Thank You Notes

I'm totally stealing this idea not only from Late Nights with Jimmy Falon, but from a fellow blogger and friend...

Thank YOU Blogging in the Ohio 12th for posting this idea.  It seems that my brain has lost the ability to come up with stimulating conversation after days upon days of taking care of 2-8 year olds.  I appreciate the fact that I can steal this post and not feel much guilt over it, as I"m sure it will be forgotten at the first "MOMMMMMMM" that is called out in about the next 10 3 seconds.

Thank you Jillian Michaels for giving me a face to put with the hatred for the belly fat that surrounds my middle.  Thank you for being so doggone annoying that I can now just watch the Today show as I work out and not feel badly one bit.

Thank you gumball bag that sits on my desk in front of my computer.  I love to chomp on your 10 calories of goodness...and then spit you out...and then get another one...and then spit you out again...and so on...

Thank you Washer for refusing to do your spin cycle on your own.  It gives me the opportunity to practice patience and/or kick boxing.

Thank you summer shorts that used to fit.  I didn't really need you to fit in the middle of February for our trip to Florida coming soon, I suppose jeans in Naples will work just fine.

Thank you Pottery Barn Kids catalog for coming to my mailbox each season.  Once again, I have opportunity to practice contentment or green envy.

Thank you Macie for your lovely present on the floor this morning.  I've always wanted to cross off my list of things I've never done:  step in dog poop, bare foot.

Have a great day!

Pondering

I know that I don't have all the answers...I know that I mess it up more times than I do it right...I know that they will probably have to deal with baggage that I've brought upon them in later years...I know that I will do everything in my power so that they will never doubt my love for them...I know that I am fiercely protective...I know that they will probably think I'm not all that cool in just a few years...I know that they get a lot of their little quirks from me and a lot of their really neat qualities from their daddy...I know that their hugs melt me...that their sweet voices will be missed when they grow up and have families of their own...I know that I love them more than I ever thought possible...

My girls:

Mom

Mom, Mommy, Mom, Mom, Mom...Mommmmmyyyyyyy

Mom, Mom, Mom, Mommy, Mom, Mommmyyy, Mom, Mom

Mom, Mom, Mom, Mom, Mom, Mom...

wait for it...

wait for it...

Mom, Mom, Mom, Mom, Mom, Mom, Mommmmyyyyyy

This, my friends, is what I hear in my house, in what feels like, every moment of my day...

In the bedroom....MOMMMMMMMYYYYY
In the laundry room...Mom!
Talking on the phone with a customer service rep....Mom...I need you NOW!
After just finishing reading books and playing a game with Peanut, I just need to hop into the bathroom for a quick relief session....MOM, Mom, Mom...

I can't seem to make it 5 steps away from my children that they NEED me again...and not for any earth shattering reason...nope...just wanted to call my name to tell me that they:
wantsomethingtoeatneedatreatwantmetochangeherdiaperplayagamereadabookIpinchedmyfingerdoyoulikethecolorblue?

I was able to scientifically answer the call of MOM today when my daughter asked me something about a book she was reading about Whales.  Peanut chose some really cool nonfiction books to read about sea animals and she was reading them to me while I was washing pots and pans...and intermixed with her reading aloud, every ohhhh about 45 seconds, she felt the need to say my name, "Mom, look at this picture." "Mom, I think whales are neat""Mom, since we're a family, are we a pod too?"...but, my personal favorite was the question asked in which I was able to use my quick thinking and MOM skills...

"Mom, whales have blubber...what is blubber?"...

"Oh dear one...check this out around Mommy's middle...see this(as I get a solid grip of my leftover baby #3 fat that is hanging overtop of my jeans) this honey, is blubber...keeps me nice and warm!!"

Peanut replies, "MOM, does it jiggle?"

"yes dear....it jiggles"

Peanut again, with a big ole smile, "MOM, I love you!"

I could choose to wallow in the fact that I'm amusing to my children because of my "jiggly"...I could keep lamenting that i think I might actually forget my real name due to the overuse of MOM on a continual basis...

I KNOW there will be a day that I will miss that perpetual sound of "Mom" being called out...and though it jiggles now, it is a reminder of my "war wounds" of carrying my precious cargo for 9 months each...

But for now, I may seriously think about investing in some earplugs from time to time as I continue to curse the day Jillian Michaels entered my house and made me start doing pushups..

EDIT:  Amy left this link I think it proves my point:) 

I Would Rather...

My college roommate, Sarah, (see her link over to your right:) had this fun idea on her blog the other day and it got me thinking...so here we go:

I Would Rather...

Read a good book than watch TV
Change a diaper than clean up dog mess
Stay up late than wake up early
Be on the computer than play Wii
Eat the dough than make the actual chocolate chip cookies
Drink a fountain Pepsi than drink a can
Do laundry than fold it
Wear a sweatshirt than a tank top
Cook than clean
Photograph others than be photographed
Shower than take a bath
Clean the bathroom than exercise the Shred
Pull out my hair strand by strand than deal with whining & arguing
Vacuum than clean floors
Load the dishwasher than wash the pots and pans
Wear jeans and a long sleeve tee than a bathing suit
Have Italian Stallion chauffeur me than drive myself
Be too hot than too cold
Eat a hotdog than eat a cheeseburger
Talk on the phone than write a letter
Have a few really close and real friendships than just know a bunch of people (but I still like knowing lots of people too:)
Eat at Chick Fil A than any other fastfood place...well maybe Panera (is that really considered fast food?)
Wear flats than heels
Save than spend
Say Hi than goodbye
Not buy than pay full price
Wear neutral colors than hot pink (although with a house of princesses, I have been known to don this color from time to time)
Talk really loudly than whisper
Chomp on gumballs than eat a bag of chips
Watch Blues Clues than Special Agent Oso
Exercise the Shred than watch Blues Clues (and yes I realize that Shred was on my "rather not" a few lines up...oh the irony)
Do jumping jacks than push ups
Pretty much do anything else than push ups
Laugh than cry
Smile than frown (unless it's pouty and it gets me my way with Italian Stallion...but, that can be TMI...)

and so...have a great day!

Twilight Versus Tuck Everlasting

Let me set the record straight right off the bat:  I have NOT read the Twilight series. 

From what I understood about them: sci fi-ish, vampires, werewolves and the like...nah, I think I'll just pass. 

Now, before you start booooing me right off my own blog, please know that I have many friends that have absolutely LOVED the series...and, as a former teacher and AVID reader myself...ANYTHING that gets people reading is awesome in my book (no pun intended!)  So, if you are a lover of the Twilight series, please know that I'm sooo glad that you are reading and that you have found something that keeps you coming back for more!

The other night, the movie Twilight came on...I was exhausted from a photo shoot and Italian Stallion had to WORK on a Saturday, sooo once the kiddos were in bed, we plopped on the couch too pooped to pop!  We thought, hey, let's just see what all the hype is about...so we watched the movie...

side note:  kudos to my husband for watching a teen/chick flick after a longggg day

Anyway, we watched the movie...which is something I normally don't do BEFORE I read a book, but at this point, I was too tired to care...

Let me just say that it made me more confident and assured of my decision in the first place...NOT because it was a poorly written film or book for that matter, it was good!  NOT because there wasn't a sweet love story in the midst of ripping limbs off of vampires or sucking blood, Bella and Edward are cute!

The thing is...I read this Newbury Winner book a longggg time ago that captured my heart and I kind of felt like this Twilight phenomena was the vamped up/new generation version of it...

Anyone read Tuck Everlasting?  NOT just watched the movie...but read the book?  It's thought provoking and heart wrenching...and I loved it.  I felt like, after watching Twilight, that it played right off the premise of this book...except that instead of drinking water...they suck blood....and instead of lessons learned, it was mostly just a love story...

As I said before, I haven't read the series...but I have a feeling that Bella chooses to become a vampire at some point...that's the difference...Winnie chooses NOT to drink the water, even though her heart breaks to not be with Jesse...

Who knows...I'm not all that eloquent at this point...my head is still swimming with details from the movie and memories from my read of Tuck...but, did anyone else see that similarity?  or have some thoughts?  I'm open!

Woman Versus Weather

I wish I could admit that I was some big outdoorsy type woman...the lover of the outdoors, just me and nature, that I could brave the weather: rain or shine, cold or hot...

NOPE...it's just not me...

I DO love being outside: when the temperature is a fair mid 70 degrees, slight breeze, with a glass of ice cold water to sip on...no mosquitos or bugs of any kind...

I also love being outside in the fall time, when I have access to warm jackets and roaring bonfire...fully equipped with smores mind you!

However, cold weather is just not my idea of a good time...Sure, I love to get out there and make snowmen with my girls during the first snow and I'll be the first to slide down the hills for sledding...but ask me to brave that weather for more than an hour or just take a walk for "fun"...I"m going to turn to you down flat!  I'd rather be inside with a piping hot cup of white chocolate mocha than trying to get circulation to my toes...

Fortunately, I haven't passed on these negative feelings toward "winter" to my girls...as my youngest decided today that it would be fun to go outside sans coat and play in whatever snow was left on the ground...with boots on the wrong feet and big ole smile...Little Munchkin was having the time of her life...

Well...for the 15 minutes that her mother allowed her before she was ushered inside with a bribe of cookies or candy or wahtever it took to get her IN THE DOOR!!!

I Just Spent and Hour in the Bathtub...

...with my DOG!

Now, before you go getting some pretty nasty pictures goin' in your head, please understand that there was no water in the tub and I was fully clothed...

My reasoning for being in the bathtub with the dog was for grooming purposes only...she needed a trim...or a cut...or a shave...but, lord have mercy on me, because He did NOT create me to be a dog groomer...

Mistake #1:  do not attempt to shave your dog after you have run 2 miles and are incredibly sweaty...the dog fur will stick to your legs making them even more hairy than they already are during these winter months and it's just pretty disgusting all the way around.

Mistake #2:  the bathtub is slippery...trying to make the dog stand or sit in the tub whilst holding an electric shaver will result is sliding...sliding of the dog...sliding of the scissors...sliding of pretty much everything...and slipping around in a tub, with a sweaty body...again, only results in more hair stuck to you...

Mistake #3:  don't attempt to be on a time schedule...the girls were due back from the bus stop at 4pm...the bus normally comes that time everyday...so I figured I had enough time to shave the dog, give her a quick bath, and dry her down before the bus came...

the bus came at 3:56...I ran outside with my hairy legs, the dog soaking wet, wrapped in a towel...I can't imagine what the neighbors think...

And to just top it all off...I didn't do that great of a job...as I said, I'm NOT a dog groomer...and I"m sure Macie could give you a ton more reasons why as she nurses a little nip on her underside and stays hidden under the bed for the remainder of the night...

But, I thought I'd share with you my story...and I"m not showing pictures this time...unless you'd like to see the bathtub that looks like I am housing about a million hamsters all sliding down to one end of the bowl...or, you'd like to see the lopsided look for my dog's new do!  I'm thinking not...so, just feel sorry for me as I go take my second shower for the day!!

Have a great night!

I'm supposed to be...

cleaning...

I can't seem to stay on top of it these days...which may be due to the fact that 1) my darling family never seems to remember to put anything back where it came from and 2) I keep getting distracted by everything else BUT keeping things De-cluttered

So far this morning, I've managed to run my 2 miles (which I might add that is the ONE thing that I- glory be- make time for every day...I swear to  you, I WILL look nice in a bathing suit...with a cover up and towel... when we go to Florida!!! 
I love my home and I really do have good intentions of keeping it in order...I do...REALLY!  

However, you wouldn't know that to go look in my closet and see a basket full of dirty towels that have been there since...ummm... yes, well...let's just say that spraying them with febreeze isn't doing the trick...

Why don't you wash them  you ask?   Yes, well...that's the other problem...I am only "allowed" to do 2 loads of laundry a day...and let's just face it...underwear takes priority on towels...wipe yourselves down with paper towels girls, at least you've got panties!!! 

In case you were wondering...we can only do 2 loads of laundry because after running the dishwasher and going through 2 showers and 3 baths...our front septic system can only take so much water before the overflow and stench that would emminate from our front yard would cause our neighbors to...I don't know what they would do, but visions of firey poop bags on our front stoop and nasty anonymous letters keep flying into my head...and who wants firey poop bags on your steps when your front lawn already smells like an overflowed toilet?

Man, this post went downhill fast!!! 

So...again,...I'm supposed to be cleaning...I threatened my girls to clean their rooms because Mommy already has umpteen million things to get accomplished today...I mean heavens to betsy...I've got to write a post on my blog, stare at my bulgy zits in the mirror and contemplate whether to pick at them or not...and then there's the hummus and crackers that are just waiting for me downstairs...not to mention that there are 3 loads of laundry sitting on my bed waiting to be folded, dining room chairs in the living room because I was supposed to start washing the floor but got distracted by an exploding diaper on Little Munchkin...

I did manage to clean out the junk drawer...now the junk is just little baggies instead of spread out all over the drawer...I did this while allowing the girls to watch a movie because,  seriously if they KNEW what I threw out...I'd be stuck on the "worst mom in the world" list for at least a week! We all know that there is a NEED for broken polly pocket legs and what would life be like if we couldn't locate all the dead batteries from the toys in the house?  Sad...that's what...just sad!

And even with that all accomplished...I'm not really any closer to an organized house than I was about 2 days ago!  And, I'm sure you can tell how distraught I am over the whole thing as I sit here typing away and staring out the window listening to some  neighbor's crazy dog barking...

Not very motivated I thinkin'...maybe I should make myself work around the house in my bathing suit...I suppose that would get me scrubbing those floors with some UMPH...yes, but if those pesky neighbors showed up with poop bags...man, they may just gag looking through the window...

Perhaps I should get going on that cleaning and a touch of febreeze for one more day...have a great day!

It's like living with Rainman

Now, please understand that I'm not trying to poke fun at Autism by any means...I haven't seen the movie Rainman in ages...but I always thought it was cute how Dustin Hoffman always repeated everything he said...maybe that's not so cute for someone who has to live with that disorder, but in the movie itself, he was endearing...

So, my 2.5 year old has started talking...goodness sake, she doesn't stop...she is definitely her mother's daughter!!!  But, in her talking, she wants to make sure that you understand everything she says...she'll even put both hands on your cheeks and force you to look at her so that she can repeat what she said again...

Her favorite sayings of late:

"My class is on Thursday Mom...Mom?  My class is on Thursday...Thursday is my class Mom"

She LOVES her little Bible class on...can you guess?  THURSDAY!  And she likes to remind me, pretty much everyday that her class is on Thursday..."Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, THURSDAY...THursday is my class Mom..."

I'm amazed at how fast she is growing up...where did my baby go? 

Just havin' fun with Little Munchkin today...then heading into the school to work in the classrooms...that's what's up in my life today..have a great weekend!

The countdown has begun

We're going to Florida this year.

We didn't take a vacation last year in order to save up...We knew that with the girls in school this year and not homeschooling, that I'd be missin' them everyday...

I was right...I miss them...

It's been a good experience for them...going to school that is...we've had our share of meltdowns, drama, peer pressure and the like...and if I'm completely honest, it's been really hard trying to wade my way through this whole parenting thing without feeling like a failure.  That is NOT to say that I think my kids are misbehaving (which they do on occasion) all the time or that they are snotty and sassy, and horrible children.. On the contrary, I think God really outdid himself by giving Italian Stallion and I some pretty amazing girls...

It's just on those occasions that SIN takes over in their little hearts and minds, that I am counting to 10 and praying that I'll gain some insight and wisdom REALLY fast in order to handle the situation...

All that said, I am ready for some one on one time again...some family time without the distraction of outside pressures...time to have pure FUN and relaxation all together...

And sooooo....the countdown to Florida has begun...We've saved up in order to be gone for 2 weeks this time and we are ecstatic...Sweetpea hasn't missed ONE day of school yet this year and Peanut has only missed TWO...we are ready for a break from it all...

We are all reading up on Disneyworld and planning our excursions...talking about swimming everyday and going to the beach...the girls already know that Mamarazzi will rear her head and be snapping pictures like crazy!

Just FYI...you may see some more parenting woes here every once in awhile...I hope I communicate in a way that is real and honest and that you see me for who and what I am...I don't ever want to give a perception that  I've figured it out OR that I have it horrible either...I don't want to "control" the perception either, really...I just want to BE and you can take from it what you will...I hope that makes sense...and I'll probably write about "That" as well...in case you were just dying to know what the next installment of "Mamarazzi's thoughts on life" might be!

Have a great day!

I don't think he realized...

that he married a creative GENIUS! 

Okay...maybe I'm exaggerating just a weeeee bit...but seriously,

Who can make unique decor using junk from the basement?
Who can create an entire play house world for her daughters out of a cardboard box?
Who can whip up play clothes out of old material and the girls still will WEAR it?

I feel like breaking into song...
"Who can make sun rise...sprinkle it with dew..."

Man, talk about ringing your own bell, blowin' your own horn...

I set off onto another "project" this weekend...my dear Italian husband didn't necessarily see the artistic intelligence that went into my creation...now, granted we had JUST discussed the fact that we were trying to save a lot of extra money this month and next,. just in preparation for our upcoming 2 week vacation...and after said discussion, I went out and BOUGHT a candle (it was ON SALE!!! people...ON SALE!)  Yeah, I'm not getting any kudos for that...

Anyway, BECAUSE I went out and purchased a "want" after we had just talked about only getting necessities, probably made it so that he lacked the ability to see the beauty in it all...

But, being the words of affirmation person that I am...I'm blogging about it here to just give myself a little pat on the back:)  and I promise I won't go splurging on anything else this month (or at least if I do, I won't expect accolades of praise and adoration!!)

I have just started really enjoying candles...but, am pretty particular about the aroma they send out...I found one at Yankee Candle that I LOVE...it's called Harvest...it's the right amount of cinnamon and spice without the apple pie or cookie baking undertones...Well, who wants a harvest candle in the middle of January?  Personally, I love the smell...but don't necessarily want the yellow wax and corn husks pictures blaring out for all to see...

And sooooo, I MacGuyvered my way to a pretty clever cover up that accents into my kitchen quite well...

step one:
cut up one OLD island runner that I made about 2.5 years ago

step two:
raid the girls craft box for elmers glue and cut out junk from the top in order for said glue, to actually come out of the bottle

step three:
cut out a piece of an old file folder and glue the fabric to it

step four:
wrap it around the candle and fasten with paper clips until it dries

step five:
tie some more old fabric around it into a knot just for good measure

and TADA...

Okay...so it's not really that exciting, nor worth all the attention that I'm bringing to myself...but I'm in rare form this evening and when in that mood and too close to the computer...well, this sometimes happens...

Hope you all have a great week...and if you have any MacGuyver stories about yourself that you'd like to share, I'm all for listening to them!!

What we did outside...

Just wanted to post a few pictures of yesterdays SNOW EXCURSION...the girls had a blast!

Peanut pretending to be a "little lost girl"

Do you get any cuter than that???

Baking 1019834758475098684938203984575

In my ever long quest to someday give all my household duties over to my children so that, as the queen of the dwelling place, I may find quiet and solace as I play on my computer and read books all day  teach my darling daughters how to bake and cook so that they won't starve when they're older may go out into the world, confident and armed with skills that will help them and their future families.

We planned a little "baking lesson" before our outdoor excursion into the snow! I must interject here that my Italian Stallion and I have had many a conversation of late, how I am in desperate need of some parenting patience and optimism...I find that I loose patience VERY quickly, especially when people like Miss Whiney Pants and Miss Tattle Tale show up on the scene...Miss Complaining Heart gets me too...but, seriously, we don't have all day to mention these folks...

Anyway, he called as I was starting this adventure and gave me my little pep talk...and so, I sat back with my camera and held my tongue...unless, I needed to send those "visitors" into a time out...which was a WONDERFUL threat to use when I pulled out the chocolate chips...

Sooooo...here's how it went:
Sweetpea read the directions

They all argued about who would put what in

They finally figured out to take turns and talk sweetly to one another

They worked as a team to get the whole thing poured into the pan...

By the time we were done...we had some YUMMY chocolate chip banana bread...

Which I didn't take a picture of before we ate because we were just so doggone eager to eat it, I just totally forgot...but here's the picture of it half eaten...

MMMMMMmmmmmm look at those chips and the moistness...They done did good...d'em girls!!!

I'll post some pics of our outdoor stuff a little bit later...but enjoy the vision of banana bread...don't you wish you could smell it through the screen?  It is awesome...trust me!!!

It's a Snow Day

We were awakened this morning with a phone call:

"All local schools are closed today, January 8th...etc etc etc"

Now, I must tell you...we are ECSTATIC about this information...we are thrilled...I get my girls home with me all day today!  WOOHOO...we'll probably play in the snow, drink hot cocoa, takes lots of pictures, make forts in the house, argue about how "she got to have 5 M n Ms and I only got 3" and we'll throw a few whines and pouts in there for good measure...but all in all it will be a great day!

What just cracks me up is the utter panic that ensues when SNOW is coming...

Granted, I have NOT been out on the roads this morning...goodness, I haven't even listened to a weather station is ages...but, while I was out yesterday it was the TALK OF THE TOWN...

Everywhere I went people were asking me, "How bad is it out there?"..."The Snow IS COMING"...You'd think we were needing to get prepared for a blizzard the way people spoke of the coming snow...Friends on facebook even referred to it as the White Stuff of Death...I felt like I needed to get to the store to stock up on  the basics like bread, bottled water, milk, eggs, cookies, pizza...you know, the basics!  By the excitement shown by all you'd think we were going to have to dig our way out of homes today and drink melted snow to keep hydrated, layer up in preparation for the extreme cold wrapped up with blankets, hang onto our small children for fear they'd get lost in the snow drifts...it just makes me smile!

Trying to drive my way home on the highway, having to succumb to the self-imposed 35 mph of the other drivers who were cursing the semis as they plowed past them was quite the treat I must say!  And my dear husband had to call to inform me that he was "on his way" home last night, which in SNOW language means, "Honey, I'll be home in about 45 minutes as opposed to 15 because noone is going over 25mph on the city roads"

We'll see what today brings...but as for us girls...we'll be outside for a good part of it and if I can get my frozen fingers to work and I don't loose Little Munchkin in the snow piles, I'll attempt to get a few pictures to share with you later...

Have SNow much fun today!!!

Is it 2010?

I keep shaking my head realizing that we've landed in the year of TWENTY-TEN!!!  It sounds like it belongs in the beginning of a Star Wars movie...I remember being a really little girl and wondering if Jesus was going to come back before I got to be a Momma...and then, here we are...2010!

I haven't noticed much lately, due to some adverse "sickies" that have invaded my body.  So far, no one else in the clan has contracted said "sickness", but I've spent more time in the bathroom than I care to discuss on a public blog!

My girlies have started back to school and that, my friends, was rather a let down for me...I miss them...a lot!

And yet, I will be honest that I've been struggling lately with the whole parenting thing....the older they get, the more differently I have to parent...and parent them EACH differently!  I've blown it a million times with my eldest...

telling on myself:  she came to me almost in tears the other day asking if I could not speak so sternly to her when I'm disciplining her because instead of concentrating on what she needs to do correctly the next time, she's consumed with the tone of my voice and how it makes it feel like I don't like her...

PUNCH ME IN THE GUT...seriously, I could have doubled over intoa pile and curled up into a fetal position and stayed that way after she told me that...it's heartbreaking...

And then, there's my little munch...who, quite honestly, is going to cause me to approach 40 much faster than I thought possible...I can't stay on top of it...

I wish they came with manuals sometimes and then, other times, I'm glad they don't because I like the surprises and the FUN they come up with all on their own...

So...that's what's been goin' on here in the Italian household...if you have any parenting advice, I'm open to any suggestions/encouragement!!!