I have been job hunting, working on hand-made Christmas gifts and playing a lot of Xbox. I love that shirt, by the way. Where can I get one? =)

How, oh how on earth do you still have perfect hair even when you’re solo parenting? My husband was in charge of the kid today while I went to my office job, and I’m sporting the same ponytail I left the house in. Which is similar to the ponytail I wore all weekend when I was in charge of the kid and only got one shower in three days. I genuinely admire your commitment to personal grooming.

What are we up to? The kid is figuring out how to pull herself up using whatever is nearby – us, her bathtub, the crib rails. I suspect the cats will be next if they stand still long enough. It’s amazing how strong her chubby little legs have gotten.

Love love love the pictures of Dylan, btw. The expression on his face is priceless.

Your hair looks awesome. Damn you for reminding me of that scene in Trainspotting – GAG!
I’m in survival mode these days – week two of Extreme Body Bootcamp…at 5:30am – and I have a 6 month old who doesn’t sleep through the night, what in the HELL was I thinking?
So it’s pretty much all I can do to get through my day of bootcamp, baby wrangling, working full time from home, and oh yeah, then there’s that husband who needs attention.
Here’s hoping your next few day don’t completely suck!

Most of my time is spent making a drawing of tangled up bridges, cooking autumn-type dishes, running, worrying about money, trying not to worry about money, and playing a lot of wordtwist on FB with my brother’s ex. Good luck on the single parenting. Isn’t it about time for your week long spa trip?

The room is NOT messy!

As for my life, I have been dealing with the attitude of a 20 month old and let me just say how very over it I am.

Good luck this week! :)

Today is my first real “day off” in nearly 3 weeks. So I have been cutting flannellette into nearly 1000 3″ triangles to make a quilt… yeah, excitement, I have it. Oh and I have been watching series one of Boston Legal

You’re looking skinny in those pics. Not that you don’t always but you motivate me to get off my ass. I accidentally blogged about wanting to get into shape earlier today and then got nominated to start an online fitness tracker support thingee. Shit. Now I have to workout or people will notice.
As usual, you have some damn cute kids.

Antilope, seriously? I didn’t even know people hunted those. Let’s see, I’ve been studying, twittering, emailing, and oh, did I mention studying?
I have a question for you though! What kind of camera do you have? I think it’s a Nikon, but can’t quite tell. I’m looking to get one, but am on the fence between Nikon and Canon. Thoughts, maybe? Thank you!

Hi Linda,

I don’t want you to be lonely. I love you. And your children are to die for. I know it’s easy for me to say from waaaay over here in Boston…

My husband and I moved into our first single-family home (we had a condo before) about 2 months ago, and I have been working for HOURS every day after work and on weekends to unpack and get the place in shape. It is finally paying off…things are looking great and I am really enjoying it.

We have 1.5 wooded, peaceful acres with lots of trees, and the weather was perfect last weekend…sunny and sixties. We worked outside the whole weekend. Looking forward to a recap of that this weekend.

The in-laws (who we both enjoy very much) are coming in this week for a visit, and we can’t wait to share the new house.

Also, we’re trying to get pregnant. Currently in the two-week-wait to see if we achieved it this month.

Good luck alone with the kids!!!

I’m dealing with a 16 month old with a never-ending cold and an attitude problem, but that is totally overshadowed by the fact that I put a profile up for ONLINE DATING. Dude. I haven’t dated in 10 years. Just logging on makes me nervous. I’m beginning to think I’ll be more comfortable as a crazy old cat lady.

I have been trying to figure out Facebook. Holy smokes it makes me feel totally out of touch and old. I am not that old.

Also just trying to keep up with the kids. I mean who knew a 3 year old and a 9 month old could get into SO MUCH TROUBLE together?!?!? Sheeesh. I mean I swear they can read each others minds. They both know exactly what the other is going to do. It’s insane.

So sorry you are running solo this week.

i’ll be wishing I had one of those slugmonkeys of my own. crap. I DO want one. new chapter,toute suite. yes, I just killed someone in france with that murderation of fracais.

MMMM Antelope! Antelope steaks with biscuits and gravy for breakfast, to die for. Course my hillbilly ass family eats anything!
You and the boys are so cute, and look like you are having a good time together, although I’m sure it seems like forever on your own.
I am doing absolutely not a damn thing. Oh, except I loaded a bunch of photos on a chip for a photo frame I bought for my mom and dad’s 55th anniversary on Saturday. Can you imagine? Just shoot me.

Riley’s room is NOT messy. Charlie’s got a wadded up pair of big boy pants in one corner, a vaporizer that is probably growing mold in another, and an entire train set in the third. The fourth corner holds his Thomas the Tank Engine bed, duh.

I showed the first pic of Dylan to my husband who, after cracking up, said, “Let’s have another!”

I took Charlie to his first day at preschool today. I got to stay with him all day so I didn’t completely break down. Talk to me next Monday, tho. Good luck with the munchkins!

gack! Wyoming!

distraction:

spent the night with the boy de jour– carving pumpkins (with obama logos!), making sweet potato fries, drinking the fanciest bottle of wine in the stash and generally being all smitten-smitten-gag-me-with-a-spoon-smitten.

the next four days are ALL WORK ALL THE TIME AYEOOGA so I suppose I should get it while I can.

good luck with the boys. oh, and the zombies, of course.

Antelope? Totally yummy. Tip: If you get some that is a bit gamey, put it in the some milk to “marinate” overnight and it totally fixes it.

I’m busy trying to get details for my house-under-construction figured out: paint, tile, carpet, cabinets, etc. Tomorrow is my day to volunteer in my son’s 1st grade class and also my hubby’s birthday. So I’ve got to get his presents together and figure out if I’m making dinner or we’re going out. Not to mention the piles of laundry that are threatening my very life and the grocery shopping that needs to be done.

Hope your week goes by quickly and you find lots to keep you busy!

I’m coping with a temp job that is tolerable and a commute that is not so much. Why didn’t anyone warn me about the frickin 405?!!?

Did I mention I just moved (less than 2 months) from central CA to WA?

I’m scouring your local weather reports trying to decide what to pack for my impending visit to your fair city. While also trying to figure out what to pack for my mom, my sister and my nephew to eat on the plane. Often times, I enjoy planning the trip more than living it. I’m working on it, though.

I don’t have much to say except DAMN Dylan looks like JB! Totally. I’m sorry you’re lonely but think of it this way – you get the bed to yourself at night and don’t have to put out. That’s how I like to think of it, anyway! My husband is going away next week for nine fucking days – to the British Virgin Islands, no less. Despite my being insanely jealous and hateful about it (his best friend is getting married there) I STILL am having happy thoughts about getting my bed all to myself for over a WEEK and not having to even consider any sort of SEX. Whee! It’s like a vacation, almost. Have fun. You look fabulous.

Tonight, I’m watching as Canada gets yet ANOTHER minority government which means that the “winning” party – of 5 major national parties – doesn’t have enough seats in the House of Commons to actually, you know, pass laws or make good on any of their vague election promises. 4th election in 6 years, and minority gov’t means we’ll likely see another one in a year or so. Blergh. Also, the province that I live in?! Has been pretty much 100% Conservative for the last 35 years or so. Still that way after tonight. /rant

Otherwise: working, gestating, mothering, wifeing (?! I think I’ve earned to right to make up words if I want to, I live with a 2.5 yold and she does it all the time!), twittering and eating too much licorice.

Today I ordered my brand new MacBook. I am a PC user and I have been waiting for the Mac release for months. I am soooo excited!!!

Good luck… mad props to full time single parents. If my husband is 3 minutes late coming home from work, well let’s just say it’s not pretty. THINK: ZOMBIES, only WORSE.

I won’t bore you with plans for this week- they are probably similar to yours b/c my boys are pretty close in age to yours (who, I’m sure you’ve heard, are adorable BTW).

I just wanted to pass on a trick I recently learned with my picky eater: he will eat ANYTHING he can stab with a toothpick- chunks of meat, veggies, fruit, cheese, seriously ANYTHING. I bought the fun ones with the colored thingy on top just to sweeten the deal. If you’re still having trouble with Riley, give it a shot. Might as well capitalize on all that male aggression. (Next up: antelopes!)

That first photo had me laughing out loud. It’s too perfect.

And me? I’m smitten with a guy I met over the interwebz, and he’s flying 2700 miles to meet me next week. Don’t tell anyone, I haven’t blogged about it yet (and as we all know, it’s not official til you blog about it).

I’m in Montana, in the snow. There is SNOW. In October. Jesus christ.

Bless your heart. Thank god other people have children because that way I don’t have to. I am massaging, being sore from boxing and yoga, contemplating how to live a life that’s basically all yoga, all the time, waiting for my sort-of manfriend to come visit me from across the country so I can get some ACK-SHONE, worrying about eating too much now that I’m off my fall cleanse, feeling cold because Tucson got cold all of a sudden, writing out detox recommendations for my friends, working on other methods of income so I can spread it out over several avenues, thinking about a trip to Europe next summer to see my best friend but not sure how I’m going to do it what with taking months off to go back east and also do some volunteering in the fall, and wondering why I feel the need to plan so far in advance knowing that I’ll be laughing by the time I’m there because it never looks like you thought it would when you get there.

dude. if that room is messy, my five year olds room is something that is going to RISE UP AND EAT US at any second.

i had a baby almost 6 weeks ago! and i purchased a very pretty top today.

I’m stuck over here cleaning out my bf’s bachelor pad while his car is in the shop and he’s using mine to commute 250 miles. OMG…SO disgusting, and the things you can learn? I’m finding unopened bills from 2002 and an alarming number of unmentionables.
In comparison, Riley’s room is a picture of cleanliness and sterility!!!

I’m just about to be in the same position as you, home with 2 boys, almost the same age as yours, while my husband returns to the US for a work thing. We just moved to AU and it will be my first time alone, so I have been trying to figure out what the hell I am going to do…….hm. Not sure. SHopping and take-out sounds good. As for what I’ve been up to, just trying to make a life here for myself, and entertain 2 boys in the meantime. Not easy! Love your hair :)

OMG I love that first picture of you guys in the mirror, at first I was laughing because it looks like he is grabbing your boob. Then I noticed his face right in front of the camera, priceless!

I haven’t been up to much. The usual, work, work, work and carting Eric around to his various activities, bowling, chorus, swimming etc.
Wednesday nights my husband and I shoot trap at the local sportsman’s club, then Saturday he is taking part in an ATV ride/benefit.

I’m home recouperating from nose/nasal/sinus surgery. I’ll spare you most of the grosser than gross details, but after the past couple of days I think I can honestly say 1) I know what it would feel like to be hit in the face with a baseball bat, and 2) after sneezing I now know what it would be like to be a crime scene cleaner. Ugh.

I’m off work for an entire week, so I’m taking the opportunity between drug-induced naps to (finally) update my journal and (finally) paint my toes.

Stayed home yesterday with both kids who, miraculously, were no longer sick once they had the day off of daycare. I’m a sucker, apparently.

Also, we had the same pooping issue with my daughter and it made me insane. Finally we let her go back to pooping in a diaper and when we took diapers away again about 6 months later, she pooped in a toilet no problem. I guess she just wasn’t ready for pooping in a toilet yet, the first time around.

I have an 18 month old son, and I’m due on NYE with a little girl.. I look forward to your blogs… because I know you can get through almost any situation with a good sense of humor. Even a laugh of despair feels sort of good… Antelope? On this continent?

I do that alone parenting a lot and it’s torture sometimes. Your kids are beautiful. Kind of miss that baby stage. Except for the middle of the night waking up business!

Oh, god, my uterus – make Dylan grow faster so that he is less baby, because right now, it’s twinging MORE BABY PLEASE RIGHT NOW OMG.

Yeah, that first picture made me laugh at 6:30 this morning – something that does NOT happen very often.
This week I’m trying to get enough rest and things done because we had company last weekend and will have more this weekend, also something that doesn’t happen very much.
Also, we’re going to a Halloween party Saturday, where I will be dressed as the Cat in the Hat. Yikes.

That first picture is priceless. I love it.

Yesterday was my one-year wedding anniversary (woot!) so I celebrated by going out for a fancy dinner with my husband and attempting to eat our year-old, freezer-flavored cake.

If I told you I was on vacation the last 5 days, that might make you depressed so forget I said that. My son started WALKING the other day and you know, it’s great and all but they become little people who open cabinets and walk away with things. So I have been chasing a 13 month old around like crazy. That’s what I have been up to…

I love the referrence to Trainspotting. And to think, I had almost forgotten about that movie…thank you.

Making lots of batches of Insanely Good Pumkin Chocolate Muffins and chocolate brownies, and eating them all. I am 8 days from my due date and DONE with being preggers. Oh, and some serious nesting. The dog is on tonight’s list of things to tackle with soap and water, along with maybe my car….

Well, let’s see. I’m getting a manicure later today, I’m getting my hair cut and color Friday, I’m reading a wonderful book, and I’m leaving Saturday for a two-week cruise. See? There is some gold in the golden years.

How nice of you to ask! I’ve been doing some work on HTML email marketing and deliverability in my office life.

In my home life, we’ve given up trying to eat out with the kids unless it’s at a fast-food place, and consoling ourselves that this is just temporary.

I’m reading two novels. Ahab’s Wife (Naslund), and The Small Rain (L’Engle).

I am never going to tell my husband about this site because I always tell him that NO wife would let their husband GO AWAY on trips and leave them alone with two kids and I want him to keep believing it. You are too kind.

I am up to the same exact stuff as usual – dropping at preschool, picking up at preschool, going to therapy, not sleeping all damned night, trying to get my daughter to take a bottle, or a cup, or a freaking champagne flute of milk so she could maybe someday leave me alone. Just the usual, glamorous life.

Busy taking care of my 6 mo old and getting ready to make the transition to being office manager at my husband’s office (he’s self employed). Excited to see a friend for lunch today, especially since I get to leave the baby with my MIL.

Oh, and just signed up for a gym membership which means I need to start working out. I have to pay for something to motivate me to work out, as I hate wasting money. But I will be holding off on working out one more night because I HAVE to watch the finale of Project Runway tonight!!

LOVE the photos!!

I have been crazy busy at work, which is pretty much seeping into every other aspect of my life. So the laundry is piling up while I collapse into an exhausted heap on my couch every night. Oh, and my 9 month old daughter has started walking and also climbing on everything so I am spending a lot of time chasing her as well.

Good luck with the boys! Riley is such a sweetie!

I bought a new camera, so I’ve been obsessively taking photos of everything in my house, just to see how the different settings work.

I want a Sometimes I worry about zombies t-shirt.

Dealing with more stress than one person should. My 4th grader has decided he no longer wants to pay attention in class, do anything he’s asked to do or pass the 4th grade. Apparently, I’m supposed to MAKE him do his work so now Hubby is giving me stress. Hubby’s workplace is now closed down for the week, just like the other plant did right before they closed for good. I made a huge mistake in a class I subbed in and now I can no longer sub at that school. JUST SHOOT ME NOW.

Moving in with my future mother-in-law in an attempt to save money while simultaneously trying to figure out how to go back to school to make a better life for my kids.

In other words…not much.

Dylan is starting to look exactly like Riley, SO cute! I love your hair also!

I have been doing the usual homeschool daily grind, shopping online for Christmas (I’m determined to be finished before Thanksgiving), getting my 9 year old ready for her first Girl Scout overnight, and planning our family vacation that is, gloriously, only 12 days away!