Happy Halloween

Years ago, before I got married, I lived in a haunted apartment. I'm not kidding you. Haunted. Strange things used to happen up there on the 3rd floor. One night, shortly after moving in, I woke up in the middle of the night with an ugly, old woman crawling towards me on my bed. I will never forget the way she looked. There were many, many nights I would wake in the middle of the night with white swirling objects just inches from my face. I would frantically try to swat them away.

Then there was the crazy night when I awoke in the middle of the night to find the kitchen light in my apartment was out. You see, after all the crazy stuff happening, I used to leave the kitchen light on. But on this night the light was off. So I got up out of bed to turn it back on, and when I reached for the handle of my bedroom door...the door slammed shut! Of course I freaked! Mind you there were NO windows open so therefore no explanation for this to happen, right? I finally got the guts to open the door and turn my kitchen light back on. Needless to say, that was yet another sleepless night.

Then there was the day when a family recipe went up in flames in the kitchen. My aunt had this great recipe for a Swedish braid bread and my mom had a copy of the recipe. After much convincing, my mom gave me the only copy she had. I promised that "nothing was going to happen to it" and "Mom, I promise to give it right back". (To Mom, and for those of you who know my Mom, you know what I'm talking about.) Anyway, I'm in the kitchen just doing my thing with some candles lit on my kitchen table. The recipe was laying on the table no where near the candles. I hear a crackling sound...and then again. I turn around and there is the recipe floating in the flames completely engulfed! I think the ghosts heard me talking to my Mom and decided to play a little joke on me. Not a funny one.

So why did I stay there? It was cheap...my Mom was the landlord...and I used to make Danny stay with me most of the time (for protection of course!).

My Mom lives on the first floor of that house now and she has a few creepy stories as well that literally would make the hair on your arms stand up!

Boo to you! Happy Halloween!!!

Disney Vacation

This sums up our trip.



But it was fun and so worth it.


We've been back since Saturday but I've been too exhausted and a little overwhelmed to blog. I started my new job yesterday. I'm not doing a whole lot other than just setting up shop and making a mess of my dining room. That is where I'm setting up shop. Mission: got to find a room somewhere in this house to use as an office!

Florida was hot, humid and loaded with gross flying and creepy crawly bugs but other than that it was very fun! We had a blast with my bro, his wife and their cute boys. Here are some of us waiting for the parade stuffing our faces with ice cream.


Seaworld is always fun. This time we made dinner reservations for Dine with Shamu and he literally swam right in front of us.



Oh the perks of having a sibling who works for Universal Studios. We got in free and had VIP passes for all the rides which translates to NO LINES! After the Barney show was over, the auditorium was cleared and we got to stay and have a private meet, hug and greet with Barnie! The littles loved this!



Ricky made me ride this ride....

The Hulk. The first time on it we sat in the front row and the second time we sat in the last row. I think the last row was scarier than the front row. He neglected to tell me that half way up the first hill you literally take off like a rocket and proceed to do loop after loop after loop. I love roller coasters and this one was crazy fun!

I think I got the worst mother of the year award after taking Nicholas and Julia on the Spiderman 3-D ride in Islands of Adventure. They were curled up next to me asking if it was almost over the second we got on it. I was laughing so hard and just having a blast. I was shouting "just close your eyes" as my sides were killing me from laughing. When I looked over at Julia after the ride was over her 3-D glasses were all crooked on her face and she looked like a disheveled mess. Oh I felt so bad. But really....it was F-U-N!!!!

One of the best days was Typhoon Lagoon. That was the only park where my kids didn't complain at all. All three of them were in heaven that day.


The Magic Kingdom is way too crowded for me...you all know how I love being around lots and lots of people. The parades and fireworks made up for it though. However you let two or more people come between you and your kids and the kids are gone forever. It truly was magical and fun though. Nicholas at one point during the fireworks was just so thrilled that he looked at Kimmy and told her he was so happy and he loved her. My boy is such a sweet soul.

Another highlight for the girls was meeting Ariel. They love her. The long line was worth it.




Princess Julia went to the Boutique in the Castle for the royal treatment of getting her hair, nails and makeup done.

She chose blond hair for her extensions instead of dark brown...I guess she wants to be a natural blond just like her mommy. ;)


The kids also enjoyed face painting at Islands of Adventure...which is way too fun for kids of all ages.



We all miss our Florida home, Ricky, Chieko and the kids so much and we're already talking about going back again next year.

Desperate Housewives, Dictations and Disney

Desperate Housewives:

Twelve women from my neighborhood, including myself, headed to Wellfleet down the Cape this past weekend. We left many, many children behind as well as husbands for a nice girls weekend away. We had lots of fun relaxing, eating, shopping, eating, biking, eating...you get the idea.

Dictation:

No more Medical Transcription for me! I swear I am "even Stephen". A few weeks ago the woman I work for called to say that the group of doctors she transcribes for are going with a national transcription company and I would soon be out of a job. Then a week later, my old boss called asking me if I would work for her from home as her account coordinator. Do I have the luck or what!?! I'm very excited to start a new job that requires some real thinking and won't cause my hands to ache 24/7!

Disney:

We are off to Florida on Friday for a much needed vacation. We'll be visiting my beautiful nephews, my adorably funny brother and his sweetheart of a wife. Kimmy and Paula will be there too for the first weekend! I haven't seen my brother's new house yet or really had a chance to hang out with his whole family in a long time. It will be very, very fun!

So when I get back I should be tan (well the rest of my Italian family will be), relaxed and ready to start my new job!

Drinking and driving

What is up with Hollywood these days? Why do they all think they can drink and drive and get away with it? Britney, Paris, Nicole, Lindsay, etc.

I was so disappointed to read today that Kiefer Sutherland, one of my favorite actors on one of my favorite TV shows 24, was arrested on DUI. Do they not understand what could happen when you drink and drive? You could kill yourself but more importantly kill the innocent people completely unaware of the weapon coming towards them ready to take their lives.

Drinking and driving kills. It doesn't discriminate.

Just about two years ago, two beautiful young sisters who lived locally were killed when the older sister decided to drink and drive one night. She took her life as well as her sister's life.
Everyone knows this but still people make that choice to drink and get behind the wheel of a car. This issue is just so huge. Tougher laws for repeat offenders? Increase the driving age to 21?
I'm tired of Hollywood, athletes, etc. setting such poor examples. They should be role models and instead most are just poor excuses for human beings. 'Nough said.

14 years

Happy Anniversary Babe! I love you!!!

Hip Hip Chin Chin

Last night I spent the evening with her...

and him...

and her...

and him...

and this gorgeous hunk o' man...

The show was incredible. Danny was so far superior compared to the others. I could not take my eyes off him when he was on stage. His body is amazing...muscles upon muscles...oh my. They did all the best dances from the season plus a few new ones too. They opened with this fun, funky dance that was new. Hok, Jesus, Shauna and Anya are all on tour as well. Hok, Sarah and Dominic did this really fun break dance.

Rumor has it that Hok and Lacey are dating. That's crazy. Hok just seems way too nice for Lacey. I think the "bad" girls always go for the nice guys.

When Lacey and Neil did the "Time" dance in memory of Mia's dad, all the dancers came on stage at the beginning holding bouquets of the plastic flowers and dressed in white. They dropped the flowers all over the stage and then walked off while Neil and Lacey danced. It was so pretty.

Being the good girl that I am I followed the "rules" and didn't bring my camera. But of course everyone else had their cameras! I was so annoyed that I didn't just bring it. We were in the seventh row and could see them sweating we were that close! I think I should just break the rules next time.

Nerds & apple pickin'

Today was the typical perfect New England day, crisp and cool, to spend the afternoon apple picking. Luckily we have a great orchard nearby where they have fun weekend festivals with apple picking, live music, face painting, yummy food, and hay rides.





OK...where do nerds fit in? Of course I'm not talking about "nerds" as in "dorky", etc. I'm talking about nerds the candy. While making lazy man's apple pie, Julia proceeded to dump her candy nerds all over the floor. I'm sure we'll be finding nerds for months to come.
My kids are strange. Well, strange in the way that they don't like sweets. I baked this...
and they both took one look at it and said "YUCK"! Well, that means more for me and Danny! I shouldn't complain that they don't like sweets though, right?

Learning about kindness

The nastiness started early this summer. Just too much together time and the fighting was terrible. They were simply not being nice to each other. So I tried something new this summer. I explained to them what "kind" meant and how to spell the word. (They were 4 and 5 when we started this so learning to spell a new word was a bonus!) I know this looks really simple but it worked! I had them make up their own chart with the word KIND at the top. Every time one of them was kind they would draw a star on their own chart. Before you knew it they were aware of their own kindness as well as other peoples random acts of kindness. But of course they were sneaky about it too. For example, Nicholas would say, "Julia, I love you! Now do I get a star?". They often spell the word out of the blue. "K-I-N-D" is what we hear around the house when the other one isn't being nice. I'll tell you it worked like a charm. We still have fights of course but at least they are aware.

Next up...patience! (Maybe I'll make a chart for me too!)

Oh...and please ignore the wallpaper in the background. We will be remodeling the kitchen soon and I've picked out something much prettier!

Kindergarten & Kindergarten

Yesterday was the first day of school. This year we have two in kindergarten. Since they have August birthdays, they will each be doing two years of kindergarten, one private and one public. Of course as luck would have it Julia goes mornings and Nicholas goes afternoons. Figures!

 

Julia is now at Little Blessings five days a week. She only has nine kids in the class this year, only three are girls. I'm a little disappointed in the boy/girl ratio but maybe there will be less fighting. (We all know how little girls can be.) But you cannot beat the small class with two teachers. She told me she can't wait to get homework!

Now compare that to Nicholas. Yesterday, when he got off the school bus he said, "I love the bus! But I don't like school". Ahhhh...my boy. He would much rather be fixing or building things with his tools or riding his bike or watching his favorite cartoons. We'll have to work extra hard to get him through school. His class size isn't too bad for public school with 17 kids.

They both had great days and weren't the least bit nervous. On the other hand, there was me, Miss Nervous Nelly, awake at 1:00 a.m. worrying for them.

Works-for-Me Wednesday

Today is "brand loyal" edition a.k.a. what brands I can't live without. As I posted previously, I simply love the new Secret Clinical Strength deodorant. I've tried every single deodorant on the market, mens deodorants included, and never has one worked as well as this one.


The other is the #1 stain remover...Shout. It works like a charm...every single time. Even for the Sponge Bob or Spider Man ice cream from the ice cream truck that stains the kids teeth and lips blue for days. Not to mention my little ones nose! She looked like Rudolph but her nose was blue instead of red. But I'm happy to report that it came out of her clothes!

And how can I not mention my absolute favorite breakfast food ~ Frosted Mini Wheats (regular flavor, bite size). Every morning I pour my bowl of cereal and then spoon out a little of the stuff that has settled on the bottom of the bag over the top of my cereal. It makes for yummy, sweet milk. I have all three of my kids eating this cereal now which is very high in fiber. It sticks with you all morning long.

And for more great ideas visit Rocks In My Dryer!

Exploring

The summer is winding down and Nicholas and Julia are off to school in five days. I'm sad to see the summer end but I am so happy to get the kids back into a routine and let someone else take care of them for a while. Does that sound selfish?

Desiderata

I can't tell you how many times throughout my days I am reminded of these words. It is a life worth of lessons in one poem.

Go placidly amid the noise and haste
and remember what peace there may be in silence.
As far as possible without surrender
be on good terms with all persons.
Speak your truth quietly and clearly;
and listen to others,
even the dull and the ignorant;
they too have their story.

Avoid loud and aggressive persons,
they are vexations to the spirit.
If you compare yourself with others,
you may become vain and bitter;
for always there will be greater and lesser persons than yourself.
Enjoy your achievements as well as your plans.

Keep interested in your own career, however humble;
it is a real possession in the changing fortunes of time.
Exercise caution in your business affairs;
for the world is full of trickery.
But let this not blind you to what virtue there is;
many persons strive for high ideals;
and everywhere life is full of heroism.

Be yourself.
Especially, do not feign affection.
Neither be cynical about love;
for in the face of all aridity and disenchantment
it is as perennial as the grass.

Take kindly the counsel of the years,
gracefully surrendering the things of youth.
Nurture strength of spirit to shield you in sudden misfortune.
But do not distress yourself with dark imaginings.
Many fears are born of fatigue and loneliness.
Beyond a wholesome discipline,
be gentle with yourself.

You are a child of the universe,
no less than the trees and the stars;
you have a right to be here.
And whether or not it is clear to you,
no doubt the universe is unfolding as it should.

Therefore be at peace with God,
whatever you conceive Him to be,
and whatever your labors and aspirations,
in the noisy confusion of life keep peace with your soul.

With all its sham, drudgery, and broken dreams,
it is still a beautiful world.
Be cheerful.
Strive to be happy.

~ Max Ehrmann

Happy 5th Birthday to my mini me

She is me...everything from the way she looks, thinks, eats, personality, likes, dislikes is me. I can get into her head and know exactly what she is thinking and feeling. Hopefully this will help me when she reaches the crazy teenage years. At least I hope so!

Here are some of my favorite pictures of her. Happy birthday to my beautiful baby girl with the prettiest smile!

Party

The kids' party went well yesterday. Thirteen kids and not one problem. And the best part? Not that many presents! For some reason everyone got small, simple gifts. Nice!!!

Happy Birthday to me

Today is my birthday. So many birthdays in the month of August besides me like Nicholas and Julia and two of my closest girlfriends. So in honor of my birthday I'm eating some Boston baked beans, one of my favorite candy, that my sister gave to me yesterday. And it's only 10:00 a.m. Who cares, right?

Also for my birthday I bought tickets to SYTYCD. I'm so happy! We got fantastic seats right up front only about eight rows from the stage! I can't wait to see Danny up close and sweaty...mmmmmm. He's a major hotty. I really hope Hawk is part of the tour too. What a bummer that he was the last to leave the show right before the top ten. He is amazing. My guess is that he's probably an understudy so why not let him perform too?

Let's see...what else would I love to get for my birthday?

Here's my fantasy list:

1) ten pounds would magically dissolve off my body by the end of the day...I guess that would mean I have to stop eating my Boston baked beans though



2) Someone would hand me tickets to leave to Cancun, Mexico today for five days...all alone...all by myself...with a pile of books and magazines (this is where Danny and I stay when we go)



3) I would receive big, beautiful, sparkly diamond earrings to replace the stupid one I lost a few months ago


4) Then off course there's the wish for winning the lottery BIG.

But it's all a fantasy as I sit in my kitchen surrounded by three little, loud, fighting, whining children. Reality stinks sometimes.


Happy birthday to me.