Thoughts of the Mama

Pray for us ~ :)

2007-11-15T22:51:00.000-05:00

Danika has croup and an ear infection ~ she's being a real trooper, though.

Nate had a low grade fever and hasn't been eating very well for the past 2 days (I'm guessing it's because he's not feeling so hot).

Say some extra prayers for us if you get a chance...I know it's not major, but I'm a bit anxious when they are sick. (I guess that's one way to put it - should say I'm a basketcase.)

Oh ~ and while I'm asking for prayer requests...please, keep my mother-in-law in your prayers. I can't really get into details now, but she's sick and having issues that may be pretty serious. I totally lucked out in the MIL department and can't imagine what life would be like without her (I know that's pretty selfish of me...but I do love her to pieces). It's not that serious, yet...but the potential is there so if you could - say some extra prayers for her, too.

Thanks!

Halloween pics and such

2007-11-07T14:12:00.000-05:00

I'm back ~ kinda...anyone there? Probably not, after all I took like 9 days off blogging...cut me some slack - I've been working on a Christmas list. Oh, and Christmas shopping because I'm determined not to get stuck needing to shell out 300 + bucks on gifts all at once. I'm trying to do a little bargain hunting...which is sooo not me. I'm pretty new at the whole toy shopping thing. Any tips would be greatly appreciated. We aren't going crazy with our kiddos, but we have a lot of other kids to buy for...I mean my SIL popped out 4 all by herself! Add that to my sister's little one and my other SIL's 2...plus a few very close friends who have kiddos...I think the total comes to 12 kids not counting my own. As of right now I have 5 bought and 2 picked out...not an awful start.

We also have 4 birthdays in November (now it's 5 because my friend, Colleen, just had a son ~ Quinton Joseph!). Angelina's birthday was the 1st (see cake pic above). Mia and Kaitlyn share today as their birthday...and Nate turns two on the 19th. February must be one of the top months to "get it on" because that's a lot of babies. :)

In other news, I've gotten the three kiddos on a schedule. It's not a set in stone schedule and daylight savings kinda threw us a bit, but it's enough that I'm not pulling my hair out everyday. I will say there is something about a child crying that is not your own that kinda gives you that nails on chalkboard feeling some days. Like today...but I can't be "upset" with ET for very long...he has the cutest smile! I was trying to lay him down for his second nap today and he was fighting it. I knew that Danika was probably not doing something she should be doing and needed to hurry - totally my fault, I know...but he was giving me a tough time and I was getting agitated. (FYI ~ I've done this with my own kids, too...so don't think I'm pickin' on him) I started to hold him a little closer...you know that snugness that babies like that helps them to relax. I did that and bounced up and down a little bit (we were listening to The Carpenters - can you believe that?) He looked up at me with the smile and I melted. Then he fell asleep.

He's waking up now...so I should probably go before he wakes everyone up. Party Party tonight for Mia - Nate's gonna be so excited. He's in love with cake. We "talked" yesterday and he told me he wants a Baby Jaguar cake for his birthday. I'm gonna give it a shot.

Busy Busy

2007-10-29T15:38:00.000-04:00

Think I disappeared? Not really - but I've been unable to spend any time blogging for various reasons. The two main reasons are 23 months old and 9 months old and keeping me on my toes these days. :)

I just so happened to snag some Wiggles DVDs at Big Lots (Seriously - they were 4 bucks a piece!) so they are entertained while eating a snack right after a semi-long nap. So...after cleaning the kitchen and checking some email, I've decided to blog for the remainder of the free time I have.

We went to the Doctor's for a routine well child visit for Danika this morning. My little tubby baby is 29 inches long and weighs 21.4 pounds! Dr. G said she's doing great. She also gave me a "tip" for how to get Nate to eat more. She said that I should stop giving him sippy cups and make him drink out of cups without lids in the kitchen when I give him a drink. That way he'll drink when he's thirsty and not all day to have some calories when he's a little hungry. Argh ~ doesn't sound fun...but if it works that would make me a lot happier. The kid needs to start eating. His sister eats sooo much better than he does.

In other news ~ here's our Family Halloween Pic:

I'm waiting for my sister to send me the good pics from Halloween before I show you costume pics. I didn't get any good ones but she did. :)

Well, I know it was short...but I have to go and make sure that Danika doesn't eat Nate's puzzle pieces. It's never ending.

Where I've been ~

2007-10-18T21:35:00.000-04:00

Well...it's been a couple days since I've posted. Anyone still here? hehehe

I've been over at CafeMom.

Poking around a little bit and seeing if maybe it would be a better fit than Blogger for me. I've also been taking some on-line surveys, etc...I've gotten some pretty cool stuff in the mail from taking surveys. I've probably cashed a total of about 25 bucks in checks from survey sites and I have participated in 3 or 4 studies about baby products where they sent me diapers, wipes and such. It can keep you really busy if you do all the surveys that come your way. I created a special Gmail account just for survey stuff ~ that way when I have time I head on over to my Gmail and do some surveys and it doesn't clutter up my regular yahoo inbox. That was one of my brighter ideas. :)

Last but not least, I've been busy. My grandmother visited and we saw her a few times last week. She lives in Florida. We had a wonderful time. My kiddos just LOVED her! We went shopping on Tuesday and spent a lot of cash - Grandma wanted to give us the kids Christmas and Birthday money while she was here and take us shopping for things they needed. We are all set for clothes for both of them now! What a blessing!!! Other than winter boots, they are both good to go until spring! :) ~ Well, I want to buy the Christmas outfits...but Jerry thinks they can wear something they already have. We'll see.

I've had Ethan all week - and things have been going really well. It just keeps me going. And makes me pretty tired by the end of the day.

The not smoking thing is going really well...tomorrow will be 1 week since I had a cigarette. I miss it soooo much. It's funny because it's not the nicotine, it's the break I use to get by heading outside to smoke for 5 minutes. My mom suggested I take a tea break and make it special somehow. (I've given up Diet Pepsi, too...I'm a glutton for punishment these days). Who knows...I'm getting by. I just keep thinking, "What am I going to do when I'm around smokers? How am I going to handle wanting one then?" Last time I quit, I was pregnant and didn't really hang out with any smokers or anything for the first 4/5 months after I quit...except my SIL, but she's not a BIG smoker so it wasn't so bad. Eh ~ I will cross that bridge when I have to.

I'm going to bed...I'm really really tired and Ethan's going to be here by 6:30 tomorrow morning. It's gonna be another LONG day. :)

6 readers ~ WELCOME

2007-10-14T22:23:00.000-04:00

Hello and welcome to my 6 readers! :)

I feel like I should introduce you all ~ but some of you already know each other anyway.

So...I took an entire week away from blogging and can't think of a damn thing to write about! Can you believe it? Oh wait...oh yeah NOW I remember what I wanted to write about while I was patiently waiting to make the switch to "private" blog.

I got a call from my doctor's office the other day about my blood work. Turns out my triglycerides are super high (443) and I have to go on a diet. Plus, apparently birth control pills can cause your triglycerides to be elevated. So ~ I'm in the market for a new way not to get pregnant again...We need to address that pronto. I don't want to have 3 kids under 3...that would definitely not help me with the next thing I have to do. I have to REALLY quit smoking...which I am happy to report I've been successful at for about 62 hours now. I tried when I told you all I was going to quit before, but that didn't work...I'm a little more determined now, but the diet and lack of smoking has made me really crabby...super crabby...extremely crabby. (Get the picture? I'm crabby.) I have a gigantic bag of Halloween candy that I bought with all intentions of eating myself sitting in the other room and I only had a Kit Kat (snack size) in the past week. That little Kit Kat by itself made me feel guilty. I hate dieting.

Really and truly, though, this isn't going to be a diet...it's got to be a lifestyle change. Once I get my triglycerides back on track I have to keep them that way ~ that'll mean I can give a little here and there, but I'm going to have to be healthier all the time. The doctor also put me on Lovaza ~ it's like top of the line Omega 3. He ordered blood work again in 2 months. Argh ~ the holidays are gonna stink.

Okay, so here's some pictures of my kiddos:

Nate and the messy paint

Danika, Nate and Ethan - just a typical day

Just in case you have a blogreader (like bloglines or google reader) I want to let you know that my feed won't show up when I post. So, you're gonna have to come and seek me out! :)

I am going to give the private thing a try and if it doesn't work - I'm mainly worried that I won't feel like writing because I'll feel like no one is reading - pretty vain of me, I know - but if it doesn't work then I'll probably go back to being a public blog with comment moderation. But I wanted to try this first to see how it feels. I do have to warn you all, though...knowing that I know who is and is NOT (more importantly) reading my blog may cause me to say things I normally wouldn't. Be prepared. :) Oh, and thanks . . . I'm really glad you are here.

The time has come my friends . . . Going Private

2007-10-07T23:04:00.001-04:00

I had been on the fence about what to do with my blog: make it private vs. keep it public. Then I received a comment on my last entry that was the most bizarre thing I've ever read. It had nothing to do with my post and used language that I don't appreciate at all. My husband says that it was just some solicitation from some website. He's probably right, but it's the little push I needed to make my decision.

I'm going to take a week off of blogging and leave this post here - Starting next Sunday or Monday (Oct. 14/15), my blog will be private. If you would like to be able to still view it you can send me your e-mail address and I'll add it to the list of people able to view it.

It's not so much that I was upset by the comment - it's just the fact that someone with those views could look at pictures of my children and read stories about their innocence and then make that post. It's more about my kids than it is about me...It's just one more thing I feel I can do to protect them.

Thanks for understanding! Hope you send me your email so you can continue to read and comment.

Thank you word inventor

2007-10-04T09:59:00.001-04:00

I could complain about a ton of things...but who wants to hear me whine? So...I'll share some pictures from our trip to the park on Monday. I took my sister, Angelina and Nate. Danika stayed with my mom and took a really long nap.

I would like to thank the person who thought we should call a large vehicle with big wheels a truck. After all, boys of any age like trucks. Any kind of trucks. Unfortunately, a lot of soon-to-be 2 year old boys have trouble with the TR sound. Often it comes out sounding like FA. Which leads me to the story I would like to share with you now.

We went to the park by the river and one of the remaining Steel Mills in the area. As you could well imagine, a lot of BIG TRUCKS drive on the road that goes in front of this park. My son amused everyone in the park (all 6 of us) by screaming, "BIG TRUCK" every time a truck drove by. However, he is one of those soon-to-be 2 year old boys...so...it didn't sound like BIG TRUCK at all. Well kinda, I guess...he got the uck part right. You figure it out.

Here's some pics of the park and of Danika ~ They were too cute not to throw in there!

Hell and Damnation

2007-10-01T09:00:00.000-04:00

I went to church by myself yesterday. Jerry went to 9 o'clock mass and I stayed with the kids and went to 11 o'clock by myself. It was the first time in quite a while I was able to pay attention to what was happening. I missed the kids and every time a baby made a noise or a little kid was misbehaving, I noticed...and missed them more. I will say, however, that I was able to pay attention to the Gospel reading and the homily much more than I would have with my kids there...and what a Gospel reading it was this week.

I'd heard it before...it's the one about the rich guy and the poor guy. The poor guy hangs out around the rich guy's house and he doesn't help him. They both die and the poor guy goes to heaven and the rich guy goes to hell. From hell, the rich guy can see St. Peter sitting with the poor guy. He asks St. Peter to send the poor guy down and have him dip his finger in the cool water and put some on his tongue to help him quench his thirst. St. Peter says no. Then the rich guy asks St. Peter to send the poor guy to his father's house...because he has 5 brothers and he wants them to be warned of what will happen to them if they don't change their ways. (This could very well be where Charles Dickens got his Christmas Carole idea from!) St. Peter says no ~ he says that the brothers have Moses and the Prophets to listen to...and that should be enough.

The homily was a lot about how it isn't enough to just not do anything wrong ~ we must also do good. So of course, as any good homily does, it got me to thinking. I think I lead a pretty good life. In a way, I always thought that we were doing well and pretty happy because we tried to live a good life. My biggest "sin" is probably that I gossip a bit more than I should ~ considering you aren't suppose to gossip at all...anyway, I got to thinking and now I'm trying to think of what I can do that would be "extra" or giving something back. I don't have any money to start throwing around at charity or anything. So...any ideas? I want to be a good example for my kids, too. If they see me and my husband doing good...they will probably follow suit some day. I know a lot of people who could use help ~ but there isn't a lot I can do with two kids as small as mine are right now. They take a lot of time an energy...I don't have a whole lot left after a day with them. :) But I don't really want to put it off...because you never know what might happen. I'd hate to get to heaven and be told I waited too long to start doing good.

So ~ in short, anyone got any ideas how I can do good and make a difference that doesn't involve money or a lot of energy and extra time? Does that sound selfish or what? Argh...

Lacking

2007-09-28T13:32:00.000-04:00

Did you ever have one of those days where you felt like you were just lacking everything? I had one of those days yesterday.

I was lacking energy due to lack of sleep.
I was lacking patience due to the lack of my son's desire/willingness to eat...or sit on the potty (it's early, I know)...or stop hitting me or his sister.
I was lacking compassion for just about everyone and everything because I was tired and moody...because we are lacking funds to do the things we want to do.
We have the funds to do the things we have to do...but the things we want to do we just can't swing.
I was lacking motivation to do anything because I didn't know where to start because so much needs done.
I was lacking any type of cheeriness due to lack of sunshine...what a gloomy day it was!
Hmm...what else? Who knows, but yesterday sucked.

Like always, when I have days like that, things look better the next day. It wasn't that I slept better (because I totally didn't). It wasn't like we won the lottery and our money problems are history. It wasn't like my son woke up potty trained, hungry and with no desire to hit anything or anyone...because that TOTALLY didn't happen (although, if it did I'd be REALLY happy!). No, the reasons I feel better today are simple.

1) I spent quality time with my hubby working on ridding myself of some stress...if you catch my drift. (I know...I know...eww TMI)

2) I cleaned my kitchen. Did you ever notice how a clean kitchen makes everything seem better? A shiny empty sink always makes me feel better. Must be a Flylady leftover ~ I couldn't keep up with that whole thing. :)

Can I just state for the record, that my husband's boss is a jerk. Do you know what he said to him last week after he (my husband) got rear ended on the way to work? He said, "You're having a lot of trouble with your truck lately. You know it's because you don't love your kids enough." WTF!?!?!?

First of all, this is a man who is about my age and has the arrogance of a 23 year old pup who hasn't experienced anything real (know what I mean?). This big jerk has been making these off the wall, ridiculous comments since Jerry started working there. He has no kids...he finally found someone to marry him in May (poor girl).

I'd like to give him a piece of my mind...but of course I can't because he is my husband's boss ~ something he likes to remind my husband of hourly. Not too long ago he started a conversation with my husband and when my husband made a comment this jerk responded with, "What a waste that was. I wish you'd just say 'Yes ____', 'Whatever you say ____' If I really want your opinion I'll ask for it." Stupid jerk.

I love Peter Krause

2007-09-26T23:06:00.000-04:00

I just got done watching Dirty Sexy Money...the pilot episode...I love Peter Krause. I would have named my son Peter after him, but that would have gone over as well as Jerry wanting to name Danika Jessica. Did I ever tell you all that story? Anyway, Nate got his name ~ as far as I'm concerned~ from Peter Krause's character Nathaniel Fisher on Six Feet Under. He played a great part in Dirty Sexy Money. The pilot has all the makings of a great show...I have to remember to tune in next Wednesday at 10. Of course once hockey season hits my whole TV show schedule gets thrown out the window.

Yeah, so...minutes before I delivered Danika we still weren't sure of her name. We had kind of decided on Danika...but were still throwing other ideas for names around. We liked Amanda. Jerry said to me ~ while the doctors were prepping the room ~ "How about Jessica?" I about ripped his head off. Jessica was the name of the girl he was "dating" when I met him. I dated a Peter...years ago...have NO idea where he is or what he is doing...but I NEVER suggested we name Nate Peter.

Ahh...men. It's been a bad evening. :( Off to bed. Hope tomorrow evening is better.

PS I made Fettuccine with Sweet Pepper-Cayenne Sauce for dinner. It was Yummy! I highly recommend you try it. Super Easy too!!!

What now?

2007-09-26T13:18:00.000-04:00

Let me start by saying my son has 4 stickers on his Potty Chart. Which means he has used his potty 4 times today. :) Whoo Hoo! I'd post a pic but then I read the following and just don't know what to do anymore.

First, RSM posted about it here.

Then Kara posted about it here.

I read RSM's post last night and changed my Flickr account to friends and family only...so if you want to be added just let me know. I'm not sure if you need to have an account or not. I'll also be using Snapfish for those of you who have an account there and would want to see pics of my little darlings.

I have a lot to say about the whole thing ~ but before I do PLEASE no lectures...I don't want to hear, "That's why I don't put pics of my kids online" or "I knew that it wasn't a good idea". Yeah for you if you aren't worried about it...I am. Yes, it's my fault because I uploaded every single picture that is on my Flickr account. Yes, I know that there are sick sick people out there and that I am responsible for the safety and well being of my children. I would do anything in my power to keep my kids safe. There are those that argue that there is no harm done in stealing pictures...but I disagree.

The pictures I take of my children are special to me. They are mine and I like sharing them with my family and friends who do not live close enough to see my kids. That is why I have a Flickr account and why I put pictures on my blog. My grandmother told me the other day that she goes to my site to look at pics of the kids for fun when she has the time. I love that she can do that. Now thanks to the perverts of the world I'm not sure she will be able to...after all, I don't think she has a Flickr account or that she will want to sign up for one.

My husband says I shouldn't worry about it because I have enough to worry about...but I am worried. Maybe he's right...but I'm still going to take all the precautions I can to make sure that my kids aren't being "stolen" online. I've thought about making my blog an invite only blog for a while now...what do you think? I mean you can never be too safe, right? I don't know why I don't just do it...I guess because I like meeting new people...but is that really worth it? I'm going to think about it some more and make a decision...I'll let you know that way if you want to be invited I can add you.

Jerry's right...I do have more important things to worry about ~ this stinks.

Well that didn't work!

2007-09-25T06:36:00.000-04:00

I tried putting Nate to bed an hour earlier last night and he just cried and cried...so he ended up falling asleep on the living room floor at the same time he usually does. It's now 6:30 am and we are watching (go ahead and guess) Peter Pan. I'm tired...and sitting here with a big old cuppa coffee. Danika is sleeping soundly in my bed. She woke up around 4:00 am. I'm tired...did I say that already? Hmmm...

We're going potty shopping today. I'm nervous about starting, but so excited about the possibility of getting him outta diapers.

I was thinking about what else (other than my kiddo's sleeping issues) I wanted to post about today. I thought I'd post some lists of favorites over the next few days to help those of you who don't really know me all that well to get to know me a bit better. So, here's the first list of things.

Ten things that I LOVE that can be found in my house at this very moment
(this doesn't include any movies or books or people or places ~ those will come later)

1. Tom Tucker Mint Ginger Ale ~ My great-grandmother always had this on hand and it reminds me of being little...and reminds me of her.

2. My computer ~ I can waste days and days on my computer.

3. My bathrobe ~ I love being in my pajamas and my bathrobe is the most cozy comfy thing ever.

4. My cell phone ~ I really like the mobile web and VCast on my phone, too.

5. My refrigerator ~ We didn't pay as much as it says it costs on the website. I LOVE my refrigerator...The freezer on the bottom rocks and I love having everything eye level in my fridge. The ice maker is pretty cool, too.

6. Dunkin' Doughnuts coffee ~ It really is some of the best coffee...I've become more of a coffee person these days.

7. My Dyson ~ You can totally tell I'm a housewife when two of my favorite things are a refrigerator and a vacuum cleaner. Seriously, though, the Dyson rocks.

8. My bedroom furniture ~ it was one of the first furniture purchases hubby and I made. There are 3 pieces, a dresser for me and a dresser for hubby (his is taller but mine has more drawers) and a night stand. It matches the bed frame my parents gave us.

9. Danika's BeBe Pod ~ I don't know how I made it through 4-8 months with Nate and didn't have this chair. Danika loved sitting up in it and now I use it for Ethan. If you would have a use for it I HIGHLY recommend it.

10. My cookbooks ~ I know this is a lot of things and not just one, but I love looking at cookbooks in general. I'm not that great of a cook, but I'm getting better. I love looking at recipes and trying them out (if they are easy enough!)

Well, there you have it. Pretty lame list, I think. I'll try to wow you with my list of favorite books, movies or places...those will be to come. For now, I'm off to watch that bucket of hormones and the boy in tights again. HeLp! :)

No Nap Nate ~ Mama's frustrated

2007-09-24T16:39:00.000-04:00

When do kids usually stop taking naps? Just curious...because I think we're getting to that point. I think it's too early, but I also don't feel like fighting with him about it. He had no nap today. Yesterday and Saturday he didn't fall asleep until after 4...and he slept for quite a while. I'm thinking about moving bedtime up and then playing the nap by ear. What do you think? It's too early, right? Maybe this is one of those phase things and he's growing or getting ready to do some other wonderful trick (like get potty trained!) and he's too anxious to take naps. Who knows. Speaking of potty training...I think this is the week I'm gonna give it a try. Yesterday, I asked Nate if he had any peas and he said, "Uh Huh...pee..." and walked over to the steps and up to the bathroom. Any suggestions?

In other news, I think Danika is getting more teeth. She's really moody (TGF ELMO!) and just seems bothered. It's not as bad as the first set, but still she's unusually crabby.

We still have runny noses around here - and that's not helping matters. Tomorrow is a busy day. Hubby has a doctor's appointment at 3:30 and we have someone coming to give us a bid on our bathroom around 6:00. I'm also going to try to take Nate out to buy his potty some time between when hubby gets home from his morning hunt and has to go to the doctor's office. This way I can leave Danika with him.

We're having leftovers for dinner tonight ~ and then I have my menu all planned for the rest of the week. I even did my shopping this morning. Now I just need to find time to clean the bathroom a bit...just because it will make me feel better. :)

So..Tired..

2007-09-21T06:45:00.000-04:00

To start, I'll let you all know that my check up with my PCP went well. He ordered me an ultrasound for my thyroid just to be on the safe side, but said everything "felt" okay. He also said that yearly check ups would be the way for me to go in terms of staying on top of any future problems. Kinda figured that...I mean everyone should get yearly check ups anyway, right?

Now I'm going to complain a little (okay...maybe a lot). I'm really really tired. My kiddos didn't sleep well at all last night. They were both up at 3ish and wouldn't go back in their cribs. We tried. They screamed and we were too tired (because we stayed up too late watching pointless documentaries about music on VH1 Classic) to fight with them about it. When I put Nate back in his crib he screamed for about 25 minutes...so, I gave up. When Jerry put Danika in her crib she cried for about 5...so, he gave up. They are both sleeping with their father in our bed as I type. Ethan is here, sleeping in the bouncy chair, so I am awake. To add to the disappointment, my coffee has almost no flavor this morning. I guess I measured wrong or something. It's the first time I've had any issue making coffee...had to be today, huh.

We have a rather busy weekend coming up...and I don't feel like having a busy weekend. I feel like staying home and being a bum. Not a possibility, though. I think if all three kids take a nap at the same time today I'll be napping with them. I always say that and never do.

One last bit of sad news...I was walking into Sheetz yesterday when a picture/poster of a missing teen caught my eye. I recognized her. I stopped to look at the poster on my way out and realized I was right. She was one of my students. Christina M. It took me a while to remember her last name (she's probably 14/15 now and I taught her when she was 8/9). The poster said she was last seen at a hospital and needed medication. I remember how strong willed she was and would assume that she ran away from the hospital. Poor thing. She really is a sweet girl deep down...but she had a lot of problems. I had her during my worst year of teaching ever. I cried almost every night after dealing with the kids in that class. Not too long ago (2 years I think) one of the boys from that class committed suicide. I think he was 13. There was something about that class that got to me. It made me sad. They were almost all fighters and had very little faith in adults. They didn't trust too many people and most of them had attitudes that made it really tough to teach them. I tried my best to reach them...but so many of them needed something I just didn't have enough to give. You know about the squeaky wheel getting the oil ~ I had a room full of squeaky wheels that year...and I remember the loudest one very vividly. I often wonder where he is and if he'd remember me. I would hope that he would and that he maybe changed a little...but I doubt it. Thinking back to that year makes me glad I'm a Stay at Home mom these days.

Amy's Contest

2007-09-20T13:21:00.000-04:00

Okay ya'll ~ hehe ~ Amy is having a contest. It's pretty simple and has some nifty prizes. The first step is to advertise the contest on your blog...so here it is!

Amy is having a contest! Go check it out! It starts tomorrow! Tell her I sent you, maybe I'll get brownie points. :)

Oh and while your at it you can check out her hubby, Michael, too. Not check him out...check his blog out...or check him out, I guess. Tell Amy what a good choice she made. :)

Good Luck to all! :)

Clean House ~ I'm annoyed

2007-09-20T07:03:00.000-04:00

Last night I got the remote. Jerry was doing something on the computer and he tossed me the remote as I laid on the couch trying to snuggle Danika to sleep (yes, I know that's a habit we have to break...and soon).

I started watching In The Womb on the National Geographic Channel...but it made me want to be pregnant again so I decided to watch something else. Clean House was airing their "Messiest House in the Country" episode...I thought it may inspire me to clean my house so I turned it on. I watched the whole thing and in the end it just really ticked me off. I mean those women didn't seem to appreciate what they were given at all.

First of all, their house was the messiest house in the country by far. Literally, they didn't have an inch of space in which to live. The youngest daughter (there were 3 women living in the house ~ mom and 2 daughters...probably in their late 20's early 30's) admitted to never eating at home because there was no where to sit and eat! The mother's room had so much stuff on the bed that the only way she could have possibly slept was scrunched up where the pillows were...the floor and closets were packed full of crap. There were boxes and papers and junk in every room...every inch of every room. I can't even imagine how someone's house gets like that...it was truly awful.

These women kept everything. They won a home makeover because of their pack rat behavior and it ticked me off. Not only did they not have to pay a thing to get their house totally redone (new furniture, new appliances, new carpet, new paint, new window treatments, new bedding, new high def tvs), they were purged of their belongings. I know that is the point of the show ~ declutter. These women were holding on so tightly to their things that they actually went through the stuff in the yard sale and carted things off in the other daughter's car. They fought tooth and nail when the time came to get rid of junk. I guess, in their defense, they were holding on to certain items for reasons we all do. A lot of the things reminded them of their father/husband who died three years prior. Then there was the older daughter who was planning on moving "someday" and had bought things to take with her when she does...buckets, pots and pans, etc. By the time the Clean Home crew was done the house looked amazing. I think they totally wasted their time, though. I fully expect that these women will just let the junk pile up again. It may take a while, but they really didn't seem to appreciate or understand what anyone did for them.

That ticked me off. When I watch (and I've only done this a handful of time) Extreme Home Makeover I am so touched by the stories and you can tell that the families they help are truly thankful. I wanted to slap these women. All of them. Especially the mother...and then I wanted to burn everything in her closet. I will admit that she seemed "better" by the end.

The money they raised from their yard sale (around $1,800) went to the American Stroke Foundation (I think that's right) because they won a free makeover so the money went to a charity of their choice. The husband/father died of a stroke and they chose that charity. That was pretty cool...but all in all the show just made me mad. Okay, mad and a little bit jealous...anyone want to come declutter my house and redo it? You can start with the bathroom.

I don't think I'll be watching again.

Blasted Peter Pan

2007-09-19T07:17:00.000-04:00

The Easter Bunny brought Nate Peter Pan in his Easter Basket last year. I know he was only a year and a half and I was lucky if he would sit still for an entire Baby Einstein video. Recently, he got a cold. I thought it might be fun to watch a movie and "veg" out on the couch. I popped Peter Pan in...just to see if it would keep his interest.

We have now watched it twice a day since then...that means I've watched Peter Pan a total of 7 times since Friday.

Now, I use to think Tinkerbell was a cute fairy. I'm starting to feel like she's an evil twit. Don't get me wrong. I enjoy the hour I have to do something (like post on my blog) while he intently watches this little flying bucket of hormones. Seriously, though...I must not have been paying attention much when I watched Peter Pan in the past. Peter is apparently one hot bachelor that all the girls want to get with. First, Tink gets all hot and bothered (she even turns a lovely shade of red and tries to murder the "Wendy-bird") because Peter shows interest in Wendy. Then Wendy gets her panties in wad because Tigerlily is "grateful" when Peter saves her life. Oh...and the mermaids...they only wanted to drown Wendy out of jealousy. I never knew what a soap opera Peter Pan was.

Of course, Nate doesn't watch it because of the girl drama. He's totally into Captain Hook and that ticking Croc. Couldn't pic a better role model for my son than a man who smokes 2 cigars at once and has a huge life consuming grudge (I'd probably have a grudge if someone fed my hand to the Croc, too).

The one question I have (okay...I could probably come up with more, but this one bugs me) is how on earth could Mr and Mrs Darling leave their three children unattended to go to a party...I mean the only "adult" was Nanna ~ the dog tied up outside. Wendy's not even out of the nursery, yet...and they left the three of them alone to go out. (BTW the idea of a nursery is pretty cool...wish I had a room big enough to make one.

Nate's beckoning me to come watch with him...so I'm off to watching the little flying bucket of hormones and Wendy duke it out for the attention of a boy in tights. What fun. :)

It was bound to happen...

2007-09-17T15:43:00.000-04:00

I'm sick. Not miserable, but definitely not great. My throat hurts. Actually, it feels like strep throat. It hurts when I swallow and it's sore all the time. I have an appointment with my PCP on Thursday ~ if it isn't better by then I'll get something for it. I'm hoping it is just a little bug.

Here's so pics from this weekend: I titled them Shiny Happy Sick Kids

How the germ passing starts

Her first nightgown

Nate after eating a doughnut ~ extra slimy

Baby girl with her dada

Nate wearing no pants ~ but daddy's socks

Redemption

2007-09-16T23:07:00.000-04:00

I hate when I blog nasty things about my husband and the very next day he turns into the nicest guy in the world. Makes me feel like all I do is complain.

He didn't get home until after 8 last night. I wasn't so much upset that he was home that late ~ but I was upset that he called me at 4:45 and told me he'd be home soon and then didn't come home until 8. We didn't have a great evening at all...but then this morning he more than made up for it.

He was WONDERFUL today. First, he went out in the morning and bought me the doughnuts I was craving (and coffee and a breakfast sandwich and a newspaper!) for breakfast this morning. Then he played with the kids and was so good with them all morning/afternoon. He and Nate wrestled around on the floor for the first time and he even gave him a ride on his back.

After I got Nate to sleep, he played with Danika for most of the afternoon so I could do my hair and relax a little. Then he took me out to dinner with our friends Mike and Meredith while his mom and dad watched the kids. We had such a wonderful day.

I know tomorrow starts a new week with a whole new set of things to do and things I didn't do last week to creep up on me...like see my sister with a birthday present that I didn't buy yet, or my father with something for his birthday that hasn't been bought either. But tonight I'm going upstairs to get a good night's sleep and enjoy the rest of my perfect day. :)

There ~ I've set the record straight and told you the good with the bad. Now I can sleep knowing I'm not always complaining.

Hello, I'm the human pillow, nice to meet you ~

2007-09-15T13:35:00.000-04:00

We are now in day 2 of both babies being sick and I have a new name. I am human pillow. I've basically given up getting anything done and have resigned myself to the fact that my current job is to sit still and hold one or both of my children so they will not cry or whine. This worked up until nap time...so we'll see if it changes when they wake up. I'm not thinking it will. It's not a bad gig ~ just sitting around. But man...there goes the list a mile long of things I wanted to do this weekend since I was staying home anyway.

My husband is having one of those days where he annoys the hell out of me. I'm not mad at him at all...just annoyed...not even annoyed for any particular reason...just kind of annoyed he's here. It started this morning when he brought Danika down to me because he needed to "take care of something". I was sleeping on the couch with Nate ~ We came downstairs around 4 am after a little less than an hour of two whining/crying kids. I decided it would be best if I just took Nate somewhere else. The couch worked best for both of us. I put Peter Pan in and fell asleep. Nate fell asleep when the movie was over. I had been sleeping for about 3 hours when Jerry brought Danika downstairs. "Watch her for me...I need to take care of something." Ok, Jackass. Give me a freakin' break, I heard her crying upstairs two minutes ago! Argh...

So, I laid there with both of them for a few minutes...then Danika started to get fussy. So...I made her a bottle and took her upstairs so that she wouldn't wake Nate. I thought Jerry would be done doing what he needed to do...but I was wrong and annoyed. I changed Danika and gave her a bottle.

Later, Jerry decides he wants to go up to the attic to clear some "junk" outta the bedroom. I still have maternity clothes piled up because I didn't know what I was going to do with them. So, he gets the ladder and heads upstairs expecting me to be able to help. I eventually am able to help lift the bags and boxes into the attic. I ask him, since he is up there, if he will give me some of my "fall/winter" clothes because it's starting to get a bit chilly. He makes a big deal out of it. Then he says, "I'll wait while you empty those bins and fill them with your spring/summer stuff." Like hell you will ~ I'm not ready to do that, yet. So he bitches about having to make another trip into the attic soon. Tough shit ~ don't tell me an hour before that you are going up and expect me to have everything ready while carrying around 2 sick kids. Argh.

So then...Jerry decides he's going to pay some bills. For some reason our Microsoft Money is totally screwed up and we can't get any records to come up for anything after June. Did we back up since June? No. Is it Jerry's fault? No. Is it my fault? No. Do we have a "hard copy" of our bank transactions? NO! We aren't pointing fingers and fighting about it because it won't do any good...but it sure as hell is annoying. Right now we really have no clue of what we have or what we are going to be needing in the near future...annoying.

Add to this list that my husband refuses to do anything about the bathroom...that he complains about the house all the time...that he says he's going to do stuff and then sits on the couch.

Right now Jerry is cutting his grandmother's grass and then will be going to his sister's house to help her husband with some stuff...don't ask me what...I don't know. To be honest I'm actually okay with him not being here. I feel bad about it, but he really does just make things harder than they are sometimes. This is normal...right? Any suggestions?

Again, I'm not mad at him. We aren't fighting. I haven't said anything I'll regret later. I've been really good at biting my tongue. I'm just not sure how long that will last.

Sick Kids

2007-09-14T14:18:00.000-04:00

This is the first time they've both been sick together...and so far (knock on wood) it isn't too awful. Probably because they aren't puking sick...just stuffy so I can't keep the binky in so I can't sleep and I'm tired and cranky sick. I had to roll Nate onto his belly so he would stop chocking on his on mucus...pleasant thought, isn't it. It's pretty darn scary to watch a toddler's face when they can't breath or swallow the way they normally do...he looked scared and then pretty pissed off ~ now he's sleeping soundly on his belly with his butt sticking way up in the air. I love that he still does that.

Last night was pretty rough, though. There were 4 of us in our little bed...we have Queen and it's not built for 4 even if the 4th is a little gal.

Speaking of little gal, I hear her making some noise in the other room - it's probably feeding time. :) Wish me luck with the rest of the day. Oh...and the night...especially the night. I'm really tired.

I'm such a klutz

2007-09-12T16:01:00.000-04:00

My left arm is killing me. Why? Because I'm a klutz.

Last night I was the last to go to bed...nothing unusual there. I started shutting out lights and turning of monitors, etc. I almost always forget to turn off our ceiling fan in the living room. I made a point of turning it off last night. Unfortunately, I turned it off in the dark and when I went to move towards the steps I neglected to see the train that was parked right in front of me. I "fell" forward and left my arm on the wall with the switch for the fan. This has cause some sort of funky muscle pull that has been a pain in my butt all day long. My mom gave me some BioFreeze (Fuller Brush's answer to IcyHot). It seems to be helping a little...and the Advil kicked in about an hour ago. Argh. I hate when stupid things like that slow me down.

In other news, I have a doctor's appointment on the 20th with my PCP. Mainly for a yearly check up and to talk to him about my thyroid. You see, my father had thyroid cancer. My grandmother has nodules on her thyroid and they recently found some on my sister's thyroid. My dad saw his cousin at a funeral recently and she had the same thing...so...I thought I'd better go get looked at to have peace of mind that I'm at least watching it.

We had a pretty good day so far today...crappy night, though. For some reason neither one of my kids felt like sleeping in their own beds last night. They both ended up in my bed by 4 am. Nate started playing with his Baby Tad at 3 am. I remember that it was 3 am because this is the third night in a row he has done this...at 3 am. Jerry says to me last night, "Isn't 3 am the witching hour?" Yeah, that explains it all...Halloween is just right around the corner.

One funny story and then I'll quit wasting all of your time:

We are trying to start to wean Nate of his binky. I've heard a few "comments" from others that it's getting to be that time. I'm not one to really care what others think when it comes to my kids. It annoys me that people think they have the right to say something in the first place, but I digress.

So, we are trying the only at naps and bedtime thing. It's going pretty well. (Except of course when my husband sticks the thing in his mouth when he starts screaming in Lowe's...) Anyway, on to the point of the story.

I decided that we were going to Wendy's for lunch. So...I get Danika ready to go and pick her up. I grab Nate's hand and walk to the front door. We walk past the diaper bag (which I wasn't taking because we were just running to Wendy's) and Nate pauses. He looks at me then at the diaper bag. We take a few steps towards the front door and he stops again. He looks up at me then lets go of my hand and runs back to the diaper bag. He starts digging around in the side pocket and pulls out a binky. He pops it in his mouth, runs up to me and grabs my hand and give me this look like, "Okay, NOW we can go". He says, "Car seat?" And I have to chuckle. It's the first time he really seemed to notice he hasn't had a binky.

We walked out to the car and I strapped him in and took his binky. He was fine with it. He got it back at nap time and has been sleeping now for a little over 2 hours. He's such a sweetheart.

Where were you?

2007-09-11T23:08:00.000-04:00

Yeah, I know...it's a little (for lack of a better word) cheesy for a title of this post. After all you hear it over and over again about major disasters. Where were you when Kennedy was shot? Where were you when the Challenger exploded? Where were you on 9/11?

I remember where I was when the Challenger exploded and it was the same place (okay, different houses but still home) I was when I found out about the attacks on 9/11. I should have been, as the song says, "Teaching a class full of innocent children" but I had my gall bladder removed a few days before the attacks and I was taking a week off.

I remember when my mom first came up the steps to tell me that a plane hit one of the Twin Towers. I was in a fog and thought I was dreaming. I rolled over and went back to sleep. That was probably the safest I felt for the rest of the week ~ heck, the safest I've felt since then.

It didn't hit me that the attacks were real until I heard my father screaming at the television downstairs. My room was in the attic at the time and I heard him a full two floors above. They hit the second tower. It was confirmed that this was no accident. Hearing my father as upset as he was made the whole thing even more frightening. My father is the "solid" one...and he was falling apart before my very eyes.

I think that before those attacks I had never really thought about terrorism. I never thought about people who killed people they didn't even know for no real gain. Suicide bombers were something I thought only happened in WWII as an act of desperation. I never realized that such a thing might happen here, to "us". I know that there were reports on the news long before 9/11 about incidents of terrorism that were horrible. But it never seemed real to me. For some reason, seeing those planes hit their "targets" and hearing about the phone calls home from people who knew that this was the day they were going to die...it just changed the way I lived.

Still, to this day, I try to let a lot more roll off my back. I try to find a moment every day where I thank God for the wonderful things in my life. I try to smile more and I try to worry less...but that is probably the hardest part.

I got an email from my sister the other day that talked about "The Good Old Days" when it wasn't necessary to lock your front door or worry about your kids. When we didn't need to inspect Halloween candy for razor blades or worry if the way you glanced at someone was going to get you shot. All of a sudden, I felt like crying for my children. They are so precious and so sweet. I want to protect them from the world. I want them to feel safe and not know that there are people they don't even know who hate them for where they were born and what their religion is...I want to watch Elmo and Baby Einstein videos with them for the rest of my life. I know it's unrealistic and probably something that every parent goes through. But there are people who don't make it any easier.

For example, my father-in-law ~ he likes to tell me about missing school buses and the predictions about popes and how it's all connected to the end of the world. And about how we (the United States) are on the verge of a world war on our own soil because the signs are there. I makes me want to grab my kids and lock my front door, turn on Elmo and hold them close.
Don't get me wrong ~ I'm not about to become a hermit and I really do like my father-in-law. I never really told him how much those conversations bother me...so how's he suppose to know.

Then there is my husband's friend, Matt. His talk about the end of the world and the Bible Code. I even tell him I don't want to hear about it ~ but he continues...until I start changing the subject after every word. I tell him I don't need to hear that the world is going to end on 12/12/2012 ~ my kids will still be little.

I could probably ramble on and on about this for quite a while...but I'll bring it to an end here so I can go stare at my children and hold my hubby close for me for a little while.

When I remember 9/11, I remember all those who lost their lives and those that were left behind. I admire the strength of those who have continued to live through their terrible, senseless loss. I think about all of the men and women who are fighting and sacrificing right now so that we can live the lives we are living. I am thankful for my family and my friends. And I am nervous about the future...but hopeful at the same time.

Phew ~ can't wait

2007-09-10T17:00:00.000-04:00

I'm ready for today to gently and peacefully come to an end. (Oh and for the Ravens ~did I really just say that~ to kick the Bengals' butts! I'm up one!) It's five o'clock and both of my kiddos are napping. The main reason is because no one really napped or rested around here today. Ethan, who I was watching from 6ish to 3ish, was a very unhappy baby today. I honestly started to wonder if I was going to be able to keep it together.

I did. I also had a plan for what I was going to do if I couldn't. It's all good, though. You see, he got shots on Saturday and his mama is thinking that maybe it's that. Or it could be the pears she gave him because that was the first time he had them. Or maybe it's his teeth. Or it could be that he has gas. Or maybe he's allergic to the Tylenol I gave him. I swear days like today are the worst when you are a parent. The guessing game and wondering if you are even close to the mark. You try everything and just pray for them to fall asleep and wake up happy. Ethan did not today.

I think it's even worse because he's not mine. I didn't have his mama's touch...even thought I am a mama, I'm not his mama. It makes a world of difference to an unhappy baby. I didn't know what to do to make him feel better. He didn't want to lay down. He didn't want to sit up. He didn't want to play. He didn't want to eat. He didn't need changed. He didn't want his binky. I finally ended up walking around the house bouncing him up and down and making "Shhh...Shhh...Shhh" noises. He took a nap for a half hour. I swear I passed him off on his mama as soon as she walked onto the porch...not into the house...onto the porch. Phew.

In other news, Rachel Ray started her second season today. I'm going to start watching Rachel Ray as much as possible. (This is why I want a DVR) Today I did get to watch and saw Teri Hatcher and the lady who wrote the Orgasmic Diet book. Now, 3 women tried this diet out...they all said it was working enough for them to stick to it. The one girl (she was the youngest) said it wasn't working for her until very recently...like almost 3 weeks into the diet. She said that she hadn't felt any different and then the other morning she was like, "Right now" and then this morning she was like, "Oh wow, my goodness." Uhhh...yeah. I'm sure there are a lot of women who will find this book useful. I however do not need one more thing that needs done. I have the laundry, the dishes, feeding everyone, making sure everyone gets clean and dressed, grocery shopping, changing diapers (you get the picture, right). I am always hungry or thirsty or have to pee...and I need to wait to do those things. I really don't need to have one more thing that I need that I have to wait to get...know what I mean? Then again...you get to eat chocolate in the diet. No caffeine, except for the chocolate. Oh, and you have to take fish oil. Yuck ~ I tried that a few times and it never sat well with me.

Okay...no more diet talk. RR did do a yummy looking recipe that I am going to try some day.

Buffalo Chicken Pot Pie

It looks REALLY yummy...I didn't get to watch her make the whole thing because of screamin' Ethan. I heard something about blue cheese and corn bread, though. Mmmm...I'm going to make my Chicken and Biscuits now.

Okay ~ trying not to count my chickens

2007-09-09T22:47:00.000-04:00

Well ~ the chili was awesome. Made even better by being able to watch the Steelers pummel the Browns! :) We had a really nice day.

I'm trying not to get too excited...but you see I was wrong about Jerry's picks on our little football thing and as of right now we are tied!!! If the Cowboys win tonight (current score 31-19 Cowboys) then I'm up by 1!!! Then, if the Ravens (who I would never root for under any other circumstance) win I'll win this week by 2!!! Which means that Jerry will be grocery shopping next week! I know that is a lot of ifs...but I'm really excited. I thought I was going to be down 4 when this week was over. I mean I picked Atlanta ~ DUH, Michael Vick!!! Must have been a little brain fart or something. Can't imagine what I was thinking there.

In other news, Ethan will be here bright and early tomorrow morning so I need to go to bed as soon as the game ends. Shouldn't be too hard. I'm really tired.

Oh, did I mention that Danika now has 2 teeth? My MIL found the second one today...I thought it was there, but she wouldn't let me get a good look or feel. I'm a little sad that she'll be losing her adorable toothless grin. :(

Tomorrow I'm making Chicken and Biscuits from a recipe I got from a Gooseberry Patch cookbook ~ it's called A Pinch of This and A Dash of That. I've made this recipe quite a few times and it is yummy. :) Can't wait to eat dinner tomorrow. I'm a big Gooseberry Patch fan...hint hint to anyone needing ideas for anything. :)

Guess that's about it for now...Oh...Oh...Cowboys just scored again! Whoo Hooo!!! Now I get to spend all week watching SportsCenter to try to figure out who I wanna pick for next week.

Maybe it's my fault...

2007-09-09T01:52:00.000-04:00

The only thing I can think of is that I was the one who told his mother that we would bring chili over after church...so it's my fault he's in bed sleeping and I'm left with this to deal with.
Oh, btw, it's 1:54 AM!!!

There is something to be said for having a bowl of chili on a Sunday afternoon and watching the game....whichever team it is that you will be watching (we, of course, will be watching the Steelers kick the Browns butts...). I am looking forward to heating a bowl up with some yummy cheddar cheese melted on top. :)

Then again, it isn't really my fault. After all he's the one who said, "I'll make chili with all those garden tomatoes...yeah, for Sunday." In his defense, he did make the mess ... I mean chili. So he didn't lie, per say. Whatever ~ I'm waiting a little while for the bowls to cool and then it's off to bed. We'll clean the kitchen together. hehehe (Which means he'll do it while I watch the kiddos. :)

Oh ~ as a side note...I've decided to participate in this football season a bit more than I have in the past. I enjoy football and am really starting to take notice of teams other than my team. So, hubby and I are making a friendly wager. We are picking which teams will win each week and then seeing who has the best score. We are putting $5 aside each week (end of the season winner takes all) and as an added bonus we decided that if one of us "beats" the other by more than 2 on any given week that person will be able to "pawn" a disliked chore off on the other ~ or ask for a "favor", if you get my drift.

This week we picked 4 games differently. So...here's who NEEDS to win this week to help me get out of grocery shopping next week.

Atlanta
Dallas
Baltimore and
Arizona

Is there a patron Saint of Football? Just curious.

If you don't...you should

2007-09-09T00:03:00.000-04:00

Do you get Kraft's Food and Family magazine? If not you should sign up for it. It's free and always full of fun and easy recipes. Seriously...go sign up. I'm lovin' this month's issue so much I pick out three new recipes to try this upcoming week. I'll try to let you know how they turn out.

Now go sign up! The Christmas issue is AWESOME! Sign up now so you don't miss it!

Okay ~ I went to the magazine and this is the link that will get you to the page to sign up for the magazine. :)

It's worth a shot

2007-09-05T08:59:00.000-04:00

Two posts in two days! Bet you guys are surprised to see me pop up on your blog reader today. :) Thought I'd give it a shot...Nate's really digging that Little Leaps thing these days. :) My daughter, on the other hand, is a little fussy this morning. Her stinking teeth are bugging her these days. She had one break through last week (I found it Thursday, I think) and thank goodness because I was ready to rip my hair out with her on Wednesday. Alas ~ the teeth are to blame.

So...I have time to post and don't really know what to say. I can't even remember what I posted about yesterday...don't want to repeat myself...argh.

Well, I know I didn't post about this ~ during my somewhat leave of absence I started smoking again. I'm not really sure why...I know that going on vacation and relaxing (which included throwing back quite a few beers) didn't help matters. I continued to smoke when I came home, though that wasn't my intention at all. So...I've quit again, kinda. It's been over 24 hours and I am not planning on buying another pack. I went back through all of the reasons I quit the first time. I thought about how much better I felt when I wasn't smoking. I thought about my kids and how they are the motivation for me to stop again. All that and my hubby refusing to buy me another pack are good reasons to just quit again. Not to mention that cigarettes are like 5 bucks a pack and as a smoker I usually smoke about a pack a day...or close enough to that so I'm buying a pack a day. That adds up quickly. I start thinking about in terms of stuff we need. For example one week of smoking costs the equivalent of a box of diapers that will last me almost a month! In just 5 days I spend the equivalent of a large can of formula that feeds my daughter for a little over a week. I don't think I'll have as rough a time quitting this time as I did last time. I know I can do it and that I want to do it because smoking really makes me miserable. It's just not worth it on so many levels...now, if I can just convince myself of that the next time I'm having a few drinks...

Here are some pics of the ceiling and the bathroom:

From the downstairs looking up

From the upstairs looking down

Oh, and this little guy came to visit us the other night...

Quickly ~ while he's occupied

2007-09-04T08:56:00.000-04:00

I was thinking about blogging a lot yesterday. I really wanted to sit down and write a post. Unfortunately, my son has this obsession with the computer and when I'm on it he MUST sit in my lap. It makes it really tough to type that way ~ so I normally just go play. I have all intentions of sitting down and writing when he takes a nap. However, I can't seem to get them all to take a nap at the same time long enough...so I vow I'm going to do it when the kids go to sleep at 9. But...I'm way too tired at 9...so, I don't post. Right now I have him playing with his Leap Frog Little Leaps and Danika is in her exersaucer watching him. Ethan isn't coming today...so I'm gonna try to get this post out before the 1/2 hour video is up. :)

I've been thinking about the past few years lately. This is the first fall (since it is September now) since 2004 I haven't been in maternity clothes. With Nate, his birthday falls in November...so I was showing big time at this point. With Danika, who was born in late January, I seemed to be showing as soon as I peed on that stick. So...my fall clothes are about 3 years old...and have been in my attic that long. I'm dreading sending hubby up there to get them. I'm afraid of what I'm going to find. I am kinda excited that I'll be able to wear my "It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown" sweatshirt this year. I know...I'm a dork.

Aside from thinking about clothes, I've been thinking about the fact that I'm simply not going to be pregnant this fall. I didn't mind being pregnant. In fact, I really enjoyed it. Especially towards the end of pregnancy when I could feel the baby moving around. Then there was the excitement that came with wondering when the baby would get here and what the baby would look like. I think we've pretty much decided that we aren't going to have any more kids. 2 in under 2 years is pretty fast...and to be honest I don't think we can afford another baby. I've heard they don't get cheaper as they get older...so, it's probably best that we stop with two. I will say that makes me a little (okay, a lot) sad. To try to combat that sadness, I look at my two little ones and remember that I need to be REALLY enjoying them right now...because they are going to get bigger everyday and sooner than I'll have to send them off to school! :(

In fact, in the past 4 or 5 days, Nate has really started to show he's getting smarter. He actually is putting sentences together. Granted they are only 3 or 4 words...but yesterday he stood next to Jerry and said, "I want my daddy" and I just about cried. He told my mom, "Mommy will do it" when she asked if they should see why Danika was crying. This morning when I went to get him out of his crib he "talked" to me all morning. Basically telling me what EVERYTHING in the house was from my glasses to Danika's binkie. He heard Jerry brushing his teeth in the bathroom and said, "Oooo, Dada teeth". He's really starting to amaze me.

Speaking of the bathroom...I have a hole in my ceiling. It's not a huge hole...but it is an ugly hole. We had a leak in our entry way. We knew it was coming from the bathroom...turns out it's our tub. We now have the hot water to our bathroom turned off and are thinking about where to go from here. We are probably going to just go ahead and redo our bathroom. We are going to ask some friends and/or relatives for help and try to do it without "hiring" someone. At least that's the plan today. :) We figure it will help us when we go to sell our house (probably in about 2 years) if we have a newly remodeled bathroom. Besides...the one that we have now is UGLY!

Okay, I know that DVD is almost over...so here are some pictures of us lately...I'm gonna try to post again soon.

Danika, Nate and Ethan (the little boy I'm watching)

I LOVE this! Looks like Danika's telling him a secret

Danika before last week's game

The four of us

Jerry and I at the game

10 full days!

2007-08-24T14:08:00.000-04:00

Well ~ I haven't blogged in 10 days. Not a peep at all in over a week! I have a million excuses as to why, but I'm just going to leave it as "I'm too busy". I know...I know...some of you have more children than me. Some of you work full time and take care of your children. Some of you are way busier than I am. Here's your round of applause ~ congrats on being a superhuman! :) I just can't seem to balance everything and find time to write everyday. So...you may be getting once a week outta me for quite a while.

Did I mention that I'm going to start babysitting my friend's son? He's 4 months old and will be here a few days outta the week. Like next week, he'll be here Thursday and Friday...all day...from like 6:30 am to 3:30 pm. He was here for a little bit yesterday and will be here again for a little bit today. He seems pretty happy and easy going. Plus, Nate's always entertaining to watch. :)

Oh, BTW I entered my hubby into Redbook's Hottest Husband Contest. If you think your husband is hot go on and enter him. Can't hurt, right? I looked at some of the past winners and they aren't calendar model hot or anything. So, I figured that they were looking for more than a pretty face and big biceps. :)

What else ~ kids are good. Hubby's fine. I've got the worst PMS I've ever had and still no period. I'm tellin' ya, my "schedule" with that is all screwed up. I'm at a loss. I'm thinking I may need to just suck it up and switch birth control pills to something else. The LoEstrin just doesn't seem to be doing the trick. Plus, at $35 a month I'd like to NOT have to buy a pregnancy test every other month. (It didn't help that they just had a story on the news about the rise in pregnancies while the woman is taking the pill). No, I don't think I'm pregnant. But it would be nice to be "on time" so I don't even have to worry/wait.

I'm been reading a lot of magazines lately. I was about 4 months behind on magazines. I get a lot of different ones:

Redbook
Good Housekeeping
Women's Day (my grandmother got me this one - I LOVE it! Great recipes!)
Cookie
Jane (which is no more - so they said they will be sending me Glamour instead)
Parenting
Baby Talk

When you take 4 months of back issues with all of those magazines it's a lot of reading. Basically, what I've been doing is flipping through and pulling our articles/recipes that I want to look at and filing them. That way when I have time I can just go through the file. Oh, and I have a little notebook that I'm writing things down in that I want to check out.

For example, the book Deceptively Delicious by Jessica Seinfeld (suppose to help you hide "good" things into your kids food - things they will eat) and Mommysavers which I haven't been able to really check out yet...but am headed over to look at more when I get the chance.

Well ~ I guess that's about all for now. My Flickr account is back up - previously loaded pics are gone...but oh well. And my YouTube account is up, too. If you haven't checked it out you should really go take a look at my little guy counting. It's too cute. :)

TTFN!

Life is getting in the way of blogging

2007-08-14T08:54:00.000-04:00

Last night ~ after the kids went to bed and I was finally getting a moment to take a shower ~ I started thinking about the fact that I had been home for a little over 2 days and I had not blogged at all. In fact, I didn't even have time to "catch up" on my blog reading. I guess life is getting in the way these days. :) It's been rather wonderful to tell you the truth. I haven't even been able to get many pictures because I've been too busy enjoying myself! I'll share some vacation pics and stories with you now, though.

We arrived at the Lake on Sunday afternoon. My SIL and her family came up with us. Unfortunately, their dog ran away from the kennel minutes before we met them at their house. (They found her Monday evening ~ she spent a whole week wandering around). The cottage we stayed at (Dazy Deuce) was very nice. Actually, it was perfect for all of us. Any smaller and we would have been uncomfortable...I was so happy it worked out so well. There were 3 bedrooms - one with bunk beds and two with queen/full sized beds. My niece and nephew slept on the bunk beds and Nate slept in the pack and play in that room. Danika slept with us in the back bedroom (in her Co-Sleeper, which she is sooo outgrowing).

We had pretty crappy weather as far as vacations go. It rained on our way up Sunday. Rained Monday morning and cleared up Monday evening. It was awful on Tuesday! It poured and was actually kinda chilly out. Wednesday was BEAUTIFUL! We were finally able to swim in the Lake and play in the sand. Nate had a blast floating on an inner tube with me and digging holes in the sand. Thursday it rained again. Friday started out looking rather glum...but turned out to be a really nice day. My mom and dad came up Thursday (my SIL and family left that morning).

I have to say that we were able to relax most when sitting by the fire in the fire pit at night. It was so quiet and peaceful. We really enjoyed ourselves. Funny thing happened the last night we were there. Jerry and I were all alone (it was super early in the morning ~ like 2 am) and we were sitting by the fire pit drinking a beer and talking about what a wonderful week we had...when all of a sudden I heard this growling. Scary growling. I jumped up and ran behind Jerry who grabbed me and dragged me into the house. He says it was a raccoon...I had been thinking of the movie The Lost Boys (because that's what the area kinda reminded me of) so I couldn't shake the fact that it was a vampire. Just kidding - but I was more scared because I had been thinking about that. ;)

View from the front porch:

Nate buried in the sand:

Inflating the flotation devices:

Dankia all tuckered out:

Doesn't he look dreamy?:

Mom and Dad with the kids:

Pics from the fire pit:

2007-08-04T00:48:00.000-04:00

Hey all ~ busy busy - packing, etc.

Just wanted to let you know I'm gonna be gone until Sunday the 12th!

Whoo Hooo!

Hope you all have a great week ~ I'm soooo behind on my blog reading. Hope to catch up after we get back!

TTFN! hehehe

2007-08-04T00:47:00.000-04:00

The sorting hat says that I belong in Hufflepuff!

Said Hufflepuff, "I'll teach the lot, and treat them just the same."

Hufflepuff students are friendly, fair-minded, modest, and hard-working. A well-known member was Cedric Digory, who represented Hogwarts in the most recent Triwizard Tournament.

Take the most scientific Harry Potter
Quiz ever created.

Get Sorted Now!

What's been going on...

2007-07-26T13:59:00.000-04:00

Well ~ I've finished my book. (Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows) It was WONDERFUL!!! Worth the wait and the hours I spent reading it...hours when I should have been sleeping. :)

I won't give anything away (Don't worry TC!) But I will say that I'm thrilled with how wonderful the WHOLE book was and that I'm sad that it's all over...I will never be reading a Harry Potter book for the first time again. I was thinking about that when I finished it up yesterday and felt a tiny little twinge of excitement, too. Someday I'll dust off the old book covers of all 7 books and share them with Nate and Danika. I want to read them to them ~ I want to share my excitement about the books with them. When the time is right. Any ideas on an age to start? I was thinking 7 and 8 (Danika 7 and Nate 8)...but it's such an awfully long time away. Argh.

Having finished the book makes me want to walk around using the words effing (which I was surprised a little to see in there!) and bloody hell and brilliant. Just thought I'd add that. :)

Nate decided to wake up at 6:30 this morning. He's sick. He has a head cold, mainly...little fever to go along with it, too. Today I experienced my first "snot rocket" ~ I'm not looking forward to any more.

Danika's pretty happy, though. Nate's miserable. Pray that I make it through the day because I've had very little caffeine and my patience is paper thin. (I got a visit from you know who ~ at least it's on time this month!)

In other news ~ I dropped my cell phone in the toilet yesterday. Don't ask ~ just know it wasn't entirely all my fault...but I'm not saying it was anyone either. However, it didn't work properly at all yesterday, but has been on and off today. It's going to have to be pretty broken for Jerry to be talked into me spending the cash on a new one...especially the one I want.

I've been . . . busy?

2007-07-24T08:51:00.000-04:00

Well ~ the weekend came and went so fast I couldn't believe it. Saturday we had a graduation party to go to and on Sunday the baptism of my newest nephew. It's amazing how much alcohol is involved in graduating and getting baptized. By yesterday I was exhausted from packing bags for the kids and trying to make sure I had everything (even though we were never more than 5 minutes from the house) and fretting over whether or not Nate ate enough (because kids never do really eat at parties, do they? He was so busy running around with his cousins and having a good time that I didn't really get him to sit still for more than 2 minutes let alone eat something.

Oh, and I have been reading the new Harry Potter book ~ in very short stretches, I'm loving it but am a little sad that this is the last book. At least I have the movies to look forward to but as I said before, the movies are starting to fall a little short of the books because there is just too much stuff in the books for the movie...after all a 3 hour movie is about as long as you can go.

Here's some pics ~ enjoy, I'm off to put Danika down for her first nap!

I LOVE this dress from my cousin (her son picked it out - he has great taste!) I tried really hard to get a great pic of Danika in it...but wasn't really happy with any of them. They're still cute, though.

I wasn't the only one exhausted from the weekend. Nate fell asleep hanging off the couch yesterday ~ do worry...I didn't leave him like that very long - just long enough to snap a pic!

F- Flickr

2007-07-19T09:07:00.001-04:00

I'm in a foul mood...a really foul mood. It seems like my Flickr account has disappeared. It's gone...without a trace...wiped out.

Here's the story ~

Yesterday, I went to log into Flickr to upload some new pics. When I signed in I was brought to the account of JDenton...not me. I signed out and signed in again and was sent back to JDenton's empty page. I tried once more...I restarted my computer and tried...I cancelled JDenton's lame ass account and tried one more time. NOTHING...all my pictures, my name, my contacts...all gone. I'm VERY irritated. I even paid for a pro membership back in May...now it's telling me I have to create a whole new account.

I have sent an email to Flickr and they responded saying it's been taking them an average of 3 days to respond to requests. I've also changed all of my passwords because I feel a bit violated for some reason. Like someone hacked into my account or something. Then I think, "Why would they do that?" Then I get nervous about having pictures of my kids available for any pervert who wanted them.

So...now that I'm a little bit "shook up" about the whole thing, I've kind of decided that probably not going to go back to Flickr even if they do fix the problem or reinstate my account to pro status (which they should since it was 25 bucks!). My problem then is how I'm going to share photos with family. I don't really want to do it as an attachment. I always have too many pictures to send as an attachment. I was thinking of Snapfish ~ but I haven't looked too much into it.

Any suggestions?

Funniest Kid Ever Contest

2007-07-18T09:40:00.000-04:00

I really want to enter this contest over at BlogMommas.com ~ but I can't seem to think of anything to post. Nate's just starting to talk and he doesn't really say anything funny, yet...other than the mispronuciations that come with learning how to talk.

So...here's what I came up just to give it a shot:

Who knows why kids do what they do? We were having some friends over on a Saturday night and Nate started making this face. It was the first time that he had ever made this face (and to tell you the truth, it was the last time I've seen him make it , too). I'm thinking this could be his "flirty" face because our friend, Chris, brought his girlfriend Jen over and Nate was a tad bit smitten with her. He actually made this face long enough for me to decide to get my camera ~ run and get it and come back and snap some pics.

My House

2007-07-16T10:08:00.000-04:00

I was thinking about my house today. It's strange but this is now my home. It has been for a little over 3 years...but it is really starting to feel like it. I lived with my parents for 27 years. Yeah, I know that's old to be living "at home" with mom and dad...but they didn't kick me out and I had been dating Jerry long enough that I knew it was just a matter of us being able to get things together and get married and we'd have our own place. I didn't really see any reason in moving ~ and I couldn't really afford it on the salary of a Catholic School teacher in PA.

For 27 years I slept in my parents house (with the exception of the 4 years I was in college ~ but that never felt like "home"). That's where I showered and ate...watched tv and talked on the phone. Even when I'm there now it still has that familiar feel to it. After all, I know where everything in the kitchen is ~ my mom hasn't moved things much. But this little house is now my home.

I guess I'm thinking about this because we've been talking about starting to think about moving. My house is in no way a dump...it just seems to be getting smaller as we get "bigger" as a family. We have a lot of stuff...and not a lot of room. Why didn't I look closer at the closet space when we were house hunting? Probably because I didn't have a closet at my parents' house...but trust me, closets are going to be a big thing in our next house. HUGE thing actually. I'm a little nervous about selling my house...not too nervous about buying a new one, but nervous about selling this one. What if no one likes it? What if we can't get anyone to buy it? What if too much needs fixed and we go broke trying to sell it?

Then there's the sentimental value this little house holds. In 3 short years, Jerry and I have made a ton of memories here. This is the house we brought our babies home to...this is the house we spent our first night as husband and wife in...this is the house where we celebrated the holidays together ~ our first Christmas tree! I know it will always have a special place in my heart.

Now lets talk about all of the work involved in selling/buying/moving...ugh...I don't know if I'm ready for that. Keep in mind that we are probably at least 6 months to a year away from really seriously putting our house out there. But we are looking at houses on the market and if we found the perfect one...well, we'd have to speed things up.

I am excited, though. This house really is a "starter" home and it has been good to us. I know more about what I want/need in a house now, though...and I'm ready to go out and find it.

Here's a list of things that we'll definitely be looking at:

1) Closets - Walk in Closets would be wonderful, but I'll settle for big ones...ones where the hangers fit and don't get pushed sideways when you shut the door.

2) Bigger bathroom - when we bought the house I wasn't crazy about the bathroom but figured I could live with it...I'm living with it, but not happy with it at all...plus I'd like to have 2 bathrooms - and no that doesn't include the random toilet that sits in our basement.

3) Distance from the neighbors - where we live (which is the neighborhood we both grew up in) there is no real distance from neighbors...where we will live (which is who knows where) we will have bit more distance - actually if Jerry gets his way a LOT more distance. Not because our neighbors bother us ( other than the yip yip dogs) but just because.

4) Central Air - our next house will have central air.

Those are the main things that I will be looking at ~ on top of it having at least 3 bedrooms and being a decent size. Bonus points for:

1) Finished Game/Family room as well as a living room.
2) More than 1 bathroom.
3) "Open" floor plan ~ so I don't have to go into other rooms to check on the kids.
4) 1 floor - like a ranch or at least 1st floor laundry.

With all that in mind, look at these ~ I like The Cape Henry, Appalacian Lodge, Catalina and St. Lucia. If I had to pick one tomorrow without going to look at them I'd probably take The Catalina (it's the his/her bathrooms and HUGE closet)...but I like the others, too.

I'm sure that somewhere down the line you will hear more about this ~ but for now I'm gonna keep cleaning my little house and enjoy every minute I have left in it.

In the name of housework ~

2007-07-13T09:08:00.000-04:00

You may have noticed I've been somewhat absent this week. I did post a few times...well at least twice. Anyway, I will be turning my computer off again today in order to continue my mission of having a cleaner house. Yesterday, I cleaned my bedroom (forgetting, as hubby pointed out, to run the vacuum...but I can do that today). I got some clothes together in a bag to give to my Aunt and went through all of my clothes and the kids clothes.

Today, I'm going to tackle the first floor. This seems impossible while Nate is awake. It usually goes something like this:

I put it away - Nate takes it out again - I put it away - Nate takes it out again - I put it away - Nate takes it out again - I hide it so Nate can't find it - Nate screams bloody murder until I can't take it anymore and give it back to him - I then admit defeat and move on to something else.

Sounds like fun, eh?

The kitchen and dining room will be first. I'd take before and after pics, but the before pics would depress me. So, look at these until I am back - probably sometime Monday! :)

Am I a cartoon snob?

2007-07-12T15:17:00.001-04:00

My kids watch PBS Kids Sprout almost all day long...I know you aren't suppose to let your kids watch that much TV ~ especially the 5 month old...but hey, they are my kids. Anyway, it occurred to me today that there are certain cartoons that I will watch with my kids and others that I will kind of let them watch but ignore myself.

I think I may be a cartoon snob, though, because I only really like the cartoons with accents. My two current favorites are Kipper and Jakers! The Adventures of Piggly Winks. I'm not a huge Angelina Ballerina fan, even though there's an accent there. Of course we do watch Sesame Street and I get a kick out of it...mainly because some of the "shorts" in the different episodes I actually REMEMBER from when I was little!

Okay, if you don't think that's enough reason for me to be considered a cartoon snob what about the fact that I don't want my kids to watch Spongebob Squarepants? It was actually a "issue" with my parents because I told them I didn't want Nate to be "exposed" to Spongebob (aka Don't buy the Spongebob tee shirt). I got made fun of a little, but I just think Spongebob is more adult humor and really doesn't need to be on the TV around my little ones. We watch too much TV, but I at least do my best to make it age appropriate and somewhat educational. After all, some people are against baby food and make their own...some people use cloth diapers...some people don't let their kids watch TV at all ~ and that's their decision...I don't watch Spongebob. Don't give me any shit about it, okay?

In other news, my husband did the sweetest thing yesterday. He called me in the middle of the morning to tell me he just heard a country song that reminded him of me...(he was in the middle of no where and only got country stations ~ he's not a big country fan). Anyway, he said he thought the name of the song was "I Need You" or something and told me it was a duet. That's all he could give me. He really wanted me to hear it. So...I went on iTunes and downloaded it.

Tim McGraw and Faith Hill ~ I Need You

Is it any wonder I love him so much?

Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix

2007-07-10T08:53:00.000-04:00

Thought I'd write up a little movie review ~ seeing as this is the first movie I've seen in the theater since the 2ND Pirates...didn't see #3 at all and have been a little too busy for the movies. However, I'm a HUGE Harry Potter fan - I read the first 4 books in a week (it was when I had my gall bladder taken out in 2001, didn't have much else to do). I read the Order of the Phoenix in 2 days and The 1/2 Blood Prince in a day and 1/2. I LOVE Potter. Now, I know I'm not as avid a fan as some...but I do know what I'm talking about when it comes to the books and movies.

Oh and BTW this has me soooo excited.

Okay, first off let me say that if you are a fan of the Harry Potter MOVIES you will probably like this movie. It had at the very least glimpses of all of the characters we have been watching for years. The movie left me feeling like we didn't see enough of a lot of the characters. Draco Malfoy has a very small part in this movie compared to the others. Hagrid is only in a few scenes and Dumbledore is in a handful at best.

There are a ton of new characters in this movie. Helena BonhamCarter plays Bellatrix Lestrange which she does awesome as ~ I'm a fan of hers and she doesn't disappoint in this movie (however it is a small but very important part in this movie). You see a lot more students in this one, too. Luna Lovejoy - she was pretty cool...kinda like that weird chick in high school who acts "out there" but is oddly on the mark.

Anyway, the movie itself will probably be confusing for most people who haven't read the book ~ I have so I can't say for sure...now comes the bad news. If you are a fan of the Harry Potter BOOKS you will be disappointed in this movie. They left sooo much out. Even though they make it work for the movie, there is so much more to the book. There is no quidditch in this movie...so you don't have that moment when you feel so horrible for Harry because he's banned from quidditch for life. Makes you wonder if they really thought no one would miss it ~ I mean NO ONE is playing quidditch. It would be like canceling a football season and no one even missing it.

The only person who really gives Harry a hard time about "lying" about Voldemort's return in the movie is Seamus ~ and it's actually kinda lame. (He tells Harry that his mum didn't want him to come back to Hogwarts because of Harry's lies...then he apologizes later)

I will say that Dolores Umbridge in the movie is actually more crazy than I remembered her in the book...I remember her being nuts and sadistic and all...but ugh. Well played by the actress (who's name I'm too tired to look up).

The final scenes (the big battles) were really cool. I will say that I wasn't disappointed in them. Voldemort was well done, too. But after the big battle you're kinda left with a feel of "what's next"...good thing there is a book coming out soon.

I know I'm rambling through this...so I'm just going to leave you with this:

I think all fans of Harry Potter will enjoy this movie. I do think that if you are a fan of the books you will walk away with a slightly more disappointed feel that if you have never read the books. I also think that fans of the books kinda figured this day was coming...JK's books (BTW I think she has a cameo in this movie ~ but I've gotta check because I'm not 100% on that) get longer and more detailed and complex. It was bound to come to the point where a 2 and 1/2 hour movie can't contain all the wonderfulness of the book. I was actually pleasantly surprised by the Goblet of Fire...but that's another story.

Oh and if you get the chance, see this movie at a theater that has the digital imaging instead of reel to reel. It makes a WORLD of difference. To tell the truth, I think I'm going to always see all my movies this way. UNREAL how awesome the picture and sound are in these theaters. I'm not really big on that ~ but this I noticed.

Anyone want a part time job?

2007-07-09T13:56:00.000-04:00

It's easy work - but you have to be willing to work nights...I'm looking for a binky reinserter from around 1 am to 7 am. You see...last night I got out of bed a total of 8 times from 11 to 5:30ish. I know what it was that screwed her all up. We had a rather crazy weekend. It was a lot of fun, but crazy none the less. Here's the quick run down ~

Friday ~ Hung out at home and Jerry had two of his buddies over. One who had just come back from Basic Training and one who we hadn't seen in about 2 weeks. It was a lot of fun and the kids slept wonderfully, but we were up way to late.

Saturday ~ Urich Family reunion. Urich is my husband's grandmother's maiden name...I know if I try to explain how big this family is and why I'll mess up the numbers. Let me just say that it's pretty big and a lot of people attend the family reunion. We had a good time and the kids were much better than I thought they would be.

I have to laugh, though because every year I notice that the same people seem to hang out with the people they see other times than people they never see. In other words, we hung out with my SIL, her kids and her cousins and their kids...and everyone else seemed to hang out with their "branch" of the family tree. I think it's the newer generations that do this...the older people seem to "mingle" more. I'm sure it doesn't help that for the last 2 years I've taken my big picnic blanket and camped out under a shady tree (you and me...damn LB) Oh well...no big deal, it was fun and there was this dessert that tasted like smores cheesecake (if you have a recipe for something like this PLEASE let me know!) YUMMY!!!

Saturday night we went to my folk's house...I have pictures of the Cedar Plank Salmon my mom and dad made...

We hung out there for the evening and then headed home and slept.

Sunday we headed up to see some friends at the lake and hung out there all day.

We were exhausted last night and Danika couldn't keep her bink in to stay asleep to save her life...so anyone interested?

I'm off to see the new Harry Potter movie! Don't ask how...I'll tell more later. I'm sooo excited!

The reason I'm gonna blog

2007-07-06T10:51:00.001-04:00

So ~ I continued to think about blogging most of the day yesterday and kinda came to a revelation. I going to blog to feel like "me" again. Something happened to me about 2 and 1/2 years ago...Oh yeah, I got pregnant. Ever since then I haven't really been myself. SO many things about my life changed and the things that were important to me before becoming a mama have been put on the back burner or worse completely forgotten. My life now involves taking care of the two little human beings that inhabit my house (and heart ~ aka my kiddos).

I'm not complaining by any stretch of the imagination. I signed up for this job...I prayed for this family and I longed for children for as long as I can remember. I'm blessed and I know it. My children are healthy and happy (although wait and hear what I have to say about that in a few months ~ Nate's already showing signs of the "terrible twos") . I have, however, lost myself a bit in all of this babymania.

It's not news to anyone who has been around a while that Danika was a "surprise" and that I was a bit overwhelmed at the idea of having 2 babies. I'm so much calmer about the whole thing now than I was getting ready for it. It's really not that bad - and I know that it's all because my daughter is a complete angel. She sleeps through the night and she smiles all day long. (see above picture) My son wasn't as easy but he was just as happy. He's starting to be a little more difficult these days...but I digress.

So, in the last 29 months or so I've been through a whirlwind of emotions and highs and lows and exhaustion...I finally feel like I'm starting to return to a somewhat "normal" state of existence. I am starting to feel like myself a little bit more. Now I need to put all of the pieces together to create the new (and improved) me. I think that I really want my blog to be a place where I work on that. Mainly by using it to really write down the "Thoughts of the Mama" but not just on being a Mama...on all kinds of things. I guess I'm hoping that I can reassemble myself into something that has thoughts about motherhood but about other things, too.

END RAMBLE :)

What to blog about today ~

2007-07-05T11:38:00.000-04:00

It's been a few days...and I have noticed that everything I do makes me feel like posting to my blog. It's probably so kind of disorder that is yet unnamed...like bloggerbrainitis or something equally as stupid (although you'd be hard pressed to find anything that sounds that dumb).

This morning I was thinking about the soap opera that I've watched all my life. Seriously, my dad (shh) watches this soap opera because the women he use to work with watched it on their lunch hour - he still watches it to this day (he works from home now) and I grew up watching it. Anyway, I was thinking about how I may stop watching it. For a lot of reasons, but mainly because I'm not interested anymore. I barely watch it now because I can read about the episodes and it takes a lot less time than watching it. I've also been noticing that soap operas aren't very realistic (what a revelation - I know!). I'm annoyed with it all of a sudden, though. Like no one can lead a normal life - there always has to be tragedy. Not saying that real life doesn't feel that way sometimes, but come on! I swear if I were some of these characters I'd take to the bridge. So...I thought about blogging about this this morning.

Then, while I was brushing my teeth in my oh-so-scuzzy bathroom, I was thinking about how I am just not an organized person. I started to wonder if it's where I am in my life (SAHM with 2 kids under 2) or if it's just who I am. I would like to think it's that I have other things to do that makes me lag behind when it comes to things like laundry and toilet scrubbing. Not that I don't do them...but I just don't do them enough. I actually made notes on my calendar that I want to start washing all the bedsheets every first and third Monday of the month. That way I'll know that it's getting done enough. I then thought about doing this with all household chores...but I have yet to develop that plan. Besides, it's one thing to make a plan...it's another to stick with it. I should probably start small (like with bedsheets) so I don't disappoint myself too much. By the time I finished brushing my teeth, I had decided that this was what I was going to blog about today.

Then, I started thinking about my blog while catching up on my bloglines. I have blog envy...there are so many blogs that I am jealous of...too many to list...but if you check out my Regular Reads (in the sidebar) you will find most of them. You see I am jealous that these blogs get so many comments...I started to wonder why people comment on these blogs and it seems like no one reads mine. (not to offend the 7 bloglines subscribers I have - and you 3 anonymous ones...you make me so curious - who are you?). Anyway, I started to re-evaluate why I blog and what I want out of blogging. I've decided that I need to make a bit of a change. I am going to stop using my blog as a "what I've been up to" diary kind of thing (don't worry...I'll still post pics and all that). I'm going to focus on my writing a little more. I want my entries to be something I can say - "Hehehe, that was fun to write and I'm proud of it." I'm a big dork...I know...oh well, I guess you'll just have to unsubscribe - oh, 7 readers of mine.

Some pictures ~ no Steve

2007-07-02T09:48:00.000-04:00

Okay ~ the "no Blues Clues" rule seemed to work last night...so, I didn't wake up with that "what was that" feeling this morning with half a smirk and half a "not again" feeling. Sorry, Steve - maybe it was watching Enchilada Surprise but don't worry...I'm sure you'll make a comeback to dreamland soon...I will say that I enjoyed your Elvis impression this morning on Blues Clues. :)

I'm not going to blog about Steve for at least 48 hours...I don't want him to think that I'm obsessed or anything. (I know I flatter myself thinking he would even notice I exist...but still, I'm not a stalker).

In other news, I thought I'd share some pictures of the weekend. I didn't get as much reading as I wanted to done ~ but it was a good weekend anyway!

Here's Angelina in her new onesie I bought her ~ it says "Junk in the Trunk" because she honestly has the cutest baby bubble butt I've ever seen!

Here's Nate in his Uncle Jason's hat and his cool new Shrek Shades - he walks around pointing to them saying "cool" when he wears them.

Here's one of my dad and Nate in the hammock. It was really chilly for late June - hence the jacket.

Finally, here's my baby girl. This was taken yesterday at Nana's house after church. Isn't she just too precious.

This is Jerry showing Nate how to squirt the water gun...harmless, right. Check out where it's pointed. He's such a stinker.

Last but not least ~ a pic of hubby and me. There aren't too many of these floating around since the kids were born.

I like to watch this video first thing in the morning...

2007-07-01T22:20:00.001-04:00

It's been decided (by me) no more Blues Clues after 5 pm....kinda like when you can't have coffee after a certain time because it will keep you up all night long ~ I apparently can't watch Blues Clues after a certain time or I'll be having (yummy) Steve dreams all night long. When I told my hubby about them he asked, "Did you make him wanna wail - like when he gets the mail?" At least he has a sense of humor about my little um...situation...yeah.

Steve Burns - Yes Dear

2007-06-30T16:21:00.001-04:00

Here it is ~ my dream rated G...kinda...

Hello Steve ~ OMG

2007-06-30T15:52:00.000-04:00

I have a problem...I've got a "crush" on Steve Burns. For those of you who do not have a toddler (or need a refresher), Steve Burns is Steve on "Blues Clues". Yes, the one in the green and green striped shirt. (NOT Joe, who wears all different colors of shirts - oh, totally not Joe...ewww.)

I didn't know that I had a "crush" on Steve until he started showing up in my (ahem) dreams. Yes, those kind of dreams. In my defense, I have PMS so my hormones are flaring ~ so I had a dream about Steve. He got a stain on his shirt...(it was kinda shaped like a paw print, but I digress)...and I had to help him clean the stain off...and well, um...holy cow I made out with Steve in my dream! What would Mr. Salt and Mrs. Pepper say?

Honestly, Steve is in my house everyday and he keeps my son entertained for minutes at a time ~ that alone qualifies him as one of my heroes. He's not a bad guy, either...not the sharpest knife in the drawer, but I have a feeling that's all an act. hehehe He has a lot of friends and can understand animals and inanimate objects. Plus, he went to college (or at least that's why Joe showed up to take care of Blue).

Oh ~ I was talking to my friend Lori the other day when I remembered my dream about Steve. I had just turned an episode of Blues Clues on and saw him for the first time that day ~ it all came back! She laughed at me...a lot...then she told me that she watches Yes, Dear and that Steve was on there - the mother on that show had also had a "dream" about Steve and he told her not to worry...apparently a lot of mothers fantasize about him. Well...here's one more.

PS ~ he has a myspace page! If you're interested got to http://profile.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=user.viewprofile&friendid=123276650
and see Steve now!

*As a side note, my friend Lori let me know that Steve is now in a band and sang a Groundhog song on Jack's Big Music Show. I watched it On-Demand and he's bald and sexy as ever...(did I just say that? UGH!)

Books Books and more Books

2007-06-29T13:32:00.001-04:00

I'm just writing a note to tell you all I'm going to be MIA from blogging for the weekend. I got 4 books in the mail from Paperback Swap and I want to dive in this weekend. Here's what I'll be reading ~ as soon as I finish the current book I'm reading (Bringing Up Boys by Dr. James Dobson)

Good in Bed and Little Earthquakes by Jennifer Weiner

Ask Supernanny - What Every Parent Wants to Know by Jo Frost

Potty Training for Dummies by Diane Stafford and Jennifer Shoquist MD (because it's about time to think about starting to potty train Nate - ugh.)

I'll catch up with everyone soon! I'm so excited! I LOVE getting good mail.

Ummm....

2007-06-28T08:55:00.000-04:00

I am so busy reading (between my bloglines and Maya's Mom Daily Digests) that I haven't had time to put my new pics on the computer or to update my blog at all. Thought I'd type a quick update just to let any of you who were wondering that I was still here. :)

Two things have been bothering me lately. The first is that a lot of people I know (not personally but through the world of blogging) are starting to get a lot more "cautious" with their postings. It doesn't bother me that they are doing it...it bothers me that they feel they need to. It bothers me that someone apparently did something that made them feel that way. Oh, and it bothers me because it brings up all kinds of questions about if I should start being more cautious. Part of me is considering starting all over and erasing my current blog. Does anyone know if I can print my previous entries out? Or save them to a disk? How would I do that? That way I wouldn't feel like I just threw my journal in the firepit...

The other thing that has been on my mind is the alarming number of Shaken Baby Syndrome stories I've been hearing lately. I remember when I was pregnant with Nate and they made us watch the video on Shaken Baby Syndrome. I cried. When I hear these stories ~ I cry. I don't understand how anyone could do that. To make it worse, how could anyone do that to their own child? The one attached to the link was a young father (very young ~ I think) who ended up putting his 2 month old daughter's life on the line. I look at my babies and want to hug them a little tighter when things like this come up. Then I think about people who would give anything to have a child and take care of it ~ and that poor mother...she's so young, too...I'm a little heartbroken over the whole thing.

On a happier note, I took Nate to the "big pool" yesterday. He had a blast. My SIL has a pool membership and is always asking me to go with her. I dropped Danika off at my mom's and took Nate with me. We played in the toddler pool for a while and then went swimming in the big pool. He had so much fun and took a 3 hour nap when we got home! I got stung by a bee...which stunk. I actually hadn't been stung before yesterday. Man, it hurts a lot more than I thought it was going to. I have NO pictures to share with you...I didn't want to take my camera and have to leave it while I was swimming...plus, I knew I needed to be on my toes with Nate. The kid has no fear. :)

I guess that's about all I have to share with you all ~ please keep my mother-in-law in your prayers. She's having some tests done and is waiting on results. She is such an amazing woman. My sister is coming over today and staying for dinner. If it doesn't rain we are going to do chicken on the grill...if it does rain I'm going to roast it in the oven. Pray it doesn't rain...I really don't want to turn my oven on in this heat.

Early morning posting

2007-06-25T08:22:00.000-04:00

I am not going to spend all day in front of the computer or TV. I am not going to veg out today. I am going to try to get all of the things on my to do list done (or at the very least started). I am going to feel good about what I accomplished today when I go to bed. At least that's the plan. :)

Danika and I woke up around 7:30 and I gave her cereal and fruit. I've had my coffee and am planning on going upstairs to get dressed. Nate's still sleeping. I've already checked my e-mail and my bloglines.

You all were really quiet last night ~ I may check in again during nap time...can't make too much noise then or they'll wake up.

I'm going to have to go up and check on Nate soon...I get nervous when he sleeps in. I don't want to wake him up, but crazy thoughts run through my head like, "What if that noise I heard at 4 am was someone taking him out of his crib!" or "What if that time he flipped over and banged into the side of the crib he got a concussion and is unconscious or something!" Yeah, crazy paranoid mom here.

It looks like it's going to rain so I may put off going to the grocery store until tomorrow or tonight when Jerry gets home and I can go by myself. I want to dye my hair today ~ we'll see how that goes. I WILL scrub my kitchen floor today... I have to...seriously, it's disgusting.

Okay...on your mark, get set, here I go ~ wish me luck.

Yeah . . . whatever

2007-06-24T23:36:00.000-04:00

First ~ I just have to share this picture of my little angel.

My weekend was ok. It was just ok. It wasn't fantastic, it wasn't amazing, it wasn't anything to rave about. But . . . it was ok. I'll give ya'll the quick run down before heading to bed. I had planned on posting about 3 hours ago but apparently when you don't check your bloglines for an entire weekend it takes a while to get caught up. I can only imagine what I'm gonna miss when I go away for a week. (Which, BTW, we finalized on Friday! Whoo Hoo! Maybe I should figure out how to get one of those cool countdown to vacation widget thingies.)

Anyway, Friday I hung out with my parents for a few hours and then went to see my friend Jodi who is home until Wednesday ~ she's living in Washington (the state) which is TOO far away. Her husband is in Afghanistan and he is stationed in Ft. Lewis. She has 2 kiddos (D-Pebble, who is 4...and Miss Mia who is 1). It's been so great having her here...I'm really gonna miss her when she goes. Guess it's back to 2-3 hour phone conversations once a week or so. :(

Friday night was a bust because my husband was being a big jerk. I don't want to get into it because the whole thing is too stupid to get into. Long story short ~ I left a bib on the counter that was dirty and not clean...apparently that's grounds for execution around here.

Saturday was interesting. We went to Jerry's grandmother's house so that he could cut the grass...here's Nate on the riding mower...he's backing it up...Just kidding - what kind of parent do you think I am???

After that we went to get the oil changed in Jerry's truck. Then he ran into the grocery store to buy some formula and milk. Then he came out of the grocery store complaining about the cost of formula. ARGH ~ like I expected him not to be a bit grumpy. He had to go to "work" later and was irritated about it...he totally took it out on me. He went to the Jimmy Buffett concert to pass out papers. Oh how horrible...plus, he signed up for it! Then he complained about it for hours. Poor baby.

After he left (around 2) to go to the concert, a friend of mine came over with some news that kept me busy for the next 3 hours. The kids were napping and we were discussing his "problem". Again, I can't go into details about this either ~ let's just say that it's something I never would have expected from him...and I'm not happy about it...and I'm gonna have to tell him how I feel. I'm dreading that.

So, after that I dropped my kids off at the appropriate grandparents' house (my parents took Nate and Jerry's took Danika) and came home to shower, shave and get ready for my big night out with the girls. We ended up going to dinner and having a few drinks and then coming back here to play Phase 10 some more.

Today, we went to church and that was about it. I took the kids for a walk around the block and decided that I'm never leaving the house without my pepper spray again. I want to move...I need to move. Some of the people around here are just downright creepy. Jerry went fishing so he is still on my sh*t list. He's done nothing but whine. Plus, I've finally come to accept he truly is like every other man. I thought he may have been different...but no, he doesn't listen to a damn thing I say unless it involves the word food or the word sex...yeah, he's a normal red blooded guy. Great.

WTF ~ 6:15?!?

2007-06-22T08:02:00.000-04:00

I'm exhausted and it's 8:02 am...I am going to have to get out of my house if I'm going to make it through the day. I'm thinking of taking the stroller and kiddos to the park to walk around for a little bit. I might go it alone ~ I might call someone. Who knows, we'll see what kind of mood I'm in. For some reason, I slipped a bit from my optimistic state last night.

In part it's due to this.

I mean...ummm...I understand that it's the Science Center. I understand that part of science is the study of the human body. I understand that dead bodies are the best kind to cut up and examine. What I don't understand is WHY would you put DEAD BODIES on display for small children and fragile people (like me) to see? I'm really stuck on how I feel about this whole thing. I really liked the robot display and the one on natural disasters ~ not that they are a lot of fun or anything but...I mean they are going to put the DEAD BODIES right next to the rockin' train exhibit. Nate loves the trains. I honestly don't know if I can go back to the Science Center. I DEFINITELY know I can't go while the DEAD BODIES are there. Meanwhile, Jerry wants to go see the DEAD BODIES. We got into this discussion about how they are just flesh and bone...we all are...no big deal. Yeah, that was the perfect discussion to have with someone who has been depressed about the fact the she (and everyone she loves) is going to die someday. It's not like he didn't know what has been bothering me either...moron...geeze.

Then there's the whole making me feel like I don't do enough and making me feel like I need to get a job and making me feel like I'm being lazy. Don't get me wrong. He's not being abusive or anything. He's just being Jerry. Sometimes, Jerry is clueless...I have to give him credit, though. He was patronizingly sympathetic this morning by saying, "I hope you feel better today, stay strong...get motivated. Don't cry, Nate...mommy can't handle it." Moron...geeze.

It's not his fault...I'm just taking it out on him. He takes things out on me, too. We pretty much come up even on taking things out on each other that aren't really the other person's fault. We have a happy ~ I blame you...you blame me ~ marriage. No seriously, we're fine...I think...as long as I snap out of it long enough to . . . ya know . . . and actually that hasn't been much of a problem, even with my current screwed up feelings. I haven't had a decrease in the old libido. Is that strange? (I apologize to all personal friends and family members reading ~ now you have a mental image you probably didn't want. We do have two kids...you must know we've figured that one out. :)

Side Note: If you really aren't offended by those things and want a laugh ~ read this...HYSTERICAL! *Caution: Not for the easily offended or those of you who don't/can't openly talk about sex.

Speaking of kids, why do mine keep going to bed later and getting up earlier? Last night Nate was up until 9:30. (9:00 is bedtime most nights) He was up the extra half hour because Danika had fallen asleep and his daddy wanted to play with him because Nate was giving him attention. So...I went and took a shower. Can't complain about that. :) I can complain that Danika then woke up at 12:30 wanting a bottle. Which I gave her in about 15 minutes and she was back asleep. Then for some reason only known to them...both my kids thought that sometime between 6 and 6:15 was a good time to wake up this morning. Danika was first ~ around 6am. I went in and got her, thinking that she would most likely end up falling back asleep in my bed. No sooner did I walk in the room and lay her down next to Jerry . . . Nate started whimpering.

"Aww, Hell no." was all I could say. I tried to let him go thinking he may go back to sleep. He did not...and Jerry went and got him around 6:30. So, I got up and made coffee and changed diapers.

Speaking of diapers...guess who has discovered if he pulls the tabs off the sides of his diapers he can run around naked? Not Jerry. I think my whole life just got a bit more complicated. :) It should make for some great pictures, though.

2007-06-21T10:40:00.000-04:00

I was pretty busy yesterday ~ my sister came over and we had a blast hanging out on the deck with the kids. It was chilly in the morning so I didn't think we'd get out there...but by the afternoon it was all good, bright and sunny!

Here's Nate playing with his car, again!

And Danika sitting in her Bebe Pod, again!

And Angelina, after a short nap, crawling around my living room.

I must say I feel better today. Probably because I'm blissfully exhausted (get your mind outta the gutter! I'm tired from running around after kids and playing all day!). I haven't had a whole lot of downtime since I posted yesterday. I must say Thank You to everyone who commented and made me feel a little bit better by telling me I'm not a wimp. :) I'm probably going to give the whole thing some time and see what happens. I probably will talk to a "professional" something if I get really down again. So far, talking to you all seemed to help a little bit. :)

Oh...I'm sure the fact that I'm planning a vacation for August is helping a lot, too. We're thinking of going here...but it's not set in stone yet. I've been calling a few places and getting availability and rates, etc. It all seems pretty reasonable so far. We'll see. We're look at renting a cottage for the week. I'm excited.

Lately I've been feeling low

2007-06-20T09:52:00.001-04:00

First, this ~ because it's the cutest picture in the whole world. :)

Now to explain the title of my post. It's a line from a DMB song that I just can't get out of my head these days...even when I'm looking at such adorable kids as mine all day long. I'm in a mood and I really can't shake it. It's starting to scare me a little bit now and then. I've never done much reading on PPD ~ can you have that when your baby is almost 5 months old? I thought it was a more right-after-birth thing. Something is going on, though.

Let me start by saying that there isn't really anything wrong with my life right now. I know so many people who have it tougher than I do. Their lives have more downs than mine and they really have things to be upset about. After all I have my health, my children are healthy, my family is healthy, I feel safe and happy in my marriage, I have enough to eat, I have a roof over my head and clothes on my back, I am loved. So you see, I have everything I need. To be completely honest with you I have everything that I want right now, too.

So what's wrong with me? I have these moments where I can't breath. I get so anxious about what the future holds my chest gets tight and I feel like I'm going to hyperventilate. I feel heavy...and dark. All because I'm going to die...and everyone I know will someday die...and because I'm going to have to do it alone...and leave my children...and my family... and they will leave me. I'm not suicidal ~ I don't have any kind of fatal disease. I'm just having a hard time coping with all of this. Is this part of growing up? Maybe it comes from reading too much or watching too much tv or the news. I think about all the things in my life and how quickly it could all come to an end and I get anxious. I feel like an idiot...I feel like I sound like a whiner who really has no problems and needs to get over herself. But I also can't shake this feeling...and I wish I could.

I quit smoking over a year ago and have been thinking about taking it back up to calm my nerves. How STUPID is that? In my head I say to myself, "You're worried about dying and you're going to start smoking again? Brilliant." Yeah, I know...I'm not going to start up again...but I've been tempted. I know it sounds like some lame excuse...but it really does help sometimes to have that nicotine. Guess that's why people are addicted to it, huh.

Anyone have any ideas on how I can get out of this funk? I mean I look at my kids every day and give them lots of love. They make me smile and laugh and I try very hard to be happy around them all the time. But at night when they are sleeping or during nap time...these thoughts creep into my head and they stay there, like some twisted black cloud hanging over me all the time. Argh ~ it stinks.

I'm really sorry if I've offended anyone with real problems...and I'm really sorry if I depressed anyone. I just had to get this all off my chest and I'm afraid if I really talk to a real person I'll lose it and sound like an idiot. Sorry you had to listen to me babble.

MeMe from MamaLee

2007-06-18T23:45:00.000-04:00

I got this from MamaLee over at Full Plate ~ I just started reading and thought I'd give this Meme a shot...looks fun ~ we'll see.

Guidelines:

Use the 1st letter of your name to answer each of the following categories. They should be real places, names, things.nothing made up! If you can’t think of anything, google it.

Copy and Paste to answer in your blog - let me know if you do this one!

Your Name: Janene

Famous singer: Janis Joplin

4 letter word: jump (that wasn't easy ~ I had to ask Jerry for help!)

Street name: James Street (I had to Google this ~ I'm lame)

Color: Jade

Gifts/presents: Jewelry (yeah baby!)

Vehicle: Jaguar

Things in a Souvenir Shop: Junk (does that count?)

Boy Name: Justin

Girl Name: Jasmin (like in Aladdin)

Movie Title: Jesus Christ Superstar (I know it's not only a movie...I'm a big fan!)

Drink: Jungle Juice (Kool Aid and Vodka)

Occupation: Justice of the Peace

Flower: Jupiter's Beard

Celebrity: Jennifer Aniston (She was the first Jennifer to pop into my head)

Magazine: Jane (I'm getting a subscription of this from my uncle)

U.S. City: Jacksonville

Pro Sports Teams: Jaguars

Something found in a Kitchen: Juice

Reason for being late for work: Just woke up?

Something you throw away: Junk mail

Things you shout: Just wait one minute...I'm coming...

Cartoon Character: Jiminy Cricket (That was REALLY tough)

Anyone else wanna play?

Oh, and if you can think of any different answers I could have put . . . let me know. :)

Weekend Doings

2007-06-18T11:48:00.001-04:00

Well ~ after a rather crazy Friday night...the weekend was pretty calm. Saturday I did make it onto the deck with the pool and we hung out there most of the afternoon/evening. Nate LOVED it. I was diggin' the sun, too. I look less like a ghost now.

I thought about filling it up and going out this afternoon for a little bit, but it's so stinkin' hot and we're all a little tired from our long day yesterday (NO NAPS!) so I think we are just gonna chill in the air conditioning.

Here's a funny story ~ Saturday night Jerry was going to grill and we were having a few friends over to play Phase 10. So, we decided the pool took up too much room on the deck and we were going to drain it and put it in the yard. I pulled the plug and let the water out causing a mini landslide under our deck. That's not the funny part, though. After that was all done, Jerry decided that he was going to just chuck the pool over the deck because it isn't that far and the pool wouldn't break. So, that's what he did. He threw the pool over the side of the deck and it caught an edge and started rolling down the yard...and right towards his garden...and right into his zucchini plants. We only lost 2 zucchini and the plants will survive. But man was he ticked off. :)

I'll end with some more pics of our weekend and some I took this morning:

Here's Jerry with the kids on Father's Day:

This one is Danika eating (can you stand how stinkin' cute she is?):

Here's Nate in his "Let's Go" Cart ~ 1 week to go before our adventures with Miles and Banjo (I'm probably more excited than Nate):

Is it really only 10 am?

2007-06-16T09:47:00.000-04:00

I'm tired. REALLY tired. For reasons I don't really want to get into my hubby and I were up WAY to late last night and now I'm paying for it. We weren't partying or having a whole lot of fun...(we were having a little bit of fun while passing some time~ right Jodi).

Anyway...I'm tired. Plus, I just caught up on my Bloglines subscriptions after 2/3 days of not reading any blogs. I was out of the house a lot the past couple days and wasn't online. Man you guys post a lot...I think I'm pretty caught up now, though.

So ~ the plan for today is to clean out the baby pool that my aunt brought over and throw Nate in it later this afternoon. How I'm going to clean it out while he's awake I have no clue. Hopefully, I'll have pictures for you all later.

Stupid Mailman

2007-06-13T14:08:00.001-04:00

Okay ~ I know it's hot...really hot...but why must my mailman shove my mail under his sweaty armpit and then put it in my mailbox all wet and nasty? I got a book from Nestle GoodStart today and the edge is all ripped and wet. SO GROSS!!! Ugh.

On a happier note, Danika slept in her crib last night! Here's some shots of her room:

We picked up the crib from my MIL's house yesterday and hubby put it together.

We had to take the rocker downstairs to make room...we moved the changing table to the opposite corner.

This is the bedding that my mom found at a yard sale ~ I'm into butterflies. :)

This is the other corner of her room ~ just to give you an idea of what the whole room looks like.

Here's some pics of Nate's room:

My mom made the curtains out of material I found at WalMart. :)

They also bought him that Amish bookshelf/toy chest thing next to his crib.

His closet is overflowing with stuff...but in my defense the closets are small.

Jerry painted the dresser and this nightstand to match. :)

You know...I cleaned their rooms after I took the pictures because I realized how cluttered they look. :)

Danika did really really well in her crib last night. It was really hot in her room, too. We have a window air conditioner for her room...but I'm afraid that she'll get an ear infection or something because the room is so small and the air would blow on her. So...I think I want to go and buy a fan for her room. Nate has a ceiling fan...there's nothing in her room.

Anyway, they've both been napping since 1 and it's 2:30 now so I know one or both of them will be up any minute. Danika fell asleep in her crib. This is wonderful I tell ya! :) I'll have to remember days like today when they are driving me nuts. Nap time ROCKS!

Happy Anniversary to Us

2007-06-12T13:26:00.001-04:00

Today is 3 years...I can't believe it was only 3 years ago. It seems so long ago because so much has happened since then. Then again, it seems like just yesterday, too.

Fun Weekend

2007-06-11T12:19:00.000-04:00

Before I forget ~ there is a new forum opening up called BeBe Reviews. I joined under Krajcimama. Two cool things about it (IMHO): It's new, so if you join now you won't feel "behind" at all with the postings, and they are giving things away to 2 people a week from their stock of things. YOU get to pick! I'm diggin' that for sure! Okay ~ I've said my peace on that one...onward.

I had a lot of fun on my little overnight trip. It started with massages. They were wonderful...really relaxing. Then we went shopping at Grove City Outlets. I bought 2 shirts at the Bass Outlet for about 8 bucks a piece. Then I bought Jerry some sandals for Father's Day ~ his old ones are coming apart. I bought Jerry some new scrubs - he ripped a pair and was down to one set. I bought each of the kids some clothes at the Carter's outlet (which is just FULL of adorable things). I bought myself a pair of capri's (their camo...which is really different for me) and a pair of basic jean shorts. I also bought a New Dad figure for my friend, Jason.

After shopping, we went to eat at Rachel's Roadhouse. It was amazing. SOOO YUMMY! I had Stuffed Mushrooms for an appetizer, Filet Fettuccine for main course and Swiss Ho Cake for dessert. (yes, it tasted just like a Swiss Ho Ho).

Then we went back to my friend Jamie's house and played Phase 10. I HIGHLY recommend it if you are looking for a different/fun card game to play with a group of 2-6 people. We played at my SIL Lorrie's house once. It's a lot of fun.

Yesterday, I went to Jason's "surprise" baby shower. Nate played in a pool and Danika got passed around like a football...but it was all good. Nate's been on this watermelon kick. 'Tis the season, I guess.

Then we had dinner at my parent's house. Mom made Pasta Carbonara, which I will be heating up for lunch after I make Nate a grilled cheese. It was REALLY yummy.

Then we watched an extremely disappointing series finale of The Sopranos. I have a theory about it. I think Tony got shot and died. That is unless they decide to make a movie. :) Then I will obviously be wrong. I base my theory on two things: 1) Tony's the "main" character. If he were to die then it would make sense that we stop seeing what is going on...because we can't see it through his eyes anymore. 2) When he was talking to Bobby, Bobby said: "I bet you don't even hear it when it happens." We didn't hear a thing.

Anywho, on a sadder note, my brother-in-law's grandfather passed away on Saturday. I'm going to be watching Angelina for them tonight for a little bit. Please, keep them in your thoughts.

Later Gators...

Randomness ~ before my day out

2007-06-09T08:28:00.001-04:00

So, last night I was sitting in the tub thinking. (I started pampering myself a little early...I took a bath instead of a shower) I need to lose some baby weight. I was reading this article in Good Housekeeping about this woman who lost 80 pounds before swimsuit season eating raw veggies and fasting and drinking water for 3 weeks. Doesn't it seem rather insanely fast to lose 80 pounds in 3 weeks? The thing is, this lady only weighed 160 pounds when she started...so she only weighted 80 when she was done and she swore she still felt fat. I know that's probably a disease...but I don't know how any full grown adult could possibly feel fat weighing only 80 pounds.

I weigh less than I did when I first got pregnant (with Nate). The number isn't as bad as it could be...but the mirror tells another story these days. I guess that means I don't really need to diet as much as I need to exercise. I'd rather diet. I really hate to exercise. I don't like to sweat and I hate being out of breath. I know. I know. I'm a lazy slob. Oh well...I'm going to have to find some kind of exercise I like or forever look like I'm still pregnant...or even worse, pregnant again.

Any ideas?

On another note ~ did you see Paris Hilton went back to jail crying? I almost felt bad for her in that picture. Mainly because I think she really is scared...but come on. She isn't being kept with the general public in prison. How bad can it really be? I'm sure she gets some special treatment. I know that prison is no fun...well, I don't know first hand...but I'm guessing it's not like camp or anything. However, she doesn't have to clean, cook or worry about paying bills...I guess I'll just leave it at I hope she "learns" from this experience. I hope that maybe she will be a little humbled. But to tell you the truth...In the long run it doesn't matter to me. Who cares? I don't know Paris Hilton...I'll NEVER know Paris Hilton. My life will be moving at the same pace when she gets out of jail as it was when she went into jail (both times).

Okay, I have to go pack a few things for my sleepover. :) I'm looking forward to getting outta town for the evening. I'm not looking forward to packing. I have to pack for me, Danika and Nate. Argh ~ I hate it when getting out of the house is the hardest part.

My son the motivator:

2007-06-08T13:43:00.001-04:00

Before I begin with how my son has motivated me today...let me just say that this whole birth control thing is bugging the crap out of me these days. First of all there was last week when I was suppose to get my visit from you know who...and she didn't show up. Then there is the fact that these stupid pills are costing me $35 a month. Now add the fact that my visitor showed up yesterday. So, I had to make a phone call to see if I needed to shell out another $35 for a new pack even though I didn't finish the last one. (Apparently, the answer is no...I will eventually regulate.) Plus, I've been having some issues with my contacts ~ which is apparently a side effect of the pill. Great ~ now not only to I have to go to my OB/GYN, I have to see an optometrist, too. ARGH!

Then there was this:

My motivation to clean the entry way...which has been needing done for about a month. I had to laugh because I've never believed anyone that has said, "I just turned my head for a minute..." because I know that the times my son has gotten into something he wasn't suppose to it was because I really wasn't watching him like I should have. However, this morning that really wasn't the case. That baby powder had been in the entryway on the pack-n-play for at least 2 weeks. I thought nothing of it. I walked from the living room into the kitchen and got a glass of Diet Pepsi...by the time I was back in the living room this had happened. I knew he was too quiet.

Don't you just love the little foot prints, though. :)

Better Mood

2007-06-07T10:07:00.000-04:00

I'm not going to get into details about why I'm in a better mood (use your imagination)...but I'm sure having 2 freshly bathed children and 2 nice big cups of coffee this morning has something to do with it. I also had a nice long conversation with my friend, Jodi, last night. Not the Jody who was having the baby (she had a boy, btw...David Michael: 8lbs. 13oz. 21 inches - mom and baby are fine!). This is my friend Jodi from Ft. Lewis, Washington. Actually, she's from here ~ her hubby is in Afghanistan and she is home for a visit. Here's her adorable daughter on her first birthday Sunday.

Anyway, I'm really looking forward to this weekend. I'm going away...by myself...and getting a massage to boot! Jodi and I are driving up to Slippery Rock to visit my friend Jamie. She got a masseuse to come to her apartment and give us each half hour massages. Then we are going shopping at the Grove City Outlets and then we are going to go somewhere to eat. Finally, we are going to end our day by gossiping and drinking some yummy beverages. I can't wait. I feel slightly guilty about leaving the kids ~ but I'm sure they'll be just fine. Danika is going to stay at my parent's house and Nate is going to be with Jerry. Poor Jerry...

Me: You aren't going to let Nate sleep in bed with you when I'm gone, are you? He's doing so well in his crib.

Him: Well, I was planning on having him in bed with me. Not because I don't think I can put him in his crib, but because I don't want to be alone in bed.

Argh ~ never mind the 2 nights you left me to fend for myself with both kids to go fishin' with 2 of your buddies. Just make me feel guilty for wanting to get away for an evening. What a big dork. :) I guess it's nice to know he'll miss me, though.

Oh ~ I realized yesterday that I had to post this pic:

Isn't she just the cutest baby doll? I LOVE this dress. It makes her look like the porcelain doll I had when I was little.

One of those days ~

2007-06-06T19:37:00.000-04:00

Before I say anything ~ Everyone say prayers and send happy thoughts to my friend Jody (who reads my blog all the time). She was being induced today. I'm sure that she has already had the baby...but keep her in your thoughts. I've been thinking about her all day. :)

I'm having one of those days, so I'll keep this nice and short. Other wise you will be overloaded with a bunch of me bitching about everything and everyone...and that's never any fun. Who wants to read a list of complaints? Even if I am completely annoyed with one of my "friends" who seems to be able to fall into a pile of S**T and come out smelling like roses. And if stupid people doing stupid things annoy me even more...and my husband seems to be avoiding me ~ not really, the freaking grass needed cut. ARGH - I'm gonna stop complaining so you can look at some pictures.

Danika in the greatest baby seat ever.

Nate swinging

Nate and Aubrey

Angelina and Danika

Can you believe it?

2007-06-05T09:38:00.000-04:00

Can you believe that I forgot my camera when we went to the Carnegie Science Center yesterday? Of all people to forget their camera...especially because it's my new camera that I have been lugging it around with me since it came in the mail. So, I have no pictures to share with you of our fun day yesterday. Nate had a blast playing in the under 6 section on the 4th floor. Danika was a real doll the whole time. We got their late enough that most of the field trips were heading out or had gone over to the UPMC SportsWorks (which is included in your admission to the Science Center). There were only maybe about 20 kids in the under 6 section and we hung out there for about 2 hours. Then we took Nate to see the trains ~ he tried racing the train...the train won. By the time we got back to the first floor there was almost no one there, so we let him run around in there for about 20 minutes. As we were leaving, Jerry was asked to take a survey and they gave him 4 free passes to the Science Center! I'm so excited because now we can go back and I can take my camera this time! :)

The other thing that has been bugging me a lot lately is how much I miss teaching. For a while, I was really relieved that I was able to stay home and take care of the kids because I want to stay home with my kids. Lately, though, I have really been missing the planning and challenges that come with teaching other children. I know that when my kids get a little bit bigger I will be able to give them a pretty good start as far as helping them with the things they will need when they start school. I am really looking forward to that, too. None of that is really changing the fact that I really miss teaching, though. The only thing that will make that go away is if I go back to teaching. I lost my Catholic School teaching job when I left to have Nate and would have to go out and really apply and interview for a job. (I really kinda lucked out when I got my first job because I knew the principal and she hired me right out of college ~ and I LOVED it!)

The other problem is that I would have to find somewhere for my kids to go ~ and I don't want to put them in daycare yet. Maybe when Danika is a little older, but not now...she's too little and I don't HAVE to. Jerry's mom works night turn at the hospital and it would be way too much for her to watch them everyday ~ even with his dad helping. My mom has way too much going on with my sister to watch them everyday. I thought about seeing if my mom could do every other day and Jerry's mom could do every other day...but I know my kids are a lot of work right now. So, I'm gonna wait...I guess...but I really do miss it a lot.

It hits me at certain times of the year that I found exciting. The fall (when school is starting) and the spring/summer (when school is ending) are probably the worst. I think it's because for most of my life (except the last 3 years) I was getting ready for those two events. From grade school through college and then the 6 years I taught ~ ever fall meant going back to school and every spring meant summer vacation was on it's way.

Plus, there is the whole issue of my continuing education. I need 165 hours to keep my certification active. I have until June 2010 to complete them. Ideally, my lifelong dream has been to go and get my doctorate and become a college professor. I'm almost close to finishing my masters...I need 6 credits. But...because I am not teaching at a Catholic School anymore I have to pay full price for those credits (I was getting 1/2 off from Duquesne for teaching at a Catholic School) . It isn't cheap by any stretch of the imagination. Argh ~ I don't know.

I guess I will do what I've been doing for other decisions that I've had to make lately. Start saying some prayers and wait for the answer to show up. I have a feeling if I do that I'll probably end up right where I am right now for the next 4/5 years...which would be okay.

The waiting game

2007-06-01T09:01:00.000-04:00

For some reason after I had Nate, birth control wasn't really on my mind. Probably because sex wasn't really on my mind...sleep was always on my mind, but I probably should have thought about birth control while I was at it. I didn't and so now I have Danika. :)
I wouldn't change a thing about it (except I may convince myself to relax a little more about the whole thing).

After having Danika, birth control was the first thing on my mind. I really didn't want 3 babies under the age of 3. I even told the triage nurse that I wanted to be on birth control before I left the hospital. She laughed and asked if I'd thought about getting my tubes tied. I said that I didn't want to do anything that would be tough to reverse "just in case". I really thought that I only wanted 2 kids...and I still may only want 2 kids. But giving away baby clothes and watching them get bigger, I don't know now.

So, I went for my 6 week check up and started the pill. I had to be on the single hormone one because I was nursing Danika at the time. That was in March. I actually got my period twice in March...and haven't had it since. I really thought the pill was all about regulating your period...you know, so you would get it on time and not have to worry about anything. Well ~ 3 pregnancy tests and a bottle of wine later I find out that some people react differently to low estrogen pills...they won't get much of a period at all. Or so that's what Tina at Dr. S's office said. The tests came back with only one line...so I'm okay with that. I did switch pills, though. After all...pregnancy tests aren't cheap.

As an exciting side note, my aunt ordered me this:

and it's going to be here by Wednesday! Whoo Hoo!

Catch up

2007-05-30T13:18:00.000-04:00

We had a pretty busy weekend.

I made Brownie Cupcakes ~ which look a lot better than they tasted.

Sunday we went picnic hopping. We started out at my Mom and Dad's house. They put the tent up in their back yard and Nate got the biggest kick out of running in and out of it ~ for about 20 minutes...then he lost interest.

So...they got the pool out and Nate and Angelina went for a dip ~ for about 20 minutes then he lost interest.

So...we let them roll around on a blanket ~ for about 20 minutes and then they were hungry.

So...Nate (and Nicole, Jason and I) had grilled cheese for lunch. YUMMY!

Then it was off to Uncle Bob and Aunt Joanne's house for another picnic where we played on the hammock...I think they would have done this all day, but I needed a drink. :)

Danika and LJ got to hang out for a little bit.

Then we went to Jim and Deanna's house and they held Danika while Nate got his first skinned knee. :( He was a real trooper about it and didn't even flinch when I cleaned it out. He did throw a screaming fit this morning when he fell and "opened" it up again and I had to put a band aid on it. Ugh ~ poor kid.

I'm it ~ from Amy

2007-05-26T23:23:00.000-04:00

Amy tagged me ~ so...here I go.

What were you doing 10 years ago?

May of 1997 ~ hmm...I first kissed my husband about ten years ago! We didn't really start dating until a year later. I was in college at IUP getting my teaching degree. I was 20, which means I was probably hanging out with my friends in my parents back yard getting into a TON of trouble.

What were you doing 1 year ago?
Getting use to 1 baby...Nate would have been about 6 months old. So, that means I was pregnant with Danika - to tell you the truth I think it was about this time last year that I broke the news to everyone.

Five snacks you enjoy:
1. Celery with salt (or cucumbers with salt...or tomatoes with salt.)
2.Popcorn with M&Ms (seriously try this...but make sure the popcorn is still hot when you put the M&Ms in...it melts the chocolate just enough. It's so yummy - My nephew Nick taught me how to do this)
3.Dark Chocolate Raisinettes
4.Doritos
5.Sunflower Seeds

Five songs that you know all the lyrics:
1. Sin Wagon by the Dixie Chicks (I only put this here because I'm so proud I learned the lyrics)
2. Baby Mine by Bonnie Rait (it's the song Mrs. Jumbo sings to Dumbo ~ I sing it to Nate or Danika at least once a day.
3. Somebody by Depeche Mode ( I think this is the best love song.)
4. Who Put the Alphabet in Alphabetical Order by They Might Be Giants
5. Laid by James

Five things you would do if you were a millionaire:
1. Pay off all of my bills ~ and all of my family's bills...wouldn't it be great to start over?
2. Build my sister a ranch that has everything she needs and is easy for her to get around. I'd pay for it so selling her house wouldn't be an issue.
3. Put a large chunk of money into the kids' college funds.
4. Move - who knows where...but not here.
5. Buy a vacation home on the beach

Five bad habits:
1. Picking at my toenails (my husband HATES when I do that)
2. Letting the laundry back up
3. Not drinking enough water
4. Not washing my face before bed - especially if I didn't put makeup on that day.
5. Spending all day in front of the computer.

Five things you like doing:
1. Taking pictures
2. Playing with my kids...and my nieces and nephews.
3. Blogging
4. Reading other people's blogs
5. Coloring (seriously....I LOVE to color)

Five things you would never wear again:
1. Neon - I got a little nervous because when I was at the mall the other day I saw a lot of neon...I really hope it's not making a comeback. UGH.
2. The bridesmaid's dress for my friend Colleen's wedding
3. Fire engine Red Lipstick
4. Black and White striped hose (it works for some...not for me)
5. Anything rainbow colored

Five favorite toys:
1. My camera
2. My computer
3. My hubby (couldn't resist...sorry)
4. My I Pod
5. My Nintendo DS

I'm gonna tag ~

1) Cyndi
2) Kara
3) Janean

Who Put the Alphabet?

2007-05-26T23:06:00.001-04:00

Just a real quick video of my little Man Cub jammin' to They Might Be Giants. :)

To the person who did this...

2007-05-26T08:42:00.001-04:00

I have a lot of questions for the person who decided that they would (in broad daylight) smash in the window of my husband's truck. Questions like, did that make you feel good? Did you feel even a twinge of guilt when you saw the two car seats in the back? Did you impress your friends? Are you happy now? How'd you sleep last night?

And I have some whys...like why did you only smash the truck's window and no other car on the block? Why did you only smash the window in (not that it wasn't enough) and not take anything?

The thing is...I really believe you are just some moron of a kid who decided it would be fun to do this to impress your friends or something. We don't have any enemies or anyone we pissed off enough to have them do this. So, I'm going to assume that you don't know me and I don't know you. Not that it makes it any better that we'll now have to find 288 bucks to fix your 2 minutes of whatever. Do you know what I could have bought with 288 bucks? One of these, to start with : (go ahead and click on it...I can't wait to get one! But I'll probably have to wait a bit longer thanks to the moron who broke our window)

That money also would have made for a nice evening out on my anniversary ~ now it's "Happy Anniversary, honey! Wanna go look at the window we bought for each other that really didn't need fixed until some idiot bashed it in? How romantic!"

Funny thing is, I've been kinda looking for a sign lately about a decision I may or may not have to make soon. Without getting into a lot of details, it's something I've been praying about and kind of worrying about a lot lately. Your 2 minutes of stupidity could actually be a sign from the big man about which way I should be leaning on this decision. It might be the push I need ~ it's definitely a nudge in that direction.

Finally, I would like to thank you ~ not that I feel you really deserve it, but because of your stupidity I was finally able to relax and tie one off last night. I'm feeling it this morning, but hey...I felt awesome last night. :) It's been so long since I relaxed and laughed with friends. We sat around talking about stupid stuff all night and I really enjoyed myself...it's the first time I've had more than 3 beers since I don't know when ~ so, thanks for that...I guess.

Still Snappin' Pictures

2007-05-25T14:51:00.001-04:00

Okay, I know I need to blog about something other than the pictures I've been taking but...

Look what my camera can do! Collages! It's gonna be addictive ~ I know it. (This is why I'm taking the time to read the manual...I didn't know it did this when I bought it. How cool!)

Oh, Nate LOVES his new car (thanks Aunt Mare and Uncle Jason!)

Danika had her first bites of rice cereal last night.

Nate enjoyed an orange popcycle...which caused me to have to give him another bath to get the stick out last night.
And what is this? I'm playing with the exposure settings on the camera...thought this one was kinda neat. Like Nate is really Dash (from Incredibles). Yeah...I'm a big dork.

Pictures

2007-05-24T17:17:00.001-04:00

So...my new camera came and I have to say I'm going a little bit overboard with pictures these days ~ For example...this one of Jerry walking out of the grocery store yesterday to tell me that I needed to go in and buy his Alavert (apparently you need an id to buy it) (oh, and if you click the link you can get a coupon for some free Alavert).

And one of my son wearing his sister's pick Cherry bib and playing with a frog wearing bunny ears ~ look at his pot belly!

Then there is this one ~ what do you do with your Pack-n-Play? Better yet, what would I do with all of this stuff if I didn't have a Pack-n-Play?

This is what our deck looks like while being pressure washed...instant before and after pic!

Here's Angelina trying to ingest this teething fish.

And here's my favorite pic of the day ~ Danika on her belly (she did that for the first time yesterday)*BTW ~ the date and time thing is HISTORY. . .how annoying is that?!?

Here's the one I set as our desktop background ~ just to hear what he has to say about it...

Diggin' Bloglines

2007-05-24T09:31:00.000-04:00

Do you use Bloglines? Seriously, why I didn't use Bloglines to keep track of the blogs I read before is beyond me. I mean I know that it ain't pretty and you don't get all the fun sidebar stuff from the page...but knowing when all the blogs I subscribe to are updated without having to go to the page and check it out is saving me a bunch of time ~ therefore giving me more time to read and making me want to find more blogs to read. Any suggestions?

So much to say...

2007-05-23T09:43:00.001-04:00

I'm not really sure where to start because there is so much to update. Sunday, I was sick...so I did nothing. My mom took Nate for a few hours and Danika and I took a nap ~ a long nap...an all afternoon nap that I'm really surprised didn't screw up her whole sleeping schedule. Jerry didn't get home until after 10 Sunday night and I was so ready for bed it was unbelievable.

Monday wasn't a whole lot different in the morning. I hung around the house most of the morning trying to clean up from the disaster that was Sunday. It's funny how I didn't care what Nate was destroying when I didn't feel good...as long as it wasn't going to hurt him or anyone else I kind of let him do what he wanted. So, I had a lot of things to put back where they belonged. Nothing too bizarre...things like the dishtowels he pulled out of the drawers, the computer paper he had strewn all over the living room and dining room, the toys he just dumped EVERYWHERE.

Monday evening I went to my MIL's house and had dinner and hung out with my niece and nephews. Nate just loves playing with them. He and Mia (who is a year older than him) just crack me up. She's such a mother hen when it comes to him and he gets so ticked off...it's just adorable. She'll say, "No No Nate" and he'll grunt in this "lay off" kind of way. Kinda the way he's been grunting at me lately. :) Then, after putting both kids to bed, I went grocery shopping while Jerry caught up on Sopranos. I wasn't thrilled with this weeks Sopranos...they are really going to have to pick it up if they are going to make the ending anything but disappointing. I think there are only 2 (or is it 3) shows left.

Yesterday, Jerry was off. :) We did a lot...mainly because Nate's been getting up early and yesterday was no exception. So ~ here's the rundown on yesterday.

1) Jerry made pancakes. They were yummy...I LOVE pancakes.

2) I took Nate to CMU ~ See the T-shirt they gave him?

Basically, he watched something on a computer screen for a few minutes and then one of the students there tried to get him to play with her a certain way. He wasn't very cooperative...but he did do the sign for "ball" when she showed him the basketball...which made me all excited. :)

OH ~ BTW check this out. It's an art thingy at CMU that totally freaked me out when I saw it...but once I figured out what it was it was pretty cool.

3) We hung out on the front porch waiting for the UPS guy to bring my new camera (which he finally did around 4 and I've been playing with since then)

4) We went to 380 Auction to buy some plant and stopped at my mom and dad's house to pick up the pressure washer to pressure wash the deck (it's about 1/2 done).

5) I made dinner and finally put the kids to bed...so I could REALLY play with my camera and the new program that came with it.

Today, I have to take both kiddos to the doctors to get shots. UGH! I'm really not looking forward to it. On a more exciting note, Danika rolled from her back to her belly this morning! Now I'm really going to have to keep an eye on her!

Early Morning

2007-05-19T08:29:00.001-04:00

Today is going to be a long day. Jerry is at Lake Erie fishing with some buddies (he left last night so I didn't sleep real well) and I'm home alone until tomorrow evening...well, not alone because I'd probably really enjoy that...don't get me wrong, I'm enjoying my kids...but, well...why did they have to pick today to get up at 6 am and not fall back asleep? I guess that's not entirely true...Danika is sleeping. Nate has been running around all morning refusing to eat anything more that a quarter of a banana. This seems to be the trend lately...it's not a hunger strike by any means ~ just that he doesn't eat enough so all day I'm trying to feed him.

Anyway, I cleaned the kitchen...scrubbed the counter tops and the sink pretty well and cleaned the stove top. I'm planning on doing the floor when my mother-in-law takes Nate for a little while this afternoon. She's suppose to take him to my nephew Connor's baseball game. She's picking him up around 11. Then I'm moving to the bathroom. If I can get those 2 rooms (and some laundry) done today I'll feel like I've accomplished something. It's amazing how much a clean kitchen does for my motivation level. It makes me want to clean the whole flippin' house. If only my 2 little angels would let me. I just took a 15 minute break to put Nate down for a catnap ~ so, Danika is starting to wake up. Didn't you know that's how it works? Sometimes I think they meet up in dreamland somewhere and say, "Okay, I'm here...you better go keep mom company." :)

Well...I'm gonna try to get a load of towels in the wash before she's REALLY awake!

Have a great weekend!

Flickr and Flock

2007-05-17T23:50:00.000-04:00

So...YahooPhotos is closing. That's where I have all of my pictures uploaded. I was in search of a new place to upload, share and post my pictures. I went to Flickr...and now I'm hooked. So much so that I've convinced hubby to buy me the new digital camera I've had my eye on. I'm waiting for the ebay auction on it to end as I type.

I didn't know how cool Flickr was until I started to look around a bit. I never realized that there were groups that you could join and you could actually connect with people and look at their pictures and have them look at yours and make comments. It makes me want to start taking pictures ALL the time. :)

Anyway...I also downloaded a new webbrowser, Flock, that makes it really easy to upload my pictures to Flickr. I'm diggin' it big time. Funny thing is ~ it seems to be a lot quicker than Internet Explorer. I recommend it and am looking forward to finding out all of the cool stuff you can do with it.

So, if you have a Flickr account please let me know...I'd love to add you as a contact/friend and check out your photos!

Too cute~

2007-05-16T15:59:00.001-04:00

Too cute~
Originally uploaded by krajcimama.

Trip to the Zoo

2007-05-16T09:03:00.000-04:00

I don't have a lot of time to post, but I wanted to share some pics of our trip to the zoo yesterday. My mom and dad, Angelina, Nate, Danika and I all piled into the Mountaineer and headed to the Pittsburgh Zoo and PPG Aquarium. I love the zoo...but this was quite an adventure. I've NEVER seen it so busy and it was pretty hot, too! We had fun though and I'm glad we got out of the house because it's rainy and grey today.

Breakfast at Bob Evans

Nate and his Nunnu

Danika Darling (slept almost the whole trip!)

I call this one hydrating the grandkids ~ :)

Finally, Nate's favorite animal - the digger!

CRAZY Days

2007-05-14T18:45:00.000-04:00

First of all ~ Happy Mother's Day to all the wonderful moms that stop by and read my blog...sorry it's a little late, but things have been kind of nuts lately. I had a nice Mother's Day. I got a beautiful Citrine and Garnet bracelet. Citrine is Nate's birthstone and Garnet is Danika's.

We went to 9 o'clock mass and sat with Jerry's mother and grandmother. Then we picked up my niece, Angelina, and ate breakfast at my MIL's house. Then we took Angelina to see her mommy at HealthSouth Rehab. Here's some pictures:

Angelina sitting so nice

Nate and Aunt Nicole

Jerry and Danika

After we left Nicole, we went to my SIL's house and I got to meet Lochlin! He's such a little sweetie. His Nana gave him a bath and he hardly cried! He's got so much beautiful hair and he's so soft. He's doing really well. His brother's and sister just love him to death. They are so precious. :)

Then we went to AVH to see my brother-in-law, Jason. This is Nicole's husband...and I know I didn't post about this earlier because I've been avoiding it. Thursday, no one could get a hold of Jason. They tried calling him and my mom drove past the house and the car was there. No one really thought anything was wrong...but it turns out that there was a lot wrong. As of right now, Jason has meningitis and is in the hospital. He's a diabetic and has other health issues. They are still doing tests to find out all that is wrong with him. Angelina was with him when my parents found him. He was delirious and combative when they found him...not to mention VERY sick. He doesn't remember anything about it or Friday. He was still a little out of it when we saw him yesterday. He's doing okay...we think. Angelina is with my mom and dad and she is fine.

After AVH we went to my other SIL's house and watched Sopranos...WOW! I'm not enjoying this season...I've found it pretty boring...but man ~ Chris is dead??? (Oh ~ BTW...Nick on YnR CAN'T be DEAD!)

Gotta go ~ more later... :)

Interview

2007-05-12T08:39:00.000-04:00

Cyndi has interviewed me with the following questions, so here goes! If you would like to be interviewed, just read the information that follows.

1.What are some things you like about yourself?

Physically I like my hair these days ~ that's kind of a first because I've always hated my hair.

I also like the fact that I'm a mommy ~ I love being a mommy and I love my kids so much. It's not just because tomorrow is Mother's Day (Happy Mother's Day to all you other mommies)! I really love taking care of my kids, even when they are sick and a pain in the butt. :)

2. What is your favorite childhood memory?

That's a tough one - I have so many wonderful childhood memories. I guess my favorite childhood memories are holidays where the whole family would be around celebrating and eating wonderful food. I use to have a lot of fun with my cousins (it really stinks that I don't really talk to them much anymore). I remember one time that I had a tape recorder and we pretended to be a radio station and taped ourselves as talk show hosts...I wonder where the heck that tape ended up? It was pretty funny.

3.What is your best accomplishment something you are proud of?

Obviously, my children...my teaching degree...and quitting smoking. I'm also pretty proud of the fact that I've changed a lot by deciding that I was going to be a more positive person. There is so much "stuff" going on with my family these days it would be really easy to get bogged down and depressed. I've been trying really hard to be the optimist in everything. That is so NOT me...but, I really and truly felt like someone in my family needed to be positive about things. I've also made it a point to support others more rather than complain about them. (even Jerry...)

4.What are some of the events that have shaped your life good and bad? Things that have changed you forever?

These questions are tough ~ I feel like my answers are really lame...but here you go.

First ~ the good one ~ I know I sound like a broken record here...but the births of my children have changed me forever. I think about so much differently, now. I have a different attitude about a lot of things. I have different priorities. Having children has made me laugh at things I thought were so important before - like my own clothes...I don't have time to worry about what I have on (as long as my kids look nice) and when I get food or some other substance on me I just laugh it off. I have become more down to earth and calm. I've also started to enjoy everyday with them...I love noticing new things about them and how they are changing. The moment that they entered the world (and even before their grand entrances) they changed me forever.

Now ~ the bad ~ Oddly enough, the bad event I think has changed me the most changed me in the same way as having children. Thank God that this all turned out okay, but going through thinking my dad had liver cancer was definitely an event that changed me forever. My dad is the strength in our family and seeing him as vulnerable changed me a lot. It made me realize there are no certains in life and that no matter how hard you try, there are things you can't control. That being said, I still consider my dad the strength in our family. I just don't take things for granted anymore. I make sure that I tell people I love them and I make sure that I don't sweat the small stuff because it's not important. I try really hard not to get caught up in things that aren't important because it's a waste of my valuable time...and I realize because of all that we went through, you really don't know how much time you have...that makes every second valuable.

5.What would you want your message to the world to be? What is the most important lesson you have learned and want to share??

I guess I'd want my message to the world to be: Evaluate your priorities - life is short and it's important to make the most of it. Stop worrying so much about what everyone else thinks because at the end of the day you are the one you have to live with.

An important lesson I've learned is to be more forgiving...it's not always easy, but forgiving and moving on feels a lot better than holding a grudge. It may seem strange, but I find it a lot harder to forgive people who hurt people I love than to forgive people who hurt me.

Now its your turn to play if you wish!
Leave me a comment saying, "Interview me." I will respond by asking you five questions. I get to pick the questions, and I will message or comment you with them and these directions. Just update your blog with the answers to the questions and include this explanation and an offer to interview someone else in the same post. When others comment asking to be interviewed, you will ask them five questions

Purpose of Life

2007-05-10T14:34:00.000-04:00

Pretty heavy title, huh? I think having time to slow down ~ like when your kid is sick and you can't rush around and have to stop ~ gives you time to think. Conversations with old friends about the "old days" can cause you to do some thinking, too. I can't believe I already have a time in my life that would be considered the "old days". I'm sure that some day today will be considered the "old days". For now, though, the "old days" would be High School.

When I was in High School I hung out with those kids who liked to write and talk about important things like the meaning of life, love and what things they were going to do to make a difference in the world. I was right there with them. I had theories on why you fall in love with who you fall in love with and why things happen the way they do and what we are put on earth to accomplish. I was sure that I knew exactly who I was going to be and how I was going to make a difference. The thing is...I wasn't that far off! That isn't to say I was 100% right like I had seen it all in a crystal ball or anything. But I knew that I was put on this earth to be a mother and a wife and a teacher.

Anytime I tried to be anything other than a future mother/wife/teacher I looked ridiculous and failed miserably. For example, there was the time I wore fishnet stockings on my arms and black and white striped tights and headed out to a concert with black eyeliner all over my eyes and black lipstick all over my lips. Yeah, I have a picture...no, you can't see it...I look ridiculous. I really wanted to be a goth at one point...yeah, the kind that pretend to be the walking dead (no offense to anyone) and wear all black and have super pale skin and flawless complexions. It didn't work...mainly because I smiled too much to be that somber all the time. So, in college I decided that I would just do what I was put on this earth to do and quit trying to be something/someone I'm not. And here I am today...a stay at home mom with a wonderful husband and an elementary education teaching degree.

I love teaching and really do want to get back to it someday. Right now, however, my job is taking care of my two precious children. I always wanted children. I always knew I would be a mom. I even wanted a boy and then a girl because I always thought it would have been cool to have an older brother. I feel a little better about Danika someday heading out into the world knowing she'll have Nate to look out for her. :)

I guess this is all coming from the fact that Nate is sick ~ and he wants ME to hold him and wants ME to make him feel better. And I will...I have no problem doing it...I love doing it, actually. I realize now that if I do nothing else extraordinary for the rest of my life I will still have done the most extraordinary thing in the world. I will have given birth to, comforted and raised my children. I guess today is just one of those days when I'm in awe of the fact that I have kids and I'm a mother. They are mine! :) Look how cute they are!

Danika after her bath.

Nate sick on the couch, surrounded by towels, just in case.

What's been going on...

2007-05-09T19:10:00.000-04:00

I know it's been over a week since my last post . . . but in my defense things are crazy around here. Plus, the weather has been a lot nicer and I haven't felt like being on the computer. I guess the easiest way to catch everyone up to what's been going on is to go in order. So here's what's new since Monday, April 30th.

1. Ethan Thomas was born on May 1st. He was 7lbs. 14 oz. My friend Cathy had a C-Section because he was under a lot of stress. They put her on pitocin and he wasn't handling contractions well. But both Mommy and Baby are doing great.

2. Thursday, my sister Nicole went back into the hospital. She had been having a little bit of pain in her legs and headaches...Thursday morning she lost feeling in her left leg and couldn't put pressure on it. She also couldn't move her toes and her right leg was feeling really weak as well. Today the doctors have made the diagnosis that she has Devic's Disease. I've been looking on-line a little about it and just found that it is similar to MS but doesn't effect the brain. Apparently, it's a disease where your immune system attacks your spinal cord and/or your optic nerve. She hasn't had any signs of vision problems. I also read that the most serious problem that patients with the disease have is when the upper spinal cord is infected. It can cause respiratory problems...and the patients can even be unable to breath on their own. It also has relapses...so, please keep her and my family in your prayers as we learn more about what to expect and what the next steps are for her.

3. My nephew, Nicholas, had his first sleep over at our house on Friday. We rented Night at the Museum, which I thought was really cute. We also ate popcorn with M&Ms and Cheeseballs mixed in it. The popcorn made the M&Ms just warm enough to make the insides nice and soft. I recommend it highly. The chocolate and salty popcorn was SO yummy.

4. We went to Nick's soccer game and Connor's baseball game on Saturday. Then we went to my SIL's house for a cookout. Nate was exhausted by the time we got home.

5. Sunday was Jerry's birthday. We went to mass in the morning and brunch with my mom and dad, Aunt Judy and Michael. Then we stayed home all day to give Nate a chance to catch up on some rest. Jerry got his garden ready for planting and we grilled some Chicken Wings on the grill...along with some potatoes. We missed Sopranos...and haven't watched it On-Demand yet.

6. Monday, we took a ride to drive past some houses we were interested in seeing the outside of...because we are thinking of moving. We want to move before the kids go to school. We are thinking that we may even like to move sooner. We've outgrown our starter home and are ready for a bigger place. Unfortunately (or fortunately if you ask my dad - because the houses were and hour from home) neither house had a yard that would be nice enough for the kids to play in. They were both sort of situated at the bottom of cliffs...ugh.

7. Tuesday, my newest nephew was born. He was born at home. His DaDa delivered him and Mama did a great job. Both Mama and baby are doing fine. They go tomorrow for check-ups to make sure all is well. His name is Loughlin John - LJ. :)

8. I'll end with where we are right now. Nate has the flu. It started with a slight fever yesterday that I've been keeping an eye on. Today he had diarrhea and about 2 hours ago he puked up his afternoon snack. So, keep your fingers crossed that was it...I really don't feel like pulling an all nighter with him tonight. He seems to be doing really well, though. We're sticking with crackers for the rest of the night and maybe a little water. Wish us luck!

Here's some pictures from the last few days

My kiddos this morning ( I told Nate to give Dani a hug)

Connor playing baseball.

Nicholas playing soccer.

My First Book Review!

2007-04-30T22:25:00.000-04:00

Okay, so I haven't read a book in a pretty long time ~ that is a book that was about something other than being pregnant, going through childbirth, nursing or taking care of a newborn. I finally finished the first non-baby/preggo book I've read since becoming preggo with Nate. I thought that I'd do a little review for you all to let you know what I think of it. This is the first time I've ever done a book review ~ since I don't think you can count the book reports I did in school....I did love doing book reports, though. :)

The Proper Care & Feeding of Husbands ~ by: Dr. Laura Schlessinger

I picked this book up because it sounded interesting. I'm not having any marital problems, nor was I when I bought the book. To be honest with you, I knew nothing about Dr. Laura or her radio program. Which is what this book is basically about.

With 8 rather short chapters and the book totalling only 180 pages, this should have been a much easier read than it was. There were times when I felt like she was beating a dead horse...and times when I felt like she was totally off base.

The book reminded me a lot of the Men are from Mars, Women are from Venus by John Gray. It touches on the differences between men and women; how they communicate differently and how their behaviors are often misunderstood. It discusses how women are too sensitive and men are very basic ~ almost to the point of being primal.

Dr. Laura makes some very valid points and has some very controversially strong opinions. She seems to be in favor of the "traditional" husband/wife roles. She believes that a wife is obligated to do certain things for her husband and that in turn her husband will follow suit and do things for her. She sees the cooking and cleaning as the stay at home mom's "job". She believes that a lot of women have the wrong ideas about what their roles in their marriage are because of the idea that women need to be "super mom".

I'm not in disagreement here...I do think that a lot of women tend to have unfounded or unnecessary complaints about their husbands. It's easy to complain about them. However, I also know some women who have very true and serious complaints about their husbands. I am wondering what Dr. Laura would say about those women.

The book is mainly made up of her callers stories and letters on what a wife should/shouldn't do to help her marriage. I want to share with you the one that I found most interesting and that stuck with me the most.

"Becky, another listener, wrote that her mother warned her early on not to come to her with complaints, criticisms, and gripes about her husband.

'My mother, I believe, had the best advice; in fact, I follow it to this day as a married woman. The general idea behind her words was simple: If you want me to love and respect the man you date and eventually marry, don't come to me with complaints about his faults and weaknesses. You may forgive his words and actions easily; I, however, am your mother, and I don't like to see you hurt. It will take more for me to accept his apologies than it will for you.'"

It isn't that the other parts of the book didn't make sense to me ~ this just hit kinda close to home. I started thinking about how I talk about Jerry to others. I wondered if I was giving them the wrong impression and I realized that I probably was because it is in the nature of most women to complain when the talk to their mothers, sisters and girlfriends. At least it's in my nature. I tend to "unload" on them with all of the little problems I have on my mind...and all of the little petty things I whine about. I realized that some of those things may paint an unflattering picture of Jerry. So, I've decided to make a conscience effort to not complain as much...if at all. That way Jerry will know that I'm supportive of him. He does work very hard for his family. He does take care of us and love us. Really, what more could I ask for?

I think that is another main point that Dr. Laura makes in her book...it is important to praise your husband. When it comes down to it the main ideas in The Proper Care and Feeding of Husbands (as I saw it) are:

*Respect your husband

*Love and be intimate with him

*Thank God for him (because he truly is a gift)

*Be mindful of his feelings (because apparently men have feelings, too)

*Praise him for the things he does

*Don't nag

*Remember that most men are pretty simple and have simple needs

and finally....

*If you love them, respect them and cherish them - they will do everything they can to make you happy. They really do want you to be happy.

In my opinion, Dr. Laura's book repeats the same message over and over. That women are too hard on their men and that they need to be more understanding. While this is true for some women, I'm sure, it is also not true for all women. If you have the kind of husband that Dr. Laura describes in her book then her advice may work for you...however, not everyone is lucky enough to have that kind of guy. I also think that she is probably preaching to the choir a bit in this book - if you didn't care about your husband's feelings (as she says women don't) then why would you buy a book about how to take care of them?

On a scale of 1 to 10, I'd give this book a 5 at best. It was pretty easy to read...but it dragged on a lot in places where I felt that I was reading the same thing over and over. I also felt that some of Dr. Laura's advice seemed unrealistic and situation specific. To me, the book seems to be written to stay at home moms who complain about their husbands and shouldn't. Dr. Laura does mention the working mom in a few places, but a lot of what she says is addressed to the mom who doesn't see housework as her job when she's staying home with kids.

In other news ~ I still miss my dog a lot. This morning my son finally noticed that she is gone. He went to the back door and started hitting the glass and calling for her ("gooogrrl" ~ aka "good girl" ~ because that's what we would always say when she was around him). Man, this is so much harder than I thought it would be. :(

I'm Dealing ~

2007-04-29T22:53:00.000-04:00

Well ~ last night Lexus went to her new home. I'm trying to deal with it tonight. I cried when she left...but did pretty good the rest of the night. There was that brief moment when I got to the crust of my pizza and had to eat it instead of give it to her that I got a little choked up...but for the most part I was fine. We had a great day:

Danika in her sun bonnet on the swing ~ getting some fresh air:

Nate and DaDa blowing bubbles:

But when we got home I started to miss the dog ~ a lot. I know that she's happy where she is because Jerry got a message from the girl we gave her to. She said that they aren't having any problems at all with her and that she's doing great. We told them that we would take her back if there were any issues (like her not eating...or being really depressed).

Seems like I'm the one having issues, though. I keep eating and am really depressed myself. I know it's just a dog...but it's driving me crazy! I actually feel like I might puke. Of course, I'm wondering if I did the right thing and I'm second guessing my decision. I want to tell Jerry that we need to go and get her back. I want to drive the hour to Jamie's house and bring my dog home. I want to give her a big hug and tell her I'm sooo sorry that I ever thought I'd be better off without her. But, I'm not going to do that because I haven't given it enough time...and it's not fair to her new owners. They said we could come and "visit" her. I don't think I can do that for a while...if ever. I wonder if I made my decision too quickly. I mean we had been thinking about it for a long time...but there were reasons that we didn't give her away. We didn't really think about it a whole lot and just jumped on it. We didn't give ourselves time. Now it's too late and I miss her something awful.

I'm sure it will get better - I hope it will get better - it HAS to get better, right? (PS ~ I think I have PMS, too. That is making this even more emotional for me.)

Oh, by the way, for MOST toys it MAY be okay to ignore the suggested age range ~ However, THIS toy is NOT one of them. 17 month olds and fake fishing rods are a BAD mix. I must have had a momentary brain fart ~ I mean who couldn't have figured this one out?

While we tried to show him the correct way to use the toy:

He thought it would be much more fun to use it as a weapon:

Now I know.

I know it's for the best, but...

2007-04-27T16:25:00.000-04:00

Well ~ we've decided to have Jerry's coworker come over and meet Lexus (our Chocolate Lab) and see if she would like to take her from us. I guess we started thinking about it a little over a month ago and Jerry mentioned it to her to see if she was interested. She said that she wanted to meet her and see. I backed out. I love my dog, really I do...but this morning I realized that this house is just too small for the dog and two toddlers ~ it would be best to give her to someone who will take good care of her now...than to have her in a crate all the time or outside.

I guess what really changed my mind was a close call with Nate and the TV stand...she bumped into him because she was excited...and he fell over and came literally inches away from smacking his head on the corner of the stand. It would have been awful if he'd hit it...so, I called Jerry and told him that she should come and get her asap. I'm not sure I can be here when she comes. In a way I want to meet her and see what kind of person is going to take my puppy...but I know I'll cry. Heck, I've been crying all morning.

I've weighed the good and bad for both us and the dog and I know this is the best decision for all involved. I just have too much on my plate right now to deal with her and give her the attention she needs and deserves. I'm just hoping that she will get along well with her new family and that they will take good care of her. Jerry seems to think that they will. She's a good dog, just too big and too needy for our current situation. I know I sound like I'm trying to convice you...or myself...but I guess in a way I feel a little bit guilty because I wanted her and now I'm giving her away. She's just a dog...I know...but in some strange way it's like she was my first child because I took care of her for 3 years. When she was little, she'd snuggle up against me and sleep on my lap. But...she's big now...too big for this little house.

I'll miss her, though ~ Here's my favorite pic of her and Nate...

And here's a recent one...

A lot less Crabby ~ but still in a funk

2007-04-24T11:03:00.000-04:00

Okay, I'm not crabby...but I'm far from in a good mood. I'm trying to snap out of it, though. I just have too much s**t to do and no time to get it all done. So, instead of using this time to do something that needs to be done, I figured I'd update my blog. I know...it's the best use of my precious time.

I wish someone would tell me how to keep my 17 month old son away from the baby in the swing...ARGH...it's frustrating. On a positive note, he's been sleeping in his crib since last Tuesday. Tonight will be one week in the crib. The thunder woke him up and he ended up in our bed for a few hours this morning...but he fell asleep in his crib...so I guess it wasn't a complete loss.

Luckily, our insurance misunderstanding was easy enough to take care of...at least I THINK I took care of it. The insurance company said they would pay the claim. I guess the reason they didn't pay it was because they needed to verify my work status. They wanted to make sure we didn't have 2 insurances paying the claims or something. Yeah ~ whatever...big stupid heads making me all upset for nothing. ARGH.

Things otherwise are moving right along...I have to get to the post office and do some other random running around this afternoon. Maybe I'll have something more interesting to say tomorrow. :)

Here ~ A pic of my little Man Cub.

Oh please let it just be the pill...

2007-04-20T23:50:00.000-04:00

I'm so grumpy right now that I'm having trouble breathing. The worst part is that nothing is really wrong. We got a stupid bill from the pediatrician's office that I'm almost positive was a mistake on the part of our stupid insurance. I'm pretty sure that once I make a few phone calls the whole thing will be taken care of ~ however it has me in a huge tissy right now. Probably because Jerry snapped at me a little about it...like it was MY fault. Which made me want to get into how HE's the one who quit his job when I was 8 months pregnant and didn't think us having to pay COBRA for insurance was a big deal. HE's the one who told me he would take care of it and hasn't made more than 1 phone call about the whole thing. As far as he's concerned...it can wait until he gets to it. That drives me nuts. But I let it go and didn't say anything to him...about anything...so he went to bed...I'm going there soon.

Anyway, I'm hoping that it's the pill that is making me feel a little psycho these days. I'm taking the pill because we just can't have another baby right now. I'm not sure we will have anymore, but I know that now is not the time to do it. I really don't want to be pregnant again...I need a break.

That being said ~ I feel so moody...and tired...and really cranky. I know I really have no right to complain...it could be worse. I could feel worse. I could have bigger problems. I'm just moody today. ARGH!

I walked to my parents' house today. Yes, I said I walked...for those of you who are familiar with where I live and where my parents live, I WALKED UP RICHMOND! I thought I was going to die before I got to the top. I was carrying Danika in my infant carrier...she was strapped to me facing forward...and I was pushing Nate in the stroller. I really felt like I was going to have a heart attack by the time I reached the top. The air was just cool enough that it felt like I was swallowing nails when I took a breath in...I even had jiggly legs when I tried to walk after sitting for about 10 minutes. It was awful. I know it's a sign I'm really outta shape ~ but in my defense it is a really steep hill.

After walking up...there was no way I was walking back down. So, we stayed for dinner and Jerry came up after work. We lit a fire in their little outdoor fireplace thingy...it was relaxing. I had 2 beers...and really enjoyed them. Here's some pics:

Nate and his Nunnu

If you look closely, you can tell he's trying to blow the fire out with his binky in his mouth.

Danika Sunbathing ~ just kidding...she's in the shade.

Oh, btw ~ Nate's been sleeping in his crib since Tuesday night! The napping in the crib isn't working at all...but I'll take it. I put him in his crib around 9 last night and he slept until 7ish this morning. We woke up and had breakfast, etc...until about 11. At 11 he took a nap and slept on the couch for 3 hours! They both slept and I cleaned their bedrooms. It was awesome. :)

Now I'm off to bed...I'm hoping to catch up on everyone else's blogs tomorrow...sorry I've been MIA lately. :)

We did it!

2007-04-18T12:05:00.000-04:00

We are trying to get Nate back into his crib...We started on Sunday night. It all began because he was so tired and sound asleep I thought it might be worth a try to put him in his crib for the night. It didn't work...he woke up screaming as soon as I put him down. So, Jerry picked him up and put him in our bed. I stormed into the bathroom because I REALLY wanted him in the crib. You see, I get up at least once in the night to feed Danika. It's not a complaint...once is perfect! However, Nate tends to hang on me while we sleep. He likes to play with my neck to help him fall asleep. So, any time he moves he comes searching for my neck...I don't get a lot of sound sleep with him in our bed. I just feel like it's time for him to be in his room.

Anyway, I got ticked off because Jerry brought him into our room when we discussed that I wanted to try him in the crib. So, I went back into our room and picked him up and put him back in his crib...I closed the door and he started screaming. He only cried for about 5 minutes and then I thought he was asleep. I looked in on him and he was sitting up glaring at the door. He looked so ticked off...like he was plotting how he was going to get his revenge for us leaving him in his room like that. Then he pressed the buttons on his Baby Tad and they started to light up his face...well, it was too freaky for me. I went in and he slept in our room Sunday night.

On to Monday ~ well, Monday was about the same deal. We decided to try again with the crib. So, I put him in his crib and pulled my chair up beside him. I read him his book "Goodnight Moon" He whimpered the whole time...and played with my neck. Honestly, I think I almost started to tear up...it was so sad. When I was done, I turned out the big light and put on his night light and left the room. He cried for around 2 minutes then was quiet. I went downstairs and turned the monitor on...not a peep. I went upstairs about an hour and a half later and peeked in on him. He was laying down. I asked Jerry to check on him about 45 minutes later. He was sitting up with the same look on his face as the night before. This time Jerry went in and got him...he couldn't take it. So, he slept in our room Monday night.

The plan for last night, Tuesday night, was that we weren't going to look in on him unless he was crying. That way we wouldn't get freaked out if he was sitting up. My mom said that chances are he was sleeping while sitting up anyway. So, last night we did just that. I read his book and turned out the lights. He cried for about 5 minutes then quiet...we didn't look in on him until right before we went to bed. He sat up when my husband pushed the door open a bit...same look on his face. We held off running in to get him and he laid back down within a minute. He slept in his crib until 7 this morning...and he only woke up then because my hubby couldn't bare the thought of not saying goodbye to him before he left for work. So HE woke him up and brought him into our bed...where he slept until 10:45!

Right now he's taking a nap in his crib...for the first time EVER! He cried for about 45 minutes on and off...not screaming the whole time or anything...just a little crying then about 4 or 5 minutes of quiet...then some more crying. He's been quiet for the last 10 minutes or so. I'm going to go up and check on him. I just hope he isn't sitting up plotting his revenge again.

They're just too cute!

2007-04-16T16:26:00.000-04:00

I don't have a lot of time to post...but I wanted to put this pic up for you all to see. It's my little guy and his cousin, Mia. Doesn't she have the cutest little devilish look on her face? Makes you wonder what on earth she was thinking. :)

All is well here ~ busy, busy, busy. I'm sure it isn't going to get any better any time soon. Actually, I'm hoping that I'll be even busier because of warm weather soon! I'm not holding my breath, though. Looks like rain and low 40s high 30s all week. UGH! Where's the sunshine?

Thursday Thirteen #22

2007-04-11T22:05:00.000-04:00

So ~ I think it's been close to a week since I last blogged. In my defense, I've been really busy lately. It's a good busy - and I thought I'd share some of it with you.

Here are 13 things that have been going on:

1. Friday was my birthday ~ we hadn't made any plans to do anything because it was Good Friday and I didn't want to have a party on Good Friday. We did end up going out last minute, though. First we went to JCPenny and bought new pots and pans. My SIL lovingly (at least I think it was lovingly, right Mare?) teased that, "You know you're 30 when you are going to buy pots and pans on your birthday." They're cool pots and pans, though. After buying my pots and pans, I went bowling...yes, I went bowling on my 30th birthday and drank some beers. It was a lot of fun just being out and away from the kids for a few hours.

2. On Saturday my mom and dad had a little birthday get together for me at their house. Just my family and Jerry's family. Here's some pictures of the festivities:

My dad had to grill the pizza because their oven wouldn't light...he made sure I got a picture to put on my blog ~

Here's the pretty ice cream (actually frozen custard) cake my mom bought for me....

It was REALLY frozen ~ and I couldn't cut it at all. My dad ended up cutting it for me.

3. Sunday was Easter Sunday and we went to mass and then to my parents' house for brunch. Then to my SIL's house for dinner. Everything was very yummy.

4. Monday, I went shopping for my new toy. It's a Nintendo DS Light. It's pink. I'm addicted. I've been playing the Brain Age Game every day. Currently, my Brain Age is 28. I'm also obsessed with Sudoku on the Brain Age game. It's so much easier than doing it on-line or on paper.

5. I had lunch at my mom and dads' house on Monday and did some running around for my mom. In turn, she kept Nate during his nap and my dad brought him down to me around 6. It was nice to have a little time with just my baby girl.

6. Monday night I put Nate to bed early so that I could have some "down time". It worked out pretty well. I am thinking that we will be putting him to bed earlier from now on. It was nice to not have to chase him around as much.

7. "Down time" does not mean blogging ~ as you can tell. "Down time" meant playing with my new toy. I'm such a kid at heart.

8. I forgot to mention that Hubby and I started our diet on Monday. We are basically following the Weight Watchers point thing that I did a few years ago. We aren't going to meetings or anything like that...but we are following the program as it was then. I think they've since changed it, but I haven't looked into it at all.

9. Tuesday, Jerry was off...so, I spent most of the day with him. We went to the bank to talk to someone about setting up something for the kids for college. We didn't sign up for anything, yet...we have another appointment next week and will most likely decide on something before then.

10. After the bank, we went grocery shopping. Let me tell you that grocery shopping when you are on a diet just takes longer. Especially when you are just starting out. We took our little point calculator thing with us and tried to find the foods with the lowest points and largest serving sizes. I know that is what you are suppose to do when you diet...but it's kind of tough with 2 little ones. Nate rode in the Car Cart, though. LOVED IT!

11. After the grocery store (and putting groceries away and eating lunch), we went to Jerry's grandmother's house for a visit. We saw his mom, sister and 2 of her kiddos. Jerry's great aunt, Sister Bertille, was also there visiting for the holidays.

12. After visiting, we went to Best Buy (which my parents for some odd reason always call Best Buys). This is when Jerry decided he needed to spend some money and he bought his own Nintendo DS and a DVD/VCR recorder. I haven't looked into the recorder too much, but he loves it...he also promised that we could put all of our home movies on DVD. That makes me happy ~ it's worth the money just for that.

(by the way...with 2 Nintendo DSes you can wirelessly link them and play games against each other. It's really cool.)

13. I could add a bunch more about what else I've been up to, but I'll just finish with this. I took my son on a date last night. :)

Jerry was hooking up the DVD/VCR thingy and needed a little peace and quite. So, he kept Danika and I took Nate to Eat n Park for dinner. It was a lot of fun going out just the 2 of us. It was a lot easier than I remembered it being now that he's a little bit older. We had a blast.

So, what have you been up to?

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Yeah ~ I'm now 30

2007-04-06T00:21:00.000-04:00

I have to laugh because I've been on-line for about an hour checking e-mail and cleaning up some odds and ends. During that time I filled out a few surveys and have already typed my age in as 30 and clicked an age box 30-34. I think by the time I wake up tomorrow this whole 30 thing will be old hat. After all...I already had my mini-breakdown with my mom this afternoon.

"Don't let the numbers get to you." was her sound advice. Yeah, I know I shouldn't. However, I keep thinking of a conversation that I had with my sister-in-law when she turned 30 about all of the horrible things that will "probably" happen in the next 10 years of her life. It makes me think about the same damn things...and I start to feel a little claustrophobic. Not enough to let it ruin my life...or even my day...but it makes it tough to breath for a second or two. It's very weird. Like a lump in my throat that I just can't swallow...I'm sure it will pass in a day or two. I could sure use some warm weather to help me out, though. This weather SUCKS!

Okay ~ I'm going to bed now. I'll leave y'all with this pic of my budding artist eating his paintbrush...don't worry, I checked and watercolors are Non-Toxic. :)

Thursday Thirteen ~ the birthday edition

2007-04-04T22:43:00.000-04:00

From the moment I heard Tim McGraw sing "My Next 30 Years" I knew that it was going to be the theme of my 30th birthday. I'm not having a big party or anything like that ~ I planned on it a few years ago, but didn't look ahead to realize that my 30th birthday falls on Good Friday (major bummer) and I didn't realize I'd have 2 kids under 2 and have a tough time finding someone to watch them all night...I don't think I could leave my little girl anyway. :)

So ~ Here's this week's 13!

Thirteen Things I want to do in my next 30 years:
1. I want to travel somewhere that requires the use of a passport.

2. I want to write a book ~ even if it isn't published. Maybe I'll write a book for my kids.

3. I want to lose weight and finally look the way I've always wanted to look.

4. I want to be there to see my kids get their first look at the ocean.

5. I want to learn how to dance. The kind of dancing you take dance lessons to learn.

6. I want to take my kids to Disney.

7. I want to come up with my own unique recipe for something that tastes really yummy. It wouldn't hurt if I could then enter it in a cook-off and win big bucks!

8. I want to move out of our "starter home" and into a bigger house with HUGE closets.

9. I really would like to become more involved with some kind of group - I was thinking some kind of social group or maybe even some church related group. I need to make some new friends and get out and do things. I haven't looked really hard, but I am not sure there are any mommy groups around here that I'd be interested in. I thought about starting my own with as many preggos and new mommys I know. I guess if all else fails I will eventually meet new people when the kiddos head off to school.

10. I want to do something really nice for my parents and my in-laws...I mean something REALLY nice, like send them both on an all expense paid cruise.

11. I want to get organized. It seems like I just can't catch up lately. I'm hoping that in my next 30 years at some point I'll be able to relax and say, "I'm good" and mean it.

12. By the time I'm 60, both of my little ones will be my age! I can't imagine that...but I guess in my next 30 years I would like to spend a lot of time with my family...hubby and the kids...and watch them grow up. (Well, in hubby's case, grow old) :)

13. Finally, in my next 30 years I would like to have no regrets. While there are only a few things that I really regret from my first 30 years of life...I'd like to make the next 30 regret free. It's kinda cool because I feel just like I do after going to confession (which I really don't like doing). I feel like I'm starting over for some strange reason. Like this is a new part of my life and I really am letting go of all the old "crap". I'm in a different place than I have ever been before. I'm a mother and I'm an adult (there's no hiding from that now!) so, BRING IT ON!

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Busy Weekend ~ enjoying a day at home

2007-04-04T15:24:00.000-04:00

My kids are sleeping and I've just made myself a nice cup of tea and decided I'd update my blogger (and other) friends about what's been going on in my little corner of the world lately. Truth be told I've been busy not really doing much of anything. I spent most of the last 5 days visiting with my Aunt Nita and cousin, Jonathan, who were up from Florida.

We hung out at my parents house Friday and Saturday. We went to church and an Easter party on Sunday, then back to my mom and dad's for dinner.

Monday we spent the day at the Pittsburgh Mills Mall and I bought some things for the kids...and garbage bags for Jerry (he claims he's going to cut the grass soon...but the weather has taken another turn for the worse and I think it will be a little while before he gets to it.).

Yesterday, I took my cousin back to the mall so he could go to the Steeler store and then we went to lunch. Hung out at my parents' house for the rest of the day and had steak for dinner. :) I have to admit that the last few days have really done a number on my son. He was at his boiling point last night and a totally miserable little man. He only had a 45 minute sleep during which he woke up twice. So, I vowed that we would stay in and "catch up" today. That's exactly what we've done. He's been napping for a solid hour and a half ~ he shows no signs of waking any time soon. I expect today to be a three hour nap day! Which is good because I need the time to do the laundry.

Today was a very strange mail day. I got 2 envelopes in the mail today.

1) a citibank ad

2) a birthday card from my friend Jody ( Hi Jody!)

Not that the mail itself was strange...but only receiving 2 pieces of mail was kind of weird. I almost didn't think the mail came because I didn't see anything sticking out of the box. Oh well ~ one good thing is that I didn't receive anymore surprise medical bills. Those stink - I really hope that they have finally stopped coming.

I'm hoping to get a TT in later today...so I'm going to head back down to the dungeon that I call a basement and throw a few more loads of laundry in if I can before my little prince or sleeping beauty wake up.

Oh ~ by the way, I have 5 credits at Paperbackswap.com and 4 books enroute! Any suggestions on a good book?

Here's Nate playing with bubbles for the first time. He LOVED them! They were a gift in his Easter basket.

Why we still have a dog ~

2007-03-30T15:00:00.000-04:00

Believe it or not...she's faster than the Dyson.

Use to be I posted pictures I took ~ now I'm taking pictures to post. Is there something wrong with my new thinking?

I know...I know...where the hell have I been?

2007-03-29T00:26:00.000-04:00

So, it's been about a week and I disappeared without a trace and no explanation...so let me explain. Sunday was my daughter's baptism. It was beautiful ~ here, check out the dress!

My mother actually made it out of my wedding gown. I hope the picture gives you a little bit of an idea of how beautiful it really was, but I know it doesn't do it justice. I LOVED my wedding gown, but I never really thought that my daughter would wear it someday. I was pretty rough on it and we didn't get it preserved or anything. So, I thought this was a neat way to have her wear it...and in the future she can have her daughter (if she has one) wear it. It can be something that stays in the family. :)

So ~ the baptism had me pretty busy. I made baked beans for the baptism. If you have never made baked beans from scratch (with the dried beans) then you don't understand what an undertaking this is. It isn't difficult...it is time consuming. Of course, I waited until the last possible minute to do it (Saturday night), but they turned out really well. Maybe I'll post the recipe and link to it...if I get any time.

The Saturday before the baptism, Nate and Danika went to see the Easter Bunny with their cousin Nick (and Nana and me). It was up at AVH where my MIL works. It was nice and the kids each got a bag of goodies. Nate also was able to pick out 6 eggs from this big trough...it was raining so they did an inside egg "hunt". At first, I couldn't get him to sit with the bunny...then (when things quieted down) he was lovin' the bunny. He snuggled right up against him and was hugging him. Here's some pics from that morning. Check out how cute my little dimpled baby is...you can't really tell, but she has her Baby Legs on again. Oh, and her cute Mary Jane Socks from Robin.

So - that's where I have been. I got my Thank Yous out in record time and Jerry and already started Danika's savings account and deposited her baptism cash. I also posted a ton more books over at PaperbackSwap. I've already sent out 4 books and have 5 that need to be mailed tomorrow. I received 2 books already and ordered another. This site ROCKS! I'm having a blast and it's so easy to do. The book I received today was The Doctors Book of Home Remedies for Children: From Allergies and Animal Bites to Toothache and TV Addiction, Hundreds of Doctor-Proven Techniques by The Editors of Prevention Magazine. It retails for close to $30! I also received Raising A Daughter by Elium & Elium. I figured since I have (and will be starting soon) Bringing Up Boys...I should read a book about girls, too. My BIL joked that I think I'm going to learn how to do that from reading a book - can't hurt, right?

Okay...so know that I've covered that - here's where I'm going.

Tomorrow's plans ~ I am planning on cleaning a lot tomorrow to get my house into somewhat presentable shape. I've been so busy with other things I've neglected the everyday stuff and it's piled up. UGH. I'm also planning on running up to my parents house to drop off some wine jugs for the wine opening (I'll get to that soon). We may stay for the Pens game - BTW...We MADE the Playoffs! Did you hear? My hubby is so excited about playoff hockey.

Friday's plans ~ Nothing set in stone for Friday, except dinner. My aunt and cousin are arriving from Florida Friday and I'll be heading up to my mom and dad's to see them and spend some time with them. Although, I think they are planning on seeing the babes more than me (I've noticed the focus has really moved to the kids...just like everyone told me it would).

Saturday's plans ~ Wine opening at Mom and Dad's. This is an all day event. With family in it will probably be a longer day than usual. So, I'll be at mom and dad's again on Saturday.

Sunday's plans ~ Palm Sunday mass, Easter party at the H and F, Family dinner at Mom and Dad's.

Basically, if you are looking for me, I'll be at my parents' house this weekend. :)

I'm gonna try to post again before next Thursday...but we'll see.

Thursday Thirteen #21

2007-03-22T02:09:00.000-04:00

Thirteen Songs on my Ipod(this is my response to being tagged by Amy ~ feel free to consider yourself tagged if you'd like)

1. Again by Janet Jackson - This song reminds me of Harrison Porter and Sophomore year of High School. There was just something about a boy in boarding school.

2. Paradise City by Guns N' Roses - Did I ever tell you that I talked my dad into taking me and some friends to this concert when I was a Freshman in High School? Faith No More, Guns N' Roses and Metallica...I got an education that night.

3. Grey Street by Dave Matthews Band - DMB will always remind me of my friend, Jason (who turned 31 yesterday) because of the multiple times we saw Dave in concert and the multiple times we got drunk on cheap wine while listening to Dave at one party or another.

4) Shameless by Ani Difranco - I only listen to Ani when I'm angry...probably because I only own 1 Ani CD and it helps me work out my aggression.

5) Stay Awake by Harry Connick, Jr. - Wow, talk about a shift! Yes, this is the song from the movie Mary Poppins sung by the guy who played Justin Mateese. :) It's also a standard Nate bedtime song. I've been singing it to him since he was born.

6) Somebody by Depeche Mode - The BEST love song EVER!

7) Hangin' Around by Counting Crows - They can make you want to dance or want to break down and cry. This is a dancing song for sure.

8) Gett Off by Prince - If I were a stripper (which I'm definitely NOT) this is the song I'd strip to...hands down...it's perfect for that.

9) With or Without You by U2 - This song reminds me of the musicians I knew in High School. Check out their new band ~ Race the Ghost

10) Sin Wagon by The Dixie Chicks - My sister and I have actually sung this song at Karaoke. Yes, I was drunk. :)

11) Love Song by Tesla - Three words: Spin the bottle :)

12) What Do I Have To Do by Stabbing Westward - I think it was my SIL who told me this is a great song to listen to when your...well...yeah, I agree.

13) Laid by James - This is such a college song. My roommate and I loved this song!

What'a on your ipod?

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Argh ~ I'm flustered

2007-03-21T14:47:00.000-04:00

Okay, so nothing is really wrong. My kids are wonderful (sleeping like angels ~ it's nap time) and I'm not sick or anything...I'm just flustered. Do you ever get this way? It's like something small pushed you over the edge and, even though you have no reason for it, you can't snap out of that flustered state. You see ~ my dog lost her toenail. I contemplated taking a picture of it (yes, I'm crazy) but thought that would gross you all out - so I'll just tell you that the flippin' thing fell off and my poor puppy was tracking blood all through my house. I finally got her into the crate and called my mom. I just wanted someone here because I was feeling, well, flustered.

I had everything cleaned up by the time my mom got here...I also cleaned up an explosive poop by dear little Danika. (I forgot how extremely messy little little ones can be.) I just felt better having my mom here while I examined Lexus and her bleeding foot. It is really kinda gross ~ the nail just broke off and left this stump where it use to be...she's resting in her crate for now.

Okay, so that being said...I'm going to make a list so I know where to go from here:

Things to do today:

1) Finish laundry (I'm still staying on top of it! I'm a little behind putting it away, though.)

2) Figure out a menu for tomorrow ~ my friend, Jason, and his friend are coming over for dinner - it's his 31st birthday! He's 2 years older than me...for 2 weeks. He says that's not how it works, but I'm looking at it that way. After all, if you ask me I'm 29 and if you ask him he's 31. :)

3) Finish packaging my books for paperbackswap.com to mail tomorrow. I can't remember where I first saw this, but it's such a cool idea - check it out if you like to read and have books laying around you don't know what to do with.

4) Clean the kitchen up - just to dirty it again making dinner. It's a vicious (inevitable) cycle. Ugh.

5) I have to get the recipe for the baked beans that I want to make for Danika's baptism. I'm going to try to call my sister-in-law and ask her about it...if I don't spend all my free time on the computer.

6) I need to then make a list for the grocery store to buy items for dinner tomorrow and the stuff I need for the beans.

7) Hopefully, I will be able to help hubby write a letter to his current employer explaining why he deserves to get promoted into the new position they're creating at his work. I need to help him think of more reasons than, "The extra money will be really nice." hehehe

If I get those things done (while still changing diapers, feeding kids and making sure no one gets hurt) today will be really productive. If I do all that and get time for a TT ~ I'll consider myself pretty awesome. My TT this week is going to be in response to Amy tagging me earlier this week. :)

Brad Paisley-Alcohol

2007-03-17T11:24:00.001-04:00

I LOVE this song ~ it totally cracks me up! It's my FAVORITE drinking song these days...so in honor of St. Patty's Day ~ here it is!

Brad Paisley's Alchohol!

Friday's High Five Take Three

2007-03-16T15:24:00.000-04:00

Okay, so I didn't have a super productive week. I actually had a lot of things planned that I didn't get done. Here's this week's "highlights" ~

1) My ice maker is working! Jerry spent most of last night running up and down the basement stairs hooking it up all by himself (what a sweetie! at least that was until he mentioned that he thought I was going on a diet when I was drinking chocolate milk and eating animal cookies with Nate last night...but that's another story). He only shot about an inch of water all over the kitchen before he was able to claim victory.

2) Tuesday was BEAUTIFUL! I could probably list 5 wonderful things about Tuesday alone...Jerry cleaned out my car and vacuumed the inside so that it looks new...I was able to cook dinner for my in-laws (and it turned out okay)...the weather was about 70 and we were able to sit outside and get some fresh air for a while! It was such a nice day. I'm longing for spring as I look at the snow falling outside ~ yes, it's snowing. :(

3) My son LOVES aerobics! Following the advice of a fellow Thursday Thirteener ~ I bought Leslie Sansone's Walk Away The Pounds - Walk Strong. I thought it would be a rather light workout that could get me back into exercising...although I was only into exercising for about 6 months (I did TaeBo - ugh). This morning I decided to pop it in and give it a go. Nate stood in front of the TV and exercised right along with me! He mainly did squats to the music. It was too cute. I'm hoping he'll be that good every time I "workout"! :)

4) I dyed my hair! Finally! My mother bought me hair dye before my niece's baptism (Feb. 11) so that I could get rid of my grey before being Godmother. I never got around to it...I usually have other people dye my hair for me. Well, today I decided to do it myself because I'm tired of looking at the box. I was actually able to dye my hair and take a shower while my little ones napped. I'm proud of myself for this one!

5) I'm reading a book ~ and actually liking it. It's not that I don't like to read. I love to read. I'm just surprised that I like this book because of the subject matter. The book is "The Proper Care and Feeding of Husbands" By Dr. Laura Schlessinger. I got the idea to read it from Janeen and her 13 books. (I also ordered "Bringing Up Boys" but it's not here yet.) I didn't do much research about the subject matter of the book because I thought it would be kind of a humorous book about how to take care of your husband - and get what you want. So far, I'm not finding much humor in it. I think that if I follow the advice in the book it will work out for me. Dr. Laura basically says that husbands need food, attention, love and sex. Not in that order...but you get the picture. If you give those things to your husband and cut out the nagging he will be happy and will in turn make you happy.

Okay, I got it...that I can try really hard to do. I think it would work for me...because I married a good guy. I'm interested to keep reading , though and find out what happens if it doesn't work. I know a few people who, no matter how hard they try, it might not be so easy for. I also have to wonder what the feminists think of this book. I bet they are livid...because she also talks about how as wives and mothers we are suppose to take care of our family...it's our job...I can only imagine what some people have to say about that.

I'll try to write a real review of the book once I'm done reading it ~ but for right now I'm just going to say that I'm enjoying reading it...but can completely see where a lot of people would think it's full of BS.

Well...that's all for now. I'm off to a Tupperware party at my SIL's house tonight. My parents are keeping Nate over night and I'm taking Danika with me. Here's a pic to enjoy ~ and help you get your fill of my beautiful children! ;)