Weekend Getaway

We headed Upstate Friday to celebrate my mother-in-law’s 65^th birthday and we were expecting a total washout so we were very surprised Saturday morning to wake up to a bright shining sun and not a cloud in the sky. We headed to a park in Catskill so we could explore the playground and enjoy the scenery. Nate was disappointed that there were no kids on the playground so we ran around with him for a bit. At one point he left Love stranded at the top of the playground and he ran over to me to go on a swing. Then he ran off to find Pop Pop and Love had no choice but to use the slide. It made me giggle.

The Rip Van Winkle Bridge 

Pop Pop led us to a walking trail and we headed off into the woods. Not too long after I realized that my rubber flip flops and this particular trail were not friends and I should turn back. After stubbing both of my big toes on large rocks I realized that even the flat part of this trail was no match for my clumsiness. The last stop on our tour of the park was a small floating dock that I was not a fan of. The water was choppy and this thing was moving all over. I may have felt better if I had seen some sort of weight limit sign posted in its vicinity.

 Choppy Waters

 Nate and Pop Pop checking out the beavers handiwork

 "Follow me!"

 The scary dock

 

We left the park and headed over to another area that had a concrete walking path and a large barn like building by the docks. The building is usually a small museum with local items but it is closed off season. It was nice and warm out and the breeze from the water felt amazing. Nate had a chance to get some energy out by running around like a maniac. We were all hoping it would help him fall asleep on the way home (which it did!). We all had an afternoon nap before we headed to the Bavarian Manor for dinner. The food was delicious and I was stuffed when we left.

 This was once a port of call for cruise ships

 All of these paintings are done on wood and are amazingly well preserved

 Rip Van Winkle

 Loved these chairs around the fire pit at the Bavarian Manor

 They had really cool ashtrays everywhere

 Nate loved the phone booth

 We sat by the cookoo clocks

 My dinner

 Even the crayons were in a cool cup

Sunday was a perfect stay-in-bed-all-day kinda Sunday. We got home at 1pm and headed to my bed to watch TV and read. I felt like I was hit by a car between the car ride and the weather. My back has been so bad since we travelled to NH a few weeks ago and I just wanted to stretch out and sleep. Around 4pm I finally fell asleep and woke up just in time to make dinner…and realize I had to get us all ready to go to work and school today. I’m tired just thinking about it. Tonight I think we will all go to bed early so we are much more refreshed tomorrow.

Kids Shows

Disney finally put together a channel for toddlers similar to Nick Junior and it is our new favorite channel. I have been so sick of The Fresh Beat Band, Dora, Diego, Dino Dan and especially Wow Wow Wubbzy. I like that Team UmiZoomi teaches math and I will miss Peppa Pig so maybe we’ll visit Nick Junior again but for now we are all about Disney Junior.

Nate’s favorite show is Jake and the Neverland Pirates and I really enjoy watching it with him. I like that they have shows on at night that are calming and they even have little shorts in between shows about going to bed. From 7:30pm to 9:00pm I let him come to bed with me and we watch Doc McStuffins (about a little girl who fixes broken toys), Gaspard and Lisa (two dogs who live in Paris) and Guess How Much I Love You (based on the book). Doc McStuffins I could do without but he prefers it to Phinneas and Ferb on the weekend which shocks me.

Guess How Much I Love You is very cute and calming which is perfect for bedtime. It is about Little Brown Nut Hare and his father Big Nut Brown Hare and the other animals they interact with like Little White Field Mouse. Love walked in on us watching an episode and after he heard one of the characters say Big Nut Brown Hare he couldn’t help but snicker under his breath “I’ll show you a big brown nut hair”. I of course burst out laughing because I love any inappropriate humor that gets thrown at me. Yesterday while out for my run the thought popped back in my head and I started giggling like a school girl. Nothing like turning a kid’s show into something perverted. I can’t wait to hear him comment on Doc McStuffins.

My favorite show is Charlie and Lola. It is about a British brother and sister and you never see their parents. Unlike Max and Ruby they actually have parents that are mentioned but the show revolves around them and their friends. It is voices by actual children and is different than most cartoons, but in a good way. Nate loves it because he has a cousin named Charlie so he thinks it’s funny. Charlie also reminds us of the YouTube video of the toddler shoving his finger in his baby brother’s mouth and yelling, “Charlie bit me!” in a British accent. If you have a toddler and haven’t already checked out Disney Junior you should. It will be a lot less painful to watch TV.

 Jake and the Neverland Pirates

 Doc McStuffins

 Nate and I thought they were bunnies but they are dogs...hmmmm

 Guess How Much I Love You

Charlie and Lola

P.S. Happy 4/20 which could also make watching kids shows a little better ;)

The Bro

I am on a quest to find the perfect sports bra. This is a huge (hehe) issue for a woman with a chest as large as mine. I am a 40DD and a large one at that. I now only buy bras in Lane Bryant because they carry pretty bras for big chested ladies, and I can even get matching panties (bonus!). I know there are plenty of women who would love to have this problem, but believe me when I say it is a burden. Don’t get me wrong I love having big boobs especially since I was once a member of the IBTC (Itty Bitty Titty Committee). I was teased mercilessly by my brother and his friends for “making the walls jealous”. I hit puberty and prayed that my chest would grow since I come from a long line of women with ample bosom. When I got to college and put on a little weight my boobs grew but I was still considered myself average even if the men in my life didn’t.

Having Nate changed everything including my bra size. I gained 40 pounds in the 18 months I was trying to get pregnant and then another 30 while pregnant. I recently threw away my tiny C cup bras from Victoria’s Secret. I can’t even remember being that little and I don’t think I will ever get back there. Women with small chests would probably cringe at that. The C cup is probably the most desired size and I agree. I hate that I have trouble buying any shirts because either the buttons are gaping apart, the fabric is stretched to the max or my boobs are hanging out. I used to live in v-neck tees and now I look like a porn star in most of them. Men of course love women who look like me but I want to be able to walk around my house without a bra and be comfortable. Or go for a jog and not risk getting smacked in the face.

Which brings us back full circle to my original point. I bought these wonderful compression tank tops from the Active line at Old Navy. They have a racer back and a shelf bra and a little padded cup that can be removed. I love them because they hold in my stomach and hold down my boobs while I run. Unfortunately they are made of polyester and spandex which makes them ride up with my new shorts. They were perfect with my cotton/spandex blend yoga pants (or Yoda pants as Nate affectionately calls them) but I had to buy new shorts and I found that shorts and a tank that are the same fabric do not mix well. I figure if I can wear sports bras and a cotton tank with the shorts that will work and I can still wear the better tanks with cotton shorts. Don't even get me started on the fire I almost started with my thighs in the cute jogging shorts I was so silly to think a woman my size could wear...ugh, too much to worry about for some FREE exercise.

Grey Day

Today has been a very off day for me. I had a scheduled massage at 10:30am which was great but threw me for a curve because by the time I had my coffee and yogurt and went through emails I didn’t have too much time to get to many other things. Now I have a 3:30pm meeting and I’m feeling rushed to finish what I’m working on.

I didn’t sleep well last night. I started reading Fifty Shades of Grey 2 nights ago and last night I couldn’t put it down. My Weight Watchers leader mentioned last week that she is reading it for her book club and since I was looking for a new book I thought I would check it out. I am glad that I did because it is engrossing but it was not what I was expecting. All of a sudden there is this media blitz about women and their sexuality and it was sparked by this book and the new HBO show Girls. I haven’t watched Girls yet but I plan to this week because the commercials piqued my interest.

They are calling the books “an erotic trilogy” and "mommy porn" and the first 100 pages of Fifty Shades of Grey fit that description perfectly. Obviously the books won’t be on everyone’s reading list but I think it is a wonderful way for women to get away from their everyday lives. I don’t know a damned thing about dominant-submissive relationships but the book is about more than that. It’s interesting to read about a relationship that is so one sided with the man always in charge. Our society today is not like that anymore. EL James is quoted as saying, “You're in charge of your job, your house, your children, getting food on the table, doing all of this all of the time," she says. "It's nice for someone to just be in charge for a bit." I think a lot of working moms would love for someone else to be in charge – even if only for a short time.

Very Busy Weekend

I am happy and sad to be at work on this Monday. Happy to have some quiet time and sad that my weekend is over. It was one of those weekends where I could use another day to finish cleaning and laundry. Instead of finishing my chores I decided to spend more time with the boys this weekend and it was lovely.

Saturday morning was a whirlwind…Love dropped the Civic off to get new tires (and an unexpected brake job) then Nate and I picked him up and we all headed out to Southampton. Love needed to have blood work done so we stopped by the lab before hitting the Princess Diner. I had the most delicious spinach and feta omelet and potatoes and I was stuffed. I could have laid down for a nap right there but we jumped back in the car and continued with our errands until we eventually ended up at Agawam Park so Nate could check out the playground.

We were going to my parent’s for dinner since we were sick on Easter so I decided to take the scenic route to their house since we had time to kill. I took the boys into Hampton Bays and over the Ponquogue Bridge. I didn’t realize it for a little while but we were actually on

Dune Road

so we just kept going until we hit Westhampton. Nate fell asleep just before we arrived at my parents so it gave us some time to chat before he woke up. I almost fell asleep myself before dinner but the smell of pot roast and mashed potatoes kept me going. Dinner was delicious.

Yesterday Love woke up and his hand was killing him and my back was still sore. I started laundry and we all had some breakfast and we seemed to be in slow motion. Suddenly 11am hit and we were all revved up. Love went out front to mow the lawn and Nate and I headed out onto the deck to play and blow bubbles. Okay who am I kidding? Nate was playing with his bubble gun and bubble lawn mower and I was washing the kitchen window and table and cleaning up the yard. I’m a neurotic mess and I admit it. I eventually convinced Nate to bring his car out front so I could clean out my garden beds and sweep the deck and driveway. Three hours later I was starving and exhausted but the front yard looked lovely J The rest of the day was a blur but it was nice to spend time with my 2 favorite people.

 Nate tried on glasses while Love had his eyes examined

 Checking out some grafitti at the park

 LOVE his smile

 This slide was huge!

Ponquogue Bridge

I Know What Hell Feels Like

Today is one of those days that I wish I had never left my bed. I want to close my eyes and pretend this morning never happened. My mother has to have her car fixed tomorrow so the other day she asked to take Nate overnight tonight since she won’t have a car tomorrow to pick him up at school. I happily agreed and last night we packed his bags together and he was excited. We left out his Yankee Blanky, Izzy, Skully and Boots (see below for photos) because he has to sleep with them. This morning after he brushed his teeth I asked him to put them all in his toy bag for Grammie’s since they were going to swing by and pick them up after school. He proceeded to throw the biggest hissy fit of his entire life – for 40 MINUTES!!!

 My adorable nephew and son...Yankee Blanky is on the floor next to Nate

 Izzy and Skully from Jake and the Neverland Pirates...we have them in stuffed animal form

This is the exact Beanie Babie Boots that Nate has

 In case you are not familiar with him he is Dora the Fucking Explorer's monkey friend

I don’t know if I want a drink or a nap more right now. I actually recorded some of it on my iPhone and played it when I arrived at work and my boss told me to go get a massage (which I took advantage of). He refused to get dressed so I took away Izzy and Skully, he threw down his Yankee Blanky and Boots so I took them away too. I kept explaining in a calm voice that he would get his toys back when he stopped yelling and got dressed. As the minutes ticked by and his screaming and crying continued I got more and more angry. He has my temper so he does not give up and I boil over eventually (thanks Dad). I finally dragged him to his room and forcefully got him dressed. I told him to put on socks and shoes because it was time to leave. He threw the socks I picked out across the floor and started yelling at me even louder. I then snapped and got right in his face and yelled at him to pick out a pair of socks and shoes and put them on or he was going to school barefoot. He pulled the drawer out so hard that it fell crashing on to the floor with the bracket landing next to it.

You would think at this point that he would realize how mad I was and that he was not going to get his way. Instead I had to put on his socks, shoes, sweatshirt and vest since it was 8am and he was supposed to be at school already. I went to the front door and put on my shoes and coat and got the dog in the crate. As I set the alarm Nate grabbed for his toys that I had put in the bag which started this whole thing. As I was pushing him out the front door screaming and crying while holding my purse, tote bag, his backpack and my cup I locked the door and pulled it shut…realizing at that exact moment that my keys were still on their hook…O…M…F…G.

Thankfully my mother is off this week because school is closed so she got dressed and came to the rescue. She is a saint because she decided to take him straight to her house so she didn’t have to come back and get him later in the day. He is so lucky that he is sleeping at my parents tonight because I am still so angry and it’s been 6 hours. I will be drinking tonight after my Weight Watchers meeting…a lot.

Confessions From a Scary Mommy

I read the following article while eating my lunch and immediately bought the book for my Nook because this book confirms that I am not alone in my insanity.

http://onpoint.msn.com/story?ocid=hpslide 

I am indeed a scary mommy and I proudly wear that badge of honor. I believe that I am a good mother - but I also know that I have made PLENTY of mistakes and I get frustrated A LOT. Nate never went through the terrible two’s but since he turned 3 he tests me on a daily basis. I try to hold in my temper but we have days like yesterday where I lose my shit. I always feel terrible after because I hate to see him upset but my patience only goes so far. Yesterday he did not nap for my mother so when I arrived home he was in rare form. He was moody, not talking but grunting which has become his way of communicating lately and he refused to clean up his toys or eat dinner. By the time I finished my dinner I lost it and yelled at him. You may be thinking, “what’s so bad about yelling?” but I try not to yell at him because he yells and I tell him that it is wrong so I feel guilty yelling.

I constantly wonder how mothers with multiple children get through the day. If I had 2 of him, or him and a baby I don’t know how I would do it. Between the lack of sleep and the constant Groundhog Day feeling of our daily routine I am exhausted. I thought that by now I would be pregnant with #2 but I am actually glad that I’m not. I’m not saying that I want him to be an only child but I don’t think that I am currently prepared for another kid to join the mix. Everyone says there is no good time to have kids but I believe that everything happens for a reason and we will be blessed with another child when we are more equipped to deal with one.

I never thought that I would long for the days when Nate was an infant but now I do. I love the age he is at because he is a little man who loves his mommy and is fun to play with and be around. Then I remember what an easy baby he was and I feel badly for thinking it was so hard at the beginning. The lack of sleep, his inability to latch on and my baby blues made weeks 2-6 an emotional roller coaster. Then we hit our stride, got on a strict schedule and by 10 weeks he was sleeping through the night. It was bliss and I would love to have that experience again. I will check back in once I start reading the book and let you know if it is a must read for mommies.

Ah, the Dreaded Shart

To say it was an eventful Easter weekend would be an understatement (great time with the family Friday and Saturday and Chinese food for Easter dinner). Nate and I were both sick and 12 hours in the car traveling to and from New Hampshire killed my back so I am currently nursing a bum leg from my sciatica acting up. I am actually thrilled to be back at work today even though I am drowning in emails and papers on my desk. It makes me feel like things will be back to normal very soon which is just what the doctor ordered.

I am only suffering from allergies which have been exacerbated by the blooming trees and windy days we have been having. My head feels ready to explode at all times which makes it hard to concentrate on anything for too long. Luckily I will be heading home early to get some more rest. Nate, my poor little nugget has had it much worse than me. He has had a stomach virus on top of his allergies since Friday night. I feel so bad because he hasn’t been eating (which is usually his favorite past time) and he has been a little lethargic (probably from not eating). It started in the middle of the night Friday and he had a high fever and diarrhea which continued every night until last night. Luckily I always pack lots of extra clothes because we needed them…especially on the long ride home from New Hampshire.

I took him to the doctor yesterday and she asked if he had any accidents so I explained that he was having a problem knowing if he just had to fart or poop fart (his term for diarrhea) so yeah, he had a few accidents. She looked at me and said, “Ah, the dreaded shart.” I adore the term shart and hearing it from the doctor almost made me burst out giggling, but of course I had to control myself. As you can imagine, it was a great parenting moment for me. At this age Nate believes everything the doctor says so I should have had her tell him he needed to sleep in his own bed or bad things would happen.  Maybe next time.

We spent the rest of our last day off running errands (code for buying Nate summer clothes and a toy and some groceries) and napping. We took a family nap at 4:30pm and I woke up at 7pm hungry and very thirsty. I had some soup and watched The Killing and Nate woke up just before 9pm hungry so he had some leftover Chinese food. Love worked the overnight starting at midnight so Nate and I headed back to bed and fell asleep just before 11pm. I slept in before dragging myself out of bed so I could dump Nate at school and head to work. Now I’m thinking it’s time for some lunch and coffee #2. Must. Have. Caffeine.

 Fun with hats at H&M

Cute Dresses

I'm trying to pry myself out of my funk by thinking of all of the positives in my life...my wonderful husband...cute as can be Nate...my wonderful and supportive family and friends...a stable job...and of course my health. Looking at pictures of the tornado damage in Texas reminded me that someone always has it worse than you and you need to look on the bright side. To do this I decided to share some cute dresses that I would LOVE to be able to fit into by August...and by fit into I mean lose another 15 pounds so I can buy a cute size and not look fat in them either. It is exactly 4 months until our big event at work and I believe I can make this happen. Okay so maybe this isn't looking on the bright side but retail therapy always makes me feel better, even when it's virtual ;)

 Love the belt and the fuller skirt

I also need a higher neckline since I am usually bending over at events

 I like that this one is fun and I'm thinking the pink bands may distract from my problem areas

This is most like what I wear now and I am digging the yellow belt with the navy

Moody Blues

I am in a funk this morning and I wish I could myself out of it. After such a great weekend and heading into another exciting weekend I have hit the wall. I have always felt that karma was real and that eventually good people come out on top and bad people get what is coming to them. Today I just feel beat up by the world. Too many bills and not enough money have finally taken their toll and I am feeling like the casualty of a stampede. The abridged version of this is that I am sick of someone who makes more than 6 times what I make complaining that they have bills to pay. How about we switch and then you tell me how much you really need your paycheck. I take pride in my job and I enjoy my work and all I would like is a little acknowledgement of that in the form of equal pay for the work I do. Sometimes people are so self centered and callous.

Wonderful Weekend!

Last weekend I had the pleasure of being off for 3 days and I needed that extra day to keep my sanity in check. Love’s parents came to town on Friday afternoon so I took the day off to clean up the house and do some laundry. I dropped Nate off at school, weighed in (what a disaster – up 1.2!), hit the car wash, Dairy Barn for pizza crumb cakes (go get one – NOW), got a bagel and headed home to watch Spartacus (note to self – NEVER eat during Spartacus). Then the cleaning festivities began. By 1pm I was exhausted and seeing no end in sight so I picked up Nate and let him play outside on the deck while I finished cleaning before I forced him to nap. We had a nice dinner with Love’s parents and I was so exhausted by 8pm that Love had to help with bath time which was followed closely by bedtime.

Saturday we spent the whole day with my family. My brother, his wife and my nephew came out to visit and then my aunt, uncle, 2 cousins (Kellie & Kaitlyn) and Kellie’s 2 girls came by. Nate and I made a bunny cake and some cookies in the morning and we stayed for dinner. The kids had a great time and I got some quality time with baby Charlie so I was in heaven. We had some of our good friends over our house at night so they could all meet the baby. Poor Charlie was fighting off a cold and he was still coughing. I felt bad for the cutie.

Sunday was running errands/lazy Sunday. We slept in (okay, I slept in) and then headed to the stores so Nate could get an Izzy doll (his favorite character from Jake and the Neverland Pirates) with his Easter money and I could pick up odds and ends at Target. I finally got some TV time in while Nate was napping and then I had such a terrible headache that I fell asleep from 5:30 until 8pm. Overall the weekend was wonderful but I would have taken an extra day of rest if I could. This week I need to catch up with the last 2 episodes of Spartacus, the new episode of The Killing and some movies I have been trying to get to. Magic City starts Friday and I am excited to see if it’s good or not. TV how I love thee J

 How cute is this?

 How cute are they?

 I love this one

 Tiny Hands

 Tiny Feet

 My nephew is adorable!

Nate and Izzy



Nate the Great

I have been in love with my son Nathaniel since the day he was born. I don’t just love him I love, love him. He is my heart and even when he annoys me, as soon as he flashes that cute little smile or giggles I melt. He is 3 years and 8 months old next week and I cannot believe some of the things that come out of his mouth. He makes me laugh so much so I have recently started writing things that he says in my iPhone (the notes app is the best thing EVER). I know that every mother fawns over her kid and says how great they are blah, blah, blah…and I am no different! Kids his age are amazing little sponges and he is learning so much between school, TV (believe it or not there are some educational shows on – Bubble Guppies is teaching him his numbers and he loves it), reading and his educational toys. Last night at dinner he called the half of the pizza a semi-circle and I couldn’t believe he knew that. It is such a great age and I try to enjoy everyday.

Here are just a few of his recent gems that I am happy to force you to read J

After rushing into my room in a huff…”I just don’t know what to wear! I’m staying home!”

He is obsessed with his penis…”Mommy why don’t you have a penis?”

“Because girls don’t have penises remember?”

“And you’re a girl!”…BIG grin

And my lack of one…after barging in on me in the bathroom while putting in a tampon…”Did you just put that in your butt?”

“Yes, that is exactly where I put it.”

While we’re discussing my vagina…after he ran into the bathroom while I was getting out of the shower…”Mommy you have 2 bellies.”

“You’re right Nate, I have 2 bellies. Now please leave Mommy alone.”

While eating dinner..."Nate you are my favorite nugget." (my nickname for him)

"My favorite is the dinosaur nugget." (Why didn't these exist when I was young?)

While watching Gaspard & Lisa on Disney Junior and trying to repeat Au Revoir…

“What is au ribber?”

“It’s au revoir and it means goodbye in French.  Just like adios means goodbye in Spanish”

“In Chinese you say bye, bye China!”

After giggling in his sleep…”That was good” (We need to get him out of our bed even if this did make us laugh at 3am)

After burping while waiting for someone to open the door to his pre-school…”Fruit snacks!” (which of course made me giggle and then he said it again)

How can you not love this face? And yes, that is my bra on his head.

Pet Peeve #5

Bad drivers are my pet peeve numero uno and this is so closely related that it falls pretty high on my list. What do you as a driver do when you see an ambulance in your rearview mirror? The correct answer is pull over if you are on a single lane road and if you are on a highway or road with at least 2 lanes move into the right lane. Since I began working at a hospital I obviously notice ambulances more because I tend to see them headed toward the hospital or out of the ambulance company which is in close proximity to the hospital. I also live around the corner from my local ambulance company and hear the sirens often.

I am always amazed at how people react to ambulances. Last week I was on a 4 lane highway and an ambulance was 4 cars behind me with lights flashing and sirens on. It was one exit before the hospital in that area and even though I had to slow down a little I moved over to the right. The 3 drivers behind me who could have easily moved over also instead opted to drive past me and ended up blocking the ambulance from getting any farther due to too many cars being in the right lane. I got off the highway at my exit and shook my head while I watched the ambulance stuck with no where to go. I would love to ask those drivers that decided not to move over how they would feel if it was a life and death situation and it was their relative or friend that was in the back of that ambulance. What if it was them? Would they want me to move over so they could get to the hospital when precious minutes could save their life? When did our society become so selfish?

Another thing that kills me about terrible drivers and ambulances has been happening to me a lot lately and I really want to know what is going on inside these driver’s heads.  Picture driving east down a single lane road and an ambulance is approaching from the opposite direction heading west. There are no cars blocking the ambulances path but there are cars in front of you. Suddenly as the ambulance approaches the driver in front of YOU pulls off the road. The ambulance of course stays in its own lane since there were no obstructions in its way and you jam on your breaks to avoid the idiot in front of you who has now decided it is safe to pull back into traffic. WHAT?!?! I am so puzzled by this one I am speechless. Is the problem the drivers or the driving instructors who clearly are not getting the message across about when you pull over for an emergency vehicle?

One last comment on emergency vehicles and pulling over…NY State has a new law that requires drivers to move into the middle or left lane on highways when an emergency vehicle is pulled over on the shoulder.  If you cannot move over, you must slow down to a reasonable speed. It is for the protection of the emergency personnel after several cops have been killed during traffic stops. I have been shocked by the lack of response to this. Not only do people not move over, but I have seen many drivers get into the right lane after people get over to the left and speed past the cop. Its times like that when I wish there were a second cop hanging around waiting for these morons.

I am frustrated on a daily basis by bad drivers and that will never change. Commuting 2 hours a day to work for 8 ½ years has taken a toll on me. As long as my horn works and I can extend my middle finger I will continue to let people know what assholes they are.