Mini

As a regular glasses wearer since the age of 17, my experience going to get an eye exam is just a yearly reminder I'm blind except every year I get just a liiiiittle bit closer to owning a seeing eye dog.  My eye doctor says "Nope, not this year!" and we do an air high five (that doesn't actually happen).  It goes without saying then that I'm pretty used to shopping for glasses by now but today was different.

This time I brought my baby Kieran with me and his fascination with my glasses made me a little nervous I'd have about 5 minutes of shopping time before he was trying to tear the store down.  Instead, he went to the kids area and pointed up at "that one" and made me give it to him to put on.

Just about the cutest thing I've ever seen in my life.. he is his mama's boy.  This expression was mostly due to the ladies in the store losing their freaking minds when they saw him.

So crafty I pee glitter

I'm a member of a wine and cheese group of ladies who meet about once a month.  I figured I'd do something special and try and idea I saw on Pinterest.   Let's see how I did!

Hello, DIY glitter glasses.

So sparkly!  The blue one is mine, because it was my learning glass... and there is also a red one not pictured here.  The problem with Ann-Marie 'DIY' is that it's MacGyver'd to whatever I have in the house; it's not Pinterest compatible you might say.  Luckily I totally had Martha Stewart glitter anyways but all the blogs I've read on this project have included something called Mod Podge and 'curing it' with sealing spray paint.  Ain't nobody got time for that.  

What did I use?

• glitter
• school glue
• OPI nail polish top coat

BAM.  Done.  

Note: the top coat smell will give you a little headache not going to lie.

What happens the first wine night? Everyone had glitter in their wine and the FIRST thing I think of is "awesome, we'll literally be pissing glitter later!"  Is there anything more crafty than that?  I mean, yes, probably doing the whole project properly and dishwasher safe blah blah.  Isn't my way a little better though?  Adds little fun I think.  I do it half wrong but it always looks so good, so who cares?  

Every teacher I ever had just shed a collective tear.  I'm sorry.

When am I not a 30 year old?

Games.  Any game.

 Recently I had the mother of one of my best friends 'play me' on a silly game I started all of 2 weeks ago to basically zone out from my day, and what does she do?  Keeps razzing me.. incessantly!  Anytime her mother beats my score in a level she posts on my Facebook wall something along the lines of..



"HAHAHAHAHAHA!!"

It's all in good fun because a) I know the game itself encourages you to brag when you oust someone and b) I haven't said I'm bothered by it in the least.  BUT THEN suddenly she posts on my wall today that my friend had told her that I'm not super into people beating me at games so she will continue to raz me because of it.  Doesn't like to be beat at games?? WHAT?  THIS GIRL?  This is where some weird person takes over my body and told her not to worry.. I'll remember to rub it in the next time she catches up to me in the game.... whenever that is.

Ya I said that.. to her MOM, guys.

I'm operating on a 12 year old level at games now.  It's great.  I stop playing games sometimes for huge periods of time just to avoid this.  You know I played You Don't Know Jack one time and suddenly felt like I needed to know Jack more than Jack's own parents?  True.









Little known fact: when I was actually 12 years old my Dad refused to play Mortal Kombat with me anymore due to my swearing like a sailor.  I don't even know what to say about that!!

Simpler times

Ain't no party like a Build a Bear party because a Build a Bear party COSTS YOU AT LEAST FIFTY DOLLARS.

He picked a puppy dressed as Captain America.  And it sings Happy Birthday.  Who knew that's all it takes???

He is even jazz-hands excited for his McCain Triple Chill cake.  How dare I, I know.. but this boy for some reason doesn't actually like cake.. just the frosting or ice cream, so, I thought this was better than anything I could make anyhow.


Now the next and final birthday will be for yours truly.  I have really loved and learned a lot of things being 30 but 31.. I may have mentioned before it's kind of a special date.

I know turning your age on your birthdate is called a Champagne Year.. but what if you're 31 on the 31st of the 3rd month in 2013? And it's the day of the premier of season 3 of Game of Thrones? Sounds like a Champagne Pixie Dust Double Rainbow year to me.

What could be better than going to Vegas last year?  I don't know yet.  I'm really, really going to try to finish my 30 list by then .. I SWEAR.. but as luck would have my cousin Alisia is getting married the very weekend before so I'm devoting a lot of time to that.  It's a very special wedding to me and will be such a great day I'm so excited to be there, and those jerks won't even BE at my 31st party.. they'll be on their 'honeymoon' or some excuse! ;)   What would the Champagne Pixie Dust Double Rainbow birthday have me do??  Maybe I should fly out to their resort and bang on their door every morning at 6am asking why they don't want to go for a 10k run with me... or interrupt their tanning time with stories of all the kitchen staff I've befriended and name all the members of their families.

Sounds fun right??  31 is turning me into Java Man apparently.

Non-stop birthdays

I ask myself today, why must I endure all my kids aging at once??  Was this particular circle of hell too awful for Dante's Inferno, so he just basically left it out?

It's my BABY Kieran's 2nd birthday today.

And.

And.

NOOO MORE BABY.

Stop this train!  I'd like to get off now, please.


Before having any kids please know right now that I was in no way a person who really liked kids, dreamed of having babies, or understood anything about babies/kids.  They seemed to like me and that was terrifying.  Asking me to hold one was like giving me the choice between cutting the red wire or blue wire.  I have no idea what I'm doing! I'm going to blow us all to pieces!!

Clearly, we change and grow (up) .. I have them to thank for most of it.  I am lucky enough to get to be with my children every day and they still manage to surprise me with how they are amazing PEOPLE.  Did you know my Lego birthday 7yr old can read, write, and brought home FIVE pages of math work last night all marked perfect?  Perfect.

You get to bring home one of these soft pink-skinned wonders, feed them, clothe and re-clothe, love them, sing to them, ponder every bodily function they have, make rules for them, teach them, spoil them, worry for them, rush to get them medicine, hold their hands, then they go and do something to surprise you or to just make you so proud of them that you're sure there's no other reason you are on Earth.  Let me tell you, that is a strange and lovely emotion.

Now if you will excuse me I have to go wait for this kid to wake up from his nap so I can CRUSH HIM WITH HUGS.  He just loooooves that (if I make dinosaur noises) haha.