Addiction

My name is Dee, and I am an Instagram addict. There, I said it. If you're not familiar with Instagram, it's a photo editing/sharing application that until recently was only available on iPhones. FINALLY, they made an Android app, and while it's still nowhere near what the iPhone has (they promised upcoming upgrades will bring it more up to speed), I am obsessed! Check out these cool photos I've used their tools on:

So, welcome to my addiction. Have a seat. I'm sure to force more of my pictures upon you soon. :)

OUTLET SALE!!!

As you remember, I am a consultant with the company Thirty-One Gifts. Good news, kiddies! They are having an outlet sale...50-80% while supplies last today through Friday. Here's my link. Happy shopping!!!

http://shop.thirtyoneoutlet.com/

Wait. I Never Said That, Did I? Aw, Crap.

Well, the time has come. T is now sleeping through the night (usually), and I promised myself that once that happened I would start running again. *sigh* So, I have decided that beginning tomorrow morning at 5:00am, I will be hoofing it around my neighborhood to try and get back to having a pretty kick-ass personal image (because right now my personal image is jiggly and gross...doesn't matter if I look that way or not, that's how I feel).
I really want to start signing up for races this year. We're entering the time of year that those bad boys are popping up left and right, and I know myself well enough to know that the only way I will run with any kind of discipline is to register for a race sometime in the near future. I'm way to cheap to pay for something and not get the most out of it. :)
So, while you're all snuggled up in bed or having your coffee tomorrow morning, send me some good vibes, because God knows I'll be cussing up a storm as I huff and puff my way around my neihborhood.

Oops, I Crapped My Pants!

Not literally, but pretty darn close. For those of you that don't already know, the kids and I were t-boned on the way to my mother-in-law's house on Wednesday. Someone exiting a parking lot didn't see me coming and slammed into the passenger side of my van...approximately a foot and a half away from where Teaghan was sound asleep in her car seat. Hole. E. Crap. I've been involved in a couple of fender benders before, but nothing like this. Add to that the fact that I had my 3 babies (I don't care how old they are...if my kids are in danger, they're my babies) in the car...terrifying. Fortunately, the guy that hit me was moving as fast as he was, because if I had made it any further along the road before he hit me, I can say with absolute certainty that at least one of my kids would have been hurt. And then I would have gone to jail for beating up and old man.

After my rental car was dropped off and I went to clean all of my crap out of the van, I got a good look at how close the point of impact was to T's seat and began thanking my lucky starts that if I had to be in an accident, at least we all walked away...well, except for T, but c'mon...she's only 4 months old. Not a lot of walking going on there. 

Kony 2012

I usually try and keep things pretty light and funny because, let's face it, there's enough heavy stuff out there already and who needs any more, am I right? Well, I saw something online today that hit me really hard as a mother, so I'm going to lay a little heavy on you. Brace yourself.
There has been a video plastered all over Facebook the past couple of days, but since it's 30 minutes long and I do most of my internet surfing at work, I hadn't watched it because of it's length...finding 30 uninterrupted minutes at my job is pretty rare. One of my bestest friends posted the video on his Facebook page, so I knew it was worthwhile, and took half an hour of my morning to check it out. Holy life-altering, Batman! Please, find 30 minutes and watch this:

If you actually took the time to watch that, thank you. As a mother I just cannot imagine a child having to fear being taken from my home on a daily basis. So, I decided to do something. I have sent a handfull of emails to various political figures as well as emailing a few of my fave celebs. I also got my "kit" and am going to encourage EVERYONE that I know to do the same. This is not something that can continue. It has already gone on for too long.
To purchase your kit, read more about the war, or maybe just donate a few bucks simply click here.

The Times, They Are A-Changin'

Everyone knows that once you have kids, you sacrifice some, if not all of your "me" time. Time I would've spent putting on a little makeup before heading to the grocery store is now spent getting the last ounce of formula down T's throat before we have to run out the door. Time I would have spent going for a run is now spent grabbing a quick shower and a cup of coffee before the kids wake up. I realized just how much I have let myself go the other night when I had to run out to the grocery store at 8pm because I had forgotten it was Paige's day as snack sharer for school the next day. While in the juice aisle debating between Hi-C with Dora on the box or Juicy Juice with Lightning McQueen on the box a STUNNING woman around my age comes around the corner. She had perfectly styled hair, her makeup was flawless, her outfit was spit-up free, and her shoes were to die for. Cut to me: Hair in a ponytail, makeup that was done 15 hours ago by that point, a pair of sweats, a long sleeved tee shirt with spit up stains on the shoulder , and old fake Uggs. I had one of those, "What the hell happened to me?" moments. Don't get me wrong, I'm not saying that I need to get all gussied up to go to ACME, but I'm finding myself sacrificing so many of the little things that make me feel good about myself. I'm not even doing it because it's necessary. Carl is perfectly capable and willing to put T to bed if I wanted to zip out for a quick jog after the big kids are in bed. I see a lot of this, not only in myself, but in other moms, too. Why do we insist on making sure that everyone else is so dependant on us for everything? From this point on I am making myself a priority. I suggest you do the same. :)

I Think It's the Chili

For months now we have been having dinner issues at our house. If Carl IV likes it, Paige doesn't. If Paige likes it, Carl doesn't. If I like it, nobody likes it. Oy! So we have held pretty firm in our, "We're having what we're having. If you don't like it, you're not eating," stance because I absolutely refuse to be a short-order cook and have kids that only eat chicken nuggets and macaroni. Needless to say there have been MANY nights of "Moooooom, I don't want this. It's grooooooooss!" and "Mommyyyyyyy, it's yuckyyyyyy!"  (Allow me to interrupt myself here to state that I am not that bad a cook. I do not make "gross" of "yucky" food. They're just punks. Alright, moving on...) Well, the other night I made chili. Who doesn't like chili?!?! You can put cheese on it. It's awesome on a cold, damp day. I even made it super-wimpy mild so that nobody would complain about it being to spicy. One look at it and both kids were in teeth gnashing mode. "Eeeewwwwww! I don't want thiiiiis!!! Not thiiiiis! I want pizza! Waaaaah!" Rude. So, Carl III and I ignored them, had 2 bowls of my awesome, if wimpy, chili and the kids had no dinner.
This morning Carl IV is eating his breakfast and tells me that his mouth hurts on his gums. I look at it, and it looks like he's just jabbed himself with his toothbrush. It hurts, but he'll live. That's the end of it, right? Well, I thought so, but was sorely mistaken. Apparently when he was at school he was complaining and whining so much about his teeth hurting that his teacher actually called my mother-in-law! She said he's complaining about his mouth and teeth hurting "really bad." I know exactly what it is. The kid is so OCD that he gets completely fixated on something and can't let it go, so he's probably been poking this scrape with his finger and/or tongue all morning so it's irritated. But, no...he'd never admit that. When Mrs. Porter asks him what happened he says, "I don't know, but I think it's the chili my mom made me eat." !!!!!! WHAT?!?!?! Now my chili is not only "gross" and "yucky" but causing physical harm to anyone within 5 feet?! Ugh. This kid...

Mommy Dementia

I remember once when I was about 5 or 6 my mom, sister, and I went somewhere (can't remember where, and it's not very important anyway...). After we'd finished up wherever the heck we were, we headed back to my mom's trusty old Toyota, Violet. This was back in the 80's before power locks, so it was determined by seniority the order of which you got your door unlocked. Mom, obviously, got in first and reached over to unlock the front door for Alie. As Alie's reaching around to unlock my door, mom starts to drive off. I. Am. Devastated. My own mother just drove off and left me! ...okay, okay, so she made it, like, 5 feet before she realized her mistake and I hopped in the car, but still...that was a horrifying 10 seconds for me. I remember thinking to myself, "How could she?! How does a mom not notice that one of her kids is NOT IN THE CAR?!?!" The answer: Mommy Dementia, of which I am now a victim.
I sent out invitations for the boy's birthday party last Friday. I went to the skating rink of Saturday to pay the deposit for the party and the girl can't find our reservation. "I've been emailing Kim for the past 2 weeks about this. Are you sure you don't see Dominique in there? Next Friday, March 2nd?" I'm starting to freak out at this point because I have already sent out the invitations. Aaaak! "No, but I see a Carl Rudegeair for Friday the 9th at 4:30...is that your son?" Me: "WHAT?! No, no, no...I emailed Kim. Look," I whip out my phone and pull up my emails. "Right here. 'Kim, let's go ahead and book the party for 4:30 on the...9th,' Oh, crap." Yep. I put the wrong date on the invitations. Yay, me! Ugh. So I had to write little 'I'm an Idiot' notes to all the parents of the kids in Carl's class to correct my whoopsie. And it doesn't stop there! Just the other day we're all piling in the car to go to a friend's house. I get the big kids in the car and Carl III get T all strapped in. Well, I hop in my seat and crank the engine and everyone's just looking at me as if I've grown a second head. "What?" I ask. "Were you planning on closing the door?" Yeah, I was about to head down the road with Paige's door WIDE open! Honestly, I'm thinking that with every kid you have it just gets progressively worse. Pretty soon you'll find me leaving the house without pants or without a kid...just do me a favor...do a quick head count if you see me out with the kids to make sure all are present and accounted for.

A Two-fer!

I'm going to hit you with a twofer post today. The first is going to be me shamelessly plugging myself and my friend so that we can get a little business. The second will be my usual nonsensical ramblings. Alright? Alright.

I have recently signed on as a Thirty-One consultant. They sell really cute and functional bags, wallets, home storage solutions, etc. Check out my website www.mythirtyone.com/dominiquerudegeair/ and take a gander at the catalog and book a party for exclusive savings and potentially free items available for hosting a party!

Looking for a massage therapist that works with your schedule rather than having to try to get to a spa when they're open? Look no further! My dear friend, Kim Evans, is a licensed massage therapist and, get this...she will come to you! That's right kiddies, she will give you an amazing massage (I'm speaking from personal experience...the girl's amazing!) in the comfort of your own home! Check her out on Facebook and tell her I sent you.


Alright, on to the norm:

Carl IV will be 5 in 13 days. For the past 4 days I have been subjected to, "Mom...is it 1 or 2 days until my birthday?" from the boy. Me: *sigh* "Let's go look at the calendar and we'll count. 1, 2, 3, 4, blah, blah, blah, 13. Almost 2 weeks away, buddy." Him: "Aaaaaaaugh! That's soooo loooooooong!!! Why can't it be my birthday today?!" Me: "Because then your birthday would be February 23, not March 7." And away he stomps to lament the fact that he wasn't born early. Trust me, if I'd had my way he would've been born in January!

T is rolling over now. I almost feel sorry for the poor thing because as a third child, she's going to have to do a lot more than that to impress us now. I remember when Carl IV started rolling over. I think I probably texted everyone I knew like it was some monumental milestone (If you received one of those texts or emails, please accept my humble apology. First time mom...you know how it is.).

Paige is in all out 3 year old mode. I don't know how I forgot how nasty 3 year olds are sometimes. Carl IV went through the same thing. I must have blocked it out. She is super whiney, bursts into tears about practically everything. If this is her at 3, I'm moving out when she hits her tween years, because I don't know if I'll be able to take it.

That's all I've got for you now. Remember to check out my website and pop on over to Kim's Facebook page to say hi and set up your massage. Peace!

New Venture

Because kids are expensive, and I have 3 of 'em, I have started a new business venture. The link to my website for said venture is here. Give it a look-see. I'm new and don't know what the heck I'm doing, but I'm super chatty and pretty darn friendly, so I think I can make this work. So, long story short, have a look and schedule a party, okay? *mwah!*

Friday Randomness

- I talked to my best girlfriend, Carla, today. It made my day. I miss her a lot. All the states between Florida and Pennsylvania need to get out of the way so we're closer to each other. My heart hurts going so long without seeing her. Dang it, now I'm sad. Back to happy! I had a really nice talk with her today, and she's still my bestest.

- Carl IV has a birthday coming up. He'll be 5. I'm having trouble coming to terms with this. I just don't feel old enough to have a 5 year old. I must've counted wrong...1,2,3,4...crap. Nope, he's 5. And I'm getting old.

- I've decided it's time for me to start running again because, as much as I hate to admit it, I actually do feel better when I exercise. Dang it.

- 3 kids = a lot of kids. Really. They've figured out that they outnumber us and are using it to their advantage. I am a little worried.

- Teaghan is thisclose to sleeping through the night. I am soooo ready for uninterrupted sleep again. I miss it.

- I'm going to a purse party tonight (sort of like a Tupperware party, but with purses). I'm going to try my hardest not to spend bajillions of dollars. I love purses. Like, a lot.

- I am so tired that I can't come up with much more to say. The end.

My Morning Playlist

Every weekday morning the kids and I pile into the car and head to my mother-in-law's house around 8:00 am. Every morning, without fail, once we're in the car the first words out of the boy's mouth are: "Mom, can we listen to the robot song?" He has renamed Daft Punk's song 'Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger' "The Robot Song." So, we listen to the robot song, after which I hear from Prissy Pants, "MOMMY!! I want MY song, too!" So, next on our playlist is Toni Basil's classic 'Mickey' which causes Paige to dissolve into fits of giggles and what I refer to as "car dancing." She kicks her legs around like a crazed horse and shouts, "Look at my legs, Mommy! They dancing!" After those two songs have concluded we move onto, "Let's play Daddy's song! The Potty song! Pwease?!" Okay, let me clarify... it's not a song about a potty. It's actually LMFAO's 'Party Rock Anthem', but it was relatively new when we started potty training Paige, and she LOVED it, so I changed the words to 'Potty Rock' because, well, you do what you have to do when potty training a stubborn little girl. All of this, and we're almost to Debbie's. Time for one more song. Carl IV chimes in from the back seat: "MOM! Can we listen to the song that goes "UNGH!" in that part? You know...the UNGH part?" After I make him say "UNGH" about 12 more times I play Michael Jackson's 'P.Y.T.' which has a grunt a few times about halfway through the song that Carl IV find heee-larious! By that time we're pulling into the driveway, I boot the kids out of the car and rock out to whatever songs suit my mood that day. This morning I was in a Metric kind of mood, and having just watched Scott Pilgram vs. The World (good movie!), I chose 'Black Sheep.'  And, well, that's my morning. Now you know. Aren't you glad I shared?  :o)

How Does She Know?!

Since coming back to work, the #1 thing that people ask me about Teaghan is, "How is she sleeping?" It never fails...every time I answer with a, "Great! She's usually down by 8:30 and sleeps until around 4 or 5:00," the following night is a complete disaster! It's like she hears me and thinks, "Wait! She's sleeping, too?! Hmm. Can't have that!" Just yesterday I was telling a customer that she's doing better than my other 2 were at this age and BAM! Last night was uuuuuuuuuugly. So, God forgive me, but in the name of self preservation I am going to start lying when people ask about her sleep habits. "Awful. Up every 10 minutes." Hell, maybe she'll sleep 12 hours solid then.

Catching Up

Wow. To say a lot has happened since I last updated this is the understatement of the year! In case you don't already know, I had the baby! Hooray!
Click here to see pics of when T was brand new.
Teaghan Renee was born 11/7/2011 weighing in at 9lb 4oz and measuring 21 1/4" in length. And, hey. Wanna know something cool? My sister had her kid the same day! Daniel I'materribleauntbecauseIdon'tknowhismiddlename Collins was born across the pond in London on 11/7/2011! How cool is that?!
While I was home with all 3 kids (allow me to interrupt myself here by saying GOD BLESS STAY AT HOME MOMS! I only did it for 2 months and I was ready to go insane!) I decided that it was time to crack down and potty train Paige. Well, to say she was tough is the understatement of the year. Wait...what? I already have one of those? Hmph. Alright, fine. It's the runner up understatement of the year. There. Back to Paige's potty training. I'll spare you the gruesome details, but one particularly poopy day for both Paige & Teaghan I had had it up to here *picture me holding my hand about neck level* with wiping butts. Going from changing a newborn to changing an almost three year old...it just felt like wiping a 35 year old's behind! Wrong in so many ways. So, that was my breaking point, and I'm proud to say that within 2 weeks she was accident free (aside from the sporadic 2am "MOMMY, I peed my pants! Waaaaah!").
On Dec. 21st we piled into the van and headed to Pensacola for Christmas with the family. The whole family. My parents rented a SWEET house on Pensacola Beach that was right on the Gulf. So we drove down, my sister and her crew flew over from London, my grandparents drove down from Tennessee, and of course my parents were there. That's 9 adults and 5 kids (including 2 newborns) in one house for almost a week. It was quite an adventure! I know my kids had an absolute blast taking 547 walks on the beach per day, and it was so great to hang out with the family!

My Christmas gift to the fam was to have the amazing Jessi Field (a friend from high school who is now the most amazing photographer) take some great shots on the beach, so I'll be sure to share those once she edits them to make me ... errr...I mean us look incredible. Heeheehee.
Once we said farewell to the beach and returned home I started work the following Monday. I had been at my desk less than 30 minutes when my boss walked over to me and said he had absolutely no idea how much I did on a daily basis and that I would definitely be getting a nice raise this year! BOO-YAAAAH! It's a shame that it took me not being here for 2 months to get recognition, but it's nice to be appreciated all the same! :)
So...I think that about wraps it up. I'm sure I left out some stuff here and there, but I'll make sure to post them as things pop into my head. Glad to be back! Happy New Year!!

P.S. -  Just to show how shockingly similar Teaghan and Carl IV look, check this out: