My Life Generally

A scheduled blog... lol

2010-12-04T20:10:00.000-05:00

So I made it a priority to find time to write, now some inspiration... Not too much happening this week, schedules went on as usual despite some rather irritating car issues.

Thing One is a revved up with no place to go these days, poor kid, so much like Momma. I need to find her an ongoing activity to keep her occupied. She has asked to be placed back into a dance class, and has been doing ballet skits around anyone willing to watch, maybe there is something there left to be seen... In observing how much she and I are a like I still fail to recognize the link on HOW to work with her. You would think being so a like it would be easy, but nope, I understand all she does, and have done it, but I fail to communicate effectively why things should be a certain way. Any insights here? lol

Thing Two, poor kid trying to test her boundaries, and while with Thing One there was some negotiating as we tried to find what out our boundaries were, Thing Two doesn't have a chance because now they are firmly in place. This kid also has had me in hysterics the past two days saying what sounds like F* it! She mumbles though, and that word is never used in our house so I am only left to guess she is trying to say something else. She has said it means stop, but when asked if she is trying to say bucket while we hold one up, she says yes.. Stay tuned for this one... lol

Thing Three, just like Thing One, full steam ahead! She is trying to just get up and stand, cruising the furniture and trying to get around by any means fast enough to get here and there! I can not believe she has gotten so big so quickly, despite my having made a very conscious effort to slow down and watch more as this is to be our last baby. She is also signing away as she tries to talk, Mama and Dada have been said, and signing for "Baba" and "More" have been done, can't wait to see what is next for this little observant one!

What is so hard about posting?

2010-11-26T20:53:00.001-05:00

So, I am trying to figure out what is so hard about posting regularly. One could argue that I have a lot to do with 3 children, 1 husband, and three-ish jobs, but I still have time to Facebook, so why not blog? When I started this blog it was meant to be somewhat of a journal, not a private, detailed one, but one to tell a story of my families life, one that one day I could pass to my kids so they could have a detailed memory of their childhood. FAIL... Or at least part of it! lol. Here is to me TRYING again! Maybe if I set a reminder on my phone for a weekly time to do it?

Hmmm, while we are talking about FAILING, yesterday was Thanksgiving, our first Thanksgiving home since Thing One was first born, and our first Thanksgiving at our house with my parents, and Thing Three's first Thanksgiving, and the first Thanksgiving I forgot to take ANY pictures. FAIL. Booo!

Hello Spring!

2010-04-02T16:21:00.001-04:00

Spring means so many things, days of relentless rain, teasingly warm days with the first seasons sunburns, longer days, and yes, of course then end of classes for the spring semester! Just as it gets harder to stay indoors I have no choice because I am into the final month of classes and have final projects, the regular material and finals to worry about. I want to start all kinds of new projects. I have ideas rolling out of my head for hair bows, some dresses I would love to make the girls, especially Thing One, her summer wardrobe is looking a little empty!

Yesterday was the first nice day since the downpours. We received 5 inches of rain in 2 days, we also live near a dam, so I figured it would make for a nice trip to drive up to the dam and see all that is flooded. Half the park was underwater, we couldn't even access the beach where the dam was due to all the flooding, but it did make for a nice long walk and some nice pictures!

We took time out today to grill outside for our lunch today, some hot dogs and hamburgers and followed it with a walk to Dunkin Dounuts for drinks and then to the playground. I will miss being able to walk to a Dunkin Donuts and a playground when we move out of here!

Tomorrow we plan to go to a local park for an Easter Egg hunt. I haven't told the kids, but I think they will really enjoy it a lot. I am happy to have kids that would much rather play outside than be cooped up in the house. They are more and more like me every day. I am sure they are more and more like their father too, but I really don't know what he did when he was a kid, I can only speak for myself. I guess I'll have to ask him.

See, there is still mystery! lol

So until next time know that my house will be a mess, and I won't be around because my nose will either be buried in school books, or I will be out enjoying the spring with my kids!

TIME IN!

2010-03-25T13:37:00.002-04:00

Almost a year later, and here I have resurfaced. It's amazing what can change in a year, your hopes, dreams, priorities, everything. It's truly amazing! Did I say amazing? Because it's amazing!

These days are filled with working on a PT crafting business, tending to a newborn, educating 2 other little girls, taking 3 college courses myself, maintaining our home, and scheming up ideas to get a new home while paying down the ever elusive debt.

I feel more stressed and overwhelmed than ever, but also more full, happy and satisfied than ever before. I am in the optimistic point of my life where I truly feel I can accomplish anything if I can handle all that I have now... if only I could find more time for those crafts!!

Welcome back to my crazy, beautiful life!

I needed a Time Out!

2009-04-14T13:48:00.002-04:00

So life had gotten the better of me for awhile there. It still does sometimes, but what can you do? So here I am, back and writing.

We are all recovering from a nasty stomach bug at the end of a nasty few weeks. We all had it, we feasted on rice for Easter dinner at home because it was so bad. The interesting part to the beginning of this story is that it began as Thing Two hitting her head. She hit her head, and cried, but acted normal, ate lunch, and then napped. It was when she got up from her nap that I discovered vomit all over and suspected that maybe she had a concussion, so I took her to the ER. They did a CT Scan and she was fine. So then they had to rule out a bladder infection, and any obstructions. Several hours later when she exploded her diaper they figured that it must be a stomach bug. The rest of us in the house here was able to confirm that with in hours. They kept her overnight for observation and prevention of dehydration, and she was released. Let's look at some stats here:

Thing One, trips to ER, 0
Thing Two, trips to ER, 3
Thing One, hospital stays, 0
Thing Two, hospital stays, 1
I think we may have our hands full with this one...

I didn't get into my first choice for nursing school. There is one other that I will go for, and if that falls through then I need another plan for the fall. I can't just sit idly. I am thinking if I don't make it that I will just either start taking classes for fun to hep myself active and keep my GPA up, and I have also thought about re-taking some of my classes to see if I can get higher grades. Of course there is always that chance I may get a lower one...

We had tried to get into a house that was rent to own. It was a by chance deal that we found, we thought it was looking really good, but it fell through. So we took that as a sign that maybe we are supposed to stay right here for right now.

Thing One can count to ten now. She is so proud, and she sings, it really is the cutest thing.

Thing Two can say things, but she doesn't hasn't gotten to that little spot where all of a sudden the words start exploding out of her- she is close. For now she can efficiently communicate what she needs so thats less frustrating.

I haven't shredded in I don't know how long. I have gotten to go for a few nice long walks on the few nice days we have had. I had also given up chocolate for lent, between that and just watching how much I eat I have gotten down to 129lbs. My waist is down to 34" and my hips are at 36". Which puts me back to 9lbs - 4lbs oh what I used to be before getting pregnant, and still a lot of inches from where I was. I can deal with that. I just need to loose the little pocket. It's amazing how the weight shifts!

So things in the garden have begun popping up. At first I was so excited to just see anything, now I want to get the show on the road, I want to see blooms! I guess I need to plant some crocuses and daffodils so I get a few early blooms to satisfy me!
The landlord and I have come to an agreement on a vegetable garden. They will dig out a huge garden bed and I will plant the seeds, and as a whole we will all maintain the garden, and we will all harvest from it as well. I have decided to take on some new things to plant that I have never tried before so it should be a fun learning experience. I thought that was a nice agreement.

Well thats all the update for now.

It's been awhile...

2009-03-09T21:06:00.005-04:00

It's been about a month since I have written to you all. Shame on me, but I am back in the mess called school. While having that to contend with work has been scheduling me for 3-4 days a week, and as if I don't have enough on my plate we re-enrolled Thing One into dance class.

Needless to say I haven't been shredding, but in keeping with the Lenten spirit I have given up chocolate, and I think that has helped me not to gain back any of the weight I have lost so far.

So I need to re-dive into my work out routine, I need to maintain a sensible diet and I need to get the last of this stubborn weight off my abdomen... Right after I get some studying done, after all I failed my first test..I know, I failed to mention that huh? I got a 59 on the lecture and a 91 on the lab, too bad the lab is only worth 7% of my grade. It's not all lost, I need an 82 or better on the next two tests to pass with a C+ which is completely doable. (If I can find time to study!)

I also had completed my "placement" test for my application to the nursing program, I got a 78.2 on that, which considering the schools average is 73, I will be satisfied with that grade, although I had wanted higher. So now I just sit and wait to see if I am accepted or not.

We got our taxes done, I am happy to say it will ease our financial burdens that we currently have, it won't get rid of them by any means, but it will help ease us up a bit.

We hit a local maple sugar farm a few weekends ago. That was pretty interesting, a little boring for the kids, but the free maple sugar lolly pops were a hit!

This was her first lolly pop!

All in all things are busy as usual. Thing One is completely potty trained and also sleeping in a big girl bed, while Thing Two has almost all of her baby teeth and can run all over the house, and climb just about everything- quite literally!

Thing One proudly sitting on her new bed!

Beautious Day

2009-02-11T22:39:00.002-05:00

What a beautiful day we had here today. I managed to get outside and prune everything that needed pruning and even spotted some green in the garden. I realize spring is still a ways a way, but this is a nice start.
I couldn't stay in the house on such a marvelous day, I took the kids to the park to go for a very long walk. This is the first walk outside that Thing Two would actually be old enough to appreciate. As we walked there were cold pockets and warm pockets, and then finally at the lake a beautifully warm pocket, and a lot of sun! It was so energizing, not to mention good for my health to push around those two up and down hills!
Oh, and I have been doing my shredding, after all with all the cake I have been eating I have to do something to not gain a ton of weight!
The girls are their normal selves this week, see for yourself...

The train wreck that was me...

2009-02-07T22:13:00.005-05:00

This week was like a train wreck, slowly happening for all to see in slow motion.

MONDAY- Thing Two came down with a horrible stomach bug on Monday, oh the diaper rash.. Did I mention it was horrible? I had school and work, to which I found out at work we will be getting tested on our untrained knowledge of various things. Lovely, just what I want at my minimum wage job, a friggin test! Oh and my stalker came to visit although he seemed angry with me while my newest stalker was talking to me. Imagine, I have 2 stalkers and they both visit me at the same time. GREAT!

TUESDAY- The 2nd and last DVD player in the house was broken today. I won't name names, but it wasn't me. I told someone not to teach someone else how to push the buttons on it!

WEDNESDAY- I went to school all morning, that was ok. I came home had a nice lunch then the kids and I left to visit John at work.. Then to run some errands. Well amidst running errands Thing Two fell out of a shopping cart onto a nice hard floor, I rushed her to the hospital to be told she was fine. I wasn't- but at least she was!

THURSDAY- John found out the job he went on 2 interviews for at his company was being cut in cutbacks. Just when they were about to make him an offer. Lovely eh?

FRIDAY- My little Thing Two decided to toss my phone into the toilet- a clean toilet but still a problem. Not to mention the diaper rash from the stomach bug is still HORRIBLE, it's less of a rash now and more of scabs, my poor little one. We have had no choice but to let her walk around with out a diaper.

SATURDAY- My phone got fixed, and my whole day went fine- the curse was lifted! lol

I only Shredded on Monday. :( Shame on me, BUT I did manage to squeeze off one more pound. I was feeling overwhelmed by my busy week and the daunting task of level 2. I have resolved that I will shred even if it means I do level 1 because I am too lazy to work my butt off on level 2!

We had the grandparents over tonight for a little pizza and cake, Monday is Thing Two's birthday. Oh the fun she had! She loves cake! I can't believe already, a whole year down and gone. She went from screaming constantly, throwing up every time she ate, and only sleeping in her swing for 45 minutes at a time to walking, babbling, smiling and sleeping soundly 13 hours in a row each night. Bless my little one, I love you!

SHE WALKS... EVERYWHERE!

2009-01-28T21:55:00.003-05:00

The day has come when Thing Two realized she could walk and had the confidence to walk. She walked all over the house today, everywhere! I am so excited for her. Most parents dread this day, but I love it. Now when she is upset I am leaving the room she can easily follow. Besides our house was already baby-proofed so it's not like she can get into anything, well accept the drawers that she keeps yanking the clothes out of, over, and over, and over.. lol

YAY for her, and like my second prediction, before her first birthday! I am so proud for her!

In action after dinner- hence her not having a shirt on, she can walk but she surely can't eat with out making a huge mess of herself!

See what I mean? lol

The official update

2009-01-28T21:47:00.003-05:00

Eleven days shredding, well minus the 4 days I didn't.. lol SO make that 7 days of shredding and I am at 136lbs. The waist went down to 34" and the hips to 37", and we won't talk about the boobs because we all know I will loose them anyhow! lol So far so good.. To be fair I couldn't find my other pants and shirt as promised, I bet they were in the dryer, and I did eat right before this picture too. Looks like progress to me!

OH!

2009-01-27T20:49:00.001-05:00

For those of you out there who care.. I turned in my completed application to the Bridgeport Hospital School of Nursing today. Now I just have to wait on the Nursing School Gods to decide if they will accept me or not, so the wait starts now...

Busy-ness to sicky-ness, to boredy-ness.

2009-01-27T20:27:00.003-05:00

I was supposed to work 5 days this week, and return to school. UGH!
However Thing One and Thing Two are both sick.
Sick enough that I had to miss two days of work, I had already taken a day off telling them that 5 days is too many for me and my family. When I called work to tell them today that again, I can not make it, that again I was at the Dr.s all morning, and that now both kids are sick. I offered to fax my Dr.s notes, and imagine my surprise when my words were met with a very emotionless woman telling me that even if I have notes, my absences will still count as infractions.. OH, nice.. we will see where that goes.
In the midst of all this coughing, sneezing lovely-ness I missed my first day back to school, and it looks not too promising for me to go tomorrow due to impending snow. Awesome, starting the second semester off right, right behind that is!
I am amazed that Thing Two has only been sick 2 other times prior to this, so I shouldn't complain. She has viral croup. It is croup that occured from a virus, making it different from the re-occuring at night time kind of croup. Let me just tell you how awful it is. She sounds like death at times, it's scary, she even was struggling so baddly this morning her skin was pulling through her little ribs. My heart sunk when I saw that, both kids got dragged out the door to go camp out at the Dr's office. To which I was told that it's typical and that it may happen more in the coming days, and to take her outside in the cold when she is like that. Otherwise we have to sit and wait for the steroids to work. So sad.
Thing One has had a cold that manifested into a sinus infection. Amazingly it doesn't seem to bother her much other than the cough from it. Typically she is MISERABLE when she has any kind of cold. Maybe she is letting her sister have a turn.
So tomorrow is my snow day- I am betting on it, even if school isn't canceled chances are really good I won't be driving 30 miles in the snow and ice to go to it anyways.
Then Thursday I have to surrender my sick little babies to my Mom to watch them while I go back to that incredibly un-understanding of a place I call work.
My potentially very busy week turned into a not so busy week, and for that I will shut up and not complain and be thankful. I had hours of time with my kids returned to me, and for that I am always thankful!

Shredding

2009-01-27T20:23:00.002-05:00

So week one of shredding is officially done. Not bad. I missed 2 days. The rest of the days I did Level One, and on the 7th day I did level 2. Level one was cake, level two- kicked my butt a bit. Level two amps up the cardio it seems to really get you sweating. Either way I am enjoying my workouts and feeling great doing them. I can visibly notice my body looking a bit more toned, my legs especially, and my stomach is noticeably flatter. However according to the scale not a whole lot has changed. I can not weigh myself at this moment, but my lowest reading in the past week was 136lbs two days ago.. We will see if it continues to come off..

Telling on myself.

2009-01-21T09:38:00.002-05:00

Ok, ok, so I was a bad girl. I have missed 2 days of shredding. I did two days, then missed two days. One of those two days I did walk a lot though. It will be even harder next week for me to find the time, Kmart has me scheduled 5 days! Hello? Who do they think they are taking me from my kids, especially the same week I am back to school!? So I don't know how well my 30 day challenge will pan out. I can report I have lost 4 additional pounds since my first day of shredding, whether or not is has anything to do with it I am not sure. So enough is enough, I must go shred now...

A Shredding I went, Day One!

2009-01-17T17:16:00.002-05:00

After a bit of a hassle getting my DVD to me I finally have it in my possession. It was like a prized possession when it arrived, I was jumping and screaming yay.. then I realized I had to leave for work in a hour so it would have to wait another day, that brings us to today!
This is a 3-2-1 interval system that mixes cardio, strength, and abs for extreme weight loss, or so it says.. There are also 3 different levels, beginner, intermediate and advanced. All you need is a little floor space, hand weights and a good attitude.
SO I went with Level 1-beginner, no hand weights, the ones I have a 5lbs, and I can only find 1! Tomorrow I will be purchasing a new set. I must say the video went by amazingly fast. You don't do any one thing too long before you are on to something else.
I felt the strength training part of the work out was awesome, right up my alley, I can feel it in my muscles now, the giggly-ness I will call it. LOVE IT!
The cardio was good, I broke a small sweat, but was very winded due to my asthma, but nothing that I won't be able to handle, which is what I was hoping for.
The abs.. I was a bit disappointed, I am the person that can go to the weight room for the first time in YEARS and do 3-5 sets of 60 crunches varying 30lb and 50lb weights added, and not feel a thing the next day.. So I will have to add some of my own crunch-tastic moves to another workout another time in the day.. Or maybe I will start or end my work out with this..
All in all I am very please with my work out, and I can totally see myself doing it every day.
So for Day ONE of the SHRED I weigh in at 139lbs, with 35" of flubber at my waist.. Let's challenge Ms. Michaels clincher: Lose up to 20lbs in 30 days!

The weigh in

2009-01-10T22:06:00.003-05:00

So I am waiting for my new work out DVD, I am thrilled, and I can't wait to give it a go. I am telling all few of you about it in hopes of keeping me motivated and on track with it. Its so easy to say I will do it to myself and then never do it, but if I have to report to someone thats another story completely! lol SO we will give me an estimated starting weight of 140lbs-145lbs thats me on average. I naturally fluctuate 5lbs all month long, I always have. My goal is to get back to 120lbs, and to be more toned. My waist around my belly button measures 35", it used to be 26"! I don't look too bad now, just a little round in the middle parts of the body, and not nearly as toned as I would like. Having been a long distance and short distance runner a good portion of my life I am used to nice toned legs, due to my asthma running is difficult for me so lets help the DVD can help get me into better shape all around. My hips are now 38", they were always 32". Then the chest, that was always 36", it's now 40", that can stay the same and I would be ok with it! I will post after my first work out, hopefully I get the DVD by the end of this up coming week! My before photo:

Let me start with saying this shirt was a shirt I used to wear all the time, and it was a little loose on me. In my defense I literally just finished eating dinner when I decided to take this photo! HAHA!I will try to wear this outfit for each weigh in and photo.. I suppose I will go with monthly weigh ins, unless the weight just pours off me! *Hoping-Praying* lol

My little Things

2009-01-09T17:52:00.003-05:00

So last I reported about my "little things" (Thing One and Thing Two), I reported that Thing One was on the verge of walking. Well she still is! It's the most frustrating thing to watch. She took her first steps on December 19, well she is up to 3 steps now before falling. Part of the issue is she lacks balance. She has TINY feet for her cute little rolly polly frame, the other problem is she seems to lack confidence. She pulls up onto everything now, and will walk as much as she can holding on to things. She also gave me a wonderful birthday gift, as we ate breakfast she crawled over to me, got into a squatting position and just stood up. That was a first for her, I was so happy for her, I could see the happiness and excitement in her little eyes, it really was nice for me. So I move her projected walking date, I now say that by her birthday she will be walking, and if she isn't? God help me! lolGood timing with the camera, I was trying to just get her to stand, she decided she wanted the camera!

Thing One is getting more vocal, she said her first "word/words" which were "Uh oh".. Interesting isn't it? I guess we say that a lot these days. We are working with her to get her to label her basic things, baba, eat, etc. She yells aplenty these days, but not in a language that any of us understand!

Thing Two is into doing her own thing these days. She wanders off plays, only to come back in a few minutes to say, Look Mommy, Look, come here Mommy. It's cute, but tiring, especially when she proudly shows me the same things over and over. I am trying hard to remember these days are short, and to appreciate the little things.

She can tell you the names of at least 15 different animals (if not more) and the noises they all make. She can also name every pony she has (20ish), every pony in her books, and on her DVD movies of them! On most days she can correctly identify all the basic colors. She counts to 3, skips 4 & 5 and then sometimes resumes at 6. She has dropped the alphabet completely. We were getting up to E, and she just stopped. So I guess we will wait to see.

Happy New Year!

2009-01-09T16:39:00.000-05:00

Happy New Year!

So here we are in the new year, new promises, new everything, including goals.

Goal one, I have decided to take a more proactive role in my baby fat weight loss. I was trying dieting, thats really not for me. I have always been active (I still am), but I am less active now than I was pre-babies. So when a friend of mine told me about a program called Jillian Michaels - 30 Day Shred and told me she lost 20 lbs and 5 1/2 inches in 20 minutes a day I thought, hey I could do that! I know that my body will never look the same, my Dr. already told me that the skin damage was so bad that the only thing that would correct it is a tummy tuck. However if I can get the rest of my body toned and firm again and rid of excess fat I would be happy. Until I become wealthy I will just have to go buy a piggy bank for my Nip/Tuck fund. I have noticed that since my weight gain my self esteem isn't what it once was or ought to be, and I need to get that back. Maybe I will start a weight loss journal on here for those of you to follow, a little pressure never hurts, right?

Goal two is to work on getting into nursing school. At this point my application is half completed and I have a deadline of January 30th to get it in. Now just because I get all my stuff in order doesn't guarantee me a spot in a program, thats the scary part, but I am giving it my best shot. If I don't get in I will continue taking classes in an attempt to raise my GPA. It's not bad now, but the higher the better especially when the competition is so stiff to get into a program.

Goal three is to get my financial affairs in order. Somehow this ends up a priority every year. Enough said.

Goal four is to live a healthier lifestyle in terms of diet. I am working to cut out soda (I wasn't a huge fan to begin with). I also want to cut out juice, it's so easy to buy a little canister of lemonade or something and then make juice, and lord knows all those Crystal Lights and stuff are bad for you so I need to drink more water. I also need to cut back on caffeine, a little birdie told me that caffeine increases cellulite in women, when I think about the physiology of the human body, this makes sense to me so I will work on that. I also ingest entirely too much sugar, and not enough raw vegetables and fruits. I need to be a good role model for my children and this one is an important one for me.

Goal five is to complete goals one through four!

Good luck on whatever goals you may have made for yourself this year!

Christmastime again

2009-01-09T16:31:00.003-05:00

Not too much can be said about Christmas this year. It came, it went, it was a success and the man in the red suit got all the credit again! I wanted to share a few photos for you though.

Thing Two with a gift from Santa.

Thing One tearing open a gift from her Great Aunt.

CRAP!

2008-12-14T10:35:00.008-05:00

I am failing at blogging. My life is so hectic I can't take the time to get on here and rave or gripe about it.

The last I was here I was talking about Halloween, Thing One's birthday and my last test at that time. WOW, a lot has happened since.

Let's start with tree hunting, we went tree hunting Saturday Nov. 22nd. I was quite possibly the windy-est, coldest day we had had so far, but Thing One picked a perfect 7' tree in under 15 minutes! We took it home and began decorating it in all of our valued shatter-proof ornaments! lol. Of course over the next few days they started to disappear off the tree at an alarming rate, but luckly the novelty of that has since worn off! Thing One also got into the tinsel one day, I wish I had taken a picture of the "fine" job she did!

Due to the strain of the times I reluctantly started a job at Kmart on Dec. 2nd as a cashier. I was unable to find a bartending job, so I did what I had to do to help out. It's not so bad, the hardest adjustment has been having to leave my kids with someone. I hate that I am no longer the one taking care of them, and I miss them terribly. I talk with all the kids that are in the store any where near my register I miss them so much, and more than half the time I start crying. I know it's cliche, but there truly is no greater love than the love of a child. With in one week I had the best ring rate at the store, and in my 3rd week (this past week) I began being the key trainer for every new employee that comes into the store to cashier. JOY. I know, it's good to be good at your job. I just feel like at the age of 28 I should be doing more with my life.

Tomorrow is part one of my Finals, it's the lab portion. With the new job I have had one day in the past 3 weeks to study, so as soon as I am done with this blog I am off to hit the books.

We took the kids to see the Festival of Lights in New Haven last weekend. It is supposed to be this fantastic light show. All this place did was find all the big lit displays they could find, meaning giant nutcrackers, etc. and arranged them all over a drive through park in no particular order. All in all we drove 40 minutes each way, and paid $10 to get in, I was NOT impressed. I will add it was for a good cause, Easter Seals.

We also took the kids to see Santa last weekend. It was a disaster. Thing One and Thing Two were terrified of the jolly big man. I think it's the beard, I could be wrong. We did manage to get a picture of all of us with him at the precise moment no one was crying.

Last night we went to see the Silver Lights display at Hubbard Part in Meriden, hands down a great light show, and it's free! We even got to have free hot chocolate and a free picture with Santa. We put Thing Two up first in the sled with Santa, she was terrified and crying, it is a cute picture however. I had to go up with Thing One, when we talked in the car she was all revved up ready to go talk to Santa and sit with him, not so much once she saw him! I managed to get her to stop crying and talk to Santa, she told him she was a good girl this year and that she wanted "presents". No lie, she did not ask for anything specifically, just for presents. What a good kid!

Today we are off to a neighbors party (a little break from the books). I hear Santa will be there, and that he will have a present for the kids, this should be interesting!

In other news Thing Two is standing on her own with out holding on to anything. She is also on the verge of walking, she is just afraid to. I can hold her hands and not support her, and she will walk all over the house, as soon as I let go she plops down. If I were to guess I would say she will be walking her first few steps alone in the next week or two. Definetly by the New Year.

So in a nutshell thats our life at the moment. I hope to be a more active person in this blog in the coming weeks! Happy Holidays everyone!
xoxo

Wow look at the time go!

2008-11-12T16:31:00.005-05:00

So it's already been 2 days shy of a month since my last blog, I apologize to anyone actually reading these! So much has happened in the past month, I haven't been able to breathe.

SO let's start with Halloween, Thing One was a bee, and Thing Two was a strawberry in a field. We went to the Firehouse for the annual parade and contest, Thing Two won third for most original costume, I was very happy considering I sewed the stroller cover myself! We were worried that Thing One would be scared by a lot of the costumes, she has become very concerned with things like that, but she was fine and was very enthusiastic to run up to each house to get her "loot".While we are talking about Thing One, she has recently mastered potty training, until you put underwear on her.. for that we are working on getting her to tell us she has to go so we can help. She is very independent and wants to do it all on her own.

Then there was her birthday, we had a small party for her and her kiddy friends at the YMCA. There was all kinds of gym equipment and a Bounce House, pizza, cake and a pinata of course. She had a blast! On her actual birthday we had a nice quiet family day with just the kids, Daddy, and myself. We let her open presents slowly through the day. She received a lot of My Little Pony items, which she was THRILLED about!Thing Two has been becoming much more vocal in the recent weeks, which I hope is leading up to a first word pretty soon. She babbles Momma, and Dadda, we are just waiting for something more substantial. She has time I suppose. She is also climbing everything, pulling up onto everything, and using the couch for balance to scoot along. In no time she will be walking.

Gosh, they grow up so fast!As for myself, school is 2/3 over and I have been doing extremely well. I am amazing myself at what I can accomplish with almost no time to study. It just goes to show if you put your mind to something, you can accomplish it... now if I could just do that with the lottery!

A pumpkin picking we went

2008-10-14T21:08:00.007-04:00

This year we wanted to go to a do all, see all place for our pumpkin picking needs. We wanted a hay ride, pumpkins on the vine, a corn maze, and an actual farm would be nice too! Well we found it all and then some!

The farm we visited, Logue Farms, had all that and pony rides.

Thing One was afraid of the pony, so she did not go for a ride, she wasn't too sure of the hayride either, that is until the tractor started moving. Needless to say she loved the ride, and the free running around in the pumpkin patch, it was toddler heaven to her!

We suddenly decided we wanted 2 huge pumpkins, and let me tell you, 2 huge pumpkins were found. One was 29lbs, the other was over 30lbs (they stop weighing at 30lbs)!

It was a great time. I can't wait until their are two toddlers running around the patch!

Fall Hiking

2008-10-14T20:54:00.008-04:00

It's that time of year, when the mornings are cool and the days are warm, not hot, just warm and sunny. The leaves start their changes, the colors, the textures, and they descend down to earth from above. It's like spring, with all the beautiful colors.

This is the time of year when we tend to do a little more hiking, more so than any other time of year. The temperature is perfect for it, and there are so many towers to explore and peaks right here in CT that you would be depriving yourself not to go for a hike and take a look at the art mother nature has provided us.

Our recent hike was up Mt. Tom. It's relatively steep in spots, not too long, and very rocky.

The Observation Tower at Mt. Tom

The tower itself has "rickety" stairs as we were told by a sweet boy whom I will guess was seven. Rickety or not, what a view!

I highly recommend this hike to anyone in decent shape!

The kids first wedding.

2008-10-05T16:17:00.004-04:00

We were honored enough to be invited to a wedding this weekend. What a beautiful occasion! From the bubbles at the church to the lovely favors at the tables it was beautiful. There was great food, and a great DJ, and an awesome band. This weeding was the works, and it couldn't have been for a better couple.

This was our first wedding with the kids. I was a tad bit worried. Thing One doesn't sit still and Thing Two is finding her voice in attempts at speaking.. SO Thing One was taken outside at the church, and Thing Two almost was too!

HOWEVER, Thing One shook her grove thing at the reception from the time it started at 7:30 until we called it quits at 11:00! She sure loves to dance, and run, and roam the halls too! Thing One was more about curling up in her stroller and catching some Zzzz's.

Either way it was a nice night.

Feeling humbled and overwhelmed.

2008-10-05T16:08:00.002-04:00

School so far for me has been very challenging. I don't know how many of you have taken a college level A&P course, but it's a lot like learning a foreign language. So as one would imagine I have to spend a lot of time reading, making flash cards, filling out outlines, and studying. Or at least I am supposed to be. I made myself a very unrealistic schedule of study time to be done in the evenings that isn't working out so well for a few reasons.
1. ABC - I am addicted to their programing, Grey's, Dancing with the Stars, Samantha Who.. just to name a few.
2. Idiopathic-hypersomnia - it basically is a condition I have, meaning I am excessively tired even though I get plenty of sleep. It makes me feel horrible unless I have had at least 10 hours of sleep a night, in case you are wondering in order to keep the house clean, take care of an infant and a toddler, do all my errands, and have time for family this rarely happens. It also means that anytime I sit down to read I usually end up dozing before I am done with 2 paragraphs.. When a chapter is 40 pages long it gets kind of tedious.
So my first test is looming, it''s on Wednesday, 300 questions. 100 will be lab, and 200 will be lecture. We have 8 hours to complete it. Yippie. I am quickly realizing that hey, I can't just sit down read a book, and listen in class to get an A anymore. This class is too advanced for that, and I am studying far too little. OOPS.
So let's hope this serves as my wake up call to FIND more time to study, someway, somehow, and let's hope that I pass this test because there will only be 2 more after it!

A new world through little eyes.

2008-10-05T16:02:00.004-04:00

So Thing Two has mastered crawling, she has even realized that she can go from room to room with Mommy all day long, how wonderful! Although she does fuss at me to slow down or stay in one room for more than five minutes some times!

If you are unfamiliar with our home we have a few different levels, all only one step up or down from the one before it. While she hasn't figured out how to get down a level, she has mastered going up a level, along with that, she has also mastered kneeling, and then pulling up to a standing position. She walks all over the house as long as you are holding her hands, all on her own.

So she is seeing the world through new eyes so to speak, and as I follow her around and watch what she gets into I am also sort of seeing the world from new eyes, and the change is kind of nice.

Apple Picking

2008-09-17T22:31:00.004-04:00

So we went apple picking for the first time ever, WHAT FUN! Madison loved it, running all over the place, picking whatever apples she wanted, biting into almost all of them! Boy were they delicious, now I have to just figure out what to do with all the apples we have. They also had a barn with other farm items for sale, next up 12lb of peaches for $6.95... uh huh, so I made a peach cobbler, now what do I do with the rest of the darned peaches? I can only make so much baby food for Thing Two! John and I also bought some homemade doughnuts and maple candy, gees I knew I loved the fall for some reason!

OH, and there is another reason... On the 10th we celebrated our second wedding anniversary. The day was just as nice as the day we said I do, and I feel stronger today than I did then, if that's even possible. We celebrated with a nice romantic dinner at the same restaurant we went to for our wedding reception. Too bad for us that the restaurant was under new ownership that for lack of better words sucked. That didn't matter as much as why we were there. Honey I love you, and I am so happy I married you, thank you for all your wonderful gifts of being you!

July 2004.

Update

2008-09-06T10:27:00.004-04:00

So the hubby and I have returned to school. What a week, I think I blinked, because I missed it!
My teacher will be a rambler, and the course work will be tough, she only schedules 3 tests for lecture and lab for the whole semester, this is A&P 1.. Each test will be roughly 300 questions, including essays, and we have 8 hours, yes 8 yours to complete them! OY!
Thing One and Thing Two got their pictures taken this week, actually we all did. I thought it was a disaster, so imagine my surprise when looking at the proofs there were so many great pictures!
Thing One also started dance class this week, we know the instructor and even though Madison is under the age for the class she agreed to let her try it. I am so glad she did, she was apprehensive going in, I had to hold her hand and lead her to a friend twice, but that was it, no crying, no screaming! I kept peeking in through the window, she was having a great time, it was so nice and so sad, she's getting too big too fast.. If only I had recorded it! There will be other classes I know!

Thing One also has mastered PeePee on the little potty as long as she is naked. If we put underwear on her she acts like it's a diaper. I guess we will be letting her run around au naturale for a bit until she is VERY comfortable and has been trained a bit, then I am sure the underwear won't be an issue.
Thing Two is now sitting up. She doesn't like to sit to much because that means she isn't moving, but she is sitting. She can also get up on her hands and knees and has been doing the tell tale rock.. Crawling will be in no time, I can see it! HOW EXCITING!

Camping

2008-09-06T10:07:00.004-04:00

So we went camping for the first time with the kids. I was so scared! It turned into an amazingly great experience!
We arrived on Saturday, and things did not look too good, we got camp all set up and we had to try to get Thing One to take her nap. Thing One sleeps only in her crib, she will not sleep anywhere else, trust me we have tried. We put her in the Pack N Play... she screamed and threw a fit and split open her gums on the side... once she settled down we tried again, she played and talked by herself in the tent for 3 hours before falling asleep! Stubborn? Thankfully the rest of the trip was smooth sailing.

We were only a few hundred feet from the playground, so Thing One had the ability to roam independently, or so she thought. We were watching the whole time, but she was "free".

We played bocci, roasted smores,

swam in the sand bottom pond,

went for walks, looked for frogs, played with dogs and ate pops. It was incredibly relaxing. I am relieved to know that we can take the kids camping and we will all have a great time.

The final days..

2008-08-24T19:31:00.002-04:00

So I haven't felt like blogging these days. I am in final preparations for class, and going a little crazy. I want the house in order, I want to accomplish some tasks and I want to just go and do I please for the final time this summer. I haven't been on the computer much at all. I have managed to pry myself away from my Myspace and Facebook accounts long enough to enjoy these final stress free days with my family.
I have also cut back to my one job babysitting, I wasn't available the right amount of hours, so they couldn't keep me on the schedule. I will miss the people, and even the job, it's fun, but the pay is awful and I miss my kids too much while I am there.. What will I do when they finally go to school?! *gasp*
Well I am off to enjoy more me time. I shall be back in another week, once my life is completely hectic again. Toodles!

Time for a time out.

2008-08-12T19:18:00.010-04:00

So life has been crazed these past few weeks planning the girls christening, which went amazingly well I might add. Now I find it's time for a breather, I am about to start college again in 3 weeks, then I really won't have time for anything.

We woke up the morning of the christening with Thing One asking for a pop.. Oh no, that means her teeth are bothering her, and that means a day of yelling and crying. Where's the Motrin!? Wouldn't you know it, for the first time ever she sat through church! lol The Motrin did not calm her enough to not try to get away from the Rector trying to christen her, the water went ok, the oil, no dice, he assured her that he got her though.. lol Meanwhile Thing Two was more than happy to comply with everything and never made a peep. There are a few pictures that came out ok from the church, you weren't allowed to use flash, so most pictures came out badly... Here is an ok one:

The Godmother, myself and Thing Two, the Rector, my Husband and Thing One, the Godfather.

Off to the Club we went for the after party. How beautiful it was. Remember that behind the scenes person I was talking about in my earlier blog. Well she did an amazing job running around for us getting everything together, and setting it up. How nice that I had someone to count on to miss the christening so that I did not have to worry about setting up the party. If you are reading this I LOVE YOU!

Ah, what fun, the food was excellent, the weather was beautiful and everyone was having a good time, as the host what more could I ask for?

My girlfriend and I at the party.

Thing Two, all partied out.

Thing One on the move!

Well in the coming weeks I need to finish some projects around the house, and prepare for school, something I am dreading and looking forward to all at once. Let's hope I juggle all well and it is the beginning to a new chapter in my beautiful life.

Taking on the World.

2008-08-06T22:48:00.002-04:00

So this weekend we are having a Christening for Thing One and Thing Two. Who knew that planning the party would be such a process? Food, decorations, renting a hall, finding someone willing to miss the christening itself to be the behind the scenes person.. Seriously, I never thought there would be such a process, I figured it would all be relatively simple, and while it is relatively simple, it is a bit tedious.
I tend to lack much organization these days with two kids to raise, and I love to have busy hectic days, but a midst planning this party I have become particularly dumb. I am forgetting everything, I find myself making lists for everything, list for my lists, all in an effort to juggle many tasks at once.
I get allergy shots, once a week, I am working on getting back into school and seem to have something to do weekly with regards to that, working two jobs, one that the schedule keeps changing on a daily basis, and one where it always stays the same. Then there are the kids activities, and of course mine, such as Yoga, and weight lifting.. I don't have the luxury of doing the same things day in and day out, nor would I really want to, I just like the idea of the structure.. but lately my life has been driving even me crazy!
My girlfriend decided to step up and be that behind the scenes person for me. This is the same girlfriend who I completely admire, and watch in awe. She is amazing. She has 4 kids, she is going to nursing school full time and is in her last year, her home is always spotless, her gardens always beautiful, and she is constantly running one kid her there and everywhere. How the heck does she do it all? I am mindless with two, and she takes on the world with 4!
Maybe I need to watch her more! After all if I ever plan to have 4 or even 3 kids, I need to get it together! Or maybe I need to sacrifice my need for spontaneity, and submit to the life of routine.

What a great day.

2008-07-30T21:05:00.003-04:00

So we took Thing One to the track today to drive her Barbie car, and ride her tricycle. She was more interested in just running around free than anything else, and that's ok. We came home to a lunch of homemade crab cakes, they were great, everyone loved them! Later on in the day we went walking, we walked for 6 miles! What fun it was, Thing Two was in the front pack and Thing One was in the stroller, we picked flowers, saw birds, and bugs and water. The simple things in life, and it was a great time. Maybe we will go for more nightly walks. On the way home we even pulled over to just watch some cows roam, and yell Moo at them. How nice it was to just slow down for once and relax for a minute, that's not something I do nearly enough. Then for the rest of the ride home I was told what animals make what noises. Thing One is getting so big so fast, the stuff she knows surprises the heck outta me!

What a Day

2008-07-24T22:13:00.002-04:00

There was so much to do today I feel overwhelmed and drained, mentally and physically. I am not sure what happened, but I reached a point today where I just shut down, I was done, all I wanted was to sit and be left alone.
My day started with needles and long unnecessary car rides, then I came home to an overtired Thing One who decided today was a day where she was going to either be really great, or really trying! Thing Two just hung around and was quiet until Thing One started acting up before bed, then they went into co-hoots and ganged up on me! The nerve! Both kids screaming, both not wanting to be comforted, and both not wanting to go to bed. UGH!
All I wanted at that point was a silence, and I was the farthest thing from it. But here I am, I made it out alive, an hour or so later with homemade cookies and silence in which to devour them! Another day survived.

Potty Training 101

2008-07-23T22:02:00.004-04:00

What an adventure. Thing One is 20 months old, and semi-potty training. By semi, I mean we haven't bought pull ups, or training pants, and we only train half the day because the other half we are running all over town. Our method- let her run around naked.. What a chore, don't get me wrong, I am so very proud of her, but it's like training a puppy, following her around with paper towel in hand. For the most part she does very well, when she has to go she runs for the potty, but other times she has little leaks we will call them. I am in search of the cotton training pants that are like really thick underwear. I am sure I will clean up less messes, she won't want to be in wet underwear and will get a better grasp on when to head over to the potty, and I won't spend a small fortune on Pull Ups or some other disposable option. Maybe one of these weeks our life will slow down, and we can devote some serious time to training. Imagine that, life slow down... Not likely.

2008-07-23T21:07:00.000-04:00

My first official blog. Well a lot of questions come to mind. Why did I feel the need to "blog"? What do I want to blog about? What do I wish to accomplish in my blogging? Hmm.. I guess I will find out the answers over time, in the mean time let me give it a go!