Getting sucked into reality TV

I am not a big fan of reality TV.  When Porgie was a baby, I watched Big Brother for a season or two, but all the characters annoyed me.  By the end of the show, I didn't want any of them to win.  Then I watched Amazing Race for a season or two, but I lost interest and stopped watching.  Just recently I started watching Sister Wives, because I seem to have some weird fascination with polygamy.  But that is pretty much it.  I just don't love reality TV. 

Over Christmas break, we experienced a few very boring afternoons.  One particularly dull day, I was searching around on Netflix trying to find something that would interest both me and the kids.  I kept seeing all these goofy reality shows that revolved around baking - Cake Boss, Next Great Baker, DC Cupcakes, etc.  Finally, I decided to give Next Great Baker a shot.  It wasn't great, but it wasn't too bad either.  Porgie really liked it though and would request to watch it with me everyday.

It turns out that the show is based in Hoboken, NJ.  I decided that it would be super fun to go visit Carlo's Bake Shop.  I read online that the line to get into the bakery sometimes goes out the store and down the block.  So, I developed a back-up plan in case my bakery plan didn't work out (because obviously we were not going to wait in line with 3 kids for HOURS to get a damn pastry).  John and I decided that while we were there, we would also visit the Liberty Science Center.  That way, even if the bake shop was a bust, at least the hour drive wouldn't be a complete waste.

On Saturday morning we woke up early, ate breakfast, and hit the road.  We were in Hoboken by 9:30.  Amazingly, we got a parking spot right in front of the bakery and there was no line!  We lucked out!

Izzy and I got a strawberry cheesecake, Porgie got a chocolate mousse cake, Guppy got a chocolate chip cookie, and John got a cream puff.  I also bought a full sized strawberry short cake to take home.  It was all delicious.  Seriously, so so so yummy.

 Then we headed over to the science museum, which was tons of fun.  If you are ever in NewYork or North Jersey, I highly recommend visiting this museum with your kids.  We were there for 3 hours, and we had to carry a screaming toddler out the door.  It was that fun.

Mmmmmm...chocolate

Our Christmas was nice this year.  We didn't go to Kentucky, which always makes things feel a little boring, but it was still nice.  None of the kids were sick, everyone loved their presents, and I baked a shit load of cookies.  Good times, good times.

I got incredibly lazy over Christmas break, and now I am having a very hard time getting back into the swing of things.  I've been eating horribly, I can never seem to get caught up on laundry, and I have decided that cooking is for the birds.  I know I'll get back into my groove soon, but right now I just want to lay on the couch and watch mindless television. 

Since we didn't go back to Kentucky for Christmas, we are going to go back in the Spring.  I kind of get annoyed with going to Kentucky every year.  We have to board the dog (which is expensive), it takes us 12 hours to drive there (which is pure torture with 3 children), the hotel is expensive, eating out for every meal is expensive, visiting the local attractions is expensive, etc.  As a result, we never get to go on a real vacation.  We spend all of our vacation money on Kentucky.  And in case you don't know, Kentucky is not the most exciting or interesting place to visit.  In short, I am soooo over Kentucky.  If it wasn't for my family, I would totally never go there again. 

And speaking of my family, can I tell you how annoying it is when no-one comes to visit us in New Jersey?  Because it is very annoying.  My cousin C hasn't came since 2011 when Guppy was born, my mom cancelled her trip this year, and no-one from John's family has EVER visited us.  Yet, they all harass us constantly to make the trip home to visit them.  What is up with that?  They want to see us, but no-one seems to want the inconvenience of actually traveling to see us.

Anyways, we are planning the trip, and I am dreading it.  I think we should skip Kentucky this year and just go to Hersey Park instead.  We could go to Chocolate World!  And that my friends, sounds like heaven on Earth.  And the best part?  It is only 2 hours from my house.  I totally need to make that happen. 

Okay that is enough rambling for one night. 

Izzy is six!

My biggest boy turned 6 years old today. Izzy is such a fun kid.  He loves all things Transformers and can play with them for HOURS.  He has recently fallen head-over-heels in love with Legos too. He is definitely a kid who likes to use his hands!

He is getting so tall and smart.  It is such a joy to watch him change and grow.  I can't wait to see what the next year will bring!

T'was the week before Thanksgiving

Oh my dear blog.  I just can't seem to keep up with writing on this space anymore.  Not that I write anywhere else either.  And I love writing, so it is a shame that I can't seem to carve out time for my beloved hobby anymore. 

Things have been good over here.  I've been Christmas shopping, preparing for Izzy's 6th birthday party, and stressing out over goofy things.  I've also been baking up a storm.  I keep thinking that I should be taking pictures of some of my yummy creations, but I am just too lazy.  But I can recreate the image with words (and links)!  Basically, I make brownies and put things on/in them.  Delicious! Last week I made brownies with Reese Pieces inside and chocolate gauche incing on top.  So good!  This week I made regular brownies with a homemade coconut icing.  SUPER GOOD! 

We are having our Christmas pictures taken this weekend, which I am super excited about.  I feel all organized and prepared and shit.  Look at me!  I am thinking ahead for once in my life!  Aren't you proud?

In random, weird news,  we apparently have a gas leak at the curb in front of our house.  Some gas worker dude knocked on my door tonight with the bad news.  Apparently one of our neighbors smelled the gas and called to report the problem.  I am feeling kind of stressed about the whole thing.  I am afraid I am going to start my car and it will EXPLODE.  John seems largely unconcerned.  I am probably overreacting.  Anyways, the gas dude said that someone will come out to fix the problem "soon."  I am hoping that soon means NOW.

How have you been?

Mario, Luigi, and a Koopa Troopa

Yo Ho Ho

Guppy is obsessed with the show "Jake and the Neverland Pirates."  Basically, he loves all things pirate related.  As luck would have it, a friend of mine recently gave us a pirate costume.  Needless to say, my baby boy LOVES it.

Aye Aye Matey!

Feeling blah

Don't you love how forgetful I am?  Last month I was all, "I am totally going to write three posts a week on my blog!"  And then I proceeded not to post anything for like 3 weeks.  Yes, I suck at life. 

I don't know what is wrong with me lately.  I just can't seem to get motivated about anything.  This seems to happen to me every year.  I go through a phase where everything just seems blah.  Does that make sense?  I just don't feel like doing anything that I need to do - like laundry or cooking or grocery shopping.  It is probably just related to the monotony of everyday life.  But regardless, I am sick of it all.

I have also been horrible with my eating lately.  I just can't seem to stop gorging myself on Halloween junk.  I bought a bag of candy corn today, and I couldn't stop eating that junk.  My lack of self control pisses me off.  I am going to get fat eating candy corn?  Seriously?  I don't even like candy corn that much.  Totally not worth it, but as I mentioned before, I suck at life.

So, let's review!  I never write on my blog, I don't want to do anything related to being a mom/housewife, and I like eating junk food.  I am glad I wasted your time writing all this out.

Whipping my fat ass into shape

In 2010, I buckled down and lost a lot of weight.  To celebrate my success, I bought myself some new clothes.  In December of that year, I found out that I was pregnant with Guppy.  In a few short months, my new clothes no longer fit.  Then I had a baby and gained a little more weight, so those new clothes continued to not fit.  But this week I finally managed to get into my pre-pregnancy jeans. I strutted around today in my cute jeans, feeling very proud of myself.

Even though I can now fit into my old clothes, I am still not back to my pre-pregnancy weight.  I have about 10 more pounds to lose.  Honestly, I don't think I'll ever make it back to that magical number.  And if I do make it there, I have no illusions that I can maintain it.  I've been sitting at this weight for about 3 weeks now.  At first I was disappointed that I wasn't seeing results anymore.  But that feeling has started to fade, and I am currently feeling pretty happy with my body.

So, I am looking forward to the fall and finally getting to wear those cute clothes I bought way back in 2010. 

Decompressing

This has been a crazy week.   I hate when things get hectic and chaotic.  I like my life routine and simple and boring.  My husband was out-of-town all week, which added an additional layer of craziness to the mix.  I purposely over-scheduled the week with play-dates and school stuff, in the hopes that it would make the days fly by.  All I accomplished was running myself to the point of exhaustion and putting myself in a foul mood.

In addition to being overambitious this week, I have been experiencing some sleep deprivation too.  I've been having soooooo much troubling falling asleep at night.  I am not really sure what the problem is, but I have a few theories.  I am a worrier by nature, so all this car crap has been stressing me out.  Additionally, Izzy has been going through this annoying phase where he needs constant reassurance and will not let me out of his sight for even 2 seconds.  This also stresses me out.  And then there are a million other little reasons too.  I actually wrote this overly dramatic post last night, but right before I went to publish it, I somehow deleted it.  I took that as a sign, and decided not to rewrite it.

So, this weekend I am going to be a hermit.  After a period of being social and active, I need time to decompress.  I just want to stay inside and not answer my phone and read a book.  I cannot tell you how good it feels to get all of the noise out of my head and to relax.

Forced to move into the modern age

Our minivan was a 2001, which we bought used in 2007.  For the last 6 years, it has been a reliable car, with tons of space for our growing family.  Unfortunately, this summer everything went to shit.  Over the last 3 months, we spent about $1,200 to keep it running (ugh).  But having it towed twice in one week pushed me over the edge.  I didn't even feel comfortable driving the damn thing anymore.   I was convinced that it was going to die somewhere, and I'd be stranded far from home with my 3 children. 

So, John and I decided to purchased a new (used) vehicle...

It is a 2012.  I LOVE the gray color.  It has a built in DVD player, a rear back-up camera, satellite radio, dual power sliding doors, etc.  In short, it is very fancy.  I feel all modern and shit.

We ended up going with another Grand Caravan, because the price was awesome.  We weren't intending to get a new car right now, so price was a big issue for us.  I actually feel a little sick to my stomach just thinking about the car payments.  I hate having debt.  I am hoping we can have it paid off in about a year and a half. 

Although I love my new van, I am sad that other projects we were going to start this fall are being put on hold.  We can no longer afford to start work on the 1/2 bath in the basement.  We were also going to have some dieing trees in our backyard cut down, but that is going to have to wait too.

In summary, I am excited about my new van, but sad about my new debt.

Pity Party

I have bad luck.  John has bad luck.  Together, we are a shit storm of bad luck.

On Monday, there was torrential rain in New Jersey.  For hours, it poured buckets.  And to my dismay, we got some water in our basement.  Not a ton, but enough to get the new playroom carpet wet.  I spent a lot of time soaking water up with towels and emptying the dehumidifier.  It was not a great way to start the day.

After lunch, John noticed that our van had a flat tire.  GRRRR.  He drove the van to the repair shop, but there was a long wait.  He didn't want to wait in the shop for hours, so he decided to walk back home in the rain.

At this point, I was starting to get a little crabby.  Everything seemed to be going wrong.  But then the sun came out, the kids went swimming, and John fired up the grill.  I thought that maybe we could salvage the day.  And then one of my dental crowns popped off. MOTHERFUCKER!

On Tuesday, John had to go back to the doctor because he keeps getting reoccurring sore throats.  He had strep in July, but he just can't seem to kick it.  He is now on his third round of antibiotics.

When poor, sick John got home from work, I had to rush out the door to have my dental crown repaired.  Except that when I got outside, I realized that my van was dead.  It would not even attempt to start.  John thought it was the battery and tried to jump it, but no dice.  We had to call a tow truck.

On Wednesday night, we finally got our car back (it was the starter). YAY!  I was so relieved to have my vehicle back. But that sensation was short-lived, because on Thursday morning my van was dead again.   What the fuck world?  Why do you insist on screwing me over?  The repair shop sent over a guy to look at it, but he couldn't figure it out, so we had to have it towed AGAIN.

It was been a rough week, and I am eagerly looking forward to putting it all behind me.

Update on the children

My baby boy is 2 years old.  I know that he didn't magically become a big kid overnight, but it honestly feels that way. Where has all the time gone?  Why he is saying so many new words?  When did he start watching television?  It is so damn bittersweet watching a baby grow up.

Guppy is a mama's boy.  He loves me fiercely and wholeheartedly.  And I love him so much it hurts.  Since his birth, I have been keenly aware that he may be our last baby.  As a result, I seem to mourn each passing milestone more intensely than I did with the other children.  It is hard being his mommy, because I just want to make sure I soak it all in, but that is really impossible.  No matter how hard I try, time just keeps slipping through my fingers.

I really can't explain his adorable little personality to you, but he is the sweetest toddler I've ever met.  I know I am bias, but truly, he is an amazing kid.  I am so lucky to have him in my world.  Seriously, if you could hear the way he meows, your heart would explode from all the adorableness.
__________

Izzy is 5 years old and getting ready to start Kindergarten.  We went through a rough patch for about a year (from age 3 to about age 4), and it was hard to parent my wayward middle child.  He has a temper and is quick to action.  It was hard to set boundaries and to discipline him.  Nothing seemed to work, and I often found myself feeling like an inadequate mother.  Why was I struggling to get Izzy to comply with the simplest requests?  But then something amazing happened.  Most parents won't admit this, but video games helped my child. 

We implemented a behavior chart, with a reward of playing video games.  Izzy gets a sticker every night at bedtime.  When he gets 5 stickers, he can play video games for 3 hours.  Izzy can lose his rewards stickers at anytime and for any reason, but usually he loses them for failing to comply with a request the first time he is asked.  But I have to admit, introducing video games into the equation has made a world of difference in my son.  It is a HUGE motivator for him.  I can count on him to behave 90% of the time. It is amazing, and I am so proud of the progress he has made over the past year.
__________

Porgie is now 7 years old and getting ready for 2nd grade. She is a typical first-born child.  She is eager to please, has perfectionist tendencies, and strives for approval from mom and dad.  She is also incredibly smart.  I am not one of those parents who thinks that all of her children are delicate geniuses, but I have to admit that my daughter is certainly more academically inclined than most other kids her age.  The girl loves school work and learning.  Her hobbies include reading, completing workbooks, and making crafts.

On the other hand, my daughter has a tendency to be a bit scatterbrained.  She will sometimes put on two different shoes (without realizing it), she frequently puts her clothes on backwards (without realizing it), and she would lose her head if it wasn't attached to her. 

Porgie is also a very optimistic person.  She pretty much thinks that everything is AWESOME.  She reminds me of Sue from The Middle...

 She is a great kid, and it is so much fun to be her mom.  I honestly don't know how I got so lucky. 

Do you like Coco Krispies?

In April, I gave up soda and ice cream in an effort to slim down.  I had gained about 30 pounds since Guppy was born, which was just ridiculous.  Who gains weight AFTER the baby is born?  I am ass backwards. 

I've managed to shed about 35 pounds, which is all kinds of awesome, but now comes the super duper hard part for me - maintenance.  When I am losing weight, I have a goal that I am constantly striving toward.  Although I hate depriving myself of sugar, it is fairly easy for me to stay on track when I am motivated.  The hard part for me is maintaining the weight loss.

When I reach my goal weight, I don't go hog-wild and eat whatever I want, but overtime I always end up reverting back to my old habits.  One can of pop won't hurt - right?  I am just going to eat ice cream this one time.  I think I'll have a small bowl of cereal.  And thus begins my downward spiral into fatness.  I have a serious sweet tooth.  And once I start eating a little sugar, I tend to go overboard.  For example, I love Coco Krispies.  LOVE THEM!  But I cannot have that cereal in the house, because I will eat half of the damn box in one morning.  I will literally refill my bowl 3 damn times.

Basically, there is no middle road with me.  It is all or nothing.  When am I going to learn how to behave like a healthy person?  Apparently never.  I read on another blog that maintaining a weight is hard, because it is like running a race with no finish-line.  I think that pretty much sums up why I struggle to stay at a healthy weight.  I eventually get tired of running.

Follow your gut or your doctor's advice?

It is the weirdest thing, but I seem to have forgotten how to blog.  For years, I happily typed away on blogger every night.  My posts weren't mind-blowing or hilarious or even well-written.  But I enjoyed sharing and interacting with all of my blog buddies.  Somewhere over the last few years, I started thinking that I had to have some awesome story or amazing milestone to share before I could post something on my blog.  Sadly, I am a pretty boring person, so I rarely have awesome stories or amazing milestones to tell you about.  But I recently came to a realization.  The blogs I enjoy reading the most are from people who post frequently.  They aren't overly funny or creative or awe-inspiring.  They are just regular people who write a few times a week.  So, I want to start posting more frequently.  I know you're crying tears of joy right now.  You're welcome.

I thought I would kick things off by telling you about pediatricians and their total disregard for money.  I have a high deductible healthcare plan, that basically covers NOTHING until I reach my $6,000 deductible.  We aren't sickly people, so we rarely ever reach the $6,000 deductible, which means that we pay for nearly everything out-of-pocket.

Our pediatrician's office is always setting off alarms and making a big deal out of nothing, which costs me a lot of money.  Last fall, they sent Porgie and Izzy to the hospital because they thought they had whooping cough (which they've both been vaccinated against).  They did not have whooping cough.  It turned out that they just had a chest infection and needed antibiotics.  Last winter, they told me to take Guppy to the ER because he had pneumonia.  He did not have pneumonia.  The hospital staff kind of acted like I was retarded for even bringing him in, and told me that he just had a cold.   In June, they told me that Porgie failed her vision screening and needed to be seen by an ophthalmologist.  Of course, the eye doctor told me that she had near perfect vision.

As you can see, I am starting to doubt my pediatricians' advice.  It wouldn't be a huge deal if I had good insurance, but they are costing me a small fortune with all of these unnecessary hospital and specialist visits.  Guppy's little ER visit cost us about $2,000 when it was all said and done.  And the only thing they gave him at the hospital was Tylenol.  SERIOUSLY.  The most horrible part is that in every single situation I just listed, I had a gut feeling that the doctor was wrong or being overly dramatic.  But I ignored my instincts, and did whatever they asked me to do.

I just took Guppy in to the pediatrician for his 2-years check-up.  And surprise, surprise, they found a problem.  Suddenly, Guppy has a heart murmur (I swear, I don't even think he has a murmur).  The doctor referred him to a pediatric cardiologist.  If you are a long time reader, you might remember that we went through a similar situation with Porgie.  Her heart murmur turned out to be completely innocent, and the cardiologist was surprised that her doctor had referred her for evaluation (Grrrrrr).  Now I am stuck in that horrible spot where my gut says that the doctor is wrong and my baby is fine, but my brain won't stop the "what if" scenarios.  Basically, I am going to be shelling out a lot of money to have Guppy evaluated by a cardiologist, and they are going to tell me that he is completely fine. 

Have any of you ever experienced this with your pediatrician?  I understand that they want to be cautious, but at the same time, I wish they had the experience and knowledge to know when something is a BIG DEAL and when it is not. 

2 years of joy

 2011

 

2012

2013

Guppy is officially 2 years-old.  I am very fortunate, because he is the most delightful toddler in the whole wide world.   He is cuddly and sweet.  He is talkative and friendly.  He is clever and mischievous.  He is everything I ever wanted and a million times more.  

I love you sweet baby boy.  Happy birthday!

Animals for sale

I will never again own a cat or a dog.  NEVER.

I was actually a huge pet person before I had kids.  I loved animals.  For pete's sake, I worked at a pet store for 4 years!  When we moved to New Jersey, we had 4 cats and 2 dogs.  We treated them like our children.  But then we actually had children, and suddenly my animals weren't all that important anymore.

Currently, we have 1 dog and 2 cats (the others have died off over the past 7 years).  Don't get me wrong, I still love them, but my children are 100 million times more important to me.  And the more children we have, the less I seem to even notice the animals.  Their care is primparily handled by my husband, which is a good thing, because I am pretty sure I would completely forget to feed them.  I never anticipated falling out of love with my animals, but it is definitely our new reality.

My dog is driving me CRAZY.  She is 13 years old, and she suddenly started pissing everywhere.  EVERYWHERE.  We have wall to wall carpeting, so this is extra gross and disgusting.  Every time I walk across the house, I step in a puddle of dog piss and my blood boils.  I know she is old, and she doesn't mean to do it, but it is still gross!

My cats are also a totally pain in the ass.  They puke and puke and puke and puke.  Every freaking time I turn around a cat is puking on my damn carpet.  When I hear the gagging sound, I run around the house trying to grab the retching cats and toss her outside.  I rarely succeed. 

So, I spend a lot of time trying to spot clean my nasty ass carpet.  It is hard enough to take care of/clean up after my own children.  The animals are pushing me over the edge.  I will never again willingly bring an animal into my house.

Today is not good

My kids have been suffering through a nasty cold.  Although Porgie and Izzy have been sick for the longest, Guppy seems to be the most miserable.  This morning he woke up with a very red, very gunky eyeball.  I took him to the doctor, where he was diagnosed with a double ear infection and conjunctivitis.  Lovely.  We've never experienced pinkeye before, and I am shocked at how awful my baby's eye looks. 

We also had a dentist appointment this afternoon, which did not end the way I was expecting.  A few years ago, Izzy fell and knocked his front tooth out of place.  Over the years it turned grey from the trauma, but it always seemed firmly rooted in his gums.  A few weeks ago I noticed a blister on his gum above that tooth.  He claimed that it didn't hurt, so I didn't rush him in to see the dentist.  His appointment finally rolled around today, and the doctor declared that the tooth had abscessed and needed to be removed.  So, now my five year old is missing his front tooth.

It has been a long day.

Our fourth of July

For Porgie's seventh birthday, she wanted a pool.  We bought her a 10ft Intex pool, which actually cost a pretty penny.  We set it up on a "level" section of the backyard.  I put the word level in quotation marks, because we were just eyeballing it.  I am sure you can see where this story is going.

The pool filled up in a very lopsided fashion, but the kids didn't seem to mind.  They splashed and played and had tons of fun.  But after about two weeks, one side of the pool collapsed and all the water went rushing out.  John and I decided that before we set it up again, we would try to make the ground more level.  We wanted to have it all fixed and ready by the 4th of July.

To remedy the problem, first John tried to dig out the high side.  Unfortunately, there were a million tree roots, which made it basically impossible.  So, John decided to buy some dirt and build up the other side.  I should probably mention that it has been raining a lot lately.  For the past week, there has been a  thunderstorm nearly every afternoon.

On Wednesday night, John went to Lowes to buy some dirt.  He pulled his van into the backyard and started to unload the bags.  While he was doing this, it started raining again.  It was pouring buckets.  John hopped back in his van and tried to pull out of the backyard.  But his wheels just spun hopelessly in the mud. 

By this point, John was livid.  He was screaming and being pretty over-dramatic.  I was really hoping he would somehow manage to get his van dislodged from the mud, but after 30 minutes of pure hell, he gave up.  His van was stuck.

The next morning (the 4th of July), he went back to Lowes to buy some plywood to put in front of his tires for traction. After an hour of rearranging boards and going backward and forward, he was finally able to get his van out of the yard.  But holy crap, our yard was destroyed.

After all of that chaos, it was finally time to put down the dirt and set-up the pool.  John swears that the dirt was level, but when he filled up the pool, we had the EXACT same problem.  It was still lopsided.

So, we wasted a bunch of money on dirt, got a vehicle stuck in mud, and destroyed our backyard for another lopsided pool.  Oh the joys of parenthood. 

Baby eating a cupcake

Obsessions

I am currently obsessed with adding a bathroom to our basement.  I swear, it never ends with me.  One thing just leads to another.  We currently have a laundry space that is about 6ft by 5 ft.  The space is pretty much empty except for the washer/dryer and a utility sink.  Our washer and dryer are both on their last legs.  We've had the washing machine repaired in the past (but it still acts funny sometimes) and the dryer door will only stay closed if I prop a heavy box against it.  But they work, so I've put up with all their problems.

So here is my plan.  I want to purchase a new stackable washer/dryer unit and place a nice utility sink set in a cabinet next to the washer and dryer.   Then I want to install an up-flush toilet on the opposite wall.  I already have the whole thing planned out in my head.  I am going to have blue floor tiles, white bead board on the half the wall and a lighter shade of blue on the top of the wall.

There is only one problem with my fabulous plan - money.

It seems like we have been spending money like crazy lately.  The impromptu trip to KY was definitely expensive.  Our van needed some maintain before we drove back to KY, which cost a pretty penny.  I just made the final payment on my last round of dental work.  And the list goes on and on.  It just seems like we are barely making ends meet right now.

Originally I was pushing for the bathroom project to begin this month, but we are going to have to hold off until the fall.  I am disappointed, but I don't really see any way around it.