Some days I just don't know

I am sitting at my computer desk with intentions of writing a blog post. Honestly, I really don't have anything. I have tons of stuff floating around in my head but nothing really worth actually writing down. I guess this will have to be one of those random posts that have no specific subject.

I'll start with the Kardashian women. Is it just me or are their voices annoying and whiney as hell? How does anyone listen to that crap all day long? Is it really necessary to spew the "F" word every other sentence? Like we teach our daughters, you can be as pretty as you want but it is what comes out of your mouth that people will go by. Also, what's up with these shows 16 and Pregnant and Sweet Sixteen?? Two great reasons my daughters are not allowed to watch MTV, VH1 or BET. <----they used to show actual music videos. What happened to that? Some days I wonder maybe Dwayne and I could be the lame ones and we are missing something. Other days I'm like nope, we're the smart ones! I am about to click publish post. I am sure I will have something better to say tomorrow :)

Candy is good for your health

I was at the store this morning and decided to cruise down the Valentine's candy aisle to see what might make it into my cart. I know Brie mentioned she wanted to give some candy to a few friends so I decided to grab a big bag of Skittles and Starburst. They are favorites in my house so I figured there would not be any left over for long. I also got a bag of chocolate hearts for the house.


I was unpacking the bags from the grocery store when something on the bag caught my eye.

I had to do a double take when I saw that it said that the candy was an "excellent source of Vitamin C". Huh??? So then the girls got home from school and immediately asked if they can have some. I said no. They had the audacity to say "But it's healthy and we can never get enough Vitamin C!" All I could do was laugh. Darn kids.

Nonsense

• How come so many people that are in the medical field smoke? The smoker's corner is always full. I thought they were supposed to be promoting better health.
• I always seem to be the initiator of keeping in touch with people. Last I checked email, text and phone calls go both ways. People tell you to keep in touch all the time but apparently it does not include them doing their part.
• A great way to ward off hunger is to drink a huge glass of water and then brush your teeth. It really works and you suddenly lose your appetite.
  
• What's up with all the people online telling you how you can make tons of extra income by selling organic juice, underwear that makes you lose weight and online secrets? They still have to keep a day job so where's all the money you made??
  
• Underwear that makes you lose weight in 2 days????? No comment.
• If I see someone spell the word some like "sum" I am going to lose it.
  

Okay, I'm done with my nonsense ;-)

Happy Monday!

I'm not sure what it is but so many people hate Monday. Not me, I LOVE them. I tend to work harder on the weekends so I welcome Monday so I can sort of finish up a few things and get geared up for the rest of the week. I think when people start their day off complaining how much they hate Mondays it sets a negative tone for that entire day and sometimes for the rest of the week. I sure wish everyone a great start to the week and a Happy Monday!

Family members and your blog

I was thinking about this the other day and I don't get it. How come I tell people that are related to me or close friends that if they want to see the latest photos of the family or want to know the recent goings on in the Ismail household that they can check the blog. Why in the world do I get the whole..."I don't have time for the blog thing" or "I don't know how to leave a comment". I have even gone and put "leave your comment here" to make it easier for those who claim it is too difficult to do. Of course my relatives ignore it and make excuses. I guess this is why I love my blog friends so much. It seems like strangers have more interest in your life that your own family. I know I can't be the only blogger that feels this way.

Do you find this to be a trend in your blog life?

Back to business already?

I have really been down for the past couple days thinking about the fact that the girls will return to school and Dwayne goes back to the office on Monday. All of the days of getting some extra sleep, laughing at foolishness and making loads of trips to our favorite stores will be dwindling down. Back to reality, back to business. I enjoyed having the kids home even though they make me over-eat. I have to get back on the ball and get the Mom taxi ready for carpool and other places the kids need to go. I am also eager to get back into my Shelly stuff and I need to get in the practice of writing 2010. I hope everyone is enjoying the last little bit of the break before it's back to business as usual!

Momfiles year in review 2009

I decided to write this post in list form and there is no order, just random:

• We have made so many amazing friends along with getting to know the existing ones better that we met through the blog world. I love my blog pals :)
• We completed a full year of Vent Day Wednesday and we are still debating if we will continue in 2010. We may consider doing a segment once or twice a month.
• We have gained new followers and new loyal readers.
• We have another year documented through the blog of the kids' accomplishments and other fun stuff.
• We are so happy that more of the people we know personally have been enjoying their daily dose of Momfiles.
• I have made so many new friends through Facebook that came from the blog.
  
• We have been pretty happy with all of our sponsors and PR peeps that have been so generous.
  
• Our family has grown and learned whole lot this year.
• 2009 has been the best year ever for us and we are excited about what's to come in 2010.
  
  HAPPY NEW YEAR TO ALL! We wish you all good health and happiness :)
  
  

I miss my blog

Seriously, I have really missed my blog. I can't believe I have not updated it in days. I last wrote about being sick. Well I went and overdid it and relapsed so I have been really taking it easy. I am feeling up to par now so I will stop being such a slacker. We had a nice quiet Christmas and I am always so amazed by how much planning, preparing, wrapping and cooking you do for it to all be over so quickly. I guess it will be time to get the house all spiffy for the new year. I am not making any resolutions except to keep myself healthy. I feel like that is important and I already do what I can daily to ensure good health. Well I have a lot more interesting things to talk about so I will get back on the ball and blog daily to fill everyone in on all the latest shenanigans and goings on in the Ismail household. I hope everyone had a great time this holiday season!

I've been away

Gosh, it's been a while since I have posted anything or even checked my favorite blogs. I have had so much going on and have been sick with a cold for about 4 days now. With the kids being out of school it seems we have been so much busier. Oh yeah and my computer crashed. I am not happy about that but gladly I backed up most everything that was important so I am grateful for that. For all my friends that celebrate the holiday season I wish you all the happiest of holidays and I will not be absent like this come the end of the week! Have a great day :)

Terrible Two's so soon?

Someone please tell me that the toddler/terrible two's stage does not last forever. Seriously, we have never been through this before because the girls were complete angels. This little boy can really try your patience. If something is in his way he will pick it up and throw it, no matter what the item is. I can't get the boy to sit still except maybe for a meal, but know that he will be back up and running the second he swallows the last morsel. Temper tantrums with back arching and all?? really?? Please tell me he will get some kind of an attention span. Please!!

He is still not quite talking as yet. The doctor tells us it's normal and not to worry since he is doing so well in every other way. That's really not good enough for us. William shows that he knows what's going on and can follow commands but still won't speak. It is really frustrating but we continue to do our best working with him. He will occasionally say something out of the blue and we all get so excited. All of my friends and family tell me that before long I will be begging him to shut up and I should enjoy the peaceful quietness while I can. Has anyone had a late talker in the family? Please tell me I am not alone.

*Sorry for all my whining. Now I will go back to my usual cheery happy self :)

Getting things together

This is going to be one of those very random posts so here I go... First of all I have made a decision to deactivate my Facebook account for at least a week. Most people are in shock and wonder why. It's simply for me to take a little more time to focus on everyday tasks as well as work on some things that I have neglected. I am assisting Dwayne with his business and I need to get a good sense of organization and planning. My office is in shambles so obviously I need to get cracking on that ASAP.

My toddler son is curious and very fast. I can't take my eye off of him for even a minute. He found a glass that way left out that contained a little bit of leftover adult beverage and thankfully it spilled before he could take a sip. That was a bit of an eye opener that once again organization is needed.

With Christmas on it's way I have all these lavish plans to bake bake bake. I plan to do just that. I had to come up with a good teacher gift idea for over 12 teachers that would not break the bank account. I decided on making some mini lemon pound cakes and presenting them nicely wrapped in cellophane and fancy tissue paper. I might even go the extra step of printing out homemade gift tags with the recipe attached. I will post photos once I complete them so you can see how they turned out. I might just post the recipe as well.

The biggest thing I want to do is take time daily to stop and smell the roses. Life is not as complicated as we make it. Simple is good :)

Things we love to hate

- I really don't like heights at all. Even a 3 step ladder makes me nervous. Yet I will gladly ride a roller coaster.
- I don't like coffee flavored anything but I love coffee.
- I don't care for bananas but love banana bread and banana splits.
- I'm not a fan of comedy yet I married Dwayne. Enough said on that one.
- I love craziness yet don't like chaos.
- I love sunshine but don't like being hot.
- I don't like peanuts but can tear up a peanut butter cup!
- The smell of maple syrup is not pleasing to me but I enjoy it on my waffles.
- I love make-up yet don't care to be too made-up.
- I love having my family around but don't like how much I eat when they are around.
- Dwayne does not like Lil Wayne yet he loves to recite every one of his songs. The songs get stuck in your head.
- Dwayne is a fool but does not stand for foolishness.

So what things do you love to hate??

Sleepy

Something happened last night that NEVER happens to me. I had not even a wink of sleep. None. Nada. Zilch. I don't know why that happened, I just could not sleep at all. Today's forecast calls for rain all day (100% chance). Great sleeping weather right? Not when you have a Hurricane Willie! Naps are rarely an option as long as he is awake. I hope I can make it through the day without losing it. I have Briahnna home today as well because she has a cold. Looks like it will be one long day.

A message if you are NOT a parent

If you have no kids then please listen up to this valuable advice. If you want to buy a gift for someone's kid and you want to maintain a happy relationship with that person then never buy musical toys. Mr. Giraffe might not make it through the day. Just wanted to share and help preserve long lasting friendships or family bonds.

The Jimmy Hoffa drawers

If you have been a long-time Vent Day watcher then you will know exactly why I titled this post like I did. For those who have no clue these would be my junk drawers that Dwayne gets annoyed with. I say they are chock full of great little things that you might need some day. It beats having a big office downstairs filled with boxes of....well I don't know exactly. Tell me, don't we all have at least one drawer in our home that resembles this?

The Big Red Monster

Dwayne's dad came by this yesterday and look at what he brought over for us...

It's a bottle of red wine. Looks like some sort of demonic character on the label. hmm.

They warn you not to drink this by itself, that's scary! I will let you know what it was like.

I love Fall

I am sitting in my office at the computer and feeling a subtle cool breeze sweep across my legs and the backs of my arms. I just love it. Fall. It is so nice to open up the windows and let some cool, fresh air in. It's so nice to drive down the road and have leaves come down over your windshield as if they were raindrops or snowflakes. This truly is my favorite time of year. Of course living in South Carolina means you are still subject to a few more Summer-like days before the true Autumn air settles in for a while. I put my Fall tablecloth on the dining table and I will go to the store to buy a scarecrow for my front yard. We will take William to the pumpkin patch of course and it is going to be an adventure this year. With all of his running and climbing he will really get to enjoy the experience this time around.

Weekend wrap-up

I spent the weekend doing a whole lot of random things that thankfully kept me close to my family. I was so glad to see everyone in one place all at the same time! The girls schedules are so hectic with school, volleyball practice (5-7 days a week), volleyball games and homework. Some nights Chardie does not get home until 10:00 and has to be to her early bird class at 7:30 am. With all of that I am proud that both girls are maintaining their grades (A's) and still try to keep up with their responsibilities at home. I really do miss them a lot.

We spent Saturday at a tournament for Brie and Sunday we did some 'girls only' shopping. I bought myself a whole entire set of makeup and will be throwing away all of the stuff I currently own. This is my first step to trying to take more time out to take care of myself. Next step is a new haircut. I am playing around with a few ideas. I am thinking long sexy layers. Then again, maybe a choppy short cut? I have to find a photo and then go from there. I have been searching online but the problem I have is that all the cute styles I like look better if you have blond or highlighted hair. I will not ever color my hair so whatever it ends up being will have to look good in jet black with a few gray streaks. I intend to let my gray grow in since my husband thinks I will look like one of those hot older chicks. He is so full of it! haha!

I hope everyone has a great week :-)

Autumn randomness

Wow, I woke up to 49 degrees this morning and it was a welcomed feeling! I love this time of year and really like to wear sweaters and cooler weather attire. I am hoping it will last and not just be a tease and then we go back to highs in the 90's. That would be South Carolina weather for you! I am in the market for an extra large soup pot and if anyone can recommend a place I can get one for a reasonable price that would be great. I want one in stainless steel. I guess October is practically here and I will have to take William up to the pumpkin patch. I know he will really have with it this year since he is walking and very curious. Well, that's all I have for today. Vent day is tomorrow. Be sure to come back!

I almost quit

I have been contemplating it for some time. I kept saying that I will give it another shot.

Day after day it was the same old thing. I wanted something better, fresher, richer, newer, more decadent. Decisions... decisions.

Well I have made up my mind. I'm not leaving you, not now and maybe not ever. Sorry I even entertained the idea of getting rid of you.