The Occupied Mind of MOM

Long time no...well...blog.

2008-11-15T11:58:00.003-05:00

It's been crazy since I last updated, which was what, almost a month and a half ago. I'm sorry. :o/ I didn't mean to be so long, but I've been....occupied.

Quick recap of my brief disapperance from my blog(s):

Had a pregnancy scare - still don't know what to make of what is going on with my body, as I'm in CD39 and still haven't gotten my friend yet. Concerning, yes, but the OB/GYN says "You're fine. Everything looks normal." Yea, whats normal about waiting ever so eagerly for the unwanted monthly guest? Hah!

Been uber busy at work with all the hiring that we are doing. Yes, even in with the current economical state that the US is in, we are hiring technicians AND engineers. Figures that I have to be the one to do some "selling" of the company to get guys on, but it's well worth it. My review will look pretty nice, for all the work I've done. Haha.

Been crazy at home. Trying to handle everything is a big chore, but it's also well worth it.

I am waiting ever so patiently for my best friend and his wife (Tim & Lisa Brown) to have their 2nd child. She's due on Tuesday and I can tell she is impatient and wanting Kenneth to be born like, NOW! Here's hoping she goes this weekend. If not, she'll be induced on Wednesday. Wish her luck!

Jonathan won 3rd place in the Sparing competition at his "In-school" tournament at Hamilton ATA. I've very proud of him. He made a few mistakes, and even tripped/fell, but he still got 3rd place!!!

Ahh, it's all been extremely nerve racking. No wonder why I'm so occupied both at home and at work. :oP

Here are a few pictures of Jon with his medal.

Isn't he cute?? Here he is with Mr. Kevin Bebe. I couldn't get the picture of him actually getting the medal, because my memory card was full. Figures that it waited until TODAY to say that it was full!! Thankfully, I was smart and used the internal memory instead. :o)

Here's Jonathan with his "3rd Place" medal. Can you tell how happy he is? I was so excited for him. He was really nervous during the whole competition, and we could tell, because he kept touching his right eye. Hopefully with the next in-school tournament, he won't be so nervous.

My little boy is growing up too fast. Is there a way we can reverse time and have him be a newborn baby again???

Ice Hockey?!

2008-10-07T10:54:00.003-04:00

So, while waiting ever so patiently for Jon to take his sweet little time walking up to the front of the school yesterday evening, I saw a flyer for Lawrence Flames, the area's Ice Hockey team. Jon has been playing "street hockey" with his Dad for the past few years, and his Dad has said that he'd like to see Jon play Ice Hockey. So, seeing this flyer, I figured I'd pick it up and show it to Jon to get his input.

After we got home, and somewhat settled, I showed Jon the flyer. He was a little confused by it and asked me what it was for. I told him to read it and as he read it, he started jumping up and down saying that he wanted to join. I had already figured that I would get that type of reaction, but I was hoping he wouldn't be so enthusiastic about it. I told him I'd talk to his Dad and see what his thoughts were on the sport. I know all too well that his Dad will be just as enthusiastic about the sport as Jon is.

Being that Jon was so excited, he showed Pat the flyer and said that he was going to play Ice Hockey. Of course Pat looked at me with the look of "Don't you realize what you are getting yourself into? It's an expensive sport...more expensive then Soccer or Baseball or Basketball, hell even karate." I just smiled and mouthed "If he's lucky he will join." We then dropped the act of reading each others minds about the subject and put Jon to bed.

This morning during breakfast, Jon was super excited. He was bouncing up and down in his chair saying "I'm going to play Ice Hockey! I'm going to play Ice Hockey!!!" I told him to relax as I hadn't spoken with his father about the subject yet. He relaxed...for about 30 minutes. Once we picked up my 2nd boss, Jon immediately said "I'm going to play Ice Hockey!!" Of course my boss gave me the same look that Pat gave me the night before and responded to Jon with a "Oh really?! Cool."

Once I got settled here at work, I quick glanced at their website and held my breath for the fees of registering Jon for the sport of Ice Hockey. $700.00 for registration!?!?! What does that include, an gold hockey stick and diamond encrusted ice skates?!?! I started to search for what the fee includes to find that the uniform is a whole other fee altogether! This sport will be the death of me.

Thinking of Ice Hockey actually reminds me of Kelly who was the goalie of our High School Hockey team. She was the first "girl" goalie on an all boys team. I can only hope that she'll read my post and hopefully help me make the best decision for my son and the thought of him playing Ice Hockey. :o)

Anyone else out there, have or will have a child(ren) (especially their son(s)) play Ice Hockey? Can you give me advice on this? I'd appreciate it greatly, and I'm sure Jon will too!!

Thanks!!!!!

Question of the day...

2008-10-01T16:11:00.007-04:00

Why does it have to rain on my food shopping day??

Of course it will only happen to me. I sat down and wrote out my food list last night...for all 3 stores - Sam's, Acme, and Halo Farm. I then figured out how much moolah I would need, and of
course, figured out my plan of carrying out this shopping extravaganza!

Now, it's thundering outside and it started to spit. So the only thing that would add the cherry on top, is for it to pour the exact second Jon and I arrive to Sam's. Or when I'm loading the car from our shopping trip to Sam's. Or when we're arriving at Acme. Or when I'm loading the car from our dealings with Acme. And so forth. Then of course, the second we arrive home, it'll be a monsoon and I won't be able to do a dam thing to get the stuff out of the car. Then my parishables will subsequently go bad and I'll be S.O.L for food!!

Oh well. At least it wasn't raining on Monday or that would have been a great reason for the crazy but serious accident that happened about 5 doors down from me. To watch it all unfold was jaw dropping. Plus, you know how people said that it happened so fast that it was almost going in slow motion? Well, that's exactly what it looked like. It happened so fast, that it took a minute for it to sink in. Of course with in seconds of me calling 911, I heard sirens in the distance and emergency response crews were there with in 2 minutes (if not faster) of me hanging my cell phone up and running to check on the guy in the flipped over truck.

It was very scary to say the least. I was expecting to see alot of blood but there was little to none at all. I seriously thought that the guy was dead until he answered my "ARE YOU OK" screaming question. Of course, the little bit of simpathy that I did have for him, was overwhelmed with the knowledge that he caused this accident because he was going far too fast on the road. The speed limit is 25 mph. He was doing well over the limit! Especially since he was in front of me on Parkway Ave, making the turn onto our street about 2 minutes before the accident and when I was able to turn on to the street, it was already half way to that intersection. I bet he'll deny it though. We'll see......

The 2 hours it took for everything to be done and cleaned up, it felt like forever.

Jon was constantly asking questions about how they were going to get the truck back up on it's wheels and if the guy would be ok. He thought that watching the fire fighters, other emergency personnel and of course the tow trucks, was exciting. He wouldn't stop talking about it all night!

Doesn't beat the fire that we saw over the summer, practically around the corner from our apartment. He was in awe then too...

I'm happy to know that Jon thinks that fire fighters (like his Uncle Bryan), Police men, and hospital staff (EMT's and the like) are Heros. They certainly are.

Ok. Enough of the depressing stuff. Luckily everyone that was involved with the car accident are ok. Or so I've been told. Here's hoping that they are all ok. I'm praying for them...especially the guy in the truck. He lives down the road from me and I used to constantly see him driving down the road to go home, every day.

Although I know he's guilty, I will still pray for him and the girl that was driving the White Corolla....

Wordless Wednesday...

2008-10-01T16:03:00.003-04:00

This is from Monday afternoon...on my street...like 5 houses down. I witnessed the whole thing....

Aloha Friday!

2008-09-26T09:38:00.002-04:00

According to Kailani over at An Island Life, today is Aloha Friday. Here's the scoop.

In Hawaii, Aloha Friday is the day that we take it easy and look forward to the weekend. So I thought that on Fridays I would take it easy on posting, too. Therefore, I’ll ask a simple question for you to answer. Nothing that requires a lengthy response.

If you’d like to participate, just post your own question on your blog and leave your link below. Don’t forget to visit the other participants! It’s a great way to make new bloggy friends!

So here's my question:

Whats the one thing on your bucket list? (The list of things to do before you die)

One of the things on my list is see Niagara Falls. Nope, I've NEVER been there and I so want to see it!

Remember that joke about Cherry Hill?

2008-09-21T12:14:00.003-04:00

I got woken up this morning at 9:00AM by my cell phone ringing. The music that is set as my ringtone, made it seem like my alarm was going off, so I had rolled over quickly to smack the alarm only to realize it was my cell. I looked at the caller ID, and Aunt Irene Home was flashing across the screen. I scratched my head and asked myself out loud, why my aunt would be calling me this early on a Sunday morning. I answered with a "Hi Aunt Irene." Only to hear my mom's voice come across. I propped myself up on my right elbow and was like "Oh, ok, Hi Mom. What's up?" She said with out any hesitation, "Aunt Irene is in the hospital." I of course asked her why my godmother was in the hospital and she told me that it was her heart. Of course, my heart stopped for a brief second, because it is all too familiar to me. I think my heart started back up shortly after I heard that "She is OK." Ok, well if my Aunt was ok, she wouldn't be in the hospital, now would she? Of course we chatted a few minutes about how she was really doing and of course I asked if she needed me to come sit with Thomas. Of course she needed me to come down. I knew the answer, but I thought I'd ask anyway. So, when she replied yes, I told her I'd be there by 11:30.

Down to Cherry Hill I go...

I practically raced my way through the non-existant traffic on 295 to get here. Exciting. I know. The only traffic I actually had to deal with was a few slow pokes in the left lane. Non-existant traffic is hard to come by on a Sunday morning at 11am.

Anyone who knows me will tell you that I dispise left.lane.dicks and 18 wheelers. I'm more afraid of a jack knife tractor trailer then the left.lane.dicks. But this L.L.D. really got me mad...blood boiling mad. She was doing 60 in the left lane, with a huge 18 wheeler right next to her, probably doing about 60 as well. They were "pacing" each other. I pulled up behind her and had to slow down from doing 75 (yeppers...75) to the crawling speed of 60. I did the wonderful Jersey jesture, of both hands off the wheel in the what the f gives arm raise, as I noticed that this was an out of state driver - Pennsylvania to be exact. She finally sped up enough to get past the 18 wheeler. As soon as there was enough room for me to squeeze between her and the front of the 18 wheeler, I sped past and looked at her. She was on her god dam cell phone!!! HELLO!!! If you are going to be in the left lane and on the cell phone, at least have the common courtesy to either A) move the hell out of the way or B) stay in the "fast" lane by doing about 65...preferrably above 70 would be nice. If you aren't going to do either, beware of being run the hell off the road, or run over. After that brief encounter with a L.L.D, I approached an accident in the right lane (which was closed of course) before exit 36a. It looked like a tractor trailer when off the road...or some kind of truck hauling plywood and sheet rock. There was crap ALL over the dam road. People were rubber necking. I however, was not. I am not one to be messing around, especially when it has to do with coming down to Cherry Hill. Needless to say, after a nice 35 minute drive, I arrived.

I was informed to answer any of my cousin Thomas's questions about Aunt Irene saying it's "her heart" as that was what broke on my Uncle shortly before he passed away a year and 9 months ago. Freaky, his birthday was on Sept. 15th. ;o(

So, here I sit at my Aunt's computer. Thomas is sitting...I mean laying...watching Toon Disney. I'm worried about my Aunt. I just hope that she will get better and stay better. I do not think we would be able to deal with anything major. As it is now, I can only think about the bad things that could happen. I should stop thinking negatively. :o/

On to happier things. Pat and I went to Jessica and Ray's wedding on Friday night. We missed the ceremony but that's ok. We were there for the bigger party! We had a little bit of concern and worry when we noticed that we could be sitting with people that we didn't get along with at all, but we found out shortly there after that they were sitting on the complete opposite side of the room, far away from us. Thank god for that. We enjoyed ourselves. Jessica looked like a princess in her dress. She said she wanted to look like a bell, and she definitely pulled it off. She was beautiful. I'm a bit jealous because she can pull of the bell look. I unfortunately can't. I'm not the right "shape" for a bell dress. Plus, her boobs are bigger then mine. Heh.

When we left, I started wondering how our reception is going to be. We plan to do something different and out of the ordinary. See, we aren't ordinary people who follow the crowd in wedding receptions. We both want something intimate but extraordinary. So, I talked with my Aunt a few months back, and we have the ability to use her back yard for our reception. 2 big white tents in a "L" shape, DJ, Cake, Photographer, Caterer (buffett style). Typical "reception" items, but with a southern farmboy/girl feel. A PIG ROAST!! Yep. We're going all crazy with it. Pig roast, barbeque chicken, burgers, hotdogs, corn on the cob, chips, and all the other makings of a big barbeque.

I've asked numerous people if they thought an out door pig roast barbeque reception would be tacky, they all said "Oh my god, that would be so cool Michelle! It's unique and it's so you and Pat." I seriously can't wait to start planning it....in time Michelle...in time!

Ahh. I better get back to doing stuff around my Aunt's house. I pulled Thomas's laundry out of his room so I'll do that. And I'll do the sheets that are sitting on the chair in the family room. I'll even sweep and swiffer mop. I am going to do stuff that my Aunt would be doing. I have to help out somehow......

Keep my Aunt in your prayers, please...

Gotta get it done.....

2008-09-12T10:16:00.003-04:00

So, I'm working on this cross stitch project for our friend Jessica, as a present for her wedding.

This is what it's supposed to look like (below). I haven't even gotten that far...but I'm sure if I work on it hard enough...well....it'll look like this before 9/19!!This is what MY piece looks like right now (below). It's getting there....or so I think!
Can you see the blue bow, flowers and 2 wedding bells?? Yea, I do! (see below)
On a fuzzier note - I caught some cute pictures of my babies while they were sleeping.

This here is Baggs (Aka: Adrian, bag boy, fatty)

Here's Rocky and Girly. They were too cute...of course I had one missing...she was under Rocky and Girly!

Last but not least, here is Girly 2 (aka Piper). She was trying to get out since I had woken them all up (with the exception of Baggs as he is a deep sleeper!).

Ahh, I'll get the finished project up once it's done. Hopefully this weekend. Wish me luck! Hugs to all...

The house is DONE!!!

2008-09-10T13:03:00.008-04:00

I can't believe it. We were able to see the house on Sunday morning, and let me tell you, it blew me away. It's beautiful! I didn't expect it to look this great, but I was proven wrong. I really think that they did a wonderful job getting it "sale and move in ready."

There isn't a thing that I would change. Well, actually, there are a few things, but it's nothing major. Just some minor stuff, like taking down the wall paper in the bathroom and kitchen, putting a sliding door where the big picture window in the family room is, and extending the front porch so I have a porch to "people watch" on. (see previous post from my mom's shoppe)

The bathroom is updated, and looks AWESOME. The partial bath on the main floor is neat and just right (unfortunately no picture of the partial bath was available). But I'm sure that just from seeing the main full bath, you can take a gander on what the partial bath looks like. Same decor. Very neutral, which is good. I like neutral. :o)

Here's a view of the vaulted ceiling where the dining room and family room combo is on the 2nd level of the home. The hardwood floors are all original. You can tell by the line of flooring nails in the boards. They refinished the floors, and when you stand on them, you can actually see your reflection!!!

Here's another view of the family room from the 3rd level "balcony" as they call it. I think it really shows the height of the ceiling. Plus, it gives a nice view of the picture window (that I would love to blow out and put in a slider or french doors).

Here's a view of the Dining area, and stairs to the 3rd level. I love the light fixture. You'd have to see it to understand why I love it so much!

You can see where the stairs leading down to the 1st level (aka main floor). The cast iron railing was re-painted to white (instead of black) and the paneling was removed, which is a great plus!

Here are the stairs, leading from the main level, the partial bathroom and door to the laundry and side entry door, to the 2nd level family/dining room combo.

There is wall to wall carpeting in this area including the laundry room, as it's a concrete slab underneath. I really think that it's a good feature as it's considered the "high traffic" area. Plus it'll be good for when Pat and I have kids (should we buy this house). Not to mention, Jon would have a blast playing in this room. :o)

Here's another view of the partial bath door and the door leading to the laundry room and side entry way.

There is a nice big window to the left facing the street which would be perfect to put a Christmas tree in front of. Ahh, Christmastime! I can picture it now!!!!

Here's the kitchen. It has nice green tiling. I wasn't too thrilled with the color when I first saw it but it grew on me as I stood in the kitchen. There is a nice looking wall paper throughout the kitchen that can probably stay for a while after moving in (if we buy of course), but it would eventually be taken down for a nice painted color. Not sure what though. It's still nice. Built in dishwasher, which matches the cabinetry, which is a definite plus!

Here's a downward view of the stairs from the 3rd level. All hardwood. WONDERFUL! The whole house (with the exception of the main floor, bathrooms and kitchen) is hard wood flooring. Awesome, I know!!!!

The final view from the balcony, over looking the dining area, awesome light fixture and window. Nice right? I thought so too!!!

I can't wait to be able to walk through it at least one more time. I really like this house and can picture us living in this home. The bedrooms are decently sized, and the back yard is perfect. You can so fit a nice sized deck (or patio), a swing set/play area, and a new shed (as the one that is presently there looks like it was hit by a truck).

This house is what I would consider "Home" for our little family. Now, if only I can get Pat to see it the way I see it. Maybe this house is the one. Maybe this house isn't the one. We will see what happens in the next few weeks.

The past week or so has been pretty hectic with Jon starting school and all. He's loving 2nd grade and I've only gotten 1 phone call home that had me upset for the rest of the afternoon. Other then that, the other 2 phone calls I've received, have been good news calls. Which is awesome. Now, let's keep our fingers crossed that I'll only be getting those types of calls from now til June!!

Christmas is coming. It's 3 1/2 months away. Can you believe it? Yes, I know, I'm talking about Christmas, today - September 1oth! Why do I worry about it now you ask? Because I am making a promise to myself to get Christmas shopping done early. Like before December 1st. One can dream, right? Well, I'm going to try and make my dream become a reality. Crossing fingers yet again.

Oh, gosh. Sept. 10th? Crap. I have 9 days to finish the wedding gift for Jessica and Ray. CRAP!! Here goes never ending stitching nights! Wish me luck! I'll post a picture of the finished product when I'm finished of course!! :o)

Leave me some love...I need it!!

Long weekend...

2008-09-08T08:51:00.000-04:00

Ok, so I haven't updated since Wednesday...Shoot me! I promise to update at lunch time...or even tonight before I head home.

Much to tell, no time to tell it..

More soon...PROMISE

I'm the Mommy of a 2nd grader!!

2008-09-03T13:13:00.007-04:00

OH MY! My little boy just started 2nd grade today. I couldn't be more proud. I am surprised he didn't jump out of bed the second he heard my alarm clock radio go off. It actually took me going in there to swat the "lump" out of the bed. Haha.

He was a bit excited after we got him dressed and ready for breakfast. He loves his new converse sneaker/hi-tops. Pat calls them "bobo's" and I have yet to understand where that nickname comes from.

After breakfast, we got cleaned up (teeth brushed, faces washed), and we left. I had made his lunch and packed his school bag with his supplies, the night before, so all I had to do was put his lunch box in his bookbag. We took a few pictures before leaving, and one at the school when we arrived. Being the "new kid" on the block, we were allowed through the main doors (even though they were locked!) to get to the before school care program. I got him signed in, and I even got to meet 2 of his teachers - Mrs. Bartlett and Ms. Stratton. I seriously can't wait to see what goodies they send home with him tonight. :o)

With today being the 1st FULL day of school, I sit here, reminising about my school days. I can not remember my first day of school being a full day. I always had a 1/2 day. Well, at least I don't have to worry about how he is doing from a 1/2 day dismissal to when I pick him up at the after care program. With the full day, I know that he'll be ok for the hour and a half before picking him up. :o)

My little boy is getting TOO big. I swear, he was in diapers about a month ago, and starting kindergarten yesterday. Where does the time go???

Check the comparison - here is the 1st day of Kindergarten not knowing what to expect.

And here he is, this year, knowing what to expect and a 2nd grader!

I'll fill you all in tomorrow, on how his 1st day went.

Enjoy!

Ever wonder why it takes us so long...

2008-08-29T08:24:00.002-04:00

to go to the bathroom?? Well, here's your answer:

When you have to visit a public bathroom, you usually find a line of women, so you smile politely and take your place. Once it's your turn, you check for feet under the stall doors . Every stall is occupied. Finally, a door opens and you dash in, nearly knocking down the woman leaving the stall.

You get in to find the door won't latch. It doesn't matter, the wait has been so long you are about to wet your pants! The dispenser for the modern "seat covers" (invented by someone's Mom, no doubt) is handy, but empty. You would hang your purse on the door hook, if there was one, but there isn't - so you carefully, but quickly drape it around your neck, (Mom would turn over in her grave if you put it on the FLOOR!), yank down your pants, and assume " The Stance."

In this position your aging, toneless thigh muscles begin to shake. You'd love to sit down, but you certainly hadn't taken time to wipe the seat or lay toilet paper on it, so you hold "The Stance."

To take your mind off your trembling thighs, you reach for what you discover to be the empty toilet paper dispenser. In your mind, you can hear your mother's voice saying, "Honey, if you had tried to clean the seat, you would have KNOWN there was no toilet paper!" Your thighs shake more .

You remember the tiny tissue that you blew your nose on yesterday - the one that's still in your purse. (Oh yeah, the purse around your neck, that now, you have to hold up trying not to strangle yourself at the same time).

That would have to do. You crumple it in the puffiest way possible. It's still smaller than your thumbnail. Someone pushes your door open because the latch doesn't work. The door hits your purse, which is hanging around your neck in front of your chest, and you and your purse topple backward against the tank of the toilet. "Occupied!" you scream, as you reach for the door, dropping your precious, tiny, crumpled tissue in a puddle on the floor, lose your footing altogether, and slide down directly onto the TOILET SEAT. It is wet of course. You bolt up, knowing all too well that it's too late. Your bare bottom has made contact with every imaginable germ and life form on the uncovered seat because YOU never laid down toilet paper not that there was any, even if you had taken time to try. You know that your mother would be utterly appalled if she knew, because, you're certain her bare bottom never touched a public toilet seat because, frankly, dear, "You just don't KNOW what kind of diseases you could get." By this time, the automatic sensor on the back of the toilet is so confused that it flushes, propelling a stream of water like a fire hose against the inside of the bowl that sprays a fine mist of water that covers your butt and runs down your legs and into your shoes. The flush somehow sucks everything down with such force that you grab onto the empty toilet paper dispenser for fear of being dragged in too.

At this point, you give up. You're soaked by the spewing water and the wet toilet seat. You're exhausted. You try to wipe with a gum wrapper you found in your pocket and then slink out inconspicuously to the sinks. You can't figure out how to operate the faucets with the automatic sensors, so you wipe your hands with spit and a dry paper towel and walk past the line of women still waiting. You are no longer able to smile politely to them.

A kind soul at the very end of the line points out a piece of toilet paper trailing from your shoe. (Where was that when you NEEDED it??) You yank the paper from your shoe, plunk it in the woman's hand and tell her warmly, "Here, you just might need this." As you exit, you spot your hubby, who has long since entered, used, and left the men's restroom. Annoyed, he asks, "What took you so long, and why is your purse hanging around your neck?"

This is dedicated to women everywhere who deal with public restrooms. rest??? you've GOT to be kidding!!). It finally explains to the men what really does take us so long. It also answers their other commonly asked questions about why women go to the restroom in pairs. It's so the other gal can hold the door, hang onto your purse and hand you Kleenex under the door!
This HAD to be written by a woman! No one else could describe it so accurately!

I swear this almost had me peeing in my pants last night. :o)

I get to see Jon tomorrow afternoon. Can't you tell I'm excited?!?! Actually, if all things work well tomorrow AM, I'll be seeing him around 11ish at his karate class. I'm super duper excited. It's been a week.

To feed my need to cook for more then 2 people, I invited (more like demanded) Brian (Klockner) to come over and have dinner with Pat and I. I had texted him "You WILL be coming over for dinner tonight. If you do not, I will kidnap you and force food down your throat at scorching hot temperatures. You will NOT be happy if you do not oblige to come over willingly." He called after he got his text message and said he'd be over. 20 minutes later, he was sitting on my futon. We all ate, and about 30/45 minutes later, I was sitting between the gas twins. My mistake for making double cheddar mac & cheese. Ooops. Oh well, I've learned my lesson and won't be doing THAT again. Especially with Brian!!!

Oye. Back to work...thank GOD we have a LONG weekend!!

Oye. That's painful

2008-08-28T08:12:00.002-04:00

So, I woke up twice during the night, because of CHARLIE HORSES! Dam left leg was all cramped up. I was crying in pain and did so ever so quietly as to not wake Pat up. After the second time up, I had to turn the AC off because it was BITTER cold in our room. I will have to remember to open the windows in our room, as soon as I get home since it'll be nice out tonight.

I managed to clean our bedroom and write a long over due letter to my old girl scout leader. I swear, I should have done it years ago, but I never got around to it. I decided I'd double check to make sure their address was correct. I found her on FACE BOOK of all places. *grin*

It's Thursday and I'm still going through Jon withdrawl. I don't know how I managed to get through the week while he was in Disneyworld with his dad and step mom. I tried calling them last night, but noone answered (per usual). I just want to make sure my little man is doing well.

It looks like our November trip to Arizona will have to be pushed back. I have to double check my numbers, but if I don't get a second job, fast, we won't be going. *tear*

Well, I better get on to doing what I was doing...More later....I hope!

Things I learned from my mother

2008-08-27T11:39:00.002-04:00

1. My mother taught me to APPRECIATE A JOB WELL DONE.
"If you're going to kill each other, do it outside. I just finished cleaning."

2. My mother taught me about RELIGION.
"You better pray that will come out of the carpet."

3. My mother taught me about TIME TRAVEL.
"If you don't straighten up, I'm going to knock you into the middle of next week!"

4. My mother taught me about LOGIC.
"Because I said so, that's why."

5. My mother taught me about FORESIGHT.
"Make sure you wear clean underwear, in case you're in an accident."

6. My mother taught me about IRONY.
"Keep crying, and I'll give you something to cry about."

7. My mother taught me about STAMINA.
"You'll sit there until all that spinach is gone."

8. My mother taught me about WEATHER.
"This room of yours looks like a tornado went through it."

9. My mother taught me about HYPOCRISY.
"If I told you once, I've told you a million times. Don't exaggerate!"

10. My mother taught me about the CIRCLE OF LIFE.
"I brought you into this world, and I can take you out."

11. My mother taught me about BEHAVIOR MODIFICATION.
"Stop acting like your father!"

12. My mother taught me about ENVY.
"There are millions of children in this world who don't have wonderful parents like you do."

13. My mother taught me about ANTICIPATION.
"Just wait until we get home."

14. My mother taught me about RECEIVING.
"You are going to get it when you get home!"

15. My mother taught me about MEDICAL SCIENCE.
"If you don't stop crossing your eyes, they are going to freeze that way."

16. My mother taught me about ESP.
"Put your sweater on; don't you think I know when you'll be cold?"

17. My mother taught me about HUMOR.
"When that lawnmower cuts off your toes, don't come running to me."

18. My mother taught me HOW TO BECOME AN ADULT.
"If you don't eat your vegetables, you'll never grow up."

19. My mother taught me about GENETICS.
"You're just like your father."

20. My mother taught me about WISDOM.
"When you get to be my age, you'll understand.

21. My mother taught me about SHARING.
" I’m going to give you a piece of my mind!"

22. My mother taught me about FEAR.
"One day you'll have a child who'll do the same things to you."

Oye - A full week, with out a child...

2008-08-27T08:09:00.002-04:00

and you'd think I'd be excited. Um, no - refer to my previous post. I have NO clue what to do with myself.

I did enjoy the past 2 nights. Monday evening Pat and I picked up Brian (Klockner) and went to Wildflowers on the circle. Yea. Met this guy Howie who is supposed to call me at some point this week to set up a meeting to go over my retirement savings, etc. Supposedly, from what Bri has said, he's really good at what he does. I don't doubt it one bit. :o) Last night we went to the Firkin Tavern. That was fun. This time, Pat had to drive home. I enjoyed myself immensly and was able to drink a little bit. One malibu baybreeze and 3 (yes 3) shots of surfer on acid. YUM. It hit me, but not as hard as I thought it would. I actually felt like a million bucks (and I'm NOT being sarcastic!).

Needless to say, I've been able to fill the void of not having Jon. Yes, I get a week off from having to clean up after him, but I still have to clean up. My apartment is slowly becoming a disaster, and I really need to crack down on that. The garbage can for the kitchen is sitting outside, since when taking out the garbage on Monday evening, the bottom of the can was filled with crawling maggots. I have NOOO Clue where they came from or how they got down there (I clean the garbage can 3x a month w/bleach, etc). So, it's sitting outside, with a water and bleach mixture. Apon checking on it this AM, the maggots are killed and it reeks of bleach. Yuck. I'll deal with it this evening when I return home. I may just break down and buy a whole new can as this one is about 6 years old (maybe a little older). It's time to get rid of it.

Highlight of my day yesterday (since I wasn't able to post), was playing phone tag with my realtor, Joe. Finally, we were able to speak on the phone. The listings he sent me, were great, so I picked 9 of them and we're going out Sunday morning to "house shop!" I'm super excited. They are all local, so that's great. AND the kicker is, if we have that "feeling" when we walk into one of them, I don't have to worry about up rooting Jon and replanting him in a different school district. Phew! That's a saving grace right there.

I realized that even though I don't necessarily like "ranchers" for a home, alot of the listings ARE ranchers, but their basements are either finished, or partially finished. So, it's not like a rancher really...it'd just be a 2 story home, with 1 story underground. HAHA.

Here's hoping we find something we like. Plus, Jon will be there as the "kid" point of view. I will value his input (when ever I say input, I think of Johnny 5 from "Short Circuit") and if he says he doesn't like it, then we will see if it's not worth it. But OUR input is more important...right?

Jon's got it lucky. He's 7.5 years old. Yea, he's got ADHD and takes meds 3 times a day, but he has it made. Food made for him 3 times a day, clothes that are clean and placed neatly on his bed every night for the next day, 4 pets (actually 5 if you include Miss Mash (aka Ashley) our German Shorthaired Pointer dog) that he can play with, tons of toys and no need to worry about working. We'll see about that once he hits 10....mow the lawn dammit! :oP

Any tips for the first time homebuyer? Do help!

House Hunting 101?

2008-08-25T13:08:00.003-04:00

I don't know much about real estate. I only know that one particular house is on the market and I want to see it. It's perfect for us. Or so I believe that it is.

As you can see, it's a nice sized house. It's a corner/bend lot. It's a 3 bedroom, 1.5 bath split level (3 levels). Family room, living room, E.I.K, garage, laundry room, and a crawl space (plus attic). I'm pretty excited for this major purchase (if we indeed purchase it).

I'm not very good at this allignment crap, but that's the house that I want. We'll see if we will actually get it in due time. Right now, it's not active, even though it's "on the market." I'm in constant touch with my real estate agent, Joe, so hopefully we'll get to walk through it next week (if not sooner!). If this one doesn't work, Joe has about 9 others that we might be interested in. But for some reason, this one has something drawing me to it.....

Keep your fingers crossed for us!!!!

What does one do when their child is not with them?

2008-08-25T08:21:00.002-04:00

That is the question that has been boggling my mind since leaving my parents house yesterday evening. Jonathan was dropped off by his "step" father and step-mom around 5:30pm. They were late, didn't call (AGAIN) and didn't thoroughly apologize for my father having to sit and wait to take care of what he had to take care of, so he would be home for Jon to be dropped off. He was also CAKED in mud. Let's just say it was oozing from his socks and shoes. Not to embarrass Jon completely, but to just get the nastiness off of him, I told him to strip down to his tighty whities on the front porch and go up stairs to take a shower to clean up. He was a bit upset that I was having him strip down to his underoos, but he did it, with my sister cheering him on. No, she really wasn't cheering, more so egging him on to get it done so he could get inside to take his shower.

If you were my neighbors, you'd probably call DYFS to complain that my child was standing on my parents front porch in nothing but his undies. Of course, the claim would be substantiated, but the DYFS worker would walk away in complete laughter understanding what it's like to have to MOP up mud, grass, pebbles and god knows whatever else was slung all in, on and around Jon. It was quite disgusting, if you ask me. But then again, Boys will be Boys.

So, after leaving my parents house, the ride home was quiet. I didn't crank the music up like I normally do when Jon isn't in the car. I let it play softly and found myself, talking to the back seat like Jon was truly there. Ah, I'm going crazy. When I got home, I went directly to Jon's room, to close the door. If I close the door, I'll think he's home and just getting dressed (in privacy). That doesn't help me ease the sense of loneliness. I open the door and walk away. I sit down on my bed in front of the computer, and proceed to play spider solitare. This becomes boring and I find myself talking to the hallway, like Jon would respond.

I'm telling you, I think when a mother leaves their child behind, they loose a piece (or all) of their mind. This continued for about an hour when Pat returned home from working at his Grandmother's house. The loneliness suddenly subsided and I stopped talking to the insignificant pieces of furniture, etc, in the apartment. Thankfully, noone witnessed me doing this as they would probably call the psych ward and have me admitted. But hopefully, they wouldn't as they would realize that Mom's would do anything to have their child with them 24-7...with the exception of when they really need the time ALONE.

Well..it's 8:30...time for work. More later!

Arizona...here we come....

2008-08-24T15:06:00.002-04:00

Oye...I have to say that trying to find just ticket pricing to get from Philly Airport to Phoenix is not all that it's cracked up to be. I'm having a hard time. I think I had gotten better pricing for the flight/hotel/car pricing at Priceline.com.

I think I'm going to stick with Priceline for my hotel/flight/car pricing.

Ahh. FUN!

...While at my Mother's shoppe...

2008-08-24T13:33:00.002-04:00

My sister and I were asked to "babysit" my mother's shoppe for the day. A full 4 hours to remedy the never ending question that I always have..."What am I going to do today?" Well, here I sit, in front of my mother's computer, typing away. Only reason behind it, my computer at the apartment, doesn't have internet connection. Scratch that...we don't have cable, period. Plus, there really isn't much to do out here, in Mill Race. It's pretty boring...I suppose...

We've had one...just one...customer since we arrived at 11:30am. Let me just tell you, I wanted to scream, punch and throw my mother's register out the window that is unable to be opened, because I believe it was painted shut. The register just wasn't working for me. Oh well. The customer was a very nice, older woman. She had bought fabric that she realized, once she got home, that the fabric had a stain/burn on it. Needless to say, I did an even exchange. It wasn't exactly an "even" exchange as the piece I gave her was just a tad bit bigger then the one that was damaged. No harm done. Just making the customer happy. Needless to say, after the whole exchange, I was able to figure out how to get the register to work. Dam technology.

I found the oddest of things in her "ladies" room. A stack of emails, printed out, that are obviously her verision of "bathroom humor." I laughed at a bunch of them, and realized that my mom's humor is not as dry as I thought it was.

It's 1:44pm and I have a little over 2 hours and 20 minutes to go until we leave. My sister is being a porch dweller, doing the only thing that I believe we know how to do real well, People Watch.

Have you ever just sat somewhere, for 10 minutes...or 30 minutes...or an hour, and People Watch? It's quite fun. Sometimes we try to figure out what they are talking about (if we can't hear what they are actually talking about). We even make up our own dialog, which can be quite funny/dirty/nasty all at the same time.

So, in about 2 months (November to be exact), Pat and I will be journeying cross country to Arizona to visit our very good and very beautiful friend, Stacy.

I'm extremely excited, not only for the secret purpose of the trip, but to visit with Stacy. The last time we'd seen her, was New Year's Eve when we travelled down to NC for the long weekend.

I don't know who is more excited for the trip, Pat, Stacy, or I. I would gather that it would be me, as I've never been to Arizona. Pat hasn't either, but the point is, I need/want/have to have a vacation!

Even though it is going to be a short vacation, it's certainly needed...for both Pat and I.

Plus, while there, we'd most likely get to see Andrea. Maybe I should message her and tell her we're coming out...or maybe Stacy has already told her....

Ahh, that breeze is wonderful......if only I was on the beach somewhere....

Eh. I guess I should go to expedia or priceline and get prices for plane tickets...

Thanks Kelly

2008-08-22T13:04:00.000-04:00

Ok, so I wanted to start a blog to document single to almost married-mommy-hood. I have to thank Kelly of TheNeuroticMom for showing that Mom's can blog just as much as non-mom's!

I'm at work currently, but I'm sure in the next few weeks, with access to the library, I'll be able to put more down. :o)

Please bare with me as I'm trying to do this an a thousand other things...like buy a house, find a second job, spend time with Jon, and spend time with his doting step-father and my soon-to-be-husband, Pat.

Oye...back to work I go!
Thanks again Kel!

<3,
Michelle