EPT

Oh EPT... Further and further proof that I AM NEVER PEEING ON ANOTHER STICK. In fact, I had my tubes tied to confirm this... but that's another story.

EPT has always been delayed. With everything. His birth. Crawling. Walking. You name it. He just does it all in his own time.

The best example with him was walking. At about 13 months, I dropped him off at the church nursery. We have a paid attendant and the boys see her twice a week. She loves those kids and they love her.

Went back to get him and Miss B said, "You didn't tell me he was walking." Um... He's not.

He literally walked for her for two months before he walked for us. Twice a week for 45 minutes at a time, he'd walk in the church nursery. Then come home to crawl. Huh?

What is up with this kid?

And now that he's 3. TODAY he's THREE! We've of course noticed this continued trend. He didn't talk for a long time. Now we're in speech therapy and he's on his own time and terms. The therapist will ask where he wears his shoes.

Correct answer? "Feet." EPT's answer? Deep sigh. Points. "Down there." I just think he thinks we're all idiots.

Fertility Schmertility

When I was about 13 years old, my parents were told that I'd neer have children due to my extreme endometriosis. As a teenager, it never bothered me. I liked kids. Other people's kids. Then when I got married, I was so terrified of the financial burden of having children (can you tell we lived in New Jersey?), that I stayed on the pill "just in case."

When we finally decided it was time to start a family, I got pregnant right away. And then miscarried.

It was horrible. I remember going to the doctor (who was a male OBGYN) and venting my frustration. He told me that he just "knew" how much I wanted a baby. Um.... Really? And that it would happen. Eventually. Plus, it was good news that I had a miscarriage. This meant that I COULD get pregnant, which was the hurdle we never thought we'd jump.

Yes folks. A male OB told me that it was "good news" that I miscarried.

I am still not sure how I prevented myself from bitch-slapping him.

When I eventually did have my first son, affectionately nicknamed Big Love, I was able to reflect on it all in a positive light. I had my child. For me, the fertility battle was over. And I had won. I beat the stupid doctor. I beat my scarred uterus.

But I hope I never forget the bad bedside manner of someone who told me they got it but never really could.

Mom's Questions

Every day I feel that I ask a question I don't want to ask. At least once a day.

Today's?

"Did you fart in the guest bedroom?"

Why does it matter? Because if he did, then I need to make sure he gets lots of water or juice so that can get out of his colon. And if he didn't, I need to find the dog poop.

Sometimes....

... I want to rethink being a Christian. Seriously, this is the stay at home mom "Christian" mind....

OUR GOD IS A AWSOME GOD . HE REIGN FROM HEAVEN ABOVE WITH WISDOM POWER AND LOVE OUR GOD IS A AWSOME GOD.

i think she knows her bible well to be honest with u and the bible Tell's us to preach the word of Christ and that is what she is doing. and she clearly have him in her heart. and she is not judging anyone.

Because your not the only women in the world! There are those that are hungry for Gods word weather you like it or not! SO just a note to the devil here! Shut up satin your a lier!! In Jesus name scat!!!

That was from three different moms in a stay at home mom forum. Are they that stupid? Sometimes I want to get a job so I'm not surrounded by this.

Resolution?

A lot of people have been asking me what I hope to accomplish by making the "letters" public. I thought that it would be completely appropriate to answer that here.

First of all, I want to make it clear that I know I took a risk. I opened a door when I told everyone the content of the letters and the complaints raised about me. I could have had 40 other women in my MOMS group come to me and say, "Yea, you moron. Can't pick up birdseed on the way to a playgroup?" But instead, the 40 other women were as disgusted as I was by the content. I was not completely sure this was going to be the case and it was a big risk for me, which is why I tried to lay low for a while. But when I realized that this was not only not my style, but exactly what the author had intended (considering that the last mom who had an anonymous letter written about her left the club), I could not sit back.

At every discussion of the letters I have stated that I do agree with some parts. If I did curse in front of anyone's child, I want to be aware of that. But THEN... not two months later and completely out of context so I have no clue when and where this happened. I've been on guard and have been laughing - I have heard at least five other mothers curse since I have read the letters. Guess it wasn't any of them!

If the author or authors came forward to me, I would be big enough to let it be exactly as it should have been from the beginning - between me and the author. By writing an anonymous letter, the auther made me doubt everyone. And, as a result, I would have to go back to everyone I ever suspected, which is pretty much the whole club, and apologize. I am fully willing to do that. But what is so very sad is that I know this will never happen. Someone who tallies another mother's every move for a month is not the type of person who acknowledges their wrongs - they're too busy tracking everyone else's wrongs.

I am so very thankful for the friends I have found in the midst of all of this. When the letter I had written about my intent to stay in the club was read at the last meeting, those there applauded the line that I was not leaving. I am welcomed. And I am loved.

It is also interesting hearing theories on who wrote the letters. Maybe I'm not the best judge of friendship and I'm too trusting. I really want to believe it's someone I don't know that well who wrote them. But I really doubt that. And that saddens me.

So... a pine cone will hang from my clothesline until the string holding it breaks. I see it multiple times a day. It used to anger me. But now I am starting to smile when I see it. It symbolizes what is most important to someone. Someone out there found that tiny pine cone more important than my health, my kids, my friendship. That pine cone reminds me that I never want to go there.

To my friends... thank you.

The Letter

A meeting was held the other day where one of the topics of discussion was how to deal with conflict between moms when it arises. The final outcome was that everyone believed there should never be anonymous letters. And many are still shocked and stunned that this happened to me. I have felt a lot of love.

Here is the letter that was read at the meeting...

Dear Friends,

I apologize for my inability to attend this meeting. But my son has his school Christmas party and presentation. Since he assures me that he will actually sing, I dare not miss it. I have asked K to read this letter so you can more fully understand this issue which has become so important to me.

I am sure that you are all aware by now that two letters were written complaining about me and handed to S when she was the president of MOMS Club. Those letters were not dealt with and were simply handed over to K when she took leadership. I have no issues with how K or the current board handled the situation nor do I have any issues with MOMS Club in general.

My concern is that there is the ability for members within the club to write anonymous letters complaining about one another. These letters questioned my ability to parent and nitpicked at everything I did or didn’t do over a period of a month and a half. By writing an anonymous letter, all the writer did was make me question every person in the club. I can’t tell you how many nights I woke up and raced to my computer to pull up an Evite, questioning, “Was it her?” I literally have looked over the roster at least a hundred times. It’s not fair to me and it’s certainly not fair to the club in general.

I want it to be clear that I am not the first mom who has had anonymous complaint letters written about her. This has happened in the past. The last mom it happened to chose to leave the club. And I can only assume that this was the intent of the letters written about me. This deeply saddens me. Our club is supposed to be about supporting one another but with all the recent events, we certainly do not need more to divide us. I had to take a step back and evaluate what was important to me and it became clear that so many of you make up that which has become important in my life. As a result, I’m not going anywhere.

We are from various backgrounds and are going to raise our children differently as a result. My desire is to see us respect one another and be able to talk about these differences as they arise.

I hope that my legacy to MOMS Club is that we have a new-found respect for one another. And that we truly are able to support each other.

Much love to all!
Identity Mixed

P.S. Any little boys can come pee in my yard anytime.

Can Moms Really Support Each Other?

This is a letter that some of you have seen before. I sent it to a number of individuals, both those I know in real life and some I have only "met" online to show what has transpired in my life recently. Enjoy!

I belong to a local MOMS Club. MOMS stands for Moms Offering Moms Support. And I have felt that for the most part. But recently, things have come to light that disturb me. This is my open letter to those who took part in the disruption of my life.

There were two “anonymous” letters written to the president of the club. The first stated that she believed my son to be aggressive. Anyone who knows my son knows that this is simply not true. He is empathetic, loving, patient, and kind. Yes, he is a 3 ½ year old boy though. Things are going to happen. But any outburst will be dealt with. And if you don’t think that I am handling my child appropriately, an anonymous letter is not the way to deal with it. How can I truly understand the circumstances of what you consider aggression? You have no clue what goes on in my house, let alone in my heart.

The second letter was beyond absurd. It was literally a list of all the things they feel I have done wrong over the course of a month or two. I will deal with each one individually. I think other women (other moms) need to see how petty people can be.

One issue was that at a local park, I let my son pee behind a bush when there was no bathroom. But the issue was not so much that I let him do it, but that I then talked about it. I remember telling the group of women that we are working on the potty being a private thing. You go behind a tree, a bush, etc. But this mom was offended. Was she concerned that her son was to get ideas? Where else are you to talk about parenting issues such as potty training except at a MOMS Club event.

At another event, which was a craft for Grandparent’s Day, the mom was offended that I let my son eat some of his snack off the floor. I remember looking at her in the eye and saying, “That’s how you build an immune system.” It’s funny. And it is true. There is research that if you constantly use antibacterial soaps and other products on your children, they will be more likely to be sick. But it’s not just that. I am a mom who doesn’t get up in arms over little things. Kids are kids. They will explore. They will eat things off the floor. And, if this letter was written by the person I think wrote it, I have seen her child eat Playdough and boogers. A snack off the floor is no biggie. Plus, as everyone was leaving, we noticed that a child had drawn on the floor with markers. So I mopped the floor. This floor may not be as dirty as you believe it to be. Trust me, it wasn’t the first time I have mopped it.

At another event – Waffle Day – the mom complained that I came and participated but did not bring anything. I didn’t bring anything because I came late. I didn’t sign up to bring anything. I figured we’d get there at the end of it, play for a bit and then go home. When I got there though, other moms said, “Eat!” So we did. This offended her. But she neglected to note that I put all the chairs away and that I cleaned the dishes. She is clearly selective in her offense.

Yet another event was Birdfeeder Day. It was at the same church as Waffle Day and I took my kids to simply play in the nursery. My kids are not craft kids. They’d rather move than sit there and spread peanut butter on a pine cone. So my kids played. And another mom invited me to make a pine cone bird feeder. I made one. But this mother wrote that “yet again” I attended an event where I did not bring anything.

There was then a Programming Committee meeting where I supposedly cursed. Look, no one is perfect. I don’t remember it happening, but if it did, then it did. But to receive a letter well over a month after it happened is a mute point. What does this serve? I have no way of knowing what it was. Some people are offended by “crap” while others aren’t offended until you reach “fuck” or “shit.” Which was it? And I don’t want to curse in front of my own children. So if I said anything in front of kids, tell me THEN. A letter now serves absolutely no purpose.

I am deeply deeply offended that someone I thought was a friend would take the time to tally up all the times that I offended them and submit it in an “anonymous” letter to the MOMS Club. And I am also offended by how the President of MOMS Club handled it. I was recently told that I will not be spoken to “while you continue to be so off base.” So she’ll talk to me after I guess correctly” How does this make any sense?

I’m truly trying to understand your motivation, but just don’t get it. Were you trying to get me to change? Because that’s not going to happen. Were you trying to offend me? Worked. Were you just trying to get something off your chest? I hope you understand how many people’s feelings you damaged in the process.

Moms Offering Moms Support. So where were you when my tumor was removed from my back? Where were you when I had to drive 45 minutes away to see a pain specialist? Or when I had to drive an hour and a half to visit a neurologist? Where were you when my husband was ill for 6 months and I was acting like a single parent? You are so focused on me not bring butter to waffle day, that you truly forgot how to support another mother.

I have opened my home, the doors to my sanctuary, to the club. I have taken meals, attended events far away, never once missed a visitation to the nursing home, served on committees and offered my heart to the moms of the club. It’s time to close the doors. I need to step back. See who my real friends are. The friends who like ME and support ME. The friends who don’t make me cry. The friends who don’t cause my children to ask, “Mommy, why are you so sad?”

So to all the other moms out there – support each other. Stand tall and look out for each other. It’s a hard world to raise our children in. The last thing we need is for mothers to be enemies of each other. Support each other. Love your children. And take the notebook out of your car where you tally up all the things your fellow moms did or didn’t do.

Let’s just get back to being moms.

Moms Offering Moms Support?

I have been a member of my local MOMS Club chapter for just over a year now. When I moved here and had a major issue meeting other like-minded moms, I was so happy to find this group of women! Most of them have had careers and have advanced degrees, but decided to down-size in order to be able to stay home and raise their children.

There are many members of our club who do still work. And there are many members whose husbands work odd hours (police officers, pilots, college professors, etc). So we have felt the need to have playdates and additional evening activities.

But, the "rules and regulations" of the organization state that we can only have one evening or one weekend event per month. When we pursued the issue further, we were told that husbands "feel resentment" when family time is taken away from them and we were not permitted to have additional activities.

Ok. This just rubs me the wrong way for so many reasons. I am sure you can imagine.

So has anyone else felt this? Do we disband and join up with a group that does NOT have a 1950's mentality?

Toys I Hate... Part 2

Because the toys I hate post seemed to be such a hit, I thought I'd add more. Here we go with two more toys I can't stand.

A number of people actually suggested the Fisher-Price Corn Popper. This is the toy that a child pushes along the floor and it makes a "popping noise" just like popcorn popping. (By the way, do NOT google "popcorn pusher.")

Fortunately, a majority of my house is hardwood flooring. This toy does not make as much noise on hardwood! So it's not nearly as annoying at my house as it could be. Although you still do hear the random, "Don't ram the dog with that thing!"

It's simple in concept, which is why the toy has been around for many years. But now, like every toy, there seems to be the need to add to it. Now, not only do you just push it and annoy your parents with its loud popping noise, but it counts. Because we now believe that every toy has to teach us something, the damn thing now screams at you. Enough! Which bright marketing director without kids said, "Hey... let's make an annoying toy even louder!"

Thanks to Zorra for commenting on my blog and for others who emailed me privately to express their disdain for the popper!

NEXT!

Oh bath toys. I don't know where to even begin with bath toys. Here's just a whole genre of toys that was created by people who never met real children.

Let's start with the penguin rings. I'm not even sure who the company is who makes these toys. We were given them to review and I was so pissed off by them that I couldn't even review them in the allotted time.

There are six colored rings. Each ring has a different shape on it. There are six penguins. Each penguin has a different color bow tie and a different color ring around his top hat. They also each have a different shape on the top of their head. Kids learn by matching the shapes or colors on the penguins to the rings (again with the learning).

My main issue was due to my self-diagnosed OCD. The color on the penguins bow tie corresponded to the shape on the hat. So the designer of the toy, instead of providing three different ways to match the penguins to the rings, only provided two. See my problem here? (Ok. Maybe not.)

Where the problem got intense was that the penguins squirt. So the three year old squirts the one year old. The three year old squirts the Mom. The three year old squirts the Dad. The three year old squirts the wall.

Hmmm.... Maybe the problem isn't the toy, but the three year old?

Anyway, the penguins got moldy within a short time period due to the excess water being added and soon were squirting bacteria all through the bath with my clean boys. So now we have just the rings and the penguins are landfilled somewhere.


Any others out there?

Please shop for me....

We are at a sippy cup impasse at our home.

We went through a very similar thing with our eldest who had definite opinions on the type of cup he wanted to use. Big Love learned very early on that if you beat a sippy cup against the floor, a window, or another hard object, he could get the valve out and then simply dump the cup everywhere.

EPT has just gone the route of removing the lid to ease the dumping. Cups like the Nuby "No Spill" (yes, it is actually called that) seen below mean that we're changing sheets and jammies in the middle of the night.So the debate.... I need a sippy cup that does not have a valve and does not have a soft spout that can be pushed down in to ease the dumpage.

Go.

The Retirement Home

In a world where every man, woman and child is out for themselves, can you teach compassion? I have been wondering about this and struggling with it for some time now, especially as my children grow up.

When I was young, it was pretty easy to learn. I grew up on a farm and I was surrounded by neighbors who were better off or worse off than I was. In the small town, you learn how to take care of each other. And even if it is done reluctantly, it is done.

In our current neighborhoods though, you don't tend to be surrounded by those who are worse off than you are. We live in a world where you are able to avoid those less fortunate. Our neighborhoods are not designed so that we "mingle" with the less fortunate. So how can we reproduce it for our kids?

I have been going to the local Presbyterian Home with my kids. I wouldn't say it's something I do on a regular basis, but it's definitely something I want to do more of. I especially feel that way when I reflect on how my children behave.

EPT just crawls around, pulls himself up at people's wheelchairs and waves, smiling the whole time. BL says hi to people and asks them how old they are (and amuses them with his shock when he can't figure out how many fingers that is).

Today, we went to play bingo with some of those who are bit higher functioning and don't have relatives to visit them. EPT crawled around while BL actually sat at a table with 5 women and helped them place the bingo chips on their cards. It was really sweet. I loved watching him make conversation about how cute his brother was, what color their sweaters were and what their favorite cookies were. And I just love watching how the residents light up when they see my kids.

And after we finished playing bingo, we ate some cookies. Alex is a firm believer in tearing an Oreo apart to eat the creme middle. And what was he doing for the lady next to him? Taking her Oreos apart so she could eat them the same way he was. Born leader. And it would have made an adorable commercial.

It's interesting for me to reflect how awkward I sometimes feel at these gatherings. These are people I don't know and don't know me. Now that we've been there a couple of times, some of the faces are familiar to me. But they don't remember me from time to time. In fact, one lady in the hallway asked me if EPT was someone's doctor.

But my children respond with such compassion that it inspires me. One lady, who just sat and started at BL for an hour and said, "You're precious" about 45 times was a favorite of his. As she was leaving he said, "I like your blue chair" about her wheelchair. And she smiled.

That made my day.

How Quickly They Grow!

My three year old came home from preschool with a complete this sentence exercise. It made my day!

Her favorite color is RED
Her favorite food is SANDWICHES
Her favorite place to go is GRANDMA & PAPPY'S
Her favorite thing to do is GO IN MOMMY'S CAR
Her favorite thing to do with me is PLAY GAMES
She is FIVE years old.
Her best friends name is (INSERT THE NAMES OF OUR DOGS).
Her favorite thing to say is, "I LOVE YOU"
She calls me (HIS NAME)
She calls daddy FRANK.

Very cute. I wore red pants today, so that's where he got that my favorite color was red. They had sandwiches for lunch, so that was on his mind. He knows that five is really old since that's when you get to ride the school bus.

But Frank? My husband's name doesn't even rhyme with Frank. I don't know if he reached the end of the questions and got bored? He has done this before. At one parent-teacher conference, they told us that he did not know his alphabet. Apparently, when asked he would respond, "A, B, C, D, E, blah blah blah." Future class clown.

Frank? We don't even know a Frank. It just made me laugh so hard that it made my day and it will make so many future days!

Then tonight, we went to the spring festival at his school. We laughed with all the teachers about "Frank." And my son was obsessed with the minor league baseball team's mascot, which is a large dog (very similar to Wags of Wiggles fame).

At one point, he ran out to a field of "flowers" (dandelions) and picked one. He ran back and tried to give it to the dog, who expressed, at least as well as a mascot can, that he was honored he was thought of, but couldn't really hold it in his big stubby mascot fingers.

So he then ran over to a little girl in his class and gave it to her.

Not one thought of giving Mommy a flower.

And there is something in me that is ok with it. He's reaching out to a bigger world. He is finding people he likes in that big world. People he trusts. People he wants to share with. And it's cute.

Mother's Day Survey

I took a Mother's Day survey tonight and thought I'd share my answers with everyone....

1. When did you know that you wanted to be a mother?
Cheese Alert: I always wanted to be a mom but I think it didn't become clear to me until I started dating my husband. I knew that I wanted HIS kids. And that was different!

2. What is your proudest moment as a mother?
I was laying in bed the other night pretending to be asleep and my 3 year old leaned over and kissed me on the bridge of my nose. And one day when I slammed my finger in the door, he started crying because he was worried about me. Moments like that show me that I really am teaching my kids compassion.

3. Who inspires you to be the best mother that you can be?
My kids!

4. What is your greatest wish for your children?
That they will find true love and happiness throughout their lives.

5. What is the very best part of being a mom?
Definitely the snuggles I don't ask for. When they choose to give me loving, I know I've done well!

Public Urination Breakthrough!

As my eldest was taking off his clothes for his bath, he told me how he peed in the backyard. He said, "I peed in the backyard because no one needs to see my pee pee."

No honey, no one needs to see that.

Skinny Minny

For some reason, my husband and I make skinny little kids. With our oldest it was a big joke. We could always tell if he had pooped yet that day by how his pants fit. If they stayed up, he hadn't. If they fell down when he walked, the bowels were clear.

Our youngest has a different issue. He has the skinny waist. But he only loses his pants when he climbs the stairs. It is actually quite convenient in our three level house. I know what level he is on at any point by the position of the pants.

Here they are, just recently crawled out of as he climbed the stairs. And he is at the top, pantless and proud....

Laundry

How does one complete it? Seriously. Right now, there are about 5 loads of clean laundry on my guest bed. Fortunately, when my parents visit during the summer, they bring their motorhome. So there is no need to fold it. No one's going to sleep there.

But between the toddler who has little "drippy" accidents and needs to go through 3 pairs of underwear a day, the baby who drool incessantly and can't quite get the Spaghetti-Os to his mouth, and the fact that I always find someone else's snot on my shoulder, I just cannot keep up with it!

Part of the issue is that we have a laundry chute to nowhere. It is this massive box in our master bedroom closet that takes up a ton of space and means that we are limited in where we can put our clothes. And by adding air conditioning to our home, we had to lose the top of our baby's closet by getting ductwork (Previously the whole house was electric... a major pain for another post). So literally, there isn't enough space for our clothing.

Am I making an excuse? Maybe.

But here's a perfectly valid reason for not putting all our laundry away. My mother. Yup. My mom. When she was here after my youngest was born, she threw out socks that had holes in them. Not the whole pair. Just the individual sock. So now when I do a load of laundry, I never know if that missing sock is going to show up somewhere or if it's part of the set that my mom ditched.

So. She's to blame again. :)

Serial Pisser

At least twice in the past week, I've been at a park or public event where I've been asked which ones are my kids. And I have looked for my child only to see...



And the answer is, "Mine's the one peeing."



This kid LOVES to pee. We're trying to convince him that public urination is not all it's cracked up to be. But so far, he's not buying it.

Baptisms

I know you have all been at the edge of your seats waiting to hear how the baptisms went. Sorry it has taken me so long to blog. I honestly don't know how other moms do this. Do they work just so they can get away from their kids and update their blogs? As the only adult at home for the vast majority of the day trying to manage a 3 year old who is testing limits and a one year old who is testing gravity, I simply have little time for much else. Nevermind the cleaning, tidying, dog walking, cat litter changing, meal cooking..... Ugh. Don't remind me.

Anyway.... My boys were FABULOUS! They looked so freaking cute in their matching brown linen pants with white oxfords. And we had little vests made from the train of my wedding dress. Killer cuteness I must say. The only thing missing was matching argyle socks. (Some of you know my love for those!)

We had 16 family members here for the festivities. I was stressed out about getting to the church on time, etc. But overall, it was wonderful.

One of the best things is having your son baptized at an age he can comprehend a bit of what is happening. We told the three year old that the pastor was going to put water on his head and that meant that Mommy and Daddy would always take him to church. He was thrilled. In fact, so much that he wants to be baptized again. I guess we have a bit more explaining to do.

The baby slept through the whole thing, with some cute "oohs" and "aahs" from the congregation. It was so nice.

A lot of people have asked us why we waited 3+ years to have our oldest child baptized. The main reason is that I wanted with confidence to stand up in church and say that I trusted these people to help me raise my children. Not only in terms of socializing, discipline, but in faith as well (she types as she realizes she missed a Christian Education committee meeting tonight....). We finally are at a place where we feel church is our home. And every day, the oldest wakes up and says, "Is it a church day or a school day?"

It's all good.

Moms

Trying to connect with other moms has been a bit of an issue for me. I am a liberal in a strangely mulletted conservative region. It truly has its moments.

The first year I was here, I thought I was going to stick a fork in my eye. No one moves to the area and very few move out. So, for instance, the first week that I was living in the area, I needed to use the elevator in a major department store. I asked an employee where the elevator was and the response, without even looking up, was, "Where the furniture department used to be."

Used to be? That is of no use to me!

So finally I have connected with other moms. Moms, who like me, have a masters degree, but have chosen to stay home to raise their children. I get to have intelligent conversations about politics, religion and poop. Well... I am STILL a mom.

It is totally corny, but I thank God that I have a few people around who I feel a connection with. It was a long time coming.

Guilty Pleasures?

Someone asked me the other day what my guilty pleasures were. I wasn't quite sure how to answer! What were they looking for? Some sort of deep secret?

I really don't have any guilty pleasure. That would mean I feel guilty over something. I have no guilt. All of my "pleasures" are totally necessary and I have no guilt over them!

I take a hot bath just about every night. It is a pleasure that I feel no guilt over. I turn the fan on so I can't hear the kids and hubby takes over. I usually have a trashy novel with me and some nice smelly bubbles. It's nice!

I also have a glass of wine just about every night. It's one glass. I don't even get buzzed. It's just nice. I say it's for my heart.

Naps happen just about every day. I love them. And, quite honestly, I need them. I have napped at least three times a week for the past five or so years. It keeps me sane and patient - which is something that, as a mother, I totally need.

But one thing that I love love love is trash night. I love throwing crap out. It is a cleansing feeling that washes over me as I walk through the house looking for random crap that's simply not necessary. And I love lugging all that random crap to the street for big strong men to take away. I just wish the trash went in the morning and not at night. I think watching the garbage men take my trash just might be my guilty pleasure.