Chick-fil-A FreshMade Giveaway !!

As if Chick-fil-A weren't already awesome enough, they're refreshing their menu with the addition of three new premium salads and an improved wrap... all for under 430 calories!

 I mean, who doesn't already love Chick-fil-A?!? I know at our closest location the drive-thru line is wrapped around the building every day at lunch time, and often at dinner time as well. Good food, great customer service, fun atmosphere... how can you not love them?

And yet, they're updating their menu to offer us even more choices. As someone who's trying to make healthier eating choices, this is very exciting to me!

As part of these new menu additions, they are offering a giveaway for my readers. One of my lucky readers will receive a coupon pack for two FREE Chick-fil-A salads.

How to enter

There are two ways to enter (do both for more chances at free food!)

- submit a comment on this post telling me the results of your "Are you a Starter" quiz (see below)
- comment on my Facebook page telling me your favorite Chick-fil-A menu item

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TERMS & CONDITIONS:
Multiple entries are accepted. Each comment on blog and FB will be assigned a number, and one winner will be chosen using MS Excel's random number generator (I'm a total Excel nerd). Entries accepted beginning 12noon EST on 5/16/2013 and ending at 11:59pm on 5/21/2013. Winners will be announced on this blog, on the KyFireWife FB page, and on the @kyfirewife Twitter account. In the event either winner does not provide contact information with 48 hours of announcement, a new winner from the original pool of contestants will be chosen.
DISCLOSURE
All thoughts and opinions shown here are exclusively my own, and no monetary compensation was received for this post. I did receive two Chick-fil-A coupons to allow me to try the new product.

Things I Did Before I Was a Parent

- returned the shopping cart to the cart corral. Always.
Sorry, cart retrievers. Nothing personal. Just depending on my parking space I may not be willing to leave my child unattended in the car. And you try to keep a preschooler in the cart until you return it when she's ready to get out.
side note - I feel guilty every. single. time.

- I worked overtime whenever I was asked, without a second thought
With a small child, and a husband who's often gone, it's just not possible now. Overtime must be planned in advance. And no, I will not leave my child in day care for 14 hours because you, as my supervisor, did not plan ahead.
I do make exceptions for the rare emergency. But I have a pretty strict definition of emergency, and it's only happened once since Jena was born (earthquake & tsunami in Japan - we had people there when it happened that needed to be located & their safety confirmed)

- I We had more sex
We still manage to do pretty well in this department, but the fact is that middle-of-the-afternoon, just-because-you-feel-like-it just doesn't happen anymore. Pretty much ever.

- We took more big trips
We still put a priority on vacations, but with a child there's extra expense to a budget that's already stretched, plus the factor of traveling with a child and finding things to entertain said child, so... we aim for more smaller trips now. And all but one (our anniversary trip) tends to be centered around a certain preschooler.

- We ate worse (yep, it's possible...)
Not only am I conscious of what I feed Jena, the fact is she like fruits & veggies, more than any child I've ever seen. So we're constantly stocked. She inspires me to eat healthier.

- I was more self-conscious
Oh, I still have my moments. But when I'm with her, it's all about her. If me acting like a big goofball makes her happy, so be it. If she wants or needs me to do something that probably makes me look like an idiot, so what? it's done.

- I was more judgemental
I've actually always tried to be very non-judgemental, but the truth is that I'm a work in progress. And having a child has helped me understand, empathize, and sympathize with others (not just parents)  in a way that I just could not before.

- I hated my body
Oh sure, I know my body could be in better shape, I'd like to lose weight, etc. But before I had a kid? I despised my body. Even when I weighed less than I do now, it was never good enough. Even though I was healthy, and anywhere from 10 to 30 lbs lighter than I am now... I never liked it. Now... sure I have some trouble spots, but now I see a mom's body - the body that carried & bore our daughter. And I'm good with that.

My Fat Butt - less soda pop

Well, dear readers, I'm here for another check in.

On my 2nd month of reducing my eating out, I didn't do as well as the first month, and finished at 47%. Still much better than my initial 60%, but those numbers need to go down, not up.

But on my 1st month of reducing my pop intake? I dropped it by just over half, from 43% of my beverages, to 22%.

So, to re-cap: I've reduced eating out by 21%, and reduced pop intake by 51%.

And gained another 4 lbs.

To say I'm frustrated is an understatement.

But I will press forward. Work on dropping my eating out numbers back down (and farther!), work on lowering my pop consumption even more. Work to increase activity (which should be lots of fun w/ a bulging disk), and work to increase fruit & veggie intake.

I will press on. But I will also consider moving up my next endocrinologist appointment. He'd taken me off of most of my meds about 4 months ago, because I was having some pretty bad side effects, and my levels had been very good, so we decided to stop them. And in those 4 months I have gained roughly 15 lbs, 6 of which have been while being very intentional at making some lifestyle changes.

So I will continue to do the work, but I also have to consider the possibility that I may need medical intervention to keep my weight from progressing back to where it was before I got diagnosed.

I'll continue to keep you posted. Thanks for checking in.

My Fat Butt Update - eating out

Well, ya'll... here I am. A month later. So, how did I do on the whole not-eating-out-as-much thing?

Well, not to brag or anything, but I think I did great!

In one month I went from eating out for 60% of my meals, to eating out for just 39% of my meals!

Still  more to go to hit the target of 25% or less, but a much larger reduction for the first month than I was expecting.

After the good news... the bad. I reduced eating out by 21%, but still managed to gain 2 lbs. I know, right? Not gonna lie, I'm a bit bummed by that. Not defeated. But definitely bummed.

Especially since that 2 lbs has put my waistline back into that in-between size. My smaller clothes are way too tight (if they fit at all), but my larger clothes are huge & baggy (if they don't actually fall off). My wardrobe is extremely limited right now.

But... I must move forward.

So I will continue my efforts to reduce eating out, and now I will also aim to reduce my consumption of pop (soda to you Northerners).

I have to say, when I started tracking my pop consumption, I was surprised at how high it was. As a rule we don't keep any in our home, and I often order water when eating out.

Yet somehow 43% of my beverages are pop. Nearly half.

This is a problem.

So my goal is to reduce my pop consumption by 5% a month until it reaches 10% or less.

As a side note, I know you often hear how keeping a food diary is helpful. I would say take it one step farther & do what I'm doing - what portion of your food intake is stemming from a bad habit?

It's one thing to know that you eat out "too much". It's another thing to see in black & white that you eat out for more than half your meals.

Similarly, it's one thing to know you had a pop for lunch. It's another to see in black & white that half of your drinks have been soda. Numbers don't lie.

Tracking in this way has been a real eye opener for me, in a way that just keeping a diary, or even tracking "points" never was.

Thanks for checking in! And wish me luck as I continue marching along on this journey!

My Fat Butt

Well, I quit Weight Watchers.

I'm pretty sure I mentioned that FireMan & I fell off the wagon when his dad passed away. And gained a significant amount of weight back in just a few short weeks.

We did manage to get back on track, but... somewhere along the way I realized that this isn't working for me. I don't want to do a program that the minute I stop I start gaining back what I lost. And I certainly don't want to spend the rest of my life counting points.

Or calories, or sugar, or fat, or carbs, or whatever.

Will that work? I'm sure of it.

I just don't want to live that way.

One of my friends has lost over 100 lbs doing Weight Watchers. I am very proud of her, incredibly proud of the work she's done. And she's kept it off for approximately 10 years.

She also still religiously counts her points. She will not accept a spontaneous lunch invitation, because she hasn't had time to plan what she would get. She requires about a week's notice if we want to eat out, so she can work it into her weekly meal plan. She cooks two meals each night: one for her husband & sons, a completely separate meal for herself. That she eats alone, after the boys are done, so she won't be tempted.

I know that's an extreme example of the type of dedication required to make any one of these programs work for life, but the point remains... I don't want to live like that.

Not long term. And the fact is that doing it short term just means that the pounds will creep back on.

Do I still want to lose weight? Yes. And I know that now that my endocrine levels are normal, I should be successful on any program.

But I've come to realize that I don't want a program. I want a lifestyle. Even if it means the weight loss is more gradual. Honestly, even if it means I don't lose any more weight. I want to train myself to change my life so that the changes I make become second nature.

So I've come up with some baby steps to gradual incorporate into my life. Baby steps because I think the more gradual it comes, the more likely it is to stay long-term.

Step #1 is to reduce the amount I eat out. Jason & I have known this was an issue since we were dating. We eat out way too often. It's not good for our waistlines or our wallets. So that's the first item I'm tackling.

I started about a week into June simply by tracking how much we eat in versus how much we eat out. I didn't try to eat out less, as I needed a baseline. I simply tracked.

Are you ready for this? The last 3 weeks of June, I ate out for nearly 60% of my meals. Sixty percent. It's one thing to know it's "too much". It's another thing to see the numbers.

So my initial goal is to reduce the number of meals we eat out by a minimum of 5% each month, until we reach 25% or less.

This may not seem like a big deal to ya'll, and I totally know it's doable. But... for this not-very-good cook, who has failed at meal planning repeatedly... it seems a bit daunting.

Anyone know any quick-n-EASY recipes they'd like to share? Or EASY crockpot recipes? I'm listening...

As always, thanks for checking in!

Before I Was a Mom

Before I become a mother:

I actually had a night day time off, usually at least once a week. Or more. Now I'm lucky to get a couple of hours every few months.

I did not know that moose are horrifying when in dreams. But not when cute little stuffed animals.

I was much better at putting shopping carts back in the cart corral. Sorry cart boys, but I'm a little too paranoid to venture that far from my child when she's in the car, and she's a little too heavy / hard to wrangle to bring over to the corral.

I came into work early & stayed late whenever anyone asked. Even with no notice. Now I have a kid to get ready & drop off in the mornings, and to pick up from preschool in the evenings. "No notice" doesn't really work anymore.

My house was cleaner. Fewer people, no kid, more time = cleaner house. It's really just math people.

I wasn't nearly so creative. Now I can make up songs & stories on the spot. Most of the time.

I was much more reserved / worried what people thought of me. Mostly I thought everyone thought I was weird (I am). Now, I will do just about anything to make my kid smile. Including sing in the middle of the grocery store so she has decent music to dance to.

I was much more modest about my body. Not that I dress immodestly now, it's just that... I think being a mom helped me to see my body for the amazing thing it is, instead of just parts to be covered up.

I was also much more self-conscious about my weight & shape before becoming a mom. Would I like to lose more weight? Sure. But now that I'm healthy, I love that my body looks like a mom's body.

I never realized a corndog would qualify as a meal. Or lettuce & mushrooms.

But mostly, before I became a mom, I never quite had a grasp on this love thing. Now? I think I'm getting it.

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What about you? How are you different since becoming a parent?

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this post inspired by this post

Parenting Don'ts... that I did

or maybe still do.

Because we're all just doing our best.

Because judging one another needs to stop.

Because if I looked hard enough, I could find something to judge you for.

Not that I've ever intentionally hid any of these, but I'm letting them go, being upfront and honest, and telling you that I'm doing the best I can, just like you.

Flame away if you must.

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- I got my hair dyed while I was pregnant.
I couldn't find any reliable research to say that it would do anything to harm the baby, so heck yeah, I covered my gray.

- I let Jena play outside. By herself.
If you count 'with four dogs' by herself. I check on her every few minutes.

- I let Jena play in the bath by herself.
Once I get done washing her, if she's not ready to get out within a few minutes, I leave the bathroom. I pick up random crap around the house, walking past the bathroom and poking my head in every couple of minutes.

- We totally follow the 5 second rule in our house.
And sometimes extend it to ten.

- I rarely washed my hands when Jena was a newborn.
Oh, after the potty & before eating sure. But I figured she should be exposed to "family" germs, so never really bothered in between those events.

- I feed Jena all kinds of sugar & preservatives & fast food. And very little organic.
She also eats lots of veggies, and fruit, and whole grains. Whatever.

- I have spanked Jena
And smacked her hand. It's rare, but it has happened.

- I don't follow the pediatrician's recommendation on shots.
Nor do we skip all vaccinations. Nor do we follow Dr. So-and-So's modified vaccination schedule. I researched every individual vaccine myself and we have followed a modified schedule of our own, making our own judgement on what is best for our daughter, instead of following blanket advice from either side of the table.

- I just found out that five years ago the FDA recommended no cold medicine for kids under the age of 6.
Meh.

- We didn't really childproof the house.
But I've already written about that.

- Jena's car seat got turned around before she turned one year old.
Not much before, but she had outgrown the height & weight requirement & had good control of her head. She's moved to each level of seat restraint sooner than the recommended age, but never before the required height & weight. And we follow requirements for both Kentucky & Ohio, since we travel frequently in both.

- similarly, I think putting a child's age on a safety requirement is stupid.
Other than for infants (because you have the whole head-control thing), it makes much more sense to use a combination of height & weight. Some children are big, some are small. Going by an age will make no actual impact on their safety. Going by height & weight will. Needless to say, I ignore the age thing.

- I could have breastfed longer than I did.
But I had extremely low supply (3-4 oz per day) and spending all that time pumping for one feeding a day seemed like a waste. Bring on the formula.

- I let Jena sleep on her belly.
Once she got up the strength, she kept flipping herself over anyway.

- I skipped tummy time
While she loved to sleep on her belly, she hated being awake on her belly. Would scream incessantly till you picked her up. Seriously. I have one such session on tape. It was torture for everyone involved. So after about the 3rd or 4th time, I stopped.

- Jena never slept in our bed as an infant.
She slept in a bassinet next to our bed for about 2 weeks. Then we gradually started moving her farther away. She was in her crib overnight by 6 weeks of age.

- We let Jena cry it out.
As an infant. And thru preschooler-hood. As in now. I self-imposed a 20 minute time limit when she was an infant, which we still hold to, but she rarely went that long. Like maybe twice in her life. She also slept thru the night (6+ hours) by six weeks of age.

- I changed the kitty litter while I was pregnant.
Jason wasn't doing it, and I wasn't getting rid of the cat, so...

- When she was little, I rarely slept when she slept
I felt like I got more out of showering during at least one of those times.

- We went on our first post-baby "date" when she was less than 2 weeks old
It was our first anniversary. We went to lunch & a matinee. My mother-in-law watched her. She was fine. So were we.

- We went on our first "no baby" vacation when she was less than a year old.
We won a dive cruise. In the Bahamas. She stayed with my parents. She was fine. So were we.

- I praise my daughter religiously
I tell her she's awesome, smart, funny, kind, amazing, and beautiful multiple times a day.

- I still let Jena drink from a sippy.
She's nearly four. She can drink from a regular cup just fine. But walking around the house, or on the go, a sippy is safer for my floors, my furniture, and my sanity.

- I still ask Jena if she wants a paci. If she asks for it, I give it.
She's never been addicted, and it's better for her teeth than sucking on her fingers (which she tries to do).

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So there you have it. My list of "don'ts" that I so did. Or still do.

What about you? What have you done "wrong" as a parent?

As always, thanks for checking in!

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this post inspired by this post

Stream of Consciousness

I have a headache. I like to write. I hope Jena's having a good day at school. I wonder if she's up from her nap yet. I like my co-workers. They're funny. Jason's working tonight. Good to have alone time to catch up on chores & do what I want. Bad to go to bed alone. I miss my hubby. Promised Jena a cheeseburger picnic for dinner tonight. She was thrilled. Gotta do something with those McDonald's gift cards anyway, right? She's been super clingy & needing of attention lately. Like all the time. Wears on a momma. One of her classmates asked me to "do work" with him this morning, all sweet and everything. I hated telling him 'no'. But alas, the paying job was calling. Otherwise I would've stayed all day with my daughter anyway. They're learning about the ocean in her class now, so I sent in some pictures from our Bahamas dive trip for Jena to "show-n-share". My parents left today to go on vacation. Jena is devestated. She wanted to go with them. I hope they have a good time. They deserve it. We need to plan our next getaway. We were tentatively planning to go away this weekend for a short weekend family trip, then Jason's mom announced that she had tickets for an event with Jena for Saturday. Thrilled Jena gets to do something fun with Mamaw. Disappointed that our family trip won't happen. But Jason said maybe if Mamaw wants to keep her overnight we can do a quick couple's getaway. That would be nice too.

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this post inspired by this post

If we're gonna be friends...

... you should probably know a few things about me upfront. I'd hate for you to be surprised later, and then have to break off our friendship, and then we're all upset about it and stuff.

So, here, in no particular order, are some things about me that you may (or may not) find to be a dealbreaker:

- I'm a Christian. I believe Christ is the only way to Heaven.

- I have a husband and a kid. They are my earthly priority, and as much as I'd like to spend loads of time with you and give you my undivided attention when they're around, that's probably not gonna happen. At least not until Jena is much, much older.

- I'm not a big fan of little dogs. I tolerate them, but they annoy me. Dogs should be big.
    related: I will not treat your dog like a baby. I loves me some pets, but they're animals, not infant humans.

- My memory is not good. I blame a lingering "mom-brain". Or my advanced age. If only I could remember when it started... The point is I may completely blank out on important stuff... like your name... even if I've known you for years. Sorry.

- I don't like beer. At all. Nor do I plan on drinking a beverage until it "grows on me" as some have suggested. I'm not sure why this bothers some people, but it does. I find all beer yucky.

- I'm slightly OCD. And by "slightly" I mean I'm OCD but I do a pretty good job of not letting it affect those around me. Unless you're my husband. Or my daughter. But I will straighten the towels in the bathroom. Yes... your bathroom.

- I have a strange need for air. Which shouldn't seem weird, but apparently I need more air flow than most. Or at least, more than my husband. But I actually get physically ill if there's not enough air circulating so I tend to do things like turn the air up in the car and/or roll down a window, even if it's cold. I just need air, 'kay?

- I don't like to dance. Inviting me to anywhere-that-requires-dancing is basically asking me to stand against a wall for extended periods of time. Sometimes I'm okay with that, but I am not okay with you guilting me to join you on the dance floor.

- I'm a night owl. I am actually most productive between the hours of 10pm & 2am. Except I have a job now, and a kid. So having fun between those hours doesn't happen much anymore.
    related: I am not a morning person. I am grumpy and unreasonably hateful when I first wake up. You're better to leave me alone until I've warmed up to the day.
    related: I hate coffee. Even flavored coffees. I've tried the "sweetest" (using that term loosely), and it's still way too bitter for me.

- I tend to run late to things. Especially things that are scheduled in the morning (see above). Even things I think are important. I never used to, and have psycho-analyzed why I can't seem to be on time now, but that's much longer than will fit in this post.

- I don't like seafood. Unless you count canned tuna. But most people don't. I also don't like oriental food (Chinese, Thai, Japanese, etc). I've found a very few items that I like in those cuisines, but not enough for me to pay for an entire meal that I'm not likely to eat. So if you plan on eating there a lot, I'm out.

- I have a 1st shift, 9-5ish job. This means that no, I cannot meet you in the middle of the week in mid-morning. If you wanna get together, it'll have to be an evening or weekend.

I think that completes the list. Well, the list of things I can think of right now that some people might be disturbed to realize later. I'm sure there are other things about me that might annoy the heck out of you as well, but I guess those we'll just have to wait to stumble upon later.

As always, thanks for checking in!

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This post inspired by this post.

Cheeseburger Picnic

Parenting WIN! re: nutrition

Now, I want to begin with a disclaimer: I know that we eat out way too often. Way too much. FireGirl knows way too much about the menu's at various restaurants in the area.

Okay, I know it. I admit it. Got it. Okay.

Now, can I share my win? Thanks.

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Real Life Scenario #1 (ie. proof that I do some things right, LOL):

FireGirl & I stop at the grocery store. First stop is the produce section where we usually pick out at least one fresh fruit & one fresh vegetable. No biggie. Boring routine visit to the store.

Well, FireMan said he would grill out that night, and this is just a quick stop, but it dawns on me that I'm not sure if we have any side items or not. Unsure of what he's making, and knowing by the time we get home we won't have time to cook anything, I decide to just grab a bag of potato chips. Not the best choice, I know, but I figure if we don't eat them for dinner, we can snack on them in the coming days, right?

As we turn to go down the chip aisle: "Mommy, why we in chip row?"

"Because I thought we might buy some chips."

"Why?"

"Well, we might eat them with dinner tonight. And if we don't, well then we'll just have them in the cupboard and maybe we can have some later for a snack."

Long pause

"That silly."

"Why is that silly?"

"Why have chip?"

both of us giggled

And that's when I realized. We don't keep chips in the house.

So while going to pick out our fresh fruit & veggies seems perfectly normal to her, the idea of us stopping to get chips, and having chips in the house, FireGirl finds silly.

Win.

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Real Life Scenario #2:

One night last week I asked FireGirl what she wanted for her snack.

I was exhausted, and drawing a blank on what snackie foods we had, but remembered seeing a bag of mini-Oreos that had been in our cupboard so long that if they weren't eaten soon, would probably go stale.

"Do you want Oreos for snack?"

Pause

"No. Want oranges."

{{ giggling }} "I can definitely do that. You're awesome. I'll be right back with your oranges"

icky side note - she eats oranges with milk, preferably chocolate if we have any. Yucky!

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Real Life Scenario #3 (as told to me by FireMan):

Yesterday they had a daddy / daughter day.

He stopped at Burger King to get a "special" breakfast & took it to the park to eat, before going to his parents' house.

After getting out the cinnamon rolls, and other yummy breafasty sweetness, FireGirl asked where her food was.

"Right there hunny. That's your food."
"No want that. What Mommy pack?"
I had packed a thermal tote with snacks for later - strawberries, grapes, oranges, pretzel chips, and fruit snacks. She knew what was in there, because I had told her before I left for work that morning.

She picked the strawberries.

Win.

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So yes, this post is bragging on myself a little bit. Because as much as I might screw some other things up, and as much fast food as we may eat, I think I clearly get the win on the food we do eat at home. And I'm a tad bit proud of myself.

WIN!

TBP #5 - Guilty Pleasure

When I think of guilty pleasure, the first thing that comes to mind is definitely... White Castle!

I love White Castle hamburgers (no cheese)! When I actually get to eat there, I usually get the hamburger meal, with fries, and a red cream soda. Yum. Oh, and I actually prefer to hit the drive-thru and take them home, than to eat in the restaurant. I don't really know why. Just do.

I've had a lot of people tell me I'm nuts for liking them, but I still do!

FireMan doesn't like them, I think he's had them with me all of two times in the past five years. But FireGirl loves them. Mostly because the burgers come already "FireGirl-sized" (regular size burgers she has me cut into fourths for her).

And the question I always get asked... no, they don't upset my digestive system. Well, they never did until I was pregnant with FireGirl. I tried them twice during my pregnancy, and... it did not go well. But since then we've been okay.

So... this is my guilty pleasure. I don't get them very often, but when I do.... Mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm!

Do you ever feel like you must just be weird?

I do.

Like when you finally get all girly, and pick out a scent at Bath & Body Works to be all your own, and six months later they discontinue it?

Or when McDonalds takes your favorite Value Meal off of their menu? although I did learn you can still order it, it's just not on the menu

Or when the cafeteria at work takes buffalo chicken, your absolute favorite thing that they have that you order regularly, off of their regularly supplied items?

Or like how clothing never fits you right? Never. You're always in between sizes.
And you must just be oddly shaped as well because if your pants fit in the waist then their sagging in the butt, and if your shirt fits in the bust then its bellowing out around your gut, and regular pants are too long, but petite pants are too short.

And a bunch of other stuff too.

And some days you just end up feeling like you just must be the weirdest person ever.

Do you ever get like that?

Yeah. Me neither.

Whew! Busy week. And not done yet!

Okay, you already know how Sunday, Monday, & Tuesday went.

Wednesday I got into a fight with our realtor, and was stressing the whole day about getting our loan docs in in time, inspections on our current home, etc. Plus my laptop decided to die. Again.  So frustrating. Especially when you need that laptop to send docs to your bank.

Wednesday night we had tickets to see the Wiggles. I was so stressed, got home late, we ended up hitting the McDonald's drive thru and eating on the road, something we never do with FireGirl.

That show ended up being my saving grace that night. Well, the show and my family. We had a wonderful time. FireGirl loved it. FireMan even had a good time. And it was the first real all-together-family-time we'd had in what seems like forever. Much needed. My stresses melted away in the giggles of my little girl. Life couldn't be any better.

I haven't been that happy, that satisfied, that heart-so-full-of-love-it's-overflowing in a long time.

{{sigh}}

So... back to the real world on Thursday. Continued working to get everything ready for both closings. Starting to realize there's a possibility we might close on the sale of our current home before we close on the purchase of our new home. Scary. Had to leave work early to go to a funeral visitation 90 minutes away. We were planning to stay for the service as well, but got concerned about FireGirl's ability to sit still that long, and so left. I'm glad we did. As it is we didn't get home until nearly 9pm, her bedtime. And she absolutely needed a bath. Finally manage to get her in bed, and find FireMan already in bed. He's not feeling well.

I'm exhausted, so I decide I'm just gonna go to bed too. We're all in bed before 10pm. And probably snoring soundly.

Today's been pretty normal. I have a new laptop. I/S has decided the problem is that I visit Facebook. Which I know is a load of crap because then everyone's laptop would be doing the same thing, but whatever. I cross-my-heart promise them that I won't go to Facebook anymore. Work's been pretty busy. Still getting loan docs together for the bank. Definitely not closing today. Buyer on our current home still wants to close next Tuesday, so there's a real possibility that we'll be technically homeless next week. Looking into storage units.

And... that's it for now. Anticipating another busy weekend. Looking forward to all this real estate schtuff to be over.

Thanks for checking in!