Weddings...what not to do!!!!

So Saturday was my husband's cousin's wedding. This is the high brow affair that I received 4, no I am sorry, make that 5 invitations to for events to include the wedding, this is the same event that required all of the guests to dress in black tie.

I am not sure what your weather was like in the part of the country you are from but I can tell you in NJ it was hot, steamy hot I might add. So when we boarded the chartered bus to take us to the ceremony and then on to the reception I was unaware as were most, if not all the guests that this would be the last time I had the pleasure of air condition for the rest of the night. Yes you read right no air conditioning in the middle of the summer in NJ at a black tie wedding. Can you say inconsiderate?????

So there we were in the first 2 rows reserved for family sweating our buts off wilting with each passing reading, song and sermon. At one point I wasn't sure if the maid of honor would make it through since between the heat and her SCREAMING 2 year old she was clearly not herself.

Now I ask you, if you are planning to have your ceremony in a church where there is no air wouldn't you at least have fans??? Something to help circulate the air while 200 people sit for an hour????

Once outside of the church the 90 degree weather felt like a breath of fresh air. We were teased yet again when we boarded the bus to the Country Club. We exited the bus signed the guest book picked up our table assignments only to then be confronted with a huge tent OUTSIDE where the reception with a 4 course meal was being held. Men were removing their jackets at an alarming rate. We were truly all melting.

As the reception got underway the couple did not circulate to meet and greet those that had come to share their day; no they were with their friends and for a good part of the time they weren't even together, I noticed at one point my husbands cousin (the groom) was standing alone awkwardly for nearly 15 minutes no one came to save him ...did I mention there were 9 attendants on each side.... nor was he seeking out others to mingle with. I must say it was a very odd wedding.

We did enjoy good food and good drinks with family so all was not lost, I guess. The following morning there was a brunch being held at the parents house, and you guessed it.... it was held outside. I must say I have had more then my fill of the NJ great outdoors while dressed in dressy clothes.

Below are some photos fro the event, I have a ton but I think if you have seen one picture of me and my family sweating you have seen them all. So what was the worst wedding you ever went to and why???

Make a Smilebox slideshow

Kanaan wins at Richmond!

Tony Kanaan took the checkered flag at Richmond last night for his first win of the season. Finishing behind him were Team Penske driver Helio Castroneves and points leader, Scott Dixon.

It was a great show last night if you enjoy a good wreck! A solid outing by several rookies including Justin Wilson, Oriol Servia and EJ Viso. Finally, can some one explain to me why Townsend Bell doesn't have a full time ride? He's run extremely well in the races he's driven this year - unlike Milka who is consistently at the back of the pack, he's done very well. Click here to see how the rest of the field finished.

Friday Hodge Podge

Hodge Podge Friday is a bit late today…. I had a meeting at my Downtown office this morning followed by an industry exam for some professional credentials I am trying to obtain. So before I knew it the day got away from me.

Thank you for all the support concerning my Thursday post, the friend I was speaking of has been progressively becoming more negative and I luckily don’t see her all that often; we talk because our husbands are good friends. My husband was shocked at her demeanor as well. Again thanks for the love and support!

So the hubby has been out of town most of this week for business and the kids have been relatively good, actually Lauren has been great Jackson well he puts me through my paces.

My mother came over on Wednesday to see me and the kids, in previous posts I have talked about the lack of help my mom provides even though she is right down the street and how she is really missing out on being a grandma. Well in true Gran form she came over with gifts then became a bit irritated when the kids would not go to bed or stay in bed, her comment as she was leaving maybe I shouldn’t come over at night since it seems to be such a circus. Well I guess she will never come over because it is always a circus!!!!

Dan and I will be attending that swanky black tie only wedding that I have blogged about; you know the wedding for that ungrateful bride from the bridal shower!!!! Since Dan is on the west coast so he is flying tonight to meet me in NJ in the morning. We have our old sitter coming to stay with the kids this weekend, so it will be nice to have Dan all to myself even if we have to go to some stuffy wedding.

Finally I received great news this afternoon, my daughter was accepted into the Spanish Immersion program. Meaning she will go through 1st through 6th grade learning Spanish. She will be a fluent speaker! Her school day will be half Spanish and half English. I believe that math, science and health will be in Spanish and the rest of the subjects in English. The stats on this program are great and I am so very happy that she has been accepted. Also her brother will be automatically accepted, as they like to keep families together.

I will have many stories and pictures from this weekend I am sure. Hope everyone has a great weekend and I will see you Monday!

Take your bad vibes and negative thoughts with you....

Do you have that one friend or relative that has nothing positive to say about anything? I know I do, that person would be my mom but I have learned to handle it so as not to let it bring me down. Don't get me wrong I am not Miss Ray of sunshine all the time but I like to be around positive upbeat people that was not the case Saturday night.

I mentioned Monday that Dan and I went to dinner Saturday night with some friends, we don't see these friends often but we do keep in touch via email. We arrived at dinner happy and full of energy I personally left exhausted and irritated.

The wife of the friend we had dinner with was pretty much a negative Nellie about everything! Kids.... negative, neighborhood they live in ...negative.......her family....negative. It was very frustrating. At one point we were discussing work and the question was raised if you were to be paid let's say 170k a year but had to work like 70 hour work weeks would you accept the job? Her eyes light up like a Christmas tree and she replied absolutely. I asked well what about when you have kids? Sure I would! She responded wouldn't you? No I replied she was shocked why not? She asked. Well there is this thing called family and I would be missing out on them; she does not have kids but they are talking about it another negative topic. She was like no way I would do it in a heartbeat her husband a huge proponent of them having a family was shocked as well. The conversation continued and at one point the wife said well you work fulltime and you must put in a lot of hours so I am curious why would you not take the job? My response was something like this.

I do work and I am in a position with a lot of responsibility but I have a strict rule that my family comes first and I make that clear to my staff, I also encourage them to think the same way. I always see work as important but it is not the be all end all; it is simply a vehicle to provide for your loved ones. I further went on to tell her that I leave the office everyday at 4pm so that I can have those precious few hours at night with my kids instead of the sitter. She scoffed and said that I could be limiting myself since I choose to leave work early. Which by the way I don't because I arrive at 7:30am. I assured her that I am one of these people who do not wear a badge of honor by being in the office 10 hours a day and that I am a huge believer in working smarter not longer.

Suddenly it hit me, not only have I had to defend my decision to not stay at home over the years; but I am now having to defend my working hours (or lack there of) outside the home. I was very frustrated add to that frustration the fact that every topic that night was one of negative comments I was done!! My thought at that moment please take your bad karma and vibes with you I don’t want them here in my happy place!!!!!!!

The work not work discussion was not an easy one and I have had plenty of family discussions both behind my back I am sure as to why I am working and the rest of my families wives don't. Because of our decision for me to work I have heard things like…. well your kids are sick all that time but that must be because they are in daycare…. or if you were home you could go to playgroups and socialize with other mothers like you... don’t you feel bad you are not the one home with your kids …..the list goes on.

I think I am doing a damn good job raising my kids; they are happy, healthy, well adjusted and well behaved kids. It really frustrates me to constantly defend my life choices to people, especially those who aren’t happy with anything in their lives. I don't ever call out others on their choices to stay home or not. I may have my feelings on the subject for certain people or situations I am aware of but I certainly would not hurt someones feelings or a friendship by forcing my views on them and it drives me nuts when people who are not in the same boat (meaning they don’t have kids) make blanket statements.

Sorry this has become more of a rant then a good blog post, please let me know your thoughts I want to hear from both sides because I think both are valid.

Wordless Wednesday -- Praying or Contemplating

My day.......

Words to describe my day thus far.......

Hectic
Overwhelming
Meeting filled
Rushed
Stressed
Edgy
Apprehensive
Besieged

All that and it is only 4pm and my second job (the kids and hubby) awaits!

This should be an interesting night!

Why can't all weekends be like this???

It is ever so nice to have a relaxing weekend with little or nothing to do; it was a much needed break for our fast paced family weekends. It all started Friday night with Lauren going to an indoor rock climbing wall. She went with her Dad while the little man and I hung out at home for some mother son bonding he has become quite the UNO player for a 3 year old. Lauren came home on cloud nine talking about how cool it was at the rock climbing place and that she climbed nearly 3 stories high rang a beel and everyone cheered for her. Looks as though we have found a new sport for her; which is great, the even better part was seeing her light up like a Christmas tree that’s what us parents live for.

Saturday was a lazy day till about 11am when we decided to get out of our PJ’s and run a few errands then head to our local pool; we spent 3 hours at the pool and the kids were wiped out by the time we go home. Dan and I had plans to meet some friends for a birthday dinner for a friend which I will blog about later.

Sunday again lazy, not much going on in the house did some chores here and there and made some food for the rest of the week. By 5pm sharp we were at the dinner table having dinner and by 7pm the kiddos were tucked in their beds. Dan and I weren’t far behind them which made for a much better morning this morning when the alarm went off at 5am!!!

All in all my idea of a picture perfect weekend! How about you? What were you up to all weekend?

Dan Wheldon wins the Iowa Corn Indy 250

Congrats to Dan Wheldon and Team Target Chip Ganassi for the win at Iowa Speedway! This was a special win for the team and for Iowa flood victims. Both Ganassi drivers stated before the race they would give all race winnings to the Iowa Red Cross for flood relief.

“When you see the devastation there you can’t help but feel for all those victims,” said Wheldon. “We as athletes are lucky enough to be in a position to do things like this and I encourage others to do the same."

See how the rest of the field finished here.

Dixon & Castroneves on the front row

Scott Dixon will start alongside Helio Castroneves on the front row this afternoon for the Iowa Corn Indy 250 presented by Pioneer.

Click here to see how the rest of the field will line up.

Friday Hodge Podge

Is it me or are the weeks just flying by?? Ever since I started my blog I feel like time is whizzing by!!

Well, you have spoken all 5 of you! :) and the Friday Hodge Podge header winner was header #3 If you are not a fan of it you should have voted last week, I will however still take your feedback on what you like. Who knows I might just rotate the header to keep things interesting.

As some of you may have figured out I live near Washington DC, this week not only Washigton but the entire nation suffered a loss. Tim Russert of NBC and Meet the Press passed away last Friday. The tributes have been touching and have made me cry on more then one occasion. I am not one who likes to dig into politics and quiet frankly I sometimes feltl it is way over my head. That changed several years ago when I started watching and Tivoing Meet the Press. Tim had a way of boiling down the issues and hacking through the muckity muck. He was a real guy, one who loved where he came from and was all about telling you in a non pompus way. This man reached the pinicle yet had the same excitment day after day as though he had just reached the top. I have heard his son speak several times over the last few days and I must say that as a mom it makes my heart swell with pride and joy for Tim and his family. This young man has stepped up to be the rock , the communitcator, and healer all at once, no easy task for a 22 year old who has just lost his best friend and father. So to Tim.. you and Marueen did a great job rasing Luke, you should be so proud of the man he has become and if I could I would reach out and hug him for you and say atta boy! May you dance with the angels Tim; you will be missed.

Well we are on week 2 with “Rosa” and all seems to be going well, this was the first full week she had with both kids since Lauren was still in school last week. I have been amazed at what she has had the kids out doing, the library, the natural history museum, the park (daily), arts crafts, I could go on and on but you get the picture. The week was off to a rough start since the cousins left and Jackson seemed to think that he could get away with the same behavior his 2/12 cousin expressed. I had to do a bit of retraining so to speak, I think we are now on the right track. However it made me realize what different parenting styles there are out there. Now I am not saying my style is the best or the only way to do things, I just found it to be interesting how differently people approach parenting. I think until you are with another family for more then 24 you really don’t notice the difference that much at least I didn’t. Anyway we are back on track bedtimes are being enforced and back talking is no longer an option.

Work seems to be going at warp speed, I am wearing many hats and I am ok with that, though I would really like to be recognized and compensated as such. Things don’t look to be slowing down anytime soon which is how I like it. I hate to be bored, but I love to be a part of something new and exciting!

I haven’t commented on my weight loss recently mainly because the scale has not been moving and I have not been trying really hard to push through to the next level. However I am happy to report that I am 20lbs lighter and couldn’t be happier about it. I think the key for me has been running, I try to go for a run at least 3 times a week but sometimes it’s hard. I don’t do anything on the weekends because that time is devoted to my family. So if you have some tips on how to break out of an exercise rut let me know.

On the running topic I had to go see a podiatrist yesterday, honestly I wouldn’t have gone if this Dr. wasn’t my neighbor and friend. Seems that at the rips old age of nearly 36 I have arthritis in my big toe! How random is that? I swear getting old is not fun, anyway I have been having a lot of soreness late in the afternoon especially when I am wearing heels. Now I don’t wear 3 inches heels because I am a tall girl already at 5’9” that being said I have been told to cut out the heels all together (for awhile) because I have some issues with my big toe joint being jammed all the time which is causing my arthritis. So I was fixed up with a cortisone shot and sent on my way. My foot is sore as hell today but I was assured it would feel better in a couple of days, I hope so for my Doc friends sake because I would hate to have to make a house call to his house!

This weekend will hopefully be a lazy one, we only have plans to go to a birthday dinner Saturday night and that will be without the kids so essential a date night. I look forward to a lazy weekend with little to no Drama, seems as though it has been a while since I have had one of those.

Finally no one sent any questions last week for my Friday Hodge Podge post this week, so don’t have any fascinating tidbits of information about me for you. So send me a question, I swear I will answer even if it is embarrassing to me. Also if you have sent a question and I having answered it be sure to let me know by berating me with a comment!

Have a great weekend and let me know what you are up to!

Blog Awards x2

Two, yes I said TWO bloggy awards were bestowed on me in one day!!! I about fell over in my office chair when I read the blogs where my awards were given. Which would not have been good because my early morning blogging at work would have been exposed if I were passed out on the floor with blogs up on my screen when the paramedics came to get me!!!!

So here they are

Wendy @ The Adventures of Mom Lady Gave me this Groovy award !


And Stephanie (love her name!!!) @ A little bit of Sugar and a whole lotta of spice hooked a girl up with this lovely award.
This award comes with rules so I need to think a bit about who to pass this along to, I always feel bad because I feel like I am hurting someone’s feelings if I don’t pick them.

So I will be back soon with awards.

Visit the IndyCar Garage Blog

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The news widget can be embedded to your Facebook, Myspace or blog site (or any other site for that matter) and provides links to the latest updates from the IndyCar Garage blog!

To grab the code for this widget in a different size/shape, please visit the WidgetBox site

Wordless Wednesday-- Child's Play

Crazy 8's

I've been tagged by Kareer Woman:

Eight Things I Have a Passion for:

1) Making people laugh, not at first though, see it takes me a little bit to warm up to people or them to me. But once I know you watch out I will want to make you laugh.
2) Sports- I am not your typical chick, I love sports football is my love. There is something about Football! I love baseball to as well as some other sports, but give me a good football game any day.
3) Beach Vacations- to me there is nothing better then throwing bathing suit and some clothes in a bag and heading to the beach.
4) Friends & Family- I am a very loyal person, I don’t take friendships or relationships lightly.
5) Spa Days- to me there is nothing better then letting someone else tend to your needs and a escaping for a bit.
6) Music- I love all kinds, my ipod is quite the plethora of music.
7) Work- sounds silly I know. However you must understand that someone in my life once told me I would never make anything of myself and I strive to prove them wrong. I have achieved so much in my short career and while doing that I have found that I love what I do.
8) My kids!

Eight Things I Would Like to do Before I Die:
1) Water-ski- I have done it but I would like to stand up and do it the right way.
2) Take a month long cruise
3) Sing in a band
4) Develop a scholarship for a young person to go to college who might otherwise never be able to.
5) Own a new Mercedes convertible.
6) Speak another language.
7) See my grandkids grow up.
8) See as many foreign countries that I can.

Eight Things I Say a Lot:
1) Really??
2) umm OK
3) Sweet
4) Get outta here
5) I love you
6) Later tater
7) Bye (think southern drawl)
8) No Way

Eight Books I Have Read Recently:
1) The Glass Castle
2) The Secret
3) Water for Elephants
4) The Kite Runner
5) Martha Stewart's Home keeping Handbook Ok I haven’t read it but I have reference it a lot!!!
6) From the Heart
7) Nineteen minutes
8) Eat Pray Love ----Loved this Book!!!!!

Eight Movies I Have Seen Eight Times:
1) Pretty Woman
2) Dirty Dancing
3) Finding Nemo
4) Top Gun
5) Fried Green Tomatoes
6) The Truman show
7) Sound of music
8) Titanic

Eight People I have to Invite to Do This Meme:
1) Elaine
2) Jocasta
3) Kristi
4) Courtney
5) Kirsten
6) Leah
7) Wendi
8) Stephanie

Where did my weekend go???

Here it is Monday again! I swear I feel like the last 4 to 5 weeks have been one continuous work week as we have had something going on every single weekend and of course this weekend was no exception.

My sister in law (SIL) arrived Friday night with her kids we had dinner and few drinks, while the kids had a blast playing and we let them even though we knew it was getting late. The girls passed out but the boys kept going before we knew it, it was 1am and they were in need of sleep as were we. The morning came around way to soon. We all finally got our acts together and headed out about noon to the Alexandria Red Cross Waterfront Festival. The kids had a blast and they were pretty tuckered out after a day of rides and sun by 4:30 we were all sound to sleep. Dan ordered pizza which we gobbled down then all headed right back to bed. Exciting bunch huh???

Sunday was pool day. The kids loved it and I must say I did too. I love sitting in the sun and relaxing. We headed over for a neighbors house for a "combined dinner" one of our neighborhood specialties! By 9pm we were all tired and ready for bed. Unfortunately I didn't get a chance to say goodbye to my SIL because when I put my youngest to bed she was already in bed with her youngest and I didn't want to wake her. This morning I had to leave at my normal 7 am time, of course no one was up, but I will see her in 2 weeks at a family wedding.

Here are a few shots of the kids having fun, hope you had a good weekend tell me all about it!

Make a Smilebox slideshow

My google reader is about to explode and I am not sure my wee brain can handle trying to read all of the posts so I will do the shameful act of marking all as read and start anew I hope you all understand.

Friday Hodge Podge

My first Friday Hodge Podge was deleted when the power went out and I had not saved my document. So I will do my best to recreate.

Check out the different Hodge Podge headers I have created I am not sure which one to use moving forward so I will rely on you the readers to tell me what you like.










Thank goodness it is Friday, what a week we have had here. First we had Lauren’s talent show on Monday night where she sang her little heart out. If you haven’t seen it I think it is a must see. This child loves to perform!

Tuesday I went to get my hair colored, yes that is right what you see in pictures is not my natural hair color, it isn’t far off but I like the sun kissed look all year round so I opt for highlights to keep it the way I like it. My normal girl passed me off to some trainee for most of the process which fumed me. I spoke with the manager and she apologized saying that Laura should have asked me if it was Ok. I later found out as did the salon that she was double booking herself and having the trainee do the easier jobs but taking the pay for her. I am not sure if I am going back to her and if I do I will let her know I didn’t appreciate being passed on.

Wednesday and Thursday we had out former Au pair Abby with us, she is a love and is off to camp for the summer to be a camp counselor in upstate NY. I think she is going to have a blast and so are the girls she will be working with. Hopefully she will stop by again before she leaves in September.

Tonight my sister in law Alicia from Texas is coming with her 2 kids. The cousins don’t get to get together much so it will be nice to see them all play together. She is on the east coast for the next 2 ½ weeks. I don’t know how she does it because she will be in 3 different houses during that time. Me I would be stark raving mad after one week let alone 2 ½.

Life with Rosa seems to be going well, earlier this week Jackson asked me before he went to bed if Rosa was going to be there in the morning when he woke up, which tells me he has formed a bound.

Sunday is Father's day and we really don’t have a lot planned, Alicia will still be here so we may just go to the poll or have a small neighborhood get together. I bought Dan some cute PJ that say Daddio on them from the kids and they are making cards for him.

Now for your questions, which I must tell you I love so pleas please keep them coming even if your question is silly like what do I like on my hotdog or serious like my thoughts on the war or Election. Send them my way!!!

Elaine A. asked...
Here's a question - how did you meet your hubby?
I met dan in 1996, online in an AOL chat room! Yes it is true, before it was vogue or socially acceptable to meet people online I met my husband. After about 2 to 3 weeks of chatting I decided that I would meet Dan (he bugged me for like a week to meet) We met at a restaurant and bar where I knew the people working there so if by some chance Dan was a total nut job I could signal someone to save me. We met at about 7pmtaht night had dinner drinks and didn’t leave until 2am. There was instant chemistry between us and we have been together ever since.

Laski asked...
Awe . . . I missed asking a question!!! If you are still answering, here's mine . . . in the story of your life, who would play you and your family--WHY?

This was a tough one- I would have to say that Tea Leoni would play me Kiefer Sutherland would play Dan and my mom would be portrayed by Kathy Bates. As for my in laws I am not sure, plus I wouldn’t mention it here if by chance they read this I don’t want to offend anyone. But if you must know email me and I will tell you.

Now why these people well I have been told on many occasions that I look like Tea which I can handle :) Kiefer because he just seems to be Dan and Kathy Bates for my mom. Do you remember that movie Throw Mama from the Train with the nutty mother that is mine and not in a good way. So there you have it. If you don’t agree with my choices who do you think should play the parts???Also, what is the very best piece of advice you've received in regards to parenting and/or marriage?

Before I had my first child someone told me to remember that Dan and I were couple first before we were a family, and that our ability to be a couple is what created our family unit. So simply… take care of what got you there and the rest will fall into place. Which I think is huge how many couples do you know that get so consumed by kids work and stuff that they forget to take time for their relationship??? And then end up divorcing because of it. We do our best to put each other first so our kids see a healthy happy mom and Dad relationship.

OHmommy asked...
I know you have a Polish background, what is your strongest connection to your heritage?
I do have a polish background my mom is polish and my dad was Irish. I am ashamed to say that I do not have much in the way of a connection to my heritage. My mom was an only child and lost her mother at birth and her father died when she was 11 she was raised by her grandmother who came from Poland in 1910 and settled in America with her 9 other brother and sisters. Most of my moms side of the family was either very old or had past away when I was a child. The only real connection to my polish heritage would be through food. Growing up my mom would make Pierogi’s, Sausage with Sauerkraut, Placki kartoflane and Sernik. All of these being from her childhood with her polish grandmother. One day I hope to visit Poland so I can better understand my polish heritage for now, I associated with Oh Mommy for my polish fix : )

Well I think that about covers it for another week. Have a great weekend and I will talk with you on Monday!

A vistor from a far away land....

Last night we had a visitor. As I have blogged about we had an au pair, three actually. Our very first au pair from New Zealand is in the states for the summer and came by to see us and the kids last night. The kids were so excited to see her that at 10pm (2 hours past bedtime) they were still playing. We had a lovely dinner and met her boyfriend who seems to be a nice fellow.

I was amazed at how comfortable it was not only for her but for us as well. It was as though she had never left. She has an amazing bond with the kids and I think they think of her as a big sister, it just warmed my hear to see them all together again. My guess is she will be in our lives forever.

She and her boyfriend will stop over again tonight before heading off to visit others friends in the area, hopefully she and a buddy of hers will come stay with us for a about a week at the end of the summer before she goes back.



Here are some pictures of Abby, the kids and us and one of just the grown ups.

Wordless Wednesday

She's a star!!!!!

OK I will admit, I wasn't so sure that my "unable to stand still for 1 minute" child would be able to pull off her solo singing debut, she proved me wrong and blew it out of the water. She was one of only 2 kindergartners who participated in the school talent show. If you can take 2 minutes and watch the video I think you will like it. My son was crying for the camera about mid way through thankfully she was able to sing over him. Be sure to turn your volume up!!

Weekend Fun

Hot Hot Hot! that was my weekend! Ok well there was more to it then that but man the heat was turned up a notch and made even the simplest of tasks nearly unbearable outside.

First, I ran the Susan G Komen race for the cure with 50,000 of my closest friends on Saturday. We arrived a tad bit late so I ended up weaving my way through the walkers to get up to the tail end of the runners pack. I still am not sure what my time was but I am not all that concerned as there were numerous factors that impacted my time. I have only run this race 2 other times and I must say this one was the most emotional for me. I have been very fortunate and have not been directly touched by this disease however I am keenly aware that one day I may. It was so wonderful to see people walking and running hand in hand, hearing the cheerleaders from local high school cheer us on as we ran and the overwhelming warmth that was felt as I crossed the finish line. I will do this race again year after year to support my fellow sisters in their fight and if you have a race near you I urge you to do the same regardless if you run or walk, just participate you won't regret it.The only bad part about the day was that I didn't get to take any pictures, next year I promise.

Once I got home and I was showered and changed from the race we took off for Great Wolf Lodge in Williamsburg, can I just say amazing!!!!! My kids didn't stop the entire time we were there also there were not a ton of people so getting on rides and playing in the pools was relatively stress free. Nothing like sitting down and having a Mai Thai while watching your kids climb a water play structure then slide down the slide 50 times :) We had more then our share of water and the kids were so tired. I don't remember the last time my daughter slept till 8:45 am! All in all a great successful weekend.

Tonight is the talent Show for the K-2 at Lauren's school she will be singing A few of my favorite things from the The Sound of Music. I am so nervous for her but she seems to be fine! I will certainly have pictures to post I would say video too but I have yet to figure out how to get my videos from the DVD disk to the computer in a format that I can post. If you have tips please let me know.

Here is the photo frame I made for my coworker for a fathers day present, the picture he was palnning to use was of the 2 othem at the Masters Golf Tournament last year hence the golf theme. What do you think???

Rosa (not her real name BTW) started this morning, it is 9:40 as I type and all seems to be well thus far, keep your fingers crossed for me :)

Hope you had a great weekend tell me all about it. Stay Cool!!!!

Scott Dixon wins the Bombardier Learjet 550 at TMS

Congrats to Scott Dixon for his win at the Bombardier Learjet 550 at Texas Motor Speedway. Marco Andretti and Ryan Hunter-Reay probably had the fastest cars of the night but a late crash between those two drivers allowed Dixon to take his 3rd win of the year and stretched his point lead to 28 points.

You can see the rest of the field here.

Dixon gets the pole at Texas

Scott Dixon won the PEAK Motor Oil Pole Award presented by O'Reilly Auto Parts at Texas Motor Speedway yesterday with a 214.878 mph average. This is Dixon's fourth pole of the year. He'll be joined on the first row by Helio Castroneves. You can see the entire starting grid here.

Be sure to join us here on IndyCarGarage for a live chat tonight for the race!

Friday Hodge Podge

Another week has passed and I have so much to talk about.

First the kitchen turned out great I think, as did the new couch however we underestimated the size of our family room so we will need to purchase one more section to the sectional. Check out the photos of the kitchen and the couch, let me know your thoughts; unless you hate it, if so please don’t’ tell me since my wallet won’t be able to take the rejection. LOL

I am in the throws of planning the Kindergarten end of year celebration, they are having field day in the morning then will come into the classroom and have a pizza party with all sorts of treats and a goodie bags to take home. I am bummed that they won’t let me go with the graduation theme since these guys are in their own way graduating but they won’t. They aren’t even having a ceremony for them only an assembly with the rest of the school where they get a certificate. I swear schools are getting a little to PC and I don’t know how celebrating kindergarten graduation is PIC (politically incorrect) but somehow it is. Whatever! I will make sure they have a blast!!!!

I will run in my second 5k this weekend although I am feeling a bit under the weather so I don’t know that I will be able to beat my time from April. The Susan G Koman Race for the Cure is a big race here in Washington DC and there will be a ton of people so we thought it best to let Dan stay home with the kids instead of coming out to watch. I am sad because I was really hoping to have someone there for me at the finish line; it gives me some motivation to run. Oh well maybe when they are a little older.

Once I get home from the race we are going to head to Williamsburg VA to The Great Wolf Lodge, which is a huge indoor waterpark. I have heard great things about it and we were scheduled to go during spring break but things came up. The kids have no idea and I think will be very surprised! I will be sure to fill you all in on the details once we are back.

Dan had an appointment this week with our ENT; he has been having chronic sinus infections all winter and never had them before getting his deviated septum repaired in February 07. Well he had a CT scan and it appears as though my thought of him being strange where right on all along. He has not upper right sinus (above the eye) and the lower right (in the cheek area) is completely blocked. So the big D will need to go under the knife on the 19th of June to help drain those yucky sinuses and hopefully provide him with some relief.

Fathers Day- What the heck do I get the dad that has everything??? I am busying creating Fathers Day Frames for a couple of coworkers who requested them but I have not come up with a plan for Dan..... ideas????? I am open to them.

Blog Bling- Courtney at Quiet Chaos bestowed a cool award to me earlier this week, she is such a sweetie and I am glad that I have been able to help her a bit and I am also supper happy to have found such good blog friend. I know I need to pass this award on but I need to think about that a bit ….more on that to come.

Q& A ----Ya’ll have been great about sending questions my way please please keep them coming I love it! Here are a few more answers to your burning questions

Kimmylyn Asked...
Hmm.. a question .. how about "What is your favorite thing to do with your free time (sans kids/hubby)?
I love to curl up and watch TV in the peace and quiet of my own bed, or if I had the money on a beach somewhere with a cold Corona in my hand.
Michelle Asked...
And my question for you: have you ever had known well child who has wispy hair that just won't grow in? Does it ever grow in? If so, at what age? (Selfishly asked, of course) My Daughter I swore was never going to have any hair she looked to be bald until she was about 16 months then all of a sudden her hair started to grow. It took till she was about 4 before she had a full head of hair. Don't worry it will happen.
April Asked...
Hmmm..a question...if you could go ANYWHERE in the world and money was no option, WHERE would it be?? I would so go on a 30 to 40 day cruise to see the world. How fun would that be????
Courtney Asked..
I have to think of questions, but where do you work? If you don't want to answer that what do you do exactly? I work for an Insurance company as their Director of Operations
Krystyn Asked
Okay...you asked for them....thongs or granny panties? Thong when wearing pants I hate panty lines!!!!
What color are your toenails, if they are painted? My toenails have a french manicure right now
What is your one splurge? I love to buy a nice New Coach purse makes me feel like a celebrity
If you had a million dollars that you HAD to spend, what would you buy? If I have a million dollars I would buy mom a house and new car, fund the kids college, donate to charity, totally redecorate my house with the help of a professional designer! Of course not in that order!
Thanks again for the questions, have a great weekend and see you Monday!

A little bit of everything

I am a bit late in posting today because I am working from home and it is a bit of a mad house as I have many things going on. First my kitchen is being painted, in one of my preious posts I asked for some help in picking a color. We finally settled on one so will unveil the new kitchen look in tomorrows Hodge Podge. In addition to the kitchen being painted I have a guy coming to measure for new carpet in the family room as well as new furniture being delivered for the family room. A room make over of sorts; I can’t wait to get it all settled again.

So last night I was invited to a Gala put on by PFCU Foundation. This group raises money to help our wounded warriors heal and return back to everyday living. As I sat in this huge ballroom with my handsome Army husband by my side I couldn’t help but become overwhelmed by the young soldiers who sat at my table and the tables near me. These are kids who simply say “I was doing my job and I would do it again.” Their worlds have been torn upside down however they keep on going. Yet our government doesn’t not fully take care of them and they rely on Foundations such as these for the supplemental support needed to help them heal and make them whole again. My husband and I had the honor of speaking many of these soldiers; these men and women epitomize courage in my eyes and I couldn’t thank them enough for their service yet every conversation seemed to end with them thanking me or my husband for our support. The theme of the night was Night of Heroes and it couldn’t have been truer.

Finally I just had my last meeting with my new nanny. Yes, I am getting a nanny but before you go calling me stuck up or a snob let me explain. Yes I work fulltime and so does my husband, we love our jobs and the life it allows us to provide for our family. Both of my children were in daycare from the early age of 3 months. A couple of years ago my husband was up for orders to Korea and we were not willing to move the entire family to Korea for 3 years so we opted to stay here and hire an au pair (young student who in exchange for a place to live and schooling would watch our kids) to help me out since I would be going it alone and also because my work also required overnight business trips once a month. (Don’t get me started on the lack of family help that lives right down the street) The 1st au pair was wonderful she bonded with the kids and they loved having her around she was truly a part of the family. She and I became buddies and I still talk to her to this day. We continued with and au pair program because we loved the fact that the children were able to spend less time in daycare and more time at home. However the following 2 I had in a matter of 5 months were a disaster. So I opted for daycare again.

Luckily at this point Lauren was already in Kindergarten and was doing very well. My son on the other hand was having issues. We had many conferences and received the usually boys will be boys speech but I knew something was very wrong. We narrowed it down to one teacher and sure enough when they relocated her to another room Jackson started to behave better. This woman really should not have been a daycare provider in this center but that is a whole other story. So things have gone long but we have noticed a high rate of turnover with teachers and again the behavior issues at school, we never have problems at home.

So while talking to one of m neighbors she said you should hire Rosa, their nanny of 14 years who took care of her 2 boys from the time they were 3 months as well. I knew of her and I loved the bond she had formed with the boys and she truly is a part of their family. So I spoke with her and she was ready willing and able to watch Jackson and Lauren for the summer then in the fall she would shuttle Lauren to school and Jackson to Preschool. She is a lovely woman with a heart of gold and it gives me peace to know my kids will be with someone whom I know and trust and that they will be able to be in their own house.

However the negative side of me is scared to death that if this doesn’t work out I will have lost my place at the daycare and will be totally screwed, but worst the kids will suffer. I have made 2 back up plans just in case. I am sure that all will go fine and the kids will be happy as can be and so will we. I just have hesitation I am not big on change however I KNOW this is really a good thing.

Rosa came over to get the lay of land before she starts on Monday, she was already talking about the food she was going o cook for them the games she would play and the trips to the park. She also asked if it was ok to teach the kids Spanish. Can I just say I love this woman already!!! Who knows there might very well be a chance of baby number 3, if I know I don’t have to go back to the daycare routine. I will keep you posted.

Wow now that I am looking back over this post I had a lot to say! Hope your Thursday has been a good one!!!

Wordless Wednesday

Ten on Tuesday

10 Ways the World Has Changed Since You've Been in School

1) I am living on my own, in my own house with a family to support, no more curfews and sneaking in. Yes even in college I had to sneak in; my mom was a stickler for the rules and swore by the not under my roof rule.

2) No one uses and encyclopedia anymore, instead we google, wiki, or ask.com what we need to know.

3) We have a far more volatile world that we live in, regardless if it is suburban America or the streets of Kabul the world as I knew it nearly 20 years ago does not exist.

4) Kids are getting smarter earlier, or I am getting dumber as I age. I swear my Kindergartner is learning about things I learned in 3rd grade when she gets to 5th grade I am going to be screwed because mommy will not be able to help with the homework anymore.

5) I can order just about anything I want with a few keystrokes and a couple clicks of the mouse, no more trolling all over creation to find the perfect gift now I simply sit in my office with coffee in hand and click away.

6) COFFEE who in the world would believe that we would pay nearly $5 for a cup of coffee nearly everyday?

7)Travel is not a fun task any longer (my opinion) we no longer can greet those that we love at the gate of their arriving plane instead we are forced to circle the airport like a vulture or worse yet sit in the cell phone waiting area.

8) In order to get a degree you no longer really need to sit in a class for hours on end, you can now sit in front of a computer and without experiences frat parties and dorm life you too can have a degree.

9) Food, I love to eat but even I who loves to eat have noticed that the portions severed in restaurants are HUGE! That said I don't remember seeing so many over weight people in my life.

10) I have people calling me mame on a regular basis and it makes me feel old!!!

Over freaking whelmed!!!!!

Ok I will admit it I am overwhelmed!!! For those of you that know me well I am sure you are in shock that those words would cross my lips, since I "seem" to always be able to get everything done no matter what. Let me explain: This weekend I was in NJ for a family function (Dan's Family) so Friday night was shot because I was running around trying to get things done at the house, then the neighbors invited us up for a drink it was 11pm before I got to bed so no blog reading for me. We were up and on the road by 8am to be in NJ in time for a 1pm shower, again no blog reading for me. I brought my laptop with me in the hopes of catching up on my blog reading Saturday night in the hotel no Internet connection hence no blog reading. We drive home yesterday and I race around to get ready for the week, you know grocery shopping, laundry, homework the normal stuff. By 9pm I am exhausted and ready for bed. You know the phrase to use here .... no blog reading for me! So it was 5am this morning, I have a ritual in the morning I wake up at 5 throw on my workout clothes go down to the office check the headlines, email and google reader then head down to the gym for my workout. This morning I almost had a heart attack and not because of the workout. I check my google reader and there were 278 new posts to read!!!!! I just don't know that I will be able to get to all of them. But for those of you know that know me I never back down from a challenge, so I will try my best to read them all but I am afraid that I may not be able to. I thought the blogsphere was quieter on the weekends??? What happened this weekend did Brittany have another parenting mishap? Was Paris sent back to Jail for being annoying?? What happened that there were so many freaking people posting!!!! :)

Ok now that I have that out of my system, the weekend was good but not really relaxing. The shower was nice and it was nice to see family however I must say that the bride-to-be did not impress me with her social ways. She arrived late, left early, and really only spoke to those she knew even though we were all there for her. This is the wedding that is Black Tie notice I didn't say black tie "optional" so there is a certain upper crustiness to this whole affair and I fully expected to see a polished, poised young lady at this shower. Unfortunately I felt she was more the spoiled brat going through the motions because she had to. Not my ideal way to spend 4 hours and $120 in gas to get there. I would post pictures but I didn't take any, I just wasn't that into it.

However it was great to see other family members and for the kids to see their grandparents, you can never have to many of those types of visits.

So I guess I need to get back to my blog reading! BTW thanks for the good questions from Friday's post keep 'em coming I love them and I will respond to each one!

Briscoe wins Milwaukee

Congrats to Ryan Briscoe and Team Penske for winning the ABC/AJ Foyt Milwaukee 225. The race ended on yellow with a late crash involving Marco Andretti, Ed Carpenter and Vitor Meira (what an amazing crash). It was an exciting race overall with lots of passing and action throughout the field. The transition drivers, many of whom had raced at Milwaukee previously, were impressive and hung in the entire race.

Briscoe really needed this win (heck, just a finish) with all of the rumors circulating about his future at Penske - good for him to get this win.

Here's how they finished...

1. Ryan Briscoe
2. Scott Dixon
3. Tony Kanaan
4. Dan Wheldon
5. Helio Castroneves
6. Oriol Servia
7. Justin Wilson
8. EJ Viso
9. Danica Patrick
10. Buddy Rice
11. Townsend Bell
12. Hideki Mutoh
13. Darren Manning
14. Will Power
15. Ryan Hunter-Reay
16. Enrique Bernoldi
17. AJ Foyt IV
18. Bruno Junqueira
19. John Andretti
20. Ed Carpenter
21. Marco Andretti
22. Vitor Meira
23. Mario Moraes
24. Jaime Camara
25. Graham Rahal
26. Mario Dominguez