What you think of when you stop by here

You have got to be thinking, what the fuck is she doing? I know, I know. I've sucked at blogging lately. I'm sorry. I'm working on getting a post (a decent one) up asap for ya. I promise I haven't been picking my nose or scratching my ass. We've been busy. We had a loaded weekend with apple picking, birthday party for Ariana, a wedding, and me scrapping all day yesterday. Trying to get caught up today on shit. Can I just say that laundry is the worst never-ending job ever.

And can I say that you all just rock! I've got 10 comments on my job news post. That's a record for me I think. Thanks everyone!

Hot For the Holidays Week 3

Crap, I completely spaced out posting today. I'm down 1 pound...yahoo! Still sucking on the exercise.

Doing the Happy Dance

I GOT THE JOB!!!!!!!!!!!

I got the news yesterday around noon. I am so flippin' estatic. I had to control myself so I didn't scream into the phone when they called. I called Jason directly after and burst into tears. Happy ones, of course. For those that don't know, I will be employed as a probation & parole agent with the state.

I start Oct 27th and I'll have training out of town for six weeks. I don't know at this point it if will be a solid 6 weeks or if they'll break it up like they have before.

It's exciting and quite frankly a little overwhelming too. But I'm shouting it from the roof top.....WOOOHOOO!!!!

Things to Do Before I Leave This Earth

I'll be adding to this as I come up with things I'd like to add to my "Life Wish List". I figured I could use something positive in my head right now, so here goes. In no particular order.

1. Skydive (even though I'm scared of heights)
2. Visit London again (and tour the rest of England)
3. Take a European vacation touring Scotland, Ireland, Italy, Spain & France
4. Learn to ballroom dance
5. See orcas & humpback whales in the wild
6. Win the lottery
7. Buy a house.
8. Speak a foreign language
9. Go on a cruise
10. Dance on broadway

It Spoke to Me

"No matter how dark the moment, love and hope are always possible." ~ George Chakiris

This quote spoke to me last week. I received it in a newsletter I get and it's stuck with me. It can be applied to so many things and I thought I'd pass it along.

Fear and Hope

I am still waiting to hear something on the job. Quite frankly, I am a bundle of nerves. My stomach is in knots and I'm jittery. The suspense is killing me. I don't know how much longer I can stand this. I hate to call again and be a pest, but I'm thinking of it. I keep hoping, and hoping, that the cards will fall my way. This job would mean so much to me, to our family. But I also am dreading news since it could be a no-go. And I think I will fall into a depression for a bit. I've already warned Jason about it should I not get this job. I keep checking to make sure there is a dial tone on our phone line. And each time the phone rings, my heart starts to speed up only to drop when it's my mother. ;) I'm absolutely worthless in getting anything done as I can't concentrate for very long.

To Do Lists

Do you make To Do lists? I do on occasion, when I'm feeling a little overwhelmed with all the shit I need to get done. I have one right now that has got to be as long as Santa's naught & nice list. I know I won't finish everything on it today, but it helps me feel like I've accomplished something when I can cross it off.

Update on job situation

I called yesterday afternoon to check in with the supervisor and apparently they have decided on three to hire, but are trying to make a decision on a fourth. He asked if I was still interested, to which I replied "yes, that's why I'm calling" and told me to "stay tuned." So, here I am trying not to think about it. All weekend. Dreading Monday and wishing it was here already too.

Saving Grace ~ 2008

This evening, a gala event for the Preeclampsia Foundation is taking place in Washington, DC. Saving Grace: A Night of Hope is currently the largest fundraiser for the organization, and having attended the first Saving Grace (Minneapolist) in 2005 I can say it is truly not to be missed. One of the things that has been done each year is a memory quilt in honor of the babies that have been lost due to their mommies developing preeclampsia. CNN's Elizabeth Cohen is speaking tonight. The Volunteer of the Year award and the Hope Award along with four researchers receiving their grant awards will be presented. I cannot wait to hear all about the evening from the attendees, fellow preeclampsia survivors. To be in a room with so many others and everyone is there for a single cause...preeclampsia. Next year's gala is slated for Chi-town and you can be sure I'll be in attendance.

Week 2 in Hot For the Holidays

Well, I didn't lose anything this week. But that's also good, because I didn't GAIN anything either. I'm status quo with the weight loss this week. Between Aunt Flo and the emotional eating I've been trying to stave off with stress...I thought for sure I'd be up at least a pound or two. I'm doing well with the soda intake, the water intake has been sucky this week. I'm doing well with food and healthier choices. Well, for the most part. There was a day or two where the chips & dip did reach my internal need. sigh. Back on the saddle again, quickly I did jump though.

Goal for next week: 1 pound loss

not so patient anymore

I am still waiting to hear something on the job interview I had last week. sigh. This is a much longer process than I anticipated or have experienced before. My references were called on Mon/Tues, so I was hoping to hear something, anything, by yesterday. They interviewed 30 candidates and apparently chose 9 to call references on, and are looking to fill up to 4 positions. I was feeling pretty good at the beginning of the week, but I admit that my spirits are dwindling as each day passes. I walk with trepidation to the mailbox with fear that my rejection letter in there, only to see junk mail, cable tv ads, and "vote for me" info. This patience thing is starting to wear on me.

untitled

aching heart
fighting silent tears
must not show them.
stoic face,
hidden fear.

Your footsteps next to mine
without walking truly beside me.
loneliness fills me.

what does my reflection show.
smiling face, cheery chatter
that doesn't quite reach my eyes.

Another woman lost

A 35 year old woman dies from HELLP Syndrome. My thoughts are with her family.

Would you like Parm with that?

Phoenix is eating a slice of kraft cheese off the kitchen floor and sprinkling parm on it. I can't remember the last time I actually washed the floor...I know it was in the last two weeks...but this might put me up for "Mother of the Year". Not.

I'm picking my battles. He doesn't want a plate, and I figure nothing on the floor will actually kill him. So, rock on my child. Rock on.

What kinds of things do your children do that some others would frown upon? I can't be the only one.

Week 1 of Hot 4 Holidays

It's week one in the Hot for the Holidays program and I lost one pound! WOOHOO! I was thinking I'd stay the same, so that one little pound I'm feeling pretty good about. I've hit my goal of increasing my water intake, limiting the soda, and not snacking so much. The exercise? Well, that I just plain suck on. I had bellydance last evening, and that's about the extent of my official exercise for the week. I really need to improve on that.

Goal next week: Continue with the more water/less soda thing and EXERCISE! I'm crossing my fingers I can stick with the 1lb a week loss too.

Struggling

Bedtime is a disaster in our home lately. A battle of wills. And we're really fucking tired. As in physically tired and tired of the knock down, drag 'em out bedtimes. It's the little one who's causing the ruckus. Remember me posting about a month ago about his sleep issues and being "scared"? Well, it got better for a brief period and now the last week had been hell. One night can go well, and the next is pure torture.

Jason and I are frustrated and it's causing friction between us. We're both feeling like we are doing a lot and the other is not recognizing that. In the last few days I feel like we work against each other rather than as one unit. It makes me sad. And, quite frankly, pissed off. He apparently has looked at sleep stuff online (at work) and hasn't told me. I hauled out the sleep book we got when Phoenix was a baby and that was briefly picked up. The communication of how we deal with this sleepy, but wide awake, child is so not happening.

Tuesday night, it took us 3.5 hours to get Phoenix to sleep. Tonight was about two hours. That's just way too damn long. The other morning he crawled into bed with me at 4am. And guess who was up for the morning. He and I were. He crashed hard by 9am, but that's so not an option for us. We need to sit and plan a better bedtime routine and try everything we can to stick to it for the weeks to come, just to get him to sleep better. Of course, sleeping through the night is a friggin' problem too.

I know I signed up for this parent gig. But right now, I'm pretty pissed off that nothing with my kids ever seems easy. All those people who have never had sleep issues with their children, well, I hate them right now. (Sorry, if that's one of you) Our kids have never slept well. And since 2003, neither have we.

I Wanna Go Back

Happy Birthday to that guy I call my husband

My hubby has a birthday today. We celebrated Sunday with family.




Here's a toast to my guy....if I had some Crown left I'd take a swig for ya.

May your Packers always win.
May your dreams of that big man cave in a home come true.
May your have luck with hunting this year and bag a big one.
May your balls never shrivel and make a funny slapping noise.
And may you always find yourself surrounded by love.

Happy Birthday Brat!

This mind wants to know

If you could try any adventurous sport tomorrow, knowing you would be spanking awesome at it, what would you try?

Wondering

*I don't venture much into politics here as I'm pretty firm in my beliefs and I don't intend to change anyone's minds. I consider it your own damn business. I don't like you less if you vote differently than I do, and I hope the same from you.

But....I'm a bit confused. The jump in McCain's poll numbers yesterday are something I'm wondering about. The media is saying that the jump is coming from middle class working women. So, does this mean they weren't included in more polls before? Are they conservative or Republican women? Liberal or Democratic women?

I heard one report that some women supporting Obama have moved to McCain for the simple reason that he chose a woman as his VP. This confounds me. If you are a Democratic supporter and one would think, follow along with the general ideals of the "liberal" party. How can one switch just because Palin is female? Her beliefs do not hold to a more liberal view whatsoever. Just because she works and she's a mom? That's crap. Most women who live in this country are moms and work, it doesn't matter what political affiliation they are. They are all great women.

I guess I'm just confused on this one. And, no, I don't need anyone coming in to tell me how great she is or explain any candidates political ideology. I know who I am voting for and I can tell you that gender or race doesn't have an impact, whatsoever.

Hot For the Holidays

It's starting! If you are a blogger and working on losing weight, check this out! There are weekly prizes which can be a nice motivator.

My goals for Hot For the Holidays:
-Drink more water
-Snack less, and more healthy
-Exercise daily (treadmill every other day at least)

I have set a goal to lost 10 pounds in this go-round. I'm hoping for more, but wanted to set a realistic goal. I want to be a healthier person, and the journey includes weight loss.

I like to rock out on the treadmill with a heavier beat...any suggestions? I'm usually listening to Eminem, Limp Bizkit, Metallica, etc. I tried classical, but it just didn't work.

Can't Get It Out of My Head

With my last post and comments, Alice started the "Into the Groove" song by Madonna and it stuck in my head for about an hour. I usually have a tv jingle stuck after a night of tv viewing. Or if someone says something that reminds me of a song. I've been known to burst into song if that happens. Yes, really. I'm that much of a geek.

So, my dear friends, how about a game. For each word, is there a song that pops into your head?

1. Sunshine

2. Rolling

3. Somewhere

4. Blue

5. Fish

6. Thunder

7. Room

8. Men

9. Love

10. Heart

I can't wait to see what you all come up with. I think I'll post my answers as a comment, so you can see what pops into my head.

The big question is....which one of your songs will stick in YOUR head.

Into the Groove

I have lost my blogging groove. I'm hoping to get back to it soon. I miss it, I really do. But I just don't have anything funny or good to share. Any burning questions I can answer?

Daisy?

We got a sheet home today that Girl Scout registration takes place tomorrow. It's $35, can you believe that? Anyway, we're not sure if it's something Ariana wants to do or if we want to sign her on. Any experiences/advice/etc to share about having a child as a Girl Scout?

Odds & Ends And a Worded Wednesday

First, here are our tomatoes...


Yay, they grew!

And here are some clouds from this morning. I found them interesting. You can click on the photo to see it larger.
This looks like flames, doesn't it?


And this one is an arrow.


And this one kind of looks like an old fossil with all the bones.

That's it.

First Day of School

It was Ariana's first day of kindergarten yesterday. My oh my, has she grown.





She really wanted to ride the bus this year, so the bus it is. We returned home on Saturday to find her bus info in the mail. Um, she was scheduled to be picked up from the bus stop at 6:10am. WHAT? That is entirely too early for a five year old. We live just 3-4 miles from school and she's supposed to ride the bus for over two hours? We were pissed to say the least and were trying to find alternatives. For now, it wasn't a big deal since I can drop off & pick up, but if I go back to work...we'd need other arrangements.

I took her to school yesterday with the plan of calling the bus company and saying she wouldn't be riding. Jason called and it turns out there was a mistake. Her pick up time is 8:04am. That's a bit more reasonable. So, we walked to the bus stop this morning and off she went.

What's Up People?

I had 24 visitors today (yes, I checked my stat counter tonight) and no one left a comment? What's up people?

Since I haven't been a good blogger of late, anything you'd like to ask? Read about?

Ears For Preeclampsia

I am running a personal fundraising special for the Preeclampsia Foundation the month of September in honor of the "Month of Grace". If a client books their Walt Disney World vacation with me this month, I will make a personal donation of $10 in their honor to the Preeclampsia Foundation. Please share this with any family & friends who may be thinking about a trip to the magic in the near future. Check out Ears To You Travel for my info or to request a quote.

The Preeclampsia Foundation is a 501(c)(3) non-profit operating organization established in the year 2000 to promote safe pregnancy and post-partum research, public education and patient support. The Preeclampsia Foundation's mission is to reduce maternal and infant illness and death due to preeclampsia by supporting innovative research, raising public awareness, and helping women access safe reproductive technology, support and care.

Every 6 minutes in America, a woman is diagnosed with severe preeclampsia; she and her baby are at risk of death, stroke, or organ failure. The only known treatment is to deliver the baby and if too premature, there can be significant developmental challenges for the baby. To learn more about preeclampsia and how the gift in your honor is put to work, please visit the Preeclampsia Foundation .

My Personal Experience with Preeclampsia
I developed a severe form of preeclampsia, called HELLP Syndrome, with our first baby at 34 weeks. My daughter was born just shy of 35 weeks and weighed 4lbs. She spent 15 days in the NICU before coming home With my second pregnancy, I developed gestational hypertension around 32 weeks and was induced at 37 weeks with worsening symptoms. Our son was born weighing 5lbs 6oz and was able to room in and come home right away. I was one of the lucky ones, my babies and I survived and we are all healthy . . . sadly, that’s not everyone’s story.

Belated Anniversary Post

Jason and I celebrated 10 years of wedded bliss (okay, so some days are not so blissful) on Friday, Aug 29. The day was pretty damn perfect except for some minor children crankiness for about two hours around dinner.

To my hubby,

Thank you for making me smile, for surprising me when I least expect it, for the tremendous support over the last 14 years together, and for all your love. When I have something to share, you are the first person I want to tell. And even when you are driving me crazy with your zipper music, your singing, or your Fantasy sports crap....I love ya. Thank you for loving me.

Denise

Ah, it's good to sleep in my own bed again

The vacation was absolutely wonderful! But admittedly, it was very nice to sleep in my own bed again. It's just so darn comfy compared to the mattress we were sleeping on. The kids had a blast, we had a blast...it was so much fun. I'm working on getting caught up on emails & work as well as photos. Here are a few teasers...