It's all good.

Sniff Sniff :,(

2012-01-16T13:30:00.000-05:00

Today I continue to cry, lick my wounds....

...and ask myself WHAT THE HELL HAPPENED?!

There Is A New Cyber Addiction In Town!!!

2012-01-13T19:08:00.000-05:00

First I LOVED blogging. I loved reading blogs, making bloggy friends and living in my blog world. As a stay at home mom I laughed at the comic which stated, "I love my computer, all my friends are in it." That somewhat sadly described me!
Then I was introduced to Facebook! That was my new daily dose of cyber-crack! It was fun hooking up with distant family, and friends I had lost contact with since High School! Each day I stopped and checked the computer to see who said what, who posted a new pic or just to see what scandalous news was happening in the area. Now, years later...it's getting old.

Enter my new addiction.....PINTEREST!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Really?! You Have Got To Be Kidding!!!!!!!!!!!!

2011-10-27T23:55:00.000-04:00

SNOW?!?!?! I am tired of precipitation. I am so tired of rain! I even stopped carrying an umbrella. It seems like wet hair, wet jackets, wet clothes and wet shoes have become an everyday reality for MONTHS! Now the weather forecasters are calling for SNOW! Ugh! I give up! I can honestly say.....I look forward to a nice drought year!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Wow! It's Been Awhile! This Might Be Why.......

2011-10-23T11:52:00.000-04:00

Wow! It has been over a year since I last posted. It's honestly hard to believe it has been that long! When I think about it, it makes sense. I last posted in August 2010. The end of summer ran directly into the chaos of school starting which was followed by an ill Fall for myself.

The beginning of September my world began to feel, well....crooked. An extremely odd feeling of motion (when nothing was moving) along with a feeling of constantly being on my side (even when standing) became a constant for me. It was a bizarre feeling which created a sense of panic. The doctors thought it was vertigo due to a possible disturbance in my inner ear. The thought was it should pass within two weeks. Two weeks later the same feeling remained. A follow-up appointment led me to an MRI which found lesions on my brain which matched the pattern of MS (Multiple Sclerosis). A spinal-tap backed-up the finding of the MRI. A second MRI, 3 months after the first, found new lesions. On December 29, 2010 I received a positive diagnosis of MS.

I've stumbled over my right foot multiple times over the years. I just assumed it was because I'm not exactly a coordinated person. The tingling sensation in my right leg, located ONLY on the inner, front side ONLY from my knee to my ankle....a pinched nerve.....right? Occasional weakness in my hands? I'm a busy mom of 3. I'm TIRED. No......all signs of MS that I overlooked and excused away. Then again, as I stated before......I'm BUSY! I never gave these "symptoms" much thought, it was just the normal life of a busy, working mom.

After diagnosis came the treatment decisions. I chose Avonex. It's a once a week inter-muscular (IM) injection. I chose Avonex due to it's proven 15+ years on the market, I had the ability to speak with patients who have used this drug and "liked" it and it only needs administered once-a-week. The downside to all MS medications.......side effects and injections. I learned how to inject the medication myself. Almost a year later I still DREAD the task. I inject on Friday evenings so the flu-like symptom side effects do not interfere with working. Unfortunately, that means FUN Friday nights are out and Saturday AM is spent in a fog. Ugh!

So......it has been a year since the "craziness" began, 10 months since the diagnosis and 9 months since treatment began. Here is what I have learned.....
Needles, no matter how many times you use them, are NEVER fun.
Just the sight of a sharps container can bring on sudden nausea.
I have an AMAZING support system in my family and friends...they are there to back me up when the world gets a little *ahem* sideways.
As a mom of 3.....I HAVE NO TIME FOR MS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Photo Finds

2010-08-18T13:04:00.001-04:00

Recently, while cleaning, I found several rolls of film. I had a few developed and found several very cute photos. It's bittersweet to look back and see the boys as wee-ones. Ella has spent the morning yelling, "Where am I? Is that me?" Nope, it was life before Ella was even thought of! Mom, Dad and Wendy... I needed a tissue. You might just want to have one on hand. :)

Make your own slideshow

PS. Mom,thanks for the suprise photo drop!

What happened to those sweet little boys?......

My Garden Guy

2010-08-08T00:10:00.001-04:00

This week James just asked if we had enough cash for him to get a hoe and plants.
Thank God I know my man well enough to know he ment these:

Instead of these:

Feeding Time

2010-07-28T14:17:00.000-04:00

Recently we've added a new addition to our family. Yet another mouth to feed....well actually mouths. Apparently 3 kids, 3 dogs, geckos and a hamster weren't enough. Now we have a venus fly trap! Not only is it a carnivorous plant, it is apparently a "special" plant. Explanation of "special"....it doesn't catch FLIES! We found the plant during a recent trip to our local nursery. The kids were checking it out, which led to the following conversation:

Kids: Does it really catch flies?
Me: I guess so.?
Kids: Can we get it?
Me: No!
Kids: Aw, common Mom! Why not?!
Me: What are we going to do during the winter? It will die...there are no flies around here in the winter!
(Enter "helpful" Garden Guy): You can feed it small meal worms during the winter.
Kids: We have meal worms for the gecko!

Great now I really had no excuse, other than just plain "No, Because I said so!" Plus, I was kind of curious....would it actually eat flies? Short answer....NO! Our "special" fly trap is apparently incapable of catching flies! Since it has gone about 2 weeks without eating any "protein" my husband decided to feed it last evening. The following pictures illustrate the horror which took place on our kitchen table last evening!

Do you see what is dangling from "mouth" on the left?! A WORM! James placed a worm in the mouth and it wriggled away while the mouth was closing! Eeeewwww!

Good-bye Mr. Meal worm!

As of this morning both heads were still closed and the worms were completely inside. GROSS! I think I prefer the simple houseplants that prefer air, water and fertilizer over protein! Yuck!

Relief!

2010-07-27T10:47:00.000-04:00

As anyone can see, I had taken a L-O-N-G break from blogging. I didn't feel comfortable writing about an issue that had somewhat taken over our lives. For the past 6 months I (we) have been dealing with drama, threats, lies and uninvited home visits from individuals who can't understand the word NO! Even my kids were beginning to feel uncomfortable. Many nights when we would pull into the yard, they would see the mob at the end of the street....they knew who they were, the same people who came to our home. The same people they had seen me tell, VERY firmly to GO AWAY! The same people they "heard" terrible things about. Now here they were, camped out in what they thought was a "safe" place with "safe" people. However, after yesterday I am hoping our lives will return to normal. After a vote of 54-26, healing can hopefully begin, and life can return to what had been very peaceful.

Funny! Funny! Funny! (BEWARE: NASTY LANGUAGE!)

2010-07-23T10:56:00.000-04:00

I know I've had days like the one documented here. Sadly, my mouth most likely sounded just as horrible too! Enjoy the following movie trailer in honor of bad days everywhere! I can't wait to see the movie!Check out the original out-takes on You Tube by searching "Original Winnebago Man".

Since I Last Posted.......

2010-07-22T16:14:00.001-04:00

This free digital slideshow made with Smilebox

SNO*W & Lots Of It!

2010-02-06T22:18:00.005-05:00

Here in the northeast we just had the best snow storm in years! My kids have finally gotten the chance to play in a DEEP snow they will remember. I love being snowed-in, it gives you a great excuse to kick back and relax. It's also gives you a great sense of community as everyone helps clear sidewalks, driveways and cars.

Now, while the kids are having a great time digging and playing in the snow, the dogs are thoroughly confused by it. Chelsea (our Rottweiler/German Shepard mix) is NOT happy about the deep snow and would prefer we just keep the door closed and ignore the white stuff. Sheldon (our Border Collie, Chow, Lab mix) is tolerating it, and Dexter (our spastic Jack Russell/Border Collie mix) is LOVIN' IT!!! Check out the video below. We were trying to get Dexter to leave the shallow snow in the walkway and enter the deep snow further in the yard. Doing so would have put the snow over his head. We bribed him with a soccer ball (his favorite toy), yet he still wouldn't go without a little help.

Here are a few other photos of our snowy day:

NBC Has Officially Lost It!

2010-01-15T18:10:00.005-05:00

This is who the Tonight Show belongs to.

Look! It even says so in the photo! :)

But instead of giving the guy and honest shot, NBC has decided to do this:

Which makes me LOVE this:

Please watch to the end... it's just beautiful and so true!

New Camera!

2010-01-12T13:10:00.004-05:00

We did it! We finally broke down and bought a new camera! :) Instead of punishing family, friends and fellow blog-readers with dull text-only posts, I've been avoiding blogging. Now the pics are back and the posts will follow!

New camera tests:

Ella's CHEESE!!!

Hayden's panoramic shot of our kitchen. Yes! The counters have been cleaned off since this pic was taken! :) Note, burgundy cupboards with pink and teal tile...you would think a sledge hammer to this room would be next on the list of home improvements. Sadly, it's third on the list! :(

Jim and his favorite kitchen accessory.... the coffee pot!

Hayden's strong man pose. :) LOVE IT!

We also had a family fondue/Wii party this weekend.....

Pap-paw playing Wii for the first time!

Food covered in chocolate.... the kids were in heaven!

Aunt Wendy and Baby Kenny (due end of April) enjoyed too!

Listen, Watch and Enjoy!

2009-11-20T10:54:00.004-05:00

I recently realized an acquaintance from High School, Mark DeRose, has formed his own band. I lurked around his facebook page and his website trying to find out what his band was all about. I was amazed at what I found! I'm addicted to his music! I ordered his Hear to Listen CD and it has quickly become a family favorite in our car! I'm posting two videos from concerts. Enjoy! Oh, for more info. check out his website at http://www.marckderosemusic.com/

It's up!

2009-11-17T10:20:00.006-05:00

Early? Nah. We're a artificial tree family. Due to our "shoebox-size" house, we needed a smaller tree this year. Last year we used the same tree we've used for the past 10 years. The tree is beautiful, but a bit big for our pinchy area. This week I happened to find this tree at Target. So.......

this weekend the boys made the mistake of whining " I'm B O R E D" too many times. Which meant they got the fun, fun job of assembling the tree!

As you can see Ella put her doll house away long enough to act as "tree assembly supervisor" :)
They truly did a great job. The branches were completely flat from being squished in the box, but Hayden spent nearly an hour shaping the tree.

Now, how can one have an assembled tree in their house and NOT decorate it?! So, James (such a good hubby) dug out the lights and put the lights on for me. I have NO patience for Christmas lights! Well, honestly neither does he, he's just much less vocal and hostile about it. :) And of course...once you have an assembled tree with lights you, of course, need ornaments. I hung a few and then the kids to put the rest of the ornaments and candy canes wherever they wanted. I don't think it turned out too bad!

Great job Hayden, Reid and Ella! Now, notice the tree has been placed between our lamp and dog beds. Between 3 kids and 3 dogs we'll have to wait and see how long the tree remains vertical! Thankfully it's small, light and durable! :)

FUNNY!!!!!!!!!!!

2009-10-13T12:12:00.001-04:00

A girlfriend of my posted this on Facebook. It's so funny and VERY true....I had to share!

Photo Update : Whoopie Pie Festival, Soccer & Scouts

2009-09-27T12:50:00.001-04:00

Make a Smilebox photobook

Day 2 & A Few Photos

2009-08-26T10:21:00.004-04:00

So far day 2 has gone just as well as day 1! I was a bit worried about the new Kindergarteners starting today, but they did great! Not a single tear, some very wide eyes, but no tears!

As I was posting last evening, I found quite a few "odd and end" photos on the camera. I've posted a few of these pics below. Ella chose the slide show theme, so please excuse the fluttering butterflies! :)

Oh, for those who may be wondering about the BIG aloe at the end, click here for the background story.

Enjoy!

Make a Smilebox slideshow

We Made It!!!!!!!

2009-08-25T22:50:00.005-04:00

Well, the first day of school went off with out a hitch! All went well, but it was truly an exhausting day for all involved. Hayden and Reid both had a great first day and the bus runs (amazingly) went GREAT! Although, it would be helpful if the bus didn't become an oven on days over 80 degrees! Here are a few first day pics:

We left the house around 6:15 am to get to the bus on time. Yeah, it's dark at 6:15 AM! :(

Hayden excited about day 1!

Reid a little less excited and just a bit nervous; however, he left the bus with a big grin!

Tomorrow the Kindergarten kids will have their first day. This doesn't effect my own children; however, it should make the bus run VERY interesting. I'm expecting tears and cameras! :)

Tomorrow Is The Big Day!!!!!!!!!!!

2009-08-24T16:38:00.002-04:00

Tomorrow it is officially back to school and back to work! For the past few years I have cherished this day. I would walk the kids to the bus stop and stand there blinking back tears as I took pictures and waved at them through the bus windows. Now this year, Mama drives the bus! I began driving last January, the school year was obviously well underway. In June I had a teary last day. I knew it was the last time Hayden would be riding my bus. This year he will be attending the "intermediate" school, a 4-6 building. I drive for the "primary" school, a K-3 building. So, on our first day I'll get to have my 3 together on my High School run. Then during our layover, Hayden will leave my bus to get on the intermediate bus. (Insert tears here) I will then, 45 min. later, drop Reid off at school for his first day in 2nd grade. (Insert tears here, again) I'll be sure to post pics tomorrow. I just can't believe they are in 4th and 2nd already! It seems like only 2 years ago I was walking Hayden into school for his first day in Kindergarten. Now here he is changing schools, riding new buses, and being "big". It's the same with Reid. Wasn't he in Kindergarten last year?! I swear I'm missing a whole year! If I think about it, I know I've been there, but truly, time goes too fast. Well, say a prayer and wish us luck! Tomorrow we return to reality!

Side note: Ella will be starting Pre-K in September. I'm sure there will be plenty of tears shed then too. My baby is only one year away from Kindergarten!!!!!

Like I was saying....

2009-08-20T22:32:00.006-04:00

I just finished reading Larry King's autobiography, My Remarkable Journey. After an arrest that led to him being off the air for a period of time, he began his return show by saying, "Like I was saying..." As if he has simply gone to a commercial break and returned 2 minutes later. It stuck me as funny. I thought it would be a very fitting title for this post. After reappearing with a "I'm back slide show", I disappeared only to now reappear again! I suppose a explanation would be appropriate.

Remember my July post regarding a lump on my leg. According to the Dr. it was a venomous bite. I believe it was; however, I was having a deeper pain in my leg. I told myself it was simply a reaction to the bite, but something just didn't feel right. A week later I was back in the Dr's office with a PAINFUL lump on the opposite side of the same calf. It was a superficial blood clot. I was told to take Rx strength Aleve and hold moist heat over it. Less then 24 hours later I had another PAINFUL (yes it requires caps) lump on my leg, a swollen varicose vein (ugh!) and pain radiating up the back of my leg. I called the Dr. with a "is this supposed to be happening" phone call. I was sent right into the hospital for an ultrasound of my left leg.

The ultrasound tech was fantastic. She was so calm, I...not so much. She was so kind as I had a momentary freak out on her table. My best friend's grandmother passed away from a blood clot when her kids were young. Like my girlfriend's mother said, one minute they were walking through the store the next minute it was "Mom... mom... MOM?" The story has freaked me out since I first heard it many years ago. So, here I was being tested for the same thing that killed her! Thanks to my ultra calm ultrasound tech, I was actually relaxed by the time she was finished. Then....she got up and left the room. James and I could hear her talking in the hall, but couldn't make out what she was saying. She returned to say, "I'll send you husband down the hall for your clothes (they were in a locker), I will return with a wheelchair, you may not walk. I'll be taking you down the hall where the Dr. will speak to you."

Say what?! Panic! That's what my every cell in my body said! I was wheeled into a waiting room staffed with a very kind nurse (Ruth) who asked what news we were waiting on. I explained my situation and told her my blood clot fears. Her response, "This may be new and scary for you, but know that we see these quite often, you'll be fine." God is good, he new I needed comfort, he sent nurse Ruth! Thank you! Minutes passed, still no news, a familiar face appeared at the door. It was the mother of a child I had years ago in a Kindergarten classroom. She's a radiologist at the hospital. She has a great sense of humor and our conversation went pretty much like this:
Her: What are you doing here?
Me: I think I have a blood clot.
H: Ah, uh-huh.
M: I'm scared, it could be in my lung, headed to my heart, or on its way to my brain.
H: (Chuckle) no, because if it was you wouldn't be sitting there like that, you'd be on the floor.
It, again, was much needed reassurance. She stayed until the Dr. called. Thank you!

The news...2 superficial blood clots (painful..oops...PAINFUL, but not lethal) and 1 deep vein thrombosis (DVT, deadly if they break off and travel to lungs, heart or brain). I was told I would be staying for at least 24 hours. Panic! I'm a control freak! My dad had the kids, I hate to inconvenience people. Hayden had soccer practice! Reid and Ella had bible school! How can I stay?! Well, I stayed. Thankfully, I have a fantastic group of family and friends. Things went smoothly and I was able to rest. Ok, I'll be honest....I freaked out. It was the meds that allowed me to rest! :) Blood tests were taken and I learned how to give myself injections of a blood thinner. After the insurance company OKed the use of the injections at home I was released, a bit over 24 hours after being admitted.

I was ordered to stay off my feet for 2 weeks. My Dr. even called James and had a little chat about the importance of sitting! :) It hurt, I was giving myself injections 2x's a day (I don't know how diabetic individuals could do this daily. I have a whole new respect for those on insulin.), I was scared, I began a new regimen of oral blood thinners, I felt emotionally drained, I was afraid of suddenly dying in front of my kids while James was at work, I felt like the clots would never go away. Again, I have amazing family and friend. My mom pitched in with laundry help and childcare, friends helped with the kids and made meals, James stepped up to the plate and took on the Mom AND Dad role (he even had his wisdom teeth removed 4 days after I came home from the hospital....he developed a dry socket....and he still kept going!) Again....God is good!

Now, I'm feeling better...my leg still hurts. Last Thursday was the end of my "two week sitting sentence". I'm still trying to take it easy. The more I'm up the more it hurts. Not nearly as bad as it had, but enough to know that I need to rest and take it easy. Tomorrow is a follow-up appointment and I'm anxious to see what the Dr. thinks about how things are progressing. I know I'm MUCH better than 2 weeks ago. I'm alive! God is good! He knew I would be fine...He sent people to tell me I would be fine... I chose not to see it and listen immediately.... but He knew. In fact, the first Sunday we could make it to church after my hospital release, we saw a video on the Disciples and the storm. It hit me...Peter began to sink not because of his lack of faith in Jesus, but his lack of faith in his OWN faith!!!!!!!!! Again, God knew! :)

Too Cute!

2009-07-10T22:26:00.000-04:00

Dr. Ella's Diagnosis

2009-07-10T00:45:00.002-04:00

Today the kids and I took a sudden visit to the Dr. The kids were all fine, it was Mama that needed the Dr. I developed and odd, red, warm lump on the side of my leg. I'm currently on a medication that lists blood clots as a side effect. As many already know, Mama making it to the doctor requires military-like planning on a normal day. Thankfully, my Mom works next to the Dr's office and just happened to be getting off work as I was heading out the door for my appointment. Mom met the kids and I (including my nieces) in the parking lot. She took the older 3 and I took the youngest 2. Things went amazingly well. Even though I miss holding a wee one, I LOVE having children who are old enough to pull it all together and behave when they REALLY need to! Well, while waiting for the Dr., Ella decided to sit in the Dr.'s chair and play Dr. She did very well asking me questions and poking around my leg. After about 3 minutes of deep thought, and she announced, "Mama I know what is wrong wif you! You boobs is getting saggy!" Apparently the lump on my leg was a misplaced breast. Thankfully the real Dr. disagreed and concluded it is a venomous bite. Sadly I don't know which diagnosis is more disturbing...biting creepy-crawlies or sagging, old lady boobs that apparently (according to my 4 yr. old Doogie Houser) now hang below my knees!

My New Favorite Disney Character

2009-06-28T14:36:00.003-04:00

As many of you may already know, I am NOT a fan of Disney. I've never kept Disney movies from my kids. I've just never pushed them to watch Disney movies, cartoons, etc. Recently our local movie theater started their free summer movie program. On Tuesdays and Wednesday mornings you can visit the theater and enjoy a FREE movie! There are 2 choices each week. Recently the choices were Madagascar 2 or Charlotte's Web. Wow! What a choice! A Disney movie or a movie staring a life like arachnid! Disney it is! Well, after watching Madagascar 2, I found a new character that I LOVE. I need this little lemur as a neighbor! Enter King Julian!

Three Months Is Way Too Long!

2009-06-18T16:02:00.002-04:00

Here is a visual catch-up of the past 3 months:

Make a Smilebox slideshow

We've been busy.....but we've been having fun!

I hope all is well with all of our blog visitors. It's good to be back!

Happy 8th Birthday Rosalyn!

2009-03-23T12:26:00.003-04:00

We love you Sosa! Love, Uncle James, Aunt Karen, Hayden, Reid and Ella!

Do You Know What Today Is?!

2009-03-20T14:01:00.008-04:00

Yep, yep it's the first day of spring. Know what that means? FREE RITA'S DAY!!!!!!!!!!!!!! For those of you who may not be lucky enough to live near a Rita's, here is what Rita's Italian Ice is all about.

1. This is not your cheesy crunchy-ice-with-syrup in a paper cone Italian Ice. Rita's ice is smooth, fruit filled (provided you choose a fruit flavor, the chocolate is sheer yummy too!), freshly made in the store, yummy-yummy goodness!

2. It is like pregnant woman crack! I speak from personal experience. We lived at Rita's during Ella's pregnancy. Sadly, our local Rita's isn't open during the winter. Ella was born mid May. Thankfully no one was injured during those winter months. However, I did stalk our local Rita's until their opening day.

3. Due to Rita's closing during the winter months, locals stock up! By the Quarts (I believe Gallon's too if you choose)! I'm telling ya, the stuff is DELICIOUS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Now, on to

FREE ICE DAY!!!!!!!!!

Each year on the first day of spring. Rita's hands out FREE ICE. Not just a wee paper cup, a FULL size ice! So, on a windy, 40 degree day (it's almost always 40 degrees on the first day of spring, we've had days in the 60's already, but NOT on free ice day!) you get in a line like this

With, initially, unhappy children that look like this

and FREEZE while waiting and being entertained by "The Ice Guy"

all to receive the sheer yummy-yummy goodness of Rita's Italian Ice!!!! So, 2 cotton candy and 1 chocolate ice later my kids looked like this

Look! Smiles! Frozen smiles, but SMILES none the less! :)

Now, notice all the kids in line in the first picture. It's Friday. The kids had off school. Now, I'm not saying the school was closed for free ice day, but ya know.... what other reason could it possibly be?!

It truly is THAT good!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

So, if you don't live near a Rita's go here for more info. www.ritasice.com don't forget to beg them to come to your area! I'm telling ya, you won't be disappointed!

Pull Up A Chair, It's Been Awhile

2009-03-16T10:24:00.007-04:00

Wow! It's been way too long! My days have become a blur. Each day seems to be the same. Wake-up, get ready, get kids up, get kids ready, get in bus, drive bus, come home (or run errands), laundry, lunch, drop Ella off a preschool, cleaning, bills etc, pick Ella up from preschool, back into the bus, drive bus again, return home, make dinner, help with homework (and extras if any:Scouts, Soccer etc.), baths and bed. Then we wake up and do it all over again. Huh! Therefore, not too much new has happened. So here are a few brief updates:

Our 1987 Ford Ranger failed inspection. I know! Who was expecting that?! As if the HUGE rust whole in the door wasn't a sign of impending doom! :) So, for a wee bit we were left with only the van for transportation. Then we, with a LOT of help, were able to obtain this:

It's a very NICE 2006 Ford Freestyle.

Thanks to my hubby and his strategic self-placement at one of my bus stops, I have these pics of my other vehicle.

By no means is this a flattering picture, but a picture none the less. He was also able to snap one of Ella and Reid peeking out the window.

It is a bit hard to make out the faces. Ella is down near the edge of the window and Reid is in the same seat, slightly in front of her. Bus driving, and riding, has been going well for the 4 of us. The kids seem to have adapted to the early schedule. The daylight savings time, time change threw a bit of a wrench in our mornings; however, each morning seems to get a bit lighter then the one before. The warmer temps have been helpful too. I sincerely hope the teens and twenties are completely behind us. The past week or so has been 30's at night and 40's-50's during the day. Spring is definitely on it's way...HOORAY!

Well, in an effort to tie up some loose ends. I shall re-mention my last post. I had a few requests for a picture of my Nasal Herpes affliction. So, here goes:

Yum! Huh? Now I must admit, this photo was taken 2 days after the initial outbreak and AFTER 3 doses of Valtrex. This doesn't even come close to the full grossness of it all! Thank God for meds! Oh! Here is a front shot just to get the full effect of BOTH sores. YUM!

Oh! That's just beautiful! Hahahahahahahahaha! Ick! Just thinking about it makes me ill! Thankfully it only visits ONCE a year!

Well, until next time (hopefully sooner then the last), take care! :)

Feeling Yucky and Finding a Cure

2009-02-22T09:32:00.004-05:00

I, again, have a cold. I feel miserable. This, for those keeping record, is my second cold in a month. The kids have remained healthy; however I have been battling this cold since Tuesday. Yuck!

Now, on top of the cold, my annual visitor has arrived. That's right my annual cold sore has returned. For those who deal with cold sores....I feel your pain. Truly. My cold sore is no normal cold sore. It appeared 5 years into my 11 year career as a child care worker. At first my doctor, at the time, had no idea what it was. It appeared, grew rapidly, oozed, burned and disappeared. Since I worked with children I was diagnosed with impetigo. Ewww. But, when working with kids, any kind of funk is possible. I was prescribed an antibiotic and eventually it went away. This happened every year for the past 8 years. However, last year a new doctor wised up and essentially had this thought, "It appears every year, it tingles right before appearing, it develops in the same spot each year, it develops rapidly." She then handed me the diagnosis of herpes labialis (aka cold sore) and a prescription for Valtrex. Now I suppose the average person would agree cold sores are NOT fun. However, part of the reason that my cold sore took so long to diagnose is, well, because it is located...on...my.....NOSE! That's right ladies and gents it's hanging off my right nostril as we speak! Thanks to a responsive doctor who accepts Saturday phone calls and a great pharmacy, I'm on medication and it will hopefully shrivel up and die very, very soon! Now, why do I feel the need to tell the world about my nasal dwelling cold sore? Well, because yesterday on my way back from the pharmacy, I was behind a car with a magnetic ribbon supporting a disease I've NEVER heard of. In my crass, sarcastic sense of humor, I began thinking "DOES EVERY STINKING SOMETHING SOMETHING NEED A **BEEPIN** MAGNETIC RIBBON?!" Well, apparently it does, because that darn ribbon gave me this idea:

Make your custom magnet at SupportOurRibbons.com

Pretty darn fantastic....right?! That's right, pass it around, because together we can end NASAL HERPES! :)

Spring Is Near...Thank you!...Hum A New Follower?

2009-02-12T12:34:00.003-05:00

After writing one of my previous posts, I got a few comments about my new 4:30am wake up time. I agree....it is NOT fun. In fact I've noticed my body goes into an adrenaline rush as soon as the alarm rings. For the past many, many years when I was awaken in the middle of the night, er.... I mean 4:30, it was because one of the kids was in need of something. So as soon as the alarm sounds I enter emergency mode and hop out of bed, get dressed, get the kids up, pour breakfast in the bowls (yeah, were back to cereal only in the morning :( ) and run out the door. The early hour really doesn't hit me until we are sitting in the bus waiting to pull out. The kids curl up on their seats and attempt to get more sleep, while I sit in the glow of flashing 4 ways and 8 ways. That is, until this week. This week we entered the bus and low and behold, what did we see on the horizon? THE SUN! Which immediately put the song you are listening to in my head....it hasn't left since. Each morning this week we've crawled in to the bus and there it is ...the sun...and my song! :) SPRING IS COMING ! :)

Also, a huge thank you to Poopsie who blessed me with this:

She sent this to me during my first week of bus driving. To get a better idea of what that week was like, click HERE. Then you will truly realize how special it was to receive this little shout of love. :)

I also noticed I have a new follower. Hum, who could it be? Apparently this new follower has no blog of his own, calls himself "The Big Fry" and has a profile picture that looks JUST LIKE my brother-in-laws restaurant in Gettysburg! Huh, WHO COULD IT BE?! By the way if anyone is ever visiting Gettysburg, PA you might want to stop in a Hunts Cafe and say "Hello" to Scott and Donna...oops!...I mean "The Big Fry" and Donna! :) Even if we weren't related I would still say they have the BEST fries and cheese steaks in the state. That's right Philly, MOVE OVER!

Someone Has Been Playing With My Camera.......

2009-02-09T10:51:00.004-05:00

and oh, look, they left clues.............

Hum, who could it be? :)

Happy 7th Birthday Reid & Updates

2009-02-08T11:51:00.009-05:00

I, as well as others (Growin With It), have come to the following conclusion: My new job, is interfering with my blog time. I know my time management skills will improve as I become more accustomed to my split work schedule. However, right now, I'm having a hard time adjusting to waking-up at 4:30am, waking the kids at 5:30am, leaving the house at 6:15, returning home at 9:30, doing errands, running Ella to preschool and chores, then leaving the house again at 1:30 to return to the bus lot. So until I learn how to best use my "non-working" hours, I suppose my blogging will be sporadic. :(

So, let's play catch-up:

On Thursday, this handsome little man

turned 7! HAPPY BIRTHDAY REID! We had cupcakes and a dinner of his choice (pizza) on Thursday, and as I write this birthday cake is baking in the oven. Reid has chosen a 4 tier double chocolate cake for his birthday celebration today. Yum! Still today, 3 days after his actual birthday, I'm having a hard time realizing that my baby boy has turned 7! Wow!

Well, speaking of Reid, let me share with you a little "Reid equation". Add:

stocking feet

+

green power rangers costume

laminate floor

RUNNING

Not only is his nose black and blue, it isn't straight either! We took him to the doctor to have it checked. There is a possibility that it is broken, however they don't do anything for broken noses. His septum wasn't deviated, so all is well. We're just to keep the Tylenol/Motrin flowing for pain and ice for the swelling. This injury actually happened about 2 weeks ago and his poor nose is still crooked and green. At least green is better than black and blue!

In other news, the bus driving is going much better! Thank you to all who emailed, or posted, encouraging and positive thoughts. It truly meant a lot! My last posting was a play-by-play on my first week. Well that week ended with a break down! As I sat waiting to begin my AM elementary run, I started leaking oil out the front end of the bus. I had to sit and wait for a spare bus to be driven to my location by one of the mechanics. Not necessarily a "bad" thing, it was just ONE MORE THING added onto my first week. However, this week went MUCH better! I had one child get sick...again; however, I'm learning each day will be much different than the next. No week will be the same as the last. Each day there are changes in the weather, changes in the position of cars and trucks parked along the streets, changes in the children's moods and ....well....garbage day! Try turning a bus around in a cal-de-sac full of blowing trash cans! :) All in all it has been fun and an awesome new challenge. So....what will this week hold? :)

What Did I Get Myself Into?

2009-01-29T19:46:00.003-05:00

Well, that's the question I've been asking myself today. What was I thinking! Bus driving? How crazy am I?! To find out just how crazy the past few days have been, follow along!

Day1
am- rode along with an experienced driver and watched the morning route and stops

pm- drove my first route. Elementary age girl threw-up in the middle of the bus

Day 2
am- drove on snow covered roads

pm- "lost" a child. I pulled up to a large bus stop. After all of the children from the stop had exited, a woman came up to my door and asked about a particular girl. She wasn't on the bus. I CB'ed my boss who contacted the school. The girl was placed on the bus at school. The school's principal sent out an "A.P.B" to all the other buses, in case she has gotten on the wrong bus. I sat and waited as each bus responded that they didn't have her. After 20 minutes of sheer panic, the principal CB'ed back, she has gotten off the bus and walked passed the woman who was to pick her up and went right to her house. The entire panic-filled time, she was safe and sound at home! (Insert cardiac arrest here!)

Day 3
SNOW DAY- No school!

Day 4
am- got my 1 set of rear, double wheels stuck on a patch of ice. Held up a major roadway, in both directions, while I spun myself free. Returned to bus yard where I came 1" from scraping the side of my bus on the lot fence. My boss came out with a huge grin on his face and helped me correct the problem. Ahhhhh! Thank God for gracious and understanding bosses!

pm- high school kid entered bus and then RAN off. Um, hello?! Then after making my last elementary stop, I noticed one of the little girls wandering around looking confused. Her mom came out of their house and I stopped to see if everything was OK. The mom responded, "I'm missing a child. My son?" immediately I hear "MY STOP!" from the back of the bus. The little boy was cuddled down in his seat either reading, sleeping or daydreaming and missed his stop! AHHHHHH!

WHAT HAVE I GOTTEN MYSELF INTO?

2 Runs Under My Belt

2009-01-27T12:29:00.003-05:00

The bus driving is going well. I've now driven 1 am run and 1 pm run. Both times I've had a "senior driver" riding with me. I must admit, I'm very glad they were there. Yesterday during the pm run an elementary age child threw up right in the middle of the aisle. Then, today we had snow. Enough snow for a 2 hour delay. The delay was great and gave my children a chance to sleep in. However, even with the delay, many of the roads were still snow covered. All went well and it really was great to have an experienced driver watching my back during my first run in the snow. So, I wonder what will await my run today..................................................

I PASSED!

2009-01-25T14:48:00.005-05:00

I passed my bus test! (Can I get a woo-hoo?)
I'm so relieved and very excited. My first bus run, alone, will be Monday afternoon. I rode along Friday afternoon and will ride along again Monday morning. Then, Monday afternoon I'm on my own! A frightening, yet exciting thought!

Here is the first item I will be hanging in the bus:

My cousin created this picture. The kids in the back include my 3, plus my sisters 2. I LOVE it!

So, let me tell you how I got to this point.

A few years ago, one of my co-workers gave me the initial idea. She drove school bus in the AM and PM, and then worked at the same daycare I worked at during the day. She was a VERY petite little lady and would always respond to me by saying, "Karen, if I can do it, you can do it!"
So, the thought was planted. However, at the time Ella was only an infant, Reid was only 3 and Hayden was in half-day Kindergarten. I was assured they would be able to ride along, safely in their age and weight appropriate seats, but I couldn't easily find a babysitter, during the day, to watch the kids during the week of classes.

Time passed and I continued to play with the idea. Then, this fall, James earned 2 weeks vacation. He was free to take a few days off, to watch the kids, so I could take the classes! I called the bus company, filled out an application, took a initial test, and registered for the classes. I was told there was very little chance the boys would be able to ride my bus. The runs for their elementary school were filled and it didn't look like there would be an opening for some time. I worried about this a bit. Ella would be able to come, but the boys would need to ride their normal bus through the entire run and meet me back at the bus terminal. I was disappointed they wouldn't be on my bus, but knew they would be ok. Then, quite honestly, God stepped in.

James never needed to use his vacation days. His employer was WONDERFUL about moving his start time to accommodate my class schedule. It was, after all, only a week. During the week of classes I was able to complete my FBI fingerprints and physical/drug test.

Within 3 days I received my permit papers and was cleared to take my "written" tests for my permits. I went into the DMV Christmas Eve morning and passed 3 out of 4 of my written tests. I failed the air break test. Ugh! I was disappointed, but knew with a bit more studying I would easily pass. I re-entered the DMV a few days later and passed!

Things were falling into place! A week after passing my tests, my trainer called and scheduled my training days. I was scared about scheduling these days, seeing as I could only find care for Ella on Monday and Tuesdays! Well, the trainer trains when? ON MONDAY AND TUESDAYS! Woo-hoo! Over the past 3 weeks I met with the trainer and, thanks to her amazingly calm nerves, great teaching abilities and wonderful direction, I was ready to take my test 4 days earlier than originally planned.

During this time I was notified that there was a run opening at my sons' elementary school! I told Hayden what bus # I would be driving. His response, "That's the blue bus, your favorite color!" Indeed it is! Each bus at the elementary school is color coded to help the Kindergartners identify the bus. I just "happened" to get a bus run to my boys school which just "happens" to be the bus identified by my favorite color. Oh, that funny, funny God of mine!

I took the test. With a butterfly filled stomach I followed the tester through the bus lot as he looked for an appropriate bus to test me on. Quite frankly I don't know what exactly he was looking for. However, when he finally found the right one, I looked at the bus #. Bus 30! Bus # 30 was my bus # from Kindergarten through 12th grade! Gee, perhaps God's way of saying, "Hey Karen, calm down! I got this!" ? He did. I passed with only 1 minor mistake. Can I get an AMEN?!

Oh, yeah! I also need to mention that the bus company I will be working for recently restructured their maintenance crew. They have now moved ALL the mechanics from ALL the school districts in the area into the lot I will be working at. Not only are they all there, they are also working 3 shifts, around the clock! James' feels this was the companies way of preparing for my coming! :) (Ya see, I tend to have oil and maintenance issues with our van. My theory is out of site out of mind. Apparently my oil pan, engine, and tire feel otherwise!)

So, here is my brief review of things that ~~just happened to fall in line~~ God used to reveal himself.
1. James' work allowed him to work around my class schedule.
2. A trainer who worked perfectly with my schedule
3. A bus route suddenly opened at my sons' school.
4. An AMAZING trainer.
5. The bus I will be driving is identified by my favorite color.
6. I tested on bus 30, my bus # as a kid.
7. All the mechanics in the company have been moved into my lot.

Just a coincidence? I don't believe so.

Catch-up

2009-01-21T14:04:00.007-05:00

Wow! What a crazy week! I have been feeling much better. In fact I felt much better just a day or two after my last post. However, why is it that the whole family/house falls apart when Mama isn't feeling well? I suppose I should feel honored in knowing that my family needs me so much. Yet, it would be nice for things to be completely taken care of when I'm not feeling well. James tries. He made dinner. Then left dirty dishes on the table and in the sink. A huge pile of laundry was engulfing the hallway and apparently both James and the boys "forgot" homework existed. So, I apologize for not posting. I've been well, but shoveling myself out from under the housework that was just waiting for me to get well again! Ah, housework, my faithful friend. Never does she leave my side! :)

So, here is my catch-up post:

I have completed my bus driving training. If you have no idea what I'm talking about, please click HERE. My final, 2 hour test, will be on Friday at 9:30 am. So, if you wouldn't mind, please pray for calm nerves and a clear mind. Provided I pass, I will start driving my own route Monday afternoon! Woo hoo! It has been a 2 month process to get to this point. My head is full of bus parts, air breaks, bus conduct and driving knowledge. It would be wonderful to take the test, pass and finally put all the testing behind me! So, look for an update Friday evening!

Apparently, I purchased laughing cheese. I've heard of "Laughing Cow" cheese, but that is not what I bought. After a recent trip to the store, I found this on the cheese label.

Who knew! Giant sells LOL cheese. I realize this stands for Land O Lakes, but common, it doesn't take much to amuse me! Oh, what's with the "cheese product"? It's cheese, not velveeta! Since when is sliced, white american cheese considered a "cheese product"?

I'm also posting a cute video of Ella. While shopping, she found an extremely inexpensive "princess" jewelry set and wand. When we got home she put it on and I took the following video. Please excuse the way I say WAND all drawn out. Also, the lens of the camera was filled with finger prints, so the video is very blurry. However, it's a must see video for our friends and family who know how much James wanted a girl. Well, he got his girl. A very strong, yet "girly" girl!

Excuse the grocery bags all over the floor too. In fact, the laughing cheese is in one of those bags. So, listen closely, you may here it LOL! Ha-ha!

2009-01-10T22:15:00.005-05:00

I have a cold.

I'm feeling a bit like this

My kids are tearing the house apart. Hubby is watching football and movies with machine guns. Mama.....feels.....ugh.

My new friends and family members look like this

Hoping to enter the healthy world again real soon!
Until then....take care and stay healthy! :)

Ugly Gift

2009-01-07T13:51:00.005-05:00

This year my sister and I decided against getting each other "traditional" Christmas gifts. Instead we decided to have an Ugliest Gift competition. The guidelines for the competition were:

1. The gift must be inexpensive.

2. The gift must be displayed in either the kitchen or living room of the recipients house for 2 months.

I thought I had won the challenge when I searched "odd looking" and "ugly" on ebay. The result was a very funky looking ceramic/clay tribesman smoking a pipe/saxophone looking thing. Yeah, it was UGLY! In fact it was even complete with a feather for hair! :) Well my sister was able to inconspicuously tuck the ugly tribesman on a shelf in her kitchen. Honestly, if you weren't looking for it, you would never see it!

What did she gift me? Well lets just say.....SHE WON!
I've posted multiple pictures so you can get the full effect!

Yes folks, I have light-up lobsters in my living room!

Ugly Christmas gift scoreboard.

Wendy 1 Karen 0

Reid + Football Pump + Rubber Glove =

2009-01-06T23:31:00.003-05:00

I love how Reid always finds sheer joy in the simplest of things! However, he has been blowing up, and deflating, the same glove for 2 days now. If I hear the swoosh, swoosh, swoosh of the pump one more time. Mama's going to LOSE it!

Review Of The Last 3 Days

2009-01-03T23:49:00.011-05:00

As many of you already know, a photo "challenge" has been issued in bloggyland. The challenge is to take at least one photo each day during the new year. So, since a lot has happened during the last few days, I'll allow my photos to guide this post.

On New Year's Eve the family and I spent the evening at my sisters house. At midnight we headed down to the town square to watch a lion, holding a cigar, ring in the new year. Yes, that's right, a lion holding a cigar! The town she lives in was also, at one time, a famous cigar producing town. So, each year, a cigar toting lion climbs the side of a building in the square and "announces" the new year. I tried to get a picture, but it turned out looking like this:

Here is a pic of the family shortly before midnight:

If you can't tell by our attire, it was FREEZING! Freezing and windy! I was wearing gloves and when we returned to the house, after being outside for only 20 minutes, my fingers were burning from the cold! Crazy...perhaps. Fun....definitely!

We spent New Years day at James' sister's house. We had a traditional new years meal of Pork and Sauerkraut. I've never liked this meal, but James' mom and sister know how to make a gross, smelly meal very yummy! Sadly, my camera spent the ENTIRE time in the car. :( So, my 1/1/2009 picture was taken almost at the last minute as Ella and were cuddled on the chair before bed.

On Friday we took another trip to Hershey Medical Center to have Hayden's knee checked. For those who may not already know, Hayden has been diagnosed with Pauciarticular Onset Juvenile Arthritis. He visits a Pediatric Rheumatologist 3 times a year to check his joints. Again he received an excellent report! There is currently no fluid in his knee joint. He is therefore considered to be in a medical remission. I so dislike the word remission, because it makes the whole thing sound cancerous. However, that is the term the Dr. used. It's considered a "medical remission" because the steroid that was injected last March lasts for 6-12 months. He has successfully passed the 6 month mark. Now the true test will come when we return in May. At that point, if no fluid is present, he will be in full remission. We'll keep praying for fluid free joints! :)

Now, usually when Hayden has an appointment he and I make the voyage alone. However, since James had the day off, and Ella has never been to Hershey's Chocolate World, we all made the voyage and stopped in for a ride. Here are our pics as we entered Chocolate World:

So now the ride count is:

James too many to count

Karen too many to count

Hayden at least a dozen

Reid at least half a dozen

Ella 2 ( it's the off season, we rode twice. why get off when you can just go again!)

Hey it's a FREE ride with FREE chocolate at the end! What's not to like! :)

Now, today's pics need a bit of an explanation. It seems Ella has found herself an imaginary boyfriend. He appeared about a week ago and hasn't left. I'm not really sure where she come up with the term "boyfriend" but he as been quite an presence in our home. Today she decided to take a trip to her boyfriend house. James found this by the back door:

Apparently Ella decided to pack her bags and head over to her "boyfriends"! After she fell asleep this evening I looked inside and found she was quite prepared to marry this "boyfriend" of hers.

She packed everything a married woman truly needs. She included a blanket, new socks, a nightgown, a fresh pack of Tums, lotion and 2 lovies to cuddle up with! :) I couldn't help but LAUGH! Who knew we would be dealing with these issues at the age of 3! Isn't this supposed to start during the teen years?!

Well there ya have it! A brief review of the last 3 days! I hope everyone had a great beginning to 2009!

Hey! I See What You're Saying!

2008-12-30T14:10:00.005-05:00

I've been having a hard time getting these videos to post/play. I hope this works for ya'll!

Notice how you can hear my husband in the background saying, "Those are nice lights though!" Ha! He cracks me up!

To see more "I See What You're Saying" Vlogs click HERE!

Done With Christmas

2008-12-26T22:54:00.005-05:00

Well, the Klahold family survived Christmas! Whew! Ok, well Mama survived Christmas, the others just came along for the ride! Was Christmas this stressful on my Mom? I should ask her about that.

*Private moment* Hey Mom, was Christmas stressful for you when Wendy and I were little? Did Dad help with the gifts, stockings, planning, etc? How did you manage to do it without loosing patches of your hair? *Ok, moment over.*

So, here we are, the day after Christmas and I'm over Christmas. Doesn't that sound horrible? I love Christmas. Our tree was up BEFORE Thanksgiving this year! I love listening to Christmas music, decorating, and reading Christmas cards. However, as soon as Christmas is over....I'm done! The tree is annoying me, the new toys are driving me nuts, and I've already ripped all of our cards off the wall. I just want everything to "calm" down and return "normal". I need the red and green to leave and allow hues of blue and white to enter. Bye-bye Christmas and hello calm, peaceful winter.

Well, before I totally close the book on Christmas, let me share with you a Christmas ha-ha.

On Christmas Eve the kids were getting a bit too Santa happy. So we started to discuss the real meaning of Christmas, which led Hayden and I to have this conversation:

Hayden: I thought Jesus was God's son
Me: He was
Hayden: Well I thought Jesus was God on earth
Me: He was, just like you are a piece of me, Jesus was a piece of God
Hayden: No, you are a piece of me
Me: No, you are a piece of me
Hayden: No, you are a piece of ME
Me: No, I'm your Mama, therefore you are a piece of ME
Hayden: No, you are a piece of ME! READ GENESIS!

There was a bunch of yelling at this point. He was sent to his room. I believe I called him a sexist. Yeah, I KNOW I called him a sexist. Then he spent 5 minutes in his room rolling around on his bed LAUGHING thinking he was the smartest thing EVER (he is). So, of course I had to bring an end to this. How dare Mr. Smarty pants think he would get the last word! So I entered his room and had this little conversation:

Me: Hayden, have you ever heard of an inventor creating a second model when the first model was perfect?
Hayden: No.
Me: Exactly

Linus, Helping The Klahold Kids Remember The True Meaning Of Christmas

2008-12-25T12:09:00.001-05:00

Have A VERY Merry Christmas!

2008-12-24T17:47:00.001-05:00

AHHHH!

2008-12-17T14:30:00.002-05:00

The previously written post titled "Random" was only one word in the title of a really well written (if I may say so myself) post. It was titled "Random thoughts that have been swirling around in my head." Now it is all GONE! I can't find it anywhere! Random was the only word that posted! Go figure! I'm a bit peeved that my post disappeared, but it is FUNNY to just see "Random". I suppose that does explain it all!

Random

2008-12-17T13:08:00.001-05:00

A CRAZY Friday Morning

2008-12-13T19:51:00.005-05:00

Well, yesterday was my final day of in-class bus training. Now I just need my physical, drug test and permit paperwork. Then I can take my computer test and start my in-bus training. I truly am excited! I was able to drive a bus around a parking lot on Thursday. It honestly wasn't all that bad. It's obviously very L-O-N-G, but not nearly as bulky as you would expect. It steers easily too! So, what does all of this have to do with a crazy Friday morning? Well, as I previously stated Friday was my last day of classes. Along with getting the boys ready and to school by 9am, I also had to have myself ready, and James awake and ready to watch Ella (he worked late evenings this week so I could go to class). I know, this doesn't sound like much, but add the fact that I overslept, and a friend stopped by to drop off some paperwork, and you have a recipe for one scattered and hectic morning! So as our very last minutes were ticking by, and the clock was steadily working it's way toward 9 I yelled for the boys to get their shoes, jackets and backpacks on. I came flying out of the bathroom with my socks in my hand, stuffed the socks in my bag, threw on my jacket, grabbed my books, grabbed my coffee (prepared by James, thank you!) and RAN out the door. The boys were dropped off at the school at 9:58! Whew! 2 minutes to spare. I then headed across town to my class which began at 9:30. I pulled in the parking lot, grabbed my bag, grabbed my books, closed my van door and looked down. This is what I found.

Now the flip-flops were no surprise. I hate wearing shoes, so flip-flops, even in the winter, are my preferred footwear. However, flip-flops aren't exactly the choice attire for walking around buses and diesel garages. Not only was I wearing flip-flops (look closely) they were two different colors! I laughed like a crazy woman in the parking lot as I walked into class. Surprisingly on 3 people noticed! Apparently my plan to grab sock AND shoes to put on after dropping off the boys had failed when I forgot to grab my SHOES! Yep, yep pretty sure that qualifies as a CRAZY Friday morning!

Scanning Issues

2008-12-13T19:43:00.001-05:00

So, might someone know how to solve this little problem? We recently received a printer from my Aunt. She had purchased it a few years ago and never used it. Today we set it up and realized the software provided isn't Vista compatible. I visited hp's website and found that there are no "downloads or drivers" available for the printer. It did, however, give a list of easy to follow directions on how to print, scan, and copy without installing the software. All seems to be working well....except for the white page that comes along with the scanned photo. Is there anyway to crop that off? I'd truly appreciate any suggestions. Thanks!

Amazing Giveaway!

2008-12-11T02:23:00.002-05:00

Ravings of a Mad Housewife is having an amazing giveaway! She's giving away 4 place settings of FIESTAWARE! I know! How amazing is that! I can't breathe I'm so excited. So, if you LOVE Fiestaware as much as I do, head on over there and leave a comment complete with your color choices. She will be choosing a winner Christmas Eve. Ah, what a wonderful Christmas gift! Oh, if for some reason you're not familiar with Fiestaware, check it out here. It is just so colorful, retro, beautiful, simple and DURABLE! If you choose to enter, good luck!

My New Job

2008-12-09T15:38:00.004-05:00

I got myself a JOB! I know, who knew! I love being a SAHM, however, now that Ella is getting older I want to be able to be outside the house more. Plus, with freight being slow an extra paycheck would help supplement James' decreasing pay. (Please spend money, my hubby needs freight to haul! I KNOW money? What's that!) Anyhow, I'm not willing to go out and get just any 9-5 job. Being a mom is very important to me. I want to be available for my kids when they need me. Normally I wouldn't think twice about being a working mom; however, with James' job we never know where he'll be or when he'll be around. So, I need a job that will allow the kids to come along. I had worked in childcare for 11 years. This allowed the kids to come along everyday for a reduced rate. Then, after Ella was born I became tired of watching other people care for my children, while I cared for other children! So, for the past 2+ years I've been a happy SAHM. Then this job opportunity came along and I can take all 3 children along! Would you like to see my new office? Wouldya? Well here it is!

So, whaddya think?! I KNOW crazy right? Well, I still have a ways to go before I'm actually behind the wheel. Today was my first day of 4 days of classes. Then I still need: to apply for my permit, take a general knowledge test, take a passenger test, take an air breaks test and take a bus driving knowledge test. Then, I need a physical, drug test and FBI fingerprinting. I also need 6 hours of driving with a trainer before I can take the driving test and be cleared to drive a bus route. Oh, I also need to wait for my child abuse clearance/ record check to clear. SO......there are still plenty of hurdles to cross, but if I want the job it's mine! And....I do! The pay is decent, the kids can come along and most of the work is only in the AM and afternoon. I would still have the middle of the day for Dr. appts, sick kids or whatever. There are the occasional evening sports trips and daytime field trips, but as long as the kids can come, I'm game! :) Well, call me crazy and wish me luck. Stay tuned for updates too!

Pinetrees As Seen Through Ella's Eyes

2008-12-08T12:55:00.003-05:00

"Look Mama! There are carrots growin in the trees! "

Look What I Learned Today!

2008-12-08T00:26:00.004-05:00

I love taking little mini videos with my camera. The videos are never anything fabulous, but they do capture the kids voices and mannerisms in a way that photos obviously can't. Well, in August we got a new laptop. I was so excited to be able to download our photos and camera videos. Everything easily downloaded, however, the videos wouldn't play. Well, today I finally figured it out....I think! Thanks to a easy Quicktime download for Vista I was able to play my videos on our computer. Now I'm trying to post a video.

And.....I think I did it! Well, if you happen to watch the video, please know I realize this isn't the greatest flick to hit bloggyland. However, it is a great video of the kids. I love how Hayden is the only person playing in the ocean on a freezing cold day! I love how Reid enters with his "potty time" news break and I love how Ella flirtatiously jumps in the water only to trot away like the girly-girl she is! As their mother, I can see each of their personalities shine in this otherwise windy, loud and dreary clip.

Oh! I also ~~learned~~ read about how to do that! Well I guess I read AND learned, but I needed a word to practice my new skill!

The Kettle

2008-12-06T19:45:00.005-05:00

Today the kids and I made a trip to Walmart. Usually I try to avoid Walmart at all costs, especially during the height of Christmas shopping. However, today we had a list that included groceries and "stuff". So with wintry weather in the forecast I decided to make a quick run to Walmart and get everything we needed in one trip. As we approached the store we were greeted by one of my favorite sounds of Christmas, the Salvation Army's bell! I love seeing the bell ringers, the kettles and hearing the ringing bell. I love giving the kids money to put in the kettle, I love hearing the money drop into the kettle and "chink" against other coins. It's a reminder that people still care and people still give. Even if it's just a few pennies, dimes and quarters they add up! So, today the kids and I cleaned the loose change out of the van, divided it up so each child had some and headed to the front of Walmart. The kids excitedly placed their coins in the kettle and I enjoyed that big grin on their faces. A grin synonymous with having done something really good!

2008-12-05T23:07:00.007-05:00

Wow! What an unbelievably crazy week +. For those who may be wondering, our Thanksgiving went well. James boiled our turkey...yes boiled. My family had our Thanksgiving dinner Saturday after Thanksgiving. So, Thanksgiving day James had the idea to make Turkey Potpie with our 20lb. turkey. James makes fantastic potpie, so I was excited. A day curled up on the couch watching Macy's Parade with the kids and potpie! Yum! However, James quickly found that boiling a turkey IS NOT the same as boiling a normal chicken! Can you believe we don't own a pot large enough to BOIL a TURKEY?! I know! How could I not have a pot large enough to boil a 20lb. bird. I mean doesn't EVERYONE have a bathtub sized soup pot for their stove! James was so taken aback by this fact. He even called my mom to see if she had one...nope! Then he wanted me to call my girlfriend (who happened to be making a full thanksgiving dinner for her extended family) to see if she might have one. There was NO WAY I was calling her! So, James decided to hack the turkey to pieces and shove it in my largest pot. Oh, how I wish I would have taken a picture of my kitchen. Our kitchen table held a large metal bowl containing two large turkey legs. On the stove was my large soup pot with half a turkey protruding from it. Yes, half a turkey! Half the bird was submerged in boiling water and the other half was sticking straight out of the pot. Amazingly it was actually cooking! The bottom half cooked in the boiling water while the top part cooked as a result of the rising steam! I so should have taken pictures! The end result was some very yummy potpie and a salmonella free day! Who could ask for more!

Then the next 4 days looked something like this

then we finished decorating this

and the kids spent a lot of time doing this

Honestly NOT a bad extended holiday weekend. The kids returned to school on Monday and Mama hit the computer. A bunch of GREAT deals and free shipping later, I have 75% of my Christmas shopping finished! Hooray!

My Tuesday Morning Haircut/Donation!

2008-11-25T13:44:00.020-05:00

Well today I said good-bye to my long locks. They were chopped off and donated to Locks of Love. Honestly, it wasn't nearly as bad as I had imagined! I wasn't worried about losing my long hair. My neck has been aching for months, so I was ready to say good-bye to the extra weight. I was, however, fearful of the new do! Last evening the boys got their "holiday haircut" (because ya just gotta look handsome for the holidays!). While they were getting trimmed-up I looked through the hairstyle books. I found one I liked and Jan, my hair-stylist, agreed that it would work. So, today started like this

Which left this:

Which left me looking like a dork!

However, thanks to Jan, I was able to pick up Ella, at my Mom's looking like this:

Not too shabby! Actually, I LOVE it! I love how light it is, I love how layered it is and I LOVE how easy it is! Thanks Jan!!!!!!!!!

Anger, Grief & Frustration

2008-11-25T00:01:00.008-05:00

For those who may not already know, I LOVE football. Sadly, since becoming a Mom, I'm not able to actually watch the games like I did in the pre-mama years. Our Sundays are usually very busy, which means sitting and watching the games is no longer possible. Thank God for ESPN's ticker! However, Monday night football is the one game of the week I can actually watch. The game is late enough that the kids are easily swept off to bed and I can sit and watch, er, I mean fold laundry, create to-do lists, pick up around the house and watch the game. Tonights game was particularly bitter sweet. The Green Bay Packers had a Monday night game. Ugh! I've been a Green Bay fan for YEARS! However, the summer Favre drama/ditch has left me a bit bitter. As a result I've been ignoring the Packers season in order to allow myself a season of mourning. (YES I'M SERIOUS!) I've watched the Sunday ticker, internally cheered when the Packers show a loss, and have turned my attention to everyother team in the NFL. Or, more specifically, the New York Jets. What can I say, I need my Farve fix! Which, leads me to tonights results....Green Bay 29, Saints 51. Ya know, perhaps this:

really is MUCH better than, this:

And perhaps Ted Thompson and Mike McCarthy shouldn't have let this:

Become THIS!!!!!

Check Fraud II

2008-11-24T22:49:00.005-05:00

Last month I wrote a post titled Check Fraud. Well welcome to Check Fraud II. Hayden has continued to enjoy writing his fake checks. Now before I hear a *GASP* from blogville, his checks look nothing like a real check. He simply watched as I was paying the bills one evening and decided to create his own brand of checks. These checks are written in pencil and created on the back of my grocery list.

Apparently he made one while he was at school. His teacher was intrigued and took one. Today she called Hayden over to her and told him a story. She told Hayden she had taken the check to the bank, cashed it and was keeping half the cash for herself and giving half to Hayden. Now at this point, please know that Hayden is 9, very creative and loves funny, sarcastic stories. So, he was COMPLETELY aware that his teacher was JOKING and at no point did he think his checks were cashable. However, he hopped off the bus with these:

Note, these look very real in the photo; however, they are simply "fake 100's" copied onto green copy paper. Hayden got off the bus with a big ole smile on his face, waving his dough. "I'm rich Mom!" He laughed and laughed as he shared the story. Ending his story by saying, "She even got herself a pop while at the bank!" I love it! The story, the creativity and the fact that Hayden' s teacher loves him enough to "play along".

Just for anyone who may be concerned, I have had a very serious talk with Hayden about the importance and validity of real checks. I've also discussed the danger and consequences of forging signatures. In other words.....relax Mom your Grandson (and I know your already realize this) is too darn clever, yet smart enough to know better!

Prayer Request

2008-11-21T17:51:00.005-05:00

With our first snowfall coming as a sign of the impending winter. I must ask everyone reading this blog to pray over these:

and the men (and women) who drive them. Especially this one:

For those of you who know us well, you may remember the ice storm we had in February 2006. During this storm James was stranded, with hundreds of others, on a highway for close to 24 hours. No food, no water, no help. Thankfully he and others woke to find the National Guard ready to help. They pulled the truck's frozen wheels out of the ice, and provided food and water to the hungry and thirsty. I will forever be thankful to them. However, with wintry weather approaching, please take time to pray for the truckers of the world. James often challenges me to think of one item in a store that wasn't transported in a truck. It's hard to think of items that weren't, at some point, hauled by a truck. The world needs truckers. Please pray for their safety and the safety of those around them.

I realize I already posted today, however, as I write this a certain trucker is, again, stuck on a highway. Apparently, Rt. 322 is a sheet of ice. Welcome to the state of Pennsylvania!

It Snowed!

2008-11-21T09:43:00.003-05:00

This morning we woke up to SNOW! Not a heavy snow, just a sprinkling of snow. It covered the grass and trees, but left the roads and sidewalks alone. The kids were uber excited when they saw the flurries falling outside their window this morning. Ella woke up and announced to the boys and I, "Look, look what Jesus gave to ME!" Love it! She's also been running around yelling, "Look Mama! The snow paint is on the trees and on my house!" You would think the girl has never seen snow before! I suppose this is just the first year she is able to easily tell us her thoughts about the..."snow paint". The flurries are still falling, however, it seems as if the temperature is rising. I believe by the end of the day we will only be left with slush, although it would be nice if it stuck around for the boys to play in after school. Either way it at least made this morning exciting!

Happy, Happy Morning To.....ME!

2008-11-20T10:16:00.003-05:00

After being up LATE last night venting through my Political Rant, I wake up to this!

Oh happy day! Not only did Growin With It bless with me with a blog award, she also included a link to It's All Good, in her blog! Fantastic right? Oh, wait there's even MORE! I won a CD through her CD give away! How super-fantastically cool is THAT! Christmas morning has come to bloggy land and I wasn't even expecting it! THANKS GROWIN WITH IT! Oh and just a note, please notice where the award pic is located. Not at the top, not at the side, embedded in the actual post! Any idea who might have taught me how to do THAT! Yep, yep, yep! Air cheek kiss right, air cheek kiss left Growin With It! Thanks for making my day (which otherwise would have only consisted of grocery shopping and cleaning out the van)so darn happy and exciting!

My Political Rant

2008-11-20T02:10:00.004-05:00

Yesterday, on the nightly news, I watched footage of Congress questioning the CEOs of America's auto industry. During the questioning one of the Congressmen questioned the means by which the CEOs arrived in Washington. Apparently, each CEO arrived courtesy of their companies private jet. Another Congressman questioned how that might look to the American public. After all aren't these men seeking BILLIONS of tax payer's dollars to bail them out? Yet another Congressman somewhat sarcastically mentioned the idea of "private jet pooling". A.K.A car pooling for the elite. Reaction from the CEOs? Well insert blank rich man stare here, then Ha-ha nervous laugh. I appreciate our Congressmen taking their time to grill these men, however I can't help but think the whole process is a ruse. A political skit where Congress acts like the angry parent while the auto men act like the rebellious, yet guilty child. In the end the parent simply wags their finger, tells the child to never behave so recklessly again, pats them on the back and continues to let them have their way. Simply put, Washington WILL hand out BILLIONS of dollars to help repair the US auto industry, if only to protect the jobs of US auto workers. It makes me ill to think that extremely wealthy men are using everyday men and women, fathers and mothers, aunts, uncles and loved ones as bargaining chips to cover their greed. However, for those who may support the US auto industry (and by industry I mean just that, INDUSTRY not the workers and laborers) please remember how much GM loved their Flint, Michigan employees in the 80's.

I suppose the auto workers that the "Big Three" are fighting for are convenient when looking for a bailout; however, once these men get what they so desperately need, will the workers matter? The above video showed a clip of a young girl wondering why Daddy left. Dramatic effect or truth? An acquaintance of mine lived in Michigan during the 80's and clearly remembers fathers leaving to find work in other towns or even states. GM built Flint and destroyed it overnight. Will the same happen to other auto towns after the bail out? Perhaps not right away, but what about a year from now? During yesterdays Congressional hearing a Congressman asked what each CEO would, or could, do to personally help their company. One CEO mentioned that he cut his salary in half during the past year, another said he hasn't accepted any bonuses. What did the Ford CEO say? Direct quote, "I think I'm good where I'm at." What?! Your company is tanking, your seeking BILLIONS in tax payer cash, your netting MILLIONS each year, cruising around on a private jet and you're cutting back on what? NOTHING! Am I the only one watching this and wondering if the whole world has gone CRAZY? In whose world does ANY of this make sense? I pray for those workers who are directly effected by these auto makers and I pray for our countries economy. I pray too for light at the end of this tunnel we are trudging through. Something has got to change. I'm just not sure taking from the "have nots" to give to the "had and mismanaged" is the most effective way to get where we need to go.

It's Been A Year, Time For A New Look!

2008-11-19T10:01:00.002-05:00

Our blog was a year old on Sunday!!!!!!!! So I figured, new year, new look. What do you think? I'm liking the neutral browns, not so keen on all the negative space on the sides. I suppose I'll try it out for awhile a see if I can get used to the new look. Personally, I think Blogger needs some new and creative templates. So after a year I must ask my family, and blogger friends in the know, how do you embed a picture in the middle of your post?! I see this on other blogs and love it, however when I upload my photos Blogger always places them at the top of my post. Does anyone have any suggestions or help to offer? Thanks!

Stressing Over My Hair

2008-11-18T16:42:00.005-05:00

A week from today I'll be cutting my hair and donating it to Locks of Love. I decided months ago, to become a Locks of Love "hair harvester" (my term not theirs). My hair is very thick and grows fairly fast, so I figured I might as well just continuously grow it and donate it. After spending my teen years with extremely long hair, I've spent my 20's and early 30's with everything from super short to now middle-of-my-back long hair. Through it all, you would think I would have grown accustomed to my many hair styles. However, truth is, I'm happiest with it pulled back in an elastic or rolled up in a clip. So, why is it so hard for me to find a "short" style that I like?! I mean after all, I spend most of my days with my long hair tied up on the back of my head! I suppose it's the long/short option I enjoy. I have the option to pull it all up, or the option to let it all down. It's like having two hairstyles in one! Going short, although much lighter and easier to dry, simply leaves me with one general length. So, if anyone has any "chicky-short" (although still below chin length) hairstyles, please feel free to share.

Happy 9th Birthday Hayden!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

2008-11-16T10:23:00.001-05:00

Baltimore Museum of Art & Rainforest Cafe

2008-11-15T22:52:00.001-05:00

Happy Birthday Hayden!

Cub Scout Uniforms

2008-11-14T19:48:00.003-05:00

Tonight was the boy's first Pack Meeting. It is also the first time they have worn part of their uniform. Ah, they are so handsome!

Brownie Points

2008-11-14T19:42:00.002-05:00

Today Hayden came home with a HUGE smile on his face. Apparently the birthday treats I made for his class were a big hit with the kids and staff! As I was going through his papers after school he said, "Mom, you are the greatest mom and today was the greatest day!" Wow! all because of Chocolate Peanut butter Mallow Brownies!

Does This EVER Happen In Your Family?!

2008-11-14T10:44:00.003-05:00

My kids fight over lemons! That's right, LEMONS! Not lemon flavored gum, candy, or pastries, but actual lemons! Last evening Hayden spotted one in the fridge. Of course he had to yell through the house, "Mom, can I eat this lemon?" Which, alerts Reid and Ella to the fact that there is a LEMON in the house! After listening to them fight over it, I finally just cut the lemon into thirds and allowed them to each have a piece. They each ate their entire third. Ella even squeezed her lemon juice into her apple juice and drank it before eating the leftover lemon pulp. Am I the only one who finds this a bit crazy? I've known Hayden has liked lemons for years. When he was a toddler he was a terrible biter. A mom at daycare suggested we squirt lemon juice in his mouth after he bit. We did and don't ya know he LIKED IT! Now Reid and Ella have discovered their own "love" of lemons. Who knew? What would cause a person to like straight lemon juice? Each of my kids take a daily vitamin and eat well; however, I'm beginning to think they have some sort of nutritional imbalance! OR, is this a long lasting effect of all the lemon meringue pie I ate during each of their pregnancies? YUM! I do love a big ole piece of lemon meringue pie!

2008-11-12T21:58:00.003-05:00

Apparently I've been living in a closet. Last evening after reading Lipstick At The Mailbox's post about Facebook, I had to check it out. Wow! I must say, tons of fun! For those few people who may have been living in a closet with me, let me explain. When one sets up a Facebook account they are prompted to enter their High School and College. Once they are entered, a whole lotta people you graduated with pop up. Now, I purposely have avoided most contact with former classmates. I've always thought the whole reunion idea was a bit weird. However, after tonight, I may have to reconsider. It was great to see faces I haven't seen in 14 years. It's amazing to see how people have changed, who people have married and how many kids they have. So, if you've been a fellow closet dweller, head over to Facebook and create an account. Then, use my email address and say "Hello!"

2008-11-11T12:59:00.004-05:00

I recently gave in and allowed the boys to FINALLY join Cub Scouts. Reason? Reid needs a social outlet. Hayden has his soccer team, but Reid hasn't been able to find a sport that he likes. Both have their church and school friends, but I really want them to BE INVOLVED. So, when the annual recruitment flier came home I, again, cringed. I've always mocked the Cub Scouts, Boy Scouts and (OH YEAH!) the Eagle Scouts for being big 'ole dorks! I realize that this is just my immature, rebellious self speaking, but I've always found the Scouts to be loads of laughable fun. Ya know, pimping popcorn, building park benches, pitching tents, rubbing sticks together to create fire, and grown men with knee-high socks, all things I was TRYING to keep my boys away from. Well, after watching Reid's baby blues plead non-stop for two days, I decided to look into it and allow them a few trial meetings. Don't ya know, they LOVE it! So far Reid has taken a nature finding hike, visited our local fire station, and made some groovy Halloween decorations. Hayden (yes, I also allowed Hayden to join. I mean he's ONLY been asking since Kindergarten!) spent the first meeting making some DELICIOUS Apple-Oatmeal cookies. Then, this week, they made awesome wooden tool boxes. Since James wasn't home to attend the meeting, Reid and Ella had to tag along. We all worked together driving screws into the boards. Even with the extra help, we weren't able to finish during the meeting, so we brought it home and finished it on the kitchen table. I must admit (Gasp!) it really was a lot of fun! Doesn't' he look so proud of himself?!

Hey Dad!

2008-11-06T15:45:00.003-05:00

The requested "Dad post" is here. Just scroll down a bit. I started writing it on November 3rd and saved it as a draft. When I posted it, it placed it in chronological order. So, it's here, really it is... just scroll down a bit!

Sweet Dreams

2008-11-06T10:51:00.003-05:00

Since Ella was 1 week old, she's been a very sound and very solid sleeper. Not only is her attitude 3 going on 13, but her sleep habits are as well. She would honeslty sleep the morning away if given the chance. Today when it was time to take the boys to school she was OUT! As always, I had tried to wake her several times, she wouldn't even budge. No smacking, no whining, no kicking, she was sound asleep. When it came to the very last moments before we had to leave the house, I rolled her around and removed her covers. She began to stir and very sleepily said, "Where's my guinnea pig?" What? We don't have a guinnea pig. She repeated, "Where's my guinnea pig? She was in my bucket with her mama." Apparently Ella was, sadly, awoken from a very sweet dream. She looked crushed when I told her she had a dream and it was all just a movie in her head. Poor girl. I hate being awoken during vivid dreams!

Obama President Elect!

2008-11-05T14:16:00.008-05:00

I am I happy? Yep! This election was the first time I didn't have my heart wrapped around either of the candidates. For months I flip-flopped between Mc Cain and Obama. Once I saw Mc Cain's first threatening ad, my decision was made. Bush's second term was won on fear. Vote for me or else more terrorist attacks. Remember that? Yeah. This country needed REAL change, not just another Washington insider with oil money lining his pockets. America needs a leader, not a threatening bully. And honestly, I'm just happy to be going from this:

tto this:

So, how many more days till January 20, 2009?

Today's The Day! Go..............................

2008-11-04T09:04:00.002-05:00

My Dad

2008-11-03T21:08:00.004-05:00

Each week my sister and I (and our families) meet at our parent's house for dinner. This week, after listening to my sister and I talk about our blogs, my Dad suggested we each write a blog about him. I, at first, thought this was the most ridiculous idea. However, the more I thought about it, the more I liked the idea. My Dad is an awesome man! Why not write about him and let the world know how great he is, and how lucky I am to have him for a Dad? Without my Dad I would not have my sense of humor. Dad is truly the funniest man I've ever met. One gift I've inherited from him is the ability to laugh at just about anything. My Dad can find humor in even the most stressful situations. I consider this ability a gift. It has taught me to laugh at myself and not take life too seriously. At the same time, my Dad has this talent of being EXTREMELY agitating! Whether he is objecting to a life choice, giving you "advise", or discussing politics he will find your soft spot and attack it! To this day no one can make me laugh harder or make me madder than my Dad! Without my Dad I wouldn't have the great memories of racing each other around the outside of the house, playing catch in the back yard,doing rocking flips on the bed, or having "Ravioli maker" entertainment at dinner. Dad also has always taken time to show Wendy and I how much he loves us. When we were younger he was always an extremely involved dad. Whether it was a Father/Daughter Girl Scout Dance, helping to volunteer at the local nursing home, taking us trick-or-treating, or practising "feats of strength", he was always seemed to love spending time with US. He was also great at making sure we had a family vacation every year. Every July we spent a week in Chincoteague. Then we had the occasional summer trips to Busch Gardens, Kings Dominion, Dorney Park, Hershey Park and Disney. No matter where we were, we had a great time! Dad wasn't one to sit on the sidelines. If we were at the beach he was in the water jumping waves with us. If we were at the amusement parks he was on the highest and fastest roller coaster with us. In fact, it wasn't until I was about 15 that I realized that Dad HATED the cable cars and ferris wheels. He got on simply because we wanted to! He's also a great Grandfather. For my kids, he is their only Grandfather. I've always stressed, to him, the importance of spending time with the kids. Each year, as the kids get older, he spends more time with them building bird houses, fishing and boating. The kids love having time with their Pap-paw. Oh, except for Ella. For the past few months she has declared, "I hate you Pap-paw!" Now many would find this shocking from 3 year old. However, to fully understand this, please refer to the sentences about agitation! :)Even now that we are older Dad is always there if we need anything. Occasional help with the kids...done, a bottle of wine after a stressful week...grab one out of the cupboard, home improvement help...he's there, help paying for van repairs (note it's a FORD so this happens often)...he's saying, "it's taken care of" while I'm still sweating over the bills, pushing things into the next week. I've been blessed to have him for a Dad, my kids are blessed to have him for a Pap-paw and my husband is blessed to have him for a Father-in-law! I know I am also blessed to still have my father. Many people I know have already lost their fathers. Perhaps knowing this is what makes me LOVE him even through the times of EXTREME AGITATION! Love you Dad!

*NOTE* My sister, Wendy, also wrote a "Dad Post" to read her post, visit : Livin On A Shoestring.

I LOVE My Chiropractor!

2008-11-03T11:53:00.003-05:00

Today is the first day in 2 days that I haven't had insane neck pain! Woo-hoo! Had the pain started on a weekday, I could have had it taken care of quickly. However, it happened Friday night and I was left to deal with it over the weekend. I went into the Chiropractor ASAP this AM. He jackhammered my neck, cracked my back and pushed on my butt 3 times. Voila! Whole new woman! Had I known how great Chiropractic care was BEFORE I was married, I would have moved near a Chiropractic college and started hitting on all the attractive male students! I so could use a Chiropractor for a husband! James tried to ease my pain this weekend. He picked me up, cracked my back and then tried to lift my head off my shoulders. This of course did NOTHING! I appreciate his care and concern;however, I also reminded him that trying to lift ones head from their shoulders has also killed people. I believe it is called HANGING! Hello! His help was actually a covert way for him to rid himself of me!

Another Bright Spot

2008-11-02T12:03:00.003-05:00

I just thought of another bright moment in my weekend-o-pain. Last evening Reid was sitting at the table and asked me, "Who lives in the lighthouse?" The only lighthouse I could think of was the lighthouse in Assateague, VA. We had seen it while on vacation in September, so I just assumed he meant that lighthouse. I started explaining that no one really lives in the lighthouse anymore and he instantly stopped me by saying, "Yes they do! They live there, they leave soon and then someone new comes in." What?! A lighthouse, where people live, leave and others enter? What? Reid began to draw a picture of the house he meant. It had a dome and a flag! The WHITE HOUSE!

I HURT!

2008-11-02T11:34:00.003-05:00

According to this little pain chart, I'm between 3 and 4. Friday evening, after a night of Trick-or-Treating, we came home and quickly got the kids ready for bed. Both the boys laid down and fell asleep. Ella, however, was WIRED! I sat down on the recliner and began rocking her to sleep. Well, not only was I successful at rocking Ella to sleep, I also rocked myself to sleep! When I woke up I realized James had taken Ella back to her bed, so I decided just to curl up on the chair and continue to doze. I shifted in the chair and HOLY SWEET HANNAH MY NECK HURT! I don't know what I did, or exactly how I did it, but my neck was a collar of pain! I got up thinking I could walk it off. When that didn't work I took some Aleve and carefully laid down in bed. Amazingly I was able to fall asleep quickly, however, Ella woke around 5, climbed into our bed and suddenly my pain was VERY APPARENT! I got in the shower thinking the warm water would help...it didn't. I couldn't even fully bend by head back to rinse the shampoo out of my hair. It hurt to breathe, my collar bones ache and I have a stabbing pain in the front and back of my throat. Not like a sore throat, it's all external. IT HURTS! Hayden had a soccer game that I did not want to miss, so James drove to the soccer game as I called the Chiropractor every 15 minutes on the way to the game. The game began at 9 and was finished at 10. I called the Chiro again only to find that they were only in from 9-10 this Saturday! LUCKY ME! So, now I sit and wait to call again FIRST THING MONDAY MORNING to see if they can help me. I know they can, they always do! I've never had neck issues before, but anytime I've thrown my back out, they've popped it right back in and I've left feeling like a whole new woman! Perhaps that is why I'm so miserable. I know this can most likely be fixed in less than 5 minutes, but because it happened over the weekend I have no option but sit, wait and deal! AHHHH! However, I must say I found a bright spot in my weekend-o-pain. As I was checking in on my bloggy buddies I found a new blog. Not only is her blog filled with super cute pics of her friends and family. She is also having a 3 day give away. So, click on the link and head on over to check out her blog and her Toy-R-Us gift card give away! Well, back to my pain!

What Kind Of Dog Are You?

2008-10-30T00:14:00.002-04:00

How crazy weird is that? I'm a beagle. Now that I'm learning to embed things in the blog AND I'm wide awake at midnight I'm led to finding things such as this and adding to them to the blog. So what kind of dog ARE you?

You Are a Beagle

You are good natured. You enjoy spending time with people and animals.

You have a wild, independent streak. If you're left to your own devices, you get in trouble.

You love to eat and enjoy food of all kinds. If you don't get enough physical activity, you tend to have a weight problem.

You are very stubborn. You don't like authority, and you tend to do your own thing no matter what.

What Breed of Dog Are You?

I Did It!

2008-10-29T23:46:00.002-04:00

Thanks to Melodie I figured out how to add a YouTube video to the blog! Thank you Melodie! Note, this is just a random video to try out my new talent!

Just Between Me & The Sen-na-ta!

2008-10-29T22:31:00.004-04:00

Hey Uncle Jim! The Philly drought is OVER! Apparently William Penn had something to do with it. Comcast corrected the folly and the Philly drought has been ended. Eagles to the Bowl? Perhaps not this year, but the Penn Curse has been lifted and things are looking up for all Philadelphia fans! Love and miss you, Karen

Grab Your Tissues!

2008-10-29T00:52:00.004-04:00

Well, apparently I still haven't figured out how to add videos from YouTube to the blog. So, just grab a box of tissues and click on this link. I saw this featured on Oprah yesterday, trust me you're going to NEED the tissues!

Starbuck's Splash Pick

2008-10-28T14:25:00.003-04:00

This afternoon while Ella was at preschool, I went on a Target run. Ella was in desperate need of sneakers, and we were all in need of toothbrushes since Ella decided to place all of them in the trash last evening. SO, after spending only 15 minutes in Target and ONLY getting exactly what we needed, I decided to treat myself to a Starbucks coffee. YUM! This, sadly, doesn't happen often, and I did happen to have just enough cash to purchase one, so it was justifiably meant to be. Anyhow, after ordering and waiting for my drink, I was caught off guard when the barista asked if I wanted a "splash pick". What?! I said no, and thought nothing of it. I had never had a "splash pick" before, so why would I need one now? Well, leave it to a blustery, fall, PA day, complete with wind advisory, to prove why one should ALWAYS take the new "Starbuck's Splash Pick" when offered! Let's just say I wore half and drank half of my much awaited Caramel Macchiato. So, heads up to ya'll, when offered the splash pick, TAKE THE SPLASH PICK! It's a good thing!

Check Fraud

2008-10-28T13:41:00.004-04:00

So, last evening Hayden approaches me with the above piece of paper and says, "I watched you write a check and now I am writing checks to get money." I had to laugh at the accuracy of his homemade check and his "reason" on the memo line. However, I replied by saying, "Yeah, Daddy and I will drive you to the bank, drop you off, allow you to walk inside and attempt to cash your "grocery list made check" and then laugh our butts off as police swarm the place and haul you away. THEN we'll quickly leave the bank, go home and not answer the phones when you get your one chance at a prison phone call." Thinking I've scared him into NEVER creating false checks or attempting to forge my signature, I was shocked when he started to laugh. His reply, "Would you really do that?" "What?" "Not answer the phone." OH MY DEAR FATHER IN HEAVEN! The boy doesn't fear police or being arrested, he fears Mama not answering the phone when he tries to call. Touching yet terrifying!

Tootsie Pops

2008-10-27T21:19:00.002-04:00

On Friday the boys had their "Fall Festival" at school. Their elementary school has a western-style, all day theme party. All of their classes center around things country/western/fall. The whole school ends the day with a concert, by a local folk singer, and a party in their classrooms. The kids LOVE it! Well, at least they love it until they come home and have their little sister dig through all of their "goodies". Now granted I try to restrain her and have them rush their stuff off to their rooms before she can get a hold of anything "important". The only thing they are NOT allowed to whisk off to their rooms is anything candy or sugar filled. Take the pencils, erasers, spider rings, fangs, notepads etc., but I'm not having them think it's ok to be sucking on a pixie stick at 2am, simply because I told them to take it to their room! So, the Friday "pile of sugar in the kitchen" caused chaos for Ella and Hayden. Ella was determined to have Hayden's "big pop" aka Tootsie Pop. Hayden, being the awesome big brother he is, allowed her to have it. As a result I told him I would make sure he got a new "big pop." Which led us on a trip to the Dollar Store today to pick up a pack of pops. Only after bringing the pops home did I notice the bag's printing read, "New Flavor Inside!" OH! I'm suddenly so excited! (Ok, so it was a slow day. I honestly was excited!) What could possibly compete with chocolate, orange, grape and cherry for the convented honor of being allowed to cuddle the delicious tootsie roll center of a tootsie pop?! POMEGRANATE! (Insert sound of needle sliding across record here.) What?! Pomegranate?! I'm honestly sucking on one now and tasting only watered down cherry. Eeeww and yuck. Let's just hope this is what led the package to be sold at the Dollar Store, forget about this little hiccup in the Tootsie Pop people's thinking, and never discuss this again! Ok, fire the person who sat at the board meeting, suggested Pomegranate as a cool new flavor, and all the people in the room who agreed with that person and THEN we'll never speak about this little lapse in logical thinking again!

Welcome To New Maryland

2008-10-24T14:51:00.003-04:00

Hello from Southern Pennsylvania, oops!, I mean New Maryland! For those of you who aren't from the area, let me explain. Several years ago people who live and work in Maryland began buying homes in lower PA. A lower cost of living, suburban lifestyles, good school districts all seemed like attractive PA qualities to the migrant Marylander. I was understanding and empathetic when the migration began. It was of course the boarder of two states. A fluid, transparent boundary existing only on paper and theory. Honestly, when one travels across the Mason-Dixon line, even on 83, not much changes. Now obviously there are many differences between rural PA and Baltimore. However, very few differences, if any at all, exist between the southern most points of PA and the northern most points of MD. However, over the past 15 years the migration has continued 35 miles into PA. So, there you have it, New Maryland! First we had New Mexico on the map, well now we can add "NEW MARYLAND!" I believe I've been tolerant of all the MD license plates driving around 30 miles over the boarder, but then it was the invasion of "busy Maryland Moms" taking over, and micro-managing the soccer team. Now today as I dropped my children off at school, a Maryland mom drove down the side of the drop-off line, cut off the line, pushed her kid out the door, allowed him to cross a lane of traffic (a huge blind spot exists in this area) and then WAITED for him to enter the building! Now, don't get me wrong, I always wait for my kids to enter the building. However, I don't cut off the entire line AND then sit and wait for my kids to get through the door! Even on a slow day the back of the drop off line is only 4 min. to the door. Oh, but MD mom, I KNOW you are so busy, because your job is so IMPORTANT, and you have a 45 min. commute, and you are a woman trying to balance a career and family from 50 miles away! Well, that might seem like that was the topper to my morning, but NO! As my kids were approaching the school door, 2 police cars came flying down the lane and cornered a car. Two teens (the driver and passenger) were quickly removed from the vehicle, and placed in the back of the one cruiser car. As I was pulling away from the school, I spotted the cars license plate. Would you like to guess what state the car was from? OMG! How did you guess? Maryland! So, there you have it folks, welcome to New Maryland! I'm grateful to live in a state where so many WANT to live. I mean come to think of it, an acquaintance of mine just recently married an MD cop, who happens to live 25 miles inside PA. Apparently MD has become such a horrible place to live, even the law enforcement officers can't take it! Wow! To think all this time we've been traveling to MD for the Inner Harbor, dinner, museums, etc. I suppose the culture what is driving the MD residence away.

Mr. Aloe

2008-10-23T13:34:00.002-04:00

Mr. Aloe's side view was bugging me. Sadly I don't know how to easily rotate it. Here is a fresh picture after he was cleaned up and repotted. Isn't he handsome! I know...I HAVE ISSUES!

This Is Love

2008-10-21T23:45:00.002-04:00

Many would think this picture (yes, it's sideways,sorry) looks like a giant weed in the middle of my mud room. Many more of you may wonder why I would include "Love" in the title of a post containing this picture. And many more of you may be wondering why this post isn't titled "Get That Damn Thing Out Of My House!" Well, let me introduce you to Mr. Aloe. Five or six years ago I found Mr. Aloe at Target. He was on a shelf in the middle of the store, in a wee tiny pot, dying. I had wanted an aloe plant and figured I would purchase the wee tiny plant and nurse it back to health. Well, that I did. Since then Mr. Aloe has gone from a wee tiny plant to, well, somewhat of a giant. Each year when the weather gets cold we move him into the mudroom. Each spring we dump him out of his pot, place him in a larger pot to accommodate his new growth, pull off any new "babies" (yes, we pot the babies and also realize that Mr. Aloe is actually a Ms. Aloe), and then repeat the same process again in the fall. This year Mr. Aloe even flowered twice. I never knew aloes flowered, but alas they do! This year also brought the first, "Are we going to keep Mr. Aloe?" conversation. As you can see, Mr. Aloe takes up a HUGE portion of our mudroom. We need to keep him off the ground to prevent eye injuries to the dogs and kids. James thought this might be the year to keep Mr. Aloe's babies and say good-bye to Mr. Aloe. I was crushed. He's become a member of the family. The kids are fascinated by him, he heals my babies cuts, scrapes and burns, and well, he's grown on us. (Pun intended) I can't bear the thought of letting him die! I called my parents and asked if he could spend the winter in their heated basement. My Mom agreed, but weeks flew by and we never got around to repotting, separating, etc. So, it seemed with frost in the forecast we were going to have to say our final good-byes. I already prepared myself for seeing his limp, wilted, frost-bitten limbs laid out across the lawn. Sunday night, brought frost, I felt horrible about him being outside, but knew he had grown too large for our home and too heavy for James to easily carry. I woke Monday morning and went to let the dogs out, praying the frost had spared Mr. Aloe. As I opened the mudroom door, I witnessed the above sight. James had hauled Mr. Aloe inside late Sunday night, before the frost. Now THAT is LOVE!

Where Have I Been?

2008-10-21T23:12:00.003-04:00

Where have I been? Well,on the porch. I've been on the porch and at Lowe's. I've been on the porch sanding, sanding, sanding and sanding some more. Then, after sanding (on the porch) I was at Lowe's. Purchasing stain, polyurethane, sponges, rags, sand paper and drawer pulls. And now after a week of hard work (and lots of inhaled fumes),we now have two awesome dressers and lots more storage. The dressers were originally covered in a peeling, nasty, reddish-brown stain. Now (as you can see in the above picture) they look awesome! Usually James and I take our time on projects, however, with this one we wanted to hurry and finish before the weather got too cool to stain/polyurethane outside. After weeks of warm weather, PA chose to find fall the same week James and I found a new project! Isn't that the way things usually work out! Ha-ha! Well, our work was well worth it. As was the trip to pick up the dressers out of my girlfriends, mom's shed. Lets just say it involved 2 kids, 1 Ford van, no "stow & go" seating, an ancient 4ft. long bungee cord, a decaying spool of twine, a small, sweet and helpful hardware store owner, and finally Gorilla glue tape applied directly to the van's paint. OH! And a drive (including the above items/issues) through an entire county! Yeah, yeah! I know, had to be there! But funny it was!

This Is Hilarious!

2008-10-09T00:50:00.004-04:00

http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=IsvWK_EedLU

I found this video at Growin With It. I couldn't help but post it here too! Too true and too funny!

Mr. John's Mountain Party

2008-10-05T12:49:00.004-04:00

We had a fantastic time yesterday at Mr. John's Annual Mountain Party. For those who may not know, Mr. John is our bachelor neighbor. He has been our neighbor for 6 years and during that time has become like an uncle to our kids. They LOVE their "Mr. John". Each October Mr. John's family has a party at their cabin in the mountains. Last year we had the honor of being invited and had an awesome time. This year we were re-invited and, again, had a great time full of music, great food, smores, Uncle Sonny's fantastic french fries, and "Redneck horseshoes". Thanks for a great time Mr. John!

Why I Am Married

2008-10-02T13:34:00.003-04:00

In moments like these, I realize why I am a married woman. My man can dispose of a 3 pound opossum carcass, but I am unable to remove a moth from the dishwasher. How the moth actually got there is beyond me. Fact is, it's there. I tried plucking it out with a fork.... it fluttered! EEEWWWW! The dishes in the sink are piling up, I don't (well won't) hand wash. Just ask my kids. In the mornings when all of our spoons are dirty, I could open the dishwasher and wash a few for use, but NO we simply enjoy "Funky Spoon Day!" We open the kitchen drawers and grab any item that resembles a spoon and use it to eat our cereal. Measuring spoon, melon baller, avocado pitter...etc. So, now I have a sink full of dirty dishes, a dirty dishwasher AND a resident moth! At this rate it looks like we'll have to initiate "Funk Fork Day" for dinner! Hurry home James!!!!!!!!

Chelsea's Latest Kill

2008-09-28T21:08:00.003-04:00

For the past week "Ms. Chelsea Kill-It-All" has been digging at something living under our shed. On Thursday she recruited Dexter to join her in her frantic dig. Each time we let them out they both ran directly for the shed and dug, dug, dug. We now have 3 holes leading under our shed. Tonight after spending an evening at my parents, we opened the door and both Chelsea and Dexter flew past us. One ran on one side of the shed, one ran on the other side. Soon there was a whole bunch of commotion and growling....then silence. Dexter returned to the house. Chelsea remained completely still. I yelled for James to come outside, thinking Chelsea had caught her leg in the soccer net that sits next to the shed. As soon as I yelled, Chelsea emerged carrying an....Opossum! Ugh! Kill count is now: 1 rabbit, 1 squirrel, 2 rats (hello! we didn't even know rats lived around here!) and now 1 opossum. Uh, yes, the picture is necessary. We've begun a "Faces of Death: Chelsea Edition"

Type B Mom Raises Type A Boys And One Foul-Mouthed Girl

2008-09-26T09:29:00.004-04:00

So, this morning as Ella and I were eating our breakfast. The boys (who had already finish eating, brushed their teeth and packed their bags) were putting their shoes on and swinging their bags onto their backs. I looked at both of them for a moment, they caught my eyes staring at them and give me that "what?" look. "Ah, hello! Your sister and I are still eating, where do you think you're going." Reid gasps and says, "Mom! We have to get to school!" I roll my eyes," Reid, Ella and I are sitting here eating, I still don't have a shower and we still have 20 min. before you NEED to be at school." Both Hayden and Reid sigh and drop their bags, Hayden rolls his eyes, "Did we miss the bus?" I hold my breath thinking of how I can answer without being seen as the LAZIEST parent in the world. Ah, I give up, "Yes." I respond, "We missed the bus!" "Well then we need to catch up to that damn bus!" Yells Ella. I turn my head to see Ella with her mouth hanging open and her eyes popping out of her head. Did my 3 year old just say, damn?! "Ella, what did you say?" "We need to catch that DAMN bus!" she responds. Before I can even address that, Reid has his face pressed up into mine. "Why did we miss the bus?" he groans. "Because I overslept" I coolly answer. Reid sighs like I'm the biggest disappointment in his life. I sit at the kitchen table in awe of the sight before me, and think, who was dragging your butt out of bed yesterday while you were screaming about never going to school again. Now, suddenly a day later you're determined to become a Harvard grad! What?! We finally all pile into the van and pull into school with plenty of time to spare. As Hayden exits he looks at me and says, "Mom did you shower yet?" "No, why?" "I think you might stink." "Ah, I so do not, I sniffed!" "I think you sniffed wrong!" Both boys take a few steps away from the van and become engulfed in a small sea of kids entering the building. I wind down my window, "I LOVE YOU!" I yell at the top of my lungs! Not many turned to see which weirdo mom was trying to embarrass her kids, but I KNOW mine knew exactly which stinky, Pj wearing mom was loudly declaring her love for beautiful Type A children. I expect that Amazing Mom award any day now!

The Hearse?!

2008-09-25T14:43:00.002-04:00

So far I've seen 2 of these parked across the street from our house. One this AM and one is there now. Starting to freak out. Thinking I missed some sort of Godly message. One more and I'll be calling someone just to see if I'm still actually here! Creepy!

Soccer Moms

2008-09-24T11:59:00.004-04:00

Ok, aside from a REAL quick temper, a sickly sarcastic sense of humor, and sailors mouth I feel as if I am one of the most relaxed people on the planet. Seriously, if is isn't going to kill you, or a loved one, than who the hell cares! Well, let me introduce you to some of the soccer moms from Hayden's league. You see, apparently this year as he entered a U-10, traveling, div.3 team a "Team Mom" is needed. Who knew?! Not I! For the past 3-4 years everything seemed to be done from within the organization. The trophies were ordered, we were told to show up for the party and the parents organized themselves and raised money for coach gifts. Well, not this year. Below I am pasting the emails that graced my inbox this morning. Since I have a hard time separating text on "blogger" I'll try to use ------------ to separate the emails. I've also deleted real names and have added character appropriate pseudonyms. Sit back and enjoy the DRAMA.-------------------

Parents,

Our U-10 soccer team is still in need of a Team Mom or Dad to organize an end of season party, order trophies and gather funds for coaches' gifts. As I mentioned in my initial email to assign snacks / oranges, I absolutely can not take on this task. Coach Laura is aware that no one has offered to take on this role; and is now considering handling these tasks herself... I personally find such a situation unacceptable. Please understand that I am not offering to be a Team Mom because of the demands of my career... and if I could, believe you me, I would... but I just can't.

Please, please consider stepping up to help.
Best regards,

Becky Blackberry----------------------------------- Becky Blackberry,

Thanks for your time in putting together a snack/orange schedule. I agree that Laura should not have to take on these extra tasks. As a "sports mom" with six kids and about 9 years of assorted team experience, I thought I might give a few suggestions that have worked for me in past years. Firstly, it might be best to divide the tasks up instead of having one parent do it all, as we are all "career" moms or dads. On that note, Tommy and I will be glad to host the post-season party at our house immediately following the game on Nov. 8. Everyone can bring a dish and we will provide pizza or hamburgers/hot dogs. Trophies, gifts, etc. can be given out at that time. If parents prefer, we can have the party at an all-you-can eat pizza buffet and I will make the arrangements. While trophies are nice, they're not necessary. Personalized award certificates can be printed from Google on soccer stationery from Staples. If someone would like to order trophies, I can give you the names of places with which I have been pleased. If someone would like to volunteer to collect gift money, we could pick a practice date in the near future and everyone just needs to be sure to bring their money on that day so it would be a "one and done" for the parent collecting. If you forget, you would still have time to run to an ATM. Lastly, on the oranges, those wonderful little containers of OJ sold at Giant work just as well, with no cutting or counting. They're what I'll be bringing!Parents, share your thoughts or suggestions. Thanks, Mega Mom-------------------------------------Thank you "Mega Mom" for offering your home.I agree trophies are not necessary but I believe the club covers the expense (I'll confirm). If so, I will order them. Anyone for collecting money and coordinating gifts for coaches? Lastly, the small OJ's are a great idea! Becky Blackberry--------------------------I guess I'll collect the money and coordinate gifts for the coaches.

Thanks, Feeling Guilty-------------------I have a business relationship with Grimm Trophy in Shiloh. We can either go generic meaning all the trophies say “U10 Panthers 2008” or we can put names and years on them. I assume the latter would cost a little more. I can get quotes on both. Please send me the spelling you wish to appear on the trophy and I will get the cost difference and majority can rule on which direction we choose.

I am sure we are all busy, as Jacki and I have 3 kids and demanding careers, HS concession stands to run, etc… so I have found easy is best. For the party pick a date and have all the families go to either a Hungry Parrot or any pizza buffet place of our choosing. Have each family pay their way and we can get the establishment to set aside a corner of the place for us to have to ourselves. If everyone could send a few dates that work for them I will see if there is one that everyone is available and again send that back and majority can rule. I would prefer any day but Friday or weekends at the end of the year as there still may be some HS football games I would be attending, but that is just my theory. We can bring in a cake for Giant also.

I have two of the three 3 handled unless someone wants the party handled differently. If someone handles coaches then we can call it a day.

Warm Regards, Ricky Steamroller------------------------------- Ok, Karen talking again. OMG! Seriously people! It's a KIDS soccer team! These kids are out there striving to do their best and one of the moms wants to reward them with a printed piece of paper from Staples and OJ with an experation date of 2010 +! So much for "going for the gold" and "buy fresh, buy local!" Thank God that woman isn't on the Olympic Comittee! Durning the next Olympic games the athletes would be receiving paper awards on pretty paper from the Big Box Office Supply Chain! Oh, and to hell with the podium, just fold those babies in the form of paper airplanes and shoot them directly at the atheletes after their event! I LOVE the hard nosed, carreer driven parent! Perhaps they all need to travel back to the 70's (or plug into Sirius) and listen to "Cats Cradel". Wake up parents! When you're 80 sitting in your nursing home pissing yourself and wondering why the kids never come to visit THEN maybe you will realize that all of this running, drama, and chaos accomplished nothing but pissing away a life time and distancing you from those that love and need YOU (not the cell phone talking, blackberry typing, email checking, in a meeting, oh gotta go! You), but the REAL YOU most. Oh, and don't you even think for a moment that this is one of those "Stay at home Mom vs. Working Mom" battles. Nope! Let me help you remember, I have a college degree and could very easily be one of those blackberry typing, meeting attending, focusing on my carreer moms. But frankly, I've CHOOSEN my kids FIRST!

My New Friend

2008-09-23T22:43:00.002-04:00

Say hello to my new little friend. Actually mine isn't nearly as cute as this one, but still very small and and has been strapped to my side since yesterday at noon. Why? You ask. Well, James' employer has challenged each of their employees and family members to the "10,000 steps a day challenge". James and I jumped on board, not only is this a great way to raise the competitive spirit between James and myself, but the employer has upped the ante with some great prize packages. So......GAME ON! Now, after almost two days, here are my findings...... MY ASS IS LAZY! I mean not lazy as in sit around eating bon-bons all day, but definitely lazy as in NOWHERE CLOSE TO 10,000 STEPS A DAY! Wow! Yesterday, after reading all the info and calibrating the pedometer, I clipped it on my pants and continued to go about my daily chores. Ya know, running after Ella, laundry, dishes, dogs, cleaning ect. So, at the end of the day I unclipped it and thought for sure it would read 5,000 steps or more. I mean honestly, It WAS a half day! Common! But NO! To my surprise, dismay, horror and shock it read 2227. What the?! Suddenly I realize why this is called a "challenge"! Now, today after a full day of running after Ella, taking the boys to school, dropping off / picking up Ella, doing errands, and participating in Family Fun Night I'm still only at 4140! Still not even half of my goal! Ok, now here is the moment I've been dreading.....(drum roll please)......let's check James' number. Here we go....I'm asking......it is.....4853! Now how the hell is that possible! The man rides around in a truck all day! Oh, ok, here it comes....his reasoning....."I have to get out of the truck at each stop!" NO! Ya know what I think? Bouncing around on an air ride seat....cha-ching! One bounce = One step! Cha-ching! Oh, and who rocked Ella tonight?! Cha-ching! I'm walking, jumping and shaking my booty and I still haven't gotten more than him! OH! That's it! I'm spending the morning jumping, rumbaing, pacing and rocking! I WILL NOT LET HIM WIN!

Ella Was Quiet And Look What Happened.......

2008-09-22T10:50:00.007-04:00

The above picture is evidence of a briefly unattended Ella. This morning I sat her down in front of Diego and began checking emails and emailing the boys teachers. Ya know, checking up after a weeks vacation. Well, Ella LOVES Diego, so I thought I would have at least 15 minutes to devote to catching up. NOOOOOO! About 5 minutes into Diego I hear Ella laughing and saying, "Look Mama I have Ella hair on me!" That's what I say when I have a stray, long, loose hair hanging off of me. I'll say something like, "Oh, it's a Mama hair." Well I turn to see her back, and the chair, covered in loose curls! So, I calmly ask her what she did and she replies, "Me cut my hair with the scissors from the boy's room. He he he!" AHHHHHH! Ok. 1. How many times do I have to tell those little buggers to put their stuff away and up far away from Ella's reach! and 2. It was only 5 MINUTES and we were in the same room! AHHHHH! I'm either a REALLY bad mom or I gave birth to Houdini's offspring! The boys have turned out ok, so I'm putting money on that girl being related to a long dead contortionist! PLEASE GOD GIVE ME STRENGTH! Now here's a thought, what the hell is she into while I'm doing this?!.....................................Just checked..all good! Oh, gotta go we are now rummaging through the fridge!

Our Beach Vacation

2008-09-21T00:34:00.006-04:00

Well the Dressel/Klahold/Wagner families survived! We all co-existed for a WHOLE week under the same roof and we all survived to tell about it. Not only did we survive, but we had an AWESOME time! I honestly didn't realize how badly this little Klahold klan needed a vacation. It was great to get away and chill by the ocean. We spent the majority of our time in Ocean City, MD. However, we took a day trip to Chincoteague / Assateague Island VA to show the kids our old stomping grounds. Dad, James, Hayden and Kenny also spent a day on an ocean fishing charter. This was Hayden's first time fishing on a BIG boat in the ocean. Mama was worried, but he had a great time and did great! Mom, Wendy, Cora, Rosa, Reid, Ella and I took a tour of Assateague MD own a big 'ole pontoon boat. It was fun. Not only did we learn about the history of Ocean City, but we also got to get out on Assateague and search for ocean "critters". Enjoy the pics!

New Computer

2008-09-11T02:09:00.002-04:00

I am SOOOOOO excited! We have a new computer! Ahhhhhh! It's 2:10am and I'm still wide awake playing on it! WE'RE BACK!!!!!