My friend Kelly is Awesome!

After reading my last semi-whining entry (well, not really - I didn't expect a bad day, just a crazy one), Kelly stepped up and offered her help which saved me a ton of time. So THANK YOU, Kelly!

Then why am I spending time posting??

Today promises to be a crazy busy day!

10:10-10:30 Drive to Library and Food Testing
10:30-11:00 Food Testing
11:30-12:30 Drive to Dressler's, Let Eddie out and head home
12:30-2:00 Lunch, try to get Andrew to nap, pack up Andrew for sitter, clean
2:00-2:30 Drive to Belmont to Kelly's
2:30-3:20 Drop Andrew off and get to my Dentist Appt in Ada
3:20-4:00 Dentist Appt
4:00-5:00 Drive back to Belmont, pick up Andrew and head home
5:00-5:30 -ish Teen stopping to get info & key to watch house & Rocky this weekend.
5:30-8:00 Clean, make and eat dinner, and give Andrew a tub
8:00-8:30 Watch Joey and fold clothes
8:30-9:00 Put Andrew to bed and put clothes away
9:00-10:00 Apprentice
10:00-11:00 ER - Could possibly tape and watch at a later time.

All the while having a toddler underfoot who inevitably will be thrown off schedule by this crazy day and who is teething. Wish me luck!!

Cold weather in late April = Afternoon naps.

It's Sunday afternoon and it's been a lazy one. We got home from church and all three of us went down for a nice long nap. It's been a LONG time since I took a nap, let alone a two hour one. In bed and everything. Then we had a lunch of BBQ chicken quesadillas and salad. Now, I was reading the paper, Andrew played (but is currently back down for nap #2 - although he sounds like he's far from actually sleeping) and Marc is watching basketball (playoff time). Tonight we have our community groups for church so Laura is coming over to watch Andrew. I'll need to get the house picked up and things laid out for her here soon.

Let's see what we've been up to. Friday evening we had the Ueland's over for dinner. Apple pork chops, salad, garlic bread and brownies. Marc and Steve worked on sanding Marc's boat. Then Saturday morning we had another test (different flavors of "Pedialyte" - it was scrunch-your-face-up discusting). Then I dropped Andrew off at home and met Kelly Ueland at a big school in the "richer" side of town who was having a rummage sale. It was a bit of a disspointment, so we hit Starbucks instead. I hit a few more sales on the way home and actually found some good deals. One was a church where everything was FREE! I got two books, a pair of jeans and a top. I got two other tops, a fleece vest, Abercrombie cords and sweater dryer all for el'cheapo! Especially since I had gift cards for Starbucks!! Woo hoo!

We didn't do much Sat. afternoon since it was NFL draft and multiple NBA playoff games.

Well, there was snow on the ground this morning. AUUGH! It's gone now, but it's still really windy and cold.

Ok, I need to get going. Have a great weekend.

ABC's... easy as 123's

I am having trouble getting motivated this morning. A) I did SO much yesterday and was on the move non-stop B) my darling son who has been sleeping through the night for two weeks now was up twice last night screaming and C) it's raining and wet and dreary after about two weeks of absolutely gorgeous weather. Andrew is napping right now, so I should take this oppertunity to clean my house which A) really needs it after everything I did yesterday and B) usually needs it after one day anyway, but I not only did I NOT clean yesterday, but made bigger messier messes. (I'm into lettering today). But, alas, I just want to cozy up with my coffee, slippers and pappisan chair.

However, I did make some homemade biscuits for breakfast...my first attempt - not great, not bad. Part of me wonders whether it's worth it when I can buy a can of whack 'em biscuits for $.25 at Aldi's. But even my "not great, not bad" biscuits where better than those hocky pucks. (I'm not knocking Aldi's - it's my FAVORITE grocery store - we do 90% off our shopping there and saves me tons of money).

OH! I should tell you how Andrew's doctor appt. went. He is officailly a healthy, super active little boy. (I could have told you that without the $20 co-pay.) He weighed in at 23lbs 5.5oz. (50th percentile) and was 31.75 inches talls (90th percentile). He did get two shots but he handled them SO well. He is a very brave little boy and only cried for a couple seconds. We did miss our 12:00 testing though since the Dr. office was running behind. He doesn't have to go back for 3 months to get a couple more shots.


Ok, maybe I should at least go shower and get ready for the day while little man is sleeping. We have a testing at 12:30 today and I probably shouldn't go in my PJ's.

No.Time.To.Stop. (ok, but just for minute)

Busy Morning!

By 9:00 this morning, I had fed Andrew breakfast, made coffee, put in a roast for dinner, made a batch of alfredo sauce, made rice krispy treats, pull chicken out of freezer, hung a load of laundry on the line (yes, we have clothesline outside now), put Andrew down for a nap, and chatted with a freind on the phone. I just need to get myself ready, drink a little more coffee, pick up a bit and we'll be ready to head out the door to Andrew's doctor appt. Then testing, grocery store and library.

Whew. I could take the rest of the day off. ;)

By thy way, Mom...while you're in Altantic City this weekend...it's supposed to SNOW here! AAUUUGGGHHH!!!

Thank you very much, Oh Mr. Destruct-o

Well, let's see. Since I last posted the weather has still be GORGEOUS!! Absolutely beautiful. Last Saturday, I got up and hit a few garage sales in the morning and got a kickin' new diaper bag backpack for $2. Yes, it just might be a little sad that I am so excited about this, but I am and will continue to tell everyone I meet about my stellar find. Then I pushed my time garage sale-ing until I just had enough time to finish off some desserts, get myself showered and ready, and head over to a babyshower with my desserts. And wouldn't you know...I was missing a KEY ingredient after I started the recipe!! AAUUGGHH!! So, this means I had to run to Meijer on a Saturday. Oh the Horrors!! This little error set me back a good 1/2 hour even though I live only 5 minutes away from Meijer. Anyway, I make it to the shower and it was lovely. It was really nice hanging out with my roomie girls all together again. Then the guys met up with us and we hung out way past Andrew's bedtime (which really screwed him up sleeping that night - that'll teach us).

Sunday we had church in the AM, the Marc golfed in the afternoon. It was just a nice day all around. Monday, I worked around the house during the day then met a girl from church for coffee downtown in the evening to discuss oppertunities at the church. It was REALLY nice. We had a lot in common and it was really nice to get to know her...and get out of the house for awesome coffee!! (Single Skinny HalfCaf Nutty Cow - MMmmmmmm).

Tuesday, I was spring cleaning goddess! Not only did I do the normal tidy and clean, but I totally vacuumed multiple times, wash part of the carpet, mopped, laundry, I don't remember all, but it was a lot. (Sad thing is, is there is still so much to do). *sigh*

Today we had church in the morning, then I ran a few errand afterward (poor Andrew - he was tired, but he did good). Then came home and put him down for a nap. (which he did not do...at all....kissed morning nap goodbye..that'll teach me to mess with his already messed up Wednesday nap schedule). I ended up getting him up and we had lunch, and took a nice walk. I met another woman in the neighborhood who is a SAHM herself with only one boy who is 12 months old. Hope I bumb into her again.

So tonight, the plan is to make popcorn (Marc's job), get the laundry folded and put away and get the floor cleaned up. (Yes, it was cleaned, but then dinner and Mr. Destruct-o came through).

Tomorrow is a busy day for us. We have Andrew's 1 year checkup (a little late)(with shots and everything), then straight to a testing (if we even make it), then grocery shopping for just a few items, then home for nap time while I make a complete dinner and dessert, then meeting a friend of mind to take this dinner and dessert to a couple in our church who's wife had surgury today. Then of course tomorrow night is The Apprentice!!

Ok, I am going to go now. Take care.

Fun new game!

Andrew was in a really silly mood this afternoon and he was SO funny!! He really had us laughing. He came up with this game where I am laying on the couch and he goes and lays on the Welcome Mat (why the welcome mat? I don't know). Anyway, he lays all the way down with his head on the ground. And I say "Night Night" and pretend to go to sleep. Then he gets up and walks over to me on the couch. I "wake" up and say, with my hand in the air like I am asking a question, "Is it time to get up?". He then answers me "No" in Andrew language which means it could come out as, "Bo", "Whoa", "Doe", "Moe", etc... He also will shrug his hands, too. Then he walks back over to the welcome mat and lays down all the way again and we start over. I bet we did this over 30 times today on two seperate occasions. I'm not sure how it started, but he thinks its a riot.

He was also trying to antagonize Rocky to get Rocky to follow him around the house....and when Rocky would, he would just laugh to beat the band (that's for you Mom Dykstra). It was SO funny.

He's been "singing" lately too which is SO stinking cute. He picks two notes, one normal and one high and sings a long "Oh" while moving his voice between the two notes. It's is so sweet. Marc and I catch ourselves doing it.

So, today I worked on the house a bit this morning - laundry, tidy, etc.. Then after Andrew's morning nap, we hit Blockbuster's, Sam's, Aldi's, and Meijer's. Then came home put groceries away, made brownies, and cupcakes for a shower tomorrow, made four pizza doughs, split and repackages bulk foods, and finished the cleaning the house. We then had the Tolsma's, Ueland's, and Geoff over for homemade pizza and movie. (Movie stunk).

Anyway, so the plan for tomorrow is to hit a few major garage sales as a few schools are having thier rummages sales (Best kind - efficient). Then I need to come back and get myself cleaned up, finish the tiramisu topping, ice the cupcakes (by the way, how do you travel with iced cupcakes?), and head to the shower location to help set up. After the shower, we are all heading out to dinner. Should be really nice.

Well today was a beautiful day and I am kinda bummed it was too busy to take a long walk...probably not tomorrow either. But I think it is supposed to stay this way for a little while, so maybe Sunday.

Case of the Missing Shoes: SOLVED!

So the other day, Andrew is walking around the house with two of his shoes. One in each hand. Now these shoes weren't a pair of shoes, they were one dressier brown shoe that barely fits him and one tennis shoe (his main pair he wears). We didn't think much of it. Well, later in the day, we can not find his shoes...at all. And we look EVERYWHERE. By everywhere, I mean even the most random bizarre places, because, well, you see, it's not uncommon for me to find his toys, clothes, etc.. in the most random bizarre places. But he needs his shoes, right? So we hunt behind things like the couch, entertainment center etc..., in things such as toy box, cupboards, pots, pans, dishwasher, garbage, etc... So needless to say, he went to church and his tests this week with his slippers. He went on walks and to the park in his slippers. Well, today, after pulling about 10 different toys, kitchen utensils, sippy cups out of the trash, I decide ONE MORE TIME that I am going to dig through before taking out the trash. (Keep in mind, this was Tuesday, it's now Thursday and the trash is full.) I grab a large plastic spoon and start digging. Past the newspapers, past last nights dinner scraps, past a few diapers, past more grossness and low and behold....at the very bottom, what do I find?? Two mismatched shoes. They were nicely adorned with whipped cream. Thing is, is that I checked the trash multiple times since that was a likely spot...but the weight of the shoes, must have let them fall to the very bottom. It's silly but I feel such a sense of accomplishment from finding his shoes. So, anyway, he now has his shoes back and they are cleaned off. So maybe, just maybe, when he gets up from his nap, I will let him put on his walking shoes and take me to the park.

One of the Boys

Well, it's Sunday. Andrew is upstairs napping with Daddy in OUR bed. Spoiled little boy. :) They are too cute and of course I had to take some pictures. I am just hanging out getting ready to read the paper until they get up and we have lunch. I put a roast in last night and the whole house smells WONDERFUL!! I really should be picking up. It seems on the weekend, I get lacks about the house and by Sunday it's really awful.

Well, what should I update you on since I last posted? Andrew now has eight teeth. Yes, he is symmetrical now...four on top and four on bottom and back to his happy self. We had four tests this week, and of course the usual errands, cleaning, laundry etc... But it was ALSO gorgeous, so we got to take more long walks in the afternoon. Rocky was in heaven!

Friday afternoon, I had Laura come watch Andrew, and Kari and I went and scrapbooked at the store. I got some pages done, but it was just really nice to get away and scrapbook! I loved it! Then we came home to the guys and had homemade pizza. They brought thier new little puppy over. Eddie. He is SO cute! But the poor little guy got sick, so they spent a good portion of the evening outside with him, before calling it an early night and taking him home.

Saturday, I got up early and hit a few garage sales and got my dime coffee. Later in the afternoon, we all went and walked the mall a little bit, then we came home and raked the dead grass while Andrew slept. (Not a fun job and my arms were sore!). As we were coming in all sweaty, we got a call from friends to come over. They already had other friends there and were getting ready to grill and had been trying to get a hold of us. So we quickly, got ourselves presentable, and left. It was nice. The guys played basketball and us girls hung out in the sunshine with the kiddos. Poor Andrew, though. He just didn't understand, that he couldn't go out onto the "court" to play with the big boys and that he would get run over and he just didn't understand why he couldn't throw his ball in the middle of the court where the big boys were playing ball. He just wanted to play too and kept getting thwarted.

So this morning was church and it was great. Are plans are to take our winter village down today since it's officially spring. Then tonight we have community groups for church and we have Laura coming to watch Andrew again. I pray it goes well, since she will be watching him the few hours before bedtime, when he can be the trickiest as opposed to last time she watched him when the bulk of the time was nap time. Well, we'll see how it goes. I'm sure they'll be fine.

Ok, well, I am going to go. Have a great week!

A Three Ho-ur Nap! (To the tune of Gillian's Island theme song)

Trivia Question of the Day: If you were running a race and you pass the person in second place, what place would you be in? Leave your answer in the comment section.

It's Wednesday evening, and I'm getting ready to call it a night. The last couple days have been productive...mostly because, Andrew is sleeping SO STINKIN' GOOD! (I need to run and find some wood to knock on). I'm all caught up on laundry (YES!! You read right....caught up!!) So anyway, got a lot done around the house, and we've had two of our four tests this week. I also got some grocery shopping done. AND, the weather has been so nice that we've taken nice long walks everyday! I LOVE IT!! Of course, by the end of the day, I AM POOPED! Beat, wiped out, exhausted, tired, etc... On a good note (oh, wait - most of this has been good)...Andrew was in a much better mood today than the past couple of day when I thought he sprouted horns. Still ornery and into EV.ER.Y.THING. But the total meltdowns where further apart than the norm. Oh, and his nap today lasted THREE HOURS!!! Who IS this kid?

Last night, we went to ZapZone. It was really nice. All of us couple had a baby, so us girls got to hang out with the babys while the guys played laser tag. (Although, I pawned Andrew off and snuck into one of the games with the guys....and lost BIG TIME). We also got to play all the arcade games we wanted for free and and had ice cream dessert. It was fun.

Well, I don't know a whole lot more or anything much more excited to share. I hope you are all having a great week and are having the same beautiful weather there that we are here.

Sunday...S.S.S...Sunday

It's Sunday, and I'm just chillin with Marc in front of the TV. Little man is in bed (Marc put him to sleep). This may be too much information, but we are weaning and it's been days and I am SOOOO uncomfortable.

Let's see what do I need to catch y'all up on? Friday, we stayed at home....finally. I feel like last week was so nuts, it was nice to stay home and just work around the house. Andrew seems to be doing better although he is still cranky, got a runny nose and sleeping more.... Yes, he is sleeping more. In fact, when Andrew got sick on Tuesday and therefore didn't want to nurse (and we haven't since - but I mentioned that), he also slept through the night and has EVER SINCE!! That's FIVE days in a row. Now, I should clarify. He is not sleeping through the night. But, he is not getting us up at night. In fact for the first couple hours after he goes down, he wakes up every 10-15 minutes and fusses for a few then goes back to sleep. Then he will do this off and on every hour or so all night...but he puts himself back to sleep. Not sure if it is he is not feeling well, the weaning or what...but I am not complaining. Actually, now that I think about it, I might trade his crankiness for getting up once at night. Just might be worth it...at least until he can talk, so I don't have to hear whining all day. :)

Saturday, I got to get up in the morning and head out by myself for a while. I stopped and got a good coffee, then hit the library, and bank, a few garage sales, and a thrift store. It was really nice. Of course the final four was on, so that was our evening. Darn Spartans.

This morning, we pulled ourselves our of bed early squirrally (or so it seems with the time change) and went to church. It was good as usual and Andrew did fine in the nursury. Marc went to scope out a few lakes for fishing this afternoon and I watched a few "Alias" episodes from the libary while Andrew slept.

We have a somewhat busy week this week too. We have four product testings this week for a total of....drum roll please.....Eighty Five Dollars...in Meijer money! Maybe we should have lobster next week. (no way...I'm not cooking that).

The girls are getting together to scrapbook during the day tomorrow, but our babysitter is our of town for spring break, so I'll head over when Marc gets home from work, if they are still at it. Then Tuesday, I think we are calling our baby sitter again (she will be back in town). We got an invite to go to Zap Zone. Some friends of our's dad owns it, so we get free laser tag. Wednesday, though I don't have church due to spring break.

Well, I think that is all for now. Have a great week.