Fall is in the air

A few weekends ago I mentioned we went to visit some friends who moved away.
While we were there we went to an orchard. It was by far one of the most kid friendly orchards I have ever been.
The had a bunch of stuff for the kids to do.



This was the Wiggly Worm, a homemade ride pulled by a tractor and the cutest thing I have ever seen at an orchard.
The worm wiggled in and out of apple trees!




Gobble! Gobble!
Hay roll.









A sandbox filled with corn kernels, was a fun idea!



Merci loved this simple idea.



Up CLOSE to the goats, they were so gentle.

Now it is time to pull out the pumpkin roll and apple pie recipe!! and Fall will be in full swing.

I love it.

Oh Happy Day

Well Oh Happy yesterday, I guess.

For a whole year (or more) the main street to get to my house from M's school has been closed coming home. It is a straight shot, but I have had to go 2-3 miles out of my way and through about 3 more lights and 2 school zones to get home, it sucked.

I have had to sit in so much traffic, got my car hit by a huge rock and had many headaches the past year because of this road work, and nos it is DONE.

It made me smile in the midst of another long and hard day with E, to see the barriers and cones ALL GONE!!!

I feel like driving around the block and around the block, just to drive on that side, that is how happy I am=)

Wordless Wednesday

Much to report

I am on this computer lots, but then I forget to post.
I come up with these posts in my head, I plan it all out and then I forget.
It annoys me.

Let's see...
Friday-There was no school so I took the kids to the zoo!
Lots of walking=tiring, yet good exercise.

Saturday- We made the 4 hour drive to see our friends who moved away.
We wanted to spend sometime with them & meet their little baby girl again.
We were behind schedule & with all long drives were eager to get out of the car, so I was speeding a bit (<10 mph over) and I spotted him, that stinking highway patrol man.
I knew he had me, I saw the lights started panicking & pulled over.

He: "I'm pulling you over for speed & you don't have a front plate on"
"Can I have your registration & license"
Me: speechless yet uttered "Um yeah" handing his my license "I was told not to keep my registration in my car"
He: annoyed by this, "Well they can get all the info from your car without that" (whatever that means)
He: to my hubby in the passenger seat "And sir why aren't you wearing your seat belt?"
J: "We just got food and were handing stuff back to the kids" (TRUE)
He: "Can I have your license?"
Josh: "Uh it is in my bag in the back"
He: "Why don't you come sit with me since you don't have it"
Josh: " I do have it, it is in the back."

Josh walks back with the cop

M: starting to cry "I don't want daddy to go to jail.....WAAAA"
E: starting to cry and take off his seat belt
(on the side of a busy highway, so he can see daddy go to jail)

Long story short, Josh came back to the car with a ticket for no seat belt, an no ticket for me.
The sad thing is that Josh hadn't had a ticket in YEARS (12 Pt suspension when we met, no ticket in about 6-7 years), and has gotten 3 in the last month (for goofy stuff) this is the 4th....

Other than that our visit was wonderful!
I will post pictures from out orchard trip tomorrow, or sometime this week=0

PS The ticket might be able to get thrown out, cuz the cop marked on 2 places on the ticket that Josh was driving, which HE WAS NOT.

Wordless Wednesday

Had to share

What a great thing to be part of.
When I saw this post at 5 Minutes for Mom I knew I would take part.
Will YOU??

I have always wanted to make one of these, so what a better time to actually do it...
I will also make one for the couple living with us who will be expecting a baby girl in December.

Where you can get anything...

I love the internet, you can find anything you want!

A word to the wise:
If you need college textbooks DO NOT BUY THEM AT THE COLLEGE BOOK STORE.
You can easily save half if you check out stores on-line.
You can check places like Amazon books.
You can also sell your books back there for more than the college book store will give you.
You can get most anything else on Amazon too.

Ringling Brothers Circus Coupon Code

Every year I look forward to taking my kids to the Ringling Brothers Circus

The 20% discount code for Ringling Bros. Circus. Code: MCC

The code is valid for the circus shows in the following cities:

Indianapolis, IN - Sept. 4-7, 2008
Kansas City, MO - Sept. 10-14, 2008
Grand Rapids, MI - Sept. 18-21, 2008
Denver, CO - Oct. 2-13, 2008
Boston, MA – Oct. 8-13, 2008
Cleveland, OH - Oct. 24 - Nov. 2
Chicago, IL - Nov. 6 - 30, 2008
St. Louis, MO - Nov. 6-9, 2008
Auburn Hills, MI - Nov. 12 - 16, 2008
Highland Heights, KY - Feb 27 - Mar. 1, 2009
Cincinnati, OH - Mar. 4 - 8, 2008 (Hey March 4 is my b-day!!!)

My kids had a blast, our favorite part was the pre-show with the elephants!!

Also if you have a little one and this is his/her first time going to the circus go to http://www.ringling.com/ get him/her a FREE ticket!

HAVE FUN!

Otis the Trouble Maker

My Otis is ALWAYS into something.
We open cupboards, doors, boxes, anything, he has to get inside.
Otis is also the smaller of the 2 kitties and he is my baby.
He nurses on anything soft he can find and loves to keep me up all night long.



This morning he opened the cupboard that wasn't all the way closed, he climbed in the cupboard and couldn't get out...haha.



"You want ME to get out???"

Otis also likes to dress up like elephants!

Keeping it REAL

I usually don't have stories of how much I enjoy being at home with my kids and how we have so much fun and how we are a perfect family, because, it isn't like that for me. I know I wouldn't be able to work and then come home and be a mom, that be too much. I wish there was an in between.

I love my children with all that I am, and do way too much for them, but I just have a hard time enjoying the hard times.

I have had an awful day today. AWFUL. Ethan has pushed every button and been defiant in EVERY way possible. My head hurts, I cannot think straight. This is NOT fun or enjoyable in any way shape or form...well I guess it is easier to enjoy Merci, since she hasn't gotten on my wrong side yet.

I know I am truly blessed, I HAVE kids, I CAN stay at home (barely, but we manage), I HAVE a family.....

The list goes on. I just have a hard time. I am not sure why.
There is some wall I need to break through or something.

The days are not always like this, there are sunshine and rainbow days, but I find them few and far between.

Maybe I have a hard time realizing all my own flaws when I see them come out in my kids, maybe that is what makes it so hard.

I feel like all I do is correct, correct, correct.
I feel like a monster, I feel like a mean mom,
will I ever see FRUIT???

His first day!

Ethan's first day of pre-school was today!

silly face...

crooked face...

Ethan was very nervous this morning, even claiming he didn't want to go to school, even though he has been excited for weeks. He needed his mommy to hold his hand for a little bit, and finally even let me leave=)

paying close attention...

by his cubby

Then time he was there went by really FAST, but I was happy to see how his day went.
It went great and he was very insistent that I take him back "omorrow"=)

On another note:
Awhile back I decided I was going to walk or jog while E was in school.
I don't want to look like a sausage in my pants this Fall/Winter, so walking it is!
There are a few nearby parks that will work perfectly!

I am happy to report I am 1 for 1, even though it was cold, windy and almost raining!
I did it and hope to continue!

Let me say being distracted by worship music from my iphone, I was able to walk, check my e-mail, text and check the forcast and the 20 minutes flew past, I almost did the walk twice, but my new shoes were feeling ouchy on my feet.

Going here....

http://www.wkyc.com/news/local/news_article.aspx?storyid=96208&catid=45

Going here on Saturday...YIPEE!!

Journey Concert

I am so excited that I went to the Journey concert last night!


(brother Jon and girlfriend Colleen)


(Dad and Mom)

It all started with my brother's girlfriend who is obsessed with Journey, she goes to ALL journey concerts and even all Journey cover band concerts.


My aunt was talking about being interested in going, and we figured since she'd be in town this weekend we would all go the concert instead of our usual Dave and Buster's trip.


(Colleen, Jon and my Aunt Marcy)

Cheap Trick, Heart and Journey played last night.
I kinda was like, why am I going to this, I have no idea who these bands are....

Little to my surprise I DID!


(Aunt Marcy and ME!)

Cheap Trick...

I want you to Want me
I need you to need me!
Yep, you know it too!!!

The Dream Police, they are alive in my head, the dream police...

See you do know who they are!!
Their first album was in 1932...they are OLD, but still sounded pretty good!

Heart

Well considering I was lost the whole time they sang...yep my wonderful drunk brother left me in line for drinks and I was wandering all over the jam packed lawn looking for my group
(which was about 20 people)...I was right close to them, just a bit lower.
I seriously was about to cry.

They were great though, sounded amazing for being such stinking old ladies.
One of the most popular ones is...
What about Love.

JOURNEY


(Paul, Alec (cousin), Andy)

We got my cousin Alec a ticket for graduation, and his mom bought some for his friends!
Alec loves Journey also!

I didn't even realize how many songs I knew by them.
I knew I knew some, but I knew most of them.
Look 'em up you'd be surprised!

It was so FUN, even though the crowd was MUCH older than I.
It was a sold out show, and a fun and crazy time.

So who want to come to New Kids on the Block concert with me next month????

My friend Terry

When I saw this I immediately thought of my friend Terry.

bacon of the month club

Terry if I had more money I would definitely buy this for you.
I know how much you like bacon. LOL.
There is no lie that there is something out there for everyone (especially on the internet).
Maybe this will make it to your Christmas list, or maybe not.

What a perfect gift, you know the recipient won't be getting doubles=)

acne?

All this talk about the 80's ( I am going to see Journey tonight, and the mall is overflowing with those fun 80's trends!) has made me remember the awkward teenage years of looking funny, thinking you were cool when you really weren't and having to look for acne products to cure that nasty acne.
If you didn't have to deal with it-good for you!
I didn't have anything too bad.
I am grateful!

Babbling

We have 2 people moving into our basement today.
I have been CLEANING like a mad woman!
The basement is usually used as a dumping ground for stuff we don't need.
I listed 11 auctions on EBay
(click link on sidebar to take a look...7/11 things are selling...whoo hoo), and about 5 on Craigslist this week.
Old clothing the kids can't fit into anymore (I don't know who gave them permission to grow so much but it wasn't me!!), a stroller, booster seat, baby swing, and outgrown toys.
I am now working on sweeping and mopping, and then I have to tackle the mountain of papers on the desk...

This morning I had to run into Marc's to pick up some Swiffer refills (I got my free swiffer in the mail last week and am seriously in LOVE..I'd never used one before).
Ethan remembered that he wanted to get some "goo" to play with and I had told him next time, well I wouldn't let him get it today because my aunt spoiled him at the store yesterday.
Oh boy..the fit he threw was intolerable, I actually pulled over in the parking lot of Autozone, and made him have a time-out.
God is working in me because I didn't loose my temper!... OH but I just remembered I didn't do what I told him I was when we got home...oops.

Ethan's funny of the day...
E (talking to one of the kitties while playing with them): "You gotta keep your eye on the ball"
LOL HAHAHA
How cute!

Safe Box Cutters

When I saw this assignment in my inbox I was excited.
I am a worrier...if you know my husbands history you know why.

I bet you didn't know there were SAFE box cutter options.

These are great for accident prone husband or just something a bit more safe to keep around the home.

I know a great stocking stuffer idea form someone I love=)

You can get a free safety knife from these "laceration reduction experts", and they even have a RECYCLE blades program!

Great book for boys!!

I got the opportunity to review the book Dangerous Days of Daniel X



Many of you know James Patterson already but he set out to write books that would be interesting to the younger male population. According to many surveys it was found that young males are the least likely to pick up a book for entertainment sake.

Me and my husband read it, well I am not all the way done, but I am impressed.

Some things I really like about this book is the imagination. Boys have great imaginations, so this is definitely a book I can see boys liking.

To appeal to the crowd that is least likely to read, the chapters are very short, a few pages, no one of those books with 20 pages per chapter. I think this was a genius idea!

If you know of any young boys I have a great Christmas idea for them!!
Get it HERE!

There are many write ups on this book so type Dangerous Days of Daniel X in Google and read all the great things people have to say about it.

Wordless Wednesday ::At the beach::

The Blue Angels

Do you see anything wrong with this picture?
Fleece blanket...on the beach...that is what happens when you have NO meat to keep you warm.
I love my skinny white boy.

Look close...see you some butt cheek...LOL.

Not so wordless, but oh well!