First of all, Most Productive Day EVER!!!!

Seriously, I cleaned the whole house. The WHOLE house. Including the bathrooms. (Sometimes I like to ahem, skip those....)

And I got entirely caught up on the laundry! Woot Woot.

Granted, its all sitting in front of me waiting to be folded... But it will be folded. Trust me. There's only like a billion loads that are piled on top of each other, making a wall of impenetrable clothes. But Oh yes, they will get folded.

They have to. I don't have time this weekend. It happens to be pending insanity.

Plus we're having friends over for dinner tonight. And since I worked my little, ahem, my not so little booty off trying to make the house decent, I can't very well have mountains and mountains of unmentionables and every other variety of clothing sitting around welcoming them!

Really, I should, absolutely should just put my head down and do it now, since I still need a shower. And I still need to make the dinner they are coming to our house to eat. But all in due time.

I deserve a break.

Or at least that's what I'm telling myself.

Besides, dinner doesn't have to be completely finished by the time they get here, right? Right.

I am really excited. And a little bit in awe of my husband who used to be this very staunch introvert. Having people over would put him in a bad mood and make him worry all day long. But suddenly, maybe its having this place of our own, he is actually the one inviting people over. I can hardly believe it!

He didn't invite these people, per say. She is my friend from high school and she has a boyfriend, so of course, me being unable to keep my nose out of other peoples business, I absolutely had to invite her over. I'm kind of dying to meet him.

Plus, she lives out of town, and so its rare we get a chance to catch up.

Anyways, I hope they're not picky eaters, because I'm totally serving Indian tonight. And that is not normal Dinner Party Dinner, I don't think.

In fact, its a little bit out there. But, there aren't many things that I will write myself in to a cooking show for, but my Indian food is by far one of them. In fact, you should all come over and have some.

Anyways, if worse comes to worst (Is that how that saying really goes? I've never written it out before...) I will just throw all of the laundry baskets into the closets and shut the doors.

What? Like you've never done that before.

How about hiding dirty dishes in the stove?

Pulling into a gas station just for the sole purpose of dumping all of the trash out of your vehicle right before you pick somebody up?

Oh come on. I cannot be the only one out there who enjoys the pretense of being a well put together, cleanly, if not perfectly clean individual.

Well, at least that's how I get myself to sleep at night! Haha.

So, its no secret that Zach and I are on a budget. I mean, you know I'm cheap. Well, part of my budget does not include extra special beverages.

This is something that I LOVE. I love getting a soda from MacDonald's, or a coffee from Starbucks, or a huge fountain drink from a gas station. Or a milkshake every now and again.

To me that is the best. Special drinks make every outing worth it. It's kind of what I live for when I'm in my car and on the road.

Anyways, its easy to see how someone could go overboard with this type of behavior. I mean really, every time I'm out and about? That's like thirty times a week. I could easily be spending more money on drinks and coffees than our monthly expenses.

And so, I did not include them into our budget. On purpose. Not only the overspending part of it, but also, hello, soda plus lattes plus anything from MacDonalds plus anything from a gas station equals a million pounds!

I have enough trouble losing weight as it is.

In order to still award myself, the emergency special occasion beverage however, I have devised a plan in where I save all of our change, and when I'm really desperate I make myself pay for it in change. This both assures the point that I'm not using money we have already budgeted for and that I am simply desperate enough to humble myself enough to pay for something with quarters and dimes.

Seriously, ask yourself how important that grande chai latte is when paying four dollars in couch change.

Your priorities will change.

And if that isn't enough of imagery, imagine yourself wrangling three children, surrounded by yuppies, counting out the left overs of Zach's work jeans to an annoyed cashier.

Ok.

Yes, it was worth it.

This morning was one such morning.

I had been up all night with Stryker. Stella had come to bed with us sometime in the wee hours of the morning (Just try to sleep with a kicking four year old who manages to take up the entire bed) and I had to be up early to get that same child to Preschool.

I was exhausted.

And I knew there would be no rest once I got home, because it would be straight to work on the house.

So, I counted out my dimes, I somehow have managed to use all of my quarters and treated myself to a huge fountain pop after dropping her off.

Hey, although I had just come off the worst UTI in recorded history, I have pretty much only been drinking water for the last five days and it was time to put down my hospital-stay mug and indulge.

Although, I'll probably just end up with another one of those sneaky bastards.

Anyways.

It was early when I made it up to the cashier.

The gas station was very busy, very, very busy with all kinds of people on their way to work.

And I had no make up on, dirty, greasy hair, and sweats that were a bit embarrassing.

Oh and I may not have brushed my teeth yet.

Gross. I know.

I smiled sheepishly at the clerk and started counting out my dimes to the total she had given me.

The line had grown behind me, and I could actually hear the lady behind me tapping her foot.

I mumbled something like, "I'm sorry, I know this is irritating."

To which this angel of a gas station clerk replied in a very chipper, non-irritated voice, "Hey it all pays the same way!"

Ah! She gets it! It totally made my day!

But when I came home and recited the story to Zach he didn't seem so impressed, and I think I actually got a, "Well, duh..." from him. That Sass-a-frass.

Still, it was like the nicest thing to me.

Second story.

Last night, after dinner, but before I had cleaned up the table and/or kitchen, Scarlett came running into the living room where Zach and I were exclaiming, "Mommy, I stuck corn up my nose and now its my booger!"

To which I panicked. We flew back into the kitchen (Which has better lighting) and I thoroughly examined her nose, but I couldn't see far enough up it to decided if she really had stuck a piece of corn in it or not.

She was laughing hysterically. And then so was I. And then she sneezed and looked down and saw a pea. I am 100% positive she did not sneeze the pea out. Although, I have sneezed out an entire olive before. Have I ever told you that story?

Anyways, She looked down and said, "Oh there it is." And reached down and ate it. I was mortified. Whether it came from her nose or not! She had ate what she thought was a pea that had previously been jammed up in her nasal cavity!

I don't know if there is still a piece of corn up there or not. Zach says there's nothing we can do about it and she has an appointment next week to go to the doctor so I don't want to take her in early in case this was just a story.

But still.

That child would be the first one to stick something hazardous up her nose. And who knows what else! Or where else......

Lesson learned. Do not hesitate to clean the kitchen anymore, it may just cost me a trip to the emergency room one day!