Snowflake Dream Christmas
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Wednesday, November 16, 2011
Friday, June 3, 2011
"I'm So Counterproductive!!"
I do not like to have a messy house, like most people, I'm sure.
My husband, on the other hand, is not like me or most people...
He could live in a mess for months, as long as it is "clean mess" (germaphobe!). This has been our biggest (thank the Lord!) point of contention in our 3-year marriage so far. Though the issue seems small when we're not in the heat of the moment, there have been many times in the middle of arguments where we've both thought, "How on earth are we going to live with each other FOREVER?!"
Our cleaning styles are very different. I like to come home from work, make sure the house is picked up (or at least do some chores), then be able to sit down and relax knowing that the work is done and my house looks better than it did an hour prior. I know that if I sit down before getting work done, I will not get back up. Who wants to get up and clean when already laying down on the couch watching TV?! Certainly not me!
C, on the other hand, will do just about anything to get out of work. He only "enjoys" work (and I use that term loosely!) when he is so bored from sitting around doing nothing for a few days, that it actually would feel good to accomplish something! In our busy lives, sitting at home bored does not happen often... thus, he doesn't clean unless he "has" to - says me. :)
The other way we differ when it comes to cleaning is our attitudes while cleaning. I like to FOCUS and clean as hard and fast as I can, getting as much done in one fell swoop as possible. C is more likely to dawdle and move slowly while folding/straightening/picking up. I don't understand it! He hates to clean, but when he does it, he moves so slowly that it takes him forever! JUST GET THE JOB DONE! Makes no sense...
Cleaning together can be very frustrating because of this. In an effort to not get mad at each other so that we can enjoy our time together and actually like each other at the end of the day, we make an agreement before we get started that we are not going to fight, no matter what. This seems silly, but it works! Whenever we know we are pushing each other's buttons, we stop and try to restart our good attitudes towards the task at hand and towards each other.
Many times, in an effort to try to enjoy cleaning, C will turn on the TV, claiming he's cleaning while watching (though we both know he can't multi-task and ESPN is much more interesting to him!), or he'll try to turn on some music (but end up spending half an hour watching music videos on youtube!). I can't count the number of times I have to refrain myself from acting like his mother and "making" him turn the distractions off! But I am MUCH better at that and now I just ask him to do it, with a nice calm voice, and he will usually conform and we both stay happy! It's a miracle! :) If there is one piece of advice I'd give to newlyweds, it's to always speak with respect to each other... it goes FAR and you both stay much happier!
So last night was a designated cleaning night - our house was getting out of hand and that makes me irritated every time I walk in the door ("happy wife, happy life" anyone?!). So we made our non-fighting agreement and started working...well I tried to start working. C has a thing about putting off the inevitable. We first had to have dinner, then we had to lay on the couch and do nothing for a good ten minutes... then I put my foot down and said, "ok - we're cleaning! Let's go!" But of course, there's a time limit Caleb imposed on us because the NBA Draft Lottery was going to be on at 8, meanwhile it's already almost 7 and we have a whole house to clean!..
So I was working on cleaning up the first floor while Caleb was upstairs putting laundry away. I thought he was doing so well... till I went upstairs only to find him laying on the bed trying to find the perfect music to listen to on youtube while he folds. UGH! We only had an hour and he was wasting it! I tried so hard not to start shouting as he began explaining to me how the time got away from him and why he still hasn't done anything a half hour later.
Within a few moments, he finds some R Kelly hip hop song that he thinks is funny and starts singing and dancing around the room like he's Beyonce (literally - he said while doing one particular body-shaking move, "I learned this from Beyonce!" lol)! I try to stay looking at the clothes I'm folding so I don't laugh and encourage his nonsensical behavior, but it's just too darn funny! I wind up crying I'm laughing so hard. He is such a character. I always tell him he's counterproductive because he is constantly trying to distract me from focusing on what I'm doing and he knows I HATE that. Let me focus and get the job done quickly - I don't want to be here all night!
To conclude the evening, after his dance performance, he runs at me, wraps me up in his arms and throws me on the bed and shouts, "I'M SO COUNTERPRODUCTIVE! muah-ah-ah-ah"
Who can resist that frustrating charm? ;)
At those moments, I have to check my attitude and remember that instead of getting mad at him for not being on task at the time I want him to be, enjoy him for who he is and remember that we won't always be young and able to have random dance parties in our room with loud obnoxious music!
I may occasionally have a messy house, but it's always filled with laughter and fun. Can't ask for more.
My husband, on the other hand, is not like me or most people...
He could live in a mess for months, as long as it is "clean mess" (germaphobe!). This has been our biggest (thank the Lord!) point of contention in our 3-year marriage so far. Though the issue seems small when we're not in the heat of the moment, there have been many times in the middle of arguments where we've both thought, "How on earth are we going to live with each other FOREVER?!"
Our cleaning styles are very different. I like to come home from work, make sure the house is picked up (or at least do some chores), then be able to sit down and relax knowing that the work is done and my house looks better than it did an hour prior. I know that if I sit down before getting work done, I will not get back up. Who wants to get up and clean when already laying down on the couch watching TV?! Certainly not me!
C, on the other hand, will do just about anything to get out of work. He only "enjoys" work (and I use that term loosely!) when he is so bored from sitting around doing nothing for a few days, that it actually would feel good to accomplish something! In our busy lives, sitting at home bored does not happen often... thus, he doesn't clean unless he "has" to - says me. :)
The other way we differ when it comes to cleaning is our attitudes while cleaning. I like to FOCUS and clean as hard and fast as I can, getting as much done in one fell swoop as possible. C is more likely to dawdle and move slowly while folding/straightening/picking up. I don't understand it! He hates to clean, but when he does it, he moves so slowly that it takes him forever! JUST GET THE JOB DONE! Makes no sense...
Cleaning together can be very frustrating because of this. In an effort to not get mad at each other so that we can enjoy our time together and actually like each other at the end of the day, we make an agreement before we get started that we are not going to fight, no matter what. This seems silly, but it works! Whenever we know we are pushing each other's buttons, we stop and try to restart our good attitudes towards the task at hand and towards each other.
Many times, in an effort to try to enjoy cleaning, C will turn on the TV, claiming he's cleaning while watching (though we both know he can't multi-task and ESPN is much more interesting to him!), or he'll try to turn on some music (but end up spending half an hour watching music videos on youtube!). I can't count the number of times I have to refrain myself from acting like his mother and "making" him turn the distractions off! But I am MUCH better at that and now I just ask him to do it, with a nice calm voice, and he will usually conform and we both stay happy! It's a miracle! :) If there is one piece of advice I'd give to newlyweds, it's to always speak with respect to each other... it goes FAR and you both stay much happier!
So last night was a designated cleaning night - our house was getting out of hand and that makes me irritated every time I walk in the door ("happy wife, happy life" anyone?!). So we made our non-fighting agreement and started working...well I tried to start working. C has a thing about putting off the inevitable. We first had to have dinner, then we had to lay on the couch and do nothing for a good ten minutes... then I put my foot down and said, "ok - we're cleaning! Let's go!" But of course, there's a time limit Caleb imposed on us because the NBA Draft Lottery was going to be on at 8, meanwhile it's already almost 7 and we have a whole house to clean!..
So I was working on cleaning up the first floor while Caleb was upstairs putting laundry away. I thought he was doing so well... till I went upstairs only to find him laying on the bed trying to find the perfect music to listen to on youtube while he folds. UGH! We only had an hour and he was wasting it! I tried so hard not to start shouting as he began explaining to me how the time got away from him and why he still hasn't done anything a half hour later.
Within a few moments, he finds some R Kelly hip hop song that he thinks is funny and starts singing and dancing around the room like he's Beyonce (literally - he said while doing one particular body-shaking move, "I learned this from Beyonce!" lol)! I try to stay looking at the clothes I'm folding so I don't laugh and encourage his nonsensical behavior, but it's just too darn funny! I wind up crying I'm laughing so hard. He is such a character. I always tell him he's counterproductive because he is constantly trying to distract me from focusing on what I'm doing and he knows I HATE that. Let me focus and get the job done quickly - I don't want to be here all night!
To conclude the evening, after his dance performance, he runs at me, wraps me up in his arms and throws me on the bed and shouts, "I'M SO COUNTERPRODUCTIVE! muah-ah-ah-ah"
Who can resist that frustrating charm? ;)
At those moments, I have to check my attitude and remember that instead of getting mad at him for not being on task at the time I want him to be, enjoy him for who he is and remember that we won't always be young and able to have random dance parties in our room with loud obnoxious music!
I may occasionally have a messy house, but it's always filled with laughter and fun. Can't ask for more.
Wednesday, May 4, 2011
TV Shows
I'm very busy and don't get to spend a lot of time at home, so I'm very grateful to the person who invented DVR! It's the only way I get to watch any of my shows because I refuse to be a slave to my shows' schedules.
I like to get lost in someone else's drama for an hour or two a few nights a week, no matter how corny or bizarre it may be. That being said, I do not appreciate it when my husband walks into the room, watches for a few minutes, and can't help but comment on how "dumb" the show is. I know it's dumb. I know it has few redeeming factors. but that doesn't stop me from losing myself in it week after week! In fact, the more episodes I watch of a show, the less I care how dumb it is. I have to stick with it! I have to see what happens to each of the characters.
I'd much rather be watching a fictitious character's drama than be involved in real-life personal drama! So let me be. :)
The best part of it is that C can't NOT finish a show/movie that he starts watching. So because it's always more fun to watch tv with another person (I'm not the only one who likes to make comments and ask questions throughout a show, right?!), I try to turn the tv on while he's still in the room... Then I start telling him what's going on with each character, fill him in on whatever he's missed since the last time I forced him into watching, and by the time I'm done, ba-da-bing, he's hooked! HA! May be a little sneaky... but we've been married almost 3 years, he's not dumb, he knows what's going on and could leave (if I were to shut up long enough for him to leave! ha!).
Even better is that there are a few shows (ahem, Grey's) that he watches with me weekly now. Despite the fact that he still says it's "so ridiculous", he's disappointed if I watch the dvr'd show without him! haha I LOVE it! My evil plan has worked. I get cheesy tv AND husband-time. Can life get any better?!
I like to get lost in someone else's drama for an hour or two a few nights a week, no matter how corny or bizarre it may be. That being said, I do not appreciate it when my husband walks into the room, watches for a few minutes, and can't help but comment on how "dumb" the show is. I know it's dumb. I know it has few redeeming factors. but that doesn't stop me from losing myself in it week after week! In fact, the more episodes I watch of a show, the less I care how dumb it is. I have to stick with it! I have to see what happens to each of the characters.
I'd much rather be watching a fictitious character's drama than be involved in real-life personal drama! So let me be. :)
The best part of it is that C can't NOT finish a show/movie that he starts watching. So because it's always more fun to watch tv with another person (I'm not the only one who likes to make comments and ask questions throughout a show, right?!), I try to turn the tv on while he's still in the room... Then I start telling him what's going on with each character, fill him in on whatever he's missed since the last time I forced him into watching, and by the time I'm done, ba-da-bing, he's hooked! HA! May be a little sneaky... but we've been married almost 3 years, he's not dumb, he knows what's going on and could leave (if I were to shut up long enough for him to leave! ha!).
Even better is that there are a few shows (ahem, Grey's) that he watches with me weekly now. Despite the fact that he still says it's "so ridiculous", he's disappointed if I watch the dvr'd show without him! haha I LOVE it! My evil plan has worked. I get cheesy tv AND husband-time. Can life get any better?!
Tuesday, April 26, 2011
Running? Really?
I don't enjoy running.
I'd almost go so far as to say I hate running.
What normal person actually enjoys slamming their knee joints together and having their lungs burn so much that you try to cough them up? I don't understand people who run mile after mile multiple times a week.
BUT I'm going to do it; I'm going to try running.
I don't like the pain, but I LOVE to feel the burn. The burn that tells you that you actually did something with yourself. The burn that says, "Good job! You may have a chance of getting rid of those love handles!"... That's a good burn; That's a burn I can understand!
I can speed walk for hours. for miles. every day. no problem. But running? that's going to take some work. I'm so sick of this extra "jiggle" - or my "big bones" as my husband jokes in order to try to make me feel better (which of course does NOT work but I'd be hurt if he didn't at least try!! ha!). So my sister-in-law suggested we do a 5k. At first, I immediately thought "NO WAY" in my head. But the more I thought about it, the more I realized that it would be a faster resolution to my flub-issues than just walking! And I need to lose this extra weight BEFORE I gain baby weight and NEVER have the body I've always wanted! So my SIL, E, and my other friend, J, and I are going to do it! The good part is that we'll be keeping each other accountable by showing up at each other's houses and pushing ourselves out the door together! Add the fact that we will be able to hang out and chat multiple times a week, BONUS!
We have 12 weeks - through July 17th to train. It's only 3.2 miles - which doesn't sound like much, but IT IS to someone who doesn't run! I think we can do it (I think I can, I think I can...). I researched a plan on how to work up to the 3 miles and I think we'll be golden. The only thing standing in our way is the RAIN! We're so ready for it to be nice outside!
Bring on May Flowers! I'm done with April Showers!
I'd almost go so far as to say I hate running.
What normal person actually enjoys slamming their knee joints together and having their lungs burn so much that you try to cough them up? I don't understand people who run mile after mile multiple times a week.
BUT I'm going to do it; I'm going to try running.
I don't like the pain, but I LOVE to feel the burn. The burn that tells you that you actually did something with yourself. The burn that says, "Good job! You may have a chance of getting rid of those love handles!"... That's a good burn; That's a burn I can understand!
I can speed walk for hours. for miles. every day. no problem. But running? that's going to take some work. I'm so sick of this extra "jiggle" - or my "big bones" as my husband jokes in order to try to make me feel better (which of course does NOT work but I'd be hurt if he didn't at least try!! ha!). So my sister-in-law suggested we do a 5k. At first, I immediately thought "NO WAY" in my head. But the more I thought about it, the more I realized that it would be a faster resolution to my flub-issues than just walking! And I need to lose this extra weight BEFORE I gain baby weight and NEVER have the body I've always wanted! So my SIL, E, and my other friend, J, and I are going to do it! The good part is that we'll be keeping each other accountable by showing up at each other's houses and pushing ourselves out the door together! Add the fact that we will be able to hang out and chat multiple times a week, BONUS!
We have 12 weeks - through July 17th to train. It's only 3.2 miles - which doesn't sound like much, but IT IS to someone who doesn't run! I think we can do it (I think I can, I think I can...). I researched a plan on how to work up to the 3 miles and I think we'll be golden. The only thing standing in our way is the RAIN! We're so ready for it to be nice outside!
Bring on May Flowers! I'm done with April Showers!
Tuesday, April 19, 2011
Blog Title Explanation
When I say that my husband is wonderfully hilarious, I mean it. It's not an overstatement.
God knew what he was doing when He paired us up! C has amazing comedic timing and is always making me laugh. I often wonder, as he does some crazy antic like dancing with me in the kitchen as he sings a love song to me that he is "writing" as he sings, if other people's husbands are this sweet and funny. Do other wives have these moments where they can't believe they get to be married to a man just PERFECT for them? I'm sure they do, but I definitely have to say that mine is the funniest!
Now this isn't to say that C doesn't have his faults. There isn't a week that goes by that I don't get irritated with him for something... not finishing a project, not taking the trash out, or for leaving his coat on the back of the dining room chair again... but all in all, untidy house or not, I am truly blessed to be married to someone so understanding, sweet, loyal, and loving.
All this raving brings me to my point. My blog title. The name is really two-fold, but it all started because of this:
A few weeks ago, I was at work when I got a phone call from my husband. He and his friend decided that they needed to build us a big shed in the backyard. Now mind you, we live on a postage stamp AND we already have a shed. A shed that we just built last summer; We haven't even had the thing for a year!
C hasn't finished putting the lattice on the front porch since he did half the job LAST year, but he wants to go BACK and re-do something that's already been done and is actually completed (by the Grace of God! ha!).... You can imagine my irritation and cynicism when he relayed to me his grandiose plan. In my mind, the idea was immediately off the table.
Trying to be the loving, respectful wife I know I am called to be, I try to give him a list of all the reasons why building a new shed is completely out of the realm of possibilties, without actually saying the word "NO!", like he's a child.
He could obviously sense my growing irritation and dwindling patience, because he stops telling me his lists of "pros" (I don't remember there being any cons...), and says, "I love you."
I try to push past my animosity for the situation, and I say, "I love you, too" with all the sincerity I could muster.
Not one to be outdone, and, like I said, the boy is made of sweetness and great timing, he says to me, "I love you three."
Who can be mad at a grown man who says, "I love you three"?!
All anger left me at that point. Mostly because of his words, but maybe slightly because I knew he knew.... there would be no new shed. :)
So I had been trying to think of a blog name for weeks and hadn't thought of anything that I deemed brilliant or clever, or even just fitting. But these 4 words, "I love you three" would not leave my head. After a while, I finally decided that this would be the perfect name for my blog because I love the double entendre. As I said in my profile, C and I are planning to start trying to get pregnant within a few months and the next addition will be the third member of our family.
I love my husband, he loves me too, and we'll love our baby, three.
I assume this blog will be made up of silly little stories like this, random ramblings about things I like to discuss, and hopefully soon, some pictures of a baby belly growin'! Can't wait to see how life unfolds!
God knew what he was doing when He paired us up! C has amazing comedic timing and is always making me laugh. I often wonder, as he does some crazy antic like dancing with me in the kitchen as he sings a love song to me that he is "writing" as he sings, if other people's husbands are this sweet and funny. Do other wives have these moments where they can't believe they get to be married to a man just PERFECT for them? I'm sure they do, but I definitely have to say that mine is the funniest!
Now this isn't to say that C doesn't have his faults. There isn't a week that goes by that I don't get irritated with him for something... not finishing a project, not taking the trash out, or for leaving his coat on the back of the dining room chair again... but all in all, untidy house or not, I am truly blessed to be married to someone so understanding, sweet, loyal, and loving.
All this raving brings me to my point. My blog title. The name is really two-fold, but it all started because of this:
A few weeks ago, I was at work when I got a phone call from my husband. He and his friend decided that they needed to build us a big shed in the backyard. Now mind you, we live on a postage stamp AND we already have a shed. A shed that we just built last summer; We haven't even had the thing for a year!
C hasn't finished putting the lattice on the front porch since he did half the job LAST year, but he wants to go BACK and re-do something that's already been done and is actually completed (by the Grace of God! ha!).... You can imagine my irritation and cynicism when he relayed to me his grandiose plan. In my mind, the idea was immediately off the table.
Trying to be the loving, respectful wife I know I am called to be, I try to give him a list of all the reasons why building a new shed is completely out of the realm of possibilties, without actually saying the word "NO!", like he's a child.
He could obviously sense my growing irritation and dwindling patience, because he stops telling me his lists of "pros" (I don't remember there being any cons...), and says, "I love you."
I try to push past my animosity for the situation, and I say, "I love you, too" with all the sincerity I could muster.
Not one to be outdone, and, like I said, the boy is made of sweetness and great timing, he says to me, "I love you three."
Who can be mad at a grown man who says, "I love you three"?!
All anger left me at that point. Mostly because of his words, but maybe slightly because I knew he knew.... there would be no new shed. :)
So I had been trying to think of a blog name for weeks and hadn't thought of anything that I deemed brilliant or clever, or even just fitting. But these 4 words, "I love you three" would not leave my head. After a while, I finally decided that this would be the perfect name for my blog because I love the double entendre. As I said in my profile, C and I are planning to start trying to get pregnant within a few months and the next addition will be the third member of our family.
I love my husband, he loves me too, and we'll love our baby, three.
I assume this blog will be made up of silly little stories like this, random ramblings about things I like to discuss, and hopefully soon, some pictures of a baby belly growin'! Can't wait to see how life unfolds!
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