Single Mom

A bit of cuteness for my oh woe is me post :)

It's hard having Rex in Texas.  I give major props to you single moms or military spouses out there.  It's HARD being by yourself.  I knew it wouldn't be a cake walk by any means, but I had no idea what was in store for me.  So early one Friday morning I found myself waving as Rex and his sister drove down our road, truck and trailer loaded down with half of our stuff and two of our chihuahuas.  I walked back into the house and went back to an emptier bed (I still have three chihuahuas with me) and Kylie sleeping peacefully in her crib. 

The first couple of days went by all right.  It didn't seem real yet.  To tell you the truth, it was kind of nice.  I could go to bed early if I wanted to (Rex is a night owl and I'm an early bird) or browse Etsy and my blog roll after Kylie went to bed.  I could make dinner with vegetables in it, since Rex is a strict meat and potatoes kinda guy.  I got chores done and laundry put away and headbands made.  Kylie and I went up with my parents to the farmer's market and to the little lake in the mountains.

Then the warm fuzzy glow wore off.  I'm working full time, and I'm there 45-50 hours a week.  My parents, who are both teachers, are back at school and also coaching cross country and can only watch Ky on Saturdays and evenings now.  So back to the baby sitter's Kylie went, not too happily mind you.  She had some major separation anxiety after Rex left, which we never had a problem with before. 

It's tough.  I work ten hour days and then pick up Ky from the sitter's.  We then head home and I unload all of her stuff and we have a quick snack.  I try to get chores done, but Kylie is especially needy right now with Rex being gone, and I can't say that I blame her.  So most of the time I can't get started on chores until after she goes to bed around 7:30.  By that time I'm ready to hit the hay too, but manage to stay up to get some stuff done. 

I'm getting worn out.  I find myself getting frustrated with Kylie more quickly now and wishing she would just behave herself for ten minutes so I can put away a load of laundry without her throwing clean clothes in the trash can or stuffing a handful of dog food into her mouth.  And I hate that.  I love my kid with my whole heart and hate myself for thinking these traitorous thoughts. 

My parents are being awesome and helping out as much as they can, but they have their school and coaching now, and my dad has some health problems going on that cause him to tire really easily.  I try not to complain to Rex much because I know that he is under a lot of stress now, getting settled in a completely new place and starting at his new shop.  And I know he misses Kylie and I just as much as we miss him.

I just feel like I need to find a happy medium somewhere, a balance.  How do y'all find balance between all the aspects in your life?

Kylie's First Birthday: The Party!!!

So here I am, finally getting around to posting pictures from Kylie's party.  I was originally going to do an owl theme, but with the move and all, I had zero time to make and/or order decorations online.  In comes Sponge Bob to save the day.  It was simple, easy, convenient (I mean, Sponge Bob is everywhere yo), and Ky absolutely adores him.  Win, win, win.  The party was awesome, no major mishaps, and everyone had a great time.  So without further ado, Ky's party...

Sneak Peak

I'm giving y'all a sneak peak at the epic cuteness of Kylie's birthday party yesterday.  Later this week I'll have her 12 month post and a whole post about her birthday party, but for now you will have to settle for one photo.  I think I want to gobble up her little face as much as I want to gobble up that cupcake!

This Week

Has been one of those "I'm going to have a nervous breakdown, cry, scream, and rip out all of my hair" kind of weeks. I managed to pull through it and find some sort of equilibrium. Thank the Lord for that!

We finally got back our car dim the shop and traded it in for a truck, which I'm absolutely in LOVE with. We loved our car, but it's just not very big and is super expensive to insure (for the car junkies out there it was a Subaru Impreza WRX STI). Plus, with moving to Texas and taking our dirt bikes and stuff with us, and with me wanting some sort of farm animal and wanting to tow things, a truck just made sense. We ended up getting a 2007 Chevy Silverado and it's frigging awesome. One of my favorite things? That the front seats have separate climate controls, so Rex can't freeze me out anymore!

In moving news it looks like Rex and two of our chihuahuas will be moving out to Texas in the middle of August and then Ky, the rest of the dogs, and I will be following in mid-September. We hate to be separated for that long, but it works out much better financially for us, especially since my work hasn't approved my transfer yet. Boo. Though I'm a bit nervous about driving a U-Haul and trailer out there by myself. Hopefully one of my parents can go out there with me to help.

Kylie's birthday is coming up so quickly! I can't believe it's been a year! Although I'm way behind when it comes to her party. Bad mom. Shame on me. I got the invites sent out last week so that's a start, right? This week I need to get cracking and make the decorations and favors.

Ky's new thing is screaming. Like, I'm talking ear piercing, top of her lungs type of screaming. Anytime she is frustrated or mad or just plain not getting enough attention. Anyone have any tips for helping with this? We've tried ignoring her but so far that has just caused her to scream even louder. When she's not screaming she's being an absolute doll. When we were getting our truck she was showing off big time and giving the sales lady high fives (unprompted high fives mind you) and even wanting to be held by her. Darn kid.

So I'm done rambling about my life for now, please excuse any grammar/spelling errors, I'm typing this on my phone on my lunch break at work. I get extra points for dedication, right?

Charlotte and Louise Giveaway Winner

Is Mama G!!! Congratulations!!! Please email me at rexandbrooke@yahoo.com to choose your item from the shop!!!

And Then My Life Gets Crazier



Rex and I in Texas May 2010



So if any of you follow me on twitter, you've already heard about my freaking out about this move. If you haven't, well, just keep reading.

We are moving to Texas. Which is about 1500 miles away. And we will be moving with an one year old, seven chihuahuas, a bearded dragon, and possibly four water turtles. And all the crap in our storage unit. My blood pressure is already creeping up as I type this. And we leave August 12, which is less than a month away. Holy jumping junipers batman.

Truth be told, we've wanted to move for awhile. California is just not our cup of tea anymore. The budget cuts, the bs, and the fact that they keep cutting education. We want the best for our little bug and we don't think we can find it here. So a spot opened up in Texas in Rex's company and after a week over agonizing about it, we decided to do it. We have always had my parents as a safety net in many ways out here and we really want to get out on our own and I guess be fully "grown up."  Rex's mom, sisters, grandma, and uncle are out there, but aren't in any position to help us out, at least financially. We decided we need to be the adults that we are and be good with our money. We've gotten a lot better since Ky came around, but we weren't very good about saving up for a house and stuff since we were living rent free with my parents. So it was a hard decision. And we are hoping and praying that it's the right thing to do. Every time we were out visiting relatives in Texas it just felt right. Like we belonged and could raise our children there and be content.

We are moving to a small town (population 900) about 45 minutes east of San Antonio. It's the kind of place I've wanted to live in since I was a kid. First of all it's green. I have lived in the desert my whole life, and while it is beautiful, I have always wanted to be someplace green, where I could plant a huge garden and have flowers growing everywhere. And have lots of room for our kids to play and possibly have horses and cows and chickens.  Secondly, People are friendlier. They wave to you. I live in a smallish town and over the years people have become more and more hostile and rude. Also, there are a lot of job opportunities there for us. Rex, as a diesel mechanic, can get lots of side work by working on trucks and tractors out here. After we get settled in, I'm going back to school to get my degree (in either teaching or nursing, I would really love to be a lactation consultant). Lastly, it's a place we want Kylie and any other children we might have, to grow up in. Where they can run and play and be wild. Where they can be close to nature and appreciate it. Where we can have a community that looks out for one another.
It makes it easier to accept it when I think of those things. What makes it hard is that we are venturing into the unknown. Both Rex and I have lived in this town since we were born.  All of my family is within a six hour drive. All of our friends that we grew up with are here. Our coworkers. The sweet lady that does my hair for $50. Our credit union. Our pediatrician.  Ky's babysitter who is also Rex's best friend.  Everyone.  Though we just found out that our best man from our wedding who is in the Navy and his family are being moved to San Antonio in September.  I think all of us are grateful for having friends less than an hour away.  I'm nervous because I've always been within walking distance of my parents. And as much as they drive me crazy sometimes, I love them with my whole heart, and I really thought I'd never live without them.  Especially when my mom breaks down into tears while telling our neighbors that we are moving.

Kylie helping to pack :)

It's really hitting me now that we are packing our things up and sorting through our storage unit.  Trying to decide what we want to take with us and what we want to sell, giveaway, trash.  I just applied for a transfer at my work yesterday for a store in San Antonio.  Our dogs know something is up because they've been super cuddly and clingy lately.  Kylie has been a bit more cranky since we are pretty preoccupied with all of this moving stuff so she as been able to spend more time with my parents before we move.  Though she does love to play in all the boxes.  Yesterday she spent a half an hour in a box playing with old VHS tapes (those went into the trash pile since we don't own a VCR ha ha).

So thank you for letting me get this all out and if you understood my jumbled thought process about this, I definitely applaud you!  Somehow we'll make it through this, and we will be stronger for it.

Charlotte and Louise Giveaway

My Almost Normal Life has 20 followers now and in celebration of getting out of the teens I'm giving away one item from my Etsy shop, Charlotte and Louise.  Don't see anything you like in the shop right now?  Don't worry I'll also custom make a headband or clip for you if you like!  Here are some of the lovely headbands and clips that are available right now.

Here's how to enter:

-Visit Charlotte and Louise and tell me which item is your favorite.

-Publicly follow My Almost Normal Life and leave a comment saying that you did so.

-Follow me on Twitter and leave a comment saying that you did so.

-Like Charlotte and Louise on Facebook and leave a comment saying that you did so.

-Tweet "I just entered to win a Charlotte & Louise headband from @mrsrexaroo at http://t.co/3LarB63 and you can too! #giveaway #feltheadbands".  You can do this twice a day and just leave me a comment for each tweet.

-And for FIVE entries purchase any item from Charlotte and Louise and just leave 5 comments saying that you did so :) 

Entries end Friday July 22 at 8 pm Pacific time.  Thanks y'all and good luck!