The End of Summer, Start of School, and a Little Belly Butter Inbetween

 I never thought this day would come.  Wait, let me rephrase that.  I never thought this day would come so quickly.  As a stay at home mom, there are days where the seconds, minutes, and hours tend to drag on and on with no kid's bedtime in sight.  Then there are the days, usually the ones where I'm organizing photos on my external hard drive, where I feel that time has passed by in the blink of an eye.  There are days when I look back at photos of my children and I feel a small panic, a small crushing weight on my chest, brought on by the realization of how incredibly fast time is passing.  Of course I add fuel to my small panic fire by thinking, "Am I making the most of the time with my boys, my family?  Am I creating memories they will treasure for a lifetime?    Am I doing things with them that they will one day remember and want to do with their children?  Am I yelling at them too much?  Is that what they will remember the most?"

 As summer came to a close, these thoughts started to permanently take up residence on the front burner of my brain.  Matthew, my oldest, was getting to ready to start kindergarten and of course I started questioning the quality of our time together these past 5 years.   Looking back, it's pretty safe to say that Matthew and I had a good run.  Before his little brother came along, Matthew and I were partners in crime.  I used to load him up and we would take off for hours usually hitting up all my favorite antique and thrift stores.  He loved them! I've never seen a kid rack up so much free stuff from store owners.  They were all so impressed with the way he would walk around at the age of 2 and not touch a thing.  Oh he had plenty of playdates as well but the ease in which I could just do things with him.........

 We made the most out of this summer, packing in as much as possible, which in Florida means anything having to do with water.  I've said it before and I'll say it again.  This state is too damn hot!

 Having Bush Gardens 30 minutes down the street is such a blessing!  I pack up the kids, meet up with our friends, aka the stroller mafia, and easily spend 4 or 5 hours at Sesame Street alone.  Matthew and his friends run off on their own (within Sesame Street) and the little ones spend the entire time at the splash pad while us moms (most of us pregnant) sit in the shade.  It's so easy,  it's fun, and the kids sleep so well that night =)

I can't believe my family will be adding a 3rd little boy to this chaotic mix come November. Oh wait, did I forget to tell you? I'm 35 weeks pregnant with another little boy and am praying that these next 5 weeks fly by.

Our time in Sesame Street Land would not be complete without visiting good ol' Elmo and Big Bird.

I know it seems I have more pictures of Nicholas than of Matthew but the bigger boys are always off together doing their thing =)

We usually go to Bush Garden's during the week days in an attempt to avoid the summer weekend crowds. Unfortunately, this means the hubby's are left out. Bush Garden's has an event called Summer Nights which includes later park hours and a really awesome Kinetics Show followed by fireworks. Being that we get to the park around 10am, our kids are usually way too exhausted to hang out until 10pm. However, one day we did plan a later trip so that our husbands could meet us at the park when they got off work. My poor husband had duty the night before and therefore had been up for over 24 hours by the time he met up with us. Kuddos to you honey for being a trooper and not complaining or being grumpy.

 It really was nice to 1) get the husbands together and 2) let our older ones ride the larger roller coasters and hang out with their dads. Oh, and don't let me forget to add that it was nice to have an extra pair of hands around.

  Of course we had to double check which roller coasters Matthew could go on with his daddy.  You still have a ways to go buddy.  I'm super impressed with the fact that he will even ride a roller coaster.  I can't say it enough.  Matthew is our cautious kid who can sometimes be frightened by his own shadow.

But there was one adult roller coaster he could go on and he was so stoked to be able to ride it with his dad.

 Introducing, the Scorpion.

  Good luck guys!

  Three of us moms are pregnant so we had to stay back and keep the cheerleaders under control, aka stroller lock-down.

The kids also wanted to ride some of the smaller, more kid friendly attractions.

  Even the babies needed a little action after being stuck in their strollers.

  Now this is where Nicholas completely shocked the hell out of me. My two year old is a life-of-the-party, balls to the wall, hell on wheels, on the move 24/7, no caution, and no fear kind of kid. So imagine my surprise at his reaction when the airplane ride took off.

  Really.......

  The kids love standing beside The Sheikra which produces a huge splash as it passes.  By the way, The Sheikra is the best roller coaster at Bush Garden's of Tampa but you have to sit in the front row.  The way they leave you hanging, staring down as the track curves under itself, leaving you with a view of nothing but open scenery below is A.Mazing.

And what's Summer Nights without a little impromptu dance party? Bust a move Nick and Tyler!

We were all so exhausted that we almost missed the biggest attraction of Summer Nights, the Kinetics Show. We just happened to walk past where it was taking place when we spotted a park worker ushering people inside the gates toward the stage. Bush Garden's puts the show on every night and I can't believe we only caught one the entire summer. They do a wonderful job and the kids loved every minute. Note to self: do more evening BG trips next summer.

The kids started out dancing but quickly ended up like this.

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Being that this is Florida we also spent a lot of time in the pool.  Some of our favorite afternoons were spent at our community pool after Jacob came home from work.  Matthew took swim lessons this summer and trust me, he needed all the extra practice he could get.  I promise you even though he looks like he is drowning, he's not =)  I'm so proud of him though.  For the longest time Matthew wouldn't even get in the water.  He would hang out on the side of the pool while all his friends were jumping in and swimming.  Matthew was perfectly happy with his pool side post and he had the best time fetching the pool toys gone rogue but still.

I signed him up for swim lessons with Sharks and Minnows and it did wonders for his confidence in the water.  At the end of his 6 week class he still couldn't swim on his own but he was rockin' out with his water wings.  He went from the kid who wouldn't get in the pool to the kid that wouldn't get out.  I slowly deflated his wings until one day he was doing it on his own.  At the same time, Jacob and I made Nicholas transition from his water vest to water wings.  Pool time is so much more relaxing now that we don't have two kids clinging to us for dear life =)

  Nicholas still hasn't learned to jump away from the side of the pool. He literally jumps straight up and pulls his legs out from underneath himself. I'm waiting for the day where he smacks his noggin on the side of the pool.

I'm so proud of you Matthew for conquering your fear of water.

  I told you it looks a little like Matthew is drowning but it's because he refuses to kick his legs as hard as he should.  My son, always looking an easier, possibly lazier way of accomplishing things.

My boys, my life.

Nicholas was trying so hard to swim with his face in the water.  

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We also had plenty of pool playdates at friends' houses as well.

Here is Nicholas taking up his usual spot in time out and not being phased one bit by it.
 

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Jacob's mom, Nana, flew into Orlando for a few days for a work conference which was a perfect opportunity for her to see the boys.  She doesn't get to see them very often since she lives in Ohio and so she treated us to Dinosaur Cafe located in Downtown Disney since it was so close to Nicholas's 2nd birthday.  Everyone should dine there at least once with their kids just so they can say they did.  The atmosphere and decorations are insane but I'm still trying to figure out if my burger was worth the $20.  Let's just say that it cost 5 people over $120 to eat and this was sticking to no alcohol and no fancy entrees.  It was strictly burgers and chicken fingers kinda night.  Expensive but cool nonetheless.

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A few times us moms took the kids to the Fishhawk Fountains for an afternoon of easy water play. It's a little downtown area located in the middle of a subdivision that has a splash pad, ice cream parlor, pizza place and a few other quaint shops. Bring some water toys, order a pizza, and the kids are entertained for hours.

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And of course we closed out our summer vacation with a simple back to school party in the mother of all backyards. She has a pool, trampoline, tire swing, huge sand pit, jungle gyms, tons of outdoor toys, and she lives in a cul-de-sac which allows the kids to run from house to house. Please excuse the lack of pictures as I was busy just enjoying the moment with great food and wonderful friends =)

So this is how the majority of summer went: Bush Gardens, pools, cook outs, splash pads, Sea World, anything and everything we could think of to keep us busy and keep us cool. I know deep down Matthew won't really remember the summer before he started kindergarten but I hope at least for now he can think of it as a great one. 

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 And then it was here.

 My baby boy, my first born son was starting kindergarten. 

 Like any other mother, I had this grandiose idea of how Matthew's first day of kindergarten would kick off. We would wake up with plenty of time to sit and eat breakfast together. No one would be rushed or in a hurry, no one would be in a bad mood, the morning would start off perfect.

 Yeah, right.

 The night before, we performed a little ritual given to us by his teacher during meet the teacher night. We tucked the boys in and gave Matthew his Ready Confetti to sprinkle under his pillow.

 Ready Confetti is nothing more than holes punched out of construction paper that your child sprinkles under their pillow while you read them a poem about going to kindergarten in the morning.

 No big deal, right? Wrong.

 Mathew immediately started crying and after a few minutes we finally were able to figure out why. Apparently, Matthew is super scared of the Tooth Fairy and thought that by sprinkling the confetti under the pillow someone was going to come into his room while he was sleeping. I never thought about it from a 5 year olds perspective but I guess some stranger creeping into the room while you're asleep is a pretty scary thing.

 Bless you Matthew, my cautious one =)

 We swiftly moved the Ready Confetti into the trash.

 Before climbing into bed, I asked my husband if he had the alarm on his phone set or did I need to set my alarm. He said his was good to go, no worries......

 Seeing that I've been with this man for 6 years I should have known better. For him, taking his kid to school was important but so was hitting the snooze button so many times that by the time he woke me up we only had 20 minutes to eat breakfast, get the kids dressed and ready, and get Matthew to school. Screw any pictures that I might have wanted to take throughout the morning.

 I could have strangled the shit out of him and it still burns me up when I think about it.

 Here was the only picture I was able to snap that morning.

 I thought I was going to be able to drop him off without getting emotional but who am I kidding. I was a hot blubbering mess walking back to the car. Thankfully I was not the only mother having a hard time keeping it together. The whole situation was made worse by all the pictures my friends were posting online of their kids from that morning. Pictures that I don't have........thanks bunches honey (insert sarcastic tone here).

 I did, however, snap some pictures later that day when I picked him up from school.

 They really do grow up so fast. Matthew's first day of kindergarten went great and from what I understand he only cried once.

 I'm going to leave how the school year's been going since then for another blog post. ********************************************************************
Alright, so here it is.

 The awesome body butter recipe I found online back in February. I've had a number of people ask for it and trust me, once you take the time to make it, you won't buy store bought body butter ever again.

 The body butter is a little on the greasy side but I just put it on immediately when I get out of the shower and it's usually soaked into my skin by the time I'm done with my hair and makeup. I have the most sensitive facial skin ever and so far it is the only moisturizer I can use. I can't even use Oil of Olay anti wrinkle creams because they make my skin break out. Also, I made my first batch in February and am just now getting ready to make another. A little goes a long way.

 The cost to make is around $32 but it's lasted me 8 months. I think I more than got my money's worth. I purchased all the ingredients at an Organic Food store so everything is pure and minimally processed if it's even processed at all. Maybe that's why I can use it on my face?

 I wish I had pictures but they are located on my other external hard drive which is currently under the care of a data recovery team and has been for 3 weeks. Long, long story but to make it short Back. Up. Everything. Not once, not twice but 3 times and make sure one back up source is offsite.

 So here it is:

  1 cup Organic, raw shea butter
  1/2 cup coconut oil
  1/2 cup almond oil
  essential oil of your choice

1. Melt shea butter and coconut oil in the top of a double boiler. Remove from heat and let cool for 30 minutes. You may have to chill the mixture for this step.

 2. Stir in almond oil and essential oils of your choosing.

3. Wait until oils start to partially solidify then whip until a butter-like consistency is achieved. This should only take a few minutes. I had to put mine in the freezer for almost an hour before I could get it to partially solidify.

4. Place in clean, glass jar and enjoy! Store under the bathroom sink or anywhere else that is nice and cool. A little goes a long way.

This pregnancy has me loving any scent that is citrus so I chose grapefruit. Its nice, crisp, clean smell is the perfect way to start and end my day. The final texture of this body butter is like meringue. It seriously looks like something you could eat.

*This is not my recipe but one I found on multiple websites*

Truly a little slice of heaven in a glass jar =)

Hormonal Moments? Maybe, Maybe Not

Guess what?  I'm back.  Once again I have let way too much time pass since the last time I posted.  I honestly don't mean to and as of last night I made the decision to recommit to my blog.  When I started this blog last year, it was one of my favorite places to escape.  I'd put the kids to bed, grab a glass of wine, pop in my headphones, and type away.

Someone recently emailed me writing that they enjoyed reading my blog (when I actually post) and thought it great that life looked fairly stress free.  Happy moments, busy life, and interesting DIY projects seemed to take up my days not leaving a whole lot of room for drama or unhappiness.  Well, let me assure you that is not always the case and when I started this blog I made a decision to try and leave that mess off the computer screen.  My goal was to allow my family and distant friends to keep up with us if they wished.  Other military families know that sometimes once you move you lose touch.  It's not that you don't care about each other anymore, but life just takes over and we are doing all we can just to keep up.  Often times, keeping up doesn't include long distant phone conversations.  Thankfully there is Facebook but a more detailed glimpse is sometimes nice.  I also wanted to use this blog as a way to document moments that my children can one day go back and read.

Every now and then something comes along and I wonder if I should let it go or if maybe, just maybe, I should write about it.  I've thought long and hard about a Facebook issue I recently went through and I debated with myself over whether or not I should document it.  What's that you say?  Facebook drama at the age of 29? Yes.

And yes I am going to write about it because I will one day want my kids to read this post.  I do honestly feel that my children can learn something from this or at the least, understand they are not alone and that people, regardless of age, can be nasty on social networking sites.

~~~~If you prefer comments and vocabulary that are PG-13, than I would skip this post altogether.  What can I say?  I'm pregnant, hormonal, and tend to skip over niceties when my family and I are talked about negatively on Facebook.

Are you ready?  For those of you who wonder about the shitty, annoying things that happen in my life, here you go.

My husband and I originally planned to live on base when he received his orders to Tampa, FL.  I've never experienced base life and MacDill Air Force Base is really a beautiful place with their newer housing developments being the picture perfect poster of what base life should look like.  Of course crap rarely works out in a picture perfect way, and when it was time for us to move the Air Force issued some moving freeze.  No one was moving in base housing and no one was moving out.  I was forced to find a house, a good neighborhood, a decent school system, all within reasonable driving distance from the base with nothing more than the ole' trusty internet.  So I did what a lot of military people do and I turned to MilitaryByOwner.com.  You simply plug in your state, your base, and VOILA!  I found a house in Riverview, FL fitting all the requirements I listed above.  The pictures showed a pretty decent house and the property manager described it as very well kept, extremely clean, with the rear of the house and master bedroom having a view of the water. There was an extra bonus that the rent covered lawn maintenance.  My husband travels a lot and with 2 kids, 2 cats, a household to run, laundry to do, cooking to do, school, and a business to run........let me reiterate that lawn maintenance is included in the rent.

Well hot damn! I hit the jackpot! It couldn't get any better than this, right?  Right.  I mean it.  The pictures and description were the best things about the property we now call home.

We couldn't even start unpacking right away because we had to clean out all of the closets and cabinets. There were dried, crusty gobs and dust balls the size of my cats all up in there. You could even tell where the previous family kept their garbage can due to the old food that was left splattered on the walls and the floor. I'm gagging as I rehash the memory.
 

However, trying to keep with a glass half full mentality, I told myself the cleaning would be worth it especially if I opened the blinds for a view of the sunshine and water. The kids and I had gotten into town the previous night and hadn't seen the view yet. Imagine my surprise when I opened the blinds to this view.

 

A drainage pond. Absolutely stunning I tell you. The hits didn't stop there. The walls throughout the house were so filthy that the property manager had to hire someone to come and clean them. It took the poor woman over 5 1/2 hours and I know she was only paid $70.

My husband walked outside one day to an HOA person taking pictures of our property. It truly is creepy when people take pictures of where you live without giving an explanation. Maybe I watch too much Lifetime or maybe I'm a little more cautious now that I have children of my own. The HOA man told my husband the sod needed to be replaced and the owner had 30 days to do so. After 30 days, the HOA would charge the property owner $100/day until the problem was rectified. Of course we immediately contacted the property manager to tell her and she said someone would be out soon to lay new sod. Thankfully it was the previous tenant who killed the grass and the cost would not come out of our pocket.

The lawn guys came out, who are the sons of the property manager, laid the sod and left. They left their wheel barrows in the backyard, they left large piles of dirt in the road, they left pieces of sod overlapping onto the driveway and they left extra pieces of sod on the sidewalk. It took 3 weeks of me calling and emailing on a daily basis for the guys to come back out and clean up their mess. After clean up, they set the timer on the sprinklers.

Our first water bill after the sod was laid was $480. I am not joking, I am not laughing. We had to pay out of pocket and were then credited $380 towards our next month's rent. But still! We are a budget conscience family and pulling that kind of money at the last minute without touching savings is a bitch. Supposedly the lawn guys came back out and readjusted the timer on the sprinklers.

Our next month's water bill



Again, yes again, I contacted the property manager to let her know. She said she would send the lawn guys, her family members, back out to the house to check for leaks and would investigate with Hillsborough County Water about the excessive bill. 2 days before our bill was due I still had not heard anything from the property manager (PM from here on out). I called the water company, gave them the number of sprinkler zones, the number of times they ran a day and for how long they ran. The water company calculated the water usage at 148,000 gallons of water for the month. The water bill was correct. Funny how it only took me 10 minutes to investigate yet it was taking the PM over 3 weeks. 3 days after our bill was due, the PM cut us a check for everything but $100. Not exactly fair considering I had to pay a bill late.

 Things have calmed down a bit but we still have our fair share of problems living in this house. Let me give you a quick rundown of the rest.

 #1. The baseboards and doors are disgusting. They are stained from years of neglect and can only be salvaged with a new coat of paint. I am currently using my own money and time to fix this.  Thankfully I love to paint.

 #2. The grout in this house used to be an off white but is now black in most places. I have tried every cleaner out there and nothing works. No matter how many times I clean the floor, black grout just looks and feels dirty. I have used my own money and time and have slowly been repainting the grout. So far I have completed the laundry room, master bathroom, and the guest bathroom.

 #3. The house is painted with the cheap builder's grade paint that comes off anytime I wipe a wall. Not to mention the bathrooms are powder blue and lavender. I seriously get scared every time I turn the light on. I recently received permission to paint and can't wait to get started. Expenses will be out of my pocket but I'm OK with that. Being that this is our home for the next few years, I would like it to look as nice as possible even if that means footing some of the cost.

 #4. Lawn maintenance. What? Shouldn't that be included in the rent? Yes, but the people never show up. The grass, which is living and growing according to HOA standards, is often knee high. The tree branches hang so low that they're dropping ants onto our cars. It's frustrating, but I refuse to cut the grass or trees. Our hard earned money pays for this service and I would rather have the owner receive complaints from the HOA than do it myself. Remember, this isn't a service we found, it was provided to us by the PM. It was one of the biggest selling points when it came to this property.

Now let me explain the crappy ass way in which this rental property played a part in some even more crappy ass Facebook behavior performed by our almost 50 year old neighbors.  Let me also add, that we used to get along with these people and that they were aware of all the issues we were having with the PM.  She, the neighbor, even tried to help me out by sending the property owner an email about all of these problems.

A couple of weeks ago the grass was once again about mid calf length.  I had been calling and complaining to the PM but I kept getting the same response.  "You're next on the list.  The guys should be there sometime this week".  The only thing to do was wait.  Late one evening, I settled down with my ginger tea to go through my email.  I stumbled across an email notification of an updated status and it was from my neighbor across the street.

"trash goes in trash cans, lawn mowers are for cutting grass, hedge trimmers are for trimming hedges.  what is wrong with people today. I was talking to another neighbor about it also"

I can't say who the trash was for but it could have been anyone.  It was trash day and some houses have to put bags beside their full trash bins.  The lawn statement however was about my family.  I seriously started seeing red.  Some may say that it's the pregnancy hormones and I do believe they played a part but it's also more than that.  I very much believe in the art of speaking one on one, face to face.  I feel even more strongly about speaking face to face when it's about a situation/issue/problem that needs to be resolved.  Tone, emotion, and feeling get lost in the world of html and things like "......." can be open to all sorts of interpretation.  I often read ...... after a word as sarcasm where as many others view it as contemplating your next thought or as your statement being so profound that it needs no completion.

To further discuss my family with others without speaking to me or my husband is disrespectful, rude, and not necessary.  We keep to ourselves but would gladly answer any questions and hand over any PM contact information if someone asked for it.

I was angry but I went to bed hoping that a good night's rest would ease my anger.  It usually does especially when it's fired by irrational, raging hormones.  However, the next morning I was still a little upset.  I just kept thinking about this neighbor who not only discussed my family with others but also felt the need to post about us on a social networking site.  So I made the decision to do what I do best.  A younger generation might call me crazy because I don't feel the need to hunker behind a firewall but a more mature generation might call me old fashioned.

I decided to walk across the cul de sac and ask if there was anything we needed to discuss.

 It has nothing to do with being confrontational or rude; it's just how I roll.  I prefer to be in a social setting where vocal tones, inflections, and facial expressions can be up front and clear.  This is something I took away as a former teacher.  I hated email/phone conferences and preferred to meet one on one. It removes any guesswork and most misinterpretations leaving you with a better understanding, possible solution, and maybe a better rapport to with whom you are speaking.

*Names have been changed*

I walked over to the neighbor's and *Tim was in the garage so I asked if we could talk.  He said sure and I told him I had a question about his wife's post on Facebook.  I told him that I saw she was bashing the neighbors about their trash, lawn, and hedges and that I wanted to make sure the lawn comment wasn't about us.  That's when I saw it. The brief, downward shifting of the eyes as he said, "Oh no! Those comments weren't about you.  They were about someone else!"  I let the comment fall into silence as we both looked out into the cul de sac and at the mostly well manicured lawns.......except for mine which was a hot freaking mess.  My reply, "Are you sure?  I'd be more than happy to give you the phone number to our PM.  You could even complain to the HOA,  maybe that would help our PM get on the ball.  She doesn't listen to us.  I'm only asking that you and your wife please don't discuss me and family with other neighbors or on Facebook.  We don't discuss you and your business so please don't talk about us.  It's tacky."

I know, I know, I could have left out the last phrase but my blood was starting to boil after catching him in a lie. He's your burly, working on cars, cutting the grass, tinker in the garage kinda man so I was surprised by his next statement. "Ummmm, do you want to go get my wife?"

Really.  I've dealt with this type of guy before and they are not my cup of tea.  Ladies with strong, independent personalities, you know the type I'm talking about.  The ones whose testicles have yet to descend.  Can't stand them, they are the worst.  I really want to think that his quick exit was due to my bad ass, gangsta-ness oozing from my pores.  I mean, I can see how he could easily mistake the map coordinates on my wrist as being the locale of my previous jail cell but somehow, my blonde hair, oversized white sunglasses, purple dress, and blossoming preggo belly have me believing otherwise.

He simply hadn't grown a pair yet.

That and it was obvious he wasn't used to someone stepping from behind the privacy setting, from behind the computer, from behind the walls of their house and calling him and his wife out on their frequent teenage like behavior.

He disappeared inside and *Malificent, his wife, walked out.  She was chugging a Monster energy drink and looking everywhere but at me.   I asked her the same question, she said no and then quickly turned the subject to how over grown another neighbor's back yard had become.  Here's the creepy thing.  You can't see their backyard from the street and she wasn't exactly friends with them.  She then switched topics and started talking about another neighbor's financial problems which was none of my business.  I stopped her, told her that my family and I had somewhere to be and to please in the future refrain from discussing me and my family.  I walked home and thought everything was over.

Instead of voicing his concern to me while I was standing in his driveway, 40 something year old Tim walked inside, sat down at his computer.......and yes, he Facebooked.

Had a great weekend. Spent time with good friends, Malificent and I had our pictures taken today and started my school work. One thing that pissed me off was a neighbor thinking Malificent was talking about her yard on FB. What do I say to that, "get over it and stop making excuses for yourself". 

To which, Malificent posted,

"My husband has such a great way with words! I love you!"

Most people at this point would say get over it.  It's only Facebook, don't take it so seriously, and let it go.

In the past I probably would have let it go but now that I am a mother I tend to view things differently.  As a former teacher, I tend to view things differently.  Face to face interaction is a dying art and along with it the etiquette we use to conduct ourselves appropriately.  In person, we usually think before we speak but because it's Facebook or Twitter there's apparently no need and I am F.E.D up with it. As a teacher I was taught that if the way in which I communicate with my students isn't working than I should try something else.  Well, I tried one on one but this couple apparently only communicates via social networking sites.

So that's what I would do too.

The younger me would have jumped right into typing, fingers trying to keep up unsuccessfully with my flow of thoughts.  I would have slammed the "enter" key without proof reading and deep down would have yelled, "Ha! Take that!"

Oh but not the older me.  At the ripe old age of 29 I've grown a little more calculated when going up against assholes such as these.  I opened up Microsoft Word, typed my thoughts, completed a spell/grammar check, saved my work, and waited.  I waited to see if my anger would subside, to see if some little voice inside my head would tell me not to post my comment on Facebook.  Neither one happened so instead I waited until 12am, until I knew she would be asleep and that my comment would rest comfortable on her Facebook wall without being immediately deleted.  I should also add that I posted my comment in sections were multiple people had posted so that they too would get an email notification showing my comment.  Here it is:

I usually try to be a better person but have had it with you two. You have no job, nothing better to do except sit in your driveway, in a lawn chair, for 4 hours a day, and stare down the street waiting for something to complain about. You do nothing but talk shit about Jackie (our neighbor) and how you don't like her because "she is just f*n weird". You call the cops so that they sit at the end of the street and try to catch our neighbor speeding instead of walking over and discussing it with him. You walk underneath people's trees to make sure they are at regulation height on a weekly basis. You walk slowly around people's property and check to make sure their tags on their cars have not expired. You actually have to get super close to people's cars to see the dates which is a little creepy in my opinion. When I asked why you turned someone in for expired tags, you stated that "you just don't like them." You have gossiped to everyone that will listen about Nicole (who is just a teenager) and her family's financial issues which I'm sure her mom told to you in confidence, and you recently just bitched about how the new neighbors didn’t introduce themselves. Yeah, technically we should be introducing ourselves to them but whatev. You also started talking shit about how some guy named Scott didn’t keep up with the yard before he moved and now the new neighbors have to move into a mess. These are the actions and gossiping of a downright nasty, hateful, full-of-time-to-waste type of person. Your husband is now also talking about me and my family on Facebook and we have done not a damn thing to you but walk over and make sure that a post of yours was not about my family. True adults and neighbors talk in person (which is what I tried to do) not bash each other on Facebook. I tried but now I know that I'm not exactly dealing with your typical, mature, late in their 40s couple. Your husband states that I make excuses for myself? Once again gossiping about my family on Facebook….. When the neighbor behind you called the HOA on your dogs recently, you had nothing but excuses for yourselves over and over again. I truly feel bad for people like you. Your gossiping and vindictive attitude towards everyone on this street shows just how lacking your life is in fulfillment and true happiness. And yes we all saw you walking down the street with your camera snapping pictures for the HOA this morning. Pretty lousy that you two CHOSE to start your SUREXCITATION SUNDAY with an activity like that. This post is pretty disgusting behavior, I'll be the first to admit, but child's play when I reread all the shit that YOU do on a DAILY basis. Very much a long shot but please stop talking about me and my family on Facebook.

Posting this was finally enough for me.  I said what I had to and in the only form of communication this couple understands.  The incident happened back in May and I still feel no regrets regarding my actions.  Everything I wrote was the truth.  Her everyday actions as a human being are more damning to her character than any lie I could ever put the effort into making up.

So why am I sharing this with you?  Well, it's more for my kids really.  One day Matthew, Nicholas, and unborn baby #3 will come up to me and ask if they can have a Facebook page and like the rest of us they will one day experience the nastiness of social networking behavior.  I can even see how the conversation will play itself out.  I'll use Matthew, my oldest, as the example.  My middle child, Nicholas, will probably be the one starting the nasty behavior which is going to be a whole different "thang".

Matthew:  (sigh)
Me:  Sweetheart, what's wrong.
Matthew: You wouldn't understand, mom.
Me: Try me.
Matthew: I'm telling you, you wouldn't understand. It has to do with stupid Facebook.
Me: Why, what's going on?
Matthew: Some people are saying stupid things about me on Facebook and it sucks.
Me: Oh. Honey, I understand and it's an awful thing for people to do.
Matthew: (Insert sarcastic tone here) Right.....You probably didn't even have Facebook when you were my age.
Me:  You're right I didn't but people don't have to be in high school to be nasty on Facebook.
Matthew:  What do you mean?
Me:  Want to read about some people who were half of 100 doing the same thing?
Matthew:  I guess.........What were they trash talking about?
Me:  Mowed grass, honey.  Mowed grass......

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Surprise! It's a Bouncing Baby...

Hi, remember me? Cheryl Cavanaugh? Wife, mother of 2 rambunctious boys, stay at home mom, and photographer on the side? Wow! I can't believe I've let so much time pass since the last time I posted. I could sit here and make excuse after excuse but the truth is......Life. Just. Happens. It has been a whirlwind of activity around here and I've hardly had a chance to take a breath. The more time that passed the more anxious I became about writing a catch up post. So much to cover!! Christmas, New Years, birthdays, an anniversary, Valentine's Day, and all the precious moments in between.

And then I realized this is my blog. There is no reason to start stressin' when I step away for a little while. And why in the world do I feel like I have to play catch up when I've been MIA? Who said I had to?

Exactly. No one. So here we are in the now and I have been a busy little bee prepping. Oh that's right. We have a new addition to the family and a cute little addition I must say. He is so soft, quiet, and cuddly. We are so in love with this little guy. So without further hesitation I'd like to introduce the world to (drum roll please)

Bob. Bob the Bunny. Is he not the cutest thing you've ever seen! I've always said that this house is off limits to anymore animals until the cats die. Don't get me wrong. I love my cats and I don't want them to die anytime soon but they are a handful. I somehow always get animals with strange, off the wall personalities. Chloe, my oldest cat, is a straight D.I.V.A. The world is hers and everything should go her way. She is overweight, likes to sleep on your neck, will bust a hole through all your window screens and knocks over any cup that has liquid in it.

Then there's Galina our second cat. When Jacob was deployed and I was working all day, I thought Chloe was lonely at the house all by herself. One of my fellow teachers had a litter of kittens so I took one. My earth science students named her Galina after a mineral that produces a silver streak on an unglazed porcelain plate. Dorky I know but they were so excited when they came up with that name. I brought Galina home thinking Chloe would finally have a playmate and wouldn't you know they hated each other. They still hate each other to this day. Anywho, Galina is a bipolar cat on crack. She races around the house all day, literally climbs door frames, shower curtains, and will climb into tiny spaces that she can't wiggle her way out of. She is also relentless when it comes to stealing my husband's boot straps.

I never thought I would have another animal. I mean cleaning up after 2 kids and 2 cats......

So how did this rabbit come to live with us? A friend of mine got a rabbit and once I saw it I was in love. I never had a bunny growing up. Oh I straight jumped on it when she said she could get one for us. Her bunny is totally chill. He lies around, letting anyone hold him, stays in his cage and is just all around awesome. Why would my bunny be any different? They came from the same family right?

So we started putting together his cage. My friends had a great, inexpensive idea for creating the perfect rabbit habitat.

1. Purchase a $20 small animal playpen. They have panels that can be removed or added to make the cage as big or small as you need. The top is open but the sides are high making it difficult for animals to escape.

2. Purchase a $2 tarp from Walmart. Cut a piece of the tarp to fit the width and length of the playpen. Actually cut it a little bigger so it will stretch a little ways up the sides of the playpen.

Clip the tarp to the playpen with clothes pins. Super simple, super cheap, my kinda style =)

3. Add some finishing touches like a hay manager, salt wheel, paper shavings, somewhere for him to snuggle, and you're good to go.

I don't have a picture of the final product but his cage took up a whole entire corner of Matthew's room.

You would think Bob the Bunny would be happy with his larger than life cage.

You would think.

I was watching TV one night and heard a strange noise coming from Matthew's room. I walked in and there he was. Bob. On Matthew's bed. Homeboy straight scaled the sides of his cage. He was just sitting there on Matthew's bed looking at me with his beady little red eyes. I could see his thought process.....Yeah lady, that's right. You can't hold me down. Catch me if you can, I dare ya. No, check that I double dare ya.

Oh yes, I stared at this bunny and that entire conversation totally went through my head.

Remember what I said, I always get the weird animals. Most people would say to just get a rabbit cage with a top and call it a day. Well that's what my husband said at least. I don't like a lot of the cages out there. I think they are too small and cruel. The huge ones sell for $200 bucks or more and I'm not going to drop that kind of money. So I had to go with Plan B. If Bob the Bunny was going to be hopping around freely, he needed to be potty trained.

What's that you say? Potty train a bunny? Yes ma'am, that's right. What? You don't believe me?

You go Bob. A little privacy please =)

It's not like litter training a cat. You have to place boxes in areas where your rabbit likes to go. We have one in the dining room, the bathroom, on the lanai, in Nicholas's room and in his new cage. Thankfully most of them are somewhat hidden and Bob's litter doesn't stink, make too large of a mess and is super simple to clean. Much easier than a cat's litter box.

So I thought I could rein Bob in by litter training and strategically placing baby gates throughout the house.

So I thought.

One afternoon the cats were sitting outside the laundry room acting all funny. I step over the baby gate and this is what I find.

Bob hopped the baby gate, took over the laundry room, and now thinks he is a cat. Chloe and Galina get along with Bob but not when he is eating their food.

And occupying their space behind the washer and dryer.

We can keep a pretty good eye on Bob when we're home but I don't want him in the laundry room when we're away. If he chews through the power cord to the washer or dryer.........no bueno.

It was time for Plan C. Use the litter boxes and baby gates and design a large cage fit for a rabbit king. So it began.

I've never attempted to build a structure that needed to be somewhat structurally sound. So what better way to start than by designing a 3 story bunny cage with a built-in litter screen, hinged door, ramps and a sleeping loft. I mean go big or go home, right?

Keeping true to my style it needed to be inexpensive. My goal was to learn how to use a circular saw, utilize metal ties and connectors, make minimal measurement mistakes, and come in under $70. Done, done, done, and not so done. My final cost was $102. Not my idea of cost effective but at least it was cheaper than buying a wood, tri-level bunny cage. The whole process took me a week. I could lie and say that it took so long because I had to take care of my kids while trying to work power tools but I'll be honest. There were so many times I just sat there thinking how in the f*** am I going to make this work.

My final product looks nothing like the original sketch but hey, it's done. Well, almost. I still have to finish the top.

First up was the frame. I had planned to use hard wire cloth for all four walls. After completing one side I realized that it was going to take a lot and that mess is expensive. Enter OSB board to the rescue at $6 for a huge slab. Not so cheap to polyurethane but it had to be done. I didn't want urine soaking into the boards....gag. Of course my clumsy self spilled a can so I had to buy another one.

Then I sat down again and thought how in the hell am I going to do a built in litter screen so that I can slide a litter pan in and out from under the cage.

I added some extra 2 x 2's underneath so the entire structure would sit off the ground giving me the space I needed to slide a thin litter pan in and out.

Then I sat down, once again, to think through how I was going to build in 2 more levels. I had to think for a long time. I'm really more of an arts and crafts kinda gal.....

I wish I could provide detailed instructions just in case someone else wanted to attempt this bunny cage but I was simply going with the flow. I went where ever my thought process took me and somehow, someway, it worked.

Add in a few ramps with grip support

And voila!

Yes, that is Bob happily staying in his cage even though the door is open. Yes, it is now May (I started this back in Feb.) and I haven't finished the top and yes, as of right now those are my pie pans serving as the litter box. No need to fret, it will one day get done. I still consider this project a total success.

I learned to use a circular saw which to this day still scares me. I have a tendency to not pay close attention and the finality of the blade coming into contact with a finger.....well it still crosses my mind every time I take the saw out of the box. I've conquered the weird feeling of intimidation that the wood section of Lowes used to instill in me. Don't deny it ladies. You know you've felt that way at least once. I now know the awesomeness of ties/connectors which are extremely handy when attaching multiple wood pieces at different angles. And lastly, I've learned about chicken wire vs. hardwire cloth. It doesn't seem like a big deal but go ahead and run your hand over chicken wire and then drag your hand across hardwire cloth. Now imagine an animal's nose or foot dragging across and tell me which one you would choose. I'm just say 'in.

I'm sure people from Pinterest will stumble across this post and possibly be aggravated when they learn that I don't offer detailed instructions on how to make this bunny cage. My advice? You. Don't. Need. Them. Grab a cup of coffee, pen, paper, and start sketching what you want and go from there.

Because my final product

Looks nothing like my original sketch and I'm OK with that. Have a great weekend!

~Cheryl