Hi, is anybody out there?

This is simply a friendly reminder, that although sleep deprived, I am here. I am drifting through this abyss of teething madness, trying to stay awake ten more minutes before- sleeping two hours, waking up to a fretting baby, change positions, nurse, go back to sleep, wake up at 4:30 a.m. to a frantic baby in search of a teether, oh there’s mommy’s nipple. go back to sleep, wake again at 6:30 a.m. decide to force self out of bed, shower, eat oatmeal, fix coffee, get dressed, pump, check email, work for 4 hours, come home to pump, eat lunch, return to work, home at 2 p.m., iron shirt for hubby, wash a load of clothes, try to start a business of my own, be a wife, be a daughter, keep our house clean, keep up with in-laws and friends, check email, blog, nurse Baby G…maybe.too.much…for my liking, feed the dogs, play with baby G, wish for a hottub bath inbetween, read something daily even if only a babybook, walk around the block. Change another dirty diaper, boy this child poops a lot! Pick up Baby G before he falls over again. Sit Baby G down on bottom, remove Baby G from climbing on bookcase four times in a row. Put Baby Einstein on and wish it lasted for two hours, become frantic that it only lasts 24.35 minutes. Rush around and then sink into chair, drained. Back up! I completely forgot to mention it’s time for baby G’s 3rd feeding of the day, make babyfood, make meal for self, remember vitamins for both of us, drink lots of water. 8:30 p.m. Down in the floor, preoccupied. 9:30 p.m. Bathtime. Is Daddy home yet? Brush my teeth, nurse. 10:30 p.m. Off to bed and tomorrow we go at it again.

I’m still getting the hang of this mommy stuff. I am exhausted.

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Too Early to Tell

This morning I woke up more alert than I have been in ages. Perhaps, it was the uninterrupted 6 hours of sleep I got (count that, six WHOLE hours…I feel like a NEW WOMAN!) or the fact that I knew if I was stealth enough, I could get up and manage to have a nice hour or so to myself before Baby G awakes. This morning is different than most mornings because:

a) the hubby doesn’t have to go to work

b) I don’t either

c) it’s Saturday!!

What a treat! So you can imagine my delight and urgency in enjoying the morning.

See that’s where my hubby and I differ. Even though I could definitely use the extra hours of sleep, my mind is going warp speed conceiving all the things I can jam-pack into my new window of opportunity. These moments are truly rare. They must be pounced upon the moment they arrive!

In the midst of knowing I am racing against the clock, I started making coffee. In the last two months, I have slowly regained my obsession and sweet addiction with that first cup of Joe. In the process, I was frantically trying to plan out my morning. 

Literally, I was swimming in ideas. I was a college student writing a term paper.

I would blog first. I could schedule a couple of bills. Nah, not much fun. Oh, I can look up hams for Thanksgiving at the Honey Ham Company. No, wait…scratch that I will respond to those folks I keep intending to get back to via email and facebook. Then, I can also email overdue pictures of Baby G to the family. Although, isn’t that the POINT of this blog. Hell-o? Or, I could work on a few other projects and favors in the making. Then I thought, slow down Nelly! (Brakes applied.) I thought to myself, “You’re most likely chewing off more than you can chew.”

Lost in thought, I caught myself holding the refrigerator door open with the coffee pot in my left hand trying diligently to place it into the side door of the refrigerator. Yep, you heard that right. I’m confessing here, that it took me a second to realize what I was doing.

There was this weird moment, where my brain clicked and said to me, “Ahhh, psst…hey you…I don’t think that’s where that goes.” It WAS an extremely strange feeling, sorta out of a Salvador Dali type dream.

I am pretty sure that old adage applies this morning. Let’s hope for my sake, it’s simply a glimpse of the mind slightly slipping in older age, rather than the full Monty. Of course, I still think it’s too early to tell.

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A sight for sore eyes.

 

I never thought I would see gas go back to pre 2000 prices, but atlas it has. I took this picture last night on my drive home. Funny thing is, C. Beth has a post with a gas price picture, too. (She didn’t go where I’m about to go though…) In my opinion, this has needed to happen for awhile, better yet we need to come up with some alternatives- and, as much happiness as this brings me as it does you…it has MANY political implications. I’m not going to get into exactly why I think gas has micraculously went down all.of.a.sudden. I do think it’s safe to say that I’m pretty sure it has something to do with that guy leaving office in January. Which, if I think about it a bit more…why exactly couldn’t that have been done sooner?

I’m going to go out on a limb here, (even though I’m definitely not going to get into why prices have dropped) remember when those naysayers who said the housing market was too good to be true and pointed to a global meltdown about a year or two ago and NO ONE listened.

I know many of you probably don’t agree with my political outlook, so as I continue, you may want to LOOK AWAY…yeah, somewhere over there. Again, I am NOT going to go into why I think gas has dropped. (I’m just giving you some fuel to feed the fire, so to speak. No pun intended.)

With that said- I feel oil was definitely the reason we went into Iraq and if you can’t see that, well, obviously you aren’t reading this. Let’s travel back to when the U.S. was about to invade Iraq. Now, do you recall the burning of Iraq oil fields by it’s own people? Ok, so think how high gas prices have climbed in the last 8 years. Ok, I hope you have that mental image. Hold it there. Then take those implications and think about how oil demands have dropped this summer, the era of a president is ending and that the economy is shit- Whatcha got? You bet ya bottom dollar- some pockets are lined and overflowing about now. So, why wouldn’t you drop the price after making yourself super rich?

Discussion? Won’t you feed the fire, too?

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Wishing for Warmer Days

 

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Monkey Moments

I thought I would share how much monkeying around Baby G has been into lately. If this first picture doesn’t clue you in for what’s to come, I don’t know what will. All I know, there’s definitely a trend taking place…

 

 
*Disclaimer* These pictures are not staged (see stains, bruise, and wet pee mark for proof).

I found this nifty idea over at The Natural Mommy, a new blog I just started checking out- she’s witty and sincere and natural. So go ahead and check out her blog. She also used this widget from Mr. Linky, too. Pretty darn cool. This means, if you are reading and have any photos/memories for the week that you are dying to share, here’s your chance. Link your post (individual, not homepage) in Mr. Linky…then I and anyone else can come see what memories you are sharing this week! Yes, it’s another meme…they’re addictive it seems.

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A Dirty Green Post-It

“Yellow, let it Mellow. Brown, Flush it Down.”

Gone are the days of the Outhouses, how would we have managed?

This is a wonderful tip for conserving water. Of course, some may not be able to stomach the thought of pee sitting unflushed for the world to see for long amounts of time. I have no problem with it if it’s just the family hanging out, but I have a double standard when guests are coming round and it includes making sure the bathrooms are fully functional and non-repelling. I even have nice smelling soaps hanging out, even though I can’t use half of them (freaking eczema) and I can’t smell any of them (freaking weird phenomenon).

Anyway, it’s a practice to think about starting. You could even go as far as only flushing paper when it’s a poop, too. That way the sewer systems and septic tanks aren’t over-clogged. Or, if you really wanna be green, you could start using cloth for your own bum. Yep, that’s right- have a wastebasket nearby, wipe and toss and REMEMBER to launder. I’m not for sure I CAN LEAP that FAR, just yet. Of course, I have heard it is worth it’s weight in gold to make the switch, seems the ol’ bum can’t fathom anything different after you try it once. It does sound nice, once you get over the yuck factor. I don’t know though, if only I wouldn’t be the one washing….

And here, we’re practically using sandpaper because it’s so darn cheap. (Angel Soft) I still can’t manage to pay $5 for a 4 pack of something that will be sent down the toilet drain. Hmmm, maybe we should switch?

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Manifest Destiny

 

Tonight, for the first time in ages I looked back to a few old photos while cleaning the computer of all our thousands of pictures. It was amazing sitting there by myself and seeing just how much Garrett had grown and how far he has come over the months. Heck, I would like to say that I think Bryan and I are doing an okay job at this parenting thing. Although, that wouldn’t be truthful given the twenty times a day that I wonder relentlessly to myself on how in the world this child is doing fine with me as his mother- who has been known to leave a heating pot of soup on the stove for over a half an hour before *oops* realizing it was there (I can’t smell ANYTHING dang-it!) or that half the time I’m really only guessing whether it’s his teeth bothering him or he’s sick and we should call the doctor.

Aside from all that, as I started looking through a few more photos that are scattered on the laptop computer, I became a bit sad that I was no longer pregnant. Yep, it hit me like a TON of bricks! I never thought I would be one of those women, but alas I am. I miss feeling my belly all round and all the other areas go pudgy. I miss feeling a tiny flutter and then those first few rolls and then the kicks. The jabs, the inability to sit comfortably, the backache and even the big fat cankles at the end. Why…you ask?

Maybe it has to do with knowing Baby G is growing and slowly spreading his tiny wings so he may enter the world and fly away from me. Maybe, it’s the delicateness of having another beating heart inside yourself that makes you feel incomplete without it, that is unless baby lays against your chest and you feel him breath as if it were those first few breathes. Perhaps, it’s the unknown and surreal beauty in wondering those nine long months and every.single.day.since. what he will be like or become. Whatever, it is- I know this; it all passes by too quickly. There are not enoughdays in a year or hours in a day to fully encompass and appreciate the life that forms within you or to fully understand and acknowledge the individual that is developing, being molded by your own actions and the environment that stands around him. And then, it takes your breath away as you realize how important you are to this one person and how important this one person is to you. And, suddenly nothing else matters but family. LOVE takes on an entirely different meaning.

That’s when I glanced back to pictures taken 2-3 weeks before ‘we’ got pregnant. We stripped the wallpaper from the upstairs guest room and painted it blue. Boat Blue to be exact. Three weeks later, I was meeting a friend for a drink and I was famished. No big deal. The next day, it happened again as I had my hair trial for the wedding. Oh, I was simply running in circles with the wedding. No sweat, I would grab a bite later. And then, I was painting baby name blocks and getting ready to head to Marion for a baby shower. When, I had a feeling. It was my boss at the time that announced it to me “Mark my words, you’re pregnant!” My boss was a guy, so I knew I needed to take the test. Three tests later, we were positive.  And from looking at the photos, I do believe I had angel’s dust sprinkled all over me.

I believe that Boat Blue room and Baby G was our destiny. Our Manifest Destiny to be exact.

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7 is the greatest number

You really can’t trump 7, eh? Well, except for maybe 9 or 11. I personally like 11 the best. But, that’s not what this about, now is it….this post is about 7.

7 MONTHS OLD.

Wow, Garrett turned 7 months a couple of days ago. This means he is over half way to being a year old. Which also means time’s really going to start flying by now. The prospect scares me a bit, he’s already pulling up on everything and before I know it he’s going to be walking and then running. And, then I will be sending him off for his first camping trip with the boys. And then it’s off to college. Oh my. I can’t even fathom it.

This is Baby G’s rendition of “Where’s Waldo?” Can’t he stay this small forever?

Alright all mushiness aside, this post is also about:

7 THINGS ABOUT ME!

In all seriousness (and since I have been AWOL for the past few days) I’ve decided to take a jog down memory lane and play the game that I was tagged not tagged by anyone to do. Yeah, I’m so feeling the love. (I’m smiling saying that.) Anyhow, it goes a little something like this- you name 7 things that other people may not know about you. Of course, I’m a pretty open book so maybe that’s why I wasn’t tagged…hmmmm.

Oh and before I do this, I wanted to confess that I hadn’t a clue that these little tag me things were called MEMES. I missed the boat on that one. According to wikipedia; A meme (pronounced /miːm/)^[1]consists of any idea or behavior that can pass from one person to another by learning or imitation. Examples include thoughts, ideas, theories, gestures, practices, fashions, habits, songs, and dances. Memes propagate themselves and can move through the cultural sociosphere in a manner similar to the contagious behavior of a virus. I wonder who coined these games this? And how it stuck? Apparently, the real concept has been around for awhile, like ahhh 1976…hmmm, yeah, like I said I really missed the boat on this one. I always thought this was considered a trend…

Any who.da.lee.do.da.lee, here we go.

7 RANDOM THINGS ABOUT MOMMY VERN

1. I’m left-handed. I absolutely LOVE being left-handed, too. I have always thought that it was cool that I had this difference to me that only a few others had and when someone else is also left-handed, I feel like we are in a secret club together. Both of my father’s parents were left-handed (although, they were forced to learn to write right-handed. I always thought it was nice to share this with them. I’m also secretly hoping Garrett is left-handed.) Yep, I am certifiably cheesy.

2. I am on temporary pause…from pursing a second degree, this time in Early Childhood Education. I am 24 credits away from student teaching, but I haven’t been back since last Spring. It’s a long story I’d rather not get into right now. I feel helpless whenever I think about it.

3. I LOVE listening to old singers- like Billie Holiday, Frank Sinatra, Ray Charles and Ella Fitzgerald. I also love B.B. King, Nina Simone and Van Morrison. I tribute this love from all the jazz my father listened to as I was growing up.

4. I was an election officer for the 2004 presidential and special session elections in my home state of Virginia. It was the longest, yet at the same time one of the most rewarding days of my life.  Let’s just say elections are understaffed and the officers are underpaid- which is no wonder why we ended up with so many errors.

5. I was a Model UN Ambassador at the United Nations in New York City for 3 days my senior year at Old Dominion University. I had the up-most honor to tour and go ‘behind’ the scenes of the UN. It’s absolutely remarkable. I also had the opportunity to pose questions to various UN diplomats- one of which was the Israeli representative and of whom I asked “How building a wall on the West Bank eased any tensions that already existed with the Palestinians?” Obviously, the Israeli have no plans on reconciling with them, eva, ever. Which is unfortunate that such bitterness resides between two peoples over the centuries and has yet to be resolved.

6. I traveled across the country when I was 21. I first drove to Texas and lived with my brother for 3 months and then packed up again and drove to CA, where I lived in Napa with a friend for 3 months, too. It was by far the best experience of my life. It is the farthest I have ever been away from home in terms of mileage and other than my few trips abroad. I recommend a trip on the open road (across our great country) as a MUST DO on everyone’s list. My only regrets were not staying longer and not bringing someone along. I sincerely tried to get a few folks to make the journey with me, but one thing or another held them back. Had someone been along for the ride, I believe I would have taken more time to enjoy the scenario and I would have had TONS more pictures of all my adventures. I was kinda apprehensive, you know traveling without a cell phone and only be 21. Plus, I was driving a car that cost me less than $1000. Yeah, what was I thinking?

7. AND FINALLY….I’m one of those people. Those crazies on t.v. that say they were abducted or saw a UFO. Except thing is, I REALLY DID SEE A UFO on my trip from Texas to Cali. It was about 4:30 in the morning and I was between Houston and Austin, when out of nowhere (mind you I was traveling near 70 mph on the highway) – a large white glowing dome shaped object zipped into sight. Actually, it zipped right into my window- stopping mere inches from the driver side FRONT window. It was hovering over that window for what seemed a very long time. (In a space continum kinda way.) It sat there and as suddenly as it appeared it flew off at a 90 degree angle into the other direction. It truly lasted maybe a matter of seconds and given the speed I was traveling and how it felt, it was as if TIME FROZE because I swear it stopped my car and itself from colliding. Well, heck maybe I was abducted, (that may explain a few things) either way it happened in a split second and the object was only about 3 x 3 feet. Hmmm, maybe I should be on one of those UFO shows?

Alrighty…so even though I wasn’t tagged…(I’m not bitter I promise) I will tag some people, too. Kim and Leanne. Now, hop to it.

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A secret wish…my sweet, sweet Virginia.

I wanted to share how badly I wish RIGHT NOW that we LIVED in Virginia AGAIN.

I want to vote in a SWING STATE, damnit!

There I said it and I shared my dirty little secret.

I know, I am a complete nerd, but I cannot help myself- the election process simply gets me every. single. time.

So for all you undecided voters or voters thinking that this race is already over and thinking that you need not vote, PLEASE FOR THE LOVE OF GOD, GET out your vote, especially if you live in Virginia.

I think I might cry if I knew you didn’t.

Oh and BE SURE TO TAKE MY POLL. Below.

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Are you voting?

I don’t want to be presumptuous about the election, but I am going to go out on a limb and say I truly believe folks are going to be coming out of the wood works tomorrow. I worry, however of a number of voter issues that will clog the system up- among them voter fraud (from all parties); voter purging (especially in swing states), and very, very, long lines in a number of states because of a variety of issues (not enough poll workers, faulty machines and insufficent time).

That’s why I am advising the following steps or rather throwing out some advice to help counter these issues!

• Make sure you are REGISTERED to vote and you haven’t been purged! Visit this link http://www.canivote.org/
• Make sure you know where to vote at! This is located on your voter registration card and should be available at the above link as well.
• Have PROPER identification– a DL or state ID is sufficient enough, so long as you haven’t had a name change without updating your DL. If that’s the case, it never hurts to bring that trusty marriage license or another form of idenity along just in case. If there’s an issue and they try to turn you away, ask for a provisional ballot, this allows you to vote and then contest whether you are registered after the election.
• Now, if you have moved and haven’t changed your DL with your correct address- you should be able to vote in your old precinct, although this is technically frowned upon, but so long as you haven’t changed the DL address or updated your voter registration, it shouldn’t matter. If you have updated either, you will be turned away at the old precinct and will have to travel to the new one. So be forewarned!
• Many states have strict laws that prohibit any campaigning within a set amount of yards of the polling location- VA is one of these states. However, I had never heard of someone wearing a shirt being asked to leave (so long as they weren’t campaigning and simply voting) until recently on the news. Therefore, to be on the safe side, you might want to fore-go the Obama or McCain paraphernalia until after you vote.
• DON’T pay attention to any flyers folks hand out about candidates, sometimes they are false to mislead voters (although, if the polling place is doing their job- no one will be campaigning within 500 feet or so of the building. And, pay no attention to emails claiming you can’t vote a straight ticket to get your vote to count- these are bogus and another ploy by parties to change the vote.
• A new concept taking place to try to initiate election reform needed within our election process includes video-taping the waiting process and the way election officials conduct polling. I think this is a very good idea if we are to prevent the same scenarios of 2000 that played out. Here’s a link to find out more about this movement: www.videothevote.org (There’s two really GOOD videos you SHOULD watch on this site!!)
• Last, but not least the BEST TIME to VOTE is during the non-rush hours to vote! Forget about going right before work at 8:45 a.m. and the last chance vote on your ride home at 5:30 p.m. because this will ensure that you are going to be standing in line for a VERY, VERY, LONG TIME! Lunch is also a bad time. To be really smart, either get up REALLY early and go when the polls first open, which are 5 a.m. (depending on your state) or go around 2 p.m.- both of these times have the least amount of folks trying to vote. Yet, most importantly- don’t get discouraged if you do get caught in a long line and REMEMBER exactly why you are voting and how there are still many people in this world that are not afforded the opportunity to vote.
• Also you are AFFORDED by Law to leave WORK to VOTE!!
• Polling hours are as follows: Voting operating hours in most states like California, Alaska, Delaware, Wisconsin, Maryland, Massachusetts, Pennsylvania, Michigan, Minnesota, Oregon, Utah, and Montana, the poll will open at 7 AM and will close at 8PM. Voting operating hours in some states like Georgia, South Dakota, Mississippi, Texas, Nevada, Oklahoma and Florida is from 7 AM to 7 PM, Virginia 6 AM and will close at 8PM, Alabama and Arkansas are from 8 AM to 6 PM, New York is from 6 AM to 9 PM, Indiana is from 6 AM to 6 PM, Arizona and Missouri are from 6 AM to 7 PM, Colorado is from 9 AM to 7 PM, Hawaii is from 7 AM to 6 PM, Connecticut, Washington and Illinois are from 6 AM to 7 PM, Idaho, Tennessee, and Nebraska is from 8 AM to 8 PM, Kentucky is from 5 AM to 8 PM, North Dakota and Rhode Island are from 7 AM to 9PM, and Vermont is from 5 AM to 7 PM. (Be sure to check your local election office to be sure, though!)

Shesshh, I hope you guys got all that!

Whatcha’ waiting on….oh, yeah we still have another six hours before the polls open.

I want a head count, so REGARDLESS of who you are and who you voted for, I would LOVE to see a polling of how many folks visiting my site have voted. SO, if you are reading this be sure to post a comment stating that you have voted!!!! Also, you never know I might randomly choose someone to win a prize!!

RULES:

1. Polling begins at 5 am EST and ends at 9 pm EST.

2. Be nice and do not badger each other, be respectful of all COMMENTS!

3. One comment per name (A simple “I voted” is fine or let us know what you encountered while voting, was it a smooth transition? did I give good advice or was I way off base? Is there anything you want other voters to know or be aware of? Anything and everything, just be sure to make a comment!!)

4. If you want to win something, then leave an email otherwise simply make up a name (Mickey Mouse is registered to vote by the way!) 

5. Link here if you have a site.

6. Take this poll ——>>>

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