Rudolph Family Tree

Taking a chance....

2011-01-15T14:36:00.000-05:00

Potty training is not fun. We have been working with Max for over a year and it seems with futile results. I mean we have really done everything. We have given him stickers, treats, little toys, etc. and nothing has worked. We even took him to the store and let him pick out this big dragon and told him that when he went on the potty he would get it. It sat there for months. Finally one day he told me, I don't want it - give it to Nick (my friend's son). I have talked to the pediatrician, his teacher, and of course other moms....everyone said he would do it when he was ready. I keep thinking it's going to be any time now....I am still waiting. So I thought I would try a new tactic, which one of my friends told me she did with her daughter.

A few weeks ago I started telling Max that when his box of diapers was gone we would not have any more and he would have to start using the potty, because I would not be able to get anymore. He looked at me and said no more diapers, and I told him again when the diapers were gone he would have to use the potty. He said OK. This past week we were slowly getting to the end of the box, with about 5 or 6 left. Every morning and after school I would show him how many were left. The other day he said to me, "then I have to use the potty Mommy...." I almost fell over...then I started praying. Praying that it might actually work.

He has no school on Monday so Karl and I figured that it was now or never. Karl hid the last 2 diapers this morning and told Max they were all gone. He has been wearing "big boy" underwear all day. He had 1 accident this morning, but has been dry all day. We even went to the mall. We asked him if needed to use the bathroom and he actually said yes and then when we took him he ACTUALLY WENT!

I hope that I am not jinxing myself by sharing....we shall see. We even decided that we are not going to put any diapers on him either at night. We are going to load up his bed with some towels and make sure we stress to him that if he wakes up and has to go he needs to get up and go. Again we shall see. Wish us the much needed luck we need.

Goodbye 2010....Hello 2011!

2011-01-02T18:04:00.000-05:00

Still can't believe that 2010 is done. This past year absolutely flew by....in just a few short months Max will be 4....not long after that Emma will be 2. Crazy fast.

What a year!

We have had a year of firsts, with an infant & a toddler every day is filled with firsts :)
One of the biggest things that happened this year was that Max started pre-school....it has been an amazing 3 months. I see changes in him every day and am amazed at how smart he is.

Emma is growing like a weed and is also incredibly smart. She is just walking and playing and learning so very fast. I am in so much trouble when that girl starts really talking and not just the baby talk. :)

Karl and I will be celebrating 6 years of matrimony - 6 years that also went by crazy fast. Looking forward to another year with my wonderful husband and my amazing children! May your year also be blessed and filled with love and lots of joy!

Watching over us...

2010-12-04T18:47:00.000-05:00

We have a new pair of eyes watching over the kids. :)

"Based on the tradition Carol Aebersold began with her family in the 1970s, this cleverly rhymed children's book explains that Santa knows who is naughty and/or nice because he sends a scout elf to every home. The elf watches the children's behavior and magically returns to the North Pole to report to Santa each night. By morning, the elf returns to its assigned home and hides in a different location, allowing the children to play a delightful hide-and-seek game."

Max was absolutely riveted when we read him the story and explained what "Elfie" would be doing. We let Max pick the name - and I have to say he is not very original when it comes to naming things. We bought him a pillow pet, the dog, and when we asked what he wanted him to name him and he came up with "puppy". This past summer we went to a birthday party at build a bear, he named his bear "beary". Too funny.

We reminded him a few times while him and Emma were playing about "Elfie" watching and boy was he on his best behavior. Can't wait to see how the next few weeks play out!!!!

Better....

2010-12-03T06:35:00.000-05:00

Just a bit. Finally talked to my doctor and she strongly feels that my "blah-ness" is stemming from my shots of depo-prevera. My shot shot was due in about a week so we are making the choice to take me off it and see what happens.

I have to say I was still feeling pretty yucky but in the last few days I have been feeling better - not 100% better but still better.

With the holidays quickly approaching I really don't want to go into them feeling like a wet rag so hoping this works. :)

Feelin' kind of blah....

2010-11-22T13:38:00.000-05:00

I have been here before. This same feeling of blah. I think the last time was last Christmas....interesting that it's almost that time again.

Cranky. Moody. Irritable. Bitchy - a.k.a Miranda. I was so bad about a week ago I was even annoying myself. At one point I started doing some research on the computer to see what the signs for pre-menopause were. Seriously that is how bad I was feeling.

I have felt this way once before. About 2 or 3 months after I had Max. It was bad. I fought it till he was about 8 or 9 months and finally I just lost it. Realized that I was not loosing my mind but that I was actually experiencing post partum depression. But Emma is now 14 months old - could that possibly be what I am feeling? It just seems to strange that after almost a year and half it now shows up??

I have been fighting myself and have been telling myself that it's nothing. Winter has never been my fave season. I can't stand all the gray and yuck of it so I have been fooling myself into thinking that's what it was. But the last few weeks have been sunny and (almost) 60' every day. This morning I finally broke down and left a message for my doctor.

I am not sure why but I was so nervous about admitting that there might be something wrong. I was so happy she was not able to come to the phone. Really fighting the urge to not just turn my phone off and hope that this all goes away. But I know it won't - I can't physically look at my children and think that I can make it go away. I love them too much. They need me to be happy, and they need me to be calm. Not Cranky, Moody, Irritable, Bitchy. That is not what they deserve nor does my poor husband who I must say deals with me quite well. Really well. How he doesn't freak out on me like I do him I will never know. But I thank God he is so patient.

Trying to take deep breaths and just relax...but I can already feel a little bit anxious about having the "talk" with the doctor. Ugh. Would love to be able to turn my brain off and just run on auto-pilot some days.

Just call me frustrated....

2010-10-20T09:09:00.001-04:00

We are in the process of potty training Max. It is a frustrating process. It seems to be a never ending process. It's a process I am tired of having.

We actually started potty training last year right before I had Emma in the hopes that we might get him trained before Emma actually arrived. Hah. He was so not ready for it. So we waited. Then about 6 months ago we really dug our heels in and started. We bought him big boy underwear, even let him pick them out. He did really great for two days, not on single accident then he just didn't care anymore. He would sit in wet/dirty undies and not even tell us.

We reverted to pull-ups thinking maybe that was too big of a step. He did OK but would still not ever tell us he had to go. The last month or so I have been setting a timer and telling him when it goes off it's time to use the bathroom.....when the timer goes off he will go pee if I take him in there but won't voluntarily tell us he has to go. He has gone poop twice and has not done it again since then.

He will crawl away into a corner and I can tell he is getting ready to go, I get him all hyped up by laughing and playing and I get him to go in the bathroom and he will sit on the toilet for about 20 seconds and then say " no poo-poo"....I try and bribe him to sit and that lasts for about 10 more seconds and he starts to scream so I let him down. Not 30 seconds later he will walk by me and I know he went....ugh. I am so frustrated. I feel like I have tried everything.

We have done stickers, fruit snacks (which he loves..), this past weekend we even went out and bought this big dragon and set it on top of the entertainment center and told him when he goes poop in the potty he can have it. The first day he cried because he could not have it, it's been three days and he could care less. What am I doing wrong. I am a complete loss....should I just continue to let him wear diapers and stop trying.

I am in desperate need of some Mom advice. HELP!

On a mission...

2010-10-13T12:09:00.000-04:00

I am a pro. A pro at procrastinating. I always have these grand ideas of how I am going to stay organized and be able to find the things I want, finish the projects I am working as well as keeping my house clean. It never really seems to happen. Usually what happens is I start a project then halfway through it I start doing something else and before I know it I have three things I am working on and none of them get finished. My house has become a bigger mess than what it was.

The room that usually gets hits the hardest is always our bedroom. It's the easiest place to stash things if we have are having people over...I can just close the door. It's usually the last room that I manage to get too when I am cleaning. I almost always can whip together the kitchen & living room, the kids rooms - well they are kids room, I try not to stress to much about that. What is supposed to be our place of sanctuary somehow ends up being the laundry room, the place for spare mail/junk mail and who knows what else.

This morning I spent almost 2 hours trying to get our room organized and I am sad to say I am not quite done but I did make a serious dent. I DID manage to throw a bunch of junk away and also got a bag together to donate to the Goodwill. On a side note I decided to count all my shoes - 71 to be exact. I think I may have a problem. Half of them are adorable heels that are not really suitable to chasing a 3-yr old and 1-yr old around....But at least the closest is now organized and I can see my clothes AND all 71 pairs of my shoes.

I am going to try and keep this streak going and get to the kids rooms later this week. Kind of scary as I am not sure what I will find nestled in Max's toy box OR Emma's closet but I am on a mission!

The Great Pumpkin....

2010-10-04T18:19:00.000-04:00

It's Fall. It's official. Yesterday we went to our first Fall Festival of the year. Cute little place about a 1/2 hour from us.

Max and Karl went for a hayride and picked a couple of pumpkins while Emma and I took a stroll through a cute little gift shop. Then while Karl strolled around with Emma Max and I went through a fun corn maze....well it was fun until 1/2 way through Max no longer wanted to walk so I had to carry him on my shoulders. :)

I love fall. I am so in the mood it's ridiculous. Yesterday I was on a baking mission. I made Apple Cake AND Cinnamon-Sugar Apple Chips. Man did the house smell AMAZING! I love the smell of apples, pumpkins and cinnamon baking. It just smells warm and cozy. Looking forward to more fall activities AND fall food!

Obsession....

2010-09-30T10:12:00.000-04:00

I don't often watch TV but now that Max is in school I have been catching a few shows here and there when Emma goes down for her nap. I forgot how much fun stuff is on during the day.

But mostly I have been watching The Cooking Channel and The Food Network. It's quickly becoming an obsession. This past year I have really started to get more into cooking and have found that I am LOVING it! Of course I have lots to learn but am really having alot of fun getting there.

One of the coolest gifts I have gotten in a long time was from Karl. He bought me an old fashioned tortilla maker. I have not got up the gumption to use it yet but plan on busting it out this weekend. I am nervous and excited all at the same time. I plan on getting LOTS of pictures whether it turns out or not. About a month ago I created a food blog, At the Cookery. It's pretty basic but I have started posting recipes that I make throughout the week. Stay tuned for the Tortilla Making session!

At a loss....

2010-09-24T20:23:00.000-04:00

Max used to be my champion sleeper. Of course it took us the first 9 months of his life to get him there but this kid could sleep.

He used to take 2 two hour naps AND would go to bed around 6 pm, sometimes we had to fight to keep him awake at 5:30 pm. He would usually sleep till about 6:30 am the next morning.

At around 15 months or some he went from 2 naps to just one. But they were great naps. He usually went down around 1:30 pm and would sleep till 3ish, sometimes even 4 pm. Around the time that Emma was born he started fighting naps all together and I can't remember the last time he took a nap in the middle of the day that wasn't in the car. The plus side of all that was that he was still going to sleep fairly early and getting up around the same time.

Ever since school has started he has been getting up early, 5:30ish am and in the last two weeks it has been impossible to get him to go to bed. Tonight for example I put him down about 7 pm and JUST got him to go to bed after almost 2 hours of fighting. He stands in his room and kicks the door, throws toys, screams and I mean SCREAMS - like Jason is coming to get me scream. If it weren't for Emma I would let him scream and cry and just fall asleep where he is but I have Emma and I don't want him to wake her because who knows if and when she will go back to sleep.
I don't know what to do, short of laying in there with him every night (which I really, really, really don't want to do) I am at a loss.

A Huge Milestone....

2010-09-22T12:21:00.000-04:00

And we made it. More Specifically I made it. :)
Max started school. We have had a few bumps in the road....like him detouring through the school and getting found in the parking lot (that was scary), getting three weeks into it THEN suddenly developing separation anxiety (that was sad) but today he seemed OK getting on the bus and even cracked a smile at the bus driver. Of course it didn't hurt that he had a huge chunk of toast sticking out of his mouth and she thought that was hilarious.

Here are a few pics of his big day.....

Some are from his first day starting school and then some are from his very first bus ride. :)

I am ready, wait no I am not, yes I am ready, wait....

2010-08-25T13:32:00.000-04:00

No I am not. I am having my very own internal debate.

Max is starting pre-school on September 7th and it is all I can think about these days. If anyone were inside my head they would be amazed at how many thoughts are bouncing around in there.

I know he is ready....I think he is ready...I hope he is ready. ugh.

I am so excited and nervous all at the same time. He will be going full time, 8 am to 2 pm. They don't offer a part time (which was kind of what I was hoping for), AND he will be riding the bus to and from school. This makes me have heart palpitations. We did talk to one of the teachers when we did his registration papers and they said that there will only be 3 and 4 year olds on the bus. They have an aide that gets the kids to their seat, straps them in (all the buses have seat belts), and then the bus does not pull away until they sit back down. I am still nervous.

I am nervous about a million things; he will be scared on the bus, he will be scared at school, I am nervous about a 100 other things. I really hope that all those mom's out there that have kids in school already will tell me these are all normal thoughts.

But at the same time I am excited....I am excited to have only one child to deal with during the day, a child that is still taking 2 naps a day. Which translates to me having a bit of free time during the day. At the same time all this excitement often turns to guilt. Guilt that I am sending my kid off for someone else to take care of. I know that I am being silly but sometimes it is virtually impossible for me to turn my head off. ugh.

I don't know that I can take 2 more weeks this.

Truly Blessed....

2010-08-18T19:19:00.000-04:00

When I first moved to New Jersey no one could have convinced me that I would like it here. I was 5 months pregnant, just left a brand new home that I LOVED and left a group of friends behind that were truly amazing.

I was lucky enough to find a playgroup that was full of some great moms. But unfortunately that group fell apart but I did meet a few WONDERFUL mom's that I really connected with. Then I was able to find another playgroup and really loved being a part of it. For the last year I have truly enjoyed being a part of this group and again met some awesome mom's. Unfortunately some things happened in the last few weeks that I didn't feel comfortable with and I made the touch decision to leave the group.

Thankfully through the strong connections I have made with these moms I was able to find another playgroup. I truly hope this one is as great as the last few have been, as I love that my children are able to interact with other children their own ages. Plus as I mentioned I have made some great friends.

Today I got to hang out with one of those amazing mom's. My friend Trish helped me with my very first lesson in home canning. It was great....we made peach salsa (ABSOLUTELY DELISH, btw) and it was just great hanging out with her, laughing about our kids, maybe doing some complaining about our hubbies, and just having fun. It was so great just spending time with such a fun, amazing, wonderful women....no cattiness, just plain fun.

I was driving home and realized how truly blessed I am. Both Max and Emma were passed out in the back seat and the world just felt right. As I get older I really feel that I am becoming wiser. I am of course not perfect by any means, (just ask my hubbie...lol!) but I am starting to become comfortable with me. I love my husband so very much, my children are amazing and I don't know what or who I would be without them and I feel truly blessed to have had such amazing people come into my life.

This post basically boils down to a humongous THANK YOU to all those people....my friend Trish always says to "love wastefully" and I just love that statement and all that goes with it. As my 37th birthday draws near this is quickly becoming my new mantra and I plan to really love as wastefully as I can!!!

Emma's Baptism....

2010-08-15T17:52:00.000-04:00

My sweet baby girl has finally had her baptism. We had originally planned on doing this when she was much younger but time of course got away from me and before I knew it spring was here and summer around the corner! But it's done. Uncle Kurt is Emma's Godfather and my wonderful friend Melanie is her Godmother....so proud to have them be part of Emma's upbringing!

Emma was a doll at the church and looked BEAUTIFUL in the dress that her Mom-Mom made for her. It was just gorgeous! Max was also amazing at the church. Big thanks to Uncle Danny who was able to keep him entertained for the entire church service.

After the service we headed back to the house and had a wonderful afternoon with friends and family! Here are just a few pics of the big occasion. Here are just a few pics...will try and get more up soon!

A day at the beach....

2010-07-24T19:03:00.000-04:00

It's been a crazy day. Of course when isn't it crazy here in the Rudolph house. :)

We packed up and headed down to Cape May with one of my good friends Amy and her family. Amy just started her own photography business, Sweet Pea Pictures, and I have been dying to get pics done at the beach so it was a match made in heaven!

We did pictures early this morning, then headed to another beach and swam for a bit, then we all headed out to lunch. What a site we were. Four adults, four kids - all of us hot and sweaty. But it was a fun lunch with great company! Can't wait to see all the great pics.....stay tuned and check out her website and support a local mom who is GREAT at her job!

My Sweet Baby Boy.....

2010-07-18T08:53:00.000-04:00

I guess I can't say that he is such a baby anymore. Last Tuesday (July 13th) Max turned 3 years old. I think that I am still in shock. I am not sure really how 3 whole years have gone by since I gave birth to the little guy.

I am amazed every day how this little person can irritate me to my wits end and in the very next second fill me with so much joy I am almost in tears. Being a mother is such a roller coaster of emotions. It's a ride I am blessed to be on, even though it still scares me to death sometimes. :)

I originally was going to plan a big shin-dig for his Birthday but we have so much going on this summer....Max's Birthday, then Emma's Baptism in August, and then Emma's Birthday in September.....so Karl and I decided to keep the kids ACTUAL Birthday to be celebrated with just us and we would have a combined Birthday party for both Max and Emma. Since we were combining their party I wanted to do something special for him. The night before my Mom and I went into town and bought a couple of helium filled balloons. My plan was to fill his room with them once he went to sleep. I was so excited to see his response I almost couldn't sleep....

The next morning I heard Max around 5:30 am yelling "mommy, Nana, daddy....balloons, balloons!!!!". I got up and told him that everyone was still sleeping and he had to stay in his room. Of course the first thing he wanted to know was if the balloons could stay - so cute. The look on his face was purely priceless.

Once everyone was up and about Max spent the rest of the morning running around with all of his balloons. He went from his room to the kitchen and the living room. It was hilarious.

Since it was rainy outside we decided that we would head up to Adventure Aquarium. While there Nana treated Max to a face paining, which he LOVED. He could not stop staring in the mirror....absolutely hysterical.

We finished off the night with one of Max's fave meals Spaghetti & Meatballs. And of course we also had to throw in some dessert - good ole' fashioned Sprinkle topped Cupcakes.

Such a wonderful day to remind me of the amazing gift I received 3 years ago!

Rest in peace Trigger....

2010-07-12T09:39:00.000-04:00

As many of you know my cat Trigger has been very sick this past week or so. Sometime last night after 1'ish he passed away. We heard him around 1 am stumbling to get our from our bed and when he made it to the hallway he collapsed and could not get back up. Karl took him out to the kitchen near the water bowl (that is all he has been taking in for the last week and half...) and when I got up at 5 am this morning my Mom let me know he had passed.

Trigger was originally my sisters cat but when she moved in with her now hubbie his dogs didn't like cats very much so I took him in. He has been with me since then. Trigger has been with me through thick and thin. Moving across country to Arizona (and back again....), through break-ups, hook-ups, and new jobs. In the last few years he has been quite annoying. He used to wake us up at all hours of the night howling like a fool. :)

But all in all he has been a great cat. He was always fantastic with the kids. He adjusted very well the Magoo. The only bad thing was that he wanted food ALLL the time.

When I realized he wassnt' eating a few weeks ago I knew something was up. Not eating was very unlike Trigger. We waited for a few days and finally made an appointment with the vet. They did some basic blood work but nothing out of the ordinary came up. They send us home with some vitamins and antibiotics. He did pretty well for the first couple of days and took his medicine. He even ate a few times so we thought maybe he would come around.

Then yesterday he wouldn't even touch it. I had crushed it up and put it in with a dab of milk so he would eat it. He totally snubbed his nose at it. I knew yesterday that he was going to have to be taken back to the vet and put to sleep. I knew that I wouldn't be able to do it so I told Karl when he got home and he agreed. Then this morning...

I hope that he is in a better place and is finally at peace.

Update on Trigger....

2010-07-07T09:36:00.000-04:00

Finally made an appointment for Trigger. Karl took him to the vet yesterday afternoon. I was a wreck the whole time. When he got home I was afraid to go out in the kitchen to see if Trigger was still with him.

He was. :)

The vet did some basic blood tests to rule out anything major, i.e. kidney failure or diabetes. Nothing showed up. They are at a loss as to what is wrong. They sent Karl home with some vitamins and an antibiotic (which I think is crazy considering you don't eve know what is wrong with him) and they want to see him back in 2 weeks. You should see Karl trying to stick a pill down his throat. He tried this morning, unsuccessfully and decided that he would try later tonight.

So $300 dollars later we still don't know what is wrong with him. He is still drinking water, which is good. This morning I even saw him eat a couple of kibbles but that was the first time I have seen him eat in a week......ugh. It's funny because I was preparing myself for the worst yesterday and then when it didn't happen I didnt' know what to feel. My animals drive me crazy but I love them at the same time.....Kind of like my kids!!!! LOL!

On a side note Magoo has been put on a diet. The last time she went in for her physical she weighed 67 lbs, now she is a whopping 74 lbs. The vet didnt' seem overly concerned but Magoo is a smaller lab so we have to cut back on her food. Now if I can just keep Max from feeding her. LOL!

Put down the toy, and just walk away....

2010-07-05T08:39:00.000-04:00

Madness. That is what I call the TOY area in our home. We don't have a very large home but we have managed to condense most of the kids toys to one corner of our living room. Max also has a toy box in his room for the overflow ~ which often gets spread through the entire house.

Overflow is not really the best way to describe the MADNESS of how many toys we have. Let me give you a brief rundown.....we have a corner of our living room with a toy box as well as a large bookcase with two shelves STUFFED with books. Then Max of course has his toy box in his room, of course FULL of toys AND the whole top shelf loaded with books. I don't mind all the books but the toys drive me insane!

Then downstairs in the basement we have 5, yes I said 5, totes FULL of toys. Every few months I try and switch out the toys so everything feels new again. All of this sound fine ~ except for the fact that mysteriously these toys start to multiply. I can't say mysteriously, I know where they come from. We have grandparents and aunts and uncles that are continuously giving to the kids. It's is out of control!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Do you see what I am talking about! The top photo is just a few of the totes that Karl hauled up from the basement. Then Max decided to help me, I guess you could call it that. The bottom one is just pure insanity.

I decided that I am having a yard sale this weekend, not only to get rid of some these toys, but to finally clean out our basement of stuff we just don't use. We still have some totes and boxes from our move out here. If I haven't unpacked them in 3 years I don't need it.

I am calling out to all you grandparents ( and aunts & uncles) to PLEASE stop buying all these toys! When you feel the urge to pick up that toy turn around, walk out of the store and open a bank account. Put the money in a college fund - by the time Max and Emma are ready for college I will have to pick up a 2nd mortgage so any bit will help. Thanks!

Mr. Trigger....a.k.a Fatty Watty.....

2010-07-01T13:11:00.000-04:00

This is Trigger. My cat. My fat cat. My VERY fat cat. He used to be my sister's cat but when she got married her hubbies dogs didn't like cats. Actually he liked them very much but he liked to eat them. Not a good place for fatty watty. So I took him in. I have had him a little over 10 years....he is now 14. And I think his age AND weight is catching up to him.

He started getting sick a few months back but it's been very sporadic....but this last week something has been wrong with him. He is not eating. This is VERY unusual for him. Usually is meowing at all hours of the night because he wants MORE food. The last few days I have only seen him eat maybe once, and his feeder has remained full. I am worried.

I know he is old but I am scared to death to take him to the vet. I am having an internal debate. I don't want to pay hundred of dollars to find out what is wrong with him but at the same time I don't want to do nothing.....what do I do?

Soooo early....

2010-07-01T06:13:00.000-04:00

My kids could win Olympic medals for how early and CONSISTENT they are every day. I have been getting up at 5 am for quite a few months now so I can practice my yoga or just some type of exercise and I swear they just keep getting up earlier and earlier....pretty soon I will be up so early it will be yesterday.

I try not to be frustrated but that is usually the in the early morning is the only time I have for some "me" time and to just enjoy the quiet of early morning. Oh well.....I guess tomorrow is another day! There was going to be so much more to this post but Max just came and greeted me - guess my Mommy time has started. :)

Food on the Table....

2010-06-29T09:30:00.000-04:00

Found the coolest website for meal planning.....it's called Food on the Table and you link it to your local grocery store. It asks you a few questions about what types of food your family eats from meat, dairy, to veggies then it MAKES the meals for you based on what is on sale at YOUR grocery store each week. Seriously could that be more awesome!

It also creates a grocery list for you to print out based on each of the days recipe's....you can also edit the list so if there are things you already have you don't have to print them out. I CANNOT wait to use this!!!!!

Foiled, Thwarted, Balked.....

2010-06-24T09:24:00.001-04:00

What's with my title you say?? These are all words that mean Frustrated. Which is exactly what I was yesterday. Before I spill my whole story let me backtrack by going back to Monday afternoon.

I had a doctor's appointment on Monday at 3 pm. Why I made it for that time I have no clue but regardless I had no babysitter so the kiddies went with me. I stocked up with snacks, juice and the like in hopes that I would be able to keep them under control.

I arrived about 5 minutes early, as I usually do for most appointments and proceeded to sit and pray....pray that my little munchkins would continue to play nice. Things were going good but after about 30 minutes Max started to get a little rambunctious - I won't go into the gory details but as any of you that have kids can surely imagine. I managed to keep him restrained for a bit with a few books but as another 30 minutes went by he was no longer interested in the books. At that time Emma decided that she was tired (which was only fair considering she should technically be sleeping), and started doing this half cry and then started to outright wail on and off.

After another 20 minutes and the fact that I thought I was going to LOSE my mind I went up to the counter and told the lady that I needed to reschedule. She looked at me like I was crazy and said, "would you like me to see how much longer", I looked at her like SHE was crazy and said, "not unless they are waiting at that door right now to call me". She managed to reschedule my appointment for Wednesday at 4:45 pm. I gathered up my munchkins and took off.

So last night I put the kiddies in Daddy's control and left for my NEW appointment. Got there again about 5 minutes early (of course forgot the awesome book that I am reading) and started reading a couple of magazines....Fast Forward an HOUR AND 15 MINUTES - I grabbed the nurse when she came out to call someone else and said "do you know how much longer because I am only here for my depo shot ?!?!?!?!?(depo provera - a.k.a birth control) She said, "let me see, I will be right back." I just want to mention that at this time I was the LAST person sitting in the waiting room. I also want to mention that 3 women that came in AFTER me were already taken in and 1 of them had left already. I was boiling, I mean lava hot boiling.

Another 5 minutes goes by and she finally calls me back, does my weight, and take me into a room....another 5 minutes and the doctor FINALLY comes in, give me my shot and says "oh I am so sorry you had to wait, just tell them next time what you are here for and they will get your right in???? WTF! What is the point of making an appointment if you are going to take every other person in before me????? And I did tell the receptionist on Monday what I was here for and did she do anything - um no.

I was sooo mad I thought I was going to lose it. I mean my shot took literally about 30 seconds but I sat in the damn waiting room for an hour and a half......GRRRRR. I mean am I crazy, did I have the right to be mad?? Talk about a waste of time.....

Coming Soon....

2010-06-23T14:29:00.002-04:00

June Pictures....our camera is on the fritz...hoping that I am able to download the ones that are on there.

Need A Laugh....

2010-06-21T09:21:00.001-04:00

As I was stalking all my other friends blogs I occasionally stalk their friends blogs as well.....cut me some slack, I need something to do. :)

Anyway I was reading this on a friends of a friends blog and thought it was too funny not to share. Enjoy!
Simple Truths....
1. I think part of a best friend's job should be to immediately clear your computer history if you die.

2. Nothing sucks more than that moment during an argument when you realize you're wrong.

3. I totally take back all those times I didn't want to nap when I was younger.

4. There is great need for a sarcasm font.

5. How the hell are you supposed to fold a fitted sheet?

6. Was learning cursive really necessary?

7. Map Quest really needs to start their directions on #5. I'm pretty sure I know how to get out of my neighborhood.

8. Obituaries would be a lot more interesting if they told you how the person died.

9. I can't remember the last time I wasn't at least kind of tired.

10. Bad decisions make good stories.

11. You never know when it will strike, but there comes a moment at work when you know that you just aren't going to do anything productive for the rest of the day.

12. Can we all just agree to ignore whatever comes after Blue Ray? I don't want to have to restart my collection...again.

13. I'm always slightly terrified when I exit out of Word and it asks me if I want to save any changes to my ten-page research paper that I swear I did not make any changes to.

14. "Do not machine wash or tumble dry" means I will never wash this - ever.

15. I hate when I just miss a call by the last ring (Hello? Hello? Damn it!), but when I immediately call back, it rings nine times and goes to voicemail. What did you do after I didn't answer? Drop the phone and run away?

16. I hate leaving my house confident and looking good and then not seeing anyone of any importance the entire day. What a waste.

17. I keep some people's phone numbers in my phone just so I know not to answer when they call.

18. I think the freezer deserves a light as well.

19. I disagree with Kay Jewelers. I would bet on any given Friday or Saturday night more kisses begin with Miller Lite than Kay.

20. I wish Google Maps had an "Avoid Ghetto" routing option

21. Sometimes, I'll watch a movie that I watched when I was younger and suddenly realize I had no idea what the heck was going on when I first saw it.

22. I would rather try to carry 10 plastic grocery bags in each hand than take 2 trips to bring my groceries in.

23. Even when opportunity knocks, you still have to get up off your seat and open the door.

24. I have a hard time deciphering the fine line between boredom and hunger.

25. How many times is it appropriate to say "What?" before you just nod and smile because you still didn't hear or understand a word they said?

26. I love the sense of camaraderie when an entire line of cars team up to prevent a jerk from cutting in at the front. Stay strong, brothers and sisters!

27. Shirts get dirty. Underwear gets dirty. Pants? Pants never get dirty, and you can wear them forever.

28. Is it just me or do high school kids get dumber & dumber every year?

29. There's no worse feeling than that millisecond you're sure you are going to die after leaning your chair back a little too far.

30. As a driver I hate pedestrians, and as a pedestrian I hate drivers, but no matter what the mode of transportation, I always hate cyclists.

31. Sometimes I'll look down at my watch 3 consecutive times and still not know what time it is.

32. Even under ideal conditions, people have trouble locating their car keys in a pocket, finding their cell phone, and Pinning the Tail on the Donkey - but I'd bet my all that everyone can find and push the snooze button from 3 feet away, in about 1.7 seconds, eyes closed, first time, every time.

Joy The Baker....

2010-06-20T08:32:00.000-04:00

I just happened upon a new blog and I am soooo loving it. It's called Joy The Baker and she rocks. I was searching for a recipe for raspberry scones and stumbled upon this...she has a great dry sarcastic wit that I LOVE...and she makes some incredible stuff! I will be stalking this blog for sure!!!!

Make a Rain Barrel to Save Water

2010-06-16T18:55:00.000-04:00

I thought this was such a great idea.....Make a Rain Barrel to Save Water. Might have to put Karl to work this weekend!

Recipe of the Week...

2010-06-14T07:09:00.000-04:00

Curried Salmon Cakes
1 pound skinless salmon fillet, halved crosswise
2 t. curry powder, preferably hot
Kosher salt and fresh ground pepper
8 T. store bought tartar sauce
1/4 cup cracker meal or crushed saltines, plus more for sprinkling
2 T. grated peeled ginger
1 bunch of scallions, finely chopped
1 large egg, lightly beaten
1/2 red bell pepper, seeded and diced
2 stalks celery, thinly sliced
1 mango, peeled, pitted, and diced
Juice of 1 lime
Vegetable oil, for frying

1. Put salmon, 1 T. water, 1 1/2 t. curry powder, 1/2 t. salt, and pepper to taste in a microwave safe bowl. Cover with plastic wrap and microwave until the fish is opaque, 2 to 3 minutes. Flake with a fork and cool slightly. Stir in 1 T. tartar sauce, the cracker meal, ginger, half of the scallions and the egg. Form into 4 patties and freeze until firm, about 10 minutes.

2. Meanwhile, whisk the remaining 7 T. of tartar sauce and 1/2 t. curry powder in a bowl. In a separate bowl, mix 1 T. of the curried tartar sauce with the bell pepper, celery, mango, remaining scallions, lime juice, 3/4 t. salt and pepper to taste.

3. Heat 1/4" of vegetable oil in a nonstick skillet over medium heat. Sprinkle patties with cracker meal on both sides and fry until golden, 2 to 3 minutes on each side. Drain on paper towels. Serve with mango salad and curried tartar sauce.

This has to be one of my favorite dishes I have made. It was awesome. The salmon cakes had great spice to them, the mango salad had such a fresh flavor....we also had steamed zuchini with them....just delicious!

May 2010 Pictures...

2010-06-08T13:56:00.000-04:00

Ahhhh....needed that!

2010-06-07T09:56:00.000-04:00

As many of you know Karl surprised me last week with a request to go away for the weekend. We decided to head to a really cute town about an hour and half from us called New Hope. They had tons of Bed & Breakfasts, some on the pricey side so Karl suggested we stay at a regular hotel so that we could do more things out on the town....great idea I thought. So I proceeded to check out the area and found (what I thought) was a fantastic hotel. It was called The Nevermore Hotel, and from the pics on the website it looked fantastic....AND the rooms were very reasonable. I called them up and booked our room.

Mom-mom came down Friday afternoon and we were off. We had to drive through the town of New Hope to get to our hotel and just from that short drive we were excited to get out and explore. We got to the hotel and as we were checking in Karl noticed that there was a book on display at the front desk and on the cover was basically a naked man, well not COMPLETELY naked but pretty much, plus he was in a very provocative pose. I of course did not notice this. When we got to our room he told me about it, I said maybe it was just a display of Art Nouveau...who knows. I know the area was very artsy, so it was a possibility.

We freshened up and decided to walk back through the hotel to get some suggestions for dinner....as we were walking through the hallway we noticed LOTS of provocative pictures on the walls. ALLLLL of them men. So we proceeded to ask some ideas from the gentleman at the desk and then we took off for the night. We just kind of laughed it off and went and walked around and then had a great dinner. When we got back it was still fairly early so we decided to head to the bar and have a drink. When we walked it again it was all photos of naked/or near naked men.....we also noticed that all the people dancing were same sex couples....we just started to laugh. So we sat down and ordered our drinks. We enjoyed our drink and then headed back to the room. And we shared another laugh! All in all it was a good weekend! We did lots of relaxing, shopping and eating....just a few of my fave things to do. :)

April 2010

2010-06-03T14:32:00.000-04:00

What's Your Dosha....

2010-05-29T07:02:00.000-04:00

I have become a Yoga junkie....I just cannot get enough. I have three different books that I am reading right now that are in the Yoga family. I must get on Yoga Journal maybe 2 or 3 times a day, it's crazy.

I have been reading more about meditating as well as balancing out my diet. One of the more interesting topics I have been reading about is all about Ayurveda. "Ayurveda, which translates as "knowledge of life," dates back 5,000 years to the ancient Sanskrit texts, the Vedas. It's a system of healing that examines physical constitution, emotional nature, and spiritual outlook in the context of the universe. According to the philosophy, universal life force manifests as three different energies, or doshas, known as vata, pitta, and kapha." (This was copied from yogajournal.com).

There are five elements of space; air, earth, fire and water that make up everything in the universe including our own human bodies. In Ayurveda they come together to create three different types or doshas. Which are known as Vata, Pitta and Kapha. By knowing what type you are you can understand what activities, food and lifestyle elements that can help you nurture your health as well as what might cause you to become unbalanced.

I found a really cool website where you can take a quiz to find out your type, it's called What's Your Dosha. It gives you all kinds of info about what are good foods for your to eat and ones that you might want to stay away from, as well as how you might sleep, how stress affects you, etc. I was truly amazed at how spot on alot of the information was, for me at least.

Since I have started planning our meals for the month we are eating more healthy meals. But for me personally I still am not very good about eating fruits or grains/legumes. I eat a Luna Bar in the morning along with my coffee, I usually have whatever Max is eating for lunch (PB & J, Mac-n-Cheese, nuggets & fries), and then whatever we might be having for dinner. I am not good about eating a balanced breakfast OR lunch and if I snack it's not on things that are good for me. Which is ridiculous because the things I give Max to snack on ARE healthy; bananas, oranges, apples, grapes, or maybe pretzels. I am not sure why I just don't eat the same things I am giving him....

After yesterday and reading all about my dosha I have decided to make it a personal challenge. I printed out a list of foods that are balancing for my dosha (which I am a Vatta in case you were all wondering) and I am going to try and eat at least 1 or 2 things off that list. Then I am going to try and build up to 3 or 4, etc. What kind of example am I setting for my children if I am not doing the same thing.

Namaste'.

Recipe of the week...

2010-05-26T18:44:00.000-04:00

Yogurt Marinated Chicken and Grilled Asparagus
1/2 cup plain yogurt, preferably Greek style
2 T. extra virgin olive oil
2 t. chili powder
1 t. ground coriander
Grated peel and juice of 1 lemon
1 1/2 pounds of skinless, boneless chicken breasts
Salt and Pepper to taste

1. In a large bowl, combine the yogurt, 1 T. of olive oil, the chili powder, coriander, lemon peel and
1 1/2 t. lemon juice. Season the chicken with salt and pepper, then toss with the yogurt marinade; let stand for at least 10 minutes.

2. I grilled mine but the recipe calls for using the broiler but it was just too hot to turn the oven on. If using the broiler follow recipe below:
      (Preheat the broiler. Position a greased rack on a rimmed baking sheet, then arrange chicken in a single
       layer on top; drizzle with 1 T. olive oil. Broil the chicken about 3" from the heat for 5 minutes. Turn with
       tongs, drizzle with another 1 T. olive oil and broil until browned and cooked through, about 8 to 10
       minutes.)

If using the grill preheat to about 350-400'. Cook for about 7 minutes on each side till cooked through.

For the asparagus I just drizzled some olive oil on top, seasoned with Tastefully Simple Seasoned Salt. Then I grilled it for about 7 minutes (put the asparagus on when I flipped the chicken.)

It was PHENOMENAL!!! Of course I LOVE asparagus but the chicken was really juicy and had great flavor.

{This recipe was in Rachel Ray Magazine, May 2010}

My True Passion....

2010-05-26T09:07:00.000-04:00

Last Sunday I got to do something REALLY, REALLY, REALLY cool! My friend Trish (from my playgroup) invited me to come to a photo shoot that HER childhood friend was doing.

Her friend is launching a clothing line and this was to be her very first photo shoot highlighting the clothes. Trish has asked me if I would be interested in doing the models makeup. I was flattered and VERY nervous. For most of you that know me know that I am a total girlie-girl. I LOVE make-up, and for that matter clothes, shoes, purses, etc....so I immediately said YES. Then of course started freaking out about it.

BUT none the less Sunday morning came, gave the Fam lots of hugs and kisses and headed off to Valley Forge, PA. Just want to add that I was a nervous wreck the whole time. I am by no means a "professional make-up artist", and this was someone's vision, possibly a huge dream of their's being fulfilled.

When I first got there I had a chance to meet Jen (the creater) and then got a quick glance at the clothes (ADORABLE by the way), and got started. The models were going to be outside so Jen wanted a very natural look for the girls - I got to work.....

I had an absolute blast!!! I ended up doing four models and then hung out for a little bit to watch the photographer at work. It was so amazing seeing some of the pictures, the models did great, the photographer was awesome, it was just such a fun experience. I am so glad that I didn't let my fear overtake something that I really love to do. When I was younger that was my dream ~ head to New York and get into the fashion scene, but I didn't want to work with the clothes (although I dooo love them), I wanted to be doing the hair or make-up. Of course my life did not quite go in that direction and I love my life but I wonder sometimes what my life would have been like had I actually followed that path.

What dream did you have when you were younger, what did you THINK you would be doing when you reached adulthood? I wonder how many people can say they actually do what they wanted to be doing. That is one thing I really want to instill in my children ~ really do something you love, regardless of the pay. Because doing things you really love fills you with joy and that truly worth more than any amount of money.

Not a stellar moment for me...

2010-05-21T14:13:00.000-04:00

Lately Max has been not wanting to use the potty. He was doing soooo great, well at least when it came to going pee, not so much on the other end... lol!

Anyway the last couple of days he really has been fighting me. Whenever I tell him it's time to go he screams, throws things, etc. Alway entertaining he is....so this morning he was doing his usual ~ screaming, yelling and even some tears. As this is going on he runs out of the bathroom, naked of course.

I can feel myself starting to lose my cool, I have already been deep breathing for about 10 minutes at this point and can feel that it's not working. As I see him running away all I SEE is RED. I kind of do a loud (really loud) Monster voice and say "MMMMAAAAAXXXXX".

He stops dead in his tracks in the hallway...turns around to look at me and starts to scream. But scream in a bad crying way. He runs back to the bathroom and says, with a look up ut-most terror I might add, "Mommy scared me, Mommy scared Max....." and wailing ensued.

I felt horrible. Like the lowest human being EVER! I just scooped him up and held him and told him over and over how sorry I was. He just kept telling me how I scared him ~ over and over again. I am dung at this point...really old stinky dung. I walk into his bedroom and keep telling him over and over again how I didn't mean to scare him. I try to explain that I was upset and was trying to get his attention (usually he loves it when I do crazy voices, but I guess I sounded a bit TOO monster'ish). So I told him again that I was so sorry and I wouldn't do it again and he just looks up at me with his big ole' blue eyes and says, "ok mommy, ok".

Yah....a big ole pile of dung, that is me.

A New Seat...

2010-05-20T07:09:00.000-04:00

This morning I went for a ride on my brand new bicycle...it was beautiful out. The sun was just rising the birds were chirping and I was ready.

However a few minutes after I started out I was dying...and not because of what you think. The seat was killing me. I don't know who invented those seats but they obviousley did not ride on them before hand. It felt like I was riding on a piece of cement that was just shaped like a seat. I ended up doing 2 miles and thought I was not going to be able to walk when I got off the thing...love the bike - hate the seat.

I will be making a trip to the store very, very soon so that I can get something a tad more comfortable, otherwise my bike will be gathering dust in the basement because that was pure torture.

Love, Love, Love Yoga!

2010-05-04T08:01:00.000-04:00

In case you didn't catch that I LOVE yoga.

Last Christmas while playing the Wii with my mom I was informed by the "voice" in the Wii that I was only 10 pounds away from my ideal weight. Of course in my head I imagined myself much bigger and that I thought I should lose much more than that. BUT I decided to actually try and lose the last 10 pounds of my baby weight, so when we got home I started exercising.

I did something almost every morning...aerobics, walking on the treadmill, pilates, and yoga. Not long after I started I realized that I was really enjoying the yoga more than any other exercise. I started doing it every day...and loving it even more. I subsribed to Yogajournal.com, as well as the a subscription to the magazine, basically became obsessed over it. I started reading everything I could, buying books, etc. And I still LOVE it! I go to two different classes each week ~ they are both amazing teachers! I learn something from both of them each time I go...Thank you to my teachers!

At first I didn't feel like I was losing any weight, nothing was changing, all my clothes were fitting the same but then it seemed like overnight NONE of my clothes fit. I was suddenly searching all over for a belt, which I haven't needed in a long time. One day I decided to go and try some pants on. I thought I would try on an 8 and just pray that they would zip up - to my amazement I could almost pull them off without unzipping them...so I wandered back out and grabbed a 6 and even more to my amazement they FIT!!!!!!! I have not wore a size 6 in a very LONG, LONG, LONG time. Karl even noticed that I had lost weight...he told me I looked skinny.

Now it's not even about the weight, (btw I have lost 8 pounds), I enjoy practicing my yoga everyday (or atleast almost every day...) and learning how to ground myself and just breathe. Yoga has not only helped me go down three pant sizes it is helping me be a better Mom, a better Wife, a better Human in general. I find myself thinking about my practice all the time; find myself doing poses at different times of the day; trying to perfect my posture, standing in Mountain Pose to ground myself if I get frustrated; while playing with Max I do Down Dog so he thinks I am flying over him...I just can't get enough.

Last night I was talking to the instructor letting her know that I would be missing next Monday's class because of my trip to Michigan and she informed me that she thought I was ready to go up to the next level, a more challanging class...that made me feel so happy. I can't wait to get back and see what new things I can learn!!!! Namaste!

Au Natural...

2010-04-30T08:53:00.000-04:00

Like most women I know I color my hair...hightlight...lowlights ~ the whole nine yards. In the last few years I have really been doing alot to it because I am springing out gray hairs left and right. Initially I had just a few on the crown of my head so I didn't really care to much. But NOW I have LOTS of them.

On the top, on the side, all along the back....I have even been coloring/hightlighting myself in an effort to save some money. Because as many of you know it is not cheap to get your hair done, at least not if you want to get it done in a respectable salon. It's a vicious cycle...

I have decided to break the cycle....I am not going to dye/color/hightlight my hair anymore. I am going to EMBRACE the gray. I am tired of battling it, I am surrendering to the white & gray....waving my white flag.

I really hope that I end up with this look...

As opposed to this look....

Do Over Please....

2010-04-29T17:25:00.000-04:00

I am not sure what is going on with me today. This morning I spilled a glass of milk that I was getting ready to give to Max. We went out to a play date and then ran to Target afterwards and I spilled almost all of Emma's bottle in the cafeteria area.....

THEN I dropped the pretzel Max and I were getting ready to eat which resulted in salt all over the table that I just cleaned up....

THEN I flipped out a big hunk of potato salad that I was trying to stir, which of course had the sour cream, mayo, and mustard already mixed in....

THEN...just kidding. But I am a little afraid to hold Emma....who know what else I might drop today.

On a side note Max is driving me CRAZY! If I ever needed a night for yoga today is it.

One More Time...

2010-04-26T08:32:00.000-04:00

Yesterday I had the pleasure of assisting a good friend at a bridal show, she is the creater & instructer of Trinitas Yoga and she is amazing. We spent the day at a really cool bridal show in Philly. It was a very initmate setting at the Trust Building in Old City...a gorgeous venue. Trish and I were oogling over all of the stunning flowers, cakes, and even wedding dresses.

As we talked with all of the people strolling through we decided that we wanted to get married all over again....but we just to do all the fun stuff. Wear a gorgeous dress, eat lots of cake and hang out with all of our girlfriends.

I love my husband with all of my heart but it seems like our actual wedding day flew by so fast I never really got to enjoy all the "girly" stuff....like the dress, the cake ~ although I did LOTS of dancing. :) I love weddings and everything that goes along with them! I am a total girly girl and LOVED seeing all of the exquisite things on display. Thanks Trish for such a fun day and I would love to be your assistant again any time in the future!!

Can I find the time...

2010-04-20T19:02:00.000-04:00

I really could use about ten more hours in the day. Eight of those hours I would like to sleep with and the other two I would like to use to do all the things that I never get to during the day.

Such as clean our bedroom. For whatever reason our bedroom ends up being the last room in the house that I ever get around to cleaning. It has become the landing point for laundry, shoes, and toys, including dog toys. This is supposed to be our haven, the place where we rest our bodies and minds and wake refreshed in the morning ready to take on the day.

HA! I wake up daming the daylight and wondering why someone can't figure out how to get me my 10 more hours.

Well until that day happens I guess we continue sleeping in one big closet....as least our bed is comfy!!! As long as the third child we have (the dog) decides to give me some room at the bottom.

LOVE Bisquick....

2010-04-09T09:23:00.000-04:00

Pancakes have never been a speciality of mine, although I LOVE them and so does Max. Usually I end up buying frozen ones because I either burn them or they are to doughy...but this morning Max wanted pancakes and I didn't have any frozen ones.

Soooo I grabbed my box of bisquick took a look at the directions...pretty basic: 2 cups bisquick, 1 cup milk, 2 eggs. THEN I noticed under that there were a couple tips listed for variations. One for thinner pancakes, how to add fresh fruit and then "melt-in-your-mouth" pancakes. I figured I would give it a try and see what happended. If they turned out horrible I could always make him oatmeal. The varation was to add 2 Tbsp. sugar, 2 tsp. baking powder, and 1 tsp. vanilla extract (which I didn't have so I used almond extract instead). I mixed everything together, got my pan nice and hot on a medium temp and went to town.....

AMAZING! I don't know if it was the baking powder but they were soooo fluffy, and with the almond extract they had just a hint of nuttiness.....soooooo good! Of course the recipe makes about 12-15 pancakes depending on their size. Well even though I love pancakes I cannot sit and eat 12 of them. I decided I was going to try and freeze them. Seperated them into 4 bundles, wrapped them into foil and then placed them in a freezer bag.

I am hoping that they will freeze well and still be tasty when I take them out the next time....I highly suggest anyone that LOVES pancakes to give this recipe a try!!!

A few faves....

2010-04-06T08:56:00.000-04:00

As usual I have been procrastinating about getting pictures put on on the blog or facebook for that matter. BUT this morning I finally was able to upload a bunch and wanted to at least get a few out there for everyone to peak at...just a few of my favorites!

Round two...

2010-03-25T06:23:00.000-04:00

Two years ago Karl and I got the bright idea that we were going to create our very own vegetable garden. It was supposed to start out just being something small that we could grow a few things in and then if we wanted to we could add to it each season. If anyone knows Karl and I you know that we don't always see eye to eye.

As I said it was supposed to start out small....yet it turned into this gigantic garden that was probably 30 x 30 feet....MONSTROUS. I kept suggesting we make it smaller but my husband has a "go big or go home" attitude so I just let him go to it. Karl got the rototiller out and went to work, after that we plunked all our little seedling plants into the ground and waited. The best of intentions was planted along with all our seeds but as you know sometimes intentions don't always turn out...

Here are a few reasons our first garden failed...
1. It was HUMONGOUS...
2. It was sooo far away from the house it was an absolute pain to drag the hose over and water it...
3. It was HUMONGOUS...
4. The weeds became out of control becuase we were not very motivated to weed....
5. We attempted to put weed mat down in an effort to minimize the weeds but that just ended up killing some of the plants as well...

All in all we ended up with some zucchini...and a small pumpkin. Sad but true.

SOOOOO this year we are trying again. Since I am really into cooking now I would LOVE to be able to cook with my own vegetables (and not to be political but the Government is making me want to be self sustainable if you know what I mean)...so we decided to create a raised bed. It's MUCH smaller, MUCH closer to the house and we are going to put the weed mat down FIRST....hopefully in coming months I can write about how awesome my green beans taste and how juicy my tomatos are. :)

We are going this weekend to get all of our seeds and a few plants....can't wait. I will try and get some pictures so that I can define the moment!

Inspirational...

2010-03-24T07:35:00.000-04:00

Here is an excerpt from one of the blogs on yogajournal.com. Reading this reminded me that I have to stop worrying and start enjoying. I have come to the realization that I am a rigid person and that rigidness is controlling my life, and not in a good way...so I hope that you are able to be inspired by this as well and I wish you a lifetime of being flexibleza and limber... : )

"After all--shift happens. We're all in constant state of flux, from our cells and thoughts, to our outer environments and relationships. Your experience is as transient as a hobo on a country railcar. The question is--in what direction do you want that train to roll?

If you allow life, and the external opinions, requests, and demands of others take you where it wants to go, you'll spend a lifetime getting steamrolled from the outside. Enough of that, and your heart will feel as flat as a pancake. If you want to fill your mind, body and spirit with the goodness of inspiration and transformation, you've got to do one thing for certain:

Get to work. Remember: intention without action is just a beautiful pipe dream.

In the Yoga Sutras, Patanjali offers clue about how to change things according to your intentions. It begins with ishvara pranidhana. This word literally means "love of God," but like so many other concepts in the yoga teachings, it has alternate meanings. Ishvara pranidhana can also mean "to take your highest action." Have you noticed that in any moment when you're called to make a choice --Do I go to yoga class or skip it? Should I yell at my partner or take a time out? Should I take the job I hate for more money or the one I love for less?--there is usually one that will serve your highest good, and one that will, well...not so much?

When you take action that helps you express who you most want to be in the present, it will keep you on the road toward goals you want to reach later. I'm certain of this, because it's taken me from a dysfunctional practice and stressful life to inner strength and outer abundance. It will work for you too--but you have to work it.

Yoga is not a spectator sport. It asks for your full and unflinching participation. It can be scary, constantly facing down the unknown, but if you can go there--whether by hugging your thighs more in that Crow Pose, taking a deep breath when you want to say something hurtful, or choosing the high road in a situation where your habits and fears conspire to make the low one an attractive option--all your hard work will absolutely pay off.

In fact, the beauty of yoga is that it pays its dividends instantly, with a rush of prana, or empowerment, and the personal satisfaction of becoming more of yourself in the moments that you focus, intend...and try. This is the offer of Kriya Yoga, the yoga of action, and it's something that we can practice both on and off our mats."

Namaste

A week of many firsts...

2010-03-19T08:57:00.000-04:00

This week was jam packed with firsts...first for Emma AND Max.

This week Emma sat up all by herself....
This week she rolled over BOTH ways, which she is doing constantly now...she is never in the same spot in the crib when I get her in the morning...
This week she started sleeping through the night!! YEAH!
And today she held her bottle all by herself...

Max had a busy week as well...
This week he told me "I don't want to" for the first time...
This week he had to stand in the corner for the first time...
And he told me that yesterday was "the best day ever"....we went to a hotel in Philly for a playdate and had the whole pool to ourselves. (HUGE thank you's to Jessica and Dan for setting that up for our playgroup!)
The last one made up for all the other ones.

How fast the time flies....

2010-03-16T09:56:00.000-04:00

Emma had her 6-month check up last night....her official 6 month birthday was March 9, 2010. I cannot even believe that she is already 6 months old...where has the time gone??? I better start planning now for her 1st birthday or I will never be ready!

She weighed in at 16.6 lbs., and was an even 26" long...the Doctor said that she is doing great and is right where she should be. Here are a few recent pics of her!

Recipe Of The Week...

2010-03-09T19:00:00.000-05:00

I have not posted any delish recipes lately but we had a dinner tonight that was GGGRRREEEAAAT and I wanted to share.

Prosciutto, Spinach, and Pasta Casserole

2- 2/3 cup dried bow tie, penne, or ziti pasta
2 medium onions, cut into thing wedges or 5 medium leeks, sliced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tablespoon butter
1/4 all purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon crushed anise seeds
1-3/4 cup milk
1-1/2 cup chicken broth
1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese
1 10-oz. package frozen, chopped spinach, thawed and well drained
2 oz. prosiutto, cut into thin bite-size strips
1 medium tomato, seeded and chopped

1. Cook pasta acorrding to package. Drain; rinse pasta with cold water and drain again.

2. In a large saucepan, cook onion and garlic, covered in butter for about 5 minutes, or until onion is tender, stirring occassionally. Stir in flour, and anise seeds. Add the milk and chicken broth all at once. Cook and stir until slightly thickened and bubbly. Stir in parmesan cheese. Stir in cooked pasta, spinach, and prosciutto. Spoon the mixture into a 2-quart casserole dish.

3. Bake, covered, in a 350' oven for 25 to 30 minutes or until heated through. Let stand about 5 minutes. To serve, stir gently and top with chopped tomatoes.

Nutrition Facts:
Cal: 288
Total Fat: 3 g.
Fiber: 3 g.

(www.bhg.com/recipes)

Old and New...

2010-03-07T06:37:00.000-05:00

As many of you know I have started a gratitude journal...at the end of each day I write down 5 things that I am happy/grateful/blessed about. In just a few days I already look forward to doing this each night and I find myself thinking during the day when something happens that it would be great to write down....

One of the things that I have found I am grateful for is the Mom's Playgroup I have found. There are so many spectacular women in the group. I have made such a great connection with all of them and am so happy that Max is starting to call the other kids his friends, I LOVE that!

As I was thinking about how blessed I am to have all these new friends I started thinking about the old friends that I have back in Michigan, as well as Georgia. I had, no I mean I HAVE such amazing friends and I miss them every day...I have so many memories from all of you and I can't imagine not having any of you in my lives.

So today I am paying homage to all my NEW friends and all of my OLD friends.....Thank you for being a part of my life! (Below are random pictures just some of my friends....there are some of you that I don't have pictures of, but you know who you are and I love dearly! Some of the pictures of the kids are the children of my friends....)

I think that it is funny that in every single picture that I am in my hair is completely different...just an observation! HE HE HE HE!

Gratitude....

2010-03-03T13:51:00.000-05:00

American Heritage Dictionary describes gratitude as "thankfulness" or "pleasing". Why am I posting about the word gratitude you ask? Here is why. I am a natural born pessimist...always wanted to be an optimist but as I get older I am finally starting to accept me - at least most of the time. I still have many days where I can't stand anything about myself but I digress....

I have been reading all kind of articles about creating a gratitude journal and have been thinking about it for forever...so today while I was at Target getting a waterproof mattress pad for Max I saw a cute little notepad on clearance for a $1.78. I am a lover of all things paper.....as well as pens....it's a bit of an obsession. That is a whole 'nother story.

So I decided that today is the day I start thinking more about the things I am grateful for and less about the things that I am unhappy about or that I cannot change. As I mentioned I am a pessimist but I am grateful (see it's already working) that my hubbie is a total optimist. He is so good about not stressing about things he cannot change. I LOVE that about him and I am hoping that the longer we are married he will rub off on me. I am tired of focusing on negative things, it is making me miserable. And causing me to gray prematurally.... he he he!

Tonight before I go to bed I am making a committment to myself and to my family that I will write down 5 things that I am grateful for. Anything from my health, my family, etc. to just general things that make me happy. Such as the sun shining or giggles from my children. You get the picture.

Let us rise up and be thankful, for if we didn't learn a lot today, at least we learned a little, and if we didn't learn a little, at least we didn't get sick, and if we got sick, at least we didn't die; so, let us all be thankful.
~ Buddha

Namaste...

2010-02-27T09:19:00.000-05:00

At the beginning of the year I decided that I was on a mission to lose my last 10 lbs. of baby weight. Originally I started doing this with a clear intention of losing weight. I started doing different workouts....anything from the treadmill to cardio programs. Then one day I decided to try a yoga program from Comcast.

I was a little nervous because I didn't really feel all the flexible and I thought I might find it boring. I played soccer in high school, did some running for a while, basically I have always liked high energy workouts. I had a preconcieved notion that yoga was all about "ommming" and chanting and twisting into a pretzel. Both of which I assumed I could not do.

I in no way was able to do the poses as the instructor did but I was thrilled that I was able to do any of it. I felt more relaxed and ready to face the day. At that time I was getting up at 6 am and trying to squeeze in about 20-30 minutes. The first couple of weeks I was still going back and forth between some cardio, the treadmill, and throwing in some yoga, and maybe some pilates.

As the weeks went by I found myself not caring so much about whether or not the weight went away, I was estactic that I was becoming more flexible and was actually able to do some of the poses....and the breathing was helping me get "me" grounded. I found myself becoming a little more relaxed during the day....of course my 2 year old STILL knows how to push my worst buttons, but I came to the realization that is why yoga is called a practice. I have to keep working at it.

I have primarily been doing yoga as my only workouts these days. I now get up at 5 am and try to do at least a few minutes of meditation each morning...sometimes it happens and sometimes it doesn't. There are some mornings where I am so frustrated that I just can't have quiet time but other days I find myself just being happy. Last night I was reading an article in my new Yoga Journal Magazine and read something that really inspired me....

Yoga Sutra I.36
There is always a light within us that is free from all sorrow and grief, no matter how much we may be experiencing suffering.

Reading that truly brings joy into my heart. To know that there is always a beacon of light inside of me that can overcome any darkness make me happy. It may be hard to remind myself that that little spark is there (especially when Max is pushing those buttons) but as long as I continue to breath and practice I know it will become brighter and brighter each day. Namaste.

My Love of Ice Cream....

2010-02-24T07:32:00.000-05:00

In a previous post I mentioned that I was giving up Ice Cream for Lent...ugh. It's only been a week and I am having major withdrawals.

My love of ice cream started while I was pregnant with Max. I used to buy a couple of gallons of ice cream a week and between Karl and I it would disapear. Even after I had Max the cravings were still there....and right on into my pregnancy with Emma. AND after she was born I still wanted it almost every night.

I have not given anything up for Lent in so long, I really can't even remember what the last thing was that I gave up. But I decided that this year I wanted to commit to something. I knew that I could not give up coffee or chocolate but still wanted to give up something that I really habitually had. So I decided that ice cream was the best choice.

IT"S KILLING ME!!! I went to the grocery store yesterday and our fave brand of ice cream was on SALE....I almost caved. BUT I stayed strong and just walked right on past. Hurry up Easter!

On a side note what happended to the spell check on my tool bar for new posts???

Not quite what I had in mind....

2010-02-17T06:26:00.000-05:00

This last night has been an interesting one. Let me preface it by saying that I am sitting on the bathroom floor with Karl's laptop drinking my coffee.....here is the why.

Max is still nursing his cold. It has now traveled from his nose to his chest and he is coughing, which I hope means that it is on it's way out the door because I am over him being sick. It's really starting to affect my social life.

Emma for didn't wake up for her 3 am feeding, which normally would be fantastic but she work up at 5:30 am and was all about eating then as well as playing and cooing/talking.

My mom and step-dad are staying in our in-laws 5th wheel camper (we keep it here over the winter so they don't have to pay for it on their camping site down here), we call his Nana and Papa's winter vacation home. Well the propane tank ran out about 3 am this morning, which means they no longer had heat. Papa Jim was all snuggled up with Izzaboo (their black lap and Magoo's sister) which meant that Nana no longer had any room in the bed. So she came in the house and is sleeping on the couch.

Since all of the hullabaloo I was not able to get my work out in, hoping to squeeze some time in later today. I truly embraced "fat tuesday" yesterday. On a side note I am giving up ice cream for Lent....that is a whole 'nother story. :)

So here I sit in the bathrooom, now with my annoying fat cat....drinking my coffee and listening to her purr. I guess it could be worse, she could puke on me. :)

WHAT THE F.....

2010-02-10T18:59:00.000-05:00

I apologize in advance for using an almost "F" bomb but I am that frustrated.

I have been working out CONSISTENTLY almost every day. In the last 4 weeks I have only missed 5 days of working out. I am doing 20-30 minutes every day, and not just putzing around. I am doing the treadmill and really breaking a sweat, doing yoga that is REALLY making me sweat (because of how inflexible I am), and pilates, and cardio, etc.....

Have I lost a pound....yes I lost 1 and then put on two....AGAIN WHAT THE F!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I know that losing weight takes time but really. I had a goal of losing 10 pounds, which would put me at my ideal weight....which is what I weighed when Karl and I first started dating....WAY back in 2002. Of course I was running 3-5 miles a day then and lifting weights all the time. PLUS I was not cooking nice yummy delish meals each night. Living on PB & J's and cereal was gourmet for me.

I guess I should consider my age but really, do I want to do that....ummmmm no. It was bad enough my doctor told me I would be considered "maternal age of delivery" since I was going to be 35 when I delivered Emma....wow I just made myself feel even worse. Now I just feel fat and old. WHAT THE F!

Ummmm.....ewwww.....

2010-02-09T09:55:00.000-05:00

For the last two weeks I have been trying to get my house "clean" and keept it "clean"....when I say "clean" I mean more than just surface cleaning. As I posted before I got a tip from a friend about this awesome site, Fly Lady, and I have been following the suggested zones for each week. Along with the zone cleaning she suggests she also throws in "challanges"....kind of deep cleaning but not all at once. Which is great for me because I am prone to start projects and never finish them.

Anyhue the challange for yesterday was to clean your garbage can. REALLY CLEAN IT....like take the bag out, wipe it all down - inside and out. I have to say I was somewhat disgusted with myself for ever letting my trash can get that nasty. I always wipe the lid and outside but have never really got into the nitty gritty of the inside. BLECH.....but I am happy to say that it's finished and it all sparkly clean, like NEW, yes that clean!

In case anyone was wondering, today's mission is to clean your kitchen countertops....using some soapy water and rags/or something of your choice, moving all our stuff out of the way and wiping everything down. Happy Cleaning!

Too cute....

2010-02-07T20:22:00.000-05:00

I found this great blog page that I have been keeping tabs on called The Rubber Punkin and she is doing this awesome giveway for a very cute bathing suit. It's very retro but modern at the same time....part of the rules of the giveaway is that you must pick which suit you like best (there are 4 of them) AND you must post something on your own personal blog/website....so here it is.

Check it out....if not for the giveaway but for the great craft ideas she has!

Ding, Dong The Nuk Is Dead!

2010-02-07T20:09:00.000-05:00

About a month ago Karl and I decided that we were going to get rid of Max's pacifier, which we call The Nuk. Partly because Max was becoming awfully clingy and we were getting tired of the constand battle of him wanting it ALL the time.

So I started doing some research and found this site called "Bye Bye Binky". It was all about getting them to WANT to get rid of it on their own. It gave you a 7 day schedule on how to get rid of it. You started how poking pin holes in it, then after a few days you cut the very tip off, then each day after that you cut a little more off. What WAS supposed to happen is they would realize that it was no longer pleasurable for them and they would no longer want it.

Yeah.....nice in theory not so good in actuality. We followed all the steps and that Nuk went through hell....Karl just kept cutting and cutting and cutting. There was literally nothing left of the silicone, NOTHING my friends and that kid still wanted it. When we would read books to him before bed he would just sit and hold it in his mouth, then he would just hold it. In the last few weeks he would just sleep with it in his hands. It was almost pitiful...there was a tiny sliver of me that felt bad for him and almost caved and gave him a new one. Then I woke up and realized the horrible tantrums he would throw when we wouldn't give it to him.

This morning Karl came up with the great idea of breaking the handle part of and just laid it on the ground where we were playing and left it there for Max to find. Which of course he did. As he picked up he said, "oh no....is broken?". Karl and I both said that yes it was in fact broken, as we tried to suppress giggles we sat and watched our poor son try and put it back together. Finally Karl said that it was broke and that we should throw it away.....we sat with bated breaths.

Max looked at us, looked at the Nuk.....back at us, back at the Nuk.....then he walked over to the trash and tossed it in. Have not heard a PEEP out of him all day about it. NOT ONCE!!!! Beautiful. :)

The other bonus, we found conversion bed rails for his crib and we decided to bring the full size mattress up since we didn't have anything else to do and that kid took a nap with no crying, no banging on the door AND we put him down for the night and again no crying, no banging on the door. Hallelujah!

Getting it together....

2010-02-03T09:50:00.000-05:00

A few posts ago I was asking how people kept their houses clean and what things they did to keep it that way and a good friend suggested this AWESOME website to gave GLORIOUS ideas about how to clean your house and KEEP it that way.

The site is called http://www.flylady.net/ and I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE it! It's all about cleaning your house in zones and doing 15 minutes of decluttering each morning, as well suggestions on deep cleaning. I have been doing it now for the last few days and it is wonderful. I don't have that CHAOS feeling (she calls it CAN'T HAVE ANYONE OVER SYNDROME) anymore.
Obviously with two kids there are still toys around and because my husband is also a big kid he has items laying around as well. BUT my house is probably cleaner and more organized than it has been in a long time. One of the great things about this site is that you don't have to clean your house all day long EVERY day...it's all about babysteps and taking a little bit at one time. That really eliminated the overwhelming feeling I would get every time I wanted to clean. I never knew where to start so most of the time I just didn't. Now I feel empowered to do just a little bit and be OK with it.

For anyone out there that is "cleaning" challanged like me I truly suggest you check out this site! Thanks so much Val for sharing the info....I truly appreciate it!

A Challange For You....

2010-02-02T19:57:00.000-05:00

I want to do the Susan G. Komen 3 Day Cure Walk. It is taking place this coming October in Philly, PA.....I would LOVE to get a team together and raise the money to do this. The minimum for the walk is $2,300 and I realize it's a lot but for such a worthy cause! If you are interested in joining me for this AMAZING goal please let me know......I would like to start raising money ASAP!

Recipe Of The Week...

2010-01-30T09:25:00.000-05:00

Boeuf Bourguignon

Ingredients:
2 lbs bottom round roast, trimmed and cut into 1/4-inch cubes
1/4 cup all purpose flour
1 Tbsp olive oil
1 (14 1/2-oz. beef broth)
1 cup red wine
1 (16 oz. pkg) frozen pearl onions ( I used fresh and thought they tasted soooo much better)
1 (10 oz. pkg) cremini mushrooms (I could not find these so I used Shitake)
2 Tbsp. tomato paste
4 garlic cloves, chopped
1 Tbsp. chopped fresh thyme
1 bay leaf
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp black pepper
1 lb. carrots, thickly sliced
2 Tbsp. chopped fresh flat parsely

1. Toss beef in flour in medium bowl until evenly coated. Heat oil in large Dutch Oven over medium high heat. Add beef, in batches in necessary, and cook, turning occasionally, until browned, about 6 minutes. Transfer to a medium bowl with a slotted spoon.

2. Add broth, wine, onions, mushrooms, tomato paste, garlic, thyme, bay leaf, salt, and pepper. Bring to a boil, scraping up browned bits from bottom of pot. Stir in beef and reduce heat. Cover and simmer for 1 hour.

3. Stir in carrots. Cover and simmer until beef and vegetables are fork-tender, about 30 minutes.

A great addition is a pound of parsnips with the carrots. I was going to do this but the ones at the store did not look all that great, but I am going to try this for next time.

(Weight Watchers Magazine, January-Febuary 2010)

How do you do it....

2010-01-27T13:06:00.002-05:00

I am sending a shout out to all those friends & family of mine that have IMMACULATELY clean homes. You know who you are!!! :)

I need some tips on how to keep my house clean without have to clean 24/7. I am on a mission to not up to my eyeballs in dog hair, toys, and dishes....but need some help from all those super organized, love to clean folks I know that are out there!!!

SO spill it....

On My Way.....

2010-01-25T09:04:00.002-05:00

I have been working out each morning now for almost three weeks and I am happy to say that I have FINALLY lost some weight. 1 pound!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I know I shouldn't be THAT excited about 1 pound but I am so thrilled that I am on my way to reaching my goal. Each morning I lay there when my alarm goes off and all I can think about is going back to sleep, but I am so exalted (trying to expand my vocabulary... :) that I have been making myself get up and get active.

I can't wait for it to start getting warmer so that I can walk outside. Getting up before everybody else has been such a life changing thing for me. I have so much more energy, (which is hard to beleive since I am getting up so early) I am more patient, and more relaxed.

Such a simple little thing to do and such a big impact. :)

Silence is golden...

2010-01-20T06:52:00.002-05:00

Not long after we got back from our harried trip to Michigan I decided that I was going to start getting up before everyone and have some time to myself.

Most mornings I try to work out. Either by doing walking on the treadmill, or I do some exercise programs on Comcast, or I use the Wii....my goal is to lose 10 lbs, (which would put me at my ideal weight for my height) and would put me to what I weighed before all the kiddies came along. I have realized that I don't treat my body as well as I treat my children's. I am very thoughtful about what goes into there little bodies but don't always follow the same path when it comes to mine.

For the last few weeks I have been getting up at 6 am, only missed a few days here and there and it feels great. When I was younger I was always a morning person...my Dad still laughs about how I used to get up at 5 or 6 am and go into the living room and turn on the TV but with no sound because I didn't want to wake anybody up. So there I was sitting in the living room watching cartoons with no sound. As I aged (ugh doesn't that sound terrible) I came to enjoy sleep more and more. Then after the kids came I REALLY enjoyed sleep.

But it is worth it to me to get up early and lose maybe an hour more of sleep I could get to enjoy some time to myself. As many of you read in my previous post I have been a little off-kilter and I want to say thank you to all amazing friends and family that offered kind words of advice and just helping me see that I really am NOT crazy...well kind of. LOL!

This morning I happen to be sitting here enjoying my coffee. I didn't work out this morning but I did an hour yesterday so I am taking a day off, my legs are about to go on strike, and just vegging on the computer.

Have a wonderful, peaceful day to all of you!

Bah-Humbug!

2010-01-15T13:30:00.002-05:00

I am in a funk. I don't know what to do to get out of it. I feel frustrated, irritated, sad, angry, perplexed, and more. But I don't know why.

Sometimes I feel like I am in the movie Groundhog Day - I just keep waking up to all the same things and nothing ever changes.

I feel like I have completely forgot who I am anymore. The things that come out of my mouth and how I react to people amaze even me. It's like I hear the words come out and I know that I sound snippy or bitchy but I can't seem to stop it. I am a hamster running around and around the wheel and never getting anywhere.

There seem to be so many things that I can't get done. I want to catch up on my scrap booking, I want to learn how to sew (and finally use the sewing machine that I got as a gift 2 years ago), I want to learn how to knit - projects besides just scarves, but I can't ever seem to get to those things. Either laundry needs to be done, or the house needs to be cleaned, or someone needs to be fed, or changed, or put to sleep, or the dog needs to go out, or the dog needs to be let back in, or dinner needs to get started, or or or or or or or or...........

ugh. That is how I feel all the time. Even when I get out of the house or I have the chance to go out by myself I am good for a little but it never seems to stay. Like happiness is just teasing me, dangling the carrot in front of me but I can never seem to catch up to it and take a big bite.

It's so ridiculous for me to feel this way. I have a fabulous husband, two beautiful and healthy children, a roof over my head...blah, blah, blah. What the hell is wrong with me. I sound totally selfish - especially when I watch the news and see situations like what is going on in Haiti....I should be thankful for all that I have. But I cannot seem to shake these feelings.

How do I get out of this rut? Am I totally crazy and insane?

Yum, Yum, Yum...Delicioso!

2010-01-14T09:41:00.003-05:00

Emma had cereal for the first time yesterday! She did pretty well, I think a little bit even stayed in her mouth....plus she slept from 10 pm till 5:08 am! Bonus for me!!!!

She had some more this morning before her bottle and I put her down at 9 am for her morning nap and she went to sleep after just 5 minutes, no crying just a little fussing. Usually she will only sleep for about 20 minutes but this time she slept for 45 minutes! Woo-Hoo!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Recipe Of The Week...

2010-01-12T19:46:00.002-05:00

A new twist on an old classic....Max even loved this one!

Italian Pot Roast
1 3 lb. boneless beef chuck pot roast
1 teaspoon garlic salt
1 teaspoon fennel seed, toasted and crushed
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
2 medium fennel bulbs, trimmed, cored, and cut into thin wedges
3 medium carrots, halved lengthwise and bias-sliced into 2" lengths
1 large onion, cut into thin wedges
1 26-oz. jar pasta sauce
2 to 3 cups hot cooked penne pasta
1/4 cup chopped fresh Italian parsley
Grated Parmesan Cheese

1. Trim fat from roast. In a small bowl, combine garlic salt, fennel seed, and pepper. Rub into roast on all sides. In a 5- or 6- quart slow cooker, combine fennel, carrot, and onion. Place roast on top. Pour pasta over roast in cooker.

2. Cover and cook in low heat for 9 to 10 hours or on high heat for 4 1/2 to 5 hours.

**The recipe says to reserve 1/3 of the roast and 2 cups of sauce....I did not do this because Karl takes leftovers into work and I always schedule 1 or 2 days a week on my monthly menu for leftovers. **

3. Toss pasta with parsley. Serve roast and sauce over hot pasta mixture. If desired, sprinkle with Parmesan cheese.

Bon Apetite!

Wearer of Many Hats....

2010-01-06T12:50:00.000-05:00

"We're a generating of list makers & jugglers., women who wear many hats. Perhaps we should reserve on our lists of -things to do today, a bullet point for ourselves. A place in our closets for a hat that says not 'Mother' or 'Wife' of 'Writer' but 'Your Name Here'...not to mention a fabulous party to wear it to."
~ Rebecca Woolf

This was part of an ad in a magazine I was reading and it is soooo true! Thought I would share it with all of the other amazing Mothers I know!

45 Minutes of Hell...

2010-01-05T13:31:00.002-05:00

This morning started out so nice...did some time on the treadmill, enjoyed some coffee, and had some quiet time on the computer ~ all before anyone got up. It was great.

Then I had the bright idea to make some muffins with Max while Emma took her morning nap. That is where things started to go awry...at one point while we were measuring and mixing Max ate about a teaspoon worth of flour, sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, and baking soda....can't even imagine how that tasted. Then before I had a chance to stir the eggs in he ate a teaspoon of that as well....ugg! Then he proceeded to turn into Damien, horns and all...screaming, hitting, and biting all at the same time ~ it was truly beautiful scene. That of course ended with lots of time outs and time in the naughty chair.

Then I heard Emma crying, I went in and she was laying on her side, almost on her belly, crying. Let me just note she was still swaddled. I totally freaked. I whipped her out of that blanket with superman speed and took her out to the living room so she could listen to Damien continue his rant.

When it came time for her afternoon nap I decided that now was the time we stopped swaddling her and she was just going to have to figure it out~ by figuring it out I mean crying it out. We did this was Max and had amazing results...he used to take two naps a day (both for about 2 hours) then he would go down about 6 pm and sleep till about 7 am. It only took 3 days for him to go right to sleep. The first day we started he only cried for 15 minutes. The longest point he ever cried was 52 minutes....

Emma cried for 45 minutes....today was the first day. The last 15 minutes had us both crying. I keep thinking that it should be easier for me to deal with but it's not....I feel like the most monstrous mother right now. Ugh.

Recipe Of The Week...

2010-01-03T19:42:00.002-05:00

Old Fashioned Spaghetti and Meatballs

Ingredients:
1 lb ground beef of ground turkey
1 medium onion, finely chopped
2 large eggs
3 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon (this is my secret ingredient...added it on a whim)
1 cup breadcrumbs
4 cups of spaghetti sauce
1/2 cup of chopped fresh basil or fresh parsley
1 pound spaghetti or linguine noodles
1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan or Romano Cheese

1. Preheat oven to 350'. Line a cookie sheet with aluminum foil (I always spray with PAM so they the meatballs don't stick).

2. Combine beef/turkey, onion, eggs, garlic, oregano, salt, pepper, cinnamon, breadcrumbs in a large bowl; mix well. Form the mixture into 1-inch meatballs (about 24). Place on cookie sheet and bake for about 25 minutes. Blot well with paper towel.

3. Put a large pot of lightly salted water on to boil.

4. Pour sauce into a dutch oven and bring to a simmer. Add the meatballs to the sauce and cover, simmering for about 20 minutes.

5. Meanwhile, cook spaghetti until just tender, 7 to 8 minutes. Drain and transfer to a serving bowl. Top with sauce and meatballs and serve with grated Parmesan Cheese.

Bon Appetite!

A Special Day...

2009-12-16T07:54:00.004-05:00

To my dear sweet husband on your Birthday...

If Not For You
If not for you,

I wouldn’t know what true love really meant.

I’d never feel this inner peace;

I couldn’t be content.
If not for you,

I’d never have

The pleasures of romance.

I’d miss the bliss,

the craziness,

Of love’s sweet, silly dance.
I have to feel your tender touch;

I have to hear your voice;

No other one could take your place;

You’re it;

I have no choice.
If not for you,

I’d be adrift;

I don’t know what I’d do;

I’d be searching for my other half,

Incomplete,

if not for you.

~By Joanna Fuchs

Max and Santa 2009...

2009-12-14T14:06:00.005-05:00

Max's 2009 picture with Santa....Emma was sleeping and I didn't want to wake her up...

Recipe Of The Week...

2009-12-14T07:10:00.003-05:00

This was by far the MOST delish meal I have ever made. Max even ate it up asking for seconds....and he ate all of it, even the cranberries and onion!

Cranberry Orange Pork Loin

Ingredients
2 T. olive oil
3 lbs of pork loin, tied
1/2 t. salt
1/2 t. ground black pepper
1 large sweet onion, coarsely chopped
2 cans whole berry cranberry sauce
Grated zest of 2 oranges
Juice of 2 oranges, about 1 cup
2 t. dried thyme leaves
1/2 cup beef broth

1. Heat oil in a large skillet over high heat. Sprinkle roast with salt and pepper and add to the pan.

2. Cook pork for 2 minutes per side; transfer to slow cooker. Add onion, cranberry sauce, orange zest, orange juice, thyme, and broth; stir.

3. Cover; cook pork on high for 4 hours or low for 8 hours.

4. Remove cover; transfer pork to cutting board and cover. Let rest for 15 minutes. Skim off fat from cooking liquid to make a sauce; slice pork and serve with sauce.

For our side dish I made roasted Parmesan mashed potatoes .....after you have boiled and mashed the potatoes add 2-4 T of butter, about 1/2 cup milk, and about a 1/2 cup of grated Parmesan....season with salt and pepper.

Just Rambling...

2009-12-09T13:13:00.003-05:00

Wouldn't it be great if there were a pill I could take and not have to sleep. Imagine what I could get done while my crazies (Max, Emma and Karl) were in bed!!!!

I could clean without dragging my 2-yr old around...
I could read a book...without my 35- year old hubbie interrupting me...
I could crochet to my hearts content...
I could actually eat a warm dinner....
I could catch up on all the scrapbooking I have been meaning to get to for the last 4 months...

What bliss that would be....I am almost giddy just thinking about it.

Recipe Of The Week...

2009-12-07T10:10:00.004-05:00

Since I have had a few requests for some of the recipes I have made recently I decided that I will start posting recipes that I have tried and really liked. Bon Appetite'.

Chicken Parmesan w/ Penne Pasta
Ingredients:
1 cup seasoned bread crumbs
2 eggs, slightly beaten
12 chicken tenders fillets (you can can also use breasts and slice them into tender size)
4 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 cup bottled Marinara sauce
1 cup shredded four cheese blend
12 fresh basil leaves (the recipe calls for leaving the basil whole, but I lightly chopped mine)
Cooked penne pasta and remaining Marinara sauce (or any pasta of your choice...ziti would be great as well as linguine)

1. Heat oven to 375'
2. Place bread crumbs in a shallow dish and egg in a shallow bowl. Dip chicken pieces in egg, shaking off excess. Coat with bread crumbs; place on a plate.
3. Heat 2 tablespoons of the oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium high heat. Add half the chicken and cook for 3 minutes per side. Remove to a 13 x 9 baking dish. Repeat with remaining 2 tablespoons oil and remaining chicken.
4. Spoon marinara sauce over chicken in dish. Top with basil and then sprinkle cheese over chicken.
5. Bake at 375' for about 10 minutes, until bubbly and cheese melts. Serve with cooked penne and marinara sauce.

Frustration......times ten!

2009-12-06T10:17:00.002-05:00

This week has been long and rough. We are part of a great playgroup and usually there are tons of things to do each week ~ not the case this past week. There was only one thing on the calendar for the week and we weren't able to make it because we were getting our new TV fixed.

Besides me being a little worried about what we would do we had some yucky weather to boot ~ which not only makes Max a little crazy it makes the dog a little crazy....it's like cabin fever super intensified. We started out ok for the beginning of the week and were even able to go outside for a bit while Emma was napping....by Thursday I was starting to feel the tiny threads holding me to sanity starting to fray. Friday was a very hard day. It's like children know exactly what to do drive you absolutely insane. Max is a very bright child and incredibly smart and I swear he lies in bed at night plotting the final demise of my sanity. I try very hard to be a good mom...I don't let him watch alot of TV, I give him structured discipline, we read book and we play with educational toys but I tell you what Friday was a hard day to be a mom.

By the time Saturday rolled around I felt like a volcano....anger just boiling under the surface and it seemed like I could not get it under control no matter what I did. I was able to get out by myself for a few hours in the morning to run a few errands and I thought it would help....it didn't. I am not an aggressive person but I really felt like I could have hurt someone....I just wanted to scream and yell and break something. It is not a good feeling to have that. Especially when you have kids. I finally just took the dog outside (even in the pouring rain) and just ran around with her. Max never did nap, Emma wouldn't nap and the day was just beating me down.

Karl and I just kept telling ourselves that eventually the time would come that they would go to bed for the night. Since neither of them napped they both went to bed early ~ Emma at 5 pm and Max at 6 pm. They both slept like logs all night.

Sometimes I feel like a little piece of me is being ripped away, when you become a mother you no longer have a strong sense of self. I feel like I give, and give, and give and I don't always feel like I get back. I hate how selfish that sounds but sometimes that is just how I feel. My day consists of getting the kids fed, the dog fed, getting the house clean, doing the dishes, the laundry, making dinner, being a wife to my husband, etc...etc...etc. When do I get to be Miranda??? I find myself craving silence and time to just do things I want to do...again I hate how selfish that sounds.

But I get up every day and realize that it's a brand new day. Today the sun is shining and I got to sleep in until 9 am ( thank you to my wonderfully patient husband!) and I feel better. I realize that sometimes I just have to have bad days, just so I can truly appreciate the good days....and there are good day. I am blessed to have a wonderful husband, healthy children, and loving family. I have a roof over my head and food in my belly....the rest is just stuff I have to learn to deal with.

A new link...

2009-12-03T16:15:00.004-05:00

I just added a new blog link to the right side of my page and suggesting to anyone out there that has kids to take a look....

My friend Mel was the first to share this GREAT blog so now I am passing it along. It's called Diagnosis Urine and this women is truly my idol!

I have never laughed so hard and completely out loud in my life while reading a blog!!!! HILARIOUS!

Getting In The Spirit...

2009-12-02T14:07:00.002-05:00

The holiday bug has bit me!
We are going to Michigan again this year for Christmas ~ mainly because we have lost the family that was renting our house so we are going to just check things over and make any necessary repairs, if anyone is looking to buy/rent a home in the Grand Blanc area let me know. :)

Anyhue since we are going to be traveling again for the holiday I have decided to not put up a tree.....we wouldn't really be here long enough to enjoy it and basically I just don't want the hassle. BUT I did decide to put out some of my decorations and now that they are up I might be re-thinking my tree decision.

Hmmmm any thoughts?

More Random Thoughts....

2009-11-25T06:49:00.003-05:00

My dog is crazy. I have never really understood why it is she has to pace the entire backyard for an hour just to pee for 5 seconds....truly baffles me.

The other thing that I don't get is why she walks in circles before she will lie down. What the F is that....she did it last night in bed and it was driving me nuts. Of course she starts on Karl's side of the bed and he basically gives her the boot so she ends up on my side. She strolls over and then starts doing this whole turning, turning, turning, turning...and then just drops ~ on my legs mind you.

I wake up in the middle of the night with my legs asleep and a big fur ball in my face (meaning the cat)....no wonder i need so much coffee in the morning!

Random Thought....

2009-11-22T08:54:00.002-05:00

Why is it my cat will lie in a hamper of clean clother but never lies in the one with dirty clothes? I guess I have a snobby cat.....

Two Month Check Up....

2009-11-16T19:02:00.003-05:00

Little Miss Emma had her official 2 month check up at the doctor today. She is doing wonderful ~ she weighs a nice chunky 12 lbs 10 ozs and is 22 inches long. :)

She did great until the shots came on....poor little thing....she just cried and cried~ my heart was breaking but but the little trooper calmed down and by the time I pulled out of the parking lot she was sleeping peacefully!

Here is a cute picture of her taken in her "LBD ~ little black dress"....

Here is a pic of Mommy and the kids....too bad Max was being grumpy.....

Link to Emma's Pictures....

2009-11-14T14:22:00.003-05:00

Last weekend we went to a photographer out here to get pictures done for Emma and they turned out AMAZING! I can't post them invidually but for any friends or family that want to take a look here is the link:

http://albums.phanfare.com/isolated/Xbs1FaNM/1/4437498#imageID=86147251

This was a photographer that alot of the girls from my mom's group had used and she was sooo reasonably priced that I decided to go in and get some individual shots done. We are planning on having our great friend Dave at BH Photographic (who does awesome work as well, check out his link) do our family pics when we go to Michigan for the holidays. :)

For tonight's entertainment...

2009-10-30T13:42:00.002-04:00

Let me present you with a recap of my night.....

10 pm: Went to bed, of course couldn't sleep. Might have been the 8-10 cups of coffee I had throughout the day ~ of course couldn't have made it through the day without them ~ it's vicious cycle.

2:45 am: Wake up and feed Emma...
3:00 am: Still Feeding Emma...
3:15 am: Stilllllll feeding Emma...
3:40 am: Back in bed...

4:00 am: Can't fall back asleep.....already thinking about coffee.....

5:40 am: Must have fallen asleep because I awake to the cat hurling and regurgitating his dinner all over the house - thank God for my loving husband because I just don't do cat puke very well....

6:15 am: Pitter Patter of little feet..."mommy, mommy 'ake up, 'ake up." Pretend like I am asleep so Karl can take him back into his room....
6:17 am: Pitter Patter of little feet ~ anyone sensing a pattern here~Repeat two more times.....

6:45 am: Got up and out of bed....why even bother at this point. Bring on the coffee!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

We survived the night....

2009-10-27T08:41:00.002-04:00

The night went better than I expected, which is always a good thing. :)

We decided that at dinner time if he wasn't going to eat what I made then he was just able to get down, but no TV and no snacks....it was much better than listening to him scream.

We also decided that since he did not take a nap he was going to be early. Normally we start getting him ready for bed at 7:30, which consists of brushing his teeth, going potty, then pj's and a bedtime story. Last night we started at 6:45 and he was in bed a few minutes after 7 pm...I closed the door and waited. About 3 seconds later I heard him get out of bed and come to the door, since he was not able to open it I let him stand there for a few minutes before I went in. I went in and he was standing at his closet, I scooped him up put him back in bed and told him it was time to sleep, walked out and hoped for the best ~ he was quiet for most of the night.

He did get up twice...the first time was about 9 pm or so and he was so tired he was just a walking zombie. I changed his diaper and back to bed and he never made another peep until about 5 am and Karl took him back in and he went right back to sleep until 7 am!

Thank the Lord because I don't think I could have done another day like yesterday. I am not to thrilled about it raining and being in the house all day but if I could survive yesterday I can survive anything.

I think. :)

Hmmm...Sanity....anybody have some to spare?

2009-10-26T14:30:00.005-04:00

I have none left.

Why you ask.....three little letters have caused me to lose the last tiny bit I had left.

MAX. Yes my dear sweet son has rendered me completely insane.

Last night we fought, battled, attempted to coerce him to eat dinner. Humph...what were we thinking. From attempting to get Max to eat ONE tiny little bit of potato started a 2 hour - yes I said 2 HOURS ~ fight. Max cried, kicked, screamed, choked, cried, kicked, screamed, and choked some more. After that hour of torture was up we proceeded to try and put him to bed being that it was his bedtime..........well another hour of torture then ensued. Max is a pro at getting out of his crib now. Envision my sweet angel faced child charging out of his bedroom (he opens doors quite masterfully) and running down the hallway into Daddy's arms, only to find out he was going right back into bed. It was so relaxing...like the kind of relaxing that comes from someone ripping your fingernails off one by one. :)

Finally we decide to give him a bath, read a story and he was out like a light. Thankfully. This morning I woke up to Max (a.k.a the devil reincarnate) staring at me and saying "ake up mommy, ake up." At least it was only 6:45 am...I could live with that.

The day was going quite nicely and I was all excited to go on our pumpkin picking hayride with the awesome ladies of my Mom's group....oh how quickly the day can change.

Due to the pumpkin patch people double booking basically we had to wait for about 30-45 minutes until we were able to go and let me just say Max was a joy....again if joy were someone pulling my eyelashes out one by one and then pouring bleach into my eyes.

He proceeded to not be happy about anything and turned into a limp noodle and throwing quite a fit ~ in front of not only the lovely ladies of the group (sooooooo very sorry Karen, Judith, and Jessica!) but in front of all the other ladies of different groups. At that point I decided that I had had enough and we left. Then the real show started....Max cried and screamed the whole way to the car, even throwing in the limp noodle act a few times. It was so delightful when I was trying to get him into his car seat all while poor little Emma is being bounced around in the carrier.

The ride home was fairly uneventful and I was even able to get him to eat some lunch. Then nap time came around and well we are still working on that one. Max has climbed out of his crib every single time I have put him in....I think we are working on #15 now....I managed to get a safety lock on his door, on his side, and am now listening to him talk and play in there. I have given up trying to get him to stay IN his crib because I just can't fight anymore. There is nothing dangerous in his room (save for himself of course) and I am just tired of the battle.

Hmmmm after today I can't wait for bed time tonight. :)

Soo not ready for this...

2009-10-21T14:25:00.002-04:00

This morning Max did the unthinkable.

He climbed out of his crib, no falling out, he was like a little ninja - I heard him in there talking as he usually does each morning and then he was quiet for a minute and the next thing I heard was the pitter patter of little feet running throught the house with a little giggle to go along with it.

I am soooo not ready for him to be in a big boy bed. Especially on mornings when he wakes up at 5:30 am. Because now that his "walls" can't stop him he won't fall back to sleep......ugh!

They Must Be Related....

2009-10-12T14:52:00.006-04:00

Max and Emma look so much alike to me so I decided to post a few pics of Max when he was first born and then post a few from Emma that I just took last night.

This first pic of Max is from August 7, 2007 and the second one August 10, 2007 so Max was just about one month old....

Here are two pics that I took of Emma last night....last Friday she was exactly 4 weeks old....crazy!

I hope that Emma's crazy eyes go away like Max's did! LOL!

Wouldn't Daddy Be Proud....

2009-10-12T14:46:00.005-04:00

As I was trying to get ready the other day (yes I put make-up on every day), I know it's silly but it helps me feel normal - anyway Max is obsessed with watching me as I do this. He is always asking me when he sees me, "what you doing?", and I always tell him "putting on my make-up" and then he says, "try, try, try!". Of course I don't let him but this particular day I walked out of the bathroom for one teensy tiny moment and as I walked back in this was my view....

Just another day in crazy land with my adorable son!!!! LOL!

Recent Pics of Emma...

2009-09-30T15:12:00.002-04:00

All By Myself......

2009-09-28T09:29:00.002-04:00

Imagine me singing that today because today is the first day I will be alone with BOTH kids all by myself! LOL! Nana left yesterday morning and Karl is back to work so it just me, Max and Emma!

Of course last night Emma decided to be super fussy (for the 2nd night in a row) at about 4 am till about 5 am....which of course means I am sucking down coffee like it's air....thankfully Max has been great so far this morning. He was even concerned while Emma was crying and I was trying to get her bottle ready, get his breakfast, and let the dog out....he kept coming up to me telling me "Emma sad" and stuck his bottom lip out to get his point across!

The big test will be this morning because I have to run to the store and get a few groceries....not sure how I did not notice I was almost out of milk AND bread yesterday but apparently I missed it SOOOOO that means a trip to the store for all three of us. Wish me luck and stay tuned later today because I will be posting some recent pics of Emma!

Classis Max....

2009-09-20T19:44:00.003-04:00

This morning Max said and did something that truly made me laugh so hard I almost peed.....

We were getting ready to head out to the zoo and Max was still in his pj's. He was still watching tv as I came into the living room to get him dressed and I noticed that he had his hand down the front of his diaper....very casually I asked him what he was doing - he whipped his hand out and said no, and then proceeded to continue watching tv. I just about died I was laughing so hard!

I hope this is not a sign of what is to come!! LOL!

More pics of Emma....

2009-09-13T15:08:00.001-04:00

Here are a few more pics of Emma....some with the in-laws and with Max...

Announcing Emma Jean Marie Rudolph....

2009-09-13T14:58:00.005-04:00

She is finally here! Sorry about the delay but we have had a couple of busy days!

Emma arrived at 11:59 pm on 9/9/09, with just 30 seconds left...and she was worth the wait.

Because she has a little jaundice we have had to go back to the hospital every day to have her biliruben checked, basically a blood test....but today she got the all clear from the doctor and does not have to go back for another one! Woo-hoo!

Max is adjusting well....he has had a few meltdowns but on the whole is doing great! She is sleeping fairly well - about 3 1/2 to 4 hours at a time....which is great to me! I will try and get some more pictures up soon!

Take Me Out, I'm Done!!!!!

2009-09-03T08:24:00.002-04:00

I had my doctor's appointment yesterday and much to my dismay I am STILL only dilated to a 1....uuuggghhhh!

My regular doctor was out for an emergency so I was only able to see the nurse practiticioner BUT I am calling my doctor this morning and am going to ask about being induced. I really didn't want to go through the whole pitocin thing but I am soooooo ready for this little bundle to be out in the real world!

I am hanging in there - literally....she is so low I don't know how she is not coming out! She is very active, and so is Max - another reason I would like her to be here so it's a little easier for me to get around.

Was up ALOT last night because I could not seem to get comfortable...woke up almost every 2 hours and then woke up at around 3 am and was awake till about 5 am. Of course Max is up like clockwork at 6:30 am, much to my dismay.

Stay tuned for any news...... :)

Deja Vu'....

2009-08-27T08:14:00.002-04:00

Let me set the scenario #1....

Two years ago I was pregnant with Max...at about 38 weeks I was having some very small, irregular contractions and when I went to the doctor she told me I was dilated to a 1...40 weeks came and went and still nothing. Finally at 41 weeks I was finally induced. I spent went in on a Wednesday night and did not deliver Max until Friday morning at 4:01 am.

Scenario #2....

Yesterday I was 38 weeks and had my now weekly appointment with the doctor. I have been having irregular, inconsistent contractions and when she checked me she said I was at a 1 - barely.

DEJA VU'...

No News....

2009-08-24T08:46:00.002-04:00

Well I am almost officially 38 weeks and still no action. We went to the Mall on Saturday with friends hoping that the walking might get Emma moving....but nothing! We did manage to get Max the more adorable shirt that says "Big Bro", and found a cute little onsie for Emma that says "Little Sister"....I couldn't find one smaller than 6 months so she might not be able to wear it for a while but it will still be really cute!

Yesterday we went to the Zoo and walked around for a couple of hours (soooo much hotter than we thought it was going to be!), and again nothing! I have been having some contractions but they are very inconsistent and not very strong...I have my next doctor appointment on Wednesday and I am hoping that she tells me something good. :) Either way, I will keep you all posted.

No News...

2009-08-19T08:15:00.002-04:00

I am officially 37 weeks. I went to the doctor for what is now going to be a weekly visit and no news. I have not started dilating BUT have had some contractions here and there....I am hoping that is a good sign and that Miss Emma decides to come all on her own.

I would really prefer NOT to do pitocin again because that is not a very fun experience, of course I guess labor in itself is not supposed to be fun but I am sure you get the gist. :)

The other thing that I had to do was have a Non Stress Test. This is all because I will be 35 when I deliver the baby...they consider 35 to be the Maternal Age of Delivery. So because of that I have had to have extra blood work done, level 2 ultrasounds, AND starting at 36 weeks have a Non Stress Test. Basically they hook me up to a monitor and record my heart beat and the babies heart beat. Along with that I have to hit a button every time the baby moves....I have to do this for 20 minutes. Talk about boring!

But the good news is Emma is doing great - she even had the hiccups while I was doing it...it was hilarious! Say a little prayer for me that she decides to come early or at least on time! :)

Ugh....

2009-08-12T13:57:00.002-04:00

I have to say that being a mother sometimes is soooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo frustrating. Max has so entered the terrible twos age. It's amazing how someone so small can get me so fired up. He sure knows how to push my buttons.

This morning we had a playdate with a new playgroup that I found, which I think I am going to love btw....and he was good up until the end. He was obviously getting tired, and when Max gets tired he turns into a total spaz. Truly it's like the Tasmanian devil from bugs bunny reincarnated. Crazy!

Here I was trying to help clean up so the mom that was hosting didn't have to do it all and he starts tackling others kids and thinking it's hilarious.....ugh. SO basically we had to leave because he made one little boy cry. I guess it's not the first time it will happen but still. I think that being 8 1/2 months pregnant does not help me either.....

My Little Fish...

2009-08-07T14:56:00.002-04:00

At the end of last summer we signed Max up for swim class at the City Center and he loved them. At the time he was about 15-16 months so it was basically me holding onto him and getting him used to the water. The class lasted 8 weeks, we we weren't able to sign him up for the next one because of the holidays and we knew that we would be traveling to Michigan and New York so we skipped the winter session.

I was planning on signing him up for spring but then we found out I was pregnant and 5 months of "yuck" ensued so we missed that one as well....FINALLY we got him enrolled in the summer course and I am soo happy to announce that Max swam all by himself today. He did have a little swim bump on (basically this little square foamy thing that wraps around his belly) but up until this time I have been holding on to him trying to get him to move his arms and legs.....

Today he finally did it! I almost cried....it was so cute seeing his little legs just a'goin and moving his little arms all over the place (we are still working on the arms.) He was moving all over the place, I just love it! Next Friday is his last class and I think that Karl is going to try and go since we won't be able to do Fall due to Miss Emma arrival.

If Karl is able to go I will for sure get some pics.... :) I am soo proud of him!!!

Getting Ready....

2009-08-03T09:08:00.002-04:00

We have finally started to get Emma's room all together....we have been debating on what to do for a crib and if we wanted to buy a whole net set or see if we could find something on Ebay.

Sets are so expensive and we really didn't want to spend that much money so we decided to take a look on Craig's List and found an awesome deal. We got a crib, changing table, and dresser all for $300. It's in really good shape and also will change to a full size bed later on down the road.

So now we have her room all painted and got the furniture put together last night....it's really starting to look like a little girls room. I am going to try and take some pics later so everyone can see. It's still kind of mess, we have some boxes of stuff we need to find new homes for but it looks really cute!

I just can't believe that she is going to be here soon....I actually hope she comes earlier than the 9th....she is really taking up all the room that I have in my belly! LOL!!! I thought last night she was going break my ribs yesterday....she is one tough little cookie that is for sure. :)

A Total Max Moment....

2009-07-30T17:14:00.002-04:00

This morning I was making eggs for Max for breakfast and he wanted to see....so I scooched a chair over and let him help me make them. Basically he just stirred them.

When I took the bowl and poured it into the pan he just looked at me like "what are you doing to my creation".....and then his bottom lip came out and he just bawled. I laughed so hard but felt really bad at the same time....

It took me a few minutes before he realized what was happening - even then I am not sure he really got it but it was a really cute moment!