Much, much too old for this!

Last night I played in my first official hockey game in about 15 years! As you know from my previous blog posts I have been helping out with my local rink's Little Penguin Learn To Play program. It felt natural to be out there playing again, and I was looking forward to joining a team!

I got a call asking about joining a team a couple days ago. I originally wanted to play with younger kids/teens because that is more my speed. Unfortunately, there wasn't any spots in that division so I was asked to play with the adults (or big boys as I call them)! A little unsure I said "yes" and very late last night I headed to my first real game! I need to give a big thank you to my wonderful neice Desiree for coming over to sit at the house while I was gone!

It's a little lonely being the only girl on an all boys team. I have to get dressed in my very own dressing room...alone! And rarely anyone talks to me. I don't know what the big deal is about changing around men or vice versa. I already have a t-shirt on and shorts under my jeans, so it's not like I get naked and plus when you've seen one man...you basically have seen them all...they all look the same! lol But anyway I got ready alone. Oh and I got my very own jersey and socks...which was exciting, and made it ever so "real!"

So then it was time for the big game. I wasn't nervous at all and was actually really excited! Our team isn't very full, so there are only three players who sit on the bench at one time. Which means you play a majority of the game....3- 20 minute periods! YIKES!

The game started and I nearly died seeing how fast the other team was! I come to find out that they are very experienced high school hockey players! What the heck did I get myself into?! The first period trying to keep up to these men was super exhausting! I'm not an overly religious person, but found myself sitting on the bench trying to catch my breath and praying that I either didn't throw up or pass out! lol

When I played hockey in the past there was always an ambulance there in case something happened. Last night there wasn't one, and I honestly thought I was going to have a heart attack and I was going to die right there among a bunch of clueless high school teenagers! lol I was also beginning to panic when I didn't even see one of those glass cases that hold a Heart Defibulator! I was seeing stars and thought I was doomed! lol  I honestly wanted to quit during that first period, but I would never do that because I was part of a team that depended on me! Normally I play defense, which requires a lot of skating backwards, but they were just too darn fast and I spent most of my time just trying to keep up!

By the third period I was physically exhausted! When it was time for a line change I would just roll over the boards and onto the bench! Then I would go out there and last maybe a minute and would need to sit back down...it was crazy! I continued to pray that the time would just go by quickly, and eventually it did! After an excruciating hour it was finally over! And at 11:30 pm nonetheless! I find out that the oldest person on our team according to one of the other guys, is 30-years-old which to them is old! Apparently they think I'm in my early twenties, but will be 33-years-old in just a couple days!

With the late games and priorities as a mom, I'm not sure if I'm going to continue. My team wants me to come back, but I'm still unsure. I would love to continue playing because it's such a great workout, but apparently I'm the only one with parental obligations! The other players go out to the bar after the game and don't have to get up the next morning at 7 am to pack lunches and get a 5-year-old ready for school! And speaking of getting up...I could barely move this morning...I'm hurting in places that I've never hurt before! lol

But to sum up my night and just to give you an idea of just how excruciating it was...I told my husband I would rather give birth to 100 babies than have to endure that again! lol And the two births that I experienced were very long and very, very painful! lol

CHAOS!

Today has been one of those days! I woke up at 8:15 am. Ben goes to school between 9:00-9:15. While normally this is enough time for me to make him breakfast and get him ready, I had to be out the door at the same time for a doctors appointment as well!

I showered and dried my hair. I also had to pack him snacks for the week. Even though I know he needs snacks at the beginning of each week, I somehow wait until the day that they are needed to pack them! I'm running around like crazy...Alex is throwing a fit because he doesn't want to share a blanket on the couch with Ben! I then realized that Ben needs a check written for school lunches! He needed a written excuse for missing yesterday at school! It always seems like I am waiting until the last minute to accomplish EVERYTHING!

I really need order in my life! I suffer from CHAOS (Can't Have Anyone Over Syndrome)! I love that term! I got it from one of my many organizational books "Sink Reflections." Do you have a house of chaos? I wish I could have a house that stayed spotless every single day! One that I walked into and instantly felt calm and not anxious and overwhelmed! A house that didn't have cheerios under the couch cushions and socks thrown all over the living room! Oh socks...that's a whole other blog topic! lol

It seems like when I clean one room one room perfectly and go to the next, the boys destroy the room that I just organized! It's a vicious cycle! And I can never ever seem to catch up! They are 4 and 5-years-old and we tried everything! But when it comes down to it, I think they have way to many toys! We've packed a lot up and decided to only give them a small selection to play with and then switch them out every 6 months or so. But Alex had a birthday in December and then there was Christmas, so we are overwhelmed with toys again!

I feel like I never have enough time in the day to accomplish everything! Ben's Little Penguin's practice is every Thursday night and now he has the opportunity for another hockey program that is free for Tuesday, Saturday and Sunday! Because it's free, we jumped on the offer, so now he plays 4 days a week! As if I didn't already have enough going on! But it's just 12 weeks, I keep telling myself that!

So back to today....

I'm already late to my doctor's appointment, which is almost an hour away, and I first have to drop Alex off at my mom's. Alex didn't really want to go, but he was ok with it, or so I thought! He ended up falling asleep about 5 minutes away from my parent's house, so he was super crabby when he woke up. As I walked him up to the house, he began to scream: "I don't want to visit!" He stops on the sidewalk and my mom had to come down, pick him up, and carry him into the house! And yes, he's 4-years-old and is now going through the terrible twos! YIKES!

So I'm in a hurry trying to make it to my appointment and am going down back roads. I end up coming to a road that is closed, and that adds about 10 minutes to my travel time! I think the only plus to my day was that I found an empty parking spot at Panera Bread, so I was able to eat lunch there! ;)

Oh and did I mention that I went outside for about a minute earlier today to check on the dog? I came into the house to find Alex's shoe on the couch with his drink upside down inside it! Maybe he's looking for attention? It sort of reminds me of dogs who poop in their owner's shoes when they get mad at them! lol

I guess it's good that it wasn't my UGGs! I guess my day could always be worse! lol

Thank goodness that my husband is off for the next five days! I can always use the extra help! I love how my husband gives me a day to myself to craft and unwind! I see a tub soak in my future! :)

Oh and we are currently almost finished with our bathroom remodel! I have to do a couple finishing touches and then I'll share the before and after with you! I can't wait...it's BEACH THEMED! :)

Jump for Joy!

Today is a double post. So if you're coming to my blog for the movie review, look for the post below this one. I had soo much on my mind today that I am blogging twice! ;)

I am finally starting to feel somewhat better! I have been sick for over a week, and yesterday was the first day that I didn't have a fever! :) So far I have been on two different antibiotics, an inhaler, and now steroids! lol

But that is not why I am jumping up and down in this photo! lol Last night in bed I had an "Aha" moment or an epiphany of sorts!

Last night someone told me that I am no longer the fun person that I use to be. I was also told that I am miserable and anti-social! lol I am laughing so hard now because that is so far from the truth, so unwarranted, so random, and totally out of left field!

Laying in bed last night I was self-reflecting when I had this epiphany moment and I instantly wanted to jump up and down on my bed with joy! I actually wanted to start jumping up and down singing the song: "I've got the joy, joy, joy, joy down in my heart, YEAH, down in my heart to stay!" LOL Obviously I couldn't jump up in down last night because Chris was sleeping next to me. I did however want to capture this moment in a self portrait. I've always wanted to do a jumping photo, so here is my first try! I had such a permanent smile on my face today!

I am so thankful that I was confronted by this person! I know it seems odd to be thankful for someone who is being negative, but it really made me look deep within myself! I have always had low self-esteem in the past, so normally something like this would really upset me. But this totally had the opposite effect on me!

This person is right, I have changed. I got married, had kids and I grew up! I use to be a miserable person. I was a very jealous person, and that all equaled to living an unhappy life at that time. I made fun of people at their expense, and I didn't think about anyone but myself. But that has all changed and they are right, I'm not that way anymore. I am not proud of who I am, but I am very proud of who I've become!

I told this person that I am abundantly blessed! And I am very lucky to live the life that I have! My life dramatically changed once I met my husband. He and I are such a perfect fit and he is my total support and we really balance each other! After we were married I became more spiritual and have discovered that life is too short to worry about the little petty things.

I focused on my family and helping others, and that alone truly transformed my life! I am the type of person who would go without just to help someone in need. And seeing the bigger picture of life has made me truly happy in my heart! :)

Anyway I have come to the conclusion that if someone has the opportunity to be my friend and passes on that chance, it's their loss! I can't believe I'm going to say this, but I'm one cool chick! :) lol

Some great quotes of wisdom from the Dalai Lama:

"It is the enemy who can truly teach us to practice the virtues of compassion and tolerance."

"I have found that the greatest degree of inner tranquility comes from the development of love and compassion. The more we care for the happiness of others, the greater is our own sense of well-being. Cultivating a close, warm-hearted feeling for others automatically puts the mind at ease. It is the ultimate source of success in life."

"Happiness is not something ready made. It comes from your own actions."

Side note: Ben saw this photo tonight as I was blogging and when Chris came home he said: "Daddy, mommy was jumping on your bed today!" lol Apparently he thinks that because he can't jump on the bed, I guess I can't either! lol

Randoms

I'm finally back to the blogging world! I hate being one of those bloggers, who doesn't blog regularly...but hopefully in the New Year I can blog on a regular basis! Plus, Santa is bringing me a laptop so that will help me blog more conveniently! Sometimes I find it too hard to get away from the kids and go upstairs to blog....they get into so much trouble when I leave them downstairs alone for even a few minutes(see photo evidence #5)!

Plus this month was super hectic and crazy! I got my purse stolen a few weeks ago, from my car outside of my house! It had my wallet, social security card, and driver's license, and not to mention many credit cards! Plus my wonderful pink camera that my husband bought me on my last birthday! I don't understand how people can be so mean...especially near the holidays! It's just been one of those months!

Also my baby, Alexander, turned 3-years-old on December 12th. Here's a photo of him listening while everyone sang to him! Don't let his innocent face fool you...again see photo evidence #5! lol
Early in December we got enough snow to build our first snowman! Ben slept through the fun, but Alexander had a great time! We had no carrots, so my husband substituted with a celery stick nose, and gravel eyes!

A few days ago the East Coast got pounded with snow! We probably got 6-8 inches. Here is my little dog Allie trying to walk across the yard! Poor thing, she's up to her belly in snow!

Benjamin had an Advent Program for his school the other night! Here is the whole school standing in front of the church. We got to the program late. We really weren't late, we were actually on time. The paper that was sent home said: "Do not bring your child before 6:45pm." The program started at 7. So I followed orders...we showed up at 6:45 and the church was packed! This is a very large Catholic Church...and we sat a few rows from the back! I was allowed to go up front to take photos when Ben sang. Here he is in the middle when he first saw me. He got a huge smile on his face and winked at me! My heart melted! He's growing up soo fast!

Here is photo evidence #5. Alexander, my 3-year-old, ruined two dozen cookies by sticking his finger into each one! I told him all morning not to touch the cookies. I went upstairs for a few minutes, only to find him missing when I returned. He was hiding under the kitchen table saying "I sorry...I sorry!" I wanted to scream! lol

And lastly, last week I found a package in my mailbox! My blogger friend Kristin sent me this plaque! She knew my love for cupcakes and she thought it would be perfect for me! Well she's right...it's too perfect, and I love it! Thank you so much Kristin! Check out Kristin's amazing blog "The Goat!"

Tomorrow is Ben's Christmas Party at school. So I'm going to go and finish making chocolate covered pretzels for him to pass out to his friends! I'll post photos from the party tomorrow! Have a wonderful night!

Play-Doh & Richard Gere?!

Well OK, Play-Doh & Richard Gere have nothing in common! But I'm going to talk about them both tonight anyway! Tonight we played with Play-Doh and made lots of letters using the letter stamps! I use to go crazy when the colors got mixed together, but now I don't care! It's not the end of the world!

Alex likes playing with his playmobil figures in the Play-Doh! Here is his figure with a big glob of Play-Doh on it's head!
Here is a little fun with the alphabet stamps! "Alex" of course!
Here's Ben rolling out the dough.

And here's Ben's creation! I found this little figured buried inside the Play-Doh container! Alex likes putting them inside and he'll say: "Ahhh, you're sinking!"
Here she is after I discovered her and pulled her out! Good thing the Play-Doh comes right off! Alex also likes to pop their hair off, and replace it with Play-Doh!
We really had a great time creating tonight! I forgot how much fun Play-Doh is!

OK, so I mentioned "Richard Gere!" I was online tonight and found out that he will be in Washington D.C. next Friday for a conference on "The Convergance of Science and Spirituality"! I live about 3 hours away from DC! The general cost of tickets to the event is $150. But for $500 you can attend a private cocktail party with him before the conference! I saw that and my eyes almost popped out of my head! I have always wanted to meet him, and this is my chance...or so I thought! You can read about the details here!

Anyway, my anniversary is coming up on November 1st, so I forwarded the information to my husband at work saying that it would make the best anniversary gift EVER!

He called a few hours later, and this was our conversation:

Me: "Did you get the e-mail that I sent you."

The Husband: "Yes."

Me: "I want to go so badly!"

The Husband: "Who are you planning on going with?"

Me: "Myself."

The Husband: "How do you plan on getting there?"

Me: "Drive. I have GPS, plus it's only 3 hours away!"

Me: "It would make a great anniversary gift. You love me, right?"

The Husband: "HA, HA, HA, HA!"

So I guess I'm not going to meet Richard Gere next week! But a girl can dream can't she?!

My husband has been on Richard Gere overload over the past week. He's been off work and after the kids are in bed we'll watch a movie. I only give him choices of movies that Richard Gere is in! lol

Plus, my husband is soo sick of hearing me ask him to dye his hair grey and to get glasses! LOL

I ask him all the time! :)

In my opinion he's like a fine wine....the more aged he gets-the better he is! :)

The Time Capsule

A few weeks ago, my husband finally finished putting up our new kitchen cabinets that we bought on craigslist! They were only 5 or 6 years old and in perfect condition!

Today they finally came and installed our kitchen countertops! I'm soo excited, I can barely handle myself! Tomorrow I'm going to start decorating the kitchen for Halloween!

Back in February my blogger friend Kristin blogged about about a time capsule that her mother had placed in her kitchen! You can read about it here! I thought it was such a great idea, but since we were almost done with our remodeling I wasn't sure where we were going to place it! Well, in the back corner of the kitchen behind the lazy susan is a gap of space...perfect for hiding my family's time capsule!

I placed many things inside the container such as a letter talking about the house's history, the boy's paintings, many photos, coins, toys, a c.d. with even more photos, and a newspaper from today! What made it more special is the date today is 9-9-09!

Here is an excerpt of my letter. As I wrote this I felt sad, as if I was giving away my house!
Here's a piece of what I wrote:

"What really makes this house special is that our two children were raised here! Benjamin Christopher Shal was born on July 31, 2005 and Alexander William Shal was born on December 12, 2006. Each of my boys had their first steps in this house, said their first words, and crawled all over every inch of floor! There were many giggles, many songs sang, and many prayers said! Each birthday and holiday was very special to our family! There was so much love in this house and hopefully you'll enjoy it as much as we did!"


Here are some photos that I placed inside! Since my boys are growing up in this house, I wanted to include photos of them beginning to walk, and swinging in the backyard! These are just a sampling of the photos that I included in my time capsule! There are many more photos, plus a c.d. of even many more photos! lol

Also in the middle of the photos you can see the coins that I included in there as well! I couldn't find any 2009 coins, so I came up with the idea to include a state quarter for each year that we lived in our house! From the year 2000 until 2008!
I also included today's daily newspaper.

Here's a closeup (Corlett style)!

What's a time capsule without kid's paintings and coloring pages!?

Here's a look at what I've included inside. I even put some of my boy's favorite toys when they were younger! They spent many hours playing with these toys!

See the gap in the back corner behind the lazy susan? This is where I placed the time capsule!

Here I am holding the time capsule before I put it in place!

I bet you never imagined seeing this side of me! lol My husband was documenting the process of the time capsule...I had to stretch and place it way down on the floor!
Here it is all lonely back there! I really could have hid something much bigger back there!
After I put everything in place the kitchen countertops were installed! I'll share those photos with you another day! Thank you Kristin for the wonderful idea of the time capsule!

Also in a few days I will blog about the interesting history of my house and share some of the cool things we've found since we've remodeled!

Have a great week!

First Day of School

Today was Ben's first day of Preschool! He's going three full days a week! Despite the look on his face, he was really excited! lol Here he is showing off his Diego bookbag and Spiderman lunchbox!
Here's his school. We decided to send him to Catholic school. It was the same school that his daddy attended long long ago! The school is nearly 100 years old! It turns 100 in 2011!

Here he is in his classroom...again with his "fake" smile! He smiles like this because I take soo many pictures of him all the time, and he gets tired of it! Plus I think he is a little apprehensive!

After I picked him up today, I took him to Dairy Queen for a special treat! Sure...now he smiles! Don't you just love sprinkles?! I know I do!

Did you ever see those plates that say something like "I am special?" They sell for close to $30 a plate! It was a tradition that I wanted to start with my kids, but wow that's expensive! Luckily, I found this one at a yard sale for $1! I plan to use it on birthdays and special occassions! I told him whenever he has a special day he can use it! Don't mind the uncovered outlet above his head...we're on the last stage of remodeling so it's not complete yet!

Here is one of the few special surprises that I had for him! I spoil my boys way too much! But that's ok...they deserve it!

And here is a little cup I bought for him and his brother. I just took a closeup to show you the cuteness!

And what would be a post without talking about my little Alex? Alex was soo excited for the first day of school. He actually thought he was going! He wanted to take his bookbag, just like his big brother Ben! He carried it on his back inside school, and when he left he was a little disappointed! He wanted to stay with Ben! Here is Alex with his daddy on his way back to the car! He's too cute! He really missed his big brother today!

So you're probably wondering what I've been up to the past couple of weeks! Well...ALOT! Let's see a couple weeks ago was the Wiggles concert that I blogged about! Well that ended up being a disaster...Alex started throwing up the night before and our car ended up breaking down on the Parkway after the concert! It was a nightmare! I have photos and can blog about it if anyone is interested?!

But the last couple of weeks I have been reorganizing our house! We're on our last stage of remodeling the kitchen so I've been busy getting our rooms back together. Our livingroom use to be a joint livingroom/diningroom/kitchen for the last 6 months! Our house literally looked ransacked! So I've been busy with that! We get our new counters next week! YEAH! So once my kitchen is complete, I'll share it with you!

Now that school has started it has freed me up a bit to blog on a more regular basis...so come back and visit me soon!
Have a great week!

-Ruth Ann

My little Ben turns 4 today!

4 years ago today I became a mother! Today Benjamin is 4-years-old! Motherhood has been the most rewarding and yet most stressful experience of my entire life! But I wouldn't change it for the world! I have the most amazing little boy! He is so intelligent and funny and I cannot imagine my life without him! Here's a look back at how far we have come! Here are some of my favorites of literally THOUSANDS! I took every photo except the first one! Enjoy!

Here we are after his birth:

Here he is at a couple weeks old:

His first Christmas:

Having fun in the daisies:

His second Halloween:

His eyes are amazing aren't they?

This is my favorite photo that was taken near his second birthday. It's one of my favorites! Everyone says that it reminds them of the "Wizard of Oz!"

Playing in the corn for his second year photos!

His third year photos was a farm theme. Here he is close to his third birthday:

Here's Ben today at four! He's grown up soo fast! Next thing I know, he'll be graduating from college!

Hope you enjoyed my favorite photos of Ben! Have a great night!

-Ruth Ann

Busy Summer-but I'm finally back!

Hey everyone! Sorry that I have been gone for a couple of months...it's been such a hectic summer. We're still remodeling our kitchen. We should be done in about three weeks! So far we've tiled the floor and put in the cabinets...we have some minor things left to do and we'll be finished! I cannot wait! I've been several months without a kitchen and my waist shows it! I'm so sick of take-out! I cannot wait to eat healthy again!

So far this summer we've visited the zoo, had a dinner cruise on the rivers in Pittsburgh, visited a farm, attended 2 family reunions, blew lots of bubbles, swam at my sister-in-laws, and visited preschools for Ben.

For awhile I was depressed, and pretty much withdrew from everything. Every once in a while I went online and read other's blogs. I just never felt up to writing mine. But I figured that there are so many wonderful things out there to explore, that life is too short to sit around and be depressed. I have two wonderful boys and a wonderful husband and I have a lot to be happy about! So I'm finally back, and it feels good! Here is a photo recap of my summer soo far. I have over a thousand more photos, but it's impossible to share them all! Enjoy!

-Ruth Ann

Any Good Talent Agents Out There?

Hi everyone! I just wanted to share this cute little video with you! Remember you'll have to turn my music off on my pink music player (on the right hand side) to hear it. Do you remember the song "Rapper's Delight" from the 80's? Well here's a video of Ben dancing to it. He's trying to break dance!

When he hears an upbeat song he always dances! Even when he strapped in his car seat! Never know....he just might be the next John Travolta! I have another video of both Ben and Alex break dancing, but at one point they hit heads and there's a lot of crying! I thought I'd spare you those vocals! lol

I really want to teach him "The Hustle!" I'll post that video next!

Happy Wednesday!

-Ruth Ann

Interview With A Three-Year-Old

This past week I decided to interview my oldest son Benjamin. At three-years-old he has a wonderful personality full of imagination and humor! I really got a kick out of what he had to say, so I thought I'd share it with you!

1. What is something mom always says to you?
No!
2. What makes mom happy?
When I make funny faces.
3. What makes mom sad?
Breaking Cups. (I guess I must have broken a cup at one point in time and he thought it upset me).
4. How does mom make you laugh?
Smiles.
5. What was your mom like as a child?
Like Rory the Racing Car. (It's one of his favorite cartoons)
6. How old is your mom?
89! (And I thought I looked young for my age)! lol
7. How tall is your mom?
This tall (he held his hands apart as a measurement). I asked how big is that? And he said "that's big!"
8. What is her favorite thing to do?
Projects. (He's referring to the craft projects we do daily).
9. What does mom do when you're not around?
Sewing.
10. If you mom becomes famous, what will it be for?
Driving Cars.
11. What is mom really good at?
Making apples. (It was a craft project we did last week).
12. What is mom not very good at?
Making bunnies. (It was a cotton ball craft project we did last week. I thought it was cute, but apprently he did not)! lol
13. What does you mom do for her job?
Gas cars up.
14. What is mom's favorite food?
Sandwich.
15. What makes you proud of your mom?
Driving cars. (Like most men, he's car obsessed)!
16. How do you know mom loves you?
Gives me kisses and hugs!

Too cute! Make sure you get the chance to interview a little one! It'll really make your day!

Hugs,
Ruth Ann

I'm Finally Back!

Hi everyone! I'm finally back from what has been one hectic month! I don't even know where to begin! Let's see... it's been crazy because I have two toddlers...not to mention that one is going through the wonderful "terrible twos!" And yes, I'm being sarcastic..there's nothing wonderful about them!

A couple weeks ago I was in the bathroom when my two-year-old (Alex) came up to me and said: "I sorry Mommy!" I said: "What did you do?!!!!" He grabbed me by the hand and took me downstairs only to find a half dozen eggs broken throughout the kitchen and dining room! He emptied the entire carton! Thank goodness there was only 6 eggs left!

Then a few weeks ago I came down with a horrible ear infection. After about four days, when I started feeling better, I stopped taking the antibiotics. Well it's back with a vengeance! I started getting extremely sick this past Friday and went to the doctor on Saturday and the ear infection has returned, along with bronchitis and a sinus infection! This past weekend was horrible! I do not remember feeling soo sick in my life! I had a high fever, I had chills, I threw up! And it lasted for days! I still feel really sick today, but at least my fever has gone away! It was so bad that I told my husband that I would go through childbirth all over again than to be this sick! It was horrible! I was very fortunate, he took care of me and took two days off of work. He watched the kids since I remained in bed for two days, and cleaned the house! He totally took care of me!

Lets see...last week Dixie started Puppy Training Classes. She is also going through the "terrible twos" if there is such a thing for puppies! She doesn't listen, and she's is getting gigantic! I think she's part dinosaur or moose! Anyway, the day before training I had to take her to the vet. I feed her several hours before the trip but that didn't matter. She threw up all over the floor in the back seat area of my van!!!! And I'm not talking about just a little either...and in five places!!!! On the way back Ben started yelling: "Dixie...please don't throw up on my side!" LOL

I was laughing hysterically, it was just one of those moments! So apparently Dixie now gets car sick! It figures, she never throws up when she travels with my husband! lol I think I'll just drive his car next time!

So her puppy class came and I decided to only feed her very early in the morning and when her class came that night she wouldn't get sick. Well you know what? She got sick anyway! But I kept her in her crate with a throwaway pad inside for easy cleanup! Does anyone have any suggestions about what I should do? I will be making this trip with her once a week for a couple months. It's about a half hour trip each way.

Oh, and today she ate my new cell phone! I have a cute little LG-NV and now 1/4 of it is chewed up! I swear she knew what she was doing, and did this just to make me mad! lol

She always destroys everything! She ate my phone charger, she ate about 100 pacifiers and hundreds of toys! But my phone of all things she left usable! It's like hey if you're going to eat it, eat all of it, so I can get a new one. But now I have to carry around a chewed up usable cell phone. It's very stylish! lol And also, she pulled a box of Kleenex off the table today and pulled them out one by one and chewed them up!

My kids have been one main reason I haven't been blogging lately. I decided to give homeschooling a try (at least for preschool). And we're learning alphabet recognition among many other things right now. It's really neat to be out and about and my son will notice a letter he is familiar with on signs. It's exciting to know that I'm teaching him things and he's loving it! But we're seriously thinking about homeschooling him in the future as well, but that's another post!

So that's been my month wrapped up in a few paragraphs! lol

I also wanted to share with you a photo of the wonderful package I received in the mail from my swap partner Tangee. I was in Lori's for the Love of Birds Swap. I was partnered with a very creative lady, Tangee from A Sparkly Messy Life. Look at all the wonderful goodies she sent me.
A very vibrant colorful tote on the left (which is my absolute favorite), a shabby Easter Bunny holding a glitter egg, a French flour sack, a barn star, a couple shabby chic decor books, a Love photo frame, potpourri, a stuffed bunny, a shabby iron bird, and some beautiful jewelry! Thank you soo much Tangee, it was great swapping with you!
And one more shout out to my BBF (best blogging friend) Kristin over at "The Goat" who sent me a letter that was in my mail today! It was such a sweet surprise, and really made my day! Thank you Kristin! You are so creative and I am so glad that we met through blogging! Well everyone I should get some sleep it's almost 1:00 am! I just wanted to catch everyone up on my life, and I will catch up reading my favorite blogs soon and I'll start posting again! Thanks for your patience!

Hugs, Ruth Ann

A Busy Week!

Sorry that I haven't been online in a couple of days, I've been extremely busy. My husband has been in North Carolina for the last three days! I cannot wait until he gets here tonight! It's just been so hectic with the boys. I don't particularly care for his work schedule, he's at work 14 hours a day so that in itself is crazy enough, but I dread it when he is not here for days at a time! Thank goodness that doesn't happen often!

I'm so much more appreciative of him now since he's been on this trip. That's because when he's here he bathes the boys and puts them to bed. Plus, he's the one that changes the diaper pail! Eww....I had to do that last night and believe me it was disgusting! I had my shirt up over my head! I can't handle that smell! And it's a tiny little diaper pail and boy was it unbelievably heavy! Who knew dirty diapers could weigh that much?! lol I just didn't realize that those simple little things that he does helps out a great deal! I think that I'll bake him a cake to show him that he's appreciated!

One thing that I gained while he was gone was- Confidence! I always use to dread taking both kids with me shopping or to doctor's appointments. They are usually very well behaved, but you know how it can be with a near two and three year old! In the past, I would usually call my mom and leave one of them with her. Well when my husband was gone, my mom happened to be gone too! Talk about feeling alone! The day before my husband left I started having like an anxiety attack! I felt like- where could I turn? Everyone is either gone or working and it's just "me!" I started having scenarios in my head such as: what if one gets sick, what if one breaks an arm? What will I do?

But looking back over the past week, it went really well! I had to take my son to his eye doctor's appointment on Monday. Having them both there went well! My youngest almost had a tantrum because of the long wait, but I talked him out of it. After the appointment we even went to the craft store for about 45 minutes! Then we went home! It was awesome!

Later that night my youngest pulled his big brother's glasses off and bent them badly so the following day we had to go back to the eye doctors! lol So we ended up going to Target and Walmart and even went to the playland at McDonald's! I am finally so comfortable and confident in my abilities to be a mother! It only took what....three years! lol

Today I decided- why stay at home? I'm in the mood for thrift shopping! We went to two thrift stores and they were perfect angels and I didn't even have to bribe them! They both wanted to ride the mechanical pony but I stayed firm and told them "no!" They didn't even cry or throw a fit! I was very impressed! My oldest did ask me a couple times, but I didn't give in!

ALthought my day went well, it was a little challenging at dinner tonight. I gave them two choices and they aggreed on pork chops. Well my son took probably one bite of corn and one bite of pork chops and said that he was done and wanted a snack. I again stayed firm and told him not until he eats most of his dinner. So he cried a little and pouted. Then he came up to me and told me he was ready to eat his food. And he did! He ate most of what was on his plate! My youngest however wouldn't eat anything! I think he took one bite of corn and that was it. When I told him that he was going to have to eat his dinner in order to get a snack he tried to fool me by putting corn on his spoon and then dumping it off and taking a bite of an empty spoon! It didn't work and he didn't get a snack! That was probably the hardest part seeing him cry because his brother was eating a snack and he wasn't. But I want him to understand that he has to obey the rules in order to get the rewards.

Later I was in the kitchen cleaning up the dishes when I heard a shriek. I'm sure you mothers out there can relate to knowing the differences between your children's cries....right? Well my youngest had that type of cry and I knew immediately that he was hurt! The corner of his eye was bleeding! My oldest Ben immediately told me that he hit his younger brother in the eye with a piece of train track! It didn't bleed too badly and it's only swollen a little. Luckily, it didn't hit his eyeball. I forgot to mention that earlier today he fell and split his lip! That was a gusher! He seems to be the one that always has accidents! He's my little daredevil!

Anyhow, we really did have a great week! It snowed really bad here for a few days, but all in all it hasn't been too bad. The only real problem is I finally have a few hours to myself before my husband gets home and I can't find my Richard Gere "Unfaithful" movie! And I so want to watch a Richard Gere movie! I guess I have to settle for another!

Growing up too fast!

Kids grow up too fast! My son had his three year checkup today. He was weighed on the "big boy" scale and even had his blood pressure taken with a tiny little cuff! Where did my baby go?

They gave him a full check up and even a flu shot and he never cried once! What a big boy! It seems that since he has turned three, he has developed into an independent little boy. He no longer cries when he goes to the barber and today was the first time he didn't cry at the doctor's office. Time sure does fly by fast!

I remember the first couple days after we brought him home from the hospital....
My husband and I had no experience with babies, we had no sleep (cause you know how it is with babies), and we realized our whole world changed. I remember we were both crying and hugging just a complete mess- cause we had no idea how much responsibility a baby was!
It's just funny looking back at memories like that! I can't believe something like that got us all stressed and upset! But I guess that's what all new parents go through....on your own with this totally dependent little person and with no instruction manual!

Oh, and I forgot to mention...I was running late to the doctor's appointment (as usual) cause we live about 40 minutes from the doctor- so I was taking all these back country roads..anyway as I was driving fast my three year old Benjamin said: "Mom, you drive like a roller coaster!" I thought that was soo funny, I just had to share that with you!

Hope everyone has a great night! And for my Halloween giveaway, please click on this link:
http://myremodelednest.blogspot.com/2008/10/halloween-giveaway.html

Hugs,
Ruth Ann