight he was running around the crib, then back and forth, and then all of a sudden he ran towards the edge (the railing was down because I hadn't kissed him goodnight yet) and he pushed himself off the railing and BAM! Did a flip and landed on the floor. It happened so fast that all I had time to do was yell "OH MY GOD!" What does he do? Gets up, laughing, and tries to do it again.

When I was little, I did the exact same thing. My parents couldn't keep my in my crib. In the middle of the night, they'd wake up to me staring at them. They even installed a net over my crib to keep me in, but like the little turd that I was I still found a way out.

We're completely screwed.

Being a Woman of Leisure... Cont'd...

Ok, sorry about that! Tornadoes freak me out and hearing Chris (the guy with tornado experience) say "Get off the computer and get your shoes on. The storm will be here in 4 minutes." kind of freaked me out. It ended up passing just north of us, so we only got a little of it. Even the little that we got was pretty scary, so I can only imagine how people in the middle of the storm fared.

Anyway! Back to the awfulness that is WalMart. I hate that store but decided to brave it for some Pudding Pops and carpet cleaner. I ended up getting a couple of other things while I was there, but spent FOREVER on the carpet cleaners. Which one should I get? Spray? Powder? Foam? Finally decided on some Resolve powder stuff that came with a wide brush. Looked easy enough.

I get to the check out aisle, unload my few purchases (I made sure to grab the Pudding Pops last so that they didn't melt). The surly checker guy (very Walmart, very unhappy) scanned everything, in the middle was the carpet cleaner. He scanned it four times, each time it said "Item not found". So instead of calling for help or trying to figure it out, he simple set the carpet cleaner on a shelf behind him and said "Must be a new item. You probably didn't even get it from the right aisle. Sorry." Huh? Not wanting to start a huge argument and possibly be shot, I just said "No, it was in the aisle with all the other carpet cleaners. So, are you telling me that I cannot buy this?" "No. You can't buy it." he replied with his perfected 'Don't give a shit' attitude. "Can you just ring up an open item for $4.97? Or just give it to me? This cleaner is half the reason that I came here." "No. I can't. Sorry."

Beautiful. At this point there were 4 people lined up behind me so running to grab another cleaner felt like it wasn't really an option. Again, trying to avoid getting shot.

I left the store happy that I finally had the Pudding Pops that I craved throughout my entire pregnancy but could never find, but dumbfounded as to what had just happened. I can understand a new item not being in their system, but I think that at any other store they wouldn't have just said "Sorry, can't have it." and offer absolutely no alternative solution. So annoying. I was reminded as to why I never step foot in that store.

On a bright note, the pudding pops were delicious! I think that they would've tasted better had I been pregnant but they had the icy coating that I craved. So now I know where to get them next time I'm pregnant, but for now I think that I'll go back to my other favorite popsicles.

Anyway, so we're going to Pampa this weekend to visit Chris' family. It should be a fun time, but I am definitely not looking forward to the 8 hour drive! Flying isn't really an option since we have so much crap to take with us (you know, the Pack & Play, highchair, Will... the usual stuff) but today I'll go to Target for more Elmo DVDs to help distract him for a few hours. Hopefully we won't have any tornado scares while we're there. Last May we were in with 5 month old Will and we stayed up all night watching the Weather Channel. There were a few tornadoes that ended up passing through about a mile or two south of town. Talk about scary!

Ok, now I have carpet to clean, laundry to fold, suitcases to pack and toes to be pedicured! Have a great weekend!

Being a Woman of Leisure....

Ok, so not really but I like the title. I'm sitting here at 9:30 on a Wednesday night watching the weather. Why, you ask, am I watching the weather instead of Top Chef? Especially when I opened a bottle of Merlot? (not just for amateurs anymore!) Because there might be a tornado here in approximately 8 minutes. AHHH!! THIS is why I don't live in the Panhandle! WHY is this happening here?? So I'm sitting here watching the weather while Chris cleans out the downstairs closet just in case...

Anyway, so I stepped WAY out of my comfort zone the other day. I heard a rumor that there were Jello Pudding Pops at a Walmart close to me. Let's get one thing straight. I don't do Walmart. Walmart freaks me out. Unhappy people go to Walmart. They're all unhappy, dirty and rude. And Walmart is dirty. I decided that it was worth it.

Wait, more to come. I have been instructed to get my shoes on and get ready to grab Will...

And Suck on THAT!

Friday was my last official day with the company. I say "official" because the last week I was basically just supervising my replacement. I ended up staying 4 weeks after I submitted my resignation so that I could help find and train my replacement. Even though I was anxious to get the hell out of there, I also wanted input on my replacement since I worked my ass off and didn't want some random twit to screw it all up. I ended up calling a girl that I used to work with a while back, and it turned out to be perfect timing. She had just moved back to Austin from New York and was looking for a job downtown since she was going to be taking night classes at UT. Luckily for all of us, she was able to start right away! So I had 2 weeks to train her, the last week of which I basically had her answer my emails, my phone calls and conduct my trainings. What did I do? I read this, this, this, this, and this. Oh, and of course I obsessively checked this and this.

I also started planning out what I'm going to be doing with myself now that I am a woman of leisure. I can say that since Will is still going to be in daycare. Woohoo! I have tons of gardening, cleaning, cooking, organizing, painting and bon bon eating to really keep myself busy for a while, don't you worry. Gardening is first. Since we moved in, I haven't really had the time or the energy to get a lot of gardening done. The people that lived in this house before us were worthless and planted stupid ugly crap that is all about to go. We have 6 huge purple sage bushes in the front yard that are (hopefully) about to find new homes. I posted an ad on Craigslist on Friday basically saying that if someone wants to dig them up and take them away, then they can have them for free. Who knew that so many people scour the free stuff on Craigslist? One lady came on Friday and took the biggest one. Another guy is coming tomorrow, and hopefully he'll take the rest so that I can get right to it on Monday morning!

GREAT Recipe!

I just made this fantastic recipe that I found at AllRecipes.com and just had to share it!

Quinoa and Black Beans

INGREDIENTS

• 1 teaspoon vegetable oil
• 1 onion, chopped
• 3 cloves garlic, peeled and chopped
• 3/4 cup uncooked quinoa
• 1 1/2 cups vegetable broth
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• salt and pepper to taste
• 1 cup frozen corn kernels
• 1 (15 ounce) can black beans, rinsed and drained
• 1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro

DIRECTIONS

1. Heat the oil in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Stir in the onion and garlic, and saute until lightly browned.
2. Mix quinoa into the saucepan and cover with vegetable broth. Season with cumin, cayenne pepper, salt, and pepper. Bring the mixture to a boil. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer 20 minutes,
3. Stir frozen corn into the saucepan, and continue to simmer about 5 minutes until heated through. Mix in the black beans and cilantro.

In the reviews, I read that it's really good served as a meal with diced avocado on top and a squeeze of lime juice. Haven't tried that yet since I'm making it for sometime this week, but I just tried it without the avocado and lime. SO incredible! Quinoa is really really good for you as well.

100 things, continued...

18. I drive with both feet. After driving a standard car for so long, my left foot just HAD to rest on a pedal, so I used to just rest it on the brake. Now I brake with my left and gas with my right. It freaks Chris out.

19. I've always wanted to go blonde. I don't think that I'd look good as a blonde, but I've always wanted to try it but have always been too scared.

20. I could eat bleu cheese and drink scotch all day long! I didn't even start liking either until I was 18, but I could live off of both.

21. I love the ocean, but it freaks me out. I'm such a wuss now! All the creepy crawlies and sharks just ruin it for me. Except for when we were in Isla Mujeres. They have a big net to keep you from getting caught in the undertow, but I liked it because it kept out the sharks. You know, because sharks can't get through nets. ;-)

22. I want a boob job. It's so vain, I know, but I want my old boobies back. They were cute and perky!

23. My favorite book is A Tree Grows in Brooklyn. I first read it when I was 12, and it's been my favorite ever since. A very close second is The Drifters, by James Michener.

24. I always kill great songs. I hear a great song or two somewhere, download it, and then I'll listen to it over and over and over again until I can't even bear to think about it ever again. It's terrible!

25. I'm a closet zit picker. It's so gross, I know, but I can't help it! I could just sit in front of a mirror for a long time and just pick at myself.

26. Secretly, I like the beard that Chris is growing out.

27. I really want to be closer to my parents again. Not only are they just fantastic in general, but they make great babysitters! (They come cheap, too! They get paid in hugs and kisses, but we let Will foot that bill!)

28. I miss being pregnant, it was actually kind of fun! I got to eat whatever I wanted, I didn't have to suck in my gut, and people didn't give me weird looks when I rubbed my belly.

Expanding my Vocabulary, One Naughty Word at a Time!

I had posted this on my MySpace blog a while back, but thought that it was funny enough to post here:

Everyday I leave at 5pm on the dot to try to beat some of the downtown traffic, and just about everyday I see this same old guy on a motorcycle. Long, braided ponytail, a suit and he drives like an asshole, really hard to miss.

Today he caught my eye because he was wearing a fun leather get-up because 60 degrees is considered freezing cold here. I noticed that he had a nice shiny, new helmet. It was black, and on the back it read "Vegetarian". I started thinking to myself "What a fucking freak, he's really proud of his vegetables. Loser." Then I got a better look. It actually read "Vaginatarian". I just about pissed my pants! Ohhhhh.. not vegetables! Vagina! Of course! How classy... fo sho.

I got Rick Rolled.. AGAIN!

Chris is such a jerk! Apparently the only thing that they have to do at his company is to Rick Roll people all day long. His boss got it twice today, they all sent each other links with SalesForce tasks with links to this.

I, on the other hand, am proud to say that I was a busy bee at work today! I'm stirring up all sorts of trouble! Why? Why not! I quit my job on Monday! Hahaha, that's right! My last day is next Friday, unless they agree to negotiate with me a bit, in which case I will stay one extra week. We'll see! I've decided that I do want to work, but just not downtown. I'm done with sitting in traffic for 2.5 hours/day! I am going to stay at home for a few weeks (while still taking Will to daycare.. haha!) so that I can get some gardening done, finally decorate the guest room and just have some time to myself before I get back out there again. I'm lucky enough to be able to be fairly picky about the location and job that I take, so we'll see what's out there when I'm ready. I definitely want to be close to Will's daycare, which I will not change. It's so tough to find a daycare that you are happy with, there's no reason to change it.

So, WOOHOO! The countdown begins!

Fuuuuuddddddgggggge...

I have had a real potty mouth lately. I totally blame my job and the coworker that makes me want to throw a stapler at her stupid ugly hat wearing head.

This potty mouth has come around at the perfect time, now that my son is starting to speak and repeat choice words. I have tried really really hard to not say curse words around him, and he has not repeated any so far, but I am expecting that someday something bad will happen and the mother of all curse words will slip out. It'll be like slow motion, and it will just fall out of his mouth. Knowing him, the moment that he sees the look of horror that will cross my face is the same moment that he'll decide that this new is his most favoritest word ever.

Then I'll have to bring out the bar of soap.

UGH

Have you ever disliked someone that you work with so much that every time you see them you want to throw a stapler at their head? Or something equally as heavy? Like a monitor. Or a PC.... nah, couldn't get a whole lot of air throwing a PC.

Fun Updates!

Well, it's been an interesting couple of weeks here at the Duncan house. Not really interesting, just a little busy. Will had tubes put in his ears last Wednesday, and so far it seems as though his ears are finally back to normal! Just as we got really good at holding him down to put the eardrops in his ears? It's all over. I'm supposed to see some dramatic change in his behavior, but he's generally a happy kid so he's pretty much the same. Minus the occasional tantrums because I won't let him OD on Flintstone vitamins.

Speaking of tantrums, the little shit threw the mother of all tantrums yesterday morning. He's really not a morning person, so when I went into his room at about 7am to wake him up, he really wasn't happy. It's all the routine, so I pick him up, give him his cup of milk and lay him down to change his diaper. He immediately starts screaming out for DADA! DADA! (He's been super obsessed with Chris lately.) Chris had already left for work, so there's the first thing that pissed him off. THEN he still has to have his diaper changed. Pissed. Then he won't let me get him dressed for daycare. Then I won't let him go downstairs to play until he and I are both dressed. What does all of that equal? Furious baby.

I turn Sesame Street on and go about my morning, ignoring the screaming, writhing child who claims to be mine. 10 minutes later I'm ready and I hold him down to get him dressed. and FINALLY I'm ready to go downstairs. At this point? He doesn't care anymore, he just wants to be difficult. I drag him downstairs and try to get some breakfast in him. He eats a few cheerios but is mainly just in a really bad mood. Finally, I've had enough. I bend down so that I'm eye level with him and say "Will, you are being ridiculous. If I were a stay at home mom, today would be the day that I would drop you off at daycare." What does the little shit do? Says "EH" and throws his milk at me. Nice. Sometimes I am happy to have a job.

This morning was much easier. Chris and I both woke him up, and the whole morning he was this incredible dream child. We fed each other cheerios and shared yogurt, then picked flowers and played with Jenny. (Before the bitch ate another pair of his nail clippers. Stupid dog! She chewed all of the plastic from around the metal clippers. How annoying!)

I have to get a video of this, but Will has been doing something really cute recently and we finally figured out today where he got it from. For the past week, he'd walk over to one of us, bend down at his knees, then jump up and throw his hands up like he's trying to touch the ceiling. Then he'd start laughing and do it again. And again. And again. Finally realized today, that at daycare the snacks are stored on shelves that are *just* out of reach for most of the girls, so they have to jump up to grab them. It really is hilarious, I'll try to get it on video soon!

Oh Will!!!

So, most of you probably (might) know that Will has had this persistent little ear infection since ... DECEMBER. We have just started on our 5th antibiotic, but I am losing hope. We saw an ENT today, who is strongly recommending tubes. I think that we're going to do it. If I'm this sick of having a sick baby, I can only imagine how Will is feeling about the whole thing!

I have been researching this for the past week or two, along with alternatives. When I was about 18 months old, I went through the same thing. My pediatrician wanted tubes to be a very very last resort, but recommended that my parents take me to an ENT to get an opinion. Of course, the ENT wanted to put tubes in my ears. The Ped told my parents that he didn't think that tubes were necessary, that ENTs always go immediately for the tubes because it's very lucrative, and that we should see a different ENT. We saw that one, same thing. My Dr. told him that he wanted him to lance my ears first and see if that worked before we went the tube route. Apparently, that pissed the ENT off, so he ended up lancing my ears right then without any anesthesia. (Talk about pissed parents, they still get all worked up just talking about it) But it worked! Never really had problems after that.

The problem with a myringotomy (lancing the eardrum) is that it is a very temporary solution. They make a tiny incision in the eardrum to relieve pressure from the fluid buildup. (According to Wikipedia) The difference is that, instead of then sticking an itty bitty tube in that incision to keep it open and allow ventilation, you leave it as is and then in a few days the incision heals. My first thought was to request this only because we're getting into the warmer (okay, okay, HOTTER) months where we're less likely to have ear infections, so a temporary solution makes sense.

Of course, seeing the ENT made me all the more confused. I was fully prepared for the tube talk, and this doctor totally knew a sucker when he saw one. We weighed both options, and decided to sleep on it. BUT in the meantime, Will has started his 5th round of antibiotics. He's back on Augmentin which was the one that totally tore up his poor tush last time. That was the one that helped us discover the confusing mess that is a little boy's yeast infection. WHAT? Yes, for 2 days we thought that he had a really awful diaper rash. Turns out? Yeast infection. Surprise! On his butt! You know what you use for it? Athlete's foot cream. Good to know. You'd better believe that I tucked that little golden nugget of info away for next time he gets fire butt. As if I needed to be any more confused about his nether regions...

Anyway, so after talking to other parents whose children have had tubes, it really does seem like the best option. (Like I said. Sucker.) But, I can't keep making this poor kid miserable on more antibiotics, plus right now he really needs for his ears to be well since he's starting to talk more and develop language skills.

Questions About Staying at Home

The more Chris and I talk about me staying at home, the more questions I come up with. My main concern (and this is probably going to sound stupid) is that I'm worried that the balance that I have worked so hard to create will be gone. Right now, since we both are contributing financially, I feel like I have more freedom to go out, to insist that Chris do things with Will, etc.. I am afraid that I'm giving up this power since he'll be the breadwinner. Does anyone have any thoughts/suggestions on this? Am I just being silly? I know that staying at home is a job in itself, but has anyone had issues with this?

Also, how do you work out the financial aspect of staying at home? Does husband give you a certain allowance/budget for your own personal use, or do you just spend as you see fit and hope that it all balances out in the end? Chris' Dad gives his stepmom an allowance per month since he didn't want her to work, and she uses it for a cleaning lady. That always made me laugh! Of course, she doesn't have just any cleaning lady, no no no. She has a "domestic" who basically deep cleans the house with a toothbrush and a razor blade. She's like the MacGyver of cleaning ladies... insane.

We're thinking about selling my car (I know, we JUST got it in September) and buying a small car for Chris to take to work, and I'd drive his monster SUV. Not my ideal situation, but it would help with expenses a little. Getting rid of my $500/month car payment in lieu of something much smaller seems ideal, but I really really love my car! It's the perfect size and everything! Keeping mine and selling his is also an option, but we use his for traveling since it's so much bigger. I don't know that I'd want to make the 8 hour car drives to PTown or NOLA in my Highlander... Grrr... Although, if he gets this big promotion, then it might not even be a discussion that we'd really have to have....

Also, when it comes to cleaning, etc, do you have a schedule? Like, laundry/dusting on Mon, Wed, Fri and vaccuming/bathrooms on Tues/Thurs kind of thing?

Any info that anyone can give me would be GREATLY appreciated. Also, I'm really looking forward to exercising during the day. I totally need a jogging stroller, and I need to find a way to convince Femme to come to the park with us. It really is fun! Really! Will doesn't have any friends there yet, but he loves the slides and loves to hang out in the soccer field and stalk dogs. He likes to run up to them, yell "WOOF WOOF! DOG! WOOF WOOF!" and try to pet them and love on them. He's really used to Jenny. His new favorite thing is to lay his blankie on top of her and then lay down on her to cuddle. She tolerates it, she's a good dog. It sort of makes up for all of the toys and pacifiers that she's eaten. And the snacks that she's taken from him. What can I say, she's a lab. It's what they do. She's usually really good about not taking his snacks, she just stalks him until he drops them. (Which he always does) But sometimes she just can't take it anymore. He really does taunt her. He pretends to break off a tiny piece and offer it to her, then he runs away. So what is her solution? Knock the kid down and steal his snack. Bitch.

Anyway, any suggestions and advice would be fantastic! Maybe I'll start a ticker to countdown until the end of June...

And This is Why I Love my Husband....

I'm not much of a Valentine's Day fan. Probably because I've never really had a fantastic experience with it. Never anything horrible, like walking in on a boyfriend making whoopie with a random chick, but just never anything spectacular that has really proven to me that Valentine's Day is worth celebrating. It's always been the obligatory red roses, some stupid teddy bear or dinner at some shitty restaurant because he didn't think ahead to make reservations at a great restaurant. Eh, it's just not my thing. I'd rather be surprised with flowers on a random day with a sweet note, it makes more sense. Plus, unfortunately for me Chris was never trained well enough by former girlfriends to MAKE it mean anything. Stupid bimbos. ;-)

Anyway, so even though EVERY year I remind Chris of my feelings on the day, I still get the red roses and the indifferent "I had to do it" shrug. THIS year would be different. THIS YEAR I would hammer it into his head. Either make it meaningful or don't bother. I was bound and determined to make him put some effort into it. Surprise me the day before with really good chocolates and my favorite flowers! Have a fantastic dinner made when I get home (or after Will goes to bed) with a really great bottle or two of wine. Hell, even buy me a plant that I can put in our garden, it'll last longer! THAT'S what it should be about, put just a little though and effort into it and damnit if he can't do that then screw it! I don't want anything! (If you can't tell, that's the spoiled only girl syndrome.) Dad always bought me a gardenia plant (one of my favorite flowers) or wrote a really nice card about how I'm his favorite daughter. You know, out of the one that he has. The point is, make it mean something!

I was very proud of myself this year. Damnit, since he didn't come already trained then I'm going to start training him myself. I was adamant, don't send me the stupid flowers. What I forgot to mention to him was my rant about wanting it to mean something. So, now I'm left with the whole "just don't do it" thing. Crap. So the day rolls around and he starts talking about how his coworkers were giving him hell about not sending me anything. I feel stupid. Now he thinks that I just don't want anything. Ugh, I hate when I forget the other half of my point. I mentally jot this down for next year while I try to play the cool wife and say "Honey, I'm the one that told you not to send me the cliche' red roses while you ignore me for the rest of the night. Don't get me wrong, Valentine's Day is great and all, but only when you put in the effort", halfheartedly trying to explain it.

Ugh. Now I've just screwed myself out of any hope of ever getting anything.

So fast forward a few days later, and I find out that our company has President's Day, off so I immediately tell him that he should take the day off so that we can have a "date day". A WHOLE day to ourselves, that'll fix it! What should we do? A movie? He nixes the idea altogether. Damnit, I really want to see Juno still. "I know!" he says, "Let's cook! All day! We'll go grocery shopping and make our meals for the week!" Damnit. He's missing the point and now I wish that he would just go to work. Ugh.

BUT all is not lost. We decide to go to the Outlet Malls in San Marcos because believe it or not, he's lived here for 13 years and has never gone. Seriously. After I played up the Pottery Barn outlet a whole lot, I convinced him that it's a must do. And you know, while we're there, we may as well get more of the footie pajamas for Will at the Carter's and Gymboree outlets. And, I need to get a couple of shirts at Banana. Maybe a little Kate Spade action? And I need new sunglasses.. and on it goes. After a while, we decided to break for lunch and margaritas and I manage to convince him that I really do like Valentine's Day and my feelings are hurt that he didn't think enough of me to do anything.

All in all? My Valentine's Day present was a pair of sunglasses, 2 pairs of shoes, cute sconces from PB, a couple of shirts from Banana and a very apologetic husband. Not bad for a quick trip. We got a bunch of crap for Will too, but the most interest that he's shown in his new pajamas was when he peed in them this morning. Eh. Thanks, Will.

Ughghghghhh.. I Totally Had My Hopes Up!!!

UGH. I'm so annoyed. I was all set and ready for the big meeting with my boss on Tuesday where I'd let him know that I was out the door. Just in time for Chris to realize that I can't quit yet! What? I KNOW! We both totally forgot that we're doing the Cafeteria Plan through his employer for daycare. The amount that we had already determined was the same as last year, $5000. So far, we've only used $1600 so I have to work until JUNE-ish until the rest of the money runs out or we lose it. (And Chris won't let me lose $5000 just so that I can stay home. Cheap bastard.)

UGH. I'm so annoyed. Oh well. At least there's an end in sight. It was great, last week I was already being snippy and shitty to idiot customers. Last week this idiot kept telling me that it was our company's fault that she failed to keep up with her inventory. She told me that it was our software, therefore OUR responsibility to keep up with her inventory FOR her. Hm. Really. So, in my pre-quit snarkiness I politely told her "Beth, if I were psychic you can bet that I'd use my powers for something other than keeping your inventory in check. It is your responsibility to do this, therefore it is your responsibility to make it right." She was not pleased but you can bet your ass that I was. I was one smug bitch for the rest of the day.

Sigh. Now I have to go back to being nice for another couple of months. Frack! So, another 4 months and THEN I will be freeeeeeeeeee!

To Be or Not To Be....

Oh, one dilemma leads to another... this one is not so hard to figure out. I'm quitting my job to be a stay at home mama. They don't know this yet, but they will by tomorrow. Not only has my satisfaction with my job been dwindling in the last few months (quite rapidly, I might add) but for a while now I've been really feeling like I'm missing out. From 7:00am-6:00pm, I am either sitting in traffic (oh, the beauty of working in glamourous downtown Austin) or I'm at work wishing that I was elsewhere. I have about 45 minutes in the morning with Will and about an hour at night with him. On the weekends, we're so busy cooking, cleaning and running errands that we don't have time to just sit down and be a family.

And how can I sit at a desk all listening to adults twice my age screw up something as simple as checking an itty bitty checkbox a few times a week, then turn around and blame every single person but themselves. Repeatedly. With a complete disregard for other people's feelings, contracts that they've signed, etc., Every single day I have to listen to them tell me that our software is the stupid one. Sure.... totally not a user error. Not saying "Oh, woe is me", it's been my decision to stay for the past 3.5 years, but it's just time to go. I think that we'll still bring him to daycare once a week so that he can play with his friends and Mama can attempt to keep her what is left of her sanity. And have margarita lunches with girlfriends...

Plus, how can I sit there, day after day when I could be taking pictures like this? Even with pink eye he cracks me up!

I'm really hoping that once I leave, I'll be much less frustrated, stressed and exhausted. Well, I'm sure that I'll still be all of those things, but for much different reasons! The kid can run now, you know!

Speaking of the kid, we went to visit my parents this past weekend. We were going to do the whole Mardi Gras thing, but my Mom couldn't get off of work so we went to McAllen instead. It would have really hurt her feelings if we went without her, and there's always next year! We had four whole days of hide and seek, BBQ Shrimp and po boys. YUM.

While we were at my parents' house, Will's eyes started gunking up like he blew his nose in his eyes. Gross. Turns out, he was invited to the pink eye party. And he has an ear infection. Awesome! So he's currently on Augmentin since he just had an ear infection (his first) over Christmas where we got to give him the tasty pink bubble gum flavored Amoxicillin that he adored. Beautiful thing is, Augmentin not only tastes disgusting, but it's famous for tearing up little tummies. Um yeah, when they say that it can cause "stomach aches and a little diarrhea", it turns out that they lied. A lot. What it really means is that searing hot lava shit sprays out of your kid's ass. It's shart city at our house and his room smells faintly like a zoo. We've been trying to battle it by force feeding him yogurt and probiotics, then spackling his little tush with the Butt Paste, so we'll see how it goes. We still have 7 days to go! The good thing is, daycare gets to deal with it during the day! WOOHOO!

Don't think that the irony of the last sentence was lost on me. My days are numbered, I'll have to be a real Mom soon! It's all about Costco, playground and Jenny the dog!

Tomato/Caper Topped Fish

Num num num. I saw this recipe on Barefoot Contessa a few weeks ago, and it looked fantastic. The sauce (not really a sauce... a relish? a compote? dunno.) is nice and briny and I think goes very well with a nice, firm white fish, although she used swordfish. I just grilled the fish with a little salt/pepper and topped it with the sauce. Here's the recipe:

1 cup chopped yellow onion (1 onion)
1 cup chopped fennel (1 bulb)
3 tablespoons good olive oil
1 teaspoon minced garlic
28 ounces canned plum tomatoes, drained
1 teaspoon kosher salt
3/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 tablespoons chicken stock
2 tablespoons good dry white wine
1/2 cup chopped fresh basil leaves
2 tablespoons capers, drained
1 tablespoon unsalted butter

For the sauce, cook the onions and fennel in the oil in a large saute pan on medium-low heat for 10 minutes, until the vegetables are soft. Add the garlic and cook for 30 seconds. Add the drained tomatoes, smashing them in the pan with a fork, plus the salt and pepper. Simmer on low heat for 15 minutes. Add the chicken stock and white wine and simmer for 10 more minutes to reduce the liquid. Add the basil, capers, and butter and cook for 1 minute more.

It's really easy and very delicious. We served it with salad and steamed broccoli, although I think that it would be really good with a little pasta as well.

I didn't take a picture this time, I was too busy trying to get Will to stop feeding Jenny. I swear, I've never seen that dog refuse food!

100 Things, Cont'd...

10. One of my favorite foods in the world are saltine crackers. I love them. When I was pregnant, I would go through a sleeve a day. Actually, I'm eating some as I'm typing this!

11. I am a super badass at Cryptoquips. Cryptoquip is a substitution cipher where one letter stands for another. Like if A equals T, then A will equal T throughout the puzzle. I love them! For Christmas last year, my little brother found 4 cryptoquip books and I basically holed myself up for months finishing them! I need more...

12. I am really non-confrontational. I have absolutely no backbone. (Except for glorious today. That's a story for another day when I am not at my job anymore. Or over a few drinks)

13. Nothing irks me more than when people cannot spell! I totally understand a typo here and there, but for adults to not know the difference between "to", "too" and "two" and there/their is ridiculous.

14. I can't stand spit or spit sounds. It's all I can do from going batshit freakout mode when Will gives me kisses. He grabs my face, opens his mouth, sticks out his tongue and licks my face for a few seconds. It's very odd. I feel so bad about it but there's just so much saliva! Don't even get me started on when Jenny "tends" to her lady parts.

15. Will peed on me tonight. I was holding him, about to put him in the bathtub and he peed all over me. Then he cried because I startled him. Oops.

16. You know how most couples have their "list"? Like, the list of celebrities (or celebrity) that you can have no strings attached sex with but it doesn't matter because it'll never happen? Mine is Ed Harris. Don't ask me why. Chris is lame and unoriginal, his is Britney Spears but he has not clarified whether he means Crazy Britney or Britney circa 2000. That's a little scary.

17. My husband has a little man-crush on Matt Damon. It's just another thing that we have in common.

This is tough...

The Baby Dilemma

You know when you start dating someone, and everyone asks "So, when is he going to pop the question?" Then, the second that you say "I do" people start asking "When are you having babies?". You have a baby, and almost immediately the next, most dreaded question comes... "When are you having another baby?" The first time I heard that last question was a week or two after Will was born, and I don't think that I've ever felt a stronger urge to reach out and strangle someone in my life.

When we first had Will, it was all about just trying to keep our lives together on 4 hours of sleep (on a good day), trying to figure out if the baby is hungry, gassy, tired, poopy or just plain pissed off about having been yanked out of his cozy womb. For the first 5 weeks I couldn't sleep in bed with my husband because every time I would try to get up or lay down, that fun new four inch scar on my abdomen felt like it was going to rip open.

At the time I kept thinking "There seems to be no end in sight and you want me to tell you when we're going to do it again? Fat chance!"

In case you didn't know, nature plays this cruel trick on you and has a way of making you forget about all of those sleepless nights, the times that you were simultaneously covered in runny, yellow super poop and milk spit up, then being peed on, and somehow makes you only remember the times when the precious baby snuggled up on your chest and just slept, or cooed. You only remember the first (very rewarding) smile, but you temporarily forget about all the trouble you had trying to get them to stop shrieking.

Well, Chris and I have always known that we want more than one kid. He is an only child and doesn't want Will to be an only child. I'm cool with this, but how do you know that you're ready to have another one? We are so content with having just Will right now, I just can't imagine going through this again but at the same time I sort of want to... ARGH, why are they so darn cute?

We keep talking about maybe trying late this summer. Or maybe next summer. I'm shallow, so I want a spring baby because they have cuter clothing options. Also, I would go through the worst of the pregnancy in mild weather instead of having to endure another sweaty, asscrack hot summer without a margarita to sip on.

That, and I will be in a friend's wedding in April and have already bought my super cute bridesmaid dress so I'll be starving myself skinny for the next 2 months. (Speaking of, do any of my GMAT studying housewife friends want to run with me on my lunch break around Town Lake? Hmmm?)

Anyway, I'm torn.

Beef Stew and a Day Off

I decided that in this shitty weather, I needed a nice, hearty dish that wasn't going to give me a sneak peek of my insides out like Chris' chili did last weekend. I tell you, he's not allowed near a stove anymore. Anyway, today I made Beef Stew for the first time. It's weird that I'd never made it before since it's such a comfort food staple, but I decided to give it a try. I used a combination of different recipes that I found on various sites, and it turned out pretty decent!

Here's what I came up with:


Although in real life it looks a lot less like throw up than it does in this picture.













Beef Stew:

2 tablespoons olive oil
2 pounds beef stew meat, cut into 1-inch pieces (I found the cubed stew meat at the grocery store, but you can buy a big piece of chuck and trim it really well)
1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
3/4 teaspoon cracked black pepper
4 cloves of garlic, roughly chopped
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
4 tablespoons all-purpose flour
4 cups beef broth/stock, at room temperature
1/2 cup red wine
3 tablespoons tomato paste
1/4 teaspoon dried thyme
2 bay leaves
1/4 teaspoon dried oregano
1/4 teaspoon dried basil
1/8 teaspoon ground allspice
1 pound small red potatoes, quartered
2 bell peppers, coarsley chopped
1 cup carrots, sliced about 1/2 inch thick
1 large very coarsly chopped onion
1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley leaves

Heat a large dutch oven over medium high heat, and pour in olive oil. Season meat with salt and pepper and add to the pan in batches. I think that I only had 2 batches for this recipe. Brown on each side, about 2 minutes per side. Set meat aside.

Add onions, garlic and bell pepper to the oil and cook until browned and fragrant. Add the tomato paste and incorporate. Add the meat back into the pot, stir into the veggies and sprinkle with the flour. Stir for a few minutes to lightly brown the flour, you're almost making a roux but not quite. Add the stock/broth, wine and bring to a simmer. Add the herbs, allspice and bay leaves. Stir and simmer for about an hour or until the beef is sort of tender.

Add the potatoes and carrots, stir and simmer for an hour or hour and a half to make sure that the potatoes and carrots are soft and cooked through.

Serve with rice or mashed potatoes. I like to add a little Tabasco or Pickapeppa sauce, Chris likes to add a little bit of vinegar but it's totally up to you.

100 Things About Me....

Since I'm exhausted all the time now, I am totally lacking in the originality department. I have decided copy Mel and jot down 100 things about me. What I really want to do is to complain about work, but I'll spare you for many many reasons.

1. My favorite smells in the world are fresh chopped parsley and garlic cooking in olive oil. It brings back memories of helping my Dad and Grandma make meatballs. I make up excuses to cook with these ingredients, and Chris is none the wiser. Mostly because it saves him from having to cook.

2. I would give my left foot to move back to New Orleans. Why? The roads suck ass, the people aren't nearly as nice as Texans, it can be scary as shit, dumbasses crowd the Quarter covered in beads even when it's not Mardi Gras (one of many pet peeves) but if you ask anyone from the city, they'd all tell you that there's absolutely nothing like it. The food, the people, the oak trees, the houses... it's all home. Plus, I leaving a bar at 3am and pouring my beer into a to go cup to take with me. I almost cried last time we went to the Quarter and I heard some kid tell an unsuspecting tourist "Betcha I can tell you where you got dem shoes!"

3. There are 5 foods that I don't like. Mushrooms, fresh tomatoes, ranch dressing, cokes and mayonnaise. Bacon used to be on the list, but being pregnant turned me into a bacon lover but only when it's by itself. I don't like when bacon is mixed with anything, like in a salad, sandwich, taco, etc.. Don't like.

4. I love that I can still look at Chris and think "Wow, I love that guy."

5. I could hold Will forever if he'd let me. Now that he's a big boy it's a rare moment, but I love it when he cuddles with me and just rests his big pumpkin head on my shoulder. It's the sweetest feeling in the world.

6. I love grocery shopping with a cup of coffee and no purpose. I could roam around a grocery store forever just looking around at all of these random ingredients that I never even knew existed. (Especially in the downtown Whole Foods!)

7. I like to bake, but don't have the time for it right now. I have tons of baking, cake decorating and chocolate books just sitting around, collecting dust. I used to be really into it, and would love to pick it up again. And I make a mean lemon curd.

8. I suck ass at decorating. It's horrible. I'm married to a guy who is the same way, so we live in a house full of blank, white walls that are just screaming for attention. He's given me free reign for the guest bedroom and I either come up with blanks or have to completely copy some random Pottery Barn room. Same with poor Will's nursery. It's still half done because I have no idea what to put on the walls.

9. I have a love/hate relationship with the Food Network. I love watching these cooks and chefs make fantastic meals, learning new techniques, etc.. but every single time I see one of them take a bite I want to bury my head under a pillow and scream. I hate the sound of people chewing, but more so when Paula Deen takes a bite. She always talks with her mouth full of butter, and there is always a little bit of food that threatens to come out and stick to the camera. And the day that that happens? I'm gonna have to go all jihad on her fried food eating ass.

Just saying...

The Druncan Diaries

Well, here I am again. Melek and Femme au Foyer have inspired me to blog again. I cannot promise that I have anything interesting to write about, but I'll try my damndest! Since I have so little free time, the few hours that I have are usually spent watching "Best Week Ever" and the new season of "Rock of Love" instead of doing something productive, such as reading, cleaning or improving the constant headache that is our house.