A Shaved Head and A Couple Margaritas

Look out, now! I am blogging on a Monday night or avoiding my laundry like the plague.  I hope that errrrybody had a nice weekend. I did have a nice weekend even though I worked. If you follow me on Instagram (linzlee1982), take a deep breath and bear with me. I don't mean to blow up all social media sites with my pics but it happens! Ha!

Last Thursday night, my youngest SIL, Carrie, came to watch the kids so I could go have dinner with some friends in Memphis at On The Border. It was my first time eating there...shame, yes I know. Anyways, it was really nice to sip on a DELICIOUS margarita with some friends. I laughed so hard that my face was hurting. I think there were about 10-12 of us. A very good time!

 My sweet friends, Ann and Lindsey

My Strawberry Margarita! Ohhhh...it was sooooo good!

 

After I got home from work Saturday night, Carter informed us that he wanted his hair to be cut like his daddy's...shaved, buzzed, whateva you call it. He really was PAST needing a haircut. I wasn't excited about it at all. Brian, on the other hand, was so pumped. So, we had just snapped this pic...

 

I posted it to all Social Media sites! LOL! I had no idea it would be the last pic before his haircut!

Look at all of that sweet boy's hair!

He loved it! I think he could tell I was a little upset. He hugged me and said "don't worry, mommy, it will grow back tomorrow."

 

Monday for us is kinda hard for me to describe. It's like a Saturday I guess. We went to pick up a truck part at a dealership in Memphis and, OMG, I almost traded my Tahoe. I looked at it and I almost cried! Over a freaking car! I brought the gas guzzler back home with me. At least she's paid for with plenty of equity. Afterwards, we went to a local Mexican place here for lunch. The boys loved it. Caleb ate his first enchilada.

 

Of course, I had another Strawberry Margarita. It was good but On The Border was better!

 

The temperature was in the upper 60s here today so we took full advantage and played outside this afternoon. It was pretty windy but it was warm!

 



Look at that hair! Lawdy!

 









The happiest kid on the planet!

 

Mondays bring major laundry issues to the Smith House. After working for 2 days, it really piles up. I am drowning today. Ha!

 



Ugh! Yes, there's a basket in there somewhere!

I got a text while sorting through that hot mess and anytime Caleb see's my phone he says, "Cheese" so we stopped for a small photo session. Haha!

 

I went for an afternoon run today. I am typically a morning runner. I waited until later today because I knew it was going to warm up. Aubree wanted to come with me. She isn't a big fan of running but she ran a little. As I lapped her she said, "Man, mom, you run fast for your age." Hmmm...well, alrighty then. Glad 30 doesn't bother me! Lol!

 

Did anyone else drink some Margaritas this weekend? Ever run with your pre-teen? Ready for Spring?

 

Friday Letters

Linking up with Ashley at The Sweet Season for some Friday letters. I've got some good ones! Several are to my lovely children!

Dear Self, What is the freaking deal with you not being able to correctly open the bag of cereal in the box. It can't be that hard. You are way to OCD to have the bag all split down the side with excess cereal dropping into the box!

 

 

Dear Cookie Monster Toy, Thanks so much for giving me a heart attack at 2AM when I realized someone had placed you under my bed when you randomly yelled out COWABUNGA!! Shaved a good 3 years off my life!

 

Dear Carter, Thank you for explaining the male and female anatomy to me about a million times this week. I promise that I will not forget that mommy's don't have weiner's but they do have butts.

 

Dear Caleb, Mommy thought she really hit the jackpot when you were sitting on my back the other night and playing with my hair. Who doesn't love for their hair to be played with? It wasn't until I was getting ready for bed that I realized you were massaging snot into my hair. Thanks, baby boy!

 

Dear Aubree, I am glad you were able to look at a word you aren't very familiar with and pronounce it correctly. We both know you have made up some crazy words. So have I. I just wish this word didn't happen to be "Vagisil" while we were on the soap and deoderant aisle at Kroger that had about 5 people standing there. Three of which were men...can you say awkward?? Thanks for not asking what it is for!

 

Dear Carter, Mommy gets aggravated too at the constant ringing of the doorbell with people selling stuff. I don't think it was necessary, however, to yell loudly while standing at the door "mommy, there's some moron at the door." To put the icing on the cake, Pop Pop was here and asked what'd you say and you repeated it loud and clear.



Dear Hubby, Aubree and I spent 20 minutes removing every single one of those tiny charcoal rocks from the fireplace months ago after Caleb discovered them and a couple weeks ago you decide to put them back because "he needs to learn to leave them alone." I truly wish I could have seen the look on your face as you cooked Hamburger Helper for us while I was on my way home from work and you turned around to discover he had shoved about 30 of them in his mouth. Glad all the black stains came off his little face within a day or two.

Dear Pandora, When one requests Playa Fly don't play "Hey Ya" by Outkast. That's really not cool...at all. When you are in the mood for Playa that's the way it is. There is no similarity! You may have to be from Memphis to understand this one!

Dear Hobby Lobby, I've put a lot of thought into it and I have finally decided that a husband must have designed your shopping carts. I really have no other explanation for how small they are. A mom with 2 little kids can't use the cart for much of anything. You need to re-evaluate the situation! STAT!

Dear Jenelle and Kaylan,  I think I am just gonna start fast forwarding when y'all come on Teen Mom 2. How much drama can one create? Y'all are getting on my nerves! If we aren't battling a manic episode with Jennelle we're dealing with Keefah! I can't deal! And Kaylan or however you spell it, your baby daddy does not want you! He is moving on just like you...oh wait, it's ok for you but not him! Whatever! I am skipping over Leah! Lord knows I don't have the strength! Team Chelsea right here! Hahahaha!

Dear Aubree, You thought you threw me for a loop with the Duck Dynasty party but it's coming together perfectly thanks to some awesome friends! Thanks y'all!

Dear Friends, Pain is having a baby, a kidney stone, or stepping on a pile of 30+ Cars II cars at 4AM! My foot ain't never gonna be the same! Thanks, Carter!

Dear 3 kiddos, Thanks for keeping mommy entertained and the dull moments to a minimum around this place! Love y'all to the moon and back!



Home Tour Part II and A Picnic

Today I am going to share my second favorite room in my home. It was an absolute selling point for me. My favorite room is my closet and I did a post on it a while back. You can check it out here.

I absolutely love my dining room and it is one of the only rooms in this house that I consider to be completed for the most part. I still need to find some things to hang on the walls by pictures that look bare. We moved in this house early last Spring. Considering that and the fact that I have little kids, I don't have it fixed and decorated the way that I would like. I am kind of doing a room at a time. It's more cost effective and gives me plenty of time to be indecisive. 

 You can enter the dining room 2 ways. This is the entry from the kitchen.

This is entry 2 from the main entry of the house.

Antique buffet with lots of pics of the kids and antique mirror. 

Pictures of my boys. Carter is on the left and Caleb is on the right. I bought the little blue outfit that they are both wearing after I found out that Carter was a boy. Caleb had a pose done exactly like Carter's and I almost bought it but honestly you could barely tell a difference between them and I thought it would look odd  and when I get old and forgetful I wouldn't be able to tell them apart. Ha!

Antique desk with pic that my MIL had of Carter taken for me on Mother's Day 2011. This desk has a chair that the kids destroyed. Lol! I have considered painting this piece and the buffet but they match my table so well that I will probably just leave them the way that they are.

Aubree's wall. This is a wall that is def not completed. It really needs something on both sides of her picture. I have yet to find the perfect things though.

My table and chairs. Love them! I have nice plates, etc but I don't dare leave them out. Wonder why? Haha!

The ceiling in the room is a different color from the walls. The kids call it the tic-tac-toe ceiling. I love it! It def gives the room character. 

 

The dining room and the office are the only rooms in the house with hardwood floors. Love them and will probably end up taking the carpet out of the living room one day and replacing it with hardwood or stain the concrete. 

The next part of the house that I'll probably do is my kitchen. It is pretty much set up like I want it minus a few small things. My cousin bought my kitchen table last week and we bought a new one. We finally have enough chairs for all 5 of us as Caleb was hating his highchair and no more glass top table covered with finger prints!

Carter Bug is sick. He has been sick just about every week since he started preschool. I am so frustrated! I knew that he would have a few colds but my goodness! He stayed up all night following his first day of school with an awful stomach bug. He can't seem to catch a break. He has a cold I guess. You know us nurses don't take our kids to the doctor until we are absolutely sure they need antibiotics. Otherwise, it's a wasted trip full of exposure to other nasty viruses. Anyways, he stayed home yesterday and was so worried about his lunch that I'd already packed him so I told him we could have a picnic since it was almost 70 degrees. We did and he loved it. He kept hugging me and telling me thank you mommy. He is such a sweetheart. 

Enjoying his PB&J

Caleb could have really cared less about the picnic. He was too busy running around to eat much. I am not sure how much grass he consumed. He should be safe though...look at Les Miles...he seems to be doing just fine. 

Carter was cleaning some grass off Caleb's face. So sweet!

The picnic would not have been complete without Carter walking over towards the swing set only to pass it and walk right over to the fence and pee on it. Ugh! Boys! Hahahaha!  There were several conversations today between he and Aubree that were totally worthy of being shared but I have already forgotten them. If you ever hear people say, you'd better write it down or you'll forget, believe me it's true! I need to get better about that. 

I went for a nice run yesterday morning. It was around 65 degrees outside. I broke a serious sweat. I have yet to figure out why the second day of the week is always the most difficult for me. At one point I thought I can see the house and I am tired so I'm quitting but I didn't. Just being honest.

I want to tell y'all about my friend, Cari. Her blog name is The Crazy Kents. She is a nurse too and doesn't live very far from me. We are totally gonna hang out one of these days. Listen to this, like I said she's a nurse and her husbands name is Caleb and she has a son named Carter. This gets funnier, her full name is Cari Ann, like my SIL Carrie Ann and both of their husbands are nurses too. Anyways, I love her blog and she has a great personality. She sells Thirty-One and has a link on her blog if you want to do some shopping. I don't know about y'all but I love Thirty-One and I desperately need a new bag! Check her out!

Tasha, at A Sunshiny Day, is also a blog friend that lives near me. She is a fairly new blogger and is going to do a giveaway when she reaches 25 followers. She has 2 of the cutest little girls ever! Go visit her blog and tell her that I sent you!

We were supposed to be going out with the fam for dinner tonight to celebrate Brian's birthday but since Carter is under the weather we will just stay home and keep our germs confined to our house. It sure would be nice if errrrrrrrbody did the same! 

Happy Birthday B-rian! I lurve you!

So since it's my hubby's birthday weekend and I have to work, such a shock, I am requesting that y'all keep your "It's finally Friday" "Yay for the weekend" shiz to a minimum! Ha! J/k...I did sign up for it after all!

What's Your Motivation?

We all have things that drive us and we all know that motivation is a HUGE aspect in our lives. Unless you are new here, you already know that I started running again. I love it. Today while I was running I thought of what motivates me most to run. You see, when I was younger and played softball, running tended to be a form of punishment. If you had a crappy practice, bad attitude, showed up late, coach heard that you smoked a cigarette you were made to run. I hated it.

The number one reason that I run is my Dad. Yes, my ole greasy truck driving daddy. I kid...we always said that about him because when I would tell my friends that my dad was a trucker I guess they thought he was gross and greasy. My dad is actually a very nice looking man. Several of my friends had little crushes on him...still weird to me. Anyways, my dad is not my motivation to run because he is in shape and runs...NO WAY! Since I was 16 years old, I have watched him roll back to the cath lab I don't know how many times. He has had blockage after blockage. He has 12 stents. He doesn't smoke but he doesn't eat like he should, he worked night shift for many years, and he doesn't work out. He is set in his ways and he works all the time. I don't want to end up like that. It is hereditary and I have no choice but to get up and get in shape and establish a good routine that I can follow for the rest of my life. I also have to set a good example for my kids so that they will know how important it is to stay in shape. I want my kids to think it is totally normal for mommy to run in the mornings and workout again in the evenings while they jump around and try to keep up or I should say while Aubree whines about how bad squats hurt. Ha!

Another huge motivation for me is all the friends that I have made in the blog world. Y'all are awesome! It makes me so happy to see so many determined ladies! I hope that I will be able to catch up to you guys! I think it's wonderful that so many people have come together and want to have healthier lifestyles. I may still be sitting on the couch talking about how I need to start running again if not for all of you posting pics of your Garmin's! Ha! Thanks y'all!

Yesterday was my first day to run since the car or should I say baby truck accident? I felt so much better when I woke up. I went for a run in my neighborhood for the first time. I have done plenty of walking here but not any running. It was good. There are some hills but that's ok. I pushed through. I felt even better after my run.

I love my new shoes! I think I am gonna end up being a Brooks girl after all! 

It was 60 degrees here yesterday. I took the boys outside to play. They love the outdoors which is another reason that I am counting down to Spring. We spend so much time outside in the Spring and Summer. 

 I snapped this pic while we were outside. I am gonna have to print and frame this one. I love it! I never figured out what was so interesting on the other side of the fence. 

Ended the day with some more cardio per Aubree's request and abdominal workout. Like always, she wimped out on me. Ha! Oh...the day would not be complete without a couple of my kids random thoughts!

At the table tonight...

Carter: Aubree, I am glad that Groundhog's Day is over! Ugh!

Aubree: Why?

Carter: Because Groundhog's get on my nerves and make me want to poop in my pants! 

Aubree: Mom, he is so gross!!! Make him stop!

I hope that you all have a great day! 

Oompa Loompa? What Is That?

First, I would like to give a HUGE thank you to my SIL, Laura, for doing a guest post for me yesterday! Now I want to get busy bikini shopping! I am so very ready for Spring!

Let me do a little weekend recap for y'all!

On Friday I got my mug and Target gift card that I won in a giveaway at Grimm Tales! Yay! Go visit her and tell her that I sent you!

It's time for this mommy to go to Target!

I know most of you saw this pic on Instagram that I posted at 5 AM Saturday morning while I was getting ready for work. I had to go outside like this with rollers in my hair to crank the "baby" truck in the weakest snow I've ever seen. Seriously, I don't even want to call it snow but it was white and flaky! If you don't know about the baby truck, you can read about that here. 

VS bathrobe with Uggs and rollers! I feel a trend coming on!

Well...unfortunately, after this pic, things did not go as planned. Ugh! I had an accident on my way to work. I hit some black ice while crossing the Loosahatchie (tell me that ain't country) River Bridge. As soon as I began to cross it I lost control of the baby truck. I did some spinning and sliding before heading toward the concrete barrier head on...you know the thing that is separating the bridge from the water wayyyyyy down below. It happened quickly but I had enough time to wonder if I was going to bounce off the wall or plummet into the river. Thank God, I bounced off! It was one of those "life flashes before your eyes moments." Anyways, other than a sore neck, arm, knees and a lingering headache I am fine. The baby truck, however, is done/toast. I have made fun of that truck so many times but it saved my life. Yes, I lost control because it is so light weight but it also probably bounced off that wall the way that it did because it was so small. So, RIP baby truck! You were good to us! Now time to foot some heavy bills for driving a Tahoe to Germantown twice a week and Brian driving a huge diesel to Memphis 4 times a week. Does anyone have a baby truck for sale? Ha!

I went to work Sunday without any problems on the road except a small panic attack while crossing the bridge! Afterwards, I headed down to Southaven, MS (only 10 minutes from Memphis...no big road trip) to see some of my friends that I used to work with. It was so good to see them all! We had fun catching up! I don't think I watched a full minute of the game. I have really missed my friends.

 Some of the old NICU crew from the NBC! Miss y'all!

One of my BFF's, Anna, and Ben, whom I have known my entire life, and me sporting some scrubs! Ha!

Just before I left, one of my other BFF's, Joyce, gave me a gift...Charlie and The Chocolate Factory! Hahaha! Why?? Because I have never seen it! One night during a 3AM conversation at work a couple years ago, someone said something about a oompa loompa and I asked "what in the world is that?" You would have thought I'd said something really bad because there was dead silence followed by lots of questions and laughter. She saw this movie on sale the other day and thought of me. I plan to watch it this week. Don't judge me...I grew up in a home where I was led to believe that "Smokey and The Bandit" was the greatest movie ever!

Hahahaha! 

I have been in class the rest of the week at work so we have been off our normal routine here but hopefully we get back on track today. I am going to try to run today. I wasn't as sore from the accident yesterday as I was the first 2 days afterwards. I don't want this to be something that gets me sidetracked from the hard work I put in last week plus I love to run. It is such a great way to relieve stress. 

Anytime I have my phone out Caleb looks at me and says "Chee"! So cute!

Me and Aubree, my mini-me!

That's all I've got for y'all today! I'll update on how my run goes today with my broken down body! Ha! Have a lovely day!