Just what I needed...

With Father's Day (my Mother's Day) around the corner I'm pretty excited! I came across my gift in the garage. TOOLS! It's great how each year I get a good stash of tools. At some point I'm going to have to resort to less fun things such as, hasps!

Brits love the queen!

I'm watching the special concert for the queen. I can't believe how much these British folks love their queen! We'd never in a million years do this for a president. God bless the queen!

Time to invest!

I've been trying to do research and figure out a way to invest our money. One thing that I've seen recently is fixed annuities. It's a good way to insure that your money is secure. Since we're still young in investment terms we can be a little more daring but it's also important to diversify things and have a steady medium low earning product. I'm still doing my homework and I will have til next April to figure this all out!

Scrub-a-dub

I have two shirts of my dads. One is a Life is good shirt that has holes all in it. The other is one of my dad's scrub top that he used to perform surgery in. It's a nice little memory and when the time is right I'll pass it on to the girls. They can wear it and play dress up doctor. I've worn it a few times because it's downright comfortable!

4.5 months

It's almost Mother's day! Tonight we went out to celebrate at hibachi and it was delicious. Tonight we're watching one of those stupid Buddy dog movies. But...we're here. Together. A family.

Vroom Vroom

I miss the days of motorcycles. We had such a good time and there's nothing like riding your bike and feeling the bugs hit your helmet. I don't think I'd ever get a motorcycle while the kids were small. Where would I put the carseats? Our friend has a scooter and that might be more our speed! Then there's the maintenance... The last time we had bikes we were always making repairs. The bikes were over 15 years old but still?! The one thing I would never do is cheap out on tires. I've heard that the pirelli motorcycle tires are the top-notch tire to get.

Wood stove?

I really want a wood burning fireplace insert. We burn a lot of wood in our fire place and it'd be great if we could actually use it as a wood source. The problem is - they're expensive! The last time we looked they were around $4,000 installed. Then there's the fact that we just installed a new furnace last year! We had an energy audit a few weeks ago and they made some suggestions like more insulation. I know this should probably be done first. What's the point of producing more heat when it's just going to leak out the roof!

The basement.

At some point I think the basement is really going to be our go-to room. Even though we are doing an addition I think the kids will need a place to do homework and hang out with friends. We have painted the basement walls and floor but I think that it would really make the room if we had basement flooring. Every once in a while we will have a little water in the basement so it needs to be durable and easy to clean.

Diapers!

We have only purchased a few packages of diapers since Keane was born. We 95% of the time use cloth diapers. Right now we are trying to finish up some size 1 diapers that we had purchased. It's weird having disposable because they really don't do as good of a job as the cloth diapers we use. Shawna's got it down too. She was able to buy cloth diapers for Keane, use them, and sell them for just as much as she bought them for. FOr a few pair she even made money on them!

Baby contraptions.

It's funny how each kid has their own baby gear that works for them. Graem loved the bouncy chair. Emmy did not. Keane did not. Emmy liked the exersauser. Graem did not. Keane has yet to try it. Keane LOVES the swing! Funny enough, it was the same swing we had when Graem and Emmy were babies. However, it was given to us by a friend because ended up getting rid of all things baby when Emmy was born. This time we are purging for good! It's sad. Real sad.

Pump you up.

My brother has an amazing ability to grow muscle. I don't understand if it's a male thing or what. He does work out but it seems like he can diet for a few weeks and look slim and trim. I go to the gym a few times a week and I'm still fat. I have friends who have had testoripped results that really speak for themselves! I'm still at the point where I want to try it naturally with better diet and exercise. But there might come a time when I'm willing to walk on the dark side!

MOnday...

UGH! I swear the weekends are going way too fast. Especially, when you have three sick kids, not much sleep, and tons of laundry on Monday morning. I'm dragging today and sure could use a nap.

I need tools!

I think I have only purchased one or two tools since we started owning this new house. I keep borrowing a router every time I need to use one.

I've also had my eye on a lamello biscuit joiner. We are starting our new addition within the next few weeks.

This week I have to take the deck apart and I wish I could get someone to help me do it! Go figure, I just put the deck together last year, and now I'm taking it apart in order to attach the addition!

Weekend?

So it's Monday.

I'm ready for a weekend already. Graem has spring break STARTING FRIDAY. Not sure what SHawna plans to do with the kids next week! More than likely, she'll have to schedule things for days when Emmy is home too.

Which makes me wonder...what in the heck are we going to do for the summer?

Shawna just might go crazy with 3 kids at home all-summer-long!

Our girls!

I must say that Graem really gets the short end of the stick. She was born 3 days after Christmas! That means that she gets all of her toys for the year within 3 days. Poor kid, RIGHT?

I'm always on the lookout for daughter gifts!

I used to stock up throughout the year. However, I never know what the kids are going to be into from month to month.

More than likely, I'll get Graem some gifts this summer around Emmy's birthday.

Easter

Easter is right around the corner. Our friends parents have really taken us in. Typically, we get invited over Sunday for a nice dinner and an easter egg hunt.

Shawna picked up some airplanes for Graem and some sand toys for Emmy. I think she even picked up some goodies for the boy too!

Holidays with the kids are so great! This is when I love having a big family!

No pain, no gain.

That's what they used to say, right?

Well, I'm in tons of pain. Each night I go to bed and I'm in agony. My hand becomes numb and even throughout the day I have absolutely no feeling in it.

I've been prescribed medication and at this point I have a feeling that there's more to it than just muscle stuff going on.

I went to the doctor today and she's guessing that there's a slipped disc involved. The last thing in the world I want is back surgery. However, if there was minimally invasive spine surgery that would take away the pain I would sign up in a minute.

Interior Therapy

Jeff Lewis has a new show out and can I just say I LOVE IT. We have watched all of the episodes and each one is funnier than that last. Jeff is pretty hilarious himself, but the people around him also add to the humor.

This is perhaps the only show that is keeping us hooked up to cable and paying way too much money per month!

Entertainment HELP!?

So at this point in our entertainment life we are stranded. Shawna got a new DVD player that has wi-fi and I was sure that trying the new features such as Hulu or Roku would be all I ever hoped and dreamed. Not so much.

They didn't have the shows we watch on Bravo and the shows they did have seemed outdated. THen there's the paying monthly thing that we're not overly fond of.

We have been taking advantage of discount movies when we can because it's almost better to buy the movie and have it for the kids than it is to rent it 100 times!

3ish months old.

The boy is getting so big! I think he's about 13 pounds! He's starting to get chunky cheeks and he's such a complete joy. The only times he cries are when he's poopy, needs boob, or tired.

Lately, I've been trying to juggle everything at home with work and it's all kicking my ass.

I've got to take some me time.

A dip.

We are starting our addition in the next few weeks. Of course, it crossed our minds to put a nice in ground pool instead of an addition. But we figured we could only swim 2 months out of the year!

My friend has a pool fence arizona. Supposedly it's one of their laws there and everyone that has a swimming pool has to also have a four foot fence around the pool.

11 weeks!

The boy is 11 weeks old. He's so super sweet. He smiles constantly and he's a great baby! No complaints.

To say the least...I love life with three kids. It's crazy at times but it all ... just works.

Grinder!

This weekend we went to the store. I have been looking for awhile for a coffee grinder. When making Ethiopian food it's important to have a coffee grinder to grind all of the spices.

I saw the bunn coffee grinder and it was super nice. I figure I'll get that one so that I can grind our morning coffee. We already do a french press but fresh ground coffee must be even more delicious!

2 months!

I can't believe that the boy is two months old. It's gone by so fast. As I write this he is sleeping on my lap. He's such a good baby. Totally laid back and chill. It's a good thing because the girls are a handful!

Good stuff!

Shawna has been posting some of the newborn diapers that K has outgrown on the online auction site. She has been getting some incredible bids. It's shocking how much these women actually want the diapers and what they're willing to spend!

A few of the diapers have actually been purchased for more than Shawna bought them for. She used them and now she's making a profit!!

The tricky part of all of this is shipping. She needs to get some good materials such as strapping tape and some envelopes and boxes.

The worst thing in the world is to post something, sell it, and have it break when you ship it!

The addition...

We are currently in the middle of adding a master bedroom to our house. We decided to go with the best contractor in town. He's a fortune but we know that we really won't have to worry about it and it's going to be a job well done.

Tomorrow we meet with him to go over the design and figure out what the cost will be. I really hope it's not going to be too much!

Relax.

I've thought about going to yota. I need to figure out something to destress. I had a gym membership but I felt like I couldn't get out of the house to do it. Maybe I should just get a new yoga video and yoga mat and do the exercises in the living room.

If I had them easily available I could do them whenever I have extra time, in my pajamas, and not even have to leave the house!

We have a yoga ball but I have no idea what to do with it!

Yahoo!

I'm really excited that in the next 24 hours we are going to see the boys! We saw them a few months ago and had such a great time. I love how we can go months at a time without seeing them then all of a sudden reconnect and it's like we didn't miss a beat.

RIght now we're in the process of getting the house together and clean! Then there's the laundry...

36 weeks....yikes!

Well, the time is almost here for us to meet the boy. It's going super fast and I know at any time I will get the call. To say the least...I'm on high alert!

I've also told work no more traveling. Kinda bummed because I had a cool project meeting in NYC that is happening in December that I'm going to miss out on...but...Shawna would kill me if I missed this!?

The best.

We went to the new Vietnamese restaurant this weekend and it was incredible! Not only was the food great but the staff was friendly and best of all - they deliver!

We picked up menus and plan on ordering this weekend.

The shocking part about restaurants in our area is that restaurant funding is really limited. 1/4 restaurants succeed and I think that banks locally are tired of taking the chances only to see something not succeed and go belly-up.

I'm just glad that somehow the new Vietnamese and Indian restaurants have found funding because they have been great contributions to the dining selections in town!

31.5 weeks

Holy moses. I have tons to do and every day that I look at my to-do list Shawna's added more.

I was able to get tons done last week but none of it was on my to-do list. Damn!

It's starting to get cold out and I know before long we're going to have snow on the ground and have to worry about snow tires and plowing the front driveway.

Brutal winters.

We pay way too much for energy here in New York. I read that new jersey energy is half of the cost. The frustrating part is that we really don't have many options. NYSEG essential is divided into two different sections so it appears that you have options but when it comes down to it...you end up writing the check to the same company!

At some point I would love to be able to power the house on solar and/or a wood burning stove.

Of course, setting that up takes time and money too!

Graem's date night.

Graem is heading to watch J play soccer tonight. Afterwards his mom is going ot take him and Graem out to eat at a nice restaurant. I think it's important to be able to do activities without Emmy and without us.

Especially, since she hurt her ankle and is having a hard time adjusting to being on crutches again.

Swimming!

We have an underwater camera and it's pretty good.

However, when you're actually swimming there's no way to take good photos and do activity.

I saw an awesome set of camera goggles the other day and I thought instantly that my dad would have loved this concept!

Not only did he love doing scuba but he would have loved the idea of not having to bother with a handheld camera.

The ankle.

Graem hurt her ankle AGAIN over the weekend. She was jumping on the trampoline and sure enough we just heard a cry. It was *that* cry. Shawna knew it the second it happened.

We took her to the hospital and sure enough --- she sprained it. It's a good thing she didn't break it again but she's still in a cast for two weeks and crutches.

Poor kid...at the great age of 6 she has a bum ankle.

Hectic times!

It's hard for me to think about the holidays but I know I really need to with the baby on the way. If he comes early we could be rushing to do last minute shopping for the kids.

That would also mean that they don't get anything that is on their wish lists!

I've thought about the next few months and even thought about flowers delivered around valentines day! Having a six week old during that time I'm sure their will be more on my mind than just sending flowers.

Maybe if I do it now I won't be a bad wife!

80 days...

til the boy makes his appearance. HOLY SHIT. That's assuming that he comes on his due date too and not early.

Shawna has been nailing out her to do list. Me on the other hand...

Not so much.

Meds.

I'm on a few medications. Over the years I must admit that I trust my doctor's opinion and typically when she writes a script I go immediately to the pharmacy to get the prescription filled.

This can be dangerous.

WHen I think about it...my doctor could be one that's easily persuaded by the pharmaceutical companies and this could be part of a points system that pays for her family trip to Hawaii!

The Crestor lawsuit was brought about when people started realizing that the medication produced by AstraZeneca was causing severe liver damage.

Unfortunately, many times you don't realize these issues until it's too late and the damage has gone too far.

It makes me wonder why it takes so long to get these "miracle drugs" approved by the FDA. Don't the effects take hold in the trials? Or are they simply ignored because the benefits outweigh the risks.

Ready or not...

Here he comes!

The time is getting closer and closer for the baby boy to arrive! Clothes are washing. We have yet to pack bags or load up the car.

It's so funny how things change between kids. When we were pregnant with Graem this was all done by 20 weeks. With Emmy I think we waited til 26 weeks!

Now this baby...I'm guessing by 34 weeks we might start thinking about packing!

Baby/House checklist.

Well, the list has been made of things we must do before the boy comes. We have to finish doing the moldings in the kitchen and touching up paint. Must put handles on cabinets. I've also been thinking about garage floor coating. Our garage floor has some cracks in the foundation and it seems like when it rains it's not sealed and water can hang out there for a few days.

I figured with the upcoming winter it might be a nice way to seal the garage and while I'm at it I might even think about sealing the driveway too.

The fun never stops...

So is it me or do other families do around 2 loads of laundry a day?

The other night I noticed that our sheets had an oily sheen and that was the sign that it was time to wash them! Shawna does use a towel for each shower so she's a big contributor to our laundry woes.

Then there's Emmy who has to have dry clothing at all times. Which means that she typically goes through a few sets of clothes a day too.

I heart my garmin!

I've had my handheld GPS for a few years and it works great! One of my friends got the newer one and it's amazing how much it picks up...even on the cloudiest and shaded of days!

The other day I was looking at my biking magazine and saw that they offer biking GPS and garmin gps golf courses!! How crazy. You wouldn't think that you'd need one for golf courses because most courses actually offer those drawings on the back of the card.

However, it would be nice to know where the tee is so that you can choose the right club.

Either way, my golf game is so bad that even if I had a live visual and tape measure of the course...I'm afraid it wouldn't help.

1 1/2 more weeks...

and we're in Florida! I have one more deadline before we leave and I can't wait. I've been working my ass off and I'm exhausted. Not to mention, I feel like I never see Shawna or the kids. It's brutal going in on a Sunday when I know that they are enjoying one of the last sunny days that we'll get!

On a good note, we're in the process of paying off all of our debt for the kitchen. The kitchen has a few odds and ends to finish up. Shawna finally go through to the supervisor at Arietta and they are sending us a brand new range hood blower thing.

Today's to-do list.

Clean basement room
Wash sheets
Clean bathroom
Put away clothes
Clean living room
Clean dining room

Pick up Graem
Pick up Emmy

Go to library and pay for library book.

Figure out a meal for tonight for kids.

What next??

The other day I was at home when we had an earthquake. I think that I was watching television but I can't be sure. The next thing I hop online to find out that there was an earthquake and most people in my area noticed it!

With all of the hurricanes and earthquakes happening it makes me wonder if tornado shelters aren't such a bad idea!

A few months ago a tornado hit about 4 miles from here and it was really a mess. I don't care about my items...I just want to make sure my family is safe.

No more work for me!

I'm taking off til Wednesday of next week. Alex and Dom are getting here later tonight and I can't wait to see them. It's been way too long! Not to mention, they haven't seen our new house yet.

I really don't know how much longer I can work. I'm getting BIG. The belly is stretching and I can't even see my feet!

Last Friday I messed up my back leaning over to get a pen that had dropped on the grass. That took two chiro appointments and a massage therapist appt. I didn't even make enough to pay for the appointments last week!

Sump and pump.

When we first moved in we realized that the sump pump in the basement was broken. I would go down and wiggle it around and it would work. Then one day I wiggled it too much. The piping broke!

We looked at industrial pumps and ended up going with a highly recommended pump that was a little bit more expensive.

The one thing that I constantly worry about is WATER. Whether it's coming into our basement or a pipe busting or toilet overflowing.

The money was well spent because the pump works great and we have never had an issue!

21 weeks!

It's starting to go fast now. In 19 weeks or so...we're going to have a baby boy!

Shawna's been feeling the baby inside for a few weeks and starting Sunday he started kicking on the outside!

He typically wakes up around 8pm and stays up for a few hours. The rest of the day he's pretty laid back.

It will be interesting to see if he stays that way when he gets here!

Jammin'

Today as I was cleaning the house I hooked up with our ipod docks. I used the first one to charge the iphone and then I used the other to run the ipod and listen to some great music that I had!

We have the BOSE dock and we can plug our iphone or ipod into it. The clarity is PERFECT and much better than you would get from a CD or on the radio.

TWO ROOMS LEFT

SO unmotivated now. I have been cleaning the house all day long for the cousins and I'm friggin' EXHAUSTED!!!

I have the dining room and living room and then I'm done-o.

Obviously, I'm on the computer and would rather be doing blog stuff than cleaning those last two rooms!

Uh oh.

We all know that your body isn't the same after having a baby. Now that Shawna's pregnant with the boy... It's hitting her. She's had the occassional accident during the first trimester when she was getting sick all the time. I'm not just talking a little bit. I'm talking full puddle on the floor. Poor girl.

Now that the baby is getting bigger and she's running to the bathroom there have been times when the smallest sneeze or bending over can leak urine.

She might think incontinence products are for older people but until her kegels build up a bit...it might be necessary!

The girls...

are getting so big. Graem will start 1st grade in less than a month! How did this happen? She has gone to some great camps this summer and she's ending it with 2 different sciencecamps!

Emmy has been going to daycare three days a week and she's made so many great friends. Plus, I think it's nice for her to have a place that has rules and where they do tons of fun things.

Shawna's still tredging along at work and figures that at some point she'll just take it week by week when she gets further along!

Summertime!

Our summer has been intense and it's not even close to being over! We have cousins visiting this week and then Alex and Dom are coming in a few weeks!!

We have friends who go RV'ing every summer. The rented one last year and are seriously considering purchasing one for future years. They love it! She was looking for rv insurance quote and was shocked to find some good and affordable quotes online.

Maybe when the baby gets bigger we can do something like this. Of course, I hear the bickering from the girls ... I can only imagine what it's going to be like with three little ones in the backseat!

19 weeks!

So now it's going fast. In 21 weeks....we're having a baby. Damn. YIKES. We still have to get the carseat and stroller. Shawna even made sure that we're pretty stocked with cute boy clothes toO!

We get another ultrasound at 24 weeks and I sure hope that he's still a HE!

Smokin'

A few years ago Shawna was really into cigars. In fact, within minutes of being in London she was walking down the street smoking a Cuban cigar!

These days there will be none of that! With two kids and a baby on the way - I can't imagine smoking cigars and relaxing is in our near future!

On a side note. We went for a nice date night last week and had a great time. It's bizarre not to have to apologize to a waitress and enjoy a meal.

What a concept?

Almost 17 weeks....

Wow...this is going fast. I just worked some on the registry and realized we need tons of stuff!?!

We got rid of all of our baby gear last time thinking that we weren't going to have any more babies. Damn.

Now we have to buy new stroller, carseat, and some more goodies.

Testing, testing, 1-2-3

Our home theatre is a piece of junk. We got it a few years ago and it had good ratings when it first came out. However, over time the ratings went downhill. When you put a DVD in half of the time the volume goes out completely.

I've looked into a new home theater system and I think the best route is going to be to purchase something online. Not only can you get a great deal but it's so easy to have it delivered right to the house instead of dealing with a retail store!

Must work more.

So we're at a stopping point with the kitchen. We have to wait til next week until the countertop people come. Then we wait for 4 weeks until the granite comes in!

Then I think we're at a standstill until we can afford the hardwood floors. Shawna had it out with the local guys and rightfully so. They kept coming back and asking for more money every few weeks.

All in all, I think they probably had the best price and would have done a good job.

He's growing up!?

So my brother is getting older. I totally remember a time when he used to wear hip hop clothing and tennis shoes every where he went. These days he actually wears suits and nice clothes to work.

The last time he came to visit he worse some expensive flip flops and looked like an adult.

That's just weird...

Dinner...

We're out of options. OUr kitchen is still in bad shape. We have countertops and at cabinets. I'm going to try to set up the sink so that we can wash dishes and at least we can do minimal stuff.

We might actually put the stuff in the cabinets too.

So much to do...so little time.

The time has come...

Shawna has been wearing the same sandals for years! I think it's time for her to start looking at womens sandals. I've tried Keens and really like them but I don't like that it takes long for them to dry after they get wet.

I've also had Tevas in the past and they do great with water. Plus they offer pretty good arch supports.

Maybe I'll just wait til the fall and get them on super clearance!

Is it Friday yet?

We have a pretty booked weekend. Birthday party Friday night, Saturday morning, and then Sunday we're headed to Philly. We have yet to pack or even clean the house, or write the list for the boys who will be wtaching the girls.

So much to do....

I need an assistant.

Maybe it will work again?

I went out the other day and purchased some new cables for the home theatre system. At first we thought it was the crappy home theatre system we had. Then I looked in the back and saw the expensive Monster cable we purchased was bare.

So after purchasing a new cable I hope that the sound actually works better. Of course, I've also been eyeing 5.1 speakers! Right now we have the ones that have came with the home theatre and they do the job.

Our kitchen...

OR LACK THERE OF!

Each week I figure that I'll check in and post a weekly update!

So we have no kitchen. The guys tore the soffits out, patched up the holes, and the cabinets are sitting in the garage ready to put in! Margot worked hard painting the ceiling and she only has one more coat left!

Hopefully, by next week we'll be picking out granite slates and we'll have a counter top in a few weeks from now!

Help is on the way...

We have a friend who has a little boy who was affected my a medication drug. It seems like the FDA didn't do all of the testing it should have and they put the medication on the market way too fast.

Just this morning...
I was watching television and a commercial came on for Topamax lawsuit. Supposedly, this medication was prescribed to many children and adults and the effects were unknown early. After years of useage they discovered that it had bad side effects that caused many people to become very sick.

One of my friends went to: O’Hanlon, McCollom & Demerath – Personal Injury Lawyers – 808 West Avenue, Austin, TX. 78701 – 512-494-9949


They had great results and really liked the personal care that they received with their case. They were dealing with personal injury from a car accident and were very happy with the results.

After dealing with the insurance companies for months they were getting absolutely nowhever. When they called the office my friend was happy that they took over EVERYTHING. They didn't have to worry about the stack of bills or contact with the insurance and their threatening attorneys.

Charged

My kids go through so many batteries. We have gameboys and leapfrogs. At one point we were good about aa rechargeable batteries. Then for some reason we switched over to regular batteries. It feel so wasteful though because we can go on a long trip and go through 6-10 batteries. Of course I know that those batteries just end up in a dumpyard.

Kitchen!

Let the renovations begin! Yesterday the contractor came and we negotiated the work. I think we ended up getting a good deal and I'm so glad that we were able to get him to put in the cabinets. He's going to do everything with the exception of flooring and painting.

The good thing is that in a few weeks we will have a new kitchen!!

I really can't wait.

10.5 weeks!

Well, we're officially 25% into the pregnancy. We only have 30 more weeks or so to go! I'm excited but we have so much going on. My brother has been visiting and we had a great time. They started demo on the kitchen and it's crazy. For some reason we don't have lights in the back rooms. Hmmm...

Oh yes...

Bring on the baby gifts!

We have nothing. We didn't think we were having more kids so we gave it all away or sold it!

Today we went to the store and looked at carseats and strollers. So many choices. We've narrowed it down to two and I think we might go with the Peg Perego again!

Away!

Tomorrow is going to be a bitch of a day. I'm on the road most of the day for a short meeting. Then it's turning around and coming back home.

Ugh....after being on the road for 6 hours today with two kids...I feel like I need a day off!

Where's my vacation?

Another job?

With another baby on the way I've been thinking about ways to make some extra money. I will more than likely work extra hours. However, I've wondered if maybe another profession would make sense.

Springfield beauty school offers first rate education and allows people to take full advantage of their education.

We have friends that have their own business and they do great for themselves. They have a beautiful house on thelake, make their own hours, and still have a passion for what they do.

RegencyBeauty.com has some great information on how to get started! It really is easier than you might think!

This blog post was based on information provided by Blogitive. For more information, please visit Blogitive.com or contact Regency Beauty Institute – 1415 East Battlefield – Springfield, MO 65804

Bad skin.

So I've always had bad skin. The excema over the years has continued and despite all of the meds that I've been put on...it just doesn't help. I've thought about creatine and actually heard really good things about it.

At this point I'm starting some new meds I figure I'll let them get in my system first and then in the fall I might want to try some new topical creams to get my skin under control!

01/01/2012

That's when our new baby is due to get here. We timed it great with one exception...

I want the tax deduction!

The tricky part is...I have to adopt this baby before the first of the year to get the deduction!

Would it be so bad for me to try and get Shawna to have the baby right at 37 weeks?

Back in the day...

when Shawna was trying to get pregnant with Emmy she was put on weight loss meds. They did a great job and were just what she needed to lose a good amount of weight.

I actually checked out some of the fenphedrine reviews and I was happy to see that they've been tested more and are safter than ever!

I've been working out 4 times a week and despite my best efforts I can't seem to drop weight. Maybe I should try some weight loss meds for a few months to get me started?

Yeah...it worked.

So...looks like we're having a baby.

It worked?

I'm still shocked and I've almost had two full weeks for it to sink in.

Wow..

The deck.

When Shawna's on bedrest in a few weeks I plan on working on the deck. At least digging the holes and getting approved by the city. I figure it will probably take a few weekends to get it finished.

I'm glad we've already taken care o outdoor lighting when the electrician was here last. We have a nice light on the deck side and we also hae a motion sensor light on the deck too.

The front area has a motion sensor light and a nice brushed nickel mission style lamp that goes with the house.

My little piano player!

Graem is taking piano lessons and she's awesome! She's starting to learn songs where each hand plays a different part of the song.

I can't believe how fast she's been able to pick this up. She has lessons every Monday and she actually likes to practice daily!

You should see how excited she gets when the teacher introduces a new section of a song!

Pimples!

I get the worst pimples. They get big but never form. Then I try to get them out and it's just a real mess. Totally disappointing.

The other night we were just talking about our favorite pimple. I like white heads and Shawna likes the explosive ones.

I read about how to get rid of whiteheads and it's really helped!

Now if I could just get rid of my wrinkles I'd be all set!

Hop on Pop!

Again!

Last night I read Emmy "Hop on Pop" and I was sure that she would love it like Graem. She thought it was okay. I told her that we had a video to go along with the book. She seemed interested.

So today I popped in the video.

She has absolutely NO interest and just wants to watch Wonder Pets.

It's so funny how these kids are so different!

Broken phone

So I'm just about done with my iphone. We went to the apple store the other day and they had me update thinking that it would fix the problem. Of course, it didn't.

We live 1 hour from an apple store and there's really no help in sight.

I've even thought about switching over to a blackberry phone. At least when or if it breaks down I can just take it to the local carrier and have it fixed in house instead of driving an hour each way!

The gym.

Well, I finally did it. I joined the gym! I've only been talking about it for 5 years or so now. Sunday I went and actually paid the fee and joined! Now I just have to wake up and go.

This morning I woke up due to my neighbors stupid ass broken car's muffler. I figured since I was up I might as well go to the gym and make something of my time.

Hopefully, I can drop some pounds and tone up a little bit!

If you're hooked...

You might as well look at the electronic cigarette wholesale!

I saw these in the mall a few weeks ago and they're charging a fortune for the electronic cigarettes.

I have a friend who uses these and it really helps with her past tobacco addiction. In fact, she's almost totally replaced her cigarette habit with the electronic cigarettes.

Not only is it saving her money but it's also saving her lungs!

Sickie.

This morning I was on the toilet and Margot was in the shower. All of a sudden Graem runs in and tells us that Emmy just puked. Of course, Margot and I tell each other our situation and I finished pooping and went to rescue Emmy.

Lord have mercy.

Now the girl is on the couch with the pukey bucket next to her watching a days worth of cartoons.

Poor kid.

We're getting older...

I keep wondering when we get older if we'll go back to boats and motorcycles. Being a parent really changes everything and there are things that I did in my early 20's that I wouldn't consider now because I just can't die!

Since everything in Texas is bigger there’s no shock that it can take you 30+ miles to go to work one way. Maybe people decide to go with a motorcycle due to the great weather and effeciency and affordability.

I’ve heard that finding a motorcycle accident attorney Austin can be hard to find and my friend mentioned going through - O’Hanlon, McCollom & Demerath – Personal Injury Lawyers – 808 West Avenue, Austin, TX. 78701 – 512-494-9949.

On the road again...

We've been looking at good vacation ideas. Our friends actually rented an RV for the summer and took their time going down to Florida. They had a great time. WE've thought that it would be incredible to go cross country and make our way to California.

I saw that they are offering some great deals on rv loans. The cost of renting an RV was really high and quite honestly if you have decide you want to do some long trips a few times a year then it just pays to buy your own!

Disney?

It was so nice to see my uncle and aunt over the weekend. We talked about an upcoming vacation to Orlando. They might be able to use their timeshare and get us a nice place. Then we want to do Disney!

The bad thing is I think we'll have to pull Graem out of school for a few days.

What do they really learn in 1st grade, anyway?

A year ago...

we moved into our house. I hooked up our home theatre system and tried to hide the cords.

As I'm writing this post I'm looking at our system and see every single one of the cords. It looks horrible. I've tried to hide them but really can't figure out how to. I need some wire management!!

I figure after I get the kitchen up and running I can worry about all of the little things that are still pending.

This weekend I'm working on finishing the basement panels since my uncle and aunt are coming to stay with us next weekend.

Nothing like family visiting to get me motivated!

Avatar

We're almost finished with the Avatar cartoon series. It's pretty good. It's been something fun for me and the girls to do. Especially when we're snowed in!

Now I've got to look for a different series that's not overly violent and will keep both kids occupied!

Weekend!

This week has been brutal. SO much work!

Plus...no vacation to look forward to. I feel like it's good to have a vacation or even a couple of days planned. It feels like there's at least some light at the end of the road.

I think I might take off some time when Graem is out of school.

Fatty.

I never want to eat again.

Eating out has killed me these past few days. I've gotten to the point where everything tastes way too sweet and even if I had a good meal I really couldn't appreciate it because all I want is vegetables and salad!

This could be the beginning of a good diet for me!

I looked at some fat burner supplements at the mall the other day and I might give them a try too. Anything to help with my appetite!

cabinet shopping = bust.

We thought we'd go to Philadelphia and come back today with some cabinets picked out for a fraction of the cost that we'd get them at Lowes. Boy were we wrong.

We got to the cabinet place and the guys were really nice. The counter guy was a gay and had no idea what he was talking about. The rest of the guys there were orthodox Jews. Very helpful and friendly. THey were upfront with us and said that their cabinets wouldn't be the best fit for us because our kitchen sucks.

No, they really said that because we have a whole wall of 18" base cabinets that their cabinets really can't be modified and are specific measurements.

Soooooo...we're back to the drawing board. We went back to Lowes and met with the kitchen guy there. Super nice guy. We came up with a design and then he didn't save it so we don't know the figures. WE're hoping that with all of the incentivies that we can be under $5,000. I don't know....

SO FAT.

I managed to gain two pounds while we were in Philly. No matter what I do every time we travel we overeat. Then we eat crappy food at rest stops and fast food restaurants. By the end of the trip noone wants to eat and we're all constipated.

I looked at the best supplements for weight loss and I'm totally thinking about starting up.

I really would love to lose about 15 or 20 pounds and so it's not a huge amount but I feel like if I could get a jump start and a nudge that I would probably be set.

Back to the grind.

So we spent way too much money on vacation. Perhaps it was the $375 dinner at Marimoto. Damn, that was DELICIOUS!!! And worth every penny. Or the $150/night at the hotel. But it all adds up. We also went to the mall and invested a small fortune on clothing for my work and the kids.

Now it's back to the grind to try and pay off some of these credit card bills and we hae to get back to saving for this kitchen renovation!

Enhanced?

So I've always wondered about male enhancement drugs. There's tons of them out there and they all claim to the do the trick.

Are guys really trying these? Do women really care?

And everyone really wants to know - do they work? Do they make everyone feel better at the end of the day?

Comments, please.

The laundry lives.

So we got back from vacation and I swear there's 20 loads of laundry in the basement. Shawna is down to her sweat pants and I don't even think I have bras for tomorrow.

Guess we're not leaving the house tomorrow until we've done some laundry!

Pimps.

Typically when I am about to get my period I get some pretty serious acne. It's my pre-cursor if you will. I get the type of frustrating pimple that never really comes to a head but just lingers under the surface and hurts.

I've thought about trying tretinoin . My friend uses it and has had some good luck. I've also seen tons of commercials and heard good things about some of the all natural products that are out there too.

I guess since my acne is so isolated I should probably just deal with it and stop being a baby!

Home.

Today we got back from Philly and I was sure the second we drove up that we'd see water coming out of the windows or something bad. We walked in and everything was fine. No water, not busted pipes, and a cat that was very happy to see us.

In fact, it was actually warm in here despite the fact that I had set the furnace to a vacation setting.

Almost dead.

I'm talking about our laptop computer. It's one the way out. When Emmy was little she broke the screen. We ordered a replacement from Ebay but each day it seems to get a little bit lighter. At some point you aren't even going to be able to see it!

I've been looking at discount laptop computers and at this point I don't know if I want to go that route or hold out for an iPad. They're so skinny and light. Plus, Shawna has a laptop for work and so if we ever need a bigger/better computer, we can always bring her laptop with us.

A few days off...

Next week we're heading to Philadelphia. We're going to eat at Marimoto's restaurant and I'm so excited. I've already thought about what I'm getting and I just hope that the kids can stay entertained enough for me to enjoy the meal!

We figure that we will pack a bag of goodies to keep them busy.

Were you wronged?

It's always good to know a good attorney. We're very fortunate that our best friend, L, is an attorney and has taken care of our adoption and legal work.

However, I have a friend who in Texas that was shopping for a Texas wrongful death attorney and there were thousands to choose from!

What it all came down to for her is that she wanted someone who had a reputation for specializing in wrongful death. She did her homework and interviewed attorneys before she made her decision.

In the end, although, she was unable to have her father alive... at least she had peace about the situation and knew that financially she would be taken care of.

Twenty years later my friend has completed college, lives in a beautiful house, and has a successful job.