Wednesday, June 27, 2012

Wordless Wednesday: Natural Beauty








Tuesday, June 26, 2012

Crazy People at 3am

My sister-in-law came over last night to hang out.  It's been awhile since she's been off of work and actually had time to, because whenever she's over she usually spends the night.  We had fun looking at things for her wedding, and going through my AVON brochures, which we could both do for hours.  I was telling her about the amazing uses of coconut oil and about my giveaway (isn't it a shame, no one in my family reads my blog.  It's just all you people!).  TJ and Lexi came over and we played a game of Quelf, which, if you haven't played, you should!  Especially if you've had a drink or two.  It's a completely random board game, and sometimes it pushes you out of your comfort zone, so a drink is recommended, but good friends are a must!

We ended up playing until about 1am until TJ and Lexi left.  Then we stayed up a bit more because I had to to tweak my first Avon order and s?"my very first one!  I wanted to make sure it was done correctly).  Finally we all went to bed around 2am.  Now, you should know by now that we only have a small apartment, so when Nicole stays over, she sleeps on the couch.  A little after 3am she comes in our room and wakes us up because someone was knocking on our door!  We never would've heard it, they were knocking so softly, but Nicole sure did.  I got up and peeked out of the peephole and saw that it was a chick, much shorter than I am, so I didn't feel the need to drag Eric out of bed (would definitely have made him put some clothes on if it turned out to be a guy).  I opened the door a crack and there's this lady with an armful of shoes, like... seriously a TON of shoes.  I don't even know how she knocked because she was carrying so many shoes.

"Is this Daisy's house?"

"NO this isn't DAISY'S house!!!"

(LOL as I'm typing this up, Daisy herself is walking by the window.  I may need to have a chat with her about her middle of the night crazy ass guests.)

The lady apologized, and really seemed to mean it.  As I closed the door I heard her drop a bunch of the shoes.  I went back to bed, mumbling about crazy bitches and shoes.

In the morning, Nicole told me that she knocked a second time later in the night (later in the morning?)!  She just yelled "It's the wrong door!" and the lady apologized again.

So.. the thing is, Daisy moved.  She used to live in the corner of our building in the basement.  In the *corner*.  We live in the basement also, but in the exact middle door.  Now that she's moved, she's still in the corner, but of a completely different building.  WHY, if you're having guests over in the MIDDLE OF THE NIGHT, wouldn't you make absolutely certain they knew where you lived?!

And, hate to admit it, but since we're on the basement level we keep a bunch of outside toys under the stairs by our door.  I mean, bikes, wagons, a couple of sand toys.  Most people don't have nearly as much junk outside their door, so the second time around, don't you think she would have realized it?  UGH!  Crazy bitch.

So, yeah, that was my night.

Right now though, I am super excited to be getting my first Avon order.  From what I understand it will ship tomorrow and get here before the weekend.  Hurrah!  I had less orders than I wanted, but at the same time, a LOT more than I realistically expected.

Monday, June 25, 2012

The Tooth Fairy Will be Coming Soon!

On Friday Luke and Matt were eating apples.  Matt said "Ow, my teeth hurt!"

Uh-oh, I thought, he's finally going to lose a tooth!  As it turns out, BOTH bottom front teeth are loose and as I looked into his mouth I saw *gasp* that his big teeth are already growing in behind them!  I did, in fact, gasp out loud, and I scared him a little bit.  Must keep reactions to yourself, Nicole!  I calmed him down, but I was still worried.  Two phone calls later, one to my mom, and one to my mother-in-law, I was reassured that it was nothing to be too worried about, and I didn't need to rush him to the dentist right that minute.

You know, I didn't cry at his kindergarten graduation, I was way too excited.  After I wiggled those teeth though, I felt like crying immediately!  It was like a train just hit me.  Where did my baby Matt go?  I can't believe how quickly he's grown up, and since Luke was born, how much of it I was too distracted to truly appreciate.  I love this kid to death, and it's quite a blow to realize that he doesn't need me as much as he used to.  This is how baby fever starts!  LOL but, no, I really just want to be able to sit back and watch him become a big kid.  

So anyway, it looks like the tooth fairy will be coming to town very soon!  I would love if you'd share your tooth fairy adventures with me!  I'm thinking since this is the first time, and there's probably going to be two teeth involved $5 will be what she leaves.  What do you guys think?

And, because we were being super silly with my mother-in-law's new webcam, I'm posting some pictures...

AND, don't forget to enter for your chance to win that Tropical Traditions Coconut Oil!




Favorite!





Friday, June 22, 2012

Tropical Traditions Virgin Coconut Oil Giveaway

Here it is! You've read about my experience with Tropical Traditions' Gold Label Virgin Coconut Oil (or, if you didn't, you can by clicking the link above).... now you have a chance to win one for yourself!

Gold Label Virgin Coconut Oil - 32 oz.Win 1 quart of Gold Label Virgin Coconut Oil!
Tropical Traditions is America’s source for coconut oil. Their Gold Label Virgin Coconut Oil is hand crafted in small batches by family producers, and it is the highest quality coconut oil they offer. You can read more about how virgin coconut oil is different from other coconut oils on their website: What is Virgin Coconut Oil?

Tropical Traditions also carries other varieties of affordable high quality coconut oil. Visit their website to check on current sales, to learn about the many uses of coconut oil, and to read about all the advantages of buying coconut oil online. Since the FDA does not want us to discuss the health benefits of coconut oil on a page where it is being sold or given away, here is the best website to read about the health benefits of coconut oil.

Enter below!  Remember: you can tweet about this giveaway once every day for an extra entry!
a Rafflecopter giveaway

Thursday, June 21, 2012

Tropical Traditions Virgin Coconut Oil


About a month ago I signed up to receive a jar of Tropical Traditions Coconut Oil.  The very generous folks over there kindly sent one to me!  Since then I've been using it in a number of ways and I have to say, I love it!



Ways I've used coconut oil:
  • facial moisturizer- I've been applying it to my face right out of the shower, concentrating especially on the area under and around my eyes.  I've noticed a more youthful appearance around them.
  • lip balm- It made my lips soft and smooth.
  • every where else moisturizer- Again, right out of the shower I use it to moisturize my entire body.  It works just as well as any other lotion I've ever used.
  • make-up remover- I use waterproof eyeliner and coconut oil had no trouble softening it up and making it easy to remove.  
  • deodorant- Yes, I even tried it as a deodorant, and tested it out by taking a walk downtown on a pretty warm day and even wearing it to work.  I know what I smell like when I sweat.  Using coconut oil as a deodorant definitely worked!  Even after hours walking in the sun and a full work shift, I had no B.O.!  I still sweated, because of course it's not an antiperspirant, but as far as keeping my pits from stinking, I give it an A+
  • butt stuff- I used it for Lucas' diaper rash.  He's always hated it when I applied diaper rash cream, and to be honest, I hate it too.  It's so thick and it sticks to my fingers.  I put some coconut oil in a baby food jar and stuck it in the basket with his diapers and wipes and started using it regularly.  His rash cleared up after a few days, but even while he still had it, it didn't seem to bother him as much.  He actually grabbed the jar every time I changed him and asked me to give him his "butt stuff!"
  • skin condition- I had a weird itchy, rough, and scaly patch on my elbow for weeks before I got the coconut oil.  I started rubbing it on my elbow daily and it was gone within a week.
  • bug bites- I put it on Matt's bug bites when they were itchy.  It seemed to work for him, but it's hard to tell for sure.
  • coffee- I stirred a spoonful into my coffee one morning.  I really couldn't taste the difference, but the oil spots floating in my coffee kind of turned me off to it.  It's something that I could probably get used to, if I did it more often.
  • brownies- I used coconut oil to grease the pan, and then I used it in place of the vegetable oil that the box called for.  Since it was still solid, the batter was a little thicker and more difficult to mix and spread in the pan than it would've been with vegetable oil, but other than that, they turned out great!  They had a very slight coconut flavor to them, which I totally see as a bonus!
  • margaritas- my friend and I were trying to rim our mango margaritas with sugar, but we didn't have any lemons or limes... so we used coconut oil to make the sugar stick to the glasses.  SO GOOD!  The flavor worked especially well with the mango.

 Things to keep in mind

  • When you get your coconut oil, it will be solid, but it will liquify at 76 degrees Fahrenheit.  Mine completely liquified and I put it in the fridge, because I like the texture that it is at room temperature, but not so much when it's liquid.  When I took it out of the fridge it was really REALLY solid.  It was actually too solid to scoop any out with just my fingers.  I would recommend keeping it out of the fridge.  
  • If you choose to cook with it, keep in mind that the virgin coconut oil WILL have that coconut scent and flavor.  Tropical Traditions green label coconut oil would be a great substitute for every day cooking.
  • It's *oil*.  When you use it for your skin or hair, you really don't need a lot.  I like to put a lot on my legs, because it makes them look kind of shiny, but I put a much smaller amount on my face.
  • If you're going to be using it for something kind of gross, like baby butts or athlete's foot, put a small amount in a baby food jar just for that reason.  You don't want to be dipping your fingers in it while doing those things, and then later putting it on your face or in your food.  Just saying!
For more ways to use coconut oil and lots of recipes, visit Tropical Traditions website!

**Disclaimer: Tropical Traditions provided me with a free sample of this product to review, and I was under no obligation to review it if I so chose.  Nor was I under any obligation to write a positive review or sponsor a product giveaway in return for the free product.

Monday, June 18, 2012

The Newest Avon Lady

On Friday I did something I never thought I'd do.

Yes, I signed up for Avon.  Eric suggested it, and I was thinking about it, but I wasn't sure if I was ready to take on a home business.  Who would I sell to?  I don't have any friends!  Well, he went and entered our contact information anyway.

I first got a call some time last week.  I was caught off guard!  I couldn't commit to this without actually giving it some thought, so I told the woman that I wasn't interested right now and that was it.  Then on Thursday her District Manager texted me wanting to know if I was sure I wasn't interested.  At this point I'd had a couple of days to think it over so we made an appointment.  I figured, why not?  It only cost $10 to get started, and I got plenty of brochures to get me on my feet.

I am more excited than I thought I'd be!  The girls at work are all excited.  A few used to sell or used to buy regularly, but they hadn't had an Avon lady in a while.  Instant customers!

Everyone knows someone who's sold Avon.  If you are a rep, or used to be, I'd love to hear your tips and advice.  And if you'd like to browse the current brochure, you can do so by visiting my eStore www.yourAvon.com/NicoleH

So this week I'm going to be working on a new page for the blog that will highlight what's new and on sale in the catalogs.  I'd love it if you guys would check it out when it goes up, and to revisit frequently!

Thursday, June 14, 2012

Living in Sin

If you've ever gone and clicked on the "My Family" tab at the top of this page, then you know that Eric and I aren't married.  We live together.  We have two children together.  We've spent nearly every moment of the past eight years together.  But no, we're not married.

We get a lot of "Why aren't you two married yet?" or "When are you ever going to get married?"

::shrug::  Does it matter?  I am not against marriage.  I don't not believe in marriage.  I support straight marriage, gay marriage, even polygamy!  As long as it's between consenting adults, and the basis is love, have at it!  Who am I to judge?   I feel that I *am* married.  I have committed myself to this person that I'm sharing my life with.  He's committed himself to me.  Isn't that what marriage really is?  I've had arguments (online, of course, where we are all brave enough to say what we really feel) about the instability of live-in relationships.  I've been told that without a marriage license, there's nothing to prevent one of us from waking up one day and saying, "You know what?  This sucks, laters, baby!" 

What the what?  There's *nothing* preventing one of us from leaving?  Eight years of our lives, two children, all of the experiences we've shared, spectacular highs and miserable lows, memories we've made... they can't stand on their own without a marriage certificate?  It's laughable, really.  You'd think if one of us was going to leave we'd have done it by now.

Another favorite of mine: why buy the cow when he's getting the milk for free?  Let me correct the two assumptions you've made in that one sentence.  It isn't because of Eric's unwillingness that we're not married yet.  It it were up to him we'd have been in and out of the courthouse years ago.  When we do get married, and we will, eventually (because I do want his last name), I want it to be a memorable celebration of our relationship.  Getting married in a courthouse sounds... sterile.  Unimaginative.  I'd rather get married in a chapel in Vegas than go to my county courthouse.  Also, he isn't getting anything for free!  Apart from some recent months of unemployment, he's provided for us the best he's been able this entire time.  He loves our boys.  He unclogs the toilet and fishes my hair out of the drain.  He kills spiders!  He organizes Nerf battles.  He knows when I need a cuddle and that sometimes, letting me cry it out is the best bet (especially while pregnant).  He has endured sleepless nights and endless days with a fussy newborn.  He stands by me through thick and thin.  He is my husband in every way.  Except one.  To too many people, that's the only way that matters.  I see "officially" married couples living miserable existences together, barely tolerating each others' company, sniping at each other daily, etc.  Are their relationships more valid than ours because they got married and we didn't?  I don't think so.
 

I've even been wearing a ring this whole time.  Our first Christmas together I got the gold ring you see at left: 10k yellow gold with 10 small cubic zirconia.  Two years ago as a combined Valentine's/ anniversary present I got the upgrade: 14k white gold with 13 small diamonds totaling 1/4 carat.  I love them both.  I keep the old one on my necklace with my birthstone babies, because I never want to get rid of it!  So, yes, I let people assume I'm married.  I don't correct them unless they ask a question like "How long were you together before you got married?"  Then, yes, I have to backpedal a little bit and re-explain myself.

My rings, just like a marriage (to me) are symbols of my love and dedication.  The only thing I have to complain about is that while I wear a ring on my fourth finger, Eric does not.  I've never known his size!  So guess what he's getting for Fathers' Day.  Yes, a ring.  A symbolic representation of our relationship.  I let him pick it out, and it's on its way from Amazon.  Titanium and cubic zirconia.  Maybe in five years or so I'll buy him an upgrade.

Tuesday, June 12, 2012

Wordless Wednesday: After Bedtime


Sugar in the Keyboard

Yep.. I woke up on Saturday to find that Lucas had gotten hold of the bag of sugar that I stupidly left out on the kitchen counter the night before.  What did he do with it?  Dump it all over the coffee table, floor, and couch.  What was on the coffee table?  My wireless keyboard. 

We only catch WiFi if the laptop is sitting on the windowsill, so we hook it up to the TV and use wireless mouse and keyboard so that we don't have to stand at the window every time we need to type something.  Which is exactly what I'm doing right now!  Blah!

I *did* find the battery to my camera!  It was in one of the pockets of my gliding chair.  I could have sworn I'd looked there before, but hey!  I have it now, and I'm happy.  What makes me even happier is that.... I found out that Eric is getting me a new camera for my birthday in September.  :D  He won't tell me which one, but he wanted to make sure I still wanted a new one after I found the battery.  Of COURSE!  I'm still having issues with this one, the cover for the battery is broken, and I'm having the same issue as the old one where it won't save the date.  So I'm pretty happy.

Summer vacation hasn't been too exciting yet.  The weather is so wishy washy.  Sunny one minute, rain the next.  It's hard to keep them both entertained in the house.

That's all.  Nothing exciting means not much to blog about.  I have a lot of reading to catch up on, though!

Wednesday, June 6, 2012

Tuesday, June 5, 2012

House Hunting

On Sunday a friend of mine from work showed me a house on her phone.  It was $79,000 for three (small) bedrooms, a full basement, a decent sized yard (with swingset), storage shed, and central A/C.  It got me thinking.

Eric and I have been together for 8 years.  We've rented the entire time.  Now, how are we supposed to afford a house when we can't even afford a car?  I know.  Our credit is atrocious, we have nothing saved up, and in general we've been pretty unstable financially for our entire adult lives.  I'm tired of it. 

Now that Eric is working all I want to do is catch up on the bills that have piled up and SAVE!  We usually get a pretty decent sized chunk for our tax returns so I'm thinking if we can put the bulk of it in a savings account and NOT TOUCH IT, in 3-5 years we could have a decent down payment for a little starter house.

I already found the perfect one!  I know that it won't be on the market by then, but I had fun looking.  It's not my dream home: I'm more of a realist than an optimist.  My dream home definitely doesn't involve being attached to my neighbors.  It's cute though, and I think it has a lot of character.  It's also pretty close to where we're already living, so Matt wouldn't even have to change schools if we moved in.

  Here's the front.  It's the half on the right that's for sale.  It looks like the neighbors take good care of their half.  I can't stand it when I see half-doubles (as they're called here) with one side looking nicely kept up, and the other side in utter disrepair..

Look at this front porch!  The stonework is beautiful!  Eric and our friends decided that old people live there right now, based on the floral cushioned wicker couch lol.
There's a lot more to the first floor than this, but I thought this shot had the broadest perspective.  I'm not in love with hardwood floors, call me crazy, but I don't think I'd mind them.
I love, love, LOVE this kitchen!  Look at all of those gorgeous cabinets!  I like that they don't reach the ceiling: space for decorative plates or vases.  The floor is black and grey checkered, which I like, and of course I love the island!
Here's what looks like the master bedroom.  I really like the color.  The listing says that there are 5 bedrooms, but that's misleading.  There's one really narrow room with a ton of windows, like a small sun room, that I think they include in the five.  From what I can tell, there are two actual bedrooms, and then the attic is finished, so that would make three plus... random extra space. 

The back deck just might have been what pushed me over the edge in falling for this house completely.  From other pictures it looks like the roof of it already has wisteria growing all over it, which is one of my favorite vines.  The deck is big enough for a grill, table and chairs, and it just looks like a really cool place to sit and chill out while the kids are playing in the yard. 

So there you have it, my modest little dream realistically affordable starter house.  You can see the rest of the pictures on the listing, if you'd like. 

Oh, and what does Eric think?  He thinks it looks too cluttered and he's not in love with the deck.  He's hardly ever home anymore, so how much say does he actually get?  We can't even agree on a comforter, but I can be pretty pushy if I need to be!

Monday, June 4, 2012

Not Much

I don't really have much to say today, and I don't have a lot of time to do it.  Matt will be home from school any minute.  I totally forget he has half days this week, so it's a good thing it's raining and I didn't decided to go out for a walk or anything!  I was headed over to the laundry when the high school bus stopped, and if I hadn't seen that, I would have been mighty surprised when Matt walked through that door!

Congratulations to Trisha, the winner of my first giveaway!  A big thank  you to everyone who entered!  I appreciate the new followers.

I got my jar of Tropical Traditions Coconut Oil on Saturday and I've been using it for just about everything, skin care-wise.  I'm not much of a baker (anymore) but before I post the review I do want to cook with it at least once.  So give me about a week or so and that will be up and you can have your chance to win your own jar.

I hear the bus, so let me just leave  you with what we're having for dinner tonight: bacon wrapped apple bbq chicken!  It's in the crock pot, which automatically makes it perfect for a rainy day!

You can find the recipe here.

So that's it!  Happy Monday everyone!

Saturday, June 2, 2012

I Scream, You Scream!

I didn't do too much screaming today, but Lucas sure did! 

A friend of mine, my boys, and I went up to the school (for the third day in a row, by the way) for their annual Ice Cream Social today.  It wasn't quite ice cream weather (and it certainly wasn't dunk tank weather, poor Mr. Yanders!), but it was warm with a nice cool breeze.  We paid for our ice cream tickets and instead of eating hot dots first for lunch like I had planned, we just ate ice cream instead.  Skipping meals in favor of treats isn't something I usually condone, but I let it slide today.  They got the ice cream from a local small business called  The Purple Cow Creamery.  Their ice cream is fantastic! 

There weren't as many people there as I thought there would have been.  Seems like there were more kindergarten families, but we didn't get there right when it started so the first wave might have already left.  As soon as we were (mostly) done with our ice cream, Matt ran right over to the playground, and Lucas followed right behind him.  I was a little nervous because usually when we go to the playground there aren't many other kids around.  It's not Lucas that worried me, it was the safety of everyone around him!  My little guy is pretty rough and tumble, and he doesn't have any manners yet.  Luckily there were no incidents.  At the playground, anyway.

The real fun started when I took Luke away from the slides.  I wanted to go wait on line at the bouncy obstacle course.  I stood in line with him, took off his shoes, got cut in front of by at least three little kids, and got maybe four people away when I noticed that they had a measuring stick.  Not like, a yard stick.  More like a piece of plastic pipe with a green tape mark.  A "must be this tall to ride" stick.  All of this time Luke was crying and carrying on.  He didn't want to wait in a line!  He didn't want me to take his shoes off!  Then, we got so close, and he really *did* want to bounce, and I took him away!  More tears, tantruming, and head throwing ensued.  And you know what?  As I passed the lady holding the stick I realized that it hadn't been on the ground when I first saw it.  Duh!  So, yes, Luke was plenty tall enough to go through it.  So... I took him back to the line and we went through the whole process again.  Screaming.  Crying.  Tantruming.  Finally, FINALLY it was his turn.  The lady kindly offered to go through with him, or to at least help him over the first wall.  Well, he wouldn't have any of that.  He wasn't really all that interested in climbing the wall in the first place.  He was there to *bounce*.  And lady, sorry, but you're not his mommy and he didn't want anything to do with you either.  So... in the end I had to pull him back out of the the thing while he recommenced screaming, crying, and tantruming.  No one offered me any parenting awards today. 

To get his little mind off of the bouncy obstacle course (where Matt spent the next hour, running back in line the moment he got through) I took him over to where there were a pile of hula hoops.  Have I mentioned before that this child loves hula hoops?  He was finally playing nicely when a boy, maybe second grade, came over with his slightly older sister and mom.  Luke didn't want to share at first, but settled down when he saw the boy laying the hoops on the ground and jumping into them one by one.  Little Boy didn't like the way Luke kept picking up the hoops though, or the way he tripped over them and moved them out of position.  Or the way he didn't jump them in order.  The situation kept devolving, with Little Boy throwing himself on the ground and kicking his feet.  A classic two year old move, but not quite so acceptable from a second grader.  They decided to move on, and I decided to try to get Lucas to take a nap in his stroller.  HA!

I was ready to leave, so I hunted Matt down and told him that it was just about time to go.  He begged to try to dunk Mr. Yanders (the assistant principal) before we left.  So we stood in line for that.  Luke was a little calmed down by then, getting snuggly with his blankie, so it was no big deal.  While he was on line I saw Samantha's mom.  We figured out that we live pretty close to each other, within walking distance!  So we agreed to try to get together sometime soon.  By the time Matt got his chance at the dunk tank, it wasn't Mr. Yanders, but Ms. Piazza (the principal) sitting on the platform. 

Matt did his best, and he even hit the target once!  He just wasn't strong enough to activate the lever.


For the most part, I'd say we had a good time.  On the way home Matt somehow scratched his leg enough for it to bleed, and he's not good with blood so there was a little panicking.  My friend and I got him through it without having to carry him piggy back down the hill.  Once we were right outside the door and I was digging for keys, Matt's friend that lives here came over.  I told him to be tough about his cut and not whine about it in front of his friend, and he did good.  Unfortunately, we learned that his friend is moving away and we're not sure where.  Six year olds aren't the best sources of information after all.  So Matt is pretty sad about that, but hopeful that he'll be able to see his buddy next year at school.

Two more things, and them I'm done!  I saw the chick with the pink hair again.  I didn't recognize her at first, because today it was purple.

And this picture, this one right here... I am under strict orders NOT to post it to Facebook.  She never said anything about my blog though!

Friday, June 1, 2012

I Want to be More of a Cougar

Wait.. not *that* kind of a cougar!  

My son's school's mascot is a Cougar, and today was Cougar Day, basically a field day for the kids.  Lucas acted up at every opportunity: running onto the field during crab soccer, stealing hula hoops from the girls, throwing tantrums when I picked him up... typical two year old stuff. 

Matt seemed to have a lot of fun, but he really sucked at crab soccer!  Probably because he was actually doing the crab walk with a few other stragglers, while the rest of the class just scooted on their behinds, giving their mothers grass stains to deal with, I'm sure.  He did really great in the obstacle course, and loved the tug of war.  I'm glad I got to see it, and I'm sorry that I don't have any pictures.  The batteries died in my crappy camera.  AGAIN.  I've changed the batteries twice already this week, and I'm just about fed up.  If anyone knows of a blogger doing a camera giveaway, please, PLEASE let me know! 

While we were there I saw Samantha's mom.  Samantha is the (only) little girl that came to the boys' birthday party at BounceU.  We talked for a bit.  At yesterday's graduation there was a slide show, and one of the pictures was Matthew and Samantha in a little play house, peeking out the door together.  Too freakin' cute!  So we talked about that.  And some other random, insignificant stuff.  And all the while I'm thinking, how can I be friends with you?  She just seemed to be talking to everyone and I felt like such an outsider. 

In the beginning of the school year I signed up for the PTA.  I missed the very first (out of only 3!) meetings because that's the night I had to rush Lucas to the hospital.  Thanks to my work schedule, I missed the following two meetings as well.  And also thanks to my work schedule, and having Lucas around, I was never able to volunteer during any events.  So basically, I don't know anyone involved with the PTA.  I didn't make any mom friends this year at all.

There were some really cool looking moms there.  One in particular had long hot pink hair, wore her Cougar Day 2012 shirt off the shoulder, and her son's hair was cut in the coolest mohawk I've ever seen.  I want to be friends with her!  Then there was the class mom ( I guess) who seemed to know all kinds of things about Matthew and was really really sweet.  I'd be friends with her, too! 

So what's the problem?  I used to be really outgoing, never had a problem making friends.  Now I barely have any.  We've lived here for four years, so my "we're new" excuse is waaay expired.

The problem is... I'm really embarrassed by how poor we are.  That's it, people, that's why I don't pipe up like I normally would have. 

  • Our apartment is kind of small.  And the furniture doesn't really match.  And there's stuff and clutter all over the place.  Seriously, who has a deep freezer and an empty grandfather clock cabinet in their dining room?  So there isn't much space for playdates.
  • I live in the projects.  Not really, but apparently they used to be, because when I tell people where we live they always say "Oooohhhh, in the projects!  I know where you're talking about."
  • We don't have a car.  "Why don't you meet up with us at (where ever)?  It would be fun!"  "Sounds awesome!  Think there's enough room for me and two extra boosters in your car with you and your kids and your boosters?"  Or, perhaps, "Do you know if there's a bus stop near there?"
  So when I gave Samantha's mom the free passes for BounceU that I've been saving for her since the party, and she suggested we take the kids there all together, I had a mini panic attack in my head.  Yes, that sounds like it would be so much fun, but how the hell would I get there?  I told her I'd Facebook her about it. 

At least now I have a new Facebook friend.

And maybe it's not so bad as I'm making it out to be.  There are places we could meet that I could easily walk to, including the pool and the Crayola Factory (where we haven't been yet).  Maybe I just need to be more creative.  And since Eric started his job and I don't work the weekdays anymore maybe next year I *will* be able to participate more in the PTA.  I *will* be free to volunteer for evening events.  I *will* get to know all the cool moms there, and hopefully the chick with the hot pink hair.