Being prepared.

As this weather gets colder and we get more snow I think about packing the cars with the essentials and also a safety kit in case the cars break down or we need assistance.

At this point I have jumper cables and tire compressors but I think I might need to look at flares and safety vests to make the kit complete.

Then of course, I should probably look into getting a warm blanket and a first aid kit.

Being an adult is hard work!

I'm ready!

For a few days off for Christmas. I've been busting my balls at work and even though it's going to be just a few days...I need it!

I plan on doing stuff with the family and I'd love to get a good book and rest on the couch one day! HA...yeah, right.

Backed up?

We learned the hard way when our computer crashed that we needed to find a good free online backup system!

It was devastating and for a while we thought we had lost all of our photos for both kids. Everything from pregnancy, to birth, to birthday parties.

We were able to get most of the information back from an online source ... but we realized that to prevent this in the future we really need to do a back up on a regular basis.

Happy Weekend!

Yesterday we finally got a babysitter and went to a baby shower. We had a great time and realized that it's really OKAY if we leave the kids with someone else for a little while!

In fact, we might have to do it again for an actual date!

Snow?

I'm shocked that we haven't seen much snow yet!

In fact, our snow tires are still in storage and we have yet to put them on the cars.

Maybe this year we'll need to sneak away for ski vacations! Of course, that means that Emmy and Shawna will probably stick with tubing and hanging out in the lodge for hot chocolate!

The DL.

So I'm pretty excited about the holidays and taking some time off of work. Of course, with us being so busy we've been told that noone can take vacation. Ugh.

Light at the end of the tunnel, please?

Viva Las Vegas

We were just watching Top Chef the other night and never noticed the great restaurants the two times we were in Vegas. After watching...we decided we want to go back once the kids are older!

Of course, we'd have to find las vegas lodging and that ain't cheap.

Maybe, we'll just leave the kids at home!

Need more money.

This morning I looked at finances and my credit card bill and just about fell out of my chair. We need $800 in two weeks. Frick.

Not to mention, I'm going to need more money to pay for Christmas stuff.

McDonald's, here I come.

Boom Boom Pow

Shawna worked on Emmy's Christmas wish list and it has some great things including stainless steel drums!! They use the drums in music class along with other instruments and Emmy loves them!

Of course, we're looking locally because they cost a fortune to ship online!

Any ideas?

Happy Thanksgiving.

Wow...this year has really gone by fast.

I can't believe tomorrow we'll be celebrating Thanksgiving.

Last year we were in NYC and it was just a few days after my father had passed away. We had a baby that wouldn't sleep and things weren't falling into place.

Now at least our baby sleeps....

Off.

We just had new bathroom lighting installed. We were in desperate need of a new fan in the bathroom and decided to go with a timed fan and light combo.

The new fan does a great job. However, we're not really hooked on the color of the flourescent lighting! It makes everyone look green.

Oh well, I guess our main concern was that the steam from the shower/bath are redirected out of the bathroom and it does a good job at that.

We can deal with a little green!

More time needed?!?!?!

Getting totally slammed at work. I feel like I write the same post over and over!

But I've had to put in a little extra time this week because I'm going to be out for Emmy's evaluation and Shawna's doctor appointment tomorrow.

Not to mention, I have tons of deadlines and I should probably do a few hours this weekend.

Why me?

I've realized that I have a ring around my belly that just won't go away! At one point I had trimmed down and with vacation, eating crappy, and our nightly desserts I've noticed that I've gained the weight back!

Maybe I'll get my doctor (who prescribes anything asked!) to hook me up with a weight loss diet pill!

I can't imagine I'd have to be on them for long. I only need to lose about 15 pounds or so!

Hell yes!

It's a friggin' weekend in just a few more hours.

I'm thrilled.

It seems like this week had been dragging and although I haven't put in tons of hours I've been bringing work home nightly to do as we watch television.

This weekend I have to go in for a few hours but at least I can try to relax a little and catch up on some much needed R&R!

I can't imagine being...

fresh out of college again!

My brother is going to graduate school in London and he'll graduate in June. I can't imagine going back to that stage in your life where you're done with school and have to start looking for a job.

He's already dealt with the philadelphia job search and also California, and New York! This time I think they might want to spend time abroad.

I think it's a great idea while they're young and don't have kids!

Where's the weekend?

We're getting bombarded at work and although I know I should be putting in extra time. I'm exhauusted and just can't find the energy or strength!

I'm glad that holidays are approaching but I'm only going to be able to take off a few days since we have so much work and vacation is forbidden.

HELP.

OLD.

Some mornings I wake up and feel 100 years old! Of course, I just had a birthday but I shouldn't be feeling *that* old!

I've noticed that my face is getting some signs of aging as well. Perhaps I should look for a good wrinkle cream that doesn't cost a fortune!

Or perhaps I just realize that it's all part of getting older and with two small kids I'm not going to look like the twenty-something that I once was!

Damn car.

We're pretty committed to have foreign cars. I mean, they last forever, and hardly ever have issues like or past domestic cars!

Lately, however, we've been hating on our Toyota! THe engine light was on and we found out what the issue was. Then we took it to the Toyota dealship. They charged us to run the same damn test and come up with the same damn issue! I complained and then they tried to talk themselves out of it...

Anyway...to say the least --- lesson learned. We're never going back to the local Toyota dealership for service and might not even go local when/if we buy a new car!

Awareness.

Since cancer runs in my family I know I have to do my part in reducing my chances. I've started eating better and taking care of my body.

However, I'm thinking about getting a good colon cleanse.

Maybe this should wait until after we go on vacation! Eek!

Packing.

We're getting our asses kicked when it comes to packing.

Pre-child we used to bring backpacks when traveling. In fact, we'd decide Friday afternoon to leave and we'd go for a long weekend trip to Canada or NYC!

Not anymore.

We just upgraded suitcases to a big ass Samsonite. Plus, we'll be taking two carseats, a stroller, and we've had a pack-n-play shipped to our destination.

Damn...

Up, up, and away!

We're always looking for our next vacation destination.

I imagine there will be a time when we can focus on adult vacations when the kids get older.

Years ago Shawna used to love golfing and used to go out every weekend to shoot the local courses.

Maybe in our near future we can plan a Myrtle beach golf getaway!

I've always loved driving the golf carts...

Finishing up...

I must say that I'm almost at the end of everything I need to do at work before we head out.

I'm debating bring the home laptop with me for the trip. We're going to have so much stuff and I'd hate for the laptop to break - however, I'm not sure how much computer access we'll have at the boys house!

POP

goes the pimple!

My complexion isn't what it used to be.

For the most part, I was able to get through high school and most of college without too much acne.

Now that I'm in my thirties - I've started getting pimples!

I'm at the point of looking for the best acne treatment over-the-counter.

We're almost outta here!

It always stresses me out right before we leave for a trip...

I constantly worry that we'll forget something major or that we won't have prepared enough.

When kids are involved it's pretty complex too! Especially, when traveling with a baby. We know that we'll need to pack Benadryl...but with the new rules we have to make sure that it's in a 100ml bottle or less!

Then there's the snack issue and keeping the kids occupied on the plane.

That 6 hour plane trip is going to be a "good time". I just feel sorry for the people around us!

I'm on that!

With my birthday approaching tomorrow I've realized that I'm really not where I want to be from a physical fitness standpoint.

I have about fifteen pounds of unwanted "baby" weight lingering.

I've thought about going to the gym but as it is I don't have enough hours in the day to work, sleep, and be a mom!

Maybe I should just look into some diet pills to get the unwanted weight off. I think if I ate less, moved more, and had a little bit of help I could probably be down to my goal weight in a few months.

Right in time for the holidays. Eek!

Another year...

Tomorrow's my birthday and it's hard to believe that I'm going to be 34 years old. Damn. How did I get to be this old?

Why does my body feel like I'm over 70?

With two little ones at home it makes me think twice about how I treat my body. Knowing my family history and given genetics I know that I need to start working out and eating better.

Just if I had eight more hours in a day...

Filters!

I just remembered that it's time to look for water filters for our fridge. We love the fridge and the idea of getting clean and fresh water and ice from it! However, the filters cost around $40 or so.

I'm looking for wf2cb model and it's part of the puresource 2 water filter system.

Everytime I go to order these filters online I find that they want around $9 to ship! However, I haven't been able to find these filters locally... Maybe I'll just order the 3 pack this time.

TGIF!!!

So this week we've been hit with sickness. I started feeling sick Tuesday and sure enough Graem was right behind me!

Yesterday Graem was home and Wednesday I was home from work.

Today is Friday and it looks like both of us are going to try and make it through the day!

The good thing is...I think it's just a cold. Graem did run a fever and as you know from previous posts she always starts to have asthma and wheezing when she gets a cold. Yesterday Shawna was going to take her into the doctor but we decided that instead we'd just call the doc and get the inhaler prescription called into our pharmacy.

There's some nasty stuff out there and I really hope that we can avoid some of it this winter!

Shoes, shoes, and more shoes.

I'm not really hooked on shoes. But Shawna has a serious problem. I just don't get it. You can only wear ONE PAIR at any given time! Why do the kids need FIFTEEN pairs each?

Of course, I have seen these cute baby Ugg shoes and they're so darn cute.

Maybe I'll see if I can find a pair for little Emm.

This weekend!

We have a lot planned already.

Tonight we're having an old friend over for pizza and chat. We haven't seen her in ages and it'll be good to catch up.

Tomorrow Graem has her first birthday party of the school year! I swear last year it felt like there was a party every weekend. Not only can that get expensive but tedious carting the kids around town!

Sunday we're just going to take it easy - maybe do some house work and yard work!

Need help?

From what I can tell I've pretty much exhausted all avenues when it comes to going back to school.

I can't imagine having kids and a family and going back for another degree. Mentally I don't think I can do it and financially - ha! We'd be living on the streets.

However, a program at Gongaza really struck on my interest and I'm going to send off for more information.

With all of these projects I'm dealing with I think it's important to have a Organizational development program.

More than likely I could get work to pay for it since it's directly related to my field. Plus, I might even be able to get a promotion or professional CEUS!

Friday.

So gone.

SEriously. My brain is about to explode and I just don't feel like I'm on my game. Today one of my co-workers called in because she needed a mental health day.

This afternoon I have to go out of town because my PIA project needs fixin' and I'm the one that fucked it up.

VACATION: where are you?

A serious clean.

We have been talking about renting or buying a pressure washer for YEARS!

A few weeks ago we had new windows installed and they almost got stung by bees and wasps while they were working.

Does anyone have a recommendation for good pressure washers?

I think it might be a good investment and if we had one we'd make sure to use it yearly. The last time we were going to rent one it was going to run about $75 for the weekend.

Ugh.

So my boss has told me on more than one occasion this week that I should put in more hours. Of course, I'm having a hard time with that. I typically put in around 42 hours or so each week. And when it's sunny the last thing I want is to be trapped in an office in front of a computer.

I'm thinking about taking every Friday off next summer.

Where is this going?

I have no idea what is going on with the health insurance debate.

What I do know is that this family has to have affordable health insurance! Without it our whole dynamics change and it might even mean that Shawna goes back to work and can no longer stay at home with the kids.

The upcoming months will be interesting and we'll just have to see what happens!

Alone!

Well, the girls have left to go on a hike and I'm left with a quiet and empty house.

I must admit it's kind of AWESOME!

I spent the first hour or so cleaning. I'm sure that when everyone comes back home all of my hard work will be undone.

Now I have no idea what to do with myself...

Getting older.

I feel my body aching each time I walk up the stairs.

In fact, the other day I looked at the mirror and besides the gray hairs that I try to pick out daily I'm realizing that my face and hands are aging.

If I were smart about it ... I'd look into getting the best wrinkle cream on the market!

However, looking at all of my other friends that have kids I think it might just be part of being a mom!

Swimming with snakes!

Yes, that's what happened this weekend!

We went to Taughannock and as we were getting out of the water we noticed that a water snake was swimming up to the swimming area.

To say the least, we got the kids out of the water.

However, I think the whole experience has tainted Shawna's lake swimming for life! She is refusing to ever go swimming again in non-pool water.

Damn.

My poor skin!

This past weekend my skin has been so irritated. I don't know if it's the lake water, washing my hands too much, or the combination.

I called my doctor last week and asked for her to call in medication. Of course, she didn't.

To think that I was able to avoid acne treatments when I was a kid and now I've been stricken with bad skin now just stinks!

Back to the grind...

It was so hard to leave the house this morning.

Emmy was being so cute and after a really great weekend I just wanted to crawl back into bed and hang out with my girls.

I really should take a sick day soon...

Here we go again!

Shawna's been on a few diets over the years. The one that really worked was when she used prescription medication and worked with a doctor.

A few weeks ago she went to the doctor to get the hook up and it appears that her insurance doesn't pay for the costly drugs.

So, I think the best thing might be for us to buy weight loss supplements and see what some over-the-counter supplements do!d

Heck, it's worth a shot. God knows we can't flip the bill for a bottle of $245.00 prescription meds!

So much for this weekend....

this weekend I was able to weed the garden AND buy the much needed shelf supplies.

I'm EXHAUSTED! I feel like my sleep is not restful and by 5:30am I wake up almost as exhausted as I woke up.

Maybe next weekend I'll be able to finish some of the things I need to do before leaving for my brother's wedding.

So much to do...so little time.

Plus, I just want to play with the kiddos!

Must lose weight.

So now that we're back from vacation I need to think serious about shedding these pounds.

My brother's wedding is in a few weeks and I have to fit into some suits that I bought months ago. I'm going to get them altered over the next few days but it'd be great if I could drop five pounds or so.

Maybe I'll think about a top diet pill to help me trim down.

Of course, I need to lose around 15 pounds or so and there's no better time to do that than now! And the summer of course.

Dare I say it?

It's back to the grind tomorrow.

We had a fabulous vacation and I feel like it was a perfect combination of rest, relaxation, family time, and good food!

I also like that we were able to leave early Friday and draw out the drive by staying with Rachel Friday night.

Let's just say that the ride back today was HELL! Emmy was crazy bad and then Graem started up. At one point they were both crying and we threatened to leave them both on the side of the road.

Back to work?

It's hard to believe that Shawna has been out of work and home with the kids for over four years now! WOW!

I'm not sure that she'll look at jobs in health care when she's ready to go back to work.

We've talked a little bit about it and it might make sense for her to get a job with the school district. That way she can have the summers off and all of the school holidays and hours.

Did I mention the awesome benefits?

With the budget cuts hitting education who knows what the future holds.

Me so tired.

I swear Friday comes around and I'm POOPED~!

We have a dvd to watch tonight but I don't know if I can even stay awake! It's been a long week and I have to wake up early tomorrow to get things ready for workers to help me with the deck.

SO TIRED.

Years ago...

When we were in our early 20's we thought that we would love living in San Francisco. So we both went out there, got jobs, found housing, and started looking for cross country movers.

We figured it'd cost us around $4,000 to move, and then we'd also have to pay $2,000 a month to live in a studio apartment in Berkeley. We were game for it.

Things then took a turn for the worst. The dot com industry flopped, my job got rescended.

So we decided to take a detour. We always knew we'd end up back in Ithaca.

We bought a house, started having babies, and the rest is history!

Another one?

So we keep going back and forth on whether we want to have another kid. We both really love the time we get to spend with the girls. If money were no problem I would totally be on board.

Then there's the whole trying to conceive issue. I can't get into the situation we were in last time. We were both depressed, our relationship was on the rocks, we spent tons of money...

Maybe I'd consider it if it were covered under insurance and if the kids were a little bit older.

HOWEVER, Shawna makes some pretty bad babies and I'm not sure I could deal with another Emmy!

Doctor's appointment...

Next week Shawna is going to the doctor to try and get some diet pills. She was on them before and lost around 75 pounds.

Now that she's had the baby and getting to the point of weaning little Emmy she's thinking about starting back up on the pills to lose the unwanted weight.

It's always such a battle.

Why can't we all be blessed with very active metabolisms?

This 7:30 bedtime thing...

totally friggin' rocks.

I swear. I feel like a dumbass for not listening to other parents and putting our kids to bed earlier!

We have a decent routine these days and it's nice to have our evenings to ourselves. Of course, most of my nights have been spent doing the damn deck...

Stay with me...

It's amazing to see all of the places that have AED 's. That's short for Automated External Defibrillators.

The last time I went to Cornell I noticed that they had one located on every floor of the building. I'm sure that staff probably has to go to training on how to use the machines.

Since Shawna has a pacemaker I know she's covered! But it's nice to know that more and more places are spending the extra money to be safe and possibly save a life.

The biter.

So it looks like we have a baby biter on our hands.

Emmy has started biting Shawna after nursing. The other day I was holding her and she bit my arm and left a bruise.

We've started putting her in timeout but I'm not sure that's doing a thing. After she bites us she gets a smile and thinks it's hilarious.

I have a feeling that nursing is going to be shortlived...

Disney here we come!

In October we're heading to the west coast to see Alex and Dominic. While we're out there we figure we'll take the kids to Disneyland. Dominic gets free tickets and I think Graem is at the age where she'll appreciate the scary characters and enjoy the rides.

When Emmy gets older we'll have to check out Orlando vacations! You can get a great deal flying out of Syracuse and there's nothing better than a sunny place in the middle of an upstate New York winter!

Vacation...

is right around the corner.

The countdown has begun....14 days.

This time two Fridays from now we'll be in Boston drinking something delicious and eating tasty ethnic food.

Or we'll be in complete hell with two overly tired children and a dumpy hotel.

The possibilities are endless, really....

*meow*

We're leaving in a few weeks for Cape Cod and we're so excited. It's a very well deserved vacation!

While we're gone we're going to set Murphy up with wet food, dry food, cat snacks, and a fresh kitty box. The girl's going to have all of the cat supplies she could ever dream of!

We'll also ask our snoopy neighbor to come in and check in on her a few times and make sure she's okay.

We almost have a deck...

Well, what can I say.... but I'm more than 1/2 way through our deck. It's been a total bitch and hasn't really turned out like planned.

I've only had a few domestic disputes with Shawna and despite everyone quitting the job I've been able to recruit different friends to help me finish it up this weekend!

Being informed...

is really important when it comes to important topics like mesothelioma.

I never knew much about cancer until my dad was diagnosed. I tried to become as educated as much and as quickly as possible.

Having kids I've also tried to be as safe and cautious as possible for their health and for my own.

Peter Pan!

Tonight we're going to Graem's school performance of "Peter Pan". She's really excited about the play. We're leaving Emmy with L&L and we're just hoping there won't be too much crying!

At least Little E is taking her second nap now!

Speaking of getting older...

I've noticed that each night I go to bed and my body just aches! I've learned to take ibuprofen on a daily basis.

This morning I woke up and couldn't help but notice that my face is looking older. Maybe I should look into getting some of the best wrinkle cream on the market!

I have a feeling Shawna's going to have really pruny skin since she's had so much sun exposure and burns easily.

SO TIRED.

Seriously need more sleep!

WE've been staying up late playing rock band and although we're kicking some major ass when the kids go to bed. I'm friggin' exhausted.

I think it has to do with getting old.

Another week goes by...

without starting my diet.

Each week we talk about how fat we've gotten and then pledge to start our diet. Maybe I should look into a good appetite suppressant. It seems like I'm constantly hungry and even after I eat a meal I'm always looking for something more!

Help!

Fucking local business.

So we decided to go local for our air conditioner and can I just say how much the whole process has sucked?!?

Literally, they just wanted to make the sale on a Friday afternoon and after that the service has been horrible, installation was full of issues, and now we have NO working air upstairs.

I've called, complained, and now I've told them to take their fucking a/c out of my house because it's worthless.

We'll see what happens... and if they'll do the duct work that supposedly needed to be put in before we had the a/c installeD!

RAISE!

The good news is that yesterday when I was working late and asking my boss a question she mentioned that I was going to get a raise.

Hell yeah, bitches.

So glad to see that my hard work is paying off. LIterally.

Crashed.

So as many of you know our computer back up crashed. I've been so paranoid over the years to back it up regularly.

Now I'm thinking of going with sd flash memory so that I can keep it in yet another place.

Pictures and videos of the kids are truly priceless and it'd be devastating if they were gone forever.

On the go go go go go....

This weekend we did so much!

But it's what we had to do in order to prepare to be out of town starting Thursday. We're heading to NYC and we needed to clean the cars, clean the house, do the yard, and put the garden in!

This all reminds me that I'm going to have to tell G's school that she'll be gone for a few days.

Yikes...school is almost over!

Get the scale away!

Even though we've been really busy lately I feel like I've been eating a ton! The dangerous part is going to fast food and ordering burgers and fries to eat because it's easy, fast, and cheap!

I should probably just call it quits now and go on diet pill so that I can at least fit in my bathing suit in a few months!

So much for a weekend...

I swear it went way too fast.

We got everything done with the exception of one more stain coat on the bookcase shelves. Next week we're going to be in NYC for my brother's graduation.

Can't I just have one more day in the weekend?

So much better!

I have wanted a wedge pillow for YEARS.

Just a few months ago Shawna purchased one for me and I've been in heaven. It is the type that you put between your knees so that you can sleep on your side and have perfect posture.

Allegromedical.com has a great website with just about every kind of personal care item you can imagine.

I wish I would have known of this place when Shawna worked with seniors. They have some great aids that would have been perfect for her residents.

Plus, right now they are offering free shipping on orders over $25. That's absolutely unheard of in this day and time!

A few trips to the city.

It looks like we're going to be in New York City a few times this summer. My brother is graduating in May and so we're going to leave Thursday and stay through Sunday.

Then we're back again in August for his wedding.

I've got to write my uncle and make sure that he can hook us up with a place to stay.

It's kind of weird being homeless in New York and feeling like we don't have a "home".

LOST.

So excited that we're actually catching up on television tonight. Since our DVR is on the shits we're trying to watch all of the saved television we have taped!

We're watching "Lost" now and I want to watch "24" next.

Oh the life of mamas past 7:30pm.

Of course you didn't hear about the laundry, cleaning up of kitchen, and putting toys away that we did before we were able to sit down!

Get me out of here!

I was quite excited to walk outside today and see the sun shining and perfect weather! We spent most of the afternoon outside playing and enjoying the day.

We have been talking about going on a sunny beach vacation for a while. We looked at cancun vacations and they are so tempting. Beautiful beaches, amazing resorts....take me away!

Karisma Hotels look absolutely AMAZING. They offer inclusive dining from top notch chefs. The rooms look amazing and they are situated on beautiful beaches.

The last time we went to Cancun we had such an amazing time and it seven days was way too short!!

My next sunny vacation has to be at least ten days!

Oh BUFFALO.

Well, I did a 12 hour day the other day and it was a killer. This was followed by three ten hour days. I've put in 50 hours total for the week.

I'm bushed. (Not a lesbian pun either!)

I think I just have to work on having a balance between home and work. I know Shawna's been going crazy dropping off Graem in the morning and then coming back home and picking her up in the afternoon.

HOpefully, it will just be temporary and we'll be back to normal soon!

No more Bailey.

I'm not sure if I've posted this on the website or not...but Bailey is no longer with us.

We ended up taking her to the SPCA after she jumped on and scratched the baby AND pooped in Graem's bed. All in the same week.

It was SO hard to do and to say the least...the family was in tears.

However, it was the right decision and there's no doubt that we made the right decision.

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Speaking of broke...

Something is wrong with Emm. I really don't know if it's the combination of her missing nap time two days in a row, her teeth coming in or if something else is going on.

She's been screaming like it's almost painful and she literally isn't happy with anything. We keep hoping this is just a phase.

Maybe when she starts being mobile she'll be a happier camper.

Broke.

Our cat has been sleeping on top of the DVR and it looks like it has died a sudden death. We tried to watch some untaped television this afternoon and every 20 seconds it becomes scrambled.

God damn cat.

I can see the SPCA in her near future too if she doesn't behave!

A little gay goes a long way.

So we've finally made our gay travel arrangements for vacation this year.

We were trying to schedule something in Cancun or a nice blue water, sandy beach destination but it looks like we're heading to P-Town with Alex and Dom!

We're scheduled for July 11th-18th and we're staying at a friend's timeshare that's kid friendly, has a pool, and is essentially a one bedroom apartment a short walk from the beach and strand.

We just got an email from the boys a few hours ago telling us that the week we're scheduled in p-town is "bears" week.

Fun! Fun! Fun!

WE HAD SUN.

Yes it's amazing. The day we thought would never get here --- SPRING. We went to the Farmer's Market today and had such a wonderful time! Graem was well behaved and Emmy was...well Emmy.

We enjoyed great food with friends and for dinner Lyd and Baby F came over and enjoyed a grill out.

Maybe, just maybe...summer will be around the corner!

Fun!

We've been looking into cool things for Graem to do when she's off on summer break. Shawna's purchased a few different craft kits.

One that seems to be really popular is rubber stamps that have animals and letters! She is able to make birthday cards, and even spell words!

PLUS, it's easy clean up and she can get it out by herself.

Seperation.

Emmy's been going through some major seperation. So much that the second we walk out of the room she goes ballistic.

Shawna has been having a heck of a time during the day because she can't even go to the bathroom without Emmy arching her back and throwing a tantrum.

Anyone want a bad baby?

I've got to move it, move it.

Shawna started her diet today and I think she did pretty good with the exception of some tortilla chips at the Mexican restaurant.

She talked about looking for the most effective diet pill but will more than likely hold off until she's stopped nursing.

She's also doing the unthinkable - going to the gym next week!

Dude.

Work's been kicking me in the balls lately. Shawna's been taking Graem to school and I've been doing some major time. We've been "stimulated" at work and to say the least we're excited about. However, the deadline for all of the work is the last week in June.

Too bad that was our scheduled vacation time...

Something to do?

Shawna's been wondering what she's going to do when Emmy goes to daycare. She's looked into grad school and even considered getting her teaching certificate.

However, we just looked at an online Project Management certificate that might be the perfect thing for her.

Since she has a B.S. in Business Management and Economics an updated PM certificate might be the updated education that she needs to get back in the job market.

With this tough market it's important to try and put yourself ahead of other candidates.

St. Joseph University online offers courses at your own pace and schedule and would be perfect for someone like Shawna who has a flexible schedule.

Overtime.

So we just got hooked up with stimulus work and I've been asked to put in mad hours to get the job done. I'm glad that I don't have to worry about my job...BUT...I'm tired. I want a vacation and it looks like I might have to reschedule my June vacation since the deadline will be around that time.

Losin' it.

It's been almost a year later and I have yet to lose my "baby weight". I thought that the nursing diet might have done the trick but I'm not convinced. In fact, I'm pretty sure that I eat more because I'm constantly hungry!

Once the nursing stops I might consider weight loss pills. My friend Erica also offered to join the YMCA with me and work out.

A combo of both might do the trick...

LOST.

Can I just say that I love this shot. It's been so much better this year and now that we hve our home theatre up and running the HD channels look amazing!

Just sit back and watch.

It's up!

After much planning and saving we finally have our home theatre up and running! It looks and sounds awesome and we enjoy it on a nightly basis!

We installed it all ourselves and despite not having to put KVM switches in we ended up running all of the wires through the wall.

Next time I have a feeling that we'll probably just pay the $300 and have it done professionally!

Sleep?

We thought Emmy was sleeping really good...but then we realized taht her monitor was unplugged.

For all we know she was howling all night in her crib and noone was there to hear her!

Shoppin'

Lately, I've been checking out online auctions for cables for our television and home theatre. I've been shocked that I can find them almost 75% off what they are at our local electronics store!

Plus they get delivered to our house within a few days and I don't have to leave the couch!

Leave us sickies!

It seems like Emmy's getting over pneumonia. However, Graem started coughing at the dinner table this morning!

We're hoping it's just some fluky thing and starting to think that she might be doing some of this for attention.

Last night she had a fit because she didn't want to go to bed in the dark. So we ended up keeping the hallway light on.

Hopefully, it's just a stage and she'll get over it soon.

D-A-N-G-E-R!

This morning I stepped on the scale and couldn't believe the mad weight gain! I've been trying to do Wii Fit but haven't been very consistent about it.

Maybe I'll look into getting some diet pill information. Even though I need to lose about 20 pounds it sure would be nice to have a little help!

Again.

That's right, folks. We have a sick baby!

We went in yesterday for her 9 month appointment and it seems like she got a cold overnight. She woke up with boogies and overall not feeling good.

In other news...we're getting our new couch today!

I'm not sure I realized

what goes into starting and maintaining a business.

My profession holds business insurance because there could be a situation where someone gets hurt with one of our designs and the person decides to sue. Just one lawsuit could bring down any firm.

In order to protect the business - we purchase insurance.

There must be insurance for anything and everything these days.

Good ole password protect.

I can't believe how many people have written requesting our password for the new private posts that we're doing.

We decided to go private because we're posting more and more personal entries - plus, we aren't so sure about having all of our pictures posted out there for the world to see.

Losing weight?

I've been on a roll when it comes to losing weight. Shawna bought me Wii Fit for Valentine's Day and I've been trying to keep up when I get home from work.

She does it too but is absolutely horrible and I keep waiting for the day when she falls on her face or twists her ankle!

Maybe she just needs to stick with the diet pills!

Wii Fit.

Shawna got me Wii Fit for Valentine's day in hopes that we might actually do it and lose some weight.

We did it for the first two nights then we were too sore and Shawna left for Houston.

Now I'm feeling somewhat inspired to pop the game on again. I'm just not sure that I want to see the weight gain!

Is it spring yet?

This weekend we're going to get some seeds and start planting and growing seedlings in our basement.

We've decided to start with Blackberry plants, tomatoes, cucumbers, and peas.

It seems like each year we try to take on too much and it becomes a disorganized mess.

Typically, the only thing that we actually see are the tomatoes since we have a very hungry rodent that breaks into our garden!

I'm so proud ..

Fuck...I've tried to write three different posts and each time blogger seems to get stuck.

Maybe this one will work?

Getting it together...

Today Shawna spent half of the day looking for a stereo cabinet. We went to the local furniture store and found NOTHING.

We figure that we really just need something for the components and we don't want to spend a fortune.

What we might just do is wait until we have the new television, cable, and surround sound installed and then figure out what kind of stand we need.

Unbelieveable.

Maybe I'll just leave this post at that.

Shawna had an awful trip in Texas and to say the least...I'm not letting her go back there again.

Too much heartbreak and pain.

Always going up...

I'm so sick and tired of seeing all of our bills increase and my paycheck staying the same. In fact, I just got our home insurance bill and realized that it's gone up 10%.

We've never made a claim and the value of our house even went down. It seems like the companies are trying to make up their losses by overcharging their very loyal customers.

Sick kids.

Last night we were driving home and Shawna was in the van. All of a sudden she started spewing vomit EVERYWHERE. When we got home it didn't stop. Throughout the night there she kept vomiting.

She's still running a fever and we were told by the pediatrician that this should last for 24 hours or less.

Arachnids!

Our basement has serious spider issues. On a monthly basis we have to vacuum the raftors because we have some many spider webs.

Since we've cleaned it up I might consider looking into spider traps. That way we could get rid of those spiders and it will make my life easier!

The time has come...

and my girls are going to head out of town Monday.

I don't know what I"m going to do with myself.

Actually, I have a honeydew list a mile long! Including putting up a microwave and doing household chores.

I guess when I look at it...they're only going to be gone 3.5 days.

Creating new spaces...

We talked last night and we're going to try to add a bathroom upstairs in our bedroom space. I'd like to create different space throughout the house.

In fact, I might even look at office furniture to change the look of my home office.

Another option is to move the home office to the basement and refinish it to include an office, and an extra bedroom.

I'm not sure...

That I can believe what's going on with the economy. This was totally unpredictable. I'm starting to stress out because we saw the first layoff last week and I think they might be laying someone else off too at work.

As far as home goes..we're at a standstill. We're not moving and have decided to do some things around the house to change the space. I figure putting a good $5,000 into the house won't be a big deal considering $50,000 extra into a new house!