Wednesday, May 30, 2012

Cancer stinks

Okay so we all know that cancer stinks. We also may think that we will never be affected by it. Or at least we hope we will never be affected by it.

Well this year cancer has caught up to me. Let me tell you it does not discriminate based on race, religion, ethnicity, social class, or anything else. It does not care if it's victim is one of the warmest, friendliest people that you know. It doesn't care if it's victim is a wonderful Mother, Friend, Wife, Husband, Father, etc.

I know this because Cancer has come into the lives of 3 wonderful women that I know uninvited.



At the beginning of the school year one of the mothers at the school that I work at was diagnosed with ovarian cancer. She ended up having surgery and basically having everything in that region removed from her body. She has 2 young children (Kindergarten and 2nd grade). She is a wonderful person whom I count as a friend. Thankfully, she came through her surgery and is doing well with her treatment plan.



As many of you know my mom was diagnosed with bladder cancer in February. This woman who is a great mother, a wonderful grandmother and who is a loving wife and whom I count as a friend as well as being my Mom. After undergoing 7 weeks of chemo treatments and surgery she is doing okay. Right now we are in a wait and see mode until her next appt in July.



Tonight I got the word that one of co-workers whom I also consider a dear friend has had confirmation that the lump she found in her breast is indeed breast cancer. She is a wonderful friend, an outstanding Mother and a loving wife.

Cancer doesn't discriminate. It is evil in all senses of the word and it infuriates me that it has taken aim at women that I hold in high regards.  It makes me mad that there are murderers, thieves and those who can do many horrible things that will never have to worry about cancer, and yet these three women as well as their families and friends will now always be marked by this horrible disease. It SUCKS!!!!!

Tuesday, May 29, 2012

High Temps, Parades and The Avengers

This weekend was a busy, busy weekend for us. We had several things going on, not to mention the regular weekend errands and laundry.

On Saturday, Bill had to go to Cincinnati to cover a state tournament for boys volleyball. One of our local teams made it to the State Final 4 (which they lost). The night before we were still unsure if we were taking the whole family down or not. Rebecca went to bed not feeling well, so we decided NOT to go. I am glad that I decided to stay at home with the kids. It was a 3 hour drive down for the game and since they lost Bill turned around and came back home so he could be at work the next day. If they would have won, the paper would have paid for him to get a hotel, since the championship game was the next day. I am thankful that I didn't have to spend 6 hours  in the car with 3 kids. Also the weather this weekend was VERY HOT! That would have made it even worse! Saturday night, my dad and brother stopped by and we got pizza and had a good time. My kids LOVE seeing my dad, but because of his work schedule and our work schedules we spend more time seeing my mom.

Also did I mention it was HOT outside!!!! Our house has air conditioning on the main floor, but not in the upstairs (where our bedrooms are), because of the heating system. Well it was WAY too HOT to sleep upstairs, so I brought the kids' mattresses downstairs and we set up camp in the living room.

Jacob didn't get that he was supposed to sleep on HIS mattress! LOL

He figured it out.

On Sunday, Bill had to work (6 pm Newspaper deadline due to Memorial Day being on Monday). Rebecca had a birthday party to go to. I had to go out and get a gift for the party that morning. We went to my parents for a cookout. My crown fell off my tooth again. It was HOT again. We ended up not getting home until 11pm.

Yesterday was Memorial Day and we celebrated our veterans by going to see our local parade. It was great to see the WWII vets, but sad at the same time because they are so dying off at a fast rate. There were also army vehicles that were there in memorial of soldiers who had lost their lives in the line of duty.



The parade also featured marching bands, our high school's local mascot and local boy scout troops (including the one that my brother is in!)


My brother Josh is the tall blonde on on the right side of the picture holding the bag of candy to hand out.
After the parade we came home to get out of the heat, do laundry, and get some things done around the house. Last night we took our kids to my parents house so they could watch them while Bill and I went on a date.

For our date night, we went to Subway for dinner....then we went to see "The Avengers."


It was a really great movie! I am not a comic book fan, but I will have to say that I have really enjoyed all the movies that were based on the Marvel comics (like Iron Man, Thor, and Captain America!) The movie was great and all the actors were wonderful. The story line was fast moving and action packed, but with a great sense of humor as well!

Overall, it was a busy, yet enjoyable weekend! We had a lot of family fun and it was great to have some one on one time with Bill on our date night!

Sunday, May 27, 2012

Sunday Night Chit Chat

Time once again for Sunday Night Chit-Chat...hosted by our friend Carla!
To play along simply start your post with a photo or quote... Copy & paste the starters & link up to Carla so she and others can visit you & see what you've been up to!

SO HERE GOES:


My little man, getting bigger and older. Can't believe he will be 8 weeks old tomorrow! Here he is relaxing while Mommy does dishes.
What are you.....

Reading?

Right now I am not reading anything. I really need to start reading one of the books I need to review. I am backed up on review books. I have 4 waiting to be read. Hoping since this is my last week of work before summer break I will get caught up soon!
Watching?

Right this very second, I am watching "Dora the Explorer Saves the Snow Princess" with Jacob.

Listening to?

The hum of the air conditioner---it is HOT here today!

Cooking/Baking?


Made a chocolate bundt cake today for Hubby's belated birthday cake.
Added a chocolate glaze on top!
Hope it tastes as good as it smells!

Happy you accomplished this week?

 Got laundry caught up! FINALLY!   

Looking forward to next week?

Looking forward to the Memorial Day parade tomorrow.
Date night to see "The Avengers"


Thankful for today?

That I remembered that I was supposed to do a mystery shop today....Got free pizza out of it!

For wonderful friends and family and for laughs on Facebook. Here is one that really got me laughing today:

LOVE, LOVE Yoda!

So there you have it. A little glimpse into my world on this Sunday afternoon/night! Hope everyone has a wonderful week and remember to link up to our wonderful chat host Carla! :)

Saturday, May 26, 2012

Rebecca lost her first tooth!

Yesterday was a very busy day around our household....
  • It was Rebecca's last day of Pre-K before Summer break
  • I had an emergency dentist appt.
  • Bill is in the midst of tournament time for local teams and a TON of them have made it far in the tournament meaning he has been working 70+ hours this week including working almost all day yesterday from 8am- 1am this morning with only a 2 hour break in the middle.
  • It was Bill's 40th birthday
  • Bill was not feeling well
  • It is always busy with a 7 week old who eats all the time and a 2 year old who is very active
Then to top it all off....REBECCA LOST HER FIRST TOOTH!!!!


She has had this loose tooth for a while now. Her adult tooth was growing in behind it. We kept telling her to wiggle it with her tongue. Last night she was sitting in the recliner and said "Mom my tooth is even more wiggly." I told her to keep wiggling it. About 5 minutes later she said, "Mom my tooth moved even more". Then about a minute later she said " MOM, MY TOOTH CAME OUT!!!"
She then ran to show me and to look at herself in the mirror! She was SOOO EXCITED!!!!!
After the excitement died down, she put her tooth under her pillow and went to bed.

Then I had to figure out what the tooth fairy was going to bring. I asked friends on facebook, and a lot said the going rate these days was $5 per tooth! I am sorry but there is NO WAY that this tooth fairy will be bring $5 per tooth! Here is what this tooth fairy did bring:


And her is the excited girl with her tooth fairy goodies this morning:


My baby girl is growing up too fast!

Friday, May 25, 2012

Happy birthday to my hubby!


HAPPY 40th BIRTHDAY to my DEAR HUSBAND!!!!

He is an amazing man, father, husband, friend, son, lover, and everything else in between! He is an amazing man who I am fortunate to spend my life with! I love you Babe! 

Wednesday, May 23, 2012

Apparently Murphy is visiting this week...


Apparently, this is the week that Murphy has decided to come pay me a visit and it is NOT a welcome one!

He showed up Sunday night/ Monday morning. At 1 AM I went downstairs to flip laundry and what I found was a washer that was off but full of water. No matter what I did I could not get it to drain. So there I am at 1 AM trying to wring out towels and jeans enough to where they wouldn't break the dryer when I put them in to dry. UGGGGHHH!!!! I was able to get a hold of an appliance person that was able to come out that day and $127 later the washer is fixed. The door lock was broken...a piece that according to the appliance guy is a cheaply made piece of c**p plastic and which is expensive to replace. Hopefully we won't have to put any more money into the washer. It is an older washer; Bill had it when we met, but we don't have it in the budget to replace a washer right now.

Tuesday morning, I realized while I was trying to get some work done from home that I lost 2 sign-in/sign-out sheets for my job that I need for billing purposes. I somehow lost Friday's papers. I don't know what to do about it. So I had to email my boss and tell her I screwed up. She was not happy about it. Basically this means that if we can't find the papers, the parents won't have to pay for that day and that is a loss of money for our program. UGHHHHH!!!!

Then tonight, I decided to eat a piece of Dove chocolate that I had in my pocket from work. As I was chewing it I felt something hard in it. I took it out and there was what looked like a piece of metal in it. I cleaned it off and realized that that piece of metal was supposed to be attached to my tooth in my mouth--it was a crown that had come off. Now I have to hope I can get into the dentist tomorrow and that it isn't expensive to fix. I believe that my insurance that I have through the state for my pregnancy coverage expires in a week so fingers crossed I can get this fixed before then. If not....I don't know what I will do.

Updated: Apparently no dentist in a reasonable driving distance from our house takes my state insurance. They all are up to their maximum. Called the health dept. dental clinic, they don't look at cases like mine and didn't know anyone that could. Finally called a dentist that had looked at a broken tooth a couple years ago, will cost $85 to see her tomorrow(Friday) for a consultation. Not sure what I am going to do. My tooth (or what is left of it) is starting to ache. And it is black and grey in most areas. I am SOOO STRESSED right now it is not funny.

I have been so stressed lately and this just doesn't help.

Swagbucks Carnival Collector's Bills



The Swagbucks Carnival is still going strong, and Swagbucks is releasing a new set of Collector's Bills - five special, carnival themed Swag Buck denominations that you can only win through search! Collect all five before 11:59pm PT on May 31st and you'll get a 10 Swag Bucks bonus!

Also, you can share the special bills you win by going to the My Swag Bucks area of your account - if you share on Pinterest and include your SB Username in your pin, you could be randomly chosen to win 100 Swag Bucks.

Step right up and join the fun! I will be!

Monday, May 21, 2012

Weekly Goals




Taking a clue from Money Saving Mom, I have decided to make up a list of 10 weekly goals that I would like to accomplish this week. Not only will this give me some guidance as to what I find important to do, it will also make me accountable to getting them done. I have found since Benjamin was born that if I set weekly goals instead of daily goals then I am more apt to get them done.

So before I set new goals for this week, let's see how I did last week with my goals:


FAMILY/ MOTHERING GOALS
  1. Continue bed time one on one routine with Rebecca and Jacob--DONE
  2. Compliment Bill at least 1 time a day--DONE 4 out of 7 days.

PERSONAL GOALS
  1. Call and set up eye doctor appointment for me---Ummm...NO
  2. Research and start exercise program...Ummm...NO
  3. Drink 4 glasses of water and 1 smoothie a day....Ummmm...NO

HOME MANAGEMENT GOALS
  1. Mop kitchen, pantry and dining room floors--DONE (but only because I spilled formula all over the kitchen floor!)
  2. Catch up on laundry and keep it caught up--DONE

BLOGGING GOALS
  1. Catch up on bzzagent reviews--- Kind of done
  2. Momumental: Adventures in the Messy Art of Raising a Family review---Ummm...NO
  3. Come up with blogging schedule---DONE sort of....
So not too bad of a week. I got some stuff accomplished and some stuff not so much! But that is the way life is I guess.

So for this week my goals are:


FAMILY/ MOTHERING GOALS:
  1. Continue bedtime routine with kids.
  2. Write a love note to Bill
  3. Call dentist for an appt for Rebecca
PERSONAL GOALS:
  1. Figure out diet program and weigh myself on Sunday
  2. Write a tutoring ad for Craigslist
HOME MANAGEMENT GOALS:
  1. Do a load of laundry from start to finish each day.
  2. Get paperwork together and submitted to KCJFS
BLOGGING GOALS:
  1. Momumental Review and giveaway posted
  2. Bzzagent reviews written and posted
  3. Comment on at least 3 blogs that I read.
Hope everyone has a great week! What are your goals for the week?

Sunday, May 20, 2012

Sunday Night Chit Chat

Time once again for Sunday Night Chit-Chat...hosted by our friend Carla!


Need to start eating right! MUST START!!!!!!
 What are you.....

Reading?

Right now I am not reading anything. I really need to start reading one of the books I need to review. I am backed up on review books. I have 3 waiting to be read.
Watching?

Not watching anything right now. I have been watching LOTS of reruns of "Everybody Loves Raymond" recently! There are so many similarities between his life and mine.


Listening to?

;


Cooking/Baking?
Made a strawberry bundt cake this week. It was super yummy!

Happy you accomplished this week?

Got my Secret Sister swap gifts mailed off. Got the KCJFS interview done. Got lots of work hours done. Got laundry caught up. Got the car cleaned out!  

Looking forward to next week?

Hubby's birthday is Friday. It is going to be a CRAZY scheduled week with a TON going on. So I am looking forward to it being over.

Thankful for today?

For a wonderful hubby who came to the stores today to help me with the shopping that I needed to get done.

Saturday, May 19, 2012

Luke Bryan songs in my head

The last few weeks I have had 2 songs in my head....LOVE, LOVE, LOVE them! They are both by Luke Bryan. For those that don't know he is a country singer. Here are the songs that I have had in my head....(For those that don't know...the first song video is part 1 in the story, and the second song video is part 2).




Do you have a song in your head? What songs do you like to listen to?

Friday, May 18, 2012

Swagbucks

Search & Win


Have you heard of Swagbucks?

Swagbucks.com is search engine dedicated to helping you earn digital dollars called "Swag Bucks", which can be redeemed for exclusive Swagbucks.com merchandise. Personally I have earned over $80 in Amazon.com gift card codes just by searching the web using Swagbucks.
 
Now is an exciting time on Swagbucks.com because it is CARNIVAL TIME!!!!



The Swagbucks Carnival has started, and it gives you an opportunity to earn bonus Swag Bucks each day just for earning the way you normally would.

Check the meter on your homepage and you'll see you daily goal and how close you are to hitting it. Every day you hit the goal, you add to your bonus!

As if that wasn't enough, you'll get additional bonuses based on how many days of the Carnival you're able to hit your goal!

To top it all, Swagbucks is having a Swag Code extravaganza on Monday - that means lots of codes, lots of Swag Bucks and lots of fun! Don't miss it!

Thursday, May 17, 2012

I don't feel good


Not feeling too well today. Started having a scratchy throat yesterday. Today I have no energy and still have a scratchy throat and going through being hot, then cold, then hot. :( It stinks not feeling well especially when I have a to-do list a mile long. Oh well, some things will have to wait.

Wednesday, May 16, 2012

My Mother's Day recap

I had a great Mother's Day weekend!

It started on Friday when Rebecca gave me the placemat and "kisses" cup she made at school.


Bill and the kids took me to the zoo on Saturday. We were supposed to go on Sunday, but the weather was supposed to be rainy so we went on Saturday instead.


 It was a GORGEOUS day outside and the kids had a blast.


I LOVED spending the day with my family. It was so nice to have Bill for the day and for him not to have to work.





We had a lovely day seeing the different animals and just being a family.

On Sunday, Bill gave me the best Mother's Day gift that you can give a mom of a 6 week old---sleep! He took all the kids downstairs for the morning and I got uninterrupted sleep. In the afternoon, we went to my mom's house and had a cookout with my parents and my brother and his family. Some family friends also stopped by and they got to see Benjamin for the first time! It was a day of laughing and joking and great times!

Overall it was a great relaxing weekend! Just what I needed!

I hope everyone else had a great, relaxing Mother's Day!

Tuesday, May 15, 2012

Garnier Fructis Sleek and Shine Shampoo and Conditioner Review



If you are like me, there are days where you wish that it was acceptable to have a bald head and NOT have to worry about your hair. But alas, we live in a society where the way a woman's hair looks speaks volumes to how she takes care of herself. I have at times frizzy, crazy, wacky hair that has a mind of it's own at times. I have tried MANY different shampoos and conditioners over the course of my life. I will say that there are several brands that I trust with my hair. One of those brands is Garnier Fructis! I was excited that as a BzzAgent I was sent Garnier's new Sleek and Shine Shampoo and Conditioner to try out!

The all-new Sleek & Shine Shampoo & Conditioner:
  • Work best on dry, frizzy and unmanageable hair
  • Fight frizz and keep hair sleek for three days straight, even in 97% humidity
  • Infused with Fortified Fruit Science and ultra-smoothing Argan oil from Morocco to deliver long-lasting shine and hair that's 10x smoother
  • Packed with ultra-rich and smoothing conditioners that rinse clean — we dare you to find something that treats your demanding, frizzy hair better!
  • Part of a larger Sleek & Shine line that includes Intensely Smooth Leave-In Conditioning Cream, best seller Anti-Frizz Serum and Frizz Defeat Deep Conditioner Treatment
  • Have a suggested retail price of $3.99 (13 oz.) and $6.99 (25.4 oz.)
  • Available at grocery stores, drug stores and mass retailers like Target and Wal-Mart
  • Sleek & Shine products now come packed in Eco-Fructis bottles containing PET and 30% recycled plastic.
  • They're also 10% lighter, which saves over 125 tons of plastic annually!(Total annual plastic reduction of 13 oz. bottles)

My take:

After using it for a couple days, my hair felt smoother and softer.
 My hair was definitely more manageable than it had been and was less frizzy even though our weather was more humid than it had been.
The shampoo and conditioner smelled great!
My hair was so soft after using both products.
Did not weigh my hair down like other conditioners that I have used in the past.
Overall, I would give the Garnier Fructis Sleek and Shine Shampoo and Conditioner the grade of:
A+++++

This is definitely my new go to shampoo and conditioner!


Disclaimer: I received a bottle of shampoo and conditioner free from Bzzagent.com as a bzzagent for the purpose of a review. All opinions expressed are my own.

Monday, May 14, 2012

Weekly Goals




Taking a clue from Money Saving Mom, I have decided to make up a list of 10 weekly goals that I would like to accomplish this week. Not only will this give me some guidance as to what I find important to do, it will also make me accountable to getting them done. I have found since Benjamin was born that if I set weekly goals instead of daily goals then I am more apt to get them done.


So my goals for this week are:

FAMILY/ MOTHERING GOALS
  1. Continue bed time one on one routine with Rebecca and Jacob
  2. Compliment Bill at least 1 time a day

PERSONAL GOALS
  1. Call and set up eye doctor appointment for me
  2. Research and start exercise program
  3. Drink 4 glasses of water and 1 smoothie a day

HOME MANAGEMENT GOALS
  1. Mop kitchen, pantry and dining room floors
  2. Catch up on laundry and keep it caught up

BLOGGING GOALS
  1. Catch up on bzzagent reviews
  2. Momumental: Adventures in the Messy Art of Raising a Family review
  3. Come up with blogging schedule

Hope everyone has a great week! What are your goals for the week?

Thursday, May 10, 2012

Sportuality: Finding Joy in the Games by Jeanne Hess


Book description:

Sportuality is an examination of sports at all levels from a Western perspective, focusing on how it reflects our cultural belief in separation and dualistic thinking, as well as how sports can grow peace, understanding, and joy. Sportuality crosses disciplines of sports and spirituality to help readers-athletes, coaches, parents, and fans-evolve a higher consciousness within sports and competition. Using a journal and questions for self-reflection-called a "box score" and "time-out" -readers can reflect upon and create their own sportual stories. By examining words traditionally used within sports, Sportuality helps the reader think critically about competition, community, communication, spirit, humor, enthusiasm, education, religion, holiness, sanctuary, sacrifice, and victory. Sportuality can also expose our learned beliefs in war and violence so we might be willing to choose the alternatives of joy and peace.
My thoughts:
I was excited to read this book! As some of you may know, my husband is a newspaper sports editor. That means that sports in all forms are prominent in our household. We watch sports together on TV, we talk about sports, etc. I have also always been a spiritual person. I hold a bachelor's degree in Religion. So I felt this book would be an enjoyable read for me.
I was right! In the book Hess makes a connection that I have always felt but wasn't sure how to put into words:  Sport resembles Religion in many ways. In sports there is a joy and peace that you feel when you are competing that is similar to joy and peace that one may experience in the practice of one's religion. There is a joining together with like minded people in your team, like one would join together in worship with like minded people in your religion. Thus the term "Sportuality." Hess shares several stories of prominent players and coaches in different sports who have taken what they have learned in sports and applied it to a greater meaning in their life. She offers us the chance to think about these things in her "time-outs" and "box scores" where she offers reflection questions and opportunities for us to think more deeply on the subjects.

If you enjoy sports and are looking to see what connection sports have to your life I would highly recommend this book!

Disclaimer: I was sent this book free of charge in exchange for a review. All opinions expressed here are my own.

Tuesday, May 8, 2012

One Tired Mommy

That is my new name.

I am "One Tired Mommy."

The transition back to work has been kicking my butt....or is it the fact that Benjamin has decided that he is just going to be awake and grumpy from 3am -630 am, which means Mommy has to be awake then as well? I haven't decided yet.

All I know is that I am tired.

Sunday, May 6, 2012

Sunday Night Chit Chat

Time once again for Sunday Night Chit-Chat...hosted by our friend Carla!


Bill took this picture of me and the kids at the park today. We took the kids to the park for lunch and to play. It was Benjamin's first time to the park.
What are you.....

Reading?

Right now I am not reading anything. I received 2 books this week to read for reviews though...

Watching?

Not watching anything right now. I have been watching LOTS of reruns of "Everybody Loves Raymond" recently! There are so many similarities between his life and mine.


Listening to?

Mickey Mouse on the tv. Benjamin cooing in his swing next to me.

Cooking/Baking?

Made no bake choc peanut butter bars this week. They were sooo good!!!! Am starting eating better today and trying to lose weight. Been eating too much easy junk food instead of good food. 


Happy you accomplished this week?

Got my Secret Sister swap gifts bought. Got both Rebecca and Jacob sandals for summer to play in.  

Looking forward to next week?

Going back to work. I will miss Benjamin, but I need to go back for me. A less stressed out hubby (hopefully!)....

Thankful for today?

That the sun was out today! That we had a fun time at the park this afternoon. That I was able to cuddle with Benjamin this afternoon and nap.