My Little Life

And I don't even think E.W knew he had his finger buried in his nose.

This grief stuff? It's hard. I'm a fixer...a nurturer, and when I see my loved ones hurting, I want to make it all better. So, when the Mr. was having a hard time the other night, I wanted to hug him, to let him cry, to love him. But that's not how HE grieves. When a couple is grieving, it's like you're dancing a delicate dance...wherein, at times, you will dance so close it's hard to distinguish where one person ends and another begins, and at other times, you find yourself dancing side by side. In the immediate aftermath of Verd's tragic death, each one of us was so raw with our grief, we danced that close dance. Comforting, loving, supporting. Now, as we have begun to grieve while going through the motions of daily life, I find our difficult times come separate from one another. I have come to realize that, while a big, long hug makes ME feel better...it is not what everyone wants. It's not what my husband wants. And so, I now set out to discover wh...

First of all...they shouldn't leave evidence...such as "PhotoBooth", opened up where their mama can see what they've been up to... Look: Well, at least they weren't making a mess...right?!

Raise your hand if you're glad it's Friday... *Raises hand...and waves it around wildly!!* Big, gigantic sigh of relief that it is the weekend. * Siiiiiiiiiiiggggggggghhhhhhhhh * Ahhhh ... My big boy is feeling down and out. Sore throat...he says, "it feels like my throat is on fire". :( Guess part of my day today will consist of running in for a strep test. Okay, let's get this Five Question Friday show on the road!! Rules for Five Question Friday : Copy and paste the following questions to your blog post, answer them, then watch for the linky post to appear Friday morning! And most of all, HAVE FUN!! Questions for Friday, February 24 th : (Special thanks to Sandy , Steph , Brooke [previously broken link should be fixed now! ], Tammy , and Rene for their question suggestions! If YOU would like to be linked in a future 5 QF , c'mon over to my community and offer up your best question suggestions! Feel free to shout 'em on Twitter, too! @5 crookedhalos ...

ManohmanohmanohMAN!! am I ready for the weekend! (I think I say that every week...and really, who isn't ready for the weekend to roll around?!) I have some gift cards burning a hole in my pocket...and never before in my life have I NEEDED a massage (truly, it has become a need) as badly as I do right now, so I'm really hoping that I can get a massage tomorrow. (Honey, are you reading this? I need you to watch the kids tomorrow.) :) Well...let's get this Five Question Friday Sneak Peek goin'! Remember, this post is just your chance to peek at the questions ahead of time and get your post all ready to go for tomorrow's linky! Rules for Five Question Friday : Copy and paste the following questions to your blog post, answer them, then watch for the linky post to appear Friday morning! And most of all, HAVE FUN!! Questions for Friday, February 24th : (Special thanks to Sandy , Steph , Brooke [broken BlogFrog link!! broken BlogFrog link! lemme know what your url is and I...

Man Down Tummy Ache One too many Red Bull Vodkas

Who stole my baby boy and replaced him with this: This...this...young man . This young man whom (who?) I will be bringing to take his driver's permit test tomorrow. This young man who (whom?) will soon be driving. DRIVING! When just last week, I swear to you, he was still calling me "mama", wearing diapers, and sitting in a high chair. And now, suddenly, he's going to be able to DRIVE? A car? With a real engine on real roads with other real drivers??? Lord help me. I'm not sure I have the intestinal fortitude to get through this. Folks, this may be just the time buy stock in Depends. I think I'm gonna need 'em. (PS...how do you teach a kid how to drive?!!?)

I feel the need to post something fun and light and carefree...so, I will share with you the Mr. and I's recent night away. We met his buddy from college and his wife and we set out to dine at Fogo de Chao ...only to discover that we would have a 2-3 hour wait. Yes, you read that right...TWO to THREE HOURS! So, we cruised across the street to a place called Seven. We were told we had to vacate our table by 8 pm (it was 6:30 ish )...only to look around at the multitude of empty tables around us and scratch our heads. Eat in an hour and half? Sure! (Only, we didn't get out of there til at least 8:30...oops.) After a yummy meal, we headed over to the Shout House...yes, the same Shout House as this night out ! And...it was a blast! Just what I needed...fun. Thoughtless fun. And a few too many Red Bull Vodkas. (Why, oh why, did I not just stick with my good ol ' standby "Mike" and his yummy lemonade?!) We pitched in and got our men up on stage...for the Chicken Danc...

In real time, here is what I'm doing: Snuggling with my baby. Praying for the victims of a large car accident in our small town that we just learned of. Hoping I can sleep after my hours long nap this afternoon. Wishing Red Bull Vodkas were never invented. Cursing this blasted snow...and wondering why it couldn't have come on a day when our kids had school. We'd love a snow day this year! Welcoming in child #2 to our bed. Wondering why my mom has to be so stinkin ' good at Words with Friends. Remembering I need to get this week's Date of the Week up. Saying goodnight to the baby that just left our bed, in search of greener pastures, apparently. (PS...Baby Girl: daddy's pasture is not greener. He doesn't like to play bedtime games. Consider yourself warned!) Hoping, praying that the heaviness in my heart starts to lift soon. Thinking I'm going to go grab myself a Benadryl . And that, is the end of your Real Time Report! Good night!

At the beginning of last week, the good moments, the good days, were starting to outnumber the bad ones. Smiles were becoming more frequent than tears...the hurt was still there, the memories still the first thing on my mind when I woke...but healing was happening. Then, Thursday rolled around...and I received news that a wonderful co-worker had passed away after a sudden illness. In the first hour of hearing that news, I felt numb. Still emotionally exhausted from my grief over losing Verd , I couldn't process the feelings I had about Barb's death. However, I suddenly found the tears hard to keep away, again. It was as if hearing about Barb's death had ripped the freshly formed scabs on my raw emotions right off. I went to conferences for Belle and E.W., one with a teacher whose children were in Verd's wife's daycare (and so, very close to them) and the other with a teacher who is a children's grief counselor at a summer camp. I was weepy through the first co...

Well, something sure is goin' on in Minneapolis this weekend...we can't get a reservation anywhere! Guess we'll either be waiting for hours...or hitting up the nearest Sam's Club for samples. Regardless, tho...it'll be fun! Mr. Wonderful's good buddy from college (and his wife) are joining us. I think the extra couple will be good for us so we don't just sit and brood and fester in our grief...I hoping they'll provide a good distraction! Well...let's get onto the main event...FIVE QUESTION FRIDAY! If you've never participated before...WELCOME! And, if you're a weekly regular...WELCOME BACK! I'm glad to have you all! Rules for Five Question Friday : Copy and paste the following questions to your blog post, answer them, then watch for the linky to appear Friday morning! And, most importantly, HAVE FUN!! Questions for Friday, February 18th : (Special thanks to Rene , Sandy , Tammy , Ciara , and Rachel for their question suggestions! If YOU ...