Still using the tab button...

Still tabbing away here! UGH! Found out yesterday though that it is a problem with the operating system. Thanks gateway! So now they are sending me a disc that will erase my computer and start new again. Yipee. So 3-8 business days from now I should be able to manage my way around the web again. Tabbing stinks. Sometimes it won't go where you want it, or if it hits an ad and it expands forget it, you are sitting there on that ad. Blah. So until then...I am off to enjoy cleaning or something. Oh and the house thing...there has been a setback, but hopefully we will be on the move again soon.

Oh someone please help me!!!!!!!!

Victoria is on the move...and fast! She isn't officially 'crawling' but she rolls, scoots, spins...I am not ready for this! I would post pictures, but currently our mouse is broken...mysteriously overnight! So I have to tab through everything, and I am not doing so to post pictures! It is frustrating!

The easy thing would be to go purchase a new mouse...but we just got it. It is still under warranty. Besides, I haven't broken my challenge to myself of not spending any money this month besides on food and gas. Tony informed me we are out of paper towels...too bad honey, it isn't February 1st yet! Lets just hope that we don't run out of toilet paper this week! :)

We did it...we signed our lives away!

We are now officially building a house! YIPEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE! For those of you that know, I am living in an 1100 square foot lovely little house right now with a family of 5, and a dog. We have no closets, and poor Victoria doesn't even have a real bedroom, let alone bed. We have no where to put anything. The boys room is fairly organized, but they also have 6 huge boxes of toys in the basement...some of which will be getting donated. This is a VERY cute little house, if it were just Tony and I, it would be perfect. Even if we just had one kid it would be perfect. But not with three. It is a big open floor plan, can be all first floor living...or has potential to be blown out upstairs for additional bedrooms and bathrooms...we have a HUGE yard, just under 2 acres, and a pond. Very private backyard also...lots of trees, tons of wildlife. Passed Title V...yep, I am advertising. It may be a little early, but we will be putting it on the market...or renting. So if you are looking, or know someone who is looking for a cute little house to rent or buy, send them our way!

Life is busy...

I tell you...I don't know how working moms do it. Trying to get myself and 3 kids ready and out the door in the morning to get 2 of them off to school is hard, and then I have to feed them, and somehow manage to get laundry and such done...and then dinner on the table at 5 (this is what we shoot for) so that we can get the kids in bed around 6ish...yes, 6ish. Our children turn into werewolves after dark. Not so much if they are in jammies tucked into their beds with their eyes closed...so maybe it is Tony and I that turn into the werewolves...I don't know! We are so burnt out by then we are ready for bed ourselves...this was actually me last night. But with a 7 month old who is teething, a 3 year old that is still scared of 'eaters and poppers' and the occasional 6 year old nightmare sleep seems to still be in short supply around here. GGGRRRR!

On to the good stuff...I am going to try to get back to this daily again. It has been tough with everything going on around here. I think I have almost 3000 emails in my inbox...I have a lot of catching up to do! I am also going to be joining in on the contest/giveaway bandwagon. It is a surprise to come...but it is for the kiddos. Hoping to get more traffic too! Boring old me needs some more blogging friends and lives that I can intrude on!

One more thing...anyone ever build a house? How did you not kill your husband? I am going to need some good advice!

So I was at home yesterday working on my forever to-do list, and I started to not feel so wonderful. It started with just itching...which isn't abnormal for me, especially in the winter. Soon I was feeling incredibly hot, almost like I had just sat in the blaring sun for 8 hours hot, and my skin started to feel as though someone was piercing it with tiny needles (think tattoo) so I looked in the mirror, and this is what I saw:

EEEEEEEEEEKKKKKKKKKKKKK! The rash and the strange needle sensation actually traveled all the way down my body. I was also feeling dizzy, and as though someone was cupping my ears and my world was closing in. Oh shit! So I called my mother to come over and get the kids as I was sure that 911 would be getting a call from me any minute. I could feel my face swelling, and I knew that the feeling in my ears was a danger sign of a severe allergic reaction to something. Plus I was now feeling the needles all the way down to my fingertips, and it was starting in on my legs. I have pictures of my entire body, but I will spare you the almost nude shots! I took some Benadryl thanks to my mother reminding me that I do have some power to stop whatever was overtaking my body, and it helped. The next picture shows me about 20 minutes after the Benadryl:

Thankfully I returned to normal...now to figure out what caused it! Due to the severity of the reaction and the time it took to cover my entire body (about 5 minutes from the start I felt it in my toes) I may go see an allergist. I have been meaning to anyway due to my skin issues, so this may actually speed the process.

On to my to do list...a pile of laundry, along with a load of diapers (I should have done these last night...Victoria only has one fitted to wear at the moment!) and clean the kitchen. Oh, and it is trash day...and we are having loads of rain and sleet right now...such fun. I can't wait to take the trash and recycling out!

Glad to be feeling normal again! Have a good day all!

What gives you nightmares???

I am writing this random post because Tony and I have been up the past 2 weeks or so with a petrified 3 year old...seems there are 'eaters' and 'poppers' that have been going to get him. What these mysterious scary things are, I have no idea. Jacob cannot describe them, in fact he thinks it is strange that we cannot see them. Either that or he deserves to win an Academy Award (which is entirely possible). He has been fighting us at bedtime, screaming about the 'eaters' first...they are coming to get him starting with his toes, they little beings scurring around the carpet waiting for us to leave and turn the lights out so they can go eat him. Wowzers! And then there are the 'poppers'. Same sort of thing, little beings, but they are going to pop his bed up, and pop him, not eat him. Last night it was actually so bad that by 3 am Tony put Jacob in our bed and slept on the couch. Jonathan has the occasional nightmare, but it is generally about Darth Vader or something of the like. Nothing like 'eaters' or 'poppers'. But Jacob has an incredible imagination. One like I have never seen before...

I have nightmares now about something happening to my family...more of possible reality dreams. The Jacob Wetterling story still gets me on occasion http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jacob_Wetterling I think of this kid quite regularly. I remember this news story quite vividly, and having nightmares that the same would happen to me. I now have nightmares that the same will happen to one of my children. I don't even want to write about it. It just makes me sick. I cannot imagine losing a child and not actually knowing what happened or really where they are.

Tony has nightmares about Iraq...I don't ask for details.

So, what wakes you up at night? What wakes your kids? And if anyone has any ideas how to rid Jacobs mind of the 'eaters' and 'poppers' please let me know! We have tried the nightlight and the boogeyman spray! He doesn't fall for it!

I did it!

I just need to put new sheets on the beds and vacuum! All done in 1 day! Yipee! We are thinking the six giant boxes in the basement that are filled with toys will find their way to a garage sale or craigslist. Just don't tell the boys! The boxes have been in the basement for 7 months now, and they are not missing them! Never once asked about em' even!

I also didn't spend any money...so I kept on my no purchases in January unless it is groceries and gas! We have plenty of storage stuff in the basement, like the bins. But because we were moving, I took everything out of their room! We are still moving, just not for at least 6 months...ugh.

My largest project...the boys room.

So here are the pictures that have been promised...I am hiding under my chair right now. We have been in the process of moving for oh I don't know...3 + years! So I have chosen not to do much with their bedroom...but all of this is changing. I cannot stand this mess. I can't stand the disorganization. THIS MAKES ME MENTAL! I am hoping that Tony will help me with this today. We want to get Jacobs GeoTrax set up on the bench seat thingy...you would think there was storage under there. There isn't. It is the ceiling to our bedroom. Hopefully I will get to post more pictures tonight of how clean and organized it is...or maybe later this week. I have a list a mile long today.

Here is my food diary from yesterday:

2 trader joes wheat free waffles with cranberry apple butter

1 pear

Spinach salad with tomatoes, orange peppers, red onion and shredded BBQ chicken that I made for Tony's sandwiches.

Cinnamon and sugar corn tortilla chips (I can't let them go to waste!)

Some sort of spicy indian dish with chickpeas, coconut rice and steamed sugar snap peas

2 trader joes chocolate covered bananas...these are actually low in calories...and I did need 2 for some reason.

Okay, I didn't do so well.

It's January 2nd people!

So yesterday was a bust...I didn't get done what I wanted to, and I sat and ate cinnamon and sugar corn tortilla chips (mmmmmmm so yummy!) for dinner. I was just too lazy to make anything. Today I will try harder.

I kicked Tony out of bed this morning to get Jacob at 5 a.m. He needed to get up anyway, and I really didn't want to answer to "MMMMMMMMMooooooooommmmmmmmmmmyyyyyyyyyy" yet. Jacob needed to pee, and who is a better candidate to take him but his father...after all they have the same parts and maybe they can pee together. Jacob likes that. So I pretended to be nursing Victoria. Hee Hee! Bad wife! I was just nursing her though...but she was fast asleep at my side by the time Jacob awoke. I did however get up about 5 minutes later to make Tony his lunch, and send him out the door with a breakfast sandwich. I would have made him coffee, but all of his coffee mugs are in his locker at work. Fantastic place for them! So he will be breaking our challenge of not spending any money besides on groceries or gas for the month. I think that makes up for me kicking him out of bed!

My to do list for the day:

1. Not eat the other half of the bag of cinnamon and sugar corn tortilla chips...this will be tough...but maybe I will turn this into a food journal too...I would hate for everyone to see what I eat all day long!

2. Finish laundry...and put it away.

3. Clean up my disgusting kitchen.

4. Go to the dump to rid kitchen of all the recycling.

That is enough for today. I will start the food journal tomorrow though...you all will help me rid this 20 lbs fast!

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!!!!!

So after taking a few days off...I am back due to popular demand. Well, maybe not popular, but I have had a few comments asking me when I will resume my blog. So here I am!

2008 was good to us, and I have dreams that 2009 will be even better. I have set a few goals for myself, and here they are:

1. Become more organized...it is hard living in a 1100 square foot home with a family of 5 and a dog. But I know I can do it. I have to do it. I am very anal retentive about things, and I am miserable with everything is out of order, like NOW!

2. Be a better Mom and Wife. These are things I think we all work on. We can always be a better mother, wife, friend, daughter, sister, whatever. Hopefully my organizational skills will assist in this!

3. De-clutter. This has been something I have been working on for the past year. I have a tendency to hold on to things...crap actually. I need to be better at looking at things and deciding if I really need it. My organizational skills (which I really do have) will come in handy here too!

4. Stop Shopping. I admit it. I LOVE retail therapy. I love to recieve packages. I love to spend money. Generally it is the thrill of finding a 'good deal', as I am just not one to pay full retail price for anything, but it has to stop. I am challenging myself not to purchase anything but groceries and gasoline. No more trips to Target or the mall.

5. Lose 20 lbs. I look good. I am back to my pre-Victoria weight. But I do the Wii Fit, and it states that I am overweight. Which I am...there are a few pounds in the middle that could go. I took 20 lbs off my Mii, and it put me at a really healthy BMI, so off the weight will come. Hopefully with that I will also get to rid myself of my blood pressure medication. Or at least cut further back on it.

6. Eat better. I have a sugar problem. I CRAVE sugar. Part of it is because of my restricted diet due to Victorias food sensitivities, the other part is that I just love sweets. I need to detox a bit I think, and give up the sugar...or most of it. Like the 3 lb bag of Sweedish Fish that only takes me 3 days to eat...yuck!

That is it for now...what are your New Years Resolutions? The above are not just resolutions for me, it is a total new way of life. These are the nagging things that drive me mental (I know, short trip) and that I have total control over changing.

Does anyone have an organizational skills to share? Please do! I need them desperately! Tasty recipes? Please share! Anyone want to join in my crusade and be held accountable? PLEASE join me...I promise to post pictures of my slimming down, my clean house, my cute and happy kids, and maybe the occasional hubby pic.

Also, please forward to me any blogs or websites that you think might help me with my list!

WAHOO! HAPPY NEW YEAR!