Queen of a Disney Castle: King & Princes Included

Never really re-started

2009-04-26T10:04:00.003-04:00

But putting this one on hold because I have something more important to start. Check out my Jake's Journey Blog....

It has been ages....

2009-03-01T16:53:00.002-05:00

It has been a very long time since I have written here. I miss it so I thought I might be able to get started on it again.

So much has happened in our lives to share. New jobs and adventures, a new house, ups and downs along the way as always, but we are all doing well. Adam has his own business now and works from home with Matt which is working out great. I am still working at the hospital and happy there. Looking to venture out on options to possibly go back to school. Something I would love to do but we have to see where it fits into our schedules and finances. The boys are huge now and doing very well.

Nick is 11 now, and full of my fiesty spirirt which annoys me to death most days and causes us to butt heads continually on the smallest of things from homework assignments to cleaning his room. He is doing well in school, but I wish he would put forth more effort to reach his fullest potential there. Right now he is more concerned with rushing through assignments to complete them and getting on to his free time whether at school or at home to do what he wants. I know this comes with his age, but seeing as he is entering middle school next year I would like to make sure he has a good foundation for the tougher work coming his way. It is a constant back and forth between us which generally ends in me annoying him and vice versa. His interests have not changed much - he still loves all things computer related, video games and hanging out in his room. Still the homebody. It is my mission this year to find something outside of the house he will like to get him to stay involved in.

Jacob is 7 (8 in May), and is just doing awesome! Don't get me wrong, he has a ways to go still in everything but he has made such strides. Every accomplishment is a joy to be a part of. He is facing new things daily and actually trying them!!! You have to see him work the internet. Here is a child who has trouble with simple tasks like tying shoes, etc but can work Google Earth and You Tube like nobody's business. He spends his time looking up Disney on Google Earth including Tokyo Disney and other parks and watching You Tube videos related to the parades there and stage shows. Our family loves Disney, but for Jake it has always been his obesession and the things he has a problem enjoying at the park due to his sensory issues (like the stage shows and fireworks) he now can watch and enjoy at his volume and comfort level at home. His vocabulary is expanding and he is trying to talk so much more than before. We are working on color sight words now and some basic addition. He is a joy to everyone who works with him and such a gem to be around. He has an amazing teacher at school who has tons of experience with autistic children (She worked at Eden and is from NJ - what better combo???) and she is just FANTASTIC. I dread the day he will no longer have her. We had her last year, summer school session and this year. I will gladly keep Jake with her for as long as I am able to. He adores her and so do we! "Pillow" is no more (he used to carry this around....loong story!) but we now take a Pluto dog with us everywhere including the bus ride to school.

Alexander is 5 and in Kindergarten. Alex is something special - Jekell and Hyde...he can be the sweetest little thing, be close to angelic with a beautiful halo or he can be this tumultuous little terror complete with horns and this devlish grin. His favorite pastime is annoying the hell out of Nick. He is a ball of energy which he finds hard to control at times and also gets him in trouble alot, both at home and occasionally in school when he has some problems listening or following the wrong kid. He still has his flair for the dramatic and love of all things pink and "girly" but he loves his rough and tumble little boy action as well. He is still in speech which he is doing great with and making real strides in. We are so proud of how smart he is! He does great with Math and Reading and has kept in the 95-100% range on all grade reports. My concern with Alex is his attention span and handwriting issues, which I am sure will come up at his IEP meeting in the next 2 weeks.

Matthew is 2 and testing every limit he can. He is the youngest of four, so he talks like he is a 5 year old complete with correcting you - "Actually....". He is a doll baby in every way but a two year old terror too! :) He loves cars, trucks, school buses, motorcycles, planes, etc - anything that moves with some sort of motor. He is his father's son in that respect and I knew it when we passed an old muscle car (1960-something Mustang) and my two year old darling said "Sweeeeet" from his car seat behind me! He is so very smart and loves to learn things which is just wonderful at this age. Books and Books and Books...he loves to read and then try to reread the story to you by memory and pictures. He has not had to return to the cardiologist for his heart and won't until May to see how the hole is repairing and discuss where we go next, so nothing new there. He has been lucky to be home with Daddy now that Daddy works from home and probably drives him crazy on occasion but does really well with his new day to day care.

So in a nut shell, that's how they have been doing. We have moved from one side of our town to the other this year after Christmas. We love the new house and are happily settled in now. Poor Dozer Dog misses his fenced in yard, but he enjoys his walks now too.

Hopefully this will be my intro back into blogging as time and life allows it for me! It would be great to *see* old blogging friends again and find some new ones too.

Holy Crap!

2007-10-19T15:57:00.000-04:00

What a whirlwind this has been! Adjusting to our new schedules has been a bit difficult around here. UNfortunately I have no time to be on here right now posting regularly, but I am hoping that will change soon. I miss posting and reading everyone else's blogs too!

A quick update - The new job is going great and I really love it. I work with some very nice people, I stay busy and the benefits are great@ Can you believe they actually offer discounted annual passes to Disney World through payroll deductions there????!!!!! :)

The hours are taking some getting used to. I am actually jumping right out of bed when the alarm goes off because I HATE being late for anything, least of all work! I have to be up between 3am-3:15am and leave the house by 4:20am to be at work by 5am. I work until 1:30pm and then stop and get Alex and then Matt on my way home. I am home by 2:30-3 and then the bus comes by 4pm. I am running around cleaning, doing laundry, homework with the kids, getting dinner ready, eating, cleaning up and getting myself and the kids ready for the next day and before I know it the second I sit down I am alseep where I sit with my mouth gaping open. Not a pretty sight I can assure you. By 9-10pm, I am nearly catatonic and Adam has had to bring me into bed more times than I remember the past two weeks because I fell asleep trying to check email, or sitting on the couch, etc.

I am also working part time retail on the weekends for now to help with $$$ for the holidays so I am on 7 days a week, getting little sleep, and not really getting my household schedule adjusted just yet. I'm hoping that will all fall more into place this week now that we'll be starting week 3 of all of this.

Again - I miss reading your blogs and I am sorry mine has not ben updated in a while! I'll try my best to be better again, but bear with me. This is the last thing on my mind these days.

Wordless Wednesday #11: Two peas in a....basket

2007-10-03T09:17:00.000-04:00

Happy Dance With me!

2007-10-01T15:07:00.000-04:00

I GOT THE MEDICAL RECORDS JOB AT THE HOSPITAL!!!!

I start Monday the 8th, but have some things to complete for tomorrow! I'm very excited! Thanks for all of the well wishes on it originally!

More details to come soon!!!

Thursday Thirteen - For Nicholas

2007-09-27T07:27:00.000-04:00

Thirteen Things about my oldest son, Nicholas who turns 10 on Sunday!

1. Nick was born on Sept 30, 1997. It was a Tuesday.

2. Nick weighed 7 pounds and 7ounces when he was born and was 20 1/2 inches long.

3. We named him Nicholas Shaun. Shaun is Adam's middle name and we both really liked the name Nicholas.

4. When he was 13 months old we moved from FL to NJ where we lived for the next 4 years. On the drive to NJ, we stopped to watch John Glenn return to space!

5. Nick was in private kindergarten when we left NJ but was not old enough for kindergarten when we got to FL so he stayed home with me and his brother for one more year.

6. Nicholas has wanted to be a scientist when he grows up since he was about 4 years old. Over the years that has not changed. The only thing that has changed over the years was the things he wants to invent. It has gone from dinners in a gumball to a machine that will allow him not to die.

7. Nick is what you would refer to as an "old soul". He is older than his years in so many ways. I was like that as a child so I guess it is only natural that one of the boys would be that way.

8. Nicholas is one of the most sensitive kids around. He takes things to heart and very seriously. The concepts of life and death are always on his mind. He will ask me constantly about my grandparents who died when he was little and cry when he listens to stories about them.

9. He is forever the thinker! Inquisitive to the point of pestering annoyance sometimes!!! He needs to know everything. "Hey Mom, how do you think this rock was formed? And how might it have gotten here? Do you know mom???" And he must know things most kids might not ask someone.....like in the middle of our family vacation while swimming in the pool with my Dad he decided it would be a great time to bombard Grandpa with some questions, "So, you and Grandma Kathy got divorced. Why??? Do you love her still? How does Granny Morgan (my step-mom) feel about you being divorced?" My poor father was shocked!

10. Nick is tall like his Dad. He is almost as tall as me. By the end of next year I will be looking up at him yelling at him to clean his room. We wear the same sock and shoe size rght now. His father has a size 13 shoe so I know there will be much larger sizes to come from Nick!

11. He is a geek at heart. Not much athletic ability in him other than his endurance. He loves to be inside the house watching TV, movies, doing art projects, but mostly playing games on his Gameboy, the Wii, his Playstation or online on the computer. He is pretty awesome at them I must admit, but I would love to see him get out more.

12. He really likes bowling! We are trying to get him signed up for a league or something. He also likes checkers and wants to learn to play chess.

13. At 2 1/2 months old.....

And at 9 years old.....

Happy 10th Birthday Nicholas!!!!!!

Get the Thursday Thirteen code here!

The purpose of the meme is to get to know everyone who participates a little bit better every Thursday. Visiting fellow Thirteeners is encouraged! If you participate, leave the link to your Thirteen in others comments. It’s easy, and fun! Be sure to update your Thirteen with links that are left for you, as well! I will link to everyone who participates and leaves a link to their 13 things. Trackbacks, pings, comment links accepted!

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Wordless Wednesday #10 - Our new furniture came! :)

2007-09-26T12:58:00.000-04:00

Thanks Melanie!!! :)

2007-09-25T09:31:00.001-04:00

Melanie over at Our Happy Happenings gave me this award.

The person who created this award says that ".... the thing that I love most about blogging is that I learn so much about a person just by reading their blog. I have met MANY wonderful people with wonderful stories to tell, and I am grateful every day for each person that I have the pleasure of crossing paths in life with. I wanted to create something special for the top ten people who have inspired me through their blogging; the stories they tell, and the lives that they lead with grace and dignity. I visit their blogs for inspiration and encouragement. Although there are MANY people I want to give this award to at this very moment, I am going to choose ten bloggers: Please grab your badge and wear it(with a smile) proudly, and pass it on because you inspire and encourage me, thank you. So, now it is my turn to pass it on"

I now need to pass this on to ten deserving people (which there are many). I would certainly have given Melanie at Our Happy Happenings this too if she had not already gven it to me - Thanks again! I know two of you already have this award, but you are certainly some of my favorites to read, and I couldn't not include you! So here goes:

1. Amy at Happy Momma - She is an awesome mom and has a way with words

2. Amy at Amy's Random Thoughts - She shares her journey through adoption and more with everyone

3. Jesse at For the Love of Peas and Monkeys - Mom and student extraordinaire!

4. DeeDee at It Coulda' Been Worse - She is just a BALL of laughs in almost every single post!

5. Heather at Especially Heather - The epitomy of inspiration in my book

6. The Exhausted Intern at Not Enough Hours - The juggler of all things!

7. Sarge at Sarge Charlie - A true Patriot, outspoken and funny

8. Nancy at The Goat Rodeo - Another Autism Mom and great writer!

9. Michael at Valtool's Box - Down to earth family guy

10. Bridget at And Miles To Go Before We Sleep - Another Autism mom who is just so multi-talented

Yeah, I'm a little nutty like that

2007-09-25T08:52:00.000-04:00

I am sitting here this morning waiting for Rooms To Go to deliver my new sectional and recliner. I love these windows they give you. Never convenient and always show at the wrong time. Anyhow, tomorrow's Wordless Wednesday will be pics of the new furniture. I know you are anxious and bursting with anticipation to see! :)

So, as I made my coffee this morning I laughed at myself catching one of my own OCD habits, which happens quite often I will admit. I am either laughing at myself or about to crybecause someone messed up my special order of something. Anyhow, I filled up the coffee pot to add water to the well of my coffee maker and set it next to the appliance on the counter. I grabbed a few napkins from the holder, opened the top of the water well and wiped all of the condensation from under the lid and all out from the well before dumping my measured four cups of water in. So am I the only one that does this???

Contest over at Amy's --->

2007-09-21T10:13:00.001-04:00

If you have not already, I encourage you to go check out Amy at Amy's Random Thoughts . She is running a contest right now with various prizes just for your comments on her posts as well as those comments you leave at her hubby Michael's blog at Valtool's Box, but she is really worth visiting regardless! Amy is married, going through the process of adopting a baby girl from China, and works as a pediatric nurse. She is a great blogger, fun, funny, and best of all really her down to earth self! Please go stop by and see her!

Friday's Feast

2007-09-21T09:37:00.000-04:00

Appetizer
What is your favorite type of art?
What do we mean by art? To take it most literally as in paintings, drawings, sculpting, etc - Not into any specific type really, but I enjoy alot of Italian Renaissance artists. Some of my favorites would be Thomas Kinkade, Michaelangelo, Donatello, DaVinci, Monet, and Bernini. My absolute favorite art of all time would have to be my children's creations. Their personal and private gallery is located in my home but pieces of their work have been sent to relatives all over the US! :)

Soup
When was the last time you got a free lunch (or breakfast or dinner)? Who paid for it?
Sunday August 19th, Bob Evans Brunch. My uncle was visiting and took a large group of family here (there were 13 of us) out to brunch before he left to go back to TN

Salad
On a scale of 1-10 with 10 being highest, how emotional are you?
I am gonna say a 9. I can cry at the drop of a hat with a sappy movie. I may be emotional but I have great control when I need to!

Main Course
Approximately how long do you spend each day responding to emails?
I check my email a few times a day every day except on the weekends I am lucky to check it once. I respond quickly generally to emails, but I have no idea how long I spend doing it daily. Maybe 30-60 minutes a day???

Dessert
To what temperature do you usually set your home’s thermostat?

We are set at 76 degrees.

2007-09-20T09:23:00.000-04:00

Thirteen Firsts

1. My FIRST born will be 10 years old next week on the 30th! OMG time flies!

2. My FIRST grade in school lower than a B was in 7th grade Home Ec when I received a D mainly for goofing around with friends instead of working and not doing homework. My father saw that D and said "I sure hope that is an oddly shaped 'O' for outstanding and not a 'D'!" Think it made a difference to him that technically it was a D+?

3. Jacob and Matthew's FIRST words were "Mama." Nick and Alex's FIRST words were "Dada."

4. My FIRST kiss was in sixth grade at a party.

5. My FIRST time hearing "I Love You" from Adam is still etched in my memory like it was yesterday.

6. My FIRST trip to Disney World happened in 1986. My mother, father, myself and my sister drove down from NJ along with my uncle, his wife at the time and my cousin. We stayed at Fort Wilderness Cabins. I got a Disney splatter hat and a Figment doll as souvenoirs.

7. I was 17 when I attended my FIRST year of college which had its drawbacks since I was not yet an adult.

8. I got my FIRST (an only right now anyway) tattoo when I turned 18. Its a dolphin on my very low abdomen area below my hip. My Midwife delivering my oldest son joked that "Flipper turned into Shamu" while I was pregnant.

9. I got highlights on my hair for the FIRST time in 2004. It was the first time (and only so far) I ever put any kind of coloring in my hair and I was terrified.

10. My FIRST car was a burgundy 1984 Chrysler Laser Turbo. It was such a piece of junk but I thought I was so cool in my wheels! LOL

11. The FIRST poem I ever had published was in 1991 in a Poetry Annual Contest for teens and I wrote it about the Gulf War. It was called "A Lonely Soldier's Cry".

12. My FIRST time away from my kids longer than 2 nights was a 7 night cruise Adam and I taken in August 2004 for our anniversary. It turned into a 10 night cruise though due to the hurricanes around that time!

13. My FIRST time lying to my parents as a child is something I won't ever forget. I was about 10 and I had told my mother that I had done something she wanted me to do which it was obvious I hadn't done and she was arguing this with me. My father stepped in and said to me that if I say I did it, then there would be no question to it since he and my mother would always believe what I told them 100% without fail because they loved me enough to know that I would be truthful with them. So he would only ask me once and that would be the end of it. Did I complete Mom's assigned task? I started to shake my head yes but couldn't fight back the tears. Then I confessed while bawling my eyes out. To this day I still feel bad thinking of it. And I know I will use it one day on my kids too!

Wordless Wednesday #9 - Matthew and his awful Pacifier Habit- Still cute!

2007-09-19T12:47:00.000-04:00

Interview

2007-09-14T13:53:00.000-04:00

I had my interview at the hospital this morning. It went very well. They have one more interview for the position and then will make their decision and make an offer on Tuesday. Please keep your fingers crossed for me.

Thanks! :)

Friday's Feast

2007-09-14T12:46:00.001-04:00

Appetizer ~When was the last time you visited a hospital?

A few hours ago. I had an interview there for a medical records clerk position.

Soup ~ On a scale of 1 to 10 with 10 being highest, how ambitious are you?

Overall probably like a 7. It really depends on the subject matter to which I am to be ambitious towards!

Salad ~ Make a sentence using the letters of a body part. (Example: (mouth) My other ukelele tings healthily.)

This house is greatly haunted (thigh)

Main Course ~ If you were to start a club, what would the subject matter be, and what would you name it?

I'd probably start a playgroup for special needs children and their siblings to do things in the community like go bowling, have fundraisers, etc and promote awareness. A name??? I am so bad at things like that..... Kids with Faith, Hope and Love.... I don't know.

Dessert ~ What color is the carpet/flooring in your home?

Its like a blue-ish gray in all bedrooms and the living room. Can't wait to rip it up and put down some tile and new carpet

Thursday Thirteen #7

2007-09-13T09:05:00.000-04:00

Thirteen Random Things I am Thinking About Today

1. I have an interview tomorrow for a full time job at the hospital and I am stressing about what to wear to it. I have a gift card to JCPenney's I am wondering if I should use, but then I think it may come in handy if I get the job for actual new work clothes instead.

2. I am also already crunching numbers on what I will be paid there verses what I will pay out to daycare! Oy Vay! That and all the other new added expenses - gas, tolls, lunches, etc

3. I need to buy a child cover for the tower on my desktop so Matthew stops playing with the power button which he is doing right now driving me mad!

4. My wireless keyboard is having some problems with the letter "E" I am noticing as I type this and have to constantly go back and correct it. So excuse any typos please!

5. School fundraisers are out and about and between my children and only two of my neices so far I have spent $100 on this stuff already! I will have two new magazine subscriptions, a Christmas present for Dad, a cookbook, and a container of Cookie dough!

6. Adam reorganized our desk area to set up his new computer for a side home business he is starting. It is a mess that he apparently thought some nice lady would come in and clean up for him!

7. I need to take some pictures of some gently used items to place on Craigslist to sell. I am hoping I can make some money to take advantage of a FL resident rate night at Disney for our family in the next few weeks as a surprise for everyone. :)

8. Adam took down the "Fall Decorations" box for me and now I just need to drag it in from the garage and decorate the house. Maybe I will have it done today

9. The kids are off from school today and tomorrow so I need to find things to do with them to keep them occupied and ME sane. Maybe a craft project and the park.

10. PARP program started at school - the kids love this each year. It is called Parents As Reading Partners and they get to track how many books we read together in a week. A play is put on where the outcome is determined by how many books the kids read and if TV, Video games, etc will win over reading time with Mom and Dad.

11. I bought the kids the book "Flat Stanley" and we are going to make our own Flat Stanley and send him along with a throw away camera to some relatives around the country so the kids can see how the project works. I am very excited to do this with them and I know they will get a kick out of it!

12. Halloween is coming and my boys are already trying to think about costumes. Alex has asked to be a ballerina, a princess, or a pokemon. Yes, I know he is a boy but he seems to have a flare for girl stuff. I am working on locating a Pokemon costume obviously. I voted for a family themed year (like being the Wizard of Oz characters or something) but I was shot down. Maybe next year

13. I have tons of cleaning to do today since Mom will be coming tomorrow to watch the boys while I go to my interview and Lord knows I can not have my mother in my house when it is not spotless enough to eat off the floors.

Wordless Wednesday #8 - I miss living up north in the fall

2007-09-12T09:19:00.001-04:00

Masker's Orchard, New York

Remembering 9/11

2007-09-11T11:36:00.000-04:00

Do you remember where you were this day 6 years ago? I am sure it is a day none of us will ever forget! I lived in NJ at the time close enough to the city that we could see the smoke coming out of the skyline across the river. We wound up knowing too many people whose lives were touched through loss that day.

Pray for them.

We took a bunch of pictures at Ground Zero a few months after 9/11. I picked a few to share with you today ....

Sniffle....Swallow...Sniffle

2007-09-11T11:19:00.000-04:00

School is certainly back in session which for me means germs!

My shopping receipt from the Publix Supermarket this morning:

Gallon Publix Orange Juice
Gallon Publix Orange Juice
KLNX Tissue
Benedryl Chewables
Little Ones MultiCold
SueBee Honey Bear (they were buy one get one)
SueBee Honey Bear
Lipton Noodle Soup
Lipton Tea Bags
Halls Honey Lemon Drops

My throat hurts, but so far it is Matthew, Alex and Adam that have the sniffly, stuffy head colds accompanied by a small cough. This only means that once they are over it Jake and Nick will get it and then I will get it again, if it ever goes away at all to begin with!

Things coming back to normal....

2007-09-10T14:21:00.000-04:00

It has been a whirlwind around here lately.

Our anniversary was quite the dud to say the least after Adam's uncle passed away and our trip was cancelled. We have been so very busy running around. During the days before and days of the viewing and service we were back and forth to the airport more times than I like to count. We spent lots of money feeding everyone! lol

The service was nice and casual. Just the way he would have liked. They even managed to get his Harley into the funeral home next to his casket! It is now parked in our garage where it will remain in Adam's care. I have only seen Adam cry a few times in our 12+ years together as both a couple and friends and this was so very hard on him. It was very sad. But it is overwith now and everyone is trying to move on. There is lots to deal with in the aftermath of it all - his home, finances, etc. Grandma and Grandpa need to be checked in on often and Adam's mother will be spending more time here.

It was nice to attempt to take part of our trip after the services and go away for the night and have the day together. God knows we needed it after the weekend we had. The room was great with a GORGEOUS view and we loved staying concierge! We had a beautiful romantic (and grownup!) dinner together (with wine!!!). I wish we had the whole time we planned but it worked out okay for what it was.

I have been so busy trying to help out his family and getting all back into the swing of things around here that I have had no time - or desire- to be online! Our updates:
We ordered a new sectional sofa with a queen sofa bed and two recliners. We added an extra recliner to complete the package!! It comes on Sept 25th!
I have an interview (FINALLY) for a full time position this week at the hospital for a clerical position. The pay is awful (over $1 less per hour then I make as a part time cashier!) but the benefits are great, it is full time days, no weekends and no holidays plus an on-site discounted employee daycare. So we'll see how that turns out.
Adam's job is doing lay-offs and he was asked to take a paycut. Sucks to be in any part of the housing market right now. So we are really watching the pennies. I may even keep the part time cashier job on the weekends up to Christmas if I get the hospital job just to build up our savings account again. I would love anyone's budgeting tips - always could use some new ones since we are a family of 6!!!!
Kids are doing good in school - they have two days off this week which my dear Nicholas is looking forward to so that he can play on the Wii all day (which he is sorely mistaken to think that way when he has mutiplication to practice and 2 chapter books left to read for AR) and Alex is quite upset about it since he will not be able to play with his new little friend "Abigail" in the school kitchen center. Jake could care less one way or the other. He has fun at school playing or at home. Matthew is cranky today and getting a cough and stuffy nose which he is so graciously also passing on to me and Adam!

That's all here in a nutshell! Off to visit those of you I certainly missed reading about!

Ugh

2007-08-31T05:31:00.000-04:00

These past few days have been long. Adam has been off from work, as have I to help around his grandparents' house after the death of his uncle. We were supposed to be leaving this afternoon for our anniversary trip, but unfortunately that won't be happening until after the funeral service on Sunday. Our trip has been cut from almost 5 days to about 2 (well maybe 1 1/2 depending on what time we actually make it there). It really sucks and I hate feeling selfish worrying about our anniversary trip right now, but it is our 10th anniversary and we really were looking forward to the time away together for awhile.

Today and this weekend are going to be extremely busy shopping, helping family, and going to the viewing and service. Adam's mom and grandparents are utter wrecks right now and the only thing helping them deal is a whole lot of happy pills unfortunately. Please pray for them that they can get through this weekend and know that Larry is not in pain or sick anymore and with those who love him! They will really need the extra love and thoughts and I would appreciate it greatly.

I probably will not have time to get on here again before we leave for our mini-trip, so wishing everyone a nice Labor Day holiday. Will be back posting probably on Wednesday!

Wordless Wednesday #7 -Happy and Sad day!

2007-08-29T14:15:00.000-04:00

Not completely Wordless this week but necessarily so!

Today is our 10 year Wedding Anniversary!

We received sad news early this morning that Adam's uncle passed away.

My turn... Tag I'm It!

2007-08-28T09:11:00.000-04:00

I've been tagged for the "8 Random Facts About Me" meme by the Exhausted Intern

First, the Rules:
Post these rules before you give your facts
List 8 random facts about yourself
At the end of your post, choose (tag) 8 people and list their names, linking to them
Leave a comment on their blog, letting them know they’ve been tagged.

1. I am ambidextrous. I can print using both my left and right hand but I can only write in cursive with my right hand

2. I am a closet reality TV fan of goofy shows like Scott Baio is 45 and Single - God did I really admit that I watch that????

3. I was 17 when I joined a sorority my freshamn year of college. This did not deter me from hitting the local bars of course using an ID that was not mine.

4. I have practically all of my pictures from the last 4 years on CD or external hard drive and maybe only 100 of out thousands from those years actually printed.

5. I am a huge tea drinker! I have a tea cabinet. I love any kind of green tea, white tea, chai, etc, etc, etc. I even have my hubby hooked on it and he has his own stash of teas at work that I send him with!

6. I have a taped interview of my grandparents a few years before they died done for a Library of Congress project of growing up in Paterson area of NJ during the depression, war, etc. I love listening to their voices and their stories of childhood, how they first met, and the early stories of my father, aunts and uncle as kids. I miss them so much and I treasure these tapes.

7. I am a pack rat from hell! I keep EVERYTHING. I have such a hard time throwing anything away. I have movie ticket stubs, drawings from every child over flowing every box I can throw them in, programs, fliers, anything related to a vacation we have taken, etc.

8. After Jacob was born I wanted my tubes to be tied but my OB/GYN at the time told me I was too young and refused to do it (I was 24). I had only wanted two children, but fortunately God had other plans for our family with Aelx and Matthew yet to come. It is difficult to have 4 kids but of course I would not have it any other way.

Now who to tag??? I will cheat a little and tag a few people who may do it if they have an ounce of time - Melanie, Jesse, Amy, Amy the Happy Momma, and anyone else who wants to do this! If you do it please leave me a comment so I can come read yours! :)

It Never Fails!!!

2007-08-28T08:21:00.000-04:00

Every single time we get ready to go on a trip, vacation, or even when we are on one something always happens with one of the vehicles we own. We leave Friday for our anniversary trip away - alone! So, of course, yesterday the minivan stalled on me the entire way to get Alex from school and the entire way home. Adam played with it when he came home last night and thinks it is some sort of fuel injection issue. He wants to try changing the fuel filter before bringing it somewhere so he will try that tonight. I am hoping that is all it is but it never is just something simple. The Minivan is old now - a 1999 Windstar - and has reached over the 100K mile mark now.
Luckily we are taking Adam's car on our trip, but I need the van to work to get the boys back and forth all over town. So today at least, Alex will miss PreK. Tomorrow I can drive Adam to work and use his car for the day since I don't have to work at night, (Adam works 1 hour away from our house so taking him to work and getting him when I have to work at night does not work out- at least one of us or both of us are very late!), but then Thrusday I will need to figure something out if we can't get it fixed by then.

Ugh!!!! I have enough to do this week to prep to leave 4 kids with my single sister for 5 days!!!

2007-08-27T09:09:00.000-04:00

Second week of school and so far we are doing good.

Today was the boys first day on the bus. Nick used to ride the bus for the first two years of school but did not ride last year since I could not get Jake on the bus. This year with Alex in PreK at the same time as the boys start school it is easier on me, our gas budget, and good to have for when I finally find a full time job again to have the bus in place for both of them. Nick was luckily able to be assigned to the same bus as Jake and was happy to be able to go on it with him to help him out. Jake had a minor outburst at the bus stop this morning, but after a few minutes let me walk him onto the bus and got in his seat by Nick. The aide and driver are a nice older couple.

I of course was having a heart attack this morning after putting him on the bus remembering every news story of kids left on the bus or dropped off at the wrong stop. That's why I am soooo very happy Nick is riding with him. Not to mention, Jake wears a shoe tag ID for kids with Autism and I thoroughly marked all his info in his bookbag. Just in case it is needed.

Jake's teacher called just moments before I got home from bringing Alex to school and left me a message that he did good on the ride to school. Now hopefully this afternoon goes just as smooth. Fingers crossed and prayers please! This is a big deal for Jake to do this!

Now I need to go fill out the emergency paper for the bus driver and dig out a school picture of Jake from last year from the photo box in my closet to attach to it.

2007-08-24T10:31:00.000-04:00

Appetizer ~ Say there’s a book written about your life. Who would you want to narrate the audio version?

Hmm...that is tough. I guess Julia Roberts since she has such a great laugh!

Soup ~ Take the letters from your favorite kind of nut and write a sentence. (Example: Perhaps every avenue needs understanding today.)
All little men own new digs

Salad~ If you could go back in time and spend one week in another decade, which decade would you choose?
The 1950s

Main Course ~ Name a song that brings back memories for you.

Wild Wild West - Escape Club
Forty-seven dead beats living in the back street

North east west south all in the same house

Sitting in a back room waiting for the big boom

I'm in a bedroom waiting for my baby

CHORUS:

She's so mean but I don't care

I love her eyes and her wild wild hair

Dance to the beat that we love best

Heading for the nineties

Living in the wild wild west

The wild wild west

Mandy's in the backroom handing out Valium

Sheriff's on the airwaves talking to the D.J.'s

Forty-seven heartbeats beating like a drum

Got to live it up live it up

Ronnie's got a new gun

CHORUS

Now put your flags in the air and march them up and down

You can live it up live it up all over the town

And turn to the left, turn to the right

I don't care as long as she comes tonight

CHORUS

Heading for the nineties living in the eighties

Screaming in a back room waiting for the big boom

Give me give me wild west

Give me give me safe sex

Give me love give me love

Give me time to live it up

CHORUS

Dessert ~ Do you prefer to wash your hands in cold water or warm water?

Warm, generally bordering hot

Hypochondriac, maybe???

2007-08-23T21:06:00.000-04:00

I get a call today from the clinic nurse that Nicholas is in there. It's about 1:55pm and he only has another hour and 20 minutes left of the school day. Apparently during PE he slipped on some concrete by the sidewalk and smacked his knee into the ground. There was no blood, not even broken skin. But after having a cold cloth on it for some time he decided he needed a trip to the school clinic. There they iced his knee and had him sit with his leg elevated for a while. He continued to complain of pain so they called me. Apparently Nick has self-diagnosed himself with a bone infection which must be why it was feeling so much worse instead of better. I am on a first name basis with the clinic assistant after Nick's many stomach bugs last year. She called and explained his situation and what he thought the issue actually was. After a small giggle between us (quietly of course), I told her to send him back to class and tell him to take it easy and hang in there for the last hour.

He returned to class. I picked him up from school at normal time. He *ran* into the house from the car to get a drink.

The infection must have healed itself.

I just love these exchanges....

2007-08-21T20:14:00.000-04:00

hiccup

Alex: "Oh man! Mom?" hiccup

Me: "What, Alex?

Alex: hiccup "Mooooom?"

Me: "What honey?"

Alex: "Mom, I," *hiccup* "talkin' you"

Me: "I know, Alex and I said 'what'. What did you want?"

Alex: "I," hiccup "have the hibbacups."

Back to school!

2007-08-20T10:49:00.000-04:00

Well they are off and at school, hopefully having a great time. This morning went smoothly. Getting them back to bedtimes and morning routines the last two weeks really helped. Everyone was up by 7:00am, ate and got dressed without too much reminding.

Adam went to work late today so he could drop off Jake and Nick for me. The two boys had no issues this morning and Adam timed the ride by taking the route I will need to all week until their bus assignment is fixed so that I will not be late getting Alex to his school or Nick and Jake to theirs.

Alex had his back pack on walking around the house at 8am even though we didn't need to leave until 8:40am. He was so happy to go this morning. Well, that was until we actually got there. He was smiling, but nervous as we walked in. When we made it to the door of his class though, we were greeted by a screaming child on the floor literally holding on to his mom's leg as she was trying to go. So that made him worry a bit to say the least. I just gave his hand a squeeze and told him "That little boy must not know how much fun he was gonna have at school today, huh?" and he just looked up at me with those big eyes. We went and found his cubby and he put his backpack away. We found Miss Tracy and his other teacher whose name I can not think of at the moment. When I tried to say goodbye to him he dropped his head and covered his eyes like he would cry, but I crouched down by him and tried to tell him about all the fun he was going to have. He gave me a hug and a kiss and after some probing from the teacher, he took her hand and was off to find all of the places with his name around the room and find something to play with before circle time.

Now I will be leaving in a little bit to go and get him! Hopefully his first day will have been great! After that we will come home and get some laundry done, have lunch and get Matthew down for a nap before we have to leave to pick up Nick and Jake.

Here they are this morning.....

Happy 4th Birthday to Alex!!!

2007-08-17T13:22:00.001-04:00

Happy Birthday to my Alexander who turns 4 years old today!!!

School Monday!!! WOO HOO!!!!!

2007-08-17T13:16:00.000-04:00

We had open house last night. Both boys met their teachers, saw their classes, etc. They are in the same building again this year only doors down from one another. :) This is Nick's first year not having a teacher from the previous year move up to the next grade with him so that was new finding a new teacher and classroom! But his teacher seems very nice. He doesn't know any of the kids in his class yet, but he is happy to meet new friends he said! His teacher's daughter worked with Jake in his class last year in one of their 5th grade helpers program so that was funny to meet her.

I am SOOOOOO very excited about Jake's teacher this year! She's new to the school district and was teaching at Eden (private Autism school in FL and NJ costs $25,000 yearly!) prior to working public school. She has 7 years of specialized autism trainnig and teaching experience, is certified in ABA/VBA and is so on her game!!! I am so thrilled!!! I really think she will do awesome things for him! :)

The only complaint I have was Nick's grade had an updated supply list with some items added to it I did not buy. I have no problem getting the supplies from the list because I understand that budgets are small for each classroom but these lists get a little bigger and a little more crazy each year. I am used to the supply lists with a certain number of pencils, different notebooks, packs of paper, tissues, baby wipes, markers, etc on them but Nick's new list added things like headphones and a sock to it! ?????

Anyway, list completed after a quick stop at Target on the way home last night. C'mon Monday!!!! :) *doin' my happy dance*
Honestly I will miss the boys and worry all day about their first day, especially Alex at PreK, but I will be so happy to keep the house clean and the food I buy over the weekend in the fridge!!!

My First AWARD!!!!

2007-08-16T07:32:00.000-04:00

I am so excited!!! Melanie from Our Happy Happenings gave me this award. It is my very first one and I could not have received it from a nicer person!

This is what The Nice Matters Award is given for, "This award is for those bloggers who are nice people; good blog friends and those who inspire good feelings and inspiration. Also for those who are a positive influence on our blogging world. Once you've been awarded please pass it on to 7 others who you feel are deserving of this award."

So THANK YOU, Melanie!!!! I will pass it on to Amy @ Happy Momma , LadyBug @ LadyBug Crossing, Amy @ Amy's Random Thoughts, Jesse @ For the Love of Peas and Monkeys, Dawn @ My Home Sweet Home, a new one I just started reading - DeeDee @ It Coulda' Been Worse and last but certainly not least, Heather @ Especially Heather

Thursday Thirteen - For Alex

2007-08-16T07:13:00.000-04:00

Thirteen Things about my son, Alexander who turns 4 years old tomorrow!

1. Alex loves to dress up - he'll be a cowboy, superhero, doctor or even a princess

2. Yes, at this age he seems to be secure in his manhood

3. He loves Pokemon

4. Since he does not have any Pokemon stuffed animals he has renamed his current animals - Squirt from Finding Nemo is now Squirtle the Pokemon, etc

5. He loves broccoli! He eats all of it on his plate and then eats all of mine!

6. Alex gets sunburn under his eyes and on the bridge of his nose every single time he goes swimming no matter how many times he gets sunscreen or how often

7. He is loud! He is just a naturally extra loud child and hasn't quite grasped the whole "inside voice" concept

8. Alex is devilsh too. He gives you this smile where you just know he is about to do something he shouldn't or you are too late and he already did!

9. He is a sweetheart and will make quite the date when he is older.

10. He likes to open doors for me, hold my hand, and tell me how pretty I look

11. Alex has the best hair! It is so thin and hardly covers in some areas when it is cut too short but he has the cutest Alfalfa-like hair sticking up in the far back always. :)

12. He loves to read with me. His favorites right now are "We are Going on a Bear Hunt" and "The Very Hungry Caterpillar"

13. Alex starts PreK on Monday. He is so excited and I am happy to have him go off and do this part time, but I will admit I am gonna be sad and miss him. He's my little buddy!

Wordless Wednesday #6 - SkyCoaster Baby! That is my 2nd time on here!

2007-08-15T08:13:00.000-04:00

Check In

2007-08-14T08:20:00.000-04:00

This is turning out to be a very busy week around here.

The kids start school on Monday the 20th so last week we began bedtime routines again for school. This week is bedtime and morning routines so they are ready for next week. Also there is lots of running around making sure everything from the supply lists are complete, all uniforms, paperwork, etc is ready to go. Alex starts PreK the same day so he only adds to my list of stuff to make sure is done and ready to go. He is so very excited to go to his school.

I do have a dilemma - I found out on Friday that Nick and Jake and Alex all have to be at two different schools at the same time! So Friday I called the transportation department to get Nick and Jake added to the bus route, which will probably not be done by the first day but will happen soon enough. It will take longer to get them situated on the route because Jake needs special needs transport and Nick needs clearance to ride with his brother. I am hoping Nick does not get any crap from the evil kids about riding the "special" bus with his brother, but I know Nick will be good to his brother as always. Last year at a ballgame at school, he took Jake to sit with him and his friends and explained to a few of them a little bit about Autism which his teacher happily passed on to me. I just hope he stays in that mindset to give his brother that little cushion of protection and inclusion.

Anyway, Alex turns 4 years old this Friday and Saturday is his birthday party BBQ at our house. So besides getting ready for school this week I have to get my house ready for a party which means deep cleaning all week. I am off to clean the vertical blinds on the sliders and try to fix the stain on the pergola outside today.

My uncle is performing about 45 minutes from here Saturday night so we are hoping to go see his show - Magic of the Mind: The Sandman ! He performs all over the US so you should definitely check him out when he is near you. He is a riot!

Going to go visit my daily reads and then get to cleaning while the boys are being civil still this morning! :) Have a great day!

2007-08-10T08:51:00.000-04:00

Appetizer: What is your favorite kind of pie?

Apple with vanilla ice cream!!!

Soup: Name something that made you smile this week.

Nick taught Matthew how to "gimme five" and they were just too cute showing everyone together

Salad: What do you do to cool off when the weather is hot and humid?

Shower, dip in the pool, big glass of ice water or iced tea

Main Course: You receive $1,000 in the mail with a letter that says you can only use the money to redecorate one room in your home. Which room do you pick, and what do you buy to spruce it up?

Our Bedroom - some new furniture like a big bookcase and some comfy little loveseat to make a sitting area in there

Dessert: Fill in the blank: My _________ says __________, but I __________.

My diet says I need to cut down on breads, potatoes, etc but I have a hard time with it 'cuz I love 'em!

2007-08-09T13:29:00.001-04:00

Today started with running around the house to do a quick clean before my mother came over. She was watching the boys for me so I could finish errands and finish getting Alex signed up for school.

She showed up with Dunkin Donuts coffee for me and Munchkins for the boys. What a woman!

I got Alex signed up for school - he came along and was quite upset when we had to leave since he wanted to stay and play outside with the other kiddos. From there I dragged him to the post office to send out some certified mail $30+ later (that was a whole lot more expensive than it used to be!) we were done there. Off to Target to finish getting the school supplies from the list and a new planner/organizer for Mom's pocketbook since my old one was covered in Juicy Juice courtesy of Matthew.

After that we came home where I was met coming in the door by Nick who asked if he could please go home with Grandma for the night alone without his brothers. I agreed, but will be driving up there to get him tommorrow and checking out the new indoor playground by her house with my mother and all four kids tommorrow afternoon. Alex was quite upset Nick was leaving him but was happy again when I told him our plans for tomorrow. Jake hardly looked up to say goodbye from his computer screen when they left.

I am toying with going back to work full time to help with expenses around here more, be able to save more and pay for more therapies for Jake. When I signed Alex up for PreK (free 3 hour per day, 5x's a week program) I asked for the full time prices and rates for Matthew just in case I was to need them. $285 per week for the two of them and this does not include before and after school care for Nick and Jake. YIKES!!! Not sure it will pay off at all to go back to work but we'll see.

2007-08-09T09:40:00.000-04:00

Thirteen RANDOM Things about Melanie

1. I am right handed but can write lefty too, just not as neatly!

2. I was born in New Jersey

3. I am terrified of still heights (like climbing up a monument staircase) but LOVE thrill heights like rollercoatsers and free fall jumps!

4. I have one tattoo of a dolphin

5. I am waiting to reach my goal weight to get another tattoo on my lower back

6. I have been to Dinsey World more times then I can count! (Surprised??? LOL)

7. In my lifetime so far I have had 4 goldfish, 2 cockateils, a stray cat, and 6 dogs as pets

8. I have lost 25 pounds on weight watchers and have 30 to go to reach goal.

9. Most of my wardrobe consists of earthtone colors minus maybe 3 or 4 pieces

10. I did not learn to ride a bike without training wheels until I was 8 ( I was so scared I would fall and die)

11. I was always my grandmother's girl. I loved cooking with her in the kitchen, hearing her stories, and taking walks with her. I miss her terribly

12. I have been researching my family history since my oldest was 2 months old

13. I changed my middle name from Patricia to my maiden name when I got married

Links to other Thursday Thirteens!
1. (leave your link in comments, I’ll add you here!)

Exhausted

2007-08-08T14:18:00.000-04:00

Ugh! I am exhausted both physically and mentally.....

And why, you so politely ask???

That would be because I ran errands around town all moring with four children in tow! The bank, the post office, the doctors office and food shopping at Super Walmart. Thank God it is over and done with. I have to say they were pretty good and Jake only had one minor outburst in Walmart. They wasn't a whole lot of fighting or touching each other or the products, so that always is a good trip then! :)

So now that the little one is napping I am going to eat finally and play online and then maybe park my butt on the couch. My Wordless Wednesday is below - an old picture but cute just the same a little late this week.

I need a nap!

Wordless Wednesday #5 - Even the Dog is a Disney Fan

2007-08-08T14:11:00.000-04:00

OMG - Evil Knievil!!!

2007-08-07T13:11:00.000-04:00

Just so we are all keeping tabs - 3 times so far today!

Matthew (my climbing monkey toddler with an apparent death wish) has fallen off of a somewhat high surface!

1- This morning he climbed onto the computer desk and walked right off of the edge as I was coming out of the bathroom and then began running toward him with my arms out just as he managed to land on his diaper padded tush!

2- He leaped off of the coffee table as I rounded the couch to get him just missing his target (our couch) and smacked his head on the floor

3- After lunch, he managed to climb into one of the dining room chairs and hosit himself onto the table to grab an unfinished plate his brother left unoccupied while using the potty. Alex was having Shells with Butter and Parmesan cheese for lunch and being a sloppy little boy, kept wiping his buttery greased hands all over the table and not his napkin and -YES!, you guessed it! - Matthew slid on the greasy spot right off the edge of the table onto the floor in a thud.

Luckily none of these accidents left so much as a mark on him, but they also did not deter him at all seeing as I just took him down from the desk again two minutes before making him retire to his room for some quiet time and hopefully a nap! Good Lord my heart races a mile a minute with this one!

Never a dull moment in this house!

2007-08-07T07:33:00.000-04:00

A Meme I haven't seen or done before, I got this Five Things Meme from Melanie over at Our Happy Happenings.

What were you doing 10 years ago?
10 years ago I was 8 months pregnant with Nicholas, we lived in a house not too far from the one we have now in the NW corner of our city that we rented from hubby's mother. I was at home big and pregnant in FL's August heat and Adam was working on a casino boat out of the beach

What were you doing 1 year ago?
Getting ready for the boys first day of school (it was Aug 8th last year) - Nick was going into 3rd grade and Jake into Kindergarten. I had a 3 month old and a almost 3 year old staying home with me while I worked from home for my BIL's business and Adam was still designing and drafting like his is now

Five Songs That You Know All The Lyrics

Any Nursery Rhyme - Itsy Bitsy Spider, Farmer in the Dell, etc
Never Too Late by Three Days Grace
Its Your Love by Tim McGraw
In Your Eyes by Peter Gabriel
Hotel California by The Eagles

Five Things You Would Do If You were a Millionaire

Pay off House and All debt (car loans, student loans, etc)
Set up full college funds for the kids
Build our dream house
Give money to family
Give money to various charities

Five Bad Habits

Biting my nails
Too much time online
Procrastinating finishing laundry - folding, hanging, putting away
Not calling family and friends enough but emailing instead
Never getting to the post office when I need to but days later

Five Things You Like To Do

Spend time with my family
Go to Disney World
Read a good book
Talk with Adam in the middle of the night when its quiet, we're alone, without interruption
Research - from child issues to family history to vacations and more

Five Things You Would Never Wear Again

Neon anything
Leg warmers
Leotard type bodysuits
Banana yellow heels
Big peace sign earrings! (yup used to wear them alot!)

Five Favorite Toys

Computer/Laptop
TV
My Smoothie Blender
Cell Phone
Camera

Not tagging anyone in particular but if you read it and want to do it too please let me know so I can come read yours!

2007-08-06T12:08:00.000-04:00

Well today has already been busy, but we also got alot accomplished over the weekend.

Saturday night Adam and I got to run some errands instead of a date night, but we did it alone while MIL watched the boys so that was nice. Sunday we did a whole lot of yard work in the morning. The kids wanted to hang out at home and have a BBQ and play so that is what we did. They had a blast playing with this:

It's a Little Tykes toy that pitches the balls to you to hit. Alex was doing these "Hi-Yah!" chops at the ball instead of actually swinging at them. Both Alex and Jake hit lefty which was hard to help them with their hitting for me and Adam. Even Matthew was having fun trying it out. He was a better ball boy though gathering them all up. Jake and Matthew both kept sticking their head right over the hole to try to get a glimpse of the next ball coming and I was constantly yelling for them to move and scooping them out of the way or cringing like crazy hoping they didn't get hit in the face with one. But everyone stayed safe and had a blast. We even got Nick outside for awhile that did not include swimming which is hard to do! One thing we learned though was that Nick has one great natural swing and is interested in trying Little League this year, so I need to check into that for him. I was thrilled when he said he would like to do it so that he will get out a bit more and meet some new friends his age instead of being his normal home-body self on the computer or playing video games!

Matthew had a well baby check up today and is doing great. His weight is still on the low end - 22lbs 3 oz at 15 months old (born at 9lbs 13oz) but he is so very active and constantly eats so it seems he'll just be tall and thin. Its the first appointment he has had where they have not worried about his blood counts which is nice. He received two shots and will go back in three months. I need to get Alex in there in the next week for a physical for school. He loves going there and brings his own doctor toys with him. Luckily our pediatirican is wonderful and lets "Dr. Alex" examine him as well during the appointment.

Off to visit some of my regular blog reads while Matthew is napping and I am having my lunch break and then I need to get work done around here so I can get out to the pool with the kids as I promised!

Weekend plans

2007-08-03T10:26:00.000-04:00

I work part time at night in retail and I actually have this Sunday off for no other reason than it was my scheduled day off. A first for me since I started working there in January other than the vacation we took in June when I requested weekend days off. This was such a shock that Adam and I decided we must make a family day out of it so we are trying to think of something fun (and not too expensive) to do for the day. So far we have only come up with a trip to the beach, but still not sure if that will be the plan or not. I am looking forward to the day together.

Ooh - We actually may have a Date Night on Saturday!!!! How exciting is that? A rock band we both love - Saliva - is playing at a local club in our town on Saturday night and my fabulous mother-in-law offered to watch the boys if we wanted to go. Hubby is gonna see if we can still get tickets to go. Otherwise maybe we can at least steal away to the movies and a small dinner.

I will be shopping for school uniforms and supplies tommorrow since it is the first day of Tax Free Shopping here for school stuff. Woo Hoo!

2007-08-03T09:45:00.000-04:00

Appetizer ~ On a scale of 1 to 10 with 10 being highest, how polite are you?
Probably a 9. I strive to be as polite as possible but I will admit I can forget sometimes!

Soup ~ What was the last thing that made you laugh out loud?
Alex made me laugh out loud at the table while eating dinner last night. He was eating his steak with one hand and his corn on the cob with the other (yeah, gotta work on the 3 year old's table manners, I know...), dropped his fork and threw his hand over his mouth ever so dramatically and muffled out a yelp. When my husband and I asked him what was wrong he gave us the puppy dog eye look and said "Oh no, my teeth are stuck! I can't finish my yummy steak" Apparently he had something stuck in his teeth. We couldn't help laughing out loud at his "plight".

Salad ~ Who is your favorite cartoon character?
Mickey Mouse of course!

Main Course ~ Tell about the funniest teacher you ever had.
Mr. Tyler - he was my middle school years science teacher. The man was VERY eccentric and was always a barrel of laughs. He had the craziest things in his classroom and he always had a nutty story to tell to open up a lesson or cracked nutty jokes in the middle of teaching you about atoms or electricity. He was great!

Dessert ~ Complete this sentence: I strongly believe that __________________.
I strongly believe that family is the most important thing in the world.

Thursday Thriteen - Radio Songs

2007-08-02T07:34:00.000-04:00

Thirteen of My Favorite Songs on the Radio Right Now

1. Never Too Late by Three Days Grace

2. Big Girls Don't Cry by Fergie

3. Wait For You by Elliot Yamin

4. What I've Done by Linkin Park

5. Sweet Escape by Gwen Stefani

6. U and Ur Hand by Pink

7. Before He Cheats by Carrie Underwood

8. (You Want to) Make a Memory by Bon Jovi

9. Its Not Over by Daughtry

10. Beautiful Girl by Sean Kingston

11. Breath by Breaking Benjamin

12. Never Again by Kelly Clarkson

13. Summer Love by Justin Timberlake

2007-08-01T10:05:00.000-04:00

August already! It is quite the crappy day around here so far...RAIN, RAIN and more RAIN this morning. Makes me want to snuggle up in bed with a book and some tea. Taking the garbage out this morning in the rain was something awful, but it is done. I made some yummy banana nut bread this morning and the smell is still lingering around our house. Mmmm! Although, I did not have any since it would be too many points on my Weight Watchers tracker for today! :(
Matthew is on my lap looking at a book right now just relaxing while I type this out one-handed. Jake just woke up now at 10am! Lazy bones! Actually, I am just jealous that I can't do that. He's watching Peter Pan in his bed and refuses to come out yet so I am letting him loaf in there. Alex and Nicholas are playing on their laptop together quietly at the moment, until the timer goes off and it is the other one's turn at the keyboard and then there is sure to be some arguing.
I had plans to do laundry today, scrub the bathrooms, and organize the linen closet, but instead I am thinking today would be better spent lounging around with the kids, reading some stories and reading my own books, playing online while they nap, and just relaxing the day away until I have to work tonight. So, off I go!

Wordless Wednesday #4 - Movie Watching in Our House at Night

2007-08-01T08:53:00.001-04:00

This and That

2007-07-31T08:22:00.000-04:00

A HUGE thanks to the wonderful people manning the template area of the Blogger Forum who were able to help me fix the template problem! They are just awesome!

Some posts got deleted in the template mishaps but Friday's post about life here is here because I wnated to make sure it was on here again:

On the Homefront.....

Matthew is turning into quite the little climber and driving me crazy. Soon he will need his own set of climbing ropes and a grappling hook! I dread turning corners these days to find that he has once again managed to get on top of the computer desk or began to climb up the shelves in the pantry! He makes my heart stop every time!

I am making my journey with Weight Watchers again full force so alot more postings will have to do with my desire to be healthy for both my husband and me and our kids! Before having Matthew I was at my heaviest ever and started Weight Watchers. I got back on it a few months ago and from the heaviest to right now I am down 25 pounds! I am on the edge of seeing a weight I have not seen since 2001. Keep me in your prayers and wish me luck please that I can do this. My family history of heart disease and diabetes has me looking to do this more than ever now that my mother and father are both looking at heart disease complications at the age of 50.

August is around the corner which means only a few weeks until back to school for Nick and Jake and Alex's new PreK class. I need to get some back to school shopping done for uniforms and supplies soon.

Adam and I have discussed having Jacob tested for mercury poisoning. There are many studies, groups, etc that attribute many causes of Autism to mercury levels in vaccines. This was never a consideration for us regarding Jacob's Autism because his vaccines were delayed as a child due to an illness at the time and he began showing signs of delay before receiving vaccines that are linked to this theory (MMR, etc). Recently though, we found out that a shot Jake received after he was not even 12 hours old in a hospital in NJ for his Rh Factor also has links to mercury poisoning. Being that he was our only child to receive this shot ever and our only child with Autism, we have decided to have the test done. I am so apprehensive about it. Mainly because if the test shows he had been poisoned all of this time and we did not know I would be mortified. The other part of me is not sure I want a positive test result just because removing the mercury is a long process that can provide him more of a "normal" existance which would be great, but I do not want to get my hopes up that his development will improve so drastically that certain things will be within his grasp at almost the right age finally. And then there is the other side of me who loves Jake just as he is and just wnats to stop putting him through all of this guinea pig type of stuff and let him be happy with what he knows now. No bashing please, I know how much of a disservice to him that would be and what kind of life that would leave him with without any intervention but I must admit everytime we have to jump through these hoops with something new the thought does occur to me to just let him be not that I would ever stop fighting for him, but it flutters there for a moment and so there it stays and we press on. I need to research it more and see where we go from there on both ends on the result regardless, because I need to be prepared. Any thoughts or experiences on the subject would be most welcome.

Onto today,
When I have not been trying to fuss with this thing to fix it, I have been busy trying to get things decluttered and organized around this house!

Yesterday I spent hours sorting through toy boxes, closets, etc getting all of the toys for four little boys condensed into two toy boxes and a few drawer organizers for their little stuff.

Today I am planning on tackling their ever-growing pile of stuffed animals and their desk.

I am trying to get lots done around here by Aug 18th which is Alex's 4th Birthday party. That way the house is back in decent shape again after enduring a summer of four kids the weekend of the party and before school starts that Monday.

My major projects:
1. Tackling the boys' toys ----> DONE
2. Cleaning the carpets in the bedrooms and living room
3. Washing all of the blinds
4. Recovering a dinigroom chair and touching up the stain on all chairs and table legs
5. Touchup stain on Pergola outside
6. Wedding and bushes done outside
7. Put more sand down on pavers to fill in from all of the rain
8. Scrub down house!!!!
9. Finish running the electric outside for extra outlets on pergola
10. Fix screening in lanai that the dog ripped

Wish me luck! I will need it!

Template

2007-07-30T22:23:00.000-04:00

I have no idea how but somehow I screwed up the template and have been trying to fix it with no luck. Currently trying to delete some stuff and see if it helpss but nothing yet - please bear with me!

Thursday Thirteen #4 -

2007-07-26T08:09:00.000-04:00

Thirteen Books Currently On My "TO READ" List

1. A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini

2. Beautiful Lies by Lisa Unger

3. Ten Things Every Child With Autism Wishes You Knew by Ellen Notbohm

4. The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time by Mark Haddon

5. The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini

6. Middlesex by Jeffery Eugencides

7. The Children of Hurin by J.R.R. Tolkein

8. The Dark Tower Series by Stephen King

9. It Takes a Village by Hillary Rodham Clinton

10. My Life by Bill Clinton

11. For One More Day by Mitch Albom

12. The Purpose Driven Life: What on Earth Am I Here For? by Rick Warren

13. Eat, Pray, Love: One Woman's Search for Everything Across Italy, India and Indonesia by Elizabeth Gilbert

Wordless Wednesday #3 -Getting his turn no matter what!

2007-07-25T10:00:00.000-04:00

Bad Mommy, Good Harry Book

2007-07-23T15:44:00.000-04:00

OKay I should not be on here right now considering I have spent all day long neglecting both my house and probably my children to finish reading my new Harry Potter book! The house has fallen victim to four children who have not been trailed to pickup toys, dishes, eat at the table, ect all day while I was parked on the couch nose deep in my wizarding world of fiction. And as for the neglect comment - Well, I didn't exactly neglect my kids because I fed them, changed diapers, put them down for naps, but other than that I have been parked on the couch reading like a mad woman!

The book was GREAT! No spoilers - I am just going to say I was happy how she ended the series. There were lots of surprises and back story coming together, some characters died as always, but some remain. Harry and Voldemort's end were true to all that was laid out in each book!

Poor hubby's audio version is still not here yet and I am already done! I am dying for him to hurry up and read it so I can discuss it with someone!!!! I will probably wind up reading it a second time before he finishes his first.

Well, now I am off to spend some time with my kids and reclaim the clean house I had this morning when I woke up.

Friday Feast #1

2007-07-20T12:13:00.000-04:00

FRIDAY'S FEAST

Appetizer ~ On a scale of 1 to 10 (with 10 being highest) how much do enjoy watching sports on television? That all depends on the sport for me....Football would be a 10+ whereas bowling would register a 1 !

Soup ~ If you could completely memorize any one work of fiction, which one would you pick? Probably Angels and Demons by Dan Brown....I could read that over an over

Salad ~ What is your favorite breakfast food? I love Everything Bagels with Butter and a cup of coffee with French Vanilla Creamer

Main Course~ Name something fun you can do for less than $10.00. Rent a movie with the kids and hubby, grab some microwvae popcorn and drinks and crash on the couch

Dessert ~ How long does it usually take you to fall asleep? Maybe 15-30 minutes most nights

Friday Random stuff

2007-07-20T11:56:00.000-04:00

I have to work tonight, tomorrow afternoon and Sunday evening. Only about 4 hours each day so not too shabby - they are cutting hours right now which isn't awful for me considering I am only part time and happy to be home more with my family.

Mom had her angioplasty yesterday. No major blockage, but the doctor wants her to quit smoking and is prescribing her some magic pill that helps it happen in 30-90 days. She has stopped before so hopefully this time it will be for good. She is sore and at home resting. We'll go visit her on Sunday morning.

Tomorrow I will be outside doing one of my very favorite pastimes.....pulling weeds. You have no idea how much I despise doing this. It is all my parents fault since they used pulling weeds as a punishment when I was a preteen/teenager and now the chore at my own home is just as dreadful a punishment to me as it was then. I would rather have the weeds become new plants in our side and front beds then be out there trying to take care of them. Can't very well leave the hubby out there to do all of the yardwork in the FL summer heat alone though now can I??? Is it terrible that I dream of the days when my four boys are older and can do all of the yardwork as their chores???? Ahhh... til then.

Have an enjoyable weekend everyone!

Wordless Wednesday #2 - Keeping up with the Big Boys

2007-07-18T09:14:00.000-04:00

Monday Weekend Movie Reviews

2007-07-16T08:35:00.000-04:00

I was able to see two movies this past weekend which is quite a feat for my husband and I with four children and limited babysitters! We generally hardly get to one every few months yet we got to see TWO in one weekend!!!

1. Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix

Let me say that I am a firm believer that movies never can do books their due justice. Although I must say I was quite happy with the way the film portrayed this book. They left out alot but did a great job completing the story regardless. This was by far my favorite Harry Movie to date. I loved all of the wand fighting in this one. It is certainly an older, more mature picture for Harry and certainly begins to show the dark times coming. They did an excellent job casting Umbridge who I wanted to slap while reading the book, and the actress brought forth the equal amount of aggravation to the screen making me want to slap her too! :) Luna was also a terrific casting job! She was just as I had pictured her in the book! I don't want to spoil the movie with details for anyone so I will just say it is a must see for any Potter-fan, of course!

2. Transformers

Wicked cool! The effects alone in this movie were outstanding and worth seeing even if you do not like the storyline. I always find that I either love or hate comic book-type movies. Like Spiderman movies which I really liked verses the Hulk which I thought was awful. This movie was fantastic. I was laughing and saying "Holy Crap" the whole time as was the rest of the audience. The fight scenes between the transformers were great and I absolutely loved the way they made them transform. They did an awesome job with this movie! And let's face it - Josh Duhamel not too bad on the eyes!!! LOL I am married to a muscle-car loving guy who the entire walk out of the theater informed me several times that he will be getting that Camaro! Which I would not mind since I am also a muscle-car lover! But definitely a must see movie. One of the best I have seen in awhile....even better than the new Harry in my opinion!

Walgreens is Awesome!

2007-07-13T10:41:00.000-04:00

I often wonder what Jake's options will be in his future. One of the things I wonder about is how he will be able to make a living. Most employers work with "handicapped" individuals but will hire only those with a disability that is evident (physical limitations, down syndrome, etc) and those with developmental handicaps that are not "seen" are many times excluded from their disability hiring guidleines. I received this video from an Autism List I am on and was so very thrilled at the prospect of more of these type of opportunites available to him. Please help support Walgreens so they can continue in their endeavors!

Thursday Thirteen - Couples

2007-07-12T08:47:00.000-04:00

My Favorite Thirteen Famous Couples

1. Tom Hanks and Rita Wilson

2. Bill and Hillary Clinton

3. John Lennon and Yoko Ono

4. JFK and Jackie

5. Tim McGraw and Faith Hill

6. Kevin Bacon and Kyra Sedgwick

7. Courtney Cox and David Arquette

8. Al and Tipper Gore

9. Will Smith and Jada Pinkett Smith

10. Hume Cronyn and Jessica Tandy

11. Sandra Bullock and Jesse James

12. Sarah Jessica Parker and Matthew Broderick

13. John Travolta and Kelly Preston

Links to other Thursday Thirteens!
1. (leave your link in comments, I’ll add you here!)

My First Wordless Wednesday - Updated kid Pics

2007-07-11T11:12:00.000-04:00

My Monday TO DO List for the Week

2007-07-09T09:00:00.000-04:00

We'll see on Friday how much of this gets accomplished, but here is what I need to do this week:

1) Deep clean this house!!!!
2) Return the Home Gym we purchased in April that is still in boxes in my garage to the store before the 90 day return window closes this weekend
3) Finally finish Alex's paperwork for his PreK enrollment
4) Clean out my closet and possibly tackle the hubby's
5) Go through Matthew's clothes that no longer fot to see what is suitable for Ebay and what could just be Freecycle'd
6) Write to Adam's grandmother in PA and send her new pics of the boys
7) Get childcare set up for my work schedule this weekend while Adam goes to a trade show for work
8) Take down and clean the blinds in the living room and dining room
9) Begin cleaning out toys in the kids toy boxes, closets and rooms to condense them and Freecycle them outta here as quickly as possible!
10) Buy baby shower gift for a friend from work's daughter's baby (don't ask how I got roped into that one - I still don't know)
11) Get my requests off in to work for days I need in August and September for Birthday parties and School dates, etc so I meet my 30 day notice requirement

I am sure there is more I'll need to add later but those are the major things so far.

Happy Monday!

Anally Organized

2007-07-06T10:27:00.000-04:00

I know I am a tad bit anal and full of a whole lot of OCD issues, but I figured out a way to try to manage my food bill a tad better around here by using those traits. Want a good laugh???

I took some old food reciepts and made a table for each place I shop (BJ's, Walmart, Publix, Albertsons) and put the items into the table so that I can make a meal list for each week and shop for the items at the places that will save me the most money.

We are on a tight budget at the moment trying to save for a new car downpayment and the way these boys eat, my main spending each month is my groceries bill. Hoping this helps cut it a bit.

To give you an idea of what I mean by my boys eat like crazy - Yesterday Nick had cereal for breakfast at about 7am, by 9am he was having 2 pieces of french toast and a gogurt. Then at 11:30 he had a hot dog and some grapes, an hour later he was making 2 bagels with cream cheese and by 2pm he was eating a PB&J sandwich. This doesn't even count the snacks he ate in between or even dinner! And this is only one of my kids!

See why I need to budget more for food? That budgeted amount for groceries needs to go absolutely as far as it possibly can with the way these kids eat! Not to mention my diet.... wish me luck.

2007-07-05T12:16:00.000-04:00

Thirteen Random Things about Melanie

1. I found that I have a Lego Star Wars Head in my Makeup Bag...I'm sure I threw it in there on accident at some point but this morning it made me smile when I saw it there as a little reminder of my crazy Mom Life! 2. I just finished reading "The Five People You Meet In Heaven" by Mitch Albom. It has instantly become one of my favorite reads and I highly reccomend it! Looking for a new book to start now before Harry Potter comes out... 3. I am planning a major vacation for summer 2008 for about 18 of my relatives from all over the Eastern coast of the US to go to Myrtle Beach. It is proving to be quite the project. 4. My husband always laughs at my over-use of earthtones whether it be in our home decor or my wardrobe. I am looking to order a hot pink tshirt with these crazy bright neon green shorts just to shock him!!! Yeah - probably not. 5. We watched fireworks form our front yard last night for the 4th of July. We had our own little bit to light off, but our neighbors put on a better show than the city does! Jake watched from the comfort of the foyer through the door windows (the noise really bothers him) 6. I am anxiously awaiting the new Harry Potter movie and book this month! I am hoping they are both great! 7. I am currently on Weight Watchers and have lost some weight but have a long way to go on this journey! I'll keep you updated! 8. I finally got to see the last episode of the Sopranos the other day with Adam. I have to admit a bit of disappointment with the ending, but kind of what I was expecting too. Heard there are rumors of a possible movie to continue the story a bit. I would go see it too, sad I know! 9. I laugh often at my sister's new found additction to MySpace, but I remember it was not too long ago that I was also there a few times each day. I still love finding old friends there and new ones. My page link is over there -------->
10. I have been increasingly bored these days and am hoping coming back to blogging will help with that. I miss reading everyone's news and writing about my own. Who else would read about my tantrums with Autism dealings, raising boys, housework, part time work, etc than the wonderful blogging community??? 11. I despise laundry and have a lot of it to do today. I have a lot of it to do everyday, so that really makes today no different. Just felt like it was worth the mention with as much as I am dreading it. 12. Adam and I will be married for 10 years at the end of next month so we are trying to decide where to steal away for a long weekend. We both know we will wind up at Disney World, but we are exciting about trying some new stuff in Orlando and over that way. 10 years of marriage seems like a long time but at the same time it is almost like - that's all it has been??? LOL HAPPY years at least! 13. I am hoping to get the boys into bed early tonight so Adam and I can sit outside under the pergola, cuddled on the little sofa and light a fire to relax and plan our anniversary trip. The weather doesn't look like it is gonna agree with me and who am I kidding...neither will the boys!
Links to other Thursday Thirteens!
1. Happy Momma2. Lady Bug Crossing

Back to Blogging

2007-07-05T12:04:00.000-04:00

Yup I know I have said it before and I'll say it again now - I am back to blogging.

Lots going on - mostly medical and family stuff.

Everyone here is good. The boys are enjoying the summer even though I am already looking forward to their days back in school! They have been hanging out, playing games, watching TV, swimming, and playing outside. School starts late this year for them – August 20th, so we have a while to go yet.

We had an awesome time in Georgia last month on vacation which we all really needed and thoroughly enjoyed. The cabin we rented in the Blue Ridge Mountains was great and the kids had lots of fun playing in the creek and hiking the trails. It was gorgeous there and hard to leave.

Alex is gearing up to go to Voluntary PreK this year so he will also be going to “school” in August. Nick will be going into 4th grade and Jacob into 1st. Jake is still seeing the behavioral therapist at our home for the summer. His therapist, Michelle, does a great job with him and he loves when she comes. So do the other boys because she brings things for them to do and play with as well. When school starts he will resume having speech and OT as well. One of the downsides of therapies are their cost to us so he is only able to have Michelle for now.

Matthew turned one in May! He has been busy with doctors these days. He continues to be moitored for the hole in his heart (VSD) but has had some other small issues come up too. Matthew was sent to a Hematologist/Oncologist regarding his low white blood cell count and was tested for all kinds of blood disorders and tons of related diseases from Lupus to Leukemia. Fortunately he has none of those things, but due to his heart condition he is going to be continuously monitored. Every time he has a temperature of 100.4 or greater we have to call the Hematologist to see if he needs IV antibiotics at the Children’s Hospital. Recently Matthew had a slight fever one morning and then after his nap he was at 101.5 so I had to call into the hematologist. So I did and they told me he needed to go to the children’s hospital – he could have a viral infection or a bacterial infection. With either infection and his low white blood cell count they wanted to give him IV antibiotics so he didn’t wind up with something like pneumonia. So I called Adam and he met me at the hospital. They checked Matthew over and did a CBC on him only to find that his white cell count was actually higher right then than it had been since his birth! Just shy of 1500 (1500 being normal) so they monitored him for a while and let him go home since there were no signs of anything bacterial to mess with his heart. Very scary but the outcome was good. We are hoping that those kind of things do not happen too often, but we will be following up with his pediatrician at his next visit now before he has to go back to the hematologist again.
He got to see the cardiologist recently also for his EKG, Echocardiogram, and Chest Xray and checkup. That all went okay. His doctor was happy with the results saying that Matthew’s heart is looking okay and not looking like it is causing him any kind of issues. The tissue around the hole is trying to repair itself and will hopefully close the hole on its own eventually. His one concern was that Matthew’s heart is larger than normal size and the hole in his heart is still a large enough size, so if in the next few years the hole does not close it will cause strain on his heart. The heart is already working overtime to make up for the hole and its size, so it could cause some “issues” later in his life when we may need to consider a surgery or something. So he will see Matthew again in 9 months to view any more progress and see how things look. His weight is finally within normal ranges which is great. So that is all of his medical issues at the moment!

Adam and I are busy as always between the boys and working, but things are going well here.

And that is our update for now!

Return of Thursday Thirteen - #1

2007-03-22T13:02:00.000-04:00

Thirteen Things Melanie is thinking about today

1. I need to finish Alex's VPK enrollmetn for next year

2. Time to shop - gotta find a loft bed with dresser and desk combo for the boys room to help maximize some space

3. I am sooooo tired today. Need to have another cup of coffee after I get the boys from school to help me stay awake today

4. Work tonight - back to work after 3 days off. This won't be fun but need that money for Jake's therapy.

5. Making that list of never ending house projects to work on and complete. More and more things seem to get on the list and not too many are coming off!

6. Lots of new movies out on DVD I wanted to see now. Already grabbed the latest Rocky one which wasn't too bad. Looking forward to the Pursuit of Happiness

7. Easter - thinking about our plans, dinner, what the Bunny needs to do, etc

8. Actually starting to plan Matthew's first birthday party for the first weekend of May.

9. Need to bring Dozer Dog into the vet and groomer! Needs shots, license renewal and a bath!

10. Still trying to find an occaisional steady babysitter for therapy and doctor appointments but they all seem to be slightly expensive or overly unstable! LOL

11. Looking into an anniversary present for Adam and I for August. Maybe a little three day getaway or something

12. Need to plan a trip north to see Dad and family.

13. Hoping for good news regarding a home loan to help pay for some improvements and Jake's therapy

Links to other Thursday Thirteens!
1. (leave your link in comments, I’ll add you here!)

Woo Hoo!!!

2007-03-20T10:05:00.000-04:00

I turned 30 back in February and my wonderful hubby bought me tickets to the Nickelback concert in Orlando for my birthday. Well the concert was last night and it was AWESOME!!! Breaking Benjamin was really good. Only familiar with a couple of their songs but I liked their performance. Three Days Grace was great!!!! I really like them so I was looking forward to their performance. But Nickelback is one of my favorites so I was eager to see them! And they did not disappoint and put on a wonderful show! It was a great night!!!

No Excuses

2007-03-14T12:23:00.000-04:00

I haven't been here in awhile. Lost my interest in blogging, life has been hectic, etc etc etc.
But here I am again trying to get back into this because I miss it and Lord knows I need the outlet!

So my updates:
We are all doing good here. The hubby is working hard as always and being wonderful to us all. I am actually cashiering part time at night around his schedule at a retail store in the area which I hate, but it helps pay the bills and Jake's therapy so not complaining today.
The boys are all growing like weeds. Nick just finished his standardized testing at school and is counting down the days until field day and Spring break (right around Easter). Alexander is getting ready to sign up fro PreK for August so we are going through all of the searching, paperwork, etc. Matthew is already 9 months old! Desperate to be in the group - he is walking and trailing behind his brothers wherever they go!
Jake is the one who has had the most change lately. He has always had some steps forward and some back, but his adjustment to me working again outside of the home has been bad resulting in major temper tantrums both at home and in school. Very bad ones in school - one so bad they had to remove his class from the classroom until they calmed him. We have been going through the process of setting up Verbal Behavioral Therapy for him in our home with a consultant who is charging us a small fortune per hour plus driving time and supplies. She also visits the school and works with training the teachers to our program for Jake as well as training us (all of which we pay for). We are still in the beginning of all of it - observations, testing, etc but should have it setup and on schedule by the end of the month hopefully.

So that is about all here for now. Looking forward to keeping up with all of you again and visiting your sites as well!

Decorated!

2006-12-06T17:44:00.000-05:00

Our Tree - My husband always has two stipulations about our tree:
1) It has to be real (that translates into me vacuuming constantly and picking pine needles out of my rug)
2) It has to be taller than him and tall enough that he has to use something to reach the top for the angel or star to be put on it.

Our House -

Back!

2006-12-02T05:49:00.000-05:00

Haven't felt much like blogging lately so I haven't been here but I miss it and now I'm back!!!

Updates - We had a very nice Thanksgiving. The kids have been sick trading off a quickie stomach bug and some kind of upper respiratory infection. They are all coughing like crazy and I am running out of Lysol. Christmas is right around the corner and we are trying to prepare for it!

Tonight after an early dinner we are going to pick out our tree!!! After it is all ready to go I will post a picture. The boys are excited. We will trim the tree using our yearly tradition of watching National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation and having chocolate chip cookies and egg nog. I can't stand that movie but we have done that since before we had all of the kids so it has continued and the boys love the movie as much as their Dad, who if I let him loose could be Clark Griswald's twin when it came to decorating for Christmas!

One little tidbit of WONDERFUL news regarding Jake - next week his class has a school play which normally would not be considered for him, but they managed to get him not only onto the stage in the auditorium but also to stand there in a group and sing some of the songs using noise busters which are these huge ear phones with a gel in them that reduces surrounding noise by 20 decibels. It made it bearable enough to get him up there! So HOPEFULLY, Jake will make it through the play so we can see him next week! I'm very excited since I really thought this would almost never be something possible for him.

That's all for now. I hear Matthew from his crib waking up so time to start the day.

Thursday Thirteen - Thankful!

2006-11-16T06:03:00.000-05:00

Thirteen Things about Melanie

13 Things I am Thankful For

1. Our Home - Thankful to have a roof over our heads

2. Health - Happy that all of our family and friends are pretty healthy!

3. Extended Family - Thankful to have such a large family with such large hearts - siblings, aunts, uncles, cousins, in-laws, etc

4. Allison, Beth, Kerry - Happy to have three friends from my childhood still so close to me and in my life for all of these years now sharing our marriages and children with each other

5. Dozer Dog - Thankful that Dozer was found and given to our happy home

6. Adam's Job and wonderful Boss - Thankful my husband is able to provide for our family doing something he loves and that he has a boss that not only rewards hard work but puts family first

7. Friends - Thankful for all of the friends we are blessed to have - the old and the new, to share our lives with

8. My Mother in Law - Thankful that I have a MIL who is more like a second Mom and friend.

9. Sister - Thankful that I had her to grow up with and have her now to grow old with.

10 My Parents - Happy to have such wonderful parents who are caring and wise and although not together that they share their lives with someone who has equally been important in our lives

11. My Grandparents - Thankful they laid the foundation for family and set a great example of love for us all. Miss them both every single day

12. My Husband - For being the love of my life, my best friend, my other half and a wonderful father and role model for our boys

13. My Boys - Thankful for my children and what they teach me every single day about life and love

Links to other Thursday Thirteens!
1. (leave your link in comments, I’ll add you here!)

Happy Momma

LadyBug Crossing

Wendy's" Whimsies

OMG this Homework is ridiculous!!!

2006-11-14T16:35:00.000-05:00

I have complained before about the ridiculous homework sheets Jake brings home. This one today REALLY takes the cake! Now mind you, my child is 5 years old, has a dx of Autism and is mainly nonverbal. He can write his first and last name and most letters but not any words as of yet. He came home tonight with a Thanksgiving themed homework assignment which would be cute, right?

Yeah, nope. You'd be wrong if you said yes.

He has a worksheet paper entitled "How to Cook a Turkey". The instructions at the top of the page read: "Write the directions for cooking a turkey. Make a list of ingredients you would need and how much. Include oven temperature and time" After this is a group of six blank boxes for ingredients to be listed in and then about 10 lines for the directions.

Am I the only one saying WHAT THE HELL here????

Thursday Thirteen

2006-11-09T10:01:00.000-05:00

13 of My Favorite Dinners to Make

1. Lasagna with salad and Italian bread

2. Peppersteak, with mashed potatoes, and corn

3. Chili with cornbread

4. Pasta fagioli with Italian bread

5. Taco salads

6. Steak and Chicken Fajitas

7. Chicken Caesar salads

8. Ginger Chicken and Sugar Snap Pea Stir Fry over brown rice

9. Spanish Rice Gumbo with tomatoes, chiles, seasoned meat, and cheeses

10. Chicken and Broccoli Alfredo served over fettuccine

11. Loaded Nachos - meat, cheese, black beans, refried beans, lettuce, salsa, tomatoes, sour cream

12. Baked Ziti

13. White Spinach Pizza

Links to other Thursday Thirteens!
1. (leave your link in comments, I’ll add you here!)

Happy Momma

LadyBug Crossing

Wendy's Whimsies

Jake's Autism Walk

2006-11-06T11:27:00.000-05:00

We had a great time! Our team raised $1125 which we were very happy with! Here are some photos of the walk for you to enjoy!

Create Your Own!

Thursday Thirteen

2006-11-02T13:46:00.000-05:00

Thirteen Things about Melanie13 RANDOM Things

1. Tonight is Nick's 3rd Grade School play. He has a two line speaking part and is very excited.

2. His father and I are attending alone while the rest of the boys enjoy Baked Ziti with their Aunt Kiki at our house.

3. We will be visiting Lowes tonight after the play to price garden pond kits.

4. We will also be looking for something to remove a little furry thing I saw in the garage this morning. Hoping he left on his own since I left the door open a bit but if not he's taking his leave one way or another. I like Mickey Mouse....not a garage one.

5. Tomorrow begins a weekend of house projects for me. Yippee! I hate doing it but the end result will be grand!

6. I will start tomorrow by cleaning and organizing my closet. It seems to be the bottomless pit of storage for anything and everything in our house that does not have a proper home. I want to be able to get to my clothes again.

7. The kids have a birthday party on Saturday afternoon for a friend's step-child. She wants Bratz dolls, Bratz clothing, Bratz make-up, Bratz anything. I would not buy those for my own kids but whatever - I have boys thank God.

8. Sunday is the Autism Walk for Jake! I am so looking forward to going to a place where any of Jake's stims or outbursts do not draw one single stare since everyone there is so familiar with it all.

9. Next week we have lots of appointments and meetings. The biggest one is Matthew's next cardiologist visit and full testing - EKG, Chest XRays, the whole nine. Can't wait for that to be over with!

10. My mother goes in for surgery tomorrow morning to see if the cysts and abnormal cells in her uterus and on her ovaries are cancerous. They will be removed along with part of her uterus lining. And she is crazy enough to think she will be at the walk Sunday and in work on Monday. Looney lady....

11. I am in Disney withdrawl. I am dying to go back even for a day. Trying to find the money and time to escape there.

12. I am no longer working for my BIL's company which makes #11 very hard to do! Happy about having more time for house stuff and for the boys.

13. I'm completely tired of these 85 degree days. I want to turn off my a/c and I want my electric bill to go down. Yes I know I should not complain since I live here I deal with the temps but I would love to see some fall temps! I would trade in a day at the beach to go apple picking any day!

Links to other Thursday Thirteens!

1. (leave your link in comments, I’ll add you here!)

Happy Momma

LadyBug Crossing

Wendy's Whimsies

Our Halloween

2006-11-01T10:09:00.000-05:00

Jake's Autism Walk

2006-10-30T08:17:00.000-05:00

We are walking for our second year in the SWFL Autism Walk on November 5th! Please support our team - Jake's Journey!

CLICK on Jake's picture from last year's walk and help us raise money for our team - JAKE'S JOURNEY - in this year's Autism Speaks Walk on November 5, 2006!!!

More Autistic Parents take a Stand!

2006-10-28T10:47:00.000-04:00

See what happens when a parent of an autistic child goes to see Chairman Joe Barton about the Combating Autism Act

Thought of the Day :(

2006-10-25T09:34:00.000-04:00

Having a sneaky, lying boss sucks.

Having a sneaky, lying boss who is a family members really sucks....

Jake's Tee Design

2006-10-21T11:08:00.000-04:00

Jake's TShirt Design for our Autism Walk on Nov 5th came out AWESOME if I do not say so myself!!! My Designand MIL's awesome graphic art skills made a cool team shirt!

FRIDAY FEAST

2006-10-20T06:46:00.000-04:00

Appetizer
What is your favorite beverage?
Unsweetened Iced Tea - Herbal Teas are my favorite!

Soup
Name 3 things that are on your computer desk at home or work.
Other than the norm (monitor, printer, etc)....right now - my planner, my Facing Autism book by Lynn Hamilton, and my new home owner's insurance policy that came in the mail yesterday and is not yet filed

Salad
On a scale of 1-10 (with 10 being highest), how honest do you think you are?
I'll give myself a 9. I would say I am not very honest with people when I think something might hurt their feelings or if I want to avoid causing an issue

Main Course
If you could change the name of one city in the world, what would you rename it and why?
Hmmm.... I can't think of anything at all! I know, I'm boring and uncreative this morning.

Dessert
What stresses you out? What calms you down?
Money stresses me out. Dealing with doctors and medical insurance stresses me out.
Bubble baths calm me down, so do massages from my hubby, and quiet family time

Thursday Thirteen

2006-10-19T00:13:00.000-04:00

Thirteen Things about Melanie13 Things I Do When I Can Not Sleep

1. Clean

2. Read

3. Post to my Blog

4. Read and Post Comments on other Blogs

5. Get ahead on some work orders

6. Check out MySpace pages - mine and my friends

7. Do some Genealogy Research Online

8. Watch DVR'd shows or a movie

9. Try to catch up on Laundry - doing a load, folding one

10. Scrub floors on hands and knees - *this is a favorite thing to do when I am unable to sleep since no one is awake to track anything on my wet, clean floors

11. Make "To Do" lists for the next day (grocery lists, cleaning lists, errand lists, any lists!)

12. Check my email and write emails

13. Watch the boys sleep

This Spongebob Phenomenon

2006-10-18T06:48:00.000-04:00

I just don't get it. I really don't.

I have lived through a plethora of bad kiddo culutral phenomenons with the boys thus far. You name it and we have probably watched it if it was produced after 1997 when my oldest was born. But this Spongebob crap I just don't get. The others were at least somewhat educational in a sense but this show is just too much for my head. Granted, I am not a person who will laugh at those ridiculous, juvenile, potty humor type comedies like the movie Dumb and Dumber or anything so maybe that is my problem.

I was lucky that the kids never watched it at first until quite recently, as in the last couple of months. After seeing a few episodes I prayed that it would be a quick fad in our house, but noooooo. We have since had a Spongebob themed birthday party, have the Spongebob edition of the game LIFE, and even own two DVD movies. Apparently my children feel the need to torture Mom for a little while with this one.

I can't stand the show personally. I think it is vile. I thought Barney and Teletubbies were bad. And now I seem to be living in Bikini Bottom Hell. Ugh.

Autism Walk

2006-10-17T05:57:00.000-04:00

We are walking for our second year in the SWFL Autism Walk on November 5th! Please support our team - Jake's Journey!

CLICK on Jake's picture from last year's walk and help us raise money for our team - JAKE'S JOURNEY - in this year's Autism Speaks Walk November 2006!!!

A Good thing about living in the Sunshine State

2006-10-15T07:18:00.000-04:00

In the middle of October it is still in the upper 80's and humidity is not at 100% which makes being outside in warm temperatures bearable so you are still able to go to and enjoy the beach. Which is exactly what we did yesterday with the boys. They had tons of fun playing in the water and the sand. We played with a frisbee, sand toys, decorated a castle with shells, tossed a football in the water and lounged around. It was a beautiful day! It was of course Matthew's first time there and he liked it. He laughed when the waves pushed the water up around his feet and loved playing with his toes in the wet sand. He snoozed in his chair under our beach umbrella for a little as well. The rest of the boys each came home a little pink - Nick on his back, Jake on his back and stomach, and Alex on his face and shoulders only. Adam looks like a beet because he did not put on any sunblock and is now VERY red but in a day or two hw will tan from it - it's those Spanish genes I guess. I only got a little on my face and back which will most likely peel and leave me back to my pale Irish complexion! I guess next time I will use Matthew's sunblock on everyone since he is still whiter than white! :)

Here are some pictures of the boys there:

Thursday Thirteen

2006-10-12T12:21:00.000-04:00

Thirteen Things about MelanieMy 13 Favorite Chick Flicks

7.
8.

10.

11.

12.

13.

Links to other Thursday Thirteens!
1. (leave your link in comments, I’ll add you here!)

I'm an Evil Mom

2006-10-09T20:24:00.000-04:00

As you know, I am a mom to four boys, so as you can imagine I rarely get a moment to myself. I'm truly evil sometimes.

This afternoon, I had Matthew in his swing. Nick and Jake were at the table doing homework and Alex was playing with a puzzle in the living room. Nature was calling so I went into the bathroom off of my bedroom. No one followed me. This never happens - I generally have one child tailing me at all times. After I washed my hands I realized I was still alone, everyone was actually quiet so I stood in front of the sink - standing there perfectly still enjoying a moment or two of silence ALONE. Then of course Jake and Alex simultaneously realized I was not in there sights so they began their little chant..."Ma?" "Mom?" "Mommy?". And what did I do? I stood there for another moment or two until they walked in and found me hiding from them in the bathroom! And I will admit when I heard them enter my room the thought crossed my mind to extend my moments alone a little longer by hiding in my closet, but I figured I wouldn't have the silence any longer as they bellowed for me through the house so I might as well give myself up to the natives.

Evil mama.

October Ladies!

2006-10-06T10:26:00.000-04:00

Haven't had a chance to post this yet, but it is OCTOBER ladies which means Breast Cancer Awareness month! This is near and dear to me because my mother's mom had breast cancer.

So at the right ----------> You'll see a link to the Susan G Komen Foundation where there is tons of information and downloadable card for Breast Self Exams (BSE).

There are also lots of walks taking place this month that you can get involved in! Avon, Susan G Komen, and more. Search for one in your area

Here's a link to a Five Step Self Breast Exam:
http://www.breastcancer.org/dia_detec_exam_5step.html

Please be sure to remind all of the ladies in your life how important this is! Pass on some info!!!

Friday Feast

2006-10-06T09:59:00.000-04:00

Friday Feast time!

Appetizer
Name a song you know by heart.
I've Had the Time of My Life (Dirty Dancing)

Soup
What will you absolutely not do in front of another person?
Generally it would have to be using the bathroom! I can't leave the door open or have someone in a private bathroom with me. But since becoming a mom I have had to deal with an audience. ;) Still won't go in front of the hubby though!

Salad
How often do you use mouthwash and what kind do you like?
Its out right now (*add to shopping list for Saturday*) but normally I buy the Walmart Wintergreen one.

Main Course
Finish this sentence: I am embarrassed when...
Alex says something not to nice in a store that he obviously heard from an adult..... like "oh shit." Ugh....

Dessert
What was the last food you craved?
Loaded Nachos!!!

Thursday Thirteen

2006-10-05T16:06:00.000-04:00

Thirteen Things about my husband, AdamIn honor of his birthday today

1. Adam is a little under 8 months younger than me

2. Adam and I both were born in NJ

3. Adam has been doing architecural drafting since middle school

4. His grandfather was an architectural draftsman as well and designed JCPenney stores

5. Adam gets motion sickness from rides that twirl or rock back and forth

6. He is the one guy I know that loves all things Disney as much as I do

7. Adam is a huge books on CD/tape lover! He listens to them while working on designs and driving in the car. It was the main reason he wanted an Ipod.

8. He is a huge motorcycle fan. He is currently building a bike in our garage.

9. At 6' 2" and defensive lineman build, Adam looks like he could kick your a** easily but in all truth he is a big sap! A big ol' teddy bear!!!

10. Adam is a work-a-holic! Since I have known him, over 10+ years, he has always had at least 2 jobs and sometimes 3. I don't think the man will ever retire because he would go insane.

11. He is my very best friend in the whole world. The one person I can say anything to and the one person who knows everything about me....the bad, good, and the ugly.

12. He's a closet romantic. He'll still bring me flowers for no reason or dance with me in the living room.

13. The most important thing I can tell you about Adam is what a truly wonderful father and husband he is. He always puts his family first and we love and adore him!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY HONEY!!!! :)

Well then....

2006-10-03T07:59:00.000-04:00

Alex's new thing.....

"Jeesh Mommy, I'm coming. One minute pweez."

This is what I get any time I ask him to hurry up, come here, or call his name.

Wonder where he got that from?????? *blushes*

Monday Updates

2006-10-02T10:54:00.000-04:00

Well its been a weekend!

Thursday was poor Jake's 5 year old checkup and he hit new octives screaming for the shots. At least he is healthy and won't need anymore vaccines until age 12 now!

Friday my minivan decided to take a poo and now I am waiting for the garage to call today to let me know it is done. The estimate was extremely high so I am praying it was not any more than what they quoted us with the LAUNDRY list of items that they included that needed to be done. $2300 and all I got was an oil change thrown in there for "free". Blah!

Saturday was Nick's 9th Birthday. He was so excited to get a new game he asked for from us. We had a bowling birthday party with 20 children! WOW was it loud in there and the kids all made it even louder. Although I have to admit my SIL was the loudest one of all trying to embarass my neice as much as possible everytime she tried to bowl. Miraculously Jake did great in the bowling alley and loved bowling.

We moved all three boys into one room yesterday in preparation for my sister to stay with us for awhile. Even if something happens where she does not we will be keeping them in there and using the other bedroom as a playroom until Matthew is older.

Today I am getting work done and trying to reorganize things around the house! We'll see how that goes since the boys are off today and tomorrow.

So what to do first - the Mount Everest of laundry in my bedroom??? Or maybe tackle the floors that need a good on hands and knees scrubbing???

I'm off to do my SAHM duty.... ;)

Thursday Thriteen

2006-09-28T06:23:00.000-04:00

Thirteen Things about Melanie - Thirteen Things About My Boys

1. Nicholas turns 9 years old on Saturday. Where has the time gone?

2. Jacob loves to watch the Disney vacation planning DVD at least once each day

3. Alexander has decided he will no longer be using the potty and has went back to wanting Cars Pullups instead of Spongebob big boy undies. Ugh.

4. Matthew started rice cereal (solids!) this past Sunday and is eating like a champ!

5. Nicholas wants to take a vacation this winter to somewhere - ANYWHERE - to see some snow. Apparently Florida is a boring place to live because there is no snow here. This is obviously spoken from someone who has never had to shovel it. ;)

6. Jacob has a doctor's appointment today where he will be receiving 4 immunizations. God help me! Getting him onto the scale is hell let alone holding him down for shots.

7. Alexander has started to become player #2 with lots of Nick's Playstation games. The child is very talented in video games already at age 3....not sure if that is a good thing or not.

8. Matthew is getting teeth already! He has two on the bottom starting to break through. He isn't too crabby but he is certainly drooling in pools.

9. Nicholas lost another tooth yesterday and made $1.50 from the "tooth fairy" for it. The poor tooth fairy realized she had no folding bills on her at the last minute and resorted to quarters which explains the odd amount.

10. Jacob's new favorite thing at school is PE. He absolutley loves to do jumping jacks and apparently will be training for boot camp with the number he does already at five years of age.

11. Alexander loves to take baths after breakfast these days. He gets the tub all to himself to play with toys. Its his "ME" time I guess. Wish I could get mine! ;)

12. Matthew is getting his first trainer cup today for some white grape juice. Mmm Mmm Good! Onto veggies and fruits next!

13. No list about my guys would be complete without a little note about one of my other "children"...

Dozer Dog will not stop eating out of the garbage can in the middle of the night! I am tired of cleaning his mess up every morning. (Oh...you thought I was going to say something about my husband, didn't you??? - Nope, just the dog! LOL)

Other Thursday Thirteens!
(leave your link in comments, I’ll add you here!)

Happy Momma

LadyBug Crossing

Wendy's"Whimsies

Renewal Dilemma

2006-09-27T22:05:00.000-04:00

Only a little under a year away and we have already hit our first snafu.

Adam and I are disagreeing on one semi-important thing. Sending an invitation to a certain relative of mine. Now as much as I agree with my wonderful husband about this person being a horse's ass mosrt days I was not brought up to disrespect a relative like that - no matter how much he may deserve it. Adam on the other hand does not like this relative and feels that this particluar person has been nothing but rude and disrespectful to me and our family. He would be absolutley correct. But this person is a close relative. Not a distant annoying cousin twice removed or anything but an actual close relative that not inviting this person would also cause some issues with other invited relatives - namely my mother.

How do I make Adam see that this is something we may have to swallow some pride on? Not to mention I am about 90% sure this person won't even come to Florida next summer for this little shindig. It's that 10% possibility that bothers Adam. To make matters worse (for me), my father is in Adam's corner on this one since his personal opinion of this relative is the same as my husband's. So what to do?

Any advice?

2006-09-22T08:18:00.000-04:00

Appetizer
Measured in minutes or hours, how much exercise have you had in the last week?
Not enough - maybe 3 hours.

Soup
If you had to change your blog title to something else, what would it be?
Sanity-free in the Sunshine State

Salad
Name one television show you watched when you were 9-12 years old.
Dallas

Main Course
If someone gave you $50 to spend with the one condition that it had to be educational, what would you purchase?
Probably sign up for sign language classes at the adult school here - it's $45! :)

Dessert
Do you tend to prefer dark colors, neutral shades, or lighter/pastel hues?
Depends on my mood. My closet is mostly filled with alot of browns, greens, blues, reds, and a few pinks. I would say I go for earth tones mostly.

Thursday Thirteen

2006-09-21T20:56:00.000-04:00

Thirteen Things about Melanie

1. My 25 year old single sister has discussed moving into our house with us for a few months while she either searches for her very own house to own. She has NO idea what she is in for with a house full of 4 little boys! *insert sinister laugh here*

2. I am sick still. My throat hurts so bad the kids are getting away with murder because it hurts to bother yelling at them. Sure, go ahead and leap from the coffee table to the couch Superman.

3. I think my mother is happier than I am about planning my vow renewal for next year. *She* has already talked to a DJ and a bartender for an event 11 months away that isn't even hers!

4. I am actually having a very hard time realizing that my oldest will be 9 years old next week. He is almost as tall as me already which is really not fair.

5. I think I may have married a workaholic! This is the third night this week where it is almost 9pm and still no hubby! Deadlines suck. New design due tomorrow for a client so at least it is over with for now....Until then next one anyway

6. Jake's teacher is getting on my nerves. His homework is ridiculous for an autistic kindergarten class. We had to identify sight words in a book tonight! Away, do, blue, cat, etc... Last night we had to find and trace an object that was a circle. Last night was acceptable. Sight words are not for a child that can not use more than three words together to form a command/sentence. Talk about inconsistant!

7. And another teacher issue - Jake's notes home about what he did today have read all week "uncooperative" or "resistant to work". Are you freaking kidding me? I have a 5 year old autistic son that can't sit still for more than a 2 minute stretch and that is a small miracle most days and you give me "uncooperative". Uncooperative with what? No explanation. So I wrote a note after seeing that for the fourth time this week. We'll see how that goes. Not expecting miracles.

8. Jake's Autism Walk team is looking like we may be adding some walkers! Quite excited! My mother had a work commitment on that date but it was moved so she will be joining us and so will two of her friends. She also is trying to get a banner donated for our team from a friend.

9. I have at least 2 doctors appointments each week for the next 4 weeks straight between me and the boys and then 2 weeks off and 2 more weeks of appointments! YIKES!

10. Matthew and Alex both go tomorrow afternoon. Both are due for shots. Mommy will cry more than they will.

11. I am thinking of selling Avon. Yup, that's right. I'll be your friendly Avon Lady! :) I meet with the sales chick next week. We'll see

12. I am also going to enroll in the next semester at community college here and finish up my AA and then probably go to the university part time to complete my BS in Special Ed. I'm very nervous and very excited all at once! It will take some time going part time, but at least I will do it!

13. This weekend is moving things around day! We are moving the three boys into one room which will be quite the task to make room for my sister. Time to clean house! Rid of old toys, books, etc and call for a Vietnam Vets pickup! ;)

Sniffle Sniffle Cough

2006-09-20T10:15:00.000-04:00

This is me today.

Sniffle Sniffle, Cough, Sneeze, Cough.... Its a pretty site I tell ya. My head feels as heavy as a rock and as light as a balloon all at once and the sinus pressure is killing me with a headache of all headaches. I can't swallow and all I want to do is sleep.

Of course that doesn't mean there is rest for the weary now does it? Not for a stay at home mom of four. Ahh.... The joys of motherhood - taxicab to and from school, teacher for homework, not to mention maid service - laundry to be done, house to be straightened, chef to cook, nanny to the 3 year old yelling for SpongeBob and 4 month old who has decided to create Lake Matthew on his chest from the puddle of drool coming from his teething mouth, and doctor for myself wondering when my heavy but light head can hit the pillow.

When does hubby get home???

Sniffle Sniffle Cough.....

I'm So Touched

2006-09-18T08:00:00.000-04:00

My three aunts that live in New Jersey signed up to walk in the Autism Walk there that they found which is a good couple of hours from their homes for Jacob! I was so touched to find out that they are doing this for him. Especially since we are having such a hard time this year getting people to join us to walk on our team here locally with all of the family and friends we have around here it is kind of depressing. But hundreds of miles away they are walking for him! They are walking on September 30th (which is Nick's birthday) on the promenade at the Jersey shore! :) Nice scenery for the walk!!!

So, thank you guys for doing this for him! It means the world to us. All our love to you always and good luck at the walk!

Friday Feast

2006-09-15T04:22:00.000-04:00

My Friday Sept 15th Feast

Appetizer
What was the very last song you listened to?
Land of Confusion by Disturbed, I just visited my MySpace page and that's what is on there right now

Soup
What is one company/store/corporation you would recommend that people stay away from?
Don't go to Walmart on the weekends - it's a madhouse and there are never enough checkout lines open. :)

Salad
On a scale of 1 to 10 with 10 being highest, how much do you enjoy having your picture made?
5 - I'm not a huge fan of my picture most days

Main Course
Besides a bookmark, what is something you've used to keep your place in a book?
A picture or scrap of paper

Dessert
Name a food that you like that most people don't.
Most veggies - like spinach or lima beans - LOVE 'em!

5 years

2006-09-11T11:47:00.000-04:00

Very hard to believe it has been five years already since 9-11. I can still remember the date very vividly as I am sure most can. It is one of those historic events that is now part of my life that I will always remember and every single detail down to where I was, what I was doing and even what I was wearing that day. I remember having an assignment as a child to ask relatives where they were when JFK was killed and now it seems that I will also have a major despairing event of my own to recall to younger children some day.

This morning Nicholas and I were talking about 9-11 on the way to school. We lived in NJ about 30-40 minutes from the city at the time. He was only 3 about to turn 4 when it happened. The horrific images of the planes and burning buildings all over the news upset him when he was little and even today he can still recall it. He remembers shopping with me in BJ's for socks, Tshirts and toiletries to send to Ground Zero for the emergency personnel there helping out. And he remembers all of the flags everywhere - on the sides of the highway, all over the stores and malls, on every car, every home, Tshirts and all. He was worried about it happening again sometime in the future and told me he hopes the airports are now safe enough. Its hard to be reassuring to him knowing all of the possible ways horrible attacks can take place. I pray he will not ever have to see anything like that ever again so close to home and that he can always feel safe.

It's a very sad day to remember but seeing it again through the eyes of your child almost makes it worse if that is even possible, since all you want to do is protect them from things like that.

What do remember about that day?

Quick Week Update

2006-09-08T11:54:00.000-04:00

This has been a busy and hectic week - our updates:

Over the weekend Adam and I left to go to Disney for our day and night alone to celebrate our anniversary. We had a great time relaxing alone together. We went on rides and saw things we don't get to do with the boys, spent time walking and talking, and even had time for afternoon margaritas and nachos in "Mexico"! Sunday the boys and my sister joined us and we had even more fun. We did a character dinner and a character breakfast on Monday. The boys had a blast and Jake did so awesome with the characters! He actually went up and hugged them. Monday we also got to meet up with friends in Downtown Disney and have lunch at Rainforest Cafe with my Uncle and cousins. It was a great weekend!

Wednesday I had parent lunch at Nick's school so I went and had lunch with him. Well, he ate the school food while I sat and talked with him. I know better than to eat that after getting sick at the lunch in kindergarten! I guess my stomach is a bit more sensitive than the children!

Last night was fall open house where we got to see Nick and Jake's classrooms and their work to date. Jake's class baked us cookies and made paint projects for us to see. He is finally eating lunch in the cafeteria for the entire period with his class! It is great to hear it. One of the boys in the class wants to have a sleepover with Jake. I suggested a playdate instead and his mom and I exchanged numbers. He has a little sister that is about 6 months older than Alex too so a playdate should work out well! Nick's class was reviewing FCAT info for this year. We also got a chance to meet his new teacher (his old one had to resign suddenly for family reasons). She seems very nice and energetic! We were pleased.

Today I have laundry and cleaning and errands to do before tomorrow when I get to leave for a weekend away - YUP JUST ME!!!! Its a Moms Weekend Only for me and my best friend Allison. We have been friends for over 20 years now and live on opposite coasts of Florida. We are both big Disney fans so where better to relax and have some fun together?????? We meet early tomorrow morning in Orlando! The hubby's will be left behind to care for the kids and houses on their own. I can't imagine what we will return to on Sunday but I am hoping it will be well worth it!! :)

Sunday is the first game of the season for the Bucs!!! Root for them with me!!!! Go Bucs!

That's all for now. Talk to all of you again on Monday