Watch this!!! Sooooo True

http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=KMhuAtyFCrw

I got this link from Abby at abbykey.blogspot.com . I love reading her blog, she has the best pictures. Go look!! She is an awesome thrift store shopper too. Anyway, this is so funny and so true, I swear this woman listened to me every day.

Sorry for the short post, recovering from the nastiest stomach bug I have ever had in my life. If you are suffering from it, I feel for you. If you haven't gotten it yet, run, now to the store and buy all the lysol you can find and bathe in it. It has run through everyone in the house.

Two seven year olds with a stomach virus. You get the picture!!!

Thing that embarras the 7 year olds

Apparently we have moved into the "Mom, you're embarrassing me" stage. I am not allowed to kiss Justin in public anymore. Good Lord, you would think I laid a big smacky smooch on him right in the middle of his class. (Which, I would just like to veryify, I did not) I did however kiss him on the cheek in church one day and for that loving mommie gesture I was rewarded with the rolling of the eyes and the huffing and puffing of the cheeks. We now have a secret 007 move so that I can give him a kiss and no one will know.

We are not allowed to speak of Robby's (yes, we are back to spelling it with a y) girlfriend Jacqueline. He told me that she said I love you Robby the other day. I mentioned it to my friend Dawn (who knew the boy with the bat hearing was in range) "MMMMMOOOOOOMMMM, that was so humiliating!!!!! Humiliating??? Where in your 7 year old world do you use the word humiliating. Again, the rolling of the eyes and the huffing and puffing of the cheeks.

Also, just as a side note, do not take your kids to school in yellow jammie pants, a hideously ugly sweat shirt AND an orange Miami Dolphins Santa hat. If you do wear that fine ensamble, DO NOT, I repeat, DO NOT get out of the car and walk your kid up to the school. Just so we're clear, that was NOT me. I go to work after I drop the kids at school, so I never look like that, but I did see a mom in the car pool lane today with just that outfit on and a poor little kid who looked like his eyes were about to bug out of his head.

Childhood is hard enough, lets not freak the kids out before they're 8.

My kids do not want ME to embarras THEM, but they have no problem parading around the Philadelphia Spectrum looking like they both ate Smurfs.

Mommiehood is a tough job (that is why daddies don't do it :*)

How Cool is This!!

This was sooooooo cool. Last night Jake's hockey team, Mainland Ice Hockey Club, got to play a game at the Spectrum after a Philadelphia Phantoms Game. That is Jake right there, #38. Thank God he can't hear the way I scream when he is on the ice, he would think I was nuts. It was so cool, especially since they will be knocking down the Spectrum soon. Back in the old days (BK - before kids) Bob and I went to a few Flyers Games there. How many people can say that their nephew played on the same ice that the Philadelphia Flyers and Phantoms played on. Jake was chomping at the bit waiting to jump out on that ice. No penalties for #38, thank goodness. He is not afraid to hit or take a hit. A little scary for his mom and his Punkin, but we manage. He does not back down either. Which can be a good or bad thing, since in this league a fight would mean a 6 game suspension.


This one they were getting ready for a face off (don't I sound so hockey knowledgeable - actually I love hockey) They look so NHLish!!

This was the final score - not to brag or anything. I actually did feel sorry for the other team after a while (except not for #29, he kept going after Jake. We were about to let the twins loose on him. Jake has twin sisters as well as the boys, so that #29 wouldn't have had a chance).

This is one tired hockey kid. He texted me on my way home "Thanks for coming." Honey, I wouldn't have missed this!!!

It Has Been A Long Two Months

It has been a long two months at the Nelson house. We have had some really hard times. Bob finally got approved for Social Security. Yay, you would think right?? Well here we are almost two months later with still no benefits and no checks. We ended up having to move out of the house we were renting and we are now staying with Bob's sister. It has been an awful two months, but hopefully, after a painful, 6 hour stay at the Social Security office on Friday, the Social Security should kick in mid January.

As for Christmas, the word is COZY. Not small, not sparse, cozy. My sons have never had overly extravagent and expensive christmases, so we will make this one, cozy and fun. Justin told me "I only want two things anyway Mom". They have been amazing through this whole ordeal. I have been blessed with extraordinary kids.

So, since Disney is giving a free ticked on your birthday in 2009, we are finally taking the boys to Disney World in February. Helps that our birthdays are all within three days, we will have a nice vacation, partially thanks to Disney World.

I promise to post more, like I said, ugly two months - I can almost see the light at the end of the tunnel.

5 Things I am grateful for:

1. My husband and my sons.
2. Family taking care of us when we desparately needed it.
3. The whole reason for this season.
4. Christmas Music.
5. Knowing that God will always take care of us.

Random pictures of florida (and a little commentary)

Ok, we'll do the ugly first. Do you see those two people walking on the beach. So sweet, strolling hand in hand??? NOOOOOOO. About 85 years old in a bikini and a SPEEDO. Can you say EEEEEWWWWW. I have nothing against older people, or weight challenged people (as I am one), but come on people, there should be age and weight restrictions on these garments. I don't care how good of shape my grandmom is, I don't want to see her in a bikini AND, just a little tip for the men (okay, the one guy, probably Jake) who read my blog. IF YOU CAN'T SEE YOUR BATHING SUIT BECAUSE YOUR BIG BELLY IS COVERING IT, PICK A NEW BATHING SUIT. Just a little fashion tip. I like to be helpful where I can. Now, on to the pretty pictures.


Arent these pretty. They were just growing wild along the little boardwalk that led to the beach at the resort. Just wild, in the sand. I can't even grow things in pre-mixed soil.

This was the tub in my room at the resort. Let me tell you, if there was a fridge, I could have lived in there for quite some time. It was so big if I put my feet together and let my knees fall apart, they would not touch the side of the tub. I miss that tub!!!

This is the view of the pool off the deck in my room. Cool, huh? I didn't actually go in the pool, I sat next to it with a yummy pina colada in my hand and quite enjoyed it.

This is the resort. HUMONGOUS!! This is only one building, there is another building to the left. Let me tell you, they know how to treat a tired mommy. Frozen towels by the pool, little cups of frozen grapes, how can I help you m'am, do you need any thing m'am. It was a mommies dream.

No need for words.

Can you guess where my fee are???

If you said the Gulf of Mexico, you would be correctamundo!!! I got the mommies chance of a lifetime to go for a week to Florida by myself!!!! Bob's aunt has a house in Fort Myers and she needed someone to come down and help her, drive, help with her scooter, etc. so she asked me if I wanted to go.

It took me about 2 seconds to say yes.

It was absolutely beautiful. We left on Sunday, October 12 and when we got to Fort Myers, it was 90 degrees. It was like that all week.

We went to a resort called the Pink Shell. Oh My Gosh!!!!!!!!!!! I could have lived there the rest of my life. I swear the bathtub was bigger than my kitchen. The food was delish and everyone was so friendly and helpful. The Pina Coladas were yummy too.

We had a great time, but I was glad to come home to Bob and the boys. Every mommy should have a little getaway sometimes. I highly recommend it.

I'll post more pictures later.

Today is Pet Peeve Wednesday

Why, because today is Wednesday and I have a peeve. LADIES ROOMS. I hate public restrooms. They are gross and I have many different issues with them.

1. How in the heck to women pee on seat. Even if you squat so as to not touch the seat, it is not like a man where you need to aim and shoot. EWWWWW.

2. If you do happen to pee all over the seat, wipe it off. Three seconds of courtesy would be much appreciated.

3. FLUSH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! If you can flush at home, it is really not that different in a public restroom.

As I said before public restrooms are disgusting. Those are my ladies room house keeping peeves. Here are my general ladies room peeves.

1. When the toilet paper won't come out. You know, when you pull the toilet paper and it gives you like one square at a time. You're always hopeful that this time you'll get more than one square, but no, it always tears at the last second.

2. No toilet paper in your stall or it is in the dispenser but you can't figure out how to get it down to use it.

3. When you go to dry your hands and you just want one of those prefolded papertowels but the thing is stuffed so full that you get about ten. WASTEFUL!!!

4. Those automatic paper towel machines that you have to wave your hand in front of to get the towel and you have to pull off the first one before it will give you a second one. If you spill something, you'll be standing there for 10 minutes waving at the stupid machine while the water is pouring all over the counter.

Anyway, these are just my opinions of public restrooms. Know where I was right before I wrote this????

The Day Every Mother Dreams Of

BACK TO SCHOOL!!!!! Today was the day. The boys started second grade today. Justin was so excited last night, he kept running to check the clock to see if it was time for him to go to bed so that he could go to school today. Robbie tried on his whole outfit, his sneakers, backpack and lunch box before he went to bed. The were so excited this morning, they jumped up when I called them and were ready to go half an hour early.

When we got to school, there were so many kids. Hess School has grades 2-5 so there where a lot more kids than they were used to at Shaner. Justin has three boys in his class that he knows from Shaner, he got a little teary (so did daddy that his little buddies were going back to school) but when he saw David, Conner and Carlos, he was fine. Not so much for Daddy. One of Robbie's teachers I have known since I was in kindergarten so I know he will have a great year.

As for Mommy, I'm just enjoying the quiet!!! 180 days until summer vacation - I'm doing my own quiet time countdown. I guess the first day of school means different things depending on your age.

Girls Night Out!!!

So I'm sitting at work today working on a Mutual Release, blah blah blah. What I'm really thinking about it planning a Girls Night Out. This movie looks soooooo funny. Check out the preview at http://www.thewomenthemovie.com/index.html I just love Meg Ryan. I have seen You've Got Mail about 100 times. So this movie is coming out September 12, so I decided to plan a girls night out. I have such great friends so I thought it would be fun to get all the girls together to see this movie about women. I read that there are no men in this movie, not even in group scenes, etc. No Men!!! In my house, it is all men, so I'm all for a little time for just the girls. Then I thought we could go over to Simply Fondue and have dessert. YUMMY. Their dessert fondue is only $8 per person, so for around $20 we can see the movie, hang out, eat chocolate, drink martini's (if you choose) and have a great time. What could be better than that???

I want to plan one for once a month and try to keep it around $20. Any ideas??

Something About Me

This is my favorite show. I know, I don't understand it myself. I am just fascinated with Gene Simmons. Up until I watched this show for the first time, I thought Gene Simmons was like the devil incarnate. Oh my gosh, he is like so not. He has his public persona, with the girls and the tongue and the KISS stuff, but at home, he is like an old lady. He annoys his kids, and his girlfriend, she bosses him around, just like our own husbands. I love to watch this show. Try watching it once, I bet you get hooked.

What is your guilty TV pleasure????

I SEE YOU!!!

Aren't these cool!!! I am going to make these for the boys to take to school for their Halloween Party. I found these on Capture the Moment blog. It is listed to the left in the Blogs I like to visit. Go check it out. They have the coolest ideas. The website is www.papertreyink.com. They have the greatest stamping, card making, scrapbooking, crafty ideas. I just opened an etsy store and I am going to use lots of their ideas to put in my store.

The boys think these are awesome. What can I say, they're 7, the grosser the better. These are made out of a little icing and Lindor White Truffles. You can also make them out of Hershey's Cookies and Cream candy which is what I will do for the boys classes. 7 year olds could not possibly appreciate a good truffle. I'll practice on them and save them for mommy. YUMMY!

Leave me a comment and you could win your own bucket of eyeballs!! I'll pick a winner and send you some of my practice ones. Who wouldn't like to get eyeballs in the mail.

Show Me Your Tattoo!!

Abby from abbykey.blogspot.com is getting an awesome tatoo. I love reading her blog, she takes the most beautiful pictures. Go check it out. She inspired me to post picutres of our tattoos. Bob and I each only have one, but he wants to get another one and I'd like to get a small one on my shoulder - little angel wings. Bob's tattoo is of Dale Earnhardt. Bob is a huge Dale Earnhardt fan. His little heart was crushed the day he got killed. I went with him when he got his tattoo and decided I wanted one too. Mine is two intertwined hearts with the boys initials J&R. I didn't even realize that the way the guy did it, he put the J first. JR is also my mom's initals. She died when I was 23. I wanted a tattoo with my mom's initials anyway, so it all worked out. It didn't hurt too badly, but let me tell you, when he got close to my ankle bone - YOW!! that hurt. I am fascinated with tattoos. When I worked for the criminal attorney, I saw lots of tattoos. Just a little advice, if you are planning on being a doctor, DO NOT GET YOUR NECK TATTOOED. Of course, he was coming to a criminal attorney, so we don't really have high hopes for the doctor thing anyway. I had another guy who had his head tattooed, I would be so engrossed looking at the tattoos on his head that I wouldn't listen to what he was saying.

So, since I am so fascinated, show me your tattoos.

Something New At Our House

We're trying something new at our house. This is something they did a couple of years ago in the kids program at church. We go to an awesome church, check out their website - http://www.shorefellowship.com/ Anyway, a couple of years ago, the boys got these "caught" buttons that the parents were supposed to use when they caught their kids doing something good, rather than catching them doing something bad. You should correct them when they are doing something wrong, but make a bigger deal about the things they do right. So we've decided to do that at our house. I made up sticky notes that say CAUGHT and they have a little prize written on them, a$1, a piece of candy, 15 minutes to stay up past bed time, etc. We made these little bulletin boards with just some 12x12 scrapbook paper and stickers and stuff. Now they can hang up their caught stickers, I can leave them little notes, once they go back to school, they will have a list of the things they need to do in the mornings before school, etc.

They got their caught stickers because they have been such good boys today, sharing, playing nicely, helping each other. I'm interested to see if the positive reinforcement brings more of this behavior.

Every once in a while they listen

We went to the 4-H Fair today. We had a blast. I set aside $20.00 for tickets for the rides. When we got there they were either $1 per ticket or 30 for $25. Most of the rides were 4 tickets!!! $4 to ride the ferris wheel that looked like if I stood on my tiptoes, I could touch the top. So I here the boys talking between them. "Maybe if we don't go on the rides, Mommy will give us the money and we can buy something." They were saying that it was crazy to pay four bucks for a ride, you don't get anything at the end, just to sit on the ride.

So they made the deal with Mommy and they each got $10 to spend. Then they were even smarter and put their money together and bought two things that they both wanted and they'll share.

See, every once in a while, one of those lessons you try to teach your kids does sink in.

Look what I got!!! My friend Meghan at http://meghansmindlessmuttering.blogspot.com/ gave me an award. She is like the coolest mom ever (she can even get her 2 year old to change tires - check out her blog, she's got pictures.)



Here are the rules for the award:



Here are the rules:
1. The winner can put the logo on his/her blog.
2. Link to the person you received your award from.
3. Nominate at least 7 other blogs.
4. Put links to those blogs on yours.
5. Leave a message on the blogs of the people you have nominated.



So, the award goes to...



http://abbykey.blogspot.com/ - I love Abbey's pictures, they are beautiful. I check out her blog every day.



http://monthbymonthwithgingerbug.blogspot.com/ - she keeps me on track, like your mom wispering in your ear to do your chores.



http://damomma.com/ - She has the funniest stories about mommiehood ever. I love to read the stories about her girls. I have a great respect for mommies of little girls and her two are hysterical.



http://lifewithmy3boybarians.com/ - She has three boys. We mommies living with all boys have to stick together.



http://bagmomma.blogspot.com/ - I have been where she is and I am sooooo rooting for her.



http://www.scjennandfamily.typepad.com/ - Jenn is another South Jersey Mom, and she does beautiful srapbooking.



http://nestingplacenc.blogspot.com/ - She has the coolest decorating ideas ever. Meghan turned me on to this blog too. I tell you, that girl knows everything!!

So congratulations Ladies!! Catching up on your blogs everyday is what I do at work (I have a very easy paralegal job and lots of computer time)

Eternal Ink

I found this poem on a blog called www.whatchadotoday.blogspot.com

It was so sweet and true, I decided to post it here.

ETERNAL INK

I dreamed I was in heaven
Where an angel kept God's book.
He was writing so intently
I just had to take a look.

It was not, at first, his writing
That made me stop and think
But the fluid in the bottle
That was marked eternal ink.

This ink was most amazing,
Dark black upon his blotter
But as it touched the parchment
It became as clear as water.

The angel kept on writing,
But as quickly as a wink
The words were disappearing
With that strange eternal ink.

The angel took no notice,
But kept writing on and on.
He turned each page and filled it
Till all its space was gone.

I thought he wrote to no avail,
His efforts were so vain
For he wrote a thousand pages
That he'd never read again.

And as I watched and wondered that
This awesome sight was mine,
I actually saw a word stay black
As it dried upon the line.

The angel wrote and I thought I saw
A look of satisfaction.
At last he had some print to show
For all his earnest action.
A line or two dried dark and stayed
As black as black can be,
But strangely the next paragraph
Became invisible to see.

The book was getting fuller,
The angel's records true,
But most of it was blank, with
Just a few words coming through.

I knew there was some reason,
But as hard as I could think,
I couldn't grasp the significance
Of that eternal ink.

The mystery burned within me,
And I finally dared to ask
The angel to explain to me
Of his amazing task.

And what I heard was frightful
As the angel turned his head.
He looked directly at me,
And this is what he said...

I know you stand and wonder
At what my writing's worth
But God has told me to record
The lives of those on earth.

The book that I am filling
Is an accurate account
Of every word and action
And to what they do amount.

And since you have been watching
I must tell you what is true;
The details of my journal
Are the strict accounts of YOU.

The Lord asked me to watch you
As each day you worked and played.
I saw you as you went to church,
I saw you as you prayed.

But I was told to document
Your life through all the week.
I wrote when you were proud and bold,
I wrote when you were meek.

I recorded all your attitudes
Whether they were good or bad.
I was sorry that I had to write
The things that make God sad.

So now I'll tell the wonder
Of this eternal ink,
For the reason for its mystery
Should make you stop and think.

This ink that God created
To help me keep my journal
Will only keep a record of
Things that are eternal.

So much of life is wasted
On things that matter not
So instead of my erasing,
Smudging ink and ugly blot.


I just keep writing faithfully and
Let the ink do all the rest
For it is able to decide
What's useless and what's best.

And God ordained that as I write
Of all you do and say
Your deeds that count for nothing
Will just disappear away.

When books are opened someday,
As sure as heaven is true;
The Lord's eternal ink will tell
What mattered most to you.

If you just lived to please yourself
The pages will be bare,
And God will issue no reward
For you when you get there.

In fact, you'll be embarrassed,
You will hang your head in shame
Because you did not give yourself
In love to Jesus' Name.

Yet maybe there will be a few
Recorded lines that stayed
That showed the times you truly cared,
Sincerely loved and prayed.

But you will always wonder
As you enter heaven's door
How much more glad you would have been
If only you'd done more.

For I record as God sees,
I don't stop to even think
Because the truth is written
With God's eternal ink.

When I heard the angel's story
I fell down and wept and cried
For as yet I still was dreaming
I hadn't really died.

And I said: O angel tell the Lord
That soon as I awake
I'll live my life for Jesus-
I'll do all for His dear sake.

I'll give in full surrender;
I'll do all He wants me to;
I'll turn my back on self and sin
And whatever isn't true.


And though the way seems long and rough
I promise to endure.
I'm determined to pursue the things
That are holy, clean and pure.

With Jesus as my helper,
I will win lost souls to Thee,
For I know that they will live with Christ
For all eternity.

And that's what really matters
When my life on earth is gone
That I will stand before the Lord
And hear Him say, well done.

THE END

Won't you take me to Nelsontown

This is the newest addition to our front yard. When I was at work the other day Bob showed the boys that if you pull up the moss under the oak tree you can make roads. Well, being that we have 110 million matchbox cars they decided to make a whole town. They started out small, but they worked on it all afternoon today and now we are happy to announce that in our front yard we have: Robbie's House, Justin's house, Nascar Track, Monster Truck Arena, the mall, Super Wawa, McDonalds, Gas station, and more that I'm probably forgetting. They have spent hours outside with their dad working on this little town. I love that my kids don't have to be entertained by the TV or computer or video games all day long. One suggestion from Daddy and they turned it into a whole town. Stop by, go to the mall, see a Nascar race and go to McDonalds all in my front yard.

A PROUD DAY FOR ME

When I woke up this morning, I was tired. I was dreaming a good dream and I just didn't feel like getting up, so I pushed getting out of bed until the last minute. I got up and had to leave in like 20 minutes. No big deal when it is just me getting ready. If it were Bob and the boys, I would be running around like a nut. So I got up, made coffee, threw my clothes in the dryer (god forbid I should break out the iron) and continued getting ready for work while my clothes dewrinkled. I pulled my hot clothes out of the dryer, burnt my stomach with the hot zipper, (another sign to take out the stinking iron and do it the right way), put my shirt on and left for work. I got in the car, went to put my seatbelt on only to realize that my shirt was on inside out!!! Thank God I was awake enough to notice then and not when I got to the office. My mother would have been so proud.

The moral of the story - GET OUT OF BED ON TIME AND IRON YOUR CLOTHES!!!

Too Hot to Cook

I forgot to post this yesterday. I was too excited about the free cake.

When it is hot, I'll make this for dinner so I don't have to use the oven.

1 lb Kielbasa
Onion
macaroni - can be what ever kind you want, my kids like the bow tie kind
BBQ sauce

Slice and fry the kielbasa and onions. I use my electric frying pan, not as hot as the stovetop. Boil macaroni. Mix kielbasa and onions with macaroni. Pour on BBQ sauce.

Yummy, the boys love it.

Free Cake - I'm there!!!

Bob and I had to go to the Social Security lawyer in Cherry Hill yesterday. He has his hearing coming up to be approved for Social Security Disability on August 6, so everyone cross your fingers he is approved and can begin collecting Social Security. He has pins and rods and plates in his neck and back.

ANYWAY, we stopped on the way home for lunch/dinner at the Star View Diner in Somerdale. Let me tell you, YUMMY!! I had french onion soup which was delicious and a chicken salad club sandwich which came with fries. The sandwich was delish and the fries where perfect. I will pick through a whole dish to pick out the extra crispy ones and then I don't want the other ones (no comments from my sister!!). They were all crispy and good.

So we're full and ready for the check and the waitress comes over with a piece of white cake with coconut icing and a piece of chocolate cake with a chocolate ganache icing. She says these are for you on the house!!! My three favorite words. They were getting ready to put out the new cakes and needed to move the less fresh, still perfectly delicious cakes out of the display.

Well, I like to help out where I can, so I forced myself to eat the free piece of cake.

Aren't I noble.

Two Boys and a Baby

This is the newest member of our family. His name is Brandon. He is my niece Chrissy's new baby. This is the first time the boys have ever held a baby. They weren't real sure about holding him. He's so small and squirmy. After these pictures were taken, the boys were playing outside and Brandon was crying. Justin came running up to me "Mommy, what are they doing to that little baby!?! It is hard to believe that my babies were once even smaller than Brandon. How time flys!!

One of those days

I'm having one of those days today, and I don't know why. I'm just irritated. Not by anything specific, just in general. I'm not happy with myself, my house is a wreck, the boys apparently think we have a maid who comes and cleans up their messes, etc. I hate being in this mood. I'm usually in a good mood, but I am just in that pissy, cranky, annoyed with everything and everyone mood today.

Yesterday's sermon at church was about obediance. I prayed alot last night for God to show me what he wanted me to do and I would obey. Hopefully I'll feel my answer soon.

Charcoal vs. Gas - The Big Debate

This weekend, Bob, the boys and I had dinner at our friends Dawn and Josh's house. Josh made these awesome burgers, Bubba Burgers. Then the debate started regarding which is better, charcoal or gas grills. The wives, of course, chose gas because it is quicker. Josh said, no - charcoal, the taste is better. And so the debate went, back and forth. Josh told the boys, when they married and their wife told them to buy a gas grill, they should say "yes dear, but I am also buying a charcoal grill". They are seven, so I still have time to enlighten them about the dangers of saying no to the wife!!! Then of course, Bob pulls up and Josh says "Dude, gas or charcoal?" Without missing a beat, my husband says "Charcoal, way better." ...and so the debate continues.

Either way, those burgers ROCKED!!!

Lets take a poll - Charcoal or Gas - You decide.

Jake's Graduation

This is Jake. This is Jake pointing at his mom and his Punkin (which Jake has called me since he was a baby) because we are blubbering like two idiots at his 8th grade graduation.

Jake is my sister's son. I was with my sister the minute she found out she was pregnant with Jake, when she decided that being a single mom would be ok, when she found out that no, you are not having a girl, no matter what the other 3 ultrasound techs told you, you are having a boy. I was there the minute they brought Jake from the delivery room to the NICU. I fed Jake his first bottle since his mom was so sick with pre-eclampsia that she didn't see him for the first two days of his life. Jake is as close to being my kid as you can be without actually giving birth to him.

My sister is an amazing mom. She has raised him as a single parent for his whole life. When I got pregnant with the twins, I asked God for healthy babies and to make me as good a mother as my mom and my sister. Hopefully, it is genetic.

Jake is a great kid. Funny, smart, my two think Jake walks on water. Jake is a really kind boy. He doesn't judge by color or by popularity, he is friends with both the popular kids and the not so popular kids. He makes my sister nuts, resulting in the phone calls telling me she is going to kill the boy, but he always manages to straighten out and act right.

Since the boys were born, I have asked God to make them as good kids as Jake.

So yes, Jake, we're blubbering. We're crying tears of pride for the man you are becoming.

Too Hot To Cook Thursday

In one of my yahoo groups, SJ Mom Bloggers, created by my friend Meghan, who is the blogging Queen (you should really check out her blog, www.meghansmindlessmuttering.blogspot.com - it is so stinking funny) today is Too Hot To Cook Thursday where we all post the recipes we make when it is too hot to cook and since this is New Jersey, humidity capital of the world, this could be practically any day of the week.

Here is what we do at my house.



Easy Pasta Salad

1 lb box of Rotini
cucumber
carrots
red onion
Italian dressing

Cook the pasta and let it stand until cold (I run it under cold water)

Chop cucumber, shred carrots, cut onion and throw them in a big bowl

Mix with your favorite italian dressing.

Chill in Fridge.

We will eat this all week long, so nice and cold. You can put anything you like in it.

The many faces of Justin

I don't even know what to say about this boy. This is him all the time. Happy, goofy, weird, what ever you want to call it, it's him.

Frightening, isn't he!!

WE'RE DONE SCHOOL!!!!!!!!!

The boys are done school. Thank God, because when it comes to getting up in the morning, they did not inherit their waking up skills from me. When they were babies, I would dread bed time because it was always a fight, now I dread waking them up for school. When I open my eyes, I am awake and functional. My mom was the same way and so is my sister. I don't even use an alarm clock because I wake up at the same time every day. But my sons - NOOOOOOOOO. I start out with "come on babies, it is time to get up" and end with "I DON'T CARE IF YOU ONLY HAVE YOUR UNDERWEAR ON, IF YOUR BUS COMES, THAT IS WHAT YOU'RE WEARING TO SCHOOL!!" So thank God that is over for the next two and a half months.

Can I just tell you how I apparently gave birth to two smartypants. Justin got 38 excellents on his report card. Robbie got 31. Robbie got the second highest math score in his class - 96. I am 42 years old and can barely do 1st grade math. There were a couple of times I didn't understand their homework. They love school, like to read, Justin has better penmanship than my husband. I'm so proud of them. On to 2nd grade!!!!

Father's day was kind of dull. Bob had to work. He actually volunteered to work his own shift plus another shift because one of the girls he works with Grandfather died and yesterday was the Memorial Service. So being the nice man that my husband is, he volunteered to work her shift so she could go. No one else offered to even cover a couple of hours for her. God loves things like that. I'm sure he will be rewarded. So we went to church, took lunch to Bob and hung out at home. Very non exciting. Both of Bob's daughters called, so did our niece who lived with us when she was in high school and considers Bob her surrogate dad (bob's brother, heidi's dad died in a car accident in 1993 and we took her in and she lived with us for a while.) He was really missing his own dad who died a couple of years ago, so it was kind of bittersweet. The boys made adorable cards for him.

Ok, do 13 year olds have some kind of brain chip missing. My nephew spent the weekend with us. Saturday night I told him to get all of his stuff together because we need to leave for church by 9:30 a.m. and everytime one of my nieces or nephews stays with us, we end up with clothes.
BJ did you pack everything - yes. You got everything - yes. You're sure - yes. Did you put your toothbrush in - no. GRRRRR!!! So last night I'm cleaning up and what do I find???? A tee shirt, a pair of shorts, a bathing suit and a pair of jeans!!!!!!!!!

I'm so looking forward to the boys becoming teenagers.

Why do I do this every year???

Two afternoons at the lake makes mommy a very sunburned, tired, sweaty, CRANKY mommy. We spent the afternoons this weekend at the beautiful Lake Lenape. Because apparently now New Jersey is situated in the bowels of hell. As I sit here and write this, it is 7:42 pm and it is 93 degrees outside with the heat index making it feel like it is 102 degrees. So the boys and I went to the lake yesterday and today. I do this every year, I put sun block on, 50 SPF sunblock, not the Hawaiian Tropics Deep Dark tanning oil that I used in my youth. I burnt the crap out of my skin, but I smelled like a yummy pina colada. OOOOHHHH, a pina colada. Nice and cold and refreshing. Oh sorry, I lost my train of thought for a second. Back to the searing sunburn on my face. I don't know how, even with sunblock on, I get a sunburn the first weekend I go to the beach. Let me tell you, whiney, fighting kids + a sunburn makes for a very CRANKY mommy. I'm sweating, the boys are fighting, my husband is apparently in some kind of pissy mood, because he hung up on me today. (which by the way does not bother me because I just think of it as one less person who I have to listen to). Oh and the sweating under the boobs, I could really do without that too. Happy Stinking Weekend!!!

Even this picture is annoying me. It looks like one of those hideous celebrity DWI photos. Yep, me and Nick Nolte, we're hot!!!

Red Dye - BAD!!!!

Justin is feeling much better today. He got to stay home from school and he got to go with Daddy to his doctor's appointment. The old ladies at my husband's doctor's office just LOVE the boys, you know how old lady love is, they like to squeeze your cheeks and give you kisses. He was so proud because one old lady gave him a whole box of tissues. Hell, if I new he would get so happy over tissues, I could have saved a fortune at Christmas. Anyway, when they picked me up from work (only one car, lots of juggling of schedules) he was a little hyper. I thought he swindled the old ladies out of candy but Bob said no. WELL, let me tell you, as the day progressed he turned into a wild man. Couldn't sit still, yelling for no reason, throwing things, etc. When Justin was about 6 months old he had a cold and we gave him baby cold medicine. Noooooooo!!! We were up for two days and the pediatrician said "oh yes, it has the opposite effect on some kids." They should write that somewhere on the bottle in REALLY BIG LETTERS. Anyway, I googled his pink medicine and apparently the red dye in the medicine can make some kids hyper. GGRREEAATT - two days down EIGHT TO GO!!! This picture is one of the many faces I saw today.

There is a cloud over our house.

There must be a cloud over our house today. First, last night, Speedy, our turtle DIED. I can only hope my children wail as loudly for me when I "go into the light", as they did for that stinking turtle. Mind you, no one ever really paid attention to him unless I said "has anyone fed Speedy lately?" Unless you count when Justin would put him in the bathroom sink, put water in it and make a whirlpool for him. "He really likes it mommy!!!" Poor Speedy probably got so dizzy he just gave up. He was really tiny. I found him outside the door to my office about three years ago. So I tried to use the excuse that maybe turtles don't live very long. Of course, Robbie popped out with "No, in school we learned that turtles can live hundreds of years." Not when you spin them around like they're on a ride at Great Adventure they don't. So we are mourning our dear departed today. He has a lovely check book box casket and there will be a lovely service when Robbie gets home from school.

I had to pick up Justin at school today. Apparently, my kid is a world class yacker with an extremely sensitive gag reflex. We're so proud. He hasn't been feeling good for a couple of days, he's getting a cold, but his throat is swollen and red so off to the Dr. went. Pharyngitis. No Strep. Also no school tomorrow. Ice pops, jello, etc. He thinks he is in sick boy heaven. He also almost yacked on the Dr. when she put the giant Q-tip in his throad to take the strep test. It's going to be a long night!!!

My first attempt at CVSing

Ok, I know it has been a while, things have been a little crazy here, but thank God, life seems to be calming down a little. I think we may have one more extremely tight month and then it will get better. I'm still working part time for the attorney and Bob is driving a taxi. Really, better him than me, I couldn't deal with the public all day.

I am in major Cheapo Mode. I have been in CM since they cut Bob's WC benefits without a word. "Doctor says you've reached maximum medical improvement - Sorry." $1600.00 we were waiting for never coming. So after I panicked, I got down to business.

1. We shut off our cable, internet and phone through Comcast - WAY TOO EXPENSIVE.

2. We now have Verizon telephone and dial up internet. Slower, but at least it is on.

3. People PC for my internet provider - $5.97 per month - again, slow but at least we have it.

(Robbie wouldn't agree with me, he hates the dial up, but then he is seven with no job so, too bad sporty)

4. I have dropped my electric bill by about $100. Hanging laundry, unplugging everything I can when it is not in use. Computers (my boss gave me a second computer when he bought a new one for the office which the boys use to play computer games) are on power strips so the whole strip can be turned off when it is not in use. Unplug coffee pot, microwave, phone chargers when not in use.

5. I work from 9-12 and Bob works from 1pm to 1am. We only have one vehicle. He takes the truck to work on most days and the boys and I just entertain our selves at home.

6. Paid for season tags for the lake with saved change ($18.00) Now we are saving for a small pool for the back yard.

7. Pack lunch for the boys for school every day. (8 days left!!!!!)

8. The boys have been great about not being able to do all the things we used to do.

9. Filling out surveys and requesting samples online. (See Meghan, I swear we are long lost twins)

and finally

I went to CVS today. This was my first time CVSing. It is awesome once you get the hang of it. Here's what I got:
2 8 pack Bounty Paper Towels
2 9 Roll Charmin TP
2 Dawn dish soap
2 colgate toothpaste
2 crest toothpaste
1 Adidas Deoderant
1 DVD for the boys (we cut the cable - too expensive)
1 Dentyne gum
2 twizzler king size
Total paid: 24.59
$4.99 in extra care bucks to us next time.

The picture is of the boys at Lake Lenape in Mays Landing. Nice free entertainment.

My Crazy Life

Well, I am now a partial stay at home mommie. I left my job at the beginning of April. Long story, not even worth repeating. Anyway, on the day I decided to leave my job, I got a new part time job. Still in my field, I am still a paralegal, but I work about 15 hours a week. I love it, the boys love it. I am home to put them on the bus in the morning, then I go to work for about 3-4 hours and then I am home when they get off the bus. Money wise, things are much tighter, but life wise, things are great. I get to be home to help the boys with their homework, give them a snack. This was a big step for my, I prayed about it and asked God to show me the right thing to do and this is what I felt was right. So, this is what I did. So now it is time for me to be the queen of frugal. Wish me luck. I'll keep you posted.

MY SWEET BABIES

Is this not the sweetest picture you've ever seen??? Okay, so maybe I am biased, but aren't they cute. This picture was taken on our vacation in Lancaster Pennsylvania over Easter weekend. We had such a good time. These are the tracks that the Strausburg Railroad runs on. I told the boys when I was little, my parents took me here and we put quarters on the track and the train would stretch the metal and rub the raised parts right off the quarter. They did not believe me, they wanted to try it. My husband thought we would derail the trains. Oh, you non-believers. Do you think I make this stuff up??? So we went, and it worked and mommy was the big hero. I don't know why that is so surprising to them. Anyway, we had a wonderful time and there are plenty more pictures to come.

Odd questions

Why when I drive up to the ATM are the key also in Braile. How many blind people do you know that drive to the ATM???

Why when people call my office and they do not have the right attorney do they ask me if I have the number for the other attorney??? This is not directory assistance.

When the boys were little people used to ask me "how do you tell them apart?" They look different, how do you tell your kids apart???

I'm sure I'll come up with more, but I was thinking about this stuff tonight.

What are your odd questions??

I've been tagged - Part II

Ok, I have additions to my weird stuff list. It seems that once you start thinking about your own weirdness, you can't stop.

1. My Niece Jenn and my nephew Jake don't call me aunt Carol. Jenn is my Goddaughter, when she was a baby she couldn't say Carol, she would say Goggle. Then when she was older and could say my name, if she was talking to me and I wasn't paying attention to her, she would say GOGGLE. Jakey has called me Punkin since he was little. PUNKIN, not pumPkin. There is a huge difference. Jake will tell you it is punkin, not pumpkin. Jake is 14 years old. I will be Punkin for the rest of my life. Jake's sisters, Jamie and Jessie, they call me punkin. Jakes friends call me punkin. When I used to pick Jake up at preschool, the little kids would say "Hi Jakes Punkin"

To these two who I love with all my heart, I will be eternally Goggle and Punkin.

2. I eat my birthday cake with a fork. Not sliced up, just with a fork. The best birthday I ever had, I spent the night at my best friend Karen's house. We made my grandmom's spaghetti and got a little cake from Shop Rite. We sat there and ate it with two forks. From then on, I've always eaten my cake with a fork. My kids think I am the coolest mom ever.

3. I figured this one out at work when we were discussing our weirdness. When I raise the volume on the TV, the number has to be an even number. How's that for weird???

I'm sure the list will be ongoing.

The School Bus

Robbie told me about his bus tonight. This must be the party bus of the first grade. First of all, Justin S (as opposed to our Justin N) is a fascinating boy. He apparently is an extremely good at burping. "Mommy, Justin S. can burp the whole alphabet, all the way up to won't you sing!!!" isn't that cool. Oh yeah, I'm impressed. Then they apparently have burping contests and if they don't want to burp anymore, they have crying contests. To the point of having the bus driver think that they really are crying. Then there are the little demon kindergarteners who ripped the little skull face right off of Robbie's Pirates of the Caribbean back pack. There is also Taylor, the mush mush girl, who apparently loves my sons. Note to me - have lllllooooonnnngggg talk with the boys about the evils of girls.

Good Lord, they are only in the first grade. I am terrified to see what happens in middle school.

We're goin' on vacation!!

This is where we're going on vacation!!!! We haven't had a real "away" vacation since 2004. We're going away for Easter Weekend to Lancaster, PA. This is the Howard Johnsons. They have an indoor water park. How cool does that sound. We're doing all the railroad stuff for Justin, we're having Easter dinner at one of those smorgasboard places. I'm so excited. Seven days and counting!!! Lots of pictures when we come back. Best part it is only two hours away so we won't be trapped in the car for 9000 hours with to seven year olds saying "are we there yet" as soon as we leave the driveway.

I've been tagged.

My friend Meghan, (whose blog i read every day, it is so funny) tagged me. I love these things. I like to read other people's answers, it makes me feel not so weird.

1. Once you've been tagged, you have to write a blog with ten weird, random things, facts, or habits about yourself.
2. At the end, you choose five people to be tagged, listing their names and why you chose them to be tagged.
3. You can't tag the person who tagged you.

So here we go:

1. When I eat jelly beans, I don't bit them in half, I roll them around in my back teeth crunching off all the coating and then I eat the middle.

2. When I eat Johnson's popcorn, fiddle faddle, crunch and munch, I will pick out all the peanuts and then I don't want it anymore.

3. I come from a family of italian cooks. Putting my hands in baked ziti or macaroni salad to mix them up does not bother me. If I get a drip of honey or jelly on my fingers it makes me nuts.

4. I hate when people leave the water running when they brust their teeth. Waste Waste Waste.

5. I do not like loose teeth or teeth that have just fallen out. The boys love to show me their wiggly teeth or when the tooth when it falls out because they know it skeeves me out.

6. I am with Meghan, I don't like my food to touch. Mixing mashed potatoes with corn. YUCK!! and yes, I do know that it all goes to the same place, but while it is still in my mouth, I don't want it mixed up.

7. I can roll my tongue. Something that would gross my mom out, so I guess grossing out your mom is a generational thing.

8. I talk to my sister every day. Sometimes 5-6 times a day. About what you ask?? Usually nothing.

9. I am a chapstick junkie. I can't help myself. If I see a flavor that sounds good I buy it. I must have 10 tubes.

10. Good night or Goodbye, I kiss my husband 4 times. How's that for TMI!!!

OK, I tag:

1. Karen - cause I know you'll do it
2. Mairi - cause I know you'll have good answers.
3. Jenn - cause Goggle says so.
4. Alice - you're family, no reason to admit my weirdness alone.
5. Dawn - cause you're my friend.

I've been tagged!!

What really is there to say??? This is what I live with every day.

Yes, I am proud to say that I gave birth to these children. These are the pictures I find on my camera when I download the pictures. Apparently, these boys have WWWWAAAAYYY too much free time.

The Quest for the Wii - Part II

I ROCK!!!!! I am the best mommie ever. I have this on good authority. Robbie and Justin told me. I went to bed at 2:30 a.m. last night. Really, 1:30, but with the time change it was later. I woke up at 7:10 after dreaming about fighting old grandmom type women for the last Wii. I was going to go to Sam's, but they didn't open until 10:00 a.m. Then I got the brilliant idea to check to see what time K-mart opened. 8:00!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I called, they had them in stock, so I dressed (I even looked presentable for getting dressed in about 20 seconds flat) threw some mouthwash in my mouth, (hey, I was on a mission, brushing teeth uses up valuable Wii quest time) and drove like a bat out of hell to get to K-Mart. I was so nervous that I would see the person who got the last one walking out as I was walking in. But no, I was TRIUMPHANT!!! I got one of the last five they had left. They only got 18 in. Had I stopped to properly brush my teeth, who knows what would have happened.So see, just a lesson, sometimes not brushing your teeth has its advantages.

The Joys and Tribulations of 7year olds

The boys are 7. This is good because they can get their own cereal and milk, although Robbie puts everything on the floor, he can reach the counter, he just prefers to eat his breakfast off the floor. Whatever, he makes it himself, so who am I to complain. Justin says I Love You Mommy all the time, mostly to make sure I'm still in the house ( like I could get away without them finding me!!), but it is still nice to hear.

They can choose their own clothes. A good thing?? You would think so, wouldn't you. But yet, some days NO. NO NO NO. They either come out of their rooms looking like Happy the Clown or like today Justin had on sweats with a hole in the knee. We told him to go change because we were going to the mall. He changed like we asked him to. To another pair of sweats with holes in the knee. "Mom, I did change like you told me too, these are blue. The other ones were gray." Sorry, my mistake.

Also, apparently if you WRITE the words I hate you, it does not have the same impact, nor does it earn the same punishment as it would if you said those words. If Robbie is mad at you, he won't say I hate you, he'll write it. I wouldn't take him to Burger King (he wanted one of those stupid plastic ipod dogs) so he wrote on his leapster "I hate mommy". That was bad enough, then he had to keep poking me with it to make sure I saw it. Bob did something to tick the kid off and he wrote I hate Daddy on a piece of paper and taped it to his bedroom door. Bob takes offense at this. I take it as one less person who will be talking to me while I am trying to do something. Glass half full /glass half empty.

Some days I wish the glass was either half full or half empty of a nice chocolate martini!!!

Our Quest for a Wii

Oh my gosh, what is with this game. I promised the boys that with my income tax return, I would buy them a Wii. Much easier said than done. I called 12, yes TWELVE, different stores today. Many of them said that they went on sale tomorrow morning. Meaning that they have them in stock, they just won't sell them now. You have to stand in line with 8 million other parents to grab and claw their way to the Wii's when the store opens. CRAZINESS!!!! By the time I get it, I may be too old too use it. Shouldn't these cute little faces have a Wii???

Stay tuned..I'll keep you updated on our Quest for the Wii

February 12, 2008

This is an ugly day for me. 19 years ago at 5:30 in the morning, I got a phonecall from my stepdad that my mom had died from pancreatic cancer. I was 23 years old. Every year on this day, I am just miserable. I know it has been almost 20 years ago, almost longer than I actually had her around, but it still feels as fresh some days as the moment I picked up that phone. Days when my kids do something and I am proud of them, days when I'm having a crappy day and just want my mommie. So I was actually doing really well that day, I was busy at work and didn't really think about it. My brother and my sister both called me, funny though, we don't realy discuss our mom, we just always seem to touch base with each other that day. So I was in the tub (my favorite thing to do) reading a book and don't you know the MOM DIED IN THE FIRST THREE CHAPTERS. So here I am in the tub, crying my little heart out, feeling oh so sorry for myself and Justin wants me to read him something. I read it and he says "Mommy, why does your voice sound funny?" So I told him I was sad, that today was the day that my mom died and I miss her. He marches out to the living room, and tells my husband, not looking at him mind you, he keeps looking down at the floor "She's in there crying, her mom died and she's sad" and went into his room. It bothered him all night that I was upset. So Robbie, feeling that he should make me feel better made me a card. It had a drawing of my mother's headstone, complete with name, a purple tulip, because tulips are my favorite flower and a cross necklace. Inside it said, Mommy I hope this makes you feel better. Love Robby (because today he is spelling it with a y) It is exactly theses things that make me want to call my mom. There are days when life can be suckey and wonderful all in the same minute.

Happy Birthday to Us

Our birthdays are all within three days. Mine is February 1, the boys are February 2 and my husband is February 4. That's it, we're done for the whole year. One fell swoop and we're finished. This year for the boys birthday party we did a bowling party. Big hit. I will so do it again next year. We had 18 kids and it was only $197. As Robbie says after he watches The Suite Life of Zack and Cody - Yay for me!!! I had budgeted $200 for their party. Hmmmm, what to do with the $3????? So many choices. The boys had a blast, they had very generous friends, they got tons of toys and...$90 in gift cards. EACH. When I was seven, I thought $9 was a fortune, I would have been like a bazillionaire if I had $90. So I told them before we went to spend their gift cards, or his credit cards (no, no, no honey, credit cards are bad) as Robbie calls them, they needed to make a plan, or we would spend the next 10 hours aimlessly roaming the aisles of Toys R Us, Target and Walmart. So far our purchases have only included our Toys R Us cards. Justin - Humongo Remote Control Hummer. Really, I swear the cat could drive it, it is so big. Robbie - A microscope/telescope combo and a baby owl Shooting Stars stuffed animal.

So the parties went well, except for Robbie announcing to his whole class that "My mom's birthday is today and she is 42" Bob and I exchanged cards and the boys got me Purple Tulips, which are my favorite flower.

So Birthday time at the Nelson house is now concluded.

Let's Go To Coci's

My sons love their Coci - which is the Polish word for Aunt. My best friend Karen is Polish and my kids call her Coci (sounds like chuchy). They love to go to her house because the first thing she say to them is are you hungry, do you want some cookies and Coci goes into this tiny closed in her kitchen, which I swear is no more than a foot wide which always has yummy stuff in it that we never have at our house. So we were there today to help coci with something and as usual the boys were eating cookies. Here, wanna see. Yes that is cookie that you can see inside Justin's mouth. And yes, that is a whole chocolate chip cookie that Robbie is shoving into his mouth.

Everyone should have a Coci.

Who is this child and what did he do with my son?

There was an imposter Robbie in my house tonight. I don't know what happened to the boy. Normally I have to beg and plead, and yell and threaten to get him to do anything. Tonight, we went to Wal-Mart to get a birthday present for the party on Saturday, he didn't whine for anything. He ate his dinner. He was pleasant and polite. When we got home I was washing dishes and he told me he would wash them for me. No thank you honey, the last time you did dishes you used cold water and no soap, but you can dry them for me. Ok mommy. Ok, Ok, who is this little angel child. Usually that would have him running in the other direction. So I washed the dishes and left him to dry, the next time I went out in the kitchen, he was cleaning the counters. Then it was, "Mom, I'm going to scrub this floor, it is filthy" I don't know where the boy learned the word filthy. Then he straightened out the big utensil drawer. You know the one where you shove everything that doesn't go with the forks and knives. Well mine is totally organized now. Then he....wait for it...washed and dried the tub. He managed to earn about $4 extra bucks in allowance last night. Well when Justin got wind of that, he wanted to know what he could do. Unfortunately for him while his brother was working his little fingers to the bone, Justin was laying on his bed watching TV. He didn't want to help until he heard that money was involved. Too late, Sparky - it is bedtime.

Who was that masked twin and when will he be coming back to clean my tub??

My Little Social Butterflies (and their mom)

These are my little social butterflies. Would you like to know what my weekend will be like. Friday night - Women's Conference at church. 8:30 a.m. Saturday - Boys have a basketball game. 11:30 a.m. Saturday - Boys have a swimming birthday party. 6:00 p.m. Saturday - Women's conference at Church. 11:00 a.m. Sunday Morning - Church. 2:00 p.m. Sunday afternoon - Pizza party for Basketball. Whew!!! I'm getting tired already just looking at our schedule. Sometime in all of that I have to make time to do laundry, meals, cleaning, getting ready for next week. Thank goodness my boss is in Florida until February 4th which makes it easier going to work knowing it will be a really easy week.

Are all six year olds so busy. I don't remember being this social at six (of course, since I am going to be the same age as the Superbowl, I don't really remember much of being six). I have decided that I am not going to say my age, if anyone asks me how old I am I am just going to say as old as the superbowl. If they don't know what superbowl it was, too bad for them. Except for the little 18 year olds, who card me when I'm buying liquor (which is almost never) or apparently now cough medicine, etc. I'm going to kiss them for thinking I should be carded, then tell them about the superbowl. Yep, that's my plan. Delusional, yes, I know - but still a plan.

...Four Months Later

I was going through my favorites list today, my favorite blog is Meghan's Mindless Mutterings, it is too funny and being that we are from almost the same area, very close to my own life, and I saw a favorite - A Day In the Life of the Twins. I thought, cool, I have twins, that would be very interesting to read. Ah Yea, it would have been, if the blogger (me) had posted since last September!!!! I swear, I have twin brain sometimes.

So what is happening in the life of the Twins. Well, birthday time is rolling around. Ten days to be exact, I know this for two reasons, 1) Justin asks me every day how many days until my birthday and 2) my birthday is the day before theirs, and being that I will be as old as the superbowl, I am not as excited as they are. Isn't that convenient that since I was born the year they started the superbowl, for the month before my birthday I hear over and over how old I am going to be.

This year the boys are having a bowling party. I did not realize how hard it is for six year olds to decide who gets to come to their birthday parties. Apparently they need to coordinate with each other to have the maximum amount of cool kids at the party. And....I found out that there is a girl in Justin's class - Victoria, who Robbie is in "love" with. I also found out that Julia cries because "Mom, she's in love with me, but I'm not in love with her, I'm in love with Victoria". Justin is going to have one girlfriend his whole life - Phoebe, who he refers to as his wife. Robbie, on the other hand, is apparently a player. Ahhhh, As the World Turns - First Grade style.]

So, I promise, cross my heart to blog more than once every four months.