Randomosity

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Yes, I am aware that "randomosity" is not a real word. 

J and I go back and forth over my made-up words. He thinks it's ridiculous, I think it's ridiculously creative and fun. The word that annoys him most is "ginormous" so I, of course, have to use it as much as possible. Thank you, Buddy the Elf!! Imagine my absolutely unabashed GLEE when "ginormous" was added to the Webster's Dictionary a few years back. It made my happiness ginormous. I tip my hat to you, Webster's Dictionary people.

It has been a busy couple of weeks around this Casa de la Casa.

We had spring break last week which was basically spent helping a friend redo their bathroom. The guys pulled out a bathtub, turned the space into a shower, and we tiled it. I stayed home 4 out of 6 days to get some uninterrupted cleaning done and binge watch Bones.

Y'all, Bones is my favorite thing ever right now!! I just finished season 11 and then I have to wait for season 12 to stream on Netflix. I'm pretty sure I'm going to die while waiting. I'm already grieving. It can't be over!! 

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Okay, and so maybe I did some Lady Gaga karaoke while I was home alone, too. 

The 2 days I helped the dudes consisted of driving 385,984,726 miles for supplies, babysitting the friend's anxious doggie while all the traffic and shop-vaccing in her house freaked her out, supervised the 14 yr old running the tile saw so he kept all phalanges intact (See, watching Bones is useful!!), and then I helped grout and wash tile.

I'm pretty sure we went through 45 lbs. of turkey lunchmeat and 200 loaves of bread in 1 week.

I also got an Instant Pot a couple of weeks ago... which I have yet to use. But it looks nice sitting on my counter and I feel like an accomplished adult by taking that FOMO like a boss. I've also been stalking recipes to try and learning how to avoid blowing up my kitchen. Baby steps, yo!!

I completely FAILED at the Unfrump Yourself challenge last week. I think I put on jeans 2 days, both of those days were the working days. Makeup happened approximately ZERO times and I was just happy I brushed my hair. I also bid a sad farewell to my favorite yoga pants I mentioned in a previous post. The worn spot in the crotch finally blew out, which made for a wonderful discovery as I squatted like a sumo wrestler scoping out what treasures were in the lowest shelf of the pantry. Nothing will get your attention quite as fast as a sudden breeze in your nethers and you are quickly reminded this was a sans-undies day.

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I'd also like to take this moment to raise all the praise hands for long t-shirts because they are responsible for it being ONLY ME who knew it was a casual-CASUAL Friday south of the border. Long t-shirts, you are my boo, my Bae, my PB&J, my smoochy-lovebug forever!! Don't ever change!!! *blows kisses*

I watched linemen repair a broken high line dangling right over our road. Yes, I took pictures of them. No, I didn't get a restraining order. Yet. I'll have to do better next time.

I had a rat snake on my porch. I tried to pick him up, but he hissed, "STRANGER DANGER!!!" and wasn't having it. So I just touched him a few times and watched him skedaddle.

I got some new paper and markers to play with. Yes, I am 5 years old. 

On Tuesday, the man-cubs had their eye exam and got new glasses so they can see their school work. They really liked that reminder.

*sigh* Moooooooooom!!!

What can I say? I like to be practical. If it's extra harassing and I get eye rolls, that's just a free perk. Those perks are definitely a plus when said man-cubs' arrival caused you to have to turn your girl bits inside out in front of various strangers. That is what I call fair.

I'm looking forward to some not quite so hectic days. When will they come, I'm not sure, but I do have hope they're on the way soon.

Okay, so I'm totally lying to myself and promising myself wine. That's the same as hope, right?

RIIIIGHT???

Eh, whatever gets you through the day. 

Unfrump Update 1

The struggle is real, y'all!! 

Last week I started my Unfrump Yourself challenge where I wear "real" clothes at home 3 days a week. 

It was a little iffy at the beginning of the week. I fully intended to dress cute on my birthday, but wound up being gross sick. When you have a faucet for a nose and your head throbs, and staying awake for 5 minutes is too much to ask, you aren't exactly inspired to look cute. You wear your comfy clothes and plug the nose dam with kleenex. It's a totally sexy look, let me tell you.

But after I started feeling human again, I DID manage to unfrump for 4 days with 3 days of picture proof.

Some things I have discovered since starting this challenge:

* The lighting in my house is awful. Seriously, a spelunker trekking through the bowels of the earth probably has better lighting than I do. It's all Coldplay up in here because they were all yellow. 

* I need a full-length mirror. Y'ALL. I am 35 years old and haven't had a full-length mirror.  This feels like a monumental fail somehow. I am determined to right this.

* My patience with doing my hair is on the negative end of the spectrum.

* My hair styling skills are probably even more in the negative than my patience. I would probably try to pull my hair into a ponytail if I had G.I. Jane hair.

So here are a couple of the outfits I wore last week. Please pardon the craptacularness of these pictures. I am figuring out how to make them better. 

Day 1: No makeup or hair doin's since this was the day after I felt like caca. 

Day 2: I really liked this outfit. Unfortunately the abhorrent yellow tinge kind of makes this picture horrid. BUT the positive side is I got dressed, did my makeup, and wore jewelry. My children were completely dumbfounded. 

I also attempted beach waves with my flat iron. That magic did not happen, hence the crazy-eyed look. 

Day 3: I LOVED this outfit. It was like a cheater outfit. So comfy and cute. I'm pretty sure jeggings are where it's at, y'all. This picture is horrid. This is why I'm not a fashion blogger.

Outfit = Love

Picture = Poop emoji

Makeup done and hair is not in a COMPLETE ponytail. I count it a win. Ignore the tremendous eye bags happening here. That's one of the joys of a cold in the middle of allergy season.

Day 4: AKA the cutest outfit of the week and I DIDN'T GET A PICTURE OF IT!!!

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It was really cute though. You'll have to believe me. If the weather decides to be highs in the 60s again, I'll have to do a redo. Green sweater, black pointe pants, and black ankle boots. I actually looked like I knew what I was doing for a minute!  

Well, week 1 is in the books. Let's see what week 2 brings! 

Reflections

Taken last week from my porch. I love my view.

I always seem to be in a nostalgic mood when my birthday comes around. I guess it makes sense. It's the perfect day to look back to the past and plan for the future.

It's really funny how you change with age. When you're a child, you look at birthdays as the day to party, get presents, and rejoice as your entire world revolves around you. When you're an adult, the parties aren't as boisterous and there are no clowns, thank goodness!! It's the small things that are the most precious, like how your husband and sons bring you a special dinner in bed, sing "Happy Birthday" to you while you're laying in a pile of pillows with kleenex shoved up your nose because you're dog-sick with a cold.

It's the phone calls, texts, and Facebook messages from your family and far-away friends that make you smile because they thought of you in the middle of their busy day. It's looking back on the last few years seeing how much you've grown and changed mentally.

5 years ago, I turned 30. I won't lie, it was tough. I dreaded it for months. I felt like all vitality and youth was going to fly out the door as soon as midnight struck. I felt like I was used up, a discarded shell of a woman. I felt like I used all the "good years" second guessing my every step, wishing I had the confidence to say and do things that I wasn't brave enough to do. I expected to peel the covers back that morning and see a gnarled, hunchbacked, saggy-skinned OLD LADY. Think the Evil Queen from Disney's Snow White. 

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Well that didn't happen. I know. Shocking.

I didn't look any different, I didn't really feel different. It was just another day.

Then, several months later, something funny happened. I finally embraced ME.

The ME I had always been trying to change to impress others, the ME who's a little kooky, the ME who has no fashion sense or much of a filter, the ME that my husband sees in varying moods and disarray and yet he still stays around. That man is a saint.

I finally decided to be ME and not care what others thought about my ME-ness. You can't live your life dictating to every opinion. The only opinions that actually matter are those who live under your own roof. Life is too damn short to second guess why you like something or feel awkward from the disdainful looks you get because something out of the box makes you happy. (Planners, anyone?!?)


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We only get to live this life once. If you're so busy worrying about what other people think, how in the world are you going to have time to actually ENJOY IT??? You are you for a reason. You are different for a reason. This world needs your YOUNESS!! The differences make things fun, exciting and make for excellent learning opportunities. If we all liked the same things or looked the same, it would be flat-out, mind-numbingly BORING. What if crayons were all the same? Coloring would suck.

So as I settle into my 35th year of life, I'm just going to keep being ME. I like ME. It took a long time, but I do. 

I like my continued hunger for learning. 

I like my crazy, silly sense of humor. I like pushing it on my not so crazy or silly husband because I find his reactions hilarious. 

I like being that weird mom who sings her directions or irritation in terrible, rhyming opera that echoes through the house. (The acoustics in here are awesome, btw.) 

I like being so animated babies find me as fascinating as I find them. 

I like my gray hair because it's naturally stylish and I don't even have to try and I look like I'm in style. (Lazy FTW!!)

I like being passionate and loud because nobody ever has to wonder how I feel about something. 

I like my determination and still being determined to do it even when Plan A was a bust.

I like snort laughing over dumb things which results in a continuous cycle of snort laughing. Even in public, which usually makes me laugh harder. 

I like that I get obsessed with strange things.

ALL of these things, plus many more that aren't even coming to mind right now, help to make up ME. 

It took me entirely too long to like ME. I owe it to ME and my kids to keep liking ME. How else will they be able to learn to like themselves?

This year, I'm going to learn more, grow, have fun, enjoy my kids, make friends, and just keep liking ME.

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