Date Night

I decided to find us a babysitter and take the hard working hubby out for dinner tonight. He came home a bit early last night hoping we could grab a bite to eat, but it did not work out, so I made it a point to do it tonight. I was able to get the brother of the babysitter down the street to come watch the kids for about 2 1/2 hours. When we left, we planned on going to BoneFish, but when we got there, there was a 2 hour wait. So we drove over to the Sayreville Bar. We had to wait there too, but it was only about 15/20 minutes. We sat at the bar and had a drink before heading over to our table. I had fish on the brain, so I ordered the seafood combo and Steve got the king cut prime rib. His dinner was gigantic! They have a real nice soup and salad bar that we stuffed ourselves with prior to dinner. We had a great time and really enjoyed each others company. I want to make this a bi-monthly event. I know we need it. When we got home the kids were waiting for us. Steve walked the babysitter home and I put Ava to bed. She was exhausted seeing as it was 2 hours past her bedtime. I got David into his pj's and he cuddled up to me on the couch. It was a great night.

Side note: I entered Ava into the Baby with the Crazy Hair contest...

A bump in the road

This morning I dropped David off at Laurie's house on my way to work. She was going to drive David too and from school with Tom to help Steve and my Mom out. My Mom was to be at our house by 9, so Steve could get to work early and make up some time he missed due to baseball. Well, I get a call from Steve at 8:45 am informing me that my Mom's car battery died and he and Ava were going to ride down to her so he could get her car started and leave Ava with her. I made a phone call to my Grandparents to see if they could come watch Ava, but they had plans. So, Steve went to my Mom's, got her all set and drove to work. He did not get there until 11:30 am, but his baseball game this afternoon ws rained out, so he can still make up some time. Even with the best layed plans, things can get screwed up. The important thing is, everyone is fine and where they should be.

Except maybe for me...I am still at work!

Missed

Today marks 1 week that Steve has been working nights. I have to admit, I miss him more than I thought I would. The first few nights seemed to go by rather quickly and I was able to stay awake until he got home. That has warn off fast. The nights so go by pretty fast, but I am SO tired that I fall asleep before he comes home. When I leave in the morning, everyone is still asleep - which makes me NOT want to leave - but cuddle up with them instead. I am now looking forward to the weekends MUCH more.

By the way, in case you were curious, Steve is still coaching baseball until the season is over. As of tonight, they are 7-8. I hope he can finish the season with a winning record to help him feel better about this being his last year.

I miss you babe.

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.

Contest for Foodies or C&B fans

Head on over to Chop, Stir, Mix for a shot to win some Crate & Barrel items and possibly an AMEX gift card. While you are there check out what they have to offer...you won't be disappointed.

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:

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 :)

Pictures from the weekend

Presents for my Anniversary. Prizes from the circus. Darth Vader in Toys R Us.

Wanna win a prize?

I have a Give-Away going on at my Scrap Blog. I changed the deadline because I was bad a promoting it. Enter your comment by Friday 4/4/08. I'll choose a winner at random.
Good luck!
Oh yeah, pass this info on to your friends...

We made it to the circus...

but we probably should have stayed home. David told us he felt fine, but he ended up with a belly ache. Ava felt ok, but was not ready for a train ride or the circus. We left the circus at intermission and walked to Toys R Us in Times Square. I had promised him we'd go there. Ava fell asleep in the stroller on the walk over and missed the big toy store. David had a grand ole time in the Lego section. Last time we were there it was so crowded we just walked past the display. This time he got to go in and really check everything out. He loved it and was so good. We had planned on grabbing dinner, but there was a wait at all the restaurants worth going to. Instead, we headed home. I did have a good time, but I am not so sure about the rest of the family.

Still sick

Not much to report...the kids are still sick. We have tickets to the Ringling Bros. circus at MSG in NYC tomorrow. Probably not be able to go. :sigh: I hope to have a better post tomorrow.

Victim #2

At 2:30 am this morning I heard the words "Mommy, I threw up in your bed". My thought -OH CRAP! - luckily however I did not react that way and was calm as I got out of bed. Steve turned on the light to find that he had in fact puked, but it was not all that much/bad. Steve cleaned David and the bed as I found clean sheets for my bed and David's sleeping bag. Just as Steve was getting up for work, he puked again on our rug and his pillow. David got back in my bed with a towel under him and Steve cleaned up the mess. When I was brushing my teeth for work, David came into the bathroom to get sick. My poor Mom was left to deal with two very sick kids. Ava's diarrhea was really bad, but at least she was not puking. Well, that was true when I left for work. When I called my Mom after lunch, Ava and David were puking and crapping. I could not leave this all to my Mom, so I left my office and worked the rest of the day from home. Ava was really really sick when I got home, so I called the Dr. and was able to get an appt for 5:15 pm. According to the Dr., she has a really bad virus. No food today. Just Pedialyte for both kids. Poor little things. Oh, yeah, and in case you did not know...today is Steve and my 9th wedding anniversary. Happy Anniversary babe!

Father knows best

I do not make that statement often when referring to my dearest husband, but last night it was SO true. I arrived home from work to find my baby girl feeling 95% better. Her fever was gone and she was back to her party girl self. Steve let me know that she still had the diarrhea and it did not take long for me to figure that out for myself. Aside from that she was all good. I made her rice cereal for dinner and she ate the whole bowl. She and David played for a while and by 8 pm she was exhausted. I decided that she could have 'a little' milk in her bottle before bed. Steve told me I shouldn't, but I figured 1/2 a bottle would be OK. Well, at 12:30 am, I found out Steve was right. I woke up to him shouting 'Oh Shit' and he meant it. My poor baby girl. She was COVERED in diarrhea. I tried my best to get her clothes off without making a bigger mess - it was almost impossible. I quickly filled the tub with water to wash her down while Steve put the sheets and her blankets in the wash. Just as I was about to put the soap on her, she goes in the tub! I quickly removed her from the bath tub and washed out the tub. She still needed to be cleaned up so Steve helped me shower her down. As Steve was remaking her crib, I got her redressed. She was so tired - along with Steve and I - that we let her sleep with us. We did not want her to crap all over our bed, so we laid a towel under her. She slept like a log and when I left this morning, she was still sleeping with no sign of a mess. It was not too smart of me to give her that milk...I should have listened to the hubs. :sigh:

Who does this?

It seems as though Ava came down with a virus on Sunday after we left my Aunt's in Lavalette. However, I was not having it and made it worse. Here is a recap:

3:00 pm - Ava drinks 7 oz of milk
3:05pm - Ava pukes & craps
3:15 pm - Ava is cleaned up and has new outfit on
3:30 pm - All 4 of us leave for Easter dinner
3:55 pm - Ava pukes all over herself and car seat on way to restaurant
4:00 pm - Arrive in restaurant parking lot, remove Ava and car seat
4:05 pm - Ava is cleaned up and has new outfit on
4:10 pm - Sit down to dinner with Cara's parents;Cara asks restaurant for HUGE garbage bag
4:15 pm - Dinner is ordered;Steve goes outside to put nasty car seat in HUGE garbage bag
4:45 pm - Dinner is served
5:05 pm - Ava pukes
5:06 pm - Steve and Ava (shirtless) leave restaurant
5:08 pm - Cara tries to clean up puke - tells waitress;Cara and David leave restaurant
5:12 pm - Ava (in onzie) sits in David's car seat, David sits without a car seat, Cara sits in backseat for ride home
5:45 pm - Ava gets bath
6:30 pm - Dessert guests arrive
7:30 pm - Ava pukes
7:45 pm - Ava goes to bed

Question #1: Why did I take my child out of the house after she puked and had explosive poop?

Question #2: Why did I entertain 12 dessert guests after she threw up the 3rd time?

Answer to all: I am friggin CRAZY and need to see a counselor.

My poor baby girl is still under the weather, although I am happy to report she has not puked again since that final episode Sunday night at 7:30 pm. She had diarea yesterday and a fever today and yesterday. My wonderful Mom called the pediatrician today and this is going around. Surprisingly enough, we are treating it correctly. Gatorade, rice cereal and cheerios. No milk. I am hoping she kicks this soon. It is so sad to see her so blah. She is usually the life of the party!

Happy Easter!

The Easter bunny made a stop at our house...

Waiting for the Bunny!

Some photos of the kids dying Easter eggs earlier this week. They came out very nice. The kids are all excited about Easter. Of course, Ava is not sure why she is excited...but David sure knows why. He actually asked me if the Easter Bunny will be bringing him Xbox 360. I firmly told him 'no friggin way'. Is he crazy or what? This was after I had ran around in the afternoon trying to find him the Turtle webkinz he wanted. I was not able to get the Turtle, but I did get a retired Racoon and was invited to the Webkinz party at the end of April. So looking forward to that!

Before I went Webkinz hunting, I got my nails done. They were LONG over due. I made an appt for 10:30 am at the place where I ALWAYS go. To my surprise the salon was under new ownership and remodeled. However, that was not the biggest surprise. The fact that I was there for 2+ hours and paid $45 for a fill was the ultimate SURPRISE. I could not believe it. I bet you can tell I won't be making another appt with them. My nails do look nice, but I do not have the time or the money to keep that up.

Good Friday = Day Off!

Steve and I both had today off. That is according our work calendars. I did not go to work today. Steve did. He was asked to put in some overtime and we could always use some extra cash, so he went to work. I will admit I was pissed at first but when I thought about it more, he did the right thing. After a screaming match with the kids - we took a ride out to bring Steve some lunch. I picked up Wendy's and we ate with him in the school cafeteria. Steve was glad we decided to surprise him. There were some things I wanted shop for so we hit up the Bridgewater mall which is practically across the street from Steve's school. The kids were pretty well behaved. We visited the Lego store, Build a Bear, Gymboree, NY & Co., The Disney Store, Bath and Body Works and Victoria Secret. I bought David a box of Star Wars legos and a Giants outfit for one of his bears as a gift for his good report at the Parent Teacher conference. For myself I got an outfit for Easter and for both the kids got something to wear on Easter as well. The day flew by and before I knew it, Steve was home from work.
Hope you enjoyed your day!

Stopped the meds

When I got home from work on Tuesday my box of vitamins had been delivered. I took all 8 pills with my dinner. Some of them need to be take with food, so I figured I'd take them all that way. I did not take the Depakote that night. So far, so good. No headaches Wed or today. Not that you want to know this, but my pee is neon yellow! I hope this vitamin thing works...I'll keep you posted.

Parent Teacher Conference

This morning I attended David's Spring Parent Teacher conference. I was unable to attend his fall one, so his teacher and I did a phone one. I felt so out of touch that I knew I needed to attend the Spring one in person. I am SO glad I did. His teacher was very sweet and had nothing but nice things to say about David. He has improved so much since the fall. His areas that still need work are penmenship and coloring. Those came as no surprise to me. He NEVER wants to color and I can tell his handwriting is bad. My Mom and I both work with him on it, but like any kid...it's not what he wants to be doing at ANY time. The teacher did mention that he and Patrick often act silly, but not disruptive. I am glad he and Patrick are friends. He is a sweet boy and has very nice parents. As we were finishing up, I asked if I could come in and do a scrapbooking project with the kids and she was thrilled. I am going in to the class in late April and we're going to create a Mother's Day project! I can not wait! I knew I would be happy I attended in person.

Great movie

Over the weekend I watched 2 movies. That is VERY rare for me - I either do not have the time or the patience. I recently signed up for Netflix - which I was surprised I did. I know a few people that use it and love it, so I thought I'd try it. It sounded easy to use and there are many movies that I want to see. The first movie we got was Bourne Ultimatum. I LOVED it. It was SO good and entertaining. I am not a huge Matt Damon fan, but he is fantastic in these movies. I highly recommend it. I also watched Hannibal Rising. Steve bought it for me for Christmas. The movie was good, but the book was MUCH better and informative. I thought the movie was too short and if you did not read the book - you would have been lost - like Steve was. The 'Hannibal' books and movies are my VERY favorite storyline - but I was a little disappointed in Hannibal Rising the movie.

Happy St. Pat's!

I hope you enjoy this day o' green! I like this holiday much better when it is on the weekend. I do not eat corned beef or cabbage, but I do like having a cocktail or two! I am WAY past the stage of getting drunk during the week, so I guess having 1 wine cooler before bed will be my St. Pat's Day celebration - WOO HOO!!

An early Easter

Yes, Easter is VERY early as it is this year, but we celebrated even earlier. We spent the weekend with Tracey, Rich and the kids in PA and did our Easter thing this morning. Rich made reservations at Brickside Grill for brunch. The food there is VERY good. They made omeletes and pancakes to order and there are tons of other things on the buffet. I had a crab, tomato, cheese and bacon omelete and plain pancakes. Not to mention sausage, hash browns and LOTS of sweet treats. Ava sure enjoyed the sausage. I think she had 3 links! After brunch we went back to their house. I had bought the kids scrapbook kits for Xmas and Ty really wanted my help getting started. This was the perfect afternoon to do that. He picked out the photos he wanted to use and I helped him decorate his pages. We brainstormed to come up with his journaling. He did a really cool job. He did half the book before I left. I am looking forward to seeing the final result.

Happy Scrappin'!

Today I held my National Scrapbooking Event from 9 to 5 in my home. I did not have a ton of people, but I did have GREAT people. All the scrappers that attended did very well - I think a total of 40 pages got completed. I gave away 3 exclusive CM prizes. Lunch was delicious - although my poor Mom had to take a trip back to Panera Bread for the missing pickles and cookies. Thanks Mom! It was a very nice day. I am looking forward to the next one.

Vitamins? Really?

Yesterday was my check up appointment with the Neurologist. Now, back in the beginning of February at my first appointment, he switched me from Topamax to Depakote and fore-warned me that a side effect is weight gain. I did not like hearing that, but thought, I'll just eat right and exercise. YEAH RIGHT! I learned that my FAT ASS gained 7 lbs in 5 weeks! OH MY GOD! I am not going to pretend that I had no idea...I mean my pants are SO tight I am surprised I have not split them or popped a button. I just did not think my appetite had changed that much. The good news is he has taken me off the Depakote and put me on a vitamin regimen. Yes, that is right - vitamins. Now - if you know me - you know that I do not eat veggies and do not take vitamins. So, this a a very new concept for me. I hope they do not taste bad, because this regimen will stop immediately. I ordered the vitamins I need from vitacost.com - they were VERY reasonably priced. Especially the CoQ10. That is so damn expensive! I will stop the Depakote and start the vitamin once I get them in the mail. Wish me luck!

Small amount of blog hopping

I so wanted to do more, but I only got to read a few new blogs last night. The ones I read were very cute and interesting. There are SO many great prizes to be one during this party - WOW! I entered one last night for a framed photo. So cool. My plan is to read a little more tonight. Now let's just see if the rest of the house allows this to occur.

We're in the money! Well, not really, but we did get our federal rebate today. I paid the State their damn money (not happy about that as you can tell). I also paid off our new kitchen furniture from Crate and Barrel and most of my Gap card. I kept a few dollars in the checking account so we are not completely broke ;)

Wanna party?

I am a tad late, but I have decided to PARTY! There is a Blog Party going on and you are invited. 5 minutes for Mom is hosting this party and it looks like a lot of fun. If you've landed here from the party, allow me to introduce myself and family.
I am a working mother of 2 - Ava, 16 months and David, 4 years. I am married to a fabulous man, Steve and we'll celebrate our 9th wedding Anniversary on 3/27. We live in central NJ, but are rarely at home. My Mom takes care of my tots while I am out making some dough. I am a program analyst from 8 am to 4 pm, M-F. I am also a Creative Memories consultant which obviously means I love t0 scrap and take photos. We are a HUGE sports family with our favorites being the NY Yankees and the Superbowl Champion NY Giants. We also follow Rutgers University college sports. I began blogging after my cousin Mike started. I thought it was a great way to keep my huge family up to date on the goings on in our lives. I have made a few friends here in blogland and I do enjoy reading about the lives of others. Especially those from outside the NY/NJ area.
Hope you enjoy the party!

Pile on more guilt

I have been a working Mother since September of 2003. I am very lucky to have my Mom take care of the kids while I am at work. As most of you already know, I still have TONS of guilt about being a working Mom. There are days when I feel less guilty than others, but over all I feel like crap. Well, just the other night, my darling 4 year old son says the following during dinner:
"Mommy, I want you to be home all the time and not work."
UGH! My verbal response was something like "Mommy has to work so we can have nice things and do fun things, blah, blah, blah." Inside I was DYING! I was screaming "Mommy does not WANT to work. Mommy WANTS to be home taking care of you and Ava - doing all the FUN things that she misses out on." I knew that I could not tell him this, however sometimes I wish I could. Just so he knows that I'd rather be with him and Ava than at work. Hopefully, deep down he already knows. This September when he starts kindergarten - gasp - he'll probably miss me less. However, I'll still feel like crap.

Cleaning lady

I could SO use one. Not a one time service like I had in November (bad experience) but someone that comes every 2 weeks and does a REALLY good job. I spent 2 hours when I got home today cleaning our second floor and that does not include dusting the kids rooms! I'll have to do that tomorrow. There was SO much dust in our bedroom I could have had an asthma attack and I don't have asthma. When I clean the house for company I sometimes avoid the upstairs (aside from the bathroom and vacuuming) because I know no one is going to go up there. BUT, if I had a little cleaning lady - it would be nice and shiny every 2 weeks! I think once we stop paying for David's pre-school, I'll check into it.

By the way, Ava is 16 months old today!!!

Losing my mind

I am embarrased to write this post...but I need to admit my mistakes. My brother in law Rich turned 40 on Friday and my cousin Laura-Ann turned 30 on Sunday and I did not place a phone call to either one on their big day ;( I do not know where my mind has gone. When I was in KS on my trip (and alone) I remembered their special days and picked up cards. I even wrote them out and mailed them from KS so they'd arrive on time. You think I could remember to actually phone them! I know that excuses are no good, but I was crazy all day Friday and all night. It was my first day back in the office after my trip and we had 9 people over for our fantasy draft that night. The rest of our weekend was busy too and Ava has been giving me a run for my money. I literally can get NOTHING done when she is around - no joke. I have stopped trying. But, like I said, there is no good excuse. I apologize to both and hope they had great birthdays.

What time is it?

I had forgotten all about the time change when I woke up the morning. The cable boxes said one thing and all the other clocks were an hour behind. Then it hit me - DUH! So I went around setting the clocks. I let Steve sleep in because he worked all day on Saturday and I took the kids downstairs. I decided to make some pancakes. While I was cooking, Steve's phone rang and it was Walt. He needed help on a job so I ran the phone up to Steve. When Steve came down to tell me he was going to help Walt at 1 pm - he was thrilled to see I had made breakfast. I even got a little crafty and made the kids pancakes in the shape of Mickey heads! I was impressed, but David was not. He had 2 bites and walked away - brat (he lost his Wii privs)! Ava ate like a champ - as usual. The pancakes were good - if I do say so myself. After cleaning up I was going to take a shower, but Steve needed me to trim his hair and I wanted to give David a hair cut. Steve was easy - David was a pain in the ass. All he did was squirm and cry. I thought I was going to strangle him with the cord from the buzzer! After it was all over - he looked so cute (lucky for him). We went up and showered. By then it was time for Steve to leave and help Walt. The WHOLE time Steve was gone Ava was impossible. She had many a melt down. Finally, I took the kids down the basement to play. That lasted about an hour before they were bored to tears. So back up stairs we went to wait for Steve. Luckily it was not too much longer. Ava needed a nap SO bad but would NOT go down. We decided to go for a ride. We packed into the car with no real destination at first. Then Steve decided to take us to dinner with the money he made from Walt. We ate at Luchiano's Country Italian Kitchen. It was delicious and the kids were VERY good. David ate his whole meatball and Ava loved the pasta. Steve and I enjoyed our dishes as well. In fact, Steve took home David's linguini and a piece of his chicken parm for lunch tomorrow. We took the scenic route back home. When we got home, I laid down for about 45 minutes - I was exhausted. Then it was time to get the kids ready for bed. By 7:30 pm Ava was ready for bed. I gave her a bottle and put her down. The minute I walked out of the room she started crying. Then the crying became screaming. As I write to you she is STILL up there screaming her head off. I did go up there once - gave her Tylenol, rubbed her back and got her calm. She was good for about 10 minutes. I am at my witts end...

Never enough time

The weekends are never for relaxing anymore. Waking up this morning was tough and my baby girl gave me a much needed break. I heard her at about 8, but she did not really get up until 9 - woo hoo. I SO needed that extra time...I had 3 too many wine coolers last night. My head was pounding. After popping some Tylenol, changing & dressing Ava and helping David get dressed - I HAD to eat. Steve was kind enough to have run to McDonald's for my greasy breakfast. When I looked at the clock, I almost had a heart attack! It was after 10 am and I had a bridal shower to attend at noon. I quickly scarfed down my food and ran up to get ready. I wanted to be on time to the shower because I could not stay long. Steve was called into work and had to be there by 2:30 pm. This meant that I had to leave the shower no later than 1:30 pm. I did not want to miss the shower all together, so I went for an hour and a 1/2. I was so happy I went too - not only to celebrate Agi's impending wedding - but because my friend Michelle and her Mom were there. I have not seen or spoken to Michelle since Sept. of 06. We fell out of touch and she felt embarrased to call after so long. I re-assured her that it did not matter and we caught up a little bit. Agi was SO surprised and happy with her shower. She looked great too. I explained to her my situation and wished her well before leaving. When I got home Ava was up from her nap and Steve was out the door. I made the kids some lunch and when the rain finally stopped I took them to the mall to keep them from going crazy in the house. When I had enough of the mall and wanted to go home...the skies opened up! I could not get out of my car to go in the house it was raining that hard. David wanted to see my Mom, so I called her to see what her and my Dad were doing for dinner. We decided to meet at Charlie Brown's in Matawan. You should have seen the rain and wind during my ride to the restaurant. Holy crap! It was SO bad. I thought I was in a hurricane. The kids fell asleep on the ride so when I got to the restaurant, I sat in my car for about 25 minutes. Once the rain stopped I grabbed both kids and the diaper bag and made a run for it. By the time we sat for dinner, Ava was miserable. The food was good, but I was on edge with Ava. When we got home it was late. She is usually in bed by 7:30 and it was 9 pm! I gave her a bottle and she went right to sleep. Before long, Steve was home from work - thank God. It was LONG day.

Draft night

Steve and I will be hosting our Fantasy Baseball draft tonight and I am NOT ready. The house needs to be cleaned - especially after my absense this week. My kind Mother said she would do what she could (she is so great) but I told her not to kill herself doing it. Aside from Steve printing out a few player listings, I have not done any research either. I know my first pick will be a pitcher, but I am not even sure which one. UGH! If you would like to read an amusing post about our league you can visit my Cousin Mike. He is in AZ now, so we'll be logging him in via my laptop so he can hear the goings on.
Wish me luck!

Rise and shine - you're on!

I did not need an alarm clock to get up this morning. Ava was my alarm clock. I planned a work at home day and was very glad that I did not have to get up at 6 am. See, the 3 night in KS, I did not sleep. I am not fond of sleeping in a hotel by myself in the middle of no where. Even when Ava woke me up, I was tired and it was close to 8 am. It was however, a good thing she woke me when she did. I needed to start working! My day went well and I even got to take the kids to McDonald's for lunch. Tomorrow it's back to the old routine. :sigh: How I wish I was a stay at home Mom...

Flight Status: CANCELLED!

WHAT? Yeah, that is what I saw this afternoon when I went to http://www.continental.com/ and checked my flight. I was SUPER pissed and scared. I wanted/needed to be home tonight. On a break from my training class I called the airline and was informed that they had re-booked me on a flight leaving tomorrow (Thurs) morning. I was like 'oh no you did not!'. I told her that I knew there was a flight leaving before mine and I wanted to be on that one. She was able to get me a seat, but informed me that it was already delayed. I actually knew this, because I had been online checking EVERY flight back to NY/NJ. I told her I did not care and that I was thankful she got me a seat on the 5:20 pm CST flight that was delayed until 7:52 pm CST. I decided to check on the flight one more time before I left for the airport (hoping it was not cancelled) and it was not cancelled but moved up to 6:38 pm CST! I was excited, but wanted to get my butt to the airport ASAP. I left Perceptive Software at 3 pm CST, got to the airport, dropped off my rental car, checked my bag and was eating a bagel at 4:30 pm CST when our flight was moved up for a 5:38 pm CST departure! WOO HOO!!! I did not call home until I was sitting in my seat and they were ready to close the doors. I told Steve we were taking off and to check my flight status online. He was glad I was on my way home. I hung up, opened a book and read for a while. I got bored and put on my MP3 player. The next thing I knew, we were landing! My 3 hour flight took all of 2 hrs and 8 min! I called Steve to let him know we landed and were taxiing and he was like WHAT? He had not left EB yet! This was the weirdest part...when I got to baggage claim, my bag was there! If you have EVER landed in Newark, you know that it takes FOREVER to get your bags. Not tonight, not for me. I went out to the curb to wait for my ride. Steve and the kids showed and I jumped in the car. I could not wait to see the kids! They were so excited to see me - which felt awesome. Steve was very happy to see me too. He even picked up a hot chocolate from Dunkin for me! I was SO happy to be home.

Still in KS

Today's training class went well. There were a number of things I wanted to 'see' and 'do' with the new software and we touched on that today. When I was leaving the building I snapped a few photos:

Steve had an important job after work. He needed to sign David up for Kindergarten! I had left all the documentation I had and my Mom picked up the immunization records this afternoon. When I called to check in, Steve and the kids were at the school waiting their turn. I just spoke to him and everything went well. I so wish I could have been there. :sigh:

One more class and I get to head to the airport. If I get there early enough, I am going to see about taking the earlier flight :)

Steve is in charge

Being in KS, I have left Steve in charge of the Boettger household. I've spoken to him a few times and everything is going well. He stayed home today to play Mr. Mom. It's nice to know that I can count of him to take care of the kids and that he wanted to be home with them today. He took David to and from school and had my Grandparents over for lunch. Even though he is making it through without me, I wish I was home. Class did go well today - I learned a few things I was hoping I would. Tonight I am meeting our sales rep for dinner in Kansas City, MO. The menu looks good...I'll let you know how it goes.

UPDATE: Dinner was good. Very nice restaurant and very tasty food. I had lobster bisque and lobster risoto. The girls were very nice and we had a good time. Still wish I was home snuggling my hubby and kiddies.

Toto says Hi

Ok, not really, but I am in Kansas. Why you ask? To attend a training class for the document management software I implement. My trip here sucked. The flight was delayed, I sat next to a smelly man, the flight took longer than expected due to a thunderstorm, my 45 minute drive was in the pouring rain and I would much rather be home snuggling with the kids and Steve. When I finally arrived at the hotel, I was STARVING. Luckily there is a local restaurant that delivers and I got some dinner. We're getting a storm all night and it will likely snow. Class starts at 9 am (CST) so I better get some rest. I'll post tomorrow after I get back.

Feelin Down

I wish today had gone a bit differently. I was grumpy and took things to heart. Due to this, I gave Steve a hard time. It got better later in the day and we met up with Laurie and Tom for dinner at Carraba's. My issue: not feeling that I am thought of. When it comes to Steve, David and Ava I always put them 1st. In other words, if Steve was out of coffee or half and half, I would be sure to pick that up if I was out. Steve and David went out twice Saturday morning and neither time came back with tea or hot cocoa for me. Sounds dumb, but it proves my point...I am not a thought. Like I said, I ended up getting over it - basically by just telling myself that he is just not that type of guy. But that does not mean I did not point out to him what he could have done ;)

Must PAY the tax man

I hit H&R Block last night to get our taxes done. I did not want to do them myself again this year due to my Creative Memories business. I thought I brought everything I needed with me - BOY was I wrong. After we got most of he info entered, I had to run home to pick up a few more pieces of info. When I returned we were able to complete the paperwork and that is when I found out that we owe over $500 to The State of New Jersey. I was PISSED. For some reason Steve's work does not take enough NJ taxes out on him. He WILL be figuring this out when he is back at work. We're getting a decent amount back from Federal, but a good chunk will be sent to NJ. Did I mention I was PISSED?

I need sleep

Last night was not a good one for sleep. I think I woke up at least once an hour, sometimes more. Both kids ended up in bed with Steve and I which made the sleep I did get crappy. I had knees in my back and was kicked on numerous occasions. When the alarm went off I was so tired I ignored it the first time. The second time I got up just because I knew I would not have a knee in back or a foot in my face. I am VERY cranky this morning which made me hungry. So hungry I went off my diet and picked up Dunkin Donuts Hot Chocolate and a corn muffin. Now not only am I cranky, I am pissed at myself.

Great way to start a day ;)

I'm Normal!

Well, at least my MRI and MRA came back normal. I got a message from the Dr.'s assistant when I came back from lunch.

WOO HOO!!

I think I have a tape worm

Or at least I hope I do, because I am always hungry! I have been trying my best to exercise and eat better (less). The exercise part has been going pretty well, but the food part - not so much. I can do good when I am at work. When I am home, I could eat a horse. It is really bothering me. I keep telling myself to exercise instead of eating, but these past couple of days the eating has won out. I am not even eating anything that great - dry cereal or crackers - but I could eat a whole box. Luckily I have not done that, but I could. By the time dinner is ready I want to eat everyone's portion. Again, I do not - thank God. At this point, I am going to assume that I am this hungry because I hate this time of year - sound like a good excuse?

Clean Up on Aisle 1

Steve and David were watching what they missed of Pirates 3 - of course I was rewatching it - when David said "I think I have to..."

And there it was PUKE! Everywhere. Mostly on the couch and blanket, but some on Steve and a tad on me.

I got him to the bathroom where he finished puking, changed his clothes & underware and before I could turn back around he was fast asleep on the non-puke part of the couch.

Poor kid. He was so upset that he did not make it to the bathroom. He is a neat freak.

I washed up, took some Airborne and brought him upstairs. I had him sleep in our room, but in a sleeping bag on the floor. I can't afford to catch what he has. I have to leave for a business trip Sunday.

:sigh:

Monday Blues

UGH! I was NOT very good on my diet this weekend and I am mad at myself. I did not lose (or gain) any weight for the week. I guess I need to count my blessings that I did not gain -sigh-

I did workout last night with two 10 minute on demand videos. The 1st was the pilates abs that I did last week and the 2nd was Bootylicious Butts! Yes, that is right. I want a firmer tail. That workout KICKED MY BUTT. I was exhausted at the end and my thighs BURNED.

I ate better today and my plan is to jump on the treadmill when I get home. As my friend said, Today is a new day!