yay for preschool!

Well, today was Owen's first day of Preschool....the PreK class. He has been asking me almost every day since his preschool dismissed for the summer when he was going back. Thank goodness that day was today! I don't think I could have told him "not today, but soon" one more time. Especially since his response was usually a dramatic whine and sometimes throwing his body onto the floor in a fit.
O has the same teacher as last year, so I think he felt comfortable. Not that I anticipated any problems with O anyway. He loves to cuddle and snuggle and get his lovin', but he is otherwise not a clingy kid. As I was leaving, I saw a mom in the parking lot absolutely hysterically crying. I felt bad for her. I adore my kids, but I love the break I have while they are in school!
While O was at school, Ella girl and I went to the bank and then to the mall to walk around. I had good intentions on not spending any money, but McDonald's sweet tea was screaming my name. And then I caught a whiff of something good. A new Bath & Body Works scent. Black Amythyst. Described as: "a sophisticated blend of Italian bergamont and rare camellias seductively layered with exotic sandalwood and a surprising twist of vetiver. Sexy. Modern. Glamorous." Huh. I think it smells pretty good! I got a creamy body wash and a body spray, as well as a free lip lacquer. Yay for buying something for ME for a change!!!

Last night I got pissed at the frying pan while cooking dinner. The pan has seen better days, and the non-stick coating is long gone. Which means the chicken I was cooking was sticking....seriously. I informed my husband that we either went out after dinner and bought a new pan or he was going to be taking us out to eat every night because I refuse to cook another meal in that pan! Off to LNT we went! So I picked out a nice new frying pan. Woohoo! Then we went to Bruster's. Oh for the love of ice cream! Chris is boring and got a strawberry milkshake....he knows that drives me crazy. A menu board full of wonderful treats and lots of unique flavors and the man gets a strawberry shake. Whatever. I got an apple dumpling sundae. Oh yeah baby! That's good stuff!

We didn't do anything for labor day. We didn't really do much the entire weekend! On Friday, I talked Chris into taking us to Friendly's for dinner. He got home from work early, which I LOVE! First we went to Kohl's to see if they had any good deals. Did they ever! I got 11 outfits for Ella baby for next year, and a new pair of Nike sneakers for Cole, and my bill was UNDER $40!! We saved over $126!! I love sales!! :) For the rest of the weekend, we just did stuff around the house. I mopped the kitchen floor (I'm not admitting when that was last done!), we shampooed the living room carpet and then rearranged the furniture. I'm happy with the outcome! Chris cleaned out and organized the garage. I did all of the laundry. Chris prepped an unfinished table we plan on staining and putting in our foyer. And in between all that, we were lazy.

The love of my life

Today Chris and I are celebrating our 9 year wedding anniversary. Can I believe it's been 9 years? No. Did I think we would last this long? Absolutely! I knew early on into our relationship that he was "the one" and I could see myself spending the rest of my life with him. And I still can. That man still gives me butterflys in my stomach! He is the one I want to grow old with. He is my best friend, and an awesome daddy to our children. I love him more than I could ever tell him.

Happy Anniversary Chris! I love you!!

Busy week!

First things first....as I'm writing this, my son, Owen is listening to my iPod. He is obviously trying to figure out how it works. He stares at the screen, and then his little fingers follow the cord to the ear buds. Funny....I can almost see the wheels turning in his head! :)
I NEED to listen to music while I'm cleaning, or I go crazy. Music makes cleaning a little more fun, a little more entertaining, and helps me burn a few extra calories while I dance away while sweeping the floor! So I was just cleaning and decided to take a break, but one of my favorite songs was playing (Everlong by Foo Fighters) so I kept listening. Owen asked if he could listen to my music. So I shared.

So it's only Weds. but boy, what a week so far!! I spent Monday cleaning the house (yay...). Yesterday was full of drama. Today was busy cleaning more and I have to work tonight. Tomorrow is Cole's first day of 1st grade and my 9 year wedding anniversary. Friday...well, I'm not sure what Friday will hold, but I'm sure something will happen.

And since this is MY blog, I have the freedom to vent all of my feelings. Be warned, when I'm mad I have the tendency to swear! :)

To the ignorant bitch (I'm not putting names in here!):
Don't think your shit doesn't stink. You are exactly what you called my mother! You may live in a big fancy house and drive an expensive car, but that DOES NOT make you a better person! You are white trash under all the material stuff! Karma is a bitch, and you will get yours! Oh, you have "health issues"....seriously, does that give you the right to be a nasty cunt to people?? Maybe you are getting a little of what you deserve! What goes around comes back around!! Oh, and another thing....lay off the tanning already! Your face looks like a damn prune!! Good luck if you try to take my mom to court....we have SOOOOO much on you, the judge will probably laugh in your fake-ass face!!

A Hairy Situation

Well, along with being a total germaphobe, I have this thing about hair. I really don't like it all that much. I get really grossed out easily by hair. Yep, hair. I will play with MY hair, no problem. I can deal with my kids hair (I especially LOVE Ella baby's fuzzies!), and my husband's hair as well, as long as it is attached. I get grossed out with hair that has fallen out. Uh-huh, I know it's a bit strange, but it is what it is. I can't stand when hair is on my clothes or anything else I have to touch. You wanna see me get really weirded out? Let me see a fallen body hair...you know like a chest hair, or the absolute worst: a pubic hair! EWWW!!! Now before the comments start flowing, yes I am totally aware that hair loss is a completely normal and healthy part of the hair growth cycle. But it doesn't mean I have to like it! Furthermore, I am SO thankful that my husband is not a hairy man. He would be having wax treatments or something! I am so repulsed when I see guys with thick dark hair covering their bodies. UGH! Hair just grosses me out!

That all being said....I'm at a serious loss. I mean with my hair. I'm sure any Mommy will be able to understand what I'm talking about here. Ella is 4 1/2 months old. My hormone levels are dropping back to "normal." And I'm loosing my hair. BIG TIME! When I wake in the morning, my pillow looks as if a chemo patient has slept on it--hair everywhere! The worst is when I brush my hair or shampoo it. It's ridiculous! Again, I know this is completely normal and it happened after I had the boys too, but I'm SOOOOO ready for it to be over! (as I pull ANOTHER hair off my shirt!)

Weekend getaway

We went to the mountains this past weekend to "Pappy's Cabin." The boys love it up there. They can run free, play in dirt, and have lots of s'mores...what's not to love?!

Ella baby gave us a hard time at night with sleeping. I think she knew she was out of her element and it just didn't fly with her. Otherwise, she was her great little baby self! :)

Got to ride on B & Amber's 4wheelers for the first time in a year. I had the thing flat out going down the lane....but then got freaked out by the thought of "what if a deer decides to run out in front of me" and slowed down.

We watched skunks fight and a gray fox join the mix, but otherwise didn't see much wildlife. The kids were too noisy!

All in all, it was a great weekend! :)

HANDS OFF!!!

Ok, so here's the thing: I'm a total germaphobe! I wasn't always this way, but over the years, it has gotten way worse. I think the peak of it began when I had my first son.
Cole was born shortly after 9/11, when everyone was still on edge, anthrax was being found in mail, and the flu season was coming in full swing. The nurses at the hospital warned me to keep him at home as much as possible, and be sure any visitors washed their hands well. I was totally freaked out, and we didn't go anywhere with the exception of Thanksgiving at the inlaws, and Dr. visits. My son didn't have a single cold/virus/infection until he was 10 months old, a week after I stopped nursing him. That first little cold was very minor, just a runny nose and mild cough...no big deal. But then...
I needed to grab some things from my favorite store (I say that with absolute sarcasm!), WalMart. So I stick Cole (who was then 14 mos. old) in the shopping cart, and away we go. Less than a week later, I'm sitting with my baby in the Pediatric unit of the hospital. Cole got rotavirus. A nasty bug that made him poop and puke SO much that he got severely dehydrated. It was horrible!

So fast forward to my current life. I wash my hands more times than I can count in a day. I only use anti-bacterial soaps and cleaners. I wipe things like door handles, light switches, the phone, tv remote, and my computer keypad with Clorox wipes. I have Purell or the equivilant with me at all times. Yeah, it's the one OCD thing I have. There is nothing worse than being sick or dealing with a sick child, knowing most colds/viruses/infections can be prevented.

Now I have a 4 month old baby girl and here is my announcement to the world:

KEEP YOUR HANDS OFF OF HER!!!!

Yeah, I know she is totally adorable but why do absolute STRANGERS feel the need to touch her!?!? Seriously, HANDS OFF!!! Don't touch my baby's hands, because she puts her hands in her mouth, and I don't know where your hands have been! And don't touch her face, cause her mouth is located on her face! I just don't get it! I love babies as much as any other sane person, but I have NEVER touched a stranger's baby, no matter how cute they are! EWW!! For example, the other day at Olive Garden, we were getting ready to leave and Ella started to fuss. Before I can even stand up from the table, an employee and some old lady (not an employee) were hovering over us, touching Ella's hands! Ella continued to cry, and I finally asked if they would move so I could get up from the table! GRR!!! Now lets think about it. The employee has been touching dirty dishes that people just ate from, as well as money (we all know where that's been!) and now she goes and touches my baby's hand! The old lady was just sitting near us playing with her hair (a whole other issue I'll need to blog about in the future...) and eating/licking her fingers, and now she goes and plays with my baby's hand too! UGH!!

So here's my rule: If I know you, you are welcome to hold her, and touch her with my permission and AFTER you have washed your hands! Otherwise KEEP YOUR HANDS OFF!! :)

So last night after we ate an awesome dinner, prepared by myself, we took a walk w/the kiddos. I had Ella w/me in her snuggli (which she LOVES!), Owen was being pulled by Chris in the wagon, and Cole rode his bike. We decided to venture up to Phases II & III to see if there are any new homes being built. What a hike that is! To get up there means you climb a steep hill for several blocks! Oh well, Chris says it's good for us....

Yesterday the kiddos and I went shopping w/Ma-Ma (Chris' mom) to the outlets in Lancaster. We got a bunch of shirts for the boys, and a few outfits for the baby girl. I still need to get the boys a lots of stuff for school, but I HATE shopping w/them!!!

We went to Olive Garden for lunch. It was the first time in a LONG time I was there. The food was great! All the kids slept during the car ride home (YAY!) so I had some peace and quiet!

I checked the business email and realized I'm going to be doing 2 fundraisers at almost the same time!! Wow....that'll keep me busy!!! I need to get order form packets together today so I can mail everything out tomorrow. This should be interesting!

I have a bunch of chores that need to be done before we leave early friday morning for the mountains (pappy's cabin). I'm looking forward to getting away for the weekend....and I'm REALLY looking forward to eating s'mores!! :)