Wednesday, December 30, 2009

Looking for some inspiration...

My bedroom is ugly. Okay, so it's not really ugly, it's just not pretty. It's not a room I walk into and feel like it's my sanctuary. It has outdated furniture, and an ugly clock, and too much gold, oh and black curtains I made when I found out we had a peeping tom! I want something peaceful, and pretty, but not frilly, girly. I want to paint the walls, replace my headboard, maybe repaint my dresser, or even get a new one, get a new comforter, shams, bedskirt, maybe re-upholster(why does that word look weird to me?) my chair...the list goes on. Any ideas of what I should do? Any pretty rooms you have found online to give me some inspiration? I don't even know what colors I want or anything! I would love to hear/see your ideas!

Tuesday, December 08, 2009

ANOTHER conversation with Tommy

Setting: The kitchen, early this evening.

Tommy: I want milk.

Me: I want milk, what? (trying to get him to say please)

Tommy: Oh. I want milk, poe low bowl.

Me: WHAT?!

Tommy: I want milk, POE LOW BOWL!!

Me: Poe low bowl?

Tommy: You know! Poe low bowl, please in Spanish!

Me: You mean, por favor!

Tommy: That's what I said!

Friday, December 04, 2009

A Conversation with Tommy

Setting: Early this morning in the living room

Tommy: You have to be friends with a girl before you can marry her.

Me: Sounds good to me. Who told you that?

Tommy: Cambree. So, I'm not going to marry her anymore. I don't want to be her friend; I just wanted to marry her.


Oh dear.

Wednesday, December 02, 2009

SNOW!











I woke up this morning to see snow outside! I was so excited, so I ran to get the kids up. They dressed in record time (I wish it snowed every morning!), and rushed outside. Tommy was the first one out, and Anna was not far behind. They had a short snowball fight, and headed inside for some breakfast. They were freezing but VERY happy! Eddie was content to watch from the door. He did NOT want any part of the snow! After I got the kids to school, I made a small snowball and threw it at Eddie. He thought it was hilarious, and finally started playing in the snow. The snow only lasted an hour on the ground before it started to rain, but it was a great start to our day!



Saturday, November 14, 2009

Randomness

  • We got hit with a stomach bug this week. Eddie first on Wednesday, Anna and Tommy on Thursday, and me on Friday. Danny escaped it.
  • Anna went to an 80's party tonight. It was fun to dress her in a totally outrageous outfit that I would have loved to wear when I was a kid.
  • I pulled nearly 100 iris bulbs from my back flower beds. They had multiplied so much, and had so little space, that they were growing over the cement into the driveway!
  • My fence needs some minor repairs and a major paint job. Anyone want to come help?
  • Anna and Tommy missed the Patriotic Parade on Friday. They were sad, but we were able to listen to it from our backyard. It would have been Tommy's first parade.
  • I can't wait for the cold front to come! Warm weather in November stinks.
  • I'm getting my first MaryKay makeover on Wednesday morning. Anyone is welcome to come watch and get made over themselves! Bring your kids!
  • I can't wait for Black Friday!
  • High School All-Region is coming up and I'm nervous about how my students will do.
  • Eddie has not slept through the night since he had the flu. We can't get him to sleep all night!! Any suggestions?

Monday, November 02, 2009

Yay! It's November!

I am SO glad that October is over! Danny and I both agree that this past October was the worst in our history together. It was bad. VERY bad. For those of you who don't know, it all started with a spray painted tuba. I won a tuba on e-bay, only to discover the loser previous owner, spray painted a silver-plated tuba silver! What the heck!? Two days later, Tommy came down with swine flu, and 2 days later Eddie got it. Tommy went back to school that Thursday and Friday, only to be sent home the next Monday because he was throwing up! He threw up for 2 days, got really dehydrated, went to the doctor, they thought he had appendicitis, sent him to the hospital for some tests, turns out he really was just constipated. He remained constipated for 3 days until we got things moving again right before Kyle and Damaris' fabulous wedding. The day after the wedding, my wonderful mother had a heart attack, and would have died had my fabulous sister gone to check on her. Later that week, Eddie came down with the same virus that Tommy had the week before. Not fun. We thought it was all over, until last Thursday when I got a call from the nurse at Anna's school saying she needed to see the doc, ASAP. She had a massive infection on her right foot, caused by an ant bite, that made it swell to almost twice the size and had track marks up her leg. And finally, the month ended with two TERRIBLE soccer games that my kids played in, and lost miserably. Sigh...I have so much to be thankful for this month, though, and I'm glad that my children are all well again, that I have plenty of money in savings to cover all of our medical bills, and that my tuba is getting repaired, for FREE, thanks to Danny!

Tuesday, October 20, 2009

Check out this giveaway!

I know some of you out there are in the need of a new faucet somewhere in your house, especially me! Check out this great giveaway on One Project Closer. I would totally choose the Mystique faucet if I won. Which one would you choose?

Monday, October 19, 2009

I need a vacation. NOW.

I have yet to get a full night's sleep. Eddie has been waking up in the middle of the night and it's been really hard to get him back to sleep. He's not been sleeping well, and is insanely cranky. The flu just wore him out and he's still recovering. AND he just hit his head on the coffee table and has a golf ball sized bump on his forehead!

Because of that darn flu, Danny and I spent the day Saturday completely disinfecting the house and all the toys in it. It took all day, but we were so happy to have a germ-free home! I was finishing up with some cleaning this morning and got my stuff together to teach tomorrow. Then, I got Eddie dressed and we went to playgroup. Eddie was hopping up and down in his car seat because he was SO excited to get to the park today! The poor kid has been cooped up in the house for the past week, so he totally deserved a couple of hours at the park. Sadly, it wasn't meant to be. Only 5 minutes after we got to the park my cell phone rang. As soon as I heard Nurse Shannon's voice, I knew I wasn't going to be happy. She informed me that Tommy threw up during snack time and I needed to get him as soon as possible. ARE YOU KIDDING ME?! Eddie was really upset that we had to leave and I was so frustrated. I thought I was done with sick kids for a while! I thought I would be able to teach tomorrow! Grrrr....I just want to get a full night's rest, have all my kids healthy, my home germ-free, and my schedule back to normal!

Wednesday, October 14, 2009

Flu Update

Tommy is now completely over the flu. He's been fever-free for more than 24 hours, and he's doing great. He was a bit tired last night and crashed on the couch way before bedtime, so I decided to play it safe and keep him home again today. He was SO mad that he couldn't go to school, and Anna was SO mad that she had to go!

Eddie, on the other hand, is not doing so great. He was diagnosed with N1H1 yesterday and WOULD NOT take Tylenol or any other fever-reducing medicine last night! He was burning up and miserable and we finally just had to hold him down and forced it in him. He also has a nasty case of croup which is pretty rough combined with the flu. He has Tamiflu, but he refuses to take it, so I've been hiding it in his juice. I haven't had much sleep, and I'm completely exhausted.

I took the kids to get their flu shots yesterday, and I went first to show them that it's not too bad. Tommy screamed his head off and Anna hid in the corner! Wimps. Hopefully, we'll be flu-free here soon, and I can have a full night's rest!

Monday, October 12, 2009

Oink, Oink

Yep. Tommy has the N1H1. It sucks.

5am

At 5am Sunday morning, Eddie came into our room just crying and crying. He went to Danny's side of the bed, which is VERY odd, and wanted him to get out of bed. Danny did, and followed Eddie to the living room, where he tried to console him, but he was still crying and was really upset. Eddie grabbed Danny's hand and led him into his room and pointed to Tommy's bed where Tommy was coughing and throwing up. Eddie was really upset about what was going on with Tommy, but he calmed down as soon as he saw that Tommy was okay. Isn't that interesting? Eddie is such a loving and caring little guy! Also, when Tommy was asleep on the couch yesterday, Eddie would come up to him and touch his face, and pet his tummy, and then walk away. How sweet! Tommy's fever ranged from 100(with tylenol)-103.3(without tylenol) yesterday, and he complained of a tummyache and a sore throat. He's a little better this morning, but still woke up with a high fever (102), so we're taking him to the doctor in a couple of minutes. I was really happy to actually get an appointment with my doctor today, and I didn't even have to settle for someone else in the practice! I had to wait on hold for at least 10 minutes before I could talk to somebody just to make an appointment because they were SO busy! I'm crossing my fingers that he just has strep because that's fast and easy to treat.

Friday, September 25, 2009

Dear Vacuum,

I have been wanting to write this letter to you for a long time. A VERY long time. I remember the day that Danny brought you home. You were a pleasant suprise. Our faithful Dirt Devil had bit the dust, and we needed you desperately. I loved your HEPA filter, your self-propelled goodness, and all your gleaming tools. You were great. You sucked up all the stuff our kids left behind. Even mounds of sand from the sandbox. But times have changed. You've gotten older, and every time I use you, strong emotions come flooding to the surface. I can keep them in most times, but sometimes they just come out in bursts. Like last week, when I screamed at you, "Why can't you just suck up that stupid cheerio? Dangit! Why? WHY??!" I know it's not your fault. You are an inferior vacuum. You were from the start, but we didn't realize it until you started getting clogged every time we used you. You are a piece of crap. Everytime I see you I feel like hurtling you out the window, or putting you in the driveway and backing over you a couple of dozen times. Yes, these are strong emotions towards a vacuum, but I require your use almost daily, and with three kids, you just can't keep up. Today, I brought home a new, shiny vacuum. One that has less bells an whistles than you, but with consistant 5-star ratings from several sources, I feel I can trust my new vacuum much more than you. I will not donate you to Goodwill, or throw you in the trash with the 3-day-old diapers, though. I will put you in the garage to help us clean out our cars. The ONLY good trait you have is strong hose suction. I wish you the best of luck in your new role in our home. If you even think about losing your hose suction, though, we WILL let you rot with the diapers.

Sincerely,

Melinda

Tuesday, September 15, 2009

disapointment, frustration

So, this past week has been full of first, disapointment, and now extreme frustration. Last week, I learned that my HS friends got together for dinner. ALL OF THEM. Except me. I was so upset that they didn't ask me to come! I know it's silly, but I still enjoy spending time with them. I just don't understand why I wasn't invited. We all live in the metroplex, and I may live a little out of the way, but I'm not too far! They have my e-mail address, I'm friends with them on Facebook, I mean, there's a way to contact me, even if they don't have my phone number! Sigh...it SUCKS to be left out.

So, my frustration has come because one of my students decided that he didn't want to take lessons from me anymore and has gone with another teacher. He told me TODAY when I went to his class to teach him! Come on! Give me some notice! I didn't even get a phone call or an e-mail from his mom! This is the SECOND student that I have lost to this other teacher this year! I'm so frustrated! I'm a great teacher. I am, at least I think I am, and I've had success with several of my students. It's hard when I teach a kid one week, and suddenly he decides to go with another teacher. I'm angry that I lost a student, and the income from him. The other teacher has 5 times MORE students than I have. I need this kid's money! I am struggling to fill my ONE day of teaching, and this guy has 5 FULL days! Grrr....

And there was a bunch of crap that happened in between. It's just not been a good 7 days. The sun is finally out, so hopefully that means things will change. I sure hope so.

Friday, September 04, 2009

My 16 cent project

I found a couple of great letters at Garden Ridge for 90% off, which made them only 16 cents each, with tax. Unfortunately, the only letters they had were Q and X. What do you do with a Q and X you might ask? You make some book ends! I grabbed some scrap wood from the garage, sanded it down, and cut it to size with my trusty little saw. It took me forever to cut the wood, but I got a great workout! I painted the wood black, screwed it together, and hot glued the letter on. It was super easy!



What do you think? I know it's not stellar, but hey, for the price, you really can't beat it, and it looks WAY better than what I had there before:


This lovely bookend was a whopping 50 cents at Ikea, but it leaves a lot to be desired! I love my new book end and can't wait to finish my other one!



The First Day of School!

Tommy was SO excited for school!!


Look at my THIRD grader! Can you believe it? Anna has to meet out in the portables, so she doesn't have a beautiful classroom like Tommy, but it does the job.



Tommy walked into his class and was so excited to see them working with play dough! But, he first had to find his friend Isabelle before he could feel comfortable in class. Isabelle is a friend of Tommy's from church and lives just around the corner from us, and thankfully is in his same class at school!



Yeah, yeah, I know this is 2 weeks late. I've been a lazy blogger lately. The kids' first day of school went fairly well. We ended up leaving the house 15 minutes later than I wanted, and the walk took a long time because Tommy got really tired and he kept on stopping. We got there just as the bell rang, but I was able to walk Anna and Tommy to class with no problems. No tears. Not until the end of school, anyway. Tommy cried everyday, at the end of school, the entire first week because he was tired and hungry and just wanted his mommy. This week has been much better!

Monday, August 31, 2009

HAPPY BIRTHDAY EDDIE!!!!













Today is Eddie's birthday! I can't believe that this guy is alread 2 years old! He has brought such joy and happiness to our family, and we're so grateful that he's ours! He had his check-up last Friday and is in the 19% for weight and 45th% for height! He's definitely growing, but he's not my chubby baby anymore. It's bittersweet to see my children grow up. We love you Eddie!

Wednesday, August 26, 2009

Anna's Baptism


I know, it's been a long time since I posted, and this post is super late, but Anna got baptized on August 8th! It was a great day, and it was so wonderful to have so many family members there! I'm grateful that Anna made the decision to get baptized, and that Danny got to baptize her. The spirit was strong and hopefully, it will be a day that Anna never forgets! I was in a hurry, so I forgot my camera, but my mom got this picture of our family after the baptism. Tommy hates having his picture taken, so I'm trying to restrain him. Hopefully, I can get some more pictures from other people who were there and actually remembered to bring their cameras!

Tuesday, August 04, 2009

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, ANNA!!!


















My "little" girl is eight-years old today! I can hardly believe it! I love you Anna! I hope you have a fabulous day!

Tuesday, July 21, 2009

Anna's Room




Last Friday, 3 of my wonderful sisters and my mom, came over and helped me and Anna clean her room. After FOUR hours, 2 bags of trash, a bag AND a box of stuff for Goodwill, a grocery bag of stuff for my sister's daughter, and another grocery bag of stuff for my great-niece, Anna's room is clean and organized. I could have NEVER done it without help. The influence of my sisters really helped Anna get rid of so much stuff, without much argument. Her closet has so much space in it, and it's a pleasure now to walk in her room! Her desk drawers are even organized! Thank you all so much for your help!!!

Saturday, July 18, 2009

My son, the photographer















I was uploading some photos onto my computer this morning when I found a dozen or more photos that were obviously taken by Tommy. Some are actually pretty good, but you can see he's still a novice.




Wednesday, July 15, 2009

Nine Years!

Today is our ninth wedding anniversary! Can you believe it? I can't believe it's been nine years already! Danny is such a wonderful husband and father, and I love him with all my heart! Happy Anniversary!

Tuesday, June 30, 2009

A Death in the Family

Today we all went swimming as a family, but Eddie was getting tired, so Danny took him home while I rounded up Anna and Tommy (who is IMPOSSIBLE to get out of the water!). I got home, and was taking off my shoes and putting floaties away when Danny came into the room and said that his mom called and that there was a death in the family. I froze. My mind immediately started racing through all the different possibilities of who it could be. A heart attack? Car accident? Abuelo? Nydia? An uncle or aunt? Then I looked at Danny. He didn't really seem sad, he looked almost....happy. Then it hit me. "Jabberwoky," I said instantly. One smirk from Danny confirmed it. It was cranky, old Jabberwoky, Danny's parents' million-year-old cat who has been plagued with health issues in his old age. The vet finally said that he was too sick, and put him down. To tell you the truth, I'm happy that he's gone. The poor cat was suffering and now he's in a much better place. Eddie will be sad, though. He always went straight to Jabberwoky whenever he went to abuela's house, even though Jabberwoky made it quite clear that he didn't like Eddie! Rest in peace, Jabberwoky.

Thursday, June 25, 2009

Nothing much....






I've been a slacker, and haven't blogged in a long time. We haven't really been doing anything exciting, just hanging out, going to the pool, and relaxing. Tommy and Papi play a lot of video games together, and Anna has been doing her regular craft stuff. Summer is great...until the kids start fighting, that is.

Sunday, June 07, 2009

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TOMMY!













He may drive me and Danny completely nuts, but we love this kid! He turns FIVE today! He has worked really hard for the past 2 years to overcome some serious speech issues, and will go to regular kindergarden next year! We can't get him to stop talking! I can't believe how big he is! Happy Birthday Tommy! We love you!


Friday, May 29, 2009

"Treasures"


Tommy hopped off the bus today with a huge smile on his face and a large Ninja Turtle and motorcycle in his hands. "I got treasure box today!" he shouted. Well, I opened his backpack to reveal many more "treasures." There was a book, memory game, brand new water colors, and a large bag filled with foam, magnetic letters! What the heck? As I sifted through the many papers, pictures, and toys in his backpack, I cam across a small note at the bottom that said: "As we prepare to box things up...for our move, we will be throwing out lots of items. Please be aware that you may notice lots of treasures (books and toys) coming home." Um, so what they're saying is, they are going to send home, with my four-year-old, all the crap that they don't want? Great.

Friday, May 22, 2009

Question

Do you ever find a bruise on your body and wonder where in the world it came from? I do. ALL. THE. TIME. And it drives me nuts!

Wednesday, May 20, 2009

YIKES!!

I was just invited to perform at the beginning band concert at one of the middle schools that I work at! I would be playing by myself to demonstrate the lesson teachers' abilities and highlight private lessons. Oh crap. I am SO not prepared to do something like that, and playing in front of large audiences is NOT something I enjoy doing!!

Friday, May 15, 2009

Love Affair


I love chocolate. I mean, really, who doesn't? Well, yesterday, I was at Walgreen's buying some diapers and I took a shortcut through the candy aisle. I glanced to my right and saw that they had the Weight Watchers bags of chocolate candy on clearance for 75 cents a bag, and I just happened to have a coupon, Buy 2 Get 1 Free. So, I bought 3 bags for less than $2, and if I didn't like them, I would give them to the kids. They were HEAVENLY! I love them! They are SO good! The only kind that they had was Double Chocolate Mousse covered in Rich Dark Chocolate. Just the name of it makes my mouth water! I highly recommend these chocolates to anyone, not just someone trying to lose weight!

Thursday, May 14, 2009

Interview

Danny has his interview for the head position at his school, Friday during school, I think around 10-11. Please say a prayer that he does well, and that the principal realizes that he's the best one for the job!!!

Sunday, May 10, 2009

Happy Mother's Day!

I would like to wish all you mothers out there a Happy Mother's Day! I hope you have a fabulous day! So far, mine has been great! Danny made breakfast for me, on my new, fabulous griddle, and took care of the kids last night when ALL THREE (what the heck?!) woke up on numerous occasions. What a great husband!

Saturday, May 09, 2009

ARE YOU KIDDING ME?!!!!

Stupid officials. Thanks to a missed call in the LAST THRITY SECONDS of an extremely close Mavs/Nuggets game, the Mavs lost. BY ONE STINKING POINT! So mad. It was a good game, and the Mavs had a very good chance to win it, AND gain momentum in the series, but it was stolen by a stupid ref. Now the Mavs have no prayer of winning the series. I can't wait to see what Cuban says about this.

Wednesday, May 06, 2009

Freecycling




A woman a playgroup told me about FreeCycle, an online group that posts stuff that you want to get rid of for free. I joined the group, and a couple of days later I saw a post for 2 free tricycles. Danny and I have been in the market for a trike for Eddie, but didn't really want to spend $50-$100 for something he wouldn't use that much. I responded to the post, the woman gave me her address, and I picked them up off her porch. For free. AND she lived only one neighborhood away! The Radio Flyer retails at Wal-Mart for about $60. This tricycle didn't have the push handle on it, which we really wanted, but it was in amazing shape. The woman said that she bought it for her son this past Christmas, but the handle bars wouldn't stay on. Danny tightened some bolts, and it's as good as new! The smaller, white trike was covered in Fisher Price stickers, but is still in great shape. That one stays in the backyard for all the kids to play with. Eddie loves his new tricycle, and I'm hooked on Freecyle!

Wednesday, April 29, 2009

Squirrel Attack


I had a dream last night that I was walking past a dark driveway surrounded by trees. Out of nowhere this giant squirrel came out and started attacking me! I couldn't get it off because it was so huge, about the size of a person! Suddenly, a regular-sized house cat ran out from underneath a parked car and started attacking the squirrel! Soon, it was joined by dozens more! I looked closely, and they weren't exactly attacking the squirrel, they were eating it! I walked away as the cats devoured the squirrel, and that was it. Strange. I didn't really think anything of it, until Tommy came home from school today with a prize from the treasure box. It was a stuffed squirrel.

Tuesday, April 28, 2009

I Scream, You Scream....

...we all scream for ice cream! Tomorrow night, Wednesday, Baskin Robbins will be selling their ice cream for 31 cents a scoop from 5pm-10pm! Yum!

Wednesday, April 22, 2009

Happy Earth Day!

The kids and I are going to plant some flowers today and try to keep the TV off. What are you doing to celebrate Earth Day?

Friday, April 17, 2009

The latest

Danny's band performed yesterday, and I thought they did really well on stage. I talked to the assistant director and she told me that their warm-up was terrible, and the kids had a hard time focusing. They have not had consistent rehearsals at all this semester, so I was afraid of what was going to happen. There were some problems here and there, but overall, it was a good performance. Unfortunately, not good enough. They recieved 2-2-2 on stage. At least all of the judges were in agreement! Danny was really nervous for the performance and it didn't help that the head director from the high school was there, along with the district middle school coordinator. They usually don't come for stuff like this, but it seems like they came specifically to hear Danny's band.

I was able to go see them in sight reading, and as soon as Danny saw the piece of music he really relaxed, and I actually saw a smile on his face! Apparently, it was a really easy song. The kids were great. They were attentive and fingered through their parts, and they played the piece wonderfully! They even did the dynamics and tempo change flawlessly! Needless to say, they made 1-1-1 in sight reading! Way to go!

BUT, Danny is really upset. He feels like they could have done a much better job. He's also mad at himself for breaking the streak of sweepstakes that his school has had for the past million years. He feels that this will look really bad for him when it comes to trying to find a new job for next school year, or even keeping the one he has! Danny's band has one more contest before the school year is up, so he has another chance at redemption. Let's hope they do better for Danny's sake!

Wednesday, April 15, 2009

Say a little prayer...

for Danny tomorrow. His band goes to contest, and boy will they need all the help they can get! The 2nd band went today (Danny's new assistant,who just graduated from college in December, directed this band ) and they got straight 2's in Sight Reading, and onstage they got 2-3-4, which rounds out to a 3. Not good. The 4 was given by a well-known director who used to teach at his school! Oh dear. Danny thinks that she will judge them harder simply because it's her old school. Danny is very afraid that this will be the first year in a VERY LONG time that the top band at his school does less than straight 1's across the board. They perform in the late afternoon, around 4:45, so please say a prayer for him and especially his band!

Friday, April 10, 2009

Things I learned this week...

1. Boys are stinky. Especially after gym class, and I DO NOT get paid enough to teach them in small, poorly ventilated rooms!!

2. Eddie wants to be just like Tommy. He thinks he can do everything that Tommy can do. He even sleeps in a big boy bed just like Tommy! We officially put away the crib today!

3. McKinney ISD is driving me nuts! What's up with taking away our holidays this month?
Grr...at least Danny is home today. I can't complain about that!

4. My Visiting Teachers are AWESOME. I love Jenny and Blythe. They are such wonderful women! Oh, and Jenny's cookies are SO good!

5. The smell of smoke brings back a flood of memories for me. I am suddenly taken back to my childhood when I would go with my mom to take pictures at house fires (she worked for a newspaper). She would always bring water or some type of drink, and my sisters and I would pass them out to the firefighters. There was one fire where someone died. I will never forget seeing that body bag carried out of the house.

6. I suck at trying to lose weight. I'm stuck, and I can't get past my current weight. Sigh...

7. High School kids scare me sometimes.

8. I'm great at doing big projects around the house, but not all the little ones. I have some pictures that need to be hung, but I'm more likely to paint the kitchen before I hang pictures! What's up with that?

9. I don't like the color blue as much as I thought I did.

10. Anna is a really good kid. She gets on my nerves with her crying at every little thing, but she obeys and helps me with Tommy and Eddie. I need to stop being so hard on her. After all, girls need to stick together (especially when we're outnumbered)!

Monday, April 06, 2009

That's My Girl!!

Anna was the Student of the Month for MUSIC last month! Way to go Anna!

Friday, April 03, 2009

The Open Toed Shoe Pledge

I found this post here, and thought it was hilarious, and oh, so appropriate for this time of year. (Isn't the picture DISGUSTING?)




The Open Toed Shoe Pledge

As a member of the Cute Girl Sisterhood, I pledge to follow the Rules when wearing sandals and other open-toe shoes:



  • I promise to always wear sandals that fit.


  • My toes will not hang over and touch the ground, nor will my heels spill over the backs. And the sides and tops of my feet will not pudge out between the straps.


  • I will go polish-free or vow to keep the polish fresh, intact and chip-free.


  • I will not cheat and just touch up my big toe.


  • I will sand down any mounds of skin before they turn hard and yellow.


  • I will shave the hairs off my big toe.


  • I won't wear pantyhose even if my misinformed girlfriend, coworker, mother, sister tells me the toe seam really will stay under my toes if I tuck it there.


  • If a strap breaks, I won't duct-tape, pin, glue or tuck it back into place hoping it will stay put. I will get my shoe fixed or toss it.


  • I will not live in corn denial; rather I will lean on my good friend Dr. Scholl's if my feet need him.


  • I will resist the urge to buy jelly shoes at Payless for the low, low price of $4.99 even if my feet are small enough to fit into the kids' sizes. This is out of concern for my safety, and the safety of others. No one can walk properly when standing in a pool of sweat and I would hate to take someone down with me as I fall and break my ankle.


  • I will take my toe ring off toward the end of the day if my toes swell and begin to look like Vienna sausages.


  • I will be brutally honest with my girlfriend/sister/coworker when she asks me if her feet are too ugly to wear sandals. Someone has to tell her that her toes are as long as my fingers and no sandal makes creepy feet look good.


  • I will promise if I wear flip flops that I will ensure that they actually flip and flop, making the correct noise while walking and I will swear NOT to slide or drag my feet while wearing them.


  • I will promise to go to my local nail salon at least once per season and have a real pedicure (they are about $15 or 20 and worth EVERY penny).


  • I will promise to throw away any white/off-white sandals that show signs of wear... nothing is tackier than dirty white sandals.

Thursday, April 02, 2009

Another reason why I love Phil...


Danny and I are HUGE fans of Amazing Race, and we just love the host, Phil. I just found out that he is riding across the country to promote MS awareness!


(FYI: For those of you who don't know, my dad died nine years ago from MS.)