Black Friday: Amazing deals or 4th circle of hell?

According to Dante, the 4th circle of hell is for GREED. If you were in Walmart at 12:01am Friday morning, you would understand his philosophy. So how did I end up being a part of the Black Friday chaos? Interesting story...

I had been talking about doing a Black Friday run for weeks, but as the day got closer, and I started to see just how much of a sacrifice of sleep I would have to make, I began to second guess that decision. Fast forward to Thanksgiving night, we had finally put the kids to bed and I was in the middle of a clusterfeed session with the baby when I DECIDED once and for all that I needed my sleep. A few hours later, Tim informed me that we were in fact out of TUMS and WIPES. And in our house, those 2 things are essential to living. So I reluctantly decided to make a quick trip to our 24 hour Walmart to pick up those few neccessities.

In my pajamas and some boots I jumped in my car thinking that the sales at Walmart wouldn't start until 5am, so it shouldn't be too crowded. And that's when I entered the parking lot and saw the chaos of a 12am sale.

As I entered the building I saw just what a grave mistake I had made joining the crowds at midnight. There were aisles and aisles filled with toys and snuggies and giant body pillows. And the people, oh the people. I soon realized that there was safety in numbers and I was alone. I quickly set my sights on a pair of 12-year-olds who were recklessly driving a cart filled to the gills with sale items. As they crashed into people and bullied their way through the massive crowds, I stood silently behind them and used their bodies as buffers.

The electronics department, which was the site of the 5am sale, was filled with people camped out on the floor. Each one had their DVD's, cameras, and big screen TV's in-hand waiting the 5 long hours it took to get "the deal". Most sat listening to their ipods and playing card games, sprawled out with blankets. I half expected there to be a campfire and a bearded hippy playing "Michael row your boat ashore."

Then I entered the clothing section where women of all shapes and sizes were literally tossing clothes in the air trying to find their respective sizes and colors. I was stuck in total gridlock for about 7 minutes. NUTS! All for $4 walmart pajamas.

Ofcourse, I found a few good deals that I simply couldn't pass up. Afterall, I did drive all the way out there I might as well take advantage of the situation. But I have to say that taking your life into your own hands is hardly worth the extra $15-$20 you could save on items. At least not to me anyway.

Erin Thoughts- November 21 2010 (the long-winded edition)

*Does anyone else have "laundryday underwear"? You know, the underwear reserved only for when you have completely run out of every conceivable pair of underwear available and the only thing you have left has stretched elastic and holes in it? Or maybe it's those granny panties that are 2 sizes too big for you that your mother thoughtfully gave you for Christmas one year? I just realized that I ran out of my last pair of laundry underwear...crap.

*Why is it that in Redding when the temperature drops to a whopping 46 degrees they break out the parkas, snowboots and the coonskin hats? Come on people, this isn't Alaska.

*I'm 28 years old and have been doing "my own" Thanksgiving now for 8 years. We kind of have a system now, and I like it. But it amazes me that most of my friends have never done their own Thanksgiving. Boy are they missing out. No crazy bearded aunts, awkward hugs, meeting "the latest" boyfriend, or eating that stuffing you really can't stand but it would totally crush your poor Grandma if you didn't eat a very healthy portion of it.

*I'm CONSIDERING braving the holiday crowds and trying my hand at Black Friday shopping. Perhaps it sounds CRAZY when I have a newborn at home and get little sleep as it is. If nothing else, it should make for a GREAT blog.

The world of 3

It's been 3 weeks since I entered the world of 3 children 3 and under. I thought it was an appropriate time to write a little something about what I've learned. Really, life is just about survival right now. It's been interesting having a newborn in the house again and all the lack of sleep it entails. But I think the added challenge is the sudden burst of energy the morning shift and it's 2 rambunctious little boys has brought to my world. I feel like the walking dead.

The amount of diapers I change in a day is ridiculous. Seriously, unheard of amounts. I think when I am finished with the last dirty diaper, I am using all the money we spend on diapering 3 butts and going on a weeklong cruise. And the laundry.... oh the laundry. It makes me want to curl up in a corner somewhere and suck my thumb.

I have to say, when I tell people that I have 3 children and spout off their ages, most people shake their heads or have a wide-eyed expression on their face. I then make some comment to acknowledge the fact that yes, we are in fact a little bit crazy.But, the joy of having all 3 of my kids in my minivan while we drive to the store, or sitting on the couch while we read a book is such an amazing feeling. A loud, chaotic, confusing, amazing feeling. So, 3 weeks in I can tell you that it is a scary endeavor, and not for the faint of heart. But it is the most content I've ever felt in my whole life. My cup overfloweth.

I'm a size WHAT???

I hear a lot of moms post-baby who have issues with what size they have become. Taking that body that was just stretched into oblivion and making some semblance of your former self can have it's challenges. But while most women worry about fitting into their skinny jeans, I would have to say that I am worried about something far worse... fitting into my old shoes.

Before I had children my feet were a healthy and normal size 7 1/2. I liked that size. I could borrow my sister's shoes, there were more options to choose from at shoe stores. It was nice. Then I had kids, and that went out the window.

Now I know what you're thinking....how could anyone's feet grow THAT much because of having babies? And I really don't know what to tell you. Except that in 3 years, and 3 babies I went from a size 7 1/2 to a size 9! Well, really it's more like a size 8 3/4. But since they don't make that size shoe, I find myself with the dilema of either cramming my toes in a size 8 1/2 or swimming in a size 9.

Unfortunately, when your feet grow this much, you have to completely get a new shoe wardrobe, which a lot of people would think was super fun. I find it to be an exhausting task. I gotta say, I often was envious of the women with size 9 feet. Afterall, there always seemed to be a TON of size nines at shoestores because let's face it, only WNBA players and jolly green giants wore that size. But now, here I am, finding myself on the other side of that fence and realizing that there just aren't a lot of options out there.

So here I sit, shoeless and rambling. Skinny jeans? Who cares. I miss my old comfy shoes.

National Unfriend Day (NUD)

So, though my children are my world, I feel it is my DUTY to continue to keep up with what's going on in the rest of the world. So, during one of the MANY late night feedings I started watching Jimmy Kimmel live. He announced last week a self-proclaimed National Unfriend Day on November 17th. What is this day you ask? It's a day in which you take all the facebook "friends" that aren't actually your friends and you unfriend them.

Annoyed with the person who posts status updates every 5 seconds? Unfriend them. What about the person who keeps asking for animals on farmtown? Unfriend them. Then there's the uber annoying person you were never really friends with in high school but out of courtesy you accepted their friend request. Unfriend them. The point is, it's supposed to be a massive purge of facebook "friends" that are just uneeded. Some people have said that this is really mean and that people will take it personally. Jimmy's response? That's why we do it ALL TOGETHER, and then it won't be so offensive. Because, hey, it's National Unfriend Day.

So I have truly debated doing this. I go back and forth on this subject because truth be told, if I'm annoyed with the person I usually just "hide" them. And then I don't have to look at their "drunken at 2am" photo albums, or hear their raves about the last episode of Glee. But then again, it might be nice to only have ACTUAL friends on facebook. You know, the old fashioned kind, the ones who really ARE your friends.

I have seen many a friend go through "friend purges" before making bold statements like, "I hope you make the cut. But if you don't hear from me again... you'll know why." I find that to be just a little too abraisive. No need to smite people. Afterall, it's just facebook.

Whatever the reason, I must say I find this idea fascinating and am curious just how widespread it becomes. Who knows, I may even be a participant. We'll just have to wait and see....

Because faithful blogreaders should always be rewarded..

The first few glimpses of Olivia's first photoshoot. 7 days old. There are just no words.

I had a baby

How do I sum up the last 6 days of life? Anticipation, complete joy, total pain, anxiety, excitement, contentment, peace. These are the words that describe my week.

Olivia Violet Cosette was born on Tuesday October 26th, 2010.

She weighed 7lbs 1oz and was 19 inches long.

She was born very healthy and with no complications. This was a first for Tim and I and we found ourselves often, bored at the hospital because there wasn't anything to worry about. What a strange thing.

It was a whirlwind of activity the first day as the boys met her for the first time. The next few days were full of recovery and a lot of pain, but we went home finally and settled into life with 3 kids. I'm not gonna lie, so far it's been crazy nuts. I go back and forth in my little hormonal mind about whether or not I can actually do this.

I am so enjoying my little pink bundle of joy right now. Her tiny cries, her beautiful eyes, her gentle touch. I am really truly in love. I really wondered how I could love 3 children the same amount. I wondered if I could love Olivia the way I loved my other kids. It's so amazing to me how big your heart can be, how much love you have to give. I can honestly say that I love her just as much as I do the other two, and I've only known her for 6 days. She is my heart, my joy and I am so wrapped around her fingers.