Thursday, July 28, 2011

When It Rains...

It pours.

So, to be quite honest, we've been having a hard time about it lately. We're struggling pretty hard core financially. We're falling behind on bills and extra expenses seem to be piling up. I have a bridesmaid dress that needs to be ordered by next week and I need an oil change and new tires pretty soon.

So what happens?

A wreck. Austin was hit in his car on his way to take Punkin to my Mom's house. Both were fine, thank goodness. Austin's car however, was not. He was hit in the passenger side door and all the way down the side to the bumper. The car was spun around (basically did a 180) and the rod holding the tire to the axle was completely torn off. The tire was bent at a very unnatural angle. At first glance it doesn't look too horrible, but we're thinking it's going to be totaled. We haven't heard back yet.

So if it is totaled, we're keeping our fingers crossed we can get more than what we owe on it. It's definitely worth more than what we owe, so hopefully we at least get KBB value. It'll be great to be able to pay off the car, but then we're short a car. We can't get by with just one car the way our schedules are. The bus is a no go since we both go back and forth to my Mom's and buses don't run out there.

Best case scenario, we can pay off the car and my sister will be able to let us have her cavalier. Not a great car, but it's free so I'm not complaining.

Punkin seemed pretty unaffected by the whole ordeal, other than being a VERY cranky toddler due to a missed nap when we took a "just-in-case" trip to the ER. Other than that he's been his normal silly self.

He's still babbling up a storm. Last night when we put him to bed every time we would say "night-night" he would say "Eeyore!". I don't know why it was Eeyore, but we go with it. He also loves the word puppy now and says it all the time. He loves to dance and clap his hands, and I'm so very tempted to try and take him to Yo Gabba-Gabba live when it comes to town, but I just don't know if I'm willing to risk it! It'll be at the end of November. He'll be creeping a lot closer to 2 at that point so maybe, but I'd be bummed if we couldn't stay for the whole thing. He did surprise me with the Pooh movie though, so who knows.

My 25th birthday was last week and I have to say, it was pretty awesome. I got some amazing gifts from friends and family including gift cards from my folks, an awesome scrapbook from my mom-in-law, and the most amazing pair of shoes I will ever own from Bestie. And lots more. It was really great to feel the love. Austin's birthday is this weekend, and I have no idea what to do. We're both so broke it's ridiculous, so I don't even know if I could treat him to dinner and movie like he did for me. I'm sure I'll figure something out before then.

So for now I'm trying really hard to to stress. It's not working, but I'm trying. It's been one of those weeks where I want to throw my hands in the air and just quit life. If only it were that easy.

Monday, July 18, 2011

Winnie the Pooh

Ever since I've seen the previews for the new Winnie the Pooh movie, Austin and I have been debating on whether or not we should take Punkin to see it. My first reaction was "Uh, no thank you. I'm not crazy." But the closer it got to release the more I really wanted to take him. He loves Pooh bear so much and he loves the original movie from the 70's. So I thought maybe if I packed enough snacks it would be doable.

So we strategically scheduled his nap hoping he'd wake up just in time for the movie. We ended up having to get him up, but he seemed in a good mood so we were still hopeful. I packed him a lunch of PB&J, Goldfish crackers, a juice/water combo and a few chocolate chip cookies in case things got really desperate. We set off with him in his Pooh bear hat and his favorite stuffed Pooh bear (seriously, I feel like a schmuck for being such a parent consumer).

We planned to get there a few minutes late so we would miss the previews, which worked out really well. The only downside was that everyone else in Tallahassee decided to take their kid to the 11:00 showing so it was packed. We ended up in the second row, but luckily Punkin didn't mind. As soon as we walked in he was pointing to the screen saying "Pooh!". Now, Pooh wasn't on the screen at this point, but I guess because we kept telling him "Come on! We're going to see Pooh bear!" he got a little excited. He sat in Austins lap and watched the movie like a pro. He got really excited when Pooh did finally come on screen, pointing and babbling. I was worried about him making too much noise, but every other kid in the theater was making too much noise so I doubt anyone even heard him.

I handed him part of his PB&J and he laid back against Austin and just watched the movie like it was totally nothing new. He danced when the songs played. His favorite song from the original movie is the Heffalumps and Woozles song, and there was a song in this one that was pretty reminiscent of that. He got down dancing on Austin's lap to that one. All in all in was a pretty great first movie experience. And we only had to give him one chocolate chip cookie towards the end when he was getting a little antsy.

It was such a cute movie, too. They really kept it similar to the original by having the live action opening sequence and by having the movie take place in a book. I'd have to watch it again to tell you if there were any gems that would turn into classics like "Little Black Rain Cloud" or "A Very Blustery Day", but then I guess these things become classics over time. Zooey Deschanel did the music for this movie which I loved. Even the classic Winnie the Pooh song was sung beautifully by her in the beginning.

It was a pretty great movie weekend for the Mann family!

Friday, July 15, 2011

Harry Potter and the OMG FINAL MOVIE!

At midnight last night came the end of an era. The end of a very significant part of my childhood.

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2 was everything I could possibly hope for. Sure there were changes, but once I let myself let go of the book that was still freshly in my mind, it was amazing. I figured I would blubber through the entire movie, knowing that this was it. That there were not only no longer book releases, but no more movie releases. I did not blubber through the whole movie. But I did blubber through the entire last half. And so did the rest of the theater. Audibly.

I cheered for Neville. I outraged at Griphook. I cried, and cried some more for Snape and the other fallen. I turned my head away when those characters I loved so much showed up dead on screen. I let out a giant WOOT for Molly Weasley and her motherly instincts (oh yes, the line is there...and it's amazing).

I left the theater puffy eyed from tired and crying. I'm not one to cry at movies. Honestly. I can watch The Notebook (although I'd rather not) or Marley and Me 100x and not shed a tear. But I lost it over this one.

Here's the thing: I started reading  these books when I was 13. That's more than 10 years ago. That's a very good chunk of my adolescence. I was immersed in the magic. I really grew to love these characters like friends, and now that it's over I feel like a best friend has moved on. Yes, I still have the book and movies there and let us not forget the awesome theme park in Orlando. But the anticipation is gone. The excitement of wondering what's coming is gone. It really is like saying good-bye.

So with a heavy heart I said good bye and walked out of the theater with my 10+ year bestie, arms around each other and marveled at where we are in life. 25 years old. 40 looks a lot closer from here. I have a kid so that automatically makes me around 35. I was very glad I was able to go with her. We've been loving Harry Potter together for so long, it was almost nostalgic waiting in line with her.

Thanks Harry, for keeping us all entertained for so long.

Sunday, July 10, 2011

Never Take Your Eye Off Of A Toddler

Duh.

But seriously. It seems like if I turn my head for two seconds, Punkin is in to something he shouldn't be.

Today I was sitting at my parents house babysitting my brother. I had Punky with me and he was happily playing in the corner of never ending toys tucked into the dining room. I was sitting at the dining room table trying desperately to finish the 7th Harry Potter book before my sister got home so she could borrow it. I see Punkin out of peripheral and note somewhere in the back of my mind that he's perfectly content pushing around a toy tractor and saying "vroom vroom". I suddenly smelled something familiar, but it didn't really click as I was deeply immersed in the battle at Hogwarts at that point. Punkin ran in front of me waving his arms for me to pick him up. I look down and realized what I smelled was mustard. It was all over his face and hands and he was rubbing it on my jeans, watching it make yellow stains against the blue like he was finger painting.

I couldn't do much more than splutter in confusion. Looking around for the source of the mustard, I realized there was a condiment bowl sitting in the floor by the living room end table. Courtesy of my sister. I'm going to go out on a limb and say he wasn't a fan and that's why he came to me waving his arms instead of hiding in a corner going to town.

So yeah. Never take your eyes off of a toddler. Or you'll walk around smelling like mustard all day.

Tuesday, July 5, 2011

Working Mom Guilt

I haz it.

It is so, so hard for me to get up and go to work in the mornings. Like you wouldn't believe. Not because I hate my job. I actually have a really great job. I work for awesome people who have been so understanding since I've had Punkin. I make pretty good money and the work is pretty easy (excluding tax season. It's not hard then, there's just A LOT). But I hate being here. So very much. All I want is to be home with my baby, snuggling under a blanket. Reading "Daddy and Me" for the 50th time in one day. Watching him carry his Pooh Bear around by the neck.

I feel guilty that I don't spend much time with him during the week. My Mom sees him more than I do some weeks, and that's just not cool. Weekends are all I have. I have to get in all the snuggles and kisses I can before the week starts back up and I have to spend it missing him all over again. I hate when my weekends get interrupted for this reason.

I am so jealous of those Moms who love going to work every day. Some of us function better that way, I think. I don't really think there's anything wrong with that. Just...if I had a choice (which I clearly do not at this point), I'd rather be at home cleaning and chasing babies. I know that probably makes me sounds like a horrible woman, but eh. I don't really care.

Our 4th of July weekend was spent babysitting my brother while my parents were out of town and being miserable from teething. Sunday morning he was not doing well. Crying and fussing and he couldn't even eat. It's never been so bad he couldn't eat. He'd put some food in his mouth, scream and spit it right back out. He pretty much just wanted to be held all day. A dose of Motrin and a three hour nap later and he felt much better.

Austin has been out of town this weekend so we were on our own. He's a certified pyrotechnician so he was out blowing stuff up for the Holiday while we were stuck at home watching Winnie the Pooh and dancing to Heffalumps and Woozles. I was at my parents house all day on the 4th and then went to the in-laws house whenever my parents got home from their trip. Unfortunately, Jax was already tired and cranky and did not want me to leave his sight or hug anyone. He was passed out before we got home.

His new favorite word is "Momma". He says it often, just to make sure I'm paying attention. I tried ignoring it once, just to see if he was really calling me or if he just enjoys saying the word. He got louder and louder and finally screamed it at me until I finally answered. He followed it with his own special language of gibberish that I have yet to figure out. The only word that trumps this is Paw Paw. Paw Paw is my Dad and anytime we're near the vicinity of my parents house he says it over and over again. Once we get inside, if my Dad isn't there then he abandons his mission to say it as many times as possible. But if Paw Paw is home...wow. Over and over and over again until honestly its hilarious. My Dad may act exasperated, but he secretly loves it.

He's been repeating pretty well lately. Words he says on his own without needing a prompt are Momma, Daddy, Paw Paw, Shoe, Uh-Oh, No, Luna, Pooh Bear, Tigger, Num Num (his word for food courtesy of Austin), Nonnie (my mom, although he doesn't say this so much any more now that he's discovered Paw Paw), diaper, see (he loves this one, he uses it when he wants to show us something or when he wants us to show him something) and a random assortment of babbling gibberish. We're working on please and thank you. He'll say thank you occasionally but he's not grasping the concept yet. We're also working on love you, which he will repeat (sounds like he's saying ah-oo) but very randomly. He'll also repeat Eeyore, which I love hearing him say.

He's growing up so fast. I hate that I have to miss it during the week! Here are some blurry iPhone pictures!


This is Punkin last 4th of July and this year. Its insane how huge he's gotten. Truly not a baby anymore.



Dancing his booty off for the USA.

I was sending Austin pictures of Jax sleeping because he gets in the funniest positions. Exhibit A.