Finally!

I FINALLY got the house swept, mopped and picked up. The counters are clean, the bathrooms are clean and the kids' rooms are almost clean (this is not my job and I will not be doing it for them, however they will both be doing it tonight). The only things left are the kitchen table, my bedroom and bathroom (although the tub is clean). Everything had been spot cleaned as needed, but I hadn't had a chance to really clean it all at once until now. Well, actually I'd had the chance I just didn't have the willpower to 'get er done' until today.

The end of Vacation week 1

and SO little has been accomplished! I'm almost ok with it though.

I've started back up with my physical therapy and weight loss. This summer will be about 'taking back me' or at the very least, 'trying to devote some of my attention to myself'. I intend to get back to the gym on Monday (took off a few weeks for the hurt ankle) and I'm going to try and keep somewhat normal hours. During my first week I managed to get myself all out of whack-bedtime at 1, sleeping poorly and then sleeping good once morning hits. It's hard to get anything done when I'm not getting out of bed before noon (but it was decadent for the first week).

Logan has been out of school since May 24 and he's settled in nicely. He goes to bed around 12:30 and is up around 10. He doesn't seem to have much interest in doing anything with anyone, but hopefully as summer drags on he'll become bored with hanging out at home all alone. He's been very sweet though and we've enjoyed quite a few games and quiet moments together. I'm trying really hard to be a more attentive listener so that he won't stop talking to me, but he claims I still suck at it. (Yes I asked him if he'd noticed that I'm trying harder).

Ciera just got out of school on the 2nd of June and had a school honor roll Bowling party on Thursday, so that basically counts as a school day. Today was her first day with no 'plans' and she is already complaining that 'summer is really boring'. I'm hoping she learns the importance of making plans in advance.

I'm hoping to rededicate myself to cooking at home, finding new things that the family will eat and hopefully feeding us all healthier options. I HAATE searching for the recipes though! I'm also hoping to get the house picked up, cleaned and a better system for helping it to stay that way once I return to work in August.

We have a few trips planned, some softball tournaments, a lot of softball practice, basketball games and practices and a basketball camp for Logan. It's not a highly structured summer plan, but mine never is.

He does exist!

I am thrilled to announce that he really does exist! Almost 4 years ago I had the opportunity to meet a fabulous woman that I now consider a friend. She was on the opposite side of surrogacy, an IM, a woman hoping to have a child through surrogacy. All this time I have followed her journey and heard tales of 'the man' in her life. A few years ago I caught a glimpse of him, almost like a Bigfoot sighting. Was it real or was it just the shadow of another man? I've followed his blog (it's a rather annoying set up that only allows me to read the current entry, I've yet to discover how to read older entries without going back to my reader-but worth the effort) and been riveted by the experience through his eyes, a man's eyes, an IF's eyes.

Well, tonight I finally got to meet the man behind the blog. He does exist! And not only did I get to meet him, I got to chat with him for a bit before boring him to tears with my woman stories and driving him back to his basketball playoff. Fortunately, I was able to WOW him back to the room ( he mumbled something about the game being over, but I'm pretty sure it was all me).

The really, REALLY, fantastic news is that they are expecting an adorable little girl at the end of August! They've had such a tough road, but persevered and are now just 11 weeks from holding THEIR baby girl in their arms! I could not be happier for them! I'm also pretty tickled for myself. I was promised an invitation when they come through town with baby A!!

At any rate, now that things are going so smoothly, Mr. Blog does not feel the need to update. I know, I'm not really one to complain about a lack of posts, especially since this is my first post in months, but this is a man with an audience. An audience just WAITING for more details, info and a glimpse into the mind of Mr. Blog! So I'm asking you, my faithful readers (both of you). Please visit his blog and leave him a comment begging him to update. Perhaps you can suggest that he just give a 'countdown to baby A' post. Or perhaps he could blog about her name? So take a minute and go leave a comment for Mr. Blog.

And while you're at it, could you stop by another friend's blog? You don't even have to leave her a comment. Just sign up to 'follow her'. She's desperate for more followers, but is not concerned about the lack of comments on her hilarious blog. If you have the time, you may even want to read a few of her past entries. She really is a hilarious writer and I can't even imagine what a day in her house is really like (although I'm guessing it's almost how she writes it).

Thanks so much for helping a gal out!

School is out now, so the hope is that I can find my way back here to begin blogging again. I also hope to exercise a lot and love it, eat healthfully all summer, clean the house weekly and sleep in every day, all while spending amazing amounts of time with my kiddos doing all sorts of fun things. I'll try and update the things that really do happen.

Emotions

A quick little note to cyberspace to hopefully get some things off my chest.
I'm finding myself rather emotional lately. So many reasons, all legitimate in my mind, but still emotional wreaks havoc on my mind.
The biggest whopper is Ciera's best friend (13) just found out that her mom has breast cancer and will begin chemo on Wednesday. Yeah, the odds are good that it will be a rough year, but she will kick cancer's arse. But the real kicker is that this incredible girl has already lost her father, around 2 or 3 and her mom is really all she has. She has a younger half brother and grandparents, but can ANYONE take the place of your parents? And even if she doesn't lose her, just the fact that she has to deal with the possibility at 13 breaks my heart! She's 13! She should be thinking only of herself and not having a care in the world! She signed up to run Race For the Cure for her mom and Ciera and I are going to run with her. Ciera and I both HAAAATE running, but it feels like the right thing to do.

Then we've got the end of the school year coming up and that always makes me emotional. However, I believe that my kids are leaving the school where they've been for the last 4 years and that leaves me feeling raw as well. It's been such a wonderful place for them, but they are both ready to spread their wings and move on to other things.
Which leaves Logan starting MIDDLE SCHOOL! I went to a K-8 and middle school freaks me the heck out! He's excited though and I'm trying REALLY hard not to project my fears onto him. I need to find others that have been through it recently to get a better idea of what to expect. I did hear some info today that has me feeling a little more relaxed.

Oh yeah, my baby boy turned 11 and although I love him to bits he's had be on the edge of my seat worrying that I'm screwing up as a parent of a boy. I know he goes through cycles and I feel like we may be heading out of this one, but I'm just freaking out a bit. I'm currently reading Raising Cain and am feeling a bit better about things. Time will tell!

The job seems secure, but there are days when I feel entirely inadequate and unprepared. I've been assured it's a rough period right now and even the well seasoned teacher is struggling.

Oh yeah, my youngest brother seems to be struggling with the death of a very close family friend and ex family member (both too young to have been lost) and seems to be pulling away from everyone and everything. He's been weighing on my mind a lot lately as well.

Those are the biggies, we'll see where we go from here, hopefully bed.

Happy 11th Birthday Logan!!!

Dear Logan: I can't believe....
to be continued.

Welcome to the family, Macey Raelynn!!

My sister delivered her 4th baby today! Macey Raelynn entered the world shortly after noon today. She's a robust 8+lbs and 20.5 inches long!! Baby girl is doing great and is already an excellent nurser!!

Big sister Melody was at the hospital, but was roaming the halls with Grandma when Macey was born. I hear that big sis is over the moon!

My sister is doing well. She sounded exhausted when I spoke with her, but the epidural worked well for her.

My mom stopped by this afternoon to share a picture from her cell phone. Macey is very cute and cheeky. I hope to add a picture when I get one.

Check out my Canadian friends giveaway!

My great Canadian friend Sarah has posted this to her blog:
Check it out for yourself at 2-becomes-3.blogspot.com




Enter my Le Creuset GIVEAWAY!!!

Monday, March 8, 2010

G I V E A W A Y - Le Creuset

Before I spill the details about my very sweet giveaway, I want to share with you a great site for kids bedding. When I decorated my daughters nursery, I kinda became slightly hooked on kids room decor and I find myself dreaming about plans for a future re-do when she gets a little older. Allchildren'sfurniture.com is a super neat online store that delivers to the U.S.A. and CANADA and I have just been browsing my heart out! This bedding set is my current fave!

Time to DISH the GIVEAWAY!

Woot Woot!

Cookware.com wants YOU to give you a...

Le Creuset 12" x 9.5" Rectangular Dish in Black Onyx




From the website:
"Le Creuset's Rectangular Dish is truly an all-in-one dish that you can use for baking, slicing, serving, and storage. Poterie Stoneware can be used in the oven, broiler, or microwave and will not absorb odors or flavors. The durable finish resists chipping, scratching and staining. This beautiful and colorful piece has sure grip handles to go straight from baking to tabletop, making an impressive presentation."


Sounds and looks dreamy doesn't it?

*Swoon*

To enter this giveaway:

All you have to do is leave me a comment and tell me what you would make for me in this fabulous dish if you invited me over for a visit! lol! Be as creative as you want - I'm not picky! Dazzle me!

To increase your odds of winning:

1. Head on over to allchildren'sfurniture.com and leave an additional comment telling me about the awesome kids bedding set that you found.

2. Join up to become a follower on this blog let me know in a comment. (If you already are of my uber fab followers leave a comment stating that you are part of my crew)

3. Follow me on Twitter and tell me so in a comment. (If you already follow leave a separate comment stating so)

4. For 2 extra entries:
Tweet about this giveaway and then comment me the link plus an additional comment that says "Tweet"

5. For 5 extra entries:
Post about this giveaway on YOUR blog. Then come back and comment me that you blogged it including the link. Then leave 4 separate comments that say "Blogged!"

Nuts and Bolts
~ This giveaway is open to residents of Canada and the USA.
~ If you are commenting anonymously please leave your email address in EACH comment that you leave so I can get in touch with you in case you win!
~ This giveaway will close on March 15th at 7 AM ET. I will announce the winner in a separate blog post and then contact the winner by email.
~ Cookware.com will ship your prize directly to you!
~ I have not received compensation for this giveaway. Just wanted to give my readers a chance to WIN a cool freebie!

Best of luck my peeps!!!

Ciera, volleyball and EARLY mornings

Volleyball tryout are this week for Ciera-she's never played before, but is hoping to make the team because she just does not have enough to do this spring. Try-outs are all week at 7:15am-She and Brian have to leave at 6:45 each morning to get her there. It will be worth it I'm sure!

Here's what really happened

I did NOT manage to get back to the blog to update about work (going well), Ciera's school situation (also going well-couldn't be happier) and how things are going for Logan (good days and bad days, but he's loving basketball and his new Itouch).

Here's how I actually spent my 5 days off.

Thursday: watched some tv, napped a bit, did a bit of laundry and carted Ciera around to dental appointments. Logan had basketball practice in the evening and I 'think' I went and watched.

Friday:Logan and I saw Lightning Thief and I didn't even think about how much I paid to get in (the sign of a truly enjoyable movie). We stopped by a cupcake store and splurged on expensive cupcakes (they weren't really worth the $2.75 price tag, now we know). We then picked Ciera up from school. We've all been battling colds and by Friday night mine was winning. Thankfully Ciera's basketball game was canceled and I napped through the headache. I can't remember doing anything else productive, probably a load of laundry, but who's counting.

Saturday:Logan had a basketball game and it was another nail biter. Logan has generally been on losing teams and he is enjoying his team's wins immensely. At some point by Saturday afternoon the kitchen got all cleaned up (could've happened on Friday though). I'm not sure why I'm having such a tough time remembering what happened all weekend. I picked Ciera up from a movie and we hustled butt to get her to her basketball game. After basketball we picked up Ciera's friend and headed to Brian's parents for his dad's birthday dinner. We had a great time and enjoyed visiting with everyone. Brian's cousin and family also made it up for dinner.

Sunday:Ciera had softball practice and Logan had his cousin's come play. I dropped Ciera off to see another movie (13 is expensive) and I ran some errands while waiting for her. I then got to drive several of her friends home as well. Sunday night I vacuumed the living room, the couch and under the couch. The kids and I watched a movie as well. More laundry was done.

Monday:I headed to physical therapy in the am and Ciera headed to the snow with her friends. Brian and I watched Inglorius Bastards, finally, and I did more laundry (it's all done for now though). I also attacked Ciera's room and got it rearranged and cleaned.

On the mental list there were many things that did not get done: cleaning the entire house all in 1 day, putting away the winter decor, finishing my book, Safeway shopping, Costco trip and getting to the gym. I'm confident they will all get done before my next week off for Spring Break. Perhaps the blog will even get updated by then.

5 day weekend!!

The school I am working at combined the 2 presidential holidays and a zero day to give us a 5 day weekend. Neither of my kids have the same schedule though. Logan has a 4 day weekend and Ciera has 2, 3 day weekends.

I have been desperately needing this little break. Although my house has managed to stay 'picked up', and I've been spot cleaning, I have not done a total house clean since Christmas and I'm thrilled to have found the time to do it-hopefully later this morning.

I also hope to get back and really update on what's been going on, but here's a brief look at how we plan to spend the days off.

Thursday:
Regular day for everyone except me. I slept in 30 minutes, watched some morning tv and my plan is to read, clean the house and take Logan hot lunch.
Pick up Ciera early for ortho and cleaning visits.
Take Ciera to hit.
Dinner
Basketball with Logan.

Friday:
Regular day for everyone except me and Logan. I will again sleep in about 30-45 minutes.
Logan and I are going to see The Lightning Thief.
Take Ciera a hot lunch.
Maybe Ciera has volleyball tryouts? (need to find out about this on Thursday)
Ciera has a basketball game.
Logan has basketball practice.

Saturday:
Logan has a basketball game.
Ciera has a basketball game.
Family Dinner to celebrate Papa's birthday-not sure what's on the menu, but I have a few guesses.

Sunday:
Sleep in, read, watch movies, finish cleaning the house (if I wasn't successful on Thurs or Fri) and do laundry.
Ciera has softball practice.
Cook an amazing Valentine's Dinner? (I find Valentine's Day to be a nuisance of a holiday)

Monday:
We are all off this day and plan on sleeping in a bit.
Physical Therapy at 9:30
Softball lesson/copies at 11:30
Brian has a dental appt at 3.
Ciera has basketball practice at 7
Gear up for the week

I have left off most of our meals and I'm sure there will be some cross-activities and some grocery shopping.

mp-white chicken chili

A week ago I bought a packet of seasonings for White Chicken Chili. I took the chicken out to defrost and put off making it for several days. I finally got around to making it and fixed an alternative dinner for the rest of the family (french bread pizza). The chili turned out delicious and Logan and Brian both tried it and really liked it.

It was super easy and a pretty cheap meal to make. It probably had way too much sodium, since it was a package of seasonings, but for a quick, warm and inexpensive meal, it wasn't too bad. (Just checked the receipt and it was a total of $3. I would probably need to double it for all of us to eat, but even $6 isn't too bad for a meal that took 15 minutes to make.)

Happy 1st Birthday Miss B!!!

Today is the first birthday of a very special, very loved, little girl. Her mommy is a blogger friend of mine and has generously shared the first year of her beloved daughter's life with me. I may never really get the chance to actually meet them, but they are on my list of people to go visit if I ever had the time and funds, although not during the winter.

I am CERTAIN that they are having an amazing day and soaking up every moment of her first day in Year 1. The first birthday is such an incredible day. As a parent you are thrilled at all of the growth and change. You can't believe how quickly they've grown and are a tad uneasy about the upcoming changes, although you also can't wait to see them continue to grow and learn. To think back to the first day of their little lives, a year ago, and remember the feelings that overwhelmed you then-words do not do justice to the emotions that a parent feels as their babies grow. The birthday is just a time to stop, reflect and rejoice!

Happy Birthday Miss B! S & B, great job!!

Schedules

With my new job and Ciera's new school have come some scheduling issues. We are picking our way around them and every day has a bit of a different solution.

Ciera is now attending a school that she LOVES, but it's located 20 minutes from our house. Her hours are 8:15-2:15. She has 1 minimum day per month which lets out at 11:40.

Logan is still at the Montessori. His hours are 8:10-3:00-about 5-7 minutes from our house. He has several minimum days per month that let out at 12:30. Typically I've been the minimum day mom and pick up several children on minimum days while their parents are working.

My job was supposed to be 7:50-2:00. I let them know in my interview that those hours would no longer work for me, so they adapted my hours to 8:15-2:25.

Brian leaves the house every morning at 6am and returns at 4. His commute is much longer than any of us.

So, here's are solution. Ciera and I leave the house at 7:30, I drop her off and then head back to Lincoln for my job. Logan is getting a ride to school to school with a neighbor and is currently ok with that set up (he gets his text messaging paid for not complaining about it). I get off at 2:25, 3-4 times a week I pick up a child at my school at 2:40, then we head to Logan's school to him and his friend up. I then drop off the 2 brothers. I've clearly left Ciera's pick up out of this discussion. We are still not sure what to do with that yet. For a while at least, Brian will be leaving work 1 1/2 early to pick her up (with 3 furloughs a month that he can use however he wants, this is currently working). On days that he can't leave early (like next T, Th) I will either pick her up at 2:40 or 3:30. We 'think' it will work out. Her best friend lives walking distance from the school and that is what she chose to do all of last week, so hopefully it will be fine.

Minimum days are a bit trickier. For Ciera, either she'll hang out with her friend, Brian will take a furlough day or we'll see if Grandma would like some Ciera time.

Minimum days for Logan were ok when I had my previous position. My lunch was at 12:25 and it was just enough time to pick the boys up and drop them off (the other mom is off at 1). However, with this position my lunch is supposed to be at 11:00. We may be able to move my lunch around on minimum days or I may just have to pick them up a little early-not really sure yet how we'll work that one out.

My school's yearly calendar doesn't quite match up with Ciera's and Logan's. Logan gets out the end of May, I get out the beginning of June and Ciera will get out mid-June. Also, Spring Break is on different weeks-not the best, but it's not the worst.

So it's not perfect, but it's pretty darn good considering I'm no longer at home at their beckon call.

mp-new job

My subbing at the school in November, led to a full day temporary sub in Dec/Jan and I just signed the papers today for my full day PERMANENT aide today. I should get to come back next year as well, unless the budget stuff bumps me from the position. I even get benefits! The downside is I have to leave the boy I'd been... working with and move to another classroom-great teacher and sweet kids though.

mp-New Years Day, 2010

Got the garage all cleaned up, organized and turned into 'Logan's Hang-out' complete with leveled pool table and his new Basketball shot game. Cleared out a bunch of stuff, hoping to find homes for it all, replaced all the burnt out light bulbs and am almost ready for family to come tomorrow. Imagine how productive I could've been if I hadn't read all day!