Did I mention my Mom is staying with us??

**disclaimer alert** I love my Mother. I seriously do... so very much, and probably more than she thinks I do.
So .. a little background for ya...  I don't do overnight guests well (besides kiddos, I like them ok) .. and I hate when my house is a wreck. Like really HATE it.. it puts me in a sour mood and makes me feel like things are spinning out of control. I am a Type A, Virgo chick.. I like order and tidiness and organization. I have four kids but my car stays super clean... I sweep my feet off before climbing into bed, and flatten the sheets before lying down..I insist on putting all groceries away so that I can make sure they get put on the right shelves and in the right spots of the fridge.. I am a freak, and I know it. I just like my shit tidy. Well, my Mom doesn't share this same philosophy. At least not when she is in my home. Mom watches the baby everyday for us. She comes to our home and allows him to spend his days playing in his own room, and outside in his own yard, and he's away from the germ infested daycare! So, I am very grateful she she is there to do that for us. When I come home from work she sometimes will have the house picked up, aaannnndd sometimes will not. lol  I am ok with this, because she goes home and I can do recon on the house and continue about my night. Well, she is in between apartments and is staying with us for a few weeks until her new one is ready. I love the company, and she does so much for the kids, so I have been REALLY trying to not worry about the small stuff. Just like the book... not sweating things that would normally throw me into a shitty mood. But this morning, as I walked through my house I was reminded of all of the things that have transpired over this week. The mud from the dog that gets let in without having her feet cleaned; the small black circles that I assume are the spilled coffee (and she is a "mostly sugar with a little bit of coffee" person.. the crap is caffeinated syrup!); a very large stain on my beige couch (still haven't got an answer on that one yet); little foil balls from her Hershey kiss/Reese cups addiction; But the one that really got to me this morning was this:

What is this you ask?? Well, this would be my new white kitchen towels, with her coffee spoon resting on it. I just bought a new pack because all of my other kitchen towels were ruined as well! They like to wash Braeden off after lunch with a kitchen towel.. they wet it all up, and then proceed to remove the Chef Boyardee/ketchup/chocolate pudding from the kid. And no matter how many times we ask them to grab a baby wipe or a paper towel, I still find them in the laundry. But I accepted that too, I mean .. they are cleaning the baby.. I can let it go. But the coffee spoon?? This towel is sitting next to the paper towel dispenser! lol Did this really anger me this morning?? No... but it could have, had it not been for what happened next. <there's more to this Ransom rant??> So, I am on my way into the baby's room to hang up a shirt and I swing open his closet door and nearly died. No really... I screamed and I am pretty sure my heart stopped! This is what I saw:

Yeah, it's hair. Her wig.. dangling on the door. Could've been a burglar for all I knew. That was enough to make me laugh... And remind me that it isn't always going to be messy in my house. My mom will move to her apartment... she'll continue to get older, and many years from now all we'll have left is the memories of our parents. And all the crazy things they did. So, I will suck it up and pick up her foil candy balls, and mop the floor AGAIN... and then remember that I could either choose to be upset at the small stuff, or I can enjoy having her around and sharing conversations that are long overdue. Today I choose the latter.
So it's Friday and I am HAPPY for the weekend to be here! Hope you have a good one too.

xoxo - SR

Go Hard or Go Home

So, part of my excitement of working out has been the little "extra's" that go along with it. The time I devote to myself each week, where I get to be "Stacy", and not Mom, wife or daughter. Where I am not needed for anything and I can be free in my own world, sweating and pushing myself to create the body and healthy lifestyle I have always wanted. I get that time to recharge myself... to relight that fuse... and to release the frustration that can build up over time due to, well.... life. One of the things I love so much about the classes that I take is the music. Whether it is Body Pump or Nightclub Cardio, or just strength training and treadmill time, I am jamming to music. And music is my greatest cleanser, my strongest push when I feel I can go no further... and puts me in such a good mood when I might have a bad day. My typical song list looks something like this:

• Thrift Shop - Macklemore
• Get Buck In Here - Akon
• Shots - LMFAO
• I Know You Want Me - Pitbull
• Walk - Pantera
• T.H.E - Will I Am
• Ghosts 'n' Stuff - Deadmau5
• Sexyback - Justin Timberlake
• Scream & Shout - Will I Am
• Sofi Needs A Ladder - Deadmau5
• Cryin' Like A Bitch - Godsmack
• Blow - Ke$ha
• The Hand That Feeds and Head Like A Hole - Nine Inch Nails

Not that I don't love others, but those get played almost every single time I am on the treadmill. (Which I hate by the way) I wish I had a treadmill with a built in tv screen and wifi, so I could watch Netflix... maybe it wouldn't be so bad then. Does that even exist?? If not, then it should. :)

I also have started investing in better work out attire. I started out in just old, around the house clothes. Which is totally ok... but I get tired of wearing them. I feel... well, frumpy. So I have bought nicer tanks and compression leggings and capri's .. and I love them. I find pretty good deals on them at Old Navy and Kohl's. Lately, on the blogs I read, I was introduced to a company called Ruffles With Love http://www.etsy.com/shop/RufflesWithLove . I love this shop. It is filled with fun workout tanks, with clever and motivational sayings on them. Here is what I am ordering today ... Aren't they adorable??

Another one of these fads in the blog world is Think Thin bars. It is a protein bar, and while they DO taste better than some, they still have that "vitamin" after taste. But the nut ones are good, and the peanut butter ones aren't bad... But man, that chocolate brownie one was nasty ... here is a pic so you know what I am talking about...

So that's about it for Wednesday... week is half over folks!! Woot-woot!

xoxo - SR

So ... Tired....

Our weekend was insanely busy... not just a little busy, but crazy, non-stop running around. Friday night I hosted an Arbonne party for a friend of mine. It went great, and I was so pleased at who came to support my friend. Even more impressive, was due to their Science and medical background, we learned so much about the cosmetics industry. Sadly, more than I really wanted to know. Did all that info matter this morning when I threw makeup on? No... but disgusting nonetheless. After the party died down, I went and relieved my husband at the girls' choir lock in, from about 9:30 - 11:30. It was fun to watch the kids run around, and even gave me a few moments to relax. And by relax, I mean nearly fall asleep!

Saturday morning I got up early and met my Dad for breakfast at 7. I need to do that more often! I always enjoy spending that time with my Dad, with no interruptions and mostly grown up talk. No matter how old I am, I still feel like a little kid around him. #alwaysadaddysgirl I made it back from breakfast fairly early still, so we packed up the kids and headed to the Houston Zoo. I love this zoo... it is so pretty, set in the heart of the medical center downtown, and one of my favorite memories when I was little. I thought for sure Braeden would be excited to see the elephants up close, but he was so terrified! We didn't spend too much time around the big animals for that reason, and chose instead to spend more time with the cats and the fish. And of course, the play ground. :)

Saturday night was filled with the shopping errands and some dinner. Sunday was a continuation of the never ending laundry issue in our house (4 women and a toddler make for a LOT of dirty clothes). We made spaghetti and cookie bars and wrapped up our weekend.
My Mom is staying with us for a few weeks while her apartment is getting ready, so we are going to use that time and hit the gym hard this week. I need to jump start the remainder of my weight loss, because our cruise will be here before we know it. I even bought a bikini, and have it hanging up to remind me of my next goal. I am SO excited about that time away with my Huzzabin!! It is a good motivator, for sure.
So, Happy Monday everyone! Only four more mornings until the weekend!

Seriously?! Is that not the cutest thing ever!!

And these little things are dangerous and need to be gone from my office! I <3 peanut butter cups!

xoxo - SR

Why is your purse so big??

I am sure there are husbands all over the place that throw this question at their wife or girlfriend daily. And I am here to tell you mens out there that there is a reason they are so big. We carry a lot of crap! Now, I just cleaned mine out early this morning and it wasn't too bad. But as I was putting things back in I realized I also have a lot of duplicates. Two packs of gum... about 20 pens....three different kinds of lotion... Not sure why I need more than one kind, but if you need something for extreme dryness or one that smells nice, I can hook you up! So, here is the majority of the contents. I spared you the "secret" compartment ... you know the one that houses the feminine hygeine products and various pills for whatever might be ailing you. But here is the rest..

• wallet - sometimes even has money in it
• hand sanitizer and smelly lotion #1
• wisps - because you never know when you need to freshen up the hole in your face
• pack of gum - 1 of 2
• checkbook - only used for school fees and our house payment
• keys
• wet ones - because I have a two year old, duh!
• tanning shades
• kleenex - when a wet one is not necessary
• makeup
• SOME of the pens
• Anyone notice the SINGLE M&M??? ha ha

So, not too terrible. The makeup bag is a whole other issue. I apparently love lip gloss, because I have a crap ton of it! And that is just the stuff I decide to carry with me. I accumulate a lot of gloss... but a sexy pout is important! Amiright?!

So, yeah that is 11 shades of gloss, mascara, eye liner and a few more lotions... just in case. :)

Have a good Thursday, ya'll!

xoxo - SR

Monday Photo Dump

Our weekend promised to be busy, and it was!

Friday:
After work a few girlfriends and I went and grabbed some yummy Mexican food and a few beers. Fabulous food, right up until the part where I noticed my chicken quesadillas were loaded with mushrooms! WTH! Who puts those things in a quesadilla?! Anyway, I picked those bitches out and enjoyed the rest of my meal. :) We then headed over to a local bar and listened to a band called The Spazmatics. If you ever get the opportunity to see them, DO SO! They are an 80's cover band, and play all of the fun songs from back in the day.Go check out their website! www.thespazmatics.net   Here are a few photos from our night..

Saturday:

Woke up early for Becca's basketball tournament, which didn't end well. So we finished up there and had some lunch and did some shopping. She performed Saturday night in the district wide So You Think You Can Sing contest. She was SOOO good and I am SOOO proud of her. She is so courageous... I would be too much of a chickenshit to get up in front of the whole town and belt out a song. If you want to see the video, it is posted on my Facebook page.

Sunday:



Up early to get errands done.... and then spent the afternoon cleaning and hanging out with my brother. We also went and saw Ashlee, but that is a whole other post in itself, and for another time.
All in all, it was a great weekend! This week is a little quieter but still a lot going on - par for the course. Here are few more pics from our weekend. Have a splendid week, friends!

Fresh mani!! Holla!

Can you not see I am busy detailing my ride??

Body Pump is for little bitches... let me show you some CrossFit, Mama!

Nom Nom Nom ... Oooh!

Heard of these from the Blogger moms out there. Gonna give it a try..  #willprobablytastelikeshit



xoxo - SR

Tick Tock....C'mon Friday!

Could this week be dragging ANY slower?! Ugh.. Don't you hate when you wake up and realize the week still isn't over? Lol I think I am just super tired and ready for a break from work duties and would rather do more of the Mom duties. We are slammed this weekend, and have been all week... Running to appointments and school things. Becca has a basketball game tonight, but has to cut out at half time to run over to Bayside for her SYTYCS run through. Tomorrow her tournament begins and we don't stop moving until Sunday. Somewhere in there I still have to find time to get to the grocery store and clean my house too! I need a clone! Lol

So, has anyone ever heard of Ipsy? (www.ipsy.com) It is a beauty and style website that sends you products each month to try. The website gives tutorials and information about all kinds of things to make us purty and stuff. It costs $10 a month but let me say, that I get some cool stuff each month. And most of the "samples" are full size. Eyeshadows, lip gloss, nail polish, hair stuff... And it comes in a nice makeup bag each time. Just a little something to look forward to each month and the girls and I usually share it all.




This month's Ipsy Glam Bag.. well, missing the bag and nail polish; Emilee swiped that!



My Wednesday lunch... it was more filling than it looked. :)



Ashlee had an ortho appt yesterday and it hurt to chew food. She gulped a milkshake instead.

Brrrrrr

Dang, it is cold. I know I must say that a lot, but it's effin true! I like the winter months, don't get me wrong. I enjoy the sweatshirt and jeans weather, and the cuddling up with blankets weather... what I don't like is the rainy, gotta go to work weather! lol You know, those days where it is dark as night out, and drizzly, and you're stuck in the office.... when you would much rather be at home, watching movies and eating warm comfort food. Yeah.. I will just have to settle for my warmish office, and chugging Starbucks.

It is Girl Scout cookie time! We have a meeting tonight, also... which I look forward to. I like our group of kiddos and their parents, so it makes for a nice chit-chat session. Emilee loves scouts. She has such a great time with these girls and we are fortunate to have a few Mom's that lead this troop and give the kids so many opportunities to be involved in things they may not normally get to do. This past winter we made Homeless Helper bags, each containing some hygiene products and some water and snacks. They did a wonderful job, and we are very proud of the ideas they come up with. The girls have a soft spot for community service and have volunteered at an animal shelter, and perform the yearly beach clean up in Galveston. I hope they continue to build on that trait, and find ways to help their communities as they grow older.

Anyone watch The Bachelor? I think Tierra is going to get on my nerves. I do like Sean but I have a feeling he may end up bringing the crazy out in these girls. lol Monday nights are good TV nights... Biggest Loser was on too (totally cried when the white team won the weigh in) and then Mike and Molly and Two Broke Girls... Good stuff. Thanksfully the baby doesn't mind playing on the tablets while we sneak in some tv time. (at least not last night)  :)

Keep warm folks and enjoy your Tuesday!

xoxo - SR