Gotta love Brody-man!!!

Well, Brody has been in rare form this week. He has not been "bad" just a little crazy....he is definitely starting to test boundaries and he is totally into trying to make me laugh by saying totally random things and doing totally strange things!! Let me just list a few of his "memorable" moments from the past few days:

1. He called me a "heartless woman" and a "ranting" mom....these two phrases are from The Suite Life of Zach and Cody - may be time to cut back on that show (at least for the B-man)

2. He put a whole roll of toilet paper in the toilet and then dug it out and set the gross, disgusting, soggy, mess back on the bathroom counter.....EWWWWW!!

3. He decided that he had to go pee-pee and he could not wait so he peed all over the floor in The Gamestop store at the mall....what is funny about this situation, is that he was with Matt and let's just say Matt was TOTALLY embarrassed. He said he kept saying "Stop peeing Brody...stop it, now"...of course, Brody just let it keep flowing and flowing and flowing. Matt said he REALLY had to pee-pee and he must not have gone all day!!

4. He is into drawing all over his body - The other day I was putting him in his seat and he was hiding a pen and so I took it from him and sat it down (apparently not far enough away from him) because when I got to the store, he was covered in black pen (arms, legs, maybe even a little facial art). I am thinking that kid will definitely have a tatoo at some point in his life.

5. He is now into helping us with our discipline - Like if you point at him when you are angry, he will tell you that you should not point or if you spank him, he will say it is not nice to hit people. My favorite was when he and Matt were arguing over something and Matt said "You do not argue with your dad!" and Brody responded, "Well, you are arguing with me!" And you know Matt just loved that response....let's just say Matt and Brody have been "bonding" a lot this week!!

Our dad rocks!!

I got this cute shot of Matt and all the kiddos today....They have always loved to wrestle around with him on the floor and some of my cutest pics of him with the kids are on the floor. One of them (if not all of them) seem to always be climbing on him. He really is a great dad and our kids love him so much. Just thought I would take a minute to share what an AWESOME dad my kids have!!

Where's that stinkin' hairbrush?

That dang hairbrush....this little contraption has caused me so much grief. I know you are thinking I am crazy, but I seriously get sooooo angry in the mornings when I am looking all over this house for Kenzie's hairbrush. It seems like it happens at least five mornings a week. It goes a little something like this...

We have about 10 minutes left before we have to go. Everything and everyone is all ready to go except I need to brush Kenzie's hair. So, I look on the desk where I always put the brush when I am done and of course, it is not there. I then proceed to start asking every kid if they have seen/used the brush that morning. And without fail, no one has seen it anywhere. (I am convinced my kids are playing mind games with me and they hide it in the strangest places just to see me lose my testimony!) I then start to frantically search all over the place (in couch cushions, under the desk, in all the bedrooms...) and I usually cannot find it anywhere. I then tell Kenzie (out of frustration) that she just won't be able to go to church/school/soccer because I cannot find the brush and she CANNOT leave the house with her hair looking like such a complete mess. She then gets upset and I am already upset and one of two things usually happens. I either find the brush or I "invent" a way to fix her hair....For instance, today, I just took a hair clip (the kind that opens up and has teeth in the middle) and I tried to comb what I could with that and then I kinda grabbed all the hair and pulled it up into a messy little ball. It looked kinda cute but trust me, it was such a mess underneath the "cover-up."

Anyways, I am so tired of losing my religion each day over this brush. I know you think I am being a little overly dramatic, but I seriously get so frustrated almost on a daily basis because I cannot find a hairbrush anywhere. I think Kenzie probably actually gets nervous (so does the whole family) when they realize the brush is missing and I am fixing to go off the deep end looking for it. So, I am off to Walmart to buy a new brush (think maybe I should buy like 3 or 4....) and I swear this time I will NOT lose this one!! Yeah right, I will be a frantic mess in the morning before church because of a silly hairbrush.....ah, the joys of motherhood!!!

The Lure of a Clearance Rack

So, I am still trying to limit my spending - the "freeze" may be over but there is still a "chill" in the air!! I went to Kohls last night to pay my credit bill (it was only $19, which I thought was amazing in and of itself)....anyway, I got sucked in to the clearance racks - especially the one with swimsuits for almost 90%. Well, I made the mistake of trying on like 2 or 3 that I thought were really cute. I told myself I would just try them on to see how they fit (for those of you that read my blog, you will remember how I actuallly got "stuck" in a takini top back in the spring...) since I had lost a few pounds this summer and it would be fun to see if I could tell if the suits fit any better.

Well, they did fit better and I really liked the way one in particular fit. So, hence my dilema. The tankini set was only going to be a little over $13 total and for those of you that have bought a swimsuit at regular price, you know this is an awesome deal. You see, I spent like 6 weeks in the spring searching for a swimsuit that A) Looked good and B)I could afford. Well, I found this one in like 10 minutes and I loved how it looked and it was super affordable.

I ended up buying it but I still feel a little guilty. We are going on vacation in a few weeks so I will definitely use the swimsuit and I plan on wearing it next summer too. So, I feel like I made a good purchase that will benefit me in the long run. I know if I put it back, then when I go swimsuit shopping in the spring, I will be sick knowing that I could of had a cute suit for like 75% less than what I would end of paying. So, my shopping friends, my bargain hunter buddies - don't you agree that this was a wise financial decision when looking at the big picture?? I have pretty much decided to keep the suit, but I guess I am looking for a little reassurance that I made the right choice....I really am trying to be smarter with my money, I promise!!

It's Over, Mr. Move Over!!!

I had my day in court...well, actually, I did not even have to make an appearance in court. I took a defensive driving course and so I stopped by the prosecutors office before my time in court to give him my paperwork. Well, it turns out he had the power to reduce my fine right there in his office. He dropped me from $700 to $346 and he took away all the points off my license. He even changed my ticket from the move over law violation to excessive speed for conditions or something like that.....I would say all in all that the day was a success!!

I am so happy to say it is all over...it still hurt a little bit to give the court $350 but knowing that I almost sent in $700....let's just say I am glad that clerk in Spaulding County pretty much told me I would be an idiot not to show up and try to get my fine reduced. It was a tad bit ironic because on the way home from court, we saw a HUGE sign on the highway that was warning people of the move over law and the fines that would be given if you fail to obey it! Just a little too late to help me out, but we got a good laugh out of it!

Just Say No to Shopping!!

So, I am on a self-imposed spending freeze right now...ever tried to stick to one of those?? It is crazy how much I really "enjoy" spending money. Which I assume is probably not a positive characteristic to have....I am trying really hard to only buy stuff that we need and to stay away from the stuff that I want. (I am coming up with some clever ways to convince myself that I really "need" that new shirt or those new shorts!!) I went out with some friends last night and I found the cutest pair of plaid shorts....but, I am happy to report that I put them back and came home with no purchases. Man, those shorts were calling my name but I made it out of there empty-handed - probably because the store was closing and I only had like 2 minutes to debate the decision!!

I have to admit that I have cheated maybe a tad bit here and there, but I have only spent like $5 or $10 ... no major purchases and no clothes for my kids (which is my weakness!!) I am not sure how long I will be on my "freeze" but I think it has actually been good for me. I only committed to stop spending for a couple weeks and my time is almost up....so, if you see me at Target or Kohls and I look like a kid in a candy shop, then you better come and help me snap out of it. I give you permission to have a little intervention with me right there in the store. Just whisper "Move Over Law" in my ear and I will be slapped right back into reality!!

Waving the White Flag

Matt and I are finally throwing in the towel....we are standing up and waving our white flag. We officially surrender - this ticket is bigger than the both us of and we are tired of having this chip on our shoulders. So, after exhausting all of our "contacts" and trying every way we know to get rid of this huge fine....we have decided that we are just going to pay the dumb thing and write it off as a memory or I guess I should call it a lesson (a really expensive lesson), but a situation that we have learned from and will hopefully always avoid in the future. And I can guarantee you none of my friends will ever make this mistake either. So, not only am I more educated about highway safety but I have spread the knowledge to all my friends - you can thank me later for saving you 700 bucks!!

I know a lot of you think we should go to court and fight this thing, but we have a friend that decided to go to court and plead guillty but ask the judge to reduce his fine and lets just say it did not go as he had hoped. He actually walked away in a much bigger mess than he went to court with. And with the way this whole experience has been playing out, I am not willing to risk it. It has only seemed to get worse and worse. So, I am ridding myself of this burden (with my husband's blessing) and I am moving on...This county and police officer got what they wanted and hopefully that jailhouse I am paying for will turn out to be really nice. Maybe they will put my name on one of the bricks or something!!!

Please, someone, just give me a break!

Ever feel like you just can't get a break. You just need someone to cut you some slack and realize that everyone makes mistakes and you can't really do any better until you know better?? That is how I feel today....kinda used & abused...this time I just don't think sorry is going to be enough.

You see, my whole ticket situation is only getting worse. I had been told by a friend who is a police officer that the fine was $380.....but today I thought I would just call the county clerk and ask her about it....turns out the he was wrong. I asked her how much I owed and her response seriously left me speechless....drum roll, please - $703....can you believe that?? Did you fall out of your chair like I almost did?

I proceeded to tell her that I had done a lot of research and that the max fine in GA for this law was $500. She said that the judge had the right to add on additional fees to any ticket. I said, "What do you mean, additional fees??" Her response was almost humorous - "You know, like for jailhouse construction or something..." So, what, am I paying for the whole cafeteria or something. My stomach is still in knots and I can't decide if I am mad, embarrassed, confused or what....I know it is just money (trust me, I have told myself that over and over today) but it is more the whole situation and how I just can't even grasp onto it and what it means or what God is trying to teach me from it. Do I seek out what I feel is justice in the situation or do I just accept that it is what it is and pay the fine?? I mean, I am guilty of breaking this particular law...but, I did not even know it existed and I had no ill intent or any disregard for the law. It was an honest mistake and boy, am I paying for it. I promise, I have learned my lesson and I even feel myself get anxious when I see a cop car on the side of the road. Never again will I make this mistake....but can't they just take my word and not my savings account!!!!!!!!!

The Golden Ticket

Well, for the select few of you that have not heard, I got a ticket a couple weeks ago. Yeah, I know, I am a rebel....it is me against the law. I got a ticket for not changing lanes when a police officer is on the side of the road. He was in his car and no one else was around but I am still required to change lanes. It is called the "move over" law. I had no idea this law existed and most people I have talked to have not heard of it either. But, when I told the officer I was not aware this was a law, he really did not seem to have too much sympathy on me. He did not even hesitate to get his little ticket book out and write me up...

Well, of course, I was a bit flustered and upset....mainly because he really did seem to be kinda mad at the world and I happened to be the unfortunate target of his anger that certain day. But, I got over it and was ready to step up and pay for my mistake. That is until I found out it was a $380 mistake. That's right folks....380 big ones. Can you believe that?? I am still alittle dumbfounded as I type this. Do you know what I could do with $380?? Lets's just say....I could do a lot and I have thought about every single way I would rather spend that money than giving it to the police department.

But, I guess I may have to bite the bullet and pay the fine. Man, that hurts....But, at least I got a ticket for something I did not even realize was against the law. At least now I know and trust me, my daughter will NEVER let me pass a police car again without reminding me that I got a ticket & then proceeding to lecture me on how I can avoid tickets in the future. She will turn me into a law abiding citizen if it is the last thing she does!!