Monday, March 31, 2008

Back Into The Routine

Joey is back to school today and Ben and I go back tomorrow, thank goodness. I am very ready to get back to work and a regular schedule. I have decided that there is no way I can stay home full-time. I need to have something to keep me on track, not to mention at least a small break from my kids once in while. On top of being home last week, my husband went on a fishing trip so it really was just me and the kids for several days straight. Of course he got home yesterday and when he didn't just jump in to help with the kids and give me a break I got aggravated and then we got into a big (BIG) fight out in the garage so the kids didn't hear. I think maybe the whole neighborhood might have heard, though.
So today has been much better. Joey went to school and Ben and I went to give blood. No passing out involved and yummy cookies. I also worked on a Mother's Day album I'm doing with my Live Laugh Love group, and all the laundry is done (though not yet put away). Well, kinda. I have the last load in the "new" dryer my husband brought home yesterday and it is taking forever to dry. That was why I wanted a new dryer but apparently we didn't solve the problem.
And I rode the stationary bike for 35 minutes. I'm not exactly bored with Tae bo, but I've really been struggling to see results lately. I'm hoping that riding the bike in addition to Tae bo will help.
I'm seriously thinking about buying a Cricut soon. I just can't decide if I need the Expression or if the smaller one will do the trick for me. Those cartridges are mighty spendy, too. We'll see.

Thursday, March 27, 2008

Lookie What I Can Do

So my sister came into town this week (we see her about twice a year) and we decided to get pictures taken of all of us. We went to a new studio called Portrait Innovations at Cherryvale Mall. For the eight of us we had three girls helping get everone together. They did a good job and they were super patient, but in every picture everyone is looking in a different direction due to the flying stuffed animals. Then when we were looking over the pictures to decide which ones to get, the kids got cra-zy. At one point Ben shoved his little cousin Sam off of a table and head first onto the concrete floor. So we made our choices and hurried out. We let them run off some steam in the play area in the mall and then took Mom out to lunch at Red Robin. Yum.

The exciting news, though, is what I learned to do with the pictures on Photoshop Elements:


The bright ones are cute and all, but doesn't this look much classier? It is soo cool.
This is the first picture I tried it out on. My handsome man.
(BTW I learned this from The Pioneer Woman. She is awesome and she debuted her new website today.)


Try this to brighten up your day. Just click on the blank screen.

Tuesday, March 25, 2008

Guilty

I am a horrible Easter Bunny! I am also a horrible friend who ruins other kids Easter Bunny beliefs! One more time- I feel horrible about this.
So I was thinking I did really good this year- I bought them toys and books and games to put in their baskets, we decorated eggs, and we went to egg hunts. Saturday night I hid the plastic eggs from the egg hunts and put out their baskets of goodies. Sunday morning I got up and also hid the real eggs. Joey apparently had seen the goodies in a Walmart bag sitting on the computer desk the day before (ok, so I'm not good at hiding things, either). So he was very enthusiastic for the hunt and his gifts, but a little while later he asked THE QUESTION. "Why were my toys already here if the Easter Bunny brought them this morning?" Um..because the Easter Bunny needed my help. "So you got my presents?" No..I just helped the Easter Bunny pick them out because he was busy. "But he still came and hid the eggs, right?" Right. And he still gave you your Easter Baskets. "But you got them." Oh boy.
And them later, Grandma tells the boys the Easter Bunny came to her house, too and left them Easter Baskets. Grr. I really don't like when she does that. I am the only Easter Bunny. Plus that raised more questions. So the Easter Bunny had time to go to Grandmas, but he couldn't get our baskets? I think he decided that Grandma bought his Easter Basket, but that the Bunny still was the one who hid his eggs. I think I am safe for this year, but I better get my game on for next year or it's going to be over.

Oh, and the friend's kids thing. I have a big mouth and started talking about being the Easter Bunny/Santa in front of them. Please, if I ever do that again just kick me. Hard. Or stuff something in my mouth. Or pull out a gun. I'm real sorry.

Friday, March 21, 2008

Bad News, Good News

Well, Daddy did not get the job he has been hoping for and the boys have been praying for every night. We're telling ourselves it was not meant to be and something better is going to come along. For now, though, he has to go on nights for one month out of every three.

The good news is our tv is being replaced with an upgraded model so no more lines on the screen, the accident and insurance mess is behind us, it is almost spring (maybe), we are having lots of fun gettting ready for Easter, we had a nice day off today (all of us), and my sisters and I are getting together this week to get our pictures taken. I just got our school pictures back as well and the pictures of me turned out sooo good. I really don't like having my picture taken and usually pick apart every aspect of it, but I can't find anything wrong with me in these. I don't even have any pimples. Ben's pictures were great, too. Joey on the other hand- apparently Grandma dressed him on picture day and he is wearing black pants and a navy blue shirt. Other than that they look good...

Tomorrow night the Easter Bunny comes. This is as organized as I've been for Easter. The kids dyed and decorated eggs today, we're going to an indoor egg hunt tomorrow (due to the 5 inches of snow we got today), then after scrap night tomorrow night I'll hide the eggs and their non-candy baskets. They got books, super-heroes, a paint your own truck and a family night game. When we were doing the eggs, Joey wanted his to be bright: bright as the sun for yellow, bright as a pumpkin for orange. He also wondered if the "oak" would come out if we dropped them. They don't really eat a lot of eggs, what can I say?

I've been noticing that Ben is really learning about the way the world works. He asks questions about things I haven't even noticed. Tonight when Daddy was chewing at dinner he asked "what's that hard noise in your mouth?" It was crunchy fish. When we watch cartoons he points out that animals don't really talk. He reads books to himself and makes up stories to go with pictures. And he loves to pretend he is a daddy, without kids. You should hear the cute voices he makes when he is pretending to be someone else.

Monday, March 17, 2008

Happy St Patrick's Day

My Open House yesterday was... not cause for suicide? Ok that was a little harsh. In four hours I had 2 people stop by (at the same time). For the other 3 I got to read. The people that did stop by made purchases (one very large) and I did get one outside order, so it really wasn't that bad. Just disappointing for how much time and effort I invested in it. Oh well, I'll just keep plugging away and soon I will be successful. Maybe after the economy stabilizes. Ha ha. Don't care to get into that right now.

The only other thing going on today is that I have been nauseous since about bedtime last night. I have been so lucky this winter that none of us has been sick at all with all the nasty germs all around us, but now I feel kinda crappy. Not enough to throw up, just enough for me to be uncomfortable. All night. And all day. Yech.

It's St Patrick's Day today and I really thought we would start a family tradition around this holiday, but the best we are doing is all wearing green. With Easter in less than a week we are not even talking about it at school. Nope, just trying to explain to 45 3-year olds that Jesus died on the cross and then came back just for us. The whole death part of it is very difficult to explain. Some of the kids are very sad that baby Jesus died and that people were mean to him. By the end of the week I hope to make them understand the happy part of Easter. At this point their parents are probably wondering exactly what we've been talking about. One little girl went home and said Jesus traded wine for money. ??? Lost in translation, there.

Ben is in rare form today. He has made Joey cry several times, threw his lunch away when I wasn't looking so he could eat treats, snuck candy, got ahold of one of my ink pads and inked his face, played 52000 card pickup (except he didn't pick them up), and it is not even 2 o'clock. I am going to take him to Walgreens now and hope he goes to sleep so I can have a little break.

Luck of the Irish to ya.

Friday, March 14, 2008

Sale Alert!!!

I got the Michael's sale paper for next week and I think some of you might like this:
50% off one item Mar 16th only
50% off one item mar 21st only
30% entire purchase Mar 22nd only
Scrapbbok sale all week: Cricut expression 349.99
Xyron 40% off
(Hobby Lobby didn't have anything good.)

Seems like a pretty good sale. I told hubby I wanted the Cricut and he laughed at me! Guess I'll just have to be creative to acquire that lovely item.

Tomorrow I'm going to take the boys to the Lil Kickers open house down the street and hopefully get them into soccer, my sister is coming for a bit, we have an Easter Party at Kidspot, and then maybe the play at Harlem. I would love to see our shining star Stephanie, but I'm not sure who will go with me. Joey usually loves that stuff but he is telling me he doesn't like musicals now. Well.
At dinner tonight Joey decided to write sentences. He wrote "I can rede boi myslf" "I can see you" "Joey neds to tyi his shoos" "You are roog"(wrong) "Dadey is so krabey" "Ben neds to get jrest by his self" (dressed) Come on. Can he be any cuter? It actually makes my heart hurt to see him growing up so fast, but then I listen to him scream at his brother and I move on.
When we were taking Grandma home today, Ben started asking about fishing. "Mommy, we used to have a green boat that Joey and Ben went fishing by themselves, but we had to give it back, but I want it again cause I want to go fishing with Joey by ourselves." I have no idea what he was talking about. I told him I think he was dreaming about that because he and Joey do not go fishing by themselves and they will not for many more years. We had to go back and forth several times before I finally agreed to ask Daddy about it. (Daddy didn't have a clue either. Definitely a dream.)

Gratitude for today: the beautiful warm weather and sunshine, sandals, my genius sons, my hilarious sons, a job I love, books and the library.

Thursday, March 13, 2008

Shopping!!!

I did end up going to Kohl's. I got some new shirts, new pants (size 14), new shoes, and a yummy candle. I got some great deals and yes it did make me feel better. (Mostly because the clothes fit so well.) Then we hopped over to Target to get some toiletries. They didn't have my toothbrush, frustrating, so I have to try a new one. Somehow I ended up spending $30 and I don't even really remember what I got. I will give you scrappin girls a scoop- EVERYTHING in the scrap aisle is on clearance. It's already a bit picked over, but I got some paints and saw some other fun stuff. Maybe this means they are going to get some new stuff soon.
Then we came home and I worked out. Rockin Buns yesterday and Rockin Abs today. I am gonna be rockin. I am noticing my stomach getting flatter, but I'm worried that the loose skin won't ever go away. It is not a pretty sight right now. Of course, I'm well aware that the stretch marks are never going away. So a bikini is not really in my future no matter what happens to the loose skin.
The weather is sooo beautiful today (50 degrees and sunny). I was tempted to wear a tank top and sandals. I think the sandals are not going to wait too much longer and that will cheer me up, too. Oh and the capris. But I wonder how many of them will fit? Kohl's had some cute shorts out and on sale but I decided to hold out on those for now. Maybe I can buy 12's by June or so. That would be so awesome as Joey likes to say.

Blehhh

I need some cheering up today. I think it's PMS, but I'm going through the "I can't do anything right and everyone hates me" phase. For some reason I get really paranoid when I'm like this and I start thinking that just because I haven't heard from someone they are angry with me, or if, say, my hostess cancels on me it sends me into a tailspin of "what's wrong with me?" On Sunday, when no one comes to my Open House, I'll really need to convince myself that it is not my fault. I'm already preparing for that, so hopefully I'll get through it.
Tomorrow is also picture day at school and I could not have any more pimples on my face. Even though I'm past 30, I still break out like a teenager at times.
Ok, so I just realized that writing about this stuff doesn't make it go away and isn't really making me feel better. I think I'll go shopping with my 30% off coupon from Kohl's instead. I'll talk about something more cheerful later, like how Joey read "I Can Read With My Eyes Shut" all by himself last night to Daddy. Daddy came down just in awe of his little smart man.

Tuesday, March 11, 2008

More Once Upon A Family Harrassment

I am having a Once Upon A Family open house this Sunday from 1 to 5 in my house. Please come check out the new products and enter to win prizes. I know some of my readers are my best customers and just need a few more things:) Thanks. Click here and email me if you are interested.

Sunday, March 9, 2008

Great Big Fun

We had a great time on our one day "vacation" to the Dells. The kids both loved the water and the slides. We went on the family slide a few times and the lazy river. The last time we went to Magic Waters (a year and a half ago) Ben cried when water got in his face. Now he just laughs. I wish I had a water-proof camera. We didn't get any pictures of the water fun. Friday night after water play we got dressed and went to the arcade. They also had a play land like Sapora only way cooler that the boys loved. AND they had a rock climbing wall. Something I've always wanted to do. Well, dh did it first- apparently he thinks he's the man now that he's lost some wait- then he nagged me until I worked up the nerve to try it. I didn't have the right shoes so I had to borrow some, but they didn't have my size so I had to wear too big shoes to rock-climb. Not a good idea. I got about halfway up and couldn't get good footing because my shoes kept slipping off and one of the footholds was loose. Then I couldn't find a close enough handhold to grab. I held on for a few minutes because I did not want to give up, but I finally had to let go. :( I'm still proud of myself for trying and I'll definitely do that again.
Anyway- we got up Saturday and went to Denny's for breakfast (not my first choice but that's another story), then we came back and checked out before going for one more swim. After we got dressed we went to the arcade and playworld again. I let the boys go into the playworld by themselves and they were fine, except fot at one point I hadn't seen Ben for a while so I climbed up to look for him. When I got to the top, dh pointed him out on the first level, surrounded by four girls he was playing with. A hint of what's to come I imagine. Then we tried to win tickets. I put a coin in one and won 500 tickets! So the boys got to pick out some nice prizes. Daddy helped Joey pick out a whoopi cushion and all Ben wanted was candy, but eventually they got some fun toys and we were on our way. We tried to stop and get a vintage photo taken, but at this point it was afternoon, the boys were hungry and tired, the place was crowded and Joey threw a fit. We got lunch and headed home. The boys slept the whole way home. I'm happy because we all had fun the whole time (only the one minor tantrum) and we weren't gone long enough to feel like I need to recuperate.
Today I did laundry all day and went to the grocery store at 9 pm. I never go that late, and I was a little nervous in the parking lot. Plus there is a whole different type of customer at Walmart at that time of night. Mostly single men buying junk. And apparently that is when they stock because the aisles were crowded with pallets. But it sure was nice shopping by myself for once. Nobody asking me for everything they see, nobody squashing the bread before I can get it home, no tantrums in the store.
So that was my weekend. Hope everyone else had a good one. I hope I can post good news about dh's job soon. He thinks he'll hear early this week.

Friday, March 7, 2008

Guess What We're Doing Today?

My husband came to bed last night (late as usual) and woke me up to tell me that we are going to the Wilderness tonight! I should be packing, but I guess I'll come home on my lunch and do that. How exciting. The kids are going to love it. And Thank goodness hubby finally came through with something cause he was really getting on the LIST. Hmm I wonder if my swimsuit is going to fit? Guess I better go get something done. I'll update when we get back.

Monday, March 3, 2008

Announcement

I just want to announce that I just got home from Walmart where I purchased a couple pairs of clearance jeans in the next size down and they fit! I am a size 14! Not that everyone knew my size before, but it has been a looong time since I've worn a 14. A year ago I was in an 18.

Ok that's all I have to say about that. Hope everyone is having a good day!

Sunday, March 2, 2008

Just Call Me Madame President

That's right. I was acting president yesterday at our genealogy society meeting. I had to lead the board meeting and stand up in front of everyone to conduct the regular meeting. I did great. I was a little nervous right before, but once I got up there it was fine. A little fun even. And my husband said I was hot. I don't think I'd go that far, but I am really proud of myself.

The boys have been fairly horrid this weekend. Ben is determined to push every button and Joey has his whiny voice on at all times. We tried to go to Sunday School this morning but Joey threw a fit when we got there so we had to leave. Then he threw a fit that we were leaving. That was fun. Daddy had even tried to come along for once.

I got my car fixed this afternoon by my mechanic husband. We got a check from the insurance company for $1300 and it only cost him $40 to fix it, so hopefully we'll be selling that soon and getting me a new car. I really like this. We'll see, though. We've never had a new, new car. And if it comes down to it I'd rather have the summer off than work for my new car. So maybe just a newer car.

Oh.. the Dr appointment... She suggested at first adding a medication to what I already take, but when I made a face she decided to try switching meds. So I'm transitioning right now and feeling a bit crabby and overwhelmed, but hopefully in the next week or two I'll be back to being a regular person. I've been missing myself. Hope to see her soon. Maybe she'll notice that my body is changing and improving and will be proud of me. I've lost 3 inches off my hips and waist and my pants are getting really baggy. I actually don't like this stage because my baggy pants make me look bigger, but I don't want to buy the next size down because I am quite sure I will be losing at least 2 more sizes. But hopefully it will start going faster now and I can buy new small pants soon.

Off to read bedtime stories and say prayers. (Please pray for Daddy. He has a job interview tomorrow to hopefully get out of the nasty job he is in right now.) After the kids go to bed I have a bunch of reading I want to do. Until next time...Good night.