I am just ME....

This week I have rediscovered a few things about myself.

I love cream cheese. Truly. I think it's delicious. I don't often buy it because, well, I seem to eat it all up quickly. The other day I bought a bag of mini strawberry bagels and cream cheese and enjoyed eating them all week. Simple pleasures bring happiness. They really do, especially when they involve cream cheese.

I also remembered I really like Hidden Valley Bacon Ranch salad dressing. Tired of always making the packets and wondering how long they can be eaten before they make you sick, I spied this in the salad dressing aisle and picked up a bottle. Rich didn't get a chance to eat his salad before he left for the hospital tonight, so at 10:45 PM, after the kids were in bed and the house was clean I gobbled up his leftover lettuce with a healthy dose of ranch. Yummy!

I love games. Let me say it again. I LOVE games. For four straight days I played the boys Nintendo DS while I rode the bike. For four solid hours I played their new game MillionHeir. It is awesome. It's like I SPY ramped up. It's tricky and tough and I played it on the hardest level. And on the 4th day, I won the whole stinkin' game. I was thrilled, radiant even. I love completing a game and I solved the puzzle. I proudly told Rich my good news. My non-game loving husband wasn't as delighted. With a flat, monotone voice he said, "Wow. There's nothing like that feeling of accomplishment." Sure, he doesn't get it, but I was a lifesaver for Trey as he worked his way through the various levels. Yup, totally worth every second.

Also, I discovered they have a tournament area on Webkinz.com. So of course I had to try it out. You play an arcade game and compete for the best score out of 20 or 30 people. After a few attempts, I finally won a tournament. I told Rich how excited I was. "Good for you," he said. "Nothing like beating a bunch of 5 year olds." He can think what he will, but I know the truth. I've seen the scores and I know that kids could not compete in these games. I know there are a lot of adults, like me, happily playing Webkinz. I would bet money on it! But I didn't care he wasn't glowing for me. I am still excited to have won.

Man, I love Disneyland. The other day I dreamed about it. It was a dream where you just don't want to wake up. I know the park so well that I can dream it accurately. I love that. My girls are obsessed with princesses and I can only imagine how much they would LOVE to see their favorite ones in person. We have a healthy supply of dress up options and watch at bit of a Disney movie everyday, so I don't feel bad for them, but I can't wait until Rich is done so we can go every single year. Maybe even twice a year (if I can get Rich to agree to that....). And that makes me happy!

I think my humming is beginning to drive my kids crazy. Ever since we went and saw Wicked I have had various melodies in my head. But the problem is they don't stay in my head. I hum and sing and basically get the songs stuck in everybody's head. The other day an exasperated Josh told me I had to get a new song to sing. He just couldn't take it anymore. Before Wicked it was Enchanted and he needed some variety. Thank heavens for iPods that allow you to get new tunes in your mind and mouth- fast.

Sometimes it is so nice to just be lazy. Yup. LAZY. Rich's car was in the shop for a week. Seven whole days. But it was really sort of nice. At first he was working nights, so we just took him to work and then the girls and I picked him up in the morning after the boys went to school. Then he worked at the VA and would get off in time for me to pick up the kids. And since I knew I didn't have a car, the girls and I just stayed put. We had dress up parties, we make yummy food, we read stories and we slept in when possible and it was really, really fun. Yes, I didn't get a whole lot done. And after a few days I did have to deep clean a bit to catch up, but having a few slow days really can be the best thing to boost your happiness level. Especially when it's freezing cold outside!

So there you have it- a few random bits of me. And while I know I am crazy and often sleep deprived and do not make dinner enough and talk too much on the phone, I have a happy life, amazing friends, a great husband and terrific kids.

I really do like being me.