My oh so lovely fall pics

I decided to take advantage of the last bit of nice weather here last weekend and take some fall pics of the kids. I spent 2 hours washing and straightening hair, ironing clothes and making sure their shoes were spotless. Why I cared about the shoes god only knows. lol

Matt asks if I want him to go with me and I said this will only take a few minutes so don't worry about it. I mean... how long can it take to line 3 kids up and take a nice picture.

We headed over to the Englewood Dam and I drove around to find the perfect spot for our pics. I go to get Drew out of the carseat only to find he must've swiped a tootsie roll on the way out the door. He's covered in chocolate! But always prepared I wipe him off and am thankful that's he's not wearing white... the chocolate all over his sleeves won't show up much. We head out into this pretty meadow covered in leaves. I brought a blanket for them to sit on because it was still a little damp out. Lay the blanket out and Brooke and Drew proceed to start rolling and jumping all over it. Damn! Now Brooke's hair is a mess. So I trek back to the car to get the hairbrush. Okay no big deal... hair is fixed. I try to pose them in a variety of ways and they're just rolling all over each other, throwing leaves at each other and the blanket is now covereds in mud. Okay plan B. Obviously taking a nice shot sitting down is not going to work so let's find another spot. We walk a little bit and find a big tree. Perfect! I can stand them by the tree and I'll nice shots. I line them up and run back to take the picture. In that split second Brooke has decided to push Hannah into the tree and Drew is flinging mud with his feet! I'm thankful that the park is empty so I can have the opportunity to yell at them for being little shits. I compose myself ( and them) all over again and proceed to take a series of really bad shots with really shitty grins, half opened eyes and kids moving everywhere. Okay plan C now!! I will give up on a group shot and take some nice individual shots. Can't be that hard to take a quick shot of them individually right? I start with Drew because he's quickly losing patience and wants to run everywhere. I stand him next to the tree and he decides he wants to sit instead. Fine! So I now have a shot of him scrunched up next to the tree, covered in mud and chocolate. Oh well... he's 2 and that's how it is with 2 year olds. The girls will be much easier. So onto Brooke. I stand her next to the tree and she proceeds to start climbing the damn thing. Now damnit... just stand still so I can ge a quick shot of you. She's gives me a little smirk and off she goes to play in the mud with Drew. Oh well.... Hannah's next and she'll be easy. I decide to take my time with Hannah ( since the other 2 are quite content at rolling in the mud and leaves anyways). I try getting her to pose in a variety of ways and with each pose she decided to adapt it how she sees fit. I tell her to lean this way... and she tells me that looks stupid. I tell her to turn her head that way... and she tells me that looks stupid. Fine this miss smarty pants... stand there however the hell you please and just smile ( and by the way I can hear what you are calling me under your breath!) I get a couple decent shots of her and then she proceeds to tell me she's done and stomps off to the car. Just lovely! I round up the other 2 hoodlums and we stomp off behind her.

We drive home in complete silence with the exception of them asking me if we can get McDonalds for lunch. I calmly told them that I will not be feeding them today because they are rotten!

Next time I will leave the photography to Bob!

Giving up soda

Well I've finally taken the plunge at giving up my drug of choice.... soda! I need to have diet mountain dew like a crack addict needs crack. I've been drinking waaay too much of it lately. First thing in the morning I pop open a can, then finish another by lunch, then another by afternoon and easily 2 or 3 by bedtime. I think it's making my reflux flare up and I don't even want to begin to think of what all that aspertame is doing to the 3 brain cells I have left.

This is especially hard for me because I don't drink milk, juice, lemonade, ice tea. etc. I do like wine but I think trading soda for alcohol kind of defeats the purpose. =P So I'm stuck drinking water and that's about it. And I hate water like I hate winter so this is gonne be tough. And I won't save a dime because our water here I swear is like sewer water so I'm just going to have to buy bottled water instead.


So I quit cold turkey on Monday. By Tuesday morning I could hardly keep my eyes open due to the major lack of caffeine. By Wednesday morning my head was pounding and I felt like I had a major hangover. By Thursday just hearing the kids talk was enough to make me want to lock myself in a closet. I think it would've been easier had I just entered myself into the nearest rehab center. Atleast there I could've had a lovely support group to talk me through kicking my addiction. But instead I had the girls popping open a can every day after school, the refreshing Pepsi ads on tv and the 20 or so cans I have left of my drug calling me in my sleep saying "you know you want me" lol

But here it is on Friday.... day 5 of my drug free life. I have drank more water then I have in the last 5 years. I haven't had any issues with my refulx all week. I'm falling asleep a little easier. Used to take me easily 2 hours to fall asleep... wonder if that had anything to do with the whole can I would drink right before going to bed. =P I'm still craving the sweetness of my soda.... but no worries there... .I have enough Halloween candy to take care of that for the next year. lol

So I think I can truly kick this addiction permanently. But you bet your ass if my reflux comes back and my headaches don't go away I'll be right back at it. :)

Trick or Treat

These were taken at my neighbors house.

Last night was trick or treat here. This was the first time we've had Halloween in our new house. I knew there would be alot of kids since there's lots of young families here. But I couldn't believe the van fulls of kids that people brought in. I bought 12 giant bags of candy and we went through it all!! We probably had around 300 kids!

Hannah was a hippie.... only because I already had a tyedye shirt and she couldn't make up her mind what she wanted to be. Brooke was some sort of princess of darkness... not really sure what exactly she was supposed to be but I found the costume for $6.99 and all the others were $40 that she liked. She looked at it at the store and said I like it but what is it? I didn't really have a clue but all the others she liked were gothic and dark so I made up the princess of darkness. You know me... anything to save a buck. LOL Drew was a cute little dragon. I figured I had one year left to dress him cutesy before he decided to go as something gross and bloody. =P

The girls pretty much got through the whole neighborhood and have waaay too much candy... which unfortunately I can't stay away from. =P Drew got scared shitless at our neighbors house who had quite the Halloween display. He goes all out for trick or treat and wears this big scary costume. Drew was screaming his head off the second we went out the door.... which meant trick or treating for him wasn't going to last too long. We all started out together but Drew was just putzing along so the girls took off on their own for a bit. He loved the whole people giving him candy thing and would stand there in hopes they would give him a little extra for looking cute. lol He lasted about an hour then came home to hand out candy with Matt.

Now I have soo much candy in here that I'm thinking of serving it for Thanksgiving instead of a turkey. :) All the good stuff will be gone within a week ( you know like the Snickers, M&M's and Reeses cups) then we'll be left with the Almond Joys and suckers. But no worries... I'll make sure none of it is wasted. lol

Groan... it's on it's way.

As I glance at the weather channel... I can see it coming. No matter how much I stomp up and down and throw a hissy fit... it's going to come. It will start rearing it's little ugly head tomorrow and won't leave until April or maybe even May. What am I talking about? WINTER!!!

I HATE winter! To me, winter is a bad word! I am one of those people that just freeze the minute it gets below 70. And explain to me why we have to have winter? Clearly other parts of the world can survive just fine with temperatures at 80 year around. So why can't we? Why must we have to put our lives at risk driving through 3 feet of snow just to get to the grocery store. See it's just not safe living in Ohio.

I hear what you're all saying... just move out of Ohio and be done with it then. Easier said than done. I have no means in which to support myself and 3 kids without Matt. And he is NEVER moving out of Englewood... let alone Ohio. =P So I am left to suffer.

So today I will open the windows for the last time in 2007. I will fold up my beloved lawn chair and tuck my bikini back in the drawer.

And tomorrow.... I will begin my 6 month period of mourning. I will wrap myself in fleece blankets, long johns, big ol hooded sweatshirts and the thickest socks I can find. My skin will not see the sun for 6 long dreary months. I will only leave the house if absolutely neccessary. For things like emergencies, flights to Florida or a really good sale.

So feel free to send me sympathy cards... or flowers... or money for a ticket out of what I call HELL.

Not again!

Well Drew is sick and once again it's pneumonia. This is his 11th bout of pneumonia. :(

I took him in yesterday and we were there for 3 hours! Do you have any idea what it's like to spend 3 hours with a really cranky overtired 2 year old who doesn't feel well? Yep... it's pure hell. =P The Dr. wouldn't let us go home until his oxygen levels came up. He wasn't responding to the treatments that they gave him so she was going back and forth whether to admit him or not. She finally decided that he would probably end up picking up something at the hospital so it was better to go home. Thank god! So now he's on a plethora of meds and even more breathing treatments. And of course there was no generic for one of his meds so just that one alone was $75! Just like my kid to just have to have the name brand. LOL So screw the fundraisers for the girls's school.... I'm now taking donations for Drew. LOL

This poor kid... everytime the temperature changes in the slightest he gets sick. And since we live where the temp. can go from 90 to 40 in one day he just becomes an absolute mess. So clearly there's only one thing to do ...... move to Cali! :)

Getting started

Well I'm finally jumping on the bandwagon and creating a blog. Why you ask? Basically because my mind is mush. =P After having 3 kids... I have no memory left. I can't remember when Hannah took her first steps, can't remember when Brooke got her first tooth and can hardly remember Drew's birthday. LOL I know he was born on Easter but apparently that holiday isn't always the same date. Just like my child to be difficult!

So before I start forgetting anything else I figured I had better get it documented. I also thought it would be nice for my friends and family to see what's going on in our crazy daily lives.

And if my computer illiterate self can figure out how to work things on here I may even include a picture or two from time to time.