Mom, Mom, She's the Bomb

    So on January 6th, some odd years ago, one Tina Marie Brady was born. I am honored today and for the last 29 years to call her mom.  Moms are a funny thing. They give cause to every human emotion known to man. Im not sure that I have ever been more mad ( in my teens) at someone, more grateful for someone, and more inspired by the same person.

    It takes so long, sometimes over 20 years, to truly realize and appreciate what a mother is. Becoming one has changed me in all the ways my mom told me about. Not being able to ride scary rides for some reason, being a certified worry wart, having my heart grow 3 times as big in one day (grinch that stole  Christmas style), and becoming so close and aware of God as you literally bring to life a child.

   My mom has been my rock, make that a boulder, or..whats bigger than a boulder? Anyway, a steady amazing mom, dad, friend, confidant, and inspiration in my life. She has been a single parent to 3 girls for the majority of her role as mother. And she has done that better than a large percentage of  two parent households I know. I can't tell you the obstacles and emotions and life curves that this woman has not only overcome but straight up shined her way through.

   One of the main reasons I would want a girl of my own is to have a relationship with her like that of me and my mom. I can at this very moment recall so many memories of looking up to her as a child. I used to watch her separate her mascara with the end of a safety pin. I can smell her Lancome perfume that she has always worn. I loved hearing the click of her heals on our tile floor. Summers of peeling burnt skin off of her freckled shoulders.. I always thought she was so pretty. Now, with a few lines of life on her face, (very few ) I find her more beautiful than ever.

   Things that she would probably not appreciate about herself, I have inherited. Hands of a worker, a dimple on the top of my thigh just like hers, a catch in my hip.. All of these things I hold dear because I am her. We have all gone through a time in our lives vowing to not become our mother. I got over that a long time ago and now I embrace every tiny thing that connects me to her. Im not sure why I haven't inherited the fact that she is a size 4 but Im still holding out hope..

   I know that many don't have the privilege of a good mother or lost theirs too soon. I hold onto this everyday. I don't have any regrets in our relationship but there are probably a couple arguments and teen stand offs that I would take back. Our time here on earth is so short! Im honored to get to spend time with the family I have and eternity with them there after.

   So happy birthday Mom! Thank You for everything that I will never be able to repay you for. Anything good that others may see in my own life, I attribute to you and your example. I only hope that I can hold a candle to the amazing woman and mother you are!

   Now everyone go hug your mom, give her a call, or give her a little smile in heaven.



O

 

And for my next trick..Thongs!

     Well, HELLO there!! I know, I know its been a looong time. I started getting lots of requests from my adoring fans to start writing up again. I have been putting if off for months. But recently, owls have been pouring letters through our mail slots and chimney. I figure I better get cracking before a large, bearded man on a flying motorcycle shows at my house. ( If you dont get this reference, Im not sure we are friends. Muggle.)

    Its not possible to update you about the last 2 years of my life with out writing a book. So simply put, school, work, pregnancy, baby, insanity. There, that about does it :)

   As I sit here thinking about the start of yet another new year, I try to think how I can improve and better myself as a person. Thinking back on the last 24 hours alone, I have a laundry list of things I can start working on. Laundry being first on the list ironically.

   I suppose that improving myself as a mother and wife is the most important to me because thats where I am. If I were working or in school, I would include those things. But lets face it, bettering myself as a Burger server 3 days a week just isn't top priority.

   I get a lot of compliments from sweet people  (who must not know me that well) for various projects, and some aspects of my parenting that make me feel so good! If you are some one who has brightened my day with one of these compliments, you probably helped me make it through at least another 4 hours of my life. So, thank you!

   But truth be told, I think I might be a horrible parent. As far as loving my children, I couldn't POSSIBLY love them more. I couldn't. But as far as keeping them clean, fed, well behaved, and not out of therapy when they are older, I just don't know! Every Christmas season I am sure that I am going to some how change their minds about presents and they are going to want to go caroling, bake cookies, and donate all their gifts to charity. I envision us all sitting by the fireplace reading some old tattered copy of The Night Before Christmas snuggling until bedtime. But alas, every night my children scream cry for whatever new toy they have circled in the catalog that they HAVE to have. They wrestle like they don't have limb control 23 hours a day. There are at least two people( including me)  crying at all times, and we don't even have a fireplace!

   I really try not to get too stressed about the Christmas season because that is so obviously not the point. But somehow between church and charity, school and family, I have developed my eye twitch! Wasn't that just reserved for my last year of finals involving memorizing anatomy and medical terminology? Last night I found myself staying up until 1:30 in the morning baking Christmas cookies for the school play, doing emergency laundry, making goody bags for teacher's presents, and organizing my tupperware cabinet. Now that would make it sound like I am some sort of accomplished house wife. Let me tell you the whole story...

   I cut the cookies from some preformed roll from Aldis with a decoration stamped in the middle. I took tupperware in the shower with me so I could bath and do dishes at the same time. Don't judge. I did laundry, yes. But this only resulted in me wearing two pairs of lacy underwear in the sleeves of my sweater today that not so discreetly showed themselves while I was handing out said teachers gifts at school today. I was like one of those magicians that pull scarves, but instead I was pulling size medium gillian O'malley thongs! Sorry kids, this won't be the last time I embarrass you with underwear at school!

   Hospital bills stamped " Fourth and Final Notice" pour in, ( good I was tired of getting them anyway), stacks of Christmas cards to stamp and mail get bigger, the fish just died and everyone is crying and saying how he was their best friend (really?), the dishes and laundry piles are in some serious competition for who can get tallest, and these kids just keep saying my name! Holy Moly!! Wouldn't it be fun if at the stroke of midnight on the last day of December everything was wiped clean?  What about just the toilets and surrounding areas? Would that be so much? Ah well..

  For now, I will continue to pin all the ways to be awesome parent on pinterest. Ill continue to try and convince my kids that Christmas is more about baby Jesus and love, than Skylanders and that Bow and Arrow set. And most importantly I will enjoy being the best, not so perfect parent I can be, to the best, not so perfect boys that I can. Because another year will be here SO fast and some day I will be desperate for some one to yell mommy 87 times a minute and I will only have Zac to pee on my floor. Here is to another good, crazy year! Merry Christmas Every one!

 

Love grows best..

Alright, I went to the Chiropractor and had some work done. My twitch is doing much better. She thinks its related to stress. That, and my wart. The body does funny things when you are under stress (including storing belly fat, I win). To this fact my husband says "What do you have to be stressed about?" **insert testicle punch here** But he's actually right. For whatever reason I'm not getting too worked up over things lately. In a 24 hour period yesterday Moses ate chalk, toothpaste and gum. I shattered a huge jar of honey then we went to the store for more honey and Magnus shattered a huge jar of elderberry juice. I have the purple sock to prove it. Moses dumped and redumped coffee on the table and fed a pineapple chunk to our fish (Yadier Molina Snowy the 2nd). And I was all like, "Isn't life great? Can we adopt a baby, Zac?" I wonder if my sweet husband isn't slipping me an upper in my V8 splash..

I don't know, I just feel so completely happy right now. Could it be our teeny tiny house that we appreciate more than ever now that we are moved back in? Love grows best in little houses. Is it the fact we have never had LESS money? God is showing us wonderful things through our being poor. Is it Zac being proud of me for school, and me being so thankful for all his support? I don't know but every day he gets a liiiiittle sexier :) Oh, maybe he's slipping me ruffies..

I didn't make any real resolutions this year but it seems others have given me some hints. One girl at work in casual conversation said "Now come on Onnalee, you were young once too!" Excuse me! I am young. I mean, take away the Chrysler Pacifica, my big diaper bag, Dr Scholls inserts, and my chronic back problems and you have a hot young momma lol. 2012 Act younger, Check. Next, A guy at work was guessing people's weight (danger danger). But he had guessed three peoples correctly so I thought why not? He guessed I weighed 185 POUNDS! Now there is ABSOLUTELY nothing wrong with being 185 pounds. But not when you are 160! I'm already self conscious as it is..2012 lose weight, Check. I came in from school the other day wet from the rain carrying my huge bag of books. The weight of my textbooks has broken the straps so I just carry it "like a trash bag" so says Zac. He looked at me kinda pitifully and asked that I step it up a little. We can afford a new backpack. Little does he know this bag lady will be scouring goodwill for one tomorrow. 2012 Step up my appearance, Check.

That's all the change I can try and squeeze in for now. Anatomy class if filling up any other useful space in my already crowded head. I hope this semester flies by super fast. There is so much to learn. All these body parts and cell slides to memorize. How in the world am I supposed to keep up with my continuous reading of the Twilight Saga? No, I'm doing okay on that. Although Ive lost count of how many times Ive actually read it. Its more like a continuous cycle now. I'm sure there is a term for this kind of problem, Edwarditis? hehehe..

Until next time!

Onnalee

A whole lotta LOVE

Now, wait. Didn't I say I was going to have more time to blog on break? NOT! Ah well, I have been enjoying the family time of the little wild men. And I mean wild. Magnus has turned from whatever 3 year old we knew to a jumping, yelling, Tasmanian, who only talks to us to tell us we are "MEAN". If I have to hear that word again, I might go insane. Which, coincidentally may be happening as I have developed an eye twitch. Yep, a real crazy, eye twitch. I have a theory other than the relentlessness of my daily life. I hit my head on a window frame while coming up from looking for a shoe under the bed. Hard. Think the "bend and snap", from legally blond. I seriously crumpled to a pile of tears on my bed. I still have a huge sore spot. So, I am positive in my amateur diagnosis, that I have nerve damage due to window trauma. Either way, I'm stuck for now with my crazy cat lady (in my case dog) eye twitch.

What do you do when you have a barking dog that you threaten to run over on a daily basis? You get another one! I, while at PetCo replacing our dear fallen beta fish (Yadier Molina Snowy), met the world cutest, most CALM, puppy. A wiener dog just like ours. I promise she or Jesus spoke to me. She is a rescue dog from a mill and I feel it is our duty to save her little life :) And her name is Vanna, I can not help it. Zac, is positive I hit my head harder than we thought. I will keep you informed on her future.

The boys have been doing their best to destroy our clean smelling house on a daily basis. But we will not be shaken! 2 nights ago I am cleaning up the kitchen and Zac yells for me. He is trying to explain mystery poop from the front of Magnus leg. No one knows how it got there, but they are afraid. He goes to the bathroom in the toilet and all is well. Then I hear loud gagging (think calling dinosaurs). I run in and Zac has found more poop on a bath cup and a towel. What in the world?! We recovered. Fast forward. Last night Moses pooped out of his clothes. I take his stuff off and line him up at the bathroom door to wait for a bath because Daddy is in there #onebathroomstinks. Moses proceeds to tell me he pottied on the floor "I potty, I potty" So I am searching for the puddle and Magnus comes flying around the corner and slips in a huge pile of potty. I run to him and Moses runs to us and Zac basically finds us all lying in a huge pile of potty on the floor.

School is about to start and I am not even close to completing my list of pinterest projects! But I have been enjoying the amazing weather. Jesus must know I suffer from seasonal depression and he's helping me enjoy a couple more weeks. I have some resolutions that Ill share soon. One being to dance with my kids every morning. So, I'm off to go move it move it, and shake it shake it!

P.s.. In the short amount of time it took me to write this little diddy. Moses has dumped and eaten raw oatmeal, cleaned the toilet (however he did use the right spray), and squirted half my grapefruit dish soap on a cookie sheet. It does however smell remarkably less like pee in here though..hmm..

Much Love

Onnalee** twitch twitch**

Tis the season!

I'm back!!! Or should I say my semester is over so Ill be blogging for a couple weeks on break. I admit I must be suffering from" Blog Fog ". But I simply can't stand the fan mail piling up all over my house. It reminds me of Harry Potter getting his acceptance letter, minus the owls :) So, alas I will fill you in in my quirky life!
Long story short, the cars in our life have cost us over 3,000 dollars this last month. My phone died. Water continues to leak into our basement while I write, after spending 6,000 on that a few short months ago. Things seem a little rough right here before Christmas. Although on a plus side, some anonymous giver left us a hefty Target girt card the other day. We will give our kids the gift of continuing to feed and diaper them until Christmas at the very least :)
I am done with Spanish and Biology. I was getting tired of arguing evolution and conjugating verbos anyway.. Moving on to fun stuff like Medical ethics! Bring on 13 hours next semester! Please pray for my marriage lol. Can a girl get any luckier than having my peg leg hubby!?

Which reminds me. A man came into bandanas to ask me on a date! Awkward! The ONE day I left my wedding ring at home..I did tell him it was flattering at the very least. He seemed a little put off by my misrepresentation of no bling bling. And Im like, Would YOU want this big Ol rock falling in your pulled pork? I think not :)

So after an extremely stressful and expensive month I decided to go get a massage last night with an about to expire groupon. I go to pay AFTER my massage and she tells me its already been used last April! After asking if they would take a Target gift card, I proceeded to pay the 74 dollars (plus tip) and cry my eyes out the whole way home. Given the fact that I don't even let Zac get a 99 cent ice T and here I went and accidentally pampered myself!

I am soo excited for Christmas however. This year we are just REALLY embracing the traditions and Jesus. Not so much the gifts. I mean I have a brand new pair of shiny Wheel bearings and two hydraulic engine mounts to show off anyway!!

We are LOVING being back in our own home. I spend way too much time walking around naked for the reason of, I can. And Zac well, he loves the new house for that reason alone :) The boys have found LOTS more things to make messes with and more high and random objects to jump from. What more can we ask for?

Talk to you soon!

Onnalee

Not by the hair on my chinny chin chin!

So I am sitting in my car, doing my makeup in the visor mirror. And I see, glistening in the sunlight, these two.. lets call them what they are.. chin whiskers. Not blond hairs, not fine downy lanugo, but straight up now tell me black, "3 little pig" chinny chin chin whiskers. Now this is not the first time they have sprung up. One time actually we were in the car headed somewhere important and again, I saw them in that dang car mirror. I didn't have any means to tweeze and after many failed attempts with my nails my husband got them. WITH HIS TEETH! I am not even kidding. This is from the man who once told me as I was going to the bathroom with the door open, "We're not there yet". Yes, that is true love AND true disgustingness. Sorry if in any way you ever thought I was cute and this has ruined it for you :)

But, if you as a female deny you have creepy random hairs, you are a LIAR. And if you really don't think you have any, come talk to me. Ill point them out for you :)

Anyway, back to the real story. And that is, once again last night before work, I had no means to tweeze. I found some nail clippers and made some attempts at cutting? Wrong. I only accomplished pinching my chin twice and creating two crescent moon cuts. Now not only do I still have whiskers but I have added wounds. Awesomeness.

Also, when I was walking in I saw a van with those family stick figures on the back. They had violently peeled of the Dad in what I'm assuming was a bitter divorce. Burn.. But funny none the less.

Little update on one of my previous posts. I had once mentioned I would remain 160 lbs for life and was lamenting about that. Be careful what ya wish for. I am no longer 160 lbs. I am more!! Woo hoo!!!! Ugh.. I don't know if its the birth control or the Halloween candy but I'm about to stock up on hoodies and pajama pants.. And if I gain any more weight on birth control I might as well get pregnant and weigh the same!! (No Zac, this is a joke. Don't get your hopes up)

Poor Zac. Weeks ago I made a comment that I would have another baby if the Cardinals won the World Series. Um, epic fail. I mean, come on. I really thought that was a safe bet.

The boys had a blast trick or treating this year. They are both at great ages and oh so cute. Zac turns 35 and is starting walking on his boot this week. We are SUPER close to moving home, and the Holidays are right around the corner. Ahh.. Aside from me turning into a fat man with a goatee, LIFE. IS. GOOD.

O

Wordy Wednesday

My camera isn't loading so wordless Wed. out, wordy Wed. in!


I cant wait until my boys are 11 and 13 and I can tell them all sorts of things. Things like how they used to hang on me like little leeches. Like how I couldn't even go to the bathroom without them beating on the door and sitting on my lap and pulling on my clothes.. By then I assume I'll be too embarrassing for them and Ill need to remember these times.

Like how they broke everything. Just this week we lost our second glass ikea lamp. Add that to our blown glass bottle stopper from Italy, our couches, numerous other pre-children trinkets we have acquired and they have pretty much wiped out all possessions from before their birth.

Not to mention the havoc they expend on stores we visit. Just the other day at Kohls, Moses threw down like 18 pairs of shoes in 37 seconds. That had to be some sort of a record. I gave him a cheese stick and strapped him in the cart, while I spent the next 6 minutes bent over assembling them back together. Unfortunately I had some way to low cut jeans on. I felt very plummer-esque. Sorry sweet people of Kohls. I don't think your ready for this jelly.

Going to school is getting harder because its already dark before I get there. That includes a lot of running through the parking lot pretending I have mace in my hand and wishing I hadn't worn pants that made me look so darn good. **same jeans from above story :) **

By the time I get to class without being raped, I'm already tired. And 3 or more hours of lecture tops it off. Hopefully next semester I can manage a few more day classes.. And of course I couldn't be a college student with out thinking of changing my major. Doesn't Labor and Delivery Nurse sound so fun?! Oh well, I'm a ways away from that decision.

For now we will keep plugging towards moving home, Zac walking and the World Series!!! Go Cardinals!

Much Love,
Onnalee