You don't have to be a rocket scientist to make a sandwich

Pretty sure I was just about ready to jump off an overpass this afternoon but I figured with my luck I would probably just break my leg! The morning started out innocent enough. Taylor woke up in a seemingly good mood and I thought to myself "aahhhh... it's gonna be a fabulous day!" I had plans of ditching our typical school routine and taking Payton to the sibley learning center (a local educational nature walk). We all had breakfast, said our morning prayers, and did our bible study. I put on a phonics game on the computer for Payton to play as I got Taylor and myself ready. I glanced at my phone to see the time and noticed the date and the missed text message. Holy moly-it's FRIDAY! I had promised our vets office I would donate a few dozen cupcakes to their bake sale to benefit their non-profit organization to help animals in need. The text was from a girl who works at the office wondering if I had a chance to bring them up. Grrrrreat! I rummaged through my pantry praying to God I had some cake baking supplies. It was slim pickings but I would have to make do. By this time, Taylor's good mood was out the window and I had to bake with a baby on my hip. I set her down for a minute to play in the living room and dashed into the kitchen for fear I had burnt the cupcakes. I had dropped a plastic cutting board on the floor earlier while holding Tay but didn't pick it up because I was preoccupied. Yeah that came back and bit me in the ass-literally. I didn't see it and skated across the room pulling a muscle (or two) and landed clear on the other side of the kitchen on my butt. I hoisted myself up and snagged the cupcakes from the oven just in time. Apparently there was a hole in my oven mitt (I use them frequently) and as I removed the steaming cupcakes from the pan I burned my finger! I rummaged through the refrigerator sure I had some leftover icing but no luck. Joy now I have to make a batch! I ventured back to the pantry all the while mumbling vulgarities to retrieve icing supplies (again with a baby on my hip). I grabbed the shortening and accidentally knocked a can of green beans on my barefoot-OUCH. After it bounced off my throbbing toe, it landed on a small canister of hot pink icing color smashing it and sending dye in 20 directions all over my white tile where it remains at this moment. I finish the cupcakes right at lunch time and decide to go wash the powdered sugar out of my hair before delivering them. I turned the water on and began to climb in. I felt my foot slip out from under me and I grabbed a hold of the shower curtain hoping to steady myself. I ended up in the splits with the entire shower curtain over my head. I regain my composure, shower quickly, and then load the girls and the cupcakes in the car. The rest of the afternoon wasn't so unpleasant except the fact that Taylor was refusing her nap-AGAIN! Dave got home and we went to Barnes and Noble for a bit and it seemed like my bad day had come to an end. We decided to pick up Schlotzky's on our way home because I was in no mood to cook after the day of torture. I ordered my usual a ham and cheese original with NO mustard or onions and the same for Dave with no olives because the wierdo hates them! If you know me very well, you know that the sheer smell of mustard turns my stomach in knots and makes me want to hurl. We get home and unwrap our dinner-I'm STARVING by this point and what do I smell? Yeah you guessed it, MUSTARD and that's not all, there were crunchy onions on them too. Normally, I am very passive about this sort of thing but after the day I was having I felt like I deserved to have an edible version of our $15 worth of sandwiches. So I quickly googled the phone number and got the manager on the line. I explained the situation and he was very apologetic and said if we would come back he would make us some fresh sandwiches. Dave offered to retrieve them since I was stuck on the sofa feeding Taylor. 30 minutes later the new sandwiches arrived-yeah 30 freakin' minutes! "You checked them to make sure they didn't F* up again right?" I asked Dave. "No but they made them fresh while I waited and the manager read back the correct order to me. What are the odds of them messing up twice?" was his reply. I shrugged and skeptically held my breath as I unwrapped the replacement. Seriously? Seriously? WTF MUSTARD AND ONIONS AGAIN and this time they removed the olives from mine as well. I LOVE the damn olives! Now I am practically foaming at the mouth and ready to go on a shooting spree so I hit redial on my phone. This time I am not so nice. I recognized the managers voice on the other line. "Hi there" I said. "I sent my husband in to pick up replacement sandwiches because you guys had given me the wrong order and I just unwrapped them to discover that you guys screwed up again!" I am a nice person, I really am. How often have you heard me raise my voice-and to a perfect stranger for that matter!?!?? "What was wrong with the order?" the manager asked. I explained the mustard, onion, and lack of olive issue and he assured me that he had carefully informed his employees of the correct order. Now I am extra pissed. Really? As the manager you informed your employees of the correct order but didn't insure customer satisfaction!?!?!? "I would be glad to make you another sandwich if you want to come pick it up." Oh the straw that broke the camel's back. "Really?" I practically screamed. "You want me to get in my car and drive across town AGAIN because you screwed up AGAIN? This is your plan to rectify the situation?" I paused for a second waiting for a response but he was quite obviously not sure what to say. "I will just throw the sandwich away and eat a bowl of cereal but you should know that your staff is entirely incompetent. I mean seriously making a sandwich is NOT rocket science!" and with that I hung up and threw my phone on the sofa and then began to sob. No I'm not a complete fatty-I wasn't crying over the sandwich. But let us quickly recap the day shall we? Fall #1, rushed cupcakes, burnt finger, cranky baby, green beans on toe, cranky baby, pink color on the tile, fall #2, cranky baby, messed up sandwich #1, cranky baby, messed up sandwich #2. Okay so reflecting on the situation now I realize I was being slightly melodramatic and I may have been slightly tacky to the poor Schlotzky's manager but really how much more can a girl take in one day!?!!? That being said, I chose to polish off the last drops of sangria in my fridge for dinner and that seemed to relax me a bit and blogging about the atrocities of the day has also seemed to calm my nerves. I think I will bury my head in a book for a few until I am drowsy enough to sleep. Please God let tomorrow be better!

ah the joys of marriage

I disliked my poor husband greatly today. Not sure why. Something inside me snapped. He irritated me and it was the icing on the cake to a stressful week I guess. I mean really he didn't do MUCH wrong. He even threw the trash like a good boy but wooooooooooah did I need some strong medication because once I got started I couldn't control the anger. I cussed at him-I rarely do that and he laughed at me. He shook his head and gave this irritating little smirk because I suppose if I really think about it, my behavior was quite out of character for me. His amusement fueled my rage. "I'm glad you think this is funny" I screamed. We went out to dinner because I was stressed and had NO desire to cook. Okay okay, I admit it was slightly premeditated. Maybe just maybe I saved those damn weight watchers points all day so I could have some Jason's deli strawberry shortcake but Taylor screaming and me being irritated gave me a reasonable argument to go out. Halfway through dinner I apologized for my behavior and tried to explain the reason for my temporary psychosis but I guess I didn't really have a good reason. I honestly think I was just upset that he was a MAN. He told Payton to pick up a toy off the floor or he was going to throw it away and I was thinking, she's 4. If I threw away every pair or undies you left on the floor you wouldn't have any! It all just snowballed from there. I guess I was halfway upset that I was the one confined to the sofa nursing Taylor. Why the heck can't HE produce the milk!?!? haha I was stressed out and angry at the way the week has gone and he was the closest adult around to take the blame. Sorry honey-I see a back massage in your future! Am I the only one who feels like Adam got off waaaaaaaaaaay easier than Eve? Sure Eve picked the fruit but in her defense she was coerced and Adam didn't put up much of an argument before he ate it too! So why the menstrual cycle, the cramps, bloating, acne? Why the nausea and weight gain of childbearing/birth and for God's sake WHY the lactation!?!?!? lol Goodnight, I pray I wake up on the RIGHT side of the bed tomorrow and I can tell you now this greatly depends on what side of the bed Taylor wakes up on!

Mi vida loca

Holy moly my life is insane sometimes! We started another fabulous year of home school Monday and it's been harder on me getting back into the swing of things then it has been for Payton. I've been bombarded with showers lately as well. Seems like everyone I know is getting married and/or having babies! One of my dearest friends is getting married in a few weeks and I have poured most of my energy this week into planning a fabulous bachelorette party for her. The whole planning process and other assorted wedding related drama has really taken a toll on her and I really want her to know how special and loved she is! I'm also spending alot of time in front of the mirror wondering what the hell happened to loosing all this baby weight in time to look decent in my bridesmaid dress!?!?! Bummer. This is a task that is proving more difficult than I imagined. I got a wii fit a month and a half ago and I LOVE it (it was an early anniversary present-thanks honey!). God knows I can't make it to they gym with my insane schedule so it's right up my alley. I was very committed in the beginning and did loose SOME. But I'm finding the crazier my schedule gets, the less I feel like cardio shapeboxing! So I joined weight watchers online last week as well. I figure some tweaking of my dietary choices would probably go a long way. I've tried to get Dave on the bandwagon as well but, he isn't easily swayed away from Pizza and Mt. Dew. lol He has been very supportive though. He fends for himself some days when Payton and I are having a tuna sandwich and an apple for lunch. I LOVE fruits and veggies so eating this way doesn't bother me. I think my main struggle is fighting off my cheesecake cravings! I realize I will NEVER be a 0, 1, or 2 ever again but I will settle for a 4 or hell anything other then the size 8 I am currently trapped in! I'm waaaaay too short to be carrying any extra weight! It also seems I have a problem with saying no and every couple of weeks I find myself hosting a shower, helping with a party, or donating cakes to charitable events. I like to help others I truly do but between raising 2 children, 1 husband, 2 dogs, housework, home school, showers, parties, weddings, and charitable causes I usually forget to take some time out for myself. Well, I don't forget necessarily I just don't have any hours left in the day.

On top of the added stress of a new school year, showers, birthday parties, and attempted weight loss, I am also struggling with how to deal with my ex-husband. I try to be civil with him for the sake of Payton but I get incredibly frustrated when he is so behind on child support and still gets to come pick my child up and take her to chuck-e-cheese every week. He comes around talking about his new gym membership and the cruise he is taking with friends but when I ask for the money I am owed, he "will get it to me as soon as possible". I realize it's a large sum of money and I don't expect to get it all in one day but seriously, make a freakin' effort! Take the $50 a month you are paying to the gym and pay ME instead don't buy yourself a new pair of $90 shoes pay your damn child support! Meanwhile I'm up late rearranging our budget so that I can afford for Payton to go to ballet next week, buy her new ballet shoes (a size bigger than last year) and a leotard. I'm the one who can't buy new shoes because I have to pay for Payton's soccer registration, shoes, socks, and shin guards! How is this fair? Meanwhile he is getting all the glory and gets to be the fun parent because he has extra money to go to Chuck-e-cheese, gatties, and putt putt. He gets to go play golf with his buddies and even bought Payton her own set of pink golf clubs and I'm sitting here trying to figure out where I'm going to get some extra money to pick up a few educational supplies for homeschool. I think it's great that he wants to take her to do fun things but how is that fair to me? I can't afford movies, chuckecheese, and puttputt in the same week BECAUSE of him. I'm incredibly frustrated with the situation and I'm not sure how to deal with it. I'm not sure how to deal with the fact that he shows up at my parents house and puts on some sweet ex-son-in-law act and they buy it. Every time I go to my sister's house I find him in the garage with my brother in law. How does he think this makes my husband feel? I feel betrayed by my family sometimes. I wonder where the hell their loyalty is. If he had been a wonderful husband if he was a good guy I would have NO problem with them associating themselves with him. But do they really not see him for who he is? Don't they see the games he plays? All I hear about is how he is no good and how worried they are when he has Payton. I hear about how irresponsible he is and how irritated my father is that he doesn't pay his child support or the money Jimmy owes him for that matter. I hear about how I need to hire an attorney and back him into a wall. But then the next day they are having lunch together. He hit me and then took my dad to lunch with MY child support money and Dave and I are the only ones who see a problem with that?!?!! Eeeesh... I feel for poor Dave in this situation as well. He loves Payton as if she were his own daughter and he gladly pays for everything she needs and wants but it is truly unfair to him that he provides everything for her with NO help from her biological "father" and will never get the glory of being her Dad. She loves him and calls him Daddy but every other weekend and every Wednesday a part of our family is missing and I have NO control over it. It's like she is being kidnapped against my will every week, I get nothing in return, and it is all perfectly legal! Pray for me because I am really struggling with this. I don't know what the Christian way to deal with the situation is. I want to take him to court, to send him to jail, to hit him back, to make him PAY but I know this isn't what God wants me to do so I sit here and wait not so patiently for God to reveal to me the solution. I forgive him for what he has done to me in the past I truly do but doesn't he see he drives a wedge in between my family and I? Doesn't he see he affects my marriage by trying to still play the son-in-law role with my family and screwing us financially? So you didn't want to do everything in your power to save our marriage, fine but do you truly have to come along and screw this one up for me too!??!!?

Oh that felt good to say out loud-or type whatever. My blood pressure has escalated just thinking of it and oh here come the cheesecake cravings again so I better go to bed and suppress them! lol

Getting to know the Latch clan.

Hi there! Thought I should introduce myself and my cute little family for those who don't know me very well or don't know me at all for that matter! My name is Lori & I am a 25 year old mommy of two gorgeous girls and one big boy (my husband). I have lived in West Texas since I was 4 and I don't see myself ever leaving. It's such a great place to raise a family!
I own a party planning company called Piece of Cake but for the most part I'm a stay at home mom. I offer a wide variety of services including event planning, invitations, custom cakes, photography, and unique gifts. Mainly I do cakes though and not really by choice, but more because people call day in and day out for them. I don't LOVE doing cakes. Hell I don't even LIKE doing cakes most days but hey, it brings in some extra shopping money so I don't complain much!
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I love to sing, scrapbook, read, write, paint, take pictures, and anything else artsy really. I have big plans for the future but I am willing to wait on God's timing before putting them all into action. For now I would rather make being the best mommy I can be my full time job.

Now meet my hubby Dave. He's 26 but a big kid at heart. He is actually from California but moved here officially when he got out of the Army in 08. We met about 4 days later through his sister (a very close friend of mine) and have pretty much been inseparable since. He is truly my best friend even though he irritates the crap out of me about 99% of the time, and I often refer to him as "my 3rd child". lol I can't imagine spending my life with anyone else. We have a blast together . We really don't have a thing in common honestly but I think that is what makes us work. If we were both the same, one of us would be useless right!??!

Then there is Payton Faith or Paytie as we often call her. She is likely the sweetest and smartest 4 year old you will ever meet (not to mention GORGEOUS) and I don't just say that because she is my child. She is wise beyond her years and always manages to talk sense into me when I'm not making any sense to myself. She has a heart of gold! I home school her because she wasn't feeling challenged enough in her old preschool ( I know this because she informed me that she didn't really like the other kids in her class because she was smarter than they were! lol) She will be 5 next month but misses the cutoff for Kindergarden by a few weeks so I will keep her home one more year before sending her off to an academically suitable Kindergarden. Yes, I actually researched the curriculums! She is so much like me it is scary. She loves books, painting, hannah montana, ballet, singing, and any kind of pasta! She starts soccer next month and she couldn't be more excited! I love watching the little person she is becoming.

Finally we have our newest addition: Taylor Grace or Tater Tot. She just turned 6 months old and is the spitting image of her Daddy. She's a doll but definetly not my easy child. She is stubborn as can be (she gets that from her Daddy too). That child makes me want to pull my hair out somedays but she is just too stinkin' cute to stay mad at. Her smile melts my heart. Her personality is developing a little more everyday. Babies are soooooo fun!

Last but certainly not least come our really dumb but very loveable furry children Bella & Shilo. They actually came to us via my ex-husband. Hence the dumb traits! ha ha jk (kinda) Bella will be one next month and Shilo is two.
Bella Shilo

Hopping on the bandwagon...

As a mother, I completely enjoy talking about my children and their day to day accomplishments. However, as a freakin' human being I have to say there are a whole handful of topics I would like to address that have nothing to do with bowel movements, spit-up, ballet, spongebob squarepants, diaper rash, or Bendaroos. That being said, I have decided to jump on the blogging bandwagon. Frankly, these topics that don't involve something relating to my children typically pop into my mind late in the evening when my children are sleeping soundly (FINALLY). I figure tapping away on the old keyboard would be a much more appealing option for releasing my thoughts and feelings of the day then picking up the phone and disturbing my friends from a peaceful nights sleep. So here we are-if you are bored, curious, nosey, or just genuinely interested in my life feel free to peek in periodically and take a little ride in the Latch lane :)