Almost lost it...

Well today was quite a day, and I know looking back that if I had come into the day with a better attitude I may not have ended up dragging a screaming child from Wal Mart.... but we'll get there. The morning started out average, snow was falling and I was getting the car warmed up for a trip to our friends house. We had a GREAT time at our friends house, don't get me wrong, but MY child was NOT listening to anything I was saying. This is not only frustrating, but embarrassing {even though my friends would never judge me, I would still like to have my child not try and destroy their home} after some much needed girl talk, and a LOT of telling Max "No" "you have to share" "don't touch that" "are you listening??" it was time to go. I was silly to do this but I needed to buy a gift for the little girl I used to watch. I am watching her on Saturday and wanted to have a Christmas present ready to go. Well.... that was a bad idea. The Target  trip turned into a Wal Mart trip since we drove by one on the way home, it started off with screaming because I told Max he couldn't have an Icee, {I see this is my fault for letting him have them all too often} once he recovered from that fit he found many more things to cry about, such as : the ball he couldn't have, the apple he couldn't eat, the gallon of ice cream I wouldn't buy, the barbie he couldn't open, and of course the popcorn tins that I would not let him use as drums. As I made it to the toy section I knew what I wanted and of course they were out... so being the person I am I decided to see what was in Clearance, these areas were a disaster, and I know not to expect much order around Christmas, but it was a MESS!! I found two things quickly as I chased Max through the store, but I did not know the prices, so when I got up to the register I very nicely asked the man if he could check the prices, "on both of these?" well yes, both please. He scanned the first one, stared at me and said "well do you want it?" I told him I wanted to know the price of the other one first, he was not pleased, but scanned it and told me the price. He was impatient as impatient can be {he was not the one with a three year old screaming at his leg} so I quickly picked a toy. After we checked out Max had another fit over the Icee... stupid Icee.  As I buckled him in he was screaming, so upset that he didn't get what he wanted. So what did I do? I calmly got in the car, put in my Carrie Underwood CD , turned it up, and sang along...he did not like this......It calmed me down though. Once we were home I  realized I didn't like my choice of presents, I was so rushed to decide I was now not so pleased with my decision,, so that was a wasted trip, and now I'll be going back {maybe if the guy didn't rush me, geez} I decided I better start dinner and did my best to ignore Max's whining.... I don't know what is up with him lately.... well, apparently the taco shells I bought were not fresh enough, so my hubby did not eat what I made, I won't go into detail about this, but I was not pleased. I ate my dinner, shells and all and went downstairs to try and end the day on a happy note with my little man. I turned up some music {this time with his approval} and we danced like crazy people, and it was fun. He then told me he was tired {wow} and I put him to bed, and for the first time all week he went right to sleep. I was still needing to blow off steam so I decided to pop in the insanity dvd my friend loaned me. I was determined, and amazingly I finished it!!! It was not pretty... but I did it, and it felt great. I took a cold shower after my workout... it was tough {the workout, not the shower}  I am feeling much better now, I know that I can handle whatever life throws at me, and if this week it is a fussy kid, then I will work through it. Maybe next week it will be too many flowers delivered, or too many prizes won.... you never know ;) For now I am going to pat myself on the back for getting through today without losing it, I almost did, but I pulled myself together just before the meltdown. Tomorrow is a new day with renewed patience, and I hope to have a great attitude that will get me through all of my holiday and daily stressers! 

Kelly Callahan

When It's Too Quiet

Yesterday my little man and I went to work as usual. We picked up the little girl we watch, and headed to her house. When we got there it was time for her to have her drum lesson{this is NOT the quiet part}, so while she was busy I decided to get her laundry started. I have Max come upstairs with me and have him play with the toys in her room while I grabbed her laundry and headed to the laundry room {only one door down from where I left little Max} While I was loading in her clothes my boss came around the corner and we started talking about what she should wear to dinner..... now, it is hard to just walk away when your boss is talking to you, but I should've when I had that feeling, the "it's too quiet, he's up to no good" feeling. But no, I was good and stayed to listen, while I secretly worried what he was up to in there. Once we decided on her eye shadow I was gone fast, and when I walked into the room I knew exactly why it was so quiet.... Max fed the turtle. Yes, the girl I watch has a turtle tank in her room,a big turtle tank, a turtle tank that was now filled with turtle food. As I walk further in I see that it is not only filling the tank, but it is all over the floor..... and he squirted in all of the water conditioner....uh oh. Wow, so I start by getting a big cup and taking out some water and then putting some fresh water in, we don't need a dead turtle. Then I venture to the kitchen to find my tool of choice. Perfect, a strainer. After about half an hour of straining through the big turtle tank I have most, most of the turtle food out{and one pissed off turtle}. Then it's onto the floor {thankfully the girl I watch was in her drum lesson, or she would've flipped out at Max for making a mess in her room} Now, I don't know if you've seen turtle food recently, but it is tiny little dots, very tiny. So tiny that even after gathering together what I can with my hand  there is plenty of little specks left trying to hide in the carpet. Now, Max does everything big, so when he makes a mess its a BIG mess, so we are talking a lot of little specks.... everywhere. So for the next thirty minutes I get to pick up little pieces of turtle food from the floor. As all of my frustrated cleaning is happening Max is happily piling up pillows and jumping on them on the other side of the room{ I try to have a little "talk" with him about how he could have hurt the turtle, but he's two and a half, so he didn't really catch on...but he said sorry, so that's a plus}. I am amazed that no one has witnessed our little disaster, which is best. My boss is not used to having a two year old around {her daughter is eight} so I think Max sometimes.... well, upsets her. So it is best that this little oopsie is between Max and I. I now know I need to trust my Mommy feelings and RUN when it is too quiet, run. 

Kelly Callahan

California or Bust

My little man and I had a great summer together, we worked way too many hours, didn't see our friends enough, and had next to no bedtime routine.....but yes, we still had fun. And we even got to see Daddy on the weekends he wasn't working.

Now that the summer is over it is time to look ahead  on the calendar, and guess what? It's almost October....no way....we are off to California in October. We leave REALLY soon to go to my brothers wedding and my mind is not working, okay, well its working, but I can't seem to start getting ready to go. And it's not just packing our bags, its packing the car that I need to plan for. Yes, we are driving. Why? Because I HATE flying, and would rather do a 19 hour road trip with an almost three year old then step foot on an airplane.

So where to start? Well I figure if I write about going maybe something will "click" in my head and I'll actually be able to come up with a plan. My ideas so far are to be super organized, which never hurts. I will make a bag for car toys, a bag for snacks, and put all the things we don't need while driving in the back. See, this doesn't sound too difficult, right? Well, I guess it isn't, I just need to start making my lists and then I'll feel better. I love making lists, and now that I have my mommy brain I need them more than ever to make sure I don't forget anything. As long as I pack my bridesmaid dress and shoes we'll be okay :)

My next challenge is to find my little mans wedding ensemble. It isn't as easy as I thought to find black pants, a white button up, and a grey tie, in a size 3T. But I am always up to a challenge so I will make it happen. Of course this was my goal this weekend......but that's okay, I'll get it done. I will. 

So in the hustle bustle of getting ready I am also becoming a germophobe.... I DO NOT want to have a sick little one on my 19 hour journey, so I will be avoiding a lot of things this week, including pools, the mall play area, and really anywhere swarming with children.  I just hope we can avoid germs for the next week. 

I also want to reserve a place for my little mans third birthday. I want to get this done before we leave because I would be kicking myself if the time slot we wanted was taken when we came home.  My hubby is picky about the Birthday time, he doesn't seem to care where it is or any other detail just wants it on a Saturday afternoon{as does everyone else}, and that's a good reason to reserve our spot early. I will love having the spot in place, but then there will be plenty of little details to work on once we are home.

I think I know why this trip is so hard to get my head around, we haven't been on a vacation in forever, I mean we go on little weekend getaways, but Max has never left the state! So this is a pretty big deal....yeah, there's my reason for being a scatter brain, perfect. 

I guess the closer the trip gets the more "real" it will be and I will kick my butt into gear and get us ready to go, and make sure the house is super clean, because no one wants to come home to a mess. I think it will be like when someone is coming over.... the night before you kick it into high gear and get everything clean and ready, because you realize it's your last chance. So I am sure I will amaze myself and somehow get it all done, hopefully in an organized fashion.

After my trip I have decided to go back to a challenge. I want to save extra money for the holidays, and hopefully another vacation, so I need to do some budgeting! I will be trying to convince my friend to do it with me {you know who you are ;)} So hopefully we can be "budget buddies" and be frugal together . Somehow I need to create a "challenge" to motivate myself, but as long as it has has a happy ending I don't mind how the story begins.

Kelly Callahan

The Other Half, And Me

I have a great job, so in no way am I complaining, but being a nanny for a wealthy little girl defiantly puts me in places I normally would not be. One of these places is the Denver Country Club, now there is nothing wrong with spending my workday swimming with my son and the girl I watch, but I would advise all nannies to avoid conversation with the "locals" there. For example.... this happened 4 years ago, but I still remember this lady, and to this day I avoid her evil stares. I was at the club swimming with the little girl I watch, Hannah {this was before Max was added to the picture} We were headed to order some lunch and she must have stepped on something sharp because all of the sudden her foot was bleeding. We were pretty close to the locker rooms so I rushed her that way to clean off her foot and inspect the damage. As I mentioned she was bleeding, so yes, I am sure she had left some little blood trails in the locker room {tile floor} as we came in. I sat her down and started cleaning off her foot. I could feel an evil stare and as I turned my head there it was, Barbie was mad, she looked at me with her very set expression and said "are you going to clean this up?" HA, what? I am trying to see if she is okay and find the source of bleeding and you are worried about the tile floor in this outdoor locker room??? That by the way I would expect to be much nicer for what you are paying each month. Well, yes, she did seem to expect an answer, so I said "No" plain and simple, I figured she'd understand, but no, she did not, she keeps staring and says "as her nanny it is your JOB to clean that up".... okay Barbie..... now, first off, you are just assuming I'm the nanny, second, I am sure the country club maid that I see in here like every hour will take care of this, now please leave me alone. After I had gotten a bandaid on Hannah's toe, I look to see these awful blood trails she must have made for Barbie to be so upset. Wow, next to nothing, little tiny toe prints of blood were dotted throughout the entrance of the locker room..... Barbie had left after I stayed silent long enough, but she was still at the pool, and oh did she have some looks to give me. So I am not saying that all these rich lady's are awful, but I am yet to have a friendly encounter with a lady at the club yet. More recently I was at the pool with Hannah and Max, Hannah was off at the high dive, and I was with Max in the baby pool, as Max was playing with his cars another little boy hopped in and along came his Grandma..... I knew this was a conversation I didn't want to have just looking at her outfit. She tried to smile as she asked how old Max was, I said two, she then asked me if I was his babysitter..... okay, side note, I am a nanny, I hate being called a babysitter, I'm not 16, and I'll be around for years. Anyway, after I tell her no , he is mine, she gives me a nasty look and with a nastier voice says " Aren't you a bit young?" The way she said it was so mean I was caught off guard and I was once again not able to come up with a clever comeback, so I just said "No" Her grandson went off to his swim lessons and she gave me mean looks the rest of the afternoon. Ugg, well as these people worry about sparkling tiles in the locker room and the age of Mothers, I am thinking of clever little cheap crafts and projects for my son, budget meals for the family, when will I get to that pile of laundry?? It must be so hard to be rich..... they truly have to create things to create drama about, or to judge people on, just to keep there minds busy. Well, I am fine keeping my mind busy on real life, I think it suits me just fine.

Average Legs

As I look outside I know that it is going to be a nice day, of course I am happy about this... but I am also dreading putting on my outfit for the day. Why? Because I know I'll end up wearing shorts. I could wear pants, but after a whole summer of avoiding shorts{last year} I have decided it is worth it to not be too hot and very pale all summer long. I don't know why I am so "weird" about wearing shorts, skirts, or dresses, I'm not a "big" girl, but I am just not to that confidence level where I feel awesome leaving the house in shorts. The good thing about the warm weather coming? I am even more motivated to work out and feel better about my legs being shown to the world. I don't need people admiring my legs, I'd rather they just don't draw any attention at all, good or bad, just "normal" run of the mill legs. That would be great. So what am I doing tomorrow? I am off to the gym. Now, I have been working out for "real" for about 5 months now, and I know it has made a difference, but I guess I was expecting more, or better results, but I guess that just means I have to work harder, or just stick to it longer. So my goal for June? I am going to do one "calorie burning" activity a day. My summer will be a whole new work schedule for me and that means less free time to head to the gym. So I am going to need to make an extra effort to burn extra calories during my days. I know I will go to Kickboxing on Tuesday nights, and Yoga every Friday, but I will need to work hard to make myself burn some extra calories the rest of the week..... we'll see what I can come up with! And I am not going to count my normal activities as calorie burning, even though I know I'm burning calories, I need to do something extra, since I won't be at the gym as often.  So hopefully halfway through the summer I can have those average legs I so desperately need to feel comfortable in my own legs. I'll keep you posted on my calorie burning ideas.... maybe I'll inspire someone else to get active an have average body parts too :) 


Kelly Callahan

The Bloody Trail

I woke up to a nice sunny Sunday morning, and after a Saturday night at work I was happy knowing that today I did not have to leave the house, and this was my plan. After making Belgium waffles for my family, and watching my hubby destroy my creations with way too much butter and syrup, I decided I should get the paper. {actually two papers... I have two delivered on Sunday's because let's not forget my secret life as a crazy coupon lady} Of course I could not go alone, our dog Moxy decided to come help guard me from the neighborhood squirrels and my little man had to check for trash tucks. I happily grab my papers and round everyone up to go inside and back upstairs to search the papers for my beloved coupons. As I reach the top of the stairs I notice a spot on the carpet... what is that? Is that blood? Sure looked like blood, and it was a little too much to make me disregard its presence, as I continued to think and walk I saw the little splatter on the wall, more blood, then the spots that were all through the living room {most of me is wondering who is bleeding, but a little part of me is thinking of how I'm going to clean up this mess} I quickly tell my husband to check his feet as I hurry to my little man to check his....they are both wearing slippers, so I quickly look to my own feel, did I make this mess on the clean carpet? Nope, I'm wound free. The only other one walking through here is Moxy, I hurry my dog to the kitchen, to check on her and avoid more blood on the carpet. I look at all her paws and find that her front paw is bloody. My poor little baby. She puts up with me as I hold a wet rag on her foot, I was actually very worried, because it was bleeding a lot. I finally figure out where the blood is coming from.... her nail. Yes her nail is literally gushing blood, so much so that it had gotten on the wall by the stairs. I see that her little nail has split, not the whole nail even, just like a sliver is about to come off the side, I don't want to know how much it would bleed if the whole nail split. I get he nail to stop bleeding and decide to put her in a sock to prevent anymore bloody carpets. I then get to the task at hand....cleaning my carpets, I get my little pink bowl and my "carpet cleaning" wash cloth and get to work, following the tracks of my dog, realizing she walks in a lot of circles. I follow the tracks through the living room and down the stairs, this is where they end, so my baby girl must have hurt her nail jumping for a squirrel in the tree out front. I am sure glad that when I break a nail I do not bleed that much. I always knew that dogs had veins in their nails, and that's why you had to be careful not to cut them too short, but I never knew just how much they would bleed, I mean its a nail for crying out loud! We survived the blood trail and the cleaning of it as well {okay I survived....I was the one on the hunt, and then I was the cleaner} I gave my little pup lots of love today and put some super glue on her nail to help it not split any more...or bleed anymore for that matter. {super glue is awesome} I hope that I do not find anymore blood trails in my house, it added a little too much excitement to my planned boring Sunday. We have since moved on to dinner and soon some Walnut brownies fresh from the oven, so I think its safe to say I will have a nice night. 

Kelly Callahan

The Small Things

Today I was lucky enough to start my day off cleaning up dog throw up... but as I was about to lose my cool as I saw there was yet another stain on the carpet I had over looked, I opened my kitchen window. This made me smile. I have had many apartments, even a townhome along the way, but never a kitchen window. I love my kitchen window. Although my kitchen is small I can still glance outside and see my yard and the trees while I clean the dishes. I don't think I have seen an apartment with a window in the kitchen....actually apartments usually skimp on windows in general, so today I am enjoying all of my nice big windows. I then got to clean the bathrooms, what did I find fun in this? Well, I have two!! This is a good thing on every subject other than cleaning, so I focused on this fact as I cleaned. Then I moved to the back yard to pick up a ridiculous amount of doggie doo that had been un covered by the melting snow. Before I let myself get annoyed at this gross and tedious activity I looked around and remembered that for the first time I had my OWN yard!!! This is what I wanted, and when I am not picking up the dog doo I sure do enjoy letting the dog out the door instead of walking her ALL the time. And Max sure does enjoy having a yard to play in when the weather is nice. So instead of focusing on the nasty job on hand I planned my new patio furniture instead.... much better. So today my new goal for myself is to look for the little things that I love so much. I may not be rich, but when I find a great deal, or some great coupons I get a thrill.... now what rich person would be as excited as I am when I find True Religion jeans half off? It's the little things that can make your day better, and as I get ready to go to work I will try and find all the little things that I love and appreciate. Here's to a great week of work, and a fun weekend filled with Little surprises, good and bad.


Kelly Callahan