From Inmates to Playdates

Posts Tagged ‘McResidence’

While sitting around the campfire tonight, we talked briefly about the bucket list. I don’t really have a bucket list, but I do spend a fair amount of time thinking of things I would like to do before I um, you know, pass.

This isn’t necessarily a bucket list, because? Hello? I’m already 36 and these are things I’d like to do before I’m forty, not before I’m dead but it’s certainly a list of things I’d like to accomplish before I have the birthday that comes after the thirty-ninth.

And just before the one that starts with forty and ends with one.

1. Give up my love of lists.
 
2. Lose a lot! of weight.
 
3.  Learn HTML code.
 
4. Go to Australia with McDaddy
 
5.  Get a full ten-hour night of uninterrupted sleep (without waking to pee!)
 
6. See a Broadway Show
 
7.  Share McDaddy’s love of off-roading without irrational fear or panic attack.
 
8. Own a Saturn Sky even if only for a short time.
 
9. Purchase the empty lot beside of our house so that McDaddy can have the garage of his dreams.
 
10. Finish the basement. I mean completely finished and mess cleaned up!
 
11. A new deck (We need one sooner rather than later or else we’ll have our very own drop zone!)
 
12. Worry less.
 
13. Get a full night of uninterrupted sleep.

What?

I already said that. Yes, I know. I’m just reminding you!
 
14. Go to the dentist and get a good report without getting the dreaded floss lesson. (Which means I should actually floss each. and. every. single. day. Thankyouverymuch!)
 
15. Visit Alaska
 
16. Worry Less
 
17. Get off blood pressure medicine. This could probably happen by achieving at least seven of the items on this list.
 
18. Declutterize our house completely!
 
19. Learn how to start the lawn-mower. Not cause I really want to mow, but, because its the responsible thing to do.
 
20. Find the perfect bra. Why is that we can put a man on the moon, but we can’t make a bra for every woman’s size and body shape that is comfortable?

 21. Actually pay attention every. time. someone. speaks. to. me.  {Huh, what did you say?}
 
22. Learn how to make a perfect batch of no-bake cookies just like my daddy!
 
23. Read the Bible allthewaythrough.
 
24. Have a really easy, great haircut that is easy to style.
 
25. Be free of my addiction of caffeinated Beverages {Could someone warn the folks at Dr. Pepper that in four short
years there could be a slight decline in monthly sales}.
 
26. Get rid of everything in our house that has not been touched for a year.
 
27. Let my boys be – BOYS. Without fear of injury or something worse!
 
28. Learn more about stuff I know nothing about. Knowledge regarding things like stocks and HTML Code could be very helpful to me some day!
 
29. Cook more. {Enough said}.
 
30. Buy flowers for spring and keep them alive all summer by watering them instead of depending on prayer and God to bring them back to life.
 
31. Find the perfect purse. I have purchased at least twenty perfect purses, yet, they find their way to the bottom of the purse pile when the next ’perfect’ one hops off the shelf and onto my arm.
 
32. Get rid of stuff in the loft that we have not touched since we moved here seven years ago. {Anybody out there have a need for old diaries or one or two or twenty backpacks?}
 
33. Do every. single. thing. on my long term To-Do List. Or just shred the list.
 
34. Be caught up on scrapbooks with NO pictures in the pending basket. After all, someday these boys will be grown and may actually want to take them when they leave.
 
35.  Think. Before. I. Speak. {Sweet Hallelujah, is it possible?}
 
36. Take the boys to Lake Powell to spend a week on a houseboat. We’ve made this trip twice – before kids, mind you – and it is the most relaxing vacation in one of the most beautiful places I’ve ever visited.
 
37. Have patience.
 
38. Successfully back the van into the garage on the first try. It’s been seven years – and every single time I back in crooked I think about the fact that the guy who built it, (ahem! Glen) designed it just off center. I’m sure his botched calculations are the root of the problem.
 
39. Lose FIVE! sizes. And never find them again as long as I shall live!
 
40. Change my freakin’ attitude about things I have no control over.

WHEW! It’s a really good thing I have three years, five  months, and nine days to get this all figured out. I am no doubt going to be a busy girl.

What about you? Anything you’d like to do before you hit your next ‘milestone’?

Talk amongst yourselves!

It’s Tuesday and that means it’s time for another edition of What I Learned This Week.

As always, this post will practically write itself because y’all know my fount of information will never, ever run dry.

Each week, I consider writing a nice, tidy list-free WILTW post, and then it hits me that a list is so simple. Not to mention, a good list makes me smile, so I suppose I should just stick with what works. I hope you faithful readers (all eight of you) don’t mind.

- When you are having lunch at your sweet four-year-old says something like, “Mom, this is the worst chocolate milk, EVER!” there is a pretty good chance the milk is sour.

- If you mention to the waitress that your child just drank half a cup of the “worst chocolate milk ever” she will apologize profusely and then bring him a soft drink. The thing I learned is that the restaurant may still attempt to charge you for both drinks. That is, until you get all riled up and mention the words “possibly” and “puke” before letting them know that you will not pay for either drink.

- The School Superintendent in our county is more concerned about our children not missing a day of instruction than he is in the fact that the school is filled with possibly toxic fumes from tile glue.

- That same Superintendent also finds it perfectly acceptable to house two classes totaling fifty children in the school library for three days.

- I am quite sure my hair is 74% grayer than it was this time last year.

- If Wit’s End was a real place, I’d have a second home there now thanks to the County Superintendent and his Board members.

- Cookie Crisp doesn’t really taste like chocolate chip cookies and milk.

- Our house is a fun place to hang out. Just ask any of the 312 big black stupid ants I’ve killed this week.

- Menu planning makes cooking everyday much simpler and enjoyable.

- The new nail place in the Wal-Mart has a new Deluxe pedicure that includes a hot scalding towel wrap. My legs will never be the same.

That’s it for me. What did you learn this week?

You know the drill.

I am amazed daily at the piles of junk that congregate here at the McResidence.

I began calling them drop zones because they are, well, just that. For some unknown reason, the piles? They overtake us. We drop mail, laundry, shoes, newspapers, and anything else that you can think of. The stuff sits there for days. McDaddy’s pile sits for weeks sometimes.

Our worst drop zone is the kitchen counter. See the countertop in front of the bar stools?

That area is typically (as is the case right this very minute) cluttered to capacity with all manner of junk. As I glance over there I see my purse, Stevie’s GAMEbox for Scouts, a bottle of sweet oil (for my stupid ear), Alex’s antibiotic, a carryout container of brownies, a spare iPhone battery (which the stupid guy at the AT&T store sold me even though he knew it wouldn’t work with my Otterbox; but that’s another story for another time), a Longaberger basket that needs to be delivered, my Bible study book, and a roll of paper towels.

The worst part is the kitchen counter-top is the first thing you see when you walk into our home.

That means that when people walk into our home, they are typically greeted with disaster.

Disastrous amounts of mail, school papers, church papers, announcements, PTA paperwork, Scout stuff, and anything else needing a home for an extended period of time here at our place.

Another drop zone at the McResidence is located in our bedroom. It’s a quaint Victorian bench that sits right inside of our bedroom door. The last time I could actually see the bench, it was green. At this very moment, it is piled high with clothes, store returns, a little wooden shelf, socks missing their long-lost mates, my purse, two pairs of pants that need to be altered, a Lightning McQueen, a diaper bag that I no longer need to carry, and anything else the kids or I drop there once something else peaks our interest.

It’s all very frustrating.

And really there is no excuse for it.

I’m certain the piles of stuff are happy where they are. After all, they happily cohabitate with their friends and at times I’m sure I hear the piles mocking me. Making faces at me. Talking between then about why I can’t keep the piles organized. For someone that thrives on organzation, I am powerless to keep these areas clear of debris.

For instance, if I snapped a picture right this very second of the green bench, you wouldn’t see one speck of green.

Or even the bench for that matter.

If I took a picture of the stupid green bench, it would be shameful.

I’m a sort of vigilante when it comes to the drop zones. When I can no longer handle the piles, I start swarping (McDaddy’s term for the tornado-type-cleaning  that is accompanied by a heavy sigh and the slinging of stuff) and get the piles into three or four manageable piles.

The resulting collateral damage sometimes means a cell phone bill gets tossed. Or an insurance card. Or a Scout schedule.

It’s bound to happen when you’re dealing with the mounds of madness I deal with.

With over 150 baskets in our home, there is really no excuse for the clutter.  And sadly, some of the baskets have become drop zones. When McDaddy has lost something, say, a military flash light, I might or might not suggest he rummage through a junk basket to find it.

Anything that spends too much time lying around on a counter has three choices, the trash, the toy room, or a basket.

And I suppose if the object you’re looking for isn’t found in either of those three places,  you might want to throw caution to the wind and head toward the perimeter of the green bench. There’s a pretty good chance you might find it there among its cohorts.

And I think later today I might suit up in my emergency gear and clear the perimeter.

Shoot. I might even take before and after pictures.

What about you? Got any drop zones in your house?

As always, I have learned a lot of stuff this week. However, instead of compiling another list about the stuff, I thought it might be fun to actually show you pictures of the stuff. Basically I learned that if you don’t have a lot of success in decorating, you should call in some reinforcement.

So, if you want to save yourself from reading 800 and some odd words, you can scroll down to the pictures and skip the mindless commentary. Otherwise, you may want to grab a coke and pull up a chair. As is usually always the case around here at FITP, Inc., this could get lengthy.

Remember when I wrote that McDaddy and I have been remodeling our basement, turning a second kitchen into a playroom? And then remember when I showed you the bright red and yellow wall with the wall words as a teaser? Well, I wasn’t trying to be all secretive about the rooms, its just that I didn’t want to show you the rooms until the walls were decorated.

And because I have never been much of a decorator, I was afraid to attempt it on my own. Sadly, my know-hows do not match up with my want-tos.

Don’t get me wrong. I love to shop. And I love to buy stuff. But when the time comes to actually decorate with the stuff that I’ve bought, the OCD monster rears its ugly head and then I become concerned with having everything symmetrical instead of actually taking a stab at the decorating. In other words, it’s hard for me to think outside of my OCD decorating box.

Enter my gal pals, Amy and Susan.

Amy and Susan are good friends with a good friend of mine, so by proxy they are my friends too, right?

Right.

After pulling just about every single hair out of my head trying to decide where I should put what, I broke down and called Susan to askbeg her and Amy to come over and work their magic on my walls. You see my good friend has some great walls in her home. And every time I’m there, I find myself saying, “I wouldn’t even think to put that there.” And each time, my friend replies, “I tell you its Amy and Susan. They also have great decorating ideas”. So, after a few minutes of listening to my whine, she agreed and we settled on a date. Last Thursday, they showed up on my doorstep and folks, these gals meant business. I had all of my wall stuff on display and I mentioned that the clock was purchased specifically for the wall directly over the entertainment center.

They looked each other in the eye and then at me and frankly replied, “It won’t look good there.”

Wellalrightythen.

The girls immediately went to work, nailing, pounding, measuring, and leveling.

Yes, I said leveling.

Like I said these girls meant business.

Me? My idea of decorating is ordering a bunch of gold-trimmed Home Interior stuff, eyeballing where on the wall I want the pictures and the sconces to hang all while using my other hand to poke small holes in the wall. Then, I pound the nails in like a maniac doing my best to drive the nail straight into the wall without smashing my beloved thumb.

First, can I just say that Home Interior is so yesterday. I was totally committed to pulling the stuff from the walls and dropping it off at the Goodwill. That is until Susan mentioned the words, rod and iron and paint. She snatched up those sconces and promised to bring them back once she got them painted and said that I would be surprised at how good they will look. Again, I would never think to do that.

Words cannot express how thankful I am that these gals took three hours out of their life to come over to set up my new rec room. Now, how ’bout I stop babbling and get to the pictures. I have a lot of before and afters, so I hope you’ll bear with me.

This is the way our basement looked the day after we moved into our house.

Here are the two pathetic walls before…

Pay no mind to the horrible flash photography. As if the Home Interior groupings aren’t enough.

I know. I know. I told you it was bad.

Three hours (and a recliner eviction later) here is my newly remodeled, redecorated rec room. One of the newly painted rod iron sconces will go beside the picture over the entertainment center. The other sconce will go somewhere else.

And just for the record, McDaddy hates this furniture. I purchased it while he was deployed knowing that eventually it would look awesome in this room. The new carpet and new furniture lightened the room up beautifully. (Hey, McDaddy, I told you so!) Like they say, if Mama ain’t happy, ain’t nobody happy.

But the best part?

The best part is that the walls in this rec room look fabulous.

Have a look.

That’s the clock that I purchased to go over the entertainment center. (Again, pay no mind that this picture is just slightly out of focus. I was hyped up on excitement and Dr. Pepper when I took it!) Susan suggested I paint the shelf black, but as of this writing, it has not been done.

And take a look at my absolute favorite wall….

It would never have dawned on me to hang my beloved Longaberger baskets on the wall. But I had them and they needed to be used.

Oh, and see this curio cabinet?

I was ready to get rid of it, too.

But Susan suggested we paint it, mentioning the words totally, different, cabinet. So, stay tuned for that little trick. The plan is to paint it barn red or farm red. I can’t remember.

So, that’s what I learned this week. How ’bout you?

This post has been linked to The Inspired Room.

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If you’re joining the What I Learned This Week Carnival, please remember to link to your actual What I Learned This Week post and not the home page on your blog.

Thanks to Jo-Lynne with entrusting me with the party this week.

Weeks before McDaddy left for his six month sentence deployment to Guantanamo Bay, we  made some plans involving  our basement which included some major renovations we wanted to complete. I had some grandiose idea that heading up the construction of the basement would help pass the time and that somehow, I could have it all completed before he returned.

Ahem.

That’s a little much even for me!

Shortly after that idea I discovered first hand how difficult utterly impossible exasperating it is to peel wallpaper from a wall. Wallpaper that had no desire to be separated from the wall it had been attached to for the last ten or so years.

Needless to say the removing of the wallpaper was a slow job that was not finished when McDaddy returned home. My sanity however, was finished, especially after McDaddy announced that peeling the wallpaper was not necessary because based on the shady construction of the basement walls, we should just go ahead and replace the drywall.

Alrightythen.

Sometime between the period of plotting and peeling of the paper, I was introduced to Wall Words by my URL friend, Darcie. I knew then that I wanted the Wall Words in our new area.

Even though the Great Basement Remodel of 2009 2010 is nowhere near completion, I wanted to at least share the Wall Words with you. I ordered Wall Words for the Laundry Room and for our new playroom/music room. And speaking of peeling paper off of the walls, Wall Words are pretty simple to apply. After some preliminary measuring and leveling, all you do is apply the words, rub the words and then peel the paper away.

But I will warn you though, there are colors and fonts, and colors and fonts, and colors and fonts which means that the hardest part of the Wall Words might be deciding between the colors and the fonts.

First up is the [clearly unfinished] laundry room which is actually more of a walkway between the playroom and soon-to-be-mudroom… but still, it’s where I do the laundry -

While we would never actually ‘Drop our drawers’ here (unless of course McDaddy has been working on his heap, ahem! I mean Jeep in the garage and needs to ditch the dirty clothes before entering the rest of the house), I love the saying. It makes me smile everytime I see it. The whole ‘Laundry Room – Drop Your Drawers Here’ is actually a ready-made quote from Wall Words. Don’t you just love it?

I love these daisies on the opposite wall too…

And yes, before you ask, the walls are very bright (Valspar Chickadee) and for some reason these pictures appear as though they were taken in a room full of smoke or steam.

Too bad I’m way too comfy in my big, blue, bloggy chair watching the Olympics (Oh TiVo, I do love you so!) to go back down and attempt the pictures again, so I do hope you’ll excuse the below average photography.

Just around the corner from the laundry area is the 2nd kitchen turned playroom/music room that now houses the drums, the piano and ultimately 523 versions of Lightning McQueen and his posse of course lots of  TOYS. Oh, andI still have two red mirrors to hang up but I want them to hang in a diamond shape instead of a square shape which means McDaddy will have to do some modifications to them, so I’ll post again once we get those up. (And hopefully the photography will be better!)

The picture on the wall is my favorite picture of my fellas and was taken seconds after we landed in Cuba after being away from McDaddy for over 100 days.

And my favorite part of the room, the Wall Words…

No truer words have ever been spoken written on our walls.

Very true indeed.

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And guess what? The kind folks at Wall Words Dot Com have graciously offered a $5.00 discount for any of my readers who might have some words they want to put on their walls. Just enter the code (2010JLY) at checkout.

Simple as that.

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Visit Rocks In My Dryer for other Works For Me Wednesday Posts.

I am a happy girl tonight.

The folks from Slowes, er, I mean Lowes showed up here at the McResidence with two ginormous rolls of carpet for our new playroom/rec room. Remember this red and yellow walls I showed you a few weeks ago?

Well, I learned that while the red and yellow paint does indeed look fabulous, adding the white trim will make the paint pop. And then earlier today I learned that having the carpet installed transforms the room completely. Seriously, the room looks wonderful.

Then about thirty minutes ago, I conned McDaddy into applying the Wall Words in the playroom. Great words that are so fitting for our family.

Just after that, while McDaddy showered, I decided to take matters into my own hands and hang some pictures. I am smiling just thinking about the pictures and how awesome they look hanging around in there. I don’t watch much HGTV but the room rivals (in my humble opinion, mind you) the rooms you see on that network and I’d be willing to bet that we did it much cheaper than they because we did most of the work themselves.

I would love nothing more than to post 423 pictures of the finished area but it is late and I am tired. And, on top of that, I have four boxes of girl scout cookies hiding out in the corner cabinet and I intend to show one of them some love in a bit. Taking all of that into account, I’m sorry to say that the big reveal will have to wait. And, dare I say that my mind is already racing about our next remodel project which will include new flooring in our laundry room (area?) and a newly reconditioned bathroom. After that, we’ll turn a huge junk room into a beautiful mud room which I have already decorated in my mind.

So, just to recap, I learned that fresh paint makes a room look good.

Crisp white trim makes the room look better.

Carpet, wall words and pictures make the room look better AND COMPLETE.

Oh, and I also learned that the more girl-scout cookies you buy, the more girl-scout cookies you will eat.

Just sayin.

Visit Musings Of A Housewife for more lessons learned this week.

Oh, and I also learned that when there are girl-scout cookies on the mind, it is totally possible to publish a post without giving it a title.

Ahem.

I have been a paintin’ fool the past three weeks. I’ve painted eight walls and a set of cabinets.

I don’t so much mind painting, but I’ve learned that I may not be cut out for a career in painting. I’m a messy painter, and I’m a perfectionist, so you can understand why I have such a hard time when I paint. The messiness and the perfection just do not get along well. 

I’m am so pleased with the results. For instance, we turned this plain basement wall,

Into a new playroom wall,

Painting appeals to me because I am all about immediate gratification. This wall transformed in a matter of hours. I can’t wait to get carpet down in this room so that our boys can have a bright great place to play.

Here are just a few of the things I learned about painting…

1. A ladder is no place for a clumsy girl like me.

2. If you have OCD are particular about things it will take you longer to clean your brush and roller than it will to actually paint.

3. When painting, you should have a wet rag on hand because fresh paint wipes away much easier than dry paint.

4. For every touch-up job you do, another touch-up job will present itself. Dang.

5. Painting a ceiling is much easier during the day in the natural light than it is after dark with lights shining in your eyes.

6. If you are painting the ceiling in your laundry room, it is probably a good idea to remove all dirty clothes within a 25 foot radius.

7. It is a lot easier to paint if you know the flooring will be removed and new carpet installed in weeks.

8. It takes paint rollers a sweet forever to dry

9. Instead of attempting to match a paint color to your existing wallpaper border in aisle fourteen at Lowes while your two little boys – wound up like eight day clocks – bombard you with 327 questions about why they can’t paint the playroom Jimmie Johnson blue, how much longer you’re gonna take, and where we gonna eat at?  you should choose a stack of paint color samples and examine them in the peace and tranquility of your home after the kiddos are in bed.

10. White trim will make a bright red wall pop!

How about you? What did you learn this week?

Head over to Musings of a Housewife to see what others have learned. Oh, and this post is also linked to Oh Amanda‘s Top Ten Tuesday.

Our home is a joyful place.

Except when two of its members are squabbling over the same version of Lightning McQueen.

Or the youngest of its members forgets that his teeth are only for chewing food.

Even then, the McResidence is a great place to be. Things seldomgo awry. The situation rarely escalates to a point where an adult is required to step in. Everything is so tidy, that no one ever loses anything or leaves toys lying around. Every member of this house is eager to pitch in to do his part, leaving very little work for me. And, as you might of guessed, this place runs like a well-oiled machine.

(Ahem!)

And if you were a fly on the wall, YOU WOULD NEVER hear the following statements in our home…

“Can someone please wipe my bottom?”

“Daddy” (times about 4,329)

“Mom, where is my [insert item here]“

“Mom, can I play the Wii?”, “Or the DS”,”Or the computer”

“Mom can we please watch a show?”

“Are these clean or dirty?”

“I don’t want to!”

“I can’t”

“Is it bedtime?”

“Can this be a play bath?”

“Ew, what is this stuff? Well, I don’t like it!”

“Did you remember to call the insurance company?”

“If toys are left out again, they will be put up and you won’t see them for a month!”

“Is it time to pick up Stevie?” (at least 14 times a day!)

“Mom, why do we need fingernails?” Um, good question, I really have no idea!

“Do you want me to get the spankin’ spoon?”

“Mom, are you in the bathroom?”

“Do I need my aggerly (allergy) pill today?”

“Can we take the JEEP?”

“Mom, can I wear my snow boots today?”

“I’m mad at myself!”

“Can I have a brown sugar and cimmanun poptart?”

I suspect I answer approximately 3,281 questions each day.

And, if you were a fly on the wall in our home, you would not have heard the following conversation take place three nights ago…

ME: “Alex, do not put that booger on the couch, you need to get a tissue – Alex, what are you doing with that booger?”

ALEX: “Putting it back in my nose!”

Seriously, you would NOT have heard that from my 4 year old darling boy because he always wipes his nose with a tissue.

Oh, and FYI, McDaddy and I most definitely did NOT spend another Friday night in the ER because of my stupid blood pressure.

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Visit MckMama’s place for more Not Me! Monday posts!

2009 was a tough year for me.

Ten days into the year, a good friend of mine lost his life in a head-on collision. Three weeks later, the McFamily embarked on a six-month journey that would test my emotional stability limits.

So yeah, it started out rough. In fact, just thinking about it is making me tired. (Brace yourselves people, this could get lengthy!)

*************

After a three-hour ski lesson during our annual McFamily ski trip, Stevie hit the slopes with McDaddy.

NBA hopeful, Stevie learned a few things on the court this year. (he is the one with his arms up in the air and his eyes closed!)

Instead of eating M&Ms, our boys were counting them. 185 M&Ms in each of three bowls. The boys (and their daddy) would eat one everyday signifying that another day of deployment was OVER.

On a cold, snowy January morning in Charleston, WV, the WV Air National Guard Engineering Squadron headed to Guantanamo Bay, Cuba for a six-month sentence deployment.

After six years of supporting the Huggies Empire with two boys (and a really long run at potty training with the youngest), the McFamily is finally finished with diapers.

Hallelujah. And Amen.

The McFamily is thankful for SKYPE and the web-cam which allowed them to be in contact almost daily with Daddy.

Truly, a blessed girl! Mother’s Day – 2009 

After a failed attempt at visiting McDaddy, finally, the boys and I boarded a military rotator plane in Baltimore in route to Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. Pictured here at the Baltimore Airport, the local time was 4:10 am.

After 108 days (and a search by some pretty alert drug dogs), the McBoys are reunited with McDaddy at the GTMO airport.

U.S. Naval Base Guantanamo Bay is the oldest U.S. base overseas and the only one in a Communist country. Located on the southeast corner of Cuba, the base is about 400 air miles from Miami, Florida. The terrain and climate of Guantanamo Bay make it a haven for iguanas and banana rats.

Thanks to a cheap flight, the boys and I headed North to visit McDaddy’s sister and her family. The boys enjoyed two weeks with their cousins.

After months of whining and begging, I screamed with delight as I opened my anniversary gift from McDaddy.

Hello, My Precious!

After a very l-o-n-g six-months, our boys made welcome home posters for McDaddy’s return.

While in church one evening, Stevie began to cry as he asked questions about salvation. An hour or so later, while talking to McDaddy on the web-cam, he made the decision to ask Jesus into his heart. His daddy and I were so proud and so happy that he made the decision to worship and live for Jesus.

With tears in my eyes, I watched as McDaddy’s plane arrived from Cuba.

Shortly after, The McFamily headed out in their Summer home camper and did not return for two weeks.

And if by some chance, y’all are still reading, bless your souls.

After seven years of constant mothering and homemaking, I found myself wondering what in the heck I would do with myself 2.5 hours a day, three days each week, while my sweet Alex attends Pre-School.

My favorite Superheroes!

Alex turns 1,460 days (give or take a day because y’all know that my math skills stink!)

The newest Jimmie Johnson fan celebrates his seventh birthday vowing that seven will make him stronger and faster.

And finally, (after this extremely long post) the McFamily celebrates Christmas.

Head over (if you haven’t abandoned this post) to I Should Be Folding Laundry for more You Capture – Favorite Picture posts.

I was totally prepared to compile an extremely long list of things I learned this week.

Then, I visited Jo-Lynne to grab her link and discovered that she will not be doing a Things I Learned This Week post. I thought I might still post my own Things I Learned This Week because? Did you hear me when I said extremely and long?

I was serious about that.

But I thought about it for a second and decided that I could wait a week and post an extremely long honkin’ list of stuff next week instead.

So.

That decision means that I must come up with something else for today because the eight of you that stop by every morning ready to claim your daily dose of crazy would no doubt show up on the Inmates To Playdates doorstep and be highly disappointed if I didn’t post today.

So.

Man, did I mention that I come from a long line of loud talkers?

I basically said all that to say that I’ll be posting a list of Things I Hope To Do instead of Things I Learned this week.

THINGS I HOPE TO DO TODAY

Take the boys to see the new Chipmunks movie.

THINGS I HOPE TO DO NEXT MONTH

Help McDaddy finish the great basement remodeling project of 2009 2010 (I realize this might be a lofty ambition especially since McDaddy will be doing 94% of the work!) The other 6% excites the crap out of me (picking paint colors, carpet choices, painting, and rearranging the furniture!) though.

Clean out every! basket! in! this! house! (All 137 of them)

Clean out every drawer, cabinet, and closet at the McResidence getting rid of things that we no longer need/want, then taking the stuff to the Goodwill.

Renew my Y membership so that I can,

Reacquaint myself with the treadmill.

Rekindle my relationship with the elliptical

and Relight the fire within me to take off excess pounds.

THINGS I HOPE TO DO NEXT YEAR

Lose at least 40 pounds.

Find a hair gel and hairspray that I can’t live without. (Any suggestions?) I know this seems silly but it is so true!

Be in my bed ready to sleep by midnight every night!

Work on my stupid temper.

Try not to use the word stupid when I get frustrated or aggravated. (Just keepin’ it real!)

Now, where to start?

I’ll try to keep you posted throughout the year to update you on my progress!