Driving Three Prince Girl's

Ok, maybe I like Florida a little....

2012-01-22T17:49:00.004-05:00

Sometimes, I have to admit that I do like Florida a little. I know I complain about it A LOT. But even I have to admit that sometimes it is nice. Take this weekend for instance. Our weather was beautiful, highs in the mid seventies and lows in the mid fifties sunny and breezy. Saturday we got some home improvements taken care of. We can finally take a shower and flush the toilet at the same time in the girls bathroom without a back up. Whoot whoot!!! (We had a slow drain in there forever and Dave finally snaked it yesterday) It was also a bonus that we didn't have to call a plumber out. Dave also cleaned out the garage, I sware we clean the garage out like four times a year I don't know how we end up with so much stuff in there.

We had a little BBQ with family yesterday early because we were all heading to "Movies in the Park" I've blogged about this before and if I could remember how to link previous blog posts with current one's I would but I can't remember.

It's a city event where they put up a big movie screen on a big grassy area we have near city hall. It's where they hold lots of city events. Our town has movie night once a month but this was only the third time we have made it there. The movie was "Dolphin Tale" one we looked forward to seeing because it was filmed here locally. It was fun to recognize so many landmarks in the movie. Plus, it was just a great movie and because I am a big baby it made me cry. We packed our blankets and chairs and some snacks and had a great evening with family and friends. We were able to do this because we live in Florida and it wasn't snowing or freezing cold.

Today, Natalie and I headed to the beach to go for a walk. The weather was perfect I actually wore a tank top, capris's and worked up a sweat. I couldn't believe how many people were there and were actually getting in the water. (they must have been tourists) We saw a pod of Dolphins playing in the water and Natalie said one of them actually jumped right out of the water like they do at Sea World. I missed that unfortunately but I have witnessed it before on my Aunt's sailboat and it's really something to see in the wild.

As we were driving home I thought to myself how nice it was to be outside enjoying gorgeous weather and not shoveling snow or being trapped inside because it is freezing cold. Yeah, maybe I like Florida a little.

I know this will be short lived though, come May I will be complaining non-stop about the heat and how much I HATE FLORIDA!!!!

I know, I know, there is just no pleasing some people.... :)

2:30 A.M Water Softener Observations......

2012-01-20T20:42:00.003-05:00

Dave and I had a water softener installed on Tuesday. We were very excited. We have wanted one for so long. Anyone who lives in our area can attest to the fact that we have very hard water. It was just one of those things that we never got around to doing and probably because I always had in the back of my mind "it's another monthly bill."

I think it became more of a priority recently when we had to replace several appliances within a three month period. None of these appliances were over 5 years old and one of them was only 18 months. Yes, when we bought the new ones we made sure to purchase the "extended warranty." It is a proven fact that softened water is easier on your dishwasher, water heater, and washing machine. With a family of 5 or I guess 4 1/2 now that Sydnee is at college most of the year it's safe to say ours get A LOT of use. Needless to say we were eager to get it installed.

Last night however I was awakened at 2:30 am by what sounded like water running by the softener. We had our windows open because our weather has been cool but not cold at night. In Florida it is a treat to have your windows open because most of the year the A/C is on. So when the noise woke me up I listened for about ten minutes waiting for it to shut off. When it didn't shut off I got up in my pajamas and went out back to take a look. This is the part that makes me laugh, I don't know what I thought I was going to do I had no idea what a water softener was or was not suppose to be doing. So I took a quick look around and then went back inside and promptly woke Dave up. He listened for about ten minutes and then he went out back to take a look. He also knows nothing about water softeners but none the less there we were at 2:30 A.M in our Pajamas staring at our new water softener. Because we were concerned that there was a malfunction and the softener was leaking water which would result in a super high water bill we turned it off. This was the one thing that I did know how to do because it was the only thing the installer did make sure to show me. Feeling better we headed back to bed.

First thing this morning I called the water softener company. They had an installer return my call who explained that the unit was just regenerating it self and that it is set up to do this in the middle of the night.

Well, it sure would of been nice if someone would of told us that!!!!!!

Matching Shirts....

2012-01-17T20:46:00.008-05:00

Before Christmas my sister and I went on a shopping trip together something we don't do often enough. I think it amounts to about once a year. (Julie, we need to fix that) Anyway, this year for my nieces B-day I wanted to take her to Build a Bear and let her build the bear of her choice. I got such a kick out of it because she chose an alligator (who would of thought) but that's a whole other post.

The last time we had gone shopping together we were in Old Navy and she picked up this really cute tank top. I said, "wow, I really like that do they have it in any other colors?" Unfortunatly, they did not so my sister said "well just buy the same one." "No, No" I said "I couldn't do that" and I didn't. But alas, every time Julie wore that tank top I was jealous. On this shopping trip we went into American Eagle and Julie picked out this adorable pink T-shirt. Once again I loved it.

side note: Julie has excellent taste and is very stylish and always knows what's in fashion. I of course DO NOT.

So this time when she said "well just buy the same one." I smartened up and said "are you sure you wouldn't mind?" So there we were cashing out with our matching tops just like when we were little and our Mom would dress us up the same. On the evening that we decorated our gingerbread houses we happened to be wearing the same top so of course we took a picture.

The little girl with her eyes closed is Hannah my sister's daughter. The now proud Mommy to Ally Girl the Alligator from Build a BEAR. Who Knew!!!!!

Back to school College Girl.....

2012-01-09T07:22:00.002-05:00

Sydnee left yesterday to go back to school. It was so much fun having her home. I didn't realize how much I missed her until she was back. It was so nice to have her here. I know they probably won't admit it but I know her sister's loved having her home too. She really enjoyed her cruise with my niece who is here right now from England they had a blast. My niece also did her hair and put extensions in it. They look great I couldn't get over how easy they were to put in and how natural they look. Makes me wonder how many other women with beautiful hair I have admired in the past were really wearing extensions. She of course loves them because she has never been able to have long hair. Poor Sydnee her hair for whatever reason has never grown longer than her shoulders. She even tried taking hair vitamins when she was younger to help it along and it just never worked. But my girl has hair now....

New Year's Eve "Oh what a night"

2012-01-04T17:43:00.005-05:00

I will always look back on New Years Eve 2011 with a smile.

Here is a brief run down of the evening's events...

5:00 P.M Our best friends arrive Mark and Tricia and their children Marissa and Carson. They plan to stay the night for New years Eve. They live about an hour away so we thought it safer to have them just stay. We start preparing food and making snacks...

6:00 P.M It begins to get dark and Mark notices that our front porch light is out, I explain that it has been out for over a month now and Dave just can't seem to get around to it. So Mark makes Dave feel guilty and together they change out the light bulb. This brings back hysterical memories of changing out a light bulb at their house several years before with Dave on the top of a ladder (they have cathedral ceilings)and Mark telling Dave that he "really could reach it, he just needed someone to hold the ladder" to which Tricia responds "oh so the three beers you just drank made you taller huh Mark?"

7:30 P.M During dinner we get a phone call from my Aunt saying that her house alarm is going off and could Dave please drive over and check it out. Dave at this point has had a few beers so he can't drive and I am not about to go by myself where there might be a big scary burglar. Mark not wanting to be left out in case there is any action decides he wants to come too. So myself and my entourage of strong manly men head over to my Aunt's while Tricia holds down the fort with the kids. Luckily, everything was secure and we came to the conclusion that the vibrations from all the fireworks must of set off the alarm.

8:00 P.M We head outside because Mark and Tricia have brought over Fireworks to let off. Of course, McKenlee (the only one of my three girls who is home because her sisters are living it up on their Christmas trips) is thrilled because I am not a big fan of fireworks. I think they are dangerous and expensive. (Like I really want to pay to get myself burned and or a possible E.R visit.) Don't get me wrong, it was fun to watch them as long as somebody else's husband was lighting them off. (thanks Mark) Anyway, at some point the dog (who is a total basket case on New Years Eve and the 4Th because fireworks and thunderstorms COMPLETELY FREAK HER OUT) has gotten out and is almost running right into the fireworks a total accident waiting to happen so we are all yelling at her to get back in the house which is freaking her out even more. She finally runs back in the house and we finish our fireworks.

9:00 P.M The fireworks are done so we tell the girls to go into the house to get a garbage bag to put all the wrappers in. As they are walking into the porch they call loudly in a panic to us that there is blood all over the floor. We all go running into the house and there is blood all over the place. We find the dog hiding out behind the couch and she is so panicked she won't come out but we know that she has got to be injured so we are trying every form of bribery to get her out. In the end I have to pull the couch (which is a big leather sectional) away from the wall and I hear a pop (the couch not the dog) and it comes apart where it is not suppose to come apart. We do however discover that Jesse has ripped her entire toenail off and it is bleeding like you would not believe. So we bandage her up and then lock her in the bathroom to try to calm her nerves. I then try to figure out what is wrong with the couch. Dave wants nothing to do with it right then "it's New Years Eve for heaven sakes Suz, can't it wait till tomorrow?" But I know him and he hates fixing things especially by himself so I shoot Mark a desperate look and he talks Dave into fixing it and so begins several trips to the garage to find the right tools and nuts and bolts to repair the couch. I'm happy to say they fixed it and the recliner is working even better than before.

10:30 For the next hour the kids play football out front with all the neighbor kids while we sit out on my back porch and have a marriage counseling session. Which really means Tricia and I team up and Mark and Dave team up and talk about all the things that drive us crazy about our spouses. Which isn't as bad as it sounds. In fact, it always ends up in tons of laughs and the conclusion that WIVES ARE ALWAYS RIGHT.

11:45 We head inside to get ready to watch the ball drop. I open a bottle of champagne that has been in my cupboard for at least a year if not more, it smells terrible. Tricia informs me that she will just take "sprite in her glass thank you very much" I decide that I will just have one sip of the nasty smelling stuff to toast in the New Year but later change my mind and dump it all down the sink. We wish each other a Happy New Year and work towards our goal of cleaning up and being in bed by 12:30 Oh yes, we are party animals!!!!

12:25 I head into my bathroom to get ready to go to bed when I discover what looks like a murder scene. My dog has chewed off her bandage and in her panic over the fireworks has scratched all over the door, the wall, the floor, the shower stall, the cabinets, you name it and there is blood on it. I am now starting to panic a little that I may be taking my dog to a Emergency Vet office on New Years Eve. In hopes of averting just that, I begin by soaking her foot in a bowl of water while Mark and Tricia look up how to stop the bleeding of a paw with a ripped out toenail. In case you ever need to know make a paste of Flour and water and generously apply to foot and don't allow the dog to move until it dries then re-bandage. Of course, after all this is done I still have to clean and disinfect the crime scene. Our 12:30 in bed plans were shot.

I finally did get to bed and then the next morning my wonderful husband made one of his famous breakfasts which we enjoyed with our awesome friends as we discussed

OH, WHAT A NIGHT.........

Christmas with the family.....

2011-12-30T17:28:00.003-05:00

Christmas was fun and it seemed to fly by. We made Gingerbread Houses for the first time and that was definitely a hit. Something I want to make a yearly tradition. The hardest part I think for me about the houses is the waste. Because of course your not going to eat them so after throwing two away my husband suggested giving the third one to the squirrels. They loved it and so did we, we watched them come down the tree all day and kept commenting every time another wall would be missing. Christmas Eve was spent at my sisters and Christmas day everyone came over and had dinner here. Other than wishing it would of been a little colder. (We had an unseasonably warm Christmas even for Florida) It was PERFECT!!

The whole family.... ( I love this picture because everyone moaned when my sister wanted to take it and she said "you guys will thank me for this later" she was so right. I love it and I love that everyone was in it because she unlike me has mastered the timer on her camera. Good Job Julie!!!! )

Dave and I with our girl's....

Question and Answer

2011-12-22T09:38:00.005-05:00

Now I usually don't do these kind of things. (I find them a little high schoolish) but what the heck I was inspired today by my little loves..

Our Questions:

1. What are you grateful for? Wow, I could write a whole blog post just on this question. Aside from the obvious, health and a roof over my head I'm going to list some smaller things that apply mostly to just me.

I am thankful for my marriage. So many people I know are struggling to find the one. Going through a divorce or miserable and feeling stuck. I am thankful that I found my ONE and feel very lucky.

I am grateful that my children are healthy, my first introduction into blogs and blogging was the blog of a friend of a friend whose child was battling cancer. Of course, blogs link to blogs and before I knew it I was following many blogs of parents whose children were battling illness. It is sad to say but so many of the children I was following have passed away but they left something with me and that is to appreciate every moment and never take your children for granted.

I am grateful for my husband's job and my own. Five and a half years ago Dave was given the opportunity to work for UPS through a friend. It was an hour commute each way, $40.00 in tolls a week and a pay cut. We were going to have to sell our house and and move from schools, family, and friends but I knew in my heart it was worth it. After being there a year he was able to transfer (which is practically un heard of) and we didn't have to move. Within two and 1/2 years he was at full pay which almost doubled his old pay and for the most part his job is very secure.

2. Could you honestly say that you are happy? ABSOLUTELY!!!!!

3.What motivates you? Fear, I know that's probably not good but it is true....

4.What do you value most in a relationship? Loyalty

5. How have you grown over this past year? I have really tried this year to not worry so much. You know kind of take the "let go let God" mentality. I don't always succeed but I'm really trying.

6. What gift would you love to give to a loved one? I would love to be able to afford to send my husband home to England for a long weekend every three months. His parents are getting older and I would love for him to be able to spend more time with them.

7. Best date night. This one is tough because Dave and I are not by nature romantic or creative but recently since our kids have gotten older we have been going to dinner just the two of us on Friday nights. I really enjoy that time with him to talk about our week and what we have planned for the weekend. I feel like we re-connect and I love the uninterrupted one on one.

8. Current etsy love? I don't shop on Etsy but have recently fallen in love with KOHL'S again. Does that count?

9. Current blog love? THE MEANEST MOM This Lady cracks me up every time I read a post and I can usually relate to every word. Check her out you won't regret it...

10. Book recommendation? Loved, Loved, Loved, "The Help" and the movie was almost as good as the book. Currently enthralled with "The Game Of Thrones" series I know, I know, I have a very broad spectrum in reading tastes.

11. Favorite gift you are giving this year? My two older daughters are traveling this Christmas break and as part of their Christmas presents we funded these trips. I am very excited for both of them. One of them is taking a tropical destinations cruise and the other a mountain ski trip. I can't wait to see their pictures and hear about their very different destinations....

What can brown do for you?

2011-12-13T21:37:00.003-05:00

Today my College girl started her "Christmas break job" for two weeks she will be joining her Dad in "browns." She is a Jumper (in UPS lingo) or a driver's helper. So for a few hours a day from now until Christmas she will be helping deliver your Christmas packages. She's looks darling in the uniform but she refuses to let me take a picture. So you just have to trust me when I say she is the most adorable "jumper" ever!!!! So if you live local be on the look out for my girl and if you see her be sure to say Hello and really embarrass her. LOL

Mickey's Very Merry Christmas

2011-12-06T12:16:00.003-05:00

This past weekend Natalie and I had a Mom/Daughter weekend. This is something I always longed to do with each of my girl's. I always have wanted to be able to set aside special times for each of them where it is just the two of us one and one. Where all the attention can be focused on them and they don't have to share with their siblings. I have experienced this with Sydnee several times but always for a soccer tournament so while I feel like it counts it isn't really the same. Don't get me wrong, I have enjoyed solo lunches or movie outings with each of them but that's a little different. Natalie and I joined a friend of hers and her Mom and we headed to Walt Disney World's Mickey's very Merry Christmas. It was awesome. We stayed at the Coronado Springs Resort a Disney property. We had a fantastic time. The Magic Kingdom was absolutely beautiful at night and all decorated for Christmas. There were hardly any lines and we walked onto just about everything. We spent some time at downtown Disney shopping . We also went to the Mall of the Millenia in Orlando and did a little shopping, It was right up my girl's alley. All of my girl's LOVE to shop. Of my three daughters I have always said that Natalie is the quietest and shyest. She is very content to just sit back and let her sisters have the limelight. So it was fun to spend time with her while she enjoyed the limelight for awhile......

Best Friends??? NOT

2011-12-01T13:49:00.006-05:00

This is a picture of our two cats Dudley(grey)and Tuesday(black)they both love it when I have the windows open and the blinds up. Normally, when I have one family room window open I will have the other one too. But today for some reason we didn't open the blinds on the second window therefore they couldn't each have their own.

This picture is really quite amazing to me because my cats hate each other. Well, to be honest Tuesday hates Dudley. We all know that Tuesday hates everyone except Dave and occasionally me if Dave is not around. Dudley on the other hand LOVES Tuesday. He loves to chase him, bully him, steal his food, jump on him when he least expects it. You know the type, basically agitate him in any way he can possibly find.

Sometimes I have to put Dudley in a kitty time out (lock him up in a bedroom) just so Tuesday can get a break. Unfortunately, because of Tuesday's "not so nice" disposition he doesn't get a lot of sympathy from the girls. In fact, if I am honest they kind of encourage Dudley to torture him. But don't fret I always try to come to Tuesday's rescue. Their relationship kind of surprises me, you would think it would be the other way around because Tuesday can be such a grouch. Tuesday is bigger, has been living in our home longer, and is older than his pip squeak Nemesis. I guess you never can tell.

One thing is for sure, necessity breeds friendship. Lets face it nothing beats a window seat on a gorgeous, cool, Florida sunny day..

Black Friday at Busch Gardens

2011-11-27T19:10:00.007-05:00

A birds eye view

Waiting for the train

My own little tiger

Girls just want to have fun

Helping Santa's elves

What a wonderful day!!!!!

1000 Awesome Moments

2011-11-26T15:09:00.003-05:00

On a blog I just started reading the author quoted a few lines from a list of "1000 awesome moments." Number 520 really hit me it said:

"Having a baby fall asleep on you"

As I have mentioned I am a day care provider so in addition to my own three beautiful babies I have had the privilege of many, many, other beautiful babies and toddlers fall asleep in my arms and it is definitely an AWESOME MOMENT.

I can tell you there is nothing else like it. Thank you Bekah from my little loves, for reminding me just how special it is.

My three little snowgirls.....

2011-11-18T15:42:00.003-05:00

Every year I try to buy a new ornament for our tree. My thought in doing this has always been that when the girls grow up and have their own families and their own trees they can take some of these ornaments with them. Sometimes I buy an ornament for each girl, other times it's just an ornament with all our names and the year on it. Yesterday, my Mom and I took my little guys out for a shopping outing and I ran across these little snow girls at Target. There were THREE different styles and I decided it was fate I was suppose to buy THREE little snow girls. (besides they were only $2.oo a piece, what a deal) My Mom put the idea in my head that I should find a way to put each of the girls names on them. (you know super creative me like that was going to be easy) When I got home I found some glitter glue in the craft drawer and decided to give it a go. I was thrilled with the results. Are these the most adorable ornaments ever???

I may have to keep these when the girls are grown.... :)

A little bit cool......

2011-11-16T07:37:00.008-05:00

Last night after McKenlee's softball game we were heading back to the parking lot. She was going to ride home with her Daddy but I saw her stop at my van. "What are you doing I asked her, I thought you were riding home with Daddy?" "I am" she said "I'm just writing something on your window." Last night was humid and foggy so the windows had condensation on them. When I got in the van and was heading out of the parking lot I looked back and saw that she wrote #1 MOM on the window. My heart melted. You see McKenlee is at the difficult middle school age. You know the one where Mom and Dad are pains in her butt and her friends know it all. Where the smallest thing is a battle and there is a smart answer for EVERYTHING. So to see that on the back of my window reminded me that she really does love me, and that maybe I'm still a little bit cool.....

Swim Season Ends....

2011-11-12T20:33:00.003-05:00

This awesome picture of Natalie swimming butterfly was taken by one of the swim Moms who is also a professional photographer. So nice of her to share her photos...

Natalie's high school swim season has been officially over for two weeks. They celebrated the season today with an end of season picnic. It was a beautiful day and a lot of fun. This year instead of holding it at a restaurant on a week night they decided a Saturday picnic in the park would be nicer. It really was. Dave finally got to come (he had never been able to make it to any of Sydnee's because he works so late)and McKenlee too. Everyone volunteered to bring things and it was all delicious. The weather was gorgeous and the kids had a blast with water balloon fights and shaving cream chases. One Mom referred to the shaving cream activity as the "Florida snowball fight" love it... Just a great group of kids!!!!

Looking forward to next year!!!!

Halloween Weekend ( a week late)

2011-11-06T03:33:00.003-05:00

Halloween weekend was great. Saturday we drove to Orlando to spend the day with my niece and her friend. (they were staying at our timeshare for a week) So we hung out with them for the day and went to dinner too. Busy college girl Sydnee even managed to pop in (her University is in Orlando) and spend some time with us. Sunday was spent doing some more shopping, it will be a challenge for my niece to get all her goodies in her suitcase..LOL The girls carved their pumpkins so they were ready for the porch. Halloween was great and i think carla enjoyed seeing Halloween in Florida. She was shocked by how many trick or treaters we have. Here are some pictures of the weekend.

I even dressed up this year

McKenlee my drama queen...

Natalie my Cheetah girl....

Carving Pumpkins...

Hanging out with Sydnee by the pool...

Nature in my own front yard.....

2011-10-28T06:14:00.001-04:00

This beautiful Critter was in my front yard the other morning in my Oak Tree.
It's kind of nice when you get a little bit of nature in suburbia, don't you think?

My Goofy Girls

2011-10-27T18:10:00.001-04:00

Can you tell which one is Natalie and which one is McKenlee???

Our Company Has Arrived (again)

2011-10-25T14:51:00.004-04:00

Last night my niece and her friend flew in from England. They will be with us for two weeks but will be in Orlando doing the tourist thing for a week of it. I had to laugh because in the last week to ten days our weather has cooled off a little. Which means while the daily highs are still getting up around 85, our evenings cool off to the low 60's. So while sitting on the porch last night chatting, Carla's (my niece) friend Gareth says "I was thinking it was going to be boiling, and I'm a bit cold right now." Don't kid yourself Gareth, it is boiling 7 months out of the year you are just visiting when our weather is bearable. I assured them they would have no trouble getting a suntan while they are here. In fact, as I am typing this they are laying out by the pool enjoying our warm weather. I have all my windows open and am loving it because I know all to well that it won't last and before I know it it will be miserable hot again....

Here's to fall whoo hoo!!!!!

Morning Downtown.....

2011-10-23T11:29:00.004-04:00

Saturday morning Dave, McKenlee my Grandma and I headed down to the Saturday Morning market in St. Petersburg. I think McKenlee felt like an only child this weekend because of course Sydnee is at College and Natalie was away with a friend for the weekend. The weather was gorgeous as we walked around the market and enjoyed downtown. We had brunch at a little cafe on the water and I took some pictures with my cell phone. It was a great morning!!!!

Laughed till I cried....

2011-10-19T09:23:00.006-04:00

I have so many wonderful memories of our cruise. So many funny moments. When you get Dave and my BIL Kevin together they are like two big kids. Always playing practical jokes and doing silly stuff. One evening after my in laws had already put their room service breakfast card on their door for the next morning, they took it and added all kinds of stuff to it. They added like 3 bananas (which my FIL hates) and salmon (who eats salmon for breakfast) and like 4 coffee's but no tea. (my in laws drink tea) . The next morning my FIL was furious with room service and they had to fess up. It was hysterical. Then one time Dave and Kevin closed some of the huge hallway doors that are probably only used when there is a fire or a flood of some sort. Jeanette (my SIL) and I were furious trying to figure out how to open them before someone noticed. Meanwhile, they were watching us laughing their butts off. Finally, one of our stewards who was also laughing showed us how to open them. But my most favorite funny moment without a doubt was the T-shirt Incident.

Before we left for the cruise like most people we were running around last minute trying to get things done. Dave decided that he wanted new white undershirts to wear under his dress shirts. Dave wears an undershirt everyday under is UPS shirts but as you can imagine working with packages and sweating in the Florida heat those undershirts get pretty stained up. So he decided he wanted fresh white ones to wear. Of course we forgot until the last minute so instead of running up to Target or Walmart where we usually get them he went to the Dollar General because it is only a mile away from the house. He picked up some some Hanes white T-shirts XL. It wasn't until we were getting ready for our first formal night that he realized what he bought. he came out of the bathroom laughing saying "hon, I think I bought the wrong size" I laughed till I cried. He looked ridiculous, he bought XL alright but he bought CHILDRENS XL. The funniest part was he had to wear them anyway because he had no others and the dress shirts just didn't look right without one. It was so like him to grab something quick and not really pay attention. He does this all the time. So naturally I had to take a photo to document the moment.

I love you Dave and I think you look HOT in your tight T-shirt and yes a little camp but just a little... LOL

HakunamaTATAS

2011-10-17T08:40:00.002-04:00

Sydnee participated in a three mile walk for Breast Cancer at UCF on Sunday. The name of her team was HakunamaTATAS isn't that cute. She was asked to join in by her BFF'S sister Victoria who is in the first picture with her. Victoria has been a lifesaver for Sydnee at school. She is a junior and very much at home at UCF. She has been Sydnee's go to person with questions or problems. She has also welcomed Sydnee into her circle of friends which has been a huge help because it has taken way longer than she thought it would for her to make some friends. Although, I am happy to say she has finally started to bond with her room mates. Did you notice she cut her hair. Yup, she went back to the bob. I love it I just think it makes her look older so I am not so sure I like that. LOL

McKenlee's Halloween Tournament

2011-10-16T08:00:00.000-04:00

So about 6 weeks ago we decided to let McKenlee join a travel ball team that all the neighborhood girl's are on. In a one block vicinity of our neighborhood there are five girls that are McKenlee's age and they are all friends. (you know when they are not mad at each other over silly pre teen stuff)She has been having a lot of fun with it. So between her recreational league and her travel ball league she's has been eating breathing and sleeping softball. The nice part it she is starting to hit more consistently and has become a pretty good first baseman. This weekend they were in a Halloweeen Tournament and had to dress up for a costume contest before the games. Her team dressed as nerds. Here are a couple photos so cute!!!

Back to Blogging

2011-10-15T22:18:00.007-04:00

Wow, I have never gone this long in between blog posts. I have to say I am a little dissapointed with myself. When I go back and read this in the future which I love doing. I'm going to be real bummed that I have nothing for Aug and Sept of 2011. When I see no entries I will be really sad, then I will just remember that "oh yeah" that was when I had company for seven solid weeks. Yes, I did survive with a little help from my friend Xanax. (am I kidding? I will never tell.) But a whole heck of a lot went on in August and September so I want to mention just a few so I have record.

1. We moved Sydnee into her dorm at college. I didn't shed a single tear. I am so proud of her and knew without a doubt that she would be just fine and of course she is.

2. All three of my girls celebrated Birthdays.

3. Natalie started high school and my shy girl is doing just fine. She even followed in her older sister's footsteps and joined the swim team and it has been a really good experience for her.

4. I started two new little one's and they both came to me at about 10 weeks old (they are a week apart) I have a little blue eyed girl and a little brown eyed boy. It's a lot of work right now but I know it is going to be great later because they are going to be best little friends. (when they are not fighting lol)

5. Dave and I celebrated our 20 year anniversary and went on a week cruise to the Carribean, it was wonderful.

6. I am still going to Weight Watchers it has been almost a year now. Unfortunatly, after the seven weeks of company (stress) and a cruise I am only three pounds away from where I started a year ago. So I guess that means I lost three pounds in a year. Ok, that just made me laugh. But I am choosing to look on the bright side which is I weigh less now than I did a year ago (who cares if it is only three pounds less lol) I AM NOT GIVING UP THAT IS WHAT MATTERS!!!

Well, I guess that kind of sums up the last two months....

Stay tuned I promise I am BACK TO BLOGGING.

Hey Hon remember that?

2011-07-22T07:37:00.012-04:00

So Dave was watching TV the other night and I was on the computer. This is a typical evening for us , one on the couch the other at the computer. A commercial had come on, I'm not sure what they were selling but it was taking place at a youth Soccer game. They were showing the end of the game where the parents come to the center of the field and hold hands and make a tunnel for the kids to run through. The parents cheer and the kids faces light up as they take their turn running through the tunnel. Dave said "Hey Hon remember that?" Of course I did but only in that moment. I had forgotten that this is what we did after every game when Sydnee was little. Because as the kids get older and start playing more competitively the tunnel is forgotten. I kept thinking about that tunnel and how it represented so many things that you forget were such a big part of your life when your kids were small. I know I have touched on this before when I wrote about McKenlee's last year of elementary school.

I guess that's why I write this blog. I am hoping that it helps me remember the little things that I forget about our family. Kind of like when you look back at old pictures from your childhood. Sure it's fun to see how much you have changed but I also love to look at the background of the pictures especially the ones taken in doors. I love to remember how the home we lived in looked. I know you know what I mean: "I remember that picture on the wall" or "I remember that bedding set." Isn't it funny how looking at an old photograph helps you remember the time it was taken in such detail.

That's what I want to remember, all of life's little details...

July Things

2011-07-19T15:06:00.002-04:00

* I had a Birthday, I am 41 now. Wow, it was so much easier than turning forty.

* Natalie and McKenlee finished their All Star season: McKenlee's team did not make it past the first round but Natalie's team came in second in round two. I was very proud of both girls. Natalie ended up playing on a combined team and made a bunch of new friends with some really nice girls. It was a great experience for my little home body.

* I went to the parent/student orientation for Sydnee at UCF. It was a lot of fun and I am totally excited for her. It was a beautiful campus and I was so impressed with everything. (Not that I had a lot to compare it to... lol I have only ever been on one other University campus 20 years ago when a friend went to UF )

* I started reading the "Game of Thrones" after becoming addicted to the series on HBO. I have always had a hard time "waiting for the next season to see what is going to happen." So far the series stayed pretty true to the book and I am really enjoying it. It is much easier to keep track of whose who in a book verses a TV show.

* I have (yes, I am a little embarrassed to admit this) become addicted to the latest season of the Bachelorette. I actually shed tears today (while watching it On Demand) when Ashley sent home Ames, he was my favorite. I hope my daughters find a guy like him one day. I don't think any one of those other guys have as much class in their whole bodies as that man has in his pinky. (ok, I'm done now with my shout out to Ames.) I know, I know, my name is Suzie and I am a TV aholic.

* My two year old's little brother was born on the 13th of this month and I got to go see him on Saturday. I know it has been said a hundred times before but you always forget how little a new born is. He was the tiniest most precious thing in the world. I can't wait till October when I get to take care of him.

* I have found a new blog that I love Pink Dryer Lint. I loved her quote from the "What is your life's Blueprint" and what she had to say about it. Go check it out, I'm sure you will love it too. It really hit home with me because I have been thinking a lot recently about going back to school and deciding what I want to be when I grow up. LOL

* I can't believe that one month from today I will be helping my daughter move into her dorm and out of my house. It's so hard to believe because you know just yesterday she was two.. Right??

Hopefully I will post again before August. LOL if not I will see you next month for "August's Things" LOL

Independence Weekend

2011-07-06T15:00:00.004-04:00

We had a wonderful 4th of July weekend. Saturday was spent shopping for food and spending the evening at home. It is always amazing to me how much more food I have to buy in the summer. ( I know I already mentioned this a post or two ago but I can't help it but say it again, it just blows my mind) We watched two movies this weekend as a family something we rarely do. ( I am a huge movie buff as is Sydnee but Dave and the younger two not so much) But as per tradition their was A LOT of rain this 4th of July weekend so we watched "The Adjustment Bureau" and "Unknown". I really liked "Unknown" it had a lot of action, a great story line and a really good twist at the end. "The Adjustment Bureau" was disappointing. While I thought it was a really great idea there just wasn't enough of a story line and because of that the ending was really lousy.

Sunday we went to my Mom's for a pool/party picnic with my sister's family. Sunday evening we had a little impropmtu get together with some friends. My friend who does not have HBO has been coming over Sunday evenings to watch True Blood with me. ( I know it isn't the the most wholesome of programming but what can I say I'm addicted. YES, I do have to turn my head sometimes because I am a prude at heart) So because Monday was a holiday her husband and kids came over too to hang with my husband and kids. So even though we had to pause the show a couple of times because the kids kept coming into the room it was fun.

Monday was what i like to call "day of laze" we just couldn't seem to get off the couch.

Monday evening was a blast and that is where the photos from above were taken. One of my BFF's (she's in the picture with me) managed to secure my family a coveted invite to her Aunt's annual 4th of July barbecue. Her Aunt is this really nice lady who is married to this really nice man and they live in this incredibly nice house on the water with an incredibly gorgeous view of the intercoastal. They served incredibly good food (they even had hired servers at this party WHAT, WOW, how fancy is that) They had a hired DJ who did Karaoke (you know Sydnee and I had to get up there and sing our famous rendition of "Cowboy Take Me Away") and then they had their own fireworks display in addition to the commercial one's that we had an incredible view of from their most incredible back yard and private dock. We had a wonderful time!!!! (Thanks again Karen for letting us pretend we are part of your family again maybe if we can convince Sydnee and Trevor that they really are suppose to get married we won't have to pretend... LOL )

Oh yes that's another photo of Sydnee and Trevor for that wedding slideshow... LOL

Saturday afternoon at our house equals NapTime...

2011-06-25T16:17:00.003-04:00

My Natalie loves her some Saturday afternoon naps!!!!

Pictures as Promised

2011-06-24T07:47:00.002-04:00

Poor neglected blog....

2011-06-13T10:31:00.005-04:00

Oh my gosh I can't believe it has been almost a month since I blogged.
June has been the busiest month. Even now I don't really have much time except for some quick bullet points...

.Sydnee is officially a college Freshman. Her graduation on June 6th was beautiful. They do it way better now than they did twenty something years ago when I was a PPHS graduate.

.We held Sydnee's Graduation Open House this past Saturday and it was a HUGE success. We had such a great time and got to see so many friends that we don't get to see enough. (She also made a nice little chunk of change from our very generous friends and family)

.Natalie and McKenlee's softball season is almost over. Regular season is done and we are finishing up TOC's tonight. McKenlee was chosen for All Stars and we are waiting to see if Natalie was chosen for her age group as well. Of course there will be no break from sports, swim season is already in full swing (although my girl's have not made it to a practice yet) hopefully tomorrow night they will finally get there.

.Every year in June our local our Newspaper devotes a section of the Neighborhood Times and they cover all the local High school's Graduation ceremonies. There is usually a picture or two for each school. This year PPHS got one photo and to our excitement it was one of Sydnee. She is hugging one of her teachers after just recieving her diploma. It was pretty exciting to get phone calls on Sunday morning. "Hey, did you see your daughter's picture in the paper?"

.I only have two more weeks with the oldest of my little guys Dominic. His Mom is a teacher so he will be home with her for the summer and then he is off to full time pre-kindergarten. I can't believe how fast the time goes, it seems like yesterday he was a little one year old toddling through my front door. I will have just my 1 and 2 year old for the summer and then in October I get my 2 year olds little brother. A new born again what fun.

.Sydnee is back at her life guarding job full time and loving it. She is in the market for a new car (we want her in something reliable at college epecially for all those trips homeon the weeekends she's going to be making hint hint) This will be a first for her " a car payment" we are trying to keep it as reasonable as possible for her. Wish us luck. She also has a new boyfriend and he is such a great kid. He is also attending UCF in the fall.

.The rest of June and July should be quiet and I am looking forward to some "lazy days of summer" things have been so hectic lately. We don'thave any plans until August and that is just fine with me.

Well that's it for us. I will post a few pictures in a seperate post.

Happy Monday!!!!!

Weight Watchers 5K

2011-05-19T11:58:00.005-04:00

So Saturday is my WW 5k. I am looking forward to it. Yes, I really did just say that. LOL The reason is I am hoping it will jump start me back into a walking routine again. I have been doing a lot of thinking about getting back into a routine but not a lot of doing. Just a lot of excuses.

First off of course has been the infamous foot. I can't make up my mind about this darn foot. Right about the time I'm thinking I really need to go back to the Dr. and have it checked out some more I wake up the next morning with it feeling and looking pretty good. Like this morning for instance. I woke up and it was hardly swollen and it barely hurt at all. Of course, now that I have been on it a little while it has swelled up a little but it still feels pretty good. This Saturday will be 10 weeks since I injured it. I'm anxious to see how it does after the 5k. The furthest I have walked since the sprain has just been around Busch Gardens which I am sure was probably equivalent to 5k but with lots of breaks.

My second excuse of course is the old stand by TIME. We have just been so busy these last few months with softball almost every night and end of year events for Sydnee that when we do have a night off the last thing I want to do is go walk. What I really want to do is just relax but mostly find myself catching up on things like laundry and cleaning. I wish I felt the same way about exercise as I do about cleaning. I feel incredibly overwhelmed and stressed when my house is a mess I feel like I can't relax because the mess is just staring at me. I wish that not exercising made me feel that way. I wish I just couldn't relax or do anything fun until my workout was done. I mean don't get me wrong I dread having to do laundry and vacuum and mop floors but for some reason not the way I DREAD exercising. I also don't get that awesome feeling of accomplishment when I'm done like I do when I look around a clean and organized home. In fact (and this is terrible) I usually feel depressed after a walk because I then realize how out of shape I am and how I just want to hurry up and finish. I think about how I have wanted to get a handle on my weight and fitness for so long and I just can't stay motivated long enough.

I know this is just a mind set and like all things it's just about getting your mind in the right place. I just wish that they sold a map to help you find THAT place and then LOCKED you up to keep you there. LOL

Senior Prom

2011-05-15T20:04:00.002-04:00

Sydnee's Senior Prom was on friday night. The kids decided to meet in Safety Harbor at the Harbor by the Marina which was a beautiful place to take pictures.
Everyone looked amazing and from what I heard they had an amazing time. Sydnee went with her good friend Jordan. That seemed to be what most of the kids did this year, they went with their good friends instead of romantic dates so it made it more relaxed. Another perk of going with your good friend is that he is 6'2 so she got to wear the most gorgeous very high heals!!!!

Graduation Announcements

2011-05-13T12:56:00.008-04:00

I have begun sending out Sydnee's Graduation announcements. I was very proud of my frugal announcements because I think they turned out beautiful. Instead of going through the school and ordering really formal ones. (even though I think they are nice) They are not really our style. We are not formal people. Plus, after spending a small fortune on her Senior pictures I didn't want to pay the exorbitant prices so I went through good ol Sam's Club and these are what I picked out. I wanted to send one to her pediatricians office just because I feel like they have watched her grow up. I also knew that I wanted to send a thank you note along with it. I had written this thank you note in my head many times, many different ways. Sometimes I wanted to include specifics about how each of the Dr's (there are four in the practice) had really gone above and beyond. Or more often about times when they calmed my OVERACTIVE nerves in regards to Sydnee's health. I wanted to include things like the time I called one of the Dr's after hours because Sydnee had put her sister's ear drops into her eye by mistake. I thought I was going to die from a panic attack. After I relayed what had happened she actually giggled, yes laughed, then profusely apologized. She quickly explained that she had never heard that one before and it sounded like something that would happen at her house. I remember that her laugh instantly calmed me down. I thought well, if she can be laughing about this it can't be that bad. Turns out it wasn't. In fact the ear drops that she put into her eye happened to be the same type of antibiotic that had been prescribed for her eye. So while it was made up of a few different ingredients essentially it was the same medicine. Oh there are so many more things I wanted to say in that letter, but then I realized it would be just to long. So instead I kept it short. Because you know I use this blog as a journal for my girls' I am inserting a copy of the letter.

Dear Dr’s and Staff,

Words could never express how blessed our family is to have such an incredible pediatric office for our children.

As we celebrate this first big milestone in Sydnee’s life I wanted to take a minute to thank you all for the concern, kindness, and care you have shown for Sydnee and her sisters through the years.

When I think back through her childhood I remember so many times sitting in the exam rooms with a pit in my stomach so worried about my girl. Because of course, I had convinced myself that her minor illness was something much more devastating.

I have memories of all four Dr’s quickly putting my mind at ease and never making me feel like I was overreacting (even though most times I was.) Always so willing to answer my questions and being so patient with me as I asked the same questions over and over again in different ways just to reassure myself, then ever so nicely suggesting that I STAY OFF THE INTERNET. (smile)

As Sydnee goes off to UCF in the fall to major in Biomedical Sciences and pursue her dream to become a Pediatrician, please know that it is because she was so inspired by her wonderful Dr’s and the staff at McAuliffe Pediatrics.

Sincerely,
Suzie Prince

I hope everyone has a wonderful weekend. Senior Prom is tonight. Pictures soon I promise!!!

Happy Mother's Day

2011-05-09T07:36:00.005-04:00

I hope everyone had a wonderful Mother's Day. I had a very quiet one, it was nice. Normally on Mother's Day our tradition has always been to go to the beach. That was the plan but after hanging out (there may or may not have been a little drinking involved) with our great friends on Saturday afternoon and evening we just felt like being lazy on Sunday. Natalie decided she wanted to paint her bedroom this weekend and we told her she had to do it herself. I know this sounds horrible but you see our children like most children have the "I want it now" mentality. She was determined that her room be painted this weekend and Dave and I were not up for it.

Sidenote: It is a well known fact that Dave and I both HATE to paint. We avoid it at all costs.

But of course come Sunday morning she was overwhelmed and frustrated by the daunting task and I took pity on her so together we finished the job. I must say it looks great. I wasn't sure about the color at first but I really like it. I will post pictures later.

Here let me quickly say thank you to Aunt Sharon who on Saturday night stopped by (we were not home) and also took pity on Natalie and went home grabbed her painting stuff and helped.

Dave and the girls' bought me a Kindle for Mother's Day and I was very excited. I have been wanting one but the frugal in me had a hard time since I am at the library once a week anyway for storytime with my little guys. Now when I want to read the latest bestsellars I don't have to wait forever on the library's waiting list and while yes I will have to pay for the book it will be at a much reduced cost than the hardcover and I won't have to store it.

We have another busy week ahead of us with softball games and school meetings and oh yeah PROM. Yes, Sydnee's prom is Friday night and she is very excited. I am excited for her and cannot wait to see her in her gorgeous dress. We pick it up from the tailor on Tuesday. (it had to be hemmed) It is gorgeous just like her.

(yes, I am very partial lol)

I promise lots of pictures!!!! Have a great week!!!!

Bye Bye Chloé, We miss you

2011-05-01T15:41:00.003-04:00

Saturday morning we bid farewell to our exchange student Chloé. It was so sad I was tearing up isn't that awful. LOL I am such a baby. We just had so much fun with her and she so quickly became a part of our family. I kept joking that I had four daughters and I loved it.

Friday night we had our last hurrah with a baseball game at the Trop.

It was fun. The pictures are from that night.

The poor girls didn't get to bed I think until 1:00am (Chloé still had to pack)and then we had to be up at 7 to have her to the school by 8:30. Dave sent her off with one of his big breakfasts.

Her Mom texted me this morning and said that she was home safe and sound but bless her heart she was not able to sleep on the trip at all so you know she is exhausted.

We hope she comes back soon to visit (hint hint).

Hope everyone had a great weekend!!!

Just hanging out....

2011-04-28T07:41:00.004-04:00

The last two days we have just been kind of hanging out with no big plans.

Tuesday morning I let the girls play hooky from school and we drove over to International Mall so Chloé could do a little shopping. (You know my two girls had to get something too LOL)

She bought some nice presents for her family (hint hint Valerie LOL )

When we got home the girls just didn't want to go to school like originally planned so they took the rest of the day off. We had lunch and then they chilled out and watched TV and played "Just Dance" on the Wii. The pictures above were taken with my cell phone and the girls were moving so the quality is a little blurry.

That evening Natalie had a softball game so Chloé and McKenlee played catch with Chloé's new softball glove in between watching the game. She says that softball is "not the sport for me" but she was pretty good at catching and throwing the ball. (smile)

Yesterday, Wednesday the girls went to school and then last night McKenlee had a softball game and Natalie had batting practice. The game was over pretty quickly so we headed home and Chloé and I watched "Survivor" one of my favorite shows. Chloé says they have a similar show in France.

Today the girls are heading to school and then this evening we are heading back down to the beach to shop along the boardwalk and catch the sunset again. (if it doesn't rain, it is suppose to rain :( ) We will at least get the shopping in if not the sunset. You know PRIORITIES lol.

Tomorrow the plan is to let the girls miss school again and hang out by the pool since it is Chloé's last day with us. Then tomorrow evening we will be heading to a baseball game to watch The Tampa Bay Rays.

I can't believe that Chloé will be leaving us on Saturday morning. The time has just flown by. We have so enjoyed having her. It has been a wonderful experience for Natalie and all of us.

I have even learned a little French...

C'est bon, C'est bon!!!

(Valerie you will have to ask Chloé about this, it is so funny)

Just some more pictures

2011-04-25T22:02:00.002-04:00

Our day at Busch Gardens

2011-04-25T21:35:00.003-04:00

What a wonderful day we had today at Busch Gardens. Dave was able to take the day off, we only wish Sydnee would of been able to come but she was just to exhausted from camping and working all weekend.

Both of the girl's softball games ended up being cancelled so we got to stay for the day. (although we did end up leaving about an hour before closing due to a huge rain storm)

The girl's rode a roller coaster (gwazi). Natalie and Dave rode Shriekra while Chloé and McKenlee rode the flume.

We rode the congo river rapids and I was the only one who managed to get completly soaking wet. (That always happens to me I really know how to pick a seat LOL)

We rode the bumper cars, and Rhino Rally. We saw an adorable animal show and completly fell in love with the parks newest baby cheetah.

We rode the train and saw lots of animals up close. Chloé was so close to a Zebra at one point I thought she might be able to reach out and touch it.

It was just a perfect day. (Valerie, I have so many more pictures of today and pictures since Chloé has gotten here. I will load them to FB so you can see copies of them all on Chloé's Facebook)

We all came home exhausted so we ordered pizza for dinner and watched a little TV.

Tomorrow, I will be letting the girl's go into school late so I can take them to the mall. Chloé wants to go to Abercrombie and Fitch and we are running out of time before she goes home :(

It's hard to believe she has been here over a week already the time has just flown. I have really enjoyed having 4 daughters this week. LOL

Good night, I know I will be sleeping like a rock.

Happy Easter

2011-04-24T21:19:00.003-04:00

What a wonderful Easter we had today. The weather was again gorgeous although we had a short thunderstorm at the end of the day.

I have come to the conclusion that Chloé is a fish which pleased McKenlee because she finally found someone who wanted to stay in the pool as long as she does.

Dinner was delicious (thanks Mom) and I thought it was great because Chloé wanted to try everything. My girl's tend to be picky eaters so it was nice to see her try some family traditions like our "Butter Bean salad" and Uncle Butch's "Famous Fruit Salad."

When we got home the girls decided to have a night of pampering where they were using their "beauty masks" (that's what's on their face in the last picture)that they got in their Easter Baskets and painting their toe nails while having a "Twilight" marathon.

I just hope they get some good sleep tonight as we are heading to Busch Gardens bright and early tomorrow. Unfortunately, we can't stay until closing because both the girl's have softball games but if the lines are not to long we should fit everything in.

I hope everyone had a blessed Easter!!!

A beautiful Beach Day

2011-04-23T23:46:00.003-04:00

What a gorgeous day we had at the beach. The weather was perfect. It was sunny with a beautiful breeze so we didn't get to hot. The water was refreshing but not cold.

The girls were in the water almost the whole time we were there. The only thing is that they all got a little sun burnt. (this is always so frustrating to me because I feel like I am the sunscreen police as I am constantly having them reapply) But apparently we did not reaaply enough because the girls did get a little red. Bless their hearts I was creaming them up last night before (with aloe and Lanacane) we went to dinner.

I was good though I have learned to stay under that umbrella as much as possible.

After our beautiful day we came home showered and headed to dinner at our neighborhood Applebee's.

After dinner we asked Chloé if she wanted to go bowling or to check out our Walmart to do a little shopping. (My nieces love Walmart when they come over from England so I thought Chloé might like it too) Of course, just like my girl's would have she opted for shopping.

The pictures above were obviously taken at the beach. LOL The one of Dave and the girl's was taken in the parking lot before dinner.

Tomorrow we head to my Mom's for an Easter picnic.

I will be keeping those girls under umbrellas and out of the sun as much as possible. LOL

Dinner after the sunset...

2011-04-22T22:47:00.002-04:00

Chloé loves Italian food which makes Natalie and I very happy as we are the only one's in the family who like Spaghetti. Because of this I only make spaghetti about 4 times a year.

But guess what this week we're having

SPAGHETTI !!!!!

Friday Night Sunset

2011-04-22T22:43:00.001-04:00

Enjoying the Beach

2011-04-22T22:31:00.003-04:00

What a beautiful sunset we saw tonight. What we didn't see were any other French Students. We tried to find the group but no one answered their phones and no one was at Caddy's. LOL So the girl's and I set up our towels and chairs and they enjoyed the beach together.

They played in the waves and did a little snorkeling minus the snorkels that I accidentally forgot. We walked on the beach and they wrote their names in the sand.

I took a ton of pictures of the sunset for you Valerie because Chloé's camera died so I will send them to you in an email.

After the sunset we packed up and had our evening meal at 9 P.M again. At a
little family restaurant. Poor girl I don't think she has had a single evening meal prior to 8pm all week.

Tomorrow it's back to the beach to do some sunbathing. Chloé is determined to go home with a tan. :)

Sunday we will have a big Easter picnic at my Mom's by the pool and Monday we are headed to Busch Gardens.

A busy weekend ahead of us...

Wow, is it Thursday already??

2011-04-21T21:46:00.005-04:00

I can't believe that tomorrow is Friday, the week has just flown by. The girl's had another busy day. It started early as they wanted to get to school early for a French Club meeting.

It was an opportunity for the French Students to get together
and talk about their week so far and an opportunity for the American students to practice their French some more. LOL

After school Natalie found out that her softball game was cancelled and she was thrilled because she had a project that she had to finish up plus it opened up the evening for the girl's to go swimming at my Mom's house again.

We all got home for dinner at about 8pm. We eat dinner so late some evenings I hope Chloé (I'm so excited I figured out how to make the é on my keyboard) doesn't mind. She said that her family eats kind of late sometimes too. I hope she isn't just saying that to be nice. LOL

The girls then headed to Natalie's room to relax a bit before bed. Sydnee was sharing her favorite music with Chloé "Jack Johnson." My girls love the CD's of the French music Chloé brought over. We have all learned some of the words and find ourselves singing in French in the car even though we don't know what we are saying.

Chloé also showed Natalie how to take pictures loaded to the computer and make neat digital murals with them.

Tomorrow after school we are joining some of the other host families for dinner at one of our local beach bar/restaurants. (Caddy's for all you locals if you want to join us, Chloé would love to meet you) We are going to stay and watch the sunset.

We also plan on heading to the beach for the day on Saturday. It was cute I asked Chloé if she minded going to the beach two days in a row. She said "Oh no that would be just fine" I guess it's safe to say she likes the beach...

Well I am sure tomorrow night I will have some beautiful pictures of our Sunset.

Until then......

My little sale shoppers....

2011-04-20T21:09:00.009-04:00

Tonight we went to the mall to do a little shopping. I had to laugh we were hardly through the door when I was given the dismissal wave.

Of course, I was summoned by my girls about an hour later when they found $12.00 bathing suits and needed Mom's money.

So I don't get yelled at by my girl's (they did have most of the cost covered they just needed Mom for a little overage.)

Chloe made me smile and I realized we were kindred spirits when she said "I already have three bathing suits, but $12.00 is really cheap" Yes it is darling, we are buying you that bathing suit. LOL

Chloe has an admirer...

2011-04-20T21:01:00.003-04:00

The handsome little man in this picture with Chloe is Dominic.

Dominic is 3 1/2.

DOMINIC IS IN LOVE WITH CHLOE...

He wants to be every where she is and gets very, very upset when Natalie won't let him in her room.

Every morning he has to sit by her at the breakfast table.

I say to him "Dominic where do you want to sit honey" and he always says " I want to sit in the chair right next to Chloe."

So if you see this cutie backpacking around France when he is a teenager,

You'll know why..... :)

Hangin by the pool....

2011-04-19T17:59:00.004-04:00

Here are few photos of the girl's by my Mom's pool.

I love the one where Natalie is getting help on form from Chloe after showing her a little of what she remembers from when she took Gymnastics a few years ago. (Natalie is dying to take Gymnastics again, I just don't know how she will ever fit it into her schedule)

Chloe found out today that her Rhythmic Gymnastics team qualified for the French National Championships.

How exciting!!! Go Chloe!!!!

School Days....

2011-04-19T17:12:00.004-04:00

Here is a photo of Natalie and Chloe after school today. I took it with my phone when I picked them up so the quality isn't that great. I think the girl's are really enjoying going to school together. Chloe says the school is much bigger than hers back home and the halls are very crowded in between classes. Natalie teases that she is afraid of losing Chloe in the mass of kids because everyone is coming over to say Hello to her. Natalie is also enjoying her increased popularity status. She says everyone crowds around their lunch table to spend some time talking with Chloe. She jokes that as soon as someone gets up someone else is instantly in that space.

The girls are at my Mom's swimming this afternoon although you wouldn't think it was warm enough from what they are wearing in the picture. Our weather is actually very warm and sunny but apparently they keep the air conditioning very cold in the school so my girl's are always wearing sweatshirts over their t-shirts and Chloe always has her Cardigan on. A cardigan I might add Natalie loves and is determined to find one just like when we go to the mall shopping soon.

Another softball game tonight for McKenlee but Natalie and Chloe have decided to stay home from this one and hang out at the house.

Maybe they will play the Wii, I wonder if Chloe has a wii in France???

Take me out to the Ballgame...

2011-04-18T22:30:00.014-04:00

Dinner after the game at McDonalds

Kenlee and Chloe watching the game

Natalie, Chloe and Jaymi before the game.

Natalie and Chloe doing homework.

Off to school

2011-04-18T09:31:00.004-04:00

Here are the girl's and Megan (our next door neighbor) waiting for my Mom to pick them up and take them to school. For the first time in ages they were ready to go ahead of time. I'm anxious to see how long this will last. Usually, they are running out the door late with their shoes in their hand to finish putting on in the car. I hope Chloe has a great day at school. All of Natalie's friends are very excited to meet her.

Good Morning Monday

2011-04-18T09:26:00.002-04:00

Here are the girls (and Dominic and Sophia two of the three little one's that I babysit) at breakfast this morning. I loved how my two didn't argue once with Chloe here. They loved how I made a big breakfast this morning with eggs and bacon, toast and fresh fruit.

Bonjour Chloe....

2011-04-17T22:30:00.004-04:00

Chloe our French exchange student is here. She is adorable and we are really looking forward to the next two weeks. Natalie is helping her unpack and get settled into their room. The poor thing has been traveling for almost 24 hours so I am sure they will be getting into bed shortly. We figured out that if we put a mattress on the floor for Natalie it would allow for them to have more room when their not sleeping because we can put it up on it's side. I think that Chloe is so very brave to come and live with a strange family for 2 weeks at the tender age of thirteen. I sure am glad that she did because I think it is going to be a fantastic experience for Natalie and for all of us. I'm going to try to post everyday with photos for Chloe's Mom so she can see what the girl's are doing everyday in addition to school.

Hello weekend, I missed you....

2011-04-15T07:53:00.004-04:00

Just wanted to share this quick picture of Miss Priss from Saturday. They ended up losing the last game before the final and you can see the frustration in this picture. You know what they say "you win some you lose some."

The soccer Banquet was fun. It was great to see all the Seniors receive their last High School Soccer awards. Some of these kids I have known since they were 6 and 7 years old playing recreational soccer with Sydnee. I was incredibly proud of her as she was given the "Lifetime Achievement Award" an award to given to the Senior boy or Girl who the coaches feel has really gone above and beyond in their four years of playing High School Soccer. (Her hand is over the bottom because they had a misprint on the name, they are getting it fixed for her)

Well, the weekend is almost here which means so is our exchange student. She will be here on Sunday. We are so excited to meet her. Have a great weekend.

Another weekend flew by....

2011-04-11T10:44:00.004-04:00

Wow, is it Monday again already? We had a very full weekend. Miss Priss and Mighty Mouth had a softball tournament this past weekend. This season with them both being on different teams I feel like we are always at the ball field or one or the other. They did really well and I was very proud of them. Mighty Mouth caught two big hits into left field which thrilled her and she got to play all six innings in her Friday night game which was very exciting for her as she is used as a sub the majority of the time. Miss Priss is the catcher on her team and they won Friday nights game 1-0 with the opposing team having last ups. It was very stressful for her making sure she didn't miss a single pitch opening up a chance for the third base runner to come in. Especially, when her team's pitcher throws that ball so fast it sounds like a super loud pop when it hits her glove. Mighty Mouths team came in 2nd and Miss Priss's team came in 3rd. Summer has definitly arrived here in Florida as we coated on the sunscreen and sat under our umbrellas and watched the games.

Yesterday, I had lunch with one of my oldest and dearest friends who recently underwent surgery. She looked great and it was nice to spend time and laugh with her and her family who I hadn't seen in a long time.

I weighed in on Saturday at WW and I am very happy to report that I lost 1.5 lbs. I was so excited since I hadn't been in 4 weeks. So while my weight loss has been slow, VERY SLOW. I am still losing and still going and that is what's important. I also signed up to do the WW 5k on May 22nd. I'm very excited about that. I just hope that my foot is better by then.

Yes, I am still struggling with this darn foot. It has been 4 weeks already and while it is tremendously better it still swells up in the evening and I am still not walking on it properly I am walking on the left side of the foot because the right side is still too tender which is wreaking havoc on both feet now. Oh well, I will just keep icing it and just keep plodding on. I will admit that part of it is my own fault because I really should be wearing tennis shoes all the time. It feels so much better in tennis shoes but when you have size ten feet tennis shoes make you feel like you are wearing battle ships on your feet. I'm bad and sometimes I let fashion win out over comfort. Especially, when I am still sporting my lovely pedicure that I treated myself to before we left for Myrtle Beach. You can't see my pretty toes in tennis shoes. :(

Soccer Girl has her Soccer Banquet tomorrow night. Another "last one" this will be my last Soccer Banquet as neither of my other two girls play soccer. I will post some pictures on Wednesday. I hope everyone has a great week.

Back at it.....

2011-04-06T14:16:00.003-04:00

We are back from Mrytle Beach and a fun time was had by all. The weather most certainly could of been better. We picked the one week that SC had a cold front come through, go figure. The high on Monday was 46. Can someone say Brr. So we did not enjoy the beach like we had planned. We walked on it and had a couple dinners viewing it but we did not lounge on it. LOL Nor did we relax by the resort pools with frozen drinks. Instead we sat on the balcony over looking a man made pond with our Bailey's and Coffee. This was our very first family vacation without Sydnee. She had to stay behind and work because her lifeguarding job had started and she couldn't get the time off. That was kind of tough for me, because in my heart I know this is probably the first of many vacations that she will not be going on with us as she goes off to college in the fall and adulthood. (wipe away tear) She stayed home and took care of our small zoo. Of course we drove her crazy because we called her constantly, as did my Mother.

Two highlights of SC were the:

Carolina Jeep Safari where we learned so much about the history of SC and saw a ton of sights.

and

The Preservation Station where we got to hold a Liger cub (he was more of a teenager it took three of us to hold him on our laps) and also a baby Tiger cub. (He really was a baby about the size of a house cat).

The other great part of the trip was one of my good friends who moved to Raleigh, NC about 10 years ago drove down with her husband and son and stayed with us a couple days. It was so great to spend time with them. They taught us a really fun game called "Kill Dr. Lucky" that was a blast. So now I am on a mission to find one as it is not carried in many stores.

We had a lot of fun at "Broadway at the Beach which was a very tourist kind of place with shops and lots to do. We also slept in and ate way to much food. Weight Watchers I will be there Saturday morning as I try desperatly this week to lose what I had gained last week. Of course I don't kow how much that is because I'm to scared to get on the scale yet!!! LOL

So now that we are back in warm sunny Florida we are "back at it" back to work, back to school, back to softball, and back to counting the days until we get to meet our French exchange student.

"Where oh where has my baby gone"

2011-03-22T08:23:00.003-04:00

This picture was taken a couple weeks ago at my BFF's son's birthday party.
When I saw it I couldn't get over how old my youngest daughter looks in it. I guess because I see her everyday I just don't realize what a young lady she is becoming.

We have so much going on right now so I am just going to share a few updates.

Soccer Girl starts back as a lifeguard this Sunday. She is so excited. Must be nice to get paid to do your favorite thing. Hang at the beach. :)

I sprained my foot 10 days a go and it SUCKED!!! It hurt SO BAD!! I couldn't walk on it for 3 days and they were the longest three days of my life. LOL It is much better now, just still a little swollen but much better!!

We leave for Myrtle Beach for spring break soon. I can't wait. Really looking forward to a week of relaxing.

We are hosting a French exchange student next month for two weeks and we are very excited to meet her. This is through Miss Priss's French class. Her name is Chloe and she is the same age age as Miss Priss. She will be going to school with her and learning about our culture.

That's all for now. Hope everyone has a great week!!!!

I'm a great Aunt...Imagine that...

2011-03-10T18:05:00.004-05:00

My Nephew and his Fiancee welcomed their first child into the world yesterday.

Her name is Poppy and isn't she beautiful.

Unfortunately, I will not be able to hold her anytime soon. By the time I get to see her in person she will probably be walking and talking since she lives in Australia with her Mom and Dad. But I have hope it won't be to long before I get to see this cutie, after all I live only 90 minutes from Disney World.

(Every little girl needs to meet a Disney Princess. hint hint )

Congratulations Lee and Hannah we are so excited for you!!!!!

P.S Girls Rule!!!!!!

My Little Daredevil....

2011-02-23T08:53:00.003-05:00

Here is a video of one of my little darlings. She is one of the happiest babies I have ever watched and is so much fun. She makes me laugh all the time because she tries so hard to keep up with the boys who are almost 2 and almost 4. She saw them climbing on the chair and of course had to try it.

Valentines Day....

2011-02-15T14:38:00.004-05:00

Valentines Day we had beautiful weather and spent the morning at the park. My kids were out of school for a pro ed day. It was fun hanging with my little kids (day care kids) and my big kids.
Poor Soccer Girl was in her room almost all day doing homework. Her on line Honors Calculus class is kicking her butt!!

Love this picture of my girls and D my little three old. Mighty Mouth showing off those long legs.

Miss Priss with the "obligatory for Mom" smile.

Love this: making pancakes on Valentines morning D and E wanting to help.

Our Valentine Tarts (idea courtesy of my Family Fun magazine)

They were so yummy, and so not on the weight watchers program thank goodness for "extra points."

Rainy days and Saturdays...

2011-02-05T17:37:00.004-05:00

Today has been rainy and it is getting cooler. (Don't know if I have mentioned but we have had unseasonably warm weather) Yes, while the rest of the country is in the midst of snow storms I have been wearing shorts for the last two days. But I guess that is going to end after today. Our highs will go back to 65. I know, I know, I am not complaining.

I have to do a little bragging Sydnee was picked for this Largo.Patch websites athlete of the week. I also lost 5lbs last week at WW and did the Teen Zumba class with my girls at the Y on Wednesday. I have to admit it was a lot of fun, mostly because I was doing it with my girls. I thought it would be easy because you know it is suppose to be dancing with a Latin theme. Uh no, it is kick your out of shape butt with a Latin theme. LOL I used to think I had rhythm and could hold my own on the dance floor.

NOT!!!

But I am looking forward to going again. Since it was the teen Zumba there were only like 6 girls in the class and three of them were mine so I felt completely comfortable and not intimidated. I figure maybe after a few more classes when I can manage a little more rhythm and a little less panting I will do the adult class too and then I will be getting two in a week. Because one thing is for sure I need to get some MORE EXERCISE...

Off to get my hair colored and highlighted (aka: cover the gray)

So far today I have:

2011-02-02T09:49:00.002-05:00

1. Been rudely awakened by the clinging and clanging of glass bottles as my husband emptied the indoor recycling into the outdoor bin. (this was due to the fact that we kept the bathroom window open last night, note to self: don't do that again on a Tuesday night)

2. Listened to husband gag and carry on RIDICULOUSLY because he got dog poo on his shoe as he was taking out trash and emptying recycle bins. (the Englishman has the worst gag reflex and weakest stomach ever, he is very dramatic and carries on forever when dealing with gross things)

3. Managed to get two younger daughters off to school without a single fight. (this folks entitles me to Mother of the year award)

4. Took shower (even shaved my legs), got dressed and got makeup and hair done, made bed, cleaned kitchen, washed poo tennis shoes, did one load of laundry, have chicken baking in the oven for casserole tonight.

5. Dealt with a almost one year old who recently learned how to throw temper tantrums and proceeded to throw a good one because I did not make her bottle fast enough.

6. Had a 20 minute negotiation with a whining 3 year old who couldn't understand why he couldn't have both playhouse dolls and both little cars even though there are TWO little boys who want to play with them. You see it was INCREDIBLY important that the Mama doll have the daughter doll as her passenger. Said three year old is so smart that he even explained to me that little girl doll couldn't drive anyway because she wasn't old enough, to which I had to explain that 2 year old boy doesn't know this so he doesn't care he just wants a doll for his car too. (whew did you get all that?)

7. Getting ready to load three kids into van for story time at the library and I am already exhausted and it is only 9:45am.

How is your day going????

My trip to Flu Land....

2011-01-25T10:53:00.005-05:00

Hi there,

I am slowly returning from my trip to Flu Land. I hope I never have to go back. It was awful, I purchased the "flu insurance" back in September which was suppose to help me avoid the trip. Well, this year anyway it was a waste of time and money. I first arrived Thursday night and started the trip with a Boa Constrictor taking residence around my chest. I woke the next morning coughing constantly to force him to loosen his grip but it was to no avail. By 11:00am Friday I was alternating between the sauna and the ice river trying to make up my mind which temperature I preferred. I was still pretty confidant that I would be able to get the first plane out of there by Saturday night at the latest. I was trying to make the best of the trip by catching up on some T.V while enjoying a constant flow of Ibuprofen cocktails but by Sunday morning I knew I had to pull out all the stops and head to the local travel agency aka "walk in clinic" and beg for immediate evacuation. You see by this point the boa constrictor had gone home but in his place were a bunch of little piranhas that kept swimming up and down inside my chest and esophagus having a luncheon. While the Travel Agency sympathized with my plight (you see a lot of folks were trying desperately to get out of Flu Land) there were no flights leaving. (that's the kicker, you can Fly into Flu Land but you have to take the bus out and it is such a LONG trip home)

Thankfully, I'm on my way though so wish me luck......

Just being a kid.......

2011-01-18T09:41:00.007-05:00

Remember a while ago when I mentioned that sometimes I feel like Mighty Mouth misses out on opportunities to just be a kid. As I mentioned this is somewhat my doing (let's face it, the older they get or are encouraged to get the easier it becomes) and somewhat hers (she is always trying to keep up with and be just like her older sisters.) Well the other night her BFF spent the night and when they came out in the morning this is what I was greeted with.

I loved it..... Just girls being silly girls....

Of course I could of done without the "loser" and "freak" on the forheads, but I guess I can't have everything. After all they are preteens..... :)

A few pictures from Senior night.....

2011-01-05T07:48:00.002-05:00

1. Sydnee with her Senior Poster on the fence.

2. The Scoreboard, they won. Two of those goals I have to add were my girl's.

3. & 4. Sydnee on the field.

5. The Englishman and I escorting her down the field for Senior Night.

Another Senior Milestone.....

2011-01-04T14:29:00.006-05:00

Here is the Poster that I made for Sydnee for her last home soccer game. Tonight is Senior night. Her High School has a tradition where they celebrate the Seniors of the sports team at their last home event. She also had a Senior night for swim team but I have to tell you it was not as emotional as I think this one will be for her. Sydnee has been playing soccer since she was 6 years old and in the first grade. I would like to mention that we kind of owe this to our wonderful neighbors Greg and Eileen who's daughter Megan is the same age as Sydnee. They encouraged us to sign up Sydnee with Megan, Greg was Sydnee's very first coach. I have wonderful memories of The Englishman and Greg coaching the girl's together. Some of those girls she still plays soccer with and against to this day. In fact tonight, two of them will be on that field with her. To be honest, I didn't really see what the big deal was about this poster but she kept asking me about it and reminding me that I had to make one. You see all the Senior parents make their kids a poster and they hang them all along the fence of the field with balloons on Senior Night. I could tell that this was really important to her. I was starting to become a little intimidated because you see I am totally NOT creative. My sister got all those genes, her house is a showroom and while I read all the Mommy blogs she reads all the decorator Blogs. However, I knew I had to do my girl proud. So last night I enlisted the help of my youngest and her friend and I got started. (thank goodness I have a craft drawer for my little guys) I absolutely love how it turned out, what do you think?

My only hope now is that it dries before tonight.

Yes, that's my hope, that the poster and this Soccer Mom's eyes are dry tonight....

PPHS VARSITY SOCCER SENIOR GIRLS ROCK! (especially # 23)

Christmas Pictures......

2010-12-27T07:53:00.004-05:00

Christmas was wonderful. The family was together and there were a lot of laughs. Christmas Eve we all tried to play the game "Catch Phrase" and lets just say we will never win any "Catch Phrase" tournaments if such a thing exists. (smile) The girls were very happy with their presents even though there were not many surprises. I did however manage to surprise them with the Pandora Bracelets that were in their stockings. The weather has turned cold again here in Sunny Florida so we will be having a quiet day in doors today. I only have one of my little munchkins the other two are home with their families for the week so the house seems quiet (of course my girls are still sleeping) for now. Enjoy the week of Christmas aftermath and leftovers and we will see you in the New Year........

Christmas is coming, I'm trying not to get fat (er)..

2010-12-17T16:56:00.002-05:00

Oh my gosh it is SO HARD to follow weight watchers so close to Christmas . I have currently lost 16 1/2 pounds, but that of course is before tomorrow. I am worried about tomorrow. I have had the toughest week. I can't blame it on anything but my complete and total lack of self control. I keep playing with the idea of skipping the weigh in tomorrow, but I know I won't. I won't because if I do it will be so easy for me to skip going all together and I made a promise to myself that no matter what I will keep going. Even if I have several bad weeks (which currently that has never happened. I have gained twice but always came back the following week with a good weight loss to make up for it) But no matter what I WILL WEIGH IN EVERY WEEK!!!! There I said it!!!! Have a FANTASTIC weekend!!!!!

RIP Freddy the carnival fish....

2010-12-07T08:32:00.005-05:00

Ok, I don't know why I started with this pet update thing but since I did I feel obligated to share that last week we lost the COOLEST GOLDFISH EVER Freddy Fish. I never thought I would get so attached to a Goldfish but he was really unique and I was devastated last week when I looked into his bowl and he wasn't there. I knew immediately that something was wrong because he always came over to the top of the bowl and talked to me (seriously, if fish could talk he would of been talking) My initial thought was that somehow one of the cats got him, but I quickly dismissed that idea because if it could of been done it would of happened already. I moved the bowl all around and didn't see him on the counter and then much to my horror I discovered him in the sink. He was dead, I was so sad. He must of some how jumped out of the bowl to his death. I had heard of fish doing this before but wasn't sure if it was true until now. I almost shed a tear. Seriously, if you can love a Goldfish I loved that Goldfish. Even the Englishman who is kind of anti pet except for the dog and his ever devoted black cat Tuesday was saddened by the news. His words were "that sucks, he was a cool fish" See what I mean, Freddy was the bomb!!! Of course I am really attached to the way the fish bowl looks on my kitchen counter so I ran right over to Walmart and bought another goldfish. We named him Wally after Walmart but it is not the same. He is not cool, he does not come to the top of the bowl begging for food like he hasn't eaten in a year. He does not kiss your finger when you put it in the bowl. He does not swim around like a maniac in hopes of getting noticed in his endless pursuit of those delicious golden flakes.

But I suppose he will grown on us...

Thanksgiving Photos....

2010-12-01T10:03:00.005-05:00

Thoughts....

2010-11-19T15:19:00.005-05:00

"Making the decision to have a child is momentous. It is to decide forever to have your heart go walking around outside your body." Elizabeth Stone

I absolutely LOVE that quote. I recently ran across it again and thought to myself as I always do how true that is. I remember back to before I had children (yes, I can remember that far, for now anyway) and think about times when my feeling we're hurt by something someone did or said to me. I remember that sad feeling and wishing I wasn't so sensitive. I remember telling myself to toughen up and not to let things that people said bother me. I remembered that time is really the only thing that makes it better (except for maybe an apology from said party lol) and that it always got better.

Then I had kids......

Now, I am 50 times more sensitive than I ever was when it comes to them.
Now, no matter how many times I tell them to toughen up and not be so sensitive I am still fuming inside that someone hurt them.
Now, long after my kids have forgotten an incident and have totally moved on I find myself still thinking about it, still holding on.

So while this SUCKS... Yes it really does, it is also a learning experience. (As all things are if you think about it)

Because I know how sensitive I am when it comes to my children, I am always so careful when I talk to other Moms. (Being a daycare provider I have to do this a lot)

I always try to teach my girls to give people the benefit of the doubt and yes sometimes they are better at this then I am when it comes to their feelings.

And above all I remind them that time heals (or helps a whole lot) all wounds because this I believe with all my heart.

Growing up there were two things that my Mom told me over and over again.

The first was "will this bother you in ten years?" and if it wouldn't then don't let it bother you now.

The second was "Remember, if they are talking about you they are leaving someone else alone."

I have found myself on more than one occasion sharing this wisdom with my girls.

My hope is to raise confident, compassionate, and loving children who possess empathy for others.

Children who when the time comes (and I hope to be blessed with lots of little ones's) are able to have their hearts walk around outside of their body even better than their Mom did.....

More Bullet Points

2010-11-15T11:44:00.003-05:00

Just can't seem to find time for a proper post so here you go....

1. Soccer Girl got her acceptance letter to UCF so looks like she is a "KNIGHT" she is very excited and so are we...

2. Soccer Girl had her very last high school swim banquet Friday night. She was awarded "most valuable swimmer" so proud of my girl....

3. This weekend was fall clean out and it felt so good. The Englishman and I (mostly him) cleaned out the garage and our closet. The girls and I went through their rooms and it feels so good to be organized.. (You know for like a day or two lol)

4. Our weather is gorgeous and our windows are open.

5. Thanksgiving will be held at our house this year and we should have a big crowd, looking forward to it.

6. This is the first year in awhile that I haven't had next week off. Kind of bummed but planning on taking all the kids to Busch Gardens one day should be an adventure.

7. I lost 5 lbs in one week last week at weight watchers and I am THRILLED. This makes a grand total of 13 lbs...Yay!!!

That's all I got today, have a great week!!!!!!

Pictures from Halloween

2010-11-05T08:47:00.002-04:00

10 Updates Hopefully.....

2010-11-05T08:22:00.002-04:00

1. I had my surgery yesterday and it went well. I was in and out in no time and I am feeling great. Did I mention I LOVE my Dr.

2. Soccer Girl got her acceptance letter to USF and we were pretty excited. Of course she really wants to go to UCF and she should be hearing from them soon but now we have a back up plan.

3. Our Halloween was a lot of fun I will post pictures but on a separate post (yes, I still haven't mastered text and photos and I just don't want to mess with it today.

4. Cool weather has arrived in Florida for the weekend anyway and we are all excited. My Aunt and Uncle are visiting so we will be spending some time with them this weekend.

5. We booked our spring break vacation and are heading to Myrtle Beach. We've never been before but have heard wonderful things. Can't wait....

6. Still going strong on Weight Watchers and really liking it, although I will admit this is my 5th week and for some reason it was the hardest. I've learned that the key to this is planning and this week was so crazy busy it was really hard to be prepared. However, I've also learned that it's OK you just have to keep going and plan better next week.

7. My Grandmother arrived from Michigan on Halloween night for her six months in Florida (she does the six and six thing ) She's such a trooper she went with me to Walmart on Wednesday with three kids and I couldn't have done it without her. I love to get my grocery shopping done during the week days but with three little guys all day it's next to impossible so having her help me was awesome. Thanks Grandma...

8. My BFF just got offered a great job making more money than the one she is getting laid off from next month and I'm so proud of her they are very lucky to get her. YOU GO GIRL!!!

9. Might Mouth and Miss Priss are going on a field trip to our local Folk Fair that comes once a year here. I think it is kind of cool because I remember taking field trips to this same FolK Fair when I was a kid.

10. Wow, I got to ten but actually don't really have anymore news. So have a fantastic weekend!!

Consistently Thankful

2010-10-25T10:58:00.003-04:00

Ok, remember when I said I was going to post everyday with something I was Thankful for. Yeah, um you see how well that went. I have such a hard time with "consistently blogging" although in my heart I am "consistently thankful." I decided to write another list to make up for days I missed. Remember, these are little things that effect more of my day to day life in addition to the big one's (health, home, overall happiness) that I am forever thankful for.

1. I am Thankful that the Englishman managed to get off the same week the kids have off for Spring Break. Since he is at the bottom of his works totem pole this was really great. We have plans to visit Myrtle beach.

2. I am Thankful I have been going to Weight Watchers for three weeks now and have lost a total of 7.2 lbs. Just a little sand off the beach but a great start that I am very proud of.

3. I am Thankful that after working on it for roughly 3 hours I finally figured out how to load audiobooks to my Ipod from our local library website for FREE. I love listening to books when I walk. My goal for this week is 10 miles.

4. I am Thankful that the Englishman and I had a date night on Saturday night and went to dinner. It was a lot of fun. I also stayed on program (weight watchers) so that was even better.

5. I am Thankful that we are having friends and family coming over for a pumpkin carving party on Sunday for Halloween. It should be a lot of fun and I am really looking forward to it.

There that made up for 5 days right? LOL Have a great week...

P.S Pet count is back up to 9

1 dog, 2 cats, 2 bunnies, 2 fish, (can you believe that Freddy the carnival fish is still going strong?)1 hermit crab and 1 hamster.

Miss Priss got another Hamster this weekend. A little Siberian Dwarf she named Bella, a cute little ball of fur.

Oh yeah, Thankful the Englishman didn't throw to much of a fit.

(we lost the bird and the other hermit crab over the summer, not sure if I mentioned. RIP Crabby and Blue Bird)

Another year, another three pumpkins...

2010-10-22T23:43:00.002-04:00

I decided to get my grocery shopping over with tonight instead of tomorrow or Sunday. I did this because for once I didn't have that big of a list. Because I am a coupon shopper I tend to stock up when things are on sale. Because of this I have about one week a month where I don't have to buy much at all, this was that week. So because I didn't have much in the cart (normally it is like a workout just pushing my completely loaded cart around the store) I decided to go ahead and get the girls their pumpkins for carving. As I was lifting them and trying to get ALL THREE in the cart, because anyone with more than one kid knows they HAVE TO HAVE THEIR OWN. I was thinking maybe this would be the last year that I would have to do this. Maybe next year they will out grow the whole pumpkin carving thing.

Then I bit my tongue. Hypothetically of course because this conversation was going on in my head, you know so the other Walmart shoppers didn't think I was nuts. Although, in our Walmart talking to yourself isn't really that unusual. I remembered that next year Soccer Girl probably won't come home for Halloween because lets face it there will probably be some cool college Halloween party that she will want to go to. Will my other two girl's want to carve pumpkins if their sister is not there to do it with them? You see that's the thing that kind of stinks. I feel like my younger two miss out on some stuff because when Soccer Girl gets to old they feel like they are to old too. If I am honest I contribute to this a little. (ex: this year I kind of encouraged Mighty Mouth to skip having a B-day party and just have the money that I would spend to buy something she wanted.)

Sometimes, I rush Mighty Mouth through things because I have "been there, done that" but I need to remember that she is only eleven. I need to remember and encourage her to be a kid and enjoy all the things that being a kid entitles her to. Because I know from experience that she too will grow up fast and I will be wishing for someone to carve pumpkins with, bake Christmas cookies, and color Easter eggs. So I guess that's why I am writing this post. To remind myself to enjoy and treasure my girls and to make the most of our family time.....

Homecoming 2010

2010-10-16T21:44:00.004-04:00

Soccer Girls Homecoming was last night. It was a beautiful evening in Florida. It was cool but not cold and all the kids looked wonderful. A group of her friends came over ahead for snacks and pictures and off they went. She looked beautiful but of course I am VERY prejudice...

Changes in attitude

2010-10-05T13:43:00.002-04:00

Today I am grateful for cooler weather, beautiful parks, and a good friend to walk with and discuss life. I am also grateful for a change in my attitude. Maybe the change in weather has ispired it, maybe listing what I am grateful for inspired it, or maybe it was just time for a change. But I feel lighter and happy. So now I am working on feeling lighter LITERALLY... I'll keep you posted...

As the Mother of teenagers this breaks my heart...

2010-10-01T16:36:00.002-04:00

We must teach tolerance to our children.....

Water Fountains at the Park...

2010-10-01T12:56:00.006-04:00

Dominic getting a drink...

Today I am grateful for slightly cooler weather and water fountains at the park (since I forgot drinks) when we went today. The humidity is finally down and the weather is gorgeous, still very warm but beautiful right now.

My Dr.

2010-09-30T20:18:00.003-04:00

Today I am grateful for my Gyn. She is so wonderful. When I first went to see her 2 1/2 years ago I just really liked her we "clicked" so important when someone is looking at my most embarrassing parts. (smile) As I mentioned before I have seen her more than normal this last month. Today we discussed my surgery (very routine outpatient surgery) and as I was leaving I said well I guess I will see you in about a month. (when my surgery will be scheduled) "Yes you will" she said and she reached out and hugged me. How awesome is that. I have never been hugged by a Dr. before. She just makes you feel so comfortable like she is your friend and she really cares. I believe she does as I am sure all Dr's do but perhaps can't convey it as well. I'm not saying were going to be BFF's or anything or hang out outside of the office but she makes you feel like you could. So today I am grateful for my wonderful Dr who I just think the world of. Oh yeah and Health Insurance because you know this isn't going to be cheap.....

Today I am grateful for

2010-09-29T20:46:00.002-04:00

1. Dental Insurance, my girls all went to the dentist today and the cleanings and sealants would of been a fortune without our insurance. But it was free today thanks to insurance so I am so grateful we have it.

2. My DVR, I have mentioned in the past how I am kind of (totally) addicted to T.V and recently with all these premiers I am having a field day. The Englishman and I have a new show that we can watch together. We have completly DIFFERENT taste in T.V and the only show that we BOTH really like and enjoy watching together is "Friday Night Lights." But we found a new one called "Chase" about some Texas U.S Marshall's that we both really enjoyed. Maybe we are just Texans at heart.

These are two things I am grateful for today. Hope everyone had a good hump day!!!

Struggling...

2010-09-27T11:21:00.002-04:00

I have been struggling lately with so many things. Let me make a list:

1. My job and how confining it can be.

2. My girl parts and how they require all these Dr's Appts.

3. Finances, I'm not complaining I know we're not really struggling, but struggling to figure out WHERE all our money goes????

4. Friendships and how dissapointing they can be not just for myself but for my daughters as well.

5. Making dinner, I know silly, but man I struggle with having to make dinner every night...

Okay, I am glad I decided to write that down because now it doesn't seem so overwhelming. I mean there are only five things on the list.

So, I guess I am not really struggling as bad as I thought I was. (smile)

With that in mind I have decided to move on by concentrating on things I am grateful for and so I am starting my new challenge to blog everyday with something I am grateful for on that day.

So today I am grateful that:

1. My sister came over and I got to spend time with her and my neice.
2. That my little Dominic (boy I babysit) is feeling better he was sick last week.
3. That Mighty Mouth got a 88% on her health test a class she was initially struggling in and we really studied hard together for that test.

Ok I am quickly seeing how this could get really out of hand because I have SO MANY things to be grateful for so I am going to stop because I realize that the purpose of this challenge is just to list a few pertaining to this day even though EVERY day I have so much to be grateful for.

Wow, I feel better after writing this post, I don't feel like I am struggling nearly as much. Thank you Internet and have a grateful day!!!!

Coupontastic

2010-09-25T20:25:00.007-04:00

So for awhile now (about 1 1/2 years) I have been trying to save money on groceries. Being a family of five and having two teenagers and a preteen you can probably imagine how groceries become a huge part of my budget. Second only to my mortgage in fact. I had seen this website on Oprah called the Grocery Game and joined that for awhile (there was a minimal fee involved) then I discovered that there were several free websites that do the same thing. After I was doing it for awhile I really didn't rely to heavily on the website but would still refer to them at least a few times a month because sometimes I would miss something. On those websites people loved to post pictures of their loot and talk about how cheap they got it. I am no exception I get incredibly excited about my savings and love to brag to my family and friends. It surprises me how so few people will take the time to coupon shop. I have had several people ask me about it and then reply "oh, I don't have time for all that." I'm not going to lie it does take a little bit of time but like I always say I have lots of time I don't have lots of money. Yesterday was one of my best days. I got $182.00 worth of groceries for $81.00 so I couldn't resist piling all the groceries on my counter and taking a photograph. (Of course I really wish I had finished the touch up painting that needed to be done after we installed a new exhaust fan that totally shows on this picture) So take a look.....impressed??? I know you are..... (smile)

Senior Pictures

2010-09-22T19:44:00.007-04:00

Here are just a few of Soccer Girls Senior pictures. I can't believe my girl is a Senior this year (I know I have said that a hundred times already) Sorry the quality isn't that great I had to scan from a proof book. I will be scanning more soon but this took longer than I thought because I had to scan the whole page and then crop. Me being the computer genious that I am this took FOREVER....

Back in the Swing:

2010-09-08T07:40:00.002-04:00

Of things that is. So um where was I, gosh it seems like forever since I have posted. School has started and my girls are loving it. Soccer Girl is a senior in high school I can't believe it. Yes, she will graduate in June 2011. I know this real well because she is forever chanting along with the other seniors "one, one". Kind of funny eh? She has a tough year ahead she is taking 5 AP classes (yes, I tried to talk her out of it but she wouldn't listen) so I am just wishing her luck. She has also started filling out her college applications and writing her application essays. I can't believe that this time next year she will be in college and if all goes according to plan and finances living on campus away from home. Miss Priss is in 8th grade her last year of Middle School and feeling very comfortable. She is finally participating in school a little bit, (remember she is the shy one) she has joined the yearbook staff this year and is having fun with that. Mighty Mouth has started sixth grade and is enjoying it. I love dropping them off in the morning and watching my two girls walk up to the school together (it's the five minutes of the day where they are not fighting.) She also celebrated a birthday on the 1st. She is Eleven now and so tall. I know it is just a matter of time before she is taller than Miss Priss and probably later Soccer Girl. She is all arms and legs. She has started wearing a little makeup to school. Growing up quick.

Now that we are back from our trip we are trying to do some home improvements. Last year it was the kitchen re-face and this year hopefully before it is over we are replacing our windows. We have two installed already with 5 more to go. We would also like to replace the sliding door in Mighty Mouth's room with French Doors. She has always hated the fact that her room has a door instead of a window. When we bought the house her room was used as an office so the slider out to the lanai was a nice feature, but for her it is awful because it scares her. So instead of putting in a window (we're thinking ahead for re-sale value) we will put in French doors that have the blinds inside them so that no light or "scary things" can see in.

In the next few weeks fall ball will be starting for MP and MM and high school swim has already begun for SG so our evenings will be busy. Tonight is MM first concert The Jonas Brothers. My friend and I our taking our daughters. It is an outdoor venue so I am a little concerned about the famous Florida evening storms but hopefully all will go well she is very excited.

Hope everyone is well. I am going to try to post more often on here wish me luck...

"Better Together"

2010-08-25T17:56:00.009-04:00

Soccer Girl is out with her very "first" friend tonight, they went to see Jack Johnson in concert. Her friend is the son of one of my best friends and he and Sydnee have played together through their babyhood, toddler days, and preschool years. Of course when they hit the "I hate boys/girls" stage they grew apart a little and then we moved out of the neighborhood so they didn't see each other as often. What is wonderful though is that through the years whenever they have gotten together it is like no time has passed. (kind of like their Mom's) My friend and I have always said wouldn't it be great if when they grew up they would get married. Of course, whenever we say that the kids look at us like we are insane. But just in case we always take pictures of them together. You know, so if they do get married one day we will have an awesome slide show to play at their wedding. LOL So on this post I am going to give you a little preview of that slide show. First picture: Sydnee and Trevor circa 1995. The second picture was taken tonight before they left for the concert. When it comes to the two of them Trevor's Mom and I feel like the Jack Johnson song says "It's always better when they're together"

Home Sweet Home

2010-08-19T22:13:00.006-04:00

We are home sweet home. Well, actually we have been home for over a week now but it was tough getting back into the swing of things. First off, three of the five of us had to go back to work the very next day and we didn't get in until 7pm the evening before. Second, your sleep schedule is all messed up with the 5 hour time change. Third, it is hotter than you know what right now in Florida and England was so gloriously cool. WE LOVED IT!!! In fact aside from seeing family that was probably our most favorite part. Ok, so I am kidding, England is awesome regardless of the weather but the temperature sure was a bonus. It would take forever to write down all about the trip and I don't want to bore you so I am just going to share some of the highlights.

1. Renting our own car was really the way to go and sure made for a lot of laughs.

In the past we have always been picked up from the airport and shared the Englishman's parents car which because their car only seats five, (minivans are a rarity over there) it always meant two cars had to come get us. ) We rented a seven seater small version of a mini van and it worked out great. Of course when we first got there and had the three hour drive home from the airport I made the Englishman crazy. English people drive super fast and follow way to close to each other. Factor in the wrong side of the road thing and I was going nuts. I must have said at least 500 times on the way home "Dave, your hugging the left" and "Dave, I need some distance between us and the car in front." I will admit at the end of the trip I complimented his driving and thanked him for not making me drive at all. ( We had insured me on the car as well in case he wanted to have a few "pints" when we were out. I am so glad that never happened)

2. My nephew and his fiancee flew over from Australia to surprise everyone.

He immigrated to Australia with his fiancee (then girlfriend) 8 years ago. It was wonderful to see them. I had never met his fiancee, I haven't seen him since he was 17. They also announced that they are expecting a baby in March. Very exciting news as this will be the first great grand baby and will make me a GREAT Aunt.

3. We had a big barbecue and invited all the Englishman's friends and family.

We did this last time we were there five years ago it was so much fun to see everyone and marvel at how much all the kids have grown. (picture of the girls was taken the night of the BBQ)

4. We traveled to Blackpool a seaside town for a couple days.

It was really neat to see the English beach. Of course, it is nothing like our gorgeous beaches with our powdery white sand but it was awesome just the same. What I loved about Blackpool is to me it is very vintage. It really looks no different than it did in the 20's, well from what I could see in the pictures anyway. They have this tower there and inside it is like an indoor amusement area with a circus and an aquarium and all over are these pictures of Blackpool in the 20's, 30's and 40's. There are two piers that are set up with carnival rides and then there is an old fashioned trolley car that you can ride up and down the beach. (The picture of the Englishman and I is taken in front of the North pier) It was freezing there I don't think it ever got warmer than 65 degrees and I marvelled at the little English children who were on "holiday" splashing down at the shore line in swimsuits or "costumes" as the English call them. While my girls are in jeans and sweatshirts freezing their tails off, these pale skinned adorable children with their buckets and spades are playing like its a sunny 95 degree day on Clearwater Beach. We stayed at a quaint little Bed and Breakfast and because it is almost impossible to find accommodations for a family of five in one room my daughters got their own room and loved it. Soccer Girl said she felt like she was in a college dorm. Of course, Mighty Mouth was just excited to get to sleep in the top bunk of a set of bunk beds.

5. My in laws house. I LOVE my in laws house and always have.

While the inside is cozy (as most English homes are) and even cosier when inhabited by five extra people their back yard is large and gorgeous. The English love their gardens and my in laws are no exceptions. Flowers are in bloom everywhere in the Garden. Every color of the rainbow and if I were not such a brown thumb I could tell you what they were. My FIL even has a vegetable garden and I loved making salads with produce picked right out of the back yard. They live on a canal that flows into the river Severn so boats go by from time to time and just like anywhere on the water in the world as I am told by my favorite sailor (yes, Aunt Sharon that's you) everyone waves as they go by. On the other side of the canal is a large pasture which this time was inhabited by Piebald Ponies that my girl's fell in love with. They loved going and feeding them. They even named them. They also loved feeding the ducks every morning that would come up the lawn from the canal and wait for breakfast. We hung all our clothes on a clothes line something we just don't do here (or I don't anyway) but everyone there does and the clothes smell so fresh and clean when you bring them in off the line.

6. We went and played Bingo

Something my in laws do every Sunday night and sometimes Friday nights. Mighty Mouth loved it and Soccer Girl even won ten pound.

7. We walked everywhere.

Everyone walks everywhere there. I think it is because parking is hard to come by and also can be expensive. I was glad we walked so much because I have an addiction to English chocolate. Cadbury makes all these fantastic chocolates that you cannot buy over here, so when I go there I go crazy. Of course you don't mind walking when it is not 98 degrees with 100 percent humidity.

8. I loved seeing my girls spend time with their cousins.

It always broke my heart that my girls did not have cousins their age. Growing up I remember always playing with my cousins, we were always so close. Even after we moved to Florida I can still remember when we would visit we would all get together and hang out and just have a blast. With my husbands family living so far away and also the huge age difference my nieces are in their twenties and my nephew early thirties they didn't really play together but now that my girls are getting older they LOVE going places (especially shopping) with my nieces and horsing around with my nephew playing practical jokes. After dinner one night we had a crazy water balloon fight that even got me involved. Then we played softball together as a family in the field adjacent to my in laws house. It was hysterical and so much fun. (Right here I must give a shout out to my Mother in Law who in her seventies ran the bases like a pro GO HELEN!!!)

9. Hearing about my in laws early days.

I love hearing about how they met. Where they grew up, how things were different back then. I Love hearing about my husband and when he was young. One day we were in their old neighborhood for a "Farm Show" it had a fancy name but I can't remember it. Anyway, they showed me the very first house they ever lived in as a married couple and it was still there and they said it looked pretty much the same as it said when they live there. I took a picture of it but I haven't loaded it to the computer yet or I would share it. I love that everything in England looks pretty much the same as it did 200 years ago. Now don't get me wrong there is new construction everywhere but right beside it is a building that was there 200 years ago that still looks exactly the same on the outside.

10. Sharing meals with family.

Laughing at each other (some more than others). teasing each other about this or that. Sitting in the big yellow tent (that my in laws put up when we come over to extend the living space) with each other just enjoying the moment!!!!!

Three COOL Things.......

2010-07-21T22:31:00.008-04:00

1. Went to a wedding Friday night with the Englishman and Soccer Girl. It was beautiful and they had the COOLEST photo booth there. They asked everyone to use it so you had a souvenir picture and they had one for their wedding Scrapbook. The Englishman is cracking me up in these pictures because he thought we should all make goofy faces while SG and I thought we should look pretty OF COURSE... LOL

2. I bought a new pair of jeans today and I love them. Why is this COOL you ask? Well, let me tell you. Any full figured gal can attest to the fact getting jeans to fit that look good (look thinner is the ultimate goal) are comfy (a goal but not necessarily a must) and not be $100 or close can sometimes be difficult. I got a pair today that look good, feel good and were only $30.00.. WAY COOL!!!!

3.We leave for England on Friday!!!! This is super exciting and super duper COOL!!!

P.S Happy Birthday to my beautiful sister. I hope you had an awesome day!!!!

2010-07-14T07:33:00.004-04:00

So I am FORTY!!! Yes, I celebrated the big 40 this past weekend. Pictures are from my Birthday dinner where I was joined by my Aunt, Mom, Best Friend and her family, and the Englishman and our girls. It was a nice day. We are gearing up for Mighty Mouths Sectionals in Crystal River this weekend she is very excited. I also have a wedding to attend on Friday night. Then in nine days we wil be boarding a plane to go to England. Busy, Busy, Busy, but then again I wouldn't have it any other way.

District 5 Champions and the Countdown to England.

2010-07-02T09:16:00.005-04:00

Mighty Mouth's softball team won districts last night. She is so excited!!! They play in Crystal River in two weeks. In three weeks we will be getting ready to board a plane for England. The Englishman is so excited and I am so excited for him. Sometimes I forget how hard it must be to live so far away from your family. I cannot imagine living so far from my family especially my Mom. Early in our marriage the plan was to live in England after a few years of living here. Of course once we had children and established ourselves in jobs, schools, and mortgage payments that never happened. I used to ask the Englishman if he still wanted to go back always assuring him that we would make it happen if he really wanted to. He has always told me no and I have always said a silent prayer of thanks for that. We are very lucky that his Mum and Dad have always been able to visit once a year. His sisters and their families making it here when they can too. My children have wonderful memories of our last trip to England five years ago and cannot wait to stay at Nan's and Grandad's. They are proud of the fact that their Dad is from England and that in turn they are half English. And although they probably wouldn't admit it they love it when their friends say "I love your Dad's accent, it is so cool."

We are heading to Orlando to celebrate the 4th. Should be a nice time. My Aunt is treating us to a few days in her timeshare. So once again the poor Englishman will be surrounded by women (his lot in life lol) Myself, our girls, my Mom and my Aunt.

Wish him luck and have a wonderful 4th as we celebrate our independence from those AWFUL English people....(SMILE)

Summer is Underway....

2010-06-23T10:25:00.004-04:00

Well, it has been officially summer now for two weeks and I love it. Everything is so laid back. It is HOT HOT HOT, this will never change see: living in Florida. Can you believe my Electric bill actually went down by 20 dollars though. It's got to be the combination of the new dryer and new dryer venting or the fact that as much as it kills me I have been leaving my thermostat on 78 instead of 76.

We are just 4 weeks away from our trip to England. I'm trying to get excited about it but of course it always comes back to how much money I have to save before we go. Why must everything revolve around money?

I just finished Jen Lancaster's latest book "My Fair Lazy" and laughed through the whole thing. She totally cracks me up. I have never been one to want to meet an author or anything as much as I LOVE to read, but I'm telling you if she ever came to town for a book signing I would so be the first in line.

Mighty Mouth's first Allstars game is Thursday night, looking forward to that. Of course,it had to fall on the same night as the first Meet for swim team. Bummer (And as per usual in my world, we found out AFTER I had already paid for the Meet)

Soccer Girl just made her first big purchase with her first job earnings a Surf Board. This has become her new thing "learning how to surf." It's pretty (can a surf board be pretty?) and she got it off craig's list so I can only hope she got a deal on it. The Englishman looked them up on line and said she did really good. Now I just hope she doesn't get bitten by a shark. You guys know how I feel about ocean water PRETTY TO LOOK AT NOT TO GO IN. (without copious amounts of Rum and Diet Coke, 38th Birthday, Archibald Beach, Krista and Kelly do you remember? The Englishman had to drive us home that day and that NEVER happens)

Well, I hope everyone is enjoying their summer and staying cool.....

A quick 1,2,3

2010-06-08T14:44:00.004-04:00

1. Last day of school is tomorrow. I can't believe it, another year has flown by. Two of my darlings graduated from preschool and move on to kindergarten next year. I have had them both since they were a year old so as you can imagine I will miss them terribly. Their last day with me is Friday, it's going to be a tough afternoon with a few tears shed.

2. My little newbie has been with me six weeks now. She is beautiful and I am completely in love. I forgot how fast New Born's grow and she has already changed so much. I also forgot how relaxing it can be to rock a baby. You have the perfect excuse to sit down and not get a thing done all the while enjoying the contentment and cuddles of a gorgeous baby. I find it funny how quickly my almost three year old has figured out that when Suzie is rocking the baby he can get away with more because it is harder for her to get up and stop him. Kids are SO SMART.

3. Soccer girl LOVES, LOVES, LOVES her new job and couldn't be happier. I finally let Miss Priss get contact lenses and she is thrilled. She looks even older now that she is not wearing glasses. Mighty Mouth got picked for ALL STARS in softball and she is having a great time with three of the other neighborhood girls who got picked as well. (Miss Priss was to old to play for this team) Should be exciting as the coaches think this combined team has the opportunity to go really far. I'll keep you posted........

My Daughter, Lifeguard on Duty.....

2010-05-29T13:31:00.005-04:00

Warning: I am totally going to brag about my daughter in this post, so if you hate braggers don't read on. Consider yourself warned.. LOL

About a month ago Soccer Girl completed a lifeguard training course at our local community pool. Her goal being to get a summer job at this pool. The course was $119.oo which the Englishman and I paid for. I had told her several times "I hope your Dad and I didn't pay for this course for nothing, I really hope you can get a job at the pool" Of course two of her friends were hired before the course had even finished (they had taken the course last year) so I was not so confident that there would be a position left. As it turns out there was not a position available however she did apply with our local county beach department. We didn't expect her to even be called in because she had no (zero, zilch, zippo) experience and she was only 16. Anyone who lives in a coastal community knows that being a beach lifeguard is a huge responsibility. So when they called her to interview and take the SWIM TEST we were shocked. She was a nervous wreck and really intimidated. I told her that no matter what happened it was a great interview experience. The swim test consisted of a 500 meter swim which she had to complete in less than 10 minutes. (She completed it in 9.38) a one mile run which had to be completed in less than 8 minutes (she completed it in 7.11) and a mock rescue. She told me later that as fate would have it the lifeguard supervisor picked the "hottest" lifeguard on duty that day to play the downed swimmer she had to rescue. Well, long story short they hired my girl. I am so proud of her. She is everything I wanted to be as a teenager. She is beautiful, smart, athletic, determined and extremely goal oriented. The best part besides the wonderful experience she is getting is the money she is making. While most of her friends are working in grocery and department stores (not that there is anything wrong with that) making $6 to $7 dollars an hour she is making $11.73 an hour. She is keeping our beautiful beaches (lets hope they stay that way with this oil spill) safe for residents and tourists alike and this Mom couldn't be more proud!!!!!!!!!

P.S Our pet count is back up to 10. Miss Priss talked me into a Beta Fish last night for her room. Welcome to the family Carmelita Fish we think your gonna like it here...

A 10 year olds changing space....

2010-05-09T18:10:00.015-04:00

These adorable posters used to be the only posters that hung in my daughters room. She went to sleep every night with visions of ponies and puppies... How Sweet.

Now these are the posters that adorn her walls. She even went so far as to attach notes to them claiming her love for one and that fact that she finds the other "HOT" Oh my gosh are you kidding me. She is TEN!!!

My only consolation at this time is that luckily they are only boys on posters that she is proclaiming her love for...

Elisabeth H, will you please shut up!!!!!!

2010-05-06T13:23:00.006-04:00

I am not one to really care to much about celebrity gossip but this time I just had to say something and let's face it not to many people read my blog so I am not worried about offending anyone. First, let me say I cannot stand Elisabeth Hasselbeck. She has always rubbed me wrong especially after the Elisabeth/Rosie incident. Oh yeah, then there was the Elisabeth/Whoopi incident and now of course we have the Elisabeth/Erin incident. This time though she really blew it and may I just say "Elisabeth, it is about time your holier than thou attitude FINALLY came back to bite you in the boo tay" Was it not so long ago that YOU were prancing around on one of the SURVIVOR beaches in practically nothing. Yes, I do believe a Bikini is a lot more revealing than ANY of Erin Andrews dancing costumes. Let me just end this post with "Hey Elisabeth, JEALOUS much"???

From "Intimidating Circumstances" Clip 2

2010-04-30T20:37:00.001-04:00

I absolutely could not resist sharing this. This is a video clip of a amateur film a friend of mine made back when we were in college. He posted it to Facebook tonight and I laughed till I cried. Look at the ridiculous way I am dressed, look at my horrible acting. My girls are so embarrassed by me they can't stand themselves. To me the saddest part of all is that I really haven't changed at all in 20 years. (Okay yes, I have gained a few pounds) While in some ways that's ok (the changed part not the weight lol) in other ways it makes me think that I am really out dated as far as my style. Enjoy but don't laugh at me to hard.....

Love this....

2010-04-29T07:48:00.002-04:00

Okay so I saw this on another blog that I read and had to share. She made a list of all the things she wanted to accomplish. This was one of them:

17. Be nice and smile at the neighborhood kid even when I know she's been mean to my kid.

Oh my gosh!!! How many times have I had to pull that one off? Too many to count that is

FOR SURE!!!!!!!!!!

One more day till FRIDAY!!!!

Random.....

2010-04-28T13:55:00.002-04:00

1. I recently bought a washer AND a dryer, yes while the Internet is wonderful the advice I got only solved the problem briefly. Then just as I realize I was destined to buy a new washer the dryer went out. This after we just put $40 dollars into it a month ago for a new sensor. It is such a hard call do you keep putting money into the old or buy new. We chose the latter, gotta love Home Depot and "no interest for 12 months".

2. The girls are all doing really well. Miss Priss and Mighty Mouth are enjoying softball and I see such an improvement this season over last. Miss Priss is becoming a really great catcher and Mighty Mouth has finally learned to hit. No more hoping for a walk for this Mom. The coach has even moved Mighty Mouth to in field as her ground ball fielding has improved greatly and she has made some awesome catches. Soccer girl is currently taking a life guarding class in hopes to get a job life guarding this summer she's also really hoping that she can help coach the summer swim team that her sisters participate in. I hope it works out because I know she would be great at it.

3. I have got to get back to my exercise routine. I have severely fallen off the wagon. I just can't seem to get back in the groove. I just need more hours in the day, or I need to prioritize better I have to admit time management has never been one of my strong points. Wish me luck on this one I need it. Especially because I really want to do the half marathon in November.

4. We put our red neck pool back up and that has been a challenge. First off when we put it up there was a leak in the liner. Well good luck finding that. As it turns out it was only $25 cheaper to just buy another one vs buying just a liner. Walmart had them on sale $50 less than I paid last year. So I just bought a new one (the Englishman loved that as you can imagine, he hates the pool even though he did use it last summer) I knew I wanted it again this summer the kids had a blast in it almost everyday last year. Like I had said several times if it just lasts one summer it is well worth it. Well, I guess that's the life expectancy "one summer" unless we keep it up all year. I was reading on the Internet (see previous post) that taking the pool up and down is very hard on the liner and makes it more prone to leaks. But it's up and looks great because I learned some tips last year as far as leveling. Even though it is on a porch the porch isn't exactly level but it's nothing that a little sand couldn't fix so this year it is almost perfectly level. In fact Mighty Mouth is in it right now.

5.It is hard for me to believe that there is only 5 1/2 weeks of school left. 5 1/2 weeks and two of my little charges will leave my care and start kindergarten. I will miss them so much. I tentatively have one of the slots filled with a darling little baby girl who is only 3 mos old. It's been awhile since I have had a new born. I will be loving the rocking, cuddling, and cooing that comes with a newborn. I feel bad for my 2 1/2 year old little man he is going to really miss the other two. He is 2 1/2 going on 5 and that baby girl is not going to be able to play for a long while. I'm hoping that my other slot gets filled with a little one closer to his age or we will be going on play dates A LOT.

I guess that's it for now, have a great rest to your week.....

Why I love the Internet .......

2010-04-18T14:43:00.003-04:00

So this afternoon my washing machine overflowed. Yes, all over my garage floor. Luckily, the Englishman and I (well, really mostly him) had just cleaned the garage out yesterday or it would have been a lot worse. So we cleaned up the water and then got down to the business of figuring out why it happened. Luckily, it wasn't a plumbing issue (those are the most scary to me $$$$). What was happening was the washing machine kept wanting to fill with water even after the drum was full. Regardless, of what water level I set it for it wanted to just keep filling. So I got on the Internet and looked up washing machine problems. Low and behold there was a section on our problem. It said sometimes it is as simple as a hose coming off. Apparently, there is this small hose inside your washer that is filled with air. This air pressure controls a sensor that tells the machine when to stop filling. ( I know there is probably a little more complicated of an explanation then the one I just gave but you get the gist) So, the Englishman took the panel off of the washing machine and sure enough there was the hose. He blew it clear, re-attached it, and "Voila" the washing machine is working like a charm. Hip Hip Hooray!!!! Anyone with children, especially three, knows that YOU CANNOT BE WITHOUT A WASHING MACHINE!!!!!!!!

Spring Softball Pictures.......

2010-04-14T15:02:00.001-04:00

Here are this season's Softball pictures. I love that Miss Priss is smiling because now with her braces she very rarely smiles with her teeth for pictures. (Did you notice the bands on her braces are Black and White to match her uniform, how cute right?) I just wish Mighty Mouth would have taken off her her hat like Miss Priss did. Enjoy!!!!