They went tooooo far!

OK, so I was already annoyed at the HOA and neighbors for how they were handling themselves. Well, last night Beau heard someone in my backyard!!! I'm not gonna point fingers but a well dressed woman was snooping around my backyard last night and my neighbor tells me the lady had a clipboard! They have gone too far and are now trespassing in my yard. When I got up to see what Beau was barking at, she turned and left. Then, when she got out of the gate, she waved at me like she was my friend or something. Not many friends would take off when they see you coming, now would they???? I have had two horrible nights sleep over this stupid thing and I just don't have a good feeling. I think no matter what, this is gonna end badly!

Time for the weekly venting session!!!

This week, I would love to know which one of my neighbors complained to the HOA about us. When we got our dog, we asked permission from the landlord and she said yes. We thought that would settle the matter. NOPE! One of our lovely neighbors called the HOA on us. Apparently, only home owners can have pets! Well, if our landlord gave us permission how is that our fault. So they put a letter on our door yesterday listing the things we needed to take care of. But they didn't stop there. They called our landlord and sent her a letter as well. Apparently in the uber prestigious Eagle Ranch, you are not allowed to keep snow shovels on your porch! Dumbest thing ever. And you can't have toys or tools in your backyard either! (neighbors can see over the fence) So my landlord shows up on my doorstep this morning with her copy of the letter and basically says we've got a problem. She went over her concerns and admitted that she didn't know there was a rule about homeowners and dogs. Then she says, have Ben call me and we'll have to figure something out. So I spent my morning preparing for the worst. Our landlord is at least a reasonable lady and said she would tell the HOA that she asked us to get rid of the dog. If it comes up again before our lease is up in May, she said she'd tell them that we were looking for a new place. My only concern with that is what if the unidentified neighbor doesn't let it go and her covering for us doesn't give us the three months that we need. Then what???? Will she let us out of our lease early since it was her fault for not knowing the stupid rules? I guess time will tell.... keep your fingers crossed.

Homesick!

Have you ever noticed that when you're homesick, things always seem worse than they are. I have found that to be so true over the last year. When you're homesick, it changes everything. Kellie told me that when she gets homesick, she shops. Well, I'm a Mudrow, we shop all the time anyway. No, for me, when I'm homesick, all the little annoyances suddenly become huge! A problem with a friend, or the house being messy... doesn't matter, it becomes HUGE! So, I thought that by acknowledging that, it would be easier. Nope! Not a chance. I'm just glad that Ben is a good listener, because on days like today, he gets an earful!

Good Days

Good days are here again! Landon has been behaving at school, Adam is back to being my happy child, and Brett....well, Brett is just Brett, but its a lot easier to deal with his antics when the other stresses are gone.
I've even been able to do some crafting this week which always is a stress reliever for me. I must say that having a cricut was a dang good investment for me. It's fast enough that I can do small projects in between the chaos.
For those who don't know, Ben and I are expecting #4 at the end of August. We're very excited and I'll take and love whatever I get, but I can't help crossing my fingers for a girl. A girl can dream, right??
P.S. I know this is cheesey, but thanks for the support on those bad days. It's really nice to know that distance doesn't matter when it comes to family and friends. Sometimes I think words have a healing power.

Being a mom

So I find myself sitting here and wondering how on earth my mom raised six boys. I have three and some days I feel like I have no sanity left. Today is one of those days. I feel like my life is spinning out of control and I have no way to stop it.
Landon has really taken to school and has up until recently been a great student. Over the last 2 weeks, he has gotten in trouble quite frequently. I've talked to him and his teacher and have yet to come up with a reason as to "why?". He has never gotten in trouble before and now he is making a regular habit of sitting in the hallway during writing time.
At the same time, Brett is well into his terrible 2's and throws tantrums quite regularly. Adam is my happiest most of the time, but when he gets mad, he stays mad. And lately, it seems that they all 3 need to be acting out at the same time.
Where we live so far away from family, I rely heavily on the support of Ben and our friends. But, when your children are acting like that, it makes it hard to do anything but sit home and feel sorry for yourself. There is no going out to lunch with the other moms.... not when your kids act out all the time. There is no going on a date.... not when no babysitter in their right mind would come and watch 3 rowdy boys and now a puppy!
So, most of you who know me are saying "what's new?" Well, dealing with the chaos is not new, but the overwhelming stress of wondering will it get better before we add number 4 is. Or am I doomed to have screaming as a background noise. Being pregnant and trying to stop the spinning is harder than it has been in the past.
We had a lesson in YW about finding the joy in womanhood. With all the craziness that comes with being a mom, its easy to forget to look for the joy in it. I'm guilty of it, I think we all are, but when all is said and done, I am a mom. I would not trade my worst day as a mom, for a day without my kids. I love them dearly and that is why I deal with the whining, crying and yelling.
That is why I change the diapers, clean the house and fix the food. Because everyday, even bad ones like today, I can find things about my kids that bring me joy! So, now I know how my mom raised six boys and still had enough love to have 2 girls.... it's called being a mom!