Day 9

It's slow, but it's happening!

-Patio organized
-concrete scrubbed (dollar tree baby shampoo lol)
-toys in bin, old stuff thrown out
-cans crushed and ready for recycle
-bbq cleaned
-1/2 the yard cleared and raked into piles
-pool and old bbq put away

Here is a little sneak peek at my progress:


before:



now:

before:

now:

Now if I can just follow the words of the great philosopher Dory.

"Just keep swimming"

Week 2

Well I promised pictures of my dangerous backyard, and although I feel a little embarrassed now that I'm about to do it, I'm hoping it motivates me to really work hard to make good "after pictures" at the end of the week.

Prolog: We used to have a really fantastic back yard, but I do most of the care back there and when I was pregnant over the summer, I neglected it. A few projects were attempted by my dear honey and were not finished, and then winter hit and I just never went out there period. But now the weather is warming and soon the flowers will bloom and grass will turn as green as it can in West Texas, so I want to get the yard ready so I can boot the kids outside for the summer. So, without further ado, I present the backyard of death....

*There are actually hundreds of Coke cans on the porch that you can not see in the picture. That is what I focused my attention on today. My can crushing leg is so sore! To the left you see a flower bed that is severely neglected, and to the right a dirt pit that used to be a deck. And yes, that is a silhouette of our old office chair. It needs to go.

*More of the non-deck area. It was torn out by my husband when he saw a snake crawl under it. The deck was needing to come up anyway, but it has been left in this state of lumpy ground since. What you can not see are giant studs half buried at least 3ft down and wires sticking up out of the ground. These need to be removed before anything else can happen. How I am going to do this? I have no idea! I'm not that great with a sledge hammer but I guess I'll try.

*Here you can see a useless bbq pit that my husband continues to use because he doesn't want to pull out the large gas grill. The trampoline can not be used until the swimming pool laying on top has been rinsed and put away. Eww. I totally dread that part. It's gross, but I'm too cheap to throw it away and buy a new one.

The flower bed. More like death bed. There is actually trim that goes around those windows too, but never got put on after we painted the house.

*This is the worst of it. My Honey decided to cut down the mulberry tree (It was in a really bad spot and snuffing out a neighbors trees and extremely close to power lines) but this is as far as he got. It's cut, but behind that fence is said tree, along with a bunch of things forming our own personal dumping ground. I don't want to think of what is living back there in the branches, but it has to go and so does the fence. There is actually a concrete slab back there perfect for a kids play area. It's a lot of work that I am unsure of how to go about doing, but I suppose one branch at a time will at least get me heading in the right direction. See that giant trunk laying there? What the crap am I supposed to do with that? I'm thinking I might need a little help on that one lol. and the stump, I think I will need to dig around and cut out with a chain saw. Should be interesting!

So there you have it. I got more done today than I thought I would. It's probably going to take me a few weeks to finish everything, but I got a good start!

Day 7 (I think)

The backyard is a wreck. It was neglected last summer due to pregnancy and has some serious issues that I won't totally blame on my husband's many unfinished projects, but I will point at him and suggest that 99.9% of it is his fault.

BUT...I was watching The Biggest Loser the other day and they had the contestants pulling cars and carrying 300lb men on their backs and when I saw the look of accomplishment on their faces, I was green with envy. I want to surprise myself too! So instead of expecting him to get it up to par, I have decided to tackle a lot of it myself.

Now I'll probably end up taking some before pictures tomorrow. Get ready to be in shock. It's like a nightmare playground, but hopefully Friday's "after" pictures will be testament to how hard I worked. I'm hoping the project will help me be physically tired enough to hit the pillow and fall asleep quickly. I'm hoping I can get it decent enough to allow my kids to play out there and not fear tetanus, and I think that some good old fashioned sunshine (vitamin D) will help me feel more like the old me.

My little boy is 5 years old!

I'm pooped so I won't say much. Here are some pictures!

How old are ya?

Miss Thang gives Grandpa a fish tie and models it. (We tried to get her to start a new fad, but she wasn't going for it)

Me and my babies! (Recognize the dress Cindy?)

Is she hitting the pinata or is the pinata hitting her? lol

Close-up of his robot cake. I thought it looked like the love child of Wall-E and Eve. (Ps he wished Wall-E was real as he blew out the candles, too cute!)

King of his little world.

Glad you came if you did and wish you could have been here if you weren't!

Day 5

Pinata is done (Easier than I thought aside from some sticker issues), Cake is cooling and just about ready to start frosting. I'll try and post a picture fun blog about the party late Saturday.

This week, my mission to get a better sleep pattern wasn't really made habit, but I think next weeks plan will aide with that. I am going outside and getting dirty. SUNSHINE! A natural remedy for the Hermit Blues. Maybe I'll be physically tired enough to go to sleep when my head hits the pillow and lose a few lbs while I'm at it. You never know... :)

*Ps.. I took a big step and have a possible play date with a couple of other moms in the near future. Go me!

Day 4

Today is just a wash, rinse, and repeat of yesterday. I stayed up late to finish the shell of my first home-made pinata. So far so good! I hope it dries so I can paint it tonight. I have to make the cake Friday.

As I was making this, it really started to look like a boob. The tied end of the balloon made a nipple type point and I was imagining painting it accordingly and wondering how well it would sell for a bachelors party. Then I thought how great it would be to hang a pair together and paint them like "balls" for a bachelorette party! Can you imagine that classic pinata scene?

Hey, I said it was late. lol

By the way, I'm an avid Lost fan and last night was TERRIFIC! I don't read spoilers so the episode was really a surprise ending. If you don't watch, I recommend watching the first few episodes on Hulu (free) or renting the first season. Then write me back and tell me how you skipped work and pulled some all nighters to watch the entire run, back to back lol.

And hello... Josh Holloway!

See the finished pinata HERE

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Day 3

Well, there is a b-day party to be had come Saturday, so that takes priority over my "self help" regiment, but that doesn't mean I have to put it on hold. I'm going to try and get out of it what I can. As Katie mentioned, it's all about balance.

I have and will be spending most of today deep cleaning. Probably some of tomorrow too. Things I'll try and do to promote mental health (lol):
*Learn to work during most of Cutecumbers naps rather than relax through most of them.
*Appreciate the similarities between "cleaning my home" and "cleaning my life". a little hard work goes a long way - Getting rid of clutter etc...
* maybe I'll invite someone over to the party that I normally wouldn't. Forcing some social interaction and getting out of my comfort zone a bit. It is a social event after all. :)
* focusing on making this party fun for my son and not worry about the small stuff like what my relatives think of the unfinished floor. If I see a big smile on his face, then the little stuff will easily roll off my back.

I know this "planning" probably seems so ridiculous, but these baby steps are necessary for me and eventually, this thought process will become natural. I hope anyway lol

Btw, it's a robot party and the cake I have planned is going to be interesting. I'm excited and a bit nervous to see how it turns out! I'm also going to try and make a pinata for the first time. Good creative outlets and things that will make my son feel extra special on his special day. :)

Day 2

So...


About 5pm yesterday I was feeling the tired dragon within me. Then My Honey called to tell me he wouldn't be home until 10pm, and I went roaring about the house. Luckily he was able to get away earlier than he expected and I tried to keep my mood to myself until bed time but probably failed miserably. No one said anything, but of course, they knew not to. :)

This morning I lingered in bed a bit past the alarm, but I did roll out eventually, and decided to get out today. Tuesdays my FIL takes the Scientist (my son - see new name references to the right) to his house to hang out for most of the day. That leaves me with just the baby so outings are easier to handle.

I went to Ross armed with a whopping $15 and a mission to buy a cute outfit for The Scientist's 5th birthday party which is this Saturday. I ended up finding a cute shirt for $4 then decided to wear capri's I already own and get a new bra instead. I was feeling pretty good since I found a shirt that matched my picky criteria (cheap, long, boob covering, fat hider) and then I saw "her". Some thin, suit wearing, perfect make-up business woman reaching past me to pick up a sexy little red lacy bra. And there I am, sweat shirt, eyeglasses atop my head as a hair accessory, holding up a giant medical looking brassiere. (Seriously, just add another cup and we could hid the baby in one, move them around a bit and place bets on which one she's hiding in.)

So anyway, it put a little trip in my happy skip, because this little outing is basically the highlight of my day and just a random errand in hers, BUT.. baby steps Angel.. keep focused. You're on your way.

I got out of the store with a new shirt and bra ($10) and stopped at Sonic to get a Caramel Javachiller. Hey, I'm working on going to bed earlier and getting out more. The diet thing starts during a different week. :P

Day 1

Guess who's awake and showered at 8:00 this morning? MEE!

As my oldest would say, "The devil tried to stop me" with a few curve balls that would normally call for a pillow thrust over my head and the usual, "I'll start tomorrow" but not today! Of course I'll probably be a total bitch by 3pm, but in the big picture of life, it will be worth it.

Long winded self reflection in 3-2-1...

It's been awhile since I've worked for something. As a matter of fact, I've had so much free time, I've analyzed my entire life a million times over and I believe I can pin point what went wrong and why. You see, I haven't always been a fat, lazy, tired, stay-at-home hermit. Oh no. Before I met my current husband, I was in a little part of my life I'll refer to as the "Sex, Drugs, and Rock and Roll" stage. As fun as that sounds, it wasn't. I know people that call those years the best times of their life, but for me it was the darkest. Although, I admit I sometimes miss the lack of responsibility, I truly hated its fast pace and chaotic side effects.

When I met "My Honey" and later became pregnant with my son I not only left that life style behind me, I buried it deep deep DEEP in the ground. So deep, that I actually hindered myself. Where I had before been a social butterfly and hated being alone to deal with "real life", I had now become a social retard and my current life at home had become my everything. Very few friends, never getting out, and becoming the hermit I am today.

You know, it really was a good idea with good intentions, just not well thought out and then taken to the extreme. I'm glad I left most of that behind me, but I'm playing it too safe now. I enjoyed the mental break for awhile and probably needed it, but it's been too long and now I need to challenge myself. So, although the fast pace of a "sex, drug, and rock-n-roll" life wasn't for me, neither is this easy breezy cake walk of a life I've created either.

Now don't get me wrong. Being the mother of three has it's challenges and unexpected pepper-in the-fish-tank days, but the titles of "mom" and "wife" sum up everything that I am right now and I'm craving a little more. I can be more.

So although I'm having to take baby steps to change, I'm doing it. I'm working toward a goal and feels good. It's been awhile since I worked toward something and it's been awhile since I've done something so big for me.

So in conclusion, this long winded entry can be summed up with this:
I woke up early this morning on Day 1 and I'm feeling pretty motivated. I've taken the first step and that's always the hardest. :)

Well here we go

I'm approaching my problems with the Flylady* mentality.

Baby Steps!

Problem #1 - Poor sleeping habits

If there is any truth in the saying, "Early to bed, early to rise, makes a man healthy, wealthy and wise." then I'm sick, poor, and stupid. Not to mention the wrong gender, but lets not get too literal!

I stay up late and I sleep in late. I end up wondering where the day has gone and I try to cram in "me" time during the late hours. It's not really working out. Tomorrow I am setting an alarm for 7:00a.m (adventurous aren't I?) and I'm getting up to shower. I'll let ya know how it goes.


*Flylady is a website dedicated to helping people clean up their homes with small "baby" steps that eventually lead one to become a well oiled cleaning machine.