Monday, May 24, 2010

Parents Photo Faves-Please vote for my girl--PLEASE!!

Contest is for this week only--ends 5/30--please vote for her, please and thank you. You can vote Every Day!!


Vote for Lucy HERE!! Right HERE!!Parents Photo Faves Thanks again!!

Friday, May 21, 2010

Friday Free for All--All over the place...

• Thanks to everyone for all the Disney advice and whatnots. I feel like I should clarify that the week we are going (if we go), while beginning in August, is actually the 1st week in September. Our school district starts the day after Labor Day, while the rest of the country has typically already gone back to school. I think we’ll be good crowd-wise. I know it will be hot. We’ll live. (I hope) I did go ahead and buy the book that Misty recommended. I’m excited to start devouring it.
• Is it just me, or are little girl’s clothes made significantly smaller than they need to be? Bud, who will be 7 in January, is wearing a size 6. Lucy, who will be 5 in August, is also wearing a size 6. She is more than a full head shorter than Bud, and weighs significantly less. So, um, WTF?
• We are moving Liv in to a toddler bed. In fact, last night was her first full night in it, and she did great. When she did wake up, because lets face it, she will never sleep through the night—EVER, she called to me to come and get her. I don’t think it even occurred to her to get up on her own. She looks so big! What happened to my baby? In 2 months, she will be 2. (those are Lucy’s Bieber posters. OMG)



• I wrote an entire post about my fitness and weight loss and the things that are controllable vs. those that are non-controllable. Then my computer ate the whole thing. The gist? I don’t weigh myself because it is too disappointing, but my pants are definitely looser. I can’t control the fact that I have Hashimoto’s Disease. I can control stuffing junk in my pie hole, and not slacking at the gym. Eye-opening stuff, huh?
• I need to say this without giving you any context: If you have a history of alcoholism, the kind that has brought you near death, it is not ok to drink socially. I don’t care if you are on the trip of a lifetime. I don’t blame you because I know it is a sickness and you were probably just looking for an excuse, but I totally blame the people you were with, who knew. And I can not and will not get over it. Ever.
• The baby has bronchitis and is on the Zpak. She’s been in a surprisingly good mood though.
• Tomorrow, I am taking all 3 kids to a party 1.5 hours away, alone. Hub has to work. It will be fine. It will be fine. It will be fine.

Wednesday, May 19, 2010

Wordless Wednesday



Her eyes get me every time...

Tuesday, May 18, 2010

Random Bullets, Facts and even QUESTIONS

• I’m pretty sure I’ve mentioned here a few times that I keep an eye on my 3-yo niece (Hub’s brother’s daughter) quite a bit. Yesterday she asked “Aunt Sara, do I live here?” I asked her why she would think so, and she said “I live at mommy’s house sometimes and at daddy’s house sometimes, and here sometimes too??” She’s kind of right; she has her own drawer of clothes, a pillow, a toothbrush, shoes, toys—you name it. She is with me almost as much as she is with either of her parents. And my heart broke in to a million pieces. Of course, this was close to 11:30 and she had not yet been to sleep since neither of her parents feel the need to keep her on a schedule, and I was exhausted too—so she could have said anything and I’d probably still have burst in to tears. But I think you get my point. This poor pumpkin.
• And speaking of poor pumpkins, the baby has a cough and a cold and though her spirits have been decent during the day, she’s had a few rough nights. The cough has turned almost croup-y a few times, and it’s making it hard for her to sleep. So we’ve played the “in mommy’s bed, back in the crib” game a few times over here. See also—exhausted.
• I’ve sold off a lot of the kids’ clothes on eBay this past month, and I’ve made around $200. Not bad, huh? I’ve also bought quite a bit for the kiddos, mostly new, and at a really good price. I tried something new yesterday, by where you tell this woman how much you’d like to spend, and she goes in to her supposed HUGE inventory of kids clothes and picks and sends things just for you. She guarantees at least double for your money (i.e. if you give her $20, you get at least $40 worth of clothing), so we’ll see how it works out. I gave her a little bit for the baby, who has basically all hand me downs, and a pretty considerable amount for Bud. Lucy wants to go out and buy her own clothes, so nothing for her. I’m kind of excited about it though.
• And for those of you who commented on My Previous eBay Post, it has finally been resolved and I have recouped my money. In addition, the seller sent me a very apologetic email when she received the items back and admitted that she was wrong. BooYA! (do people say that anymore?)
• Lucy has kindergarten orientation on Friday. Can you even believe it? KINDERGARTEN!! Come September, we will officially be a one child in daycare home. Praise Jesus! That shit is expensive! Unless of course we have another baby. Which Hub is vehemently against. Which makes me a little sad.
• Anyway, on the advice of my ObGyn, I’ve been on the pill for a little more than a month now—it’s that Seasonique one where you get only get your period once every 3 months. The main reason was to prevent migraines because mine generally seem to be hormone triggered. Even in that 12th week where you get your period, you take an estrogen supplement, to keep your hormone level regulated. I have to say that I feel better on this pill than I ever have on another. I haven’t lost “the desire”, and better yet, I haven’t had any migraines since I started taking it. It may just be doing what it’s supposed to do. And not having to worry about contraception doesn’t hurt too much either. One side effect during the 1st 3 months is supposed to be spotting, and I’ve had none of that either. It.Is.Awesome.
• Finally, we are seriously considering a trip to Disney at the end of August—that last week before school starts. We think we can swing it. We think we’re going to drive. (OMG) Shelly has been kind enough to give me some great tips since she has been there a zillion times. Does anyone else have tips to share with me? I’m kind of overwhelmed with the whole idea, and so I am absorbing as much information as I possibly can.

Wednesday, May 12, 2010

22-ish Months

Devan’s post the other day got me thinking that I hadn’t done a comparison post in quite some time. And really, I haven’t! So lets take a look, shall we, at my children when they were all around Liv’s current age of 22(ish) months.

Bud:





Lucy:





Liv:





It’s pretty amazing how even still, Bud and Liv are clones of each other. I can see the resemblance to them in Lucy’s face though—can you?

Tuesday, May 11, 2010

A-Z

Stolen from so many....

area code: 716

b. bed size: Queen (not big enough)

c. chore you hate: any aspect of laundry.

d. dog's name: We have no dog

e. essential "start of the day" item: coffee. Will not get very far without it

f. favorite color: pink

g. gold or silver: White gold

h. height: 5’4”

i. instruments you play: I can read music, and I can sing

j. job: Operations Consultant; Mom

k. kids: Three of them Ages 6, (almost)5, and (almost) 2

l. living arrangements: House with Hub, Kiddos, FIL, and 3 cats

m. mom's name: Marilyn

n. nickname: I always wanted a nickname. ALWAYS. Hub has given me a few thru the years—he calls me S.L. if not Hon. Bud likes to call me Mommas Thomas because I call him Edmund Spagedmund, and he thinks he is funny. I will cut you if you call me Sar.

o. overnight hospital stay: To GiveBirth and twice for kidney stones

p. pet peeve: Not making an attempt to pronounce a last name correctly. I mean God! Sound it out! Think it through!! My last name is not and looks nothing like Benedict.

q. quote from movie: “Did somebody say ‘Able Lincoln’?”

r. righty or lefty: righty

s. siblings: 2 younger brothers

t. time you wake up: on a gym day, 4:40 AM, non- gym but work day, 6:00 AM

u. underwear: I wear them

v. vegetables you dislike: cauliflower (blech!)

w. ways or reasons you are late: stopping for coffee, or loading up kids. I despise being late though, so it is rare

x. x-rays: chest for pneumonia, dental, spine and neck after a car accident

y. yummy food you make: oven fried chicken, banana muffins

z. zoo animals you like: Giraffes

Monday, May 10, 2010

Obligatory Sappy Mother’s Day Post

Oh, I had such a fabulous Mother’s Day. I always do and I know how blessed I am to have a husband and children who care so much about giving me a fabulous day. And it was fabulous from start to finish—and I mean start—Hub was up with the children in the night and I never heard them even once. When he told me that Lucy was up with a coughing fit, Bud was up because he had wet the bed, and that Liv stirred a few times, but never cried out, I didn’t believe him. He was that good. I rolled over an opened my eyes, and could hardly believe that it was 10 AM. The bedroom door was shut, which in itself is a luxury, and I hadn’t heard one peep from the kids all morning.

Of course as soon as I was in the bathroom, they all came barging in with choruses of “Happy Mother’s Day!” (well Liv said “Happy birthday to YOU!!”), and how could I mind when they had done so well all morning. They dragged me to the couch and gave me their handmade gifts from school—A photo magnet and a card from Lucy, and a bead necklace, card, photo magnet, and a dime from Bud. Liv’s teacher didn’t think far enough ahead to have her gift for me ready on Wednesday (the girls don’t go to school on Thursday and Friday), so I will get her gift today. I was starving, so we had coffee cake and coffee right away, and then I lazed on the couch for a while watching TV while Hub and Lucy made me “runny eggs”, toast, potatoes and bacon. The only bad thing was that I still didn’t have much of an appetite from having been so sick last week, (Did I mention? Strep Throat? Worst I’ve ever had? Seriously—so swollen I thought I’d need a tracheotomy. Yeah.) so I didn’t eat as much as I would have liked to. But it was delicious, and so thoughtful. Man, I love those people.

From there, Hub took them all out. In years past, this would be when he saw his mother for Mother’s Day, so it made me a bit sad for him. He never mentioned it, and I didn’t bring it up either. I was torn between seeming selfish and not bringing it up, or bringing it up and the potential to upset him. Still don’t know if I made the right decision, but in any case, he took them all away. And I went back to bed for 2 hours. When I woke up I treated myself to a huge piece of chocolate cake (left over from celebrating with my mother the night before), and then dinked around with my eBay stuff for a while. They finally came home, several gifts in tow, around 5PM.

I showered the children so Hub could wrap them, and then they all made a big deal about me opening them. Lucy picked out some new earrings for me, there was a new MP3 player and some headphones Hub thought would work in my tiny ears, a food processor—which is really a replacement for the one I returned but did not exchange for Christmas, and new coupon holders. It was seriously overwhelming.

We ended the day with ordered in fried chicken for dinner, the kids in bed early, Hub going off to work, and I spent some time loading songs in to my new toy. I honestly couldn’t have asked for a better day. I never expected all the gifts; I had told them several times that all I wanted was to sleep in and have them cook me a nice breakfast. That was it. And they did so much more.

I don’t wish every day was Mother’s Day, though I did enjoy being treated like a queen. I have a fabulous family. Kids who are so sweet and kind, and caring. A husband who helps to foster that, and helps our kids live out the values we have. They are truly amazing. And I am blessed. And that might just be the best gift of all.

Monday, May 3, 2010

Maximum Irritation

Ugh. I spent a good portion of my weekend fuming and arguing with this woman on Ebay who I bought some clothes from. I was very pleased to have won the auction for Lucy because there were several dresses and several Hello Kitty items, size 5/6. Her description indicated size 5/6, some size 5, and that one pair of capris were a 5 slim. I knew these wouldn’t fit Lucy, but was fine with putting them away. I stalked and won it at the last minute. Including shipping, I paid $50 for these items.

Imagine my surprise when I opened the box to find that the items were not a 5/6 as indicated. In fact, of all the items, 1 was a size 5/6. Aside from the size 5 items she indicated, all the rest were size XS. As in 4 or 4/5. I noticed this as Lucy was going through the box, so in addition to my own disappointment, I had to deal with hers. She wanted that Hello Kitty dress so badly. Sadly though, it was way too small.

So I did what any rational person would do—I sent the seller an email to see if we could work it out. I gave her 24 hours to respond, and when she didn’t I escalated to Ebay Customer Support. She responded back to them right away, saying that I was the one who was wrong, and offered me a credit of $12 or to send me a few more items.

I know that some of you were privy to all my rantings on Twitter this weekend, and that I am beating a dead horse here, but please indulge me and read this conversation. Please tell me I am right to fight the fight, (If you think I am wrong, you can tell me that too) because DAMN I am pissed off here.

Here was her header:

Girls’ Sz 5/6 - 21 pcs Green Dog, Hello Kitty, Esprit


And here is her description:

This auction contains 21 pieces of girls’ spring or summer clothing in the size 5, 5/6, and one 5 slim in excellent condition. All items are free of rips, stains, or tears. Everything is very gently used with much more use out of them then they got. These are clothes that were pulled out for the spring to winter changeover and my daughter can no longer fit them. This auction includes
4 dresses – Hello Kitty, Youngland (never worn), Disney Cuties, & Girl Tribe
2 sets (4 pieces) – pink Hello Kitty top with matching plaid skirt, multicolored Greendog patchwork short set with matching top (purchased at Macy’s)
4 pairs of shorts – Light wash denim colored Esprit shorts, white Greendog shorts, floral Wonderkids shorts with belt, brown plaid Ocean Pacific shorts
5 tops – Disney cuties top with Thumper on front, green Cherokee top with beads and sequins design on front, hot pink Circo top, long pink multicolored top with asymmetric cut, white short crop hoodie with rhinestone crown decorated on front left made by Target (never worn with tags still attached)
1 skirt – Disney Camp Rock dark wash denim skirt
1 pair of capris – Crazy 8 capris (Gymboree company). These are a size 5 slim
1 crop jacket with matching tank top purchased at Kohl’s

And here is our chain of emails:
Additional information:
"Hello- I sent the email I've copied below to the seller on Wednesday. I have not had a response. The item I received was not what her description indicated.

Hi there- I received the item in question today and am very disappointed that these items are NOT a size 5/6 as you have indicated. The majority of these items are a size 4/5 or XS (which is a 4) and do not fit my little girl. One item is a size 5/6, and one item is a size 5 slim and a few are a size 5 as you indicated. I've bought many second hand items via Ebay and have sold several myself, and I'm sure this was just an oversight. I'd like to send the items back to you for a full refund. Please let me know if we can work this out-- "
You wanted:
A full refund
Refund information:
The seller offered a partial refund of $12.00 that will be issued through PayPal within 3 days if you accept the offer.
Seller's note:
"I am very sorry but all of the items I listed in this auction were 5 or 5/6 as stated. There was not one size 4 or 4/5 in this auction. 3 of 21 items are labeled XS & XS is equal to a size 5 where I bought them. At Old Navy, North Face, and even Target an XS is equal to a 5. At Justice For Girls, an XXXS is a size 6. If you look at my previous listings for clothing I have sold you will see I am detailed. I list what is there even highlighting any flaws there may be. I would have listed this auction as a size 4 auction or stated it contained sz 4 if it had as I have in the past because sz 4 is very popular. Online shopping can be difficult. That is why I provide good pictures & descriptions & ask questions be asked before bidding. I will gladly give you a partial refund because I want you to be happy. As an honest seller, I care about your satisfaction. I will even send you a couple more size 5 pieces should you choose that instead. I hope we can work this out. Have a wonderful day."
Your message to the seller:
"I have just taken a minute to go through the clothing again to be sure that I was not mistaken the first time. I was not. The denim skirt, pink dress, Disney thumper shirt, white half sweatshirt and the green top are all clearly marked XS (4/5). I have taken photos of the tags if you are interested. The clothing that is only labeled as XS I did some digging on as well. Here is Target's sizing chart, showing that XS is = to 4/5 http://www.target.com/Clothing-Sizing-Guide-Sizing-Shopping-Help/-
b/13666801?ie=UTF8&ref=br_bx_Clothing%20Sizing%20Guide I wasn't able to find a size chart for the Sanrio Hello Kitty items, however, they are just as small. Again, I don't mean to imply that there was any malice involved here and that is why I have not left negative feedback. I do believe that there was an oversight on your part though, and for that, I would still like to return these items for a full refund. Please let me know, Sara "
So—
1. This chick is crazy
2. She lied about the size of the clothing as evidenced by the tags—photos of which are still in my possession
3. She implied that I should have asked questions before buying—Like what? Are these items really all size 5 or 5/6? Or is that just a clever ploy to get rid of your size 4 clothing.
4. Where does the $12 refund come from?

It takes a lot to get me fired up…and let me tell you I am FIRED UP. So what is your opinion? Am I in the wrong here? I’m not going to rest until I get all of my money back.