just a quick one from me for now.....I have to go and get dinner started for us since Tommy has a Lodge function tonight.

things had gone down hill with my dad's surprise birthday party. my third oldest sister threw a hissy fit because two of the other sisters are planning on taking our families to the Woodward dream cruise the weekend that she has available. we have already put off going to the dream cruise the past two or three years because of the same sister that threw a hissy fit. so, my sister katy, the other one that is taking her family to the dream cruise said that she would put together an impromptu party at her house before my dad and one of my younger sisters goes to Texas for my grandma's birthday party.

I am taking my President's Day floating holiday tomorrow and watching that grandboy. I am so wrapped it's not funny. Hubby is too. We went to hubby's grandad's 97th bday on Saturday. It was fun seeing everyone. I can't believe I didn't take pics!! Heard some really sad news today. The grandbaby of a coworker that was born Jan 24th died this morning of sids. So sad, makes me worry about my little one. He went to the cardiologists appt last Friday--the hole is still there and they gave Teri & I some things to watch for but they are thinking like the peditrician that it will close shut on ot's own. He goes back in 3 months to keep an eye on it.

Hope everyone has a good night!!

Mindee--Teri was looking at Carmen's dvd's--she has started doing her post-partum workouts.

Cristina--Hi there!!

Sue- I am like you--I can't keep goodies in the house.

Sassy--hugs to you--hope your uncle recovers..

SuzyQ--Happy Birthday to Gaby....

Katy--love Hubby's socks and your scarf!! You really are looking good!!

Francie--hey there girly!!

Goodnight Girls!!

Jules- Hello lady. That is one beautiful little boy! I wasn't aware that he had a hole in his heart. Is it VSD, or did they give it a name? My DS was diagnosed with VSD as an infant and we just watched it...thought he would outgrow it as a little guy. It never bothered him at all, but he was 16 before it totally closed up. As I said...never gave him any grief. He was 6'4" in high school and probably 165 pounds. Now he is about 100 pounds more. Always very healthy.
But...I know you always keep on the look out for signs of stress. Like we moms and grandmoms do with all the little ones.

hello ladies....just flying by real quickly.....nothing really new on this end. just relaxing some since Tommy will be home soon. He said that it was snowing in some areas on his way home, so I am sure that we will be getting some snow coming our way!

Jules~ It is good to hear from you! I can't believe that Dominic is getting close to being six weeks old! Teri looks great already (from the pictures i have seen on your myspace page), I don't think she needs the work out tapes! She looks amazing for just having a little one! I will send some prayers up for little Dominic that every thing closes like it should.

Sue~ It is good to hear from you! How is your mom doing? Are her meds still working?

Morning chickies....Sunny today, but still cold. I have put on a pot of ham and beans since DH loves them. I love the smell.
We just made plans to go back to the riverboat tomorrow and spend the night in the hotel. Mom is feeling so much better and wanted to go. We decided it would be far better to have a room so she can rest if needed. She hasn't been anywhere except the Dr. for so long....
Her new meds. seem to be working well. We wanted to wait until she had been on them for a week, just to be sure of no side affects before we took her out of town. So far so good.
DD in CA called and she has been offered 2 jobs..isn't that the way it goes? She has been out of work and looking avidly for 6 months. Now I hope the company she goes with doesn't fold. The last 2 jobs she had folded. (I keep teasing her about putting them under) One was a huge international law firm and it went bankrupt.
DD here has a family full of sickies...all having terrible colds or broncitis. I told her to stay away.
Okay, I am off to fold laundry. The never-ending laundry!

Good Morning!

Sue - My ex made some lima bean soup w/ ham. I love it, I could eat that all day. I am glad your mother is feeling better!

Mindee- Your family sounds so muck like mine - lol. What is a dream crusie?

Sassy - I am so sorry about your uncle!! I will keep him in my prayers. My step dad is ill and his doctor wants him in for surgery on his heart but he refuses. So, I guess he is home exhausted not able to do much and my mom is just supporting him in whatever decision he makes. I would be crushed if anything happened to him, he is such a sweet man. Good for you on your healthy decisions for eating and checking in w/ your doctor!

Jules - Sad about your co workers grandchild. I can't believe the Dominic is already 5 weeks !! wow....where does the time go??

Cristina - How are you?? I meant to say that it was nice of you to go with Char wedding shopping.

Katy - Swim night ??? argh.....lol

Hi to Francie and Michelle!! I hope I touched on everyone.

I am down to 163.5...so I changed the ticker anyway.....it makes me happy to do that...and ya, I could also go out and get a life - lol

The zoo was great, just to walk around and be out in the warm sun.....gives me hope that winter will end someday!!!

Better run, will try to catch up more tomorrow!!

Hi all!

be careful what you wish for... a few weeks ago I lined up some freelance writing work, writing children's literature reviews, and I also put out feelers to do some test knitting for a yarn company. I didn't know when or if either would pan out, and as of today I have a book to review and yarn on the way for a project! Now I'm gonna be busy! It will be a good kind of busy. I pursued those opportunities because it would mean getting paid for something I love to do already - read and knit!

My sleeping issues have improved to the point the naturopath said I did not need to schedule a return visit! Yay- I graduated I promptly celebrated by drinking a cup of coffee and eating some cheese I'll be good from now on

Susan- maybe I'll see you at swimming tonight - let's hope M doesn't bring any more cards - ugh - oh - thank you for your RG feedback - I'm pretty sure J will go there; I was pretty impressed by the school, and going with the neighborhood school will be more convenient than the alternatives.

Sue - have fun on the riverboat - that sounds like fun and I'm so glad your mother will be able to enjoy it

Jules- Thanks again for your comment on my blog - that's so sweet! So sad about your coworker's grandbaby - every parent's nightmare, isn't it. Sounds like you are all on top of everything with Dominic

Mindee- I'm sure your dad is going to love his party - whenever it happens.. too bad there has to be drama, but I guess that's what siblings are for, lol

Sassy - so sorry to read of your uncles heart attack - how's he recovering? I'm glad you and your DH are getting checked out and getting healthy.

Cristina - hey! Hope you are having a great day!

I went to my first pilates class today. Didn't feel like much at first, but as the day went on, my aches and pains in my back and leg were noticeably better. I will definitely be taking that class again. Hopefully I'll get a bit of a walk in at some point today...the weather is great here.

Have a great day, ladies!

hello ladies....how are you all doing?

I am just scooting through here quickly, since I am going to get to bed sooner then normal so I can get me and the kids on a better suiting schedule....especially now since Brandon is going to be going to school. So, I wrote out the schedule that I want to get us on, and I am hoping and crossing my fingers that I can keep to it 100% enough to make it something that we won't need the sheet for anymore! Plus, I want to make it so that we all get the proper amount of sleep that we need to function. Tommy has told me over and over again that I need to get to bed sooner because he sleeps better when I am in bed with him (and vice versa).

nothing else really going on......Tommy has to work on Wednesday and Thursday.....and then Friday my in-laws are coming over to watch the kids so we can go to Brandon's IEP. Then Tommy will drop me back off here at the apartment, and then he will take the van in to get worked on.sometime this weekend we will be meeting up with one of my best friend's (from when I was younger) aunt. she is pregnant and just found out that she is having a girl. tommy's oldest brother's wife just got an infant carrier and asked me if I know anybody that could use it, so I asked my friend's aunt and she said that she could use it. then who knows where else we will end up. then my in-laws will be back bright and early Monday morning, so that me and Tommy can go to court for his ticket that he got from the accident. which reminds me......do you think we should take the pictures of the damage to the van with us? what about our little folder of stuff from the accident and when the lady called us?

Sue~ That sounds like a nice trip for your mom! I am sure that she is going to love it! And that is great news to hear that her meds are working!

SusieQ~ A dream cruise is where all the older cars have a *day that they can cruise up and down the main road here in Michigan just like they used to do in their glory days. And I say *day, because it has become a week event starting the Monday before the cruise actually happens. People park their motor homes on the main road and live there for a week so that they have prime seating for the Saturday event.

Katy~ How did you hear about reviewing the children's books? Is it just something in your area? I would love to do something like that since it would give me more of a feel about what kind of books are out there for kids these days. Plus, I could read them to the kids to see what they think of them and see what their reactions are.

Sassy~ Great job on the saying no to pizza! I really need to get my booty back in gear! I had to buy smaller underwear because my size 9 and 10's were getting too big. I put on one of my new pair of size 8's after my shower, and they were telling me in a not so nice way that I needed to get back on track!

Good Morning -

Sassy - Awesome on the pizza!! I love pizza too and it is so hard not to be tempted by others especially munching away. Thanks also for the wishes for my step dad, he is so stubborn, I wish he would do what the dr's suggest.

Mindee - Thanks for the explaination on the *dream crusie, I thought you were going somewhere on a boat. It was "Hey, I wanna go too!" lol sounds like fun! Thinking of you especially on Friday w/ Brandons IEP!

Katy - I didn't make it to swimming. I did kind of, didn't stay.......I took Gab and we dressed down and when her father arrived I handed over the bag and said "I have to go pick Becky up from a friends"......I just couldn't stand to sit there w/ him. I was going to ask him to pick one day (T/Th) and I would take the other one. Being around him is not a good thing for my mental health (shhhhh - lol ) ugh. No more cards from him and icky "I will always love you" barf aroma's.
GReat about the children's reviews and knitting! You are a great writer, did you once say you were a teacher? I thought you had....


Critsina - ok, I miss you , where are you??

Hi to Sue, Michelle and Francie!!

I had some oat meal and a slim fast for breakfast. I felt a tad annoyed that Rach and her friend ate my last 2 banana's last night. Her friend is always there and I can't afford to feed them, especially when they eat my fruit. Argh......I made them grill cheeses last night. I was close to tears when I saw the peels in the garbage.. lol.....I must be losing it. I just really wanted a banana.

k- better scoot!!

chat later...have a great day!

Just stopping by to say HI...

I'm around Susan...not really in a talkative mood so...just been lurking and reading. WTG on the 163 though, that is awesome! Did I miss something about a card from the ex?

Anyway...take care ladies! Maybe I'll be in a more talkative mood tomorrow. Love ya

Hi all - time for a quick post before I'm off to balance the checkbook and pay bills - woo hoo

Cristina -Hope you are feeling ok; it's alright to not feel chatty...glad you're still checking in

Susan- I think I saw your backside as you were leaving last night, lol! I won't be there tomorrow. DH and I have worked out a trade-off, which is helpful. I feel like I'm doing alot of chauffeur duty lately so it's nice to have a break. Yes, I was an elementary school teacher before I had James....have a master's deg. and everything. I hope to get back into it when the kids are older, but it is a stressful and time consuming job. DH is a teacher also, and we thought it would mean a real stressed out home life if we both worked full time with small children. I wanted to do something where I could make a little $ and work from home...so these jobs seem to fit the bill. It's not much work and not much money, but it's a step.

ETA: Thank you for your nice comment on my blog - made me smile!

Mindee - I thought the dream cruise involved a boat, too. Portland is a river city, so maybe that's why I jumped to that conclusion. I connected with Publisher's Weekly through a friend who is also a SAHM and a former teacher. She gave her editor my name, we spoke on the phone and voila'... If you want to look at the reviews, they have them online...publishersweeklydotcom.

Sassy - good job on turning down the pizza! That's a hard one for me, too. I love pizza, but it doesn't love me...waaa

Today has been less busy, thank goodness. I had a massage this morning, and now Leigh has a friend over to play. So I'm off to do bills, and get some reading in.... have a great day everyone

Hello ladies....how are you all doing?

well, it is 3:22pm, and I am online because I have three, yes 3!, sleeping kids! I think Brandon is getting sick though. he is taking a nap, and the only time he takes one is when he isn't feeling good! Marissa has a cough, so I am sure that we will end up at the doctor's office either tonight or tomorrow night. I gave her some medicine and laid her down. It feels weird having all three of them sleeping since it doesn't happen that often! so, it is giving me some time to get on here to do some searching. I am thinking about reassessing my goal weight. So, I am doing a search to see what different sites seem to have as an ideal weight for my height, and then I will go from there.

ok....now two of them are awake, but they seem to be in happier moods. So, it looks like we are living in Mindee's house of sickies (instead of the Disney Channel's Mickey's House of Mouse).

SusieQ~ Thanks for thinking of us! I have a feeling that every thing is going to go great at the IEP! Now, if only I could get the same feeling as far as the court date as well!

Katy~ Thanks for that bit of information. I will have to look more into it. I am going to be going crazy once Brandon goes to school and I will be sitting here staring at the walls when Marissa and Logan are sleeping and Brandon is at school!

Back Again -

I just got my foot stepped on by a bunch of teenage loons at the library. That is what I get for sitting next to the *sign up* station, pissed me off! lol

Cristina - as long as you are around, hope to chat tomorrow!! As far as the card thing with the ex it was something I mentioned to Katy at the pool on Valentines day. Gab's father had sent a card saying "I will always love you" made me puke. lol - jk. It made me unconfortable. My mom thought it was just his way to express his fond memories of me *snicker*....regardless......I just, ugh, wish he would go focus on his other daughter for awhile. lol

Katy - You recognized my backside, eh? I was wearing a pink sweater and I think a maternity shirt. lol I was.....it was a cute shirt that I found but as the day went on I started craving spanish rice and ice cream all meshed together. I should have told the Ex I was pregnant by McDreamy, that would shut him up for a bit. haha Enjoy the bill paying! You're welcome on the comment!! It is a great picture

Mindee - How tall are you??? Wow on all the kids taking naps at once, my girls never did that!!

I just was checking in again before I go get Gab. We have homework tonight and getting to bed early - with the holiday weekend my unemployment doesn't come until the morning on my debit card - I soooo want some $$! Have to go pay my power bill first thing and tuck half the rent away for the first....after that I will be broke again. lol....close!

Had chicken tenderloin w/ cottage cheese and pickled beets for lunch - found it was cheaper to buy a bag of chicken instead of cans of tuna at $1.59 a can...I think the bag is 5.99 and gives me a weeks worth of chicken. blah - blah

k- adios!!