Time flies.....

Time flies when you're having fun, right? Well, I'm not having all that much fun but time is just zippin' by. I've been trying to get some work done on my Masters Class but am already behind and it's only the 3rd week.......geez!!!! Karissa has come home with gobbs of homework every night this week (aparently she is finding better things to do at school than her work, hence she "gets" to bring it home to finish) so I've been spending time with her instead of working on my class. I am beginning to feel comfortable with the fact that I seem to perform well under pressure in cramming it all in during the last week.....so why fight it? I'll get done, I'm just not sure how well.

Thank God for nice weather!

The kids have been outside non-stop now that nice weather has finally arrived. Tonight they came in and asked if they could play in the sprinkler. That may be pushing it a bit but it is beautiful outside! Karissa is such a tom-boy and she now has discovered worms - much to the disgust of Katie. She "collects" them and puts them in weird jars, brings them into the house, and then cries when they die.....it's a vicious cycle. Katie is still in that in-between stage where she still swings, plays in the sand-box, etc., but as soon as a friend comes over she is suddenly too cool for that! Ryan just loves anything dirty which drives daddy nuts. He loves the sand and pours it on his head and in his shoes. I pick my battles.....at least they clean up easily enough with soap and water. It's just coaxing them inside for the bath that's the tricky part.

"No, No, No!"...with a finger shake!

Ryan told me "No!" for the first time today. Enter Rogaine for me as I will now be pulling out my hair! He was throwing things and I told him "No". He looked right at me and said crystal clear, "No, No, No!" and shook his little finger at me. I cracked up....
I know that is the WRONG response but he was so adorable and even used the right inflection. When I started laughing, he laughed too and said it over and over and over.....Oh No! I've created my own monster and he's a foot and 1/2 high...
He put himself on time out today too. He kept crawling on top of the table while my Preschoolers were trying to eat their snack. After the 3rd time of hauling him down I faced him and said, with the firmest voice I could muster, "You need to listen or I am going to put you on time out". He turned around, sat on the time out chair and smiled the cutest smile......GREAT!!! I can tell right away that time out is going to be REALLLLY effective for him as a discipline method.
Terrible 2's are apparently on their way.....groan.

I am officially an ADDICT!

Hello, my name is Amy and I am a purse addict. The truth is hard to admit!!! OH! MY! GOSH! I have such an addiction and didn't realize how bad it was until this weekend......my friend had a purse party - Coach, Dooney & Burke, Chanel, Dolche and Gabana....etc. I set money aside for quite a while because I knew I wanted to get one. As I have no self control, I walked out with 3. And Holly didn't do her job of reigning me in....she went hog-wild too! We are NOT a good combination shopping! :) I have a serious issue. I have purchased almost 9 purses in the past year and they are all designer .... some real, some knock-off. But, how many purses does one really need?????? Bill's a good sport about it and just shakes his head.....one good thing about having access to my own "crazy" money! It was good fun and I walked out asking my friend when she was going to have another so I can stash more money to "invest"! LOL

A Blur.....

This week has been a blur. Where did it go? Is it really Saturday already?...... I need a vacation from all my running. Bill took Katie and Ryan to a fundraiser this afternoon and I'm taking Karissa to a birthday party, then taking myself purse shopping (one of my addictions), then taking my sister out for dinner for her birthday, then falling into bed exhausted. Then we start all over again tomorrow with church and such. By the way, Sunday is NOT a day of rest in my opinion and we desperately need to fix that! I really need to clone myself....

Spring!

I love Spring.....probably one of my favorite seasons. I like Winter because of Christmas and the Holidays but I HATE cold and snow. Why do I live in Ohio, again? This winter lasted forever. A lot of cold, wind, and snow. I was so glad to have warmer weather - it got up to 60 on Saturday. Baby Ryan got a nasty sunburn but it has now faded to just pink cheeks which is adorable! We couldn't get the kids to come inside and even Ryan threw a fit when we made them venture indoors for meals....it's a nice problem.
It's just teasing us, though.....it's supposed to snow on Saturday. I call it the S-Word - I despise it so much. It's time to move on to warm temps permanently now.
We implemented a new chore system for the girls. We felt it was time to do away with the "free ride" at home and are giving them simple chores to do to help around the house. At first, they felt very persecuted and whined and complained. But once they saw they can earn some fun things - nothing expensive but fun! - they came around. We'll see how it works. So far, nothing has worked very well. Maybe we'll have a breakthrough - I like to think positively!

Today Rocks

It's 5:00 and I have had one of the most relaxing days I've had in a while! Granted, I haven't accomplished anything on my "To Do" list but I have certainly enjoyed my day! Ryan slept in and didn't wake me up until 8 and then he and I played for 45 minutes until the rest of the fam joined us. The girls started begging for cinnamon rolls, so I whipped up a batch.....don't be too impressed - they're from a tube! I worked on laundry, cleaned a few rooms, and got my hair cut at the salon. When I got home, some of our neighbors came over to chat. Our neighborhood is one that looks desolate during the winter but once nice weather shows up.....everyone is out and very friendly. The guys shot hoops for a while and we gals "shared information". (I would never call it gossiping!) The girls started begging for ice cream so we loaded everyone up (including some of their friends) and went to Jolly Dipper. By the time we were done, Ryan was covered in ice cream and I didn't think ahead to take wipes. Oh well, it'll clean. Now the baby is sleeping, Kissa is playing outside with her little buddy, and Katie is watching Hannah Montana....a nice day all around. And can I just say that 60 degrees ROCKS!

How Can Something So Cute Be So Gross....?

Casper came to us by my choice, not Bills. He was so cute and adorable - all white and fluffy - I just had to take him home. I bought him for Karissa's birthday but I completely admit that he was really for me - it was just a guise to get him. I always wanted a cute little Bichon Friese lap dog. Bill likes big dogs and doesn't think Casper qualifies as a member of the species. I love the little guy - he is so good with all the kids and he has a special "gift" that allows children who are scared of animals to relax and enjoy him. He is a great pet......with one DISGUSTING exception. He eats his own crap....that's right - his own CRAP!!! Not just every now and then, not just once a day....it is his staple diet. His breath is atrocious and let's just say that he is a "messy eater" - just use your imagination.....The worst is when he eats it and then comes inside and throws it up.....lovely. He did it again this afternoon. It's typically at that time that Bill will "gently" remind me that he didn't want a dog in the first place. I honestly dry-heave and can barely stand it! It does have it's positives, I suppose - we never have to clean the yard and his food bill is quite low......eeeewwwww!
Bill calls him a "dumb little poop-eater" which is an accurate term, I guess. He is so cute but sometimes I could just........never mind, I don't want any calls from PETA!

Hate is a strong word....

I HATE laundry. I could do 20 loads a day and still be behind. Maybe it reproduces in the laundry room..... My girls are famous for putting clean, folded laundry into their dirty laundry so they don't have to put it away. That about drives me over the edge of sanity every time! I took last weekend"off" to work on the taxes so none of it got finished and I have yet to catch up this week!
I'm enjoying a few hours of a break - Bill took the girls to gymnastics tonight for me! I am sooo glad tomorrow is Friday. I live for my weekends!

I should be doing something else but.....

I totally should be working on my Masters Class right now but my brain is fried and I wouldn't be able to pay attention anyway......blogging doesn't take as much brain power and it's a good excuse to avoid the work! (At least I can be honest with myself about the real reason I'm on!)
I feel like a bad mom. Poor Katie hurt her knee LAST WEEK. I thought she was faking...you know how kids can be! I kept putting her off but noticed yesterday that she really was hobbling along. I took her in today to "call her bluff" thinking that she would back down and not want to go. She has a major injury to her knee caused by gymnastics and she is out of the season for up to 6 months. There is no treatment except rest and avoid making it worse. She is really wanting to continue. I'll take her tomorrow and talk to the coach. I'm hoping she can just focus on bars for now- She absolutely loves it and started crying when the Dr said she would be out the rest of the year......I do feel pathetic that I didn't take her sooner. She can be a bit of a drama queen with injuries.....still, I feel bad!
My sister Holly picked up my kids picts at the store today.....they are beautiful! I was so happy with how they turned out that I WAY overspent my budget. Let's just say that if you spend enough you get the disks and rights "free" - I got 2 disks......yikes! I'm such a sucker for picts - they'll never look exactly like that again, they are so cute, ...... any excuse will do! I'll post them soon - my D-drive is being ridiculous today.
Still don't know how my kids turned out so stinkin' cute. I kiss Ryan so much that I swear he's starting to run from me when he sees me coming. I could literally suck his face right off....not literally, of course :) ! I have to pin Kissa down to kiss her - she's too busy running around. Katie is too cool for kisses now and I have to sneak them in on her. And Bill is petrified of my getting pregnant again so enough said.......that leaves poor Ryan to take them all! He's still too little to have an opinion about mommy loving on him too much. Is that possible - to love them too much? Not in my mind....they grow up too fast.

I'm entering the world of blogging!

This is my first attempt at blogging and it looks like fun! I've been inspired by several friends on Facebook.com who have blog sites. It's a great way to catch up. I'm sure my blog won't hold anything super interesting....just my life as I am living it - which can be quite interesting depending on the day.
I got off work at 5:30 tonight and then had my adorable niece, Brittany over for dinner. She's a "starving" college student at UF and always welcomes a home-cooked meal! After getting the kids into bed, doing dishes, laundry, cleaning the house for work tomorrow....I'm beat! Tomorrow I have a welcomed afternoon off - which isn't a free pass - I have to take Katie to the doctor for her knee that she hurt in gym, get groceries, go to the library, and drop off some books to Karissas school! All must be accomplished between 1 and 4.....uhhhh. I'm tired already.