Crap Happens, Especially At Work

I know what you are thinking, this is not news. But hear me out...

Since my son started preschool this year, it didn't make much sense for me to pick him up from school, and take him back to my mom's for 1.5 hours for me to finish work. However, I'm beginning to think its a good idea.  Only because I'm getting to the point where it would be better if Janice from

FRIENDS were here repeating "OH MY GOD!" for that time span than to have my son in the office! 

2 days ago I found him stripped naked, in the office bathroom, playing with bottles under the sink. He had pooped his pants. The best part is it was the 4th time this week and we are only on the 3 day of the work week. And that's just at the office! Don't get me started on at home!

Today he did it again.... I'll set the scene for you: I'm on the phone with a new buyer, ME: "So just wanted to call and let you know that your lender contacted me. Your pre-approval is ready! How soon do you want to start looking a houses?" BUYER: "I think the end of next week will work, can you do late Friday?"    JAXON in the background: "MOM!!....MOOOOOOOMMMM! I POOPED MY UNDERS!! COME WIPE MEEEE!!!"

(my naked son showing me he pooped his pants at my office)

BUYER: "Hummm looks like you're..humm very busy, I better let you go. How about you send me an email later when you have your hands free. (snicker, snicker)".

Yes, Crap happens, Especially at work.

My son & Roids

For the most part my summer has been pretty relaxed. Work hasn't been completely overwhelming, the kids have been fairly mellow. That is until last week. For some reason, it all decided to come crashing down on me last week.I find myself suddenly working with 5 new buyers (horay for me! Momma needs a paycheck!) I have 2 rentals opening up, one to be soon occupied, then my son decides to have an allergic reaction to a mosquito bite, to which the Dr. proscribed him STEROIDS. That's right you heard me!

His face stuck out over 1/2 inch!

My 4 year old son was on steroids for 3 days and once I thought his face looked fine I cut him off. Let me tell you, if they ever need a reason to torture POW's in America, they could just give my son a dose of these again and stick him in a room with prisoners. I guarantee that they will be begging for mercy in less than 4 hours!
I literally didn't get him to sleep before midnight for 3 nights, and he had no nap! So there is a mathematical equation for this kind of situation: 4 yr old + steroids = Mom's nerves in front of firing squad!
I think its time for a babysitter and a pitcher of margaritas!

It's Shower Time!

I'm hosting a baby shower next weekend for one of my besties! Now, when I say she is one of my besties, I truly mean in it in every sense of the word. She would cut off her left boob for me if she thought I'd need it, because lets face it, I DO. And with her one left she still has too much! (Love you by the way!)

(you can see her cleavage in this picture, but not mine, I rest my above case!)

When she came to me a few months ago and asked me this great honor I was totally floored!! I have done one bridal shower before, and it was really fun. So when this opportunity presented itself I couldn't pass it up. After hearing about a bad experience she had in the past, I wanted to make sure this shower was special!  So like the normal, I headed straight to Pinterest for ideas, and created a secret board. Of course I did that! As my friend, she also follows me, I can't let her in on all my secrets! Geez! But the few I have let her in on I'm planning on sharing with you today! If you are prego or know some one who is, these are some great tips to help you get stated.
1)

http://www.thedatingdivas.com/great-deals/16-gorgeous-done-for-you-baby-shower-printable-packs/

This site is a must if you are planning any sort of shower, boy, girl, gender neutral, and gender reveal  party! I know the prices have changed since I bought my pack, but for $28.00 you really get a LOT!

2) Card box: There are just times when you don't have the time or energy to look for gifts. Make sure you are ready for those guests. You need some sort of card station. 

I found this bird cage as a great solution, and gift to the mom to be as decoration later. Unfortunately I was not able to find one like this, but found something similar. 

3) Menu: When planning the menu think about what time you will have the party. I'm planning on 2pm. With it being in between lunch and dinner, I've decided on snacky stuff. Not gonna give away the whole menu, here, but its a good idea to pick things that are easy to prepare. You're gonna have a lot of other prep work, so don't over extend yourself with complicating the food. 

4) Baby wishes: Baby showers are mostly about adorning the mom to be with gifts and advice. This is not my friends first rodeo. She has 2 boys, and let me tell you they are BOYS! So really what other advice can she get? None.

That's where "Baby Wishes" come in handy. I have, out of the printable pack mentioned above, baby wishes cards. I will give one to each guest and have them filled out. When the shower is done, they will go into a book for Mommy to read and share with her daughter later. 

5) Decor: Depending on how elaborate you want to be, (and by that I mean how much you want to spend) there are some wonderful ideas on Pinterest. I won't share mine here only because, Kristen, I know you're reading this and I'm not about to give you a spoiler alert!

6) Games: In the pack above, there are some really cute games. None of these "Let's get some string and see how fat we think you are!" games. (Come on, you all know you've been to that shower with that game!)

These games get mom to be and guests involved. Sure to be a hit!

I hope you have fun planning your next baby shower as much as I have enjoyed planning this one. Please post a comment or picture below!!

Hashtag Mommyhood

When you become a parent you make an instant transformation. You know like Clark Kent in the phone booth turning in to Superman!

That's right, average Jane becomes a superhero in the blink of an eye!
I know many of my friends out there who have been parents for a while, or who have become parents again recently.

My question to you is this: What is you Hashtag Mommyhood/Daddyhood moment?

We all have them! Like taking our kids to dinner and spending more time in the bathroom than actually eating. Or big boogers? NO problem, you'll pick those nasty things up and wipe them on your pants if you have to! Laundry? You have so much of it you're considering turning you family in to a nudest colony.
You are not against taking a glass of wine and your iPad into the bathroom and locking the door, regardless of whether or not you have to poop! Or my personal favorite, I can't remember to put my grocery  list in my purse, but I know exactly where Daphne's blue head band that matches her blue, green and back summer dress is!
So please enter your hashtag mommyhood/daddyhood moment in the comment section below!

Teacher Appreciation

This is the last week of school!! Hallelujah! Some my think I'm crazy, but I'm so ready to have my daughter home! She, on the other hand LOVES school and is NOT happy its ending. She has cried every night because she is going to miss her Teacher. (who is not coming back next year due to family illness)
I got this great idea from another blogger about what she appreciated about her teachers. So I decided to do the same thing, here it goes:

Kindergarten : Mrs. Newsome~ Thank you for sitting me down and asking me how to make chocolate chip cookies, writing down my recipe. Then at my high school graduation framing the recipe and gifting it to me! :)

1st Grade: Mrs. Skinner~You were always so unbelievably patient and kind. Loved singing in your class and the cutting boards we made with flowers and ribbon for our parents (or just my mom). Also when I think about the months of the year, I see them in my mind on the walls of your classroom ;)

2nd Grade: Mrs. Hugley ~ I searched and searched for something nice to say about you (seriously). You were so mean I had nightmares about you for months. Long enough that my mom had to talk to you and the school board about it. What I learned from you: When you are mean and nasty, it always comes back around.

3rd. Grade: Mrs. Pearson~ I learned that women at 65 years of age really didn't have fire engine red hair naturally.

4th Grade: Mrs. Smith~ You brought your bike for the bike rodeo and rode along with your class cheering us on, and bought snow cones for us on field and track day.

5th Grade: Mrs. Winkelman~ Thank you for introducing me to a love of reading (Where The Red Fern Grows) !
6th Grade: Mrs. Stenson~ I learned that even though we can have major faults, there are always people that truly care about our well being. (Also I learned that kids that age desperately need deodorant!)

9th Grade: Mr. Brown (my math teacher) He taught me that bullying was never ok (I punched a boy in his class for snapping my bra, and he didn't send me to the office!)

10th Grade: Mrs. Huffman~ Thank you for teaching me it was ok to be myself and to be silly all at the same time. Thank you for putting me in the play "A Yankee in King Author's Court".

11th Grade: Mrs. Schmizer ~ Thank you for teaching me that history was defiantly important, but that sometimes getting Maple long johns from Rip Griffins was more important! (my fav!!)

12th Grade: Mrs. Overboe~ Thanks for teaching me I was spelling "Remember" wrong for 12 years, that size is not always that important, and most girls with blonde hair have dark eyebrows.

Things You Should Never Say To A Working Mom

Ok, I decided (after not seeing any comments on this blog) to see how many people are actually reading this blog. So here is the game:
I want my readers to leave 1 comment containing something you should NEVER say to a working mom. (let's keep it clean!)
Example: "Don't you miss your kids during the day?"
Alright.............GO!

A Working Mom in Real Estate

I can still clearly remember the day I chose to go into Real Estate. I was working as a receptionist at an auto body shop, and an agent came in to get his car fixed. It was May 2005 and I was so tired of people yelling at me because they needed a new alternator. My husband and I had talked about me becoming a Realtor for a long time, but I didn't think I had what it took. But I couldn't stand the thought of getting yelled at any more for $7.50 an hour 40's a week!
I wanted to work, I needed to work, so I decided to take the plunge! I bought my course and went to work for the agent who had come into the shop. I would later learn, that was my first mistake in Real Estate.
Half way though my course I found out we were having our first baby. Let me tell ya how fun it was sitting in the testing room taking my CO and National licensing test! I was about 4 months along and would have to run out of the room every 15 min to puke in the bathroom! Needless to say I finally passed my exam and after my daughter was born, she started coming to work with me.
I'll be honest, a good 1/2 of my career has been a bit of a blur. Mostly since my second child was born. There has been moments when I was in the middle of trying to save a deal over a water filtration system, when my mother in law calls and tells me my son has an ear infection and since its bleeding I might want to come home and take him to the Dr. I even once hid from my husband (who is a major germ a phobic) who was gagging, carrying a toddler with poopy pants looking for me just so I could secure a listing.
Not really proud of that last one, but got some great laughs when my husband found me.
Now this is the part where you say, sanctimoniously, that I need to set boundaries with my clients or work hours. You know what? I tried. Honestly I tried time blocking (which worked for a while), but the fact is that in the Real Estate industry there are time sensitive issues that come up at the MOST inconvenient times. And my children are pros at making sure I have plenty of obstacles!
In the past I have sat down, created the most efficient, well balanced schedule, and inevitability some one comes in that morning and pukes on me! Within less than 24 hours my perfect calendar will fall to pieces.

When it comes down to it, it may seem as if I'm a walking disaster, but I honestly believe that as a mom, that makes me a great Realtor. Working with first time home buyers, I am tirelessly trying to help them make pertinent decisions.  And if anyone tries to mess with them, my "momma bear" instinct will kick in! If you have had a major life change, I will be there, worrying with you and trying my best to make the process easier for you. As a parent, I know how difficult children can be, so when you are 15 minutes late to a showing, or to meet me at my office because your kids refused to put on their pants, don't worry! You won't here me say a thing except, "I have toys in the corner or what DVD would you like to watch while I talk to your mom and dad?"
The fact is, is that it is not only my duty to make you feel like your interests are being protected, its my JOB to SHOW you this!
I have just entered into my 8th year as a Realtor. It has taken me a while to figure out that I can't squeeze 45 min of work into a 25 min time span. But I have learned  valuable lessons in these 8 years, I have met some amazing people, and learned that being a Realtor has afforded me opportunities to be involved with my children in ways I could never be if I had a 8-5 job! This is something I will NEVER regret doing!
Here is one final thought: