Notes From The Couch

Random Quotes

2011-02-25T17:58:00.002-06:00

Billy: How about I juggle balls?

Me: I don't think that's a good idea.

Billy: How about I just throw them?

- Billy, trying my patience

Random Quotes

2010-12-16T20:48:00.001-06:00

If you give a girl a flower she will kiss you.

- Jimmy

Random Quotes

2010-10-28T13:42:00.000-05:00

Mommy, you're my favorite best girl and Catie is my favorite best girl and I have two best girls

- Billy, my sweet baby

Random Quotes

2010-10-25T17:06:00.001-05:00

Jimmy called me a dorky-head.

- Billy. And so it begins.

Whoa....

2010-10-16T10:15:00.002-05:00

okay, my previous post with me and my Yiayia? Notice the time of the post...10:10am. She died last Sunday, 10-10-10.

Seriously Yiayia, you are awesome.

Picture of the Week

2010-10-16T10:10:00.002-05:00

Me and my Yiayia on my wedding day...I will miss her so much

Just Shy of Three Years

2010-10-16T09:52:00.002-05:00

I was laying in bed this morning reminding myself today is the 16th (I have to do this from time to time during the week or else I'll still think it's March) and it occurred to me I started this blog roughly 3 years ago. I just had to post this morning.

Obviously I haven't been around much. Part of it is busy. Part of it is brain-mush. Part of it was due to my computer being so clogged with videos and pics I had no memory left on the hard drive and was unable to use iPhoto or iMovie. Kinda makes it hard to blog about anything if you have no working braincells and no working computer.

A lot of things have happened during my hiatus...Catie turned one, Jimmy started Kindergarten and my dear Yiayia passed away (a week ago tomorrow). I regret not blogging. I think the reason my brain is so mushy is because so many thoughts have clogged it, sort of like my hard drive. Time to unload it all and get both my mind and my computer working again.

So, happy almost 3 year anniversary (ugh, I hate that blogiversary bullshit). Time to start chatting again.

Hello? Hello? Anyone there?

2010-06-19T22:17:00.003-05:00

Two months...TWO MONTHS since I last posted!! We are indeed, alive. And we're actually well too. It's just been really, really busy (no shit?).

So what's been going on?

Catie turned 9 months old
Catie started crawling
Billy is completely potty trained (well, not at night but that's pretty much expected)
Catie can pull herself up
the boys got bunk beds
Catie is out of our room and in the crib in the boys' room (yes, all three in one room)
Jimmy went to his first Cubs game
the boys finished their Spring activities at the Park District
Catie turned 10 months old
Catie has 5 teeth
Jimmy finished his first year of school (Pre-K)

That's it in a nutshell. With Catie moving and being her own person things are definitely crazy busy now. But now with school being over and with camp fast approaching, I'm hoping I'll have a little more time to update.

** speaking of LOST, I watched the Series Finale. My thoughts? As a final episode I thought it was good...until you looked back on all that happened during the six seasons and all I could say was 'What THE FUCK'. So it was a good finale and it sucked all at once. Pretty much like the show itself.

Random Quotes

2010-05-11T18:50:00.001-05:00

Awww. Catie's not brave.

- Jimmy, watching as I cleaned Catie's face as she screamed.

Picture of the Week

2010-04-23T20:47:00.002-05:00

Like Mother, Like Daughter...23 April

Summer Lovin' Part II

2010-04-19T22:46:00.004-05:00

Believe it or not today was the day for online registration for Summer programs through the Chicago Park District. I'm seriously in shock...one year ago today (or tomorrow?) I signed Jimmy up for his first summer camp. And here I was getting ready to do it again. Nuts.

I've been waiting patiently for today. I've been pretty lucky getting classes for the boys but this last registration put the fear of God in me. It was pretty hardcore. And if Spring was that crazy imagine what Summer was going to be like. So I did what I've been doing the last couple of years now....researching, planning and setting up alarms all over the house for registration day. Jimmy will be repeating his camp (meets 3 days for 5 hours) and Billy will be doing the 3 year old version of it (meets 2 days for 2.5 hours each).

I was nervous I wasn't going to get a slot. But I saw there were 60 available for his group and felt a little reassured. I mentioned it to a couple of the moms at Jimmy's school and we were all ready at our computers this morning. I'd been sitting at my laptop since 7AM...waiting. Around 8:45AM I had my credit card waiting right next to me. All three fed? check. Catie's diaper changed? check. I slipped off my rings to get my fingers 'typing ready' and waited. At 8:51AM Billy approached me and told me he had to poop. 'NOW????', I shouted. 'You have to go NOW????'. I threw him atop the toilet, shouted for him to hurry and scurried back to my laptop. At 8:57 AM I shut off all my IMs. Nothing and no one was going to interrupt me.

9:00AM. I swiftly typed the Jimmy's name in the camp I wanted. REGISTER REGISTER REGISTER!! Why the hell wasn't Jimmy's name registering?? It finally worked and I went on to register Billy. His took right away. I proceeded to check out and noticed actually registered Jimmy three times. Well, at least I know he's in. I corrected my errors, paid at checkout and sighed a relieved sigh. We're officially ready for summer.

And the good news? I mentioned it to some of the moms at school (and in our neighborhood) so two of Jimmy's friends also be in camp with him. I am beyond thrilled.

(But seriously....a whole year already)

Random Quotes

2010-04-18T09:04:00.001-05:00

Billy, we have to turn the light off to keep the earth clean.

- Jimmy, going Green

Fun with Dinner

2010-04-13T23:02:00.002-05:00

Cate, 8 months old

Haikus From The Couch

2010-04-10T22:12:00.002-05:00

Taking a deep breath
I can see the light a bit
Patience, grasshopper

Picture of the Week

2010-04-10T22:05:00.003-05:00

Jimmy and Billy at their Run, Hit & Throw program at the Park District...9 April

What's Going On...

2010-04-10T20:37:00.005-05:00

I've been meaning to catch up on things but life and laundry got in the way.

***

The boys started their Park District programs last week and just love them! Mondays are definitely busy. Between dropping Jimmy off at school to taking Billy to his Sing-A-Long class to picking him up, to picking up Jimmy, feeding everyone and then going to tumbling...sigh. But I do get two hours alone with Catie which is a great treat. When they were at tumbling, we went for coffee...

***

Fucking Kate Gosselin is getting another show.

"In this new series, Kate Gosselin travels around the country to find out how other people juggle work, family and all the other challenges life throws at them," TLC said in its announcement.

What the Hell is wrong with people. a) the people who watch this shit. b) the people who watch this shit AND BELIEVE this shit. c) the people who agree to look like assholes and be 'saved' by this bitch

Let's see. How does Kate juggle whoring herself out and caring for her kids? She's not the one caring for them! She's too busy getting free $7K weaves that look like shit.

I hate HATE HATE that I know this woman and that she's thrown in my face. I hate that this is who we now call celebrities.

***

Speaking of TV, why are we so obsessed with Tiger Woods? So he fucked around on his wife. This is shocking news? Who cares! And why is he talking so much about it? And making commercials with his dead father talking to him?

This is why I don't watch TV anymore. I'm done.

***

My membership to the gym ended last August. It was perfect timing obviously, I just had Catie so there was no need to put it on hold or renew it or anything until we had enough of a stable schedule for me to comfortably escape for at least an hour. My friend Shannon had a membership to the same gym chain and wanted to get rid of it so I agreed to take it over for her. It looks like the transfer finally went through (I'll know for sure come Monday) so hopefully starting next week I'll be back to working out. I'm thrilled. I love Catie but damn..she messed up my body. And that was with working out until 38 weeks!!! I'm beyond thrilled at the idea of toning up this flab, and can't wait to get an hour alone with just me and my music.

***

Picture of the Week

2010-04-03T21:27:00.002-05:00

Cate, sleeping...2 April

Can't Get Over the Rainbow

2010-04-03T15:26:00.007-05:00

I feel all I do lately is complain. It's been a rough few weeks now. It started with Vomit-o-Rama and it just keeps going. To say I'm sick of it all is an understatement.

Cate's been sick this whole week. Low grade fever and really, really congested. So much it scares the shit out of you when you hear her coughing while she's trying to sleep. I ended up putting her in her carseat carrier so she could sleep somewhat upright and not choke while she started coughing. And you know it was bad when she wasn't her usual smiley, happy self. By Thursday her fever was gone but I called the doc to get her in before the weekend. Her appointment went pretty much as I expected...she's sick. Her lungs/ears are fine. But she did call in a script in case her fever returns this weekend. Her cough is still there and I was told to be prepared for it to linger for another two weeks.

Billy is once again out of sorts. He's the hardest to deal with. He's normally such a happy guy and lately he's just so miserable. He's also crying out in his sleep. And not just little instances, he's literally screaming in his sleep. I'm not sure if it's because he's fighting something or just overtired (we've been playing outside a lot) but it's frustrating, scary and I'll say it...annoying as all Hell.

And then remember this little nugget?

I don't dare say anything about my health for fear of jinxing it.

Yep. I'm Jinxed. It was right about Thursday afternoon when I started coughing and sneezing and my head was ready to explode. When Daddy gets sick, he gets sick. When Mommy gets sick, it sucks to be you. Because there is no stopping when I get sick. I still have to wake up and feed them and clothe them and deal with them and wipe their asses and feed them again and clean them again and play with them and cart them around and tell them to stop and entertain them and pull them apart and wipe their asses again and it goes on and on and on until they go to bed (and in Billy's case, scream out in his sleep until 3AM).

Years ago a friend once commented that I'm such a positive person and always have rainbows shooting out of my ass. I could really use some of that Roy G. Biv right about now.

I'm trying to be ill...

2010-03-27T21:41:00.004-05:00

And to show I have a sense of humor, here is a clip of one of the best best best shows of all-time....

Download:

FLV MP4 3GP

As the Stomach Turns...

2010-03-27T21:28:00.005-05:00

And to continue our never-ending saga of someone being sick...

Mike has been coughing for a month now and I'm going to say it...it's really annoying. Yes I feel sorry for him, yes I'm worried. He's not getting any sleep and I'm not getting any sleep. But please, just stop coughing!

Billy finished off his antibiotics this morning and guess what? He had a fever last night! And a slight one tonight with a runny nose. Oh fucking joy.

Catie had a temp of 101.2 degrees tonight and a congested cough.

And Jimmy had a cough all week. It finally cleared up a bit Thursday and last night and came back with a vengeance tonight when he went to bed. So much that he threw up. I've become a pro at stripping the bed/his jammies off and doing a load of laundry at 9PM.

I don't dare say anything about my health for fear of jinxing it.

Going to the show

2010-03-27T20:34:00.004-05:00

Mike has been suggesting for a good year taking both the boys to a movie. Jimmy has seen a few films in the theater so far ...Billy, none. We took Jimmy to his first movie when he was about 3.5 years old and that turned out to be a really pleasant experience. So I pretty much wanted to wait a little bit before taking Billy to his first. Today we dropped Cate off at my parents and took the boys to see How to Train Your Dragon which opened yesterday.

Jimmy absolutely loved it. He sat and followed the story and talked about it afterwards. Billy...eh, not so much. I think the storyline was a bit over his head and well, he was way more into the bag of popcorn on his lap (which he refused to let go). We also met our neighbor and their son and we all sat together and enjoyed the movie.

My ten second review: Not as many laughs as let's say Toy Story but a really good story, action and visually it was great. The scenes with the fleets sailing in the waters were so lifelike, you had to remind yourself you were watching animation. And the dragons flying were sooo fun! Really a great movie.

On a related note, Toy Story 3 comes out June 18th and I cannot wait!

Picture of the Week

2010-03-26T13:36:00.002-05:00

Me* and Catie at Chief O'Neills' brunch with the girls....21 March

*Any pic that includes mommy is instantly POTW

Happy Happy oh my friend

2010-03-26T13:26:00.003-05:00

Many happy birthday wishes to Tommy B.
who is celebrating his birthday today!

Before and After

2010-03-22T12:18:00.003-05:00

She has the exact same facial expression...amazing!

Picture of the Week

2010-03-20T00:18:00.001-05:00

Billy and Jimmy on our way home from school...18 March

Spring 2010

2010-03-19T23:06:00.003-05:00

We got our first taste of Spring this week. I never really suffered Cabin Fever until I stayed home with the kids (because prior to meeting Mike and getting married my ass was usually in Mexico right around February/March). It's usually around January when I question if I should have quit working because the kids are locked in the house going crazy which makes me crazy.

But it's weeks such as these you are forever grateful you're not working. All those horrible winter days stuck in the house with the beasts is nothing but a faded memory now (well, not really).

This week the temps climbed into the 50s and 60s. We played outside and I strapped Catie and Billy in the Double-Wide and walked to pick up Jimmy from school. I was never able to do that last fall because Catie was too little for the stroller (not really, I couldn't figure out how to adjust the straps on the stroller...don't judge!).

The one bummer thing this week was Billy being sick, again. First the stomach flu, followed by a head cold and cough, then not a week later getting yet another cold. Wednesday I took him to the doc and while he didn't have a full-on ear infection, it was a little red and so we went with some antibiotics to fight whatever he's been fighting off for the last month.

Today we packed up a lunch, picked up Jimmy from school and along with 4 other moms and their kids had a picnic in the park. It felt sooo nice to be out with a light jacket and the kids had a fabulous time. I can't tell you how nice it's been not having to break up fight after fight after fight. For the first time in a long time the day was filled with smiles.

Of course it being Chicago, it's going to snow tomorrow.

Random Quotes

2010-03-17T09:11:00.003-05:00

My name is Jimmy, mom.

Jimmy, when I mistakenly thought his brother was in the bathroom and said "Oh sorry, I thought you were Billy"

Email Inbox

2010-03-16T20:24:00.006-05:00

Warning: Shameless Bragging Mother Post

Each month the children in Jimmy's class are assigned a day for Show & Tell. For the first few months the children could bring in a favorite toy or whatever they wished. In January once school resumed after the winter break, the children could no longer bring in toys and had to bring a book to read to the class. Obviously they're not really reading the book, just retelling it.

Today was Jimmy's day. He decided to bring Five Little Monkeys Bake a Birthday Cake to read to his class. We practiced it a couple of times, I dropped him off to school and wished him luck.

When I picked him up today his teacher told me he did a fantastic job and read with a lot of drama and passion and his classmates really listened. It was really nice to hear. I told Jimmy I was so proud of him and he did a great job. Tonight I received this email from his teacher...

Hi Mrs. Conlon, (ha!! I know, right???)

When we spoke earlier, I forgot to mention that you are always welcome to come in and watch Jimmy's Show & Tell. We do Show and Tell within the first half hour so many moms come in with the children, then leave right after.

It really was a great reading - his enthusiasm of course had a lot to do with it but he did go page by page and did what he was supposed to. I really don't expect them to be "reading."

Jimmy truly has that special gift of personality - all the kids are drawn to him. (Of course he had to preface each page by saying - "oh, this is the funny part!")

Have a good evening,

L

I am SO proud of him. (sniffle)

Random Quotes

2010-03-12T17:16:00.003-06:00

(The Scene: Me and Jimmy sitting on the couch. Catie sitting on the floor in front of us)

Me: Catie! Say 'mama'. 'Ma-ma'! Say 'mama....MAAAA-MAAA....'

Jimmy: 'Big Brother!' Say 'Big Brother!!'

Picture of the Week

2010-03-12T16:49:00.003-06:00

Going for a walk. Jimmy is in the blue jacket and Billy is in orange. Jimmy's arms outstretched says it all...Spring has finally arrived in Chicago....taken yesterday, 11 March

Reason #87253...

2010-03-12T10:22:00.003-06:00

...I know my kids are fucking with me.

We have one of those little kiddie tables in the house. The boys usually play, color/draw/paint and eat some of their meals on it.

There is one particular side of the table the boys fight over. Every time they sit down to eat they want to sit "at the front" (which isn't even the front, it's the left side but whatever). And each and every time one of them will race to that side, sit on the chair while the other one is dragging his ass off of it, all the while both scream, cry and shout. And each and every time I have to pull them apart and tell them to take turns...this time Jimmy will sit, the next time Billy will sit and so on and so on and so on...ad fucking nauseaum until my head explodes.

Tuesday and Friday mornings are a big treat for me because Billy has school. Mike does the drop off so it tends to be quiet seeing that Billy is usually gone from 7:30 AM until noon. I enjoyed my coffee in silence as Catie napped and Jimmy played. And then breakfast was served...

"Jimmy, come sit at the table, your oatmeal is ready."

He ran passed me and I turned to hand him his milk and oatmeal and what do I see? Jimmy sitting alone at the table...not at the side they constantly fight over. In fact he was sitting at the side they usually fight not to side on, the condemned side. The loser side.

"Jimmy! Why don't you sit at the front of the table??", I said shocked and exasperated at the same time.

"Hmmm, I don't want to. I like this side."

***

I will never understand them.

Release the Kracken!

2010-03-11T22:05:00.004-06:00

I lived in Chicago until I was 9 years old. Our house was about a half mile away from our Church. At the time, St. Demetrios Greek Orthodox Church was one of the only Greek churches on the NW side of the city and pretty much the outlying suburbs (Skokie, Lincolnwood, Glenview, Niles). This meant everyone about a good 2 miles from St. D's was Off The Boat Greek with a bunch of first generation children. The area I speak of is the now totally trendy and much desired, Lincoln Square.

One of my dad's favorite stories (which is horrifying nowadays) is how the Principal would screen incoming Kindergartners. My dad took my brother George to registration where the Principal squatted down to look him in the eye and asked his name.

"In English it's Ge.orge Ana.st. In Greek it's Giorgios Anastasopoulos". Done, he was English speaking. Welcome to Budlong. This however did not exclude us from attending Greek School too.

Our grade school was right across the street from St. D's. Every day we'd go to school and every Monday, Wednesday, Friday we'd cross the street and then go to Greek School for a couple of hours. And every Sunday we'd go to Church and Sunday school. For the first 9 years of my life I just assumed everyone was Greek seeing that was pretty much all I was exposed to.

In Greek school we were taught reading, writing, grammar, history, religion and mythology. Seriously. 6 year olds were taught mythology. In Greek. And for me at least, it was some scary shit. Medusa and maidens being kidnapped to Hades and Cyclopes. In 4th Grade my parents up and moved us out to the Suburbs where I continued with Greek School (we had to attend 1st - 6th grades).

Around that time cable became available. It was fabulous! Movies in the comfort of our home! Sure they'd play the same movies over and over and over again but who cares! Ice Castles and Touched by Love and Coal Miner's Daughter. And one of the biggest ones of all, Clash of the Titans.

I mean, everyone in my family loved this. My brother loved the special effects. My parents because, hello? And yes I thought Harry Hamlin was dreamy cute but really, I finally got to watch what I had been taught to read for all those years. The stories finally came to life. And it wasn't so scary afterall, it was pretty cool. Every once in awhile if I'm lucky, I can catch it on TBS and will drop everything to watch it.

Clash has been remade and is being released next month and I have to say, I'm pretty excited to see it. I just hope it lives up to the original.

I just have to try and get Laurence Oliver's voice out of my head..."find and fulfill your destiny".

(sidenote: look how awful that kracken is)

7 months

2010-03-10T22:09:00.003-06:00

It's been a fantastic 7 months. She's such a good baby. Not that I don't like the infant stage, who doesn't like a little baby but she was so good she made me truly relish it. Best of all I didn't have that "oh I wish I let myself enjoy it more" regret because she made it all so so easy.

And now, the fun really begins.

Random Quotes

2010-03-10T14:30:00.001-06:00

Can you close the door?

- Billy, asking for privacy in the bathroom so he can take a dump

Pooped

2010-03-09T21:33:00.005-06:00

It was 2 weeks ago tomorrow when ConlonVomit-o-Rama 2010 hit our home. It only lasted a few hours but it took a good 2 days for the boys to recover. Unfortunately for me it's taking 2 weeks.

Laundry came to a halt. Cleaning came to standstill. My earth was knocked off its axis and I'm trying to get things back in order. Two weeks later and I'm finally catching up with washing everything and tidying up the place. Thankfully I was able to beat off a cold (Mike and the boys not so lucky and little Cate has a stuffy nose for 4 days now).

In all this time some major things have happened. Catie has started cereal. I didn't bother with rice and went straight to oatmeal mixed with a little breastmilk. She loooooves it! I also gave her a little smashed up banana which she seemed to enjoy too (you wouldn't guess it by this picture).

She's also sitting up. This seriously has to be my favorite milestone! I can finally sit her down and get some things done. It's especially sweet when we go to someone's house. While it's just another reminder of how fast things are going (and how she's not going to be so teeny small forever, sniff) it really is pretty exciting.

So while I'm pretty exhausted trying to keep my head above water, it's been pretty fun.

***

I wouldn't be a Mom if I didn't talk about poop. There have been some major poop events in this house the last two weeks. The obvious one is the aftershocks of ConlonVomit-o-Rama of course, but two bittersweet moments also took place.

One of the major advantages of exclusively breastfeeding your baby is the poops. BF poops are pleasant. They're not stinky, they're not toxic. You can leave your baby in a poopy diaper overnight and there is little chance your baby will get a rash (per my Pediatrician and I can attest to that). As insane as it sounds BF poops have a scent only a BF mom can truly love.

For me and Cate this is all coming to an end. With the introduction of solids so go the nice poops. I'm still breastfeeding and mixing cereal with only breastmilk but her poops have already started to change. Still not too stinky but it's only a matter of time. It made me sad when it happened with the boys and it really hurts now because I know I'll never experience this again. Funny how the thought of never experiencing pregnancy and the kicks and childbirth don't get to me, it's the damn poops.

Speaking of poops Billy finally....FINALLY pooped in the toilet today. First time ever. It was a huge moment to say the least and such a relief. For the last week he was still wetting himself but in the last few days he would go to the bathroom on his own (he wouldn't tell me he had to go which was weird). Today I could tell he was going to poop (um, him squatting gave it away) so I grabbed him, popped him on the toilet and told him to let it go. He was really afraid and kept telling me he couldn't do it but then I told him to push and plop...that was it and I could see the little light bulb above his head flip on. From that moment on he crapped 4 more times, he was thrilled with his new trick. All this time I was begging for him to shit in the toilet and by the end of today I found myself begging him to stop. But really, it's made me so very happy.

Notes From The Couch LIVE - Oscars 2010

2010-03-07T19:41:00.001-06:00

Okay, so a little late...but here we go!

7:40PM...It's been pretty funny so far!

Mike keeps talking and I'm missing shit!

Sandra really does look pretty tonight.

Really, why is Taylor Launter there? He's really unbelievably ugly.

7:45. I once had a naughty dream about Matt Damon and after that found him attractive.

Quentin Tarantino really should stop the plastic surgery. I didn't see Inglorious Basterds but I heard this guy really was amazing.

RYAN REYNOLDS!!! Oh my boyfriend! Why is he in clothes??

7:54PM....DAMN MIKE! (just poured me a glass of wine)

Not that I'm complaining, just a REAL big glass.

LOL, hhahaa Jimmy Kimmel commercial

Really?? Cameron Diaz???

And Cameron is looking a bit old, is it me? The shiny makeup isn't helping her at all. That and well, I can't stand her.

(mmmm, this Cab is good!)

ha! Bradley Cooper! If I make fun and say he has Gayface, how many people will yell at me?

Oh Miley....put your shoulders back!!!

This is why teen girls should not be put on stage!

and someone needs to take that bag of oats out of Miley's mouth the next time she opens it to speak.

I'm getting dizzy doing this, the comments section and going to Twitter! This is work!

Ew! No, I don't want to see District 9.

LOL, loving this nerdy Geek Intel commercial....'eeeeeelectronic mail'

Why is Tina Fey suddenly not dressing pretty? And why is her hair awful? And I'm sorry, RDJ take off your glasses...yeah, I said it Rachel.

How did I not know Woody Harrelson was in a movie? Isn't he in two movies right now? Where the hell have I been?

Twitter is all atwitter (ha) at how bad Steve/Alec are? Really???

Mike: Why are these two relevant at all? (Molly Ringwald/Ferris Bueller)

Oh Nature, I fucking hate Molly Ringwald. Miss John Hughes.

Oh John Hughes...those aren't pillows!

GREAT montage!

Oh that girl needs a little sun. And mullet dresses (short/long in back) don't look good on anyone. Sorry.

The Devil Wears Prada is one of Mike's favorite movies (snicker). Mike: "I don't care"

hahaha, That Prudence movie winner was VERY excited! GIRL, you won!!! who the hell is this broad???

LOLLLLLLL. hahahah Ben Stiller. Oh Fuck you James Cameron

I love watching these non-celebs wearing just normal frocks you'd find off-the-rack at Macy's.

ohhh, haven't seen Kate Winslet's dress but she looked beautiful (well, her head)

Look, it's The Dude

Where have I been hiding this last year?? A Serious Man? Never heard of it. Looks very good, very painful/sad to watch.

Oh Rachel McAdams...no no no. Rachel, look at your Jakey.   Ohhhh George Clooney!!!

Penelope Cruz has that problem where all her dresses look like they've been plucked out of the '80s. She looks gorgeous but that dress...not working for me.

ohhh Lenny Kravitz!

Okay, which one of my children woke up??? LET YOUR MOMMY HAVE A NIGHT OFF!!!!

Shame on you SJP...SHAME ON YOU. And shame on your hairdresser who allowed all those flyaways.

Who is this smug bitch? Look at her standing there "oh I already have two of these"

Valerie....Taylor is looking at you!

Ewwwww! That girl just coughed!

I must be getting old. It just seems none of the real big stars show up to the Awards shows anymore.

Thumbs Down on Elizabeth Banks' dress (sorry!!!! I like you!!!)

Mmm, BJ Novack.   Mmmmmm.

I like Sandra Bullock's dress. I don't think I'd ever say that. Bravo. And her hair is awesome!

(James Taylor) Mike: Oh Lord! Me: I like James Taylor.

Ladies and Gentlemen....Hot Man (Gerard Butler) and Gayface (Bradley Cooper)

Ohhh Jason Bateman! swoon and licky licky!!!

cry. I only have like, 1.5 sips left of wine. Cry cry cry

Everyone on Twitter is going crazy that Farrah wasn't included in the In Memorium montage...she was mainly TV though,right?

Although I did scoff that Michael Jackson was included.   I don't think any of his music was Oscar nominated.

I really need to go and see more movies. And find a reliable babysitter.

Jeff Bridges gives me the creeps!! I'm sorry!

and Michelle Pfeiffer is gorgeous. Always. But I don't like her dress.

Okay, the chick from Up in the Air is annoying. Oh George Clooney.

And while this little Best Actor lovefest is nice and all, it's stupid. And we know Jeff is going to win. Move on.

WOW!!!!! Kate Winslet looks AMAZING!!!! and so thin!

Welll duh. Jeff Bridges.

Peter Sarsgaard is MAJOR YUM. Fucking hot!

And once again...Helen Mirren, showing the women of the world how it's done. Amazingly gorgeous.

Sandra looks amazing! But I hate to say this...let the divorce countdown begin.

I should be thrilled that a woman has won but seriously I'm happier that James Cameron lost.

LOST AGAIN!!!! The most boring Oscars ever just became the greatest night!!!

Random Quotes

2010-03-02T21:49:00.000-06:00

Mommy, Catie is my favorite brother.

- Billy, still not getting it

Happy Birthday

2010-02-28T17:41:00.002-06:00

Wishing Grace M. a very Happy 10th Birthday!!!

Email Inbox

2010-02-26T22:09:00.003-06:00

Many thanks to my sister-in-law Julie for emailing me this (hello??? from Hong Kong). This is exactly what happened!

Chicago Park District classes: Registration takes drill-team precision - chicagotribune.com

Posted using ShareThis

Random Quotes

2010-02-26T21:31:00.001-06:00

I brave....I brave!!!!

- Billy, in between cries and throwing up

Picture of the Week

2010-02-26T21:29:00.002-06:00

- Jimmy and Billy sucking on Pedialyte pops...25 February

Mommy Scouts

2010-02-26T20:19:00.005-06:00

Oh Thank God I haven't had to deal with the stomach flu...

- me, thinking it to myself while listening to one of the moms at school talking about her son being sick for the last two days....Wednesday afternoon at pick up.

***

When it comes to sick kids I've been pretty lucky in my 5 years of being a Mom to Kids. Jimmy got his first ear infection at 2 years of age. Billy, 18 months. No infant reflux. No chronic whatever. With the exception of what happened at Thanksgiving, it really hasn't been bad.

That was before Wednesday.

Tuesday night Jimmy had a little bit of trouble sleeping. He fell asleep just fine but for about 2 hours he kept crying out. I'd go in, try to rouse him from what I was guessing a nightmare, try to snap him out of whatever was making him cry out. He was pretty out of it and would half answer my questions and then collapse back on his pillow and pass out. After maybe 3 or 4 times of doing this he finally settled down and didn't wake up again until morning.

Wednesday night all three were asleep by about 8PM. Mike was on the couch watching the Olympics or whatever bad show, I poured myself a glass of wine, flipped open my laptop and sat on my end of the couch. I had 4 hours of doing whatever ahead of me, it's my favorite time of the day. And Jimmy cried out.

Mike and I looked at each other. I sipped my wine and gave him a "don't-even-think-of-looking-at-me-I-just-got-out-of-there" look, turned and started playing Bejeweled or chatting with Rachel or whatever. He disappeared for a minute or so and came back out.

A little while later Mike turned and asked me how I was feeling. I tend to tease Mike and his delicate constitution while I have a stomach of steel. And I'll be honest, I do get a little pissed as if he is suggesting my cooking/dinner made him sick. I said I felt fine (duh) and asked what exactly was wrong. He went on to mention how 5 or 6 people from his office were out with the stomach flu. And that little voice in my head mockingly repeated my earlier words...Oh Thank God I haven't had to deal with the stomach flu...

Jimmy cried out again. My cue for my turn. I went into his room and asked how he was feeling. He told me his tummy hurt. And my brain started screaming because I suddenly heard a thousand voices in my head. The mom from school. Mike telling me his coworkers were all sick. And my stupid, stupid voice saying how fucking lucky I am that I haven't had to deal with the stomach flu. Jimmy fell back on his pillow and went to sleep.

I went back out to the living room. Mike was no longer on the couch but in the bathroom. I cringed and heard him get sick. Fuck. fuck fuck fuck fuck.

A little while later he came and sat on the couch and we both just sat there. Waiting. Part of me kept clinging to my past history...kids have been sick before without Jimmy or Billy coming home with anything. Mike is so delicate when it comes to his stomach, he probably just ate some crap at lunch and it was coming back with a vengeance. Don't freak out, don't worry. And then...

Cry. Cry cry cry and that unmistakable sound of vomit. And then, Billy screaming.

FUUUUUUUUUCK. It was supposed to be Jimmy, not Billy. I grabbed him out of bed, ran him to the bathroom, threw him to Mike, went to grab clean clothes, stripped his bed, ran back to strip him of his clothes, all the while praying he wouldn't wake the baby and/or Jimmy. He threw up a little more, we calmed him down and I left him and Mike in the bathroom so I could get his bed ready. It was going to be a long night. Really.fucking.long.

Not 15 minutes later it was Jimmy's turn. And I stood there and thought of one thing...

That's the chick from Poltergeist who runs up to the house and starts screaming "...what's happening????" (I'm pissed I couldn't find the video clip). My night suddenly became endless.

So from about 9PM until 2AM my three boys puked, cried and screamed. I ran with buckets and stripped beds and changed clothes and sat there petrified. That I would start throwing up. That Catie would start throwing up. And I wondered how long this hell would continue.

By 2AM there was pretty much nothing left in their stomachs. The boys were exhausted and tried to sleep but were begging me for water. I think that was the hardest thing to deal with. I would hold them and rock them and rub their heads to get them to sleep and they would cry to me for water which I couldn't give them because they immediately threw it up again. I told them they could drink all the water they wanted when it was morning but for now they had to sleep. Finally they settled down. Every half hour or so one would cry out but by 4am they were out for the night. At least I think they did because that was the last time I remember looking at the clock until 5:30AM when Billy woke up.

Thursday was pretty much all of us sleeping the day away. I was still on guard that someone would get sick again and I still wasn't convinced I was out of the woods but thankfully no more vomit. Our Hell had come to an end. By Friday they were all eating a bit of food and drinking water. And at this writing I'm still feeling fine.

I undoubtedly earned my Vomit Badge and I wear it proudly.

***

Cate, my sweet Cate looked out for her mommy and woke up once around 2:30AM wanting to be fed. I lay in bed with her by my side and just stared into the darkness replaying the whole night in my head. I am so lucky she did her part to help me out.

Luck of the Greek

2010-02-22T23:02:00.003-06:00

About a month or so ago I received an email from the Chicago Park District informing me registration for Spring programs was Monday, February 22nd. We've had major success with the programs through the park district and I've been wanting to sign both boys up for classes but haven't been able to since Cate was born. I didn't even think about looking at Fall classes but I did take a peek at what Winter had to offer. Of course they had a lot to offer but I was disappointed to find the majority of programs that fit our needs usually conflicted with Jimmy's school. Really annoying. Most either started and/or ended right when school started and/or ended. Frustrating to say the least.

So for the last week I've been checking out all the different options at a number of parks and ranking what the boys would like most and what would fit our schedules. One aspect I was most excited about was some programs were for 3-5 year olds so it was possible to actually get them in the same class. I researched, I prepped and I set a number of alarms on my Mac and iPhone for 9:00 AM today.

This is the worst time of the year. I have Cabin Fever. The boys have Cabin Fever. Our nerves are shot and our patience is thin and I can't be that shrieking banshee anymore. I have to get them out or they're going to come and take me away, ha-haaa, heehee, hoho...

I was a nervous wreck. Up until today I have been beyond lucky getting into Tumbling and Camp. I have heard what registration is like and how classes fill up within a minute. I watched the countdown clock on the CPD's website and waited. If the kids cried, too bad. Hungry? You're going to have to wait! Nothing was going to interfere with my plan. I watched as the clock ticked down....1 minute 30 seconds to go...

...3

...2

...1

I quickly found the classes that I wanted and hit the registration button. I typed the boys' names as fast as I could, freaking out for a second as to who I was putting in where but who cares...someone is going to get in. As I would type their names I would see the Available Slots tick down....holy shit, they weren't kidding!!! I freaked out, oh please oh please oh please let me get at least one class. My heart was freaking out and I literally fought off a panic attack. And there it was...I had them and was ready to pay. I looked at the clock in the corner of my laptop...9:02 AM. To quote Billy, "I did it". For the next half hour I sat catatonic on the couch...that was a fucking nightmare.

So here is our schedule from March 29 through June 6:

Mondays, 11:30 AM - 12: 30 PM Billy will be attending Sing-Along

Mondays, 3 PM - 4 PM Both boys will be in Tiny Tots Tumbling

Fridays, 5:30 PM - 6:30 PM Both boys will be in Run, Hit & Throw (oh this will be interesting)

It's going to be a lot of running around but it's going to break up the week a bit (well, Monday is going to be one big blur) and it'll give them the chance to blow off some much needed steam. And while it's going to be busy, it's still an hour of no one fighting.

Bring on Spring.

Traces of Jen

2010-02-21T08:21:00.006-06:00

A whole week gone by without a post? It's been a busy week and I have to say, the good kind. What the hell happened, I actually had a social life!

Monday was Presidents' Day so Mike was home tinkering around in the basement with his dad and the boys while Cate and I went to lunch with my friend Rachel. We went to Uncle Julio's for steak fajitas and chips and salsa.

Late Thursday afternoon I called my friend Ryan to wish him a happy birthday. I asked if he was doing anything special, he said no and before you knew it we decided to meet for drinks once the kids were in bed.

Friday Jimmy and some friends had a playdate at a friend's house (there was no school). Me and the other moms stayed for a cup of coffee, I quickly ran an errand and picked Billy up from school and stopped back in to finish lunch. The next thing you know it's 4pm, 2 bottles of wine were empty and 4 moms and 10 kids called it a day. Now that's my kind of playdate.

And finally, Mike and I got to escape for the night and go to Ryan's Birthday Party at Delilah's. Not only was it nice to get out and catch up with friends but it was also in Mike's old neighborhood so it brought back a lot of memories. Felt so good to be back even if it was only for a couple of hours.

So apparently I was 25 years old again this week. As tired as I am this morning (ooooh so tired...reason why this post is pretty to the point) I really had a fun time. Those little traces of me are coming back.

Now if I could just crawl back into bed.

Haikus From the Couch

2010-02-14T20:38:00.002-06:00

Thank you for your heart
3 kids, love and laughter. Now
it's time to get snipped

6 months old - Halfway There!

2010-02-13T21:03:00.003-06:00

Wednesday was Cate's 6 month Wellness Check. Can you get over this? 6 months already! I'm going to be planning her 1 year birthday party before I know it! Here are the stats:

Weight: 14 pounds 6 ounces (25th percentile)
Height: 26 inches (60th percentile)
Head Circumference: 17.5 (95th percentile, my big melonhead)

So it looks like Cate is going to be your typical Conlon lollipop, better known as an Orange-on-a-Stick. Tall, thin with a giant head.

When the nurses first told me her weight, I gasped. I mean, she barely gained a pound since her last appointment two months ago! I'm pretty shocked. I mean, she eats like a champ, it's not like I have a supply issue and she's never fussy to indicate she's hungry or irritable or anything. The girl sleeps and laughs all day (and shrieks like your typical pterodactyl). Barely a pound?? The doctor didn't seem fazed by this at all, she said all was well (even the percentile drop) and if anything she'll be bulking up these next three months as she's introduced to cereal, fruits and finger-foods. Other than that all seems good, she got her shots and we were on our way.

Flying by. It's all flying by. Next check-up in May.

Picture of the Week

2010-02-12T15:16:00.002-06:00

Catie, one day shy of 6 months, laughing away in her exersaucer...9 February

Time Capsule Birthday Edition: 11 February 2006

2010-02-11T15:18:00.002-06:00

I'm adding a special Time Capsule to wish Connor K. a very Happy Birthday (today is his actual birthday). He is my BFF's (since we were 9 years old son), born just 2 weeks after Jimmy. The picture above is at his 1 year old Birthday Party.

1. I can't get over how much Cate looks like Jimmy
2. I can't believe the boys are now 5 years old
3. Okay, look at the difference between a year...Jimmy and then a year later, 3 month old Billy. Yikes, I need a hobby!

Time Capsule: 11 February 2007

2010-02-11T15:15:00.002-06:00

Jimmy (2 years 2 weeks old), sharing a toy plane with his brother (Billy, 3 months old). I nearly split my side thinking that could happen today.

Down the Shitter

2010-02-11T11:26:00.002-06:00

I remember when I was potty-training Jimmy being so ignorant as to say "really, what is all the fuss about?". Really, it was pretty easy. Of course, Jimmy was also 3 years 5 months old when I finally pulled the diapers out from under him but other than one bad weekend setting us back it was pretty painless and shockingly fast and easy. Two or three really bad days and it all clicked.

Billy....yeah, not so much. He pees on demand which is great but he can't seem grasp that critical aspect of it and actually tell me he has to go. So if I am, for instance, making dinner-feeding Catie-breaking up fights-answering phone-changing Catie-running downstairs to do laundry, it's kind of hard to say "okay Billy let's go use the potty" every half hour. And he ends up pissing himself and I end up getting pissed and have to do yet another load of laundry and it goes on and on and on.

One reason I held off training Jimmy was we had so many things going on. "They" say you should wait until it's warm out (I now know why) and to do it when you have nothing on your calendar for a full week. That is pretty much impossible now. It's either run to the store, run to drop Billy off at school, run to drop Jimmy off as school, run to do the pickups, run to the pediatrician, run to plan a birthday, run to plan a baptism...run run run run run (and yet my ass is still large). And that is what has been so frustrating about this whole thing. As soon as I have a good day and I think Billy might finally be getting it the next day it all does down the shitter. For instance yesterday.

10:15 am - Dress the kids, get them to the car and drop Jimmy off at school
10:35 am - Drive to Park Ridge to make it to Catie's 6 month Wellness Check
11:00 am - Arrive early and check in. Wait.
11:40 am - Call us back into exam room.
12:20 pm - Appointment done. Check out, make 9 month appointment, load them up in car and high-tail it to make it in time for pickup.
1:00pm - Pick up Jimmy, get him into car, head home

How the fuck would I do all that with Billy in underwear? So yesterday was a completely wasted day with him in pull-ups. And being the control freak that I am it makes my head hurt.

I know he's going to get it eventually and I'll look back and probably be so stupid as to say something like "oh it was nothing" or "oh it happened in no time" but for now it just sucks.

Be Mine...

2010-02-10T14:28:00.004-06:00

Jimmy doesn't have school tomorrow or Friday (or Monday for that matter, oh joy! 5 day weekend ahead) so today was his Valentine's Day party at school. Look what he made me!

It was perfect timing really. Years ago I purchased a set of tea towels, one for every month of the year. Stitched on each one is a little something representing that particular month. Back in October I happened to snap a picture of Billy standing in front of one and posted it on Facebook. A dear friend of mine commented on the tea towel (it was a pumpkin) and expressed how much she loved it. So I vowed I would post a picture every month, displaying that month's tea towel. This is the one I took today...

he's such a big boy!

Haikus From The Couch

2010-02-09T16:13:00.002-06:00

My children are nuts
crazy, bat-shit lunatics
my poor little head

Splish Splash

2010-02-09T09:34:00.007-06:00

Last Saturday was Cate's baptism. I didn't realize how stressed out I have been so far this year...between the holidays and planning the baptism and Jimmy's birthday I've had something looming over my head for the last three months. But now, all is good, all is over and our little Cate is officially Αἰκατερίνη (Catherine in Greek).

Greeks are pretty hardcore when it comes to tradition. There are no alterations. Not a thing. Our wedding ceremony was word-for-word exactly the same as my parents', the same as both sets of grandparents and everyone before them. Same goes with baptisms. Cate's was the same as Billy's was the same as Jimmy's, was the same as my own, as my mother's and my grandmother's before her (okay, you get the picture). Some would argue that you're not making it unique to that person but really, I look at in a much different light. If anything, it makes me feel closer to my mother and my grandmother. I stood there listening to the same words my great-grandmother heard 93 years earlier when my grandmother was baptized. I wouldn't change anything even if I could.

That being said I tend to be a little anti-Greek and try to do things as simple as possible (the non-Greek may not agree but trust me, these things get way out of hand). Only family and close friends. No frou-frou, no mega centerpieces and favors that cost us an arm and a leg. I was way more concerned with providing Hors d'œuvres and cocktails than another piece of shit someone had to take home with them only to toss it in the garbage. We weren't having My Big Fat Greek Baptism, that's for sure.

Best Moment: After the ceremony, Fr. Apostolos said it was the first time he's ever had a baby yawn after being taken from the baptismal font. She's seriously the easiest baby out there.

Biggest Relief: The food was really good (Chicken Angelina-parmesan crusted chicken breast) but I was a little annoyed at the small portions.

Happy Surprise: Mike's brother Jim just happened to be in town that weekend and was able to attend.

Biggest Disappointment: My grandparents weren't there. They were present at both boys' baptisms but because my Yiayia is immobile, Pappou decided to stay home with her. I missed them terribly.

Things Happen For a Reason: The favors were supposed to have a little label with the letter "C" on them but my printer got jammed and had to come up with a different solution. I think the flowers turned out WAY cuter.

Best Comic Relief: Watching our Godson at the altar...and being reassured our boys aren't the only ones that get antsy.

yep...our boys wrestling in the Chapel during the Ceremony

the favors

me, Cate and her Godmother Rania

Reason #28230

2010-02-09T09:18:00.004-06:00

...why our society is screwed

Who (?????) and WHY (??????) would anyone take parenting advice from this woman???? Why????? is she "writing" a book???? WHY are imbeciles making this woman richer???

This is why Kate wrote the book:

I don’t want them to grow up and wonder; I want them to know without a shadow of a doubt how much I love them and how much every sacrifice made was worth it for them."

Here's a clue Kate. Why don't you just tell them that and leave the rest of us alone.

Girls, Girls, Girls!

2010-02-07T10:53:00.003-06:00

It's been a crazy, crazy week! Yesterday was Cate's baptism so the week was one big preparation after the other for the big day (and a few fuck ups but hey, that's to be expected).

Many Happy Belated wishes to the following girls:

To Trish M., who turned 11 years old on February 3rd! (And hugs to mom)

To our niece Jillian, who turned 2 years old on Friday!
生日快乐

To Lily P., who turns 5 years old today!!

A for Awesome!

2010-02-04T07:27:00.007-06:00

Yesterday was Report Card day for Jimmy. Parent meetings to discuss grades are not required in Pre-K but I did have to sign it and return it to his teacher. I was very pleased with his scores but I pretty much knew how he's been performing. We met with his teacher a couple of months ago for Parent-Teacher Conferences and she told us how well Jimmy was doing in school. I don't like to gush but ~~I'm gonna~~ she said, and I quote, if I could clone him 20 times, I would. Okay, gushing over.

Two areas she did address was his holding a pencil and skipping. Apparently he can't skip and she says he needs work holding his pencil. The pencil thing doesn't surprise me because that was an issue my teachers complained about in 3rd and 4th grades of school (and to this day I apparently hold a pen the wrong way, yet my penmanship is not an issue...it's actually kinda pretty and nice, or so I've been told).

I have to say, it's weird getting your child's Report Card. I mean, I remember getting my own and here I am signing my child's?? There are times I still have to remind myself I am indeed a parent. In the meantime I did enjoy reading Ms. L's comments:

Jimmy is truly a joy to have in our classroom. He always puts forth his best effort, treats his classmates with respect and is well-liked by them as well. Jimmy also has a great sense of humor and is always very pleasant.

Here is the full copy of his Report Card (click on it to view)...so proud!

Haikus From the Couch

2010-02-03T15:57:00.003-06:00

Constantly moving
talking, fighting, so much noise
My whole body aches

Random Quotes

2010-02-02T14:39:00.003-06:00

Don't worry Billy. Just hug someone if you get scared.

- Jimmy, talking to Billy during a scary part of Garfield.

Picture of the Week

2010-01-30T22:45:00.002-06:00

My little piggie...taken today, 5 1/2 months

Singing Sweet Songs

2010-01-29T11:13:00.007-06:00

There are a couple of things I vowed I would never do once we had kids. Most I've broken of course, what do you know until you have them, right? For example, never dress the boys in matching outfits, never put a tie on a baby...who knew they'd look so cute!

One that I have kept to this day is the music played in the car. I had a couple of friends warn me while I was pregnant with Jimmy '...whatever you do, never EVER start playing kiddie music in your car because you'll never listen to regular music ever again'. I tend to find kid music annoying (and scary/creepy) to begin with so this was really a no-brainer for me. And thankfully, 5 years later I kept this promise. Only real music is played in the car at all times.

I always find it funny when the boys hear a song and recognize it from a movie. I sometimes forget they can hear in the car (which is why sometimes I let a few colorful words slip here and there). One of the first ones recognized was when Jack Johnson's Upside Down came on the radio...

'It's the Curious George song!!!', Jimmy exclaimed. It took me a second but he was right, that song is played during the opening credits of the Curious George movie.

Another recognized song is The Dandy Warhols' Bohemian Like You from the movie Flushed Away (a great movie if you haven't seen it). And it's funny how I now associate these songs more with the movie than anything else simply because the boys point it out.

One of my new favorites is Bob Marley's Three Little Birds. We heard it in the car yesterday and Billy was so excited to hear "the little birds" song. It made a great song even greater.

So much better than that Wiggles crap.

Happy Happy Happy Birthday!!! xxx

2010-01-28T22:16:00.003-06:00

Wishing my sweet boy, a Happy Happy Birthday.
My Jimmy is 5 years old today.

Eyechart Alert!

2010-01-25T14:31:00.003-06:00

I need someone who watches Jersey Idiots to explain to me....how the fuck do your corneas not melt the instant these fools come on the screen? I'm doing everything I can to stop my poor brain from hemorrhaging in the few seconds it took me to create this post.

Picture of the Week

2010-01-23T22:30:00.001-06:00

Cate's hair from the back (5 1/2 months old)....taken today

Ipsy Ipsy Spider-Man

2010-01-22T12:39:00.002-06:00

1 Week Later

2010-01-21T21:19:00.002-06:00

Okay here I complained that I didn't want this to turn into another Mommy Blog and what do I do? I blog about one of the kids....

Billy has been using the potty a week now. Seriously??? It almost seems like he started on Monday but looking back on the blog it was a week ago today. No shit!

I mentioned how I've been pretty lazy about it this time around just because of all the running around we do and really, I sometimes forget about it. Late yesterday afternoon Billy came up to me and told me he had to use the potty which made me think it's finally clicking.

Today he spent the day at my parents'. I told my mom if she didn't want to bother dealing with it I was cool with it seeing I kept him in a diaper most of Tuesday and that I'm taking a pretty backseat approach to it this time around. But she said she'd see how it would go and would try.

Can you believe he had one accident? And it was poop so I give that a pass seeing that is always the last thing to click. Pee-wise he went the whole day without an accident and would tell my mom when he didn't have to go. So this was a HUGE day! I'm beyond excited I might pee myself (okay, lame).

And I'm sorry....re: the potty picture above, do people seriously buy these things?

Calling Jen. Where are you Jen?

2010-01-21T21:07:00.001-06:00

So I'm a little annoyed. My little blog about the random ramblings in my head is slowly becoming a Mommy Blog, which frankly irritates me. Obviously yes I'm a Mom and the kids seem to take a good chunk of my brain (mash it up, stomp on it and set it on fire) but is that it? Is that all? Is Jen gone for good?

I blame Facebook. I think a lot of the things I encounter and observe on a given day are ending up on my status updates. And because people comment fairly quickly you get that instant gratification and interaction that I can't get sitting at home with a bunch of monkeys, so you keep going back for more and more and before you know it, all the things you used to talk about on your blog are now making your Facebook status updates.

So I'm going to try. Try to get that balance back. I think once Spring arrives it'll be a little easier since we'll be getting out and about a little more and I'll be getting a bit of my old life back. Don't worry, Jen is still here, it's just taking her a little time to find her way back.

Happy Birthday!!!

2010-01-21T14:24:00.000-06:00

Many Happy Birthday Wishes to Val W.

who is celebrating her birthday today!!! Breithlá sona duit

We need to go for drinks!!!

What's Going On?

2010-01-20T15:57:00.000-06:00

Just a few observations as of late...

It seems like Jimmy is starting to grasp the early steps to spelling. All behind our back. I'm guessing the last 6-8 months have been nothing but a busy blur for me because suddenly he's commenting on what letter all words start with. And if he sees any packaging he'll note all the letters in the words. I did notice it a few months ago but I just never really stood back and let it all sink in. It's really very cool.

***

Catie's two bottom teeth broke through her gums last weekend. Some say 'already?' but I'm not that surprised seeing the boys had their bottom teeth at 4 months.

***

The boys are pretty funny when it comes to their sister. They fight over who will say 'good morning' to her first and they fight to make her laugh. Both really do love her but Billy is a bit more aggressive. He doesn't get that sticking his face right up to hers and screaming at her kinda freaks her out. But she does smile and laugh with them and is constantly following them around at all times (with her eyes obviously). And she just lights up the second she spots Jimmy, it's priceless.

***

I can't wait for the weather to change. I'm so sick of coats and hats and gloves and boots. Getting them dressed is the biggest pain in the ass and in another month or so when Cate is out of her carrier I'm going to have to shove her in a snowsuit too (for now she's in that BundleMe thing which is the greatest invention ever and I'm thrilled I was able to use it with all three of them)

***

I found out today my cousin is having a boy! Her second! Which will bring the count to 9 great-grandsons and 2 great-granddaughters (on my mom's side).

***

Random Quotes

2010-01-18T18:29:00.000-06:00

I have the pickups, Mommy.

- Billy, really saying he has the hiccups

Picture of the Week

2010-01-17T23:00:00.000-06:00

Billy, wearing his friend's heels during a visit...19 January

Full Steam Ahead and Other Random Thoughts

2010-01-17T22:45:00.003-06:00

Saturday mornings used to be my favorite part of the week. Not so much anymore. By Saturday morning I'm fried, spent, done. Yes Mike is home but it's also his day to regroup from his week of being fried, spent and done. So while he gets to de-steam, I reach my boiling point.

This of course resolves itself Sunday mornings when it's "my turn" to de-steam. But Saturdays are now ruined. Today I had a nice Sunday morning.

***

A couple of months ago a friend of mine mentioned a place by her that was having a special on gyros. It was Customer Appreciation Day and they had gyroses for $2. We'd never been there but jumped at the chance of getting them so cheap.

Oh.My!!! They were SO good. Probably the best gyros I've ever had (other than the ones I had in Athens when I was 10 years old). I don't know if it's always like that or if it was just super fresh because people were lined up out the door but seriously, I can't stop thinking about it.

I so want to go back and get some but I'm so afraid it's not going to be as good as that one time. Apparently this is what heroin (or is it crack?) addicts deal with...they chase that initial rush but never reach it. Thus, become addicted.

Mike is off tomorrow and suggested we get some. Oh please be just as good!

***

I didn't even attempt to potty train today.

***

I'm adding something to My List. I want to watch more movies. I used to be REALLY into movies and have fallen into some ditch. Time to pull myself out.

***

Okay the formatting for the blog post changed and I can't find the spell check...wtf???

Notes From the Couch- LIVE!: 2010 Golden Globe Awards

2010-01-17T18:59:00.001-06:00

Can you believe it??? I'm actually set to LiveBlog again! I really didn't think I'd be able to do it but Mike is being awesome and is putting the boys to bed (oh this might be ugly) so I can go ahead and enjoy the awards.

I will most likely have to take a Breastfeeding/Put Catie to Bed Break but I will be here for the long run. Only problem...our TiVo is still broken so I won't be able to rewind. Hoping it's fixed by the time the Oscars roll around...

Here we go!

January Jones...someone needs to tell her she's not in the 50s and 60s and to not wear the red lipstick.

The podium gives the illusion Ricky G. has golden legs.

I wonder how many Leno/Conan jokes we'll be hearing.

Ugh, Cameron Diaz...why is she there? Red is not her color. I can't stop looking at Ricky's Golden Legs.

Love you Keifer....LOVE YOU. I'll be watching 24 tomorrow.

HA!!! Angelina joke. Applause.

HA!!! Leno Joke 1.

Nicole Kidman REALLY needs to wear color. And a different dress. She always wears something like that. But her hair looks good.

Okay, Anna Kendrick is cute

Mike: Holy jugs!

Monique just has bitchface DOWN. Dayum.

daaaaaam!!!! Monique won! Still with the bitchface.

And she is not going to move fast for anyone. Working the moment! Okay, she got rid of Bitchface.

Okay I had to change a poopy diaper..what did Muriel win for?

Seriously, silver, gold, champagne is the color this year. I don't think her hair/skin is a good combo.

7:13pm...COMMERCIAL. OKAY, so apparently I missed Nicole showing nip. This is what happens when I don't have Tivo. WTH?? Mike said he's sending it in tomorrow, TOO LATE MISTER!

I'd like to take this moment to do the shout-outs for the night! Rachel, Barbara, Val and a new addition, Mer will be adding comments to the show tonight. Welcome ladies!

I don't like Lauren Graham. I know she was on that CW show and I can't remember when I first saw her but she annoyed me back then and I was never able to get over it. And I don't like that pink color, who's wedding is she standing up in.

NPH!!! and the guy from Lost...tough tough tough call. Love them on both shows equally.

I hope Jeremy loses. Enough wins already.

John Litgow? Ugh. We've seen some Dexter episodes so he's good but really, NPH totally deserves to win. I'm very bummed.

LOVE Sir Paul. I bow, I bow to thee.

UGH. Fucking Julia Horseface/mouth Roberts.

Sidenote: This guy accepting for Up looks like a doctor I used to work with. He apparently was a horrible doc and I had some people tell me if I ever needed a colonoscopy not to go to him.

Sidenote: Boys still talking and giggling. Mike is going to be stuck in their room for quite some time. I'm guessing he'll pass out on the glider if he hasn't already.

Sidenote: Have there always been this many commercials? It's been forever since I've seen an awards show live, it seems like a lot.

Oh the boys are not shutting up. Fucking hell.

7:28pm....Is it me? Does Kate Hudson look like she's put on some pounds? We said the same about Courtney Cox on the red carpet.

(took a moment and yelled at the boys to behave)

Okay I dont watch Desperate Housewives anymore but Rachel saw the episode where Felicity lost the twin and said she was amazing...ladies? anyone else?

Still havent' been wowed by anyone yet.

I love Jane Kaczmarekwhatever but she has a square body. And she is showing her age standing next to NPH.

JON HAMM!!!!! JON HAMM!!!!

Sigh. Okay. I like Michael C. Hall (loved him in 6 ft under and Dexter) so I will approve.

Okay, I think baby is getting antsy....I will be back. I turn the computer to you lovely ladies....

7:51....okay, baby asleep. Commercial Break....

Christina Aguilera actually looked good! Not orange, no caked up makeup, no red lips! Not thrilled with the dress but she looked pretty! Cher is just a scary scary SCARY creature. For goodness sake, just age!

I did not care for Juliana Marguiles' dress at all. I've seen one episode of The Good Wife, didn't realize it was doing that well (well, just because she won I guess doesn't really mean the show is doing well).

I see Josh Brolin and I will forever think of him beating on Diane Lane.

Jessica Lange looks like an alcoholic. BUT, she looks nice. And why did it take forever for all of them to get on stage. That dark haired girl should not be wearing that purple dress but she had a nice speech.

UGH. Here goes Julia Roberts making it all about her. She's soooooooooooo annoying (I apologize to all I'm offending now, this is nothing new)

The boys are totally silent after I went in and yelled at them and I hear Mike snoring.

I'm glad Tom Hanks' hair is back to normal. Oh he just said Stanley Tucci, I feel awful!!!! :(

Meryl Streep looks good tonight...for awhile she was looking very old and dressed badly. Okay, saw the belt, not so sure about the dress now. But better than other years.

No, I take it back. The belt works.

Ugh. Horsey. CLOSE YOUR FUCKING MOUTH.

OH CAMERON!!! BLOT!!! BLOT!!!!

Now there is a women that can do no wrong!! Helen Mirren is amazing. (but did she get botox?)

Anyone here see Precious?

Oh! Kyra Sedgwick is there...for a second I thought perhaps she and Kevin were calling it quits. Good to see.

Sidenote: I met Kevin Bacon as he was filming She's Having a Baby. He's incredibly thin.

Sidenote: oh and I forgot to mention. I got stuck on the Ferris Wheel at Navy Pier because they were filming a scene of ER with Juliana riding the Ferris Wheel. I was on that thing for a good half hour.

DAMN Morgan Freeman loves his wine.

Drew looks nice.

Okay, Mike loves Anna Paquin but yeeesh!

Drew REALLY looks lovely. Not thrilled with that thing on her shoulder, otherwise perfect.

Okay, shut up already.

Should I wake Mike up?

8:21PM....oh I can't stand this fool (Cameron). Ugh, and I hate me right now but I kind of like her dress (just not the color).

And yes Valerie....Rita Wilson has let the Greeks down! (from earlier)

And poor Ricky G. His humor really is wasted on us stupid Americans. There are his Golden Legs again. What were they thinking with that podium??

Poor Jennifer Aniston is always going to be known as Rachel from Friends....and DO SOMETHING WITH YOUR HAIR!! I beg you!

Hello Gerald!!!

They look good together.

FUCKING HELL!!! Ashton is the biggest FOOL IDIOT!!! Who did he let ram him to get to present an award?

I'm just waiting for Sam L Jackson to say Mutherfucker.

How about bets as to when Brangelina announce their breakup...pre or post Oscars. Thoughts?

I love Sophia Loren. Love that she'll wear glasses. And look at her bosom, gorgeous!!! Awesome dress and everything...bravo bravo bravo Bella!

Mike is back to add his colorful commentary

JON HAMM JON HAMM JON HAMM!!!! If Rachel were here we'd be hugging!

Mike: Holy jugs!

OMG, did you see Peter Campbell?? Shower!

Oh I love Jane Lynch...she'll always be the trainer from Best in Show and I love her line "I will haunt your dreams" from 40-yr old Virgin

Taylor needs to GET OVER HIMSELF. Honey, you'll be in gay porn in 3 years (sorry Val!!!)

Is it 1987??? What is with these horrible dresses???

OH LORD!! What is Chloe wearing?? And who does her makeup? She always always always looks smudged. WHAT IS SHE WEARING (camera just panned out)

Mike: She's goofy

Okay, I kinda liked the bottom of her dress but the top did not work.

Halle Berry truly has some of the most amazing breasts out there.

And ditto Matt Damon...YUMMMMMMY!!!!

Oh, Stanley Tucci. I cry.

Did the villain from Basterds win? Everyone seems excited. He looks hardcore evil.

8:56PM....who loves Leo again? Is it Val?

Martin Scorcese does that laughing bobble head thing. I love Bobby D.

Who was that fat guy in the back, lauging? Was that Brendan Frasier?

Leo is becoming a fine man. Year after year after year....

This is an awesome Scorcese montage they're doing. WOW.

(okay, why can't I log onto Facebook?)

Martin Scorcese is totally cute. I want him to be my uncle. My rich rich rich uncle.

Harrison Ford looked pissed/jealous he hasn't been in a Scorcese film (has he?)

OH!! Drew is back with the Mac guy!

Sidenote: I finally saw He's Just Not that Into You. What a TERRIBLE movie! Made women look pathetic!

9:12PM...Did they just say Jodie Foster is making a movie called The Beaver?

Who is that Josh Groban guy they keep showing?

LOLLLLLLLLLLLLL......drinking joke about Mel Gibson!! (he's such an asshole). What a waste of such a fine man. HAHAHAAH to Ricky!!!

James "I'm a Douchebag" Cameron (must be the name)....what a dick.

HE'S SUCH A FUCKING DOUCHE!!! Get OVER yourself!! didn't you learn anything after Titanic??????

Wouldn't you love to live in that neighborhood....Mel Gibson and James Cameron. Shoot me.

Mike: who is that?

Me: I dunno. I don't have Tivo, I can't rewind.

LOVE Modern Family!!! Oh this is hard!!!

WOW. Glee won (FB is going to be crazy).

9:25PM...okay I think Val and Rachel will fight over Bradley Cooper. I still think he has gayface.

Penelope Cruz got caught looking super bored.

I love the guy from 3rd Rock from the Sun (brain is mush, cant' think of his name)

That WAS Brendan Frasier...

Who is the bald guy with Jen A.?

Arnold is an asshole for making a joke about the state budget. I'd be PISSED.

I have ZERO desire to see Avatar

GOOD GOD Mickey Rourke is a scary scary scary man

Wow. Mickey didn't hide his disappointment that she won.

Sandra's hair is AWFUL. Why does she constantly look bad?

9:39PM...how about Matt Damon's cocktail waitress wife? Dreams do come true ladies!

Love Daniel!!

Sidenote: I'm so hungry. All I can think about is Orange Chicken.

LOVE Kate Winslet!!! One of the reasons I leaned towards Catherine/Cate for our little girl!

GEORGE CLOONEY SWOOOOOOON!

WTF? The Dude won??

Okay, I know Jen A. and Gerard are sitting together because they just starred in a movie but if they're going to "pretend" to be dating to get interest in this movie, I'm going to stop being her friend.

OH LORD ABOVE!!! Julia Roberts is presenting the last award...let's count low long her big giant mouth remains open.

OH FOR FUCKS SAKE!!! They just showed Blago in the commerical for Celebrity Apprentice. Society has seriously lost its way.

There goes Julia Roberts making about herself....PATHETIC.

This man TRULY is an egotistical ass. OHMYGOD...Give it up for yourselves. OH MY GOD. HAHAHAHA, LEO WOULDN'T CLAP!!!

thank you ladies for making a fun night! See you at the Oscars!

Live Blog- Red Carpet

2010-01-17T18:10:00.001-06:00

Mike is ooohing and aaahing over Penelope Cruz and has declared Penny and Mila Kunis are his two top girls.

okay, going to commercial...I'm hoping I'll be able to keep up with this somewhat, depending if the kids cooperate (and if Mike can keep up with them)

6:12pm....on NBC. That Taylor Lautner guy or whatver his name is is butt ugly. I'm sorry, hot body I know but nasty ass face.

Courtney Cox can't fake how much she doesn't want to speak with Billy Bush. She looks good though.

Oooh, love Stanley Tucci...is he confirmed gay?

Mike said it's going to be a rough night. No remote control, watching "my TV"...oh so sad.

Okay, I cant' stand Billy Bush.

6:16pm...back to E! Oh fucking Hell. Mariah. Did she get bigger implants? What happened to that sweet girl from "Vision of Love"?

Okay, Mike can't do liveblog "talk about Golden Globes"....lame.

Not thrilled with Amy Adams' dress but liked her shoes.

6:28pm...Jennifer Garner is boring but she looks really nice. and her body is awesome.

HAMM!!!! JON HAMM!!!!

Oh he's soooo beautiful!!!

Gah...there's Lautner again. He's sooo foul. And why should he date anyone? Hello? Young man who can get any girl out there and he's going to have a girlfriend? Come on.

Cougartown got nominated? Really?

Kate Hudson's dress is a little too Dynasty-like.

I'm SO ANNOYED TiVo is still broken...I can't rewind!!!!

Calista Flockhart looks bitchy.

How the hell does Heidi Klum look like that already? Didn't she just have her (10th) baby?? ...okay, she's really funny. And Mike likes how she has no makeup on and still looks hot. Yeah, I have that problem too.

Heidi Klum should do the Red Carpet. She'd be funny and she'd know the designers.

OH MY GOD!!! My worst nightmare! Julia Roberts and Ashton Kutchner in a movie together???? That would be my version of torture.

I wish Mark Wahlberg would punch Guliana. God she's an idiot. ha, of course she's a machine, she's just had her 4th kid.

6:42pm....oh Sandra Bullock...you can't dress. And why is she wearing a big ruffle dress? Hideous.

who just dropped the F-bomb??? Mike just said Guliana dropped the F-bomb. IF TIVO WAS WORKING I COULD REWIND!!!

okay, the big color seems to be gray. It does not look good on camera.

I told Barbara and Val I would not be live-blogging the red carpet...I hope they forgive me!

Joan from Mad Men looked beautiful except for the hair. And it looks like ruffles are the big thing too this year.

Oh Rita Wilson....you look terrible. Embrace your age honey.

Test-Live Blog 2010 Golden Globes

2010-01-17T15:38:00.001-06:00

Okay, doing a test for tonight's GG

....is it working?

....hmmm, test 1 didn't work

SUCCESS!! See you later tonight!

What to do, what to do?

2010-01-16T07:56:00.005-06:00

Midway through January already and I have yet to compose my "2010 To-Do List". No biggie, it's not like it's a New Year's Resolution or anything but it's time I get my thoughts together and give myself some goals for the year. Before I do that, let's see how I performed last year.

Okay! Eh, not the best.

Purging the crap....okay, didn't do this last year. At all. FAIL. Me:0 2009: 1

Pictures with the kids...this I wasn't too bad about! I definitely have room for improvement but I really did try and I did end up in a few pictures. YAY ME! Me:1 2009:1

Attend Church more...this started our really promising. We enrolled both boys in Sunday School and made it a total of 3 weeks in a row. And then football season started, then birthday parties, then blah blah blah....and before I knew it,we hadn't been to church in 2 months and I was way too embarrassed to show up with the boys and say "oh hi, we're back!" FAIL. Me:1 2009:2

Finally get all of my mother's Greek recipes...FAIL Me:1 2009:3

Try one new recipe a week....This, I did. And I should get extra credit points seeing I was pregnant for the majority of the year. I should get even more points because I normally never cook when I'm pregnant and never have a taste for anything other than cheese pizza and meatballs. mmmm, cheese pizza and meatballs....... Me:2.5 2009:3

READ MORE BOOKS....FAIL, FAIL, FAIL. Me:2.5 2009:4

Sigh. Oh well, I didn't do too well. But I'm not going to beat myself up seeing I did have a fairly good excuse (thank you Cate). Moving forward, let's plan 2010.

Purge, purge, purge. This is going to happen whether I like it or not. It has to. I've already dumped 3 huge bags of clothing in a Salvation Army bin and I'm sorting through all the boys' clothes and donating all the things the boys will outgrow.
Practice patience. I'm getting pissed off a lot. The boys are lots of fun but they also have a lot of energy. And because I can't work out on a regular basis, my nerves tend to get a little fried. So deep breaths and less yelling.
Pay attention to me, more. A shirt here. A pair of shoes there. Maybe even a little manicure. I've gone 5 years with maternity, post-maternity, maternity, post-maternity...I'm done with the baby thing, time to pamper myself a bit and not feel so guilty doing so.
Get Billy potty-trained. Ha, okay this is cheating and giving me a freebie.
Work-out again. I know, I know. But there is no excuse.
Get my mom's recipes. no explanation needed.
Read more. Hey, even if it's one book.

So that's my list. Wish me luck.

Day 2

2010-01-15T16:41:00.003-06:00

Yesterday was a pretty impressive day. Billy had 2 accidents...1 pee, 1 poo. For a first day, he was awesome.

Of course, I was also setting the timer. Every 25 minutes the timer would go off, I'd sit him on the toilet and he'd pee. Dry for the in-betweens. I can't tell if it's the right thing to do, yes it keeps the floor clean and I'm not going through 10+ of undies in an hour but is it keeping him from identifying that "oh I gotta go" sensation? I figured I'd try this for a couple of days, increase the interval times and play it by ear.

This morning Billy went to school. They helped us train Jimmy and I knew they'd be helping us this time as well (especially since it keeps them from having to change him). When I picked him up he had gone once on the toilet but they were training him wearing a diaper (obviously, they can't have him pissing on things). By the time we picked up Jimmy, came home and at lunch, I wasn't ready to do the whole training thing until 2pm. Needless to say, today was pretty much a bust. And he's pissed on himself twice.

Tomorrow we're going to some friends' for dinner so another abbreviated day. I'm guessing this process is going to take a little longer than the cold turkey I did with Jimmy.

Side Note: The above book brings back memories. I used to have it sitting on the tank of our toilet in college.

Random Quotes

2010-01-15T16:40:00.001-06:00

Mommy, it's hot.

- Billy, referring to peeing on himself

Random Quotes

2010-01-14T09:39:00.000-06:00

I just made a waterfall!

- Billy, peeing again

Random Quotes

2010-01-14T08:45:00.000-06:00

I saw pee drips!

- Billy, seeing his pee

It's Potty Time Again

2010-01-14T07:58:00.006-06:00

I've been thinking of potty training Billy for the last year. I kept thinking "the baby is due in the beginning of August, I'll probably have it in July (ahahahaha, oh I still laugh at that), it's the perfect time to try and get Billy potty trained before the baby arrives. That way I'll only have the baby in diapers, it'll all work out perfectly!".

Yeah, that didn't happen. Not even close. If you recall, I don't mind diapers. Diapers are convenient. Yes they're pricey but they also allow me to run errands in peace. I can go to three different stores and not have to worry about hearing those dreaded words "Mommy I have to go potty". Then the frantic race to find the bathroom, pray there is a stall open, what to do with the items I haven't paid for and now, what the hell do I do with Catie once she's out of her carrier??? Oh yeah, no hurry whatsoever.

But, I'm a realist. He's three years old. It's time. And if I want to enroll him in any of the Park District programs this spring, the time is now (my main motivator in all honesty). So I told him a couple of days ago we'd go to Target, pick out a potty (I buy those rings you stick on the regular toilet), let him pick some undies and we'd start after Cate's baptism (because the last thing I want to deal with/think of that day is if Billy has to use the bathroom and/or worry he'll have an accident).

I pushed the shopping cart into the potty aisle. I showed him the toilet rings and asked which one he wanted...."the blue one or the Sesame Street one?".

I don't want a potty. (not whiny, just matter of fact the only way Billy knows)

You don't?? Look, it has Cookie Monster on it!!!

I don't want a potty.

How about the blue one? This is nice!

I want toys, Mommy.

Sigh. I picked the blue one and moved on to the underwear. Surely he'll get excited about this.

Oh LOOK! Thomas! and Lightening McQueen!!! AND SPIDER-MAN!!!

I don't want underwear. I like diapers.

Me too, I thought to myself. I grabbed the Spider-Man ones and continued with my shopping (because I'm at Target 3x a week and there is always more you can buy, even with a list). I had to listen to him continue on and on how he wasn't going to use the potty or the underwear. We came home, I didn't bother putting the ring in the bathroom because I had no intention of starting anytime soon, opened the undies and put them in his hamper to be washed with the next load.

***

This morning I sat down to write out my intention of starting this whole process in the next few weeks. And something very interesting happened. Billy came into the living room carrying one of the underwear.

Put these on me Mommy.

I just stared at him unable to process what to do. Do I say no? I'm not mentally ready to deal with this, is he serious??? He wants to start now? I'm not ready!

Okay! Let's go get your potty and see what you can do!

So. At 8:43 AM this morning I took off Billy's diaper and sat him on the toilet. And he actually peed. And laughed and laughed and laughed.

Here we go...

Picture of the Week

2010-01-09T20:33:00.001-06:00

Cate, rolling over (back to tummy) for the first time....4 January

Deja Vu

2010-01-07T22:50:00.000-06:00

Yep. This pretty much describes my day today.

My brain hurts.

2010-01-07T19:58:00.003-06:00

Grrrrr! I was so proud of myself! I started the New Year off with some good ol' blogging and look what happened. A couple of days passed and nothing! Just some random ramblings...

***

We bought a bin/shelving unit for all the kids' shit. It's one of those things you find at Target that have different primary-colored bins in different sizes. The toys (as always) were getting out of hand and there are only so many baskets I can have scattered around the house. So I ordered it on the other day, Mike put it together and today I started sorting through some of their crap, getting it all semi-organized.

So today I'm going through all their things and I could feel my blood pressure rise. They have so much worthless shit! And you know where it's coming from?? School! Now that you can no longer bring treats and candy to "events" (because that's the other thing, you can't call parties at school a party), everyone now brings all that useless shit from the Dollar Store as treats. So my already cluttered house is now bursting at the seams with stupid, useless dollar store shit. I ended up dumping a bag of it while no one was looking.

***

Today was the start of "STORM OF 2010". They were calling for, what originally started out as 1 inch of snow, 8 to 1400 inches of snow by noon Friday. So the citizens of Chicago, the city that you know, never sees snow, freaked out! It of course ended up not being so bad (well, as of 8pm tonight) but it of course made the round of Facebook status updates and it was all anyone could talk about.

So I'm taking Jimmy to school. It is a 0.7 mile drive from our house mainly side streets (except for crossing Lawrence). When I was dropping him off I took a short cut and everything was fine until I stepped and the brakes and hit a little ice patch and started to slide into a parked car. Because we're paying off the car this month and this is how the universe gets its kicks. And there I was....OH SHIT OH SHIT OH SHIT OH SHIT OH SHIT OH.SHIT.

Thankfully I didn't hit the car. But once I caught my breath I realized all three of the kids were in the backseat and heard me say these words as clear as day. And while I'm sure Mike would be thrilled I didn't damage our car or someone else's, I have a feeling he's not going to appreciate our boys singing rounds of the "Oh Shit!" Song.

***

I think I'm the only person not watching any of the Real Housewives or that new show, Jersey Shore. I just can't fathom watching these fake shows with the constant fighting, bitching, bickering....I deal with the real thing all day.

***

The Big 5

2010-01-04T08:42:00.002-06:00

Jimmy is turning 5 at the end of the month. Seriously, five? I've been home 5 years??? And just when I try to figure out where the last 5 years went I look around and think, three? when the hell did I get pregnant and bake three babies??? And then I remember how old I am and say "what!?! I'm not 32?" But that's another post, I don't have the stomach this morning.

We used to do the big birthday parties until they got way out of hand. Every year more and more babies were born and every year we ended up inviting 'just one more person' and before you knew it we had a party of thirty+ adults and twenty+ kids. And when you have one child born a month before Christmas and one child born a month after Christmas, the gifts just become way overwhelming. And you realize you can't truly enjoy the day because you're too busy being a hostess crammed in a 2-hour party window. So, the last few years we've done the quiet parties at home.

This year is a little different though. Not so much "oh it's a milestone" birthday (which I don't understand in all honesty) but because Jimmy has friends this year. So we're trying to decide what can we do with a handful of 5 year olds. And how many do we invite? There are (including Jimmy) 10 boys in his classroom. He usually mentions 6 of them. Do we invite just those 6 or just go ahead and invite all 10? Mike suggested inviting the whole class (20 kids in all) to which I replied, "do you really want to be invited to 20 birthday parties this year"...end of that discussion. And what do we do? We can do bowling (yay!) or McDonalds but there is a 10 child minimum, so what happens if we can't get all 10? We're then looking at inviting our friends again and well, you can see where this is headed.

Where did these 5 years go? (And seriously, I'm thirty-nine????)

Haikus from the Couch

2010-01-02T19:35:00.005-06:00

Hope, we meet again
I hope you don't disappoint
Please this time be true.

Random Quotes

2010-01-02T09:30:00.003-06:00

Stop it.

- Billy eating his breakfast, to me as I was taking his picture. He put his fork down, looked at me and just said it with a deadpan delivery, I couldn't stop laughing.

Who do you see?

2010-01-02T09:13:00.004-06:00

When Cate first came along everyone commented on how much she looked like Jimmy. I immediately saw a lot of Billy (I am their mother, you know)....here is a little proof of that.

2009 Year in Review

2009-12-31T12:24:00.009-06:00

Instead of typing it all out, this was our year in a 5 minute 34 second nutshell...

1999-2009

2009-12-31T07:55:00.003-06:00

I woke up this morning in a most foul mood. I was awake from 4am to 6am and finally crashed for an hour before the boys woke me up. They were super hyper of course (because that's how the universe gets its kicks) and I had zero patience for it. I grumped to make my coffee and heard something on the radio about the decade coming to an end. And I found myself thinking back...

1999 - I met Mike and fell in love and was loved back

2000 - I bought my first real car (all paid for by myself)

2001- I became engaged and bought my first home

2002 - I became a wife

2003 - I became a dog owner

2004 - I became pregnant for the first time

2005 - I became a mother to a son

2006 - I became a mother (for the second time) to a son

2007 - I learned to balance home and family

2008 - I became pregnant for the final time

2009 - I became a mother (for the third time) to a daughter

This decade will never be matched as far as the number of life-changing milestones met. My mood was suddenly lifted.

Happy New Year to all

It's a Smaller, Smaller World

2009-12-30T21:32:00.009-06:00

"They" say there is Six Degrees of Separation in the world. Every once in awhile you get one of those moments where you find out someone you know randomly knows someone else you know. I mentioned one such moment last November. This has become more and more apparent now that Facebook is all the rage. Anyone who is familiar (obsessed) with Facebook can probably tell you of at least one occasion where they've had a "Whoa, NO SHIT" Mindblow Moment. This is when you realize one of your friends is friends with someone that you know and it results in a round of 'NO WAY!!!'s coming from all those involved.

I've had a few other of those moments.

*** My FB friend Krissy (who is in-real-life-(IRL)-friends with Rachel and because me and Krissy post so often we became FB friends, even though we've never met) has a friend who I found out (from being nosey and lurking on her profile) is FB friends with Mike because they went to college together. Totally random find.

*** A college friend's sister is FB friends with my friend Jeannette who I originally met back in the mid-90s from a friend of a friend of a friend of a friend (literally). Jeannette and the sister went to HS together.

*** My FB friend Jennifer (whom I never met) who is IRL friends with my BFF Colleen (they went to HS together) is friends with my college roommate Cindy (they went to grade-school together) AND she's also friends with the wife of a IRL friend of Mike's who he's known since childhood

*** Mike's cousin is FB friends with my former next door neighbor's daughter that I grew up with (until about the mid-1980s)

While it wasn't on Facebook, today I had a similar experience. Me and the kids went to Catie's godparents' house for a visit/playdate.

Me and my Koumbara sat down in her kitchen for coffee and to chit-chat. On her wall she hung this year's Christmas cards. I stood there looking over all the smiling faces and recognized one. One of Jimmy's classmates and his little sister were smiling back at me.

"Oh My God!!", I said as I turned to my Koumbara...."how do you know Ricky???? He and Jimmy are classmates!!". Turns out Ricky's dad used to work with my Koumbaro and the families still exchanged cards every year. I was expecting to recognize maybe one of the Greeks but not a completely random person. I can't wait to see Ricky's mom come Monday at school and shout "NO WAY" with her.

(I've changed/omitted some of the names here)

Obsession of the Week

2009-12-30T21:01:00.003-06:00

...Williams-Sonoma's Peppermint Bark!!!

Monday night we hosted Christmas dinner for Mike's brother Jim, his girlfriend Katie, Pops and Heather. We were thrilled to see Jim and Katie (it's been 4 months), catch up, have them play with the kids. The hostess side of me was thrilled to cook dinner and use my good china (only second time since we've been married). I made a Wilted Spinach Salad with Feta, Olives and Lemon Vinaigrette, Pork Tenderloin with sweet onions, Ina Garten's Roasted Potatoes, Green Beans and Asparagus (from her most recent cookbook) and a Mushroom-Fontina Quiche.

Mike's Uncle Bill and his wife Patsy also stopped by to say hello. They couldn't stay for dinner (I begged!) but did stay for a drink. They also brought over a tin of Peppermint Bark.

I will be the first to admit I have a bit of an addictive personality. Okay, horribly addictive personality. Which is why I tend not to try some things people gush about because I will become obsessed with it. My brother and my best friend Colleen rave about the seasonal lattes at Starbucks which is why I don't dare try them. Not only will we go broke but I'll gain a ton of weight and that's the last thing I need right now. So as tempting as these 'ohmygodhaveyoutriedxxx', I know better.

But this surprised me. Because while I like candy canes I don't go all ga-ga over them. This stuff is crack..peppermint semisweet and white chocolate covered crack. Chocolately, creamy and refreshingly pepperminty good. I hate myself for ~~trying it so late in the season because now it's all gone and I won't be able to get my fix until next year~~ tasting it.

Only 360 days until Christmas.

Random

2009-12-29T21:25:00.003-06:00

Things that annoy me (okay, I hate) that others seem to love:

Reality TV
Cheap Trick
William Shatner
AC/DC
Julia Roberts
Jerry Maguire

Time Capsule: Christmas Day 2002

2009-12-25T09:09:00.000-06:00

Me and my mom, helping me cook my first Christmas family dinner. I figured a picture of us would make up for not being together this year.

Merry Christmas

2009-12-25T07:59:00.001-06:00

Christmas Eve Wishes

2009-12-24T07:42:00.002-06:00

(these poems (and here) have become a tradition now)

'Twas the Day Before Christmas
And here we go again

"Boys, be quiet!!!
I'm counting to TEN!

This year, oh this year...it's been quite the ride
The yelling and fighting, with no place for me to hide.

I swear they're bipolar, one minute they're friends
And within the next second, a Death Match to the end

"Boys will be boys", is all people say
"Enjoy it for now, you'll miss this someday!"

But what a surprise we got that August afternoon
Our sweet little girl, her face made us swoon!

Our little Miss Catherine Joanna Conlon
Her head full of hair, blue eyes, gummy grin

And those monsters I yell at, they love her to bits
They kiss her, they cuddle her...I forgive them, the little shits.

At the end of the day, as they lay down to sleep
I am so very thankful, my love for them deep

And every time I have to count to ten
I know I'd do these days over and over again

So here comes the Big Man, the one in the red suit
He's granting our wishes, throwing in extras to boot

The year is nearly over, good-bye 2009
May your 2010 be just as fine

And so, dear readers, to you I do pray

Love, good cheer and a happy Christmas Day

Scrooged!

2009-12-23T22:40:00.003-06:00

What is going on with advertisers this year??? I have yet to see this commercial...

or this one...

But thankfully, they're still showing Billy's All-Time Favorite Commercial

A Year Without a Greek Santa Claus

2009-12-23T15:12:00.003-06:00

I just found out my mom was diagnosed with "light" pneumonia. She'll be on meds for 10 days but is to have no contact with anyone for 3. Which means no Christmas Eve at their house and no Christmas day at my Uncle's.

I just hope she has a speedy recovery and if anything, so thankful it was caught early. But still, I'm so sad.

This Is The House That Jen Built, Finally!

2009-12-22T16:36:00.004-06:00

Here is my first Gingerbread House! I think I am most proud that I actually started/finished it. I have done this before, "oh I'm going to make xxx" or "I'm going to do yyy" and I don't quite seem to ever reach zzz. But this time, I did it.

It really wasn't as bad as I expected. I think the hardest thing was the roof, I had to stand there for a bit holding it in place until the icing hardened. That and dealing with two boys hopped up on sugar (seriously, what is it about M&Ms that makes them absolutely insane???). But all in all it was a lot of fun and next year I plan on making it a bit fancier.

Random Quotes

2009-12-22T09:06:00.001-06:00

I want to go nuts!

- Jimmy, when I told him he couldn't play on Cartoon Network's website

4 Days to Go...

2009-12-21T21:44:00.001-06:00

Christmas tree, decorated and twinkly-sparkly in the living room
Decorations up, except for the Rudolph display.
99% presents bought!
1 teeeeeeny present still needed
No presents wrapped
Christmas photo card created, addressed, sealed and delivered! An actual Christmas card and not New Years' card (or no-card like last year)
No picture with Santa...and it pains me to say I don't think we'll be making it to a mall anytime soon. SO sad seeing it's Catie's first Christmas. I feel horrible. :(