Crazy Comma Momma

2009-04-14T16:07:00.001-04:00

Work in progress...

2009-01-11T16:44:00.002-05:00

I was so stressed by my friend Angie's comment on my last post, and the fact that half of the people who view my blog regularly don't see it correctly, that I went to work today on moving my blog to WordPress.

I love Blogger, for a lot of reasons... we go way back! But I also hate Blogger for a lot of reasons (like the fact that so many of you don't see the cute, little layout that I see!).

WordPress has a lot of cool features that I think I'll enjoy. But it's going to take me some time to figure out how to customize it to my liking (and I'm not sure I'll ever be satisfied, really, because they don't allow as much customization as Blogger, darn it!).

It's definitely a work in progress right now. But I wanted to go ahead and share the link for my Firefox and Mac friends now... at least you should see a halfway normal layout, for once!

So, click here to visit me at WordPress (and bookmark that link, if you're a fan).

I know you wanna know...

2009-01-10T20:32:00.004-05:00

What I'm reading, what I plan to read next, and what I've read so far this year. Of course you do, who wouldn't want to know that fascinating information about me??

So check out my cute, new widgets (what the heck is a widget, exactly? I have no clue!) in my sidebar!

I've been wanting to keep track of my reading for some time now... and since a brand new year just started, I figured this was a good time to do it. I signed up for a nifty Shelfari account today and added those three lists. One of these days, maybe I'll go so far as to add some of the books I've read in the past, too... but that just makes my head swim; it's a pretty overwhelming task!

And now, I really need to step away from the blog (and the books) and get some work done. I keep saying that, don't I? I'm still waiting for that anti-procrastination pill... clearly, I could use a large dose!!

Made a few changes...

2009-01-10T12:25:00.002-05:00

to my favorite blog, finally!

Last night, I made a new blog header and gave myself a new name. (I still need to play around and tweak the size of the header, I think... but at 3am this morning, I wasn't too concerned with that.) I also wrote a little blurb about my new name, but had to move the "About Me" section further down on the sidebar, so you have to search for it!

I had the "About Me" section up at the top of the sidebar, but found it really distracting to have that massive block of text right next to my latest blog entry... the font sizes are the same (or very close), so those two blocks of text together were hurting my head!

I looked and looked in my template (I still use the "old" style of Blogger) for the html coding that would let me change the font size in the profile blurb... but it escaped me. If anyone has a clue what I'm talking about, I welcome suggestions/tips!

For those of you who read via a feed (ha!), visit my actual blog and let me know what you think of the changes! And for those of you who use Firefox or a Mac and never see anything fun on my blog, here's an image of my new header (courtesy of Shabby Princess Designs, because I'm basically a lazy slug!)... I'll even be nice and copy my "About Me" blurb here for you. You're welcome!

The new title of my blog pretty much says it all... I'm a little bit crazy and happy pills get me through each day. I spend most of my time cursing authors who don't use commas correctly (and I really am crazy about serial commas). And, first and foremost, I'm a proud momma to two devilish angels who make my life worth living. I'm also a very lucky wife (but that didn't fit in my cute title). I love my blog; it's my therapy at the end of a long day. It's also my favorite way to procrastinate when a pesky work deadline is rapidly approaching!

And now, I'm returning to those pesky commas...

Sledding at Night, Part 2

2009-01-09T20:46:00.004-05:00

My husband is truly an overgrown child. He took Comet outside to go potty this evening and came running back in, telling the kids to get dressed, get their boots, get their gloves, get their snowpants... and hurry!

So, Avery didn't have to wait 'til morning to try out her new sled after all...

They had an absolute blast sledding down the hill in our backyard... in the dark. Avery was howling with laughter as her saucer sled twirled her around in the circles the whole way down the hill. Nick had to literally tackle Avery and her saucer when they got to the bottom, to prevent them from continuing across the alley and into the yard of the house behind us (she took off once, in Damon's sled, before Daddy was ready... and she did, in fact, visit our neighbor's yard). When Avery got stopped, each and every time, she'd jump up screaming, "Dad! That was SWEET! That was soooo sweet, Daddy!"

She is such a maniac.

I only wish my family would decide to have this much fun during the day, when the sun is shining, so that I could manage to get some GOOD pics. Don't they know they aren't supposed to have fun when the lighting isn't optimal for picture-taking?? They must've missed that memo...

Let It Snow!

2009-01-09T18:10:00.005-05:00

Tonight, we're expecting our first significant snowfall of the year. So, this afternoon Nick and I took the kids shopping for new sleds. These were supposed to be on Santa's shopping list for Christmas, but they must've slipped his mind! Ooops, Bad Santa!

When we got home from the store, it was almost dark, but Damon wanted to try out his new sled... so he took it for a few runs down the little hill in our front yard. And, of course, being the photo freak that I am, I went out to snap a few shots of him. I love pictures where you can actually see the snow falling (even if they are horrible, blurry, night photos!).

And here's Avery... having a fit because I wouldn't let her sled tonight... in the dark, in her SKIRT and short sleeves. I am a wicked momma.
By the time we wake up tomorrow, it should be a Winter Wonderland out there. So, never fear, Avery, you'll get your chance to sled to your little heart's content soon enough!

Back to Scouts

2009-01-09T13:25:00.006-05:00

Last night was our first Cub Scout meeting since before the holidays. Scout meetings begin at 6:30 pm... and because my husband is soooo organized, he asked me at 5 pm if I had any ideas for something fun the boys could do at the meeting (if there was one thing I could change about my dear husband, it would be the fact that he can't think/plan ahead... ever... for anything!).

So, I did a quick search online and found a Scout Bingo game that I could prepare for in very little time (since I HAD very, very little time). A few pages through the printer and a quick stop at our local grocery store to grab some M&Ms to use as markers, and we were on our way!

I think the boys enjoyed playing Scout Bingo. Although, I'm learning that 7- and 8-year-old boys do NOT like to "lose." I always thought that was a shortcoming of Damon's... he's never been a very good sport. But last night, I realized it must be the age. I saw a few boys near tears when we'd called at least 10 numbers and they still only had their FREE spaces covered.

We played four riveting games of Scout Bingo... and I've promised to deliver prizes to the winners at next week's meeting (I'm not above bribing them to attend). Avery was one of the winners... she's not a second-grade boy, but she has become an honorary Wolf, it seems (and, not surprisingly, she's the best behaved Wolf in the pack!).

I think everyone's favorite part of the activity was when we finally let them eat their markers at the end. Here are Mason, Damon, and Avery enjoying their cups of M&Ms. Cheers!

Damon also brought along his football card collection to share with the group last night.

And the meeting ended with a little group cheer. "Pack 334!"

It's good to be back in the swing of things! Next up on the Scouting agenda is the infamous Pinewood Derby. The boys start working on their cars this weekend, and the big race is at the end of the month (on Damon's birthday, actually). January is going to be a busy month!

Procrastination at its finest

2009-01-07T09:57:00.003-05:00

I have a massive work project sitting in front of me right now... one that I honestly don't think I'll survive (even though I begged for, and was granted, an extension!).

Yet, I'm sitting here doing everything BUT working.

I'm thinking about all the books I want to read... all the books I want to order from Amazon (if only I had unlimited funds to spend on books... and unlimited time with which to READ them!).

I'm thinking about scrapbooking... and the fact that I can't remember the last time I sat at my scrapping table and created something. I'm having some serious withdrawals from all things crafty. I'm thinking about all of the fun, new scrapping goodies that I'd love to buy (if only I had unlimited funds to spend on scrapbooking!).

I'm thinking about the fact that I only have 4 more glorious, kid-free hours left in my day... and wondering why the school day is so darn short!

I'm thinking about my blog... and that horrendous blog header featuring pics of my family in the POOL (when it's currently 30 degrees and snowing in my part of the world). I'm thinking I need
to do something about that one of these days...

I'm thinking it's 10am and the mailman should have been here by now. I'm thinking the mailman should make my day by bringing me a paycheck or two this morning (and I'm wondering if I dare "steal" some of that money to buy books... or scrapping goodies!).

And I'm even thinking about coffee. Yes, coffee. I love my morning coffee (which usually turns into afternoon and early evening coffee)... but I've yet to master the art of coffee-making. Maybe it's because I buy cheap Folger's coffee; maybe I haven't found the perfect combination of sugar and creamer (or the perfect flavor of creamer!); maybe I really don't like coffee as much as I like to think I do...

Can someone please tell me what's wrong with me? Is there a pill I can take for this? Surely there's a pill...

ETA: The mailman hates me. Hmpf.

Avery's new coat

2009-01-06T09:10:00.003-05:00

I couldn't resist snapping some pics of Avery this morning, right before we headed out the door for school.

The child has been in desperate need of a new winter coat... and I almost got her one for Christmas, but didn't. Then, my dad came to visit for New Year's and brought a bag of fabulous hand-me-downs from my Aunt Linda (Linda's granddaughter Madison is a bit older than Avery and always gives us great stuff!). And lo and behold, on the top of the bag was a gorgeous winter coat, complete with matching hat and scarf!

So, here's Avery modeling her new winter gear for me this morning. Can you tell she was an unwilling model (for the first time in her life!)?? I love those evil looks she was giving me, lol.

Thanks Aunt Linda, Jennifer, and Madison for our bag of goodies... and thanks to Dad for delivering them! I know Avery doesn't look very pleased in these pics, but she really DOES love her new coat! ;)

Did somebody say "pictures?"

2009-01-06T07:22:00.003-05:00

Just for you, Melanie!

I'm afraid I've really been slacking with the camera lately... I haven't taken many pics since Christmas morning. But I did manage to snap a few random shots of the kids yesterday afternoon.

Here's Damon, making himself a snack of peanut butter toast after school (it's so much fun when they become more independent and start waiting on themselves!):

And here's Avery (and those big blue eyes!), being the ham that she is... and showing off the Play-Doh mohawk she made for her baby doll (she's a strange kid!):

Back to school! YAY!

2009-01-05T15:33:00.002-05:00

I have vague memories of the days when my kids were sweet-smelling babies and I couldn't imagine the day would ever come when they'd leave me and go off to school...

Fast forward several years to Christmas Break of 2008... two full weeks with both kids at home each and every day. Loooong days they were. I did enjoy not having to get up at the crack o' dawn, rushing around to get two kids dressed, bundled, and ferried off to two different schools. But... a few days into their break, and I was a frazzled mom, ready for a break from THEM! I'm sorry, I know that makes me a bad mom, but they aren't sweet-smelling babies anymore... At 5 and almost-8 years old, Avery and Damon are loud, dirty, bickering, mess-making machines. And I've grown to love my quiet days at home without them (and I figure I've earned a little peace and quiet over the past 8 years, so I don't allow myself to feel TOO guilty!).

So, today was their first day back at school. Hallelujah!

The day didn't start off quite the way I'd planned. Before I fell asleep last night, I made Nick promise to get me out of bed EARLY this morning (yes, he laughed at me). I had great intentions of getting up early, maybe even having a cup of coffee before I had to start wrestling with the kids. But, our alarm didn't wake us up, for some mysterious reason... so instead of waking up before 7am, with plenty of time, we bolted out of bed at 8:15 screaming, "Oh, $@#%!"

Somehow I still managed to get Damon to school on time at 8:35, and Nick was late to work anyway, so he offered to drop Avery at her school on his way in.

So, the day started with a little more chaos than I'd planned... but that's just my life, right? Chaos is definitely something I've grown used to since becoming a mom (and since marrying Nick)!

Still, I was back home, had already walked Comet, and was thoroughly enjoying a QUIET house (aside from Lizzie's snoring) by 8:45 this morning.

Life is still chaotic, but getting the kids back to school is certainly a step in the right direction... for my less-than-stable mental health, anyway. Now if I can conquer the malfunctioning alarm clock tomorrow morning, that'll be another victory!

Brain overload

2009-01-04T22:43:00.003-05:00

I'm having a bit of a blog identity crisis here lately... with the new year, there are so many cool ideas/challenges/projects popping up all over the place, and it's making my brain hurt.

My friend Angie recently posted this cool site for book lovers. And there are all sorts of reading-type challenges that I'd love to be organized enough to do! But uhhhh, yeah, I'm not.

And my friend Trish (and lots of other people in the photography/scrapbooking world!) is all gung-ho about this Project 365 thing, where you take/post a picture a day all year. I know I wouldn't last a week keeping up with that. Although I LOVE the idea of it...

And then I wonder, if I actually do any of these cool things, how exactly will I keep track of them? Do I try to document all of this stuff... my reading and picture-taking... on THIS blog and bore you all to tears?? (As opposed to my normal posting that bores you to tears.) Or do I start a separate blog with all of this craziness??

Oh, what's a girl to do?!?!?

This girl should probably forget all of the above, quit wasting time in the blogosphere already, and get to WORK! That's what she should do... but what fun is that?

The worst idea Santa ever had

2008-12-31T21:16:00.003-05:00

I agonized for weeks and weeks over what Avery's "big" Christmas gift should be this year. My initial idea was to get her a nice, big (Barbie-sized), wooden dollhouse. She's really getting into Barbies and other dolls and the creative play that goes along with them.

But, after looking and looking and LOOKING at big, huge, wooden dollhouses and confusing myself more and more as the weeks went on, I finally decided to forget that idea. Big wooden dollhouses aren't cheap... and Avery would probably just take a big, black Sharpie marker to it and then I would cry big crocodile tears.

And about the time I abandoned the dollhouse idea, Amazon answered my prayers and marked the Rose Petal Cottage wayyyyyy down in price. So, YAY, another idea was born. It's kinda like a dollhouse, just on a bigger, Avery-size scale... she'll LOVE it!! (Plus, it was marked wayyyyy down, which thrilled me to no end!)

Now, less than a week after Christmas, I've decided that the purchase of a Rose Petal Cottage (and the Cherry Blossom Market that goes along with it, also marked wayyyy down) was quite possibly the WORST idea I've ever had.

I detest the Rose Petal Cottage.

I detest the fact that this thing is enormous... and absolutely does not fit anywhere in my cozy, little house.

I detest the fact that my daughter is obsessed with trying to contain our dogs in her Rose Petal Cottage... that's just a disaster waiting to happen. Now, mind you, Avery also got the cutest-ever little 25th Anniversary Cabbage Patch Kid preemie for Christmas, to go IN her Rose Petal Cottage with the cute little nursery set. But Avery could care less about the CPK, who fits perfectly in the Cottage. No, Avery is determined that Comet the Moose should live in her Cottage instead.

This afternoon when Damon's friends were here playing, I found them all crammed in Avery's room... with the Rose Petal Cottage flipped over on its side, every which way it was NOT supposed to be. And God only knows what kind of Star Wars game they were playing... but Avery was whimpering in the corner of the Cottage, no doubt a "prisoner" of some kind. This is totally not what I envisioned when I was so stinkin' excited about my little girl finding a Rose Petal Cottage waiting for her on Christmas morning.

I'm thisclose to packing up the Rose Petal Cottage and taking it to my local Goodwill store... so that it can go home and terrorize some other unsuspecting mother.

Next year, Avery's getting a whole slew of those microscopic Polly Pocket thingamabobs instead. Then, she can feed them to Comet and everyone will be happy!

Christmas 2008

2008-12-29T09:58:00.005-05:00

I attempted to make this post about Christmas earlier this morning... but Blogger did not want to cooperate. So now I'm thinking I'll be lucky just to get these pics posted for your viewing pleasure!

Here's Avery, sitting in her new Rose Petal Cottage (one part of the monstrous thing, anyway!)... I don't think she was fully awake yet!This is the Cherry Blossom Market that goes along with the Cottage...

More Cottage pics, before Avery got to it and started rearranging (and trapping the dogs in it!).

Avery's loot under the tree...

Damon's side of the tree...

Damon waiting patiently for Avery and Daddy, before he could start ripping gifts open.

Still waiting for Daddy to get out of bed. (And, no, I don't beat my son, but his friends are a little on the rough side!)

Ripping the Wii open!

Taylor Swift!!!! Avery was too excited about this gift!

That was our Christmas morning in a nutshell!

Another birthday

2008-12-26T20:21:00.006-05:00

My baby girl is *sniff, sniff* FIVE years old today!

I've been scratching my head all day wondering how it's possible that it's been five years since the night she was born... it really does seem like it was just yesterday.

Everyone always says, "ohh, poor Avery... what a terrible birthday, the day after Christmas." But, she doesn't seem to mind one bit!

We had a pretty calm, quiet day, but it suited her (and her mommy!) just fine. I told Avery I wanted to take her shopping today, so that she could pick out her own birthday goodies. And I let her choose the store... wherever she wanted to go. God bless this child... she chose The Dollar Tree! lol

So, we had Chinese buffet for lunch (also the birthday girl's choice) and then we headed to The Dollar Tree. Avery loaded up a cart with everything her little heart desired... and even let her brother throw in a few things, too... and it cost a whoppin' $36. Gotta love that!

All day, Avery kept telling me that she wasn't five yet because she hadn't blown out her candles. Unfortunately, when the time came, I couldn't find the box of birthday candles that I KNOW are floating around my kitchen somewhere... so she had to settle for one giant candle stuck in the middle of her cake. She assured me it was okay... and after she blew out her one lone candle, she was officially five!

The balloon and the shirt (it says "Drama Queen) pretty much say it all! :)

And here are some of her new birthday jammies from Gram... a little big, but she'll grow into them.

Happy Birthday, Princess Avery!

Impossible to hate

2008-12-20T21:41:00.003-05:00

My mom has always claimed to hate her canine granddaughter (although I often question the fact that Lizzie is actually a dog... she seems more like a cross between Bambi and an evil rat).

Grandma might not feel warm fuzzies toward Evil Lizz, but she does seem to enjoy keeping Lizzie warm and fuzzy every winter!

Last year, Grandma made several fleece doggy coats to keep the extremely cold-blooded rat warm, including this personalized hoodie (but she doesn't like her).

Today, I tagged along while Mom finished her Christmas shopping for her grandkids... and I'll be damned if the woman didn't buy Lizzie another sweater. She kept saying, "Why am I spending money on that dog? I don't even LIKE her..." Uh huh. Sure you don't.

Lizzie loves her new Christmas sweater. And I give it 2 days, tops, before Comet figures out how to unravel it with his teeth (Lizzie is his favorite chew toy, after all).

Snow pics

2008-12-16T10:59:00.007-05:00

I know I shared a video of the kids sledding/fighting last week... but I also took a million pics of them enjoying our first significant snowfall.

For your viewing pleasure...

Taking a small break...

2008-12-15T11:01:00.002-05:00

from work just so I can have a mini panic attack because Christmas is next week... and I'm in no way prepared!!

Not to mention the fact that Avery's birthday is the next day, and I'm not prepared for that either (she chose a really unfortunate day to be born!).

And just in case Santa is reading my blog... All I want for Christmas is to hit the lottery... or find a money tree growing in my backyard. That's all.

Back to work now (because I'm pretty sure my Christmas wish won't come true, darn it!)

The Real Damon and Avery

2008-12-12T18:23:00.002-05:00

As a blog reader, I know that it's really easy to read mommy blogs and read goofy stories about their kids and think, "how cute, how sweet" and imagine that the children featured are cute, sweet, angelic little people. Even though we KNOW that's not realistic, that's what we picture, right? At least I do, usually...

Well, just in case any of you are under the impression that Damon and Avery are cute, sweet, angelic little people... this video was taken this afternoon while they were sledding and having a "good time" together. It's very representative of a typical minute or two spent with them, on any given afternoon.

And, yes, I sat back with my camera and laughed deliriously while they yelled at, hit, and kicked each other and whined and threw temper tantrums. If I don't laugh, I'll cry. Really.

Welcome to my world...

Time to get crafty!

2008-12-10T15:30:00.002-05:00

I have a busy evening ahead of me... but unlike the work-related kind of busy that I dread, I'm actually looking forward to tonight's projects!

Tomorrow evening is the Cub Scouts' Christmas party, and I volunteered (some time ago, of course) to make ornaments for each of the boys. So, I've taken pics of most of the scouts in their uniforms and now I need to make 50 snowflake foam ornaments with their pics and glitter glue. Hopefully my husband will be a dear and help out with this one!

I also have to make three tutus... for three grown men. Every year, the parents and volunteers put on a little Christmas program for the scouts, and of course Nick and I got roped into that this year. Broadway it's not, but still, it's turning into quite the production with the costumes and props. My mom is coming over tonight to help with the tutu-making!

Tomorrow is also Nick's birthday, although I fear it's going to be overshadowed by the Christmas party (but I don't think he'll mind terribly!). I am planning to cook his traditional birthday meal (sausage links and mac and cheese) and I bought cake and brownie mixes, too.

AND, once all of that is behind me, I have a book to finish editing this weekend... although I'm trying not to even think about that right now! Tutus and snowflakes are much more fun than a book about cardiogenic shock.

Looking Like Christmas

2008-12-08T12:40:00.002-05:00

Avery and I decided to get crafty last weekend, and we made ten million feet of paper chain garland for our Christmas tree. Okay, maybe it wasn't quite ten million feet... but it was a lot, and my stapler finger was hurting by the time we were done!

Nick was busy putting the tree up, it was snowing outside, and we had Christmas carols playing... it was definitely feeling like Christmas in our house!

I tried to play around with my camera settings and get a halfway decent picture of the tree while it was lit... I'm not sure I succeeded, but these will have to do!

2008-12-06T22:53:00.002-05:00

Finally, I'm sharing a few pics from our Thanksgiving weekend with Nick's family.

We all gathered at Nick's aunt and uncle's house, about 2 hours south of where we live... AJ and Amber drove a million miles from Connecticut... and Missy and her daughter Hailey drove over from Illinois. It's not very often that the three Witschey siblings are in the same place at the same time, so this was quite a treat!

And, of course, I failed to get a picture of the three of them together... I'm so ashamed.

Here's a pic of Missy and her very own Mini-Me, Miss Hailey. I hadn't seen Hailey since she was only a few months old... so now, 2 years later, she looks a lot different. When Missy came walking in the door, Hailey picked up her head and looked at me and I shrieked, "OH MY GOD, she's a little Missy!" She really is.
Here's Missy, Mini-Missy, and Uncle AJ...

Hailey and her big cousin, Avery, chilling out, watching some toons...

Hailey and Damon, with candy cane all over his face, of course...

Damon was very taken with his little cousin. I'm always touched when I see him interact with a younger child... because he's so sweet and gentle. And it makes me sad, for about half a second, that he won't be a big brother again. But I get over that quickly, I promise!

I tried so hard to get a GOOD picture of the three cousins... but it was impossible. My kids had candy cane all over their faces at all times. And Hailey... well, Hailey doesn't sit still for more than 1.2 seconds at any given time. If, by some miracle, I got them all to sit in the same vicinity, there was no way they'd all look at the camera at the same time... I finally gave up; this is as good as it gets, I'm afraid...

I think this is my favorite pic from the week. Missy snapped this one of Hailey and Damon when they stayed with us Monday night, before heading back to Illinois. How cute is that?

Oh, I almost forgot... Here's a pic I snapped on Thanksgiving of myself and my dearly beloved. I know, I know... the kids are cuter...

The perfect gift

2008-12-05T22:54:00.003-05:00

Anyone who knows me well knows that laundry is my nemesis. I absolutely abhor laundry. And my biggest challenge is getting a load of clothes from the washer to the dryer without having to rewash it several times.

So, when this cute little frame arrived in the mail today---a Christmas gift from a good friend of mine---I had to laugh (and display it proudly).

Hallmark made this JUST for me, I'm convinced... and my friends know me too well!

Stay Tuned!

2008-12-02T21:47:00.003-05:00

I have lots more to share about the rest of our Thanksgiving weekend (that wouldn't end!). I also have a million and one pictures of Nick and his siblings and especially of the three "babies" on his side of the family--our two munchkins and our niece, Hailey.

We were so grateful for the opportunity to spend time with Nick's brother AND sister... it doesn't happen often, unless someone's getting married (and since they're all married now, I guess we can't count on that to bring us together again anytime soon).

Anyway, I have lots and lots to share... but I also have a horribly wicked cold/cough/sore throat that my husband was kind enough to pass to me this weekend. He's been sick for over a week and I really hoped that it would skip over me, but I'm never that lucky!

So, between being sick and trying to work and getting everyone back into the swing of things around here after the holiday weekend, I'll have to fit in picture uploading and blogging another day. Right now my head is screaming for its pillow... I've been ignoring the screams since 9 o'clock this morning, so I think it's time to finally surrender!

A "Wild, Wonderful" Thanksgiving

2008-11-28T12:41:00.002-05:00

We didn't really have any plans for Thanksgiving Day. But "plans" are overrated when you're married to my husband!

Wednesday evening, after he got home from work, Nick announced, "Why don't I call my Aunt Kathy, see if she can put us for the night, and we can go down there for Thanksgiving Day?"

An hour later, our car was loaded down with four people, two dogs, blankets and pillows... and we were on our way to Aunt Kathy's.

We have had plans for quite some time to go to Aunt Kathy's this weekend for a late Thanksgiving celebration. Nick's brother and his wife are in town... and Nick's sister and her daughter are arriving late, late, late Saturday night. So, after the Weirton Christmas parade tomorrow, we're heading to Aunt Kathy's to spend the night and have the Thanksgiving feast Sunday afternoon with most of Nick's family. We'll still be doing that... yesterday was just a "bonus." A nice, unplanned (in typical Nick style) bonus.

Thanksgiving means something very different in West Virginia than in most other parts of the country. It's not really about turkey and stuffing and pumpkin pie and pilgrims. It's ALL about the menfolk leaving the house at 4am decked out in camouflage and Hunter Orange and sitting in the woods most of the day, hoping to drag home a deer at some point.

So, yesterday, we had a perfect "Wild, Wonderful" Thanksgiving. Nick spent the majority of the day in the woods with his brother, his brother's in-laws, his cousins, and his son.

Avery and I spent the day with Aunt Kathy and the 20+ dogs that she's boarding this weekend. We enjoyed a yummy breakfast (courtesy of Aunt Kathy), the Macy's Thanksgiving Day parade, a pot of coffee, a scrumptuous lunch (courtesy of Aunt Kathy's mom), and lots of good conversation. We also visited with my sister-in-law and her family and greeted the mighty hunters when they returned (without deer, unfortunately, but that's not really the point, is it?).

Maybe for the first time since we moved back here last February, I felt like we were "home" again. There's a lot that I feel is not-quite-right in my world these days, but yesterday doesn't fall into that category. It was the best Thanksgiving Day I've had in a long time. And I'm very thankful that my husband doesn't believe in "plans."

Been there, done that

2008-11-26T08:14:00.002-05:00

I stole this post from my friend Lisa. I really enjoyed glancing through her list (Lisa, we're gonna have to do something about that karaoke thing! lol), so figured I'd do it myself. I'm sure most of you won't give a hoot about my list, but I've been making Christmas cards for three days straight and I have positively NO creative energy left... It's this or nothin'!

So, here goes (things I've done are in bold):

1. Started your own blog... duh.
2. Slept under the stars
3. Played in a band
4. Visited Hawaii
5. Watched a meteor shower
6. Given more than you can afford to charity
7. Been to DisneyWorld
8. Held a praying mantis
9. Climbed a mountain
10. Sang a solo
11. Bungee jumped
12. Visited Paris
13. Watched a lightning storm at sea
14. Taught yourself an art from scratch
15. Adopted a child
16. Had food poisoning
17. Walked to the top of the Statue of Liberty... that was painful if I remember correctly.
18. Grown your own vegetables
19. seen the Mona Lisa... she's very tiny.
20. Slept on an overnight train
21. Had a pillow fight
22. Hitch hiked
23. Taken a sick day when you're not ill
24. Built a snow fort
25. Held a lamb
26. Gone skinny dipping
27. Run a Marathon
28. Ridden in a gondola in Venice
29. Seen a total eclipse
30. Watched a sunrise or sunset
31. Hit a home run
32. Been on a cruise
33. Seen Niagara Falls in person
34. Visited the birthplace of your ancestors
35. Seen an Amish community
36. Taught yourself a new language
37. Had enough money to be truly satisfied
38. Seen the Leaning Tower of Pisa in person
39. Gone rock climbing
40. Seen Michelangelos David
41. Sung karaoke
42. Seen Old Faithful geyser erupt
43. Bought a stranger a meal at a restaurant
44. Visited Africa
45. Walked on a beach by moonlight
46. Been transported in an ambulance
47. Had your portrait painted
48. Gone deep sea fishing... trust me when I tell you not to do this when you're 4 months pregnant!
49. Seen the Sistine Chapel in person
50. Been to the top of the Eiffel Tower in Paris... actually I think we only made it halfway up, to that middle level, but I'm takin' this one anyway!
51. Gone scuba diving or snorkeling... hmmm, does sitting on the boat while your friends go diving count?? (I didn't think so)
52. Kissed in the rain
53. Played in the mud
54. Gone to a drive-in theater
55. Been in a movie
56. Visited the Great Wall of China... not yet, but ask me this time next year and I might have a different answer.
57. Started a business
58. Taken a martial arts class
59. Visited Russia
60. Served at a soup kitchen
61. Sold Girl Scout Cookies
62. Gone whale watching
63. Got flowers for no reason
64. Donated blood, platelets or plasma
65. Gone sky diving
66. Visited a Nazi Concentration Camp... Dachau, the most depressing place I've ever been.
67. Bounced a check
68. Flown in a helicopter
69. Saved a favorite childhood toy
70. Visited the Lincoln Memorial
71. Eaten Caviar
72. Pieced a quilt... well, I didn't finish the quilt, but I did make several squares.
73. Stood in Times Square (Dad, have I done this? I don't remember!)
74. Toured the Everglades
75. Been fired from a job
76. Seen the Changing of the Guards in London
77. Broken a bone
78. Been on a speeding motorcycle
79. Seen the Grand Canyon in person
80. Published a book
81. Visited the Vatican
82. Bought a brand new car
83. Walked in Jerusalem
84. Had your picture in the newspaper
85. Read the entire Bible
86. Visited the White House
87. killed and prepared an animal for eating... I've watched my husband and brother-in-law do this plenty, however!
88. Had chickenpox
89. Saved someone's life
90. Sat on a jury
91. Met someone famous
92. Joined a book club
93. Lost a loved one
94. Had a baby (or two)
95. Seen the Alamo in person
96. Swam in the Great Salt Lake
97. Been involved in a law suit
98. Owned a cell phone
99. Been stung by a bee... never ever; isn't that amazing??
100. Read an entire book in one day

My little blogger

2008-11-22T23:12:00.003-05:00

Damon announced last night that he wanted to start his own blog. At first, I laughed... and then thought, "well, why not??"

So, we set him up with his own e-mail address and blogspot today.

The child has been on the laptop, looking at his blog, posting on his blog, looking at his blog some more -- all evening. Every now and then I hear him giggle to himself... apparently he thinks he's funny.

Just now, as I was typing up this post, he discovered the comments that I left on some of his posts this evening. He thinks that's just great!

Anyway, you can visit Damon's blog here. Feel free to leave the aspiring writer some love (and keep in mind that I have absolutely nothing to do with his topics, opinions, or spelling/grammar).

Do As I Say, Not As I Do

2008-11-21T21:45:00.003-05:00

Nick and I have been "training" our kids for YEARS not to mess with our evil min pin when she is in the possession of anything edible.

Lizzie is evil. She steals food, from wherever -- the trash, the table, our plates -- and then she guards it with her life. We all know this about Lizzie. We aren't new here.

Sometime this morning, Lizzie pilfered a 4-pack of cheese on cheese crackers that was sitting on the kitchen table, leftover from someone's lunch yesterday. She then carried these crackers into Damon's room, where she lay on the bed all day with them and growled menacingly at anyone who dared to so much as LOOK at her crackers.

Comet spent most of the day under my chair. Even HE knows better (and he's not very smart). Avery and I didn't miss Lizzie at all. When she stays tucked away somewhere all day, we're generally grateful.

But, Nick came home for lunch this afternoon and, for some insane reason, decided he didn't want Lizzie to have those damn crackers anymore. (All I can figure is that he's determined to prove to her who's boss... can you hear me laughing?)

As Avery and I were settling down at the table, ready to consume the Wendy's he brought us, we heard a horrible ruckus coming from the bedroom.

I'm not sure who was the victor. Nick got the crackers away from Lizzie. He also got six bloody holes in his two thumbs... and spent the rest of his lunch hour bandaging them.

I'm always telling Nick to "choose his battles" with our children; he's never been very good at that. Apparently he's no better at choosing his battles with his evil dog, either... I kept saying, "why didn't you just let her keep the stupid crackers?? Were they that important?"

And I'm pretty sure Lizzie still thinks she's boss tonight.

Snow Fun

2008-11-21T17:40:00.004-05:00

It's been snowing here for a week... and is supposed to continue for at least the next week (I haven't seen a forecast beyond that).

But, for all of the snowing that's going on, we've had very little accumulation. Schools haven't been delayed or closed yet... and the kids haven't been able to get out there and throw snowballs at each other.

This afternoon, right around the time I had to venture out to get Damon from school, it started coming down pretty heavily and sticking a little. So, when we got home, the kids begged to stay out and play. They had a blast, even though there was barely enough snow to cover the ground (let alone make a snowball!!).

After I snapped these pictures, the neighborhood boys came down with their sleds and snowboards. They didn't seem to care one bit that there wasn't enough snow and they had to scoot themselves down the hill in the backyard.

A Splitting Headache

2008-11-20T20:33:00.004-05:00

This is what I'm going to have every Thursday night, I've realized.

Thursday evenings are Cub Scouts meetings. And now that Nick is stepping up as a den leader, it's become a family affair (instead of just the boys spending quality time together every Thursday).

Every time we go to a scouting event, I think, "I'm so glad I only have two children... and that only ONE of them is a boy!"

Boys are insane enough on their own, and in pairs. But, a fellowship hall FULL of boys (40+) is enough to make you wanna tear your hair out.

The happy news is that Damon earned his Bobcat badge tonight. Yay, Damon! :)

There's nothing cuter...

2008-11-18T10:20:00.003-05:00

than a big, stupid Golden Retriever playing fetch in the snow.

I wish I'd taken my camera out with us this morning (not that Comet would stay still long enough for me to get a decent picture of the snow on his nose anyway!).

It's been snowing off and on here for days, but last night we finally got a little accumulation. The kids were very disappointed that there's finally a little bit of "play snow" on the ground, but they had school anyway. Bummer. Back in Maryland, they would've had the entire day off for this!

I told Damon this morning that there's plenty more snow where this dusting came from... not to worry! I'm sure he'll have a "Snow Day" before too much longer.

How is it possible...

2008-11-17T11:29:00.003-05:00

for me to be sick again?!?!

I swear, our house just got over the flu. I was really looking forward to a "healthy period" for a while!

Last night, I woke up sick to my stomach... it came out of the clear blue, so I figured maybe I ate something that didn't agree with me. But, no one else in my family seems sick, and we've all eaten the same things.

And, today, I'm still not feeling great.

There's no chance that I'm pregnant, unless some sort of miracle has occurred and my body parts are growing back together. So, I guess that means I'm just sick... again.

All Quiet in the Frozen North

2008-11-16T01:00:00.003-05:00

I know I'm doing a really crappy job as a blogger here lately... I thought I'd pop in and say "hey!" and let everyone know that we Witscheys are still alive and well.

I'm in the middle... well, really, at the end... of another book project. So, I'm eating, sleeping, and dreaming all things Congenital Heart Disease. Yippee! This book will be finished mid-week with any luck... and then I'll probably spend several days recovering!

We're also keeping busy with the Cub Scouts lately. Nick is in the process of stepping up as Damon's den leader (he has "Sucker" written on his forehead)... and we're really trying to keep Damon interested, so we've been doing lots of scouting things. The past two Saturday mornings were spent "Scouting for Food" in the cold and rain. Fun stuff!

Oh, big news for me, of the sad variety... My darling son somehow managed to spill a glass of milk on my camera Thursday night, after I'd used it to take pics of 50 Cub Scouts for a Christmas ornament project that I volunteered for (I have "Sucker" on my forehead, too, apparently).

I was honestly in a state of shock... sitting here flipping the switch on... off... on... off. And nothing ever happened. The poor thing was just DEAD. I had visions of Thanksgiving and Christmas with NO camera, and I cried like a baby. I think I may have even sent up a prayer or two...

By the next morning, my beloved camera had recovered somewhat. Now it works... it just won't zoom at all, which kinda stinks because I use my zoom on almost every pic I take! But, at least I can take pics, even if they aren't the best.

So, I think that's all the excitement in my world at the moment.

Now, I must return to my thrilling chapter on TGA... that's transposition of the great arteries... duh.

Gee...

2008-11-11T11:42:00.003-05:00

Does anyone think it's about time for me to put up a new blog header??

I'll add that to my "to do" list... I might get around to it by next summer, in which case, I can just leave this one up! lol

Relief

2008-11-10T00:19:00.002-05:00

For a moment, I'm feeling relieved... for the first time in over a week.

I finally got caught up on a batch of work that was due last week... that I fell VERY behind on due to everyone's illnesses (including my own). My next job is going to allow for sick days, I swear!

So, it's done... finally. Whew!

Now... onto the next project that I had to push aside to get caught up on THAT. Love that domino effect! I have a book project that's due in one week. I have to complete at least two chapters a day for the next 7 days if I have any hope of finishing this by the deadline.

WHAT, do you suppose, are the chances of that happening??

Right now, however, I'm allowing myself to feel relieved (and it feels wonderful!). There will be plenty of time for me to stress over this next project... starting tomorrow.

Fall Fun

2008-11-05T19:22:00.004-05:00

I posted just a few days ago about my favorite (and only) tree... remember? Well, TODAY, it decided to lose all of its leaves. I'm not kidding... this morning, there were leaves on my tree. By this afternoon, my front yard was buried under three inches of leaves... from one (rather large) tree! The kids had a blast playing in the leaves after school this afternoon...

They even made leaf angels!

And they humored me by smiling for a picture or two...

Then played in the leaves some more.

It was almost as fun as playing in the snow. And I have a feeling we'll see plenty of that before long!!

Still alive... I think

2008-11-05T12:35:00.002-05:00

Our house was hit with a nasty round of flu/sick/ickies this past weekend.

Avery was the first victim Friday night. Her second failed sleepover attempt at Grandma's ended with her home and throwing up by 9:30pm.

I didn't feel well Saturday, though I wasn't running for the bathroom every five minutes like my daughter, so I thought I got off easy (wrong!).

Sunday night, Damon was hit even harder than Avery had been. And, finally, Monday (after cleaning up after two sick kiddos all weekend), it hit me.

Nick was home in bed all day yesterday.

It's been absolutely, positively no fun around here for the past several days.

And, to make matters worse, my lower back picks NOW to start aching like nobody's business. So now that my stomach has started cooperating with life again, my back is protesting.

I'm days and days and DAYS behind on editing work... and every second that I sit at this computer, my back screams at me even more.

wahhhhhh.

Trick or Treat

2008-10-31T22:30:00.004-04:00

Weirton went trick or treating last night. Lord knows we wouldn't want to interfere with high school football on Friday night (I'm tellin' you, I live in the strangest place)!

So, here are a few pics of my crazy little candy snatchers last night. Damon's friend Jason came along with us, too.

Waiting for Daddy to tell them it's safe to cross the road...

Avery was the craziest looking little princess. She had a bright pink jammie shirt under her Cinderella dress... and two different colored socks under her crocs... and that crazy pink jacket that was ten sizes too big for her... oh, and the mittens, of course. I was a little more concerned about warmth than her costume, obviously!

The loot!

Just Damon

2008-10-31T09:53:00.005-04:00

This is where the threatening and crying came into play yesterday afternoon. I had to beg and plead with Damon to let me get a few pics of him... my suddenly camera-shy child (and pain in my you-know-what!).

He lost another tooth a few days ago... it used to reside in that gaping whole on the top left.

This is Damon grumbling because his little sister won't play tackle football with him. Apparently he doesn't realize that she's more of the cheerleader type.

And, yes, I know that the child desperately needs a haircut. I could say he's "in style" with that whole grunge look... but that's not the case. I've just been too lazy to get his hair cut in months. (And I really hate that grunge look, by the way.)

More Thursday pics

2008-10-31T09:37:00.003-04:00

This is typical Avery after school... marker under her eye, candy and the remnants of lunch on her cheek, goofy sideways grin, and crazy flyaway hair. School is rough on a 4 year old. Here's a pic of Damon's school (on School Street, naturally!), from our spot in the church parking lot across the street, where Avery and I wait for him every afternoon... I think it looks better in black and white...

Here's my favorite tree in our front yard (it also happens to be the ONLY tree in our yard).

I think it looks better in black and white, too...

And, while we're at it, so does our little house... or maybe not. It looks a little creepy in black and white, no??

Come sightseeing with me!

2008-10-30T15:56:00.008-04:00

I haven't taken many pics lately (other than Halloween silliness). So this afternoon when I left to get the kids from school, I took my camera along. Lucky you!

There's my house this afternoon. Exciting, huh? Hi, House! This is my view driving down the hill that we live on. That's Route 22 in the distance, locally known as Heroin Highway (isn't THAT pleasant??) because it runs straight into Pittsburgh, which is supposedly where all of our drugs come from. So quaint. This is a twisty, curvy VERY steep hill... and there are some great views from up there (it's also a real bitch when covered in snow and ice!). Hi, Heroin Highway!

I've been wanting THIS picture for weeks. And this isn't a very good shot because I was driving down the hill, around a curve, trying not to kill myself in the process. (Not to mention the fact that Blogger is going to shrink it up so much that you won't really be able to see much.) But, it shows a good portion of downtown Weirton... and off in the distance is the bridge that crosses into Ohio. It's a gorgeous shot when you're driving through there. I've been telling Nick that I want this picture... but there's no way to get it without taking your life into your hands. You can't stop on this hill unless you WANT to be rear-ended. Nick thinks I could stop and throw him out real quick (I like the sounds of that... some days!) and continue on my way, while he climbs OVER the guardrail and stands ON the ledge of the hill to get the picture. Yeah, right. Then I'll go pick out your casket! Hi, Weirton!

At the bottom of the crazy hill, take a left and there you'll see my mom's apartment building (mostly hidden behind the trees here)... I don't think it's even 2 miles from our front door. Mom lives at the tippy top on the 7th floor. She's the only resident under the age of 103... she's also the only resident who has a full set of teeth. Hi, Mom!

This is driving back up the hill, on the other side... on my way to Avery's school. I almost ran off the road getting this picture. It was a very dangerous afternoon for me! Hi, fellow travelers on Cove Road! Up Spook Hill, weeeeeeeeee! (Sorry, that was my favorite book as a child... I had a little flashback there.)

Never fear, I have lots more pictures where these came from... although I didn't have to take my life into my hands for any of them. I just had to yell and cry and threaten my kids to cooperate for me.

Halloween cuteness

2008-10-29T09:30:00.004-04:00

I'm not usually a sucker for goofy holiday/seasonal clothing. But when I saw this outfit at Wally World a few weeks ago, it screamed "Avery!"

She's already worn it to school a few times (patient she's not!), but I figured today was probably her last shot at it. Tomorrow they're having their Halloween Party at school and she'll be in Cheerleader mode.

Please excuse the blank stare in these pics... Avery's not patient and she's also NOT a morning person (she really IS a mini me!!!).

Halloween Party 2008

2008-10-25T22:53:00.006-04:00

Tonight we went to a Halloween party hosted by Damon's Cub Scout den leaders. It was quite the production!

They had ten tons of food set up in an Army tent, a really neat trail through the woods where the kids got to go "trick or treating," games for the kids, a bonfire, and LOTS of crazy Cub Scouts running around in costume.

Avery especially loved this cupcake!

Vampires R Us

2008-10-25T22:42:00.004-04:00

This is the first time Nick and I have ever gotten into the spirit of Halloween and dressed up... We just might have had more fun than our kids this year!

Doesn't he make a GREAT vampire??

And check out these boots! It's amazing what you can find at your local Goodwill store.

Other than Nick's groovy fangs, these eyelashes were probably my favorite part of the costumes.

A Ninja and His Cheerleader

2008-10-25T22:36:00.003-04:00

My Cub Scout

2008-10-25T00:56:00.003-04:00

Hi, My Name is Erin...

2008-10-25T00:41:00.002-04:00

And I seem to have an Internet addiction.

I guess this isn't really "news." I've spent the past several years frequenting message boards -- my Moms Group, scrapbooking groups, book groups... you name it. I'm never too far from my e-mail inbox. Reading (and writing) blogs takes up a good bit of my time each day. I dabbled in MySpace for a while. And now, after some resistance, I've jumped right into the world of Facebook with both feet.

I absolutely love the fact that I can stay connected to my friends and family this way. And it's been soooo great to reconnect with old friends, too. The Internet must be my number one form of escapism (and sometimes therapy!) these days.

But Lord knows I have enough trouble with time management as it is... and this Internet addiction is NOT helping me one bit!

I fear that I'm going to have to start limiting my online time one of these days... so that I can get through this stack of work on my desk and maybe even spend some quality time with my kids before they leave home. I might even get more sleep (and judging by the huge black circles under my eyes, I need it!).

I think I might need a 12-step program to help me through this.

A Second Grader

2008-10-22T15:50:00.003-04:00

A goofy grin.
Sweaty hair sticking up in every direction.
Rosy cheeks from running around in Gym class, no doubt.
Pizza sauce on the face.
Big, awkward teeth that aren't quite sure how or where they belong in this little mouth.

This is what Second Grade looks like:

What happened to "ewww, boys are icky!"

2008-10-21T09:15:00.004-04:00

Last weekend, Avery kept yammering on about something to do with a "boyfriend," and I said, "uh huh, that's nice" and ignored 99% of what she was saying, like I usually do. (Trust me, it would be impossible and downright exhausting to pay attention to everything that comes out of Avery's mouth!)

But when I picked Avery up from school yesterday afternoon and her teacher mentioned the word "boyfriend," I paid a little more attention.

"It seems Avery has a little boyfriend in our class."

Ha, ha, cute, yeah, awwwww!

"Avery and Dominic are inseparable all day. When we go out to the playground, he gets on that little horsey thing, you know? And she climbs on behind him and holds on to him."

Uhhhh, do what??

Suddenly, I'm not liking the sounds of this. It seems my daughter (and Dominic, presumably) are a little too comfortable with the roles of boyfriend/girlfriend... at AGE FOUR.

So, then I scan the classroom (where the "Clean Up, Clean Up, Everybody, Everywhere" song is blaring) frantically for my sweet, little girl... and zero in on her crawling on the floor underneath the cots stacked up in the corner of the room.

Dominic is two feet away from her, at the monstrous bin of Legos. He's "cleaning up" alright. He's picking up the Legos and throwing them... and Avery is crawling under furniture to pick up after him. (Yes, I'm thinking she is wayyyy too comfortable with her role as "Girlfriend!")

So, I say, "C'mon, Ave... hurry up and pick up your Legos... we have to get going."

Avery says, "Mom, can Dominic come to my house today and play."

Helllll no! I mean, uhhh, "No, Avery, not today, sweetie. C'mon, let's go."

"But, Mooooom, I'm going to miss my boyfriend!"

At this point, I'm nearly ready to grab Avery by her shirt collar and drag her out the door... bring her home, lock her in a closet, and leave her there 'til she's thirty.

She finally finishes picking up after her slob of a boyfriend, but before we make it to the door, she has to run back and give him a huge hug goodbye. "Bye, Boyfriend, I'll see you tomorrow!" *flirtatious grin and batting of her eyelashes* (I swear!)

I cast a forlorn look at her teachers on our way out the door. And I find myself feeling... responsible... for my lovesick daughter and her blatant expressions of affection... at AGE FOUR. I want to scream to the teachers, "I don't know WHERE she gets this from, I swear. Her father and I don't even like each other!"

And then I started having horrible visions of the future... of Avery as a teenager, and boys knocking on our door and calling at all hours of the night, and my husband sitting on the porch with a shotgun.

I'm soooooo not ready for this.

Hugs

2008-10-19T21:29:00.002-04:00

Tonight, after Avery's bath, I found some snuggly jammies for her to put on (because it's been c-c-c-c-cold here at night lately!). And I can never resist giving her a big ole hug when she has on snuggly jammies... even better when she has on snuggly jammies and still smells like baby shampoo from her bath!

So, I scooped her up and held her in a big hug for a few minutes. I don't even remember what she was babbling about (it's always something), but she kept laughing. And holding her that close to me and FEELING her laughter against my chest was probably the sweetest thing that's happened to me in a long time.

After a few minutes of this, she said, "Mommy, why are you hugging me?" I replied, "Because I love you." She laughed against my chest again, hugged me back, then screamed, "Okay, okay, now LET ME DOWN!"

I know for a fact that my days of snuggly hugs (especially the kind where I can pick her up off the ground and hold her to my chest) are numbered.

I look at Damon now, and all his almost-8-year-old hugeness, and want to cry... because I can't pick him up and snuggle him anymore. I wish I had known the last time I snuggled him against my chest that it would be my last opportunity... so that I could have enjoyed it for just one moment longer.

I love that my kids are growing up and needing me less. And I hate that they're growing up and needing me less... and that I'm running out of time for snuggly hugs and laughter against my chest.

Still here, still dieting...

2008-10-19T10:36:00.003-04:00

I guess I've been slacking on the blog posts lately. I think I've been spending too much time in the kitchen!

This dieting thing is a lot of work... my kitchen is full of healthy foods that I'm not used to preparing. So, I've been trying to fix things ahead of time so that I'm not tempted to grab something "quick and easy"... and NOT on my diet!

So far, so good. Nick and I are both losing weight every day, which is a great motivator. We did cave and start drinking diet soda, however, because we're just NOT water drinkers. We were both feeling dehydrated from lack o' fluids... and figured diet soda was better than nothing. That first swig of Diet Pepsi was probably the highlight of my week!

Preparing to Diet...eeeegads!

2008-10-15T22:39:00.002-04:00

1. Buy the South Beach Diet book; look at it on the bookshelf for a few months; finally decide to go for it... Check.

2. Enlist your hubby to join you in dieting Hell... Check.

3. Look over the first week's menu and create a grocery list a mile long... Check.

4. Spend an insane (I mean INSANE) amount of money on a bunch of lettuce and fish... Check.

5. Have a panic attack on the way home from the grocery store because you can't believe you spent that much money on lettuce and fish and Laughing Cow cheese... Check.

6. Clean out the refrigerator and cry as you replace your favorite mayo (chock full o' fat) with Light Mayo; a gallon of yummy whole milk with skim milk; your container of sugar with Splenda packets; bagels with Boston lettuce (?!?!)... the list goes on and on... Check.

7. Eat something sinful that you know will be forbidden when you wake up in the morning (in my case, Martha White strawberry cheesecake muffins, yummmm)... Check.

8. Make a batch of veggie quiche things that are on the menu for tomorrow's breakfast... then laugh hysterically as your husband looks at his portion of that breakfast and says, "This is like... two BITES of food!"... Check.

9. Drink as much Wild Cherry Pepsi as you can in one evening (oh, how I will miss Wild Cherry Pepsi... and Dr. Pepper... and Mountain Dew, etc.)... Check.

10. Drink just one more glass of Wild Cherry Pepsi... then get ready for bed, where you know you'll dream of all things starchy and sugary. Oh, and pray to God for the willpower to make it through the next 14 days... Check.

(Note: There's bound to be lots of moaning and groaning about this Godforsaken diet in the days and weeks to come... you can't say I didn't warn you!)

Avery

2008-10-14T11:55:00.003-04:00

Hiding behind Grampy's mailbox:

Diva Monkey
Playing with PlayDoh on Grampy's deck:
At the park:

Damon

2008-10-14T11:43:00.005-04:00

Damon found a new scooter waiting for him on his bed at Grampy's house Friday morning. He spent a lot of time scootering around...

On Grampy's front porch...

Wanting really badly to shoot that rubber band at me!Relaxing in Grampy's chair:
With his Momma:

Granny and Pawpaw

2008-10-14T11:37:00.004-04:00

Avery loves Pawpaw!
Granny and Nick before we headed to church Sunday morning:
And this just cracks me up... I was standing on Dad's front porch when I took this picture. And, look! There's Granny and Pawpaw's house... right there, across the street!
And here comes Aunt Linda, walking across the street to see us! We did a lot of walking across the street last weekend. How fun is that??

Grampy

2008-10-14T11:25:00.005-04:00

Here's Grampy taking pics of dear Avery on his front porch: Grampy and "Emma" the morning we arrived:Watching Damon scooter around the neighborhood (with protective gear, even!):Tossing the football with Nick and Damon:

The obligatory farewell photos:

She REALLY holds a grudge

2008-10-14T09:43:00.002-04:00

We made our trek home through the mountains yesterday... and stopped along the way to retrieve our animals from Nick's aunt's house/kennel (very handy to have a relative nearby who owns a dog-boarding business!).

As predicted, Comet was so excited to see us that he peed himself. And that moose of a dog sat in my lap on the drive home.

And, I thought Lizzie was happy to see us. But maybe she was just happy to be freed from her pen. She ran around like crazy when we first got there and even acknowledged our presence briefly.

But the whole way home in the car, she sat wayyyy in the back, as far away from us as she could get (usually, she rides in Nick's lap). And when we got home, the animal wouldn't come anywhere near us.

Usually, Nick and I are shooing her away and throwing her out of our bed (where she loves to burrow under the covers and sleep with us). But last night, she curled up on a blanket on the floor in our room and positively REFUSED to come to either of us.

We sat on the bed calling to her for I don't know how long... no cigar. She just curled up in a ball and gave us the evil eye. Lizzie was seriously pissed off that we left her for 4 days.

When we woke up this morning, she was burrowed under our blankets, so maybe she forgave us sometime in the middle of the night... or maybe she just got THAT cold.

The dog amuses me.

Our first 24 hours in Georgia

2008-10-11T08:17:00.002-04:00

*Arrived yesterday at 6:30am after driving all night (kids slept in the car, of course; Nick and I were beyond exhausted).

*Took the official tour of Dad's new house -- it's positively gorgeous! (I will have oodles of pics to share once I get home!)

*The guest room set up for Damon and Avery looked like Santa arrived a few months early!!! The kids were beyond tickled, of course.

*Waited impatiently for my Granny to wake up and walk across the street to greet us (Granny and Pawpaw live RIGHT across the street, literally. It's very comical!).

*Aunt Linda came by and spent the day with us; she made a kick-ass mouse out of PlayDoh for Avery. And we played with the karaoke machine some; too tired to get really crazy with it, though.

*Dinner at Granny's! weeeee! Granny's cooking is always the best part. Just so that Carrie and Stephanie will drool, here was our menu last night: fried chicken, mashed potatoes, biscuits and gravy!, green beans, mac and cheese, applesauce... and, of course, Granny's World Famous Chocolate Cake (Mary, I ate a piece big enough for both of us... and thought of you the whole time I was inhaling it!).

*I died as soon as my head hit the pillow at 9:30pm. It was such a great day, but wow, was I beat!!!

Today is yardsaling with Granny and maybe a circus tonight! Tomorrow is a relaxing day at Aunt Linda's and cooking out. And, Monday morning we're heading back home to the Frozen North *sniff, sniff*. I'd like to stay here for a week or two...

Panic Mode

2008-10-08T09:28:00.002-04:00

Most of you probably knew this post was coming, huh?? (especially you, Jennifer, lol)

Tomorrow evening we are packing it up and heading to Georgia (yay!)... the bad news is that I still have half of a book to edit before that happens (boo!).

It's really not as horrific as it sounds... this is probably the easiest (I can't believe I just said that, knocking on wood like a big dog right now!) editing job I've ever had. It's a medical book, yes. But it's nowhere near as technical as most of the medical things I edit. And, so far, all of the authors seem to have a grasp on the English language, which is always helpful.

This book is made up of 25 case studies... short case studies at that. I've decided I love case studies. Easy peasy (and some of them are kinda interesting, even, if you can believe that one).

So, without further ado... I'm heading back to Microsoft Word, where 13 case studies are patiently waiting to be tweaked to perfection by moi.

Oh, the pure joy. (Can you tell I'm hyped up on coffee??)

The countdown is on!

2008-10-05T22:23:00.002-04:00

Four days from now, I'll be on my way to Georgia for a mini-family reunion! My dad recently moved to the Peach State and lives across the street from my grandparents and across town (or one town over, something like that!) from my aunt.

I don't see my dad's family nearly enough. It's been several years... and my Pawpaw has never even met my husband! So, we're all really looking forward to the trip and some quality time with the family.

My Granny is the world's best cook (if you're into artery-clogging food... and I generally am), so we'll probably come home 10 lbs heavier, but very happy! :)

And I found out today that my aunt has a karaoke machine that's set up in my dad's garage. Guess where I'll be spending the majority of my weekend?? Someone should probably warn the neighbors to get some ear plugs.

So, Dad, Aunt Linda, Uncle Marvin, Granny, and Pawpaw -- We'll see you guys soon! We're sooooooo looking forward to it!

Steelers Country

2008-10-01T16:17:00.004-04:00

I live in Steelers Country. People around me are NUTS about football this time of year. Nuts, I tell you!

Monday night, I couldn't watch my favorite show of all time... Dancing with the Stars (go ahead and laugh at me, but I love that silly show and look forward to it all week). I couldn't watch Kim Kardashian shake her booty for the last time when the show aired "LIVE! From Hollywood!" because there was a football game at the same time. The Steelers and the Ravens played a game Monday night, and Lord knows, the world came to a crashing halt for several hours.

Those of us in Steelers Country had the opportunity to watch Monday night's DWTS Tuesday morning at 9am. Yeah, I'm sure lots of people who sit in front of their television sets on Monday night have the opportunity to do so Tuesday morning. Like we don't work for a living?? Hmpf. [Even though I work from home and COULD have tuned it, I didn't... because I'm responsible like that (ha ha ha ha ha) and worked instead.]

But I'm still amazed that they pre-empted DWTS because of a silly football game. Isn't there another channel for that kinda stuff??

It's not just the Steelers, though. This region of the world is NUTS about sports in general, I think. When I had my surgery last Spring, my doctor planned my release from the hospital around a friggin' hockey game. (I'm not making this up... she really did.)

And high school football. Dear God. I've never seen anything like it. Where I went to school, the only people at football games were doting parents whose children were playing (or cheering)... and the only reason we, the students, attended the games was to get out and socialize with our friends. I don't think I ever actually watched a game...

Here, Friday night football is insane. They have season ticket holders for HIGH SCHOOL FOOTBALL. And if the football field happens to be "in town," I hope you don't have to go downtown for anything else on Friday night. Good luck finding a parking spot anywhere within 5 miles of the football field.

It boggles my mind.

Sometimes I feel like I moved to another planet last winter.

I hate kids

2008-09-29T16:25:00.004-04:00

More specifically, I hate boys.

Right now there are six boys between the ages of 7 and 12 playing/fighting/kicking each other in the "bad spot" in my front yard. [By the way, I really dislike THAT terminology... I'd almost rather hear them say "you kicked me in the nuts!" Because Lord knows boys are obsessed with kicking each other there and then announcing it. But for some reason, these kids think "the bad spot" is the nice way to say it. I really hate boys.]

I don't know where these children come from. Truly, I don't. But they seem to be multiplying... and somehow, they always find their way to MY yard.

This also leads me to wonder if I'm the only parent in a 5-mile radius who doesn't let her young son run wild on the streets. I find that hard to believe (I don't think I'll ever be in the running for Mother of the Year)... but seriously, these kids come from all over, and I doubt their parents have a CLUE where they are... I don't have a clue who THEY are or where they come from. If Damon so much as steps out of our yard without telling me, we have a serious problem (which is probably why all of the kids come here, right? because I'm the psychotic, protective mommy who won't let her baby out of her sight).

I think I'm ready to move back to the country now. I miss the peace and quiet of the cornfield!

Fridays with Avery

2008-09-26T13:01:00.002-04:00

When Avery first started preschool this year, I thought that we would really enjoy our Fridays together (the one day each week that she doesn't have school and her evil brother DOES).

Today, halfway through our Mommy/Avery Friday, I'm starting to think twice about that... the child is making me CRAZY!!!!

I guess I've gotten used to the peace and quiet that I experience every Monday through Thursday from 9am 'til 2pm. And, apparently, now that she's in school and is entertained all day by their activities, etc., Avery has now forgotten HOW to entertain herself. That sucks.

In a perfect world, I wouldn't have to work on Fridays, and Avery and I could go out and do fun things together. But the world isn't perfect... and I DO have work to do today, much to Avery's chagrin.

Is it Monday yet?!?!?

This time it's Nick's fault

2008-09-24T09:08:00.002-04:00

Usually I blame our sicknesses on the kids and the nasty germs they bring home from school.

But this time, it's Nick's fault. I don't know where he got the icky germs from, but he brought them home and shared them with me (so sweet!). Nick has been sick for going on a week now. What started as a cold (a bad cold) has lingered, and we're now thinking it might be more than a cold (like a lovely sinus infection).

So, I've been feeling pretty rotten for the past few days. And this morning I'm feeling soooo rotten that I'm now cursing my husband for bringing home this germ.

I'm beginning to think we should all live in bubbles this time of year...

Three years of blogging!

2008-09-20T00:05:00.003-04:00

I just happened to glance back through my Archives because I knew that I started blogging in the month of September... and, oddly enough, it was September 20, 2005 when I made my very first post on here!

In honor of my third blogiversary, I went through the Archives and picked several of my favorite posts to share with you.

Avery's 2nd birthday letter (because everyone loves a sappy birthday letter, right?)

Proof that I am, in fact, married to a redneck (self-explanatory)

Fuzzies up the nose (because it's a Classic Avery story)

Damon's 6th birthday letter (more momma sap!)

Year in Review: 2006 (because it took me forever and a day to make all of those darn things!)

Poor Comet... beach pics! (because I need a beach fix right about now!)

On friends (because they really are the best group of women I know, and I miss them just as much as I knew I would)

Last day of 1st grade (because it's kinda like the sappy birthday letters, and I miss my baby boy!)

On being drugged (because writing this was therapeutic... and because one of my favorite bloggers, who doesn't know me from Adam, took the time to comment)

Seven years (because it pretty much says it all)

Sleepover Friday

2008-09-19T23:44:00.002-04:00

Damon and his friend Jason live for the weekends... because they're 7-year-old boys. And we almost always let Jason spend the night once each weekend, usually on Friday because the boys are too impatient to wait one more night.

So, tonight is Sleepover Friday. The boys watched Sharkboy and Lava Girl on Disney. The boys snacked on chips and apple juice. The boys played video games galore. The boys sang along to The Bartender Song (the semi-clean version) on cmt.com... about 23 times; they'll be singing that one in their sleep tonight (it IS a catchy little tune, although probably not age-appropriate for 7-year-old boys, lol). And I finally just got them tucked into bed.

Sleepover Fridays are exhausting for Mom, lemme tell ya! Avery and I worked hard tonight, cleaning the kitchen and mopping the floors (Golden Retrievers are nasty, hairy creatures, by the way!), while the boys played.

The boys are still giggling in Damon's room (and pillow fighting by the sounds of things) as I type this, and I'm ready to pass out! I wish I knew where they got their energy.

This mom is really glad that Sleepover Friday is almost over... and that she has another week to prepare for the next one!

What's new?

2008-09-19T10:13:00.002-04:00

I feel like I've not been blogging much lately... and I'm not sure why. I guess there's nothing terribly exciting going on around here, which is not necessarily a bad thing!

The kids are getting settled in their school routines. And I'm getting used to my new role as the Mom Taxi! Seriously, I feel like I'm in that car and driving back and forth across town from one school to the next ALL DAY every day. Friday is my little reprieve because Avery doesn't have school on Fridays... so there's only one school stop, and it's right down the street from our house.

I had envisioned hours and hours of productivity now that both kids are in school 4 days a week. But, well, that's not really happening! By the time I get home from delivering everyone to school and walk Comet and check e-mails, it's just about time for lunch... and I've been meeting Nick for lunch almost every day. Then, after lunch, it's nearly time to start the school run again. And if I have errands to run (like the grocery store yesterday), I really have no time to work!!

It's amazing how quickly the day goes by when there are no little ones here with me... but it's always fun to see their smiling faces when I pick them up in the afternoon. Well, it's fun for about five seconds, and then they start fighting with each other... and then I'm counting the hours until bedtime and the start of another school day (i.e., peace and quiet for Mommy!).

Oh, here's one bit of "news," I guess... Nick took Damon to his first Cub Scouts meeting last night! Poor Damon... he stresses out about everything. He agonized over whether he wanted to play flag football or indoor soccer or go to Cub Scouts. Nick and I both thought Scouts sounded like the way to go for Damon. Not only is it year-round (instead of 6 weeks of a sport), but they do lots of different things that might interest Damon.

So, the boys went to their first meeting last night, and Damon seemed to think he would like it. He's looking forward to actually "doing something," instead of just sitting in a troop/pack/whatever meeting for an hour... but we keep assuring him that there will be plenty of fun things to come. (He's NOT a very patient child!)

Luckily Nick has a little bit of scouting history, so he has half a clue what's going on... because I'm totally lost. I read through the paperwork they brought home from last night's meeting and felt like I had just happened upon a whole new culture of some kind. Tiger cubs, Wolves, Webelos, Arrow of Light?? It's all Greek to me, but I guess I'll learn along with Damon!

I'm so glad that Nick is back home with us, so that he can do things like that with Damon now. Almost every day I think of another reason why I'm soooo grateful to have him off the road and home again! I think that experience has made us all appreciate more what we have when we're all together.

So, now that I've been ALL OVER the place with this very random blog post, I guess I should try to get some work done before Nick calls asking me to meet him for lunch! (Yes, it's Friday... Avery's home, and catching up with her friend Dora. She misses her all week!)

A little disturbing

2008-09-16T13:03:00.002-04:00

My husband came home for lunch today (that's not the disturbing part)... and he asked if I would mind if he goes off duck/goose/some kinda bird hunting this evening after work.

I said go, have fun, commune with nature... or whatever it is you crazy men do out there with your guns and duck calls and "scents" (yuck).

So he runs around the house gathering all of his gear for the big hunt. Then before he walks out the door, he kisses me and says, "So, just in case something happens out there and I don't come home..."

Uhhh, excuse me?

"Just in case I don't make it home, remember this road and this road, and my truck will be parked here on the side of this road..."

He finally notices me looking at him like he has ten heads. Seriously, I quit paying attention at the "in case I don't come home" part.

Then he calmly informs me that I have to know the general area where he'll be hunting... because if he doesn't make it home I'll have to send someone (who? Damon???) out to the woods to look for him (or his remains, I'm guessing).

Of course, I gave him "the look" and said, "How about if you just make sure your ass makes it home, k?!?!"

Geez. Now I'm going to be a nervous wreck until he makes it home tonight. I think Nick needs a hunting buddy... and I need a valium.

A Day with Sarah

2008-09-16T09:30:00.005-04:00

Sunday I left my kids in their dad's capable hands and took off to spend the day with my good friend Sarah. Sarah and I met years ago because of our mutual love of scrapbooking, and over the years we've become great friends! Just one reason I was happy to move back to the hills was because I'd be closer to Sarah again.

Sarah lives out in the country... wayyyy out in the country. And it's so gorgeous and peaceful there. At one point Sunday, I stepped outside and was inspired by these hay bales:

I told Sarah that we had to go out before it got dark and have a little photo shoot by the hay. So we did.

We felt really foolish modeling for each other at first... but ended up having fun with it!

I had such a wonderful time and can't wait to go back to the country for another day with Sarah!

Strange fashion choices

2008-09-11T23:14:00.005-04:00

Over a year ago, I made a post about Avery squeezing herself into a shirt that was given to her newborn self at the hospital where she was born...

Today, well over a year later (and close to 5 years after she was born), she's STILL wearing that darn shirt around!

I really don't know about this child sometimes...

And, nahhh, she's not a diva or anything!

She can't hang

2008-09-10T11:59:00.005-04:00

This is what 6 hours of school does to poor Avery:

She actually fell asleep in my lap yesterday afternoon. I was trying my damnedest to keep her awake, really. I put her on my lap and we were watching and singing along to music videos on cmt.com. Then suddenly, she just couldn't take it... she leaned her head over on my chest and started drooling.

I did NOT want the child sleeping, because napping makes bedtime a nightmare. So after a few minutes, I picked her up and forced her to stand on her own two feet. She squealed and ran about five steps away from me before crumpling into a heap on the floor (pictured above). And that's how she stayed until we shook her awake for dinner an hour later.

And, yes, bedtime was a nightmare. I give up.

My big girl!

2008-09-08T13:52:00.005-04:00

As predicted, Avery didn't so much as give me a backward glance when I dropped her off at school this morning. She was a very excited little girl!

Here are a few pics of her this morning (sportin' the nametag and all!).

I don't know how well you can see it, but in her right hand she's holding a little button bracelet thing... she took that off of one of her dollies this morning and took it in as a gift for her teacher. Awwww, isn't she a sweetheart? Ms. Christina was very gracious and exclaimed, "Oh wow! And it even matches my outfit!" God love preschool teachers! lol

Also as predicted, I have thoroughly enjoyed my kid-free day! I'm a little sad that it's almost over already... time for the Mom Taxi to get back to work, retrieving those rugrats.

I'm already looking forward to tomorrow morning!

What was that?!?!

2008-09-07T13:02:00.002-04:00

What? You want to see more of my spectacular layouts?

Well, okay... since you asked nicely!

Here are a few more that I've worked on this weekend. I'm still scrapping and still having a blast. Although I really should put my trimmer away and start working... nahhhhh!

(Remember, you can click on each picture to see it in more detail... and to read the journaling, Dad!)

I AM still a scrapbooker!!

2008-09-06T00:44:00.004-04:00

I was really beginning to wonder whether my scrapbooking days were officially a thing of the past. It's been a really long time since I've scrapped... and even longer time since I've scrapped and actually enjoyed it!

But, today I rediscovered my inner scrapper!

My favorite little scrapping group on the Web is having a cybercrop this weekend... and they've inspired me (because they're a great group of talented, fun women). Here are some mediocre pictures of the stunning (ha!) layouts that I completed today (click on any pic to see it in more detail... because you know you want to):

(FYI, I don't generally torture you guys with every layout that I create... I used to post them quite often and then realized that no one really cares... but today was a special scrapping day for me, so suck it up!)

A shower, marriage, and preschool

2008-09-03T09:49:00.006-04:00

I've spent the past 6+ months living in a house with no shower. We have one bathroom, and it has a beautiful blue bathtub, but no shower to go along with it. And I'm not a bath-kinda girl, generally.

So, last week, my husband installed a shower in our bathroom... and I am beyond thrilled with it!

It's not the prettiest thing. And anyone taller than me (at 5-ft nothing!) would have trouble fitting underneath the spray of water... but, for me, it's positively perfect!! I have been thoroughly enjoying showers again!

Oh, and whaddya know? I AM married!! My marriage license arrived in the mail yesterday, and it states that Nickolas and I ARE really husband and wife (the lady at the DMV was starting to make me doubt it).

I'm thrilled to know that I am actually married... not so thrilled that I have to spend another day at the DMV now that I can prove it.

And, finally, tonight is "Open House" at Avery's school. She's very excited and has already asked me 23 times this morning if it's time to go to her school yet. Clearly, Avery is ready for preschool... I hope preschool is ready for Avery!

4 Things

2008-08-31T20:31:00.003-04:00

I was tagged the other day by my friend Melissa, so here goes...

Four place I go over and over:
Damon's school
Wal-Mart
McDonald's
the pharmacy

Four people who e-mail me (regularly):
Emily
Susan
Christie
Granny

Four places I would rather be right now:
by the ocean
Georgia
in bed
anywhere with friends

Four TV shows that I watch over and over:
Drake and Josh
iCarly
Hannah Montana
Ben 10
(can you tell who usually has control of the remote in our house??)

Four things I have for breakfast:
peanut butter toast
cereal
egg and cheese sandwich
coffee

Four animals I like best:
dogs
otters
monkeys
elephants

Four beaches I’ve been to:
Ocean City, MD
Bermuda
Outer Banks
Daytona Beach, FL

Tag 4 people:
I'm tagging whoever hasn't done this one already, because most of my blogging friends have, it seems!

Redneck Heaven

2008-08-30T21:59:00.003-04:00

Nick worked until noon today, and then we wanted to spend the rest of the day doing something together as a family (that's becoming the "Saturday thing" around here, apparently).

So, we hopped in the car and took a little road trip to our nearest Cabela's. Nick and Damon loooove Cabela's -- "The World's Foremost Outfitter." I prefer to call this place Redneck Heaven. It is... truly.

As we sat down to lunch at Cabela's this afternoon, I looked around and thought, "My God, I've never seen so many rednecks in one place at one time... not even at a NASCAR race!"

I'll admit, there are some really neat, one-of-a-kind things at Cabela's, and it's not completely horrible to spend a few hours walking around looking at all of this neat stuff. My favorite part of the store is the Home & Cabin department. If I had a log cabin, I'd want one of everything in there... the furniture, the bedding, the accessories, etc. My very favorite thing that I saw today were these framed prints of sporting dogs, specifically the Golden Retriever one... he looked vaguely familiar!

What I do NOT enjoy about Cabela's? First and foremost, the gun section. Good gravy do they have some guns. And today they were having a Gun Show... oh, for joy. I just don't understand the obsession with guns. I can understand having a gun or two for hunting... okay, fine. But these people in Cabela's... they're crazy. They will stand at that darn gun counter for hours, holding each and every gun, dreaming of owning these guns, while their wives stand by tapping their feet because they're bored out of their minds and they know their husbands don't NEED any more guns. (Trust me, I'm speaking from experience here.)

I also am not very fond of the duck call section of Cabela's. Because today, my husband stood in the duck call section of the store for what seemed like 5 hours. He stood there with two grown men, looking at whistles. And these grown men (who were vendors at Cabela's today and duck call "experts," I presume) opened each and every duck call in the place and demonstrated them, showing off their abilities to whistle.

When Nick plays with HIS duck calls at home, he gets yelled at. Then he gets cussed at. And then, he finally gets kicked outside to "play with his whistles." Duck calls are the most annoying things on the planet. And I had a splitting headache by the time I finally dragged Nick away from the duck call section today.

I tried to be patient... I really did. I tried to keep the kids entertained and we wandered around for a while. Then I huffed and puffed and gave Nick dirty looks, which had absolutely no effect. Finally, I approached Nick and one of his whistling buddies and announced, "We're about to leave your ass here if you don't come on." Nick's whistling buddy seemed a little taken aback by that statement... probably because I LOOK like such a nice girl. I was not feeling very nice at that point in time, however.

By the time we left Cabela's late this afternoon, I was not a very happy camper. And my husband, who is very perceptive, seemed to notice. So, he drove me next door to Aggravated Wife Heaven. I spent an hour or so (while Nick kept the kids entertained in the car, God bless him!) at Michael's and Books A Million. I purchased some new scrapbooking goodies and three new books.

And all was right in my world again.

I'm never, ever moving out of this state... ever

2008-08-28T21:28:00.002-04:00

Nick and I spent our entire day jumping through hoops for the Department of Motor Vehicles. All we wanted to do was get our new licenses (I'm pretty sure our 30 days are UP!) and register our vehicles here... that's it.

Now I know why we've been putting this off for months and months. It's just a total nightmare.

Neither one of us got our new license... I couldn't get mine because I need a certified copy of my marriage certificate. This really boggles my mind. I've been married for over 7 years... my name has been changed on EVERYTHING for years and years and years... my Social Security card reflects my married name; why in God's name is THAT not enough to prove to the DMV that I'm who I say I am?? If the federal government recognizes me for who I am, then I'd say that should be enough for the DMV. Sheesh.

So, I had to apply online for a copy of my marriage certificate because I lost the original years ago, probably during one of our many moves. Who knows. I haven't seen the thing in eons. And I've gotten several drivers licenses since I was married, without the stupid thing. grrrrrrr. Anyway, applied online, paid $23 to have it expedited. And I'll be lucky to see it in 10-14 days. Fabulous.

I didn't register my car here because they want to charge me sales tax (because I didn't buy the car here and they didn't get that chunk o' change to begin with... pity). I have to travel to my county courthouse to fill out a form to be exempt from this tax (I have no clue why I'm exempt, but supposedly if I fill out this magical form, I won't have to pay that $450... that's worth a trip to the courthouse, right?).

Nick couldn't get his license because he has a CDL and it's complicated. Maybe he'll bitch about it on his blog because I don't even have the energy to type up that whole story (plus he's in desperate need of blogging material anyway...).

We DID manage to get one thing accomplished: Nick's truck has tags and an inspection sticker!! We opted to go ahead and pay the sales tax on his truck, because it was a fraction of what mine was going to be. And because his out-of-state tags were going to expire in 3 days... so his tags were much more urgent than mine, which don't expire until NEXT September.

Oh goody. I can put this off even LONGER now. I am not looking forward to repeating this day anytime soon. Although I did really enjoy spending an unexpected day with my husband. Even if he was cussing for most of it...

Hi, my name is...

2008-08-26T14:04:00.004-04:00

Avery's preschool teacher came by today to meet us. Ms. Christina was super nice, and of course Avery had a ball yakking it up and telling her all sorts of stories.

Before she left, Ms. Christina gave Avery a little bag filled with things to make a name tag for her first day of school: a shoe string, some beads, and a piece of cardboard with a hole in it.

Of course, we couldn't have a plain cardboard name tag... ohhhh no. We had to dig into Mommy's scrapbook supplies and make a CUTE tag for Miss Avery! (And I'll just about bet that we add more to it before she actually starts school in two weeks.)

She was proud of our creation, can you tell?? I think it'll be a miracle if the thing survives for the next two weeks... because she's already wearing it around her neck. Diva. At least we won't forget her name.

First day of school

2008-08-26T10:04:00.004-04:00

Damon graciously allowed me to snap ONE picture of him as we were heading out the door this morning. Wasn't that sweet of him??

Then we headed off to the elementary school, where it was a complete madhouse of course! Normally, Damon's school is locked down like Ft. Knox... and parents generally aren't even allowed in the front door with kids in the morning. But, luckily, today they welcomed us to escort our babies to their classrooms.

Damon was his usual grumpy, nervous, anxious self. So we quickly said goodbye and I wished him a good day, and then Avery and I headed back out to the car.

Oh, and of course I was wrong about the "Ms. Johnson" thing. I knew I shouldn't have assumed that his teacher would be female. He's not. Damon's teacher is, in fact, a MR. Johnson.

Today the kids have an early dismissal... so we'll be going BACK to the madhouse in just a few hours to retrieve our boy. Hopefully he'll have only good things to report!

Getting Ready for 2nd Grade (and preschool)!!

2008-08-24T00:32:00.004-04:00

I don't know how it's possible that my baby is almost 8 years old and starting the 2nd grade in a few days... I really don't. But, I didn't intend to go all mushy on you in this post, so that's all I'll say about THAT.

Today, we drove over to Damon's school to check out the class lists that were posted yesterday. Sure enough, there was his name at the bottom of the middle list of 2nd graders. He's the 21st of 21 kids in Ms. Johnson's class (I'm assuming it's a female teacher; I could be totally wrong about that... I guess we'll find out Tuesday!). And we were both relieved to find several familiar names on the list... kids who were in his class last year. I think knowing that he knows a few of the kids will make his first days of this school year a little easier. Surely they'll be easier than his first days when we moved here last winter (I really don't want to relive that nightmare again).

After confirming that Damon is, in fact, slated to begin the 2nd grade Tuesday, we headed to the mall. After a painful hour or so in the shoe store, he finally decided on a new pair of Skechers. Good grief. He's so NOT a shopper, this kid. Moping and whining and crying and getting frustrated all over the store. It was so much fun!

He already has a bookbag (a hand-me-down from Nick that's still is great shape) and lunchbox (bought toward the end of last school year)... and we won't have a clue about what kind of school supplies he needs until his first day, apparently. So, I guess Tuesday evening we'll join every other kid in this town at Walmart and fight over folders, notebooks, glue sticks, pink erasers, and hand sanitizer. I'm really looking forward to that!

Damon does not seem at all excited about starting a new school year. This means he won't be able to play his video games and watch Ben 10 Alien Force all day every day. Poor kid.

Mommy, on the other hand, is thrilled about school starting. Beyond thrilled, really. I could lie and say, "I'm really going to miss my baby when he's gone all day!" But I won't. I'll be 100% honest and tell you that I'm counting the minutes until I can drop him off at school Tuesday morning. I'm sure I'll be happy to see him later that afternoon, but I will thoroughly enjoy the peace and quiet while he's gone... I just know it.

Also on Tuesday, Avery's preschool teacher is coming by the house for a "home visit." Apparently these home visits are typical in the Hills... but totally foreign to me. Her teacher called a few nights ago to arrange this home visit and asked me if I had any questions. I felt really stupid and replied, "uhh, well, yeah... what exactly do you DO during this home visit?"

Where I come from, a home visit regarding your child is generally NOT a good thing... that's when the people from CPS come out to investigate and make sure you aren't beating your child and feeding her stale bread and water for dinner, and that you don't have 168 cats living, dying, and urinating all over your house, I suppose. Not that I would know what these CPS people actually do. Really, I'm a good mom... for the most part. (Although, I AM really looking forward to getting rid of my kids this fall.)

Avery's teacher, however, said that she just wanted to come out and meet Avery and get to know us a little before her first day of school... and she said she'd probably bring a little craft along. Avery was jumping for joy when I reported all of this to her. Unlike her big brother in every way possible, Avery is READY to go to school!

And Mommy is sooooooooooo ready... for both of my beautiful babes to go away and leave me for a few peaceful hours each day. Forget the tissues, pass the bon-bons!

Fashionista

2008-08-22T16:07:00.002-04:00

Avery likes to wear blankets.

She comes to me, in nothing but her undies, with a blanket (the particular blanket she's modeling below was Damon's when he was a newborn!) and asks me to tie it around her. And she will wear this blanket around for hours. She even wore a blanket as jammies one night and slept like that... with that huge knot in her back.

The kid is peculiar. Did I say she was MY daughter?? I might have to reconsider that claim. When she does weird things like this, she's definitely her daddy's girl!

(and I don't even wanna talk about that awesome headband look she's sporting...)

Like mother, like daughter

2008-08-21T01:18:00.006-04:00

It's no secret that Avery is my Mini-Me. Strangers standing in the check-out line at Wal-Mart smile at us and say, "she looks JUST like you!" My mom has been known to say, "she looks like you spit her out of your mouth!" (And isn't THAT a lovely image?!?!)

But, just in case the fact that we could be twins (with a 28-year age difference) isn't enough for you, here are some other ways that I know Avery Brooke is MY girl.

1. Avery never shuts up. I mean never. EVER. If she's awake, she's running her mouth. And she doesn't seem to care if anyone's actually listening to her... I'm pretty sure she just likes to hear the sound of her own voice. It's okay, Avery, you have a very cute, little voice, and I like the sound of it, too. And, well, I have been told, on occasion, that I talk a lot... maybe too much (is there such a thing??). We can't help it that we have so much to say!

2. Avery loves to sing. She sings along to country music (Taylor Swift is her hero), hip hop music, Barbie and Disney Princess soundtracks, dog food commercials... you name it. And if she's not singing, she's humming (that's something we both inherited from my Gram... she hums constantly; and when Gram and I are in a car together, we both hum at the same time, different tunes. And we don't even realize we're doing it. We are strange, musical folk.). I can't remember a time in my life when I wasn't singing. When I was Avery's age, I knew the words to every country song on my mom's radio (and I wanted to look like Crystal Gayle when I grew up). Today, I still know the words to almost every song on the radio. Avery and I love to listen to music or watch music videos together, and sing along with every word. Sometimes we even harmonize... we could be the new Judds!

3. Avery hates mornings. She's the only person in this house who can (and does) sleep in later than me. Nick and Damon... they apparently have some strange sort of early bird gene. I've never understood what's so great about mornings, and apparently Avery doesn't understand either. Avery and I like to have our breakfast at around noon... Frosted Flakes taste just as good then as they do at 6am, I'll bet!

4. Avery loves to read (even though she can't really read yet). I've tried and tried to instill my love of books in my son. And every now and then, I think it's working... he'll express interest in reading, for about 10 minutes. Then, he's back to his video games or sword fighting with the neighborhood boys. But, Avery... dear, sweet Avery... she loves books. She begs me to read to her daily. And she concentrates on every word I say, so that she can memorize the story and "read" it back to me. She even takes my 500-page romance novels off the shelf and pretends she's reading them (although, I suspect that might go along more with #1 and the fact that she likes to hear her own voice).

5. Avery loves people. The child doesn't know a stranger... she'll talk to anyone. And I mean ANYONE. When we go into a store, she waves, smiles, and says "Hi!" to every single person we pass... seriously, every. single. one. And God forbid they actually respond... because that's all the encouragement Avery needs to launch into her full life history and ask about theirs. Although I'm not quite as friendly as my daughter (because I think that would just frighten people), I do, for the most part, like people. And on the rare occasion that I actually leave my house, I try to carry extra smiles and words of greeting with me (I would be an awesome Wal-Mart Greeter... now, there's a thought!).

So, there you have it... she's definitely my kid. Not only does Avery look like me, but she also talks, sings, sleeps, reads, and loves like me. And those are just five more reasons that I love her like I do.

A new computer, no sleep, and Percocet

2008-08-19T14:52:00.004-04:00

I know, it's a strange combination of things to blog about... but that's been my last few days in a nutshell.

Against my better judgment (but because my checkbook and stack o' unpaid medical bills requires it), I took on another book project this month, in addition to my usual journal work.

I was smart this time around, though... I created a schedule of sorts and submitted it to my Project Manager, so that I would be held accountable and wouldn't (maybe) put off editing all nine chapters until the night before the deadline. And, amazingly enough, I was sticking to the schedule. Life was good.

Then, sometime last weekend, my trusty Toshiba laptop decided to quit working. I'm pretty sure the poor thing is virus-infested; it had been doing weird things for a while, but nothing so terrible that I couldn't ignore it and continue to work (so, of course, that's exactly what I did). Until last weekend. I paid the ultimate price for ignoring my trusty Toshiba when it finally decided to cease functioning altogether. And I cried.

So, I had to suck it up and buy a new desktop this weekend... with money that was supposed to be the start of our new savings account (it was a nice thought, really). Then, I spent almost a full day transferring important work files, programs, etc. from the old computer to the new one. Luckily, the trusty Toshiba cooperated just long enough to let me do that much.

So, technical difficulties caused me to fall behind on the book project. Which leads me to the "no sleep" part...

Last night I decided not to sleep, so that I could get caught up with my work. I stayed up ALL night... really. At 6am this morning, I finally fell into my bed and crashed for a few divine hours.

Today it's painfully clear to me that I am no longer a young college student who can get away with pulling all-nighters. I remember a time when all-nighters were not so uncommon, nor were they quite this painful. The good old days. But now, I'm a 32-year-old overworked and underpaid wife, mother, and editor. All-nighters are a baaaaaad idea.

I did get quite a bit of work accomplished last night, however. I'm not totally "caught up" but much closer than I was 24 hours ago!

And the Percocet? For the past few days, I've had a horrible stiff neck (probably from sitting at my desk for far too long). It's progressively gotten worse each day, and ibuprofen isn't touching it anymore. By this morning, I couldn't even lift my arm high enough to put my hair in a ponytail without crying out in pain. So, I found some Percocets in our drug basket and took one.

The good news is that I can move again. But taking a Percocet when already sleep-deprived is probably a really bad idea. I'm fighting to keep my eyelids open this afternoon, despite the full pot of coffee I've consumed.

And, I need to get back to work on this book. I could really use a sick day (or week!) right about now! In my dreams...

After Midnight

2008-08-17T00:31:00.002-04:00

Avery just woke up (supposedly after a "weird dream") and found me sitting at the computer. She stood here next to me, rubbing her eyes, and said:

"Mommy, why don't you just go to bed right now??"

"Because I have work to do, Ave."

"So... you're never going to sleep again????"

Sometimes it feels that way, Avery, trust me! And to think that I have to fight with the kids to get them to go to sleep every night. They don't realize they're the lucky ones! I'd pay someone to force me to bed at 9pm every night...

*yawn*

Date Night Report

2008-08-14T16:41:00.003-04:00

Nick and I had such a great time last night!

The wings were finger-lickin' good... Nick got good ole hot wings, of course. And I almost peed myself when I saw on the menu that one of their "flavors" was Old Bay. Never in my wildest dreams would I have thought to season wings with Old Bay... but I knew I had to have them! As soon as the basket o' wings was placed in front of me, I inhaled deeply and was suddenly back on the Eastern Shore of MD, for just a second. Nothing says "home" like the smell of Old Bay (even if it's on wings and not blue crabs!).

The bartender didn't even know what Old Bay was... and informed me that I'm the only person who has ever ordered their Old Bay wings. Why am I not surprised?

So, the wings were a hit.

The karaoke was also fun, fun, and more fun. I sang A LOT. At one point, later in the evening, we were the only people in the place... along with the bartender and Larry, the karaoke guy. So the four of us carried on and had a blast pretending to be superstars... drunken superstars at that.

Nick even grabbed the microphone for a few songs. And we danced and everything.

It's taken me most of the day to recover from our fun night out. My head was pounding for hours... I sent Nick a text message around noon, asking him to please come home and shoot me. And I'm fairly certain Grandma won't be anxious to sit with the kids again anytime soon because we didn't make it home until after 1am (and she had to work this morning, oops!).

But, all in all, we had a fabulous night out. And I'm reallllly looking forward to bedtime tonight (I'm thinking 7pm sounds like a good time for lights out!).

Wing It and Sing It Wednesday!

2008-08-13T15:14:00.003-04:00

In a few hours, Grandma is coming over to stay with the munchkins for the evening... so that Nick and I can spend some time together outside of our house (and away from our favorite little people).

To say I'm looking forward to it is a vast understatement.

The little bar down the street from our house has wings (Nick's favorite) and karaoke (my favorite) on Wednesday nights, so that's going to be our first (and probably last) stop!

The only downfall is that I have tons of editing work here... so I should be a good girl and stay home and WORK tonight. Yeah, right... I'm going out, work or no work. Because I'm fairly certain the work will still be here tomorrow, and life is short! And also because a date with my hubby is priceless...

Learning to Ride

2008-08-12T11:00:00.005-04:00

Damon has been all about bike-riding this summer... but, until recently, his sister never expressed any interest. I guess her big brother started rubbing off on her and she wanted in on the fun. This bike is one of the Treasures from Our Basement... so, Nick and I took Avery to the school up the street the other day so that she could practice riding.

She loved it!

And before anyone feels the need to point it out... yes, I know she wasn't wearing the recommended protective gear. Yes, I know that makes me a bad mom. It's amazing I've managed to keep my kids alive this long...

A little sad

2008-08-10T19:59:00.005-04:00

Actually, I'm a lot sad tonight.

We moved to the Hills 5.5 months ago. I think I can truthfully tell you that we're starting to feel "at home" here. We survived our first winter (it was really only HALF of a winter, wasn't it? eeek!); Damon has made some neighborhood friends who love the PS2 as much as he does; we have doctors that we're very happy with; Nick has a great, local job that suits all of us; and Spring and Summer have been positively gorgeous here on top of our hill.

But, without a doubt, what I've enjoyed the most these past few months is the friendship that we've developed with our neighbors. Not the crazy old people across the street who adore their driveways, but the family right next door---Terri, Mark, Paige, Dante, and Izzy (Comet's girlfriend, remember?).

When the snow finally melted a few months ago, all of the neighborhood kids started congregating in our yard every afternoon/evening... including Paige and Dante from next door. So, I started sitting outside with Terri, and we yelled at the kids and dogs, smoked a lot of cigarettes, and got to know one another a little more each day.

I've grown to love Terri and her kids... and the dog, too (even though I have no room in my life for another animal to love, Lord knows). Our husbands have even become friendly recently (well, as friendly as two very anti-social, stubborn men who each work two jobs can be!).

But yesterday, a moving truck pulled up next door, and Terri and family loaded all of their belongings into it... and they left us. Isn't that just my luck? We have neighbors for the first time in years, and we even LIKE them... and now they're gone. *sniff, sniff*

Granted, they moved just outside of town, maybe a 15-minute drive from here (if that). So, by no means are they rid of us! I'm planning to take the kids and Comet out to their new house at least once a week, so that we can stay in touch and remain great friends. And Avery will be in preschool with Dante this Fall, so I'm sure we'll run into each other there. But still, that's a lot different than having them right next door. *sniff, sniff*

Nick and I were sitting out on our porch this morning, and I glanced next door and realized how quiet it is now. Dante isn't running outside saying, "Hey! Is Damon home? Can Damon come out and play? I wanna play the video game where you shoot people!" And Izzy isn't running over every chance she gets to see if Comet can come out to play or knock over his water bowl. Paige isn't doing backflips in my backyard and playing freeze tag with the younger kids. And Terri isn't here to sit on the porch, relax, and have a cold beer with me at the end of a long day. Darn it.

Tonight, I'm feeling a little hormonal anyway... and losing my neighbors (the only halfway normal people on this street, no less!) is definitely not helping. With any luck, their replacements will be just as nice and just as normal... but I'm not really counting on it. And they certainly won't be Terri, Mark, Paige, Dante, and Izzy. *sniff, sniff*

So, Terri, I know you're busy unpacking and getting settled in your new, gorgeous home in the country... but know that we're already missing you (tons!) here in town. And when you start to miss the old freaks across the street (you know you will!), you can always come back to visit us. We'll see you guys soon!

Disgusting

2008-08-08T13:40:00.002-04:00

As a mom, I've been blessed with lots of nastiness... my kids have spit up on me, thrown up on me, peed and pooped on me, bled on me, and wiped their noses on me.

And I wouldn't expect anything less. I'm a mom; it comes with the territory. I can almost stomach all of the bodily fluids and other fun things that come out of my offspring. They're mine, I made them... and I love every part of them, even their poop and boogies.

But yesterday, the most disgusting thing EVER happened to poor me.

I was sitting on the couch, innocently reading a book. Lizzie, the disgusting, sorry-excuse-for-a rat-dog, was sleeping on the cushion right above me (it's her favorite spot to sleep... the top of the couch, where Comet can't get to her very easily).

I'm reading, the kids are off playing somewhere (not bothering me; that's the important part)... life is pretty darn good.

Then, suddenly, I hear Lizzie make this God-awful coughing noise, and I feel something warm and wet hit my back. The dog puked on me.... Dog puke. ON me. Without a doubt, the nastiest thing I've ever experienced in my 32.5 years of life.

I can guarantee you've never seen a person jump up and remove her shirt as quickly as I did yesterday after being spat upon by that vile creature.

I'm still having flashbacks. *shudder*

Seven years

2008-08-07T07:23:00.005-04:00

Seven years ago, I knew exactly what I was doing... what I was "getting myself into."
Today, I realize I had no clue.

Seven years ago, I repeated those infamous vows with no doubt that it would be easy to keep my promises.
Today, I know that promises are sometimes hard to keep... but that everyone deserves a second chance.

Seven years ago, I thought I was marrying my best friend.
Today, I realize I barely knew the man I married... but I've learned a lot in 7 years (and so has he).

Seven years ago, we went on a honeymoon and spoiled ourselves silly with indulgences galore.
Today, it's business as usual around here... we'll work, cook, clean, walk the dogs, bathe our gorgeous kids, and fall into bed exhausted (but content) at the end of the day.

Seven years ago and today do have some things in common---on both days I felt like the luckiest girl alive and knew we had something special that could, in fact, last a lifetime. I believe that I loved you just as much then as I do now, only now I might have a better understanding of what that means. And I always knew, from Day One, that a life with you by my side would be anything but dull... you haven't disappointed me so far!

Today, I know that the adventure is still just beginning... seven years is nothing in the big scheme of things. I have no idea what the future will hold, only that you'll be by my side, no matter what. I know that I'll love you just as much 50 years from now as I did on that hot, August day... seven years ago.

Happy Anniversary, Witschey... I'm still "very fond of you."

Playing in the Rain

2008-08-05T09:51:00.005-04:00

One afternoon last week, I took these pics of the kids enjoying yet another summer storm. We had been outside playing and it was gorgeous and sunny. Then, it started to sprinkle... and I thought, "okay, I'll let the kids play around in the sprinkles for a while..."Then, it started to POUR. And they went from damp to soaked to the bone in about two seconds. I just stayed on the porch, snapping pics of them acting like total fools out there in the rain. They had a blast!

And, poor Lizzie... She had been tied up outside on her runner before it started raining. And I guess I kinda forgot about her. She was plastered up against the front door, shivering, and I'm sure she was thinking, "can't we go in now?!?!" She's such a sorry excuse for a dog...

If at first you don't succeed...

2008-08-04T14:59:00.002-04:00

Today I'm revisiting an old topic...

In this blog post from last year, I was super proud of myself for creating a "daily schedule" for our family. And in that post I reported that Day One of our new schedule was a success. If I remember correctly, Days Two and Three weren't too shabby either. But, at some point, the schedule fell by the wayside (I know, it's shocking, isn't it??).

And lately I've found myself mega-stressed more often than not because I'm totally overwhelmed with work, the kids, the house... and I always long for more "down time."

So, I decided to take a stab at the old schedule again. "Our Daily Schedule" has been hanging on the refrigerator for about a week now. The kids love to check it every hour and tell me what we're supposed to be doing. I can't say we've followed it perfectly for the past week, but every day is a new day... and we keep try, trying again!

yawn

2008-08-02T10:03:00.002-04:00

It's 10am. I've only been awake for about 30 minutes, and I'm still yawning and trying to force my eyes to focus (as I inhale some Frosted Flakes with sliced banana, yummm).

I don't think I slept very well last night, even though I was in bed for, ohhhh, 11 hours or so (this is the part where I thank God my children aren't babies anymore!). I woke up this morning feeling like I'd been tossing and turning and restless all night. I do remember that I was dreaming a lot... thankfully, I can't remember what I was dreaming about, so you're spared (I know you were getting worried there for a minute, weren't you??).

So, I stumbled out of the bedroom, made a pitstop at the bathroom (which is the only reason I got out of bed in the first place... I could've stayed there a few more hours if my bladder hadn't insisted on waking me). Then, I walked to the kitchen, to find Damon rummaging for food. He was tediously trying to snap a bag of hot dogs back together... hot dogs. For breakfast. I paused for a second, thinking I should intervene and make the child eat something a little healthier and more breakfast-like... then I thought, ehhhh, hot dogs are good. *yawn*

A few minutes later, Avery stumbled out of bed. She stopped off at the kitchen FIRST (she has her priorities... food is at the top of Avery's list, always). She went for a loaf of bread... so I asked what she was doing and if I could help. She said she wanted a sandwich. For breakfast. Oh, and she was doing the pee pee dance all over the kitchen. I sent her to the bathroom and told her I'd get her something to eat. Avery ended up with a cheese sandwich. *yawn*

So, what's wrong with this picture? I have Frosted Flakes and banana for breakfast. Damon has hot dogs. Avery has a cheese sandwich. I'm a great mom.

One thing was obviously missing from our breakfast scene this morning... Daddy.

Daddy has turned into the food Nazi around here, and he never would have let the kids get away with eating hot dogs and cheese sandwich for breakfast. But he had to go to work for a few hours of overtime this morning (we really like the sound of "overtime" around here), and anyone who knows me knows how peppy I am before noon. So the kids ate what they wanted for breakfast.

I'm sure they'll survive. *yawn* And... Daddy should be home in time for lunch.

Sorry, Girls, he's taken (and so is his brother)!

2008-08-01T11:05:00.004-04:00

This is what my dear husband did while I was working last night:

It's really hard to take a good picture of your feet (and I realize not many people would want to...), but he painted my nails red with a top layer of silver sparkly polish. I'm a lucky, sparkly girl!

Carnival Winner!

2008-08-01T08:29:00.002-04:00

Geez, picking a random number is hard... even when you have random.org do all of the work for you! The first two random numbers were comments who didn't leave e-mail addresses or Web sites or anything. Bummer. If I can't figure out how to get ahold of you, then I can't exactly get the prize to you, right??

The third random number that was drawn was MY comment (and I knew no one would believe me if I said I won! lol).

So, finally, draw number four produced a real winner...

Congrats to The Pate Family! By my calculations (and, really, they're the only ones that matter), you were comment no. 47. Therefore, a brand new book of 20 "Forever" stamps will be on its way to you shortly!

Thanks to everyone who played along with my first ever Bloggy Giveaway Carnival. And special thanks to those of you who actually left me suggestions for my blog title... I loved reading your ideas! (I have chosen a new title, by the way... and I actually came up with it all on my own; I'm so proud! More on that at a later date!)

Okay, Dad, no more posts about the Carnival. It'll be business as usual around here from now on... at least for another 3 months!

Real quick, for Grampy

2008-07-31T08:12:00.005-04:00

I know I've been slacking with the blog posting this week... sorry! I got a little wrapped up in all the Bloggy Carnival fun.

OH, and I've been taking care of my kids, and walking dogs (it's like one big, neverending dog walk around here!), and working. Definitely been working. [You'd think I would actually have some money with all the work I do, huh? Don't I talk about work A LOT? Yeah, I actually work A LOT... and they do pay me, sometimes. I think I need a raise...]

So, what else has been going on here, aside from stalking unsuspecting blogs, feeding dirty-faced kids, bagging dog poop, and inserting serial commas?

Gee, what else is there?!?!

We went grocery shopping yesterday... the whole fandamily. That's ALWAYS fun (like having a root canal-kinda fun). For some reason, Nick and I torture ourselves (and each other) quite often with the family shopping trip. I know from experience that it's sooooo much nicer, easier, faster, not to mention cheaper for just one of us to do the shopping, while the other lucky parent stays home with the monsters. But, for some reason, we don't do that very often. I think it's because we both hate grocery shopping... neither one of us wants to do it, so we figure if one of us has to suffer, we ALL suffer! Really bad logic, I know...

So, yeah, my big trip to the grocery store... I think that's the first time I've left my neighborhood (all that dog walking, remember?) since I can't even remember when. I really need to make it a point to get out more. Working from home for going on 9 years has done horrible things for my mental state (as if I needed any help in that department!). I'm turning into a hermit of sorts. Just the word "hermit" conjures up really scary images in my head... and do I want to be that person? Well, no. But it's happening/has happened (ack!).

And, gee, this was supposed to a "real quick" blog to pacify my dad... but I'm rambling, like I tend to do. So, I'm leaving off here and I'll continue this train of thought (the whole hermit thing) at a later date. Hold me to it (I'm really bad with follow-up blogging, have you noticed?).

Just to make my random post even more random... here's a random pic. He's cute, right? Yeah, he poops a lot, too.

Caving Under "Carnival" Pressure!

2008-07-29T10:45:00.002-04:00

I've never done this before, so bear with me and please forgive me if I totally goof it up...

It's time for the Bloggy Giveways Carnival, which is something that I just recently discovered (I'm always a little behind on cool things like this, in case you haven't noticed). Anyway, it's pretty neat. You go to this site and you'll find a huge (and getting huger) list of participants (ie, people who are giving away random things... just because). So, if you see something you like, you go to their blog and read about their giveway and their requirements (most of the time it's just leaving a comment on their post). Then you play along and wait anxiously until the end of the Carnival to see if you won anything! (It's like Christmas, huh??)

So, I've been compulsively refreshing the Bloggy Giveaway list for the past 2 days... and I've visited lots of cool blogs that I never would've found before... and I've left more comments than I can count. And it's been fun.

But I've been feeling guilty for not participating on the other end and giving something away. So, here I am... posting a giveaway.

And, finally, this is what you can win from me if you're interested:

A book of stamps.

That's it. A book of stamps from the U.S. Postal Service (although, I might throw in a mystery "bonus" item before it's all said and done... you just never know).

Why a book of stamps? Well, because I'm one of those people who NEVER has a stamp when she needs one (certainly never one reflecting the current postage rate, since that changes every time I turn around!). And I have to make a trip to my local post office tomorrow anyway. So, I thought I'd offer something nice and practical (and I haven't seen anyone else offer it... yet. See, I'm trying to be "original") that anyone in America might be able to use.

So, all you have to do to be entered is leave me a comment here, on this post. If you have a blog, make sure your e-mail address is in your profile so I can find it... if you don't have a blog, make sure you leave your e-mail address in the comment, so I can find you after the drawing.

If you want two entries, take a few minutes to acquaint yourself with my blog and leave me a suggestion for a fun, creative, clever blog title. I've been posting here for almost three years and still have no blog title. That's sad.

Oh, I'll pick a random winner this Friday, August 1st... sometime after I've had my first cup of coffee.

Ready, set, go (and go check out the rest of the Carnival while you're at it)!

I've changed my mind...

2008-07-28T14:32:00.003-04:00

I don't wanna be a mom anymore.

I just spent the last 15 minutes holding my 7-year-old tough guy in my lap, rocking him, and assuring him that "it's gonna be alright."

I know this sounds like typical mom behavior, and not something so earth-shattering that I should want to abandon motherhood in the face of it... but it was awful. Gut-wrenching. Heartbreaking.

I'm not even sure what the problem was... what had upset Damon so much. It had something to do with his neighborhood friends Matt and Jason. The boys came over this afternoon, at 12 o'clock on the DOT, like they do every day. And at some point Matt left (and went home presumably), which didn't surprise me because the brothers usually take turns coming over here because they don't get along very well...

So, Damon and Jason were in the living room playing a video game when they saw Matt walk past outside. He was just walking down the road in front of our house, so they ran out to see what was going on with him.

About 10 minutes later, I peeked outside to see what they were up to... and found Matt sitting in the middle of the road in front of my house (weird kid), Jason sitting in the yard staring at the ground, and Damon leaned up against our porch trying to hold back tears.

So, I told Damon to come in and talk to me (and had to shut the door in Jason's face because the kid doesn't understand that when I say "Damon," I mean DAMON, not "DamonandJason," grrrrr). I brought Damon into my room, away from the brothers' ears, and asked him what had happened. Of course, I got a typical Damonesque response that made absolutely no sense and left me none the wiser... but, regardless, I could tell he was upset. He was trying so hard NOT to cry... to be the tough guy that he's figured out he's "supposed" to be (grrrrr again).

At this point, I didn't care what was wrong or what had happened or who had said what to whom... my baby was hurt (emotionally) and breaking down whether he wanted to or not. I sat down on my bed, pulled Damon into my lap, wrapped a blanket around him... and rocked. And "shhhhh, it's okay"ed. And just held him and comforted him because that's what he needed at that moment and I couldn't do anything else.

When I ushered Damon into the house, he resisted. When I pulled him back to my room, he resisted. When I asked him to tell me what had happened, he resisted. When I patted the bed and told him to come sit next to me, he resisted. When he felt tears welling up, he resisted.

But when I wrapped him up in my blanket and in my arms, he quit resisting. He grabbed ahold of me and, in an instant, I felt the resistance disappear. And, like it was the most natural thing in the world, he accepted my comfort. My little boy turned back into my little boy... he held onto me for dear life and he wept.

And then I wept.

And now I've decided I don't want to be a mom anymore.

I have a hard enough time feeling and dealing with my own emotions... how in the Hell am I supposed to be strong enough to support two little people through life? Knowing like I do that it's only going to get harder and harder for them; their hearts are going to break... a lot.

There's no doubt in my mind that Damon and Avery will make it through life's ups and downs and come out stronger as a result. The real question is: Will their poor basketcase of a mother live through THEIR inevitable disappointments and broken hearts??

Why doesn't anyone tell you about this stuff before you have children? Diapers and bottles and sleep deprivation and potty-training? That stuff is a walk in the park compared with comforting a broken-hearted 7-year-old. And now that I know that, I've changed my mind...

(my first ever) Commitment to Loveliness

2008-07-27T19:03:00.003-04:00

A mommy friend of mine (who just happens to be a lovely person!) hosts this Commitment to Loveliness challenge on her blog quite frequently... and although I think it's a fun idea, I've never actually participated. Until today.

I don't know about you, but I could definitely use some "lovely" in my life this week. So here goes...

My five lovely goals:

1. Walk Comet twice a day (I usually cheat and only take him once, if that, because I'm a lazy slacker).
2. Sit down with pen and paper and actually write a letter (or card or whatever) to a loved one.
3. Remove the old, peeling polish on my nails and re-paint them a lovely, fresh color.
4. Clean my desk *shudder* and find a way to organize mail/bills/etc.
5. Get my butt to the post office and mail a box o' books that I promised Stephenie ages ago (and mail #2 while I'm at it)!

So... those are my goals for this week. I'll post an update next weekend and let you know how I managed! And if you'd like to play along, go visit Emily's blog and join us (I feel lovelier already!).