What's on Mommy's Mind

Fastfoward

2011-07-08T16:01:00.008-04:00

Some how a whole year has gone by since I've posted anything. I'm not sure how that really happened. I love to blog. I've meant to keep up but life just got in the way so here I am fastfowarding just in case anyone is still checking this silly little blog.

Madison

(picture courtesy of Viki Reed Photography)

Some how I ended up with a real live grade schooler in my house. We're not talking kindergarten anymore here people she is going to be starting first grade in September! She is officially a reading, math problem solving, bike riding, tooth loosing kid! Best of all I really like this kid! As a mom I'm pretty sure I'm contractually obligated to love her but that doesn't necessarily mean I have to like her as a person. Lucky for me she is funny, outgoing and usually pretty easy to be around. She has also learned to recently whip my butt in Mario Bros 3 which I find pretty amazing because I was playing the game long before she was ever around. Even so whipping my butt is exaclty what she does!

Stella

(picture courtesy of Viki Reed Photography)

My baby is turing 3 in just two short weeks! She is such a little kid now. No more crib (although she tells me on a daily basis that the man can come take her bunk bed away at any day now and bring back her crib), no more diapers and that means for the first time in 6 years I am actually carrying a purse instead of a diaper bag!!! Stella has such a strong personality. She has opinions on just about everything and has no problem sharing them with anybody. Her vocabulary also blows me away just about every day. Some of her favorite things to say are "Well, actually (followed by her opinion)" or "Tell me about your day. Was it stressfull" or "Mom I think I've aggravated Madison".

As for me I'm about to begin my fourth and final semester of nursing school this September. The thought of being finished with this leg of school so soon is super exciting. Unfortunately the thought of the long nights of studying and all the time away from my family tends to make me dread the upcoming semester.

Sadly last October our sweet Newfi Kai that we had adopted the prevoius June became very ill. The vet diagnosed her with kidney failure due to a genetic issue that was undetectable until it was too late. By the following morning she had passed away. We missed having a giant hairy beast in our family and not long after adopted Max. He is a 3 year old landseer Newfoundland that instantly worked his way into all of our hearts and overnight became one of the family!

I have grand intentions of posting daily and hope to stick to it. If anyne reading knows myself or my family in real life you know we are always seeking out different ways to enjoy life that inevitably leave a great story to tell. I can't wait to start telling those stories here again!

A Girl and Her BIG Dog.....

2010-07-30T07:36:00.006-04:00

Yes the dog weighs 4 times as much as her but that doesn't seem to matter to either of them!

My Baby Turned Two!

2010-07-24T06:59:00.005-04:00

Wow, wow, wow! I can't beleive how long it has been since I've blogged (6 months, 19 days to be exact). So many times ideas have popped into my head or the girls have done/said something that I thought "I need to share" but just never got around to doing it.

I'm going to do my best to fast foward through all the big stuff from the last six months....

Nursing School- Yep I started, it has kicked my behind and I am loving every minute of it! Second semester starts September 7th and I am expected to graduate in December 2012.

Madison - Her nose is still healing but looking better and we are all still healing from the psychological effects of the dog bite. Amazingly she seems to be the most healed and I'm by far the least. She has absolutely zero fear of dogs (her anxiety manifested in other ways) while I am pretty much terrified but we have taken steps to resolve that issue (more to come on that topic). Ms. Madison also graduated from preschool and is super excited to start kindergarten where she won't have to take naps. You know 'cause that is what is most important about going to kindergarten!

Stella- Can you beleive it she just turned two! Okay maybe not a big deal for you but it is HUGE for me. My baby is becoming such a big girl! She is such a little spit fire who is always making us laugh.

Kai- What is a Kai you ask. Well in Hawain it means ocean but in our house it is the name of our latest addition. Kai is our adopted 3 1/2 year old newfoundland. At first I was completely against ever having another dog (besides Tucker) but after much begging and pleading by the hubs I caved. She has been AMAZING! Kai is the sweetest, calmest most lovable dog we have ever had. She has helped this family heal more than any amount of therapy ever could have!

Now for the pics (you didn't think I would leave them out did you?)....

Madison Update and Holiday Review

2010-01-05T10:41:00.009-05:00

I can't believe I let a week go by without updating on Madison's status. Her nose is healing very well. Thankfully there has been no sign of infection. The sutures will be coming out next week and for the next year we will be focusing on minimizing the scar.

During the day she seems to be the same carefree, lovable kid but there have been quite a few nightmares at bedtime. She has also seen a few dogs that she has known this past week. She has had no problem petting them or being near them unless they start getting playful. Twice she began to cry in situations that would have never bothered her before. When I pick her up from school today I will be talking to the directors to see if they can recommend anyone for her to talk to.

I just realized that I don't have any updated pictures of her and she is at school right now so I will have to post them later.In spite of the dog bite we had a very nice holiday season. Christmas Eve was spent at Justin's grandparent's house with lots of extended family. Christmas day started at exactly 5:05 am. It was so much fun experiencing childhood through Stella and Madison's eyes! We spent the rest of the day with my parents. New Years Eve was spent with our friends Jess and Kal but somehow I forgot my camera. I'm blaming it on the "incident" 'cause I've kind of been out of it ever since it happened. Here are some of my favorite pics. Enjoy

"But I Don't Want To Wear This Stupid Bow"

Take Two

Christmas MorningA New baby doll and a pork roll sammy. Does Life get any better?Madison with our Christmas guest. Thankfully we found him a home other than ours.Daddy and Stella Christmas day.Tired and Tubbied (is that a word? It is in our house.)

The Unthinkable

2009-12-29T11:01:00.004-05:00

Just like most of you the past couple of week have been crazy here in our house. My first post back from "Christmas" was going to be all about how much fun we had, the hysterical pictures of Stella throwing a tantrum while I was trying to take pictures of her and Madison all dolled up and how we found an adorable kitten 2 days before Christmas and were able to make one little boy very happy by giving it to his family on Christmas day. Life had different plans though.

Two days after Christmas we were visiting some family members when one of my greatest fears happened. A dog owned by someone in my husband's family was allowed near Madison and it bit her. At this time I am not up for sharing all of the exact details of the incident but what I can share is that her nose was badly bitten but thankfully able to be stitched back together by a plastic surgeon.

Right now the biggest concern is that the wound may get infected. So far it is doing well but the risk is still there. If this were to happen the sutures in Madison's nose would have to be removed. The nose would have to heal on its own and she would most certainly require reconstructive surgery later on. If the wound stays healthy we are hoping scarring will be at a minimum and no future surgery will be required.

Madison is doing great. Other than being a little more sleepy than usual she is playing and acting like her normal bubbly self. Keeping her low key and protecting her nose from being bumped by Stella has proven to be a challenge but one that we are thankfully willing to take on. For as bad as the situation is Justin and I are all too aware of how much worse this could have been.

If you could please pray that our little girl's nose and spirit (which includes and absolute adoration for all critters )heal and stay healthy we would really appreciate it. Thanks so much!

An Email From Santa

2009-12-11T23:39:00.003-05:00

At this time a year children all over the world are writing letters to Santa. Some will even receive a letter back. This is something Madison has been hoping and checking the mail for every day for a week. This year she won't be getting a letter though because she will be getting this email Madison's email from Santa!
Portable North Pole can help parents help Santa create this awesome message from him complete with their name, detail about them and a picture! Best yet it is for FREE! For those looking to tease an adult in their life you can also send a Naughty List message with more adult type material in it. For example I sent one to my brother saying that he has been naughty this year and really needs to stop cursing and listen to his wife more often! So much fun!

How Many More Days 'TIl Christmas?

2009-12-10T00:00:00.000-05:00

Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!

Christmas Checklist

2009-12-09T15:43:00.007-05:00

It is December 9th. Some how over a month has gone by since my last blog. More on reasons for that at another time. My current checklist looks something like this....

~~Put lights on the house~~
~~Cut down and decorate tree~~
~~order Christmas cards~~
~~~~Shop for Christmas~~ Presents~~
~~Play outside with no jackets on in 65 F weather~~

Yep that's correct it is spring like weather here in NJ just 2 1/2 weeks shy of Christmas. Not that I am complaining or anything (well maybe a little since it was too warm to kill off any bugs in our Christmas tree and now I am convinced we need to fumigate the house). I mean seriously how often do you get to have fun like this in NJ this close the Christmas?

Looks like we'll just have to save Christmas cookie baking for another day!

Somewhere Over the Rainbow

2009-11-02T21:01:00.003-05:00

Just a few pictures from our Halloween. The weather was unseasonably warm but super windy. We trick-or-treated over my Justin's grandparent's house so that they could see the girls. Madison had a blast and Stella had no clue what was go on but went with the flow anyway.

Stella loved her first lollipop and when it got down to the stick she was not very willing to give it up!

The smile on Madiosn's face pretty much sums up the sugar high she was on!

DVD Winner!

2009-10-21T20:31:00.003-04:00

Congrats to Cindy for winning my dvd giveaway!

Great Deal From Fisher Price!

2009-10-18T12:00:00.000-04:00

Stella was recently the lucky recipient of two awesome toys from Fischer Price. She got to check out the Go Baby Go!™ Stride-to-Ride® Lion. She absolutely loves to push the lion's nose and dance along to the music. It was amazing to see how quickly she figured out what needed to be done in order to make him sing. I've been trying for a week now to catch it on video but as most of you moms with toddlers know nothing ever seems to happen when the camera is rolling! I love that this toy can convert from walker to ride on because it will last that much longer. Right now she mostly pushes/pulls the lion through the house. She occasionally tries to ride on it like her silly big sister but her legs need to be just a little longer.

The second toy that we received was the Laugh & Learn™ Learning Farm . I have to admit that I haven't taken it out yet because we are in the midst of painting just about every room in our house so a new, large toy needs to be held onto for a bit. I know this will be a toy in our home for years to come though because we still have the Laugh & Learn™ Learning Home from when Madison was a baby. These toys have so many different activities that they keep babies entertained for longer than many of the other toys scattered around our home. The Laugh & Learn™ Learning House is still in such great shape after 4 years of use that I will be donating it to a local daycare where the children there can continue to enjoy it. The age range for both the Laugh & Learn™ Learning Farm and Laugh & Learn™ Learning House is 6-36 months but now even at 4 1/2 I catch Madison playing with the house with Stella. If you are willing to spend a little extra to get a toy that will last these

definately check out the Laugh and Learn Learnign Farm and House from Fischer Price.

For a limited time Fisher Price is offering my readers a coupon $20 off a $100 purchase of Fisher-Price Laugh & Learn™ and/or Go Baby Go!™ Infant Toys on their website. Here is the link for the coupon http://clk.atdmt.com/ECH/go/178001898/direct/01/ . Be sure and act quickly though because I've heard that the coupon code has almost reached its limit and will not be availabe much longer. Happy shopping!

Where the Wild Things Are

2009-10-17T21:42:00.004-04:00

Have you seen it yet?

If you don't know what I am talking about I am referring to the movie version of Maurice Sendak's "Where the Wild Things Are" that was released in theaters yesterday. I have not had a chance to take Madison yet but I don't think she will stop reminding me that her "favoritest" book is in the movies until I take her.

In the meantime I was fortunate enough to receive a copy of "Where the Wild Things Are And 5 More Stories By Maurice Sendak" from Scholastic's Storybook Treasures. This video was an instant hit in our home. Maurice Sendak's stories "Where The Wild Things Are", "Pierre", "One Was Johnny","Alligators All Around","Chicken Soup with Rice" and "In the Night Kitchen" have all been animated and given a read along function on the dvd. The dvd also comes with "Where The Wild Things Are" stickers. I don't know if it is the same in your house but in my home everything is better when it comes with stickers!

The Scholastic Storybook Treasures lone comes from Weston Woods Studios,"world-renowned for their acclaimed, unabridged film and audio adaptations of best selling children's storybooks." Each dvd is $14.95 and features at least one hour of storytime along with the read along function. The videos can be purchased at http://www.newkideo.com/. The site also features information on new releases, product reviews, activites for children and more.

Although $14.95 is a great price for these awesome videos isn't it always better to get something for free? Yep, I thought so. I have another copy of "Where the Wild Things Are...And 5 Mores Stories By Maurice Sendak" to give away.

Just comment on your favorite childhood book for a chance to win the video. For a second chance to win post about this giveaway on your blog with a link back. Just be sure to let me know if you have a link.

The winner will be randomly selected Wednesday, October 21st. Please make sure you leave me a way to contact you in case you win. Winner must live within the U.S. and must contact me within 3 days of me announcing the winner. If the winner does not contact me within 3 days I will randomly select another winner.

Good luck to all!

A New Found MeMe

2009-10-01T11:27:00.004-04:00

I just came across this meme over at Adventures in Babywearing. It has been such a long time since I've done one of these and this one looked like fun so I've decided to play long.

It's about our children's names.
1. Do you have any cultural or religious naming traditions?
Nope no traditions. I like the boys to have at least a middle name of an older male in our family but Justin thinks they should have their own names. Good thing we haven't had any boys.
2. Did you or your partner come to the marriage with pre-selected names?
Again with the no. We both had names we have always liked but I don't think we've used any of them.
3. Did you consider the sound of the first and middle and last names together? Did this make any sad eliminations?
Yes. I loved the name Hannah (before Montana was popular) and Hailey but that would be way to many H's with our last name.
4. Did you have veto powers?
Oh yeah and they were used quite often. I mean really who names a kid Mako? Yes after the shark.
5. Did the baby naming cause arguments?
Not really but when Stella was born I think Justin realized I was not giving in on the name and just gave in. Now he admits that he didn't like it at first but loves it now and couldn't imagine her with any other name.
6. Do you think it is easier to name boys or girls?
For us we always had more boys names but never a boy to give one to. Isn't that always the way?

7. Did you eliminate names because of people from your past or present who you don’t like or because a certain image comes to mind.
Being a teacher has eliminated many names over the years. I loved the name Ayden until I head a student by that name who was quite the handful!
8. Did you / would you survey your children to get their thoughts on the name?
Unfortunately yes. Madison was origianlly going to be named Shaelynn but so many people turned up their noses that we caved and named her Madison. If I'm ever brave enough to have a third and it is a girl the name will be back on the table and I won;t be telling anyone until the baby is born!
9. Did you tell people the name or possible names before the baby was born or were they “in the vault”?
Again unfortunately yes. Several people couldn't beleive we would name a baby Stella. After all why would you want people to shout out S-T-E-L-L-A? If there is a third the name will remain in the vault!
10. Did you use baby name books?
Oh yeah. Each time the pee stick came out positive out came the baby name books!
Drumroll Please…What did you name your kids?

Madison Elizabeth
Stella Mackenzie (btw my grandmother's name was Antonia Estella (Stella for short) so she is kind of named after her but I really happened to like the name too)

I tag anyone who feels like playing along! Just let me know so I can read your post!

Yellow is yellow is yellow.

2009-09-25T14:14:00.003-04:00

It seems that 6 months rarely go by without me getting the itch to paint a room in our house. This time around it looks like it is going to be the dining/living room's turn and more than likely the kitchen too. Our living room is due and I never really liked the kitchen color so I might as well do it all at once.
Unfortunately Justin cringes everytime I decide to paint. It is not because he ever has to paint or that our home gets turned upside down when I paint. Once I set my mind to painting it gets done very neatly and quickly. So why is it that DH can't stand me painting? Decision making. Choosing colors to me is a very slow, carefully thought out process. Once I decide on a color scheme it can still take me days to decide on the exact perfect shade/hue of any given color. The options then get taped to a wall and I slowly remove colors over several days and sometimes even weeks until I have that perfect one. This time around I think I want a yellow in the living room, a blue in the kitchen and either a grey or brown on the wall that goes between the two rooms. Oh decisions, decisions!
To Justin he would just run to Lowe's and get a gallon of yellow, a gallon of blue and a gallon of brown. He is just incapable of seeing the slight variations in the 15 yellow, 12 blue and 20 brownish/greys paint chips covering the wall. To him the 16 pack of Crayola crayons gives great variety where as for me the 120 pack just doesn't seem to have enough choices! Is this true for all men? I have heard that men see a much more limited variety of color than woman. I've never researched this statement to find if there is scientific fact to it but based on the man in my home I would go with it being true.
Who does the paint selecting and painting in your home? Do you have a method of selection? How long does it take you to decide on a color? Any paint experiences that you feel like sharing? I would love to hear.

Summer Wrap Up

2009-09-24T09:55:00.001-04:00

Wow what a summer! Now that fall is officially here, my brother's wedding is over, Madison is back in school and I am officially unemployed (but looking) I've decided to take the time to edit our 700+ photos. Doing so has made me realize just how much fun we have had this summer as a family and given me proof that there has been good reason for my blog neglect. We have thrown a bridal shower, celebrated a very special first birthday, gone on the best vacation ever to Lake Powell, Utah, taught a certain someone learn to ride a two wheeler (with training wheels but they'll be off soon), gone fishing, to the circus and so much more! Here are just a few of my favorites that I wanted to share with you. Enjoy!

Next up for this very busy family of four? Apple picking in upstate New York, finally getting to meet new baby Jude and training for a marathon (yeah seriously a marathon and no that isn't a metaphor for something else). Stay tuned!

My Baby Brother's Wedding!

2009-09-22T12:37:00.000-04:00

What better way to end the summer than with a wedding? Especially when that wedding is your baby brother's! Last Friday my brother became a husband when he married his beautiful bride Michelle. The wedding was awesome abd the bride and groom could not have been happier. Here are a couple of pictures from the day and not that I am biased or anything but that had the MOST ADORABLE flower girl that I have ever seen!

A Chance To Go Cloth!

2009-09-10T09:17:00.001-04:00

I know I have been MIA for quite awhile now and there is good reason for that. This summer has been awesome and filled with non stop activity. I have lots of catching up to do and intend on getting to it shortly. For now though I just want to fill you in with a great giveaway that you have to check out.

Pacing the Panic Room is a blog that I've been reading for awhile ever since I got hooked on the Maternity Series. Seriously people you NEED to check it out. I wish I had an ounce of the creativity and skill that this guy has. Anyway over on Pacing the Panic Room they are giving away a supply of FuzziBunz cloth diapers.

I'll admit the thought of cloth diapering even six months ago scared the crap out of me and I would have never given it a second thought. Within the past couple of months I have given it much more consideration and was ready to take the plunge until my husband was like "You are gonna spend how much to get started on something the baby is gonna do what in?" Sure I tried to rationalize and show that although there is a large initial expense ultimately we would save money especially if we have a third baby and can reuse the diapers but he is just not buying the cloth diapering deal. Now if I were to say win them he would have to give in!

So what's the deal with Fuzzibunz?

They are adjustable, one size which means I can use them on our 1 year old and eventually on our next child (no one in the making yet but I'm sure he/she will be here some day)

They have snaps which I've heard is WAAAAAAAAY better than velcro 'cause it doesn't wear out like velcro.

For the fashion savvy babies the colors choices are much more exciting than disposables

They have pockets for absorbent inserts so nothing shifts to the wrong place.

Oh and a fleece linign to help baby stay rash free!

From a disposable only mom's point of view these FuzziBunz seem like such a great way to pop my cloth diapering cherry!

Wordless Wednesday

2009-08-12T17:16:00.001-04:00

Answers Anyone?

2009-07-16T22:52:00.001-04:00

I was just about to begin a blog on my teary eyed nostalgic mode that I'm in and how I can't beleive my tiny little baby is about to turn one in less than three days when blood curdling screams came blaring out of Madison's room!
I rushed to see what was wrong with my 4 year old and found her standing on her bed, screaming about spiders and trying to brush off what I can only imagine are spiders that she is dreaming about.
I wish I could say this is the only time something like this has ever happened but lately it seems like she is having much more vivid dreams than usual.\
I guess I should start at the beginning. We have been trying to permanantly evict Madison from our bed for some time now but she seems to find her way in every night. SHe goes to sleep in her own bed without any problems but somehow finds her way upstairs EVERY night!

We have tried ~~incentives~~ bribery, discussions, you name it but nothing seems to work. There are mornings where she gets upset saying that she really wants to stay in her own bed but that the really strong fairy picks her up and carries her to our room. Um, okay. This led me to beleive that besides vivid dreams she is also sleep walking. I haven't done any research yet but I beleive it is an inherited trait because lucky for my girls both my father and I used to sleep walk when we were children. Last week my suspicions were confirmed when I heard her crying but realized the crying was coming from under my window in our driveway! That's right people Madison unlocked the front door and walked right outside. I can't even imagine what may have happened if I didn't hear her cry! Needless to say we have since installed latch locks up high until we are able to put some kind of major alarm system in our home (probably the only people more concerned with keeping people in than keeping people out).

I've tried to go through recent events to see what might be triggering these situations but I haven't pin pointed anything yet (not sure if there is something specific). Her diet hasn't changed although I plan to write down what she eats everyday to see if I can find a common theme. We have been much busier this summer than usual with company, parties and swimschool four days a week. Maybe there is a link between her dreams/sleep walking and activity level (this also interferes with her nap schedule). If I had to guess I would say that latter makes more sense but I guess only time, research and help from an expert (if this continues) will help. If anyone has any information or experience with vivid dreams and/or sleep walking your input would be appreciated. Thanks!

When A Four Year Old Goes Wild.....

2009-07-15T08:19:00.000-04:00

with her mother's camera you may end up with pictures like this!

"Not Me" Monday!

2009-07-06T13:15:00.000-04:00

It has been quite awhile since I have done a Not Me Monday! Heck, it has been a long time since I have posted. More to come on what has been going on at a later time and date. As the third week of summer vacation rolls around I've decided to write a Not Me post on all of the inappropriate activities that my two perfect little angls would never do. It is a good thing they don't do these things too 'cause if they did I might be just the slightest bit frazzled and completely sure that I am finished procreating!

In a raving lunatic, crazy women tantrum Stella did not throw her LeapFrog drum out of the playpen so hard that I thought she somehow flipped herself out.
Madison at 4 1/2 years old does not continue to sneak into our bed every night. This is not acceptable and if it were to ever happen I would most certainly bring her back to her own bed!
Stella would never lean over the dog bowl and lap up water as if she were a dog. If she were to do this I would absolutely stop her and never just let keep up the bizarre behavior.
Madison does not dig her finger into her belly button and then proudly announce "It smells like cheese! Wanna smell it!". That would be gross!
Stella does not throw her food over the side of her high chair just to watch the dog come and eat it.
Madison does not climb every tent, awning or other various polls that she finds and then swing from them like a ~~stripper~~ monkey leading people to comment on her unusually natural talent.
Stella does not climb every obstacle she comes across and is always satisfied to just chill at ground level.
Both girls ALWAYS nap for 3 hours stright at the same time to give me time to ~~clean~~ blog!

Oh yeah I'm so glad my kids are so perfect and do none of these things!

Hello Sarah are you out there?

2009-06-21T11:12:00.000-04:00

I just tried to contact the winner of the Putumayo Kids cd unfortunately she did not leave me a way to contact her. Since I already announced her as the winner I'll give her days otherwise I will pick a new winner. If anyone knows her please let her know!

The Winner is...

2009-06-21T11:08:00.000-04:00

Sorry fro the delay but real quick before I am out the door again the randomy selected winner of the Putumayo Kids cd is Sarah! Congrats! Sorry I have been MIA we have had family in from Colorado, I've been interviewing like crazy and planning a bridal shower for next weekend. Not really sure which end is up right now!

Have I Mentioned Before....

2009-06-06T06:59:00.000-04:00

that we love Putumayo Kids? Well fyi we do! Their newest cd "European Playground" is no exception. We've listened to it no less than 10 times in the car this week which is fine with me because if I have to listen to the mixed cd I made as party favors for Madison's birthday one more time I fear that it or I may jump out of the car at dangerously fast speeds. I really think my ears may bleed if I have to hear "Happy Birthday" one more time!

In typical Putumayo kids fashion they have not only given us more great music for kids but are making teachers lives a little easier too! Be sure to check out the teacher guide that goes along with "European Playground".

Anyone really wanting a copy of this cd for themselves. Would you like it for free? If so leave a comment about why you want the cd and if your kid has a song that is on the verge of making your ears bleed like "Happy Birthday" is doing to me.

Get a second entry by blogging about this contest with a link to the post.

Entries will be excepting through midnight 6/10. The winner will be randomly selected. Make sure you have left me a way to get back to you so I can send you the cd. If the winner does not contact me within 3 days of winning I will select a new winner. Good luck to all!

Interview update....

2009-06-03T10:23:00.000-04:00

My big interview was yesterday and I thin kit went really well!!!! As you can imagine I did not sleep at all the night before. I kept running Gasp...have a really frizzy, gross hair day!

The drive out took FOREVER! The school I interviewed at is roughly 45 miles from my house. Unfortunately it is by highway and not parkway so local traffic can get a little hairy. The trip took 1 hour and 20 minutes. Luckily I gave myself an additional 20 minutes to what I thought would be an hour drive. I made it just in time. Typically I like to have a few extra minutes to gather myself but at least I wasn't late!

The principal of the school was super friendly. He and the principal of the township's other elementary school interviewed me. I wasn't told if this was def. for a kindergarten position or if there were multiple positions so we'll see about that.

I wore a new suit that I picked up for a screamin' deal ($197 down to $38, AWESOME!) and I must have looked pretty darn good 'cause the female principal apologized for not dressing appropriately. Her school was having field day yesterday so she had on a sleeveless blouse instead of a suit. When does a principal ever apologize to a person that they are interviewing????

The questions they asked were typical. How do I collaborate with other teachers? How will I include parents in my classroom? How do I differentiate instruction? What is my classroom management philosophy?

Next came the lesson plan. This was the part that I had been stressing most. I didn't have to teach it just present it. I handed each principal a copy and as soon as I started to run through my anticipatory set the male principal said, "Wow! You nailed it. This is exactly what I was looking for". Seriously people I think the clouds parted and somewhere in the distance an angel two started singing "Alleluia"! I was ready to jump out of my seat and hug him but I thought better of that!

The female principal commented on how much she loved that I had included lesson variations for struggling and gifted students. This is a part that I had contemplated taking out but thought more information is better than not enough. Obviously it was a good thing that I left it in.
Before parting ways the male principal explained that I wouldn't hear anything this week because interviews were on going. He said that from those interviewed a select few would make it to the second tier of interviews. This will most likely be done next week because he wants the new teacher voted in by the board of education my 6/24. I could take this info two different ways.

He tells everyone
He told me because he is interested

I'm an optimist so I am going with the second reason!

My only concern was that the interview was only 20 minutes long. As a rule of thumb if an interview goes for less than 1/2 an hour you tanked but I have a felling it was because I was the first of a very long day of interviews and he didn't want to fall behind.

So now it is just a wait and see. If offered the position I will def. take it and try to find a quicker route to school but in the meantime I'm hoping a more local school gives me a call!

First Steps to Going Back to Work Full Time

2009-06-01T22:15:00.000-04:00

Hello! Yep, I'm still here and really do want to get back to blogging regularly. As for now I'm just trying to get through tomorrow.

I have a job interview tomorrow. It is a little farther from home than I had originally planned on looking but it is a potential job so I'll be okay with the commute.

In the meantime if anyone feels like saying a prayer, crossing their fingers, sending some good vibes or whatever else you may do I'ld aprreciate it! Thanks and I'll let you know how it goes tomorrow!

P.S. Here is the very long, detailed lesson plan that I have decided on. Now I'm off to dust off my interviewing suit. Good night all!

Lesson Plan Title: Using mental imagery to assist with reading comprehension.
Concept / Topic To Teach: Reading comprehension strategies
Standards Addressed:
3.1.12.E.1 Assess, and apply reading strategies that are effective for a variety of texts (e.g., previewing, generating questions, visualizing, monitoring, summarizing, evaluating).
3.1.12.E.2 Use a variety of graphic organizers with various text types for memory retention and monitoring comprehension.
Goal(s): SWBAT improve reading comprehension skills through the use of the five senses.
Required Materials: black, white board or chart paper, chalk, dry erase or markers, Draw and Label Visualizations Graphic Organizer, crayons, Where The Wild Things Are by Maurice Sendak, The Monster Who Ate My Peas by Danny Schnitzlein, Good Dog Carl by Alexandra Day
Anticipatory Set (Lead-In):
· Review the five senses (sight, smell, hearing, touch, taste)
· Explain that good readers create a movie in their minds by imagining what they would be seeing, smelling, hearing, touching and tasting if they were in the story.
· Model what the class is going to be doing. Read an excerpt from Where the Wild Things Are "That very night in Max's room a forest grew and grew and grew until his ceiling hung with vines and the walls became the world all around." Describe how I use my senses to create the “movie in my mind”.
· See: a dark bedroom where trees suddenly appear, vines are creeping in through the window. They begin to grow all over the room. I look up to see the dark night sky instead of my ceiling. Stars are twinkling and the moon is shining.
· Hear: Creatures that come to life at night. Crickets chirping, owls hooting.
· Smell: The scent of wildflowers all around, freshly fallen rain in the air.
· Feel: Sleepy at first but quickly become wide awake, cool summer night air on my skin, the damp grass on my feet.
· Taste: These thoughts of the wild make me think of camping. I imagine the taste of a s’mores and roasted marshmallows.
· Draw a picture on the board or chart paper that goes along with what I am seeing. Remind students that what matters is what they see in their minds not if they are artists or not.
· Explain that we will be using our five senses to make a movie in our heads of the story we are about to read together.

Step-By-Step Procedures:
· “Without showing the cover of the book read the title The Monster Who Ate My Peas by Danny Schnitzlein.
· Read first page without looking at the pictures. “Has anyone ever been made to eat something you don’t like? The boy says he would “rather eat dirt”. What do you think dirt tastes like? If he would rather eat dirt how do you think he feels about peas?”
· Read second page. “As the boy begs and pleads what do you imagine his voice sounding like? How does the mom sound?”
· Read pages 3-4, Read page 5-6 without showing the picture. Have students describe what they think the monster looks like. “How does his breathe smell? How would you feel right now if you were the boy?” Show picture.
· Read 7-9. “How did the boy feel when he thought about his soccer ball? How did he feel when he looked at his peas? What do you think it sounded like as the monster ate up the peas?”
· Read to page 12. “The monster disappears with a “F-O-O-O-O-M”. That is the sound he makes as he disappears. Do you think he goes quickly or slowly? How did that ice cream taste? How is the boy feeling now?”
· Read13-14. “Now that the boy doesn’t have his soccer ball how does he feel? Do you think he should have eaten his peas instead?
· Read pages 15-16. “Will the boy give up his bike?”
· Read pages 17-18. “How does the boy feel now that the bike is gone?”
· Read pages 19-20 “Will the boy give up his puppy? The monster “growled” at the boy how do you think he is feeling?”
· Read page 21. “What do you think the boys face looked like when he put the first pea in his mouth? If the pea taste surprised him how do you think it tasted to him?”
· Read page 22. “Why did Ralph lick the boy? How do you think Ralph and the boy were feeling? Have you ever been made to eat a food that you didn’t think you would like but you really did?”
· Read pages 23-24. “What is happening to the monster in this picture? How do you think the monster is feeling?”
Plan For Independent Practice: This lesson would be an introduction to visualizing a story. As the year progresses students will begin to draw their visualizing sketches for each story that he/she is reading on their own.
Closure (Reflect Anticipatory Set): “Did creating the story in your mind help you understand the story more? What did you like about thinking of the book as a movie?” Discuss and share visualization sketches.
· Assessment Based On Objectives: Monitor class discussion for appropriate descriptions of what is happening in the book. Students go back to desk. Hand out “Draw and Label Visualizations” graphic organizer. Students will draw a picture of the story based on what they see in the “movie “ in their mind. Remind them of the drawing I did on “Where the Wild Things Are”. Also remind them that they do not have to be perfect artists. Depending on ability write words or a sentence on the lines under the picture either describing the picture or what they imagine hearing, smelling, feeling and tasting from the story. Score the graphic organizer on a scale from 0-2.
§ 0 = does not show comprehension of the story based on the picture drawn or what was written.
§ 1 = Shows some comprehension of the story based on either the picture drawn or what was written.
§ 2= Shows story comprehension based on what was drawn and written.

Adaptations (For Students With Learning Disabilities) Connect to prior knowledge. Do not use the complete story. Use only passages or choose a poem instead. Limit what needs to be written based on student’s ISP.
Extensions (For Gifted Students): Good Dog Carl by Alexandra Day. Read first page to the student (if necessary), explain that the mother is going out for a little while and the dog needs to care for the baby. The mother doesn’t expect the baby to do anything but sleep but the pictures will show you what really happens. Have student look through book. Have student look at the page where the baby is sitting at the stop of the laundry chute. Check to make sure that the student knows what a laundry chute is. If not explain. Student will then draw a picture showing why the dog is running down the stairs in the next picture. Depending on ability student will write words or sentence describing his/her drawing.
Possible Connections To Other Subjects:
Visualizing to assist in reading comprehension can be used in all subjects that require reading.

The Many Faces of Madison

2009-05-13T23:12:00.000-04:00

WIn a Free Frigidaire Washer and Dryer!!!!!

2009-05-09T03:00:00.000-04:00

If you were to walk through my house you would see mostly relatively new appliances some a bit more loved than others but still all constructed during the current century. This would not be the case if you entered my laundry room. Our washer and dryer are probably the most used and abused appliances in our home and they are literally standing on their last legs (hoping this post does not jinx them into retirement).
When we bought our home we needed to almost completely gut the house and start from scratch. This left our wallets quite depleted. The two items that seemed to be working at the time were the washer and dryer but unfortunately they only lasted about a week before needing to be send to the big recycling plant in the sky. With a tight budget and a need for clean clothes started searching the scratch and dents at our local appliance store. Luckily I was able to score a decent washer but no dryer. Plan B was to check out the local Habitat for Humanity consignment shop and I got a dryer for $25. Awesome! If this dryer could just last a month or two we could by a new one....
Fast forward 5 1/2 years and it is still chugging along. I couldn't have asked for a better dryer but I still wonder whenever I put a load of wet clothes in if it will be the last. Not to mention that the newer only slightly scratched and dented washer seems worse off than the dryer. On a good day it gets almost all the soap out of clothes on the first cycle and on a bad it just beeps in defiance telling me it does not want to wash another load of clothes!
As you can imagine I've been eyeing up new washers and dryers for awhile now and love, love, love (if you can love an appliance that does something you don't love doing) the New Frigidaire Affinity Washer and Frigidaire Affinity Dryer. I love that the washer is a front loader which conserves water and that the dryer is largest capacity model on the market. Can anyone say "Do more in less time"? Yay for that!
What I would love more than buying these to items is to win them! Face it people free is always better isn't it? If you would like a chance to win a FREE Frigidaire Affinity Washer and Dryer make sure to fill out this questionnaire. Good luck to all!

The Big Mulch Debate....

2009-05-08T09:14:00.000-04:00

Last weekend we found an awesome Rainbow swing set on Craig's List. The set retails for about $2900 but we got it for $475 (Gotta love Craig's List). Madison is so funny. She keeps telling everyone she is getting a park in her backyard and will never have to leave home again. If only things were that simple! I'll post some pics as soon as it is fully assembled.

In the meantime I've been researching what type of soft impact material to put under the play set. The set is on the grass for now but Justin and I both want something a little safer just in case of any falls.

Here are the choices:

Wood Mulch:
Pros:

It is natural
Matches our gardens
cheap

Cons:

It smells really bad (when fresh)
If we buy the black died to match our gardens it will leave our children looking like they played in a coal mine
In time it will begin to rot the wooden swing set as it deteriorate.
Bugs and critters love the stuff

Rubber Mulch:

Pros

It is made from old tires so we will be recycling
Non toxic
Non staining
It does not decompose and rot the swing set
More shock absorbent than regular wood mulch
Does not hold animal odors so they will not be interested in using it as a litter box.

Cons

Although it claims to be non toxic the skeptic in me wonders what if?
On a hot day when my students come off the rubber mulched playground at school like look as if they were playing in a coal mine (no dif than wood mulch)
It claims to be inert and won't make dogs sick but I'm not loving the idea of my dog eating it.
Quite a bit more expensive than wood mulch

Playground Cushioned Tile:

Pros

Made of recycled Tires
Attractive
Seems like the safest option
Does not move around
the dog can't eat it
does not attract various critters

Cons

Must be installed on a completely flat surface
Would require a truck load of dirt to be put down first
So expensive we would need to remortgage the house or sell a kidney to pay for (okay maybe an exaggeration but you get the ides)

Ideally I would choose option 3 but I can't justify spending so much money on playground flooring when their are other options and we are not even in a home that we plan on staying in for more than 2-3 more years. If it were our forever home maybe but still it is way expensive!

That being said I'm thinking the rubber mulch is the way to go but I'm still not completely sold on the idea. IF anyone has any related experiences or other options I would love to hear them!

Thanks!

Call or Email?

2009-05-06T10:35:00.000-04:00

Remember how I announced my big plans of going to nursing school a couple of months ago? Well a funny thing happenned. Life got in the way. Instead of be a thirty something student in a see of horny teens I've decided to give full time teaching a go again. I'm really looking foward to getting back into a classroom and feel that this slump that I've been feeling in is primarily do to the teaching position I'm in now. The problem is I'm not actually teaching! I feel like a glorified babysitter. Anyway enough of the moaning and groaning...

So here I am sending out resumes 'til my fingers bleed 'cause the thought of starting at step one with substitute teaching sends shivers down my spine. I 've even sent a resume back to the district where I used to teach. It is not exactly around the corner but if it means a job I'll take it. Not to mention that I did enjoy my time there and wouldn't mind going back.

Now here is my question. How do I give myself a leg up on other potential new hires at my old district? Many of the administrators I once knew at my old school have either retired or moved on but I do know the current vice principal. We got along well when I worked for the school but I haven't seen or spoken to her in years. I would like to contact her and let her know I'm job hunting but I'm not sure how to do it? Should I give her a call? Should I email her? Should I leave her coming across my resume up to chance? I'm not even sure the school will be hiring for next year but I think if they do I have a pretty good shot at getting a position. What should I do?

Wordless Wednesday

2009-04-29T16:08:00.001-04:00

Menu Planning

2009-04-24T22:04:00.000-04:00

The truth is I have a ton of topics to blog about. Another truth is that I'm way to spent to do anything that requires major brain functions. So I've decided to jump on the bandwagon and post this upcoming week's menu. I went shopping today with definate dinners in mind. Now let's just see if I can stick to it!

Friday: Sloppy Joaquins (Rachel Ray recipe)
Saturday: Paella
Sunday: Sausage, peppers and onions
Monday: Leftover paella (hope there are leftovers)
Tuesday: Southwestern chicken salad
Wednesday: Tilapia with cucumber coconut relish and brown rice
Thursday: Hit mom and dad up for dinner or take out

Happy 9 Months Stella!

2009-04-21T19:41:00.000-04:00

This was actually a post I meant to do 2 days ago but I've been kind of tied up. Read more about that in tomorrow's post.

Height= 28 1/2 inches Weight = 18 lbs. 4 oz.

This month Stella has started:

Crawling

Lifting herself to her knees

Lifting herself to standing

She cut her first 2 teeth

Waving goodbye

Lifting her arms in response to "How Big is Stella?"

Signing spider when she wants to hear "Itsy Bitsy Spider"

Picking up items with her thumb and forefinger

Feeding herself finger foods

Eating some "real food" teething biscuits, diced chicken, rice and beans

I know I say it every month but I can't beleive how fast time is flying!

He Got Me!

2009-04-05T08:16:00.000-04:00

For the first time in over eleven years Justin got me. He actually pulled off a surprise birthday party for me last night! I honestly did not want a party this year and was hoping to let the BIG 29+1 come in under the radar but my friends and family simply would not have it.
Yesterday morning I awoke to Justin scurrying around the house at 5:00 am. All day I thought for sure a party was coming the next day. I was actually pretty salty about it all day 'cause like I said I did not want a party. Later in the afternoon he surprised me with Wicked tickets for today for my mom and I so I immediately got out of my funk and thought I was in the clear.
We were getting ready to go to dinner when all of the sudden our friends Jeff and Stephanie walked in. It totally didn't register. The first thing I thought was cool I didn't know they were going to dinner with us! Then Stephanie replied "Um, Surprise?". SHOCKED!
The party turned out to be awesome and I was so happy to get to hang out with my friends that I don't see very often.

So now to answer the question that I know is on every one's minds....How does a 30 year old fresh off a body detox/cleanse start off her big day?

Soda, Sub Sandwich and Excedrin Chaser......Oh yeah I'm so healthy!

Wordless Wednesday

2009-04-01T15:06:00.000-04:00

When You Don't Have Anything To Blog About...

2009-03-30T14:02:00.000-04:00

CREATE SOME DRAMA!
In reality that is the last thing that I wanted to do at 7:00 am this morning and I had plenty of other topics to blog about but Stella changed all that.

We were snuggling in bed together when I clumsily knocked over my JUMBO cup of water. It was headed straight for the laptop (GASP!!!!) so I jumped up and started cleaning the mess. The whole time my high was touching the bed but my eyes were not on the little squirmer. Can you guess what happened?
Yep she fell from our super high bed face down right onto our hard wood floors just inches from where I was standing. It was so unbelievably loud that my first thought was that Madison had placed one of my free weights on the bed again and it just fell off. Of course when I looked back and saw my little girl laying on the floor my heart instantly leaped into my throat.
She immediately starting crying which I knew was a good sign but it took for what seemed like forever to find the phone. I debated between calling 911 or my mom to watch Madison so I could go to the ER. Stella stayed conscious the whole time and her eyes seemed to be reacting well to light. I decided on my Mom 'cause we are only about 4 minutes from the hospital and it would probably take longer just to get an ambulance to the house. Once I found the phone it took what seemed like forever to call my mom 'cause I couldn't remember the number. This is the phone number I had my whole life until moving out on my own. How could I not remember it? Anyway mom ran over and decided to drive us 'cause had I driven I would have had to park the car and walk a pretty far distance to get to the ER. By having mom drive she could just drop us off. Halfway there Stella was laughing at Madison and dancing to the song Madison was singing. I had feeling everything was going to be fine but I still wanted her checked out just in case.
We saw the doc almost instantly. She was awesome and reassured me that I am not a complete moron and that she in fact had this happen to not one of her children but both! One of the nurses said that this was a really common theme over the weekend too. Stella seemed fine but the egg on her forehead and the bump by her eye made the doc order a CAT scan. She doesn't know it but I would not have left without one even if she did not think it was necessary. When the tech came to get us she was a little unsure about how the scan would go because Stella was squirming all over. She was tired and cranky because she didn't get her breakfast, I wasn't allowed to give her the bottle that she was more than ready for and it was her nap time. The tech mentioned that we would probably have to sedate her. This was not at all something I was interested in doing but I knew ultimately we would if need be. someone was definitely watching out 'cause within the 2 minutes that the tech went to find our pediatrician and discuss sedation Stella lulled herself to sleep and stayed sound asleep just long enough for the CAT scan to be completed!

The scan came back negative and we were released by 10 am. Stella seems perfectly fine although we do have to follow up with our pediatrician tomorrow and keep a close eye on her for the next day. I've been a complete wreck. I can't even imagine being a parent whose child has a major injury or illness! As soon as me came home I lowered her crib as far down as it goes (just in case) and there will be no more big bed for her anytime soon!

Oh yeah and for those who are counting

Stella's ER trips = 2 Funky colds that require mucho meds = 1
Madison's ER trips = 0 Funky colds that require mucho meds = 0 (never even antibiotics)

I hope that this trend does not continue and that there are no more accidents for either one but I have a feeling I know who our accident prone child is going to be!

A Healthier Life - Week 1

2009-03-23T03:00:00.000-04:00

Creating a healthier lifestyle for my family and I has become my latest obsession. I've been researching loads of different work outs, nutrition plans, body cleansing, healthy recipes. . . You name it and I've probably googled it in the past few weeks. I'm going to try and share whatever I learn along this journey once a week if not more.
Ultimately a healthier life is what my goal is. For me this means dropping some weight. As of right now I've decided not to share my current weight or current weight loss. This decision may change in time but for now that is not what I want to focus on.
Now on to what I've found this week...

fitday.com : This is a free site that my brother has turned me on to. This site is sooooo great for detail oriented people. You can track your weight, weight loss, set goals, track what you are eating, make sure you are eating enough from each food group and more. I just started using this site so I'm sure it does much more than what I've listed here you can also upgrade to their premium membership for a fee. I'm going to be using this site for the next week to track what I eat. After a week of tracking I will sit down with my brother (a personal trainer and health nut) to go over my diet and see what needs to be tweaked. I'll share the outcome next week.

Happy Baby Puffs: Stella's new favorite! I was at the health food store on Friday picking up some odds and ends and found these. We've tried the green puffs so far and they are DELISH! Comparable to Gerber's puffs but better. The BPA free container has 40% more than Gerber, they are organic, have less sugar and all the ingredients can be pronounced. The only down fall to these puffs is how hard it is to keep them away from Madison!

My third find is not exactly something that I'm flipping over. It is more of a what the heck? Last week I was talking about body cleanses and came across Dr. Natura's Colonix. I'll warn you that the pictures of what people on this cleanse are expelling from their bodies is pretty graphic. I'm pretty sure there will be a cleanse in my future but this one just seems scary. If you have actually used the specific cleanse I would love to hear what you thought about it!

Happy 8 Months Stella!

2009-03-18T14:05:00.001-04:00

Eight months already! I really don't know where the past year has gone. Stella is doing so much and has her own personality! It is so hard not compare her to Madison especially since they are sooooooooo different!

Stella is very, very vocal. She is already saying Da Da Da repeatedly (especially when she is angry) along with a few other consonant/vowel blends. She also loves to squeal at the top of her lungs and blow raspberries until she is dripping with drool. She tends to get louder when she is angry or frustrated. She has got quite a temper and it has been coming out more and more lately because she just wants to get down and go but hasn't quite gotten the hang of it yet. Madison was a very quiet baby and did not speak her first word until 16 months. Such a difference.

Stella has gone from a stationary spud this past month to a rolling fool. She does a combo roll/scoot on her butt thing to get to anywhere she wants. Several times in the past day or two she has also gotten up on all fours and rocked back and forth so I think it is only a matte of time before she crawls. No attempts to pull herself up yet but I'm sure that is just around the corner. Another difference from M. 'cause she crawled at 6 1/2 months and walked at 9!

Stella loves, loves, loves food! We haven't found anything that she doesn't really like although she prefers her fruit. I'm pretty sure that is most babies though. She has also started with her sippy cup this month. Still working out which end is up but it is a start. Are you tired of comparisons yet? Madison couldn't be bothered eating. Besides having a milk allergy she always seemed to busy to be bothered.

Her sleeping pattern is also pretty good and close to on schedule. She usually takes a three hour nap from 8:30-11:30 am (although this is more typical of when she is with my mom) and then a brief 20-30 minute snooze in the afternoon. Bedtime is around 8:00 and the most exciting thing is that she now falls asleep on her own in her crib!!! You have no idea how big this is for me since I gave into cosleeping with Madison which I feel still negatively affects her sleep routine. Madison still needs someone to snuggle in bed until she falls asleep and every night she still finds her way into our bed because she CANNOT sleep alone. I know there are advocates of cosleeping out there but is just not for me. Stella had been getting into a cosleeping habit for awhile which resulted in a kiddo on either side of me. This made for one sleepless, cranky mom. I couldn't take it so we used the cry it out method with Stella . It was hard to hear her cry the first few times but soooooo worth the results. I feel like she gets a sounder, more complete sleep compared to Madison. She also sleeps through to usually 7:00 am. AWESOME!!!!

Wordless Wednesday

2009-03-18T14:02:00.001-04:00

But YOU told me to practice my letters MOM!

A Healthier Lifestyle

2009-03-16T20:29:00.000-04:00

With less than 3 weeks to the BIG 3-0 I've been super focused on living a healthier life. Eating healthier, drinking more water, exercising more. You know the things that often get put on the back burner with a crazy, busy lifestyle. So far I've dropped some weight although I have a ways to go but more importantly feel soooooooo muxh better. I'm not always tired, I get more done around the house and I also feel like my energy boost has helped me to be more patient with certain little people in the house.

What does my healthier life include:

Making sure to drink at least 8 glasses of water a day
cutting out "white carbs" and most processed foods
Running a minimum of 20 minutes a day/ 5 days a week
light weights
lowering salt intake

I'm sure I've done other things that I can't think of at the moment so I'll just add them as I think them up.

So far I'm very happy with the results but I feel like I could do more. I've been researching all different types of body detox/cleansing programs and I've got to tell you that this has been HARD. There are so many! There are several I'm really interested in over others but I thought I'd ask anyone if they have ever done any type of cleanse? If so how long? Which cleanse? What were the results?

I'm also looking into changing up my exercise routine because I think I would see better results if I mixed things up. I've decided to hold off on rejoining the gym right now 'cause it is just way to hard to get out on a regular basis with the kiddos. ANy recommendations on at home programs in this area would be a great help too!

I'll keep you posted if anything seems to really work or if there is something that totally bombs! Thanks for your help!

Who Doesn't Love Free Food?

2009-03-10T20:41:00.000-04:00

Hi Everyone! I just wanted to let you know that Kashi is promoting their line of frozen foods. I've had their pizze before and loved it! Check out the Kashi site for your free frozen entree coupon!

Who's Your Honey?

2009-02-28T19:46:00.000-05:00

The following conversation took place in my car on Thursday while waiting for my mom to come out of Macy's...

Madison: Who is your honey Mommy?
Me: Daddy
Madison: Who is Mema's honey?
Me: Poppy
Madison: And Uncle Corey's honey is Aunt Michelle right?
Me: Yes Sweetie.
Madison: Well then who is Uncle Jimmy's?
Me: Uncle Joe
SILENCE....
Madison: But Mommy????
Me: Yes?
Madison: They are two mans. Don't they have girlfriends?????
Me: No sweetie not everyone has a girlfriend. Sometimes men have honeys that are other men and sometimes ladies have honeys that are other ladies?
Madison: Oh okay.
Me: Madison why do you call them honeys?
Madison: 'Cause that is what you call someone when you love them!

No big deal just a part of life or at least I thought so. Justin and I have several gay and lesbian friends and relatives so the topic just seemed matter of fact to me. If you remember it is also not the first time the topic of homosexuality has come up with Madison. Remember the book last spring? Anyway I told the story to my mom mostly because I thought the term "honeys" was hysterical and was amazed that Madison picked up on the fact that in our lives male/female relationships are the norm. Now don't go taking any offense to the term "norm" all I mean by that is that in our lives heterosexual couples are predominant.
I was surprised that my mother commended me for the way I handled the situation. Mostly because I didn't think there was a situation. She admitted to me that she would have just said Uncle Jimmy didn't have a "honey" in order to avoid the topic. Maybe it is a generation thing or maybe that my mom was raised in a strict catholic home and is first generation American. Whatever the case may be I was disappointed that she wouldn't have been open and honest if she were me. I know that conversations will get much deeper as the girls get older but I hope to remain a parent who addresses topics rather than brush them under the table. I'm just saying...

My HUGE announcement!

2009-02-27T14:51:00.000-05:00

Wow! Things have been so crazy, stressful, exciting..you name the emotion and I've been feeling lately. Sorry to dissapoint if you thought I was announcing my third pregnancy. No more babies here for a looooooooong time if ever!

I really have not been myself for awhile now. I've been torn between feeling ready to return to away from home work full time and being a SAHM mom to the girls. As much as I adore my daughters I need more. For me this means having a successful career separate from my family. This is no way means that I don't think SAHMs have the hardest, most rewarding job in the world because I think they do. I just need something that is my own now more than ever because I feel like the longer I am home the further removed from me I have become. Not sure if this makes any sense. Hope it does.
I've also felt for a long time that teaching is not where I want my career path to continue going. I have loved the time that I have spent in the classroom but if given the choice between teaching other people's children or my own I choose my own hands down. My true love has always been science and medicine. I started out college as a bio/premed major but switched majors for one reason or another. At this point I'm not really sure what the reason was 'cause I've always kind of wished that that was a change I never made. Then again if I didn't make those choices maybe I wouldn't have met Justin or had the girls and I could not imagine life without them.

So what is a girl to do?......GO BACK TO SCHOOL! That's right people I'm goin' back. What for you ask? Nursing school! I've decided to return and become an RN! This idea has always been in the back of my head but I never muttered a word for fear that my hubs may choke me. Afterall we are still paying off $60,000 from my last stint in college. After some discussion and research I found that becoming an RN would only take about 2 years, 4 general ed. courses and 5 nursing courses. I couldn't be more excited especially since Justin is ALL FOR IT. He actually admitted to me that he always pictured me in the medical field much more than teaching. Not sure what that means but I'll take it to mean something positive.
This journey will most likely begin at Anatomy and Physiology I this summer (btw if anyone wants to take this as a distance learning I don't recommend 'cause it requires you keeping a dead cat for dissection somewhere in your home!). Followed by a few more general education classes this fall. I'm hoping to get accepted into the actual nursing program by this spring. My college advisor said I would being accepted without any problems because of my high GPA, and existing B.A. but about 1,000 people apply per semester and there are only 90 spots. Once accepted all candidates are put on a list based on the date that all of their information is received. So it is all about where I am on the list. Fingers crossed that I am high!

So stay tuned as this really close to 30 wife, mommy, part time teacher throws returning to college into the mix too! There are bound to be some roller coaster adventures in store!

Wordless Wednesday

2009-02-25T06:12:00.000-05:00

Wordless Wednesday

2009-02-11T10:00:00.000-05:00

Brothers!

Brody and Tucker 6 months

Priceless

2009-02-10T10:00:00.000-05:00

Two tickets on the Toys 'R Us Ferris Wheel in Time Square: $8.00

Lunch for 3 at Mars 2112: $75.00

Three tickets to Broadway's Mary Poppins: $120.00

(A seriously Awesome deal thanks to Broadwaybox.com)

Holding a sleeping, sweating, snoring 4 year old through the first half of Mary Poppins while people turn around and stare at you wondering who the heck is snoring through a play... PRICELESS!

I'm here! I'm here!

2009-02-09T22:02:00.000-05:00

No I didn't fall off the face of the Earth. I'm still here! Life has just seemed to be non stop lately and by the time I get the girls to bed I fall sound asleep very soon after. Okay I'll admit I usually fall asleep while putting one of them down!

Word of advice for anyone who has their own business... Don't let the paperwork pile up until tax time!!!! This is so unlike me but just about every sales slip since Stella was born has been piled high on my desk for 6 1/2 months now. Unfortunately tax time is here and I need to muddle my way through my mess in order to visit the accountant. Every spare minute without the girls has been spent trying to get things in order and tonight I'm finally starting to see the end! Whoo Hoo!!!! Now if only I could find my mileage log for 2008. Did the dog eat it?

Anyway enough about that boring stuff. The girls are great and Stella FINALLY got to experience her first snow last week. She was outside long enough to snap a few pics and then back inside with Mema so Madison and I could have some big girl play time before the snow disappeared as quickly as it came. I love nice weather and I'm totally not complaining for 60 on Sunday, snow on Tuesday and then another 60 Sunday to follow is just plain weird. Gotta love Jersey!

Not too much else going on around here just a sudden overabundance of invites to bridal showers, baby showers, and kiddy birthday parties in what was supposed to be a quiet rest of the winter and early spring. Seriously does anyone else notice that these things come in waves? It has been months since I've had to go to any and then BAM!!!! more than I can count and a few of which occur on the same day. So tough to choose so we just go by the first invite to be received deal. Well I guess that is enough pointless rambling for now so goodnight all!

Just Call Him "Shark Tooth"

2009-01-30T21:25:00.000-05:00

Just another exciting Friday night in the H. household! Justin has fallen asleep putting Stella to sleep, Madison just went to bed and after a peaceful shower I've decided to try brushing the dog's teeth for the first time. The dog that I did not want until the girls were a little older. The dog that I swore could only come into this household if it were an adult. the dog that I was promised would NOT be my responsibility if I just let someone bring him home.

Okay time to get off the soap box. Much to my surprise, horror, disgust. I found two rows of top teeth staring at me when I opened Tucker's jaw. He is only six months old so I wiggled a few wondering if maybe some were loose baby teeth. No such luck! I also thought something was up with his lower teeth but have not gotten around to thoroughly inspecting them yet.

I immediately snapped a few shots to share with my bloggy friends. Go figure only one shot of my wiggly puppy with his mouth being pried open with one of my hands while I snapped away with the other came out. Next I googled this freak of nature to try and guestimate how many dollars I can kiss goodbye. I found out that this is not too uncommon especially in smaller dogs. It seems as though the roots of the baby teeth don't completely die off so the teeth don't fall out prior to the adult teeth coming in. They could possibly fall out but many people that were dealing with the same poochy problem were advised by their vets to have the teeth extracted if still there at a year old. On average extractions are about $100 per tooth. I'm pretty sure I counted 6 teeth (4 of which you can see in the pic) so I'm none too happy with this answer.

I'll be calling our vet on Monday 'cause we'll be out of town tomorrow but in the meantime I was wondering if anyone in the blogosphere has ever dealt with this type of dilemma? If so please share with me what you did about it. If you any kind of vet experience or better yet are a vet I'd love to hear from you too.

Toothfully Yours,

Tracy and Tucker aka "Shark Tooth"

Making Me Feel Better About 30!

2009-01-29T22:27:00.000-05:00

The BIG 3-0 is quickly approaching for me. Two months and 1 week to be exact. A day that I begged for no parties, no fuss, just another day. Justin just won't let it slip though. Instead he has decided to combine both of our 30th birthdays, our fifth anniversary and also team up with his cousin who was planning her husband's 40th. To plan a trip to this....

and this...

oh and this...

on this!!!!

One week on a 59' houseboat in Lake Powell, Utah. Completely unlike any other trip we have ever been on but pretty darn cool! Isn't my hubby awesome?

All About Madison's Big Day!

2009-01-22T22:02:00.000-05:00

Yesterday was such a great day!

Somebody was not impressed with the camera at 6:30 a, but hey I had to capture the big day.

Next came cupcakes for all of Madison's friends at school.

There were presents including a "just what I always wanted" gift.

And of course CAKE!

Now for what you have all been waiting for...

Yep sushi was the dinner of choice! Nothing raw for her though so I guess she really only had rolls. Close enough. She also dined on seaweed salad and Passion Fruit Bubble Tea. No one was allowed to use forks at dinner according to Madison and I have to say her chopstick skills far surpassed her grandparents'!

Congrats to Danielle for guessing! Does it count since Danielle knows Madison in real life and knows that she is not a picky eater? Anyway the prize was going to be Madison's mixed cd party favor from her birthday party. Danielle will be at the party and get one anyway so she and Eliza will also be getting Baby Signs Potty Training Starter Kit (more info on this later)! Dana's initial thoughts were sushi too so she'll be getting a copy of Madison's tunes too!

Happy Birthday Madison and a Contest!

2009-01-20T22:37:00.001-05:00

***OOPS!!!**** I meant to post this tomorrow morning but it is late and I'm half asleep. So deal people (and I mean that in the nicest possible way). Madison's birthday is tomorrow not today. Good Night I'm outta here!

Happy 4th Birthday Madison! You are getting to be such a big girl! You love to sing, dance, go to gymnastics and help Mommy cook. You are obsessed with all things pink and princess but still have no problem getting your hands dirty helping Daddy outside! You also happen to be the best big sister that any baby or puppy could ever ask for!

Daddy and I love you so very much!

Now on to that contest. We have some special birthday plans in the works for today and also a party for Saturday. This year is the first year Madison gets to pick her own special birthday dinner. So what exactly does a 4 yeaer old choose to have on the menu for this big occasion? Anyone who makes the correct guess will win something. I'm just not sure what yet but don't worry I'll make it good! I will let you know that we will be eating out and also that Madison does love chicken fingers but her palatte extends far beyond the basics. The name of the restaurant is not necessary just the type of food that Madison has picked will do. Check back tomorrow for a birthday follow up and the answer to our big question. Happy guessing!

P.S. Thanks for the tips MckMama! The colors pop sooooooooo more! Imagine what can happen if I actually use this program.

Happy Half Birthday!

2009-01-19T03:00:00.000-05:00

Half a year old! I feel like you just entered this world and at the same time it seems as though you have always been a part of our family!

You are now 26 3/4 inches and weigh 15lbs 15 oz. You love your Jumperoo, Mommy's off key singing, watching your nutty big sister and sweet potatoes!

You have been sleeping through the night for over 3 months, are just about to sit up all by yourself, babble and squeal constantly and just started passing toys between hands.

You are still not a fan of belly time although you tolerate more and more, don't roll over regularly and have yet to cut the teeth that Mommy swore were breaking through two months ago.

We love you so much but can you please stop growing so fast? Just be a baby a little while longer!

Handmade Needs Our Help!

2009-01-18T04:00:00.000-05:00

A few weeks ago I received a beautiful organic, handmade seahorse rattle from Ecoleeko. I had planned on telling you that this ecofriendly rattle handmade of hand dyed Bamboo Fleece and Organic Cotton Corduroy. I was also going to mention that it is stuffed with natural Kapok fiber and is easy for little hands to grip unlike some of the larger, plastic rattles on the market. I would have followed this statement with the fact that the rattle is also biodegradable and that it is Stella's favorite toy!

The reason I say that I would have talked about these facts is because if some people have their way handmade toys like this rattle may not be available in the near future. Last weekend Sue from Ecoleeko contacted me making me aware of the Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act (CPSIA) that was passed in August 2008. It was passed as a way to prevent dangerous toys from being sold in the U.S. by banning lead and phthalates in children's products, mandates third party testing and certification, and requiring manufacturers of all goods for children under the age of 12, to permanently label each item with a date and batch number. This law will prohibit many small handmade businesses that create anything kid related from existing after February without paying large sums of money for each of their products to be certified. Sums of money that small companies and toy makers CAN NOT afford! Their only choice will be to stop making the many toys that our children love.

Please make yourself aware and help change this law by checking out http://www.change.org/ideas/view/save_handmade_toys_from_the_cpsia.

You can also learn more at these two sites

http://www.handmadetoyalliance.org/ (This site has a petition you can sign and also a sample letter you can send to your Congressmen and Senators)

http://cpsia-central.ning.com/

Please visit and pass on the info!

MeMe Friday

2009-01-16T21:03:00.000-05:00

Hello All! Yes I am still alive. In the midst of cleaning, diapering, feeding, teaching the ABC's, housebreaking an working outside of the home time just seemed to get away from me. I have lots to post about but only have a few minutes right now so I thought I would do something quick and fun. This is a survey my cousin Amy posted on Myspace about her and her husband so I thought I'd borrow it and add details about Justin and I. Feel free to keep the borrowing going. Enjoy!

♥ What are your middle names?Richard and Ann
How long have you been together? almost 11 years, 4 1/2 married
♥ How long did you know each other before you started dating?a month or so
♥ Who asked who out?he asked me
♥Who said I love you first?me, I think
How old are each of you? both 29
♥ Who's siblings do you see the most? my brother and his fiance
♥ Do you have any children together?2 girlies
♥ What about pets?1 dog
♥ Which situation is the hardest on you as a couple?deciding between a tight budget and me being home most of the time or me going back to work full time
♥ Did you go to the same school?nope
♥ Are you from the same hometown?nope
♥ Who is the smartest?Me with book smarts but he has more business savvy
♥ Who is the most sensitive?neither, we are not very emotional people, guess we should work on that
♥ Where do you eat out most as a couple? Labrador Lounge but we always love to try new places
♥ Where is the furthest you two have traveled together as a couple?Mexico. So far any real distant trips have been taken separately. Guess we need to change that.
♥ Who has the craziest exes?Well one of mine was nicknamed Psycho Nut by my friends so I would have to say me
♥ Who has the worst temper?me
♥ Who does the cooking?Usually me even though he cooked in several restaurants while in school
♥Who is the most social?Probably him but neither of us is a wall flower
♥ Who is the neat-freak?depends on the situation
♥ Who is the most stubborn?me, but he can be too
♥ Who hogs the bed?Neither. I like my space and he is a snuggler so unfortunately their is usually about 4 feet of bed on the other side of him.. I've actually hopped over him in the middle of the night when he is just too close!
♥ Who wakes up earlier?him
♥ Where was your first date?Pt. Pleasant boardwalk in April. Cold! Cold! Cold!
♥Who has the bigger family?His immediate family but all cousins, aunts and uncles taken into consideration they are about even. we see his much more often though.
♥Do you get flowers often?every now and then
♥Who do you spend the holidays with?We split time among both families. It is only fair especially now that we have kids
♥Who is more jealous?neither
♥How long did it take to get serious? Awhile, I always said he was a great guy but not the one I was going to marry. Guess I was wrong!
♥Who sings better? This question should be who sings worse! At least I hear the beat/rhythm of music
♥Who does/did the laundry?Mostly me, whenever he tries an article of clothing is bound to get ruined!
Who’s better with the computer?equally clueless
♥Who drives when you are together?he drives going out I usually drive on the way home. Cocktails anyone?
♥Who picks where you go to dinner?Both but he does most of social planning
♥Who named your pet?Madison. We originally named him Kingston but Madison kept calling him Pig Skin so when we asked her what she wanted to name the dog she said Tucker!
♥Who wears the pants in the relationship?I let him think he does!
Who has more tattoos?5 for him and 2 for me
♥Who eats more sweets?me. He doesn't like them
♥Who cries more?Neither of us are criers
♥Are you still together?Yep!

Wordless Thursday

2009-01-08T12:09:00.000-05:00

Never got around to it yesterday so I figured I would post today. Couldn't decide on a favorite pic of our sleepy pup!

Almost There!

2009-01-06T21:56:00.000-05:00

She's Up!

And She's Back Down!
Now Can Someone Please Teach Her How To Roll Over?

Getting Back To Normal

2009-01-05T21:32:00.000-05:00

All better baby!

Brothers wrestling

Madison and Brody

Madison and Tucker

I'm very happy to announce that we are getting back to normal here. Whatever that may be! Madison is back to her fun loving, ever on the go self. I swear if you look hard enough you can see the gears turning in her head thinking up what to do next! Stella is much, much better. We never took a trip to the E.R. because after her econd neb. treatment I could definately see an improvement. She still has to use the neb. until Friday than it is check up time at the ped.'s office.

The puppies are home and have been named. Originally ours was Kingston but Madison kept calling him Pig Skin so we opted for Tucker. As long as Stella can pronounce her T's when she gets older we will be good to go! My parents chose Brody which was my first choice for our dog but it's all good! Both dogs are adjustin really well and house breaking is much easier with them than any other dog we have had so far. Hope that doesn't change! Here is a few pics of them for now. I don't really have many of Brody cause we kept them apart for the first couple of days in order to adjust to their new seperate homes. I'm working on a neb picture for Stella but it is not as easy as it sounds. maybe for Wordless Wednesday. Off to bed. Good night all!

STELLA UPDATE

2009-01-02T11:32:00.000-05:00

We are back from the doctor's office. Stella is finally sleeping in my mom's arms (although very restless) and I am about to give Madison her bath. She has bronchiolitis which the doctor said is very common in babies her age. She is wheezing but not to severely (according to the doc) and has been put on nebulizer treatments 3 times a day for a week. Back for a check up in a week.

Unfortunatelt we were seen by the one doctor in the practice that I don't particularly love today and I'm not 100% sold on her diagonosis. The docotr thought Stella sounded much better after her first neb treatment in the office and said she couldn't hear any wheezing. kind of strange 'cause I could clearly hear it without a stethoscope. I also thought it was weird that we do not have to revisit the doc for a whole week because a lot could change in that long of a period of time. the doc also looked at me like I had 3 heads when I said the baby's urine output wasn't as much as usual even though she has been drinking plenty of fluids. I also mentioned that her urine was amber in color and strong smelling. Not even a look in her diaper! the doc's response was "She seems well hydrated and I highly doubt she has a UTI on top of everything else." If there is no change for the better with the pee pee making or breathing by later this afternoon it looks like we'll be off to the E.R. Why couldn't one of the 10 other docs that I love be on call today?
well I thinked I mentioned everything. For now everything seems some what okay but we will just have to play wait and see. Oh and only 5 more hours to puppy time. What the H. E. double hockey sticks was I thinking?

Off to the doctors

2009-01-02T08:01:00.000-05:00

Madison is finally feeling so much better. Unfortunately Stella has gotten progressively sicker since last night. I stayed up holding her all night waiting for the slightest change that would be the deciding factor in goin to the E.R. By 6:00 am I was on the phone with our ped's answering service. We have an 8:45 appt. I'm no expert but her breathing seems labored and I can feel hert chest rattling. Letters like R.S.V. and the nasty word pneumonia keep swirling in my head. I'm praying that it won't but I will not be suprosed if we are off to the hospital. I feel like a first time mom treading this new territory. Madison has never been this sick and never even got a cold until she was a year old. So off we go. Keep you posted.

And yes the dogs are still set to arrive tonight. We'll deal with that when the time comes!

P.S. Did I forget? Happy New Year!

Name Those Puppies!

2009-01-01T18:34:00.000-05:00

Well it is official I have completely lost my mind! I gave in to Justin and Madison and we are adopting a dog. I knew we would always get another dog after Murphy but I had planned on waiting until Stella was a little older. Two weeks ago I caved in and we have been searching ever since. Originally Justin really wanted another Newfoundland but I convinced him that something about 100 lbs. lighter would probably be better while the girls are so small. So we decided on another Cavalier King Charles Spaniel. He is arriving tomorrow evening via Newark airport! Even crazier is the fact that my parents decided they wanted to adopt his brother so we'll officially have twins in the family. They are 5 months old and have been named Ryan and Dariuz by their shelter. We are not crazy about either name so now we are searchin for some new ones. We have a few names in mind but are not set on anything for sure. I would love to hear any ideas that anyone has and am not opposed to a duo. We would also be up for two names that have something in common like Burton and O'Neil. Sooooooo let those names rip!

Ryan (top)

Dariuz (bottom)

Helping Out Cora's Cause!

2009-01-01T08:00:00.000-05:00

Several weeks ago I came across a young family's blog. Tragically this family had just lost their beautiful baby girl Cora who was diagnosed with cancer just three weeks earlier. There has not been a day that goes by that I don't think about how their hearts must be breaking. On more than one occasion it has made me hold my girls just a little bit tighter and give them just a few extra kisses.

During there time of pain they have decided to honor her memory by building a playground in her name. The family has just opened up an awesome Etsy shop to help pay for the playground. Everything in the store is absolutely gorgeous! I personally can't wait to get my hands on a onesie dress for Stella just as soon as one is listed and not immediately sold! You seriously need to check out the shop and purchase something to help out their cause. Not only will you be doing a good deed but you'll be getting something soooooo adorable in return! Now go and check it out!

A Christmas Update Through Pictures

2008-12-30T07:28:00.000-05:00

This time of year is always so crazy but ours has been topped with Madison getting by far the worst cold she has ever had and then sharing it with Stella and I. I guess I can't complain 'cause I'm always telling her she needs to share. Anyway I'm trying desperately to get our home in order and back into a routine (which includes blogging).

Christmas was great despite the fevers, coughing and runny noses. Madison was the only one under the weather Christmas Eve but she seemed to rally so me made the decision to go to Justin's grandparents with the rest of the family. Christmas Day was spent with my parents hanging out in sweatpants and eating way more than any human being should. It was really nice having a low key day complete with an afternoon nap 'cause I think we all needed that. We have been hanging home ever since trying to make everyone better. It is nice but so strange because I think the last time I have ever been home for so many days straight was when I gave birth to Madison! Justin originally had a week vacation but since we can't do any of the fun activities planned and he is not sick he opted to go to work. We miss having him home but since he is technically getting paid for two weeks (vacation and work) this week I can't complain. Here is a recap of the past week in pictures. Enjoy!

Stella's favorite new spot to hang.

Visions Of Sugar Plums Danced Through Their Heads!Christmas Eve. Somehow the only pic of them together. Didn;t even get a family photo :

Whoa! Santa came!

Trying to wait patiently for Stella to wake up.

The only Christmas pic of the girls and I!Poppy (my dad) and Stella

Stella and baby cousin Mackenzie (please ignore the red eyes)

I Have A Winner!

2008-12-26T23:19:00.000-05:00

Happy Holidays everyone! I haven't been blogging lately 'cause life has been crazy to say the least! Between the girls, Madison being sick, Christmas and looking for a dog to adopt (yep I caved) I really haven't known which end is up. Now instead of catching some z's while the rest of the fam is sleeping I stayed up late to play with the family's new Wii (so addicted to Mario Kart) and let you know who the winner of my My Baby Can Talk giveaway is. Congrats to abcdbanda for winning! As always if the winner does not contact me within 3 days I will select a new winner.
That's all for now folks. I'll catch up with on the holidays, my new do and hopefully a new dog soon I promise! DOn't worry there will be lots of pics to go along with the update too!
TTFN!!!

A Winner And An Awesome New Giveaway!

2008-12-18T14:38:00.000-05:00

Congratulations to Elsie for winning the $25.00 gift certificate to Beadedbling.etsy.com!

Now for everyone else how about another giveaway? This time it is for the little guys. Baby sign language has always been something that has intrigued me. I bought a book on it when Madison was an infant and signed with her a little. The result was her knowing how to sign "more" and that was about it.

This time I've taken a much more active interest with signing with Stella and have already begun introducing some basic signs to her. I've also decided to use only ASL (AmericanSign Language) signing with her that way she can not only communicate with us but also friends of ours that are non-hearing. What is really fun to watch is Madison's interest in learning to sign also. One morning she inquisitively asked "Whatcha doin' non?" when I was signing with Stella and immediately wanted to learn too. It turns out she has already been learning the ASL alphabet at school!

I know that some parents don't agree with teaching babies to sign. They feel that this will prolong them from speaking. I disagree. Personally I beleive that babies can communicate much earlier than they can form words and signing allows them to do so. Many times toddlers throw temper tantrums and parents get frustrated because they can not figure out what the baby wants and the baby can't tell them. Having a baby that can sign may be able eliminate or at least reduce these types of tantrums! Here is a story and a video of my friend Danielle's baby Eliza signing that help to prove my point.

I recently got a collection of DVD's and Board Books in the mail from My Baby Can Talk. This collection is ASL based and has loads of awards. The books and dvd's were created for babies 10 months and older. Madison loves to watch the DVD's and both girls enjoy looking at the vibrant pictures in the books. I personally love the signing for dummies sections in the books. Every sign has diagram of how to hold your hand as well as directions as to how to move them. Trust me I need them!

Wouldn't you love this collection for your little one? Well lucky you 'cause I have one to give away too! The My Baby Can Talk collection includes...

3 dvds First Signs, Exploring Signs and Sharing Signs
3 board books First signs, Sharing Signs and Exploring Signs

If you were to purchase this it would cost over $75.00. It is well worth the cost but isn't everything better when it is free? To enter this giveaway...

please post a comment about who would be using the collection and why you want to sign with this little person.
Receive a second entry by blogging about this giveaway linking back to me and commenting letting me know that you blogged about it.
Make sure to leave me a way to get back to you.
The winner must contact me within 3 days of being announced or else I will select another winner.
This giveaway will end on Christmas Eve next week.
The winner will be announced Christmas Day.
Good luck to all that enter!

Stella Update

2008-12-17T07:48:00.000-05:00

Stella was checked out by her pediatrician after the incident on Friday and she is fine. In the meantime we have begun cereal with her. She has taken to it like a champ and after just a couple of feedings is already opening her mouth and lunging towards the spoon. This is completely different from Madison who was such a tough baby to feed. That has all changed now 'cause the kid will even eat sushi (no raw fish) and seaweed salad!

I didn't really get into the details of how the restaurant handled the situation the other day because ultimately none of that matters but for inquiring minds.... All of the wait staff immediately rushed over to see if Stella was okay. At that point I couldn't even tell you what the waiter looked like because I was too preoccupied with the baby. My mother noticed the guy making pizzas behind the counter looking over but he never stopped to see if Stella was hurt. After the initial shock the waiter came back several times to offer his heartfelt apologies and to even offer any personal information that we may need from him in case something was wrong with the baby. At the time I just wanted to scream get the F%^$ out of my face! Now I feel for him because accidents do happen and being the mother I should have never placed Stella into a situation where she could potentially get hurt. No manager or owner EVER came over willingly! Justin stopped the hostess and demanded to speak to the owner or a manger. She explained that her husband owned the restaurant and she went to go get him. Turns out it was the guy making pizza! He lied through his teeth and said he didn't know anything had happened and his wife said she came over to check on the baby but she seemed fine. I'm not sure if she did or not because I was in complete shock. Now we are not the suing type but as a business owner don;'t you think it is in your best interest to make sure no one is hurt and to demand a doctor be seen to CYA? I'm just saying. All the guy kept saying is dinner is on us! We didn;t care about who was paying for dinner. We just wanted someone to acknowledge what had just happened. As we were leaving the owner finally got out an accident report and filled it out once we told him we were going to the emergency room. Again all he kept saying is the bill is on me. Okay buddy we got it. The accident itself would not have stopped me from going there again after all it was an accident. The owner's behavior however has made us decide to completely write off this restaurant (If you need a name I'll be happy to email it to you). It is not like decent
Italian restaurants in NJ are hard to find!

My blogging has been scarce to say the least but we are neck deep in Christmas here. All the gifts are bought and wrapped, the house is decorated and Madison is wired! If we could only harness her energy I'm sure we could solve the world's energy crisis! I've even attempted to bake a few Christmas cookies although it doesn't seem like there will be any to give out this year. The first two batches were eaten almost instantly on Sunday and I either forgot to add flour or oats to the third 'cause the results were not pretty. If the weather isn't too bad today we are off to the mall for pictures with Santa. I'll admit I'm completely exhausted doing all that is Christmas with two kiddos but I remember how special my mom made Christmas for my brother and I and I want to do the same for my girls! Thank goodness the breast feeding has stopped because I am surviving on Rock Stars at this point (yes I know waaaaaaaay unhealthy)!

Don't forget today is the last day to enter my Beaded Bling giveaway. I'll be posting a new awesome giveaway either today or tomorrow so keep checking back!

My Most Important Post Ever... Please Pass Along!!!

2008-12-13T10:01:00.000-05:00

With presents to buy, cards to send, cookies to bake and decorations to hang it is easy to get lost in everything that is commercially Christmas. I'm not going to lie I've been guilty of it myself. Consumed with what has to be done before the big day as if the world might stop if it doesn't. Ultimately none of these things really matter. The only thing that truly does matter during this time of the year as well as every other day of the year is that your loved ones are happy and HEALTHY.

This reality check hit me last night while we were out to dinner. My parents, Justin the girls and I all went to one of our favorite little Italian restaurants. There was no booth large enough to accomodate all of us so one of the restaurant employees turned a high chair upside down and a placed Stella (who was sound asleep) and her carseat on top. No big deal. I've done it dozens of times before and have seen hundreds of other parents do the same thing. We all munched on bread, ate salad and were waited for our entrees when CRASH! A waiter knocked into the high chair holding Stella and her car seat. the chair fell over and the car seat fell floward, upside down with her in it. Before it was even settled on the ground Justin and I had it picked up and were checking out our little girl. She was slowly waking up with a look on her face like what the heck happened and why is everyone in my face? Not a single tear. Thankfully everything seemed to be fine but we wanted her checked out just in case. After all she did fall to the floor upside down in her car seat!

We took her to the hospital where we were quickly greeted by a rather gruff doctor. He diagnosed her as fine even before looking at her because she had been strapped securely in her car seat. He examined her quicklky (I think just to appease me) and we were released. In and out of the ER in under 1/2 and hour. She seems completely fine, not even a scratch but I'm taking her to the pediatrician tomorrow to put my own mind at ease. (Yes Danielle for the first time ever I am overreacting. Probably).

Although I beleive in God I don't tend to be very religious, I'm not the best at getting up and going to church every Sunday or even remembering to say my prayers. I know though that God was looking down on us and kept our baby safe from harm. This situation could have had such a tragically different ending. If her seat had hit the table or if she hadn't been strapped in I can honestly say I don't know if she would be with is right now. I'm sure that we are not the only family that this has happened to but it is not something that is ever really discussed or addressed. I know that there are car seat slings that can be used at restaurants but they could have been knocked over just as easily. There has got to be a better, safer way to hold car seats and as parents it is up to us to demand something. If you could please share my story with other mothers or maybe even link this post to your site I would really appreciate it. People need to be made aware so that this does not happen to them!

Take A Picture It Lasts Longer

2008-12-10T23:00:00.000-05:00

After nearly a day of decorating and already having to readjust just one day later I've decided to take a picture of our Christmas tree. Madison is much better about not touching this year and even insisted that we wrap some gifts to place under the tree "to make it look pretty". I'm still not convinced that the tree will go untouched through the whole season and fingers are crossed that it doesn't come crashing down this year. So I've taken this picture of what the tree looks like now JUST IN CASE!

P.S. Thanks MckMama for your ISO lesson. I played with the shutter speed and turned the flash off. I liked this pic the best although my skills need some more practice!

P.P.S. Make sure to enter my giveaway for a $25.00 gift certificate to Beaded BLing before Dec. 17th!

A Giveaway Especially From Me

2008-12-09T12:47:00.001-05:00

I'm not sure if I mentioned it before but one of my favorite pastimes (when I have time to pass) is jewelry making. A couple of years ago I said up an Etsy shop called Beaded Bling. I've recently relisted some jewelry pieces and am about to add a bunch more. Did you happen to notice my mini shop in my sidebar? In the spirit of Christmas giving I've decided to give one lucky reader a $25.00 gift certificate to Beaded Bling.

Here is how you can enter into my drawing. Just check out Beaded Bling then come back here and tell me which piece is your favorite.

Remember to leave me a way to get in touch with you in case you win.

This giveaway ends next Wednesday, December 17th.

Get a second entry by blogging about this giveaway, with a link back to my post and a comment letting me know you blogged about it.

Good luck to everyone!

Sooooooooo Embarassing But What The Heck

2008-12-08T16:11:00.001-05:00

Okay so let me start by saying if you are at all easily embarrassed, super conservative or under 18 please do not read this post. There is no explicit content in this post but it does discuss some adult topics.
On the other hand if you are easy going, don't shy away easily or need a really good laugh by all means read on!
A couple of weeks ago while out with some friends we got involved in a very adult conversation. During this conversation the couple that we were with Highly recommended a certain toy that they use in the bedroom. My hubby thought he would surprise me with this toy as an early Christmas present. He didn't however present it to me in person when we were alone. He sent it to the house via UPS. Assuming that it was a product for a giveaway or review on my blog I opened the box in front of my mother. Luckily I read the packing slip before unwrapping the white plastic bag around it (something I never d0). I quickly explained that it was a Christmas present for Madison from family in Colorado and I would show it to her later. As far as I know she bought my little white lie. I was seriously seconds away from being more mortified than any other embarrassing moment in my life. If my mom had seen it I'm sure she would have laughed and rolled her eyes but still some things are better kept unknown. All I can say is thank goodness it is almost Christmas and if my hubby thinks there will be any playtime tonight he has got another thing coming!

More Kiddy Tunes

2008-12-08T09:09:00.000-05:00

We recently received another new cd for the kiddos and love it! Baby Loves Salsa produced by Aaron "Luis" Levinson and "features some of the biggest and brightest stars in contemporary salsa music including band leader and singer Jose Conde. It is the story of a group of kittens and puppies (gattitos y perritos) from the streets of new york city who go on to become the best salsa band in the land." Madison took instantly to this cd and "Bailar Rapido" has quickly become her new favorite song. I love that she has begun to sing along in Spanish even though her Spanish vocabulary is limited at this point. I am sure this is a sign of bigger and better things to come. We also love to read the board book that came with the cd. It is about a gato(cat) named Otis who lives in Nueva York (new York). He makes a special salsa for his birthday in Central Park which turns out to be a salsa band. Not only is the story entertaining and educational its illustrations are also brightly colored which even gets Stella's attention. This cd and board book set has been a hit all around! Make sure to check out Baby Loves Salsa's website where you can sample some of the songs from the cd.

25 Christmas Things About Me

2008-12-05T16:16:00.000-05:00

Ok I stole borrowed this from Lori at Teacher Turned Mommy Not As Easy As It Sounds.Please excuse any typos 'cause I'm holding an overtired, cranky, squirmy baby as I do it!

Welcome to the Holiday edition of 25 Things About Me.

Okay, here's what you're supposed to do, and try not to be a SCROOGE!!! Just copy this entire post and paste into a new post. Then change all the answers so that they apply to you.

1. Wrapping paper or gift bags? gift wrap. Ours must always be different from Santa's
2. Real tree or Artificial? Real. I grew up with artificials but Justin insists on a real one every year. Pretty but VERY
3. When do you put up the tree? The week after Christmas
4. When do you take the tree down? New Year's Day but last year it came down December 19th before we went to Colorado. Very depressing taking down a tree before Christmas!
5. Do you like eggnog? Yum! But never drink it 'cause I think it is about the most fattening thing in the world
6. Favorite gift received as a child? Cabbage Patch Kid. I waited a whole year for it. My parents couldn't find one the first Christmas so my Mom made me a fake one. My mom is seriously awesome
7. Hardest person to buy for? My dad and my father in law
8. Easiest person to buy for? Kids. I love buying them toys and clothes
9. Do you have a nativity scene? Yes, Willow Tree. My parents buy me a new piece to the scene every year.
10. Mail or email Christmas cards? mail. I love getting Christmas Cards to open!
11. Worst Christmas gift you ever received? A fish pillow wrapped in a super market type wrapping to look like a real fish. Just 'cause my hubby likes to fish doesn't mean that is the decor in our house!
12. Favorite Christmas Movie? It's A Wonderful Life
13. When do you start shopping for Christmas? If I see something interesting throughout the year I'll pick it up but usually in October and I'm done by Black Friday so I can enjoy the holidays without the stress of shopping. Didn't work this year.
14. Have you ever recycled a Christmas present? Nope
15. Favorite thing to eat at Christmas? Christmas cookies
16. Lights on the tree? Yes, colored this year. we're crazy like that
17. Favorite Christmas Song? Santa baby
18. Travel at Christmas or stay home? Grandparent in laws on Christmas Eve and my parents Christmas Day. Last year was Colorado
19. Can you name all of Santa's reindeer? Dancer, Dasher, Prancer, Vixen, Comet, Cupid Donder and Blitzen... oh yeah and Rudolph I just copied Lori's
l20. Angel on the tree top or a star? Star
21. Open presents on Christmas Eve or morning? Grandparent in laws Christmas Eve, ours and parents' Christmas morning and in laws a few days later.
22. Most annoying thing about this time of the year? trying to do more than any one person can
23. Favorite Ornament theme or color? My Swarovski collection that was started when I first dated Justin but the tree fell over last year and broke most of them. This is the only time I have cried over a possession
24. Favorite thing for Christmas dinner? Prime Rib
25. What do you want for Christmas this year? Not exchanging gifts this year 'cause we are saving for Disney but I would love a DSLR or a Wii

Sleep, Sleep, Why won't you sleep? and my giveaway winner!

2008-12-05T06:20:00.000-05:00

It is official Madison has her first major stomach virus! She is nearly 4 years old and has a few rounds of diarrea but this is the first one paired up with major vomitting. I know nice mom for sharing that with your kid! She already seems to be doing better this morning and through the whole thing keeps insisting she wants to eat in between barf trips to the bathroom. It also hasn't stopped your amped up, count down to Christmas, warp speed, bounce off the walls attitude that has appeared since Thanksgiving.

In the meantime Stella has decided that there is something she definately doesn't like and that is SLEEP! The child simply won't do it. We lay her in her crib and she screams until she throws up and starts choking, we hold her until she falls asleep and the second we lay her anywhere including the swing her eyes pop open. She then stares at us with a look that screams "You didn't seriously think this would work?". She has also stopped sleeping through the night. Up until this whole sleep boycot thing started 4 days ago she would go sown around 9:00 and sleep through until 6/7 am. Not anymore! Now it takes until about 11 to get her down, she is up by 2 for several hours and than it is anything goes from there!

I've been blaming her teeth because she is sooooooooo close to cutting the first two. I really thought they would have been there for Thanksgiving. The only thing that makes me question this beleif is that she is rarely fussy! When she wakes up she just smiles and coos and wants to play. It is me that seems to be throwing the temper tantrums and having meltdowns. Like everything else I know we will get through this lack of sleep thing. Madison did it too. I think it was around the time she was teething but I can't really remember. In the meantime I'm just slightly cranky and would love any tips that anyone can think up for us to try. I'm positive that if I let her snuggle into our bed she would have no problems but I've got to tell you that is not an option! We just got our bed back from Madison and I'm not about to give it up again. Besides I don't feel comfortable with someone so tiny sleeping in our bed yet. There is also a really good chance Madison will find her way into our bed in the middle of the night and not knowing Stella is there hurt her.

Anyway now onto more important news. No I didn't forget about my Keurig Platinum Brewer giveaway. I was just a little overwhelmed yesterday. Congratulations to Jim! He was randomly selected (name out of hat) to win this awesome prize! I know you'll love it and it may even become your favorite kitchen appliance like mine has recently become to me!

Wordless Wednesday

2008-12-03T13:55:00.001-05:00

There is only how many shopping days left?

Yes, I am Still Here

2008-12-02T06:23:00.000-05:00

Nope I didn't hang up my blogging towel and head off to some tropical, Carribean Island. I was lucky enough to have my sweet students share a very nasty stomach bug with me just in time to end my Thanksgiving break! Luckily I didn't get sick until the weekend was almost over so I still got to enjoy all of the fun plans we had!

Thanksgiving was great. This was our fifth year having my family and in-laws to our house. We had a nice time and dinner was delicious (if I do say so myself) but we are thinking of changing up the plans next year. Possibly volunteering at a soup kitchen that our favorite restaurant runs or going to the city to see the parade. We'll see what happens.

Yes, I was one of those crazy ladies who got up at 3:30 and waited online at Toys 'R Us for an hour on black Friday. I was in and out within 15 minutes and had everything on my list. Then I went on to Target where I was also in and out in 15 minutes. Then I made the mistake of going to Wally World. I don;t know why I did it. This store seriously aggravates me on a regular day so why in the world would I decide to go there on black Friday? After finding the 2 gifts that I wanted to pick up I got on one of about 25 crazy check out lines that wrapped throughout the store. I kept watching the clock and making deals with myself like if I don't make it to a clothes rack 15 feet ahead of me in the next 5 minutes I'll leave. Well I never left and after an hour on line I did check out with both gifts in hand. Hard part is over right? Wrong!!! It took another 45 minutes just to get out of the parking lot! What the heck was I thinking? No toys are that important.

Next year I'll definatly hit up a few stores first thing again because there are really great bargains to be had. I think the key to not turning into a stressed out crazy woman is to know what you are going in for, get in and get out. Most importantly don't make any extra stops!

Justin and I also went to this awesome little restaurant that my brother and future sister-in-law have been raving about. Their recommendations really did no justice to this restaurant. if you live near NJ or are visiting you need to check out Bistro Ole in Asbury. It is a Spanish/Latin Infusion restaurant where one dish is more amazing than the next. I had their signature Sea Bass dish and it was AMAZING! It is a BYOB which we are all about these days 'cause I would much rather spend a little more on great food than have half our bill go towards whatever we drink. The cool thing about this restaurant is that if you bring your own wine they will make sangria for you. Let's just say that it was my first drink in a long time and I did not stop at one, two or three glasses! Saturday was painful to say the least.

That was pretty much our holiday weekend. Too bad it ended with me being sick. If you haven't done so yet don't forget to enter my giveaway for a Keurig Platinum Brewer. Today is the last day to enter! Good luck to everyone!

Coffee Anyone?- New Giveaway!!!!

2008-11-26T22:51:00.000-05:00

Okay so I'll let you in on a little secret. It is nearly 11:00 p.m. the night before Thanksgiving, I have 20 people coming over for dinner tomorrow, my house is a mess, not even a single pie has been baked and I just ran into my office to get the brining recipe for the turkey. Lucky for you I got side tracked by the computer!

I say lucky for you 'cause I have an awesome giveaway to share with everyone. Here is where you should be imagining a drum roll.......

The giveaway is for a Keurig Platinum Brewer! This brewer's features include 5 cup sizes (4 oz, 6 oz, 8 oz, 10oz and 12 oz), a removable 60 oz. reservoir,fully programable features, blue backlit display, quiet brew technology and an award winning design. Keurig Brewers use single use K-Cups to brew some of the best coffee I have ever had. There is also reusable k-cup filter basket available for purchase in case you have a specific type of coffee not available in single use K-cups.

Although I love to cook making coffe has never been a strong point for me. No matter what coffe pot, coffee or water I used it was never good. This meant that whenever Justin or I wanted coffee we would have to run out to our local coffe shop or wait until we were at work to get a cup. My coffee is so seriously bad that when we had some contractors siding our house in the middle of winter they kindly refused my coffee after just one cup. This is no longer a problem for me now that we have our own Keurig Brewer because it is totally fool proof! Making coffe is as simple as filling the reservoir with water, turning one the machine so it heats, popping in a K-Cup and pressing a button. Within a minute a fresh cup of delicious coffee is not in my hot little hands! There are many different types of coffee, tea and hot chocolate that you can choose from including Fair Trade coffee on Keurig's website or you can purchase your K-cups wherever the Brewers are sold. I am able to pruchase them at Bed Bath and Beyond, Target, B.J.'s and some of the better food stores in my area.

Looking for details on how to win your own Keurig Platinum Brewer along with an 18 K-cup variety? You have two chances to win.

Go to Keurig's website, check out all of their different coffee, tea and hot chocolate and then post a comment about what you would like to try first if you win the brewer. Make sure to use a sepcific coffee, tea or hot chocolate name so I know that you went to the site!

Receive a second entry by blogging about this giveaway on your blog with a link back to me and a second comment letting me know you did so.

It is seriously that easy! Please make sure to include your email address so I can reach you if you win. This contest ends Wednesday, December 3, 2008. The winner has 3 days to contact me. If he/she doesn't I will randomly select a different winner.

Good luck to everyone and have a great holiday season! Now it is seriously time to brine a turkey!

In Case You Wanted To Take A Look

2008-11-24T16:59:00.000-05:00

Remember the wedding Justin, Madison and I were in a few months ago? The bride and groom sent us a link to their online photo album and were kind enough to let me share. Enjoy the pictures!

P.S. Don't forget I was 8 weeks postpartum (YIKES!!!)

Bloggy Giveaways

2008-11-20T19:37:00.000-05:00

5 Minutes for Mom has gotten into the Chrsitmas spirit with loads of great giveaways. Be sure to stop by and check them out!

Teething Already?

2008-11-20T05:53:00.001-05:00

I didn't want to believe after all Stella just turned 4 months yesterday but it looks like we have a teething infant on our hands. Stella has been a drooly, goobery mess for a few weeks now. I kept insisting it was not teething. After all Madison didn't cut her first two teeth until she was over 6 months. I know, I know they are not the same baby and I have to quit comparing them but that is another post for another time. Sure enough when I looked into my youngest daughter's mouth there were two little teeth buds just below the surface of the skin. Teeth already!

Thank goodness my Dr. Bloom's Chewable Jewelry arrived last week just in time for Chompfest 2008 'cause without it Stella's fists may have been chewed raw by now. The jewelry was created by Dr. Helen Bloom who is both a mom and a dentist. It is not only fun to wear but super convenient for busy moms looking for something for their babies to chomp on.

The jewelry is

Dentist Created and Endorsed
BPA, PVC, Phthalate Free
Latex and Lead Free
Dishwasher Safe
and it comes in great colors too. We have the Emerald Circle Slide Pendent and Bracelet. Did I mention that I love it? With all of my friends either just having had a baby or expecting I know what many of them will be getting as gifts.

I've got a great deal for all of my readers too. Go to http://www.chewablejewels.com/ and shop to your heart is content. At checkout use the code WOMM and receive 10% off your entire order. The offer expires 12-20-08. Don't you just love deals? There is no limit on how many times you use this code from now until December 20th either. That means that if you buy yourself a set and love it (I know you will) you can go back and purchase more for family and friends as gifts or different colors for yourself.

Happy Shopping!

Wordless Wednesday

2008-11-19T06:47:00.001-05:00

Spending every last moment before winter that we can outside!

There is a lesson to be learned here...

2008-11-18T11:15:00.000-05:00

and it is not that my daughter is a slob. I already knew that! It is also not that I have neglected this room for far too long 'cause I already knew that too!

The lessons that I do hope to teach Madison today as we tackle this disaster is

She is now a big girl and it is now time to take care of her things.

There are less fortunate children in this world and we need to share with them.

I've already started discussing these two ideas with her. She seems to get the taking care of the toys part is is excited to do so. I am a realist though and know that it is not going to miraculously happen over night. But one can hope right?

It is the second concept of giving some toys away that I am having difficult with. We talked about the fact that Santa will be coming soon and how we have to make room for new things. We've also talked about the less fortunate children and how they would be so happy to get a toy even if it is something we don't play with anymore. Madison's response was "but I play with all of my toys and they would be sad if they thought I didn't like them anymore". Gotta be honest here the toys with feelings thing threw me and it took a few moments for me to respond with "They also get sad when they aren't played with and would love to go to a new home where they are the center of attention".

I've dropped the topic until after nap time but by the end of the day there will be toys that are finding a new home. They will not only be leaving our home but Madison will be the one to select them. Yes life would be easier if I just went through her things while she was asleep. If I did that though how would she learn that we need to help others? I'm sure there will be tears involved after all she is the type of kid that gets upset when I throw out pamphlets handed out at our door by strangers from certain religions. I'll keep you posted. Wish me luck!

Making The Pilgrimage.

2008-11-15T15:46:00.000-05:00

Nope not to some holy land but to Disney World. Madison is going to be four in a few months and loves, loves, loves all things Disney. I really wanted to go even before having kids and Justin had never been so we've decided that next year's vacation will be a fun filled, magically spectacular week in Disney World.

What I didn't realize was how much goes into the planning of a trip like this. We need to decide whether to go during off or peak season, which of the 27 resorts to stay at, whether or not to get park hopper passes and if we want to go with a meal plan. This is just a few of the descisions that we need to make.

Ultimately we will be booking with a travel agent but before contacting one I would love to get any advice from anyone willing to share. Shared experiences (good, bad or ugly), feelings towards hotels, parks, restaurants. Anything will help. So far this is what I know (and it is not much)

We are thinking sometime in May because older kids are in school but the weather is still nice.
Staying at the Animal Kingdom Lodge. It is not completely, outrageously priced, Madison loves Animals and it has regular restaurants in it (not just fast food)
Going for a week. There is a lot to see and I think by going for a week we can take breaks here and there instead of cramming everything into 4 days.
Park Hopper just means we can go to more than one park in a day

...and that is about it. Obviously I need lots of help. We are trying to do this trip on a budget too so any money saving tips, tricks or hints would be awesome. Of course if anyone from Disney is reading this post and would like a review done I would not be above this for some extra vacation perks ;>

So hit me with whatever you've got people! Thanks!

'Tis The Season For The Flu

2008-11-13T06:38:00.000-05:00

Around this time of the year the flu starts getting talked about quite a bit. Whether it is flu shots or outbreaks you are bound to hear about the flu. Here in New Jersey all children who are in some type of school setting public, private or day care are now required by law to receive a yearly flu vaccination. This is to keep school outbreaks down to a minimum. Madison has already received her shot and Justin and I are about to. Justin and I have never gotten them before but Stella is too young to get one so we are doing it to decrease her chances.
Google has also jumped on the flu bandwagon with their new flu tracker. According to Google they are able to track a flu outbreak two weeks earlier than any other method because they have found that "certain search terms are good indicators of flu activity". It is pretty cool just go to their flu tracker site, click on your state and see if the flu activity is minimal, low, moderate, high or intense. Right now NJ has low activity but several states are showing moderate activity which I'm sure is just a sign of things to come.

There is my sign

2008-11-09T18:39:00.000-05:00

Have you ever been going about your business when it suddenly hits you that your are "such a parent"? It happened to me over the weekend. Justin and I went to go see the new movie "Role Models". I am a movie addict but am embarrassed to say that the last movie with over a PG rating that I saw in a theatre was "Meet the Fockers". Yep it has been nearly four years since my last theatre viewed adult movie. Yikes! Where did the time go? The movie was hysterical and just what I was in the mood for. A comedy albeit a little raunchier than expected that did not require much brain function to understand. We laughed through the whole movie almost to the point of hysterics at times.

The "I am such a parent" moment came on the way out of the theatre when Justin and I were rehashing the details that had us rolling. Just about everything that the 12 year old actor Bobb'E J. Thompson said in his role as Ronnie was funny. As a parent though I couldn't imagine about 95% of what came out of his mouth coming out of one of my daughters. He dropped the "F bomb" countless numbers of times throughout the movie and had a discussion about "Boobies" with Sean William Scott just to name a few examples. Prior to kids I probably wouldn't have even given a second thought to what was said, but times they have changed!

Were we so offended that we got up and left the movie? No, we are adults and knew what we were going to be seeing. I just questioned as a parent what would allow a person to let their child say what was said? The answer of course is money. I realize money gets most of what is wrong in this world to happen. As a mother myself I know that there is no amount of money that would make me feel okay about letting one of my daughters act in a role like this. Maybe when they are older or if they show a desire to get into acting I'll fell differently but in this case I really doubt it.

I would love to hear your thoughts if you have seen the movie or any of your "I am such a parent" moments. Feel free to share!

A New DVD From Sesame Street

2008-11-07T21:59:00.000-05:00

I am pretty picky about what I allow Madison to watch on television. Often times I opt for a DVD that way I know exactly what she is watching, how long she'll be watching for and that I won't be hearing "Mommy I want that!" because of all the toy commercials on during children's shows. As you can imagine this leads to us watching the same DVDs over and over and over again. This is just one reason why I was so excited to receive the new Sesame Street movie "Abby in Wonderland"!

Abby Cadabby debuted as a Sesame Street puppet in 2006. She is an adorable fairy whose name is a play on the magic word Abracadabra. Her fluffy pink pigtails, fairy wings and magic wand were an instant hit with my fairy and princess loving Madison. This meant that putting our new movie "Abby in Wonderland" into the movie rotation wasn't a hard sell.

In the movie Abby wishes she could have her own fairy tale. She drifts off to sleep and wakes up much like Alice does in the Lewis Carroll's "Alice in Wonderland". While in Wonderland she goes on all sorts of adventures and runs into some of Sesame Streets beloved classic characters such as Cookie Monster who plays the Cheshire Cookie Cat and Grover as the Mad Hatter. In the end she wakes up and decides that it is okay to not be an adult yet and that she can wait to have her own fairy tale. No Sesame Street movie would be complete without a few new songs for your little one to sing along too and this movie does not disappoint.

To be honest I was never a fan of Lewis Carroll's "Alice in Wonderland" but I can watch this one over and over again. It is a good thing too because I have!

Wordless Wednesday- A Day Late

2008-11-06T11:16:00.000-05:00

Election Day

2008-11-04T10:22:00.000-05:00

P.S. If you don't vote don't complain! (I mean that in the nicest possible way!)

A Hairy Situation

2008-10-30T23:21:00.000-04:00

Yep she did it. Madison found the scissors. This past Monday after "holding it" for much too long I ran to the bathroom. The baby was asleep in her swing and Madison was playing with her doll house. I honestly thought I was good to go for 30 seconds or so. Guess not 'cause about 20 seconds later Madison bounded into the bathroom holding her safety scissors announcing "I'm just like Aunt Michelle!". Luckily my brother's fiance "Aunt Michelle" who happens to be a hair dresser was free Monday night to come and attempt to salvage what she could of Madison's hair. Except for a few super short pieces on Madison's left side of her head it looks like the cut was done by choice and I think it came out absolutely adorable. Madison was a trooper during her first major hair cut (only a few trims 'til now) and I think she got the point that only grown ups who know how to cut hair will cut her hair from now on! A little apprehensive.
Happy now but she reminds me of Cindy Lou Who!

My cute little pixie girl!

Did You See It?

2008-10-29T21:01:00.000-04:00

I just finished watching Barack Obama's "infomercial". I was just wondering if anyone else saw it and what your opinions were of it.
Regardless of how I feel towards one candidate or another I think that the money spent for this 1/2 hour prime time slot was insane. Wasn't there any better way to spend the money?

Wordless Wednesday

2008-10-29T13:29:00.001-04:00

Story To Follow

Not Me! Monday

2008-10-26T06:42:00.000-04:00

Be sure to check out MckMama and her crew at My Charming Kids. After all she is the brains behind Not Me! Monday!

I did not allow Madison to disassemble a garbage bound flower arrangement all over the kitchen just so I could have a few minutes of peace and quiet.

I did not take one look at my hair and go the baseball cap route just so I could get out and go food shopping before all of the seniors (the majority of the population in my area) hit the food store.

I did not get up super early on a Sunday morning to have some quiet, grown up tv time and then get just a little annoyed when my hubby woke up and interrupted my quiet time. This was not a problem at all because I love to talk first think in the morning. Wink!

I am not at my wits end with breastfeeding because my supply has gone so low. I am not trying everything in the book to bring it back and I am certainly not ready to give up but can't because I simply can't let go!

I would never place the Halloween costumes in a nice, safe, out of the way location in order to keep them fresh and new looking for Halloween and then forgot where that place was.

Upon not finding that location I would also not discover two brand new serving platters, a cake server and cheese knives that I did not forget I was given last Christmas.

I did not wake up to a handful of urine from my 3 year old at 4:30 this morning because she was not sleeping in our bed with my arm around her.

I also did not seriously contemplate just letting the wet sheets and child stew for awhile until she woke up just to get a few more zzz's before trying to change everything without waking everyone. (Thank goodness for waterproof mattress pads)

When the attempt to keep everyone asleep failed I did not allow to let that same little girl drink milk and watch t.v. in my bed so I could at least sleep for another few minutes.

Bass Fishing in Chile?

2008-10-25T06:47:00.000-04:00

Nope they are Trout Fishing in America and this family is hooked! Several months ago while driving to school/work Madison and I were listening Kid Stuff on Sirius and a song called "Alien In My Nose" came on by Trout Fishing in America. It was just about the funniest/grossest song that I had ever heard. It was about a kid who thought there was and alien in his nose and he was going to do whatever it took to save the world from this little green, slimy guy. Any guesses to what the "alien" really was? Yep you got it!

Recently we were lucky enough to receive a copy of their cd Big Round World and we love it. Not only did the three-time Grammy nominee team of Keith Grimwood and Ezra Idlet come up with catchy tunes but the songs are funny while sending a message. Well most of them anyway some of them are just plain fun! My personal favorite is "When You Get Dressed" which if you read my christening post about certain people not knowing how to dress for certain occasions you'd know why that hit home with me! Madison's favorite however was "Curse of the Spinach". Whenever someone comes over she insists that they listen to this song so they can learn why spinach is so yucky.

You can count on us going to see them if they are ever in concert in our area. For now though we'll just keep listening to their cd's or downloaded tunes from their site. Oh and by the way if you purchase cd's directly from Trout Fishing in America they will autograph them free of charge! How cool is that?

Have you seen this?

2008-10-23T20:12:00.000-04:00

Just wondering if anyone has seen this. The first time I watched it I just sat there in disbelief. It is pretty funny but then again I'm not the bride or the best man's wife! Enjoy!

Wordless Wednesday

2008-10-22T06:33:00.000-04:00

More fun than any child (or adult) should be allowed to have in their backyard!

Tasty Tuesday

2008-10-21T14:06:00.000-04:00

I mentioned yesterday that I made some delectable muffins over the weekend. I can't keep the recipe to myself so I thought I'd share it today. After eating an awesome Starbuck's Pumpkin Cream Cheese Muffin last weekend I decided to come home and recreate the nasty goodness in my kitchen. Luckily there were lots of other people with the same idea who already made a similar recipe and posted it online/ So I borrowed their recipes, tweaked two minor details and came up with the recipe below. Enjoy

Almost Like Starbucks Pumpkin Cream Cheese Muffins

3 cups flour
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp nutmeg
1 tsp ground cloves
4 tsp pumpkin spice
pinch of cardamon (optional)
2 1/2 tsp vanilla ( I use Mexican vanilla because the taste is unbeatable but anyone will do)
1 tsp salt
1 tsp baking soda
4 eggs
2 1/4 cups sugar
1 1/4 cu vegetable oil
8 oz. package cream cheese
chopped nuts or seeds (walnuts, pecans, pumpkin seeds) (optional)

Preheat oven to 350. Beat together cream cheese, 1 tsp. vanilla and 1/4 cup sugar. Place mixture on foil or plastic wrap and roll using the wrap into a log. Place log in the freezer while making the muffin batter for up to an hour.

Mix together the rest of the ingredients except nuts or seeds. Fill greased or lined muffin cups half way. Cut cream cheese log into equal sized pieces (enough so that you have one per muffin). Press piece of cream cheese filling into center of each muffin. Sprinkle muffins with nuts or seeds (optional). Bake at 350 for 20-25 minutes until toothpick comes out of muffin (not cream cheese) clean. Let cool in pans for 5 minute, remove and cool completely on baking rack. Do not touch cream cheese! It is very hot!
Makes 24 muffins

Not Me Monday!

2008-10-20T09:42:00.000-04:00

Well here is my third installment of "Not Me Monday". Make sure to check out MckMama at My Charming Kids. Her Not Me's are always the best and she was the brains behind this crazy new obsession of mine!

I did not look at Stella and get a little sad that she is growing so fast and then secretly wish to start trying for #3.

I did not take that wish back when I walked into Madison's bedroom and caught her giving herself blue highlights.

I did not shrug off the highlights and allow my daughter to go to gymnastics with blue streaked hair rather than bathe her immediately.

I did not start to laugh when I squeezed my lemon for my water at a restaurant and it got in Madison's eyes. The scene did not instantly remind me of an episode of Seinfeld rather than my daughter's discomfort.

I did not make the most delicious muffins over the weekend and then count them this morning wondering where the heck most of them had gone. (check out Tasty Tuesday tomorrow for the recipe)

I did not then comfort myself by thinking, "Wow, Justin and my brother must have eaten way more than I thought"

I did not already start next week's Not Me's in order to not forget everything that happens in the course of a week!

One of My Favorite Things

2008-10-17T06:27:00.000-04:00

When I was pregnant with Madison one of my concerns (one of the only ones not really about the baby) was that she would be taking over my home. This was back in the day when we would come home from work and everything was where it had been when we left. It was when the cleaning lady came at some point during the week and did the little cleaning we needed done and we were good for another week. The home where breakables didn't need to be up high!

Part of wanting to keep a little of this meant searching high and low for baby gear that blended well into our home but was still of the best quality for our baby. After searching and searching we opted for more baby friendly gear over what looked good. I'm so excited to say that has changed this time around with Stella! Fisher Price just introduced their new Zen Collection and it is not only gorgeous but baby friendly too! We were lucky enough to be given the Fisher Price Zen Collection high chair and I loooooooooove it! As soon as anyone comes into my home it is the first thing I have to show them. Well not so much show as have them look into the dining room and make them play spot the baby gear. Guess what? It actually takes a moment or two 'cause this baby chair is more like a beautiful piece of furniture than baby gear that screams baby! The earth tone fabrics paired up with the rich wood accents are absolutely beautiful!

Oh and besides being fashionable it is baby friendly. The seat reclines into three positions which is a huge hit hear because Stella is now able to hang at the dinner table instead of in a bouncy seat or swing away from us. To add to your little one's comfort there is also a newborn insert and pillow. It also has easy clean pads which makes clean up a breeze and a dishwasher safe tray to minimize germs! What more can you ask for in a high chair? How about more gear in the same collection? Well if you are one of the mommies that wants everything to match there is also a bassinet, cradle swing and bouncy seat in the Zen Collection. If only I was starting over and needed all new gear. A girl can dream can't she?

Wordless Wednesday

2008-10-15T14:56:00.000-04:00

Moving On...or at least trying to!

2008-10-14T15:51:00.000-04:00

I've been debating whether or not to post this post for a couple of days now. For the most part I try to keep my blog up beat and fun but I really think like my family has been robbed of a time we can't get back and I think blogging about it may help me to forgive, forget and move on.

So here it goes. Sunday was Stella's christening. We were asked that all of our relatives that would be attending church arrive 1/2 an hour early. I also want to preface by saying that I whole heatedly believe that people can worship God wherever, whenever and dressed however they please. There is a time and a place however where the way that you act and how you dress does matter.

Certain people not only arrived late dressed in jeans, shorts and baseball caps in the sanctuary, they also chose to walk in front of the whole congregation rather than quietly sitting in the back. As if that was not bad enough these same 7 people talked, laughed and carried on during the service!!!!!!! While we were up at the altar having Stella baptized Madison sat by them. Several times Justin and I turned to shush her after we sat down but no one got the hint. Finally Justin turned around and pulled her back to our pew because we did not want her getting the idea that she could act like this in church. She settled right down but the others continued on. Instead of listening to the sermon and taking in the day I was consumed with hoe obnoxious these family members were being. I also believe that their behavior affected the quality of our family photos because instead of being the relaxed happy family we generally are Justin and I were so furious that we posed for a few shots but really just wanted to get home. Hence the reason why we are standing so far apart and completely fake smiling.

I'm really trying to be a better person and let the whole situation blow over. After all it is over a christening so what kind of good Christian example would I be showing my girls if I just let this consume me? I'm just not sure if I have it in me to get over what is yet another example of certain people's ignorance.

One of the better shots. At least my hair looks good!

Not Me Monday!

2008-10-13T05:47:00.000-04:00

The christening was great. Stella was her perfect little self and we had the best weather we could have possibly asked for! Pics to come I promise! Everyone is asleep in the house right now so here it goes....

I did not spend hours this week obsessing over what type of hair cut to get.

Once receiving said hair cut I did not fall in love with it, stair in the rear view mirror the whole drive home and almost rear end the person in front of me. That would have made me a very irresponsible driver!

I did not go food shopping at the crack of dawn Saturday morning only to realize I had no form of paying for the food with me! That would have been mortifying!

I did not secretly look around at all the baby 's being baptized and think mine was the most beautiful baby. That would have been very un Christian like and well just WRONG!

I did not bribe my 3 year old with bubble gum just to get her to take her allergy medicine. I don't believe in bribery and bubble gum rots out kids' teeth!

I did not go completely overboard on food for Stella's christening and now have way more than I know what to do with.

I did not flip out on my husband who I asked to get plates and forks for the cake at the party when five minutes later he was not back because he was sitting down next to the forks and plates eating a HUGE plate of food. That would have been embarrassing and I would never let guests in my home see my temper!

I did not allow Madison to play in the Moon Bounce all day and only eat what she wanted if she wanted. Good parents make their children eat 3 healthy meals plus snacks every day no matter what the circumstances!

I would never, ever, ever leave my back yard upside down after a party, turn off the lights and say I'll deal with it tomorrow. That would make me a procrastinator and I most certainly am not one of those!

I know there are many more things that I did not do this week but Stella just woke up so it is time to go! Have a great day!!!

Good Morning!

2008-10-12T05:03:00.000-04:00

Today is Stella's christening so we have been way busy around here getting ready for the party. Sorry I haven't posted my new do pics but it is short and Fabulous (imagine the fabulous part being said y a way flamboyant gay man 'cause that is what I hear in my head. I'll catch up later.

Tracy

What's on Mommy's Mind

Fastfoward

A Girl and Her BIG Dog.....

My Baby Turned Two!

Madison Update and Holiday Review

The Unthinkable

An Email From Santa

How Many More Days 'TIl Christmas?

Christmas Checklist

Somewhere Over the Rainbow

DVD Winner!

Great Deal From Fisher Price!

Where the Wild Things Are

A New Found MeMe

Yellow is yellow is yellow.

Summer Wrap Up

My Baby Brother's Wedding!

A Chance To Go Cloth!

Wordless Wednesday

Answers Anyone?

When A Four Year Old Goes Wild.....

"Not Me" Monday!

Hello Sarah are you out there?

The Winner is...

Have I Mentioned Before....

Interview update....

First Steps to Going Back to Work Full Time

The Many Faces of Madison

WIn a Free Frigidaire Washer and Dryer!!!!!

The Big Mulch Debate....

Call or Email?

Wordless Wednesday

Menu Planning

Happy 9 Months Stella!

He Got Me!

Wordless Wednesday

When You Don't Have Anything To Blog About...

A Healthier Life - Week 1

Happy 8 Months Stella!

Wordless Wednesday

A Healthier Lifestyle

Who Doesn't Love Free Food?

Who's Your Honey?

My HUGE announcement!

Wordless Wednesday

Wordless Wednesday

Priceless

I'm here! I'm here!

Just Call Him "Shark Tooth"

Making Me Feel Better About 30!

All About Madison's Big Day!

Happy Birthday Madison and a Contest!

Happy Half Birthday!

Handmade Needs Our Help!

MeMe Friday

Wordless Thursday

Almost There!

Getting Back To Normal

****STELLA UPDATE****

Off to the doctors

Name Those Puppies!

Helping Out Cora's Cause!

A Christmas Update Through Pictures

I Have A Winner!

A Winner And An Awesome New Giveaway!

Stella Update

My Most Important Post Ever... Please Pass Along!!!

Take A Picture It Lasts Longer

A Giveaway Especially From Me

Sooooooooo Embarassing But What The Heck

More Kiddy Tunes

25 Christmas Things About Me

Sleep, Sleep, Why won't you sleep? and my giveaway winner!

Wordless Wednesday

Yes, I am Still Here

Coffee Anyone?- New Giveaway!!!!

In Case You Wanted To Take A Look

Bloggy Giveaways

Teething Already?

Wordless Wednesday

STELLA UPDATE