Christmas Past...

Hi everyone. I haven't posted in a few days obviously because of Christmas. I have a million pictures of Max's first Christmas but I just haven't had time to download them as of yet. BUT I am hoping to get them done tonight. Yesterday was a blur of trying to get things unpacked and put away and I am still not done. First I have to run to the store and pick up a few things and then it's back to unpacking....

I hope everyone had a great Christmas and I will try and get some of our pictures up as soon as I can!

You Can Call Me Martha...

As many of you know we recently started Max on some solid foods. Of course the basic rice and oatmeal cereal, which he does wonderful with and just this past week or so we started on some squash. I bought a couple of little packets of Gerber food because I wanted to see how he would do with it first before I broke the bank on food.

Then one of the Mom's from The Little Yellow Duck Club (that is the Mom's Group I go to) suggested that I make my own. I was of course immediately intimidated by this because I am not the worlds greatest cook. Learning but nowhere near great. But she tells me that it's super easy and there is this great website called WholesomeBabyFood.com and it tells you exactly how to make food, what to mix together, what babies can and cannot have in each stage. In the back of my mind I was like yeah it sounds great and easy but really me...I just don't know. But curiosity got the better of me and I took a look at the site. It was fantastic!

It had all kinds of information, different products, suggestions for food, etc. Soooo.....I went to the grocery store yesterday grabbed a couple butternut squash and headed home to whip up some homemade baby food. First I put a call into my cooking guru a.k.a my Mom. One because she knows how to make everything and two because I don't know how to make anything, especially squash. Which I happen to like but have never made....go figure! After getting a few key points on how to bake and or steam the squash I am actually excited to try this homemade thing.

I decided that I would bake this first batch just because it seemed a little less daunting than trying to steam it. I set the oven for 375', cut up the squash, tossed them in the oven for about 35-40 minutes an wallah they were ready to puree. And boy did my house smell yummy! Karl came home and asked if that was what we were having for dinner. I told him no - it was for Max...he looked a little disappointed and then realized what it was and said he didn't like squash anyway.

Next I scooped out all the yummy smelling goodness out and dumped it all in my handy-dandy blender and pureed away. Added a touch of water just to get the right texture and wallah I had a bowl full of homemade, ready to eat, no preservatives, full of nutrients, good food for Max. I divided it up into some little freezer bags that I have and tossed it in the freezer. Now for those of you out there that don't know about baby food let me give you the rundown. Gerber sells baby food in packets of 2 2.5 oz containers. They typically run anywhere from .89 to about .95 depending on where you shop. Max can eat 1 container in one day. Some for lunch and the rest for dinner....soooo that is 5 for the week, equalling 12.5 ozs and costing anywhere from $4.50 to $5.00 again depending on where you go. I spent $2.74 on 2 squash and made 15 ozs. Hmmm what should I do....spend more money on food that might not be great or spend less money and know exactly what he is eating. A no brainer! GO ME!

Will The Real St. Nick Please Stand Up...

Here is the answer to my Christmas Trivia question....

"It is believed that the real St. Nicholas was born sometime around 280 A.D. in Patara, near Myra in modern-day Turkey. According to legend, his extraordinary kindness led him to give away all of his inherited wealth as he traveled the countryside helping the sick and poverty-stricken. Admiration for his philanthropy eventually grew into the legend of Santa Claus."

After I posted this I did a search of Santa Clause and so many different things came up about where the Legend originated from...I found this little bit of info:

"Countless legends (no documents exist) are told about this Patron Saint of Giving known as St. Nicholas. Within both Western and Eastern Christian Churches similar mythology, or tradition, exists. According to these legends, St. Nicholas was born in the city of Patara, and traveled to Palestine and Egypt when he was young. He was later imprisoned during persecutions of the Emperor Diocletian, but was fortunately released by the more humanitarian Emperor Constantine. He attended the first council of Nicaea in 325."

So who knows what the real answer is but it's fun learning isn't it!!

Christmas Trivia...

I found this really cute website that has all kinds of Christmas Trivia and thought it would be fun to have posted for the last few days before Christmas...so get your thinking caps out and see what you know about the biggest Holiday of the year!

I will try and make sure that I post the answer the next day! Have fun!!

Yum, Yum...

HOTY hasn't been feeling well these last couple of days so being the dutiful wife that I am I decided to make him some homemade soup. Amazing isn't it...


I found a really good looking recipe for Potato Soup, which I know that he likes. So yesterday I got all my ingredients out; potatoes, onions, celery, chives, bacon, half & half, and a touch of milk and butter and got to peelin. How I had time to do this I have know idea because Max was having a "No Sleep Strike" but somehow I managed to get it all done and simmering on the stove before HOTY came home.



I happened to be letting Magoo out as he was pulling in and he said that something smelled good, all the way from outside! Go me! At about 4:00 pm Max decided to end his strike and took a nice nap (three hours to be exact!) and we sat down to the table for some Chunky Potato Soup. I have to say that it turned out better than expected. Karl even commented on how much he liked it. We both had a huge helping and decided to freeze the rest for some other cold blustery day....oh wait we don't have those out here...HA HA!

Just Beautiful...

This was sent to me by a good friend of Karl's parents and I just thought it was beautiful. I tried to download it on You Tube but couldn't figure out how to do it so here is the link.

Ecclesiastes 3

A Private Conversation

Here is a video of Max talking to himself after waking up from a nap yesterday. It's a little slow to start but it's really funny at the end!

Take Me Out...I Am Done...

This is what I would like to be doing right now....


But this is what I feel like right now...

Do you all remember about a week ago I wrote how well Max slept and for once I slept. I think that I was hallucinating. I am starting to believe that never ever happened.

For the last three nights Max has been unbearable at bed time. He is not really taking naps, with the exception of one in the morning, and by the time we are ready to put him down you can just see it in his face how tired he is. BUT that doesn't stop the Energizer Baby. He will fall asleep almost instantly when you give him the bottle and then as soon as you put him down in the crib he will stay asleep just long enough for you to get back into bed, get all comfy cozy and drift off to sleep and then...

WHAM! He is up. This was his schedule last night:

9 pm to 12 am. Sleep.
12 am to 3 am. Wake up every 1/2 hour - babble, coo, grunt, cry, cry, cry. Get Mom & Dad up pronto.
3 am. MMMM Bottle.
3:30 am to 5 am. Sleep.
5 am to now. Chill out and nap in the swing. Because Mom & Dad are on the brink of insanity after three days of this schedule give or take a few minutes of change here and there.

So here I sit gulping down some liquid gold (a.k.a coffee) trying to get my brain working while he is taking a little cat nap. I really hope to God that something breaks soon, preferably not the little bit of mind I have left but maybe some teeth or something. Maybe all 4 of his bottom ones are coming in at the same time. THAT would be great. Get it all done and over with and we can all go back to sleep.

Now that is something a girl can dream about!

Max eating Squash

Here is a short video of Max eating his squash. His face truly says it all. But he did eat just about all of it...what a good boy!

Laughing Out Loud...Hard...

I am sitting here putzing around on the computer waiting for a new video of Max to upload and I decided to check out Cookie Bitch, a blog that I found through Katrina's site.

For any cat lovers out here you have to read her latest posting. Be warned it's long and she has quite a colorful vocabulary (a.ka. swearing). But it's worth the read, I would suggest checking out her blog!! Enjoy!

Squash Anyone...

Tonight we expanded Max's culinary tastes. He had squash for the very 1st time tonight.

Here is he is beforehand looking all cute and having no clue what is coming his way...

And here he is after the 1st bite...

And last but not least the finale...

All in all Max did pretty good with his first vegetable. He ate about a tablespoon which I thought was pretty good for a beginner! Can't wait for Sweet Potatoes!!!

Pet Peeves...

Yesterday I finished up my Christmas Shopping and came to a conclusion. People are ignorant. I also decided that next year I want to buy everything online. I can't stand dealing with people in the stores at this time of year.

My first stop was Target. It was a madhouse. For some reason people have no concept of being polite anymore. I must have had about 20 people just walk in front of me, no excuse me or oh I am sorry I didn't see you. No they just walk right out in front of me. I don't know if it is from years of working in retail but I try to always be a polite shopper, I don't hog the aisles, I let people pass by me, etc. Drives me crazy how inconsiderate some people can be. The best thing of all was the cashier was ringing up my items and when she got done and hit total this is what she said..."your total comes to blah, blah, blah - oh and the computer says I am supposed to ask you if you want to open a Target card." Then she proceeds to look at me with this complete blank stare on her face as if I am an alien. Nice.

My second stop was the grocery store. Which I have decided at this point was worse than Target. I don't know what happens when people walk into a grocery store but it's like their brain gets sucked out of them. People are so engrossed in themselves they just have no idea of others around them. One lady walked right in front of me and I had to bite my tongue to not rip her head off then and there. Then she proceeded to stop right in the middle of the aisle and just stood there staring into space. I was really boiling at that point. I tried to send off my most evil stare possible in hopes that she would just burst into flames and disappear - but alas no luck.

When I finally made it to the register I of course got in the wrong aisle. The cashier needed a key because apparently the woman in front of me had a coupon that wouldn't scan for some un-holy reason. Of course I would have to pick the stupid aisle. Once the cashier was finally scanning my order it took forever because he had to bag everything himself. What ever happened to baggers?? That was my first job ever. It was 16 and working at VG's in Brighton. But that my friends is another story.

Back to my bitching. I just can't believe that they wouldn't have extra people working considering everyone and their mother was at the grocery store buying crap for the holidays and walking around like robots. Anyway. Three and half hours later I finally made it home. I will be so glad when the holidays are over and life can go back to normal.

Part Deux of the Rudolph Romance...

I know that you all have been anxiously waiting for the second installment of Karl and I's romance so enjoy. Let's see I left off with groveling...So not long after the grovel remark Karl and I ended up hanging out with mutual friends: Carl, Teresa, Jill, and Renee so we were still seeing each other quite often. Then Karl was promoted to a Manager position and was transferred to Grand Blanc so then we really got to see each other quite often.



I have to digress for one moment to share a bit of info about myself. I had what you could say a colorful childhood, no need to go into details but let's just say the idea of marriage and children was not something I was looking for. At the time I used to just tell myself that it was something that I didn't want but really deep down inside it was just something I was deathly afraid of. Ok back to the story



Karl and I actually started to become friends, he would stop by my office and we would chat, maybe go out and have lunch together, just really got to know each other. It was nice. It's funny because I remember telling my friend Jill one day that I just didn't feel like our "story" was over, that there was something going on between us but we just weren't really ready for it. Throughout this time Karl and I had some pretty good talks and about some pretty serious topics. Family, marriage, kids, etc. I also didn't hesitate to let him know my views on the subjects either. I have never been the type of person to keep my mouth shut - I am what you might call opinionated. We also had been talking on the phone quite often and we had pretty much told each other that we really liked each other. Karl wasn't shy of expressing his opinions either. He told me one day that he wanted a family, marriage, the whole kit-n-caboodle. When I didn't feel the same way he said that there was no way he was going to start a relationship with me. He didn't want to get serious and then 2 years later me break his heart by denying him what he wanted. We just decided to be friends.



By this time winter was calling and one night after work Jill, Karl, and myself met up for happy hour at a local restaurant/bar right. I think it may have been right before Christmas. We just hung out, ate some food, and had a few beers. Well the few beers turned into a few more and the next thing I know we are talking about marriage and kids and all kinds of serious talk. Poor Jill. She was stuck in the middle of the two of us - both of wanting to have a relationship and neither one wanting to budge. Finally she said that the talk was to serious for her and she left. We continued on with our talk. I finally told him that I was just scared to have the whole life that he wanted. He basically told me to get over it. That I didn't have to pass my childhood down to my kids. It was up to me to change things.



We kept going back and forth and at one point he said, "this is stupid, we both like each other, we want to have a relationship, one of us just has to suck it up and take a chance." This may have been the beer talking but deep down inside I know that it was what I wanted, I said "fine....let's date." We spent the rest of the night talking.



Karl left for New York the next day for 2 weeks for the holidays and I spent the holidays with my family but we talked every day. I think that he was had been gone for about 4 -5 days and one night he called me up before he was going to bed and was telling me all about his trip and right before we were getting ready to hang up he told me he loved me. At first I didn't really comprehend it and then I realized what he said and I asked him if he said what I thought he did and he kind of chuckled and said yes and I just about bawled and told him right back. We have been together every since.



This was December of 2002 and I thank God every day for him. The last 5 years have been the best of my life and I truly don't know what I would do without him. He is the most stubborn man I know, he is old fashioned, and would never talk (outside of work) if I didn't make him, he is a workaholic to the core, BUT....


I wouldn't change a single thing about him. I love him for all of his flaws and I love him even more for being just who he is. He is caring, loyal, dedicated, kind, strong, would give you the shirt off his back if you needed it, he is everything that I love. And I am so thankful that he is my husband!!! Happy Birthday Honey! Hope you had a great day yesterday!

No Sleep For The Weary....

I must have jinxed myself. Max must have known that I was sharing the fantastic story of him sleeping and not liked it. Last night was one of the worse nights he has had in a long time. It was the kind of night that one of us was up almost every hour. I am not sure what was going on in his little head but I know that nothing is going on in mine at the moment.

Can you say zombie!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY H.O.T.Y!!!

Today is a glorious day. No it's not because I slept last night, although that did help! Today is a glorious day because it's Karl's birthday. My Karl, my husband, my friend, my confidante, my reason, my sanity, my love, my life - oh and yes Max's amazing Father. Most of you know how Karl and I met but I am sure there are some of you out there that don't know the story so in honor of this glorious day I am going to share it.



Karl and I both worked at the same company ( I won't mention any names for fear of slander but most of you know where I am referring too...). He started in March of 2001 and I started in July. We worked in separate locations at the time. He was the Perennial Supervisor down in Clarkston and I was the HR Supervisor in Grand Blanc. As soon as I started the HR Supervisor from Clarkston kept saying how she needed to introduce me to him because he was this great guy...I was like yeah right. Heard it all before! After a few months of working I happened to be down in Clarkston to help out with one of their Employee of the Month Celebrations and Sharon (The HR Person) was bound and determined to hook us up.



She pointed him out to me and I thought "not bad" - good smile, pretty eyes, tall, don't really prefer blonde's but he cute. I don't go out of my way to talk to him and I don't think he noticed me...I kept my eye on him and after hearing him talk to other people and joke around I decided that I didn't like him, he was cocky to me. And after a few more months of working there I heard from other people that they felt the same way. He was kind of too big for his britches if you know what I mean.


Anyway, a little bit more time passed and my other friend Jill started telling me that we really should try and hook up, because he was this great guy - blah, blah, blah. Well we happened to meet up at a company bowling event and started talking, hanging out, laughing and I realized well he's not so bad. We ended up exchanging numbers by the end of the night and said that we would try to get together soon. Now this was an extremely busy time for us at work. The months of March thru July were crazy. You would work anywhere from 50-70 hours a week, 14 hour days. Insane.


Anyhow I called him up and we set a date to go and grab a bite to eat. We went to Chili's for dinner and then we went to a movie. We disagree on this because I don't remember going to a movie but he swears we did....we end up back at my place and we are just hanging out talking & chatting and he ends up falling asleep (remember the crazy hours). Finally he heads home and we decide that we had a good time and we should do it again.


A few weeks pass and we talk on the phone, see each other at work a few times, and then we end up setting another date up. He takes me to an indoor football game. We ate some junk food, had a few beers, and just chilled. Headed back to his place, watched a movie, and just talked. I knew then that I really liked him. I left that night and we both said that we had a great time and we would get together soon....now this is where the story gets crazy. Karl and I have differing opinions about what's happens here.


At the time Karl was good friends with one of the owner's of the a fore mentioned company we worked at. I did not really care for him. I will refer to him at "C". Anyway "C" was recently married, I had met her a few times and she was nice....one day at work "C" mentions that Wife would like to hang out and go to a movie. I told him I didn't think that would be a great idea because I hadn't been working there long, I was the HR person and I didn't want employees to feel hesitant coming to me about problems because of me being buddies with one of the owners. "C" said that he understood. Apparently not. I found out later that we went home and told Wife that I didn't want to hang out because I didn't like her. WHATEVER! In the mean time I continued on with life and tried to call Karl a few times and it seemed that he fell of the face of the earth. He wouldn't return my calls, I never saw him at work anymore, it was like he didn't exist. For 2 weeks I tried to call him. At that moment I figured that "C" must have said something to him about me and that was why he wasn't calling me back.


In an effort to make this long story a bit shorter I moved on. Started dating some idiot that was younger than me and he ended up being a complete waste of time (Karl called him a time killer). One day I happened to be down in Clarkston for some work thing and ran into Karl. Keep in mind at this point it had been about 6-7 weeks and I had seen/heard hide nor hair of him. He walks up to me with this cocky little smile, stands next to me and says, "I guess I should grovel huh?" I turn to look at him and with the most adoring smile I could come up with I said, "don't bother, I am seeing someone. So he just laughs and walks away.


There is more to this story.....I hear Max stirring so I am going to keep you all in suspense and post Part II later today! Stay Tuned.....

It's About Time...Almost...

Last night Max slept through the night. Almost.

We did our usual routine - cereal, bath, bottle, then bed and he was out. He had a hard day of playing so he was whipped. Usually he will wake up within the 1st hour, lost his Nuk, bad dreams who knows but last night he did not even budge until 1:30 am or so. I went in and did some Nuk Readjusting and he was back to dream land. The next thing I know it's 4:30 am and he is in his room kind of talking/cooing/babbling (sounding an awful lot like his Mother - yes I know SCARY!). I am in shock. I kind of lay there for a few minutes and after a few more he starts to get a little fussy so I go in and feed him. As soon as I give him the bottle he gets about 1/2 through it and starts to fall back to sleep. Finally a half hour later he is done and back to sleep. I think that if I would have just given him his Nuk back he might have just went back to sleep and not needed the bottle.

THEN....he slept until 7:30 am. PURE SHOCK! So Max and I got up did the dishes and played for a few minutes and guess what he is back to sleep. I am amazed. I don't know if he is getting ready to go through a growth spurt, maybe teeth are on the horizon but whatever it is I will take it. Last night I slept, I mean really slept. I didn't wake up a million times in anticipation of him waking up, I didn't have to go to the bathroom, I didn't even hear Trigger meowing his fool head off....and do you know how I know I slept.....I had dreams.

I have always been a person who remembers their dreams, quite vividly I might add. Most of the time they are nightmares, hence the reason I remember them. Ask Karl - I have woken him up many a night crying/screaming/ moaning/etc. So the fact that I remember having dreams means I slept. I also had a sore ear this morning from laying on one side for so long. That is usually a pain to me but this morning I welcomed that pain because I slept!!!! Oh have I mentioned that I slept!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

At this particular moment I am sitting in my PJ's, slippers, enjoying my 1st cup of coffee. And I have to say.....

How sweet it is!

A Funny Blog Page...

I was dinking around this morning checking out Mel's, Val's, and Katrina's blogs to see if there were any new stuff on the blogging front and I happened to check out one of the links that was on Katrina's.

I think it was called "Dooce" which was very interesting. Her very first posting had me hooked. It was all about her anxiety and the post partum depression she had after the birth of her daughter. If you get a chance I highly recommend reading it.

But anyway I found a link on her page called "Cookie Bitch" and I was literally laughing out loud. The posting that I read was about her going thru the not so fast drive thru and having to pee at the same time. It was soooo funny. I also highly recommend checking hers out. I might even have to add her link to my page just because it was that funny.

Other than that I don't have a lot of exciting news to share. Max is sleeping right now, taking his mid-morning nap so I decided to hope on the computer and just write something. I have come to realize that 80% of my blog is all about Max. I should change it to "Max's World" or something like that. Anyway off to laundry!

O' Christmas Tree O' Christmas Tree...

Here is a little picture of our little Christmas Tree. We tried to take it in the dark with the lights on...you can kind of get the picture but it a little fuzzy.

We also took a picture of the cool stocking that Mom-Mom made for Max...

And here is a full shot of our mantle. I love putting up Christmas decorations. I realized that those are the only decorations I have. I don't really have much for any other holiday...oh wait I take that back, I have a few Halloween ones but I didn't even put them up there year! Oh well....there will always be next year!

Dance Fever

This was a video my brother in law sent me and I thought it ws hysterical!

This is a wedding I would have loved to attend...wish I knew these people - they seem like a ton of FUN!

A New Favorite Product...

I just recently found a new razor that I love! For you woman out there you know that it's hard to find one that does a good job....

Introducing The Schick Intuition. I realize that this has been out for quite a while but I just acquired one and wasn't really sure if I would like it. I love it. I don't have to mess with separate shaving gel/lotion it's all in one. Talk about time saving! I was able to shower this morning and shave my legs in 10 minutes flat. That is so important when you have a little one!!!! Great product!

Go figure...

Last night Max slept wonderfully. He woke up around 1:30 am and I could hear him just cooing and babbling and then doing his little boy business, so I got up and changed him and he went right back to sleep. Woke up at 4 am, fed him and he went right back to sleep until 7:30 am.

The Nuk rules!

The White Flag...

I have decided that the Nuk wins. I have sat in the house for the last two days, in the same clothes and not even really sure if I have brushed my teeth or eaten anything besides coffee and I don't think that counts ~ I don't quite honestly think I could do one more day. I know they (who are these "they" people anyhow?) that they usually can break a habit in about 3 days but my fragile mind cannot take anymore.

Max cried so much today he is hoarse. Both Karl and I have agreed that he got both of our stubbornness traits, which means he is doubly stubborn (is that a word?) and too tough for me to fight with. My heart has been breaking for the last two days and I refuse to see him cry so hard he can't breathe. I just can't do it. So I am not going to. If I have to get up 50 times a night I would so rather do that then see him that way. I lost a little piece of my soul seeing him just outright hurt.

Many thanks to Val (The Nuthouse) for the kind e-mail, it truly made me feel better! Now I am going to hug my son and go to bed!

I Caved...

I am weak.

I was so strong all day yesterday. I didn't once even think about giving him his Nuk because I so want him to be able to sleep without it. But last night was rough. He only took a few short cat naps throughout the the day so by the time he was actually ready to be put down for the night he was exhausted, and so was I.

We fed him at 8:30 pm, cereal and then his bottle. He actually feel asleep quite quickly and then as soon as I moved and put him in his crib the waterworks began. Karl and I took turns for about an hour and I just couldn't take any more. Mentally I was so tired from the crying from the daytime I was spent.

So we gave him the Nuk. Instant sleep. The bonus is that he was so tired he slept soundly from 10 pm until 3:30 am. Which means I also slept.

Today starts day two of "The Battle of the Nuk". Pray for me!

The Battle Has Begun...

When I was pregnant I had decided that I didn't want to give Max a pacifier. Mainly because I didn't want to try and break him of it later. But Mom-Mom found a great article that said having a pacifier helped eliminate SIDS. So I started thinking that maybe I would give it a try.

When Max was born and had the jaundice they would give him a pacifier with sugar/water on it when they had to get blood, to try and keep them calm. When we got home we found that he liked the pacifier but he wasn't always great at keeping it in his mouth all on his own, many times you would have to hold it there for him. At first I just thought this was because he was so little ~ he still does it. It's better but often I have to hold it for him.

Karl and I decided last night that the Nuk (that is what we call it) has to go. Max slept great from 9 pm until about 1:30 am/2 am and then after that he kept spitting it out and waking up. For the next hour Karl and I must have got up 3 or 4 times to give it back to him. I really don't believe in the "crying it out" theory. The theory is that you put them in their crib when they are drowsy not asleep and then just walk away. They supposedly will just figure out how to fall asleep and usually it entails them crying themselves to sleep. I feel so horrible when he does it, and there are so many articles that I have read lately that say it can lead to feelings of abandonment, giving them a feeling that they are not important, etc. So I have decided that I don't want to do that.

Anyway when I got up this morning I did not clip his Nuk on him like I usually do. We got up had some cereal, bottle, and then played for a bit. About 9:45 am I could see that he was starting to get a little sleepy ~ rubbing his eyes, yawning, the whole bit. So I scooped him up and headed into his room and started to rock. At first he was good, looking up at me smiling and cooing and then after about 10 minutes of that he really started to get sleepy and "The Battle" began. I won't go into all the gory details but lets just say I started to get him to sleep at 10 am and at 10:35/10:40 am he was asleep. I know I said that I don't believe in the crying it out but I guess it's kind of different when I am holding him while he is crying. I feel like I am still there letting him know I am trying to help and I won't leave him when he is angry/frustrated/etc.

Needless to say he is at this moment looking like an angel in his swing. I was to afraid to try and put him in his crib, thought he might wake up. I am only human, one step at a time!!

What a weekend...

We had quite a crazy, busy weekend. I am exhausted!

Friday I had a doctor's appt. and Mom-Mom came down to watch Max. Originally we were going to go to a movie but we were both so tired that we decided to just stay home and relax. Mom-Mom watched Max out in the camper so we could sleep baby-less (Thank you Mom-Mom!).

Saturday Karl and I got up early and after so much needed coffee we headed to Home Depot to get some insulation for our attic. I am not really sure how old this house is or when it was built but if I had to guess I would say about the last 50's, maybe early 60's and I don't think any insulation has been put up in the attic since it was built. The stuff that was up there was so compressed after years of neglect that it was only like a 1/2 inch thick and basically doing nothing for our heating cost. Which by the way is outrageous.

We moved out here last March and for March and April we had an $800 heating bill. Because the house is heated by oil we pay an arm, leg, and foot. So when the cold weather started to arrive this winter we decided that we were going to try and eliminate some of our money going up in smoke. We put plastic up on the windows and Karl asked Boss Man if we could insulate the house- his expense but our labor. Because Boss Man is the best he said yes and he also said that we could re-finish the floors! That will be an upcoming project.

So Saturday we came home with the machine and 50 bags of insulation. The machine goes on the outside of the house and a 100' hose is fed up to the attic. I was outside in the freezing cold feeding 50 bags to the machine and Karl was in the Sweltering attic blowing it all in. I can honestly say it was not my most fun thing to do but it's done and it only took us about 3 hours total. Which could have been much worse.

Afterwards we both took much needed showers and decided to head into town and see a movie. The last movie that we saw was Harry Potter and that was right before Max was born. We decided on Beowulf. I was actually pretty excited to see this, thinking that it might be as good as Lord of the Rings or other related fantasy movies. I was highly disappointed.

Now the effects were amazing but the plot was very poor. It started out really good and then about 1/2 way through it was just like the writer didn't know what else to write about and just threw some crap together. It was soooo not worth paying $9 for. I would recommend it to anyone.

This morning we got up and took the insulation machine back to Home Depot, said a huuuuggggeee thank you again to Mom-Mom for helping out with Max and now we are just relaxing for the rest of the night. All in all it was a very productive weekend.

A Little Holiday Cheer....

Hey, I just made a total elf of myself, as well as Karl and Max. Check it out by clicking the link below. I found this courtesy of Katrina's blog....

http://www.elfyourself.com/?id=1194797047
This elfin' greeting brought to you by OfficeMax®.

It takes just a minute or so to load so just be patient....it is so worth it!

My Dream Bag...

I am obsessed with purses. Ask Karl....I have many and always want more. But I guess that kind of goes for all things I can shop for. Shoes, clothes, make-up, etc. BUT I have a new obsession....and of course it has to be a very expensive one ~ one that I could never afford unless somehow I happened to win the lotto (even though I never play the lotto!!).

For some time I have been wanting to combine my purse with Max's diaper bag. But I want something stylish....something that looks cute...something that doesn't resemble a book bag. The problem is many of these combined bags are way out of my range, but a girl can dream right....here are a few of my favorites as of this moment......

I realize that they complete opposites of each other and if I had to choose one right at this very second I would choose the top one, which is Coach, the other one is by Vera Bradley. I really do have a problem. :)

It's Official....

I am 100% a Mom. I had my very 1st play date at another Mom's house. :)

We had a great time. There were a few other Mom's that came over with their kids and we just sat around, had a little lunch, chatted, and laughed alot. It was sooooo nice! Very good for my soul. I miss my girls from Michigan so much, just having a girlfriend to hang out with is priceless so this was a really good day for me!

Max's first snow fall....

We got our first hint of winter today. It snowed! We are supposed to get about 2 inches, which for me feels pretty normal because of living in Michigan my whole life. I heard today that from one of the girls in my Mom's Club that they are not real good about plowing out here. I told her that they aren't in Michigan either!! lol!

Anyway being the new Mom I had to get pics of Max outside....and of course Miss Magoo had to join in the fun!

Crazy Miss Magoo

This is what Karl has to deal with every night when he gets home from work. It's bad enough he has to deal with one crazy woman (that would be me), but he also has to deal with one crazy dog!

Changes...

As you can all see I have changed my blog template again. I have to say that I get bored with the same background all the time.

In order to spice up my life - yes I realize this is a pitiful attempt at it - I am going to choose a new template each month. But of course if I get bored before that month is up I do have the prerogative to change it sooner!

Yes, this is my life.....THE BLOG PAGE!!

A little bit messy....

We were feeding Max the other night and he became obsessed with his bib....every time I would try and get the spoon in his mouth he would put his head down....Thank God for baby wipes!

Keep your eyes peeled soon for a hilarious new video of Magoo....she is one crazy dog!

Guilty...

Guilty...that is me.

When you become a new parent you are constantly reading and trying to absorb all the information you can so you can become a great parent. One of the biggest things that I have read is that you should always put your baby to sleep drowsy, not asleep, so that they can figure out how to fall asleep in their own....it's supposed to create good sleep habits as they get older.

This is where I am guilty. Max is a snuggler. I love to cuddle with him when he is getting sleepy, he nuzzles his head into my arm, brings his little legs up to my stomach and just looks so darn cute. I love when he's is asleep in my arms and makes all kinds of little noises, or when he really falls into sleep and does this really adorable sigh. How can I possibly put him down when he is 100% angel at that very moment. I know all too soon that these moments will be far and few between so I guess I am just going to have to continue to be guilty!

The East Coast Tour

Here is a little video of our home....I told everyone when I came home that I was going to take a video and show them that we live in BFE....

I apologize for sounding like a complete dork, and apologize for looking like an even bigger dork at the end! But oh well...that is what happens when you get no sleep and you have to take a lightening fast shower and don't have time to blow dry your hair straight!

Something to think about...

This was sent to me by e-mail from a friend and I really though with the holidays upon us that it would be nice to share. It's quite lengthy but I think worth the read!

A Message by George Carlin:

"The paradox of our time in history is that we have taller buildings but shorter tempers, wider Freeways , but narrower viewpoints. We spend more, but have less, we buy more, but enjoy less. We have bigger houses and smaller families, more conveniences, but less time. We have more degrees but less sense, more knowledge, but less judgment, more experts, yet more problems, more medicine, but less wellness. We drink too much, smoke too much, spend too recklessly, laugh too little, drive too fast, get too angry, stay up too late, get up too tired, read too little, watch TV too much, and pray too seldom.

We have multiplied our possessions, but reduced our values. We talk too much, love too seldom, and hate too often.We've learned how to make a living, but not a life. We've added years to life not life to years. We've been all the way to the moon and back, but have trouble crossing the street to meet a new neighbor. We conquered outer space but not inner space. We've done larger things, but not better things. We've cleaned up the air, but polluted the soul. We've conquered the atom, but not our prejudice. We write more, but learn less. We plan more, but accomplish less. We've learned to rush, but not to wait.

We build more computers to hold more information, to produce more copies than ever, but we communicate less and less. These are the times of fast foods and slow digestion, big men and small character, steep profits and shallow relationships. These are the days of two incomes but more divorce, fancier houses, but broken homes.

These are days of quick trips, disposable diapers, throwaway morality, one night stands, overweight bodies, and pills that do everything from cheer, to quiet, to kill. It is a time when there is much in the showroom window and nothing in the stockroom.

A time when technology can bring this letter to you, and a time when you can choose either to share this insight, or to just hit delete...

Remember; spend some time with your loved ones, because they are not going to be around forever.Remember, say a kind word to someone who looks up to you in awe, because that little person soon will grow up and leave your side.

Remember, to give a warm hug to the one next to you, because that is the only treasure you can give with your heart and it doesn't cost a cent.

Remember, to say, "I love you" to your partner and your loved ones, but most of all mean it. A kiss and an embrace will mend hurt when it comes from deep inside of you.

Remember to hold hands and cherish the moment for someday that person will not be there again.Give time to love, give time to speak!

And give time to share the precious thoughts in your mind.

AND ALWAYS REMEMBER: Life is not measured by the number of breaths we take, but by the moments that take our breath away.If you don't send this to at least 8 people....

Who cares?
George Carlin ,sl"