Lovin' that Man

Just wanted to take a little sec to say that even though Jeremiah works like 80 hours a week (this is an estimate, not an exaggeration) slinging Bahn Mi sandwiches and yummy noodle salads, he took the time to make me laugh a lot tonight AND tape around the top of the nursery so I can paint. I will add that he does not think we need to paint, but he did it anyway, on one of his only nights off.

Plus, look how cute he is on our maternity pictures. Pictures he didn't even complain about taking. (I think he secretly liked it!Shhhhh, don't tell.)

I love him SO much!

In my mom's words, "Watch out parenthood, here they come!"

Lots of Love, 

Brandi

Week 35 is Already Here?!

So, I went to the doctor today, and I realized when I was scheduling my final appointments that I am so far along in this pregnancy that I am actually close to my final appointments! Ah! How did this happen so fast? I have had a dream pregnancy so far, and I am so thankful for that. My pregnancy has been so easy, that it has flown by and now if I am being honest, I don't want it to be over!

Don't get me wrong. I cannot wait to hold this precious little human in my arms and give her all of the love that I have. It's just that, I kinda have this pregnancy thing down.

So, here is what I plan to do. I am going to make the most of these last few weeks of growing an actual person. And then, I am going to make the most of the actual delivery. And then, I am gonna go crazy on being a mom. Absolutely overboard! I am going to squeeze out every little tiny bit of this entire experience. Because if I have learned anything this crazy year, it is that life is too short to do anything halfway. You never know what can happen people, so go crazy while you can.

Lots of Love to you All!
Brandi

Motherhood Preparation to the EXTREME: *Warning: Potty Humor*

In the past several months I have had a lot to think about. Becoming a mommy is hard mental work. Will I use disposable diapers or cloth? How will I manage nursing when I return to work?  Who will be my long-term sub during maternity leave? Daycare options? Whether to include the "h" in spelling my daughter's name? Registries, showers, maternity pictures, and on and on. I don't actually have the baby in my arms yet and have made so many decisions. I could really take all of this to the extreme, like I do many other aspects of my life, if I am being honest...

Meanwhile: While I was in the first few weeks of pregnancy, I caught a re-run of Oprah, or I may have been watching a backlog of DVRed episodes. Any-who, it was all about the perils of motherhood. Women were talking about the pressure and the ca-razy things they have done as mommies that they would never have thought of doing as "regular" people. One woman recounted a story of peeing in a diaper in her car to avoid getting the sleeping baby out of the vehicle so she could do her business. Several of the other moms agreed to similar offenses in the name of not waking/moving their baby who just fell asleep/never takes a nap.

Obviously I was intrigued. In the past few months I asked my "mommy friends" if they had been through a similar experience. You won't be surprised to know that, yes, indeed they had. If they hadn't actually been in a diaper in the mini-van scenario, they had thought about it long and hard before unbuckling that car seat and enduring a cranky baby/toddler. I won't name any names, but one pal said she had used her own backyard while watching her car from the side-gate! I am giggling hysterically right now, just like when she told me about her shenanigans.

As I write this, I know that many of you have a story to share. You are thinking something along this lines: "Oh Brandi, just you wait. You will get your comeuppance for laughing at your friends and writing about secret mommy behavior. I thought the same things before I had kiddos. I can't wait to say I told you so!"

In response, I would like to share with you a plan I have concocted to safeguard myself from ever needing to hide a Big Gulp cup under the seat. (Yes, based in fact, people!) I just heard about a product, available to all of America the Beautiful's busy mommies. The Stadium Gal, and it's male counterpoint, the Stadium Pal, in case any daddies also have a restroom emergency, has been on the scene since 1998. The "SG" is marketed to sporting event attendees. The idea is that you have your own personal urinal attached to your calf, discretely hidden under your pants. Avoid the restroom line, but DO NOT try to wear it with shorts! I won't go into any more detail.... Doesn't this seem like it could be of use to the busy mom crowd?

Back to all of the decisions. This one is such a no brainer. For $34.95, I can avoid your taunts of "I told you so." I am trading them in for a bag o' pee though.

**disclaimer: I am not actually buying a "SG." But I do hope this made you giggle.

Hugs,
Brandi

Shout out to all the teachers.

Since this was my first OFFICIAL day back, I would like to say a big "thank you" to every teacher who has probably experienced the following before they were even required to be back at school. **Many of these are true and real situations. Names have been deleted to protect the innocent/embarrassed.

• Spending countless hours in an un-air conditioned room putting up cute border/bulletin boards/organizational systems 
• The laminator eating the poster you just spend 2 hours decorating and gluing tiny die-cuts to
• Making your umpteenth trip to Wal-Mart/Hobby Lobby/Copelins/The Dollar Tree/Insert Any Other Store here to buy cute border/organizational systems/markers/paper/etc.
• Leaving your purchases for your room at home which forces you to go get them and waste valuable time
• Spending little time with friends and loved ones while gearing up
• Attending workshops/meetings instead of hanging at the mall/lake/pool/insert other relaxing activity here
• Hauling your kids/spouse to school to help you 
• Waking up in a cold sweat from a school dream in which your class consists of different versions of the same student (as in Michael Keaton in "Multiplicity"), or your floor is slanty so your desks all slide to one side, or you have to share a room with another teacher and her 25 students as well as yours or....
• using a heating pad all the time because the stress of it all aggravates your sensitive muscles
• one word: Tylenol
• Gluing something to your person and not seeing it until you have returned home from gallivanting around town to above stores
• your husband thinking that your floor has tiny pieces of glass on it when really it is lamination film scraps
• bruises on your thighs from pushing desks around your room into thirteen different configurations until every kid is guaranteed the perfect spot
• updating your curriculum maps while on vacation
• doing it all and knowing that you would do it again in a heartbeat.

I hope anyone who reads this will thank a teacher for all of the dedication and love they put into all that they do. I don't know a single teacher who doesn't drag themself to school early to ready their room. It doesn't all get done in one work day? Get out of town! I want all of the teachers that I know to know that I NOTICE all that they do. 

I love love love you all.

Hugs,
Brandi  

Picture Books!! I love em so. You know you do too!

My very favorite picture book is and will always be...drumroll please....... Panda Cake by Rosalie Seidler. Nobody ever seems to know this book, but I love it. Have you ever used money for something fun instead of what it was intended for? Be honest now.

Really, I want to hear what your favorite picture book is.

Hugs,
Brandi

How do I leave comments on a blog?

It has come to my attention that some of my peeps (yeah, I said it!) need a little assistance posting comments. I will assume that after I post this, I will have soooo many comments that I won't know what to do. Side note: I had a similar issue when trying to post to Amanda Aragon's hilarious blog. Click below to go through the steps.

How do I leave comments on a blog?

Hugs,

Brandi

Summer Reading Goal: Book Reviews 1 & 2

The Particular Sadness of Lemon Cake by Aimee Bender
I have such mixed feelings about this one. The main character of the book is Rose, who at the age of nine discovers that she can taste emotions in food. As the book progresses, we learn that she isn't the only member of her family who has an unusual talent. We follow her through adulthood. How will she eat anything?!

Aimee Bender's writing is mesmerizing, although some people may be put-off by the disappearance of all quotation marks! I didn't mind it once I got the hang of it. All of this is well and good. I enjoy a little magic. I can even get behind the characters. They (Rose's mother, father, and brother Joseph being the main supporting cast) are well-developed and I found myself liking them. But wait...

About two-thirds of the way through the book, I started feeling frustrated. Not just, "I really want to know what is going to happen" frustrated. More like, "This is veering way off course and into too weird for even Brandi territory!" Let me just say that I was left feeling unsatisfied with Joseph's storyline. I won't give it away in case you are planning on reading it.


Both Ways is the Only Way I Want It by Maile Meloy
This collection of short stories left me wanting to help the characters through their loneliness and problems. I found myself relating to them and then wishing them well as I moved on to the next tale. The characters are real and flawed and wonderful. The collection's characters, filled marital strife, confusion, longing, and hopefulness, reminded me of so many people I know. Meloy captures the essence of living in rural and wide-open spaces. I don't usually enjoy short stories or sad ones at that, but I will read these again. My favorite of the eleven was "Agustin" about an elderly man who longs for a former lover who reappears. I cried more than once while reading these observant stories.

**if you do read "Both Ways" and like it, you might also enjoy "The Ballad of the Sad Cafe" or "The Heart is a Lonely Hunter" by Carson McCullers. Really, anything by Carson McCullers. I love love love her.