Fun Firsts Fridays

Anthony, Madison, and I just experienced a first together! It was our first "real" school field trip (well, my first as a mommy)! We were all so very excited and talked about it for weeks! The kids made special field trip T-shirts at school and they are ADORABLE! I love them!!!

We went to a pumpkin patch, one of my favorite places to visit in the fall, and we had a fantastic day! The weather could not have been more perfect! It was in the upper 70's and the sun was shining bright! We picked pumpkins, went to pumpkin school, rode on a hay ride, and got lost in a corn maze! It was a perfect day with friends and classmates! Oh how I love these moments!!!

Our First Field Trip!

Madison selected the tiniest pumpkin I have ever seen in a patch! She loves her "baby punkins"!

A pumpkin seed from "Pumpkin School" Anthony loved how GOOEY they were!

Madison said her favorite part was the hay ride! I think she almost fell asleep!

Fun in the corn maze! Anthony loved selecting which path to take!

Wordless Wednesday

For more WW: Momspective, Five Minutes For Mom, 7 Clown Circus, Ordinary and Awesome, MomDot, Wordless Wednesday , , Life @ 30, Three Peas in a Pod, & Conversations with Moms

So long soccer

see ya in the Spring! The season ended this weekend and it was a roller coaster ride to say the least.... Some days Anthony LOVED it, others not so much, some days were filled with laughter, others tears.... It was a season of mixed emotions!

Anthony was ALWAYS excited to go and he did great the first half of the games. The second half he wanted to "rest" or "watch". HE did not like when the other team "took" his ball and did "not share with him" lol.

Practices were a challenge. He HATED the drills, but loved playing mock games.... He would challenge his team to a game of tag each practice and get the ENTIRE team off track in about 15 seconds.... I always got him back on track, but I know this drove his coach bonkers!! (Sadly, I always found it hilarious that my son could get the entire team to follow him in less then a minute, but I would only giggle internally as I know it was unacceptable lol)

Sunday, we had his award ceremony and he was LOVING every second! He received his very first trophy, a soccer ball, and a free kids meal coupon for Applebees. He was beaming on stage and was glowing!

I think we will try again in the Spring because his attention span and behavior got better each week and I think the six months to mature will make a huge difference!

What's a little rain gonna hurt?

Saturday morning (bright and early) I was driving through a wee little town on my way to Anthony's last soccer game when I noticed businesses hanging up special signs, streets being roped off, and fire trucks being washed.... I was pumped! Those things only mean one little thing: A PARADE! My children LOVE parades and I never know about them until after the fact so we ALWAYS miss them!

I asked around the windy soccer field and got all the deets! Homecoming. Eleven O'clock. The main street. YES we were so THERE!

After the game, I dashed home and grabbed the hubs and Mad and the four of us raced along the country roads and made it with about 10 minutes to spare.... As we were getting out of the car, a few rain drops sprinkled down, but rain was not stopping me! We were gonna see this parade....

I grabbed the umbrellas and we headed to find the PERFECT spot.... Just as we were settling in the sky open and the rain fell in BUCKETS! Thankfully it was WARM and I had the umbrellas! We stood our ground and the rain slowed to a slight drizzle....

The parade started and fun was had by all! My kiddos collected oodles of candy, beads, footballs, and memories! Madison had a death grip on some of her goodies and could not eat the candy fast enough! She was loving the sorority girls that handed her a necklace.... Anthony was totally digging the firetrucks and all of the candy being tossed his way! We had a great time and I am so glad we went! Something good does come from leaving your house before 8:30 on a Saturday morning!

(The pic is not fab, but you can see Madison's death grip and how much fun they had even though they got wet!)

8 Random Facts

I was tagged by Sam over at Life Is Beautiful a few days ago.... Thanks Sam!! :)

So, here are a few random facts about me....

1. I am a nail bitter. A HORRIBLE NO GOOD CANNOT STOP nail biter. I think I have tried just about everything, but I still nibble away. I even bit and cracked tips until they came off.... I will forever be the girl with no manicure....

2. I am a wisher. I wish when the clock reads 3:33, with wells, as I blow out candles, and over shooting stars. If I can wish, I do! I always wish for the same exact thing and so far its working :)

3. I have NEVER felt a contraction even though I have had two babies! Both were scheduled C-sections and I am super glad! Contractions scare me! Anthony was transverse breech so I had a section and Madison was a repeat C.... Both of my recoveries were AWESOME and I (luckily) had very little discomfort!

4. I can eat pizza EVERY day and not tire of it! Hot or Cold. I don't care. I just LOVE it!

5. I am a worrier. I worry about EVERY thing! (Ask poor Sara, she has to hear me obsess over my millions of worries nearly every day!)

6. When I was in third grade a boy broke my arm on PURPOSE! He held my arm against his shin until it cracked!! Shockingly I did not cry. I was quite calm during it all! I will admit I kicked the boy first, but he should have just kicked me back!

7. I failed P.E. in 10th grade! Embarrassing right? I failed because I would not change out. I had P.E. first period and I could not mess up my hair! Insert eye roll here! NJ requires 4 years of PE, so I had to take it during summer school. Let's just say it SUCKED!

8. My 15th wedding anniversary is this year and I am desperately trying to convince Jason to go away! I am eyeing this place in Mexico, but he is afraid to leave the kids.... I suggested separate flights, but he does not seem to be budging! :( He wants all 4 of us to go! (I think that's great too, but I would love a few days with just the two of us again!)


Jason is needing (ok DYING) to check Fantasy football scores, so I am tagging all of you to share 8 random things about yourself!!!

You know....

You know your WAY late getting your highlights redone when:

Your neighbor walks past you on a soccer field and does not recognize you at first.... When he does he says, "Hey! Did you dye your hair? I thought you were a blonde?!"

Yeah, I am so making the appointment!

Sometimes I just have to shake my head and ask WHY?

Today is Disney on Ice (Yippee) I am so excited!! The kids are even more so and it is just gonna be a BLAST! Jason is working where the show is today, so we are meeting him there....



This morning as he was headed to work, he stuck his head in the door and asked me to get a car wash.... I NEVER get car washes.... In our house that is HIS job.... After asking a million questions as to HOW to do this (the whole conveyor belt thing freaks me out because if my wheels get messed up I am in trouble. Yes, I have 24's on my car. I HATE them. He had to have them. People see this pimped out blacked out truck and out pops Suzy homemaker dragging two kids.... Its quite hilarius.... Anyway, I digress as usual!)

So to the car wash I went.... I made it through the conveyor belt successfully and gave my self an imaginary high five! I was overly confident at that moment.... Just a moment too soon! The next thing I know the hair dryer thing goes off and water starts pouring in from everywhere!!! Door handles, the sunroof, my seat belt holder thing, and WORST of all... The TV!!!

Let's just say I started hyperventilating and frantically tried to wipe up the sea of water flowing into my truck!!! I am wiping and wiping and it just keeps coming! The buzzer is sounding telling me to move my big ass truck, but the water is still coming!

At this point I slam to truck into drive while wiping and move out of the car wash building....

The water continued to drop in the WHOLE way home! I just laughed and laughed! Shockingly I did not cry! My headliner is soaked, my heated seats were soaked, and the TV was soaked! I am praying the TV works or Jason is going to be PISSED! I totally left the sunroof cracked.... oops my bad!

I am so not telling him!!! Honestly though, this is what he gets when he asks me to do HIS job.... ;) just kidding! I am just a MORON but I am still not telling him! I just pray its all dried out before he has to get into it!

Wordless Wednesday

For more WW: Momspective, Five Minutes For Mom, 7 Clown Circus, Ordinary and Awesome, MomDot, Wordless Wednesday , , Life @ 30, Three Peas in a Pod, & Conversations with Moms

whew....

its been a day! Preschool, MOPS, play date, ballet, and a Tastefully Simple party! I have basically been on the go since 7 this morning! I am beat, BUT I just had to pop in and share two FANTABULouS things.....

1. I TOTALLY won tickets to Disney on Ice this morning! I am so EXCITED!!!!!
2. Tomorrow is my kids' very first real life field trip and I am SO FREAKIN' EXCITED! I loves (add that high pitch Cassy from Dragon Tales thing) it and cannot wait!

Now that I have shared the two big news items of the day, I can sleep! I will be back with some more awesomeness tomorrow! (well, I'll be back but can't guarantee the awesomeness!)

OMG Becky look at that mom....

Pop on over to Supah Mommy's blog and you are guaranteed some laughs and some AWESOME giveaways.... Check her out she is always fun!!! So without further ado this weeks topic is...

Five things that distinguish you from the crowd.

I have to say this is HARD! I am so average and undistinguished that its not even funny!!! When did this happen? There was once a time I stood out all the time! I always had something (whether it be a handbag, accessory, or article of clothing) that SCREAMED "look at me"! These days I am lucky to appear "together" let along have something "fierce" adorning my person! :) So I put on my thinking cap and this is what I have come up with. Bear with me:

My children make me stand out in a crowd for a whole plethora of reasons:

1 They are so stinkin cute (biased much? well of course but.... just kidding)

2. One (or if I am REALLY lucky BOTH of them) is (are) usually having some sort of crisis... We can be in full meltdown mode, hysterics, or just some huffing and puffing may be going on, but trust me YOU WILL NOTICE US!

3. They are SUPER friendly.... (Anthony more so, but Madison tends to copy)... They will introduce themselves to every person in a 5 mile radius and will be their new bestie FOR LIFE!

4. My children will be on American Idol (even though I DETEST that show) and practice for it where ever we go! They bust into tune (in key of course) in the most random of places.... In the deli line, a porta potty, the Target candy aisle.... To them it makes no difference where they are! No audience is too small! Every place is an opportunity to perform and they seize it! Plus no microphone is required! They have a set of lungs.... TRUST ME!

5. Did I mention how cute they are? And kind? And loving? And funny too? While they can and are monsters lots of times, they make me stand out in a crowd because they are AWESOME!

How much is your sleep worth?

Anthony is an EARLY riser.... He has been waking up around 6 for the last 3-4 months. He can go to bed at midnight or 7 and STILL wake up at 6!!! It is still dark out!! He just has an internal alarm clock I guess!! I typically lay in bed and he plays, reads book, etc. Lately he started waking up Madison (so NOT an early riser) and it has really become an issue because by 9 she is a bear and wants to nap!

Jason had the bright idea of getting a TV for the playroom and showing Anthony how to turn it on. Then he can quietly watch TV instead of waking everyone up! So we went to Best Buy and bought a TV to hang on the wall.... Oh I was so excited to get some undisturbed sleep!!!!

The next morning Anthony tip toed to the play room and QUIETLY watched PBS kids! YAHTZEE!!! I happened to hear him sing, so I rolled over and peered at the clock.... My eyes about BUGGED out of my head when I saw 4:14!!!! What the....

I marched into the playroom and sent him back to bed! (He never fell back to sleep!!) The next day, Same. Thing!!! The TV is making him get up even EARLIER!!!

Now it was my turn for a bright idea.... I decided to get a digital clock, block out the final 2 digits and explain that he could not leave his room until 6... We discussed it at LENGTH and guess what? It totally WORKED!!! The past 2 days he has not left his room until almost 7:00!!! Hallelujah!

So, I must ask.... Are we the only crazies out there? Would you buy a TV just so you can sleep until the sun rises? Tell me, how much is YOUR sleep worth?

Wordless Wednesday

For more WW: Momspective, Five Minutes For Mom, 7 Clown Circus, Ordinary and Awesome, MomDot, Wordless Wednesday , , Life @ 30, Three Peas in a Pod, & Conversations with Moms

Oh no he didn't.....

Our area is INFESTED with these bugs, stink bugs..... Supposedly they hitched a ride over from Asia and are now spreading like wild fire through the US... OMG if you don't have them you are SO lucky. They are nasty... Granted they don't do anything, but they just show up in random places and startle you.... Oh I hate them!

Anthony on the other hand LOVES them and gets mad if I kill them. He likes to rescue them and release them back into the wild. Me? I like to flush the little bastards!

This morning, Anthony was chatting away and asked me for an aquarium.... Of course I asked for what and he explained that he "nees a home for his wittle fwend...." His friend? You guessed it a stink bug! I tried to convince him the potty would make an EXCELLENT aquarium, but he wasn't buying it.

Instead, he agreed to let him go in the wild... We opened the back door, Anthony whispered good bye, peered down at his "fwend", and KISSED him goodbye!!!! All I could say was, "Oh no he didn't!" G.R.O.S.S!!!! My son is the bug kisser :o

Friend Makin Mondays

Amber is hosting Friend Makin' Monday and I was glad to be able to participate this time! :)


This week, inquiring minds want to know:

What are you going to be for Halloween?

Oh how I agonized over this this year.... Usually, I have Halloween planned in the beginning of August, BUT like everything else this year, I am so NOT on top of my game!!! Madison's costume actually came Friday. I was REALLY struggling with what she should be... Nothing was jumping out at me! Finally, I chose something and as long as she'll wear it we are GOLDEN! (During the try on she was in the midst of a meltdown, so I am hoping for a different outcome on Halloween!)

Anthony:

OMG This picture does NOT do the costume justice! I swear Anthony is the CUTEST little pirate EVER! Old Navy's costumes are the best!!! I cannot wait to drees him up! He already has the pirate lingo down so now he just needs the duds :)

Madison:

Again, MUCH cuter on and in person! Oh she is gonna look so ADORABLE! The tights so make it!! (We do not have the ankle thingies.... I just wasn't feeling that part!) I must practice pinning her hair up and her hat on!

Me:

I am going for complete fantasy this year: I am gonna be the mommy who has it all together.... lol ;)

Now head over to Amber's and share what your Halloween is gonna look like! Inquiring minds want to know! (I just really want ideas for next year ;)

The sickies are here... The sickies are here...

Woe is me... The sickies have stopped by and while I hoped their stay would be brief, I think we may be in for the long haul.... :(

Madison has been a fever running, boogie dripping, tear streaming HOT mess all weekend long. The children's Motrin faked me out a few times. I was thinking she was FINALLY feeling a bit better, but no once we hit the 5 hour mark she was back to my poor mopey baby... She looks so sad :(

Tonight while I tucked Anthony in, I noticed so crusties around his nose so I think round two may begin before round one is complete! I hope he does not get it... XX fingers crossed XX

I am TOTALLY bummed that I will be missing the gym in the morning as it is my FAVORITE class, BUT I have decided to look open the bright side....

My plan is to attack my kiddos closets, remove summer, hang winter, and get rid of what does not fit! Operation Kids Closet Organization is going to be in FULL effect! Oh how I hope to follow through... I am disgusted by how bad their closets look... I will have to take before and after pics and if, IF, I am feeling brave I will share them....

Fun Firsts Fridays!

Today is a super special Friday as there are TWO AWESOME firsts! First, little miss, my baby girl, is officially potty trained! She has not had an accident in well over a week and I do not even have to remind her to go anymore! She is doing it all on her own! I am so proud and relieved as I thought we were on the potty training route before, but it was not so.... But as of now, I am happy to report, my house is a diaper free zone! Hallelujah!!!

The Second happy first is.... Madison had her first day of school today! Now that she s potty trained, she is able to go! She has been so excited to go. Each day when we drop Anthony off she begs and cries (okay SCREAMS) because she wants to stay! Well today she got to and she was in here glory! She had fun doing her crafts, painting, and playing with her friends! Her teacher said she did great! We are so proud of her!!!

Madison is my attached to the hip baby, so I am happy with this opportunity because she is able to go in Anthony's class on Fridays.... I think having Anthony there will help her adjust easier and make her feel more comfortable! Plus I LOVE the idea of bigger kids helping / teaching smaller ones as it helps the little ones and gives the bigger kiddos a self esteem boost! (One of the aspects of Montessori that I LOVE)!! All in all it has been a fantastic Friday! (Jason and I even had a breakfast date!!!)

Bye Bye Diapers... Hello School!

Party like a ROCKSTAR!

Last week was crazed, what am I talking about, every day is CRAZED anymore.... Last week was especially crazy though because I was gearing up for Anthony's birthday party! (His birthday was in September, but Jason worked every weekend in September and with back to school, we decided to push his party back some!) All week I obsessively checked weather bug and PRAYED that the weather was nice and my prayers were answered!

Saturday was PERFECT! I could not have asked for a better day! Anthony's party was at a local pumpkin patch / farm and it turned out AWESOME! Low Stress and Tons of fun!

At first, the kids ran around, checked out the petting zoo, dug in in the corn castle, played on the playgrounds, rolling tunnels things, and HUGE hill slides... They just had fun running and exploring! My son was obsessed with the stream and was pretend fishing for majority of the party! He was in his element! EXPLORING!

We picked pumpkins and painted them, which was messy but I think everyone enjoyed it... Madison worked on that pumpkin FOR EVAH! She was the last to leave the table!

We followed up pumpkin painting with an AWESOME hay ride over acres and acres of farm land and open areas. It was beautiful and peaceful.... It was a nice rest for the kids and us parents! I think Anthony entertained us with his "I've been working on the railroad" rendition for much of the ride :)

Anthony was in his glory as everyone sang Happy Birthday! His eyes were just gleaming with joy! Seeing him on top of the world just melted my heart! He was in his glory!!! It was a PERFECT day! I know we had so much fun and I hope all of our guest did as well!!!

I'm so over the top....

Jessica awarded me this and how true it is! I am so over the top dramatic 99.9% of the time :) Thanks Jessica!!






Here are the rules for the Over the Top Award: USE ONLY ONE WORD! It’s not as easy as you might think. Copy and change the answers to suit you and pass it on. It’s quite tricky to use only one-word answers! Once you have filled it out, be sure to pass it on to 6 of your favorite bloggers and alert them that they have been awarded!

*****

1. Where is your cell phone? Charging

2. Your hair? Wet

3. Your mother? Far

4. Your father? Ditto

5. Your favorite food? Pizza

6. Your dream last night? BABY!!! ;O

7. Your favorite drink? Diet Mt Dew

8. Your dream/goal? To see my kids grow up to be happy and successful in what ever their hearts desire!!!

9. What room are you in? Office

10. Your hobby? reading

11. Your fear? heights

12. Where do you want to be in 6 years? NoVa

13. Where were you last night? home

14. Something that you aren’t? stable ;)

15. Muffins? Banana

16. Wish list item? vacay

17. Where did you grow up? Jersey

18. Last thing you did? shower

19. What are you wearing? wife beater

20. Your TV? off

21. Your pets? old

22. Friends? happy

23. Your life? CRAZY

24. Your mood? sleepy
25. Missing someone? yup

26. Vehicle? Expedition

27. Something you’re not wearing? bra

28. Your favorite store? Target

29. Your favorite color? Pink

30. When was the last time you laughed? tonight

31. Last time you cried? Yesterday when I was watching brothers and sisters...so sad. (me too Jessica!!!!)

32. Your best friend? FAB

33. One place that I go to over and over? preschool

34. One person who emails me regularly? Sara

35. Favorite place to eat? Kobe (that's what I have been CRAVING!!!)

I only cheated a bit! Go me!!!

I am gonna give this to:

♥Amber Filkins♥

Jen

jenjen

~~Mel~~

Supah Mommy

That Girl

Almost Wordless Wednesday

It would not be life at Casa de Staci without some bumps along the road.... Anthony's birthday party was AWESOME (more tomorrow) but it ended with a BANG! Madison wanted to be just like her big brother and "fish" too.....









For more WW: Momspective, Five Minutes For Mom, 7 Clown Circus, Ordinary and Awesome, MomDot, Wordless Wednesday , , Life @ 30, Three Peas in a Pod, & Conversations with Moms

Do OVER

I was planning on sharing with you the fantabulousness of Anthony's Birthday Party and my great weekend today, but our regularly scheduled blog post has been interrupted by, well, by life!

Have you ever had one of those days? You know the ones.... The day that you know within minutes, no make that seconds, that you are gonna wanna use that do over card..... Such was my day....

****

6:00: startled awake by the flickering of my bedroom lights.... On off on off very rhythmic, but oh so disturbing.... The reason? Anthony was practicing making shadow animals.... I explained that the lighting in his room is SO. MUCH. BETTER!

6:05: Score the flashing lights are now in HIS room!

6:08: I open one eye because I hear some heavy breathing, my light flickerer is occupied, so this is my mini me. She is just staring. Breathing, Staring. As soon as she notices my one eye peeking at her she POUNCES: "Mommy, JUICE! Juice mommy, mommy I need juicy.... pwease" and the tears begin falling.... I was not even given the chance to reply!

6:09: Filling 2 juice cups while shivering in my FREEZING house!

6:15-845 Breaking up fights, squelching screams, wiping tears, and applying not one, not two but FOUR band aids all while trying to get all three of us dressed and presentable!

8:49: Start car and am greeting with: BEEEEEP... Low Fuel 6 miles to empty.... (insert choice words mumbled by the already crazed woman in the driver seat) Jason was so supposed to fill up my tank but I cranked up Wubzy and headed to the gas station...

8:52: Stuck by the train OF COURSE!

8:55: Hop out of my truck and insert gas nozzle. Put the clicker thing down so I can check my email while the tank fills. I turn and CLUNK.... the damn thing stopped filling. I reset it and turn and CLUNK! I push it and CLUNK! Of course out of the 15 pumps I pick the broken one! So, I held it just so and put in 8 gallons... (note to self: get gas in the morning)

9:12: Wandering the aisles in Food Lion TRYING to find what I need between the fights, screams, and tears. People are staring I feel it!

9:40: Pick Madison up off the floor in the check out lane and tell her if she does not stop screaming she is going to bed. Does she stop screaming? NO, just now she is screaming she was to go to bed!!! People are staring I SEE it!

9:58: Drop kids off at kids club and RUN to my Step / Toning/ Zumba class (aka 1.5 hours of FREEDOM!)

11:30: pick up children and everyone is HAPPY!

11:43: arrive home and gear up for play date. Madison is in tears before we open the front door. Why? I have no clue...

11:48: Madison threw the pieces to Topple all over the family room and REFUSED to pick it up. She chose to go to bed instead... Madison missed the play date and lunch!

2:00 - 4:49: Games are played, Target is visited, puzzles are put together and awesome tracks are built!

5:00-6:45: I attempt to make dinner.... Anthony melts down.... After all I made him miss his fall dance? Whatever where ever whenever that is!

7:01: bathed, jammied, and totally tucked in!

7:05: SILENCE!

Today I really needed that do over!

I love my life, I love my life, I love.... ;) just kidding!