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Showing posts from 2014

Merry Christmas

Merry Christmas from my People to yours. 

Carrying On A Tradition

Growing up Christmas was a big deal to my Mom. She always crammed the house and yard with lights, decorations and music. We had lots of traditions at Christmas time. For example every Christmas Eve we would eat split pea soup (which is surprisingly good despite the similarity to baby poop) and go to the late service at church. Christmas Eve my cousin and I always got to open one gift and it was usually a pair of pajamas. Sometime close to Christmas we would all pile in the car and go drive around looking at lights. During the month of December my Mom, Brother and I always made tons of homemade candy. There were 7 layer bars, fudge, divinity, orange balls, chex mix, cookies, etc. We would pass it out to our neighbors and friends and eat it until we were sick. Every year my Mom would make sugar cookies in all sorts of shapes and then my cousin and I decorated them. We thought we were quiet the artists. I have always loved Christmas. I don't go all out like my Mom used to. I don'

#MayerChristmas14

My goal this holiday season was to slow down a little. I have been a little bit successful. I can't really say that we have been totally idle. We are having fun though. We are still managing to stay super busy though! In fact we've been so busy (and tired zzzzz) that we aren't decorating our Christmas cookies until next week! I normally have that done early in the month. Just not happening. Between school activities and family life the holiday season is again zooming by. I am making an effort to breathe and make some memories. This past weekend goes down in the books as the busiest we've had in a while. I let #1 have her very first sleepover at our house. And, one girl wasn't enough, I decided she could have 2 little girls spend the night. Mr. Mayer and I took all 5 kids to see a movie that night. Ugh. What were we thinking?! 3 little girls is a bad combination. They argued and "broke up friends" at least a dozen times. I think the last time #1 came in my

Potato Potato

See that sad little face? That little face breaks a Mama's heart. Friday I took the Dudes to a favorite hang out, Bounce U. They have a Preschool Bounce a few times a week and I try and take the boys a couple of times a month. Especially in the winter. It's too cold to play outside and Bounce U burns a lot of energy. They have a particular inflatable that is called a "Cliff Dive." It is #2's very favorite thing in the world. You climb up some stairs and jump off a "cliff" onto another inflatable. Super fun. The boys were there a few weeks ago and #2 got to play on the inflatable. We go Friday and he's told he can no longer play on it because he's too small. They have put a new rule in place stating that the child must be 42 inches to play. 42. Inches . I'm not sure #2 is ever going to be 42 inches. He's a very tiny guy. Needless to say this new rule resulted in a complete and utter meltdown from #2. Straight to an ugly cry. There was no

Date Night

Before twins I always had the idea that I would take my kids on regular "dates" and spend all this quality one on one time with them. After twins I felt like if I could keep my head up for air I was doing good. I've always been pretty good about one on one time with #1. Her and I do things pretty regularly just her and I. Mr. Mayer and I try to take her out just the 3 of us periodically as well. The Dudes are a whole other story. Every once in a while Mr. Mayer will take one and go run errands and I'll keep the other one with me. Most of the time it's me and Dudes doing things together. Me and just one of them is very rare. So this week I decided I would take each child on a date. Just the two of us. I had gotten us a sibling group of 3 off the local Angel Tree. I had also taken a child in need from church a few weeks ago. It was a perfect activity to do with each kid and a lot less overwhelming for me than taking all three to pick out gifts together. I decided

'Tis the Season

What is your gift giving philosophy when it comes to your children? Do you set a specific dollar amount and spend that much on each kid? Do you set a gift amount and only give that set amount of gifts? My philosophy is evolving. I LOVE giving gifts. I agonize over finding the right gift for people and get joy watching them unwrap and seeing the excitement in their faces. I really find joy watching my children open their gifts at Christmas. This has caused some problems for me. When #1, our little Diva, was born she was an only child for 3 1/2 years. And spoiled. I didn't even consider a dollar amount, gift amount or anything when buying her Christmas gifts. I just bought. And I bought throughout the year. It was common for Mr. Mayer and Diva to be buried in a mountain of gifts on Christmas morning. Then came #2 & #3 and I continued the same philosophy. However, our budget had changed drastically since I had quit my job. I spent a year hitting sales and finding amazing deals fo

Marathon Man

Hello friends!! I'm happy to report since my last blog I am feeling MUCH better. More and more like my old self every day. It's great. This past weekend Mr. Mayer and I traveled to Virginia to check something off of his bucket list he has been working very hard for. Thanks to our "Kewah" we were able to go kid free. The journey actually began last New Year's Eve when Mr. Mayer's cousin, Ryan, convinced  (I'm pretty sure whiskey was involved in the persuasion as well) him to run a marathon. Not just any marathon-the Marine Corp. Memorial Marathon. It's the 3rd largest marathon and participants are picked on a lottery basis. Mr. Mayer signed up thinking that his chances of being chosen were slim. However, in early spring Ryan text and said he had been chosen for the marathon. Mr. Mayer hadn't been notified so he thought he didn't get picked. Well, later in the day he got the text saying he was picked. Let the training begin!! Ryan created a trai

Down The Rabbit Hole

Life has been pretty tumultuous for me lately. I haven't been myself. I've given up on a lot of things that I love and enjoy doing. Such as my blog. It had just become too much of an effort. Which is sad since writing has always been something I have really loved to do and been a great escape for me. Then my Mother has had another health crisis. This time it's pretty bad. That was the straw that broke this camel's back. I went to the doctor this week. I wanted to cancel a 1,000 times. I convinced myself I was just imagining things. But as each day passed I felt myself slip further down the rabbit hole. I come from a very long line of mental illness. It's scary stuff. Suicide, substance abuse and inpatient facilities unfortunately were something I was familiar with at a young age. Not for me, but for a lot of my loved ones. I have been asked the question for years "How did you turn out so normal?" I always laugh and say "I don't know." All th

Oil of Olay

My Mother is 77 years old. She'll be 78 in a few months. Biologically she is my paternal grandmother. They became Mom and Dad decades ago and have been the only example of parents I've ever had. Her health is not good. At all. We've had some long nights at the hospital in the recent years. Each time being a little worse than the time before. Last week my Mother fell and broke her neck. Yes. Her neck. You always hear of older people breaking hips, shoulders, arms, etc. Not necks. But, that is exactly what she has done. She fractured her C1 in two places and severed her C2. She is in a hospital 4 hours from me. Mr. Mayer and I did not even hesitate for a second about traveling to be with her. My Mother and I do not have a perfect relationship. It has always been a bumpy one. I spent most of my adolescence rebelling against her and the majority of my adult life trying not to be anything like her. However, one thing I've learned is that at the end of the day she's still

First Days...

WHOO HOO!!! School started!! There's a picture going around on the Internet of a Mom jumping for joy on the first day of school. That's how I feel. For the most part summer went by at the speed of light. I wanted to make a lot of memories this summer and have a lot of fun. I think we were successful. However-the past 3 weeks have dragged by. We all survived each other this summer until 3 weeks ago. Then the fighting, yelling, crying and whining set in. I lost count how many fights I have had to break up recently. I think we all needed a break from each other. And, kids are creatures of habit. They thrive in routine and predictability. Our summer has been anything but routine and predictable. Every day was a new day with new adventures. I was excited for school to start so that we could get back into a normal routine as much as anything. And for their part the kids in this house were sooooooo excited for school to start. The Dudes started back at 2 day a week preschool yesterda

Dressing Ourselves

The Dudes are growing and changing on a daily basis. When I look back to a year ago to today it makes my head spin. A year ago I wasn't sure #3 would ever poop in the potty and I didn't think either one of them would ever speak clear enough to understand. Today they are fully potty trained. Well...except when around water. #2 has the uncanny ability to have to poop anytime he is near a body of water. Yes. He STILL poops in the bathtub it you don't watch him. And when you go to a swimming pool prepare yourself. 20 minutes after arrival he will HAVE to go poop. Immediately. There were a few instances of poop in the pants at the pool. I had to threaten him with baby diapers to get him to stop doing that. Sheesh. Anyway...back on task. Growing up. Changing. They are BIG boys these days. As Mr. Mayer frequently points out they are REAL PEOPLE. It's amazing. The most recent thing they have been doing consistently is dressing themselves. It just happened one morning last week.

Disney World- A Different Perspective

For all my FB friends you have seen this. I just cleaned it up and put it in a nice little package. Just a recap of our time at Disney World. Captains log 02 : we survived our first full day of captivity. We are becoming enmeshed with the local culture and adapting to our surroundings. The First Mate and I have found a local source of liquid and are taking full advantage. The soldiers in our company have maintained a steady state of wakefulness and have taken full advantage of the indoor plumbing. We have walked many miles and are told more to come tomorrow. So far we have all maintained our composure and have not turned on each other. It was touch and go with soldier #2 this afternoon when he was not rewarded for whacking some moles or shooting his target. However, after being distracted by dinosaurs and food all was well. Captains log: Star date 03 -we remain in captivity. I am unsure if our captors are sympathetic to our situation or wish to torture us. We have witnessed many

Mom's Trash Sack

#2 & #3 learned a valuable lesson this evening. I'm hoping it has the same affect on them it had on #1. We have been battling for MONTHS with the boys to pick up their *&^%$F#%^U toys. We have raced timers, bargained, bribed, threatened, etc. Nothing works. They play, throw fits, whine and Mr. Mayer and I get frustrated and pick up the mess ourselves. #1 used to do the very. same. thing. It really grates me. It doesn't help that my children have too many toys as it is, but then toys have a way multiplying. My house looks like an A-Bomb went off. No joke. You can't see carpet for all the toys. I would like to think I deal with it okay, but at the end of the day as part of their nighttime routine it is the kids job to clean up after themselves. I'm not a maid. And I just want to walk across the floor in the dark and not step on a toy. Tonight was no different. WWIII happened upstairs. I told the kids all day they were going to have to clean up. We came home from d

Mommy and Daddy Vacay 2014

It's that time of year! Last year Mr. Mayer and I went to Las Vegas for a week. This year we left the country!!! Just looking at these pictures makes me want to go back! Mr. Mayer and I just spent a FANTASTIC week in Turks and Caicos. We went with our friends/in laws Julie and Bryan. This was their 4th time there. After about 5 minutes there I understood exactly why they keep going back year after year. We stayed at the Villa Renaissance in Providenciales. It was absolute heaven. It is a small boutique hotel. Not a lot going on which was exactly what I was in the market for. Mr. Mayer and Bryan played golf (which was included with our stay) and Julie and I diligently held down the beach chairs. Someone had to do it :) We rotated between the pool and the ocean. The beach was 21 miles of stunning white sand. It was so soft to walk on. In the evenings we would go to a local restaurant for dinner and walk on the beach back to our hotel. Ah-Maz-Ing! We went to a different resturant e

Lotion

I've been making a body lotion for years. I got the "recipe" from my Aunt Kathy (thanks Aunt Kathy!) about a 1,000 years ago. It is so easy and makes for really great gifts. Over the years I have experimented with different blends and smells. Some I like. Some will never be repeated. The recipe is as follows:  1 regular sized bottle of baby lotion (any brand works. I prefer Johnson's b/c it's thicker) 1 large (like BIG) container of Vaseline Vitamin E oil (optional. I use about 1 Tbsp) Place all ingredients in bowl (I use a stand mixer) and mix until smooth.  This recipe works well with the lavender scented lotion too. Today I made a variation of this lotion that I am very happy with. I replaced Vaseline with coconut oil and added in some lavender essential oil (about 15 drops). I put all the ingredients in my stand mixer and whipped the snot out of it until it was smooth. Anyone who has used coconut oil before knows it melts easily. I've used plain c

Happy Life

I am only one person. There is a limit to my abilities. I know~shocking. I AM NOT SUPERWOMAN. I say this to point out that the busier life gets around here some things are pushed to the side. Lately those things are my house. I get up at 4:45am 3x a week for the gym. The kids are in activities and play dates and I stay on the go from the second I get up until bedtime. This past weekend I worked at the TMOMs sale and then had to buy groceries. The days that the Dudes go to school I run errands, have appts. and I have been meeting a personal trainer at 1pm. 1 pm is a really terrible time for me. As soon as I'm done at the gym I have to run to get kids. I don't feel like I have time to get anything really accomplished.  I'm sure it's the same for everyone reading this. This morning after running some errands I walked into my house and realized that this place has gotten really bad. I couldn't see the counters in my kitchen for all the piles of stuff. Dishes were flowin

Spring Fever

Seriously y'all...the weather is getting warmer, we are playing outside more and everyone around here has been sick. Blurg. I need these germs and fevers out of my house. Being sick in spring is cruel and unusual. Last week #2 had.... herpangina . Isn't that an awful name?! Sounds like an STD. Ick. Thankfully it was over with quickly. I thought #3 was getting it. He ran a low temp for a few hours and that was it. Nothing more other than his normal Mama's Boy whining. Whew! When #1 started saying she had a sore throat I assumed she had herpangina as well. Two days in I knew it was something different. Turns out she had strep throat. She normally gets it only on Halloween. She's shaking things up in 2014. After a few days and some good medicine she is feeling much better. Thank goodness. We all got a full nights sleep last night. Prior to the kids getting all germy and puny I got sick. Mom's aren't allowed to get sick. I have to give a shout out to Mr. Mayer thoug

Just Another Day In Paradise

I don't want to brag, but I think I've seen every public restroom in the tri-state area and New Mexico. Don't be jealous. In all seriousness why did I potty train my children?! OMG! It never fails. Anytime we go anywhere someone has to potty. It doesn't matter if I make everyone go before we leave the house or when we first get somewhere. In the middle of whatever we are doing I hear "there is something coming out of my butt! I have to poop now!!" Or there is the super embarrassing right in the middle of Target "My PENIS hurts!!! Weally weally bad!!!" Then there is #2 that likes to hold himself because I guess that makes it better? Or #1 who squats down on the floor and looks like she's in pain then tells me she doesn't need to go. Ugh. I really don't like public restrooms :/ Today was no different than any other day. We went to Target and penis' started hurting and things started coming out of butts. Then like most Fridays I took the

#2

I often find myself saying "Thank God for #2." He is the most laid back happy to be here kid I know. Typically the only time he gets upset is when he is hungry. He takes his food very seriously. He starts planning breakfast the afternoon before. He eats like my Father in Law Walt  did- very slowly. I mean, the kid might still be sitting at the table eating an hour after everyone else is done slow. He really enjoys the experience. #2 is the most like me out of all the kids. He is also the most clumsy. Which is like me. He's already had stitches twice on his face and always has a bruise, scrape or some other weird injury on his face. I have decided he is supposed to have a permanent black eye. It's his thing. He's also a very athletic kid. He has not met a sport he did not like and was not good at. Last week he started soccer. He was so excited to be a "soccer boy." However, the thing he is most excited about is that he gets to wear a "Humidiform&qu

Parent Teacher Conference

I feel like I am still trying to recover from our super fun Spring Break last week. I had big plans to tell you all about it. However, we had a Parent Teacher Conference today with #1's teacher. I have to share. In the fall we had our first conference. It did not go well. At all. I left in tears. It was a really rough time around here. During that  conference we learned that #1 was a bully. She was throwing massive temper tantrums and crying a lot. She was making fun of other kids. She was being disruptive and not following directions. The list went on and on. I was upset. First I was upset because I felt a little blind sided by the information. I thought that we should have been told as the incidents happened. Second I was upset because that was not my daughter. Yes, she is strong willed but I had never known her to be mean. We had a talk with #1 after that conference and made it clear some things were going to change. The topping on the cake that week was when the school counselo

Time Change

Ugh...I finally feel like I am getting adjusted to the time change. I LOVE Daylight Savings Time. I HATE the adjustment period. I hate it even more now that I have kids. I was out of town with the kids during the time change. Not only were we out of our routine but the time was screwing with us too. I think it was noon that Sunday before we managed to get out of our pajamas. That's really not so bad. The really bad part happened two days later. I get up at 4:45am on Monday, Wednesday and Friday to go to the gym. I get to "sleep in" on Tuesday and Thursdays. Unfortunately #1 and Mr. Mayer have to be out the door at 7:35 every morning to get to school and work on time. So there really isn't any sleeping in. So Monday after the time change I was up and at the gym at the normal time. Tuesday I wake up to Mr. Mayer saying "OH SHIT!!! It's 7:20!!" Well. crap. I was sleeping good too. So I spring up out of bed and run upstairs to wake the girl up. I burst in

Happy St. Patty's Day

From my insane asylum to yours....

Girl's Trip

I have mentioned before that I graduated with a small group. The majority of us had been friends since we were 4 years old. We graduated just yesterday 15 years ago. We have all stayed in touch. We don't get to see each other often, but thanks to social media we have stayed in touch with each other. This weekend 13 of us girls had a reunion in OKC. We had a great time. We all met at our hotel Saturday afternoon. Then we went to dinner at the Melting Pot in Bricktown. Afterwards a Limo picked us up and we enjoyed all the St. Patrick's Day celebrations Bricktown had to offer. There were leprechauns, drinks with dry ice and greasy fast food. After the bars and downtown shenanigans we went took our limo back to the hotel. We stayed up wwwwaaaayyyy past my bedtime catching up on the last 15 years. We had a great time. I hadn't laughed that hard in a long time. The best thing about this group of girls is that even though we don't see each other often and life has happened

Snow Daze

Ugh. I am not a winter person. At. All. I prefer tropical weather. This winter is killing me. We are all home for yet another snow day. They are all running together at this point. I'm guessing #1 will be in school until mid July. This weekend was rough for my children. They yelled, fought, cried and whined their way through. By last night I was on the brink of a nervous breakdown. I was dreading today. However...true to form the boogers have proved me wrong~again. It has not been the lazy kinda day I would love to have, but it has been peaceful. Everyone has been happy, no yelling and played together. It's a little freaky. We have built train tracks and crashed our trains, put puzzles together, colored and had lots of imaginative play. I even managed to get the kitchen cleaned and laundry started. We survived to nap time! Winning! However, there have been requests to go outside and play in the snow after nap. Ugh....I DONT WANNA...WAH.... I bought them all snow shovels several

Home Alarms

House alarms are great things. They offer a feeling of safety. They also offer a feeling of sheer terror and panic when they go off when you didn't know they were set. It's happened twice now. The same culprit both times. The first time he was playing on my phone and did it from the app. I put a password on my phone. Problem solved. No more alarms going off in the middle of the day. Or so I thought. I know what you are thinking. That precious little face could never do anything ornery. Well, let me clear something up for you. That's #3. He is a Mama's boy. He can give some crazy good hugs. He is an evil genius. The kid is wicked smart. I can only hope he will use his genius for good someday. Yesterday he was being especially ornery. He was mad at me because I would not let him walk down the street, barefoot, to play with his sister is 30 degree weather. I know! I am the meanest Mama that ever lived. Well, after a couple of attempted breakouts I thought he was finally

Cleaning the Table Makes You Feel Like You Really Have Your $hit Together...

Hello blogging world! Long time I know. My apologies. I took a break. I have a tendency to take on to much and then I feel overwhelmed. I needed a break. No worries we are all truckin' along around here. The terrible horrible 3's have hit. Ugh...I'm over it. If you follow me on Facebook or Twitter you saw last night's post. Seriously. Needless to say two little boys went to bed early last night. We all woke up with new attitudes this morning. I have started going to the gym at the butt crack of dawn again. It really frees up my days. I think I am adjusting to my new reduced sleep schedule. I don't feel like I want to pass out today. I have managed to do my dishes, start laundry, get dinner in the crock pot, mop the floor, make lunch and work on my TMOMs newsletter this morning. The boys requested "Mac and Cheese" with "vegeables." I was happy to oblige. Naturally #3 got half his lunch on my freshly mopped floor. #2 got half his lunch all over