Hurricane Morgan- Life in the storm

Soda Thoughts

2011-01-02T08:20:00.001-05:00

I'm giving up soda for the New Year. It's sort of like New Year's and Lent rolled into one shot. I like these dorky self-improvement holidays. I like the feeling of trying to conquer my perceived weaknesses. Although, I must admit, soda is not a true love of mine...not like chocolate (which I also gave up for a year). No, this is not a love, just an occasional fling that has empty, unnecessary calories. I really do want better health and fitness this year so this is a natural resolution.

So here's the confusion... where do I stop? If I'm giving up soda because I don't want the empty beverage calories, then shouldn't I also give up all juice drinks? I won't give up 100% juice because I find it helpful to grab some in the morning when I'm on the run and can't sit and eat a meal. So it's now soda and drinks that are not 100% juice. But here's the real dilemma... what about hot drinks (i.e. hot chocolate) which are, in my opinion, a necessity in the wintertime? What about them? Do I give those up too?

I think I'll keep the hot chocolate and give that up for the real lent or something like that. Nothing that's too long term. Although I don't drink soda all the time, I don't want to lose my sanity and fail miserably...I have to keep my choco. It is, after all, my true love. =)

Here's hoping it leads to better health and fitness. Happy New Year's Everyone! Drink a soda for me!

Where did the year go?

2010-12-28T19:44:00.006-05:00

It's hard to believe we are nearing the end of 2010. I can't believe how quickly this year passed. I've definitely let my blog lapse. It seemed a bit inconsequential but I miss it. My kids miss it too. Although they never let on in the past, they enjoyed looking at my blog and seeing the "old" pictures.

When my brother-in-law passed away last month, my kids spent the better part of an afternoon looking at the blog and remembering some of the fun day-to-day events that occured in our life. I think it was therapeutic for them. Memories I would have definitely forgotten were great reminders of our life together. I really don't want to take that for granted... so I will write.

Writing in my blog more often is my New Year's resolution (along with giving up soda for a year and losing a bajillion pounds). I'm not sure this blog will ever be interesting or provocative, but I'm ok with that. My reality is that my life is neither... but it's good.

As an update, we are in the middle of our birthday marathon. Allie turned five yesterday. We did a standard Chuck E. Cheese's party (or as my friend would say "Upchuck E. Cheeses" as it seems someone always winds up sick from going there). Thankfully no one got sick... just a little exhausted and had a near meltdown in the car. Thankfully Allie pulled it together before I had to take a picture to document the moment. Sammy's birthday is next Friday and we are still unsure as to how we will celebrate, I'll try to figure that out tonight. I haven't even started to think about Tommy's (on Jan 12), and poor Bobby (22nd) will again be left with the afterthoughts of a birthday celebration. That's how we roll here... by the seat of our birthday pants.

More musings, updates, and picts later....

R.I.P. Bob

2010-03-29T10:12:00.004-04:00

It's been incredibly busy for us and my blog has been neglected but I felt I needed to take some time and acknowledge a member of our family who was never really invited. Pete acquired "Bob Big Butt" (later known just as "Bob") crayfish during his first science unit in the 4th grade. The teacher had promised us that the crayfish would only live for "two weeks- max"! Three and a half years later, I watched him take his final crawl. I think it's for real this time, I don't think he's molting, he's growing mossy and the snails seem to be closing in for a meal.

We knew he was slowing down. He was not attacking the snails the way he used to. We calculated him to be about 227 years old in crayfish years so it was no surprise when he went belly up this morning. Bob provided much excitement in his tank antics over the years and I want to thank him for providing some excitement in a washed up housewife's life. Hope you enjoy the big fish tank in the sky Bob.

Too Long

2010-01-29T18:19:00.003-05:00

I suppose it's been a while since my last post. I was in the throngs of Christmas, the birthday marathon, even a long weekend away with Bobby. I've been busy.

I probably should post picts from the past month, and I will... probably in one long post, but right now I wanted to post a really funny site I came across called totallylookslike.com. This site is really funny and the humor is clean. Here are some of my favorites....

Testing the tech...

2009-12-24T18:32:00.003-05:00

I'm posting this from my phone. Cool stuff. Here's hoping it works.
We went to the art museum last week. Matty and I had fun and I have wanted to post this photo from my phone.

Big day tomorrow. Allie is sick and laying on the couch, Sammy has
been intermittently going upstairs to try to fall asleep early so
Christmas will come sooner... so cute. The other kids are biding
their time by watching Spongebob and wearing their Christmas pajamas already.

Busy week and I'm not quite done (late with my cards). Oh well, not
much to do about that now.... Merry Christmas everyone!!!

Snow Day!!!

2009-12-10T08:28:00.003-05:00

Play in snow.... check. Now I just need to keep them occupied for the next 12 hours. =)

I Did It!!!!

2009-11-30T09:27:00.004-05:00

It wasn't pretty, but I did it. I'm not sure what it proved other than I can post drivel every day for thirty days. I did it though, and cleaned out all the pictures lingering on my desktop too. I can now return to my lower stress, occasional posting lifestyle. I know I said it last year, but I really don't think I can, in good conscience, subject anyone to my daily posts next year. Time will tell though.

Happy Birthday Matty!

2009-11-29T17:21:00.003-05:00

I can't believe he's 10... that's all that keeps running through my mind. My little snuggle bug is 10... and not so snuggly now. =( He is lovely though, and I'm so glad he was entrusted to me. I've really loved having him home this year and getting to know him better. He's such a cool kid, really bright, and so very kind to his siblings.

It was a really nice celebration this year. We went to the area waterpark, ate Matt's favorite meal (shrimp alfredo with broccoli), and had his new favorite dessert (fruit tart). It was a blast. Happy birthday Matty- man!

We also had a celebration bonus of Tommy losing his first tooth. Yay Tommy!

One post left... Yay me!!!

Thanksgiving Was So Two Days Ago...

2009-11-28T08:20:00.001-05:00

I mentioned yesterday that I purchased some Black Friday deals, one of which was a Christmas tree. Our old tree did not survive the two recent moves and had to be retired to Christmas tree heaven. The new tree seemed to be just right, and it came with some garland, a wreath, and two little topiary plants. It was Christmas in a box, what's not to like?

No sooner had I brought the box in, the kids descended upon it and started digging into the box. Soon after, the Christmas ornaments were brought down from the attic, and before I knew what was happening, we were decorating for Christmas. I figured the box might sit in the corner for a week or so before we decorated, at least a few days... but with the a hockey game in the background, we trimmed the tree and decorated. Here are a few picts....

Ever since they brought out the decorations, the kids refuse to take off their Santa hats. We even went over to Bob's sister's house last night to eat some more Thanksgiving leftovers and the kids were all decked out in their Christmas outfits. It seems a wee bit disrespectful to Thanksgiving, but hey, not much I can do about that now... that ship has sailed.

We're actually away today to a local water park to celebrate Matt's birthday. Full report tomorrow...

11th Hour Post

2009-11-27T22:46:00.006-05:00

Four more posts and I'm done for the month. I have things to blog about, but in a normal world (or if I was a normal person), I would not be doing this at 11pm at night. It was a busy day, in my defense. I shopped a few Black Friday specials, we partially decorated for Christmas, I even applied for a passport today. Yes, lots going on. It almost made me forget Thanksgiving was yesterday, but then what would I blog about?

Thanksgiving was nice; calm, relatively relaxing, great food. Can't really ask for more. I cooked up four pounds of corn and about three and a half were eaten (because of my mad kitchen skills- oh yea...) I snapped a few pictures of the buffet line. Notice all my pictures are of people scooping up the corn (that actually was not my intent, but it is true)...

After dinner there was singing...

Allie entertained us with her dancing....

And of course dessert (these are the remnants, I was too busy eating to take a picture)...

One post down, three posts left to go. I'm definitely not doing this next year!

Happy Thanksgiving!

2009-11-26T08:11:00.003-05:00

Happy Thanksgiving everyone! I'm sure some of you have been up for hours already making the rolls and starting on your turkey. I am currently laboring over the frozen kernels of corn entrusted to me. It will a demanding morning but well worth the effort.

In all seriousness, I have a lot to be thankful for. My family: here in town, and spread around the country. My friends: here in town, and spread around the country. I'm grateful for my health and for the health of the ones I love. I'm thankful for a warm home, and good food to eat. I'm thankful for having the best husband that a woman could ask for. I have much to be thankful for.

At this particular moment, I'm also thankful for my cousin, who posted this photo I love. While I am thankful for much on Thanksgiving, I'm not really thankful for pumpkin pie. I've never been able to get past the appearance. This photo perfectly summarizes my opinion of pumpkin pie. May all who partake pumpkin pie today be haunted with this image....

Seriously though, hope everyone has a wonderful day! Full Thanksgiving report tomorrow...

Blog Post Derailed

2009-11-25T13:35:00.006-05:00

I'm out of blogging material. I make no bones about that. If it wasn't so late in the month I would throw in the towel, but I figure with Thanksgiving and Matt's birthday, I can hold out. Until then though, it's slim pickings.

Today I decided that I could blog about Matt's piano lessons. As a homeschooling mom, it's a perk that I can force Matt to take piano as part of his music curriculum. I also have him take a shower as part of his curriculum... no joke. It's on the daily checklist and everything.

I was all set to write about his piano progress. I even took pictures of his lesson today. Matt, however, demanded that I not blog about it. He does not want to be on my blog, especially if it's about piano. I believe his words were "If you are so excited about piano, why don't you take piano lessons yourself and then blog about that?". Apparently, he's not such a fan of piano and does not want the photos on the web. At least I have a picture of him playing the piano, it might be the only one I get... ever. He also was upset that I posted the pictures of him doing math a few days ago.

He obviously values his privacy, which I can respect but now I'm in a pickle as to what to post. This was my "hail Mary" pass until the bonanza of blogging material that would be available tomorrow. So I'm posting a cheap blog post today. It's from failblog. Living near the border, this one made me giggle...

Let the record show, though, I tried to be original...

Possible Christmas Photo???

2009-11-24T08:07:00.002-05:00

After last year's horrible Christmas photo, I think I'm off professional photos. My kids never hold still and it just turns into a miserable day trying to get my kids cleaned and into clothes they don't want to wear. As an experiment, I snapped three pictures of my kids smashed together on our couch. To my amazement, this one didn't turn out half bad (with the exception of the dog which I don't really care about)...

What do you think? Christmas card worthy?

All in a Morning's Work

2009-11-23T14:35:00.003-05:00

I'm running a little behind with my blogging today. Last Friday and this Monday the kids had a half school day. It makes it tough to get anything done. Also, I am out of topics and ideas... it's kind of depressing. I can't even blog about anything interesting for 23 days in a row. When I am reduced to listing the item(s) I am bringing to Thanksgiving dinner, it's bad.

The boys just settled in to play Mario Brothers. They pooled their money together on Saturday to buy the video and are still in the honeymoon (zoned out) period...

That makes the most entertaining creatures in the house Kiko and Allie. Allie always stays very busy and still claims she is going to be an artist when she grows up (or a dancer). Here is her handiwork for the morning....

Corn P.S.

2009-11-22T08:34:00.000-05:00

Before any feelings are hurt, I'm not really being serious (besides the moochers guilt and wondering a little about my cooking). I'm actually thrilled at the prospect of only bringing corn. Just in a weird mood today... what's new...

Corn

2009-11-22T08:11:00.004-05:00

That's it... it's all I am bringing to Thanksgiving dinner. There was a change in venue and I don't have to host so even the cleaning in preparation for guests goes out the window (although it shouldn't- this place needs a good scrub down). But no.. just corn. I show up, put a bowl of corn on the table and get to partake in a turkey dinner complete with the trimmings. Originally, I was told I didn't have to bring anything. I had to fight to get corn... I saw a vacancy in the menu and jumped on it.

I think I have moochers guilt. Instead of just enjoying the idea of minimal contribution, I feel bad about it. My mind then starts to wander and I wonder if my cooking is so bad that they can't trust me with anything but the corn. This is going to drive me crazy.

Just to be difficult, I am planning on also bringing some shrimp cocktail and roasted red pepper hummus and crackers... tell me I don't have to bring anything.... I'll bring stuff.... lots of stuff.... I'll clean out my whole fridge and bring it over....

Random Photo #4

2009-11-21T09:37:00.001-05:00

I snapped this one of Tommy a few days ago at bath time. It still makes me smile....

It's the Best We Can Do

2009-11-20T09:05:00.001-05:00

My friend Kim does amazing things with her little girl's hair. I always admire her blog posts showing her kid's hair. It's really spectacular. Here are some photos of their hair. I know she has her tricks to keep her kids still, but it's still quite a feat (I hope you don't mind me borrowing your picts for my blog, Kehm!)...
I have never been able to do anything with Allie's hair because it was too short and thin. Now as it is longer and thickening a bit, Allie wants me to pull it back into a ponytail. It's tough to do though as she will not sit still and she does not have enough hair to do it really, but we try. I've offered barrettes or to pull it back into two mini ponytails but she only wants a single ponytail. This is what we get (you can't really see it because she kept turning to look at the camera, but trust me, it's messy)....

Not quite as impressive, but still "pretty"...

My Mornings...

2009-11-19T08:58:00.002-05:00

My mornings are definitely the busiest time of day. Later in the day it's louder and sometimes more chaotic, but in the morning we have a definite time line we must follow in order to get everyone out the door. Once the kids are out the door, my day does not quiet down either. Matt starts his schooling, I have to return calls and e-mails related to work, Allie needs attention, I need to pry Allie's "polly pocket" toys out of Kiko's mouth. By the time Tommy gets off the bus around noon, I'm ready for a nap. Needless to say, we are eating a lot of spaghetti or pancakes for dinner... on paper plates.

Next year, if Matt goes back to school like he plans and Allie is in Montessori preschool, I'm not sure I'll know what to do with myself...sometimes it's nice to daydream about though... =)

I snapped some pictures this morning because #1- I'm running out of things to write about, and #2 Allie was cracking me up because she was upset that she did not have any homework assigned to her. So I assigned her homework. She then informed me she would be unable to complete her homework and started on her own project... *sigh*. Heaven help her teachers. Here she is working on her "project"...

Here's Matt working away on his math...

Here's the dog looking guilty because she is destroying the blanket in her crate. Can I send her off to school next year too?...

Does This Make Her Look Fat?

2009-11-18T08:39:00.002-05:00

Tommy can be the sweetest kid sometimes. Lately, his greatest joy has been earning money and then spending it at the dollar store. Unfortunately, he currently has no interest in saving, he likes the useless trinkets too much. We have had to limit our dollar store trips to once a week on Saturday as it was getting out of control. During the week he now plans how he would like to spend his dollar (or two). Last week, Tom decided he wanted to buy Kiko a shirt. He picked out the prettiest shirt he could find. Then, when he got home, forced the dog to wear it. Poor dog!!!

Grammy

2009-11-17T09:10:00.007-05:00

My grandma is fine. I hope the title did not make it look like a memorial of sorts. Her health is declining though and I find myself thinking about her a bit and wondering how she is doing. I am hoping to head out this winter and visit her sometime (it doesn't hurt that she is in Arizona where the weather is warm!). I was fortunate to be able to make it out to visit her in July (July = furnace) for her 90th birthday and have had the pictures sitting on my desktop. I figured now is as good a time as any as I'm running out of things to post... my life is not so interesting...

I met up with my sister and flew out with her and Sarah. It was a tiring flight but poor Beth was the one that really was wiped out keeping Sarah happy...

Some of Beth's friends from our hometown swung by to visit too. It was fun to catch up...

And we ate..."Workman style"....

Matt came out and brought his 2 3/4 kids (and lovely wife, Julie)...

And of course we got to see Grandma and some of our cousins and their kids...

Nice visit.

It's Time for Walmart

2009-11-16T14:16:00.006-05:00

To be completely honest, it has not been a good day. I have some tree guys here removing trees and there has been some low level extortion (i.e. "We'll remove the stumps for another $100"). I'm really annoyed and would have nothing good to say so I am reverting to my favorite Walmart site. I need a laugh anyway. Hope you do too...

Birthday Marathon Plans (and We've Hit the Halfway Mark!!!)

2009-11-15T08:05:00.001-05:00

Ok! I've made it halfway without as much angst as last time, but I have to admit... my random photos are running dangerously low. I haven't had to resort to failblog or peopleofwalmart.com yet though so I suppose I'm doing ok. Hope I can keep this up for another 15 days...

The countdown is beginning for Matt's birthday. I've never known anyone who looks forward to his birthday as much as Matt. It's really sweet, but quite stressful... I don't want to disappoint. This year, Matt wants to do something new: he wants to go to the local indoor water park and stay in the adjoining hotel overnight. It's honestly a little over our standard birthday budget, but it seems like nice family time so I'm going for it. He also has a special request for the birthday cake...

It's a Wegman's fruit tart. Matt's only concern is he has never tried the fruit tart so although he likes fruit, he has requested we buy one before his birthday so we can sample it prior to the big day. It's like planning for a wedding! I sure hopes he likes it... I can't imagine trying to find/ bake another cake to his liking!

Doggie Dishwasher

2009-11-14T08:01:00.000-05:00

If we ever invite you over for dinner, you might want to think twice about it...

In truth, these dishes are dirty... still gross though.

Elapsed Time- 2 Hours

2009-11-13T08:46:00.000-05:00

Before...

After....

A client of mine was so sweet and sent over a basket of decorative fruit. My kids then descended upon it like a school of piranhas (I didn't even get a chance to photograph it!). The only reason it took two hours to be consumed is because some of the kids were not home from school yet. Had it been after school hours, it would have been gone in minutes. My kids sure like fruit! When Bobby came home this is what greeted him. In this house, if you snooze, you lose!

PS

2009-11-12T08:57:00.000-05:00

I had these photos floating around our desktop from a summer weekend we spent at the cottage. This time though, we were with Bobby's sister Jeanne and her kids (and dog). She has a jet ski that she brings down with her so the kids have a lot of fun (she wins the title of "fun aunt" for that one). So as long as I'm mourning the loss of my summer, I thought I'd add these photos to the mix....

I Want My Summer Back!!!

2009-11-11T08:49:00.001-05:00

I'm missing summer. I miss the warmth, having my windows open, the sunshine. I miss not having to wake up early to get kids to school, I miss the freedom of no homework, I miss seeing my kids (well, I have to admit, sometimes it's nice to have a quieter house...).

I'm dreading the fact that we have full blown winter ahead of us. *sigh* I think I need to start up with snowboarding again, that should help ease the pain of snow.

Anywho, I've been sorting through our family cottage pictures, we went there for a week this summer. It was so nice to be able to get away and be free of jobs and responsibilities. Nice memories, as I sit huddled under my blanket...

This adventure begins as any of my trips posts do; with the exciting departure. Allie seems particularly excited....

A little more enthusiasm from Tom....

And let's not forget the back row....

They always want to go fishing first when they first arrive at the cottage (although these picts are from after a swim).....

Followed by swimming....

They also like to just hang around the water's edge (not as scary now that they're older but still...)...

The dog was afraid of the water....

But was willing to make an exception to inspect the passing ducks that the kids were feeding...

We didn't spend our whole time on the water though. Mid-week we went to the Corning Museum of Glass (I later learned we were not supposed to take photographs of the exhibits... oops!)...

They had a great glass blowing show as well... really interesting... (don't they look excited?)...

We also went mini-golfing...

At the end of the week Bobby's parents, aunt, and a cousin and her child came to visit....

The dog was happy to see Grandpa...

Here's Allie hanging out with her second cousin. Don't they look alike?...

Nice week... I feel a little warmer already... =)

Random Photo #3

2009-11-10T08:10:00.000-05:00

Nothing warms a mother's heart like watching her children zone out while playing video games. Actually, all sarcasm aside, I love this photo. They are playing nicely together, no one is bleeding, Matt is doing his "cool guy" moves, the dog is cowering under an end table (she's afraid of the camera), and it reminds me of summer... what's not to love?

Destructo Dog

2009-11-09T08:25:00.000-05:00

I spend a good amount of time every day prying items out of my dog's mouth. Even within the few words I have typed, I have had to stand up and take a doll away from Kiko (the doll, by the way, is now missing a hand). She's always been a bit "chewy" but it's been worse the last few weeks. I only have to walk a few steps to find evidence of her handiwork.

Don't get me wrong, I love my dog (finally), but if I had to do it over again I would either get an older dog, a less "chewy" breed (although that can be hard to predict, I think it can be a personality thing), or no dog at all. I snapped a few photos to illustrate my point. Every stuffed animal we own looks like this....

Every doll Allie owns looks like this (and this is not the one I just pried away from Kiko)...

Kiko has now destroyed seven pairs of shoes (this one is mild but she did damage the elastic that holds the shoe closed rendering it useless... she loves elastic and velcro)...

She loves to chew on her crate. She has now chewed the opening of her door so much it is difficult to close it.... but we figure out a way....

*sigh*

Schizophrenic Weather

2009-11-08T12:54:00.000-05:00

I'm not complaining, I'm really not. It was almost 70 degrees yesterday and about the same today. I love warm autumn weather; there's not much better than that. What makes it hard to deal with is that any minute, I know it can change and start snowing. It was hailing/ snowing just four days ago and I'm sure it will be 30 degrees in a matter of days again.

It really messes with my internal thermostat and on the cold days all I want to do is climb under my blanket and hibernate. I suppose there is not much I can do about that except enjoy the nice days. I have to say though, when the kids are grown, I am going to lobby to move our home base somewhere warm... like Belize. Bobby and Pete were tossing around the football yesterday, I had to snap a few picts....

Mini Puzzle Master

2009-11-07T11:55:00.000-05:00

After Allie's bath last night, we snuggled in my bed to warm up. While there she noticed my sudoku book and wanted to write numbers. I told her which number went in the specific square, and she wrote it in. It was so cute. She loves writing numbers...

Then she wanted me to take a picture of her "sleeping"...

So fun, it makes two days ago an almost distant memory...

Random Photo(s) #2

2009-11-06T16:58:00.001-05:00

This has been floating around on my desktop for months. Pete is such a goofball. He found Allie's tiara (a souvenir from me when I visited my Grandmother in July in Arizona) and decided it suited him. Amazingly, he allowed me to photograph him wearing this. The blackmail pictures just keep piling up...

ps- Allie saw this post and is outraged that Pete is wearing her tiara. She keeps telling me to "get these out of here! ok!?".

I'd Like to Thank All the Little People Who Made This Possible...

2009-11-05T16:23:00.005-05:00

This is my finest hour. 3/5 of my kids have been crying today because I am a M.O.M. (mean old mom- as my dad would say... nice, huh?). Matt was despondent because I would not let him get Star Wars III at the library today (it's pg-13). He also stated that if I would not let him watch it, he would not do his school work. I love it when my children try to manipulate me.

We then went to Sam and Tom's school book fair where they seem to sell more toys and chotchkies than books. When Tom wanted toys instead of books, I was mean enough to say "no". He had an uber-melt down which involved me walking out of the building with him kicking and screaming. He even took off his boots and threw them at me when we were in the car (could it be the Arab in him?).

I then came home and had Allie screaming at me because I would not allow her to make mini cupcakes for dinner. Doesn't she know that I have a healthful hot dog dinner to serve instead?

There's nothing like children to reduce your self confidence to zero. I packed my kids fun lunches in their lunch bags for our errands today, we went to the library and made a special trip to see Sam at school (we actually wound up meeting him outside because of Tom's lovely display). I'm making them hot dogs for dinner for heaven's sake... the all beef kind.... because they llooooove them. This was supposed to be a good day!!!!

Argh. So today I win the "Mother of the Year" award. I must be the best mom ever.

I have to say the only thing that made me feel better is when I went online for the "mother of the year" clip art, it showed Sharon Osbourne winning a "celebrity mother of the year" award for paying for her childrens' rehab out of her own pocket. I suppose I haven't hit rock bottom yet.

Random Photo #1

2009-11-04T07:47:00.006-05:00

Prepare for the random photos. It's filler really... just some odd, random photos that have been floating on my desktop that I've been meaning to upload.

Our whole family got really sick about a month ago. I think it was the swine flu although they did not test for it. Pete had walking pneumonia though and the doctor thought it was caused by the swine flu. It was such a pathetic sight that I had to take a picture, I like to document the good, the bad, the ugly... but mostly the ugly. Here's the "sicky room".....

The kids were sad, but the dog was happy. She's never had so much snuggle time in her life. Allie got sick about a day later. =(

Really, She's Three?

2009-11-03T08:01:00.000-05:00

Allie always asks me to write out words for her. She is constantly making cards for her friends, drawings for her dad, and letters to her Lola. One day she asked me to write out the words "NO" and "YES". I then noticed she had drawn corresponding happy and sad people. She then informed me that she was going to hang her paper on her door to inform people whether or not they could enter her room.

She's three. Pete, my twelve year-old does not even do that. She must have seen it on tv or something... that or it's the "girl" coming through...

My Little Halloweenies...

2009-11-02T08:58:00.003-05:00

We made it. We survived Halloween. The kids had all day to stew and get excited about going out on Saturday. I think it's tougher when Halloween is not on a school night. For one, they have parties and parades at school, and then we have to go through the excitement again the next day. They were practically bouncing off the walls when it came time to go out. Allie was so excited about Halloween that she wore her costume for two whole days prior to Halloween (she was a dragon)...

Our costumes this year were quite an eclectic mix. Pete was a newspaper monster, Matt was a sith lord called "Darth Blind Beard", Sam was Spiderman with a Darth Vader cape and belt. Tommy is a clown with a Darth Vader mask and a wizard's hat. Here's the gang (plus two friends) this year...

For the first time, the kids split up for a bit. We all trick-or-treated together over to Pete's friend's house where he and his other friend went out with the big kids. Then we picked up one of Matt's friends along the way, swung back to our house, dropped off the little guys and then went out a bit more with Matt and his two friends. It seemed to work ok and it was nice to have the gang together for a bit before they went their own way.

The weather was cold and it rained for a bit, but did improve as the evening went on. I was surprised that our pumpkins weren't smashed (we always leave them out... I don't care if they get smashed after Halloween, just not before). I did notice however that our cranky neighbor's mailbox was destroyed (I swear it wasn't me!). Quite uneventful all in all.

Now our biggest challenge is getting rid of the candy without our kids getting too sick. They are right now at the table trading them like commodities. It's fun to listen in. Surprisingly, the candy that no one likes are snickers, milky ways, and three musketeers. Peanut butter cups, and m&ms are middle tiered, and nerds, kit kats, nestle's crunch, sour patch, mike and ikes, and skittles are popular. REALLY!?!?!? Mike and Ike's are better than snickers!?!?!? There is something wrong with my kids.

To NaBloPoMo or Not to NaBloPoMo... That is the Question.

2009-11-01T07:21:00.003-05:00

I can't believe I'm even contemplating doing this again, but I suppose I like to drive myself crazy... so it's on. This means more weather reports, random photos, and failblog favorite picks. It's amazing how uninteresting my life is unless you find humor in anecdotes that describe my kids quirks... for example Tommy today was frustrated that the imaginary food he cooked did not taste as good as he had hoped... but I digress. I should probably save that for a separate post, thin them out a bit.

I might again be posting on day seven how there is no way I can ever complete this, I suppose there is only one way to tell....

Zootastic

2009-10-30T08:05:00.000-04:00

I'm homeschooling Matt this year and every Friday we go on a field trip. Last Friday we went to the zoo. It was a cold, rainy morning and I was unsure if the zoo was a good choice, but Matt really wanted to go so we bundled up and went.

It was the best time we have ever had at this zoo. There was almost no one there which allowed Matt and Allie to roam freely. Also, a lot of animals were really "up close and personal" (it was close to their feeding time I think). We also lucked out that the weather stayed stable while we were there. It started raining just as we left. Good day....

Too Fast

2009-10-28T08:59:00.000-04:00

Allie started pre-school on Monday and she couldn't be more excited. Here she is...

*sniff*

I'm on a Roll

2009-10-14T08:02:00.001-04:00

Bobby hates failblog. He sees no redeeming value to the blog, which is unusual because he's really a humorous guy. It's just not his type of humor I guess.

This past weekend my friend turned me on to a new site for grins and giggles. My friend sent me this link on Saturday night and I was laughing so hard Pete came downstairs to see what was going on. The site is peopleofwalmart.com and shows pictures of people shopping at Walmart. It's hilarious and I'm glad I'm not the only person who feels like I have stepped into another dimension when I walk into the store.

Here are some photos. My current favorite is the first photo and yes, it is her hair....

Thanks for the good laugh Jenn!!!

I'm an Aunt (again) !!!

2009-10-12T08:11:00.000-04:00

I'm so excited for my brother and his wife. They had a baby girl on Friday and she couldn't be more exquisite. Congrats Matt and Julie! Baby Eliza is beautiful and she was born on an exceptionally great day. =)

Here are some photos I took off of Facebook so they are a little small, but adorable....

Cute, huh?

Happy Birthday to Me.

2009-10-09T08:51:00.001-04:00

It's my birthday today. As a lover of the absurd, I'm posting this failblog snippet... I know no one else likes that blog, but it's my birthday... I can do what I want. =P

What!!! Another Rabbit Killing!?!?

2009-10-07T09:31:00.000-04:00

Oh wait. It's just Allie waking up with a bloody nose. I thought she and Kiko had been hanging out too much...

The Death of Flopsy Rabbit (Peter Rabbit's Sibling)

2009-10-05T09:09:00.001-04:00

**Warning!** Gross pictures to follow (well, just one really). It might make you hate my dog more than you do now.

My life is not normal. It just isn't. It's noisy, sometimes chaotic, and always full of activity. One Saturday, about a month ago, I was upstairs folding clothes when I heard some squeaking noises outside, like one of Kiko's toys. I also heard my kids outside running around shouting.... typical Saturday.

Sam then came running upstairs and told me that Kiko was eating a baby mouse. At first I thought he was just joking. I then came downstairs and saw my kids crowded around an area near the foundation of our house (I grabbed my camera when I saw the little guy)....

Lola had uncovered a rabbit's nest while gardening and most of the rabbit's had scattered. Only two rabbits had remained huddled, that is, until Kiko discovered them. When I found Kiko, she was happily gnawing away on the other rabbit....

When the kids realized the Kiko had not caught a baby mouse but rather a baby rabbit they were devastated...

As hard as I tried, I could not get that rabbit away from Kiko. She ran away from me, and when she realized I was not going to stop pursuing her, she started chewing and gnawing on the rabbit faster... until she had swallowed the whole thing!!!

It was perhaps the most disgusting thing I have ever seen, and I truly feared that there would be some future cleanup involved with my dog swallowing a whole rabbit. I didn't want to let the dog in the house for fear of a future mess, but I didn't want her going for seconds either, so we rescued the other bunny and kept the dog outside... for hours. We named the survivor Mopsy. We figured Peter Rabbit got away... he's too smart to get caught....

As cute as the bunny was, I wanted to get it to the small animal rescue center before any more disaster befell upon our home. The only snag was I had to show a house prior to dropping the bunny off at the shelter. I didn't think it would be a problem considering it was huddled in a ball for all of the time we had seen it and figured it would be fine in a flimsy shoe box. However, it came to life as I was driving out to my showing appointment and almost got loose. I then had to show the house, slightly disheveled, while holding the baby bunny in a box. Thank goodness I have understanding clients. My life is definitely not normal....

I look at Kiko a bit differently now. She's changed now too; she's a hunter and will now chase squirrels, birds, or deer that wander into our yard. Just last week, she caught a toad, chewed it up a bit, and left it in the driveway for me to discover. I guess it does not taste as good as a rabbit.

Perhaps there was a mistake about what breed she is.... 3/4 pug, 1/4 rottweiler?....

Chalk Talk

2009-10-02T08:54:00.001-04:00

So many posts in one week? I know, it's crazy. Honestly, the real reason I am posting so many pictures is because I am looking for a picture of my gas dryer that I want to sell on Craigslist. I know it's here somewhere, but in the meantime, while sorting through the photos, I figured I should post some up on the blog.

Anywho, Allie loves to draw, loves to write her name, loves anything that allows her to to take a writing instrument and put it to use. Lately, her favorite writing instrument has been chalk. Allie now knows all the letters in her name and loves to write it all over. She switches her "e" and "i" and writes as if it were a mirror, but still, not bad for a three year-old. I think her handwriting is better than mine already....

Unprepared in Niagara Falls

2009-09-30T08:36:00.001-04:00

A few weeks ago Bobby's college buddy (Todd) and his son (Austin) came to visit for a few days. As with any visit to our region, we had to take him to Niagara Falls. I was working that day and unable to join in the fun.

Not to make any comments about male vs. female brains, but I have to believe that if a mom were present on the trip, she would have brought some jackets for the kids. Poor boys! I think Tommy's expressions are the funniest....

Catching Up- As Usual...

2009-09-28T10:02:00.003-04:00

Well, here I am again... regretting that I haven't updated my blog more often. The pictures are still piling up and yet they sit unsorted on my desktop. The guilt is almost worse than cheating on my diet, and yet I choose to shoulder both burdens.

Well, to relieve my conscience a bit (for the lack of blogging... I'm still going to eat chocolate), I'm posting a photo from about a month ago. It's Tommy's first day of Kindergarten and he was so excited. He loves school and loves his teacher.... so sweet. Sammy has been a great helper to him and makes sure he gets to his classroom ok. It's nice to have a big brother to walk him into school. I'm not sure who it makes feel better, Tommy or me!

As usual, Allie always needs to be a part of the action. She can't wait to go to school and asks everyday when it will be her turn to go to school. Too soon, I fear. They are getting so big, so fast. Not in the picture is Pete (his school starts an hour earlier, he's in 7th grade now) and Matt (I'm homeschooling him this year, he's in 4th). Things have been very busy since school has started. I miss the lazy summer days... and weather.

ps- Thoughts going out to Jen and Tony today. Hope little Tony's surgery is successful!

Literal Video Version...

2009-08-19T12:54:00.004-04:00

I wasted too much time today laughing at this video and others like it.... so funny....

The meatloaf one is worth checking out too.

Worth Noting....

2009-08-17T12:47:00.003-04:00

I uploaded pictures from our week at the family cottage but am not quite ready to post them. I came across this photo though and had to post it right away. My father-in-law (aka "Grandpa") was bit by a dog at a young age and hates them as a result. He also thinks they are dirty and generally detestable. He feels similarly about cats and other furry creatures. I'm not sure his opinion of reptiles. Needless to say, he's just not a fan of pets.

Because we share a home with Bob's parents, we had to clear the idea of a dog with them. It was agreed that we would keep Kiko in our part of the house and try to keep her out of Grandpa's way as much as possible. It works most of the time, but once in a while she will make a mad dash through their home. Thankfully, over time, Grandpa has grown to like her (much to everyone's surprise). Still, I am always wary when Kiko's around Grandpa for fear she will be annoying.... and really the odds are 50/50.

When we went to the cottage two weeks ago, we brought Kiko with us. Bob's parents joined us for a few of the days. The second night they were with us at the cottage I came downstairs to see this...

I would point out that Grandpa's eyes are open and he is aware that a dog is resting at his feet. This may be the only picture ever of my father-in-law with a dog.

Human sacrifice, dogs and Grandpa, living together- mass hysteria.

Fine, I'll Update My Blog

2009-08-13T15:57:00.006-04:00

Apparently no one is as tickled about MacGyver being a mime as I am. I mean c'mon... he's a mime. Really? No one?

Oh well. I guess I'll have to go with the old standard that seems to always entertain small specific circles (namely my family). Yes, a classic post indeed...

Allie has fallen asleep in a weird, awkward location. I thought she had outgrown this but apparently not quite.

It seems all that is missing here is the chalk outline....

Here's another angle....

And no, she still won't wear a shirt.

Pure Gold

2009-08-10T10:40:00.001-04:00

It's been a while since I've posted any failblog so I think I'm justified. This one cracks me up....

I have to say though, I feel a little sorry for Richard Dean Anderson. It's been more than 20 years since MacGyver and I'm not sure if anyone will ever think of him as anything else. He will forever be typecast and, as we all know, he is so much more. I started digging so indulge me a little while I explore the many sides as Richard Dean...

There's Richard Dean, 1970's star (he was this close to being cast as the six million dollar man!)...

Richard Dean, artist's muse...

There's Richard Dean the musician...

Richard Dean the corn-husking porn star...

Richard Dean the cartoon...

Richard Dean the beefcake...

And my personal favorite, Richard Dean the mime...

Let's not forget the next generation that Richard Dean has also inspired...

Wait, what was the point of this post?

Dancing Allie

2009-08-08T15:49:00.004-04:00

I'm still catching up with my photos. There's still a lot to upload. A few weeks ago, Allie asked me to take her picture of her singing and dancing. I honestly don't even remember the song she was singing. I wish I did. Feel free to insert your own song, but keep it clean... this is a family blog after all...

P.S.- Congrats to my sister Beth who just announced her upcoming baby! We couldn't be more excited for you that #5 is on it's way and wanted to add....

"HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA!!!!! WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!" =P

Killing Time

2009-07-31T06:22:00.003-04:00

Long night of work. I had to list a couple of homes last night and it can be involved when I have to sift through many photos so I have yet to go to bed. Normally, after I finish working, I would go to bed, but I started jogging in the early morning (not sure you can quite call it jogging but...) with a buddy named Gigi. We just started the regimen too so I hate to break routine. Not to mention I don't know Gigi's cell phone and I sure as heck can't call this early at her home and say I'm not coming.

Plus, I really want to stay on regimen. My life is so fluid, it's hard to predict my schedule, which makes it hard to stick to any diet or exercise routine but hey... I'm sure other people suffer more than I have suffered in order to jog. So I type to stay awake the half an hour prior to my jog.

Does this seem like rambling? It feels like I'm typing gobbledygook. My brain is a bit cloudy. Anywho, things here are good. The summer heat has kicked in a bit. A welcome change from the cold rainy days a week ago. Something interesting happened though. A phenomenon of sorts...

My boys decided shirts are now optional. I'm not quite sure where they picked that up from. Bobby does not walk around with his shirt off and I sure as heck don't. They just started, as if they had a secret code or something and, as if on cue, the shirts disappeared.

And of course what's good for the ganders....

Is also good for my goose. She refuses to wear a shirt at home. Not quite sure what to do about that, if anything. I do feel like I'm at the French Riviera though....

15 minutes 'till jogging. Hopefully bed after....

Kiko's First Birthday

2009-07-29T09:04:00.003-04:00

Yes, you did read that correctly. We had a party for our dog Kiko. Our dog turned one on Monday and the kids really wanted to celebrate her birthday. At first I was resistant, it just seemed a little weird and creepy, but decided that it would be a fun evening anyway.

I'm not sure the dog knew what was happening. Normally she only gets dog food and is discouraged from being near the dining room table (especially after the meatloaf incident.... she once hopped on our table and ate 1/2 of a meatloaf, rendering the remaining meatloaf inedible), but tonight she was royalty. She loved it too... queen for a day (Would she technically be queen bitch for a day? Not trying to offend, just a thought.).

So Kiko "sat" (see restrained- kept trying to eat her burger) at the table while we sang "Happy Birthday" to her. In the middle of the song she blew out her candle because she was breathing so heavily from excitement... the kids were delighted....

Here she is enjoying her burger. We actually had to put it outside because she kept running away with it and eating it in the corner (she thought we would try to take it away). She was so thrilled after eating her burger she went back to the dinner table and stole Bob's burger and ran away with it. So she actually ate two... naughty dog...

The kids wanted to buy gifts, but we opted for a homespun birthday. We gave Kiko a HSBC freebie blanket for her crate (she had previously chewed up and peed in her original dog bed... here's hoping she has outgrown that!).....

The kids also gave Kiko a new ball to chew on. I was unaware of this but apparently the gifting of toy balls requires a gansta pose...

Kiko loves to chew on balls (she'll chew on anything really, she's destroyed at least six pairs of unattended shoes). It kept her busy all night....

By the end of the night she was completely wiped out (and her ball was already mangled)...

The best part was seeing how gentle and sweet the kids were to the dog. She really is a part of our family (albeit a destructive, sometimes annoying part of the family). They really love her. I sometimes wonder if she feels loved....

Maybe....

Here's Sam!

2009-07-27T08:26:00.001-04:00

I realized that the last post had no pictures of Sam. There does seem to be an unequal number of photos of the younger two versus the rest of the gang. I do my best to have equal coverage, but let's face it, some of my kids are just cuter than others (yes... I was just kidding... they are all equally ugly).

This photo is from last Friday. Sam just passed level two in swim lessons. He was really excited. We now have Tom in level 2, Sam in level 3, and Matt in level 4. Good times...

New Camera and Random Photos

2009-07-25T09:34:00.001-04:00

My old camera died. It worked well for me but eventually just gave up the ghost. I purchased a new camera (a Canon Power Shot SX110IS). I didn't realize how complicated it is to choose a camera now. I was utterly confused by the end. I hope I made a good choice. I'm still playing around with it a bit and sometimes my kids will just walk up to me and ask me to take their picture. I happily oblige, especially now that I'm trying to figure out how this contraption works. Here are some examples of the new camera's picts. Here's Matt with our first pear ever from our newly planted pear tree. He took a bite, according to Matt it did not taste too good....

Tommy has been working on making "Santa hats" lately. This was his most successful attempt (two triangles with strips of papers attaching the triangles together). The only problem is it didn't last too long....

Here's Pete with the dog....

Allie also wanted her picture taken with the dog...

The dog had other ideas though....

Here's Allie just waking up....

And here's a picture of *ahem* Tom. He was playing dress-up with his sister, thought he looked nice, and wanted me to take his picture. I know Tom has been more of a cross-dresser than the rest of my boys, but in his defense, the other boys did not have any sparkly, pretty clothes in the house that almost fit them. Plus, he loves any reason to have his picture taken. Of course I had to oblige.... this stuff is solid gold. I'm just waiting for the right moment to bring it back out....

What? No pictures of Sam?.... hmmmmm. I'm going to have to work on that...

More Pokedueling...

2009-07-23T08:56:00.004-04:00

One of the disadvantages of posting pictures months after the event occurs is that I can hardly remember anything that transpired. It's really a wonder I know my name and phone number. That said, a few months ago the family piled into our van and drove up to Toronto to attend a regional pokemon competition. Pete, Matt, and Sam competed while Tom and Allie hung out at the hotel and played at a local playground. The traffic coming and going was rough. It made me grateful to live in a depressed economy where the mass exodus of people has decreased traffic volume significantly. I take that for granted sometimes...

The tournament had its regular large collection of socially maladjusted people in t-shirts that often had awkward sayings on them. My kids fit right in. ;) All kidding aside, it was a big group (over 150 people) and my kids were eager to see how they stacked up. Here they are waiting for the tournament to start...

Thankfully, the tournament officials (the guys in the yellow shirts) did not allow parents beyond a certain point. While some parents were really nice and there for fun, there were a few obnoxious parents who would have stood behind their children and coached them. Here's Matt and Sam competing. Both are facing the camera on the left side. Matt's on the back row and Sam is at the front table...

Here's Pete. He's on the end on the left....

They competed for several rounds. We enjoyed the lovely Toronto scenery and took shifts with the little guys....

Our kids did well but we did not think they would make it to the final cut. We were ready to get out of there by the time the regulation rounds finished up, however, Matt made it to the final round. He did really well and tied for 4th. Here he is with his prizes.....

The extra wait for the final round was worth it. He was so proud. =)

Dolls and Tea Parties???

2009-07-21T09:48:00.001-04:00

Allie is a tough cookie, but she is definitely a girl! More and more it is becoming evident. I'm not sure how she discovered this (most likely from a "Max and Ruby" cartoon), but she's a big fan of tea parties. She likes to have her little friends over and entertain. The problem was she didn't have a tea set and was using my dishes (bad idea).

I've been having great luck with free items and garage sales this season and was lucky enough to find a plastic tea set for $1! Plus we added some extra seating (found at a garage sale, of course) for guests. Here's Allie with her new set...

Here's her first guest...

It was a delightful afternoon for all...

Pete's Birthday Wrap-up... aka.. I Need a New Camera

2009-07-19T09:13:00.000-04:00

A few weeks ago Pete celebrated his 12th birthday... yes... 12th birthday. It's really hard to believe I am old enough to have a 12 year-old. Wasn't I just 12? Where does the time go? *sigh*

This year Pete opted out of a friend party and honestly, after last year's sleep-over, I was very relieved. Pete wanted a family overnight party to a local indoor water park. I happily agreed. Of course there is no photographic evidence of this event, nor will there ever be any photographs of us (me) in our bathing suits. However, I did take photos of his birthday night. We made some cupcakes and had a family gathering to mark the big day. Here's the gang acting goofy...

Hmmmm. Houston, we have a problem. Ok, let's try this one....Here's Allie drooling over the birthday cupcakes (lemon flavored)....

Ok, then I think I need a new camera... =( Anyway... Happy Birthday Pete!!!

Sammy's Zoo Trip

2009-07-17T08:32:00.000-04:00

Sammy's class went to the zoo this year on an end of the year field trip. While I couldn't be a chaperon due to my extra little ones, I was allowed to tag along with his group, join him for lunch, and even drive him home. Tom and Allie loved being with the big kids, brought their backpacks, and even wore red to blend in with the rest of his class (their class color for field trips was red). The standard animals were there...

The kids loved it. They had a really good time...

I was a little worried because this was our first outing, perhaps ever, that I did not bring a stroller. They were tired by the end, but they did great. Nice day...

Big Girl Bed

2009-07-15T09:49:00.001-04:00

It was apparent a few months ago that Allie's pack and play just wasn't cutting it for suitable bedding. Honestly, it was probably never suitable, but that's just how we roll... pack and plays for all the babies.

I was lamenting over the decision of whether I wanted to purchase a regular twin sized bed or a toddler bed. I had decided on the twin and started shopping craigslist. I had even found the bed I wanted to purchase and just not had the chance to drive the twenty minutes to pick it up.

Everything changed when I drove by a street I don't travel too often and saw a perfect toddler bed with a sign that said "free". I immediately pulled over, folded down my back seat, and crammed the bed in. Those are the days I love having a minivan... I can stuff any junk I discover at a moment's notice. So here are the fruits of my trash picking labor. I really love free stuff....

Allie was so excited to have her new bed she wanted to go to sleep right away. Here she is "sleeping"... very cute.

Mea Culpa

2009-07-13T19:37:00.003-04:00

Ok. It's been a while. I'm very sorry. Life has been quite busy and work has been really crazy too. Plus I can play mafia wars with my nephew on Facebook. It makes it tough to keep this blog up to date. I'm going to only look forward now though and make no more excuses.

Actually, I'm going to look back a bit... I have a bunch of pictures to upload.... starting tomorrow. =)

ps- Isn't this stock photo so dorky? I think it's funny...

Mini Goofballs

2009-04-30T10:51:00.001-04:00

Nothing too crazy here... just a few photos of the kiddos. They are growing so fast!!!

Bedroom Flair

2009-04-27T10:58:00.010-04:00

It's no secret that my kid's bedrooms are a little sparse in the decorating department. I am planning on investing a little bit for each kid's room as my summer real estate season starts yielding dividends, but for now....

My friend Kristina was kind enough to give me a head start on Allie's room. As Kristina is cleaning out her house preparing for a move =(, I am the fortunate recipient of some really neat things. This by far is the coolest though.

Kristina painted some pictures for her daughter's room years back. Now that her daughter is 10, Kristina offered the paintings to me. Allie was so excited about the paintings she insisted that I hang them the moment we got home....

They are just adorable. If you're looking for original art for kid's bedrooms, give me a call and I'll pass along her information. We also inherited an origami mobile....

The room while still a little bare it's definitely looking much better thanks to Kristina...

Although it did not manifest itself onto a digital photo... Allie was very, very excited (she looks downright depressed there though)!....

Thanks again Kristina!!!

R.I.P. Gary

2009-04-20T07:22:00.005-04:00

It's for real this time. Gary is dead... no doubt about it. I'm not really sure what did him in. Does anyone know the average lifespan of a snail? I saw him floating around the tank, not really stuck to anything, slightly shriveled and thought it was odd. A few days later though, I found his shell empty (I have to assume Bob got his soft remains). So that's it for him.

It's been nice knowing you Gary! Rest in snail peace.

Goofin' Around

2009-04-17T09:49:00.004-04:00

More desktop cleaning... Here are some silly photos from about a month ago....

I guess the apple does not fall too far from the tree! ;)

Catching Up

2009-04-15T09:35:00.001-04:00

While cleaning my desktop, I came across a few picts that didn't quite get up on the blog. I'll post them in the next couple of days...

Here's some picts from around Valentines Day. The kids really needed a haircut... they always need haircuts! Here's Pete and Sam before...

Here's all the hair from Pete....

Matt refused to be photographed for any before or after shot. Pete and Sam weren't too keen on their after shots either. Ugh... when did they become so difficult to photograph?

Here are Tom and Allie's after.... they will still pose for me...

Wow! Where Did The Time Go?!?!

2009-04-13T09:10:00.005-04:00

Ok. It's been a while. Sorry. It's not like I have anything earth shattering anyway, but I do like to document what the kids are up to. It's really more for my recall, and considering it's getting worse and worse.... *sigh*

Easter was yesterday. We had a really nice quiet day with family. The kids ate candy, played with their cousins... good day.

Here are the photos from the Easter egg coloring...

All the designs were really original this year (except for Allie's... all she wanted was pink). Sam and Tom's seemed to be the most colorful. Here's Tom's...

Here's Sam's...

Pete designed a dragon egg....

The only problem with the egg coloring this year is it did not come off their hands too easily....

Easter Sunday was the same (as usual) with the traditional breakfast of hard boiled eggs and candy. You can't mess with tradition...

I would have taken more pictures of them eating candy but by the time I woke up... this was about all that was left! Hope everyone else had a great day too!

Bizzaro Tank

2009-03-12T09:59:00.004-04:00

I like to occasionally update my blog on the happenings of the fish tank. Ah yes, more insight into my wildly exciting existence.

Besides having too many snails in the tank and it in dire need of a cleaning, not much has been going on.... until last Saturday!

Bobby and I were going out on a date that evening. The babysitter had arrived. Right before departure, Matt noticed a morbid sight in the tank. One of the guppies had died and was upside down laying on the bottom of the tank... completely motionless.

I was in a hurry and figured that the fish was not going anywhere so I told the kids I would clean the fish out when I got home. I was half hoping Bob the crayfish would discover the guppy and eat him. He should earn his keep.

Of course I forgot to clean out the fish when I got home, but remembered first thing in the morning. When I got to the tank, I noticed there was no fish at the bottom of the tank. Where the HECK was the fish!? There was no evidence to suggest Bob had been picking at him. Had the kids removed the fish in my absence? Not very likely...

I then realized the fish was swimming around!!! Yes, from dead with glazed over eyes to swimming and eating fish food! During this season of Lent, we have our own mini miracle. I move to rename our little guppy "Lazarus".

Freeze!!!

2009-03-09T16:43:00.003-04:00

Allie's latest favorite game is freeze tag. She runs around like crazy and when she is tagged, holds her position. The position is always the same..... one leg is up and her mouth is open. It's a real hoot so I snapped a picture....

Skateboarding is Not a Crime

2009-03-05T07:30:00.000-05:00

Here's one from my favorite silly blog...

What... You're Sick of Looking at Poo?

2009-03-03T13:01:00.005-05:00

Fine... I'll update my blog. It won't be anything interesting though... life has been swept up with work, school, and surviving the cold. Plus, lately it seems my spare time is spent on Facebook... did I really just admit that? I'm the sucker that keeps sending fake fish and plants to people. It seems to be a good use of my time.

I did snap these pictures a few weeks ago though. It started when our dog Kiko was stuck under the couch and we couldn't figure out how she got there. We then watched and waited....

I guess the lure of the toys that were stuck under the couch was too great.

She seemed to like being under there...

She finally came out when properly motivated (we took her ball)...

It was cute until I realized she was also ripping apart the fabric under the couch. It then became much less cute.

I know it's pathetic. My blog has disintegrated into posts about my dog.... I'm the dog lady. *sigh*

What Lies Beneath...

2009-02-19T09:31:00.002-05:00

We had a bit of a melt the last couple of weeks. Imagine our shock and horror when we realized all of Kiko's handiwork has been preserved throughout the winter creating one massive "poo pile". Ewwww! Don't look too closely if you have a weak stomach. =)

Thankfully, it started to snow again so all of the evidence is again covered. I guess there are benefits to the snow after all!

Romper Room Twister

2009-02-17T14:37:00.004-05:00

I had these photos sitting on my desktop for a while. They are from a play date Tommy had. They played twister for a long time and were having so much fun. Really cute...

Would You Eat This?

2009-02-13T18:53:00.004-05:00

Allie's a real stinker when it comes to certain things. By certain things I mean anything she does not want to do. Allie has decided that she does not want to ever take medicine. "Never, ever ever!" as my daughter would say. I knew I was going to be in for a battle when she had to take some antibiotics for an infection in her finger.

She was supposed to take her medicine twice a day for seven days totaling fourteen doses. The first dose she took. The second dose I had to mix into vanilla ice cream topped with strawberries. The third dose I was not home for and she would not take it. The next dose I mixed the medicine in with chocolate syrup and mixed the syrup into ice cream. She reluctantly ate bites of the mixture under the threat of not being able to spend time with her Lola, and even then it took over an hour and a half.

I then had a blast of inspiration. This post was supposed to highlight how creative I am at getting my daughter to take her medicine. I was so proud of myself when I thought to make her medicine into frosting and put them on cookies (with sprinkles!). What child wouldn't like to eat cookies (with sprinkles!)?

Here are the ingredients....

Here is the final product....

Allie ate a total of one micro-bite. All the time and effort and she wasn't buying it. So much for documenting my great success! No little pat on the back for me.

I had to take her back to the doctors and we wound up applying a topical ointment. Of course that had to be applied while she was sleeping because she has decided that no one can apply ointment on her either. "Never, ever ever"!

Argh.

Noah's Ark on Ice... AKA the Death of the Winter Challenge

2009-02-12T15:34:00.000-05:00

About a week and a half ago, we were battling the elements. The weather conditions were nearly biblical yet school still wasn't canceled!

Here are some picts of the snow. Poor Kiko! I feel sorry for any animal that has to do it's "business" outside in weather like this...

This type of weather makes me realize how insignificant humans are. I felt like an ant that could be squashed at any moment. We had so much snow it was impossible to shovel. I realized I would have to let go of the "Winter Challenge" dream and make a phone call to an old friend who owns a plow.

Here's our driveway. It had already been partially shoveled so we could move a car into the garage. An unbelievable amount of snow. I have a feeling these photos will never make it on the cover of our regional tourism board....

I don't know what we would do without our old neighbor Mr. Bender (Matt used to call him "Deh Doh" when he was a baby). He's one of the nicest neighbors we have ever had (and not only because he came out to plow our driveway on a busy night). He was always so kind to us and our kids and we miss having his as our next door neighbor a lot!....

Good old Deh Doh!

Birthday Marathon Hangover

2009-02-10T09:56:00.007-05:00

It's been a while since my last post. I've been really wiped out lately. I'm not sure if it's recovering from all the craziness from last month or just the fact that the cold weather has sent me into hibernation mode.

Honestly, I want to crawl into a hole and sleep for three months. Fatigue? Perhaps. Depression? I don't think so (hard to tell when you're in the middle of it however). I'm getting a little sick of it though. I think I'm going to get my thyroid checked. This is about the age my mom and two sisters had their thyroid start conk out on them, perhaps that's part of the problem.

Anywho.... too much information. I did promise a birthday update for Bob, and even though it's more than two weeks later.... an update I will post (that sounded like Yoda... "update post you will get... hmmm").

Poor Bobby, he does not even get a decent birthday wrap-up! We did have fun though and thankfully it was low key. The night of his birthday, Bob's mom was nice enough to give Bob the gift of babysitting (a lovely gift indeed!). Bobby and I went out to dinner and enjoyed our time together immensely. The next night we had family night with a celebration full of games, feasts, and late night antics. The kids enjoyed staying up past their bedtimes. Perhaps that was their favorite part...

Here's a pict of Bobby blowing out his candle. The kids thought it was a jip that we did not put 36 candles in the cake...

I love the faces of the kids (even the big ones). They all have so much fun when someone blows out their candles...

Thus wraps up another season of the birthday marathon. Happy Birthday Bobby!... hope you had a nice evening.

I have lots of other random tidbits to post in the next few days.... I promise there will be more uninteresting posts soon. =)

Spaghetti and Syrup

2009-01-28T09:31:00.007-05:00

Yes, I know I still have not posted about Bob's birthday last week, but I still need to download the photos from my camera. That seems like a lot of effort right now. I'm lazy.... sue me.

I've been in a bit of a dinner rut. No matter what I make, it does not please everyone. With certain meals this is to be expected but with others, I am completely surprised. Some evenings I have served as many as five different dinners (who knew they were so adverse to chicken noodle soup?). The replacement meals (or second dinners) are simple enough; a sandwich, leftovers from the night before, a yogurt. Still, it irks me to spend my whole dinner time running for the fridge and having the kids eat in shifts.

For example, last night I made cheese enchiladas (they turned out really yummy, I also made some homemade refried black beans....mmmmm). Some enchiladas I covered with tomatoes, some with a green chili sauce, and I purposely left a whole pan without any sauce at all on top. I thought this could be a meal we could all enjoy without the interruption of having to get up and scramble in the fridge to throw some leftovers together for the dissenters. The ingredients are tortillas and cheese for heavens sake, what is there not to like?

Well, Tom decided that he did not like baked "tacos" and refused to eat them. We normally have a policy of serving the "second dinner" after the people who have eaten the originally prepared meal have finished. Tom, however, was whining during the whole dinner about being hungry so Bob relented. Tom's dinner consisted of an unheated flour tortilla with salsa and cheese. Sam saw Tom's meal and then wanted some of what Tom was eating. However, when Sam saw that there was no meat to go in the tortilla, he became upset. He then went to his room in despair. In the meantime, Matt (my pickiest eater) decided he did not like the enchiladas and asked for another dinner. Ugh.

I repeat. I made tortillas and cheese and baked them. It really does not get more simple that that. All of my children in the past have enjoyed eating tortillas and cheese on several occasions, why can't they now? Frustrating.

Ok, so on to plan "B". I have decided that tonight I will "anticipate my customer's needs". We are having breakfast for dinner consisting of french toast (made with homemade bread) and sausage. We are also eating spaghetti with yummy homemade sauce. Truth be told I think tonight's dinner dissenter will be Bobby....he does not like french toast but is a big fan of spaghetti. Either way, I'm figuring I'll have my bases covered.

I, however, can't help but conjure up images of the movie Elf where Will Farrell serves himself a heaping bowl of spaghetti and then proceeds to douse it in maple syrup and various candies. I wonder if one of my kids will try it.

It's amazing what you will do for some dinnertime peace...

Birthday wrap-up tomorrow.... I promise.

Facebook.... a Total Time Suck

2009-01-26T15:43:00.003-05:00

Ok.... I'm going to cheat. Instead of blogging about Bob's birthday, I frittered my spare time today on Facebook. Naughty me. I was tagged and had to reply.

The truth is that anyone who is reading this is probably also my friend on Facebook, but just in case, I'm posting my productivity from this afternoon; it's all I have to show for it...

ps- If you are reading this, consider yourself tagged. I expect to see your list by the end of the week....=)

pps- Birthday marathon wrap-up soon to come......

Twenty-Five Random Things About Me

Rules: Once you've been tagged, you are supposed to write a note with 25 random things, facts, habits or goals about you. At the end, choose 25 people to be tagged. You have to tag the person who tagged you. If I tagged you, it's because I want to know more about you.

(To do this, go to “notes” under tabs on your profile page, paste these instructions in the body of the note, type your 25 random things, tag 25 people (in the right hand corner of the app) then click publish.)

1. I've had a lot of different jobs ranging from working as a music director at a commercial radio station, owning my own recording studio, bank teller, touring with a musical production company to glamorous locations such as Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, to my current occupation as a realtor.

2. I like my dog a lot. When we first got her, I thought I would go crazy and wanted to give her away. I really like her now though and she's a part of our family.

3. I once gave up chocolate for a year just to see if I could.

4. When I was a teenager, I used to say (and always believed) that I would not get married until I was at least 35. I got married at age 21.

5. When I was a teenager, I used to say (and always believed) that under no circumstances, would I ever live in Wyoming. My first job out of college was in Jackson, Wyoming.

6. When I was a teenager, I used to say (and always believed) that I would not have any kids. I have five kids.

7. I was a dumb teenager, but that taught me to never say never about any life possibility. =)

8. I used to be super-competitive as a child about anything. I've learned to harness and constructively direct my competitive spirit (I think I have) but sometimes it comes out when I'm playing backgammon or some other random game with Bobby.

9. After 13 years of marriage, my husband Bobby, is still my best friend. I'm crazy in love with him. I can still stay up all night talking with him about anything.... it kills me in the morning though!

10. I feel really lucky I was blessed with the kids I have. They are mellow, easy going, and get along (for the most part!).

11. When I was pregnant with Allie and found out I was having a girl, I was terrified I was going to mess her up. Now I'm so glad I get to experience raising a girl. I still hope I don't mess her up though....

12. I've been a realtor for almost seven years now and have owned my own brokerage for two years.

13. When I was kid and I didn't respect someone, I would talk back. I was kicked out of my 10th grade biology class for the rest of the year for talking back to my teacher (in reality, there were only three weeks left of class).

14. I try to make dreary chores more fun. I call my sister when I unload the dishwasher, I turn snow shoveling into a "winter challenge", I call my friend Kristina to see if she wants to come to Aldi's with me when it's time to grocery shop.

15. I'm really good at repetitive tasks. When we owned a recording studio, I was in charge of the duplication portion of our business mostly because I could assemble and shrink wrap the CDs or tapes faster than anyone.

16. I'm the youngest of four kids. I have a sister in Boston, MA, another sister in Tulsa, OK, my brother lives in Medford, OR and my parents live in Phoenix, AZ. It makes me sad we are spread out all over and I wish they were closer.

17. I sometimes get jealous that Bobby has his parents and two sisters living in our town, and his other sister lives just north of Buffalo.

18. We built a house that has an in-law suite to accommodate Bob's parents and I really like living with my in-laws. I'm grateful that they are so wonderfully nice to me.

19. I have never consumed a drop of alcohol, but don't care if anyone drinks around me.

20. I was a skater chick in high school and shaved my head my senior year... I think I realized it would be my last chance to do something crazy with my hair before I would have to "grow up".

21. I think I could be a competitive eater, really. I have an unusual "talent" of being able to eat large amounts of food if I so choose.

22. I'm 35 and my two grandmothers are alive... I think that's pretty cool.

23. I have thick skin and can happily accept constructive criticism. As a result though, I can unintentionally say things that might not be offensive to me but probably offend others. I'm thankful for my friends who can call me out on it and wish others would grow a pair and let me know if I have wronged them.

23 1/2. I think "grow a pair" is a funny phrase and like to use it whenever possible.

24. My first memory is me standing in the crib, taunting my brother (we shared a room at the time). I would tell him to "hide the bananas or the monkeys will eat them". I would keep saying it until my brother would retreat into the hallway with his pillow and blanket in frustration to get some peace and quiet. I must have thought it was funny because I did it quite often.

25. I never thought my life would turn out the way it did, but I'm really grateful and would not change a thing. While nothing is perfect, life is good.

Opportunistic Doggy

2009-01-22T08:54:00.005-05:00

Allie fell asleep on the couch the other day yet again. Unless she falls asleep in a goofy position, it is usually not photo worthy. However, on this particular day, Kiko decided this was her opportunity for a snuggle. I've never seen the dog so happy to snuggle in... cute....

ps- It's Bobby's birthday today! Happy birthday babe! I can't believe I'm married to such an old man! I'm thrilled at the opportunity to celebrate your special day with you and hope we get to celebrate many, many more together.

I'll post all the birthday details this weekend... well almost all the details... ;)

Politics and Sledding

2009-01-21T09:52:00.012-05:00

Considering my politically mixed family, I tend to shy away from making any political posts, but c'mon! Yesterday was huge. For those who don't want to read anymore gushing about the inauguration yesterday, feel free to skip to the bottom where the sledding pictures are posted.

Nothing I can write can adequately describe my feelings as I watched the inauguration. For the first time in a while, I'm really proud to be an American. I'm sure some people will interpret that statement as ungrateful for my life situation so I guess some clarification is necessary. I am always thankful for being born and living in this country and for the freedoms that it affords, but was ashamed with the decisions the past leaders have made and angry that their choices reflected so poorly on me and others as Americans.

It's nice to look at the leader of my country and feel pride at his vision and with how he carries himself. I know I won't agree with everything he says or does, but it looks promising and I'm allowing myself to feel good about it for a day or so. For the first time in who knows long I feel really patriotic. Corny, but true. I'm sure my natural, cynical self will start to seep back soon enough so I'm going to enjoy it while it lasts.

Ok, I'll step off my little soapbox now and will move on to my pictures from the weekend. On our day off on Monday, we went sledding. What better way to celebrate the life of Martin Luther King Jr. than by sledding? Honestly, I feel a little guilty that we didn't do something more meaningful. I'll have to do something next year to commemorate the day more appropriately.

It was a great time and the weather was kind enough to warm up to a balmy 20 degrees. I just snapped a few pictures before they started sledding so there are no action shots, but Sam was tossed head over heels by a runaway sledder. He was OK... a little shaken up, but OK. After the dust settled he wanted to know if we had video recorded the incident for America's Funniest Home Videos. Here's Sam and Pete taking their first run....

After Allie's first run she said it was too fast and didn't want to sled anymore. This is her only picture on the sled....

After Tommy's first run he said he was too cold and didn't want to sled anymore.....

So there were really two groups; the car group and the slope group. Bob and I took turns watching the groups. Here's a final picture of Matt on his snowboard...

The three "bigs" had a lot of fun on the slope and we stayed for a couple of hours. We topped off the evening by picking up some pizza on the way home. Maybe next year we'll prepare Martin Luther King Jr.'s favorite meal after an evening of sledding.... I bet Martin would approve.

Bad Dog

2009-01-17T09:38:00.007-05:00

My naughty "chug" dog loves a particular pillow. I've always been able to intervene in time to prevent any damage.... until today....

First, she's happily chewing away....

Next she realizes she's caught...

Then she won't look at me....

Only now does she shows true remorse...

What a stinker...

ps- It's my 200th post... hooray for me.

All Work and No Play

2009-01-16T07:45:00.005-05:00

I found these photo's lingering on my camera. They are from last Saturday when we had a family work day. The day was met with mixed reviews....

That last picture of Pete cracks me up...

One More...

2009-01-14T08:00:00.000-05:00

It's been a while, but Allie still occasionally falls asleep in odd places or in odd positions. Here's one more to add to my collection....

Tommy's Day - a Birthday Redux

2009-01-13T10:54:00.017-05:00

Well, Tom's birthday was yesterday.... I see some light at the end of the "birthday marathon" tunnel... it's probably a train. I feel like I've been hit by one already. I'm beat. Even the small joys of having a birthday (i.e. snacking on the cake the next day) are waning.

I really, really love Tom. So hope I can recap his special day without sounding like a jerk (a tough task for me). I'll do my best though....

Tom basically wanted Sam's birthday with a few tweaks. He got his cinnamon rolls for breakfast and we went to the same indoor bounce facility that afternoon for his party....

There were a few differences. Tom invited a couple friends, Allie was asleep for the first half hour...

And Tom wanted a pinata....

Here they are gathering their loot...

Otherwise it was basically the same. They bounced....

They slid....

The rode on the mini-carousel...

Again....

And again....

Tommy did skip the rice krispy cake in lieu of a more traditional yellow box cake with canned chocolate frosting (yes!). Honestly, he really didn't care what the cake was made of as long as it said "Happy Birthday Kitty", had sprinkles, and some cartoon character candies on it (his first choice was care bears, but had to settle for sponge bob)....

Here's the big guy blowing out the candles....

Here he is opening his presents....

Yes, it was a standard day including the meltdown at the end. I didn't get a picture of Sam's meltdown last week but Tom was nice enough to melt down in the car where I had a camera accessible. His distress was a result of a balloon. Tom and Allie were each holding a bunch of balloons in the car. He wanted her bunch of balloons instead of the bunch of balloons he was holding. Ah, how I love petty fighting!....

One birthday left. Bob's been joking with me that he wants to celebrate his birthday at the same indoor bounce facility, just to raise my dander. I'm taking at least an eight month moratorium from that facility.

Silly Bob, he knows he can't escape the traditional cop out birthday celebration of a McDonald's drive-through and a store bought sheet cake anyway. Ugh, I shouldn't even joke about it...it makes my stomach hurt just thinking about more cake...the McDonald's part is gross too.

Happy 5th birthday Tommy, I hope you have wonderful memories from your special day!

Winter Challenge, My Eye!

2009-01-11T14:34:00.004-05:00

The snow just keeps coming down. We had school canceled on Thursday and got another 10-12" last night. It took me all morning to shovel out. I have conflicted feelings about my "winter challenge".

On one hand, shoveling is really great exercise, I get outside, and it's nice that I have to do some form of exercise as I am a horrible exercise procrastinator. On the other hand, it's not always convenient timing, I don't like the stress of having to get out early to prevent my 74 year-old father-in-law from beating to the shoveling punch. Also, it's hard to be out for two hours shoveling and then see your neighbor across the street do his driveway in ten minutes.

Although, with the money I have saved from not paying for a plow contract, I have paid for the birthday marathon... lots of pros and cons. On a day like today though, it basically stinks. It's not novel, I'm still sore from the last batch of snow, and I only have more snow to look forward to. As my 11 year-old would say... it's Suckedy McSuck Suck....

Here's a picture of the snow from last Thursday... now imagine a foot more snow on top...

She's an It

2009-01-09T09:00:00.002-05:00

Kiko was spayed on Tuesday. I had to catch up with my other things before I could post the big news though. She's doing fine now, but it was so sad the day she came home....

Poor puppy!!!

Sammy is Seven!!!

2009-01-08T14:10:00.022-05:00

I can't believe Sam is seven. My baby is seven! I remember being pregnant with Sam during the events of September 11, 2001 and wondering what kind of world my child would be born into. That feels so long ago now.

I say it all the time, but I have no idea what I would do without my Sammy. He has to be one of the funniest, silliest, good-natured kids I know. Sam attracts people to him. He gets birthday party invitations from kids I have never heard of, and kids go out of their way to say "Hi" to Sam on the street. He's just an all-around great kid (I was bound to have one, right?). =) Joking... joking...

Sam had more modest requests than Matt for his birthday celebration. We had cinnamon rolls for breakfast, I packed him a special school lunch, brought in popsicles for his classroom treat (he's in the allergy classroom so his options are limited), and went to an indoor bounce house facility in the evening with just the family. Sam picked taquitos for dinner but we were running behind schedule so we ate pizza on site and will eat the taquitos tonight. Here are some picts from the big day...

Here's Sam wearing the crown his teacher gave him....

Here we are at the indoor bounce facility. They give you tokens with the "family fun package". The kids opted for the arcade games first....

Bobby and Pete played "superchexx" which is rumored to be the best ice hockey bubble game out there...

Then they played some more...

Their game caught the attention of a strange little kid who seemed quite intense. Although looking at Pete's expression, pehaps the game itself makes you strangely intense...

Allie loved the mini-carousel....

Tommy wanted in on the action (he had used up his tokens at this point and was excited to get a free ride)....

They rode and rode....

Then the cake. I'm sure you're wondering if this was a rice krispy treat cake... why, yes... yes it was. I won't start extolling the virtues of the rice krispy treat. In truth, I'm getting sick of all things rice krispy and hope Tommy requests a regular cake (if I'm lucky he'll want a box yellow cake with canned chocolate frosting.... mmmmm....).

Then it was time to bounce and slide. I really like that there is a facility where they can be active and jump around....

We were having such a great time that we stayed until 8pm (little guy's bedtime). When Sam came home he had a meltdown.... ugh... I should have known better. He had a big day and was a little exhausted. It's hard work turning seven.

Unfortunately, I don't have a picture of the meltdown... I should try to remember that for next time. All in all, it was a nice day... I hope he enjoyed it...

How I Spent My Christmas Vacation- Part II

2009-01-07T10:29:00.008-05:00

I'm continuing part 2 of my series today. Same standards apply... it will be a bit dry...

With our Christmas celebration essentially over on Christmas morning, we immediately switched gears and started the "Allie Birthday Celebration". Allie's birthday was on the 27th and we left Arizona the morning of the 26th, so we celebrated her birthday Christmas night. We had cake, her twin cousins came over, the adults sat on the couches like bumps on logs, it was great. Here she is with her cake...

My parents bought her a dress-up ballerina dress and some ballet slippers. She loves her dress. She wears it whenever she can, she's wearing it now as I type this post. Here she is in her new outfit....

Here she is dancing. Her center of gravity seems a bit off or she's doing the "hokey pokey"... I don't remember which it is...

During the visit to Arizona, her twin cousins were intrigued with the classic Christmas cartoon "How the Grinch Stole Christmas". Allie joined them on the couch to watch too....

The next morning we were off. I was not mentally up to driving straight through and wanted to visit my sister in Tulsa, Oklahoma so we drove to Tulsa (starting at 9am in Arizona, arriving at 3:30am in Oklahoma). There was some bad snow in New Mexico that slowed us a little, but there were no major delays.

It was nice to arrive in Tulsa and stretch out in a bed but there were some terrible thunder storms that night that woke me up a few times. When I mentioned them to my sister, I was surprised by how nonchalant she was. She said they "were nothing, no big deal"(!). I guess that's why it's called tornado alley over there.

We spent Allie's birthday at Tam's and the kids had a blast with their cousins. Allie got to dress up and play with Claire who was a perfect hostess, and the big guys got to play with Gilbert, Parker, Abby, and saw Abby's cute puppy (Louise) who was brand new to the family. Tam was nice enough to make another cake for Allie and even indulged her requests (must say "Allie Bear on the cake and have butterflies"). Allie piled up some more gifts at Tam's adding a doll stroller from us and Tam gave her a barbie-sized doll that sang a "High School Musical" song....really loudly. Here's a picture of Allie with her special cake...

Perhaps her favorite gift was a hand-me-down winter hat she received from Claire. She loves to wear it....

Near the end of the visit, the boys had made up a pokemon game that could include four players and they seemed to be having a great time with Gil. Because everyone was having such a nice visit, it was a tough decision to leave that night at 10pm. After calculating our route, we realized that we would be driving through the night no matter what, and it's better to get the night driving over with than to have it looming at the end. Bob also rested a bit during the day and was willing to do a back-to-back driving shift... I couln't refuse that! Here are the kids conked out in the back....

We made it home on Sunday at 3pm. I'd never been so happy to come home to a partially cleaned home. I honestly don't remember what happened in the days to follow. It was a bit of a blur....

Many, many thanks to my parents and my sister who accomodated our family of seven (that's no easy task!) and their willingness to make my little girl's day(s) so very special. Love you guys!!!

How I Spent My Christmas Vacation- Part I

2009-01-06T11:19:00.015-05:00

Warning- this post will not be witty. As Joe Friday would say.... "Just the facts ma'am". Sam's birthday is tomorrow and I want to be prepared to give a full report. I need to clear my camera and catch my blog up to date before I can do that. Plus, certain people who will not be named are pestering me to do so. So it will be simple and quick...well, relatively quick.

Friday December 19th was so snowy, school was canceled. It was also our scheduled "D-Day" (departure day). Here's what it looked like outside that day...

It was good and bad in that I had less running around because I didn't have to get the kids to and from school, but they were interfering with my packing progress throughout the day. Allie was so excited to go out of town. She kept saying she was getting ready for her Christmas party (she had been to a bunch of her brother's parties and concerts and was ready for her own party in Arizona). Here's a picture of Allie. She dressed herself for the big "party"....

Finally around 4:30pm (only and hour and a half behind schedule- not so bad for us), we hit the road. The kids were so excited. Here they are (already watching a movie) as we are pulling out of the garage....

This is what the weather was like as we left....

Thankfully the weather improved considerably outside of Erie, Pennsylvania and was completely clear by the time we were a little south of Cleveland, Ohio. Bob and I took turns driving. We switched every time we had to refuel. We drove through the night, all day Saturday, and into the night again. I was really wiped out by Saturday night. I had a hard time sleeping during my breaks so Bob had to finish the last hour of driving even though it was technically my turn. We arrived in Phoenix around 2:30am EST Sunday morning (34 hours). Just thinking about the drive makes me want to take a nap...

On Sunday the first order of business (after trying to recover from the drive) was decorating the Christmas tree. My kids were chomping at the bit to decorate the tree after being denied the right to do so at our home (what can I say?.... I'm lazy). When my mom took out the ornaments, they descended on the box like a pack of wolves. Here are some tree photos...

At this point of the trip (the second day in!), I started getting lazy about taking pictures. It always happens. Unfortunately, I did not take a picture of Matt jumping into the swimming pool (I really wish I had). He was determined to swim even if it was 58 degrees out. That pool must have been mighty cold, and he jumped in not once but twice.

Although cold for swimming, it was nice walking weather (with a light jacket) and we did that a bit and tossed the football around a bit too (always a treat in December). I did snap a few pictures of our visit to the botanical gardens (I think it was on Monday the 22nd). It was nice, but our kids, determined to embrace the warmth of Arizona, refused to bring jackets. As a result, they were cold the whole time. There was a cool glass exhibit that was intermingled with the flora. I forget the name of the artist, but he has done some famous work worldwide and looks like a fat pirate.... seriously... eye patch and all. Anywho, here are some photos from the gardens....

The next couple of days were just hang out days. We visited with my parents, my grandmother, and spent a bit of time my brother, his wife and twin sons who were also in town visiting. We went to the park with them too. It was great to see the twins, they are so cute and active! They constantly kept the kids quite entertained. I have to say though, only very special people are blessed with twins, and I'm grateful I'm not that special. They kept Matt and Julie on their toes. I really felt for them. I remember feeling like that when my kids were younger and we visited Bob's parent's cottage which is on the water. You can never relax because of impending danger. My parents home, not being baby-proofed, had lots of hazards they could have injured themselves on.... lots of double teaming that week. So while I saw my brother, he was usually addressing the needs of his kids... not much chat time. Oh well, that is just his stage of life. I'm sure he's happy to be home and relax in his baby-proofed home.

Ok, I got a little off topic... sorry. Christmas Eve rolled around and we had a really nice dinner. It was fun because my mom had to work so Bob, my dad, and I had to help prepare dinner. My mom had done a bit of legwork so it was easy, but we had a nice afternoon puttering around the kitchen. That night after a great dinner, Sam was determined to go to bed early so he could be well rested for the big day. Tom and Allie thought that was a great idea and wanted in on the action. The only problem was that they weren't serious about going to bed and Sam was. There were a lot of tears and frustration from Sam and I was saying things to Tom and Allie like... "If you don't quiet down you won't be allowed to go to bed and you will have to stay up later with me and Dad".... it was a first, I assure you. =) Here they are during one of the attempts to fall asleep...

Finally everyone settled down and fell asleep.... for a few hours. Tom woke up at 4:30 and woke up the rest of the crew. They were under strict orders not to get out of the room until 7:30. They followed those orders but were so noisy, they kept waking me up (I think Bob slept through it.... he can sleep through almost anything). Finally, 7:30 rolled around and they were allowed to open gifts. Here they are eating the stocking stuffers of Christmas tree shaped rice krispy treats (I won't go into my rant about how versatile rice krispy treats are...)....

Christmas was a relatively simple affair. Our packing space in the car was limited, budget was limited, and I had signed the handmade pledge to give handmade gifts. All contributed to a simple Christmas, it was nice though. Here's Allie opening up her cabbage patch doll from Santa....

Ok, so maybe Santa did not sign the handmade pledge. Just one gift wouldn't hurt, right? =)

Well that wraps up part one of how I spent my Christmas Vacation, part two focuses more on Allie's birthday celebration(s)...

Tired, Tired, Tired

2009-01-03T11:03:00.004-05:00

It's been a long week of recovery. We came home on Sunday from our trip to Arizona. The kids did great on the drive and it was a nice visit, but since we have been home, it's been hard for me to get off the mat. I guess all the driving caught up with me.

I finally did unpack, do laundry, and put said laundry away, but that is about it. We did have a little New Year's Eve celebration which was nice, but nothing over the top. I have some photos and updates to post, but I'm just not up to it yet.... I'm getting there though.

I also have to prepare for Sam's birthday next week, Tom's the week after, and Bob's the week after that.... I can't think of that now. One day at a time...

We Made It!!!

2008-12-22T10:21:00.005-05:00

We're here! We left on Friday at 4:30 pm est in the middle of a snowstorm and arrived Sunday morning at 2:30 am est (34 hours.... not bad). I'm glad we didn't wait to leave later because the snow just kept coming. School was canceled on Friday and again today. It's sunny and 60 degrees here.... ahhhh.

I'm taking pictures and will post everything when we get back. Our computer is acting a little schizophrenic and it's difficult to type anything. Have a Merry Christmas (happy Hanukkah, Kwanzaa) everyone!!!

Mommy Grinch

2008-12-16T13:29:00.004-05:00

I have too much to do. I have to wrap up Christmas by this Friday at 3pm so we can load into a car and drive to Arizona for Christmas. I also still have to pack for the trip...ugh.

Either way, it will be nice to be done. Christmas is a bit scaled back on all counts this year...that's not so bad. However, it would be nice if my home looked a bit more festive. I've been lax in the home decorating department, much to my kid's dismay. It's hard to decorate when you know you are not going to be in town for Christmas. I'm planning on traveling and just enjoying my mom's decorating, plus she said we could trim the tree. I'm feeling a bit guilty though so I decided to highlight the decorations we have up. We have an advent calendar, an easy decorating addition....

These cute, little wire trees were in a chinese auction basket that we won at Tom's montessori school's Christmas party. They look quite nice on the mantle...

and we are hanging up the cards we receive on the doorways of our home. That adds a festive feel....

Ok, that didn't make me feel better at all. I can only pledge to myself to do better next year.....

Tommy's Christmas Party... and a Gary Update

2008-12-13T08:47:00.005-05:00

Tommy had his Christmas party on Thursday. It was a cute event with a chinese auction (we won a basket!), potluck dinner, and a performance by the 3, 4,and 5 year-olds in the school. Very sweet. Tommy insisted on wearing his santa hat and the other siblings thought that would also be fun. They were the only ones wearing santa hats so it made it easy to locate them in the crowds...

Here they are before they hit the potluck line....

Here's Tom waiting for his opportunity to perform....

Here's Tom singing his songs (he's a little obstructed by the kid with the antlers). Check out the kid who is picking his nose... hilarious! ....

Also, Gary is not dead. He laid around for a while and then started ambling around the tank again... crazy. I guess that means we can expect more snails.... ugh.

I Think it's For Real This Time....

2008-12-09T16:03:00.001-05:00

I admit it, I have no life. It's no secret. Zero. Zip. Nada. My form of entertainment is watching the snails in our tank for a few minutes every day. We have a whole new crop of them since I bought some new plants for Bob the crayfish (they were stowaways on the plants). I've learned a bit about them too. For example, I have ramhorn snails. I even have a red ramhorn snail which is considered more rare.

The excitement with the snails, however, never were amongst themselves but rather between Bob and the rest of the group. Bob can pick off the little guys quite easily, but there are now three big ones that are proving to be pesky. Today, I noticed something quite strange. Two of the big snails were all tangled up (the red one "Scarlet" and Gary). I figured they were just looking for some "afternoon delight". Here they are below...

I have to say though, it's shaping up to be a real soap opera! When I came back later Gary was all shriveled, still attached to Scarlet, at the bottom of the tank, and looked to be dead (not a great photo, but trust me... he's looks very dead)!...

Is it possible that Scarlet the temptress has only lured Gary to gain control of the tank? How can it be that Gary, who has weathered so many attacks from Bob, can succumb to the siren call of Scarlet? Is Gary just recovering from a exhausting afternoon? Considering my exciting life, I'll be sure to post an update....

ps- I just walked by the tank and Gary is still lifeless and the other big snail is latched on too. Either there is some gang mentality forming in the tank or a three-way (much better than a soap opera!)

Tidbits and a Blackmail Photo

2008-12-08T09:36:00.022-05:00

Nice quiet weekend. Everyone was a little sick or on the edge of getting a cold which made it a bit more subdued. Lots of little things to document though (five to be exact).

-#1 Probably the most important item is that school was closed this morning for Pete and Matt. There was a water main break (a pleasant surprise). Here they are showing their excitement....

-#2 We gave the dog a bath this weekend. Oh Man, she was stinky! In addition to the skunky dog and Febreeze smell she was sporting, she peed in her bed and reeked of dog urine. That was the tipping point for me, and she got her long deserved bath. I think wet dog is a pathetic/cute look, so I took a picture...

Allie and Tommy were enjoying the entertainment, I was just trying to stay out of the picture....

Here she is warming by the fireplace...

-#3 I'm keeping up with my winter "challenge" so far. The driveway is current on it's shoveling. My bigger challenge, however, is trying to get outside before my father-in-law shovels it first. He can get a head start on me in the morning because he doesn't have five kids to feed. My intention with not getting a plow contract was not to try to get my 74 year-old father-in-law to shovel (!), it was for me to get exercise and save money. This adds an additional element of excitement and urgency to my "challenge". Here's a picture of our home with a nice and clear driveway. Ah.......

-#4 Every night, when I put Tom to bed, we talk about the best part of our day. Last night, the dialogue went roughly as follows...

Me: "So what was the best part of the day?"

Tom: "Spending time with you." (awwwww!)

Me: "What was your second best part of the day?"

Tom: "Discovering I liked canned fruit." (!)

I love our little chats.

-#5 Speaking of Tom, I have come to the blackmail part of the blog. Yesterday Tom and Allie were playing in her room before dinner. They both came running down in bathing suits. I had to snap a picture...

To make it funnier, Tom told me he likes Allie's suits better because they are softer and he likes the pictures on them. He would like me to buy him one for the upcoming swim season. =)

Sammy's Christmas Concert

2008-12-05T12:23:00.007-05:00

Sammy had his Christmas concert yesterday. I know it's probably more politically correct to say "holiday concert" but it really was a Christmas concert. Sure, they started off with the token Hanukkah and Kwanzaa song, but then they went full blast into the Santa story and left everything else in the dust. I honestly don't have much passion about it, just an observation.

It was a really cute play (better than most), and it was nice to give a nod to diversity in our whitey christian town. I think in our town, Pete, with his darker complexion, is considered "ethnic" for heaven's sake... but I digress.....

Allie and I went to see the concert together. She was really excited to see Sam on stage....

Here's a picture of Sam. I tried to zoom and take the picture, but it didn't really work... at all. It's all blurry, I really need a better quality camera. Honestly, the only reason I'm posting it is because I always forget to bring my camera to events like this and I'm just pleased with myself for remembering. If you can decipher kids in the photo, Sam is in the second row from the top, right in the middle, and looks like he's peeking out from behind a girl in the row in front of him...

Sammy did great. He didn't have any speaking parts or solos, but he knew all the words, and did all the hand gestures and signs (some songs had sign language signs as well) perfectly. Yea Sam!

Eh...

2008-12-04T00:00:00.000-05:00

I've been lamenting my holiday photo. It's not really what I want. My kids are all just lined up with goofy looks on their faces. I think there's too much space between them. I usually like to give a nice photo to the Grandparents every few years, but this one will not cut it. Oh well, it's going out with the cards anyway. Here's a sneak peek....

A Silly Diddy...

2008-12-02T12:00:00.008-05:00

Ok, I'll admit it. I look at failblog every day. I can't help it. Bobby thinks the site is juvenile and most of the images have been photo-shopped. He's probably right, but every few days I still find a photo, video, or drawing that cracks me up. Check out this one.....

I Did It!!!

2008-11-30T12:00:00.002-05:00

Phew! What a month! I can't believe I completed NaBloPoMo. Not to say there weren't any hiccups, but I had 30 posts in 30 days. Now I can return to my regularly scheduled mediocrity.

Besides noting my paltry accomplishment, I have a birthday wrap-up as well... I truly feel like I have been run over by a train. It was an action-packed day yesterday which ended with a meltdown last night from Tom, and Allie's slight sniffles morphing into a full blown cold. The big guys are tired but doing ok. The day went pretty much as planned, except for dinner.

We had to get our dinner tacos to go because Allie was under the weather. When I came home I discovered that Matt's taco had sour cream on it (big problem). There was huge pressure on this day to have it executed perfectly and sour cream was not part of the plan. I realized as Matt's eyes were welling up that I would have to return to get new tacos. Despite the dinner hitch, everything else went swimmingly.

I love that Matt loves to plan his day, but to be perfectly honest, I wish his birthday was at the end of the birthday marathon. He sets such a high standard, and gets all the other kids in a birthday frenzy. Tommy is now planning his day (bigger and better, of course). It's almost all he talked about yesterday. Oh well.... one down, four to go.

I forgot my camera for the bounce house facility and for the Pokemon league (surprise, surprise) but I remembered to take a picture of the birthday boy blowing out the candles of his rice krispy treat cake. Here's my big-shot-nine-year-old blowing out his candles...

I also posted a picture of the rice krispy treat cake for those who inquired. I usually don't frost it, but he wanted it frosted (it's better without). It's really amazing what you can shape rice krispy treats into; quite a "miracle food" really....