What's Not To Like?

My Triumphant Return to the Blogosphere

2013-11-07T12:44:00.002-05:00

It's been several months since I've written you and let me tell you, I have been feeling the void!.

Just to give you an update from my time I was MIA, back in April my husband and I were knee deep into the house hunt. We had been renting the same house for almost 5 years and our life and family had evolved. We needed more.

Everyday after work we met with a realtor to look at houses.

Every. Single. Day.

My every thought was consumed with bedrooms, acreage, "we can make it work"'s and "it's not too far of a drive."

Finally in July, we actually found it! Endless stalking on Google Earth and real estate websites gave me every tid-bit of information I could have ever wanted. But as we pulled into the driveway, you could almost hear our hearts stop. We had found it..."the one" we had been waiting for.

I was IN LOVE with this house. Yes, true, I fell in love with no less than 10 other houses during our search but this seemed different somehow, special.

So, long story short, we joined the circus and jumped through all of the necessary (and unnecessary) hoops. On August 23rd, 2013, my hubby's 29th birthday, we closed on our new house!

"Brian, I'm really sorry I didn't get you a gift to open on your birthday but,

I just bought you a house...so, yeah...."

Oh geez, of course I got him a gift, calm down, I'm only joking!
What kind of wifey do you take me for?!?

My parents and I went in on this awesome grill that does everything short of washing the dishes and rubbing my feet!

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The kids' first day of 3rd grade was the day after we officially moved in, so you can imagine how insane that night and morning were. Just a little tip for all of you parents out there--don't buy a new house and move in merely hours before your children start school. Avoid this utter chaos at all costs...Seriously, I'm saving lives here people!


Emily & Darien on the first day of 3rd grade!!

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Another big change in my life (pfft), I'm another another diet...surprise!!! Seriously though, I'm on a mission to get my insurance to pay for a breast reduction to help get rid of my excruciating back and neck pain.

In order for them to even consider paying for the procedure, my BMI needs to be closer to the healthy range. According to the charts, I am morbidly obese and my goal weight is still in the "overweight" range. They sure do know how to make a girl feel pretty, don't they?!? Needless to say, the BMI chart gave a pretty serious blow to my already dwindling self-esteem.

I'm on the verge of looking like this...SMH

Another "mommy-blogger" I know put her weight and measurements on her blog and I thought to myself, Wow, she's either crazy or really brave. I decided she was brave and now, in order to hold myself accountable, I will be sharing my stats as well.

Start Date: 10/07/13

Start Weight: 198

L-Upper Arm		13.5
R-Upper Arm		13.5
L-Thigh		27.5
R-Thigh		27.25
Natural Waist		33.25
Lower		42.5
Bust		42.25
Hips		48.25
L-Calf		15.25
R-Calf		15.25

L-Upper Arm		13.5
R-Upper Arm		13.675
L-Thigh		27.25
R-Thigh		27.875
Natural Waist		35.75
Lower		40.75
Bust		43.125
Hips		46.875
L-Calf		16
R-Calf		16.875

Weight: 195.5

Date: 11/04/13

Maybe Amanda is having better luck. Check out her progress at: We Don't Give A Hoot!

Thanks for reading today. Let me know if you have any fitness tips to help boost my crawling metabolism!

I'll keep you updated and I swear I'll never abandon you for 6 months again!

~*Kristen*~

Just a few tips on how to be courteous....

2013-04-11T10:46:00.003-04:00

Dear fellow parents,

I just want to let you know how much I appreciate your courtesy to other drivers during the morning drop off at school. No please, by all means, continue putting on your eyeliner and talking on the phone. I really didn’t need you to let me know that you were turning. I understand how that pesky signal stick is just SO far out of the way, so really, don’t trouble yourself! Not only am I not on time for work, but I am also more than happy to continue sitting here when I could have turned 5 minutes ago. Kind people like you all really help set the tone for my day, so thank you.

Another point I feel obligated to mention is that the “drop-off lane” is exactly as the name states. You drop off your child and then drive away. Please do not park in this lane and watch your 9 year old to see if they actually made the 15 feet walk from your car to the building. If you were really all that concerned you would park your car, walk your kid into their class and not continue to waste my time. I suppose I can understand your concern if this were my kids’ first year at school but if they are in 3^rd grade and you still grit your teeth with worry during that short walk, you have some serious separation anxiety issues that need to be worked out, stat!!!

Also, I swear, if I see one more little girl wearing a winter coat paired with Rainbow flip-flops in the cold January weather, I’m going to punch you in the throat. If you can afford Rainbows, you can afford some sneakers or some snow boots.

Come on now parents!! Get on the ball here!!

I sincerely hope that your children grow up to be better and more courteous drivers than you are; however, with your driving ability, I seriously doubt that will happen.

On a lighter note, despite my comments above, I am actually in an incredible mood today which is a nice change of pace!!

So, I’m interested, what suggestions would you give to other parents? Let’s keep the comments PG 13 here!

Kristen B Riggan

Tired of Crappy Drivers

BTW, I have an AWESOME Mother’s Day Scentsy gift bundle on sale for only $45!!!! You get a warmer, 3 scentsy bars, a scented card, a gift box, and ribbon which is normally $60!! This is a crazy good deal ladies and gents!! Wouldn’t you like to have this sitting in your living room or bedroom with a relaxing spa scent filling the room?? I would!!

www.KristenRiggan.Scentsy.US

Online Vs. Outside

2013-04-04T11:32:00.003-04:00

What to do when your child refuses to shut down the computer.

I remember the good ol’ days when I was young. All I wanted to do was play outside with my sister or the animals. (Hey, I didn’t get the nickname Elmira for no reason!!) We would climb trees, throw rocks into the creek, go ice skating on the pond, make rock forts, and so much more! To say I was a tom-boy is an understatement.

I had an odd 6^th sense that would allow me to somehow know whenever my mom wanted to put me in a dress and tights. That sense saved me for dressing up countless times!! Mom would eventually give up her pursuit and let me wear pants and a shirt. Score!

I remember how I dreaded the moment that my mom would poke her head out the window and call, “Girls, it’s time for dinner, come inside!!!” Don’t get me wrong, my mom’s cooking is great but I knew that after dinner it was bath time, and after bath time it was bedtime, thus the end of my outside play for the day. It was a sad time indeed.

My point is, I LOVED playing outside for hours upon hours. Muddy clothes, scraped knees, and burrs in my hair were the everyday norm for me. It was great!

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I am finding that the older Darien and Emily get, the harder it is to get them to go outside and play. I want them to use their imagination and climb trees and dig up bugs. I wouldn’t trade those bits of my childhood for the world, and I so badly want Darien and Emily to experience all that I did! Technology had definitely become a problem in our household. We had a Wii, a computer, a 3DS AND a regular DS, a PSP, and a Super Nintendo. Not to mention the 5 televisions we have in our home!! It’s ridiculous!!

One day I had an epiphany; it’s OUR fault that the kids don’t go outside anymore. We have given them so much do INSIDE that they don’t have any reason to go outside. Needless to say, we no longer have a Wii or the PSP. The DS’s have been confiscated indefinitely and the computer is ONLY available for school work. The TV’s upstairs are only watched on weekends and the TV in the living room is watched before school/work in the mornings and/or after homework for the week has been 100% completed.

Do I think I’m being a bit overly harsh, NOT AT ALL!!!

You see, ever since we have severely limited their exposure to all these games, they ask all the time if they can go outside!! Darien and Emily can spend literally hours outside, and I love it! Not just because they’re out of my hair, but because I can see that they are having 10x more fun than they would ever have inside stuck in front of the television or computer screen. My husband recently brought home hundreds blocks of wood from work and let the kids go to town!! They spent the entire day making little houses and trails and obstacle courses! Darien now has a deep interest in building, and not only is it expanding his mind but you can’t go wrong when you know how to work with your hands and build!! I’m so proud of him!!

So all you Moms and Dads out there, I am issuing a challenge for you all! Turn off the television, shut down the computer, and take away the handheld games. Yank the kiddos off the couch, put your shoes on, and go outside and have a good time! Not only will it continue to strengthen your relationship with your family but it will also build your kids’ brainpower!! It’s an amazing thing!!

I appreciate you all taking the time to read my blog this week!! Feel free to leave your comments. Come back tomorrow to read our Friday Mom!!

Kristen B Riggan

Successful Mom-ipulator!

BTW-Please check out my Scentsy website! Mother’s Day is coming up and this stuff makes GREAT gifts!! www.KristenRiggan.Scentsy.us

A Day In The Life....

2013-04-02T09:25:00.003-04:00

Welcome back to all of my faithful readers!! I’ve missed you all so much, yes, both of you!! First of all let me apologize for my little extended absence. I have been buried over my head in work, Zumba, and Scentsy, not to mention the everyday roles of wife and mommy which you all know is a full time job in itself!

I’d like to take the time today to write about a problem that is present in so many of our lives. This problem can take you over, make you forget details; cause your hair to fall out, your boobs to sag, and your patience to run away. Yes ladies, you guessed it! The affliction I am talking about is known as Motherhood.

I wake up every morning more tired than I was the day before. Why, you may ask? Well, I’ll walk you through a normal day in my life, lets say Tuesday, and it should explain quite nicely!

I woke up at 7am, as late as possible, and scrambled to get myself ready. Thankfully, the kids are on spring break this week so there were no arguments about brushing their teeth or putting their shoes on. I gave Daniel a bottle as he smacked my cheek whenever I looked away while watching the minutes on the clock tick tock tick tock, closer and closer to 7:50am. This is the absolute latest time I can leave home and not be late for work. My mom arrives at my house to watch the kids just in time for me to run out the door, pulling my sweater on, tripping over Emily’s shoe, and forgetting my coffee in the process.

I get to work at 8:01, just great, and I am assaulted with 20 questions, requests, and comments in the small walk from the parking lot to my office. Did you run that report? Can you help me with this spreadsheet? How do you run a ticket report? Do you want to go to lunch today? AHHHHH, why can’t they just wait for me to hang up my sweater and get some coffee before they attack me!!

Oh, who am I kidding; I love being needed by my work family!!

Anyways, 10 o’clock break rolls around and I’m so busy that I don’t realize until 11 o’clock that I’ve missed it. Then comes lunch at 12 when I run home as fast as I can to see the kids and eat some pathetic excuse for a meal then rush back to work. A few hours later comes our 3 o’clock break which again I accidently work right through.

So up to this point, I’ve been running around non stop since the moment I woke up and the day is still so young! I get off work at 5:30 and rush home where I immediately start cooking dinner. Chicken, rice, and veggies sounds good for tonight! Oh but wait, I forgot I have to be at my Zumba class at 7 o’clock so I eat a quick bowl of cereal, give the hubbs instructions on how to serve the kids’ food, change into my workout gear and fly out the door to pick up my Zumba buddy. We make it to class just in time to start jumping and dancing around without pause for an entire hour. I absolutely love Zumba, but this day is getting longer and longer.

At 8 o’clock, Zumba is over and I stop at McDonalds on the way home to replace those many calories I just burned. It’s defeating the purpose, I know, but I’m just SO totally hungry after Zumba that I can’t think about anything else! When I get home, Daniel needs to be changed, the kids are fighting over the rules of some made up game yet again and the hubbs is sitting on the couch watching the latest episode of Pawn Stars. The poor guy busts his butt all day at work so I can’t be too irritated with him.

I finally herd the kids up to bed around 9:30, an hour past their bedtime, and rock Daniel to sleep and put him in his crib. Once the kids are down, and Brian is snoring away on the couch, I pull out my Scentsy stuff and try to make some sales, update my website and sort out orders. That usually takes an hour or so depending on sales. I have made it to the end of my day, and somehow I haven’t managed to throw myself into oncoming traffic, so yay for me!

Then, it’s time for dessert, WINE!

As I put my glass up to my lips I realize, oh crap, I have to shower! It’s important; I’m stinky and sweaty from my entire day of chaos so I can’t put it off any longer. My day normally ends around 11 o’clock most nights and that’s if everything worked out as it should.

In all seriousness, as chaotic as my life sometimes is, I love it! I love that my kids have such an imagination and make up silly games to play even if it does end up in a fight. I love that my husband works so hard for his family all day everyday and then still comes home and watches the kids while I try to go out and better myself.

Thanks for reading this week, and again I’m SO sorry I haven’t been writing like I should. Now you know why!

Kristen B Riggan

Exhausted to the MAX!

PS. For some really adorable candle warmers and other wonderfully scented items, check out my website! You won’t be sorry!!

www.KristenRiggan.Scentsy.us

Marital Advice

2013-04-02T09:21:00.003-04:00

Recently, I have been approached by several people who tell me how they see how madly in love with each other my husband and I are. They seem almost in shock and awe of the fact that we rarely fight or that we still cuddle on the couch and hold hands.

I find this very sad. Why is it such a shock that we “still” cuddle? Still? We’ve been married just under 3 years! I guess my question is when does the “newlywed love” or “honeymoon stage” wear off? I can honestly say that yes, my husband and I still make out in the car and give each other sexy, smoldering looks from across a crowded room. We actually find enough value in our relationship to WORK at it all the time. It’s not something we just coast along and go with the flow and it’s definitely not something we’re willing to fail at.

Our first year of marriage was met with seemingly endless drama. Maybe not the typical newlywed drama; jealous exes, child custody fights, and crazy family members seemed to come at us from all angles. They wanted to break us. They wanted to hurt us and our family but the joke is on them because it only made us that much stronger!

To me, marriage is about being your husband or wife’s best friend, confidant, lover, and supporter just to name a few. When couples forget what made them fall in love in the first place and get lazy in their marriage, they are dooming themselves to fail; it’s as simple as that. I hear women talking crap about their husbands and constantly running them into the ground. That’s where it starts. I’m not saying you can’t joke around and be playful but I do NOT want to hear about how fat your man is or how bad his breath stinks everyday. I think it’s totally disrespectful to him and it makes me very uncomfortable…ESPECIALLY when your man is right there listening! All I can think about is how it makes him feel to be picked on in front of everybody. It takes you back to your awkward teen years.

My husband isn’t perfect and neither am I but our relationship is pretty darn close. Sometimes I’ll write about Brian in my blog and poke a little fun at his snoring but I don’t constantly talk smack to the point where he develops a complex.

I’d like to list a few of my favorite tips for all of you married folks out there who have forgotten why you got married in the first place.

Always, always, always compliment the one you love. It can be a very small unimportant thing but it’s sure to make them feel good! “You smell really sexy today!” or “I love that shirt on you, it makes your arms look so muscular!” Silly things like that really go a long way!

Touch! Never underestimate the power of touch! When you walk past him slap his butt or rub his back. Why in the world wouldn’t you want to touch your husband?!?

Tell them how much you appreciate them. Brian never wonders if I appreciate him because I let him know! I appreciate how hard he words to provide for our family. I appreciate that he comes home from work every day dirty and sweaty to make sure we have what we need. Ladies, men NEED to feel like their hard work does not go unnoticed.

Communicate. If you’re upset with him, just tell him. Don’t beat around the bush. Don’t be immature and give him the silent treatment because you think he KNOWS WHAT HE DID! They normally have no clue what they do to upset us. We’re emotional creatures so how can we expect them to understand unless we tell them?

Intimacy is still key. I’m not saying get busy every night because that’s just flat out unrealistic. What I’m saying is that there are other ways to be intimate besides sex! Rub each others feet and hands with lotion. Take a shower together and wash each others backs. Take the time to actually hug each other. It’s so important and you won’t realize it until it’s gone!

I know I know, I’ve only been married for a very short amount of time compared to many couples out there so what do I know, right? Wrong! Why wouldn’t anyone want to take advice from someone who is still in the honeymoon phase? It is my goal to make sure Brian and I are ALWAYS in the honeymoon phase. Despite bills, work, family drama, anything I will not lose my marriage to the trials and tribulations of every day life. We have got to get back to the basics ladies and remember why you fell in love with your husband. Just think about it and take my 5 tips and put them into action and I guarantee that if you both are willing to fight for your relationship, you can too get back to your honeymoon phase.

Thanks for reading today!

Kristen Riggan

Madly in Love

Oh yea, check out my new website as a Scentsy Consultant, you’ll love it!!

www.KristenRiggan.scentsy.us

Teething Ring

2013-02-21T13:40:00.004-05:00

Teething Ring

Nope, this is not about my 9 month old….it’s about me and my dental woes.

Yesterday, I had a very busy day. I had a few appointments so I was able to take the whole day off work.

First, I went to the dentist, where I received some news I was not quite ready for. Apparently, pregnancy wreaks havoc on your dental health! I have had 1 cavity in my entire life….I now have 5 cavities that need to be addressed.

What the what?!?

PLUS, the one cavity that I had filled when I was around 9 or 10 years old is the old kind of metal filling. I guess that kind of metal contracts and grows with hot and cold and the “movement” of the filling has cracked my tooth! AHHHH! So, my dentist has to remove the old filling, repair my tooth, and refill it with the new tooth colored enamel in addition to all of the other fillings I need to have. Great…well, at least those will be taken care of. Not only do I have cavities, but I developed pregnancy gingivitis which unfortunately did not end when I had the baby. I had NO earthly idea what was going on!

Pregnancy is not the only contributing factor here. I was born without my thyroid gland and my parathyroid gland. The parathyroid gland distributes calcium throughout your body to the places it is most needed. Basically, I have to take a calcium supplement to give my body what it needs…but who knows if it’s even getting to where it needs to be? There is no conductor at this station! So, my growing bundle of joy pretty much stripped my body of its calcium leaving my teeth weak and unable to properly protect them. Also, I have GERD; Gastro Esophageal Reflux Disease. Which is pretty much a fancy schmancy way of saying I have some SERIOUS heartburn, all the time. Imagine drinking molten lava….yea, that’s how I roll. Anyways, the lava, I mean heartburn has also helped strip my teeth of much of their enamel as well. Fun stuff, right? Okay, one more, one more. During my first trimester, I was sick every single day, multiple times per day. The vomiting was also a culprit in all this drama.

When I was about 8 years old and still living in New York, I wanted to be Nancy Kerrigan (the ice skater, duh, keep up!) One day, my mom took my sister and I to the roller skating rink. After a while, it was time to go, but being the hard-headed child I was (am), I decided to go around the rink a few more times….I just wasn’t ready! After a few more rounds, my mom is standing on the side and pointing her finger at me shouting, “Kristen Norma Bonaparte, I said NOW!” Again, I didn’t listen and I continued skating around doing twists and twirls feeling as graceful as a swan. I spread my arms to my side and lifted my right leg behind feeling the wind on my face…and then feeling my face on the floor. I ran over a tiny little pebble and unfortunately my front tooth broke the fall. As a kid in school used to tease me about, “I bit da flo.” Yes, I broke my tooth and had to get a fake one put on. One year later, we’re living in North Carolina and I’m about to give my sisters dog, Bernard, a kiss on the nose when he jerks his head up and his long tooth hit mine and broke it AGAIN! This time, I had to have a root canal and the fake tooth was replaced. I was teased incessantly in school…they said if I hadn’t been trying to make out with my dog, that wouldn’t have happened.

So, fast forward to present time and here I am bill in hand, trying to figure out how I’m supposed to afford $2,000! I was told that the material used to fix my tooth should only have been good for about 5 years….I’ve had it for 15 years and my dentist was shocked that it’s even still attached. Now, I have to get a porcelain crown which is nice and expensive; to the tune of over $1,500.

Sorry about this post ladies….spending money makes me mad.

Kristen Riggan

Chock Full of Cavities

My Son the Gamer

2013-02-07T09:34:00.000-05:00

Its official, I think my kid is a nerd!

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It’s true, he’s is a bona fide dork! The only thing missing is his wide framed glasses with tape on the nose, braces, and a face full of acne, but hey, puberty is just around the corner! He hasn’t yet gotten to the point of carrying a protractor in his front pocket, but I think that also is coming soon!

Darien is an amazing kid, he seriously is; however, he is creeping steadily closer and closer to nerd-dom.

He regularly reads science books in his spare time. He prefers learning about dinosaurs and bees. Ugh, creepy. He will sometimes sit down and write out step by step directions to a new video game he wants to create when he’s a “grown-up.”

The game will have a character that has to complete certain animal related missions, like rescuing the birds’ nest from a scavenger, or helping the dolphin get out of a net in the ocean, and so on. You will have a panel of special animal abilities, like flying or jumping high, on the left side on the screen to choose from. The abilities will help you complete your mission and when that happens, you get additional abilities! He’s got this all figured out! He said he thinks it will be fun and educational! Ha! How many kids do you know that thinks about creating an educational game? Just one!

Speaking of games, this child is obsessed with Zelda. In case you’ve been living under a stone since the 90’s, Zelda is a game about a princess that needs to be rescued by Link. Link has to do a bunch of random stuff and use clues to figure out how to save Zelda. Needless to say, it’s right up Darien’s alley! For quite a while, literally all he would talk about was how to get in the castle or how to fight some crazy monster. He knows the names and stats of all the characters, their special abilities, and what kind of information they can give to Link.

Me thinks I should be worried!

His obsession went a bit too far, and he actually tried to become Link and games were soon after cut out completely!! It got to the point where he would half-ass his homework or chores just so he could get back to playing. He became so consumed with this game that he is no longer allowed to play ANY games. Yep, I’m mean, and nope, I’m not sorry! I’m not having my child live in a world of mythological creatures and other weirdy stuff like that. Plus, his school work was starting to go downhill…can you really blame me?

And another thing, he pretends he’s fighting with a sword all the time. He says they’re much more effective than anything else, oh except for nun-chucks, “Duh, Mommy!” My husband even got in on the fun and carved him this huge sword out of wood complete with little decorative jewels (screws/bolts) and a holster thingy that goes over his back, “Don’t encourage him,” I whispered to Brian so Darien wouldn’t hear.

Okay so, I’m going to take this time to stop ragging on my baby. He’s 8 and he has a wonderful imagination. I really don’t even care if he is in fact a nerd because I love this little boy more than he can ever imagine.

Despite his total absorption in the fantasy land, Darien is so very smart. He aces everything in school, is learning to play the guitar, and he is a wonderful soccer player. He enjoys digging in the dirt and breaking open rocks to find hidden treasures. My child is definitely not close-minded and refuses to limit himself to one talent! I love that about him! The world is his oyster.

Plus, since my Dad is stuck in the pre-historic times, he helps him figure out what to do on the computer and how to save contacts in his cell phone.

I’m so proud!

So, do any of who have kids who are just plain nerdy? Do you ever wonder how they’re going to turn out as adults?

Tell me, what funny quirks do your kids (or husbands) have? I’m interested!

The geek shall inherit the earth.

Kristen’s Proverb 1:1

Thanks for reading this week!

Kristen B Riggan

www.facebook.com/KristenRiggan

Take Me Down to the Paradise City

2013-01-31T08:18:00.002-05:00

So, the weather here in North Carolina is going crazy. Last Thursday we had snow and the whole city was practically shut down. The grocery store was filled to capacity with people worried they would be snowed in for weeks! There was a 78% lift in milk and bread sales in the NC market. (It could be true!) Everyone went crazy worrying about what could possibly happen.

In New York, it would snow as high as your car and schools wouldn’t be shut down. Wear your snowsuits to school they would say, and as kids we loved it!!! It wasn’t until we moved down south that a light dusting of snow would keep us out of schools for 2 days.

I watched the news Wednesday night and due to the “threat” of severe winter weather, most schools would be on a two-hour delay. As the school closings ticked across the bottom of the screen, I slowly rolled my eyes. These people are ridiculous!

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Yesterday and Tuesday we had 70 degree weather. The shirts and tank tops came out. Pale, pasty legs were on full display. People were riding with their windows down, hair blowing in the wind and their music turned up loud. It was indeed a nice change of pace. I thought, spring here we come!!! Yeah!! Now, this is what I’m talking about..nice warm days, not too hot and not too cold. Just perfect!

That should bring you up to date. We’re rolling back down the weather roller coaster; today’s high is forecasted to be 50 degrees and Friday is 42. Apparently Momma Nature is at a point in her life where she is going through “the change.” Hot flashes and cold sweats are in full force.

Needless to say, this back and forth change in weather has me wishing for warmer climates.

Warmer climates, paradise….

VACATION!!

Spring break is coming up soon at the kids’ schools and I just hit my anniversary date at work. This year I get 2 weeks of vacation!! The last week in March is wide open!

Oh, the possibilities are endless!!

It’s time to spin the Wheel of Vacations!!! Woooooo!

The wheel has all of our vacation possibilities. Will it be a cruise, camping, sailing the World’s oceans, backpacking through Europe, beach, mountains, etc? Some are unrealistic and will never happen on our budget with 3 kids, and some are definitely more in our range. Some are just for S’s & G’s. Can you guess which is which?

Okay, so no the 2013 Riggan Family Vacation will not be planned by spinning a wheel…I only wish it were that easy.

Our ideal vacation must have the following qualifications:

It must be family friendly.
It must be reasonably priced.
It must not be ALL about the kids.
It must be warm
It must not be too warm.

I have a few realistic plans laid out. First, we could go to Myrtle Beach. We would walk along the boardwalk, get some ice cream, and spend a small fortune on the Ripley’s Aquarium. Let’s not forget the sand. The awesome, stick to every square inch of your body, sand! Yipee! Can you tell I’m not that big on the beach?? And no, the fact that I will never again be able to wear a bikini has nothing to do with it…kind of! I just think we’ve gone to the beach a gazillion times and done the same things every time! It gets old after a while!

Second, and ideally, we’d like to take a trip to the mountains. The flowers are in bloom and the weather won’t be too hot or too cold. We can take the kids to the Tweetsie Railroad and The Mile High Swinging Bridge at Grandfather Mountain. Plus, I found this awesome place called the Forest Discovery Center that lets the kids do a scavenger hunt and when they find everything on the “forest floor” they get ranger scout badges! Also, I’d like to take the kids to Emerald Village where they can mine and keep their own gemstones! How fun is that?!? ALSO, we’d be staying in a “rustic” log cabin, complete with hot tub and a separate room for the kiddos!! (See bullet 3.) I think this is a winner!

I think when I’m older and the kids have all moved out, Brian and I will go to a travel agency and let them do everything for us!! Wow, that will be a nice change!! Only 18 (pfft) more years to go!

So, what is your typical family vacation? I need some fresh ideas for next year!! I’ve got to keep this family on their toes!!

Thanks for reading today!!

Kristen B Riggan

Ready for a break

I'm A Mom I Got This Blog-Thursdays With Kristen

Ain't No Party Like A Kristen Partaaaayyyy!!!!!

2013-01-24T08:14:00.003-05:00

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Okay, so I feel like I’ve been kind of Debbie Downer on myself lately so today’s post will have a slightly different tone! Woo hoo, finally!

Today, I’m going to list all of the many (eh?) reasons why I, Kristen Riggan, am so totally awesome. Not only will it let you all know that I’m not this fat, lazy slob with a short temper that I have made myself out to be but it will also remind ME that I am in fact wonderful!

So here goes…brace yourselves.

1.) I can cook like nobody’s business. Can you tell I’m on a diet since the first thing that came to my mind was something to do with food?? Anyways, you better believe my family’s bellies are full every night! Pork roast, mashed potatoes, chicken…you name it, I can cook it like a boss! In fact, one of my specialties is lemon meringue pie….whooo weee, delicious!! I spend hours scouring pinterest and food.com for new recipes that I probably won’t follow anyways. At any special occasion or work luncheon, I am ALWAYS asked to bring in one of my dishes…yes, I am that good! I even have a album on facebook called “Cooking Adventures.” Yes, I’m one of those people.

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2.) I am very loyal to my friends. I actually only have a very close circle of friends. My best friend and I have been besties since 7^th grade. We have gotten into silly fights out the ying yang, as most immature girls growing up together generally do. Even those few times where we weren’t speaking to each other, if anyone else tried to say something mean about her, man I would get so fired up and give that person an earful! We’re the kind of friends that don’t have to talk every single day to know we still have that special kind of sister love. Plus, we both LOVE mashed potatoes and popcorn…obvious fit for best friends, right?

I’m pretty sure I sound pretty silly and middle school talking about my best friend and how awesome she is and yadda yadda…I don’t care!! She has been part of my life for so many years and has helped shape who I am today, you all should thank her! I love you Dana!

P.S. I’d also like to say that I’m awesome because my friends love me!

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Okay…..

So, it took me like 15 minutes to come up with those first two reasons.

This is proving to be more difficult than I thought!

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3.) I’m very manipulative—hey that’s a good thing! Perhaps manipulative is the wrong word to use. Maybe I should use convincing and persuasive; yea, those are good ones! Here’s the thing, if I disagree with your decision to do something I will “convince and persuade” you to think like me! For example, we were taking the kids out to eat one night and Brian wanted to go to Denny’s. Well, there’s nothing wrong with Denny’s, I just didn’t have a taste for it. So, I made my move. “Hey don’t you remember last time we went we got that really crappy waiter who got in trouble for letting us sit there so long? I sure hope we don’t get him again.” Or this one, “Well, I hope they don’t take as long to get our food out as last time; that took forever!” Slowly but surely, he comes over to my way of thinking and Cracker Barrel it is! I am this way ALL the time, it no doubt gets on Brian’s nerves but he’s man enough to let me get my way!

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4.) I have an uncanny ability to justify ANY bad decision I make. No seriously, it’s actually quite comical. So, I’m on a diet right now and I’m going pretty strong. I’ll take you back to my low point about 2 weeks ago. I was sitting at my desk at work and around 3 I got a very strong desire for something sweet. Much to my pleasure, my job offers us an unlimited supply of ice cream. We have one of those coolers full of ice cream sandwiches, mule bars, cones, everything placed back in the corner of some random room. So, the 3 o’clock snack attack hit me and I went and got a GIANT ice cream sandwich. Absolutely wonderful! Well, about 20 minutes later, I had another attack and went and got a chocolate covered cone. As I was devouring it, the guilt started to roll in. Really Kristen, two ice creams, back to back? Shame on you, I told myself. But, but, I walked around the block at break time, and I didn’t have any breakfast. So, that should cancel itself out. There see, I did it! I justified my bad decision and went back and got a third ice cream treat. I know…I’m so bad!

Needless to say, my diet started a couple days later and I haven’t had to justify anything since!!

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5.) I’m a world class juggler. No, not like in the circus but metaphorically speaking that is true. Let me elaborate. I am a mom of some wonderful kids who, it seems, are always on the go. Between soccer, baseball, homework, fundraisers, and PTA meetings, I am always doing something for these kids; non-stop.

I work full time at a job that gives me brain farts at least once a week. The constant typing and crunching of numbers is actually pretty exhausting. I never knew that sitting on my butt would make me so tired but oh how it does!

I cook dinner every night; meat, pasta/potatoes/rice, veggie, bread, the whole nine yards.

Now, I have added writing this wonderful little blog to the mix. I read and re-read, going over my piece time after time after time. I’ve also been writing what I hope to be a really good book. It should be wonderful, someday.

What makes me different from any of you? Probably nothing but I still think it helps make me awesome! We are all jugglers in our everyday life, so go ahead and pat yourself on the back!

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Mom, ladies, friends….right now, I want you to take the time and push all of the negative aside. Get out some paper or pull up Microsoft Word and make a list of all the good things about you. You’ll be surprised how many things you realize make you an awesome person. With all of the hustle and bustle we put ourselves through everyday; we can’t let ourselves forget the things that make us special. I’ll be honest with you, I’ve done that to myself for far too long; but not anymore!! From this day on, I will tell myself at least 1 positive thing per day. Whether I look in the mirror and say, “Kristen, your eye make-up looks perfect today,” or “You did a bang up job on that steak,” I will tell myself! Because really, isn’t it all the little things that really count? They add up to the big picture, and if we don’t see ourselves positively then eventually no one will.

Sometimes, life in general can beat us down so we should be the ones to pick ourselves back up and dust yourself off. So go ahead, compliment yourself! I dare you!!

While you’re at it, let me know how you see yourself. Post below one compliment for YOURSELF and let’s get this compliment ball rolling!!

Thanks for reading!!

Kristen B. Riggan

www.facebook.com/Kristen.Riggan

I'm A Mom, I got This!-Thursdays With Kristen

Bedtime Blues

2013-01-16T17:27:00.001-05:00

Keurig Elite Coffee Brewer (Google Affiliate Ad)

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So, in the last 8 years of my life, or rather since I’ve been a mom, I’ve noticed how of little importance my rest, let alone any relaxation, has become.

When Darien was born I was much younger so the lack of sleep I’m currently experiencing didn’t bother me then quite as much as it does now. Now, with Daniel, it seems I cannot catch a break. At first, he did not have any problems sleeping through the night; in fact he slept so peacefully every night that I was a bit worried that something wasn’t quite right. I got used to it and then took every possible opportunity I could find to brag about my restful sleep to anyone with an ear to spare.

This all changed when he turned 4 months old.

Let me just say I feel that there should be a way for us to prepare our babies for the emotional assault we put them through at the doctor’s office. The dreaded day fell upon us sooner than expected. It was time for his appointment…it was time for shots.

Daniel received 4 immunizations in all that day, 3 shots in the legs and 1 oral. The moment the first prick entered his leg the agonizing crying commenced. And I’m not above admitting that seeing my little sweetie that upset brought me to uncontrollable tears; even after the baby was calm, those salty little emotional tattletales steadily rolled down my cheeks. I made the appointment 2 months in advance so honestly I had plenty of time to get my own emotions in check.

Daniel has NOT been the same since.

The night following his appointment he downright refused to sleep in his bed…pssh, who am I kidding? He refused to sleep…PERIOD! I gave him pain medicine, a nice bath, and tried everything I could think of to get him to relax and go to sleep. Nope, all he wanted was his mommy to hold him and cuddle him all night. ALL night. Any sleep on my part was not an option.

And so started the long and exhausting journey of getting Daniel back on his sleep schedule.

I would go to work the next day looking disheveled following a night of being kept awake by him playing for hours. Coworkers would say, “Awww, Daniel wants to play at 3 am. That’s so adorable”….No awww, it’s not cute anymore; it’s just plain mean!! Never mind that I have got to get up and go to work in 2 hours. Or never mind the total lack of sleep I endured throughout my entire pregnancy that I still haven’t caught up on. Let me tell you, from “morning” sickness and heartburn to a pea-sized bladder and leg cramps…you name it, it kept me awake.

So for the past 4 months I have gotten so little sleep that it’s truly amazing that I’m even able to remotely function in my everyday life.

Well, starting this past Sunday night, I decided I wanted my room back. I want adult time with my husband. I want to be able to watch TV in bed without having to lip read what the actors were saying. I finally put my foot down. I gave Daniel a nice bath, complete with lavender baby wash to help induce sleepiness. With the lights turned down low I sat in my rocking chair and read him a little book about a baby bunny who didn’t want to go to bed. Then finally, it was the moment of truth…I put him in his crib and walked out of his room, closing the door behind me. Man oh man, did he cry! He was so mad at me I’m telling you!! I could practically hear him screaming, “Mommy, why are you abandoning me?? Don’t you love me anymore??” I paced the floor outside of his bedroom for a good 20 minutes until finally there was silence. Being the over-protective mom that I am, I naturally assumed something was wrong and I frantically rushed in his room to check on him. But, there he was, sleeping peacefully.

Daniel slept the entire night in his crib and it was AMAZING!! The hubbs even slept on the couch so I could get some uninterrupted shut-eye, free of the startling chainsaw snoring I have come to expect less than 2 minutes after he closes his eyes.

So the following night we followed the same schedule, I thought surely last night was a fluke and I won’t get two nights in a row—fate has never been so kind—until now!! Once again he slept all night in his crib, with a little less fussing this time. So, since Sunday night, Daniel has been sleeping in his own room, ALL NIGHT LONG!!

SLEEP will surely come my way.

I couldn’t be more wrong.

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Darien, my 8 year old, is a morning person. He’s one of those annoyingly chipper morning people who like to get up before the sun and watch some TV, play with some toys, and leisurely get ready without a care in the world. I am the polar opposite. I like to sleep until the very last possible minute. I seem to thrive on the stress of getting ready in a hurry. On weekends, when I don’t actually have to get up early, I am almost ALWAYS rudely awoken by the sound of stomping feet above my head and running down the stairs next to my room. I can forgive that. I cannot, however, forgive the tiny voice right next to my ear, “Mommy, have you seen my green bear?”

For the love of all that is good in this world, why in the world would any human being need to know the location of a tiny green bear at 6 o’clock Saturday morning???!?

Emily, bless her heart, is not a morning person. Like me, she enjoys sleeping as long as possible; however, when she does finally wake up, she stomps around the house on her heavy little heels making as much noise as humanly possible. Why? I have asked…she doesn’t know either.

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That brings me to my husband; my dear, sweet husband. After many hours of wrestling with Daniel to get him to sleep, I finally fall into bed, exhausted. I feel myself drifting off to what will hopefully be a dreamless sleep and as my eyes close for the night, I feel a soft caress up and down my leg. Followed by a soft, sweet whisper, “Babe, are you still awake?” As this can only mean one thing, I internally debate with myself; to answer or not to answer. That is the question…which usually happens to be, “No, I’m not awake.”

After finally giving up his pursuit, he lays his head on the pillow and 1.3 seconds later, the snoring begins. At first it starts quietly, just a soft purring almost. My eyes close and I fall asleep. Moments later, I am startled awake by the most ungodly snort coming from Brian’s side of the bed. I gently shake him and ask him to roll over where he continues snoring. Repeat this process about 7 times and that should paint a nice picture for you. Needless to say, his snoring has gotten out of hand.

The next morning, my head is buried under at least 3 pillows as a result of the mixture of snoring and stomping I am constantly assaulted with. I hear Brian puttering around the house, making coffee, letting the metal spoon clang against the sides of the mug, intentionally being as loud as possible in an effort to let me “wake up on my own.” A few minutes later he comes back into our room, yanks the blankets off me and says “Are you gonna sleep all day?” I cannot describe to you the fury that goes through my entire body. This man, who I love very much, is about to get injured.

People, this happens every weekend. I kid you not!

So, I wrote all this to say….well, I’m not really sure anymore. I’m so tired; I lost my train of thought! Any advice on how to block out the world will be greatly appreciated!

Thanks for reading everyone!!

Kristen B Riggan

Exhausted

www.facebook.com/Kristen.Riggan

http://kriggan.blogspot.com/

Keurig Elite Coffee Brewer (Google Affiliate Ad)

The Bras Are Coming Off…

2013-01-11T08:46:00.004-05:00

Monday through Friday from 8am to 5:30pm, I am at work, decked out in dress pants, heels, and a semi-casual shirt. My hair is done, occasionally, and my face has just the right amount of make up and I always try to be professional and courteous to my coworkers.

The minutes seem to tick by like hours or even days. I, along with everyone in the building, watch the clock, waiting, waiting, until…FINALLY!

5:30 has arrived!

It’s finally time to leave and go home where I can go and work even more until bed time…

Everyday when I get home I have a routine. While heading towards the bathroom, I kick my shoes off at the door, hang my purse up, take my coat off and hang it on the back one of the dining room chairs. I unbutton my pants, yank those off and toss them aside, and then finally I get to the holy grail of comfort, the removal of the old over the shoulder boulder holder. I twist my arms around behind me resembling a contortionist and swiftly unhook the claps, I then pull the boobie basket through the arm hole of my shirt and bam, instant relief!! FREEEDOMMMMM!!!

Compare it to being shackled in prison for years and finally you’re set free! The first epic notes of Bob Seger’s Old Time Rock & Roll play in my head…I’m ready to get down and dirty and cook some dinner!!

When I come home, all false pretenses like professionalism and ladylike manners cease to exist. I am in my castle and I can do whatever I darn well please. I go to the bathroom door wide open and don’t mind a bit. I walk around barefooted, crank up the music, and dance in the kitchen.

I really think that if ladies were able to act at work like they are at home, the world would be a much more peaceful place! Just imagine an office building filled with women photo copying papers, typing memos, going to meetings, all without the restrictions of shoes, nice pants, or bras. We’re able to listen to our music in our headphones as loud as we want and jamming in our nice cushy chairs all while creating a spreadsheet.

I want to live in that world….

We can do it ladies…Wait, are bras even listed in the employee handbook?!?!?

So, tell me what you do when you first get home to wipe the day away. How do you cut loose and relax after a long day of work?

Thanks for reading today!!

New Years Dissolutions

2013-01-03T16:14:00.002-05:00

So, 2013 is finally here. 2012 was a year of some serious ups and downs for me. I had my beautiful baby boy, Daniel, which obviously was a huge “up.” I messed our taxes up and had to re-do them and pay extra money, down. Being able to be on maternity leave for 3 months, up! Not having any of my income for 3 months while I was on maternity leave putting us in a bit of a bind, down.

All in all, I can honestly say that I am happy. I love my life, my husband, kids, family, and job (mostly).

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So, I had originally resolved to not having a New Years’ Resolution, because how many resolutions are honestly kept for the year? I’m still working on last year’s resolution to become more organized and I’ve never been quite so far from completing a goal as that one. I took a step back and realized that I have way too many faults and short comings to not work on myself so I broke my first resolution of the year and came up with another resolution, to work on myself as a whole.

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First, a few things about me; I have a short temper. I am zero to enraged in about .318423 seconds. Tiny things set me off like opening the fridge and seeing only two drops of milk left in the gallon jug. Or even just an annoying, highly repetitive, clicking sound that Darien subconsciously does all the time. I’m like a cartoon character; you can see the red swiftly rising to the top as I blow my lid! So, that is now a top priority for me to work on this year; controlling my temper!! I’m thinking of taking up yoga or kickboxing, something that will allow me to release some built up steam without taking it out on those unsuspecting victims, oops I mean family and coworkers, around me.

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I am the queen of holding grudges. It’s ridiculous and juvenile, I know, but I can’t help it. Oh you didn’t hold the door open for me, complete stranger, as I try to maneuver my kids and stroller and diaper bag into the tiny store opening? Well, you are now on my list! A month later, if I see this person in the grocery store and I have $200 worth of groceries and he only has milk and gum, I will NOT let him get in front of me….serves him right as far as I’m concerned. Ugh, I hate that I’m like this but it’s one of those things where my brain doesn’t allow the logical part of me to talk some sense into it. I’m not sure how I’ll work on this one but I’m darn well gonna try my hardest!!

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I am downright unhealthy. Okay so I don’t smoke and I only have the occasional drink (very occasional), but I LOVE to eat. I love to cook big dinners and then I love to eat said dinners…and then possibly desert…and then a little more around 9 o’clock while sitting on the couch watching reruns. Every night, dinner consists of a meat, a starch like pasta, potatoes, or rice, a veggie, and bread. That is simply way too much and unfortunately, all the healthy alternatives I tried to substitute have sent my grocery budget spinning out of control. On top of unhealthy eating habits, do you think I work out?? Nope, not at all but I want to, I really do! If pure intention was a work out I’d be the perfect weight! I’m lucky that I’m not bigger than I already am. I’m hoping the kickboxing to help with my temper will also help with my weight. Plus, I’m taking the steps to research and buy a treadmill!!! So yay me!

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I use my baby as a crutch. I had Daniel 8 months ago and yet I continue to blame my pregnancy hormones or weight that I gained during that time. I breastfeed him so I took that as a free pass to eat as much as I wanted…huge mistake. The problem is, I felt/feel hungry all the time and I assumed it was because of the how many calories are burned while breastfeeding. Well, I was right but I shouldn’t have abused it and now I’m sitting here overweight and unhappy with myself when I should be celebrating this wonderful time in my life. So….I’m going to stop blaming Daniel for being emotional and chubby J It is my own fault and now that I’ve accepted that, I can get better!

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I’m not going to get too far ahead of myself on these resolutions but I think that 2013 will be the year of ME!! I’m going to love myself a little more and stop making excuses for myself. Frankly, I’m getting on my own nerves so I know without a doubt I’m on everyone else’s…

So sure, I’m not perfect and I know I never will be but I love myself and my family enough to want to make things a little better. We all have room to grow(or shrink as the case may be) to make our lives happier and healthier and I started my journey on Tuesday, January 1^st, 2013!!!

By the way, now that I’m trying to work on my temper, it seems that every annoying thing is the world is happening right next to me…this is certainly gonna be a long year!!

So, I want you to tell me what you’re going to do for YOURSELF this year. Be honest and feel free to leave a word of encouragement for other moms (me) who are starting their very own almost impossible journey of New Year’s Resolution follow through!

Wish me luck everyone!!

Kristen B Riggan

Kristen.Riggan@hotmail.com

www.facebook.com/Kristen052

Christmas Advice

2013-01-03T15:54:00.001-05:00

Oye vey! It has now been 2 days since Christmas and I have still not fully recovered.

Being Christmas and the season of giving and all that jazz, I would like to “give” all my fellow mommies and first timers a little Christmas advice for next year. I do ask that you try not to get offended…I will most likely be much more cheerful after I have made a complete holiday recovery. J

DO NOT bite off more than you can chew with the whole Santa thing. There is absolutely no reason to add 2 more years worth of debt to your already staggering amount just so little Johnny can get every single item on his Christmas list. Let’s be serious here.

Start putting out granola bars and low fat milk for the big guy because he really needs to go on a diet—and by Santa I mean me.

Do NOT use the wrapping paper that you used to wrap other gifts with as makeshift “Santa tags” to avoid having to buy actual tags. Your 7 year old WILL question this strange coincidence. “Mommy, this gift is NOT from Santa, this is the same paper you used to Gramma’s gift?!?!?” “Um, uh, well….Brian, do you want to take this one?”

When friends and family ask what your kids want/need for Christmas, don’t be coy. Just tell them already. This will prevent a) them wasting their money on the wrong size b) getting a terrible gift that you will have to either re-gift or wait in a long line to exchange for something else. Without their knowledge, assign every one who asks a different item as this ensures they get everything they want!! Genius or evil?? You decide!

Go through old toys and clothes BEFORE Christmas! Do NOT wait until they get 27,000 new toys and outfits to organize it all. There will be hell to pay and you will cry.

Make your kids help you organize the old stuff into 3 different piles; keep, give away, and trash. Also, it’s a good idea to make them come with you when you take the “give away” pile to the Salvation Army. This way you can explain to them how much it will help another kid in need so they can have a good Christmas and it will teach them to appreciate what they themselves have. Plus, you can use your donation as a tax deduction! Cha-ching!

Do NOT cook a big dinner—that is what relatives are for. If you must be forced to visit your entire extended family on Christmas day, at least get something out of it and eat ’til your heart’s content! Plus, who really wants to cook for hours and then clean up for a few more right after a sleep deprived, hectic Christmas Eve? Not me, that’s for sure!

Do NOT buy your infant hundreds of dollars worth of presents. A baby has no earthly idea what the heck is going on. Save yourself the money and give them a pile of bows—it will keep them occupied for hours!! Trust me on this one, my 8 month old refused to play with any of his brightly colored, flashing lights, and noisy gifts. Nope, all he wanted were the bows!

Please, put your kids to bed on Christmas Eve in at least halfway decent jammies. You will undoubtedly take 172 pictures of every move your kids make on Christmas day and then post them all on Facebook. We really don’t want to embarrass our babies, now do we?

Skip the whole ordeal altogether and save yourself the stress- - the kids will eventually forgive you for ruining their childhood and faith in Santa, right? Okay, okay, I’m kidding…no but seriously, skip it!

Well, that’s all from me for now. I have but a few days rest before chaos will reign down upon my household yet again. Darien and Emily’s birthdays are in January. Yay!

I would like to hear from you though! What advice would you give your fellow mommies and first timers? Let’s all help each other get through the holidays with some sanity intact. Let the advice fly!!

Kristen B Riggan

Recovering Christmas Over-doer

Kristen.Riggan@hotmail.com

http://www.facebook.com/kristen.riggan

Christmas Woes

2013-01-03T15:53:00.000-05:00

The closer Christmas gets, the higher my blood pressure rises.

Coincidence…I think not!

Every year my husband and I go through the war of getting the kids to write letters to Santa. They ask for what they want and every year their lists get longer, more detailed, and of course more expensive.

This year, when told to write his letter, Darien responded with “Uhhh, if Santa was real shouldn’t he already know what we want, magically?” To which I replied, “Um sure, but we just want to make sure he doesn’t miss anything. Plus, Santa is only able to give gifts that Mommy and Daddy approve of.”

The kids are 7 this year and will be turning 8 in January. Honestly, how much longer must we keep up with this Santa Claus charade??? Why does this morbidly obese fat man who breaks into homes get all the credit every year for OUR hard work?? Sure, it’s a nice story to believe in for a little while but what is the cut off age?

I remember when I was little, getting sent to bed on Christmas Eve, barely able to contain my excitement! Soon, Santa would be coming down our chimney, wait, we don’t have a chimney. How will he get in?? How has he done this in the past and more importantly, how will he succeed tonight?!? The questions starting racking up in my brain until I could no longer help myself; I HAD to find out the truth. Why have I never heard the clatter of reindeer hooves on the roof? And, am I the only kid in the world creeped out by “’Twas the Night before Christmas?”

“He spoke not a word, but went straight to his work,
And filled all the stockings, then turned with a jerk.
And laying his finger aside of his nose,
And giving a nod, up the chimney he rose!”

Eh….I was not impressed. Just creepy.

That one particular Christmas Eve as I was lying in my bed attempting to will myself to sleep, I heard it!! No, not the clatter of hooves but soft footsteps from the end of the hallway, my parents’ room! I slid out of bed like a serpent and tip toed to my door with my parents none the wiser and slowly, silently I slid open my bedroom door. Could it be?? Was Santa actually real?!? Would I finally catch this mystery man in the act?

No, sadly it would not be so.

The culprits were none other than my parents, arms overflowing with gifts, whispering and shushing each other in attempt to stealthily deposit the presents under the tree. I couldn’t have been more than 7 years old, and it was at that very moment that my belief in Santa Claus ceased to exist. I don’t remember feeling sad or even disappointed, I simply felt acceptance. I never did tell me parents about that night. I still, as an adult, get gifts from Santa, Mrs. Claus, and even Rudolph. My parents are so sweet...trying to help me hold onto the innocence of childhood. J

Lately, Darien has been asking a lot of questions about the big guy in red. They are starting to get quite technical and as a result our lies are quickly catching up with us. Perhaps we should have written all of our excuses down. How this child remembers a conversation from when he was 3 years old about Santa but can’t remember that I just told him to brush his teeth is beyond me. Two years ago, after being told repeatedly that he was forbidden to go in the basement, what did he do but go into the basement.

What to his wondering eyes should appear but all of his

Santa Claus gifts sitting next to Brian’s beer.

(Ha!Ha!)ß-I can laugh at this now!

His 5 year old self was in absolute awe!! “WHOA!!!!! A go-kart!!! AWESOMMMMMEE!!! Mommy, there’s a Go-Kart in the basement!!!” Yes, this happened. I even have a Facebook post to prove it!

Kristen Bonaparte Riggan December 9, 2010

So...Darien just went into the basement and saw ALL of their Santa gifts....WTF are we supposed to do now??

Our lie on that particular occasion was that Santa’s workshop gets SO full around Christmastime that sometimes he has to get the parents to help with the storage. He eyed me in unamused speculation but eventually believed me….and that was followed by a hiney spanking and getting sent to his room for going in the basement after being told not to a thousand times!! So, his Christmas surprise was ruined….luckily he never spilled the beans to Emily or that would have been a very terrible day, indeed.

So, let me hear it from you. What age do you think kids normally stop believing in Santa? What age do you think the plug should be pulled?? Should we just let the ornaments fall where they may or should we fight to keep our kids believing in this guy??

Thanks for reading today!!

Where For Art Thou, Brian?

2013-01-03T15:46:00.002-05:00

But soft, what light through yonder window breaks?
It is the east, and Kristen is the sun.
Arise, fair sun, and kill the envious moon,
Who is already sick and pale with grief
That thou, her maid, art far more fair than she.

THWEERRRRRRPPPPP!!!!! My lovely daydream is smashed to pieces by a resonating flatulent so powerful; even Godzilla would quake in fear. My dear, dear husband…I love him. I love him. I love him. Repeat this to yourself, Kristen….

I am abruptly torn from the fantasy of Shakespeare and no longer is Romeo standing below my balcony professing his undying love. He has been replaced by Darien (7) and Brian (28) both laughing and high-fiving thoroughly enjoying my reaction of fear mixed with disgust and topped with amusement.

I say fear because, my nose hairs have been singed by the smell and I’m afraid I can’t afford to re-do the now paint curling walls. Disgust, because the man I have promised my utmost love and devotion for as long as we both shall live has released a noxious gas so potent, my dog, Bella, who keep in mind eats horse poop on a daily basis, runs from the room whimpering with her tail between her legs. Finally, I say amusement because, and let’s be honest, farts are funny. I’m actually proud to have a man who can rumble our house off its 83 year old foundation with minimal effort. No seriously, really, I’m proud. >:-l Don’t you believe me?

You see, the men in the novels I read are horse wranglers, billionaires, Irish pub owners, you know what I’m talking about ladies. They never burp, fart, sneeze, and pick their noses. Never in a million years would they forget to put a new roll on toilet paper dispenser or fall asleep on the couch with their mouth wide open.

Deep down they are all poets and romantics and can recite Shakespeare without pause.

This is not the case in real life.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
For instance, for Thanksgiving, I spent HOURS making a homemade pumpkin cheesecake. This was some gourmet cheesecake complete with gingerbread crust and a caramel drizzle. It was delicious, sweet, decadent, and absolutely perfect in every way!

After our traditional Thanksgiving meal, followed by the traditional turkey induced Coma, we were finally ready for dessert! Being the cheesecake fanatics they are, my parents showed up at my house just in the knick of time, forks already in hand, ready to devour my genius!

I carefully sliced and plated my masterpiece, topped it with caramel sauce, cool whip, and a sprinkle of cinnamon and served it to my family. The kids just got regular pumpkin pie—“Cheesecakes are for grownups,” I explained to them as they looked disappointingly at their plate and longingly at mine.
The moment the fork passed through their lips, my parents eyes lit up. Mom sputtered in amazement, “it’s perfect!” Dad stuttered in awe, “I…I…I…love it…” My gaze finally landed on my husband. I grinned from ear to ear in anticipation of his opinion of my work. I expected a compliment so great that I would humbly fall to my knees in gratitude.

Instead, I got “s’good.”

For a moment, the world stood still. My Dad’s fork clattered to his plate but no sound was heard except for the twin gasps of shock from my parents. Does this man not know me at all??? I want confetti and balloons to fall from the friggin ceiling the very second my heavenly creation passed beneath your nose. But no, “s’good” is all he muttered.

Now, had Brian been a character in a Nora Roberts book, for instance, he would have swept me off my feet and carried me to our perfectly neat and organized, candlelit bedroom. As the tear slid down his face, he would softly whisper, “You are the best cook on the face of the Earth. I am not deserving of such heavenly extravagance. Thank you, Kristen. Thank you for loving me enough to share your life and such divine desserts with me.” Then, we would make passionate love for the entire night with out pause….

Oh…sorry, I took a wrong turn there.

“S’good”….Believe me, I had a few choice words for him myself, after my parents left of course. J
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
This past Sunday, I did get to see my hero in action. We were rudely awoken at the ungodly hour of 9 am by our dog and every other dog within a 5 mile radius barking frantically. Brian jumped out of bed, stepped into his ever present steel toed boots, which I have stubbed many a toe, and ran outside only to find…two ginormous MULES grazing in our backyard. So, Brian came back in to put some clothes on, gave me a kiss and said “I’ll be back; I’ve got to go get these animals home before something bad happens. If I don’t make it, just know that I have always loved you.” Okay, so I added that last part but it sounded good. He was so excited to herd the mules, it was kind of cute!
He eventually got the mules safely home and jackpot even brought home some brown eggs, fresh from the butt, as Brian so gently said, as a thank you from the neighbors. Double jackpot, he then COOKED the eggs!!!

So, while my husband may not recite poetry or climb balconies for me, he does recite the owner’s manual on my truck when he does an oil change or replaces the brakes. And he does climb to the top of the roof to put up Christmas lights for me.

He may not be Shakespeare worthy but he is definitely the hero in my book and I wouldn’t have it any other way!! Just add up all the little things your man does for you before criticizing the things he doesn’t. You’ll see that you’d rather have him cook you scrambled eggs for breakfast than put that fresh roll of toilet paper on the dispenser any day of the week!

I love you hubbs!!!

We have all met one…

2013-01-03T15:35:00.001-05:00

The mom that goes on and on about how perfect and wonderful and lets not forget, how “advanced” her kids are. She is the one who feigns a look of concern when you admit that your baby isn’t yet crawling or cut their first tooth. She always gets her photos printed or film developed, depending on the generation of course. She immediately categorizes them by date and inserts them in an ever present photo album ready to whip out of her purse with the speed of a ninja at the mere mention of a late period.

When you spot her, you try with all your might to slip down a side aisle at the grocery store just to avoid a conversation. Inevitably though, you WILL need bread at the exact moment as she. You’re now trapped between the barbeque rolls and the English muffins for a minimum of 23 minutes while being forced to listen to her very detailed description of little Johnnie’s poopies…color, texture, consistency, smell, just wonderful!

She’s the mom we all love to hate.

I will be the first to admit that I have in fact been this mom before. “Darien started crawling at 4 months”, or “oh that’s too bad, Darien’s teeth are absolutely perfect.” “Did you get the invitation to the award ceremony at school next week? No? Well, you’re daughter must not be receiving any awards. Darien will be getting 5!!”

I started noticing the eye rolls or tiny little jeers disguised as patient smiles. Who had I become??? I became “that crazy mom” that people avoided in the grocery store! I had to take a step back and realize that I was losing any real credibility I had as a mom every time I opened my mouth. It is one thing to be proud of your child but not at the expense of other moms. We need to stick together!!!
Needless to say, I have a problem…

I’ve even joined a 12-step program called CMA-Competitive Mom’s Anonymous. It does seem to be more trouble than its worth because all we do is brag on our kids and try to one-up each other. The offers of unsolicited advice on how to raise your child really get the meetings interesting, as you can imagine. It gets pretty intense. Who needs WWE or UFC when you have CMA?

I do have the occasional relapse, at which time I just run through the 12 steps in my head. For the most part though, I keep most of my high-falutin opinions of my wonderful, amazing kids to myself!!

Introduction to ME!

2013-01-03T15:34:00.000-05:00

Hi there. My name is Kristen and I am a recovering…..chatterbox.

**Clapping & smiling–Hi Kristen, welcome!!*

***************************************************

Pleasure to meet you all! I’m the awesome mom of 3 kids, 2 dogs, 1 cat, and I have recently found evidence of our newest family member, Mr. Mouse, in the upstairs closet, who will be dealt with accordingly. I live in Henderson, North Carolina but I’m originally from a small town in upstate New York. I moved here with my family back in ‘96 when I was just 9 years old. Even though I vowed to run away back to NY the same second I got my license, here I am 16 years later going strong and married to a southern boy who probably will never move anywhere north of the Mason-Dixon Line. I can’t complain too much about the move though, because if we hadn’t come down south, I would not have my amazing husband, obnoxiously wonderful kids, or the stressful paradise I call every day life!

***************************************************

Well, some more about me. I’m 25 years old going on 70. I never miss Jeopardy or Wheel of Fortune, I eat at the same restaurants, and I wear socks to bed most nights, much to the chagrin of my hubs. Luckily, I found my soul mate in Brian, my husband, who is as much of an old timer as I am!! We honestly enjoy staying at home with the kids or having a bonfire in the back yard much more than going to a bar or club. My, how things change when you start a family!!

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We have 3 awesome kids!!

Darien, 7 going on 19, is by far one of the smartest kids I have ever spoken to, except of course when I ask him if he remembered to brush his teeth, suddenly he looses all ability to form a coherent thought. He excels at absolutely everything he does. T-ball, school, soccer, he’s amazing!! He will probably be writing computer software within the next few years at the rate he is going. I’m so proud of my guy!

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Then we have our Emily, who is also 7!! She is the sweetest little girl you’ll ever meet. She loves to help you with anything from baking and cleaning to raking and mowing the lawn. You name it, she wants to help!!! Emily’s latest career aspiration is to be an artist. She literally draws ALL THE TIME!!! It is actually much more than the standard little kid scribble scrabbles, my girl has some serious talent!!

***************************************************

To finish off our brood, let me introduce Daniel. He is 6 months and is by far the cutest baby ever made!! His hobbies include scooting across the floor backwards and chewing on the remote control. He absolutely loves bananas and his toy giraffe (Raffi). Teething is currently in full force and daily, I am astonished at how much drool comes out of his mouth!! He has such an adorable personality and has finally made our little family complete!!!

As many buttons as they push DAILY, they are such an important part of me and I couldn’t imagine my life without them. Life would be so quiet and a little too peaceful. J

***************************************************

I have, hands down, the BEST husband, EVER. Brian has done so much for me and our family and I honestly don’t know where I’d be without him. The day that man walked into my life was the first day of a new and happier Kristen. Eh, gag!! I know I sound like a Danielle Steele character but I just can’t help it!! Don’t get me wrong, he irks almost every nerve I have. From leaving empty containers in the fridge to his chainsaw snoring, as much as I love him, sometimes I’m tempted to throw something at him!!

***************************************************

Moving on….

I have a pretty decent job that I really enjoy about 85% if the time. The other 15%, well, let’s just say I’m human and the day to day drama of office politics sometimes wears on me just as it would any of you! My official title is Merchandise Analyst at Variety Wholesalers, Inc which is really a fancy way of saying that I sit in front of a computer all day crunching numbers on spreadsheets and looking at product sales. On the plus side, I work with some really great people who have become good friends and really help to make the day that much better.

***************************************************

I have a wonderful/crazy family who get on my nerves one minute and have me rolling on the floor laughing the next. I have an older brother, Ray, and his wife (who I consider one of my sisters), Crystal, two older sisters, Patrice and Amanda, and then there is me, the baby! I wouldn’t say that I have the normal “baby of the family” mentality though; I have always worked hard to get away with things. It wasn’t just handed to me!

***************************************************

I have the best parents a girl could ask for. Sure, when I was younger I thought they were too strict but looking back, I had it pretty easy. They taught me so much about how to be a good person and treat others with kindness, regardless of how they have treated you (a mission I am STILL on.)

~*My Daddy is the hardest working man I know, next to my hubs, of course. I have always known that even though my Daddy is a putts, I can always go to him for anything and although I may not like his advice or answer, he has my best interests at heart.*~

~*My Mom is such a wonderful woman. I can’t say enough good things about her! She has taught me so much, and continues to do so. During my rebellious teen years (who am I kidding, my early twenties also), we fought like cats and dogs over everything from clothing to boyfriends. She never gave up on me and still helps me everyday and I honestly don’t know what I would do without her. She is an amazing woman.*~

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Well, I’ll definitely get more into my life as we get to know each other better. I don’t want to bore you on my first day!!

***************************************************

I have only recently realized my passion for writing and I’m hoping that by writing to you all every week, I will gain more confidence to put my innermost thoughts on the page.

If you enjoy what I write, head over to my mommy blog:

Thursdays With Kristen

at: imamomigotthis.wordpress.com

Happy Thanksgiving
to everyone! DO eat way too much!!

~&($%!50 Shades of Crazy!%$)&~

2012-08-10T23:43:00.001-04:00

Almost everyone at this point has heard of the "50 Shades "trilogy. It is a love story between the once abused and very controlling man named Christian Grey and a young, naive college student, Anastasia Steele. Wait, did I just say love story??? I meant to say porn on a page turner. This is not a love story people!!! I'll give you a brief synopsis and you'll just have to decide for yourself once you read the books.

Christian Grey is by far the most controlling, pathetic, and immature literary character that I have come across. He was brought into this world by a crack whore mother (who is only referred to as "the crack whore") and some unknown john that knocked her up. He was abused in many different ways thus leading to his crazy ways as an adult. He was adopted by the lady doctor who first helped him after he was taken from his mother when she died. Eventually he was molested by a much older family friend who ultimately introduced Christian into the frowned upon world of BDSM ( Bondage & Discipline, Sadism & Masochism) which gave him an outlet for all of the anger he felt towards his birth mother. Now, at the ripe old age of 28, he is a MULTI-BILLIONAIRE! He owns so many different companies in this book its just plain ridiculous. He has so many properties, so many cars, so much art. He can pilot a helicopter, play the piano, kick box, dance, and fluently speak multiple languages. To top it all off, he is somehow SO absolutely gorgeous that every single woman he comes into contact with bats her eyelashes or stutters or goes weak in the knees just at the mere sight of him. But, under all of his unrealistic perfection, he likes to hurt women. He is a Dominant and has had several Submissives willing to do anything and everything he said. We find out later that he only chooses brunettes because his mother was brunette and he is punishing her for being a bad mother. Eh.

Ian Somerhalder--This, to me, is Christian Grey.

Then we come to Miss Anastasia Steele. By choice, she was raised by her first step-father. Ana was a very smart and independent girl; bright eyed and eager to make a name for herself in the publishing world. She worked her way through college earning top grades. Her time was taken up working and studying. Well, you know what they say, all work and no play made Ana a dull girl. She had a couple boyfriends over the years but they never got past second base, she just wasn't interested in much else beyond her future career. She never stood up for herself and generally kept quiet.

Emmy Rossum-definitely who I picture as Ana Steele

To make a ridiculously long story short, they meet, he wants her to be his Sub, she refuses. They fall in love with each other, they get married, bla bla bla. Supposedly, her love was the best therapy Christian could ever get and he becomes a romantic, still crazy as hell, but sweet and romantic.

Okay, my MAIN issue with this porn book, is the author's complete and total lack of knowledge of how American's talk. I have NEVER heard an actual person say "I bid you good day, sir." This is not 1809. In an attempt to make the characters seem more "now," the author threw in countless wow's, oh f*cks, and holy craps. Please, I beg of you, if you want to write about people from a country you are not totally familiar with, DON'T!!

Another issue I have with this story is how utterly and completely horny these two are. I mean come on people, seriously? They have sex literally everywhere! The elevator, car, shower, table, piano, boathouse, and i'm leaving out a ton! If she bites her lip, he has sex with her. If she disobeys him, he has sex with her. If she rolls her eyes, he spanks her, then has sex with her. They had sex more in the first book, which had a time line of roughly 2 weeks, than I have had my whole life. Okay okay, maybe i'm "hating" on them but still...be at least kind of realistic.

Ana seems to be controlled by 2 opposing forces; her Inner Goddess and her Subconscious. The good vs evil is slightly amusing but I really wanted to slap all 3 of them in the face. They yelled at her...does she have schizophrenia or something??


Subconscious vs Inner Goddess

All in all, I can't stop reading these books. I guess i'm just like everyone else, and hey, my hubbs appreciates me reading it. :-D I can only compare the 50 Shades trilogy to a car accident on the highway. I need to pay attention to my driving but I can't stop looking to see what's going on. My kindle makes it SO difficult for me to simply move on...every time I unlock the screen there it is...50 Shades of Grey, 50 Shades Darker, and now finally 50 Shades Freed. Read me, Kristen. Learn from me, Kristen. Concentrate on nothing else, Kristen!!! Ahhh! I'll be so glad when I read the last page so I can stop feeling like a creepy sex fiend.

~*Enjoy your reading ladies!!*~

By the way, I foresee a very large baby boom about 9 months from now!!

**I found this on a blog by Jenny from the Blog and it is HILARIOUS!
**If 50 Shades were real:
CHRISTIAN: Ohh, Mrs. Grey, stop biting that lower lip or I’ll take you here in the breakfast nook!
ANASTASIA: Um, Mr. Grey, it would behoove you to wait until the children are done with their Cheerios. It might be a bit awkward and messy with them around. Plus, you’re starting to creep me out.
CHRISTIAN: Oh, don’t worry about the mess, Mrs. Grey., Ms. Jones will tend to it.
ANASTASIA: Which reminds me, Mr. Grey, please ask Ms. Jones to stop sterilizing the butt plugs with the bottle nipples.

Can't live with us & can't live without us!!

2011-07-27T12:41:00.001-04:00

"Woman, don't you know, is such a subject that however much you study it, it's always perfectly new."

"Well, then, it would be better not to study it."

In Anna Karenina, this conversation between Levin (Konstantin Dmitrievitch) and Stiva (Stephan Arkadyevitch [Anna's brother]) just makes me laugh! Just to know that women have been confusing men for at least 138 years brings me immense happiness!! This is one of my absolute favorite lines in the whole book so far.

They couldn't understand us then and they still can't seem to understand us now. From a recent Cosmo issue, it seems some poor sap is trying to give it a go.

Things women do that stress guys out:

1.)You hold a grudge.

2.)You issue an ultimatum.

3.)You give him the silent treatment.

4.)You bite his head off after a long day.

5.)You play it too cool.

What he fails to mention is that there will ALWAYS be reasoning behind our actions. We don't just do these things out of spite, well, most of us anyways. Just consider our successful methods to be art.

To help all of you silly confused men, I recently saw this being passed around facebook so it may help you out.

‎5 DEADLY TERMS USED BY A WOMAN:

1.) FINE: This is the word women use to end an argument when she knows she is RIGHT & YOU need to SHUT UP.

2.) NOTHING: Means SOMETHING & you need to be WORRIED.

3.) GO AHEAD: This is a dare, not permission, do NOT do it.

4.) WHATEVER: A woman's way of saying SCREW YOU.

5.) THAT'S OK: She is thinking long & hard on HOW & WHEN you will pay for your mistake.

***************************************************************************

Back to the book!

Stiva has made a habit out of cheating on his wife. When we first meet him, his wife, Dolly (Darya), is furious with him for having an affair with their governess. This woman they employed to teach and train their children, was trying to move up the corporate ladder, if you know what I mean. Apparently they didn't have the saying "Don't get your meat where you get your bread", back in the 1800's.

The children are worried of an impending divorce and so Stiva's sister (Anna) comes to help bring the family back together. Ironically, Anna tells Dolly to stay with her husband even though he's a cheating bastard. (as if she should really be giving marital advice)

Throughout the entire book, almost every time we read of Stephan, he is involved in some form of extra-marital affair. Are these many transgressions his form of studying women? Here's a tip for ya buddy, just ask your WIFE!

I especially love the relationship between Kitty and Levin. Although in the beginning on the book they were off to a rocky start when Levin's proposal was refused, ultimately their relationship is one that should be mirrored by others in this book. They are very loving, and honest with each other. Levin is fiercely protective over his wife and while some may think that his jealousy would be a bit over the top, I feel that he is simply keeping the love of his life safe from anyone and anything!

The men in this book range from cocky and pompous to shy and humble. They, to me, are very easy to read and predictable. A claim that cannot be attached to any of the female characters. :-)

So ladies, may our power forever live on!!

Thanks!

Extra! Extra! Read all about it! Anna Karenina is a bad mom and i'm gonna shout it!!

2011-07-07T16:32:00.001-04:00

"Happy families are all alike; every unhappy family is unhappy in its own way."

The very first, and perhaps most quoted, line of Leo Tolstoy's 1873-1877 classic, Anna Karenina should show you that no matter what century you live in, your family is most likely dysfunctional. In fact, the extremely maladjusted families in this book should almost make yours feel normal and happy!

Even back then husbands and wives were unfaithful to each other. Divorce was morally frowned upon and you were publicly shunned for being the "bad guy" in the separation. Children were merely toys to keep the wives busy while the men discussed politics while downing vodka and smoking cigars in the parlor.

As flawed as 19th century Russia was, I can't help but feel envious of at least one thing. The amount of respect shown to even the most hated adversary made my jaw drop. My wife is sleeping with you good sir? Well, let me just shake your hand and beg your forgiveness for not assenting to your actions. (For example)

Wait, what?

You mean you want HIM to forgive YOU for not liking the fact that he's committing the ultimate sin with YOUR wife? Bizarre! My point is that no matter how ridiculous the situation, every character in this book was respectful to the other. Now days, people settle their disagreements by shooting each other or getting their friends together to gang up.

If ever we need to go back to the old ways, it's in this instance. I'm not saying not to stand up for yourself if someone has done wrong by you but don't automatically resort to violence or immaturity. Sit down and talk it out. We can learn a lot from history sometimes. What to do and even sometimes what not to do.

I am a bit disturbed regarding the actions of Anna Arkadyevna Karenina, the books' namesake. Her husband tells her that if she continues her affair with Count Vronsky he will petition for a divorce and take her son away from her. While being kept from her son deterred her decision for a short time, ultimately the love for her son was not enough to keep her from running away with her lover, Alexei Vronsky. For all she knew she would never see her son again, but she went anyways.

I cannot even fathom how a mother would make that decision. She already had her doubts of Vronsky's feelings for her. Basically, she made a life changing decision on what I believe was a immature little girl whim. While traveling through Europe with Vronsky, they cannot find any new friends who are willing to accept their relationship and cannot maintain friendships with existing acquaintances because Anna has been shunned for her actions.

She becomes very emotional and jealous over Vronsky. She can see that he is becoming bored with her as he goes from hobby to hobby to occupy his time without much interest in her. They decide to return to Moscow with hopes of Anna reuniting with her son. Upon their return, she is told by her husband’s friend, a Countess, that she will not be allowed to see her son. She immediately blames her unhappiness in the situation on Vronsky. Um, excuse me Miss Unfaithful, but it takes two to tango!

*****************************

Anything regarding Anna in this book gets me angry. She acts like a child who cannot get her way. It was her decision alone to leave her husband and her son knowing full well what the consequences would be.

When her sister in law, Dolly, visits her in the country, she seems so happy. I'm glad that Anna is happy but at what cost? Her son is being "raised" by a father who does not love him and only keeps him to hurt Anna.

I can understand taking your life by the reins and doing what you want. Sometimes that’s necessary when you’re completely unhappy. But, all I think about is her son’s unhappiness having to grow up without his mother. When thinking of the relationship I have with my son, it hurts to think about leaving him. Right now, he is on a trip with my parents in New York visiting family and he’ll be gone for 10 days!! 10 ridiculously long days without my little man is bad enough but to think about never seeing him again would tear me apart.

So, if this book was a true story and I had a time machine, I would go back and tell Anna to get her mess together and be a parent, but not before stopping at Adam & Eve and getting a little electronic something for her to keep her hormones in check.

Feel free to comment and thanks for reading!!

The Amazon Kindle-A virtual library at my fingertips!

2011-07-06T13:13:00.000-04:00

I am an avid book reader so my bookshelf is literally overflowing. I made several not so subtle hints over the months before my birthday, to anyone that would listen, that I desperately wanted a Kindle. I studied and researched this handy device to the point that I now know just about everything there is to know about it. Amazon should seriously think about hiring me as a sales person. It can hold 3,500 books at a time. It can sync with your smartphone app. You can even play games!! There is an over abundance of awesomeness!!

So, on my birthday on June 18th, I sat outside with my family eating cake and ice cream anxiously awaiting "gift time." Once we were all finished consuming a weeks worth of sugar, my mom got up quickly and went into the house. It was time! She comes out holding a huge bag full of gifts! Through my greedy haze, I barely noticed the beautiful ribbons and tissue paper embellishments spouting from the top of the gift bag like a fountain. I reached in and out came....bubble bath?!? Okay that's great, I thoroughly enjoy baths but where's my kindle? So I grasped at another object, and out came...a family craft?!? Okay, okay I love doing crafts with the kids but where is my kindle?!? I looked in the bag, and there among the frivolous decoration covering the bag, sat a slim brown box. My eyes lit up, my heart stopped, and you could only hear the sound of my parents happy breathing. There it was, the holy grail of birthday gifts, the Amazon Kindle!!!

Not everyone can get exactly what they asked for, this was not so in my case. I was so ecstatic upon receiving the worlds best gift, that i jumped up and swallowed my parents in a big, squeeze the breath out of you, hug.

I opened it up, turned it on(my parents charged it up before giving it to me), and set off on reading my first ebook, Anna Karenina.
**Gasp**
Yes, I know...I have taken on Leo Tolstoy...War and Peace may very well be next! When normally I read romantic Nora Roberts, or empowering Jennifer Weiner, I decided to step outside of my literature comfort zone and read one of the most difficult (for me) books out there. But let me tell you, it has, so far, been well worth it. Tolstoy has so beautifully described several characters love stories which are so entwined with each other. To step inside another persons mind from a totally different era and culture is an amazing gift. But, i've gone off on a tangent so i'll cover more on this book later.

My point is, if you're a book lover, consider the Kindle! While I can no longer feel the coarse paper beneath my fingertips or smell the glue binding my beloved book together, I still feel that this is a decent trade off. Being convenient and easy to use definitely puts a check in the pro column for me. I have provided a link so you can see for yourself. So, think about it!!
Check out the new Amazon Kindle.

Thanks for reading!!

What's Not To Like?

2011-07-05T15:02:00.001-04:00

I wanted to create a blog about the books I’ve read and the many off the wall unique thoughts constantly assaulting my mind. It seems that very few in my social, family, work, or any kind of circle cares a tiny morsel about books let alone anything resembling a unique thought. "What's a unique thought", they ask me, "and why would we want to do something that would make us different than everyone else?"

My many circles all seem to think I’m crazy for reading a book when I could just wait for the movie. I enjoy a movie just as much as the next person but can a movie make you feel every thought and every shiver right down to your bones? Can a movie make you taste the delightful pie the author has verbally baked or smell the sweet perfume of a flower the author has planted? I think not. But a book can!

You all will be my sounding board, my shoulder to cry on, and my best friends. I love sharing my thoughts on a book and I can't wait to share them with you!

When someone in my close circle comes to me for advice, I have always told them to write down how they feel and it will make them feel better. Being that no one wants to hear my book rants, I decided to follow my own advice and create this blog.

So, I pose the question--what's not to like about a book? Is it the paper cuts? I say wear a glove. Is it the amount of time it takes? I say throw away your watch or turn off your cell phone. Take some time to get back to the basics. Assault your own senses with a page turner and I can guarantee you won’t be disappointed (unless it’s not a good book.)

I hope everyone enjoys my thoughts and if not...well, that's just too bad!! :-)

What's Not To Like?

My Triumphant Return to the Blogosphere

Just a few tips on how to be courteous....

Online Vs. Outside

A Day In The Life....

Marital Advice

Teething Ring

My Son the Gamer

Take Me Down to the Paradise City

Ain't No Party Like A Kristen Partaaaayyyy!!!!!

Bedtime Blues

The Bras Are Coming Off…

New Years Dissolutions

Christmas Advice

Christmas Woes

Kristen Bonaparte Riggan December 9, 2010

Where For Art Thou, Brian?

We have all met one…

Introduction to ME!

~*&($%!50 Shades of Crazy!%$)&*~

Can't live with us & can't live without us!!

**Extra! Extra! Read all about it! Anna Karenina is a bad mom and i'm gonna shout it!!**

The Amazon Kindle-A virtual library at my fingertips!

What's Not To Like?

~&($%!50 Shades of Crazy!%$)&~

Extra! Extra! Read all about it! Anna Karenina is a bad mom and i'm gonna shout it!!