Fleeting Moments

Thursday Thursday

2011-01-28T00:28:00.002-05:00

Well, it has been months since I posted. I used to be so much better about keeping up with this blog and then, life intervened. Actually, I think I was just tired of hearing myself think. :)

Work is wacko. I'll leave it at that.

Home is buzzing along. We had a snow day today. The kids and Marc were home and we took advantage. After a family shoveling event, we took to the slopes. Well, okay, we took to the small hill next to my house. It was perfect for sledding and we only almost hit the trees once or twice. Maybe more, actually. Despite the small threat of a trunk attack, we had a great time.

The kids were laughing and giggling, which was infectious. I was grinning the entire time we were out. I think it was the most fun I've had in a while and we've been having lots of fun lately. I'm trying to turn over a new page this year. I'm trying to get back my grip on those fleeting moments. It is easy to let things slide by when you are busy with this that and the other.

We've been doing some work in the house. Nearly all of the downstairs has been painted. It will be completed next week. Yay! It is amazing how different it feels now. Yes, even a little bit of paint makes me feel right at home. My sister and Marc installed crown in the dining room, living room and my office. Love it. :) It is so great to have talented family members with amazing hook ups on materials. So fortunate.

Sadly, the house still hasn't sprouted the minions I've been wishing for to clean and cook. I guess I will have to keep wishing. Ahhh...I'm just really starting to care so much less. Choose between-play Operation or mop the kitchen floor. NO BRAINER?! You totally mop the kitchen floor! What?! No, just checking to see if you are still there. We play Operation, which is the current favorite with the kids right now.

Our house has grown a bit, well, we've added members anyway. We have two new frogs, Silvermist and Thomas. They have been hanging out with Clarence since just before Christmas. I love them. They are the best. We have also added our very own wormery. So far things are going along fine. I think they are all still alive. That's good right? We are gearing up for the growing season and my summer plans! Yes, the big grand plan! I'll share later....assuming I can remember.

Tonight, I think I will stalk a bit and hit the hay. There is a two hour delay in the morning and I'm so thankful!

I Got It!

2010-08-06T15:50:00.003-04:00

Things here, for me, have been rough lately. I have been feeling more isolated as work has slowed and the kids have been challenging me quite a bit these days. Add the layer of Builder stress on top and I'm about cooked.

I've been really questioning my life these last few weeks. How did I get here? Did I do the right thing? Why do my kids seem to do everything I do not want them to do? You know, just a complete waaa party.

Okay. So, today, Sydney tied her shoes by herself for the first time! It may not seem like a huge deal and it was the act of actually doing it, but the look on her face. Her eyes lit up and she laughed with excitement. I was excited too, but at the time, I didn't get it.

This afternoon, I've been plugging away at work. The internet service was down for a few days this week and I'm a bit behind. I am already agitated at that, but then Sydney kept pacing outside the office door and not taking the quiet time. I was even more annoyed and I glared at her. She came in and tried punching keys on the keyboard. Now, I'm really upset. Then, she went to the printer where my documents were printing and said, "Let me get them, Mommy. You are working so hard." Now, I know she is trying to get out of quiet time, but she wants to be with me!!! Then, I remembered the joy on her face when she tied her shoe earlier in the day. That is when I had my AHA moment. THIS is why I left my office, moved my home and changed everything!

Situation Normal

2010-07-29T13:53:00.002-04:00

I can hardly believe it has been two months since I posted! Wow! I am really getting bad at this.

Life is moving along. We've had lots going on and I'm thinking there will not ever be a "quiet" time. I think this is just it. Chaos is normal now.

Sydney is getting ready to start school in a few weeks. I can hardly believe that. Where did the time go? She's been crazy sassy the last several weeks and I'll admit that, once or twice, I was excited at the prospect of Kindergarten. I usually get over it though.

She's doing very well at swim class lately. She's getting past her nerves and is really jumping in. She did her first solo back float last weekend. We were so proud of her. She'd been very resistant to it. Looks like she'll be moving up to the next level. Yay! Our goal is to keep them enrolled throughout the year. We'll see how it works out.

Nathan has been growing and changing quickly these days. He no longer has that baby face. He is truly a little boy now. He is still using his charm to get what he wants. He's finding that it doesn't work as much as it has in the past. Time to lay down the law a bit more. :)

The little man uses any and every opportunity he has to get into the forbidden and/or make a mess. He takes advantage of mom's potty breaks and knows when the laundry bell or the phone rings. In a flash, he takes off and tries to complete his mission. He keeps me hopping! Sydney wasn't this mischievous, but she's catching up. Add the two of them together and our little neighbor, Sydney, and it is a complete and utter mess!

Last night, Sydney C. came to play and have dinner with us. While Marc was washing the dishes, I went upstairs to check on the kids. They were happily playing house in the playroom. I went back downstairs, started drying and after about six minutes, we heard water. NEVER GOOD! Marc and I bolted upstairs and found the bathroom door locked. When we opened the door we found Sydney T., naked, laughing hysterically, Sydney C., naked, laughing hysterically while perched in one of the double sinks and Nathan, in his underwear, sitting in the other sink throwing water by the cupful all over the bathroom and the girls. There was at least an inch of water on the floor. Good grief. We couldn't help but laugh. I was just amazed at how quickly they move.

If the mess left behind wasn't enough, while drying the girls off, I discovered that they had colored their eyelids with markers. When asked why they said, "We are going to a party, silly." There you have it. I'm the silly one. Oh and you don't want your make up to fade so we used real markers, not washable ones. Sigh. This is just another day at the office.

Speaking of office, my firm merged and my position has essentially been phased out entirely. It has been another adjustment for me. It has been hard in many ways, but easier in others. It is hard to explain, but it has been difficult.

The kids and I have been visiting a local church for the last month. So far, I'm quite happy there. I'm still finding my way, but I enjoy going and so do the kids. So, I figure that is a start. I'll just wait to see how things play out.

I hope to check in again soon, but who knows? :)

Behind

2010-05-20T14:50:00.003-04:00

I guess I should just accept the fact that I don't have the time to post daily or sometimes even weekly to this. Yet it bothers me. I want to remember what happened! I have the worst memory.

I'm behind in just about everything these days. Behind in: blogging, photos, organizing, laundry, projects and others. I guess I am happy that I am not behind in my bills. :) That would not be good.

I'm still here. I'm still stalking here and there.

One day I'll get back. For now, I'm just floating along. :)

I'm a Pansy!

2010-04-22T11:46:00.003-04:00

Yep, that's right I said it. I am brutal when it comes to getting things done, but when it comes to possibly hurting someone's feelings, I run.

I've been going to the gym for a while now, since January. I've really enjoyed it and my swim class (YMCA). At the initial sign up, we were given personal training sessions that were seriously discounted. Marc thought it would be a good idea to sign me up.

Prior to beginning the personal training sessions, I was paired up with a trainer and went to the assessment. Now, I try not to make snap judgments about people, but sometimes I just know if I mesh with you right away or not. After about twenty minutes, I realized that I didn't really jive with this chick. I thought it was me at first and decided to keep moving.

Time for the first class. I went and really disliked it. She was a little too negative for me and I needed more encouragment. I know I'm weak. I know. Isn't that why I am here afterall? I don't really need you to keep telling me that. Next thing I know, I cannot walk for four days and I feel terrible about myself. Bleah.

Time for the second class. I feel sick. I don't want to go. I don't want to hear about how I suck. I waffle for two weeks over it. "I'm going." Wait. "No, I'm not." So, I chicken out and cancel. Then, I want to avoid the gym because she might be there. Not good.

Finally, after numerous conversations with Marc, I grew a pair and told her that I wanted to rotate through the trainers so that I can get "different perspectives." Honestly, I am hoping for someone a little bit nicer!

Why is that I am so concerned about her feelings when she wasn't concerned about mine?

Tonight, I'm meeting another trainer. I'm closing my eyes and hoping for the best. Yes, Mr. Trainer, I'm going to need you to hold my hand and tell me I'm doing a good job. Don't make me HATE going. PLEASE!

Listen Up!

2010-04-16T09:30:00.002-04:00

Yahoo! It is Friday! The sun is shining. It really is just beautiful outside. I don't know where to start. There is so much to do and so much I WANT to do. Hmmm...the pull.

I took little Maddy to the vet the day before and before going, I had yet ANOTHER chat with Sydney about how to behave in public. Then, very sternly, I told her that she would be spending the afternoon in her room if she misbehaved while we were out.

So, off we went to the vet's office. Poor little Maddy was shaking like a little leaf and Syd wanted to be in charge of holding the leash. She's quite good at it now so, I let her after we got inside. The fun began. "Sit here, please. I will fill out this quick form and I will find you an activity." I said very nicely. Ha! Not! Before I knew it, Syd was egging her brother up a very tall flight of stairs, which I am guessing led to their administrative offices. Who knows? So, I collect the dog, Nathan and the giggling Sydney and we start over.

After a few minutes, we were joined by another little patient. The kids rushed over to ask if they could pet the puppy and after the Owners agreed, they plopped up next to them, one on each side and reached across. This elderly couple, thankfully, didn't mind that my kids were essentially in their laps. So, I just let them.

After a while we were called into the exam room. I had to pry Madison out from under a pew bench. Yes, the vet has pews. It is 'St. Francis Animal Hospital' and I thought it was cute. We go inside and the vet tech came in, weighed Madison, etc. Then, Syd announces that she needs to go potty. Of course, little ones have the BEST timing when it comes to such things. I turned to the vet tech and she nodded that it was okay. So, out I went with Syd and Nate in tow.

I'm not sure what happened in the bathroom. I put her in the one toilet bathroom and reminded her of the checklist and waited outside the door. Whatever happened in those two minutes must have been amazing because she literally came out bouncing and quite loud. Oh boy. Here we go.

Back to the exam room we went. I'm sorry to say that I only caught every third word the vet tech was saying because Sydney started yelling and hitting her brother in an effort to retrieve her colored pencil. "Excuse me." I said politely to the tech and then turned around with the Mommy Face. You know the one. The one that conveys a very serious message without saying a word. Eyes got big and a hush came over the two. Whew! After an apology, the tech went back to ya da ya da ya da and yes, that is what it sounded like to me because I could hear the previously stifled disagreement start to gurgle again and I was holding my breath.

Before I could turn this time, I heard the click of a door knob. Sydney and Nathan had called a temporary truce and decided they needed to leave the exam room to play with any animals that might be in the waiting room. Madison, of course, took the opportunity to leap off the exam table and try to make a grand escape. Is this the part where I melt into the floor? No. Unfortunately, I haven't learned that trick yet, but I've been practicing a lot lately.

Sydney's shenanigans continued through the exam and were escalated during checkout. I had to do the boneless kid drag. Yes, you know the one where you say, "Go here" and they refuse. So, you take their hand in an effort to assist them to your desired location. Nope! Then they crumble to the floor and you find yourself dragging the child in the direction while they scream bloody murder that you are hurting them. *Sigh* Yes, this was our first visit to this vet. I'm sure we made a loverly impression.

So, I kept my cool until we got to the car. I knew that opening my mouth would only make things worse. I buckled Syd into her seat and calmly said, "I hope that was worth it." She looked befuddled. In fact I think I got a straight "DUH" face reaction. I explained that she had behaved outrageously, had numerous warnings and now, rather than go visit Grandma Sebrina's new dog, she was going to spend an afternoon in her room. She didn't look bothered, at the moment.

So, I called my mom and explained that we would have to pass on the afternoon visit because I had serious mommy business to attend to that afternoon. I took the kids home, fed them lunch and then excused Sydney to her room. She went reluctantly.

The first hour or so she was quiet and then, the pleas started. I responded with a flat "Nope." So the afternoon continued with Sydney making pleas for her release, but I made her stay in her room until her father came home, which was sadly about six hours. He was quite late that night. On one hand, I felt terrible. I had never intended that, but I was afraid to let her out because I was worried it might be perceived as a give in. So, I stuck to my word.

As soon as Marc's key turned in the door, she raced downstairs. She was sooo excited and went promptly to the dinner table. I asked if she had fun and she gave me a very emphatic "Uh-uh." So, we'll see what happens. I think we will head out today at some point for a test.

I truly hope it worked because I'm sooooooo tired of being embarrassed everywhere I go. This is a fairly small place. I see the same people when I go places. I don't want people cringing whenever they see us coming. Ya know?

On that note, I'm signing off. Here's to peaceful trips to the grocery store. Yes, even something that simple would make me happy.

One Book Down

2010-04-14T22:54:00.003-04:00

Okay, so I went to the library last week and hunted for a few books that were recommended. Oddly enough, they only had one of the four and I grabbed that one and put another on "order" from the other library.

I started my journey with 'The Irresistable Revolution' by Shane Claiborne. I picked the book up on a Thursday afternoon and was halfway through it by bedtime. I was fascinated by this man, his life, his beliefs and his work. I was so inspired by his excitement and I could just feel his emotion jumping off the pages. When I finished the book the next day, I was excited and confused all at the same time. By the way, who knew I could read so quickly or that I had so many moments to sneak in reading. I literally was standing over a pot, stirring and reading. Crazy!

I was hoping for a "how to" or instructions somewhere in his book, but they weren't there. Not exactly. The most prominent messages I got from the novel were: 1) God can be found in everything; 2) small things done with great love is how change happens; and 3) if you don't fit in, find your own place. I know I couldn't make the changes he's made in his life and I did think about how I could serve my community. A few ideas came to mind, but nothing shouted at me. Not yet at least.

This is going to be harder than I thought. I really just wanted the answer to fall in my lap. Obviously, I knew it wasn't going to be that easy, which is why I've put it off for so long. So, I am moving ahead.

Jess G. brought a few books to my home, one happens to be one that I requested from the other library. Lee Strobel's 'The Case for Christ' is on my nightstand right now. I read the first bit last night, but found I was so exhausted I couldn't get very far. I also noticed that, so far, there are many biblical references and biblical discussions that I don't understand because I haven't studied the Bible and am unfamiliar with it. I'm wondering if it might be a good idea to pull my Bible out (Yes, I have one! A dear friend gave it to me when I got married and despite my views, I've held onto it all these years. Maybe I knew I would pick it up someday). If anyone has read the book, throw me your opinion. I find the Bible quite intimidating, for many reasons, and am not sure if it would help to read the referenced parts. I have gotten quite a bit just from inference.

Well, I'm off to hit the hay.

Finding My Way

2010-04-07T08:00:00.005-04:00

I waffled about putting this on the Web for all to see, but ultimately decided to go for it. After all, this blog is primarily for my benefit and it is nice to look back and see how things have changed or what has happened. I'm hoping that somehow it will help make it easier.

I come from a mixed religious background. I was taken to Sunday school in the Methodist church when I was younger. My grandparents made the decision to leave the Methodist church and join an Episcopal church and were there for quite some time. There was also visits to Baptist and Pentecostal churches during those early years. At the time, I primarily remember wearing dresses and prancing through the church clicking the heels of my patent leather shoes. The "Word of God" went over my head and sacrament was more a snack to me than anything else.

After we moved the Fredericksburg to live with Tom, I went to church with friends, whatever church they attended. I spent more time in an Episcopal church, but also visited St. Patrick's Catholic Church, a Presbyterian church and an AME church (quite an assortment). For the most part, if I am being honest, going to the various churches was a way to be social with my friends. On the other hand, I started questioning things around me and found that I was obsessed with mortality and what happens in the afterlife or if there is one. My mother would be happy to tell you stories, very happy. :)

I thought, at the time, I believed in God. Slowly I started to question things even more until I didn't know what was what. At this point in my life, I find that I am not only skeptical that a God exists, but I also have many issues with religion in general. I can get into that later. For now, let's just say, "Jess isn't buying it."

When I was pregnant with Sydney, I started thinking about all the things I wanted to teach her, what kind of woman I wanted her to be and how to get her there. Some decisions are easy. I want her to be healthy. So, I will teach her to eat well and enjoy the delicious, but unhealthy, things in moderation. We'll teach her to play and be active. She'll go to the doctor regularly and we'll teach her that shots are uncomfortable, but only for a second. Check, check, check. Next, we focused on education and other similar subjects.

Then, we were faced with faith and I was stumped. What do we do about that? How do I steer a child in any particular direction when I don't know which way to go? I decided that I would just teach her to be a kind, accepting and loving individual. Yes, I skipped over faith. I swept it under the rug.

Fast forward almost five years. Now, we not only have Sydney, but Nathan also. In general, I'm very happy with the way we are raising them. We have our struggles like everyone else, but as far as the basics go, we are happy with the steps we have taken. The bump under the carpet, however, is getting larger. I'm finding that I am walking around it on a regular basis. Sydney has started questioning things (i.e. death, heaven, etc.) and I'm finding that stickers aren't an effective distraction anymore. So, I now find myself faced with figuring out where I stand so that I can guide my children. Oh boy. Here we go.

Let me start by stating that, if you've bothered to read this far, I may say something to offend you. I apologize in advance. This is essentially my thought process and is not meant to hurt anyone. I'm just trying to get things organized and put away. Sometimes it is a messy process.

At first glance, I find religion hypocritical. For example, "It isn't my place to judge." How many times have I heard this expression? Unfortunately, I find more judgment among folks who have religion than others. I try very hard not to judge, but I'm guilty of it too.

One of my favorites, "It's God's Plan." First, I thought we had free will. Second, how am I to believe that the horrific things that happen around me, and to people I care about, are "God's plan?" It is terrible to me. We shouldn't worry thought right because "God will never give you more than you can handle." Until he does.

"All other religions are wrong." Well, that is just arrogant. How do you know?

There are others, but you get the point. I just don't get it.

At this point, I want to start my own religion. I want to study all religion, pick and choose what I want and move on. Why can't I just teach my children that you should be a kind, accepting and loving individual? Why can't being a good person be enough? I've heard that some believe that you can be an exemplary individual, but if you aren't baptised. Too bad. You are going to Hell. Seriously? Come on. That just seems nonsensical.

Despite the above, I believe there is something greater. What? I don't know. I want to believe in something. People seem to get so much comfort from their beliefs. I'd like to believe that this isn't it and I don't want to lead my children into nothingness, unless that is what I firmly believe. Actually, I'd just like to lead them on a path where they can make their own decisions.

I spent a lot of the last week polling friends. What do you think about this? Why do you feel this way? I've gotten a lot of good feedback. I went to the library yesterday and put out a request for The Case for Christ and Jess G led me to the Conversion Diary. I poked around a bit found her Finding God in 5 Steps. Okay, what the heck? I'll give it a try.

Step 1: Seek Humility First

Now that is a very tall order. I didn't think so at first, but then I read this.

Mike explains that "Humility is not the trait of thinking of self as being of less worth. Humility is not thinking of self at all, whether good or bad. Humility is thinking of others and seeking their advancement."

From this article, I've gotten that I need to:

1. Not think about myself

On the surface, I would think this one is fairly easy, but I am sure I will find I am more selfish than I think.

2. Not bad mouth anyone

I'd like to say that I don't do this, but I do. Hmm...does thinking something not nice count? If so, I'm probably in really big trouble. No really, I'm not that bad.

Okay, so I will spend the next few days working on those. Step 2 is to drop cynicism. IPES! That is going to be a tough one. Baby steps.

I had one friend tell me to pray on this situation, which sounded funny to me. Pray? I talk to myself or the "Great Beyond" when things are particularly crappy. I thought I would give it a go. Another friend told me to meditate, listen.

I went up to bed last night and thought, this is a good time. The only quiet time of the day in my house. I climbed into bed and started thinking/praying. Then, I decided to meditate. Before I knew it, Nathan was waking me up. Oops. I fell asleep. Hmm..I suppose I will figure it out. I'm going to try to work on it though.

I have a lot of work to do to figure things out. I just hope I can sort things out.

What's Goin' On?

2010-03-31T00:00:00.002-04:00

Okay, here I am at my new bed time, midnight. Yep. My clock has changed dramatically and I still blame the time change.

Not much new going on in my world, but here is a brief list of the week's events:

-Had lunch with my friend, Toni, today. It was so nice to see her and her girls. I think it was the first time I'd spent one on one time with her. I quite enjoyed myself.

-I completed another swim class this past weekend. It was a swimming success. :) I crack myself up. No, actually. It was. I'm going to be the next Michael Phelps. Okay maybe Michelle Phelps. I've managed to convince myself that the pools I have been practicing in are controlled settings and not deep. I can stand up whenever I want and even though I have swallowed a bit of water here and there (mostly doing the back stroke), I'm fine. Really. Yes, you heard me correctly, I'm already working on strokes. I'm astounded at myself and quite proud actually. I still may not get in a pool with you, but I will be okay by the session end with swimming laps at my gym pool. It might take me a bit longer to be comfortable with kids or other adults in the water. Have I mentioned that you should NOT get too close to me in a pool. Truth is, you've probably not seen me in a pool, except maybe waist deep or just feet.

-Sydney completed another swimming class. She's doing very well and her little class started jumping into the deep end last weekend. Oh! I was watching from a distance. I was really unhappy about it. When she saw me, I had to smile and cheer. VERY HARD.

-I've cooked several more recipes from my new Ellie Krieger cookbook (apple pecan muffins, beef tenderloin with a rosemary chocolate sauce, sauteed mushrooms and shallots, seared pork chops with a warm apple slaw, broccoli with toasted garlic, oven roasted chicken with thyme and lemon and a savory egg scramble with tomato and dill). So far, they have all turned out quite well. Although, Marc tells me he isn't sure he likes dill. The recipes, aside from the chocolate sauce, have been very friendly, extremely easy and tasty. I find comfort knowing that we are consciously eating healthier. We've always been all over the veggies, etc., but the mains haven't always been as healthy.

-New grill is in sight! I'm so excited. I think we will be finally picking up our new grill this weekend. Oh boy! I love love love grilling food. It is so nice to chillax next to the grill. It is heaven. I certainly haven't mastered the grill at all, but I do love it. It is one of my joys. Why go to a restaurant and pay $26 for a crappy steak when you can grill one ten times better at home with little to no clean up at a fraction of the cost? Seriously.

-I have picked up two books over the last week. I'm half way through both, 'Hannibal Rising' and 'Always Looking Up.' I'm happy to be reading a bit, even though it isn't as much as I would like. I am trying to fit it in here and there. Also, surprisingly, I'm enjoying the Thomas Harris novel. It has been so long since I've read fiction. I am typically drawn to non-fiction. I just found it in my closet and thought I should read it.

-I've made a very small dent in our basement. This, of course, means that I have STUFF strewn about the house. I'm attempting to organize, purge and put away the junk in the basement and in my closet. It is going to be a work in progress for quite some time. In the meantime, I'm finding all kinds of things I haven't seen for years.

-We got a second fridge! Yay! We've always had one, since we got married. It has always been so useful to have the second fridge and now, with two kids, even more so. The amount of produce we buy causes our fridge to be jammed with stuff and it is quite hard to find things. I tossed around the idea of getting a freezer, but I thought it would make more sense to go this direction. I'm afraid of the freezer trap. :) Thank goodness one of Marc's coworkers was willing to part with their old one for $50! Yahoo! What a steal!

-Yay to fresh eggs! My mom's neighbor has about twelve hens. She sells the eggs and I picked up my first two dozen late last week. If I had my wish, I would grow everything in my own back yard. I would even consider having hens myself, but no approval in this area. Also, why go to the trouble when I can just walk up the hill and visit hers. :) I'm not sure what happened to the farmer's market here. It used to be down the street. I would have thought it would have started by now. I've got to figure that out soon. That reminds me, I've got to drive to my grandfather's produce stand. It is too far for a weekly visit, but every now and then would be good.

-I have not picked up the camera this week, but I thought about it. Does that count?

-I've done load after load of laundry, but there is much left to do. :) It is a never ending cycle.

-I FINALLY purchased cloth napkins. This is something I've been meaning to do for a while and kept forgetting. I made a lot of strides to be greener last year and nearly everything has stuck. I couldn't deal with the no dry cleaners. I do wash just about everything now, with the exception of the DRY CLEAN ONLY items. I would send nearly everything to the cleaners before because I thought they did a better job, not casual clothes. Now, since I'm only working in person here and there, I get away with going to the ORGANIC cleaner once in a blue moon. I couldn't handle the dish soap or laundry detergent. Things never seemed as clean. I tried though, really hard. I finally got my compost bin up and running. Yay! I've been without that for about a year. We've made steps forward, a few steps back, and we are moving the right direction. I took Rachael's advice on the sham wows way back and it is has saved us a ton of paper towels. I'm hoping the cloth napkins will do the same.

Tomorrow will be quite a busy day. I'd better get myself to bed and try to organize in my head. Oh boy. Now, there is a job. Sweet dreams!

2010-03-23T00:26:00.002-04:00

I can hardly believe it is after midnight already. I seriously need to get my butt into bed, but I was trying to get some work done on the computer. I was doing very well actually and then the remote connection to my office crapped out. Sigh. I guess it is time to give up for the night.

Tomorrow is a new day, one without mistakes. :) I keep telling myself this, but I really wish I would just stop thinking about the new tomorrow and stop making so many mistakes. I'm impatient and moody. This isn't helpful when it comes to my little ones. Sure, when everyone is on their P's and Q's, we have a grand time, but after whining and misbehaving comes into play, it is another story.

Nathan started climbing out of his crib a few weeks ago. I was unaffected at first because he wasn't really using it yet. We decided to just switch to the toddler bed. Boo! My baby boy isn't a baby anymore. Now, he is refusing to take naps and now he's even refusing to go to bed. Recently, the two of them are up until almost ten, sometimes later, before they will finally go to bed. It isn't pretty. It is so frustrating. I used to use the naps for work and of course, bedtime permits Marc and I to chill or do chores in the evening. Now, we spend time running up and down the stairs. I just keep trying to remind myself that it is just another phase.

We had to take a break from the potty business with Nathan. He was adamantly refusing to sit on the potty when I decided that perhaps he just isn't ready. Now, a week or so later, he asked me to use the potty today. I think I'll continue in this fashion for a little bit and see if he comes around on his own. He's extremely independent, so maybe he just wants it to be his decision.

We played a fun game on Sunday. We had a treasure hunt in the house. The kids had to find and follow the clues that were left for them by the "Leprechaun" until they reached their pot of gold. Yes, I know it was late since St. Patty's was earlier in the week, but I figure they are young and do not care. In fact, today, we made leprechaun puppets and counted the gold in the pot.

I started taking swimming lessons two weeks ago. I'm not sure if I mentioned that or not. I'm really quite proud of myself actually. I'm doing quite well. I can now go under without fear (as long as I have goggles on) and I was able to free-style stroke a bit this weekend WITHOUT my bell prop. YAY! I'm moving much more quickly than I expected. I'm still not ready to jump into a pool with a bunch of people, but the quiet lap pool at the gym is becoming more comfortable. Marc, you can still forget Water Country. It is not going to happen! He makes fun of me because I say I "NEED" my goggles. Well, I do. Bleah!

I picked up my Xsi book for dummies this week. I've started reading it and picking my camera back up again. I've been on a "break" for a few months. It is just one of those things that went by the wayside when we moved. I prefer an instructional environment to an experimental environment so, perhaps I will learn something. I'm looking forward to Spring and taking pics of the kids.

In addition to that book, I picked up Michael J. Fox's memoir at the library. I've only read a chapter or so, but I find myself wrapped up already.

Finally, Marc and I decided to get the Total Money Makeover by Dave Ramsey. My stepmom told me about his program way back in the Fall and we've been listening to the show here and there since. Then, Ruh you brought it to the front.

Thankfully, Marc and I learned our lessons early on and are very conservative with our money. I'm happy to say that we don't have car debt, student loans, credit card debt or the like. Our only debt right now is our home. We've tried to tuck money away, especially when we put the contract out on the house, knowing that we wanted to purchase a few things for the house and unexpected expenses. Having just finished the first draft of our taxes for the year, I am thankful as we are getting KILLED this year. DAMN IT!

Anyway, we figure that we could be doing so much better and given that we are a sole income now, essentially, we need to be on our best behavior. Now, we will have A LOT of work ahead to replenish the taxes we are about to pay. We are anxious to see what he can add to our lives. We've heard such great things and thought that it certainly wouldn't hurt. So tonight, Marc replaced the hardware in the half bath and I read to him. We're committed to doing it once a week. If nothing else, it will be together time. :)

Well, I'm off to bed. The morning will soon be here and the little ones will be ready to go! I haven't got much planned for tomorrow yet. I'd better get on the stick.

Tonight:

Grilled lamb chops (on our grill pan bc we haven't bought a grill)
Grilled romaine and tomato
Oven roasted rosemary and garlic potatoes
Lemon/Orange Mango Sorbet (can't take credit-it is from Costco and you should totally get it!)

YUM! YUM!

Last night:

Shrimp Caesar Salad (homemade Caesar)-Ellie Krieger

Good, but not enough dressing for me!

Tomorrow (I think):

Turkey meatloaf
Smashed sour cream potato (for me!)
Sauteed Green Beans and Garlic

Oh Time Change

2010-03-16T09:31:00.000-04:00

I woke up this morning to construction workers banging away at 530am this morning, well actually 630am. I'm annoyed that 700am wasn't early enough. Seriously, I get that you want to take advantage of the daylight, but come on! I don't really like hearing so much noise first thing, awake or not.

I suppose my body and clock are in denial. My body isn't ready to go to bed earlier and resultantly, will not wake up earlier. My clock will not change. Literally! I'm going to have to change the time zone to get it to cooperate. In many ways I love the spring time change, more day light is wonderful. This year, I seem to be having lots of trouble adjusting. :)

Yay coffee!

Siblings

2010-03-15T22:27:00.002-04:00

The relationship between Sydney and Nathan is quite adorable, most of the time. Generally they are holding hands, chasing after each other and when one is out of the room, the other instantly notices.

This evening, Sydney and Nathan decided that they HAD to sleep together. They turned on the charm, sad faces and whatnot. Remembering how I loved snuggling with my sister, early and late in life (now), I gave in. The first hour or so was talking and giggling, which I expected and before I knew it, Nathan was downstairs in tears with a bloody cheek. It seems that Sydney didn't appreciate Nathan's constant chatter and she retaliated by scratching him (very hard). This immediately reminded me of my teenage years when Ashley wanted to sleep in my room and I got so mad that I dug my nails into her arm. Certainly not one of my proudest moments, but I was a teenage brat. Hmmm...I could totally see myself in Sydney, as if that is new. We instantly gave Syd a hard time for being so mean, even if Nathan wasn't nice, and then, we did the same to Nate. We gave them the "you are to look out for each other" chat (again). I'm sure they will be hugging in the morning, which will be followed by the usual squabbles.

Two Months in Two Winks!

2010-02-27T23:06:00.003-05:00

With all that has happened over the last two months, I shouldn't be surprised that two months passed so quickly.

We are all settled into the new house. "Settled" means that we have all essentials unpacked, a few pictures hung and are acclimated to the new sounds or lack of sounds. I love our new home. I love looking out into our patch of trees every morning. I am enjoying my new kitchen immensely, the large island and double ovens. Love it!

I continue working part-time for GR and it was quite overwhelming at first, but I think that things are settling and I'm finding a rhythm. Of course, life is significantly easier now that the wireless network is set up in our house. Thanks, babe!

The biggest change in the last two months, of course, is that I've made the switch from a full time employee to a stay at home mom. I was apprehensive and excited about the switch. I've had my ups and downs, mostly ups and am still struggling a bit with the juggling, but I'm still happy with my decision.

One of my biggest challenges has been keeping a good schedule, managing appointments, chores and schoolwork. I'm quite good at juggling tasks, until you throw in two children that have minds of their own. It was my goal to work with the kids on educations projects, visit the library and misc schoolwork. While I haven't accomplished as much as I had wanted in the last two months, I am excited to report that Sydney has read her very first story and a second this evening! Yay! How elated I was to be there for her as she sounded out the first story and to see how proud she was of herself! Not as proud as I was of her! :) I've promised that when she completes her workbook, we will have a party. I cannot wait.

In addition to Syd's reading accomplishment, she is now finally sleeping in her own room through the night! WOW! After weeks and weeks of trying, we finally succeeded. Who knew it would take fingernail polish, curlers and 'The Wizard of Oz' movie? If only I had thought of it sooner.

Our next challenges with Syd are public tantrums, television reliance (which causes a lot of tantrums) and major sassiness. I have endured some major eye daggers over the last few weeks from shoppers at the mall, grocery store and Target. At these moments, I've wanted to literally melt into the floor or disappear. In addition to her stunning performances, her sassy mouth has landed her in her room quite frequently.

We are fairly strict with the television in our home and our belief that tv should play a small part is being reinforced lately. Sydney's desire to watch tv incessantly is frustrating and is the cause of a lot of tantrums. In the past, we had used the television as a reward and we have strayed from that. I'm thinking we are going back to that system, at least in part. Finding a balance is hard sometimes. We'll keeping working at it until my sweet little girl settles a bit.

Mr. Nate is growing like a little weed. He is a doll and so cuddly. He is generally very well mannered and so loving. He loves to color, play with playdough and flash cards are a favorite. He counts to fifteen or so now on his own. He loves to look at books and have stories read to him. We've been fortunate enough to get to the library over the last two weeks and we read a minimum of three books a day. That has been the habit since day one. I was getting a bit tired of reading the same stories over and over and over again. :) Thank goodness for the library.

Nathan is still working on recognizing his colors. Everything is blue, brown or orange. :) He does a great job with his shapes and likes to try to draw them. So far, circle is the only one that makes it out. He is learning the letter sounds, but is still not able to recognize the letters. We'll just keep working at it.

Nathan has decided to start mimicking some of Sydney's undesirable behavior. When he is unhappy or frustrated with you, Nate enjoys calling names. Specifically, "Stupid bumblehead!" Let's just say that his little behind has been sitting on the time out stair a lot for name calling lately. It is hard to remember to enforce this sometimes when he is still at that cute stage. You know, when you find it a little funny.

Sydney and Nathan are quite a pair. They are adorable together most of the time. They are huggy and cuddly a lot of the time. Sydney looks out for her little brother. I observe her trying to teach him things, not all bad. Today, she lined up cookies that were numbered 1-10 to show him the appropriate order. Then, she asked him to do it. She gently corrected him when he did something wrong. She calls him "honey" or "sweety" most of the day. It is sweet how she looks out for him and he wants to know where she is every minute of the day.

Of course, they are still brother and sister and it is expected that they will fight. They certainly do their fair share. There are times when I feel like my shirt should be striped black and white and a whistle should be attached.

Marc and I joined the local Sport and Health. I've been bouncing between the gym floor and aqua fitness classes. Tomorrow, or sometime this week, I'll get back to yoga now that I have a mat. Yay! I've missed it so. I'm trying anything I can think of to gain energy to keep up with my monkeys. I figured that it couldn't hurt.

Despite having a list of things to do a mile long, I'm still optimistic (shocker!) that things will shake out and settle down just in time for Syd to go to school. Ipes! I cringe at the thought.

Series Finale at GR

2009-12-23T10:10:00.002-05:00

Today is my last day of work and emotions are running high. Tomorrow, I will call myself a full-time mom and a part-time employee. After nine years here, I feel like I'm separating from one family to return to another. It is a bittersweet day indeed.

At the end of every finale, there is a theme song. When I woke up this morning, "Time of Your Life" by Green Day came to mind.

Another turning point;a fork stuck in the road.
Time grabs you by the wrist;directs you where to go.
So make the best of this test and don't ask why.
It's not a question but a lesson learned in time.
It's something unpredictablebut in the end it's right.
I hope you had the time of your life.
So take the photographsand still frames in your mind.
Hang it on a shelf In good health and good time.
Tattoos of memories and dead skin on trial.
For what it's worth,it was worth all the while.
It's something unpredictablebut in the end it's right.
I hope you had the time of your life.
It's something unpredictable but in the end it's right.
I hope you had the time of your life.
It's something unpredictable but in the end it's right.
I hope you had the time of your life.

Tomorrow, a new chapter begins. I'm scared, excited, sad and happy all at the same time. Please let me make it through the day without crying too much!

How Does That Happen?

2009-11-18T13:38:00.002-05:00

I've been here, stalking others. I've been fairly quiet, except on Facebook. It is too easy.

We're gearing up for the move, which is in about three weeks. We have boxes everywhere and now, I even have some at work. I decided I should begin acclimating myself to it. It is going to be a tough adjustment. Our clients aren't making it any easier by telling me how much they will miss me. It is nice to hear, but...

The house is ready. The sod is down and all of the details are finished. They will be cleaning up and getting ready for the punch list on the 2nd. I have a list already. Yes, I'm like that.

The kids are great. Nathan is adorable and even more fascinated with stories and television. Goodness gracious that boy loves the television. We really limit the tv in our house. Generally speaking, the kids watch tv for a bit on the weekends only. Sydney never really minded until recently. Nathan, however, is drawn to the television.

Nathan loves to say, "I hold you tight, mommy." and "That's scary." He uses complete sentences and loves to talk. He's got quite a temper, which he gets honest and has started whining as a tactic to get things. Ugh. I really dislike that. Sydney is famous for it and we're trying desperately to get her out of the habit.

Sydney is growing into such a little lady. I often forget her age. She acts like a tiny adult sometimes. She's such a big helper and will do her best work when she feels needed. She doesn't, however, like to help clean up her brother's messes. "I didn't make that mess!" She says. We explain that we are a team and we all do things in our home to help each other, including cleaning up messes we didn't make.

She's FINALLY started keeping herself dry at night. We'd tried on several occasions, but to no avail. We decided about two weeks ago to give it a try again and SUCCESS. She's received little rewards here and there, but has been banking tokens that she will use to get princess sheets for her new room. She's quite excited about that and so are we! I'm thinking I'll start working with Nathan after we move. Oh boy.

Last week, Sydney and I were talking about the move and how she wouldn't be going to school anymore, at least for the time being. I told her we were still going to learn things and asked what she wanted to learn. She gave me a few ideas and reminded me about the time she wanted to learn about milk. We'd visited a dairy farm nearby, etc. She mentioned something about cheese and I asked if she knew where cheese came from. She responded, "Yes, I do. It comes from cows. They give the milk to a mouse and the mouse makes the cheese." There you have it.

I'll check in later. Knowing me, much later. I'm still keeping up with the lot of you so, don't worry. :)

Hugs!

Feeling Better

2009-10-27T13:18:00.002-04:00

Today is gloomy and wet outside, but my mood has certainly improved. Thank goodness!

I spent last night putting a puzzle together with Sydney and then I vegged on my bed watching 'The Real Housewives of Atlanta.' I'll admit it. I'm addicted to them. They crack me up.

Then, we decided to chat about the upcoming move, finances and Christmas. ICK! YAY! ICK! We've started spreading the news to the family that we will not be exchanging gifts this year, with the adults. We've got a huge life change ahead and we're trying to lay low. Instead, we'll celebrate in other ways and be together. I think that announcement made me feel a lot less stressed. It sucks, but it is the right decision.

My brother, Wes, is engaged. It actually happened about two weeks ago, but I've had my head buried in some other stuff. I've offered to cook dinner for the two to celebrate, but I'm not sure of what yet. Suggestions?

This past weekend, I cooked a dinner for Mom, Tom and Ashley in celebration of their birthdays. The menu:

-Shitake Mushroom and Goat Cheese Crostini
-Crab and Roasted Red Pepper Soup
-Salad Greens with Strawberries and Pine Nuts
-Lemon Thyme Sorbet
-Filet with a Gorgonzola Herb Butter, Broccolini and Potato Souffle
-White Chocolate Lemon Mousse Parfaits with Strawberries

We served dinner with a bottle of wine I brought home from California. It was nice. I didn't care for the potato souffle. I'm quite certain I did something to screw it up. Oh well. It happens.

Well, I'm off to stalk Facebook and other pages for the rest of my lunch. I hope you have a great day!

Mad At The World!

2009-10-26T13:40:00.002-04:00

I'm keeping to myself today, in the physical sense that is. If you are looking for sunshine, let me know if you find it.

I'm in a bad mood today. In fact, I've been in quite a mood lately. I'm sensitive, easy angered and sad. I'm a big ball of emotion. I don't know why.

I could run down the list of my gripes today, but to what end? They are silly, mostly.

So, if you find the sunshine, let me know. I need it desperately!

Almost Done!

2009-10-20T12:53:00.003-04:00

The house is moving right along and it nearly finished. We're getting so excited. Trees! Trees! Trees! We cannot wait to move where we don't have to live on top of our neighbors.

Keep your fingers crossed for more mild weather! :)

San Francisco!

2009-10-20T10:00:00.007-04:00

The last month flew by me. We went to San Francisco, had a company picnic, celebrated b-days and our 7th Anniversary. That sums it up. If you were just wondering what we've been doing, you can stop here. The details below:

San Francisco was absolutely amazing. We arrived on a Saturday, just before lunch, and had a few issues getting to our hotel from the airport. Once we made it, we checked into the Hyatt at Fisherman's Wharf. The food there is not that great, but the room was nicely decorated, comfortable and clean. The staff was very friendly and helpful.

We walked down to Fisherman's Wharf and had lunch next to seal pier. It was stinky! They are cute, but boy do they smell.

On our first night out, we had dinner at The Stinking Rose, which is known for its garlicky menu. Overall I found it to be very overrated and would probably not recommend it. After dinner, we took a stroll, is there such a thing there, up and down the hilly streets and meandered into Chinatown. The Republic of China was celebrating its anniversary and the streets were decorated and we saw a dragon dance. I had a great time visiting the little shops and enjoying the nice weather. It turned out to be the warmest night of the entire trip.

I thought my legs would be sore the next day from all the uphill/downhill action, but they weren't. I'd like to also mention that we saw not only a lot of foot traffic on the streets, but a lot of biking as well. Kudos to the locals!

We decided to rent a car for the day and drive down the coast. We visited Seal Cove, Half Moon Bay, Monterey and Carmel. We made lots of stops along the way that included 17 Mile Drive/Pebble Beach Golf Course, Half Moon Bay Brewery, Hogs Breath Inn and lots of little shops. It was overcast and foggy for much of the day, but I didn't care. It was a lovely drive with my sweetie and he was so nice to do ALL of the driving.

The next day was probably one of my favorites of the whole trip. It was pampering and fun the entire day! No, girls, there were no facials or pedicures. It was eat, eat, eat and play, play, play. We started our morning by racing to the pier to catch the ferry to Alcatraz. What an amazing experience! Alcatraz was every bit as cool as I thought it would be and the audio guided tour was very well done.

After Alcatraz, we had a few hours to kill and I had been dying to get to Hog Island Oyster Company. Tyler Florence did a bit on ‘The Best Thing I Ever Ate’ a while back and raved about it. Having never had a raw oyster I thought it would be the perfect place to try them. They were amazing! Tyler was right and I thoroughly enjoyed that very expensive treat! I had a half dozen (Kumamoto and ???) and an iced tea that totaled $33! Marc just watched.

Oh yes! The Ferry Building is a must visit for foodies. I could have spent an entire morning in there. There are lots of restaurant type shops, but there were also fruit stands, artisan bread and cheese shops, wine stores, etc. Amazing! Oh yes, gelato too! YUM! Yep, I ate ALL day!

We raced to the hotel to freshen up and take a twenty minute nap. Then, we headed to the San Francisco Electric Tour Company for our Segway tour. I was terrified once I discovered they weren’t driven using the handlebars and that there wasn’t a stop button or brake. Something about rolling through the busy streets of San Francisco on something you do not know how to drive seemed scary to me. Hmm. I’m a sissy though so, I forged ahead. I didn’t breathe or move for the first thirty minutes at least. Once I got the hang of things, I don’t think I stopped smiling once, except maybe when Marc fell off. Then, I just laughed hysterically!

We turned in the Segways and headed to Scoma’s for dinner. Our table provided a nice view of the harbor and Ghirardelli Square. It took quite a while for our bodies to thaw. Yes, it was freezing cold. Who would’ve guessed? I had the most amazing meal there. It was so delicious (lobster bisque, scallops on a bed of swiss chard and fingerling potatoes and tiramisu). MMMMMMM! It is a little hole in the wall, but the locals swear by it and now, I know why.

On the way back to the hotel we picked up coats from a street vendor. Yes, coats. The weather was seriously fickle there. At any given point, I could be in one layer or another. I did see some really ridiculous tourists walking around in mini skirts and shorts. Seriously?! I could see my breath in the night air. Ding dongs!

It was hard to get up early the next morning after all the fun we’d had the night before. It was even more difficult for Marc, who wasn’t looking forward to some of the day’s events (i.e. wine country). We had breakfast at a little bread shop across from the tour company (ham and cheese croissant and a latte for me). The bread display there was picture perfect.

The tour company that ran our tour that day SUCKED SUCKED SUCKED! Seriously and totally sucked. I would never book with them EVER again. If I could remember their name right now, I would blast them all over the internet, but that will have to wait. Putting all of that aside, we had a wonderful day!
First stop, albeit very brief, was Muir Woods. I cannot even begin to describe it. It was amazing and you just have to go. I could have easily spent the entire day there. In fact, one day, I’d like to go back and do just that.

Next stop, Sausalito. We could have easily spent another day there touring the shops and hanging out by the water. It was a cute little spot and the birds there are NOT shy.

Final leg of the day was the wine tour and Marc’s least anticipated part. Marc doesn’t drink wine, but played along and indulged me. Turns out, he didn’t have such an awful time and he even tried a wine he liked! Holy crap! I bought it on the spot.

I had never been on a wine tasting tour before. We visited three wineries in Sonoma:Homewood, Jacuzzi and Viansa. Of the three, I think Viansa was my favorite. Jacuzzi also specializes in olive oils and it was a treat to taste several of those as well. By the end of the trip, I was getting the hang of it. I could actually pick out flavors in a few of the wines and I wasn’t drunk. Now, being the rare drinker and lightweight I am, I thought that was an accomplishment.

So, in a nutshell, that was our trip. We had such a wonderful time and I loved that city!

I would love to post photos, but Blogger is being a pain the butt today. So, you'll have to check them out on Facebook.

San Francisco Here We Come!

2009-09-18T16:25:00.002-04:00

Marc and I are escaping for a much needed vacation tomorrow morning. We are taking this one on our own. We will surely miss the babes, but it will be nice to have some time for just us.

Have a great week!

Super Nanny, Nanny 911 and Doctor Whoever, What Now?!

2009-09-16T15:45:00.002-04:00

We had a very long evening last night. Thank you, Sydney Elaine. We've had trouble getting Sydney to go to bed each night for a while, but it really kicked in to high gear last week and hit a peak (I hope) last night. She is adamant about not staying in her room. After trying all the "tricks" suggested, we are at our wits end. We know it is a phase, but we are tired and left without a plan.

Step 1: Establish a routine. Yeah yeah yeah. We've had the same routine since she was a little less than a year. It has only varied slightly with the birth of Nathan and, of course, during vacations and visits to the homes of others. (CHECK!)

Step 2: Eliminate sugary snacks and caffeine before bed. Seriously? My kid is four. She doesn't eat a lot of candy and she definitely doesn't drink caffeine, unless of course you count the two cups of coffee she drinks before school. NOT! (DUH and CHECK!)

Step 3: If the protest, return them to bed over and over. We've done this one a hundred million times. One night, I did it with ipod earbuds in so that I wouldn't get ticked after 1.5 HOURS! NEXT!

Step 4: Sit in the hall and return the child. It goes with Step 3, is just as useless, but at least I get to read a little.

Step 5: Create rewards for good behavior. Great. Sydney is interested in the computer. So, we bought the same educational game the school has and created a reward system that enabled her to earn time on the computer each weekend. It worked for two weeks. Then, she told me she didn't care. Perfect!

Step 6: If they are scared, eliminate the "bad." So, she decided a while back that there were porcupine bunnies in the house. So, mom made a "trap" for them out of a plastic basket and a recorder. Nothing caught and nothing gained.

Step 7: Take away privileges. We've taken away fruit snacks and other junk I cannot recall right now. "Take 'em!" She says.

Step 7: Take away her toys. Her room is now empty.

Step 8: "Spank her butt and that'll fix it!" Some have said. Yep, we tried that too. It didn't work and now we feel bad about it. Thanks!

Step 9: ________________?????????????????????? I have no idea what goes here.

I need help. Ideas please! I really don't know what to do.

Big News!

2009-09-10T15:40:00.002-04:00

Some of you already knew and many of you found out yesterday on Facebook, but I'm moving! We are moving back to Fredericksburg to be closer to family. The biggest news of all is that I am going to be a SAHM for a few years.

Just a very short two years ago, I wrote an irate post to Anonymous about school, etc. While I still believe in that post, several things have happened over the last few years that have made us stop and think about the value of family, our time together and how FLEETING it really can be. While I want to teach my children the value of pursuing whatever you desire, we find it equally important to teach them to stop and appreciate what is around them. Now, I am and have been extremely thankful for all I have, but we were faced with, what feels like, a golden opportunity: to strengthen our family bonds and provide our children with a familial community.

I've struggled with this for a while, hold off on school and stay home or tough it out. As much as I wanted to tough it out, and attempted to for a bit, I found two obstacles: the LSAT and my heart. I took the LSAT twice. I cancelled my scores the first time and the second time, I blew it. I have crazy test anxiety and while practice tests would be acceptable, the real deal would throw me into a volcano of emotion. So, I've gone around the bushes, over the hill and through the woods to get to the simple conclusion that I likely have my whole life to continue my education or perhaps not. What I do know is that, where my kids are concerned, I don't want regrets.

So, for now, school is on continued pause and I'm gearing up for a new adventure. I'm excited to spend more time with my children and family. I'm thrilled that we will not be living directly on top of our neighbors and that my kids will have their aunts, grandparents and great grandparents close. I'm terrified, but hopeful that I will be okay at this difficult job.

Please wish us luck, health and happiness! *Crossing fingers, eyes and toes*

Still Around

2009-08-28T16:27:00.002-04:00

It has been a few weeks since my last post and I'm still around. We're keeping quite busy this summer and trying to enjoy every minute.

This month, we visited my Dad's and Marc learned how to change the brakes on the truck. Yay! That was a blessing. Thanks again, Dad. Dad and Jenn also celebrated an anniversary. Happy Anniversary!

We went on our second camping trip with Rachel and Matt. This time we headed back to Deep Creek Lake. Marc and I hadn't been in ten years and it was quite different. The campsites are very close and the area in general has grown too much for our liking. We did have a great time, despite losing sleep because of rude neighboring campers. So rude and loud, in fact, we had to call the Rangers twice to get them to stuff it.

My photography class is over. I cannot believe it. It was a blink. I'm more familiar with my camera, but still terrible at taking pictures. I'll keep practicing. Ha ha! Didn't expect to run out and shoot a cover of Vogue. Although, it would have been nice eh?

We had to cancel our third camping trip this past weekend due to inclement weather. What a great call! It poured. What a relief! I usually like to push those things and take a "wait and see" approach. I would have been so sorry and WET! We went bowling instead.

We have our fourth and, most likely, final camping trip coming up next weekend. We're looking forward to it. We're going camping with Aunt Lois and Uncle Robert. I went camping with them a ton when I was a kid so, I'm really looking forward to the "blast from the past."

So, we have an official date night tonight. Woo hoo! Our last date night was a few months back. We had originally made reservations at Charlie Palmer, but it is gross and I'm tired. So, we're going old school tonight: The Outback! That's right. I'm going to stuff my face with cheese fries and a bloomin' onion. Then, we might hit a movie. I can tell you we WON'T go see 'Julie and Julia,' which I have been dying to see, because Marc would NEVER! Boo! Oh well.

The kids are shooting up like little weeds. Sydney has been ultra sassy the last few weeks, but this week has been lovely. It was a nice reprieve. In fact, yesterday, I took an impromptu day off work, picked up Sydney and went to meet Ashley, Shenan, Mom and Granny Joyce for a birthday lunch. Granny Joyce had a great birthday and I was glad I got to spend the afternoon with her.

Well, that is the update. I'm looking forward to the weekend. I hope you guys have a great weekend!

Not the Mama!

2009-08-04T08:05:00.003-04:00

Last night, we were having dinner and Syd was having a whining spell. Marc decided to tell Sydney that she would have to trade places with us, if she kept it up. She looked confused. Then he elaborated, "Tonight, you will give us a bath, read us stories and tuck us in. Tomorrow, you will go to work and we will go to school and play." I couldn't resist and joined in. We went on and on about how she'd have to take out the trash, clean the dishes, do the laundry and cook for us. Before we knew it, she was crying. We thought she was kidding at first, but when we realized she was actually crying, we stopped. "I don't want to be the mommy! We will change back." She said.

She told us that being the mommy and daddy is a lot of work. After dinner, she was happy to have bath and story time as usual. Hmmm...for a minute, Marc and I thought we had it made. :)

Seven Days

2009-07-28T08:23:00.002-04:00

I am Jessica and I am an addict. It has been seven days since my last Starbuck's bar drink. The first week was the hardest.

I'm in no way making fun of those with serious addictions and I am in no way kidding. I was/am literally addicted to vanilla mochas and mocha fraps. I easily spent 90% of my "fun money" at Starbucks. Was it fun? Did I enjoy it? Yes, but still. I was hitting Starbucks twice a day and I don't have to tell you how quickly that adds up. I've decided that I can have coffee, even Starbucks coffee, but I had to get it in check.

So, for weeks I attempted to replicate the mocha. WEEKS! I tried everything I thought might work, but no luck. Finally, I got guidance from my barista. Seriously, why didn't I ask before? Now, I cannot find my espresso maker because it is in a box and I had to improvise a bit. After a bit of guidance I finally did it! Each day it improved. This morning, it is perfect! Now, I can add the whip! Since I have labored over this for weeks, I will be happy to share my recipe with anyone who wants it. Email me at jesstadlock@gmail.com

Aside from that, we have been up to quite a bit lately. We went camping this past weekend. I am taking a photography class. All things I'd like to elaborate on, but I have to get to work. Bleah! I'll check back. Hopefully, it won't be another month! :)

Freaky Friday

2009-06-26T08:42:00.002-04:00

Talk about Freaky Friday, man. Seriously! This week is nuts. First, Ed McMahon. Then, Farah Fawcett and now, Michael Jackson. What the crap?!

Now, I know there is all kinds of commentary going about about the King of Popl right now, good and bad. I just have to put my two cents in. I am surprised at how sad I am. Honestly. Michael Jackson turned out to be a tormented person, which makes me quite sad. Some of my first memories are of me dancing to his songs in my grandmother's bedroom in front of a mirror, of course. I wanted desperately to see him in concert, but I was too young. I was enthralled with Michael. I wanted to dress like him, dance like him and any opportunity to watch him on tv was special. I've cried to more than one of his songs and have been known to throw out a "He he" at odd times. Whatever personal demons he had, it does not discount his talent in my eyes. He was my first icon, who was replaced by Tina Turner. :) I hope he has finally found peace.

Alright, enough about Michael. Let's talk about me. Ha ha! I've been trying to keep notes on my crackberry so that I won't forget things I want to blog about and we'll see how it turns out.

First, last week, I had a rough week. It was nutty at work. I was getting hit from all sides and finally lost my temper on Thursday afternoon. It wasn't pretty. I left work, cried and headed to the salon for a wax. Yeah, talk about insult to injury! BLEAH! I hate being a girl sometimes. I picked the kids up and thankfully, they were in an okay mood, at least for a short time. I was running errands trying to get stuff together for the weekend. We hit Bed, Bath and Beyond for a rolling pin and Sydney starts tuning up about how hungry she is. "I'm really really really really....hungry." She says. Okay! Good grief. I'm literally standing in the parking lot looking around for food and I have two choices, Chili's or McDonald's. There was no way I was eating McDonald's so, we went to Chili's. Sydney convinced me that she just could wait for her dinner and she's never so emphatic about food so, I decided to get chips and salsa. The kids ate like little piggies and I didn't get to eat. So, I boxed up my dinner. Sydney was getting a bit sassy anyway so, I was glad we were ready to leave.

We hopped in the car. I had a few more stops to make and I knew the first had better be Starbucks because I was so sleepy. We headed in that direction. The kids were playing the "Ack" game in the backseat. I don't know why it is so funny, but I didn't care until I heard a real vomit sound and Sydney screamed. Oh boy! I pulled over and discovered that Nathan had vomited mac and cheese all over the back of the car. YUCK! Seriously? Geez. Sydney was crying, Nathan was crying and I was gagging. At this point in my day, I just started laughing. It was just getting to the point of ridiculous. I cleaned up the mess and decided that all of my other errands would have to be cancelled, with the exception of the Starbucks drive thru. That was not up for discussion.

We made it to the Starbucks with the windows down. Thank goodness there was no rain that day. We pulled around to find that the line was quite long. I considered backing out, but I waited too long to decide and then I was trapped by another car. Oh well. So, we sat. Sydney and Nathan were playing games again and I was thankful for their good spirits. Sydney had taken her shoe off and was playing with her umbrella. She was pretending it was a fishing pole and she'd pick her shoe up off the floor by the shoestring and squeal, "Look what I caught, Mommy!" It was cute and pretty creative.

There is a service station next to the SB drive thru. Sydney likes to yell greetings to anyone who will look in our direction, and those who don't. This day was no different, until she decided to show them what she'd caught on her "fishing pole." Before I knew it, she'd tossed her shoe out the window and into the bushes. I was mad at first and then I saw the surprise on her face. I wanted to crack up, but I had to keep my stern mommy face on. Throwing things out of the car is not good. Getting out of the car to retrieve them out of the bushes while everyone in the drive thru is watching isn't much better. Funny, but embarrassing. That is how that day ended and I was glad. What had been really just a nasty, frustrating day turned into a gross, but silly day.

I went to see a movie this week with Allie. We saw 'The Proposal' and it was fantastic! Honestly! If you haven't seen it yet, go right now. Get up and go! It was sooo good. I laughed out loud and often. I had a great time. Good dinner, good movie and good company. Awesome! Thanks, Allie!

Well, we are gearing up for a visit from Dad, Jenn and Josh this weekend. We're excited. It has been a bit. I'm not sure what we'll do yet, but there doesn't seem to be anything too fun going on in this area, surprisingly, tomorrow. We might just hit the pool. I do have some dinner plans, which reminds me I need to get a list going.

I hope you have a great weekend!

Ocks and Ooos!

2009-06-17T13:45:00.002-04:00

Yep, my little Nate insists that shoes and socks are "ocks and ooos," but I'm okay with it.

Mr. Nathan's scar has healed up and the stitches fell out finally. He, of course, has two additional bruises on his head, a scratch under his eye and his fingers are scraped. He isn't phased at all.

Had a nasty headache yesterday and stayed home. Got dressed and drove down the street at one point to go to work, but decided (after Marc insisted) to turn around and go back home. It turned out to be a really good idea because I ended up feeling quite terrible again. Better now. Yay!

We are gearing up for a major celebration this weekend. Father's Day and B-days! Wow! Syd is turning four this weekend. I just cannot believe it.

I hope all is well with you! Take care!

Friday Already?! Yay!

2009-06-05T08:40:00.002-04:00

This has been one busy week. I'm actually just starting to accept this pace as my new normal. Why fight it? It only brings frustration. So, from this point forward, I don't care. Sadly, this means that I will have a new goal of posting of twice a week. We'll see if this makes me feel any better. :)

We returned to reality a week ago today. We spent Saturday running errands and spending time together. It was quite a lovely day. Sunday, we did some chores and overall had a relaxing day. Wait! I thought I said "returned to reality." True, we did. We kicked the chaos off again on Sunday afternoon. Sydney and I were taking a nap when Marc woke us up with a sad Nate in tow. Nate had slipped on a stair and split his forehead wide open. So, we spent the next three hours or so hanging out in Loudoun Hospital waiting for Nate to get three stitches. Poor little guy was quite brave, Nathan too. :) Marc hates the hospital scene. I cannot blame him.

Work was nutty busy this week and it has been a bit dreary outside. In many ways, I enjoy it. I'd certainly prefer rain during the week. Also, it is nice to not have to water our garden, which exploded while we were out of town. We had our first salad last Sunday from our garden. I love it! Cannot wait to see the tomatoes, cucumbers and peppers appear.

Have a great weekend and stay chill!

Wednesday-Hump Day!

2009-05-27T11:38:00.002-04:00

Today, I was required to leave the bay house and head to the local library (20M away) to do some work. Boo! :) Seriously, I have not missed even the tv. Although, we did turn it on to watch a movie yesterday.

We are having a nice time and are trying to catch up on our rest. With Sydney and Nathan that can be tough. :) If only I could absorb a bit of their energy.

We were supposed to leave today, but I couldn't resist. We are staying until Saturday. Then, it will be back to reality. We've eaten in every meal. We aren't suffering by any means!

Saturday: Steamed shrimp, baked potato and salad
Sunday: BBQ, coleslaw and baked beans
Monday: Mexican Fiesta-Take 2 (Enchiladas, Beans, Homemade Salsa)
Tuesday: Beer can chicken, 7-cheese Macaroni (Don't laugh! The beer can chicken was AWESOME!)
Wednesday: I have no idea.

I cooked all the desserts. I've tried all except the cake. From what I've tried, they all turned out well and the brownies were way awesome. I've actually got to leave to eat one now. YUMMM!

Have a great rest of the week! I'll be offline til Sunday.

Memorial Day

2009-05-25T09:37:00.000-04:00

Happy Memorial Day! It has been a nice weekend so far. We've had a few glitches, but that is standard. :)

I have no real desire to leave the porch. :). I could sit here all week. Eat, sleep, lounge, nap, stretch, sleep, eat, etc. That isn't possible with two munchkins running around, but we are close. :)

It is hard to believe that Monday is here already. :( Slow Down!

Tick Tock

2009-05-22T15:23:00.002-04:00

I'm one of three people left in our office right now. I'm bored and I'm ready to leave to start my vacation.

Tonight, I'm heading to Toni's. I'll be working on operation wall paper. I don't know how much help I will be, but I'm going anyway. Tadlock support on the way!

Tomorrow morning, I'll get up, pack and hit the road. We're headed to Reedville. I haven't been in forever. I'm looking forward to seeing the place again and enjoying the quiet. Hopefully, the snakes stay away. It is right on the bay and they like to come out this time of year, so I am told.

I am in charge of desserts this long weekend. I will be making, or attempting to make:

Pecan Pie
Coconut Cake
Blueberry Scones
Outrageous Brownies
Sopapillas (We are having a Mom's Day rerun!)

I received a new book on professional cooking last week. I'm looking forward to reading it while I'm on vaca. I find it facsinating. Doubt my cooking will improve, but I could tell you what is supposed to happen. Ha! Ha!

Best wishes for a safe and happy holiday weekend!

A Month of Sundays

2009-05-20T15:57:00.003-04:00

So, I got an email reminder from Jess that I haven't blogged in a month, which I knew. :) I've been meaning to get around to it for days, weeks and now, a month. I could just never find the time to sit still. So much has happened over the last month and I'll try to summarize.

First, we yanked the Contract on our house in Aldie. Yep. Decided we weren't in love with it and we were just anxious to get out of our pit rental. We decided it wasn't worth it to overlook flaws in the new house and neighborhood. So, we'll just sit back and keep our eyes open.

We went to a co-worker's wedding at the end of April. It was lovely. Marc and I left the babes at our house with Grandma and Grandpa for the night and we stayed at the lovely Queenstown Inn. We ate, danced and then had a late night dinner at Crackerbarrel. YUM! I had french toast and the waiter was astounded at the amount of food I ordered. I woke up the next morning with a yucky sore throat. It was unusually warm that weekend and when my parents went to turn on the AC in our rental, it didn't work. SURPRISE! After two weeks, it was fixed. Thankfully, the heat relented after a day or two so we didn't mind it so much.

We were shocked to the core shortly after our return. We found out that our friend, Brian Paap, had passed away from a severe heart attack while playing indoor soccer. He was survived by his wife, Toni, and his three girls, Madison, Morgan and Taylor. He was 35, full of life and was loved by many. Marc had worked with Brian when he first moved to Northern Virginia. He, Brian, Brandon and FJ started played soccer together and then the girlfriends stepped in. We were together nearly every week for years. We witnessed dating, marriages and births. We separated mostly after our children were born and some moved away. It just happened as it so often does. It was bittersweet to see everyone again for the first time in two or three years. In many ways, we've grown up together. I suppose I didn't anticipate adding death to our list so soon.

Toni, who is linked on my blog, but no longer active, has a wonderful attitude. She always has. Honestly, that is the one thing that makes me like them so much. They have a "take me as I am" attitude and that is so rare to find, especially here. Such an attitude will surely help her during this extremely difficult time. My heart goes out to her and her family. There truly are no words.

Events such as Brian's death, always causes us to stop and think about how we are living our lives and do we have our priorities in order (i.e. family, marriage, health, etc.). We are taking steps to ensure that we keep ourselves in line. We started reaching out to friends and family we haven't seen in quite some time. Who knows what tomorrow brings?

Mother's Day was the perfect time for us to show our mom how much we lover her. Mother's Day was a smashing success. My sister and I headed to the 'Burg to cook for our mum. Actually she and Shenan already live there. :) We had a mexican fiesta feast (nachos, homemade salsas, enchiladas, grilled shrimp, rice and beans, flan and margaritas). We made sooo much that we have enough leftover for our vacation this upcoming week. :) I LOVE freezers!

Sydney is well. She's quite funny these days. I got pulled aside by a teacher in school because she's been questioning the teacher's authority and then calling her a "silly donkey." Um, no, she doesn't watch HK. She loves to paint her nails and dress up. We have, at Rachael's suggestion, labeled nearly everything in the house (chair, light, lamp, etc.) and a new 'I Can Read' series to help her out.

Nathan is growing leaps and bounds and talking more every day. He was cutting three molars at the same time last week, which was no fun for anyone. Thankfully, he's through that. He loves to give kisses and hugs. He is finally showing an interest in books, so unlike Syd. He is a climber! I have to watch him like a hawk.

Camping season is rapidly approaching and I cannot wait. This weekend, we'll spend a few days in Reedville, VA. I haven't been in a while. In fact, I cannot remember the last time. We are looking forward to it. I'm in charge of desserts during the trip. Any suggestions?

I miss you all and think of you often. I really do.

Hugs! BIG HUGS! Now, go kiss someone you love!

Yay! It is Saturday!

2009-04-18T10:38:00.000-04:00

Things have been quite busy here. Marc has been working a lof of night shifts to help out his pt employer, another employee broke a foot. He's also started participating in a golf league that is supposed to play on Tuesday afternoons. I hope they get on a regular rotation soon. Next weekend, he is going to start training for the Army 10 miler.

I have been ridiculously busy at work. I don't mind busy, but I do mind nuts. I hope thinks will settle down a bit soon.

The weeknights have been pretty routine: dinner, bath, stories and bed. Nathan did go back to the dr this week and his ears, for now, have relented. I hope it stays that way. Poor baby has had six or seven ear infections back to back.

Nathan's speech has exploded. He's trying so much harder to listen and repeat word. He's my snuggly little buddy and loves to give hugs and kisses.

Sydney is very helpful and I love to listen to her chatter to herself when she thinks no pne is listening. She tells her babydolls stories from storybook pictures. She loves to repeat words to be empahtic "It's taking a long long long long long long time." She yells going down the road or when you aren't moving as quickly as she'd like. She has sassy spitfire days, like today, when you want to keep her in her room. She has quite a personality. I see rough roads ahead. :)

It is a beautiful day. I hope you all enjoy it. :)

Five Minutes

2009-04-07T19:53:00.000-04:00

I'm hanging out at the doctor's office, now with Syd. I swear these people are going to reserve a room for us. At least, it is a different doctor. We visit this one less frequently.

Okay, so what has been going on other than sick kids? Well, I've been working like crazy, during the work day and working at home just as hard. :)

Saturday, Marc had to work and the rest of us stayed home. Nathan was crazy cranky and had a fever. I had a sore throat and Sydney was sassy sassy sassy. It was not a fun day at all.

Sunday was significantly better. Nathan had gotten over his mysterious fever and, even though my throat was still sore, we went to the Baltimore Aquarium with Wes, Loretta and Tara. We had a very nice time and we were lazy for the rest of the afternoon.

Sunday night was no fun. I stressed about work all night AND Nate was up ALL NIGHT LONG. Marc and I were not a happy couple at 4am. Going to work on Monday was very difficult.

I am looking forward to Idol tonight, but I'm thinking I might miss it.

I hope you are all happy and well. I am thinking about you!

Thanks!

2009-04-02T18:40:00.000-04:00

Thank you, Starbucks Stranger! I was having a bit of a craptastic afternoon and decided to stop at Starbucks for a frap. Nothing says cheer like a cup of frozen joe and a mound of whipped cream. Mmmm!

So, I pulled up to the window to pay and the cashier informed me that the car ahead of me had paid for my drink! I just got the biggest smile on my face. I've done similar things and I just thought it was so neat that ot came back around and on the perfect day. Pay it forward, folks!

Starbucks Stranger, you truly made my day!

2009-03-30T08:09:00.002-04:00

The last week was no less than a complete whirlwind. Today, I feel, quite literally, like someone kicked me in the back. I am, however, happy to be awake and at work. Well, I don't know how happy I am to be at work. I could certainly find more enjoyable things to do.

Let's see, I was crazy busy at work again last week. Highlights:

-We closed a huge deal.
-The new Of Counsel dropped off his stuff. He starts in a officially on the 13th.
-I spent 40 minutes one afternoon in the post office. That is ALWAYS a treat.
-I heard some new ideas for marketing the firm.

Who cares about work? How about home! Highlights:

-Marc started his golf league last Tuesday. He'll be going every Tuesday until Fall.
-Nathan tripped on the carpet at school last week and smacked his face on the activity table. His tooth loosened. So, we spent much of the evening in a pediatric dentist's office. The result is that his socket should most likely recover; they do not believe his adolescent teeth were damaged; and his tooth may or may not discolor. He's just fine today.
-Sydney had accident after accident last week, both at night and during the day. She went through three sets of sheets at school last week and at home. Oy vey!
-Ashley, Shenan and I went to Mom's this weekend to help her clean out the basement. What a task! The good news is that after a back-breaking weekend, the lion's share of the work is done and Mom is feeling good.
-I have a nail in my tire.
-I think Nate has ANOTHER ear infection. I'll be making an appointment for him today to go yet again. This time, if he has another one, I'm putting my foot down. I'm not messing around with this crap anymore! Poor guy.

So, that is the long and short of my week. OH WAIT! I forgot to tell you the most important thing: the start of my day.

So, I raced to the service shop this morning after dropping off the kids. I had to get the nail out of the tire and the tire plugged and I'm late on an oil change. I walk to work from there. I got to work, stepped off the elevator, bent over to pick up an envelope that had been delivered and that's when I found it. I had absentmindedly tucked my shirt into my underwear this morning. Are you kidding me?! Since my pants are a little lower, I KNOW everyone saw them! I bet they were thoroughly impressed with my turquoise cotton undies. Good grief! :) I never cease to amaze myself.

Monday Monday

2009-03-23T08:10:00.002-04:00

Wow! Another weekend has slipped right by me. It was a very nice weekend with lots of running around, as usual. :)

On Friday night, we had a nice dinner of leftovers (woo hoo!) and then, after Mr. Nate went to sleep, we snuggled up with Syd on the basement floor and watched cars. We had popcorn and lemonade. Yum! Oh yeah, I decided to hit the grocery store between dinner and the movie since I knew I would be gone for much of the weekend. Syd and I fell asleep on the floor around 9:30pm. Lame! :) I STILL have not seen that movie from beginning to end.

Saturday morning, we got up around 7:30am and got ready. Marc went to work and I took the kids to Gordonsville/Orange for most of the afternoon. We visited with my dad's parents and then, I stopped by to see my mom's parents. At about 4:30, we headed to Fredericksburg to meet Mom and Tom for dinner. We decided to try the Fredericksburg Pub. After an hour and twenty minutes, we got a table. The place was jammed and thankfully, the kids were willing and well behaved. The food was quite good. Marc had the sheppherd's pie, which I tried, and there wasn't one bite left. I had to try the fish and chips, another success. We got home quite late and I almost immediately went to bed. I had to catch up on Grey's and PP before. I STILL have to watch HK before Thursday.

Sunday we spent a lot of the day doing chores and then, we headed out to Costco to drop off my frames. I need new lenses. After the man broke them, he told me it would take TWO weeks to get them back. IPES! I'm not sure how I'm going to deal without my glasses for two weeks. I'll have to muttle through.

We drove out to the potential new home yesterday. I spent a lot of time looking at the neighbors and the neighborhood. I realized that it is so strange to drive into a neighborhood and see the backs of houses only. It also didn't look like there were a lot of trees or grass. I'm hoping this is just because spring hasn't sprung completely. We located the pool and tennis courts. There were lots of families out and about, which I did like. The chance to meet some new faces!

We had dinner at Golden Corral, laugh if you must, with my brother Wes and his girlfriend, Tara. I didn't know she was coming and was in my Sunday worst! Bad brother! She seems nice enough. The jury is still out though since it was such a brief visit. :) I'm very protective of him. I guess I didn't realize until yesterday just how protective I am. I know it is just my instinct when new faces come into the picture. I don't typically just let the gate down. It doesn't take long though. :) We're going to the aquarium together in a few weeks so that should be lots of fun.

Well, I'm off! Have a great day!

Surprise!

2009-03-19T08:19:00.003-04:00

How shocked were we to get a call from our Realtor last night telling us that our last and final bid went through! Amazing! So that is the little photo of it above. It doesn't do it justice. It is a little brick colonial in a cul-de-sac and so cute inside. The owners really loved their home, like we did ours, and I will be stepping in with little to do, a bit of paint and a fence only. How awesome!

There are lots of things about the house I like and things I'll eventually change, but I'm so thrilled that we have a nice kitchen (double ovens!) that is off of the family room. So, we can all hang out together, even when I have to do the laundry or cook. Oh! Laundry! The home will come with a set of brand new front loading washer and dryer!! WOOO HOOO!

We envision a cute little patio off the back door to grill out and watch the kiddos play. I'm thrilled!

If that wasn't enough of a surprise, Sydney kept her pants dry again last night!! WOW! Holy cow!

Keep your fingers crossed for us. We've won the bid, but they still have to have their bank accept the short sale terms.

Night Potty Training and More!

2009-03-18T08:22:00.002-04:00

Wow! After months of trying pull ups, underwear under pull ups, etc., Marc and I decided that on Friday night we would buckle down and do the training pants. Friday night was awful. She had three or four accidents during the night, a few of which she didn't wake up. Saturday was one less. Sunday and Monday nights were the same. Last night though, she did it! She went through the night dry. She got herself up at 2:30am and went potty. She's sporting her new Aurora undies this morning as a reward! Yay, Sydney! :) I'm sure we have many more wet nights ahead, but it is nice to have a ray of sunshine today.

The house hunt is about to cease. Seriously. I'm sick of it. We have one final contract bid out and after that, I'm ready to call it quits for a while. I hear complaints on the news about the housing market and it being a buyer's market and it leaves me dumbfounded. Marc and I are reading, willing and able buyers and we have been unsuccessful in finding a home. Nutty!

Mom and Tom had to put their puppy, Callie, to sleep this week. She was diagnosed with cancer last spring and it finally took charge. Mom and Tom are, of course, having a difficult week, but they find comfort in the fact that Callie won't suffer anymore.

My sister lost her job last week. Her company is in serious trouble and has laid off numerous employees. Thankfully, she had her ear to the ground and had already started circulating her resume. I'm betting she'll have a job soon.

Well, I'm off. I hope you have a great day!

Monday Again?

2009-03-16T08:11:00.004-04:00

It is hard to believe that Monday is here yet again. Sydney protested school today, like every Monday, but she was happy to show her friends her apple this morning. Hmm..is that all it takes?

Traffic was nice this morning considering the yucky blah weather. People turn into straight morons around here with any type of weather (rain delays, fog delays, snow delays and YES, no kidding, sunshine delays). Today, thankfully, was an exception. I have learned to take back roads to a point further on the toll road, but this morning I just kept going. I didn't even notice until I was almost to the toll road. Whew! Talk about fog.

I am happy to report that I managed to bring in my lunch and breakfast in this morning for nearly a week, excluding bread. Yeah, I purchased a loaf of bread at Giant on Saturday, opened it yesterday and found that it was molded! Grrr! Now, I have no bread and I'll have to take it back. That is so irritating. I was going to take it back yesterday, but I was busy.

Busy doing what? Well, I slept in, tried to anyway. Then I got up, changed the sheets, put clothes away, cleaned up Syd's room, unloaded the dishwasher, cooked sausage for the week, packed lunches, made two casseroles and a threw a brisket into the crockpot, took a shower, went househunting, dropped off Sydney, got a haircut, got my makeup done, cooked dinner, put Nate to bed, watched Desperate and finally, turned out the light. Only I couldn't sleep. Hate it when that happens, which is almost every Sunday. I spend much of the night worrying about the week ahead.

By the way, I cut all of my hair off. I took a picture with my cell phone. It is a terrible picture, but you can see that my hair is gone.

Blah! Anyway, I've got lots to do! Have a great day!

Fact of Life

2009-03-12T13:34:00.002-04:00

I've been absent. I know. Keeping up here has been quite difficult lately, but I'm trying. :) I do better keeping up on Facebook so, you can find me there.

Got back from Tampa on Friday and have been running ever since. Our office downsized last week and I can now add bookkeeper to my hat tray. I've been trying to get caught up this week and am finally reaching a somewhat comfortable state. I will be, however, extremely busy from this point forward. Generally, I pick other things to do before posting (i.e. eating my lunch in the kitchen with Rachel, reading a book or watching tv at night, etc.). So, there will be breaks between posts. I just cannot keep up with it all.

We put in an offer on another house. That was a few days ago. Still haven't heard anything and probably won't. I just look forward to doing something on the weekend other than look at houses. Come on!

Tonight I will have dinner with my cousin, Nicole. She's here for a seminar and finally we'll meet up. We've been trying for nearly four years to get together without success. :) It will be fun to see her again and we are going to the Rio Grande. BONUS! I love that place.

This weekend will be clean up the messy house weekend. Seriously. How do things get so out of control so fast? :)

I hope you are all having a great week!
Jess

Wednesday Already?

2009-03-04T12:50:00.000-05:00

We've been lazy lazy lazy. We hit the outlets on Monday after making silly pancakes. We drove all around the bay area and just enjoyed the sun.

Tuesday was a stay in the house day. We watched movies, put together a puzzle and cooked. Syd and I took a walk and looked at the fruit trees, ferns and palm trees.

We are actually going to make it out this afternoon. We are headed to the zoo. We contemplated going to Mickey's house, but after I found out it would cost $120 for Syd and I to just get in, I decided to skip it for now. Maybe we'll go next time.

I'm hanging around and keeping an eye out for Starbucks. Yeah, Starbucks. Mmmm.

Yay! Yay! Yay!

2009-03-01T21:12:00.000-05:00

We are finally finally here. After nine hours, we are here safe and sound. :) Whew! Now, time for dinner. :)

Yet Another Delay

2009-03-01T17:10:00.000-05:00

Five hours in an airport...going on six and we've been delayed again. They are offering crackers. Um sure, a three year old can eat crackers all day. No problem. I don't think so. I've forked out nearly $40 between lunch and a light snack and we haven't left the ground yet.

Turns out the delays aren't weather related. Grrr.

Oh no!

2009-03-01T15:38:00.000-05:00

We've been delayed again. Now, we are allegedly leaving at 530pm. Syd has been so good, but she's losing her patience. I'm amazed she's been this patient.

I'm crossing my fingers and hoping she falls asleep soon.

Waiting

2009-03-01T13:47:00.000-05:00

Syd and I checked in at noon today ready to spend the std two hours waiting to leave. We were quite disapponted to find that our flight had been delayed two hours. This was, of course, after I had gotten a text from SW saying that it was on time and Marc dropped us off. We've been here for two hours and the status info online STILL hasn't been updated.

Try explaining to a three year old that she'll be hanging around the airport for an extra two hours. Ipes. So far, we've played cards, eaten lunch, had a cookie and we are now watching Rattatouie on the ipod. I was saving it for the plane ride, but I'm running out of ammo. :)

Wish us luck. No more delays please.

What is more effective than a snow dance?

2009-03-01T08:13:00.002-05:00

The answer is really quite simple:buy a non-refundable plane ticket to somewhere warm.

I woke up this morning to find the ground covered in snow. I am wondering if there will be a flight today.

Hmmm. I've never had snow issues before when flying. Rain and storms have been issues, but not snow.

I'll check back in.

House Hunting-Take 10?

2009-02-28T10:24:00.000-05:00

I am just about to give up on this hunting. It seems like the realtors are shady, nothing new there, and the majority of the houses aren't what you think they will be.

I believe I have seen two homes that are not short sales. Of the two, I liked one and Marc didn't and the other we liked okay, but the lot was not good.

It might be in our best interest to hold steady for another six months. I just don't know. Blah.

The good news is that I have a place to live in right now, even if it isn't mine. :). Oh and I'm going to Florida tomorrow.

Uneasy Feeling

2009-02-27T07:53:00.003-05:00

Do you ever have that feeling of dread or uneasiness? It is like any moment the other shoe will drop. I've been having that feeling a lot lately and I can't quite put my finger on it. Something is not right.

Busy Busy Busy

2009-02-23T21:50:00.000-05:00

It is a positive thing, having lots of work to do. I'm so thankful to have it. The days at work lately are flying right on by me, mostly.

This weekend I had a little cooking day with my friend, Christine, and her daughter, Trinity. It was fun, but the food was a disaster. I'll spare you the details, but let's just say that this kitchen is cursed.

Sounds like we won't be getting the house in South Riding. The realtor on the other side is playing games to drive up the price. Sigh. I'm just not in the mood for those games. We just want to buy a house.

I did pilates tonight for the first time in about six years. I've taken a few yoga classes since then, but this was at home. :) trust me I need the privacy to spare me the great embarrassment. :). The player is all set for the yoga tape. All I have to do is hit the play button. Wonder hoe long that will be. :)

Well, I'm off to bed. Speaking of bed...I won't utter a word.

Running on E!

2009-02-20T09:18:00.002-05:00

Wow! I cannot believe how time keeps slipping by and that I haven't been out in the blog world for a while. I haven't even been able to catch up with everyone the last week and a half.

Alex, I got the bread book last week. I hope to try it this weekend.

We put a contract out on a house in South Riding, but it is a short sale so it still needs to be approved by the bank. We'll keep looking in the interim.

The kids are well, for a change, and we are also. We've had a terrible time trying to get Miss Sydney in her bed at night. After about an hour or so, she's down (not without a serious commotion), but a while later she ends up in our bed. If she's still, no problem. Lately, she's been a kicking fool. She stirs the dog up and then she wants to go outside. Last week was an awful sleep week and this one is not nearly as bad, but close.

I'll be heading to Tampa here in a few weeks. :) I'm very excited to take this spur of the moment trip with my sister, Shenan and Sydney. Shenan's mom lives there and we will be going to the Strawberry Festival. MMMMM! I have a feeling that I will turn into a strawberry.

I hope you have a great weekend. Thinking about you all!

Jess

One, Two, Three, Four...Ninety-Nine...

2009-02-09T16:38:00.003-05:00

Yep, that was me today. I was counting circles on a tissue box and pleats in a curtain. You would think someone might do that because they are bored, but I was doing to keep from crying. I'm a very emotional person, to a fault. Today, I attended the funeral for Rachel's grandma and I was trying anything not to cry. I'd met Grandma Jeanne on several occasions and had even had brunch with her once, but I know she has moved on and is away from all that ailed her. It is thinking of Rachel that upsets me. I am easily upset when people I care about are hurt or are grieving. Also, it makes me reflect on my life.

So, my apologies to all that may have been offended today (spirits who could hear me counting in my head or anyone who caught me staring behind the Minister). I wasn't being disrespectful. I was just trying not to be a blubbering mess, for once. Rachel is not a cry baby and I didn't think it was appropriate for me to be one.

Lazy Sunday

2009-02-08T08:53:00.002-05:00

Thankfully, I don't have to go anywhere today. I had a restless sleep last night and Sydney woke up with the chickens this morning and promptly poked Nathan. Since Marc has been working since 6am, we are hanging out around the house.

We have LOADS of laundry to do today. We spent part of the day looking at houses yesterday and then being slugs. We focused on Ashburn/Leesburg yesterday and I think that I prefer this area so far. I think next week will be Manassas. We'll spend our President's Day hunting. The good news is that there are lots of houses, the bad news is that buyers are coming out of the woodwork. So, like our last purchase, we are in competition with so many others to find the right house AND at the right price. The process is already making me anxious and edgy. I love looking at houses, but we are trying to stay focused. This is the house we are hoping to stay in for quite some time.

I received word yesterday that my best friend's grandma passed away yesterday. Rachel, I'm thinking of you and your family. Love to you!

Happy Anniversary to Me!

2009-02-06T09:12:00.002-05:00

So, today is my official eight year anniversary with the firm. WOW! I can hardly believe that I've been here that long. Well, yes I can. :)

There is talk of a Vienna Inn celebration. :) I'm all for that! What is better than that?! Chili dogs and fried mushrooms, here I come! I'm so easy.

Marc will spend the afternoon today touring Leesburg for us. He's going to do a once over to weed out potential homes. We'll take a family trip out there tomorrow. Ipes! Wonder how many homes we'll actually get to see lugging two kids around. Mmm...I guess three or four. Between the snacks, potty visits and just general slowness, that should be about right. Do I feel sorry for us? Nope. I'm used to it, our poor realtor isn't. :) I hope Marc tells her to pack her patience tomorrow. Ha ha.

I hope you all have a great weekend!

BTW-yep! We've got the Scooby Doo mouthwash that turns teeth, and everything else it touches, blue. :) Yesterday, I found toothpaste UNDER the lip of the countertop. Good grief. :) At least it washes off.

"Sparklies On My Teeth, Mom!"

2009-02-04T08:40:00.003-05:00

Sydney had a visit at school yesterday from a local dentist. They talked about visiting the dentist and brushing your teeth until they "sparkle."

Sydney came home last night with her little dentist treat bag and immediately wanted to open her toothpaste and string the entire kitchen with floss. She was thrilled to share and line up pieces of floss for me and Nathan. Hmm..we've been brushing teeth for quite some time and I've never seen her so excited.

After dinner, Sydney marched upstairs and proceeded to squirt toothpaste all over her new toothbrush (and the counter, toilet paper holder and faucet) and her task began. She was scrubbing for a good five minutes until I asked her if she was going to be done any time soon. Then, I got the hand on the hip and in her "duh" voice, "I'm trying to get sparklies on my teeth, Mom!" I couldn't help but laugh at that.

I finally coaxed her to bed, but had the same issue this morning. I wanted her to hurry and finish or we would be late for school. I knew that telling her that "sparklies" wouldn't appear wouldn't do the trick and would just kill her excitement. So, I told her I thought I saw them and that she should go to school and show her friends. YAY! It worked.

So, thank you Ashburn Children's Dentistry for making brushing, a previously dull task, exciting!

Ha ha ha! Sorry!

2009-02-03T13:08:00.002-05:00

Sorry to get you guys all excited. I tried to start a post while we were out driving around in the car, but Marc thought my attention should be on the task at hand, sitting. Good grief.

Anyway, we did head out this past weekend to look at some houses. Most of them were ick, but there was one that was just amazing. I loved it. There more I thought about it and the more I think about it, I'm just nervous about moving to Bristow. I don't want to spend my life in the car. It sounds like the commute would be over an hour. Then, the Post (ironically) printed this today. Could it be a sign?

So, that leaves me with lots on the brain. How do we get all we need and all we want at the same time? Just talkin' about a house here. Ipes. This is when being a grown up sucks.

Thankfully, I have four months left to locate a home...the home. We plan on being there, wherever, for a long time. We've got to make it count.

we

2009-01-31T13:01:00.001-05:00

Friday Already?!

2009-01-30T08:13:00.003-05:00

Wow! I cannot believe it is Friday, but then again, it generally sneaks up on me. We've got a pretty big weekend planned, relatively speaking. :)

Tonight, I'm looking forward to going home, eating leftovers, picking up a bit and vegging. Tomorrow, we'll go out to look at houses for the first time. First stop, Bristow. I think there is one in Haymarket. We're thinking this location might be too far, but we're open people. :) We'll just take a look, even if it is to rule it out. Jess, we'll probably next hit Manassas or Leesburg. Marc found a neat website for searching and maybe you want to take a look. I think it is redfin.com.

After our house hunting adventure, we'll go home for a bit and the babysitter will come. I'm pretty anxious about the whole thing, mainly because Sydney tells me she does not want a babysitter. I'm thinking she'll be fine with the whole thing. I'm really looking forward to a night out with hubby sans babies. I love them to death, but it is nice to chew food at a normal pace. :) For me, that is pretty slow. :) I'm a very very slow eater. I cannot help it. I've always been that way. I'm not quite "chew every bite 100 times," but I'm close.

Sunday is the Superbowl and I cannot believe it! I typically get all excited, make food and watch. This time, I don't have any real plans. I'm thinking we're going to be sitting on the couch, which will be fine with me! :)

Okay, so I'm off to check in on you guys quickly before I have to dive in.

Have a great weekend!

Icy Day!

2009-01-28T13:18:00.002-05:00

Wow! It was quite icy out today, but we made it in. I've been crazy busy this week and I am soooo thankful! It, of course, cuts into my goof-off time so, my apologies for not visiting.

We have our first official house-hunting appointment this weekend. First task-determine our area of interest.

I had dinner last night with Sandy. We went to Sweetwater. Boy! I hadn't been in a long time and it was such a treat. I feel so guilty, but I'm sure I'll get over it.

I'm off to have some lunch, but I wanted to let you know I'm here and thinking of you all. I miss you!

"I've Gotta Jump."

2009-01-23T14:52:00.002-05:00

I've been crazy busy at work, but I had to post this quickly because I knew I would forget.

We have a client that is "too cool for school." Seriously, he pretends like he doesn't know who I am, even though we've met at least twenty times and have talked on the phone no less than fifty. We are a very small company. Anyway, that's not all, but you get the drift. He's the epitome of the poster, "You'll never be four collars popped cool." If you haven't seen it, you should Google it. I think of him every time I see it.

Okay, so I'm working on a transaction for him and he's pulling his usual garbage. Thankfully, those things don't generally bother me and, surprisingly, it doesn't happen more often. I have clients that come into our office far more affluent than he and they treat me like their best bud. Good idea! :) They are smart enough to know that people work harder for you, if you are not an ass!

Anyway, I digress. I called him for the ninth time today and he's always hurried and impatient. Listen, bud, you asked for the info. I've got it. Now, shut up and let me give you the answers. Well, he closed his phone conversation today with "Okay, I've gotta jump." Huh? Correct me if I am wrong, and I very well could be, but I believe it expression is "I've gotta bounce." Hmm..I wouldn't know. I'm just not that cool. :) Ha ha! Even funnier, I got a copy of his license and he is 56! Certainly that isn't old, but his attitude, dress and lame expressions show that he thinks he's in college.

Sorry, I'm in a hurry. Hope you get a laugh! :) I know I did!

Change is Here! :)

2009-01-21T08:39:00.002-05:00

Yesterday was the BIG day! I know you were all watching from wherever you were. I witnessed history on the floor of my bedroom. Exciting right? My eyes were glued to the tv from the time W and Obama left the White House until after the swearing in ceremony. It was awesome and how about that Yo-yo Ma! He was really getting into it. I've got to check him out.

After the swearing in, Marc and I headed to the Olive Garden for lunch and then to DSW. I was soooo tired by this point because Sydney had kicked me all the night before that we went home and I took a nap. We were supposed to watch a movie, but I just couldn't do it.

I awoke from my nap and decided to go get my hair cut. I whacked quite a bit off and now have bangs, long ones! I tried to take a picture with my phone, but alas, I'm completely uncoordinated and I just keep getting my nose! :) He he. So, sorry.

I'm back at work today, sadly. Well, not really. I do like it here. I just like being at home with the fam. :) Things have been so quiet here lately that I'm falling into a lull of sorts. I think I'm going to have to create a job for myself so that I feel like I have a purpose.

Okay, before I go a few kid things:

-Sydney has informed us that she wants to fly like Tinkerbell. She told Marc that he needed to buy her some wings so that she could fly.

-Sydney is, for some strange reason, in LOVE with Hannah Montana. She got a HM doll from Aunt Kim and she's just cracks us up with it. She runs through the house singing, "It's the best of BONE world." Ha! Ha! Ha!

-Nathan's new hobby is to poo in the bathtub. YUCK!

-Nathan also loves HM and dances whenever the songs come on.

Crap! I know there are more, but I've forgotten. AGAIN! Wow! I've got the worst memory ever.

Have a great day!

Happy MLK Day!

2009-01-19T10:50:00.002-05:00

Yay for the great holiday! I'm at work, but today is certainly a noteworthy holiday. Tomorrow is the big historic day! No matter where you stand, you have to be in awe of the moment. It will prove to be a tingle-creating, tear jerking and inspiring day. I'm just so thrilled to be a witness. Can I get a witness!? :) Sorry, I totally couldn't help myself.

So, I couldn't find my cord thingy this weekend for the camera. I must admit I wasn't looking very hard for it. I was ill (sinus infection and ear infection) and spent a lot of time lounging around. In fact, yesterday was another perfectly lazy Sunday. Nate napped a lot while Syd, Marc and I snuggled on the couch watching whatever lame shows were on. I don't even remember what they were.

I started (FINALLY!) my thank you cards. WOW! I'm so far behind. How fortunate I am to have such a problem, a lot of thank yous to write! I'm so thankful for it! Target is too! I certainly keep their notecard section turning over. :) They really do have the cutest notecards.

I'm a bit behind in something, but I'm ahead in others. Sydney and I started working on her valentines yesterday. Yay! I'm actually a bit ahead there. Of course, it will take until the day to get them all together. I'm just that slow. Seriously, how long does it take to write a note, tape a pencil to it and move to the next? Well, if it were just me, a minute or so. Since I'm letting Syd do most of the work...a really really long time. :) She loves it and I love to watch her doing it. :)

Well, I'm off to catch up with everyone. I hope you have a fabulous day tomorrow. Our office is closed and I will be glued to the tube. :)

Choppers All Clear!

2009-01-15T15:58:00.002-05:00

I went to the dentist today. I so love going. NOT! I'm happy to report healthy teeth and gums. Yay! I do have to go back in two weeks to get fitted for a nightguard. I've got a few tiny jaw issues, but that should hopefully fix it. The issues are most likely caused from too much talking. Oops. I'm also supposed to limit my gum chewing and a few other things. Boo!

Yay! Don't you love it when you the all clear from a doctor or dentist. One 2009 check up-DONE! Now that is something to smile at!

Someone Stop Me!

2009-01-14T12:12:00.003-05:00

Okay, this is getting a little ridiculous. This is my fourth? post today. Clearly I need to stay away from the coffee.

I'm all for cell phones. Love 'em! Love 'em! Love 'em! BUT...

PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE DO NOT USE THEM IN THE POTTY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Why? I just don't get it. There really cannot be anything that important. We have a group of girls on this hall that are serious potty talkers. Excuse me, but I find it strange that the person on the other end of the phone can hear me tinkle.

This is where great restraint comes in. My instinct is to start furiously flushing and bellow disgusting noises and grunts. Since I'm now 31, I'm thinking that behavior would be somewhat unbecoming. I'm still tempted! Catch me in the right mood and it just might happen.

Oh and lady on the 6th floor, why are you still wearing sandals? It is 20 degrees outside today and NO, they don't look any better with socks. If your issue is comfort, Naturalizer and Liz Claiborne make comfortable, sensible and CLOSED toe shoes. Check 'em out!

TV Wisdom

2009-01-14T08:52:00.003-05:00

Who said television cannot provoke deep thoughts? :)

This week on The Unit...

Hebrews 13:2"Don't forget to be kind to strangers for some who have done this have entertained angels without realizing it."

Now, I never said that biblical lessons aren't good! Honestly, I think many of them are good. I'd just like to throw some of it out. I won't get into all of that. This, however, is one we should keep. To me, it falls in line with the Golden Rule. I try to make a general rule to be kind to others, even when they are being royal pains. I'm not perfect and, in fact, I lose my patience quickly. Yet, I try. BTW-patience improvement is a resolution this year.

You never know who you might meet and how they will touch your life. Show kindness and give them a chance.

This week on American Idol...

"You are either born with it or not." -Randy Jackson

Now, this one really hits home. It really makes me think about myself. What in the world was I born with? I'm serious. I got very mental on this one. I know, funny given that it is American Idol.

I'm not particularly talented in any given area. I'm awkward, shy and quiet (around strangers). I'm sorta smart and I don't think I was beaten by the ugly stick. If that isn't the case, let me go on in ignorance. :) What is my "thing"? I've thought and thought, but cannot come up with one.

Ever feel like you are bursting at the seams, so ready to do something great? That is exactly how I feel. I want to make a difference. I want to be the type of person to infect others with laughter and put them at ease. I want...to be me, whatever that means.

So, what was I born with? Just a little light pondering for me on an ordinary Wednesday.

American Idol Judge-Kara DioGuardi

2009-01-14T08:40:00.002-05:00

American Idol started last night with new judge, Kara DioGuardi. When I heard the name I had NO CLUE! I had to, of course, Wiki her. I was floored when I saw this. You go, Kara!

If you watched last night, you know that Kara sang a few bars as a demo to some bikini-clad brat, who sounded like poo poo! BTW-I cannot wait to see her go. What is the deal with her making out with everyone? Odd. Anyway, Kara had a beautiful voice. I'm thinking she might help draw me back to AI on a fairly regular basis. We'll see.

Doesn't It Figure!

2009-01-14T05:58:00.002-05:00

So, my body woke itself up this morning before the alarm went off. Strange.

I was lying there with a half hour to myself wondering what to do with it. Should I go back to sleep, do yoga, finish my cards, post pictures or just get a head start? I contemplated it for a good 24 minutes. Indecision at its best! Then I decided to just go post Nate's b-day pics. Yeah! That's the ticket.

I wrap up in my robe, grab the camera off the kitchen counter and head for the basement. Brrr. It is cold down here. Then I realized that the cord thingy has not been unpacked yet. I actually don't know where it is at all. Go figure. :) No pics. Sorry.

I was going to make cute little thank yous out of a few, but I guess that won't happen now. It will cause me to be even later on cards. Oh well, generic ones will have to work this time, as they have every other time. :)

Well, have a good time doing whatever you are doing today. I'm off to start my day.

72 Hour Packs!

2009-01-13T11:49:00.002-05:00

Yay! I have a hairband. Thank you, Crista! Whew! I know you were all worried.

Okay, I've been following Jennie for a bit and I've gotten on board with her preparedness program. Specifically, the 72 hr kits. We've been saying for YEARS that we need to get one of these together and I've decided that we will do it this year.

I like to try to not think about things like tornadoes, hurricanes, ice storms and terror attacks, but the truth is that they have all happened right here. So, rather than get caught with my pants down, I think I'll pack up a few things. After all, we have our kids to think about, not just us.

So, resolve to be prepared in 2009! Prepared for what? Whatever you can stomach. For me? I'll stick with a power outage. :) Doesn't seem so bad.

Hairband, Hairband, I MISS YOU!

2009-01-13T08:26:00.003-05:00

I tell ya what! I'm a serious creature of habit and when I do something out of the ordinary, its all over.

So, I jumped in the shower this morning and scrubbed as quickly as I could. Marc told me that we'd need to scrape our windshields this morning and being formerly spoiled by parking in an EMPTY garage, it hadn't occurred to me. So, I was worried I would be late.

In my haste to get ready this morning I neglected to put a hairband on my wrist. There is ALWAYS a hairband on my wrist, except when I am in the shower and, of course, when it is in use.

I ran out of the house to find that my sweetie had scraped my car for me. Thanks again, honey. I hopped in my car and headed off to work. There was a traffic jam at one of my regular intersections, which took out any possibility of Starbucks this morning. Boo! I got to work right on time, sat down at my desk, went to put my hair up and found no hairband. :( My only hope is Rachel. She might have a spare. Isn't it funny how little things like that can make you sad? Of course, if it is just me, it didn't bother me at all. :)

Tonight is the beginning of American Idol. I love the opening shows. They are so funny. I used to watch all of the episodes, but I've gotten bored over the last three or four season and watch if I'm around. We have a DVR now so, I might catch them all. We'll see.

Speaking of DVR, WOW! See, this is why I never wanted to get it. I'm afraid I'm going to turn into a couch potato. My friends tell me that it will actually make me more active because I won't worry about missing a show. Folks, I don't worry about that. Well, okay, I guess I have to watch 'Desperate Housewives' every week. Don't ask me why! I watch almost everything on Bravo, but they repeat episodes 900 times and I eventually get caught up. I love their Saturday marathons! If only I could sit on my butt one Saturday and just watch Bravo reruns all day long and eat. WOW! THAT is like vacation to me.

Before I go, I have to suggest that you try Dove's Invigorating body wash. I LOVE LOVE LOVE this stuff. I actually use the bars. I was passing by and smelled something soooo good. I had to immediately sniff it out and buy it. This stuff smells so wonderful. I think it is lemongrass and grapefruit. YUMMY! I smell it all day. I'm hooked!

Oh and I had to give into the zits! I purchased Proactiv for the first time over the holiday. It kicked my face at first, but once I got the frequency down, I quite like it. Yay! The blackheads and gunk are going away! Hip! Hip! Hooray!

Have a Sa-Weet Tuesday!

Happy Happy Birthday, Baby!

2009-01-12T08:11:00.003-05:00

Little Natey Nate! You are one! I cannot believe it! You are the sweetest little pumpkin boy ever! You are my heaven! We love you and are so happy you picked us!

We had a little b-day party for the Natester this weekend. It was a wonderful weekend. The fam came up to celebrate and a few close friends in the area. Thank you everyone for coming to show your love for Nate! :)

I have pics to post from the party, but, of course, they will have to wait. :) I actually can get to our computer at home. I just never want to sit in front of one when I'm there. Hmm...wonder why? :)

I have to make a note of a few things:

-During the party, we noticed that Sydney and her friend, Trinity, had gotten awfully quiet upstairs. This, of course, is never a good sign. So, Marc went to check on them and found the bedroom door closed. When he opened it, he found two NAKED little girls running around the room playing "booty shots" with Syd's doctor kit. Oh my. These two girls have been together at school for the last two and half years and they are the epitome of BFFs. They hug each other furiously every Monday and talk about each other constantly. Turns out they have something new in common, they both reject clothing! :)

-This morning Syd informed me that Nathan won. Hmm? She explained that "when you are one, you are WON" and "Yay! Nathan! Good job!" Um-okay. :)

Happy Monday! Wow! Already? I've got to run to get the week started. Have a great day!

The Bright Side

2009-01-09T13:34:00.002-05:00

It is no secret that I dislike the new digs. TEMPORARY digs. So, this morning I decided that I needed to start looking on the bright side and not judge the place so harshly. Here is a BRIEF list of pros to the place:

The poo bag/garbage bin is right across the street. Very convenient.

No one can see me running around naked in the morning when I'm upstairs. Yay blinds!

The kitchen sitting area was so small we had to relocate the tv...to our room. Hmm...it was awfully nice watching Desperate on Sunday in bed.

The light in our room may be a dining room fixture (Can we say ghetto?), BUT it is very bright! :) Sure makes getting up easier.

The cabinets in the kitchen are plentiful. If I were unpacking everything, I think I'd have room for all and then some.

I like having two linen closets (one in the hall and one in my room), even if they are half shelves.

Sydney's room is much bigger than her old room so she actually has room to play in it.

The steeper stairs are giving my legs a workout. Who needs a stair stepper?!

The water gets hotter than at the old house. LOVE THAT!

The ceilings are high.

The coat closet door doesn't stick. My old one stuck.

Hmm..okay. That is about it right now. Once we get more organized, I'll be able to name a few more things. I'm sure of it!

Hope you are having a great day! Happy Friday!

Gettin' Back In

2009-01-08T08:24:00.002-05:00

I'm having a hard time, as you know, getting back into the swing of things. Especially when Sydney professes to me the other night that she dislikes her new room and wants her OLD room back. IKES! I certainly can understand that one! :)

I slept all night last night for the first time since we've moved. In fact, I slept right through my alarm or maybe I didn't set it. Thankfully, Marc took charge and sent me on my way so that I wouldn't be late. Thanks, babe! This was especially important since I ended up leaving early yesterday to take Mr. Nathan to the doctor.

Yep, double ear infections...AGAIN! Poor little guy will be just like his sister in that they both will have ear infections on their b-days. Nate is better off since his was discovered a few days before instead of the actual day. Keepin' my fingers crossed that the antibiotics work quickly. He's a pretty sad little guy right now. :(

The stovetop should be fixed today. I'm keeping my fingers crossed on that one too. After that, we should be back to "normal." It has been quite unusual this week being without a stovetop and microwave. I didn't think I used the microwave that much, but I do. It is more of a pain to reheat things, especially without a stovetop. :) Luckily I got an electric skillet for Christmas last year and it has come in handy, more than usual.

Well, I'm off to find something to eat. Again, I'm starving. I'm not sure what is going on lately, but I just want to eat eat eat. :) It is probably because I was actually fairly physical and am burning calories. :) Oh, I wish I had a few glazed doughnuts right now. MMMM!

Happy day!
Jess

A New Day

2009-01-06T08:20:00.002-05:00

So, as of 4:30pm yesterday afternoon, we are no longer homeowners. I was expecting to only sign the Hud and a Deed. I surprised we were there for a half hour and a half hour is a long time to sit at a table trying not to cry. It is only temporary. I have to keep reminding myself of that right now. We are fortunate our home sold so quickly and I need to start moving forward. There really is no sense in being so sad when really nothing sad has happened. It is just the turning of a page.

I had a fitful sleep last night. I'm still getting used to the new noises of the transition house and Nate was a bit fussy last night. Oh and Madison decided at 3am that she needed a potty break. She NEVER did that at the old house. I think she's just doing rounds for now.

The faucet in the kitchen is finally fixed, after six hours of work. What an expensive fix for the homeowner! That guy charged $875! He did an awful lot of work. I'm convinced this homeowner could care less about the property from what I've seen. Thankfully it all happened in the early days so that we won't be blamed for it.

On to happier subjects! Nathan is turning 1 on Sunday. I cannot believe it! Time really flies. I know I say that all the time. We are going to have a little b-day party for him on Saturday. Since we just moved, we will just have pizza or I might pick up sandwich trays. Please! That would be sufficient even if we hadn't just moved. :) Marc laughs that we will have plenty of seating with the boxes scattered about. What more could you ask for?

Well, I'm off to check my email. It is raining and grey here, BUT I picked up Starbucks this morning. Starbucks can remedy almost any glum mood! :)

Thank You, Agent!

2009-01-05T13:02:00.002-05:00

Thank you to the Buyer's Agent. You heard how upset I was over the prospect of me giving up the mirror my mother gave me and offered to buy a new mirror for your "a-hole" clients. That was so very sweet of you and I appreciate it more than you know. You agreed that their request was heartless and ridiculous. Thank you for going out of your way for strangers and admitting that the Buyers are jerks.

Lower Than Low-WARNING NOT A HAPPY POST!

2009-01-05T12:17:00.003-05:00

So, we moved this past week. What a job! It was extremely emotional and I wish I could say I was happy about the whole thing, but today, I'm not. That home was the home we started our family in, the home where my puppy lived out his last days and our first home together. So, I'm sad.

On top of being sad, I'm mad. I'm mad that I have to go somewhere new that isn't painted the way I want. I am ticked I have to give up my custom closets, order fixtures and plates, flower beds, compost and extra fridge. I don't care if I can recreate all of it later, I want it back! I want all of it back! To top it off, the bastards are making me bring my picture mirror back to settlement. My mother gave it to me and they don't even care! Have you no heart?! Seriously. I am a person of law and order and whatever, but I wasn't a bitch to you! I cleaned that house from top to bottom when the contract said "broom swept!" It is called common decency you piece of crap! I would be happy to replace the mirror with something comparable, but that isn't good enough, a $100 you say? NOT TODAY! Why? I've been nickeled and dimed to death over this move between the deposits and repairmen and whatever, I'm done!

All of this is supposed to work out for the greater good. Finally a chance to score a single family home for us! That is the goal and we are halfway there. Right?

I'm supposed to be happy, but I'm not. I'm sentimental and I'm not taking this move well. NOT. AT. ALL!

New Homeowners-we had a wonderful almost five years in that home. I hope it sucks for you! I hope every time you look into that mirror, you see what heartless and cruel people you are! I also hope everything in that house breaks! JERKS! Reap what you sow!

Santa 2008

2008-12-23T14:44:00.000-05:00

Happy Holidays!

Weekend Gist

2008-12-22T08:13:00.003-05:00

The White House was pretty neat, but I was a bit disappointed in the decorations. I was expecting to be knocked over, but nope. It was still quite beautiful.

We took the keys this weekend for the new rental. We've decided that we are going to paint a bit and have the carpets cleaned. Yes, these people lucked out when they rented to us. I cannot stand the massive amount of wall marks. Who knew I would turn into my mother? :) Other than that, we're going to just hang out and wait.

Jess, we will have all mail forwarded, but we should get the card. Technically, we don't leave Mtn until the 5th.

Syd and Nathan were both sick this weekend. Yuck. Syd had some yucky stomach bug. I was trapped at the house with the two of them alone sans chicken soup. I waited until I thought the puking had passed and ran quickly to the Rite Aid. So much for that. Syd ended up vomiting on the floor of Rite Aid and, before I knew it, I was scrubbing the floor of Rite Aid. What a shining moment! Poor Sydney.

We did lots more packing this weekend and wrapping! I'm almost ready. ALMOST!

Well, I'm off to make lots of calls to the utility companies. Have a great day!

Cannot Sleep

2008-12-20T03:33:00.003-05:00

It is 3:30am and I can't sleep. It could be the snoring or the kicking munchkin in my bed or the excitement of seeing the inside of the White House today, but I just cannot stay asleep.

We signed a lease today for a temporary house. Whew! That is a relief. It is nice to know that we will actually have somewhere to go. I forgot what a pain it is to rent. The first check was a whopping amount (security deposit of one month, prorated December, pet deposit and first month's rent). I'm supposed to get the keys and garage openers tomorrow. It was such a challenge to find someone that would allow us to rent for six months. We, of course, had to pay a premium for that "luxury." Reminder to self-means to an end.

My Mrs. Prindables snack apples arrived yesterday. I'm so glad. Sydney will have fun passing them to her teachers. We ordered the full size apples last year and they looked really good, but they were about the size of a giant grapefruit. These are actually normal size.

Well, I'm going to take advantage of this sleepless night and putz around on Shutterfly...a thing I never get to do.

Sleep well!

She's Makin' A List..

2008-12-19T09:36:00.002-05:00

That's right. I've got a running list of to-dos right now, as I'm sure all of you do. I find it fun in some ways. It prevents me from wandering around aimlessly right? Yep.

Well, I'm sitting on the edge of my seat to see if the last minute gifts I ordered arrive in time for Christmas. I was too cheap to expedite the shipping and I'm wondering if I'm going to regret it. In my defense, their estimate of delivery said I had time. We'll see. At this rate, I'm thinking better late than never.

I chucked the idea of Christmas cards this year. Just not enough time. I've instead opted for New Year cards. :) See, I'm doing my own thing this year. I generally do. So, thank you for all the lovely cards I've received. I am enjoying them and will send one out soon. I haven't forgotten you. :)

Then, there is the b-day invite. Yes, we've hemmed and hawed over that one long enough. I finally just decided that we would have Nate's b-day party at our house, wherever that may be, and keep it very low key. We didn't have many options. He's too young for Chuck E Cheese and, to be perfectly honest, I hate that place. I'm avoiding it like the plague. I know it won't be long before Sydney is begging me to have a party there. Although, she's now asking to have her next party at the Fun Bounce center. I think I can get on board with that. What a great idea! Take a room full of kids, throw them in a moon bounce, have them bounce until their tongues are going to fall out, let them eat and send them home. By the time they get home, if they can wait that long, they are ready for a nap. See! Perfect!

Well, I'm dying for a mocha or a latte, but there's no way to get one today. I guess I'll have to settle for a cup of coffee or a coke. I really should drink water instead. It is better for me.

Have a great day! Happy Friday!

Here Comes Santa Claus! Here Comes Santa Claus!

2008-12-18T08:49:00.002-05:00

One week to go! Feel the pressure yet? I know I do. I headed home after work yesterday and had to stop at Tarjay for some Santa wrapping paper. Yes, I know. Sydney picks up on every detail so, I figure we had to get dedicated Santa paper. So much for getting rid of all of the paper this year.

I then raced to the mall to get my new pants altered. Mom gave them to me on my b-day, which was THREE weeks ago. My how time flies. Since they are really nice pants, I didn't want to risk messing them up. Yay! I'm excited.

I picked the kids up last night and was told to take Nathan to the doctor. The new teacher suspected a problem. I'll spare you the yucky details, but let's just say, he's fine and there is nothing wrong. Thank goodness! He does have another tooth coming in. From now on, he is "Chops."

We didn't get home until nearly 8pm. Sydney ate her KFC (I'm such a good mom! NOT!) and Nathan had a bit of pasta, cheese and two bites of a soft taco. The kids went to bed shortly after Nate's bath and I ate my really cold and soggy nachos. Mmmm. Before I knew it 10pm rolled around and I jumped into bed.

Well, Marc is sick today. Sorry. :(

Tonight, I've got another apt with our realtor to find a place to live. I'm starting to get a little stressed now. Turns out the lovely house I wanted will only take a year lease, which wasn't the plan. So, we're back to the drawing board. Wish me luck.

Almost A Year!

2008-12-17T14:21:00.003-05:00

So, Nathan will be turning a year old in less than a month. I cannot believe it. I had to jot down a few things before I'm feeble:

1. Nathan has five teeth and one on the way.

2. Nathan is now fully walking and tries to run every now and then. As long as there is nothing in his way, he's fine.

3. I heard him say "bye" yesterday for the first time and he tried to say okay today, but it sounded like "oh ka."

4. He loves to play hide and seek, especially with my curtains.

5. He grunts loudly when he wants to get down from the table.

6. He loves to snuggle and has the sweetest chubby cheeks.

7. He cannot stand it when his daddy leaves the room.

8. He still loves to headbutt as a sign of affection.

9. He knows when he's about to do something you won't like (i.e. go for an outlet). He gets grins, takes a step or two and turns around to make sure you are watching.

10. He likes to growl like a bear.

11. He ADORES his sister, even when she's obviously hurting him.

12. He's got a fierce temper. Wanna see? Just take something away he wants.

13. He loves to take a bath.

14. He HATES putting on his coat.

15. He's stolen the hearts of all the girls and teachers at school.

My little squishy boy. I love you so much!

Happy Happy Day!

2008-12-17T08:52:00.002-05:00

Wow! It is one week before Christmas Eve. How are things coming along on your end?

Marc and I sat down last night and wrapped gifts while watching NCIS. It was such a nice evening. We put a pretty good dent in the wrapping. We are very slow wrappers. So, I decided to use up all of the wrapping paper I had. To not use it would be very wasteful. I wondered what I was thinking when I bought some of this paper. I found a few rolls at the bottom of the tub that are just...well..ugly. I'm sure I thought it was okay at the time and I am sure it was on sale. Most likely it was the paper left after Christmas has come and gone. That was typically when I would buy my paper. I'm sure I had grand plans of dolling it up with ribbons and bows, but five years passed and I wouldn't have time for such things. :)

Sydney had a ball last night looking at all of my potions and elixirs (translation: crap under the sink). I started packing all of my unnecessary items last night and was amazed it took TWO boxes to hold all of that junk. I couldn't help but remember the days when I used to sit at my makeup table and do hair, nails, makeup and kissy faces. Stop laughing! You know you did it too. Now, I don't have time for that stuff. I have other priorities like reading stories, tickling and snuggling. Yes, I look worse, but I feel better. Funny how that works, isn't it?

Well, I'm off to get busy. Have a great day!

Nothing to Report

2008-12-16T16:08:00.002-05:00

I'm really starting to get overwhelmed with the stuff going on. I will probably be fairly absent over the next few weeks.

I do have to mention:

We pulled out our nativity scene a bit ago. My grandmother bought it for me several years ago and that is why I love it. Sydney started pulling out each figure and asked me to identify each one. I would and then, she would repeat the names after me. The conversation ended like this:

Who is this, mommy?

Baby Jesus.

Baby Cheeses?

Yes, that's it. Baby Cheeses. *Laugh*

We went to a party this past weekend. The hostess was telling me that her son believes a nice couple down the street is Mary and Joseph coming to visit for Christmas, mainly because of their attire and the fact that they do a lot of walking in the winter. She said she didn't have the heart to explain it because he gets so excited whenever they pass by their house. During the same conversation, of course, I had to share my "Baby Cheeses" story (while eating, don't kill me, cheesecake). Sydney was within earshot and heard me talking about it.

Baby Cheeses?

Yes, Baby Cheeses lives nearby and... he made this cheesecake.

Really?

Yep. In fact, his mom and dad helped him. They live close by too. Neat huh?

*Affirmative Nod*

I know it. Don't say it. Just take it for what it is and NOTHING more. I'm just a very sarcastic person.

Whirlwind Weekend

2008-12-14T18:51:00.000-05:00

This weekend has gone by in a blink. I cannot decide yet if it was productive.

Friday night-ate pork chops, tucked the kids in, watched part of a movie and got up a few times bc Nate did.

Saturday-got up with Syd, did the shower and dance, hit McD's for a quick breakfast, made a return at Bestbuy, dropped off a towel donation at the vet's office, hit Tarjay with Syd, stopped by Costco, ran to Safeway, had lunch at home, tried to get the kids to nap, started packing, hit Rack Room shoes and Nordstrom, got dressed, went to a holiday party for work with the fam, came home tucked in the beds, finished the movie from the night before, picked a few movies for the BB list, doened some Pepto (stomach was killing meY and hit the hay.

Today-got up, had breakfastN continued packing, shower and dance, hit the mall with the kids dolled up to find a three hour wait for Santa (not today), tried to go to the tailor and finish shopping, but Syd had a meltdown so we left, ate cheesy brats at home for lunch, Marc tried to get the kids to take a nap while I continued packing, I left to look at some rental properties, put away some clothes, fed Nate, ordered pizza, gave Nate a bath, rocked Nate while he had his night bottle and...here I am. Whew!

We will hopefully get the laundry finished, some more packing done and school bags loaded before bed. Keep your fingers crossed.

Nighty-night!

SURPRISE!

2008-12-12T14:51:00.002-05:00

How cute is it that Shenan and Ashley showed up today, completely unexpected, to take me to lunch?! It was a thank you for decorating last weekend. What a sweet way to thank me! It was so much fun. I hated going back to work. :( Bummer. I'd rather play with them for the rest of the day!

Oh and how could I forget to mention the fudge? My sister made peanut butter fudge for me! My mom also sent a cute Santa Baby t-shirt and socks for me and little surprises for the kids. We are so easy to dress! :)

Happy Friday indeed!

Happy Friday!

2008-12-12T08:14:00.002-05:00

Wow! This week just blew right by me. I suspect the weekend will do the same.

It appears as though it will be a somewhat busy day at work today, which is great. I'll take it! Tomorrow is the firm get together and we may take the babes to see Santa. Otherwise, it will be grocery shopping, Christmas shopping, Costco lugging and packing! :) The best part, we'll do it together. Marc doesn't have to work this weekend and I am so glad about it! Hmmm...it might be time to throw in the Bull Run lights. That was a lot of fun last year. I have no doubt we'll come up with something.

Looks like there will be no snow here today. Boo! I guess it is actually for the best, but I am anxious to see some pretty white trees and I don't want it when we are trying to move. That would not be fun.

Every morning this week I've listened to the traffic report while brushing my teeth and I've heard the same advertisement for Rolex. Around the holidays, I am used to hearing such commercials but this one really stands out. I almost find it distasteful of Rolex to advertise like that in this market. Am I just being a hater? I suppose I am. I just keep hearing about pay cuts, job loss, foreclosures, loss of retirement funds, etc. Random thought, I guess.

Well, I'm off. I hope you guys have a stupendous weekend! That's right! STUPENDOUS! I love that word. I need to use it more often. :)

All I Know Is I Am On My Way!

2008-12-11T13:33:00.005-05:00

Where am I goin'?

I don't know

Where am I headin'?

I ain't certain

All I know Is I am on my way

That's right! We're moving. We put our house up again just a few short weeks before Thanksgiving and within two weeks, we got an offer. We were floored. We've waited all this time to tell anyone because we just assumed it would fall out, but the inspections and appraisals have been completed and all went well. So, now, we're thinking we are actually going to move.

Given that we were caught off guard a bit and surprised by a clean appraisal, we haven't had the opportunity to look at new homes. Also, given the condition of the market, it takes forever to close a loan and we've less than a month to find and close on a new home. So, we're going to take the slow poke fashion and rent for a bit until we can find our next home. I hadn't even looked at those! I'm doing that tonight.

Our closing date is January 5th and it is bittersweet. Right now, mostly bitter for me. I'm sad about leaving this house. This was our first purchase together, where we had our babies and where my puppy and birds died. :( I'm not looking forward to a rental, no matter how brief of a stay. There is just something wonderful about having your own home.

On the upside, since the market has completely bottomed out, we are hoping to get into a single family home! Since the prices have plummeted, we think we can actually get one. Of course, that cuts both ways!

So, I'm painting my wagon, wondering where our next home will be and trying to smile through the change I hate! :) Yes, I hate change, even when it is good.

Photo credit: cathiefilian.blogspot.com/2008/08/moving.html

BIG NEWS!

2008-12-10T15:41:00.003-05:00

Marc and I have big news. What could it be? I thought it would be fun to let you guess before I told you. So, what do you think?

Photo obtained from: http://weblogs.newsday.com/sports/watchdog/blog/question-mark.jpg

Cars, Buses and Trains!

2008-12-10T12:43:00.002-05:00

Well, I've been out of the serious commuting scene for a little over nine years. This morning I had the pleasure of commuting to DC from Sterling. Woo hoo! What a trip!

I hit the park and ride at 7:30am this morning to find that the main parking lot was full. Huh? Guess that is late for commuters. So, I parked at off site parking and walked three blocks where I caught the bus. Since I only had a Smartrip card, but no $ on it, I had to pay cash. One wet dollar bill wouldn't go into the machine and the line behind me seethed. Oops. Sorry.

Once on the bus, I was somewhat relieved. That was the hardest part of the trip. I got the metro station, played around with the fare machine for a while and took the first train to Metro Center, but not before having to evacuate a train because the doors would not close. Oh the memories. I hopped onto a redline train and made it to Union Station. I thought it would be much bigger since Amtrak runs there, but it was quite small. I exited the station and proceeded to walk three to four blocks to my destination where I went through security, waited in line and visited two windows before I completed my objective. It was a lot easier than I expected it to be, even if it was very time consuming. The round trip of the above took FOUR hours! WOW! I've decided that my days of commuting to DC should continue to be few and far between. I will visit for fun anytime though.

A Charlie Brown Christmas!

2008-12-09T08:26:00.004-05:00

All day yesterday I looked forward to going home for a new reason: watching tv with the family. Generally, Marc and I watch tv in the evening or rent a movie, but for the most part, Sydney doesn't watch a lot of tv. In fact, during the week, the tv is rarely on in the afternoon. Sometimes on the weekend she'll watch a cartoon here and there. We've never really encouraged sitting in front of the tv, but during the week there just isn't a lot of time for tv watching. When the weather is good, Sydney goes to the playground with Dad and I cook dinner. Now that the weather is yucky and cold, she just goofs around until dinner (puzzles, coloring or beating on her brother). Then, it is bath, stories and bed.

Last night was practically the same as any other night except Sydney got to stay up late AND watch 'A Charlie Brown Christmas.' It was so much fun. We popped popcorn and snuggled in front of the fireplace. We (Sydney and I) tried to stay awake for the second Charlie Brown special, but we couldn't do it. So, we headed to bed and Marc was left to snuggle with Madison. :)

Tonight is Family Story Night at the library. I'm going to take Sydney. I hope she'll enjoy it. Next time, it will be Daddy's turn. Boo! I live for this stuff. :) Daddy is the best at playing rough and goofing around. Mommy is the best at stories, "cooking class," and crafts (OH THE HORROR!). We're equally good at hugs, kisses and snuggling. Boy! These kids sure are lucky to have us and we are so very lucky to have them.

Wonderful Weekend!

2008-12-08T08:22:00.003-05:00

Thankfully I was able to decompress at work on Friday and when I picked the kids up on Friday, all was well! :)

I left work on Friday feeling pretty excited for two reasons: 1) we had the potential for a new client (big one!); and 2) I was up to something sneaky! :) Being sneaky, in a good way, is always very exciting.

Earlier in the week, I'd gotten an email from my sister. She was very overwhelmed with work and life in general. She's worked SO MUCH lately, weekends included, that she is just worn out. She mentioned in her email that she wasn't sure when they would get to decorate for Christmas and THAT is when I knew I had to step in. She and Shenan were scheduled to be out of town this past weekend for a side job and I called Mom to recruit her for the job and to make sure she had a key. Friday night, Sydney and I headed to the 'Burg for a short 22 hrs to play Santa's elves.

I met Mom and Tom at Longhorn for dinner. It was nearly 8pm and I was a bit nervous about Sydney, especially given the morning's event. She was wonderful. The food was way late being delivered and she was an absolute doll. It was a nice dinner and then we headed over to scope out Ashley's house. When we confirmed that no one was home, we headed inside. I needed Tom to help me bring the tree out of the attic. He brought the tree and a few big tubs down and we were ready for Saturday morning. We locked up and headed home for sleep as it was 9:45pm. Sydney certainly made up for herself this past weekend. She was extremely excited at the thought of decorating for Christmas. :)

The next morning, we got up, showered and headed over to get started. Not before we stopped at Starbucks! We got the tree up and had it positioned right where we wanted it and opened the tubs to look for ornaments, but there weren't any. The boxes had Christmas stuff, but evidently not all of it. I had to venture into the attic to see what else I could find. First, the attic is unfinished and I had to balance on the beams to get to the storage area. If you know me, you know that I am NOT graceful and I was just waiting to fall through the floor of their garage onto a Harley. That would not be a good surprise. I also do not think I ever want to go into that attic again. :) Scary! Next time I may not be so lucky.

After a few moments, I located a few giant tubs with more Christmas stuff and then I wondered how in the world I would get them down. Ashley and Shenan are STRONG STRONG and how they managed to get these enormous tubs up there is beyond me. I think one of the tubs weighed almost 200lbs. I'm not joking. So, Mom grabbed a garbage bag and I filled it up and passed it down. So it went for a very long time. :) Pretty soon, the house was decked and it was nearly 3pm. We were all hungry and we headed out for food and glue. Yep, something got broken and I had to fix it. I won't say what or by whom. :) She'll never know. Thankfully, it was something very small. Okay, I give. Sydney pulled the bear off an ornament. She didn't mean to do it. She is just rough with things. Thankfully that was the only casualty.

We hit Michael's after lunch and got stuff to make a wreath and a sign. We headed back to the house and worked furiously because I needed to get home. We cleaned everything up and put all of the empty boxes back into the attic. When we walked out my car was covered in wet snow. Uh-oh! The radio confirmed that it was just wet. So, I dropped Mom off and headed home. Sydney was passed out in the back seat. She was so tired from decorating that she didn't even budge when Mom kissed her goodbye. It was so sweet.

Yesterday, we had a fairly lazy day. We hung around the house until about noon and then headed out for a bit. The kids got haircuts, Nathan's first, and we walked around the mall for a bit. We did some chores and I spent the afternoon cooking or assembling. No serious cooking involved, unfortunately. It was complete bliss. This was one of the best weekends.

Just after 8pm, the phone rang. It was Ashley calling to say how excited and happy she was about her decorations. She sounded as if she was going to cry. I just loved it! I'm sooo happy she liked it. I went to bed last night feeling so good. This year will probably be one of the leanest Christmases we've had in years and so far, it feels more like Christmas than years past. This year, I'm actually happy about the holiday and a lot less stressed. There is nothing cooler than decorating a tree with your kid or surprising family with unexpected Christmas cheer. :) So, despite the fact my husband has called me Grinch at least three times this weekend, I know it isn't true. I'm just cautious, honey! :)

Happy Monday!

I'm THAT Mom!

2008-12-05T09:54:00.004-05:00

We had quite a show at school this morning and when it was all over, Sydney and I were both in tears.

So, we pulled up to the school and I got Nathan out, unbuckled Sydney and told her I would be over to open the door for her. I walked around the car, holding Nathan close (it was 32 degrees and very windy) and Sydney refused to get out of the car. She protested because she wanted to put on her gloves. So, I waited while she struggled to put her gloves on. Then, she decided she had to put her hat on, but to do that, she took off her gloves. She pulled on the hat and then proceeded to put her gloves back on, but she struggled again. This time, she dropped them and refused help. I was about to lose my mind because I was cold, Nathan was cold and the clock was ticking. I tried again to help her, but she just got mad. Then her hat started sliding off and that made her mad. Finally, I just picked her up and took her out of the car. All of this while holding her brother, who is no lightweight. She then proceeded to throw the biggest temper tantrum on the sidewalk. She sat down and refused to get up. Meanwhile, parents are passing me by and I just want to melt into the floor. One parent was nice enough to hold the door so I could pick her up, one-handed, and carry the two of them in.

We couldn't just end it there. She literally screamed so loudly the teachers came into the hall to see, I'm sure, if she'd been hurt. Nathan's teacher took him from my arms and I tried desperately to explain to Sydney why I had to get her inside. She just cried and gave me the look. She then decided to lay down on the floor. Not knowing what to do, I just picked her up and passed her to her teacher. I apologized. I hate leaving like that.

I went into Nathan's room to drop off his stuff. I passed right by him and the tears just started to roll. I just tried to escape the school without being seen, but fat chance.

I got to work today, which was no small feat with the accidents on Rt 7 and me getting lost in Reston. I'm still not sure how I ended up where I did. I'm just glad I wasn't late after all of that. All had pretty much settled after an hour of work. Then, I got an email from the Principal.

Thankfully, it was to tell me that Sydney was doing much better and that she was having fun in Stretch-n-Grow. She also attached a picture of Nathan in a Santa hat (see above). "I thought you could use the extra smile today." She said. How nice. The only problem, she wasn't even there when this whole thing happened. So, now it is confirmed. Today, I am THAT mom with THAT kid and we were the talk. Sigh.

Happy Holidays!

2008-12-04T08:28:00.002-05:00

So, I, like many, have had a hard time getting into the Christmas spirit this year. I've been drinking hot chocolate, which helps A LOT! :) So, we started decorating last night. Sydney was so excited, which really got me excited. Kids can be so cute. She would have stayed up all night, but we sent her to bed at 9pm.

We've decorated the mantle, hung wreaths and gussied up a baby tree. Marc plans to put lights up outside, I believe. Did I seriously just type "gussied"? Yes, I did. Oh wow! Hmm. Anyway, we may purchase a live tree this year, but we'll see. I should know for sure in a day or so.

My new knife case arrived last night. Thank you, Rachel! I was just putting the knives in the case and the blade of one just barely touched my thumb and it started to bleed. These knives are so sharp. I couldn't believe it. I adore these knives, but I can see I am going to have to be VERY respectful and cautious.

I almost always drink the cold Starbucks Fraps. I buy them at Costco and allow myself one per day. Well, it is finally cold enough that I had to pull out the coffee maker. That is one perk of colder weather, I guess. It certainly isn't as convenient, but it does taste good. Especially now that I put cinnamon over the coffee grounds before it brews. My mother-in-law taught me that and I think it is so yummy. You should try it. I bet nutmeg would be good also.

Tonight, I think we'll put together the gingerbread train. :) Sydney will like that!

What's Up With...

2008-12-03T12:46:00.003-05:00

That silly commercial with the falling shoes? It is actually a car commercial, but I just cannot get over it. First, why would I want the sky to rain shoes (unless it was J. Choo or the like). I know. I am not girly enough to appreciate that thought. Second, if it were to happen, how could I make sure they match or that they are even in my size before I toss them into the trunk? Huh? How could I? Finally, if you wanted to promote the size of a trunk, I wouldn't go with shoes. They are not that big, unless you are *Person*. Please! Enough with the dumb commercials. There is imagination and complete stupidity. This is complete stupidity. Marketing annoyance or stupidity is great only if I remember your product and I don't. So, it didn't work.

I also caught an annoying commercial last night for some asthma medicine last night where the woman is a silhouette only and you cannot see her face clearly. That is irritating. It made me breathless trying to figure out who in the world it was. Was that the idea?

What commercials annoy you?

That's Not A Knife!

2008-12-02T08:34:00.005-05:00

THIS IS A KNIFE!

AND THIS!

I only asked for one for my birthday and I wound up with SIX awesome kick butt knives from GLOBAL. They are wonderful! I KNOW they will improve my cooking skills. :) Ha ha! I sound like *PERSON* trying to improve his golf game by buying better clubs. Nonetheless, I am totally excited!

Yes, I was completely spoiled for my birthday this year, as always. From knives to clothes to money and lots of b-day wishes, it was grand! Thank you! Thank you!

Well, I did it again. I ditzed out this morning. I ran out of the house this morning wearing my Turbie Twist. Seriously. I wonder how I even make it through the day sometimes. When I realized that my hair was still so wet, I had no choice, but to attempt to dry my hair with the vents in my car. Surprisingly, it worked rather well. Of course, "style dry" isn't an option on the dash so, I had to go with the "windblown 80's reject" setting. Hey! My hair was nearly dry and I won't get sick. I actually think that is a myth anyway. Traffic was horrific this morning and I'm sure I provided some entertainment to my fellow commuters. You know, whatever I can do. :)

I got an email this morning about our firm in-house holiday party/happy hour. We'll have it here in the office and it will be just employees. I like getting dressed up for our holiday party each year, but I'm looking forward to the quiet low-key gathering. It is more my style anyway. Large crowds really make me anxious and cross. I don't know what it is, but I have to have my personal space or I will go nuts. This concerns me about the inauguration. If we do actually manage to get tickets, I wonder if I will be hyperventilating the whole time. :)

Oh! Oh! I am on the list to see the White House decorations this year. That is way exciting, isn't it? :) Shenan's Uncle Betty has the hookup. Uncle Betty? Yeah, I know. Strange. I'm so looking forward to it. It will be magical. :) Don't laugh at me! It is very cool.

Well, I have to check in with everyone since I've been off the blog for a bit.

Have a great day!

Whew! The Sun Came Up!

2008-11-29T11:09:00.002-05:00

Last night stunk. Nate slept very little and when you are in the moment, it always feels like it will never end.

Nathan is now happily destroying the basement with all of his toys and you would never know he slept so little. That is certainly not true for me. I'm still in my pjs, haven't brushed my hair and I cannot stop yawning. Good thing for all interested parties that I brushed my teeth. :)

Grandma got Syd ready this morning. She's all dolled up in an early Christmas present. She looks so grown up and she is staring at herself in the basement mirror. She is quite impressed with herself. :)

Now, Syd says it is time to play with the Wiggle stickers. It is a plan! :)

Hope you are having a sunshiny day!

Whew! The Sun Came Up!

2008-11-29T11:09:00.001-05:00

Last night stunk. Nate slept very little and when you are in the moment, it always feels like it will never end.

Nathan is now happily destroying the basement with all of his toys and you would never know he slept so little. That is certainly not true for me. I'm still in my pjs, haven't brushed my hair and I cannot stop yawning. Good thing for all interested parties that I brushed my teeth. :)

Grandma got Syd ready this morning. She's all dolled up in an early Christmas present. She looks so grown up and she is staring at herself in the basement mirror. She is quit impressed with herself. :)

Now, Syd says it is time to play with the Wiggle stickers. It is a plan! :)

Hope you are having a sunshiny day!

Worst Mother Ever!

2008-11-29T01:00:00.000-05:00

I'm the perfect mother when my kids are happy and well. I cringe and crumble at a cry that lasts more than a minute and am impatient when I'm woken from my sleep. Tonight was no exception.

Not even three hours ago I was gushing about how fortunate I am, how good my kids were today and how I need to remember my fortune. All of that sorta went out of the window tonight when Nathan woke up with gas pains. I couldn't will the patience with that. He screamed for 45 minutes before my mom took him. Now, I think he may be asleep,but not because of me.

I hate that I get frustrated so easily and that sense escapes my body at the drop of a hat. My kids will not grow up to look to me for comfort, but will look for it with their father or almost anyone else. I fear that they will think I don't love them, but that is certainly not the case.

Thankful Indeed

2008-11-28T22:51:00.000-05:00

Moments just like this one make me appreciate all I have in this world. I'm fortunate enough to have many things, but nothing means more to me than my family.

Tonight, I am snuggled in bed with my pup listening to the blissful quiet of mom and Tom's house. I miss my husband who went home because he had to work today, but he shall return tomorrow with big hugs. I'm thinking about the great day I had with my mom and the babes. They were so good today. I had a great dinner with mom and Tom at one of my favorite restaurants. I could eat homemade pie, but I'm so full from dinner that it wouldn't be safe. :)

I'm reminded, yet again, that I am blessed with so much and tonight, I'm humbled and appreciative because I do not deserve this life anymore than a neighbor. I had to take a moment to capture this moment so that when I am acting bratty or entitled, as we all do at times, I can be reminded of this wonderful day and this feeling of content.

Nighty night!

Wish I Could Be There!

2008-11-24T15:32:00.002-05:00

Today is Sydney's first trip to the dentist. It is also Rachael D's b-day so, happy birthday to you!

It sounds silly, I know, but I really wish I could be there for Sydney's first visit to the dentist. Instead, I'm at work. Some might think it is no big deal, but it is a missed first and I'm sentimental. I wonder how she'll behave. Will she be scared or think it is no big deal?

Speaking of teeth, sorta, Nathan has ANOTHER tooth coming in. This is number five, I believe. He is just a tooth factory. :) Poor little guy. I know this one is bothering him a bit.

So, turkey day is right around the corner. Are you ready? My mom's got it covered so, I just have to show up. :) That is the best. It is always sooo good. I'm looking forward to turkey sandwiches. I cannot wait!

Well, we've got lots going on right now and I'll have to fill you in later, but for now, I've got to run. I hope you have a great day!