Procrastinators Unite

Why am I not participating in



Oh where do I begin?


Facebook

Twitter

Cafemom

Blogging


Ok, all of those are my excuses and I'm sticking to them!!! See on the side of my page where it says "My other hiding spots"? Yep, I'm hiding.


Wait! There's more!!!


It's rainy and miserable out, which always puts me in the mood to do jack squat.


The Steelers lost to the friggin Ravens and that never makes Meme happy!


I also have a
4 year old little boy cat on my lap, which is making it hard to do anything. Even drink my coffee. Me without coffee is NOT good. Some people won't even speak to me pre-coffee!

I'm also a little depressed because I finished one of my Christmas presents. You would think finishing a project would make me happy, but do you see the colors of this thing?!?


Steeler fans HATE anything that is brown and orange. I suppose it's a sacrifice I had to make for my BFF, but I'm not happy about it.


I guess I'm just one big ball of procrastination today. I'm even in my pajamas still! Shh...don't tell!



Go visit
SupahMommy and MommyBrain for proof that I am not the only one with an excuse today. It's just one of those days!

Until next time...


Be Merry

Now that I have the tree up, all we need to do is to decorate it. But GG is sleeping over a friends house tonight so it will have to wait for another night.

My plan this year is to try my hand at taking my own Christmas picture of the kids. Now here's my predicament....


Do I dress them in their Christmas best, fix their hair, and set things up all nice like an actual photo studio? Or should I take what I can and try and capture their personalities, no matter how good or bad they look?


GG and Little Dude do have the ability to take a really nice picture together, but lately, Little Dude has been a little difficult.


He loves monkeys and I thought it would be awesome to take a picture of him, his monkeys, and the monkey he drew. Really, he tried to say cheese and look all nice and handsome, but he ends up looking drunk!



And by the way, he's been trying to look at things and draw them. It is so funny to see the look of concentration on his face! Sometimes he even sticks his tongue out because he's concentrating so hard!


Maybe I could use this one instead? He said "Cheese", but as soon as my finger hit the button, this is what I got!


Christmas tree



Notice there's no goofy pictures of GG. Little Miss I love attention She loves pictures and always smiles nice.



Anyway, back to my point...


Do I attempt to take a beautiful picture of my babies in front of our tree?



Or should I use this one and show off their goofy personalities instead?




Christmas card


Until next time...

Boom, Boom! Out Go the Lights!

We had a few minor catastrophes today. You know, the ones where the kids won't listen no matter what you say and it's worse during the holidays? Ya, one of those days!

Anywho, tonight we went to eat at the Italian Oven. We love this place and their pizza is to die for! Especially with kalamata olives on it. Yum-my!!! Sadly, this restaurant is moving after tomorrow. Their not moving far, thank goodness, but we can no longer walk there during the summer.


I was also able to get the Christmas tree up today and the decorations placed ever so nicelythroughout the living room. We didn't decorate the tree yet. I'll deal with those frustrations at a later time. But now I understand why some people surprise the kids by decorating after they go to sleep on Christmas Eve. But I can't do that. That's when I wrap presents. Nothing like procrastination, right?!?


And to end the day with some more holiday festivities, we went to yet another local light up night. But this one had fireworks! We go to the same place for the 4th of July and their fireworks display is beyond beautiful and it was just as awesome tonight.



Enjoy!!!




Until next time...

Finally in the Spirit

I am so full right now it's not even funny! We had turkey, mashed potatoes, sweet potatoes, beans, asparagus with mushrooms, rolls, fruit salad, and stuffing. And of course there was pie at the end - chocolate and pumpkin. The pumpkin I ate because #1 I love it and #2 Thanksgiving just isn't the same without it. The chocolate I ate, well, I'm a chocoholic!!!

Now that turkey day is done, it is officially time to begin with Christmas! I'll be out shopping in the morning after I take C to work. I thought about hitting a few store before he goes to work, but I'm not a morning person. Add that to the craziness of Wal Mart on Black Friday...well it's just not a good match! My mom used to come home with horror stories every year about the nutty people at Target and Wal Mart. One year she wanted to get me a 5 disc CD changes/radio/tape deck. It was $40, which was a sweet deal but when all you hear while you're shopping is merchandise breaking and people screaming you really have to wonder if it's worth it. I know Wal Mart has a good deal on a DS that we want to get GG, but I think I would rather live than die trying to save 30 bucks!


I can also now start to watch my favorite Christmas commercials. And if I don't see my favorite this year, I'm going to be a little upset. Somehow I missed it last year. But in case I miss it, it's on Youtube. Altho it doesn't really have the same feel as when you see it on tv.


I smile every time I see it because I think it really shows some true Christmas spirit. It's not about giving or getting the biggest gift. It's about sharing and helping those in need
.








And don't forget about this little guy!
The auction runs from today until December 6
and there's tons of great stuff

Click on the pic and you will go to SupahMommy's page
where you can find instructions and links on getting to the auction

Jaden Duttine


Until next time...

Gobble, Gobble til I Wobble

Gobble, gobble
I shall eat til I wobble

Turkey

Turkey, taters, stuffing, more
All of which I will explore

Stuffing

Chocolate pie, pumpkin pie, oh boy!
Can you tell I'm full of joy?


Click to see What I am thankful four
But wait, come back! There's so much more!

I'm thankful for my husband, C
For with me he will always be

Husband

I'm thankful for a roof above my head
And when I'm tired I have a bed

I'm thankful for the food I eat
Whether it's veggies or some meat

I'm thankful for the friends I've made
Especially those with some "lemonade"

Concert


I'm thankful for so many things
More than the amount of Steeler's Super Bowl rings

Super Bowl



To all my friends out there...

May you eat until the powers that be
Tell you to stop
Before you pop


Stay safe
Stay healthy
and most of all...

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!!!

Pilgrim and Indian



Thank you Mama Kat for letting me share.

Until next time...

We Have a Match

First off let me clarify that I am NOT the one who bought GG her American Girl doll. I saw the price of those suckers and said "No Way!!!" And speaking of sucker, I think that company likes to sucker people in by saying you can buy a doll that looks just like you.

I'm not saying American Girl is bad, I just think they're overpriced. But anywho.....

GG recently celebrated her 8th birthday and one of the many gifts from her Grandparents was matching pajamas for her and her doll, Rachael.


Lookie! Her and Rachael match!
How cute!

They even have matching glasses!



I know I've mentioned this before, and sorry to shove it in your face again, but I bleed black and gold! What I didn't know was that I have one of the Steelers living in my house. Where the heck have I been?!?!?




If he just dyed his hair, do you think he could pass for Troy?
Stick a helmet on his head - no one will ever know!




And finally, I saved the best for last!
Tomorrow's the big day!

Click on this little cutie pa-tootie.

You'll be redirected to SupahMommy's blog

and you can head to the auction from there.



Tons of good stuff. I promise!

Think of it this way.....


If you shop at the auction on Black Friday,

you can get all your shopping done.

In your pajamas.

And not have to leave the house.


How awesome is that!!!



This has been a part of Wordful Wednesday

Post-it Tuesday

Man, these little buggers are addictive! I figured I'd stop making a bazillion of them and actually post some.



Sorry people, but I hate it!
I understand the purpose of it,
but what you need to understand

is that I'm anal about spelling.

Trying to spell these made up words is killing me!




Yes, I have an idea. Scary, isn't it?




So, here's the deal. Someone threatened to kill convinced me to sign up again. I still don't get why it's so awesome, but if I'm missing the big picture, someone please fill me in on what I need to do!








And while I'm at it, do you really need to try and push 2 carts to another aisle? And then think you can squeeze by the grannies ladies who haven't seen each other in 2 days years. You could have just let me by before pulling an Ethan Hunt crazy type of move. All I needed was a friggin lightbulb for the Easy Bake oven!!!!





and while you're gobbling on your gobbler......


For more fun posties, check out SupahMommy's page.



Until next time...


What I'm Thankful Four

What a crazy time of year this is! Once we get done with birthdays, it's time for Thanksgiving, and before I know it, it's Christmas! With all the craziness going on right now it's hard to think of 5 things for Meme Monday, so thankfully SupahMommy and MommyBrain agreed on a top 4 this week.

Thankful

Altho, I guess if you want to get all technical on me, thanking them could turn my list of 4 into a list of 5. But who's counting?


So anywho, what am I thankful four? Well, sit back, grab your coffee and find out!



1. The ability to see. Without it, I would never know
  • what the sunrise looks like when I have to drive C to work at the butt crack of dawn
  • how beautiful the leaves look in the fall before they fall and drive me bat crazy
  • what beautiful creatures two people in love can make
Tongues
and see how goofy they can be



2. The ability to hear. Without it I would never know
  • how a child's laughter can brighten any day, no matter how dreary it may seem
  • what a favorite song sounds like and the different emotions it can stir up inside you
  • how soothing the rain can sound at night as it taps against the windows


3. Happy and healthy children. I see and hear about struggles that some children have to go through. Fights that no one, especially a child, should have to face. I see them fighting a good fight and it makes me realize that children, although small, are often stronger than we realize. But I am so very thankful that my children do not have to fight these fights.



4. Coffee, because you know I can't make it through a whole post without some humor! Without my daily dose of caffeine, I would not be coherent enough to even post this. I need that jump start in the morning to be able to accomplish the things I want to get done for the day. Whether it's the house that needs work, or doing something with my kids. Both require heavy doses of caffeine to run smoothly.


Now go and join Supah and MommyBrain for Meme

Until next time...

I Survived!!

Cupcake


I made it too 100! Woo Hoo!!!

Just the fact that I survived today and was able to post this is an accomplishment in itself. Today was GG's friend party. 8 kids at an ice skating rink. I must admit, I was scared shitless a little nervous about the whole thing. But it went over very well. The kids had an hour to skate, then it was time to eat lunch and cake, and open presents. They had about a half hour at the end to skate some more.

The only thing I didn't like was that you have to pay for at least 10 kids, even if 5 show. But for what you get for your money, it's really not that bad. I got the more expensive package. All the kids and 2 adult chaperones got free skate rental, food was provided for the kids (hot dog, plain or peperoni pizza, hamburger or cheeseburger), 2 pitchers of pop, cake, t-shirt for the birthday girl, and a coupon for a free admission for a later date. Not too bad for $14 a kid, which is what I payed for the party last year and didn't get nearly as much stuff. And the cake was awesome, too!!!

Now the only thing we have to do is put all the presents away, but that can wait for tomorrow. We're all tired and my head ache is just sucking the life out of me.

So, back to my big accomplishment. I started this blog for friends and family who I don't see too often. It was a way to keep them updated on everything going on with the 4 of us. Then I started reading other blogs, participating is different games. I've learned that while my blog is still a way for me to update those who we don't see too often, it has become more for me than anyone else. It's a place for me to vent, be creative, have fun, and sometimes brag about my kids.

I admit I love comments. And whether you're a follower or just someone passing by, I thank you for taking the time to read my ramblings.


So for all of you out there who follow, read, and comment.....

Thank you


And if you want something from me to show off on your blog, you can snag this pic that I found. You don't have to take it. You could just be happy that you have given me the motivation to keep on truckin' through the blog world and know I am very appreciative.


Rock



Until next time...



Big Girl Books

I feel like I post about Little Dude all the time. I guess because I'm home with him all day and get to see everything that he does - good or bad! Tomorrow is GG's big friend party (send happy pills ASAP please!!!) and I wanted to post something about her un-birthday related.


I spent many many hours trying to teach her to read. I started reading at least a bedtime story to my kids from a very early age. It's really paid off because now they both love books! When GG was 4 she started to show interest in reading. She could recognize her name, Mom, Dad, her brother's name, and a few words from Hop on Pop. I tried and tried to teach her to read resulting in many screams and tears to no avail. Then one day about half way through Kindergarten, it's like someone flipped a switch and, voila! She could read.


Over the past few months I have been trying to encourage her to read chapter books. I think because there are so many more words and the actual word "chapter" she was intimidated. A few weeks ago she began reading Sideways Stories from Wayside School (one of my childhood favs!). She would glance at her growing collection of chapter books and finally she picked up a Junie B. Jones book!



Junie B. Jones

We are now obsessed with everything about Junie B.!


I've actually had to tell her to put the books away and go to sleep. I love the fact that she loves to read. What I don't love is when she stays up late reading and is then miserable after school. And Little Dude only makes it worse!


One great thing about reading is that her school does Accelerated Reader. This is where a child reads a book, takes a quiz on it, and gets points. Like most contests at her school, food is the motivating factor. I don't necessarily agree with using brownies and ice cream to get a child to do things, but in this case, it really does work. And if a classroom gets one ice party a year, I don't think it is all that detrimental.


Anywho, classes that reach the goal of completing X number of quizzes with an average of at least %80 get a party and/or a special prize. I do believe there are contest within the classrooms as well. Like the top 3 quiz takers get special prizes, like a gift certificate or a cool pencil. Like we need another pencil!!!!!


GG takes 2 or 3 quizzes every week and does well on all of them! I am so proud of her and I really hope that her reading habit continues into adulthood. As long as she doesn't have her nose in a book while walking. She's clumsy like me and that can only end in disaster!



Until next time...




Counting down til post 100 - keep an eye out. Hopefully I can come up with something really awesome to post!

Also, look for details about the upcoming Jaden Duttine

Jinkies

It's gray and dreary out today and that's pretty much how I feel as well. I wasn't going to post today, but my 100th post is almost here


*insert

here*


just not the damn whistle from the Nationwide peeps!


and I have to stay on schedule. GG's friend party is on Saturday and I wanted that to be my 100th post so blog I will!


Since we're stuck inside due to the weather (yet another thing to blame on my BFF, Mother Nature) I decided to catch up on some mountains of laundry and clean out the fridge. The fridge apparently ate all of my containers. It's really hard to put away leftovers when there's not a container to put them in! You wouldn't believe what I found in there!!! Half consumed jars of pickles, expired sauces that were hidden in the back, and containers brought home from the in-laws. BTW, don't give us non see through containers. They don't work out too well!



Needless to say, we had a few things to take to the recycle bin. And that chore is a favorite among the little people in the house!



Little Dude decided to play under the roof of the back porch for a bit and I let him. If I let them loose once a day play outside, the rest of the day is so much easier on me. While he was paving the porch (don't ask - I have no idea where that idea came from!) he wandered out into the rain. When he started getting wet he screamed....



"E-Zoinks!!!"



Does that qualify him for a role on Scooby Doo?





Until next time...

Caffeine and the Fat Man

Not this fat man...
Peter Griffin


This one...

Santa

I never get into the Christmas spirit this early, but it was light-up night in our neighborhood, so I had no choice but to take the kids to see Santa. I kept asking Little Dude what he was going to tell Santa he wants, and the response I got was....

"The things I want"



Thanks! That really helps me out!


While we were there, GG ran into a lot of her friends, we saw the train, and were given a lot of free stuff. I love free. It's one of my favorite words!!! But Nationwide and their free stuff are NOT on my side!!! An agent ambushed me and asked if I wanted to sign up for a free drawing to win a $25 gift card to our local grocery store. Well, duh!!! While I was signing my life away filling out the form, she was giving my kids candy and whistles. I didn't know she was one of the whistle givers or else I would have ran for my life. Every time I heard one of those things I wanted to shove it down someone's throat. That is after I tore off my ears and picked up the shattered pieces of my glasses. Ya, they were that loud and obnoxious!!!

During the shenanigans we learned a local diner was giving out free hot chocolate. Sign me up for that!!!!! It was really hot, which meant I had to try and drink mine while holding Little Dude's cup because it was too hot for him to drink. Thank goodness GG could hold her own cup! Doesn't it figure that he spilled the whole darn cup!!! Before we left I said I'd take him to Caribou for another cup. I had a coupon for $1 off a large drink so I wanted to get myself a Mint Condition. Their kid's hot chocolate is awesome!!! Whipped cream, crushed Oreos, and it's luke warm. Mint Condition - a cup of delicious coffee, mint syrup, chocolate syrup, and whipped cream. The only problem.....

I wanted decaf


I have enough energy right now to clean the entire house blog all night. But I won't. I just said I could. Big difference. But that probably explains all this rambling. Before I sign off, I have one more thing.


Stop signBig disclaimer time!!!! If you are easily offended by not so nice language, than please scroll down to my siggy and just leave me some love about what you've read to this point.


If such language does not bother you, than go right ahead and watch this video of one of my favorite Christmas songs, courtesy of Monty Python. Just make sure your kids are out of ear shot because I will not be held responsible for the corruption of other people's kids.



And Mom, this one's for you!!!!









Until next time...

The Mother Load of Post-its

Go check out SupahMommy
to see what it's all about

and I don't mean the hokey-pokey!


Here's my stickies.

Enjoy!!



Anatomy

Crochet Jaden


Decorations Santa


Nuts Girl Scouts

Stickies


I think I need to buy something kinda like this.....

Mother Nature

Thanks Chief


Until next time...