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.

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.

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!

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!

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.

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.

{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!

{{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.

{{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!

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!

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.

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.

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!

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. :)

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!

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!

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.

{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.

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!

What else is there to say today except:

GO GATORS