Long time no see!

So, I've decided to start blogging again. What I'll talk about, who knows? I'd do an update about what's gone on in my life since my last post, but I'm thinking that anyone who reads this (all 8 of you) pretty much know me and know what I've been up to. Let's just see what I can come up with - I can usually talk your damn ear off once I get going!

How about I tell you about my weekend? OK, good.


Saturday. I met up with my fellow Box-girls Lindsey and Donata. We had a nice, girly, KID-FREE evening out. Dinner at a kickass Italian place, followed by some hot vampires and werewolves in a little flick called NEW MOON. Sigh. I do so love me some hot mythical creatures.

Sunday we had family pics/kids' Christmas pics. Oh my hell. I had apparently forgotten how much it positively BLOWS to try to sit a toddler still long enough to get a decent picture. Lauren, thankfully, has learned to sit still, even if she is doing the cheesy fake smile thing. I'll take what I can get! Which was exactly three family shots and two kid shots. Oh, and the day before? Christopher slammed his head into an end table, leaving a giant goose egg and a scratch in the middle of his forehead. Followed by Sunday 15 minutes before we're leaving, when he tripped and fell into my bed, causing yet another facial bruise. Such is life with a boy, I guess. At least Lauren managed not to shed any blood, and she did look damn cute in her Christmas best! I am not at all biased, but I do make some beeeeeautiful babies.

See?

Friday Random Thoughts

TGIF, man.

-Back twist #1 - Last night I did it carrying a screaming, 40 lb, 5 year old drama queen up the stairs to put her in her room. That was fun.

-Back twist #2 – This morning I did it while carrying Christopher in his Snugride into his classroom at daycare. I can’t see my feet in front of me while I’m carrying him, and I tripped over a toddler during the Mass Toddler Exodus of 2009. Toddlers everywhere, making their way down the hall. I didn’t see one, I tripped over her and knocked her down, knocking myself into the wall in the process of trying not to step on said toddler.

-Twilight comes out on DVD tonight at midnight! I thought of finding one of those DVD release parties, but chances are I’d be the oldest one there and the teenage screaming might give me a headache. I’ll pick it up tomorrow.

-I’m super excited about the Twilight DVD. D-nice is coming over tomorrow night for a Twilight/Wii party and some takeout. I love food, I love Wii, I love Twilight. Kick ass.

-I was super Weight Watcher this week. I exercised (well, I did the Wii Fit – that has to count, right?) 5 days out of the week (counting tonight). I wrote down everything I put in my mouth. I even weighed and measured. Hell, I ate fruit more than once a day for most of the week. And I think I’ve used ½ of a flex point. Awesome. I better have lost like, 6 pounds.

-Christopher is getting to be a big boy and I’m having to wean him from the super awesome SwaddleMe blanket. He’s too big for the largest size, and he keeps busting out of it. So last night he slept with one arm out. Slept through the night, thankyouverymuch.

-Today is the first day of Spring!!! The days of sandals and capris are coming up quickly. So can someone tell my why the hell I woke up to SNOW?! Luckily none of it stuck. But still. Apparently Mother Nature didn’t get the memo.

I love my kids, but I drink a little.

Sometimes I really wonder if Lauren has an alternate personality or something. She can go from Jekyll to Hyde in 3.4 seconds. Or, she’ll have an absolutely awesome day where I think she’s just the greatest kid ever, and then the following day she’ll be a nightmare. Such is the drama of a 5 year old diva, I suppose.

Case in point. The other day, she woke up (at 6:30am – a little early for my taste but it beats 5:30) and came downstairs into my room like always. Except she was all dressed in matching clothes. St. Patrick’s Day t-shirt, jeans, and matching shamrock socks. #1 wow. Then she took it upon herself to go into the freezer, get out her pancakes and cook her own breakfast. Brushed her teeth, posed for some freakin’ adorable pictures, done. Off to school in a great mood. Played on the Wii after school, gave herself a bath, bedtime was a breeze (till she couldn’t find her game…but I digress).

Then there was yesterday. Little Miss Houdini woke up at about 6am and decided that it was a great idea to go to school right then. At 6am, when it was still dark outside and the school is locked down for another 2.5 hours. Mmmmmkay. I stepped out of the shower just in time to hear the chime that goes off when a door is opened. I freaked, thinking that both my kids are still asleep, and Jason is already gone. The hell? I cracked the door open and called for Lauren, who answered me – it was her opening the door. What the holy crap? What if I’d gotten out of the shower 1 minute later and she was gone? How do I keep this little Houdini in the house? She knows how to open the deadbolt. She can also probably work the hook and eye latch we have over her head on the screen door (she’d need to pull a chair over for that, though). My next step is probably a chain on the very top of the door where she absolutely can’t reach, but I’d have to get up at 4am to re-latch it after Jason leaves. Argh. Then it was attitude all morning. Fun times. Love that kid, but man she makes me want to drink sometimes.

I wonder if I’m in for it with Christopher too. Right now he’s such a laid back, easy kid. Always happy and smiling unless he’s hungry. Feed him a bottle and he’s back to his sunny self. Loves his sleep. He seems to be eating more and more these days, which his sister NEVER did. Last night he had a full jar of carrots (the child who has had carrots four times in his life) and then sucked down an EIGHT ounce bottle before bed. I don’t think Lauren ever had an 8 ounce bottle, even when she was a year old. The kid is a rock star. I’m going to pay for this when he’s 16, aren’t I?

Little Pet Peeves

This is for Melissa. Love her! And I don't want to be yelled at like Cammie was.

I, unlike Miss Happy Pants Cammie, can usually find something to be pissed about, despite my use of happy pills. Guess mine don't work as well as hers do. Oh well!

-Again with the contacts. Didn't we go through this last week? Focking blurry contacts. These are even fresh ones, I didn't even sleep in them. Dammit.

-People who change the rules, don't tell you about it and then delay your shit because you didn't know the new rules.

-Melissa's little HTML tag thingy from her blog to copy and paste her little pissed off thingy up there. Didn't work. I had to it my own way. Fix it, Mel.

-My stupid medicine cabinet door is on my shit list today. Poor Lauren woke up, got herself dressed in matching, unwrinkled clothes (even matching socks!) and came downstairs all ready to rock. Made her own breakfast, etc. Miss independent, she is. Then she went to brush her teeth and sliced her head open on the focking corner of the cabinet door. Let me tell you, scalp cuts BLEED. A Lot. And when you have a 5 year old who freaks at the sight of blood, this is not a good thing. Ruined her whole damn morning. Stupid sharp mirrored cabinet door has some nerve hurting my baby.

-Diets. Yeah, yeah - it's not a diet, it's a lifestyle change. I got it. But it still sucks when I have to change the way I eat in order to change the size of my arse. And it sucks even more when I'm focking starving and my only choice is to starve because I won't have enough points left for dinner. Something tells me that the baggie of strawberries I have won't hold me over.

-The new Facebook layout. Geezoman, does it suck. Why do I need to see that my friend gave beer to 26 of her friends? Just tell me that so and so gave a beer to 26 friends - you don't have to tell me their names in separate posts. I don't see all my other friends' statuses because of this crap. Hopefully enough people will complain and they'll change it back.

Be Impressed.

I can't believe that I'm even thinking about this. I'm thinking about training to run a 5K.

Here's the thing. I can't run down the street. I've never been a runner, ever. I didn't even have to run the mile in high school. I had bad knees and a doctor's note. When I run, even when I jog as slow as I can, it feels like my joints are going to dislocate and my chest hurts. So yeah, I don't run.

But my good friend Andrea lost her husband in a tragic work-related accident last November. She, along with the company he worked for, are sponsoring a 5K in his honor in August. At first, I just wanted to be there for moral support for her and for my other girlfriends who are participating. Then I thought, maybe I could walk it. I could totally walk 3.2 miles. Then I thought about my BFF Ryann. Despite not being a runner, she ran a 13.1 mile half marathon to benefit Cystic Fibrosis. If she can train to run 13, I can train to run 3. She inspired me to do it. And I want to do it for Andrea, for Matt, and for their two beautiful kids. So here I go...

Tuesday Annoyances

Today wasn't bad, but I'm always sure to find something that pissed me off!

-My freaking contacts. They're all itchy and burny, for no apparent reason. All damn day I keep squeezing my eyes shut, rubbing, etc. One of these days I'll grow some balls and schedule that Lasik surgery...one day.

-This stupid bandaid that's on my right middle finger. I dontated blood tonight (go me!), and I have a bandaid on my finger from where they gave me the anemia test. No anemia, just a stupid annoying bandaid. I'll be even more pissed if I have a reaction to it like the last time I wore one.

-The weather. It's a tease. 60's and gorgeous over the weekend, cold enough to snow right now. Where the hell is spring already??

-My throat. I was eating Doritos today (which leads me to another thing that pisses me off...the size of my ass...but I digress). As I swallowed one, it went down my throat with the pointy side out, scraping the shit out of the left side of my throat on its way down. So I have half a sore throat. I guess it's better than a whole sore throat, but whatever.

See? I guess it was a good day, since I really couldn't think of all that many things that pissed me off!

Not Me Monday

-Today is NOT my 32nd birthday. That's because I'm turning 29 for the 4th year in a row.

-I did NOT buy a pregnancy test last week, while shuddering in fear that I would end up with two children 13 months apart. Yay for false alarms!

-My coworker did NOT buy me a 5 pound bag of gummy cherries for my birthday, and I have NOT been devouring them every damn day for the past week.

-I did NOT seriously consider ditching my boss at the Columbus, OH airport and take off in Cammie's super cool Honda Odyssey.

-I did NOT introduce kickass Cammie to said boss...and I also did NOT have to explain how I met her. Yeah, my boss met one of my crazy "internet" friends...the craziest one to boot. No, he doesn't think I'm a freakin' lunatic.

-I am NOT typing this out two days early, and I'm NOT sitting here staring at the utter mess that is my bedroom. I'm NOT supposed to be cleaning my house in preparation for MIL's visit tomorrow.

-I did NOT leave my Weight Watchers meeting on Saturday and make a beeline to Bagel Boss.

Friday Random Thoughts

Happy Friday, y'all! Except now it's Saturday...so I'm posting a day late. Sue me.

-TGI freakin' F. I can't wait for this week to be over! The MIL is coming to visit on Sunday for the week. Should be fun! And my berfday is Monday - happy 32 to me!

-I went to Columbus, OH yesterday for a meeting at Bath & Body Works with my boss. I am jealous. They have a BBW AND a White Barn Candle store in their lobby. And it smells all pretty. There are grounds to walk, a lake to sit by, and a kickass cafeteria. My building doesn't even have a vending machine.

-By far the BEST part of my visit to Columbus was the hour I got to spend at the airport bar with Cammie!! I love that bitch. I do have to say though, it was odd to have my boss meet one of my crazy "internet" friends...and then having to explain how we met. Interesting.

-As I mentioned earlier, Monday is my 32nd birthday. I can't believe I'm so old! I've been hinting (ok, well not so much hinting) at my need for an iPod Touch. The husband says no, what else do I want? Money. $300 to be exact. So I can go buy my iPod touch.

Wordless Wednesday

Snow Angels

How am I raising a teenager already?

Lauren, Lauren, Lauren. Are all 5 year old girls really 16 in their brains? I am SO in for it when she's an actual teenager. Let's review:


-16 year old attitude? Check. "Mom, you are SO mean! Howcome you get to do whatever you want and I don't get to do ANYTHING?! (sob sob sob)"


-16 year old mannerisms? Check. Eye rolling, dirty looks, hands on hips, sighs of contempt.


-16 year old phone tendencies? Check. Most nights, she will bring me the phone and ask me to dial Grandma Debbie's phone number in Florida. Last night, she disappeared into her room with the phone for over half an hour. Who knows what they talk about, but she's hilarious while she's doing it. She talks about "your land" when she talks about Florida, and "my land" when she talks about home. They've also made plans to do all her homework together while daddy and I get to "relax".

NOT ME Monday

Happy Monday...yeah right. Here's a list of all the things I did NOT do over the past week or so.

*I did NOT allow my son to sleep in his swing nearly every night for the past week. Sleep...screaming baby...tough choice.

*I did NOT sit in the rocking chair with Christopher at 4am and list in my head all the reasons I HAVE to go to work.

*I did NOT skip my Weight Watchers meetings for the past month.

*I did NOT ask my husband for an iPod Touch for my birthday, because I did NOT just get a new Nano for Mother's Day last year.

*I am NOT debating putting Christopher in a snowsuit and sticking him in a snow drift for some pictures.

*I did NOT say "Now What?" after finishing Breaking Dawn. I also did NOT start reading Twilight over again, because I was totally ready to let go.

*I did NOT give away the ending to Breaking Dawn to a friend that hasn't read it yet. No really, I didn't.

*It's 7am and I am NOT sitting here with a towel on my head watching the weather report yet again instead of getting ready to go to the office that is NOT FOCKING CLOSED.

*I am NOT at all bitter that even though Jason cleaned my car off before he left for work this morning, and shoveled me a path to get to said car, that he's not here to clean it off again...because it's NOT covered in focking snow again.

Friday Random Thoughts

Woot! Two posts in one week. Heh. How about some random thoughts for your Friday viewing pleasure? I’m sure I’ve got something swimming in my little head.

-I had two near misses this morning on my way to work. I am more convinced than ever that there is an invisible, protective bubble around my car. The first one, I was making a left out of the daycare parking lot as the mini bus was turning in. I looked and didn’t see anyone behind her so I started to go – when I saw a freakin’ taxi fly out from behind her. I went to slam on my brakes – and MISSED the brake pedal. I missed the dude by inches. Then I missed another guy as I backed out of my 7-11 parking space. There was a truck next to me and I couldn’t see. Good thing I was pulling out at a snail’s pace.

-I found out recently that a former friend (and by former, I mean I haven’t spoken to her since I was 18) has her child in the same daycare that I use. We had a falling out over something totally ridiculous, so I wonder if I’ll actually say hello to her next time I see her.

-Speaking of blasts from the past, I ran into someone yesterday in 7-11 that I have not seen or spoken to in YEARS. I dated his friend when I was in 8th grade! I couldn’t believe we even recognized one another.

-My little boy Christopher has a blood blister on his lil’ itty bitty pinky toe. L How on earth does a 4 month old manage that? It’s not like he’s walking, or even wears shoes for that matter! I doubt we’ll ever figure out that mystery.

-Speaking of Christopher’s feet, how stinking cute is this picture?



-Lauren is becoming an expert on bears. She gave me a whole lecture this morning about how you can’t go near a baby bear or it’s mama will attack you, but if you leave the baby alone, the mama won’t attack you. And if you are attacked by a bear, you should play dead. Good to know she’s got that info incase she ever encounters a bear in Hicksville.

-I finished all 4 Twilight books, and was left with an empty, “Now what?” feeling. I’m not ready to let go. So I started over again with the first book. One of these days I’ll get to read Midnight Sun, but it’s kind of a pain in the ass to read 200+ pages as a PDF file. The DVD of Twilight comes out in less than a month. Can’t freakin’ wait.

Man, I really suck at this blogging thing, huh?

I really have no idea how people can come up with enough words to fill a blog every single day. My life really isn't all that interesting, people! But I'll try, because maybe one day I'll look back and laugh.

How about I tell you about Lauren? She's 5, and a million rays of sunshine in my book. Even when she is being the ultimate drama queen. Seriously, do you think that she and her little 5 year old friends have a competition at school to see who can rile up the parents the quickest? Sometimes, she can be the sweetest thing on two legs. And others...well, not so much. Sometimes I really think that her brain is 10 years older than she is, by the attitude that I get. Absolutely, flat out refusing to wear jeans - only skirts or fuzzy pants. Telling me that she'll pack up and move to Grandma Debbie's if she keeps getting into trouble - actually going so far as to pack a nightgown and a bathing suit in her bag and heading for the door. Dra-muh.

She can really be a nice person though, and I hope that keeps up as she gets older. I can see already that she's very empathetic. Sometimes I watch her while she's watching TV, she doesn't know I'm watching, she's in another world. If something "Bad" is happening, she gets this look on her face...I can't describe it with any other word but concern. And she truly, honestly loves her baby brother. It's so sweet to watch her with him - she doesn't even care when he yanks on her hair. I keep telling her she'll regret letting him do that when he gets older and can REALLY yank on it!

Sometimes I try to picture her as a teenager, or as an adult. The thought can almost send me into tears - I almost wish she could stay little forever. Except when she's acting big. ;)

Tuesday Thoughts

My brain is trying to get back to normal functions after my awesome drunken weekend in lovely Moorestown, NJ. Here are some random thoughts for your Tuesday.

*Cammie wants everyone to sign up for Twitter. I did, but I really don't know WTF it's for.

*I wonder how long it's going to take before I can separate my left arm from the rest of my body. The focker HURTS. But at least my skin tag thingy is gone.

*My husband kicked ass today. He picked Lauren up from school, went grocery shopping and had dinner on the table within 5 minutes of my walking in the door. He also did most of the dishes, emptied the dishwasher and washed all the baby bottles. Rock on.

*Christopher has pretty much been sleeping since 5:45 this afternoon. He woke up to have half a bottle and went right back to sleep. Man, I hope that doesn't bite me in the ass.

*I'm watching American Idol, but I can't really get into it this season. I've been bored with the auditions, and I'm really not feeling anyone. Bleh. It's entirely too time consuming to not be psychotically loved.

*A grape ice and some Doritos would be freaking AWESOME right now.

Not Me Monday...

Ahhh....another Monday.

I did NOT clean up a giant round puddle of melted ice pops off my daughter's carpet. Because she did NOT steal an entire box of ice pops in the middle of the night, not realizing that her room is not a freezer.

I did NOT take the day off of work Friday so that I could dump my kids off at school/daycare and hightail my ass to New Jersey to spend the weekend with my skanky friends.

I did NOT spend nearly two hours driving around suburban New Jersey with Melissa trying to find a liquor store, and we did NOT end up at two different non-liquor store locations before finding an ACTUAL liquor store. We also did NOT spend $85 on alcohol in one trip. We most certainly did NOT consume nearly every drop of said alcohol in one night.

I did NOT consume 5 grape jello shots in the span of 5 minutes. I also did NOT update my Facebook status in the middle of the night to read "Kelly is can not see sttraight line", because I was completely sober.

I did NOT spend my Saturday night with 20 of the best bitches alive on the geriatric short bus. And we did NOT become involved in a bar brawl where 20 ginormous bouncers received the bat signal to come out of the wood work to eject drunken, stupid boys who were all up in our bizness.

I did NOT have the most awesome weekend ever, with the best bitches ever, having the most fun EVER.

Things that make me MAD!

Another shoutout for my good friend Cammie! She always gives me the best ideas. I'm sure I'm just pissy enough today to think of 10 things that make me mad.

1. My menstrual cycle. WTF, man. My cycles have always been ridiculously wonky (some months it's 28, then 32, then 26 - make up your damn mind already). On top of that, they are so stupidly long. I swear, I have the longest periods on the planet. Why can't I get a nice 4 day one like the rest of the world?

2. The scale. Why must it hate me so? I have been doing Weight Watchers on and off since 2002. I know it works, when I actually decide to stick to it. But healthy foods are no freaking fun. Thus, my hatred of the scale. Numbers tend to go up when you have cake for lunch instead of that Lean Cuisine that's sitting in the freezer.

3. Winter. Sorry to "steal" this one from Cammie, but I am right there with her. Winter is the bane of my existence. I don't understand people who enjoy it. Skiing? Why would you want to subject yourself to that? I hate being cold. I hate dressing in layers. I hate having the windows closed and waking up with a nosebleed because the air is so dry. I hate waking up to find that the temperature in the house has dropped to 52 degrees because the oil burner decided to stop working, thus requiring a visit from the oil company at 4am - IF they're available. If I could move to Florida, I'd do it in a heartbeat.

4. When work is slow. Like now. Oh my hell, when there's nothing to do at work, it makes the day draaaaaag. And then I have to look like I'm busy, because I feel all guilty not having anything to do, as if I could make work appear in front of me.

5. Snoring. Specifically, my husband's snoring. The man sounds like a chainsaw gone berserk. I've actually recorded it on video, so that I can show him that he does, indeed, snore. Because when I nudge, er, kick the crap out of him to wake him up so he'll stop, he says "I wasn't snoring". Um, yeah. OK.

6. The fact that my friends live so far away. Yes, another ditto for Cammie. They're all over the country, and none are in NY. I have to drive and/or fly for at least two hours to get to just one of them. I don't get to see them nearly enough. They started out as "internet friends", but over the years they've evolved into the kind of girlfriends you wait your whole life for, and intend to keep for your whole life. These girls are better friends long distance than some people I've known locally for my entire life. And yet none of them will move to NY. The hell?

7. 5:30am. Who knew it was possible for the two hands on a clock to make a person mad? Waking up at 5:30am sucks. No matter how early I go to bed, I'm always dead tired and have a hard time waking up. Why can't I be like all those young 'uns who get to wake up at 7am and still make it to work by 9? Oh yeah, because I have kids.

8. Opinion shovers. People who think that their opinion on politics, religion (or whatever) is THE ONLY WAY TO THINK. You can believe whatever you want. Don't shove it down my throat. You're a republican? Great. You're Catholic/Jewish/Buddhist? Awesome. Leave me out of it. I suck at debating so even if your opinion is wrong, I won't win. So I won't debate with you OR listen to you ramble on about it.

9. Friends who are not friends. Luckily, I don't have any of these in my life at the moment - at least I don't think I do! But someone who is nice to your face and then talks crap about you when you're not there, or someone who only thinks about themselves. Or someone who won't stick up for you when you need it. Getting these kinds of people out of my life was the best thing I've ever done.

10. Seeing pictures of dead "babies" who were killed fighting this pointless war in Iraq/Afghanistan. These soldiers died for their country before they ever even had a chance to live. 19 years old, being killed by a roadside bomb? Where's the justice in that? We're fighting a war that never should have started.

In Memory of Casey 1994-2009

Last night, my family lost a beloved member. Casey, our 14 year old, black and white lovebug of a cat went to meet the angels in heaven. He was just about the sweetest cat you could ever imagine. And he loved me like I was his momma, even though I wasn’t in his life until he was 3 years old.

Casey, along with his brother Tiny, was adopted by Jason back in 1994 when he first moved to NY. When I met Jason in 1997, I immediately fell in love with his “boys”. When Casey decided to take a little vacation a couple of years later, it scared the hell out of us. I made “missing cat” posters to hang around the neighborhood. Turns out he’d just been visiting a neighbor down the street who had a nice stash of cat food for him whenever he wanted. But that was the end of his adventuring days – we decided at that point that we could no longer let Casey and Tiny wander around outside.

Casey was a cuddle bug. He would come and lay with just about anyone that would have him (except for Lauren). And when I say cuddle, I really mean that he would lay clear across your neck if you’d let him. But he’d usually settle for getting as close to you as possible, and just purr away. His dislike for Lauren was pretty humorous. He knew when she was coming, and he’d make a run for it. He’d cuddle with me in the mornings, but the minute he’d hear her feet hit the floor upstairs, it was his cue to get under the bed. If he was off his game and didn’t get away quick enough, he’d just hiss at her to make his point. Lauren loved him, even if he’d never let her near him.

This past Saturday afternoon, Casey was curled up on my bed. I went over to give him some love, and I noticed that something wasn’t quite right with him. He was skinnier than he was even a week ago. The beautiful green/yellow color to his eyes wasn’t there – his pupils were so large that you just couldn’t see the color at all. His third eyelids were up. He seemed to have a lot of goo in his eyes, which Jason cleaned out. And there was an odd smell to him. Even so, he was just as snuggly as ever. I made the decision at that point to take him to the vet on Monday. Sunday was more of the same – although he was still walking around, migrating between his favorite spots in the house – up against the radiator in Christopher’s room, the corner by the end table in the living room, anywhere on my bed (especially if there was another warm body there). Sunday night he came up on my bed as I watched TV, and we cuddled for a long time. Normally, if I was going to sleep, I’d move him so I could have my space. But that night, I let him stay as long as he wanted, and just listened to him purr.

Monday morning sent up huge red flags for me. Casey had spent most of the night laying on the couch after he left my bed. Lauren came downstairs – he didn’t move. Lauren went and sat right next to him – and again, he didn’t move. This was very unlike him. I sat and petted him for a while before we left for work/school, took a few pictures.

Finally, Jason and I met at home to pick Casey up for his appointment. He wasn’t very happy to be in that carrier, and he was pretty vocal about it on the way there. The look on Dr. Larry’s face when he laid eyes on Casey did not bode well. The poor little guy was in bad shape. He was severely dehydrated, his kidneys had all but stopped functioning. He felt one, possibly two masses in his abdomen. He basically told us that there isn’t much he can do without putting him through more pain. He could pump him full of fluids, but it would only prolong the inevitable. Casey had reached the end of the road. We made the heartbreaking decision to euthanize him, to end his misery. It was nearly impossible to be in the room, but we had to be. I couldn’t let him be by himself. I needed him to see that we were there for him, that we loved him. It was a longer process than normal, he had next to no blood pressure so they had trouble getting a vein. But once they were in, his pain was ended quickly. We decided to have him cremated privately, and his ashes will be returned to us.

Losing a pet is one of the worst things I’ve ever had to endure in my life. It’s losing a family member. But, as Dr. Larry says, it’s good that we are able to do this for our four-legged friends, when we cannot for our two-legged friends. We have to know that we did the right thing for him. Jason is utterly devastated, having never been down this road before. I’ve never seen him this way, in the entire 12 years that I have known him. He feels guilty and is wondering if we waited too long, if we made the right decision. And Lauren, well, I’m not sure how much she really understands. I explained it to her as best I could, telling her that he was very sick and the angels came to get him. She keeps repeating “Casey died…” but she’s asked a few times when he’s coming back. She got very upset when she saw how upset Jason was. She’s very empathetic, that little girl.

So that’s my Casey’s story. Rest in Peace, Sweet Casey-poo. We love you more than you will ever know. And we will meet you again on that Rainbow Bridge.

Here are some pictures from some happier times...

NOT ME Monday

Another installment of NOT ME Monday. I really should change the name of this thing to www.nopenotme.blogspot.com since these are the only thing I manage to post.

I did NOT gain .2 pounds this week at WW.
I did NOT make a conscious decision to screw WW yesterday, when Jason’s uncle showed up at my door with cocktail weenies and 2 bags of Doritos. I also did NOT make a beeline for my pantry to bust out my own bag of Sweet & Spicy Chili Doritos, and I most certainly did NOT polish off the bag.
I did NOT spend hours and hours folding children’s laundry yesterday. My children do NOT have more clothes than God.
I did NOT buy a t-shirt that says “I heart Boys Who Sparkle”.
I am NOT counting down the days until my girls only weekend coming up. I also did NOT threaten to start drinking now in anticipation of the event.

Saturday Random Thoughts.

-I got a little taste of Cammie's Dark O'Clock this morning. Not as bad as hers, though. Lauren was up at 6:15, telling me her tummy was grumbling. OK fine, go get yourself a snack. She did so quietly, and I was grateful. 10 minutes later when I went upstairs to give Christopher his binky back AGAIN, I found her hiding in her room eating an ice pop. At 6:30 in the morning. Today should be fun.

-My poor little Christopher has a doctor's appointment today. He has to have one shot (Polio) - which I suppose is better than the 3 he had last month. I fully believe in vaccinating my children on schedule (especially after watching that measles episode of Private Practice), but every time, I have that little nagging thought in the back of my head about the possible link to autism. Shots suck.

-When is Lauren going to grow out of her attitude? Everyone keeps saying that every "new" age will be better than the last. All I've got now is a 5 year old who acts like she's 16.

-I will say that one of the better parts about said 5 year old is that she is fully capable of operating the TV on her own. Which means that when she does decide to wake up at the ass crack of dawn, she can find something to watch. I heard her watching "Saved by the Bell" this morning. My life has come full circle if she's watching that.

-If only she'd learn to operate the DVD player and DVR.

-My Girls' Weekend is now 13 days away. Holy hell, this can not come fast enough. I need a break, hardcore. I Can. Not. Wait. to see my sister-friends. I miss them so much, and I'm very exicted to have a chance to hang with them without being pregnant or stuck in an airport for 14 hours.

-There really isn't anything better than your sweet baby smiling at you when he first wakes up in the morning. As long as it's light out when he decides to do that.

-My good friend Cammie got me reading the Twilight series. I'm halfway through the second book, "New Moon". I can't put it down. Thanks for finding me yet another reason to shirk my household responsibilities, Cammie.

100 Things...and Do You Wanna Win a KozyPal?

OK, first things first. My good friend Melissa makes these kick ass shopping cart covers. You can check out her website here and her blog here. She's having a giveaway, so make sure you check out her blog for your chance to win. Wow, that really sounded like a commercial, huh? Seriously, her covers ROCK. I had a different kind back when Lauren was a baby, because the beyotch didn't start making them until later. I chucked that one in favor of a KP this time around. Christopher can't even sit up yet to use it, but I already love it. So go get one.


OK, now for 100 things. This should be super boring. I haven't done much!


Bold whatever you have done.
1. Started your own blog.
2. Slept under the stars.
3. Played in a band.
4. Visited Hawaii.
5. Watched a meteor shower.
6. Given more than you can afford to charity.
7. Been to Disneyland.
8. Climbed a mountain.
9. Held a praying mantis.
10. Sang a solo.
11. Bungee jumped.
12. Visited Paris.
13. Watched a lightning storm at sea.
14. Taught yourself an art from scratch.
15. Adopted a child.
16. Had food poisoning.
17. Walked to the top of the Statue of Liberty.
18. Grown your own vegetables.
19. Seen the Mona Lisa in France.
20. Slept on an overnight train.
21. Had a pillow fight.
22. Hitch hiked.
23. Taken a sick day when you're not sick.
24. Built a snow fort.
25. Held a lamb.
26. Gone skinny dipping.
27. Run a marathon.
28. Ridden in a gondola in Venice.
29. Seen a total eclipse.
30. Watched a sunrise or sunset.
31. Hit a home run.
32. Been on a cruise.
33. Seen Niagra Falls in person.
34. Visited the birthplace of your ancestors.
35. Seen and Amish community.
36. Taught yourself a new language.
37. Had enough money to truly be satisfied.
38. Seen the leaning tower of Pisa in person.
39. Gone rock climbing.
40. Seen Michelangelo's David.
41. Sung karaoke.
42. Seen Old Faithful geyser erupt.
43. Bought a stranger a meal at a restaurant.
44. Visited Africa.
45. Walked on a beach by moonlight.
46. Been transported in an ambulance.
47. Had your portrait painted.
48. Gone deep sea fishing.
49. Seen the Sistine Chapel in person.
50. Been to the top of the Eiffel Tower in Paris.
51. Gone scuba diving or snorkeling.
52. Kissed in the rain.
53. Played in the mud.
54. Gone to a drive-in theater.
55. Been in a movie.
56. Visited the Great Wall of China.
57. Started a business.
58. Taken a martial arts class.
59. Visited Russia.
60. Served in a soup kitchen.
61. Sold Girl Scout cookies.
62. Gone whale watching.
63. Gotten flowers for no reason.
64. Donated blood, platelets, or plasma.
65. Gone sky diving.
66. Visited a Nazi concentration camp.
67. Bounced a check.
68. Flown in a helicopter.
69. Saved a favorite childhood toy.
70. Visited the Lincoln Memorial.
71. Eaten caviar.
72. Pieced a quilt.
73. Stood in Times Square.
74. Toured the Everglades.
75. Been fired from a job.
76. Seen the changing of the guards in London.
77. Broken a bone.
78. Been on a speeding motorcycle.
79. Seen the Grand Canyon in person.
80. Published a book.
81. Been to the Vatican.
82. Bought a brand new car.
83. Walked in Jerusalem.
84. Had your picture in the paper.
85. Read the entire Bible.
86. Visited the White House.
87. Killed and prepared an animal for eating.
88. Had Chicken pox.
89. Saved some one's life.
90. Sat on a jury.
91. Met someone famous.
92. Joined a book club.
93. Lost a loved one.
94. Had a baby.
95. Seen the Alamo in person.
96. Swam in the Great Salt Lake.
97. Been involved in a lawsuit.
98. Owned a cell phone.
99. Been stung by a bee.
100. Read an entire book in one day.

Not Me Monday...

Another week, huh? I should probably update this thing more than once a week, with a little something more than Not Me Mondays. Oh well.

I did NOT volunteer just now to go to Burger King (blech!) so that Melissa's little boy can get a Happy Meal toy.
I did NOT completely forget that Big Love started up again last night.
I did NOT spend way too much time watching last week's GH episodes on my computer last night when I should have been sleeping.
I did NOT allow my son to sleep on his belly just so he'd stay asleep a little while longer.
I did NOT completely blow all my points today and keep on eating.
I did NOT stalk Amazon.com to see if my "delivered" status changed, even though the post office is closed.

Not Me Monday...

Another Monday, another installment of Not Me Monday (thanks again to my girl Cammie!). Let's see what I did NOT do this week.

I did NOT spend every minute of every lunch hour for the past 6 working days reading Twilight. I also did NOT neglect to go to the bank today or call the insurance company about a bogus bill, because of said reading.

I did NOT start getting all obsess-y and breathy teenager-like the further I read into Twilight.

I did NOT spend 95% of my day today at work trying to figure out why the GD printer would not print in color. And my boss did NOT give me $2 for figuring out the problem that's been driving him insane for 2 months.

I did NOT waste one pound of chicken and one pound of ground beef on a crockpot that burns things completely or leaves them raw on the inside and burnt on the outside.

I did NOT forget to measure my food or count points at all since, oh, about last Thursday. I also did NOT skip a meeting to take dear Lauren to a roller skating party.

Lastly, I did NOT spend $13 to strap on roller skates at said party, only to nearly bust my ass a hundred times. Because it has NOT been 15 years since I last roller skated.

Random Thoughts For Your Saturday Night.

-My house is so quiet, it's lovely. Jason is in bed sick (I'll be spending night #2 on the couch...no need for MORE germs, thankyouverymuch). Lauren and Christopher are sleeping soundly in their own beds. All I hear is the hum of the baby monitor next to me and the faint sound of the TV in the bedroom.

-Since my house is so quiet, I should probably be folding laundry, and washing more loads. Nope. I've got the first load sitting next to me for hours. Why does it always take me two effing days to do laundry? Jason gets it all done in one afternoon. Oh yeah, he does it without simultaneously taking care of children and burning dinner in the crockpot.

-Speaking of the GDMF crockpot. I want to go all Office Space on it's ass. I don't have a baseball bat, but I'm thinking one of Jason's fancy golf clubs will do. How am I the only person on earth to completely ruin not one but two dinners in less than a week? Dinner #1 - burnt to a crisp. Dinner #2 - not finished cooking in the time noted in the recipe. Kept cooking only to have it turn to soup in the middle and burnt black around the sides and bottom. I swear, the focking thing is BROKEN. And of course, where is the box? In some land fill somewhere. I never throw out boxes till after I've used the thing, but this time I did in the interest of de-cluttering. Mother focker.

-Took Lauren to a roller skating birthday party today. Promised her I'd skate, thinking adult skate rental was included like it was at the last party. Not so much. Focking $13 for FULL admission and skate rental. What a ripoff. And holy hell, skating? Not as easy as I remembered.

-Stupid weathermen. We were supposed to get a lovely, enough-to-make-a-snowman snowstorm today. The original forecast was 3-6", then 5-7". By this morning it was down to 1-3" turning to rain. If we even got 1", I'd be surprised. Poor Lauren will never get to build a snowman at the rate we're going.

-My house is a petri dish. It's a wonder Lauren and Christopher aren't sick (watch me as I furiously knock on wood). Jason has a nasty stomach bug/food poisoning, up puking since last night. I've got a nasty upper respiratory infection. It's a germ fest in my house.

-February 6th. I'm so excited for this weekend! All of my very best friends, plus a few more ;), will be in the same spot for a weekend of laughing, crying, and oh yes, drinking. I could not be more excited. More furious wood knocking as I hope with all my might that no one in my house is puking, and that there is no snow to be found that weekend.

Wow, I do like to talk, don't I?

My First Day Back At Work.

Today was my first day back at work after 3 months of maternity leave. It was interesting to say the least. Where do I begin?

Christopher woke up at 4:30 for a bottle, but didn't really fall back asleep until almost 5:30 - you know, right when I have to get up. I managed to get myself up, showered, and hair done before 7am, when it was time to wake up both kids. I thought I was making good time.

Then 7am came. All hell broke loose and it was pure chaos from then until 8:15 when we had to be out the door. Poor Christopher was not a happy camper since he was woken up a good hour before he normally would have woken up. At first he was OK, but after about half an hour the screaming began, and I was trying to calm him down while trying to make sure Lauren's teeth were brushed, hair combed, etc. Crying baby = stress.

We managed to get out the door on time, thankfully. But of course, as soon as I pulled out of the driveway, I realized I'd forgotten to give Christopher his medication. Oops. Luckily I had time to come back home after dropping Lauren off. Once she was dropped off, I felt like I could relax, knowing that I had a good hour before I had to be at work. I gave Christopher his medication, and we made our way to daycare. Poor Christopher wasn't a happy boy. I'm glad I had time to sit with him, and I'm glad he was awake when we got there. I'd have felt bad if I left him in a new place without me, so he could wake up and be like "what the hell?" I was able to feed him, swaddle him and rock him to sleep before I left.

I got to work with plenty of time to spare (note to self - spend more time at daycare!). I got myself settled, which pretty much took all morning. They gave me a brand new computer, which would normally rock. But I focking HATE this thing. All the stuff I had saved on my old desktop - gone. I had to go track it all down and make new shortcuts. Stuff is still missing. Grr. It's a widescreen monitor and the resolution was too high or something - teeeeny tiny print I squinted at all day. It was after 3 before I finally figured out how to get it readable. And I HATE the newer version of MS Office running on this machine. Nothing is where it's supposed to be.

I called at noon to check on Christopher. He didn't nap much, which was to be expected since belly sleeping isn't allowed. He didn't eat all that much either, mainly because he fell asleep one ounce into his 2nd bottle. Overall I suppose it wasn't bad, and he doesn't seem mad at me for ditching him. He is the youngest in his class, there's only one other kid that's remotely close to him in age. All the others are walking one year olds!

Come home to find out that my very first foray into crockpot cooking was a complete bust. To quote Lauren, it smelled like skunk in here. I swear, I followed the directions exactly, but apparently the cooking time was off because the thing was Burnt. To. A. Crisp. 4 hours later and the house still reeks. And the stupid crockpot doesn't have a shutoff timer. Ick. Ellios pizza for one, please!

Let's hope the rest of the week goes better!

Not Me Monday...

Copying from Cammie again...I'm so original.

I did NOT join the Twilight cult. I did not sit by myself in the lunchroom at work today, peacefully reading what's turning out to be a pretty damn good book.

I did NOT bring two gallon sized Ziplock bags of Christmas cookies to work today, to get them out of my house.

I did NOT burn my first ever crockpot dinner. My house does NOT smell like a burnt, dead animal.

I did NOT spend my very first day back to work after 3 months of maternity leave bitching and moaning about my brand new computer.

I did NOT have a very unhealthy dinner of Ellios frozen pizza for dinner. I also did not allow my daughter to eat french toast sticks for dinner.

Nope, not me.

Happy New Year!

I'm stealing this from Cammie. I am not responsible for any typos. Blame the cherry vodka.


1. What did you do in 2008 that you’d never done before? I changed a boy diaper. Many boy diapers, actually.



2. Did you keep your new year’s resolutions, and will you make more for next year? I don't remember if I made any last year. Probably to get pregnant, which I accomplished, and to lose weight, which I did not.



3. Did anyone close to you give birth? Do I count?



4. Did anyone close to you die? Not me personally. But my friend Andrea lost her husband suddenly and tragically. It has really affected me and made me appreciate what I have all the more. My uncle Walt also passed away after a very long life and a (thankfully) very short illness.



5. What countries did you visit? Uh, just this one.



6. What would you like to have in 2009 that you lacked in 2008? Life insurance. Seriously, I really need to get on that.



7. What dates from 2008 will remain etched upon your memory, and why? Many! For starters, October 14, the birth of my sweet boy Christopher. My 7th wedding anniversary. Lauren's 5th birthday. Her first day of kindergarten.



8)What was your biggest achievement of the year? Christopher.



9. What was your biggest failure? Hmmm. Can't say I failed at anything.



10. Did you suffer illness or injury? Not really - just some scary times in the 2nd trimester of my pregnancy. Luckily everything turned out OK obviously.



11. What was the best thing you bought? It's not mine, but Jason's iPod touch kicks some ass.



12. Where did most of your money go? Mortgage payments.



13.did you get really, really, really excited about? Having another baby, and spending time with my bestest girlfriends.



14. What song will always remind you of 2008? Uptown Girl, Billy Joel. Yeah, it came out in like 1986, but it was the song Lauren danced to at her very first dance recital.



15. Compared to this time last year, are you:a) happier or sadder? Happier. thinner or fatter? sigh....fatter) richer or poorer? poorer



16. What do you wish you’d done more of? Fun stuff with Lauren. I suck at that.



17. What do you wish you’d done less of? Eating



18. How did you spend Christmas? Christmas Eve with just Jason, Lauren and Christopher. Christmas day with my parents.



19.Did you fall in love in 2008? Not with anyone new!



20. What was your favorite TV program? Grey's Anatomy



21.. Do you hate anyone now that you didn't hate this time last year? I don't hate...do I dislike anyone now that I did not this time last year? Yes.



22.. What was the best book you read? Nineteen Minutes and The Pact.



23.. What did you want and get? Ugg boots (although they haven't arrived yet) and a new baby!



24. What did you want and not get? A Wii - although it's coming. I just have to find it.



25What was your favorite film of this year? Rent On Broadway - mainly because I didn't see much else worth remembering.



26.. What did you do on your birthday, and how old were you? I turned 31. I have no clue what I did, so it couldn't have been all that exciting.


27. What one thing would have made your year immeasurably more satisfying? Win the lottery?



28.What kept you sane? My friends



29. Which celebrity/public figure did you fancy the most? Adam Pascal...yum. Holy crap, I love him.



30. What political issue stirred you the most? The election in general.



31. Who did you miss? My best friends, who are scattered all over the country.



32. Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2008. Cherish what you have. You never know when it can all be taken away.



33. Quote a song lyric that sums up your year. "Forget Regret or life is yours to miss"