All that's RIGHT, or not!

Happy Halloween!

2009-11-01T04:26:00.004-08:00

What good is it to have Halloween on a Saturday if the town only let's you trick or treat from 6 to 8. Poor kids got rained on while we trick or treated too. I wasn't sad not to have all that candy but the kids were a little bummed.

Here are some pictures from Halloween....

The Joker

A Green M & M

A Pirate (trying to look mean lol)

Before we left

When we got home soaked!

The hubby and I dressed up for a party this year

I hope you all had a wonderful Halloween!

I am a Bad Keeper Upper!

2009-10-27T04:04:00.004-07:00

OK OK OK!

I know I do a bad job of keeping up on this blog. I AM still here though. The fall always seems to be the busiest time of year. I finally started clinical this semester. I am loving it! Although I was completely unaware of what huge commitment this would be. I had heard other students say it but until this semester I just had no idea. Thankfully I am not working and have the time to focus on school. It is a lot of fun and I'm glad I finally did it.

My kids....My beautiful little babies! Oh wait they are so NOT babies anymore. Our turtle started kindergarten this year. and she loves it. I had to put her in an after care program because of my school schedule, and I hated doing that, but she enjoys going. Some of her friends are there because their parents work, so she has fun. I don't like though, I was able to pick the boys up from their half day, and I am sad I cannot do it for her. But worse things could happen so I will move on.

The monkey has entered middle school this year! That one is even harder for me to believe than the kindergarten thing. He is on the bus at 7:30 am, switches classes, and wants to go to school dances on Friday nights. I'm so not ready for him to grow up ANYMORE!! He has struggled with the course load a little. He is smart but not a fan of putting in tons of effort, things are requiring a little more work in middle school, and he is determined to learn things the hard way. We all know that story, lol. He did make the swim team this year which is very exciting for him. Practices start tomorrow and he can't wait. Let's hope his grades don't ruin his season, lol.

The bear is playing football again. He enjoys it, and I love watching him. He is doing well in school too. This year they opened a new school in town and moved all the kids around. My kids now go to a different elementary school. This is the turtle's first year so she doesn't know anything different, but the bear had to switch schools, and I was a little nervous about how it would go. Lucky for us the whole school is BRAND new and half of his football team is in his class, so he LOVES it! He seems to be a typical middle child at home these days, and it's making me crazy!!! Always trying to antagonize with his older brother and boss his younger sister around. I hope this is a phase and he grows out of it soon.

Her are some pictures from the fall so far.....look for Halloween pictures soon!

First day of school

Monkey reading to his sister

Football

Turtle working hard on her homework

I hope you all have a wonderful Halloween!!

Happy Birthday to....

2009-08-02T06:14:00.006-07:00

ME!

My birthday was this past week and the kids and I decided we would go to Philadelphia to celebrate. They were bummed their Dad was away and wouldn't be coming so we decided to wait till Saturday to go. It turned out to be a wonderful day! We went to the Philadelphia Zoo and then for those "Famous Philly Cheese Steaks"

Unfortunately this would be our only picture of any elephants. The zoo had sent all of their elephants to live at other places because they did not have the proper space for them any longer. Elephants happen to be my favorite animal so I was sad not to see any.

The kids all enjoyed climbing on the statues.

GIRAFFES

More Statues!

My turtle talking to a sea turtle

All bear wanted to see was the cats! Lions, Tigers, Cheetahs, Leopards. He was fascinated with them all.

Then we did the touristy thing and went to Pat's AND Geno's to get our Cheese Steaks. We ordered a couple from each place and tried them all to see whose was best. The kids thought they were DELICIOUS!! We were all so stuffed we could barely walk to the car.

And The Winner Was.....Pat's! We were 'almost' positive! LOL
Either way it was a fun day. I love to take day trips like this one with the kids. It made for a wonderful birthday celebration. I hope ten years from now I can still convince them to spend a day like this me.

Thank You guys for a day filled with wonderful memories!

Another Wonderful Fourth of July!

2009-07-24T15:16:00.004-07:00

Fourth of July

Well my mother and Vinny have pulled off another successful July 4th party! Great food, Great company, lots of fun! We always look forward to their party, as does everyone else. Their hard work is not for nothing. I hope you all enjoyed your holiday weekend also.

Here are some pictures....

Recital, Recital, Recital!

2009-06-02T03:57:00.003-07:00

Another dance recital.....

Yes, it is that time of year again! My little turtle has had her second dance recital.

This year I was much more knowledgeable in the ways of dance recitals. I learned that dress rehearsal night is the best night of the show (for the girls at least), and they do not watch too closely for who has their camera that evening. It is also the only night the girls get to watch the show. For the little ones this is especially fun! We stayed all night, and saw ALL the acts. She had a blast!

I also learned that she really has no idea if we are in the audience or not. So there was no second mortgage for tickets this year!! The show is almost 2 hours, but her act itself is all of a minute long, LOL! Regardless it was unbelievably cute, and she enjoyed her minute on stage!!

I snuck this video from my camera the night of the rehearsal. You can barely make out the girls, it was dark and my camera is not great but it is still fun to watch. You will notice all the girls looking to one side or the other. There is older girls on the sides of the stage leading the routine to help them remember. It is honestly hysterical to watch!

Turtle is in the middle of my view.

Enjoy!

Major Milestone

2009-05-30T03:56:00.004-07:00

Good-Bye Good Shepard Christian Nursery School....

For 6 years I have brought all of my children to Good Shepard Christian Nursery School. It is a wonderful school, with wonderful teachers. We have had many good times there, been to the pumpkin patch, the farm, the zoo, The Land of Make Believe (6times!!), Halloween parties, holiday parties, and now 3 graduations.

Last Friday night my little turtle officially graduated from preschool. Not only is this a major milestone for her, moving up into kindergarten, but for us as well. We no longer have any children in preschool. It is a bitter sweet moment. I cannot believe they are all so big. That 6 years has passed by. That my 'BABY' is off to kindergarten. I guess I will enjoy this summer and blog about that on the first day of school, lol.

The graduation cap didn't fit her little head at all! LOL

Saying the Pledge of Allegiance

Diploma in hand

Thank you Good Shepard Christian Nursery School! We had a wonderful 6 years.

Who is teaching who?

2009-05-27T06:59:00.003-07:00

I believe you may always make this face to the world...

I learn every day about life from you. About how to be a better parent from you. How to work with THAT attitude and make you open to learning from the world. I learn how to have more patience, how to try harder even when I have no idea what to do. I learn what love is more from you than any other person I have ever known.

From YOU I learn how this picture can be the most beautiful one I take all year.

Thank you monkey for all you have taught me about being a mom. I love you!!

MAY 18th 2009

2009-05-27T03:45:00.006-07:00

Bendaroo art on your wall LOL

Happy Birthday Bear!!

I remember the day you were born more clearly then you will realize till you have your own kids. It was 8:27 at night, you were 7lbs 1 1/2 oz, and 20 inches long. You were terribly cute, and terribly cranky!! I believe you cried for a good 8 months. Today I tease you about it all the time, but that first year it did not seem funny at all. You grew to be the sweetest little thing I could have ever imagined. Your charm has captured me a thousand times over.

I remember clearly one day we were walking in the grocery store, you were about 3 years old, and I said

"Eric, I like to be your mom.", and without skipping a beat you said "I like to be your son.".

It was the cutest thing I've ever heard. Today at EIGHT years old you still say the same thing to me.

For your eighth birthday this year you had a few friends sleep over, and we had some family over for dinner. You guys ran around outside, played with Nerf guns, bounced on the trampoline, played video games, and watched movies. It was a fun night. You had a lacrosse tournament the next day, so I packed up a few of your friends and took them with us. We didn't get home till 8 that night. It was the longest birthday party EVER!! Here are a few pictures from the weekend.

Blowing out the candles with your brother trying to mess with you

Your new bike

Aunt Lisa bought you a skate board YOU LOVE!

Lacrosse tournament

I hope you had a wonderful birthday bear.... I LOVE to be your mom!!

HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY!!!

2009-05-10T14:29:00.006-07:00

I hope you all had a wonderful Mother's Day!

I LOVE to have pictures of my children!! Especially when they are all together!! Every chance I get I make them all stand together and smile. It is never as easy as it seems. I end up with ten to twenty different photos, some with funny faces, some with tears, half looking in the wrong direction, and the other half blinking. I used to dread it, but over the years I have learned to love it. It is never easy, but the end result is wonderful. I now have years of these groups of pictures. This year I will share the some of Mother's Day ones.

Enjoy!!!

I have about ten more but it would be overkill. LOL!

I love those those kids!! More than they will ever know!

Alive and Well

2009-04-22T03:52:00.004-07:00

OK So I am really here still....

I have sat here a million times and thought "Ok today I will update my blog". Some how it just never happens for me. But today I'm not letting anything stop me!!

Last year ended well for us. The holidays were fun. Santa brought the kids a Wii and Rock Band and we had a blast with it all!! I enjoy the games that everyone can play together. Rock Band has definitely made a huge hit! Daddy loves it, Aunt Lisa comes and plays, even our little Turtle has found a way to get in on the fun!

Our Easter was nice also. The bunny was up till all hours of the night planning an egg hunt all over the house. This year the hunt was more than just eggs everywhere, there were clues for each child leading them around the house from one spot to the next, with a little present at the end. I am not positive the kids thought it was as fun as the Easter bunny had thought they might, lol. They did have a lot of fun though, it just went too quickly. Maybe next year the bunny will use more eggs.

Our little turtle is as busy as can be these days! She is doing gymnastics, and loves it! She also is still in dance, with the 'million dollar' recital coming up soon, and she has decided to play T-ball this season. So Cute!!! No matter what she has going on you can never keep that girl busy enough. She will finally start kindergarten in the fall, thankfully. It is only half day, but it will keep her busier than the 3 day a week pre-school does. Hopefully she will make some friends she could play with too. We have tons of kids around here, and they always end up at our house. But they are mostly boys, and all older. I would love for her to meet a few girl friends she could play with.

Bear is playing Lacrosse again this year and is doing GREAT!! He started of the season wanting to play something else but his options were limited and he seemed to 'settle' on Lacrosse. For those of you who don't know Lacrosse is BIG in my house! My husband can't possibly get enough. He played when he was younger, and has coached a Lacrosse team here in town for a few years now. We always worry they may pick that sport out of pressure, but he is having a lot of fun and playing great! I won't ask for more than that. He has a birthday coming up, and I just can't believe he will be EIGHT! Although I think he may be under the impression he is turning 18! He is definitely a little big for his britches, but I believe his mother may have been like that at one time also. Lol

Speaking of birthdays, the monkey just turned TEN last week! 10! It doesn't seem possible to me that he could be ten years old. In honor of the occasion he had 4 friends sleep over. Including him and his brother we had a total of 6 boys here, up all night!! It was a good time for him. We bought him a Nintendo DSi, which just came out, and he was the first one of his friend's to get it. He loved it, and all the attention!! By noon the next day, with all of them running around playing Nerf wars in our house, the hubby and I were ready for his birthday to end!

Happy 10th Birthday Monkey! We love You!

The hubby has a new job. It keeps him very busy! He is typically gone most of the week, and we have had quiet a bit of adjusting to this schedule. The kids miss him like crazy, each one missing him at different moments, and handling it differently. Most often we do ok, but not having him here all the time is sad. I notice it the most when I go to bed and.... GET TO HAVE THE WHOLE BED TO MYSELF!! Lol (sorry baby) I wish that were true but one of them always tries to sneak in on my in the middle of the night. It's like they know half my bed is empty. In the beginning they would ask, when they went to bed, "Mommy, won't you be lonely?", or "Who will keep Daddy company?". It was sweet.

I am still in school, and was accepted into the nursing program. It is a two year program, and I will start in the fall. I have wanted to do this for so long, I am very excited to get started. I am currently 3 weeks away from finishing the Anatomy & Physiology class that I have been taking since the fall. I am looking VERY forward to this being over! It sure was a hell of a class!!

Well that's all for now....hopefully it won't take me another four months to come back. I'll leave you with a few pictures cause I know that's what you're looking for!

Monkey getting his new DSi

First t-ball practice

Bear is maroon & gold

I almost forgot to mention, but this little turtle lost her first tooth!!

Looking forward to December 17th!

2008-12-04T16:06:00.005-08:00

OMG!

This semester has been insane! I am taking Human Anatomy & Physiology, and it's kicking my butt. We ARE still here though I promise. I have two more exams, and I can finally return to my family. They are struggling with my semester too. My poor husband has been traveling a lot for work so when he's home I quickly leave to get some studying done, and when he's gone I'm complaining about how overwhelmed I am. I pawn my poor kids off on everyone I know every time I get the chance, they will be happy to see the semester come to an end also.

They have had a busy fall too. School and sports keep us all going non-stop. I am still at times struggling with the monkey. I worry about him so much. He is sensitive and emotional, and not always sure of himself. It does not help that he fights us on EVERYTHING! It is just his nature, but it makes his life more difficult. For that I get sad. I love him so much and want him to enjoy the world and life, and be happy with himself. I hope I can help him learn how. Bear is going through a "too cool" stage....since birth, but especially lately. I look forward squashing that when the semester is over. He enjoys the non-stop action, and is hoping we will sign him up for a boxing program this year. BOXING...great! As for the little turtle in the house, she just turned 5 a few weeks ago. We had some friends over for her and she had a blast. It amazes me how fast the time goes. I can't believe how big they have all grown. The ipods are always going, friends knocking on the door, full blown fights between the boys, and arguments with the little girl on why she can't wear my jewelery. How did that happen?

I find myself thankful this year for the Lego's on the floor, Hannah Montana stickers everywhere, High School Musical 1, 2 & 3, clothes that never make it into the laundry basket, and tooth paste on the sink. They will never get younger than they are today, and the days go by so fast.

On that note I will go enjoy them. I leave you with a few pictures from her birthday....

I am Five!

Blowing out the candles

Turtle with her friend

*Today's my mom's birthday...Happy Birthday Mom!

Happy Labor Day!

2008-08-29T06:15:00.008-07:00

This time of year is always bitter sweet to me.

It is the last official day of summer vacation. Although the kids started school last week, it was a short week with two half days. They have off Friday and Monday, so this long weekend is our last bit of summer. It IS nice to have them back in school, but along with school comes homework, and sports. The monkey is playing soccer, bear is in football, and our little turtle is doing gymnastics and dance again this year. The husband is coaching for both teams and I took Anatomy & Physiology, so the fall is a busy time in our house. It is sad for me to say good bye to summer, when we sleep late, play all day, no homework, no schedules, and I get to have lunch with my kids every day. Now they are out the door at 8:30, they get home 3:30, practice by 5 or 6, and we don't get home till 8 sometimes 8:30. We do this all week long and then games on Saturdays and Sundays. I like watching them play their sports and helping them with their homework, I like that they are gone all day and not home getting on each other's nerves. I love this class, and my husband loves to coach BUT ....THE SUMMER IS MUCH BETTER!!!
Here's a few pictures from Bushkill Falls...

Funny faces are much easier to get than plain old smiles these days

This is the Bear's first year playing pads and he loves it!! That's him and Dad.

This was the boys first day of school. The turtle doesn't go till next week. With her birthday being on November she will not start kindergarten until next year, so this is her last year of preschool, and our last year PAYING for preschool!!

I hope you all had a wonderful summer, and HAPPY LABOR DAY!

How many house guests is TOO many?

2008-08-01T05:25:00.009-07:00

God Bless Colleen,

One of my dearest friends, who moved her family south over a year and a half ago. She has two beautiful daughters and a husband who is full of humor AND useless knowledge. We all miss them terribly. So about a week and half ago I piled my kids into the minivan and we headed to South Carolina! Missing Colleen equally as much Anne Marie decided to take the trip with us, even if it meant spending 12 hours in the car with 3 kids. God Bless her too!

We left Tuesday morning around 5am and arrived for dinner (which was delicious by the way). For the next 4 days Colleen fed, watered, and entertained the 5 of us like a champ. We went into Charleston for a day, which is a beautiful city! Another day we took a trip to Cypress Gardens, which was acres of outdoor fun. There was a swamp (With Alligators!), nature trails, a butterfly exhibit, even a little aquarium. The kids had a great time. Still not exhausted or tired of us all, she rose on our final full day together packed up some lunch (for 8 people!), towels, and sand toys and took us to the beach. The beach in South Carolina is NOTHING like Jersey beaches! We didn't have to mortgage our homes just to get on the beach, there was no one selling ice cream every half hour, the water was warm, and even the sand was different. If all that wasn't enough, her husband stayed home that evening with all 5 kids (and his arm in a sling), while us 3 girls went to see "Mamma Mia". I would not have enjoyed this movie more with anyone other than these girls. It was a wonderful trip....Enjoy the pictures.

All the kids on the pier swing

There was a beautiful fountain by the pier in Charleston

That the kids could play in

Me with Colleen's babies

They had little lizards all over their yard that the kids had a blast torturing

Turtle on the Turtle

The swamp was COOL!

Playing in the ocean

My turtle with her Two girls playing in the sand

Surfing on an Alligator

On the drive home we stopped in D.C.

And yes I made them pose in front of everything!

After awhile it got old for them..Lol

The monkey's class did their history projects on the monuments in DC, so I thought it would be fun for him to see them. I was hoping we could visit the Smithsonian, but we got caught in a major thunderstorm and all were SOAKED!

As you can see it was time to go. Thank You Colleen. We had a wonderful time! Hope you are ready to have us back next summer.

OH....I forgot to mention we got Anne Marie on the Carosel! The kids loved that, and as you can see so did she.

Skipping rocks is free

2008-07-18T05:08:00.006-07:00

When I was kid we did not have a lot of money. I don't think most people did. The world itself was a completely different place. Every kid did not have hand held gaming systems and two systems in their house. We didn't have a TV in our car, or even in our room, no ipods, no cellphones. Oddly enough we still managed to be happy. We played, ALL DAY LONG! Riding our bikes, rollerskating, tag, and manhunt. My mom could not, and did not spend tons of money every day trying to entertain us. I long for the same for my kids. So I packed them, and a few friends, into my van (with no TV in it!), some homemade sandwiches, and headed out to the Delaware Water Gap. We hiked, ate lunch, played a little soccer, and skipped rocks. They would have skipped those rocks all day long! And the only money I had to spend was for gas.

A good old-fashion game of who can throw the furthest!

The bear had quite a technique going

The monkey being cool

The turtle searched for shells

The day was wonderful! I personally love to be outside, and LOVE to have my kids all to myself without the distractions their world provides.

Happy Fourth of July!

2008-07-09T07:34:00.005-07:00

It was the week before Fourth of July that our little turtle went into the hospital. I will remember those days FOREVER. I remember how sick she got, and how difficult it was for them to get an IV in her because she was so dehydrated. I remember that moment the nurse took her out of my arms and brought her into the surgery room. I remember waiting for her to return, and the tube in her nose, the IV in her neck, how little and weak she looked. I remember every second of it. But my most vivid memory was days later when we were standing by the window in the hospital with her finally back in my arms, on the Fourth of July, watching fireworks that were going on in Philadelphia somewhere. I remember her pointing and gasping a little in excitement. I could see my little girl returning back to herself and I cried through the whole fireworks show, LOL. So there is a part of me that will always have some sentimental attachment to the Fourth of July.

It is also the weekend my mother and stepfather have their annual BBQ. The kids look forward to this party all year long, as does my stepfather. My mom cooks tons of food and mudslides are blended all day long. We play volleyball, bounce on the trampoline, roast marshmallows, and catch fireflies. It is always a good time. This year was actually the first time it ever rained, but it cleared up by late afternoon. The festivities went on, and everyone had a good time as usual.
I hope you all enjoyed your weekend. Here is a few pictures...

Enjoy your summer!

Our First Dance Recital!

2008-06-25T12:47:00.003-07:00

Oh the wonderful world of girls....

Since September we have brought her every Saturday morning to ballet class. It was so cute! Twenty 4 and 5 year old little girls in their little leotards and ballet slippers all try to be ballerinas. Around Christmas time I received my first letter about the costume for the recital, I thought, "How cute, I can't wait!". Then I got the bill for the costume, lol, $65. Then we received a letter saying everyone who watches the show must but a ticket, for every performance they watch, even parents. WOW! THEN....came all the final details with dates, times, ect. There was four shows, and the tickets were.....$18 a piece! So just for her father and I to watch all four show would cost $188! This dance stuff is no joke, LOL.

She loved dressing up and putting make up on

Posing with one of her friends

By the last performance these girls were a bit tired

$40 for flowers for all four performances.....

$65 for the costume......

$280 on tickets......

Watching those little girls in their cute little dresses and hats do "How much is that dogie in the window?"..... Priceless.

A day in the life of ME!

2008-06-11T04:48:00.008-07:00

Two quick stories I couldn't resist sharing....

I took two of my beautiful children with me to school the other day to register for a class I wanted, the older one and the younger one. It is June so the building was not very busy at all, how much trouble can they really get into? HA! It is boring for them, and I understand so I did what I needed to do and was on my way out. Stepping out the door I realized I had one quick question I wanted to ask about my summer class.

"Wait right here guys I just want to ask that lady a question."

Well they waited right there, and it was only a minute.....BUT within that minute my daughter found the little red fire alarm box AND PULLED IT! It was uncovered and on the wall just about her height, so why not pull it? Flashing lights and the loud BEEP BEEP BEEP proceeded. The entire building had to be evacuated and the fire department called. Lucky for me it was beautiful outside, there was more staff than students, and they were happy to get the break. They actually thought it was funny! I did not.

"Mommy! I did not knoooooow that was gonna happen!"

Was all she kept saying to me as I refused to talk to her for the entire ride home. She may not remember that moment when she is older but I can guarantee I will.

Flash forward to the last day of school, which was yesterday. The boys come home and they are all sorts of wound up. I unfortunately was doing a bunch of yard work and could not entertain them. They were bored already! Welcome Summer. My middle child is the one who likes to be outside the most, so he hung outside with me while I finished up my yard work. When it was time for me to make dinner I asked him to turn the hose off, and I went inside. A little while later my daughter comes in to share with me one of her brothers is up to something. I walk towards the front door and see the front porch is wet again so clearly he did not turn the hose off. I open the front door to yell at him to turn the hose off and my foot lands in a puddle of water INSIDE my house! A toothless face appears smiling and pointing at his brothers shoes just inside the front door, "Shhhhhh!" he then says. That middle child of mine decided it would be a good prank to fill his big brother's shoes with water from the hose before he turned it off. Lucky for him he chose to only do his brother's shoes. So there were the poor kids shoes lined up by the front door all filled with water. LOL Kinda funny, KINDA! Cause there was also a mess to go along with it. I guess next time I will turn the hose off myself. This should be quite a summer.

I leave you with a picture of my three little devils, who are clearly good at appearing innocent.

DON'T BE FOOLED!

Happy Birthday Bear!!

2008-05-31T06:52:00.002-07:00

Webkinz... webkinz... and more webkinz!

So my little bear has turned 7! I can hardly believe it. SEVEN! How did that happen? Out of all three I struggle with him getting older the most, not sure why but I do. When he went to kindergarten I cried like a baby. When the older one went I missed him but I was excited. Not the bear, it was hard to let go, and now he is finishing first grade and soon will be in second and I just wish I could stop him from getting any older. When he was born he cried for at least eight straight months and I couldn't wait for him to get older. Then one day he turned into a terribly charming little boy. I would just like to keep him that way. Of all of my children he is also the easiest to please. For his birthday we took him and a few of his friends to see Speed Racer. We offered to take them all out to dinner after but he just wanted to go home and play outside. So we had subs and cake at our house. Our other two children ended up both with black eyes that day from outside injuries, but I think he had a good time.

And the big gift this year was..... WEBKINZ! He couldn't have been happier with 7 or 8 new additions to his little webkinz collection, the horse, the koala, the frog, the big and little chocolate labs, a penguin, a lion, and the geiko...from his girlfriend.

It rained a little on and off that day and we were lucky enough to see this double rainbow, which was so much more beautiful in person.

I hope you enjoyed your birthday bear....will you please stay sweet for another year!?!

Half-Way There!

2008-04-20T07:20:00.006-07:00

Nine years old!

How is it possible that Monkey of ours has turned Nine!!

Nine years has passed and I can't believe it. Nine more and you will be Eighteen..... :). I wish I had started this blog so long ago and I could look back for more of those Nine years.

You are (currently) the one who challenges me the most, who teaches me the most about being a parent, and who shows me the most about love. You are also the one I currently worry the most about. You fight us tooth and nail about everything!! Maybe that is an age thing, maybe it is a personality thing, maybe it an oldest child thing. I don't know, but I worry. I worry you will miss out on things on your mission to fight with us about EVERYTHING!! I worry I will not give you what you need to motivate you to be successful. I worry I am too hard on you, and at the same time I worry I am not hard enough. I could go on but I think I've made my point, LOL.

For your birthday this year we took you to a Hibachi restaurant. You LOVE food, and had a blast. Nine apparently is too old to order off of the kid menu for you. You have been insistent upon ordering off of the adult menu lately. You take after your Dad that way, you eat anything, and lots of it! You ordered Red Snapper, and ate almost every last bite. You also tried some sushi with your Dad and I, you weren't crazy about it but you tried it. At the end of the meal they came out with a big gong and sang to you! It was hysterical! And you loved it! We also took you and some friends that weekend to a place called Rascal's. You were able to play video games there, laser tag, bowling, rock climbing, skee ball, ect.. A busy, fun place you all enjoyed.

Enjoy the pictures...

Presents from your brother and sister in the morning

Family picture at the Hibachi restaurant...LOL

Nine big old candles!

After cake and presents we had to finish your social studies project on the Lincoln Memorial. I have no intention on saving these projects you guys make over the years so I will always take pictures. I hope that is good enough for you :). You and Dad did a great job, and Aunt Lisa stayed and helped with the stairs. It was fun for all of us. I hope you always remember it that

So many things to blog about...

2008-04-17T06:47:00.005-07:00

I never get enough time to blog....

The days go by so quickly before I know it it's been two months. Everyone here is doing well. Busy but well!

It is officially Lacrosse season, and this year both boys are playing so we are terribly busy with that! We managed to get the Bear onto the team even though he was technically too young and I am glad because he enjoys it. Our Monkey is also playing for the first time this season, and although I don't think sports will ever be his favorite thing, he plays and enjoys being part of the team. Dad has been coaching, which he enjoys.... most of the time. He struggles a lot with coaching his own kids but I think that is natural.

Turtle is doing dance and gymnastics, stay tuned for the blog about dance because that deserves it's own post.

We took them to The Museum of Natural History a few weeks ago on spring break and they all had a blast. It was very expensive, of course, but worth the trip. They were very excited by the dinosaurs! I think it was the first time they have seen something like that inperson. Fun!

She is a Diva....everywhere she goes!

Getting them to stand together was like pulling teeth!

DUM DUM was the highlight!

The best part for me was how they would giggle and point and be all stupid when they came across exhibits that had naked men or women in it. "Mom! Mom! Look...!" and then a ton of giggles. LOL

Not just any old Sunday

2008-02-08T15:42:00.000-08:00

Last weekend the kids were invited to a birthday party at ......

Yankee Stadium

View from the press box

Kids in the dugout

View from the field

My boys with the birthday boy being "cool"

We had the pleasure of getting a tour of Yankee Stadium last weekend for a friend's birthday. The kids were able to go in the press box, locker rooms, dugout, on the field, and have pizza and cake in one of the private boxes. They had a blast!

A New Year!

2008-01-12T16:17:00.000-08:00

A NEW YEAR!?! What the hell happened to the old one?

I hope you all had a wonderful New Year's! But really can you believe it? 2008! I'm not done with 2007 yet, and I don't know what I want from 2008. It can't be the 12Th of January!

Seeing as I'm stumped for what to expect for the new year I thought I'd take this opportunity to remember a few good moments from 2007 before I say good bye to it, 12 days late.

The kids visited their grandparents in upstate NY this past summer and had a great time! My in laws live pretty far away and we do not get to see them much. It always makes me happy when the kids get time with them. AND I had 3 WONDERFUL days to myself!

I took the kids to Crystal Cave over the summer, caught this moment. The trip itself was just OK but the pictures were so good it made it worth it.

The bear and I in between football and soccer games. We all had a good time with the boys fall sports this year, one played soccer and the other football and Jace coached for both.

Zita! I know I have shared about Zita and how much we enjoyed having her and still miss her.

My grandma turned 80! My aunt, uncle, and cousins came up from Florida to celebrate with us. I do not get the chance every year to see them and very much enjoy the moments we do get together.

These poor kids! LOL I never miss an opportunity to push them together and make them all smile for me, over and over again till I get the picture I want! As you can see their father is starting to enjoy this tradition also.

On New Year's Eve the five of us went out to dinner and ate for hours! It was a wonderful time. The monkey even stayed up that night, after his $17 dollar shrimp and scallops meal, to watch the ball drop! He wasn't really impressed but it was a first for him either way.

I saw friends get married, some graduate, and a few fall in love. I went back to school, hit golf balls, fertilized my lawn all by myself for the first time, baked a castle cake, had the pleasure of coming across the most memorable park bathroom ever, had each one of my kids wake me up and crawl into bed next to me, and each one of them tell me how stupid they thought I was. So although this year was not perfect I hope I will always remember it for its' beauty and not sorrow.

MERRY CHRISTMAS!

2007-12-25T09:22:00.000-08:00

They have waited all year long and although i was sure i wouldn't be the only one getting coal this year, seems I was wrong. Santa has delivered his bundle of toys, electronics, clothes, movies, games, and candy! I hope you all have had as nice of a day as we've had.

Merry Christmas!

Talking Princess Vanity

Stockings

Playing video games!

The long awaited Webkinz

What's for dinner?

2007-12-01T20:02:00.000-08:00

What's your favorite dish?

Do you ever feel like you make the same things for dinner? I do! Obviously with three kids and two very busy adults we have easy things many nights, hot dogs, hamburgers, spaghetti and meatballs, chili (in the winter), and chicken. At least once a week I look to make something different. We do fish maybe twice a month, I'll grab some form of pork here and there, the only thing we rarely do is red meat. I search through my cookbooks, which I could probably use more of, I look online, even read magazines. I am just out of ideas these days. I want something different! Something healthy and fun. I know those two don't usually go together but they can. My family eats SO well and are always willing to try new things that I hate to repeat the same old things all the time! I wonder if I am the only boring cook out there or do we all do this? If this is my struggle for the week, I guess life is not too bad.

Happy Thanksgiving!!

2007-11-26T12:45:00.000-08:00

The world is a wonderful place to be thankful for......

I hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving. We had a wonderful day. I cooked and we had friends over, the kids played video games all day and the boys watched football. Another year has gone by and we are all still healthy and happy..... for that I am THANKFUL!

Happy Birthday Princess!

2007-11-15T06:05:00.000-08:00

What better way to celebrate turning 4 than to invite all the boys from the neighborhood over, put a princess dress on, have your mom stay up all night making a castle cake, and declare yourself queen for the day. Yup this past Saturday our little turtle turned 4. We had friends and family over to celebrate. The day overall was a success! Enjoy the pictures!

BOYS BOYS BOYS!

Happy Halloween!

2007-11-01T16:31:00.000-07:00

Halloween was wonderful! The kids all looked cute and had a fun night!

Enjoy our pictures!

Sociology 103

2007-10-30T18:33:00.000-07:00

A role conflict is a situation in which incapable role demands are placed on a person by

two or more statuses held at the same time.

On Tuesday's from 2 pm from 3 :15 pm my role is a sociology student. But this particular Tuesday when my cellphone rang at 1:55 and the boys' school number appeared I was immediately thrown into a role conflict. Two of the statuses I hold, one being a student and one being a mom, were requiring my attention. Mom being my master status I answered the phone. And the story begins.........

At 8:30 that morning my two boys kissed me good bye, grabbed their backpacks and ran off to catch the bus. The bus arrived and they stood single file as one kid after another stepped on and walked to a seat. My boys and 3 of their friends sat at the very back of the bus and headed on their very small journey to school. On this particular morning though they (they meaning all 5 or 6 little boys in the back) decided it would be a good idea to flip the bird to the cars behind them. Yup those sweet little boys who only moments ago were kissing and hugging me good bye were instantly transformed into little shitheads at the "Back of the Bus" when that bus turned off our block. Kinda funny I know, it gets better. Being that these "oh so bad boys" are only between 6 and 9 none of them understood the importance of picking their audience. So the older woman who was driving behind them who had the pleasure of 5 little middle fingers facing in her direction first thing in the morning followed that bus to school!!

It is 2007 folks and yes we have cameras on our buses. So the guilty are guilty! Flash forward to after lunch, one by one the boys get called to the principals office for a talking to and a call home. So my phone rings... It's the principal and he has The Monkey in his office. He tells me that when my little Monkey walked into his office the first thing out of his mouth was "I didn't stick my middle finger up!" lol before he was even told why he was there. The principal shared with me what happened , I told the Monkey I was unhappy and we'd talk about it after school. Then something funny happened again. The principal tells me he's not going to pull the Bear into his office because he is younger and was probably just copying the older kids. Well he clearly does not know that little boy at all! But I say thank you knowing I can handle it later and I'm late for class.

The bus pulls up at roughly 3:45, I was waiting. :) The Monkey lingers in the back trying to be the last kid off the bus, he knows he's in trouble. My little Bear on the other hand had no idea I knew, so he hops off the bus without a care in the world. I stop him dead in his tracts and say..."You have no reason to be smiling today sir." He quickly responds with "Oh man mom! You know!?!" lol We went home, I grounded them, and I enjoyed a nice quiet kid free evening. Most of which I spent on the phone telling everyone this funny little story.

Yes boys that's right, if you ever read this, and remember this occasion I wasn't mad at all. Not much anyway. I thought it funny and almost somewhat normal. Obviously I couldn't let you know I found this incident more comical than concerning, but I did. It's your job as kids to do stuff like flip the bird to the cars behind you, unfortunately it's my job as your mom to teach you not to do it again. I love you guys! Thank you for never leaving me short for good stories to share.

Finding time

2007-10-25T08:07:00.000-07:00

It has been months again since I've blogged. Sad, very sad. I always have things to say or stories to tell and I just never get the chance to sit down and tell the last few people who may read this about them. Today I decided to make time. What has been going on in our lives....

Obviously school is back in session, and as much as I love summer, I have been enjoying the fall also. Jacob is in third grade now and I growing up way to fast! He has an attitude, thinks I have no idea about ANYTHING, is under the impression EVERY third grader BUUUUUUT him has a cellphone and a TV in their room. Poor kid! He decided to play soccer this fall instead of football like he has in the past, and he has had so much more fun with it! I struggle with him a lot, and his lack of desire to put effort in for everything thing he does. He wants things to be easy when they are not he has not interest in even trying. That should make next ten years fun for all of us. Eric is in first grade and he is under the impression that he is the coolest kid in the whole world. That will be my struggle with him. Too cool for me or his father, too cool for his little sister obviously, and WAY cooler than his older bother, or so he thinks. Victoria is turning 4 in two weeks! I personally can't believe that. She has been taking a ballet and tap class this fall and so far loves it!! Almost as much as she loves starting trouble with her older brothers. Lol

As for Jace and I, we are equally as busy. Jace is working a new job that he enjoys and has been working A LOT of hours. I started taking classes again this semester, so 3 days a week I am in school for a couple of hours. Needless to say fall has been insanely busy here. I hope you are all doing well and occasionally still look on this blog. I will try to blog more often. I will now leave you with a few pictures......

The first day of school

Enjoying the last bit of summer

Ballet class

Eric lost his first tooth

Happy Fourth of July!!

2007-07-04T07:29:00.000-07:00

Fourth of July falls on a weird day this year, Wednesday. Most people work Monday - Friday, making it hard to celebrate right smack in the middle of the week! When it falls earlier or later in the week many people take a long weekend, but a Wednesday????? Most of us can't take the whole week off, so when do you celebrate?? The weekend before, the weekend after, just on Wednesday if you have off? Maybe all those days!!!! Well however you celebrate I hope you have fun!

This year my mother's annual Fourth of July BBQ was June 30th, this past Saturday. As usual it was a success. Tons of friends and family eating, drinking, laughing, bouncing on a trampoline, playing volleyball, and catching up with people you haven't seen since the year before. Our kids always have a great time!!! It is fun to watch all of the kids running around, playing together, and getting a little bigger every year. It won't be long before some of them stop coming, they will have better things to do, or work to go to. They will bring girlfriends or boyfriends, drive their new cars over, and be too cool to hang out with us. So I treasure these few years when they all still wanna come, and no one kid is too cool to hang out with the other, and going with mom and dad is not awful yet. May it stay that way for as long as possible!! Enjoy the pictures, and enjoy your Fourth of July.

I made them stand together just once

My little turtle and I

My hubby and an old friend of his

My brother and his girl

Some friends of ours that are like family

The monkey just having fun

Good-Bye to Zita!

2007-06-21T07:46:00.000-07:00

We are losing the BEST babysitter ever!

For those of you who don't know, our neighbors had a foreign exchange student this past year. Her name was Zita, she was seventeen, and from Germany, AND she loved to babysit!! The kids had a blast with her all year! She would come over and paint, play games, do the turtle's nails, run around outside with the boys, she did it all!! Zita was by far the best babysitter we have ever come across. We took her to JFK airport last week and the kids were devastated!! Turtle held on to her and cried "I don't want you to go!". The whole day was just sad. We will miss her like crazy and hope she wants to come visit soon!

Here are some pictures from Mother's Day when Jace took us all to the city.

Zita and the kids in Central Park

Then we went to ESPN Zone for dinner

We met up with some friends while we were there

We had a wonderful time that day! I am so glad Zita was here to share it with us.

Kids are funny

2007-03-21T12:37:00.000-07:00

I know I have done an awful job of keeping up with this blog lately. I assure those of you who still read we are here. Everyone is happy, healthy, and BUSY!! Today I could not resist posting this little conversation I had with my little bear.

"Turtle please finish your apples." I say for the third or fourth time.

"You know the skin makes your hair pretty little girl."

"No it doesn't mom!" the bear jumps in.

"Yes it does!" I respond and look over at the turtle

"The skin on an apple does make your hair look pretty."

"No it doesn't mom" the bear argues on,

"You eat apples and it doesn't make your hair pretty."

Kids sure do know how to make you feel good about yourself don't they?
I hope you all have a wonderful day, I promise you'll hear from me soon.

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!!

2007-01-09T17:51:00.000-08:00

I think this might be the first picture of all 5 of us in years!! Happy New Year to everyone!! I wish you all a happy and healthy New Year.

Our holidays were wonderful. We spent Christmas Eve and Christmas with a lot of our family. The kids had a great few days and a wonderfully lazy vacation.

Last year for New Year's I made a few New Year's resolutions. For this New Year I will keep the same ones. I did well last year but it was a very hard year for us, and I am hoping this New Year to be better. I am hoping for the opportunity to continue to work on my resolutions, and for health within my family. I wish you all the same!

I'm Still Alive!

2006-11-27T05:00:00.000-08:00

Well I'm not even sure if there is anyone that reads this blog anymore, but we are still here. The fall was a VERY busy time for us!!! Both boys played football and Daddy coached. Four nights a week, sometimes Saturday mornings, and Sunday games, a very time consuming sport!! All that is over and we are somewhat back to normal. School is going well for all 3 of them. The monkey just did a Native American project for school and him and daddy made Succotash for the whole class!! The bear is learning to read and very excited about it!
Our little Turtle turned 3 a few weeks ago. We took her to a place in Peddlers Village called GiggleBerry Fair, and the kids had a blast!! We also had some friends and family over that Sunday. She is getting SOOOO big! She also has developed a full blown "GIRL" attitude lately!!
Thanksgiving was very nice this year! We went to our neighbors house who also have 3 kids, and they had another couple who also have 3 kids, making a total of 6 adults and 9 kids! Madness!!!! It was actually a lot of fun!! We have a lot to be thankful for. We made it through another year!!!! Everyone is healthy and happy still, and that is enough to be thankful for.
I personally can't believe this year is almost over! Unbelievable! I hope this holiday season is wonderful for all who may stumble across this.

The first day of school

The pumpkin patch

The bear decided he wanted a mohawk, and clearly thinks he's cool now!

Farewell to the summer!

2006-08-18T08:05:00.000-07:00

My summer is officially over!

Both of my boys are playing football this year and practice has begun. Four and five nights a week, one in flag with his dad coaching, the other in his first year of tackle, and me chasing around the little girl walking back and forth between both fields in hopes to catch one of my boys doing something. Dinner needs to be on the table by 4:30, no later than 5:15 we need to be collecting all of our equiptment and pilling into the "VAN" in hopes to show up by 6 for practice, (and the field is only 3 minutes away). Teachers will be in service as of Tuesday, the kids will show their tanned and eager faces the following Monday morning. My summer is gone.

I must admit there is a part of me that is looking forward to getting those kids back to school. By the end of the summer they have had enough of eachother and me. I can no longer enjoy any time with them cause they are all fighting, screaming, and yelling with eachother all day long. So we begin another school year with "Back to School" nights, lunch room duty, school store assignments, homework, projects, PTA functions, fundraisers, and some sort of donation to go with each one of those things. No more sleeping late and going out to lunch, or playing at the park all afternoon. School, homework, dinner, practice, and then off to bed.

I know some live for the structure again. I know some live for the social interaction. I know some live to know who is in what class, and who is starting our first football game, and who bought a new car this year or a new house over the summer. I know some live for that time alone again or not having to worry who is watching their kids while they are at work.

I am not one of those though.

Don't get me wrong I am looking forward to having a few mornings alone. I do enjoy seeing some of the kids and parents I have not seen all summer also. And the structure IS welcomed after a summer of whatever, whenever. It all justs lasts too long. It will be nine and a half months before I get my children back. When they are returned to me they will be another year older and more independent. It will be half way into June before I can eat lunch with my oldest everyday again and he will be Eight. Nine and a half months before I won't have to hurry them out the door in the morning, hurry them in the door in the afternoon, and hurry them into bed every night.

I know that's my job. I just like the fun stuff better, and I bet they will never know that. I bet they will never know how much I wanted to let them sleep late, or skip school, or stay up past their bedtime. I bet they will never know that I agree with them when they say I am being mean, I also agree that a lollipop before dinner probably won't ruin their appetite. They will never know I did not enjoy teaching them to respect others or work hard at everything they do. They will never know I hated grounding them more than they hated being grounded. They will never know any of it, and if I said it to them they would not believe me cause I am "The Enemy".

So I say good bye to the summer where I get to play the good guy a little more often, and hello to being the bad guy again for nine and a half months. September is always bitter sweet.

Happy Anniversary!

2006-08-04T14:38:00.000-07:00

Happy Anniversary my love!! 3 kids, a house, 2 jobs, and a new minivan and I still love you to pieces!!! May the waters stay calm for another year! MUWAH!

What will I do with myself??

2006-07-26T08:07:00.000-07:00

It is Wednesday morning at 11 am. I am drinking coffee, playing on the computer, and doing some laundry. I feel like I am missing something though. Have you ever had that feeling that you were suppose to do something but your not sure what? Oh I remember now!!! Breakfast, I have not made anyone breakfast yet, or got them dressed, or yelled at them to pick up their toys and turn off the TV. WHY?

Because they are not here!!!!!!!!!!

YES my kids are at grandma's this week!! No 6:30 "Can I have juice mom?", or 9am "I don't want to eat breakfast!", or 10am "He hit me! She turned the channel!". Four glorious kid free days!! I am currently waiting for the clothes to be done and I am gonna go lay out at my aunt's pool. No kids to splash me or tip my raft, no kids to make lunch for or help to the potty, no kids, no kids, no kids!!!!!!!!!!!! Have a great week!

Dear Monkey

2006-07-21T07:16:00.000-07:00

My Darling Monkey Boy,

I write on this blog for fun, to keep the few people who read it up to date on what's been going in our life, to remember things that I may forget, and secretly for you guys to read one day (especially if I am not here:( ). I hope to be able to look back and read this one day and remember things, or special days, or feelings that maybe without this I would not have remembered. I also hope you will enjoy reading it too.

About a week ago, while we were driving home from Aunt Sue's you asked me about how you decide to get married. I explained that you would fall "in love" and when you are ready you will buy a ring and get down on one knee and ask your girlfriend to marry you.

"What if I am nervous?" you asked.

How cute are you? You asked about dating girls, and what you would say to get a girl to go out with you, and where you would go, ect. . This was a very long conversation, and it was a sweet one that I hope I never forget.

*If you read this before you are dating remember that girls like to be treated special, but do not kiss their butt!

*Always treat them like a lady when they act like one, but if they do not (and many don't) please don't waste your time.

*There is no "one special girl", what can be special is a relationship that you have with one of them. If you do have a "special relationship", treat it that way!

*Never disrespect a girl you love! Actually never disrespect a girl period. If they disrespect you, do not tolerate it.

* Please pay on the first date, but not every date!

* And if she does not return your love or kindness DO NOT continue to date her, even if it is hard not to. Girls can be very mean and manipulative.

These are my little bits of advice about woman. I hope I am here to give them to you when you are dating and I hope you will want to hear them from me.

Love Mom

PS* I'm not so sure you should ask dad about this stuff, love him as I may, I don't think this is his strongest subject. Ask him for help with your homework, he has "booksmarts" pouring out of him!!

I can't help myself!

2006-07-19T18:40:00.000-07:00

I am addicted! I have found a Blog that I can't stop checking. I visit it several times a day. There is usually a new post everyday, once in awhile, twice a day. It makes me late for things cause I can't stop reading. I even go back and read previous posts that I have read before. Some posts make me pee in my pants, some are really pretty sad, and every now and then there is a sweet one too. Dying to know what it is yet????

True Wife Confessions

http://truewifeconfessions.blogspot.com/
Enjoy! 237, 199, 178, 67, and 53 are some of my favorites, but none are actually mine! Yet?!

Birthday Wishes!

2006-07-18T20:40:00.000-07:00

So it's only a few days till my 30th Birthday!

I'm not big on age, "It's only a number". I am a little excited about this one though. There is something very exciting about starting a new decade. A little sad too. I have passed into a new stage of my life, which means the old stage is over. Luckily that is much more exciting to me than sad.
This is not a blog about how my life has changed though, I'll be 30!! Fun! In honor of the occasion I would like to share 30 things I would love to have this year. (Sal's Idea)

1. Mommy Tags (although it is a little late to order and have them in by the big day I want them none the less) www.mommytags.com
2. A good pair of running shoes
3. Some stuff from American Eagle (my favorite store)
4. Sexy panties (I love underwear!)
5. A long weekend away with my husband
6. Chapstick
7. 3 Black shelves, to put picture frames on, for my living room (Target, Kohl's, Pottery Barn)
8. Great Expectations bracelet from EKDesigns (http://www.ekdesignsjewelry.com/) , or the Passion Flower, or the...Ok I would like almost anything from that designer!
9. more chapstick
10. Soundtrack to "50 First Dates", Ne-Yo CD (yeah I like him), the lastest Stevie Wonder CD, and some Lionel Richie
11. Trees (I love like 10 Juniper Trees, and a red maple for my back yard)
12. A manicure and a pedicure
13. A happy year!! I know some are good and some are bad, I hope this one is good.
14. Health, obviously this should be first but I believe a lot of our health is in our control so I can make this or break it. But some things are out of our control, and cause of that I wish for Health for as many people as my wish may allow me to fit in!
15. I want to go Golfing, I have been dying to go golfing, please someone take me golfing!
16. A funny movie, I love comedies!
17. An ipod, doesn't have to hold a lot of songs just and hour or two would be fine for me
18. Dinner at CARMINES in the city and tickets to go see Blue Man Group
19. A new bathing suit!! My current one is awful!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
20. Rollerblades, come September I will have 3 kids in school Monday, Wednesday, and Friday mornings, how I would love to grab my ipod and blades and go to the park for some exercise!!!
21. Fun & Laughter whenever possible!!
22. A family picture, we have not done one since Eric was 7 months old :( .
23. A new Anne Klein watch (waterproof)
24. Sheets for my bed
25. Orange and Yellow Dragon lilies planted along the side of my house, and all the dumb weeds removed!
26. My downstairs bathroom redone
27. Some jewelry real or fake. (American Eagle has great costume jewelry),
28. A tennis racket and someone to play tennis with.
29. There is something hiding in one of my drawers that only Jace would know about and I want a new one. :)
30. Homemade Birthday cards, not quick mom's gonna wake up soon cards! Real "I've been working on these for days, mom's gonna save them forever" cards! From you too Jace! Actually from anyone who reads this , I love homemade cards.

Wow! I thought that would be harder than it was. Have a great day and thanx for reading!
(*the trip to Europe is for my 40th baby, so start saving!!)

Maybe He'll be a Photographer

2006-07-05T11:06:00.000-07:00

I blog about this because I never want to forget what a funny kid my monkey is!! He has managed to steal my camera from me a take pictures. The boy loves to take pictures........of himself. ENJOY

The world through the eyes of The Monkey

Tell me you are not peeing your pants right now?

I've been Tagged by yet another

2006-07-05T08:06:00.000-07:00

5 things in my refrigerator:
1. Leftovers from BBQ's all weekend
2. Oceanspray Ruby Red Grapefruit Juice (mmmmmmm!!)
3. Eggs
4. GoGurts
5. International Delight French Vanilla cream

5 things in my closet:
1. Red & Black dress with gold embroidery that goes to my feet. It's a hippie sort of dress I got it in New Orleans on my anniversary and I love it!!!!
2. Black leather boots that I could not make it through the winter without
3. Jace's t-shirts, another thing I could not live without
4. A bag of maternity clothes on the floor that I am dying to get rid of
5. A pair of jeans from American Eagle (they make all my other jeans useless)

5 things in my purse:
1. Chapstick (as many flavors as possible)
2. My celphone
3. Almay face powder
4. Pack of gum
5. pics of my kids (17 to be exact, I never take out the old ones)

5 things in my car:
1. Phone charger
2. Napkins
3. A bag of library books for the kids to read
4. CD's
5. Chapstick (incase my purse is not close enough)

You're tagged!!

More Good News! (and a few cute pics.)

2006-06-03T12:15:00.000-07:00

Another update that I have.......
After seven long years of wipes and diapers "WE ARE DONE!". We have had Huggies, Pampers, Luvs, even CVS brand when I was stuck a couple times. Size 1, Size 2, Size 3, then Size 4 and 1, Size 4 and 2, Pull-ups and Size 3, then Size 4 and 1 again, as of lately we have been down to just size 4 Luvs, but it is all over! Our little turtle is officially potty trained!!!! She also was the one who gave us the least resistance. Pretty panties did the trick! NO MORE DIAPERS! NO MORE DIAPERS! NO MORE DIAPERS! She still needs pullups at night but otherwise we are done. Our family has totally changed. The oldest has been "promoted" to the Second Grade, the middle one just graduated from pre-school and will start kindergarten in the fall, and our baby is now potty trained. I remember when the boys were 2 yrs and 2 months and we took them to the circus. There was a couple with their kids in the row infront of us and it was their first trip out without a diaper bag or any sippy cups. Now that's us. I remember those people being much older, I thought???????????? Hmmmmm, maybe they were? Nothing sad about turning 30 (in 7 weeks by the way) and being rid of diapers, diaper bags, sippy cups, baby carriers, and high chairs. No more baby food or"Gerber Graduates", no more onsies or bibs, clothes we buy for the year now and not in 3 month installments, bed time is when WE decide, crying and whinnying can be frowned upon, "NO" is only for us to say, and spelling things so they don't know what we are talking about is also no longer an option(thanx to my 7 year old who spells better than me, shut up Colleen!). We have begun a whole new stage of this parenting thing, wish us luck! This one I am afraid will not be as easy.

Look at that cute little butt!

Happy Memorial Day!

I hope you all had a nice weekend. Ours was nice and quiet, we stayed home. Our kids played outside, we had some friends over with their kids. All very "Apple Pie American", suitable for Memorial Day weekend. It always warms my heart to watch them run around outside with all the kids in the neighborhood eating ice pops and running under sprinklers.
The monkey was "trying" to look tough

Hanging on the front porch

The Bear on the grill

Preschool Graduation!!

2006-06-03T11:21:00.000-07:00

Preschool graduation seems a little dumb to me. To graduate from playing, painting, singing, and parties for every occasion to..... playing, painting, singing, and a couple less parties in a new school hardly seems like a reason to make a big deal. Unless of course it is my kid, whom I have been driving 3 days a week to the same school for 3 years, where both him and I have made friends that we will not be with us next year. I guess as good of a reason as any to celebrate, or have one last party together. CUTE! 60 five year olds walking down the isle in a cute yellow cap, waving to their moms and dads, singing a couple of songs and getting a "Graduation Certificate". Followed by a trip to Rita's with Grandma and Grandpa also.

Not a great shot, the lighting was bad, but the subject was CUTE!

Loving the attention!

I love that kid so much! May his smile stay as bright and heart stay as pure, and may we all be there and as happy when he graduates high school. We are proud of you little bear!! Good luck in kindergarten!

Another Extravaganza!

2006-06-02T05:16:00.000-07:00

Well I'm sorry for those of you who might actually read this, cause I have left that sad post to my Aunt up for awhile. Miss her as I do much more has happened since then! We have had another "Never Ending Birthday" in our house. The Bear has turned 5! And it was another week long celebration. Thursday the 18th was his actual birthday. We took him to McDonald's for lunch with a friend, and had nachos and cake for dinner. We bought him a basketball hoop for his birthday which he was very excited about!

Enjoying nachos infront of the TV (inside our coffee table cause the glass broke)

Shooting hoops!

The party has only started! Friday he had his birthday at school and we made 30 cups-of-dirt. Later that night we had a "kid party" for him with about 23 little kids. It was at a place called BounceU and it was GREAT for them! I is like a huge bounce park the kids can run and bounce and box and slide in. Wears them out!! And the parents too.

Singing "Happy Birthday!"

Bear's in the green. They loved the slide, but I did not (way to high)!

THEN on Saturday we had family over to celebrate this joyous occasion. Not TOO many but enough to have a good time, and Aunt Lisa bought him a Kareoke Machine which they are having a blast with still. The weather was beautiful so the kids ran around outside all day! A fun day for all of us.

Finally, as if that was not enough we went to the circus on Sunday morning. The Ringling Brother's, which by the way I was not impressed with at all. They had no lions, or tigers, or tightrope acts. They did acts with trained birds, cats, and dogs. Weird!! The kids had fun anyway, but not overall impressive. On Monday morning we were all back to normal, the husband and I with a few less dollars in our pocket. Enjoy the pictures!

Can you hear me?

2006-05-18T06:18:00.000-07:00

Dear Aunt Carla,

We wanted to give you some flowers. I would love to leave them at your grave, but I can't. "Grave" really? I honestly don't want to leave them there at all, I want to be able to hand them to you. I would like the whole grave thing to not be there. But it is and that is life, and more than anything I wished I lived closer so I could put flowers there. I would like to sit down next to you and tell you little things from time to time. Things you should know cause you are part of our family. We miss you! Everyone, all of us, in different ways. Grandma, she is amazing! You would be so proud of her. I cannot imagine what this is like for her and she hangs tough everyday. It is around that time of year where you used to go to all those fairs and flea markets, I know it will make Aunt Candy sad to go without you this year. Victoria makes that noise! You know that noise you always made with your mouth and throat, she does it. All the time, I never taught her, she just does it. It makes me think of you all the time. You would get a kick out of hearing her make that noise. She looks just like I did when I was little too, which I am sure you would have enjoyed seeing. The boys ask about you, checking to see if you are still gone, I hate saying yes. They are all getting so big! Eric and Jessica will start kindergarten in September. Little Martin looks a lot like Tommy to me, and he is doing good. James still asks about you, whether you got a lot of time with him or not you will always be his Grandma. All in all everyone is well, but we miss you. Mom is still pretty mad, she wanted you take better care of yourself. She gets frustrated with John and Candy too. She is so neurotic it is hard to feel her good intentions through all her comments, but they are there, and she is scared to lose anyone else. I know you know that but I wish you had listened to her years ago. Anyway no more shoulda, coulda, woulda. I want you to know we have not forgotten about you. I want you to know that if I could I would stop by your grave all the time and leave you flowers and tell you what has been going on, but it is so far and the kids keep me so busy. I want you to know my little girl makes that silly noise you did. "Did", not a fan of putting it that way. I hope you can hear me. Please know that I think of you all the time. Keep us in your heart & prayers, as we do you! Talk to you soon!

I love you

Winnie

Happy Mother's Day!!

2006-05-14T20:29:00.000-07:00

Funny thing about Mother's Day, it can fall on any day or any moment.

This year it was not today for me, but it was last Saturday. Not that today was bad, not at all! The boys made me homemade cards, the hubby cooked a fantastic breakfast, and we did yard work all day. But my kids were whinny and fresh and needy all day long. I did not get to enjoy them much, such as life. But last Saturday was different. The kids all woke up happy!! They all watched cartoons together without fighting, and ate breakfast with me happily. The hubby was working so I got them all to myself. We got ready and went to the middle one's soccer game. He did well and the other two played so nicely in the field with the dandelions. Still all of them behaving. I took them for ice cream instead of lunch. Fun! There was no "He pushed me!", or "Victoria said shut up". No talking back, or snotty attitudes. I don't know why this was the day they were all in sync, but it was, and I was able to enjoy the fun parts of being a mom all day (without the nasty side effects). I love them with every fiber of my being! I love when they laugh or cry, I love their noses, and cheeks and the smell of their little noggins. I love to watch them interact with eachother, and with us. I love to watch them sleep, and listen to them talk about their day. I love to hold their little hands (which are not as little anymore), and crawl into bed with them late at night. Well I could go on and on, but I won't, I just love them! So I wish you all a Happy Mother's Day, not just today, but any day. Any time you have the moment to sit back and enjoy them, just do it. The stages pass by so quickly, from snuggling with a newborn who won't let you sleep to sending him off to college (which I can't imagine makes you sleep any better), enjoy them all. Enjoy every day you can cause no one will remember if mom always had the laundry done on time but they will remember when she let them have ice cream for lunch.

The 3 of them on the couch together having fun!

Waiting for mom so we can go!!!

A to Z all about me

2006-05-05T12:29:00.000-07:00

I stole this from someone. I enjoyed reading theirs and knew I would enjoy doing mine. So here goes......
Age - 29
Booze - YES! Crown, 7 n 7, Stoli "O", Margarita's, Twisted Teas, Long Island Iced Teas (but only the way I make them), baileys, and I will stop there before I get thirsty.
Career - Can't wait, but not quite there yet. I have about 16 years left on my current contract to feed, water, and shelter my little seeds in the hopes that they become fully grown, oxygen producing plants.
Dad's name - James
Essential Item to Bring to a Party - A pack of smokes, my friends, and whatever I'm drinking! OK so I'm lying, probably my kids, nobody really wants me anymore just the offspring. But the first answer brought me back 10 years and made me smile.
Favorite Song(s)/Music - "Superstitious" by Stevie Wonder
Goof Off Thing To Do - I'm doing it
Hometown - Middlesex, New Jersey
Instrument You Play: Played the flute in like 3rd grade, would enjoy learning the piano one day
Jam or Jelly You Like: Grape (don't like seeds in my jelly or jam)
Kids - 3, a 7 year old boy, a 5 year old boy, and a little girl who is 2 1/2
Living Arrangement - 3 kids, 2 adults and a 2000sq Ft house I know it could be worse, but some days I'm not convinced of that.
Mom's Name - Holly
Name of Best Friend - I am blessed with a few awesome friends, Lisa, Colleen, Jean, Ann Mar, Krista, and most of all my mom. I can't imagine my life without these girls.
Overnight Hospital Stays - 2 nights for each kid I gave birth to, and 8 nights when the Turtle had surgery.
Phobias - Can't think of anything, not much scares me
Quote You Like - "That which does not kill us, makes us stronger!"
Relationship That Lasted the Longest - My hubby, just about 10 years.
Siblings - 1 brother, Jimmy James!
True love, ever had? - This is for silly love novels and romantic movies.
Unique Trait - I can emotionally detach from almost any situation without any stress or anxiety I think you could actually call it emotional laziness or extreme emotional control.
Vegetable You Love - Love them all!! Veggies are my thing!
Worst Trait - speaking before I think
X-rays you've had - on my hand in search of a broken finger in high school, on my teeth (dentists love me), and I think on my foot once but I can't remember why.
Yummy Food You Make - not much of a cook, well I just happen to cook for 3 kids right now so my menu is limited, but I can throw together a good pot of chili, I can make a slamming turkey dinner; turkey, stuffing, potatoes, and home made gravy! I can also make a salad like no other! (not joking)
Zodiac Sign - LEO

Easter and the Naked Lady

2006-04-20T06:58:00.000-07:00

Easter is not a big holiday(to me), but somehow always turns into one. We had a good day this year, although the husband and I were at odds a little. The weather was beautiful, our children behaved, and my mom cooked a good dinner. Overall what more could I ask for (without being greedy)? I was sick the night before which put a damper on enjoying in any Easter candy, but I could use to lose a few pounds so it was probably for the best. My oldest was a little curious prior to Easter how a big bunny was going to just jump into our house and leave treats, understandably so, but not curious enough to ruin the fun yet. The bear was the first up and HAD to go downstairs and look before the other kids woke up. He was so excited!!! Turtle (which is what the husband calls our little girl for those of you who don't know) was excited too but we had to prompt her to be excited, if you know what I mean. The kids enjoyed their baskets and found their Easter eggs, I cooked pancakes while the husband put some mulch out in our yard. A good day.

At my mom's

Excited over hunting for eggs

Now to the naked lady story....
After our Easter festivities in the morning my oldest asked me if he could watch cartoons? I told him I would look for something for everyone to watch. The intent was to find some sort of Easter program on maybe a local channel, maybe an Easter parade? So I turned to a local channel and within seconds a naked woman is sprawled across my living room TV. The show was about an artist from the 1800's who painted beautiful paintings and one of them just happened to be a woman posing on a red velvet couch with no clothes on. Typical of this time period, very classy, but weird to my 7 year old.

"Why did he paint her naked mommy?"

As quick as I could I channel up on the remote which turned out to be the news reporting about a man who killed six people in his family, which was also confusing to my 7 year old.

"Why did he kill those people mommy?"

Two questions I was not prepared to answer this Easter morning. I was unaware of how un-kid-friendly the news was, even on Easter Sunday. So cartoons it was. Now to the funny part.

Flash forward a day and it is Monday afternoon, the kids are home on spring break, it is a beautiful day!! Several kids from the neighborhood are playing in my yard and I offer them all sidewalk chalk. No big deal right? Unless your child decides to draw a picture of a "naked lady" in your driveway for all the other kids to see. Hard not to laugh right? Even though I just don't think it is that funny, I find myself laughing every time I pull into my driveway anyway.

I hope you all had an enjoyable Easter! Enjoy the pictures!

Dilemmas of the day

2006-04-18T19:19:00.000-07:00

What do you do when one of your children takes an interest in the one thing in the whole world you don't want him to?

VIDEO GAMES! Yes, I am one of "those" mom's who believe that video games and TV could be the root of all evil. Maybe that is a little extreme, but for real I'm just not a fan of my kid zoning out for hours at a time punching, kicking, and killing other characters, or getting so involved in a dumb cartoon that he has no idea the house is on fire. Unfortunately we don't get to pick what are children enjoy. How do I tell a little boy who does great in school, and is good (overall) he can't play any video games? He is obsessed with his Gameboy, which we made him wait almost 3 years to get. He asked for one when he was 4, so we bought a Leapster and told him he was not old enough for a Gameboy. This year for Christmas he finally received a Gameboy. I did not want to buy it, but it was what he wanted, what do you do with that? When I told him he might not get a Gameboy for Christmas because he was not 7 yet (which was the magic age we told him he had to be to get a Gameboy), he said "Mom I have to tell you something. When you weren't looking I asked Santa for a Gameboy. What if he brings one?" ???????? What is a mom suppose to do with that?
So here I am loathing the one thing my child loves more than anything else in the world. He takes a Tae Kwon Do class, and does very well in school. He loves to play at the park and will go bike riding if we go with him, BUT all he really wants to do is play the Gameboy, and I hate that! I monitor it, set time limits, and take it away if he does anything wrong, but I can't make him not like it. Which leads me to my next parenting dilemma......
How do I raise two TOTALLY different boys and get the same outcome? The desire outcome would be "a college educated, strong, respectful, happy and productive member of society, who loves his mom."

My middle child (5) is a very active little boy. He would spend all day outside, he thinks Gameboy is "boring", and rarely sits through a whole movie. He is fearless, and rambunctious, constantly has a wise-ass comment for things, and always acts "cool" somewhat like Fonzie from Happy Days.

My oldest on the other hand is much calmer. He would like to watch TV or play video games all day, he draws (very well), and reads comic books.

I strive to nurture both of their strengths and weaknesses, but how? I want to scream at them "Stop playing stupid video games they will rot your brain out!" and "Get off that skate board you're gonna break your leg!". How do I act proud of a child that just beat "Darth Vader" in his newest video game? How do I let the other one out the front door when I know he is likely to break or hurt something on the very same body that I gave birth to a few short years ago? When I finally get this supportive but not over-bearing mom thing down I will then have to teach them how to respect eachother's differences. AAAAHHHHHH! They are only 5 and 7, and I have a little girl to deal with after that. Wish me luck!

The never ending birthday bash!

2006-04-12T21:56:00.000-07:00

He waited patiently for 364 days for this day to come!!

Seven is an odd age, he is not by any means a little kid anymore, but he is not a big kid either. He has out grown the "Invite everyone in the class" kinda parties. So he decided he wanted to take some friends to the movies this year to celebrate. Saturday night we took a total of eleven kids out for pizza and movies, lucky for us six parents stayed. Ice Age The Meltdown was the movie of choice. He had a great time, and "Savannah" sat next to him in the movies, which I know he enjoyed! Sunday we had our family and some close friends over. That was a good time also. I cooked a 24lb. turkey and some stuffing, Anne Marie brought a few salads also, and we had almost nothing left over at the end of the day! This means it all tasted good! Yeah! Then Monday was the actual big day. We had a special snack at school and I took him shopping after school to spend his birthday money and giftcards. Gameboy games were the popular item with him this year. He chose nachos for dinner and we watched Harry Potter until almost 10 pm. What a busy three days!! Thankfully we are on springbreak now, could we could all use some down time. Again the waiting has begun for our "eighth" birthday to come so we can get all the things we did not receive for our seventh birthday!

How did I lose 7 years?

2006-04-02T13:19:00.000-07:00

I just never have as much time as I would like to have. There has been more things then I care to count that I was hoping to blog about but as the days go on the things on my mind change and when I finally sit down I can't think of a damn thing that has happened all week. My oldest and youngest caught a stomach bug Thursday to about Saturday. That was fun, for now no one else seems to have it (cross your fingers). My girlfriend has had it circle through her house for 3 weeks now, I am not up for that!!
My oldest is turning 7 in 8 days. So hard for me to believe. A few nights ago the kids were watching a video my stepfather made with stuff from our wedding and when the kids were born. WOW! They were so tiny, and sweet, and we were so young. I wish I could get those years back (kinda). What a different time that was for us. My husband and I both saw it, they were like different people in the movie. Not bad, but now my little babies are 7 and 5 and 2 1/2. I enjoy them being older too, but I miss the tiny people they used to be. I miss my boyfriend too! It was wierd to watch the husband and I interact with eachother. We were just young and dumb and in love! We had no idea what we were in for. Now we are always working and paying bills, or saving money, talking about tile or mulch colors, trees or pavers, minivan or SUV ect. I'm sure you get the point. My love for him has not faded a bit (on average) :), in fact I love him more now than ever, but I miss the days when our life was not so complicated. "Youth is wasted on the young!" And I am not really old yet.
I have decided I want to do the LIVESTRONG CHALLENGE this year in September. It is a 5k walk or run. There is also a 10k run the same day. My husband said he would do it with me, which is awesome!! Part of me would like to try and do the run, because I would have to train for it and it would be an accomplishment for me, and part of me wants to do the walk and bring the kids along and let them get something out of the experience also. I have been sad about my Aunt Carla, and I thought this would be a productive way to deal with my saddness. I would also like to raise a good amount of money. So many people raise so much money for cancer research, it is frustrating we don't have a cure yet! I could write a whole post on this topic! There are so many foundations and so many people raising money............WHAT THE F***!
Anyway, randomly my neighbor decided she would cut my baby girl's hair 2 weeks ago! Yup, you heard me right! She was watching my kids and decided to cut some bangs in her hair cause her hair was in her face. For the record, we were trying to grow her hair to all one length.

No we did not flip out, what was done was done. But, WHO DOES THAT??
I hope you all enjoyed the beautiful weekend!! I will post about our Birthday celebrations next week!!

A run for my money

2006-03-10T22:09:00.000-08:00

Just a short little story I thought I would share.........

So tonight we are all sitting at the table for dinner having a pretty good time (good enough story in itself). My middle child leans over and says to me,

"mom, can I whisper to you?"

I lean in and he says

"I have a magnetic ball in my belly".

I immediately know that he means one of the balls from the MAGNETIX toys grandma gave them for Christmas. He gives me a very insecure smile, and inside I start to panic!

"What do you mean you have a magnetic ball in your belly?" I say with a smile.

"I had one in my mouth, I was drooling on Jacob, and I swallowed it."

Oh my god!! I take a deep breath and start thinking. It should just pass through right? Oh man, what if doesn't? The husband gets instantly angry. I know he is thinking about how many times we have told that boy to keep things out of his mouth. That boy is looking at me for a reaction? The husband starts to yell, I tell him to walk away and calm down. I call around to my mom and aunt (who have raised 6 kids between the 2 of them), and they both feel that it should just pass through his system. My oldest then says

"Mom, it's ok. I swallowed a ball once at Bell's house and it came out in my poop! All kids do it once."

I decide I'm going to call the Dr at 8 O'clock on a Friday night cause it will help make me feel better about this whole thing. Let me just sit and ask him a few more questions. As it turns out he did indeed swallow a magnetic ball, but it was on Monday night. Yup, that was 4 days ago. I guess better than the years later I am hearing about the older one's swallowing incident, but still 4 days ago! I'm sure it is out already and trying to clog my drains as I type! I then put in a movie and took a minute to calm myself, the husband was trying to do the same. Scary and funny all in one. Mostly it just reminds me of the job that will never end with each of them. There is no magic age they turn where you can stop worrying about them. I pray all the time for them to be safe, and so far so good. But I could live another 60 years, which is roughly 22,000 days, and I am sure every one of those days I will worry about one of them, if not all.

I have had that kind of week where you question just what was I thinking when I decided to do this whole "playing house" thing. This would be a very fitting end to this week. Any other week this may have been more funny to me, but this week it is just overwhelming. I hope you all get a laugh out of it though.

exposed

2006-03-07T09:20:00.000-08:00

Today I blog because I have no desire to do laundry or make lunch or clean the kitchen? My oldest is at school, middle one is grounded, baby is watching "Sharkboy & Lavagirl" her fav lately. I have too much on my mind to do anything today. I long to blog about it, but you know...maybe I don't. If I were to start to blog about the many things that have been on my mind lately it would definitely catch someone's attention, not what I am looking for. People would offer advice and try to help, not what I am looking for. But these "things" as I will call them are starting to consume my thoughts more often, much, and I might be getting a little bitter. NO GOOD! Last night at work this girl, who is in a lot and very cute, starts the "drunk act" (ever watch 50 first dates?). Dancing around for attention, acting like she is my best friend, we all know the "drunk act". She shouts to me "Winona! My Girl!! Let me get a "invisible" shot of vodka. HOOK IT UP!" Basically asking for a free shot, I chilled some good old H2O rubbed some vodka on the rim and said "Pass this to MY GIRL". The thoughts that followed were what upset me, usually I laugh at shit like that, gotta make some fun out of this dumb job, but this time I thought F'in tramp! I'm not your friend. Sad, the stress in my life is starting to make me bitter, not my style. I am a glass 1/2 full kinda girl and it's wearing me down. What to do, what to do? I would give ANYTHING to feel like my old self again, cause right now the glass is not only 1/2 empty but the stuff inside that glass is so gross I would rather go thirsty! SAD I'm sure this is all part of life, but sad none the less. Don't mistake this for a pity party I am hoping if I start to put these feelings out a little eventually I will attempt to address them. Thanx for reading and not commenting in advance:)
Don't look at my spelling today colleen cause I'm not even in the mood to spell check, sorry.

Not Today

2006-02-12T19:52:00.000-08:00

Many mornings when I wake up with only 2 hours of sleep, and there is dishes from dinner the night before, and toys everywhere I wonder how the hell I got to where I am. When I am doing laundry they are hungry, when I am making breakfast they can't find any clean pants. When I am cleaning their rooms they are pulling all the toys out of the toy room and putting them behind the couch. Every moment of every day is consumed by taking some sort of care of one of my beautiful children. Now add in my husband. Not a bad guy at all, very unmotivated. He is capable but always needs a little nudge, (almost always). Let's add to this pile a full time bartending job which by no means challenges me mentally, but does consume all my sleep time. There are just days when I can't believe this is my real life. I am planning a vacation to Disney with my family for NEXT March! I love my kids, and my husband, and would be lost without some of the people I work with, but it is the things that I actually waste my time doing with my days that depresses me. Driving, cleaning, pouring juice, folding laudry, cutting sandwiches, yelling, refereing, checking homework, driving to work, serving drinks & food, and then home to sleep. Not what I had expected or wished for, so many days I find myself longing for just a little more. But not today!

Boys Will Be Boys

2006-02-10T13:26:00.000-08:00

Someone please tell what would be the proper punishment for a certain 4 year old little boy who........jumps off the back of the couch and grabs a hold of the curtains to break the fall!!!! Not once but twice! Then he proclaimed it was by accident. My curtains and the poor rods! It is not as bad as it could be, the curtains were not destroyed and I may be able to bend the rods back, but the wholes in the wall where the screws used to be are there to stay. Yes of course I could spackle (or something) them up, sand them down, and then hope we have some of the same paint still laying around and repaint it. Then I could rehang the curtains and hope that he never does it again. Unfortunately I probably will just rehang the curtains and wait till we repaint the room to fix the rest. But back to the question at hand "what is the proper punishment for such actions??". When I was little my mother probably would have beaten me with the very rod I pried from the wall. Today that seems to be
an inappropriate punishment. So what, what do I do?

I'm Still Here

2006-02-09T22:40:00.000-08:00

OK, I know it's been awhile. We have been busy here, and I seem to have a cold that is hanging around for way too long and making me unmotivated to blog. Plenty has gone on, just no desire to sit down and write about it. Jacob had his first science project due, FUN! He had to pick a animal a due a small 6 sentence report on it, telling things like "what does your animal eat?", "how does it move", "when does it sleep"' stuff like this. Although being forced to do work on the weekends and rewrite his report to be neat was annoying for him I still think we all had fun. Jace started a new job. Eric pulled my curtain rods out of the wall, and Victoria heard mommy say "fucking shitty" and repeated back to her for a couple of days. Thank God my mother was not here!! But overall everyone is well. I will post again soon I have some things on my brain but it is way past my bedtime.

To smoke or not to smoke

2006-01-11T11:42:00.000-08:00

I am pleased to report that New Jersey will be the 10th state to go smokefree!

Oddly this is a cause for much debate. I actually argued with my mother the other day, who by the way is a non-smoker, about this "almost" new law. She feels that we should be able to choose whether or not we want to smoke, work in a smoking place, choose to wear our seatbelts, have our kids wear helmets on their bikes, etc. It would be nice if we all just took responsibility for ourselves. But, too many people don't want to. I personally feel I should have the right to work, dine, or drink in a smoke free environment. I know that smokers, which I am occasionally, feel they should have the right to smoke where ever they work, dine, or drink. Unfortunately smoke is harmful to not just the smoker but those people around him or her. This article shows a good "Pro" point of view. Second hand smoke is harmful, and costly to our country. For that reason I think the government has the right to create laws to protect those who do not smoke. You can't smoke in the movies, or at the mall, or at just about any normal day job, why should where you choose to eat or drink be different? Even though I do enjoy a cigarette when I am drinking, I am going to guess that most people are not going to die from going outside, on the contrary we may all live a little longer. As for the government controlling us, as long as they pick something that is in the best interest of all our health, how can we fault them?

Carpe Diem

2006-01-10T06:23:00.000-08:00

If I could freeze a moment in time, this would be the one!! The missing teeth, little toes, and big, I'm gonna get a lollipop if these come out good, smile are all priceless to me. They get bigger and bigger every year and I am more than excited to have captured this moment in time before it was over. I hope you enjoy it too.

Happy New Years!!

2006-01-02T06:40:00.000-08:00

Happy New Year to everyone who might read this!! I hope you all had a wonderful 2005, and may 2006 be as good or even better.

I can't say that 2005 was exceptionally good or bad for us. I do know that I hope for better this year!! I enjoy the start of a new year because it is a good reason to be motivated to start new good habits or maybe kill old bad habits (which is usually less likely). So as a rule I like to talk about the things I would like start doing. I also try not to expect anything to major, last year I wanted to get our finances in order, I am happy to report we are just about there. I also wanted to exercise more and I am unhappy to report that I never achieved this one. This year not only am I going to make a few "resolutions", but I am putting them on this blog for everyone to see. I hope at the end of the year I can look back and feel that I have done alright.

#1 My first goal this year is to get ahead. We worked our butt's off all year long to recover from a couple of huge financial set backs that we had the year before (our 7mo. old daughter in the hospital for a week). In 2006 I would like to get ahead, start putting into our retirement and the kids college funds again, do some work on our house that we wanted, start up our savings again, and make a couple good long term investments.

#2 My second goal will be to make some sort of career move. We are done (hopefully) making babies, and I have no desire to be a bartender for the rest of my life. This year I would like to get my realestate license. I would love to sell realestate, and substitute teach one day. I do not have enough credits to sub yet, and without the kids in school more I am not ready to commit to going back to school, so my goal this year is to just get my realestate license.

#3 Read more. Not really hard, but I will need to manage my time better. I would like to read to the kids and myself more. I love reading and do to the kids a lot, but I would like to read more to them because they love it, and I would like to read for my own pleasure more because over the last few years I have not made anytime for that.

#4 Take my kids somewhere new and fun. Last year we went Baltimore Inner Harbor and they had blast!! I would like to go somewhere else this year that they will enjoy and remember. I would like to take them somewhere new every year, and I hope when they get older they will enjoy having all the memories (and pictures) of all the fun places we went as a family over the years.

#5 This is my most challeging goal of the year...... to get my family and I more healthy. We are not unhealthy, but we could be a lot MORE healthy. I would like to try cooking new things and expanding our menu a bit, trying more fish, different veggies, more beans, and less meat based meals. I know this will make my husband somewhat sad but I never make red meat good anyway. I would like to workout out more regularly, whatever it may be; walking, jumping rope, doing a workout tape, I really don't care. I would just like to commit to doing it more consistently. Hopefully this will help me lose the extra 15lbs that I would like to lose by this summer, and help the kids to get out and be more active.

Well those are my "goals" for the year, and hopefully blogging them will help me keep them in mind for the year. I wish all you good luck with any goals you might have set for yourself.

May 2006 be a happy, healthy, and productive year for all of us!

All Fours (thanx Sotolongo!)

2005-12-31T10:11:00.000-08:00

It seems I have been tagged with the All Fours blog chain, so here goes

*Four Jobs You've Had
-Telemarketer (when I was 14)
-Preschool teacher
-Bartender/server
-MOM

*Four Movies You Could Watch Over and Over
-GREASE
-50 First Dates
- Dave
-We Were Soldiers

*Four Places You've Lived (nothing exciting)
-Middlesex, NJ
-Plainfield, NJ
-Linden, NJ
-Forks Twsp, PA

*Four TV Shows You Love To Watch
-Extreme Makeover: Home Edition
-Apprentice
-American Idol
-Good Morning America

*Four Places You've Been On Vacation
-Colorado
-New Orleans
-Baltimore Inner Harbor
-Disney

*Four Websites I Visit Everyday
- horoscopes
-bank website
-Realestate.com
-Ebay

*Four Of Your Favorite Foods
-Italian
-Chinese
-Salads (when they have tons of veggies and good dressing)
-Jace's breakfast sandwiches

*Four Places You'd Rather Be
-With my Aunt Carla (any place)
-In Florida at my Uncle John's house
-Backpacking in Europe
-Laying on a beach in Hawaii

*Four People Who Should Do This
-Sal (I know I'm # 3, but I've been looking to see if you did it, you've been tagged again)
-Jace (I just wonder if I would know the answers)
-Angela (haven't known you long enough to know all the answers)
-Jimmy (known you so long, I wonder if I know these little things about you)

(*xia I hope I spelled your old last name right)

Christmas 2005

2005-12-29T20:48:00.000-08:00

The Good and Bad Things About Christmas This Year

:) Christmas eve was on a Saturday, so we had the chance to go to my mom's and Aunt Candy's.

:) We went to our family Christmas Eve party, which we have not gone to in awhile. It was a tradition I did my whole life. We would dance around the tree singing Christmas carols and Santa would come and give us all some presents. It was something I always looked forward to as a kid and I didn't realize how much I missed going until we went again this year.

:( This was our first year without Aunt Carla. My Aunt Candy had an ornament with her picture in it and we all saw it as we danced around the tree. I miss her. I find it hard to believe she is really gone, I guess over time it will seem more normal.

:( Couldn't really get along with the husband this holiday season. We've had a lot of money stress lately, I guess that is suppose wear on us. He found it frustrating that I bought so much for Christmas?? We don't charge, and in my eyes I did not go crazy at all! None the less not fun when you can't enjoy the holidays with your husband, thank god for the kids this year.

:) The pictures we had done of the kids for Christmas this year came out great!!! I hope most of you got one in the mail, but if I probably will post one when I get time.

:) My brother and Pete slept over this year. Fun!! The kids loved having them there, so did we. We were all up wrapping presents until 4 am. When Jacob woke up at 6:30 to tell us all Santa had come it was so enjoyable to see these two bachelor be woken up by three small children at 6:30 am.

:) Santa came!! He brought Jacob a Nintendo DS (but not his front teeth), Eric a Batman radio, and Victoria tons of girlie stuff (dress up shoes and clothes, baby dolls, playschool house, and ponies), but she played in a box half the morning. Eric also received the soundtrack to GREASE (one of his favorites lately) and has been dancing aroung the house singing "tell me more, tell me more" for days now (see below).

:) We had good memories this year! The kids are growing up very fast and I know I will always remember the year Jacob played his Nintendo DS for the whole week, and Eric danced to the GREASE cd for just as long.

:( Santa never brought the "Muppets, Season 1 DVD", or my wedding video. Mr. & Mrs. Clause slacked a little this year.

:( The kids are growing fast.

:( Although they were in the same room for awhile, my father and brother have still not called a truce. They have been angry with eachother for almost 2 years now. It seems like such a waste of time to me. I love them both so much and I can not see why they only see the bad in eachother. I could write a post on this subject and maybe one day I will, but for now it will just go under bad things about this Christmas.

Any Christmas that you spend with your family, and have your health is a good one. I hope you all were as lucky as we were this year.

MERRY CHRISTMAS!!

2005-12-25T06:40:00.000-08:00

After all the shopping and wrapping and visits to Santa, the day has finally arrived!! I wish you all a Merry Christmas!! I hope Santa has brought you everything you wanted.

SNOW IS FUN!!

2005-12-21T06:10:00.000-08:00

So many things I have had on my mind to blog about lately, just no time. Tree decorating, school party hoping, shopping for ??? whatever is left on the shelf at this point, present wrapping, card addressing, and meal planning have consumed every moment of my day. We had a snow storm last week that brought us all a much needed brake. It snowed about 6 - 7 inches here and the kids had a blast. The boys (including dad) figured out that they could snowboard on the small hill in our back yard and they had HOURS of fun. Only a few days left till the big day and I hope you are all having a nice holiday season. Santa has to get back to work now enjoy your day.

The Things I Worry About

2005-12-08T01:56:00.000-08:00

Sometimes I wonder if everyone worries like me, that every little thing they do will mess their kids up.

I am extremely aware that they are watching everything I do! They watch when I laugh, and watch when I cry. They watch when I yell, and when I don't. They see when Jace and I disagree and when we fight. Everything from what I wear , to what I eat, to what I watch on TV is under the microscope!! This is a huge responsibility they do not mention when they show you how to change a diaper. It is not until you see your child display one of your bad habits that you realize you have the ability to mess them up completely, and at this point some damage is already undone.
Ok, no problem I will just set a good example from now on.....uh.....what exactly is a good example? Sh*t! I have no idea what I am doing!
When do you help them and when do you make them figure it out on their own? When do you protect them and when do you let them get hurt? When do you hide your mistakes and when do you say "deal with them people make them all the time". When you yell at them is it good when they yell back or disrespectful? Do you get them everything they want for Christmas or just a few things, and which few things should you buy? Do you get them what they want or what they need? When they fight with eachother do you get involved or let them work it out? And how long do you let them "work it out" before you finally step in (this one applies to boys especially)? Should I give them chores and an allowance or just make them help because they live here? The problem is not the answers, if you talk it out with your husband and friends or family, read a few articles online, pick up a book or two you can usually figure out where you stand and how you want to deal with most issues. The problem is the quick reaction time you need to deal with each and every issue. By the time you realize you have stumbled across something important you have already reacted, or decided, or answered. Then you are just left to wonder if that was the right way to deal with it or not, and to stress about what to do next time.
I want them to grow up to be considerate, compassionate, competent, and confident adults. I don't care what they do for a living or if they go to college, but I want to them to be able to make good decisions on their own about things. And I want them to understand the importance of each decision they make. I want them to treat the people above them AND the people below them with respect. I want them to come home every once in awhile for dinner, and call me when they can't make it. I want them to ALWAYS feel close to me, but not dependent on me. I want to encourage them to go after what they want. I also want them to be smart enough to want what is good for them (at least when it really counts). I want them to be HAPPY. I want them to be SUCCESSFUL. I want them to be LOVING. And SATISFIED, and HUMBLE, and EAGER, and SINCERE. The list could go on and on. These thoughts fill my head and heart so full I can feel them start to spill out my eyes. How do two people accomplish all this for three people? Some how this parenting thing went from wiping butts and reading books to transforming innocent and sweet little human beings into an extraordinary adults. I am completely unprepared for this job!!

The Never Ending Cold!!

2005-12-03T06:42:00.000-08:00

I am sitting at my computer drinking my coffee and decided I wanted to post about this DAMN COLD! Does anyone else have this stupid cold, (besides my mom whom has complained about it for awhile)? I wake up coughing, congested, with a runny nose and bad headache. It hangs around all day, then kicks me in the butt at night again. I had this cold for Victoria's birthday party (nov.13), I had it for my aunt carla's funeral (nov 18), we all had it for Thanksgiving (nov 24), and now I will have it for Jace's work x-mas party (dec 3). I am getting tired of the cold. I could go the Dr. , but I much prefer to weather the storm than pump antibiotics into my system. I am skeptical about all the drugs that are prescribed now a days. The cold has traveled through the entire family, and is now back to me. I'm sure the lack of sleep all week has not helped at all, but none the less, I WANT IT TO GO AWAY! I hope none of you have this cold! Sorry to bore you with this but I wanted to complain about this dumb cold before I go back to the mom stuff where no one will listen to me complain.

The middle child

2005-12-01T12:07:00.000-08:00

Why do people say the middle child gets shafted?
First of all look at his adorable face!! The oldest and the youngest have adorable faces too, but that does not make his less adorable. He can be funny, and incredibly loving! The oldest and the youngest can too but it does not make him less funny or less loving. He loves to wear button-down shirts, unbuttoned and with a t-shirt underneath, he thinks it makes him look like a "rocket star". He likes to wear boxers to bed (at 4). He cried nonstop when he was a baby. He is more even tempered than his older brother, but much meaner at times too. He was not the first to go to kindergarten, but he was the first to score a soccer goal! He is just his own person, not better, not worse than the other two, just different. I have never felt bored with his age because I've already had one at that age before. More often I am amazed that 4 year olds can be so similar and so different at the same time.
But will he use the middle child excuse anyway? Will he grow up and feel like he missed out on something because he was the middle child, or he was treated different than the older one and younger one? The fun thing about having 3 kids is having three different experiences for everything!! Why would the middle experience hold less importance?? He teaches me just as much as the other two do, there have been many times when I was dreading doing something with him because it was never fun to do with the older one and he makes it fun and easy. There has also been times that I have been looking forward to doing something that I always enjoyed with the older one and it turns out to be a disaster! This holds true for the younger one too. I love them all, in different ways, don't understand the middle child thing. I hope he never feels like "a middle child".
Eric playing guitar to his "friend" Alix

Could Always Be Worse

2005-11-26T13:50:00.000-08:00

Two angels are sent to watch over a poor family in need of some good luck. The family has nothing but a tiny broken down house, eachother, and a cow that they use for their only source of income since the father fell ill. At night the angels would take turns watching over them, one morning they all woke to find the cow had died. The one angel says to the other "How could you let this happen? Now they will have nothing! It was our job to watch over them, and we have failed them!". "We have not failed them at all, last night the angel of death came for the mother and I convinced him the take the cow instead."

This was and incedible message that I could not help but to share

with anyone who will read this!

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!!

2005-11-25T09:57:00.000-08:00

There are a thousand things, at least, I could be thankful for this year. (and every year for that matter) Some of them I would like to share with you.

*COFFEE, yeah healthy kids could go first, but when your kids are sick, you can still get a cup of coffee!
*My kids!!! I am thankful for all the ways they challenge me, for all the things they teach me about myself (good and bad), for all the experiences only parents get to have (good and bad), and for all the funny little things they say!
*My husband! Without him it would be so much harder to enjoy and be thankful for the items mentioned above!! Without him who would I call a thousand times a day to voice the millions of stupid little things that go thru my head, who would make me eggs in the morning and wash my dishes at night, who would wake up and spoon at 4am when I smell like an ashtray, who would I nag at, and who would I drink my coffee with!!!!
*Sex! It could have been mentioned above with "the husband", but I like it enough to give it it's own line! Even when you don't have it a lot, it's worth being thankful for! I've noticed sometimes when you stop being thankful for something it tends to go away, so this year sex gets it's own line!
*Family and Friends and the never ending support they bring into our life!!
*My brother, again he could be grouped in with the above mentioned, but deserves a line of his own!
*I am unbelievably thankful for our good luck and fortune! When I watch the aweful things that go on around world I am thankful to be untouched by it all (so far).
*My house and comfort and stabilty it brings my family.
*Equity (in the above mentioned) Do I really need to give a reason on why I am thanful for that?!
*My computer, it makes it possible for me to share all the things I am thankful for with the whole world! And pictures of my kids too!
*TURKEY, STUFFING, MASHED POTATOES, GRAVY, CORN, SWEET POTATOES, ROLLS, AND EVERYTHING THAT GOES ALONG WITH A THANKSGIVING DINNER!

I have many more things I am thankful for but I'm gonna go eat leftovers now! I hope you all had a wonderful day, and have as many things to be thankful for as I do.

The Monkey

2005-11-16T20:24:00.000-08:00

Sometimes we need something different from the norm to happen to break up our routine.

On any normal day I pick the monkey up from the bus stop we argue about why he can't invite himself over a friend's house that day, drive the two blocks home and pull his homework out, or wait for dad to come home so I can go to work, and dad pulls the homework out. So today I race to the grocery store, after getting the bear, to get dinner for tonight and chili stuff for friday. We are all still sick and I wanted to make something good and hearty to give our immune systems a jump start. The viewing and funeral for my aunt stuck in my brain, "I gotta bring chili", "Jace's suit needs to be cleaned", "don't forget the salad", "How will I tell the kids?", "What the hell am I gonna wear", "Where will we stay?", "When am I gonna pack, What am I gonna pack?", "Who will watch the kids", "Why does my mom have to be so angry with everyone right now?", And most importantly "Did my Aunt Carla really die?!?". Over and over these thoughts slowly passing through my thickly congested head. "Hurry and get the stuff you need and get to the bus, Jacob gets out early", I think to myself. As I pull up to the bus stop I see the bus pull away, "Whew! He did not have to wait for me". But wait Jacob does not get off the bus today? I ask another mom if she saw him and she says no, I ask 2 of his friends and they say they did not see him on the bus today. Where is my child??? I call the school and start to drive over there immediately. The lady in the office checks with his teacher, I pull up to the school, NO JACOB! They call him over the loud speaker, and call the transportation dept. (bus drivers), nobody has a extra kid yet. I tell them if they find him hold on to him and call me, I'm gonna go drive around the neighborhood and knock on doors. WHERE IS MY KID!! Starting to panic I call Jace, "Our kid did not get off the bus, and is not at school, currently he is missing. I need you to come home". I call a neighbor and ask her to start looking around the neighborhood, I am at least 3 minutes away and scared. Just as I start to reach our developement I see a bus coming from the other direction, "PLEASE BE JACOB" and sure enough the bus stops in front of the bus stop, and Jacob comes running off the bus, "Mom, guess what? I know where Kevin lives now!". The bus driver gives me the scoop, I call everyone to tell them he is found, I hold him tight rubbling my cheek and lips against his soft hair breathing in the scent from his noggin! Each one of my kids has a delicious smell to their noggins, a smell that makes me feel like butterflies flutter around my heart! Today that smell made the thoughts of the funeral unimportant for a moment, and the arguements about going to a friend's house and doing his homework silly also! Tomorrow we may argue about going to a friends house again, but I am willing to bet I will enjoy that arguement more than I did yesterday!

Learning

2005-11-10T04:04:00.000-08:00

Today is turtle's 2nd birthday. Hard to believe that 2 years has passed since she was born. An incredible change for us to have a little girl, but and enjoyable one.
Happy Birthday Baby Girl!!
We welcome the ponies and shortcakes you ask for, and all the other ways you will (and have) changed our life. May we have many more birthdays to share with you!!

Can't Sleep

2005-11-10T02:03:00.000-08:00

So this blogging thing is so new to me that I did not know how to make a new post for awhile. Which at this point does not really matter because no one is reading this anyway. It is the middle of the night and I am writting because I can not sleep. AC is not doing well and mom thinks it is time soon. Sad, scared, angry!! At 29 years of age this will be my first close up experience with death. For anyone who might stumble across this blog.... I am damn lucky, I know! But it seems as though the luck has run out. More so hers and not mine. But in a selfish way I am deeply saddened. She is not my mother, or my sister, or someone involved in my day to day actions, but she is someone invovled in my day to day thoughts and memories. She is a part of who I am, maybe less for me than other people, but none the less a part of me. Is she scared? Does she feel safe? Will she slip off quietly? Will it hurt? Will she be alone? God please don't let her be alone! How can that be it? How do we have family things without her? There will be a empty space in our family. Her passing will forever make us all feel a little bit short of whole when we are all together. Does she know how we will miss her? If I could have one wish today it would be for her to always be able to see us and know we are missing her. I long for her spirit to have the ability to be with us and still enjoy the days that we spend together. For her to see her son when he is happy and when he is sad. To have the ability to wrap her love around him when he is lonely for her. I hope she has the ability to see james grow into a little boy, and then into a man, and I long for her to enjoy in the relationship he and ricky will develope, and to know that it is all because of her. I long for her to not leave us but that being completely impossible I long for her to have complete peace within herself. And I long for us all to be reminded that time is undefined and to waste no moment.

Why Blog?

2005-10-04T19:10:00.000-07:00

I think to myself do I really need to have a blog? I do like sitting at the computer more than writing in a notebook. But if I shared real feelings and thoughts I'm sure I would not want people to read it. So I find myself wondering will this just be another way to share what my kids are doing, and how big they are growing, or will I share some hardcore thoughts with random strangers. I could write when I can't sleep, or it might keep me from sleeping. I could write when I'm upset, or stressed, but would I write what I feel or would I write what someone who is reading this would want to hear. Would I go back and reflect on them, or will I just babble in hopes to entertain someone. I guess a blog eventually creates it's own purpose, I hope to keep honest, and sincere while creating this. I hope it creates it's own purpose, for me.