Back to the grind?

Right now I'm trying to figure out what my job situation will be like in the fall.   My old boss has been writing me and asking me back to my job.   He's such a great person to work with and he's since been promoted to a regional director.  

Now, I'm in the middle of negotiations and trying to get more money.   Ideally, I would only be able to work M,W,F 8:30am-1:45pm.    That's only 15 hours a week.   Then I could do the computer work sometime in the afternoon.    That would probably bring me right around 20-25 hours per week.  

Spring break...

starts this afternoon when the kids get off the bus.   DAMN!?!

I wish I had something figured out...

It's snowing outside.

Tomorrow K and the boys are coming over along with E and the girls.    I think it will be fun for the kids to play and the mamas to hang out and enjoy.  

Of course, wouldn't you know it...today is the day that the cleaning lady comes.  

Easier and easier...

When I was in college I remember going to the gas station to buy cigarettes.   The good ones were $1.99 per pack.    It's bizarre to think that was 18 years ago AND they have since gone up 5 times that amount!

I have friends who go through  famous smoke free shipping.   Not only do they get a good deal on smokey treats - but you can't beat free shipping!

Luggage

I have had such a hard time trying to find Graem a good piece of luggage.   She had a great report card and I told her for every 4 she got that I would give her $2.   Let's just say I'm going to go broke doing that.   Especially, when Emmy starts getting grades next year!!

I thought I'd find something good at TJ Maxx but really wasn't impressed with the selection.   This morning I'm going to try Kohls and hopefully, they will have something good!

Yikes.

This morning I went to put some of Emmy's socks away and realized that her whole dresser was falling apart.    Looks like we are in the market for a good set of drawers for her!     We hadn't planned on buying a full outfit for the kids until they were older but it looks like the time has come.

UGH!

Furniture

We are still trying to figure out how the kids are all going to fit in our house!   We have bunk beds in the girls room and eventually when the kids get older we will spread them out into their own rooms and separate the beds.

I've heard that kids furniture nyc has some awesome furniture that are not only great looking but also functional.   

SO EXHAUSTED

Last night was such a bad night.    I'm exhausted.   Keane was up constantly.   Margot was snoring.  

I need 4 hours of sleep.

Hosed.

We just got our tax bill.   Ugh.  Shockingly, they are similar to what we paid last year.   They didn't add the addition to the value of the house.   

For what we pay in taxes I'm glad to know that we have amazing schools and services.   The first department and police department are great responding and I really don't have any complaints.

I was glad to see that the fire department looked at many different hydraulic hose manufacturers when accepting bids for the upgraded work they needed done.   

My TV shows...

So I go through phases of shows.   These days I'm watching RHOBH and Vanderpump Rules.   When I go to LA we are going to the restaurant SUR.   I can't wait.   The food is suppose to be pretty decent and the ambience is noteable.  

I'm also excited to go in style!   We have rented a limo for 5 hours and will enjoy dinner and then a nice little drive around Hollywood.

Out of the loop...

It's been months since I've been in the loop when it comes to politics and happenings!   I try to catch up on the internet but I feel like I don't get the full story.   Plus, each time I sit down I only get 2 minutes of reading before a kid starts crying!!

I just read an article about marty hanaka.    It's hard to know the full story because I've only read what's out there.   

Electronic cigarettes?

I was just watching television and one of my shows has a girl using an electronic cigarettes.    What a bizarre concept.   I must look into this.   I see the places in the mall and keep walking.

Do you actually inhale?   Does it contain nicotine?   Does it have a battery?

Another Monday...

And the kids are home?!    Martin Luther King Day.  

We slept in a bit and then I made the kids clean up the house a bit, I cooked dinner, and then we went for lunch at the mall.   I can't believe that the four of us almost finished off a large pizza!  PIGS!!

We walked the mall and picked up birthday gifts for the upcoming parties this weekend.    I swear I could go broken from all of these parties.

Ugh...filters.

It seems like everything in our house goes at once!   Right now we are battling the plumbing and trying to figure out why we have a slow drain in our kitchen.   Margot bought a snake the other day and wasn't able to pull anything out but sludge.  

Today I'm going to call the plumber out to see if he can do some piping work to help the waterflow.

I'm glad that we don't have to buy the iqair prefilter this month!   However, we do need to replace our fridge filter.   

Miss 8 year old.

I can't believe I have an eight year old!   How crazy is that.   This kid is HUGE.   She's in the 95th percentile for weight and height.  This kid is THICK!!  

She's becoming a bit more independent and has gotten to the stage where she doesn't talk back when asked to do something.   She just ignores!   Which in my book is just as bad.

She also appreciates quiet time away from us and her annoying little sister.  

Pool.

My uncle and aunt have a pool in Michigan.   When we were visiting it was so awesome.   The water was warm and the kids loved the diving board and water slide.    I had always thought that there was tons of maintenance involved in owning a pool.   It sounds like my uncle calls out a guy to come out once a month or so to do the chemicals and it stays looking good.

The shocking part was that he spends about $1,000 a month warming the pool!  Maybe he needs to look into getting a new electric pool heater!

Girls trip!

In March I am going to meet up with some of the ladies that I have known for almost 10 years!   We were all on the same internet board when I was trying to get pregnant initially.   Over the years we have all been able to have kids.   I think Graem is the oldest...and I have the youngest with Keane!

I'll be gone for 4 days and already I can tell that I'm going to miss the kids and Margot.   I'm excited for going though and can't imagine being on an airplane where I'm not juggling snacks and getting Sprite all over my lap.  

I will be...

that mother who is constantly involved in their kid's life.    I have no problem with looking over my kid's shoulder when they are playing with the ipad or listening in on the playdate!  

Our neighbor has a 14 year old and we are just starting to see some of the things that go on in the "life of a teenager."   There have already been incidents with marijuana usage and sneaking out of the house!  

I hope that I always have honest children.   However, if I ever doubt what's going on I'm all about best opiates drug test in order to make sure that my kid is not using drugs!

I might be hooked on...

total trash television.

These days I've become a bit obsessed with "Secretly Pregnant" and "Prison Wives."   Keane has been taking pretty good naps and what better time than for me to watch my trash television and catch up on some blogging!

Of course, I have to pause my television when I write or I end up writing what the television is telling me!

Pop a wheelie.

We have reached an all time low at our house.   You know those tacky laptop computer carts that you have seen in office spaces?

Yeah, well we have one in our living room!    Truth be told, it's been great.   We can tilt the laptop in an ergonomic position and you can set it up right over the couch so that you can watch trashy television and use the computer at the same time!

One.

So my little man is one year old.   I can't believe how quickly it has all gone by.   I remember being pregnant and now that seems like years away!  

Keane's sleep is so inconsistent these days.   SOmetimes he sleeps great and through the night.   Other times he wakes up every hour on the hour.    This weekend was brutal.

Why couldn't kid #3 have been a good sleeper?

Homeland

We are hooked!

We got caught up watching the whole season one - on demand.   Now we are working on season 2 as they show on television.

Of course, this past week I have been fighting with time warner cable because they are asswipes and I'm tired of being charged a higher and higher amount each month.

At some point I might just get so mad that I tell them to shove their service up their ass and be done with television all together!

The bellyaching

Graem has been complaining about her belly.   We've gone back and forth with the doctors and she was even tested for allergies.   All negative.

Good but bad.

One night we finally got her to tell us what was going on.   She's having issues socially getting along with friends.   Certain friends are telling her that she can't play with others and she's such a sweet girl that she feels torn.

So, we figured the best thing we can do is take her to a counselor to talk it all out.

BTDT

One thing on my bucket list was to smoke a Cuban cigar.  

When we went to London 8 years ago I was able to check it off my list!   Of course, I didn't smoke the whole thing...but I made a dent on it!

I'm also glad I did it prior to kids.   It'd be a touch thing to explain to my kids why I smoked when I'm constantly telling them no to!

Holiday shopping...

Gotta love the holidays and then 2 kids birthdays 1 and 3 days after.   Couldn't we have planned this better??  

I've done some good shopping and have my eyes open for good deals.   I'm waiting for Black Friday and I hope that I can get a good deal on a Kindle Fire for Graem and a Gameboy for Emmy!

Recycling!

Every other Tuesday I have to do recycling.   In fact, it takes me half of the night to load up all of our trash and recycling and put it to the curb!   Yesterday, I had to deal with a corrugated box that wouldn't break down!  

The good thing is that it protected the home theatre system we bought and made sure that it didn't have any damage!

Homeland...

Good stuff!

We are totally caught up and watching this week's episode.   Agent Brody is in some deep deep shit!

A few weeks ago we watched a marathon and could barely keep our eyes open the next day!

Tis the season...

Just the other day I went to get all of the old baby toys out of the playroom.   Not one of them worked!   The batteries were all dead.

I looked in our battery cabinet and of course, we only have one of each battery.  

When you buy toys you typically forget to buy the handful of batteries that are needed for each one!  

I think we might look into the investment of sanyo rechargeable batteries.   I'm not only tired of buying new batteries but I'm also tired of throwing them in the trash to fill up the landfills!

Christmas?

I have started working on the kid's Christmas lists.    I have purchased a single car for the boy.

It's interesting that since the kids don't watch much live television they really haven't seen the commercials that have all of the awful toys (that tend to break within the first week of play!)

Graem is really into the Schleich horses, fairies, unicorns, and dragons.

Emmy is into dress up and she really likes doctor dress up!  

Keane would be happy with whatever but I think he'd really like having a few cars and some blocks when he gets older!

Housewives

So, I"m sad to see that The Real Housewives of New York has come to an end!   Always a great show.

This year I have decided that LuAnn is really not my favorite character.  She got caught in way too many lies.   Good thing she's still sexy.

I really like Sonja!   She's crazy and fun.   But I think that she's also sensitive.  

With all of the housewives there's a huge sense of entitlement that makes the show humorous.  

Drama mama

Can I just say...I love online drama shows !

I've been watching online shows for some time now.   In fact, if there's anything I need to know I go directly to the computer and bring up a instructional video!

I remember bringing Keane home from the hospital and looking up "perfect latch".   It was important for me to visually see how a newborn latched on to know that I was doing it right!

Before that I used the internet to do things around the house like tiling the bathroom!   I've also used it to figure out how to change the belt in the dryer.  

It's amazing to think of  a time when we didn't have the internet.   I can honestly say that I would have spent much more money hiring service people and carpenters to do things that I can now just look up and find a DIY video!!

Now there is a culture of viewers that are finding some great viewing options right on their computer!   I have friends who have cut off their cable completely and watch all of their network and non-network shows on the computer.    The great thing is there are services that offer non-published drama, DIY, and other shows that might not have made it big yet but have renowned actors and producers.  

It's a great grassroots effort to see happening!   Now you don't have to spend millions to the networks to get good entertainment out there.  

We have talked about cutting off our cable and at this point there are just a few shows that we can't find online.   Unfortunate, for me...those are my favorite shows!    I think there will be a time when we can have it all without having to spend a fortune for good entertainment.  

Until then, I'll get the best of both worlds - my television and great internet shows!

Exhausted!!

Last night I went to bed at 9pm.   I just can't seem to get untired.   I'm exhausted all of the time.   I know it's probably due to the sleep deprivation that has happened over the past 10 months.   It's also starting to get darker  sooner.  

I'm just starting to get some much needed appointments scheduled.   I went to the dentist the other day.    I have to get 3 fillings.   2 are redos and one is a new one.   I also have a horrible habit of griding my teeth.   So they are going to make a new appliance for me so that I don't have total nubs.  

I've been meaning to make my OB appointment for 6 months now and just can't get my act together.   I know that if I go that Margot will have to take off and it just becomes too much of a production.  

A day of TV and sleep.

Keane is playing catch up on his sleep.   That means that I get to play catch up on all of my trashy television!

Forget the housework and laundry - Honey BOo Boo is on!!!

Our almost 9 month old!!

Keane turns 9 months in a few more weeks.   It has gone by SO FAST.    I wish it would slow down.

He's such a great kiddo.   He's smiley and a pretty even tempered kid.

I just wish he could get the sleeping thing down and realize that sleep is a good thing!

No sleep training for us!

WE just can't do it.   Last night we tried.   We have the bed set up, Shawna purchased a $30 bumper, and $100 crib set.  

It's brand spankin' new.  

The boy hates it.

Guess he's going to be in our bed til he's 18.

Florida!

We had actually reserved a time share in Daytona Beach this week but it looks like we won't be going since we're going to CANCUN, Baby!!! We figured by the time we got our airfare and everything in order that we'd probably end up spending just as much to go to an all-inclusive in Mexico. I have a friend who has used tampa limo and was able to go on some great tours around the area though. So next year if we end up going back to Florida....I'm going to do that!

TGIF

This has been one hell of a week. Graem has been sick with the stomach bug and we have been to the local ER via ambulance AND the local convienient care. UGH. I hope that we never have to deal with that again. She's doing better now. We are all on Vitamin C and probiotics before getting our stomachs out of whack in Mexico!

Long time, no post.

I must say that having three kids is kicking my ass! I'm exhausted!! All of the time. Any extra time I do have is either doing laundry, taking a shower, or watching a little television. In just a few short days we will be leaving to go to Cancun, Mexico! I really can't wait. So excited.

Lost.

Before Emmy was born Shawna lost tons of weight. The doctor had prescribed her Xenical and Phentarmine. They worked perfect. Probably the reason why she was able to get pregnant with Emmy. I just found out that they offer the same medication at http://www.shoppharmacycounter.com/t-phentermine.aspx I've thought about getting on something too to help with the weight loss. I remember when I was younger hearing older people say how it's hard to lose weight when you are older. Now I believe them!

School's out for the summer!

Today is Graem's last day of school. Shawna has a few weeks of camp planned but for the most part they are hanging out for the summer and the kids are going to mama daycare! Once again Emmy is sick. She keeps getting the daycare sickness everytime she goes! It's frustrating because I feel like she's not at daycare more than she is. We are still on the wait list at ICSD and I really hope she gets in. We've waited long enough and I feel like we need to give her daycare a good notice if she won't be attending in the fall.

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!