Wordless Wednesday - Snow Day

In case you are interested

 

It's been quite awhile since I posted an actual update here.  I feel like a catch up post is needed.  Maybe I'll elaborate on some of these topics later.  Maybe I won't. 

Where to start?

Appliance failures - Why does everything break at once?  As of today we have a broken washing machine, only one working home phone and the hard drive on our entertainment system is dying.  Plans?  New washer and dryer are supposed to be delivered later today.  I'll buy a new phone (maybe two) at Target tomorrow.  And, I sent a help ticket to Bose to get our entertainment system fixed.  Hopefully we will be fully operational in a few days.

Snow - Yes, we still have snow on the ground.  And no, I am not happy about it.  Last year at this time we were preparing for a vacation.  This year?  Not so much.

Meghan - Obsessed with games.  And winning.  She also likes to stand next to us and mirror the movements when we are on the Wii Fit.  Pictures will be posted (as soon as I can take them).

Sean - He has an appointment in March to retest him for the milk allergy.  Fingers crossed that it comes back negative.  I've also been trying to get a good picture of him to send into the Regis & Kelly contest but the kid does not sit still.  All my pictures look like this:

So, there you go.  I also need to update the TV list over there on the left.  Tons shows are back.  I'm not sure how we are going to keep up with them all.  I may need to cut one from the list *GASP*. 

Wordless Wednesday - Strike A Pose

Monkey See

 

Sean ADORES Meghan.  He follows her around the house.  Imitates her every move.  When he first sees her in the morning Meghan gets a morning hug.  He tries to comfort her when she cries and looks for her when she is not home.

Now, it is not always rainbows and unicorns.  There are certain things that do cause them to express feelings other than love and adoration.  Things like toys.  Or too much rough-housing.  And Meghan is not always happy to have her little brother trying to share her chair or comfort her when she is grumpy.  And then come the tears.

For the most part, they are adorable together.  And watching Sean try and and be just like his big sister makes for hours of amusement.  Like when he wears her shoes.  Or when he tries to stand next to her in her dance class.  Or moments like this:

 

Awwww, very cute right?  Um, did you notice their feet?

 

Too freakin' adorable.

Wordless Wednesday - Pop Pop

Conquering Fear

On Saturday, Meghan attended a party at Pump It Up for the first time ever. For those of you not familiar, remember the giant bouncy houses that you might find at a fair or in someone's backyard? Well picture a lot more of them, on steroids.

We were one of the first ones there and Meghan was kind of clingy which is usually not like her. And the we walked into the first bouncy area. She was OVERWHELMED. She stood next to me for a few minutes not sure what to do. The she saw the slide and decided that was the best place to start.

Okay, so far, so good. She tried another one. And seemed to be having a blast.

Then she went back to the slide and here is where we ran into a problem.

She just sat there and refused to slide down. I was at the bottom trying to coax her down. No luck. Other parents tried to encourage her. Nope. Someone who works there had to go help her slide down.

And what did she want to do next? That's right, the slide again. And what did she do this time? You guessed it, she froze. We went through the same routine before she finally came sliding down...and wanted to go again. Personally, I had enough of this but the other parents were encouraging her to go again. So up again she went. Just to sit at the top of the slide and refuse to come down. Other kids just started to go around her to slide down.

Thankfully, it was time to move on to the other arena. Unfortunately, this one also had a slide. And this slide was positioned in such a way that I could not see if she was just sitting up there, frozen with fear. Eventually I would see her at the bottom of the slide and she would run right around to do it again. She kept trying over and over again until she no longer hesitated at the top.

She was invited to another party there in a few weeks. I wonder if she will remember that there is nothing to be afraid of.

Wordless Wednesday - Story Time

Um, what year is it today?

 

I wrote out a check last night and dated it 2002.  Stupid years keep changing on me.  It is very difficult to keep track of.  Plus, I was filling out a form for Meghan's school and I started to write my own name in the student section.  So apparently I also think it could be the mid-90s because that was the last time I was any kind of student.

New Years Resolutions are not my thing.  They never last anyway.  And I would just choose something outrageous and totally out of my control.  Like "this year I am going to win millions of dollars".  So, instead I'll create a list of things that would be nice to haves, or nice to dos.  Kinda like a wish list. 

• Get dressed before 9 AM on weekdays.
• Take kids to Disney World
• Try to plan weekly menus before going shopping
• Use every last gift card in my wallet before stores/restaurants go kaput.
• Actually use the 7283647592 hair/beauty products littering our bathroom closet.
• Turn computer off by 10:30 each night.
• Read more
• Use Wii Fit at least 3-4 times each week.
• Get better at managing our money.  And, if someone would like to toss a few million dollars our way that would be totally awesome.

There we go, not too scary.  And I would like to point out that it is currently 7:35 and I am sitting at the laptop completely dressed in clothes I can leave the house in.  So there.  Of course I am waiting for groceries to be delivered any minute now.  But, it still counts.

Finished a Book: "Multiple Blessings"

 

 

(Sigh)
Hmm, okay, where to start.....

I'm not sure what I expected to read when I got this book. I just know that what I read was not quite what I expected.  I love the TV show and I suppose I was expecting to love this book as well.  Perhaps it was too much "all about Kate" and not so much about the kids?  I don't know, I can't quite put my finger on it.

I wanted to read this book because I am a big fan of the show.  There are a lot of people who criticize this family and Kate's style.  But, I never had any problem with her.  I admire her organization skills.  I also love how she tries to start traditions for and make each holiday special.  And sure, she snaps sometimes, but so do I.  I just don't have cameras following me around.

One thing that I can articulate (about as well as I can articulate anything) is that it was a bit to preach-y-ish for me.  If I wanted that I would go to church more often than I do know.

I also don't agree with the decisions that were made and the approach that was taken with volunteers.  But, it is not my life so who am I to judge her.  I just believe that I would have made different choices.  I am not saying they made the wrong decisions.  I cannot imagine being in their shoes.  I just feel for the kids and how those decisions will impact their lives.

I suppose what I said at the beginning probably sums things up (which made the rest pointless?).  I did not expect the book to be an outlet for Kate to explain herself and justify their choices.  I was looking for more about the kids and less about Kate.  Make sense?  I did learn more about their story and I am sure there are people out there who would love to read this background info.  I was left with a bit of a bad taste in my mouth.

Am I sorry I read the book?  No.  It just opened my eyes a bit more.  I will still watch the show because I love watching all the kids.  Also, I like looking for new ideas for projects, organization tips and other things I can do with my own kids.  Perhaps she should move to a book on those topics?

Now Reading

 

Alrighty, on to the next book.  I had originally picked out what would be my next book to read.  But then I got a bunch more at Christmas so I switched up the order a bit.

 

 

 

That's right, the book from the Jon & Kate Plus 8 family, Multiple Blessings: Surviving to Thriving with Twins and Sextuplets. 

If you don't already know this, I love the show.  Meghan and I will sit and watch it together.  So, of course, I had to add Kate's book to my Amazonwish list.  I'll let you know when I finish it.

 

Finished a Book: "Plum Lovin'"

I mentioned here earlier that I was looking for a quick read after it took so long to finish my previous book. This book certainly fit the bill.

Plum Lovin' (A Between-the-Numbers Novel) by Janet Evanovich was a nice, quick, brain candy-ish kind of book. I really enjoy her Stephanie Plum novels and this one also followed that character. I generally do not enjoy the volumes that do not move the characters story along much. But, it was nice to take a break and read a book in which I was already familiar with the characters. I'm not sure what to think of the characters that were supposed to have some sort of uber-type powers though. It seemed a bit odd to me. I am usually just happy with the Jersey-girl humor and the grandmother that makes me laugh out loud.

Would I recommend this book? If you have not read any of her other Stephanie Plum novels then I would definitely recommend you read those first. If you have read them and you are looking for something to read until the next book is released, then this may tide you over just a bit longer.

2009