Here's Your Sign

I'm always telling the kid's to shake their bum. We put our hands on our hips and shake away singing, "Shake your bum,bum! Shake your bum,bum!" There are giggles and laughter. I decided to post it on the fridge like so:

When I came down the next morning, I found that my letters had been switched to this!:

Officer Becket thought they were potty words, so he decided to express it. No more potty words. No more shake that bum (except when it's just the girls and I)

Neighborhood Crab

I have had it up to my feet in dog poop. That's right! Me, the lady with the three young kids on the end unit. The lady with the same young kids that play in the yard. 'Member? 'Member us playing outside? 'Member?

After taking out the garbage and seeing various sizes of it sprawled across my lawn, ALL from different dogs, I decided it was time to take matters into my own hands. I knew by doing this that I would receive a neighborhood negative title, "dog hater" "Micki the Monger" "The Dog-gone Her" but whatever, it's fine with me. If they give me crap (no pun intended) I will open up my can and let it spillth over. Did you think I wouldn't notice? Do I walk my kids on your lawn without a diaper? Come on! I know that these dogs are loved, loved more than kids, but where is the "Love thy neighbor?", Where's the cleanliness? Are dogs above this common sense rule? Don't mess!

So I posted my wrath hoping they would heed to my warning:


It's been up for a few weeks. I tried to write it nicely. I even put a smiley face on it as to not seem too upset. I could of gone neon bigger, but I didn't. All the dog people are staying clear from me when I'm outside. They walk the opposite direction. The guy with the yappy dogs took a short cut between two houses today because he saw me coming. Remember, it's still snowy and muddy--no one wants to take that shortcut unless you are trying to avoid crazy dog hater lady on the end unit.

I'm still nice to them. I even call their dogs by name. I still let my kids squeal "Dog!" when we walk by. I still smile and give them a pat, when inside I'm dying to run to my bathroom and wash my hands.

A New Way to Eat

Interesting, I've never chosen to eat like this:







But, at least she's eating good food, cauliflower and hummus, which is actually stranger than the way she is sitting.

The Funk

The Funk found me! How? I was hiding so well, taking my vitamin C (cheerfulness). The Funk. It was Friday afternoon when I realized I was unmotivated to do anything. Blank stares bounced off my windows. I sat at my table agitated, annoyed, and unhappy, all signs pointing to The Funk. Mat's text earlier that day: "We can go out tonight if it will make you feel better. Whatever makes you happy." Very nice of him, but then that made me defensive because now I was crazy (totally my problem, not yours-- my dearest).

I try to take all the steps to avoid this.

Step 1:

I shower first thing in the morning to avoid not showering until 3PM

I made a to do list of things I should be doing before things get busy when the weather is nice

I find one or two things to muck out so I can at least go to bed feeling like I accomplished something (cleaned under my bed and my sewing stuff)

I make my kids get dressed and turn off the tv

I work out, in fact, I ran extra because I could sense The Funk's presence.

I got outside, no matter how cold and icy my hill might be.

The Funk was unavoidable. Unmistakably, I was having self pity, snappiness, and I felt like I didn't have time to think without a constant interruption. I wanted to do things I wanted to do, if only I were alone and then I flipped-flopped and decided I didn't want to do them in the first place. The things I wanted to do were all lame.

Step 2: Self Evaluation

Was it boredom? Slightly. I had gotten all of my necessary things to do out of the way when school was cancelled for two weeks and now it was stuff I needed to do, but didn't have to do, but should do, but, bottom line, didn't want to do.

Was it the snow and the incessant cloudy days? maybe--well most likely, I'm a magnet to sun, but it seemed like blaming snowy days was the easy way out--it is winter after all, so I searched deeper.

Was it that I was tired? Yes, I'm always tired by the end of the week

Was I hungry? I'm never hungry--hunger pangs are practically death

Was it that I had short conversations with my husband only between chapters and dessert? Definitely, but there was nothing to change that except for willing that the 23 days until his boards would pass quicker, causing The Funk to settle even more.

The girl thing? I never know.

Step 3: Resolution

I decided that what I needed was to go for a walk to Kroger with my family (kroger is a 1/2 mile from my house). This walk would cure a few things: 1) a longer conversation with my husband, 2) exercise and fresh air 3) shopping for things I needed to get for the weekend which = two bird with one stone (my motto--the bird and the stone are the particles that make me) 4)my kids don't interrupt me because they are too worried about who will get to Kroger first. To make sure The Funk is dead and gone, I took a 2hr nap yesterday and put it to rest. I'm cured. Much better today and much more productive.

Hope I don't pass it on to someone else after posting this. Remember my DeFunk program and take the necessary steps to get rid of it.