Tuesday's Tip (#38)

Here's a tip for you:

Don't switch jackets.

Don't grab your other coat when you leave for work tomorrow. If you do that, you might get all the way to your kids' school (which isn't remotely close to where you live) and realize that you can't grab the coffee and gas (fuel & fuel) that you need because you left your debit card in your other jacket. Then you will be forced to rush all the way back to where you started your morning (over an hour ago) to grab that damn debit card and you may end up cheering the fact that you were only 5 minutes late after getting coffee and gas (fuel & fuel).

Sometimes, I make my life much harder than it needs to be. Please, learn from my mistakes.

Have a tip to share? Or a solution for my forgetfulness? Feel free to leave a comment below...

...& be sure to check back every Tuesday for a new tip!

Nothing Is Safe

We have a dog. His name is Rondo. Rondo is still technically a puppy and he has a chewing problem. He has a particular fondness for toys. And - apparently - no toy is tastier than a baby doll. Charlotte, being a somewhat typical three year old, loves baby dolls. She has quite a few of them. Their names are: Tiny Baby (because it's small), Naked Baby (self-explanatory), Glen Davis (she was formerly known as Big Baby, but Patrick renamed her and it stuck), and New Baby (a new baby - duh).

Recently, I posted a picture to Twitter of what happened after Rondo got to Naked Baby. This was all that remained:

Sophie, knowing my fear of dolls, thought it would be cute to leave the severed baby head at the end of my bed. Maybe she's been watching The Godfather, again?

Today, I stumbled upon a whole, new tragedy. Glen Davis (not the basketball player) is no longer with us. Now, Glen Davis used to creep me out all on her own. (Yes, Charlotte called the doll Glen Davis AND insisted it was a girl.)

Little creep giving me a thumbs-up

Now, we've reached horror movie level of scary:

Dear God, he pulled off the face!

GAH!

I see a resemblance...

My doll fears can all be traced back to Chucky, by the way. Thanks, dad, for never telling me "no" when I asked you to take me to a scary movie.

We're all a little traumatized by Rondo's latest doll massacre. Let's hope New Baby (a.k.a. Glen Davis, Jr.) can stay out of his jaws. I'll just be over here making sure all of the dolls are up high and singing Doll Parts by Hole. Wish me luck.

HEY! If you enjoy the blog, why not become a follower? I'm the one who's singing Doll Parts (much to my kids' chagrin). You can also stalk find me on Facebook and Twitter. Like the page and follow me!

**And be sure to visit my Zazzle store. Don't you need a new coffee mug or apron?

-->Do you think dolls are creepy, too? Or have an obnoxiously destructive pet? Feel free to share your story in the comments below...

Tuesday's Tip (#37)

Here's a tip for you:

Turn the music up. Loud.

Sometimes my job entails dealing with children who spend a good portion of their day with very little self-control. This makes coming home to a house full of children a little challenging. Oddly enough, my solution is to this problem is to cook dinner. When I cook, I kick everyone out of the kitchen and turn up the stereo. Loud. It drowns out whatever fun (or fights) my kids might be having. It also gives me a half hour without kids. Just long enough to decompress from work and be able to actually appreciate them, again. 

I've talked about our own little brand of music therapy before. It works. It's my little bit of "me" time. And, if the kids aren't getting along (or they're acting completely insane), it doesn't even matter. My stereo is great - I can't hear a thing they're doing.

Have a tip to share? Or great song I should listen to while I'm blasting my music? Feel free to leave a comment below...

...& be sure to check back every Tuesday for a new tip!

Snow Conflict

We've got a major conflict in our house when it comes to the snow. You see, I'm a teacher (& my kids are kids), so we always love an unexpected day off due to snow cancellations. What's better than a little vacation day midweek? The problem is PJ's job. As soon as it snows more than an inch, he gets called into work. 

Two weeks in a row, my school district has cancelled school for Wednesday before the snow had even begun. Both times, Tuesday afternoon or early evening, I already knew I had a midweek day off. For me, that felt celebration-worthy. Unfortunately, PJ already knew he'd be heading into work at 1 am to help manage the snow removal. On a normal day, he already has issues getting up to an alarm. Obviously, waking up at 1 am is going to be a real challenge for him. So, I set my alarm to help him out, and get stuck listening to the God-forsaken evil laugh that comes out of his Wake N Shake app. I've already talked about what that experience is like.  

After he leaves for work, I end up lying awake in the middle of the night (trying to shake off the scare that comes with his crazy alarm). Luckily, I have the luxury of sleeping in on a snow day, but it is a bummer that he can't enjoy the day off, too. We definitely spend the winter watching the weather for very different reasons. 

Don't tell PJ, but I hear there's another storm brewing for this Wednesday... {doing a snow dance}

That snow man was taller than I am!

HEY! If you enjoy the blog, why not become a follower? I'm the one who will be in school until the last day of June. You can also stalk find me on Facebook and Twitter. Like the page and follow me!

**And be sure to visit my Zazzle store. Don't you need a new coffee mug or apron?

-->Do you like snow days, too? Feel free to share your story in the comments below...