New award and some other good stuff.

K-rissa over at The Acting Mom sent me this awesome award. K-rissa is cool and I know her in real life which is cooler. Go check her out.



The Rules
1. Put the logo on your blog.
2. Add a link to the person who awarded you.
3. Nominate at least seven other blogs. ( I don't think that I can pick seven)
4. Add links to those blogs on your blog.
5. Leave a message for your nominee on their blog.

The Nominations:

Leah at Memories for Leah because her son is a cutie and she always comments on my posts.

Ruby Red Slippers at Lions, Tigers, and Boys, Oh My. Because she is a mommy of boys and her name is cool and I want to be like her when I grow up.

Feisty at Spaghetti and Bagels because she is making me read Twilight.

Feather at Yes, it's my real name because she elfed herself and made me laugh.
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We took the kids to see Bolt in 3-D. It was cute and funny. The kids liked it. The 3-D glasses gave me a headache but that is the only negative I can say. Take the kids to see it.


We also spend an hour and a half at the library. I swear I could live in that place. Got some new things to read and I am sure that a book review will be coming along soon.
Hope that you have a great ending to the holiday weekend. Back to the grind tomorrow.

10 U.S. places to see before you die.

Sorry, I realize that this is a bit of a morbid title. Interesting article nonetheless. I have visited several places on the list and agree that they are fantastic places to visit. I would probably add some more. 10 U.S. places to see before you die according to yahoo.com

I Love #2. I have visited several times most recently with my aunt as a guide in 6/07. Reminds me of lobster. Yummy.


2. Whaling Museum, Nantucket, Mass.
At its whaling peak during the first half of the 19th century, the small island of Nantucket had 88 ships scattered across the oceans. The Whaling Museum is wonderfully evocative of this era (plenty of scrimshaw and rusty harpoons), and out-of-season Nantucket Town, with its Greek Revival mansions and cobblestone streets, is equally enchanting.
Harper hotel: The Wauwinet.

#5 I visited during high school. I didn't love it then but I know I would love it now. I have gotten smarter with age.

5. Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum, Boston
Housed in a charming Venetian-style palazzo, this gem of a gallery displays works by Rembrandt, Michelangelo, Whistler and Sargent. It's small enough to tour in an hour or so, and you can spend the rest of your time enjoying the sunny, flower-filled courtyard. And if your name happens to be Isabella, you get in free.
Harper hotel: XV Beacon

#6. WOW what a big bucks restaurant. Love the place, I am a big bawler like that.

6. The Four Seasons Restaurant, New York City
If you had to choose only one restaurant in New York City to visit, this would be the one. The city's prettiest dining room was designed by architects Mies van der Rohe and Philip Johnson, and astutely hasn't been touched since its introduction in 1959. The Pool Room is a study in muted sophistication, despite some of the outsized egos at the tables.
Harper hotel: The Lowell.


I think that the Smithsonian museums in Washington DC should be on that list.
What do you guys think? What places would you add to yahoo's list?

Not quite as expected.

Thanksgiving was a series of unfortunate events for our family this year. The following is a list of the good, the bad, and the ugly of Thanksgiving 2008.

The Good:

-The food! Mom cooking all the traditional Thanksgiving goodies and it was yummy. I heart turkey, and mashed potatoes, and stuffing, and cranberry sauce, and pie, and sweet potatoes.

- Family. Haven't seen much of them lately and it was nice to catch up.

- The M/W plates (story for another day)

- The frozen margaritas

The Bad:

-4 hours in the truck. 320 "Are we there yets?" Yes I counted.


-We still haven't gotten a chance to meet my mother's boyfriend and his family.

-The illness that seems to be floating around Florida getting everyone sick and messing up the holiday plans.

- Black Friday shopping. So not worth it to me.



The ugly

-Donovan with a 104 temperature at midnight and being unable to get a good nights sleep with all that turkey in my belly.

Snow? NO!

Sometimes pictures are better then words. This is styrofoam packaging. They are from Florida it is as close to snow as it gets. Fun to play with, not so fun to clean up. I knew they were being quiet for too long!

Wordfull Wednesday.

Go Over to SevEn cLoWn CirCuS she is the host of Wordfull Wednesdays. Click the button below to link up to her blog.


This weeks Picture is sure to get me in trouble with my mom. She is the one who complained that I never wrote about her. She is also the one who sent me this picture. She should know that is can't resist a blog that practically writes itself.




This is my mom and Markie. Marie is really short for UDM Morgan Marquee. I guess that horses are named for the farm that they are from and a name that resembles the Dam (mother) or Sire (father). Something about the horses bloodlines. Yadda yadda not sure. My mom is the horse person not me. A horse kicked her in the face one time and broke her cheekbone and nose. She still likes horses. She is that kind of women. Never met an animal she didn't;t like. She adopted a dog named scruffy when I was a kid. The name is kind his appearance is worse then scruffy.

Not sure what Markie is doing to mom is this picture. Bite, kiss,lick? Not sure but a little to close for comfort, at least for me.

Enough already...I submit to your demands.

I ordered the Twilight book online this morning. Let go of my arm. Ouch.
I am NOT a Si Fi kind of gal. I am definitely NOT a vampire type of book reader. I do like a good love story. I am giving it a chance. If I don't love it as promised I will be back to publicly dish out your punishments. This means you Feisty and Ruby Red. Be scared, very very scared.

Check us out

I am so excited about the new pictures we had taken. My boys are so cute. Do you love em' or what!
This one might be our Christmas card photo. Not sure yet.


I like this one too ( except for William's funny face).


Can you tell that Hector and I were not planning to have our picture taken? We look like the Adam's family. This will definitely NOT be our Christmas card photo.


I like this one better. I can't believe that I look fatter in black and white than in color. Learn something new every day.


Thanks for looking and keep all giggles, smirks, belly laughs....to yourself (that means you Brian).

Any good news?

I used to be able to watch the news with my kids in the room. They have no real interest in it but when something nice caught my eye I would point it out to them. The 6 o'clock evening news used to be safe. It could be on in the background during homework/bath time in the evenings. I watch the news mostly for the traffic and weather reports, It would also reminded me of local events that I probably would have missed.

The evening news has changed. I guess I should say that the times have changed. The entire time I (attempted) to watch the news I was bombarded with stories of horror. People doing awful things to the mothers of their children. kidnappings, drug raids, puppy mills, animal cruelty, and violence in schools. I kept switching news stations but the horrors remained. I finally flipped to the weather channel got the local report and turned off the tube.

William doesn't miss a thing and I didn't want to have to explain any of those stories to him. I keep his little knowledge of the world as safe as I can until the world proves me wrong.

There should be a parental warning before the news comes on. Maybe they should use the movie rating scale. "the following story on Bay News Nine has been rated PG-13 for violence and strong language". It is day time TV!

I found this nice Web site that I recommend to others who have sensitive little ears around them. The Good news Network This site tells the good news. I love the family life section. Good kids and happy families.

Not me Monday

This week Not Me Monday proves to be short and sweet. Enjoy.

For Thanksgiving this year we will NOT be breaking tradition and eating dinner at a restaurant. I am also NOT totally fine with not cooking, cleaning up, and becoming obese on the leftovers.

I will NOT be sleeping in on Black Friday. Not worth the effort. I predict with the way this economy is the sales will be just as good the whole month.

I did NOT allow William to eat Pizza for 3 meals on Sunday. Breakfast pizza with eggs and ham, left over pizza for lunch, and pizza at a birthday party in the evening. I'm OK with it.

I am NOT totally freaking out that I haven't started shopping for Christmas or William's birthday yet.

That's all for this week. Short and sweet as promised. Off to NOT have a second(third) cup of coffee.

Potty talk

This week has been one of those weeks. I noticed a common theme with the challenges. Potty troubles. Unfortunately for you, I feel the pull to share the children's personal potty struggles. Now without further delay, I present Potty talk.


First is "Super baby"

Super baby's super power is the ability to squirm and wiggle during diaper changes and morph into something that resembles this:
Super baby only uses powers for evil. The worse the diaper is the stronger his powers become. Yesterday he managed to get poop all over William's bed. Does it really take 2 people to safely change a 9 month old? I am embarrassed to admit that at one time I was concerned that this baby was delayed and would never learn to roll over. Those worries have come back to bite me in the butt.

Next, I was forced to answer the age old public restroom question:

Which restroom does an almost 7 year old boy use in the mall? Option 1: The ladies room with the mommy. Safe from pervs, but devastatingly embarrassing to the delicate male ego. Option 2: the men's room complete with urinals and strangers and completely apart from the mommy who can save him from the pervs (and make sure that he doesn't touch anything). I have never personally been into a men's room but a picture a dark cave with dangers lurking in the shadows. Why are there not family restrooms in every public place? I am going to start writing letters ASAP. Since I will be unable to avoid malls during the holiday season what is the solution? I am currently accepting ideas.

Lastly, Toddler potty training.

This is awful. The words escape me to describe how difficult this task has been. The mess is inevitable but the effort was what I wasn't ready for. Every day I am debating such things as, to wake up the 2 year old from nap time when I remember that they feel asleep in underpants or enjoy the nap and clean up the mess, to pull up or not to pull up, the pros and cons of potty bribery, and so on. In the end (no pun intended), I keep reminding myself that no matter what I do they will in fact become potty trained EVENTUALLY. right?

Writers Workshop 3

You remember my friend Mama Kat at Mama's Losin' It. She is the wonderful creator of Writer Workshop. This weeks prompts were as follows:

1.) The last time I laughed really hard...
2.) Forgive and forget...I think.
3.) I remember when...
4.) Write about something that bothered you this week.
5.) Write a poem about a favorite color.

I choose..... all 5. I have a little something to say about all the prompts but not enough to say about just one to create an entire post. Please be forewarned that I have sick kids at the house and am therefore writing in a sleep deprived semi-coma. Enjoy.




The Prompts:

1.) The last time I laughed really hard... was when I found this when I opened the fridge. The kids were hiding treasures from each other and I guess that the refrigerator was the safest place that they could think of.

2.) Forgive and forget...I think. This has always been a difficult concept for me to get. How am I supposed to learn from events if I forget them. Good or Bad life events shape people's personality and forgetting them seems silly to me. I can forgive easily(most of the time) but forgetting seems impossible. The word Forgive results from the literal translation of the two elements of a Latin ancestor, perdonare: per meaning for , and donare meaning give. Forget, on the other hand, is a compound of the prefix for, meaning not, and get meaning in the figurative sense of loosing one's hold on memory. I prefer to not forget but to instead learn and move on. Let go and let God is a better saying if you ask me.

3.) I remember when... a gallon of milk cost less then a gallon of gas.

4.) Write about something that bothered you this week. I could post about things that bother me all day every day. I am just that kind of person. I will just pick one today as to not bore you to tears with my pessimism. This week it bothered me that the Christmas decorations are at the stores before Halloween and that the cold weather cloths are already going on clearance. The time goes fast enough without Walmart pushing it like that. Will I need to start buying Valentines Day cards in December? One holiday at a time please.

5.) Write a poem about a favorite color. My favorite colors change from day to day. I like a clear blue sky so the kids can go out and play. Now I prefer the shade of Oscar the Grouch so I can find time to blog while they all sit on the couch.

Sorry. I promise that I will do better next week.

Word Full Wednesday

I was listening to the radio in the car last night and heard the song "it's beginning to look a lot like Christmas". Yea not so much for me. Growing up in the North East there is a joke. What is summer in New Hampshire? Give up? 3 weeks of bad skiing. Ba dump bump.
It is still strange for me to walk around in Florida in mid November and have shorts on. Can't quite get in the Christmas spirit with green grass, blue skies, and flowers still in bloom. I have done the whole swimming on Christmas thing. If you ask me its over rated. I miss watching the leaves turn. I miss the snow....sometimes.

We went for a walk last week and while the decorations were pumpkins and cornucopias advertising the fall season, all I kept noticing were water fountains and kids in shorts and T shirts.

This morning was the coldest morning that I remember in the entire 8 years that I lived in Florida. We woke up to 41 on the thermometer. For a minute I thought about keeping William home from school. I thought of this picture and had a laugh.

It is now only 10:30 and it is already sunny and in the 60s. We will go for a walk again today but in long sleeves this time.

Just because this sign seems like the biggest "No kidding" sign that I have ever seen, I decided to add it for your viewing pleasure. Do people really have to be reminded not to molest the alligators? If they know that alligators are in the water, do they really have to be told not to swim? I guess that those people are every where, But can they read?


I'm playing word full Wednesday with all the girls at:

Check em all out.

Lovin' it.

This post from Mama Kat got me thinking ( I know dangerous). She was discussing the themes of children's movies. My kids, like hers have me fast forward the "scary parts". William cried the first ( and second, and third) times that he saw Nemo's mom get eaten by the "bad fish". We watched Bambi about a month ago and well, you can just guess how that went over. I am not sure why these movies can't have BOTH a daddy and a mommy.

William went to the library at school and came home with the book Yertle the Turtle and other stories by Dr. Seuss. While I consider myself an avid Dr. Seuss reader ( not usually by choice) I hadn't read this book before.


I found the book quite refreshing. It is several short stories written in true Dr. Seuss rhyming style. They all had a moral that was deep yet simple enough for the kids to pick up on. William loved the book so much that he actually let me turn off the TV so he could hear the book better. It was quite a relief from the scary and still enjoyable to all the ages that I read it to.

My heart felt thanks to the late great Dr. Seuss

Not me Monday.

This is my very first time playing Not Me Monday with MakMama

Well here goes nothing.

I did NOT stay at a baby shower only long enough to eat so I didn't have to cook dinner for the kids last night. (I brought a gift)

I did NOT ignore telephone calls from a "friend" who I know only wanted me to give her something.

I did NOT give the toddlers dry cereal for breakfast this morning so they wouldn't make a mess while I was blogging. That cereal was NOT fruit loops.

I do NOT co sleep with an almost 3 year old every night. I do NOT love it.

I do NOT put chocolate syrup in the kids milk so they will drink it.

I have NOT been a real slacker about potty training.

I did NOT bribe the kids with candy and stickers if they let me get a good Christmas picture.

I do NOT skip pages in the long books when I read bedtime stories. William does NOT catch me and make me go back.

I definitely did NOT eat a bowl of cereal in bed last night.

I did NOT watch Kung Fu Panda with the kids 38 times since it was released to DVD last week.

I could go on and on. This feels good and is cheaper then therapy.

Linky Love

I got this new and very cute free background from The Cutest Blog on the Block
They have lots of great Blog make overs and the prices can't be beat. Go and check em' out.

Translations

William has been coming home from school for weeks talking enthusiasticly about his newest best friend Danny. I have a daily report on Danny every afternoon. "Danny got a yellow"(not good), "Danny broke his dollar(collar) bone", Danny is now a car rider. His mom doesn't have a job anymore", Danny's dad is a rock star".....you get the idea.

Well Danny was very sneaky and took a toy to school. William came home and was full of stories about a toy called a "dog u ban". He explained that " it is a toy and a movie and a ball and it opens and it fights and it is small and there are lots of them and they have cards and....."

Jump ahead a week.


William: " my birthday is coming up"

Me: "yep! You are almost 7."

William: " Do I get presents?"

Me: "Yes. Have any idea what you might like ?"

William: "I want dog u ban toys like Danny"

Jump ahead another week.

I walk into Target and ask the zitty faced teen in the video game area if he knows where the dog u ban toys are. Well if looks could kill. Apparently the toy is actually a Bakugan. William had got the description right on. They are small toy balls that open up with magnetic cards. PROBLEM! Target was SOLD OUT! Apparently Bakugan toys are to this Christmas, what the Cabbage Patch Kids were to the Christmas of 1983.

Panic set it.

Walmart SOLD OUT, Target SOLD OUT, Toys R Us SOLD OUT. Panic! PANIC!

Well happy ending. I found some of the stupid toys on the web. My kid will be saved the humiliation of being the only 7 year old in the world without the small ball that opens up with a card.

Need more information? Check them out here. This clip cracks me up. Set to the tune of U2 "Still haven't found what I'm looking for". Oh the irony.

So, I've been thinkin'

I was reading an article in one of the numerous baby/parenting magazines that I subscribe to. The article was discussing ways to save during the holidays. I am a notorious over spender during the holidays. I go shopping intending to stick to a budget but when it comes to my boys I always splurge. I was cleaning out the closet in the play room and found Christmas gifts from last year still in unopened packages.

So, this one idea...I think I like...I think I can stick to...what do you all think?

"Each member of the family gets 4 gifts. 1 you want, 1 you need, 1 you wear, and one you read." If I also do a big gift from Santa (planning on getting the kids a Wii), and stocking stuffers, it would be doable.

A good idea?

Writers Workshop2

Every Tuesday Mama's Losin' It posts writing prompts on her blog. Everyone chooses one to write about, posts it, and then she links them all so we can share on Thursdays.

This is from Mama Kat's blog Mama's Losin' It
Directions:
For you newbies it's never to late to jump in!! Here is what you must do. Choose a prompt that inspires you most. Write. Come back Thursday and paste your blog URL into the Mister Linky that will be up...this way anyone can click on your name and head over to your place to see what you wrote.

Feel free to write on more than one prompt if you so desire. I do it all the time (ok not really but I INTEND to). But it's my game...and I don't know how to shut-up...so it should be expected. And remember the more comment love you give, the more comment love you get so comment comment away.

The Prompts:

1.) Write a haiku about what you see out the window. (if you don't know what a haiku is click here.)

2.) Begin with "I thought I saw..."

3.) If I could live in any era of history, what would it be -- list 10 reasons why.

4.) Write a light hearted piece on how to get along with an enemy.

5.) The first time you...

This week I chose Prompt #5.


From That Moment

The first time you made eye contact with me, I felt sparks shoot up my spine and tingles down my back. I had eyes for no other from that moment.

The first time you spoke to me, the crowded bar seemed silent. I had ears for no other from that moment.

The first time you touched me I memorized you scent and your warmth. I felt a security that I hadn't known before. I could feel nothing for another from that moment.

The first time you said "I love you baby" my heart grew larger in my chest. The words finally took on a meaning outside of the dictionary definition. I could feel love for no other from that moment.

The first time you parted from me the world turned inside out. My core felt empty and the opulent seemed ordinary. I could feel whole with no other from that moment.

It has now been so many years since we have had any firsts together. It seems that we can finish each other's thoughts. We work as a well oiled machine. We are completely in sync. The rapture and lust of youth has been replaced with a deeper passion and a true devotion.

I still feel chills when I look deep into your eyes, that hasn't changed.
I still tune out all others when you talk, that hasn't changed.
I can still smell the scent of your cologne in the house when you have been gone for hours, that hasn't changed.
My heart still swells when you let me know that I am your one and only, that hasn't changed.
Baby, please also know that nothing seems quite right when we are away from each other and that has definitely not changed.

In a pickle and other cute pics.

Donovan is completely determined to crawl through this end table. He gets half way in and realizes that he is too big. He then tries to sit up to analyze the situation and bumps his head. He then tries to turn around. He gets no where fast and finally cries out to be rescued. If I try to save him before he has attempted numourous time by himself he gets mad. He must attempt to exit on his own first.


He does it over and over all day long. I will tell you one thing the kid is determined.



Now some cute pics of the boys. Can't help but to share them. Since I am way to sleep deprived from sick little Donovan to come up with anything even half way creative to write about, you will have live with just these.

AJ was deep in thought.

I am so happy to live in Florida on days like this. 70s all day and sunny in November!

It's baaaaaack!

The crappy cold that the boys had a few weeks back has returned. Up doing breathing treatments every 4 hours around the clock. Donovan has an ear infection and fever on top of the asthma. He feels cruddy and in turn I feel cruddy. He also wont sleep unless he is on my chest or Hector's. Needless to say no one is getting much sleep except for William. I think that I heard William coughing in his sleep last night but I could just have been a bad dream. I hope that this junk goes quickly so that I can get beck to what is really important...blogging.

Saturday finger paint

I was a beautiful sunny day in Florida. I wanted to take advantage of it. Finger paining was the most creative thing that I could come up with. I am not usually the finger paining type of mommy but will do anything to keep them outside and away from the TV. It was interesting to see the different approaches that the boys have for tasks.

William is very refined and meticulous, even when the task is finger painting. The takes the finger part very literally and used one finger to start. He did one color at a time.

AJ jumped in with both hands. One with yellow paint and one with orange.

Soon AJ had his hands completely covered.


I guess that his hands got tired. He then invented toe paining...and elbow painting...and chin painting....


Eventually I sat next to William and coached him. The concept of abstract art escapes him and the paper was still white after 30 minutes. William was occupied with cleaning his hands and making sure that the paint colors didn't touch each other.


The boys painted letters for their bedroom door. Thankfully this task went quicker. AJ's letter is a beautiful shade of grey/brown that is created by dipping his entire hand into each color and then into the mulch on the patio before paining his. William's letter is of course 3 distinct colors applied with a paint brush. The letters really show their individual personalities.


The end results are masterpieces. The plan is to get them framed and hung up on the play room walls.

Obligatory SHOUT OUT!

Hello, my name is Kristin and I am a bad daughter.

I have committed one of the cardinal bloggy sins. This is my confessional. I was made aware of said sin by a very loyal reader of this little blog, MY MOM.

Today I was made aware in no uncertain terms that I have offended my mother. It appears in my haste to post about my life I have omitted my dear mother and her likeness from my blog posts thus far. Oh the shame I feel. Will I ever be able to show my face in public again?

Before I go to receive my 30 lashes, I will post my restitution for the aforementioned sin.

Mommy,

Are you sure that you want me to write about you? Think it through... all the way. The stories that I could tell. All the world could know about your escapades. Remember the one about the McDonald's drive thru....the ATM machine incident...the (numerous)automobile accident(S)... oh I could go on and on. Think it through. Weigh the odds. TEE HEE HEE got ya.

Mommy I love you. I never remember a time growing up when I didn't have all that I needed and most of what I wanted. I could always talk to you as a friend. I know that we have at times driven each other crazy but you still bend over backwards for me. I hope that one day I will be able to give my kids even half of what you have given yours. Your generosity is truly awe inspiring.

You are also the best Nana. William told me just the other day that he wishes that he could live next to you. You have spoiled him rotten like only the best of Nanas can do. This is why I have all his belongings packed and he is on his way to your house right now. I will miss him, but I know it is for the best. No No No don't try to change my mind. My decision is final. You deserve to have him with you. Your welcome.

AJ also thinks you are pretty cool. Mostly I think that it is because you don't know the house rules and he can get away with murder. You also let him eat junk food when ever you see him. The way to AJ's heart is through his stomach. The heated pool is a plus too. I will send him along with William if you want. Just let me know.

I don't always tell you that I appreciate you and the sacrifices that you make for me. I will try to do better about saying thank you. The picture above makes me so happy. I can't believe that you left your brand new job to come to the hospital and meet Donovan. I wasn't expecting you to be there so quickly. I shouldn't have been surprised you have never let me down.

I named Donovan after you in hopes that he will follow in the footsteps of his namesake. He can't really talk yet but I am sure that he also thinks you are pretty cool.

Just for the record, I wanted to officially tell you that I appreciate the care that you provided daddy during his last months, and are providing for my Nana now. It isn't easy to be an around the clock nurse for a loved one. I know that you get stressed but I have faith that you will receive blessings for the care you are providing so unselfishly.

Love,

Kristin

Okay....so am I off the hook now?

I'm good enough, I'm smart enough, and doggonit people like me.

My first blog award!



My girl Ruby Red Slippers awarded me this today. Go check out her site. She is a fellow mommy of boys. Not only that but she is a supper commenter and I love me some comments. I found her blog through SITS and have followed her since the first time I read her. I WILL SAY IT AGAIN! GO CHECK HER OUT!

On to the rules of the award. Why do awards in the blogisphere have so many rules?

1. Post The Award on Your Blog
2. Link to the one who gave it to you.
3. Link The Original Post Here (Umm, I don't know what this means... sorry! Is it the link listed on the picture? Maybe! Could be!)
4. Pass This Award On To Deserving Friends
5. Post These Rules

Now I get to pick friends. Hummm...

Tracey at Just another mommy blog
The ultimate Queen of Feisty at Spaghetti and Bagels
Lisa at my crazy wonderful life

Go check these ladies out. You will love them just as I do.

Writers Workshop

This is my first attempt at writers workshop. I do not consider myself a writer so guess we will see how well this goes. Mediocre at best is my bet. These women are wonderful writers and will bring to light my elementary level writing (and spelling) abilities.


Every Tuesday Mama's Losin' It posts writing prompts on her blog. Everyone chooses one to write about, posts it, and then she links them all so we can share on Thursdays.

this week I choose:

4.) 10 of my absolute worst pet peeves...


1)Children's programs that teach nothing and are not even entertaining to children. The worst is Yo Gabba Gabba. What are those things supposed to be?

2) People who do not use car seats for their children. You can get them for free at the heath department. I am a nurse and have seen the result of children who weren't in seat belts. Not worth it. Really there is no excuse.

3)People who talk on the cell phone in public places ( like the doctor office waiting room), and them look at you like you are trying to ease drop on their conversation. I don't care about your conversation, just have it outside of it is that personal.

4)Illegible word verifications on blogs. I hate them. Yes, I do have word verification on my own blog. Guess I am scared of the evil computers lurking in wait to spam me as soon as I am not looking.

5) Calling 1 800 numbers that make you say the answers to their questions. I always have children talking behind me. Then I have to listen to that evil ladies say " I'm sorry I didn't get that.". Just let me talk to a human already.

6)People who talk about how religious they are all the time but don't act religious ever. Actions speak louder then words people.

7) Lurkers who don't leave comments. You know who you are. Say hello already.

8) I can't stand re using towels. I wash towels everyday. maybe not the green thing to do but I am just weird like that.

9) When people say "what are you" referring to my race/nationality. I am human. I don't get why they care. If you just have to know my business ask in a different way. From now on I will answer: part white, part black, and part pit bull.

10)When people expect my children to sit and be quiet in places that are designed for kids. I was getting the evil eye yesterday at the pediatric dentist. Shouldn't they be more tolerant since ALL the patients are kids and the average wait time is 2 hours. Why can't we yell at the park? Is there a rule against running at the playground. They are kids.

There you have it. Now got check out Mama's Losin it and see what everyone else had to say.

Guess where we went.

This was one of those days. The kind when you can't wait for it to end. I picked up William from school early at 10:30. Oh the fun I was in for. See if you can guess when we went from these pictures.







Did you guess a birthday party? WRONG A circus, a fair, a festival? WRONG WRONG WRONG!
Okay did you give up.
We went to the dentist.
I was in dentist hell for 4 hours this morning. The sole adult in charge of 5 kids. I entered the dentists office and viewed the indoor play yard. The kids broke free from me and made a mad dash for it. While I filled out papers they screamed, hollered and banged on the plexiglass windows screaming "Look at me mommy". I was getting the evil eye from the other parents who were attempting to read Cosmo magazines from 1984. Then I smelled it...poopy diaper. It was not just the diaper but the whole up the back and down the leg job. They had a one stall bathroom which I monopolized for the 30 minutes changing the baby. From time to time people would knock to use the restroom. I guess that they couldn't hear the 4 toddlers yelling inside. Once we got back to the waiting room the kids became starving. Being the super mom that I am I pulled out sippy cups and a bag of goldfish crackers. Before anyone got a bite the really really really nice receptionist, who obviously doesn't have any kids very very very politely informed me that there is no eating and drinking in the waiting room. I moved to step outside and was told that I was not allowed to leave the building while William was in the back with the dentist. Not even right outside the glass door where they could still see me. Upon hearing the no food rule all 4 malnourished children with me became hysterical. The waiting room was packed and I had one chair that I could sit on while trying to balance the four of them on my lap. No one was making eye contact with me. Finally William came out with a smile and 5 balloons. 2 promptly popped and one floated to the ceiling. When I finally got to the truck and started it I had already forgotten what the dentist had told me about William's teeth.

I am so tired!

I can smell the TV being kidnapped

This blog post idea has been stolen without permission from my new bloggy friend spaghetti and bagels. I hope that we can still be friends when she reads this.
She is a riot you should go check her out and show her some love.

What's the wackiest belief you held as a child?

I was sure that I was going to be kidnapped by a man in a white van. I think that my parents laid it on a little thick with the "don't talk to stranger talk". I would panic at the sight of a white van.

Which of the 5 senses do you feel is your strongest sense?

I have the best sense of smell. When I am pregnant it is even worse. Of course I also have the super ability to ignore the offending odor of a dirty diaper if hubby is home and able to change it. My super human sense of smell was great until I got into the nursing field, then it led to my ultimate demise.

How many hours of TV do you watch per week? Do you feel that's too much, not enough or just right?

Since spaghetti and bagels didn't count children's TV then neither shall I. I watch 3 hours of TV on Monday nights and usually fall asleep half way through it. I watch the news every morning from 6:30 am when I wake up until 7:00 when hubby brings me coffee. That's it folks.

Celebrating the good times

November 3, 1999

The day I married my best friend for the first time(Okay so its a long and tangled story, at least it has a happy ending).


Hector and I met on July 3rd 1999. I was a college student in New York and he was playing minor league baseball with the Detroit Tigers. He was a hottie (and still is). We met and just clicked, and have been in love ever since. We got married in New York that same year. We had only known each other for 4 months. I didn't even tell my family that we got married. I regret that now. I was young and thoughtless. I know that I hurt my family a lot by sneaking around and I am sorry for that. Needless to say that they all loved him after the initial shock of the news wore off.

I graduated from nursing school in 2000 and we moved to Florida. To this day I still can't remember why we decided to move across country with no jobs, no money, and nothing but the clothes on our backs. We were young and in love and went with it.

We found jobs and an apartment. Things were going great. We had our first son William in 2001. Perfect little family. Hector is the best daddy. He is totally hands on with his kids and immerses himself completely in his children's lives.

Next comes what I call the dark years. I became delusional and thought that the grass was greener on the other side of the fence. I took advantage of the great husband that I had. I made awful decisions. We ended out relationship in a divorce. It was the worst time in my life. I was lost without him. Even throughout our divorce we spoke on the telephone daily and I found myself turning to him all the time. When I wanted to talk to someone about anything I would call Hector. He continued to be wonderful to me even when I told him that I was pregnant by my then boyfriend. That relationship ended before AJ was even born and Hector and I realized we were still in love before I was even home from the hospital.


We were re married in 2006 in my mothers yard. She was so happy to be able to attend this time. My entire family was more then thrilled to see us back together. AJ and Hector have know each other as father and son since day one. They love each other and have a bond tight as glue.

Now as I write this on the eve of our ninth anniversary I feel whole. We have a marriage that is closer then ever. We are best friends and lovers. Hector I love you.


Hector,
Thank you for loving me despite my flaws, quirks, fits, and oddities. Thanks for always listening to my worries. Thank you so much for being such a great daddy to our 3 boys. Thank you for my second chance. I love you know and forever. Happy Anniversary baby.

Proof

Ladies and gentlemen.
I have found proof.
Proof of what?

The following proves that a child with ADHD is capable of sitting quietly. (As long as cartoons are on in front of him)

This is proof that an almost 3 year old still requires an afternoon nap.

This is proof that it takes exactly 30 seconds for an 8 month old to learn to climb stairs. SCARY


This morning at 7:15 am this pic. proved once and for all that babies don't get the whole "fall back = extra hour of sleep" thing.

Trick or ?

Before I show my cute kiddos trick or treating a quick vent!

While we were taking pics of the boys outside the house I spotted a lady watching us from a bit down the sidewalk. She had on a shirt that said "Hello my name is Joe the plumber". She walked up to my husband and started trying to hand out political propaganda. When my husband politely declined her literature she started being persistent even to the point of being pushy and rude.

Dear Joe the plumber lady,
It is Halloween for goodness sake. Can we please have a fun, playful night with our children. Halloween is not the right time to be handing out anything but candy to children.
P.S. Being pushy and rude doesn't want to make anyone want to change their vote. All you accomplished was pissing off 2 people who had already voted my mail 3 days ago.


Okay, now I feel better getting that off my chest.

On to the kiddos.

Donovan was trying so hard to open this candy. Hector later admitted to sneaking him some while I was out with the big boys.


AJ loved knocking on the doors. He would say "tik a teeth" and grab handfuls of candy. He also ate about 10 lollipops while we were walking.


William dressed as a "karate master" He insisted on the sword and then made me carry it all night while trick or treating. I also ended up with his Karate belt and both the boys candy bags.


AJ didn't want to wear his dinosaur costume until I told him we were going to get candy. He was game after that.


Happy Halloween or "appy ah oh eem" as AJ puts it.