Life is A Highway

2011-09-13T10:28:00.002-04:00

Here I am! Yes, I am still alive and well. Just took a little break from blogging because it seemed like I always had the same thing to say. So, now having taken a break, I have some new stuff to share.

All is well here in our house. I got the kids all settled back in school. Elizabeth is a senior, yes a SENIOR, in college. I still can't believe how fast the time went by. She is Editor-in-Chief right now at the Independent Florida Alligator (the University of Florida's newspaper). So, she is busy, busy, busy. She's still involved in her sorority as well. This year she chose to live off campus in an apartment with three other gals. Her apartment is so cute and I love her new roommates. This is going to be her best year yet!

Greg is loving college. He's still at the USF. He now is also working as a personal trainer. He's doing what he loves. He's even talking about going for his Master's. Right now he's trying to figure out how to get one of his certifications as a trainer in addition to a full course load. But, I know that he will figure it out.

Emily is a senior in high school. Can you believe it??? I can't. Her school year started off to a not so great start. If you followed the national news about a kid who wanted to shoot up a school and it be "bigger than Columbine", that was her school I was so sad for her that that is how her final year of high school will be remembered. On our back to school night right before school started, we were walking around the school with lots of cops on the campus. On their first day, it was full of media and even the helicopter was circling. They had bomb sniffing dogs do a sweep of the school that morning. When I first read the article, I thought maybe the kid was all talk and just wanting attention. I almost felt sorry for him. But they released more information last week and he was serious. He will be tried as an adult and I hope they throw the book at him. I can't say enough about how the school handled the situation. The first day went off with no problem and then we got another phone call. Apparently a teacher (who wasn't working at the school anymore) was arrested for having "an inappropriate relationship" with a student. So, the media and their camera's were back. The situation happened the previous year but for some reason, they like to make an example of our school. We are finally in a routine now and hopefully we will finish the school year without any further incidents.

Mark is in the 5th grade. He pointed out to me several weeks ago that I have "three seniors". A senior in college, high school and elementary school. haha. So far he is doing great. Moving him last year to a new school and repeating the 4th grade was just what was needed. He also is on some medication now to help him "focus". I'm so proud of how hard he is trying. After the first of the year, we will be searching a middle school for him. We are definitely not sticking with the Florida Public School system for him. He is going a different route. So, I have my work cut out for me.

I'm still selling my Avon. Not making a whole lot of money but I am not losing money either. So, that's good. If you ever need any Avon, please visit my website. They have some great deals and they sell so much other stuff besides make up. www.youravon.com/kbehrman

I finally got back into my scrapbook routine. I'll be heading back up to Indiana in February for the girls weekend again. I was so excited I was asked back. That was such a great time. If anyone is in Indiana and is looking for a fun weekend away, you definitely need to check out Michelle's Memory Loft in LaPorte.

Well, that's a quick update of things going on. I'll have more to share tomorrow or the next day.

Have a wonderful Tuesday.

2011-02-10T10:14:00.004-05:00

Holy smokes Batman, it's February. 2011 is already starting to fly by. Please slow down.

Two weeks from today, I will be in South Bend Indiana visiting my friend, Lisa. I met Lisa when I moved here to Tampa in 2003. Our boys were on the same baseball team. We hit it off immediately. We had so much in common. We were both from the midwest, loved scrapbooking, we were very active in our kids schools, little league was our "life", just to name a few. We live(d) in a newer community that is still "booming". There is also a "reputation" that goes along with our little community. Yes, there is a lot of fake boobs, botox and silicon here. But with Lisa and I, we didn't fit that mold. Everyone here is too busy living "above their means" with their fancy houses and cars, hitting the country club and tennis courts and running down the road in hardly nothing at all. But not Lisa and myself. Our houses were not "show pieces" that you couldn't enjoy living in. We enjoyed being mom's, carpooling and just being ourselves. Our kids were not perfect and we didn't expect perfection from them. Don't think our whole community is like this. It's just unlike anywhere I have ever lived before. I have made many nice friends here. So, when Lisa told me they were moving back to Indiana, I was devastated. In less than a month, she was gone. Thank goodness for Facebook. It's a great way to stay in touch. So, I am flying up to see here in two weeks for 5 days. Over the weekend, we are going to a scrapbooking getaway. I cannot tell you how excited I am. Unfortunately, it's very cold and still lots of snow there. This Florida gal is going to be way out of her element. This is a picture of the kitchen of where we are staying. It's called Michelle's Memory Loft in LaPorte, Indiana. I have not clue how I am going to get all my stuff there, but it's been really challenging and fun getting it all together.

Overall, life is good. Kids are keeping me busy. It's been weird this year only having to get two kids off an out in the morning. Seems like just yesterday, I was getting Liz off to kindergarten, Greg off to nursery and getting Emily all bundled up to run around. Time flies.

Kids are off school AGAIN tomorrow. It's "fair day". Needless to say, we won't be attending the fair. I'm looking forward to sleeping in. I told Mark that maybe we'd go see a movie or something.

Mark is starting to stress over the dreaded FCATs that will be here before you know it. I really hate these standardized tests. We have made the decision that once he finishes elementary school, we are pulling him out of the public schools. I have always been a big advocate of them, but I'm done. They aren't teaching him anything except FCAT, FCAT, FCAT. The kid is 10 years old (almost 11) and still has not learned cursive. It's no secret he struggles. Teach kids the basics and it will come. But not here, they are teaching them some math which they will never use in life. Even Steve and I can't help him. Teachers I have talked too don't like this math program either. It's so sad to see what he isn't learning and what my other kids learned in other states. So, I need to start researching private schools. I always joke with my hubs that you will never see anyone from Florida on teen jeopardy. They've never learned half the stuff. Okay, I'm done moaning and groaning.

Well, I'm off to volunteer in the media center at Mark's school. Hopefully, by this afternoon, the sun will come out in time for our three day weekend.

2011-01-05T20:23:00.003-05:00

Happy New Year!

Hard to believe it's 2011. Where did 2010 go? It seemed to just "fly" by. Now I have the task of taking down all the Christmas decorations. I love looking at the Christmas tree so I procrastinate taking it down. Our first house was small that the tree pretty much came down the next day. I don't feel the need to rush taking it down now that we live in a house that has room for a tree. But, this weekend it will come down. Steve has finished his year end stuff at work so he will be home to help. Unfortunately, he worked all day New Year's Eve, New Year's day and Sunday too.

Everyone is back in school, with the exception of Greg. He starts back on Monday. It's kind of weird having the house all quiet again after all the "bodies" lying around the house watching TV. As much as it bothers me, I let it go. I don't know how many more Christmases I will have them all home together. This time next year, Liz "should" be a college graduate. She's not sure though that she wants to graduate early. I think she should and get a head start. It's going to break my heart though when she starts sending out all the resume's out of town. Now we are getting Emily going on all her college stuff. She finally registered for her SAT. Hard to believe that she is a junior and will be a senior.

With all the changes going on with the kids, I've kind of neglected "me". So that is my word for the year. Yes, it sounds selfish but for the past 20 years I've been "mom". Somewhere in there "Kim" got lost. Don't get me wrong, I have NO complaints. It's just that after all this time, I am ready for some "me time". Everyone else's needs have come first. I've let myself get lost. I put on weight and my health is not the best. My last doctor appointment, my cholesterol was up and so was my blood pressure (I'm on meds for those already). So, I left the doctors office with even more meds to take. So, in addition to "me", I am also going to use the word "no" more often. It won't hurt the kids to stay at home while I do something for myself. I cannot tell you the last time Steve and I had a date night. We are always having to pick Emily up from work and take her somewhere. Giving her her license, is not the answer. She knows that. Her grades slipped so until they go back up, she's a passenger. So, she knows what she has to do in order to achieve that. So, if I am out taking a walk, they can wait on me for a change. I know that sounds selfish, but I have to start taking care of me. I may even give running a try. I've said that in the past but have never done it. This is my year to try!

Another thing I have done is booked a trip to see my friend, Lisa, in South Bend, Indiana. She invited me up for a scrapbook weekend at a lodge at the end of Feruary. So, I'm off for a weekend of scrapbooking. Steve is fully capable of taking care of getting Mark and Emily off to school. He's all on board and told me to take as much time as I need. So, I'm leaving on a Wednesday and coming back on Monday. I love that he is so supportive of me. I know he is really worried about my health. He's always trying to remind me to take my fish oil and even got me a cookbook for Christmas and told me he would eat what I did.

So, what do you think of the new blog? I came across this website and fell in love with it. It so fits my personality. I'm still working on the header. I just can't figure out how to get the title right. But, I'm not going to give up. I still need to tweek some more stuff, but "baby steps".

Hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas. May 2011 be a great year for everyone. Hopefully, I will do better at keeping up with this blog.

Publish Post

2010-11-14T21:31:00.004-05:00

Happy November!

Can't believe it's only 11 days until Thanksgiving. It has just been flying by!

I've been in a Dancing with the Stars haze. After next week it will be over and I will have to wait until the next one starts. Here's my two favorites:

Do you not love this kid? His personality, his energy. I really like him. And it's so good to finally see Lacey get someone who has taken her this far. She always seems to get the "bad boys" who are their just because. The other one I like is Bristol Palin (my computer for some reason will not let me save her and Mark's picture). Yeah, I know she isn't the best dancer but how can you not root for her? What a completely different person she is since that first week. Her and Kyle are the only two that represent what the concept of the show is about. People who have had no dance experience! Jennifer Grey is okay. I'm kind of tired of her "whining". We know "she's 50". Heck, Florence was 70 something and didn't complain at all. Plus, I still think Jennifer has the advantage. You know she has had some kind of dance training. She was AWESOME as Baby. Don't get me wrong. I do like her, I just think Kyle or Bristol should win. As for Brandy, ick. She can dance...no doubt about it. I would probably like her more if she wasn't paired with Max. He's got such a chip on his shoulder. He really turned me off when he argued with Carrie Ann last week. But yet, he still got a 10. So, I truly believe they are setting this up for a "Brandy win". I hope not but I have that feeling. Did you not just love Kurt and Rick? They were so fun to watch. Again, disappointed they went home. Bristol probably should have gone home before them but she's got the fan base.

I survived another Homecoming. Hard to believe I only have one left. Emily was absolutely stunning. (Well, again I messed up the upload and it won't let me do it. I will work on that). It has something to do with the format it was saved in. I'm clueless with this stuff.

Not much else has been going on. I've just been going through stuff trying to get organized. Today I was going through my closet and I found two Christmas gifts from last year that didn't make it under the tree. Oops. I guess this means I have two done already for this year. My friend Patti is coming down the day after Thanksgiving to spend a week. I can't wait. Maybe I can talk her into helping me paint my bedroom. She is the Queen of decorating and can put a room together like no one can. Our bedroom is the only one left to finish.

This weekend, Hallmark started running their Christmas movies. Have I mentioned I love watching those? I had a two hour window tonight because the movie they are showing now, I watched last night. I'm headed to bed here soon to watch another one. This is my favorite "tv time" of the year. Tomorrow XM turns on their Christmas music. Yes, I am one of those who listens to Christmas music before Thanksgiving. It really puts me in the holiday spirit.

Well, I'm going to shut this computer down and head off to bed. Have a wonderful week. Hard to believe another new one is here. On a happy note, we only have this week, and then everyone (except Liz & Greg) are off next week. Woo Hoo.

2010-10-15T21:10:00.002-04:00

Still here!

Can't believe it's been so long since I've updated my blog. Time just got away from me.

Kids have all gone back to school and we are finally on somewhat of a routine. Liz is doing well up at the University of Florida. She LOVES that school. She's working two jobs and taking all her classes. Can't believe how fast the time has gone by. Greg started at the University of South Florida. He's living here and home and commutes to school. It's only 15 minutes away. He's doing awesome! He was meant to be a college student. He's doing so good. Emily is my only one left at the high school. It's weird only have one at the school. She's dying to get her driver's license (she turned 16) in April but until those grades improve just ever so slightly, it will be awhile. But, she is working at it. She also got a job. It's so nice that she has her own money now. And then there is Mark. All I can say is that keeping him in the 4th grade was the best decision we have ever made in regards to his education. He likes the neighborhood school. So do I for that matter. I love that he walks to and from school and I don't even have to start that car! I am still not a big fan of the Florida school system. I think they could learn a lot from other states. I will not go into detail but I hope that sometime in the future, we can get him in a private school and not have to deal with all the BS. We go in Monday to make some changes to his IEP. That didn't take long but it needs to be done.

As for me, I am BORED out of my mind. I've put in a few job applications but of course, no one has called. I am still selling AVON. Making a few dollars but not enough since we have two kids in college. But at the same time, Mark needs me too. I do have an AVON website. If you ever need any AVON, please feel free to take a look. They have great deals and usually free shipping. The website is www.youravon.com/kbehrman

I still haven't started running. I keep using the excuse that it's been too hot. It has. Well, it's finally cooled off and I am still not doing. BUT, this morning I played tennis. I loved it! I haven't played in years. Good news is that I can still do it. I must say, we were pretty good. So, we are going to do it again. Hopefully we will keep at it several mornings a week. It was a great cardio workout.

I didn't get to spend much time this past summer scrapbooking, but I actually did a layout this week. I'm going to try and take a picture and post it. It was quick and simple. Right now I'm so many years behind, that's the kind of layouts I need to do. Plus, I'm really trying not to buy more supplies and use up what I have.

Guess I've rambled on enough so I'm going to finish this post. Next weekend is Emily's homecoming so I will have a some pictures to post next week.

Have a wonderful weekend. Make it a good one.

2010-07-04T16:36:00.001-04:00

Happy 4th of July to all!

Hope everyone has a safe and happy 4th of July. Don't forget all the service men and women who are out there fighting for us to keep our independence. God Bless America!

2010-06-23T14:28:00.009-04:00

Still Here! Been a little busy. This is why........

Prom! Although getting a boy off to prom is much easier than a girl, I was still glad I got to be a part of it and I got invited to take pictures. He was so handsome and Brittany, his date, was gorgeous.

Emily made her Confirmation. After two years of preparation, she did it! Greg was her sponsor. Elizabeth came home from Gainesville to attend so it was a real family event. This is Abbot Isaac who officiated the mass. We celebrated afterwards at dinner at Beef O'Brady's. Love that place.

Finally, look who's a high school graduate. Yep. He did it. Can't believe my baby boy is all grown up. He celebrated his 18th birthday back in April. The time flew by these last 18 years. I couldn't be more proud of him than I am right now. So now, he's busy getting ready for college. He has orientation next month.

Mark celebrated his 10th birthday last Sunday as well. I don't have his pictures uploaded yet. I will share those on my next post.

That pretty much sums up what we've been up to. I am enjoying the summer break and am catching up on much needed sleep. I just hope time slows down a little so I can enjoy it. I am so not even ready to start thinking about school starting up again. Until then, I am just relaxing.

2010-05-14T13:01:00.002-04:00

TGIF!!!! The weekend is almost here. Finally. Although I can't really complain. The week FLEW by. Seems like the older I get, the faster they go. Looking back, it wasn't such a bad week. I'm just glad it's Friday! Prom is tomorrow. I think I am more excited about it than Greg. All that's left to do is pick up the corsage tomorrow at noon. I broke down and took my camera card to Walgreens and just put all the pictures on a CD. That's how far behind I am on my pictures. I figured it would easier to just transfer them and look at them later and start with a fresh card with all the events coming up. It would just take me too long to upload them to my computer. I am looking forward to having things calm down after school is out.

I got a story to share. When I was growing up I loved the show Emergency. Oh I loved that Johnny Gage. I was going to grow up and marry him you know (hey I was 7 years old). We all had someone like that didn't we? Please say yes and that I am not the only one. :) Anyway, I was thrilled when our cable company aired a channel called Retro TV. It shows a lot of the shows that I loved watching growing up (Battlestar Gallactica, Black Sheep Squadron, A Team, Rockford Files, Buck Rogers, Magnum just to name a few). But best of all, it shows Emergency. Every night at 10 pm you can find me watching that show. I LOVE this show! Emily can't stand when I watch it. Yet she has never sat down and watched a whole episode. Greg on the other hand watched it with me the other night. He even had to wait till it was over to get ready to go bed. That's my boy! Anyway, Emily sat and watched it with me for the first time too. There was lots of "this is lame" and eye rolling. Finally, she says "that John guy looks like dad". What???? I never thought that but hey.....I didn't marry Johnny Gage but I married someone who looks like him according to her. So my dream did come true.

Not much else going on. I'm finishing up getting Greg's announcements done. So time consuming. I guess I could print everyone's address on the computer and print labels but to me that takes the "personal touch" out of it. I try and do a couple a day and I hope to have them all ready to mail tomorrow. I can hope.

Liz had her first story published in the newspaper she's interning for. So cool. I will try and post the link to the story in my next post. So proud of her.

Well, time to get off here because it's time to go and start rounding up the troops. Space shuttle is going up at 2:20 today so I want to be one of the first in the car pool lane so I can get Mark and we can go and park somewhere to watch it go up. It's such a cool thing to watch. I'm sad that this is one of the last launches.

Have a great weekend!

2010-05-09T19:25:00.000-04:00

Happy Mother's day to all my mommy friends. Hope you had a wonderful, relaxing and pampered day!

2010-05-07T14:47:00.003-04:00

Still Here........

We are winding down the school year here in our house and that means busy, busy, busy.

Liz finished at UF and was home a whole week and she moved back to Gainesville. She's doing an internship with a newspaper up there so she sub let an apartment from one of her sorority sisters for the summer. It's kind of weird knowing that she is living somewhere other than home or in her dorm room. She's also doing some stuff on "The Alligator" which is the campus newspaper. We are so proud of her.

One month from today, Greg will graduate high school. We've been trying to get all the "last minute" stuff done and get all the registration done for USF. GO BULLS! He is still working at Smoothie King. Next weekend is Prom and I am looking forward to seeing him dressed in a tux. Can't believe how fast the time has gone by. Need to get his announcements mailed out and plan for his party. I am hoping to spend Mothers Day doing that. If anyone has any fun party favor ideas for a guy, let me know. (that's a hint for Tina.....she's awesome at that stuff). I have lots of ideas for a girl, but Greg doesn't even want a party.

Emily is "getting it". She was hanging around with some "not so nice" girls and that has finally come to an end. She has met some new friends and her grades are on the way up and also her attitude is so much better. I am proud that she got herself out of the situation. A part of me just wants to blow the whistle on those girls but I know it's none of my business and they aren't my kids.

Well, we have our meeting with another school on Tuesday morning. We are definitely pulling Mark out of his current school and putting him in our neighborhood school. We are also planning on having him repeat 4th grade. I am an emotional mess and start crying just thinking about it but I know it's best for him. Luckily he has a summer birthday so it won't affect him too much. He will go from being one of the youngest to being the oldest. We haven't told him yet and don't plan on telling him until after school is out. Hopefully after Tuesday's meeting, I can get over this and start getting rid of the guilt and stress. Pray for me....I will need all the prayers I can get to get through this meeting without falling apart.

I've been scrapbooking again! I need to put up some pictures. I'm so proud that I have been going to crops again. Unfortunately, it's with some teachers and parents at Mark's current school.....I hope I still get to go when he no longer goes there. But we shall see.

Still plugging along with my Avon business. Making a few dollars. Right now there is a deal if you spend $5 online you can get free shipping. So, check out my online store. www.youravon.com/kbehrman I am loving ordering all their jewelry. I used to wear jewelry all the time but since I became a stay at home mom, I just never wore it much. So much cute stuff out there.

That's about it in my life. Looking forward to what will hopefully be a stress free summer. Have a great weekend and to all my friends, have a wonderful Mother's Day!

2010-03-21T13:54:00.003-04:00

Hello..........It's been a long time. It's not that I haven't had anything to blog about, but truth is, I was in a funk. We are getting ready to have to make some serious decisions regarding Mark's education. I'm nervous and scared all at the same time. I've shared in the past how Mark struggles in school. After two years of tears and begging, we finally were able to get him an IEP (Individual Education Plan). If you don't know what that is, basically, it means that he has a learning disability and therefore, he is entitled to an aid that sits with him in Math & Reading, extra time on tests and when it comes time for the dreaded FCATs, he can be moved from the classroom into a much smaller room with less distractions. He is basically playing "catch up" and learning new stuff at the same time. It's hard for him. Then to top it off, they want to put next year's 5th graders at the middle school because of lack of classrooms. Everything is so up in the air. All I know is that I don't want my 10 year old going to the middle school with kids with whiskers and a campus that has a cop on the grounds at all times. They are 10 and 11 years old! We've been "assured" by the district that they will not come in any contact with the older kids. Basically, they will be, in my opinion, "prisoners" in one hallway. They've waited all their years in the elementary school to be "the big kids on campus". They are going to take that feeling/experience away. We are 99% positive that we are going to pull him from that situation and change schools. The other BIG decision we have to make is whether or not to have him repeat the 4th grade. I'm in tears over it and it's something that I do not want to do but we are feeling that it may be best for him. So, we are in the process of "school shopping" to help get him get a fresh start. Lots of BIG decisions to make in the next several months. So, if I am MIA, that's the reason why.

I got invited to join a scrapbook group with the teachers from Mark's school. I'm having a blast. We get together once a month. I wasn't sure at first about going because I was a "mom" and they were "teachers". But its worked out. There is no talk about school, no gossiping.....just a lot of fun. Let me tell you, there is some serious talent among these ladies. They have been so motivating. I really needed this and the timing was perfect.

About two and half months until Greg graduates. Wow. Can't believe it. Only one more month until he turns 18! Emily will be 16 next month too. My babies are all growing up. Time flies. Right now he is enjoying his senior year. He just got his ticket to Grad bash. Usually it is held at Walt Disney World but this year, they are having it at Universal Studios. That's one of the neat things about living in Florida. So much to do.

Liz will be home next month already. This year has gone so fast. Hard to believe she is halfway through college. She's a staff writer on "The Independent Florida Alligator". The univerisity's newspaper. So proud of that girl.

I finally got my AVON business going. Please think of me if you are interested in purchasing any Avon. I do love their products and they are so economical. I love, love, love their jewelry. I have an online store. You can order from my store and have it shipped directly to you (very cheap and sometimes free shipping). If you want me to send you a catalog, let me know. I will get that in the mail ASAP to you. My website is www.youravon.com/kbehrman

Well, that's pretty much basically what I've been up to. I'm so motivated to clean up/out and organize my scrapbook room. So, that being said, I'm going to log off here and get a move on. Have a wonderful rest of the weekend and an even better week.

2010-01-26T22:20:00.003-05:00

I'm still here. You know me with my busy and exciting life, I always have so much to blog about! NOT. My days are pretty much run run run from the time I get up till the time I go to bed. I went through a few nights of I would be so tired I would crawl into bed and then I couldn't fall asleep. I would just lie there and think about what I didn't get accomplished that day. I'm worried sick about how we are going to pay for two kids in college. That's what most of my stress is...finances. I know I need to go back to work but right now, Mark needs me. I am hoping to hang in there until he gets to middle school. He still goes to tutoring two days a week. I am sure that if I were to work that would have to stop. So, I've been really good with the grocery budget and I've stayed away from Michaels, Joanns and the scrapbook stores. I've done really good. I'm so proud of myself. Last Friday, I even went to a crop and spent less than $5. I used up all my own supplies!

So, I've been wondering what else I could do to help in the finances and I have decided to sell.................................
Yep. I'm an AVON lady. It only cost me $10 to sign up and there are no minimums. Of course, the more you sell, the more you earn. I've always like Avon. I love their lip glosses and nail polish. I decided on Avon because it's affordable. They are always having sales and specials so I thought what the heck. If I could earn enough to pay one bill a month then I will be happy. I will have a website up and running soon. So, if you are interested, let me know and I will add you to my email list and I will post my website as soon as it's up.

Can you believe in 5 months I will have another high school graduate???? He still hasn't made up his mind yet on where he wants to attend college. Hopefully, he will decide within the next week. I'm still trying to take it in that my little Greg will be 18 in April. Where has the time gone? Seems like just yesterday, we brought that little blue bundle home. I have a confession though. shh.. Don't tell my kids. Greg has been the easiest of all my kids! So easy going. No drama like the girls and he is so opposite of Mark. I don't know what I will do when Greg isn't around to keep me sane.

I had to stop working out with my trainer. It cost too much money. HOWEVER, I'm exercising on my own. I got a Wii Fit for Xmas and have been using that. Plus, I've been walking and really watching my diet. I haven't gained weight since I've stopped working out so that is good. As soon as I get a little more walking in under my belt, I'm going to give running a try.

Not much else going on. We survived a major blast of cold air. WOW was it cold but I'm not going to say much more about it because I know it's a lot colder in other places!

Oh yeah....I'm never going to complain about doing laundry again. My dryer died and I was without for over a week before my new one came. I must say, I've never been so excited to get an appliance! I love it. It works so much better than the old one too. I never realized that it was so bad and on it's way out.

Well, I'm off to bed. I'm exhausted. Tomorrow is a half day so I need to get an early start since the kids will be home early and mess up my schedule.

Have a wonderful hump day!

2010-01-01T10:40:00.000-05:00

Happy New Year to all my family and friends.

2009-12-29T10:26:00.002-05:00

HAPPY HOLIDAYS

Hard to believe another Christmas has come and gone. These past few weeks have just been crazy. Getting on to update my blog was at the bottom of my to do list. I was lucky I got to get on Facebook. But now that things have slowed down, I hopefully won't neglect my poor blog. Hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas. Can't believe 2010 is just days away. Remember this time 10 years ago when everyone was freaking out about Y2K? It was 10 years ago!!!!

Good news on the college front. Greg got accepted into the University of Tampa. He had pretty much decided the Univerisity of Southern Florida is where he would go. They have one of the top programs for what he wants to do. The University of Tampa also had a good program. The University of Tampa is a private college and Bright Futures only pays 100% to public colleges so financially it was a stretch and we just couldn't do it. Well, yesterday he got this "acceptance packet". Not only did he get accepted, he also got accepted to the Honors College AND the Dean's Scholarship.....$9,000 per year. It's still a stretch but now not out of the question. Steve thinks that we can somehow pull this off. Also, the student to teacher ratio is now 23/1, which is awesome. Someone has a BIG decision to make. His job now is to get online and start researching ANY scholarships that can help him. He still is going to sit down and talk to our good friend, Alex, who is a personal trainer, which is what he wants to do...Exercise Sciences. Sometimes they hear things better if it comes from someone other than a parent. We are on board for whatever school he chooses. Either way, he can still live at home so we won't have the room/board bill! Oh happy day.

Like everyone else, I am in the organize mode for the new year. Like Tina (her blog link is on the sidebar of my blog), I am going to tackle one room at a time. I have way too much stuff and it's time to let it go.

Another goal for the new year for me is to run. I still work out my two days a week but I have decided on those other days, I want to run. I used to run in high school many years ago. I think I can do it again. I bought me a cute pair of gray and pink running shoes and I am ready to go. Santa also brought me the Wii Fit. That's going to be fun.

Weather here in Tampa finally feels like winter. It's days like this that I regret getting rid of all my sweaters. What was I thinking?

So, college football. We were devasted that Urban Meyer (the UF coach) had resigned. However, the next day he changed his mind and decided to take a leave of absense for health reasons. You got to respect a guy who would put his health and family first. I know he will be back. He (and his wife) are such great people and assets to that institution. Can you believe that they have to play the University of Cincinnati in the Sugar Bowl? Even though I am an alumni of UC, I am rooting for the Gators! Poor Greg is a HUGE UC fan and he has to work on New Years Day during the game. He's not happy. Speaking of the Gators, Liz got a staff position on The Independent Alligator (the college paper). AND, she will get paid to write. So happy for her. I know she will do well.

Time to get off this computer. I am going to take Mark to the community center so we can walk around the lake. Time to get out and get some exercise.

Happy New Year to all my blog buddies. Hope it's a healthy and prosperous one.

2009-11-29T22:09:00.003-05:00

Got this picture off of Renee's blog. I think it is absolutely hysterical. We got our Christmas lights up today but they look nothing like this.

Had a wonderful Thanksgiving. Elizabeth came home but left on Friday. She wanted to get back to Gainesville so she could get a parking spot on campus. Saturday was the big UF v. FSU game. HUGE rivalry. Gators won!

Yesterday, I had the opportunity to go to a beautiful wedding on Clearwater Beach. I've never been to a beach wedding and it was absolutely breathtaking. As soon as the ceremony was over, the sun started to set and it was so gorgeous on the water. The temperatures finally dropped here so it was kind of chilly. We were freezing but it was so worth it. I kind of hope one of my girls wants a beach wedding.

Tomorrow is back to school. The kids had the last week off. It was nice sleeping in but they trashed my house! They also ate me out of the house. Holy cow! So, I'm looking forward to them going back to school just so I can clean the house. But, the good news is that we only have three weeks until Christmas break. I'm also counting down until December 18 when we head over to our annual Disney trip.

Got the Christmas tree up today. Hopefully we can get the ornaments on tomorrow and finish decorating the rest of the house. I love decorating for the holidays. I love the lights, the smell! I even started on my Christmas shopping! That's huge for me. Hopefully this week, I can start my list of all the baking I'll do. Buckeys, Peanut butter cups, pretzel candies. YUM.

Well, guess I better log off this and go to bed. I've had a week off of getting up at the crack of dawn. Have a wonderful week!

2009-11-11T20:25:00.005-05:00

I'm still here. It's been crazy but I am still alive and well.

I remember when my kids were little, I kept getting the advice "Oh it will get easier when the kids get older". Let me go on the record as saying "THEY WERE WRONG". Not that my kids aren't easy, I have been blessed with great kids. But they just keep me running. We finally were able to get Greg a car. Actually, we got him a pick up. It was one of "yard trucks" from Steve's work so we got a FANTASTIC deal. Greg is on cloud 9. He's been out whenever he can washing, cleaning and just admiring it. We finally got the paperwork and title yesterday but today the DMV was closed. So, hopefully tomorrow we will have it in our name with our tags. In the meantime, Greg is still admiring his pick up sitting in the garage. One of the requirements though is that he has to drive Emily to and from school. What a HUGE weight this will be lifted off of me. As sad as I am that he will be a driver in Tampa, I'm thrilled that my running will be less. Plus, he will now be able to drive himself to and from work. Oh happy day!

Seaking of Greg, he got accepted into his first college. He got into the University of Florida. He is still waiting to hear from The University of Tampa and St. Leo's. He also has to finish his application to Florida State University. I can't believe his time in high school is coming to an end. Just yesterday we ordered his cap and cown and graduation announcements.

Hard to believe that almost 17 years ago he was my little guy. He was such a cute baby. Time sure has flown by. I guess I should talk about the other kids too. Elizabeth is doing well up at the University of Florida. She is busy with all her classes and best of all she's getting published. I know she writes articles for the school newspaper and is doing some other things too. Right now they are not paid but she does have a few internships lined up in the future. I spent last Sunday hanging out with her in Gainesville. We had fun. It's been awhile since we've just had a "girls day out". Emily is keeping busy. She is so opposite Liz. I love this girl but she comes with the drama. Wow. She finally got her leaner's permit. She's also going to try out for Tennis. Keep in mind that she's never played Tennis before. I haven't seen her this excited about something in quite awhile. I hope she sticks with it. I played tennis in high school so I told her I will go up and play and teach her the basics. It will be great exercise for me as well. Mark is doing very good in school. He is working hard and is showing improvement in many areas. I just shake that feeling though that had he had the IEP sooner, would he be where he is today. Can't look back though. Can only look to the future. I know he can do it.

That's about all we've been up to. Getting ready for the holidays. Can't believe they are upon us already.

Well, I am going to wrap this up. I could go on and on. I hope I can do a better job of keeping this blog updated than I have been.

Oh one more thing....................thank you to all our soldiers, past and present, who served or are serving our country. I'm so proud to be an American!

HAPPY VETERAN'S DAY.

2009-09-23T08:04:00.003-04:00

I'm still here..........just been super de duper busy. I've actually tried several times to update this blog and it wouldn't cooperate. This is attempt #2 on this post.

Everyone is settled back into a school routine. I can't believe that I took my last "first day of school" picture of Greg. How can it be that he is a senior???? Time flies.

I went to another scrapbook crop. I had a blast. Eventually I'll post some pictures. I'm just on a roll. I'm actually getting a lot done. I have years worth of photos to catch up on but I will eventually get there.

Hard to believe that it's fall already. You would never know it here. It's hot hot hot! We are still in the 90s. There's a chance that the temps will drop into the high 80s next week. They call that a "cold front". Throw in the high humidity temps we've been having and it's just down right miserable. I think it's a great time to stay indoors and scrapbook!

Well, time to get something done. Before I know it, it will be time to start rounding up the troops. Today is orthodontist appointment, tutoring, and all the fun stuff. Not to mention that Steve is out of town until Friday night.

Happy Hump Day!

2009-08-13T14:43:00.002-04:00

Well look what's out there in the tropics. Am I worried? Not yet. But I will keep my eye on it. The weathermen LOVE this stuff. They tend to make such a BIG deal out of it. Am I prepared? Nope. It was 5 years ago this week that Florida got hammered by back to back to back to back hurricanes. That was the most stress I had ever been through. We were ready. Tampa was in line to take a direct hit but then Charlie turned at the last minute and hit Punta Gorda. We didn't even get a rain drop. We drove through Punta Gorta several weeks ago and you would never know that it had been hit....and bad! I was so impressed by how well they picked themselves up and rebuilt that town. I hope no one ever has to go through that again. Of course, I'm sure the weather will turn nasty just in time for the kids to go back to school.

Speaking of school, it starts in less than two weeks. I have ordered Greg's senior pictures. He got one college application submitted. So far he has applied to the University of South Florida. It's just about 15 minutes down the road. That would be ideal. Still not sure if he will live on campus or not but we don't have to decide that right now. He still has a few other colleges to apply for. My only "dilemna" with USF is that they are in the division as my alma mater...The University of Cincinnati. Who to root for?

Liz left and went back to Gainesville. It's kind of quiet without her. Steve and the boys take the rest of her stuff up to her on Sunday. Emily and I are going to stay behind and shop.

I'm really looking forward to having the house back to myself. I plan on going through ever closet, nook and cranny and start pitching stuff. It's time. We have way too much stuff. I'm finally okay letting stuff go. It will be hard but it has just taken over the house. I'm making the kids pitch stuff too. I told them I have it easy this year buying school clothes. They have so many and they don't want to part with any so I told them that in order to get some new stuff, the old stuff had to go. Yesterday, I reorganized a few kitchen drawers. I was able to get rid of a few old dish towels and pot holders. I actually have room in drawers now. It's such a great feeling.

Well, time to get off here. I have to run to the elementary school and pick up a few of Mark's uniforms. Again, I'm replacing a few and at the same time getting rid of some. It's a great feeling seeing those trash bags full and ready for donation!

Have a great Thursday.

2009-08-04T13:20:00.003-04:00

School starts three weeks from today. I have mixed emotions. I will have a quiet house to myself but at the same time, I've enjoyed sleeping in somewhat. Plus, legion ball just ended on Sunday so my summer of run, run, run, just ended and I have somewhat of a break. Liz goes back to Gainesville this Sunday. Again, I have mixed emotions. It's been nice having her home but at the same time, it's been an adjustment. She had spent the last 9 months living on her home and doing her own thing. We clashed but we also had fun. We will miss her when she's gone. She's wrapping up her job at Adventure Island. Boy did she get tan working out in the sun. She doesn't look like the rest of us anymore. lol.

As we get closer to school, I'm starting to stress out about Mark. I dread the learning struggles. In my quest to find out why he struggles, I decided to take him to get his first "real" eye exam. He's always passed his check ups at the pediatrician and school tests. But, I figured what did I have to lose (except the money to cover the cost of the visit). It was the best thing I could do. He is not only far sited but near sited. Today he is sporting a new pair of eye glasses. He is so excited. So, here's the before:

and here's the after:

I hope this can help him and can help solve the the learning difficulties. I hope 4th grade is the year that things turn around. Plus, we start school off with the IEP which is now in place. There is nothing worse than seeing one of your kids struggle. I hope this helps ease the frustration and stress. I guess time will tell.

I'm still continuing my workouts. I feel so good after doing them. Even if the weight doesn't fall off overnight, I still good that I am taking the time to focus on myself. When the temps cool down, I plan on trying to run. I used to run track in high school but that was many, many years ago. I at least owe to myself to try.

Well, time to log off this computer and get something accomplished. I've decided to tackle my scrapbook room and reorganize and move some stuff around. It's nice that I can start something now and not have to stop and go pick up a kid or something.

Have a great Tuesday!

2009-07-29T13:24:00.005-04:00

I'm back...........Took some time off of blogging because suddenly everything was happening all at once. Things are finally slowing down and are somewhat back to normal. Took a few days off and went here:

Greg had a baseball game down in the keys so we decided to turn it into a vacation. Liz wasn't able to join us since she had to work. So she also got a nice vacation....the house to herself. This was the view from our balcony at the Marriott. It was beautiful. We had a spiral staircase that took us right down to the sand.

We walked around the keys and found this cool spot. Man was it hot!

Then we stopped and had lunch, here. This was Jimmy Buffet's Margaritaville Cafe. It was my favorite restaurant on the whole island. The Margarita's were awesome. You could even get it in a "to go" cup to take with you while you walked around. We also watched some baseball, went to a pirate museum, walked some more, shopped and sweated. I didn't think it was possible to get any hotter in Florida. After two nights in the Marriott, we checked into the Comfort Inn where the baseball team was staying. It was a D U M P. It was horrible. We ended up calling the Marriott back to see if we could get back in there but it was full until Sunday. So, on Sunday, we checked back into the Marriott. It was like night and day. If you ever go to the Keys, DO NOT stay in the Comfort Inn. I had never been to the Keys and I am glad we went. Not sure that I would rush back, but overall it was fun. I was glad to be home and sleeping in my own bed.

Getting ready to go back to school soon. This summer has just flown by. I have mixed emotions about going back to school. Liz leaves in two weeks to head back up to Gainesville. We spent this morning at the eye doctors getting her annual check up and getting new contacts. I also scheduled Mark for his first eye exam. I am hoping that this is our last week of baseball so we can at least have a few weeks off of that crazy schedule.

Did you see the finale of the Bachelorette? I think she made a good choice. Ed was one of my favorites. I've decided to lay off the reality shows for awhile and do more scrapping and reading. When we were down in the Keys, I was watching and HBO show called True Blood. We dont' have HBO so I had never seen it before. The girls loved the books and now are encouraging me to read the series. So , as soon as I finish the Twilight Series, I am going to read that one. I want to spend less time in front of the TV. I figured now is a good time as any since a new TV season is starting. I am NOT going to get all caught up in it.

Well, not much else is going on. I have a bunch of pictures to get developed. Maybe that will be my motivation to do some serious scrapping!

Happy Hump Day!

2009-07-06T22:03:00.006-04:00

BACHELORETTE SPOILER

If you haven't had a chance to watch tonight's episode, you may want to come back and read my blog tomorrow. I'm going to spoil it for you..........................

FINALLY..........................Why she kept that "jerk" around as long as she did was beyond me. He's a first class JERK. And watching his interview in the car made me want to throw up. ACK. But for "the record" I WILL NOT be purchasing anything recorded by Wes. I hope no one else does either. BUH BYE Wes.............Good riddance.

Now, for my favorites..............I just love Ed and Reid. I think I am leaning more to Ed though. There's just something about Ed. I'm glad he came back. I was so sad when he left.

But, if I had to choose the one bachelor overall that I really thought was perfect for Jillian it was Jake. He was perfect. I think she will regret letting him go. Who knows, maybe he will be the next bachelor???? Although, I have this feeling that Jillian won't end up with any of them. She seems somewhat "disconnected" from them. At least she saw through "Creepy Foot Guy". Now that was a strange man!!!!

Okay, enough rambling about a reality show. I really need to get a life. I just can't help myself. They are addicting. Big Brother starts soon. Woo Hoo!!!!

Not much going on here. We booked our "mini vacation" for the end of the month. Greg has a baseball tournament in the Keys at the end of the month. So we decided to spend a few extra days down there. We've lived here in Florida for 6 years and we've never been there. I'm excited. The only thing I have to do now is get over my fear of going over the long bridges. I haven't even gone over the Sunshine Skyway since we've lived here. I remember when the barge hit it back in the early 80's. We came down on vacation not long after that and I remember my dad driving us over the bridge to see the damage. It freaked me out! I will always have that image of half of the bridge gone stuck in my head. When Liz was a baby, we came down here on vacation and we HAD to drive over the bridge. It definately wasn't what I remembered but I've never driven over it since. At least I have a few weeks to prepare myself.

I was in Target the other day, and they are already putting out the school supplies. Say it ain't so! I'm not even ready to start thinking about going back to school. I'm enjoying being lazy. Mark is still tutoring but he is doing well. I can't believe he will be going into the 4th grade! Where has the time gone??????

Well, time to wrap it up here and get ready to climb into bed.

2009-06-23T13:56:00.004-04:00

I was one of those people who had to watch last night's "big announcement". I was flipping between that show and the Bachelorette. I was not surprised at all by the show. I was extremely sad. They went from being a "normal" family to................not sure what the name I am thinking of. Fame definately got to them. I have watched the show since the beginning. I used to be so impressed with Kate and how she stuck to a budget, kept the house clean and took care of 8 kids. As the show went on, I saw Kate change the most. I have always thought she talked down to Jon and treated him as one of the kids. I hated how she would tell the kids that "you don't have to listen to daddy". That drove me NUTS. I felt sorry for Jon. He definately pulled his weight. He does more than my hubby has ever done. And how about how Kate treated her family? Her brother and his wife really were there for Kate. But when she didn't need them anymore, she just shunned them. And whatever happened to her BFF Beth? Beth did alot for them. She wasn't even at the birthday party. I thought it was strange that no one was at the party except for Karla--who has folded her laundry through the years. I also couldn't stand how the show became all about how they got all this stuff. I'm sure it was all free. The motorcyles, the playhouses, cooking with Emeril, etc. What happened to their Friday night family movie night? Remember when Kate always had her camera in her hand? I have seen her even bother taking pictures. I guess she has a "personal photographer" for that now. Well, I hope that they can find peace. Especially for those kids. I hope Jon can go back to work like he wants and I hope Kate realizes that Jon wasn't all that bad. I didn't feel sorry for her at all last night. She definately played the "poor me" card. I have to do it all by myself. blah blah blah.

Anyway, the other show I am hooked on is the Bachelorette. What is she thinking? She has made some poor choices. I will save that for another post though.

Have a great Tuesday!

EDITED: I was just reading our newspaper and it says that according to divorce papers filed by Kate, they have lived apart for TWO years. So why buy a million dollar home and go through the farce of renewing their vows last year. What a bunch of phonies! Reality show? I think not.

2009-06-22T08:18:00.002-04:00

Happy Monday!

We survived another weekend. Greg spent Friday night and all day Saturday at a baseball tournament. Guess what? Freedom won! I didn't go. Too hot for me. We have another tournament this weekend on our fields. Hopefully, they can play as well.

For Father's Day, we drove over to Clearwater and had lunch at Skyline Chili. For those of you who don't know what Skyline is, it's a chili restaurant that started in Cincinnati. It's one of those places either you like, or you don't! We LOVE it!. It's not your traditional Mexican chili. It has a greek twist to it. So, we celebrated Father's Day with 5 ways and cheese coneys. YUM.

Mark turned 9 on Saturday! Where has the time gone? I made his cake this year. Not sure if I will do that again. It was fun though and it turned out cute. Everyone who knows Mark, knows that he LOVES Spongebob. I found the cake pan on clearance a while ago. It wasn't too hard to make. I worked out on Friday morning so my arms were killing me. So, it took me a lot longer to ice the cake than I thought it would. I had to keep stopping. I was going to upload some photos but guess what? Blogger won't let me. It's probably "computer operator error". So, when I have more time to play with it, I will upload them.

I don't have much going on this week except baseball, tutoring for Mark and Greg gets his senior pictures taken Friday morning. That's pretty much how things are here for awhile. BORING.

Well, better log off here and get my day started. The kids are up now, so my quiet time is done for the day. Time to refill my coffee as well.

Have a great Monday.

2009-06-12T15:37:00.006-04:00

Greetings!

Summer has officially arrived here in our house. Kids are on break. Kids are still unemployed and the heat is on. It is hot here in the Sunshine State. I pretty much only go out if I have to. It finally stopped raining. However, we still need the rain. Yard is drying out again and we are still under water restrictions. The love bugs are finally gone. Man, seemed like they lasted forever. How much "love" do insects need?

They passed Mark onto the 4th grade. I don't know if that is good or not but we working so hard to "catch up" this summer. He is still continuing his tutoring. Hopefully a break from the classroom setting will do him good.

This morning I ventured out to Joann Fabrics and just walked around. I love all the new fabrics out there. The colors are so happy. I used to sew. Small things. I actually worked at Joann Fabrics when the kids were babies. It was my night out of the house. I used to have a whole trunk full of fabrics but I got rid of them when we started moving around. So, I've decided to attempt to sew again. Before I do, I have to clean up my scrapbook room. I'm still scrapbooking. I will never give that up. So, we shall see if I actually follow through.

Not much else happening here. Baseball season is here. From now until the end of July it's baseball, baseball and more baseball! Unfortunately, it's so hot that I really don't enjoy the games. They do have a tournament scheduled in July in Key West. Never been there so I have to decide whether to let Steve an Greg go or make it a "family trip". Mark does not sit very well through baseball games so I'm not sure it will be worth it to take him. It's also a 7 hour drive each way. At least I have some time before we have to decide.

I'm also getting used to the idea that I have to do the whole "senior year" thing again. We should be getting our card any time to schedule pictures. Cha Ching.

I think I mentioned awhile ago how I found this TV channel on our Verizon. It's called Retro TV. I'm obsessed with watching Emergency. I remember watching that show as a kid. Yes it was cheesy but hey it was the 70's. Fun stuff.

They also have lots of other shows on that I grew up watching.......Battlestar Galactica, Hardy Boys, Black Sheep Squadron, Buck Rogers in the 20th Century. Those are just a few of the shows.

Also, two new movies that I have just fallen in love with. New In Town is hilarious. I have watched at least half a dozen times so far. Total chick movie. I'm not a big Renee fan but I actually liked her in this. Harry Connick, Jr. is one of my favorites and he is so cute in this movie. If you haven't seen it, you should. I especially love how they are "scrappers" in the movie.

"He's Just Not That Into You" is another good one. Jennifer Connelly, Justin Long and the girl who played Gigi were my favorites. Again, I've seen this one a couple of times. Chick movie. Hubby's will hate it.

I didn't mean to make this a movie review post but if you haven't seen this you must.

Well, have a great weekend. Make it a good one!

2009-06-03T07:56:00.003-04:00

ONLY TWO MORE DAYS............to get up in the morning and get everyone out the door. Tomorrow is the last day of school. Can I get a Woo Hoo! Greg is a senior! It's official now since the graduation was on Monday. A senior!!!! Emily is a sophomore. YIKES. Where has the time gone???? Still no word, of course, on Mark. Still no contact from the school. Big surprise.

Speaking of Mark, I took over "room mom" duties last month. The night BEFORE teacher appreciation week. So, I made sure on Monday morning to get up to the class so that each kid had a flower to give to the teacher since no one was ever told what was going on. So, I was able to get a note sent home asking for a "small" donation to get her a gift card. Guess what? Only 4 kids sent in a donation. Out of 18! So, I new I had to be creative for the end of the year gift. I had this brilliant (and most of all FREE) idea to have each kid send in their favorite recipe and a picture of themselves and I would make her a "Class Cookbook" since I had heard from another teacher that she loves to cook. Guess what??? Only 5 kids sent in recipes. How sad. So, off to Barnes & Noble I went and picked up a cookbook. It's actually a pretty cool cookbook. Very kid friendly--she has 4 young kids of her own. Then I went to Williams Sonoma and got some cute silver measuring spoons and a lion shaped spatula. I'm just going to type up the recipes from the kids that I have and clip them into the back of the cookbook and put a ribbon around it with the spatula and spoons. I'm NOT making it from the class. She will know who it's from. It's just so sad. She's a great teacher, IMO. I know Mark struggled but she did everything she could to help him. I was impressed.

I'm still working out twice a week. I know I should do more. Now that school is out, I'm hoping to up it or at least work out on my own. Our neighborhood has it's own community center and facility so I really should use it. I also have invested in some weights that I can do at home. I have noticed subtle (sp?) changes. It still takes me a day or two to recover after the workouts but it's so worth it. I have noticed my blood pressure has come down. Now my goal is to get off the meds totally.

Anyone watching Wipout on Wednesday nights? I love that show! It's fun to watch. I love the commentaries that they do with them. Such a different show to watch. Last summer we watched that and the Japanese game show one. Too cute.

Well, better get off here. Lots to do today. Have a great Wednesday!

2009-05-28T18:39:00.004-04:00

hello..........it's been a long time since I have blogged. I just haven't had anything worth blogging about. I have had a real bummer of a last week. I've been "lost". I have had so much on my mind lately that I just haven't had the physical or mental energy to sit down and share my thoughts until now.

I haven't kept it a secret that Mark struggles in school. I mean struggles! For the last two years I have begged and pleaded with the school to help him. We went out on our own and had some testing done. He was diagnosed TWO years ago with Central Auditory Processing Disorder. Everyone I knew who has CAPD has an IEP. For some reason, "a person" who should have been helping us let him "slip through the cracks", in my opinion. This person even told us AFTER we had the Audiologists report/diagnosis and a psychological evaluation that "just because he has a medical diagnosis, doesn't mean he qualifies for an IEP". He did have a 504 Plan. Again "this person" told us that the 504 Plan pretty much does the same thing as an IEP. Umm. No. Anyway, we had meeting after meeting. Finally, this year they got a new school psychologist who agreed to do an evaluation on him (the report was pretty much the same as the one we had done two years ago). Guess what? He finally got an IEP. This is after another teacher who I was paying to tutor him finally brought it to someone's attention that he really needs help. So, we had our IEP meeting and he is finally getting services. He has someone come and sit with him and keep him on task. His math grades have totally improved. He is still struggling with reading comprehension but he is finally going in the right direction. He can read anything. He was one of the first persons in his class to pick up on reading but for some reason, he just went in the wrong direction with the comprehension. Unfortunately, 3rd takes FCATs (Florida state testing). He didn't do too good. He also didn't have the IEP in place at the time the FCAT was administered. According to the state, you don't pass FCAT, you don't advance to the next grade. We don't know where we are going from here. They gave him some kind of other test last Friday to see how he did but we don't have the results back yet. I feel like everything is so up in the air. I feel just so lost and so sad for him. I even went through feeling like I failed him as a parent. Then the more I thought and cried over it, I came to the conclusion that the school system failed him. Not me. I really hold "this person" somewhat responsible. If they would have ran with the information when it was given to them TWO years ago, I have to question, would we be in this position today? He could have been getting this "help" for the last two years. Well, gotta change the subject..............I'm getting all teary eyed again.

Can you believe school is almost out? Greg will be a SENIOR!!!! Unfortunately, he hasn't had any luck in a job search. Neither has Liz. I hope and pray that these kids can find a job soon. I can't afford them and they really need the money.

I finally got to sit down and scrap a page. It felt so good. I really hope to do some more. Next weekend is my Stampin Up get together so I'm excited to have some "me" time. I really miss having Lisa down the street. I totally lost my stamping/scrapping buddy when she moved away.

It's finally raining here in the Sunshine State. As a matter of fact, it hasn't stopped. It's pretty much rained everyday for the last few weeks. They are the pop up showers and storms but it's so nice to see the ponds filling back up. Today, the city of Tampa lifted the watering ban today.

Did you all catch the Jon and Kate show? Wow is all I can say. I will definately put my thoughts on this show in my next blog entry. Also, I watched "The Little People" starring Bill and Jen. Oh my gosh, loved that show. Such a cute couple.

Well, I'm going to get off here and watch the movie "New in Town" that I picked up yesterday. I just saw the previews on ET for Sherlock Homes with Robert Downey, Jr. and Jude Law--two of my favorites. Hopefully some fun movies to watch this summer.

2009-05-18T21:55:00.002-04:00

Say it ain't so!

This is what's in the news right now! If it forms, her name will be Ana. I don't think it's supposed to become a hurricane, but it's supposed to bring us much needed rain. It's finally raining here and things are starting to somewhat green up. But we still have a long way to go. We are still going to be under water restrictions. Hopefully this much needed rain will be enough to save our lawn. Just the thought of replacing the yard with sod makes me crazy. Just another thing to add to the "home improvement" list. So, here's to a very rainy week. Maybe I will get some stuff done inside the house since I hate going out in the rain. But, I am in no way complaining.

2009-05-03T21:41:00.006-04:00

{PROM 2009}

I survived another prom. Last year, was Liz's senior prom and this year Greg went to prom. He's only a junior but he went with a friend who is a senior. What a difference it is to get a girl ready for prom versus a boy. So easy. So much less to do. We had to leave at 5:15 and he rolled in from his friends house @ 4:30. Shaved, got dressed and was ready to go. It was so nice to not have to worry about hair and nails and all that goes along with a girl. Such a nice change....

So here are a couple of pictures. I'm not biased or anything, but I think he and Brandy were the best looking duo. So cute. He was so handsome. She was stunning.

Her dress was absolutely gorgeous. So different from the prom dresses we wore back in the day. A lot of bright colored prints. I loved this years style.

They ended up going in a hummer limo to the dance. Afterwards, the limo took them over to hang out at St. Pete beach. How cool was that? The beach! He said he had a lot of fun. I'm glad I get to (hopefully) do this again next year.

On a more serious note, we got word today that their high school will be closed this entire week. =( There is a "possible" case of a student having the swine flu. Keep in mind, they just had prom on Friday night. Saturday, the school hosted the SAT test. So a lot of other students from not only our school, but others were there taking the test. I'm trying not to panic. Mark goes to the elementary school. So, do I send him to school? We have another high school in our town and a lot of those students were at our prom and taking the SAT. I guess it is what it is. Only time will tell. We have a movie theatre here in town and I have to wonder if it will be busy tomorrow. The kids are already discussing what they are going to do this week. Are we supposed to keep them confined to the house? Hello, teenage kids here. Also, this week started their AP Exams. At least they will have some extra days to study!

Well, I'm going to turn in. It's been a very long day. I can't believe the weekend is over already. Happy Monday!

2009-04-24T12:30:00.003-04:00

{{What a long Week}}

Boy has it been a long, funky kind of week. Monday was fine, but by Tuesday, I was already feeling as if it should be Friday. Getting up every morning has been a struggle. I was exhausted AND I even went to bed at earlier times.

We had two birthdays this week (pictures to follow). Emily turned 15 and Greg turned 17. I can't believe my "babies" are this old. For some reason, I was more depressed that Greg is his age than Emily. He's always been the easy going, no drama, all around great kid. Shame on me for saying this but of all my kids he is the easiest. Very low maintainence, except here of late where he reminds me on a daily basis (numerous times a day) that he doesn't have a car! He has put several job applications in but no luck. That's the hold up. Job=car. It also has really hit me hard that he will be a senior in high school in less than 6 weeks. Where has the time gone? So, my next year will be focusing on him and getting him ready for college. I think he will go locally though unlike Liz. That's okay with me. We have several awesome univerisities close to home. USF, University of Tampa, St. Leo University. But who knows, maybe he will change his mind.

Oh my goodness, Mark is doing great in school. Without going into to much detail, he finally (after two years), got his IEP (Individual Education Plan). He's been getting one on one, tutoring, extra time for tests and he is doing so well. You know how you have people come into your lives and just make a huge impact? Well, he has two. Ms. B. has been tutoring him since after Xmas getting him ready for the FCAT. She was instrumental, along with his everday teacher, getting someone to finally help us. This has been ongoing since he was in first grade. Ms. D. is his one on one teacher that comes and sits with him and keeps him on task. For the first time EVER, he likes school and doesn't fight me to get up and get ready in the morning. We hit a roadblock with one particular person and now that that person is gone, we had someone new to start all over with him and actually help him. It's just a bummer that I can't get all the money we have spent on our own getting him tested back. We shouldn't have had to go to that extent but we did what we had to do. On a happy note, he had a 90% on his math test last week. This week he brough home another 90%. The teacher ended up retesting the kids since there were so many other low grades. So he retook it and got a 105% (he got the bonus). This is HUGE.....

Liz will be moving back home on Thursday. I'm very excited but at the same time, we will be back to a "full house" again. YIKES. I think she will have a hard time getting back to rules, curfew and other things. I don't blame her though. I wouldn't like to move back after having freedom like she did. I think the hardest thing for her will be tolerating that we all still have to get up for school. She will just have to adapt.........I figured I would give her a few days to get some sleep before I push her hard to get a job.

Tomorrow Emily is having some friends over for a birthday party. This is when I am so happy I live in Florida. All I have to do is order a pizza, turn the pool heater on and then we are good to go. I won't have all these teenage girls in my house. Man, I love Florida!

Well, happy Friday. I'm sorting and organizing pictures. I've also purged a lot of old scrapbook supplies out. I'm hoping to have this room done by the end of the weekend.

2009-04-15T14:56:00.010-04:00

{{The Cardinal}}

I love red birds. I always have as long as I can remember. Lisa knows my story about me and redbirds. I have a few red bird "collectibles" that I have collected over the years. Ornaments and that kind of stuff. I even have the red bird beanie baby. I think they are the prettiest birds. When we lived in Ohio, they were everywhere. I'm sure that's why they were the official state bird. But to me, they meant much more. When I moved to Utah, I missed the red birds. One day, I saw one. In Utah of all places. I would just smile. Since moving to Florida, I see a red bird every now and then. I decided to snap a few pictures to some day put in an album so that I can share the "red bird" story with my kids. Right now, if I shared with them "my story" they probably would think I was nuts.

One day I was sitting in the living room and I hear this "peck" on the window. I peak out the blinds and there's the red bird. This picture was taken through the front window....sorry about the glare.

Last month, we heard this "pecking and scratching" on the dining room window. There is the red bird. So, I grabbed my camera and took this shot. Sorry it's blurry but it was 6:3o in the morning and the lighting was awful.

Last Saturday, Steve and I hit Home Depot to get some flowers to plant in the front pots. For some reason, I was drawn to the bird feeder aisle. Steve thought we should get one and put it in the back yard by the pool. We found a nice shape that we liked. As we were looking at seed, Steve points out that there is "red bird seed". Even though it was way more expensive than the regular seed, he suggested we buy it. He knows my story! So we got it and he came home and hung the bird feeder up. I haven't seen any action on the bird feeder since it was hung.

I've been in a bummer mood lately. I needed something...a sign that everything is good. It happened earlier. Today I was folding laundry in my bedroom and I heard some chirps. I look out the window and there they were. Not one, but two red birds. I grab my camera and went outside to grab a few pictures. Aren't they pretty? I think tomorrow morning, I'm going to sit outside on the lanai and have my coffee and wait and see if "my birds" show up.

I had the zoom on as close as it would go. I hope I can figure out a way on Photoshop to zoom in closer. I'm sure there is a way but I have no clue how to do it. I can also zoom in on the picture on my camera. I don't know if I can save it or not. But, I just love these pictures. Well, I snapped out of my mood thanks to these birds. Crazy huh. You all probably think I am nuts too being cheered up by a cardinal!

Well, it's April 15th. Can you believe how fast 2009 is going by? School is winding down and Liz will be moving home at the end of the month. Her first year flew by. I'm still taking it in that Greg will be a senior and I get to do this all over again. Senior pictures, announcements, and college. Emily's birthday is this Sunday and she will be 15!!!! Old enough to get a learner's permit. This just can't be. Greg will be 17 on the 23rd! I can't be getting this old.

Not much else going. I got my Easter pictures of the kids uploaded on my computer but I will share those another day. The cardinals deserve their own entry!

Have a wonderful Wednesday!

2009-04-05T10:20:00.002-04:00

Last weekend while I was hanging out with Liz, we decided to go the movies. We went and saw "He's Just Not That Into You". I really had not planned on seeing that particular movie, but there was nothing else showing. So we went. I am so glad we did. What a great movie! It's one of those movies that you keep thinking about. I fell in love with Justin Long. I never knew much about him but he was awesome in this movie. Jennifer Connelly is another one. What a great role for her. Don't know much about her either but she was my favorite character in the movie. I don't know the name of the gal who played GiGi, but her character was just too cute. Loved her. She was so funny. Scarlett Johannsen played the "bad" character. I came out of there just hating her. (hate's a strong word, I know). Hopefully, the next time I see her in a movie I will like her again. I'm glad that I went to see this with Liz versus Steve. He would have hated the movie. Definately a chick movie. It's also one that I will buy when it comes out on DVD. The music is awesome. Every single song! I had planned on going home and looking up the soundtrack on ITunes and downloading it. So, when we were stocking her up at Target, I just happened to see the CD on sale. It was $11. So, I bought it. I figured it was cheaper to buy the CD and download it to my IPOD instead of downloading all 17 songs off of Itunes. That's how good the music is. So, as I'm typing this, I'm listening to the music. AWESOME.

I'm still plugging away at organizing my scrapbook room. I'm slowly making some progress. It's just a matter of letting go of stuff that I no longer will use (or ever even needed). I also am hoping to get my Easter cards made today so I can get them mailed tomorrow. I got a few layouts that I need to upload and share.

Well, that's about all for today. Just the usual stuff for me. Laundry............laundry..........and more laundry. It's never ending here in our house. Have a great Sunday!

2009-04-02T18:54:00.008-04:00

Since I joined Facebook, I find that I spend less and less time on my blog. I really am hoping to change that. I love my blog. Since Facebook made all the new changes, I find I am spending less time there. All that information on who does what stresses me out. Way too much to read. So, I'm hoping to be a better blogger again.

Last weekend was mom's weekend at Elizabeth's sorority house. She's a Phi Mu. What a fun time we had. I got caught in traffic on my way up there so it took over 3 hours. I missed dinner so we ended up going out on our own and we hooked up with her friend that she went to high school with. We went to this awesome deli called McAllister's Deli. Had the best baked potato. Much better than the pizza that everyone else had. I stayed a the Hilton Gardens and man what a nice place. It was so quiet compared to my own house. I really enjoyed it and it was a nice break. So, I am posting a few pictures of our weekend. I took a lot more. So many that they will get their own scrapbook album.

The Phi Mu house. Isn't this the cutest pink house you have ever seen?

Here we are after the tea on Saturday afternoon.

Here we are in front of the Phi Mu founders picture in the front room.

Elizabeth in front of this year's composite. I actually took her picture and had it framed so when she comes home she can hang it in her room to replace all her high school stuff.

She has had the best year at the University of Florida. I am one proud mom of the person she has become. It's amazing what a year can do to someone. She really made the most of her first year in college. It's so hard to believe that she will be home at the end of the month. This year just flew. I'm freaking out about where I am going to put all her stuff. We have no room! So, I guess we will be clearing out the garage in the hopes that we can stack all her stuff out of the way.

We have only one more day until a much needed Spring break. We are burned out! All I can think about is sleep! I can't wait.

Not much else going on. I've been purging and organizing my scrapbook room. It got way out of hand and I wanted to really enjoy it again and actually do some scrapbooking. I am hoping to get some done when the kids are off.

I'm still working out! I still have a long way to go but I am noticing changes. I am wearing clothes that I haven't worn in years. I had to go out and get some new capris because the ones I had were too big. It's hard work. I have a whole new appreciation for those on the biggest loser.

We really need some rain down here. So say a prayer for us that we get some soon. We had a wild fire in the subdivision a couple of weeks ago. They are started to get way to close for comfort. Starting tomorrow, the city is enforcing strict water restrictions. No more sprinklers, washing our cars or pressure washing the houses. I'm really nervous about not running our sprinklers. We have sod versus normal grass and it is very expensive to replace. Once it's dead, it's dead. We just can't throw seed down and water it. It has to be ripped out and laid back down. We also have Homeowners Assocation that enforce green lawns. You will get a letter and a possible fine if your grass is dead. I think they will have a very hard time enforcing that but they can be jerks about a lot of stupid and minor stuff. One time I got a letter because I put my garbage can out too early. A couple of years ago, we got a letter because we were replacing some sod and it was when the hurricanes rolled through. The sod fields were under water and the landscapers couldn't access it. So, of course, we got "the letter". No fine though because then I had to send a letter back to them explaining the situation. Oy. We also have to get our house painted this year and we have to "get permission" to paint it and have the color approved. That's my next project. The house needs to be painted really bad. So, nex time you say a prayer, pray for some much needed rain for us down here.

Well, that's about it. Hopefully, I will get some pictures of my nice clean scrapbook space to post. Have a good one.

2009-03-16T09:40:00.002-04:00

It's back to the grind here. Elizabeth was home all last week and we had a wonderful time together. The other guys aren't on spring break until April. So, Liz and I had a lot of one on one time. We did lots of shopping and had lunch. She also had some school work to get done so she was off doing her thing. We went to Sarasota on Saturday to watch the Reds play the Rays. It's been a while since all of us a family were together. It was fun. We got to eat our Skyline Chili! I'll post pictures as soon as Emily uploads them from her camera for me. I was sad to see her go back yesterday.

The weather here is absolutely perfect. Other than it being so dry, the temps are awesome. I had to turn on the AC because we are all so miserable with our allergies. The outside air is so full of pollen none of us can breath very well and are sneezing up a storm. Allergies have been miserable.

Yesterday, Steve was out working in the yard raking and sweeping all the dead leaves. Our leaves fall off in the Spring here. Mark was playing basketball in the driveway so both cars were parked on the street. We don't live on a narrow street by any means. The cars were also parked directly in front of our house. Our creepy, weird neighbor was pulling out and backed right into Steve's car. I am just counting my lucky stars he only hit Steve's car and not Mark. The guy is a "few fries short of a happy meal" if you know what I mean. Creepy and weird is probably the nice version of what I think of them. I remember when we bought this house, how excited I was to live on a cul de sac. It's a very small street with only 7 houses total. Mark would have tons of room to ride his bike and play and I wouldn't have to worry about him. I thought everyone would be friendly and hang out on the weekends. Boy was I wrong. Terry and Ralph live directly next to us and are the best neighbors you could have. We are the only ones that talk to each other. Two families don't even wave or make eye contact (this includes creepy weird neighbors). When we first moved in, creepy neighbor lady came over and said we had an illegal tree in the yard (it was between our two drive ways). Um.....the tree was here when we moved in. Getting settled was my first priority. Not some banana bush. I told her that too. So, one day, I came home and she had taken it upon herself to trim it and put the trimmings in the drive. It wasn't that bad but Steve was cool with it because he didnt' have to do it. But, just to tick her off we left it up for several years. When we first moved in Mark ran between the two houses and into her back yard. He was only three. The next weekend, there were rosebushes planted. Whatever. Any she lives there with her grown son and daughter. They are anti-social. On Halloween, they turn on their sprinklers! When Liz was younger and used to get off the school bus, he would be standing there watching the kids get off the bus. Creepy. He used to also sit up at the Community Center at the kids playground. I saw him there several times. So, I checked and made sure we didn't have a pervert living next to us but nothing ever came up. Terri and I joke that some day we are going to go and scour the neighborhood for "for sale" signs and put them up in everyone's yard. So tonight when Steve get's home, he gets to go next door and talk to creepy neighbors and give them a copy of the estimate to get his car fixed--$712. I told him I doubt they will even open their door. We will have to see how this unfolds.

I've been a sorting/organizing fool lately. It feels so good to purge through stuff. I've also been purging all my scrapbook supplies as well. I have so much stuff. Way too much so I'm letting go with the stuff that I will never use again.

2009-03-07T09:54:00.002-05:00

Yeah. It's finally the weekend. This week has just been the longest week. It's so nice to sit here and drink my coffee in my jammies at almost 10 am and not worry about where I have to be. So nice.

Liz came home yesterday. Yippee. She got home just in time to be able to go out to lunch. Then we hit the mall until it was time to pick up Mark. He knew she was coming home but didn't know when. So we totally surprised him when we picked him up in her car. He was so happy. First thing they did was watch a movie. When Steve got home, she asked him if he would take them to the zoo. She has always loved the zoo. So, today all of them are headed out. I would go but I have my monthly Stampin Up workshop. The zoo is not my favorite thing because after 4 kids, I've been there, done that. But he loves taking them so they are having a day out with Dad, which is so needed with all the hours he's been working and travelling he has been doing. Greg is in S. Carolina at the SIPA Convention. It's a convention for school newspapers. Their high school in the past few years has been #1. Hopefully they will repeat. Liz went every year when she was on the paper. She offered to go and pick him up late tomorrow night just so she can see everyone when they get off the bus. Since the other kids aren't on Spring Break until April, it's just me and Liz for the week. I'm hoping to do a lot of mom/daughter stuff. Going off to college has really changed her. Not that she needed to change, but she is no longer my "high schooler" with all drama. She's this grown woman. Our conversations are different. I miss her!

Greg is finally scheduled to take his SAT next week. Praise the Lord. Getting him to schedule that has been hard. He just keeps putting if off. So, he is finally taking it next week. Woo Hoo. Then over his spring break, we will be taking some college tours. The University of South Florida is only 15 minutes away. He's already been up to the University of Florida. Next on his list is the University of Central Florida in Orlando. USF has the best program for what he wants to do but he doesn't want to live at home. We told him that if he gets the Bright Futures like Liz did, he can live on campus. So we will see. Hard to believe he will be a Senior. Where has the time gone?

This week is the dreaded FCATs. Talk about stressful. I just hope Mark can do it. I'm a nervous wreck. I had a nice chat with the assistant principal. I feel for the first time that we are all on the same page. He has finally qualified for an IEP. Finally. I'm still fretting about whether or not he should repeat 3rd grade. He tries so hard but just struggles. He is seeing a tutor. I also plan on continuing it over the summer so at least I don't have to make the decision now. I refuse to put him through if he's not ready. The good news is that it won't be a drastic move. He's very small for his age so it's not like he will be a giant compared to others. Plus he has a June birthday so he will still graduate high school @ 18. It's a decision that I dread making but I have to do what's best for him.

Emily is still adjusting to high school. It's a total change for her. I hated middle school. They still treated them like they were in elementary school. I don't think her team in middle school really prepared them for the changes of high school. But she is doing awesome. It took her awhile to get in the groove but I think she is getting it. Hard to believe she will be 15 next month! My kids have grown up so fast.

Well, it's going to be a beautiful day here in the Sunshine State. Supposed to be 80. Lots to do so I am going to shut this computer down and enjoy the day!

Have a wonderful weekend. Make it a good one!

2009-02-28T15:55:00.002-05:00

Checking In .............Today is an absolute gorgeous day here. It's around 80 and very breezy. Steve, Mark and I just returned from a walk around the lake. Our sub division has a community center and right next to it are several lakes with a walking path around it. We walked up there and Mark took along his scooter. Right now, Florida is in a drought and the lakes are very low. A lot of the retention ponds have dried up. It's pretty ugly here right now. There is a chance of rain tonight so we are keeping our fingers crossed that it rains. We are also in a high/severe fire danger warning as well. While we were out walking, we saw smoke and the planes circling around. Hopefully it was just a brush fire and not someones house. It seems to have died down now. While we were walking around the lake, we saw a huge alligator. It was about 5 or 6 foot. Although, any size alligator is huge to me. We also saw some cute turtles. As soon as we get some decent rainfall, everything should start turning green again.

I'm still hanging in there with my workouts. I actually look forward to them now. The time seems to go by quicker. I'm not as sore anymore.

Elizabeth will be home next week for her Spring Break. I'm really looking forward to it. The other kids aren't on spring break until April so we will get to spend some quality time together. Next Saturday, we are all headed down to Sarasota to watch a spring training game. It's the Cincinnati Reds versus the Tampa Bay Rays. Since those are our two favorite teams, we don't have to worry about which one loses. Sadly, this is the Reds last year to have their spring training down in Florida. They sold us out and are moving to Arizona. So, next year we will just be Rays fans. Steve was also able to get Opening Day tickets for the Rays v. Yankees. He is going to take Mark and Greg. It's a night game and also is on their first day back from school. It will be a very late night since the stadium is in St. Pete. The things men will do to watch a good baseball game.

Not much else going on. Getting ready to fire up the grill and have an early dinner so we can chill out tonight. It's been a long week. Steve is finally home after a week of travelling. I am so glad he is home. For some reason, the kids think that there are no rules when dad is gone.

Have a wonderful rest of the weekend. I'm going to go out and do a rain dance in the hopes that the rains come. :)

2009-02-17T11:31:00.002-05:00

I'm back...........Has it really been that long since I've blogged? Time flies.

To be honest, I really haven't had much to blog about. My life is pretty much the same thing day in and day out.

However, I did make one huge change. I finally started working out with a personal trainer two days a week. I'm not going to lie. It's hard work. It was very painful in the beginning. My first day, we worked on lower body. Oy. Simple things hurt. I dreaded having to use the restroom. It meant having to sit down and get up. Getting in and out of the car---hurt. After two days, I felt better. My next session was upper body. YIKES. Again, after two days, I felt good. Week number two didn't hurt at all. I've been able to keep up with them. I started my third week this week and I wasn't dreading it. At first, I thought, why do people want to do this to themselves? It's boring. But, each trip in is better and better. I love the people I am working with. There's no yelling, but lots of positive encouragement. The other hard thing for me to start doing is to eat breakfast. I have never been one to eat it. Now I do. Otherwise, I get dizzy and lightheaded during the workout. I have no idea if I've lost weight yet because I'm not getting on the scale. I don't want to get let down so early in this. But, I have a whole new outlook on the Biggest Loser Show. Those people work at it every day. I only go twice a week.

I'm still battling whatever crud I've had. I've been to the doctor twice now. Still not 100%. I'm so sick of coughing. I will hang in there like they say and hope that I can shake this after six weeks.

My oven went out last week and I finally was able to get it fixed yesterday. Boy, did I miss it! I tried making chicken in the crock pot and it just wasn't the same as baked.

I finally got back into my scrapbooking groove. I did four pages over the weekend. I was so happy that I was able to sit down and actually concentrate long enough to finish some layouts. I'm trying to use up a lot of my supplies so I can justify buying new stuff. I was at Michaels yesterday and they have some cute new stuff but nothing just "had to have".

Well, it's almost that time of day where I have to go and get in that car pool lane. So, I better get a move on and get some stuff crossed off my "to do" list before the kids start rolling in.

Happy Tuesday!

2009-02-02T08:40:00.002-05:00

I just don't get it..............................We got notice last week that State Farm is pulling out of Florida when it comes to Homeowner's Policies. We got our official letter on Friday that we will be losing our homeowner's insurance within the next two years. However they WILL continue to service our Auto insurance. We've been with State Farm forever and were quite happy. We've been good, loyal customers and have never had a claim on either the homeowner's or auto. So, now it's time to begin the hunt for new insurance. We will also be taking our auto insurance with it. Their reasoning is that they can no longer afford to stay in Florida. Okay, fine. Times are tough. I understand. So, imagine my suprise last night when I saw a State Farm insurance ad during the Superbowl. What? They can spend millions on a TV ad?? Just my .02.

Happy Monday!

2009-01-26T08:11:00.003-05:00

Awww man (in my best Ted voice from Scrubs) it's Monday again. Where did the weekend go? However, it's a beautiful day here in Florida. Blue sky, cool morning and temps are supposed to be around 78. This is why I love Florida!

I finally broke down on Saturday and went to the health clinic. I was admitting defeat with my most recent bout of whatever was kicking my behind. The constant coughing was so annoying that my chest was hurting whenever I coughed. I was sick of the scratchy voice and wanted my own voice back. So, turns out I have pharyngitis (sp??). I left with a dosage of drugs. On my way home, I stopped at CVS to get my prescription filled and there was a sign in their window "pharmacy closed". What???? So, I stopped at home and picked up my picture card to my camera and decided to hit Walgreens. While they filled my prescription, I got some pictures printed off in the hopes of scrapping them. I am feeling somewhat better after 3 of the 5 doses. I feel good enough to go get my teeth cleaned which I was supposed to do last week but cancelled because I felt so bad. This morning, Mark woke up hacking and coughing. I gave him a dose of medicine and sent him off to school. I have a feeling he will have a short week this week. That poor kid has missed more school this school year than he has his entire time in school.

Well, all good things must come to an end...................... I'm a mini van mom. I've been a mini van mom since we found out we were having Emily. So for 15 years, I've driven a mini van. I'm on mini van #2. We got this mini van right after Mark was born so it will be 9 years old. It's in great shape. I remember the day we got it. I was so happy because the other van was icky. It was always breaking down and cost us a fortune to keep fixing. Sad thing was, it "died" with only 70,000 miles. With 3 kids and a newborn, we decided to invest in a new one. My new van has been through the Nevada desert, through the burnt hills of California, up the mountains carrying skis, from Florida to Ohio. "She" has about 104,000 miles. She just keeps going and going. The kids won't drive her though. It's "uncool" to drive a mini van. So they would rather me drop them off than to drive her. Two years ago, we invested in a 3rd car. Liz inherited Steve's car and Steve got a new red Toyota Camry. I love that car!!! But, he got it since it was better on gas mileage. Last week he worked in Kansas so he took the van to leave at the airport and I was spoiled driving his car. When he came back, I kept his car in the garage purposely blocked in when he got back. He never said anything, but he drove the van to work for a couple of days. I never offered to move the cars back either. hehe. Last night, he finally went out and switched the cars back. I asked him why. He said (with a smile), the van is too big and takes too much gas. He wanted "his" car back. So, this morning as Mark and I were leaving, even he commented "aaw man, we have to take the van"? Yep. I'm back to "mini van" mom. So, I was informed that Steve will be working in Kansas next week so you can bet which car will be sitting at the Tampa International Airport!

Today is just a typical Monday. It's so quiet here right now with everyone gone back to school. My plan is to catch up on Mt. Washmore and "air" out the house since we were able to shut the furnace off. I may even sneak into my scrapbook room and see if I can finish a layout. I'm in a major scrapbook slump right now. Maybe the warm sunshine will inspire me to finish it.

Have a wonderful Monday. Make it a good one.

2009-01-23T10:44:00.003-05:00

{CHANGE IS A GOOD THING}

I woke up this morning feeling very happy. I wasn't unhappy but having been sick this whole week, I woke up "better". I'm still not feeling 100% and I probably should go to the doctor, but each day is "a better day". I'm not a doctor, but I have had bronchitis before and I am sure that this is what I have. But, I am responding to over the counter stuff. I hate taking (and paying) for prescriptions. Anyway, I'm getting off the topic here but I woke up determined to make it a good day. It's still cold but the sun is shining. This morning is supposed to be our last morning of cold and then we are warming back up. Supposed to be back in the 70's this wekend.

For the last several years I've been a red head. Yes it's out of a bottle. To be exact the color I use is called "Ginger Spice". I never really cared for my "mousy" brown looking color. But lately, the gray hairs are coming in way too fast. I also have very fast growing hair so it was starting to look obvious. So, this morning I colored my hair back to the brown it was in the hopes that the grays will not be so obvious. I love it! It's weird looking at myself in the mirror. No more "ginger spice". Change is good.

Tuesday, I start my personal training sessions. I've lost 10 pounds since the Fall on my own but I'm greedy and wantto lose more. I will train two mornings a week and the rest of the days, I am on my own. I'm not "obese" but definately over my ideal weight. I've had 4 children and have had two big moves. Stress is my biggest enemy right now. One of the biggest changes we've made is we've been eating healthier as a family. We try and have some kind of fish or salmon once a week. More salads. I love salmon and believe it or not, so do the kids. Especially grilled. YUM. Lots more fruit in the house. Mark is my fruit eater. The other day, Steve went to the store for me with Mark and I guess Mark saw a pear. I don't buy pears because no one will eat them. So, Steve got him one and he devoured it. Too cute. He loves bananas, apples, strawberries, and grapes. The other kids won't touch fruit. Funny how kids can all be of the same gene pool and have such different tastes. I've also stopped buying pop. We weren't big pop drinkers but if it was there, it was a temptation. I loved my diet coke. But now when I drink it, I don't finish it. Now the sweet tea is a different story. I still drink it but in moderation. I also still love the citrus flavored green tea, again in moderation. But, water is my best friend. I can drink it all day. Give me a lemon wedge and I am good to go. Change is good.

Happy Friday! Make it a good one. The weekend is almost here. Yippee.

2009-01-20T12:20:00.002-05:00

I'm back............

Wow. These past few weeks have just blown on by. I had hoped that a new year would mean things would slow down, but nope. I'm still on that highway in the fast lane.

Remember how I said everyone got sick at Thanksgiving and again right before Christmas? Well, I did get it at Thanksgiving but was able to avoid it the second time. Well, I finally got it. And boy did I get it good. I probably should go to the doctor but I have been able to manage it with over the counter stuff. I'm not one to run to the doctor but I am going to hang in there for the moment. I have never coughed so much or so hard in my life. For awile there, I thought I was going to cough up my lungs. I was taking Nyquil but I stopped because I was having some weird dreams. Once I stopped taking it, the dreams stopped. So, I'm just drinking lots of hot green tea and popping Vitamin C.

How about them Florida Gators??? The champs!!!!! How exciting. I was so happy that Elizabeth got to enjoy that and be part of the school's history. She loves being a Florida Gator. She is studying Journalism. She has been writing stories since she was a little girl. So, it was only natural for her to go that path. She spent high school being on the school newspaper and was the editor her senior year along with another gal. She even interviewed Jenna Bush when she came to Tampa to promote her book (which is a phenominal by the way). You can only imagine her (and our) excitement when she got a call from The Alligator (UF's newspaper) to cover the pep rally after the Gators big win. It was so exciting to go online and see an article that she wrote. She came home over the weekend and gave me a copy of the paper. I am one proud mom!

With the new year also means it's time for the dreaded FCATs. Let me tell you how much I hate them. FCATS are Florida tests that are given to different grades. You have to pass them. I don't believe that one test can determine whether a student can pass onto the next grade. They are stressful not only to the students but to the parents. This year Mark will have to take his first FCAT (Reading). Greg is taking one (not sure which one but it will be his last) and Emily also has to take them. I can't wait for them to be over. I think they take them in March. But for the next few months, all they do is prepare for these tests. Enough said about this subject.......it gets me all worked up. Sorry.

I've officially become addicted to my IPOD. I got it back last fall, put a few songs on it and went on my way. I got a few gift cards for Christmas and now I can't stop. I have it on all the time. I sit in car pool lane with it on (no commercials like the radio). My next investment is an adapter for my car. We all have one (except for Steve) and we all have them on. We look pretty silly all walking around the house with our ear plugs in. I love to clean with it on. I actually forget that cleaning is not my favorite thing to do but it sure helps pass the time.

Last year for Mark's birthday, he got a pogo stick. He tried it but never could get the hang of it so it sat in the garage. Two weekends ago, he got it out and tried it. At first, he couldn't do it and was getting frustrated. He kept at it for HOURS. Each time he jumped longer and he finally got it. Sunday morning he came in at 8:00 am and wanted to go out and "jump". He jumped for hours. OMG, all he does is jump on that thing. He has mastered jumping up the curb through the grass and down the street. He's a jumping maniac. We are all amazed. So, I highly recommend a pogo stick if you are looking for something that burns a lot of energy. I'm thinking about investing in another one (for grown ups), just so we can jump with him. His only goes up to 80 pounds. He is having a blast with it.

Winter has finally made it's way to Florida. They say there may even be a few stray snowflakes tonight. Brrr. When we first moved here from Utah, I hung onto our winter coats. After two years, I got rid of them. So, we don't even own winter coats anymore. Steve is in Kansas right now with just a jacket. oops. But, I won't complain too much because I know people up North are getting it much, much worse. Stay warm.

Well, it's that time of the day to pick up Mark. Believe me when I say it won't be quiet. I figured I will send him out to "jump" and wear him out for awhile.

Have a wonderful Inaugeration Day!

2009-01-08T08:22:00.001-05:00

What else is there to say today except:

GO GATORS

2009-01-06T07:41:00.004-05:00

Last night when I was listening to the news, I heard our local guy say that there were going to be some changes to their programming. Their 24/7 weather station wasn't doing what they were hoping to do so they were changing the format. They were going to show "Retro TV Shows". Well that caught my attention. So when I crawled into bed last night I turned on channel 460 and this is what I saw: Johnny Gage and Roy DeSoto. Anyone who grew up in the 70's remember these hunky men. I was so in love with Johnny Gage. This show was a staple in our house. My younger brother even had the Squad 51 hot wheel. I still even have my Emergency View Master slide. Laying there for that hour so took my back.

With the station just turning on yesterday, the man also said this show would be on too

Who was not in love with the Hardy Boys? I sent my first fan letter to Shaun Cassidy and even got an autographed picture back. The guide to the station isn't up yet so I don't know when it will be on. But, you can bet I will be watching it. It's fun to look back and remember all the good shows that used to be on. Today's TV shows just don't do it for me. There are only a few shows that I "don't miss". I love Monk, Psych and for laughs, Scrubs (which a new season starts tonight). I used to be a huge TV watcher but now, I just mostly lisen to my IPOD.

Speaking of Ipods, I am totally getting addicted to it. I got on back in October and had about 14 songs on it. Well Emily and Liz got new ones for Christmas and now I am totally addicted to Itunes. We all have to confer with one another before we download songs to make sure it's not already in the library. Now, I have to get the adapter for my car so I can listen to "MY" music without interruptions. I keep a list going of the songs I want to download. I love modern technology.

Today the kids went back to school. Ahh the silence.....I get to spend my day finishing the Xmas decorations and finding a place for all the new stuff but if you could only hear how quiet it is. (Although the last two weeks, everyone was still sleeping except for Mark). Only the sound of SpongeBob was heard. Elizabeth went back to Gainesville on Sunday and she starts classes today. She is very excited about her classes this semester. Now that she has the first semester of her Freshman year under her belt, she is so much more relaxed. Speaking of UF, how about them Gators? Playing in the championship game this Thursday? Go Gators.

Not much else to report. I have already missed two days of my 365 photos. I have two so far. But, I'm not quitting. I have spent the last few nights getting all my photos saved onto a CD and cleaning up my computer files. I have way too many pictures not backed up. If something were to happen to this computer, I would just lose it. So, I'm organizing and sorting and trying to figure out what pictures, I have printed off and saved. It feels good to see some actual progress.

As part of my 2009, I promised myself that I would be a healthier me. So, yesterday I started off the year with my annual well woman's check up. Scheduled my mammogram. Here's my PSA---get your mammogram. I feel very strongly about us women getting these. My BP was still up somewhat but they weren't too concerned. I had a spike in my cholesterol back in the Fall so I also scheduled my routine blood draw for next week. I'm determined to get off these meds. I even managed to lose a few pounds over Christmas. Go figure. The only problem I'm having now is that I'm having a very hard time falling asleep at night. I don't know what's up with that. I just lay there. It's not caffeine related because I don't drink a lot of it except my coffee in the morning. I'm hoping now that I'm back in a routine and not sleeping in will help. Otherwise, it will be back to the doctor for that.

Well, I guess I better get a move on. Before I know it, it will be time to start my routine again. I need to get a jump on Mt. Washmore before it erupts. Right now, it's "dormant". hehe. I've been able to keep up with it.

Have a wonderful Tuesday. Make it a good one. My word for the year is relax so don't forget to take a deep breath if you start getting stressed out today. :)

2009-01-01T11:05:00.002-05:00

Welcome 2009

Can't believe another year has come and gone. It seems like 2008 just flew by.

Highlights of 2008 for me were:

Got my Canon Rebel

Mark made his First Communion

Greg made his Confirmation

Elizabeth graduated high school
(those three all took place within two weeks of each other)

Elizabeth went off to college

Emily started high school

Patti & Krissy came down to celebrate Thanksgiving

Went to Disneyworld

Unfortunately for me, 2008 was not one of my favorite years. So much happened and it was just run, run, run. Especially in May. All the preparation for First Communion and Confirmation.............times have changed and now it's mandatory this, mandatory that. The kids attended Religious Education classes but they also had to attend more monthly meetings and had projects. This was all in addition to their schooling. It was tough. When Liz made her Confirmation several years ago, it wasn't this difficult. I don't know, it just seems like they forgot that these kids go to school and do other things. But, it's over. Done. But, in 2010, we get to go through it again--Emily will make her Confirmation the same time as Greg graduates!

For the first time ever, I didn't enjoy the holidays. At Thanksgiving, we all got the stomach flu. Then two weeks later everyone got "the actual flu". With Thanksgiving being so late, we lost that extra week in between. We went to Disney the weekend before Christmas and family also arrived. They were on vacation. I was not. So, we were expected to hang out with them. I wasn't on vacation. I still had shopping, baking and wrapping to do. I didn't even get all my Christmas stuff out. So, it was my family that didn't get done. Steve's car didn't get fixed as planned because of it all (he did finally get it done but paid way too much). I just didn't enjoy it. The phone was constantly ringing to go and do. It was just way too stressful.

So, I vow in 2009 to make it about me. I'm going to learn how to tell my kids "no". I spend way to much time doing for them. I didn't get hardly any scrapbooking done. We spent all that money to get that extra room made into a scrapbook area and I never can get in there. Someone was always in there watching TV or studying. So, I'm taking my room back. I want to learn how to use my camera that I got. If it means taking a photography class then that's what I am going to do. I am hoping to do some fun online scrapbook challenges. Ali Edwards has one going on where you choose a word to focus on for the year. I am hoping to do one of those Projects 365--you take a picture a day. I've never done one so I need to look into it but I think it would be fun to do. Anyone done one of these and can point me in the right direction?

I am also going to make this the year I get healthy. It's no secret that I've put on weight. As a result, I'm now on medication for high blood pressure and high cholesterol. My goal is to get off all of those by year's end. I've lost about 5 pounds this past month on my own but I'm very greedy and want to lose more. :)

I didn't mean to make this post such a downer but I am vowing to turn it around in 2009!

So, to everyone I wish a Happy 2009. Make it a happy one.

2008-12-30T19:41:00.003-05:00

It's been a crazy month to say the least. Getting computer time has been next to impossible for me. With the kids home, I don't seen much time online.

Christmas came and went. We went on our usual trip to Disneyworld. It was fun and it was warm. We had a blast though. We stayed at the All Star Resorts (Music) in a family suite. On Saturday, we ended up hanging around and took the bus to downtown Disney to hang out. I can't say enough how gorgeous the weather is.

Speaking of weather, this is what it looked like on Christmas Day. The sky was so blue and there was not a cloud in the sky. It just didn't feel like Christmas. Santa brought Mark a remote control car and he spent most of Christmas Day out in the cul de sac playing with the car. The battery finally died just as it was getting dark. Only in Florida can we play outside like this.

I am really enjoying having the time off from all my running around. The kids are pretty much busy lazy and catching up on all their much needed sleep. I'm even being lazy and sleeping in. But, pretty soon break will be over and it will be back to the daily grind. I'm looking forward to it though. For my Christmas gift, Steve got me a "personal trainer". Greg has been working out with Alex and Ashley since last June and I have been itching to jump in. I'm ready to make the commitment to get more healthy. This is their link. Ashley has been there where I am. I hope I can have the results that she has had. Plus, Alex has been great to Greg and I think Greg wants to something in the personal fitness field. Tampa Personal Trainers

We got a Wii for Christmas from Steve's parents. Oh man, what fun that is. We have been having such a blast with it. I can't believe we haven't gotton one before this. If you are even thinking about getting one, I say do it. It's a lot of fun.

I'm enjoying having Liz home. I think she is bored though and needs "her own space" back. We went shopping today and had fun. She goes back to UF on Sunday and starts classes on Tuesday. I can't believe she is halfway through her first year of college. It's just flying by!

Not much else to report. I'm in the process of organizing all my photos so I hope to have more uploaded soon. I hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas and has a great New Year's.

2008-12-04T08:24:00.004-05:00

I've been a bad blogger. Wait, bad is not the right word. I've been a busy blogger. It's already December 4th. Where has the time gone? It was just Halloween!

We survived Thanksgiving. I say that because just days before our favorite day of the year, we got hit with the stomach flu. We were on the "every other day" schedule so it took a week to work it's way through. We all got it! We had our friends come down from Ohio and we had to send them to a hotel the first night just in case. Elizabeth came home and she was freaking out because she can't afford to get sick with finals coming. So, luckily, they did not catch it. One of the nice things about living in Florida is that we could scrub, clean, spray and have the windows open. Even when it got cold, we left the house open to air it out. Hopefully that will be it for us. Our dinner was wonderful and we had a blast with Patti & Krissy (pictures to follow).

The day after when everyone was at the malls and shopping, we decided to drive over to the beach and "frolic". It was fun. I went with the intention of taking pictures for our Xmas cards. The kids did not cooperate. It wasn't until we were driving home that I realized that I did not get pictures of just the kids. The whole reason we went. DUH. I got pictures, of the boys, the girls, the family, the water but not just the kids. I should have known to take extra clothes for Mark. He loves the water. I figured the water was too cold to swim so we were just going to take a walk and get some photos. Not Mark. He went in clothes and all! He's our water kid.

After we left the beach, we went to lunch at Skyline Chili. YUM. Skyline is a restaurant that started in Cincinnati. We are lucky to have one down here in Clearwater. It's fun to go to a restaurant that's all decorated in your hometown decor. Especially when one of your college teams is winning. Go Bearcats!

Not much else to report. Just trying to get the Christmas shopping done. Steve's family is coming down for Xmas so I don't have to worry about shipping their stuff. Yeah. That's huge. Getting everything wrapped and shipped is the hardest part.

Our new mall opened a few weeks ago. We so needed a mall close by. It's wonderful. I can't tell you how many times I've been there and just walked around. It's an outdoor mall and is awesome. I fell like a tourist when I'm there. I can't believe it's only 10 minutes from my house.

I've also been busy finishing up "my" science fair project. I'm sorry, but 3rd graders just don't get it. They get the experiment part but when it comes time to write and type everything up, they're done. They don't get how to do pie charts and bar graphs. We did the experiment so now it's just putting it together. It's due next Wednesday so that will be the biggest thing I get to cross off my "to do" list.

I got to see the movie Twilight on Thanksgiving. I loved it. I was hesitant to read the books because I thought I was too old. I'm so glad I read the book. I'm on the second one right now. The movie didn't disappoint. I know it had mixed reviews but I give it two thumbs up. The book was so long that they couldn't put everything in the movie. But overall, I enjoyed it. It moved really quick and was over before I knew it. I also get to go to a free showing of Four Christmases. I'm glad it was "free". I didn't hate it but I didn't love it either. I liked Twilight better. The cast was perfect. Dark and mysterious just like in the book.

Well, it's time to get my day started. I'm off to volunteer in the media center at school. I wasn't sure what I was signing up for but I really love doing it. It's fun to see the kids and see what they are reading. Mark goes to a wonderful school full of great kids and teachers.

Have a wonderful Thursday.

2008-11-12T08:22:00.002-05:00

{DOH}

Last night I actually got to climb into bed at a decent hour. I had the dishwasher loaded and I even set up the coffee pot to go off automatically this morning. Lately my days have been so busy, I'm so exhausted that I have neglected getting the coffee ready the night before. So, last night I was able to get it ready. Well, it's been awhile since I've done it that I had never changed the clock from when the time changed. So, instead of it going off at 6:10 it went off at 5:10. Our bedroom is right off the kitchen so I heard it noisily brewing. I went into a total panic at first because I thought everyone had overslept. Nope. Whew. I was wide awake by this time. So, I debated whether to get up and get my started or lay there like a slug until it was time for me to get up--I usually get up at 6:30. I recently started reading the Twilight series books. My girls swear by them. Liz even has her ticket to the midnight showing of the movie coming out soon. I debated if I should get up and read while the house was quiet. Finally, I gave in and went back to sleep. That was dumb. Because when I needed to get up I was dragging. I was wide awake an hour earlier. DUH. I am really getting into the book though. I may just have to see the movie as well.

We are working on Mark's science fair project. Have I mentioned how I hate them? After 4 kids you would think that I would be used to them. I even went into our science fair "library" to see if there was anything that we could "recyle". Nope. So, we are trying to do a project that is geared toward a 3rd grader that isn't way above his head. Why we do these--I don't know. It's a parent project. They don't get it. They don't care. I love going to the actual science fair. You cannot tell me that elementary schoolers do these projects. I'll just be glad when it's over. Then it will be another year until the next one.

Hard to believe that Thanksgiving is only 2 weeks away. I think we are going to put our Xmas tree up next weekend. With Thanksgiving being so late this year, we lose a week before Xmas. So I want to enjoy my tree. The Christmas tree is my favorite part. I love turning off all the lights and sitting in the dark just staring at the lights. Add in a glass of wine and the Christmas music and I am set.

I can't wait to hit Disneyworld up next month. We have been going to Mickey's Very Merry Christmas party since we moved here. No lines, no crowds. It's great. I know the kids are getting older but as long as they still want to go, we will. The first year it rained but that didn't stop us. Every year since, it's been kind of warm. I just hope it gets cool enough this year to wear our "winter" sweatshirts. Have I mentioned how much I love the lights? You haven't seen lights until you have seen Disney all decked out for Christmas.

Well, time to get a move on. Lots to do on my To Do list. Lots of running and the day will fly by. I'm actually looking forward to sitting in the car pool lane just so I can read my Twilight book. I'm having a hard time putting it down!!!!!

Have a wonderful hump day!

2008-11-10T10:12:00.005-05:00

{Favorite Time of the Year}

They're here. Starbucks has their holiday coffees out! Oh happy day. I've been putzing around the house picking it up after a very busy weekend. I have the Xmas music on the satellite and I decided what I needed was a Starbucks. I am now sitting here typing this entry with a Venti Egg Nog Latte. YUM. The pumpkin and egg nog are my favorite. Oh and the Peppermint Mocha. I am totally starting to get into the Holidays. This morning I actually picked up my Turkey for Thanksgiving. This is the time of the year though where I wish we lived back in Utah. I miss the snow capped mountains and the smell of the fireplace burning. However, on December 26 when everyone else is freezing their behinds off, we usually flip on the pool heater and swim.

Had a wonderful weekend with Elizabeth home. She got home Friday night. On Saturday she and Mark went and saw Madagascar. They loved it. I went to a Stampin Up workshop and as usual had fun. I wish I could shut myself away from the word and stamp, scrapbook and craft. Luckily, the kids are off school tomorrow so I may just do that. I have so many idea and projects to do. We were supposed to go up to the Community Center and take pictures in the woods for our Xmas cards. We didn't. So, I told the kids that we would do it over Thanksgiving for sure when everyone was home. Then I got the idea to take beach pictures. We live so close, so why not? The last few years the pictures have been from our trip to Disney. My friend Patti and her daughter will be here so I plan on dragging them along and taking photos of them as well.

Mark is finally himself. He still occasionally coughs but he is bouncing around and back to his old self. I don't recall in his 8 years, him ever being so out of it. Now Emily is feeling crappy.

Guess what I saw while coming home from Starbucks?

Yep. That is a coyote. I was just driving along and he darted out in front of me. There was a car coming from the other direction and she and I just stopped and stared. I saw one back over the summer but this one I got to see up close. I have heard that there were some around the neighborhood. Scary. It was beautiful animal. Living in Florida you never know what you are going to see. A few years ago I saw a some kind of cat--a panther like one. He actually was really close to our house. That one freaked me out. We also have deer, racoons, gators, snakes, racoons and lots of armadillo's. This is the worst part for me living here.

I have dinner in the crock pot so now it's time to tackle Mt. Washmore. It just doesn't seem to go away. I don't even remember what it was like when it was just Steve and I. Now it's just piles and piles.

Have a wonderful Monday.

2008-11-05T11:58:00.002-05:00

I'm feeling like a bad mom today. Mark started feeling bad on Sunday and was running a slight fever and basically just laid around. If you know Mark, he doesn't just lie around. I kept him home from school on Monday since he was still coughing and running a slight fever. Yesterday he woke up and was himself and his fever was gone. When he got home from school, he just "crashed and burned" as I call it. By dinner time, his fever was up to 102. When I was putting him to bed, I realized I was out of his cough medicine so off to CVS I went. He's been sleeping great though. This morning, his fever was still at 101. So, I kept him home. My "mom instinct" kept telling me to call the doctor and make him an appointment. They got us in pretty quick. His fever was still up and he was "wheezing". The doctor said he has bronchitis and gave him a breathing treatment there in the office. This was our first breathing treatment with four kids. Pretty good. He was still wheezing after the treatment so we could have done one of two things.......get a machine through our insurance or do the inhalers. We are now back home with an antibiotic and an inhaler. Oh and most important of all to Mark...........he should stay home one more day (possibly two) from school. I'm just glad I went with my gut and took him to the doctor.

I'm loving my new IPOD. I love that it's just mine! I don't have to share with anyone. It's my music and mine alone. I actually found my wedding song from 1987 in the Itunes library. I'm also hooked on a song that Tina, Just a minute of my time..., mentioned on her blog. It's called "The Story" by Brandi Carlile. I love this song and what the words say. I'm a huge scrapbooker. I started scrapbooking in 1997 when I moved to Utah where I was introduced to it by a mom that I met at the kids school. I've been hooked ever since. The albums I make tell "our family's story". Unfortunately, I'm the one doing all the telling and taking all the pictures. I'm not in very many pictures. So, I decided to make an album of me and "my story". I recently started a yahoo group where we make an album about "just us". So, when Tina told about this song, it was just perfect. If you are interested in making an album about you, shoot me an email and I will send you an invite to the group. We've started off slow but hopefully we can kick it in gear.

I'm finally getting some time to play with Photoshop. I've had the software for awile but have never had a chance to really do anything with it. Right now, I'm working on organizing all the pictures on my computer. It's a mess. I want to get them organized and backed up to CD. I'm also playing with my Canon getting more familiar with it. I love it!

I just got home from Publix and they were decorating the parking lot light poles with their Xmas decorations. They were also hanging all the lights inside. Hard to believe that Christmas is next month! This year flew by. The school year is going way to fast too. Hard to believe that next school year, I get to do the "senior" thing all over again. I'm glad Liz went first because she was so easy and "in touch" with everything that went on. She made it so easy for us. Greg's a guy and they just don't care like the girls. He gets to spend his Xmas break studying for the ACT and SAT so that when he goes back in January he will be all ready for the test. Still no word from him on where he wants to go to school. I am hoping he will join Liz at UF but I'm not that lucky. With our luck he will end up at Florida State (Gators rival) or Univeristy of Central Florida in Orlando. That's a neat school too. It will just be weird having my kids so far apart. And, with any luck, move in week will be at the same time! Heck, I'm still trying to get out of him what he wants to do. Gotta love the boys!

Time to tackle Mt. Washmore as Jolene calls it. I may even get some scrapbooking in this afternoon. Oh happy day!

2008-11-03T09:49:00.002-05:00

One more Day

Only one more day (hopefully) of political ads. I don't know about you, but I'm tired of ALL of them. I'm sick of the ads on TV, in my mailbox, on the radio and the phone calls. I'm not a political person. I have my personal views and I know who I am going to vote for. I will cast my vote tomorrow and be done. Hopefully my candidates will be victorious. If not, it is what it is. I won't leave the US and live somewhere else. To those who say they will leave is a certain person is elected, I wish you safe travels. But, regardless of the outcome, I will support whomever is elected. If I don't like the way things are run, I will vote again in 4 years. Enough said..............

Today Mark is home sick. He was coughing and hacking all day yesterday. He is constantly clearing his throat. His temp was only 99.7 but it was enough for me to keep him home. I probably could have sent him in after a swig of cough medicine and Tylenol, but there is nothing worse than listening to someone hacking and coughing all over everyone. That is one of my biggest peeves is when parents send their kids sick to school. Keep them home! Right now, he is on the couch chilling. This is how I know he isn't feeling well. He's laying down. So, I figured I would let him rest this morning and then we can work on his science fair project.

Had a great visit with Elizabeth home for the weekend. It was her first time driving home without Steve or I with her in her car. She got out of Gainesville late so she had to drive in the dark. Yesterday she left in the rain. I was worried but she made it safe and sound. We checked out the new mall that opened 10 minutes away. We were in heaven . We have no good malls around here so it was a drive to go shopping. Not anymore. We certainly did our part this weekend helping the economy.

Emily has her oral surgery scheduled finally. We have to wait until January when our benefits roll over but I can get that crossed off my "to do" list. She has to have a baby tooth pulled and then they have to go and grab the permanent tooth (which is impacted in the roof of her mouth) and put a bracket on it so it can come down. Oooh. They have to knock her out to do this. This is a job for dad. I don't do well when they knock my kids out. When Mark was 11 months old, they had to knock him out to do an MRI. I was terrified. I hated every minute that he was out and couldn't wait for him to wake up. Even though Emily is 14, the thought of her being out makes me nervous. On a happy note though, her teeth are already looking great. Her teeth weren't that bad but she had a gap in the front which is totally closed up. She is thrilled.

I love to listen to the satellite music stations on my TV. I love the selection. I was scrolling the channels yesterday and they have the "Sounds of the Seasaon" on. Yep, Christmas music. I flipped it on and Steve thought I was nuts. He's old fashioned. He doesn't believe Christmas starts until after Thanksgiving. Not me. I want to enjoy it all because it just goes too fast. I have already decided to put my tree up the weekend BEFORE Thanksgiving since it's so late this year. I've got a good jump on my Christmas shopping. Good thing too. Liz handed us her dorm bill when she came home this weekend. OUCH.

Well, I'm going to get sign off here and go snuggle with a little boy not feeling so good. Hopefully he will start perking up soon. Have a great Monday! Don't forget to get out there and vote tomorrow.

2008-10-29T08:02:00.002-04:00

I can't believe I'm about to say this, but I'm cold!!! And, I like it. It's a cool low 40's right now here in Tampa. I guess the pool is officially closed until we flip on the heater. I'm just enjoying having the windows open and the AC off. However, it's supposed to be short lived. We are supposed to be back in the 80's on Saturday.

Hard to believe October is almost over. Man it's flying by. Mark has his Halloween costume ready to go for Friday. He's a skeleton. We finally came up with a Book-O-Ween costume too. He is going to be Jack from the Magic Tree House series. Since the kids aren't allowed to celebrate Halloween in school, they have Book-O-Ween where they dress up as their favorite book character. Last year he was a cub scout from the Berenstein Bears series. It's fun to come up with the ideas but there are parents who go way overboard. There are also a lot of parents who come up with the coolest costume/character ideas. I remember growing up making our Halloween costumes out of boxes and stuff. We never had costumes bought at the store.

Last week was an absolutely crazy week. The garage door broke yet again. They had been out to fix it on Thursday. It was raining on Friday and since the garage door was in need of repair again, Steve took my van since it's windshield has a leak (I need to put that on the top of my to do list). Since he works downtown, the van would be in a parking garage. So off he goes with the van I and I drove the Camry. About halfway home from dropping Mark off at school, I realized that there is no house key on my Camry ring. Hopefully, the garage door would open since the house is locked. Nope. So, as I sat in the car in the rain, oh yeah, in my pajama's, I pondered what to do. I called Steve to come home. Guess what? He doesn't have a house key on his van keys. Uh oh. So, we sat and waited for a locksmith to come and let us into the house. $55 later, I was in my dry house. The garage door guy came that afternoon and found the "real" problem. He felt so bad, he fixed it for free and didn't charge us for the new part. Lesson learned here is not to rely on the garage door or it's key pad to let you in. So, we will now have house keys on every key ring (another thing to add to my endless to d0 list). Also when said garage door was acting up, a snake was able to make his way into the garage. Not uncommon here in FL but he was a "bad" snake. With a water bottle and broom I was able to get him out. But before I could get to the shovel he was blocking, he got away. I had the heebie jeebies for days after that. I have no sympathy for snakes. If you come into my yard, garage or my pool, be prepared. Now my only problem with the garage is the "mystery odor". The garbage is out and the fridge is clean so I have no idea where/what the smell is. So, this weekened it will probably be a day to haul everything out and find the mystery smell.

Liz is coming home on Friday. Woo Hoo. Just in time for the new mall that is opening down the road. She's freezing up in Gainesville so she needs to get what few "winter" clothes she has. She is also requesting, closed toe shoes. She's a flip flop gal. She's definately changed her tune. I even convinced her before she left for school to invest in gym shoes (which she did). Since she joined a sorority, she's had to do a lot of crafty stuff. She likes it! I love this new side of her.

Baseball wraps up this week too. Yeah. I will finally have my late afternoons free. Other than Mathnasium tutoring, I will not have to get out in that traffic. Oh happy day. Oh yeah, Steve was able to score World Series tickets last week so he and Greg got to go to Game #2 (which they won). I really hope the Rays can win this. They are such a fun team. Go RAYS.................

Well, better get my butt into gear. Today is a half day. The teachers will now have one Wednesday a month where school gets out early so they can have a planning day. When we lived in Utah, they had a planning day one day a week! Kids are looking forward to it though. I reminded them though that they still have homework and it's not "a day off".

Have a wonderful Wednesday. Make it a good one.

2008-10-20T09:30:00.003-04:00

Finally

Fall has finally arrived in Tampa. Hopefully it will stay. For the first time since last Spring, we've been able to turn of the A/C. It was in the low 60's this morning. There is nothing like opening up all the windows and sliding door and have some fresh air in the house. The high today is supposed to be only 83--a much welcome relief since we have had a hot Fall. Hopefully it will last but I know we are not done with the high 80's yet. This is the time of year I really miss living in Ohio. The cool, crisp air. Not to mention the beautiful leaves changing color. But, I don't miss the long, dreary, cold winters. We usually flip on the pool heater and swim on Thanksgiving and over Christmas break.

How about those Tampa Bay Rays? Wasn't it great that they were able to finally pull off the championship. I was beginning to lose hope after that disastrous game #5. I cannot wait to experience World Series festivities again. When the Reds were in the World Series back in 1990, it was awesome. I was working downtown and it was like a party every day. Hopefully, it will be like that here. The Buccaneers won last night on Sunday night football. The Super Bowl is here in Tampa as well. Would that be great to see the Bucs play in the Super Bowl in their own town? It was a good day for the Tampa teams. The mighty Bengals?? Lost again.

Yesterday, my friend, Terri, Emily and I drove up to Gainesville to visit Liz. It was so fun. Her dorm is so cute and all her sorority stuff is cute. Terri and I decided we want to go back to college and start our own sorority. We went to brunch and then did some shopping. Didn't buy very much but she now is no longer a starving college student and has a fridge full of food. I totally forgot to take some pictures. Took the camera but got all caught up visiting and just having fun. She's not able to come home until Thanksgiving so I may just take another road trip up there in a few weeks. I'm so happy that she is enjoying it there.

Today it's off to a birthday lunch with my friend, Barb. Other than that, it's just another day for me. Laundry, picking up kids, Greg has a chiropractor appointment. Just the usual stuff. Thank goodness gas is finally coming down.

Have a wonderful Monday.

2008-10-17T20:53:00.003-04:00

{Homecoming 2008}

Well, here they are. This year's Homecoming pictures. This was his first year going (he's never wanted to go before this). This is also his first tux. Is he handsome or what? He just got his braces off earlier in the summer so this picture is just perfect to me.

Here's Miss Em. This is her first ever Homecoming as well. How pretty is she? I loved her dress. Purple is definately her color. We went this afternoon and had her hair done and it turned out so pretty. Can't believe she's in high school now.

I made them take this picture together. All the pictures have been of Greg and Liz but now that Liz is off to college and Emily is at the school, I will have pictures of these two together for two years. This time next year will be Greg's final year in school and hopefully by then he will have an idea of where he wants to attend college. I don't know if he will go up to UF or attend somewhere else. His dream colleges are the University of Cincinnati, Xavier or Ohio State. Since they are out of state, I don't see it happening. I would love for him to be a Gator. It would make my life so much easier if they were at the same college, but it is his choice.

I cannot wait to get my hands on the hard copies of these photos and start scrapping them. I have a few ideas in mind what I want to do. Right now, my problem is staying up late so I can go pick them up. The dance is over at 11 but they are going out afterward for dessert. Lucky me though--they are both going to the same place. I'm just not one to stay up late. But, it doesn't happen that often so I can do it.

Tomorrow I'm off to a craft show and then come home and bake goodies and food for Liz. Sunday, I am driving up to Gainesville to spend the day with her. I can't wait to see everything she and Heather have done to their dorm. Plus, I promised to take her to the grocery store.

Have a wonderful weekend. Don't forgot to root for the Rays. After last nights game they need all the "positive vibes" they can get.

2008-10-17T15:41:00.001-04:00

Getting ready for homecoming here. Not trying to get one kid ready but two. Tux is picked up, hair is done, just waiting to get dressed and get the night started. Be back soon with pictures.

2008-10-12T19:42:00.007-04:00

This is what I was able to catch on my camera earlier. I was coming home and it was drizzling. It was also sunny out. You can see where it was raining and the bright blue sky with white puffy clouds. This is typical here in Florida. It never did start to rain. As I look out the window as I type this, the moon is as white and clear as can be. I really do wish it would rain though. We need it so bad. Today was HOT. It was about 91 degrees. When Emily and I left in the car earlier, the thermometer in the car said 98 degrees. Don't forget to factor in the humidy.

What a great weekend is was for Florida sports teams. First, the Gators kicked some LSU butt. Liz said the game was fun but wild. They ended up leaving at halftime to avoid the mayhem that usually happens with these two teams. How about those Rays? I can't believe we stayed up until 1:30 am watching that game. I am paying for it today. We also had to flip and see who won the NASCAR race--Jeff Burton. A good guy won for a change. Finally, today, the Buccaneers kicked butt against the Panthers. It was a great Sports weekend. Those Bengals? Lost again. I've had to put the Bengals jerseys away. Kind of embarassed to wear them.

These weekend flew by. Homecoming is Friday night and I think we are finally good to go. Emily and her friends are having dinner here and then going on over. Greg is going with a group of his friends. He rented his tux today. Can't wait to take those pictures. They will be priceless. I'm ordering a lunch meat tray for Em and her friends. I figured why risk getting something on their dresses. I love Subway trays so that's what we have planned. She also requested salad and mini cheesecakes for dessert. That I can do. I'm so excited for her. This is her first Homecoming. Just seems like yesterday, Liz was going to hers. I think I did the same thing for her and her friends that year.

Next weekend, she asked me to come up to Gainesville to visit. I haven't been up there since we moved her in but she has come home twice. She wants to show me all the stuff they've done to their dorms, see the sorority house and of course take her grocery shopping. She's asked me to bring up some homemade pasta salad and rice. I can handle that.

Well, I'm off to keep organizing and purging my scrapbook space. It's so out of control. What better timing too--The Amazing Race is starting.

So, that being said, have a wonderful evening. Hopefully everyone will have a great week ahead.

2008-10-07T12:23:00.006-04:00

Here it is Tuesday again. Where is the time going? It's been a few busy weeks here in our house. First, there's this. Finally! Those two front teeth finally came out. The one was really stubborn and was looking pretty gross so he wiggled and wiggled until it finally came out.

Steve and I celebrated our 21st wedding anniversary. We spent it at the Elementary School's Fall Festival. It was fun but not my idea of how to celebrate an anniversary. Saturday was too busy as well so we are hoping to go out to a nice dinner this upcoming weekend. I spent Saturday making cards for the Veterans Hospital. It was World Cardmaking Day. They turned out really cool. Steve did get me a new hot pink Ipod Nano. Love it. I'm working on getting all my tunes loaded into it.

Also Friday night Liz's big sister revealed herself. She was thrilled and I was able to get some of the pictures off her Facebook.

Look how cute they are. She is loving being a Phi Mu.

Less than two weeks until Homecoming. Emily is pretty much all ready to go. We still need to find some silver shoes. Doesn't anyone make shoes for teens anymore? Everything out there looks like "hooker heels". Geesh people. I don't mind heels but some of these heels are ridiculously high for a 14 year old. We still have to get Greg something. He's thinking he just wants to wear black pants and shirt with a tie. I'm ok with that. If he would only make up his mind!

How about those Tampa Bay Rays? I've always been a Cincinnati Reds fan but since moving to Tampa, we try and go to a few Rays game every year. It's cheap and it's easy to get tickets. I'm sure they won't be anymore. Who knew a team could turn it around like they did? It's so cool to watch them. We've been to a few games this year and we are trying to get play off tickets but so far no luck. You have to enter a pool and so far we've been unlucky. How cool would it be to get World Series tickets if they make it. I guess the Reds only have one more year here in Florida with their Spring training camp. We go to those too but they are up and moving to Arizona. So, I think we will officially be a Rays family from now on.

That's about all that's been going on in our house. It's just been run, run, run. People say that the economy is bad but I can tell you that I am doing my share to keep it going. :) The gas stations love me and with all the shopping I've done lately, I'm sure some department store stocks should go up with all our Homecoming purchases.

Have a great one!

2008-10-06T11:01:00.002-04:00

{It's Renee's Special Day}

Go check out Renee's blog Life With My Special Ks. Today marks her one year blog anniversary. I actually don't remember how I came across her blog, but I was hooked. I have my coffee every morning to her blog. She is an amazing woman with an amazing family. To celebrate her blog anniversary, she's having an awesome give-a-way. Go check out her blog. Once you do, you will find yourself having your morning coffee with her too.

2008-09-27T09:25:00.006-04:00

This & That

Haven't really had anything to blog about lately so that's why I've been MIA. This week has been just the usual mom stuff. Run kids all over and all that boring stuff. Last night Greg and Emily went to the football game so it was just Steve, Mark and I. We went out to Chili's for dinner and I realized that in a couple of years, this will be what's it's like. In less than 4 years, our family will be a "family of 3" when we go out to dinner. Boy, the bill sure was nice. How weird is that? I cannot even imagine what having only one kid home all the time will be like.

Greg and Emily both got their Homecoming tickets this week. Everyone goes regardless if they have a date or not. In my day, you only went if you had a date. I'm excited to go dress shopping with Em and see Greg all "dapper". This year it's at MOSI (Museum of Science and Industry). Liz went all four years and this is Greg's first. He never had any desire to go and his friends pretty much had to convince him this year. Finally, some pictures to add to his scrapbook besides baseball.

Mark finally lost his two front teeth. The pictures are still on my camera and I will try to upload them this weekend. He looks so cute. Mark is a pretty small kid and still has that "baby" look to him. I mean his is small compared to other kids his age. But, now that he is missing his teeth, he's looks more like a "little boy" and is slowly losing that baby look. Maybe it's just me that notices.

Liz isn't coming home this weekend. There's a football game so she is going to that. Plus, moving your car on a football game weekend is a bad idea. No guarantee there will be parking. She has a few tests to study for anyway. Go Gators!!!!!

We survived Parent Teacher Conferences also this week. No major surprises. Everyone is doing well. I love Mark's teacher this year. I loved last years too and I was hoping this year's teacher would be just as good. Yep she is. We are going to do some more testing with them but he is really trying. Next Monday is our "big" meeting with the administrators and all the specialist where we sit around and discuss what we are all going to do to help him. We had this meeting last year and I kid you not, I was so sick to my stomach. I had a headache for three days. Now that I've been through it, it's not too bad. The only reason we are doing it again is because they have a new school psychologist. Hopefully, we won't have to do this again for awhile.

Greg has a double header baseball game today. His first game is @ 10 and his second one is @ 1. They were away games. I decided to spend my day here at home. Lots on my "to do" list. Which includes:

laundry

cleaning

get out Halloween/Fall Decorations

Paint plant stand on porch

BJ's (we need some food in this house)

That being said, it's time for me to log off here and get started. I actually slept in today so I got a late start.

Have a wonderful Saturday!

PS. SORRY ABOUT THE SPACING. I HAVE NO IDEA WHY BLOGGER WON'T PUT SPACES BETWEEN THE PARAGRAPHS. I HAVE GONE BACK THREE TIMES AND IT SHOWS IN THE DRAFT THAT THERE IS SPACING BETWEEN THE PARAGRAPHS. ANY ONE HAVE ANY IDEA WHY THIS IS HAPPENING?

2008-09-17T12:30:00.002-04:00

Disney's Desperate Housewives

Was cleaning off my hard drive on the computer yesterday and found this. I forgot all about this but it just made me laugh. Just in time too for the new season of the real Desperate Housewives. Enjoy.

2008-09-16T07:43:00.003-04:00

DO OVER?

Can we have a Monday, do over? Well, maybe not. That would mean we would have one more day to the weekend..........Yesterday, was a NIGHTMARE here in our little community. Around one o'clock, the construction crew working on the new over pass hit a gas line. Not a big deal, just fix it right? WRONG. They had to close the highway in both directions and the road under (our main road). Problem here? The kids school was on the other side of the highway. I couldn't get to them. Emily had an orthodontics appointment which is right across from school so she had to go there. Greg was staying after for newspaper deadline. She was able to go back to school and hang out with Greg. Even if they had gotton on the bus, the buses couldn't get through. So, all the roads were just total gridlock! I can't even begin to describe the mess. There were all kinds of reports as to when the road would open. On the 5 pm news, they said it could take another 4 hours. I wasn't panicked that my kids weren't in good hands, but it would have taken me forever to detour around or even when the road opened, the back up was horrible. I called my neighbor that works on that side of the road and we finally worked out that she would swing by and get the kids (and two other neighborhood kids). Her son was up at the middle school in the other direction at basketball practice so she wasn't able to get him. So basically, we swapped kids for the evening. I was able to pick up her son. They had traffic diverted through our neighborhood so our neighborhood road was backed up as well. What usually takes 3 minutes to get out of took over 20. So when all was said and done, the kids got home from school at 6:45. Long day for them. Thank goodness I have a great neighbor. But, what was the good out of this is that since we had a meeting at Mark's school, Steve had left early to meet me at the school. He totally missed it! Not a good way to start off the week.

Well, I mentioned in my previous entry about baseball. Well, Greg came home today and said they have practice today after school. Hopefully they got a new coach lined up.

The meeting for Mark was the usual stuff--"Let's do this, we can do that." Well, let's see if it gets done. She even commented that some of the stuff we agreed to do last year wasn't done. We did make some changes to his 504 Plan. I can see some changes in him this year (maturity and developmentally) so I know we are going in the right direction but we still have a long way to go. He's getting better verbally but still struggles to put it down on paper. This is an FCAT year for him as well. I hate FCATs. Basically, you don't pass FCAT, you don't pass. I hate that it comes down to one test.

I hope to stay close to home today again. I love it when I have nowhere to go or be. I'm slowly getting out my Fall decorations. Although, based on the temps here, we are far from it. We are still in the 90's. This is the time of year that I really miss living in Ohio. The leaves were so pretty. When the older kids were little, playing in the leaves was their favorite thing to do. Mark has never gotton to do that. I have so many pictures of the kids in leaves. Fun memories.

Well, off to get my day started. I hope it's a productive one as well.

2008-09-15T11:33:00.003-04:00

Weekend Update

We had a great weekend here in our home. Elizabeth made it home around 7 pm on Friday night. We had a nice "home cooked" dinner of her favorite--pork chops, au graten potatoes and green beans. Since there was no high school football game this week (it was a bye), she spent the evening with us. We did her laundry and just "hung out". She got up early on Saturday and went and got her hair cut. After that, we ran to the bank, Bed Bath & Beyond and to the grocery store. It's nice that she doesn't want to "eat out" because she's sick of it. She did however hook up with the newspaper staff from the school and they all went to Moe's. Since Greg is on staff now, he went. It's weird seeing those two have something like that in common and hang out. Since she drove home with her roommate, she didn't have her car so she took Steve's. It was nice having him "stuck at home". Since she went off to Moe's, I decided to go to my Stampin UP workshop. Had a blast and made a cool photo holder. Definately something I see myself making again. As you can see by the above picture, there was one little person in our family who was thrilled more than me to have Liz home. He followed her around and talked her arm off. Saying goodbye on Sunday wasn't too bad because she's coming home again next weekend (the Gators are playing an away game).

This afternoon we are off to Mark's school to sit down and review his 504 Plan. (I can tell that it's not being followed this year so far). I'm still baffled why he doesn't qualify for an IEP. I think he needs one with his CAPD. I know for a fact that other children who have the same thing have an IEP. It's so frustrating!!!!! Luckily, last year, he had a teacher who really "got him" and his needs. It's too soon to tell this year but 3rd grade is way different and he has more responsiblity. I have a feeling though that this will be a long year. Also, this year is the dreaded science fair project for the first time. I don't know why they bother with these things. The parents end up doing them. I was so excited when Emily was done with them in 7th grade. Speaking of Emily, I am so proud of how she has adjusted to high school. So far, so good with her studies. Unfortunately, her best friend went to the other local high school so she is really missing her. They only have their weekends together. Her group of friends are way more dramatic at this age than Liz's friends ever were. OMG, the drama these girls create. I've really been pushing her to distance herself from it all as much as she can. I tell ya, I wouldn't want to be a teenager in this day and age for anything.

Still no word on whether there will be a Fall baseball season at school. I really don't mind though because it's been nice having it off. It's really giving Greg some time to rest his back. He said it bothered him a little in tryouts again. They are keeping an eye on it with his work outs. He is just way to young to be having back problems like he is.

Have I mentioned how much I love my new washer? I have been so good keeping the laundry done. More time to do other things.....................

Well, that's about all that's been happening in our house. Keep your fingers crossed for us that we make some progress with Mark at school. I'm feeling negative about the whole thing but Steve insists we are not going to be the losers in this battle.

Later.................have a wonderful Monday.

2008-09-11T11:05:00.003-04:00

Pictures to Remember

Wow. Two posts in one day. I'm sitting home today listening to the radio and reflecting on September 11. For some reason, I kept thinking back to the one year anniversary of 9/11. We were living in Sandy, Utah and the Sandy City Hall had set up this beautiful memorial. They had a flag to represent each person who lost their lives that day. The kids were at school so I packed Mark up and he and I went. When he was a baby, he was obsessed with flags. I mean obsessed! He called them za za's. Whenever we would drive by a flag pole he would say "ah, big za za". We had little flags all over the house. I figured we could go to the memorial and he could see his "za za's". This picture is a view of the some of the thousands of flags displayed.

They also displayed a flag to represent the countries of where some of the victims were from. It wasn't just Americans who died that day.

Here's Mark checking out all the flags. He would just walk around to the flags and look up at them. He was in total aw over all the flags.

Did I mention in my last post how proud I am to live here in the USA. I can't imagine living any where else.

2008-09-11T08:17:00.007-04:00

I can hardly believe that it's been seven years since that tragic day. I remember it like it was yesterday. Seeing the news reports and images on the internet just brings it all back. I can only pray that something like this NEVER happens again. I pray for the safety of our military and their families for their sacrifice to see that it doesn't. I hope that our next President will never let "their guard down" and continue this fight against terrorism. Enough said................

I am anxiously awaiting the delivery of my new washing machine. I have spent the morning cleaning out my laundry "area". Since we don't have a basement (bummer) our laundry room is in this little entry way that connects the garage to the house. It is really small and not very functional. That was one of the things we lost moving from our previous house in Utah to Florida. No one has basements. I am not very good about pulling the washer/dryer out (maybe once a year) to really scrub and clean under and behind it. I know there is a bunch of lint, hangers and other stuff that has fallen behine. But, the vacuum and mop is ready to go once they haul the old one out. Maybe having a new and functioning washer will help me stay on top of the laundry. Since the space is so small, the laundry baskets end up in my room to be folded. I've been better staying on top of it but with my hectic schedule, folding laundry is kind of on the bottom of the list.

I don't talk about Greg much. Today is a big milestone for him. Tonight we go and order his classring. With Elizabeth gone, he is officially "the oldest" kid at home. Their baseball team is "on hold" at the moment due to a coaching change so he's been home alot more. We've really gotton a chance to talk and do more stuff together. Here's one of the more recent pictures of Greg. This was in May when he made his Confirmation. Grandpa Behrman flew down to be his sponsor. I wish I would have thought to take another picture with Steve in it to show how much they all look alike. Since this picture was taken, he's gotton his braces off. Man he's got beautiful teeth!

(What a handsome duo)

Well, not much else to blog about. I've been on a major organize and purge effort in my scrapbook room. What a feeling! I got caught up in all the new "gadgets and gizmos" that I lost my scrapbooking "mojo" because I was so intimidated by all the stuff out there now. I've gone back to the more simpler style of scrapbooking and that has really helped. I had to get back into the mentality that "it's all about the pictures" and not the embellishments. The pictures should tell the story not all the embellishments that one can shove onto a page.

Well, gotta run. It's here, It's here!!!!!

2008-09-08T08:00:00.009-04:00

Feeling Crafty

I mentioned recently that I was making the girls some blankets. Well, here they are. The brown and pink one I made for Liz for her dorm room. Pink and brown are her colors. I picked this fabric before I new the colors for her sorority are pink and white to it is absolotely perfect. They are so easy to make and best of all, I didn't have to dig out the sewing machine. Even better, I was able to get the fleece pretty cheap with the opening of the new Joann's store right down the road. They are definately going to like having me for a customer!! The next blanket is the one I made for Emily. The colors are absolutely perfect for her room. She's loving it. I found her on the couch the other night all wrapped up in it. I think it's way too hot. We are still in the 90's with the heat index right around 100. I don't keep the house all that cool so I don't know why she is so cold. Mark has decided he wants one too for his bed. So, it's back to Joann's to get him some Florida Gators fleece. I also have have to make one for Heather--Liz's roomie. They need matching blankies after all!

Liz is coming home next weekend. We haven't seen her in over a month. I can't wait. She said she's bringing her laundry home with her. She said the washing machines there don't have cold water! Weird. She said they washed their towels and they bled. Her timing is perfect. Yesterday I bought a new washing machine. We purchased the Maytag Neptune set a few years ago. We've had nothing but trouble. Luckily I had a warranty but it finally ran out and I had enough. I went back to the traditional top loading Kenmore (I did get the extra bells and whistles though). I had serious mold issues with the ring on the Maytag and I was just losing the battle. Plus, for some reason, sometimes it wouldn't finish a cycle. I'd have to restart all over. It was getting to the point that sometimes it would take three cylces to do one load. The sales man said they don't even sell the Neptunes anymore and I wasn't the only one with trouble and complaints. He also said you should keep the door open when not in use. Well, that wasn't an option for me because of the set up of my laundry room. Since we don't have a basement here in Florida, the washer and dryer sit in the hallway to the door to the garage (which is our main door). So, now the problem is solved with a top loader. Isn't it amazing the little things that make us happy? I never thought the day would come that I would get so excited over a washing machine!!! Next year the dryer!

Looks like we dodged another bullet with Hurricane Ike. Unfortunately, it has to go somewhere and at last check, it was headed to Louisiana again. I can't imagine the stress and anxiety they are feeling again. It is very stressful not knowin where these hurricanes are headed.

Today is just clean, clean, clean day. I didn't get as much done yesterday as I was hoping. I got caught up watching Football and NASCAR. Mark and Emily started back to Relgious Ed at church so now our Sundays are tied up running back and forth to Church. We aren't lucky enough that they have them at the same time. I also need to run to the grocery store and stop at CVS. I'm so proud of myself that I have stayed out of Walmart. I know I can save money on some things there but I end up buying more and not saving anything at all. This way, I can stick to my list and be done.

That being said, it's time to get my Monday started. The weekends just go by way to fast.

EDITED: Sorry about the weird layout. I keep fixing it but blogger keeps publishing it weird. Sorry. It is a Monday after all!

2008-08-29T08:21:00.002-04:00

So, this is my "temporary" new blog layout. I had a hard time choosing the new title. It was between this and Married With Children. I ended up choosing this one because my life is a highway. Some days I'm in the fast lane and others I am in the slow lane getting passed by everyone around me. (at least that's my take on the title) I hit road blocks, construction and pot holes. Other days I can go "full speed ahead". I still have to work on the side bars and I am DETERMINED to put a new header on. I'm still struggling with that one but I shall not give up! The Married with Children title just makes me smile. It reminds me of the show. When Steve and I first got married, that show had just started. We thought it was the funniest show ever. I remember looking forward to every Sunday evening so we could sit and watch "our show". I even bought Steve and Al Bundy T-shirt. But, there are days when I feel my life is just "married with children". I spend so much time being a wife and mom, that I forget to slow down and do things for me. That is one of the changes I have vowed since the kids went back to school. Do more things for me. I have my scrapbooking but I just don't make the time to do it anymore because I'm so tired by the end of the evening when all is quiet, that I usually just go to bed. So, I'm going to change that. I told the kids that once dinner is over, I'm "off duty". Any questions or problems need to be directed to dad. hehe. When I was at the new Joann's I got so excited at all their materials and fun craft stuff that I can't wait to jump back into it. Tonight, I'm going to scrapbook with my friend, Marlene, and she is going to show me how to make this 'no sew' blanket that I've been wanting to do. I'll post a picture of it when completed. I used to piddle around and sew--nothing too fancy. With Mark missing Liz so much, I thought I would make him some Florida Gators boxers and pajama pants.

Today is going to be an absolutely crazy day. I really need to just shut off the computer since it's such a temptation to be on it when it's turned on. I'm really digging Facebook and having some fun with it. It's really addicting reading those bumper stickers and flair. So much fun. But, I need to hit Circuit City for some better virus software for Liz's computer. Our cordless phone is also dying. Even though Walmart is probably cheaper, I just don't feel like getting a headache today. Plus, I swore off purchasing all electronics from Walmart after getting a "dud" digital camera and they wouldn't exchange it after only 35 days! I also have to bake a gazillion chocolate chip cookies to send up to the girls tomorrow. I bought a big tub of cookie dough the other day at BJ's. I thought I would put a little tag on it that says "Return anytime for refill".

So, that being said, I really should log off and get my day started. Have a wonderful Friday. Make it a good one.

2008-08-27T20:41:00.005-04:00

OH HAPPY DAY

I finally broke down and went to Staples and bought a webcam (spent $39). I finally got it hooked up and tonight I got to "video chat" with Liz. This is the longest I have ever gone without seeing one of my kids. I know you all think I am crazy, but it was really hard to send her off to college. It took such an emotional toll to "let her go". I never thought it would be so hard. I know many of you don't understand, but when your times come, you will. It was so cool to be able to see her and Heather (her roommate and BFF). She's surving her first four days of classes and only has one class tomorrow at 11:45. She told me that tomorrow will be "laundry day" and "grocery day". What?? My daughter doing laundry? That will definately be a "photo opportunity". I will admit, I did all her laundry. Not because she didn't know how, but I couldn't stand her laundry pile. It drove me nuts! She also joined a sorority. She's a Phi Mu! I'm so glad that she is getting involved. I told her that she has to make the most out of the next four years. Study hard! She will also meet people that she will be friends with the rest of her life. So, that means she won't be coming home this weekend. They are all going over to Universal Studios. Plus, Saturday is the opening football game that she's going to. Steve and Greg also scored tickets so they are going to go up. I have a whole box of stuff for them to take up to her. I wish I were going -- maybe next time. I told her to hit dad up for a nice dinner. :)

These are "my girls". Before they left, they had a little photoshoot with their friend who is a photographer. He took some awesome shots. Aren't they the cutest college students??

I survived Back to School night at the elementary school. I couldn't wait to get out of there. Not because I didn't like his teacher, but the district decided to "cut back" and all schools are to be set at 76 degrees. It was miserably hot. Yesterday the AC went out and those poor kids were miserable. What I want to know is if those "district people" are sitting in their nice offices @ 76 degrees. I know that doesn't sound like much, but we live in FLORIDA!!! The state also mandated that they have PE every day now. So, not only are they hot from PE everyday, they have to come into a "warm" classroom. It was miserable. Also, the kids have uniforms so they have to wear heavy polos. I might "bend" and go out and try and get by with T-shirts until it cools down. It was ridiculous.

I went to our new Joann Fabrics yesterday-not once but twice. It's so nice. So, clean and so much selection. It will be so cool to have a choice other than Michaels. When I saw all their Fall stuff, it made me realize that it's almost the season for this. This is a Starbucks Pumpkin Latte. YUM. However, it's still 90 degree's so it may have to be the cold version.

Since I posted and talked about Liz, my next post will have pictures of the other kids first day of school. I got a new camera back in the Spring and believe it or not, I'm still trying to figure out the whole uploading them to my computer. My other camera was so easy. But, I will figure it out.

Have a wonderful Wednesday evening. Hope everyone had a wonderful day. I'm off to organize my scrapbook room and work on a few layouts. I bought a lot of new stuff at Joann's yesterday that I can't wait to play with.

2008-08-26T09:00:00.002-04:00

Hurricane Gustav and other stuff

Well, it looks like Gustav is heading out into the Gulf of Mexico. That's great news for us but looks like Texas could be in his path. Hopefully he will "fizzle out".

I'm off to get some stuff for Liz that she needs (another set of sheets, a lock for her laptop, some more food). Steve and Greg are going up to the football game on Saturday so they can take it to her then. She is now in a sorority so I get to start another scrapbook. She's having a ball. Classes started yesterday and she was so exhausted last night that she forgot to call me back. Thanks to Facebook, I knew she was in her dorm since she was online.

I'm off to check out the new Joann Fabrics that just opened up down the street. They closed the "icky" one and moved into the spot where AC Moore was supposed to be. I guess AC Moore went bust and it never opened. Hopefully, this Joann's will carry lots of scrapbook supplies. Otherwise, I'll still have to make the 30 minute trip to the other one.

So, I'm off to run my errands while the sun is shining. Have a great Tuesday.

(still working on updating my blog. I'm trying to figure out how to do a header. If anyone knows how and can walk me through it, let me know. I can't figure it out. I think I have the new name picked out but I am hoping to do it all at one time.)

2008-08-25T11:37:00.003-04:00

Say It Ain't So!

Here we go again. Right now we are barely outside the yellow circle here in Tampa but I am sure that will change. I'm still trying to get in a "back to school schedule" but if this keeps up I will never be organized or know what the heck I am doing because I will be in my "be prepared" mode. Here's to hoping it makes a NE turn and blows out into the Atlantic.

2008-08-22T07:55:00.002-04:00

Finally..............................

we are feeling the effects of Tropical Storm Fay. We got not even a raindrop on Tuesday. I guess second time is a charm. It's just a dreary, rainy day. I actually kind of like it. Unfortunately, I do have to venture out in it. I have to put gas in my car and I need to pick up some new gym shoes. I have been having lots of problems with my ankle and I went to the doctor yesterday. So, after all the years of wearing flip flops, my poor feet are paying the price. I have a pair of gym shoes already, but I want something that doesn't look so "clunky". I am also supposed to rest it and ice it as much as possible. If this doesn't work, I will have to get an MRI. Good news is that there were no strains or breaks.

I spoke with Liz last night and I guess Gainesville has been hammered by all the rain by Fay. She said, the campus was closed today and all activities cancelled. So, she is stuck inside her dorm room. Is that a bad thing? Oh yeah, last night our local news did a story about the comeback of bed bugs in colleges. Guess what college they mentioned? Yep the University of Florida. They also mentioned Ohio State. Gross. I sent her up with only one set of sheets, but I may send her some more so she can wash them more often. I couldn't stop itching after seeing that story. Ick.

So, I have finally narrowed down some new blog names. I would really love to hear some comments on what people think. Here's what I have so far:

A New Day

Life is a Highway

Married with Children

Unfinished Business

Life's Moments

It's All Good

Changes..............

I'm kind of leaning towards "A New Day". I keep hearing that Celine Dion song in my head. This past year has been a turning point for me. I turned the big 40--GASP, one of my kids graduated high school and entered college, and Emily entered High School. This was the first time, that I actually slowed down and took a look at how fast my life is going by. We've had ups and downs and by no means has it been perfect. But, I have a healthy family and a nice roof over my head. What more can I ask for? I actually sat down and deleted some blogs off my list because they were depressing to read. Not because their lives were bad, but no one can be that perfect. I would read some of them and just shake my head. I like reading blogs where I can actually relate to people. My family is far from perfect.

Anyways.............last night I went Creative Memories shopping at my CM Consultants house. She is moving and had marked some stuff down so she doesn't have to move it. I got some paper packs. I am extremely motivated to sit down and work on some layouts, but housework is calling. Maybe tonight.

Well, it's time to tackle Mt. Washmore and get the day going. I am so tempted to go back to bed--it's so dark in the house right now but I will resist the urge.

Have a wonderful, Friday. Make it a good one.

2008-08-20T08:25:00.003-04:00

Happy Birthday, Elizabeth!

Eighteen years ago today, Elizabeth came into our family. We were young, clueless, and oh so excited to have our first baby. (I can't believe I am sharing this picture)! She came ten days early and we were NOT ready. Thanks to my friends Susan and Lori, Elizabeth came home to a completed nursery. Luckily, she was a good baby. She let us sleep through the night pretty much right away. She was a "text book" baby. I never would have imagined that the next 18 years would fly by so fast.

This is the first birthday EVER that we have not been together. It's only been a few days, but oh how I miss her! She has spent her first few days finding her way around campus. Being the good girl that she is, she has checked in with me everyday. I even set up a Facebook so we can keep in touch. My next investment is a web cam so I can actually be able to see her when we message.

I am so proud of the person she has become. She is extremely well rounded and I do believe she is going far in life. I can't explain how "strange" it is her not being here. I am used to staying up at night until she came in the door after being out. Poor Mark really is missing her. I taught him how to email her and he was so happy when she emailed him back. Greg and Emily are enjoying having the bathroom! hehe. I am sure my water bill will go down somewhat too. I sure do miss her. She's hoping to come home sometime in mid-September. That's a long time!!!!

So, Happy 18th Birthday, Elizabeth. Oh yeah, in case she is reading this--don't forget to register to vote.

We love you & miss you!

2008-08-18T12:26:00.002-04:00

Tropical Storm Fay Update

Bummer. Today was the first day of school. Kids were up and out the door ready to go. I certainly am enjoying the quiet. However, the quiet will be short lived. I just saw on TV that they are closing the schools tomorrow. So, I spent my morning getting pictures developed and ran to Michael's for some scrapbook goodies so I can spend "my day off" working on some layouts.

I am not concerned about this soon to be hurricane though. I have candles, batteries, water, snacks and all the necessary items. If the power does indeed go out, we will survive. This system is so reminiscent of Hurricane Charlie four years ago. We were so lucky that year that we didn't even have any wind or rain.

I will post some pictures of "moving day" soon. Right now I am just enjoying the quiet. I know the kids will be home soon and it won't be quiet anymore.

2008-08-16T15:20:00.003-04:00

SHOULD I BE CONCERNED?

Tomorrow is moving day! We hit the road at 7 a.m. to make the 1.5 hour drive to Gainesville and move Elizabeth into her dorm. We've been so busy getting everything together that we haven't had the tv on. I saw last night that there was a tropical storm brewing! Where did that come from???? So, I just logged onto our local news website and this is the headline.

Crist declares state of emergecny as Tropical Storm Fay moves towards Cuba WFTS-TV First in HD

Should I be worried that if this hurricane does indeed come in the "projected" path that one of my kids will be weathering the storm out away from home? I have a feeling she's not worried. She will be in a dorm room with a bunch of other college students probably having a blast. Who would want to be stuck at home with their family fighting over what to watch on TV? :)

2008-08-13T20:15:00.002-04:00

This and that and Name my Blog Contest

I haven't blogged lately because I haven't had anything to blog about. It's the same ole stuff going on. Take this kid here, that kid there, blah blah blah. That's how my life has been going lately. I feel like I am on auto pilot. Well, that will all change in a matter of a few days. My "baby" is leaving for college. She's pretty much been packing up her room and putting stuff in storage containers because she says this will never be "her" room again. She shares a room with Emily (you can imagine her excitement over getting the room to herself). She tells me that she will only be "staying" here not "living" here anymore. I keep telling her that this will always be her room. She doesn't have to clear it out but she is excited about moving 1.5 hours away. No more parents hovering over, no more fighting with her siblings. She's "on her own". Not only will I have to adjust to her leaving, but I have to adjust to having yet another high schooler. Emily will be a freshman! Emily is the third child and sometimes I fell like I have short changed her. I try not to but I remember what it was like. I was the fourth out of five kids. I was always jipped out of things. So, I am hoping to spend more time with her. She's totally opposite Liz. So, I will do my best. Greg is all ready. He "gets it" this year. It has finally sunk into him how important those grades and volunteer hours are for college and Bright Futures. He spent the day today up at the high school volunteering. This time next year, I get to experience the whole "senior" thing again. I have been blessed though that I have really good kids. They are smart, they have great friends, they don't drink or smoke. So far, all is good. I'm not ever saying that they won't make mistakes along the way, but "it's all good". As for Mark, hopefully third grade will be as good as second grade. He had the best teacher.

So, I don't know what I am going to do next week when my house goes from total chaos to about 8 hours of silence. Lisa and I used to go to breakfast and we even did pedicures to celebrate. It's not the same without her. So, I have decided to spend the entire day scrapbooking. Not cleaning, not running errands but hopefully get some pages done. We will see how that goes.

I have also decided to update my blog and be a better blogger. So, first thing first, I need a new name for my blog. I am also going to "change it up" with different background to reflect all the changes that we have been going through. I hope to start including more pictures as well. So, I am going to have a "name my blog" contest. If I choose the name that you suggust, I will send you a prize. Don't know what it will be yet, but give me time to put some more thought into it.

Well, told you nothing exciting has been going on. Hopefully that will all change. Have a wonderful rest of the week.

2008-07-17T08:57:00.002-04:00

It's been awhile since I have blogged because I have just been so daggone busy. My summer is flying by. Elizabeth leaves on August 17th and the others start school on August 18th. I don't want summer to go by so fast. After next week, it will slow down a bit because Greg will be done with PT and baseball. Mark only has two weeks of swimming left too. We still have a lot to do before Elizabeth leaves. Lots of shopping!

My new carpet is finally in. It looks so nice. It smells so new. I think I am finally at a point after five years of living in this house, that it finally "feels like mine". The only room left to do is the master bedroom.

We are finally getting some much needed rain. Everything is so green. Greg hates all the rain because he has to mow the lawn more often. Looks like the tropics are starting to get active so it will be interesting to see how our hurricane season goes. The first summer we were here, we got nothing. The second and third summers I was ready to pack up and leave. Last summer was quiet. So hopefully this one will be quiet too. Last night on the news, we saw where State Farm wants to raise Homeowners Insurance by 46% to cover future hurricanes. Umm. Hello. That's a big increase. Hopefully it won't go through. Our insurance is higher than our house payment. So, I think they will lose a lot of customers (including us). This will be a big test for our Govenor since he was so vocal in his campaign to lower insurance cost. Hopefully he will stand by what he promised.

That's about all that has been going on in our lives. Just busy, busy, busy.

I've been tagged by Benita so here goes:

Ten Years Ago: We were a family of five. Liz was almost 8, Greg was 6 and Emily was 4. We were living in West Jordan, Utah. I loved the house but the neighbors weren't very friendly to us (another post). The kids were going to school in Sandy and it was quite a drive to school since the roads were all torn up and under construction for the upcoming Olympics. Since the neighborhood kids weren't "allowed" to play with my kids, all their friends lived across the valley by the school so I spent alot of time driving! We also took our very first trip to California and took the kids to Disneyland.

Five things on today's to do list: (1) Get myself showered and dressed. It's early and I still haven't finished my coffee. (2) Finish putting house back together. We got new carpeting put in and everything had to be boxed up. I've been able to sort through everything as I'm putting it back and getting rid of a lot of stuff. Love that feeling. (3) Go to Circuit City and price new speakers for the stereo. They are Steve's speakers from high school (at least 27 years old), and they finally need to be replaced. (4) Laundry, laundry and more laundryl. It never ends (5) Take Greg to baseball if it doesn't rain. (5) Cook dinner.

Snacks I enjoy: Green apples with peanut butter, chips and salsa, Cheetos. Not very healthy, I know.

Things I would do if I were a millionaire: Pay off all our debts, buy a new car for myself, set up college funds for my kids, travel, hire a personal trainer, remodel my kitchen, and if there is anything left, donate to the Susan G. Komen organization. I will admit I would be greedy. Notice I didn't say buy a bigger house? I don't want to have to clean a bigger house so I would just fix up what I have.

Places I have lived: Ohio, Utah & Florida

I tag Lisa, Cindi, Liane and Sue. This was fun.

Happy Thursday.....................................

2008-07-02T07:15:00.002-04:00

July Already?

Where did June go? It's hard to believe that it's July 2nd. YIKES. I was at Target and Walmart yesterday and they were working on the school supply aisles. I'm so not ready for school. As crazy and busy as my summer is, I'm enjoying not having school.

It has been a crazy summer here in our house. Busy, busy, busy. I've taken three of the kids into the doctor for physicals, Mark to his allergist, Greg twice a week to physical therapy, Mark twice a week to Mathnasium. Gas stations are loving when I pull in. In addition, Greg is playing legion ball and that involves driving all over the city of Tampa. If anyone is familiar, traffic in Tampa is awful. What's worse, the games start at 5:30--right in the middle of rush hour traffic. Oh yeah, I've also been running kids to the orthodontist. As Greg was getting his braces off, Emily was in the other room having her "consult". She gets her braces on August 4th. Here we go again with monthly payments and check ups for the next two+ years. It's all worth it though. Greg's teeth are beautiful. My kids have not been blessed with nice straight teeth. So, this is #3 in braces and from what I can tell from Mark's teeth, he will need them too.

Last week, Elizabeth and I attended Parent Preview at UF. WOW. I'm overwhelmed. She can officially move into her dorm August 17 at 9:00 am. Then we have to rush right back because the others start school on August 18. What's going to be harder is that Liz will turn 18 on August 20 and we won't be there to celebrate with her. 18 is a big deal. So, I'm secretly going to arrange for her friends to take her out or something. I already spoke to her friend and he said no problem. The campus is HUGE. It was fun to see everything though. I think she is going to have a blast. She also got her season tickets to the football games. GO GATORS. I think she will love being away from home. It took us exactly 1.5 hours to get there so I know she is just a large cup of coffee away and we can visit anytime. She's working her little rear end off this summer. She's babysitting two days a week making AWESOME money and the other three days she works in a doctors office. Good news is that we don't have to pay for her gas anymore. YIPPEE. We are still forking out her car insurance but at this point, gassing three cars was hard. So every little bit helps.

Today I have to drop my car off into the mechanic. It's been running "a little hot". The light came on the other day for a minute but it hasn't been on since. So, I figured I better get it fixed now. After that, it's Mathnasium and physical therapy and a baseball game tonight.

Speaking of baseball..................how about those Tampa Bay Rays? I'm a Reds fan since that is what I grew up with but I just love those Rays. They have beaten the Red Sox twice now and there is another game tonight. Go Rays! I just wish their stadium was closer. It's a good hour and half drive from where we live to go watch them.

Well, kids are stirring so my quiet, morning time is about to end. I need to hit the shower before they all do so there is hot water. Although it's so hot here right now, the cold water tap is warm! At least we are finally getting some much needed rain.

Have a wonderful Wednesday. Make it a good one.

2008-06-20T19:11:00.003-04:00

Happy Birthday, Mark

Dear Mark: Eight years ago today at 2:47 pm you joined our family. I was overwhelmed with the thought that I was to be a mom to four kids. You haven't been the easiest of our "gang" but you have brought such joy to our lives. You definately keep us on our toes. Hope you have a great birthday.

Love,
Mom

2008-06-16T16:34:00.002-04:00

OH HAPPY DAY

Two posts in one day! Mark and I returned from his annual allergy check up. He has been allergic to eggs and peanuts since was a baby. Unfortunately, we learned the hard way. Since he was 11 months old, we have been carrying around epi-pens. Each time he gets tested, his reactions are "better". Well this year we had good news and bad news. The good news---he outgrew his egg allergy. The bad news--he is still allergic to peanuts. So, we still have to have that dreaded pen. It's going to take me awhile to actually feed him eggs. He has never tasted a fried, scrambled or any kind of egg since that horrible day back in 2001. I even told the doctor that this will be something I have to "ease into". Just within the last year, we've been "introducing" him to baked goods with eggs and he has been able to tolerate them. We celebrated with McDonald's milkshakes and a call to dad telling him "what a good job" he did and never even cried. Oh Happy Day!!!

2008-06-16T11:18:00.002-04:00

Is this a good idea?

With the Fourth of July approaching, it's time to set up the fireworks tents here. I was coming home and one of the first ones that I saw is sitting in the parking lot of the Shell gas station. Is this a good idea? Later............

2008-06-12T15:23:00.002-04:00

COLLEGE LIFE

Last night, Elizabeth and I along with her friend, Heather and her mom, went dorm room shopping. Liz and Heather will be suite mates at UF. They both have different favorite colors and taste. Elizabeth wanted something brown and Heather likes pink. We searched and searched. We started off having dinner at Panera. Then we hit Linens and Things. As soon as the girls saw this set, they fell in love with it. It's perfect. It's a bed in a bag (also called Express kit) and has everything--sheets, towls, rug, throw. We will have to buy different sheets because the beds in the dorm are twin/long. Better yet, when I used all my coupons and Liz had one gift card, I was able to get out of there under $100. We also went to Bed, Bath and Beyond and they each got a pink trash can. It was really fun picking all the stuff out. We still have a lot to do before they leave in August but getting this was a big start. Heather leaves in two weeks to study in Mexico for six weeks. By the time she gets back, they would only have two weeks to get stuff. It's going to be so weird moving her out.

We are still in desperate need of rain. We had a little on Sunday and it hasn't rained since. It seems like it has rained everywhere except over us. As I type this, I can hear thunder in the distance but the sun is out here. We so need the rain!!!!

Today has been a real lazy day for a change. Other than running Mark to swimming lessons and the YMCA and a quick trip to Publix, I've been lazy. Mark and I got in the pool and were swimming until we heard the thunder and the skies (all around us) got dark. Now I'm in my comfy, stretchy pants relaxing. I have some laundry to fold and then I am going to scrap away the rest of the night. Quick and easy dinner--baked potatoes and salad. YUM.....

2008-06-09T08:54:00.002-04:00

IT RAINED! Finally, yesterday it rained. After months of no rain, we finally got some here at our house in New Tampa. What's even better, it's supposed to rain again this afternoon. YIPPEE. Even the possibility of severe storms isn't phasing me. We just need rain!

Yesterday we spent the afternoon at our friends house "hanging out". They live on a lake so the boys had a blast tubing. I personally enjoyed watching from the side especially after Kate told me that they have had a few gators come onto their "beach". NOPE. Not for me. Even a few dads got out their and had some fun. It was so cool watching the storm clouds move in. It was pretty but once the thunder started rolling in and we saw lightening bolts, we moved the get together inside. You don't mess with lightening in Florida.

Last night I got to watch the new season of Army Wives. I really enjoyed watching that show last season but I was somewhat disappointed in last night's show. They didn't have to kill her off. I won't say who so I won't spoil it for anyone. Also, Kim Delaney had "some work" done on her lips. I thought she looked awful. I know they had her made up to look injured, but you could tell her lips were different! So, I will probably watch it next week and then decide if I will keep watching. I don't want to get hooked to a "depressing/sad drama".

Got up this morning and took Greg to his first physical therapy session. Today they just took measurements and he will probably start on Wednesday. I hope this works. He's too young (16) to have back problems. They commented on how "fit" he is. He does work hard and keeps in shape. He just made that one play in a baseball game that tweaked his back. He did get the out though!

Not much else going on here in our house today. This afternoon, I'm taking Liz to the bank and get her all set up with her own checking account and everything that goes with it. I've known this day was coming. We go up in two weeks to Parent Preview at UF and we can't wait. It's just here and I and I personally am looking forward to two nights from home! One of those nights, she has to stay in the dorms so I have a the hotel room all to myself. She will get registered for all her classes while we are there. I'm still taking this all in. I have a college student!!!!!!

It's time to tackle Mt. Washmore and get my day started. Have a wonderful Monday!

2008-06-04T07:39:00.002-04:00

In less than four hours, summer vacation will officially start here in our house. I am thrilled that the kids will be getting some much needed sleep (they've been a wee bit cranky and moody lately). However, I am not thrilled that they will be home with me all day! The job market is horrible so Elizabeth and Greg are struggling to find jobs. Elizabeth has some babysitting gigs lined up but she still needs more hours. Greg started Legion ball so my next 6 weeks still involve going to baseball games. Don't get me wrong, I love, love, love baseball but not in Florida in June!!! Can you say "hot, hot, hot". Em's the outgoing one so I am sure she will be running around with her friends. Mark I hope to sign up for some more swimming lessons or find a swim team. That really seems to be what he likes. He never followed in Greg's footsteps and liked all the sports. He needs the constant "movement" to keep his attention so swimming is right up his alley. As for me, I just want some sleep. Before I know it, school will be back in session. I was able to talk to our school counselor and Greg and Em have some really tough schedules next year. I'm still taking it in that Em will be in high school! I'm not a big fan of middle school so I am anxious for her to enter high school. Sadly, her bff won't be going to the same high school. She's going to the other high school here in town. But, I told her that it will only make their friendship stronger. They won't be in each other's "drama" and when they get together, it will be much "funner" because they don't see each other all the time every day. I won't miss the "drama" of middle school. There are a lot of mean girls in middle school. Hopefully, in high school they "will get it". They will be the "freshman" and put in their place. I've been lucky that my kids have nice friends and stay out of trouble.

So, today is just a "veg" and "relax" day. Em is having some friends come over after school (they get out 1/2 day). They are going to swim and order a pizza. Her one friend is leaving for Italy for the summer so they want to spend some time with her before she leaves. It will probably drive Greg nuts that there are "girls" running around but I'm sure he will find somewhere to go. :)

Not much else planned for the rest of the week. Liz goes tomorrow for her "college" physical and shots. It still seems so weird to say that. We go at the end of the month for parent orientation and she will sign up for her classes. She got her dorm assignment and she is rooming with her friend. They also got their first choice in their dorm. So they were thrilled. They've already been out and about looking for bedding and stuff.

Well, it's time to get this day started. Before I know it, everyone will be home and I will be complaining how they are driving me nuts! hehe. Have a great Wednesday.

Kim

2008-06-02T07:26:00.004-04:00

WHAT A WEEKEND

What a great Saturday it was here for "me". Yes, I say me. Being a mom of 4, it's very rare that I have a "me" day. My friend, Barb, scored some free tickets to a private showing of Sex In the City. What a great movie!!!! I used to watch the show when we would get free HBO. I've also been able to catch it in reruns. The movie did not disappoint. I went with my friends Barb & Terri and there was an extra ticket so Elizabeth (my daugther in college--which is so weird saying) went. I loved it and will definately purchase it when it comes out on DVD to add to my "chick flick" collection. There was some sex scenes and some language after all it was an "R" rated movie. Stuff like that doesn't bother me though. I would have been disappointed if they didn't have it in there. After all, it's Carrie, Samantha, Miranda and Charlotte! Charlotte is still my favorite character. She is so funny. I even learned that there really is a website where you can rent designer purses. How funny is that????

Later that evening, we had tickets to the Tampa Bay Rays verses Chicago White Sox. I am a baseball fan. I love going to baseball games. Unfortunately, the Rays stadium is not close at all--it takes about 1.5 hours to get to their stadium. However, after Saturday nights game, Trace Adkins sang. So, for Mother's Day, Steve had purchased tickets for our entire family to go. Elizabeth wasn't able to make it because of all her graduation parties. So, Greg took a buddy. Oh my heck, can Trace Adkins put on a good show! He is one of my all time favorite singers (George Strait is my other favorite). It was awesome. I still think he deserved to win The Apprentice. As I mentioned in a previous blog entry, he played for a charity that really affects my own family. His daughter suffers from food allergies and he played for a charity that raises awareness of how severe allergies can be. Marks suffers from an allergy to peanuts, tree nuts and eggs. Hopefully, there will be a cure for these allergies some day. Thanks, Trace.

Yesterday, after a quick trip to Wally World, I just relaxed. I did some laundry and watched a very disappointig NASCAR race. I eventually turned it off because I didn't want to see a certain racer win--which he did. Bleck. I spent last night sorting my photos so that I can start doing what I love--SCRAPBOOKING! With school out on Wednesday, I can finally relax and actually get a few pages completed.

Today, is just a typical Monday. When I woke up this morning, I couldn't even remember what day it was. For some reason, I have it in my head that today is Tuesday. DUH. Greg is home today since he exempted his exams. So, I have not one but two teenagers laying around. But, they have a nice "to do" list. The others go a half day on Wednesday and then they are all home for the summer. Let's hope it's a good one.

Have a wonderful Monday!

2008-05-28T23:35:00.004-04:00

Introducing........

my high school graduate. She received her diploma tonight. She graduated #8 in her class (not sure what the final count was but it was around 500). Not to bad! It was definately a proud moment tonight. I held up well and didn't cry until tonight when I uploaded my pictures off my camera. She is no longer a Freedom Patriot but now a Florida Gator!!!!! Way to go, Liz.

2008-05-23T09:49:00.002-04:00

It's here

The day that I have dreaded for the last 13 years, is here. Today is Elizabeth's last day of high school (well, really yesterday was. Today it's Senior Day and the school has lots of fun activities planned). She will be home around lunch time. I've been handling this really well until this morning I got my last email from the guidance counseler with the heading "Bye bye Seniors". It was then that I got all choked up. I wanted to take a picture of her leaving but she was gone when I got back from dropping Mark off at school. So, maybe when she gets home. Commencement is Wednesday. I planned on "painting" her windows on her car but it was raining this morning. Now the sun is out so I will definately do it later.

2008-05-21T07:42:00.003-04:00

What a Finish

WOW. What a finale. I was rooting for both of these teams since week #1. I thought Kristi had a slight advantage but how could you not want her and Mark to win? They were a great couple. I loved Jason. What a dancer he became! He was a hottie! I have loved Edyta all through the seasons and I am glad they finally got her a partner that could take her to the end. In my book, it was a tie. Two fantastic dancers that deserved to be there in the final two. Tom B. commented they would be back in September. Woo Hoo. Love my Dancing show. Can't wait to see who is on next season. So, now my Monday and Tuesday evenings are free. I saw a few previews for some upcoming new reality shows that will be one soon and am looking forward to them. The Mole is one of them. I've watched Celebrity Mole in the past and it was a fun show so I will give that show a watch.

Have a great Wednesday. Make it a good one.

2008-05-18T21:55:00.001-04:00

I'm still alive. I have been MIA from my blog now for a few weeks. We have made First Communion and Confirmation (I will post pictures soon). Right now I am knee deep in planning a graduation party next weekend for about 35 people. I'm also trying to put a video together from the many pictures I have gathered. I have no clue what I am doing since I am not computer smart.

Be back soon..............................

2008-05-01T07:59:00.003-04:00

Where's the book?

Remember when you were expecting your first baby? One of the first things I did was buy the book "What to Expect When You're Expecting". I read that book all the time with all four of my kids. After that, I didn't have time to read. I've never been one to read all of the parenting books but I did read a few. I wanted to stay up to date to see if I was "doing it right". I am in no way a parenting expert but raising 4 kids (17, 16, 14 & 7), I consider myself experienced. As I look back and think about the advice I have been given through the years, I feel like people forgot to fill me in on a few things. The early 90's were a blur to me. Having 3 babies in car seats and 2 in diapers at the same time really did a number on my brain function. Looking back, I think, how did I do it? Not only did I do it, I did it by myself. I didn't have Grandma's and relatives that would come over so I could go to the grocery or take a shower. I drug those kids to the grocery stores and any other errands I had to do. I would wait until hubby got home from work to get stuff done. One of the WORST pieces of advice I kept hearing was "it will get easier when they get older". It doesn't! I don't want to scare any new mom's out there but having the babies was the easy part. Gone are the days where you could put them in their crib or playpen and then they would take a nap. Gone are the days, where you could put them in the high chair with cheerios and they would sit still long enough to eat them all gone. These days, having my family sit at the dinner table at one time is a miracle. Where did it say this in the book? Gone are the days where we could go to McDonald's and get out of there under $20 with Happy Meals. If we do make it out to dinner (which is rare), it's about $75. They have to have platters. Don't get me started on clothing. Gone are the days of picking up outfits at Target (my favorite). Now it's American Eagle and Hollister. I recently picked up some underwear for one of my girls at Victoria Secret-hey they were a bargain. I never thought the day would come that I would be shopping for my baby girls there. Gone are the days of buying princess panties at Target. Where was this in the books? Where in the books did it say the emotional rollercoaster one will ride as one of their kids prepares for college and another one starts high school?

I know I am rambling on and on and I apologize. I am not even sure what the message of this blog entry even is. I guess I'm just looking for a book "What to Expect the Teenage Years". Maybe I could write the book.

2008-04-25T07:29:00.000-04:00

TGIF

Enough said.

2008-04-22T22:47:00.002-04:00

WOW. I so did not want Marlee to go home on Dancing With the Stars. I so enjoyed watching her dance. What a inspiration she is. She was phenominal and to be able to dance like she did without being able to hear the music. WOW.

2008-04-21T07:55:00.003-04:00

Happy Birthday, Emily!

So, I caved! I broke down and got her a cell phone for her birthday. The others had to wait until they got into high school. Well, she's only 6 weeks away. AT&T had a "add on promotion" that I couldn't pass up. She was so excited. Now it's not a fancy phone like some others, but she was thrilled. I am still taking it in that she is 14. Where has the time gone?

We are down to just tournament play in baseball. I am so excited that this season is almost over. As much as I love baseball, I HATE the politics that go along with it. I refuse to play that game. It's so obvious who is in the "coaches pocket". It's sad. But I know it's everywhere.

Elizabeth is so excited that next Saturday is grad night at WDW. I wish we had that opportunity when I was in High School in Ohio. Basically, they go to Disney from 10 pm -4 am. What I find cool is that Disney has a STRICT dress code. Very strict.

Mark finally made his First Reconcilliation. Only 2 weeks to go until First Communion. It's been a long process but he is almost done. Greg is down to 2 1/2 weeks until Confirmation. WOW. It has bene an extremely busy year for us.

Is anyone else watching Desperate Housewives? I'm glad they are finally addressing the whole Orsen running over Mike. That storyline has been really bugging me that they never addressed it. I am so not liking the direction they are taking with Lynette's husband. I really like him and I don't want him to be a "a bad guy".

Today, I am hoping to stay close to home and get the house in order. I let it get out of hand again. I spent most of the weekend working on laundry. Boy, do we have a lot of it.

Have a wonderful Monday and a great rest of the week.

2008-04-10T22:52:00.002-04:00

American Idol Results

I'm speechless and very sad. Never saw that one coming. All I can say though is remember Elliot Yamin? He didn't win Idol but he has gone far. He's one of my all-time favorite Idols. Hopefully, this young man will be able to have the same success.

2008-04-10T09:17:00.002-04:00

I did a layout! Finally. Life with 3 teenagers and one 7 year old just sucks up every free minute that I have. I have this great scrapbook room and all the supplies but at the end of the day when I can actually sit down, I'm too tired. So, I'm determined to get back into scrapbooking which is a passion of mine. I also got a new camera--a Canon Rebel. I'm have a long way to go to learn how to use it and I invested in Photoshop. I can't wait to jump back in. So, the other night I was sorting pictures and I came across the two from Emily's birthday breakfast. We car pool to the middle school with another family and whenever someone has a birthday, we take them to McDonald's before school. This is actually her birthday from last April. The pictures were taken on my phone because stupid me forgot my camera but at least I had something. I thought I could do this page pretty quick since it only had two pictures. The title was made using my Cricut machine. I know it's a pretty simple layout but I am just thrilled I got it done and I can't wait to do more. I've been working on Liz's high school album so it will be done in time for her graduation. Right now I'm sorting all the photos that I have never organized before. I've got a long way to go but I'm getting there!

Elizabeth is up at the University of Florida right now "shadowing" some gals from a sorority. Her friend's sister just joined a sorority so they are hosting Liz and her friend for a few days. It was weird dropping her off and going home without her. She will have a blast though.

I'm hoping to finish the kids closets before Spring Break is over. Greg is begging me to drive him over to Clearwater to eat at Skyline Chili. It's a restuarant that is big in our hometown (Cincinnati) and is all decorated with "Cincinnati Things". We really miss having it close. Now if there were a United Dairy Farmers (another hometown favorite) life would be good! We went to a few Reds Spring Training games last month down in Sarasota and they served Skyline so now we are all just craving it.

Well, it's time to get my day started. Mt. Washmore is growing by the day. Happy Thursday.

2008-04-08T10:12:00.003-04:00

Spring Break Crud

We are in day #2 of our Spring Break. Mark came home from school on Friday not feeling well. His teacher even commented that he "wasn't himself". So, he is still hacking and coughing. Steve came home from work last night not feeling the best. Emily woke up this morning with a sore throat and she sounds horrible. 3 down, only 3 to go! CVS will love us this week.

2008-04-02T12:43:00.005-04:00

THEN & NOW

I'm going through pictures for Elizabeth's graduation video and I came across my favorite picture of her from 2nd grade. These two pictures are exactly 10 years apart! (sorry about the grainy look but I had to shrink them down to fit into the blog) Going through all these pictures is really making me sad. In less than two months she will be a high school graduate! In less than 4 months, she will pack up her stuff and go off to the University of Florida. Luckily, it's only two hours away. These next few months will be an emotional roller coaster for me. The time has just flown by. And, I get to do it again in two years with Greg. Elizabeth has been an awesome kid. She is a driven, well rounded young woman. She's graduating #8 in her class out of over 500+ students. She's worked so very hard and I do believe she's "going far in life". Despite all the negative publicity that her high school has received in the press, they have prepared her well for the next leg of her journey in life. We are so proud of her. I've been trying to get her scrapbooks done for her graduation. It's been fun looking back over the years. Okay, time to change the subject--I'm getting all teary eyed.

I got my first blog award from Benita (On Eagle's Wings). I can't figure out how to post the picture but I will work on that for my next entry. Thank you, Benita.

In addition to getting ready for Graduation, Mark is preparing to make his First Communion and Greg will be receiving his Confirmation. Whew. It's been a busy and hectic few months. All this happens next month. Yesterday, I spent the morning coloring my hair. It's no wonder why all those pesky gray ones are appearing lately. I went with a little more red this time and I really like it. Now I'm debating whether or not to chop off my hair. This is the longest it has been in years.

Time to get a move one. The kiddoes will be rolling in shortly and my quiet day is done. The good news is that I have absolutely NO WHERE to be tonight. Mark will be my one and only pick up of the day. These days are rare and I sure cherish them--especially with gas prices so high. ouch.

Have a great Wednesday.

2008-03-28T15:04:00.003-04:00

HE'S A WINNER IN MY BOOK

So, he didn't win Celebrity Apprentice. But he won me over. I love Trace Adkins. I have liked him since he first came into the Country Music scene. I have several of his songs as my cell phone tones. He, in my opinion, was the Celebrity Apprentice. Granted Piers raised more money but Trace was a real gentleman throughout. But most important of all, he played for a charity that is very close to my heart. The Food Allergy and Anaphylaxis Network (www.foodallergy.org). Like Trace, we are parents of a child who suffers from severe food allergies. Thanks to Trace, he got that charity "out there". I hope that someday Mark can live an "allergy free" diet. Hopefully, parents will understand the dangers of certain foods in classrooms. I've heard through the years how parents complain because certain candy and food are not allowed in the classroom. I'm not expecting food bans but I want people to understand that this was not our choice. It can be deadly! There is not a day that goes by that I don't worry if he will come in contact with a peanut or tree nut and I will get the dreaded phone call from the school nurse. Education is so important. As for Piers, he played for a wonderful and deserving charity as well so I'm happy for him. It was just the way he played the game. That's all I am going to say but to me Trace was the big winner!

2008-03-26T12:32:00.003-04:00

For some reason, I keep thinking today is Thursday. I need to remind myself it's only Wednesday. The good news is that some of my "Thursday To Do's" are done!

"It's only Wednesday, It's only Wednesday!!! "

2008-03-24T12:17:00.002-04:00

PSA for the day

This morning I got up and out and got my annual mammogram. This was my third time having it done. I didn't get one last year so I was determined to do it this year. So ladies, don't forgot to get your mammograms. I was in and out in less than 20 minutes (most of the time was spent filling out paperwork in the lobby). No excuses.

2008-03-23T12:48:00.000-04:00

Happy Easter!

2008-03-20T07:48:00.002-04:00

Woke up this morning to the sound of rain. I just love the sound of the rain on the roof. It's so calming. I looked over at the digitial box on the tv and it said 6:28. WHAT?????? The house was pitch black. Our alarm didn't go off. We all over slept which is so not us. I get up and go wake Greg. He mumbled a few words as I was going to the next room to get Liz. As I open her door she is awake. I just happened to look at her clock and it says 5:28. What? I check the kitchen clock on the stove and microwave--5:29. I check my watch--5:29. I checked all the digital boxes and they were an hour ahead. Oops. So, I climb back into bed and attempt to go back to sleep but I just laid there listening to the rain. I should be mad at Verizon for having the messed up clocks, but it was just so nice to lay there in the dark and quiet listening to the rain. Wonder how many other people got up in a panic like me? Oh well.

I finally made it to the scrapbook store yesterday. I was supposed to go with my friend, Kate, on Tuesday but I woke up to a flat tire. It was my first flat tire ever. Hubby took little man to school for me so I could get ready. I think someone was looking over me because I usually take Mark to school in my pajama's. That could have been embarassing! So, I was able to air up the tire and drive to the tire store down the street. So, Kate and I rescheduled for yesterday. Kate doesn't live close so my other friend Barb picked me and we went to breakfast and shopping. Got a bargain on a new leather purse at Marshall's. But, yesterday I got lots of goodies at Ruban Rouge. It's the ultimate LSS, in my opinion. It's a good thing it's not real close to me otherwise I would be so broke.

Tomorrow I decided to let the kids stay home from school. This is the first year the school district cancelled "all Religious holidays". They even changed our spring break until April so it wouldn't be "associated" with Easter. So lots of teachers, bus drivers, cafeteria workers are taking the day off. Most of the students are staying home too. Even hubby is off. So, since it will be excused I am letting my kids stay home. I even heard on the news last night that they are cancelling bus service at schools and to "bring your own lunch". It's silly that our district is even going to school.

So today I'm off to Target to finish my last minute Easter baskets for the kids. We don't do a lot of candy since Mark can't eat it. It's not fair to give the older kids candy and not him. So, we do what candy he can eat and I gave them all each a DVD.

The rain has stopped. It was one of the rains that moved in and then moved on. Hopefully it washed a lot of the pollen out. We are miserable here with our allergies.

Have a wonderful Thursday.

2008-03-14T08:26:00.003-04:00

TGIF..................

This is what I spent all of yeserday doing. I am not Martha Stewart but I do love getting creative. Mark needed a prince costume for his fairy tale bowl. I thought I had until next Friday to get it done but he came home Wednesday and said he needed it for this Friday. I improvised about 99% of it. I had a pattern but it has been years since I have sewn. So, I only used the pattern for the cape. Trying to find a long sleeve shirt in Florida in March is impossible and making one was out of the question with my sewing skills. So, I settled for a $3.50 shirt oversized shirt from Walmart. The belt was a piece of cardboard spray painted gold and sewn with ribbon. The crown came from the local party supply store. I probably put this costume together for under $20. Find that online! I'm happy with how it turned out. Ignore the bare feet. He will have shoes on! He told me the shirt looked like an elf. So, I told him he can be an "elf prince".

I am so happy it's Friday. This was a very hectic week. Yesterday a mom who was trying to back up her car in the middle of freaking pick up yelled at me. Pick up time is a crazy time to begin with. The car in front of me moved up and I followed. She whipped in and tried to nose her way in so she could back in. I totally didn't realize what she was trying to do so I pulled up. She had a hard time backing it in (she totally could have moved to other spots that had the extra room). So, as she got out of her van and slammed her door she walked right in front of my van and yelled something at me. Sad thing was I was going to roll down my window and apologize. Forget that. So, I will probably get a dirty look and she will stand in her "little group" and point out what a *itch I was. It's amazing to me too. It's always the "new" parents to the school that do this. Why do they feel the need to get out of their car during pick up and get their kids. That's why it's called a PICK UP LINE. The staff puts them in the car. Yes, the line is long but it moves. There is a HUGE parking lot in the back of the school they can park in and walk up to get them. Rules are rules. I feel so bad for the staff though. They try really hard to get the line moving but they are outnumbered by the rude, impatient parents. Okay, I'm done venting.......................

Today I have nothing to do. Well, I always have something to do but my goal is to work on laundry and get some pictures developed off my computer and stored. I am so far behind on that it's not even funny. I might sneak off to get a fish sandwhich later since it's Friday. Only one more Friday after today in Lent. Hard to believe that next Sunday is Easter.

So, that being said, it's time to log off and get my day going. This sure wasn't a "happy" entry so I apologize for the rant. Hopefully today will be a much happier day. Make it a good one.

2008-03-11T07:46:00.002-04:00

3.11.08

Has it been almost a weeks since my last entry? Not much to blog about here. Right now we are just stuck in a routine whic is EXTREMELY busy and boring. Same old stuff--school, sports, run, run, run.

I'm just counting down the days until Spring Break. Last year the school district changed around the school schedule which is awful. Usually we start early August and get out in May. Now we started later and get out in June. They took some of our CHRISTMAS (yes I will say that) break and now the kids don't get their Spring Break until April. That's way too long. They are scheduled to go on Good Friday and the kids are begging me to let them take that day off since it will be considered a "Religious" holiday. So, I am considering it ON the condition that we all get up and go to Church. Then they can have the rest of the day off. It's a long story about our school schedule. They should have just left it alone.

Sunday we are going down to Sarasota to a Cincinnati Reds spring training game. I'm actually very excited to go. Even "Princess" Liz is going. I definately will take a picture of that. She doesn't like to do a lot of the "family" things anymore. So, we are all heading down to watch the game. Best part is that we will be able to get some "hometown" food there. I cannot wait to get my Skyline Chili. We went last year and had a blast. I just hope the Reds stay at that facility and not move to Arizona which is a possibility. Then on Easter Sunday, the boys are going back to watch another game.

We sent in our first check to the University of Florida (ouch). Her housing application is all done and been accepted. They had to list three choices for their dorms. It will be interesting to see which one they get. The kids are just anxious to be able to use their own bathroom in the morning. Liz is a bathroom hog! We get on her and on her about how other people need the bathroom but it goes in one ear and out the other. Next year she will have to share ONE bathroom with three other gals. Can't wait for that. I can't imagine what our life would be like if we still lived in our house in Ohio. It was our first house and had only ONE bathroom. Our second house had 1 full and 3 half baths. Then we went down to a three bathroom house and now we just have two. We should stop moving around before we end up with one bathroom again.

Well, today is a stay at home and do laundry day. That job just never seems to end. I really need a new washer since the one I have is really starting to go. It stops mid-cycle. It's a Maytag Neptune and I dont' like it. I've had it repaired several times. After the warranty expired, I decided not to purchase another one and just replace the machine. I'm going back to the old fashioned top loading machine without a computer. I don't care for the front loader either. I just want to load and go and this machine is definately not that. The dryer is okay so I will keep that for now.

Have a wonderful Tuesday. I was tagged by Benita so I will post that later when I get everyone out the door and off to school.