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: Texas 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: divorce, husband 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: me, summer 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: bloggers, me, Tag 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: friends, kids 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: divorce, husband Freckle Face Girl @ 10:26 PM |