Mid Week Mayhem

It sure was a beautiful day - even though I spent 95% of it inside. I did take a few minutes to sit in my car at lunch with the windows open to enjoy some of it. I wrote David's birthday party invites while relaxing. I made myself a fill, wax and pedi appointment after work after checking with my Mother that she didn't mind staying late. My appointment was for 5 pm, but I arrived at 4:50 pm and was taken right away. Do you know what time I got home? About 7:20 pm! I thought my poor Mom was going to have a heart attack. David was in the front yard when I pulled up and he proceeds to tell me I should punish him for hitting Ava. As I am walking to the back door, I hear Ava crying. David and I walk in the kitchen to find my Mom feeding Ava who has huge red blotches on her face - especially by her eye. The kitchen looks like a bomb hit it because my Mom took everything out of the desk drawers so Ava would not harm herself, plus Ava's dinner blew up in the microwave! I told my Mom to be on her way and that I was super sorry it was so late. I finished feeding Ava and got the kids ready for bed. I had to give Ava Benedryl and then her bottle before putting her down for the night. When I came downstairs, I gave David his PJ's and I went into make us dinner and clean up. David was a VERY good boy for me. He put his pj's on and ate his dinner. He even helped me do some paper work for my Dad. He was so proud of himself he called his Gramps to let him know all the work he did. We played a game of soccer and before I knew it, he fell asleep on the couch. WHEW! What a day.
WAIT...before I forget...Happy 30th Birthday Mike! I wish we were in AZ with you to celebrate.

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Most beautiful concert

I had the honor of attending the Mom's Day concert at David's school this morning. All the Mom's were there and the kids did a beautiful job! The smiles on their faces and the way they sang their songs showed how proud of themselves and their Mom's they are. At the end of the concert, each kid handed their Mom the gifts they made for them. One of the gifts was the storycard I helped them make last week. The teacher informed the Mom's that I was the one that worked with the kids on them. Each Mom thanked me and said how much they loved it. I was so happy to hear that.

3 lbs down

As I mentioned, I weighed myself Saturday morning and had lost 2 lbs for the week. However, I a am creature of habit, so when I got up this morning, I weighed myself again. I lost 1 more lb! So that is a total of 3 for the week. I am VERY happy. I was starting to think I was doing all this for nothing.

Sunny Sunday

This morning was cloudy and cool and I really thought we'd have a crappy weather day again, but I was pleasantly surprised by 11 am. We took the kids outside and Steve began to do some work on the deck. We had lunch outside and the kids loved that. Later in the afternoon, Steve went to Lowe's to buy a new lawn mower and some wood for the job he is doing on the deck. The new lawn mower did a great job on the front lawn. I cooked hamburgers and hot dogs on the grill for dinner, but we ate inside this time because it was getting cool.

I totally enjoyed having NOTHING to do today.

Back to the cold

I took David to soccer this morning and Ava came along too. Steve was working so I had no choice. Luckily, I have really cool Grandparents and they came to the field to watch David. It helped me out - especially when David had to make a pit stop. David did very well in soccer today. He really enjoys playing goalie. After practice I let him play on the playground - even though it was FREEZING cold and misting.

Steve got home around 1 pm and took a well deserved nap. I had to wake him up to watch the kids so I could shower and get ready to take David to a birthday party. I told Steve before we left, that I would call him when I left the party and that we'd all have dinner at Chili's.

The birthday party was really fun. It was held at Bounce U in Morganville. David had a blast. My friend Jenn was there with her kids and David and Drew get along real well. They played together the entire time we were there. I must admit I had a great time too. I got to see and catch up with some of the ladies that I never get a chance to see. The party lasted longer than Steve or I expected but I was home to pick him up for Chili's before 7 pm.

There was a wait at Chili's, but although they told us an hour, I think we were seated in 15 minutes. Dinner was delicious and I even stuck to my diet. Speaking of which, I weighed myself this morning and lost 2 lbs! Even with the crappy weather, we had a super Saturday.

First day on the NEW schedule

Yesterday marked the beginning of a new life style for us Boettger's. I got up, showered and got ready for work. When I left the house Steve, David and Ava were still asleep. Steve called me around 9 am to say Good Morning and let me know they were up and eating breakfast. He took the kids and dropped off his new truck (yet again) to get fixed and pick up a loaner. After lunch, he put Ava down for a nap and got ready to leave for work. My Mom showed up about 1:30 pm to take over and Steve went to work. I got home around 4:30 pm and took over for my Mom. We played a little bit and I fed them dinner. Before long, it was nighty night time for Ava. David was on the computer and I re-organized some of my scrap room. Then I did some CM work and updated my scrap blog. David and I watched a little TV together and at about 10:30 pm I headed up stairs to put David in his bed and get ready for bed myself. Just as I got to the top of the stairs, Ava started screaming. I went in to see what was wrong and when I turned around David was waiting for me! We all climbed into my bed and Steve called saying he was half way home. By the time Steve got home David was sleeping but not Ms. Ava. She went right over to her 'Dada' and I snuck away to wach my face. I practically fell asleep as soon as my head hit the pillow, but I do remember Steve putting Ava back in her crib. Overall, the day went well. I was told by a little mouse with the initials DSB that 'Daddy does not want his promotion any more because Ava is SO bad'. When I asked 'Daddy' about it, he admitted to making that statement, but only in the heat of the moment. We shall see....

Momma Cat

Remember that 'kitten' we had coming around? Well, it turns out she is no kitten, but she is pregnant! There is no way we could help her out anymore so my Mom called the Animal Rescue and they picked her up yesterday morning. They assured my Mom they would take good care of her and her kittens. Ava was home and was able to say good-bye, but David was at school. He was a bit sad when he found out she wouldn't be coming around anymore, but I think deep down he understood. When I called Steve to let him know, he was happy as a clam. He is so NOT a cat person.

Not quite prepared

Tonight is the Somerset County Scholar athlete dinner at the DoubleTree hotel. I have gone with Steve almost every year that he's been coaching. Originally he told me that I was invited again this year, but last week he was informed that there were not enough tickets. So, when I got dressed and came to work this morning, I had NO intention of going to the dinner. Well, at about 8:30 am Steve called to tell me that the Principal found me a ticket. I called my Mom to see if she could stay with the kids and of course she said 'No Problem'. My dilemma: I had nothing but the clothes on my back to wear. Next time I talked to Steve, I told him I would attend but that I had to do so in my work clothes. He assured me that it was fine. I mean, I did have on black pants, a black button down shirt and black shoes. Not horrible, but nothing special either. My plan is to do a little window shopping before heading over to the hotel which is around the corner from my office. I am glad I get to spend the evening with Steve because tomorrow night is his first 2:30 pm to 10:30 pm shift!

Class Mom

I took the day off today so I could go into David's class and make Mother's Day cards with them. I used my CM story cards and brought along some page completetion kits, adhesive, pens, my camera and my new printer. I had printed out Happy Mother's Day and a dragonfly design last night for the front of each card. This morning I took each kids photo, printed it and had them help me with the card. They signed their name and decorated with stickers. The cards came out real cute. I think all the Mom's will be happy.

David was a good boy while I was there. I think he enjoyed having me in the class with him. When I went to pick him up, his teacher told me he was sad when I left and he agreed. I felt bad but we soon got over it.

It felt really good to be able to play Class Mom today.

Zero

That is how many pounds I lost this week. I was talking to Steve and I think that I am going to make Friday my new weigh in day. It seems that when I save my points for the weekend and I weight myself on Monday, I lose nothing. At this point I am willing to try anything. I also hope to get back on the treadmill this week. My foot is healing...but still hurting.

Have to do this more often

We helped Steve's Aunt Dottie and Uncle Walter celebrate their 60th wedding anniversary this afternoon. It started with a mass at St. Mary's church in Dumont where they renewed their vows. The priest had all their children and grandchildren join them at the alter during the prayer - it was a very nice event. After church they had about 60 people back at thier house for some food and fun. Now even though this side of Steve's family lives in NJ, they are about an hour away (without traffic) so we do not see them often at all. It was so nice to spend some time with them. He has so many cousins - I could not keep track! It made his Aunt and Uncle very happy that Steve's parents, Tracey and her family and Steve and his family could celebrate with them. The only problem with the whole day, was they had a cat and Steve and David were a mess! Steve's asthma was real bad and David had welts on his head. We left about 3 pm and walked out with Tracey and Rich. Once we got on the road, Steve asked me if I wanted to meet up with Tracey and Rich for dinner, so I called Tray. We decided to meet up at Houlihan's for a bite to eat. I think it was the best part of the day. We never get to do things like this with them because we live so far and have so much stuff going on. I'd love to do things like that with them more often. I have to say, I really had a great time today.

We have visitors

We started the morning with Steve taking David to soccer. It was very damp and nasty out, so I kept Ava at home. More for the selfish reason of not wanting to chase her around in the mud, but also to keep her from harming herself. She tends to think she is a 4 year old boy :) After practice, the boys came home and picked us up for a trip to the diner for breakfast. When we got home, I jumped in the shower and Ava took a nap. At about 1:30 pm, Steve's parents arrived. They had been in PA visiting Tracey, Rich and the kids and we were next on the list. The kids were so excited to see them! The first thing David wanted to do was show his PopPop how to play Wii. They played bowling and golf. Before long, Laurie, Walter and Tom stopped over to say Hi. Steve's parents had never met Tom before. Of course, David and Tom spent the whole time playing - which was just fine. Shortly after they left, the 6 of us went out to dinner at Luchento's in Millstone. We had a nice booth in the corner - perfect for the kids. With the exception of my Mother-in-law not feeling well, the dinner was great. Food was delicious as always. When we arrived back home, Steve made coffee for his Dad because I rushed us out of the restaurant. Ava has a short window of opportunity when out to dinner and it ran out by the time dessert and coffee would have been served. The kids played until Ava went to bed and we soon followed. Busy day tomorrow.

Nice surprise

I took the kids out when I got home and thought I'd grab us some dinner. Steve had an away baseball game and was going to be home late - or so he thought. When I pulled into the parking lot of the outdoor mall, Steve called. He was already getting on Easton Ave, which meant he was a little less than half way home. I told him we'd walk around the shops until he could get to us. It did not take long. We planned on eating mexican at Salsarita's, but David wanted a sandwich from Panera Bread. So, we ordered David's sandwich to go and went to Salsarita's so we could eat. I had a shrimp quesadilla and a few tortilla chips and Steve had a beef burrito. They have really good food and it's quick. David enjoyed his sandwich and Ava ate some of Steve's burrito. After we went home and got ready for bed. Ava was exhausted. I was very glad Steve got done early and could join us.

Movin' on up

I would like to take this time to congratulate my dear hubby on his PROMOTION!!!! YEAH!!!! He's been at SCVTHS since September of 1996 and worked his way from security guard to utility worker to foreman. Along the way he has coached soccer and baseball - taking the baseball team to consecutive winning seasons. He is a very hard working guy that is not afraid to try something even if he is not sure he can do it. It is nice to know that his boss and other higher ups see that he is worth promoting. He'll start his new position on May 1 to get some exerience before the guy he is replacing retires. He is getting a nice raise and then his yearly raise on top of that July 1. With all good things, there are always consequences and in this case, has to do with Steve's new work schedule. Come May 1, his hours will be 2:30 pm to 10:30 pm. Now, this is both good and bad. It's good because my Mom will get a nice break from taking care of the kids for 10 hours a day to about 3 hours a day and Steve will get to spend a lot more time with the kids. It's bad because Steve and I will spend A LOT less time together. However, I think we can manage. He'll still have his weekends free, which is a plus. He'll also be giving up coaching baseball which he was probably going to do before getting the promotion, but now HAS to do. I know he really enjoys it and even more, the kids love him...but there is no way with that schedule he can do both. Like I said, consequences.

So, won't you join me in congratulating my hubs?

Congratulations babe! You always told me you'd make your way to the top and I never doubted you. Good luck in the new position. The kids and I are very proud of you. We love you to the moon and back :)

Maybe it's a sign

I have always been one to try to do too much at one time. Until recently, I have always been able to have more than 3 things on my plate and not have any issues. Lately I have been feeling like I can not do it anymore, but yet I still attempt to. Tonight has caused me to realize that I need to slow down. After I made 2 CM deliveries the kids and I came home and I started to clean the house. The house needed to be cleaned and my Mom was hosting a play date tomorrow. I started by vacuuming the rugs and sweeping the hard wood floors - all while making dinner for the kids and feeding them. Next I hand washed the kitchen floor and moved on to dusting. By this time, Steve had gotten home and took the kids with him to drop of his truck to the dealer (whole nother story). Another CM customer called to see if she could drop by and pick up some tape runner refill so I went and got that together. Steve and the kids came home just as my customer arrived. I went outside to talk to her and give her the product all the while listening to Ava cry. When I came back inside, I took the kids upstairs to get their PJ's on. On our way back down stairs, I tripped over David with Ava in my right arm and started to fall head first down the stairs. My instinct was not to let Ava get hurt, so I grabbed the wall column with my left arm and the next thing I knew, Ava and I were on the ground and I was in A LOT of pain. Ava was fine...just scared. I could not move. I was not sure what hurt the most - my arm, my knee, my toe or my ass. Steve took Ava and calmed her down while I hobbled over to the couch. I realized that most of the pain was in my toe. Steve got me some ice, but that even hurt. David sat with me and to make me feel better - he even lent me his puppy for comfort. Steve had to put Ava to bed for me - I could not make it back up the stairs. We came to the conclusion that my toe is probably broken and I am going to be VERY sore. I am not looking forward to how I am going to feel in the morning. The only good that came out of this, is that I know that I need to slow down and not try to be SuperMom - I finally realize that now. Too bad it took PAIN to get me there.

Bad start, better ending

Boy - was I grumpy this morning. I walked again - YEAH for ME, but I was not as happy and energized by it as I was Monday. Don't get me wrong, I was happy that I got up and did it, but it did not help my mood. By the end of the work day, I felt better. While I was reading from my blog list, I was asked by DoaMM how I was going to celebrate Earth Day. To be completely honest, I did not realize it was Earth Day until reading her blog. As I get ready in the morning, I have no contact with the outside world or I would run late. On my way to work I listen to Howard and he was not talking about Earth Day (as you can imagine). So, when I read her question, I felt inspired to do something. When I got home, I packed up the diaper bag with some snacks and the car with some games and the kids and drove over to the Rutgers Gardens. I layed out a blanket and we enjoyed our snacks and talked about what we saw and heard. David hit some baseballs around and Ava did a lot of discovering. I found out how much my daughter is like me. She HATED the grass touching her feet. That is SO me. Give me beach sand over grass ANY DAY. Unfortunately, this killed my plan for a walk around the garden, but it all worked out as it was starting to get chilly. We packed the car back up and I drove them over to another area of the Gardens to see the dogs. I think we all really enjoyed our Earth Day. Thank you DoaMM for the idea!

No loss, but no gain

This morning was weigh in. I did not lose any weight, but I did not gain any either. I should count my lucky stars too that I did not gain. I had all good intensions on Saturday night when going to dinner, but after 3 margaritas I was STARVING and had a HUGE dinner complete with appetizer - YIKES! So, one meal off the wagon is not too bad - right? Well, when I woke up Sunday with a hangover, the english muffin I ate did not cut it. We drove thru Mickey D's and I had a hash brown and bacon, egg & cheese mc muffin. I did not stop there. Seeing as how I blew my diet, I continued at dinner. We took the kids to ShoGun for hibachi. I had the steak, chicken and shrimp dinner. It was absolutely delicious! Due to this, I decided to up the ante. I woke up at 5:30 am and got my lazy ass on the treadmill for 30 minutes. I walked 1.75 mi - not too bad. I have to admit...it felt pretty good. So, not only am I going to stick with my diet, I will walk on the treadmill each morning. I hope to have some better results by next Monday.

Playing catch up

The kids spent an afternoon at the park and with the cat during the week - thought I'd share some photos.

It's a beautiful day

The kids and I had a really great day today. I started my morning with a pedicure and even though I had to drag the kids along, I enjoyed it. They were actually pretty well behaved. On our way to the shore, I stopped at my favorite mall - The Shoppes at Old Bridge - to pick up something to wear to dinner tonight. There were a pair of clam digger jeans that NY & Co. had on their website that I HAD TO HAVE. Of course, I found a bunch of other items to purchase as well. From there, I stopped in GAP Kids/Baby GAP. I wanted to get Ava a pair of flip flops with the strap that holds them on. She has 'fake crocs' that are giving her a blister. Again, I found way more than I was looking for. Instead of the flip flops (they did not have her size) I got her 2 pairs of jelly sandals. To die for. All the clothes I picked up were on sale, can't beat it. Now we were ready for the beach. We drove to my parents, picked them up and went to lunch at The Breaker's. After our bellies were full we walked across the street to the beach. This was Ava's first time at the beach since she could walk. When I first put her down, she was not too sure, but she soon warmed up to it. My parents brought the sand toys and the kids played and played. David and I walked to the water. It was so calm and peaceful but REALLY COLD. David put his feet in, I could not. Once we left the beach, my Mom, Ava and I dropped off the boys and went dress shopping in Sea Girt. My Mom has a wedding to go to and was having a hard time finding something. I peaked in the GAP while she was at Coldwater Creek (not my cup of tea) and came out with 2 shirts, a pair on jeans and a dress! ALL ON SALE. My Mom did get a nice dress at Talbot's. Back at my parents, I showered and got ready to meet up with our friends for dinner. We met Matt & Kerry at Craig's in Brick. Dinner was delicious and the company was great. I had 2 more margaritas than I should, but what the hell - it was fun. I look forward to meeting up with them again soon.

Here are some pictures from the beach: