Maybe...just maybe.

We're going to be moving! We put an offer in on a house and we're waiting for them to counter. We'll see.

Either way the house has some carpets that I see need to be clean. I'm looking at options like the Ladybug vapor steam cleaner.

Having two kids I think it's important to have something on hand instead of going to Wegmans and renting a machine every few weeks!

Therapied out.

Well it appears that Emmy has some sensory stuff going on and so now she gets OT, PT, and a social worker! I believe in being aggressive about this and so we're meeting each therapist two times a week.

So far I've just been setting up appointments and everyone's on break but I'm guessing that this is going to get tiring pretty fast!

We travel so much

that I've been thinking about getting roadside assistance.

Since both cars are getting a little bit older and one is out of warranty it really makes sense. I just realized that one tow can cost (easily) $85!

PLUS, you never know when living in upstate New York when you might need a tow out of this snow!

Gall Bladder

The other night I was in so much pain that at 2am I drove myself to the ER. There I was diagnosed with what appears to be Gall Bladder Disease or Gall Stones.

Tomorrow I go in for an ultrasound and they'll be able to tell me more.

I'm going to try and control it by diet - eat less fatty and spicy foods.

Boo hoo.

Merry Christmas to me?

Ready for Disney again!

We had such a great time at Disney when we went in October. We could have easily spent more time there and it was such an awesome experience for the kids.

I think next time we go we might look into the downtown disney hotels. They're so close to the parks and you can enjoy the restaurants and shops within a walks distance.

Plus, there's really no need to have a car if you're in the middle of all the action.

Just a few more days...

til Christmas!

Every day Graem asks how many more days and each time I tell her something different! I was able to get all of the presents wrapped and all of the presents that we're shipping out are gone!!

Now we just wait for Santa...

McFatty.

I know the new year is approaching and I feel like with each new year I try to commit to losing weight and end up another 10 pounds heavier the following year!

Maybe I should look at a weight loss austin!

My friend who lives in Austin lost 75 pounds at the local gym and women's work out center.

Festival of Lights

I can't believe that it's already that time of year when Graem's school does a Festival of Lights program.

Last year we went and couldn't even find Graem and sat so far back we had no idea that her class had even gone. Ooops.

Tomorrow we're going to be better parents and plan on getting there early so that we can have a good view of our kid!

DONE.

I think I'm almost finished with Christmas shopping. I bought most of the kid's stuff online and was able to get it on sale!

I have yet to find the perfect gift for Margot and I'm afraid that the clock is ticking...

So special.

I don't know where to begin other than saying...I'm tired. I'm frustrated. And I don't know what to do about Emmy.

She's having a super hard time with this sensory stuff that she's been "diagnosed" with and to top it off she has horrible allergies that's causing her to go crazy in pain.

Her therapy started this week and although I feel good about the care she's getting....I know it's going to be a long haul.

RV'ing cross country!

One of my friends mentioned that they were going to get an RV and head cross country this summer.

While the idea sounds awesome and I'd love to do it when the kids get older. I can hardly think about it with my children at this age!

I saw a motorhome for sale on the side of the road the other day and was wondering what the maintenance, motorhome insurance, and storage fees would add up to.

Tree shopping!

This afternoon we're going out to our local Christmas Tree Farm to buy a tree.

I must say this is one of my favorite activities of the season and I love finding the perfect tree.

PLUS...it's so much fun now with the kids.

It's really this time of year that makes me want to have three more babies.

Yikes. Did I just write that?

Feeling better.

Thank God we're feeling a little bit better after having a brutal cold for over a week. Emmy and I got hit with it the day before Thanksgiving and we were a wreck for the holidays and after!

The good thing about it was that we didn't overeat during the holidays and I was able to drop a few pounds.

A new bathroom

A few weeks ago our friend, Una, came over and we discussed adding a new bathroom upstairs. Una is quite the plumber and so it was good to pick her brain a little.

We talked about having a stand up shower, adding Toto sinks, and then a toilet.

Of course, we'd have to move over our closet, knock down walls, and put walls up.

Yikes. I think I just scared myself.

Sickly.

It's weird because the past few weeks I've been having belly issues. No matter what I eat in the evening my belly kills me and many times it will wake me up after being in a dead sleep.

What's bizarre is that Tuesday I got a call from the school nurse that Graem was having really bad stomach cramps.

Yesterday I took her to the doctor and he thinks that it's nasal drip that's causing her belly to cramp up.

So I kept her home today and hope that her relaxing will make her strong for school tomorrow!

What happens?

If I were to die tomorrow?

I've thought about this quite a bit lately.

Maybe it's because I have a family that needs me or maybe it's because I'm getting to an age where I really have to think about my future.

Right now I have a life insurance policy but I know it wouldn't cover the amount needed to take care of my family.

When I get some free time I should really look at a term life insurance quote online. I'm sure they can offer me better coverage at a better rate than my local insurance guy.

Calgon, take me away! NOW.

So I've taken a little bit of time to blog and get away from the children!

Emmy has just thrown a toy at Graem and now I hear screaming and crying.

HELP.

Still looking!

I'm still looking for options for the upcoming year when it comes to Emmy's child care. I've been thinking about returning to work for a while now and I think that it'd be a good thing for her to be around other children every once in a while!

I've been trying to figure out how to get good insurance and among my research found that Blue Advantage is one of the best healthcare plans available.

Unfortunately, since I'm only looking at getting a part-time job I'm not even sure if I'd be eligible for benefits.

Then there's the cost of childcare...

Guess what?

We're back!

I never thought in a million years that vacation could be as stressful as it was!

I had packed a brand new book and only got to page six. THe kids were pretty high maintenance and between the horrible trip to LA, the casuality of Emmy falling down the stairs, and the lousy trip back to NY....I'M FRIGGIN TIRED.

I can definiately see why couples take vacations WITHOUT the kids!

Disneyland this year...

Disneyworld next year?

HA!

Not quite sure that we could afford that but at some point when Emmy gets older I'm guessing we're going to have to re-do our Disney vacation!

The good thing is --- that orlando vacations are in a great destination and you can get some pretty good deals.

I'm all for pulling the kids out of school for a few days in order to get around the long lines too!

Just a little bit longer...

and we'll be up in the sky and headed to the west coast!

I'm really excited about going somewhere sunny and spending time with Alex and Dom. It's the first time we've been to visit them since they always make the trip out to see us!

Also, Graem is starting to get excited about Disneyland! At some point I'm going to sit down with her and go to the website so that she can see what they have to offer!

Books! Books! And more books!

I just ordered some Amazon books a few weeks ago.

I had read the reviews and after researching the web found that Amazon had some of the best deals. With the free shipping that Amazon offered it just made sense.

Now, I just have to find the time (read: WITHOUT KIDS) to get into these books and enjoy myself!

The school meeting...

This afternoon we're meeting with Graem's school to discuss the prospect of her moving to the next level of Montessori school. We're pretty nervous because we don't know how the teachers will react and hope that they see the same potential in Graem that we do!

Of course, we're also trying to work around a couple of other issues including the fact that there are 2 1/2 year olds in her classroom AND the fact that our kid is reading and ready to go the next level.

It's hard having a smart kid!

The money pit!

Our house is really a great little place. We bought it from a 70 year old guy who moved into assisted living and got a killer deal.

Over the years we've fixed it up and put a decent amount of money.

In the kitchen we laid down floor tiles and we're starting to realize that a few of them are coming up. Now the question is if we should retile in a different tile, lay hardwood floors, or just buy some replacement black and white tiles.

I'm thinking the quick solution will probably do best -- buy replacement tiles and call it a day!

SERIOUSLY TIRED.

I'm pooped.

Like to the point of falling asleep while driving. I'm not sleeping very good at night because Margot's snoring and I'm tossing and turning through the night.

Maybe tonight I'll dope up in hopes of actually getting a few winks.


Mmmm...Nyquil. I can feel the burn now...

Oops!

The other day when we went to Target I noticed that the cashier was not actually ringing up our merchandise.

She kept using the barcode scanner and it was making a beeping noise but not registering.

About three items into our order she realized it and went back and rerang our order.

Darn!

It's done.

Well, it's been close to three days since Emmy has nursed. I still have to pump every morning but I'm shocked that I don't have more issues with hard boobs or leakage or needing to pump more.

I'm pretty bummed that she didn't go longer. I enjoyed it because it was really the one and only time that she sat still enough for me to snuggle and hold her.

Now she's doing her own thing and on the go.

I talked to the pediatrician today and she agreed that it was probably Emmy's decision to be weaned and why she was biting in the first place.

So sad.

Take me away!

Our next trip is to Los Angeles to see the boys!

I can't wait!!

Of course, we're already looking for good deals for our vacation after that! We've talked about beach and sun, however, we haven't found the perfect trip. You know me, I'm all about getting a good deal and since we're traveling with a family of four ... it's hard to find!

That's why I'm glad I came across miami vacation deals.

Miami, here we come!

MONDAY MONDAY.

It's hard getting back into the swing of things after a weekend.

Graem has two more weeks before school starts and I'm out of fun things to do!

I might see if one of her friends can come over for a playdate this afternoon. She's had tons of playdates this summer and it's been good for our little social butterfly to hang out with her friends outside of school.

Of course, I've started the school countdown and ready to go back to only having one kid during the day!

She's a winner!

I'm talking about PDB! She won the local cute baby contest on the radio!

So glad that I'm not just a biased mom who thinks their baby is cute. She is cute, damnit and others think so.

And to think she's even turned into a good baby.

I didn't realize how fat I was...

until I saw the wedding pictures from this past weekend.

Seriously... I look horrible. Sometimes you don't realize it until you see a picture.

I've talked to my doctor about going on weight loss pills but my insurance doesn't cover them and they're SO expensive.

Maybe I can find an over-the-counter med that works just as well.

Water.

I swear...our house is doomed with water.

Yesterday we had a thunderstorm and when we got back from NYC and walked into the house I just knew we'd find water.

First it was leaking from the roof where the poop fan is in the bathroom.

Then we walk down to the basement and we have standing water. FUCK. Yes, it was bad and I'm ready to rent an apartment and sell the house.

Nice!

Tonight we had friends over who we hadn't seen in quite a while. It was good to see them but really nice to hear the positive feedback about our house.

They haven't seen it since we've done all of the improvements!

Our next big improvement would be to add a bathroom upstairs. I looked at bathroom sinks, showers, and toilets at Lowe's the other day and I just loved the copper sinks.

It seems like they'd be pretty easy to maintain and they look awesome in an older house like ours!

Hooked...

So I'm seriously hooked on FarmTown and FarmVille. They are games offered on facebook.

Basically, you have your land and you plant seeds and get to go to your friend's farms.

I like harvesting (the part where you make money!) It's been fun because Margot and I take turns playing and taking care of each other's farms!

What's the next step?

I met with my doctor a few weeks ago to talk about diet and/or diet pills. She gave me a script for a prescription medication to help with weight loss but my insurance doesn't cover it.

Which leads me to thinking about taking over-the-counter medication. I've looked at apidexin reviews and it seems pretty legit.

I was shocked that my doctor brought up gastric bypass and lap band surgery too. Not quite sure I want to go that extreme.

I figure at this point that I've lost the weight before when I was trying to get pregnant... I can lose it again!

I need another weekend.

Staying at home with the kids is a hard job. Can I just say that the weekends are just as much appreciated for me as they are for Margot?

Margot lets me sleep in and most of the time we have few plans.

This past weekend we attended a CRAZY 2 year old birthday party, Graem had a playdate and we had some friends over for dinner.

Tonight we might finish it all off by watching a move upstairs as we start to doze off at 9pm.

Life is good.

We're all getting a little older.

Including our one existing animal, Murphy - the cat.

We've tried to give her a good life, good food, and a comfy bed. However, we're starting to realize that she's acting older! We might think about adding pet supplements to her diet.

I've read that as cats age their joints can have arthritis and/or they can have issues with bladder control.

It's the pits getting older...

Bad mama blogger.

I've been a complete loser when it comes to updating the blog. I haven't been doing any blogs so I'm not just neglecting this one specifically!

I promise when Graem goes back to school I should have more free time to update with pics and "real updates"!

13 months.

WOW.

Time has seriously flown by.

I can't believe my little girl is over a year old. It seems like I remember every step in her conception, birth, and even the first year. But it's all in fast forward.

I've loved being a mama to her so much. Watching the girls play together and laugh and giggle really warms my heart and lets me know that everything was worth the pain and suffering.

I love my life.

I need a vacation!

I know Margot is the one putting in the long hours at work but I've been putting in the long hours at home and I'm so darn exhausted!

I'm ready for a nice long vacation!

I've looked at cancun vacation packages and I'm so ready to book our flight and hotel stay!

Karisma Hotels offers amazing hotels situated in the heart of Mexico. The rooms are beautiful, top notch service, and the restaurants in the hotels are culinary expertise!

Of course, I'm all about the white sand, blue water, and delicious drinks. Of course, we're going to have to figure out what to do with the children!

Anyone want two little girls for ten days or so?!

Ear hurt.

The other day I went to the doctor because I was having killer earaches. I'm just getting over a cold and it seems like I have tons of fluid behind my eardrum.

Today I heard a popping noise and now my ear feels like it's going to fall right off. UGH.

I'm seriously a wreck. I have a black eye on my left eye from softball and my right ear is killing me.

Our new house. Kinda.

One of our friends came over tonight and she hadn't seen the house since we painted, got the table, and switched around the living room. She was shocked and really liked the way that we turned our space into bright, airy, and more comfortable.

Today as I was mowing the grass I was so happy to live in our house. I love our yard (except when the tractor got stuck in the swamp!) and the house itself is really starting to look good!

The good ole days.

I can't believe that I've been staying home with the kids for almost four years now. I still think about working at my old job. Heck, I advanced so quickly that I would have probably been the CEO by now!

Just the other day I noticed a toilet seat riser and thought of many of my old residents that needed assistive devises installed in their apartments.

Not only was it hard on the family to track down the perfect devise but since we're in such a remote area we have absolutely no local selection!

That's why I'm glad I came across Allegro Medical. They have a great website that's easy to use and also offers some great prices and free shipping!

Still cloth diapering!

Which is a shock to me. I figured I would probably do the cloth diapering but either I would get tired of doing it or it would gross me out once the big poops came into play.

The good thing about solid poops is that half of the time they just roll in the toilet.

We're still using the Bum Genius 3.0 and they've been a fabulous diaper and work just as good now as the day that we bought them.

I tend to do diapers every three days and I actually enjoy the alone time that I get when hanging them to dry in the laundry!

Almost walking...

The girl is so close to walking. She walks when we have her hands. Walks when she uses her baby walker and so desperately wants to go places!

I think part of her frustration is that she can't go places fast enough and she realizes that crawling just plain sucks. PLUS...it friggin' hurts her knees!

Graem and Emmy are both so different. We're constantly trying to remember how things were with Graem.

What we know so far is that Emmy is one strong willed little girl that is going to do things on her watch!

Coins!

I have never really been into coin collecting. We tried to collect all 50 states and decided they were putting them out too slow and gave up on that whole idea.

Heck, I even purchased the quarter holder for the coins and I'm sure it's in the basement somewhere with $1.50 worth of quarters collecting dust.

I wouldn't know rare gold coins if they were to hit me in the head!

However, I think it would be really special if we were to find Graem and Emerson's birth year and purchase rare coins in their honor. When I was a baby my grandparents were able to find the coins for my birth year and had them mounted. It was always really special to me.

ZoomCoin.com offers a great website for people like me who are newbies to collecting coins and need a little extra help along the way!

Laying low.

Tomorrow I'm just going to hang out with little Emmy. I have a feeling t hat she's been acting up because she needs her nap and her whole body is out of whack.

I figure at least we can make sure she gets her morning and afternoon nap. Then of course I can try to dose her with Tylenol when she seems like she's in pain from the teething.

Bad mama.

I feel horrible about not doing a good job updating my blogs. Seriously. I used to update the blogs all of the time when I was pregnant and when Graem was a baby.

Now I feel guilty because our hard drive crashed and supposedly we have them backed up through this online place. However, we're unable to recover them.

Makes me sick to my stomach to know that all of our pictures. Every single one of them....could be gone.

Pocket Change

Blueberry Diapers

Watch out!

Every time I go into a store I feel like I'm drawn to end caps and cardboard displays!

It's as if the "special item" is being given by the gods and I must instantly purchase it.

Last week I HAD to purchase my "In Touch" magazine then a Diet Dr. Pepper. I don't think I've ever had a Diet Dr. Pepper in my life but because it was in one of those delicious freezer end caps my taste buds started to water and I was in for quite the tasty treat!

Bummed.

I must admit...I'm pretty bummed.

Friday one of Margot's co-workers got her walking papers. It was shocking since her firm has never laid anyone off. It just goes to show that even though we live in our little bubble...we're not too far from the horrible economical climate that's out there.

What happened to Santa?

Wasn't he suppose to bring me a new laptop computer?

Just joking! Santa was great this year and I was able to get some much needed new clothes and tennis shoes.

Of course, I'm still eyeing a new computer and perhaps a new Maclaren MOD Stroller, and a new house. One on the lake with plenty of space and sunlight!

I did it.

So I've had something very heavy on my heart for a month or so now. I can't really go into details on this blog because I'm not sure who's reading it...

BUT...

I feel so much better. Things went much better than I had expected and I'm glad that I was able to bring up the matter without offending the person.

Glory be!

D-I-E-T

I'm not sure I can even say the word because I've been so bad lately.

That's right...Diet.

I said as of January 1st that I'd start my diet. I could go on blaming it on tons of different things but the reality is...I've been a very naughty girl!

I think I might want to check out some diet pills because that's the only way that I was able to lose all of the weight pre-pregnancy.

Happy Birthday to me.

I seriously can't get over the fact that I'm 32 today. Damn. WTF have I been doing with my life?

Actually, I'm quite happy at where I'm at these days. I feel like I've "been there, done that" with corporate America and I don't care to ever do that again.

I feel like my biggest accomplishment to date is my two girls. They are so damn awesome and I can't even write how much I love them. Each day I look at them and I'm so proud at the people they are. Not to mention...they are seriously cute.

Although I had a sick kid ... today was the perfect birthday. My two girls, flowers from Marg and a perfect dinner with minimal screaming and whining.

What to believe?

The other day I was reading my infamous "In Touch" magazine when I saw an advertisement for Hydroxycut. Now at first I had no idea what it was - but as I read I became interested.

I soon looked into Hydroxycut reviews and found that this might be a good choice for me when I decide I really want to get out there and lose weight!

Anyone?

I'm seriously trying to figure out how I can watch episodes of L-Word and Big Love online.

Does anyone know how to do this?

HELP.

MUST FIND FREE TELEVISION OR I MIGHT SHRIVEL UP AND DIE.

just joking.

Fatness.

Okay, so much for a New Year's resolution. I made my commitment and I think it lasted all of ten hours.

Now I feel like I need to whip out the big guns and resort to diet supplements.

Before when I lost all of the weight I needed some help and it was really just a nice "jump start". I ended up losing over 75 pounds and at this point even after having a baby I'm still down 35.

Just maybe?

I think I have an idea of what I want to do when I grow up.

I've been thinking about it for awhile. Both my mom and Margot have mentioned it too.

Real Estate.

I'm going to look into being a Real Estate Agent. I think it involves taking a class which appears to be given online and then I have to sit for an exam.

After I pass the exam I'm going to have to figure out what company I want to go with locally.

The good thing about this is that we have the flexibility with Margot's job and know that we can survive on one income when/if the economy hits shit and real estate is sucking ass.

Let's all hope for good times ahead, right?

I really can't believe...

that Emmy is almost eight months old.

Where has the time gone?

I've done such a horrible job at her baby book and I feel so guilty. At least with Graem we did frequent updates on our website and also filled out most of her baby book.

With Emmy...I think I'm up to the second month.

I'm envious of those women that can do scrapbooking. I think it's such a cool thing to do, not to mention it's such a precious gift for your children and/or loved ones.

Plagued.

Our house has been totally plagued with sickness. I've literally been in the pediatricians office every week for the past two months. Ugh.

This weekend was like none other. Emmy got really sick and was running such a high fever that she just wanted to be snuggled.

Sunday we ended up taking her to the ER where we waited for 10 friggin' hours.

Today we went back to the doctor and I think she might be on the road to recovery.

We'll see....