I recently had to make a trip to the DMV. You can read about my trip here if you need a refresher.
Anyway…
While at the window, the lady says “I am going to ask you a series of questions now”…OK! Shoot! She asks if I want to be an organ donor…Yes! Would you like to register to vote…Yes! What party?…Republican! Seems easy and I am excited that I killed two birds with one stone. Then as I stand there listening to the other people around me answer the same questions…I get irritated. They ask “Would you like to register to vote?” and what do I hear people say? “Ummmm…naw…” WHAT?!
What is wrong with people?! This is an election year for crying out loud! I was disappointed that people were not only not registering to vote but they were put off that they were even being asked.
The great thing about this country is that we all get a say but it doesn’t work if you let someone else speak for you. It seems to me that people like complaining but they don’t like getting off their asses to do anything about it. Why are people so confident that someone is making the best decisions for them. Why do they trust others to make all of the decisions that will affect them directly?
I just don’t understand. With all of the complaining going on, I hoped that people would get more involved and take charge of their own destiny. Are we failing ourselves by not teaching the importance of voting in school? Why aren’t more young people interested in voting?
Are you registered to vote? Will you make it a priority to teach your kids that their voice matters? I would love to hear your thoughts!
I’m officially a resident of the state of Florida now. Yes, I have lived here for two years but I wasn’t ready to give up my California status just yet. If anything, it was a great conversation starter at the checkout. Which takes the focus off my two bottles of cheap wine. The other thing was that I just had zero desire to go to the DMV and wait in agonizingly long lines.
But, since both kids will be in school this fall, it’s time to go back and finish my degree. To do that, I must have a Florida driver’s license.
Mr. M2C was off on Friday so I decided that I would go that day. The plan was to wake up at some ungodly hour and wait outside until they opened. This plan would ensure I was one of the first in the door. However, I quickly came to my senses as my alarm went off and it was still dark outside. Getting Ansley ready for school, I decided that I would head out for the DMV after lunch and make a moms afternoon out of it. I would try to enjoy my alone time…at the DMV.
I left at 1:30 that afternoon and by 2:04 I was back in the car with my new license in my wallet! Can you believe it?! I was ready to call the news because I am still convinced that was the fastest anyone has ever completed business with a government office.
So much for my alone time…as usual…
This trip was also very different from my past DMV visits in California. Back home, the building is large and very official from the moment you step through the door. They ask for documents by number and run a mass of people through their maze of lines like cattle to the slaughter. The building clearly states “California Department of Motor Vehicles”. In Florida the building was in a run down strip mall and it said “Drivers License”.
I also had to wait 2-3 weeks to get my license in California but here, I wait for a printer to print it out and then they just hand it to me…just like that.
My trip was not what I was expecting but the result was the same! I am now official! No longer a resident of California but one of Florida…It took two years, but I finally got here.
The house is quiet tonight…
The past four weeks have been filled with the hustle and bustle of having Grandmere around. This afternoon we took her to the airport and bid her a teary goodbye. My mom is the one person on this earth that can literally make me want to pull my eyelashes out. However, I have truly enjoyed her being here. We did a lot of baking, shopping and talking. It was nice to have someone to talk to during the day besides a 3 and 4 year old.
The kids and I are not looking forward to waking up in the morning without smelling Grandmere’s cinnamon toast. I will also miss my morning workout buddy.
It will be nice to get back to our regular routine but there will still be a big hole left in our days.
For the last 5 years I have been in a tornado of babies; surrounded by diapers, bottles, paci’s, strollers and spit up. It was just recently that I discovered I could take a shower more than twice a week and there is a good possibility that I would STAY clean. With my kids getting older and both heading to school in the fall, I am looking forward to spending a little more time on myself.
To say that I have let myself go would be putting it mildly but it’s time for a change. It’s hard to change a routine that has been 5 years in the making but small steps have been key. Below are my beauty regimen tips for the veteran mom:
My nails were always short, bitten off, scraggly…ugly! I didn’t have time to dig out the nail box to file them during the day so I just bit them off. My solution: I hid nail files all over the house! No matter what room I am in there are at least 3 files hidden in drawers, cabinets, vases, everywhere! I can whip out a file at any moment and fix my nails. They have never looked better!
M2C Confession: I keep my vitamins in the blender. That’s right, I keep my vitamins in the blender. Every morning I make a fruit smoothie but I was always forgetting to take my vitamins. Now, I keep all 3 bottles INSIDE the blender. In the morning I never forget to take my vitamins because I have to take them out of the blender before I use it.
Fruit Smoothie Recipe
1 Cup Vanilla Coconut Milk
1 Banana
1 Cup Frozen Strawberries
Blend!
SKIN! Skin was never on my radar when I was younger but now I am slightly obsessed. I don’t have the time to run off to the spa so I turned my bathroom into one. I wax, tan and even do microdermabrasion at home. My local beauty supply has become my home away from home. Although I found they didn’t have a great selection of microdermabrasion at home kits. I took to the internet and found some great stuff on ShopNBC! Now twice a month I head to my bathroom for a “spa day”.
It’s nice to take time for myself and to feel pretty instead of sticky and smelling like sour milk. Do you have any at home beauty tips that you love? I would love to hear them!
A few months ago I bought a large toss pillow for my bed. It is beautiful but it also cost me a small fortune. I NEVER drop big money on stuff like that and because I splurged this time I have turned into the pillow Nazi. Most of the time I keep it on the top shelf of my closet where my sticky kids and careless husband can only admire it from the ground. I am doing great at protecting my investment but I get no function from the pillow.
When I want to lounge in bed and play Draw Something write witty, entertaining blog posts I have nothing to support me except my big fancy pillow that will inevitably get wrinkled or dirty. I needed a plan B and a couple of weeks ago, I found just what I needed. When I teamed up with Kirkland’s for a giveaway I never imagined I would find my new all time favorite pillow…but that is exactly what happened!
This is Kirkland’s Cream Bedrest Pillow. It is every bit amazing as it looks. Let me give you a run down of what I LOVE about this pillow…
- First it’s beautiful! It looks amazing on my bed. The ruffles in the middle are perfect for my french inspired bedroom!
- It’s functional! I’m pretty sure I have used it every day for a week.
- It is comfortable and sturdy. It has that wonderful “overstuffed” feel which adds support and coziness.
- The fabric is so soft and feminine.
- It has a handle so I can easily move it from one location to another.
- It is amazingly affordable! It retails for only $34.99!!
Even though I love this pillow and I know I will be buying more in the future, there is on flaw…
It causes excessive begging from your children and spouse! From the second I revealed this pillow to my family they have been begging me to use it, borrow it, HAVE IT! This is how I found Ansley last week:
If you are looking for a beautiful, functional, cost effective pillow, this is it. Visit www.kirklands.com to check out this pillow as well as other great items from Kirkland’s. Also, follow Kirkland’s on Twitter to be in the know on all their great new products.
I would like to start out by saying that I am VERY sick and emotional tonight…so get your cheese ready because I am pouring the whine!!
I never get sick…but this week I am the last member of my family to get the flu and it seems to have hit me the hardest. Last night I was in the Emergency Room until 2 am with a swollen throat. If you know me at all, you know that I will avoid medical treatment at all costs…unless, it really is THAT bad. I haven’t had a shot in my arm since I was 9 but I took a big fat one last night because my throat hurt so badly I didn’t care.
Going back a few days…
Mr. M2C’s grandma is in the hospital. She has been there for a few weeks. On Saturday he decided that he wanted to fly to California that night! In order to get a flight we could afford, he is flying out Tuesday morning. He will then leave California on Sunday for a week in New York on business. My mom has been in town for 2 weeks and she is leaving the day after Mr. M2C…leaving me sick and alone with the kiddos for 2 weeks.
Mr. M2C goes out of town a lot and I never complain or worry about being here with the kids…but this time I am very sick and I worry if I can handle it. Tonight I had a “moment” after we went to bed. I couldn’t hold back the tears and I let Mr. M2C know that I was struggling with everyone leaving when I was so sick. Also, that I felt like I had taken care of everyone when they were sick and now no one is willing to take care of me.
Mr. M2C became upset. The stress of other things he had on his mind caught up to him. Just minutes before there were no kisses, sweet words or arms around me when I needed them but when he needed me…I was there. I held him, kissed him and encouraged him to get some sleep…and that is exactly what he did.
Sitting up in the living room, I feel very alone now. Is it just part of being a mom?…a wife? I feel like I am giving everything of myself almost to the point of being invisible. I stand here willing to put my life on the line for so many but feeling that no one else would do the same.
With less than a week until my mom flies back home to California, I am trying to cram in as much stuff as I can. Today is going to be a baking day for my mom and I. We tried to bake earlier in the week but all we mixed ended in disaster. My whoopie pies had runny filling which caused the pie portion to go slip sliding everywhere. My mom made a fresh loaf of white bread which never ever did rise. We baked it any way…and then proceeded to burn it.
Today will be better! We have lots of items on the list including cinnamon rolls, cupcakes and sourdough bread. I will be back tomorrow with pictures and maybe some recipes! Have a wonderful Thursday!
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