We just returned from the Mitten.  It was so nice to be home-- too short, but all things awesome.  I miss home.  I miss my parents and mostly, everything that is safe and familiar.  Of course, I can hand Beau off if necessary, too....  my mom will NEVER pass on holding Mr. Fat Smoosh.

The occasion for being in The Hills of Bloomfield was my grandfather's 86th birthday.  The family gathering was bittersweet-- its still a very new idea with my grandmother not there.  Pepe (pip-ee) had some nice words to share before blowing out his candles and of course, I cried.  I just love my grandfather because, primarily, he just kicks ass all around.  Caring, sensitive, pragmatic, loyal and honest, Pepe is just great.  You all should be jealous.

I seriously need to straighten up in terms of my nutrition and general health; it's catching up with me.  This may be overshot however, I'm going to go out on the limb here and assume that my junk food
ingesting is the culprit of the following items:

-fatigue
-general fat/enormous ass
-severe hand/joint pain  (holy shit its bad)
-crappy skin

With said items out there and acknowledged, I need to do something sir-rious to change.  I have no business eating processed food and gluten (my stomach literally turns into a giant pit of hot lava in seconds after eating Auntie Anne's pretzels and other various mall delicacies).  Since its a new day tomorrow (duh), I'm going to really jump on the wagon.  I'm going to drive the damn wagon while I'm at it.

In addition to wanting to fit into my pre-prego jeans, my friend recently broke her pelvis and can't run in a half marathon she signed up for.  I offered to give her money for the entry fee and run "for her."  Good idea?  YES.  Plus, I have an awesome jogging stroller.  As the Nike commercial says... "No excuses."  (ironic since Lance Armstrong was once sponsored by Nike and is a big flipping liar, a cheater and packed full of excuses....... so is Oscar Pestorius or whatever that dude's name is)

So-- if any of you are interested in being my cyber training buddy for a half marathon, I'm all in.  Lets strap on the sports bras and get it going (cue the theme song from "Flashdance")

We ended up getting 7-ish inches of snow.  Chris and I celebrated the new blanket of fluffy white awesomeness by driving up to Lake Geneva, WI and snowmobiling.  Pat, my kick ass MIL, happily babysat for Little Shep.  It was a great day -- not to mention, it was nice to get away without the baby.

And there you have it folks.  6 months of pork.  I can't believe how fast time has flown by.  On the 16th of this month, Shep will be 7 months old.  (cue tears)  I packed up some (more) of the clothes he has outgrown and I'm shocked.  When he was first hatched, his little porkie paws (uppers and lowers) was so tiny.  Now, he is a man child and wearing 9 month onesies.  Boo.

*Look at his 6 month pic-- can you see the pee filled diaper?  Holy crap.  Lots 'o' peeps in that one.

He is "sort of" sitting up-- assisted.  Beau loves when you hold him up (standing) and he holds onto things.  No crawling-- just lifting his fanny up like a frog.

I'm hoping to win the lottery soon, so I can buy new couches in our living room, a pair of new jeans and get a pedicure.  Speaking of rich people-- Airing on Bravo this very moment is the old episodes of The Real Housewives of Orange County.  

Holy-bad-highlights.  

Lots of french manicures and chunky platform sandals.

I'm not saying I have the best taste however, I know that sweatpants NEVER go out of style because they were never in style.  (A good offense is a good defense is my motto when it comes to fashion.)

I'd like to dedicate this blog entry to Kimmie Sue Langemach Frye.  She is awesome and kick ass, too.

Beau awoke this morning to an incredible amount of boogers in his nose region and crazy phlegmy cough bullshit.  Normally, I'm not one to race to the doctor at the drop of a hat, especially for a cold however, poor Shep was miserable.  Key motivation?  Potential ear infection.  So, I packed up and off we went to the doctor.

We got the all clear.  Just a gross virus.  Poor puppy.  Not to mention, the second we walked in the door, Beau decided to blow out his underpants to the high Heavens and needed a sink bath stat.  No me gusta for all parties involved.

So, here we are.  Clean underpants and clean skin.  No more poopies in the armpits/neckline region........awaiting the 7-10 inches of snow that has been forecasted for Woodridge.  (fist pump)  I was scheduled for an interview in Beloit, WI tomorrow however, they are going to get hammered with snow, too.  Its no fun almost dying on your way to a job interview.  So, fingers crossed things get rescheduled sooner than later.

I read on Facebook that a friend of a friend passed away from cancer recently.  She was young and had lots of life left to live however, that sunnofabitch disease grabbed her and never let go.  Her husband wrote a beautiful poem about her and of course, I cried reading it.  I'm crying now just thinking about how he has lost his true love.  Heartbreaking.  Moral to the story?  Don't have regrets.  Live your life with all you got-- love with everything.....  live with everything.....  be a good friend..... be honest......  use the Golden Rule as your compass.  I know a few people that could use some "re-adjusting of the compass" a.k.a.,  a swift kick in the ass.

Shit.  Baby is crying.  Gotta jet.

PS-- our garbage man looks like Sammy Hagar which is beyond cool.

A few things to keep in mind:

1.  The word is suppose.  NOT supposeably.  WTF.

2.  It's Abercrombie NOT Ambercrombie.

3.  Chipotle.  NOT Chip-pole-tee.

4.  Yous guys doesn't make sense.  Period.

Beau has been sleeping for almost two hours.  Cray-cray.  His morning nap is normally 45 minutes.  Apparently all of the 90210 we watched this morning did him in.  Well.... that and a very runny nose.

I have a 2nd interview with a company in Beloit, WI.  I'm super excited but trying to remain calm.  The position I'm interviewing for has my name all over it.  While I love being at home with Little Shep, I miss adult conversation and accomplishing things during the day.  Moreover, I miss the financial flexibility that comes with two incomes.  Chris and I really want to build a home.  That will never happen if I don't go back to work.

5.  I'm huge on customer service.  Whether its shopping or dining out, I appreciate polite employees, etc.  While checking out at Buy Buy Baby yesterday, the sassy cashier was not only rude but having a loud conversation with another employee across 3 aisles.  I was trying to ask a question regarding coupons but since Miss Ahole was busy talking with someone else, I struck out.  Should I write a letter to corporate?  This is now my 2nd bad experience at that store.


Its Day Three of my Paleo kick.  I've been feeling very joint-sore, fatigued and allover yucky.  I read that cutting out starches and crap can help with the mentioned symptoms.  The big thing is the joint pain.  Holy crap.  Some days I can hold my coffee cup or unscrew Beau's bottle tops.  My hands feel frozen-- so tight and sore.  Strange.

Reading instructions.  Very important.

I need to shake things up a bit.  I'm considering the P90X Challenge-- like, really go for it and attempt to be on the next informercial.  Wouldn't that be awesome?  My fans can say "Hey!  I know that girl!"

I woke up this morning with a kickass sinus cold.  No me gusta.  Whats worse than a sinus cold?  A sinus cold with a 6 month old.  Yes, you're right.  Beau isn't walking or crawling.  However, I do interact and play with him when he isn't sleeping.  I don't want him confined to an apparatus all day long, such as a jumpy, swing, etc.  So, I popped 2 Alka Seltzers, had a cup of joe and headed face first into a gale force wind.  Chris came home early today (due to some dodgy weather) so I was able to take a nap, which helped a ton.

No job still. WTF.  I'm so over job searching.

What I am doing right now:

Rocking a sweet pair of soccer warm-up pants and a black hoodie (St. Joe Pumas Soccer #8), wishing I lived in a place with consistent snow during the winter months.

Watching One Tree Hill and wondering what it would've been like to attend Tree Hill High with the gang : Hayley, Nathan, Brooke, PSawyer, etc  Scratch that-- I would've been in love with Nathan Scott and partied with Brooke.

Just enjoyed a lovely bowl of Campbell's Creole Soup, which brings me back to my travels in Baton Rouge.  I love cajun food.  I'm thinking of cochen de lait for a birthday meal.  Delish.

Dr. McSteamy? I think not.

With our new insurance there are limited options for pediatricians.  Today we visited Beau's new per-- Dr. B.  She was very nice and explained all things related to a 6 month old.  Shep got 3 shots plus a flue shot.  No me gusta.  My poor little puppy cried like a banshee which is very odd for him.  (I almost cried, too).

What I didn't like about Dr. B?  Her office was ghetto as hell.  I should be hired on as her new ASID, a.k.a. interior designer.  Some new blinds, crown molding and some live plants would make a world of difference.  Not to mention, a lovely Mountain Lodge scented Yankee Candle.

Beau is, once again, 75% for height and weight, measuring in at 18 lbs.  He is hitting all of his developmental paces and continuing to teeth, which blows.  Additionally, Beau has found his voice.  Look out Mariah Carey, or umm Jessica Simpson, this kid has a wicked set of pipes.

I still haven't found a job which is a total s.o.b.  I'm over this job hunting garbage.  I try each day to be thankful for what we have because it could be WAY worse.

Any tips on how to create more space (in a home) is greatly appreciated.  We live in a 3 bedroom, 2 bath ranch with no basement.  A crawl space is beneath however, its 3 1/2 feet high and has a dirt floor.  Gross.  You don't find me down there often UNLESS I'm pulling out Christmas decorations.

Chris and I received a few bids on digging out a basement -- the lowest number was $65,000.  No me gusta.  We mind as well build a second story.  Then comes our next hurdle....  Chris and I will build our dream home sooner or later (see my Pinterest page).  We want to have more kids so, do we stick it out in our tiny house or move now to a larger home and put the dream home on the back burner?

I know what you're thinking-- Jen, you have 3 bedrooms.  Yes, I know.  I use the 2nd bedroom for my things, i.e. closet.  No, I don't have a load of clothes and shoes and purses and all things Lisa Vanderpump.  Its filled with jeans, ski gear, hiking accessories, suitcases, golf stuff, etc.  The master bedroom closet is filled with Chris' gross work t-shirts (he has 467 of them) and his crap.

I keep things pretty lean around here.  No junk.  My motto is "when in doubt, pitch it out."  We have ONE small file/plastic thingy with important paperwork and thats about it.  I don't save anything.  Nothing is nostalgic except for a small box of pictures, my baptismal candle and my wedding dress (under the bed in the second bedroom).  Heck, I use our "pantry" to host a bag of dog food and all of my cooking gadgets (I love to cook).

SO-- if California Closets wants to hit it big with a huge makeover, my house would be ideal.

What else is new......  Nothing on the job front.  I went to the Bolingbrook unemployment office last week.  Sick.  If you are in the mood to smell all things foul, I recommend 4.5 seconds in that place.  Barf.  I do however, get my unemployment extended for another 35 weeks.  Wonderful.  I don't know what I'd do if I were a single mom on that income.  We'd starve for sure.

Thunderclap

Welp.... we did it.  Chris and I finally had a chance to ride Thunderclap and Blue Lightening.  Yes folks..... we rode our snowmobiles.  On a slight whim we decided to drive up to Delavan, WI (right next to Lake Geneva, WI) and hit the trails.  Several inches of new snow fell on Thursday night, we had a babysitter for our 4-legged mammal and had Aunt Susie on lock to watch Shep.  All things in place.  Yes.  Lets do this shit.

TC and BL fired right up on Friday; Wisconsin was our oyster.  Kettle Moraine State Park proved the most fun-- tight trails in the woods with a nice base.  Not to mention, super fun company-- we were like the Goonies exploring One-Eyed Willie's booty.

Truth be told, I could move to Wisconsin tomorrow if I had a job.  Forget the burbs of Chicago-- there is nothing to do here.  Lakes, endless acreage and plenty of privacy seem to be reasons #1, 2 and 3.

Standby for pictures.

And another night of "garbage television" (as my hubbie puts it) hath come and gone.  Teen Mom, RHOBH and Vanderpump Rules.  All crap.  All awesome.  Said programming should be renamed Self Esteem Boosting TV.  That Jenelle chic on Teen Mom is a flaming train wreck and I literally can't stop watching.  Does this make me a bad person?  No.  My husband has the Mecum Auto Auction and I have my Teen Mom.

Today is my 3rd interview with a respectable plastics company based in Detroit.  Fingers crossed that this one goes as well as the first two.  I've never been more anxious to get back to work.  While I've been thankful to be at home with Little Shep and experience his infancy, I honestly miss our lifestyle with two incomes.  The two pennies we have in our pockets have been rubbed together much too long. I know we will have more kids in the future and I want all of my offspring to have great opportunities (summer camp, etc).

Ash Wednesday is next week and I want to do my best to my Catholic foot forward, minus the pro-life, anti-gay bullshit.  I'm thinking about trying for the 300th time to go off the Diet Coke sauce.  Additionally, I'd like to lend some time volunteering.  Puppy ear rubbing, sign this girl up.

Got a manicure today.  I was awesome.  Super awesome.  Why you ask?  Because it was FREE.  Thank you Good Samaritan Hospital for my complimentary spa manicure-- was this a prize for having an emergency c-section?  Ok.  I'll take it.

Low of the day?  While enroute to my free mani, I stopped off a the Dunk for some lovely decaf (extra cream) and a toasted sesame seed bagel with light cream cheese (my splurge for the week).  Pull up the window, grab my bag and speed away.  As I'm cruising (soon to be cursing) down Ogden Ave I realize that in the Dunk bag is two (2) Boston Cream donuts and NOT my bagel.  WTF.  I hate Boston Cream anything.  Sick.  Now I'm running a bit behind for my mani with no food in the gullet.  Great.

The nail chic responsible for my sweet nails was rad, too.  Her name was Jennifer and we gabbed the whole time.  She was the doppelgänger for Matthew McConaughey's fiancee in The Wedding Planner.  No joke.  Bridgette Wilson is her name I think-- she is married to Pete Sampras.  Random fact.