Friday, November 27, 2009
He just full of 'em.....
We worry about that boy!!
Tuesday, November 24, 2009
Conversations with a 4 year old
Me "Do you want some macaroni and cheese?"
Daniel "Will it make me yellow"
Me "Will it make you yellow? No, it will not make you yellow."
Daniel "Okay, then I'll have some"
I just love that little guy!!
Tuesday, September 15, 2009
YAY ME
I got a job....I got a job...I got a job...
Now granted, I wasn't really looking all that hard for something. I have been wanting to go back to work without actually having to GO to work. Finally, several months ago a friend told me about a company that is branching out into outsourcing and as luck would have it, I previously worked with one of the VP's at this company. Anyway, I sent in my resume. Waited. Called. Waited some more. Called again. The last word that I got was early last week stating that there was a position, but it was in Bowie, MD, which, with traffic, is about a 2 hour commute, one way. Ummmm....no thank you.
Two days later, I had a message from someone at the same company, different location, inquiring about doing some government loan work, from home. It's something I had never done, but could probably figure it out.
Yesterday, I got another message from someone in Upper Marlboro, MD, stating that she had a position, which is a work from home after an initial 15 hours of training in MD. My resume is a great fit for the job and if I am interested, she would like me to come up for training as early as next week. WOW. And, the best thing is that the pay is production based so I basically can set my own income. Of course, as is the case in the mortgage business, there will be certain times of the month that my work load will be less, but that's fine.
I'm psyched. A little nervous, but as long as I have all my ducks in a row, I should be able to swing this.
Wish me luck!!
Tuesday, August 25, 2009
The last 12 months or so have been full of ups and downs, and a lot of them. There are some things that have happened that I wish would not have happened, but they did and they can't be undone, so I will just pray, pray, pray and pray some more for favorable outcomes.
My best friend is returning to work this fall as well, which has surprisingly left me with mixed emotions. I mean, really, what does it matter if my friend works or not, right? I guess my emotions come from knowing that she will now be busy every day and her weekends filled with things unable to be done during the work week, and that we will no longer be able to spend lazy days drinking coffee at the kitchen table while the kids ran and played. It also kind of makes me think that perhaps I should think about doing something with my life...such as earn an income :-) Which, I am attempting to do, but when you want to work from home, it really limits your possibilities. I really think that I should be something or someone but for the life of me don't know what it should be. Maybe I need to take some type of aptitude test, and not the kind found on facebook....that would probably be a good start!!
I am hoping though that with the start of a new school season coupled with my only working at the church nursery 1 or 2 days per week will allow me to start (and hopefully finish) some or all of the projects that I would do when Michael was born and I decided to be a stay at home mom. Although, I know that I should have been able to do them AND be a stay at home mom, it just never happened that way for me.
Well, I guess that it's for now for me. I am sitting in the (what is billed as a comfortable) parent room at Kids Drop Zone while Michael & Daniel are playing, wishing that people didn't think that wicker furniture was considered comfortable.
Thursday, July 23, 2009
Wednesday, July 1, 2009
The Perfect Salad for the 4th of July.....
2 bags fresh spinach
1 pint blueberries
1 pint strawberries (cut in 1/2 or 1/4)
1 bag or (1/2 bag) walnuts
Dressing -- mix & refrigerate 2 -3 hrs before serving
1 cup vegetable oil
1/4 cup red wine vinegar
1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
1 cup sugar
1/2 tsp paprika
*optionals* 1 tablespoon poppy seeds*
1 tablespoon sesame seeds*
mix dry ingredients
mix dressing & refrigerate
pour dressing over salad just before serving
Wednesday, June 3, 2009
Reality
Friday, April 17, 2009
When I Grow Up
Sunday, April 12, 2009
Thursday, April 9, 2009
OVER
~ OVEReating
~ OVERindulgence
~ OVERweight
~ OVERly tired
~ OVERwhelmed
I think I'm going to make up a picket sign tonight and I'm going on strike :-)
Saturday, April 4, 2009
Stop, Drop and Run
Monday, March 23, 2009
Insensitive
Well, now I feel better (just a wee bit) after having vented. Thank you for listening to anyone who reads this...hopefully it was uninterrupted :-)
Thursday, March 19, 2009
Michael
From about six months old, when he would sit in his high chair, I would repeatedly point to my eyes, ears, nose and mouth, stating what each part was in hopes that he would do the same. Day after day, I did this, with not an even an ounce of feigned interested from him. Then one day, he did it. Out of the blue. Months later. At about 11 months old, I started teaching him, to put up one finger (not THAT one) in response to the question "how old are you". That took considerably less time....only a few days.
Over time, he has been extremely quick to pick things up. He loves, absolutely loves, puzzles. By the time he was 2, he had moved on from wooden puzzles to the real deal. Most of the time he didn't want, but would sit quietly for long periods of time doing puzzles. And drawing "happy faces". That was his first thing that he learned to draw. And color. He loved to color and was pretty proficient at it by the time he was 3, coloring mostly inside the lines and using all of the colors. He is by most accounts a very active (hyper?) child, but put a puzzle or some paper and writing utensils in front of him, and he is quiet as a mouse, until the job is done. I have hundreds of pieces of "arting" done by him, some he has named, and some we have framed and display as artwork on our walls.
I could go on and on about this kid, like how he learned within a week, all of the states, their nicknames and capitals from an interactive puzzle he got for Christmas, how he remembers things from when he was one, the way he makes (and has always made) "sets", carefully separating cars, movie cars, animals, dinosaurs, anything out and carefully arranging them just so, in his particular order, how he just wants to know what everything says and has basically taught himself to read and has read 2 books to us, with no minimal to no help at all, his fascination with numbers.........it goes on and on. I hope that his zest for learning is not squelched when he goes to school because he gets bogged down in a class with non-English speaking students. I will just have to make sure that doesn't happen!
Sunday, March 15, 2009
Our adult 24+ hours
Went to McD's for 4 Happy Meals....delivered said Happy Meals and 2 little boys to friends house, where her 2 little girls anxiously awaited (I think more for the Happy Meals ☺)
Came home and lounged around for a bit, showered, dressed and then delivered big boy to fathers house....sadly, he didn't get a Happy Meal.
Went to Target so husband could use the facilities; ran into our insurance agent there and spent next hour catching up with him.
Left Target to head out to our destination, The Melting Pot. Arrive at The Melting Pot (which is oddly located in the center of a what looked like a mostly vacant office building complex). Went inside, found out that you need reservations for a freaking fondue joint, but were told that the bar is full service so we can eat there. Go to the bar and are (not) greeted by middle aged, pony tail wearing, spare tire sporting bartender, who apparently can only do one drink order at a time. Get menu, look at menu, look around "bar", listen to blaring SUCK ASS music, decide that a pot of melted cheese is not worth it and leave, but not before finishing my $10 Mojito, that tasted nothing like a Mojito and the mint was CRUSHED...what the hell??? Oh, and no, I didn't tip the bartender.
Arrive at next destination, Reston Towne Center, and decide to just walk around to find someplace good (mind you, it's raining, not hard, but steady and it's COLD). Walk by Uno's, think to myself, why not just go in here, but continue to walk because I know husband wants this night to be "special", start towards Morton's, and then voice out loud "let's just go to Uno's right now because we both know we are going to end up there anyway".
Go in, get seated right away, move our seat because we don't like the first choice, order drinks and nachos and the pizza. Waiter is young,but he kicks ass. Drink my mighty tasty Mojito, all but lick the nacho plate clean, and eat all but 2 pieces of our Numero Uno. Would love dessert, but really want some cheesecake so we decide to head to The Cheesecake Factory.
Arrive at Fair Oaks Mall and The Cheesecake Factory. The place is INSANE. There is a 65 - 80 minute wait; but the high tables in the bar (all 2 of them) are full service, first come first served basis. Yeah, that's gonna happen.
Decide to see if we can find something else in the mall. Found something, just not to eat. Went into Brighton's and bought some more charms and spacers for my bracelet.
Go back to Cheesecake Factory to "try one more time" but since the mob has now spilled out into the mall entrance, decide to go to Don Pablo's for some ooey gooey volcano cake.
Arrive at Don Pablo's, sit in the "lounge" area and order our chocolate decadence. It's a little chilly in there, being that I'm beside the window and all, but not to worry. The cake comes out and I am able to warm my hands from the heat coming off it.
Eat cake, pay bill, leave.
Get in van, drive home. Slip into something a little more "comfortable".....my flannel pj's and slippers.
Arrive home at 9:30pm. YES, 9:30. We are freaking rebels!!! I start crocheting, Brian falls asleep on the couch.
We go to bed at 11pm.....and sleep oh so soundly all night long. No kids coming in at 5am, no fighting at 6am, nothing but blissful, quiet sleep.
It is now 3pm.....we have approximately 3.5 hours left of childlessness.
Friday, March 6, 2009
so.....
On another front, I am starting (and it's early for this) to feel melancholy about Michael starting kindergarten. Brian and I were talking last night about him riding the bus or me driving him to school, and I got teary eyed about that. I know all of my kids are special, but I feel that he is really "special"....I can't really describe it though. And I'm not saying that I love one more than the other, because I don't think I do. I guess each one of them are special to me for different reasons, and I don't want to let that "specialness" go.
Daniel is still wearing diapers. I am thinking of trying again over spring break on the potty training thing. As much as I hate changing diapers, there is probably a part of me that thinks I still have my "baby" if he is in diapers.
Perhaps I need some sort of counseling or coaching on "letting go".
And on a completely different note, one of my cousins has suffered a terrible loss. She lost the baby girl that she was carrying during her second trimester. I don't even know what I am feeling about that....I just know that I am sad and sad for her.
Monday, February 2, 2009
Workin' out so I can work IT...
Saturday, January 10, 2009
Okay...
Am I crazy or what???
Friday, January 9, 2009
I say
Thursday, January 8, 2009
I have one nerve left
Wednesday, January 7, 2009
A little sumthin' sumthin'
Just boldface the items that you HAVE done, and leave the rest normal….
1. Started your own blog
2. Slept under the stars
3. Played in a band
4. Visited Hawaii
5. Watched a meteor shower
6. Given more than you can afford to charity (I’m throwing this question out because I don’t like it)
7. Been to Disneyland/world
8. Climbed a mountain.
9. Held a praying mantis
10. Sang a solo
11. Bungee jumped
12. Visited Paris
13. Watched a lightning storm at sea
14. Taught yourself an art from scratch
15. Adopted a child
16. Had food poisoning
17. Walked to the top of the Statue of Liberty
18. Grown your own vegetables
19. Seen the Mona Lisa in France
20. Slept on an overnight train
21. Had a pillow fight
22. Hitch hiked
23. Taken a sick day when you’re not ill
24. Built a snow fort
25. Held a lamb
26. Gone skinny dipping
27. Run a Marathon
28. Ridden in a gondola in Venice
29 Seen a total eclipse
30. Watched a sunrise or sunset
31. Hit a home run
32. Been on a cruise
33 Seen Niagara Falls in person
34. Visited the birthplace of your ancestors
35. Seen an Amish community
36. Taught yourself a new language
37. Had enough money to be truly satisfied
38. Seen the Leaning Tower of Pisa in person
39. Gone rock climbing
40. Seen Michelangelo’s David
41 Sung karaoke
42. Seen Old Faithful geyser erupt
43. Bought a stranger a meal in a restaurant
44. Visited Africa
45 Walked on a beach by moonlight
46. Been transported in an ambulance
47. Had your portrait painted
48. Gone deep sea fishing
49. Seen the Sistine Chapel in person
50. Been to the top of the Eiffel Tower in Paris
51. Gone scuba diving or snorkeling
52. Kissed in the rain
53. Played in the mud
54. Gone to a drive-in theater
55. Been in a movie (do home movies count?)
56. Visited the Great Wall of China
57. Started a business
58. Taken a martial arts class
59. Visited Russia
60 Served at a soup kitchen
61. Sold Girl Scout Cookies
62. Gone whale watching
63. Gotten flowers for no reason
64 Donated blood, platelets, or plasma
65. Gone sky diving
66 Visited a Nazi Concentration Camp
67 Bounced a check
68. Flown in a helicopter
69. Saved a favorite childhood toy
70. Visited the Lincoln Memorial
71. Eaten Caviar
72. Pieced a quilt
73. Stood in Times Square
74. Toured the Everglades
75. Been fired from a job
76. Seen the Changing of the Guards in London
77. Broken a bone
78. Been on a speeding motorcycle
79 Seen the Grand Canyon in person
80. Published a book
81. Visited the Vatican
82. Bought a brand new car
83. Walked in Jerusalem
84. Had your picture in the newspaper
85. Read the entire Bible
86. Visited the White House
87. Killed and prepared an animal for eating
88. Had chickenpox
89. Saved someone’s life
90. Sat on a jury
91. Met someone famous
92. Joined a book club
93. Lost a loved one
94. Had a baby
95. Seen the Alamo in person
96. Swam in the Great Salt Lake
97. Been involved in a lawsuit
98. Owned a cell phone
99. Been stung by a bee
Tuesday, January 6, 2009
One day into it
Enough whining.....I need to go tackle the laundry room. I did the puzzle cabinet, the movie cabinet and the downstairs closet last week. Baby, baby, baby steps. I also cleaned and organized the play room, got rid of a lot of toys, and the the tent that my husband put in their to keep the kids quiet and occupied kind of back fired and they ended up dumping EVERY SINGLE TOY that they own inside the tent. I have been avoiding that room and just closing the door. I will deal with it when I have tackled something new. I really hate going back to the same room/area over and over and over again.
Monday, January 5, 2009
New beginnings....
So here's hoping that I am able to do it this time. I have put a lot of thought and time into my plan of attack and have plotted my course, so I am hoping that will help make the path a little less rocky.