Oh, and here's a pic from swimming lessons (complete with sun shining in his eyes through the building's windows)...
Friday, August 04, 2006
TGIF!
Wow am I ever happy to see this week come to an end! All sorts of little frustrations at work, on top of car problems and car shuffling, and some swimming lessons gone wrong, the heat, and everything else. But, the good news: It's Friday, most of the things at work are over, swimming lessons are over until September, Joe bought a new car, my muffler and tailpipe have been replaced, and the best news: Only 5 MORE DAYS until I leave for Gatlinburg. Woohoo! I need to get busy though, as I haven't had time to think about packing and getting things ready for the trip. We have a birthday party to go to tomorrow, but I'm hoping that Sunday I can start getting things together and ready. I'm actually excited about getting up early to drive about 10 hours on Wednesday...how crazy is that? lol I am sooooo ready for this little trip and break from reality :) I'll try to pop in again before I leave.
Oh, and here's a pic from swimming lessons (complete with sun shining in his eyes through the building's windows)...
Oh, and here's a pic from swimming lessons (complete with sun shining in his eyes through the building's windows)...
Monday, July 31, 2006
Misc.ramblings
I apologize to all the Thursday Thirteeners that visited me this past Thursday that didn't get a return visit from me. I ended up getting tied up with some things and never made it back online to visit you all! I'm just now getting back on blogger, and it's only for a couple minutes. I will visit all of your blogs as soon as I can.
This week is another busy one, I have SO many things I need to do at work, and at home, before I leave next Wednesday. Also have lots of errands that need to be run. I'm kinda glad swimming lessons end this Wednesday, so that we'll have a little more time in the evenings at home again. Joe's car is dead, and he is going to go car shopping tonight after work. I can't keep track of Adam running all over the pool side while Brendan is in lessons, he is just insistant about either going to the water's edge where he shouldn't be, or running out the door to the outside, or climbing on everything in sight. And it is so dang hot in there I would probably pass out if I tried to chase him all over the place for 45 minutes. So, Brendan will miss tonight. (Usually Joe takes Adam home while I'm at lessons with Brendan.) Maybe that makes me a wussy mom that I can't handle them both there by myself, but I've tried it too many times before with both boys at things like that and all it does is drive me crazy, put me in a bad mood, and annoy others around us. LOL So, lets just call it a favor to me and those around me that we're skipping tonight.
Oh, and for all of you that have been amazed and bewildered about the fact that I do not have a cell phone, you can rest easy now because I ordered a Trac Fone the other day. I was notified today that it has shipped, so in a couple days I will join the rest of you in the 21st century as a cell phone owner. LOL I used to have one, but we never used it much (maybe 1 call per month!) so we got rid of it. But since I do drive the boys around a lot (and my trip coming up next week) it would make me feel a little more safe to have a phone I could use in an emergency if I needed to, and so a pay-as-you-go Trac Fone seems to make sense to me. Who knows, maybe next I will get an i-pod or something...go crazy! LMAO Yes, I'm way behind on the popular technology-type stuff, I know, go ahead and laugh.
This week is another busy one, I have SO many things I need to do at work, and at home, before I leave next Wednesday. Also have lots of errands that need to be run. I'm kinda glad swimming lessons end this Wednesday, so that we'll have a little more time in the evenings at home again. Joe's car is dead, and he is going to go car shopping tonight after work. I can't keep track of Adam running all over the pool side while Brendan is in lessons, he is just insistant about either going to the water's edge where he shouldn't be, or running out the door to the outside, or climbing on everything in sight. And it is so dang hot in there I would probably pass out if I tried to chase him all over the place for 45 minutes. So, Brendan will miss tonight. (Usually Joe takes Adam home while I'm at lessons with Brendan.) Maybe that makes me a wussy mom that I can't handle them both there by myself, but I've tried it too many times before with both boys at things like that and all it does is drive me crazy, put me in a bad mood, and annoy others around us. LOL So, lets just call it a favor to me and those around me that we're skipping tonight.
Oh, and for all of you that have been amazed and bewildered about the fact that I do not have a cell phone, you can rest easy now because I ordered a Trac Fone the other day. I was notified today that it has shipped, so in a couple days I will join the rest of you in the 21st century as a cell phone owner. LOL I used to have one, but we never used it much (maybe 1 call per month!) so we got rid of it. But since I do drive the boys around a lot (and my trip coming up next week) it would make me feel a little more safe to have a phone I could use in an emergency if I needed to, and so a pay-as-you-go Trac Fone seems to make sense to me. Who knows, maybe next I will get an i-pod or something...go crazy! LMAO Yes, I'm way behind on the popular technology-type stuff, I know, go ahead and laugh.
Thursday, July 27, 2006
Thursday Thirteen
Thirteen Things I will be Doing in the Next 13 Days1. Taking Brendan to the rest of his swimming lessons.
2. Running a dance camp at work.
3. Taking Brendan on a preschool tour of a fire station.
4. Getting a new muffler on my SUV.
5. Trying to go through and pack up some of my scrapbooking stuff to take to Gatlinburg.
6. Trying to figure out the circle journal thingy I'm supposed to do.
7. The typical daily/weekly things like laundry, dishes, cleaning, etc.
8. Registering Brendan for some of the fall recreation classes/activities when registration begins at the beginning of August.
9. Trying to get in a better habit of menu planning.
10. Buy some drinks, snacks, etc for my Gatlinburg trip.
11. Pack up my stuff for the trip.
12. Kiss Joe and the boys goodbye.
13. Jump in the car (very early that morning) and take off for the (long) drive to Gatlinburg, where I will be meeting up with some of my online buddies (Carolyn, Annette, Cathy, Colleen, and Debbie) for a little vacation! Can't wait!!!
If you are participating in Thursday Thirteen, please add yourself to the auto-linky below. Comments are always appreciated too! Thanks to Uisce for the linky and Denise for the TT banner at the top.
And today is Katherine's birthday over at In a Big Way! Go visit her and wish her a Happy Birthday :)
Wednesday, July 26, 2006
Meme-ology
Well, I saw this fun Meme over at Katherine's blog- In a Big Way and decided to play along, since I haven't done one of these in awhile. This is probably way more than some of you really wanted to know, but here goes...
GRUB-OLOGY
What is your salad dressing of choice?
Fat Free Italian or Red Wine Vinagarette
What is your favorite fast food restaurant?
Arby’s is probably my fave (love those curly fries!), but Subway and Taco Bell are the ones I actually go to more often.
What is your favorite sit down restaurant?
There’s a huge Chinese buffet place near us that we really like, also like Olive Garden’s salad, and Red Lobster for crablegs and their cheese biscuits...yummy!
On average, what size tip do you leave at a restaurant? 20% or so
What food could you eat every day for two weeks and not get sick of?
real mashed potatoes and crab legs
Name three foods you detest above all others: cantaloupe, liver, cottage cheese
What is your favorite dish to order in a Chinese restaurant?
Chicken fried rice is usually what I get for take-out, but I also really like the sesame chicken at the buffet I mentioned above.
What are your pizza toppings of choice?
sausage and banana peppers, but I am not picky and can eat just about any kind of pizza.
What do you like to put on your toast? Spray butter
What is your favorite type of gum? Anything minty
TECH-OLOGY
Number of contacts in your cell phone?
I don’t have a cell phone
Number of contacts in your email address book?
I don’t know
What is your wallpaper on your computer?
At home it is the Teton Mountains. At work it is a picture of my boys.
What is your screensaver on your computer?
Nothing special, just whatever the computer came with
Are there naked pictures saved on your computer? Not that I know of
How many land line phones do you have in your house? 3
How many televisions are in your house?
3 (one in living room, one in our bedroom that we rarely use, and one in Brendan’s room)
What kitchen appliance do you use the least? Blender
What is the format of the radio station you listen to the most? Country
BI-OLOGY
What do you consider to be your best physical attribute?
My eyes, I guess. Hubby’s friend has said that our son has "panty-dropper eyes" and followed that by saying he "had his mama's eyes" So does that mean I have panty-dropper eyes? LOL Hang on to your panties! Heehee
Are you right handed or left handed? right
Do you like your smile?
It’s nothing special, but it’s better than my frown!
Have you ever had anything removed from your body? My 2 boys LOL
Would you like to? Yes
Do you prefer to read when you go to the bathroom? No
Which of your five senses do you think is keenest?
Sight, I guess. 20/20 vision my whole life so far.
When was the last time you had a cavity?
Last year. Have only had 1 other before that ever.
What is the heaviest item you lift regularly?
I lift a lot of stuff at my work, but on a regular basis I guess it would have to be my 5-1/2 yr old son.
Have you ever been knocked unconscious?
Not knocked unconscious, but I’ve fainted a few times.
MISC-OLOGY
If it were possible, would you want to know the day you were going to die? No.
If you could change your first name, what would you change it to? I don’t know.
How do you express your artistic side? Scrapbooking
What color do you think you look best in? browns and/or blues
How long do you think you could last in a medium security prison?
not long
Have you ever swallowed a non-food item by mistake?
They say we all do unknowingly
If we weren’t bound by society’s conventions, do you have a relative you would make a pass at?
No, can’t think of a single one I’d even briefly consider! LOL
How often do you go to church?
We *should* be going, but I can’t say that I’ve gone to church since about 1996 or so (except for weddings and on Christmas eve when we go to my grandma’s church with the family as part of the celebrating). We didn’t even get married in a church, and neither boys’ baptisms were in a church either. We keep intending to find a church, but it hasn’t happened yet.
Have you ever saved someone’s life?
Maybe indirectly and unknowingly, but not that I’m aware of.
Has someone ever saved yours?
Probably in an indirect way that I wasn’t aware of.
DARE-OLOGY
For this last section, if you would do it for less or more money, indicate how much.
Would you walk naked for a half mile down a public street for $100,000?
Take 20 lbs off of me and I might think about it.
Would you kiss a member of the same sex for $100? Yes
Would you have sex with a member of the same sex for $10,000?
Depends on the situation, the person, and how drunk I am
Would you allow one of your little fingers to be cut off for $200,000? No
Would you never blog again for $50,000? Yes
Would you pose naked in a magazine for $250,000?
Take 20 lbs off of me and I might consider it
Would you drink an entire bottle of hot sauce for $1000?
depends on how quickly it had to be done
Would you, without fear of punishment, take a human life for $1,000,000?
If it was someone who was going to (or had) hurt my children or family/friends, then yes, but not just an innocent person at random, no.
Would you shave your head and get your entire body waxed for $5,000?
Body waxed= yes, but shave my head= no
Would you give up watching television for a year for $25,000? Definitely!
GRUB-OLOGY
What is your salad dressing of choice?
Fat Free Italian or Red Wine Vinagarette
What is your favorite fast food restaurant?
Arby’s is probably my fave (love those curly fries!), but Subway and Taco Bell are the ones I actually go to more often.
What is your favorite sit down restaurant?
There’s a huge Chinese buffet place near us that we really like, also like Olive Garden’s salad, and Red Lobster for crablegs and their cheese biscuits...yummy!
On average, what size tip do you leave at a restaurant? 20% or so
What food could you eat every day for two weeks and not get sick of?
real mashed potatoes and crab legs
Name three foods you detest above all others: cantaloupe, liver, cottage cheese
What is your favorite dish to order in a Chinese restaurant?
Chicken fried rice is usually what I get for take-out, but I also really like the sesame chicken at the buffet I mentioned above.
What are your pizza toppings of choice?
sausage and banana peppers, but I am not picky and can eat just about any kind of pizza.
What do you like to put on your toast? Spray butter
What is your favorite type of gum? Anything minty
TECH-OLOGY
Number of contacts in your cell phone?
I don’t have a cell phone
Number of contacts in your email address book?
I don’t know
What is your wallpaper on your computer?
At home it is the Teton Mountains. At work it is a picture of my boys.
What is your screensaver on your computer?
Nothing special, just whatever the computer came with
Are there naked pictures saved on your computer? Not that I know of
How many land line phones do you have in your house? 3
How many televisions are in your house?
3 (one in living room, one in our bedroom that we rarely use, and one in Brendan’s room)
What kitchen appliance do you use the least? Blender
What is the format of the radio station you listen to the most? Country
BI-OLOGY
What do you consider to be your best physical attribute?
My eyes, I guess. Hubby’s friend has said that our son has "panty-dropper eyes" and followed that by saying he "had his mama's eyes" So does that mean I have panty-dropper eyes? LOL Hang on to your panties! Heehee
Are you right handed or left handed? right
Do you like your smile?
It’s nothing special, but it’s better than my frown!
Have you ever had anything removed from your body? My 2 boys LOL
Would you like to? Yes
Do you prefer to read when you go to the bathroom? No
Which of your five senses do you think is keenest?
Sight, I guess. 20/20 vision my whole life so far.
When was the last time you had a cavity?
Last year. Have only had 1 other before that ever.
What is the heaviest item you lift regularly?
I lift a lot of stuff at my work, but on a regular basis I guess it would have to be my 5-1/2 yr old son.
Have you ever been knocked unconscious?
Not knocked unconscious, but I’ve fainted a few times.
MISC-OLOGY
If it were possible, would you want to know the day you were going to die? No.
If you could change your first name, what would you change it to? I don’t know.
How do you express your artistic side? Scrapbooking
What color do you think you look best in? browns and/or blues
How long do you think you could last in a medium security prison?
not long
Have you ever swallowed a non-food item by mistake?
They say we all do unknowingly
If we weren’t bound by society’s conventions, do you have a relative you would make a pass at?
No, can’t think of a single one I’d even briefly consider! LOL
How often do you go to church?
We *should* be going, but I can’t say that I’ve gone to church since about 1996 or so (except for weddings and on Christmas eve when we go to my grandma’s church with the family as part of the celebrating). We didn’t even get married in a church, and neither boys’ baptisms were in a church either. We keep intending to find a church, but it hasn’t happened yet.
Have you ever saved someone’s life?
Maybe indirectly and unknowingly, but not that I’m aware of.
Has someone ever saved yours?
Probably in an indirect way that I wasn’t aware of.
DARE-OLOGY
For this last section, if you would do it for less or more money, indicate how much.
Would you walk naked for a half mile down a public street for $100,000?
Take 20 lbs off of me and I might think about it.
Would you kiss a member of the same sex for $100? Yes
Would you have sex with a member of the same sex for $10,000?
Depends on the situation, the person, and how drunk I am
Would you allow one of your little fingers to be cut off for $200,000? No
Would you never blog again for $50,000? Yes
Would you pose naked in a magazine for $250,000?
Take 20 lbs off of me and I might consider it
Would you drink an entire bottle of hot sauce for $1000?
depends on how quickly it had to be done
Would you, without fear of punishment, take a human life for $1,000,000?
If it was someone who was going to (or had) hurt my children or family/friends, then yes, but not just an innocent person at random, no.
Would you shave your head and get your entire body waxed for $5,000?
Body waxed= yes, but shave my head= no
Would you give up watching television for a year for $25,000? Definitely!
Tuesday, July 25, 2006
Swimming, Swinging, and other updates
Brendan started Level I swimming lessons last night. He absolutely LOVED it! He went under water several times by himself and was SO proud of himself :) They also worked on floating and kicking. He is so super excited about going back again tonight :) It's so awesome to watch him enjoy something so much and to have confidence in himself. I worry about him sometimes because he is such a little perfectionist with most things, and if he can't do something well he gets really upset and mad that he isn't perfect at it. But he wasn't that way at all with this, which was really nice. I HATED swimming lessons as a kid, so I'm glad he enjoys it more thanI did! lol
We also have a new rope swing in our yard that he's been loving. Joe decided on Sunday that we needed a rope swing, so he made one and hung it from one of our trees. Brendan has been having so much fun on it. We have a swing set, but this is different and new so he's excited about it.
Lexi, our accidental kitty, is still here to stay. She has been eating and drinking a lot, and is already starting to put on some weight. She'll be normal size in no time!
Joe and I finally watched Kill Bill Vol. I and Vol II. (we've had them in from Blockbuster.com for over a month and could never find time to watch them). They were, um, interesting. Very violent, but so unrealistic that it made the violence seem not as bad. But they were entertaining movies anyway.
Well, gotta wrap up a few things and then pick up Brendan and take him back to evening #2 of swimming lessons! I hope he continues to love it :)
We also have a new rope swing in our yard that he's been loving. Joe decided on Sunday that we needed a rope swing, so he made one and hung it from one of our trees. Brendan has been having so much fun on it. We have a swing set, but this is different and new so he's excited about it.
Lexi, our accidental kitty, is still here to stay. She has been eating and drinking a lot, and is already starting to put on some weight. She'll be normal size in no time!
Joe and I finally watched Kill Bill Vol. I and Vol II. (we've had them in from Blockbuster.com for over a month and could never find time to watch them). They were, um, interesting. Very violent, but so unrealistic that it made the violence seem not as bad. But they were entertaining movies anyway.
Well, gotta wrap up a few things and then pick up Brendan and take him back to evening #2 of swimming lessons! I hope he continues to love it :)
Saturday, July 22, 2006
A few more pics...
As promised, here are a few pics from a children's museum we took the boys to a couple weekends ago. They had a great time...
Thursday, July 20, 2006
Unexpected Addition: Meet "Lexi"
Well, after both of our cats (Pippin and Bea) died this year, we thought we'd probably put off getting any more pets for a little while. However, much to our surprise, a kitty found us and has decided that she lives here. lol. A little cat showed up yesterday with no tags and very skinny. She obviously needed some food and love, and since we still haven't gotten rid of Pippin's food dishes or food, we fed her and gave her some water. She has been around ever since. Even when we leave and come back home, there she is laying on our porch to greet us. She was a little nervous and skiddish at first, but now she loves to be pet and just rubs and rubs against us, taking it all in. So, I'm pretty sure we have ourselves a new pet. She is black and white, and not exactly a tiny kitten, but she's not grown yet either. She's an older kitten, I guess. We're pretty sure she's a stray, as she has no collar and is very boney/skinny (if she has an owner, they certainly were not caring for her! And we live out in the woods, so strays are more likely). Both boys were so excited to see her this morning, and she certainly needs love and care, so this is probably a good thing for everyone :) Brendan wanted us to name her, so this morning I was just randomly saying girl names outloud, and when I said "Lexi" Brendan's face lit up and he said "that's a great name for her!" So, I guess her name is Lexi.
So, anyway, apparently we are cat owners again :)
Here's a pic of her...
So, anyway, apparently we are cat owners again :)
Here's a pic of her...
Wednesday, July 19, 2006
H-O-T-! U-G-H-!
Oh my gosh, it is SO freakin' HOT! And HUMID! UGH!!! My weather pixie on the side bar of my blog has stripped down to her bikini, it's 99 degrees...I'm wondering what happens to her when it hits 100? Surely this is not an X-rated weather pixie? LOL
Anyway, I'm actually getting excited because today is my last day of work this week. I'm taking off Thursday and Friday. Tomorrow I'm taking Brendan to a little preschool program thing- a tour of the movie theater (behind the scenes and such). Then I've promised him we will go get his school supplies! I can't believe he will start Kindergarten next month! Well, in a way I can, but you know what I mean. So he's pretty excited about picking out scissors, paper, crayons, glue, backpack, etc. And we'll go to Burger King or McDonald's or something too...a Mommy-Son day! All week he keeps counting down the days until Thursday. But my hair salon just called to remind me of my haircut tomorrow at 4:00...oops! I thought for sure that appointment was on Friday! Now I guess I will have to attempt to bring Brendan with me on Thursday since he won't be going to preschool that day due to our other things we're doing. That could be interesting! I hope the hair dresser doesn't mind! The good part of this is that Friday both kids will be at daycare, and without my haircut appt I will have more time by myself at home on Friday to get some things done! Really looking forward to that too! Love my hubby and kids, but I definitely need time alone once in awhile too.
Then Friday night it's the mom's group's monthly "Mom's Night Out" and we will be going to the comedy club. So, I've got quite a few things to look forward to these next couple days.
One more hour here at work, and then my time off begins! Yippee!
Anyway, I'm actually getting excited because today is my last day of work this week. I'm taking off Thursday and Friday. Tomorrow I'm taking Brendan to a little preschool program thing- a tour of the movie theater (behind the scenes and such). Then I've promised him we will go get his school supplies! I can't believe he will start Kindergarten next month! Well, in a way I can, but you know what I mean. So he's pretty excited about picking out scissors, paper, crayons, glue, backpack, etc. And we'll go to Burger King or McDonald's or something too...a Mommy-Son day! All week he keeps counting down the days until Thursday. But my hair salon just called to remind me of my haircut tomorrow at 4:00...oops! I thought for sure that appointment was on Friday! Now I guess I will have to attempt to bring Brendan with me on Thursday since he won't be going to preschool that day due to our other things we're doing. That could be interesting! I hope the hair dresser doesn't mind! The good part of this is that Friday both kids will be at daycare, and without my haircut appt I will have more time by myself at home on Friday to get some things done! Really looking forward to that too! Love my hubby and kids, but I definitely need time alone once in awhile too.
Then Friday night it's the mom's group's monthly "Mom's Night Out" and we will be going to the comedy club. So, I've got quite a few things to look forward to these next couple days.
One more hour here at work, and then my time off begins! Yippee!
Monday, July 17, 2006
A couple of pics...
As promised in an earlier post, here are a couple pics from playing outside in our 2 little pools on 4th of July...
Friday, July 14, 2006
Still catching up
Still trying to get caught up with everything. Things got so busy just out of the blue a few weeks ago, both at work and at home, and it is taking me so long to get caught back up with everything.
Wednesday night Joe and I went on our date night. We went to see Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest It was pretty good. A little too far-fetched for me, but it was still okay. Joe was a little disappointed, he thought it was going to be really good and it wasn't as good as he expected. But we both enjoyed it anyway. We also recently tried to take the boys to see Cars, but poor Joe ended up having to spend most of the movie out in the lobby with Adam, because he was too loud in the theater. But Brendan and I saw the whole thing, and I really enjoyed it. Very good movie. The movie theater even refunded Joe's ticket price since he spent 3/4 of the movie in the lobby!
This weekend we actually don't have a bunch of plans! It's been awhile since that's happened. Joe is going to try to fix some things on my SUV, since there are several things that need fixed (or at least looked at) before I drive to Gatlinburg,TN in August! I have to go into work for a couple hours Sunday, but otherwise it'll mostly be a hanging out around the house kind of weekend. It's just going to be too hot and humid to do much of anything else.
Wednesday night Joe and I went on our date night. We went to see Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest It was pretty good. A little too far-fetched for me, but it was still okay. Joe was a little disappointed, he thought it was going to be really good and it wasn't as good as he expected. But we both enjoyed it anyway. We also recently tried to take the boys to see Cars, but poor Joe ended up having to spend most of the movie out in the lobby with Adam, because he was too loud in the theater. But Brendan and I saw the whole thing, and I really enjoyed it. Very good movie. The movie theater even refunded Joe's ticket price since he spent 3/4 of the movie in the lobby!
This weekend we actually don't have a bunch of plans! It's been awhile since that's happened. Joe is going to try to fix some things on my SUV, since there are several things that need fixed (or at least looked at) before I drive to Gatlinburg,TN in August! I have to go into work for a couple hours Sunday, but otherwise it'll mostly be a hanging out around the house kind of weekend. It's just going to be too hot and humid to do much of anything else.
Wednesday, July 12, 2006
Oh my! Has it really been 12 days?!
I can't believe I haven't posted in 12 days! Haven't even visited anyone else's blogs that whole time either! (sorry!)
Gosh, I can't even remember what all I haven't been writing about in that time. lol Let's see. 4th of July weekend, what did we do? I remember on Sunday of that weekend we went to my mom's house for BBQ, slip 'n slide, and fireworks. The boys had a blast on the slip 'n slide, but the fireworks got cut short. Just our luck, a guy that works for the fire department was visiting his girlfriend who happens to live 2 doors down from my mom, and he came over and told us to stop. Even though he could plainly see we had 4 little boys who were so excited to be watching these little fireworks, he still felt the need to come over and tell my mom's boyfriend to stop. Okay, yes, I get the fact that they are illegal where she lives. But everyone shoots them off anyway, EVERY year. And while he's standing there telling *us* to stop, there were fireworks going off from at least 3 other houses that were very obvious. Did he go around and tell everyone else to stop? No! Just us. He said because we were doing them "right in front of him" that he had to say something. Well, if he's going to make one house stop, then he needs to go tell all the others that are shooting off bigger and more fireworks just a few houses down the same thing. The boys (my boys and my nephews) were so disappointed! They look forward to fireworks every year.
So anyway, on the 3rd of July I had to work so we were back at home, and that night Joe and I did lots of our own fireworks for the boys. We live out in the country so we can do whatever the heck we please! LOL They had fun with the snap 'n pops, smoke balls, sparklers, and stuff like that. Then after dark we did the bigger ones. They were actually pretty good!
On the 4th we tried to catch up with things around the house, but also let the boys play in their little pools. I'll try to post some pics soon!
Then this past weekend, we took the boys to a neat children's museum in a city a few hours away. They loved that. Brendan was already asking on the way home if we could go back again. We met up with a few other families there too from our Mom's group, and then went out to Coldstone for ice cream. I can't eat ice cream, but they actually had a non-dairy option that turned out to be very yummy! Even one of my good friends from high school met us at the museum with her boys. I hadn't seen her in so long! I was excited that she came to see us! Again, I'll try to post some pics from that day soon. (I dropped them at Wal-Mart today to be developed).
There's been a lot more going on these last couple weeks, I've been crazy busy, but this is getting too long, and I need to leave. I've also been under the weather with a terrible cough, sore throat, ear ache, etc, but trying to kick that. Tonight we have our date night, so I gotta run so I can get home before the babysitter gets there! Gotta vacuum the floor! lol
I'll try not to be away for 2 weeks again.
Gosh, I can't even remember what all I haven't been writing about in that time. lol Let's see. 4th of July weekend, what did we do? I remember on Sunday of that weekend we went to my mom's house for BBQ, slip 'n slide, and fireworks. The boys had a blast on the slip 'n slide, but the fireworks got cut short. Just our luck, a guy that works for the fire department was visiting his girlfriend who happens to live 2 doors down from my mom, and he came over and told us to stop. Even though he could plainly see we had 4 little boys who were so excited to be watching these little fireworks, he still felt the need to come over and tell my mom's boyfriend to stop. Okay, yes, I get the fact that they are illegal where she lives. But everyone shoots them off anyway, EVERY year. And while he's standing there telling *us* to stop, there were fireworks going off from at least 3 other houses that were very obvious. Did he go around and tell everyone else to stop? No! Just us. He said because we were doing them "right in front of him" that he had to say something. Well, if he's going to make one house stop, then he needs to go tell all the others that are shooting off bigger and more fireworks just a few houses down the same thing. The boys (my boys and my nephews) were so disappointed! They look forward to fireworks every year.
So anyway, on the 3rd of July I had to work so we were back at home, and that night Joe and I did lots of our own fireworks for the boys. We live out in the country so we can do whatever the heck we please! LOL They had fun with the snap 'n pops, smoke balls, sparklers, and stuff like that. Then after dark we did the bigger ones. They were actually pretty good!
On the 4th we tried to catch up with things around the house, but also let the boys play in their little pools. I'll try to post some pics soon!
Then this past weekend, we took the boys to a neat children's museum in a city a few hours away. They loved that. Brendan was already asking on the way home if we could go back again. We met up with a few other families there too from our Mom's group, and then went out to Coldstone for ice cream. I can't eat ice cream, but they actually had a non-dairy option that turned out to be very yummy! Even one of my good friends from high school met us at the museum with her boys. I hadn't seen her in so long! I was excited that she came to see us! Again, I'll try to post some pics from that day soon. (I dropped them at Wal-Mart today to be developed).
There's been a lot more going on these last couple weeks, I've been crazy busy, but this is getting too long, and I need to leave. I've also been under the weather with a terrible cough, sore throat, ear ache, etc, but trying to kick that. Tonight we have our date night, so I gotta run so I can get home before the babysitter gets there! Gotta vacuum the floor! lol
I'll try not to be away for 2 weeks again.
Friday, June 30, 2006
Thursday, June 29, 2006
Thursday Thirteen
With the holiday coming up on Tuesday, I thought I'd do my Thursday Thirteen on links to some 4th of July activities, crafts, recipes, history, etc, etc that might be of interest to others. Or not. lol6. Fun Ways to Celebrate & Crafts from Kid’s Domain
7. Activities and Crafts for 4th of July from Enchanted Learning
8. America the Beautiful lyrics, 1913 version
7. Activities and Crafts for 4th of July from Enchanted Learning
8. America the Beautiful lyrics, 1913 version
If you are participating in Thursday Thirteen, please add yourself to the auto-linky below. Comments are always appreciated too! Thanks to Uisce for the linky and Emily for the TT banner at the top.
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Trying to do TT!
I'm trying to post my Thursday Thirteen, but Blogger won't let me upload the banner, ugh! I'll keep trying...
Wednesday, June 28, 2006
Blah
That's how I feel today...just blah. I figure I'm already too late to post a "Wordless Wednesday", sorry for anyone that might have come looking for it.
I'm so discouraged with myself. I have so much that needs to be done, things I keep intending on doing but somehow don't ever get done. Things I plan on working on to improve myself, my house, my office, my parenting, etc, etc. How do these things always get pushed to the back burner, and for what? For the mundane every day things in life, the rushing around, the stress. I cannot seem to figure out how to make time for the important things in life...the less important daily grind somehow always wins out. Why is this? Why do I allow this? Every day I think I will do better, and next thing I know, the work day is over, the evening is gone, it's time for bed, and I'm exhausted. I fall into bed, only to re-live the same day over again the next day. I have always been a huge believer that your work should not be your life, and making time for your family and yourself and doing what you love are some of the important things in life that should be given the most attention. I still believe that, but it's the practicing what I preach type thing that is giving me trouble now. I have the best of intentions, but the days just slip away before I can put my plans into action. Days...months...years, and here I still sit with "the best of intentions".
Maybe tomorrow will be the day I figure it all out...
I'm so discouraged with myself. I have so much that needs to be done, things I keep intending on doing but somehow don't ever get done. Things I plan on working on to improve myself, my house, my office, my parenting, etc, etc. How do these things always get pushed to the back burner, and for what? For the mundane every day things in life, the rushing around, the stress. I cannot seem to figure out how to make time for the important things in life...the less important daily grind somehow always wins out. Why is this? Why do I allow this? Every day I think I will do better, and next thing I know, the work day is over, the evening is gone, it's time for bed, and I'm exhausted. I fall into bed, only to re-live the same day over again the next day. I have always been a huge believer that your work should not be your life, and making time for your family and yourself and doing what you love are some of the important things in life that should be given the most attention. I still believe that, but it's the practicing what I preach type thing that is giving me trouble now. I have the best of intentions, but the days just slip away before I can put my plans into action. Days...months...years, and here I still sit with "the best of intentions".
Maybe tomorrow will be the day I figure it all out...
Tuesday, June 27, 2006
Back from the weekend
I'm back from the weekend trip. We had a good time, and it was so nice to sleep past 6am! I got 22 pages done (12x12), plus put together a little 7x7 album (everything done on that except the pictures). We all enjoyed our time together. Adam came down with pink eye, so Joe is staying home with him today, and I am back at work.
Tonight I am taking Brendan to a Kickball class. It is just a one-time little workshop thing to introduce preschoolers to the sport. I hope he has fun.
I can't believe we only have 3 days of June left! It seems impossible that it could be almost July already! I don't like the way the holiday falls this year...since the 4th of July is on a Tuesday, we get Tuesday off, but not Monday! We're going to a BBQ at my mom's house on Sunday, and the boys will play on her slip 'n slide again. Then as it gets dark, my mom's boyfriend shoots off some fireworks for the boys (and us) to see. But, I have to work the next morning, so we'll have to rush home after that.
Well, I am swamped at work trying to catch up, so I better get off of here!
Tonight I am taking Brendan to a Kickball class. It is just a one-time little workshop thing to introduce preschoolers to the sport. I hope he has fun.
I can't believe we only have 3 days of June left! It seems impossible that it could be almost July already! I don't like the way the holiday falls this year...since the 4th of July is on a Tuesday, we get Tuesday off, but not Monday! We're going to a BBQ at my mom's house on Sunday, and the boys will play on her slip 'n slide again. Then as it gets dark, my mom's boyfriend shoots off some fireworks for the boys (and us) to see. But, I have to work the next morning, so we'll have to rush home after that.
Well, I am swamped at work trying to catch up, so I better get off of here!
Thursday, June 22, 2006
Thursday Thirteen
Thirteen things I'm looking forward to on my cabin trip this weekendEvery year, my mom, my sister, and I go on a weekend scrapbooking cabin trip together. We started this 3 years ago as our "gift" to each other instead of buying birthday presents for each other. It is fun, and a nice way to make sure we spend time together. We all enjoy this tradition! We leave tomorrow at noon, so I thought I'd do my TT on what I'm looking forward to about it...
1. Leaving work early on Friday, and being off work until Tuesday!
2. Driving there with my sister, and talking/listening to music in the car on the way.
3. Eating yummy food, snacks, and drinks.
4. Doing what I want, when I want, without having to be anywhere else at a certain time.
5. Kid-free time that I don't have to tend to their every little need. I love them, but everyone needs a break now and then.
6. Being able to sleep past 6am!
7. Going to bed late if I want to without worrying how early the kids will wake me up.
8. Girl talk with my sister and my mom. We have been known to have some really crazy and even risque discussions when we get together. We get to laughing so hard we can't stop.
9. Working on scrapbook pages.
10. Walking by the little lake that is there.
11. Seeing what the new cabin looks like. Our reservation this year is for a cabin that didn't exist last year.
12. Not having to worry about cleaning the house, doing laundry, etc.
13. Spending quality time together, and making memories that we'll always remember.
If you are participating in Thursday Thirteen, please add yourself to the auto-linky below. Comments are always appreciated too! Thanks to Uisce for the linky and Emily for the TT banner at the top.
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Wednesday, June 21, 2006
Wordless Wednesday
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Tuesday, June 20, 2006
Vanilla Rock Cake?
Well, Brendan seems to be just fine about Pippin. Fine to the point that even when we were burrying him, Joe put some white ashes on him, dirt, rocks, etc and Brendan laughed and said, "Look at Pippin! He looks like a vanilla rock cake!" lol Not sure where he got that, funny how kids can turn anything around to be something funny in their minds. I'd rather that then him be broken up about it though. So, all in all I'd say the boys are going to be just fine.
On a lighter note, we had a babysitter watch the boys last night and I took Joe to see the X-Men movie as part of his father's day celebration. He's been wanting to see that. I'm not really much of a fan of that type of movie, but I must say it was better than I expected (although I didn't expect much. LOL). Joe thought it was okay, but he was a little disappointed in it. He thought they changed too much about it. Then we went out for hot wings and beer before heading home.
I'm sure looking forward to this weekend! It is our annual scrapbooking at the cabin weekend that my mom, sister, and I do every year together. It'll be nice to spend some time with them, and to have some kid-free time as well (and maybe even sleep past 6am- haven't been able to do that in a long time!) Now I need to figure out how the heck I'm going to get all my scrapbooking stuff organized and packed up by Thursday night! Yikes! I'm running out of time fast, considering I only have about a half hour of time the next 3 nights that I can do that in. And once I leave for work Friday morning, I'll be leaving straight from there! I'm excited, but I also have lots that needs to be done both at home and work before then. Speaking of which, I better get back to work!
On a lighter note, we had a babysitter watch the boys last night and I took Joe to see the X-Men movie as part of his father's day celebration. He's been wanting to see that. I'm not really much of a fan of that type of movie, but I must say it was better than I expected (although I didn't expect much. LOL). Joe thought it was okay, but he was a little disappointed in it. He thought they changed too much about it. Then we went out for hot wings and beer before heading home.
I'm sure looking forward to this weekend! It is our annual scrapbooking at the cabin weekend that my mom, sister, and I do every year together. It'll be nice to spend some time with them, and to have some kid-free time as well (and maybe even sleep past 6am- haven't been able to do that in a long time!) Now I need to figure out how the heck I'm going to get all my scrapbooking stuff organized and packed up by Thursday night! Yikes! I'm running out of time fast, considering I only have about a half hour of time the next 3 nights that I can do that in. And once I leave for work Friday morning, I'll be leaving straight from there! I'm excited, but I also have lots that needs to be done both at home and work before then. Speaking of which, I better get back to work!
Monday, June 19, 2006
Goodbye Sweet Pippin
Sadly, our cat "Pippin" died this weekend. He was sleeping behind Joe's tire, and Joe didn't see him. He accidentally backed over him. Pippin ran out a few steps, laid down in the grass, and died almost instantly. The boys were in the car with Joe, so they saw the whole thing. I don't think Adam has a clue what happened, but Brendan does. He is taking it very well though. I'm glad I wasn't home when it happened. But, I can't help but wonder if something was wrong with Pippin already though, because I can't figure out why he didn't move when he heard Joe start the car, he has always moved out of the way of cars before. We have gone from having 2 cats to none in the last year. (Our other cat went into the woods for a long time, showed up one day briefly with dried blood in her nose, and then disappeared and has never come back, so we assume she is dead too.) But Pippin was our favorite. He was the first pet Joe and I had together, and our first "child" before we had our non-furry kids. We will miss him.
We burried him at the edge of our woods yesterday. Joe made a wooden cross and etched Pippin's name in it, and we hung his collar over it.
Goodbye sweet Pippin.
Friday, June 16, 2006
Happy Father's Day weekend!
To all the dads out there, may you have a wonderful Father's Day weekend!
"Daddy's Hands"
by Holly Dunn
I remember daddy's hands folded silently in prayer
And reachin' out to hold me, when I had a nightmare
You could read quite a story in the callous' and lines
Years of work and worry had left their mark behind
I remember daddy's hands how they held my mama tight
And patted my back for something done right
There are things that I'd forgotten that I loved about the man
But I'll always remember the love in daddy's hands
Daddy's hands were soft and kind when I was cryin'
Daddy's hands were hard as steel when I'd done wrong
Daddy's hands weren't always gentle but I've come to understand
There was always love in daddy's hands.
I remember daddy's hands workin' 'til they bled
Sacrificed unselfishly just to keep us all fed
If I could do things over, I'd live my life again
And never take for granted the love in daddy's hands.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Walk a Little Slower Daddy
"Walk a little slower, Daddy"
Says your little child so small.
"I’m following in your footsteps,
And I’m trying not to fall."
Sometimes your steps are very fast,
Sometimes they’re hard to see
So walk a little slower, Daddy
For you are leading me.
Someday when I’m all grown up,
It’s like you I hope to be
Then I will have a little child
Who’ll want to follow me.
And I will want to lead just right,
And know that I am true,
So, walk a little slower, Daddy
For I must follow you.
-author unknown
Father's Day graphic from:
Thursday, June 15, 2006
New Blog Look!
It's here, it's here! I'm so excited about my new blog look! What do you think? Kelly from Nello Design did great, didn't she? Woohoo! Okay, unfortunately I'm still swamped, so can't blog right now. Be back soon!
Wednesday, June 14, 2006
Going crazy...back soon
I will be away from my blog today, and possibly Thursday too...things are hectic at work already and having been gone Monday & Tuesday with the boys having chicken pox, well, now I have catch-up to do in addition to the already packed-full week at work. But even more exciting...Kelly from Nello Design will be installing my new blog look. So, I will be back on when I can!
Monday, June 12, 2006
Seeing Spots and the Wedding
Well, on Friday afternoon I got a call from Brendan's preschool saying he has chicken pox! Ugh! Not what I needed to hear after Thursday night's happenings (see post below) and the day before I'm supposed to drive in for the wedding. Luckily it was a mild case...he only ended up with 8 pox total, and by Saturday they were already scabbed over, so he had them for a few days already before we even knew it! I saw them on his back, but I thought they were mosquito bites...chicken pox didn't even cross my mind! He has had the chicken pox shot, but it didn't keep him from getting them, just kept it more mild I guess.
We made it through the wedding Saturday. Since Brendan was scabbed, we went ahead to the wedding anyway. I brought a small toddler-size backpack with coloring books, a few books and quiet toys, and baggies of animal crackers to entertain the boys. It worked for most of it, although there was a period of about 10 minutes that I had to take Adam out because he was wanting to run down the side aisle and when I grabbed him he started fussing. But after that, he was pretty good. He ate 2 of the 3 baggies of crackers, which kept him quieter.
After the ceremony, my dad and his wife took the boys home with them, so we were kid-free for the rest of the afternoon & evening. That was nice! The wedding party and their spouses got on the bus that drove us around to various places to take pictures. (And of course there were coolers on the bus stocked with beer, so I did indeed get my cold beer after the wedding. lol). It was a fun time, and I took some pictures at a few of the locations as well. Will post a couple later when I get them developed. Then the bus drove us to the reception. That was also a lot of fun. I love wedding receptions, and we got to see a lot of our friends that we don't see as much anymore since we live about 2 hours away from there. It was great. (Well, great except for after the reception when I got sick and then passed out, and woke up with the white of one eye bloody-looking! But we won't talk about that part! LOL)
After all was done, we got back home around 9pm Sunday night. Adam now has the chicken pox too! So, I'm home today with both boys. Time to try to catch up on laundry, house cleaning, etc that got thrown to the side during all the wedding stuff.
We made it through the wedding Saturday. Since Brendan was scabbed, we went ahead to the wedding anyway. I brought a small toddler-size backpack with coloring books, a few books and quiet toys, and baggies of animal crackers to entertain the boys. It worked for most of it, although there was a period of about 10 minutes that I had to take Adam out because he was wanting to run down the side aisle and when I grabbed him he started fussing. But after that, he was pretty good. He ate 2 of the 3 baggies of crackers, which kept him quieter.
After the ceremony, my dad and his wife took the boys home with them, so we were kid-free for the rest of the afternoon & evening. That was nice! The wedding party and their spouses got on the bus that drove us around to various places to take pictures. (And of course there were coolers on the bus stocked with beer, so I did indeed get my cold beer after the wedding. lol). It was a fun time, and I took some pictures at a few of the locations as well. Will post a couple later when I get them developed. Then the bus drove us to the reception. That was also a lot of fun. I love wedding receptions, and we got to see a lot of our friends that we don't see as much anymore since we live about 2 hours away from there. It was great. (Well, great except for after the reception when I got sick and then passed out, and woke up with the white of one eye bloody-looking! But we won't talk about that part! LOL)
After all was done, we got back home around 9pm Sunday night. Adam now has the chicken pox too! So, I'm home today with both boys. Time to try to catch up on laundry, house cleaning, etc that got thrown to the side during all the wedding stuff.
Friday, June 09, 2006
Gotta "love" wedding crap
I apologize that I did not get around to very many Wordless Wednesdays this week, and didn't even do my Thursday 13! Between Blogger being down so much the last few days, and my own things, well, it just didn't happen this week.
Last night was the rehearsal dinner for Joe's brother's wedding. It was such a hassle. It was out of town, about 2 hours away, (on a work night) and due to construction traffic and then rush hour traffic, we were LATE! We had to take 2 cars because Joe stayed there to help set-up Friday, but I needed to work Friday. So, anyway, we had a series of things happen that just made the whole thing hectic...
* construction traffic...sat for 1/2 hour in traffic there
* further along the drive ran into rush hour traffic...went forever at about 5 mph.
* it was HOT, and since it was such slow stop-n-go I had to turn the AC off. Ugh!
* finally got there, and Joe was nowhere to be found. Couldn't figure this out since he was way ahead of me. I was worried
* he and Brendan finally arrived, turns out Brendan had to go pee, so they stopped, then had to get back into the terrible traffic. A few minutes later Brendan had to go poop! So they had to stop again. And Brendan is not a fast pooper, to say the least.
* I spent the whole rehearsal chasing the boys, trying to keep them happy while the wedding party practiced. Adam wanted nothing but to run outside the church. Did not want to be held or have his hand held, and if I dared to try either one he would scream. At least running is quiet.
* Finally go to the dinner...took FOREVER for the food to come out.
* Adam (19 mos) was fussy, Brendan (age 5) was hyper, we were quite the scene.
* After about an HOUR the food finally came out...mine was so burnt on the bottom I couldn't even eat it. Couldn't taste anything but the charred taste. Ick! So I ate 3 pieces of broccoli, my salad and 2 bites of the boys' chicken fingers instead.
* Drove the boys back home while Joe stayed overnight to help.
* Didn't get home until after midnight, and since the boys slept on the way home, they were refreshed and wanting to play...at 12:30am.
* Finally got them both to bed, ran dishwasher, and flopped in bed myself at 1:00am
* 3:00am Brendan woke me up wanting to get in bed with me because his room was dark (his nightlight burned out).
* Got up at 6am to get both boys and myself ready.
* Drove them in, was almost to Brendan's preschool (20 minutes away from my house) when I realized I had forgotten to drop Adam off at his babysitter's house! UGH I am losing my mind! lol So I dropped Brendan off, and had to drive WAY the heck back further than I came to take Adam in, then drive WAY the heck back to my office (which is less than 5 minutes from Brendan's preschool where we had been in the first place). Needless to say I was late to work.
Now I'm trying to come up with a plan of QUIET things to keep the boys entertained during the actual wedding tomorrow. It is a CATHOLIC wedding, so a LONG one. (No, I'm not Catholic, but Joe's family is). Joe will be up front, as he is the best man. I imagine I will end up having to take the boys outside because I can't imagine they will be quiet for very long. So I will probably miss the whole thing while I sweat my ass off (it's supposed to be in the 90's and humid!) chasing kids outside, in my dress. Someone better have a nice ice cold beer ready for me as soon as this thing is over! *sigh*
Last night was the rehearsal dinner for Joe's brother's wedding. It was such a hassle. It was out of town, about 2 hours away, (on a work night) and due to construction traffic and then rush hour traffic, we were LATE! We had to take 2 cars because Joe stayed there to help set-up Friday, but I needed to work Friday. So, anyway, we had a series of things happen that just made the whole thing hectic...
* construction traffic...sat for 1/2 hour in traffic there
* further along the drive ran into rush hour traffic...went forever at about 5 mph.
* it was HOT, and since it was such slow stop-n-go I had to turn the AC off. Ugh!
* finally got there, and Joe was nowhere to be found. Couldn't figure this out since he was way ahead of me. I was worried
* he and Brendan finally arrived, turns out Brendan had to go pee, so they stopped, then had to get back into the terrible traffic. A few minutes later Brendan had to go poop! So they had to stop again. And Brendan is not a fast pooper, to say the least.
* I spent the whole rehearsal chasing the boys, trying to keep them happy while the wedding party practiced. Adam wanted nothing but to run outside the church. Did not want to be held or have his hand held, and if I dared to try either one he would scream. At least running is quiet.
* Finally go to the dinner...took FOREVER for the food to come out.
* Adam (19 mos) was fussy, Brendan (age 5) was hyper, we were quite the scene.
* After about an HOUR the food finally came out...mine was so burnt on the bottom I couldn't even eat it. Couldn't taste anything but the charred taste. Ick! So I ate 3 pieces of broccoli, my salad and 2 bites of the boys' chicken fingers instead.
* Drove the boys back home while Joe stayed overnight to help.
* Didn't get home until after midnight, and since the boys slept on the way home, they were refreshed and wanting to play...at 12:30am.
* Finally got them both to bed, ran dishwasher, and flopped in bed myself at 1:00am
* 3:00am Brendan woke me up wanting to get in bed with me because his room was dark (his nightlight burned out).
* Got up at 6am to get both boys and myself ready.
* Drove them in, was almost to Brendan's preschool (20 minutes away from my house) when I realized I had forgotten to drop Adam off at his babysitter's house! UGH I am losing my mind! lol So I dropped Brendan off, and had to drive WAY the heck back further than I came to take Adam in, then drive WAY the heck back to my office (which is less than 5 minutes from Brendan's preschool where we had been in the first place). Needless to say I was late to work.
Now I'm trying to come up with a plan of QUIET things to keep the boys entertained during the actual wedding tomorrow. It is a CATHOLIC wedding, so a LONG one. (No, I'm not Catholic, but Joe's family is). Joe will be up front, as he is the best man. I imagine I will end up having to take the boys outside because I can't imagine they will be quiet for very long. So I will probably miss the whole thing while I sweat my ass off (it's supposed to be in the 90's and humid!) chasing kids outside, in my dress. Someone better have a nice ice cold beer ready for me as soon as this thing is over! *sigh*
Wednesday, June 07, 2006
Wordless Wednesday
Friday, June 02, 2006
A new look...coming soon!
I'm so excited, my new blog look is almost ready! Kelly at Nello Design is working on mine right now :) So, watch for a fresh new look coming soon!
And...speaking of new looks, hopefully *I* will be looking better again soon too! I am on day 4 of the Power 90 in-home-boot-camp. 4 days down, 86 to go! lol I have had NO soda for all 4 of those days as well, and have been eating very healthy and drinking water, woohoo!
This weekend we'll be out of town at a family reunion, so I won't be around much. Hope everyone has a great one!
And...speaking of new looks, hopefully *I* will be looking better again soon too! I am on day 4 of the Power 90 in-home-boot-camp. 4 days down, 86 to go! lol I have had NO soda for all 4 of those days as well, and have been eating very healthy and drinking water, woohoo!
This weekend we'll be out of town at a family reunion, so I won't be around much. Hope everyone has a great one!
Thursday, June 01, 2006
Thursday Thirteen
Thirteen things I have to say at least 10 times a day!1. No, no!
2. Go make your bed. Did you make your bed yet? Go do it.
3. Do you have your clothes on yet? Stop playing and get your clothes on now.
4. Hurry up, we're gonna be late
5. Stop throwing things in the house
6. Be careful with your brother, if it makes him cry that means you need to stop
7. Get your shoes off of the couch
8. Sit down and eat your food.
9. Do you need to get in trouble?
10. Be quiet while Mommy and Daddy are talking
11. Pick up your underwear/clothes and put them in the laundry
12. Get your finger out of your nose
13. Get your hand out of your pants
If you are participating in Thursday Thirteen, please add yourself to the auto-linky below. Comments are always appreciated too! Thanks to Uisce for the linky and Emily for the TT banner at the top.
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having blogger problems
I've been trying to post my Thursday Thirteen, but blogger isn't letting me upload anything. Ugh! I will try again in a little while I guess. Anyone else having these problems too?
Wednesday, May 31, 2006
Wordless Wednesday
Tuesday, May 30, 2006
Another busy weekend
Well is has definitely become summer. It has been much hotter here this past week and of course just in time while my car is down and I'm having to drive my husband's car which has NO air conditioning.
Saturday I went out of town for a bachelorette party. I was told to wear a dress, so I wore the only dress I have that isn't long sleeved, and had to drive about 2 hours in the heat. I just knew that after sweating for 2 hours sitting in the car that I would end up with the outline of my butt and legs in sweat on the back of my dress, so before I headed out I pulled up the back of my dress behind me and sat bare on the car seat for the drive. Well, not BARE, I *did* have underwear on, but you know what I mean. LOL The rest of the dress covered the sides so noone else could even tell. Pretty clever, huh? *sigh* Oh the things girls have to deal with that guys don't. lol
But anyway, I did get there, did manage to not have sweat marks, and even got several compliments on my dress :) We first went to lunch, and it was very expensive and noone really liked what they ordered. But there was wine tasting, so that made up for it a little. Then we headed back to the hotel rooms and drank and talked there for awhile. Then we headed to the bar and casino- in the hotel shuttle, we didn't drive, don't worry. There were 2 different bands that played at the bar, both were pretty good! The girl the bachelorette party was for was very drunk and so everytime she got up to dance, at least 3 of us went up with her to make sure she didn't run into anyone or fall over herself. lol She was a good drunk though, not obnoxious, just wanted to dance and have fun. And the next morning she was up earlier than any of us, perfectly fine, didn't get sick, no hangover, nothing. But she only remembered about 1/3 of the whole time, she didn't even remember putting her dress on to go to the bar in the first place! lol
We assured her that she had a good time. heehee.
Sunday afternoon I arrived back home, and then we had a picture appointment for my two boys and my sister's two boys. Every year we get a photo taken of all the kids for our mom for mother's day (yes, we are late this year). Oh man, it was so stressful! First of all, our appointment was at 4:00 and the people ahead of us took forever to pick their pictures, etc, so we had to wait and wait and wait...over an hour!!!! Now how do you keep 4 boys, ages 6, 5, 3, and 19 mos quiet and entertained for that long in a portrait studio? You don't! You just have 4 noisy boys running. And of course, then, by the time they finally were ready to take the pictures, the boys were tired, hungry, bored, and in Adam's case...cranky. He didn't want to be put in any pose or even stand by the boys to get his picture taken. He kept walking away and/or crying and crying. It was total chaos, and we were all ripping our hair out. After awhile of this and Adam busting out in tears for the tenth time we finally just called it off. We didn't get the picture. *sigh* All that for nothing.
Then we went back to my sister's house and let the boys play, and we all ate pizza together before going home. Once at home, we put Adam to bed (finally!)
Monday we had a similar adventure at the grocery store, and well, just the whole weekend pretty much. No resting or relaxing for us. Both of our boys were cranky and had little attitudes the whole weekend. We couldn't wait to get them in bed each night. Now it's back to work and my car went into the shop this morning.
I wish I could say we have a restful week and weekend ahead of us, but this week is busy, and the weekend is booked once again. Every weekend was booked for May, and continues to be booked every weekend in June, and most of July as well. Next thing I know it will be fall already!
Saturday I went out of town for a bachelorette party. I was told to wear a dress, so I wore the only dress I have that isn't long sleeved, and had to drive about 2 hours in the heat. I just knew that after sweating for 2 hours sitting in the car that I would end up with the outline of my butt and legs in sweat on the back of my dress, so before I headed out I pulled up the back of my dress behind me and sat bare on the car seat for the drive. Well, not BARE, I *did* have underwear on, but you know what I mean. LOL The rest of the dress covered the sides so noone else could even tell. Pretty clever, huh? *sigh* Oh the things girls have to deal with that guys don't. lol
But anyway, I did get there, did manage to not have sweat marks, and even got several compliments on my dress :) We first went to lunch, and it was very expensive and noone really liked what they ordered. But there was wine tasting, so that made up for it a little. Then we headed back to the hotel rooms and drank and talked there for awhile. Then we headed to the bar and casino- in the hotel shuttle, we didn't drive, don't worry. There were 2 different bands that played at the bar, both were pretty good! The girl the bachelorette party was for was very drunk and so everytime she got up to dance, at least 3 of us went up with her to make sure she didn't run into anyone or fall over herself. lol She was a good drunk though, not obnoxious, just wanted to dance and have fun. And the next morning she was up earlier than any of us, perfectly fine, didn't get sick, no hangover, nothing. But she only remembered about 1/3 of the whole time, she didn't even remember putting her dress on to go to the bar in the first place! lol
We assured her that she had a good time. heehee.
Sunday afternoon I arrived back home, and then we had a picture appointment for my two boys and my sister's two boys. Every year we get a photo taken of all the kids for our mom for mother's day (yes, we are late this year). Oh man, it was so stressful! First of all, our appointment was at 4:00 and the people ahead of us took forever to pick their pictures, etc, so we had to wait and wait and wait...over an hour!!!! Now how do you keep 4 boys, ages 6, 5, 3, and 19 mos quiet and entertained for that long in a portrait studio? You don't! You just have 4 noisy boys running. And of course, then, by the time they finally were ready to take the pictures, the boys were tired, hungry, bored, and in Adam's case...cranky. He didn't want to be put in any pose or even stand by the boys to get his picture taken. He kept walking away and/or crying and crying. It was total chaos, and we were all ripping our hair out. After awhile of this and Adam busting out in tears for the tenth time we finally just called it off. We didn't get the picture. *sigh* All that for nothing.
Then we went back to my sister's house and let the boys play, and we all ate pizza together before going home. Once at home, we put Adam to bed (finally!)
Monday we had a similar adventure at the grocery store, and well, just the whole weekend pretty much. No resting or relaxing for us. Both of our boys were cranky and had little attitudes the whole weekend. We couldn't wait to get them in bed each night. Now it's back to work and my car went into the shop this morning.
I wish I could say we have a restful week and weekend ahead of us, but this week is busy, and the weekend is booked once again. Every weekend was booked for May, and continues to be booked every weekend in June, and most of July as well. Next thing I know it will be fall already!
Thursday, May 25, 2006
Thursday Thirteen
Thirteen of the Scrapbook Pages Courtney has done for the Scrapping Survivor game(I can't get the photos of the pages to line up together correctly,
but I think you get the idea anyway!)
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Monday, May 22, 2006
Catching up after the weekend
Wow am I tired. I can't snap out of it today. I survived the busy weekend while Joe was out of town :)
Friday night Brendan's preschool graduation was so adorable. They had the kids come in while Pomp and Circumstance played, and they sat in rows at the front. The executive director, director, and their teacher all gave mini-speeches and then the kids sang their ABC's and counted to 25 for us. Then they had each child give their parents a book they had made about themselves and a yellow carnation. From there the kids went back out of the room, and were called in one by one to get their "diplomas". At the end they threw their hats up in the air and were officially graduated! As ready as I am for him to go to school, I really thought I wouldn't be teary eyed, but for some reason I was! Not really sad that he's leaving preschool or that he's growing up, I think it was just because it was a neat little ceremony and the teachers were getting teary eyed, mixed with a nice poem and the music playing...just the atmosphere was touching and sweet, and I cry at touching things. lol (I cry when I read greeting cards too. lol)
Adam was pretty good during the ceremony itself, but right afterwards he was a handful. I wanted more than anything to run out of there and go home, but they had cake and punch and I couldn't deprive Brendan of that! So, it was a pain, and embarrassing to have Adam crying and throwing a fit, but oh well. As we were (finally) leaving, I could barely carry everything, and of course Adam wouldn't walk where I wanted him to, so I had to pick him up and carry a bunch of stuff, and Adam was squirming so much I ended up with him in a football hold before we made it out to the car. One of the other dads gave me a sympathetic look and held the door open for me at least. lol Brendan wanted Wendy's so, on the way home I went through the drive-thru for him.
Saturday our trip to the farm was canceled so that was one less thing I had to worry about. So, Brendan and I cleaned his room (which was badly needed) and I did laundry and such too. Then Saturday night I had a babysitter watch the boys while I went out with some co-workers to the comedy club. That was a nice break. I had a 2-beer warm-up before the show, and drank another whole pitcher to myself during the show. But that was nothing compared to one of my co-workers who was drinking who knows how many hard drinks and ultimately was so obnoxious that she got thrown out! LOL
Sunday I took the boys to my nephew's 6th birthday party at Chuck E. Cheese's That went pretty well. My dad and his wife and my mom and her boyfriend were all there too, so I had some help with the boys! Brendan played various video games. After going down one little slide, Adam then wanted to stay on the same Bob the Builder tractor and turn the steering wheel the entire time! I had to pry him off of it eventually, which he was not too happy about. He did have fun dancing with the big boys at the party when Chuck E. Cheese came out and sang/danced with the kids.
I have to admit I felt pretty good when we arrived at the party and my dad and his wife both commented on how good I looked. (they haven't seen me in a couple months) His wife said, "Wow, you look awesome" and Dad said "you look like you've been working out again." Um, no, but I have the best of intentions! LOL But hey, at least I looked thinner to other people! haha! It's happening slower than I'd like, but the last of the baby weight will not be a permanent part of me forever. I won't let it! I have the Slim in 6 program that I used to do every morning at 5 am before I had Adam, but Joe and I have decided to take the plunge and do the Power 90 program now (read as I've decided to and begged Joe until he finally gave in and said I guess so). I've done Slim in 6 in the past and I like it, but Joe thinks it is too feminine (whatever!), so we're gonna do Power 90 together (I could talk him into that easier). It's a 90-day bootcamp. Hopefully we can keep each other on track! If I can get up enough nerve I *might* post our before pics here on my blog, and see if there's a big difference once we reach 30 days, 60 days, and finally 90 days. Not sure if I'm that brave though, will have to think about it. lol I have a few days to think, since it hasn't arrived in the mail yet and we haven't taken the before pics yet. Hmmmm...
Friday night Brendan's preschool graduation was so adorable. They had the kids come in while Pomp and Circumstance played, and they sat in rows at the front. The executive director, director, and their teacher all gave mini-speeches and then the kids sang their ABC's and counted to 25 for us. Then they had each child give their parents a book they had made about themselves and a yellow carnation. From there the kids went back out of the room, and were called in one by one to get their "diplomas". At the end they threw their hats up in the air and were officially graduated! As ready as I am for him to go to school, I really thought I wouldn't be teary eyed, but for some reason I was! Not really sad that he's leaving preschool or that he's growing up, I think it was just because it was a neat little ceremony and the teachers were getting teary eyed, mixed with a nice poem and the music playing...just the atmosphere was touching and sweet, and I cry at touching things. lol (I cry when I read greeting cards too. lol)
Adam was pretty good during the ceremony itself, but right afterwards he was a handful. I wanted more than anything to run out of there and go home, but they had cake and punch and I couldn't deprive Brendan of that! So, it was a pain, and embarrassing to have Adam crying and throwing a fit, but oh well. As we were (finally) leaving, I could barely carry everything, and of course Adam wouldn't walk where I wanted him to, so I had to pick him up and carry a bunch of stuff, and Adam was squirming so much I ended up with him in a football hold before we made it out to the car. One of the other dads gave me a sympathetic look and held the door open for me at least. lol Brendan wanted Wendy's so, on the way home I went through the drive-thru for him.
Saturday our trip to the farm was canceled so that was one less thing I had to worry about. So, Brendan and I cleaned his room (which was badly needed) and I did laundry and such too. Then Saturday night I had a babysitter watch the boys while I went out with some co-workers to the comedy club. That was a nice break. I had a 2-beer warm-up before the show, and drank another whole pitcher to myself during the show. But that was nothing compared to one of my co-workers who was drinking who knows how many hard drinks and ultimately was so obnoxious that she got thrown out! LOL
Sunday I took the boys to my nephew's 6th birthday party at Chuck E. Cheese's That went pretty well. My dad and his wife and my mom and her boyfriend were all there too, so I had some help with the boys! Brendan played various video games. After going down one little slide, Adam then wanted to stay on the same Bob the Builder tractor and turn the steering wheel the entire time! I had to pry him off of it eventually, which he was not too happy about. He did have fun dancing with the big boys at the party when Chuck E. Cheese came out and sang/danced with the kids.
I have to admit I felt pretty good when we arrived at the party and my dad and his wife both commented on how good I looked. (they haven't seen me in a couple months) His wife said, "Wow, you look awesome" and Dad said "you look like you've been working out again." Um, no, but I have the best of intentions! LOL But hey, at least I looked thinner to other people! haha! It's happening slower than I'd like, but the last of the baby weight will not be a permanent part of me forever. I won't let it! I have the Slim in 6 program that I used to do every morning at 5 am before I had Adam, but Joe and I have decided to take the plunge and do the Power 90 program now (read as I've decided to and begged Joe until he finally gave in and said I guess so). I've done Slim in 6 in the past and I like it, but Joe thinks it is too feminine (whatever!), so we're gonna do Power 90 together (I could talk him into that easier). It's a 90-day bootcamp. Hopefully we can keep each other on track! If I can get up enough nerve I *might* post our before pics here on my blog, and see if there's a big difference once we reach 30 days, 60 days, and finally 90 days. Not sure if I'm that brave though, will have to think about it. lol I have a few days to think, since it hasn't arrived in the mail yet and we haven't taken the before pics yet. Hmmmm...
Thursday, May 18, 2006
Thursday Thirteen
Thirteen things on Courtney's agenda for the next couple weeks
1. Brendan’s Preschool Graduation
2. Play the role of a single-mom for 3-1/2 days while Joe goes to his brother’s bachelor party fishing weekend.
3. Take the boys to a farm where they have all sorts of animals and shows and such
4. Possibly go to the comedy club with co-workers if I can find a babysitter
5. Take the boys to my nephew’s birthday party at Chuck E. Cheese
6. Hair appointment
7. Go to the Bachelorette party for Joe’s brother’s fiancé
8. Go to my sister’s scrapbooking crop
9. Find something to wear to rehearsal dinner.
10. Drive 2 hours to attend rehearsal dinner for Joe’s brother’s wedding (on a work night), and then drive 2 hours back.
11. Buy a dress to wear to the wedding.
12. Go to the wedding and try to keep the boys quiet and well-behaved during the ceremony! Yikes! (Joe is the best man, so he won’t be able to help me)
13. Eat, drink and dance at the reception! Can’t wait for that part!
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Tuesday, May 16, 2006
Wordless Wednesday
Monday, May 15, 2006
A good weekend!
We had a lot of fun at Worlds of Fun on Saturday. We stopped on the way to see a friend of mine from high school. Then we headed to Worlds of Fun at 4:00 when the price goes down! We almost had to pay the "adult" price for Brendan, as they only get the "Junior" price if they are under 48".I knew it would be close because he is 46" without his shoes on! But luckily he was a tad under their measuring stick so he was okay for the "junior" price. I would have been very upset if we would have had to pay adult price for a 5 year old! The boys both rode almost all the rides in Camp Snoopy. I wasn't sure if Adam would be able to or not, but he was just fine and he loved going on the rides with Brendan. I took LOTS of pictures, and I just took them to the 1-hour-developing on my lunch break today so I should have them back soon.
I decided that I wanted to ride at least one roller coaster before we left, since we paid to get in too and I haven't been on one in about 13 or 15 years. So Joe watched the boys while I rode the Timber Wolf roller coaster. I should have gone on one of the others instead, but we were right by the Timber Wolf and the line wasn't very long. I had forgotten how jerky that one is! My head was banging around the whole time and my neck is still sore, feel like I got whiplash or something! lol It was really sad, as I was standing in line I realized I was the oldest person there. (and I'm only 30!) lol I was surrounded by junior high and high school aged kids...I felt really out of place. haha. And now I really feel old that I didn't even enjoy it because it was too jerky, I'm sore the next day, and note to self: next time wear a bra with better support! Oh my! lol
But we did have a good day, and we must have worn Adam out, because he took a 5-hour nap on Sunday! Sunday we were at home, we were all tired and Joe and I both didn't feel very good. The Scrapping Survivor game challenge was ending that evening, so I spent the first part of the day doing some scrapbook pages for that. (and as Melissa pointed out, I should mention that I made it to the final three!!!) Joe hadn't gotten anything for me for mother's day yet, and he was going to go to the store, but at that point it was kinda pointless since the day was half over and I suggested that he just be my "house boy" for the rest of the day instead. So, I had him do the things I normally do on the weekends...dishes, laundry, picking up in the living room, clearing off the kitchen table, cleaning the kitchen, and I had him help Brendan clean his room. lol Brendan's room is still a mess even after they both worked on it for a long time. But Joe did very good and didn't complain about having to do all my chores. And he even made me chicken and mashed potatoes for dinner, which we ate while watching the 3-hour season finale of Survivor!
So, it was a good weekend. I'll share pictures soon.
I decided that I wanted to ride at least one roller coaster before we left, since we paid to get in too and I haven't been on one in about 13 or 15 years. So Joe watched the boys while I rode the Timber Wolf roller coaster. I should have gone on one of the others instead, but we were right by the Timber Wolf and the line wasn't very long. I had forgotten how jerky that one is! My head was banging around the whole time and my neck is still sore, feel like I got whiplash or something! lol It was really sad, as I was standing in line I realized I was the oldest person there. (and I'm only 30!) lol I was surrounded by junior high and high school aged kids...I felt really out of place. haha. And now I really feel old that I didn't even enjoy it because it was too jerky, I'm sore the next day, and note to self: next time wear a bra with better support! Oh my! lol
But we did have a good day, and we must have worn Adam out, because he took a 5-hour nap on Sunday! Sunday we were at home, we were all tired and Joe and I both didn't feel very good. The Scrapping Survivor game challenge was ending that evening, so I spent the first part of the day doing some scrapbook pages for that. (and as Melissa pointed out, I should mention that I made it to the final three!!!) Joe hadn't gotten anything for me for mother's day yet, and he was going to go to the store, but at that point it was kinda pointless since the day was half over and I suggested that he just be my "house boy" for the rest of the day instead. So, I had him do the things I normally do on the weekends...dishes, laundry, picking up in the living room, clearing off the kitchen table, cleaning the kitchen, and I had him help Brendan clean his room. lol Brendan's room is still a mess even after they both worked on it for a long time. But Joe did very good and didn't complain about having to do all my chores. And he even made me chicken and mashed potatoes for dinner, which we ate while watching the 3-hour season finale of Survivor!
So, it was a good weekend. I'll share pictures soon.
Friday, May 12, 2006
TGIF!
Yea it's Friday! Brendan is so excited about our trip tomorrow he can hardly wait! (and so am I) Tomorrow our agenda looks a little something like this:
We'll also be stopping on the way in to say hi to a friend of mine from high school (we'll be going right by where she lives on our way). One little problem...Joe is home sick today! Ugh! He *has* to be better by tomorrow morning, he just has to be. We cannot cancel this trip, Brendan has been looking so forward to it and it's finally here. If Joe is too sick to go, I'm taking Brendan by myself. I really don't want to do that, but I will if that's the only way. But hopefully Joe will be fine, and all will go as originally planned.
Happy Mother's Day to all the moms out there! I hope everyone has a wonderful weekend!!!
Thursday, May 11, 2006
Thursday Thirteen
Being a mom is hard work. Physically, mentally and emotionally draining and challenging. But there are many good things as well. In honor of Mother’s Day on Sunday, I’m focusing on some of the blessings.
Thirteen Things I have truly enjoyed so far in my time of being a mom to my two little boys.
1. Seeing both of them for the first time during the ultrasounds, hearing their heartbeats, and feeling them move.
2. Of course all the milestones...first smiles, rolling over, sitting up, first steps, first words, etc.
3. Giggles and hugs, and hearing "I love you Mommy"
4. Seeing the sense of pride Brendan gets when he figures something new out on his own
5. Watching Adam do his little dance every time he hears music, it makes me smile and laugh every time.
6. Taking them on little trips to experience fun things...the cave, camping at the river, zoo, vacations, etc. Brendan still talks about all of them months (and years for a few of them) later, he will bring them up out of the blue and say, "Mommy, remember when we went..." "That was fun! Can we go again?" I love it that these fun family times have left an impression on him.
7. Being able to bring joy and happiness to them by doing simple things such as a hug, a smile, reading a book, playing a game, and just spending time with them.
8. Going to the movies. Yes it’s true, I love to go to the movie theater, even if it’s to see kids’ movies, so I’m delighted that Brendan loves it too. Sometimes I take a few hours off work and pick him up early to take him to see the latest kid movie.
9. Last year as part of his birthday gift, I took Brendan to see "Dragon Tales Live!". It was the cutest show with neat light effects, and Brendan and I had a great time together. I truly did enjoy it, and it was awesome to see Brendan have such a good time.
10. Watching them interact and play with each other. Brendan can sometimes get Adam laughing so hard that it makes me laugh and pretty soon none of us can stop laughing.
11. The look on Adam’s face when I go in to get him up in the morning or when I pick him up from the babysitter after work...his face lights up when he sees me and he rushes to me. And likewise when I pick Brendan up from preschool and he says "Mommy!!!" and runs up to me to give me a hug. It’s so nice to feel wanted and loved :)
12. Works of art created especially for me ;)
13. Seeing, enjoying, and participating in parts of life that I never would have known about if I didn’t have any kids.
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Noooo!!!
I can't believe Chris got sent home from American Idol. What a shame. He should have been the big winner, he did not deserve to go home last night :( Hopefully he will still pursue his career and if/when he puts out a cd, hubby and I will definitely buy it. We both really like him a lot.
*sigh*
*sigh*
Tuesday, May 09, 2006
American Idol tonight
Wow, the guys were all awesome tonight on American Idol singing the Elvis songs. Taylor did great...Elliot did great...Chris did great...Katharine, not so much. Poor girl, she had it tough being the only female trying to sing Elvis songs.
I really liked all 3 guys pretty equally tonight, but if I *had* to pick a favorite it would have to be Chris...he sang my all time favorite Elvis song, "Suspicious Minds". That song has always sent this strange haunted (but good) feeling over me ever since I was young. I love it. I love the sound of it. And Chris sang it. He also sang "A Little Less Conversation A Lot More Action" which is another song I like. Upbeat, catchy, and yes the theme song for the show Las Vegas.
So, Chris won me over tonight by singing "Suspicious Minds". Taylor would be my 2nd pick, followed very closely by Elliot. Katharine would be the one to go home this week if it were up to me.
Not that you care, but since the show just ended and it's fresh in my mind, I just thought I'd blurt out my opinion. LOL
I really liked all 3 guys pretty equally tonight, but if I *had* to pick a favorite it would have to be Chris...he sang my all time favorite Elvis song, "Suspicious Minds". That song has always sent this strange haunted (but good) feeling over me ever since I was young. I love it. I love the sound of it. And Chris sang it. He also sang "A Little Less Conversation A Lot More Action" which is another song I like. Upbeat, catchy, and yes the theme song for the show Las Vegas.
So, Chris won me over tonight by singing "Suspicious Minds". Taylor would be my 2nd pick, followed very closely by Elliot. Katharine would be the one to go home this week if it were up to me.
Not that you care, but since the show just ended and it's fresh in my mind, I just thought I'd blurt out my opinion. LOL
Monday, May 08, 2006
Weekend Recap
Wow here it is Monday again already, and I haven't posted since Thursday. I didn't even see half of the comments from Thursday until just now- Sorry!!! Thank you all so much for all the wonderful, nice and thoughtful comments you left about my mom and MS. The MS Walk went well. I raised $245.00 which was $45 over my goal. I got to see my sister and my mom, which was nice too. Mom volunteers at the event, but she can't do the actual walk anymore. A friend of hers from high school even came into town to do the walk! I know that must have made my mom feel really great. My cousin and aunt also did the walk, but they did it in a different town this year because the dates worked out better for them.
On Sunday I stayed home with the boys while Joe finished putting together a HUGE swingset for my sister and her family. They bought it, but didn't know how to put it together so they asked Joe to do it. It took 2 weekends to get it built. But now it's done, and you bet our kids are going to play on it too since Joe put it together! lol
We also had the Immunity Challenge Sunday morning for the Scrapping Survivor game, which is always a big rush trying to complete and get turned in. In addition to doing my own page, I had to load up the boys, drive out to where my sis was doing her monthly crop and take a picture of her page, drive back and upload it and turn it in for her. I *barely* made it back in time. It was due in at 2:00 our time, and I sent it in at 1:59! Melissa almost had to kick my sis off for not turning in a page, but we got it to her just in time! lol And, as a nice surprise, my page actually ended up winning immunity! Woohoo!
Now it's back to the office for another work week. Although today has flown by! I'm *really* looking forward to Saturday, so I'm okay with the work week flying by this week! lol On Saturday we will be taking the boys to an amusement park. I'm looking forward to having a fun family day together! I just hope it doesn't rain! It's not supposed to...it's supposed to be sunny and 70 degrees, which will be perfect!
On Sunday I stayed home with the boys while Joe finished putting together a HUGE swingset for my sister and her family. They bought it, but didn't know how to put it together so they asked Joe to do it. It took 2 weekends to get it built. But now it's done, and you bet our kids are going to play on it too since Joe put it together! lol
We also had the Immunity Challenge Sunday morning for the Scrapping Survivor game, which is always a big rush trying to complete and get turned in. In addition to doing my own page, I had to load up the boys, drive out to where my sis was doing her monthly crop and take a picture of her page, drive back and upload it and turn it in for her. I *barely* made it back in time. It was due in at 2:00 our time, and I sent it in at 1:59! Melissa almost had to kick my sis off for not turning in a page, but we got it to her just in time! lol And, as a nice surprise, my page actually ended up winning immunity! Woohoo!
Now it's back to the office for another work week. Although today has flown by! I'm *really* looking forward to Saturday, so I'm okay with the work week flying by this week! lol On Saturday we will be taking the boys to an amusement park. I'm looking forward to having a fun family day together! I just hope it doesn't rain! It's not supposed to...it's supposed to be sunny and 70 degrees, which will be perfect!
Thursday, May 04, 2006
Thursday Thirteen
This weekend I will be participating in the MS Walk. My mother was diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis several years ago. For most of those years she has had a mild case and not too many symptoms. Unfortunately her symptoms have worsened more rapidly over the last two years. Every year I (along with my sister, cousin, and aunt) walk in the MS Walk to help raise money for a cure. 
So this week I'm gonna stray from the things about myself, and do 13 things about Multiple Sclerosis and my mom.
1. Multiple Sclerosis is a chronic, unpredictable neurological disease that affects the central nervous system. MS is not contagious and is not directly inherited.
There is no cure for MS yet, but drugs can help slow the course and/or symptoms in some patients.
2. While the exact cause of MS is unknown, most researchers believe that the damage to myelin results from an abnormal response by the body’s immune system. It is believed that MS is an autoimmune disease. In the case of MS, myelin is attacked.
3. Scientists do not yet know what triggers the immune system to do this. Most agree that several factors are involved, including: Genetics, Gender and Environmental Triggers [viruses, trauma, and heavy metals (toxicology)]
4. Common Symptoms:
Bladder Dysfunction
Bowel Dysfunction
Cognitive Function
Dizziness and Vertigo
Depression and other Emotional Changes
Fatigue (also called MS lassitude)
Difficulty in Walking and/or Balance or Coordination Problems
Abnormal sensations such as Numbness or ""pins and needles""
Pain
Sexual Dysfunction
Spasticity
Vision Problems
5. Approximately 400,000 Americans acknowledge having MS, and every week about 200 people are diagnosed. Worldwide, MS may affect 2.5 million individuals. A few famous people who have MS include Annette Funicello, Richard Pryor, Clay Walker, and Montel Williams (just to name a few of the very many!)
6. My mom found out she had MS when she went to the doctor for a minor eye irritation that wouldn't go away. She thought it was something minor wrong with her eye, only to find out after numerous tests that she had Multiple Sclerosis! Needless to say, this was an unexpected finding!
7. For many years she was very lucky to only have very minor symptoms.
8. The last couple years the symptoms have become noticeably worse.
9. A couple months ago she had knee replacement surgery. This has caused an exacerbation of her MS.
10. She has fallen a few times recently, and other symptoms have gotten worse. It got so bad 2 weeks ago that she couldn't take more than 2 steps at a time.
11. She had to go in all last week for IV Steroids in an attempt to slow or stop the exacerbation. She felt much better and could walk all over the place again after this. We hope that continues, but who knows what will happen now that she is off the IV steroids.
12. It is very hard to watch your mother (who is still young- in her 50's) deteriorate before your eyes. I try not to think about what *could* happen, and just focus on being thankful that it isn't any worse than it is. It's so hard to know what to do, I feel helpless as to how to help her. That is why I do the MS Walk each year. It is the only way I can help. Every dollar raised is another step towards a cure. (I also wear the MS Band of Hope every day to show my support)
13. For more information and facts, and ways you can help end the devastating effects of MS, visit the National Multiple Sclerosis Society . (Or if you'd like to sponsor me for the MS Walk, email me for the direct link to my personal page)
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Wednesday, May 03, 2006
Tuesday, May 02, 2006
Kindergarten screening went well!
Brendan had his Kindergarten screening this morning. It took much longer than I expected! If I had known I would be sitting in the hallway for 2 hours I would have brought something to do! lol But, he did GREAT! When they were done, the teacher (who was actually the 1st grade teacher that did his screening) came out to talk to me about the results. She was beaming and said Brendan did just awesome! She said she was so impressed with all the things he already knew and things he could do. He knew everything on the list that they tested (it was a four page front and back list) except for 2 things...he couldn't tell her what word rhymed with another word, and he didn't know his birthdate. lol But that was it. We can easily work with him on those 2 things. She just kept saying he did awesome when she went over each section's results. She was very impressed with his fine motor skills too, especially since he's a boy (she said girls are usually better at that sort of thing).
So, the screening went MUCH better than the other night at Kindergarten night. lol
So, the screening went MUCH better than the other night at Kindergarten night. lol
Monday, May 01, 2006
Tagged! I...
Okay, I was tagged by Melissa to do this one, and I'm finally getting around to it...
I AM: a wife, mom, daughter, sister, aunt, etc.
I WANT: to get busy on the addition to our house
I WISH: my husband didn’t worry about money so much
I HATE: crowds and big cities
I MISS: hanging out with our friends more often
I FEAR: wasps
I HEAR: the radio playing in my office
I WONDER: what my boys will be like when they’re adults
I REGRET: being out of town when my step-grandfather died
I AM NOT: very talkative
I DANCE: at wedding receptions
I SING: with my son in the car
I CRY: when I hear/watch/read anything touching
I AM NOT ALWAYS: in the moment like I should be
I MAKE WITH MY HANDS: scrapbooks
I WRITE: less than I used to
I CONFUSE: my self-worth with the way I look
I NEED: time alone
I SHOULD: be working instead of doing this
I START: many things with the best of intentions
I FINISH: about half of the things I start
I TAG: whoever wants to be tagged
If you do this one, let me know!
I AM: a wife, mom, daughter, sister, aunt, etc.
I WANT: to get busy on the addition to our house
I WISH: my husband didn’t worry about money so much
I HATE: crowds and big cities
I MISS: hanging out with our friends more often
I FEAR: wasps
I HEAR: the radio playing in my office
I WONDER: what my boys will be like when they’re adults
I REGRET: being out of town when my step-grandfather died
I AM NOT: very talkative
I DANCE: at wedding receptions
I SING: with my son in the car
I CRY: when I hear/watch/read anything touching
I AM NOT ALWAYS: in the moment like I should be
I MAKE WITH MY HANDS: scrapbooks
I WRITE: less than I used to
I CONFUSE: my self-worth with the way I look
I NEED: time alone
I SHOULD: be working instead of doing this
I START: many things with the best of intentions
I FINISH: about half of the things I start
I TAG: whoever wants to be tagged
If you do this one, let me know!
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