QVC

I was over Laurie's house this past weekend and noticed an adorable little piece of equipment on her scrap desk. It turned out to be a photo printer. Not just ANY photo printer, but an HP Photosmart A626 that prints 4 x6 or 5 x 7 and allows you to add graphics. YES GRAPHICS! I HAD to have one. I took down the information and starting doing my research. Everywhere I saw it for sale had it marked at $149. Which to me, is a great deal. Then I remembered that my dear brother-in-law works for QVC and they sell this kind of stuff. Sure enough, I logged on, clicked on electronics and then printers and WHALA! This beauty was staring back it me:

QVC does not sell the A626, but the A826. I compared the two and read some reviews and I was hooked. It cost about $50 more, but I think it's totally worth it. I emailed my sister-in-law to place the order (along with a pair of shoes that I have been longing for) and they are on their way to me! I CAN NOT WAIT! Anyone have this? Tell me your thoughts?

Feeling Good

Not many of you know, but I have my manicuring license. Although I am not in that line of work at the moment, I keep it up to date just in case I ever decide to go back to it but mostly to get a good deal on beauty supplies! I took a friend of mine over to the local 'for stylists only' beauty supply store because I needed some stuff. I am IN LOVE with Paul Mitchell's Tea Tree shampoo, so I bought more of that and the matching conditioner. If you have NEVER tried it, I TOTALLY suggest it. Every morning when I wash my hair, I feel like I am getting a tingly, cool head message that wakes me right up. I also picked up the moose version of this hair serum I was using and a new blush brush. The hair serum was weighing my hair down and my blush brush was FLAT I used it for SO long. Ever since I made my purchases I:
#1 - Don't mind getting up to shower and feel tingly!
#2 - LOVE the way my hair feels and is coming out when I blow dry it
#3 - My blush goes on so smooth and I do not waste any blush

Having kids can make a woman forget to take care of herself. I am glad I took some time this week to take care of me. I am starting to feel good again.

Our New Pet?

Well sort of. A few weeks ago we noticed a kitten under our kitchen in the evening. He was not there EVERY night, but on Saturday when we got home, he was around. David and Ava took an immediate liking to him. We let them 'play' with him and Steve gave him some milk and a garlic knot. Once he finished his milk, we made the kids come inside and get ready for bed. Well, the next thing I know, David is crying. He is sad for the kitten. He does not like that the kitten does not have a family, so I told him that when the kitten is around, we could be his family. However, I had to explain to him that he can NOT come in the house due to Steve and David's allergies. He understood and asked me to take him to the store on Sunday for cat food. I agreed. Sure enough, Sunday we hit up the A & P and picked up cat food and treats. David could not WAIT to get home and feed him. The kitten came around that evening and David fed him and gave him water. Well - the kitten HAS NOT LEFT SINCE! He was around all day Monday & Tuesday. When my Dad showed up to pick up my Mom, David and Ava were so excited to show him the 'kitty'. As much as David LOVES the kitten, so does Ava. She walks around saying 'kitty kitty' and even makes the psss sound to get him to come to her. They both play with him in the backyard and chase him all over. It is really cute. I am not sure how long the kitten will come around, but for now, he's part of the family.

Winning Season

Steve's baseball team won again yesterday! I believe their record is 3-1. I am so proud. He was not sure how this year was going to go. He lost a lot of his players to graduation. This is probably going to be his last year coaching, so I am glad it is turning out well. Today they play Bloomfield Tech - good luck Jags!

Have you tried Apple Cider Vinegar? Well, my girlfriends and I heard that it can do great things when you want to lose weight. So, we all did a 'shot' of it at lunch yesterday and I gagged. It was gross and my throat burned for a good 30 minutes afterward. Kristen was at least smart enough to add water, but even that hurt her stomach. I do not think I will be adding that to my diet plan. YUK!

Anyone watching Dancing with the Stars? I have loved it since season 1, but this year my man Jason Taylor is on. They always seem to have him dance last...build up I guess. He is SO smooth. It is going to be tough between him and Kristi. She is amazing, although, she is a skater, so she technically knows how to move. Surprisingly, Shannon Elizabeth is not half bad. This week she was a tad stiff, but overall, she is pretty good. I would SO love to be on that show. I'd want Mark or Eric as my partner. They are two cuties!

Don't forget to do your taxes!

6 words

I found this at Diary of a Modern Matriarch and could not resist the challenge. So here you go:

Life Story -
Don't want to miss a thing.

Birth Story -
A dream come true times two.

Want to try? Go to DoaMM and leave a link or just leave a comment on my blog. It's a lot of fun!

Blog Design Give-Away

A wonderful blog designer Delicious Design Studio is giving away her Full Blog Package for free! Yup, you read it right, FREE! This is something I would LOVE to win. Her designs are so artistic and beautiful. She is super creative and works her butt off. Take a peak over to her site, I know you will NOT be disappointed.

P.S. She is even giving away a second place prize.

8 lbs less

I weighed myself this morning before getting in the shower and I lost 8 lbs!!! YEAH!!! Can you tell I am VERY excited!!! I am looking forward to having another good week. I'll be at my goal weight before summer, I just know it.

Spring has arrived!

How beautiful was it yesterday? WOW! I think it was like 70+ degrees. We took the kids for breakfast at the dinner after soccer and then headed to Lowe's to get some flowers and bushes. Steve is very good at picking out that kind of stuff and he loves keeping the grounds looking nice. We bought a bunch of stuff and went back home to plant it. Steve and the kids planted the pansies in all the deck planters. When I came back outside, it looked like Spring in my backyard. So pretty. Purple and yellow flowers everywhere.

We spent the late afternoon at Walt and Laurie's watching the Yanks/Red Sox. The kids had a lot of together. The boys did boy things and Ava did her thing. Laurie has great educational toys, so Ava was playing with letters and blocks. She loved every minute of it. Walt cooked on the grill for the guys and kids and Laurie made delicious pizza for her and I. It was only 5 points per slice! The game went into a rain delay, so we all went over to the local ice cream shop. The kids had some ice cream and Walt and I got shakes. They make a great low fat vanilla shake. It's skim milk and no fat, no sugar vanilla frozen yogurt. MMMMMMMMMMMMM! When we got back to the house, the game was still in a delay but we hung for a little before taking the kids home for bed.

Why can't everyday be like today?

Just when I thought Dad could do it...

David had soccer again on Saturday. I am not sure what the weather was like by you, but it had rained Friday night so there was lots of mud and dampness. I asked Steve to take David to soccer and I waited at home with Ava. Soccer starts at 9 and ends at 10, but by 10:30 am , I still had not heard from them. So , I called Steve and they were JUST leaving the field. I asked him what was going on and he explained that he was talking to the coach of the team that David practiced with. I asked him what he meant and basically, David was with the WRONG TEAM! Steve did not remember the coach and thought this guy that he did remember from last week - was him. When David got home he was upset again! This time he had a reason. The team he practiced with were a bunch of 6 year olds and they were mean to him. Poor kid - he may be traumatized for good. I'll let you know.

Loving Panera Bread

So I started WW on Monday and have been doing good all week. Yesterday I celebrated a co-workers birthday at Ruby Tuesday and did my homework so I knew what I was eating before even walking in the restaurant. Today, I met a few friends for lunch at Panera and decided again, to do some research. I was BLOWN AWAY at how many options I had! The soups, salads and sandwiches are all very reasonable in the points value as per WW. I was in the mood for soup, so I had the low fat chicken noodle and a 1/2 chicken tomesto on whole grain. YUMMY! All that food for 7 points! They did give me a bag of chips that I was strong enough not to eat and brought home to the kids. Now - I just need to get through the weekend!

Out with another man!

I had the pleasure of meeting my cousins Jen and Ryan for lunch on Wednesday. We met at a local Applebee's so I could stay on my WW plan. Unfortuntely, we did not have a lot of time to spend together, but the time we did have was fun. Ryan is getting SO big. He is absolutely adorable. My kids never had hair when they were babies, but he sure does. I got to hold him and he is super snuggly and LIGHT! Jen looks great. Holly gave her a great haircut and she looks super happy. Next time we plan on meeting at an outdoor mall so we can walk around and enjoy the fresh air. Can't wait!

Kindergarten

Tuesday night Steve and I attended Kindergarten parent night in our township. After initially going to the wrong school, we arrived with enough time for us to learn what they expect of David and us for this coming school year. I have to admit, that aside from reading and writing, he is ahead of the game. I already knew I needed to work on his writing, but I did NOT realize how much reading they expect of Kindergarteners! They gave us a list of words that he should know by site so I will be drilling him on those. I also need to get back to the reading at bed time routine. I used to be real good at it, but I slacked off. The good thing is that I am so consumed with getting him ready that I am not yet in 'shock' that he is actually going. However, I know come August, I'll be a nervous wreck for him. Even though lately he acts like he hates me, he is my baby boy. He has grown up SO fast - especially since Ava has been born. I really wish I had the ability to take the summer off and spend it enjoying his company. He can be so much fun. I already feel that I have missed out on so much, but thinking about him going to Kindergarten makes me feel like I missed his whole 'babyhood'. :sigh:

So disappointed

I worked from home this morning so that I could attend David's Spring Concert at pre-school. Just when I was leaving to bring him to school, I realized that the concert was not at the time I thought it was. Last year, the concerts took place about 15 minutes after drop off. This time, it was not until 10:30 am which meant I could not attend. I still was able to drop him off at school, but was SO disappointed and upset that I could not return for the show. Steve, Ava and my Mom attended and said he did really well. Here are a few photos.

Needless to say, I felt guilt all day long. He seemed not to be bothered by the fact that I was not in attendance, which is good - I guess. Next month he has a few other school things going on that I am determined NOT to miss.

Just plain mean

I come home from a long day at work to be completely ignored! Ava was sleeping but David was sitting on the ottoman playing. I walk in and say 'Hi David, how are you feeling? I missed you today.' No response. So, I clean up around the house, talk to my Dad and go back to Mr. Mean for a kiss. I give him a kiss and he freaks! 'You are making bugars!' is what he tells me - what? My dad leaves and he barely said good bye to him. So, now it is just David and I. I go to the bathroom, get him a tissue and when I come back he tells me he does not want me to be home. He goes on to tell me he did not miss me and will not think about me anymore. Again - what? When he was wiping his nose, he got a piece of tissue in his mouth and he proceeds to SPIT on my floor. I warn him once but he continues to do it. My next move is to put him in time out. Now he tells me he wants to be with MomMom and Gramps. I tell him that even though he is very mean, that I still love him and he has made me VERY sad. Ava woke up before time out was over so I went up changed my clothes and got her from her crib. When we came down, his time out was over. He treated me a tiny bit better, but was still a big brat. I do not know what his problem is/was. All I do know, is that he is breaking my heart. What happened to my baby boy?

Peanut Oil?

This afternoon I wanted to get out of the house and go for a ride in Steve's new vehicle. We loaded up the kids and went to a local flea market. I am not a 'flea market' person, but Steve wanted to show David the old Star Wars toys that were sold there. When we arrived, it was very overcast, so most of the vendors were leaving or had left. We took a quick look around - saw there was nothing worth looking at - and got back in the car. I told Steve to hop on Rt. 9 south and we'd grab something to eat. A Cheeburger Cheeburger recently opened in Manalapan so we thought we'd go there. We had been to one back in 2004 while visiting my sister in FL. We got a front row spot, and I noticed a sign on the door. It read "All fried foods cooked in peanut oil". Now, that is a HUGE problem. Both Steve and David have SEVERE nut allergies and Ava can't be tested until she is 3. I went inside to grab a menu and see of there was anything they could have. The hostess told me we should not risk it when I explained my concern. So, I went back to the truck with the report. We decided to go somewhere else, so that my whole family did not die of analphylactic shock.
I can not believe that in this day and age, with all the nut (especially peanut) allergies there are, that a restaurant would cook with it. I mean, the chinese restaurants stopped using it as to not lose customers - why would a chain of restaurants START using it. What if a person was not aware that they had the allergy and ate there! As a restaurant, I would not want to take that risk. I will be writing an email to the franchise tomorrow.

Proud

We started our day with David playing soccer. He did REAL well. I thought he looked so adorable is his uniform. He thought he looked cool. His coach is a real nice guy with an English accent. David loved that he called him 'Mate'. There was a bit of confusion at the end of the hour long practice so David left the field in tears, but he soon recovered. We are all looking forward to next week.

The rest of the day we spent used truck shopping for Steve. On our way to dinner Friday, we stopped at a local used car lot and saw a few trucks that caught Steve's eye. Yesterday he wanted to see what else was out there. We found nothing. Every car dealer we stopped at had their used trucks priced so high - it was ridiculous. We ended up back where we started. Steve chose the 2000 GMC Sierra! It is a beautiful truck and has everything we/he was looking for. Low mileage, crew cab, power everything - all the things he does not have now. David walked with him to pick it up (that is how close this place is). Here are some photos of them coming home. Good luck babe!

Just a few things...

• Steve's team lost it's first game and he was pissed!
• The pregnant man story is very interesting to me after having seen him on Oprah.
• The kids got to spend the day down the shore with my Mom.
• I found a use truck for Steve on cars.com.
• If the rain stays away, David has his 1st soccer practice tomorrow.
• Steve and I are going to dinner tonight to celebrate our Anniversary.

Enjoy your Friday.

Let the games begin

This afternoon Steve's baseball team will play it's first game of the season. They were rained out on Tuesday so I am hoping the weather holds up for them today. SCVTHS will be traveling up to Sussex Tech. I wish them luck with their season! This means that he'll be getting home pretty late, so I'll take the kids out to dinner. I'll let David decide where we go - he is so picky.
Good luck Jags!

Ava takes a tumble

down a flight of stairs! Don't ask me to explain why I could not stop it, cause I can't. One minute I am putting the towels away and the next minute I am running down the stairs to get to Ava. I even watched it happen in what seeemed like slow motion, but could not get to her. The weird part was that she did not fall head over feet. She actually fell sideways, which I think was a better way to go. She also did it slow enough (if that is even possible to imagine) that she never smacked her head or face. When I finally got to her, she was crying (thank God) as was I and I was shaking. I got her to calm down and then she was out of it. She had her eyes open, but she was pale and very sleepy. I thought I needed to call the peds office, so I did and got a nurse. She told me to take Ava to the ER to get her checked out. I packed the kids in the car and drove to the hospital. It was a complete ordeal to park and get to the ER, but we did. After signing in, they had us wait in the peds ER waiting room, which meant toys. I gave strict instructions to David that there will be NO playing with germ infested toys. He was pissed, but I could not care. Steve showed up about 1/2 hour after we got there. We waited a long while before even seeing the triage nurse. She took Ava's temp, BP and pulse - all were good. Back to the waiting room we went. By this time, Ava was back to her old self and did not want to wait anymore. Plus, everyone was starving. We finally get called in to be examined but there are no rooms, so we were in the 'hallway' by the nurses station. Ava is all over the nurses station - pushing buttons, trying to use the phone, picking up charts - crazy. The nurse checks in with us and tell us the Dr. should be over soon. When the Dr. finally arrives, he asks me a few questions, checks Ava's ears and tells us she is fine. 15 minutes later we are discharged. I was very glad to know she was fine. It was a scary turn of events. My poor little girl.

We're pregnant!

Can you believe it? We can't. After we had Ava we swore she would be the last. SURPRISE! However, that is not the biggest shock. We are having twins!! The fact that Steve and I are still breathing after getting the news is shocking. We will need a bigger house for sure. Here are some pictures...

HAPPY APRIL FOOL'S DAY!!!!!

If you believed me, I have a brige I can sell you :)