Wax On Wax Off

Let's see if anyone can beat my last 48 hours.

Yesterday started out pretty normal. I dropped Daniel off at school, and then I asked James if he'd like to go to Springfield? I didn't have any particular reason. Rain was in the forecast, but I didn't let that bother me.

James was beyond amazing for the most part. He walked through Target and "oohed and ahhed" over everything. He thought it was hilarious to hide in the clothes racks. He even got to pick out a new pair of jammies. He recently took a liking to foxes, and when he found a pair of fox pajamas and hugged them, I just had to buy them!

We went to Hobby Lobby, which he loves even though I make him ride in the cart there. He was in awe of all of the Christmas trees and literally made me just stop the cart for 5 minutes while he admired them.

We made a couple more stops and just as we started to head home it started pouring.

Once we got home, I told James it was nap time. I tossed our purchases and the mail in pile on the chair, lit a  3 wick candle and then read books and tucked James in.

Here's where my day started to get interesting.

I started to put away our few purchases. The pajamas were on one of those bulky clothes hangers so I took them off, but of course the bottoms are connected to the top by a plastic tag. I do the tug. You know the one I'm talking about. The one that breaks the band of plastic and frees your clothes.
Yeah. Well, what I didn't take into consideration when doing this was the fact that I might pull too hard and somehow the shirt would practically fling itself out of my hands.
Remember that candle I lit?
The sleeve of the jammies landed directly in a flame! I can confirm that they are indeed flame retardant. I can also confirm that they aren't "hot wax retardant". One sleeve had wax, and of course as I pulled the shirt away from the flame, it dripped on the table (thank goodness I have a table protector), and on another shirt I had bought.
I did end up getting most of the wax off, but the sleeve is still scented like pumpkin apple spice.

We decided to go to Angelo's for supper. About an hour before we went it rained HARD. Our streets always flood. I kept checking the basement. We were getting more water than usual, but not bad. I did think a smelled something a little funky, but honestly James had a poop accident again so I assumed that was it.

Life isn't that simple though. We came home and I hear Daniel yell, "What is THAT SMELL?" My heart sunk. I knew. I called Roto Rooter right away. I told the lady our whole story and she said she could get someone here at 9 on Saturday. I persisted and asked if she was sure there was no one that could come like...now. Bless her soul, she found the on call guy and sent him over by 8:00. He's been here, done that so he knew the drill.

By this point my head is pounding. I went down to assess the damage which thankfully wasn't as bad as it could've been. The plumber had found my mop and cleaned up the worst area. I decided to call it a night and deal with it in the morning.

Went to bed. Plugged my phone in. Nothing. It's been having issues with the charging port for a long time, but last night it decided it was done. I tried 4 chargers before accepting the fact that I needed a new phone.

I woke up today to more rain, but cool weather! I haven't been able to work out in awhile and my weight keeps getting stuck, so I went to the Y and did an hour workout. It felt amazing.

I came home and decided while I was still sweaty I would tackle the basement. Lots of bleach later, I had the floor mopped. I decided I'd grab my hoodie bin and grab an Iowa one for the game. Picked it up and it was damp. Odd. Grabbed another. Damp. Sniffed it. EW. I started digging down and that's when I saw it. Mildew growing all over my clothes! Apparently when I was checking bins during our summer flood I didn't realize water was in the bottom of that bin. So, one hoodie got trashed right away. The rest are on the 3rd load of laundry, but I'm thinking most will end up being tossed too.

Finally got a shower and then off to Walmart to get chili ingredients and phones. You really can get everything there.

Home by 1. Got the boys napping/resting. Then spent an hour talking to "Charlie" from *insert foreign country here* online helping me get the phones activated.

Got the chili cooking. Mixed up cornbread batter and finally got to sit down when the game started at 4. Thank goodness for DVR since we had to pause to do supper, baths and stop fights and such. Daniel was in an awful mood today and tested everything.

Now here I sit. Exhausted, but happy. Nothing caught on fire. My house doesn't smell like poop. I have a phone that works. The Hawkeyes won.

I'm excited to go to church tomorrow. It's my happy and relaxing place and boy do I need that!

Reasons Why Summer Is The Worst

Alright, I know that many people just can't get on board with the fact that I hate summer. I didn't used to be this way. It wasn't until after I had kids that I switched from hating winter to hating summer. Why? I guess my hormones got screwed up. I went from dreading the cold, to dreading the heat.

What is it that I just can't stand?

1. Heat+Humidity.

If I walk outside and feel like I just got blasted in the face with the devil's oven or immediately feel like I'm in a tropical rain forest, you can just forget about it. I hear people talking about basking in the heat and I'm over here melting into a puddle on the sidewalk.

2. Sweat.

It's goes hand in hand with the heat. It's literally gotta be one of the grossest feelings in the world to me. The minute I start to sweat, I'm just done. I see people walking around looking completely comfortable in their jeans and HOODIES. Why are people walking around like this!? I saw a lady with a scarf the other day. A legit winter scarf. 

What do I look like? I'm the one walking around with a giant wet patch on the back of my shirt. (I laid down on the floor of a building at the state fair and left a puddle in the shape of me when I got up). The underside of my hair is soaked. Let's not forget all the other sweaty areas. Nothing like dealing with a soaking wet bra and underwear.

3. Bugs.

I am very attractive to the mosquito community every summer. They feast on my blood and leave me with welts the size of quarters. I just love getting dive bombed by wasps. Oh, and another favorite? Trying to eat while flies land in my food. Yum. There's just nothing better.

4. There's nothing cozy about it.

You know what I love? Snuggling up under a blanket with my fuzzy socks and a warm hoodie. If it's cold out you can layer. There's only so much you can strip off in the summer before making a whole lot of people very uncomfortable.

5. Crowds make the fun things not so fun.

I will do things because I want my kids to experience it and/or because it seems like a great idea when I plan it in the winter. My brain likes to trick me. "Summer isn't as bad as you remember!" "Maybe it'll be a nice cool day!" Next thing you know I'm planning zoo trips, park days, baseball games and more. Everything is crowded, so on top of the heat there's wall to wall people. Of course, I have fun, but not all the time. My favorite thing we did this summer was our weekly bowling trips...in the air conditioning!

6. You practically need an oven mitt to drive.

I just love climbing into a 130 degree car and burning my skin off trying to buckle my seat belt and drive with my hands actually on the wheel.

7. There's nothing after the 4th.

We celebrate our independence and then there's just nothing. Hobby Lobby starts busting out Fall items (insert Hallelujah Chorus) and the haters start to hate.

8. Reese's can't even think of a way to make summer better.

I mean, have you ever seen them come out with a summer shaped Reese's? No. There are hearts, Easter eggs, pumpkins and Christmas trees. 

9. It stinks.

Literally. Get in a crowded area and you're bound to walk through someone's B.O.

10. Shaving.

I wear shorts all summer, and can't stand feeling the hair on my legs, so I have to shave regularly. Winter time? Eh. Every few weeks will do. It's extra warmth.