satcy Girl

If I type too much my head will surely explode

Mon, 5 Jan 2009 20:54:57 -0500

I hate being sick. It doesn’t happen all that often but when it does, oh man does it suck! My head has so much pressure in it right now and, when the pressure does release, I’m sneezing like crazy. SUUUUCCCKKKSSS!

Since I’m in the mood to feel sorry for myself why don’t I go ahead and give you some more depressing news. Well, the wonderful house that we found a month or so ago has been sold. We were quite shocked when we got the email because we had thought it was off the market. Here’s the back story -- we found this particular house online and decided to drive out to see it. Since it was empty we broke in and gave ourselves the tour. Instantly we fell in love. I loved the layout and decor. The basement was unfinished but huge! It was on 7 acres! And the best part, at least in Tim’s eyes, was the huge out-building on the property. Yes, there were downfalls. The out-building was built illegally so we would need to get the proper permits and sweet talk the township office. No big deal! We were in love.

And now that love has been ripped out of our hands. So dramatic I know. And I know I shouldn’t be so bummed about this. It’s not like were had put in an offer or were getting ready to move. We still have to sell our house before we can even seriously look at another house. But, still, in my day dreams we lived there. It even had a beautiful office off the kitchen and living area with hardwood floors. My office!

So, we’re bummed. We really liked this house. Did I mention that yet? I think the most disheartening part of this whole ordeal is that I just want to sell this house. I just want to be settled in to the house where we will be for years to come. I want a back yard all set-up with a swing-set and fire-pit. I want to move in to that next stage of life. And did I mention that I’m feeling sorry for myself tonight?

Maybe I should go take some more Sudafed.

Talkin’ about a resolution

Fri, 2 Jan 2009 14:23:04 -0500

I’ve never really been one to make New Year’s resolutions. In years past I’ve set goals but, like many people, those goals are forgotten about in a month or two. But then I decided this year, I’m a list maker. With a toddler and baby and working at home, I feel like I’m pulled in a thousand directions. I need those lists to keep me on task. I make lists nearly every day. A list of things that I need to get done that day. A list of things that eventually need to get done around the house (home improvements). I have a little notebook on my counter with pages of lists! So, why not create a list of resolutions?

A few of these resolutions are things that I’ve been working towards for a while now. I guess they are not exactly New Year’s resolutions but more so a To-Do List. So, here is my to-do list for 2009:

Lose 30 pounds before turning 30 (the always looming 30x30) -- I have 6 months to get this one done. I’ve been working at it for a while, although I took a serious hiatus when we moved and then the holidays snuck in there. I’m excited to get back into exercising. I just really need to get back into the grove of it. Once it becomes part of my daily routine it is so much easier to keep at it.

Be more patient with my girls. I usually get so tired during the day and overwhelmed that I end up snapping at the girls. And I hate myself for it. I’m not sure what I’m going to do to achieve this goal but I need to figure something out.

Plan more date nights with the husband. Since having Zoe I tend to push date nights aside. Planning a date night takes work when you have two kids. Finding a babysitter, especially one that is willing to come to our house to put the kids to bed, isn’t always easy.

Go skydiving for my 30th birthday!

I think that is good for now. I’m sure I’ll add more as time goes on. But it’s a start and a pretty reasonable list I think. Ask me again in a few months!

My 2008 Loot

Wed, 31 Dec 2008 16:04:19 -0500

So this is probably my last post for 2008. Sad in a way but so excited to get 2009 started. It is going to be a great year. Do you hear me 2009? YOU ARE GOING TO BE A GREAT YEAR!!

Anyhow, I thought it would only be appropriate to close out this year by giving a little bloggy love to those blogs where I won some great giveaways. Let me first say that there are some really great blogs out there. I have a long list that I try to read daily and enjoy most of them (There are two or three that I’m not sure why I still read them. It’s like driving by a car accident. You can’t help but look. I can’t help but read these train wreck blogs either). I’ll be updating that list on my main blog page in the New Year. I’ll keep updating that list as I find new blogs and remove others. Yes, I’m addicted.

On to my blog winnings. Before that though, please don’t read this as me bragging about my winnings and good fortune. My intentions are to bring a little recognition to those great bloggers out there who host giveaways on their site. It’s not an easy thing to do always so I appreciate your work and generosity!

Cool Mom Picks -- I won a very fun new canopy cover for our stroller from Bonnie Bonnet. It’s so fun and makes my stroller a little more festive.

Mom Dot -- I was the winner of a beautiful bracelet from Lolapop and a personalized hand-stamped necklace from The Charming Lamb.

An Island Life -- Zoe will be enjoying two darling hand made tops that I won from Your Little Sweet Pea. Seriously, they are the cutest little tops!

5 Minutes for Mom -- this one made my husband super happy. A $500 gift card to Home Depot!

From Cribs To Car Keys -- Abbi received some personalized Christmas music via my win from MyTunez.biz. Abbi of course loved the music with her name in it but then MyTunez went even further and sent me MP3s of a song with Zoe’s name and another with my name. Great company!

JodiMichelle -- My dear friend Jodi opened up her heart and coupon holder as she hosted a slew of giveaways on her site (jodimichelle.com) the week leading up to Christmas. I was fortunate enough to win 2 of her giveaways. I will be enjoying some post holiday shopping at Old Navy and The West Elm! That made my Christmas a bit more sweeter!

I believe that was it. It is a lot if you stop to think about it. I love the gifts I won! So, keep hosting those giveaways people. I love entering them and I love winning them more! I’m also hoping to host a few more myself this coming year. In the mean time, go visit all the sites above and especially check out 5 Minutes for Mom where I will be writing reviews this New Year!

A look back at 2008

Wed, 31 Dec 2008 15:40:32 -0500

I’m anticipating having a very exciting and busy night tonight with New Year’s Eve and all. You know, feed the kids dinner, bathe them, put them to bed, figure out what the hubs and I will eat for dinner, maybe watch a movie with the hubs, and then struggle to stay awake to watch the ball drop. The excitement never ends over here! So, in anticipation of my busy night, here is my year in review:

January 2008 -- Pregnant, locked Abbi in the car, Tim traveling for his new job, the dreaded 3 hour glucose test

February 2008 -- Still pregnant but I found a new OB who would let me do a VBAC!

March 2008 -- Joined the twitter world and still pregnant

April 2008 -- WOO HOO, no longer pregnant as I finally gave birth to Zoe, getting zero sleep!

May 2008 -- Really tired! Tim traveling again, won my first online giveaway

June 2008 -- celebrated 6 years with Tim, Abbi and Zoe are becoming best friends

July 2008 -- turned 29 (oh, the last of the 20s), took Abbi to the zoo, bought a camper

August 2008 -- more online giveaways, hosted my first online giveaway, Abbi is kicking butt in potty training

September 2008 -- started my 30x30 journey

October 2008 -- Zoe turned 6 months old! sold our condo, moved to the rental, Tim turned 34

November 2008 -- settled in to the rental, Zoe’s first Thanksgiving, purchased our first bedroom set

December 2008 -- Abbi turns 3, Abbi’s first dentist appointment, Zoe’s first Christmas

Wow, that makes my year seem pretty pathetic. Yes, I gave birth and potty trained my toddler but, really, is that all? I know a good portion of the year I spent sleep deprived. Ok, I’m still sleep deprived since the child has yet to sleep through the night consistently. In all fairness though, it really was a good year. The girls both hit lots of milestones and have given us a lot of great memories.

Still, I’m hoping 2009 is better.

2008 - A year of laughter

Wed, 31 Dec 2008 15:16:30 -0500

Did Cinderella’s fairy tale end when she had kids?

Tue, 30 Dec 2008 21:05:43 -0500

We’re all familiar with the fairy tale -- girl meets boy, they overcome some sort of obstacle (wicked step mother, wicked queen, sleep, etc), they kiss, they marry, they live “happily ever after”. But do they? Those three words always come after the big kiss or after the couple say “I do” but what happens when that couple has kids? Did Cinderella still feel like she was living the happily ever after when the baby was screaming at 3am and Prince Charming was snoring away next to her with no sign of getting up to check on the baby?

Being a parent is one of the hardest things I can ever imagine doing. Giving birth? Piece of cake compared to the never ending task of parenting. No matter what I do, I always feel like it is the wrong decision. Yes, I’m constantly second guessing every parental decision I make. And yes, I do have my husband who helps with the parenting decisions but, since I’m home with the girls all day, there are lots of decisions I have to make on my own. I know I need to just make the decision and move on but that is easier said than done.

So speaking of the husband, parenting has also put a huge strain on our relationship. Ok Cinderella, how did you and Prince Charming deal with things when you found out that you have very different parenting styles? After having two kids, and one well into her life as a toddler, we have come to realize that the husband and I have very different parenting styles. He thinks I’m too easy and I think he’s too tough. And we have yet to find a happy medium. It causes more arguments than any other issue in our marriage. What then Cinderella?

And what do you do when your once so well behaved toddler (once meaning 5 minutes ago) decides to throw the mother of all temper tantrums in the middle of the grocery store because you make her ride in the car because she keeps picking things up off the shelf and putting them on the floor? Thank you all of you parents in that store at that time who decided to stop and stare. What then? Do you still feel like you’re living the happily ever after?

I’m not sure where this post is coming from or really where it is going. It has just been a tough couple of months. I’m tired most days but feel too overwhelmed to rest. I feel lonely and yet I just want time alone sometimes. I know, it gets easier but does it? Really? Or do you just adapt to this new life of parenting? Do you accept the fact that sleep is a rare commodity and that sleeping in is 7am? That date nights are few and far between and, really, they aren’t filled with the romance and fun that they once were? That New Year’s Eve no longer means parties and friends but kids and trying so hard to make it to see the ball drop on TV at midnight, all the time knowing you will be getting up in a few short hours with the kids.

Like I said, I’m not sure where this is coming from or where it is going. I love my children and I wouldn’t trade having them and being a parent for anything. Maybe it is because the husband and I often talk about whether or not we want a third child. Do we want to embark on that journey a third time? Do we want to add more chaos to our already chaotic lives? It seems like this is something quite a few bloggers are talking about these days as some are pregnant with their second or third and some are deciding not to increase their family size, ever. I have no idea what we’ll do. I’m content with our family of four but ask me again in a few months when Zoe is no longer a baby and has moved into the hell world of being a toddler.

In the meantime, I’d love to hear from some of you Cinderellas out there. Are you still living the happily ever after even after kids?

Zoe’s first Christmas

Mon, 29 Dec 2008 22:06:49 -0500

I completely forgot to mention that this was Zoe’s first Christmas in my last post. Geesh! I really am a terrible mom. I am supplying Zoe with so much stuff for when she gets older and starts therapy. Forgetting milestones. Not taking pictures of her. Haven’t started a baby book for her. Middle child syndrome....if we decide to have another one. Lots and lots of therapy!

So yes, it was Zoe’s first Christmas. Really, she just kind of rolled with the punches during the holidays. She really could care less about presents as she’s too young to grasp the whole idea of unwrapping them. And she’s just as content to play with her sister’s old toys (or new ones if she can get her hands on them) as she is to play with a new toy of her very own.

She did have a few milestones though during the holidays. She’s been pulling herself up and walking around furniture but she actually stood, unassisted, for a good few seconds without holding on to anything. Yes ladies and gentlemen, we are mere weeks from a walking child. I’m not sure whether I should celebrate that or not. She tends to get into enough trouble just crawling!

Zoe also learned to crawl up the stairs at Grammy and Papa’s house, just like her big sister did. Thankfully we do not have any stairs in our current house so I’m not too worried about needing to put up a baby gate.

All in all, I think she had a pretty good first Christmas. Certainly one she won’t remember. And, just like I knew she would, my mom got her photos from Christmas uploaded. So, here a few shots of our time celebrating with my family (thanks Mom!). Hopefully I’ll get my pictures uploaded some time this week.

The Christmas Rewind

Mon, 29 Dec 2008 14:29:00 -0500

Is anyone else in shock that Christmas is over? I feel like it took forever to get here and now it is finished. Honestly though, as bummed as I am that Christmas is over, I’m really looking forward to getting my house back in order and getting back on a more normal schedule. If that is even possible.

Before we are too far removed from the holidays I wanted to share with you what the holidays had in store for us.

Let’s begin the rewind to just over two weeks ago when we celebrated Christmas with Tim’s parents, siblings & their families, and his Aunt Joan. It was a pretty low key afternoon of snacking, opening presents, eating, and some Trivial Pursuit. Both girls got some books (which we always love) and Abbi got her first board game (Chutes and Ladders). Tim and I finally got new chairs for camping -- well overdue!

Christmas Eve we went to church for some singing and a reading of the Christmas story. Both girls were a little antsy and fussy because they had not gotten good naps. The complete downfall of the night was when the pastor invited all the kids up front as he read the Christmas story. We go to a pretty large church mind you. Abbi wanted to go up too so away she went. However, when she saw how many other kids were up there, she kind of freaked out and started crying. So away I went to the front of the church to collect my crying child. Oh yeah, fun times.

Christmas Day we opened presents at home which was pretty fun. Abbi was excited about her sled and nail polish from Santa. We loaded Zoe up into the sled and pulled her around the living room. She loved it. After Zoe’s morning nap we packed up and went over to Tim’s sister’s house where we ate and played games. It was a very nice, low key afternoon.

The next day we packed up the van and headed across the state to visit my family. By the time we got to my parent’s house it was time to feed the girls dinner, quickly open presents, and get my non-napping children in bed. But, before I could corral Abbi into bed she had taken 86 pictures on her new camera from Grammy and Papa. And promptly after the girls were in bed, Tim made his way to the garage to check out his new tool chest.

The next morning we played with Abbi’s new Memory board game, Zoe’s new musical 123 ABC bear, and my Wii fit. It was hilarious to watch Abbi dodging soccer balls and hula hooping as she was doing the Wii fit. But don’t read that as meaning that the Wii fit is this fun, easy, child-like game. That sucker is pretty tough!

Later that afternoon we went over to my Uncle Bill’s house for Christmas with my extended family. I think there were just about 30 of us packed into his living and dining rooms. It was loud, it was chaotic, it was my family. We ate (I’m starting to see a pattern here) and then played our gift game -- an hour of laughing, plotting, scheming, and gift stealing. Good times.

And now, we’re home. No more parties. No more gifts. No more eating! We actually came home yesterday to sunshine and no snow. So much for that sled that Abbi got from Santa! With the sun shining today I came close to packing up all of the Christmas decorations. However, I opted for playing games with Abbi instead. I’m sure that by this weekend our decorations will be taken down though and put back into storage. Thus putting a definite end to our holiday celebrations.

Oh, and I’m hoping to post pictures from Christmas soon. I need to upload the few that I’ve taken and then beg my mom to share some of hers. Really hoping she got some good ones of the girls, which I’m pretty sure she did!

Merry Christmas Eve

Wed, 24 Dec 2008 15:02:59 -0500

Providential?

Tue, 23 Dec 2008 15:46:37 -0500

A week or so ago I was notified that I was the winner of a very substantial gift card to Home Depot from the fabulous 5 Minutes for Mom. Needless to say the husband and I were both shocked and very excited. He instantly began dreaming of all the things he we could buy. All I really wanted was to get the paint to finish painting the bedrooms in our house.

Well the gift card came yesterday via FedEx. The shopping could begin. That was until our garage door decided to take a big dive on us. Not literally. This is what happened: The other day, after we received lots of snow and some freezing rain, our garage door was a little frozen to the ground. The garage door opener yanked the door up anyhow and caused the door to bend or sag or something. We’ve had troubles with it closing ever since. And this morning, as Tim was leaving for work, it brought sagging to a whole other level.

To be safe we pulled my van out of the garage and manually shut the garage door. Now my van (and Tim’s truck eventually) are parked outside until we get a new door. My poor van is covered in snow!

So, it looks like we will be spending that gift card on a new garage door. That should be fun for Tim to install in the cold snow! We probably won’t get it until after the holidays as we really don’t have the time to go shopping for one.

Wait, hold the phone! I just did some looking around on HomeDepot.com and they offer installation of their garage doors (for a not so small fee). It might just be worth the extra cost. I guess we’ll see how handy the husband is feeling.

Ok, I’m off to go dig my van out once again. Have I mentioned lately that it has been snowing non-stop here since last Thursday night? Snow. Lots of it!