Right on "Q"

Random Rachael

2010-05-27T15:20:00.012-04:00

Another school year is winding down. I remember this time last year when I just couldn't believe Rachael was leaving the only school she has ever known. I couldn't imagine what next year would hold for her.

I'm not really sure what I was worrying about .... She adjusted just fine.... She has grown .... She is almost a 7th grader.

~~~~~~~~~

I've learned a lot about my daughter this past year......

I've learned that I sent her to her first day of 6th grade a little girl.

She came home from the 1st day of 6th grade a young lady.

I've learned that even though she wants to grow up, she hasn't. She is still a little goofball.

I've learned that she will pick her Dad over me any day. She is his little girl.

I've learned that she is incredibly smart. That she is in all "gifted talented" classes. And that she is an honor roll student with all B's. Imagine what she could do if she gave it a little more effort.

I've learned that she is the most social child alive. She texts, facebooks, soccer 3x a week, she has a running trainer 2x a week, she has an 8th grade bestie and a 7th grade bestie, which she says is her way of succeeding in high school. Yes, she is already planning. And apparently she does a lot of planning in school because she gets her seat moved for chit-chatting.

I've learned she is a hair perfectionist. She is very serious about her hair and if it is not right, she is not happy. I so wish she loved her curly locks, they are so beautiful. Thank goodness her Dad brings her to school everyday.

I've learned that Rachael is as determined as they come. When she struggles with her soccer game, she drives on, she trains hard, and she betters her game. For her soccer is what she wants to do, needs to do and loves to do.

I've learned that she may fight with her brothers and she may kick them out of her room 15 times a day. She loves them. And she protects them.

And as her 6th grade school years draws to an end I've learned that she is growing up and I just need to grow with her.

Where did the year go ...

2010-05-25T12:44:00.006-04:00

I've been gone for blogging for quite a while. I miss it. ALOT!

For me blogging is like a walk down memory lane.

I also haven't read a single blog in months either. I miss that too.

I do have a Facebook page, that is now a huge pain now. I like Facebook, but I feel like if I ignore it I'm missing something. At one time I had quite a farm, now my crops are withered and I'm sure my animals have ran to the neighbors farm.

My last blog entry was about the first day of school ....and now school is nearly over. Summer in Florida is well underway.

There are many reasons I have been away from here. Probably none of them are that interesting to any of you ...

So, I am back. Ready to give this another shot.

And I'm starting with a new blog header.

back to school

2009-08-31T11:37:00.007-04:00

Summer is officially over, but you couldn't tell by the temperature in Florida.

BACK. TO. SCHOOL.

And I'm soooo happy about it. It was a long summer, it really wasn't, just felt like it to me. Now the long nights of playing outside have led to homework and making lunches and having lengthy discussions with Rachael on what she should wear to school. These conversations with her are probably THE MOST frustrating ones I have ever had with my daughter. Not kidding !!

Erin started 3rd grade out on a good note. He seems to have a nice teacher, at least 4 days into it and I am still impressed, and I do reserve the right to re-visit the teacher situation as the year goes on.

Rachael started her middle school 6th grade year too. First year that I didn't walk her into school, first year she hasn't worn uniforms, first year she can wear flip flops to school, first year of switching classes, first year of needing to be accountable for her actions. And the most important first of all ... THE FIRST YEAR OF EDLINE ... I love Edline, it is an on-line-stalk-your-students grading system. Everything Rachael does in class, every grade is posted on line. LOVE EDLINE !! She is doing pretty good so far, she is enjoying middle school and looking forward to middle school sports!!

Like normal, we were in a huge hurry .... So I didn't even take a second to check to see if the kids had their eyes open ! ooopppsss ....

Don't they look good? Even Trevor wanted to get in on the action. That kid doesn't like to miss any of the spotlight!

Wordless Wednesday

2009-08-05T10:01:00.004-04:00

Trevor found the Birthday Hat! What a silly boy !

ETA: Check out the book he was reading ..... Mia Hamm's, Winners Never Quit ..... I'm glad to see he on the right path !

Oh Thank Goodness ....

2009-07-31T11:11:00.003-04:00

My boys are boys again .... FINALLY !!

Daddy staged an intervention and took them for haircuts !

I tried and tried, but it just wasn't in my schedule !!

ETA: Either is grocery shopping, car washing & cleaning Erin's closet....I really need to dedicate time to clean the car, and the closet. And just so you know, 10 minutes in the grocery store after work isn't cutting it either :)

rolling right along ...

2009-07-23T13:29:00.005-04:00

The summer seems to be flying by ..... School starts in 4 weeks!

I'm kinda sorta excited about this rite of passage. It brings back the all mighty "schedule", the bed times, the soccer practices, the homework arguments and lunch packing. It is what I consider the norm.

I'm kinda sorta dreading this too. And for all the reasons I stated for liking it. And the big one, Rachael is now a middle school student. I vaguely remember Kasey heading to middle school, and I don't remember anything too remarkable about the new school transition. But something tells me that my little drama queen with put a new twist on it. She is already complaining about the portables that the 6th graders are housed in due to "construction".... I told you, where there is Rachael, there is drama.

Rachael has been in Massachusetts for the past 10 days. She is visiting my family for a little summer get-a-way. Here is a picture of Rachael on the beach at Misquamicut. Nanny took her on a little outing since she missed her beach trip with her Papa. Anyhow ... she comes home this weekend. I can't wait to see her, we have really missed her!

Oh .. and yup, that's a jacket folks. This Florida girl told me that the nights in New England feel like winter. And I guess she is right, in the winter it's in the 50's and 60's !!

OH !! And I completely cleaned her room from the inside out. Plowed through her closet, dug out under her bed. I sent her a text message telling her there was not a trash barrel behind her dresser and under her bed. One bedroom = 4 black yard bags of trash !! AMAZING ....

So summer rolling along ... I have a few more things I'd like to get accomplished:

Get to Adventure Island at least one more time
Get the kids to the Public Library ... they love it, but there is never enough time at night.
2 more trips to the beach
Clean little Erin's room just like the room gutting that Rachael's received.
Get the Garage in order, or in some kind of order.
Hopefully fix the drainage issue in the backyard.
Paint Rachael's Room and Little Erin's room.

We'll see how much I actually accomplish by August 23rd!! I'd be pretty happy with myself if I got 3 out of the 7 done !!!

birthday boy fun .....

2009-07-09T11:36:00.005-04:00

Look how excited Trevor was to blow out his candle! He was so cute!! In lieu of a big party, we opted for something that Trevor would want. After all isn't that what a birthday is really about, doing what the birthday boy would love to do? Trevor's favorite place this summer by far is Adventure Island Water Park. He is now old enough to ride some water slides and definitely old enough for Splash Attack. We went with our dearest friends, Michele and her three girls!

Trevor loves to play in the water. Although he is only 3, he has the courage of a 10 year old. He never is scared of anything ..... but that scares me:)

And here is a picture of the all the kids. They all get along so well, probably because they have known each other as infants....and have grown up together. It wouldn't be a birthday without having these girls around to help celebrate!

Erin and Courtney have a very special bond. It reminds of a bond that twins have. When they are together they are inseparable. They talk the same, they finish each others sentences and they act like this ...

And here is Rachael .....GOOFBALL !

And Splash Attack ... Rachael, Alexandra and Courtney ....

We closed the park down. Left at 9pm, it was so much fun! Trevor was exhausted, but he had a great birthday.

And for the 4th we had a family BBQ at Erin's sister Sherry's home! Had another great day of fun. The kids swam until after dark and watched the fireworks from Sherry's pool. And after all the talking that Trevor did about how he wanted to watch the fireworks, he was a little scared of them and hid inside...but we watched through the window and he was very happy with that!

Happy Birthday To Our Baby ...

2009-07-03T05:00:00.012-04:00

July 3, 2006

Born 7:26 pm

8lbs, 11oz.

Where did the time go? I honestly feel like this picture was taken yesterday. It is a strange feeling when you realize your last child is 3 years old! There will be no more two-year olds in our home again. It is hard to wrap my mind around that.

Trevor was born on July 3rd by my choice via a very smooth induction . He was the most beautiful baby, his skin was so perfect and his face was so full. My 1st son, Erin, was born on his due date and weighed in at a lofty 10lbs, 3oz and neither myself or the doctors felt like that is a record that needed to be beat. See Erin, was born naturally and my body didn't need a repeat performance of that. Trevor's due date was July 10th, he would have easily passed the 9 lb mark by then. With that being said, it was time for Trevor to receive his marching orders. The only date that was open was July 3rd and that would mean he would share his birthday with his Papa, and I thought that was a very cool thing!!

Trevor by far is the busiest baby we have had! There is a reason that the last baby is the last baby. Either that or I'm just so much older that I am exhausted.
So here we are, Trevor is three today. We have NOT mastered the art of using the big boy toilet. We are trying but as of today, we have not had any luck. But I must stress, we are trying. He loves to drink from a cup without a lid. I, however, do not like that. His vocabulary can rival any 4 year old out there. The things that child says sometimes catch me off guard. He rides a bike with training wheels, not a tricycle, a bike. And tackle football is a favorite, not because he enjoys football, but because he enjoys a good tackle.

So Happy Birthday to my baby boy. Can someone please invent the magic potion to keep him just the way he is??

Wanna be cowgirl ....

2009-07-01T15:29:00.006-04:00

I can't believe I didn't post this video of Rachael ....

I was the Mom in charge of the inflatables for the 5th Grade Bash. They told me to find something different, something fun! I accomplished that ......

Here is our little cowgirl ..... She did pretty good !!

I loved how the kids in her class were chanting her name. And, secretly, she did too !!

my week in preview ...

2009-06-30T13:45:00.003-04:00

I am so excited for a long Holiday Weekend!! I am looking forward to 3 days away from my office and I am looking forward to spending 3 days at home with my family and I am looking forward to not thinking or stressing about anything and I plan on doing this for 3 entire days !!

I would like to completely remove the stress-lobe of my brain and replace it with a completely fun-lobe! Anyone wanna help me with this ??

This week is also know as Birthday Week in my family... I have a special post or two coming later in the week, but let me give a quick shout out to some extra specials in my life !!

July 1st .... Happy Birthday Duane .... My brother Duane, aka Uncle Dewey. I hope you have a big celebration planned with Aunt Tara in Chicago ! We miss you !!

July 2nd ....Happy Birthday Albert .... My brother Albert, aka Uncle Alby. Have a wonderful birthday and give Little Albie a huge for us !!

July 3rd ... Happy Birthday to MY DADDY !! My father, aka Papa. I wish we could be with you and celebrate your big 60th birthday!! But we are there in spirit ! We love you and miss you!

AND FINALLY ..... DRUM ROLL PLEASE ........

July 3rd .... Our baby is turning 3 years old ! Yes, Trevor will be three on Friday. I can't believe it and it is very hard for me to imagine that my last child is turning 3. He shares a birthday with his Papa/my Dad by my choice. (Ok Moms don't fault me for choosing his birthday, there are reasons for this that I will explain later). Three years went by so fast .....

That's a ton of birthday's, right?

In other happenings ....
Short week at work (listen .... do you hear me celebrating)?? I am at my children's mercy this weekend. I think Thursday the kiddies want to hit Busch Gardens Summer Nights. Little Erin said he heard Gwazi calling his name. Rachael wants to conquer Sheikra again. I think Bff Michele and the girls will go with us, it is always more fun with 3 more kids!

Friday, it the birthday boys choice. Either Seaworld Summer Nights or Island Nights at Adventure Island! He loves both .... Fish, whales, sharks and water slides !! I asked Trevor what he wanted for his birthday he said Fireworks and "burtday cake" ! That is soooo easy ... DONE !

Saturday is BBQ at the sis-in-laws to celebrate the 4th of July! Family, Food, Fun in the pool ! And at night we will watch the fireworks somewhere .... but my kids NEVER miss the fireworks!!

That is my rest of my week and I'm looking forward to every minute of it !!

Cabin Fever ....

2009-06-24T12:17:00.009-04:00

It is totally possible to get cabin fever in the middle of summer ... TOTALLY ....

The past five days have seen temperatures in the upper 90's with a heat index around 105-110. Insanely hot even for our part of Florida. And folks, hot isn't just hot .... there is summer in Florida hot, and then there is this past week hot ! Not the same ... trust me on that one.

This summer the olders, Rachael and Erin, have been home with Kasey until she leaves at the end of July. They were allowed to stay home with specific instructions that watching TV all day was forbidden and they need activities. Being it is Florida, I ask that they go for a bike ride, or scooters or a walk to the lake in the morning when the sun isn't as hot. But it has been far too hot to venture outside, even in a pool, the heat is just too much. We usually take the kids outside in the evenings around 6pm or so to ride bikes and use up some energy, but we can't do that either.

On a good day, we have lots of sibling fighting. During a week where they haven't been outside very much, we have a sibling war! OH MY GOSH ... We are fighting about Hot Wheel cars, of which we have about 150 of them. We are fighting about playing Animal Crossing on the WII. They chase each other and scream on the top of their lungs, they fight over who gets to put their legs on each couch cushion and don't you dare touch the others legs ... It is getting ugly ...

I am requesting a change in the upper level winds, a cold front, a low pressure system ... I am requesting anything that will make the heat go away and allow my kids to play - OUTSIDE ! PLEASE ! Am I asking too much ??

In the meantime the fact that they are so absolutely cute are the only things saving them ....

Look what he is sportin'

2009-06-17T10:59:00.004-04:00

That's our little Erin sporting some new goggles .... The latest member of our family to wear glasses, he joins his Dad and two sisters. It wasn't completely necessary that we get these handsome little frames, but he has complained about not being able to see the white board sometimes. The doctor said it could swing either way, so we decided to err on the side of caution and hoping it helps this little dude get caught up with his reading.

Besides, he now could be a GQ model!! Right ??

BTW ..... I wrote Blackboard above. I quickly hit the delete button. Every time I say blackboard my kids correct me, MOM IT IS A WHITE BOARD. And they look at me like I am so freakin' old! I know, I totally dated myself with the blackboard comment, but yes, back in the ol' school we used chalk, it was cheap and the school provided it. Now they use the white boards and we, the parents, supply very expensive dry erase markers. What was wrong with chalk ??? And I loved being the eraser clapper girl, the side of our school was dotted with my special clapper art!

welcome to the zoo ......

2009-06-15T09:31:00.007-04:00

Remember this post?? Yup, that was a pretty sad time for our family....

But this little gal came along ....

The kids named her Sadie. At some point someone else in our family added Grace to the end. Sadie Grace, sounds good. Trevor calls her Sadie Baby .... not sure why, but he is so cute he could call her anything and I would think he was a genius.

She is absolutely adorable. I'm not gonna lie, I didn't want another dog, remember we still have Pogo. But she was a rescue mutt dog. We think there is some boxer in there with a side of terrier. Not really sure, one thing is certain, she won't be trotting around in the Westminster Kennel Club Dog show. But who really cares .... the kids are just smitten' with her.

While I love the little puppy, we are currently at battle over the fact that she only eats my flip flops and my things. I even offer Rachael's flip flops in exchange, but it seems like Sadie is a flip flop eating snob and plastic ones just don't cut it. She is trying my patience, or what little patience I have. The only thing that is saving her right now are those darn floppy ears.

Wordless Wednesday ???

2009-06-10T14:54:00.006-04:00

Wordless Wednesday with a twist ..... What is this ???

this is gonna be a long one :)

2009-06-05T09:24:00.011-04:00

On Wednesday night Kasey graduated from High School. It was a beautiful ceremony, a bit long for Trevor, after all there were 505 students, but we all enjoyed the night and now we now have a college freshman in our family.

And this is a picture of Trevor holding the rose he was going to give to his sister. This was how it looked before the 1st of 505 names were called. Around name 200, he started picking off the petals one by one. It wasn't quite so pretty when he gave them to her afterwards. Good thing we teach our kids that it isn't the gift, but the thought that counts.

And yesterday was Rachael's last day of 5th grade, last day of elementary school, and last day at the only school she has ever gone to. After 6 years at this school, she made lifetime friends, had some very caring and wonderful teachers and said goodbye to a school that has made her feel safe and confident. She had a rough day yesterday. She cried .... ok, no she bawled !! And I cried too !!

And here is the 5th grade clap out .... Rachael's class is 1st coming down the hall. Her friend, Kara grabbed me for a hug because her Mom couldn't make it and she was a little more than emotional. The next little girl is Rachael and she walks right into my camera. You can't miss her!

And these are were her teachers this year !! They both wrote nearly the same thing in her yearbook, "Rachael, you are a wonderful student with a great personality. I will miss your smile everyday, but remember .... that smile can't get you out of everything! Work Hard!"

Yup, she uses that smile all the time to her benefit ... smart kid.

It was Erin's last day of 2nd grade. He was happy and for him it was summertime ..... nothing more to say on that subject.

During dinner before Kasey's graduation we were doing to graduation math. Kasey will graduate from college in the year 2013. Rachael will graduation from high school in the year 2016, Erin will graduate in the year 2019 and here is what scares me the most, Trevor will graduate in the year 2025 !!

SO LET THE SUMMER BEGIN !!

Wordless Wednesday

2009-06-03T10:28:00.001-04:00

the big graduation ....

2009-06-03T09:50:00.005-04:00

Today is the day! A little after 7 pm, Kasey will be a high school graduate!

No more high schooler. She is a soon to be college girl. An exciting time for her, although I don't think she is anywhere close to realizing how hard it is going to be. But she is 17 and yup, she knows it all. Not completely shocking, I think most teenager parents will agree with me on that.

I'll get some pictures posted tomorrow. We have dinner tomorrow and then off to the SunDome for the ceremony.

Can I just tell you that I can't believe the high school is big enough to need the Sundome. I mean, I know the school is huge, but I graduated on my high school football field.

I'm not gonna cry ..... PROMISE .....

2009-06-02T12:53:00.005-04:00

This is my little girls last week of Elementary School. After Thursday, I will have a middle schooler. I am struggling with this. After all, she is my little girl .....

I remember walking her into that school 6 years ago and crying as I walked out, my little girl was a Kindergartner and I was leaving her in a big school all by herself. Well, I walked into that big school with her last week and she bent over to talk to a Kindergartner. I thought to myself that used to be my little girl, so small and carrying that huge backpack. She has grown into the big school. And now, my daughter is in her last days of 5th grade. I think I will walk her in on Thursday and I'm going to try not to cry on my way out.

What a year she has had. And she has enjoyed every minute of being the big kid on campus. She has made the most she can out of 5th grade. She has made some incredible friends and had has wonderful teachers who have forever shaped her future. She was a safety patrol, she made Sergeant. And she wanted that since she was in 1st grade. Last week I chaperoned her 5th grade class trip to Epcot. I loved it, we had a wonderful time and have some great memories. Last Friday, I also attended her 5th grade bash ! OMG ..... what fun we had!! The kids loved the waterslide and mechanical bull. The cafeteria was decorated in the Jungle theme, it was incredible. Most of her 5th grade activities are over now and the school year is winding down.

And with 1.5 days left of school, Rachael is ready to move on. BUT ... I am not ready for that ....

She tells me she isn't going to cry when she walks out ..... But I know that Rachael is a little emotional .....And I think she will cry too when the entire school (K - 4th grade) line the hallway and they clap the 5th graders out of the school for the last time.

I miss him ...

2009-05-28T15:09:00.006-04:00

For those of you who don't know my grandfather, the below clip is something he would have been very proud of. His entire life revolved around youth sports, for more than 60 years he coached & managed baseball & football, but he enjoyed every minute of every sport we watched. He even came to every single figure skating competition I had and I honestly think he enjoyed them. He would watch me cheerleading. He would drive my brother to hockey games, and when he didn't drive him, he met us there. I know for a fact even when he was sick, he never missed Mikey's soccer, baseball or hockey games, especially the high school ones!!

He was youth sports in East Longmeadow !!

Did you see that man in the last part of the video?? The man on the left with the sunglasses standing next to the scholarship winner, that's my Dad. That was his 15 seconds of fame, almost :) And how awesome are those T-shirts? I think the caricature of my Papa is spot on. And I'm also betting that my father didn't get me one of those T-shirts :(

Don't you think my Papa would be proud of my Madame President status ??

Time is flying by ...

2009-05-21T09:07:00.005-04:00

I've very neglectful of my blog in the last couple of months. It never seems like I have enough time to sit down and type up my thoughts or activities. And for that I am truly sorry. Perhaps now that we are rolling into summer and most of our activities will take a little hiatus, I can get back on the blogging bandwagon.

Some sad news to tell everyone about. Last Friday we had to put our Bulldog, Buzzy to sleep. Buzzy was a wonderful dog, never growled, never bit anyone, never even complained. He brought him home when he was 4 months old and in October he would have been 14 years old. He was around when we brought Rachael, Erin & Trevor home from the hospital. He was Rachael & Erin's pony, they rode him around like cowboys & cowgirls. He lived a long doggy life with us. The doctor who saw Buzzy last Friday said that Buzzy didn't want to leave us and that was why he was around so very long.

On a happier note, we are off to Disney this weekend to watch Rachael play in the Disney Memorial Day Soccer Shootout. I love the Wide World of Sports Complex. It is absolutely beautiful, the fields are perfect and the tournament is run in true Disney form .... flawless !! It will be hot, there isn't usually a breeze on the fields, so I'm packing the sunscreen! This is the end of the soccer season for Rachael .... it was a good year :)

But wait !! Tryouts for next season are on Tuesday of next week. Yup folks, that is a whooping 24 hours off ! Yippee, what will I do ???? Thankfully, there is about 6 week where we will put the cleats up and enjoy some family time.

I have a ton of pics for everyone to see. I'll get them uploaded in the next couple of days! Wait to you see how Trevor has grown .... he is quite the little man !! And an update on Erin, he is no longer required to attend speech classes, he was released this year !! He was very excited about that.

And one more thing ... Poor Ass Momma Bird has more eggs. This is now her third try at the Momma Bird thing. So far we have do not have any baby birds and I'm not holding my breath. I just don't think she knows what she is doing.

Promise I won't be gone long .....

The New Addition ....

2009-05-06T09:48:00.005-04:00

Meet Lionel ..... he likes cheese ....

I know this is going to sound crazy ... but he actually grows on you and he has me. He is sweet and cute. Just so you all know, he is a fancy rat, as opposed to your every day garage variety !!

sometimes bribery isn't such a great idea ...

2009-04-25T15:46:00.008-04:00

To the overly enthusiastic young lady at the pet store,

Thank you for all your help yesterday. You were very nice, sweet and extremely helpful. This is probably your first job, and I'm sure your boss appreciates your enthusiasm and knowledge. Lord knows, my kids think you are just about an animal god. I'm even sure when you go home tonight and tell your parents how many animals you suckered people into buying today they will beam with pride.

But let fill you in on a little secret sweetie. We came in for a hamster. They are cute and their life expectancy is relatively short. It was a carefully thought out decision of two parents who carefully manipulated their child into wanting a particular pet. It was a form of bribery to my 8 year old son who need a little push (ok, a shove) into passing a writing test and using his little brain to its fullest capacity. A hamster.

It is quite apparent that you have studied up on domesticated animals. You deserve your job. Your knowledge on how wonderful rats can be for pets was amazing. You had my kids complete attention. They only give this attention to me when I am offering them ice cream. I knew right then and there when my 8 year old son who has ADD tendencies , couldn't take his eyes off of you as you spewed on and on about how a rat would be his best friend, that I was in trouble. At that exact point I had this overwhelming feeling that I needed to round them up and leave because this visit to the pet store wasn't going in my favor.

So here I am writing you this letter while a rat climbs over my keyboard. If I think of him as something like Stewart Little I am okay, but then I snap back to reality and realize that at the end of the day Lionel is a rat. With a long tail, he is a rat. And he lives longer than a hamster. And should or when he gets lose, to quote you, I will have a little more of a chewing problem, thrills me to death.

Oh don't get me wrong, my son is happy. Ecstatic, he loves Lionel. And because my son did his best and passed that test, he deserves his reward. I just want to make sure you understand that I am a kind person, a nice mom and mostly a pushover. Be careful because the next Mom you con into taking a rat home may not be as nice as me!!

Former Customer,
Mom with a rat

One down ..... 23 more meetings to go .....

2009-04-16T12:26:00.005-04:00

I held my first board meeting as the Madame President. Yup, I was completely nervous.... but when I walked in and looked at "my" table, the nerves just disappeared...

I had a pink Presidents table .... just for me .... and it was pink .... I loved it. It was very thoughtful !!

Look closely ... do you see the Pink Tiara and Pink Purse ??? How cute are they ....

Yes, I had a Tiara. Totally funny, Totally Appropriate !! I was tickled pink ... LOL !!

Seriously, I ran the meeting. It went along as meetings are supposed to. It was my first, so I am fairly certain there are some things I can improve on. But overall, I was proud of myself. Sitting in front of a room full of people who all have their own, very unique opinions & definite personal agendas can be very intimidating, but I now feel like I am grasping my role as President ...

I may lose my mind ....

2009-03-30T12:31:00.007-04:00

Before I start .... I love my Trevor. He looks like me, he is the only one does. He is so very darn cute. Let me say that one more time. I. LOVE. MY. TREVOR.

But ...

He is something else. He is now a little over 2 1/2 years old. Well into the terrible two stage. And really, until now, it has been a walk in the park. For the most part parenting Trevor has been easy, little bumps here and there, but easy. But the last few weeks, my son has turned into a little Tasmanian devil. A little tornado. A little boy with a big attitude. A handful.

Trevor's vocabulary is far beyond any of my other children at his age. I think it is due to having an 11 year old sister and an 8 year old brother. Trevor is polite, he will always use his please and thank you''s. And Trevor will tell you he loves you, he just follows it up with "punk".... "Mommy, I love you punk" or he will tell you he wants some juice ....."Mommy I need apple juice please butt head". He almost has the context down pat. Almost.

He has discovered that he can escape anything by locking the door. He can take Erin's toy and lock himself in the bedroom. He can take Rachael's lip gloss and lock himself in the the bedroom. And he won't unlock the door. Unless you tell him you have to go to the bathroom. Even if the room he locked himself into is a bedroom, it still work. Eventually, I will need a new approach, but for now he hasn't figured it out.

He can successfully open both locks on the front door. He escapes, alot!! Good thing for us, our front door is noisy. He has a growing friendship with the Florida lizards and he needs to look for them all the time .... it is more like a form of torture. There are many lizards missing their tails in my entryway!

Oh Trevor ... sometimes the only thing that saves him is this super cute face .....

Super Awesome picture taken by Beth ....

2009-03-20T11:57:00.006-04:00

I certainly had a very busy week. I got through it, not sure how, but I'm here and it's Friday! A little tired, a little stressed, I little frustrated. But the weekend is here, and I WILL find a way to not do anything work or President related.

Tonight is my Relay for Life ! Yahoo! I have signed on to walk my bootie off to fight cancer. My walk is dedicated to my Papa, who lost his life to Lung Cancer a little over 3 years ago. I am excited about doing this for him, and me and any of you who are survivors or who have lost a loved to cancer. Think about me tonight ...

In my unpaid position, it has been a difficult week. I wonder sometimes why people make decisions they do. I've taken on a big role, and while I feel that I am more than capable of doing it, I am starting to question the motivations of others that consider themselves unbiased volunteers. Not a fun end of the week, but it's my job now, so I will find a way to deal with it. Dealing with it may require a couple of adult beverages ... shhhhh.....

Trevor-ism of the day:

"I love you Mommy Butthead ....Thank you"

I'm not going to even discuss this ...... but if you're a mom you just know this was accompanied by a nice long time-out. And hysterical quiet laughing as you round the corner

Tomorrow is the big All-Star game for Erin. Yup, I'll be taking lots of pictures. He is very excited to play. I know he is going to do awesome. He is soccer star!

Rachael is a 5th grader this year! Yup the 5th grade class of '09 ! At our school, this is a big deal, they treat the 5th graders much like seniors in high school. They do many, many things, but the big thing is the 5th grade bash. The theme is Welcome to our Jungle. (the 80's girl in me wants to break out into a cover of Guns and Roses, Welcome to the Jungle)

She just received her 5th grade shirt ... So cute.. don't ya think ?? It was designed after the theme and by one of the 5th graders.

Sorry for the poor quality pics...my crackberry didn't want to cooperate at 6:30 this morning.

If I haven't said it 700 times before. My little girl is growing up. I'm hating it.

busy, busy, busy ....

2009-03-16T12:56:00.005-04:00

I'm going to apologize in advance for my lack of posting this week. This is a busy one folks. I have a meeting tonight to diffuse some potential issues that may be rising. Erin has All Star practice for next weekends big game tonight and Wednesday night. I have a board meeting on Wednesday night. And this new exercise thing I'm doing, yup gotta fit that in to. Thank goodness Erin will be home this week & thank goodness for the new schedule. I hate being away from home so much during the week. I miss everyone so much .....

and....

my house is going to be a complete disaster. My poor house, it's not gonna be pretty. I'm sorry house for the beating you are going to receive this week in my sporadic absence. I completely promise to make you pretty again very, very soon.

This weekend was Erin's last regular season soccer game. Of course he has the All Star game next weekend, because he's a super, stellar soccer player, but this was the last game with this team. So sad too, they were awesome. They won every game, but of course winning isn't everything, right ??? I couldn't resist snapping some pictures ...

Erin and his friend .... together these two are unstoppable

Trevor learning to dribble at an early age

The last two were taken at the park for the end of season party and trophy ceremony! What a great way to end the soccer season. Oh wait .... we start spring soccer in two weeks.

remember me??

2009-03-13T10:32:00.007-04:00

I've been a little MIA for a week. Not really sure why. My other job as Madame President Elect has been a little overwelming, taking up a little too much time. I need to organize my life so that I can have a life. How I'm going to do that remains to be determined.

Last weekend Rachael's team played in the Quarterfinals of the Region C Cup. They played so darn good..it was amazing!! However, in our teams true form, we didn't score. Not shocking, we never score. But we win alot. Because we never let a goal in. Many of our games have been won by direct kicks related to a foul of some sort. But, true soccer peeps would know, you cannot win every game on direct kicks. No, you can't. So the game finished in a 0-0 and went directly to post game penalty kicks where we lost 3 - 2. And there is where our soccer season came to a complete stop! Yup ... done. Rachael doesn't cry a lot over soccer, because she is an athlete and losing is part of the routine, but she cried....she didn't want it to be over. Don't tell her ... but I think I cried a little too :( She does have some tournament to play still and they are practicing, but the heart of the season has passed.

Trevor has taken a new interest in the potty. It is a small interest, but I'll take what I can get. I'll share a little secret with all of you. I have NEVER potty trained any of my children. And I'm afraid I may have to potty train this one!! My mom did the potty thing with Rachael while I was in the hospital delivering Erin. Two days...it was done. My daycare potty trained Erin. One week ...it was done. I'm scared! And by the way he still has his pacifier, which absolutely disturbs me. But there isn't a lot of fight left in my lately, and I really think he won't take it to college. I hope not .....

Little Erin is an All-Star!! Yup, my boy made the U8 All Star soccer team. I raise em' good !! He is a very good soccer player. I really attribute that to the fact he was given a soccer rattle in the hospital nursery. Or that he attended his first soccer game when he was a week old. Tonight he trains with the club trainers and next week he plays in the big game. He was so excited when Big Erin told him, he was jumping up and screaming !! Love him to pieces ....

Erin's new schedule is working out just fine. I think we are both adjusting. I think he is realizing how the kids are a little out of control since he is now home in the evenings. With his new schedule he is able to pick the kids up at school and they do not have to attend aftercare, they love it!! And Fridays are Daddy Friday ... he spends the day with Trevor! As I speak they are watching Blue's Clues. That's one lucky Daddy!!

And because I hate posting without pictures....Taken by Beth ....

what is that smell??

2009-03-05T09:48:00.012-05:00

Yes I do, today is my birthday and I dont' want to be the age that I am.

So Happy Birthday to me!! I told baby Trevor that today is my birthday and he said "Happy Birtday me Mommy" ! Love him !! And Rachael in her super sweet, half asleep whisper, wished me a happy birthday and then I went to wake up Erin and he said ...... Today is your birthday mommy and it is like 50 other peoples birthday too ! How funny is that. He is such a little joy!

While my Mother was in town we had an early celebration. My favorite cake EVER is Angel Food Cake !! LOVE IT ...and bonus...It's low in calories!! And she made my all time favorite meal from when I was a child, Open Face Chicken Benedict! I was overjoyed by the deliciousness of my dinner. And, I am seriously craving more. Good thing Mom will be back in 4 weeks :)

My kids did the sweetest thing for me. They sent me on a birthday scavenger hunt. They made me work for my gift! It was so much fun....They went through so much effort to make it fun.

As soon as I arrived home last Friday, I was greeted by 3 very anxious children and a note telling me to "proceed to our lake and on a tree, will be two balloons in view and you will see a note for you"!

And then that note said "You found it, good job and now round two. Proceed to XXXX BlahBlah Way, and on a table waiting for you with a birthday cake and it may be in two, but look inside and you will find another clue for you"! So cute ... And by the way ... That address happens to be my friend Beth!! She rocks ... what a team player ...

I chased notes and balloons around for what seemed like 30 minutes around my neighborhood. It was so much fun! At the end was my brand new Pandora Bracelet with a "J" charm! YIPPEE !! I was so excited !!

So lets fast forward to today ......I am at work today. On my birthday. Oh well, it is just another birthday. They seem to come so quickly in recent years, which is very concerning!

I would rather be relaxing ... something along these lines .....

The girls at work were so thoughtful and gifted me with such an appropriate charm for my new Pandora Bracelet! How great is this ....
It makes coming into work today so very worth it!

Can't wait to go home and see my family !! I really hope I don't have to cook :) and I hope there is some birthday cake waiting for me.

Time flies ...

2009-03-04T08:51:00.007-05:00

Wow...I have blogged in like 5 days! Geez..I'm such a super slacker !!

Did I mention that my Mother and Grandmother were in town this past weekend??Yup, they were. Only for 3 days! But it was a great 3 days and it left everyone pretty exhausted! My kids run my mother into the ground .... hummm.... let me think about that ...... I think my mother runs my kids into the ground. lol !

We had only 2 soccer games this past weekend. One of them was little Erin's game!

Grams completely enjoyed watching him play! He is so talented .... ok, I know, I'm supposed to say that. But seriously, he moves the ball, looks for the open player and he can make things happen. He has learned to play so well with a couple of his teammates. They are quite a force to be reckoned with. Rachael had a scrimmage on Sunday, in the cold, and she won.

Here are some other pictures of us enjoying the beautiful weather on Saturday...

Rachael is all smiles ... whenever she is at the soccer field

Me and my not-so-little girl!

Kasey and Grams ....

Rachael and my other girls ... Courtney and Alexandra

This is the picture that I love! Trevor is 2 1/2 and he can operate an Ipod touch. Now I don't mean he can just push buttons. He knows how to turn it on, how to slide the bar to unlock it. And he knows how to play "whack em' all"!! And he knows you only hit the moles, because if you hit the Kitty's they cry!! Check the cuteness out ......

How cute in my Grams ... Check her out with the Secret Service Hat on !! She is soo fashion forward!! The sun was in here eyes .... and Erin's hat came in handy. Here is an interesting fact on Grams ... she watches What not to Wear with Stacy and Clinton!! That is some funny stuff..

This week the new schedule thing was going really well until the Bachelor, Jason, had to pull his little ....oh I still love Molly crap .... I stayed up way too late watching him try to find a way out of his little ooppss. Not sure why I did, it was like watching a train wreck, I just couldn't turn away. And then last night they has part 2 on. And you just watch part 1 without watching part 2, right??? And I am so excited to see the Jillian ... the next Bachelorette !!

I'm still playing catch-up with my DVR. I did notice that someone has been doing a little erasing to accommodate someones shows...I put a stern warning to the household. Erase "the suite life", erase, "Raw and Smackdown", I really don't care, but the first one to erase Mommy shows is going to be held accountable ... I will hide every single remote control !!

ETA: Sorry for the funkiness with the white around the pictures. I took them off of my mom's online photo account ....

it isn't easy..

2009-02-27T08:59:00.010-05:00

This week, I thank god everyday for this magnificent place and the super-caffeinated-hot beverages ....

The new schedule kicked in .... and it's kicking my butt.....4:30am comes really, really early. I'm having great difficulty staying up past 9:30pm. And the amount of shows piling up on DVR is concerning. If I can't stay up past 9:30pm and my kids don't go to bed until 8 pm .... I'm never gonna catch up! NEVER !! I do vaguely remember seeing the Grey's Anatomy was a repeat this week, so that's good...at least one show I don't have to watch.

By 1pm, I'm feeling like this ...

I want to take a cat nap ... at my desk ... I don't care .....

Some interesting things that I am learning about 4am hour ...

I am finding that folding laundry at 4:45am isn't that different than folding laundry at 6:15am. Just a little more dark and a little more quiet. And that the dryer has an annoying squeak in it. Which is concerning ... because I can never be without a dryer! NEVER EVER!!
Since I can't stay up late enough to obsess over my floors and I need to clean them every night, I now can do that at 4:55am every morning and achieve the same result.
When a certain 2 year old wakes up and tells me "You not nice. Turn the lights off", Noggin has Lazy Town at 5:30am.
Dogs adjust faster than their owners. My dog NEVER woke up before 6am before this week. Now the whining starts at 4:30am. He needs to learn that whining won't get you outside any faster. And that he still gets walked at 6:30am. Don't care ... not happening any earlier.
And that learning how to set the auto-start on the coffee maker should be learned before the owners manual was tossed out.

I'm adjusting ... just not very quickly ....

ETA: Duh ... I don't understand how you guys aren't mind readers ... lol .... Big Erin started a new work schedule. He now works 5:50am - 2:20pm ... Thus the reason my butt needs to be up and dressed before awakening the littles for school .... sorry, should have put that in there ...

my order.

2009-02-25T13:53:00.003-05:00

I'm constantly reminded by my stellar employer that "You are lucky to have a job". And I know I am. Things are tough out there.

We were a 4 person office, over the past 3 years we have become a 2 person office. We no longer have a receptionist. She was one of the casualties 2 years ago. Now we have split all office duties down the middle between both of us.

But who has time to order from Staples??? And who has the time to make a list???

This works for us.....

Empty boxes...ON.MY.FLOOR.

And, yup, that's a scanner. We need one of those too !!

Rachael's Birthday Round-up

2009-02-23T11:08:00.004-05:00

After a super wonderful weekend of winning soccer in Naples, we hurried back to celebrate her birthday at home with Daddy, Erin, & Kasey !! No kidding, I made in home by 12:45 yesterday. I'm not saying I was speeding, I am saying there wasn't much traffic :)

We went to a late lunch with Pappy Ralph and then came home to open her presents and have some birthday cupcakes. I'm not a fan of having left over birthday cake around, so a 6-pack of cupcakes and some ice cream worked just fine. Just so you know, she did have a birthday cake with her soccer buds on Saturday night, so she wasn't cake-less! This Mommy wouldn't do that.

Here are some pictures. She looks so happy. It was her birthday and soccer team just ran away with the weekend ... It doesn't get much better than that for this 11 year old.

Here is Rachael opening her last gift and it was a big one .... her Ipod touch !! She is daddy's girl and this was his idea. It was a hit, she was very excited ...

We went to lunch with Pappy at Cheddar's. Here are a couple of pics.

And finally .. I couldn't resist.... Trevor is such a little train wreck ... but boy did he love the cupcakes. He ate his and lil' Erin's and wanted Daddy's !!

So now Rachael is 11 .... but I told someone today she was 10 .... I guess there is an adjustment period!

Happy Birthday Rachael !

2009-02-22T17:27:00.004-05:00

11 years ago today, my beautiful daughter Rachael arrived and changed my life forever. She is my first child and she was the most beautiful little baby girl!

It is amazing to me that the time has gone by this fast. She was just baby yesterday, now she is nearly a "tween". Not a child, not a teenager, but somewhere in between. She is beautiful, smart, witty, completely hysterical and has sense of humor that I struggle to understand sometimes. She has carved herself a unique place in this world for herself and we are so proud of her. She is a very confident young lady. I wouldn't change one thing about her. There are those days where she pushes me to the limits, but the majority of the time she brings us great joy and makes every day full of laughter !!

She was born pre-digi. I don't have many digital images of her when she was young. And I don't have a scanner at home. Here is a pic of her at about 3 years old .... Look at that hair. I loved it so much !!

Happy Birthday Rachael !! We love you ......

And our weekend update:

Rachael's team rocked this weekend! Yup, they rocked .... the first two games were won with shutouts and today's game we tied.. We are advancing into the quarterfinals in two weeks! We had a great time hanging out with our soccer family too. The girls think staying in a hotel room is the best thing in the world. It is so funny!! I am sure the hotel staff was doing a happy dance when they saw our team checking out this morning. Naples was well worth the trip .... And once again, Rachael's team rocked !!

rampin' up for the weekend ....

2009-02-19T09:39:00.006-05:00

This weekend is a big weekend in the soccer world!! It's Region Cup time for this little soccer star .....

I'm heading off to Naples sometime before sunrise on Saturday morning. Two games Saturday, one game Sunday and I should be home by 1pm on Sunday if I only stop for a drive-thru lunch!

Because we have so many children, they are naturally going in different directions, which means mega-planning for me. I think, and this is bound to change 5X before I leave my driveway, I am heading south with just Trevor and Rachael. There is a possibility that Lil' E will be joining us. But for now it is just me, Rachie Power & the Trevmeister will be going.

I'm still trying to figure out why we have to play in the furthest place south, when there are very good soccer complexes near our home and within an hours driving distance. We are literally the furthest field possible. Directions are simple. Head south on 75, when you get to the Everglades, hang a right...the soccer fields are on the left...

I'm heading home fast on Sunday, because Sunday is a special day! My little girl is turning 11 on Sunday! 11 years old !! That is amazing to me. She is my little girl and she's not so little anymore ... I'm confused as to how the time went by so fast !! I'd like to request a re-do of the last 11 years, or maybe just the last 9 .... I'll skip the diaper part !!

So wish me luck in the hotel with a super crazy 2 year old boy. Wish Rachael luck .... she needs it and I would really like to advance to the Quarter Finals in two weeks .... Wish us nice weather and no traffic jams and a quiet ride to the Everglades .... Wish me sanity and patience ....

And I have something to share with all of you ....A few weeks ago, my friend Beth came to Rachael's game and took some super fab pictures of my little girl in action. She takes the best pictures and could clearly start a little home-based Mommy business of her own ..... I have so many more to share .... but here is a little piece of awesome-ness...

where did these parents come from ....

2009-02-17T09:47:00.002-05:00

I spent the weekend at the soccer field working our annual Recreational Tournament. It all went fairly well, we had about 90 teams, and a ton of games over 3 days. I was exhausted, but with yesterday off of work for the holiday, I was able to recuperate a little bit!

Now....I've been to many, many tournaments, but the parents who attended the tournament this weekend were horrific. They need a little soccer education. They need a rule book and they need some lessons in soccer etiquette. They also need to learn it is NOT okay to call a 12 year old Referee names or intimidate them. That is not okay!!

While I was watching one of the U12 finals, a father decided to try and intimidate a 12 year old female referee. He now knows that was the wrong thing to do while I'm standing there. I very politely told him to stop or I would have to remove him from the field. He continued and became just nasty..... I was in true, tired, exhausted form and told him he was going to leave now. He then decided to call me a stupid Bi**h! ........... Here is where you all will be very proud of me ............ I looked at him and told him he was wrong about the stupid part, but this bi**h was walking him to the fence now!! Daddy boy was so mature that he took baby steps to the parking lot, calling me names the entire way. What a stellar father!! Way to make your 11 year old daughter proud !! He should be ashamed of himself, but I don't think he is .... I'm sure he thinks he is pretty damn cool !

That wasn't the only parent tossed this weekend. Another Mom was tossed for telling her daughter to "take out" another girl! Wow Mom ... it is scary to think that you are okay with violence and that as a Mom, you actually promote it. Now don't get me wrong, soccer is a contact sport. If you are afraid of contact, you should enroll your child in ballet. But there is a difference between a shoulder and a complete "take out" .... no child should ever be told to injure another.

I'm thinking that all parents who attend Recreational Soccer Tournament need a little soccer education. It may or may not save them a little embarrassment !!

And the Academy goes to...

2009-02-12T11:33:00.003-05:00

Rachael ........

I forgot there was a 1/2 day yesterday. Completely forgot. And what's worse, my daughter knew I had forgot.

So Rachael told her teacher she didn't think that I remembered and went to the office to use the phone and called me at work to remind me.

I thought .... wow what a responsible little lady...

But she was talking very loud and being very repetitive about asking me if I remembered. It took a minute, but then I realized what she was doing. She was making sure everyone in the office knew I had forgotten too.

So .. It is only the 2nd week of February and I know that I've now officially eliminated myself from any possible Mother of the Year award ....

ooopsss ....

Getting there ....

2009-02-09T22:20:00.004-05:00

NOTE TO SELF: EVEN THE DOGS GET FLU SHOTS NEXT YEAR!

I'm not kidding.

All 6 of us ended up with the flu. The 3 olders are on the mend and back at school. Poor Trevor is still struggling with it. It makes me feel horrible. I'm walking and upright, which is better than I was 2 days ago. Erin is up and mobile but not happy about it.

We went through 13 bottles of Gatorade, 2 lg. bottles of Children's Motrin (aka. miracle cure), 2 bottles of NyQuil and countless boxes of tissues. OH .... and a couple visits to the pediatrician!!

Apparently the kids school is being hit very hard. They had nearly 100 kids absent today alone!

Enough sick talk .... BREAKING NEWS ...I'm blogging from my bed..

YUP .... My Valentine bought me a new Laptop !! I could get addicted to this .... not good.

So I'm sitting here watching the Bachelor with my new laptop, reading my blogs and finishing my candy grams that the kids want to send to their friends at school. I'm pretty happy and content right now and I'm doing this all from my comfy bed.

Oh ... and by the way... I won the election. I'M a little crazy and I'm gonna be the President of my super awesome soccer club....

Where's the Lysol ?

2009-02-04T09:40:00.006-05:00

I'm so tired of all the germie monsters that have invaded my home.

I have been sick for nearly 3 weeks. Rachael has been sick on and off for about 3 weeks. Trevor's not feeling so hot. Kasey is coughing again. And Erin wanted McDonald's for breakfast this morning, apparently he is doing okay...right now.

I'm not one of the mommy's who brings their child to the doctor for every sneeze or cough. I learned with Rachael that all they do is tell you its a virus and let is runs its course. But when Rachael's fever spiked to over 103 I took her in and since I was going I brought Trevor with me since his cough is sounding pretty nasty.

They swabbed Rachael for the flu and it came back positive. I can't believe how fast Rachael crashed. She was ok on Monday ... and then BOOM ....super sick little girl! As for Trevor, he probably has it, but he isn't very cooperative these days so we skipped the swabbing. I don't really need it confirmed, they treat it the same as a virus.

The doctor checked Trevor's ears and he starting laughing ... This is what he was laughing at.

Do you see the green in his ear ... He highlighted himself ..

GREEN. IN HIS EAR. HIGHLIGHTER.

We were doing some paperwork the other night and he was playing with a highlighter. It doesn't quite work like a Q-tip ...

And for the record....Erin has given the boys their baths the last couple of nights. I really didn't know the extent of the highlighting.

EDITED TO ADD: Received a call from the school clinic..Erin has a 101 fever ...

I . AM . DONE .

if at first you don't succeed...

2009-02-02T14:13:00.006-05:00

As I was reading my daily blogs, I came across a link to this very cool mommy type blog... AlphaMom .....

Funny ... I was just thinking about this today. And thinking that I should really try again. And ~~hoping~~ knowing I will actually be successful this time. And thinking that Trevor is gonna be a little monster.

I tried before ....I really did and I really didn't succeed.

It wasn't a good time to start. As a family we had a lot on our plate. I realized that we will always have a lot on our plate, that's not changing. And I should really try again. He's going to college in about 16 years. I really need to try again.

Maybe AlphaMom's tips will help.

Edited to add: I don't want you to think that I let my child walk around town with the Nu-Nu. I don't!! He only really asks for it when he is tired or really needs some comfort. It is always at home and usually in bed at bedtime and naptime .....

hey granny ....

2009-01-29T09:04:00.004-05:00

Today is the 100th day of school. Big day for the 5th Graders in Rachael's school.

They celebrate the day by dressing up as Granny's and Gramp's ... Do you get it?? 100 is old !

It was so funny seeing all the kids getting out of the car rider line today. They were all so cute. The boys were wearing Bermuda shorts with their socks pulled up. Everyone had glasses on and carrying pill boxes with tictacs in it. I saw canes and walkers. I wish I had time to go and see everyone.

what did I do?

2009-01-27T09:37:00.008-05:00

Everyone knows about my soccer mom status. Well, I'm taking it to a whole new level.

I haven't blogged about because my fear of failure is so very high right now. But I have decided to run for President of our soccer club. Yup, Madame President .. Not sure what the heck I was thinking. I'm really not running, as the position is so highly sought after that I am the ONLY one running for the position. So basically it's just an election process that needs to be done.

I have support on the board, which I am grateful for. But I question my ability to do this. Big E is concerned about the time factor, he knows how much I am already over-extended.

I am very dedicated to my club. All of my kids play there, except for Trevor, but he will play there soon enough. I believe my club has the best interest of the children and I want that to continue.

Enough of the serious stuff. I want to have some fun with my new position. Here are some suggestions that I think will be a move in the right direction.

(Ofcourse, I'm kidding ... don't go freaking out on me and telling everyone I've lost my ever-livin' mind)

The current golf carts are looking a little banged up..I think it will need to a little body work. This color is nice and if A/C could be installed, I would be incredibly appreciative. If you added a built in coolie for my Diet Coke ... well, I'd be a very happy President.

The chairs in our clubhouse are very uncomfortable. Since I have to sit in front of everyone and actually run the meetings, I'd like to do it in style and comfort. This hot little number would make my back very happy!

The official notebook. In reality I would like to see a pink soccer ball on the cover ....

Ofcourse I'll only use pink pens adorned with pink crystals.

Since all the men on the board love the greasy pizza, I think I'll be able to stomach it a little better if we were all to be dining on a set of these lovely plates.

Doesn't this make the position sound so pretty ??

where did the heat go?

2009-01-22T10:40:00.009-05:00

That is some serious amount of coldness. It doesn't get much colder than this is these parts. This is cold enough to send the most native Floridians into complete hibernation. Anything that could possibly emit heat in my super soccer van was on and on high. For a brief moment I thought I received my wish and I was home in Massachusetts.

My feet and hands were fighting for which body parts wanted the heat the most. I spent the entire commute into Tampa going back and forth between floor and dashboard vents. I know what you're thinking. You are thinking that I have come to the realization that I don't want to move home. WRONG !! The only thing I realized is that I need to get me a pair lambskin gloves with cashmere lining ...

What completely put my kids into utter hysteria this morning was this ....

Yup, that's frost on my windshield - or what my kids call "Florida Snow". Who owns an ice scraper in central Florida?? Let me answer that for you, only you northerners who didn't throw it out the window as you passed through Georgia! Lil' E was very concerned on how I was going to get him to school with my van covered in it. They loved the fact that I used the lethal combination of windshield wiper fluid and heat to melt it. I think he was thinking I was going to give them a 2 hours delay or something completely northern!!

Please note that I did not ask Erin if we could move to Massachusetts today...... it wouldn't have been a smart move.

inauguration conversations.

2009-01-21T12:56:00.000-05:00

Rachael woke up yesterday sounding like a seal and wearing a little bit of a fever. No school for her yesterday or today.

I called her yesterday to turn on the Inauguration of the 44th President. After all, it is history and she is home from school. So I thought it would be interesting for her and she can say that she watched President Obama take the oath of office.

me: Rachael what are you doing?
R: watching Nick
me: Where is Daddy?
R: sleeping
(I knew he wouldn't watch the Inauguration)
me: Turn on the Inauguration and watch Barack Obama take the Oath of Office
R: Seriously?
me: Yes, it'll take 5 minutes out of your precious day.
R: We don't like Obama (We means that her Daddy got to her)
me: That doesn't matter, just watch it. It is history ....

5 minutes pass and I get a text .... Here is our text conversation.

R: This is boring and he messed up.
me: History honey, hang in there.
R: Can I watch Nickelodeon now. I watched him mess up. Can I be done.
me: Yes honey, you can be done. U watched history. love u and feel better.
R: ok. whatever. love u.

Rachael is just a mini-mouth piece for her Daddy .... Great, I can only imagine what she is talking about in Social Studies.

THEN -
Erin came home from school today and I asked him if he watched the Inauguration. Here's how that went.

me: Did you watch the inauguration today?
Erin: What's that?
me: Did you watch TV in school today? Did you see Obama become President.
Erin: I don't know.
me: Did you see him put his hand an Abraham Lincoln's bible.
Erin: I said I don't know. But I did see some really big cannons shoot on the TV.

There you go. A 2nd graders take on the Inauguration. There were cannons there. That's what he saw.

Love that kid ....

so dang sweet.

2009-01-21T11:46:00.004-05:00

Here's your dose of cuteness for the day.

Meet Trace .... Totally Cute, Totally Loveable, Totally Holdable, Totally Kissable.

Best of all ...... My kids can totally give him back when they are done playing with him at Aunt Sherry's ...

Doesn't a cute puppy make you all warm and fuzzy inside????

visits from the Grands.

2009-01-20T10:28:00.008-05:00

Yippee, I love soccer season, because with soccer brings my parents, otherwise knows as the Grands...

They love to watch the kids play soccer and the kids love that they love to watch them play. They are accustom to us on the sideline, so to look up and see new, fun, excited faces is a real treat.

This year Lil' E is a scoring machine. His average goals per each game hover somewhere around 4. This year he has scored up near 8 in one game. He is classy scoring kid. There is no show-boating on his part. No jumping or pumping of his fists in the air. He simply does a turn around and gently leaps his way back to the center line. It resembles a leaping Gazelle. I love to watch him. He makes this momma all kinds of proud.

Papa, my daddy, is coming this weekend to watch the kids play a little soccer. Timing is perfect, they all play at different times and different days saving us from the having to do field juggling. And if anyone has missed it, the Superbowl is in town. So there are so many activities this weekend, I'm hoping we will have a few minutes to take some of them in.

Nanny (my mom), and Gramms (My Grandma) arrive the end of February for another fun-filled soccer weekend. Nanny is a frequent in these parts. Her arrival will bring much kid-fanfare.

Talk about kids over the moon ....... They are so excited ...

And I am to. Because my family is everything to me! And I can never see too much on them! EVER! I completely hate the fact that I'm not living in Massachusetts and I ask my husband every morning if we can move. He tells me the same thing everyday! But it doesn't stop me from asking. And one day I know he will tell me to start packing, I just know it.

Until then this is what I am dreaming of ....

Here I am.

2009-01-19T14:19:00.002-05:00

I must be a really boring person. I haven't had a thing to blog about in a week!

Ofcourse, I have things to blog about, but not sure if you will find any of it remotely interesting. Feel free to hit the close button whenever you want to.

Trevor is going through the worst case of Terrible Two's that I have ever dealt with. The boy is difficult and really darn cute. The cute factor saves him a lot. He has become one with the timeout drill. He'll even put himself in there on occasion. So, I'm fairly certain timeout isn't working anymore for him. He has out-smarted me at 2 1/2 years old. I am in for a mountain of trouble with this kid. Next on my list is to google "two year olds for dummies or novices". After 3 kids I'm neither a novice nor a dummy ... but he is doing a really good job of making me look like one. Like I said, the cute factor helps him out alot.

Wii Rockband was a really great idea at Christmas time. The constant bombardment of of 70's - 80's old rock music is taking a toll on my mind. Rachael is the lead singer, most of the time. Perhaps that's the problem. I find myself playing the colored keys in my car on the way to work. Someone is killing the drums as I write, most likely Lil' Erin. Poor thing...

I win the bad Mom of the week award. Please someone send one to me!! I was replacing the shower rod in the 2nd bath and Rachael wanted to help. She climbed onto the toilet and was helping hook the shower hooks on the rod. She put to much weight on the rod and it collapsed, causing Rachael to tumble off the toilet, slamming her shin into the tub. Well, one Urgent Care trip, 2 sets of Xrays and 1 pair of crutches later, it isn't broken. THANK GOD!! It is bruised very badly. I felt so bad. So where is my award??

Today was a day off for me. I'm enjoying the extra day of freedom. Erin's sister and Niece came for a little visit yesterday. It was nice to see them, if even for a little while. We'll take what we can get. Sherry was going to pick out her new puppy. She is a brave woman. I'm not a puppy girl, probably because I have 4 kids and a husband that on some days are worse than puppy. But I'd love to hold the puppy and play with Trace (puppy's name) when she brings him home. Puppy's are so cute..especially hers. I want to post a picture of him, because he is some serious amount of cuteness ...

Tomorrow is the Big Inauguration, I'm sure I'll be watching in my office. I still have some mixed feelings about it. But this is history in the making .... I'm going to DVR it and when my husband isn't home I'm going to make the kids watch it. He isn't letting go of McCain at all. I told him today, it was time to get over it.

(Big E is singing Dead or Alive right now ...... it's bad .... really bad)

Gonna go outside and let the kids run off some of the energy. That was my nice way of getting them off Rock Band and to ward off the headache I know is developing. It is a beautiful day and I heard that it isn't going to last. Tomorrow is going to be excessively cold. brrrrr....

it's official ..

2009-01-14T14:12:00.005-05:00

The oldest Quinn kid has been accepted into the University of Central Florida !!

I am doing flips!! I was really getting concerned that it hadn't been posted. She really wanted this school and should it have not happened, well ..... it wouldn't have been pretty around my house.

She is just far enough away to get the away from home experience, but just close enough that we can bring her or pick her up as needed. I can't wait to start furnishing her dorm room ....

Exciting Stuff !!

Some People ...

2009-01-09T09:23:00.002-05:00

can make a joke out of anything .....

I received this in an email today ....

http://www.aksalser.com/game.htm

I felt a little guilty hitting the President with a shoe ... My momma taught me respect :)

I'm losing sleep .....

2009-01-08T15:32:00.005-05:00

"The Rach" is turning 11 next month. I am completely blown away that my baby girl is turning 11 years old. She is leaving elementary school this year too. She will be leaving the only school she has ever gone to. She will be leaving a huge piece of her childhood behind. That makes me very sad.

I have a huge decision to make and besides everything that is going on in my crazy life, I need to figure out where my darling Rachael should attend school next year. Currently she is ready to go to a local Middle School that is a very good school and this is where she wants to go. Ask Rachael and she'll tell you she wants to stay with her "current school" friends, make the move together, keep friendships intact. As a mom, I like that idea. These are girls she has grown with, fought with, spent time with each others families & girls that have been to my home so many times I can't count. I wouldn't have to ever wonder what she was doing if she was with this group of girls. Seems like an easy decision, huh ?? A no-brainer ......

NOT !

There is also a local magnet school for the dramatic and performing arts. It is now one of the most sought after middle schools. Rachael loves dance, violin & has a huge interest in the performing arts. With our family schedule any other activities after school are just to difficult. She participated in dance last year, but this year her training schedule for soccer was just too difficult. At this school, she could dance and take her violin lessons during school hours. She does have some friends who go to this school. And because it is a magnet school the student body is pulled from so many other areas, making new friends is something every student has to do. And Rachael wants to dance again & continue her violin lessons. And Rachael likes this option too.

Rachael is having a problem making the decision too !!

What is a mom to do?? I'm losing sleep and need to make a decision SOON ! I completed the application today and sent it in. If she gets accepted, then we need to figure it out. UGH !!

Anyone have some insight ??

Whoa ... Easy Boys ..

2009-01-06T14:04:00.002-05:00

I found this incredibly funny quote in the TampaBay Times this am in reference to the announcement that the new Belgian owner of Anheuser Busch will be putting an end to the free beer samples at the Theme Parks.

" I don't care about the lions and tiger and bears," he said. " I want the free beer - and a roller coaster."

I thought that was completely funny..... Because after a day at Busch Gardens nearly every Momma I know could use a cocktail !

But as I read it said not only are they putting an end to the free pouring taps, but they are raising ticket and parking prices. Personally, the price hike doesn't really impact my family. We have had season passes to Busch Gardens and Adventure Islands for years and luckily our price is locked in, but geez ..... for the average person it is going up to $69.95 for a single day pass. Please don't misunderstand me, I love Busch Gardens, it is fun and local and a neat place to take the kids for the afternoon, BUT, I really do not see it being worth $69.95 a day. And the definition of an adult by Busch Gardens is 10 and up. Yup, I wouldn't pay that. That is a little much.

Now I have to call my husband and let him know that he can't hang out at the Hospitality House anymore :)

just a temporary fix

2009-01-05T15:46:00.001-05:00

I'm in the process of updating the background. This looks a little funky, but until I can get the header to match the background that I am completely in love with, this will have to work as a temporary fix. I'm getting away from the brown and blue, even though I love those two colors. But I am looking forward to spring and flip-flops .... I'm working on something a little more cheery!

Do-able Conditions

2009-01-05T14:15:00.005-05:00

My first day back isn't going so bad. I'm doing okay right now. The Diva (the woman whose name is on the label) isn't in today. So we don't have to dodge any flying objects , that in itself was a little bit of relief.

I've spent most of the morning going through my 1800 gazillion emails. I have deleted just about everything. I am going with the "if its important, they'll ask again" approach. On previous vacations it has worked out pretty good. And you know what, they always resend.

Another thing I noticed over my vacation is my 2 1/2 year olds vocabulary. WOW! The boy can put some sentences together. I was shocked. Apparently his hearing is pretty darn good too. I pretty sure that I heard him say, "Suss up Bubby". Which sounded pretty close to me yelling "Shut up Buzzy" (Buzzy is our Dog). I thought that was kind of cute until I heard this..."Yo Away Mommy", which sounded alot like what I tell the dog, Go away Buzzy. That wasn't so cute.

I guess in my house it is time to hit the sensor button ..... These are the times that I wish I had a 7 second delay .....

It's all about to end.

2009-01-04T15:42:00.003-05:00

I have to return to my dreaded job tomorrow. Can I just tell everyone how much I have enjoyed not working for the past two weeks??

To be completely honest I have found that staying home with my kids a little crazy. They are high maintenance, well ok, just Rachael and Trevor. They are bossy, needy, cranky and sometimes all at once. And I forgot how much work it is to stay home. While I would completely return to my SAHM status in a heartbeat, there is this little part of my sanity that is doing a happy dance to be returning to my dreaded job tomorrow.

To quote Beth, I have been off the "soccer crackpipe" for about two weeks. My trips to soccer field were incredibly, surprisingly minimal. I have enjoyed every little bit of not going there every day.

I haven't checked my inbox for my dreaded job lately. I opened it, but when a read that I had over 1800 emails, I shut it. Perhaps an inbox fairy will take care of it for me... ya think??

I had lots of things I wanted to do over the past two weeks. Most of them didn't get done. I really needed some mental health time. So did my kids. While I am completely relaxed, laundry done, dinner made for a couple of days & new schedule calendar up, the thought of returning to works makes me want to vomit. I do owe you a post about my job. That will be some good stuff for down the road. Here's a little glimpse into my job ... Have you ever read "The Devil Wears Prada." I work for a fashion house, the woman whose name is on the label is that woman! While I may not be her personal asst., I work closely enough with her ... Oh the stories I could tell ya, and I will... PROMISE!!

Tuesday the kids return to school. Oh the joy ...... Let's all hope 2009 brings me a new J-O-B !! Please keep your fingers crossed .... PLEASE !!

Happy New Year !!

2009-01-01T17:55:00.004-05:00

I didn't mean to, but I took an unexpected break from the blog world. I have been on vacation from my 40 hour a week job, and needed some time to just do nothing and not feel pressured for a while. I remember being a SAHM, and remembering how much I enjoyed it. What I didn't remember was how darn hard it is with 3 small ones running around. Wow .... I'm like their own personal chef, housekeeper, entertainer, and referee all rolled into one!! I go back to work next Monday, and while I secretly dread it, a part of me is missing my routine, because right now my family is "no schedule" schedule. But I'm really NOT missing homework, lunches, fitting in laundry...all the fun stuff that comes with those schedules.

SO ... Happy New Year from all of us at our home !! I wish each of you a healthy & happy 2009! My New Year's eve was a quiet one, we usually stay home because it is just easier. We ordered some pizza and watched the ball drop. Erin shot off some fireworks with Rachael because she was the only one awake. Little Erin passed out about 10:15!!

Christmas was very memorable. I took very little pictures, because I was so busy making sure I had everything on video! I could kick myself. The biggest surprise of all was when my mother and stepfather from Massachusetts walked in my door. I had no idea they were coming, I thought they were skiing! Big Erin kept it a secret, I was shocked. But I hate not having my family around, so having them here was the best thing ever!! The kids loved it. But poor Nanny, she brought a sinus infection along with her and spent the Friday morning in the Urgent Care. We were able to have Nanny with us through Sunday. It was awesome and we enjoyed every minute of it.

The kids had a magical Christmas. Among the biggies they received were a Wii from Papa, Erin received Wii Rock Band from Nanny & Pappy, Rachael and Erin were surprised with electric scooters like these, except in red. They are so cute, they ride around the neighborhood together.

Kasey was surprised with an Ipod touch. Trevor played with his new kitchen and wooden train set and table all day! The list goes on and on, I can't remember everything. I do know that I just finished putting it all away today!

We said good-bye to Christmas today. I packed up all the decorations and daddy Erin took down the Christmas lights outside. I do think the 8 ft. snow globe is going to disappear this year. I have two sad, nearly dead poinsettas left. It is almost like Christmas never happened. Isn't it amazing all the work we put into the holiday and then it is just over.

Tonight I am working on my New Year Resolutions. I can't wait to share them. I think if I put them up for all to see, than I will be held accountable for tackling each of them. I'm going to make it realistic, as I know that my life isn't built around crazy deadlines and unattainable goals.

On my "to do list" is updating my blog background and header. Hopefully I can get that done next week. I do most of my blogging at work, so I'm sure it will be next week. I have come to realize that it is very difficult to blog at home with the kids. I guess my kids are too demanding.

I wish I was here ......

2008-12-22T13:50:00.006-05:00

This, my dear blogging friends, is Christmas, or my version of what it should be.

Here is my step-father plowing out from the 1st of the 3 storms that hit them in Massachusetts this week. How freakin' cool is this ..... A White Christmas .......

And what is missing in these pictures ??? oh me and my kids ... and my husband, but he doesn't "do snow" as he reminds me of his native Floridian status...("Q" the big eye roll)

So here is my pity party ..... I should be having a white Christmas in the cold instead of watching my kids play in 78 degree heat (well, not today it is only about 60 ...but by Xmas it's gonna be nearing 78). And its not even that I like the cold, because I complain about it the entire time I'm there. It's just the point that I'm missing it and at my pity party, that just doesn't fly.

So I'm wrapping things up in my office and then I am off for 2 weeks. Yup, I'll be back to blogging full time in about 24 hours. I have to pick up a couple more things for Christmas, because I always forget something. I'm wrapping tonight. I forgot to give Big Erin his invitation to my wrapping party that I am holding after the kids go to bed. I need him because after all the "Quinn Wrapping Party" would be no fun with just me. Perhaps I'll entice him with a Corona or two. We can all see that I'm little erked about my lack of snow in Sunny Florida and could use some Christmas Cheer......

Just so you all don't think I am going completely humbug this year. I think my crappy attitude will dwindle a tad when I step foot out of my office and start my very much needed and totally deserved vacation ...

I'm back..

2008-12-17T10:33:00.004-05:00

I'm not MIA, just getting taken away by things that I would rather not be taken away by.

My best friend Michele's mother passed away Thursday, not unexpectedly, but unexpectedly, if that makes sense. She was sick for about 2 years and finally she didn't have any fight left. Michele is just devastated. She knew how sick she was, but there is always that denial. Peg was like a 2nd grandmother to my kids, she was so thoughtful and kind. The world was a better place with her in it. Rachael took her passing really hard, I was a little taken back by it, I shouldn't have been. Peg acknowledged all the kids accomplishments, birthdays, graduations. She attended their soccer games many times. The kids called her Grammy Peg and she loved it! The funeral was yesterday. I am glad that is behind us, it was a little difficult.

In between all the chaos, we attempted to take our children's Xmas card pictures! Wow, I had completely underestimated Trevor's stubbornness. It took longer than expected. Probably didn't help that is was both lunch and nap time. But I think we ended up with two pictures that were workable. So in the end, I would consider our picture outing successful.

Am I the only one not done with Xmas shopping?? With work being completely out of control right now, I am very far behind. My Xmas cards are going out today, I need to start wrapping asap! We are staying home for Xmas this year, due to Erin's work schedule and since it will only be us, I'm going to make a small ham and we will play with the kids all day long! I am really looking forward to that.

Here are some pics from our photo session. Yup, Kasey is missing. She didn't want to have her picture taken this year. I wouldn't have done the Thing 1,2 & 3 if she were in them, but since she was being difficult (she is being difficult, but a typical 17 year old) I went for it...I think it turned out cute.

finally .... the pictures.

2008-12-11T09:18:00.010-05:00

Better late than never. Here are the pics from the Lightning game this past Saturday night. The Lighting lost to the Buffalo Sabres. But we had a blast!!

It was also bobble head night. Everyone was given a bobble head of one of the players. We were the only adults with kids in our general area, so everyone felt the need to give us their bobble heads. We must have had 15 bobble heads, which was a good thing, because Trevor decided he liked to decapitate them and then throw them down a couple of rows at unsuspecting victims. After the 3rd decapitation, I hid the rest. I am still finding little bobble heads, and I mean just the head, around our house. I have warned the three older's to hide theirs ... due to the serial bobble head decapitator running berserk around our home.

This picture was taken after the game. I was trying to get a picture of the kids while the "faux" snow was falling. It was pretty cool to walk out and have the snow falling around us. They all look a little sunburned. We were at the soccer field for about 6 hours on Saturday and the temperature was around 77 degrees, so the sun took a little toll .. Little Erin's eye look a little demonic, but take my word for it, he the least demonic of the group .. LOL .

Trevor kept calling the "Lightning Bug", the "bur guy" .... translation bird guy

I've been tagged ...

2008-12-09T14:17:00.003-05:00

I've been tagged by Another Online Mom !!

The rules are simple.
1. Show the icon on your blog

2. Tag seven people to partake in the fun times (or in my case maybe a just a couple)

3. List 10 random things about yourself.

Alright, let's give this a try:
1. I'm always late. It is a bit embarrassing sometimes.
2. I not a creative cook at all. I wish I was.
3. I'm an over-doer. I try to do to much, all the time.
4. I am obsessive when it comes to clean floors.
5. I love Christmas, but the decorations stress me out. Too much clutter.
6. I think the 8 foot snow globe in front of my house is super ugly and way over the top. Don't tell my husband. I've complained so much about it, that if something happens to it, he will think it is me.
7. I miss Massachusetts and I want to move back, NOW.
8. It erks my butt that my husband loves Florida and he won't move NOW.
9. I'm not even remotely sad that I'm done having children.
10. I wish I was a SAHM again.

I'm taggin' .........

Beth's Blog
Me & My Girls

Have fun !!

catchin' up ....

2008-12-08T12:22:00.005-05:00

The weekend just flew by...It's getting closer to Christmas. "Q" the stress ...

Saturday the older's had soccer games. It was a successful weekend in that department. Rachael won her game 3-2. Kasey won her game 6-0 and little Erin won his game 22-0. And that isn't a typo. After like the 5th goal, it became a little embarrassing. This is 7 & 8 year old soccer, no goalies, just an open net and our team took complete advantage of that. I felt horrible for that other team. It was to the point that we just gave the kids a thumbs up when they scored. I sooo hope that every game isn't like this past weekend. It could be a loooooong season. However, Erin thinks that his win was pretty cool.

We did take the kids to the Lightning hockey game Saturday night. A friend gave me great tickets (great seats too). Growing up I went to alot of hockey games, but the kids hadn't been. They had a super awesome time. Hockey is a very fast paced game, and they loved every minute of it. The Lightning is very entertaining too, so besides the game they watched the band, the mascot, the games .... etc...

What I didn't know is apparently hockey players are a hot commodity in the single world. There were many young ladies there wearing close to nothing and walking the arena stairs in stiletto's. Seriously ladies, this was a hockey game and you were in the stands, not even close to the ice. Do you really think the players were going to see you?? They were in groups of 2 and 3, drinking incredibly high priced, very small, dark drinks (I'm thinking captain and coke). And I'm not talking a couple of girls, there were MANY of them. Another thing I learned, hockey is a complete drinking sport and I'm not talking social drinking, I'm talkin' down and dirty, have to get picked up off the floor drinkin'! The ladies room was not a fun place to take Rachael, many ladies talking about things that I have only heard in the bathrooms of bars in Ybor. OMG !! As we were leaving the single's were heading over to the bar across the street, I'm guessing that's where the players go to drown their sorrows after they lose.

Otherwise, the kids had fun, I had fun and I'd definitely do it again.

I was tagged by Jennifer from Another Online Mom. I'll have that posted today. We have some New Yorkers in town working with us today, so things could get a little crazy up here!

my true home.

2008-12-05T14:56:00.002-05:00

It's no secret that I'm always trying talk Erin into moving into Massachusetts. I love Massachusetts, it's my home. You can take the girl out of Massachusetts, but you can't take the Massachusetts out of the girl.

I really miss home during the holidays and since Trevor loves Christmas lights, I was thinking about Bright Nights in Springfield, Massachusetts. It is huge and amazing! I remember last time we were home for the holidays my kids were hypnotized. They loved it, and amazingly enough, they still remember it!

I found this little snippet on You Tube. It doesn't do it justice .... but you get the idea..

tappin' out.

2008-12-04T11:05:00.004-05:00

I think I know why people have their children back to back. I used think they were just down right crazy, on the verge of lunatic, but I think I know why...

Our littles are spread over 15 1/2 years. The oldest is 17 and the baby is 2.

In the past we have had some hurdles to get over. Some of Kasey's music wasn't really appropriate for Rachael who is 6 1/2 years younger than Kasey. Some of the "terms" Kasey used needed to NOT be used in front of Rachael, not that the terms were bad, just didn't sound right coming from a younger child. Movies are an issue too. Now what Kasey can watch are completely inappropriate for Erin who is 8. And the same with video games, gotta watch them too. And 17 year olds don't really make the best decisions, so you have to stay on top of it. But it's manageable. I'm sure I'm not the only Mom who has to deal with this.

But now the biggest hurdle. Erin who is 8 years old loves WWE wrestling. Erin knows it is fake, the moves are not real and it is entertainment. Erin isn't a child who walks around hitting people, never was, he is very easy going. But he likes watching all the big guys in the wrestling ring. No big deal, until you find out that Trevor has been watching with his big brother. That is where the fun begins in my house.

Trevor thinks that everyone who is on the ground should be clotheslined, figure 4'd, or Batista Bombed. I'm not kidding! He even does the 3 count until you tap out. He knows all their names and he can mimic what they do when they enter the arena. It is really out of control. I have to admit, at first it was cute. The cute is gone. You can't even get a kiss from Trevor without being stiff-armed. I was hugging him last night and he tried to choke hold me. Don't turn your back to the 2 year old in my home.

This morning poor Erin was walking by him and Trevor clothes lined him right in the chin. Enough is enough. No more wrestling on the TV when Trevor can watch. I'm thinking about erasing it from the DVR, but I don't want to punish Erin, it isn't Erin's fault! Erin isn't the one going all postal on everyone!

He's getting a kitchen for Christmas. I'm hoping that will take his attention away from the Batista Bombs and he'll start making him Mommy some calming tea...

completely bummed.

2008-12-02T15:40:00.004-05:00

Tonight was going to be such a fun night ....

But then Rach came down with a stomach bug last night and all that has changed. Rachael's soccer team are the ball girls tonight for the big High School Rivalry and I was so excited to see some of the girls on the team play. I haven't seen many of them play in so very long, it was going to be so much fun. Can you tell I want a pity party ???

But poor Rachael, she was so sick. She is feeling better now. Now she is just needy, you know what I mean?? And what a gross mess we had on our hands last night. I mean, it was everywhere. Nothing like steam cleaning carpets at midnight and loading up the washing machine. I am keeping my fingers crossed that the virus doesn't jump bodies and make all the kids in the house sick. That would be just superb.

So in prep for tonight's game... I want to give a shout out to Bdale High !! Go Bulls !! Go Jordan, Go Brittainy, Go Kara and Go Megan !!! And to Beth thanks for the steal below and I expect Twitters at every goal !!

And this weekend is the start of Lil' E's soccer season. He is so excited!! I love watching him play, he has so much energy and love for the game. Actually we have 3 games on Saturday, everyone plays! Busy day!!

I'm still here ....

2008-12-01T11:18:00.017-05:00

I wasn't planning on taking a blogging holiday, but it ended up that way. I missed so many things while I was away. I think I am almost caught up with my blog reading. My weekend was jam packed with family stuff and every time I tried to get on the computer my kids were right there asking for their turn. So it turned into a little blogging holiday.

Thanksgiving was great! We had a wonderful dinner and shared a great day with Erin's sister Sean, Tony (her super awesome boyfriend) and Sean's daughter Taylor, who Trevor fell in love with again. We don't see them as much as we would like, but Trevor falls for her every time. He likes to be held ALOT, she is always up to that challenge.

My turkey was perfect tasting. It looked okay, until Erin decided to move it and it fell apart. But if it tastes good, does the presentation really matter ?? Oh, and Erin taste tested the top.

Afterwards the boys, and I mean Big E and Tony, played a little golf on the WII and I picked up dinner all by myself. And by doing that I was rewarded with a date night with my husband. He said he felt bad because I did it all myself. oooohhhhhh .......

The kids really wanted to play Apples to Apples with Aunt Sean, because she takes this game so seriously! LOL !! Here is a little video of the chaos. The chatty one with the braids is Rachael. The little one sitting on the table is Lil' E, Trevor is the toddler making his rounds around the table and Kasey is the one sitting on the end.

Here are a few pictures of everyone:

Rachael, Taylor and Trevor

Sean & Tony

Erin & Tony (They kinda look like brothers)

Lil' E settling in for a little Football

Kasey looking oh so thrilled, this is nothing new.

And this I found very interesting.....We were telling Sean about Trevor's fascination with wrestling and how he imitates all the wrestlers. Allow me to digress ... probably not the best thing for a toddler, but the fascination originated with his older brother.

Anyway, we were talking about wrestling and someone mentioned Hulk Hogan and then I think it was Big E asked if anyone saw the article about Linda Hogan and how she can't live off of $40,00 a month (like seriously, $40,000 a month) and Sean said that young man she is dating, Charlie Hill, dated my niece Taylor (the one in the picture above). I was shocked. They met on a cruise, he was a very nice young man back when they were "dating". And she has pictures of Taylor and Charlie together.....amazing! So there is your useless info for the holiday!

thankful thanksgiving.

2008-11-26T09:14:00.010-05:00

Happy Thanksgiving to all of you. I hope you enjoy this holiday with your family and loved ones, enjoying each others company and celebrating all the things you are thankful for. I have 12 zillion things planned for my 4 day weekend, so If I don't post, no worries, I'm okay...just a little bit busy. Big E has his first official Thanksgiving 4 day weekend with us. Never in our 12 years of marriage has that happened. So my to-do list is about....well, about 4 days long :)

This year I am so thankful for many, many things ...

I am thankful for my husband, who is walking this life by my side. I am thankful that he is a good provider. I am thankful for his support and love. And I am thankful that he is such a wonderful father to our kids. I am thankful that he cares.

I am thankful for my kids. I am thankful that they are all so different and each of them brings a different twist to an ordinary day. Thankful that they love me unconditionally. And I am thankful that they throw their little hissy fits, because they have the ability to and that they have the voice to say their sorry.

I am thankful for my family. For my Mom, who does all she can for me and my family. For my Dad, who calls to tell him that it is snowing or raining and what direction the wind is blowing. For my stepdad who drives 30 minutes to give the kids a kiss and hug and only stays for 2 minutes because that is all he has, but he came anyway. For my grandmother, who is celebrating another Thanksgiving. And for my brothers, Albert, Michael and my sister Alexa, they are all happy in their own way and isn't that what it really all boils down to. I am thankful for my nephew Albie, who I don't get to see to much, but I really would like to see everyday.

There are so many things to be thankful for this holiday season. I hope each and everyone of you has a happy holiday.

P.S. this should have been posted yesterday, but apparantly I was a little busy preparing the feast!

Tis' the season for donating.

2008-11-25T09:11:00.003-05:00

Isn't this true? Everywhere you look, people are in need of donations. I try to help out anywhere I can.

Lil' E and I went to Publix on Sunday for a couple of things and the "feed the bay" was there. Erin asked a couple of questions about it, so I grabbed a shopping list and asked him to pick out a few things that we could donate to help a family in need. I'm not sure if he understood the whole concept, but I gave it a shot and he did like the fact he was helping out. Here are the items he chose to buy...Green Beans, Corn, and Mac & Cheese noodles. He told me that every little boy likes Green Beans, Corn & Mac & Cheese noodles. At least he was thinking about it.

Finally, a donation drive at school that I completely agree with!! The little's school is doing a book drive to benefit the Shriner's Hospitals. Not many people know, but my stepfather is the Chairman of the Board of Trustees for the Shriner's Hospitals. What a wonderful organization to give to! They ask for slightly used books for the Tampa Hospital. That was a no-brainer. And my kids know what the Shriner's do for children in need. I have drilled that in their heads and they were very excited to be helping them out. The other drive the school was participating was a diaper derby, to benefit woman and children in need at shelters. Any size, any brand ... again a no-brainer. They did do a food drive, and the kids brought in some canned goods.

And Trevor is obsessed with the Salvation Army Bell Ringers. I no longer am carrying around any change, Trevor has donated it all to the red bucket.

So far I think it has been a successful donating season. I'd like to think that donating to these worthy organizations has helped my children understand that we should be grateful for all we have, because there are many people who aren't as fortunate.

where did I lose a day?

2008-11-24T15:41:00.003-05:00

I need to add a day to the calendar. Can someone grant that to me?? Is that asking too much?

Thanksgiving came way to fast, and I am completely unprepared for it. It looks like Erin will need to do the soccer field duty tonight and I'll take Trevor to Publix to finish off my shopping list.

Attn Publix Employees & anyone at Publix: I am asking in advance for your patience. I am taking a 2 year old to the grocery store after he has spent the day at daycare! He will be running up and down the aisles dodging shopping cards, screaming for the cookie the entire time. And I am way too tired to even try to control him. I'm also sorry to the people that will tell me he is such a little cutie, because when you tell him that lately he returns the compliment with a big fat zerbert! Joy!! Again, too tired to worry about it. Oh, and don't call him girl, I know he needs a hair cut. It is on my list.

Wish me luck tonight .... May the force be with me :)

And ... Happy Birthday to Ben Johnson. Have an awesome birthday!!

oh the drama of it all.

2008-11-22T15:44:00.005-05:00

Today was another super soccer Saturday. Rachael's team played so good, but lost to the rivals over at Valrico! I don't mind losing, well, yeah I do. But I really don't like losing to them. It really erks my butt. I try to put on my "it's okay to lose" face, but Rach reads right through it. Oh well, I can be mad.

(While I am writing this Rachael is looking over my shoulder, she just felt the need to tell me I'm a poor loser and I have a bad attitude....I think she may be right)

There is this one Mom at the field today that was completely obnoxious. I can completely understand getting all wrapped up in the game. I do it every weekend. BUT ... the difference between me and that Mom, is that I stop short of insulting someone else's child. My take is, insult your own kid, mine is off limits. She doesn't understand my rules. She got the "look" from me today...but she gets it almost every weekend. And she still doesn't get it.

I'm going to do my internet research on Thanksgiving recipes. Jennifer gave me an awesome site to go to. I'll be checking it out tonight. I need to get my act together. It is starting to cause some stress. And it is a 3 day work week ! Yippee ...

It is nearly 4pm and the Trevor is napless. I'm debating about putting him in the car to take Rach to a birthday party. It could be a late night ... I think I am going to be in trouble....

what to do.

2008-11-20T19:23:00.004-05:00

I need to learn to say no. I need all my Mommy Mafia friends to help me!

Like soccer doesn't take up most of my idle time, I'm on the registrar for the soccer league. I am on the board of directors for the soccer league. AND IF I RECEIVE ONE MORE EMAIL TELLING ME I SHOULD RUN FOR PRESIDENT OF THE SOCCER LEAGUE, I think I'll cave to the pressure. Why would I want to do such a crazy thing. I like my sweet position. I know why there are many people who want me to run, it is for their purely selfish reasons. I know this, this isn't my first rodeo cowboy. I have to dig deep and think about this.

And my husband says that I should do whatever I want. I wish he would just say, NO!! But he won't. His only input is that he doesn't not want to be known as the "first dude". That's kinda funny.....

So for all you joiners out there?? What is a girl to do??

Let's remember some simple Joanne 101 ...
1. I have 4 children
2. They all play soccer except for the baby
3. I have one of those J-O-B's
4. I am on the school's 5th grade bash committee
5. I am the business manager for Rachael competitive soccer team
6. I am already on the board of directors.

In conclusion..It boils down to this. Is President the natural progression of things? Is President the next step to the Valium Cocktail? Should I seek a psychiatric help and ask for an intervention?

anyone got a recipe?

2008-11-20T09:56:00.005-05:00

For the past 3 years we have stayed home for Thanksgiving. Erin's sis comes over with her family and we eat, drink and be merry. I really enjoy being home for Thanksgiving. Our family goes full speed all year long, it nice to be home for an entire day. I am really looking forward to it. Erin gets a 4 day weekend this year. This is a first. He always has worked Thanksgiving weekend. Maybe I'll be able to hit some Black Friday deals this year ... hummmm, I'll have to think about that.

Holidays mean cooking. I'm not so good in that department. I know there are alot of you out there who love to cook and are good at it. I wish I was, but I'm just not. I wasn't built with that cooking gene. So here I am, Thanksgiving one week away and every year I envision this beautiful table with a perfectly browned bird, surrounded by all the trimmings. Don't get me wrong, I always have a bird and all the trimmings, it just never looks like it should. But, my family doesn't care, they love the food. So why should I stress so much??

This year I'm buying a pre-cooked Turkey from Publix. I did this last year and it was really good. It is a little expensive, but well worth it. At least I know it will be cooked and yummy. Today I am scouring the internet for some recipes. I want to make a sweet potato souffle. I am sure it was 6 zillion calories and 5 million weight watcher points, but I'm taking a walk on the wild side. Here are the things I want to make....if anyone has any good recipes, please email me.
Green Bean Casserole (I am sure Trevor will eat this)
Sweet Potato Souffle (the one that has some sort of marshmallows on it)
Cranberry Jelly of some kind
Mashed Potatoes (I actually can make these, but people have some interesting ways to spice it up & I'm open to new exciting things)
Any other yummy ideas that you can give. The more simple they are the better off I am.

I think I have everything else under control..... I hope.

In my perfect world, this is what my table would look like ....

Trevor continues to talk more and more. He dropped this on my over the weekend:
Me: Hey, are you Mommy's little man?
T: No, me Treva
He knows his name. Probably because I'm always saying ... Where's Trevor? Anyone seen Trevor?? Can we please find Trevor? He still does that disappearing thing. I'll take a picture of Rachael's carpet for you ....... he isn't quite Picasso!

ode to our Sunny.

2008-11-19T16:36:00.004-05:00

Sunny our parakeet was fun
He loved to sit in the sun.
He was a little crazy and a little bit strange.
He bounced around his cage with a bit of rage.
When we left home this morning you were alive.
but when we came home you were on your side.
You were a good bird for many years.
Now Rachael is shedding a lot of tears.
written by: Rachael Q.

Obviously our parakeet Sunny passed on to Birdie heaven this afternoon. I feel bad, we had him for a very long time. He was bought after my original parakeet died 10 years ago. He was the "replacement" bird. It'll be wierd not seeing his little yellow crazy self in the cage whistling.

Poor Little Sunny Bird.

tad bit chilly outside.

2008-11-19T09:15:00.004-05:00

And the Lil E said that it might snow. I think that is hysterical. They have no idea what it is like when it snows. I really am raising little Floridians. The thermometer read 36 degrees, and Trevor wanted to wear sandals and no jacket. He is so darn stubborn and I have no idea where that trait came from. Had to be his father's side :)

Big E brought home my blackberry last night. It was like an early Christmas!! While I love it and I can completely see why people call it a crackberry because it has the potential to be very addictive, I am struggling with the new-ness and learning to work it. But email in real time brings me great joy!!

Still struggling with the cold crap. Feeling miserable and working are two things that shouldn't mix. Lil' E went back to school today, his coughing seems a little better. His teacher kinda gave me that one-eyed look followed by, OH he's back today already! Don't you hate that, doesn't she remember what it's like to have kids and hold down one of the J-O-B-S's?? It's hard!! I did the mom assessment...no fever, no outwardly sight of snot, he isn't wheezing! It's a cough. It's annoying and for that I'm sorry, but it's a cough. And it's a 1/2 day today thanks to the teachers union. PLEASE, don't send him to the clinic today.

Here's a picture of the Trevmeister. This was taken Saturday night at Kasey's soccer game. A cold front pushed through and it was getting cooler, but not cold. He found his mittens in the diaper bag. What a goofball !!

germie monsters ....

2008-11-18T09:04:00.005-05:00

My germie monsters brought home some kind of head cold crap and I was lucky enough to have suck to me. My head is pounding, my nose is running, my starbucks tasted horrible because I have kind of cold that makes everything taste like crap!! I am still phoneless thanks to UPS. Hopefully that will change today. I'm hoping, but it is really funny all the emails I received because people can't get in touch with me. It is almost like I have vanished :)

Last Friday Rachael finally was given her "School Safety Patrol" badge. Her PE Coach has been holding out, I think she just likes to use the word "trainee". The PE Coach likes Rachael, I am sure it is because Rachael really likes PE. She likes to run and kick the boys butts. It gives her pleasure. Well all the brown nosing Rachael does paid off. Rachael is a Sergeant! Sergeant Rachael! It sounds pretty good.

Here are a few pictures ...

P.S. The school nurse just called. Erin is sick. UGH ... I knew I would get this phone call. He was hacking up a lung on the way to school. I probably shouldn't have sent him. Now I feel like a really bad Mommy.

I feel like I lost my right arm.

2008-11-17T09:11:00.003-05:00

My computer monitor at home is having some serious issues, it doesn't come on. I hate being home and not having access to all my stuff. I need to feed my email addiction and new facebook addiction. So until we can get our act together and get a new monitor, I'm limited to work access. BLAH !!

And now I'm cellphone-less until later today. So I'm limited to a land line until my new super duper blackberry comes in. I feel like I'm back in the 90's. It is really hard and I'm totally struggling with it. This Monday is not starting off too good.

Mom left yesterday much to my children's dismay. Rachael always starts crying the night before and recovers usually the night after she leaves. It isn't easy for Rachael, she is an emotional chic! Every time someone rings the doorbell, Trevor yells "Nanny Home"!

Rachael's team played a less than great game this weekend. Rather disappointing, it was their game to lose and boy did they do that. Erin starts practice this week, he is so excited to be playing soccer again. This year I'm not coaching his team. He is so competitive and he didn't like when I sub'd him out. He does much better with another coach, and I'm ok with that.

And it is cold outside!! Super cold outside! I'm wearing boots today! How exciting is that? Well, it's exciting for me ...........

Today is one of those Monday's. Problems the second I opened my inbox. The upper's or the owners in non-Joanne terms, are complete lunatics. I just want to slap them and tell them, yes times are bad, but we still do 9 million dollars a year across all our fashion lines. On the bright side I filled my Quest up with gas yesterday for $28. That is about the only bright spot I can find right now.

I have some pictures, but completely forgot my card reader. So I'll post them tomorrow.

nature took its course :(

2008-11-13T09:27:00.002-05:00

I am 99% sure that the last cockatiel egg is not going to hatch. Apparently, my poor ass momma bird, is a little smarter than I thought. She probably knew it was not going to hatch and that is why she abandoned it. The only other thought is that she is a poor ass momma bird. I think the first one is better.

Rachael took it better than I thought. The good news is that they will have more in the spring. The bad news is that they will have more in the spring.

I quickly changed the tone in the house with one simple sentence, "Hey, Super Mommy bought pre-sale arm bands for Nativity Novemberfest!" and everyone was really happy, really fast.

I'm taking tomorrow off of work. Rachael is finally getting the all coveted Safety Patrol Badge and this Mommy was told he HAS to be there. I need to use all my vacation time, my stellar company has a use or lose policy, yup it's stellar.

i love new phones.

2008-11-12T14:11:00.007-05:00

I have a few addictions. I love Starbucks, I love my e-mail, I love my children clean and sparkly, and I love new phones.

Erin and his new-super-duper-cushie hours job comes with a cell phone plan that cannot be beat. And Erin and his new super duper benefits just ordered me a blackberry! I am so excited. I can email and be at Starbucks at the same time. E-mail in real-time makes my heart race. I'm so happy right now. And I get a new phone every year. That is superbulous !!

This is clearly my week, I have a new lovey purse too! My "peeps" here is sunny Florida are slacking and an awesome friend in Massachusetts happened to be attending a ~~purse party~~ social event and found this scrumptious bag for me! I love it! Thank you Joanne W. !!

The Cockatiel update. Samie completely abandoned her eggs. She is poor ass momma bird. She left her last egg for dead! However, Dr. Doolittle Erin and his little helper Rachael are incubating this egg. And it is working. I'm so not excited about this. Those birds are little and require being fed every 2 hours. Look people, I've done my fair share of 2 hours feedings and this mommy is done!! So what happens if this little birdie actually hatches. There are two things we can be sure of.

1. Daddy Erin won't do the feedings

2. If this baby bird doesn't make it, I'll be wiping away some serious tears.

I opted for the "let nature takes it course" and Rachael pitched a hissy and I caved. Last night, it still was moving around in the egg.

I found that super soccer standing website this week, USA Rank. I am sure soccer mom extraordinaire Beth already knows about this website. But check it out. Rachael's team is #3 in the state!! Holy soccer batman ... that's Rachie #21 power for ya!!

My Mom is still visiting and I'm loving all the time with her. When I tell Trevor that I love him, he answers back, I wuv me Nanny. There is some serious bonding going on there !!

what's up.

2008-11-07T13:57:00.007-05:00

Sorry for the lack of posting this week. My life took me away again. I hate when that happens.

My bio-clock is screwed up!! I crash out at like 9pm and wake up at 4:45am-ish every damn day!! When turning the clocks back starts to mess up your inside crap, does that mean that I'm old?? Because only my grandmother talks about her sleep getting messed up. Well, my boss does too, but she's a whack job.

Big E started his new job this week. He likes it, he has been home by 5:30 all week. But he now knows why I drink. My kids come home from school and daycare in all sort of crazy, whacked out, hyped up ways. My only remark was ... Honey, welcome to our life. And then I laughed.

Nanny is here and has the kids at the park. My house is so quiet, except for the damn birds who are still trying to procreate. We still have one egg. Not sure if it is going to hatch. I honestly think Samie is bored with the whole sitting on an egg thing. In fact she hasn't been on the egg all morning. So not sure where we stand on the whole baby bird thing.

I'm using Nanny's laptop cuz my computer is having some monitor issues. I knew she has tons of pictures of my kids so I checked them out... I found the best pictures of my kids. It is like a looking into the past. They are a whole lot of cuteness .... But is makes me realize how fast the times goes.

Here is Rachael, she is about 3 and Little Erin who looks about 10 months old !

Let's see .... this had to be 2005. Erin was 5 and Rachael was 7.

This was Rachael's 1st day of 1st grade. Erin was about 4. Did I really start straightening her hair in 1st grade. I can't believe it. She loves straight hair!! Her hair is curly, but it is beautiful curly. You always want what you don't have!

Here is Erin. He has to be about 3 years old. The cuteness factor is off the chain!

Rachael & Erin with Charley the Hamster.... Charley was fun ....

trevor-ism

2008-11-04T13:05:00.004-05:00

Me: Trevor, pls give mommy your nu-nu (pacifier)

T: No, me momma

Me: Trevor, the nunu is for babies and you are a big boy now. Please give me the nunu.

T: No, me momma. I yuv me dadda.

Me: Daddy wants mommy to get your nunu because you are a big boy.

Here is the Trevor-ism

T: No, me momma. me nunu. not you nunu.

And then he ran ..... and locked himself in his bedroom. We used a metal hanger to break in. He was playing with the farm animals.

I'm seriously contemplating have Daddy Erin reverse the locks on all the doors. This is a new favorite thing for him to do and I am fairly certain if he pulls this on "The Nanners" next week, my mother will have a heart attack.

my vote counted..

2008-11-04T10:06:00.004-05:00

I voted today. It's not the first time, but it is the first time that I have waited about 1 1/2 hours. Mostly because my last name starts with a "q". But I voted, and I have a sticker to prove it.

I'm not going to get all on my political high horse, I'll save you the drama. But if you are able to vote, please go vote. I am firm believer that everyone's vote counts. I will admit, that I knew NOTHING about the retaining the local judges. But I guess that if they are there, they were elected before by voters, so what the heck. I voted to keep them there.

Back to the 1 1/2 hour wait. Forgive me in advance, but the median age for poll workers in Florida is 72, give or take 5 years. My voting place is very deceiving, while you move at a steady pace outside, once inside if your name starts with L - R, you had another 45 minute wait. I watched in disbelief as many of my neighbors who were very far behind me high fived me as they passed! The nice lady doing L- R apparently had an issue with a contact lens and it took her twice as long to go through her name book. That is my luck, this stuff happens to me all the time. I was prepared though. I had my Starbucks and my cellphone. Both can keep me entertained, so I was okay. I text messaged, I facebooked, I emailed. I was okay.

Upon arrival, this is what I was greeted with:

After casting my super, ever so important vote, I found this .... are you kidding me??

But did you know with your "I voted" sticker you get a free tall Starbucks coffee and a free Chick-fil-A Sandwich ??? yummy ....

Trick or Treat ........

2008-11-03T09:18:00.005-05:00

Honestly, it wouldn't be a holiday in my home without a little drama added to the mix. Rachael had this super cute Disco Diva costume, that I couldn't wait for her to wear, and she decided that she absolutely hated it 10 minutes before we were to hit the pavement. She decided last years costume worked a little better for her. So back to the Pirate Cutie of yester-year. I had nothing in me to fight her with. Trevor hated his costume and all things related to trick or treating. He was perfectly happy sitting on the front entry with Dad and Dad's boys putting back a few Corona's. Me and the mommy mafia, pulled the wagon full of adult beverages around the "hood".

To tell the truth, I really couldn't fight with Rachael, because I did something absolutely horrible and completely by mistake and a felt like a complete loser. We have 6 cockatiel eggs, only two of them are actually viable. You have to "candle" the eggs every 2 days to see if the air bubble tilted. Because if it is, you should have a baby bird in about 24 - 36 hours. Well, while candling it, the bird flew out of the cage, scaring the crap out of me, and I dropped it. I immediately started crying. I felt so horrible. Rachael was so upset, and rightfully so. I was heartbroken. It was completely by mistake and I felt a wave a nausea come over me at the exact moment it left my fingers. It put one heck of a damper in my Halloween mood. Now you understand why I wasn't arguing with Rachael over her costume....We now have one egg that may or may not hatch and I'm not touching it. I don't care ... I'm not. I too afraid of a repeat.

We also did some soccer-ing over the weekend. Both Kasey & Rachael's teams won. So that was a good start to the official season. I'm going to reserve the right to further blog about the games after next weekend. There was some drama there too, but I am going to give some people the time to redeem themselves, before a set forth on a mom rage. And we finished painting the living room and playroom. My body feels like it was hit by a mack truck. But we had to get it done because next Saturday my Mom (aka... The nanners) rolls in.

Erin started his new job today. Which I am sure I haven't told you about before. So some of you are like ....... What the ?? HUH ??? Sorry, it happened kinda fast and time tends to get away from me. My life is way bigger than me, and I spend a lot of time chasing it, if that makes sens to anyone. Erin got a job in the corporate world. He is out of the restaurant business. No more for him, he was tired of it and the hours were less than family friendly. So he is in training for a few weeks and then he will have a set schedule. phew ...... no lapse in paychecks, it was an easy transition.

So here are the pictures of the kids. Kasey is M.I.A, as she decided the Spooky Trail and Texas Chainsaw Massacre were more fun than us. I know, that's a complete shocker. We're pretty cool ...

My Little Pirate

My Pirate Cutie and My Little Pirate

My Spooky Scary Thingy !

Rachael and her friend (who was a soccer goblin)

it's trick or treat .......

2008-10-31T10:34:00.004-04:00

How many Mom's sent their kids to school today feeling really bad for the teachers?? OMG, my kids, especially Erin, will definately be getting indicators on their behavior cards. He was already talking tootsie rolls, and mini snickers before he even had his breakfast. I going to send Mrs. Sheppard an "in advance and just in case apology". I so know, its not going good there....

Tonight is the annual "TRICK OR TREAT, DON'T BE A CREEP". And because Halloween falls on a Friday this year, there will be a huge after party! yeah!! This year, we will be using the smaller cooler filled with adult beverages, in order to make room for Trevor in the wagon. LOL! Last year, the cooler was too big to fit Trevor and we took turns carrying a 1/2 dressed toddler spider. Lessons learned .....

In true Quinn tradition we left getting a pumpkin until the last minute! We are super slackers these days. We went to a pumpkin patch, which in Florida is the equivalent to a pop up table on the side of the road. At least they had Halloween Decorations for photo ops. We picked up the pumpkin and carved it all in one night. Done deal. And the true to Quinn tradition, I burned half the pumpkin seeds. Funny thing, my kids think that is how they are supposed to look ... because I burn them every year ......

Happy Halloween to all!! I hope you and your children enjoy their outings and your little witches and ghosts come crashing off their sugar highs by midnight ....

And for your Halloween enjoyment ........ a few photos ......

This isn't our pumpkin, but I thought it was completely cool

P.S. Did you know that 4 rolls of Smarties are only 2 Weight Watcher Points ...... Yahoo !!

not going so good.

2008-10-30T10:42:00.002-04:00

Regarding operations "no no to the nu-nu" ........ not going so good.

And Nanny Pat flies in next Saturday. I was hoping he would not need the pacifier by now. But I have failed. I'm just tired.

There could be a bright side to this story. While I completely collapse at the sound of Trevor whining for it, my mother isn't a wimp. She doesn't cave. Like a super hero, she laughs in the face of danger. And trust me, when Trevor wants something, he can be dangerous. But you all should know, she loves her grandkids and they love her right back !!

I'm also buying a potty seat ........ but don't tell Nanny .....

finally.

2008-10-29T11:42:00.005-04:00

We have our Halloween Costumes. We are really late this year. At least with Trevor & Rachael. Erin has had his for quite some time.

Rachael costume is 100% Rachael. She's going to be a Disco chic. I think it is a cross between hippie girl and GoGo girl. Either way, really cute.

Trevor is going to be a pirate and he looks so darn cute in it! It really doesn't take a whole lot to make Trevor look cute. He has that trick mastered.

Lil' Erin has been telling me for weeks that he wanted to be something scary (I'm not linking his costume because of all you monster haters, lol). I really think it is a complete boy thing. I'm not big on guts and blood, but Erin has been pushing me about this. We all know as parents that we need to choose our battles carefully. I really didn't feel like this was that huge of battle to fight, so we came to a great compromise. Erin is a scary thingy, it has a holographic chest that shows ribs, not bloody and disgusting, but nonetheless, Erin thinks it is and that is all that matters. So while we did go a little on the scary side, we did so without going all blood and guts, because this momma doesn't really think that is appropriate for an 8 year old!

And here is a cockatiel update. Samie now has 6 eggs, and I think she is done laying them. We definitely have one baby cockatiel. When you candle the egg with a flashlight you can see it moving around. I call it my ultrasound machine! And one egg has veins. So as long as all goes well, we will have at least one baby cockatiel and possibly two. I'm hesitant to say this because what if something goes wrong?? ugh ...... I'm not ready for this. But I'm preparing for the baby, I have a beautiful basket ready to welcome the little bird. If my counting is right, we should welcome this addition sometime early next week. I think ..... I'm gonna go do some more research. Keep your fingers crossed. At this point, I hope it goes well .....

Here are some cute pics of the kids that I took at a birthday party we were invited to last month.

i'm so over it.

2008-10-26T17:50:00.002-04:00

How does a team win 2 games with shut-outs & tie one game and not move on the finals? How the heck does that happen to Rachael's team EVERY tournament?? Goal Differential is so overrated. I'm over it, I'm sick of winning and not being in the big game. I am so very mad, and I'm over 1 certain person on our team. I'm soooo over that person. I'll be careful what I say because that person may or may not read my blog and because my wonderful, beautiful, super terrific soccer player needs to interact with this person, unfortunately. But if this person is involved next year with my daughters team, she will not be involved with this team. That is how over this person I am. I'm a really bad soccer mom. And I know it. I'm too involved.

I went to Chili's for lunch, thinking I would be able to chill out over some chips and salsa and I didn't. It cheered Rachael up though. She played awesome, but if you ask this certain person, I'm guessing that person would say she didn't. And, No it's not her coach. He's still ok in my book. She played really good, even took one for the team in the box. All of her drama does pay off, she knows how to fall down and make it look good!!

I go back to work tomorrow, and I'm sure I'll still be mad. It takes me a long time to get over things. I need to do all my house stuff before tomorrow am. Not gonna happen.

I did have Rachael's parent/teacher conference on Friday. It was okay, boy those teachers are tough. Not sure I appreciated her lack of humor, apparantly she doesn't find Rachael as funny as the rest of the world does.

Trevor is doing that disappearing thing again. He does it so well these days .... I'll try to write more soon, when I can turn my attitude around.

tgif... right??

2008-10-24T09:06:00.002-04:00

Thank God It's Friday !! I hear ya. This week has dragged on & on & on & on.

I have another 1/2 day today, as my super awesome daycare needed a a little vacation. I can't blame them. Sometimes after a crazy weekend with my children, I think I need a vacation. They are back to being super awesome on Monday. But Trevor misses them, he keeps asking for him "nucle non & onnie nene". Translation...Uncle Ron & Auntie Susie.

Our crazy busy Pappy stopped by for a minute last night. Well a little more than a minute, it was actually 2 1/2 minutes. But we'll take what we can get. The kids love to see him!! Trevor started jumping up and down yelling "me pappy, me pappy here". All the kids got to tell him one thing and then he was gone. Rachael showed him the eggs, Erin told him he is going to the Science Olympics Finals today. But he didn't really need to be told that, since there were paper airplanes all over the floor. 2nd grade Science Olympics require the students to make a paper airplane and whoever can make it fly the longest wins. Erin won for his class and now he is moving on. I'm not sure how well he will do, since I stink in the making airplanes department.

I had Erin's parent / teacher conference. UGH ! I hate going to these. With Erin, there is always obstacles to get around. There I was, by myself and an entire team of teachers throwing papers at me. In attendance were - me, his classroom teacher, his intern student teacher, his reading teacher, writing coach & speech therapist. Count them ....... all for one student. And I shouldn't complain, he is getting the best education possible for a child with a learning disability. But my brain only can take in so much information and then I forget vital questions. Bottom line, Erin is improving! YEAH ! His reading is getting better, his writing is on level and so is his math. I walked out with a little happier, a little less stressed out. He's doing good and I'm proud of him. Rachael's conference is tonight .... it should be interesting....

We have a soccer tournament this weekend. So we'll be gone most of Saturday and Sunday. But this is what we do in soccer season. Home is just a place to wash a uniform .... and get a little sleep.

Here is Rachael's weekend wear ....... Rachie Power #21 !!

zoo boo.

2008-10-23T09:10:00.007-04:00

Yup, I have the Zoo Boo pics for you....

First an update on the Cockatiel egg situation. We now have 5 eggs. And Samie won't get off of them. I've read everything I can on what to do if these little bugs hatch, but still feeling like I need a bird nurse. We candled the eggs last night and found one egg with veins, which means it at one time was viable, is viable or on its way to being viable. That leaves 4 that are DOA or just haven't developed that far yet. Still one bird scares the crap out of me. Have you seen pictures of baby birds on the Internet, they are a little scary looking. It is definitely only a face a momma can love.

My daycare is on vacation for the next two days. So we are tag teaming Trevor. I'm working 1/2 days today and tomorrow, while Daddy takes the AM shift. I'll be picking up from school. I have a parent / teacher conference for Erin today and Rachael's tomorrow.

So we went to Zoo Boo at Lowry Park Zoo last Saturday night. I did not take Trevor, as it was way past his bedtime and he would have been completely out of control. I went with BFF Michele and her 3 girls, Rachael & Lil E. We had so much fun. The haunted houses are rated by skulls. 1 skull = not scary and 7 skulls means = very scary for kids. Little Erin was talking smack all day about he was going in the 7 skull haunted houses. He barely made it through the 5 skull haunted house without crying! Rachael went in all the haunted houses, she loved it. At one point, I was a little scared, and I'll admit it....I used Rachael as a human shield. The darn white faced scary guy was invading my personal space and Rachael was handy, I threw her between us and it worked like a charm. I'm a good mom .... I really am. All the rides were open, and the kids had a blast. I didn't have a stroller with me because I was minus a toddler, but now I understand why people cuss out strollers and why people always give me the mean glare. I get it now, strollers are annoying. I must have been hit by a stroller 5 times that night. I promise, I will be more careful of non-stroller moms in the future. And for all those I have run into in the past 10 years, I'm a little sorry for that, but you kinda deserved it for giving me that nasty glare.

Here is our Zoo Boo Pictures .......

Courtney, Erin & Rachael with a Screech Owl...I think he is supposed to be scary ..

Erin on the Haunted Carousel

The Kids in Midway Madness ... The clowns were a little freaky lookin'

Erin was waiting outside the Ladies Room for the girls to come out. He scared them all night long.

hysterical

2008-10-21T14:33:00.002-04:00

When I watched this the other night, I laughed my butt off. It is by far the funniest thing I have watched in a long time. Amy Poehler is awesome. She is so mega-pregnant and she's still got moves, and amazingly she can still move!!

so much to tell ..

2008-10-20T11:22:00.008-04:00

so little time right now...

Had a great weekend. Didn't do all that much, but didn't rest all that much easier. As I write this, I did do alot ...what was I thinking...

I hemmed some new curtains for my living room, not much fun. While I did that Trevor Dry-erase markered himself. He loves the dry erase board, he calls it his "oomewor", which translates into homework. Trevor is so smart, he is such a little genius. Check out his arm. He wrote "I love Trevor". This means he's a genius, right ?? HA! Rachael fessed up for the arm graffiti!

Here is his "oomewor" !!

Saturday night we went to Zoo Boo at Lowry Park. It was a lot of fun. I have tons of pictures of that that I"ll post those later this week. Our cockatiel Samie now has 4 eggs! She seems to continually roll aside egg #1, I think that means that it isn't a viable egg. Not sure, but I keep returning it to her. She hisses at me, she really isn't very happy these days.

Yesterday Rachael's team were supposed to be the ball girls for the USF Women's Soccer game. But instead they just stood there with the little pom-pom's looking very un-cheerleader like. Not sure what they really did down there. But they had fun. However, I chased Trevor all over the stadium. He finally fell asleep in the last 5 minutes of the game. USF lost the game to 2-0. No idea who they played, I was too busy chasing Trevor to even ask.

AND .... Last night the Tampa Bay Rays beat the Red Sox ........ And we are going to the World Series. Guess I'm going to have get Erin's Ray-Hawk trimmed up!

big news - in a an avian kinda way.

2008-10-16T09:55:00.005-04:00

I found this in the Cockatiel's cage Monday night. Look real close, under Samie's wing

It's an egg. A cockatiel egg. I'm going to be a cockatiels baby grandma! And I'm struggling with the happiness that should come with such a huge event. But you know who is going to be taking care of these little furry bundles of joy. ME! I'll be hand feeding. That is, IF THEY HATCH. I'm not doing anything to stop them from hatching. Because if you take eggs away from a Cockatiel Momma, she continues to lay eggs. And I don't want to taken over by eggs.

We had bought Rachael a cockatiel about 2 years ago, because she HAD to have one. His name is Samie. We thought Samie was a boy. Then about 8 months ago, we FOUND a cockatiel and we thought he was boy too. Well, we are right about Bingo. Bingo is a boy. Samie, well we now know she is a girl!

About 2 weeks ago, Little Erin told me that Samie was giving Bingo a piggyback. I thought that Bingo was just being a little aggressive. But thanks to a "google search", we now know that they were getting a little freaky in the cage! Duh, I should have know what comes next. But seriously, who has time to think about Cockatiel eggs??

So now we have two eggs in the nest. I am fairly certain that one egg is not going survive. It wasn't laid in the nest, and it was rolled around a little, kinda like my Sunday morning scramble. The second egg appeared last night during 6pm and 7:30pm. That was laid in the nest, and seems to be holding its own under Samie's wing. And according to my research, she should lay at least 2 to 4 more.

My biggest problem is what the heck to I do if they actually hatch!! I'm going to have to find a bird daycare. I clearly can't take chicks to work with me. Everyone in my building will be calling me the "bird lady". Who wants to be known as that!

My research tell me that it is difficult to get these little guys to hatch. So I may not even be a cockatiel baby grandma. But the kids think it is cool.

But I'm afraid that when day 18 comes and there is only very still eggs sitting in the cage, there may be a little disappointment on their faces.

That's when I say..."Pile in the car, we're going for ice cream". So keep your fingers crossed.

Here are pictures of the happy couple.

Samie "The Momma"

Bingo "The Papa"

sorry.

2008-10-15T15:41:00.002-04:00

I am so crazy busy at work and I have this super great post. But it will have to wait until tomorrow.

I have a board meeting tonight and then the laundry pile needs to be tackled and managed. The school lunch tomorrow was classified as "ewww that's gross", so now I have to make lunches, after the board meeting. Erin is working late, so no help in sight. Tonight is also the last Presidential debate, which I guess I'll DVR, because I'm a concerned American.

I am waiting on a return e-mail from Rachael's teacher and the latest update on the lunatic mom. But my daughter is safely patrolling WF1 (Water Fountain 1) and that means flag duty again. She is so nervous not to repeat the flag incident. So once I hear from the teacher, I'll give the update.

Also, in Rachael news. She is now walking free without the walking cast. Free to play soccer again and participate in PE. She is very happy. Erin is proudly sporting the Rays-hawk and I think it is working. The Rays are super awesome and plowing through Fenway. Kasey started her last year of organized youth league soccer, this is a milestone year. Our first soccer player moving on after youth sports. UGH!! Oh, and Trevor...He's just Trevor the tornado. No more explaining needed.

Check tomorrow for some big news ......... Just so your minds don't wander. The news does not involve me and maternity clothes. Because in case you haven't heard that news flash, I'm done adding to this worlds population... I've done my share of damage.

to answer your e-mail.

2008-10-12T09:59:00.003-04:00

I received an e-mail about the lunatic Mom situation. I thought I would answer it in an open forum. Without disclosing who it was from, here is an excerpt.

"I think you are out of line. She is just protecting her child. Perhaps your child isn't telling you the entire story. Kids sometimes don't get along and it takes a mom to step in and get the issues fixed. I would do the same thing if I was in that situation"

Are you kidding me? This is an e-mail. Leave it in the comments or are you scared that my Mommy Mafia friends would hunt down your blog and call you out on your parenting skills.

First, you aren't a Mom, if you think I'm out of line. And you would do things the same? You would threaten a 10 year old? I don't think I even need to address your e-mail any further. But for haha's, I will.

Second, I do know that my daughter has faults. She is snappy, standoff-ish at times and very protective. The apple doesn't fall from the tree. I do not get involoved with 5th grade politics and the jockey-ing for popularity. But you need to know the girls who fight today are the best friends of tomorrow. So when Rach comes home upset because little Susie was mean today, I guide her the best way I can to resolve the issue and 9 times out of 10 she comes home the next day and tells me everything is fine. I am also a firm believer of the chain of command. If there is really a personality conflict, let the teacher take a stab at making it better. If all routes are exhausted, I'll step in. But lets be real folks, we are talking about 5th grade girls.

I do know the whole story. I called the teacher on her cellphone on Friday who also was told the same story from a 3rd party. With that being said Rach and "Blah" girl have a little history. She is new to the school and she carrying a little attitude. They have had a few "encounters" over the course off the school year. But who cares. This time "blah" told Rachael's friends that her food was disgusting, it disgusted her, how can you eat that, and you are disgusting for eating it. So Rach's friend is kind of a quieter girl. So my daughter took it upon herself to tell "blah" that her friend didn't need her permission to eat her food, and that they didn't ask her opinion, and that perhaps she should keep her mouth shut if she didn't haven anyting nice to say.

And then that's where Mom rolled up and made a huge mistake.

And did I mention this isn't this girls first "conflict" with another student. Hummmmm.....looks like there is a pattern.

One more thing. "Blah" mom was standing next to me at open house and had the nerve to call Trevor cute, because Trevor was screaming, "I go home NOW" on the top of his lungs. She used the word cute in the same context you would use the word annoying. So here ya go Mommy Dearest of "Blah" your kid is cute.

2 quick things.

2008-10-10T16:00:00.004-04:00

1. Rachael was verbally assaulted today at school on her "post" this morning. A mom rolled up to Rachael, rolled down her window and told Rachael "You better be nice to "BLAH" because she is very mad at you and so am I. You just better be or else". OMG !! Does she know who Rachael's mommy is?? I hope she stumbles across my blog, because I know EXACTLY who you are. I called you a Mom earlier, you're no Mom, you are a psycho lunatic and you just made a critical mistake. Not only will I be sitting in my van right next to Rachael's post dressed in camo on Monday Morning ready to leap into Jedi Action should you even speak to my child, I will be making a visit to a certain principal, followed by calling my friend on the PTA and letting it slip that your short a couple marbles. That's how this mommy rolls ....

2. My husband had "dining with Dad's" today at school. He went to 2 lunches and all the boys had ray hawks. And then he did this. But I still think he looks cute. And hair grows, right?? Hair does grow .... right?

Rachael on her new post

2008-10-10T14:32:00.003-04:00

I couldn't help myself, and Rach was sooo mad at me.

This is Rachael's new post. Remember the whole broken flag issue, turns out that they rotated her pretty quick through that post. Huh, wonder why?

Now she assists children crossing the car rider drop off / pick up circle. She throws out a yellow flag to stop a moving car and lets the little children cross the parking lot. She still has the walking cast on, although she did say that her foot feels so much better. This was my 2nd trip to the school that morning. The first was to drop off Rachael for duty and then the 2nd was to walk Erin in to hunt down the yellow homework folder that I found in the great abyss of a desk he has.

Take note of her friend, Sylvia and her PE teacher, Coach Black laughing at her .....

Also note how low the sun is .... It was nearly 7:40am and the sun was just rising. I am so tired of dropping off my kids in the dark. I can't wait until we "fall back".

don't do it.

2008-10-10T14:23:00.003-04:00

Unless you have a healthy heart and a strong stomach, I urge you NOT to check your 401K.

What I just saw on my statement is truly sickening ........ I shouldn't have checked, but the my stupid curiosity was killing me.

I so wish I didn't do that...

another letter to my husband

2008-10-09T19:33:00.003-04:00

Honey,
Remember when we were dating all those years ago and I shoved potato peels down the garbage disposal. It got all stopped up and you swooped in and saved the day with your plumbing skills.

Well where were you tonight?

I decided to throw that spaghetti away, you know that rubbermaid container on the bottom shelf. I was in a hurry and put it down the garbage disposal. And OH MY GOSH! It exploded. It looked like a murder scene. I have never been so grossed out in my life, well maybe when Trevor fired away when I was changing him a couple years ago, but OH MY GOSH! There were noodles everywhere tinted a faint red. And what died in the garbage disposal? It smelled disgusting and I know the spaghetti didn't smell like that when I chopped it up finely and slowly poured it into the garbage disposal. I was like deer in the headlights, I couldn't move. All I could do was scream for the towels. And by the way, our kids don't move very fast when I scream "run and get me all the towels you can find". Apparently run means walk, and an obvious act of insubordination ... we need to discuss this.

After the initial shock of flying noodles. I turned off the garbage disposal to see water leaking from under the sink. GREAT! A flood. Only to be made worse by your stellar wife who thought it would help to turn the water back on and try to de-clog the disposal. I also remember seeing on the TLC channel to try and use a plunger to help move clogged kitchens pipes. Not so smart when you are dealing with noodles and red sauce.

No worries though. I'm good in moments of panic. I took the entire plumbing parts under the sink off and found there was the problem. There was a little spaghetti damn blocking the road. I cleaned it out and after about 30 minutes of trying to reposition the pipes, I reluctantly turned the sink back on. The sink is open for business.

There is a silver lining... Under the sink is now cleaned out. It is even wiped down. So, I don't have to hear you complain about the junk under there.

it's sabotage.

2008-10-09T13:35:00.001-04:00

I'm desperately trying to get the wee-little one off his pacifier. I got him in the car after daycare, I put Baby Einsteins on the DVD player and he was chilling out. No mention of the pacifier, none at all.

Until we got home, walked in the door and there was a brand spanking new Nunu sitting on the kitchen counter. It didn't even look sucked on. The little Nunu monster saw it before me ... Apparently I don't move that fast when I body-double as a pack mule with 2 back packs, my purse, my work bag and Trevor's daycare bag, usually balancing the mail under my arm and a juice cup tucked under my chin. He took advantage of the situation and did a grab and run.

Then I get this very happy phone call from my husband...."Hey Honey, I found a pacifier under the stove! The cap to the iron fell behind there so I stuck a hanger in there and out came a pacifier!! You said he was starting to lose them."

Seriously...we discussed the ongoing Operation. I told him that we needed to get him off the pacifier. He was getting to the age where he puts them down and loses them.

He only heard that "he loses them". How "man" is that??

darkness.

2008-10-08T10:20:00.003-04:00

How is a girl to work without any lights?

Major construction is going on up here on the 9th floor, in the suite next to us. But enough is enough. Last week, they kept cutting the electricity to our office shutting down my computer in the middle of updating my excel spreadsheets. That was a whole lot of aggravating...

But today, I arrive to complete darkness in my office, EXCEPT for the glow of my LCD monitor and my television (yes a have a TV in my office). And then the foreman jumped on the elevator and shut the door when he saw me coming around the corner.

He's scared of me :)

i need to grow a spine.

2008-10-08T10:01:00.003-04:00

I caved. I completely caved. And I'm failing my child. I can come up with at least 10 reasons why starting "operation no no to nunu" should never be started on a day like yesterday.

Erin closed the restaurant, Rachael had a topic test to study for, Erin had homework, I needed to make dinner, I had to fold laundry, the boys needed baths, lunches had to be packed, the birds were completely annoying me with that damn Andy Griffiths tune they sing, the dog was whining and Trevor asking for that Nunu was a little to much for this momma to handle.

7pm, I caved. I will try again tonight.

this is a warning...

2008-10-06T13:55:00.003-04:00

We are about to start operation "No No to the Nunu". For all those not in the know...a Nunu is the term we use for pacifier.

This week, we will give the Nunu only in the evening. No more daytime time Nunu.

Yesterday I realized we had a real problem brewing, when he spoke absolutely perfect baby-glish from behind the nunu. In fact it was so clear, I sunk my head in complete and utter defeat. I started thinking that he may go to Kindergarten with the Nunu.

Ready for this...Trevor told me. "you no me nunu. me nunu. not you nunu".

I made this announcement to the three olders on the way to school. They all told me they didn't want to come home. You see, Trevor asks for the Nunu, the second we pull out of daycare.

It is gonna get ugly ....

she is a goofy, goofy, goober ... yeah!

2008-10-06T12:24:00.002-04:00

Rachael had a birthday party for one of her soccer friends this past weekend. Unlike most sleepovers, this Momma was locked and loaded and ready. She had everything set up for the party and she had all these super activities planned. She apparently knows what happens when 10 year old girls get together and have nothing to do .... they fight!

One of the super awesome activities was the blind-folded make up game. You tie one of the girls hands behind her back and you blind fold her partner. You then give the blindfolded partner crazy makeup and tell her to go apply some lipstick ....

So this is Rachael's lovely makeup face...It looks like she had a blast.

2008-10-04T08:08:00.004-04:00

For the love of the kids....I've been so busy. I got this idea that I could paint my entire house, inside out in like a day or so. WRONG! It's going to take weeks. My arms feels like it should be cut off at the shoulder. It hurts so bad. I'll post pictures when I'm done playing painter girl.

My friend Laurie tagged me yesterday. I've never been tagged, so I thought I would do it. I've put on my thinking cap. Here are 10 random facts about me.

1. I love country music and the Jonas brothers. I chose Country and my daughter chose me to love the Jonas Brothers. Basically because I have the bank account to buy tickets & Cd's

2. I have a love / hate relationship with soccer. I love my kids to play it, I love watching it. I love being on the Board of Directors. I hate losing my household and life to it. I hate when coaches show up at my door at 10 pm at night for guest rosters, I wish I could tell them "tough cookies", but the inner nice person in me comes out and I remember it is for the kids. That inner nice person is a real pain in the a$$.

3. I burn things all the time. I'm a decent cook, but I tend err on the side of caution that the food is done cooking, and because of that, things burn.

4. I hate the fact that my husband is Dr. Doolittle. I feel like I live in a farm some days.

5. I'm in the middle of the biggest diet of my life. It is working very slowly, but it is working.

6. I drive a minivan, this is my 3rd minivan. Each time the van gets a little bigger and wider. Currently I am driving a Nissan Quest. It is huge. My next car will be a crossover-something-or-there.

7. My kids call my BFF Michele, Aunt Michele & Uncle Joel. Her kids call us Aunt Joanne and Uncle Erin. We are both transplants to Florida. This is our family coping mechanism.

8. I clean too much, too often, and I am neurotic about it. It is to the point that I am closing in on drill Sergeant material.

9. I have a starbucks addiction. I can quit anytime. So back off. I like it, and that's that!

10. I'm scared that Rachael is a 5th grader & Kasey is a senior.

I tag Beth .... sorry :) Let's see what ya got!