Over Too Fast

Why do the holidays take forever to prepare for and then they are over so fast?

Either way it was another great holiday! Kids had a great Christmas and everyone was happy with what they got. I hit the big stuff under the tree (big in $$, small in size) to see how they would act and they were all very content and happy with what they already got, so when I brought them out they were super surprised and very excited.

Dominic got DJ Hero and we have all been having a lot of fun with that. I was worried in recent days as to if he would really like it or not. He wouldn't really tell us what he wanted but the guy at Best Buy said that it was popular and a lot of fun! I am so glad I went with it, he's enjoying it so much!

Victoria got a camera. She is really liking that. Me, eh, not so much! Just kidding! She seems to be having fun with it but she's taking pictures of all of us at the worst time! The pictures are quite interesting to say the least! :)

Shaina and Alex both got Ipod touches. They are really enjoying them. I know I really like mine. When I first got mine I wondered what I would do with it but I have to honestly say it's one of those things I use EVERY day! Not a day goes by without me using it for music or games etc....I just really enjoy it!

The two little ones got a bunch of stuff and they are very occupied! It's keeping them very busy and very happy!

So all in all it was another great Christmas! John is on vacation this week so I am looking forward to the whole week with John and the kids! Life doesn't get much better than this! OK, it might be a bit better if we were all sitting on a sunny beach right now, but hey....being together is what it's all about! :)
Amy

Where's Waldo/Amy?

Oh gosh, it's been a while, hasn't it? I don't mean to do this intentionally. Sometimes I am really good about getting on here and other times, well not so good.
Where do I start?

Kids and Illness---Well, the kids have been sick on and off (Dominic and Alex excluded). We have had sinus infections, ear infections, eye infections and just plain old viruses. It stinks. I am getting frustrated yet I deep down knew it was going to be like this. Still no hospitalization and for that I am very thankful.

Thanksgiving---Thanksgiving was very nice. We had lots of good food (even though the grocery store screwed up my turkey order and didn't have one for me, we got a different kind and although I didn't like it quite as much, it was a turkey----plus what is the important thing about Thanksgiving!? It's being together as a family...it wouldn't matter if we had duck or chicken or whatever!) and lots of good company! It was just a great day! I got out a little Black Friday but didn't really buy much of anything. I also didn't get up super early like other yrs. I think next yr I might just skip it all together!

Christmas shopping----well I am pretty much done! I do want to pick up another thing for Ella but other than that it's a few gift cards and some stocking stuffers. Soon I will be wrapping. I love it when I start but 1/2 way through my wrapping probably looks like a 5 yr old did it! Usually my Mom strolls out and helps me and it's fun because we just talk and laugh and wrap!

Christmas Decorations----Well Dominic and Victoria took it upon themselves to handle the outside decorations this yr for the house. They worked on it over Thanksgiving weekend and it took them three days. I do have to say that the house does look very pretty, very bright, but very pretty indeed! Hats off to them because they did a really good job! Much better than I could have done. Of course I have no desire to go out in the freezing cold to decorate either. We put up the inside Christmas tree last Friday. It has been decorated and "re"decorated about 20 times. Ella likes to touch the ornaments! I am getting really old because I said to John, that is something that would have bothered me when the older kids were younger....but now I think to myself..."she's not hurting anything, she's not getting hurt and most of all, she's occupied and quiet!"

Parent Teacher Conferences---Everyone loves the kids. All good comments on them. I am starting to think that they have them confused with someone else. Still John and I were so proud of them that they are well liked, well behaved and respectful. They were all very enjoyable conferences.

Nikolas and Gabriella----They have especially been keeping us entertained. Nikolas does this Steve Martin impersonation from like Season 5 of Saturday Night Live. It's one with Bill Murry where they stare off into the audience and keep saying "What the hell is that?" It's like with a hillbilly twang and he has that down perfect! He is hysterical! I think he's going to be a comedian when he grows up! He can keep me laughing. He comes out with the funniest things! Gabriella is his little side kick! It's funny but sometimes the two of them manage to really get into things! I have to say when they get into trouble, it's probably a thought from Gabriella. She's so spirited! So spirited but so much fun and just so lovable!

Well it's almost time to make dinner! I can honestly say that I am sick and tired of cooking. If I won the lottery tomorrow, one of the first things I did would be hire a chef! I promise I won't be gone for so long this time!
Amy

My Cutie Pie

Just another picture of my almost 4 yr old cutie pie!

Gabriella Mercedes

Sunday Stuff

Today we had Ella's birthday party. Still trying to figure out where the past 4 years have gone! She will actually be 4 yrs old on Tuesday. She had a Barbie cake. She really liked that! Barbie was what she asked for on her cake. She got a lot of Barbie dolls for gifts. She also got the movie Up (which I find to be a total tear jerker) and she's watching that right now. We had chicken queasadilla's and Mexicali corn for dinner. Everyone ate. It is a great day! :)

Amy

Magnadoodles and Other Things...

This morning Nikolas wrote me a note on his Magnadoodle. It said "I like Mom". That was nice to see. The little things are what makes me happiest. I am also glad at this point that Dominic does NOT have a Magnadoodle any more. I can only imagine what he wanted to write this morning. He is mad, he thinks I am over protective. I can't help it though. It's hard watching them grow up. He wants to go out in a car tonight with someone that just got their license and I am just not feeling good about letting him go. I don't know if I am being too over protective or if I am being right? It's so hard to know sometimes. Gabriella and I are doing laundry and cleaning now. She loves to "help" me clean. I have to say "help" because sometimes it's not really helping at all, but she's happy and she thinks so. I know it will only be a short time before she hides when she hears the word cleaning, if she's anything like my other two girls. Well I guess that's it from here. I realized I haven't posted anything in a while, some weeks are just crazy!
Amy

Rapunzel, Rapunzel

Let Down Your Hair! Good thing that costume came with some hair as Gabriella still isn't very blessed in the hair department. It's getting better though! I think she's the one that had the least at this point. She will be 4 next month and although she is due for her 2nd haircut, she only had her first haircut a few months ago! So this is my pretty little princess in her Halloween costume. :)

Amy

The Good, The Bad and the Sick

Today is the Halloween parade at the school. The boys got to dress in their costumes all day. Nikolas is Batman and Alex is Darth Vader. I took a few pictures before school this morning. Nikolas is super excited! He is loving all these new experiences. So I sent them off, costumes on and treats in tow. Later I will be going up to see them in the Halloween parade.

Poor Victoria is sick. She has the works again....sore throat, headache, dizzy, stuffy, cough...she just doesn't have the fever.

Gabriella is going to wear her costume to the Halloween parade with me later. Pictures of her to follow in a later post.

Amy

Sick of Being Sick

Is it possible to get something on top of what you already have? I felt sick, felt like I was getting better for a whole day and now I feel like crap again! Poor Nikolas is sick again! He has snot pouring out of his nose! It's not so attractive, I can tell you that! I am just sick of being sick! I am sick of the kids being sick!

Dominic is going to the store for me in a few minutes. It should be interesting to see if he comes home with what I want. It's a simple list! He's going to buy carrots and frozen corn. He is going to bake a carrot cake tonight! He's like Gordon Ramsey with his mouth when he's in the kitchen! It makes for an interesting night when he decides to cook or bake! He hates carrots, I hate carrot cake...why is he making it? I have no idea! He broke up with his girlfriend and maybe he's going to bake his feelings away, I can't figure him out sometimes! I was mad when he was gone every night and now he's here every night and bored out of his mind. I know I will be playing a game of Tiger Woods Golf with him tonight...I would be playing Singstar but with me sick, he knows that's not possible so he will settle for Tiger Woods.

Gabriella is coloring here. She just got her crayons back today. She finally admitted to who colored on my wall. It was Pop Pop. I should have known. I saw the guilty look in his eye! Now he isn't getting any more crayons! If he can't be trusted with crayons, he just won't use them! This all brought back a funny memory though. When Victoria was about Gabriella's age she was a holy terror! She would get into EVERYTHING! There are so many things I just can't even begin to type them all or my fingers would fall off! Anyway, she used to blame everything on an imaginary friend named Mrs. Duva. I have no idea where she got that name from, it was quite original, I give her that! Mrs Duva was BAD NEWS! She had to be banished from our house! I was thinking for just a minute the other day that Mrs Duva had found our new home and returned! So I was glad to know that it was Pop Pop that did it and Mrs. Duva wasn't back from beyond!
Amy

Who Did It?

Someone colored on my wall! I am pretty sure it wasn't John. I am pretty sure it wasn't the four older kids. I know it wasn't me. So after much discussion with Nikolas and Gabriella we figured out who did it. It was BELLA! Yes, that's who colored on my wall. For those of you who don't know, Bella is our Brittany Spaniel. I didn't realize I had such a talented dog here! I could be out making a fortune! Don't worry, I won't forget you all when I am rich!

Sports Day and the Tooth Fairy

It's favorite team day today at the elementary. The tooth fairy paid us a visit last night. He was super excited this morning. He pulled out the paper bills and his reply "I wished she left me a nickel." Huh? I asked why? He said, "If you have a nickel, you can put it in the machine at school and get a pencil." I meant to give him a nickel this morning but we were just running a little off schedule, so I have to remember to do that tomorrow! Tomorrow is the pumpkin patch. I am going as a chaperone. I am looking forward to it. I don't think it's supposed to be a great day weatherwise tomorrow, but still I think the rain is going to hold off til after dinner. I sure hope so! Rain and the pumpkin patch so do not mix! I have done it before after a night of rain. I remember one of the kids I had chaperoned getting their sneaker stuck in the mud in the corn maze! Oh those were the days! Well I guess that is it for now!

Amy

Breaking News!

The Tooth Fairy will be making a visit to our house tonight! Nikolas lost his first tooth! He's very excited. We wrapped it up and put it under his pillow. My little boy is growing up! He was only about 3 months old when he got his first tooth. It has been wiggling for a little while, but I didn't know when it was actually going to fall out! Doesn't he look cute!?

Amy

Happy Hump Day

It's Wednesday already! This week seems to be going by pretty quickly. Early dismissal today. It was also mismatched day at the elementary school. Nikolas didn't even question why his clothes didn't match this morning or why he had two different colored socks. Should I be worried? Gabriella noticed right away! Tomorrow is favorite team day.

I am on strike tonight for dinner. I felt pretty lousy yesterday but still managed to make everyone dinner. I made an eye of the round roast, noodles w/butter and onions and steamed broccoli/cauliflower. Did they appreciate it? Nope! Everyone had a comment about it. So I told them that I wasn't cooking today. I think they thought I was joking. They have been snooping around the kitchen, peeking to see if anything is in the oven yet or if anything is thawing in the fridge. Alex asked me "what's for dinner tonight, Mom?" and I just said "nothing, remember I'm not cooking." Ok, I can't do that to them but I am going to make them sweat for a while. Tonight they are getting breakfast for dinner. They can sweat it out though til later on thinking they aren't having dinner. They complain about everything I make, yet they must be gluttons for punishment because they always look for more!

I know I had something else to post but it just isn't coming to mind right now. My memory is certainly failing me!
Amy

I Can Scale Buildings...

In a single bound. Ok, well probably not! Still my son thinks I can!

So Nikolas comes out of school today and we are waiting outside for Alex. He points to the smaller roof (it is over the doors where they enter) and asks me how fast I could climb up the building and get on the roof. My answer to him was "not that fast, I am out of shape and I don't have a ladder." So he replies with "well what if they gave you a ladder?" Ok, so now I am wondering why he wants me on the roof? I said "well why would I want to go up there?" He then proceeds to tell me that when it rains there is a drip and that they need someone to fix it and I should go and do that. Yeah, right.....with all the tax dollars I pay, I am going to climb up there and fix a drip! Sorry honey, that's not happening!

Shaina brought home her shelf she made in wood shop. She did a good job with it! She still has to stain it but this cycle is over and she ran out of time, so it looks like I am going to buy stain this weekend. She has keyboarding next and she's not looking forward to that. Wood shop has been the highlight of her classes at school so far. She talks about it every day. She's going to really miss that class!

Amy

Road to recovery....

Hopefully Alex is on the road to recovery. He has a cough medicine and an antibiotic now. He had an ear infection. That was the one thing he DIDN'T complain about! Go figure! Hopefully now that he got the medications he will be on the road to recovery!

It's the weekend. I think we are going to take this weekend to just hang around and do nothing. I do have to run to the grocery store for a few things, but that is about it. Nikolas was thrilled he didn't have to eat my crappy food tonight. I got him his favorite...chicken and broccoli from the Chinese restaurant. He loves that and Gabriella does too!

We have been watching that show Modern Family! It's so funny! I laugh from beginning to end! Tonight I will be watching Ghost Whisperer and Medium with Victoria and Shaina. Ghost Whisperer is kind of stupid anymore, but they still like it and I enjoy Medium.

I guess that is about it from this house! Keeping fingers crossed that nobody else comes down with anything. I am so worried that what Alex has, was different from what the other kids have!
Amy

Dinner and Dress Codes

I am trying to figure out why there is a dress code (uniform). All this week was dress down, next week is dress down and they throw dress down days in here and there all the time. Why not have EVERY day be dress down day!?

Then I got a comment on dinner tonight from my 5 yr old. "Mom, this is the crappiest dinner I ever had!" I really think maybe it's time for me to give up cooking! He did manage to eat it though because the anticipation of the snack made it all worth it I guess!

Snow tonight! Yay! Yes, that's sarcasm! Hopefully it's nothing, I doubt it will be. Still the thoughts of it snowing already stinks! It's pretty cold out there tonight!
Amy

One Little, Two Little, Three Little

HIPPIES! Yes, it's Hippie day today at the school. I have Alex home with me. No fever but he's coughing like crazy and was up a lot last night. I can't send him like this. Maybe if he stays home and rests today he will start feeling better. He looks fine, he's eating, drinking and acting fine other than the cough. Shaina said they had a pie eating contest yesterday and she really would have liked to have been in it but she didn't want to ruin Dominic's Sixer's jersey. Good thinking Shaina! I don't know what they have planned for today. Victoria was so funny yesterday when she got in the car. She had the biggest smile on her face and said "want to see what I made in home ec?" Then she pulled this pillow out of her bag. It was like a magic act. I have no idea how she had that pillow shoved in her bag! She seems to be enjoying home ec and Shaina loves wood shop. Victoria REALLY loves sewing. It's something I possess no talent whatsoever in at all! I said to John, maybe we should consider getting her a sewing machine for Christmas. If she likes it so much, maybe we should promote it. Then John suggested we get Shaina a saw! It's all she can talk about. She's making me a coat hanger to hang on my wall in the living room. I keep suggesting places that "might" be a better fit for it....TBCon't with that! I am due for a kitchen remodel. Now if only the shop teacher could teach Shaina how to build and hang cabinets we will have something there! :)

Amy

Homecoming, School Pics, Sixers and Snow

It's homecoming week this week so all kinds of fun things are planned at school for the kids. Today is dress in your favorite team attire. Ok, Dominic does have a favorite team, as you can see, it's the 76'ers. The girls could care less about sports, but since Dominic has so many Sixers jerseys, today their favorite team is also the 76'ers!

Apparently there are a ton of kids absent at the school. I kind of knew it when I dropped the kids off yesterday. It was like a ghost town there compared to what it's usually like. I know we just got over something but I am dreading the next bout that might hit. I know I can't keep them in a bubble, but still I am a mother and I worry.

Today is also school picture day at the elementary school. It was also gym day and they want them to wear their gym clothes to school. Well I don't want a school picture in a gym uniform so they have their dress clothes on instead. It's amazing it's also not taco day or spaghetti day! Why not do that on school picture day too? The boys saw Dominic (who always has to close his eyes for pictures, how annoying!) and the girls getting their pictures taken, so Nikolas wanted to be in one too.

Oh and now on to the snow part! Yes, I turn on the news (why do I watch that?) and they said that there might be 2 inches of snow tomorrow. It's too early for this. I also had to scrape my windows this morning. This reminds me of how much I hate fall and winter. I do think the leaves changing are so pretty, but those changing leaves are a reminder of things yet to come. They come so quickly anymore too it seems! I will sit here now and long for the spring because then right around the corner is summer, my favorite season of all! I am about ready to pack up and move south! I would be very happy with the memories of leaves changing and snow falling and much happier with the thought of no more winter coats, no more shoveling and no more scraping windows!

Amy

Barbie

As you have never seen her before! I don't know why, but Gabriella seems to think Barbie's are better without clothing. She has been playing with her dollhouse a lot this morning and as I walk by I have to laugh to see Barbie doing all these household chores in the nude! She certainly doesn't get it from me. We all wear clothes around here! She was over there playing and the dolls were having a little conversation on the sofa (probably wondering why they had to belong to a child that refuses to put clothing on them) and I couldn't help but snap this picture of her!

A Bunny, A Cat and a Sick One

Today is the beginning of homecoming week. Got a call from the school around 7:00 last night saying the high school kids should dress up in their favorite costume for today. Lots of time to get something together, right? So we did the best we could. We went simple as they didn't really want anything to call too much attention to themselves anyway. Victoria is a bunny, Shaina is a kitty and Alex is home here with me SICK! He is running a temp over 101. I am kind of hoping this is what the other kids have and he didn't pick up something new on his class trip on Friday. He's pretty much just sleeping and sleeping. Tomorrow is school picture day for him and I am really hoping he kicks this today so he can be in his class picture since it's his first one there. I am a little nervous though because when I brought the kids to school this morning, it looked like a "ghost school". Hardly any kids were standing outside. We were just on time as usual, so that's why I am a bit concerned. Nikolas doesn't have a stuffy nose today, but now that he's back, I am betting by the end of the week he does again! Gabriella usually stays with my Dad when I drop the kids off in the morning so I don't have to get her dressed and take her out too. Well my Dad has something so she was with me this morning. I got Nikolas out of the SUV, gave him a hug and told him to have a good day. I watched him going in the doors (Alex usually walks in with him so this was his first day going in alone) and stood at the corner of the SUV. I heard this screaming/crying coming from the SUV. I had no idea what was wrong. I ran to see and Ella was upset because she thought Nikolas was just going for the ride with us this morning. She didn't know he was staying there. She was crying saying she was calling for him and he couldn't hear her and she couldn't hear him (he yelled good-bye to her). She was so upset! I explained to her that it will be time to go back and get him before she knows it. I promised her fries from Burger King later and we are watching Mama Mia here now. She seems to be OK now. She loves Nikolas and misses him so much when he's at school!

Amy

Word to your mother.....

Ice Ice Baby.....yeah, my kids are so stuck in the past because of Singstar. Nikolas is so entertaining. He was dancing around showing us his best Vanilla Ice moves and he showcased his ring (the skeleton one that Alex brought him home from his class trip to the fair) with the "word to your mother." Unfortunately his ring only fits on his middle finger! I wanted to laugh so hard! Then I have Gabriella walking down the hall singing Blondie's Rapture. I think it took me like almost 39 years to learn that song!? She's hysterical. She's only three years old and she can sing a LOT of Blondie songs! That's what she wants to listen to in the SUV, Blondie or Abba! She's hysterical when she sings Atomic! I know the music teacher asked Alex's class if anyone wanted to get up and play anything on the piano. Alex can play Mary Had A Little Lamb! If he asks one of the kids in Nikolas' class to get up and sing I can only picture him doing Ice Ice Baby and then I can picture my phone ringing with a call from the principals office!
Amy

A Box!

We got a delivery today. It is a new furnace. Our furnace works, but it is as old as the house so we figured we might as well replace it now with a more efficient one. It came today and the plumber is coming tomorrow to replace it. Well the truck backs up the driveway. It's in a crate. Nikolas hears the truck so he runs to the window and watches. As they unload it, he yells "Mom, Dad's lamp is here!" Now I am confused. I didn't know John was waiting for a lamp to arrive! I said "what are you talking about?" He then replied with "It's Dad's lamp, the leg!" I had to think for a minute and then it came to me! A Christmas Story! The box must have looked like the box in A Christmas Story! I had to convince him that his father did NOT order a leg lamp! God help him if he ever did! :)
Amy

Argh

Victoria came home from school sick. Same symptoms as Shaina. She's sleeping now. I hope Alex doesn't get it. He has his 5th grade class trip tomorrow and he's really looking forward to it. Keeping my fingers crossed!

Add A Third

It's Shaina's turn now. She's home from school today. She has a slight fever and headache. She seems ok though, nothing major. Making her favorite for dinner tonight-BBQ chicken.
I have had a headache all morning too. I wish it would go already!

Girls had dentist appts and cleanings yesterday. No cavities. Every few yrs they have you update their records and fill out new forms. I was filling Shaina's out and there is a section "what does your child like to be called?" Well Victoria was the one sitting next to me, Shaina was across the room watching the TV and she whispers to me, "put down Shanus". Yeah, the dentist thinks my kids are little angels! She so has them pegged wrong!

Gabriella is back to normal today. She has a little stuffiness left, but that's it. She's in rare form. She played me a little piece on the piano before and my head was just pounding! Right now she's pushing around about 10 Barbie's in a Little Tikes shopping cart! They are all naked! I don't know why she prefers her dolls naked? Whatever, right?

Amy

Add A Second

Add a second to the not feeling well list. Gabriella seemed kind of quiet today. I didn't think much about it. I went to get the kids at school and she didn't want to go which was kind of strange. She stayed home with my Dad. When I got back home, she just was just in the recliner and she looked sick. I took her temp and it was 1o1. She also has a stuffy nose. Oh these are the things I hate about fall and winter! She didn't really want to eat much for dinner either. She's drinking though so that is good. Nikolas was so cute when he came in after school. He went to his room to get changed out of his school clothes and then came back in and said "don't worry now Mom, I am here to take care of Gabbi". Those two love one another so much! Oh she managed to have a Boo Berry Fruit By The Foot though. That made her happy!

Busy Sunday

Ran to the bakery this morning. John is making dinner today! Yay! I love having the day off from cooking. Closed the pool. The kids haven't been swimming since the end of August. It just wasn't a great summer for swimming this yr. Now we won't open it til probably the last week of May. Every yr at this time I question why we have one. Then in the summer when they are really enjoying it, I justify it. I have been going through clothes. Giving them to people I know who can use them and if someone isn't in that size, donating them. I accomplished a lot and it's only 3:30. Tomorrow I am going to take Ella to pick out her Halloween costume. At this moment she says she wants to be Robin (Nikolas wants to be Batman). I know it's for boys, but hey...it's Halloween and she has the right to be anything she wants for that one day. If she wants to be Robin, so be it! Two kids have dentist appts this week. I think it's the girls. If the dentist doesn't call to remind me I will have to call and ask them. I don't want to show up with the wrong two kids! I wrote it down but someone decided to help me and erased it. I won't mention names. This week Alex has his class trip. I am super nervous. This is the only time he has been away without me. He's excited about going though. I think that's probably all that's going through my mind right now. I know, it's a lot for once!
Amy

Sunny Saturday

What do you know, the sun actually shined today! YAY!

I started the day by going grocery shopping. I promised myself to try to get it all done in one store and I did, but I stopped on the way home and finished up a few things in a second store.
We had quesadilla's and Mexican corn for dinner tonight. Everyone was thrilled!

I took Alex, Nikolas and Gabriella for a walk to town today, this town is so small! We went to McD's to get a little snack and after passed by the firehouse and we got to see the firetruck and dog! Woo Hoo! What an enjoying afternoon!

After we got home, we took a little rest and then we made chocolate covered pretzel rods. I figured that they would get a kick out of putting sprinkles on them after I dipped them in the chocolate. Well I gave them the oval type sprinkles you see on sundaes and I also gave them the little tiny colorful round balls. I have made a mental note in my head to NEVER use the balls again! I have hardwood floors and they were all over the dining room, all over the kitchen! I had fun cleaning those up! Still the kids had a lot of fun doing it, so I was happy!

It was a great Saturday. Not much to do other than enjoy the kids! Shaina and Victoria got new hoodies and new outfits for gym. Maybe tomorrow we will find the perfect top for school pictures!
Amy

We Are Family!

Shaina's back in the family again! YAY! That was the first thing he said to me this afternoon when he came out of school. Mom, I fixed my house, Shaina's in there now! He had a pretty good day at school. He seemed pretty good tonight. He hate dinner without a problem and hasn't commplained really of anything. He was all excited because they had some kind of pep rally today too!

Round ?

So Nikolas and Shaina both wake up with sore throats today. They don't have any fevers and the other kids are telling me that there is a bad cold going around the school. Poor Nikolas, I think there has only been 3 or 4 days so far this school year he hasn't had some type of cold symptom. I knew he was going to be sick a lot, but this is just crazy already. The kid always has some type of cold like symptom! Sometimes I wish I just kept them home another year, yet this was a year I also didn't want Nikolas to miss. I mean Kindergarten is your first school experience and he is doing so many fun things there. He loves school and likes his teacher. He talks about his friends all the time too! I guess the bad comes with the good, right? I am going to keep an eye on him but being there is no fever, I am assuming that it's nothing more than a cold at this point. Also he's eating and drinking (he had breakfast) and he isn't complaining of anything else either. Keeping my fingers crossed.
Amy

Mom To A Five Pack?

Ok, so Nikolas brings home this little work of art today. Well, no...our house isn't green and we don't have a red door. I can pretty much assure you our garage door isn't all those colors either! Then I open the inside. Inside are all these little cut outs of people. Each person is colored and has a name. I have a pretty red and purple dress on, it also has yellows and oranges in it. I look pretty much the way he likes to dress himself! Let's hope he doesn't pick out my outfit for my funeral! So I am looking at everyone and how he colored them and I notice someone missing! No Shaina! I asked him and he said she was there. I showed him and he said he thought he colored her and pasted her on there....then he said to Shaina "I'm sorry I forgot you Shaina!" and he gave her a big hug! He asked me to write his teacher a note so he could fix his house tomorrow and add Shaina, which I did because it really means a lot to him to put her in there. He also did tell me that his house took the longest to fill (wonder why!?) and his hand was pretty sore from all that coloring. So hopefully tomorrow Shaina will be back in the family again! :)

Amy

One Flashy Dude!

Ok, so I always have the kids take their school clothes off when we get in the house and put something more comfortable on for the evening. So we get in yesterday and Nikolas knows the drill. Well I am in the kitchen going through the daily papers that are sent home and I hear him behind me saying "Mom, I dressed myself!" I was like "Ok, thanks bud!" So a few minutes later I am still in the kitchen, but in walks Nikolas. I froze in my tracks! What an outfit! I am really hoping he has his Dad's sense of style...mine can't be that bad, can it!? I don't think I ever went out of the house looking like that or wearing that many colors! He was happy though, pick your battles, right? BTW, Gabriella also picked out her clothes and dressed herself yesterday morning...at least I have one that has some sense of color coordinates! :)
Amy

No News Is Good News

I know it's been a few days since my last posting. Everything is fine. Everyone is feeling good. Kids are still enjoying school. Pretty much nothing out of the ordinary going on at all.

I ordered Ella a few things from Children's Place online this morning. I got her a few things last week at JC Penney's and Old Navy. It was really chilly one day and I had NOTHING to put on her, she really grew! So I wanted to have a few things. It figures the next morning our temps went up and have been up since. I am not complaining at all, trust me! Still they said by this time next week we will be lucky if we hit 60 so she will be happy to wear her new outfits!

Shaina had her well visit the other day. She's nice and healthy! She got her flu shot and the other 5 are going to get their flu shots tomorrow morning. It's going to be a pretty hectic morning getting them all dressed for school and out of the house before 7 a.m. Oh well, we will do it! I know we can! Luckily most of my kids are easy/early risers. Nikolas would sleep if you let him, but he wakes up usually without a problem.

I watched Modern Family last night and found it very funny! I laughed and laughed! I have The Forgotten DVR'd and maybe I will get to watch that and SYTYCD tonight. I started watching Dancing with the Stars on Monday night but totally lost interest. I don't know...guess I just wasn't in the mood. I am thinking I just won't follow it this season.

I guess that is about it. It's a pretty boring post but I am going with the saying...."no news is good news."
Amy

Lunch again!?

So I told you the story about Nikolas and lunch yesterday. Today it was Alex. He said the lunch was so good! I am beginning to think either the lunch has to be pretty appealing or else I am a horrible cook! So he went back and ordered a second lunch! I think this whole hot lunch thing is going to cost us a pretty penny this year! Honestly though, I am just glad they are all adjusting well and eating! Here I was afraid they would be so upset, trying to make friends, eating lunch alone...they wouldn't have an appetite! Boy was I wrong! I am glad I was wrong! This is all moving along smoothly!

Nikolas made some kind of stick puppets today. I am assuming it's The Gingerbread Man characters. He colored the fox green though! Hmmm, it's a quite interesting choice of color! Of course he's never really seen a fox either! I need to get this kid to the zoo!
Amy

Lunch, Lunch

Ok, so I picked the kids up from school today and Nikolas comes out of the building and he has something on his khaki shorts. It's kind of a reddish/orangish color. So I ask him what it was. He said it was orange marker. Well it didn't look like orange marker. So I said that it didn't look like orange marker and he said "well maybe it's rigatoni?" I said where would you get rigatoni? I mean I packed the kid a lunch today. So he told me that the rigatoni looked so good to him that he decided to get that. So I then asked him what he did with his lunch. He then told me that he ate that too! So my kid, who normally hates to eat, ate two lunches today! I just find it very funny that he wanted that rigatoni so much he figured out how to go up and order it for himself! Wow...my big boy is growing up, and it looks like he might start growing out too! :)
Amy

Does anyone hear.....

A BUZZ!?

I love my father, I do but he needs to get a hobby! So he hears a buzz downstairs this morning! It has consumed his every thought! I had to leave to take the kids to school and I can't even get in the door before I have to hear that the house is a buzz again! He has me going crazy! It's easier to give in and check what he wants.....the dryer? Nope...that plays a cute little song! I told him that! Still I turned the dryer on and shut it off just to he would know it was NOT the dryer! The central air? Nope, it was in the 50's last night, that wasn't even on...still I had to prove it wasn't that! Oh, it's the damn alarm clock! Someone must have done something to the alarm clock! Yes, that's it! Someone set the alarm clock to buzz every 5 minutes to annoy the crap out of him! Alarm, check! All is functioning properly! Houston, we REALLY have a problem in this house! How can someone be expected to live with a buzz every 5 minutes (he said it happens every 5 minutes so he must have been timing it!) Ok, it is the freezer! It has to be the freezer making the noise! Nope! Alright, so now I am about ready to lose it! How many more things can I check!? Wouldn't a better soloution be to maybe turn up the volume on the TV at this point!?

Ok, so almost a 1/2 hour of this goes on.....and I know how concerned you must all be with what can be causing that buzz (sense the sarcasm)!? You will be happy to know that I have solved the problem! I am a regular Nancy Drew! It was.........................................................................................
THE CELL PHONE! Victoria's cell phone! Oh she owes me big time for this one!
Amy

Happy Birthday Shaina!

Happy Birthday Shaina! You are twelve years old today. Only one more year and you will be a teenager! You were due on September 11th and decided to take your sweet time much like you do right now. It was a really quick labor and delivery! I would say my very best one! My biggest memory was when they pulled you out and they only saw you from behind and the doctor yelled "it's a boy!" I looked at your father and said "it's a boy!" I started thinking, we really need to come up with a boys name now. Then the nurse took you to clean you up and said "this isn't a boy, it's a girl!". Then I looked at your father and said "it's a girl!" Gosh I still remember that early morning like it was yesterday! Daddy picked your name. Your name means "beautiful" and you sure have lived up to that!

Tonight for her birthday dinner, Shaina has requested hot wings and french fries, so that is what it shall be! Shaina is our hot wing girl! She loves those! She's already playing around here with her cell phone. She really loves that! I am glad we took the plunge and got her one a whole year early!

Happy Birthday Shaina!!!!!

It's hard to believe (or maybe not since there is always a birthday happening around here...six kids and none born in the same month) but Shaina will be 12 yrs old tomorrow. We had no idea what to get her. We asked her what she wanted but she said nothing. I know we had the 13 yr rule but it just seemed different this time. She is going to school, the girls she made friends with have cell phones and have been asking for her number, I am sure it's a matter of time before she wants to go to the movies with friends and well....Shaina's just really responsible and I just felt like it was time for her to have one. So we did it! We went to the store this morning and picked one out. John didn't want to wait to give it to her since he won't see her in the morning and then he wouldn't be home til after 5 tomorrow, so we decided to give her it today. Well she was totally shocked! I video taped the expression. She has NO clue she was getting one because she really thought she had to be 13, so the look on her face was priceless! She's a happy little pre-teen right now! :) She's been texting with her friend in Florida since we gave it to her a few hours ago! How a few years change! I remember the days when a new doll was what made her smile! It's so bittersweet watching them grow!

Amy

My Poor Sick Boy

Nikolas wasn't feeling well for orientation or the first day, but then he got over it and seemed fine on Thursday and Friday...he was fine all weekend too! He came out of school yesterday and was coughing, all stuffed up and just not feeling well. So he's on a bunch of medications and I am hoping that it doesn't turn into anything else. I feel so bad for him. I really wanted to keep him home today but he didn't have a fever and I just have a feeling this is going to be the year from hell with sickness. Alex said three kids were out in his class today and two went home sick. The weather is lousy too...it's so chilly and breezy out. The sun hasn't shined all day! It's been raining on and off! I feel like crawling in my bed under the covers and hibernating til Spring! I guess that can't happen though, huh!?
Amy

"I think I like this kindergarten stuff", Nikolas Age 5

Well Nikolas seems to really enjoy Kindergarten! YAY! He didn't have a tear in his eyes when I took him on his first day (I spent the morning with him at orientation). It made it so much easier on me. Sure I felt sad when I left him there but I was also happy for him. He made a new little friend already and he's happy. He said his teacher is very nice! He also told me he's been on green all week. Green is good, yellow not so good and then he said you don't want to get on red! He's such a card! He comes home every day and is filled with stories! I think he's going to really like kindergarten!

On a side note, my house feels so quiet and empty. It's just Ella and me now. I am so enjoying my time with her, I don't deny that but I also really miss the other kids. I can't help but say that. I am happy for them though. I will get used to all the quiet.

Amy

School Days, School Days

I know I wasn't on top of posting last week. It was our first week back and it's taking some getting used to at this point. Getting out of the house is fine. Picking up is nothing short of a nightmare. There is no rhyme or reason in picking up. I will get used to it though. All in all everybody had a good first day!

They made a mistake and had Victoria and Shaina both in 7th grade. That's fixed now! They didn't have a locker for Victoria. That's fixed now! They still don't have a lunch account for Victoria...TBA! LOL Both girls seemed to have met a few people. Shaina met more than Victoria but Victoria is just so much more quiet. She used to be so outgoing as a baby but then once she started getting sick and spending time in the hospital she just seemed to change.

Alex seemed to be very happy. Met a lot of kids. Says he really likes it. So I think all in all it's going to be a pretty good year! I will post about Nikolas in a another post.
Amy

All Good Things....

Must come to an end? Isn't that how the saying goes?

I drove the kids to John's Mom's house today (well all except for Shaina who isn't feeling well and Dominic who had work). Victoria and Alex stayed and spent the day with her and John and I went back to pick them up tonight. They really enjoy their time with her. They didn't get to see her all the time because she worked really crazy hours but not she's retired and they are really enjoying their time with her. Still all good things must end and this will be the last week they will see her before school starts. Crazy...school starts one week from today! One week by now their first day will be over and we will be getting ready for day two. Oh I am anxious, probably more than they are! Oh we got a principal I heard! So that's a good thing. I don't think we have a vice-principal yet though.

Along with the end of summer also come the end to Dominic's job. He really liked working there. He had some very good experiences. He got two promotions and raises which was great for his self esteem and well I am super proud of him! He says he wants to go back again next yr. April seems so far away at this point but thinking about the last few years I realize that April will probably be here before we know it!

I think it will be time to close the pool soon. I refuse to wait as long as I did last year! I was freezing out there closing it! I know once the kids go back to school and add in homework they really won't have a lot of time to be in it. I also know how cold the nights are going to be getting and it will just start to be too cold to go in it. Oh, this summer was kind of a lousy one weather wise, worst one I remember......EVER!

Gabriella stepped on a piece of glass at John's Mom's house tonight. She looks ok. I put some antibiotic ointment on it and a big band-aid. This is like my Boo Boo kid. That's what her nickname should be...Boo Boo but Nikolas already gave her a nickname. He calls her Ice Cream. Why? I have no clue! He said she is Ice Cream and he is Mr. Big Head. That I can understand. That kid has a huge head. Honestly! It hardly fits through the holes in his shirt! We laugh about it all the time! Hopefully one day he will grow into that head!

Well I guess that's about it. America's Got Talent is almost on now. Yeah, it's kind of a lame show but I like it. I have a few favorites. I really like the auditions. Some people are so strange!
Happy Hump Day!
Amy

Comcast REALLY Sucks!

Ok, so I go online to pay my bill yesterday. Just when I am at a neutral feeling about Comcast they manage to set me over the edge again! I go online to pay the bill and as usual I check everything out to make sure it is OK. What do I find? Two "assistance fees" at $4.95 a piece. They were dated for the day I had all that misery with them. If you want to refresh yourself, just check the post saying COMCAST SUCKS! So I call Comcast. I need to find out what these are for because there is no way I am paying them! They put me through hell and back that day. My day was consumed with them and their problems from like 7:30 in the morning til right before dinner! So I call and I manage to get a lady that sounds like she has the Swine Flu she's so sick! Well she said they must have assisted you that day. I said, yes, they did....they assisted in driving me CRAZY! I don't think I should have to pay for that! I then told her the whole story and told her that they should be paying me for all the aggravation I went through and gas I used! I said there was no way I was paying those fees and they could remain on my account until the day I die! In the end she did remove them or so she says. She told me to watch my next bill so the computer doesn't put them on again. So now I get it, Comcast isn't run by humans, it's run by a super computer....out to rule the world! I knew something else had to be going on with them. It couldn't be that complicated to just watch cable TV!
Amy

Spooky Story

Ok, this isn't a scary story unless you take into account the fact that I think the cat might just be a little more intelligent than I am! Then it's scary!

So the cat had something against my couch since we moved into this house. I did read somewhere that a cat would rather stay with their home than move with their people. That they prefer to replace their people before their environment. I do believe that is true with Spooky. He tolerates us. We are here to serve him. Nothing more! Ok, back to the couch story. He basically destroyed my couch. I always said I wasn't going to get a new couch until he was dead, but let's face it, that's not too realistic! So I got a new couch. Well he isn't very happy. He looked miserable the day the new couch got here. I think that if it was possible and he possessed opposable thumbs he would have certainly killed us! He used to always lay on the back of the couch and look out the big picture window. He has now chosen a recliner that has been in the house. Right before he jumps in it, guess what he does. He digs at it! Well this isn't going to happen again! No way! So I decided to teach him a lesson. Every time he gets in it and digs first, I will teach him that if he disrespects the furniture then he won't be able to sit in it! All this cat does anymore is eat, sleep and use the litter box! What a life! I don't know, maybe I am jealous! Well OK, not the litter box part but the other stuff! Back to the story. The other night every time he would scratch at the chair I would get up off the couch, go over and remove him from the chair. I must think he is very intelligent because I would also have a conversation with him and explain that when he disrespects the chair, he will not sit in it! Either I don't speak cat well or he just ignores me (much as the children often do) and continued to do the same thing. So every time he did that I got up and placed him on the floor. This went on for quite a while and I really got exhausted from it. So I decided to sit in his chair! Ok, so the chair is pretty comfortable. I fell asleep in the chair. I probably slept there for 2 hours and I heard John shutting the things off to go to bed so I woke up. Well what do you think I find!? I almost jumped right out of the chair. Here he is sitting on top of me now, staring me down. Ok, the cat lacks balls since he is neutered, but WHAT BALLS! He showed me! If he couldn't directly sit on his chair, he was just going to sit on me sitting on his chair! The big question burning inside my head right now is......How long do cats live!?
Amy

Looks like we made it....

Well we finally made it to the amusement park. I have to admit, it wasn't looking good. On the way there we hit a heavy downpour. The kids road for like an hour and a 1/2 and then the skies opened up. It was so grey that there was no clearing in sight! So we had lunch and by the time lunch was over it was clearing up. The rest of the day was beautiful! We had a great time! There was hardly anyone on the rides after the rain, so it turned out to be a really great day to be there! They kids were basically walking right on everything except for the coasters.

I rode my first coasters since the high blood pressure. John hasn't wanted me to ride but Alex really wanted to go on them and the one can be pretty wicked so I wasn't ready to let him go on alone yet. I don't want to deny him that and John is pretty much terrified of coasters so I went on.....and I forgot how much I love coasters! I road the one with Alex, then I rode it again with Victoria and then I rode the other one with Alex and Dominic rode that one with Victoria.

I have to say I am very proud of Shaina. A little girl was seated next to her on the thrill coaster (not big dips, but fast and wicked...not really a little kids ride). Apparently she was right at the height requirement but they did leave her on....she was so thin though. Anyway the coaster started and at one point she was going to fall out. Shaina grabbed her and held on to her through the rest of the ride. I am so proud of Shaina. Proud that she thought that much of someone else to do that for them and proud that she could think so quick in an emergency. Sometimes they amaze me. I guess maybe we are raising them right? I hope so!

Today and tomorrow look like rain again....big surprise! I will probably get out and do some grocery shopping. I went to that new store that opened the other night. It's a restaurant supply place but it's opened to the public. I got amazing deals and the stuff was really good too! I am set with meat for a while. I would like to get up there today though and get some more fresh produce.

I guess that's it for now!
Amy

Stolen from Ellyn's Site

Cooking: Sausage and peppers
Drinking: Diet Coke with lime
Reading: Dr Seuss
Wanting: A Nap
Looking: at the storm
Wishing: For some sunshine
Playing: Leapfrog Games
Liking: Singstar
Enjoying: The kids home for summer
Wondering: If Dominic is safe and dry
Loving: My family'
Hoping: My kids have a good school year
Needing: Some dishwashing tabs, I am all out.
Smelling: Sausage and peppers
Wearing: a shirt and denim shorts
Following: Blondie on Twitter and Ellyn's Place
Noticing: My Nikolas and Ella aren't babies anymore
Knowing: It's going to be a quiet house here in a few weeks.
Thinking: I wish this rain would end
Feeling: Tired
Hoping: I can find a Transformers lunch box before school starts for Nikolas.
(I know I missed some, but I was clicking back and forth here)
Amy

Stormy Summer Day

A huge storm is approaching. I am disconnected from the power right now and using the battery. The lightening and winds are terrible. It's so dark out, it's like night time. I am sure the rains are coming soon. This happened earlier today as well. That thunder is so fierce sounding! Now it looks like rain for Friday as well. We are just batting zero when it comes to getting to the amusement park this yr! I feel so bad for the kids. It's really not our fault though, can't control the weather.

I got my new tires this morning. OUCH! They are expensive for a big SUV. Oh well, I should be set for a while. How far the tire places have come! They had computer stations in there for you to use, big LCD TV, gourmet coffee center and wirless WiFi so I played with my Ipod while I waited. I went on You Tube and sent John a few matches to a game we have. I played Scrabble and Pinball....so you can guess how long I was there! They told me an hour, so I said I would wait. That hour turned into almost 3 hours!

A new grocery store opened up about 5 minutes or so away. They have some amazing deals! I am thinking about going and checking them out after dinner tonight. I am always up for a good deal. We go through a lot of groceries in this house!

Dinner tonight is sausage and peppers. The kids really like that and it's something everyone eats. Even Gabriella, my meat hater, eats that!

Dominic is at work. There is no way there is going to be a game in this. Oh my the lightning and thunder that is out there now, it's horrible! I just hope he's in a safe covered place up there! I can't help but worry about them when they aren't here with me. Things used to be so easy when they were all little and accounted for, but as bittersweet as it is, I know it's part of being a parent....watching your children grow up.

Well Nikolas and Gabriella are bored. I guess I am going to go and read to them for a while.
Happy Hump Day everyone!
Amy

Tuesday Stuff

Well it's Tuesday! Had a pretty uneventful day today. Took Dominic to work, then took Alex to the dentist to get a little cavity filled. We had fried chicken and salads for dinner. Just got out of the pool with Nikolas and Ella...John still is in there with Victoria, Shaina and Alex. We were in the pool late last night, around 10:00 and it was a lot of fun. I remember doing that when I was a kid. We have an underwater light so it's easy to see everyone and keep track of them. It was so warm last night, this is what summer should be like! I still can't believe there are only like two weeks left of summer vacation! It seems unreal! We are going to attempt a trip to the amusement park again on Friday. Hopefully it's not another rainy day! We are batting zero with the amusement park this yr! We went back in April and it was like 90 that day, unseasonably warm but everything went down hill from there!

Tomorrow I am going to get new tires on the truck. That should be a costly trip. We need them before winter though so I might as well just do it since I have the morning free.

Well I guess that is it, it was just a pretty boring day overall. Have to go and do laundry but what else is new!? There is always laundry that can be done!
Amy

Happy Birthday

Happy Birthday Alex! You have reached the double digits. Ten years ago this afternoon I was holding my 4th child. He arrived on his due date. I have to say I think it was the worst labor and delivery I had. I thought it was going to be pretty easy being the 4th and the fact that the 3rd came like lightening. No way! It was a 36 hour labor, 3 hours of pushing and it was pure hell. Still when I saw him the first time, held him the first time it made it all worth while!

I think it's supposed to be around 90 today. Has summer finally arrived? Figures that it's only a few weeks til back to school and the weather is getting hot! I think today will be a good pool day!

I think we are all ready for school. I do have to find a Transformers lunch box and backpack, Nikolas' request. I can find the backpacks but not the lunchbox. Maybe later we will go out and see if we can locate one somewhere. He really has his heart set on Transformers. I went with a Nike lunch box and backpack in the school colors for Alex.

There is no principal or vice principal at the school now. Both resigned. Figures this happens the year I am sending all the kids off to school. I hope that it isn't going to be total chaos! I am worried about them going. I hope they do ok and make friends. I think all with be fine for Nikolas since he's starting kindergarten. I think Alex will still be OK as he's still in the elementary. I worry about the two girls though. This age is so clicky. I hope they are able to make friends and fit in there. I can't help but worry and think about this. I am so afraid they will be sitting alone at a lunch table. I guess I just have to keep thinking positive and hope everything will go well.
Amy

Why, Why, Why

Is nothing mine anymore in the house?

I bought body wash...one a pretty grapefruit scent and another a pommegranate and cranberry scent...both gone from the bathroom I use when I went to use them. So what do I end up using? Huggies Sensitive Skin! Shampoo....I bought this, never in there....so what do I use!? Crayola! So I figure since I am the only one in the house with curly hair that I would buy the shampoo for curly hair! I get in the tub, wet my hair and guess what!? Shampoo is gone! Ok, now I freak! You have to understand it's EVERY time I get in that tub! Body wash gone, shampoo gone...I go to come my hair, big fat comb is gone! Am I selfish!? No, not at all...I just want to be able to take a bath and wash my hair using ADULT products! Is this what it's like with teenage girls in the house!? Don't forget I am an only child...so what was mine was mine and now I guess I am learning late in life what it's like to turn around and find your stuff missing! At least they don't like and don't fit into my clothing!
Amy

AMAZING!

That's the word I would use to describe the concert last night! It was so amazing! We had great seats, we could see everything! The opening act was entertaining. Blondie was just awesome! They covered all their big hits: Rapture, Tide is High, Call Me, Hanging on the Telephone....and a whole bunch more. They ended with Heart of Glass and a Michael Jackson tribute song. It is something I will remember til my mind goes and I can't remember anymore! Oh my gosh, she looks soooooo good for 64 years old! I swear it wasn't like watching a 64 yr old woman on that stage!

We had dinner before the concert at a place called The Office, that was also very nice. Then we walked around Morristown for a little while. It was a cute little town. The drive was easy to get there and get home, very easy directions to follow. It was just such a great night! I am so glad I decided to do this!

We got in pertty late. We hit some nasty storms coming home. I think we got in around 12:30, I never got to bed til about 2 a.m.....and yes, I am crazy enough to be up now. John had to get up and go to work though and I felt bad staying in bed, so I came out to see him for a little while before he left. I am sure I will pay for it later today! That's ok though, any time for an amazing night like that! :)
Amy

This Is It!

It's finally here! When I ordered the tickets it seemed so far away, but it's here! Tonight I go to see Blondie! I can't wait. I was up super early this morning. Of course when Gabriella heard me up, she was up too! She's not even going to see Blondie, but I bet she would if she could! She's three years old and she can sing so many of the songs! She's so funny! Right now she's making a masterpiece of her Magna Doodle.

Alex and Nikolas just walked out too! Dominic has been strolling around here as well. I can also hear the TV on in the girls room so I am assuming that at least one of them is up in there. It's only 7:43 and there are only a few weeks left of sleeping before school starts. What are they thinking? I hated sleep as a child too, now I wish I didn't! I should have caught up on it way back then! Of course when I was younger I never would have imagined I would have six kids!

Nikolas is talking about school here now. He said he got his clothes but he needs some socks and a backpack and he's ready to roll! That kid is so comical! Oh I am going to miss him! I was talking about taking the other kids to school and he asked me if he could go for the ride too. For some reason I think he thinks he isn't staying! Oh I hope he does OK!

Oh and another funny....the other night Gabriella insisted she saw something in the neighbors yard and she was so excited about them. Doobies, Doobies! Look Mom, Doobies! Ok, what the heck is she talking about!? Finally figured it out...the neighbor got two new gnomes. Where Doobies came from, I will never know.....that kid marches to her own beat!

I took the girls for bras and underwear yesterday. What is wrong with Hanes or Fruit of the Loom!? Obviously you have to look good even though nobody should be seeing that! I spent almost $100 on bras and underwear! That is insane but they will look good, I guess? What happened to the days when I went to Penney's or Children's Place and picked them out the cute little undies and decorative bras or t shirts and they were so happy with them!? Then there is Dominic who has a "sock sensitivity", that's what I call it! He is so particular about his socks. It drives me insane...put them on your freaking feet and wear them! Nope, he can't, when he was little he would say they hurt....they are freaking cloth, how can they hurt!? He definitely takes after John!
Amy

Sleepless in....

Old Forge? Yes, it's true. The house is quiet and I can't sleep. I am kind of paying right now for a big meal I ate tonight. I knew the Creme Brulee was going to do me in and yet I couldn't resist.

Had an amazing meal tonight! We went to Ruth's Chris Steakhouse. Oh the calamari was the best I think I have had! The steak was perfect, the potatoes were awesome and the dessert, well to die for (and I am doing that now!) Oh gosh though, so worth it!!!!

Dom and I went to Aeropostale and got the girls some cami's and he also got two t-shirts. The guy recognizes me when I come in now, you know when the guy at Aero recognizes you, that you spend way too much time there! Gosh I got some great deals though! I had a 30% off coupon so that really helped with the back to school clothes! Gosh we needed so much this yr. With the exception of Dominic...everyone needed, well....everything! It's expensive to go to school!

On the way home we stopped at McDonald's and had a sweet tea. I enjoy some time alone with him. I love their sweet tea! He got his school schedule today and he wasn't thrilled at first. Then I told him that there was nothing bad on there (like Honors Spanish, which they originally wanted to give him). I did have a conversation with the guidance counselor and said that he would be in honors Spanish over my dead body...then I proceeded to tell him that it didn't matter what he got in place of that, put him in Home Ec. , just don't put him in H. Spanish! Well guess what he got!? You got it....Home Ec! I felt I had to break the news to him that I actually said put him in there instead of Spanish but I didn't think that the G.C. was going to take it so literally! Oh well, lesson learned for next yr! I could probably call and get him out but then it's going to rearrange his whole schedule and in the end he said he would just take the elective, hey, it beats Spanish, right? What's the worst thing that can happen!? He's the only guy in with a bunch of girls? Oh I am sure that would be horrible to him! When I put it that way he seemed to really be OK with Home Ec! Maybe he will be Mr. Homemaker.....nah, I don't think so! :) Maybe he will learn to appreciate more what I do every day around here!

He worked tonight. They had some kind of movie night. They asked him if he would work and he accepted. He sure likes making money!

Well it's getting late and I should be sleeping but right now it's just not going to happen. I am here with Spooky, John's cat. Yeah, I call him John's cat since I am much more of a dog person, yet I don't see any dogs hanging out with me here at 1:30 in the morning....oh no, they know enough to get some sleep! I hope that everyone had a great Saturday!
Amy

Officially Registered

The kids are officially registered at the school. Yesterday I took the two girls there to register them. This summer has flown by so fast. I knew this day was coming but last September it was almost a yr away. Then at Christmas it was at least 6 months away. Then in May I thought I have til August. Now August was here and I thought I better just jump in and do this. I am sad because I am closing a chaper of our lives but happy for their new adventures. Keeping them home and protected isn't everything. They want to make friends, they want to go to dances and sporting events and that's the part of school I used to enjoy the most. It's not fair that I got to experience all that and they aren't. So I am going in with a positive attitude and I hope we have a great year!

I think we are ready clothes wise too. I went to two Aeropostale's yesterday to finish up with what they needed. Both of the girls wear the same size so I exhausted the supply of khaki pants at the first one but they held the rest at the other one for me. I went through everything and I am one shirt short for Alex. I went to Old Navy, Children's Place, Boscov's....nobody has them in Alex's size! Well I do have one option which is white but I didn't want to go that route, I don't think white is the best color for Alex! It may be my only choice though, so we shall see.

Today Dominic and Alex have dental check ups and cleanings. I have no idea why but Dominic hates the dentist. It's not like he ever had anything done period, let alone anything tramatic. He has had one tiny cavity his entire life! He thought it was a conspiracy from the dentist. That she needed to fill someone's tooth and because he never before had a cavity, he was a good target for her evil plan. I tried to explain to him I am not taking him to some mad dentist who feels the need to fill teeth and targets unsuspecting, healthy teeth of children! He's so warped sometimes! So I put off telling him that he has to go today and he goes into the shower mumbling something and now he probably will be in a bad mood all morning. Let's just pray she doesn't find another cavity! I might just need to take some medication for that result!

Tonight I guess he finds out if he gets his promotion. Second promotion this year. I am nervous for him. He feels good about it, however I don't...I just don't think they are going to let a 16 yr old hold that position. I know he's responsible, a good worker, never misses time but fact is he is still only 16. I hope I am wrong thoughf or his sake. He has great self esteem with this job. I am happy for him, he's so responsible!

It looks like a gorgeous day out! When we get back from the dentist, I think I am going to go out in the pool with the kids. I have decided I am not going to cook tonight. I am going to just order out! I can play all day then! :) Ok, well maybe not all day. I do have some cleaning to do and I want to get some laundry done too. Laundry...argh, there is always more laundry! I think laundry is in the rabbit family because it multiplies like them!

Well off to get a few things done before the trip to the "Mad Dentist"!
Have a great Friday everyone!
Amy

Lazy Day

I don't know why but this has been such a lazy day so far. I am having a hard time getting motivated here. The sun comes out for 5 minutes and then it's cloudy for the next 20 minutes. Hey, at least it's not raining. I am sitting here now watching Hell's Kitchen from last night. Gabriella is "reading" books to herself. I offered to read to her, but she said she wanted to do it herself. She's so independent!

Dinner tonight is country fried chicken with country gravy, mashed potatoes and I think corn. Sometimes I just don't feel like cooking, but we have to eat! It's odd because I would much prefer make a big dinner like a roast or a turkey breast than say something like tacos. I love eating tacos but hate making them!

Last night John and I were in the pool with the kids for about 2 hours. We had a lot of fun with them! Nikolas and Gabriella are really enjoying the pool this year. I just wish we had a better summer. It's hard to believe it but I will be starting to close the pool one short month from now. I have kept it open after school starts back before, but usually the kids don't get to swim in it much at that time so it's a lot of money for chemicals and a lot of upkeep to swim in it once or twice only during those few weeks. It will be even harder this yr because with them all going to school, they won't be home til after 3:00 and then homework etc.

I told you all about my ordeal with the cable and cable box yesterday. Well I had to drive to the cable company a few towns over and saw the funniest thing on the way! There was someone selling a used toilet AND flop ear bunnies on the side of the road! Shaina and I were just laughing and laughing! What would posess someone to sell their used toilet? Interesting, I tell you that! What would even be more would be to see the person that actually buys that toilet!

Alex made two friends in the neighborhood. He's so happy! He's been playing with them in our yard, he's been playing with them in their yard, they have been riding bikes together, playing baseball, freeze tag......oh just a whole bunch of fun stuff for a 10 yr old (or almost 10 yr old). I am happy for them because these two boys will actually be in his grade at school. Even if he doens't end up in their classroom, at least he will recognize a familiar face at lunch. This is making the transition a little easier.

Well it's time to get off here and go out in the yard and play. Gabriella is starting to get antsy!
Amy

Gullah Gullah Island Is On!

Yes, the cable is fixed. It only took yet another ride to the cable company and then another phone call! Gabriella is thrilled. She was on Gullah Gullah Island withdrawl! She love that great big yellow polliwog! It's on at 4 a.m, so there is no way we are about to wake up at 4 am to see it, so DVR'ing it is really our only choice. I am so relieved that it's all back to normal again! What a day, what an ordeal!
Amy

Comcast Sucks!

Comcast sucks! It's true! I haven't had a problem with their service but their pricing and customer service is horrible. My cable bill is nearly $300. Well that's cable and Internet. So I decided to get rid of a few things to bring it down some. We just got used to having the things but we don't need them. So I got rid of a few premiums and one of the boxes. Well I should have known it couldn't go without a hitch, it never does with Comcast! So what do they do? They shut off the wrong box, the one I want to keep. So I call them back and now they tell me that there can only be one work order open at a time and I have to drive the box to a local Comcast facility so they can close out that work order and the people there and fix it so the other box will work. SO I drive all the way to Comcast, turn in the box I don't want and tell them about the problem, their answer? "We can't fix that here, you have to go home and call the customer service office!" Ok, so another 20 minutes on hold and I get a goof but it is now fixed, or so I think. Now my DVR service won't work...so I call them back again. They proceed to tell me that they would like to send someone out to the house. This is the best though....I can either pay them a fee per hour or I can sign up for a plan at $3.95 a month to cover the cost. HELLO, YOU ARE THE ONE THAT CAUSED THE PROBLEM!!!! Now you are going to charge me to fix it? Have you ever heard of anything so crazy? My service worked just fine til they started screwing with it this morning. It's not 1:00 in the afternoon...this all started around 7:30 this morning with my first call. I am waiting for a manager to call me back. Should I charge them my hourly wait for every hour I had to be inconvenienced today?
Amy

Rainy Days and Monday....

Always get me down.....

Ok, well not always. Sometimes I enjoy a good rainy day, stuck in the house with not much to do. This yr however there have been way too many rainy days. Mondays, well I just got used to them through the years. It seems it rains on the weekend and is nice on Monday, today being no exception.

Later this morning we are going to John's Mom's house. Dominic is going to cut their grass. He likes cutting grass and he wanted to do it. He is also driving us there. I am a bit nervous. I am not a good passanger at all. I hope he does ok, we have to go on the turnpike. Still he needs the experience.

One week today til Blondie! I know I keep talking about this but gosh, I am so excited! I can't wait!

Nurse Jackie is on TV tonight. I really like that show. I wasn't sure if I was going to or not, but I have been really hooked since the first episode. I also like Big Love and The United States of Tara. Not sure when they are due back on though?

Alex will turn 10 on the 17th of this month. We are trying to figure out what to get him. I am thinking maybe a Nintendo DSi. Gosh...double digits! I remember being in labor with him. It was 36 hours long. I thought it was going to be a walk in the park with how quick I was getting with labors, boy was I wrong!

Well it's time to hit the shower here! Happy Monday!
Amy

Raindrops Keep Falling on My Head....

And just like the man who's feet are too big for his bed, nothing seems to fit.....

Yeah, rain again! It was so nice yesterday and we had to pay for it with rain today. The sun finally started shining some time after dinner tonight but by that time already the day was almost gone, couldn't do much.

John made dinner today. He slow roasted ribs in the oven with BBQ sauce, oh it was amazing! He also made baked potatoes and corn on the cob! Then he made homemade bread pudding! It was awesome! It's so nice having a night off from cooking! I enjoy the meal so much more when I am not the one cooking it!

Speaking of that raindrops song. John laughs at me because sometimes there is something that just sparks a memory! I used to have this turquoise colored jukebox on my dresser when I was a little kid. One of the songs it played was Raindrops Keep Falling and I loved that song! I played it over and over and over again! That jukebox was also something that caused me major problems! I think a lot of my stomach issues go back to that jukebox! My Mom used to give me this cough syrup when I was little and I guess I really liked the taste of it. So one day dripping out of the jukebox was this amazing tasting cough syrup, or so I thought! So I sucked on the thing that it was coming out of....A BATTERY! My parents had to rush me to the doctor, I was so sick! I had to drink milk and milk and more milk...and maybe that is why I so hate milk to this day!? I don't know! I was about 4 years old at the time. When my Mom tells me stories about things I did, it actually reminds me a lot of Victoria. She's getting better though, it only took 13 years!

One week from tomorrow I go to see Blondie! I can't wait! I am so excited!!!! I have been waiting my whole life for this! Yeah...maybe she's in her 60's but I still think the music is amazing and I still listen to it all the time! I can't wait til next Monday!

I have a good start now on school shopping. We still need more but I have a good start. Old Navy was having a sale so I was able to get all of Alex's and Nikolas' shorts and pants there. Well I am short one pair of pants because they didn't have their size but for the first few weeks I am sure they will be wearing shorts and if need be, I can always run to Children's Place or order online. They do need a few more polos though...Nikolas only has three and Alex also has three. I have two pairs of Bermuda shorts and two pairs of capris for each of the girls and all their polos, but I still need to get them pants. I have a 30% off coupon for Aero for this week so hopefully I can get up there and that problem will be solved. I got all the kids their sneakers. Nikolas picked out a pair I certainly wouldn't have picked out but he loved them and I figured he's starting kindergarten, he should have a say. They are a pair of Sketcher's cop cars and they light up! I guess that's pretty exciting when you are 5 yrs old! I can't believe in less than a month it's just going to be Gabriella home with me. I am wondering what life is going to feel like because I honestly can't remember the last time I only had one home with me.
Amy

Good-Bye's Are Hard

Why is saying good-bye so hard? Nastassja left early this morning. It was so hard. She was crying and it broke my heart. My girls are sulking here right now. We all knew that these two weeks would come to an end, but it doesn't make it any easier. Dominic and Nicholas were much better with it, maybe it's a boy thing, maybe they just know they will see each other again. In a few minutes I am going to set out to get all the sleeping arrangements back to the way they were. Maybe if everything is back to the way it was, then things won't be as hard to look at for them. It was a fun two weeks though! I hope they have good memories of this when they get older.

Friday we are supposed to go to Knoebel's Amusement Park. This time I am going to try to get some pictures. I have been so bad about taking pictures lately. I have to get better. I know the kids have to be changing every day and I don't want to forget a single minute. I know how quickly time flies!

It's a gorgeous day out! It's so sunny already and it's not even 8 a.m. I think it is supposed to be about 87 today. YAY! I think we will get out and spend the afternoon in the pool and playing in the yard. I think keeping busy today will help keep our minds off of Nastassja and Nicholas going back home.

We still have more school shopping to finish. I think the girls have enough to start off. I only have to worry about getting them some pants but they have shorts and capri's to start off with. I do have shirts for the boys but they need pants. They can't go pantless! We also have to pick out sneakers. That's an exhausting job in itself! Maybe later this week we can get to that!
Amy

Time Flies....

The expression "time flies when you are having fun" is so true. The kids have been here for two full weeks now and tomorrow they are leaving to go home. It was so nice to see them again. My kids so enjoyed them being around. The little ones just think of them as part of the household now and it's time to go. It just seemed so short! The girls have so enjoyed their time with Nastassja. They are leaving early tomorrow morning. We are going to miss them! Right now the girls are down in the family room making bracelets. They seem to really enjoy that and it's keeping them really busy. Nastassja showed them how and I bought her a book for her birthday with all new patterns in it. They are so cute too! Even little Gabriella has one around her ankle!

Amy

Chitty Chitty Bang Bang

It's funny how some things just spark memories. I was flicking through the channels before and Chitty Chitty Bang Bang was on, this was Dominic's all time favorite movie as a child. He would watch it over and over. Given the choice that was the movie he would pick. I think I could probably recite much of the dialogue by now! So this morning I was flicking through, saw it on and stopped for a minute...memories, ya know? Well who walks in the room? Dominic! He sits down on the couch and starts watching it with me! I told him the story about when he was little how he loved the movie. He was laughing. Then I told him he used to call all cars "motor cars". It would be so funny. We would start to get him dressed to go out and he would say to us "Am I going for a ride?" and we would say "Yes" and then he would say with great excitement, "In the MOTOR car?" John and I used to laugh and laugh!!!! Gosh, I haven't thought about that for years! I did tell him this morning what a long way he has come! He has gone all the way from riding in a motor car to driving a motor car! Where do the years go?
Amy

Busy Busy!

It's been a while since my last post. I have had 7 to 9 kids here at all times with me. Crazy as it sounds, it isn't chaos at all. The kids have all been so good. I guess the two kids from Florida are going back on Sunday. I have to say I am going to miss them. We really enjoyed having them with us.

Tonight I am baking chocolate chip cookie bars. I made two big batches. It's for a baby shower for one of John's co workers that they are doing at the office tomorrow.

I have a sinus infection now and don't feel the best and Nikolas is also coming down with something. It seems to be the two of us all the time. I am going to have to keep an eye on him since he tends to get ear infections easily.

I went shopping to Children's Place tonight and they had some great deals. Gabriella is so happy she got a pretty dress! John picked it out for her. She was so thankful for it! She just loves to look pretty!

Well I guess that is it for tonight! My cookie bars are ready to come out of the oven! I have been up since 4 a.m. with Nikolas (well I fell asleep for a few minutes in between him falling asleep and Gabriella waking up) but I am so ready to crash in my bed!
Amy

Full House

The kids friends arrived from Florida yesterday evening. We haven't seen them in two years. It's amazing how much kids change in two years. I don't see it with my own, guess because I see them every day. The kids are enjoying them so much! I am happy because they are all so happy! I roasted 4 chickens for dinner tonight! Everyone ate so that made me happy! My mother-in-law even joined us for dinner! She was such a great help! I am so lucky, I was blessed with two great parents and a couple of great inlaws too!

The weather was gorgeous! The kids have been swimming in the pool and enjoying it. Tonight the girls gave each other makeovers...I sure hope they get better at the make up thing because remember that character from the Drew Carey show...Mimi was it? Well they look probably worse than that! They are having fun though so that is what counts! I hope that these little memories stick with them for a very long time!

Tomorrow I am going to take them to see My Sisters Keeper. They really want to see it. I am thinking I should bring a box of tissues with me. I remember how I cried with the movie UP, I can't imagine what this is going to be like! Still they really want to go and I will go along with them.

Well I guess that is about it for now. I have a lot more to write but I am just so tired, it's time for bed!
Amy

It's Friday! YAY!

It's Friday! I love the weekends. I have to start my Friday cleaning in a little while but figured I would pop on here first. Dominic is here making bacon right now. Victoria, Shaina and Alex are outside and Nikolas and Ella are running around the house here like nuts! What a beautiful day outside! I am going to try to get my cleaning done quickly so we can go out and play! I forgot to take something out for dinner last night, so I have to run up to Rossi's and see what looks good. Dominic wants to stop at Blockbuster anyway and pick up that movie Knowing. We watched the Unborn last night, jumpy and freaky but a pretty decent movie.

I am assuming we will be playing Singstar tonight. Dominic doesn't have work and when he's not working he's usually looking to play! We have a lot of fun with it though! It's a cool game and good family time!

Well it's time to get off here and start my day!
Amy