Not Me Monday!!!

Once again, I have found another blog I've become "addicted to reading....why does this keep happening to me?? :) Anyway, MckMama has a great blog, with a very touching story about her family & new baby Stellan who needs lots of prayers, as he may be starting out his post-natal life with a rough start..... she has started Not-Me Mondays....where I can confess my (well, of course, not mine) guilty secrets for the past week!!!

I did not make the kids stay in the Halloween store, even though Angie & Joseph were a bit scared by all the decorations. I did not do that because they had been driving me crazy about that store non stop for the past few days....

I did not tell Angie that I would come back and sleep with her in a couple of minutes knowing that I wasn't going to come back anytime soon, just so I could get out of the room and relax myself... I did not do this at 6:45pm, immediately after she said she was sleepy and put her head down at the dinner table!!

I did not talk to Joseph (about what a good arm he has) during t-ball a little bit louder so the coach would here me and let him play first base... nope, not me; because I am a fair t-ball mom!!!

I did not eaves drop on Cj's conversation with a girl, just so I could qwell any thoughts that I might have that he "may" have a girflriend...not me, because I respect my kid's privacy!!

I did not have Ethan wait until the babysitter came to finish his "gifted" project, so that she could deal with the hot glue gun, because I didn't feel like doing it at that moment!!

Wow, why do I feel like I could go on and on and on...... is that normal?? I really am a good mom!!!

Is that an Alien on my bed???

AAhhhhhh, I feel good today-- relaxed & ready for the week. We really had a good weekend... Joseph's t-ball, lots of fun with the kids, Carol's party, got to spend lots of time with "Auntie" Carol (my best friend), & we even managed some quiet/quality time for Joe & I... Yesterday, I finally gave in and took the kids to the Halloween Store; they have been hounding me about it for the whole week (since they saw the seasonal store pop up in the shopping plaza) and I gave in and took them in yesterday. It's funny how they were so excited to go, yet the minute we walked in the door and they saw all of the "fake" (which I had to remind Angie & Joseph---over & over again) scary stuff, they were ready to leave, back out the door they went!! Oh no, we were not going anywhere.... not after all the whining & crying & hounding me..... (i'm really not a bad mom... I didn't force them to stay in there; they just got used to it eventually). So, we spent about an hour in there, exploring & picking out there costumes.....which I love to watch them get so excited doing that stuff!! Anyway, after we got home & got the groceries put away, I let them try on their costumes; and while I was cooking dinner, I looked up & into my bedroom and actually jumped because this is what I saw.......

I knew that Ethan had just got his costume and the kids were playing their new costumes on, but I guess I just wasn't expecting to see him sitting there looking at me. Even looking at the picture now, it kind of creeps me out..... maybe I will take that costume back!!!

He Did it......He Pulled it off!!!

My dad has been planning away for the past few weeks....planning for a surprise party for Carol's birthday. He's been sending e-mails, phone calls, "fibbing" to Carol, making reservations/plans for dinner at The Melting Pot for about 25 - 30 people.... and all that good stuff that comes with a surprise party. He has been so excited for this; so excited to pull it off and see the look on her face...to make her happy and have a good time!! HE DID IT....HE PULLED IT OFF, without a hitch!!! She thought she was going to her table for four, but when she turned the corner........ SURPRISE:

And once she gathered herself, she made her way around the room, greeting all of her "fans"

We all had a great time... dinner was awesome, of course (who doesn't like a good fondue dinner??); and it was so much fun visiting with family & friends we hadn't seen in a while.

My dad and Carol

Toasting Carol's special day

Joe and I

And speaking of good food.....isn't it absolutely ridiculous how GOOD chocolate fondue is.....? There is nothing that doesn't taste good (great) dipped in chocolate!!

Please help me with this blogging question......

How do I add a "hyperlink" (i think that's what it's called).... so that when I am blogging I can link everybody over to somewhere else..... I'm sure there is some "Help" link I could read, but honestly, I am going to be LAZY and ask my blog friends to help me!!!!
Thank you, Thank you......

And for being so nice and helpful, I've thrown in this old picture of Angie (she was about 9 mo. old) that I came across the other day....... (How can you not help me after looking at those scruptous cheeks?)

Have you ever..........

seen a t-ball player quite as cute as this one???? And YES, I am being totally, 100% biased because my boy is C-U-T-E!!!

Look....with the tongue out, he must run faster....

(pictures courtesy of another awesome t-ball mom)

If I could take tomorrow off of work......

So I came across this great blog, Mama's Losin' it, and have become "addicted" to reading her stories...It's Writers Workshop time over there, and I've decided to join the fun!!!
IF I COULD TAKE TOMORROW OFF OF WORK: Oh, just the thought of this makes me feel good.... First of all, I wouldn't roll out of bed until I absolutely HAD to (oh wait, I do that every morning) get up, get breakfast ready, lunches made and kids off to school. But this wouldn't bother me because I could do this in my pajamas, with no bra on, hair a mess & with the knowledge that as soon as I make my last stop (dropping the Ang off) I will be right back home. Once I get back home I will crawl right back under the covers, grab the remote & my computer, & enjoy the silence (do you here that... of course NOT, because nobody is home). After I lay there and veg for a while, catching up on all the shows I don't normally get to see while I'm working (you know you get sucked into the "who's the daddy" on Maury Povich), I will roll right back out of bed, into the shower to freshen up!!! Then I will crawl on the couch, grab the remote & my computer & enjoy the silence. Yea, I might get up from time to time to take care of some of the little things that are easier done without 4 kids calling my name every 30 seconds; but mostly I would spend ALL day, just laying around, relaxing!!!! And when 4:00pm rolls around, I will get up, pick up the kids, get dinner started & enjoy the hustle & bustle that is my life!!! But none of it will bother me because I got to sit around ALL DAY doing NOTHING!!

Thanks Mama Kat for the break from reality....

What do you do????

What do you do when you are in a situation where you know you've hurt someone's feelings.....someone that you care deeply for??? What do you do when the guilt & hurt are so overwhelming that your stomach is in knots??? What do you do when you feel your life (or life as you know it) slipping through your fingers?? There are some things I just can't discuss on here....but I need some kind of release.... I need to proclaim for the WORLD to see that I have hurt somebody that I love dearly; I have allowed myself to become complacent & comfortable & not hold on tightly to the thing that means the world to me. Oh, what I would give to turn back the time and change the things I've said & done the past couple of months.... Oh what I would give to say the right things... the things that matter!!! I am not in a good place right now....my heart hurts, my head hurts & my stomach is turning. All thoughts & prayers are tremendously welcomed!!!!

Back from Boston.....

I spent the weekend in Boston with Joe, and a few of our friends.... we went for the UCF vs Boston College game; but got there a couple days before that so we could see the city as well. We got in Thursday evening, so we didn't do much that night. Friday was spent doing all the "tourist" stuff...we took the "Boston Duck Tour", which is a tour of the city in an amphibious vehicle; so we toured the city by land and then drove right into the bay and toured that area. We ate lunch at Cheers, which looks the same (as the TV show) on the outside, but not on the inside, of course. And then just walked the city for the rest of the day. Had a great dinner on Friday evening at Smith & Wellensky's...anyone ever eaten there??? It was awesome and we had the BIGGEST piece of chocolate cake I've ever seen, shared between 7 of us!! Saturday was the football game, which did not have the outcome that we wanted...... UCF was sorely beaten!!!! And then we went home Sunday; and we got home early enough to get unpacked, wash clothes & still have the rest of the day to get back into the swing of things!!! i really enjoyed Boston...it was a fast paced city, but the people were very nice!!



Our tour vehicle....

Ready to "Quack, Quack" (if you've ever taken this tour, you'll know what I mean)

I just love this church...isn't it beautiful

Where everybody knows your name.....

And their always glad you came.....

On our way out to dinner

This is the GIANT chocolate cake (this picture does not do it justice)

At Boston College, ready for the game....

Before it got real bad

And just because this is so cute............. This is a pic that Grama took while Angie stayed with her over the weekend. She taught Ang how to twirl her spaghetti, but she still hadn't mastered it yet.

That's What Friends Are For

I did not feel good all day today... I felt sick to my stomach and so worn down that I could hardly keep my eyes open. Needless to say, i did not feel like doing my normal "mom jobs", especially cooking dinner!! So, my sweet, good friend Lori made me a pot of homeade chicken noodle soup; and it was awesome!!! It was so good that even the kids ate it ALL (and you know I do have a couple of picky eaters---but I won't mention names). Not only was it a great meal, but what made it even better was that all I had to do when I came home was serve the food...and that was THE BEST!!! And what made that even better was that she made it for me, because as my friend, she knew how bad I felt.....and that's what friends are for!!!

My homeade chicken noodle soup (you will notice that is almost gone...hmmm, I wonder why)

Thanks Lori!!!

Move Those Chains, Move Those Chains.....

I'll explain the title of this post in a bit...but first I'll tell you about our day/evening/day. We had a great time in Jacksonville.....it was nice to get away with no responsibilities and just relax!!! First thing I did upon arrival is to head to the local nail salon for some much needed pampering all by myself, which was nice as I usually take Angie with me and...well, you can imagine how that is with a 3 year old at the nail salon!!! We had a nice dinner at a little cuban restaurant by T's house, that also doubled as a latin dance club/bar. We had all intentions of getting our dance on and I was going to do my best to get Joe out there to dance some salsa with me. But unfortunately (or fortunately for Joe) my food didn't settle real well and I got terribly nauseas and we had to go home.....I am so bummed about that!! I did get a great night of sleep, without being woken up by the cries of "Mommy....mommy...come get me mommy....where are you mommy (because I don't usually go right in there).... MOMMY....". Off to the Jacksonville Jaguars stadium where we had a great time hanging out, tailagting & watching the game!! You wouldn't believe how many Buffalo Bills fans were actually there, which made it alot more fun with all the razzing on each side!! Now, while there were alot of Bills fans at the game, there were only a few sitting in our section,which by the way, was in the "club section"...and that was so nice being able to go in and out of the a/c, as it was like 100 degrees on the field...yuck!!
Now, onto my post title..... The Jaguars fans (or maybe other teams do this too) have this thing where upon a first down, it goes like this: announcer- "that's good enough for another Jaguars first down", then the crowd chants - "move those chains, move those chains, move those chains.... mooovvve!!!". Well, by the 4th quarter, I was hot, sweaty, and had a few "drinks" in me; and for those who know me, you know I am pretty talkative, out-going, and don't care what people think......and I decided that I would be a one person cheering section for the Bills upon their first downs. Sooooo, when they got a first down (and I would make sure to see the numbers on the post change so I wouldn't look like an idiot), I would say "that's good enough for a Bills---first down" and then, all by myself, I would say "move those chains, move those chains, move those chains...mooovvve!!" Oh, I had so much fun; and actually the Jags fans around us thought it was pretty funny and got a big kick out of me....although I think I might have embarassed Joe. Oh well, these things will happen when around me!! :) We really did have a great time and can't wait to go back for a Jags/Colts game, which I am trying to convince Joe to take me to, as the Colts will be there in December.
Turns out that it wasn't the food that made me sick on Saturday night because I am still feeling pretty crappy. In fact, I felt so bad this morning that I had to come home from work; which I never do..... I usually end up forfeiting my sick time at the end of every year since I don't use it. While I hate having to miss work (that's the truth--I promise--) because I am so busy, this really is good for me to just lay here and do NOTHING!!! :)

Here are some pictures from our weekend:

Joe and I at dinner...

Jaguars Stadium

Tailgating (there were others with us, but I don't know how they'd feel about me posting their pictures for the world to see)

In the game...before the craziness began

Some game shots

And by the way--the Bills won 20-16(there was one more Bills field goal after I took this picture)

Jacksonville Jaguars vs Buffalo Bills (here we come)

Joe and I are going to Jacksonville to visit his buddy Tony, and go to the Jaguars vs, Bills game (Joe is a BIG Billd fan). I'm excited to get out of town and relax, without children (dont' think it---- I do love being with the kids, but a break is nice every once in a while). And even more excited for the football game, as I am a big football fan...although the Indianapolis Colts are my team (sorry, Carol...who is from Baltimore; therefore does not like the Indianapolis Colts, since they originated in Baltimore).
But before we go, I have to finish the wonderful, most popular, so fun chore of laundry...yeah!! (yes, I'm being totally sarcastic).

Want to see what laundry looks like for 4 kids (and this is just the start of it).

We did it, We did it!!

The other day we bought a 300 piece puzzle to do as a family....the kids love to put them together; actually Angie likes to take them apart.......before we're finished :) It took us a couple of evenings, but we did it!!!! I love doing stuff like that with the kids...it's nice to have that quality time together. You wouldn't believe how well Joseph did finding and putting together the pieces; especially because he's not the most patient child......he did so well, that we let him put the "last piece" (which is a BIG deal to the kids).

Just getting started

This is how it looked when we started on Day 2

Oh, wait...Joseph needed to take a break and finish his homework

Ethan joined the fun

The last pieces are always the hardest; everyone was trying to be the one to find the right piece (see the way Angie is leaning on the puzzle...we had to redo a few pieces a bunch of times because of this)

We did it!!! Joe looks thrilled to be in the picture--- I did sort of force him to get in it. And even Daisy wanted to help....(see her at the bottom left of the picture)

The Finished Product (actually, this scene looks like somewhere I'd like to be)

Angelina Ballerina

Finally, after 3 boys and all the "boy" sports & activities that come with them; I have my little girl and all the "girl" sports & activities that come with her. As you all know, my little girl is more of a tomboy (what do you expect with 3 older brothers) than a little princess.... so you can imagine my excitement when she told me "sign me up for ballet, mommy"!! And that is exactly what I did. Tomorrow after school is her first class, so of course she had to try on her "atard" (leotard) to get into the mood.

Angelina Ballerina

Then Ethan and Joseph had to show Angie some moves

While all that was going on, my big boy was in his room, miserable with the flu :(

Here's what happens....

to my little lady after a long day of playing...playing hard trying to keep up with her brothers and refusing a nap. This was at 6:30pm during dinner:

Joseph thought it was pretty funny:

Science is FUN!!!

Yesterday my dad and Carol came over and we took the kids to the Science Center. We have annual passes, so we like to go every so often and enjoy the fun....and my dad loves to go with us because he loves to "teach the kids lessons". (he's such a good teacher/helper). As we were walking in, I looked up and was reminded that CJ is in one of their promotional pictures (he is in the back row, last one on the right):

We all had a great time; and Angie is about at the age where she now enjoys herself too and doesn't get bored.

We watched "Stormchasers" in the Cinedome....which was a cool show, even though I had a wiggle worm on my lap the whole time who kept having me cover her eyes & ears because she was scared!!

After that, we spent about 1 1/2 hours visiting some of the exhibits.

After the Science Center, I took CJ to a "friends" party, and then we went out to dinner....where we met up with my stepsister Casie and her husband, Dan (it was so good to see them, as I haven't in a LONG time)

Just a random post because I'm bored!!!

I'm not quite ready for bed yet.....maybe it's because I really don't want this weekend to go by too quick; but can you believe it's a Saturday night and everyone in the house is in bed and asleep already!! Normally I would welcome the quiet, however tonight I am kind of bored. We bought a 500 piece puzzle today at Walmart that we will do as a family...hmmm, maybe I will start it myself tonight and work on it until I get sleepy!! So, I've got a house full of sickness----YUCK. Angie started it (i'm pretty sure) with a head cold, then last night Joe started feeling bad, and then this morning Ethan woke up with it and he has felt terrible with it...he got fevered tonight and had bad chills, body aches, sore throat and stuffy nose!! I hate it when their sick---but I am a good nurse and I love to do it, so I will nurse them back to health.
I can't wait... tomorrow starts NFL football season (well actually Thursday was the first game, but tomorrow starts the Sunday games). I love this time of year.... GO COLTS!!!!!!!

Here are a couple pictures from last night. Joe was giving Joseph & Angie double piggy back rides and they loved it.

Look at Angie's face--- you think she liked it??

After I upload the pictures I will post about our day today. Geez, I just re-read this and well, yes it is pretty random!!!

Advice Needed!!!!

This post may seem a bit long winded, but I need to give you "history", so you can understand my frustration and hopefully have some words of advice......
There is a neighborhood kid (i will call him "C") who lives a few houses down from us and is pretty good friends with Ethan and sometimes Joseph (even though Joseph is younger than them , he still likes to keep up with and play with them). C is a nice enough boy, but is kind of nosy and bossy and ALOT rambunctious. There have been a few instances where he has been too rough and one of my kids have gotten hurt. He has broken and/or lost more than a few of the kid's toys and has flat out lied to me on two different occasions which resulted in my boys being put in a bad situation (most of you probably know that story already). Another thing that drives me crazy is that he gets to our house the minute we pull in the driveway (like he watches for us to get home); so I don't even have a second to get the kids settled, started on homework or anything. Not to mention, the dogs go NUTS when he comes around, so I then have to settle them down...all this while just getting home from work and trying to get dinner cooked and relax (arrrgghhh) Even when I have to send him home during dinner, he asks me "when can I come back, what time, how long?" to which I usually tell him that I will just send the boys down to get him,; yet he still comes back every few minutes, knocking on the door until the boys are done (again causing the dogs to go NUTS)!!! Sometimes he just makes me crazy and frustrated.... SOOOOO, yesterday he was over and they were all playing with Joseph's "Better Batter Baseball" which is a t-ball learning game/toy; and C didn't want to wait his turn for the bat, so he picked up a large stick and swung at the ball...... and hit Joseph right in the face; Joseph ended up with a big welt (see below), a bloody nose and a bloody lip:

When I went out to talk to him about it he says "my dad says I'm not allowed to play with Joseph because he is too little" to which I said "well, C, when you come to this house, Joseph is here because this is HIS house too, so if you "can't play with him, then don't come over here" (i explained that he and Ethan could play at his house, since they are the better of friends; but he can't come to our house, play on our playset, with our toys and completely exclude Joseph). Here's the thing, this is where I NEED ADVICE..... how do I handle this? How do I deal with him? He never takes responsibility for any of his actions (and I try to teach my kids to be accountable)...from the things he breaks to the injuries he causes; plus he's mouthy and not always truthful...... Do I not let him come play anymore? He is Ethan's age and they do play well together, but he doesn't mesh with ANYTHING else at our house. I feel bad for him sort of; his parents are alot older than me (he actually has an older brother who is MY age) and they let him do anything and get away with anything; so I think he is just aimless.....

ANY ADVICE will be soooooo appreciated!!! Anyone had a similiar situation?

On a happier note, some pictures of the kids:

Here is my sweet little Angie....remember the one who had a meltdown on Tuesday night. We had a much better evening last night; thanks to a good nap and a great dinner. She was so excited that I bought them "baby rootbeers"

Ethan reading his book; he is such a good reader.... when he gets started on a book, he can't put it down until it's done. This book (which incidently is way below his reading level...yes, I'm bragging) took him about 2 hours to read front to back.

CJ doing what he loves, what he is so passionate about..... his music!! He has such a gift (again- yes, I'm bragging); he can read the music, learn & play by ear and has started composing music. He plays trombone in the school band, but also plays clarinet (picture below), guitar and keyboard... I'm so proud of him!!

Thanks for letting me vent....and any advice will be MUCH appreciated!!!!!

R.I.P Jack

My dad just called me with the sad news that he and Carol had to put down their dog, Jack.... he's been in our family for 11 great years; but was just old and too weak/sick. I hate to hear that news, although I know he is out of pain and suffering; but what I hate even more is to hear my dad sound down and sad. The other hard part will be telling the kids.... I feel like they have had to deal with alot of death in their short lives already (my grampa, my mom, a few pets, their old babysitter).
Dad & Carol- I'm so sorry to hear this news; I know it is a terrible thing to go through!!! Please know that I am thinking of you both during this grieving process!!

Jack & Angie (froma couple of years ago)

Me and Jack (from a couple of months ago)

I WANT DESSERT, I WANT DESSERT........

Those are the words I heard over and over and over again for about 30 minutes.... Angie, my sweet little 3 year old, who did not take a nap at school and did not eat a bite of dinner; Angie, my sweet little 3 year old, who got up from the table and started crying "I want dessert, I want dessert" all through dinner clean up, all through her bath (yes, even while I was washing her hair and water was being poured on her head), all through me getting her dressed and for about 10-15 minutes more once she got to the couch. I finally had to tell her that if she went to sleep for a bit, then she could have dessert...and yes, I did tell her a "little fib", but it did get her to sleep!!! By 7:30 she was asleep for the night. Oh, and thank you Cj, Ethan and Joseph for being oh so patient and waiting for me to help you with your homework!! This is one of those nights where I sit here and wonder how did I get through the night???

As the good blogger that I am, I had to take a couple pictures of her meltdown:

Joseph's "Special Prize"

Remember how I said that if Joseph could get through the rest of last week without crying at dropoff, then I would treat him to a special prize....? (and before you say it: No, I won't be doing this every week, but it was a good incentive to help him get back into the swing of things this school year). So, he is way into Star Wars now and we spent a long time in Target's Star Wars section of the toys, so he could pick out exactly what he wanted. Which by the way, was very difficult trying to explain to Angie that she couldn't get a toy that day too (ok, I caved...she got a $3.00 Polly Pocket). Anyway, Joseph picked out a Stormtroopers mask. For all of you that know Joseph, you know how little he is; for his age he is very petite....so the mask was pretty big and heavy on his head and I had to hold myself back not to giggle at him trying to play "stormtrooper" but have to hold onto the mask at the same time.....
Here he is with his mask on.....

Oh, and by the way...his daddy dropped him off this morning (which I was a bit worried about, because he knows how to "work" Daddy) and he did it, with no tears!!! Who says bribery doesn't work?? hehe (i know, i know...don't even say it)