Riveting Information

I'm trying to blog but every time I do, I get posts like this one.  So I'm just going to post this and you can be a scatterbrain right along with me.  I couldn't really call this "Fun Fact Friday" because most of it isn't all that fun but here goes.

1. I bought pull-ups at the dollar store only to discover them for $1.01 cheaper at my local grocery store (Giant)...and I could have used a $1.50 off coupon there. So much for the dollar store.

2. I finally realized that if I bake a cake for about 7 minutes less than the minimum time suggested on the box, my oven will bake it to perfection...rather than drying it out.  It's only been 3 years...


3. Our 4-year-old mattress sucks.  I can 't wait for Mike to get out of bed in the morning...because then I can relocate to the center of the mattress instead of being in the ditch on my side of the bed.  Mike's side of the bed isn't any better (despite the fact that he ways quite a bit more than me).  I have to find our paperwork- has anyone out there ever tried to pursue a mattress warranty?

4.  I have heard too much bad news about cancer diagnoses in the past two weeks.  It scares the crap out of me...cancer seems so sneaky.  It seems like it could just show up at any given moment & you might get lucky and catch it early or it could be stage 4 and then what?

5. I sent my former besty a letter.  I wrote it mostly for myself- I wasn't sure I was going to send it but then I kind of had to.  After talking with a great friend of mine & imagining all sorts of revenge-type scenarios that I would never engage in, I ended up taking a low key route.  It still gives me a tangible sense of closure without sinking to the level of heartless.  At least, that's my hope.  The letter was honest but not over-the-top. I included a page from a journal that she gave me- a lovely note she had wtitten at the start of the journal about why she was giving me the journal, blah, blah, blah.  I needed to send something back to her- I can't explain why.  But in the wake of the way the friendship ended, my impression of our entire friendship has been radically changed...those words seem empty and I think they always were.  I think that's why this took me so long- I had to see the truth and make peace with it.  The letter was my last step.  Who knows if she will even read it- but it was something I needed to do.

6. On an up note, I have some fun plans coming up.  Fall fun this Saturday with a good friend of mine and her family.  Next Friday looks like it will be a night out with my best girls.  I love having fun stuff to look forward to!

7.  I took the 3 kids to a local orchard today to get some apples and cider donuts.  I did this without any additional adults.  I know that some people do this all the time- I personally don't.  It went pretty well all things considered  and I think we all had fun!  Maybe I will do it more often :)

8.  It never ceases to amaze me how good I feel after getting my hair colored and cut--by someone other than me.  I feel younger, more energized.  I know it's superficial but I don't get to do it very often so I enjoy every moment--chatting with the girl who does my hair, reading stupid magazines/drinking coffee that someone else got for me, being ALONE with my thoughts but not lonely, and let's not forget the key ingredient- the SCALP MASSAGE you get post-shampoo while the conditioner is on your hair.  If I could pay someone to do that for me every night for about 10 minutes, I might just!  It's almost as if the process is more important than how I look when I'm done (although I like the absence of gray hair and the perfect blow out for sure).

9. I have come to the conclusion that Mike and I need to revamp our parenting methods.  They have taken a turn for the non-productive.  I imagine that all Michael and Liam here is "wah-wah, wah-wah, wah-wah-wah-wah" and then Chloe just wonders why there is so much yelling.  I am reading a resource given to me by a friend.  I am hoping this will help with 3 key areas: a)Liam potty(NOT)training, b)Michael's teenage-like response to any directive or request, and c)the general lack of compliance that make trips like the one mentioned in #7 especially rare.

10. I am very glad to see the return of some lovely fall weather after a deluge of rain that resulted in a very soggy basement for us.  Let's hope this means an upswing in all areas...I'm not completely bummed out--but things have gotten a little heavy around here this week.

Our new digital camera is due to arrive tomorrow- let's hope the prospect of posting pictures breathes new life into this here tired old blog o' mine.  I am excited to capture Chloe's first fall season & all the fun that is to come!!