It's that time of year again! @VeraBradley #vbos

So for the second year in a row, I hauled myself out of bed much much too early in order to attend the Vera Bradley Sale..

Last year I may have went a little over board.  I bought something for Everyone and then a few things.. Plus then I got stuck with some extra stuff that people specifically asked me to buy for them and then backed out of reimbursing me for it.  Not nice.. Not nice at all. 

So this year I bought just for me.   Ok I lie.  I bought one for my younger niece (late bday).   I bought one for my dearest friend, Ms. Polish - and she's lucky I love her so much because the pattern she picked was hard as heck to find!!  Luckily a friend with me found it while going thru the recycle bins. 

Wait let me explain because that sounds odd.   When you go to the VB outlet sale- you walk in and they hand you one (or more) huge pink trashbags.  Then you basically run to the tables and start looking.  As you are browsing, if you see absolutely anything that you even think you might like you shove it in your pink trashbag.  If you hesitate, it most likely won't be there when you come back.    When you are done, you stand along the walls (because if you sit the "safety police" will come yell at you) and go thru your pink trash bag and take out what you've decided you really didn't want.  You toss it into either grocery carts at the end of the tables or these HUGE cardboard boxes.  The VB ppl come thru and go thru all that continuously and put it back on the tables in the correct places.   It's actually a very nice system. 

So anyways.. A friend found me the awesome black & white pattern that Ms. Polish was hoping I'd find for her.. Yes!! Score!  

I found this adorable print that I fell in love with.  Only problem?? I could only find it in a little purse which normally doesn't suit me.   

Isn't it absolutely adorable??  I bought it for Drama Queen.   She is appropriately appreciative. 

Then I found a cute summery pattern for me.  Just what I needed!! 

I'm really loving it! Can't wait for summer now :)  I even got the matching wallet :)

I also got this tote to use for a diaper bag.. I already had the itty bitty purse from last year..

Quite honestly I had a huge duffel bag full of purses but slowly weeded thru them and only ended up with these few things.   But it was worth it.  It was just so much fun to hang out with the other 3 girls and see what everyone got.   It's not about the purses to me.  It's about the quality girl time our little group gets to spend.. waiting in line for hours to get in.. the mad rush of shopping.. waiting in line to get out.. going home and dumping our bags to pour thru what we bought.  We had a blast and that's what really matters.

And now, the countdown til #VBOS2012 !!

xoxo,

To My Sixteen Year Old Self

So everyone is doing it, heck it was even a thing on twitter  and I'm nothing if not a follower.

~*~*~*~*~

Sixteen, my god that seems like a lifetime ago. 

First of all, girl you are not fat. What I would give to have that body again now. Be proud of what you've got.  You might not see it now, but one day you'll have a daughter who looks just like you and you'll see how beautiful she is, which will reflect just a tad bit back to you.. I can't stress this enough. You are you, be happy with who you are.

This is The year.  You'll meet HIM.  Meet him and fall madly in love.  You've got a lot of tears coming this year, try not to let it bother you so much.  It's hard to believe but give it a year- year & half and he will pick you.   Don't let his initial rejection kill you this time. 

You know this, but quit trusting Mouth.  She always pretends to be friendly and ALWAYS goes after anyone you show the slightest interest in.  Yes, he'll date her. No, he won't sleep with her (or at least that's what he says).  He won't stay with her long.  In the end, he's yours and always will be.  Just be patient, when you finally give up and accept just being friends- that's when he'll look at you differently.  I can't explain it, it's just how it happens. 

Next year, oh do I have advice for you.. But that will have to wait.

Hugs from the other side, 

Over-sharing

I did something new this year.

Something well out of my comfort zone.

I joined MOPS.  (Mother's of Preschoolers- not people with a secret mop fetish or addiction)

For one thing I'm not a "churchy" person.  I have my beliefs but don't like them forced down my throat by others (doesn't always happen but that's been my experience with "churchy people").   Mops is held at a church, most people attending also attend church although it's not a requirement (I asked.. lol).

For another, I'm not really a very outgoing person. In fact, I tend to be shy and withdrawn - shocked, I know!  Kinda funny for someone who writes her thoughts out there for anyone to see and is read by 10s of people monthly!

I actually thought about joining last year. Many of the other moms from preschool attend and it had been mentioned a time or two.. I never got up the nerve to go for it.  Yes, I'm that awkward.

And then I decided "You know what? This is the Year of Me! I need to do this."  Ok , I didn't really say it out loud but I thought it really loud..  Sounds good though, doesn't it?

If we're being completely 100% honest, I joined Mops for Drool Prince.   He's not doing preschool this year. We decided to have him stay at home and do homeschooling preschool in hopes of working on his adoption related issues & behaviors.  I thought it'd be nice for him to have some more one on one time with just him & TheToddler at home.

So I joined Mops so that he could still see his friends from preschool a couple of times a month. Social interaction and all.

What exactly have I learned in this experience?  

The most important thing I've learned is that I tend to over-share.  Again, I know you're shocked.  One question asked is never simply answered.  Instead, I tend to give several examples and way more information than the original questioner ever wanted to know.   Even as  I'm over-sharing, I know I'm doing it.  I just can't seem to stop.  I kinda feel like I'm stuck in a loop of  "This one time.. at band camp...".   It's not pretty.

This is why I don't interact with adults outside the internet where I can at least proofread what I've said. If I could just invent an over-sharing filter, I'm pretty sure I'd make millions!

Until then.. I'll be over-sharing  daily as a part of my NaBloPoMo pledge.   Wish me luck!

                        Xoxo,

Me-Time

People are always asking me “What do you do with your "me" time?”

To which I promptly respond with a snort and laughter.

Me time? Who has that? Sure I have bits and moments throughout the day where I can do a few things for myself, maybe twitter for a bit or read a few pages of whatever book I might be trying to get thru but those are done while doing something else. Maybe I’m cooking (always a great time to read a few pages while waiting for something to boil or a timer counting down) or supervising TheToddler (mainly twitter time because I can skim 140characters pretty dang quick and you can’t really take your eyes off him for much more than that). For the most part, I don’t have time set aside where I can just go off and do something alone. For Me.

During the week, I do have that sacred NAPTIME. For at least 2hrs every day, I get free time in a sense. I have the lil boys sleeping and I can do something. Most days, it’s dishes or laundry. Some days I get a few moments to curl up with a book or write a blog. Some days DroolPrince doesn’t nap and then we do preschool stuff during my downtime which then means I had no downtime. Hmm..

So what I’m saying is – where do you all find the time to get things done? The things that YOU want to do, not the little necessities of the household. When do you have time to blog, read, twitter, cross-stitch (I love doing cross-stitch but haven’t since Dilly was born. I just don’t have the time anymore. ), or knit (I really want to learn !). Maybe I just need to make the time but I don’t think there are enough hours in the day right now.

Give me a hint at what I’m doing wrong..

Dang it, this is the Year of Me.. I need to find more time for these things. I want to blog more, read more (ok, I do fit in alot of books..), take up cross-stitching again, and learn how to knit..  Those are on my list for this year. Wish me luck :)

Purses make me ramble..

 Daddy Chaos and I ran to the Dollar store last nite.  I needed some snacks to send in for Southern Darlin' and also to fill up my Prize Drawer (more later).

We did our shopping and looked like real winners.. A million little $1 tractors, cars and stickers.. Plus a few chewy sweet tarts (I get dibs on purple & pink) thrown into the cart.  Junk.

As we're checking out, I have my bag up on the counter.   I recently switched over to my "fall" bag. It completely amuses me to say that because up until last year I had 1 purse that lasted 3yrs.  Now, thanks to Cowie's bad influence and a sale I loved- I have purses to change each season.   So when I bought this one I loved the pattern but it wasn't real summer-y. 

V.B.  Stephanie Bag in Carnaby pattern

 So anyway, my pretty purse is sitting up on the counter as I'm digging for my debit card.

The cashier says "Ohh the lady before you had that same pattern."

I immediately launched into my "Really? I just switched over to this pattern. It's getting chilly finally and Fall is here! Yay! Time to bring out the fall patterns." speech.

Daddy Chaos rolled his eyes with the "why in the hell would the Dollar store cashier care about your stupid patterns." look.

Silence.

I went ahead and checked out. As she handed me my receipt she says :

" I just switched over to my 'fall' pattern too! I have been waiting all summer because I got this new pattern that's mostly blue and browns."

Score!!  Dudes, I got the random cashier to talk Vera with me..

In your face, Daddy Chaos!!   He totally thought I was being all uppity talking about my expensive purses and the fact that I have more than one pattern and when the correct time to switch patterns is..

I walked out happy.  I was all "See, she has Vera too.. She even told me her pattern colors. I'm not the only one excited to switch to the fall patterns. And THERE is such a thing as fall patterns."

I love being right.

So, do you switch patterns or purses by season? If not and you really want to, I do still have a few Veras left over from my splurge at the sale last spring.. lol.

Ode to Popularity

Wait..  What defines an "Ode"?  Really this is a story with a somewhat long backstory but Ode sounded better so we'll just go with that..

Back to where we were..

Popularity seems in my eyes pretty hit and miss.  People like you or they don't.  Some people have more flair.. They are outgoing and make waves. If those people bring you into their 'clique' then you are with the popular crowd.

I'm a pretty friendly person.  With the rare exception *cough* classmate who was my friend and then beat me up and then was my friend and then beat me up and now wants to be my FB friend- I dont freakin think so *cough*,  I've always had friends.   I make friends pretty easily.  Most people like me.

But I've never been in the popular crowd.

I moved a lot as a kid. From Kindergarten -5th grade, I went to 7 different schools (2 of them the same school but separated by jaunts at other schools and then back so I was still the "new kid").

In 3rd grade- for 1 semester I went to the school that I would end up back at in 6th grade (and ultimately graduating from).  When I moved back in 6th grade, I didn't really remember the kids from 3rd grade. I recognized them from pictures and kinda remembered them but ended up making new friends and moving on. My spot in their lives seemed filled with others.


Ironically, it would end up that those friends from 3rd grade ended up being the most popular kids in the school.  I had my 'in' and then lost it.  I could look at pictures and think  If only we hadn't moved again, I might have been one of them! Popular! Loved by all!

Yeah, so it didn't happen.  Tough luck.  Highschool came and went. I was friendly with all the popular kids but not in their group.  If I'm being honest I'll say it's because I'm too dang shy. Popularity scares me.

Twitter reminds me of highschool.  You follow a bunch of people.  Others follow you back.  Of those, you really only connect with a small group. Your own 'clique'.  (Why I feel the need to 'air quote'  clique I have no clue, just go with it. )   If you're like me, you silent stalk the popular crowd.  You laugh at their comments but rarely jump in because Hello- Popular.

I recently had my 3rd grade experience on twitter.  I had the in to the popular crowd, however briefly it may have been.  @MrLady & @BarefootFoodie  who are at the top of my stalking favorite blog list both talked to me at the same time.  Dudes, we had a 3way (in a completely non-sexual kinky way) going on.. It was awesome.

And then it started to fizzle.  I tried frantically to think of what to say.  Something cute, something witty.. Anything to keep it going.

Alas, it was short and sweet.  And it was over.   My time in the spotlight has come and gone. But I was there for a moment...

This is the Year of Me however.. So I have to become bolder. Actually step out of the shell and put myself at risk once in a while.  Even if the risk is only no response. Silence.

So tell me.. Are you in the popular crowd, trying to get in or content in your own less popular 'clique'?

Oh and before I go- if you are not following them- duh, go follow.. But first you should be following me because uhmm Dude, I sent you there and it's not polite to follow only the popular crowd.. geesh!

Glimpse of the past

Daddy Chaos and I each have one.  One child that we can not dare try to withhold our claim because they look so very much like us.  Our own little doppelgangers.

You see, once what seems like very long ago...




I looked very much like this :

Drama Queen - 14yrs 8mo

Instead of this :

Momma Chaos- 33yrs 7mo

Every once in a while I find a picture, taken at just the right angle and feel like I'm slipping thru some wormhole back to my teenage years.  You could 100% find a picture of me at 16 and she looks just like me.  It is mystifying yet it makes me proud.  She has so many things that I didn't at her age. No, I'm not talking about money or material items.  She has self-confidence that I didn't discover til much much later.. Heck at 14, she still has more self-confidence than I do at 33. She is outgoing, friendly and just fun to be with.  This girl knows how to flirt already (locking her in her room very soon.. )!

The best thing about her being so similar to me and being my daughter is that naturally I think she's beautiful.   Which in itself makes me step back and look at myself in the teen years.  I guess I wasn't so bad after all. It seems odd to see this pretty girl. This child that has grown into her own beauty and then realize this was me many years ago.

I was a very self conscious teen. Perhaps it came from having an older sister who scorned everything about me. An older sister who always had her hair just so, her makeup perfect, was popular.  I did what most would do in that situation. I rebelled.  I didn't wear makeup until I was 17 (and then a minimum).  I always pulled my hair into a ponytail vs actually doing something with it.  I kept to my little gang of friends and didn't attempt to hang with the more popular crowd, even when they tried.  I hid.  I knew I wasn't pretty, wasn't popular, wasn't enough of anything.

But I was comfortable. Comfortable hiding where no one could call me names or shun me.  Now I'm forced to look back at myself then.  Why did I put myself thru it? Why do we all? I should have embraced my cute days. I should have been happier with that skinny body instead of finding ways to pick it apart.   My teen years could have been much easier if only I had opened my eyes a little and not believed those that chose to push me down.

Looking at her makes me miss myself back then. Hindsight does that I suppose.  The opportunities that were missed.  The way things could have been. Life shapes us all in it's own little ways and while I definitely would never change the path my life has taken, I sometimes wish I had lived life a little more back then vs hiding in the corner.

I am happy that at least I can raise my kids to be proud of themselves. Proud of each unique property they possess.  Each little quirk that makes them different also makes them special.  They are beautiful and happy and that's what counts.

In another 15yrs, I will probably look back on these pictures and kick myself for not being happier about who I am, what I look like.

A wind of change

is blowing thru the Kingdom of Chaos..  I've been pushed around back and forth- happy, sad.. all over the place.. I'll try to condense it into one quick post but you know my love for blab...

By now, you know I'm never happy with one thing for long.. I like change, variety ...yet comfort in the familiar.. I'm a mass of contradictions what can I say.

Things are hopping around here lately.

Big news is that BabyMama signed off her rights on The Toddler.  Bad news is that it's not official until next month sometime because DCS is slow to getting a court date.  I honestly don't believe she would change her mind because it was a HUGE step for her to be able to do this.. Still the wait is agonizing.   So now we are still waiting on the caseworker to not only get the adoption paperwork around for Drool Prince, but now also The Toddler..

We did get to fill out the adoption subsidy paperwork again [ugh- new forms = redoing it..]. One new thing on the forms was that it asks for their new legal name after adoption.. Drool Prince's name has been set for almost 2yrs [since TPR].. It's the name he knows, the name he gives everyone.. it's just him.   The Toddler's middle name , the one he'll go by, has been set for quite some time.. Daddy Chaos and I went back and forth.. back and forth on a first name until finally he gave in on one of my few select names..  So we've called The Toddler by that name since prior to the failed TPR.  Only now.. now I had to write it on an official document.  I suddenly got cold feet.. Maybe it should be one of those other names. Maybe I selfishly pushed Daddy Chaos into chosing a name that I liked and should have let him have one he liked better?  I was willing to change last minute..  Daddy Chaos, on the other hand, says no.. He has become this name.. So for the past week or so I've went around testing various other names and Daddy Chaos just shakes his head at me.. I'm fickle..  Maybe my baby won't want to be named for a hot body actor.. But then again, this boy is gonna be smooooth so I suppose the name fits.  Regardless, I've written their new names down on that official document and handed it in.. It gives me shivers to finally have it on paper.. Adoptions- let's go!!!

Bad news is that in yet another routine pacemaker check it was discovered that Drool Prince's pacemaker is yet again not working properly.. I admit, I can normally handle his various problems and surgeries without batting an eye.. because I'm ready for them.. This time we did a phone check, the tech said everything sounded good and offered no sage advice like "wait by the phone, the dr will be calling you" to give me warning..

An hour later Dr Heart's nurse called me... She told me her name and I immediately said "Oh Shit!".  She then told me that they had just received Drool Prince's phone transmission and I immediately interrupted with "something's wrong?!" and then promptly started crying.  I need a build up. I need an hours warning where I can worry- sure, I'll worry but I can also prepare..  So we packed an overnight bag & Daddy,Drool & I headed down to the Children's hospital.

It's funny how you can check in at the ER behind a 3day old baby who's Mom calmly states he's having seizures and aspirating [who can be calm about that?! ack! Immediately it made me wonder if she was a foster parent vs the biological mom to have absolutely no reaction but Daddy Chaos thought perhaps the baby had seizures from birth or there was a family history.. regardless it was odd] and just mention that cardio asked you to get here and that your son's pacemaker is not functioning properly.  It's amazing how quickly they scoop you up and take you to a room. We barely had time to sit down when they were out there taking us to our room- ahead of the seizure baby. That was the end to the quickness..

Hours in the ER room.. We saw 4 drs, 1 xray tech & 1 ekg tech  each one who would walk into the room and ask Drool Prince his name.. To which he would say Drool Prince Chaos.  They would look at their chart quickly and then look @ us like oh crap are we in the wrong room?? Then I'd have to quickly assure them that no it's fine.. Boy1 Old Name is his legal name but we are in the process of adopting and he goes by his new name.. Finally one of the drs wrote in his chart to call him Drool and all was well.

In the end, the xray appeared clear.. No lead broken in two like last time.  However, the lead is not functioning properly. The very nice Dr [Dr Ho-Ho (minus a Ho) -- who gave me a giggle every single time I had to say his name.. giggling at this point was hard to come by so I'm relieved I was blessed with a Dr who had a funny name.] explained things well to us. There could be a micro fracture that you can't even see on an xray [possible from a kink as they coil the lead up inside and it slowly uncoils as the kid grows, sometimes it kinks] or it could be scar tissue on his heart where the lead is sutured on causing the interference.  Regardless of the reason, he was able to turn up the settings enough to make the lead work.. for now.  Voltage was upped from 5 to 7.5, sensitivity & pulse length were turned all the way up [1].  We were then asked to spend the nite for observation.

The next day we got to see our normal Dr.   Dr.Heart did another pacemaker check and agreed with Dr Ho-Ho (minus a Ho) [ha, see I still giggle even typing it] that the lead was still working with those settings.  She was willing to go ahead and put us on the surgery schedule now but because Drool Prince isn't dependent on his pacemaker she was willing to also let us wait it out until we really needed it.. The next surgery is going to be more in depth than the last because Dr Heart agrees that having surgery every darn year for a lead issue is just too much.. We need to move the pacemaker farther up under his ribs for hopefully better protection, but alas this means cutting open his ribs somehow..ugh.  So after some deliberation, we decided to wait on the surgery until it's absolutely necessary.

It may be a few weeks or a few months but surgery is looming in our future.. It's completely unfair to Drool Prince.. He's been thru so much and to have to undergo yet another surgery.. "It's not fair!" to coin Attitude King's favorite phrase.  But we'll get thru it.

Good but mostly insignificant news is that yet again I have changed my hair..  See I told you I was never happy with anything for long.  I liked my last hair cut.. It was cute, it worked but wasn't difficult.. I was happy with it but I craved a change. I'm weird like that.. Never leave anything alone for long.. Daddy Chaos says it's because I'm looney.. I say it's because I'm adventurous..  I like my way better.

So with no further ado,  the before picture :

Ok, so you see what I mean? It's nice. It's comfortable. I may be a natural brunette but I prefer blonde and sometimes with a little red thrown in. I took three different pictures into my hair appt with me.. Not really sure which I'd choose and in the end I did as I always did and let my stylist [ohh that sounds fancy doesn't it?] decide.

The After pictures :

Immediately after I got it cut, I went to the playroom [our hair salon has a playroom for the kids- how cool is that?] to show the kids..
I heard lots of "Ohh Mommy!! That's pretty"

" I like it!"

"Mommy, you cut your hair off!"

And then Drool Prince says "Mommy, I love your hair.. but now we will lose you at the store!"    ha! Poor kid, I look so different to him apparently I could just slip away in the store never to be seen again.. LoL


So far people are either loving it or hating it.. It's been a LONG time since I've been dark or had bangs [ack] and it's a tad bit shorter than I was going for [Alice Cullen from Eclipse] but it works for me. It gives me something to play with and it's new and different.  Who knows, I might go less red and more dark next time if I'm really brave!

And that is where I think I shall end today's installment of Life @ Chateau de Chaos [ ha don't you love the mixture of languages there?].. If you made it this far, you win a gold star! 

Choices

There comes a time..   A time where we all must make choices in life.

Sometimes it's something small - vanilla or twist? cup or cone? water or Dr Pepper?  These types usually require very little thought (twist, cup -with sprinkles please, and Dr Pepper- duh you should know that!).

Others however, require much more thought.  Careful thought and research.

Do you go with your gut instinct?  That first punch gut reaction?

Or do you follow your heart?

I admit that there was a brief moment in time where I waivered.

I had made my choice, declared it to all!!

But for that nanosecond.. yes it was so very brief, a millisecond if you will - which makes me ponder, which is smaller? a nanosecond or a millisecond?  I digress.

For that tiny speck in time, my attention was caught elsewhere and I almost forsaked forsook? turned my back on all I believed in.

For my own sanity and yes for you, my readers (hi, hi & hi.. I think I got all of you),  I went back again.  To re-examine all the evidence.  To find out which was true.. The initial dedication or that brief glimpse at another life.

I can say again with complete confidence that I am 100% Team EDWARD ! 

I admit, I'm not proud of it.. but I will admit that Jakob's buff body turned my head for that nanosecond.. I had to go back and watch Eclipse twice* just to be sure of my Edward loyalty and it's still there!!   If you want my full thoughts and feelings on the movie, go read it here but be warned.. There may be spoilers involved.






 *If someone wants to front me the movie ticket $$, I'll be happy to go back and re-examine my decision over and over and over again..  *wink*

Trying new things

Another phase in my year of me (and growing up) was centered around last weekend.  I did something that I have never done before.  It is 100% Cowie's fault.  She started it all.  just sayin'

I went out with girlfriends ALONE.. yes, that's right.. No hubby, not a single kids (not even the toddler!) . It was great!!  To add to the feeling of virginity, I not only went out & had a great time with friends- but we went shopping .. Shopping for something that was not for anyone but ME!

Yes my friends, we went purse shopping.  At one of the biggest, scariest purse events known to man.  The sale went on for 4days. A total of 65,000 people purchased at the sale. Almost every state and several other countries were represented.. People travel for this sale!

The first day we waited in line for almost 2hrs just to get in..We were given these huge Pink trashbags & asked if we needed more than one.. I can remember looking at the other girls who had been around the Vera block before thinking- I'll never fill one, how could I possibly need two?!

Ohh the shopping was fun.. It's crazy insane.. Soo busy.. If you see something you like, grab it & stuff it in your bag because it might not be there in 2 seconds.  Of course then everyone sits along the walls (unless one of the wall nazi's comes along and makes you get up..#firehazard oops) and sorts thru their stash to see what they are going to keep for sure or put back in the recycle bin (where all the scavengers quickly snap it back up.. ha).   I absolutely LOVED it..

I did good the first day.  We waited in line a little over two hours to check out.

Yes TWO hours- see those balloons way over there?  Those are the check out counters. Finally we checked out and compared our receipts.  I remember smirking quietly to myself.. I got out under $200.. My fellow shopping buddies fared far worse.  How could they spend so much? Did they have no control?

And then....

We went back for the final day of the sale...

The line getting in was long.  It rained (ok ok, it drizzled but there was a need for umbrellas)..  I took Drama Queen along on Day 2 so she could hang with the big girls.  It was probably a mistake since I also let her carry her own huge Pink bag.. Her own pink bag which she shoved things in at the toss of a hat.  She was pushing and squirming.. snatching the last wallets if someone else looked at them funny..  She was eyeing people's bags hoping they'd have the pattern we wanted & planning out her whole assault on how to make them accidentally drop the bag- thus spilling everything & while helping them clean she would thief her desire..  A shopper after my own heart.

Remember me wondering how I'd ever fill more than one huge pink trash bag?  Drama Queen helped with that.. We may have left with two.. 

Remember me smirking at my friends receipts on Day1?  I was dragging my tail on Day 2 being the high spender..  Needless to say, I over bought*..   But I sure as hell had fun doing it.. Come May 2, 2011 - I know exactly where I'll be.. Back at the Vera Bradley sale :) I am no longer a Vera Virgin!

I am loving the Year of Me!

* *ahem* as I may have bought more than I (and all my girls) can possibly use, I do have a few extra things if anyone is interested.. Email me for details..  It was fun, and that's what counts .. right?!

The year of ME..

A friend on Facebook announced earlier this year that she claimed this as the year of her.. Instead of putting herself last, as many of us moms do, she was doing stuff for HER.. From the big things~ trip to Disney sans kids to the little ones~ a mani & pedi.   I decided to follow suit.. This year I turned double digits.. That little number between 2 & 4.. I have two of those now!   Three has always been a lucky number for me so TWO of them, it has to be special right?   So I announce the Year of Momma Chaos!

As I'm sure I've mentioned in the past, I have a hard time spending money on myself.. I'll spend my last penny on any of the kids, Daddy Chaos or heck even the family dog.. But I don't buy myself anything unless it is direly needed and even then it's at Daddy Chaos' insistence.  So I'm pretty proud of my accomplishments so far.. The only bad thing is that I might get addicted & watch out world, I think I'll need a job- or a blog daddy (if there is such a thing).

Accomplishments so far :

1. New hair color - now I've done hair color before, but I am vowing to keep up with the color this time. Normally I get colored once or twice a year and I have regrowth in 2months.. lol.

2. New Phone- I have teased Daddy Chaos that I was soo behind times not having an iPhone like all the other Bloggy/Twitter mommas.. Geez.. The next thing I knew we were at the store, not only buying a new phone but upgrading my package so I can do internet stuff on the phone.

3. New Clothes-  1pair of jeans (I now have 2pair.. ok well my old pair may have a small hole worn in the thigh but if you notice it, obviously you're looking a little too close and BACK OFF) , 6 new shirts- yes I said it SIX, that's more than I normally buy in like 3yrs!, and a dress (for Southern Darlin's adoption, but still..work with me)

4. New sandals-  I was shopping with Cowie, who I think will probably never want to shoe shop with me again,  and finally found a new pair of flip flops I liked.. They are super comfy but in my eyes super expensive.. $35 on sale WITH a coupon.. These are SANDALS people.. Agh, the pain this caused me.. But I gave in and bought them.. Boy do I love them. Added bonus that they are the "tone ups" so just walking around in them is a workout.. Bonus points, I'll totally lose like 50lbs just wearing the flip flops.. (I can dream right?)

5. A NEWER phone- I kept my new phone for less than 30days.. Daddy Chaos played with it once & said it was too slow on the 'net.. So I immediately told him we needed to get the brand new-just came out today- phone.. Preorder it, I did.. New phone is charging.. I think I'm gonna LOVE it.

6. Vera Bradley.... Tomorrow I am doing something that I have very rarely did in my 15yrs of parenting.. I'm going out on a GIRLS day with not a single of my little ones.  I'm heading out with Cowie & two other friends to the Vera Bradley OUTLET sale..  Can we say excited?? Not to worry, I think I'll probably buy too much and then put it on ebay, you all can just buy from me right? ha.  And now that my newer phone is in- once it's charged I can get it rollin again & will post pics of the sale via twitter & probably post about it over the weekend on here ;) Cuz I dont want you to miss it!
The year of ME is going well so far.. I may need a sponsor soon though :)   Disney!! Are you reading??  I need you now!  Or heck VEGAS would be good too :)

In other news,  you will not guess what came in the mail today?  A mere 20days after the adoption finalization we have already received the new Birth Certificate!! Wowsers! Considering the State Far Far Away had to contact our state (Southern Darlin' was born here) to get a new birth certificate, which was then sent back to the Far Far Away State & then forwarded to us via our atty.. I'm pretty impressed!  those of you that have adopted and gotten new birth certificates- answer me this.. I'm fairly certain that on Spoiled Princess' birth certificate it has us listed as parents but the date filed was changed to a date after her adoption (around 18months old). Southern Darlin's birth certificate however, has a date filed of Jan 7, 2004.. YEARS before we even met her.. Now I have an issue with the whole "new birth certificate" thing anyway.. It seems odd to me that rather than alter it and put us as adoptive parents, they make it seem like we are the biological parents.. But to actually have the birth certificate supposedly filed years before we even met our daughter just seems beyond wrong..  So what does yours say?? Is it filed after the adoption or also like SD's  and filed shortly after the birth?

I have an awesome review coming up -as soon as I can get the darn camera to work- so any special needs or medical mommas keep you eyes out!!