But I Cant Relax

As I've been cleaning for Thanksgiving, I've been thinking about how much prep I (and I'm sure the masses) do for such an event.  As someone with a little bit of OCD and some Neat Freak mixed in, I do a ton!  But I love doing it.  I really like having my house cleaned and smelling great when guests come in.  As I'm doing it, I always hear in my head my dad and aunt say the same thing; "You know we don't care what your house looks like".  I know they don't, but I do.  I've always thought your house represents who you are in a way.  I like things neat and tidy, so my house usually reflects that.  When I was working, Sunday's were my clean day.  That way we'd start the week with a clean house and through the week it got a little messier and messier, but still manageable. 
I've never been able to relax when my house is messy and I know people are coming over.  Even when my friends are coming for an afternoon, I always end up picking up.  If I were to leave the house as is for Thanksgiving, throughout the entire thing, I'd be thinking of things that needed to be picked up or that I could have cleaned quick before they got there.  I don't rest until I'm done.  And that usually means a top to bottom cleaning.  It's why I have today set aside for just cleaning and tomorrow for baking the bread and buns and pie for Thanksgiving.  Everything will get a wipe down and vacuumed and the downstairs will get Swiffered with a wet pad.  I'd mop, but I don't think I'm quite up to a full on mop.  I'm tempting fate with all this cleaning while I'm still sick.  I put on Prince and I'm already on the second time of it running through the CD. 
So I am going to get back to cleaning, and most likely putting on the radio or something since my CD doesn't last very long.  I know I don't have to do half of the cleaning that I do, but it makes me feel better and I'll be able to enjoy all the festivities instead of thinking of all the things that I could have done.

Sick Day, What's That?

I've seen this commercial for NyQuil about a parent telling their kid they need to take a sick day. Seems like they took a page out of my book. The girls and I started getting sick two days ago, and now it's just me. Being a stay at home mom, it really sucks when I get sick. I can't just call into work, send the girls to daycare, then go home and sleep. I do miss that as an option. I've been sick for two days now, and I'm hoping to kick it by tomorrow. Yesterday was spent making sure the girls got better. I should have taken NyQuil last night but I didn't even think of it. So now I'm sitting on the couch with Isabelle watching Jake and the Neverland Pirates with a sore throat and a semi runny nose. I am so taking medicine tonight!

Old Friends

Some days I tend to live my life in the past more than I should.  I'll be doing something mundane like folding laundry and catch myself thinking of how things used to be or how I wish things would have been.  One of the things I had been thinking about is friends giving me shit through the years.  Hasn't happened so much anymore, and I think that's because I have better friends than I did.  And I don't mean better as in they were horrible people, but just that they weren't good friends for me to have with the type of person I am.  I'm sensitive.  I sometimes take things to heart even though I know I shouldn't.  Growing up with 4 brothers, I like to think I am/can be "one of the guys".  I can take a lot of ribbing, and I can dish it out.  But what has always bothered me is when the same people do the same thing or say the same thing over and over again every time I see them.  I had these two friends who did that constantly, even though I never really saw it.  It wasn't until Grant and I got together (even though we weren't telling people yet) and he pointed it out to me.  He did because it used to piss him off to no end, and after a while he just couldn't take it anymore.  I remember when he got me to see it.  We were at a bar with these friends and out came the "I have to give you shit because you're you." and "Oh you know I have to give you shit" type of comments before or after the comment itself.  It made Grant so mad that he actually got up and said "I cant watch you belittle her like that anymore" and walked out of the bar.  I jumped up, bewildered, and ran after him.  Once he told me why, I of course defended them and said they didn't mean any of it.  But he told me to actually listen to what they say the next time we hang out....and I did.  I was a bit shocked.  There were more of those backhanded compliments and put downs disguised as humor and giving me shit.  I'm not friends with them anymore, and it's not because they're bad people...just that I don't have that type of personality.  I cant take hearing them over and over and over again because I'll start to believe what they're saying is true.  I used to miss their friendship, but not really anymore.  Now, I have good friends who compliment me...and mean it!  It's hard to keep up with friendships when our lives have gone different ways in some cases...but at least I know that they wont put me down, but instead build me up.  At least when I think back to those friendships, it's not because I want the friendship again, but because it basically told me what kind of friends I need in my life.

Carseat Controversy

Ever since I've had the girls, I've become such a softie when it comes to kids in general.  I have a hard time watching TV shows or movies that shows kids getting hurt or in danger.  I see a lot of posts on Facebook about kids being hurt in car crashes or parents doing it.  I get tired of seeing them all the time since it's just so sad.  Now that it's starting to get colder, another type of post is going to start to take over Facebook; carseats and big coats on kids.  I'm already dreading it.  I'm old school.  I put my girls in their big winter coats, then put them in the carseat, just like I bet my parents did before me.  Now before people start freaking out, let me explain why.  The biggest argument against it is the fact that the straps of the carseat are way too loose against the body.  Ok, but let's break it down. As long as the coats fit right, the straps are snug against the coat, and the coat is snug against your body.  So unless the straps are really loose against the coat, they are going to be strapped in tight, and there is no wiggle room.  I could see the danger if you put the coat on the kid, strap them in, then take the coat off... I dont know anyone that would do that, though.  I know people dont agree with me, and that's ok.  You dont have to.  But if you dont, please dont tell me all the reasons Im wrong.  You're not going to change my mind and it's just going to irritate me.  We'll just leave it at you dont agree with me and call it a day.