tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-58322742428839962192016-04-11T22:48:24.126-05:00Parenting pitfalls and mistakes. All made public for your entertainment. <br>Melissahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00007203584005154095noreply@blogger.comBlogger151125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5832274242883996219.post-31916626796821264512014-01-09T16:55:00.002-06:002014-01-09T16:55:46.565-06:00

No, this is not a post about office gossip. Although it could be with only eight people and only five of whom are not related... It is about my overwhelming urge to organize my office when stress strikes. As soon as a deadline looms, I go into filing mode. The things that seem mundane and beneath me on a daily basis, are suddenly what I get paid to do. Scanning documents, filing contracts,

Melissahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00007203584005154095noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5832274242883996219.post-62644614042818174742014-01-08T14:36:00.003-06:002014-01-08T14:36:34.693-06:00

I spent $278.62 on groceries last week. I didn’t even have to refer to Mint, I remember it to the cent because I spent SO MUCH MONEY ON FOOD. I’m not a hoarder or anything, and I had a list that I stuck to. Maybe it was the wine, maybe it was the condiments, maybe it was the cleaning supplies, whatever it was, I am on a mission to eat every bit of the food before it spoils. This is a common

Melissahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00007203584005154095noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5832274242883996219.post-3550296483789490772013-10-23T13:07:00.001-05:002013-10-23T13:24:10.511-05:00

Holy thigh-high fishnets, Batman. We began our nightly dress rehearsal sessions on Monday, in preparation for opening night this Friday. {You can see the audition post here} Aside from the director telling us that the show “completely sucks”, it was a productive night full of blisters and nip slips. Yes, if you've never seen the 1975 cult classic, Rocky Horror, the last scene calls

Melissahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00007203584005154095noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5832274242883996219.post-69804876782891910132013-10-18T15:49:00.000-05:002014-01-13T12:08:58.205-06:00

Some people buy sports cars. Some people have affairs. When I began to feel the pain of my youth being ripped from my tangled marker covered hands, I auditioned for a musical.   I am a huge proponent of keeping your hobbies alive throughout adulthood. It is so easy to let go of your extracurricular activities after college graduation – it’s like an unspoken normal. We all

Melissahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00007203584005154095noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5832274242883996219.post-75481277520223602792013-09-23T10:57:00.000-05:002013-09-23T11:30:26.354-05:00

Holy tattoo. Last night I treated my mom to a little birthday dinner and dessert (a.k.a. Adam Lavine performing at Gexa Energy Pavillion). Yes, he started with a shirt on; No, he did not stay that way.   His exaggerated tugging at his sweat soaked shirt was obviously setting the stage for his eventual undress. We get it. Those beautifully decorated guns want to come out and play

Melissahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00007203584005154095noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5832274242883996219.post-71384010073073682982013-09-16T15:06:00.004-05:002013-09-16T15:06:57.549-05:00

So the RV makeover went well! I haven’t posted in a while because I need a better shot of the interior, I will get some this weekend.  After many hours of work, I am pleased with the outcome! Here is a list of my efforts: I Painted the old beige interior white. I used a semi-gloss paint, after sanding, and priming every surface that was previously wallpapered. I replaced the dinette

Melissahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00007203584005154095noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5832274242883996219.post-75908418609470796782013-07-17T16:21:00.000-05:002013-09-06T10:56:29.249-05:00

For a few years now, I have dreamt of revamping a dusty old RV. I wanted to find an unloved beater on Craigslist, rip out the cabinets, remove the dinette, update, make it fabulous, and then sell it.  Fast forward four years, and I now have a four year old loveable Jayco Hybrid that I will never sell, so why not make my OWN RV fabulous and then ENJOY it? Melissa, that is a spectacular

Melissahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00007203584005154095noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5832274242883996219.post-88686331722592109642013-07-10T15:44:00.003-05:002013-07-10T15:44:49.155-05:00

PEOPLE, we are in a BAD place right now. Have you ever felt like you’ve completely lost the discipline battle? …like they’ve completely taken over the household? …like they plot against you while you sleep? …like the only possible solution is to simply hand them over into the state institutional system and wish them well? There are some days, like today, when I contemplate calling

Melissahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00007203584005154095noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5832274242883996219.post-71390116892711173602013-06-06T15:03:00.000-05:002013-06-06T15:13:06.689-05:00

Every mom’s nightmare is interrupting their son during a romantic moment. Seriously, the first time I changed Liam’s diaper and found him a full mast, I pointed to Allan, and ran out of the room. SO, when I walked into the playroom and saw this, I was more than a little distraught. He had found another woman. This one, in particular, had fins for feet. Thank you, Mermaid Barbie

Melissahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00007203584005154095noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5832274242883996219.post-36731290501173458132013-06-06T14:38:00.000-05:002013-06-06T14:38:23.466-05:00

I love camping. I mean what’s not to love? The hiking, the campfires, scary ghost stories, backpacks, lanterns, the excitement of the ever imminent bear or coyote attack…. It all makes for a beautiful outdoor family bonding experience.   We had planned to take a camping trip to Oklahoma last weekend, but due to the tornadic activity, we were forced to cancel. It didn't stop us from getting

Melissahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00007203584005154095noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5832274242883996219.post-58500785097609613822013-05-28T14:18:00.000-05:002013-05-28T14:18:05.767-05:00

The greatest of all behavior modification tools has to be, The Elf on the Shelf. Commonly put into practice at Christmas time, this toy elf comes with a book that tells the story of how the elf watches everything that your children do during month leading up to Christmas. He flies back to the North Pole every night to report to Santa, and in the morning, the elf is in a new location in

Melissahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00007203584005154095noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5832274242883996219.post-55661280219092584262013-04-17T14:37:00.000-05:002013-04-17T14:37:57.513-05:00

So I bought a plastic Fisher Price back yard slide on Craigslist last week for $40. It’s perfect. Big enough for both kids, and it will fit nicely on the side of the pool when the time comes. I set it up last night, and the kids loved it for long enough for me to take this shot: And by the time I had explained the “one way slide” rule four times and that rule was ignored a fifth

Melissahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00007203584005154095noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5832274242883996219.post-86831478225728649912013-04-05T13:47:00.002-05:002013-04-05T14:29:05.923-05:00

Dear Sweet Boy, Have you no shame? Help me figure this out, do you feel like a monkey in a cage?  Did you live in a sanitarium in a past life? Are you malnourished in some way?  Do you need to talk? Are you feeling attention starved? Please, JUST TELL ME WHY YOU PLAY WITH YOUR POOP. Every time I leave you alone with a diaper full for more than 5 minutes, you dig in and start painting

Melissahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00007203584005154095noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5832274242883996219.post-19469319934872570092013-03-27T11:29:00.001-05:002013-03-27T12:11:09.329-05:00

Out of the rain, the mud, and 12,000 pounds of granite, we prevailed. Seriously. We beat the hell out of that backyard.  You can see the steps we took to replace our small grass challenged back yard with beautiful green faux St. Augustine, here in my post from last week. The Process. We knew it was going to rain on Saturday, so after the kids went to bed on Friday night, we

Melissahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00007203584005154095noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5832274242883996219.post-2480738080253342172013-03-22T16:27:00.003-05:002013-03-22T16:28:50.394-05:00

In a celebration of spring, I have decided that our tiny new backyard needs a face lift. I would love to do more to pool area, but for now we will focus on the dirt patch that is our side yard. Home to the pool machinery and dog feces. Pictured below. BEFORE When I am finished with it, it will look something like this: *GOAL* So green, so beautiful, so maintenance free.

Melissahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00007203584005154095noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5832274242883996219.post-50796527926997385772013-03-15T12:52:00.000-05:002013-03-15T12:52:14.222-05:00

At what age is it appropriate to give your children the unrestricted ability to shop online with your credit cards on file? Apparently, that age is not one. They cannot handle it, I promise. My mom bought the kids a Kindle Fire for Christmas, and they LOVE watching movies on it at night. The problem is that this particular Kindle is connected to my Amazon Prime account, and with one

Melissahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00007203584005154095noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5832274242883996219.post-89756848715631427752013-02-11T12:51:00.000-06:002013-02-11T14:58:11.114-06:00

So I wake up over an hour late, at 8:15 this morning. It’s Monday, my weekends are amazing, I don’t want them to end. This happens frequently. On a normal day, I get ready from 7:15-8:00, I dress and feed the children from 8:00-8:30, feed dogs and poop-scoop the patio 8:30-8:40, and rush out the door by 8:45. This morning, I’m dressed at 8:40, take care of the kids and dogs, it’s 8:55 (

Melissahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00007203584005154095noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5832274242883996219.post-34027012158344226972013-01-24T16:23:00.005-06:002013-01-24T16:30:24.011-06:00

You know that feeling you get when you can smell a vacation right around the corner and you can’t concentrate on anything but planning for the trip? I am there. We are in countdown mode for our camping trip to Fredericksburg. We are staying in the lovely Fredericksburg KOA. It will be our first time at this campground, but apparently the park has live music and dancing every Saturday night!

Melissahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00007203584005154095noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5832274242883996219.post-90915220915153445022013-01-18T06:00:00.000-06:002013-01-18T06:00:03.001-06:00

In the midst of moving into the new house and getting up-charged by our housekeeper, we took a good look at the situation and decided that we could probably do without the bi-weekly maid service that we had relied upon for the past seven years. SEVEN years. Do you know what that means? We spent $14,000 for someone else to mop the floors and clean toilets. I feel compelled to note the

Melissahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00007203584005154095noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5832274242883996219.post-54510972627097824512013-01-17T14:38:00.000-06:002013-01-17T14:38:19.198-06:00

I LOVE new year resolutions. Just writing them down makes me feel better about myself. As I make that bulleted list every year, I can actually see a vision of my new self – smarter from all of the books I will have read, healthier from all of the water I will have consumed, and happier from all of the positivity I will have exuded over the next 12 months. I love resolutions so much in fact,

Melissahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00007203584005154095noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5832274242883996219.post-69488982430583961922013-01-03T17:41:00.004-06:002013-01-03T17:41:56.747-06:00

So the girls are doing beautifully; a very firm thank you to everyone who has checked in on me! I felt a little guilty each time someone called the check on the patient or when I asked someone to help me lift something. Should I really accept sympathy or help for the after effects of elective surgery? So surgery was a breeze. Allan and I arrived at the hospital at 5:30am for

Melissahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00007203584005154095noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5832274242883996219.post-81552186802643797032012-11-16T12:08:00.003-06:002012-11-16T12:08:50.557-06:00

I’m having twins. Not only am I inviting two new little girls into my home, but they don’t cry, they don’t eat, and they don’t need car seats. That’s right, ladies, my A cups are graduating to B cups in five days’ time. TMI? Well, breast augmentation is the most common form of elective surgery performed in the United States. Over 300,000 surgeries were done in the U.S. in 2011.

Melissahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00007203584005154095noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5832274242883996219.post-90409129595276077222012-10-24T13:24:00.000-05:002012-10-24T13:24:07.152-05:00

When I was three, my mom showed me Michael Jackson’s Thriller video. I loved me some MJ – so obviously I LOVED the first three minutes.  But when the zombies started to take over, I completely froze, stared at the television, and when Michael turned into a zombie himself, I screamed and ran for dear life. This changed me. At eight years of age, I had screamed my way

Melissahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00007203584005154095noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5832274242883996219.post-64510575410460748212012-10-08T14:06:00.001-05:002012-10-08T14:06:48.028-05:00

The Vineyards Campground In honor of the cooler weather, we hauled the rolling cabin to Grapevine for two nights of camping over the past weekend. I know. Twenty four miles from my house, not exactly adventurous, but The Vineyards Campground is rated as one of the best campgrounds in America by several outdoor magazines, so we decided to put it to the FACQT (Fisher Adami Camping

Melissahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00007203584005154095noreply@blogger.com4Grapevine, TX, USA32.9342919 -97.078065432.8276769 -97.2359939 33.040906899999996 -96.9201369tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5832274242883996219.post-44508698167823390352012-09-07T17:09:00.001-05:002012-09-07T17:09:22.703-05:00

September is here, and you know what that means……It’s finally three degrees cooler than hell, so I am willing to leave the confines of the shopping mall to get back into the great outdoors. Yep, that’s right, we took the kids on the first camping trip of the fall season this past weekend – Liam’s first EVER camping trip. He technically went with Avery and me to Broken Bow in 2010, but he

Melissahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00007203584005154095noreply@blogger.com0