I honestly don't understand people that don't appreciate and/or enjoy their children! I LIVE for my girls, and I am proud of it. I hear people make comments about how much their kids drive them crazy and not being able to wait until their kids are out of the house...this does not make sense to me! All that I do is wrapped around the simple fact that I want my girls to love their life and KNOW THAT THEY ARE LOVED MORE THAN ANYTHING! I am proud of the fact that my girls know, without a doubt, that Mom and Dad will be there for them, WHENEVER they need them. I love the way that my girls, at 9 and 13, still want me to tuck them in at night. I love the fact in a room full of empty seating, that my girls will choose the spot on the couch right next to me. I love the fact that my daughters' friends like to be at our house, not because it's the 'cool' house, but because there is always laughter and hugs! I love the fact that my girls expect there to be cupcakes/cake for celebrating first and last days of school, not because they think they deserve it, but because it's just how it's always been. I especially love (more than anything else) how my girls are the best parts of both Ben and I wrapped up into one, fantastic individual! I know in my heart that I was put on this earth to be the mother of these two wonderful girls and I thank God daily for that joy and blessing. The only wish I have for my girls is that they continue to be healthy and that they grow up to be wonderful, Godly women, that will ALWAYS know the joy I get from being their mom. I am the luckiest girl in the world just for knowing these girls, so getting to be their momma is the icing on the cake.

So, for you parents that have been blessed with wonderful children and fail to appreciate what you have, I say shame on you. Shame on you for not letting these beautiful babies feel the love they deserve and NEED. But mostly I say this... I feel sorry for you. You are missing out on the most magical time of your life. Spend quality time with your kids and always, ALWAYS, make them feel wanted! Now get your head outta your ass and LOVE THOSE KIDS!!!!!!!!!!!!! After all, they will be the ones choosing your nursing home!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

AND TO ALI AND CATY... THANK YOU FOR GIVING ME YOUR LOVE EVERYDAY AND ALLOWING ME TO LOVE YOU BACK. I HOPE THAT I AM ALWAYS THE MOMMA YOU NEED AND I WILL CONTINUE TO DO EVERYTHING IN MY POWER TO MAKE SURE YOU ALWAYS FEEL LOVED, PROTECTED, SHELTERED AND SAFE. YOU ARE MY GREATEST GIFTS!!!!

The Wolfpack's good deed of the day...

RIDDLE ME THIS...Why do girls think it looks good to pout their lips out when they see a camera? It's quite odd that they are purposely making their face appear as if they were attacked by a school of jellyfish. Girls, let me make it easy for you...IT DOES NOT LOOK GOOD. IT LOOKS RIDICULOUS! Please stop! If you don't believe me after these hysterical demonstrations by the Wolfpack, well then, you are on your own. But please know that you WILL ask yourself one day, "Self, WTF?" Just don't say we didn't warn you!

Proof is in the pudding...

OK, for you followers that thought I was kidding, or just simply 'overreacting' to my post about sleeping with bed hogs, here is my proof. It was taken with my cell phone so the quality is grainy, but you will get the jist of my dilemma. As you can see, Ben looks to be only slightly encroaching on my much loved 'personal space', but if you look closer you will see his leg kicked out to a sharp mathmatical angle (I don't know the degree, I hate math! It's one of the reason's I married Ben. He is a genius and does all my hard thinking for me). DID I MENTION THAT THIS PICTURE WAS TAKEN AT 3:00 IN THE MORNING? DID I ALSO MENTION THAT SECONDS AFTER THIS SNAPSHOT, I ELBOWED HIM IN THE RIBS AND SAID, "SCOOT THE ^*%# OVER, *%#$&!!!!!!!!", to which he yelled (while asleep, I might add), "YOU ARE OVERREACTING!!!". Take a look at ALL the 'personal space' the mistress has... now, look at the space the wife is alloted! I think tonight I will have an Ambien for dinner...

Free nugget of wisdom

For my followers, I know that I usually write funny anecdotes about my life but I figured it was time to give you a helpful piece of advice. Listen carefully and take note: Don't be surprised if while you are mopping, your A.D.D. infested puppy, gets over-excited. This holds especially true if he is a water dag, like mine. Also, he will probably attack the mop that is dripping with the beloved water and then proceed to run acrossed the wet floor, leaving his precious, saucer size, paw marks all over your freshly mopped floor. Last but not least, he may (OK, definitely) be so euphoric with all the goings on in the kitchen that he begins to shoot a 5 foot long geyser of urine all over the place as he is running around like a maniac. I hope you find this little nugget of free advice helpful. You are welcome...

Yes, I love technology

Is it me, or is it still confusing when you think about how all this new-fangled technology works!? I am jumping on the Skype bandwagon, and I have to say, I love it! Just this morning I had coffee with my cousin who lives 4 hours away. But how does it work? Seriously? It's a live video of me talking to a live video of her... how does it get to where it needs to go so quickly? I can't wrap my blonde head around it.(Don't try to explain it. There is no use. My engineered-brain husband can't even teach me). Luckily, I am not one to have to over-think things (shocker, right?) or have to know just how something works before I can enjoy it. No, ma'am... I LOVE the Skype in spite of it. It ranks right up there with the wireless internet card for me (Ben rolled his eyes and said, "It's just like how a cell phone works". Well, this only got me wondering how a cell phone worked... thanks for making it even more confusing Dear). So, I will add the Skype to the many other inventions that I still don't understand but enjoy, none the less... microwave, cordless phone, wireless internet (anything 'wireless'), cell phone, satellite TV, the computer as a whole, popcorn, airplanes, iPods, radios, etc....

Raise your hands in the air...

So, how many of you are lucky enough to have been instantly awakened by having a 75 pound dog jump on your head? Anyone...Anyone? Don't be shy... OK, so maybe not everyone's household is a hot~mess like mine is, so I will describe to you what it's like: I wake up at 3:13 this morning because I can not move my head - do I have a migraine coming on? Am I having a stroke? Am I paralyzed from all the facial mask I use? The answer is no, no and no. I am simply stuck under the enormous paws of the slobbering dog that is standing, you guessed it, on my pillow*. (see previous posting to be reminded how much I loathe sharing my bed). So I try to move my groggy head under his weight so that maybe he will realize that he is not welcome on my pillow (or my bed for that matter, but he is Ben's mistress). He takes my movement as a sign of acceptance and lays his happy ass right across both our pillows (yes, he is THAT big). Well, forget about moving that dead weight an inch. So I roll over and fall back asleep ( with two enormous front paws draped over my neck ). I fall back into the land of rainbows and unicorns long enough to feel the freedom of 'sleeping alone' only to be awaken again, but this time it's the sound of his uncoordinated puppy body sprinting toward the bed. I brace myself because I know what is next... yep, there it is, he is floating like a butterfly and yep, now my face stings like a bee; for he has landed on it with his gigantor, unruly body! So begins another day...RISE AND SHINE!!!!

On a more serious note... my mom texted me last night and told me that Precious, the cat I brought home in 1991 as a newborn kitty, had just died. She was a great girl and will be missed! R.I.P. Presh!!!

Give Blood, Give Life

So, it's the beginning of the month again, and for me that means heading to the library to donate blood to the American Red Cross. This is something I am passionate about. It takes hardly any time out of your day and you are helping save lives... what is cooler than that? The following is copied from the American Red Cross website:
Give Blood

To learn more about blood donation opportunities, visit www.redcrossblood.org/ or
call 1-800-GIVE-LIFE (1-800-448-3543).

Every minute of every day, someone needs blood. That blood can only come from a volunteer donor, a person like you who makes the choice to donate. There is no substitute for your donation.

When you make a blood donation, you join a very select group. Currently only 3 out of every 100 people in America donate blood.

From its beginning, the American Red Cross has formed a community of service, of generous, strong and decent people bound by beliefs beyond themselves. The American Red Cross blood donor embodies this principle. Please join us in our mission to maintain a safe and stable blood supply by making your appointment to donate blood today.

To find out where you can donate, visit www.redcrossblood.org/ or call 1-800-GIVE-LIFE (1-800-448-3543).

Want to know if you're able to give blood? Review the donor eligibility guidelines.

And, hopefully one day my girls will make the decision to give blood... of course, I will probably have to tell them that Edward Cullen will be the one drawing it that day... HEY, WHATEVER WORKS!!!! Have a great Monday!