Thankful Thursday!

Ok, there are lots of things we are all thankful for...we know that. Even in tough times and hardships, there are still shining things in our lives. This is my quick way of blogging today!

Today I am most thankful that my husband is coming home tonight...about 18 hours early, thank goodness he put in 12 hours on Wednesday, so he could cut today short and leave early.

I am thankful for my kids. I know I always say this one, and besides my usual thankfulness for them, I am extremely grateful for them this week. They have kept me busy and pre-occupied so I didn't have to sit and think about David not being home. Plus, I didn't have to spend all week by myself.

I am also again thankful for my job. But, not only because in this tough economic time where it seems that there is always someone else I know losing their job, no. This week I'm even more thankful that I have a job to go to, so I can get out of the house and away from the kids. I am thankful that I've had some adult conversation, even if I was supposed to be working to get it. Don't get me wrong; I love my kids more than anything else in this world, but I do need time away from them; it makes me more grateful to have them when I get home. Especially since I've been flying solo this week.

I am thankful that my husband got called back to work, even if it is 4 hours away for 5 weeks. I am hoping this leads to more work in our city when this PA project is over. Even though he's been working on small jobs for the past year, I know he feels better working for his "real" job.

And, even though I miss my husband, I'm thankful that he's been away. It has made me realize how much he does help me with the kids. It's made me realize how much I love him and take him for granted. I need to tell him that more. I'm also thankful that I've had so much "me" time after the kids go to bed, that I am almost actually done with organizing the front closet. Next week I will work on the basement!

I am thankful today that my chiropractor was able to get me in at 9am, as soon as they opened. I'm even more thankful that my supervisor at work is lenient and never questioned me leaving for an hour to go to the chiropractor. I apparently hurt my neck while sleeping last night and was in so much pain by the time I got to work. I am feeling a little better.

I'm even more thankful that Melissa gave me a Tylenol 3 to help with the soreness; maybe that's why I feel so much better. And, I'm thankful that I got that prescription filled back in February for my own Tylenol 3 and that it's still almost full...I will be sleeping well tonight; especially with my husband (and Mason) next to me.

Finally, I am truly thankful for my family and our health. I keep reading horror stories about people getting sick, including babies and/or kids. I pray everynight, yes, I said I pray, that God will keep us healthy and safe; I don't think I would survive if I lost one of my kids. Losing a baby while pregnant is one thing, but to know a child and raise that child; it would kill me to lose them when they were older and you've really grown attached.

What are you thankful for today?

Wordful Wednesday

Ok, so it's Wednesday night....I just put the kids to bed, and I am officially exhausted. I miss my husband and am sick of this miserable heat already.

I know I may complain about the stuff that my husband doesn't do, but I'm starting to realize what he does do. No, he doesn't do half of what I do around this house, but what he does do helps me out a lot...and I cannot wait for him to be home for good, so we can get back to sharing the responsibilities.

We've had such a busy week; I've tried to keep us busy so that the kids don't drive me crazy. It has worked, it's been exhausting, but it's working. I'm not complaining about my kids at all, but they do wear me out.

After David left Sunday evening, I fed the kids and then the kids rode their bikes and I pushed Mason through the neighborhood. I felt like I had to walk to try to burn some of the extra calories I put on over the weekend at two graduation parties. We didn't get too far before they started fighting and I'd had enough of it, so we cut our walk/ride short.

Monday night after dinner we went and bought a cheap sprinkler and I let the kids play in the water for awhile...to keep cool and keep them busy. They were great during dinner, the trip to the store and for about 10 minutes in the sprinkler. Then, they started fighting, so that cut their play time short.

Tuesday night we went to my friend, Christina's, to swim. She only lives 2 streets over. I picked up a pizza (for the kids; I had a salad) and we went swimming. It was nice; our kids played together, and the evening went by so quickly. I skipped bath night because I was exhausted and figured the chlorine would kill any germs they'd picked up..haha.
Today I left work early for Mason's 4 month check-up. He now weighs 16 pounds and 8 1/2 ounces and is 25 1/2 inches long. For anyone keeping track, he's almost completely doubled his birth weight and grew 5 inches in a quick 4 months. He is in the 75th percentile for both height and weight. I looked back and Preston's weight chart and at 4 months, he weighed 2 pounds more and was over an inch taller...wow, I have big boys; Preston has never been on the charts, always over 100th percentile.

Ok, back to tonight. After the doctor's visit, I wanted to stop at Bed Bath and Beyond for some storage items for my closet project. I love that store; I could shop in there all day. Oh, and I love when they send me coupons for 20% off, and I remember to take them with me and I save money. When I get more coupons, I'm going back to get more organizers. I decided I'm going to spend about $10 per week to get my life/home organized. But, for today, I kept my purchase to only two items since I only had two coupons. Anyhow, afterwards, I wanted to stop at Payless. Their BOGO sale ends on Monday and I desperately needed black shoes I could wear with a skirt and no nylons...it's so hot in our office that I am officially refusing to wear pants this week...only skirts for me. Well, needless to say, I bought myself two pairs, Allison two pairs and Preston two pairs of shoes. For anyone keeping track, my credit cards got a major workout today-ha! Did I mention that I had to stop at two Payless stores because the first one didn't have two pairs in wide-width? Stupid feet. Well, it was already 6:30 when we left there, so I decided to get McDonald's for dinner...I know, not healthy. But, it was quick and convenient and it was kids' night, which meant $1.99 Happy Meals. The kids were angels, all through the Dr. appt., three stores and the drive through. I thanked them for being so good and told them that's why they could get McDonald's. They ate all their dinner, played outside, finally got a bath, had a snack and then...started fighting again. Well, they made it 4 1/2 hours without doing so, so I guess I can't expect more. After all, they are siblings.

Mason was a bit cranky tonight; I'm sure it was because of the shots he got today. I gave him some Tylenol and tried all sorts of things to keep him happy. He didn't want to eat tonight, so I guess I'm pumping before bed. I had to lay with him to get him to sleep...it finally worked and I put him in his bed about 8:45. I just checked on him and he hasn't moved. I expect him to be up at some point, earlier than normal, to eat. Hopefully he'll be back to his happy self with a little bit of sleep.

So, my closet project is almost done. I have a huge box of old shoes that don't fit the kids, most of which are in very good condition (closet was clean until I went and purchased 6 new pairs of shoes tonight). I wish I had the energy and time for a garage sale. I'd like to organize a neighborhood garage sale, but not sure where to start...any suggestion? I may try to list some things on Ebay to get rid of them. I need to start working on my basement....that is a great project for next week. I'm finding by doing a little each night, I feel more accomplished, and I'm learning to live with messes while I'm "organizing" a disaster. I think I am getting more done with David being gone because I don't feel guilty not spending time with him, so I don't just sit on the couch and watch t.v. with him.

I had more stuff I wanted to talk about, but am too tired to remember what that was. I was going to ask for ideas for something..oh well, it will come to me.

Tomorrow is weigh in day; week 3. I did not do well this week. I have been eating and eating and not paying attention to points and not keeping track. I have shown no will power, but always feel guilty afterwards. But, I've been so hungry lately, with hunger pains and all. Fruit is just doing it for me...my sweet tooth is back and it's going to sabotage my new diet way of eating.

I'm going to go finish the things I need to get done before I can lay my head on my pillow. I will leave you with some pictures, of course, to say thanks for listening to me ramble.

Mom, I want a freezer pop, too!

Yes, that's more like it!

Look at the determination on his face!

That's what I'm talking about.....

Have a good night.

Summer Fun

So what's better than spending $7.99 on a lawn sprinkler?

Yep, running through said yard sprinkler on a hot summer day; I'd say that tops the cake.

Oh, and Mason slept through the whole thing; on the porch, of course.

I hope you, too, are enjoying your summer.

Weekend Update

So, I was feeling very adventurous on Saturday...when David told me he was taking Preston and they were going to get their hair cut; I suggested a fancy new style for Preston. We talked him into it very easily, and now my eldest son looks like this...


I know, right? Not like me at all! But, he looks so darn cute like this and it will be nice and cool for him for the summer; especially since Wednesday is supposed to be over 90 degrees; 103 with the heat index.


We had two graduation parties to go to this weekend; one on Saturday and one on Sunday. Needless to say we spent most of our weekend outside and it was fabulous, a bit hot, but at least we all slept well. As a matter of fact, Mason fell asleep on the way home from the party on Saturday, naked (well, only a diaper on) in the car....

I even had to use hot rollers in my daughter's hair for the party; I've created a monster. With the heat and humidity, unfortunately, it didn't hold well.

Later on, we spent the afternoon in the cool house and, again, with only a diaper on...does he love to be naked or what?!

Sunday was more of the same, hot weather, good food and friends. Of course, I ate too much..I'm not looking forward to getting weighed in at my Weight Watchers meeting on Thursday; I've probably gained back the 6.6 pounds I've lost so far...well, maybe some of that anyhow.

I haven't mentioned this yet, well, because I didn't want to, but my husband got called back to work from his former employer in the union. Why wouldn't I be happy you ask? Well, after a year on unemployment, he got called back, unfortunately, he's working 4 hours away. He left Sunday night and won't be home until Friday morning. Yes, it looks like he'll be doing this for the remainder of the job, like 4 or 5 more weeks. He's in Pittsburg, PA and I miss him so much.

Thankfully, I have neighbors on all sides of me that don't work, so I feel safe in the house, plus I have two big dogs. And, I have 20 family members within 10 minutes of my house, so if I need anything, there are plenty of people I could call. It's just hard being a single mom of three kids. We've been taking walks and playing in the sprinklers in the evening. I'm trying to keep everyone happy and entertained. I just don't know if I can do this for 4 or 5 more weeks. It's exhausting.

There is a lot more I wanted to post about, but I'm tired and I will save that for other posts; give me something to talk about.

Enjoy your summer!

Recital Video

Ok, ok...I forgot to try to repost this after Blogger wouldn't let me upload it the first time.

Here is my crappy video I took with my camera on the night of the rehearsal. Needless to say, I ordered a copy of the professional video.

She's the tall one in the back; all the way to the right.

We've been very busy this weekend all ready and have a lot more things to do. Will let you know all about it later.

Have a great weekend!

4 Months!

Mason, I cannot believe it's been 4 months since you've been born!

Let's see what you have been up to lately.

• You still have that dimple in your left cheek and laugh all the time.
• You roll over all the time. When I put you on your back you roll over to your belly. I always find you sleeping on your tummy. You try to roll over when I'm changing your diaper; it's getting much harder to change you!
• You are now sleeping in your crib every night.
• You still fall asleep every night between 8:30 and 9:00 pm (it doesn't matter where we are) and will sleep about 6 hours from then.
• You are still only waking up one time to eat during the night
• You are wearing size 2 diapers now. We're not quite sure how much you weigh until your 4 month check-up next week, but I'm guessing you are over 17 pounds now.
• You are now wearing 6 months size clothes!
• You love taking walks in your stroller; and you love being outside.
• You reach for things and are grabbing things now. You grab my hand when I'm trying to change your diaper which makes it even harder.
• Your eyes are still a dark blue and are just beautiful.
• Your hair has gotten a lot thinner. We can usually comb it so it doesn't look so thin, but I think you might be done losing most of it. You still have lots on the top and in the back.
• You are a great baby; you are so happy all of the time.
• You don't really like anyone but mommy or daddy to hold you; you get really upset if someone else tries to hold you.
• You love baby food and have enjoyed trying all the new flavors. There isn't one that we found that you don't like!
• You are still growing way too fast. :-)
  

Wordless Wednesday

Recovering from the weekend

Yes, that's right; I need time to recover from our weekend. Today I feel like I've been hit by a mac truck.

We have been very busy, which is obvious by the lack of posts lately.

Friday was Allison's recital; it was great. She looked beautiful and did a great job! She even remembered to smile for most of the routine.

Her hair looked even better on Friday; since I learned how to use the spiral curling iron (borrowed from a co-worker, thanks Kristie) properly. It still took about 45 minutes, but it stayed for the whole night. It even stayed pretty curly all day Saturday and even into Sunday morning until I insisted we wash it!

45 minutes and two curling irons!

Close up of the make-up

I'm in such trouble when she gets older!

After the performance, with her roses.

Allison and her tap instructor, Ms. Cloe

Of course, the recital started late and Allison begged me to stay for the finale, even though she was in the 4th act of the first half. Needless to say it was a very long night; we didn't get out of there until 10:35pm. Mason was a complete angel during the recital; he slept through about half of it and was very quiet and content; thank goodness. Preston got a little bored, but enjoyed the hip-hop dances, especially the few that had boy dancers.

Saturday morning everyone slept in. We didn't get up until after 9am, yay! But, we got up, ate breakfast and were out the door. We went to a huge 50 family garage sale. We were out there about 3 hours. Of course, David and I didn't find anything, we weren't really looking for anything in particular, but you never know. There was tons of baby stuff and kids stuff, but we didn't need anything. The kids got some junk stuff, I think I spent about $17.60 or so.

After we were done there, we stopped by Jeff & Jill's (they were at the garage sale with us) for a few minutes, mainly so I could feed Mason. Then we went to Subway for lunch. We headed to a few more garage sales after that and went for a nice drive. Then, we headed up to rest for about an hour or so before we got ready to go to the Toledo Mudhens baseball game. David's union hall sells tickets to it's members for $2 a piece for one game every June. We got there before the game started and ate some pizza; I don't know why we decided on pizza instead of a baseball-game-regular hotdog, but whatever. Allison and Preston wanted to eat the entire game. They kept asking for pizza, popcorn, pretzels, nachos, cotton candy; you name it, they wanted it. I didn't give in for all of it, but we did not starve. Ha!

Mason, of course, slept through the first half of the game, but he was his normal angel-like self.

It was another long night on Saturday. The game seemed to go pretty quickly; we were originally only planning on staying an hour or so, but Mason was so good and the kids were enjoying themselves, we just ended up staying for the entire game. And, the kids even talked us into staying for the fireworks...which Mason loved. We didn't get home until almost 11 pm again.

Sunday, I was starting to feel the exhaustion set in; I think the walking and the heat on Saturday was catching up to me. But, we still accomplished our main goal for the weekend. We moved Preston's bed into Allison's room, temporarily. This left Preston's room open for the crib. Yes, Mason has been moved not only into his crib, but out of our room and across the hall! Once he starts sleeping through the night, which should hopefully be soon, we will move Preston back into his room and it will officially become "the boys room".

Mason loved his new bed!

I forgot how much I loved this crib until I saw it all put together again; it's been a long time.

Mason was so happy to have a bigger, more comfortable space; he took a nap in it about 20 minutes after we put it all together.

I had a hard time sleeping without Mason next to me on Sunday night; I swear I kept hearing him crying, and I'd run in there and he was sleeping soundly. I miss having him right next to me, but he slept very well the first night. He went to bed around 9 pm and didn't wake up until 3:30 to eat. He was just too big for his bassinet anymore. He'd try to roll over and get stuck or hit the side and get mad. Now, when he rolls over, he has plenty of room, and with a brand-new mattress, he's so much more comfortable.

I don't think I mentioned this previously, but I meant to. Years ago, when I was pregnant for Allison, we went to USA Baby to pick out our baby furniture. I loved the selections they had and loved the sturdiness of their furniture. I spent a lot of money on our nursery furniture, because, after all, it was going to be the furniture I used for all my babies. I spent a lot of money on the mattress; bought the best one that USA Baby offered. It had a lifetime warranty and was one in which I could bring back and exchange for a brand new one when I had another baby. Well, since Preston came shortly after Allison, there was no way I was ready to put my 18 month old in a big-girl bed. So, we went back to USA Baby and bought an entire new bedroom outfit for another nursery. This time, the furniture was even more expensive; very similar to Allison's, but a different brand. Well, so much for exchanging my old mattress for a new one, since Allison was still using hers. So, I bought the exact same mattress for Preston. Well, one by one the kids grew out of their cribs into big kid beds. The mattresses got wrapped in plastic and stored in the attic. Jeff and Jill didn't have a crib mattress yet, and since they were both laid off, were hoping to be able to buy one of their own. In the meantime, I offered to let them use one of mine, since I had two and obviously only needed one. Well, it dawned on me, I could exchange them for brand new mattresses. The USA Baby in our city went out of business, but I called one in Taylor, Michigan, about 45 minutes away to confirm they would exchange them for me. They told me as long as the sticker was still on the mattress showing it was a USA Baby brand, that they would in fact, give me a brand new one, or two! So, one Saturday in May, we all drove up to Taylor, Jeff and Jill included. We walked in with the old mattresses and walked out with brand new ones. I can't believe that they offer this service, but would absolutely recommend this to anyone who is looking for a baby mattress. Jeff and Jill are borrowing a mattress, but have the benefit of having a brand new one. And, should I ever need it back for another kid; can take it back to the store and, again, exchange it for a brand new one. This just amazes me. I am so happy that I spent all that money back when I had it; Mason is enjoying a brand new mattress at no expense to mommy and daddy. And, I love the fact that he gets to use my favorite crib, Allison's old one with Preston's old bedding, which both still look new.

Anyhow, that was a long story, but just wanted to throw in my recommendation for USA Baby.

So, back to our weekend. Allison and Preston are actually enjoying sharing a room. Preston begged me to take a nap on Sunday...he hasn't taken a nap in 3 years!. They've been watching t.v. in there every night before bed. I do hope they realize it's only temporary.

Sunday, when I went on my weekly grocery-shopping trip, I decided to buy some baby food for Mason. He's definitely having a growth spurt this week because he's eating every 2 to 2 1/2 hours again. And, is getting frustrated when trying to eat, like he's not getting enough. So, I decided, since he'll be 4 months old this week, it was time to introduce some baby food to him. He's had a few bites of bananas last week and was fine with a quick taste. I know that I am supposed to introduce one food at a time and give him the same food for 2-3 days in a row to make sure he doesn't have any allergies.

Well, when I got home from grocery store, David said Mason fussed almost the entire hour I was gone; and I'd fed him right before I left. So, while we were cooking dinner, David found the food I bought Mason and decided to give him a few bites to try. Well, let's just say that Mason ate the entire jar of sweet potatoes in about 10 minutes. He screamed between bites while David was trying to get more food on the spoon. He really enjoyed them. He also nursed shortly afterwards and then was out for about 6 hours. So, maybe it was a combination of a full belly and his new bed that made him sleep so well Sunday night. He had pears on Monday night and sweet carrots tonight. Needless to say, I have to go back to Kroger this week to get more because I only have one jar of baby food left, since I only bought 4 jars that were supposed to last at least a week. ha!

I finished feeding him dinner; he was so happy. (Oh, and you'll notice he's sitting in his Bumbo seat that I bought from Ebay; which he also loves!

I think this face says it all!

Monday night I was just exhausted from our weekend and David worked in the evening, so I didn't have much time to myself to finish this post that I started Monday morning. Oh, and our fridge was acting up. It's only 7 years old and has already been repaired twice. So, I had to call service on it again. It's out of warranty now, of course, but it wasn't anything major. Apparently, there was too much dust in the back of it; the motor wasn't able to keep up to keep it cool. So, the guy took off the back (which I did not know I was supposed to do) and cleaned it up. It's now working much better and making ice again, yay! And, since I forgot to leave the checkbook and we didn't have any credit cards that we could put the $140 on for the cleaning, David asked the repair guy if he could bill us. He said no, and told David that he was deleting our name from the schedule "I was never here today. Have a good day" he told David. Wow..there are still caring, compassionate people in this world. Thank God for his goodness today; I wasn't sure where that money was going to come from.

So, now that I've bored you to DEATH and taken up most of your evening rambling, you are caught up. We have another busy weekend ahead of us; two graduation parties and a Father's Day cookout at my sister-in-laws. I'll try to keep up with my blogging this week; but can't make any promises. I guess I should have split this one up so I had something to talk about all week.

Hopefully, I can make some progress on my entry closet and basement, especially since half the month is over and I haven't started on either project.

Have a great night.

Until next time,