Bad Blogger. Bad.

First I have to say-I am pleasantly surprised to find you all still hanging out. I have been the absentee landlord of blog land for the last, er, longer than I'd like to admit and I think you all are super sweet for continuing to follow me. I know it's no excuse but I have been superduperbusy lately. Let's see...

Summer quarter went until August 18th and can I just say-it's been a looooooong time since I took any kind of final. That was stomach-churn-ing-ly unpleasant. The good news is I did well. I was happy to finish my quarter with an A in Political Science 201, an A in Philosophy of Religion, and a B in Math, though I was very disappointed to find out that they don't add pluses or minuses to college grades. I came in sooooo close to an A with an 89.25% in Math, I'm just saying it would have been nice to see that B+ as an extra little "I did my best" boost. Plus I would have gotten an A+ in both of my other classes, and that just looks awesome. I really enjoyed my Political Science class but my favorite last quarter was, surprisingly, my philosophy class. So much so that I've decided to double major. A double major in Political Science and Philsophy with a minor in Chinese Language and Culture? I know, I'm crazy. Still, move over pottery...all my electives will now revolve around Nietzsche! Fall quarter I will not be taking philsophy (it didn't fit in my schedule...awww...) but I will be taking Introduction to Chinese, Political Science 202, and Writing 121. Classes start on the 20th!

Also newsworthy, Hubby will be joining me at school starting this fall quarter. He was wrongfully terminated from his job (loooooooooooong story) and we're fighting with them in arbitration, but while we've been trying to work through that whole messy process we came to the conclusion that if Hubby went back to school he could get a way better job once he got out. Like maybe one that didn't fire him for no reason. If they give him his job back he'll take it of course-food doesn't grow on trees. Okay so it does, but most of the trees around here just have leaves and occassionally those poisonous little berry looking things...and rent definitely doesn't grow on any trees I know of. Anyway, even if he does get to go back Hubby has decided he wants to keep going to school to do something with science. One day he says he wants to do engineering, and the next he says he wants to do some kind of theoretical/academic science-y thing, but he has a while before he really has to decide and I completely support him no matter what. That's why I have been up to my eyeballs getting all his paperwork in at the last minute. [And YIKES that is a lot of paperwork!]

The kids have all been great. Monkey is looking forward to doing all of my Chinese homework with me, Baby Bug is growing like a crazy dandelion and learning something new every day (like how to paint like Picasso with your poop-ARG toddlers!), and The Bean is getting more and more of her own personality every day. We are still loving unschooling and are going through a really fun foreign film phase. We have been on the hunt for cute foreign kids movies or TV shows and we've found some that are really lovely. I think it's so cool how cartoon animals reach across oceans and language/cultural barriers-the kids will laugh their butts off even if they don't understand a word they are saying!

I think that's about it. No wait! I dyed my hair dark brown. It. Is. Awesome. (I'll have to take a picture for Wordless Wednesday.) and it totally covers up all the gray hair I'm getting from my superduper schedule! I hope you have had a great summer-I'm looking forward to getting back into the bloggy swing of things and catching up with you all!

Music To Your Ears

I'm still sick. The bad news/good news is that I'm not going to attempt to write a coherent blog post while I'm all barf-tastic. Sooooooooooooooo, today-please to enjoy my favorite Weird Al Songs (yes, I do in fact have a standing list of favorite Weird Al songs...I'm just that nerdy):

Smells Like Nirvana [Parody of "Smells Like Teen Spirit" by Nirvana]
I love the 90s. Heck, I love Nirvana...but not even I can figure out all the words to Teen Spirit!


Gump [Parody of "Lump" by Presidents of the United States]
The original song by the Presidents was fun, so this could only be more fun!


Another One Rides The Bus [Parody of "Another One Bites the Bus Dust" by Queen...see, I told you I couldn't write coherently.]
My very favorite of the really old Weird Al!




Ebay [Parody of "I Want It That Way" by The Backstreet Boys]
So true. So hilarious!




Honorable Mentions:
All About The Pentiums
White and Nerdy
Six Words Long

Please Hold While Your Party Is Reached....

I know I'm supposed to be doing Fab Friday today, but I'm not. Problem is I'm not feeling so Fab. I visited the doctor yesterday and I'm going again today, and I'm spending the rest of my day being very ill....and frantically worrying about the possible cause of my illness.

Good times.

So, sorry for the break in my regular posting schedule...I promise I'll be back soon. Until then, please to enjoy:

News Baubles

Do I realize this would have been better titled "News Nuggets"? Yes. However, I have a big problem with the word nugget. It's right up there with "moist" and "eschew" in my list of the top 10 random words that I think sound gross for no particular reason.

So-baubles it is.

And my do I have some shiny gems for you. First, as you may have noticed, my blog look has been updated. All of that white was getting a little clinical for me-I'm not ready to go into the padded room yet. I also got rid of my little cartoon avatar lady. She had her moment in the sun, but it was time to move on and I think I'm rocking the vintage-meets-patchwork quilt look. What do you think?

The look is not the only thing I've updated-I've also changed contact emails. I've been getting a ton of email from you guys lately and I LOVE IT (don't stop!) but it was flooding my personal email box. Things were getting lost. Put in wrong folders. Never sent. Worse-never read! So rather than sit around and feel like a poo puddle I have created you guys your very own email account. Well, it's for me-but it's for you...to write to me. The contact form on my "Contact Me" page (linked at the top) has been updated and will now be sent to your very own special mailbox. Or you can email me direct from your inbox at contact.mrsm@gmail.com.

I've also added a few other ways that we can get and keep in touch! New shiny bauble number three is my new facebook page! It's pretty and shiny. Okay not pretty and shiny, so much as super convenient-now you can get my posts while you sit down with your facebook and your morning coffee (or diet soda, if you're like me)!

Another fun new feature? My Bloggy Friends Community over at BlogFrog. After trying to go it alone in the forum category I decided to see what's hopping with BlogFrog (oh yes, I did just say that). Verdict? I love it. I get to join other people's communities and chat them up, and host my own community....I have spent a shameful amount of time (4+ hours) there during the last two days just hopping around. I highly recommend you sign up with them. And then join my community of course. Right now I want to know your favorite summer recipe, and your thoughts on controversial blog posts....

There's another added bonus to joining me on Facebook/BlogFrog (and Twitter!)-by doing that you get all of my news tidbits about upcoming giveaways and reviews EARLY. That's right-I'm going to announce all my big stuff on my social network sites first. Bribery? Probably. But I'm lonely over there on my big old Facebook/BlogFrog/Twitter pages all by myself party of one style. Consider these update announcements the plate of cookies that entices you to my party.

Another fun news bauble-I have received two awards this week! I am still amazed, and so grateful, that anyone would think of me for these sort of things. I feel like having a Sally Fields moment every time-really you guys are too sweet. Today my grateful misty eyed appreciation goes to Jenny from Our Nifty Notebook who awarded me with the Honest Scrap Award. I have received this award before, but it is so sweet of her to think of me and I am actually glad that I have gotten it twice. The first time I wrote ten honest things about myself I did a fun and silly post. Which was both fun and silly and honest...but I've been thinking lately that I wish I had used that opportunity to do a more serious post. So I'm going to this time....stay tuned for that!

I have also received the One Lovely Blog Award from Michele from The Professional Family Manager . I am so excited to think of my writing and my blog as sweet! The only rules of the One Lovely Blog Award are to pass it on to other lovely blogs! I would like to award this to my friends

Samantha of Apple Juice and Milk
Lucy and Ethel of The Suite Life of Lucy and Ethel
Helene of I'm Living Proof That God Has a Sense of Humor

I'm sure one or more of these ladies has already gotten this award, but I wouldn't regret that at all-they're all so fabulous they'd even deserve two!

Another awesome lady I'd like to mention this week is my gal pal Robynn of Robynn's Ravings. She is having an absolutely fantastic throw down/giveaway encouraging people to eat right and be healthy! I know we in the House of M could certainly benefit from that advice and we will be participating right along with her...and it doesn't hurt that the winner will be interviewed on her blog AND receive a $100 gift card to Amazon! Go check it out-the throw down starts in September.

One last quick thing before I wrap up this, the longest post of all time. (Have I mentioned how so very ecstatic I am to be back to writing!!) A reminder that I am going to be doing a fabulous review and giveaway before the end of the month. Keep your eyes (and browsers) peeled for my fun-and-educational giveaway just in time for back to school!

Alright, I'm cutting myself off now.

No really.

I'm stepping away from the blog post.

It's happening.

I really will...

stop....

typing...

Bye!

[I'll be back tomorrow!]

I Stand Corrected

Some of you may remember that there has been a lot of complaining from me about how getting a digital camera was too expensive. I have been using one that the very generous Kirsty let me borrow to record the end of my pregnancy with The Bean, but I have been longing for a digital camera of my very own to love and to snuggle and to blind my children with...but alas-they were much too expensive.

At least I thought so-but luckily for me I am very often wrong! Just yesterday Hubby came home with the very best surprise ever-an 8.2MP Samsung L-100. It turns out that they were finally selling the display model, which the store always discounts at 50%. AND it just so happened that they were also running a 20% off coupon. NOT TO MENTION that Hubby gets a 10% discount in electronics. As a result, we got this fabulous little camera for a freakin' song-less than $40.

It might have been inexpensive, but it certainly isn't cheap! This camera is cute, lightweight, compact, and has a huge display screen. Of course it also takes gorgeous pictures with different color options right on the camera, shutter speed controls, and digital image stabilization you really can't take a bad picture. This camera is the definition of point and shoot fabulousness...and it also takes FABULOUS video, which is why I am able to show you the second time that day that I was (adorably) shown just how very wrong I was.....


The very best part (well, besides being able to keep as much picture and video of my friends and family as any pack rat could ever desire) is that Hubby got it for me just because. No holiday. No anniversary. He just saw it, and knew I would love it, and got it for me out of the money he earned working overtime.

I know, I know. I have the best husband ever-and I know I'm not wrong about that.

8 Days A Week

The job of Mommy never ends, and with three kids 5 and under the process of keeping them all alive, (relatively) clean, and (moderately) happy can be a Herculean task. In the last two weeks I have added even more to my plate and have consequently become a headless chicken.

My major project has been designing a professional business site for a local salon. In payment I get to go and have my hair permed and colored later today. This is definitely a good trade, because I have hair down to my butt and the retail cost of a perm alone for hair as long as mine is nearly $300! On top of that, they are considering me (based on my design) for their web master position. This would be an amazing opportunity to make a very decent salary from home doing something I love to do, so I'm giving it my very best shot and praying really hard that it works out.

I have also been a busy little bee with behind-the-scenes blog work........unfortunately I'm not quite ready to announce anything, but I promise you will be excited when you hear about it! I'm totally excited just thinking about it!

Speaking of blog work, I have fallen a little behind because of everything I've been doing lately....so let's catch up!

I already drew for this week's Mommy's Fabulous Find Friday's featured follower and the winner is.......



Melissa from The Jensen's Crazee Life



She is a small town girl and has three kids (one boy and two girls just like I do!). This week I'm going to be trying out a different interview format---I'm going to sit down and chat live with Melissa Yahoo! style, and then share it all with you. I can't wait to get to know more about her-you all stop back in on Friday to check out her interview!! (And don't forget, if you want a chance to do an interview and be featured on my blog, just follow my page and you're automatically entered! [If you follow via email be sure to leave a comment to let me know.])

Also in blog news, I have received an award! Which I have been horribly horribly neglecting since it was awarded to me on June 11th. My sincere thanks (and apologies for my tardiness) to Kris from Hands, House, and Heart Full for the Honest Scrap Award!

The rules are:
* Tell everyone 10 things about you they may not know, but are true
*Tag 5 bloggers with the award

Hmmmmm...10 things....This is kind of hard. I think I've just discovered how boring I actually am! Oh well, I guess it didn't say they had to be 10 interesting things.

1. I haven't slept more than 5 hours in a row in over two years. (On average I sleep 3 1/2 hours a night.) True story! I had morning sickness during the first half of my pregnancy with Baby Bug, then gallstones for the last half of my pregnancy, then she was born and didn't sleep through the night until she was 14 months old...at which point I was already 9 months pregnant with The Bean and couldn't sleep because, well, I was 9 months pregnant. Now I am up at night with The Bean. So yeah-it's been literally more than two years since I slept a full night's sleep.

2. I miss sleep so much that I have actually dreamed about sleeping.

3. I had reoccurring nightmares as a kid about the Wicked Witch of the West (from Wizard of Oz). I had them every so often starting when I was about 4 all the way up until I was 15.

4. I have a social network account which I use pretty much for the sole purpose of being in heated political debate groups. I'm not rude or anything, I just love to debate things and other people in real life usually get tired of it before I do....so I go online and debate with 300 people at a time. For fun.

5. I have a very strange sense of fun. Besides debating minutia of law and government with hundreds of people at a time I also enjoy watching CSPAN, reading out of print non fiction (my currently reigning favorite is Democracy in America by Alexis de Tocqueville), and writing new HTML/CSS code to try and create new functionalities for my blog widgets. In short, I am a giant Geek.

6. I was almost born at a gas station because my parents didn't have enough gas to get to the hospital but the gas station on the way didn't take cheques...but when the attendant figured out my mother was in labor, suddenly the gas was on him!

7. I love old fashioned names. All of our children have old fashioned names (though one of them came into extreme popularity shortly after our baby was born) and if I had gotten to pick The Bean's first name I would have picked Temperance.

8. Hubby and I have so many children that we actually have a child naming system. Not that three is that many, but it's enough to make a system out of it. We switch off picking the first name for each gender, and whoever doesn't pick the first picks the middle. For example, with our son I had first name boy and Hubby had first name girl and I had middle name girl and he had middle name boy. Then we switched with our second-I had first name girl and Hubby had first name boy and vice versa for middle names. Needless to say this means I ended up picking both Monkey and Baby Bug's first names. However, with The Bean it was Hubby's turn for first name girl...it was so adorable how excited he was that he would finally get to decide our new baby's first name!

9. I do not like tomato sauce on anything-only "white" sauce like Alfredo or garlic sauce. My perfect pizza is spinach, artichoke, feta cheese, mozzarella, and tomato with a white garlic sauce base. Yummmmmmmmmmm. However, despite not liking tomato sauce, I actually love fresh tomatoes-especially on gyros or BLTs!

10. Speaking of random things I love.....I LOVE the show How I Met Your Mother. It is only the coolest show.....wait for it.....EVER. Who doesn't love seeing Neil Patrick Harris and Alison Hannigan in the same place? Willow meets Doogie? With voiceover from Bob Saget? Seriously-if you have not seen this show you need to rectify that situation immediately.

So there you have it, 10 things about me. Boring? Yeah. But honestly boring. That's why I got this so very generous award. I would like to know about all of you, so please anyone who'd like it just take this award with my blessing. Say it was from me (and let me know so I can read what you write)!

And, with that, The Bean has officially fallen asleep on my shoulder so I'm off to sneak in an hour or two of sleep. Have a great day everyone!

My Blog-Now With Shiny New Features!

I've been meaning for a very long time to write about a day in the life of an unschooling family. I even told Mama Bird waaaay back in March during the Ultimate Blog Party that I planned on blogging about it more. Since then I have been a horrible slacker (posting mostly about The Bean and how miserable I was being pregnant) and I have not written one single unschooling post! To make up for your long wait (because I know you've all been waiting with baited breath) I've decided to not only write about it, but to make it a weekly feature!

That's right, I'm making a commitment-starting next week I'm adding weekly features to my blog! Features. Plural.

[Pause for oohing and aahing.]

Too bad I can't come up with witty names for them.

[Cue 'wah-wah' game show losing music.]

Want to know what they are?

Well, one of them is about unschooling obviously-every Monday I'm going to post something about unschooling. A project we've done, a lesson we've learned, a tip, what have you. Sounds fun, right? Woo-hoo education!

On Tuesdays I'm going to put up a new poll. I know I've been slacking on these lately, but I really want your feedback-in what specific way do your children drive you crazy? Do you eat junk food while you watch the Biggest Loser ('cause I do!)? Let's get to know each other! I'll blog the results along with the new poll on the following Tuesdays.

The last feature, but certainly not least, will occur every Friday I want to do a special feature on something I think is fabulous. My first fabulous feature? YOU GUYS! Okay, so it will be a series of features. I am so excited to do this because when Mimi was the Featured SITS blogger I realized something about myself-I love when people that I care about are recognized for something. Not that it has anything to do with me, of course-the talent, in this case, was all Mimi-but it's just the part where I know this person and now someone else is recognizing how fabulous they are! I guess it's kind of like finding a book at a yard sale and then taking it home and reading it a thousand times and loving every second of it-then Googling it and finding out that it is a priceless first edition. It was awesome to begin with but now it's just...awesomer (*wince*)...to have other people appreciate it with you.

I already appreciate everyone who follows my blog-now I want everyone else to appreciate you as well! So here's what I'll do. I will use a random number generator and pull the winner 'out of the hat' (electronically speaking)...then on Wednesday I'm going to send the lucky follower a list of interview questions! Which you are totally free to decline of course, if you don't like being compared to a yard sale find. [Side note~if you do not mind the comparison but are following me in a feed you're anonymous right now-remember if you want to put your name in the computer hat please comment on this post and let me know who you are!] Then on Friday I will post your interview so that everyone can love you as much as I do!

Do you love my new features? I do...except for the part where they are nameless. Not to worry-I've decided they don't need witty names! It's quality content over catchy titles, right? Right? No? Okay, well how about this-my very first feature will be a special one:

Name These Weekly Blog Features!

That's right, if you think of a catchy name and you are willing to let me use it just go ahead and blurt it out-I'll link to you in the post revealing the stunning new name, that way all 20 people who read my blog daily will know that you are a genius. I'll run this until Thursday-if nothing comes up by then, I'll just name them myself.

Or perhaps I can convince the kids to do it. How do you feel about "Mama Baba Bye Bye" Monday? Or "Ni-Hao Tolee" Tuesday?

Don't worry, the kids and I can come up with something, if we all work together. I just can't wait to get these new features rolling!

The Force Is Strong With Hubby

Thank you all for your thoughts, prayers, and kind words of encouragement during a really stressful time. You've only reinforced my words about family!

Things are pretty much back to normal now. Well-with a lot less sleep and a much higher baseline anxiety level. We have been on a pretty exhausting med schedule since getting home last night-alternate pain meds/fever reducers every 3 hours plus antibiotics every 6 hours-but our little girl has learned to pretty much sleep through her "dosings" and I've lived on less sleep. The important part is because of the meds Baby Bug's fever broke and she's staying around 99 degrees even. Today she got down and played, giggling and talking and cruising around just like normal. I was so happy to see that I actually cried with relief! Of course, she's still mostly nibbling at her food and we still have to cajole her to drink fluids-though she is LOVING the sudden influx of sugary, delicious (hydrating) Otter Pops-but other than a little food/drink hesitancy she's doing fantastic!

I have definitely gotten a lot more generally nervous and worrysome, but that's how I end up acting about long term issues. Hubby says I like to "talk them to death". He says I should "relax". Easy for HIM to say-he's the Jedi-Zen-Master "emotionally stable" one.

Everything will be fine, he says.

Don't worry about what you can't control, he says.

Look for the positive in every situation, he says.

Thanks Master Fortune Cookie, but if it's alright with you I'm going to sit here and go over every possible scenario, every possible course of action, and every possible outcome until I have more contingency plans than the Pentagon...because if that's not healthy I don't know what is.

Honestly though-I am so grateful for (if slightly sarcastic at) Hubby's strength and his quiet, exceedingly calm nature. He maintains balance in The Force, and it is good.

I'm running a little slow, and a little thin, but I'm trying to get 'up and around' to visit all of you. I'm trying hard to return to my normal routine-you know, for the next 11 days until The Bean is born and entirely destroys my schedule.

Just The Facts, Ma'am

This post is not going to be witty. Or well organized. Or grammatically correct. I just wanted to let you all know what is going on over here-today has been insane.

First, we found out Hubby had to work this morning, rather than working his normal graveyard shift....which meant I had to reschedule my 11:20am doctor's appointment. Except that it turns out I couldn't do that, because my doc was booked until next Monday. I was NOT going to wait, so I decided to take the kids with me.

FUN.

Actually the kids were pretty good, considering that they're little kids and all. The doctor still gave me a big lecture about how it is so much easier if I don't bring my "other children". I wanted to look at him and say, "You know? You're so right! I should have let the big one watch the little one. He's 5 now, he really should be taking on more responsibility." Instead I said nothing.

Then he checked my cervix. I have not moved one single solitary centimeter. I have not effaced a fraction of one percent. All of the pain I've been having has done, literally, nothing. Talk about wanting to scream and yell and cry. It looks like this baby will be just like the other two. Lucky me that means I'll get to hang out until the 18th like this.

Because I took the car (so that I could get all of us to the doctor's office) that meant that I had to go pick Hubby up from work. First I cruised by the house, let Baby Bug take an hour nap while I logged my complaint about unproductive labor into Twitter, and then we ran off to grab Daddy. Everything was fine. Everything was great. I mean, it was a long frustrating day, but no big deal. Hubby always makes me feel better.

After picking Hubby up, we ran into the store to grab a gallon of milk and Hubby mentioned that Baby Bug was acting weird. I told him that I'd awakened her in the middle of a nap and he said, "Oh, that must be it."

Then we drove home. We were literally in our driveway when I turned around to tell Monkey something (I have no idea what) and I saw that Baby Bug had turned blue all around her mouth and hands, and was convulsing. Her eyes were rolled back into her head and she was entirely unresponsive. We dashed her into the house and called 911. Her seizure lasted two whole minutes this time, and afterwards she was still not responding to her name and she wasn't lifting her left arm.

The paramedics came, and Baby Bug and I went by ambulance to our hospital (Hubby and Monkey followed). Her fever (which was literally non existant an hour before) was 104.8 and her pulse was well over 210bpm. She was still mostly unresponsive, and still not using her left arm.

I was hysterical. I didn't even have the ability to go into The Mommy Zone-I just bawled my eyes out. Hubby, as always, was the rock of the entire situation while they poked and prodded and hooked Baby Bug up to about a thousand monitors. They filled her to her eyeballs with medications...and then we waited.

After about two hours, her fever came down to 101.5 and she returned to normal once again. As far as they could tell, she didn't sustain any type of permanent damage from the seizure, thank God. The bad news is that they determined it was another febrile siezure, which means she did in fact have an infection (this time it was a UTI). They said that since this has happened again, it is very likely that she will continue to have febrile seizures with most if not all of her childhood infections. And since febrile seizures often occur before any other symptoms, it means that the very first indication that she is sick is likely to be a seizure. This makes me pretty much unglued. How am I supposed to help her? How am I supposed to prevent her from having seizures if I don't even know she's sick until she has one?

Where can I buy a plastic bubble?!

Hubby has remained absolutely steadfast during this whole event, and even took off work (though we certainly can't afford it) so that the kidlets I didn't have to be alone tonight. Monkey dealt with the situation well, and I am surprised but very happy that he didn't panic as is usually his tendency in stressful situations. I could not have dealt with more panic. I am exhausted. Absolutely positively exhausted to the very center of my being in every possible way-and I have completely cracked mentally and emotionally.

However the most important thing is that Baby Bug is sleeping peacefully. She is still running a 101 fever, but is on a constant med cycle that will keep it low. When we woke her up for her last dose she was happy and normal and appeared entirely healthy except for her extra pink cheeks and her hot-to-the-touch skin. She's okay. That's what matters.

I'm off to try to get some rest, even if it's not sleep. I don't know how much I'll be around in the next couple of days, but I'll keep you all updated.

In Recent News...

I did not fall off the face of the planet!

It is shameful-positively shameful-that I have not blogged in almost a year. It's not for lack of material, I assure you. In fact, I've had so many things to blog about that real life just ended up getting in the way entirely.

So what have I been doing in the last 9 months? What haven't I been doing?!

When I left you last June it was because we were trying to move. It seemed like a simple enough project, but alas-every time we managed to put together enough money for moving costs we had another unexpected and ridiculously expensive bill (isn't that how it always works?). Luckily, since we were moving toward the grandparents (who love and missed their grandchildren) they were very motivated to help us and, in a very generous gesture, offered to let us stay with them for a month to save a little extra money for move in costs to our new apartment.

It was a completely doable plan...until Hubby's job (which had transferred him to our new location) surprised him by cutting his hours to 18 hours a week.

So we extended our stay with my in laws just a little bit. No problem.

Until, because of that whole economy tanking thing, the standards for credit on apartment applications seemed to jump overnight. When you already have particularly terrible credit, this is not good news. The "one month, plus a little bit" ended up becoming indefinite.

No matter how much you love your in laws this is not a good idea-and it is especially not a good idea when there is something significantly less pleasant than love between you and your mother in law. It's easy to be civil over dinner or for a few weeks, but living together for any extended period of time (especially when there is no end in sight) is....well, unpleasant.

It becomes even more unpleasant when you have to look them in the eye after living with them for nearly two months-while your husband works just 18 hours a week and you are rejected daily from apartments that cockroaches wouldn't live in-and tell them that you are pregnant with your third child. New Baby Girl~13w2d Ultrasound

I don't think I've seen anyone turn that particular shade of furious before. It was truly awesome scientific phenomena that would have been worth studying if it weren't directed at me.

Thankfully, God heard my panicky prayers and things started picking up. Hubby was promoted to a new position which guaranteed 40 hours per week, and got a little pay bump to go with it. The private owner of a gorgeous 3bd/2.5ba 1500 sqft brand-spanking-new townhouse decided that we were good, hardworking people and practically gave us the place-no credit check, no first and last months rent-just days after we were turned down on yet another 1bd/1 ba 550sq ft public housing apartment. We moved in just before Christmas, and things have been going great!
Our Pretty, Pretty Living/Dining Area

We took January to get settled in, and February was busy with prenatal appointments and celebrating Baby Bug's FIRST BIRTHDAY (I can't believe she's a year old!!), and now it's March already. I'm starting my every two week OB/GYN appointments this week, Monkey will be turning 5 next Friday and we're having his party the following Saturday, then we're having the baby shower (my first ever!) in April, and having the new baby (another little girl!) in May. While it may seem like we're still going a thousand miles an hour (and I guess I am really)
things have gotten back into a nice-busy-routine.
I'm so excited to finally be able to get all of this stuff on paper....well, you know what I mean....and I'm hoping I can visit everyone's blogs really soon.

YAY! Time to start blogging again!

New Baby Bump 27w3d(a little bit ago)>>>>