I just watched the end of Xanadu. You know the Olivia Newton-John movie from the 80s.
Weird stuff. Julia was fascinated.
Who knew roller skating could be so exciting. When I used to go roller skating in junior high it was mostly a bunch of pimply teens skating around in a circle listening to equally bad but later era 80s music.
Tuesday, May 30, 2006
Freecycle
From an earlier post - you may already know how much I love Craigslist. Super fast responses - money for things in my house, and I don't have to go to the Post Office!!
I love to donate old clothing and items to our local children's group and women's shelter. Yet - there are just somethings in this world that seemingly have no home.
That's when I turn to Freecycle. I haven't gotten a whole lot FROM freecycle - but I love to offer things. I like the thought behind it. It's amazing some of the things you see on there - from 10 month old practically new kitchen appliances to used shoes. the purpose is to help people find things they need/want and to help keep things out of the landfills.
Just when you think that there is NO ONE in the world who would want that old coffee pot with the burned corner... you post it on Freecycle and 3 people respond in minutes that they've always wanted one.
Seriously. If it's free. Someone will take it.
This weekend we got rid of a 20 cu ft upright freezer, a bread slicing board, an old expresso maker, a 10 year old crock pot, a foam gymnastics thing, some pine shelves painted in bright yellow and blue, a baby bottle organizer, and an old school sandwich maker.
I love to donate old clothing and items to our local children's group and women's shelter. Yet - there are just somethings in this world that seemingly have no home.
That's when I turn to Freecycle. I haven't gotten a whole lot FROM freecycle - but I love to offer things. I like the thought behind it. It's amazing some of the things you see on there - from 10 month old practically new kitchen appliances to used shoes. the purpose is to help people find things they need/want and to help keep things out of the landfills.
Just when you think that there is NO ONE in the world who would want that old coffee pot with the burned corner... you post it on Freecycle and 3 people respond in minutes that they've always wanted one.
Seriously. If it's free. Someone will take it.
This weekend we got rid of a 20 cu ft upright freezer, a bread slicing board, an old expresso maker, a 10 year old crock pot, a foam gymnastics thing, some pine shelves painted in bright yellow and blue, a baby bottle organizer, and an old school sandwich maker.
It's a conspiracy...
Em seems to be having a bit of a reflux relapse. I'm pretty sure it's from a two day stretch where she didn't get a full dose of her meds. So - last night she was sleeping in 15-20 minute increments. By 2am I was exhausted and run down from the constant comfort/get her to sleep/settle down/wake up cycle. Then it got worse. Anna woke up. So in she comes.
I have no idea what has gotten her off her sleep cycle. She has gone from being a fairly reliable sleeper to being completely umpredictable. Some nights she's asleep by 10p and not up until 9am. Other nights we're still fighting with her to stay in her crib until midnight and she's up at 5am. My least favorite would be what happened last night... go to sleep by 10p - and then wake up crying at about 2am - and STAY UP being ornery until 5-6am! Then of course she's exhausted and wants to sleep until noon.
(Now I know - without a doubt that she is my child. Given my choice - I'd like to stay up until 3-5am and then sleep until noon. :) )
Now I have to battle to keep Anna quiet so that she doesn't wake up Em who is in super light sleeper mode. Then when she does wake her up - I need to keep Anna settled enough to nurse Em and get her back to sleep without Anna getting off the bed to run through the house. By 5am I'm in tears. From the events of the weekend with the stomach cramping and fever, I'm already not at my best... but to have zero sleep on top of that - and not even be able to really lay down to rest... I'm past exhausted.
Then it just gets worse. Julia comes in - all smiley and cheerful and announces that the sun is coming up so it's time to get up. Now I'm trying to explain that it's only 5:15 and we DO NOT get up before 8am. Under penalty of losing all TV/food/air until she's 30. Of course this isn't what she wants to hear... she wants breakfast and to start her day. I want to crawl under a rock... or the nearest mental health institution empty bed.
So - after another half an hour of fighting with three kids to sleep - I notice that one of them is dozing - the troublesome one!! Yeah - Anna is finally asleep. At 6am!! Then Emma Leigh falls asleep. Then - JULIA!
I quickly decide that now is not the time for contemplation and force myself into a coma.
Then - one by one - they all wake up. Julia first. The clock blares 830am. She is good to go grab a yogurt for breakfast and watch Playhouse Disney. Then Em wakes up for her medication. Then Anna rolls off the bed (yeah mommy and those super, lightning fast reflexes) but I catch her by a leg. So - now it's 925am and we're all awake.
This 3 kid thing wasn't such a great idea for sleep!
I have no idea what has gotten her off her sleep cycle. She has gone from being a fairly reliable sleeper to being completely umpredictable. Some nights she's asleep by 10p and not up until 9am. Other nights we're still fighting with her to stay in her crib until midnight and she's up at 5am. My least favorite would be what happened last night... go to sleep by 10p - and then wake up crying at about 2am - and STAY UP being ornery until 5-6am! Then of course she's exhausted and wants to sleep until noon.
(Now I know - without a doubt that she is my child. Given my choice - I'd like to stay up until 3-5am and then sleep until noon. :) )
Now I have to battle to keep Anna quiet so that she doesn't wake up Em who is in super light sleeper mode. Then when she does wake her up - I need to keep Anna settled enough to nurse Em and get her back to sleep without Anna getting off the bed to run through the house. By 5am I'm in tears. From the events of the weekend with the stomach cramping and fever, I'm already not at my best... but to have zero sleep on top of that - and not even be able to really lay down to rest... I'm past exhausted.
Then it just gets worse. Julia comes in - all smiley and cheerful and announces that the sun is coming up so it's time to get up. Now I'm trying to explain that it's only 5:15 and we DO NOT get up before 8am. Under penalty of losing all TV/food/air until she's 30. Of course this isn't what she wants to hear... she wants breakfast and to start her day. I want to crawl under a rock... or the nearest mental health institution empty bed.
So - after another half an hour of fighting with three kids to sleep - I notice that one of them is dozing - the troublesome one!! Yeah - Anna is finally asleep. At 6am!! Then Emma Leigh falls asleep. Then - JULIA!
I quickly decide that now is not the time for contemplation and force myself into a coma.
Then - one by one - they all wake up. Julia first. The clock blares 830am. She is good to go grab a yogurt for breakfast and watch Playhouse Disney. Then Em wakes up for her medication. Then Anna rolls off the bed (yeah mommy and those super, lightning fast reflexes) but I catch her by a leg. So - now it's 925am and we're all awake.
This 3 kid thing wasn't such a great idea for sleep!
Monday, May 29, 2006
It's time...
We realy reached this decision a year ago. Things got in our way of it's execution - but now we've made it. We have reached the much thought out decision to leave Arizona.
I've had this post sitting in my queue for a month, just waiting to be rave enough to post it. It's time. We will be listing our house on the market in the next two weeks. When it sells we're moving to Maine.
No, there is no job. This is where the scary part comes in. We're rational humans with 3 kids. Are we insane? That's what we've been asking ourselves for the past 3 months as we seriously pondered taking this path. Do we remember the 5 months of hell without a job? Yes, we do - and that's how we know we can do this. We believe in each other and ourselves. We will have health insurance and we will have money. I know without a doubt that Dan and I will work our butts off to make this work. He'll work two jobs, three if he has to, in order to keep our family in a safe place. Oh - and yes, we know there is snow.
We loved Arizona when we lived in Tucson. Queen Creek is nice but it's certainly not where we chose to raise our family. This is our dream. Dan asked me where I'd *choose* to move. My list was very short, and his matched exactly. Michigan or New England. I assured him I'd go wherever he takes our family. In our ideal world there would be a job waiting, so far their isn't.
We're hoping that we'll have a great buyer - and close on the house before July 24 so that Julia doesn't start school here. At the very least we hope that we'll close before the end of August so that our family makes it there for Julia to start Kindergarten.
We have housing options - some are ideal and some will be great and some will work. We'll rent until we're sure of where we want to live permanently. Where we'll be moving puts us in fairly easy distance of Portland, ME and Portsmouth, NH and even close to Boston if that's where this leads us.
We know the risks and have spent hours planning, talking, making lists, researching this. It's not something we're doing on a whim and it's certainly nothing we've taken lightly. Would it be better to go with a job in hand? Of course. Dan's been looking since November. He has some great recruiters that are working with him - but they all tell him the same story. The kinds of companies he's looking to work for - don't have the money to recruit nationally. so - we're going to try our hand in New England.
"So throw off the bow lines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover." --Mark Twain (Danielle- thanks for putting these words in my life, see you on the East Coast)
I've had this post sitting in my queue for a month, just waiting to be rave enough to post it. It's time. We will be listing our house on the market in the next two weeks. When it sells we're moving to Maine.
No, there is no job. This is where the scary part comes in. We're rational humans with 3 kids. Are we insane? That's what we've been asking ourselves for the past 3 months as we seriously pondered taking this path. Do we remember the 5 months of hell without a job? Yes, we do - and that's how we know we can do this. We believe in each other and ourselves. We will have health insurance and we will have money. I know without a doubt that Dan and I will work our butts off to make this work. He'll work two jobs, three if he has to, in order to keep our family in a safe place. Oh - and yes, we know there is snow.
We loved Arizona when we lived in Tucson. Queen Creek is nice but it's certainly not where we chose to raise our family. This is our dream. Dan asked me where I'd *choose* to move. My list was very short, and his matched exactly. Michigan or New England. I assured him I'd go wherever he takes our family. In our ideal world there would be a job waiting, so far their isn't.
We're hoping that we'll have a great buyer - and close on the house before July 24 so that Julia doesn't start school here. At the very least we hope that we'll close before the end of August so that our family makes it there for Julia to start Kindergarten.
We have housing options - some are ideal and some will be great and some will work. We'll rent until we're sure of where we want to live permanently. Where we'll be moving puts us in fairly easy distance of Portland, ME and Portsmouth, NH and even close to Boston if that's where this leads us.
We know the risks and have spent hours planning, talking, making lists, researching this. It's not something we're doing on a whim and it's certainly nothing we've taken lightly. Would it be better to go with a job in hand? Of course. Dan's been looking since November. He has some great recruiters that are working with him - but they all tell him the same story. The kinds of companies he's looking to work for - don't have the money to recruit nationally. so - we're going to try our hand in New England.
"So throw off the bow lines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover." --Mark Twain (Danielle- thanks for putting these words in my life, see you on the East Coast)
Knocking on Heaven's Door
Last night I had a freaky episode. I went from feeling fine to being completely delusional with a fever over 103. Then after my fever broke I was tired and achy but perfectly fine. It was crazy.
At one point I really questioned heading to the hospital - just because of how fast and how out of nowhere it hit. I was not functional.
All is well today.
At one point I really questioned heading to the hospital - just because of how fast and how out of nowhere it hit. I was not functional.
All is well today.
Sunday, May 28, 2006
Sunday Six
Kelly girl from Missing JT Snow has us crazy kids playing this game. Here are Julia's (age 5) answers!
1. Why do we celebrate Memorial Day?
"ummm, i don't know"
2. How do we celebrate Memorial Day?
"umm I don't know, I don't know anything about memorial day. Wait. We remember the people that we lost and are dead"
3. What is a memory?
"memory is things that you remember"
4. What is your best memory?
" I don't know. I remember that when we went to the Zoo with Meemaw and Poppa but my best is Disneyland"
5. What do we cook when we BBQ?
'hot dogs, hamburgers, steak or anything"
6. Where is your favorite place to BBQ?
"our house, in the back yard. Or maybe the neighbors"
Saturday, May 27, 2006
Just a little busy....
Whew - today has been busy. I spent most of the morning scrubbing the baseboards through out the house. washed all the floors. We washed down the walls and next weekend we'll be painting. Dan has been cleaning up the kitchen and we finished organizing the cabinets. Julia and Anna helped by putting toys away and playing nicely together.
Tonight we're going to get started on the garage... and tomorrow afternoon our friend Daryn, super babysitter extraordinaire, will be here to play with Anna and Julia (oh - who am I kidding... she's going to keep them out of our hair for a couple of hours!), and again on Monday while we get some more done out there.
Next week our first batch of donations are being picked up, and for the things we can't bring ourselves to donate... people will be scouring our driveway for freecycle goods.
Dan is finishing up his MBA final project.
Tonight we're going to get started on the garage... and tomorrow afternoon our friend Daryn, super babysitter extraordinaire, will be here to play with Anna and Julia (oh - who am I kidding... she's going to keep them out of our hair for a couple of hours!), and again on Monday while we get some more done out there.
Next week our first batch of donations are being picked up, and for the things we can't bring ourselves to donate... people will be scouring our driveway for freecycle goods.
Dan is finishing up his MBA final project.
Friday, May 26, 2006
Summer
Summer for us here in the desert is different than summer for the rest of the world. Here in the summer you don't see your neighbors... people hide inside their homes to escape the 100+ degree heat. In the evenings once the sun has tucked away for the night you see people scurrying outside like ants who smell watermelon.
We're no different. in Tucson we didn't even have A/C (we had a swamp cooler) and we managed. Up here it feels like even our A/C isn't adequate! We took a walk to drop off the mail at 11am yesterday. We're talking 1/4 mile walk - total. I ended up with sunburned cheeks and all of us were dripping with sweat when we got back to the house. Yep - 10 minutes in the sun. Pathetic! That same walk at 6pm is fine. Joyful even.
Summer plans - Julia will be doing gymnastics for 1/2 hour on Tuesdays and then we'll shuttle her to her hip hop class at the studio (they brought in a great instructor for the summer!!) and Monday and Wednesdays we'll hang by the pool while she does her swim lessons.
We're no different. in Tucson we didn't even have A/C (we had a swamp cooler) and we managed. Up here it feels like even our A/C isn't adequate! We took a walk to drop off the mail at 11am yesterday. We're talking 1/4 mile walk - total. I ended up with sunburned cheeks and all of us were dripping with sweat when we got back to the house. Yep - 10 minutes in the sun. Pathetic! That same walk at 6pm is fine. Joyful even.
Summer plans - Julia will be doing gymnastics for 1/2 hour on Tuesdays and then we'll shuttle her to her hip hop class at the studio (they brought in a great instructor for the summer!!) and Monday and Wednesdays we'll hang by the pool while she does her swim lessons.
Milestones
Today Julia is graduating from her preschool program. They have a little program for us with the pledge of allegiance, their ABC's in ASL, a couple songs - including the crowd favorite "5 little ducks" and then each kidlet will get their little diploma.
Julia says "Miss Dana will talk a lot, and everyone will cry" :)
No caps and gowns (just these precious little handprint t-shirts they made) no pomp and circumstance... but cuteness OD.
Unfortunately our camera appears to have sustained serious damage during the MBA graduation debacle - so Dan bought me a disposable camera to take pictures since he can't be there. There will indeed be documentation of this momentous event - but it will have to wait until the photos are developed. WOW - it's been a long time since I've uttered that phrase.
I can't believe I have a Kindergartener!
Julia says "Miss Dana will talk a lot, and everyone will cry" :)
No caps and gowns (just these precious little handprint t-shirts they made) no pomp and circumstance... but cuteness OD.
Unfortunately our camera appears to have sustained serious damage during the MBA graduation debacle - so Dan bought me a disposable camera to take pictures since he can't be there. There will indeed be documentation of this momentous event - but it will have to wait until the photos are developed. WOW - it's been a long time since I've uttered that phrase.
I can't believe I have a Kindergartener!
Thursday, May 25, 2006
Wednesday, May 24, 2006
Whoo hoo!
I found a babysitter for the girls!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Can you tell I'm excited? Whee!
She is Julia's assistant preschool teacher. I can't put into words how much I love her. The kids adore her. She is exactly what I was looking for. She's offered to come over for an hour or two a couple times a week so that I can get some stuff done. Mostly her job will be to keep Anna off the walls and Julia out of my hair. Then she has also volunteered to come over for a couple of hours the next two weekends while Dan and I work in the garage.
Really - a couple of hours of work without kids trying to help.
We also figure after we get to know her better (although she also sits for a friend of mine and she loves her too) we can have her stay with the kids and we might get to leave our house occasionally without kids. Can you imagine? Me, Dan - without kids. I'm so not kidding around here!
She is Julia's assistant preschool teacher. I can't put into words how much I love her. The kids adore her. She is exactly what I was looking for. She's offered to come over for an hour or two a couple times a week so that I can get some stuff done. Mostly her job will be to keep Anna off the walls and Julia out of my hair. Then she has also volunteered to come over for a couple of hours the next two weekends while Dan and I work in the garage.
Really - a couple of hours of work without kids trying to help.
We also figure after we get to know her better (although she also sits for a friend of mine and she loves her too) we can have her stay with the kids and we might get to leave our house occasionally without kids. Can you imagine? Me, Dan - without kids. I'm so not kidding around here!
TMI
Yes - while this is too much information for the general public - it is indeed too funny not to share!
Dan is exhausted. His current work day with commute is 12-14 hours, and then he comes home and tries to spend an hour or so with the girls before their bedtime and then he has to study (only 10 days left of his MBA program and he's DONE!). The other issue is that Anna has decided that bedtime is no longer necessary. Last night the stinker was up until midnight and got up this morning at 615am!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! She has learned how to get out of her crib - so she chooses to do so over and over - but that's another post all together.
So - the point is - Dan's exhausted. He's usually done studying by midnight - but he gets up at 5am. The other night I just assumed he went to bed. The house was unusually quiet as all three girls were asleep (it was 1130p), I looked all over the house for him. I couldn't find him. He wasn't in bed, he wasn't in our bathroom, he wasn't in his office...
He's 30. I'm not concerned he's playing with scissors in the playroom - but I'm interested in where he might be.
I get the laundry out of the dryer and walk into the guest bathroom to hang up the girls towels and SURPRISE!!! Dan had fallen asleep while going to the bathroom!!!!!!!!! He said he was only asleep for a minute or two - but judging by his snoring - I think it was longer.
I'm thinking we need to get a padded seat!
Dan is exhausted. His current work day with commute is 12-14 hours, and then he comes home and tries to spend an hour or so with the girls before their bedtime and then he has to study (only 10 days left of his MBA program and he's DONE!). The other issue is that Anna has decided that bedtime is no longer necessary. Last night the stinker was up until midnight and got up this morning at 615am!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! She has learned how to get out of her crib - so she chooses to do so over and over - but that's another post all together.
So - the point is - Dan's exhausted. He's usually done studying by midnight - but he gets up at 5am. The other night I just assumed he went to bed. The house was unusually quiet as all three girls were asleep (it was 1130p), I looked all over the house for him. I couldn't find him. He wasn't in bed, he wasn't in our bathroom, he wasn't in his office...
He's 30. I'm not concerned he's playing with scissors in the playroom - but I'm interested in where he might be.
I get the laundry out of the dryer and walk into the guest bathroom to hang up the girls towels and SURPRISE!!! Dan had fallen asleep while going to the bathroom!!!!!!!!! He said he was only asleep for a minute or two - but judging by his snoring - I think it was longer.
I'm thinking we need to get a padded seat!
Sunday, May 21, 2006
Anna Bella Elise
Anna Bella. Your beautiful little soul joined our lives 2 years ago today (May 22). I remember your arrival into this world so clearly. That head of blonde hair and those gorgeous blue eyes.
You have taught me so much about parenting. You came into this world with a broken collarbone and a smile. Your vervacious personality was even evident when you were just a few hours old. You smiled in your hospital photo and the nurse taking the picture told us, "I haven't had many babies that smile this early - but the ones that do you remember forever." Isn't that the truth?
Julia had been such an easy baby - easy to nurse, easy to sleep. You weren't quite so easy. You showed me how difficult being a parent can be and just how rewarding.
Today you are still stubborn, confident and curious - a dangerous trio, but so much fun. I'm constantly picking you off of counter tops, bookshelves, the kitchen table... you have no fear. You have the biggest smiles and silliest disposition.
Now we are seeing how smart you are, and it scares us! You know half of your alphabet and their phonetic sounds. You can count to twenty. You know about 30-50 signs in ASL. You're a parrot and can and will repeat almost everything you hear.
You love your sisters and it melts my heart to watch you look up to Julia and try to imitate her, and then again when you gently bend over and kiss your Emma Leigh when she's crying.
I can't wait to see the girl you'll become and someday the woman. I hope you keep your joyous heart and huge smile.
Happy Birthday Belly.
Here's Anna's 2nd Year...
You have taught me so much about parenting. You came into this world with a broken collarbone and a smile. Your vervacious personality was even evident when you were just a few hours old. You smiled in your hospital photo and the nurse taking the picture told us, "I haven't had many babies that smile this early - but the ones that do you remember forever." Isn't that the truth?
Julia had been such an easy baby - easy to nurse, easy to sleep. You weren't quite so easy. You showed me how difficult being a parent can be and just how rewarding.
Today you are still stubborn, confident and curious - a dangerous trio, but so much fun. I'm constantly picking you off of counter tops, bookshelves, the kitchen table... you have no fear. You have the biggest smiles and silliest disposition.
Now we are seeing how smart you are, and it scares us! You know half of your alphabet and their phonetic sounds. You can count to twenty. You know about 30-50 signs in ASL. You're a parrot and can and will repeat almost everything you hear.
You love your sisters and it melts my heart to watch you look up to Julia and try to imitate her, and then again when you gently bend over and kiss your Emma Leigh when she's crying.
I can't wait to see the girl you'll become and someday the woman. I hope you keep your joyous heart and huge smile.
Happy Birthday Belly.
Here's Anna's 2nd Year...
I'm moving out...
Well - I may not be - but man oh man is my stuff!
We have spent a good chunk of this weekend and have plans for next weekend - to purge a bunch of things from our home and garage.
Some we're selling off - some we're donating away, some we're recycling and some we're just plain trashing.
Next weekend we're going to have a garage sale of sorts. We'll post a sign or two but mostly we're going to spend some time in the garage clearing stuff out. If people stop and find something - great if not... off it goes.
What is it about clearing the extra crap out of your life that frees your soul? I've always held on to tangible things. I NEED those reminders in my life. Well, I thought I did. Now I know that I need to make room for new experiences and memories, not to mention make room for my sanity and having a house that's manageable. Before we moved here I read a book that was great... It's called Clear Your Clutter with Feng Shui by Karen Kingston . I recommend it if you are looking for the inspiration to get rid of the things (material possessions, emotional issues... ) that are holding you back.
In watching the documentary on the Duggars (the family with 16 kids) - the mom made the comment that her life is easier now with 16 kids than it was with just 2 because now she's organized. I definitely beleive that's true and as I'm learning - that makes sense even with 3. In order to get our stuff accomplished - we need to be organized. Something I am great at - but have been too lazy to implement. Since I'm getting my butt going - the organization is naturally falling into place.
We have spent a good chunk of this weekend and have plans for next weekend - to purge a bunch of things from our home and garage.
Some we're selling off - some we're donating away, some we're recycling and some we're just plain trashing.
Next weekend we're going to have a garage sale of sorts. We'll post a sign or two but mostly we're going to spend some time in the garage clearing stuff out. If people stop and find something - great if not... off it goes.
What is it about clearing the extra crap out of your life that frees your soul? I've always held on to tangible things. I NEED those reminders in my life. Well, I thought I did. Now I know that I need to make room for new experiences and memories, not to mention make room for my sanity and having a house that's manageable. Before we moved here I read a book that was great... It's called Clear Your Clutter with Feng Shui by Karen Kingston . I recommend it if you are looking for the inspiration to get rid of the things (material possessions, emotional issues... ) that are holding you back.
In watching the documentary on the Duggars (the family with 16 kids) - the mom made the comment that her life is easier now with 16 kids than it was with just 2 because now she's organized. I definitely beleive that's true and as I'm learning - that makes sense even with 3. In order to get our stuff accomplished - we need to be organized. Something I am great at - but have been too lazy to implement. Since I'm getting my butt going - the organization is naturally falling into place.
Saturday, May 20, 2006
Craig's List
Craig's List is the COOLEST!
We have a washer and dryer that were in our house when we moved in - brand new. We loved ours so we decided to keep them and get rid of the washer and dryer.
As always - we held on to them instead. They've been in our garage for 2 years now. We didn't sell them because hell - we might need them someday!
After holding on to them for 2 years, I listed them on craigslist and within an hour we had a response. So - we sold them today. For cash. For a lot of money.
Getting rid of things is good.
We have a washer and dryer that were in our house when we moved in - brand new. We loved ours so we decided to keep them and get rid of the washer and dryer.
As always - we held on to them instead. They've been in our garage for 2 years now. We didn't sell them because hell - we might need them someday!
After holding on to them for 2 years, I listed them on craigslist and within an hour we had a response. So - we sold them today. For cash. For a lot of money.
Getting rid of things is good.
Friday, May 19, 2006
Off to the doctor we go....
Seriously - you just can't ever get too relaxed about life with Em. We were in a great pattern. She'd nap from 7-9p nurse on and off until 11p or midnight and then sleep until 5am. nurse again and then sleep until I had to wake her up at 9a to drop Julia off at preschool.
Yeah - not so much. Yesterday she woke up at 5am but didn't go back to sleep - and cried on and off until noon. The rest of the day appeared normal except for the hysterical screaming fits - where she grabs the sides of her face and just screams. weird.
Last night - another story. She slept from midnight until 1215a when Trooper decided instead of walking around the bed to walk OVER the bed and when he jumped down he made a racket and woke her back up. Then she fell asleep again about 20 minutes after that -was back up at 2am. Then 330a. She's now fighting me when she's nursing - weird for her. Then Julia came in our room. Then Em was up at 445a and then Anna started screaming the "oh crap, that doesn't sound good scream". SO into bed with me she came. She spent the next 3 hours whimpering on and off. Not sure what that's about - I'll deal with that when she wakes up. Em decided that sleeping laying down isn't going to work. So - I sleep sitting up until she gets up at 8a. I give her the medicine. She has another screaming fit - and I realize she's not holding the side of her face - but her ears. CRAP. I put her in her swing to make some phone calls - she sleeps fine, upright of course.
Let's recap... not sleeping well - especially when flat. Screaming and pulling on her ears. Fighting while nursing (pulling away, frantically trying to suck then pulling away again - more crying).
Needless to say that we're headed to town to see the doctor for a possible ear infection. It's Friday - Julia's recital is tomorrow night. This mommy's not messin around.
*Edited to add that Em is fine. She has some nasty ulceration from the Gentian Violet and thrush and it's definitely painful. Em is definitely not happy about it - as she is literally pulling her hair out as she grabs her ear (which she cut open by grabbing it) or her hair when she's having a screaming fit. Poor, poor baby. She's on Tylenol for 48 hours and it seems to be helping a bit. She's also being referred to the pediatric GI for a battery of tests for her reflux. No ear infection. That's good.
Yeah - not so much. Yesterday she woke up at 5am but didn't go back to sleep - and cried on and off until noon. The rest of the day appeared normal except for the hysterical screaming fits - where she grabs the sides of her face and just screams. weird.
Last night - another story. She slept from midnight until 1215a when Trooper decided instead of walking around the bed to walk OVER the bed and when he jumped down he made a racket and woke her back up. Then she fell asleep again about 20 minutes after that -was back up at 2am. Then 330a. She's now fighting me when she's nursing - weird for her. Then Julia came in our room. Then Em was up at 445a and then Anna started screaming the "oh crap, that doesn't sound good scream". SO into bed with me she came. She spent the next 3 hours whimpering on and off. Not sure what that's about - I'll deal with that when she wakes up. Em decided that sleeping laying down isn't going to work. So - I sleep sitting up until she gets up at 8a. I give her the medicine. She has another screaming fit - and I realize she's not holding the side of her face - but her ears. CRAP. I put her in her swing to make some phone calls - she sleeps fine, upright of course.
Let's recap... not sleeping well - especially when flat. Screaming and pulling on her ears. Fighting while nursing (pulling away, frantically trying to suck then pulling away again - more crying).
Needless to say that we're headed to town to see the doctor for a possible ear infection. It's Friday - Julia's recital is tomorrow night. This mommy's not messin around.
*Edited to add that Em is fine. She has some nasty ulceration from the Gentian Violet and thrush and it's definitely painful. Em is definitely not happy about it - as she is literally pulling her hair out as she grabs her ear (which she cut open by grabbing it) or her hair when she's having a screaming fit. Poor, poor baby. She's on Tylenol for 48 hours and it seems to be helping a bit. She's also being referred to the pediatric GI for a battery of tests for her reflux. No ear infection. That's good.
Thursday, May 18, 2006
Grace
Tonight I gave the girls their home-made (yep - homemade baby!) applesauce to start dinner. I went back over to the kitchen and was draining the pasta when Julia took Anna's hands to say Grace.
These girls are OBSESSED with thanking the Lord. Everynight Julia or Anna will remind us to say Grace (Anna says "hol hands? k?"). Julia has gotten quite good at it and some nights brings tears to our eyes.
Anna always ends us up with a laugh - she finishes grace with "Oh man" instead of "amen". So tonight while I was draining the noodles I hear this.
Julia - "Thank you God for this food, and my family, and my sisters and take care of us. Amen"
Anna - "oh man"
Julia - "no - it's AAAAAAAAAA - MEN. Say A"
Anna - "A"
Julia - "ok - say Amen"
Anna - " A oh man"
;)
These girls are OBSESSED with thanking the Lord. Everynight Julia or Anna will remind us to say Grace (Anna says "hol hands? k?"). Julia has gotten quite good at it and some nights brings tears to our eyes.
Anna always ends us up with a laugh - she finishes grace with "Oh man" instead of "amen". So tonight while I was draining the noodles I hear this.
Julia - "Thank you God for this food, and my family, and my sisters and take care of us. Amen"
Anna - "oh man"
Julia - "no - it's AAAAAAAAAA - MEN. Say A"
Anna - "A"
Julia - "ok - say Amen"
Anna - " A oh man"
;)
Wednesday, May 17, 2006
Pregnant or not???
Nope - not me. Am I the only one who wants to know if that damn EPT runner chick is pregnant or not?
Every time I see that commercial it drives me nuts. Is she pregnant? Is she happy about it? She goes jogging off into the world - but doesn't give us the goods.
Speaking of pregnancy... I have 3 good friends that just announced their pregnancies. 2 have been trying for years and doing the infertility route. the other one - without fertility drugs - just found out she's having twins! Yeah!!
So - lotsa babies! ANd is that EPT chick having one or not??
Every time I see that commercial it drives me nuts. Is she pregnant? Is she happy about it? She goes jogging off into the world - but doesn't give us the goods.
Speaking of pregnancy... I have 3 good friends that just announced their pregnancies. 2 have been trying for years and doing the infertility route. the other one - without fertility drugs - just found out she's having twins! Yeah!!
So - lotsa babies! ANd is that EPT chick having one or not??
She's sooo good...
Lots of kids dancing on a stage 6 of them going in all directions 2 of them dancing in sync (Julia's little friend S knows what she's doing too!). Part of the experience of young girls dance recitals is watching them not know what to do.
Not my kid. Don't get me wrong - I'm guessing if she was in the outfield during a t-ball game, she WOULD be the one picking her nose, looking at bugs, playing with the grass...
In dance, she apparently knows her stuff. The owner of the Dance program pulled me aside at the rehearsal today to tell me that Julia needs to skip a "grade" so to speak in dance. She is a natural dancer, she moves with the music, she's graceful, and she has a natural dancers body. Ummmmmmmmmmmmmm - my kid????? THe one with the dozens of bruises all over her body because she's constantly falling? Yep. Her.
She couldn't say enough about my baby. That she listens in class, she's a beautiful dancer and a delight to watch. They are approving her to move up two classes in the fall. My kid. Really.
Then I had two separate Company parents come ask me if the girl in the beautiful dress (thanks Mum!) was my daughter. They said she carried the dance, and they were amazed she was only 5. She's 6 inches taller than the other girls and just knows what to do. One mom said she was GLOWING. My kid.
Yep, that's my kid.
Not my kid. Don't get me wrong - I'm guessing if she was in the outfield during a t-ball game, she WOULD be the one picking her nose, looking at bugs, playing with the grass...
In dance, she apparently knows her stuff. The owner of the Dance program pulled me aside at the rehearsal today to tell me that Julia needs to skip a "grade" so to speak in dance. She is a natural dancer, she moves with the music, she's graceful, and she has a natural dancers body. Ummmmmmmmmmmmmm - my kid????? THe one with the dozens of bruises all over her body because she's constantly falling? Yep. Her.
She couldn't say enough about my baby. That she listens in class, she's a beautiful dancer and a delight to watch. They are approving her to move up two classes in the fall. My kid. Really.
Then I had two separate Company parents come ask me if the girl in the beautiful dress (thanks Mum!) was my daughter. They said she carried the dance, and they were amazed she was only 5. She's 6 inches taller than the other girls and just knows what to do. One mom said she was GLOWING. My kid.
Yep, that's my kid.
Everything a man should be...
He is everything a man should be. He is loving, kind, patient and strong. Although he dreams big and has wonderful professional goals, he still believes in his family and tries to put us all first. He has no problems changing diapers, doing bath time or cuddling with his kids. He can be silly and dance with his girls or wear the tiara they beg him to model. He's not a babysitter - but a father. People who doubt his manhood need only look at his 8 years in the Marine Corps. He has a quiet strength that doesn't need the bravado of ego. He is secure in who he is and doesn't need to bring down others around him to bring himself up. He's not afraid of hard work but knows when to stop. He's a man who sets goals and meets them head on. He believes in the power of education and the need for experience. He is everything a man should be.
Feeling Groovy...
Wow - you guys know how to make a girl feel loved.
I heard from so many people today to celebrate my 31st Birthday. It was a wonderful day. It started with an early birthday greeting from Julia who woke up extra early to bring me my card (ummmm thanks?!!) which turned into a giant birthday poster.
Then I checked my email and had birthday love from lots of people (hey Suz -the 3am email was killer). They kept on coming through out the day.
My buddies on the Jewel board shared their birthday wishes.
Then the phone calls - I heard from people on both coasts and in between (and thanks Benny.... you are the best).
Love love love.
Dan didn't get me the super cute lobster flip flops - but went shopping at a fat people store and picked out clothes (I know............. can you BELIEVE it??) for me. He also brought home yummy crab angels and orange chicken.
Then during the girly bath (me, Anna, Julia) Dan and Em brought in a piece of cake with candles and they sang the big HB song to me (oh - and Anna has been singing Happy Birthday all day.... she's SOOOO cute).
My birthday was full of big dimply Em smiles, Anna's songs and Julias love. Oh yeah - and plants dumped all over my floor (thank again Anna). Warm fuzzies from Dan and once again - the realization that I'm so loved.
I love you too.
I heard from so many people today to celebrate my 31st Birthday. It was a wonderful day. It started with an early birthday greeting from Julia who woke up extra early to bring me my card (ummmm thanks?!!) which turned into a giant birthday poster.
Then I checked my email and had birthday love from lots of people (hey Suz -the 3am email was killer). They kept on coming through out the day.
My buddies on the Jewel board shared their birthday wishes.
Then the phone calls - I heard from people on both coasts and in between (and thanks Benny.... you are the best).
Love love love.
Dan didn't get me the super cute lobster flip flops - but went shopping at a fat people store and picked out clothes (I know............. can you BELIEVE it??) for me. He also brought home yummy crab angels and orange chicken.
Then during the girly bath (me, Anna, Julia) Dan and Em brought in a piece of cake with candles and they sang the big HB song to me (oh - and Anna has been singing Happy Birthday all day.... she's SOOOO cute).
My birthday was full of big dimply Em smiles, Anna's songs and Julias love. Oh yeah - and plants dumped all over my floor (thank again Anna). Warm fuzzies from Dan and once again - the realization that I'm so loved.
I love you too.
Monday, May 15, 2006
Mikey likes it...
Anna is freaking us out. I don't know whether we're starving her or what but she's eating/drinking the damndest things and it's stressing me out!!
The other day she and Julia were playing in Julia's room - Julia had to go potty - so Anna went in with her. While Julia was washing her hands (good hygeine, girl!!) Anna took a little medicine cup and dipped it in the toilet to drink. NASTY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Then a bit later while I was doing laundry I look down the hall about 3 feet from me and see Anna on her hands and knees eating dog food out of the bowl. Ick!
THEN - the worst one yet - after the convocation was over on Saturday I was outside looking for my parents and Dan - who would be coming from 2 different directions. To not lose Anna since she was in a MOOD and completely disobedient, I was hold her hand. I was holding Em and had Julia standing directly next to me. I'm busy searching for my peeps when Julia screeches "Look what she's eating mom!!" Anna Bella had a nasty, nasty cigarette butt in her had that she had just pulled out of the overflowing trash next to us. YAKKKKKK!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I can't believe how nasty. I quickly brushed her mouth out, wiped her face with a wipe and gave her the water bottle to swish her mouth out with.
the good news is - we don't have to worry about composting this year... Anna will work just fine.
The other day she and Julia were playing in Julia's room - Julia had to go potty - so Anna went in with her. While Julia was washing her hands (good hygeine, girl!!) Anna took a little medicine cup and dipped it in the toilet to drink. NASTY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Then a bit later while I was doing laundry I look down the hall about 3 feet from me and see Anna on her hands and knees eating dog food out of the bowl. Ick!
THEN - the worst one yet - after the convocation was over on Saturday I was outside looking for my parents and Dan - who would be coming from 2 different directions. To not lose Anna since she was in a MOOD and completely disobedient, I was hold her hand. I was holding Em and had Julia standing directly next to me. I'm busy searching for my peeps when Julia screeches "Look what she's eating mom!!" Anna Bella had a nasty, nasty cigarette butt in her had that she had just pulled out of the overflowing trash next to us. YAKKKKKK!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I can't believe how nasty. I quickly brushed her mouth out, wiped her face with a wipe and gave her the water bottle to swish her mouth out with.
the good news is - we don't have to worry about composting this year... Anna will work just fine.
Sleep - and it was yummy
For Mother's Day - the Dough kids decided that sleep was alright after all. Thank God! Em had been up until 430a (with us having to get 630a to get ready for the big graduation extravaganza) on Saturday. Sunday - she and her crew slept in until 9am! She did get up for a little while at 7a but she went back to sleep like a good peanut.
Even Anna Banana slept in!
The rest of hte day was mostly pleasant - had some yummy Mexican food for lunch and then we all shared some Lemon CHicken for dinner. Yep - it was about the food. Lots of food!
The girls were sweetie pies - and Em was even quiet the whole way home from the hotel! That's always a big thing!
Watched Greys Anatomy and I'm SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO happy the finale is on tonight - I can't stand the wait -although I'm bumming it's time for the season to end already.
Dats about it here... mostly just recouping from a busy, busy weekend.
Even Anna Banana slept in!
The rest of hte day was mostly pleasant - had some yummy Mexican food for lunch and then we all shared some Lemon CHicken for dinner. Yep - it was about the food. Lots of food!
The girls were sweetie pies - and Em was even quiet the whole way home from the hotel! That's always a big thing!
Watched Greys Anatomy and I'm SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO happy the finale is on tonight - I can't stand the wait -although I'm bumming it's time for the season to end already.
Dats about it here... mostly just recouping from a busy, busy weekend.
Sunday, May 14, 2006
Thursday, May 11, 2006
SARK, SARK, SARK, SARK, SARK...
I was posting to a good friend of mine about depression. It's a terrible horrible thing that she's going through and my heart breaks for her during this.
I'm dealing with depression as well, although not to the depths that she is. Luckily, mine at this point is at the upswing, and has more to do with stress and frustration than true depression.
All of this brings me to my point. Have you heard of SARK? She is amazing. Absolutely amazing. She truly speaks to my soul. Yeah, corny, I know. I don't care. It's true.
As a woman who, like most women I know, has dealt with self esteem issues of different kinds - she really drives home the message of not just self love - but self celebration. My friend Sally (not the one mentioned above) led me to SARK and her book "Wild Succulent Woman". WOW. Enjoying yourself, your life, enjoying the other humans in your life. Letting your heart be free to sing!
Click here to find her books - I recommend them! You can also click here for her books.
Let her lift you up. Let her encourage you to live your life big and juicy. Let her bring the artist out from deep inside. She will indeed make you happy.
http://www.planetsark.com
Besides - who doesn't love someone who creates children's t-shirts with such a beautiful message.
I'm dealing with depression as well, although not to the depths that she is. Luckily, mine at this point is at the upswing, and has more to do with stress and frustration than true depression.
All of this brings me to my point. Have you heard of SARK? She is amazing. Absolutely amazing. She truly speaks to my soul. Yeah, corny, I know. I don't care. It's true.
As a woman who, like most women I know, has dealt with self esteem issues of different kinds - she really drives home the message of not just self love - but self celebration. My friend Sally (not the one mentioned above) led me to SARK and her book "Wild Succulent Woman". WOW. Enjoying yourself, your life, enjoying the other humans in your life. Letting your heart be free to sing!
Click here to find her books - I recommend them! You can also click here for her books.
Let her lift you up. Let her encourage you to live your life big and juicy. Let her bring the artist out from deep inside. She will indeed make you happy.
http://www.planetsark.com
Besides - who doesn't love someone who creates children's t-shirts with such a beautiful message.
Sunday, May 07, 2006
car chatter...
In the car we do some of our best talking - I think it's the captive audience. Good thing because we spend a lot of time in the car living out in the boonies like we do.
Yesterday Julia was on a roll....
We play a lot of games in the car - like I Spy, Letter search, etc... so Julia decides to play a new game she made up "it's called the guess what I'm a thinking game. I think of something and you try and guess what it is and then we take turns, ok?" Let me just tell you how funny this game is. You can literally spend an entire car ride trying to figure out what she's thinking. :)
Then I suggest we play the quiet game. "mom, I HATE the quiet game! We play it all the time at school." Dan and I laugh. Then... the kicker... "and I always lose" ha ha ha ha ha ha Apparently she really is my daughter.
Lately we've been talking a lot about our dog Savannah who passed away in December. After Julia mentions her, she'll say "thinking and talking about Savannah makes me so sad". So we've had talk after talk about death and remembering those we love. Yesterday we drove by the hotel we lived in while our house was being built, and Dan pointed out that's where we lived with Trooper and Savannah. As usual Julia comments that she gets sad when we talk about Savannah. The she says "don't worry, you can talk about her, I'll just cut that part of my brain out" . Now - it may not seem funny - but the fact she even thought she could do it that way... and of course her delivery... was funny.
Yesterday Julia was on a roll....
We play a lot of games in the car - like I Spy, Letter search, etc... so Julia decides to play a new game she made up "it's called the guess what I'm a thinking game. I think of something and you try and guess what it is and then we take turns, ok?" Let me just tell you how funny this game is. You can literally spend an entire car ride trying to figure out what she's thinking. :)
Then I suggest we play the quiet game. "mom, I HATE the quiet game! We play it all the time at school." Dan and I laugh. Then... the kicker... "and I always lose" ha ha ha ha ha ha Apparently she really is my daughter.
Lately we've been talking a lot about our dog Savannah who passed away in December. After Julia mentions her, she'll say "thinking and talking about Savannah makes me so sad". So we've had talk after talk about death and remembering those we love. Yesterday we drove by the hotel we lived in while our house was being built, and Dan pointed out that's where we lived with Trooper and Savannah. As usual Julia comments that she gets sad when we talk about Savannah. The she says "don't worry, you can talk about her, I'll just cut that part of my brain out" . Now - it may not seem funny - but the fact she even thought she could do it that way... and of course her delivery... was funny.
Friday, May 05, 2006
Sleep - damnit!
I haven't been to sleep yet. I'm going on 27 hours of consciousness. Let me just tell you how non-functioning I am without sleep. I know most people have a hard time - but I'm a freaking non-human.
Em had a rough night last night. She was up until 430am, sleeping for 5 minutes and then screaming/nursing for another half hour. I'm not sure what set her off - but it wasn't pretty. I finally thought I had her asleep for the night and took her into the bedroom. I laid her in her bassinet. Got into bed and laid my head down on the pillow. Two minutes later she started crying again. UGH.
Five minutes later I heard the terrifying sound of more kids awake. OH NO - the other two Doughkids were up at 4am! In order to get Dan to go back to sleep - he brought them into the bedroom. Julia wanted to call her Poppa to wish him good luck on his surgery this morning. I tried to explain to her that it's not very polite to call someone at 4 in the morning. Manners were lost on her at that time of the morning. She finally fell asleep and ten minutes later Anna woke her back up with her partying.
At this point I'm nursing a restless Em (who has nursed pretty much for 3 1/2 hours at this point), trying to cuddle/rock/pat Anna to settle her down and Julia is asleep. Then Anna rolls over and kicks julia in the face - and she's back up. Anna's riled up again and I snap. Yep - you could hear the actual noise of my patience breaking down and my exhaustion winning the battle.
I yell at Julia to get out of the bed, throw the Boppy and her blanket at her and ask her to take them out to the living room. I grab Em in one arm, Anna in the other and drag them out to the living room. I set Anna up in her highchair in front of the tv - (yes, parenting at it's finest), have Julia lay down on the couch and I set up in the chair to nurse Em to sleep. 1/2 hour later Emma Leigh is asleep in the swing. Julia is moving from the couch to the floor to lay next to her sisters high chair. Anna is still partying in full on CRAZY mode. I set her up with a snack and head back to my chair. I try to sleep - but Anna keeps yelling things and startling Em.
Julia finally succumbs to sleep at 530am. Dan says goodbye as he passes through our new makeshift sleeping grounds. Em is konked out. Anna is still rocking out. I considered briefly moving this ensemble back into the bedroom... but then I run the risk of having another kid awake. So - I let Anna down and try to get her settled to sleep. Not happening. I put the gate up in the door so that she can't escape and I curl up in the chair. From 6-8am I slept for about 30 minutes - in 3-5 minute intervals. Anna finally falls asleep. At 845a I have to wake all 3 kids up! Julia has to be dropped off at preschool. Em never actually woke up - I just gave her the meds and transferred her to her infant seat.
Julia was 10 minutes late for school - but I think that was pretty good considering.
All I can say is - I hope we have a 4 person nap this afternoon!
Em had a rough night last night. She was up until 430am, sleeping for 5 minutes and then screaming/nursing for another half hour. I'm not sure what set her off - but it wasn't pretty. I finally thought I had her asleep for the night and took her into the bedroom. I laid her in her bassinet. Got into bed and laid my head down on the pillow. Two minutes later she started crying again. UGH.
Five minutes later I heard the terrifying sound of more kids awake. OH NO - the other two Doughkids were up at 4am! In order to get Dan to go back to sleep - he brought them into the bedroom. Julia wanted to call her Poppa to wish him good luck on his surgery this morning. I tried to explain to her that it's not very polite to call someone at 4 in the morning. Manners were lost on her at that time of the morning. She finally fell asleep and ten minutes later Anna woke her back up with her partying.
At this point I'm nursing a restless Em (who has nursed pretty much for 3 1/2 hours at this point), trying to cuddle/rock/pat Anna to settle her down and Julia is asleep. Then Anna rolls over and kicks julia in the face - and she's back up. Anna's riled up again and I snap. Yep - you could hear the actual noise of my patience breaking down and my exhaustion winning the battle.
I yell at Julia to get out of the bed, throw the Boppy and her blanket at her and ask her to take them out to the living room. I grab Em in one arm, Anna in the other and drag them out to the living room. I set Anna up in her highchair in front of the tv - (yes, parenting at it's finest), have Julia lay down on the couch and I set up in the chair to nurse Em to sleep. 1/2 hour later Emma Leigh is asleep in the swing. Julia is moving from the couch to the floor to lay next to her sisters high chair. Anna is still partying in full on CRAZY mode. I set her up with a snack and head back to my chair. I try to sleep - but Anna keeps yelling things and startling Em.
Julia finally succumbs to sleep at 530am. Dan says goodbye as he passes through our new makeshift sleeping grounds. Em is konked out. Anna is still rocking out. I considered briefly moving this ensemble back into the bedroom... but then I run the risk of having another kid awake. So - I let Anna down and try to get her settled to sleep. Not happening. I put the gate up in the door so that she can't escape and I curl up in the chair. From 6-8am I slept for about 30 minutes - in 3-5 minute intervals. Anna finally falls asleep. At 845a I have to wake all 3 kids up! Julia has to be dropped off at preschool. Em never actually woke up - I just gave her the meds and transferred her to her infant seat.
Julia was 10 minutes late for school - but I think that was pretty good considering.
All I can say is - I hope we have a 4 person nap this afternoon!
Wednesday, May 03, 2006
Firsts...
Firsts - as stolen from Joanna
1.Who was your first prom date?
Dan
2. Who was your first roommate?
Candace - for a week
3. What alcoholic beverage did you drink when you got drunk the first time?
Oooh I can blame this one on Jen m.... vodka with grape kool-aid
4. What was your first job?
Student lliason for a alcohol abuse prevention program
5. What was your first car?
Toyota Corolla
6. When did you go to your first funeral?
I don't remember my first - but it might have been my Pampa's
7. How old were you when you first moved away from your hometown?
4
8. Who was your first grade teacher?
Miss Osbhar
9. Where did you go on your first ride on an airplane?
I'm guessing Maine...
10. When you snuck out of your house for the first time, who was it with?
*blush* I only did it once - and it was with Dave B, Jason H and Dave K
11. Who was your first Best Friend and are you still friends?
Christi - my old next door neighbor - we aren't friends anymore but we occasionally keep in touch
12. Where was your first sleepover?
I think it was at Christi's
13. Who is the first person you call when you have a bad day?
Dan or Julie
14. Whose wedding were you in the first time you were a bridesmaid, groomsmen, flower girl, or ring bearer?
Ummmmmmmmmm - Mine :) as the bride and then a bridesmaid in my friend Stephanie's
15. What is the first thing you do in the morning?
give Em her Prevacid
16. What was the first concert you ever went to?
I don't know ---- I think it might have been the Temptations
17. First tattoo or piercing?
5th birthday - earrings
18. First celebrity crush?
My mom will say it was Donny Osmond but I don't remember. I had LOTS of celebrity crushes as a teen... Andre Agassi and River Phoenix stand out
19. Age of first "real" kiss?
4 ??? Justin b - and he was also the first boy I MEANT to kiss. He kissed me goodbye when we moved to MI in 3rd grade. Johnny Freeman kissed me in first grade in one of those cement tunnels on the playground. "real" kiss - I don't remember who came first - is that bad??? My first FRE NCH kiss was with Dave B - as mentioned above in question 10.
20. First crush?
Justin B
21. First REAL love?
Real love - as in someone who you value above all else and involves true friendship, compromise in addition to the whole chemistry thing? looking back - I "thought" I loved a lot of people - but my first REAL love was Dan.
1.Who was your first prom date?
Dan
2. Who was your first roommate?
Candace - for a week
3. What alcoholic beverage did you drink when you got drunk the first time?
Oooh I can blame this one on Jen m.... vodka with grape kool-aid
4. What was your first job?
Student lliason for a alcohol abuse prevention program
5. What was your first car?
Toyota Corolla
6. When did you go to your first funeral?
I don't remember my first - but it might have been my Pampa's
7. How old were you when you first moved away from your hometown?
4
8. Who was your first grade teacher?
Miss Osbhar
9. Where did you go on your first ride on an airplane?
I'm guessing Maine...
10. When you snuck out of your house for the first time, who was it with?
*blush* I only did it once - and it was with Dave B, Jason H and Dave K
11. Who was your first Best Friend and are you still friends?
Christi - my old next door neighbor - we aren't friends anymore but we occasionally keep in touch
12. Where was your first sleepover?
I think it was at Christi's
13. Who is the first person you call when you have a bad day?
Dan or Julie
14. Whose wedding were you in the first time you were a bridesmaid, groomsmen, flower girl, or ring bearer?
Ummmmmmmmmm - Mine :) as the bride and then a bridesmaid in my friend Stephanie's
15. What is the first thing you do in the morning?
give Em her Prevacid
16. What was the first concert you ever went to?
I don't know ---- I think it might have been the Temptations
17. First tattoo or piercing?
5th birthday - earrings
18. First celebrity crush?
My mom will say it was Donny Osmond but I don't remember. I had LOTS of celebrity crushes as a teen... Andre Agassi and River Phoenix stand out
19. Age of first "real" kiss?
4 ??? Justin b - and he was also the first boy I MEANT to kiss. He kissed me goodbye when we moved to MI in 3rd grade. Johnny Freeman kissed me in first grade in one of those cement tunnels on the playground. "real" kiss - I don't remember who came first - is that bad??? My first FRE NCH kiss was with Dave B - as mentioned above in question 10.
20. First crush?
Justin B
21. First REAL love?
Real love - as in someone who you value above all else and involves true friendship, compromise in addition to the whole chemistry thing? looking back - I "thought" I loved a lot of people - but my first REAL love was Dan.
The three gifts...
I've always known that my children are the greatest gifts I'll ever receive.
Julia is like the gift that you've always known you've wanted. You save for it and then give it to yourself when it's time. The gift is everything you always dreamed it would be. You spend the rest of your life in awe of what you gave yourself.
Anna is the gift that when you were a kid you really, really wanted but you parents won't let you get. The longer time passes the more you KNOW you need it. Everything in your life becomes about the gift. You can't even buy it for yourself because it's now out of stock. Then - you get surprised on your birthday and it's even better than you hoped.
Emma Leigh is the gift someone gives you when it's not even your birthday or a holiday. Just because they love you. You aren't expecting it and are hesitantly excited about it because you don't really know why they are giving it to you... "where are the strings" kind of gift. Then it breaks and you have to spend time and money to fix it. Then it runs out of batteries and you have to search all over for an expensive and elusive battery. You do it without hesitation because it's worth all the time and energy (and money) and it's ok to fall madly in love with it because it really was just a gift of love.
Julia is like the gift that you've always known you've wanted. You save for it and then give it to yourself when it's time. The gift is everything you always dreamed it would be. You spend the rest of your life in awe of what you gave yourself.
Anna is the gift that when you were a kid you really, really wanted but you parents won't let you get. The longer time passes the more you KNOW you need it. Everything in your life becomes about the gift. You can't even buy it for yourself because it's now out of stock. Then - you get surprised on your birthday and it's even better than you hoped.
Emma Leigh is the gift someone gives you when it's not even your birthday or a holiday. Just because they love you. You aren't expecting it and are hesitantly excited about it because you don't really know why they are giving it to you... "where are the strings" kind of gift. Then it breaks and you have to spend time and money to fix it. Then it runs out of batteries and you have to search all over for an expensive and elusive battery. You do it without hesitation because it's worth all the time and energy (and money) and it's ok to fall madly in love with it because it really was just a gift of love.
Tuesday, May 02, 2006
4 kids
As expressed in my previous post, we needed Dan here. He was the rock that held us all together over the past 5 months.
That said, it's amazing how different my life is without him here. For the past 5 months - he's been around almost every single day. For the four years prior he worked out of the home so he was still around - A LOT. Now he's gone and it looks like he'll be gone about 70 hours a week (he works a 50 hour work week - and has an almost 2 hour commute - so that's another 20 hours).
The first thing I notice is that my leisurely mornings are GONE. My naps are GONE. Damn I'm tired. It's hard to be up till 2am with one kid and then get up at 7a with the other ones. We'll work on that.
BUT - the house is cleaner. The dishes are done. Laundry is getting done (folded and put away even). I found the time to clean out my kitchen cabinets this afternoon during medium and small fries naps. The kids are eating real, balanced meals again. I did a craft with big fry. It's weird.
I don't know why - but it's true. Maybe it's nesting. I didn't get much of a chance to do it at the end of my pregnancy. Maybe I feel more responsible since he's working - I should be too.
Well - I've had enough of a break.... small fry needs fed, and that's all me.
That said, it's amazing how different my life is without him here. For the past 5 months - he's been around almost every single day. For the four years prior he worked out of the home so he was still around - A LOT. Now he's gone and it looks like he'll be gone about 70 hours a week (he works a 50 hour work week - and has an almost 2 hour commute - so that's another 20 hours).
The first thing I notice is that my leisurely mornings are GONE. My naps are GONE. Damn I'm tired. It's hard to be up till 2am with one kid and then get up at 7a with the other ones. We'll work on that.
BUT - the house is cleaner. The dishes are done. Laundry is getting done (folded and put away even). I found the time to clean out my kitchen cabinets this afternoon during medium and small fries naps. The kids are eating real, balanced meals again. I did a craft with big fry. It's weird.
I don't know why - but it's true. Maybe it's nesting. I didn't get much of a chance to do it at the end of my pregnancy. Maybe I feel more responsible since he's working - I should be too.
Well - I've had enough of a break.... small fry needs fed, and that's all me.
For a reason....
It's funny. I do sincerely believe that things happen for a reason. Even terrible things.
I know that Dan was meant to be out of work for that time to help me through the end of a uneventful but busy and stressful pregnancy and through 6 of the hardest weeks of my life with a reflux-y baby. He was a tremendous amount of help.
If he had been in his old job - he probably would have had to drop his classes because of a big event they were doing in April. He would have graduated, but in the Fall. Now he's only 5 weeks away from finishing his MBA and less than two weeks from marching in his graduation ceremony.
We needed him here and he was here. It wasn't easy, and the stress was dangerously close to breaking us. Miraculously money found it's way into our pockets when we needed it most. Thank you to my amazingly generous friends who helped us when things looked their darkest. We were going to run out of money May 1. Dan was offered a good job that started - you guessed it - May 1.
I do believe things happen for a reason.
I know that Dan was meant to be out of work for that time to help me through the end of a uneventful but busy and stressful pregnancy and through 6 of the hardest weeks of my life with a reflux-y baby. He was a tremendous amount of help.
If he had been in his old job - he probably would have had to drop his classes because of a big event they were doing in April. He would have graduated, but in the Fall. Now he's only 5 weeks away from finishing his MBA and less than two weeks from marching in his graduation ceremony.
We needed him here and he was here. It wasn't easy, and the stress was dangerously close to breaking us. Miraculously money found it's way into our pockets when we needed it most. Thank you to my amazingly generous friends who helped us when things looked their darkest. We were going to run out of money May 1. Dan was offered a good job that started - you guessed it - May 1.
I do believe things happen for a reason.
Monday, May 01, 2006
It's May - YAYYYYYYY!
I love May.
May is my birthday month. Yep - you heard me right - I steal the whole damn month. ;)
Now it's even more special because I get to celebrate Mother's Day.
This year it's crazy again. Dan graduates on the 13th. The 14th is Mother's Day. The 16th is my birthday. The 19th is Julia's dance recital. The 22nd is Anna's 2nd birthday. Sometime the end of the month is the big pre-k graduation.
So YAY! It's MAY!
May is my birthday month. Yep - you heard me right - I steal the whole damn month. ;)
Now it's even more special because I get to celebrate Mother's Day.
This year it's crazy again. Dan graduates on the 13th. The 14th is Mother's Day. The 16th is my birthday. The 19th is Julia's dance recital. The 22nd is Anna's 2nd birthday. Sometime the end of the month is the big pre-k graduation.
So YAY! It's MAY!
Whadda day
Today is Dan's first day at work. After having 5 months off - I'm sure it will be a transition for us all. Two minutes before his alarm went off at 5am- Anna was up yelling for him. She woke up Julia. He brought them both into me to deal with since he had to get ready. They woke up Em. We were all up to wish him good luck on his first day.
So - I'm back to being a housewife and chauffeur. So far, so good. I've already dropped Julia off at pre-K, done a load of laundry, emptied the dishwasher, make eggs for anna, an egg white omelet for me, loaded the dishwasher. Em is sleeping and Anna is dancing around so I have a minute here.
After I pick Julia up, it will be lunch time, and then we will have hurry to dance class. It's picture day. So Julia's hair is curly. SUPER curly. I'm hoping it will relax a bit while at pre-K. ;) They wanted curly - they are getting curly.
THEN - after dance, comes nap time.
After nap time comes the biggest news of the day.... I'll be registering Julia for Kindergarten!! Yep - in July Julia will start all-day Kindergarten at the Elementary School.
WOW. A kindergartener.
So - I'm back to being a housewife and chauffeur. So far, so good. I've already dropped Julia off at pre-K, done a load of laundry, emptied the dishwasher, make eggs for anna, an egg white omelet for me, loaded the dishwasher. Em is sleeping and Anna is dancing around so I have a minute here.
After I pick Julia up, it will be lunch time, and then we will have hurry to dance class. It's picture day. So Julia's hair is curly. SUPER curly. I'm hoping it will relax a bit while at pre-K. ;) They wanted curly - they are getting curly.
THEN - after dance, comes nap time.
After nap time comes the biggest news of the day.... I'll be registering Julia for Kindergarten!! Yep - in July Julia will start all-day Kindergarten at the Elementary School.
WOW. A kindergartener.
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