RTT: Christmas, Frankenstorm and brutal honesty from a 5 year old

Hey looky here.  I'm blogging.  It's the darndest thing!  Make sure to go see Stacy to get your random on.

Last week I only worked 2 1/2 days and it was amazing.  I'm pretty sure I would be a great stay at home mom. Other than all the yelling that took place.  And the traveling to KC because we wouldn't have the funds.  But other than that it would be amazing! ;)
___________________

I accompanied Leo's class to his field trip to the pumpking patch last Wednesday and it was a lot of fun.  I got to meet other parents of kids in the class (that I never hear about because Leo refuses to "remember" what happens during the day).  Unfortunately I got another little boy whose parents could not attend the field trip under my care.  Have I mentioned before how rowdy/rambunctious Leo is?  Well his friend Robbie was the exact same.  So my life X2.  It was cray-cray (in my best Khloe Kardashian voice)  THey were both really well behaved so it wasn't as bad as it could have been.  Just a wild time!
__________________

My mom and I took Friday off last week and took Leo, Jacoby and my niece to Kansas City to visit my aunt and uncle and their two kids.  It was fun.  I was hoping for relaxing but I forget that nothing is relaxing when you throw in 4 kids under the age of 7 and one tween.  Definitely not relaxing.  Aw well.  It was nice to see family!
_________________

Also on my hiatus from work last week I went to ol' Wal-Mart.  I figured I needed a pair of jeans and what better place to look for a quick fix than there.  I had both boys but thought we could get in and out of the dressing room in a hurry.  I grabbed a pair of 8s and a pair of 10s (!!) and ran in with the boys.  I tried the 8s first just to make me feel good.  I thought I grabbed both of the same kind just in different sizes.  Lo and behold I had accidentally grabbed a pair of skinny jeans.  The dreaded skinny jeans that I have always tried to avoid.  I got them to my thighs when I heard Leo tell me they were too small and that they did. not. fit.  How sweet of him to point out the obvious!  I was still stoked that the 10s fit and I got a pair of jeans that look nice for $14.  Not too shabby!
___________________

I am in full-on get ready for Christmas mode.  I have started creating Leo's Christmas list and the hubby and I have come up with a few things to tell my parents and for the drawing for his side of the family (too many people to buy for).  I also have asked for lists from the hubby's sister for her kids.  I have money saved and I'm ready to spend it!
____________________

Okie dokie.  That's all for now.  Hope everyone on the east coast survives the dreaded Frankenstorm!  We're doing fine in old Kansas.  We're even supposed to have temps in the 70s for trick or treating on Wednesday.  Woo hoo!

Christmas...Grrrr

It's the most wonderful time of the year.  Seriously.  I love winter and I love Christmas.  What I don't love is all the stupid toy catalogs they send me.  Toys R US.  Wal-Mart.  Target.  And I hate that I ask Leo to look through them.  I know what he likes...why do I need to have him look at all of the totally awesome things he can't get.  Like this.  The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles totally awesome lair.  It seriously is totally awesome.




image here

It has an elevator and a zip line and and and. But you know what? It costs $140. Let me let that sink in. $140 for a toy. Not even a toy that he can ride on. So when he saw this and all of the million other toys that are out of our budget I feel terrible.  When I showed him the price and explained that if this is something that he really, really wanted that maybe we could put this on the list but he would not be getting much else.  And you know what he told me?  He told me that gifts from Santa don't cost anything.  I honestly didn't have an answer for him.  Because Santa builds all of their toys.  It shouldn't cost them any money.  So how do I not burst his Santa bubble already but try to explain that Santa maybe does have a budget.  I did tell him that because Santa buys for all the little boys and girls that he has a limit on what he can do for each kid.  But I don't think it really sank in.  But I know that he won't be getting that for Christmas.

And while I'm not trying to be a Scrooge here it really makes me angry at how expensive toys are.  I balked at paying $40 for a Transformers Autobot Rescue Station last year.  I thought that was pricy. But $140?  That's just absurd.  I know that he would play with it for a few years but at some point he would outgrow it and that seems like a lot of money for a toy.  And don't get me started on Legos.  $80 for a building set that builds ONE thing.  Here let me build this one time and put it on my shelf.  Boom! $80 gone.  Spent on 2 hours of building.  It's really hard for kids to understand why they can't get something and at 5 it's a concept they just hear as NO.  Or mommy and daddy can't afford this which equates into we have no money.  Which is not true.  Just not the kind of money to be spending on a single toy.  And I don't want Leo to be greedy so I'm not going to keep pushing the well on the amount of money I can spend on that monstrosity you could easily get 7 toys!  More=better right?!  So I don't want to go that route.  I like to try to get him to remember the real reason for the season but again a 5 year olds brain process is not there quite yet. 

Ok...enough of me rambling.  I just wanted to get that off my chest.  Bah humbug! :) 




A year with Jacoby

 

Happy birthday my sweet baby boy.  You have changed our lives so much over the past year.  I can't actually believe it's already been a year but you have grown into quite the independent little boy.  You love to feed yourself and hold your own bottle.  You love to sleep in your bed with your soft blankie that grandma made for you.  Ever since you were little you loved to snuggle with it.  I can't tell you how much you mean to us but know that we all love you SO much! 

 

 

 

 

 

(8 months)

 

 

 

(1 year)

Happy Baptism and Birthday Jacoby

What a weekend!  We have been trying for MONTHS to find a time to get Jacoby baptized but we could never find a weekend that worked for everyone.  And we still didn't but we just went ahead and did it anyways.  I had some family in from out of town and we decided to make a weekend of it.  Saturday we went bowling and the excitement started there.  We played 2 games and the second game my dad just kept hitting strike after strike.  He bowls on a league and has bowled a 298 (twice) and a 299.  But on Saturday he just kept hitting them.  We started to take notice in the 6th frame and from there he just kept going.  We got to the 10th frame and he hit all three bowling his first 300 game EVER.  It was amazing.  Unfortunately since it wasn't during a league or tournament it doesn't count officially but it still happened!

 

For the rest of the afternoon I just spent it at my parents letting the boys play with their cousins.  Leo had so much fun and Jacoby just hung out with me and my mom and aunt.  It was really nice.  That night I had a masquerade party and that was fun too.

 

Sunday was the big day.  We went to mass and sweet, little Jacoby got baptized in front of our family.  It was really nice.  Here he is looking dapper in his sweater vest according to the father that presided over the mass!

 

 

 

After mass we went to breakfast that the church puts on once a month and they had declicious french toast.  Seriously...it was delicious!  Then we went back to my parents house to celebrate Jacoby's first birthday!  I made chocolate cake and ice cream cone cupcakes.  They all turned out really good.  Here are a few pictures of him destroying his cake!  He seemed to like it!

 

 

All in all it was an amazing weekend and we really enjoyed seeing all of my family and celebrating with them.  So much fun!

Top 3

I got this from Vandy (http://tttandme.blogspot.com/2012/10/top-three-several-of-them.html) who got it from Jill and so on and so forth…let’s play!

 

Top 3 movies

·         Breakfast at Tiffany’s

·         Love Actually

·         Collateral Damage

There are so many movies that I love and so this was really tough.  Buuuut…these are probably top 3 but I’m sure some others sneak in there.  The top two are obvious but the third is a little more difficult to explain.  I’m not sure what it is but for reals Arnold Schwarzenegger is probably one of my favorite actors.  It’s my dirty little secret.  But I LOVE his movies.  And this is my favorite!

Top 3 actors

·         Johnny Depp

·         Arnold Schwarzenegger

·         Bruce Willis

Johnny Depp needs no explanation.  He’s a gorgeous piece of man.  He’s number one on my celebrity list.  You know the one I’m talking about.  Then the next two are just people who make good movies.  See above about Arnold.  As for Bruce I love the Die Hard movies…they’re making a 5^th if you haven’t heard.  And he’s pretty good looking I think too!

Top 3 actresses

·         Sandra Bullock

·         Reese Witherspoon

·         Julia Roberts

All three of these ladies are just great actresses and I pretty much love every movie they’ve been in.  My favorites…Sandra (2 Weeks Notice) Reese (Sweet Home Alabama and Legally Blonde) Julia Roberts (Notting Hill)

Top 3 country singers

·         Phil Vassar

·         Kenny Chesney

·         Brad Paisley

Country music is ok.  It’s definitely not my favorite genre but I do like it.  Leo has become a die-hard country fan because of his grandpa so he always asks me to play it.  So I oblige every once in a while.  Phil Vassar is more of a songwriter but he came to concert with Kenny Chesney a long time ago and I saw them and the show was great.  So I’ve gotten a few of his albums and they are good.  And Kenny is just Kenny.  His music is great and his stage presence was so fun.  I like Brad Paisley and his music.  I like that he makes country funny.  Like he knows that people make fun of country music so he makes songs to play on that.  Some of those songs are so dumb though that I have to change the channel (like the song about checking for ticks.  Yuck!)

Top 3 TV shows

·         Bones

·         The New Girl

·         Psych

I love watching TV.  Lately it doesn’t seem like I have as much time and the time I do have isn’t spent watching TV.  But these 3 shows are can’t-misses.  I watch Bones and Psych religiously. Last year Bones was a little odd with Brennan being pregnant and all but this year it’s been a lot better.  Psych is awesome and hilarious and I’m so sad season 7 doesn’t start until January (I think).  The New Girl is very funny. I don’t watch it weekly, I catch up on Hulu when I can.  But so funny.  And I usually watch it while I’m at lunch in the cafeteria and so I have to turn my back to the other people so they don’t think I’m crazy when I start cracking up.  Which is always.

Top 3 travel destinations

·         Seattle

·         Los Angeles

·         Caribbean cruise

The hubby and I are planning a 10 year anniversary trip in 2 years.  Because of that we were trying to come up with somewhere to go.  He mentioned Seattle, I didn’t really know much about what we could do there so I researched it.  And I decided that it is a must-do.  So I am lobbying hard that that is where we pick.  There is just so much to do there.  And even if we go for a week (which is what we are planning for) I still don’t think we’ll get to see everything!  Los Angeles is a place I want to go because the hubby used to go there every summer and he loves it.  So I want to go somewhere he loves.  Plus Disneyland is there and I’ve never been.  So yeah.  And the Caribbean cruise…I’ve been on one before and it’s AWESOME and I want to go back. I don’t really care about specific ports.  I just want the sun and the sand!

Top 3 books

·         Harry Potter series

·         Hunger Game series

·         To Kill a Mockingbird

I read To Kill a Mockingbird when I was in 6^th grade and it had a profound effect on me.  Growing up very sheltered I didn’t realize there were those types of people out there.  Obviously I knew that it was written in a different time period but just seeing how a whole other group of people lived was enlightening.  I have read that book so many times and each time it’s like I find something new to think about.  Just a really good read.  The other two are series and they are amazing.  So if you haven’t read them you’ve either been living under a rock or don’t enjoy keeping up with the Joneses!

Top three curse words:

           

·         Frick

·         Shoot

·         Dangit

 

 

Those are the PG versions of the words that slip out in times of stress or pain.  I can talk with the best of the sailors out there.  But seriously…children has limited the words I use.  At least I try. 

The Final Weigh-In (Until Next Time)

Have you ever taken off your shirt in public just to meet some ridiculous number on a scale?  You haven't?  Well guess what?  I have.  Today was that day.  So just keep reading if you want me to regale you with the most ridiculous story of why I took my shirt off at work just so I could meet my goal and get my 50% reimbursement.

It all started on this cold and blustery morning.  Haha just kidding.  I went to my weigh-in today and I was shy of my goal by 2 ounces.  Yep.  That's right, 2 ounces.  So the lady says to take off my pearls and my ring.  I look at her like she's crazy and she says yep.  So I do.  And I'm still not quite there.  She says, 'you're wearing a sweater.  That has to weigh at least one pound.  You can close the door and I won't look and you'll hit you're goal.'  I again look at her like she's crazy and she told me she took hers of yesterday and that someone else took off their pants.  Now I'm not sure what kind of meeting their having but seriously...I wanted my $72 back.  So off came my sweater.  And by golly that sweater really did weigh one pound.  Because in my magical book that gives me my weight and says I can get my $72 back said I was down 2.2 pounds. 

So...after my 16 weeks of struggling and successes I dropped 10.8 pounds.  I am going to do another 16 week session and my new goal is 4.4 pounds.  That will put me at 132 which will be the top of my height/weight chart but my doctor said my weight is good where it's at.  If I can hit that goal and then keep it there for 6 weeks I will be considered a "lifetime" member and won't have to pay anymore.  Woo hoo!  So yeah...I can check off take my shirt off at work off my bucket list.  Take that corporate america. 

RTT: It's been a while

Wow.  I haven't hit publish (or schedule) since September 21st.  I think this is the longest I've been away from this ol' girl.  I have just been so overwhelmed with life.  It's crazy.  I don't even know what I've been busy with but I've been busy.  But here's to random Tuesday's where I can get out all my random thoughts!

• Today I am home from work with a semi-sick 5 year old.  Leo took his first sick day (and only I don't feel good without any real symptoms that mom will let him get away with) from Kindergarten.  Last night he came in from playing outside and went to his room to play for a bit.  He came out while we were making dinner and said he didn't feel well and would like to not eat dinner.  I told him that was fine but to switch to jammies and lay down in our room to watch TV.  I checked on him in his room and he was drenched in sweat and said he felt dizzy.  I helped him get in jammies and had him lay down.  By the time I got him Sprite and crackers he was asleep.  When he woke up this morning he wasn't running a fever but said his head hurt.  With all the changes in temps I don't know if it's allergies or a bug.  I kept him home to be on the safe side and he's been fine today.  Except he keeps telling me his head still hurts and his tummy hurts.  Who knows.  He doesn't usually complain of ailments so I don't feel too bad keeping him home.
• I was also off yesterday thanks to ol' Christopher Columbus.  I had a pretty nice, relaxing day.  We took Leo to McDonalds for breakfast and actually dropped him off at school instead of him going to Latchkey.  Then we went up to the school for lunch to eat with him.  He was so excited.  After that I started to get all of his and Jacoby's clothes better organized.  I went in and put all the 0-12 months clothes in 1 tote, 18 months in another and the same with 2T, 3T, 4T and 5T.  Then took the baby, and 3T-5T clothes to storage.  I wanted to make sure that I didn't forget I had certain clothes, buy them and then find the old ones later.  I feel much better now!
• Jacoby turns 1 in 8 days!  Yikes!  He is getting baptized on Sunday and then after we are having a birthday/baptism party for him.  I have planned nothing.  And you know what...he's not going to care.  After mass there is a breakfast at the church and I am going to have everyone who comes (just a few family members) eat at the breakfast and then head back to my parents to open presents.  I am going to make some ice cream cone cupcakes.  I'm pretty excited!
• Tomorrow is my final weigh in for Weight Watchers this 16 weeks.  The last time I weighed in I was 1.6 pounds away from my goal.  I'm not sure where I'll be tomorrow.  Hopefully at my goal so I can get my 50% reimbursement!
• I have been slacking on Spin Cycles.  And there have been so many good subjects.  I told Gretchen that I would have to do a week of all spins and I wasn't kidding.  Now I just need to find the time to write them.

Ok well that's it from over in my neck of the woods.  I'm not sure when I'll be back but hopefully when I do I won't be so mind-numbing!  Have a happy Tuesday!