Don't Lick the Walls

Taking a break from Blogging for a while....

2009-02-24T11:25:00.000-08:00

Although I'm sure no one's sad to see me go :-) Let's face it, I've been lousy at updating recently, and even my own brother noticed!!!

Things have just gotten really stressful and overwhelming, and I haven't been able to give this Blog the attention it deserves.. I've gotten burned out! I'm not the most intresting of people, anyway, and I've just run out of things to talk about. I can only post *so* much about my Kidney stones before people start losing interest! hahaha...

So anyway, I'll still be around... I'll make sure to check out the Blogs I read on a daily basis, and I'll still be working on Celebrity Round-up every week over at Mom Dot. I might be stressed, but I still LOVE my Celebrity gossip! :-)

In the famous words of the Terminator, "I'll be back"......

Now I know why the pillows were only $2.99...

2009-02-22T07:06:00.000-08:00

Last night I decided to go out and buy a whole new sheet seat, comforter, pillows, and pillow cases. The main reason was because my damn cat peed on my sheets, and even though I washed them over 5 times, they still smelled like cat pee. And let's face it, no one wants to lay in a bed that smells like cat pee.

At Target, I found a really great 'deal' on pillows -- $2.99!! So I pick up 2 of them, along with nice pillow cases, get home, get the bed all set up and try to fall asleep.

It's NOT working. Those pills are like laying on nothing! My head just sinks right down through to the other side. There's no padding, support or anything. I felt like my neck was going to break! I could've made the crappy pillows myself by just putting the cotton stuffing that my son bought for a project into a pillowcase and tying it shut.

Ugh.. Now I'm stuck with these 2 crappy pillows... Of course, I'll probably end up going back to Target today and buying nicer ones, but it just annoys me that I can't return these pillows since I slept on them already, and threw the packaging away.

Oh well... at least I'm only out $6. Lesson learned. NEVER BUY THE CHEAP PILLOWS!!!!!!

I know, I've sucked at updating lately!

2009-02-20T16:28:00.000-08:00

But trust me when I say my life has been sooooo stressful and complicated the past week or so. My head is still spinning! It feels like every day, something else horrible is happening.

I had my Kidney CT Scan on Tues to see if I had Kidney stones, turns out I do... My Dr promised me that they'd 'pass' by Thurs, and that if they haven't, to call and make an appt with a Urologist, since it'll be almost 2 weeks that this has been going on... Sooo, I see a Urologist on March 2nd, and they'll discuss whether or not I need surgery. Can you say "Fun"? Ugh!

I freaking hate this! I'm still in a lot of pain, and I have these random contractions in my bladder all throughout the day. I feel like I'm in labor again! My DR said it's the body's way trying to pass those nasty stones, but so far nothing's happening!

In other news, my Sister in Law, who I've posted about earlier, is in really bad shape. She went into a Coma yesterday, and they're not expecting her to make it through the weekend.. *Sigh* It has been SO had. Sophie has picked up on everything that's going on, and she hasn't let me out of her sight. Everytime I walk away to do something, she asks "Are you going to come back? Are you going to die?"... It's so sad. I try to talk to her about things in ways she'll understand, but she's still fixated on the fact that I might die. I finally have decided to not talk to her about it until something happens with her Aunt, and then Hubby & I will figure out the best way to explain what's been going on.

I have some other things going on as well, which are really stressful, but I don't want to bring them up here... Just everyone say a prayer for us :-)

I'll try to get on more and post, but I can't make guarantees... Just stick with me!!!

All alone..... on Valentine's Day.....

2009-02-14T15:37:00.000-08:00

I feel like singing that song, "All by myself........".... Ugh. I know I shouldn't let it get me down, but I'm just so depressed! Valentine's Day, the last few years at least, has been a special day for me -- my husband proposed to me on Valentine's day, so every year for the past 5 years I would look forward to our special little 'anniversary' of when we decided to start our lives together......

But today has been like any other day. The kids have dirty faces and knots in their hair (Well, just Sophie at least...). Sponge Bob has been on our TV all day... I'm wearing jeans and a sweatshirt, with minimal make up. No sexy clothes or nice make up for anyone in my house!!! Instead of a fancy dinner out, we ordered take out from the local pizza short. Oh well. At least I have my kids here, right?

Sophie and Peyton don't even really know it's Valentine's Day. Sophie has been saying "Happy Valentine's Day" all day, but I don't know if she gets what it means.... and Peyton has no clue... Chris, on the other hand, made me this REALLY sweet card, a card that totally made me cry; until I realized that he copied it out of a Hallmark card that my sister had sent to my mother!!! LOL..... I guess it was the thought that counts, right? At least that's what I'm going with!

Anyway, I hope however you chose to spend your Valentine's day -- with a special loved one, with your kids, or alone, it was a special, love filled day!

Well, I guess both myelf and my GYN were wrong...

2009-02-14T15:31:00.000-08:00

Because apparently I don't have a Kidney infection. Which is probably why the antibiotics haven't been doing anything since Wednesday, and why I feel worse and I'm constantly in pain.

Apparently I have kidney stones!!!! That's currently what my Primary doctor thinks, at least. I was there to see him bright and early at 8:00 a.m., and after explaining everything to him, he asked if I had ever heard of Kidney stones and I knew I'd be in for trouble!!

A few years ago, my OB/GYN found stones during an U/S to check for something else... He told me that they can kind of just hang out there in your body for a long time, and they shouldn't cause much pain, but that at any random time, they can just flare up and be hell!

So now I have to go in for a Spiral CT Scan on Tuesday to see what's going on, and I have to drop off a Urine sample at the Lab Monday morning. And then the Dr will see if I'll be able to pass them myself, or if I'll need surgery. Damn it!!

I swear, lately I cannot go to the Dr without ending up with something really stupid, something that I totally didn't plan on going in there for. So now I'm wondering if the last 'Bladder Infection' I had, about 6 mths ago, that my GYN put me on antibiotics for but came back right away again, was really the stones acting up.....

So we'll see what happens~

Kidney Infection = Absolute living hell

2009-02-13T09:12:00.000-08:00

First off, my apologies for not writing more on here the past few days. I'm not lying when I say I've been in absolutely AGONY the past few days with this stupid freaking kidney infection. When people have described the pain as intense as childbirth, I thought they were just blowing steam up my ass. Believe me, people -- it's true!!

For the past 5 days, I've been in a daze... Somehow I've managed to talk to clients, request medical records, review complex Social Security files, and prep clients, all without screwing up. I've ran a household (sort of!) and managed to keep it all together. All while having fever/chills/nausea/pain/etc. Ugh. It's been a looooong week.

I thought for sure I'd be better by now. The Nurse Practitioner at my GYN office put me on pretty strong antibiotics, and told me to call my PCP by Friday (today) if I didn't feel better. I thought "Won't be necessary, I'll be fine by then!". Nope! Actually, the opposite is true! I actually feel worse...

So I made the obligatory call to the PCP, describing all the pain, how I haven't been able to pee (sorry, TMI!) normally in a day or two, how I have regular contraction type things in my bladder area while I'm just sitting here (they hurt!), how I"m running a 101.4 fever, etc... Surely she'd tell me to come in right away, or go right to the ER? Hell no.. She offers me an appt for 8:10 tomorrow morning!!

Just wanted to come on here and update.... Please bear with me while I continue to sludge through this hell and hopefully start feeling better soon!!!

Diagnosing myself on the Internet is fun!

2009-02-10T09:35:00.000-08:00

I think I've finally figured out what has been plaguing me for the last 2 weeks! AND, I didn't have to go sit in any nasty ass waiting rooms or have to see pay a co-pay! whooo hooo! Actually, I *do* have a Dr's appt scheduled tomorrow, but it was scheduled before I started feeling so crappy. It just happened to coincide...

((THIS IS THE TMI PART RIGHT HERE, SORRY))

I have a history of Bladder infections, and about a week ago, I could feel the symptoms of a bladder infection coming on. So I started drinking cranberry juice, and I seemed to feel better. But then on Sunday, I started to get a really high fever.... And then chills.... And then nausea.... and then a few other symptoms which I won't list here because they have to do with potty functions.

Soooo... as I'm sitting here at work, doubled over in pain, sweating from my fever, shivering with chills, I type in "Symptoms of Bladder Infection" and go on to read, and scroll down to read where it starts talking about "Symptoms of Kidney Infection", and I felt like I had hit pay dirt!!!!

Now, obviously I'm not a Dr, unless someone wants to pay me like a DR and let me walk around calling myself Dr. Michelle... LOL. But it's good to know that this is a possibility for when I walk into my Dr's appt tomorrow. I *almost* picked up the phone to call my family Dr earlier today (this appt tomorrow is for the beloved 'female' dr) but I thought my family Dr would think I was being a baby if I called in saying I had a fever and chills...

so, we shall see... In the meantime, I'm going to go back to being wracked with fever and chills. SO not fun!

Dear Blogger:

2009-02-07T16:38:00.000-08:00

Dear Blogger;

I just want to let you know, you suck.

When I work on an article, for over two hours, I expect to be able to insert pictures into the article. I want to be able to hit the pretty little mountain icon and have the 'insert picture' box come up. I want to be able to insert my pictures, arrange them into the post, and move on with my day. I don't want to sit here and push the button over and over again, stupidly hoping that it'll make it work faster.

My eyes hurt from looking at the screen. I have not gotten off the couch since 5:30. It's now 7:39 p.m. I have not eaten, so I am super grouchy. Don't you know that Saturday nights are the nights I work on my celebrity article for Momdot? (Yes, my life is that pathetic).

But alas, I'll just have to save my article and finish it up tomorrow and hope that you want to let me insert pictures then.

Thanks so much for sucking.

Your unloyal customer,
Michelle :-(

Ways you can tell your co-worker is bipolar...

2009-02-06T17:59:00.000-08:00

All from personal experience... whose personal experience???

1) She runs around singing "Fame -- I'm going to live forever!!" and does Jazz hands, encouraging everyone to sing.

2) Finds it insanely funny to twirl the office chairs around and around and around, and wants to have a competition to see which one goes fastest (the tall backed leather ones go faster than the shorter red fabric ones. I wonder why that is??)

3) Keeps breaking into random insane laughing fits, lasting at least 5 - 10 minutes, where her face turns bright red and she can't stop. And when a client calls during the middle of one of those said laughing fits, she hangs up on him because she can't talk and pretends like it was an accident.

4) Decides it's a good idea to go Horseback riding today, even though it's 24 degrees outside. Tries to recruit co-workers.. No one else thinks it's a good idea. Calls 3 different ranches, all of which say they're closed during the winter. Argues with one and tells them it's a stupid idea to be closed during the winter....

5) Randomly stares up at the ceiling light cover and is insanely annoyed at the dead bugs just laying in the cover. Tries to hatch a plan to get the cover unscrewed and get the bugs out. Tries to climb on the leather highback chairs to reach the ceiling, but that rolls away and I almost fall -- thankfully the desk breaks my fall. Then I try to recruit a co-worker to let me stand on him while he's on his chair and reach it -- he didn't think that was a good idea. Finally someone offered me a step stool to placate me, but by that time I decided it was a stupid idea and I moved on to something else...

Yes, people -- that was my day.... I usually don't like to talk about the fact that I'm a certified crazy, bipolar, pill popping mental person, but some days I can't escape it; today being one of those days. I haven't been doing well, and I've been neglecting my Blog, so pardon me if this crap is on my Blog today.... Ladadadadadadada... I'll try to fill it with more happy things in a couple days :-)

Sooo, I've been using Proactiv Solution for 2 weeks and...

2009-02-06T17:36:00.000-08:00

I absolutely LOVE it!

I have to say, I had my reservations about this product. The biggest reason; the cost. I mean, $60 for face wash? I am uber cheap when it comes to face wash. I usually buy the cheapest stuff at the store, whatever is on sale.

However, since I've been taking Lithium for the past 9 months, it has been torture on my face. One of the major side effects of Lithium is acne. This is the first time in my whole life I've ever had acne. I used to have perfect skin, and for my face to break out now, at 29 years old, was really hard on me.

So I broke down, ordered it online, and started using it.

I *did* take pictures, from what my skin looked like when I first start using it, what it looked like at the end of the first week, and what it looks like today, but I'm not going to be posting them. Why? I HATE the way my profile looks! I'll save you all the horror. Let's just say it works, and works really, really well.

It's a three step solution -- there's the renewing cleanser, which has tiny little beads in it which sloughs away dead skin and gets deep into your pours. This leaves your face feeling SO awesome afterwards!

Then there's the Revitalizing Toner, which helps remove anything the cleanser left behind, any makeup, dead skin cells, etc and also helps cleanse and tones your pores.

Last is the Repairing Lotion, which you use all over your face. This helps heal blemishes and prevent any future breakouts.

My set came with the Green Tea Moisturizer as an extra bonus, which I love.. It smells great, and I put it on right after I put on the Repairing lotion. It's real lightweight, and is just enough moisturizer to leave my skin feeling soft and smooth, but doesn't leave it feeling greasy.

On top of that all, I love this Proactive line SO much that I just ordered (and received, in just a mater of a few days) Proactiv Foundation, Loose Powder, and Refining Mask. I have to say, all three of these items are AWESOME. The foundation that I was using, which was some Maybeline foundation, was awful. It looked like Clown makeup! It was so caked on and orangey looking. Plus, my skin felt so good after using all the great Proactiv products that I just didn't want to put heavy products on.

The Proactiv foundation, and I'm not kidding when I say this, matches my skin *perfectly*. I got the medium color, and as soon as I put it on my skin, it automatically blends in. It doesn't even look like I'm wearing foundation. It looks so much more natural.

I'm amazed at the fact that in just 2 weeks, my skin is almost 75% cleared up, and looks so much healthier. I know it's going to be a fighting battle, especially since I need to continue to take Lithium, but with Proactiv on my side, at least I'll be a little more confident every day!

1 Month Weight Loss Update!

2009-02-02T15:15:00.000-08:00

Here it is, ONE whole month into my weight loss journey.... 30 days ago, I NEVER thought I would've made it this far. I never thought I'd be able to cut out my beloved soda, or my junk food, or my fast food, or ANY of the shit I ate on a daily basis. BUT, I've done it, and damn have I done it well if I must say so.

So, the grand total weight loss in one month???

FIFTEEN POUNDS. Yes, people -- 15!!!!

I know there's going to be people that'll tell me that's too fast of a weight loss, and I can appreciate that. However, I promise you; I did not set out to lose that much weigh that fast. I promise you that I didn't starve myself (at least not too much! lol..), I didn't make myself throw up, and I didn't do any fad diets. I just started to eat healthier, and the weight just fell off.

My clothes fit better, and I feel better. My face looks so much skinner already, and sometimes I look in the mirror and think "Is that me?". My pants that I just bought 2 weeks ago, b/c my other pants were too big, are already getting too big.

Now I'm only 35 lbs to my original goal -- 5o lbs by my 30th birthday in July! I want to be hot and sexy by time I turn 30 :-)

Hebrew school Dropout....

2009-02-02T15:04:00.001-08:00

*Hanging my head in shame* I admit it -- I've let my child become that child -- the child that stops going to extra-curricular activities, although I promised myself that I would never let them quit. Although if we're talking honestly here, it's MY fault that she isn't going anymore.

This is the first year that Sophie has been old enough for Hebrew school, and I was really excited when I found out that she qualified for the 3 & 4 year old class. It's only once a month at the Temple, which is about 45 minutes from our house. I just don't think Sophie 'gets' it, and I think it's my fault. Because of our hectic schedule, and my work schedule, we NEVER make it to Tot Shabbat, which is every other Friday night at 7 p.m. Tot Shabbat is when they learn more about G-D, about the religion, etc. So she just goes to Hebrew School, and is completely clueless.

She's in a class with other kids who live and breath Judaism; where they have older brothers and sisters who have been through Hebrew school, where they go to service every week, where they celebrate their religion every chance they get....

And then there's Sophie. Sophie didn't even know what a Menorah was at Hanukkah! I was SO embarrassed! It was then that I knew that maybe I should let her embrace this whole religion thing when she's ready. I still plan on reading her the cute little Jewish books we have at home, and celebrating the Jewish holidays the way we do it, but I don't necessarily want to get her into 'formalized' Jewish religion too early on. Is this wrong of me? Will she suffer if she doesn't get a good solid religious education?

My mother forced us into CCD when my brother and I were young, and we HATED it. We couldn't wait until we hit 8th grade and made our Confirmation so we could get the hell out of their, and I promised myself I wouldn't do the same to my children! And so far, I haven't... none of my older boys have been in religious education; Sophie is the only one!

My Button of the Week goes to.....

2009-01-30T08:00:00.000-08:00

OK, it's time for the SECOND WEEK of Button of the Week... How fun!!! I visit SO many great Blogs on a daily basis, and it's really hard to pick just ONE Blog that's deserving of the Button of the Week!

SO, for this week, my Button of the Week goes to a really cool chick, Minxy Mimi @ Minxy Mimi Unplugged.

I have known Mimi for several years -- since our days on Webmd parenting boards (I think??). We've been through a bunch of board drama, and she's just a realy cool girl with a really cool Blog. She always have something intresting to say, and is really nice!

Visit Mimi, leave a comment, and check out all her other fun posts!

Here are the directions and rules:

Display each button you give with this:
(Insert 'Button of the Week' button or button of your choice here)"I am giving this button to _____ because she______! Click here to view my favorite post from her this week. Go check her out and spread your own Button of the Week."

RULES:

~Give a button to someone else with the explanation above and these rules.

~ Display the button you received on your sidebar with a link back to Bloggy Buttonz.

~ Do a post telling everyone about the button you received with a link back to the person that gave it to you and Bloggy Buttonz.

~ Comment on that person's blog telling them they got a button from you on your blog.

Why do people find it necessary to be rude??

2009-01-28T16:11:00.000-08:00

Is it me, or are people (in general) just getting more rude? Whatever happened to "thinking before you speak"? AND, why must strangers just randomly talk to you, giving you their opinions? Do they *think* you'd want to hear whatever garbage their spewing???

This morning I had to run to the store before I dropped the kids at daycare. It was a snow day for my older boys, and we had no food in the house. I decided to run to the local store with Sophie & Peyton, which is something I never do. Sophie is fine in the snow -- she just walks with me and I usually let her pick out something small. Peyton, however, is a different story. He's a wild man in the store. He runs, he screams, he pulls things off the shelf. It's a nightmare. BUT, today I had no choice.

So I was in the store, running around and chasing him, and the floor was wet because, well, it was snowing heavily out.. So I was worried about him falling, but he could care less. I had to stop him from overturning a whole display of 2 liter bottles of Coke. *Sigh*

I get up to the counter, and an older man looks at me, looks at Peyton, shakes his head, and says "You REALLY need to get that kid a leash". WTF??! Yes, he said a LEASH. Like a dog. Those who know me know that I'm very anti-leash. I think they're horrible ideas.

So I turn to the guy and said "He doesn't need a leash, he's 2 1/2". His response? "Well, you need to do something. What's wrong with that kid? Is he retarded or something?".

OH NO HE DIDN'T. He did NOT just call my kid retarded! I mean, who does that? I was NOT about to get into my son's health issues and the fact that he has SPD and does not do well in public... Keep in mind, this was about 7 a.m, I was stressed already, and did not feel like getting in a fight with this a-hole. I kindly told him that he's not retarded, I didn't appreciate his comments, and walked out of the store.

Of course, he followed me out and then tried telling me about some kind of bill that's going to be passed in Senate that is going to fine drivers $75 for not scraping the snow off the top of their cars!! I dont know if he told me that simply b/c the top of my car was still covered in snow, or if he was serious. At that point, I didn't care.

I just don't get people sometimes!!!! Keep your opinions to yourself!

Feeling so frustrated lately...

2009-01-27T15:13:00.000-08:00

I've been down in the dumps the past few days (OK, who am I kidding - it's more like the past few weeks/months). Just everything sucks right now and I HATE feeling like this. I feel like as soon as I take 2 steps forward in life, I get pushed back one step.

I DO know there's people worse off than me, and I'm thankful that I'm not as bad off as I can be. I work for a Disability law firm, and I see people every day that have horrible disabilities, no income, living on a couch of a family member, etc. So I have no right to complain, right?

I'm stressed about my kids and their health. Some how, all but one of my kids have ended up with health concerns, and I always worry about them. My 11 year old has ADHD and I struggle EVERY day with it. It's never under control, and I have to deal with him telling me he hates me, he wishes I was never born, and that I'm stupid on a daily basis. My 4 year old daughter was just diagnosed with Asthma, and has been having a hard time breathing the past few weeks. She coughs all the time even after 5 minutes of running around and doesn't' understand why she coughs so much. And let's not forget my 2 1/2 year old son with Sensory Processing Disorder, which brings on a WHOLE other set of issues...... AND on top of all that, I have my own health issues to deal with. I'm 29 but feel like I'm 70. I take 10 pills a day; that's a shitload of pills for one person to take. But if I don't take those pills, I'll be carted of to the loony bin in the matter of a few days, so they're kind of necessary.

My job sucks... I'm underpaid for my qualifications and know that I deserve so much more. BUT, because of the crappy economy, there's no jobs out there right now that will pay what I need. So I have to scrimp and save every week just to be able to pay my bills and make ends meet.

AND, my most recent frustration is my weight! I'm struggling to lose weight and it's freaking hard. The first 2 1/2 weeks, the weight kind of just fell off. Now I'm stuck and haven't lost any weight in like 3 days. I'm tired of seeing the scale read the same thing. *Sigh*

OK.... so those are my frustrations.... There's really NO point to this post, but I figured I'd post it anyway!~

Another exciting site to announce!

2009-01-26T06:13:00.000-08:00

I'm just full of new sites and projects this week, aren't I? This is a project that is very special to me, as I've been living it for the past few months. My friend Stefanie and I (who recently opened the BLOGGY BUTONZ site) are happy to bring you THE SPD LIFE

The SPD Life is a support site for parents of children diagnosed with Sensory Processing Disorder. Stefanie and I both have a child who are diagnosed with SPD, and we instantly bonded once we found out our youngest children are both diagnosed with this disorder.

We hope the SPD site will be a place where parents can come and find out more information, learn about exciting research in the area of SPD, and be able to chat with other parents who are going through the same thing. We also plan on featuring a new interview every week with an SPD Mommy/Daddy.

Having a child with SPD poses lots of daily challenges, but now hopefully parents can have a place to go to know that they're not alone!

Five Reasons Roto-Rooter sucks...

2009-01-25T10:49:00.000-08:00

1) When I call at 8:30 a.m., and I'm promised someone will be there in *20* minutes, it's NOT acceptable for them to show up at 10:30 a.m, TWO hours later. Hello, I DO have a life. It's Sunday, and yes, while I DO have raw sewage hanging out in my wash basin in the basement, I DO have other plans today - mainly food shopping so I can feed my gaggle of kids.

2) Complaining about how much you hate your job in *front* of a customer is never acceptable. It's actually poor form. I don't want to hear how crappy the jobs you get called out on are, or how much you hate working outside when it's freezing outside. Dude, that's part of your JOB. If you don't want to work outside, or if you don't want to work around human feces, DON'T WORK FOR ROTO ROOTER!

3) Don't get all pissy when you tell me an exorbitantly high price to fix my clogged main sewer drain ($315 plus tax) and I tell you that I don't HAVE that much cash on me. AND certainly don't say "Can't you go inside and ask your husband for money"? Yes, I know there's no way for him to know that my husband isn't inside my house, but rather in his own apartment 3 miles away, but c'mon -- just don't assume that I'm a happily married woman with a husband inside who'll just give me loads of cash to pay you.

4) When I ask you if I can use a check instead of cash, there's no need to be bitchy and tell me that you already rang it up as cash. OK, just rip off the receipt and re-ring it up for a check. I'm sure it only takes 3 minutes to do that. But no, you were content in taking every last dollar of cash that I had, even though it means I can't go food shopping for my kids until at least Wednesday. That's not for you to worry about though, right?

5) After all is said and done, and I forked over all my cash to you and everything is signed, that's NOT the time to tell me that eventually I'll need a new $4,000 sewer system b/c the old one is orange piping something or other. I really don't want to hear that.

What did I learn after shelling out $267.50 to this guy -- I had a massive clog at the outside sewer line, caused by tree roots and compressed cardboard. Huh? I want to know how compressed cardboard got into the sewer line? I'm pretty sure none of my kids have a secret hobby of flushing cardboard down the toilet. *sigh* That's just my life, I guess.

The good news is the clog is fixed, the toilet doesn't back up, my wash basin isn't filled with shit, and I can do laundry again. So I guess that's the 'good' that came out of the day.

Looking for parents of children with SPD (Sensory Processing Disorder)

2009-01-24T12:06:00.001-08:00

Looking for moms and/or dads of children with SPD for an interview.

Stefanie and I will be opening a SPD Support Blog for parents and family of children with SPD on Monday and I am looking for one or two people to interview. If you are interested or know someone that might be interested please shoot me an email at: michwinter6291@gmail.com or Stefanie @ bloggymommy3@yahoo.com

Watch out for an announcement about the SPD Support Blog opening up. I'm super excited for this project, it's something that's very special to both Stefanie and I, as we live it on a daily basis. We're hoping to be able to help out other parents who find themselves in the same boat!

Thanks :-)

TOTAL drama at the gas pump today

2009-01-23T12:01:00.000-08:00

And I'm STILL fuming. I absolutely HATE confrontation, and avoid it at all costs. Today, however, it couldn't be avoided.

I stopped at the gas station on the way home from Sophie's dr's appt. The only debit card I had with me was a Mastercard debit card, that for some reason works at some gas stations but not others. I never have a problem with it ANYWHERE else, other than gas stations. I fully think it's how the clerk is running the card.

So I try explaining to the guy, who I'm sure only speaks about 50 words English, MAX, that I needed him to run the card *before* he pumps the gas. I told him there's money in the acct, but that sometimes it doesn't ring up right. He said, "cash??" and I said, "No, I used all my cash at the Dr's appt. I have NO cash. Just this debit card".

He walks away to run it, and comes back about 3 minutes later. Now, in this 3 minutes time, I *was* busy with Sophie. She was coughing in the seat behind me, so I was turned around making sure she was ok, and wasn't paying attention to what the guy was doing.

He comes back and says "Card no good, Card no good". And I look at my gas tank, and see that he had put $10 in! AFTER I freaking told him NOT to until he runs my card! So I told him this, as nice as I could. I swear I was nice. I'm *always* nice. He starts YELLING at me, telling me over and over "Give me $10, Give me $10". I told him I don't HAVE $10, I told him I have no cash and it was my only card. So he grabs my purse, sitting on my lap!!! I managed to wrestle it away from him, but he kept telling me to give him my purse so I can show him the money I have in there!! I pulled out my wallet and said, "LOOK -- I have NO cash. See? Only pennies".

Then the manager gets involved! wonderful. This guy was slightly better, and probably spoke triple the other guy's English vocab. He tried running the card through all 3 machines, and it wasn't going through. So I told them I would go to the bank, right across the street, and withdraw the money. The idiot guy said "There no money in there!! You got no money!!!". OMFG! I had to explain to him, AGAIN, that I DID have money.

So I drive over there, take out the money, and drive back. I say "See, I TOLD you there was money. I got this out of THIS card, the one you told me there was NO money in"..

Ugggghhh... I plan on never going back to that gas station, not after the way I was treated. And *especially* not after he grabbed my purse???!!!

My button of the week goes to....

2009-01-23T11:30:00.000-08:00

For those who don't know, my friend, and fellow Blogger, Stefanie and I have just started our new site, Bloggy Buttonz. Bloggy Buttonz is a cool place to go and get free buttons to display on other Blogs, and we also have the very special "Button of the Week", which you can award to your favorite Blog of the week.

SO, for this week, my Button of the Week goes to a really cool chick, Julie @ Cool Mom Guide.

I stumbled across Julie's site during the Mom Dot Christmas Blog party, and I've been hooked ever since. She has these hilarious "Random Tuesday" posts which I love, and it's her Wii fit fitness posts that keep me coming back.

Visit Julie, leave a comment, and check out all her other fun posts!

Here are the directions and rules:

Display each button you give with this:

(Insert 'Button of the Week' button or button of your choice here)
"I am giving this button to _____ because she______! Click here to view my favorite post from her this week. Go check her out and spread your own Button of the Week."

RULES:

~Give a button to someone else with the explanation above and these rules.
~ Display the button you received on your sidebar with a link back to Bloggy Buttonz.
~ Do a post telling everyone about the button you received with a link back to the person that gave it to you and Bloggy Buttonz.
~ Comment on that person's blog telling them they got a button from you on your blog.

Seriously -- are ALL Dr's offices like this??

2009-01-22T09:18:00.000-08:00

Or is it just our pediatrician? I've only ever dealt with this office since my boys were little (so 13 years now!) so it's always just been the way it is. I always say I'm going to change providers, but we never do...

I call today to make an appointment for Sophie. She's been coughing a lot at night, so much where it makes it hard for her to fall asleep... She coughs a lot when she goes outside in the morning when she breaths in the cold air, and she coughs a lot after dance class. The other day, after dance class, she came up to me and said "Mommy, my heart hurts". Poor thing.

So I do some research, and everything I come up with says Asthma. I had Asthma as a teenager, and the Dr thinks I had it as a child but nothing was ever done about it. But she doesn't have a cold, and is really never sick, and this has been going on for a long time.

The Dr's office, after hearing her symptoms, says "Oh yeah, the Dr is going to want to see her". So I get ready to make an appt, and she says "Can you come in at 1:00" (it's now 12:15 when I call).. NO, I can't come in at 1.. So I tell her this, and she says "Oh, well you'll have to call on the day you want to bring her in, and if they have an opening, you can bring her in that day"!!!

So, what -- am I supposed to take a day off work, call the Dr, and HOPE there's an appt for us? And if there's NOT, then I just have to do it all again the next day?? That seems kind of screwed up to me. Why can't I just make an appt for say, Monday, and call it a day???? Arrgghh..

Now I'll have to take a day off work, probably Monday, and call the Dr super early and hope I can get in. Yay!

*Drum Roll please.... Announcing an exciting new project!

2009-01-21T22:00:00.000-08:00

My friend Stefanie (http://allfromthelandofahhs.blogspot.com) and I are very excited to bring you.......

BLOGGY BUTTONZ!!!!!

What exactly *ARE* Bloggy Buttonz? Bloggy Buttonz are an AWESOME way to show some Bloggy love to your most favorite Blogs. Stefanie and I are *both* Blog-a-holics, and wanted to come up with a great way to leave comments, show some support, or just leave some cool 'buttonz' on whichever blogs you frequent.

If you're like us, so many times you type, "Hugs", or "LOL", or ANY number of commonly used phrases. Why not have buttonz for them?

At the Bloggy Buttonz site: (http://bloggybuttonz.blogspot.com/)., you'll find a whole bunch of buttonz to chose from -- everything from "Hugs", "Good Luck", "I Love Your Blog" (One of my personal favorites!", to a bunch of "Special Occasion" buttonz, and many, many more.

Check out the site today and start showing some Bloggy love!!

Wordless Wednesday

2009-01-21T00:24:00.000-08:00

Ahhh, wishing it were summer again! I can't stand this 20 degree weather we're having now!

Sophie & her big brother Matt....

One step closer....

2009-01-19T12:47:00.000-08:00

Ok, so only *some* of my closest friends know that for the past *6* years, I have been fighting to get a Breast reduction. I'm going to reveal something here that I HATE revealing to people -- my bra size... Are you ready for it??? It's a *44F* Yes, F -- as in freakishly large.

I've been told (by my Insurance company) that I'm not large enough. Huh?? Not large enough? What *would* be large enough? a 44H? 44J? Whatever. What gets me is that on the one chat forum I like to frequent, there are women there with MUCH smaller breasts than I have, who get approved with no problem at all. It's just not fair! *sigh*

So anyway, back in September, I tried AGAIN to get approved. I went to my Plastic Surgeon, and within days, the Insurance company said that IF I went through 6 months of treatment with an Orthopedist, got him to recommend reduction surgery, AND get a letter from my Primary Doctor saying that a reduction is necessary, THEN they would approve it. Sounds easy enough, right?

Let me tell you, it's SO freaking frustrating to go to an Orthopedist, fully knowing there's nothing they can do to help you! I saw the Orthopedist today; a stooped over 82 year old with an awesome sense of humor. He looked at me and said "why the hell are you back? what the hell am I supposed to do with you? Get those things hacked off!" LOL... He gave me pain pills and sent me on my way until next time!

He told me today that after I come back in April, he will write a absolutely glowing letter about how severe my neck and back problems are and how the only remedy for them is breast reduction surgery!! I hugged him, that's how happy I was. My primary doctor has already told me that he'd write me a letter, So BOTH of the requirements are met!

Whooo hooo! Now, I know most people wouldn't be happy about the prospect of getting appendages cut off, but I've been living with these huge weights as part of my body for soooo long, and I am SO freaking happy to get them reduced. I might even have a "Bye Bye Boobies" party!

WHY do the Eagles have to choke every time??

2009-01-18T17:16:00.000-08:00

My WHOLE family are huge Philadelphia Eagle's football fans, so by default, I am too.. I'll admit that I know NOTHING about football. I don't know what 1st and whatever means or any of that technical shit. All I know is that when they get close to the other teams goal area, you yell really loud. And that if they drop a ball (a fumble -- I do know that!) that's bad.

Things were looking good for our boys in green today, as they were the favorites in the NFC Championship game. ALL they had to do was beat the Arizona Cardinals and we'd be in the SUPER BOWL. Easy enough, right? You'd think!

They started sucking early on... They were down big time by the end of the first half, and we were all ready to give up hope. I left my parents house in the 3rd period, and I didn't want to even watch the rest of the game! We listened to it on the way home, and the game started picking up. By time we got home, we were winning again!

With just 8 minutes left, and us up by 1 lousy point, it looked liked we might be able to clinch it and win the game. If it were a normal team, we'd be able to do it. But it's not a normal team, it's the Eagle's, and the Eagle's have a loooong history of choking when it's most important! We ended up losing 32-25, dashing our Super Bowl hopes, AGAIN.

My poor father keeps waiting and waiting for a Super Bowl win for the Eagle's... He'll have to wait again, until they get their act together!

Random Ramblings...

2009-01-17T10:51:00.000-08:00

I meant to do this yesterday (Friday), as I tend to do Random Friday Ramblings. But I didn't get a chance to do it last night, so I'm doing it today :-)

This week has seriously been THE crappiest week ever. I won't go into the sordid details on here, but let's just say I've had a lot of personal family drama, and I'm pretty sure my parents won't be talking to me for a long while, which makes me really sad. I've cried enough about it, and now it's just a matter of letting time heal the wounds and hopefully letting things get back to normal...

I'm still SO annoyed at the couple sitting at the booth next to ours at Friendly's last night. They seriously looked at Peyton like he was a demon child, just because he was acting up. It was a 2 hour dinner from hell, and I was exhausted by the end of it, and my arm hurt from all the times Peyton hit and pinched me... Really, I don't know WHY I take him out to dinner anymore, other than I don't want my life to stop just because he has SPD.

It is SOOOO cold here today, as it's been for the past few days. I hate the cold! It's 13 degrees here today! The heat doesn't work well in our living room, because of something my husband did over the summer to get the air on in our bedroom upstairs, so now the living room is freezing and my nose feels like an ice cube. Plus the windows are really drafty so it's just adding to the cold! Brrrrr....

The Philadelphia Eagles are in the NFC Championship game tomorrow against the Arizona Cardinals! Whooo hooo, we're going to kick ass and we're going to the SUPER BOWL, BABY!!!!!!

I've had the Wii for for a WEEK now. I've been on it ONCE, and that was only for a fitness test. I suck.... I keep finding excuses not to exercise... However, the kids love it! Chris is on there now shaking his booty, doing the hoola hoop exercise. If he knew that I just blogged that he was shaking his booty, he would kill me!

This dieting stuff is HARD!

2009-01-14T16:49:00.000-08:00

It's Day 13 of "THE DIET", and I'm feeling majorly frustrated! I'm not a girl with a lot of patience -- I want things to be done NOW and I want to see results NOW. And so far, I really haven't seen any results, and I'm feeling like a failure!

I've made SO many changes... I cut out my major junk food habit. Before, I used to eat McDonalds or Wendy's at least 3 times a week. Not any more... I used to drink tons of soda a day -- Not anymore... I drink water or Diet Pepsi. I used to eat snacks all day long -- Not anymore... IF I have a snack during the day, it's a Protein bar or a 100 calorie cup cake. I feel like I'm starving myself, eating around 900 calories a day, and still nothing!!!

BUT, despite ALL those changes, the scale hasn't moved at all. Not one single bit... At least if I saw it go down a pound or two, I'd feel a little more encouraged. My good friend Gina keeps telling me that I'll see the difference in my clothes before I see the difference on the scale, but damn it -- I want to see the difference on the scale!

I got on the Wii fit tonight, and set up my profile and set my goal. My total goal is 50 lbs by July, but the Wii fit won't let you go up that high. So I chose my goal to be 22lbs in 3 months, which STILL puts me in the 'obese' category.

I'm sure (hopefully) I'll eventually start losing weight, but I don't know if I can be patient until that day comes!

Wordless Wednesday

2009-01-14T00:01:00.000-08:00

Have you ever seen a cuter 2 year old???

Something I never thought I'd admit....

2009-01-11T16:17:00.001-08:00

But I actually REALLY like diet coke!! Who'd have thought that me, Ms. 5 Mt. Dew a day drinker, would ever love Diet Coke. But it's true... I started drinking them last week, and now I'm hooked. I prefer them so much more over regular coke. My parent's convinced me today that it was okay to drink *one* Coke, and that it wouldn't hurt my diet.

Ughhh... It tasted like syrup!! How did I ever drink them before??

I've been so proud of myself that for the past week, I've been able to stick strongly to my diet. No fast food, no junk food, no soda, no snacks. I've been SUPER disciplined. I've even acquired a taste for protein bars!

I know it's only been a week, but I'm going through this week by week... Soon the weeks will add up, and then the months will add up and before you know it, I'll reach my goal -- losing 50 lbs by my 30th birthday on July 19th. I know it's a steep goal, but I KNOW if I'm determined and work my ass off, I CAN do it!!!

Rough day all around....

2009-01-11T16:04:00.000-08:00

I thought today was going to be a nice, relaxing day... Sophie & Peyton would be coming home from my husband's around 12, Matt would be coming home from church around 2, and Chris would be coming home from his dad's around 4. Christopher's belated birthday party (as he turned 13 on New Years Eve) was going to be today at 4. Easy enough day, right?

As soon as Peyton came home, I knew it wasn't going to be as relaxing as I thought. Most of you probably know that Peyton has Sensory Processing Disorder (SPD), and has a hard time with his senses, tactile feelings, emotions, etc. When he gets really tired, or really overwhelmed with his surroundings, he starts having issues. NOW, the thing that really irritates me is that when the O.T. is here, Peyton is SO well behaved. He sits and plays nicely, he follows directions, and is a real pleasure. I wish I could get her to see him when he gets overwhelmed, when he's throwing tantrums and smacking his head on the floor, or when he flops down when he's upset and refuses to move, and you kind of have to drag him to get him moving.

But anyway, Peyton was over tired today, and as the day got worse, his behavior got worse. He kept hitting me and shouting "NO" at me. He was throwing his famous tantrums and just giving me a really hard time.

Sophie was over tired as well, and SHE was acting up, which she never ever does. She was whiny and cranky and kept crying over the stupidest things... She refused to leave my parent's house and started crying because she wanted to go camping -- keep in mind it's like 25 degrees out.

So it's now 7:15 and I'm just counting down the time until they're both in bed. I know it's bad to wish your kids in bed, but I just SO need the quiet time tonight.

On a good note, my mother let me borrow her Wii fit today so I can get started exercising. I can't wait to start using it! I was going to start tonight, but after the day I've had, I just want to get in my Jammie's, crawl in bed, and watch Desperate Housewives!

Random Friday Ramblings....

2009-01-09T18:29:00.000-08:00

I'm so glad this week is over! It has been the week from hell. Every day seemed longer than the other, and by today, all the days just seemed to blend into one. It doesn't help that I had to drive to my IL's house every day this week to drop off the kids -- they live 35 minutes away, and in the morning's when it's crunch time, I never seem to make it on time. Every day this week I was barely making it into work by 8:30 a.m. One day traffic was so bad b/c of stupid RAIN that I didn't get in until 9 a.m.! whoops!

I'm so glad that I found out my phone is covered under warranty. My phone just decided to stop working a few days ago -- no one can hear me when I answer the phone, and even if I have it on speaker phone, I have to shout really loud and hope that the person on the other end can hear me. It's kind of hard to talk like that! thankfully the only person that really calls me is my husband and I can shout to him all I want. All I have to do now is drive 1/2 hr tomorrow to some fulfillment center which sounds really tricky to get to, and they'll replace my phone right there. Whoo hoo!

All the kids except for Matt (my 11 year old) are gone this weekend. My house is too quiet! I'm used to the sounds that Peyton makes while he's sleeping in the room next to me, but there's no sounds.... I straightened up the living room tonight and put all their toys back in their toy boxes, and I know the minute they get home Sunday night, ALL the toys will be thrown back out again!

I've made it a whole week on my new diet, and it's going really well!! I can notice subtle changes already. I've completely cut out my Code Red Mt Dew addiction, and instead have been sporadically drinking diet Coke. It's the taste of soda without the calories! I've been eating smaller portion sizes, and tonight when I tried to eat a 'real' meal, I got full so fast! Now I have to start exercising, which I'll start doing when I get the Wii fit, and I'll be on my way.

Gas is going up again -- yuck. I was loving the super low prices..

I have a busy day tomorrow, with lots of driving and lots of running around. I'd rather stay at home.

Some things are just a huge waste of time...

2009-01-09T18:19:00.000-08:00

So in a post a few days ago, I mentioned wanting to make a job change and alluded to a job that I found that I sent my resume in for. This job sounded good in the ad -- (don't they always) -- an Office Manager for a Paralegal office. I figured, "Well, I'm a Paralegal, and I can do Office Manager functions, so I'd be perfect for this job". So I sent off my resume, and waited...

Finally, at like 8:30 p.m. last night, I get an email from the office, a very generic form letter email, saying that they were going to be holding interviews from 11-4 today, and to email them back with a time slot. Umm, HELLO for the short notice!! I gathered up my nerve, replied back, and planned on going in at 12:30 today.

After totally missing the entrance and having to loop ALL the way around, like a 10 minute detour, I finally get there. I'm looking nice, I have my resume in a nice blue folder, along with a copy of my references, and I'm ready to wow them. I fill out the standard job application (which I haven't had to fill out in forever!) and am finally ready to meet with the attorney - it's a one attorney law firm.

I spend all of TEN minutes with him. He goes over my application with me, and starts asking me all these questions about why I want to leave my current job. He goes on to tell me that the economy is really crappy right now and no one can find a job.... At this point, I started to feel a bit odd about the interview.. I felt like he was totally talking me OUT of the job!?! And if that wasn't bad enough, he tells me that he's had over 200 resumes for this position, everyone wants the job, they're swamped with interviews, etc...

He didn't give me a chance to ask any questions about the office or the job, so I have virtually no idea what I'd be doing. All I know is that I'd be in charge of a Paralegal. He doesn't ask me any other questions other than why I'm looking to leave, and how long it'll take me to drive to the office!

I left feeling totally deflated. I hate getting all pumped up, psyching myself up to do a great job, and then just feeling totally let down. I wanted to cry on the way home. I blame my friend Gina for talking me into going! She told me I HAD to go & I would do great! Haha!

He did say that they would finish up the interviews today and pick the top 2-3 people and call them back for another round, so maybe there's still hope for me!

Wordless Wednesday

2009-01-07T16:23:00.000-08:00

Coming in late to Wordless Wednesday! Can you believe I totally forgot it was Wednesday until I saw the WW post at MOMDOT?

Here's my contribution! Sophie with her gazillion baby dolls that she acquired from her birthday and Christmas!

The journey of a thousand miles....

2009-01-05T18:39:00.001-08:00

Today is the day I decided that I'm done being fat & unhealthy, and I've decided to actively change that. I'm tired of waking up and craving soda and fatty foods. I know it's going to be hard, but I KNOW I can do this..

I plan on taking it day by day, until weeks go by, and then months... And before I know it, I'll be skinnier and healthier. I'll be able to run around with my kids and do more than I can do now.

I quit soda cold turkey yesterday.. Not sure how that's going to turn out. I have a serious 4 soda a day habit, with Code Red Mountain Dew being my drink of choice. I bought tons of flavored seltzer water and am going to drink that instead.

I'm trying to watch my portion sizes, and am drinking water all day to trick myself into feeling full.

I don't plan on posting tons of updates on my journey in this Blog, but I will post sporatic updates just to keep everyone posted. My idea is that once I put it in writing here on this Blog, i'm going to (hopefully) feel more motivated to actually accomplish my goals!

Would someone please come shoot my van?

2009-01-05T18:28:00.000-08:00

I'm currently searching for someone that will come out and shoot my van to put it out of misery. Please? I'll pay you well... LOL...

This is the second time in a month that my car has been in the shop. The first time, it died on me 40 minutes from my house, had to be towed back to the mechanic shop, and needed a brand new battery and a serpentine belt. Final bill -- $350.00

Fast forward to Christmas Eve, when I start off on our drive to my cousin's house, and I hear the lovely sound of metal on metal brakes. Niiiiice!!! So I finally got the car into the shop this morning (I should also note that it had failed inspection for one inoperable wiper blade, and one damaged wiper bloade). It ended up needing new breaks, new rotors, and 2 new windshield wipers. Final bill -- $240.00

So yes, in the past month, my P.O.S. car, with 118,000 miles on it, has needed almost $600 in repairs. I should just drive it into a ditch and collect the insurance on it. I am fully convinced that this is not the last time the damn thing is going to need to go into the shop. I just hope this doesn't turn into a monthly occurance!!

Sophie's Holiday dance show (a little late!)

2009-01-03T09:41:00.000-08:00

So her show was a few weeks ago -- almost a month ago by now, I guess, but I've finally gotten around to uploading it to You Tube (thanks to my genius teenager!). It's about two minutes long, so it's not horrible to sit through. She's the first blonde girl you see -- enjoy :-)

Contemplating a job change in 2009

2009-01-03T09:25:00.000-08:00

There's something about the New Year that always makes me want to start looking for a new job. I don't know, I guess I just always think that the new year is about making new changes and tackling new challenges, and what's a bigger change than a whole new job, right?? But I'm scared!

I have kind of a history of changing jobs. I get bored easily, and I always want to move on to bigger and better things. Every one of my jobs has been a step up, so it's not a bad thing. I've been in my current job, a Paralegal for a Social Security/Disability law firm, for almost 2 years now. I hate it! I started out liking it, but things got really stressful really quick, and I ended up taking on too much and (literally) almost had a nervous breakdown. I ended up having to take a pay cut and a less responsible position in the firm in order to keep my sanity. And now I'm just bored.

I've been looking around on Craigslist and found a job that I think I would be really great at. It combines all my skills and background, it's close to where I work now, and it's in my salary range. But I can't get over my fear of actually putting my resume out there and applying! I've gotten comfy in my job -- I know I can go to work wearing jeans and sneakers without having to look nice at all. I know that if I need to take a day off because of the kids of for the holiday's, no one would really care much. This job I'm interested in is much more 'responsible' and I don't know if I would have those luxuries. And what happens if I actually have to dress up every day?? ugghhh..!!!!

I guess it doesn't hurt to email my resume and see what happens. I just hate interviewing! I'm actually great at interviews, but they're so nerve wracking!

I'll keep everyone posted -- wish me luck :-)

Happy 2009!

2009-01-01T10:08:00.000-08:00

I hope everyone had a safe, happy, fun filled New Years Eve! Ours didn't turn out as I would've planned it, but it was still spent with the people I love the most in the world - my family, so I can't complain... I only cried a little at midnight, in the comfort of my old bedroom at my parents, when I allowed myself to realize that I wasn't ringing in the New Year with a sweetheart. I don't know what the New Year will hold -- who knows, maybe my husband and I will work things out and we'll be celebrating New Year's Eve 2009 as a happy couple. Or, I'll still be single, but I'll be

happy about things. The year is full of possibilities!

Sophie stayed up to Midnight for her very first time, and she had such a great time. She had a dance party with Grandmom, and played Wii bowling with her big brothers. Peyton couldn't hang and ended up falling asleep by 11 - he gave it a noble try, though.

Here's Peyton doing bowling with Christopher:

And here's Sophie taking a turn!

Sophie & Grandmom's dance party!

And me & Christopher celebrating his actual 13th Birthday!

Wordless Wednesday

2008-12-31T00:00:00.000-08:00

This week's Wordless Wednesday is in honor of my son, Christopher's, 13th birthday. Happy Birthday, my TEENAGER!!!!

I know it's cliche ....

2008-12-30T18:01:00.000-08:00

But I've been thinking a lot about New Years resolutions the past few weeks. Usually I make the same three resolutions every year -- lose weight, become more financially stable, and become more organized. Pretty standard, right? Only I never do anything to accomplish any of those.

However, this year, I have a confession to make. I am desperate to lose weight. I want to make that my resolution, but I'm afraid. I'm afraid of mumbling the words "I want to lose weight", because I know I'm going to fail at it. I have zero will power. I am an emotional eater, and I have a LOT of emotional, stress filled things going on in my life right now. I turn to food for comfort, and that food turns to pounds. *Lots* of pounds.

I haven't always been fat. Quite the contrary. I used to have a body that would turn heads. I used to be super skinny and athletic. It wasn't until about 5 years ago that I started having a problem with my weight. What happened five years ago? It was a combination of things, I guess.. My eating habits starting getting worse, I went through a lot of health issues, I had 2 kids, I had a total hysterectomy, and I went on heavy psych meds, ALL which messed with my weight. Before I realized it, I've gained 60 lbs in the last 5 years! If you divide it by 5 years, that's only 12 lbs a year -- which doesn't sound too bad, right? BUT, most of that weight has been within the past 3 years, which means I've gained a whopping 20 lbs a year!

I'm miserable in my own body. I cringe when I see myself in mirrors, and I avoid pictures at all costs. My 4 year old tells me on a some what regular basis to move my big fat butt, and even though she doesn't know what she's saying, it's just the fact that she *knows* that I have a big fat butt that kills me. I feel like a prisoner in my own body.. No one looks at the fat girl. I avoid people's eyes because I'm ashamed of the way I look....

I opened up the latest issue of US weekly last week, and I saw the article on the winner of the Biggest Loser, and I just wish I could do something like that. I wish I had the dedication and the willpower to totally overhaul my eating habits and get my ass to a gym. I want to be skinny and I want to be healthy. I want to set a good example for my children.

I don't know if I'm actually going to have the strength to go forward with this desire to lose weight, or if it's going to be another year of being miserable in my body while chugging away Code Red Mountain Dew's and throwing back the fast food. I just know that by putting this out there, I'm hoping I can look back on this in the weeks and months to come and (hopefully) draw some inspiration to get moving.

I would LOVE to come back to this post this time next year, at the very end of 2009, and be a skinnier, healthier, happier person... One can hope, right?

Merry Christmas to me!!

2008-12-29T17:28:00.000-08:00

This is just reason #1001 why my parents are the best parents in the world. They attempted to purchase me an IPhone for Christmas, but since my plan isn't available for an upgrade until May (bummer!), they ended up giving me the value of the IPhone on a Best Buy Gift card.

My parents told me I could either use it for an IPhone in May, or use it for whatever I wanted at Best Buy... Well..... Since I'm never one to wait for ANYTHING, and because it seems I'm in desperate need of a new digital camera since my crappy camera decided to pick Christmas day to die, off I went to Best Buy to purchase a new one.

After much research and nail biting (and a LOT of second guessing!) I picked this puppy:

It's the Fuji Fine Pix S2000 HD and it's AWESOME!! I'm still working on how to use it - it's a lot harder than it looks!

Check out this You Tube video of Chris doing an 'unboxing' of the camera - he was very excited to film it with his new camera and post it to You Tube with his new Laptop!

Our Christmas, in pictures...

2008-12-25T17:13:00.000-08:00

Here's some of the highlights of our Christmas celebration. Some of my favorite pictures, of Chris getting his lap top, are on another CD that my brother has to burn for me, since my camera is a P.O.S. Enjoy :-)

Sophie getting ready to sprinkle some reindeer food (oatmeal mixed with glitter) on Grandmom's front lawn. She fell asleep last night before she got a chance to do it! She's holding her new PJ Sparkle's doll, which was a very special gift from Santa!

Sophie, Peyton & Big brother Chris sprinkling the Reindeer food.

Sophie & Peyton, anxiously awaiting the start of the present opening.....

My strange son, Chris, ready to conquer the presents!

Peyton opening up one of his presents. Note the Police helment on his head! He refused to take it off! LOL

Sophie with Holly & Molly (she picked the names, with the help of Grandmom). These twins are so cool - they're interactive and talk with each other! Very cool!

Sophie with her P.J. Sparkles doll. When we went to go see Santa, she had Chris cut out a picture of this doll, and she brought it with her to see Santa and told Santa it was all she wanted for Christmas -- this was 4 days before Christmas and the *first* time I had heard she wanted the doll. Thankfully, Grandmom and Poppop came to the rescue, and saw to it that Sophie received a VERY nice letter from Santa, as well as her very special doll....

Just a random picture of my two favorite cuties in their cozy PJ's :-)

Merry Christmas To All, And To All A Good Night!

2008-12-25T16:11:00.000-08:00

Whew! What a Christmas that was! Despite the hectic-ness (is that a word?) of it all, we managed to have a WONDERFUL Christmas.

I don't have any pictures to post as of yet, as my stupid, stupid camera decided to finally up and die on Christmas morning. I've been having problems with it for the past few months with the battery - I would put a battery in and (at first) a week later, it would be dead... And then it would be a couple days until the battery would die. And then within the last week or so, it would be mere hours until the battery would die. UGH!! This morning I made sure to put fresh batteries in my camera, and I managed to take a whopping 10 pictures before it completely shut off on me and refused to work again. I put another set in and it wouldn't even turn on. So thankfully my father was taking pictures with his fancy camera, and my brother will be burning me a disc with those pictures. I'd be lost if I didn't have pictures of Christmas! There were SO many great photo opportunities throughout the day.

One of my favorite moments of today was when my mother and father gave Chris his early birthday present (he's turning 13 on New Years Eve). He got a lap top, a VERY nice lap top, which is what he's wanted for years. He was so touched by it all that he actually cried! This is a kid that usually shows ZERO emotions and is embarrassed by emotions (what almost teenage boy isn't? LOL). He had to go upstairs and compose himself, and kept saying "I can't believe this, this is too awesome" over and over again. He's now currently happily watching his new Grease movie on it!

I hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas, filled with memories and special moments..... I spent weeks saying I wish that Christmas would hurry up and come so it would be done already, and now I wish I could get a little piece of that magic back!

Merry Christmas!

Happy 4th Birthday, my Princess Sophie

2008-12-22T17:33:00.000-08:00

My Princess, Sophie, is FOUR years old today! Happy Birthday, little girl! I was SO, SO estatic when I found out I was having a girl. In a house with two boys already, a girl was such a welcome surprise. You have become my ally, my mini me, my best friend. You are like a ray of sunshine, and you make every day a gift. I love you so mu ch, and you truly are the best little girl out there. I love you, peanut!!

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas!

2008-12-22T17:27:00.000-08:00

No, there's no snow (which is what everyone thinks of when they hear this snow), but Christmas it a mere days away and my house is in full Christmas mode. Cookies have been baked, final decorations have been put up, and our menorah has been lit (because you know, we *do* celebrate Hanukkah as well!)

NOW, the one thing that has *not* been done is the final wrapping. What can I say, I'm a procrastinator. Actually, that's not entirely true. I attempted to wrap all the presents on Saturday. I sat down with wrapping paper, scissors, and tape, and put on ABC family and watched Christmas movies. A whopping hour into it, I ran out of tape. Fine, I'll just use brown packing tape. Not ten minutes after that, I run out of wrapping paper! With 5 presents left to wrap! damn it!!!!

So I had to put everything away, and run to the dollar store the next day to get more paper (and another pair of scissors, since somehow my scissors mysteriously disappeared overnight). So now, at 8:30 at night, even though I'm utterly exhausted, I have to trudge downstairs and wrap.

Thankfully my very good friend Gina is going to keep me company via text messaging while wrap together. Gotta love the company of good friends :-)

Random Friday Ramblings....

2008-12-19T16:48:00.000-08:00

Is it Christmas yet? I don't know about you, but I can't *wait* for Christmas to be over. It seems like Christmas has been hanging over my head forever and it's slowly barreling towards me. I'm SO not prepared. I'm not even going to bore you with the amount of stuff I have left to do (but trust me -- there's a lot, and I'm quickly running out of time). I need a time machine to take me back a few weeks so I can try to get some of this stuff done!

I'm SO excited about the Philadelphia Phantoms game tomorrow. I'm so happy that I won the tickets from work, and Chris is so excited to go! It'll be a good time; a way to relax and unwind from all this crazy holiday stress... Of course, I'll be stressed driving there because I *always* get lost driving to the stadium. I suck driving at nighttime, and because I've only been to the stadium a handful of times, I'm never quite sure of where I'm going. Last time we went, I got so lost and Chris had a mini panic attack in the car because he thought we were going to be late (we ended up making it on time!)

I can't believe my baby girl is going to be 4 on Monday. Where did the time go? I vividly remember going to the hospital at 5 a.m. on Dec 22nd for my scheduled C-section, scared out of my mind because it was the first baby I had in 9 years and I was afraid I had forgotten everything. I was so excited to find out I was having a girl, after having 2 boys (and subsequently having another boy! Sophie and I are outnumbered in the house!). She was my early Christmas present and has been such a complete and total pleasure. She's a wonderful, sweet, calm, loving big girl and I love her more and more every day!

Hanukkah starts on Monday. Yes, I celebrate both. Hanukkah is MUCH less stressful than Christmas. I love Hanukkah because you can enjoy the beauty of the simplicity of the holiday -- lighting the menorah to symbolize the miracle of the oil lasting for 8 days. We're going to an Ice skating party sponsored by the Synagogue. I have NO idea how it's going to turn out -- Peyton does NOT do well around crowds, and I haven't quite figured out how I'm going to keep control of him while on ice skates. I don't even know IF I'm going to brave ice skates. I'm not exactly in the best of shape. If anyone shouldn't be on ice skates, it's me!

By time my next Friday ramblings come around, Christmas will be done! Hooray!

Wow! It's my 100th post!

2008-12-18T17:45:00.000-08:00

Happy 100th Post to me!!!

I started this blog on Oct 9th, and I never could imagine reaching 100 posts. That just seemed like a huge number to me. But here it is, 2 1/2 months later and here I am! I've learned so much about the wonderful world of Blogging since starting this Blog, and I've even made some new friends, which has been really great. It's great to have a place to come every day, or every few days, and just blog about what's going on in my life. I got to participate in the Mom Dot Christmas Blog Party, which was SO much fun and really introduced me to a lot of great Mommy Bloggers!

Here's to another great 100 posts!

Temper Tantrums a plenty!

2008-12-18T09:36:00.000-08:00

Last night was the kid's Holiday show at the Daycare center, and really; I had such high hopes for the show. I was looking forward to seeing Sophie sing (her 3 year old class would be singing 3 songs) and even Peyton's class (the 2 year old class) would be 'singing' (as much as 2 year old's can!), and I was REALLY hoping that Peyton would try to sing. Boy, was I sadly mistaken!

I guess I should remind anyone reading this (or explain to people for the first time), that Peyton has Sensory Processing Disorder (SPD). It's a neurological condition, and it basically means that the child's brain can't process all the senses at one time and gets overloaded. Peyton has a hard time when he gets over stimulated - like if we go out to dinner, then shopping, he almost always has a meltdown. And his melt downs include him making himself throw up by sticking his fingers down his throat -- soooo not a pretty sight for a 2 year old. He also has a lot of other issues -- he hates to have blankets or anything too 'heavy' on him and will strip down naked to avoid the feel of clothes on him, he throws MANY temper tantrums SEVERAL times a day (for no reason), and hates noisy/crowded places (but then again, so does Mommy and Daddy, so I can't blame the kid for that).

SO, without even thinking about how he always has nervous breakdowns in public places, I tote them off to the daycare center, camera in hand, all ready to see my babies sing. I get there, and as soon as we walk in, he throws his first tantrum. He's on the floor, kicking and screaming and yelling "No, Mommy, no!!!"... So after several minutes of trying to get him to go into the classroom with his friends, I decide I"ll sit in the audience with him and let him wait until he sees his friends walk onto the stage and bring him up there to sing. NOPE. He wants nothing to do with that either. I take him outside, and he's finally happy, pointing out "Mommy school bus, mommy truck, mommy car, mommy light".. LOL. I bring him back inside, kids are singing, and he starts shrieking again, causing everyone to turn and look at us. The Director tries to calm him down by giving him his favorite stickers -- no go. She tries to show him a picture of her mini schanuzer -- nope, he's still freaking out.

OK, apparently Peyton wants nothing to do with this holiday show. I managed to see Sophie mouth the words to her 3 songs (she was apparently too nervous to sing, as were all the other kids...!) and then we left, before Peyton's class even had a chance to go on stage.

Oh well. Maybe next year? I'm hoping that all his work with his O.T. will pay off after a year and I can see him sing for once! I felt so let down and sad for Peyton, thinking this would be his life -- having tantrums once he's around too much noise and chaos! :-(

Wordless Wednesday

2008-12-17T05:00:00.000-08:00

Here's Peyton, Chris, and my evil, evil kitten (although he looks innocent here, don't let it fool you!)

To splurge or not to splurge. That is the question!

2008-12-16T18:04:00.000-08:00

I don't know if it's because it's coming down to the wire, or because I'm just desperate to feel some kind of joy this holiday season, but I'm seriously considering getting this for Peyton for Christmas:

I mean, HOW freaking awesome would it be for Peyton to have his very own ride on dinosaur? It has realistic sounds, it stomps it's feet, AND it pretends to eat a leaf that you feed it. What 2 year old wouldn't want that? And the best part is the price -- retail price is $299, which turned me off right away as soon as I saw it, even though Peyton went absolutely crazy when he saw it set up in the store. But Target just lowered the price to $99! WAY more affordable.

So now I'm thinking to myself, do I want to splurge and spend $99 on a present for my 2 year old? Am I crazy? I don't know where the hell I'd put it. I can't really stick a 3 foot tall dinosaur in the toy corner of my living room. I see my 12 and 11 year old wanting to ride on it. I can even see Peyton being scared of it at first, probably refusing to get on it. All of these should be warning signs, but DAMN it I feel like I NEED to buy it!!!

Stay tuned. We'll see if my impulsiveness kicks in and I end up buying this bad boy, or the voice of reason comes over me and I save the $.

I have ZERO Christmas spirit this year

2008-12-14T17:52:00.000-08:00

Here it is, mere days before Christmas, and I have NO desire for Christmas to come at all. Usually I look forward to all the preparations -- the tree, the lights, the decorations, the Christmas shopping, etc. This year; nothing. I feel like I'm going through the motions. I shop aimlessly, and nothing excites me. I have the tree up, but I think it looks awful. Let me tell you, after the freaking cat knocked the tree down three times, the tree has taken quite a beating. The branches aren't sitting right, and aren't 'fluffed' enough. The lights are all messed up, and somehow all the ornaments have disappeared. How the hell do ornaments disappear from a tree? I think a little blond boy had something to do with it, in cohorts with the damn cat.

Every year I used to look forward to seeing what my husband bought me for Christmas. He always did a good job of listening to little hints I dropped all year, and would buy a big gift bag and load all my presents into it. This year, we won't be exchanging presents and last year might have been our last Christmas together, which makes me sad thinking about. We won't get to share Christmas morning together with the kids. Instead, they'll be waking up with me Christmas morning, and then going out with him for the rest of the day into the next day.

Nothing just seems 'right' this year and it's depressing me. I want things to be happy and magical again. I wish I wasn't wishing Christmas would hurry up and be over with so I can stop being so sad :-(

Random Sunday Ramblings..

2008-12-14T17:41:00.001-08:00

I usually try to do this on Friday's, but Friday was my Holiday office party and it completely slipped my mind to do it. SO since I have a lot on my mind today, I figured it'd be a perfect time to shake things up a bit and do it on a Sunday!

I'm so glad Sophie & Peyton got to see Santa today! Our town does a mini Santa parade when Santa and a few fire trucks come around each neighborhood, with Santa standing on the back of the fire truck. They never announce when it's going to be ahead of time, so it's always exciting when you see it coming. Now Sophie wont' stop asking when Santa's coming 'for real'. I keep telling her we only have 11 more days, but to an almost 4 year old, that probably seems like a life time!

I HAVE to get to the post office this week. Somehow going to the post office has become one of my most hated tasks, and I hardly ever go there. I think it's because the closest post office to my work is kind of hard to get to - it's too far to walk, but it's really hard to park at, so I never go during my lunch hour. And I keep saying I'll go on a Saturday morning, but I never end up getting there. I have to ship ONE box, and I finally found a box that everything will fit into, so all I have to do is get my lazy butt to the post office!

Peyton squeezed a whole bottle of red Crayola craft paint today ALL over my one couch cushion. I was so angry! I was washing dishes and Sophie kept telling me Peyton was doing something, but I couldn't understand what she was saying. So after the 2nd time, I went to investigate, and I found the huge puddle of paint on my black and white cushion. All I can say is thankfully it was washable paint, so I was able to wash the cushion in the sink and put it outside to dry. It's on my back porch so hopefully an animal doesn't come in the middle of the night and mess with it.

I never baked Christmas cookies with Sophie today, and I was secretly relieved that she forgot all about it. I need to get a cookie pan. I usually buy those disposable ones, but I ran out of them baking cookies for Thanksgiving. Hopefully I remember to pick one up so we can bake our cookies. The girl has a mind like a steel trap and I'm surprised she forgot!

Only 11 days to Christmas, and I have SO much to do still! I don't know how I'm going to get it all done.

Sophie's birthday is a week from tomorrow -- she'll be 4. Where did my baby go? I looked at her today and realized what a big girl she's turning into. *sniff*. We're going Ice skating for her birthday, since it also falls on the first day of Hanukkah. Our Synagogue is having a free ice skating party, so I figure it's the perfect excuse to turn it into a birthday celebration as well!

Seriously... I AM going to strangle my kitten

2008-12-12T17:32:00.000-08:00

I seriously think this cat has it out for me. I treat him nice. I clean his liter box on a twice daily basis, I make sure he has enough food and water, and I stroke behind his ears when he sits on my lap. But WHY oh why does he insist in taunting me the way he does???

My Christmas tree has been leaning up against my living room wall for the past few days, since the last time the shithead knocked it down. Tonight I got tired of looking at it sitting there, so I struggled, by myself, to get the tree back in the base, screw the bolts in, and get all the ornaments on it.

I go into the bathroom to clean up and get ready to go upstairs, and not FIVE minutes later, I hear the same CRASH that I heard just mere days ago. I knew what had happened -- the freaking cat got to the tree AGAIN.

Sure enough, I walk out in the living room and the tree is toppled over on its side again. *Sigh*. Why does he do this to me? I'm really starting to wonder if I should just skip a tree this year, but that seems highly unfair to the kids. Or maybe get one of those little table top trees and put it on top of a table. OR I can just do what I've wanted to do all along, and secretly let my kitten escape out the front door.

Ugh.

Kittens + Christmas tree = nothing but trouble

2008-12-10T18:06:00.000-08:00

I swear, I am going to STRANGLE my kitten. He's not cute; he's a trouble maker. We found this cat as a stray, and my kids begged me to bring him home. Here we are, three months later, and I'm ready to secretly leave the door open and let him wander outside, hopefully never to come back.

We put the tree up a few weeks ago, and it's been torture with him ever since. He is constantly trying to bat the lights down or the ornaments off. OR he's jumping with all his might straight into the middle of the tree, and I'm always afraid he's going to knock it over.

Well, tonight it happened. I'm sitting upstairs working on the computer and I hear a horrendous crash. I run downstairs and there's the tree, on it's side, with half the ornaments on the floor. Kitty is sitting right there, taking it all in. You would THINK he'd have the sense to at least hide if he knew he was in trouble. But cat's don't realize they're in trouble, because they're stupid. And it wasn't like he cared that he just knocked over a 7 1/2 foot Christmas tree. He sat there and batted an ornament around while I yelled at him.

So now I can't get the tree back into it's base. It's in this old base that my father gave me, where there's screws that tighten up and hold the base of the tree into the metal base. I'm going to have to find a way to rig it up tomorrow, and pray that stupid ass doesn't knock it over again. It's going to be a long 2 weeks until Christmas know that he knows how to knock over the tree.

Anyone want him? I'll ship him for free and I promise I'll poke big enough holes in the box.....

When will the bad luck end??

2008-12-10T17:58:00.000-08:00

So today was another banner day for me. I'll just start out by saying I'm not having ANY luck with cars this week, and I'm soooo ready for all this bad luck to blow away and for some good luck to start coming my way.

I dropped the kids off at my in-laws house today, 35 minutes away from home.... I went back out to my dad's truck, which I've been driving since my car broke down. It was then I realized that even though I still had ALL the keys in my hand, the damn key for the truck *and* the remote had fallen off somehow and were sitting right in Peyton's car seat. Damn, Damn, Damn, Damn, Damn!!!!

So my Father In Law drives me back to my parents, which would normally take 30 minutes if he was normal and took the highway, took almost 45 minutes because he took every back road known to man. If anyone knows me, they'll know that I HATE being stuck in a car with someone and having to make small talk. It was a torturous ride.

We get all the way back to my FIL's house, and I'm all excited because I have the keys in my hand. I put it into the lock, turn it, and nothing -- the doors won't open. FIL tries it -- still won't open. Say it with me -- "Damn, Damn, Damn, Damn, Damn".

So I do what I've avoided doing all morning, and called the Lock Smith. UGH. I HATE waiting for lock smiths. An hour and $95 later, I was into my dad's truck. Talk about disasters.

Tonight I picked up my van from my parents -- it apparently needed a new battery and serpentine belt, which I have NO idea what that does. All I know is that it cost me $350. Ouch!!!

Needless to say, I'm afraid to drive my car, or any car, anymore. I'm afraid the bad luck is going to continue and something else is going to break in my van!

Wordless Wednesday

2008-12-10T00:00:00.000-08:00

This is Sophie after her dance recital on Saturday. We came out of the theater and look who we found waiting for the kids?

How do you explain death to an (almost) 4 year old?

2008-12-09T09:40:00.000-08:00

I know this sets a somber mood to my Blog for today, but it's been on my mind since yesterday and I wanted to get it out there. My Sister in Law is very sick, and they are basically only giving her months to live. My daughter, who will be 4 in a couple of week, is VERY close to her. She idolizes her aunt.

Yesterday when she came home from my IL's (my MIL watches them every other week), she started crying as soon as she walked in the door when I asked about my SIL. She looked at me and said "Mommy, she's going to die and I don't want her to die". My poor heart broke. Today, she brought one of her flowers that she got from her dance recital to Aunt PJ and told my MIL that she wanted to give it to her to remember her by when she dies! She was SO upset and I had no words to say to her. I'm awful when it comes to death; I've been fortunate that not many people close to me have passed away. But she's 4, so I don't know what to tell her.

I talked to my MIL today briefly about it, and she told me she's been telling Sophie that Aunt PJ is going to be a Princess Angel when she passes, and that made me cry as soon as I got into the car. I don't want Sophie to have to go through the hurt of losing someone so close to her....

My MIL did give me a pamphlet called "Discussing Death with Children", but I feel like it's going to be too depressing to read.... That might be something my husband and I have to band together to do together with her, to kind of get her prepared for what's going to happen.

How much is too much?

2008-12-07T17:34:00.001-08:00

This might seem petty to some, but this has been something that has been bothering me lately, and today it kind of came to a head. Currently, I'm a single mom (at least until my husband decides what he wants to do!) and things are tight around here. With Christmas coming up, I've been stressing over how I'm going to stretch the dollars and buy enough stuff for the kids. Now, this is part of the pettiness -- I *know* Christmas isn't about how many gifts a child gets, but c'mon -- how many children wouldn't be upset if they just saw 2 or 3 presents under the tree?

So anyway, I've purchased presents for the youngest 2 kids, and my oldest 2 are only getting one big present each, and that's it. Their big presents are expensive enough. I find out today that my one sister is buying her 3 kids 13 presents each (!) and my other sister (who is also a single mother and makes less than I do), is buying her daughter (an only child) 10 presents, including a lap top AND an Ipod touch.

This just makes me feel instantly crappy. I know that on Christmas day, all the cousins are going to get together and talk about what 'Santa' brought them, and I already feel bad for my kids, knowing they're going to say "I only got one present". They *do* get spoiled over my parents house, but shouldn't they be spoiled at home, too?

My oldest son knows there is no such thing as Santa, and he's okay with the present I'm buying him . I've told my middle son, who is 11, several times that Santa at our house is just going to bring him 1 or 2 things because of what he asked for and he seems okay with it.

I just want them to have a good Christmas and feel like they're loved..... I don't want them to be disappointed, and I think I'm stressing out extra this year because I'm alone, and I want them to have a 'normal' Christmas.

THE crappiest day ever! (at least in a while!)

2008-12-07T17:21:00.000-08:00

So today started out pretty good, for all of about 2 hours. Sophie had Hebrew school, which she absolutely loves. She missed last month (the 3&4 year olds only go once a month), so she was anxious to go this month. Plus, she was learning about Hanukkah this time, which she was really excited about!

I drop her off, and the rest of us make a run for McDonald's. Since the Temple is about 20 miles from our house, and she's only there for 2 hours, it doesn't make sense for us to go back and forth to home. We eat breakfast, and then go back to the Temple for the Hanukkah fair they were having (all kinds of vendors set up). I found a really pretty necklace for $10, I pick up Sophie from her class, and we get ready to leave.

And this, folks, is when the disaster strikes. My car won't start. I keep turning it over, and it just goes, "click, click, click". NOTHING is going to make it start. It's about 30 degrees outside, and windy as all hell, and I have 3 kids in the car and I'm starting to panic.

Thankfully, my father is a GOD and through several frantic cell phone calls (on my part), he was able to set up a tow truck to drive the 20 miles (eek -- I don't even want to SEE that bill!) tomorrow morning to pick up my van. So my husband has to drive up to pick us up and drop us off at my brother's house, so my brother can take us to my parents for dinner.

Why does the bad crap always happen to me? For once, I'd LOVE to have a month (or even a week!) where something bad doesn't happen. It always seems like I'm bouncing from one disaster to another, and believe me -- it's not fun.

So hopefully the van will be fixed soon. We're riding around in my father's pick up truck and it's a tight fit. I'm just thankful I have a way to get the kids to daycare tomorrow and get to work!

*sigh*

Random Friday Ramblings....

2008-12-05T16:53:00.000-08:00

Friday's always seem like a good day to do Random Ramblings... I always have a lot on my mind by the end of the week and with the approaching weekend. I don't think there's ever a time when my head is quiet and not filled with random thoughts!

I'm dreading going out Christmas shopping tomorrow. I KNOW it needs to be done, but I'm still dreading it. Thankfully my 12 year old (who has since stopped believing in Santa) is going to be my helper. So at least I'll have a buddy. Crowds scare me. I'm not facing Toys R Us -- I think that store will drive me nuts! I'm going to hit Target and get most of the stuff I wanted for the younger kids.

I'm annoyed that work isn't giving us our Holiday bonuses until the 19th. There's much debate in my office over this. YES, I know that bonuses aren't a mandatory thing, and YES, I appreciate that we're getting them, period. I know a lot of companies don't give them out. BUT, a lot of people (myself included) were banking on getting them with this pay so we can get a start on Christmas shopping. But waiting until 5 days before Christmas to give bonuses? That's just crappy, IMO.

Sophie's first dance recital is tomorrow - her holiday one. I'm so nervous for her! she's already starting to get nervous and is telling me she's afraid. I hope she doesn't panic on the stage.

I have no life. I've been SO excited all day because tonight is the premier of the Drake & Josh Christmas movie on Nickelodeon. Is it sad that I'm really excited to watch the movie with the kids? I should be watching grown up shows, not tween shows. *sigh*

I have to get blood work done tomorrow morning. Yuck. I HATE getting blood work done. I have to do it every 3 months or so, and I have crappy veins, so they always have a hard time finding my vein. I put it off until the absolute last minute and now tomorrow is the last day I can get it done.

OK... enough rambling for now :-)

Christmas music, 24/7

2008-12-04T09:18:00.000-08:00

My daughter, in her almost 4 year old wisdom, has become obsessed with Christmas music. As in, she can't have enough of it. God forbid I'm in the car and I try to change it to my favorite morning show. I hear "Nooooo, Mommy -- CHRISTMAS music".!!

We get home, and the first thing she does is turn on the little radio we keep near the Christmas tree, which is always set to Christmas music. She loves to dance around and sing to the songs. It's so cute to see! Even her little brother gets into it, dancing like a little fool in the middle of the living room.

I asked her the other day why she likes Christmas music so much. In her most serious, grown up voice, she looks me straight in the eye and said "because it makes my heart happy" !! Where does she gets this stuff??!

So it looks like I"ll be sentenced to the torture of listening to Christmas music (at least while they're in the car and while we're at home!) for the next 3 weeks. Fun!!

Now what should be interesting is when she goes to Hebrew school on Sunday and tells her teacher how much she loves Christmas music! LOL....

I've had "Santa Claus is coming to town" stuck in my head for weeks now...... blah!

Product Review: Allergy Labels by Label Daddy

2008-12-03T17:47:00.000-08:00

When I was asked to review Allergy Label products by Label Daddy, I was excited. I had seen Label Daddy's site before, and I thought the Allergy Label's would be a great way to permanently remind both my mother and my In-laws exactly what my children's food allergies were. It seems like they're always giving my kids peanut butter and saying "But I forgot they were allergic to Peanut Butter". With allergy labels, now there's no more guessing.

So, just who is Label Daddy? Label Daddy is the brain child of two friends of over 20 years, Scott and Greg. With backgrounds in the Financial field and the Garment industry, respectfully, they had spent many years thinking of ideas that would bring them financial success. As they grew and had families of their own, it only seemed natural to provide a product that would help families with children.

Label Daddy went live on January 14, 2008 and currently has a support team consisting of an in house designer, website programmer, and agent coordinator who makes sure all of their agents throughout the USA have everything they need to promote their products.

While the easiest way to purchase Label Daddy products is through their website, http://www.labeldaddy.com/, Label Daddy products are also available at shows and boutiques that the company participates in. One awesome thing I learned from Scott is that the company has just rolled out affiliate marketing program and currently have 500+ affiliates displaying Label Daddy banners on their websites.

When I asked Scott what Momdot readers would be surprised to find out about the company, he answered that "we are 2 Daddies who truly care! We handle all customer service inquiries personally and promptly. We are 100% involved in the production and operations throughout the organization and take so much pride in this venture."

Now.... onto the review! I have to say it -- this product is AWESOME. I got the labels the day after Thanksgiving and I couldn't wait to apply them. The first thing I noticed is how easy the labels were to apply. I was worried about making a mistake, and the first time I put one on Peyton's sippy cup, I did get a few bubbles underneath the label. It was so easy just to lift the label up and realign it. I was a little worried that because of how easy it was to unstick it, it wouldn't be permanent as the website said. I let it sit over night and tried taking the label off the next day -- it was stuck on there and I couldn't get it off, no matter how hard I tried!

Another thing I like is how noticeable the labels are. They are a bright red color with a giant exclalmation mark on them, and it's easy to pay attention to. I had the cup sitting on my counter and my son's Occupational Therapist saw it from across the room and commented on how great of a product it was! I've put one on his cup for daycare, and it really stands out from all the other sippy cups, so there's no mistaking his cup and the fact that he has food allergies.

And one last great thing is that the product REALLY does what it says it does -- it's a permanent, dishwasher, microwaveable safe product. I've washed it several times to test it out, and the label is still there. I put the cup in the microwave, and it still stays put. This product really is everything it says it is.

Overall, I couldn't find anything wrong with this product. It's a great product at a great price, and if you're like me and have a child with food allergies, it could really be a life saver. I've had the pleasure of talking with some of the folks over at Label Daddy, and they are all super nice and helpful. They even have a Blog you can check out -- http://blog.labeldaddy.com/

Peyton definitly gives this products two thumbs up! In fact, my daughter was so jealous that she didn't get her own set of allergy labels that I'll be ordering a set for her to label all her belongings since they both have the same food allergies!

Label Daddy offers labels that are washable for all kids clothes, toys, belongings, etc…. The labels are washer and dryer safe, dishwasher safe and microwavable. Label Daddy offers customers the opportunity to customize their label by choosing from a variety of colors, fonts and icons. They also offer a laminated option as well, which is one of a kind and not offered anywhere else. Laminating your labels allows them to withstand extreme conditions (lots of rubbing, heat, etc) and last a long long time.

Label Daddy has new products rolling out all the time. The website is constantly being updated to reflect this. Check out the site! http://www.labeldaddy.com/

It's like chinese water torture!

2008-12-02T09:18:00.001-08:00

I had the joy of experiencing, for the last 4 days, a slow form of torture, not unlike what I'd imagine Chinese water torture to be like. Saturday early afternoon, my 11 year old and I are sitting in the Living room, and I hear a buzzing start. I have no idea where it's coming from, and go searching high and low.

Find out it's from the timer on the stove! So I try to be Mrs. Fix It and turn all the dials - still buzzing. I hit it a few times -- still buzzing. Then I REALLY pound on it. Nothing, still buzzing. So we go about our day, and run some errands, and I pray while we're out that I'll come home and it'll be magically off. Nope.

Sunday - same thing. The madness is slowly starting to build.
Monday - same thing. I'm starting to pull my hair out. All I hear is the buzzing. I can't sit in my dining room because we can't talk over it. It's that freaking annoying.

So I finally decide to call a service repair guy, which is the FIRST time in my life I've ever had to call someone to come fix something. I felt like such a grown up!

He came out this morning, looked at the stove and said "Hmm, that's very annoying". No shit, sherlock.

Not five minutes later, the problem is fixed!! turns out our 25 year old stove's clock finally decided it's had enough and it had a 'bad gear mechanism' that was trying to turn but couldn't go anywhere. So he disabled the clock and the self cleaning mechanism (he looked kind of worried when I told him that was okay, because I never used the self cleaning mechanism anyway. LOL), and before you knew it -- NO MORE BUZZING!

It was like a miracle. I felt like I could finally hear again. I could hear birds chirping. I could hear neighbors outside.

$75 for piece of mind? Not too shabby. LOL.

My Christmas Tree drama..

2008-11-28T16:21:00.000-08:00

Those who know me in real life know that I *always* have some sort of drama or another in my life. Drama just flows in my life.

So for weeks, I've been telling my kids 'The day after Thanksgiving, we're going to wake up, we're going to eat breakfast, we're going to get all the Christmas tree stuff up from the basement and start getting the tree up".

So I set out with good intentions. Only it didn't end up that way.

I get to the basement and there's ONE box, containing half my Christmas tree. Where is the other half? I have NO freaking clue. How does a whole damn box of Christmas tree parts go missing? I'm talking one of those big ass red 20 gallon containers with a green lid on top.. just vanished.

So in my smart brain, I decide I'm going to take the kids (I only have my 3 1/2 and 2 year old with me at this point b/c my oldest 2 slept over at their cousins last night) to Target to get a new tree. On Black Friday. Am I freaking insane??? So before I go, I decide to check my decoration box to make sure they're all there.

Guess what? My decoration box is missing. It's at this point that I feel someone is playing a cruel, cruel joke on me. Because now not only is half my Christmas Tree missing, all my decorations are missing.

So off we go to Target to get a new tree, new lights, and new decorations. We score a prime parking spot, and are in and out of Target in 35 minutes. Whew. One disaster out of the way.

Get home and set it up. Get all 600 lights (I get obsessive with lights) on, all 100+ decorations on, and just as we move the tree to where we want it, one of the pieces of the base breaks off and the whole freaking tree topples over, knocking off a bunch of the 100 ornaments we just put on it. Damn it!

So then the kids decide that putting bricks around the base will reinforce the tree and hold it up right. Lesson to self: Bricks will *not* support a 7 foot tree. The tree topples over again.

By this time, we were all done with it. I propped it up in the living room against one of the walls. My father has an extra base that we're *hoping* will fit our tree. I'm hoping tomorrow we can conquer the tree and get all those damn ornaments back on the tree.

So yeah... It was a very eventful day in our house today! Gotta love the holiday season!

Happy Thanksgiving, everyone!

2008-11-27T06:34:00.001-08:00

Just wanted to wish everyone a Happy Thanksgiving. I hope it's filled with yummy food and good times with your family.

We have the Macy's parade on and I'm hanging out with my kids, waiting to make some yummy chocolate chip/Andie's mint cookies... Yum..... Dinner isn't until 3 over my sister's so I have lots of time just to relax (one of my favorite past times!)

We're going to drag up the Christmas tree stuff from the basement and get ready to put that up tomorrow, which I'm DREADING. I hate putting the tree up, I suck at it, and now that I'm doing it by myself this year, I have a feeling the tree will be put up the wrong way!! Pray for me, people!

Anyway, have a good one :-)

Mom Dot Blog Party: Day 12

2008-11-27T00:00:00.000-08:00

And, here it is... the very last day of the Blog party :-( I'm going to be sad to see it end. I've gotten to see so many fun, cool blogs over the course of the party, and I've even made some new friends which is even cooler. But, without further ado, here is the Day 12 question.........

I'm Thankful this Year because....

There is SO much I'm thankful for this year, even though this has probably been the worst year I've had in a very long time. I've had personal health issues that have almost landed me in the hospital several times, but because of the support of my friends (and serious medication!) , I've managed to pull myself out of the funk I was in and start to feel better day by day. So I'm thankful for them.

I have THE most wonderful family on the face of the earth. Sure, they can be a bit abrasive sometimes, but through thick and thin, no matter what, they've always been there for me. They've seen me through a divorce, financial troubles, and the relationship troubles of my current marriage. Their love and support of me has never wavered, and I am beyond thankful for them.

Words cannot express how thankful I am for my children. They are my lifeline and have saved me more than they can ever know. No matter how low I feel on any given day, they can smile or laugh, or just talk to me, and I instantly feel lifted. Every day I am thankful that I have 4 wonderful, healthy, adorable, loving children. Yes, I might have problems with my oldest two, but I wouldn't trade them for anything.

And I'm thankful for all the little things in life. Of waking up every day and knowing that I have a job to go to and a family to come home to. Of knowing I have a great place to hang out online and network with other cool moms. Of knowing that I have wonderful friends, whom I've never met in real life, but still check on me when they haven't heard from me in a few days......

Happy Thanksgiving, everyone... I hope you all have a lot to be Thankful for as well!

Mom Dot Blog Party: Day 11

2008-11-26T00:00:00.000-08:00

If you could only eat ONE food on Thanksgiving Day, what would it be? Do you have a home cooked meal for Thanksgiving or do you go out to eat? Does your family dress up?

Aw, man. I *love* food. This question is so unfair. How can you make me choose just ONE Thanksgiving food that I love the most? It'd be seriously unfair, because everyone in my family makes such wonderful foods, and I feel like I'd be dissing someone in my family by not picking their food.

BUT, I guess if I had to choose just one Thanksgiving food to eat, I would pick my brother's home made sweet potato's. I have one word to say -- YUM.

This year he's apparently making them with marshmallows in them. Can we say double yum?

As a family, we don't really get dressed up. Although I'm getting worried, my brother apparently has some kind of nice outfit picked out to wear with some kind of vest or something? I wasn't 100% listening when he was describing but it sounded like a nice little outfit and I'll probably show up in cords and a cute top. Oh well!

Green gooky eyes -- the Finale

2008-11-25T17:51:00.000-08:00

Well, the Green Gooky Eyes that I *thought* was just a sinus infection turned out to be the dreaded Pink Eye. Drats! I really thought my Mommy Sense was right, and I schlepped him off to the Pedi's Monday morning, sure that they'd tell me it was an infection, there was nothing they can do, and send me on my way. Nope, how wrong I was.

AND, not only does he have Pink Eye, but he has a double ear infection as well. Whee! Could life be any more fun??! So now he's loaded up on prescription eye drops -- which he absolutely *hates*, and antibiotics, we he absolutely *hates* even more! I have to pin him down and wrestle with him and practically shove the eye drops into his eyeball because he squinches his eyes shut so tight. The boy is smart! LOL... And the Augmentin he just spits completely out. We figured out tonight that the pharmacist gave him the unflavored type -- duh. So of course he'd spit it out -- I would do!

Luckily, after just a day on the meds, his eyes look better. I sent him off to school (with a note saying he could go back!) and prayed that I wouldn't get a call from the school saying that his eyes had started to ooze again.

So now it's just a few more days on the fun, fun meds and then hopefully we can put all this behind us!

Mom Dot Blog Party: Day 10

2008-11-25T00:00:00.000-08:00

Do you decorate for the Holidays? Do you have a themed Christmas tree? Share pics! Do you think there is such a thing as OVER decorating?

I decorate, but not as much as my neighbors. Some of my neighbors go ALL out decorating. We don't do a lot of outdoor decorating. It used to be because my husband doesn't like heights and didn't want to put the lights around the outside of the house (neither do I!), and this year I can't put the light up outside myself, so I doubt we'll have lights up outside, which makes me kind of sad.

I do tend to decorate a lot inside. We have a big picture window that I put blue & silver Hanukkah garland around, and I'll put my Hanukkah lights in that window. That's the window that I put my plug-in menorah decoration that I got a few years ago. I call that my 'Hanukkah window'.

I have the 6 foot tree that I have decorated that stands near the big picture window, which is kind of funny because you can look in and see the Hanukkah decorations AND the Christmas tree -- people get a kick out of that.

On the doorway walking from the living room to the dining room, I put up Christmas colored garland, and that's where I hang up all my Christmas/Holiday cards I receive, as well as a strand of white lights.

That's really all the decorating I do. I love to sit in the living room at night with just the Tree lights and the doorway lights on and watch the twinkling of the lights. It's so calming!

Mom Dot Blog Party: Day 9

2008-11-24T00:00:00.000-08:00

Most unusual gift you have received? Best gift? Do you re-gift?

Thankfully, I've hardly ever been on the receiving end of unusual gifts. Most of my family and friends know me well enough to know me well enough to know what I'd truly want. And, if they're unsure they do the next best thing and give gift cards (which I truly love!)

BUT, the weirdest gift I've gotten by far was from a guy I had been dating for about 3 months at the time. I had a streak of dating 'shady' guys for a while, and I had met this guy from the Unemployment office where I was working at the time (that should've been my first warning!). Christmas morning rolls around and I drive over to his house (he was living in a half way house at the time, I should mention that, for recovering alcoholics. Yeah. This guy was a REAL winner). I had a bag of general Christmas presents for him -- like cologne, some candy, a sweater; you know, good girlfriend stuff, but stuff that didn't scream 'committed' girlfriend.

What did he give me?

A gift bag full of sex toys!!!!!! (and I'm really embarrassed to type this, as I know my 12 year old son reads this and he's going to be horrified!)

There were some video's, some 'personal toys', and some edible undies. O.M.G. I was mortified. What do you SAY to someone who gives you a gift like that???? I remember kinda mumbling some sort of dignified thank you, and threw that bad boy bag away as soon as I hit the first dumpster. I broke up with him shortly after Christmas!

The best gift I've received would probably be any gift from my parents. They give AWESOME gifts, and I'm always thankful for the gifts I receive from them.

Green gooky eyes -- yuck

2008-11-23T17:18:00.000-08:00

When it rains, it pours. Isn't that what they always say? Things haven't been going the best around here. We've all been sick, and I've JUST gotten over a nasty sinus infection, my Mother in Law is undergoing radiation for Breast Cancer, my Sister in Law is always near death with her serious heart conditions, and there's just always a ton going on. And now my poor Peyton wakes up with nasty green, gooky eyes this morning, and the poor little man can't shut his eye. I feel so awful for him.

He keeps poking at his eye and trying to rub the gook out. He keeps stumbling over to me and looking up at me with his pathetic little eyes and telling me "eye boo boo, mommy". It's so sad! I've been putting warm compresses on it and trying to rub the tear duct (which I remember the Pedi telling me the last time this happened), but he's still miserable.

SO, his green gooky eye has earned me a get out of work free day card tomorrow. Looks like we'll be heading to the Pedi, just for them to tell us there's nothing they can do (since it's not pink eye, it's just a sinus thing).

Ahhhh, the joys of motherhood!

An easy way to say Thanks to our Troops.. especially during the Holiday's

2008-11-21T17:59:00.000-08:00

Even though I don't personally have anyone in my family or know anyone in the military, I still feel for them during this time of the year, being away from their family during the Holiday's. I get teary eyed during the holiday's when I see the commercials where local soldiers stationed oversees give holiday messages to their families, and I realize how hard it must be for them.

I came across this site, and I thought it was a wonderful idea and that I'd pass it along. It's such a simple, easy thing to do. And think of the joy the soldiers will get when they receive the messages!

Here's what you do!

- All you do is go to this site: www.letssaythanks.com
- They ask you to pick a card, and provide your name and hometown.
- Select from the pre-written "Thank You" responses and hit submit.
- This will send a printed post card to a soldier oversees – and I’m sure they’d love the extra support.

Spread the word on!

5 Random Thoughts...

2008-11-21T17:36:00.000-08:00

It felt like a 5 random thoughts kind of day. I always have a lot of thoughts floating around in my brilliant brain of mine, so I figured why not stick them out here in the blogosphere? I'd love if you'd post some of the random thoughts you've had recently!

1) I can't wait to make cookies with the kids this weekend. I bought really cool play-dough like cookie dough from a fundraiser, and it comes in red, blue, green, and yellow (I think those are the colors). I'm going to go look for cookie cutters tomorrow.

2) I really wonder when we're getting our Christmas bonuses. The rumors are running rampant at work. Last year we got them the week after Thanksgiving, so I'm hoping it's the same thing year. I'm counting on that money!

3) I can't wait to get my labels in from Label Daddy to review them from Mom Dot. One of my Blogging goals for the upcoming year is to get into review blogging, so I'm excited about doing my first review. From everything I've read, it seems like it's going to be a really cool project. I'm going to be reviewing the Allergy pack.

4) I'm determined to make the best prsent for my parents this year. The funds just aren't there for me to buy them a really nice present, so I'm going to take my mother's suggestion that she makes every year and just make them something. The Mom Dot girls gave me some good suggestions, and so far photo magnets are at the top of my list, but I'm going to go to the craft store tomorrow to see if anything else jumps out at me. I want to do something with pictures of the grandkids, because that always scores bonus points.

5) I need to get my Eyebrows waxed. My last waxing was Election day, right before I voted.. so that was what, over 2 weeks ago? My eyebrows grow fast, and they're just at the point of starting to look like they need to be done again. I'm hoping I can push it out until Friday when I'll have the day off and only have 1 kid, as opposed to all 4..

Mom Dot Blog Party: Day 8

2008-11-21T00:34:00.000-08:00

Do you shop on Black Friday? What time do you start? Do you complete your shopping this day? What's the best deal you have ever found? What's your shopping strategy?

My answer is going to be a big, fat, HELL NO. There is no way in hell I shop on black Friday. I hate crowds. I hate the pushing, the lines, the stress of trying to catch that bargain by a certain hour. I hate that all the sales circulars advertise *the* hottest items, and tell you that you have to be in line by like 4 a.m. to get a ticket to buy the item. Who finds that fun? Certainly not me. You know what I want to be doing at 4 a.m. on Black Friday? SLEEPING. In my nice, warm bed.

This year is the first year in a while that I actually have Black Friday off, so I might *try* to hit the stores a little later in the day if they're not looking too busy, just to see if I can still catch some bargains. But nothing that's on my kid's list is really a big ticket item (except the lap top that I think my son has finally decided he can do without, thankfully!), so I'm not really sweating looking for bargains.

I know there's going to be some crazy mommas out there who have a whole Black Friday shopping scheme planned out, so I can't wait to read all about them!

Mom Dot Blog Party: Day 7

2008-11-20T05:27:00.000-08:00

Who's on your Naughty List? Who's on your Nice List?

Hm. Well, the easy answer to who's on my Naughty List would be my husband, but I don't know if he really deserves a place there. Sure, he's gone for the 2nd time in 8 months, and I'm having a hard time being a single mom again, but I DO love him more than anything, and I know we're just going through a rough patch. So I'm going to stay on neutral ground here and keep him off my naughty list! Because WHEN things work out between us, I'll feel guilty for having him on my naughty list.

Really, though, I'm not one for having anyone on my naughty list. I'm pretty easy going, and don't really make enemies, so I can't think of anyone I would have on my list. Except maybe Internet haters and drama queens. They would *definitly* be on my naughty list!

For my nice list? Probably my friends and family. They've been there a tremendous amount for me this past year, as well as whenever I've needed it. I have 3 really close friends I know I can turn to when I need someone to talk to, and I can talk to my family whenever I need to and I know they won't judge me for whatever I say/do. They are definitely on my nice list!

My irrational fears...

2008-11-19T18:26:00.000-08:00

Since I've been sleeping alone the past 3 weeks, I've re-developed these totally irrational fears, but they keep me up, tossing and turning all night, and it's driving me nuts.

My biggest fear is that the house is going to catch on fire while we're all sleeping upstairs and we're not going to be able to get out. I know we'd have to jump out the windows up here, but we don't even have a working smoke detector in the house. I guess I should replace the battery, huh?

Then I'm afraid of someone breaking into the house. I guess this is a normal fear. I lay in bed and I swear I hear noises coming from downstairs that sound like people trying to get into the house. I lay in bed and hold my breath and wait for the sound of foot steps coming up the steps, but of course no one ever comes.

I'll walk down stairs at random times in the middle of the night just to make sure the doors are still locked, even though I checked them 10 times already (that's my OCD, though).

I check on my youngest 2 kids constantly to make sure they are still breathing.

I hope all this anxiety goes away once I get back into the routine of being alone in the house. I guess since it's new to me all over again, I just have to readjust. I guess it's a good thing I'm taking anti-anxiety medications! hahaha....

Sorry if this was a morbid post! :-)

Wordless Wednesday

2008-11-19T05:35:00.000-08:00

They drive me crazy, but I love them!

Mom Dot Blog Party: Day 6

2008-11-19T05:26:00.000-08:00

Can you believe it's Day 6 already? That means we're 1/2 way through! boo-hoo! I've been having so much fun visiting everyone else's sites and finding out about their holiday traditions. Today's question is:
Favorite holiday memory from YOUR childhood

I have several favorite memories from my childhood, how can I pick just one? I'll pick two! My first favorite holiday memory is waking up on Christmas morning. I have 3 sisters and 1 brother, and when everyone was living at home we would all wake up super early and gather in someone's central room and talk until we heard my parents walk down the steps. They would go downstairs and set up the trains around the tree, turn on the Christmas music, and break out the Dunkin Donuts.

We'd all sit at the top of the steps and yell down "Can we come down yet??" over and over until they tortured us enough and would yell up "come down!" and we would all run shrieking down the stairs, amazed at the massive amount of presents under and around the tree.

My other favorite memory is my grandfather's house. He passed away when I was little -- I think around 9 years old, so my memories of him are sketchy. But he had this totally retro Christmas tree, with this rickety light wheel that had a thin plastic multi-colored film over a light and it threw different colored lights on the tree every time it rotated. It was VERY cool and that's the only thing I remember about his tree, but I remember always being mesmerized with it.

So Peyton has been in O.T. for a few weeks now

2008-11-18T17:51:00.000-08:00

And I guess it's going okay. I'm definitely more comfortable with his therapist, Niki, than I was the first week. The first week I was really disappointed, and thought that he wasn't going to get anything out of therapy other than playing with some really cool toys.

Now it's been 3 weeks, and I can see a pattern starting to develop. She's figured out that Peyton's sensory issues stem from having an under response to stimuli -- basically meaning that he needs to 'feel and experience' things more -- bumping and crashing into furniture, headbutting, pinching, touching everything, etc.; anything that stimulates his sense of touch. And he also really likes heavy work activities, which is one of the reasons he LOVES pushing heavy toys and boxes around the house.

So she purposely brings over toys that need extra force to put together, or that have special textures that will appeal to Peyton. So it's kind of neat. And she's SUPER patient. I also really like that she lets Sophie play along too. The first session I was worried about what I was going to do with Sophie for 90 minutes, but she lets her sit and play right along with Peyton, which I think is great.

She does think that his taking his clothes off is a behavioral issue, though, and not a sensory one. I'm not sure how I feel about my 2 year old having 'behavioral issues', but I guess there's not much I can do about that one.

Mom Dot Blog Party: Day Five

2008-11-18T05:36:00.000-08:00

Day Five Question:

Do you volunteer during the holidays? How do you teach your children the true meaning of Christmas?

Every year I say I'd like to start volunteering at a Soup kitchen for the holiday's, but every year I never do. I don't know why; I always blame it on being too busy. Too busy with work, too busy with kids, too busy with real life.

But I wish I could get out there and show my children people who have it worse off than we do, and try to show them the *real* meaning of Christmas.

To me, Christmas is about family, and friends, and the joy you get in spending time with them on the special day. It's not about the amount of the presents under the tree, or whether Santa bought what you wanted. I think kids are so hard pressed to see that, and are stuck with the "I want this" mentality and can't see the bigger picture.

I would love to be able to show my children the true meaning of Christmas. I think my 11 year old gets it, but my 12 year old soooo does not get it. Anyone want to give me ideas how to teach them the true meaning? I've heard of parents donating one of each of their children's toys to a Children's Hospital or something like that, and I've always thought that was a good idea. Maybe I should implement that this year!

Mom Dot Blog Party: Day Four

2008-11-15T17:43:00.000-08:00

DAY FOUR QUESTION:

What is your favorite holiday recipe? Describe your holiday table, biggest holiday cooking disaster.

It's *well* known throughout my family that I don't cook, so I'm usually the one delegated to bring something cheesy, like juice boxes or soda. It makes me feel like I'm 10 years old, but it's the way it's always been. My one sister has Mac & Cheese that she makes every year, my other sister can make all kinds of dishes, and my mother is an awesome cook, and even my 'little brother' gets picked to bring something better than juices boxes or soda! And then there's me! LOL.

Our holiday table is always filled with all sorts of yummy food -- Turkey, Stuffing (my mother makes really good sausage stuffing), glazed carrots, home made mac & cheese, cheesy green beans, home made mashed sweet potatoes, and lots of delicious desserts -- pumpkin pie being my favorite, of course.

The biggest holiday disaster would definitly be the Thanksgiving my father caught the Turkey on fire and singed off some of his eyebrows. We have pictures (I wish I had them on this computer!) of a smoke filled kitchen and my father left standing there holding the flaming turkey. That was a very memorable Thanksgiving!

I can't wait to read about all the yummy foods I know you girls can cook!

Starting to feel the Holiday pressure

2008-11-15T11:49:00.000-08:00

And it's only November 15th! I blame visiting all the wonderful Mom Dot Blog's and seeing how organized people are -- moms with spread sheets, moms who are almost done shopping, or moms who at least have some sort of shopping plan under way. I, on the other hand, have nothing.

I'm panicking this year, wondering how I'm going to get everything done. I'm alone this year with 4 kids. One of those kids wants a lap top and nothing else -- that takes up a chunk of a paycheck. My other older son (thankfully) is SO sweet and says he doesn't want anything big for Christmas because he doesn't want to abuse the Christmas power, and he'll be happy with some little toys to play with and maybe some comfy sweaters. That still leaves me with 2 other kids to buy for.

And portraits! We need to get Christmas portraits done! I was at Target today and there were tons of happy families getting their holiday portraits done, and I didn't even think about holiday portraits until today. But we have NO family pictures with my youngest son in them, and he's 2!

Several months ago, I had the brief, fleeting thought that I was going to put money from each paycheck away until it got closer to Christmas so I can use that money to shop. But here we are, just mere weeks to Christmas, and I haven't saved a penny. Last year we got sweet Christmas bonuses with our check right around Thanksgiving, so I'm hoping against hope that it's the case this year as well.

I just feel like Christmas is going to be a disaster this year. With having to provide for everyone on just one salary (and no credit cards!), I just don't know how I'm going to get it all done. I'm afraid of the kids waking up on Christmas morning and there being, like, 2 presents each under the tree -- I'm going to have major mom guilt.

What do Jewish people look like?

2008-11-15T11:37:00.000-08:00

First off, let me start this post by saying that I absolutely DESPISE people who pretend to know what they're talking about, when in fact they don't know anything about the subject. I think they just talk to hear themselves talk. I'd like to share the incident I had the pleasure (note the sarcasm) of experiencing today at Target.

I went in to get: A special toy for Peyton (the Occupational Therapist suggested a special day that he only gets to play with when he follows his routine in the morning), a White turtleneck for Sophie (for her holiday dance show), and cold medicine as I'm battling a serious sinus thing.

Of course, in my sick haze I walk up and down every aisle, ending up at the TINY end cap Hanukkah section. That's it for Hanukkah, just a tiny little section. It has the usual -- some Menorah's, candle's, little driedels to play with, etc. I had just picked up a really pretty Menorah when the following conversation happened:

Little girl (L.G) Mommy, what's that word mean?
Mom: That means Hanukkah.
L.G.: What's hammakah?
Mom: It's the Jewish Christmas, just like our Christmas but they get it for 7 days. They don't get as many presents thought, just one a day. Let's go, we have a birthday party to get to.

(Now, I have to interject here. I HATE, HATE, HATE when people refer to Hanukkah as the Jewish Christmas. IT.IS.NOT)

So anyway.....

So at this point I turn around, and because I'm sick and feeling bitchy I say (which I thought was coming out in a nice way):

ME: Actually, Hanukkah has nothing to do with Christmas. They're two separate holiday's. They just fall in the same month.
Mom: Well, how do you know?
ME: Because I'm Jewish and I celebrate Hanukkah
Mom: Well, that's funny because you don't look Jewish, how was I supposed to know?

At this point, the mom and her little girl (who had since lost interest in the conversation) started to walk away, leaving me more than mildly annoyed in the end cap Hanukkah section.

I get that all the time -- "You don't look Jewish". I always feel like I have to explain my whole background to people - that I wasn't born Jewish, but later converted when I felt the time was right in my life.

So now there's this little girl walking around thinking that Jewish kids get visited by Santa Claus as well, and damn it -- that's just wrong!

Momdot Blog Party: Day Three

2008-11-14T07:25:00.000-08:00

DAY THREE QUESTION

Have you started your Christmas shopping yet? Do you budget for the holidays? Do you always stick to your budget? Share with us any budgeting tips you may have!

I, in typical procrastinator mode, have not started my holiday shopping yet. I'm usually the one that realizes it's December 15th and I haven't purchased a single present yet and then I panic for the next 10 days until everything is purchased!

Every year I say I'm going to have a Budget, and every year that budget goes out the door. I just have a hard time with budget. I'll say to myself that I'm only going to pick up a few toys for each of the kids, as they get so spoiled from all my other family and their dads families and everything, but every year I feel like I buy more and more toys. I would love to be able to come up with a budget and stick with it!

This year my 12 year old wants a Lap top -- it's the *only* thing he wants, and I have no idea how I'm going to have money in the budget for that. He turns 13 on New Years Eve, so he's begging for it for a joint Christmas/big 13th birthday present. I really want to buy one for him, but in light of current circumstances, I just don't know how I'm going to be able to do that and buy presents for 3 other children. It's going to be tight Christmas.

Can I have Fairy God Parents? Please?

2008-11-13T12:50:00.000-08:00

While watching TV last night with the kiddos, I had an epiphany, and the answer to all my life's problems was right in front of my face -- I needed Fairy God parents! Duh! I figured, if Timmy Turner, a slightly unhappy 10 year old kid could have god parents, why couldn't Michelle, an happy 29 year old? I mean, it's the same principle right? AND, if he's so unhappy, why can't he just wish for more attentive parents, and then all his life's miseries would be solved? I guess that wouldn't be much of a show then, right?

I wouldn't abuse ' Da Rules' of Fairy God parents, I swear. I would use them just as needed. Like in to get me a new car. Surely that counts. My car, quite honestly, is a piece of junk. It needs new brakes, to the point where the brakes shake when you apply pressure and the 'brake' light is constantly on. The heat is always stuck slightly on, so you always have to crack the windows so you don't overheat. One windshield wiper is broken and completely rusted, so I can only see out of half the windshield when it rains -- should be fun when it snows. Although I guess that's an easy fix, and it's probably just me being lazy...

And I would ask for a husband. Or rather, for my husband to come home. We're currently in our 'off again' status of our 'on again/off again' relationship. We had some problems earlier this year and he left for 4 months, came home so we could work it out for just over 4 months, and is gone again. This second time with him being gone is rough. Our daughter is a little older now, and I think she understands a little more. She cries for him almost every night and it's sad... I love him more than anything and I hope we can work it out, but I guess only time and some real hard work will tell. Surely Fairy God Parents can speed up the process?

And clothes. I would definitely ask for some new clothes! Because let's be honest, people -- my current wardrobe is NOT cutting it. I'm a Paralegal, and my clothes do NOT scream paralegal. They scream "I just threw together what fits and/or looked okay and got dressed in less than 10 minutes". I would love to have nice clothes and nice shoes, but since my weight keeps going up and down, nothing fits me right, and I just don't have the money to buy nice clothes. *sigh* Such is life, I guess...

So that's it. Mr. Jordan Von Strangle, Head of Fairies, can you please grant me some of my wishes??? Pretty please? you would make me very happy!

Momdot Blog Party: Day Two

2008-11-13T05:40:00.001-08:00

DAY TWO QUESTION
Traditions, what are some of your favorite family traditions?

What are some that you want to begin?

With having a big family, we always have a jam packed Holiday season!

Our Christmas Eve is spent with my father's Cousin's, which has been a family tradition for about 25 years. We have a seafood dinner (which I can't stand! I'm one of the only people in my family that doesn't eat seafood!!) and catch up with family that we really only see once a year.

The highlight of evening is a visit from none other than Santa Claus, who hands out presents to all the 20+ children in attendance. It always gets a bit crazy during that time! We cap the evening off with a reading of "T'was the Night Before Christmas". Then it's a mad dash home to make sure we make it home before Santa comes!

Christmas morning we wake up and open up presents at our house. We all take turns so we can see what everyone has received from Santa Claus.

We then get dressed and go over to my parent's house, for Round Two of Christmas morning!

My parents house is always pure chaos. There's 8 Grandkids ages 12 - 2, and they're always in super excited Christmas mode, so it's loud, crazy, and chaotic! Santa sure spoils the kids over Grand mom's & Pop-pop's. We usually spend the afternoon there, and either have a nice Christmas dinner there or at my Sister's house, who lives in the same town.

We get home late with all our new toys and the kids just can't wait to dig into everything and start playing with their new toys!

One tradition I'd like to start with my kids is them getting a new pair of PJ's every Christmas Eve so that when they wake up on Christmas morning they have comfy new cute PJ's to wear for pictures!

My Top Five 80's Movies

2008-11-12T17:13:00.000-08:00

*DISCLAIMER -- I INTENDED TO PUT PICTURES IN THIS POST, BUT FOR SOME REASON THE 'ADD IMAGE' BUTTON HAS BEEN GIVING ME PROBLEMS FOR 2 DAYS NOW AND THE *ONLY* ONE I WAS ABLE TO ADD WAS PRETTY IN PINK -- VERY FRUSTRATING!!!**

On my morning drive, my favorite radio station (Preston & Steve of 93.3 WMMR out of Philadelphia!) were playing a game where they played the closing credit songs of 80's movies, and it got me thinking about my favorite 80's movies. I am a TOTAL 80's movies nut, and there are so many of them that I love, I could've probably done a top 100 list of 80's movies, but I didn't want to get that involved - haha!

So, in no particular order, here are my Top Five 8o's movies that I HAVE to watch every time they come on!

1) MANEQUIN: I love, love, love this movie. I think it's such a cute, cheesy love story. Andrew McCarthy is super cute in this movie! and I love the character of Hollywood! A bit of an unbeliveable love story, but still a cute movie to watch. I love the ending, and I'm a total cheeseball that tears up at the very end when he saves her from the big trash machine!

2) PRINCESS BRIDE: Another great love story! I love the meaning of the movie -- that if you believe in true love, you will find your true love no matter what and that true love will always prevail. The movie has a great sound track, and is just a totally romantic movie all around.

3) DIRTY DANCING: "Nobody puts baby in the corner". I used to watch this movie over and over again the summer I was 13 -- it was like the 'forbidden' movie to watch, LOL. I borrowed my mother's VHS copy and her soundtrack and would sit in my basement and just watch it and listen to the music and imagine that I was 'Baby' and that Johnny was my dance partner. I used to make up dances to the music! I was a total dork!

4) FOOTLOOSE: I had a thing with dancing movies, can you tell? lol... I loved this movie for the music and the moves, and this movie had a pivotal start in my obsession with one Kevin Bacon!

5) PRETTY IN PINK: Oh boy... Andrew McCarthy again.. He sure was a cutie in the 80's, wasn't he?? This movie is one of my favorites of favorites. I loved every minute of this movie. I tear up almost every time at the end scene in the parking lot after the prom, when he runs out and they kiss in the parking lot! LOVE IT!

Wordless Wednesday

2008-11-12T09:58:00.001-08:00

A picture of the sky on a bright crisp fall morning over Salem, Mass (an actual picture my brother took last year, taken from his archives! -- Thanks Drew!)

Mom Dot Blog Party: Day 1

2008-11-12T09:09:00.000-08:00

(Matt is on the Left, Sophie is in the Middle, and Chris is on the Right -- Peyton is absent for some reason :-( )

Here's one of Sophie & Peyton together, but this was slightly after Christmas, this was actually New Years:

Yay! It's day one of om Dot's Blog Party, and I'm here to introduce you to my family and to tell you a little bit about our Holiday traditions! I'm Michelle, and I have 4 children. Christopher is 12 (almost 13!), Matthew is 11, Sophie-Rose is 3 1/2 (will be 4 just 3 days before Christmas!) and Peyton is 2.

Our family is special because we celebrate both Hanukkah and Christmas. We have many special memories of celebrating both holidays. We decorate the house with blue and silver (traditional Hanukkah colors) and put up Star of David tinsel throughout the house. We also have a really cool Holographic light up Menorah that my mother purchased for me last year for Christmas (yes, I know the irony of it! haha). We'll celebrate each night of Hanukkah by lighting our Menorah, and the kids (especially my younger ones) enjoy doing Hanukkah crafts.

And then we do the whole big traditional Christmas, with the whole big tree and all the trimmings. I have a big family and we spend a lot of time with my family on Christmas Eve over my Cousin's house, when we always get a special visit from Santa Claus! Christmas Day is spent over my parents house, where all the kids are spoiled with a TON of presents.

I will try to come back and update this post with some more pictures. We bought a new computer last year when our computer crashed, and I *think* all the pictures from last year are on that crashed computer. Please excuse my lame post without more holiday-ish pictures!

Honoring those who served...

2008-11-11T18:19:00.001-08:00

Today is Veteran's day, and for the first time, I'm saddened to realize that it doesn't really seem to 'mean' as much as it used to when I was growing up. I remember being a little girl, and seeing Veteran's, either standing outside stores giving out those little flags for donations, and just being in awe of them. I think it was because both my father and my grandfather were Vet's, and I had such awe for them. I grew up with that same mentality. I always made sure to give a little something when I saw Veteran's collecting money, or even if I just saw an older gentleman with a Vietnam Vet hat or jacket on, I always made sure to send a smile their way.

But I don't know. Now it just seems like Veteran's day is just another day. Most companies are still open. A lot of school's still are open, or have half days. And life just goes on as normal. What happened to taking the day off and thanking those who served our Country?

So, I know no Vet will be reading my Blog (except for maybe my Husband, who counts as a Vet since he was in the military), but I'd like to end this post with some lyrics from my all time favorite Billy Joel song, "Goodnight Saigon", about the the Vietnam war:

And we held on to each other
Like brother to brother
We promised our mothers we'd write
And we would all go down together
We said we'd all go down together
Remember Charlie
Remember Baker
They left their childhood
On every acre
And who was wrong?
And who was right?
It didn't matter in the thick of the fight.....

Red Bull does not give me wings

2008-11-10T17:25:00.001-08:00

Today in my infinite wisdom, I decided I'd buy a Red bull, just for the hell of it. Keep in mind that I haven't had one in about 2 1/2 years and I had forgotten the reason it's been so long. The reason? They taste like shit!!

But I had been noticing that around 2:30 every day, I start getting sooo sleepy, so while I was at the store this morning I passed by the Red bull section and thought "Aha, that will help me!". My friend Gina swears by Red Bull, so I figure if it's good enough for Gina, it's good enough for me!

So at 2:30 on the dot, I suck it down and the first thing that hits me is the pure nastiness of the liquid sugar taste. ugh. It tastes like what I imagine battery acid would taste like. It's a small, thin can but man is it hell to drink the whole can down. And, for some reason, I feel compelled to drink the whole thing.

So I sit and wait, waiting for the moment that my wings will grow and I'll get the energized feeling. But alas, it never comes. I'm just left with a heavy feeling in the pit of my stomach, all of a sudden very thirsty for some water -- I guess from the overload of sugar to my system.

So folks, I will not be making a repeat visit with Red bull. No way, no how. I'll just stick with my Code Red Mountain Dew. It might not promise wings, but it has enough caffeine for me!

So anyone who knows me 'for real' knows

2008-11-10T09:36:00.000-08:00

that I've always wanted to be a writer. Like a 'real' writer. I wrote some poetry in elementary school, some short stories in High School and College, and in College I wrote for the college newspaper and served as the Editor as well.

A few years ago, thanks to the help of my great internet friend, Trisha, I was able to write a really cool article for a Kite magazine about Kites in Kabul (Afghanistan). It was a really cool article to write and it felt AWESOME to see my name in print like that. I also wrote some articles for some parenting websites, and I always got a rush out of seeing my name in print.

Well, it's been a few years since I've written anything, and I've been feeling a bit rusty.. BUT, thanks to the help of Trisha again, I was offered to join a team of great writers on a great site, Momdot. Momdot is an amazing site of mommy bloggers who just get together to talk about blogs, offer each other support and guidance on their blogs, and talk about life in general. We have giveaways, play fun games, and are a great group of girls. I feel really fortunate to be welcomed into a great group like this.

But anyway, the whole point of this post is THIS: http://www.momdot.com/celebrity-round-up/ Last week my first article in my new series, CELEBRITY ROUND UP, published on Momdot. Celebrity Roundup is going to be a weekly thing, where I talk about one of the things I love the best -- celebrities. It was so much fun to write and I can't wait to work on the next installment tomorrow (I work it around my TV schedule! hahaha)

Anyway, just tooting my horn some!

For working single moms, how do you get dinner on the table?

2008-11-08T17:59:00.000-08:00

Are there any good secrets that anyone can teach me? I'm willing to learn! I've recently found myself a single mom after 5 years, and I'm having a hard time finding a balance between coming home from work and finding time to get a good balanced meal on the table. Most times I just want to run to the nearest fast food restaurant, but obviously I know that's not the best option.

The problem is every other week, I don't get home until almost 6 p.m., and if it takes me 1/2 hr or so to cook dinner and we're not eating until 6:45 or so, no one is going to be happy with that. I want something quick and easy!

I went food shopping this weekend, and picked up what I like to call "Single Mom Meals" -- Encore microwavable meals -- Lasagnas, Salisbury Steaks, etc. But I want something more than those lame meals.

Surely there has to be a happy medium somewhere?

So what do I do? Do I prepare meals the night before? Do I do crock pot meals? Or do I just keep doing what I've been doing and make up the encore meals, substitute them with some veggies and call it a night? I feel like I'm cheating my kids some how.

Kudos to anyone who can post some yummy quick recipes!

Signs, Signs, Everywhere the Signs...

2008-11-07T17:37:00.000-08:00

Fast Food signs, I'm talking about. And my 3 1/2 daughter can read them -- every last one of them. Now, I know we don't go out to dinner *that* often where she would know every restaurant, so how the hell does she know how to read the signs?

We pass a McDonald's on the way home, and as soon as she sees those Golden arches, she automatically says "Mommy, I'm very hungry for McDonald's. My tummy needs some Chicken nuggets". We also pass a Friendly's right by our house, and she'll try, "Mommy, I want some Friendly's Ice cream. Can we pleeeeease have some?"

She knows them all. Burger King, Wendy's, McDonald's, Dunkin Donuts, Pizza Hut.... Tonight we went to one I didn't think she'd know -- Taco Bell, which is attached to 'that fish place' (Long John Silver's). WHERE did she learn Long John Silvers from? We don't eat fish!

It's all very cute and makes me feel like my daughter is the smartest little girl!

Would giving good customer service kill you?

2008-11-06T15:33:00.000-08:00

This one is directed to Jessica, the rude Wendy's clerk I get *every* time I go to my local Wendy's. I can't stand this girl. Maybe she's a really nice person, but she sucks as a server, or whatever they call themselves.

Her 'customer service' skills leave a LOT to be desired. Would it KILL her to stop talking to her co-workers while she takes my order? I'm not talking about a 20 minute, complex order. I'm talking about a TWO minute order (if that). I'm ordering dinner for TWO people. PAY ATTENTION. You don't need to yell back to your co-workers, or turn your head to talk to the person next to you. And when I pause for .2 seconds to decide on what kind of drink I want, that doesn't give you liberty to ask (very rudely) "are you done yet". No, I'm not done yet. If I was done, I would say "That's all, thank you".

I try to be as nice as I can to people in the food industry, because I know it can't be a pleasant job, but damn it if she didn't make it really hard for me. I wanted to be a nasty bitch to her!! Maybe next time she'll be a bit brighter (doubt it!)

Where did all the pretty leaves go?

2008-11-06T15:26:00.000-08:00

We have this big, beautiful tree on the corner of our property, and I just noticed the other day how absolutely beautiful the fall color of the leaves were. I had pulled up to the house and thought "wow, those leaves are AWESOME" and was amazed that I had never noticed how pretty they were before. Even neighbors had started commenting on how pretty the leaves were.

Every day, I kept making a mental note to bring my camera out to my car to take a picture of the tree. Every day I forgot. Well, don't you know, I pull up tonight and guess what? All the leaves are off the tree!

Now, I don't know if it literally happened overnight; it probably didn't. What most likely happened is that it happened gradually, bit by bit, and I just failed to notice. But damn, it seems like one day it was 'kinda fall' and now we're deep into fall, pushing into winter. I mean, it is November. Thanksgiving will be here soon, then the Winter Holiday's.

The passing of the seasons just depresses me SO bad! I wish it were Spring all year round, where everything is green and sunny and just in bloom. I hate the fall blahs.

So no pictures of my pretty autumn tree for now. I'll have to wait until next year!

It's November 6th, and what do I hear on the radio?

2008-11-06T15:21:00.000-08:00

Christmas music!

Ummm, HELLO!! HALLOWEEN just passed. Thanksgiving is still weeks away. And they're playing Christmas music already? Isn't it a tad early? Usually, there's two stations in our area that fight over who starts playing holiday songs the earliest, and they usually start a few days before Thanksgiving. But c'mon -- this is just too too early.

Is anyone even IN the Christmas spirit yet? I'm one of those notorious people who wait until the absolute last minute to do anything remotely resembling holiday shopping. I'm usually in line on Christmas Eve buying those last minute gifts. I'm usually up late wrapping Christmas Eve, swearing this would be last year I would procrastinate so long.

I'll tell you what, though. Hearing the music this early does NOT make me feel jolly!!

A special post for a true friend

2008-11-05T17:30:00.000-08:00

I was driving tonight, and thinking about friends. I had started out thinking about how I didn't have any 'real life' friends, and only a splattering of internet friends. Sometimes I get bothered by the fact that I don't have real friends; I know it has to do with my shy, anti-social, avoidant personality, and the fact that I just have a hard time putting myself out there to meet friends.

So for the past few years, I've hid behind the computer and have made a variety of internet friends, mostly on mommy sites. Most of those friendships have fallen by the wayside; whether because of the always present chatboard drama, or just from friendships growing apart. BUT, I am proud of the very, very few internet friends that I am proud to still call my friends -- friends that have given me second (and third!) chances of friendship and have given me a chance to do (again) what I've always wanted to do; write for a broader audience, or the friend that has always been a friend to me, no matter how up or down my mood has been and has always been supportive of my decisions.

But one of the most special people in my life, who has grown way past just an 'internet friend' is my friend Gina. We originally met years ago on a mommy board, and our friendship has evolved through the years. Both "Jersey girls"at heart, we formed a fast friendship, and I can't remember a time we didn't talk. However, it wasn't until earlier this year during a marriage crisis where she really stepped up and showed me what a true friend she is. She is the only one of my friends who has ever heard my cry (and curse!) on the phone. She has talked me through so many low moments, so many self doubting, self depreciating thoughts. She has been my cheerleader and my motivational speaker through it all. Now that the marriage crisis has come full circle again, she is there just as before, walking me through everything, telling me to never give me and to remain true to myself.

She has been there when I have been so absolutely low in my moods where I was sure hospitalization was the only option, and has talked me through it. She has offered me to move to OH with her for a few months and get a fresh start on my life.

She's seen me in physical pain - from both a tattoo we got during a trip this past summer to the Jersey Shore, and from Sun burn after my dumb ass refused to put sun block on while laying in the sun for 2 hours.

I could spend hours talking about how wonderful Gina is. Everytime my phone vibrates and I get another text from her checking up on me or just wanting to chat, I'm reminded of just how lucky I am to have a friend like her. I love ya, girl!!

Kind of dissapointed with Peyton's first O.T. session

2008-11-05T09:33:00.000-08:00

I don't know if it's just because I didn't know what to expect and I was expecting 'more' or what, but I just felt sort of let down afterwards, and I felt like it was kind of a waste of time. Peyton spent 2 hours playing with his therapist. Is that normal? She seemed nice enough, and was really nice to include Sophie, who was kind of hovering around on the outskirts trying to see what neat things Peyton got to do that she didn't get to do.

She had a big bag of toys and let Peyton play with every last one of them. There were puzzles, and strings with big chunky wooden pieces for him to string. There was a cool apple toy where he had to put tiny little worms into the apple holes, and then the worms danced after all the worms were inside the holes. There were foam people with different body parts that Peyton got to interchange and make them look different ways.

And that was it. There was no earth shattering exercises or techniques or anything that I 'learned'. I know I probably need to be patient, which I have a BIG problem with -- I have no patience for anything!

I want her to be able to tell us WHY; why he strips his clothes off, why he doesn't like the textures of certain things, why he needs extra tights hugs, touches, etc, to feel stimulated, why he tantrums several times a day, every day... I would just like to have some answers to all my questions and I know they're not going to come over night.

I have a friend whose daughter has SPD just like Peyton and swears that O.T. has helped tremendously, so I'm holding on to that hope that it helps Peyton as well...

Wordless Wednesday

2008-11-05T06:44:00.000-08:00

Our new President, President Barack Obama. You rock on!!

Don't Lick the Walls

Taking a break from Blogging for a while....

Now I know why the pillows were only $2.99...

I know, I've sucked at updating lately!

All alone..... on Valentine's Day.....

Well, I guess both myelf *and* my GYN were wrong...

Kidney Infection = Absolute living hell

Diagnosing myself on the Internet is fun!

Dear Blogger:

Ways you can tell your co-worker is bipolar...

Sooo, I've been using Proactiv Solution for 2 weeks and...

1 Month Weight Loss Update!

Hebrew school Dropout....

My Button of the Week goes to.....

Why do people find it necessary to be rude??

Feeling *so* frustrated lately...

Another exciting site to announce!

Five Reasons Roto-Rooter sucks...

Looking for parents of children with SPD (Sensory Processing Disorder)

TOTAL drama at the gas pump today

My button of the week goes to....

*Seriously* -- are ALL Dr's offices like this??

*Drum Roll please.... Announcing an exciting new project!

Wordless Wednesday

One step closer....

*WHY* do the Eagles have to choke every time??

Random Ramblings...

This dieting stuff is HARD!

Wordless Wednesday

Something I never thought I'd admit....

Rough day all around....

Random Friday Ramblings....

Some things are just a huge waste of time...

Wordless Wednesday

The journey of a thousand miles....

Would someone please come shoot my van?

Sophie's Holiday dance show (a little late!)

Contemplating a job change in 2009

Happy 2009!

Wordless Wednesday

I know it's cliche ....

Merry Christmas to me!!

Our Christmas, in pictures...

Merry Christmas To All, And To All A Good Night!

Happy 4th Birthday, my Princess Sophie

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas!

Random Friday Ramblings....

Wow! It's my 100th post!

Temper Tantrums a plenty!

Wordless Wednesday

To splurge or not to splurge. That is the question!

I have ZERO Christmas spirit this year

Random Sunday Ramblings..

Seriously... I *AM* going to strangle my kitten

Kittens + Christmas tree = nothing but trouble

When will the bad luck end??

Wordless Wednesday

How do you explain death to an (almost) 4 year old?

How much is too much?

*THE* crappiest day ever! (at least in a while!)

Random Friday Ramblings....

Christmas music, 24/7

Product Review: Allergy Labels by Label Daddy

It's like chinese water torture!

My Christmas Tree drama..

Happy Thanksgiving, everyone!

Mom Dot Blog Party: Day 12

Mom Dot Blog Party: Day 11

Green gooky eyes -- the Finale

Mom Dot Blog Party: Day 10

Mom Dot Blog Party: Day 9

Green gooky eyes -- yuck

An easy way to say Thanks to our Troops.. especially during the Holiday's

5 Random Thoughts...

Mom Dot Blog Party: Day 8

Mom Dot Blog Party: Day 7

My irrational fears...

Wordless Wednesday

Mom Dot Blog Party: Day 6

So Peyton has been in O.T. for a few weeks now

Well, I guess both myelf and my GYN were wrong...

Feeling so frustrated lately...

Seriously -- are ALL Dr's offices like this??

WHY do the Eagles have to choke every time??

Seriously... I AM going to strangle my kitten

THE crappiest day ever! (at least in a while!)

Red Bull does not give me wings