Playing House

Wordless Wednesday

2012-01-24T21:35:00.000-05:00

All I want for Valentines is my two front teeth!

For more WW: A Beautiful Mess, Look at What Mom found... and Dad too, Momspective, Wordless Wednesday ,

Winter blues

2012-01-23T21:13:00.000-05:00

Dreaded winter blues... Oh how I hate you! I get them every year... I really dislike them... they make me blah and lazy. Sleepy and grumpy. Pale and ghostly.

They really are NO fun!

This winter hasn't even given me a fun play all day sled riding snow day! I mean, if it's gonna be cold and dreary at least give me a little slice of joy in a good old fashion snow day! I just want to stamp my feet and pout while yelling, "no fair!"

just around the corner...

I have been keeping myself busy with pinterest projects... I hope to snap some pics of my copy craftiness tomorrow. I made an uber preppy argyle valentine wreath today... I am totally digging it! I do believe that was my happy of the day :)

Well, that and the fact that today was a 2 hour delay :) I could use one of those EVERY day! It was so nice to not rush out the door for a change.

I hope to pop myself under some UV rays this week (terrible I know, but they do improve my mood immensely) to help beat my funk... But for now, I will take comfort in knowing that spring will be here soon! Fresh air, sunshine, and flowers... Bliss!

Kidisms

2012-01-16T21:02:00.001-05:00

Anthony: Mommy! Come help me beat this level!
Me: Mommy doesn't know how to play video games. Just keep trying!

20 minutes later...

Anthony (doing a major fist pumping happy dance): Mommy I beat the level!
Me: Awesome! See, what you can do if you don't give up?!
Anthony: Nah. I just went on you tube and watched a video on how to beat level 11...

Yeah, he is ONLY six and way too smart for his own good!

Mom: 0 Anthony: 1

****

After playing with Madison for quite a bit, I had to get some work done... As I was making the beds, I see little miss staring at me...

Madison: Mom, can you play with me now?
Me: Mad, I have to get a few things done and I just played with you...
Madison: But mom I need someone to play with!
Me: Madison, you should play by yourself. Its fun. When you play by yourself you can do everything YOUR way...
Madison: But I don't WANT to play allbymyself (yes one LONG whiny word)
Me: Well, your going to have to right now. Anthony always plays by himself and has fun!
Madison (hands on hips): I have MY life NOT Anthony's life. We have different lifes. God makes us all different. I only like my lifes! NOT ANTHONY"S! (With that, she flipped around and marched off...)

Mom: 0 Madison: 1

****

Anthony: When I get my new mom when I'm old, I just might have to shoot her...
Me (totally interrupting): What!? Shoot who? Why would you have a new mom?
Anthony: You know. When I grow up and gets married... Its just a spression mom, like I'll be really mad!
Me: Oh, well when you get married, she isn't you mom its your WIFE.
Anthony: That's what I said mom. If my wifes doesn't let me have my friends over I think I'm just maybe gonna shoot her, like be really angry, because even with a wife, I need to play still! I will still like my toys and friends....

****

My couch cushion... Incriminating much? Oh was she lucky she was in bed!!! Really though, I just shake my head because THIS is the perfect example of why I am NOT getting new furniture yet!

Taking it back...

2012-01-15T20:45:00.000-05:00

WAY back!

Today was supposed to be a fun mom and daughter day. We met some girlfriends at the movies to see Beauty and the Beast. It was GREAT! The girls were so excited and loved the movie :) Once it was over?!? Not so much!

I dumped the popcorn, couldn't find the 3D glasses (which I knew would later cause hysterics, I mean they were uber cool with the beauty and the beast logo splattered all over them after all), and Mad couldn't find her coat. Once I had semi gotten it together, we joined some of our friends in the theater lobby.

In typical fashion, the girls all started begging for a playdate, because one special thing is never enough ya know... I told Mad no because we had other things to do, which of course was met with tears and WHINES... My friend said the girls could come over tomorrow which perked my little princess right up until she realized it was TOMORROW and NOT today... So the fit began and to the car we went; where I informed her no way in h-e- double hockey sticks was she going to be attending the playdate tomorrow. Of course THAT really set her off!

Seriously?!? I mean did I want to pay 22 dollars to see a movie that we ALREADY OWN? No! We went because SHE would enjoy it. Did she ever even say thanks for taking me to the movies? Nope! It's just expected and NOT appreciated.

It's not just Madison, nor is it just my kids. Most of my friends have voiced at one time or another how "spoiled" or "entitled" their children can be. Am I implying these are BAD kids, by no means. They are sweet, loving, and great kids, but they do all have this give-me mentality in some way, shape, or form.

My kids ask almost every day, what are we doing special today and if I have nothing planned I'm met with blank stares. I mean they are truly stumped. Nothing? Hmmm, now THAT'S a new concept.

Each day on the way to pick Anthony up from school Madison pesters me about having a playdate after school with her best bud. If I say no? I get MAJOR 'Tude. Why must there be a playdate EVERY day or even 3 days a week? It's too much!

As soon as Anthony greets me with his afternoon hug, he looks at me and asks if I got him anything special today... Yeah, no! You do not get something special everyday. It's HIS job to go to school and behave. He is not getting rewarded for what he is EXPECTED to do!

McDonald's? Yeah not a treat here. They want Dairy Queen, ok let's go. Jason and I like to get ice cream and majority of the time hitting the drive thru is a necessity or poor planning on MY part.

My kids are not the kids screaming in Target because I said they weren't getting a toy.
However, they are the kids who expect to be entertained All. The. Time.

Jason and I waited to have children a LONG time. We waited because we wanted to be better financially. We wanted for me to stay home with them., so we waited We waited because we wanted to give and do all the things we were not able to as children.

Being home with them was sometimes LONELY. I finally made some friends (we lived in a new area) and I began filling our days with day trips, playdates, and all kinds of fun stuff. I enjoy it, I really do! This is what I waited for. Getting together with friends is good for them AND me!

BUT, where exactly did I go wrong? Somehow, I find myself with children who EXPECT and DO NOT appreciate all that I do for them. We spend a day at the children's museum, do I hear thank you? Of course not. If we meet up with friends at the park, do they appreciate it? Nah. I just hear what are we doing next.

I am aware I have created this. I am aware that I must FIX this, but I question how? The first thing, we are SO NOT doing a playdate tomorrow FOR SURE! We are staying home, just the three of us. Enjoying each other. I do know that we are NOT going to be getting together at every whim and I am not planning out everyday. That is my start, but I am not sure where to go from there....

I have two great kids. They are both funny, sweet, loving, compassionate, and they have captivated my heart in a way I cannot even begin to explain. I love to "do" for them and I love to experience the world through them, but I think I have been selfish and all they have gained from my selfishness is a lack of appreciation... So, casa de crazy is going back. Way back. Back to the basics. We are going to be pretty boring until they begin to appreciate versus expect the things we do...

Any words of wisdom? Please tell me I am not the only one that feels this way!

A new year and a new do!

2012-01-10T16:12:00.000-05:00

Naturally, my hair is a plethora of colors. There's some browns, some dirty dishwater dingey colors, reds, blondes, even, much to my dismay, grey. Quite a bit of grey actually... Getting old kinda stinks!

I usually get some blond highlights every so often, because I am so NOT about maintenance... I am BAD about maintenance. Lately though my blond just goes brassy and I hate it. I tried my hand at DIY box color, and aside from having a HUNK of hair in my hands when it was said and done, it just washed out too fast and, yet again, went brassy...

I've been peeping out peoples hair color and decided I wanted to go dark... Pretty dark. Drastic dark. I went to some friends salon (love) and the girl asked quite a few times if I was sure... I assured her I was and she confirmed that it was gonna be DRASTIC!

One hour and forty five minutes later, I was colored, cut, blow dried and styled. When she twirled me around toward the mirror, I was stunned. OMG! What a change, but what a GOOD change. I LOVE it! A LOT! I think next time I will get a few face framing highlights in a carmel-y color...

I still do a double take when I catch a glimpse of myself in a mirror, but I really do like it. Madison thinks its cool because we match! :) I think I am liking my walk on the dark side!

So here's the new 'do whatcha thank (yes that was said in my mock ghetto voice)?!?

Green makes me happy!

2012-01-09T14:40:00.002-05:00

I LOVE green. All shades of green. I think its one of my most favorite colors aside from HOT pink.

My office was finished a while ago, but I just realized I never shared the finished pics, so here they are!

When I first, decided to change our office from the junk all hot mess into something a bit more grown up and fun, I was met with resistance. Especially once I showed Jason the shade of green I wanted for the room...

His initial response? Hell to the no! But me being me, I pouted and whined and nagged for a few days until I FINALLY got my way :) (Yes, I take full responsibility that this is where Madison gets it from. However, I do understand that being on the receiving end is no where near as fun!)

As he rolled on the first few swipes of paint, I won't lie. I almost crapped myself. This was a big oops, but I so could NOT admit my wrong, so I just kept my thoughts to myself and PRAYED that it would pull together as I imagined...

The paint went up, Jason added a trim piece under the builder's crown molding to give the illusion of thicker molding (super cheap fix and gives a pretty big impact!!), and then I had to put my pouty pants back on until he agreed to build me the Ipex book shelf I found on Ana White's web page...

I found some funky and fun panels for my windows, a few accessories, and a new desk and chair and we were pretty much done. My final touches were the silhouettes my friend Alissa made (and I just mounted them on scrapbook paper). They were PERFECT and just what I wanted! I LOVE the room now! Its calming yet modern. Clean yet comfy.

I would like to add a comfy chair and get a plant that is HARD to kill (no green thumb here) for my grandmothers plant stand. When I stumble upon them I will know it! So, what do ya think?
Pin It

How I became a short order cook...

2012-01-04T22:37:00.000-05:00

As I was putting dinner on the table (Pulled pork for Jason and I, Madison's leftover Outback, and Anthony's standby; the infamous chicken nuggets), I hear Anthony explain to Madison, "You see Mad, God made me different from my family. I just don't eat like that. Only if its pizza, chicken nuggets, macaroni and cheese, steak, or chicken. I'm just different from this family like that. It's just how he made me. I can't help it!"

***

I was the perfect mother BEFORE I had children. Honestly, aren't we all? Ha! What little I KNEW!!!

I VOWED I would NOT be a short order cook, making different meals for each member in my family. They would eat what was served, or not eat... Is anyone with me here?

Look who lost his front tooth!

Then, I had children. I have willful children. Doorknobs they are not! I have a child who is a picky eater. A child who ~~screams thrashes and vomits over~~ is freaked out by the texture of ground beef. A child who's most favorite food is pizza yet will eat no other food with red sauce. A child who has not had a drop of milk (chocolate, vanilla, you name it I have tried) since the bottle went to the trashcan (said child will devour ice cream and yogurt go figure...). A child who once saw me pour milk into his beloved KRAFT ONLY mac and cheese and refused to eat it because there is milk in that. A child who will eat any meat (other then the ground variety) as long as I say its chicken or steak and provide a condiment for dipping. A child who snubs Kraft singles but will eat a pound of YELLOW only deli cheese in 2 days if I let him. The list could go on, I will spare you from the phase where nothing on his plate could touch (thank god we have moved on from THAT)...

The nights I actually find the motivation to cook I have to finagle dinner in a way that there is at least ONE thing Mr. Picky will eat. Broccoli is usually a go, mashed potatoes too. So we eat them. A LOT.

There was a time that the sight of me in the kitchen would evoke tears from both of us. I can still vividly remember the days when he would climb up the bar stools with his chubby fingers, peek over the island with those big browns, spying what I was fixing on the cook top. If the said item looked funny, smelled funny, had red sauce, or ground meat the tears were instant. I'm not eating that he would scream and begin to gag in his ever so dramatic way...

I will never forget one night I made spaghetti. I mean who doesn't like spaghetti? I decided I was OVER this whole game and damn it he was going to eat it or he was going to be hungry. I mean how the heck did I turn into the short order cook I vowed to never be. Spaghetti was dinner and he was eating it.

That little turd sat at the table for what felt like hours. I begged. I pleaded. I yelled. I cried. He refused. Finally, I somehow coerced him to "try it". He dipped (if you can even call it that) his fork into the spaghetti and it barely passed his lips when he vomited. OMG Major fail.

That night my little guy went to bed with no snack and no dinner. It was terrible. I never have felt so guilty in my life. It just didn't work FOR ME. Others do it and that's SO TOTALLY FINE. I just could not.

Fighting over food was NOT a battle I was / am willing to pick. According to Anthony, he was "just made this way". So I have become the short order cook I vowed to never be. On average, I fix Anthony a separate meal 3 nights a week, we eat out 2 nights a week, and he will eat a meal I actually cook for the entire family ONCE a week (again this is just an average). I suppose one day his palate will grow bored of chicken nuggets and pizza and he will one day be adventurous and try new things. BUT... Until then, I guess I will be a short order cook and pray that no one has ever died from a chicken nugget only diet....

I think to myself...

2012-01-03T21:49:00.000-05:00

what a WONDERFUL life!

I hope everyone had a a wonderful Christmas making lasting memories with those you love. We had a wonderful and most magical Christmas. The kids had a blast and were so fun to watch. Their excitement was contagious and I love seeing the holidays through their eyes! Such a wonderful gift....

Our break was fairly quiet. We didn't really even leave the house (aside from a few excursions we were home bound for nearly 11 days.... HEAVEN)! I had a shopping day with a girlfriend (OMG bought the best boots and jeans EVER), the kids and I hit up a local bounce house (MOB scene), and Jason took the minis to a train museum (Anthony's most favorite holiday tradition).

Unfortunately, Jason and I ended up SICK! New Years Eve I was in urgent care due to some major sinus issues... Holy cow the pressure. My one eye was swollen shut, bright red, and SO sore. My vain self refused to remove my HUGE sunglasses until I was in the patient room and the doc's eyes about popped out of his head as he asked "Did someone punch you in the face??!!" (Jason's lucky he is on my good side because I could have spun one wild tale and he would have been looking at some trouble haha) Yeah, it was bad, but 24 hours with a Zpack and life resumed :) Fortunately, the minis were so content and happy for jammy days, movie watching, and massive toy playing...

We (yes, I even helped this time!!) did manage to start working on our kitchen cabinets... 11 are complete, so only 30 to go (what a JOB)... More info / pics will come later, but for now think beautiful black, bead board, crown, and a new and improved white island... It will be BEAUTIFUL (at least I hope) once its all done... The stainless steel appliance shopping has begun and my counter top fund has started... Patience will be key in this process...

Even though I was sick, my birthday was great :) My family and friends all spoiled me and it was just a great day... Again, QUIET, but GREAT! The only thing that would make it better is if I was turning 30 instead of 34 haha!

I hate that the holidays are over, that Jason's went back to work today (his company shuts down between Christmas and New Year's), and that the kids are back in school.. Such is life, but on the positive, it will be nice to get back into the good old routine of things...

I hope 2012 brings all of you wonderful opportunities, happiness, and most importantly love! Happy New Year!

This little elf has been working!

2011-12-22T13:42:00.000-05:00

Phew! What a whirlwind. I think I am FINALLY finished with all of my Christmas shopping and crafting! I feel like we haven't done as much as usual because Anthony is in school ALL. DAY. LONG! But we have still done a good bit, so much so that we have been CRAZY busy!

This year has been a pinterest kinda Christmas. OMG there are so many amazing ideas on that site! I could browse for DAYS and since I am an ok copier, it is right up my alley...

I wanted to share a few gifts I've made this year. I think they turned out cute and I hope the people enjoy them as much as I enjoyed making them!

My girlfriend shared these little treats for the kids' classmates and I think they are too precious and SO easy!!!

I made these for some close family friends... They are teenagers and the colors match their rooms :) I really liked these and thought they were pretty fun!

This was for the same family and I LOVED these! I have a few more to make still, including one for myself!

I made these for the kids' teachers, bus driver, and ballet teacher. Super easy and a perfect little something to add to a gift card.

So there's my pinterest Christmas :) There are so many more projects I am DYING to make!

blurbs...

2011-12-15T08:30:00.000-05:00

After watching a newscaster van, a tractor and trailer, and two race cars get pummeled by a train on a very in depth track system designed by my son I exclaimed, "Wow that was a terrible accident! I hope everyone was ok?!" To which he explained so matter of fact, "Well, mom most only got a scratch but the cops like when the bad guys get ran over by a train. I makes them less work."

Huh? I can see the logic BUT I still had to go into the whole yes, they may be bad guys but they are still people. They still have people who love them, and maybe they have learned to make better choices, yada yada yada.... OY!

***

"Mommy? Is it is ok if I don't wanna be a mom when I gets big?"
"Of course. You don't have to be a mom, but what do you want to be?"
"I fink I just wanna be ME!"

Good choice <3

Wordless Wednesday

2011-12-13T20:48:00.000-05:00

Silly Fishy Kisses

For more WW: A Beautiful Mess, Look at What Mom found... and Dad too, Momspective, Wordless Wednesday ,

Horrible Hair

2011-12-12T21:48:00.000-05:00

Thursday Anthony came home from school with a reminder that Friday was Horrible Hair day (Thank GOD for reminders)... I showed him the handout and immediately he said Nope! He so did NOT want to do horrible hair day...

"Are you sure?" I asked. I told him we could run to the store and get some fun colors to spray in his hair, but he was NOT biting. With a shrug, I said no biggie and horrible hair day was a fleeting memory in this can't remember anything brain of mine...

Flash forward to Friday morning. Late. Yup, late as usual. With 2 minutes to spare, I manage to get Anthony dressed, fed, and lunch packed! Go Mom (I swear it was a new record!!) I sent him upstairs to QUICKLY brush his teeth as the bus would be coming!

"Mommy" my happy boy squealed leaping down the steps... As he rounded the corner giggling, I hear, "I'm gonna do bad hair day so I put shampoo in my hair!"

"WHAT!!" As I look, I see my son's head covered and matted down with shampoo, a half a bottle of SHAMPOO!" Its a miracle it did not get in his eyes! I drug him as fast as we could into the bathroom and between laughter and head shaking I somehow managed to rinse out the shampoo, smear in some gel, and sprayed in some glitter for good measure! (Glitter? Yes, I know but its all that was on hand and the gel just looked like the days I actually FIX his hair. So yes glitter, just GO WITH IT!!!)

As we are stepping out the front door, Jason looks at me panic stricken and I see the bus go by... In that 2 second glance I could SO READ him... He was totally thinking "OMG I have a MEETING in one hour. I am already PUSHING it! I had to go 2 minutes ago, but instead he shouts "He missed the bus!"

Me, (on the front porch where all can see) in PJ's no bra, WHITE zit cream all over my face, teeth unbrushed, hair a hot mess screams "Oh no he didn't!!" and with a slight push "I yell RUN ANTHONY RUN!!!" (it was such a Forrest Gump moment...) And with that he was off! Down the street he ran towards the bus stop...

The best part? Once he saw the bus was waiting for him, his run turned into a casual stroll and he took his sweet ass time waving to all his friends in the bus windows! I looked at Jason and smiled, "See I knew he wouldn't miss it! Have a great day!" and into my warm house I bolted because now I had 15 minutes to get myself ready and Madison to school!

Do you see why I am CRAZY?!?! Thought so!

Wordless Wednesday

2011-12-06T21:02:00.000-05:00

Best Buds!

For more WW: A Beautiful Mess, Look at What Mom found... and Dad too, Momspective, Wordless Wednesday ,

French 101: Madison Style

2011-12-05T21:02:00.002-05:00

Peach, hoo-ha, flower, twinkie? Are these familiar? Many make me LOL for reals. I can remember being in that almost tweeny age and my mom reminding me to "wash your peach good" before I would hop into the tub. Peach? Seriously? To this day, I can only eat canned peaches and I swear its because my vagina was always referred to as that fuzzy fruit.... CRACKS ME UP!

When Anthony was born we called it a penis. No biggie, that's what it is... Now my husband would cringe when his three year old would mention something about his testicles... lol Yeah, I don't like that word too much but hey, it is what it is. Right?

So, Anthony has a penis and obviously, Madison has a vagina. We're a technical term kinda family, what can I say. Only Madison has a bit of difficulty with her annunciation. She typically calls it her "BEvagina". I don't know why, but it seems like this word comes up a good bit in our day to day... Maybe we are just a potty talk kinda family too? Who knows...

Madison happened to mention something about her "begina" around her friend and she was quite confused, because her friend has a hoo after all... Her friend pipes up and squeals, "Mommy, mommy Madison speaks French!! She just said french, begina! Madison, your talking French again!"

OMG hilarious! Who knew, my child who refused to speak, who would hold her breath until she PASSED out, now speaks french! lol I am one proud mama!

Silly Sally Went to Town...

2011-12-04T19:51:00.000-05:00

walking backwards upside down!

I LOVE this book. Its silly and fun and rhymes, all my favorites aspects of a children's book. Each time I read this book, I think of my friend. She is silly and quirky and she TOTALLY would walk to town backwards while upside down...

silly mamas fashion showing hats in target... I swear I almost peed my pants over some of them (sometimes ya just gotta act 12) lol

Recently, my silly friend and I headed on a road trip, to a nearby city, with the minis in tow. On the way, my check engine light came on... After a frantic call to the hubs he declared it would be fine, I mean I was nearly 2 hours from home so what could I really do? So on we trudged... Engine light GLARING!

We had a great day... The kids had fun. We had fun. Just a typical great day nothing major to report... (I should have taken THAT as a sign) It was dark when it was time to roll out, so I ~~begged~~ had my girlie drive home because I hate driving in the dark!

After about 30 minutes into the trip, we realize were so going a WAY different way from the way we came... A bit worried, I scrolled through the GPS and saw it was just taking us west versus south then west so west we continued.

The minis were content (thank you iPad, iPhone, and in car DVD's) and we were just yacking and laughing away... I happened to glance at good old GPS and just as I was gonna say our exit the GPS declares the dreaded "RECALCULATING"! Crap. We laughed and figured we will just hit the next exit, but good ole GPS lady informs us to "exit right in 21.5 miles" 21 miles? SERIOUSLY? That so can't be right, Right? Clearly it was because there wasn't a single exit...

We shrug off the 21 mile detour and continue on with our yacking and laughing... "Recalculating!" Whoa... Hold up. Wait a minute. Seriously, we went 21 miles already and missed the exit AGAIN? Insert 4 letter expletive of your choice here, because Im sure we said them all between the laughs...

Mid snort, I hear "continue 18 miles and exit right". OMG! What the heck kind of highway are we on? What highway only has exits every 20 miles. At this point we look at the minis content in the car and as we look at each other the worry is mirrored on each other's faces. How much longer can THIS go on? Our 2 hour trip has just gone to a 3+ hour trip... Fingers crossed, we continue on our "three hour tour"...

A few miles into our now 38 mile detour we start seeing some weird signs. Please remove sunglasses. Huh? Why would we need to remove sunglasses? On we go and then we find out... We travel through not just one, but TWO HUGE tunnels through TWO HUGE mountains! Where the hell are we??

Beeeep. My truck starts beeping. We both look at the dash. Along with the GLARING check engine light we now have 48 miles til empty and we are in the middle of BFE... Crap... The kids are still quiet, so I began to pray they would fall asleep. I mean it is after 9 at this point and they HAVE to be tired. I mean they ran all day right? Oh how wrong I was...

Finally, after refusing to look, talk, or distract each other for the final 5 miles for fear of missing yet another exit, we reach our exit. I had to pay god knows how much of a toll (thank you easy pass) and away we went.

I TOTALLY thought we were going to be on another highway... hahahaha! Silly me, nope we were on a LONG DARK CURVY country road (with about a 30 mph speed limit) The good ole GPS just kept tacking the minutes on...

Desperate for gas, worried my car was gonna break down, and paranoid the kids were going to lose it any given second, we scanned to dark country terrain for a gas station... We both about died as we passed the hot spot in the country on a Saturday night: The Milky Way... If we were sans kids we SO would have had to make a pit stop... Seriously? The Milky Way? hahaha

Eventually, we arrived at the only gas station seen the WHOLE way. It was kinda shady but it gave me some much needed gas so that I could get back to some civilization... Man, I thought I LIVE in the country, THAT was some country! yikes!!

Four and a half hours later we pulled into my driveway. Even though it should have been a quick two hour drive but turned into Gilligan's three hour tour, the kids NEVER slept, hardly complained, and us mamas kept our cool... So even with the minor snafu, I would say the trip was a great on!

Don't cast stones from glass houses... (or whatever that saying is)

2011-12-01T23:09:00.001-05:00

Sometimes you just have to find the humor in a situation...

A few Sunday's ago, I wasn't quite right. I mean when am I ever right or normal, but this day was BAD! I was just blah and the few neurons I have in my brain were misfiring MAJORLY! I HAD to go grocery shopping if Anthony was going to eat the next day at school, so I begrudgingly got dressed and headed out...

Midway to the store I had the most brilliant idea ever... Starbucks! Surely my white chocolate mocha extra sweet lite whip would give this mama some oomph...

Yeah, not so much!

As I left the mecca, I, of course, hit the light. I was patiently waiting as I guzzled my liquid gold... I saw all the cars around me start moving and I, for whatever reason, NAILED the gas.

BANG!SCREECH!F-ME!

I totally hit the car in front of me who was STOPPED! What the hell is wrong with me? I quickly pulled to the side, hopped out of the car, and with each breath prayed that the driver was not hurt and that there were no kids in the car. Thankfully, my prayers were answered!

I called Jason as we waited for the po po. Of course he was pissed. Of course I was in his car... The cop was CRAZY nice and did NOT give me a ticket and (how lucky is this?!) my insurance is not going to go up because we have been accident free for however many years... For an accident that was TOTALLY my fault, the end result could not have been better...

Flash forward to this past weekend... We were heading out and we needed to put another car seat in Jason's car... I was lazy and sat in the car while he grabbed the seat and buckled the minis in. Finally, the slowest man on the face of the earth gets in and we back out of the driveway...

BBAAAAMMMM!

Instantly I looked up from my phone... That ding bat forgot to shut my car door when he got the seat out and freaking nailed it! omg. The laughter just grew louder and louder. I could not stop! The kids and I were both cracking up... Jason looks at me dumbfounded, "how is that funny" he questioned....

With tears running down my cheeks I was finally able to explain... You see for 2 weeks now I have heard all kinds of comments, jokes, and snide remarks about what dumb ass gets in a wreck when they are already stopped... "Well", I chuckled,"what dumb ass forgets to shut the car door and then hits the forgotten door?" If looks could kill I would be elsewhere lol, but I just laughed all the way to dinner!

Let's just say my accident hasn't been mentioned in DAYS!

Wordless Wednesday

2011-11-29T22:23:00.001-05:00

The Elf & His Silliness

loving the bed head!

For more WW: A Beautiful Mess, Look at What Mom found... and Dad too, Momspective, Wordless Wednesday ,

The holiday season just started and I am already BEAT!

2011-11-27T20:37:00.000-05:00

Phew... What a week!

I hope everyone enjoyed Thanksgiving and time spent with family and friends. This holiday season will be Jason's first where he is not working shift work, so that means he is HOME for them ALL! Yippee! Usually, we work around his schedule and squeeze in a meal at some point during the day depending if he is working days or nights, but not this year. This year we were like a "normal" (if you can call us that) family.

We ate way too much (well most of us), at a decent time, and just enjoyed each other's company. The kids were super excited for their feast even though in reality they ate nothing except rolls (and that was due to finding nuts in the rolls and nuts = lottery tickets)...

Since Jason was home, I was able to participate in, for the first time ever, Black Friday marathon shopping! What a blast! I had tons of fun, got some AWESOME deals, and laughed til my belly hurt. I left the house at 9 and returned at 5, and my fabulous husband let me sleep... I only lasted til noon, but that was plenty...

The rest of the weekend was GORGEOUS! We went to the park, did some more shopping, decorated for Christmas, and ended it by strolling through a winter wonderland!

Hope everyone enjoyed the weekend as much as we did and here's to a happy, healthy, and love filled holiday season!

The choices are endless...

2011-11-23T08:40:00.001-05:00

Unless you have my children and are lucky to have ONE shot where they BOTH look ok :)

Christmas cards are a big thing for me... Before kids, I could not wait to have my own little minis to dress up all cute and get creative with THE Christmas card! Once I had the minis... oh boy did that change! I still love it and can't wait to get THE perfect pictures for THE card, but man do you know how difficult it is?!? They never smile, someone is always grumpy, and the pictures never seem to come out right! It usually takes me a month of tries before I get a shot that is deemed worthy for THE card!
Once the shot is captured, I usually head on over to Shutterfly because they have some of the cutest card choices.
I heart Shutterfly and their products! I have ordered many of their items for myself and as gifts (photo books, prints, calendars, mugs, and TONS of cards) and have always been pleased with their quality! I am thrilled with all the different card choices this year!

I love the simplicity of this one and I think it has that classy feel!

so pretty!

I had a hard time deciding on just the right card... BUT finally, I came up with one and I think its pretty cute! I will share once I send them out, I mean I can't ruin the surprise now can I? Happy Shopping!

Note: Participating bloggers are reviewing the new Shutterfly cards and sharing their faves, and we have been compensated with coupon codes for 50 free cards.

Would we be mothers if we didn't worry?

2011-11-14T10:02:00.000-05:00

I'm thinking not. I mean we are mothers. Worrying is part of our job right? I know I have my fair share of worries and I admit 99.9% of the time its for nothing! (Thankfully!!)

This summer I was FREAKING out about my first baby loading the dreaded school bus and heading off ALL day for school. I had visions of finding my son wandering the town midday since he was going to be walking to the bathroom all alone... I mean really, did these people know what they were in for? Anthony can be quite the character and I am amazed majority of the time with the stuff this kid can dream up... (and he has the follow through... TRUST ME!)

look at THAT face... LOVE

Well, we are nearly three months in and I realized I have never really given the BIG kindergarten update and I am pleased to report all is well and I have yet to find him wandering the street of my burg! Phew!

Anthony is doing AMAZING! He is reading a TON, he is working hard, his math skills are scary (note to self: must look into tutor prices because at the rate he is going he will be well beyond my mathematical ability in NO TIME!), he is learning SO much, and most importantly he is having a BLAST!

His first report card was AWESOME! Jason and I are so proud of him!! I won't lie, he flips the occasional card, needs to improve on his handwriting, and there was a wee little playground incident that landed him into the Principal's office (readers digest version: Kids were picking on his friend, Anthony told them to stop, they didn't Ant pushed, they hit, he hit back, apparently there was some ground rolling, and to the office he (they?) went... Punishment occurred, apology was written, and very long numerous chats about how we do not "karate chop" kids, if there is a problem we use our words and tell a teacher, and that if the Principal ever calls mommy again for bad behavior he just might never see the light of day again (KIDDING... well maybe) were endured. I was a wee bit glad he took up for a friend though and was NOT afraid to speak out but FIGHTING? OMG I almost died with THAT phone call), but even after all that he really is doing FANTASTIC! Each day he gives his all and that is all we can ask for. My kid's not perfect; nor do we expect him to be. He makes mistakes, as do we all, learns from them (hopefully), and becomes a better Anthony in the process :)

I think majority of my worry was for no real reason and I am thankful for that! Anthony is loving school, I am enjoying the whole experience thus far, and his teacher and the school staff I have interacted with have really been STELLAR. I could not have asked for a better experience (especially after last years NIGHTMARE!). I have loved watching my son grow, mature, and blossom in the last three months. Its really crazy how "big" he seems in such a short amount of time...

So far its been great and I am looking forward to what is yet to come!

I miss my minis!

2011-11-09T20:29:00.002-05:00

Really, its ridiculous. I mean I am WITH them (aside from school) 24-7. My job is to take care of THEM, but yet somehow I still feel like I never SEE them.

Anthony's at school all. day. long. Madison is gone 3 mornings a week. The days seem to fly by and before I know it, its bedtime and I haven't "seen" my kids.

I'm cleaning, errand running, working on projects, volunteering, birthday party attending, occasionally cooking, and always taxi driving. Its endless.

This weekend I had ENOUGH! I missed my babies and the quality time we used to have oodles amounts of. Jason had yard work to do and the kids and I rolled OUT. I mean did I really wanna cut back all the plants? Nope.

We seized the opportunity of an unplanned afternoon and PLAYED our hearts out! It was FANTASTIC and I SO need to forget the dirt and say NO so we can have more fun more often!!

Our first stop was a children's museum where we harvested apples, built roller coasters, played in moon sad, and I even got a few X-rays by my adorable little tech!

Of course after all the play some "Hot Donalds" was in order so we filled our bellies before hitting up one of my favorite parks! We climbed, we swang (swung? swinged?). we ran, and most importantly we LAUGHED!

Once they were a bit wore out we strolled around the pond checking out the ducks, geese, and even spotted a few fish.

The day was perfect and I enjoyed every second of some alone time with my babes. There were no friends to chat with, no phones to answer, no distractions. It was just the three of us having fun together.

I miss my babes and THIS mama is SO going to say NO more and plan some more unplanned days for some much needed mama and mini time!

PS I SO timed our arrival home perfectly. The yard work was DONE and everyone was hungry so out to dinner we went: SCORE!

Wordless Wednesday

2011-11-08T20:14:00.002-05:00

For more WW: A Beautiful Mess, Look at What Mom found... and Dad too, Momspective, Wordless Wednesday ,

My Funky Mod-ish Master Bath!

2011-11-05T22:11:00.005-04:00

I have always DISLIKED my master bath... We have done NOTHING to it except use it. I hate all the white tile. I hate the french fry lights. I HATE the monstrosity called a mirror. I despise the chrome. Yup, I really hate that space. (Honestly, I dislike most of my house at the moment which is why all these home projects have started). It was just a blah builder standard space with no life and definitely not a TRACE of my personality...

I forgot to snap a picture of the cabinets before, so I snapped a quickie of the kids bathroom cabinets because they are the same ugliness (and are hitting the chopping block soon)! Do you see those light fixtures? UGH... The ones above the shower and tub were basically useless and the ones over the mirror? YIKES, they did NOTHING for one's confidence! My cabinets and drawers were in disarray, but have since been purged, organized, and prettied up!

Now, the whole space just feels complete and makes me smile. I LOVE it and my hubs hard work TOTALLY paid off...

***

The first thing we (ok Jason, but all of it was MY idea) did was remove, sand, primer, and paint the cabinets. We have a power sander so that was easy peasy lemon squeezey... The primer and paint took a good bit longer. I think Jason said he did 2 coats of primer and 3 coats of the black paint. He did say next time he would only do one coat of TINTED primer... He spent a whole Saturday working steadily... On Sunday, he added a final coat and touched up a few spots. The worst part was waiting for the cabinets to dry but once they were dry and rehung the room was instantly transformed! I was GIDDY!

The following weekend the hubs was back to work, this time painting the walls... I actually did help this time. I did all the tape (This is one skill I am actually good at!) and I painted those few inches by the ceiling the roller can't get at... Go me! haha!

Jason also got brushed nickle faucets, shower fixtures, towel holders, etc. We are still trying to find a Roman tub faucet we like that isn't OUTRAGEOUS, but that is proving difficult...

The room was coming along and I could not wait to add all the tiny touches that would make it my own!

***

I knew I wanted cornice boards for my windows and a friend suggested making them out of foam board (Thanks Mo!!) so I began scouring the web for fabric and fell in love with Poppy Lane by Alice Kennedy. I immediately set out to order it... BUT in usual Casa de Crazy fashion, this fabric has been discontinued and I could not find enough yardage ANYWHERE! (This is my normal and THIS is why I am crazy 99.9% of the time) However, being the obsessive freak that I am, I FINALLY hunted down a wee tiny fabric shop on on the other side of the country who just happened to have enough yards and shipped it to me ASAP! LOVE!

I hunted down a tutorial in the blogosphere, and with a little help from a friend we banged these babies out in NO TIME! The best part? All I used was craft foam board, some batting, and duct tape! Yup, that's right peeps: DUCT TAPE! How cool is that? I was a bit doubtful, but they are totally sturdy and look PERFECT! (side bar: The tutorial is BEAUTIFUL! I love the shape and simplicity of her cornice board, but I felt the clean lines went better with my space)

Finally, it was time for all the fun, one of my most favorite things, SHOPPING! I found some things at Target, TJ Maxx, Home Goods, and the newly opened ~~gonna get me in MAJOR trouble~~ Hobby Lobby.

My BIGGEST headache? The mirrors. Who knew finding 2 simple BLACK framed mirrors would prove so difficult? I kept finding 1, BUT I needed a pair. I drove to three Targets one day on a mission, but I failed... MISERABLY! Finally, I found TWO matching mirrors, the right color AND size at Home Depot and I like them... ALOT!

My best find? Scoring some uber cool BRAND new light fixtures from our local ReStore for a fraction of the cost at Lowes or Home Depot... The ReStore has become one of my most favorite places!!

So, here is it all put together... FINALLY!

So what do you think? Any and ALL opinions much appreciated!
PS: Its all organized too, but that will be in another post for I am pictured OUT! :)

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Wordless Wednesday

2011-11-01T19:59:00.002-04:00

For more WW: A Beautiful Mess, Look at What Mom found... and Dad too, Momspective, Wordless Wednesday ,

My Monsters!

2011-10-31T22:15:00.001-04:00

Happy Halloween!

float flutter fly

spidey promises to protect his mama FOREVER!

our furry butterfly

Happy Halloween!

2011-10-31T08:10:00.000-04:00

All month long we have been prepping for this big day! I have just been SO busy that I haven't had a chance to blog about it all... We have been to pumpkin patches, harvest parties, fall festivals, field trips, and have done just about everything fall and Halloween related! We had a great time and there were no typical casa de crazy moments (aka catastrophes) to report, so here are some peeks of our fall fun!

Madison's Field Trip

Madison's Harvest Party

Our Jack-O-Lanterns

Anthony's Masterpiece

Madison's Creation

Anthony's Fall Festival

Playing Pass the pumpkin (my pictures were all TERRIBLE... Boo!)

I really do love this time of year and I am looking forward to trick or treating with my minis tonight even if it is FREEZING! Hope you all have a most frightful Halloween!

Lego Solution??

2011-10-28T11:23:00.004-04:00

I hope! I have somehow found myself in the midst of a Lego takeover! Anthony is a major Lego head and I think we have almost all of the Lego city sets. He enjoys them, but the pieces drive me CRAZY! Every where I turn I stumble upon Lego's. Big pieces, little pieces; really the size does NOT matter because even the wee tiniest pieces hurt like crazy when you step on them!

A few months ago I stumbled upon this amazing blog: I Heart Organizing, check it out if you are ready to be sucked in and stuck in front of your computer screen for hours bewildered by how a house with small children is SO organized and BEAUTIFUL at the same time! This blog has sparked a need for organization in my world of chaos! I have taken on quite a few projects and have A TON more in mind (which I will be soon sharing) all in thanks to I Heart Organizing...

Lately, I have been on mission organization and she has been talking Lego storage solutions. A friend alerted me that this months Family Fun magazine has an article on just that Lego Storage. Of course, being as I am in organizing mode, delved in and discovered what I hope to be the ANSWER to all my prayers (ok curses!)

I instantly got to work! I purchased 2 of the drawer storage (a 3 and 5 drawer one) bins, a pre cut (16x48) table top from Lowe's (in the closet storage aisle, some orange electrical tape (to go with my playroom's orange and turquoise theme), a pack of double sided permanent tape squares, and a few small bins to put inside the drawers. The whole thing cost about $40 and OMG I am in LOVE!

I added orange electrical tape to the drawers and table top edges to pretty it up some!

I attached the table top to the bins with the double sided permanent tape squares
(mini bins for people and odd pieces)

sorted by color

in the larger bins I added smaller bins so that I can have 2 colors in one drawer

without the chair my hubby made :)

I really LOVE how it turned out! Anthony has a place to build, he can keep his finished projects on top of the table, and the drawers have all the pieces sorted. I also put all the instruction books in page protectors inside a 3 ring binder so they are all in one place for when we want to build one of the sets...

book binder

Honestly, I want to make another one for Miss Madison and the endless amount of art supplies that are consuming my house! So, what do you all think?

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I feel like I'm falling for fall...

2011-10-23T21:25:00.000-04:00

I LOVE fall! The weather is nice, the leaves are GORGEOUS, and all the activities are SO much fun! The kids had off from school, so some friends and I took advantage of our free day and went to a pumpkin farm for some good old fashioned fun! The kids ran, climbed, teeter tottered, and played HARD! It was a great day filled with fun and friends 2 of my favorite things!

We had an AWESOME time and the minis wanted to do a corn maze with daddy, so we visited another pumpkin patch and OMG is all I can say! There were pig races, hill slides, jumping pillows, mazes (we so got LOST!), duck races, pony rides, apple cannons, petting farm, and the list goes on!

So here is a glimpse of our wonderfully gorgeous fun day...

Oh how I love days like these... I wish every day was as perfect!

Wordless Wednesday

2011-10-18T21:13:00.000-04:00

For more WW: A Beautiful Mess, Look at What Mom found... and Dad too, Momspective, Wordless Wednesday ,

The beauty inside a box of crayons....

2011-10-16T19:10:00.000-04:00

As I was scrolling through my Facebook this evening, I was disgusted by a status a classmate from high school posted. Apparently she left a 2 year olds birthday party today because another guest told her daughter that he couldn't play with her because she is "brown"! What is wrong with people? Why on earth does a child so young know such hateful beliefs?

I was not raised in the most open minded of households, but I developed my own thoughts, opinions, and beliefs. Quite often, my parents disagree with my, as my dad jokingly calls me "bleeding heart" opinions, but they do respect them.

One thing I miss about living in the burbs of DC is all of the diversity. In small town USA, the cultural and ethic diversity is not as plentiful and I wish my children were able to learn from and experience all gifts a multicultural community can provide.

However, even in small town USA I was asked why a boy in Anthony's class had 2 moms, and I took that opportunity to explain that all families are different and that the differences can be a wonderful thing! I mean who wouldn't love to have TWO loving mommies! That boy was quite lucky!

Just a few weeks ago, Madison said her best friend at school has beautiful brown skin. It made me smile to hear her say that... My kids have been taught that the world is like a box of crayons. We need all types and colors to make beautiful pictures, for if each crayon was the same our picture would lack vibrancy and beauty and be dull and boring. Who wants a picture like that?

Am I saying that I am perfect, by no means. However, I do believe that my children are learning to expect good from all people regardless of how they look, who they love, or what they believe. If someones beliefs are different from ours, why not take the opportunity to learn from the differences? Who knows we just might be surprised by what we discover!

I am so upset that a two year old little girl was treated poorly today. She is an innocent, beautiful, sweet child. What has she done to deserve such hate? I only hope that the child who has been taught blatant racism grows up to form and develop his own beliefs and I hope that child's mother or father was called on it because they should be ashamed of themselves!

Wordless Wednesday: Smooches

2011-10-11T21:52:00.000-04:00

For more WW: A Beautiful Mess, Look at What Mom found... and Dad too, Momspective, Wordless Wednesday ,

Time?

2011-10-10T20:53:00.000-04:00

Where has all my time gone??!! One would think with a child in school all day I would have LOTS of extra time on my hands (especially since my BUSY child is the one GONE!) Nope. Somehow I find myself BUSIER then ever... Between school. PTA projects, playdates, soccer, and family time I find myself needing a few extra hours each day... One thing I have been doing well with is keeping up with all my house work... HURRAY!

This weekend was spent working on our master bath remodel (pics will be coming once its all complete). OMG can you say TIME SUCK! Ahhhhh... I don't think I have logged this many hours in my master bath in the 6 years we have lived here BUT it is SO worth it! Everything is coming along just as I hoped!!

This weekend we had a big milestone at casa de crazy... Anthony read his first "real" book (not the 3 word sentence books or the books he made at school)! I was SUPER proud :) He read the ENTIRE Green Eggs and Ham book all by himself! I did have to help with the words would and could and will the first few times, but by mid book he had them down! What a CRAZY cool thing to see you first BABY read! I'm not sure who was more proud Anthony, Jason, or I...

I will be back hopefully tomorrow to detail a crazy ketchup escapade (the kind of debacle that only happens to me!) but now a steaming hot bubble bath is SCREAMING my name!

and the countdown is ON!

2011-10-02T17:39:00.001-04:00

There are SO many projects in progress at casa de crazy and I am super excited about a couple of them, but they are not done quite yet... Soon I hope as patience is not one of my best traits...

One project that is finished though, was a simple one Madison and I did together. I have been seeing the cookie sheet count downs for quite some time in the bloggy world, and I finally got my act together and we gave it a whirl!

Madison was super excited for Operation Halloween countdown and I was glad to have a project for the two of us to work on together :)

First I got the most important part... a cookie sheet. I picked some webby scrapbook paper and Madison smeared tacky glue on the sheet while I cut the paper to size... (I was going to use glue dots, but low and behold they would not stick to the cookie sheet!)

I smoothed out the scrapbook paper and printed out and cut 31 squares. Picking the font for my numbers was the hardest part of the whole project!

Madison sorted out the Halloween embellishments I bought and selected her favorites while I used my beloved glue dots to attach the numbers and my little sign. I used my circle punch and made circles and Madison attached her favorite embellishments (they weren't centered perfectly, but that's ok she LOVED them and that's all that mattered!)

I hot glued magnets to the back of my circles, attached a ribbon, and voila: Operation Halloween Countdown was COMPLETE and ready to be hung :) The kids have enjoyed added the magnets as the days pass and I so think Mad and I will be making one for Christmas too!

Let me know if you give it a whirl...

Banged Up

2011-09-28T20:46:00.001-04:00

from its better days...

My poor monstrosity of a vehicle has taken a terrible beating since we bought it 6 years ago... (Hmmm maybe its time to upgrade?? Quick someone convince Jason that I SO need a new car lol).

When it was about a week old they were mowing the median along a highway and the mower shot a GIGANTIC boulder up and it dented and chipped my hood... Thankfully it was well hidden with the placement of one of those bug guard things...

Then there are the COUNTLESS door dings... I mean there are so many I doubt I could count that high ;)

Then there was the time the curb jumped in front of me and I GOUGED the 24's my husband had put on (along with the blacked out windows. I TOTALLY looked like a drug dealer. Peeps were surprised when out popped a ditzy chick with two babies on her hips). Come to think of it, I never fessed up to that one and he totally thinks he did it pulling into a parking space... (Remember if you are reading this you are MY peep and keep MY secrets... shhhh)

Then I backed over a mailbox. OMG talk about embarrassing! I didn't know what to do, so I just carried the poor mangled mailbox up to the house, in tears, and apologized profusely... Thankfully they were nice and Jason was in a good mood when I shared my oops of the week!

Then there was the train crossing incident. Hilarious as it was, so glad it was not me. I mean what could I laugh at Jason for if he weren't as dingy as me!!

During one of our massive feets of snow fallings Jason crashed into the rear bumper with our industrial sized snow blower... I just laughed, I mean the snow is WHITE my truck is BLACK can you not see the contrast?? haha Whatever it just balanced out the mailbox boo boo.

I smashed the mirror into the column at the bank drive thru. I have since avoided the bank drive thru because they are just too darn narrow!

Jason backed his new car into it once or twice... ok 4 times, but whose counting. Again, how do you miss it?

Just a few weeks ago I was pulling into a parking garage parking space, ever so slowly, when BAM the concrete wall moved I swear! I nailed that puppy hard like REALLY hard! So now the front bumper matches the rear.

I have to say this last one takes the cake though, and honestly makes me a bit mad. (Most likely because I didn't cause the damage) I parked at the school to pick Anthony up. It was the ONLY time I had driven it that day. Later as I was rushing to ballet Jason asks what I did to the car now. Stunned because I didn't do anything I looked at what he was referring to...

Someone scraped up my whole passenger side rear side panels. I mean its CRAZY! They must have cut it too short when they were pulling out and dragged their car against mine. I didn't notice because everyone gets in and out on MY side of the car...

Now in all fairness, I would have shrugged it off. Accidents happen, I mean look at MY track record, plus my car is kinda beat to hell! What really annoys me is that whoever hit my car just rolled out. I mean really how rude! You could have at least apologized and owned your oops! Geesh. People really make me mad sometimes... Oh well what's done is done. I will admit I'm scoping out all the cars in the pick up lot and looking for a light colored car with some black front end damage and they are SO gonna be placed on my list... Scary huh? Don't lie if you were on my list you would be a bit afraid.... lol right!

Wordless Wednesday

2011-09-27T21:22:00.000-04:00

Help Me!

For more WW: A Beautiful Mess, Look at What Mom found... and Dad too, Momspective, Wordless Wednesday ,

Worst Day EVER!!!

2011-09-26T19:31:00.000-04:00

Have you had one of those days? You know the NOTHING goes right kinda day... I hadn't had one in a WHILE so I was due and it was a WHOPPER!

Tuesday night Jason and I had it out! It was the everything including the kitchen sink kinda a fight... OMG it was like the sink hole in Grey's Anatomy's series premier BIG! So needless to say, I did not sleep well...

Wednesday morning started off semi normal except for the fact that Jason and I were SO NOT speaking... I got both minis off to school, grabbed a quick coffee with friends, got my phone fixed (long story short: Anthony spilled coffee on my blackberry had it deactivated and hooked up my old one and then low and behold the coffee one started working AGAIN so I had it reactivated! grrr) , and picked up a few groceries. In the grocery store I decided to dye my hair.. Hahahaha. Brilliant! I couldn't decide between two colors, so I bought both...

After paying for my groceries and hair dye, I had 20 minutes until I had to get Mad from school... Then next thing I new, I was sitting in my car BAWLING my eyes out in the grocery store parking lot. Not the pretty kind of cry. The face scrunched up, eyes red and swollen, can't catch your breath HIDEOUS kind of crying. I tried my hardest to get it together because I did have to make an appearance at preschool. Thank God for over sized sunglasses is all I can say!

Home I went, and my friend came over and VETOED both boxes of hair dye. One was too dark and the other too light. She decided to run out and pick me up just the right color...

All of my earlier tear fest made me have to pee like no other and that's when I discovered, yup you guessed it, my period started... NICE! Maybe THAT'S why I was so damn emotional...

My friend made it back and we set out to do my hair... She smooshed and smeared it all on and I sat. And sat. AND sat some more... BORING! Finally my cell phone dinged and time was up...

I bent over the sink and she helped rinse me out... I was assisting and I finally got brave enough to sneak a peak and that's when I saw it:

A HUGE FUCKING WAD OF HAIR!!!! (excuse my blatant use of the f bomb but that's what it was and this sentence SO warrants the full force of the F word!)

I slowly began to panic... "What the *+!$ is THAT??!! OMG my hair is falling out! OMG!!! What the FUCK is that??!!!!" I totally screeched!

To which my panic stricken blood left her face friend calmly instructed: "STOP! Don't PULL!!!!"

Somehow I made it up to my bathroom and in a panic combed my hair. To my relief no more fell out! Phew... At this point I had to pick Anthony up from school, but my friend left to grab him while I blew dried my hair... I was kinda digging it as it slowly dried.

Once fully dry I really took a look. What the... Are you freaking KIDDING me.... I peered closer and closer into the mirror until my head nearly banged the glass. Yup. I was SO NOT imagining things. My hair which once had blond highlights was now old lady blue grey! GREY! OMG the ends were the worse because that was where most of my highlights were since I am SO bad about getting them done! FML!

Shockingly I did not cry. I must have been all cried out... My friend confirmed that yes, it was grey and yes, it was mostly confined to the ends...

I texted my asshole husband (remember we were SO not speaking) and explained that A. my hair was blueish grey and that B. I would need to get a haircut as soon as he got home from work. I got a wicked sarcastic response, but I fear he took pity on me and started being nice so he moved from asshole status to hmmm let me think ... belly button lint status almost immediately.

At the hair salon I explained my whole no good, very bad, horrible day (a woman getting her hair cut next to me leaned over and asked if this ALL happened today... she SO does not know me lol) and they fixed me up. I got about 6 inches cut off, most of the blue / grey is gone (there are a few strips left, but it is washing out) and I have to say I really do like the color. Had it not been for my earlier highlights the color change would have went off without a hitch. Oh and I also learned... It is TOTALLY normal to lose some hair (even a handful) when coloring. I had never before noticed because someone else always does it...

My whole week kinda sucked like that, but things are totally back to my normal. Jason and I are friends again he is no longer an asshole or described as belly button lint, Anthony had a fantastic interim report though he is now SICK, and Madison is well Madison; always keeping me on my toes... I hope no one has a day like mine last week anytime soon...

The new do:

Whatcha think? The pic was taken with my cell so its not the greatest... Again I SO appreciate oversized glasses as they were hiding the puffy eyes that were looking horrid after the day priors cry ok sob fest! The color is a caramelish reddish blondish (with a touch of blue of course hahaha)!

Wordless Wednesday

2011-09-20T20:06:00.000-04:00

My Soccer Buddies!

For more WW: A Beautiful Mess, Look at What Mom found... and Dad too, Momspective, Wordless Wednesday ,

Weird Science!!!

2011-09-19T22:13:00.000-04:00

I forgot to take a picture of all the scientist badges I made :( They were super cute and had each kids picture on it... Gotta love stealing your friends kids pics off of facebook :)

Planning my kids birthday parties is one of my most favorite things to do! The only thing I dislike is that I never have an unlimited budget... Note to self: Have Jason get right on that... lol I love picking the themes, finding all the matchy matchy stuff, and my most favorite part is making the goody bags! This is where I feel like I never have enough money! :)

Anthony is SO into science and LOVES to do any and all kinds of experiments, so when I stumbled upon science birthday parties on the interwebz I knew I had hit the jackpot!
I ordered the birthday kit from Steve Spangler's website, made some AWESOME goody bags if I say so myself (lego sets, instant snow, pop rocks, pop rocks science kit, submarine science kit, magic bubbles, coke geyser thing, stickers, and candy), ordered a printable kit from Etsy, plus I found some test tubes and fun science things at Oriental Trading... I was so ready for the fun!

My crazy scientist :) (you can kinda see the badges in this pic)

I really wanted to get the kids their own lab coats, but that was SO a budget buster, so at the last minute I cut them ones out of white trash bags. Kinda cheesy, but the kids thought they were cool :) The birthday kit from Steve Spangler came with safety glasses for each child (what cute little science nerds they all looked like!!), and I made them some super fun name science badges :)

All the experiments went off without a hitch, held the kids interests, and incited squeals, giggles, and tons of smiles! Three of my most favorite things!!!

Instant worms!

Instant Snow!

Making their own rechargeable glow sticks!

Discovering his hands glow from the glow powder! One word: AMAZED!

Slime Time!

Once the experiments inside were done we had some silly snacks and cupcakes. After all the discovering and fun they worked up an appetite and SUGAR was just what they needed lol...

My little jokester: Blowing out the candles before I could light them all...

When they were full they headed out back to play while we set up one last BIG experiment: Diet Coke and Mentos geysers!

Diet Coke Geysers

Look at that FACE!

All in all the party was a HUGE success and I hope all the kids had as much fun as my birthday boy did!

Wordless Wednesday

2011-09-13T20:49:00.000-04:00

Pre-Race Pit Passes

making his birthday wish come true

For more WW: A Beautiful Mess, Look at What Mom found... and Dad too, Momspective, Wordless Wednesday ,

Six is the new Five...

2011-09-12T21:07:00.001-04:00

Friday my baby boy turned SIX years old! Holy cow it happened in a BLINK... His birthday fell on a school day (that is the BEST part of my birthday, January 1, I NEVER had school or work on my bday!) and that kinda stunk! He woke up a wee bit grumpy because he SWORE he wasn't really six since he "woke up in the night a bunch!" After assuring his he really WAS six about 500,000 times and lots of birthday smooches he became my happy boy yet again...

He got to open his ~~boring~~ super cool, awesome Lego 6 year old T-shirt that I obsessed over for hours when I should have been doing other things first thing and he was PUMPED! He couldn't wait for his friends to see his new shirt... However, he did remind me that clothes are BRORRRING and he ~~warned me~~ hoped his other presents were fun toys!

I was able to pop in his class for a bit in the afternoon to read Miss Nelson is Missing and we shared a healthy prepackaged cannot be homemade and NO cupcakes snack (gotta love the 2000's...) with his classmates. I LOVED it and he was super excited for me to be there!

Unfortunately, I was sick and so not up for our traditional birthday out dinner (who am I kidding, eating out is SO not a treat here unless a treat is considered 5 nights a week) but we had the next best thing... His fave: PIZZA!

Anthony was DYING to open his gifts, but he had to wait for daddy to get off work, but the wait was well worth it! He was giddy and LOVED everything. His best present was still to come though, because he went to the Saturday night Nascar race with his daddy! (more on that later!)

He loved his oh so appropriate Jeff Gordon cake and said six was the best yet... He is DYING for his scientifically perfect party this weekend and I must admit, I am excited too!

Happy Birthday Anthony! We love you to Saturn and back (our little inside joke)... Never have I met a child with Anthony's enthusiam, passion, and the sparkle he possess! He is our own little ROCKSTAR!

My final year of preschool...

2011-09-07T22:16:00.000-04:00

It's hard to believe that today marked the first day of my FINAL year of preschool... When I think of it like that, it makes me kinda sad :( It seems like we have been attending our school forever and I absolutely LOVE it! It really feels like a second home for us and my children LOVE the teachers.. I think the teachers think they are pretty special too (I hope at least hahaha)

Madison was a bit hesitant this year... Each time I mentioned her going to school, her eyes would well up and the tears would drip while crying that she just wanted to stay home with me forever. Poor girl! I honestly think she has just been out of her element because she misses her brother now that he is gone ALL day...

Mad's Best Furry Friend

As soon as she saw her clothes this morning her tune changed, because only big girls get to wear bracelets to school... Oh how she thought she was HOT STUFF with her matching bracelet :) Once dressed, she posed like the little model she always is and her smiles were bright and cheery, just how I like them :)

At school, she got right to work creating her crown for the "Royal Welcome to Preschool". She colored and glued and we placed jewels together. All was right in the world of Mad. I gave her a smooch and tucked an extra special kiss into her boot for later and turned to leave... That's when she choose to attack. She gripped my legs and her eyes began to fill with tons of tears, but her teacher swooped in for the rescue. Capes and Gowns and all kinds of royal garb were thrust in front of my princess in training. Immediately she was drawn to the beautiful sparkly garments, as any self respecting diva-licious 4 year old girl would, and the tears dried! I gave a wave blew a kiss and made my way out...

taken with my cell phone so its kinda fuzzy but I LOVED this shot :)

At pick up she was all smiles and giggles and chatted NON STOP about all the magical fun they had and exclaimed "I want to go to school EVERYDAY! It was AWESOME!" Oh how I PRAY that both of my kids keep up this enthusiasm about school for they have quite a few years left to go!

oh how history has a way of reapeating itself...

2011-09-06T20:25:00.000-04:00

I'm sure my parents just sit back and laugh as they see some of the antics my son puts me through... He is so much like me in so many ways; yet he also has inherited his father's quirks so he can be a HOT MESS a lot of the time...

Today began the third week of school and somehow he has lost his twistables...

"Weeeellll mom, (I always know I am getting a WHOPPER of a story when he starts out with a well....) Weeeeellll Mom, I was shooting my twistables and they got really far and then I placed them under my bench, but then they were just GONE!. I think the bad guys sneaked into my classroom and snatched them away while I was in my carpet time. I looked everywhere but they were gone. You can just get me new ones from Target" (The funny part? I am pretty sure there is NO bench in his classroom and his poor teacher spent god only knows how much time looking for the damn things!)

So he has already lost his twistables and now we have lost three Grotto grips for his pencil... "I fink I left it at my class today. I sure hope the bad guy didn't sneak in again..." One is lost at school and two are lost here... Of course his grips aren't found in any local store, so here I wait for them to be shipped because the ones in the store SO DO NOT work for him. He just fists over it :(

I am REALLY bummed that we can't find the bracelet thingy that hooks to the pencil and his wrist and forces proper pencil hold because he REALLY writes better with that. The bracelet thing came from the way too much but worth every cent OT handwriting camp he attended this summer and I would not let it go to school because I HAD TO HAVE it here for homework (because I am SO responsible and NEVER lose anything... insert sarcastic eye roll here) But, alas between the two of us the bracelet and grips are G.O.N.E!

So yes, I am sure my parents are sitting back laughing while I recount the millions of things Anthony ~~and I~~ misplaces on a daily basis. I'm sure it takes them back to the memories of my youth; of all the papers, books, pencils, letters, ok any object of somewhat importance that I dropped, lost, left, or accidentally threw away and all the hours and money spent looking for or replacing...

Meanwhile; Jason is GRUMBLING because this time its his wallet that is replacing it all OY! Yes, history repeats itself and I VOW to not tell my kids, "You just wait. Your kids are going to be just like you if not worse!" because by god, I don't think I want them to endure it.... lol

Wordless Wednesday

2011-08-30T20:31:00.000-04:00

The BIG Pirate Ship

a little nervous

super excited

LOVING it!

For more WW: A Beautiful Mess, Look at What Mom found... and Dad too, Momspective, Wordless Wednesday ,

We survived the first week...

2011-08-29T21:43:00.000-04:00

Phew... Exhaustion has set in. The busyness of the school year has arrived and between school, karate, soccer, and the daily norms we are all BEAT! It will take time to get used to it all; meanwhile its been early bedtimes for all of us :) Poor Anthony informed my Thursday AND Friday that he cannot do 5 days of school! Three is all that works for him... hahaha Boy is he in for a rude awakening....

I have been enjoying all the school stuff so far. I can barely contain myself from ripping open Anthony's backpack in the middle of the school's hallway to devour every bit of info and work it contains... I love see what he worked on during the day and I SO LOVE how his teacher does a weekly newsletter... Makes my heart swoon... Yes, I am a dork like that! I have signed up for PTA, Jason has signed up for a dads volunteer thing, and I cannot wait to start helping in the school...

Madison is back in school on the 7th and she is super excited. I am looking forward to helping out with her school as well... I think its gonna be a great year and I can only hope and pray that it is 1000 times better then the fiasco of last year!

Kid-isms

2011-08-25T21:21:00.001-04:00

This morning as Anthony was pulling on his backpack he started giggling and exclaimed, "I can't wait to play crackheads on the bus!" Taken aback and a bit afraid, I hesitantly asked, "What is crackheads?" Much to my relief he explained, "Crackheads is when the bus stops and we all *brrreeennnngh* (insert real loud, totally annoying, crashing sound) crack our heads into the seat! Its really funny!!!" Phew, I narrowly escaped THAT one!

***

As spiderman begins to play in the car, Madison pipes up:
"Mommy is spiderman real or pretend?"
"He's pretend", I answer.
"Mommy, then is batman pretend or real?"
Again I answer pretend.
"Mommy are you telling me all my favorite characters dem are pretend?!?"
"Yes babe, they live in our imaginations"
"You heard dat Anthony? I can't take this. They all pretend! At least Dora's still real. Right Mommy, Dora's real cuz I saw the commercial for Dora's alive!"

***

As I was loading the dishwasher the other day, Madison rounds the corner and asks, "Mommy did you feed me milk from your boobies?"
Uhhhh totally wondering where THAT came from, I honestly answered, "No sweetie. I chose to feed you bottles"
"Why cuz mommy? Did your boobies not have milk?"
So not wanting this conversation, I answer, "Well, Mommy made the choice to feed bottles so that Daddy could help feed you too."
"Oh, well when I gets bigger I gonna make the choice to feed all my babies with my boobie milk" and on that note she spun on her heels and headed back to play...

Kindergarten ROCKS!

2011-08-23T22:04:00.001-04:00

Literally...

Anthony's first day of Kindergarten has come and gone and I was a mess. Tears fell, I missed my boy, and I worried all day long... Honestly, I did much better then I expected, and the days leading up were far worse then the actual day.

He did awesome! He was SO excited and could not wait to get there... He confidently headed off into the great big world (without his mama) with confidence and pizazz just as I knew he would. His enthusiasm for life is truly amazing...

I watched the clock all day and raced to his school, 20 minutes early, to get my baby. He bounded down the hall with a GINORMOUS smile and as soon as he spied me his eyes lit up and he grabbed me into the tightest hug ever! It was perfect and I couldn't have asked for a better day for him and I. I mean if he was a wreck, I would have been even WORSE!!

As we walked to the car I was filled in on his tales and adventures of his "big day" and he informed me that "Kindergarten was AWESOME!" LOVE it!!

As he climbed into the car he emptied his pockets and handed me, from smallest to largest, three rocks that he "mined" for me during recess. I marveled at the most beautiful rocks I have ever seen and he was so proud of himself. He said he missed me so he decided to "mine some rocks for mommy because there may be diamonds and jewels inside". They were perfect!

Today was no different... He was still UBER excited (his poor teachers, I am sure the boy is straight up WILD!!) to beginning day 2 of the "awesomest kindergarten EVER!!".

Today as he was dismissed, his teacher called me over and handed me 2 rocks she discovered Anthony had in his pockets. He explained that they were for me and that he gave me 3 yesterday... His teacher then asked him what his mommy thought of those rocks and he proudly declared, "She thought they were beautiful!" How right he was... So, I took home my new rocks, wrote the dates on them, added them to a jar with the rocks from yesterday, and smiled... I think those rocks have been the most meaningful and appreciated gift I have ever received and I will cherish them forever... I can't help but wonder if I will be fortunate enough to receive another tomorrow...

So yes, Kindergarten ROCKS, literally, and if it keeps up there will be one happy mommy, one rock star of a boy, and a playground riddled with holes from the special rocks a boy has given his mama. Here's to a GREAT school year!

Twas the night before Kindergarten...

2011-08-21T22:09:00.001-04:00

and as they prepared Anthony was excited and mom was a bit scared!

****

Tomorrow is the big day and I can hardly believe its here... All summer I felt it getting closer and closer gaining speed, and now, BAM its here. Tomorrow my first baby will be a BIG Kindergartner...

My little berry picker! I am going to miss him ALL day :(

Today as I checked out at the grocery store with all my lunchbox snacks, the cashier asked if I was ready for school tomorrow... That was all it took, a simple question and the tears fell. I could hardly speak because the lump in my throat was so large... But, I dried my eyes, and pulled it together before I got home because Anthony needs to see how EXCITING this step is and not be worrying about his control freak, cry baby, smothering mother!!

I'm gonna miss his excitement and silliness!

We made a huge compromise and I have agreed that he can ride the bus TO school and he has agreed that I can pick him up FROM school... This is a huge step, because I have always dreamed of taking my kids and picking them up from school. I didn't want them to ride the bus. He, on the other hand, has talked non stop about riding the bus for about 2 1/2 years now! So we talked and I caved and he caved and all is good. I am secretly hoping he says the bus is too loud and chaotic and decides my car is much more enjoyable... :)

I hope everyone sees past the silliness and discovers his warm, caring, tender heart...

All weekend long I have OBSESSED over all the small things that can go wrong... For example, did you know kindergartners get to go to the potty all by themselves? Ha! 20 bucks says my son either:

A. Goes to the potty and never comes back and will be found hours later wandering the halls

or
B. Causes the school to be evacuated because he clogged all the toilets and sinks and raw sewage is pouring onto the floors at an alarming rate..

I admire his passion in learning and discovering

All these tiny things I keep making into HUGE catastrophes, but I know deep down he is in good hands. He has the teacher I requested. I know her. I like her. I think Anthony will mesh well with her. Most importantly, she's a FANTASTIC teacher... If more were like her I thing our educational system would be much better...

His determination and confidence inspire me

She gave the kids a picture of herself with a little note welcoming them at orientation and Anthony has carted it around all weekend. He tells anyone that will listen that, "My teacher is awesome! See her? She is nice and is going to give me Pizza Hut (Book-it program). I really like her so I just might listen to her!" The MIGHT has me a bit worried, (that little shit is too smart and covering his butt because when he gets in trouble for NOT listening he is gonna totally tell me he said he MIGHT listen... I just felt 5 more grey hairs pop up!), but I really do have a good feeling...

He continually melts my heart and makes me laugh especially when he is sticky and dirty... His favorite way to be I think!

I hope tomorrow my eyes are not crazy swollen from all the tears, but I do have my HUGE sunglasses handy just in case! I hope everyone has a WONDERFUL school year and that everyone comes home with huge smiles and many, many happy things to share!!

I'm going to miss my boy terribly, BUT I cannot wait to hear about all his new and exciting adventures!

I survived!

2011-08-11T18:39:00.000-04:00

I have never been one to yard sale (used as a verb). It just has never been my thing. I must admit that I have envied the treasures my friends have found, but its just not for me. First of all, I don't do mornings and all the "good" stuff sells FAST, second, I have never wanted to drag the minis along (that just screams GREAT times... yes that IS sarcasm) and until recently Jason worked mostly weekends. So yard sales haven't been my "thing".

However, this past weekend I finally decided to give it a whirl and empty out my overflowing with baby gear basement and get rid of some stuff... I spent way too much time organizing, cleaning (I could NOT have dirty things I mean what if someone I KNOW came... I would DIE so I scrubbed and washed!), and tagging and was all set for a Saturday morning sale...

Jason felt I was wasting my my time and effort, but friends assured me the stuff would sell so I dove right in and as Anthony would say "Got my store ready for some customers". I set a small goal of earning enough to buy a carpet steam cleaner and I secretly hoped for a bit extra, but I didn't want to set the bar too high!

Way too early Saturday morning, while my house slept, I began setting up shop on the driveway. Before I knew it I had people buying stuff before I even set it down... SCORE! The morning was steady and the stuff was FLYING off the asphalt. Jason and I were in SHOCK! Anthony and Madison enjoyed directing people to our store and shouted with glee when we had "customers".

I was so busy and I bit overwhelmed so I didn't see the storm clouds rolling in. The next thing I new the sky opened up and the rain began to fall in buckets! I didn't have to move hardly anything because MOST had sold. Once the last few items were out of the rain, I tallied up my cash and was SUPER STOKED to learn I had earned more then enough for a steam cleaner and quite possibly a small weekend trip! All in all the work and time was SO worth it! While I'm sure you will not see me out yard sale-ing as I still can't get over the early rising on a Saturday, I must admit is was fun, interesting, and I am sure I will still envy all my friends treasures!

PS: I totally ran out that afternoon for my carpet cleaner and I LOOVE it!

"Am I responsible yet?"

2011-08-07T22:28:00.000-04:00

Anthony has been hounding me for about 6 months for a pet fish... My response? "When your responsible" Mean mommy right? I just am not digging the idea of having to feed, clean, and take care of another living thing... I mean really, I have my hand way too full as it is. So for the last five months I have heard some form of "Am I responsible yet?" Good times...

Last week in a weak moment, I said yes and off we went to PetSmart for some fish. I decided it MUST be a "real" aquarium because I am SO not emptying a owl every few days because it its cloudy, poo filled, and just out right nasty AND I was NOT allowing them to get dirty poop a lot gold fish...

Little did I know, aquariums have to be set up for 24 hours PRIOR to placing fish in so lets just say I had 2 very disappointed minis when we arrived home with all the equipment but no fish...

The next night back to PetSmart we drove and each of us picked a very non-goldfish fish. They were so colorful and pretty. The kids were excited and I was too... a little! We added our fish and watched them until the kids grew bored...

The next morning, we wake up to Madison tugging on the sheets... "My fishes and daddy's fishes are sleeping. Or maybe theys went to heaven with Jesus and Murray or somethin?" That got Jason out of bed pretty quick and he confirmed our tank only had 2 swimmers... Jason and the minis headed BACK to PetSmart for 2 replacement fish.

When they got back, they discovered my fish had crossed over to the other side and was also DOA. Nice. Back to the pet store they went for our THIRD replacement fish... Water was tested, temp was tested, we had nothing. The fish were just keeling over for some unknown reason... At this point I was wishing I opted for the Guinea Pigs... This cycle continued until we FINALLY brought home the TENTH fish...

Into the tank she swam and we crossed our fingers as she swam around all lonely PRAYING that this one would finally SURVIVE! Jason peered into the tank a few hours later and was amazed by the long poop trail this teeny fish left and that's when he noticed it... He calls me to confirm that yes the thing on the poop trail does indeed have eyes! What the hell??!!

We both leaned in close and discovered the fish we just bought and placed in our cursed tank was... wait for it... HAVING BABIES! OMG! As I stared at the mama in disbelief I noticed that I could actually SEE eyeballs in the mam fish's belly!! CRAZY I tell ya! I had to shake my head as I posted this latest turn of events to facebook... I mean REALLY why me? Why does the most asinine, unbelievable, straight up WEIRD things happen to me?

Luckily my friend and neighbor read my status and came to the rescue with a baby fish trap contraption because little did I know the mama will eat her "frye" (Yup, totally learning the fish lingo now... Gotta love Google!)

they are about the size of a grain of rice!

So we now have 1 mama fish in one tank and 8 baby fish in a borrowed from a friend tank... I must admit they are super CUTE, WAY tiny, and I kinda like the little fryes... I really hope they make it and that some friends will want to take a few fishies off my hands once they are bigger!

ch-ch-ch-changes....

2011-07-28T10:32:00.000-04:00

Some of you read all about my day of "oh shit"s yesterday but I had to step away, curl up with my neglected book, and enjoy my much deserved solitude... Oh how each second was savoured AND enjoyed....

Recap:

jolted awake
dog groomed
running late
melted pops

So once home, Anthony had his buddy over and they played and swam and played some more. Unfortunately, I had to ruin their fun because we had to:

rush to the ATM to get $$ for groomer
rush to the groomer
rush to drop off Ant's bud

and FINALLY

rush to yoga (by god I was SO making THAT class. Meditation was just what this tired, weary, and wee bit stressed mama needed!)

As we are heading into Sheetz Ant and his bud asked for a hot dog, so I ordered them one and headed to the ATM. I reached into my bag, but no bank card... I dig some more... NADA! Feeling a panic begin to set in, I dumped my whole bag onto the floor and began to dig through the rubble. Receipts, trash, gum, candies, earrings, toys, and one lone melted crayon later I finally unearthed the bank card. Phew... Jason won't have to kill me for losing it once again. This time.

Swipe. Yes I agree to the fee. ****. Yes this is my pin. Yes, I want $60 fast cash.
Up pops: Please enter your pin **** again, please enter your pin **** Please enter your pin. WTF? CANCEL!
Ugh. So I go through the entire process three more times. At this point, I am flustered as I am gonna be late, I am annoyed because this IS my pin (I think), and Anthony has asked for his hot dog at least 6.2 MILLION times.

Ding ding ding... I will just get cash back :) Yes folks, I AM a genius (not)! I ask hottie Sheetz guy and nope "mam we don't do cash back, but we do have an ATM for your convenience" and then he flashed his hottie smile. I can only imagine my look. It was probably full of discontent, disgust, and annoyance all at once. "Yes", I smiled, "but YOUR ATM is broken."

At this point, hottie Sheetz guy walks over to the ATM and watches me work my button pushing magic SIX more times. "Huh, It must be broken?" Ya think genius??!! Unless I am really the one with a small brain, but I will NOT admit to THAT once until proven otherwise hahaha....

I return to the counter to pay for the now cold hot dogs, hand hottie Sheetz guy with a small brain my bank card (remember it is not proven that it is actually ME with the small brain) and LOW AND BEHOLD its denied due to "stolen card" WTF! The F bomb was screaming loud and clear in my head as I silently handed over my credit card to pay for the $1.04 in hot dogs.

Now what? Annoyed, embarrassed, and you guessed it LATE, I dart to the groomers and PROFUSELY apologize, and promise to bring her the $$ once my husband gets home... Mortified, I take my beautifully fluffed and exquisitely smelling dog to the car and continue upon my running late evening.

Yoga did not help much. I was still stressed and annoyed... Jason met me at home with cash and I paid off my debt and apologized some more, and the minis went to bed EARLY!

I blogged and read, so the night ended on a happy note, but as I fell asleep I was a bit apprehensive about what kind of swear words the new day would find me using.... lol

an "Oh Shit!" kinda day

2011-07-27T21:22:00.002-04:00

in CRAZYVILLE!

This morning I awake to the blaring beep beep beeping of the alarm and an incessant ding dong of the door bell... Of course the doorbell got Miss Juliet a yapping thus waking the minis who went to bed WAY too late last night... Good times.

I threw on clothes as Jason answered the door and while he chatted with the neighbor I dashed out the door to drop off the yapping pooch at the groomer...

Home; our morning rituals resumed as normal once Jason left for work: eating, fighting, crying, screeching, eating, laughing, eating.... You get the picture! I glanced at the clock as I waited for my girlfriend to drop off some cake pops I wanted to give as a gift to Anthony's OT girl since she helped him so much and somehow my morning of leisure (haha) turned into an "Oh shit! We have exactly 10 minutes for me to shower, teeth to be brushed, and all three of us dressed in order to make it to the dentist on time!"

Cake pops were dropped off just as I was getting ready to step into the shower... I must be getting pretty good at my running late skills because somehow we backed out of the driveway with one minute to spare... GO MOMMY!

A mile from my house I had another "Oh shit" moment... I left the damn cake pops ON THE KITCHEN counter. I flipped around as fast as my big 'ol truck will allow and dashed home...

Somehow we made it to the dentist just in the nick of time... All three of our pearly whites were xrayed,cleaned, and cavity free... This day was getting better by the second...

As we are leaving the dentist, Anthony whines. "Moooommmmy, do we haaaave to take the pops to Miss Christy today?" Yup, third "Oh shit" moment of the day and its only noon! UGH I left the damn cake pops IN the car IN the 90 some degree heat! AHHHHHHHH!!!!! I raced to the car, ripped open the door, and there sat my beautifully made cake pops, cracked in half, a hot melted mess... If the minis were not with me the F bomb so would have been dropped. Repeatedly.

A call was placed and more pops were ordered and Miss Christy will have to wait til Monday for her oh so yummy sweet gift. Crisis diverted for now.

The day resumed back to normal once home: eating, fighting, playing, laughing, eating, etc with a play date and pool time thrown in... The next disaster was lying in wait, quietly stalking me, striking just as I hit the breaking point; BUT I will save THAT for tomorrow as my minis are now asleep, Jason is at the gym, and I am going to relish the abnormally quiet alone time I have been so graciously gifted!

Wordless Wednesday

2011-07-26T22:01:00.000-04:00

chocolate fountain fun

For more WW: A Beautiful Mess, Look at What Mom found... and Dad too, Momspective, Wordless Wednesday ,

"It's my day!"

2011-07-25T21:47:00.000-04:00

A few months back, my cousin asked if Madison could be the flower girl in her wedding. Of course I said YES and I was thrilled to see my cutie patootie strut herself down the aisle in a BEAUTIFUL gown. Once I informed my little diva, she was PUMPED! For months, all I have heard over and over are various forms of:

"Mommy, is today my weddin'?"
"How many more times till I get to be my princess?"
"Mommy, can I wear my bootiful gown and high heels today?"

You get the picture, it was constant, non-stop, and she was CRAZY excited!

Finally, the wedding weekend was here... Friday morning we headed to St. Augustine for the big day... Madison could hardly contain herself, and I kept reminding her that this was CALLIE'S wedding and NOT hers, but she was was not easily dissuaded...

Callie totally played into Mad's princess idea and she gave Madison her very own princess tiara and a set of "jewels" so she would sparkle in the sunshine! She even was THRILLED to learn that she was going to ride in a horse and carriage with Callie!

My angel did fantastic! She strutted her stuff down the aisle dropping rose petals in the wind, and she took her job quite seriously!

She even stood still and acted like such a big girl during the whole ceremony... We were SO proud of her and she looked ADORABLE!!!

a bit hot...

At the reception, I overheard her tell her cousin, "Oh no, you cannot push me. I have on my very high heels and I may fall" lol She was hamming it up. She was cute and she totally knew it! I do however think the chocolate fountain was her "very, bestest, most favorite" part of the whole shindig... Who can blame her? Chocolate is DIVINE!

Congrats to Callie and Ian! Your wedding was beautiful and we were so happy to be a part of it. We wish you many many years of happiness, laughter, and smiles! <3

A beautiful evening, ducks, ninjas, and an unexpected gift!

2011-07-19T11:27:00.001-04:00

It was a BEAUTIFUL evening and after a day of running, I decided to take the kids to the park for some low key fun... As we walked out the door, I grabbed a loaf of bread so that all the ducks could have a snack. And man did they EVER snack! I think we must of been surrounded by 50 ducks and geese... Madison was freaked out (so was I) because they just quacked and honked and SURROUNDED us! They were so tame, I think they would have snatched the bread out of my hand if I would have let them... Anthony thought Madison and my screeches were hilarious, but he even backed away some once we were surrounded!

Once our treats were gone we raced across the fields to the playground! It was hot, but the sun was beginning to set and the temps were slowly dropping... The kids ran and played and ran some more! Getting just how I like; TIRED!

After a bit, the play equipment lost its excitement and Anthony made his way into a wee wooded area where he transformed into a little "ninja". He hi-yaed, jumped, climbed, and stealthy hid amongst the trees... Imagination at its finest... Oh how I love imaginative play and what their little minds conjure up!

Not long after, Madison joined in as a "wittle baby ninja" and they played until I could no longer stand the mosquito's! I knew I had forgotten something... BUG SPRAY!

It was a great way to spend the evening and I think we all had many laughs and lots of fun and that's what I call SUCCESS!!

I would say the night couldn't have been more perfect, EXCEPT.... Anthony left with a gift that keeps on giving! After a trip to urgent care a few days later we discovered that he has, and I quote the doc here, "Something like poison ivy, but not poison ivy. With summer its kinda hard to tell what exactly it is" (upon my expertise at WebMD I feel the official diagnosis is.... Poison Sumac! Oh Joy!! It's everywhere and I do mean everywhere! I never realized just how often he must put his hands in his pants if you get my drift... Poor guy! Thankfully he is being a trooper and two tubes of steroid cream later it is finally beginning to dry up some!

taken with my cell phone, not at its worst but not at its best either!

Gold is my new pink!

2011-07-17T23:10:00.001-04:00

I think I have decided to trade in my long time favorite color of HOT PINK for yes... GOLD! Now, I have never really been a huge fan of gold, I am more of a silver or rustic bronze kinda girl, but as of Friday, I think gold is my new pink...

I am now the PROUD mama to two very awesome uber cute gold strip belted kinder kickers; hence the need to have a new favorite color... At least for a few days, I mean gold toe nails so not as pretty as my always hot pink ones :)

note me in the background chewing away frantically!

Friday, I was CRAZY nervous... I think I bit my already chewed nailed clear off! I mean it was a HUGE deal, the minis FIRST belt test! Anthony has been in Karate for a few months now and Madison has wanted to "try" it out so I figured why not, were already there right??!! But then the belt test was scheduled and all I could think of was the HOT MESS I would have on my hands IF one passed and the other did not! I stressed ALL week over this belt test, and all for nothing!

look at THAT concentration...

The kids did FANTASTIC! Dare I say they were nearly perfect? Anthony had his listening ears turned on and Madison did fab too! All the kids in the class did an awesome job and I must say they ROCKED it! There was a room full of some very proud wee ones and parents alike! It was a great feeling and I am so proud of each of those kids and of all the effort and hard work they put forth! Go Kinder Kickers!!

She did it!

SO Proud!

I had some super cute pics, but there were other kids in it and I don't want to post pics of other kids yada yada yada, so this is what ya get... The majorly cropped, grainy, and crazy dark ones due to the MAJOR sun glare behind them...

My Week

2011-07-11T22:50:00.000-04:00

Monday:

Doc apt
Pick up Erin, my almost sister, so she can hang for a few days
OT (working on Ant's handwriting before K-Day aka Kindergarten!)
Karate
Yoga
Grocery Store

Tuesday:

Camp
Errands
Park

Wednesday:

morning play date most likely
OT
Karate
Yoga

Thursday:

Yoga
Camp
Errands

Friday:

Lake Day
Karate Belt Test

Saturday:

Yoga
Birthday Party
Karate Summer Pool Party (must make a covered dish and trying to overachieve by making a dessert too!)

This is why my summer anthem has become on the road again... Today I traveled within 3 states, logged about 4 and a half hours in the car, and ran, ran, RAN! Just as I will the rest of this week and the week after and the week after.... Holy cow! I am exhausted... Plus I somehow must manage to clean house, do laundry and MOST IMPORTANTLY: spend some QUALITY time with my minis! Thankfully the kids have been having fun and this super mom (NOT!!!) has spent a lot of good family time with my minis and the hubs.... The downside? There is about 7 loads of laundry screaming my name, my feet stick to my floors, and there are fingerprints EVERYWHERE... Oh well, it will all still be waiting when I get a minute....

Happy Birthday!

2011-07-10T21:13:00.000-04:00

It's hard to believe that when I first met Jason I was 12 and he was almost 14... It's really kinda crazy! We have grown up together, experienced life together, and most likely get old together... Sometimes when I think of him I still "see" the 16 year old kid...

I am pretty sure I was about 15 and Jason was 17... BABIES!

I find it hard to believe that he is now 35! Holy cow, how did THAT happen?? Friday was his birthday and the kids were super excited! All day long all I heard was how many more minutes til daddy gets home... It was like a CD on repeat ALL. DAY. LONG!

We decided to make daddy his favorite chocolate frosted cupcakes (with a few vanilla ones since Anthony HATES chocolate) and we wanted to make him a gift... So, off to Michael's we went! We decided to make Jason a pen holder since he has a new office at work now and I think it turned out super cute :) I won't lie, I did most of the work on the gift, but the kids totally made the cupcakes. I just measured all the ingredients!

We had a wonderful night as a family and we are so lucky to have such an awesome daddy and I am SO lucky to have spent more then half my life with my bestie!! Happy Birthday Jason! We LOVE you!

Peanut Butter, Jelly, and Cheese Sandwich

2011-07-07T21:04:00.001-04:00

Tonight as I was tucking in the minis, Anthony looked up at me with his BIG browns and sheepish smile and exclaimed:

"Mommy I love you so much! You are the best mommy because you always give me big hugs and do fun things! You are as best as a peanut butter and jelly sandwich stuck together with deli cheese!"

He then proceeded to shower me with no less then 100 kisses! Melt. My. Heart! Oh how that goofy kid makes my heart burst <3

It's the moments like these that make the whining, crying, fighting, and lack of sleep OH SO WORTH IT!

I think I have two of the best kids EVER!!

Happy Birthday America!

2011-07-05T14:12:00.000-04:00

Our Fourth of July weekend started off with a BANG! (pun intended)

Friday, some friends and I took all the kiddos up to a local state park to play and swim and the day could NOT have been more perfect!

They kids had a FANTASTIC time swimming, playing in the sand, and trying to catch fish :) Anthony tried his hardest but the fishies were just too quick!

I don't think there was a single tear shed or whine uttered. Seriously. The day could not have been more perfect! It was peaceful, fun, and relaxing! Since it all went so well, my friends and I decided to make it a weekly event! Score!

Saturday, Anthony wasn't feeling well, so we just chilled. We were supposed to go watch fireworks, but with him not feeling well, we opted to stay home and do some of our own. The kids LOVED it!

feeling much better with some explosives in his hand :)

Sunday, I did a bit of impromptu shopping and had a most awesome much needed day to myself! PERFECTION!

oh how she loved dancing with the sparklers!

On the fourth, we just kinda a hung out. We met a friend at the park and the kids jumped on the moon bounce, fished in the pools, got a cool glitter tattoo, and rode a mini train. Ant was grumpy, but we managed to have fun anyway... The town fireworks were rained out, but we will catch them on the rain date...

I hope everyone had a FANTASTIC holiday weekend. I don't think we could have asked for a better one, it was low key, relaxing, and fun!

Family Fun Fishing

2011-06-30T17:39:00.000-04:00

The other evening, we decided to pack a picnic dinner and head o the park for some fishing fun... Mind you Jason and I are NOT the fishing type, but the kids love it so we "try" to be a bit more of the fishing type. I stopped at 7 11 bought some NASTY worms and we were off...

Jason whipped out the tackle box and the kids gathered around the worms picking the up and checking the out... Jason realized he did not have anything to cut the 8 inch slimy worms into smaller pieces so I had the bright idea to have Anthony rip them apart because there was no way in H e double hockey sticks I was doing THAT! Anthony scooped them up and tried, but all they did was stretch...

You know me, always using my noodle, I decided to use a rock to ~~mutilate~~ cut up the wriggly things. Yeah I was only able to do one and almost BARFED everywhere...

But we now had two worms so Jason hooked them and casted the poles for the kids BUT we had no weights and they would go far... Out came the handy dandy tackle box and Jason opened a pack of weights. SCORE! BUT we didn't have pliers to attach the weights.... FAIL! I almost died when Jason asked if I had a pair in my purse because that is TOTALLY something I usually have. Wait a sec, let me just whip a pair out!

We ended up just casting them close to shore which was plenty for the kids... Madison decided she didn't want to fish and Anthony grew bored with it after about 30 seconds so out inability to be fishing people was really ok... This time!

Anthony: "Uh oh.... Trouble up ahead!"

We decided to explore the park and check it all out instead; which the minis TOTALLY dug and gave me the opportunity to mess with the camera some. So all was good!

The park is really beautiful and the kids loved following a path through the woods and were UBER stoked when we found a disk golf course!

But I must say, the most exciting part was the mad dash to the playground. I don't think I have ever seen those four legs run so quick! If only they had that energy and motivation when it came time to clean the playroom!

and their off....

beautiful

All in all it was a great evening even though the ducks attacked the picnic blanket while Jason and the kids were eating, fishing was a bust, and Madison accidentally laid in goose shit. I would do it again...

TOTALLY!

Wordless Wednesday

2011-06-28T21:53:00.000-04:00

my babies

For more WW: A Beautiful Mess, Look at What Mom found... and Dad too, Momspective, Wordless Wednesday ,

A typical day in CRAZYVILLE!

2011-06-27T11:31:00.000-04:00

The day started out utterly PERFECT! Anthony slept until 8:30... Yes you read that right 8:30! If you have been reading for quite some time or know us personally you know this is UNHEARD of as he usually rises as soon as the rooster cock a doodle do's, well he would IF we had a rooster. Hell, if we had a rooster he would most likely be up BEFORE the wretched early rising beast!

So the day was off to a FANTABULOUS start! We all got to sleep in and we did not have to rush to get out the door for Anthony's doctor appointment... SCORE!

We set out for our hour trek to the doctor and as soon as I hit the 2 laned, no passing zone in sight, curvy mountain road I get stuck behind not one but TWO slow pokey drives doing about 10 miles UNDER the speed limit.... UGH! After about 20 minutes or so I was finally able to pass them... PHEW!

We exit off the country road and merge onto the highway with PLENTY of time to spare. Life is good! I go about five miles and BAM all 4 lanes of traffic is STOPPED... I proceed to stop and go all of 2 miles in oh about 25 minutes and as I get up to the cause I discover its a MINOR fender bender and all 4 lanes of traffic had to break their necks trying to get a peek of the barely dented cars. Yes, I too peeked. I mean really, I had to sit so by God I was looking too!

We are WAY off schedule at THIS point but I finally arrive at the doctors office a mere 2 minutes late... The nurse calls Anthony's name and we head back and that's where the REAL fun begins!

First, he refuses to get on the scale. I had my "I am THE perfect mommy who never EVER loses her patience FAKER than FAKE smile on and I calmly urged him to get on the scale for the nice lady. Yeah; still he refused! I then gently reminded him that he had to get on the scale because he was wasting all the time we had for the zoo. Uh huh, you guessed it: Straight up refusal. Mortified, I gave the nurse a weary smile and picked him up an tried to PHYSICALLY place him on the damn box, but that little turd wouldn't put his feet down. At this point my fake smile returned and I leaned in REAL close, did the "whisper yell", and informed him that if he did not START listening and knock the nonsense off he would NOT be going to the zoo and he would be going to his room along with a spanking! Low and behold he put his little feet down! IMAGINE THAT! Why oh why do they wait until the threats are issued before they will listen?

Everything goes smoothly from that point out with the nurse. As we wait for the doctor we engage in some major car racing fun. Our beloved ped comes in and we are discussing some things and some changes blah blah blah... Anthony gets bored and decides the office is SO much cooler in the dark and begins flicking the lights on and off on and off. Again, MORTIFIED, I try to be the mom of awesomeness, but my facade cracks and the doctor totally sees me lose my cool as I tell him to know it off and place him snug on my lap where he proceeds to make a bit of a scene. I try to pretend that it is not MY child screaming and continue with my conversation with the doctor... UGH!

At this point his butt should NOT have gone to the zoo, but his sister was SO excited and we had friends joining us who also traveled an hour so what to do... As we march to the car I scold him and explain that if he misbehaves at the zoo we will wait in the car while everyone else has fun!

I head through the McD's drive through so the minis can eat and Madison proceeds to beg for 6 nuggets instead of 4 and for a diet coke. Whatever, no biggie. I order it. The kids eat and I get a Starbucks. Life is BACK on track! Away we go.

As we park at the zoo I decide to put my money in my camera bag so I don't have to carry my purse AND the bag. I removed the camera charger to make room for my keeps and just as I tell the kids to unbuckle the ENTIRE Diet Coke that Madison had to have dumped in her car seat! AHHHHHHH! At this point I am back to frazzled, but THANKFULLY she is not sopping wet! I set down the charger head into the back and try to mop it up with the few napkins I have and then I see it. The 6 nuggets she was STARVING for? Oh she ate one. ONE. Seriously? ONE! ugh!

Annoyed, but still trying to "keep calm and carry on" we head into the zoo where I purchase food buckets and bottles for the baby sheep. Baby lambs? How can that not make you smile?

We all race to the petting and feeding area and I immediately whip out my camera as Madison is placing a bottle in the cutest baby goats mouth... Click! Nada. WTF? Yup, my battery is dead as a doornail. Its ok, I take a deep breath and enjoy the experiences...

As we pile back into the car, we throw away all the trash and snuggle in for the long ride home. Everyone was quiet, everyone was tired, and everyone had fun...

Once home, I pull out my camera so I can charge it, but I can't find the charger. I head out to the car, but I can't find it. Back inside I go, but nope NOT there. Back to the car I race and tear it apart yet still come up empty handed. It was gone. Lost. My brand new way too expensive camera's charger is most likely in a trash can buried under millions of nastiness awaiting its final ride to the dump.

Really? All I wanted to do was cry out "why me?!?" "Why does everything I do, touch, or say turn out to be a disastrous catastrophe?!" But, instead I was mad at myself for my complete irresponsibility YET again and moved on. It is what it is and I can't change it... I just must embrace it and laugh because otherwise I would go CRAZY!

That is a typical day in the life... So, who wants to be me? Anyone? Anyone? Bueller?

*sorry for the lack of pictures, the camera died remember?

Wordless Wednesday

2011-06-21T21:55:00.000-04:00

My Beautiful Baby!

For more WW: A Beautiful Mess, Look at What Mom found... and Dad too, Momspective, Wordless Wednesday ,

Sun, Sand, and Smiles

2011-06-20T09:14:00.000-04:00

What more can a person ask for?

Well, we're back from a week at the beach and it was OH SO FABULOUS! I found out Thursday night my aunts house was empty, Friday Jason put in vacation time, and Sunday we headed down. It was perfect and just what this mama needed to kick off summer!

We could not have asked for better weather... Aside from one thunderstorm overnight the week was perfectly sunny and warm; just how I like it! Each day we walked out onto the beach, picked a perfect spot, and camped out for the day. This year was different then our past beach trips because the minis were happy to hang in the sand and surf for HOURS on end. Usually, they are ready to head back to the house after an hour or so, but not this year... We had to pry them away as the sun began to dip below the houses :)

Anthony had a blast finally figuring out the art of boogie boarding, Madison loved jumping the waves and spent HOURS playing in the sand, and both kids loved collecting treasures and shells by the rock jetty. Jason caught some waves and I turned some pages while soaking up the sunshine. TOTAL RELAXATION!

We had a low key week in the sand and surf but we still managed to get into some fun... I took the minis to the Children's Museum one morning while Jason rode his motorcycle, Jason took the kids to putt putt and to a human maze place while I did some shopping, we checked out the aquarium where both Madison and Anthony fell in love with some mermaids, Jason and I had a much needed date night thanks to my mama, and of course we all sampled some fantastic restaurants...

All in all it was a FANTASTIC week! Madison said it best Saturday morning when she woke up with tear streaked cheeks, "Mommy, can we stay for one more week? PLEASE!" I can't say that I blame her, I could have stayed the whole summer!! We are all looking forward to heading back down in August...

Wordless Wednesday

2011-06-07T20:34:00.000-04:00

Summer Fun!

For more WW: A Beautiful Mess, Look at What Mom found... and Dad too, Momspective, Wordless Wednesday ,

Well.... It's Official!

2011-06-06T21:53:00.000-04:00

My first baby is now a Kindergartner! Long gone are the bottles and diapers. The toddler years were so yesterday and the years of preschool flew by in a blink! I still can hardly believe it...

13 Months

First year of Preschool

Friday was his graduation, and while I am SO over playing nice in his teacher's sand box, it is bittersweet for the year to be over. I am jumping for joy over the lazy days of summer that lie ahead, but I am also longing for just one more year of preschool but it is not to be, so I must just embrace this new chapter...

OMG I have a KINDERGARTNER!!!

Friday my baby boy lined up with his class and sang and danced his little heart out! He was funny, precious, and oh so adorable! I was beaming with pride. That was MY boy up there!!! He did awesome and I have the 16 minute video to prove it!

Taken unbeknownst to me... What a proud cheesey moma I am! Yes the camera AND Flip going at once!

singing, dancin, and having FUN!

Once their songs were complete, each child was called to the front and handed his diploma, a CD full of pictures, a book, and a few goodies. My girlie's daughter was called before Anthony and as we both snapped pictures with the frenzy of the paparazzi the tears began to fall. I glanced over and sure enough she was crying too! Of course; seeing each others tears made our own fall even faster...

Anthony was up and between camera clicks, tears falling, and the occasional sniffle I could not stop smiling. I was SO STINKING PROUD of him! My little baby strutted up to the podium with the confidence and independence of a soon to be kindergartner. A big boy!

I love his smile, his sparkle, and his enthusiasm!

I am embracing this new stage as best as I can. I may not like it, but its here. So, I am going to enjoy every second he is home this summer and pray that time slows down because next year he will be gone more then he's not...

Wordless Wednesday

2011-05-31T21:55:00.000-04:00

For more WW: A Beautiful Mess, Look at What Mom found... and Dad too, Momspective, Wordless Wednesday ,

Why do I bother??

2011-05-28T22:00:00.002-04:00

Between being SO busy this week and my lack of sleep, my house was in the toilet! I had crap everywhere and it was in DIRE need of cleaning...

This morning, I crawled out of bed and got to it! I did load after load of wash. I even folded AND put it away as soon as it was done (no living out of laundry baskets THIS week!) I scrubbed bathrooms, baseboards, and the list goes on. Every surface in my house was scrubbed, wiped, steamed, or bleached. Finally, at 3:00 I was done! HOORAY!
Then it all went to shit.... LITERALLY!
We were all outside playing before baths and Madison ran in to potty... She seemed to be taking a while, so I go mosey on in to my clean house to check on her. I don't know which sense clued in first: my sense of smell or my sense of hearing... I quickly turn toward the stinky crying culprit and realize that yes my daughter is covered in shit and yes she is smearing it into everything as she frantically rubs with baby wipes...
"Momma, I did a baaaad thing. I pooped on your floor upstairs in da bathroom". Thinking she had some explosive diarrhea, I tell her its ok and we head up stairs to clean up the mess... Accidents happen and there is no need to get upset... I mean how bad could it be right?
OH WAS I EVER WRONG!
This was not a case of diarrhea! Oh no! This was she dropped 3 GINORMOUS turds onto the bathroom floor and I am assuming she attempted to clean it up and proceeded to smear shit onto my mostly WHITE Pottery Barn Kids shower curtain, onto the mostly white Pottery Barn Kids bath rugs, onto the monogrammed Pottery Barn Kids WHITE towels, on the wall, all OVER the tile, the freshly scrubbed tub and toilet, and all over her brand new just popped the tags today WHITE Gymboree shirt! I have not even touched the surface here.... There was CRAP everywhere! Down the steps (thank GOD its all hard surface flooring!!!!), on walls, on the banister, and her entire BODY had POO smears!
I immediately put her in the shower and hosed her down and then into a fresh bath she went... I started the LONG task of cleaning and disinfecting and scrubbing and gagging. With each wipe I got more and more ANGRY!
I mean really! Why would she poop on the floor??!! Are you kidding me? It's not like it was the "Oh I gotta go like NOW" kinda poo... It was the "I think I might need to poo" kinda poo! I asked her why on earth she did this and I was met with a BLANK STARE AND SILENCE which infuriated me more!
Thank GOD she's cute or who knows (hahah JUST KIDDING!)

my beautiful baby and her always messy face <3

I continued to clean the crap up and fumed the entire time. Once I was done I cleaned every nook, cranny, and crevice of her body and bluntly informed her that there were going to be NO stories tonight. Story time had been wasted by me cleaning the house for the second time in one day!
Of course her big browns filled with tears, but she was getting NO SYMPATHY from me. I was ticked! Into bed she went and thankfully she fell right asleep....
So here I sit wondering why I bother... I mean the kids either destroy, dirty, or crap on our stuff so why bother having anything nice or trying to keep things nice...
And of course, here I sit feeling bad that we didn't read a million stories tonight like we always do. I am feeling bad because we were supposed to start The Boxcar Children series tonight, and I am feeling bad that Madison went to bed knowing I was mad...
I guess the only way to look at it is to be thankful for the deep steam / sanitize feature on my washer (that setting gets A LOT of use around here), plus they are only things and in the grand scheme of things who cares....
Thankfully, tomorrow is a new day!
PS: I will laugh at this one day right?

Schools out for the summer....

2011-05-27T19:43:00.000-04:00

Every time I read that, my mind immediately drifts to one of my all time favorite movies from when I was a teeny bopper: Dazed and Confused loved that movie!

Anyway, I digress, AS USUAL...

Schooools out for the summer... at least for one of the minis! Oh, how I long for summer vacay... The lack of responsibilities, the ability to come and go as we please, no schedules to be kept, no doors to be rushed out of, and my MOST fave: NO ALARM CLOCKS! Heavenly. Perfection. What I live for. :)

Madison's school has a preschool in the park picnic for the kids and it is ALWAYS so much fun! They do crafts, play games, and most importantly run and play...

She insisted on the tiara and high heels. We comprimised: Tiara in high heels OUT!

We let Anthony miss school so he could enjoy the family day :)

Just when everyone is getting hot and hungry, the kids line up sing some sweet songs and get presented their "books" filled with their work, pictures, and activities from the year. Then all the families gather for a yummy picnic.

Her book's cover read, "My favorite part about preschool is: Snack time!

It was a great way to spend the morning and we all had a great time. We ran and played and I even got to chit chat! Madison had such great families in her class this year and I enjoyed chatting with some new friends while the kids played... A Most Perfect Day!

I have 3 hours and 45 minutes...

2011-05-26T20:41:00.000-04:00

until the alarm goes off...Get up, go pee.
Lay down.

I have 3 hours until the alarm goes off...
Get up, go pee.
Lay down.

Did you ever have one of THOSE nights? You know the ones. Where you try and try to sleep, yet all you manage to do is visit the potty 600 times, toss and turn 999 times, flip your pillow 12 times, and stare at the clock for HOURS!! That was me on Tuesday night!

I had so much racing through my head that I just could NOT sleep. My girlie's birthday was on Wednesday, I had to volunteer at Ant's school, I had to figure out my teacher's gifts, I had to decide what I was bringing the the end of school picnic, and by god WHY was I peeing so much! lol

Finally, I figured it was worse if I actually fell asleep and had to get up n 2 hours, so I got dressed and went grocery shopping. Yup, I was one of those "crazies" out shopping in yoga pants and a tank at 4:00 in the morning. (man, those crazies know what they are doing the stores are EMPTY, the shelves are STOCKED, AND there is NO line! SCORE!!)

So I crafted, shopped, cleaned up, and took my little guy to school (I was STILL late by the way... I don't think I have been on time to school 10 times this year... MUST. GET. IT. TOGETHER)

Since my girlie was turning the big 30, I remembered this little gift I saw on Tip Junkie FOREVER ago and decided to make it (hence the trip to the grocery store to buy lollipops among a million other things) I though it turned out pretty cute and I think she liked it too!

As I was dropping Anthony off to school, he pulled on my leg, looked up with my with those deep brown eyes, and barely whispered; "Mommy, I thought you were staying with my class today." My heart broke as I explained mommy needed to go lie down for a while because I had not slept and that daddy would be picking him up. I could read the disappointment on his face as he sat down in the morning circle. I gave him a big squeeze and smooch and headed home.

As I was driving home that mommy guilt hit me HARD CORE, so I turned around, popped into Starbucks for my skinny white chocolate mocha extra sweet no whip and requested a double shot of espresso. I chugged my coffee and beelined it for school. I walked into his class and the second he noticed me his eyes lit up and the biggest smile EVER spread across his face. Yup, best decision EVER! So I ran, chased, played, and read for three hours and made my boys day a bit happier.

Finally, I laid down and slept for about three hours and then duty called: Karate, dinner, baths, and baking (after all I had to make something for the end of school picnic). All was going well until I burned nearly EVERY batch of cookies! Exhausted, cranky, and yes a bit weepy, I gave in and decided to buy *gasp* store bought cookies!

However, I did attempt to make Madison's teachers cupcakes in the jar. First try, not so successful, BUT I finally got it. I think they turned out cute and I hope the teachers liked them.

This morning I rushed to the grocery store, grabbed cookies (totally took them OUT of the stores package and arranged them half-assed on my own platter and YES I even crumbled some so they didn't look too perfect...), picked up some gift cards and FLEW to the park LATE as USUAL! lol

All and all even though I only had three hours of sleep in 30 hours it was still a great 2 days!

Wordless (almost) Wednesday: Frog Finding Fun

2011-05-24T22:20:00.000-04:00

Jason was mowing the grass and found a frog so he caught it for the kids to check out! They were HYSTERICAL to watch and MUCH braver then I would EVER be! I appologize for so many pictures, but these were just too much and I had to share!! (oh, and yes, I know my son has on no shorts, he dashed outside and had already stripped down for the day. He lives a clothing optional lifestyle)

Frog Finding Fun

How UGLY is he??!!

So BRAVE!

He's getting SQUIRMY!!

*ear PIERCING SCREAM!!*

"Dat was GWOSS!"

"I'm FREAKING out Mommy!!!'

Hmmm to try or not to try again??

Your free froggy hop hop away!

For more WW: A Beautiful Mess, Look at What Mom found... and Dad too, Momspective, Wordless Wednesday ,

Hiiii-Ya!

2011-05-23T20:44:00.000-04:00

Anthony has been doing Karate for the last few months and LOVE LOVES LOVES it! He goes twice a week and I think he would prefer going EVERY day! He always asks if today is a Karate day :) His Sensei is super awesome and the kids have tons of fun playing games, critical thinking, rule / direction following, and of course learning some moves... He has come a long way since the first class and just the other day he roundhouse kicked me on accident, or so he says ;)

Madison has been dying to join in and next wee she will have the chance. Ballet is done for the summer and she can take the same class as Anthony so its perfect. I figure we are there so why not...

Jason bought us a new D-SLR camera and snapped a few shots at Karate tonight and I think they turned out great for us not really knowing much. I can't wait to figure out the camera, because I hope my pictures of the kids turn out better :)

A Most FABULOUS Weekend!

2011-05-22T22:15:00.000-04:00

The weekend started of with a bang and the greatness continued!

Friday after school, the minis and I popped into a local children's museum and the kids played and PLAYED! Anthony LOVED hauling apples, moving crates, and cranking and pulling pulley systems. He was my busy "worker". Madison was a doctor and fixed up all her patients. She examined X-rays, made phone calls, and drove an ambulance. The kids climbed rock walls, built roller coasters, and built all kinds of neat things. I totally enjoyed listening to their imaginations run wild!

We followed it up with a trip to the park and Madison learned to "pump" on the swings ALL. BY. HERSELF! I don't know who was more proud; me or her! The kids ran and climbed, slid and bounced all over the place and we eventually made it over to a duck pond where the kids spied fish, geese, ducks, and cray fish. It was just a wonderful day and made me long for the lazy fun days of summer...

I was planning on taking advantage of the beautiful day Saturday with a trip to the zoo, but my hubby surprised me and took the day off! SCORE :) We decided to hit the road and play away the day at Hershey Park! It was AWESOME and the kids were so EXCITED! Anthony rode his first "big" roller coaster while Madison and I conquered the kiddie rides. We joined back up and rode some more. Zoo America was a huge hit as usual. They have the neatest nocturnal building. It's so neat to see the animals in action. We all had a blast and we all were exhausted...

Today we lazed around, did some shopping, and played outside. It was a perfect Sunday... If only every weekend was so wonderful!

Come on JUNE!

2011-05-19T22:28:00.000-04:00

What a month May has been! I have been CRAZY busy! I feel like all I do is run ALL. DAY. LONG! Its exhausting, and from what I hear, it only gets worse the older the minis are...

I have driven all over the tri-state area for doctor appointment after doctor appointment after doctor appointment...
Recital came, filled my calendar, and before I knew it, was over... Madison is STILL asking when she can get back on stage! She is quite the performer for as shy as she is!
Landscaping projects are nearly complete and the HUGE flower bed that was slapped together has been redone! We pulled everything out and started new, oh how I hope I like everything as it grows in... Plus the HIDEOUS bushed the builders put in have been removed! Now, I just have one spot left I need to fill in and I am thinking of planting either a dwarf weeping cherry tree or a dwarf Japanese maple tree... Decisions decisions
Madison had her last day of school and I *think* today was my last day helping out at her school... I really enjoyed it, but oh how I missed the time to myself! I didn't realize how much I got done during those 6 hours each week until I no longer had them! The kids were AWESOME though and always made me smile :). I will miss their sweetness <3 Madison will not have my MOST FAVORITE TEACHER EVER next year, as she is moving up to the 4 year old class and this just makes me SO. SAD!

The weather has been crazy, the rain has been POURING down, but we have made the most of the beautiful sunshiny days playing outside with friends, hitting up parks, forests, and the new big thing.... Roaming the 'hood (aka up and down my street still in my sight line) with the BIG COOL kids :)

Oh how I am looking forward to Anthony's last day of school so that things will FINALLY settle down. Who am I kidding? It will be just as crazy, but at least I can do only the things I WANT to do! (note to self: look in the mirror for five minutes each day and slowly repeat the word NO. Say it, learn it, and actually USE it sometimes!) One things is certain, I will NOT be leaving my house before 9:00 a.m. for the next 2 and a half months!

Now I am going to plop my tush on my couch, watch the Grey's finale, and then pass out so that I can do all the craziness all over again tomorrow!

Wordless Wednesday

2011-05-17T19:43:00.000-04:00

DRAMA Queen!

30 seconds later she was laughing!

For more WW: A Beautiful Mess, Look at What Mom found... and Dad too, Momspective, Wordless Wednesday ,

Wordless Wednesday

2011-05-10T20:38:00.000-04:00

"We are NOT tired" cried 2 whiney children!

Really??!! Hmmmm.....

For more WW: A Beautiful Mess, Look at What Mom found... and Dad too, Momspective, Wordless Wednesday ,

THE Video :)

2011-05-08T20:56:00.001-04:00

Pictures posted here!

You've got a friend in me....

2011-05-08T20:50:00.001-04:00

I had been kept in SUSPENSE, but the big reveal was FINALLY here... It was FINALLY the night of the Spring Recital!

Madison has been tight lipped for MONTHS. She would not show me a single step, share what song, she gave me NOTHING! Nada! Zip! Zilch! Moms weren't even able to peek during the rehersals as it was a surprise, and what a wonderful one at that! She danced to "You've Got a Friend in Me" from the Toy Story movie.... SUPER sweet!

My pics came out TERRIBLE from the actual performance, but I did get some cute video, which really is better.... Right?

I was SO proud of her. She marched right onto stage and did her thang :) She was ADORABLE! Here are a few pics of my wee ballerina! Off to upload some video!!

So EXCITED!!!

Waiting for curtain call

look at those feet :) PERFECT!

Nervous?

my sweet girl

Getting SO big!

Over the river and through the woods...

2011-05-06T21:02:00.001-04:00

..to the "forest" we go! Most sunny and warm afternoons the kids and I head down the street to our friend's house because the kids are DYING to play in the "forest". The forest is more like 20 feet of woods between my girlfriends backyard and the golf course and a pretty stream just happens to run through it. In reality its small, but through their eyes I can see the adventure, the mystery, and the grandeur the "forest" embodies.

Each day is a wonderful new adventure for them. There are "magic orbs" to be discovered, "diamonds and jewels" to be collected, and fish to be caught!

Each day all the kids get a bit more brave. They used to sit at the edge of the stream splashing and rock skipping, but now they stamp their way across exploring more and more!

There are dams to be constructed, rolly pollies to uncover, and branches to be cleared. Their paths are getting wider and wider with each sunny day.

you can see the golf course through the trees :)

A few fights may break out over what "jewels" go where and there's the occasional "he pushed mes" or "she hit mes", but overall, there is laughter, idea sharing, teamwork, and imaginations running rampant through out the wild.

Some play clothes have been stained, but the stains show all the fun they have had.

she had NO clue her bum was muddy!

A few Crocs have floated downstream but they have always been saved.

Mud has been squished through fingers and toes and mud pies have been created and playfully enjoyed! The kids need hosed off every so often and emerge for the ever frequent snacks.

Fish, frogs, bunnies, and turtles have been spotted, named, and loved. The outdoors and fresh air have been thoroughly enjoyed, and after a long winter; so welcoming!

The kids roam, play and explore in their mini wonderland, all while my bud and I lounge in the warm sunshine, reading trashy magazines and chatting away. From the "forrest" entrance we can see the completely, allowing them independence while still being under our watchful eyes... It is PERFECT and my most favorite way to spend an afternoon! Every one is happy...

...and then it's time to go home and the MELTDOWNS begin. Yet, we still wake up and do it all over again the next day!

one of the most important jobs

2011-05-05T20:55:00.000-04:00

Teachers. Teachers are SO very important; yet they are underappreciated, underpaid, and overlooked. They are the ones responsible for our future. Each day we send our children off to school and these men and women spend 7 hours or so shaping them, educating them, molding them into the adults they will become. Yes, HOME is where it all begins and where much of the influence occurs, BUT school is where children spend most of their waking hours...

I always try to help my children's teachers in any way I can, and I appreciate all they do more then they can know (well except for Anthony's teacher... Each day I come in with a smile, I kill her with kindness, BUT THANK GOD in a few short weeks I no longer have to play nice in her sandbox!!!)

I really like teacher appreciation week because it allows teachers to see, hear, and understand how so many of us parents appreciate them and value the job they do! This year I was invited to a little craft class where we made teacher appreciation gifts and I really enjoyed it. The projects were so SIMPLE, cute, and fun. I tossed in some gift cards and called it a day!

So, I urge you to write a note, buy a small gift, or offer a simple thank you to your child's teacher this week, as they truly are some of the most important people in our children's lives :)

chalk board paint pots, candies, and ADORABLE paper flowers!

Wordless Wednesday

2011-05-03T19:47:00.000-04:00

"I want flowers and my lips too! Just like a princess!!" ~Madison age 4

For more WW: A Beautiful Mess, Look at What Mom found... and Dad too, Momspective, Wordless Wednesday ,

Mission Completion

2011-05-01T21:58:00.001-04:00

My cousin asked if Madison could be her flower girl and I was THRILLED!!! I mean who wouldn't be?!? The chance to see my cutie patootie in a BEAUTIFUL dress all decked out! ADORABLE! Once I got the news, I was on the prowl for a FABU dress... This weekend I found it :) and I was so glad my cousin approved! Madison is so excited and has asked me daily, "Is today the weddin?" She cannot wait to be a princess and in her words "see the pwince give the big pwincess a smooch!"

not the best pic, snapped in a dressing room with my blackberry, but you get the idea :)

While we were on the dress hunt, I decided my son needed something appropriate to wear, which did not please him. When he saw that he had to try on suits he almost D.I.E.D! "Thems fancy clothes!!! I am NOT wearing fancy clothes!!!!" After much cajoling on my part, he finally agreed to try things on... I did promise to A. get ice cream when we were done and that B. he could remove the tie at the reception! As you can see he was less then thrilled... I finally was able to find one we both liked, but no good pic as he was SO over it!

He is just so happy.... Right?!? lol

So now, I can check wedding prep off my list (well except for finding something for me, which will really be the hardest of all) and just wait for the big day in July!

I can run but I can't hide

2011-04-27T21:27:00.001-04:00

I will be the first to admit, my children drive me CRAZY!! The fighting, tattling, whining, crying, on and on ALL day long. Crazy!!! Do I often want to put my head in a hot oven and SLAM the door? ABSOLUTELY!!! I would be lying if I said I didn't!

BUT... (there's always a but isn't there??!!)

I would not have it any other way. I truly LOVE the time I have with them.... Even during those awful moments that make me want to fling my self across a major interstate, at the height of rush hour, to be run over repeatedly for HOURS, deep down, I really do enjoy it. Each day has been a gift and one that I cherish.

I secretly, love the MOM come wipe my butts, the MOOOM he's touchin mes, the Mooooooooooom!!!! She won't give me the privacy's, the Mooom I'm hungry even though I just finished a meal... You get the idea. I love it all, every aspect, the good, the bad, the fabulous, and the ugly. All of it and I would never trade a single day...

A new page is turning. One that I have been DREADING all YEAR! I can run, but I CANNOT hide. In a few short months, my first baby is going to Kindergarten! How did this happen??!! It seems like yesterday, we were snoozing on the couch because we spent the wee hours, bouncin, shhh-ing, walking, and feeding. It all just seems like a BLUR.

I don't want my baby to go to school ALL DAY LONG! 8:15-3:30 is WAY too long!

Reading, Money, Time, Addition, Subtraction??!! What happened to noodle necklaces, milk and cookies, and if we were really lucky finger painting?

Did I mention the all day thing??!!!

Seriously, I am FREAKING! I know he'll do great, he'll have fun, and he will THRIVE, BUT I just can't fathom only seeing him a few hours each day, which will be spent doing homework, dinner, and baths.... If I'm lucky, I may be able to squeeze in SOMETHING fun if he is somehow still awake....

him taking a picture of me as I take a picture of him <3

Monday this page hit me in the face. Kindergarten registration. D-day or as I like to refer to it, K-DAY!! As we parked the car, and rounded the corner, I won't lie, I got choked up and tears started to fill my eyes, but I refrained... I don't want to totally freak him out. His pre-k teacher has already done enough damage... She has the poor kids TERRIFIED of the big kids school. Ant thinks all you do is get into trouble at big kid school.... Oh how I CANNOT wait to get out of HER sandbox, but as usual, I regress....

So, I had tears, but I dried them up... Anthony was on edge. I could tell. He was not his "normal" self. He was shy, grumpy, and stand offish... I could tell he was nervous.

"I am smiling mom... Ok ok yes its fun..." LIAR LIAR pants on fire lol

However, the school did a FANTASTIC job. I just wish he would have been more enthusiastic. As we come to the front of the building we walked a red carpet, and were treated like A list celebs. They made a HUGE ordeal over each child! LOVE. The school was set up like Hollywood and we traveled from station to station completing the necessary registration things while having fun. They had props, decorations, camera's, prizes, and keepsakes. He even scored a free movie pass :) Once our travels were complete, we left the building, and there sat a uber cool limo, which Ant totally DUG! Of course he snapped a few pics with his snazzy new camera :) It was really nice and the school did a great job getting the kids excited for Kindy. I only wish, I bought into the whole excitement thing... lol

look at that hand raiser :)

After it was all said and done, I asked him if he was excited to go to the big school to which he replied: "yeah! It will be fun. I was just kidding you. I do like Bindergarten!!! hahahah!!" Whatever am I gonna do with him? Do you see why I go crazy!!

my future director needs a bit more pep, but if I know him he will find it after a few days <3

Side bar... CANNOT wait to get his camera developed. It will be neat to see it all through his eyes, plus a few peeps took pictures of us together so I hope at least ONE turns out!!

Wordless Wednesday: A Man on a Mission!

2011-04-26T22:45:00.002-04:00

For more WW: A Beautiful Mess, Look at What Mom found... and Dad too, Momspective, Wordless Wednesday ,

Hoppy Easter!

2011-04-25T21:09:00.001-04:00

We had a most wonderful Easter weekend. Full of fun family togetherness... Jason was actually HOME for a holiday!!! Unheard of!

Saturday we spent the day playing in our lego land and the weather cleared up and allowed us to... wait for it... EAT OUTSIDE! This is one of the minis most favorite things... We ate outside and played all kinds of games as a fam. It really is the simple things, as the kids have taught me...

As the sun began to fade, we came inside to dye, paint, and decorate all of our Easter eggs. The kids really got into it this year. Selecting the just right colors, painting oh so perfect pictures, and enjoying every second. Just as we were finishing up the chimes of the ice cream man sounded and we all ran outside for a special treat to end our awesome day!

Sunday morning I woke to the amazed "Oh my GOSH!!! The Easter bunny got me BAKUGANS AND A NANO BUG!!!" I peeled myself from bed and enjoyed every ounce of Anthony's excitement as he dug through his basket. He immediately wanted to put together his lego sets and he and I worked together building them, chatting, and enjoying each others company.

As the last lego was being snapped into place, my little miss sass a frass tippy toed down stairs... Her eyes popped WIDE as she saw her basket! She ran over and almost DIED when she saw an Ariel dolly and all the art stuff! It was so awesome to watch her excitement! Anthony wandered down to lego land and Mad and I sewed an absolutely ADORABLE frog pillow.

We all got cleaned up and headed out to breakfast, which was SOOO good! When we came back, the kids cleaned up with our egg hunt. I think Ant raked in the most cash, but Madison was not far behind.

The day quickly came to a close, but we enjoyed every second playing outside and just being together. I hope all of you had as wonderful an Easter as we did!