Tuesday, June 30, 2009

Absolutely Immaculate

Everyone has a different standard of what they think an acceptable level of cleanliness for their house. In my mind, immaculate is the goal. In reality, I just don't have the time, energy, or motivation to keep up with my standards. Since my idea of clean for my own house is so high, I feel strange inviting people over because I never feel like it is as clean as I want it to be. However, when I visit friends or other people's houses, I am quite comfortable with a normal amount of clutter and mess. Why am I so hard on myself? I don't know. It is silly.

Today, I finally met with the realtor. It took me a while to set up the appointment because I wanted to get the house somewhere near my high standard. Steve and I have been working on it. There is still a little more deep scrubbing I want to do, but the first thing she said was "It is sooooo clean!" That is the good news. The bad news is that I have to keep it like this until it rents, which she thinks will take 30 to 40 days at the most. A completely clutter free house that is sparkling clean for that long without kids is tough. With two little ones, it is going to be a nightmare.

Should I hope & pray that we find renters quickly? The money and peace of mind would be nice, but I can't decide. I am not ready (emotionally) to pack up and go to California right away. I want the kids to spend as much time with their dad as possible (one nice thing about him not having a job). I also have to be in town for the court date. Hmmm ... we'll just take it as it goes and see what happens.

Labels: , ,

Freckle Face Girl @ 3:05 PM

|

 

 

Friday, June 26, 2009

~Heat Wave~

With record temperatures and heat advisories, you can bet that we are quickly melting here in the Houston area. I am not writing to complain though. In a way, I am glad to be experiencing this. After spending some time in San Diego, I have realized that it never really gets hot there. In fact, my mother, sister, and step father have mentioned that they kind of miss the heat (at least a little). No matter what time of year, they have sweater weather whenever the sun goes down. I am not sure that is for me. I barely know what it is like to have sweater weather in the winter. So, I am telling myself that this heat waver is going to carry us over for a while.

To beat the heat, we have been going to our community pool (actually more like a water park) most mornings. We have been staying in during the afternoon while Jordan sleeps and I work. Then in the evenings after dinner, we usually go out to our backyard, which is completely shaded at that time. The kids eat ice cream cones and go down the slide. We also usually end up hosing them off, but mainly to clean them.

As with everything in life, this will not last. Next week, the highs are only supposed to be about 98. After this week, that will feel cool.

Labels:

Freckle Face Girl @ 2:46 PM

|

 

 

Wednesday, June 17, 2009

A New Low

Steve lost his job today. Sounds like a fun new development in our little saga, right? Now, I am dealing with filing for the divorce, terrible work deadlines, updating and sending out his resume, trying to get the house ready to put on the market to rent even faster, wondering if I'll default on a mortgage payment if finding renters takes too long, thinking about life with only my little salary coming in (no child support), worrying about health insurance for me and the kids, and trying to maintain some level of normalcy for the kids. I also heard that someone I considered a grandfather to me (my great uncle) died this week.

Does anyone have a shovel? I don't think this hole I am in is quite deep enough.

My brother warned me that divorce (even ones for good reasons) brings about huge amounts of negative karma. I guess he was right. I didn’t even mention that I was involved in a hit and run a week ago.

Labels: ,

Freckle Face Girl @ 11:07 PM

|

 

 

Sunday, June 14, 2009

Summer Sun

With the start of summer and Lexi taking swim lesson, we have been spending a lot of time at the pool. My hair is already going quite blonde and my skin is tan (for me). In fact, I haven't been like this since I lived in the Bahamas for six months. I know I am the self proclaimed "freckle face girl," but the last few weeks have secured that silly title. I am COVERED with freckles. The strange thing is that I have been wearing sun block with spf 70. I would like to know how the rays get through that.

We are ALSO on our way to getting green hair. It is just one of those things that blondes have to deal with. I remember the green tint happening a few times when I was a kid. I know that is something I want to avoid. Saturday, I bought Paul Mitchell Shampoo #3, which is supposed to knock that problem out of the water.

What a summer, right? Can you imagine how attractive too many freckles & green hair would be?

Labels: ,

Freckle Face Girl @ 10:03 PM

|

 

 

Tuesday, June 09, 2009

All About the Number Eight

I have been tagged to do ‘8 Things’ by Del from My Relish, so here it goes
To do list (i.e. “the rules”):
1. Mention the person who tagged me.
2. Complete the list of 8’s.
3. Tag 8 bloggers & tell them I tagged them.

Eight things I am looking forward to:
1. Spending lots of time swimming with my kids and our friends this summer
2. Having Lexi complete swim lessons. She is doing so well. I just can’t wait to see how good she’ll be at the end.
3. Visiting the BlueBell Ice Cream Factory
4. Getting past several work deadlines that are coming up
5. Taking the kids to see Disney’s “Up”
6. Going back to Sea World San Antonio
7. Catching up on housework (not the doing it part)
8. Finding people to rent our house

Eight things I did yesterday (Saturday):
1. Was invited over to some friends' house for fun and dinner
2. Enjoyed socializing with adults while the kids played
3. Made oatmeal/craisen/white chocolate cookies
4. Scrubbed the refrigerator, oven, and microwave
5. Remembered that I hadn’t paid for the storage unit that we recently got and had to throw the kids in the car and rush over there.
6. Argued with Lexi about what she was going to wear (everyday)
7. Combed Lexi’s hair while she screamed (everyday)
8. Carried the sleeping kids in from the car after a late night of fun

Eight things I wish I could do:
1. Travel a LOT more, especially internationally
2. Sleep 7 to 8 hours a night at least once a week
3. Be independently wealthy (wishing…)
4. Fluently speak several foreign languages including Spanish, French, Japanese, Arabic, & Mandarin Chinese
5. Live as an Expat again
6. Save enough money for my kids’ college funds
7. Have the kind of body that I would want to show off
8. Find time for the things I like to do not just for the things I have to do

Eight shows I watch:
1. You Are What You Eat
2. Lie To Me
3. Bones
4. Any Dream Will Do
5. Monk
6. Psyche
7. HBO…
8. HBO… (this is the toughest list for me b/c I don’t watch very much tv)

Eight favorite fruits:
1. Cherries
2. Watermelon
3. Cantaloupe
4. Honeydew
5. Fuji Apples
6. Grapes
7. Strawberries
8. Mangos

Eight places I’d like to travel:
1. Morrocco
2. Greece
3. Peru
4. Australia
5. Japan
6. China
7. India
8. Alaska

Eight places I’ve lived:
1. Provo, Utah
2. Savannah, Georgia
3. Melbourne, Florida
4. Katy, Texas
5. Doha, Qatar
6. Miami, Florida
7. Little Stirrup Cay, Bahamas
8. Soon…La Jolla, CA

People I’ve tagged:
The Princess & Johnsy
Jeanette
Annette
Aimee
Anna
Reformatting My Brain
The Diva
Carmen

Labels: , ,

Freckle Face Girl @ 9:11 PM

|

 

 

Friday, June 05, 2009

Hand-Me-Downs

A few weeks ago, I started going through the kids’ old clothes and toys. I pulled out Lexi’s nicer clothes and decided to give them to a friend who has a two year old. Since then, I have seen her wearing a few of the outfits. I had no idea how happy it would make me to see her in the clothes. She is a cute little blonde and easily reminds me of Lexi at that age. It is funny that something so simple can bring back such fond memories.

Labels: ,

Freckle Face Girl @ 6:48 AM

|

 

 

Tuesday, June 02, 2009

Reactions to Divorce Announcement

One of the most difficult things about divorce is telling everyone the news. In general, I just don't bring it up. I've tried to share the news with some friends and family. When it comes to acquaintances though, I can't seem to throw it out there. It seems to start a conversation that shocks and saddens those around me. This is one of those times when I wish a busy body would spread it around for me. Here are a few of the comments I've heard:

...But, you have such a beautiful family.

Why? He loves you and the kids so much.

God hates divorce because it breaks up the family.

I bet he’ll win you back after a year.

That tall gorgeous guy?

You’ll find somebody and get married again soon.

Are you on birth control? (by an older man, who I am not comfortable discussing these things with)

It is good to do it while the kids are so young.

Couples need to wait until they have been married for twenty years. It gets easier after that.

...But, you two work so well together.

That is SOOOOO shocking. I just can't believe it.

I should say that most friends have said, "I am sorry to hear that. Is there anything I can do to help you?" I know it isn't easy hearing news like that, which is probably why it is difficult to share it. I am confident that my decision is the right one, but I know it affects more people than just our immediate family. I also feel sorry for everyone else.

Labels: ,

Freckle Face Girl @ 10:26 PM

|

 

 

 

 

 

my name

Freckle Face Girl

 

e-mail address

 

location

Houston, Texas

 

about me

This blog is like a journal for me. It is also a way for my friends to keep tabs on me. I am married to a wonderful man. We have a little girl and a baby boy on the way.

Nobody can define who they are in a simple about me section... that is why we have blogs. I tell tid-bits here & there & you figure out who you think I am. Good luck - very few people know for sure (my husband is still guessing).

 

likes

Traveling, Learning About Different Cultures & Religions (Majored in Geography), Going to the Beach, and People Watching

 

site name

Life brings about many changes, but through it all I am just a freckle face girl.

 

Future Website

 

archives

May 2006
June 2006
July 2006
August 2006
September 2006
October 2006
November 2006
December 2006
January 2007
February 2007
March 2007
April 2007
May 2007
June 2007
July 2007
August 2007
September 2007
October 2007
November 2007
December 2007
January 2008
February 2008
March 2008
April 2008
May 2008
June 2008
July 2008
August 2008
September 2008
October 2008
November 2008
December 2008
January 2009
February 2009
March 2009
April 2009
May 2009
June 2009

 

posts

real world

Art of Matt Deford

Journal of the Boss

Mortensen Family

Murphy Family Blog

Page Wize

Pixie Chick

Princess and Johnsy

Thats So Lizzie

 

connecting with

A Cranberry Blog

Aimee Enchalada

Amyeliz

Anna

Carmen Sin City

Crazy Bloggin Canuck

Dayngrous Discourse

Death Chic

Diva Tee's Thoughts

Growing a Life

Letters from a Broad

Main Street Plaza

My Relish Blog

Reformatting My Brain

Shokufeh

Tropic of Mom

 

 
 
 
 
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

© Freckle Face Girl 2008 - Images on this website were created by me. In the future, you will be able to purchase some of my images on www.frecklefacegirldesigns.com.