Holy Crap. My 20 year High School Reunion!

Oh dear G_d. I was notified via Facebook that my high school reunion is this October! Twenty years out of High School. Sadly, I can barely remember my high school days. The crushes I had, the friends I still have, and the parties I went to are about it. Teachers & classes, not so much.

Here's what is going through my head:

• "What color should I make my hair?"
• "Can I lose 60 pounds by then?"
• "Do I really want to go?"
• "I wonder who will go."

The 10 year was quite fun and since then my life has gone through major metamorphoses. My priorities have changed, my goals have changed, my life is where I didn't think I ever wanted it to be but am so glad I am.

Enough hemming and hawing. Time to get on the treadmill! Wish me luck!

Stay home and shop!

Why deal with hurried, rude customers and cranky cashiers?

All your Holiday Gifts can be purchased from the comfort of your pj's while supporting Small Business at the same time!

Here's a list of great companies with awesome products!

Kimberly Demetrio, Independent Watkins Consultant #390284

Michelle Matzke, Gold Canyon Candles

Lynn Pluth, Tastefully Simple

Jeri Falejczyk, Mary Kay

Shortycake Creations

"I'm bringing the kids presents"

On July 13th we loaded the car with a really big box full of toys, games, stuffed animals, and video and headed to Adventist Hinsdale Hospital's Pediatric Unit.

Its like Fort Knox getting into the unit so once the big doors opened Bianca pranced in and screamed "I'm bringing the kids presents!" The nurses came running in delight and B was ready to distribute.

There was a write-up in the Hospital's newsletter about our annual donation, encouraging others to be blessings as well.

I'm excited for year 3. Better start planning that big bash! What theme should it be?

Setting up some of the goodies for a photo op.

Going to distribute a gift

Baby Noah getting a stuffed animal

The nurses told her to hold the baby's hand. She's trained not to touch babies' hands or faces. Confusion.

Pajama Saturday

It's cool, rainy, and overcast today. I declared a pajama day and its going great so far!

My Beautiful Ladybug

Accomplishments:

*played in a fort
*dressed up baby dolls
* PB & J living room picnic
*drum and accordion parade
*colored some masks





Maybe later we'll go outside in our pj's **gasp** and jump in some rain puddles!
Saturdays like these ROCK!

Work, Mom, Guilt

OK! Hi, I'm KimD and I am a Full-time, Stay-at-home-Mom who is also a Work-at-home-mom. There, I said it.

Back Note: Let's learn another KimD created word: SWAHM: Stay Work At Home Mom-an "in limbo" mom trying to balance both staying and working!

Here's the deal, I get a little nauseous when I say it. Yes, there are some "issues" about this that I'm addressing with my Happy Helper and I have the utmost respect and awe for the women who from the gate chose to be SAHMs, but just me calling myself a SAHM makes me disappointed in myself! Mind you, I had a SAH mom growing up and couldn't imagine life without one. I know, f'd up, right?

Work. I love it. I love anything and everything having to do with business. I have 2 degrees in business and will one day have my doctorate in business administration. I do have an at-home biz that I envision growing gangbusters and not actually be out of my home. I get a warm fuzzy feeling thinking about getting back out there in my expensive business attire, having meetings, closing deals, forecasting, planning, and implementing. I miss wheeling and dealing. I  miss the challenge. I miss the money!

Mom. I love it. I love stopping everything I'm doing when I hear her feet hit the floor in the morning to get ready for our "Good morning baby girl. Did you sleep well? Did you have any dreams?" conversation.   Our morning cuddle makes whatever crap is in store for the day a bit more bearable. I love being here when she delights in something new. I love being here when she gets hurt and needs a hero. I love being her best girlfriend. I love the giggle-fests we have daily. I love hearing her say "Mommy".

Guilt. I've got it! When I first transitioned into being unemployed (back in January) I focused obsessively on Shortycake Creations...like 24/7. My husband almost held an intervention! For those weeks B was a cranky mess and it's because I didn't give her the attention she needed. So, I sat down and marked off blocks of time that are work hours and family hours. I've stuck to it mostly, but as B is getting more and more interested in things the guilt of me sitting here at my computer creating promotions, editing pictures, returning emails, confirming orders is growing larger than my business! I can't even get into the guilt of not contributing to the family finances...that's a whole other gotta-get-a-grip-around-it-with-my-Happy-Helper issue!

So, it's Wednesday. It's supposed to be my No work, all about B day. I have orders that need to be finished by tomorrow night. I have a cupcake promotion I need to work on and get it ready for August 1st. I have another business op I want to get up and running. I have a zoo membership that has not been used much this summer. I have bills that need to be paid. I have dishes that need to be washed. I have a 2 year old who needs lots of lovin. I have a headache!

Am I the only SWAHM out here? Is this just a phase I'm going through? Somebody PLEASE intervene and put me on the straight and narrow!

I hear footsteps, gotta go!

I'm addicted to blogging

There. I said it. I'm addicted to blogging. Well really I wrote it. Looking at my dashboard I see "10 of 11 blogs showing". Yep, 11!  Do I have a problem?

Let me break it down: I have 4 blogs that I actively update, 1 that I haven't launched yet, 1 that is private and just for my pictures for other blogs, and the remaining are I don't know what.

The most recent blog I started I gave great thought about.  After writing a post for The Mom Standard (not yet published...still debating if I should) and the topic it covered I realized that maybe I should start a blog that allows this topic to be more front and center.  So I did! Living with depression isn't all doom and gloom, I know, I've lived with it for over 30 years. Living with it and trying to not let anyone know about it is the unhealthy part of it. I'm finally getting healthy.

If you're not managing more than 11 blogs yourself and have a few minutes to read another one, stop on by...leave a comment, become a follower, or just secretly check in. It's up to you!  This new blog is titled:  Depression & Cupcakes: Turning depression into something sweet.

Great Weekend, time for more coffee

It's always time for more coffee and time is always too short when friends  friemly come to visit! [For future reference, there are friends I think of as family and from now on will be referenced as Friemly- once again another Kim created word that works! ]

Any who, Texas friemly came to town for a brief but fun filled weekend. It's been 3 years since we last saw each other in the flesh (Skype does not count). B just loved her cousins and it was great to see them all get along. There were no melt-downs until yesterday afternoon when the two 2 year olds who-went-to-bed-late-and-woke-up-too-early got cranky, other than that it was smooth. So were the Pina Coladas and Tequila libations that were flowing quite rapidly. [Back Note: We did kinda sorta revive some of our old Rock Star antics, which felt soooo good. That is until yesterday morning when the 2 year olds woke at the butt-crack of dawn to wake everyone else up!] 

Along with the Houstonites, a couple more friemly members who had been MIA for a couple YEARS came out of the gates of The City and ventured down here to the burbs! If I could have frozen a length in time to relive over and over it would have been Saturday night with everyone here! I miss them already.

Before the crew headed out yesterday we had a photo shoot of the kids. Here are a few of the shots.

Now it's Monday, I've finished my first cup of java and it's time for me to get my weekly To-do list started.

1. drink more coffee

2. finish touching up the kids' pics

3. win the lottery

4. rule the world

5. TBD

Buon lunedi!

Now this is how to be frugal!

We have friends in from Texas and we needed to replenish some of our libations. Not budgeted. Well, it just so worked out that we had to return something to Menard's-got $29.94 back and our Libations bill: $29.57. That's right, essentially, for accounting purposes we didn't spend a thing! Then I noticed some salad dressing on sale with a save now coupon on it AND I remembered I had a coupon for it...we got it for free. Yep, they technically should have paid me a penny but I didn't push the issue.

Oh how I love this. When I was at the family business my first few years was spent trying to save every penny I could find and cut every expense...which I did by over 30%. My accountant loved me.

"This is my friend Kim from college, she used to be a Rock Star"

Yep, that's how I was introduced this weekend at my Friends kid's birthday party. Yes, these friends (I set them up) were my Rock Star Cohorts back in the day. 

As I was saying goodbye tears welled up in her eyes as she said, "I don't know if its a midlife crisis but I really miss our partying days".  I hugged her and said "We are still in our partying days, the parties just include balloons, diapers, the Wiggles, and kids vomiting instead of us."

Do I want to go back to that time in my life? Sometimes, as long as I know I can come back to the diapers and kid vomit too! It makes back in the day even more special.

Moment of silence please

For the passing of my Rock Star days! It's Pride Weekend and pre-B I'd be downtown partying it up at some hopping hot spots with the dance music pumping and the libations on cruise control. I might not have made it to the parade the next day but a good time was always had by all!

I sit here on a Friday evening before 10PM feeling such sadness spurred by the insistent text messages I am receiving from two friends (which for the sake of privacy I will not use their real names) Tina & Herald with whom I used to parTAY it up with back in the day. From Trio to Duo. Sad.

On a happy note, my husband and I do plan on taking B to her first Gay Pride Parade on Sunday and according to Tina & Herald this b#$%h better show come rain or shine.

And here are my 2 friends, approx. 10 minutes ago: