Winter Time Fun!

Some pics from the last couple of days!

Ice on our trees! Poor trees!

"Rover" playing in the snow for the first time!!

Sledding! This is before Connor wiped out and cut his face on the ice :(

Don't Mess With Me and My Baby!

Letter to an Unknown:

Dear A$$wipe,

Thank you so much for feeling the need to run my car off the Gene Snyder Freeway this afternoon in your light colored sedan. I really appreciated the opportunity to check the stability and control of my SUV at highway speeds.

What I didn't appreciate is the fact that you almost killed myself and my precious cargo (my baby). I should have let you hit me and let your insurance fix a new Land Rover, however, out of motherly concern for the safety of my child (something which you obviously do not have) I swerved off the road and nearly crashed... because of you.

Luckily for you, although I have your license plate number (4812AN) and know the proximity of where you live, I probably can't do anything about your attempted hit and run. However, I do believe in karma... so I would really drive carefully on the bad roads tomorrow :)

I hope you got to where you needed to go on time by cutting me off ...

Lovingly and a middle finger,

Concerned Mommy and Pissed Off Driver

Finally Home!

We made it home from New York ... finally. I made Jamie stop at a hotel in Charleston, WV last night instead of driving all the way home in one day (12 hours is just way too much sitting for a one-year-old, and me, for one day!) so we're home a bit later than what we planned on. Oh well, it was definitely worth it!

I hate getting home to a messy house (which it was, of course) and I HATE unpacking even more. There always seems to be way more fun things to do, like open mail and look through the Sunday paper, than unpack and tidy the house. aka: When we got home, there were about 15 boxes on the porch from a giant Discovery Toys order I placed before we left, plus, of course, other random things I had ordered, plus our regular mail. Overwhelming... yet WAY more fun than unpacking ... which I still have not done!!

On top of everything else, it started to spit some sort of icy, white precipitation once we were about an hour away from home. Great. I thought leaving New York would get us away from the snow and freezing weather.... apparently not. They are forecasting about 6 inches and maybe some ice over the next day or two ... but we'll see what happens! I'm always of the opinion that the further out they forecast bad weather, the more UNLIKELY it is to actually occur! This reminds me, I need to go join all the other crazies at the supermarket in a few minutes because we have NO FOOD in our house. Just my luck they are predicting snow... so it will be a madhouse dash for things people don't really HAVE to have anyway (I mean, who ever died from not having bread and milk for 2 days? Really?!)

I am crossing my fingers for some good sledding snow for Connor, though :)

~ * ~ New York, New York ~ * ~

We made it to New York! Very little drama and no wrong turns!

Now .... New York city, here we come! Jamie and I are heading into the city tonight for a night out on the town! And, the J. Crew sample sale tomorrow morning!! Woo hoo!!

Obama's inauguration and a J. Crew sample sale all in one day!! It's almost too much!!

Busy Busy Week!!

As usual, getting back to the hustle and bustle after the holidays is hard. After a devastating loss to U of Smell in basketball, I wasn't much in the mood to hop on the happy train and take down Christmas decorations in the house .... therefore, they are still mostly up and it's a little bit embarrassing ... especially since I've had to DT parties at my house this week... so people notice!!

This week (and last!) has been a real booger as far as my schedule! OMG we have had so much to do! Now, reality is setting in that we are going to be taking a 9-hour mini-van trek to New York in less than a week and MAYBE I need to start planning for that a little bit!!

SO far, I have stocked up on Gerber Puffs and Crunchies (moms, if you have not tried these Crunchies yet .... get in the car now and go buy them!! Connor LOVES them... they are my new favorite thing to bring to the mall as a 'happy maker'! They are like puffy Cheetos for babies... amazing!) and we bought a portable DVD player for the car (this is our third one since our honeymoon.... I suggest getting an extended warranty on these puppies! What a load of crap!). These things might be the only way we have even a chance of making it up to New York without me jumping out of a moving car or resorting to heavy drinking.
side-thought: Lisa just had her tonsils taken out and has some great meds .... too bad I'm not a pill head!! (haha) - actually, I guess that's really not funny....
moving on...

So right now I'm waiting on Connor to awaken and we are headed to the gym. Unfortunately, my laziness over the holidays and not going to the gym for OVER a month has caused Connor to regress back into crying while in the kid's area at the gym. We went through this before and then got over it ... so we'll see if it's any better today!

Past or Future?

I think all of us has fallen into the trap of living in either the past or the future ... but not for today. I know this is especially true with things like relationships, jobs, friendships, and also with being a parent. I find myself looking forward to the milestones like walking, talking, rolling over, preschool, etc... and wishing away the present. All the while, I look at a mom carrying her baby in a carrier and think "Wow, that was so much easier! I miss that!" or I see teeny tiny little preemie outfits and fight back tears because I remember how they used to be big on Connor when he was first born! (This, by the way, is the reason I have to immediately store all of C's clothes in tubs in the basement once he grows out of them, to avoid any unnecessary torture and tears!)

But, is it worse to live in the past or in the future? My goal is to start living for today, but that is extremely hard! This is especially the case when you are having a crazy busy week, or a child is sick or going through a difficult stage and all you can think is "Please God, just let me get through this next week!!".

So, all of this just to say: I am going to start posting my "Top 5 Things To Do This Week" list again on the side of the blog, and I'm also going to talk about a resolution I am making and how I'm doing with it in this post! (For as long as I can keep up with it .... which maybe should be a resolution!? Anyway..."

For this week and last week:

"Live in the Present" Enjoy my time with Connor, Jamie, family and friends as if it might not last forever. Start looking forward to the future instead of wishing for the future to be here soon.

"Spend less time on the computer!" This kind of goes with the above resolution, because I'll spend more time interacting with above named people, but there are other benefits. One, I constantly battle carpal tunnel (thanks to my last couple of jobs) so the less typing and mouse-maneuvering, the better! Two, I spend money shopping online. Enough said. This will be difficult since the majority of my business with Discovery Toys is currently online... but I like a challenge!

A New Venture ... and Christmas Pictures!

After much debate, I have decided to at least attempt to make my way back into the working world (sort-of!) by becoming an Independent Consultant for Discovery Toys, Inc. They make fun, colorful toys that focus on learning and cognitive development... which is great, but I really wanted to get started in this for a few other reasons.

Growing up, we had TONS of Discovery Toys (DT's) that we played with a lot ... and by WE, I mean myself, my sister, cousins, etc... my mom even has a few of these toys mixed in with the things that Connor plays with at her house! Amazing! Toys from 20 years ago and still going strong!

Which brings me to the other great thing about DT... the have a lifetime guarantee! No matter how, why, or when they are broken, the company takes care of it! Especially important to day cares, schools, etc... this is also good for people looking for good solid toy investments (better than the stock market .... hehehe!)

I also liked the idea of a product that basically sells itself, the parties are quick, fun and painless and basically just involve. playing with the toys and taking home a catalog (no makeup application, trying on clothes, etc...) You just grab some coffee and cookies and play with toys in the floor! A fun social time for parents, grandparents, teachers, church and daycare directors, aunts and uncles, and anyone who has to buy kids a gift throughout the year and has no idea what to get! All these toys are kid and parent approved!

The final "last straw" reason I chose to do this is because no one I asked had even heard of these toys ... which I found pretty shocking! There is always an ebb and flow to the popularity of things like this, so I'm hoping to get DT back on the upswing in the Louisville and Kentucky area! (So, obviously, if you're interested in hosting a show and getting free toys and having a fun night with your friends, just let me know! www.discoverytoyslouisville.com)

OMG<>

Now for something you don't have to read! Pictures! These are from Christmas Day, as promised!