Confessions of a (not-so) Greek Wife

Merry Christmas......

2010-12-22T22:21:00.000-05:00

Wishing everyone a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!!!!!

Charities for the Holidays

2010-12-13T11:09:00.000-05:00

This year we are really making an effort to teach the kids about families that are less fortunate or somehow in need.

I regularly follow the blog Cake Wrecks. It is the most hilarious site dedicated to cakes that have somehow gone horribly wrong. Today is the first day of their 'Christmas Charity Countdown'.
Every day for 12 days Jen will post the link to a different charity and they ask for only a $1 donation. Jen and her hubby started this last year instead of buying each other gifts.

Today's charity is Give Kids the World. This is an awesome organization in Florida that provides no-cost vacations to children with life-threatening illnesses and their families.

So, if you are looking for a way to make a difference, this is a great way to give back and make a huge difference by only spending $12.
We will be donating $5 each day.
And, I challenge you to not miss a day.

~Julie

punkin' seeds....yummy.....

2010-10-27T14:25:00.000-04:00

I decided to make use of the gazillions of pumpkin seeds (AKA guts) from our now happy jack o'lanterns.
I found this recipe and it is yummy.

Candied Pumpkin Seeds
Ingredients:

1 cup fresh pumpkin seeds

1/4 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
1/4 teaspoon salt

Directions:
*In a small bowl, combine all ingredients. Spread into a greased baking pan.

*Bake, uncovered, at 250° for 45-50 minutes or until seeds are well-glazed, stirring occasionally. (I had to cook mine longer. Try one and see if it is crunchy enough for your taste.)

*Cool completely; break into pieces. Store in an airtight container. Yield: 1 cup.

(I made several batches to use all of our seeds.)

Yummy!!!!

Joel Burns.....one courageous man

2010-10-14T11:51:00.000-04:00

As many of you know, there have been several teen suicides lately attributed to bullying. Forth Worth, Texas City Councilman Joel Burns shared his story recently.
Please watch this and pass this on to anyone that might benefit from it.

Grover

2010-10-12T22:25:00.000-04:00

The kids love to take Grover with us for rides and when we head to the bus stop. Of course, he thinks the front seat is reserved for him.

girls best friend

2010-10-05T15:24:00.000-04:00

S and the pup fell asleep together on the couch today.....so cute!

grease lightnin'

2010-09-30T13:19:00.000-04:00

There is a really cool theater just up the street from our store. They show all kinds of indie films and some mainstream ones as well.
Last Saturday night they had Grease Sing Along. That's right! The original 1978 Grease, only better. I had a blast. It didn't matter how well ~~or not~~ you could sing, everyone belted out their favorite songs.
Here is the website: Grease
Check it out if it comes to your town.

sunflowers!!!!

2010-09-28T13:00:00.001-04:00

We went to Gorman Heritage Farm on Sunday with D and his Cub Scout den. The sunflowers were beautiful!
(I'm not sure why the picture came out this way but it looks pretty cool.)

squid dogs....

2010-09-23T15:40:00.000-04:00

So I made these a while back and the kids loved them. I found a similar idea in some magazine but don't remember which one.
Here goes.....super easy and the kids liked helping make them.

Start with spaghetti and hot dogs. You need 4 strands per half dog, so 8 strands per dog.

Trim the round ends off the hot dogs and then cut remaining dog in half. Poke 4 strands of spaghetti through each half dog until an even amount is sticking out each end. Then just boil until spaghetti is done.

Voila! Squid dogs for the kids to enjoy.

My kids ask for these a lot. Have fun!

drawings on concrete.....

2010-09-21T14:53:00.000-04:00

We took the kiddos to a local festival this weekend. It is called 'Streetscapes' and artists donate their time to recreate famous paintings on the street with chalk. It is really quite amazing how much detail they are able to capture on such a rough surface.

This picture was huge. It is as wide as the street. Really impressive up close but hard to get a good photo.

I'm not sure why, but I really liked this one. The detail was amazing.

walking for a good cause.....

2010-09-13T21:13:00.000-04:00

So today I promise not to be so serious. I walked with a group of amazing ladies for the 5k with on Saturday. Money raised goes to research for ovarian cancer. The weather was great.....except for a some rain during mile 2.
In this pic, there are:

4 triplet moms

2 quad moms

1 quad grandmother

my revelation.....

2010-09-11T06:59:00.000-04:00

Here I sit at 5am, unable to sleep, just hours before walking my second 5k, having been up most of the night with a sick little one. You know how these things work....your mind wanders, into strange little crevices you don't dare enter for fear of having to actually deal with your stupid hang-ups. Well folks....that is me for the last few hours, and no matter how I try to ignore it, my brain keeps saying, "deal with it dumbass".
So, here goes....
First, let me say that I have never been skinny, by that I mean I have always been a size 12+, my family says pretty much since puberty. I was still active, loved riding bikes and such, but no exercise fanatic by any means. I've always prided myself on finding the closest parking spots....~~hehehe~~ uugghhhh.
Let me add that I was blessed with my mother's height, 5'2". Acutally, I am taller than she was. So being a size 12+ and short to boot changes my whole image....just a teensy bit. But I digress.

When I met my hubby I was around 230. He loves me, always has, loves my body, thinks I'm perfect, wouldn't ask me to change myself for anything in the world. So that should make me happy with myself. Problem solved. Move on to solving world peace or some other such nonsense, Right?
Hell NO!!! I am a woman after all....the most screwed up creature on the planet when it comes to self image. So I look at myself critically day-in and day-out wondering what the quickest/easiest thing to change is for the most dramatic and noticeable results.

After having my first son, I was still at the same weight as before. I had been horribly sick the entire pregnancy and actually lost weight throughout. So while I wasn't happy with my weight, at least I hadn't gained. So I could live with that. Sortof.
During the triplet pregnancy, it was pretty much the same. Actually maintaining the pregnancy was quite difficult because for the first 4 months or so I could barely keep enough food down to even be considered a healthy pregnancy....but I did the best I could...even though at every appointment I would have lost 3 or 4 more pounds. So that by the time I delivered and had my 6 week post checkup I was down around 195. Down 35 pounds !!! (Not a recommend weight loss tool, in case you were wondering.)
Let's just say that I took that weight loss for granted AKA got caught up in just trying to keep up with 4 kiddos under the age of 3. In other words, those pounds I had lost.....found their nasty little way back to me....mostly on my ass.

So, here is where I am was totally out of my rational thinking. When I in my early 20's I had this strange ideal for myself. I too could be a size 5 just like all those other skinny ~~bitches~~ lovely ladies I saw wearing cute hip clothes. No more shopping in the plus department, where at 20ish I had very few choices unless I loved floral prints the size of my head. But no matter how I starved myself it just didn't work...what was I doing wrong? It works in the movies, and for the models....yada yada yada
So, needless to say, it took me many, many, many years to realize and accept the fact that I just wasn't meant to be a size 5. How could all of those 'ideal body weight' charts have been so wrong. Oh...I know. A man invented them...explains it all. I mean seriously, how can every 5'2" woman in the world weigh 'at max' 145. How the hell is that 'realistic'.?

So, fast forward to...let's say....the last 10 months or so. I am a member of a trip/quad mom support group. An awesome group of ladies that actually 'get it' when it comes to dealing with raising so many kids. So, we decided to start a Biggest Loser group. Which brings me partially to my ranting this fine, early, crack of dawn September morning.....another BL mom posted that since December she has lost 30 pounds. That is awesome and I am so happy for her. I know she has worked hard for that.
Because the revelation here is that it took me 37 years to let my body get to the point of being 245 pounds. The heaviest I have ever been. I can't believe I am even typing this for any stranger that finds my page to read. I am literally in tears as I type and my hands are shaking and I'm feeling all sweaty nervous that people might know what I really weigh.
What a fucked up society that can make a grown woman with a loving husband and 4 wonderful children feel like a complete failure for not having it all together, or at least their idea of 'together'.

And, I guess it will take longer than 10 months to get to a healthier point. I mean 37 years compared to 10 months. No question which side has been winning.....up to this point. But no more, I am done. From now on, I am going to do my best every day to become just a little bit healthier. And, I know it won't happen overnight or even in a month or six months. It will be for the rest of my life that I have to make these changes. What do I want to weigh? I don't care, I don't know and I may never know. What I do know is that I owe it to myself and my family to be healthier....hell, as healthy as I can be. So that I can be a ~~better~~ happier person for myself and them.
And maybe, just maybe, show my children that it's okay to not be 'perfect'.
And it would be really nice to leave that damn 'plus size' department and never need to enter it again.
And, just to be fair, I am actually at 230 now. Yes, folks, I have lost 15 in the last 8 or so weeks. We are on our second round of BL.

So, if you see me and I am being a littly bitchy, self deprecating, not accepting compliments etc.....bear with me. It has taken my entire life to get to this point and it will take a little while longer to change my thinking habits as well as my thoughts on myself.

Queen Bee....or.....?????

2010-09-08T22:02:00.000-04:00

So, I am reading to the boys tonight at bedtime...Goodnight Moon is a fave in our house....M & E were fighting over it tonight......I digress....D pipes up yada yada drag queen yada yada .......
what, huh, repeat please..!!!
D: 'you know a drag queen'.
me: 'what are you talking about?!!?'
D: 'a man that wears girl clothes'
me: 'how do you know this?'
D: 'that bee show'
me: 'what bee show'
D: 'the one with the flowers and the queen bee'
me: 'Oh! The Bee Movie?'
D: 'Yea, that bee show'
me: 'and it has drag queens in it?'
D: 'yea and the queen bee' (thinking his mother is completely ignorant at this point)
me: 'So, is the queen bee a girl or a drag queen?'
D: 'a drag queen'
me: 'Oh!! honey, you probably shouldn't go around saying that at school. It might be kind of hard to explain to the teacher'
D: 'not for me, I understand it is a man that wears girl clothes'

Geeeessshhhhhhhh.............guess he told me.
Where the hell do they come up with this stuff?
I swear I have watched that movie A LOT and never realized they had cross dressing bees in it.........

Let there be school.......

2010-09-07T14:26:00.000-04:00

Yes folks, it is that time of year again.....Our kids leave us and go to school to ~~give us much needed freedom~~ learn all kinds of useful information. D is now in 1st grade and he is slowly adjusting to being in school all day. M/E/S are now officially preschoolers and they seem to love it. We split them into 3 classes so they each have their own friends/experiences and aren't known as 'the triplets'.

S, E, M & D ready for the school bus.

Our summer trip

2010-09-07T14:14:00.000-04:00

We took the kids to Chicago this summer....had a blast...did you know every building in Chicago has a revolving door ? My kids made it their personal mission to go through every single one of them......maybe it just seemed like we went through gazillions of them...they did love riding the buses and subway....Awesome food in Greektown...Ghiradelli ice cream....Lego store....Hello Kitty store....museums, museums and more museums....American Girl.....Gino's East.....Portillo's Hot Dogs....

A Woman's Perfect Breakfast..........

2010-06-13T23:45:00.001-04:00

WOMAN'S PERFECT BREAKFAST

She's sitting at the table with her gourmet coffee.

Her son is on the cover of the Wheaties box.

Her daughter is on the cover of Business Week.

Her boyfriend is on the cover of Playgirl.

And her husband is on the back of the milk carton.

Pigs fly................

2010-05-05T15:12:00.000-04:00

My fellow triplet moms and I after we finished the Flying Pig 5k. It was a great day for all of us.

My new motto is: 'The miracle isn't that I finished. The miracle is that I had the courage to start.'-John Bingham

eeewwwwww............

2010-04-01T22:39:00.000-04:00

This is what happens when you leave the room for more than 5 minutes and the kids decide they want a snack from the fridge.

scrap treasures

2010-03-31T18:29:00.000-04:00

A mom's group I belong to recently did a scrap swap.
Here is what was made for me.
Awesome job! Thanks Kathi!!!!

Below is a market bag, complete with huge front pocket. llloooooovvvvvvveeee it......

A great set of coasters.

A travel bag. Look at all of the quiliting both inside and out.

the day the music died......

2010-02-03T00:04:00.002-05:00

On this day (February 3rd) in 1959, Buddy Holly, Richie Valens and the Big Bopper died in a plane crash while en route from Iowa to Minnesota.
Originally, Waylon Jennings and Holly's bandmate Tommy Allsup were to be on the plane. However, due to last minute decisions, they gave up their seats for Valens and the Bopper.
It is so sad that all of that young and amazing talent was lost that fateful night, most contribute to bad weather and somewhat to the error of an inexperienced pilot.
May their memories be eternal!

free to good home..................

2010-01-27T23:02:00.000-05:00

FREE TO GOOD HOME
4 children, 2 male 2 female, one is housebroken, very affectionate, well behaved around strangers, feed themselves.
If interested, email: theyredrivingmecrazy@helpme.com

can you tell that today was a little rough for me? That is what happens when ~~almost three~~2 year old triplets miss their naps and then get all stir crazy. We ended up turning off the TV and dancing to XM radio to settle everyone down. M definitely has rhythm.

hug a squirrel

2010-01-21T09:24:00.002-05:00

January 21st....
We have two great reasons to enjoy today.....we get to celebrate 'national hugging day' and 'squirrel appreciation day'....
So, hug all of your family and friends and even strangers if that makes you happy....just don't invade my personal space...jus' sayin'..
I suppose if you really want you can hug a squirrel...or try...text me your room number and I'll send flowers....or nuts..

want to play hooky today????

2010-01-17T09:14:00.001-05:00

January 17th is...
Ditch New Years Resolutions Day
This is your free ticket to do whatever the heck you want to do today...tomorrow it will be as if today never happened...I'll just keep telling myself that...think it will work??

dream a little....really....no, really....

2010-01-13T09:15:00.001-05:00

January 13th....we have two different things to celebrate today...

1st....make your dream come true day
.......dream a little dream for me.....

2nd....international skeptics day
....honestly, this is a recognized day....seriously, it is...I'm telling you the truth.
Okay..fine...don't believe...what do I care...

ladies....today is an interesting day.....

2010-01-12T21:07:00.001-05:00

Today....January 12th....is....Feast of Fabulous Wild Men Day....not a clue where this 'feast day' came from but enjoy it just the same....guess I'll need to give my man a little extra luvin'....hehe...

how to cut down on airport security lines.......

2010-01-08T22:43:00.003-05:00

NEW AIRPORT CHECK-IN ATTIRE.....of course, you still have to remove your shoes.

(not sure where this originally came from, if anyone knows pass it on so I can give credit where credit is due)
(for now I'm just gonna say 'thanks dad'...hehe...)

the frozen tundra.........

2010-01-07T23:29:00.003-05:00

Hubby and I went on a weekend trip to Chicago for New Years. It was our first trip away together since D was born 5&1/2 years ago. My wonderful SIL stayed with the monkeys so we could go.

Did we have fun?? YES
Was it cold?? ONLY IF YOU WANT TO ACTUALLY FEEL YOUR EXTREMITIES

I don't think we have ever been so cold. The high was 7degrees....bbrrrrr....it makes me cold just thinking about it.
I will post more about our incredible meal once I get the pics on my computer.
BUT....I wanted to share what I bought on our trip.....

Need I say more?????
didn't think so.
(if you don't recognize the packaging, you wouldn't understand anyways)

Stay warm......baby it's cold outside...

January 7th

2010-01-07T23:00:00.002-05:00

Celebrate.........OLD ROCK DAY!!!!
It's true. I didn't make this up.
Old Rock Day is an opportunity to enjoy and appreciate old rocks and fossils. Perhaps you can start a rock collection. You can go out on a field trip in search of old fossils (the rock kind). Or, if you choose, you can just play with old rocks.

There is little information available on what this day was truly meant to mean. So, the interpretation and the means of celebration is left up to you.

By definition, fossils are old rocks. Jewelry stones are old rocks. And, coal is an old rock, too. You can celebrate any or all of these old rocks today.

personally I like to celebrate those old diamond rocks..hehe..

2009-11-17T22:53:00.001-05:00

Test

heaven....

2009-09-05T02:10:00.003-04:00

So today I was cleaning and Eeny was 'helping' me.
We are Greek Orthodox so we keep our icons in our living room and beside that I have a basket of yellow silk roses in rembrance of my mother.
Anyways, I was cleaning the roses and such and Eeny asked me why I kept them. I explained it was to remember my mom that is in heaven. He asked if everyone goes to heaven and I said, 'yes, when you die you go to heaven'.
He got all teary and said, 'I don't want to die and go to heaven' so I asked him why he felt that way.
His response (between all the tears) 'Because I would miss you and I don't want to be away from you'.
What a precious boy. It took me quite a while to calm him down and reassure him he didn't need to worry about it.

coming out of the woodwork.....

2009-08-28T14:21:00.003-04:00

So I think this crazy computer is FINALLY back to normal. At least I hope so, although it still won't print....I'm working on that part.

We have a busy weekend coming up but after that I'm hoping to get some things posted that I've been thinking about.
Today and Saturday we have Sean Gnekow at our store for a wine tasting. He owns Gnekow Family Winery (Campus Oaks wines) located near Lodi and is a really fun guy. Plus, we have the monopoly on him in Cincy.

Oh, and Eeny starts kindergarden on Monday. I am SOOO ready, if only he had all-day school...but I'll take what I can get.

On a different note, I discovered this blog a while back (don't remember how) and want to share it with all moms. She is an incredible woman (her hubby also) and makes me realize that things could be so much tougher. They were in a small airplane that crashed August 2008 and suffered life-threatening burns (with 4 children at home). Their perseverance is truly inspiring.
Visit:
NIENIE

Take care everyone and have a great weekend...see you next week.

computers......and monkeys

2009-08-11T20:11:00.004-04:00

I was doing so well getting back to blogging and even had new pictures and then my computer got a virus....the coughing was really getting on my nerves.
Anyways, I've figured out what happened to it but I'm still working on fixing it. So, for now, I am using my trusty 8 inch acer 'toy' notepad. It works for basic things but please be patient until I get my 17 inch baby nursed back to health.
For now, no pictures. Sorry....
In other news.....Eeny starts kindergarden on August 31st. He is very excited. He & I went out yesterday to get some school clothes and new Stride Rites for fall. (We have a new Stride Rite outlet near us with $20 shoes..woohoo)
Also, his bike's chain broke and we couldn't repair it so we went to the Trek bike store and bought him a new (to us) one for the same price as it would have been at Wal-Mart (but MUCH better quality).

We have officially moved Meeny, Miny & Moe to toddler beds.....let me tell you "IT AIN'T PURTY".....we have to
.
.
.
.
okay just got back to the computer...it would seem the monkeys that would be my children decided to rip the curtains off the window just now....they were running around the room with the rods in their hands and banging them on the walls.....

DOES ANYONE WANT TO TAKE THREE SUPER CUTE BUT NOT VERY TAME TODDLERS AND TEACH THEM SOME RULES/MANNERS AND THEN RETURN THEM TO ME IN A COUPLE OF YEARS....potty-trained and able to tie their own shoes......any takers....please? please?

eeehhhhhhh......didn't think so...dang it

new pics of my monkeys........

2009-07-25T13:03:00.002-04:00

when daddy's in charge.....

2009-07-25T13:01:00.002-04:00

pet peeve wednesday....

2009-07-24T15:02:00.003-04:00

Yes, yes, I know...it's Friday but better late than never.
peeve #1
So, last week I went to one of those 'home parties' (you know who you are) and they only allow parking on one side of the street so I had quite a walk. Especially since the other friends..er... ..guests..er..inconsiderate people had to park their little 'I only have one child so I drive a small' car right in the middle of the block which kept me and my 'yes I have tons of kids' van from being able to fit anywhere close.
Now, this really irks me because I have to deal with parallel parking when I go to work and it annoys the crap out of me how those stinking little car drivers don't pull all the way up to lines. Come on people give us (mass)breeders some room here.....

peeve #2
I shop at Costco...in fact I'm there at least once a week...and I take all 4 kids with me. They are used to it and we do pretty well on getting in/out fairly quickly. Well.....not today...you see it was 'stare at that freak woman and her wagon full of kids' day.....that's right folks, 1 hour only for your viewing staring gawking pleasure in the diaper aisle you can see a mom with her 5 year old and 2 year old triplets.....they breathe, they speak, they even scream......(could it be all the strange people prodding me with questions that is scaring my children? and don't get me started on how they think my sex life is any of their business)

Okay....I feel better now....dang think of the money I can save by getting this all out and not wasting it on a therapist....

how to stay young.........

2009-07-18T11:33:00.003-04:00

HOW TO STAY YOUNG

Remember, there is no way you can look as bad as that person on your drivers license!
Throw out nonessential numbers. This includes age, weight and height. Let the doctors worry about them. That is why you pay them.
Keep only cheerful friends. The grouches pull you down.
Keep learning. Learn more about the computer, crafts, gardening, whatever. Never let the brain idle.
Enjoy the simple things.
Laugh often, long and loud. Laugh until you gasp for breath.
The tears happen. Endure, grieve, and move on. The only person who is with us our entire life, is ourselves. Be ALIVE while you are alive.
Surround yourself with what you love, whether it's family, pets, keepsakes, music, plants, hobbies, whatever. Your home is your refuge.
Cherish your health: If it is good, preserve it, If it is unstable, improve it. If it is beyond what you can improve yourself, get help.
Don't take guilt trips. Take a trip to the mall, to the next county, to a foreign country, but not to where the guilt is.
Tell the people you love that you love them at every opportunity.
Don't sweat the petty things and don't pet the sweaty things!
Always remember....Humpty Dumpty was pushed!

Pet Peeve Wednesday.......

2009-07-16T11:06:00.005-04:00

Okay, so I know it is really Thursday but I did mean to post this yesterday....seriously I did.
Just so I can have a place to complain about people that I see in public I decided to make it a weekly topic.
HERE GOES.........

**Driving down the road yesterday I was fortunate enough to be behind a man that at every single light lowered his visor to continue plucking his eyebrows. Yes....it WAS a man.....yes he was PLUCKING his eyebrows.....even I don't do that driving down the road....geeessshhhhhh

**UNBUCKLED CHILDREN**
Okay, this seriously has to be the one thing that truly drives me insane. Yesterday, in two different parts of town I saw this.
First, a man was driving with his daughter in the back seat, actually sitting in her carseat, but not buckled in at all. She was leaning all over the place playing. So he thought enough to put her in the seat but stopped actually buckling her in? hhmmmm
Then, there was a lady with her 4-ish year old daughter in the front seat and of course, yet again, no seatbealt. And, in the front seat to boot, just put your kid in front of a moving train why don't you! auugghhhhh
I'm sorry, but there is no excuse for this..nada..zip..zilch..no way....no how....
So, I will amend this to say the only excuse is if you are in an absolute emergency, but neither of the people I saw were in any hurry what-so-ever. gggrrrrrr
It just drives me insane.

Alright....tell me what you think. What is your pet peeve? drives you mad? makes you want to scream at the person like a mad person?

Share Please!!!!!

CONGRATS!!!!!!

2009-07-10T22:08:00.002-04:00

Guess what?!?!
Dad & Carol were married today!
WooHoo!
He finally made an honest woman of her after 8 years. Now I really can say she is my step-mom, but not the evil kind...hehehehe...

Way to go Dad & Carol. I'm very happy for both of you.
Love Ya!

Celebrating the 'big V'

2009-07-09T22:16:00.002-04:00

I love the Cake Wrecks blog. Jen's little tidbits of wisdom make the pictures even funnier. 'big daddy' and I were scrolling some of her older posts and came across her 'hysterectomy' and 'vasectomy' cakes. Make sure you are sitting down and don't need to pee. Too dang funny.

Girly Cakes
HERE

Swimmers-no-more cakes
HERE

Em....the hoohaa cakes are just for you...love ya :)

funeral etiquette???

2009-07-09T21:10:00.003-04:00

Okay....so this has been bothering me..so here goes....
The other day I was driving down the road in town and a funeral procession passed by me. Now, growing up in the south we were always told to pull over to show respect for the grieving family, so I stopped to let the procession pass me. No one else stopped or even slowed down and some even honked at me for stopping. I was so pissed off about this. I mean it takes only about a minute for all the cars to go by and people have such little regard for others that they are too busy to show just a little respect?? I mean come on...
Is this something that happens in other parts of the country? Do only people in the south care enough to stop for one minute of their day?
If these same rude people were in that funeral procession you know they would want to have the road cleared for them to get through as a group.
This is something that happens from time-to-time and it always makes me so mad. I'm always complaining about it to 'big daddy'.
pheeewwww.....okay, I am better now......

great news!!!

2009-06-30T12:41:00.004-04:00

My friend Michelle that I told you about below is awake today!!
The doctors have said if she can stay awake for an hour then they will take her off the ventilator. This is wonderful news. She has had a couple of bad days of not being responsive but this is a huge turn-around.
They also said if someone is talking to her she will turn her head to see them.
Please keep praying for Michelle. She still has a very long road to recovery.

A friend in need.....

2009-06-26T15:33:00.003-04:00

Okay, so everyone know that I have triplets.
I'm also a member of a triplet/quad support group.
Wednesday evening one of our members was in a very serious car accident.
She was driving her van with all 6 of her children with her when she went over a hill and a pickup truck hit her head-on. Here is the story:
http://www.wlwt.com/traffic/19850338/detail.html
I believe at this point she is expected to make it, but the doctors still have her listed as 'critical' so things can change at any time. Today, she is in her second surgery of 12+ hours to repair damage. Basically every bone from her pelvis down was broken.
She is now looking at many months of hospital/rehab stay.
Obviously her family is devastated right now. Please keep her and her family in your thoughts and prayers.
Our support group has set up a family fund. If you are able to donate, even $1, please follow the below link and donate whatever you able to help this family.
Thanks so much for reading my blog.
Julie
http://www.tristatemultiples.com/

Sunday....Father's Day

2009-06-21T00:33:00.002-04:00

I took Big Daddy out to dinner tonight for Father's Day. I'm sure the rest of the weekend will be spent as family time.
To all those dad's out there.....

HAPPY FATHER'S DAY!!!!!!!!!

Love ya Big Daddy.

Love ya Dad.

I have several crazy things on my mind right now....must make sense of them...then will post....

Night all!!

I'mmm Baacccckkkkkkkkk............

2009-06-19T19:51:00.002-04:00

Okay, so after a much needed sabatical (in other words I was just too darn lazy to keep up with this thing) I have decided to come back and share my mostly inane, sometimes slightly insane rantings.
'So, what have you been up to?', you ask.
Well, Eeny had his 5th birthday, complete with two parties. And he is now enrolled for Kindergarden this fall. Oh, and he is learning to ride a bike.
As for the trio (Meeny, Miny & Moe)..well they are typical 2 year olds.

And, I've decided that the whole '365 thing' while a great idea, takes a lot more discipline than I have (obviously). So, I just promise to write as often as I can.

For those that actually still check in on my blog.....THANKS!!

day 72.....let's drink

2009-03-13T19:55:00.003-04:00

Today I went to the Wine Festival 'trade show'. It's the one held during the afternoon for buyers/businesses. There are also dinners and other tastings the public can attend but we are supposedly 'special'..haha..and get first dibs on some of the new wines.
There were well over 700 different wines to sample. Of course I didn't try them all....that isn't possible in the 3 hours we were given to 'mingle'...even I'm not THAT good.
We even had these yummy Baileys shots in little chocolate cups...they didn't taste right the first time so we had to try another one just to make sure they hadn't gone bad. Personally, I think we should have given it a third chance but things might not have been so pretty if we had. Did I mention they were yummy???
Did I network as Big Daddy told me to do? Eh, maybe not as much as I should have, but I got a really nice Riedel glass and a fun excursion with a friend out of the deal. networking.....smetworking.....
Cheers folks!!!

day???......I'm losing count and mommy's medicine

2009-03-12T23:41:00.004-04:00

This week has truly been crazy for me. I've got a deadline of Sunday to have all our tax papers to the accountant and its kicking my butt. A computer glitch erased a lot of my hard work in keeping everything straight so I'm writing it all down now as I dig through stacks of papers.

On top of that, today was the worst, most horrible, crappy grocery trip to date. Those kids are lucky we were in public because I seriously wanted to beat them.
Eeny picked aisle 3 to have a meltdown about how he wanted a show and it lasted pretty much until we got home. And, not to be outdone, the trio had a 'screaming' contest at the checkout....the best part was that the dozen or so people staring at me couldn't see them in the wagon so it appeared that it must be one child screaming like a banshee while me (AKA horrible mom) just stood there.
Needing a little therapy after I finally got all the kids to bed, I poured myself 'mommy's medicine'. I know you are wondering exactly what that is....well it's about a cup of kahlua mixed with a cup of milk and a couple pieces of ice. MMmmmmm......I'm feeling a little bit better now.

I got this today from another triplet mom....pretty dang funny if you ask me.....as a multiples mom I'm so tired of being asked what I think about that 'mom with the 8 babies'....seriously do I HAVE to give my opinion???

Click HERE.

day 66.....my fetish

2009-03-07T09:22:00.006-05:00

Hello, my name is Julie and I have a fetish. I admit it, there is no reason to deny it. It is not an addiction because I'm actually very particular.
"What is the fetish?", you ask. Purses....purses...purses....and yes, purses.
So now I've decided to make purses...some for me...and some to share with others....after all I have TONS of free time on my hands.
Here is my first bag.
I kept walking by this fabric remnant at Joanns and decided it needed a good home. I found the pattern online and altered it for my needs. It only took me about 3 hours total, start to finish.

day 65...goin' for a stroll

2009-03-06T22:55:00.005-05:00

The kids were playing and I noticed Meeny pushing the stroller, then I noticed what he was pushing...guess he decided that the ark animals were bored on their boat and needed a change. It was super cute.

My dad and step-mom have been up here visiting us this week and the kids are loving it...of course it helps that they took them to Toys R Us and let them pick whatever they wanted.

This morning Moe kept walking towards the front door looking for 'pap-pap'...hehe..that is what she kept calling papaw.

day 64....forgive me and toothpaste

2009-03-05T23:38:00.003-05:00

Okay, I know, I suck. I've been absent for almost a week. I don't really have a GOOD excuse but my camera has been needing a battery that took me 4 days to buy so that's what I'm claiming for now.
SORRY!!!.....forgive me now?........good....
Alright I found this interesting tutorial...don't know if it works or not but I'm going to try it...with all these crazy kids I can tell you we have several dvd's that need a little help.
http://http://thehandmadedress.blogspot.com/2008/09/do-you-suffer-from-scrached-dvds_27.html

BTW....can someone please tell me how to make a link just show up as a word instead of the entire link? many thanks if you can...

Who else is following American Idol? Will that Tatiana chick ever really go away?

day 58.....changing names & a funny

2009-02-27T19:11:00.004-05:00

So I've decided to change my kids' names......online silly, not in real life.
From this day on these will be my kids' new titles:
d -Eeny
m -Meeny
e -Miny
s -Moe

For those of you that actually have met my children, you will realize these are totally appropriate. Especially now with the amount of mischief/trouble they are a part of.
Oh, and M will now be Big Daddy....hehe...

Okay, so here is my funny......sorry it happened so fast that I couldn't get a picture, just picture it in your head.
Meeny and Moe were playing on the floor by the central vacuum hole (this after just having beaten each other up for possession of said hole) . Well Meeny had stuffed a diaper wipe in the hole and was trying to get it back out before Moe took it from him. There is a small button on the inside of the hole that starts the suction and Meeny accidentally pushed it and the thing sucked his wipe down and made a loud noise. Those two jumped up so fast and started pointing and talking...it was hilarious. They couldn't figure out what happened or how.
I wanted to laugh to bad but had to keep a straight face and tell them 'danger'. That will keep them away from it for about a day at best.

day 55....my great deals

2009-02-24T19:50:00.004-05:00

I stopped in at Kohls and found girls clothes for next fall/winter at 90% off!

Here is what I bought:

-4 Chaps by Ralph Lauren dresses

-2 Carters fleece jackets

-2 OshKosh hooded jackets

-2 Christmas-y shirts

Normal retail would have been $270!

I got it all for $27!!!.....Woo Hoo.....

That is less than what 1 of the dresses would normally have been. Hard to do much better than that.

If only I could find clothes for me that cheap...

day 54.....BAG TAG

2009-02-23T10:02:00.000-05:00

I was Bag Tagged by T, over at Too Much Perfection.

The RULES are as follows:

A. Post a picture of whatever bag you are using today - not last weekend when you and your hubby went out to that fabulous restaurant. No cheating!!! AND it's contents!! EVERYTHING! Yes, even THAT!

B. Tell us how much it cost. This is a no-judgment zone -- there will be no ridiculing or eye rolling here. And, if there is a story to go along with how you obtained it, I'd love to hear it.

C. Now tag some fellow bloggers and link back to this post so people know why you are posting pictures of your bag.

Here Goes:

This is my handy-dandy-every-day purse. It is a Vera Bradley backpack (in Medallion). I love it because I can carry it while dealing with all 4 of my kids. And it is machine washable!!

What I paid for it: It retailed originally for around $85, but I found it on sale for 70% off. So, I guess I paid around $25 including tax.

THE CONTENTS......

travel size Tums smoothies
1 gnarled-up Kudos bar (need to throw that out)
2 packets of splenda & one mint tea bag
1 finger wet wipe
liquid hand sanitizer (from the NICU days)
C.O. Bigelow rosemary mint lotion
C.O. Bigelow mentha lip shine
travel pack of kleenex
small post-it pad
1 nickle
Altoids mints
Extra peppermint gum
2 pens
4 long forgotten Ricola coughdrops (need to throw those out also)
a stray restaurant ticket used to write a shopping list on (trash)
a stray business card used to write a shopping list on (trash)
an old YMCA membership card (trash)
2 coupons for blue chips..yum
a bag of extra beads for my troll bracelet..I was playing around with them Saturday
tiny bottle of pink nail polish I just bought for the girls
Maybelline liquid concealer
bare escentuals spice lip shine
my set of keys to the PT Cruiser
my set of keys to the T&C and everything else
my blackberry
metal tape measure...I was shopping for storage totes yesterday
my checkbook
my wallet....which is its own pit

HOLY CRAP...I have tons of s@*! in that thing.....and it isn't anywhere near being full...guess that's why I love it.

I'm going to tag Jessica over at Got Triplets?

AND I would tag Em.....but she is a big lazy butt and won't blog

Most of the other blogs I read have already been tagged.

day 53....mission impossible

2009-02-22T21:37:00.004-05:00

This was the scene two days ago. My mission (if I'm crazy enough to accept it) is to make some kind of sense out of the chaos.

This evening I made the leap and tackled that mess. I've sworn that if d can't keep it cleaner then toys are going to start disappearing never to be heard from again.

day 50.......girlfriends

2009-02-19T23:49:00.000-05:00

Okay, apparently my son has a 'girlfriend'. Yes, I know he isn't even 5 years old yet but he tells me all the time about his girlfriend. She is a very cute girl in his preschool class and it seems that she feels the same way. (just found that part out this week)
Here is part of our conversation this week:
me: "Who did you play with in class?"
d: "M...."
me: "M.....?"
d: "Yep, I love her."
me: "You love her!?"
d: "Yes."
me: "Umm, okay."
d: "She's my girlfriend."
me: "Mmmm..she's your girlfriend?"
d: "Yes, I love her and I love all my friends."
me: "Well, that's good."
d: "You are supposed to love all your friends."

What more can I add to that? Pretty smart kid.

day 49....what's wrong with this picture???

2009-02-18T23:42:00.004-05:00

YES FOLKS....it would appear that the diaper thief has struck again. But don't worry, I'm sure they were just looking for those lost, beloved diapers.
Oh, who am I kidding.......those stinkin' brats just would not leave their diapers on. After chasing them around and putting diapers back on I finally just let them play butt naked for about an hour. They really seemed to enjoy it.

day 48.....team work

2009-02-17T08:49:00.003-05:00

How is this for team work....all three climb on top of the kitchen table and then s just passes the other two things from the counter.

And I've been saying she is the 'good' child. Well, now I'll be re-thinking that label for her.

And yes Em, I did let them sleep in their clothes from Monday night. But at least they were matching, RIGHT??

day 46......cake and presents and family..OH MY!!!

2009-02-15T20:42:00.003-05:00

Today we had the triplets' birthday party. I love the cake..super yummy!!!!

s just seeing how much she can fit in her new Vera Bradley purse.

e: we think she might like the new 'choo-choo's'
(notice the cute bracelet? both girls got those from Aunt Sophie)

m comparing his 'do with his cousin ..who's is shorter??

day 45.....birthdays and valentines

2009-02-14T23:00:00.004-05:00

Two years ago today I received the most amazing Valentine's present ever......these 3 healthy, beautiful babies. Yes, my triplets were born on February 14th. No, it wasn't planned that way.

I had mentioned that it would be pretty neat to have 'valentines babies' but the doctors were insistent they would not be born for a few more weeks. Well, apparently the girls had a different idea. On 2/13, during a regular growth ultrasound, the doctor discovered that the girls had not grown enough during the 2-week period between ultrasounds, and that it was time to deliver.
So, call it luck, or chance, or fate, or whatever....but I got my 'valentines babies'.

The picture above was the first day they all slept together, so they were not quite two days old. They stayed in that crib together until they went home at 16 days old.
left to right is m, e & s.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY my little monkeys!!!

I can't believe they are two years old already!

day 44.......rainbows and no power

2009-02-13T22:50:00.009-05:00

Okay...so I guess I have been slacking this week. The other night we had storms with bad winds and tornado watches. Then around 8pm we lost power .... thankfully the babies were already asleep. Power was out most of the night but it wasn't too cold so no big deal.

d had a blast getting to sleep with a flashlight, especially one he could 'crank' himself to make it work.

Anyways....I snapped this picture during a break in the storm. I thought the rainbow was cool because I had just talked to M at work and he had seen a rainbow near him.

day 41....new do's

2009-02-10T20:46:00.003-05:00

We took the kids to get their hair cut yesterday....buzz do's for the boys and bang trims for the girls.

I'm thinking this picture is about as good as it will get...it's not often all 4 kids occupy the same space..at least not for very long.

Who else is watching American Idol?

day 39....can a girl have too many purses????

2009-02-08T19:31:00.004-05:00

Today, we went to the children's museum and let the kids play for a LONG time....I was exhausted by the time we left.

It was so nice outside today that we just decided to drive around for awhile. I think the kids were just happy to be out of the house also.

Of course we did our usual breakfast stop...that place would seriously be hurting if we didn't make it there at least once a week...pretty sad when they know your car when it pulls up...

The pic today is e being silly. Don't you just love her fashion sense? And, if you can't decide which purse or which arm to use...use both. Really.....if she takes after me then I see ALOT of purses in her future....a little birdy thinks the girls might be getting their first Vera Bradley purses this weekend for their birthday........oh, to have it so rough......

day 37....clean teeth and the goodnight show

2009-02-06T19:57:00.006-05:00

d wanted to 'teach' the babies how to brush their teeth. It was really cute, they all had their toothbrushes and were just walking around the kitchen brushing.

Today was in the high 40's and sunny so we all were feeling a little stir-crazy. We surprised M by showing up at the store with dinner. Of course....the best part....by the time we got home it was bedtime for the babies...hehe...

We have started a nightime routine of all piling on the couch under a blanket and watching The Goodnight Show. It's amazing that they all sit still for 30 mintues and kind of wind down for bed.

Tonight, m leaned right up against me and kept putting my hand on his head to rub his forehead. If I stopped he would put my hand back to do it again. He is such a sweetheart, he doesn't usually want affection during the day, but he needs a little mommy fix every now and then.

day 36......let them eat....bread?

2009-02-05T19:16:00.004-05:00

Poor d, he sat down to eat a sandwich and was bombarded by m and s. They just kept taking all of his food. What a good big brother though.....he didn't whack them in the head with the plate, though I'm sure it crossed his mind.

Today, we had a nice, quiet day at home. Just me and the kids...he stayed in our jammies all day, watched a couple of movies and stayed pretty much low key.......unless you count those times they were running laps around the couch trying to grab each other by the hair....sometimes it is No Holds Barred-Down & Dirty Fighting. Those kids definitely know how to fight....it's amazing they aren't covered in bruises.

e pulled the 'Amazing Stripping Toddler' act at naptime today. So funny....it's like she doesn't want to sleep in clothes. She takes everything off and leaves it in a pile on the floor and then took almost a 3 hour nap.

day 35.....these boots were made for walkin'

2009-02-04T23:29:00.003-05:00

m discovered M's snow boots in the hallway and jumped right into them. It was hilarious, he was walking all around the kitchen. Later on he was trying to get both feet into one boot but he couldn't even balance to stand up. Of course, the girls saw this and wanted their turns.

......Update on the hunt for a cake......I've ordered a special cake for their birthday. I'm hoping it comes out as cute as I think it will. Can you believe they will be 2 in ten days? Where has the time gone? my little Valentine's babies......

This evening was my monthly HOM moms' meeting. What a crazy, fun bunch of chicks.....even Em....hehe......though a different word comes to mind when I think of Em, but I won't post that here. :) Love ya Em...you keep it real.

day 34?......yet again, snow

2009-02-03T22:59:00.003-05:00

Okay, so I've decided to change careers and become a weather forecaster. I mean, how the hell can I do any worse of a job than those yo-yo's getting paid all the big bucks?
Supposedly, we were going to get 1-3 inches. Well....can you guess that a man said that because we had at least 8 inches.
And, I was fortunate enough to get to snow-blow the seven driveways on our cul-de-sac. I literally had ice hanging on my eyelashes and my hair was frozen. It wasn't a pretty site.....which is why there won't be any pics on this post.
I think I might be suffering from PTSD after the ordeal today......seriously.....I'm still having flashbacks of blinding snow pelting me in the face as I trudge through my neighbors yards trying to control that insane beast of a snow blower. Have you ever inhaled blowing snow? I don't recommend it. Did you know there are different speeds on those things? Who needs the Y....just give me lots of snow and I can chase that damn machine up the street. Maybe that could the next challenge on The Biggest Loser....that would be hilarious.
Of course all the above happened after I made the 20 mile drive home that took 1 hour and 40 minutes....and that is before the roads really started to get bad. Then I almost nailed the tail end of my MIL's car...though to be fair she isn't the best parker...it only took us about 4 years to convince her to get the ass of her car onto our driveway and not leave it hanging out into the street so the mailman can't get to the mailbox....
MIL & FIL are staying the night here because we told them not to chance it.....just the thought of them off in some ditch....
BTW.......Em, hope you made it home okay...and everyone else that lives near me and skulks around my blog on occasion....
Think this means more snow days to make up for school??????

day 30....more snow

2009-01-30T19:37:00.003-05:00

M took d outside to play in the snow. We didn't manage to get the table & chairs off the deck before the snow hit.

I'm hoping it holds the weight of all that snow and ice.

We had almost a foot of snow on the deck.

.....and yet another snow day....so, NO SCHOOL!

I'm beginning to think there is some evil conspiracy going on....trying to drive us parents crazy with bored kids stuck at home.

Now, they are calling for another possible 'significant weather event' on Monday.

Here's a solution...for every cancelled day of school, we get a stiff drink compliments of said school district....if your with me raise your hand......woohoo....I can dream can't I????

day 29.......

2009-01-29T23:24:00.003-05:00

This the 'snowman' that d made. He cried until we let him go out and play. It was so stinking cold though.
And..don't all snowmen have hotdogs for eyes and icicles for arms???

BTW......yet again no school for tomorrow.....uuuugggghhhhhhh.....are they trying to put me in a white jacket?

day 28.....if the shoe fits

2009-01-28T22:14:00.003-05:00

s thought is was so cool to walk around the house today wearing these slippers. Some friends were staying with us and the kids had a blast with 4 (yes, four) extra kids to play with.

Needless to say, having 12 people in our house is always quite an experience. But we love them and are always sad to see our summer friends leave.

day 27....my guest writer

2009-01-27T22:47:00.003-05:00

....and now folks, for your reading pleasure, a guest writer that has been so gracious as to do my blogging for me.......

Once upon a time in a very far away place-
I had a friend that was going to stay in touch thru cyber-space.
Her name is Julie and a blog she decided to write-
But now she is 4 days behind and I'm wondering if she might...
Be ready to give up this 365 day resolution?
Could there be a fix or an easy solution?
Has triplets, wine, and beer
Filled my friend with fear?
Is it too late for her to bounce back and get on track?
Or will she go down in history as the blog slack?

Everyone, thank Em for her enjoyable poem.

***hhmmm, any lesson here?
***Don't be a Miss Smartypants or I'll post it for the world to see.

BTW...........no pics today, I'm waiting for the snow/ice to stop to go outside with the camera.
And we have 6 impromptu guests staying here with us until the storm is over.

day 23.....naptime escapades

2009-01-23T23:50:00.001-05:00

Ever wonder what kids are doing when they SHOULD be napping?
hhmmmmm?????
Well......
apparently they jump out of their cribs, check to make sure no one is watching...........
and then.........................................
destroy their closets..

NICE.....REAL NICE....

day 22.....blog article

2009-01-22T23:43:00.002-05:00

Here is a cool story about our store.

www.buycincy.com/2009/01/ludlow-wines-artisan-wine-and.html#more

day 18......computers or S & M

2009-01-18T23:15:00.000-05:00

I bought a new MINI-laptop this weekend. It is so cute. It has an 8.9 inch screen. This is supposedly one of the best ones based on several reviews I read. We also took advantage of Circuit City closing and their deals.

We got it home and d asked if it was for him. Uummmm.....no computer for a 4 year old. I did let him visit his favorite websites with me though. This morning he asked when we are going to use it again...hehe

Okay, so M is a notary. He used to do mortgage closings but now just notarizes whatever needs done. The banks up the street from the store send people down to him. So yesterday this lady comes in with a paper to notarize. She is in her mid-40's, very nice, very unassuming. She signs the paper, M does his part, she buys some wine and leaves. M turns to me and says, "I've seen ALOT of things over the years notarzing but that was a first".

Turns out it was a contract to enter into a S&M relationship, with her as the submissive. It was an acknowledgement that she might suffer mental/physical pain while in the relationship.

Don't misunderstand me here....to each his/her own.....just surprising to see that paper in writing.

day 16.....sleep habits

2009-01-16T20:45:00.003-05:00

So recently e and m have started taking their diapers off during naptime. Aside from having to clean up pee sheets it is kind of funny. I did finally get pics of them.

'What is the lesson to learn here?' you ask.

I guess it would be to wipe your ass just in case someone decides to take a picture of you asleep and share it with the world.

Got that, Em?

day 15.......if you give a kid a castle

2009-01-15T21:37:00.004-05:00

In my never-ending project of getting the basement finished for the kids to play in....I built them a castle. It is really cute...wonder how long it will take them to knock it down?

Today was bitterly cold, a high of 12 and already it is down to below zero wind chills....bbrrrrr....

I need ideas for a cute birthday cake for the babies. Only one month until their 2nd birthday. I'm going to milk the whole Valentine's theme as long as I can.

day 14.....a story a day

2009-01-14T15:38:00.006-05:00

Okay, so a friend of mine (haha) wants a story a day AND a lesson in life.....geeeeesshhhhh..talk about stress, now I really have to use my grey cells.
All right, a couple of funny things.
The other day the kids were taking their nap and s woke up so M went and got her. He came back down and said I needed to go and look at e in bed. I go in their room and she is asleep in her crib butt naked, clothes piled neatly on the floor. It was hilarious.
Sunday d went to church with the grandparents. The grandparents told him he couldn't take communion since he decided to eat breakfast that morning. So d said, "If I don't eat how am I supposed to grow?" (good point)
We didn't really do anything today so all of my pictures are of the kids following me around and saying 'cheeeeeeezzzzz'. I won't bore you with the pics.
I'll get back to you on the 'lesson in life', Em. BTW....still waiting on your blog.

day 12 and 13......sorry guys

2009-01-14T14:33:00.000-05:00

I had computer issues the last few days and couldn't get online to post .....sorry......as along as this crazy machine cooperates it won't happen again......pinky swear......

Day 11.....gimme speggi

2009-01-11T23:33:00.000-05:00

Day 10......more closets

2009-01-10T08:38:00.004-05:00

Okay, so I'm still not back to 'normal' ,even for me but definitely a lot better than yesterday.
I thought I was going to die.
So, here is my next closet project (it's in 2 parts because I couldn't fit it all in one).....I must really want people to see how bad my organizing is...

Day 9.....uugghhhhhhh

2009-01-09T20:36:00.000-05:00

help.....in bed.......food....................poisoning...............??????......

Day 8.....interesting find and first closet finished

2009-01-08T21:00:00.004-05:00

Okay, so what do a pig, a potty, a construction worker and a cow have in common?

I discovered them all stuffed down s's sleeper leg this morning. She has this habit of 'hoarding' toys in her sleeper. It's actually quite funny because she will limp around with all this crap and then can't get it back out to play with.

If you remember from a few days ago, I said my 'resolution' was to get all my closets organized.

Well...I finished the first one. If you scroll back to DAY ONE you can see the before and here is the after. Man, did I have a ton of crap to throw out. I think half of my food was expired or about to...pretty scary.....

Day 7....On the inside looking out....and a great bunch of ladies

2009-01-07T11:18:00.000-05:00

Today we had some snow, not a lot of accumulation but it was pretty. This picture was taken pretty early in the day of our backyard. 3 of the 4 monkeys were 'helping' me look out the window.

Tonight I went to my multiples' moms meeting. I just have to say they really are a great group of women. Life is so hectic at times with so many kids that you really do start to think you are all alone in your feelings. Tonight we started talking and realized that most of us feel the same way and I think it really helped to know that we truly do know and understand what each other is going through.

Here is the thought that for me came out of the evening: If you don't take care of yourself, how can you possibly take care of your children? Ensure your physical and emotional well-being so that you can be a good and loving mother.

Take care everyone....

Day 6......rainy and cold

2009-01-06T22:07:00.004-05:00

Today was cold and we had freezing rain. We have been very lucky so far this winter, it has been pretty mild. I'm sure 'old man winter' is going to kick our butts soon though.

I decided to read a magazine this evening and ended up with 4 kids sitting on me to read along. Other than being uncomfortable it was kind of cute. The babies kept pointing at pictures for me to tell them the words and they would repeat them.

How much longer can I call them my 'babies'? Can you believe they will be 2 years old in 39 days....not that I'm counting. Time really flies....I'll have to post a picture of them when they were just home. Man, they were so little.

My picture for today....I think it's cool. It's the train tracks and stone streets that run through part of downtown. Funny, isn't it, they just leave them, they don't go anywhere and can't be used but someone somewhere decided to leave them.......

Day 5.....back to school.....I had a date

2009-01-05T20:36:00.004-05:00

Today was the first day back to school for d, somehow I made it through his two week holiday break. It was also the birthday of one of the girls in class so they had big cupcakes. Don't you love it when the teacher sends your kid home junked up on sugar??....he was literally bouncing down the hall.

M and I had a babysitter so we could go out on a date. We ate at Bravo (so-so food) and watched Four Christmases (very funny). Then we wandered around a used bookstore for a while until we had to come home. All-in-all it was a nice night out for us, it has been at least 2 years since we went to a movie together. I'm thinking we need to try to schedule a movie night more often.

The picture to the left is Music Hall. She is a grand old building that is just amazing inside. I love when they restore old theatres instead of building new, modern monstrosities.

I have an early day tomorrow so I'll close for now. Hope everyone is having a good year so far.

BTW.......Em, I'm still waiting on your blog to appear.....anxious readers await

Day 4.....a rainy day view of the city

2009-01-04T19:17:00.002-05:00

Not a lot to say today.....sorry......it has been one of those hi/low days.
We did go for a drive this morning and got this picture looking out over the river.

Day 3....115 different beers on the shelves?!

2009-01-03T22:00:00.005-05:00

Today I spent re-organizing my 'beer cube' at the store. Why? Well, because I got this crazy idea in my head that they really should be sorted by style and then alphabetically and then...well, you get the idea.

Next time I get some crazy idea like that again, PLEASE tell me to just sit on my hands because what should have been easy took me (honestly) four stinking days to do.

Yes, I'm sure that little bit of OCD in me must have reared its ugly head but I've tied it up and shoved it in the closet so everything will be just fine.........did you hear that scratching on the door?? you did didn't you...come on tell me you heard it too.....

Day 2.....folding towels OR blowing noses??

2009-01-02T23:26:00.000-05:00

I walked into the kitchen and thought 'how cute, they are folding the towels for me' and then I realized they were just blowing their noses on each towel...figures that they would decide to use the clean towels....oh well...I'm sure I really, really wanted to do more laundry.....

beer, beer and more beer......escaping kids....and Day 1

2009-01-01T21:38:00.005-05:00

I must be crazy because I decided that all the beer in the store should be re-organized. I know it sounds simple and maybe I'm making it more difficult than it should be, but I'm beginning to wonder if I'll ever finish. I shall keep you posted on this as it changes..

Yesterday started out like all others: kids up by 7:15am, milk & cheerios by 7:30am, followed by Mickey Mouse....kids fighting over dolls....you get the idea. I had a ton of things to do for our New Year's Eve party. Anyways, 11am rolls around and I put the babies down for their nap and go take a shower. As I'm doing my hair I hear thump, thump, thump, hehehe, hehehe coming from the monitor. So I walk into the babies' room and find m & e running around the room laughing and pulling clothes out of the closet. Meanwhile, s being her usual prissy self is sitting in her crib pointing at the other two. I put them back in their cribs and they proceed to swing their legs right back over the crib rails and jump back out. (woah...wait a minute...this can't be happening..not so soon...and definitely not today of all days....what the heck is going on?) So, I called M and tell him we have to do something NOW!!!!

(still working on this little problem...)

Well, today is officially day one of my 'project 365'. Above is my picture for the day and I've decided to incorporate it into my 'resolution'...keeping it simple....this is a look into our daily life. My crazy insane kitchen pantry, it should have a sign on the door OPEN AT YOUR OWN RISK because things pretty much fall out every time the door opens.

Resolution: clean all the closets in the house.......wish me luck here....

Just being silly............

2008-12-30T19:04:00.003-05:00

s- our little brat

e- the little 'mother'

m- just a sweetheart...and all boy

d- thinking he's cool with his hat on

Toy wasteland

2008-12-30T19:02:00.000-05:00

I met a block....................

2008-12-29T23:44:00.004-05:00

......and his name was 'writer'.

I've not posted in a few days because I've not been able to decide what to say. So here are a few pictures I took that I think are pretty interesting.

Happy Birthday and Merry Christmas!!!

2008-12-24T12:43:00.003-05:00

Happy Birthday Dad!!!! I love you!!!

Okay, so if you read my post from the other day you know it was insanely cold here. Well today it is 52 degrees outside and rainy. This yo-yo'ing is crazy.

I can't believe that tomorrow is Christmas. Time flies so fast. I think we have everything we need, not that we really NEED anything (other than about 12 hours of uninterrupted sleep), but I think the kids will have a blast tomorrow. Later d is going to help me make chocolate covered pretzel sticks. We made some the other night and he loved it. Also, he helped me wash dishes and did a great job. Other than not liking his shirt getting wet of course.

Here is our tree that d helped me decorate.

I hope everyone has a fun, safe, happy, blessed Christmas.

di....perrrrrrrr

2008-12-24T12:34:00.003-05:00

I just wanted to share this picture because it shows how kids

decide to hold on to something just because it makes them happy.
e picked up this diaper the other day and insisted on carrying it

EVERYWHERE.... to play, to bed for nap, shopping at Target. It

is so cute because she doesn't get the 'a' sound in diaper so it just

comes out as 'per' most of the time but occasionally the 'd' makes

it in there too.

Of course m and s kept trying to take it away from her and she would just start screaming or hitting them. The dynamics between those 3 kids is definitely interesting.

People.........and their small minds

2008-12-23T21:19:00.002-05:00

Here is a classic example of what is wrong with people today.

M and I were at breakfast this morning and there was a table of ladies beside us talking. Apparently, one of these ladies is living in Asia for a couple of years because her husband is teaching at a university. They are living the 'typical' life abroad...you know, where they have their own driver, house furnished and don't have to do anything for themselves.

Can we all relate here? Nah, didn't think so.

Her biggest complaint was their house is in a neighborhood with a lost of........wait

for it....... Asians....Um, hello.....you are living in Asia, lady.

Here is part of what was said:

Lady A: So how do you get to the mainland to shop?

Lady B: We take the train.

Lady A: But how does the train get across the water?

Lady B: It goes through the underwater tunnel.

Lady A: Oh!

Lady: Yeah, the Asian's stole that from us...just like they steal everything else from us.

I almost spit my food all over the table. I mean holy crap. What a thing to say, especially in public.

Here is a small history lesson......In 1818, a french engineer (Marc Brunel) invented a device that enabled workers to tunnel under rivers without having mud and water ruin their efforts. It took nine years to finish a 1,200-foot passage below the Thames River in London-the first underwater tunnel in the world-but Brunel was knighted for his feat and engineers around the world began adopting his idea.

I'll step down off the soapbox now....thank you very much....no, please stop the applause.....no really....

Pee and Puke and Laundry....oh my!

2008-12-21T21:35:00.003-05:00

What can I say?
s has been having a spell of vomiting again. She has had a lot of congestion lately and her sensitive stomach isn't taking it too well. While I was out shopping tonight she threw up 3 times for M...and the babysitter last night....and for me the night before.....
Also, d has been having accidents almost every night between 3am and 5am. Poor guy gets so upset.
My 12+ loads of laundry per week has suddenly grown larger.....fun times.

Oh, and the temperature outside is 4 degrees with a windchill of 20 below zero...crazy cold....bbbbrrrrrrr...........

Baking, jammies and strange cakes

2008-12-19T21:39:00.005-05:00

Let me just say this was the Baklava day from hell. I swear this took the entire day to get baked.
It appears to have turned out right but I wasn't too sure there for a while. We now have 100 fresh pieces to enjoy this weekend at our wine/beer tasting.
Today was d's last day of school before Christmas break. He got to wear pajamas to school and they watched Polar Express. He had a blast eating popcorn and making treats to bring home.
Also, today's weather was crazy. The high today was in the 50's and by tomorrow it will drop almost 30 degrees. Luckily, no snow in the forecast.
If you want a daily laugh, check out http://cakewrecks.blogspot.com/
They post the strangest, funniest, just plain wackiest cakes.
I'm off to write beer tasting notes........

Changing channels and fat Santas

2008-12-18T21:42:00.008-05:00

I happened to catch e as she was trying to reach buttons on the tv and vcr. Do you think that little smile kept her from getting into trouble?
....hhmmm.....(not likely)
This was actually on of the calmer moments of the day.

d had his Christmas Progam for school tonight. The kids did a great job.
The best song was 'Santa Claus your too fat'.
(excerpt)
I heard a reindeer hoof , then Santa dressed in red,
came crashing through the roof and landed on my bed.
I thought it was a dream, but quickly did I wake,
as soon as I heard Santa scream, 'I want a piece of cake!'
Oh Santa Claus Santa Claus you are much too fat
I was sleeping peacefully but now my bed is flat!
Oh Santa Claus Santa Claus how much do you weigh?
I'm glad I'm not a reindeer that has to pull your sleigh!
He got up off the floor and said, 'How do you do?'
I said, 'My back is sore, my head is black and blue.'
'So sorry!', he replied, and then he asked my name.
He offered me a ride, I said, 'No thank you just the same!'

Pretty funny song but kind of demented for 4 year old kids to be singing. And here I thought the tuition money was going for a quality education...and it's not even public school.

Bragging rights

2008-12-17T23:10:00.005-05:00

Okay, so I just want to say that I have the sweetest little kids ever. Here are some cute pics of them.

d-the best big brother ever

m-my little sweetheart

e-this is her serious look

s-the drama queen herself

By popular demand......

2008-12-17T23:01:00.004-05:00

A friend asked to see this pic of the triplets. What can I say? Eating is hard work, sometimes you just need to take a break....(Hope this makes you smile Em)

They were 14 months old here and man how I wish they would just take little impromptu siestas these days.....oh well...

Honey, can you watch the kids?

2008-12-16T21:51:00.003-05:00

Okay, so this picture is from a few months ago but I just found it and thought it pretty funny. It was taken at 6:40am so I guess that can be M's excuse. I had asked him to keep an eye on the kids so I could shower and when I came downstairs this is what I found. Interesting that the only person asleep in the house is 'daddy'..hhmmm???

A snippet in time

2008-12-15T11:39:00.003-05:00

Here is a typical exchange during the morning.

d: Mommy! Babies behind the couch! (screaming this across the house because I obviously couldn't hear otherwise)

me: Okay, I'm coming.

(10 seconds later)
d: Mommmmyyy!! Babies, behind the couch!!! (imagine the volume increasing here)

me: Okay, I'm coming.
(problem resolved)

(2 minutes later)
d: Mommy! e has the remote control.

me: Okay, I'm....

d: Mommy! m unplugged the lamp.

me: Okay, I...

(5 seconds later)
d: Mooommmmyyyy!!!!! I want a show!!

me: Oka....

d: Mommy! I WANT A SHOW!!! SHOW! NOW ! NOW !

(muttered under my breath)
me: Dear God, give me the strength to get through the first half hour of the day
(time: 7:45am)....why, oh why, can't they offer all day..or better yet 24/7....preschool??