I try not to take things for granted, honestly. But a person really gets use to having things a certain way. For me, it’s being a spoiled little princess. I admit there isn’t anything I want for. If we want it, we get it. Simple as that. Don’t get me wrong; we bust our butts, but we make it happen. Neither Simeon nor I came from families with much money, so following the American dream of wanting better for your kids than you had, we work really hard to make sure we have the things that are important to us. It may be a simple as having the luxury to eat dinner in a restaurant (or grab take-out) a couple times a week, have the ability to pause live television, or splurging on a pair of pants that isn’t on sale. It’s just really wonderful having nice things.

Until they break.

In this particular instance, I am referring to my car. I LOVE my car. I waited for a looooong time and worked really hard to get my car. It has soft leather seats, dual climate control, seat position memory, a sun roof, and heated seats. Ohhhh the heated seats. But the other day I noticed my butt warmer wasn’t keeping me quite as toasty as I normally like. I didn’t think much of it, guessing maybe I have become so use to it that it’s kinda dulled. Like my ass is building up a heat tolerance or something. But then over the weekend Simeon was driving, so I was in the passenger seat and since it was literally freezing outside I turned on the heated seats. In just a few seconds my seat was so warm, if my car didn’t display the outside temperature I would never have known it was cold out. I was in heaven! It made me realize just what I had been missing.

So I sucked it up and called the dealership. My car is still under the manufacture warranty (for a few more months–knock on wood!) so they told me to bring it in. Having never had the luxury of heated seats, I had no idea what kinda of maintenance is required. They explained that they have to outsource to another company to fix the seat (since upholstery is required) so it would take a little longer to fix, but they would give me a loaner car in the mean time. Good deal.

Today I said good-bye to my pretty, pretty car and loaded Ana and I into the loaner Taurus. I never knew how much I would miss my car. Now don’t get me wrong, the Taurus is fine. It actually has a really smooth ride. But it is nothing compared to my car. For a moment I considered telling them I was ok with my car how it was. Having a malfunctioning fancy car is better than no fancy car, right? But alas, the logical side of me said if the cold (and snowy!) weather we have been having is any indication, I am gonna want those heated seats working properly. And fast!

I just got off the phone with the dealership and they have to replace the heater motor. I guess I wore it out! They have one in stock, but they have to have another company install it. They should be able to do so first thing tomorrow morning and I should get my car back tomorrow night. Until then, I am stuck in the Taurus. Sigh. It’s so hard being a spoiled little princess…

I will be the first to admit it: I am a brand snob. Or as my college marketing professor would say, I am “brand loyal” (which just sounds nicer anyway). Now, I am not exactly sure why I am, because I certainly wasn’t raised that way. In fact, quite the opposite. My parents were always buying generic and it proved to be just as good as the more expensive alternative. However as an adult, I have found the adverse to be true. I am perfectly willing to pay a little more for a superior product. The few times I have tried to save a couple bucks buying the store brand has actually backfired because I end up going back and buying my tried-and-true name brand in addition because the generic didn’t live up to my expectations.

Now I could probably make a million excuses as to why name brands are better; for example additional capital, extensive marketing resources, and superior research and development teams. But this is my soap box and I don’t need to justify my opinions. The bottom line is I trust my name brands and they have yet to let me down.

Case in point: diapers. Now I have been a loyal Pampers user since the hospital send us home with Ana and a lovely pack of Pampers Swaddlers. We were given a couple packages of Huggies as gifts but every time we put one on Ana’s little heiny they would leak. So I tucked them in the back of the closet “for emergencies only” and high-tailed it to the store to buy some more Pampers. Recently the time came when Ana became too big for the Swaddlers and I thought if ever I was going to make the switch to a different brand, now was the time.

I asked fellow mothers for their opinions and the consensus was the vast majority used Huggies. Some even used Kirkland (Costco’s generic) stating that they were the same, if not better. I even heard a rumor that they are made by the same company. So I did some cost comparisons and discovered that the cheapest (name brand) diapers were in fact the Huggies at Costco. In fact, when Costco is offering a coupon, they are actually cheaper than the Kirland brand. So I headed off to Costco, with my coupon in hand, and bought me a package of Huggies. And I have to admit, I felt a little guilty doing so. Pampers had always treated me right and I felt like I was betraying an old friend as I hauled the box to my car. I justified it to myself by thinking of the money we would save over the years. Sure it’s only a penny or two a diaper, but until Ana is potty-trained, that is A LOT of diapers.

Then it happened. The diaper leaked. I can only assume this is karma’s funny way of telling me I should have just left a good thing alone. Naturally, the diaper would leak when we were out of town, leaving me with a limited supply of clothes and no washing machine at my disposal. Oh and did I mention that the diaper leaked ON ME? Yeah. I was nursing Ana when suddenly we were both very warm. And very wet. The diaper leaked through her outfit, through her swaddle blanket, and soaked my clean jeans. Just lovely.

Now it’s only been one leak so far. The first of many, if history repeats itself. However, I am not totally unreasonable-I am willing to give Huggies another shot. (Mostly because I still have the better part of a case sitting in Ana’s closet.) But the next time the diaper leaks you better believe I will be taking advantage of the Costco return policy and taking back the rest of the diapers.

I know I did the research, both opinions and financial, and all signs pointed to Huggies, but I think it all comes down to the magic rule of parenting: YOU do what works best for YOUR family. My sister had a theory that certain diapers just work better on certain babies. Two of her children were Huggies babies and the third was Pampers. Go figure. So maybe Ana was just meant to be a Pampers kid. And at this point I am more than willing to spend a couple extra cents per diaper on my favorite brand. If nothing else, the peace of mind alone is worth it to me.

The last time I got my hair cut, I was about seven months pregnant. Not wanting to do something crazy and overwhelm my hormones, I kept it simple; cut off a few inches and added lots of layers to “lighten the load.” So you better believe, six months later, I was in desperate need of a haircut. See exhibit A:

After my trip to the salon today, I left with sleeker, shinier, and shorter hair. And I even managed to avoid getting a “mommy haircut!” See exhibit B:

Keep in mind it is shorter than it looks because it is blown straight. Once I let the unruly curls do their thing, it will pull it up a couple more inches. Just in time to be soft and bouncy for spring.

Today is Administrative Professional’s Day and as I am an “Administrative Professional” that means today we celebrate ME. (Don’t you dare call me a secretary or I will hunt you down.) My boss, always worried about being the last to recognize special occasions, left my gift on my desk where I would be sure to find it first thing this morning. Being the lovely man that he is, he gave me a sweet card an a gift certificate for a personalised swimsuit for an hour long massage. I am totally loving him today because how great does an hour long massage sound about now? Sounds purrrrrfect.

Being an administrative assistant is filled with many tasks such as taking care of every teeny tiny detail (with perfection, mind you), handling any crisis that should arise (with a smile!), and most importantly managing the calendar. The calendar is responsible for informing my boss of such occasions as birthdays, anniversaries and yes, even Administrative Professional’s Day.

In fact, the first year that I worked for my boss he had put the date in the calendar himself, but being male, he entered it on the wrong date. As the actual date approached, I noticed the error and corrected it as quickly as possible to avoid the shame of being the only assistant to not have their boss acknowledge the day. Actually it was more to avoid my boss being embarrassed because really I wouldn’t have cared…well, not too much. As he realized his error and what it would have meant had I not corrected it, he promptly made sure that I knew I was solely responsible for making sure that Administrative Professional’s Day was always in the calendar. And on the right day.

You better believe I have upheld my end of the arrangement.

Do you ever have days where you just feel like you don’t matter? Like you don’t have any real friends? Like people take you for granted and just don’t want the same thing from you as you do from them?

Ughhh. I have been feeling that way lately. Every time I log into my admin to blog, I just keep thinking about all these sad, pathetic, and often mean, things I want to say, so I log out, opting to say nothing instead. But I decided today it is obviously something I MUST put out there, to vent, if you will, or I may never blog anything happy or fun again.

I really value my friends. I think they are an essential part of life. We need them for fun, for support, for strength, for advice, and for smiles. But lately I have been feeling kind of neglected. I realize everyone is busy and has their own lives, but I wonder why so many of my friends don’t feel the need to call, or email, or drop by, or even IM. I don’t think I’m being clingy or desperate or insecure. I just wonder why, what comes so easy to me, is so hard for other people.

I like to think I am pretty generous. I have weekly dinners in which all my friends are invited to come over. No one needs to bring anything but themselves. When I see something in the store that makes me think of a friend of mine, I instantly buy it and give it with a card reading, “Just because.” I send greeting cards. I write thoughtful emails of, “Just thinking of you” or “Just making sure you are ok.” But I don’t think I have ever really gotten anything like that in return. Now don’t get me wrong, I don’t do these things expecting anything back or to make someone feel obligated. I just don’t understand how I could never have received any of these thing. It mystifies me.

*Sigh* I guess that is just the way things are. People will be who they are and that is that. I really should learn to lower my standards so I am not constantly disappointed in life, right? I mean, am I asking too much here? I was always raised to treat people as I would like to be treated. So does that mean they are treating me how they want to be treated? I just don’t understand….

**UPDATED** I just got an forward from my friend Lisa P that actually brought a smile to my face and lifted me out of my self-pity. Here are some of the highlights:
I like you because of who you are to me. A true friend…
A good friend will come bail you out of jail, but a true friend will be sitting next to you saying, “We screwed up! But I am proud to be your friend!”…
You are my friend and I am honored.