I’m Back… March 5, 2007

It’s been a long time, but I’m back.  We’ve been battling a germ war in our house.  Except some runny noses, coughs and congestion, we are as healthy as we have been in a long while.  I’ve been thinking about blogging for weeks, but didn’t quite have the energy to do it.

As a reward to ourselves, DH and I went to a U Mich vs. Ohio State U basketball game Saturday with DH’s co-worker and his wife (who are OSU alums).  It was nice to have some time without the kids to watch our alma mater ALMOST win (OSU beat UM in the last couple of minutes of the game despite UM being up for the majority of the game).  However, just our luck, we ended up sitting in front of two toddlers (from 2 different families) who constantly kicked our chairs and whined the entire time.  The kid behind DH began sputtering his lips and spraying saliva all over the back of DH’s head.  As annoyed and nauseous (from the constant kicks to my chair) as I got, I tried my best to be understanding.  We too have a toddler who would probably be doing something similar if we brought him to the game.  Amazing how becoming a parent changes the way you look at and react to things.  If we weren’t parents, I think I might have reacted totally differently…I don’t know what I might have done, but it sure would have been different…

Where did you get those Peepers? February 15, 2007

Apparently M got his from DH.  You see, last week at his opthamology appointment, he was diagnosed with myopia.  For those who have no idea what that is (me included before M’s appointment), it means he is nearsighted.  The doctor says he will be wearing glasses at a very young age…possibly in a year.  AND she said that he most likely inherited it from DH - who happens to be legally blind without his glasses.  For that reason, she said it was highly unlikely for both my boys to have good vision.  J’s vision seems to be perfect so far.

I was devastated.  It saddens me to think that he can’t see us or the details of his surroundings as clearly.  A lot of people tell me that it’s really no big deal and that it is not that uncommon for kids to get diagnosed with myopia at a very young age.  But I found no comfort in these words.  I’ve come to accept it now, but it still saddens me a bit.  I comfort myself by thinking that it could have been worse…much worse.  It’s not the end of the world…for me or him.  I should be so thankful and feel so blessed to have two healthy boys!

Long time, No write….Update February 6, 2007

I’ve been absent from the blogsphere for a while - due to a germ-fest in our house and we also travelled to WI to look for a home to rent.  And DH had an interview too..and what a trooper - he went through three days of interviewing with pink eye, graciously shared with him by J.

Holy &*%$ was it freezing in WI.  I thought maybe that’s why everyone was driving so slow..because their feet were frozen.  But alas, it was just the actual speed limit there which feels slower than a turtle’s pace.  I’m used to 70MPH here in MI (which means I go at least 80MPH), and there on the freeway it’s 55MPH.   Well, we returned to MI to find it almost as cold here too!

No success on the rental house yet.  Found some okay places that DH did not like as much, but I say what the heck - we are only renting for a year!

Well, still catching up with house chores and such…so more updates will have to come later.

I’m back… December 12, 2006

Okay, after a long vacation from blogging..I have finally found the time to jump back in.  I can proudly say that I’m done with my Christmas shopping.  Although, I am thinking of what to get dear hubby.  I told him that we shouldn’t get each other gifts this year given that $$ is not overflowing here at our household, but he tends to ignore me at times (many times).

This year I am not much into the Christmas spirit.  I’ve become disgusted with the commercialization of this holiday and how the true meaning has been lost.  I’m trying desperately to teach J what the true meaning is..but alas, all he can keep thinking about are presents and candy.  By the way, I’ve done almost all my holiday baking and my kids are going to be fat and toothless by the end of the holidays.

One thing I can’t stand… November 16, 2006

is bad customer service.

1.  The other day I went in to the dealership to get the oil changed and tires rotated on my Odyssey.  I had to take M with me so needless to say, I was chasing him everywhere the dealership.  It takes forever to get my car and I come to find out that they ran my car through the car wash with the driver’s side window open and they were trying to dry it out.  The papers I had in the middle console were drenched.  My husband was furious b/c he thought the water could have damaged some of the electrical components in the car..power windows, dvd player, etc.  They seem to be working fine, but who’s to say something won’t happen down the line?  The service agent…not so apologetic.  I called the service manager the next day to make them note what they did in our records - just in case something happened in the future…Service Manager…not apologetic at all.  My sister claims I shouldn’t have gotten something free out of this…or at least a discount…she’s all about the freebies/discounts.

2.  One of our business vendors sent our shipment to the wrong address - here instead of to my sister in WI.  Called them?  Apologetic..no, not really…in fact, not at all.

A simple “sorry” doesn’t take much, but it means a lot to the customer…why don’t people get that?

House for Sale… November 8, 2006

I’m convinced it is virtually impossible to sell a house while living in it with toddlers/kids. Cleaning takes twice as long since M conveniently follows me around the house leaving a trail of mess where I had just cleaned.   I had our realtor’s office call twice today to have our house shown TODAY.  It couldn’t have been a worse day…M was sick with a cold and totally off schedule and I chose today to cook this Mexican chicken slow cooker recipe.    It doesn’t smell bad, but I don’t think that it’s the best smell to have when someone is coming to view your home (not like the fresh baked cookies or bread that people always say help sell a house…)

Well, I had to say no and asked them to reschedule another day - we need at least 12 hours notice.  I’ve heard they NEVER reschedule though.  So we lost two potential buyers, but I figure that if they were REALLY interested in our home, they would reschedule…right?  Someone out there agree with me and make me feel better….

Halloween November 1, 2006

My kids had a blast going trick or treating with daddy last night. I opted not to go and stayed home to pass out candy instead. It was fun seeing all the adorable kids dressed up as princesses, animals, etc. The disappointing part unfortunately is seeing so many older teens trick or treating. First of all, they don’t even say trick or treat anymore, or thank you. And worst of all, I saw a parent carrying around her own treat pail. It’s bad enough she was getting candy, but she wasn’t even dressed up in a costume. How sad is that - you are so desperate to get candy you would stoop that low.

Two of our neighbors had one of their landscape lights stolen by a teen trick or treater - right after they got candy from them. How sad is that? Try to be nice by giving candy out and that is the thanks you get.

Hope everyone had a great Halloween.

First Words October 26, 2006

Okay, so M has been slowly picking up some words. He now says:

1. Owmie - which is really supposed to be “owwie”

2. Pease- “Please”

3. Daddy

4. DVD

So both my kids said “Daddy” before “Mommy”…. but “DVD”?  What’s wrong with this picture?

Okay, not so good at keeping up with this blog… October 13, 2006

Not to make excuses, but our house is officially on the market. So I am trying to get this house in order for potential showings…declutter and depersonalize I was told. As the economy is tanking here and the housing market as expected is following suit, we decided to put our house up for sale and if we are lucky enough to sell it before the holidays, we would need to rent a house somewhere. I made DH promise me that living with my MIL was not an option…no matter how tempting it might be to get free rent - for me it would be like having another child to take care of. It’s sad packing up some of our stuff. I didn’t think I would be emotional about it (not that I’m bawling my eyes out or anything), but this is our first real home with the kids. Although I’m looking forward to moving on to WI next spring, it’s sad to leave our home here.

Blahhhh! October 3, 2006

That’s what I’ve been feeling lately.  Not sure why.  Maybe it’s the stress of having so much to do, and not knowing where to begin.  I’m desperately trying to get new stuff for our site up, but it’s hard working with someone who doesn’t live nearby.  It’s so important that we get everything finalized in time for the holidays.  In the meantime, my house is in shambles.  I don’t know how anyone with kids keeps their house clean.  I just cleaned my kitchen floors with M following me around, but then I felt guilty because I felt like I should have been spending time with him - reading him books or something.  I need to figure a system out or something.  Anyone have any tips, please do share!