Because I would rather NOT be working this beautiful Monday morning....
Five Movies You Can Watch Over and Over:
1. A League of Their Own
2. Mermaids
3. My Cousin Vinnie
4. Donnie Brasco
5. Bring It On
Five embarrassing Songs that You Know All the Words To:
1. Copa - Barry Manilow
2. Dancing Queen - ABBA
3. I've Got Friends In Low Places - Garth
4. La-La-La- La - Bert & Ernie
5. Mnay stupid holiday songs from Elementary school that my sister and I sing evrey year to annoy my mom (especially on Thanksgiving)
Five Memorable Halloween Costumes:
1. A bunch of grapes (6th grade)
2. Dorothy - My mom made this costume for me when I was 23 and I wore it for 5 years! I was a cute Dorothy, but I left red glitter everywhere I went!
3. "A homicidal maniac, they look just like everyone else" See movie quotes below - to explain my lack of costume
4. A Queen Bee (and I dressed my then BF's dog as a bee to go with it!)
5. Ryan's mommy - I've worn this one 2 years in a row now!
Five Celebrities You Believe May Secretly be Alien:
1. The Olsen twins
2. Michael Jackson
3. Tom Cruise
4. Liza Minelli
5. Leonardo Di Caprio
Five Occupations that You Know You Could Never Do:
1. An accountant - I can't even balance my own checkbook
2. Dental Hygenist
3. Military - I could never be that active that early in the day
4. Nurse - God bless them all!!! I know I lack what it takes
5. Nail Tech - I think feet are gross! I don't know how my sister does it - she has even gotten ringworm from a client!!!
Five Books You’ve Recently Read Outside of Schoolwork:
1. The Going to Bed Book
2. Moo, Baa, Lalala
3. Fallen Leaves
4. Memoirs of a Geisha (again)
5. Your Pregnancy Week by Week
Five Ways to Perfectly Spend an Afternoon:
1. The zoo, ice cream and a long nap
2. A productive shopping trip
3. Napping while watching Lifetime movies
4. a clean, quiet house, a good book, and a blanket
5. Not at work!
Five Lines You Blatantly Stole From a Movie, TV, a Commercial, or Song:
1. "I'm a homicidal maniac, they look just like everyone else" Addam's Family
2. "There's no crying in baseball" A League of Their Own
3. "It looks like 2 pigs fighting under a blanket" to describe too tight pants - Steel Magnolisa
4. "I AM your mother" said in my best Darth Vader voice
5. "Did you ever know that you're my hero" but meant very sarcastically! Usually to my sister! Oh, from "Wind Beneath My Wings"
Not Your 5 Favorite Foods, But the 5 You’re Most Likely Eating:
1. uh, anything that is not moving???
2. Peanut Butter sandwich
3. Grapefruit soda
4. apples - like 3 a day!
5. Robin eggs - I LOVE Easter candy and the fact that it has been available for a month now!
Five People Who Must Immediately Respond:
Anyone who wants to! let me know so I can check your answers out!
Monday, March 27, 2006
Thursday, March 23, 2006
To work or not to work....
That's not really the question though....
I had always thought that I wouldn't return to work after my children were born. Then Ryan came, before the wedding, and the expenses were massive and, sadly, my salary was needed. After going back I realized that, as much as I love being home with my child, I always like being in the workforce. ***I should note here that I am not one to criticize ANYONE's decision. I know SAHM who love it and I know working moms who wouldn't have it any other way! This is just me trying to figure out what I should do and where I belong!
Okay, back on track...
After the wedding I decided that I wanted to work a shortened week - 32 hours (Monday - Thursday) and spend Fridays at home. Really how much money could I lose by cutting 8 hours out of my week? Sadly, more than I thought! Like $300 a month after taxes! Anyway, I back burnered the whole issue and continued to come to work every day and pretend I wanted to be here.
I can't do this any longer. My new plan? To cut my hours to 32 a week until the end of the year. Then cut to 24 hours a week in January. I need to stay at at least 32 hours to keep our health insurance until the next open enrollment in the fall where we can switch to Rob's company plan.
ANyway, this is the plan, but I am not sure I can do it for a few reasons:
1. Do we need my full time salary
2. with all the changes going on around work, will they even let me????
I'll probably blog about this more in the future, but I am just getting ideas off my chest right now....
I had always thought that I wouldn't return to work after my children were born. Then Ryan came, before the wedding, and the expenses were massive and, sadly, my salary was needed. After going back I realized that, as much as I love being home with my child, I always like being in the workforce. ***I should note here that I am not one to criticize ANYONE's decision. I know SAHM who love it and I know working moms who wouldn't have it any other way! This is just me trying to figure out what I should do and where I belong!
Okay, back on track...
After the wedding I decided that I wanted to work a shortened week - 32 hours (Monday - Thursday) and spend Fridays at home. Really how much money could I lose by cutting 8 hours out of my week? Sadly, more than I thought! Like $300 a month after taxes! Anyway, I back burnered the whole issue and continued to come to work every day and pretend I wanted to be here.
I can't do this any longer. My new plan? To cut my hours to 32 a week until the end of the year. Then cut to 24 hours a week in January. I need to stay at at least 32 hours to keep our health insurance until the next open enrollment in the fall where we can switch to Rob's company plan.
ANyway, this is the plan, but I am not sure I can do it for a few reasons:
1. Do we need my full time salary
2. with all the changes going on around work, will they even let me????
I'll probably blog about this more in the future, but I am just getting ideas off my chest right now....
Wednesday, March 22, 2006
I just saved a bunch of money....
By doing our own meter reads and not relying on the gas companies "estimate". I saved almost $150!!! WOO HOO!!!
Tuesday, March 21, 2006
Has it really been 2 weeks???
2 weeks since I last posted????
Sorry about that - march is a crazy busy month for us! We have so many birthdays to celebrate - Rob's, my sister, my sister's dog ( yes, she throws him a party every year - don't ask!). Plus construction has begun on Little Miss's room leaving my enitre upstairs and attic in a disaster state!
Pregnancy
I am 22 weeks as of today and FINALLY not throwing up anymore - YAY!!! I have been vomit free for 2 whole weeks, with the exception of this morning, but I think that was just from swigging OJ out of the carton after brushing my teeth - yuck!
Things are going well. I had a midwife appointment last week. I ended up having to bring Ryan with me and can I just say that is NEVER going to happen again!!! What a terror! He was fine in the waiting room where there were people and toys but the 15 minutes we were stuck in an exam room alone where pure torture!
Anyway, baby is doing well and I am measuring exactly on target for my due date. We reviewed the ultrasound report and other than the low laying palcenta everything looks perfect. The doctor who reviewed the report was even able to tell us that Little Miss has exactly 10 fingers and toes - cool, huh? I need to take my glucose test in 2 weeks since I barely passed the hour one with Ryan. I have gained 9-10 pounds so far which surprises me given how sick I was for so long, but I guess my new eating habits are to blame. Last night I couldn't decide if I wanted cake or ice cream, so I had cake. Little Miss had ice cream :)
As of the ultrasound she was still laying in the breech position. I can now report that she has flipped and her rear end is right at the top of my uterus. Her favorite movement is to slowly rub her feet along me. It is a very weird feeling for me because I don't think Ryan ever did that!
Rob has yet to feel her wiggle, but I can feel her from the outside now.
I think it was about 24 weeks that he was able to feel Ryan.
RYAN
Ryan is, well, a toddler! A text book toddler. Why is it that no one ever informs you that toddlers are all bipolar??? Seriously! One minute he is the sweetest thing - giving random hugs and kisses, gently petting the dog, and the next? Let's just say I have thought about calling the church and seeing about an exorcism! He is doing great though! Constantly getting into mischief, but usually telling himself no while he does it. Some of his current favorite activities include: brushing my hair, pretending to put my make up on (yes, he watches me get dressed every day), coloring, playing with his fridge phonics - a savior while I am making dinner!, and picking up picture frames from around the house and showing us who is in them! he also does this with our wedding album. He will sit on the floor and look at it for a good 10 minutes at a time!
That is enough for one post, but I have more to come! A preview: Our babysitter is moving - let the saga begin! My mom's upcoming knee surgery (and my subsequent trip to the loony bin)! More details on Little Miss's room and pictures as it is finishing up!
Sorry about that - march is a crazy busy month for us! We have so many birthdays to celebrate - Rob's, my sister, my sister's dog ( yes, she throws him a party every year - don't ask!). Plus construction has begun on Little Miss's room leaving my enitre upstairs and attic in a disaster state!
Pregnancy
I am 22 weeks as of today and FINALLY not throwing up anymore - YAY!!! I have been vomit free for 2 whole weeks, with the exception of this morning, but I think that was just from swigging OJ out of the carton after brushing my teeth - yuck!
Things are going well. I had a midwife appointment last week. I ended up having to bring Ryan with me and can I just say that is NEVER going to happen again!!! What a terror! He was fine in the waiting room where there were people and toys but the 15 minutes we were stuck in an exam room alone where pure torture!
Anyway, baby is doing well and I am measuring exactly on target for my due date. We reviewed the ultrasound report and other than the low laying palcenta everything looks perfect. The doctor who reviewed the report was even able to tell us that Little Miss has exactly 10 fingers and toes - cool, huh? I need to take my glucose test in 2 weeks since I barely passed the hour one with Ryan. I have gained 9-10 pounds so far which surprises me given how sick I was for so long, but I guess my new eating habits are to blame. Last night I couldn't decide if I wanted cake or ice cream, so I had cake. Little Miss had ice cream :)
As of the ultrasound she was still laying in the breech position. I can now report that she has flipped and her rear end is right at the top of my uterus. Her favorite movement is to slowly rub her feet along me. It is a very weird feeling for me because I don't think Ryan ever did that!
Rob has yet to feel her wiggle, but I can feel her from the outside now.
I think it was about 24 weeks that he was able to feel Ryan.
RYAN
Ryan is, well, a toddler! A text book toddler. Why is it that no one ever informs you that toddlers are all bipolar??? Seriously! One minute he is the sweetest thing - giving random hugs and kisses, gently petting the dog, and the next? Let's just say I have thought about calling the church and seeing about an exorcism! He is doing great though! Constantly getting into mischief, but usually telling himself no while he does it. Some of his current favorite activities include: brushing my hair, pretending to put my make up on (yes, he watches me get dressed every day), coloring, playing with his fridge phonics - a savior while I am making dinner!, and picking up picture frames from around the house and showing us who is in them! he also does this with our wedding album. He will sit on the floor and look at it for a good 10 minutes at a time!
That is enough for one post, but I have more to come! A preview: Our babysitter is moving - let the saga begin! My mom's upcoming knee surgery (and my subsequent trip to the loony bin)! More details on Little Miss's room and pictures as it is finishing up!
Wednesday, March 08, 2006
Happy Birthdays!
Happy birthday to my wonderful husband!!
And Happy 17 months to my wonderful son!
Ryan at 17 months
There is some truth to the terrible twos starting early. I can think of a few other blogging Mommies who would agree that 17 months is pretty hellish in toddler world!
For the most part, Ryan is a happy, easy going little guy, but the slightest things can and do set him off! Fortunately, his tantrums are short - as soon as he realizes he isn't getting any attention from it he usually stops. Of course, he throws them in the worst possible places - Barnes and Noble and our driveway being his 2 favorites (how does ashphalt taste little man?).
The most common sources for tantrums are:
- being told NO to another snack. Seriosuly, now that he acn open the cabinet where the food is (and not just at our house, but at his grandparents as well) he thinks it's all snacks all the time!
- not being allowed to run free in the driveway and being forced to hold mommy's hand. I know, I must have girl cooties now !
- being told that Elmo is just not on right now. Either because he isn't or because mommy can't handle another round of songs to the tune of Jingle Bells. I did, however, impress my in laws by knowing the jumping song in it's entirety. No one ever said they were brilliant!
Other than the tantrums, it has been a good month.
Oh, and the new idea that all green vegetables must die. That is not fun either! Actually, in the last 2 weeks it has become any tyoe of veggie, regardless of color. We don't discriminate in our house!
I am only slightly concerned about his reluctance to eat veggies. He eats plenty of fruit and gets tomatoes in the form of sauce at least twice a week. I am getting frustrated with throwing out veggies every night. I guess we will just keep offering them and hope he starts eating them again!
He also will only eat ground beef. Doesn't matter how it is cooked - meatballs, meatloaf, burgers - he eats them all. No chicken, fish, or pork though....
Developmentally he is doing GREAT! Another language explosion this month has him learning 2-3 new words a day! I love it! This week's big words have been:
Apple - which he says perfectly
Snow (shnow)
Hot Dog (hot dod)
Hide
Mushroom (mushim - which he loves oddly enough)
and most exciting - he has begun to put 2 words together! It is not a consistent behavior, but we are getting there! He is such a little chatter box!
Sleep is good. Ryan now sleeps well at nap time and at night - thank the Lord, I have no idea how I would handle a newborn and a poor sleeping toddler!
Ryan still enjoys playing with all his Little People, but now he actually makes them do things and doesn't just walk around with them. He also enjoys coloring - for about 2 minutes at a time! He is pretty content to sit in the corner and "read" his books for a solid 15 minutes some days. He is a very independant player, which surprises me since he has a steady supply of playmates at the sitter's.
What else?
Oh we have moved the potty seat into the bathroom. Not in an attempt to begin training him, but because I want him to get used to it AND because he has started to tell us when he has gone, or occasionally right before he goes. Ryan loves to sit on it fully clothed, but not naked yet :)
He did figure out this morning that he can make it play the royal fanfare by sticking his foot in the bowl! Not gross yet, since he hasn't used it yet, but that could get pretty yucky!
So all in all, 17 months is fun! Tantrums and all! Ohm and he has been (knock on wood) VERY healthy! One little cold so far since Christmas - I really can't complain!
And Happy 17 months to my wonderful son!
Ryan at 17 months
There is some truth to the terrible twos starting early. I can think of a few other blogging Mommies who would agree that 17 months is pretty hellish in toddler world!
For the most part, Ryan is a happy, easy going little guy, but the slightest things can and do set him off! Fortunately, his tantrums are short - as soon as he realizes he isn't getting any attention from it he usually stops. Of course, he throws them in the worst possible places - Barnes and Noble and our driveway being his 2 favorites (how does ashphalt taste little man?).
The most common sources for tantrums are:
- being told NO to another snack. Seriosuly, now that he acn open the cabinet where the food is (and not just at our house, but at his grandparents as well) he thinks it's all snacks all the time!
- not being allowed to run free in the driveway and being forced to hold mommy's hand. I know, I must have girl cooties now !
- being told that Elmo is just not on right now. Either because he isn't or because mommy can't handle another round of songs to the tune of Jingle Bells. I did, however, impress my in laws by knowing the jumping song in it's entirety. No one ever said they were brilliant!
Other than the tantrums, it has been a good month.
Oh, and the new idea that all green vegetables must die. That is not fun either! Actually, in the last 2 weeks it has become any tyoe of veggie, regardless of color. We don't discriminate in our house!
I am only slightly concerned about his reluctance to eat veggies. He eats plenty of fruit and gets tomatoes in the form of sauce at least twice a week. I am getting frustrated with throwing out veggies every night. I guess we will just keep offering them and hope he starts eating them again!
He also will only eat ground beef. Doesn't matter how it is cooked - meatballs, meatloaf, burgers - he eats them all. No chicken, fish, or pork though....
Developmentally he is doing GREAT! Another language explosion this month has him learning 2-3 new words a day! I love it! This week's big words have been:
Apple - which he says perfectly
Snow (shnow)
Hot Dog (hot dod)
Hide
Mushroom (mushim - which he loves oddly enough)
and most exciting - he has begun to put 2 words together! It is not a consistent behavior, but we are getting there! He is such a little chatter box!
Sleep is good. Ryan now sleeps well at nap time and at night - thank the Lord, I have no idea how I would handle a newborn and a poor sleeping toddler!
Ryan still enjoys playing with all his Little People, but now he actually makes them do things and doesn't just walk around with them. He also enjoys coloring - for about 2 minutes at a time! He is pretty content to sit in the corner and "read" his books for a solid 15 minutes some days. He is a very independant player, which surprises me since he has a steady supply of playmates at the sitter's.
What else?
Oh we have moved the potty seat into the bathroom. Not in an attempt to begin training him, but because I want him to get used to it AND because he has started to tell us when he has gone, or occasionally right before he goes. Ryan loves to sit on it fully clothed, but not naked yet :)
He did figure out this morning that he can make it play the royal fanfare by sticking his foot in the bowl! Not gross yet, since he hasn't used it yet, but that could get pretty yucky!
So all in all, 17 months is fun! Tantrums and all! Ohm and he has been (knock on wood) VERY healthy! One little cold so far since Christmas - I really can't complain!
Monday, March 06, 2006
36, 20, 17...
No these are not some magic cursed numbers a la LOST! They are:
36: how old Rob will be on Wednesday. Getting older doesn't bother him, but I still love to tease him for it. Since we both have to work the day of his birthday, we will be going out to dinner - his choice- after work. He decided he wants to spend the evening with Ryan and me. I'll get a yummy dessert for us to share at home later if I decide not to make the restaurant sing to him.
Oh, he has chosen Red Lobster for his birthday dinner!!! In his defense it IS lobster fest and we do get a discount there (thanks to OG being owned by the same company).
We will be celebrating with the families on Sunday. I am cooking. No idea what yet as he has not decided. You know, Rob lucks out on my birthday. Since it is the middle of the summer I always want something grilled, salt potaoes, and corn on the cob! Easy-peasy! For his birthday? I am always stuck slaving away inside....
He is worth it though!
I bought him a SONY camcorder for his birthday! It's the most expensive thing I have ever purchased as a gift! Again, he is worth it, and we need one!
20: the number of weeks pregnant I am tomorrow! I can't believe I am at the half way point already! It is a bitter sweet time for me! One the one hand I am excited that I will get to meet our little girl (I am still not used to that!) in 5 months or so. But I am also sad that this experience is almost half over. This is most likely my last pregnancy and I want to relish every minute of it.
I feel like I am finally showing enough to post a belly picture, but I need to have it taken first! It is a very different belly than the last time. I was a total basketball with Ryan and this time I look more like I swallowed a watermelon! Little Miss seems to be nestled much deeper down than her big brother was at this point. I am curious to see how huge I end up!
I have gained almost 10 pounds already!!! I guess this is okay as my total weight gain was around 30 with Ryan. I am still on track for that again.
17: the number of months Ryan has been alive as of Wednesday! His current behavior is a post all it's own right now! I will fill you in on his monthly update later this week!
Oh, to answer Rachael's question about a name for Little Miss: We had settled on a girl name before we knew what we were having. Thankfully she is a girl because we couldn't find a boy name that we liked. Anyway, her name will be Rachel Louise G (ironic that you asked, Rachael!!!). I thik I got Rachel from some fellow bloggers and message boarders and it just kind of started to stand out in my mind. It is an easily recognized name, not overly popular right now, and it sounds very nice with Ryan. Louise was my grandma's name. It is also Rob's mom's middle name, and his grandpa is Louis. So everyone is happy with the middle name choice. So far no one has had anything negative to say about the first name either.
We will continue to call her Little Miss until birth as I am to superstitious to use her name before she is in my arms!
36: how old Rob will be on Wednesday. Getting older doesn't bother him, but I still love to tease him for it. Since we both have to work the day of his birthday, we will be going out to dinner - his choice- after work. He decided he wants to spend the evening with Ryan and me. I'll get a yummy dessert for us to share at home later if I decide not to make the restaurant sing to him.
Oh, he has chosen Red Lobster for his birthday dinner!!! In his defense it IS lobster fest and we do get a discount there (thanks to OG being owned by the same company).
We will be celebrating with the families on Sunday. I am cooking. No idea what yet as he has not decided. You know, Rob lucks out on my birthday. Since it is the middle of the summer I always want something grilled, salt potaoes, and corn on the cob! Easy-peasy! For his birthday? I am always stuck slaving away inside....
He is worth it though!
I bought him a SONY camcorder for his birthday! It's the most expensive thing I have ever purchased as a gift! Again, he is worth it, and we need one!
20: the number of weeks pregnant I am tomorrow! I can't believe I am at the half way point already! It is a bitter sweet time for me! One the one hand I am excited that I will get to meet our little girl (I am still not used to that!) in 5 months or so. But I am also sad that this experience is almost half over. This is most likely my last pregnancy and I want to relish every minute of it.
I feel like I am finally showing enough to post a belly picture, but I need to have it taken first! It is a very different belly than the last time. I was a total basketball with Ryan and this time I look more like I swallowed a watermelon! Little Miss seems to be nestled much deeper down than her big brother was at this point. I am curious to see how huge I end up!
I have gained almost 10 pounds already!!! I guess this is okay as my total weight gain was around 30 with Ryan. I am still on track for that again.
17: the number of months Ryan has been alive as of Wednesday! His current behavior is a post all it's own right now! I will fill you in on his monthly update later this week!
Oh, to answer Rachael's question about a name for Little Miss: We had settled on a girl name before we knew what we were having. Thankfully she is a girl because we couldn't find a boy name that we liked. Anyway, her name will be Rachel Louise G (ironic that you asked, Rachael!!!). I thik I got Rachel from some fellow bloggers and message boarders and it just kind of started to stand out in my mind. It is an easily recognized name, not overly popular right now, and it sounds very nice with Ryan. Louise was my grandma's name. It is also Rob's mom's middle name, and his grandpa is Louis. So everyone is happy with the middle name choice. So far no one has had anything negative to say about the first name either.
We will continue to call her Little Miss until birth as I am to superstitious to use her name before she is in my arms!
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