thankful thanksgiving.

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.

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?

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.

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.

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?

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.

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.

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 ....

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.

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 :(

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.

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.

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

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..

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 ........

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)