Ober-vations - Get it?

This morning while looking online for new sneakers for Reedster (he DID just learn how to tie his own shoes - that deserves some new sneakers, I think!), I was browsing and looking at maxi dresses.

Ober-vation 1.
Man - things are EXPENSIVE!  How annoying to not be able to know if that will look good on me?  Maybe I should go to that local consignment store/closet and try and see if I can find something there for a low price before I spend eleventy-billion dollars on something that won't look good on me.

So, off G and I went to the store with a few dresses and a couple of sweaters that I had in the back of my closet to see if could maybe get them to buy them and then not have to pay really ANYTHING for a dress.  How awesome would that be?  I am convinced they'll want my clothes because, duh, they are really cute, but just don't fit me.

G and I walk into the store and are greeted with a 12 year old with drawn on eyebrows.

Ober-vation 2.
When did they let 12 year olds start working in retail?  Because clearly this person is at least 10 years younger than me - and I'm definitely only 22.  Darnitall!  That's not right.  Reedster is 6, and I was how old when I had him?  Man - math is hard this early!  What year is it?

I'm met with a smile (I think - I really can't move past the eyebrows).

12 year old:  Hi!  Do you know what we do here?

Me: Um, I think so but I've never been here before so why don't you tell me?

12 year old: Well, we buy TEEN and YOUNG adult casual wear so I can already tell by looking at those dresses that they are not something we'll want.  They are WAY too formal.

Me: Um ok - well, can I just leave them with the other few things anyway so I don't have to carry them around?

12 year old: sure.  Come back with your ID, blah blah blah.

Ober-vation 3.
G and I decide to browse (BROWS, get it?) the maxi dress section and find a super cute dress for $12 and a matching belt for $6.  SCORE!

I don't care what that girls says, I can totally pull this off.  I'm buying it just to show her how hip and YOUNG I am.  And by HIP, I don't mean that I have child bearing hips, which I totally do.  I mean that these hips don't lie and they can shake what my momma gave me... or something.

Ober-vation 4.
On the ride home tonight from picking up my unwanted clothes (ahem, all of them), I was stopped at a light with my windows down.  Up next to me pulls two Harley Davidson motorcylces with some serious bikers on them.  Guess what they were BLASTING?

THIS.

That's when I realized that even though those teens and young adults don't want my clothes, at least I'm not blaring my music trying to find someone to "ride wit me."

Perfection

I've actually been struggling with this for quite some time and haven't been able to put into words as eloquently as this writer did.  I actually have a few unpublished posts on this very topic.  To clear the air, here's the scoop:

1.  Sometimes my kids are SO cute and affectionate that my heart feels like it's bursting from love.  I can't help but share their cuteness by taking pictures and posting on social media.

I mean, really?  Look at how he puts his arm around her!

Other times, I've definitely left my kids in the car in our garage while I went inside to take a deep breath to calm myself so I could get my not quite 2 year old buckled in her car seat b/c she was playing limp girl and literally sliding herself out of the car seat onto the floor of my car.  I was definitely 20 minutes late for work that morning and thankfully I have a very forgiving boss (who happens to be a Godmother of the child, which doesn't hurt).

This picture was taken one week prior to the meltdown described above.

2. Sometimes I feel like I'm Queen of the world and no one can stop me.  Other times, I feel like a #cranzy person (which btw is the newest coolest word to use - crazy and cranky combined if you didn't already figure that out) because I cannot figure out how to get everything done in the day and still sleep, which I really, really love to do.  Then I wonder how the heck every other mom is handling things like cooking a healthy meal and getting it on the table by 5:15 when they work until 4:30?  And how do they fit reading to their kids in every night when they have karate two times a week and need baths, and need to eat dinner, and need to do homework?

3. Sometimes our house is super clean and tidy (read: when we are expecting people to come over).  Other times, (read: most of the time) at least one bathroom has toothpaste spit all over the mirror, there are hair ties/barrettes/matchbox cars/legos/baby dolls/stuffed animals/fake food/real food/hair all over the floor, in most rooms of the house.  The book shelf has baskets tipped over on the floor (see #2 - sometimes I just send the kids in to get the books ready so I can try and read to them and that happens).  There is probably a pile of clean laundry on my side of the bed, which is not made.

Bottom line?  I'm not perfect.  No human is.  Sure, we share mostly the happy/best looking pictures of our life.  I think most of us realize that the majority of people aren't very excited to share the not so perfect aspects of their life.  I think that's different than actually SEEING someone share they not so perfect aspects of their life.

But you know what?  You try your best.  Every day.  It's OK to fail at something, especially if you are trying something completely new to you.  While we strive for perfection, we all need to really know that it's not possible, and that's OK.

I went there. And it was glorious.

Here is an early Christmas or Hanukkah gift for all you ladies born in the 80s.  

Jon isn't there... which makes me sad, as he was my favorite.

If you want to just listen to the song, You can do so here.  :)

You're welcome.  :)

Entering into Blogdom...

Hello!

I have no idea if anyone will ever read this, or want to read what I have to write, but I figured it would be fun to start a blog where I can write about my life with my amazing husband, our adorable son, and our adventures as a family.

I suppose I should start by write about who I am...

Some randomness:  

• I'm Michelle.  My closest friends and family members call me Chelle.  
• I love cooking and baking.  I love to read mommy and food blogs and look for recipes.  I probably have 300 recipes saved in my email account.  I'm a bit of a recipe addict I guess.  
• I've been married to my hubby, "EMX," since 2004 and we've been together since 1999.  We've had our dog D since 2005 and we welcomed our son, R, into our family in 2008.  (Does it sound like R comes second?  I just wanted to write in chronological order, lol.)  
• I love all things London, Italy and the color brown.  I love to dance and sing, though I'm usually completely off-tune. 
• I am the oldest of 3 and I have two wonderful sisters.  LOVE THEM!
• As much as I love recipes and cooking, I will only even consider a recipe if it has an appropriate amount of ingredients or I know I have most of the ingredients listed.  Something about having to buy a cartload of ingredients for one dish really irks me.

So, I hope you like what you read!

Cheers!

~Michelle