Things I'm Excited About Today

• The Opening Ceremonies of the Olympics are tomorrow night.  I get goosebumps when I see the commercials on TV or hear them on the radio.  My life is exciting you guys, don't hate.

• My niece's birthday on Saturday.  I love birthdays.  They are so fun and we're celebrating for her twice in one day.  I mean these kids will have no question how much they are loved.

• My kitchen renovation.  The project that doesn't seem to want to start itself.

• Our deck is almost done.  The floor boards are finished and now the rails go up.  We can at least sit out there again.  Oh wait, no we can't.  It's too effing hot to do anything outside.  Stupid heat.

• All the great ideas I have in my head for Mia's playroom.  It's getting out of control.  Too much stuff and it's only going to get worse in a few months when we have her birthday.

• My pedicure that I got yesterday 

• Starbucks Green Tea

• Mia's tantrum last night that lasted almost 30 minutes.  Kidding.

• Seeing Lindsey on Monday.

• Tomorrow is Friday

What are you excited about today?

SWW

It's been a few weeks, but this week I'm once again linking up with Shannon over at Life After I Dew for So What Wednesday!

This week I'm saying so what if:

• I'm kind of over Twitter at the moment.  I can't keep up and I feel like it's a lot of the same over and over and over and over and over again.

• I'm cranky about the 11th consecutive day of 100 degree temperatures.  Weather affects my mood and as much as I love summer, this is reeeeedic!  I should not break a sweat walking from my car to my office.  However, St. Louis did break a record.  Last time we stayed in the 100s it was only for 10 days.  Way to go St. Louis! 

• I need a vacation and that makes me a little cranky too, especially knowing we are not taking one this year.

• My Hubs and I often text using #hashtags.  It's just fun.  We like to keep it spicy.

• I was falling asleep on the couch last night at 7:30 and Mia was not having it.  "Play with meeeee Moooommmmmmmmaaaaaa."  Mom of the Year right here!

• I don't do well with secrets.  They drive me crazy.  

• I'm thinking about what I should do for Mia's 3rd (eeeeks, 3 really???) birthday.  It's not until November.  I'm pretty sure I'm done having them at my house.  I'm too much of a perfectionist to do that to myself (or my Hubs) again.

• I might freak out on the Hubs if we don't get the ball rolling on our kitchen pretty soon.  The deck is about done, so let's do THIS!

Happy Wednesday!

Pete And Repeat Were In a Boat

So no one really told me that kids are sneaky little nosey listeners....to everything.

You have a baby and put the buffer up a smidge and obviously as they grow a little older and start really talking and comprehending, you make that buffer a little thicker (i.e. spelling words you either don't want them to hear or know....it's almost time for B E D, we're going to go O U T S I D E after N A P).

Mia talks all day.  I'm pretty sure she's either going to be a talk show host or a lawyer cause girlfriend has some mad negotiating skills (one more Dora and theeeeen we can go brush our teeth and go to bed).

Wait a second sister, let's regroup on who is in charge around these parts.

She asks questions, a lot of them, but she also just likes to chat and she'll pick up quickly on commonly used words and phrases around the house.

Her current favorite?

"No, no, no, no, no."

Ahem.

Anywhoooo, have I mentioned she's attached to my hip.  Tweeeeeeeeeeeeeeenty four seven.

"Momma, let's talk about sumfing."


Because of our schedules, we don't have a lot of family time in the car all three of us.  She is typically just with Hubs or just with me in the car.  We have car dance parties and sing, she and Dadda sing, spell and I'm sure he bores her with talk radio as he does me.

Last week, we headed to the zoo to get a tour of the new Sea Lion Sound exhibit, which is amazing if you live in the Lou or plan to visit anytime soon, and the Hubs and I were chatting away and Mia was chiming in here and there.

She was busy in the backseat reading and I made mention to the Hubs something about my vajayge, I don't recall the exact topic or reason behind our vajayjay convo (we clearly talk about anything and all things, so sorry if TMI ), but anyway...

"Momma, what's a vajayge?" (giggle, giggle)

Ummmmmm....

Let's see.

How do I address this to a 2 1/2 (almost 3) year old?

"Oh, it's just a silly word sweetie." (as Hubs and I look at each other and immediately start laughing)

It was a quick reminder that we need to watch what we are saying around the littles.

She doesn't miss a beat.

Summa Lovin'

We have been soaking up the summer that is for sure!

It is wearing all of us out, but as I complain about the hot temps it's easy to remember that before we know it the holidays will be upon us and the cooler temps and winter months will be at our doorstep.

I'm ready for a little relief from the heat, but it doesn't look like the Lou is getting it any time soon, so we'll just continue to do what we do best.

Pool it

Nap 

Keep our hair up 

And most importantly, visit with the ice cream man as much as possible

And Now She's Manning The Door

So Mia's newest "thing" is a 6:00 am wakeup call.  Not cool on Saturday and Sundays, but during the week it's not a major deal because I'm up anyway.

Girlfriend thinks it's play time and doesn't quite understand that I have to get ready for work so I try to include her in the things I do to get ready...we brush our teeth together, get dressed, if I'm curling my hair that day she gets a few curls in her hair, etc.

But this morning....she was not having the fact that Mommy had to go to work.

She came into the bathroom, shut the door and looked straight and me and said....

"Whhhhhhhhhyyyyyy?  I don't want you to go to work.  I want you to stay home wifff meeeeeee."

We've been trying to explain (as best you can to a 2 1/2 year old) that Mommy and Daddy have to work in order for us to have the nice things that we do.  Most of the time she has no idea what we are talking about but we continue to tell her this nonetheless.

So as I trekked downstairs to get my coffee, juice, water and breakfast bar for the road, she decided that she was going to man the door so that I couldn't leave.

She used all of her might to prevent me from leaving this morning.

"Momma, hug."  "Momma, kiss."  "Momma, I need to show you sumfing."

And then...

I tried to talk her out of my way.  I told her I would only be gone a few hours.

"Momma, you comin' home after work?"

Yes Mia.

"Yaaaaaaaaayyyyyyyyy!!!!!" (as she runs the opposite direction towards her playroom)

PS.  Except on the very rare occasion I am home right after work 95% of the time, but whatever makes her happy.  That's all that matters.

Silly monkey.

That Thing Called Life

Heeeeeeyyyyyoooooooo,

So I've been MIA for the past two weeks.

Life is downright chaotic right now so much so that sometimes I feel like I can't breathe. In fact, I sent my Husband a text last week telling him just that.

Why is that the cycle of life can get so crazy?

I mean yes I work full time outside of the home, I'm a Mom and a Wife, but there are many people that do just this day in and day out.

Why is it harder more often than not?
Work has been the busiest it has ever been which means great things for me and my family, but I feel like each week is going faster than the last.

And I don't like it. I just want to catch my breathe and soak up the good life.

Because that is what I have. I know it and I'm truly very blessed. In fact I'm not sure it could get much better except if I won the lottery and could afford to move my whole family to a beach with 24/7 food and cocktail service (priorities) with me.

I'm not complaining, this is not a pity me type post, it's just where I am at this stage in that thing called life.

I would just like a pause button.

xoxo,
melissa

Cha Cha Cha Change

I've been a blonde always.

I've dabbled in many different forms of blonde, tried brunette, ended up fuchsia after a failed do it myselfer in college.

I love experimenting with my hair.  Short, long, whatever, but always blonde.

Hair says a lot about a person.  It's such a statement, such an accessory to who we are and our personalities.

In my next life, I'm pretty I will be a stylist.  It's so fun to me!

For a long time I did the highlights thing (adding more low lights in the fall/winter and more highlights in the spring/summer) and got bored so went more of the bleached blonde/platinum route.

As I get older, my hair is getting less blonde naturally and certainly getting darker and therefore harder to maintain.

I have to go at least every 6 weeks to get my roots touched up.

As much as I love me some me time at the salon, I don't love it that much and neither does my bank account.

So after scowering Pinterest for some ideas, I saw this.  Blonde Ombre perfection.

via

I knew I wouldn't end up quite like this, but it gave my stylist a visual of what I was thinking.  

She was hesitant at first.  She's been doing my hair for almost 20 years.  I met her back in the day when I worked at a salon in early high school and she's been doing my hair every since.  I love her and she's a great friend, but she knows me very well.  I told her just to go for it and if it ended up too dark I could come back in another week or so for more highlights.

When I left the salon I looked like this:

I wasn't thrilled. It was way darker than the light brown I had envisioned as the lower light or the darker color.  I try to give change like this time and not make an immediate decision to love or hate it.  She had blow dried it, but didn't style it which was ok because I would rather do it myself anyway.  I had no makeup on.  I was in full blown Saturday attire, head to toe.

Luckily we were heading to a birthday party that night so I got to style my hair and actually put make up on which made me feel better about my decision.

It's still growing on me.  Day by day I've liked it better.  I've gotten a lot of positive feedback from my internet friends and my real life friends and family, many of whom I know would be honest if they didn't like it.  So that reassurance always helps.

Hubs hasn't really said either way, but it normally really doesn't, so...nothing to really report there.

Either way, it's fun to change it up every once and a while.

Have a great week!