July 30, 2010
day one
wow. first of all, let me say that this entire '30 day project' is A LOT harder than i thought. i posted the challenge on wednesday and had honestly planned on posting day one THAT day but my mind was boggled. this continued wednesday night and all day yesterday. i've decided that i just HAVE to begin today. it is EXTREMELY hard for me to pick just ONE favorite song. like, seriously, don't even KNOW where to begin here. i have SO many 'favorites' and for SO many different reasons. the point of this challenge is probably to have fun with it - but of course, i find myself stressing because i know that as SOON as i hit the post button, i will think 'whyyyy did i choose that song - i totally forgot about this one'!
so, favorite song. favorite ALL TIME song? gosh. i try to think of a song that i've loved for years and has never gotten old to me (again, i know of more than one). so, during the past day and half that i've been pondering - one song remains constant. this would be 'purple rain' by prince. [any of my giLs surprised by this choice? haha]
i have loved purple rain from the moment these lobes heard that beautiful melody! i don't even KNOW why - it was just love at first hear. anytime it comes on, i immediately stop what i'm doing and belt out along with prince. i guess if i really want to dig deep, there is a line in the song that reminds me of a certain time in my life although i don't believe the song is MEANT like that. of course, everyone can have their own interpretation of the song but i think its about a guy and a girl - who have feelings for each other but the guy won't cross the line because the girl is with someone already and because of those circumstances - they couldn't even have a friendship.
none the less - i don't like this song based on meaning. i just absolutely LOVE it. i love to sing my little heart out at the top of my lungs and twist (because i won't say that i really DANCE) around like crazy - as if i'm in the recording studio singing it myself! ;]
i vow to one day sing this song on karaoke. in fact, every single time i go - i beg someone to sing it with me - but sadly, nobody knows it entirely like myself. one day, i'll be brave enough to do it alone! haha!
random fact - i've never even seen the movie "purple rain"
anyone seen it? should i watch the movie considering a song from the movie (right, it IS from the movie? is it based on the movie?) is my favorite song?! ;]
July 28, 2010
thirty day challenge
i am stealing this from ashley :)
for a while i have been wanting to do some sort of 30 day challenge that FORCES me to blog DAILY but haven't found anything up my alley. that is, until i saw this one. anyone who knows me - knows that i am a MUSIC-A-HOLIC! ;) i am oftencommended, er, made fun of [hehe] for my knowledge of so many lyrics! my husband doesn't understand how i can memorize SO many songs and still remember them YEARS later. hey, it's just one of my MANY talents, right ;]
so anyway - this challenge is the 30 day song challenge! [awesome, right!?]
now, it seems like it will be easy but i can already tell ya - it won't be. i know and love SO many songs i know it will be hard for me to choose which one should go on which day! so, bear with me .. hopefully i make it through all 30 in JUST 30 days! =)
Day 01 – Your favorite song
Day 02 – Your least favorite song
Day 03 – A song that makes you happy
Day 04 – A song that makes you sad
Day 05 – A song that reminds you of someone
Day 06 – A song that reminds of you of somewhere
Day 07 – A song that reminds you of a certain event
Day 08 – A song that you know all the words to
Day 09 – A song that you can dance to
Day 10 – A song that makes you fall asleep
Day 11 – A song from your favorite band
Day 12 – A song from a band you hate
Day 13 – A song that is a guilty pleasure
Day 14 – A song that no one would expect you to love
Day 15 – A song that describes you
Day 16 – A song that you used to love but now hate
Day 17 – A song that you hear often on the radio
Day 18 – A song that you wish you heard on the radio
Day 19 – A song from your favorite album
Day 20 – A song that you listen to when you’re angry
Day 21 – A song that you listen to when you’re happy
Day 22 – A song that you listen to when you’re sad
Day 23 – A song that you want to play at your wedding
Day 24 – A song that you want to play at your funeral
Day 25 – A song that makes you laugh
Day 26 – A song that you can play on an instrument
Day 27 – A song that you wish you could play
Day 28 – A song that makes you feel guilty
Day 29 – A song from your childhood
Day 30 – Your favorite song at this time last year
for a while i have been wanting to do some sort of 30 day challenge that FORCES me to blog DAILY but haven't found anything up my alley. that is, until i saw this one. anyone who knows me - knows that i am a MUSIC-A-HOLIC! ;) i am often
so anyway - this challenge is the 30 day song challenge! [awesome, right!?]
now, it seems like it will be easy but i can already tell ya - it won't be. i know and love SO many songs i know it will be hard for me to choose which one should go on which day! so, bear with me .. hopefully i make it through all 30 in JUST 30 days! =)
Day 02 – Your least favorite song
Day 03 – A song that makes you happy
Day 04 – A song that makes you sad
Day 05 – A song that reminds you of someone
Day 06 – A song that reminds of you of somewhere
Day 07 – A song that reminds you of a certain event
Day 08 – A song that you know all the words to
Day 09 – A song that you can dance to
Day 10 – A song that makes you fall asleep
Day 11 – A song from your favorite band
Day 12 – A song from a band you hate
Day 13 – A song that is a guilty pleasure
Day 14 – A song that no one would expect you to love
Day 15 – A song that describes you
Day 16 – A song that you used to love but now hate
Day 17 – A song that you hear often on the radio
Day 18 – A song that you wish you heard on the radio
Day 19 – A song from your favorite album
Day 20 – A song that you listen to when you’re angry
Day 21 – A song that you listen to when you’re happy
Day 22 – A song that you listen to when you’re sad
Day 23 – A song that you want to play at your wedding
Day 24 – A song that you want to play at your funeral
Day 25 – A song that makes you laugh
Day 26 – A song that you can play on an instrument
Day 27 – A song that you wish you could play
Day 28 – A song that makes you feel guilty
Day 29 – A song from your childhood
Day 30 – Your favorite song at this time last year
July 27, 2010
i am
I'm sorry that I'm not perfect.
I'm sorry that I often do immature things.
I'm sorry that I jump to conclusions.
I'm sorry that I'm a jealous person.
I'm sorry that I'm not made of money.
I'm sorry that I tend to over react.
I'm sorry that I'm not the BEST friend.
I'm sorry that I don't please everyone.
I'm sorry that I have such a quick temper.
I'm sorry I'm not the perfect wife.
I'm sorry that I'm not the perfect mother.
I'm sorry that I'm not the perfect daughter.
I'm sorry that I'm not the perfect sister.
I'm sorry that I'm often insecure.
I'm sorry that I'm not America's Next Top Model.
I'm sorry that I'm a b*tch.
I'm sorry that I hate talking on the phone.
I'm sorry that I'm lazy.
I'm sorry that sometimes I'm a light weight.
I'm sorry that I'm defensive of my family & friends.
I'm sorry that I eat too much.
I'm sorry that I'm sometimes annoying.
I'm sorry that I nag.
I'm sorry that not everyone likes me.
I'm sorry that I talk about those who've done me wrong.
I'm sorry that I hold grudges.
I'm sorry that I don't do everything right.
I'm sorry that I'm not lovable 100% of the time.
I'm sorry that I drive like a maniac.
I'm sorry that I'm judgmental.
I'm sorry that I have feelings that often get hurt.
I'm sorry that I'm not always strong.
I'm sorry that I have beliefs.
I'm sorry that I don't trust people easily.
I'm sorry that I'm not what you expected.
I'm sorry that I have tattoos and piercings.
I'm sorry that I'm different.
I'm sorry that I eat myself up about things.
I'm sorry that I'm not always thankful for what I have.
I'm sorry for every accident I've been in.
I'm sorry that those who don't like me – aren't brave enough to say it.
I'm sorry that I've changed.
But most of all…
I'm sorry that I'm NOT sorry.
i actually wrote this two and a half years ago. i obviously edited it a little bit, but for the most part, i kept it how it was. after i wrote it, i felt REALLY good about it because even though i'm NOT perfect - i am ME - and all those things that are mentioned are what MAKE me me. it was one of those 'i'm sorry i'm not like YOU' posts and it really was the beginning of me finding out who exactly i was. i still definitely feel that way but i felt that this next 'i am...' was more appropriate for my life right now. so here goes ..
i'm in love with my best friend. [colbie]
i'm lucky that i have an amazing son, who surprises me daily with his entire being.
i'm lucky that i have a GOOD job. [yeah, i know. i hate it and wish i DIDN'T have to work but that being said - i'm still lucky]
i'm lucky that i have friends, and GOOD ones at that.
i'm lucky that i have a cute little house.
i'm lucky that i have great family.
i'm lucky that i have all ten fingers and all ten toes.
i'm lucky that i have all my senses! [i only say that because i went for a couple weeks, after being sick, without my sense of smell and taste and you REALLY don't know how awful that is until it happens. i missed the taste of everything!!]
i'm lucky that i have a car that i can drive anywhere i want.
i'm lucky that i have disposable income. [sometimes, hehe]
i'm lucky that i have a gorgeous fatcat!
i'm lucky that i not only have food, but GOOD food on my table every night.
i'm lucky that i have a little sister, whom i love and would do anything for.
i'm lucky that i have great parents who reared me VERY well.
i'm lucky that i am overall healthy.
i'm lucky that i live in america.
i'm lucky that i even have feelings to now and then get upset when i'm hurt.
i'm lucky that i have learned from my past.
i'm lucky that i have been forgiven.
i'm lucky that i have something to believe in.
i'm lucky that i'm not as bitter as i used to be.
i'm lucky that i have learned to be thankful.
i'm lucky that i know how to let go.
i'm lucky that i am different.
i'm lucky that i am ME!
... that i AM blessed. ♥
AND!!!
i am lucky that i won the 'blessed' giveaway from the crafty nest! [brag much? hehe]
how cute is that!!! :)
so, i could definitely go on and on of how i am lucky and blessed because it's true. making a short list of all the things i am lucky enough to have makes me feel not-so-bad about the UNLUCKY things in my life. and i'm not even sure if lucky is the proper wording here - perhaps fortunate but either way .. looking at all the ways that i AM totally make up for all the things that i am NOT!
i'd love to hear what everyone else feels lucky/blessed/fortunate for. feel free to post your own and link back or let me know you did so i can be sure to read yours :)
July 21, 2010
wednesday off the wagon
love this idea - definitely stolen from caterpillar family! [go ahead, click it!!]
as i was biting into my delisssshhhh [greasy] steak and cheese, i read her post and suddenly i didn't feel so bad about myself! although, a slimjim is probably not AS bad as a steak and cheese - but i digress! ;]
so, i made a delicious chicken stir fry last night accompanied by wonderful brown [healthy yet taste like dried popcorn] rice! this morning when i went to get some from the fridge for lunch today, i noticed it was GONE. yep, it was that good that hubby took it ALL.
[pause for bite of deliciousness]
so, i knew i would have to buy my lunch today because i didn't have time to prepare anything else this morning and was out of those lovely frozen lean cusines crap! ;]
so, 11ish the tummy began to roll and all i could think about was steak and cheese with provolone cheese, green peppers, fried onions, lettuce and tomatoes ... omg, DROOOOL!!!
and so i got it ... and was half feeling guilty about it - until i read WEDNESDAY OFF THE WAGON. oh yes, i am OFF it. one fat cheek at a time ;]
anyone else falling off with me?
make sure you link back to caterpillar family!!
[pause for another bite]
maybe i'll get some icecream on the way home from work ... ;]
ps. my cute font is gone, i know. i attempted to redo the blog and messed some things up =/ eventually i'll have my blog back - or maybe a brand new look? we'll see :)
dear blogspot,
it would be REALLLLLLLY nice if you added a 'private' feature. and by that, i mean it would be nice if only people i accepted could see my blog! here is my dilemma: i realllly want to post a blog about my coworkers! i think it would be quite humorous BUT i'm afraid they might see it. i have a link to my blog on my facebook, which i could remove but who's to say they haven't already seen it. also - these people are sneeeeky and would probably find SOME WAY to find it, if not already. and i just don't want to take the risk of them reading and taking to my boss. BA HAHA! i think it would be nice for people to HAVE to be followers to view your blog, this would also eliminate 'non-follower stalkers'
also blogspot ... it would be nice if you had some feature that notified you if you'd been mentioned in someones blog. [kind of like a facebook tab] yes, they link to you - but how are you to know if you don't read the blog right away. i have been backed up in my blogs [probably because i follow 23904823948039 blogs] and finally got to one and noticed i had been mentioned in a previous entry! =/ oops!
one last thing - do you have to make the HTML and blog design SOOO complicated? i swear, i thought i was a pro at HTML. at least i was on myspace ... not so much on blogspot! i have to give kudos because you are making things slightly easier as of recently but if it weren't for 'shabby blogs' or 'cutest blog on the block' .. my page would be ugly and boring!
so blogspot ... i, as a dedicated blogger and follower, demand you fix these issues of mine promptly!! ;]
also blogspot ... it would be nice if you had some feature that notified you if you'd been mentioned in someones blog. [kind of like a facebook tab] yes, they link to you - but how are you to know if you don't read the blog right away. i have been backed up in my blogs [probably because i follow 23904823948039 blogs] and finally got to one and noticed i had been mentioned in a previous entry! =/ oops!
one last thing - do you have to make the HTML and blog design SOOO complicated? i swear, i thought i was a pro at HTML. at least i was on myspace ... not so much on blogspot! i have to give kudos because you are making things slightly easier as of recently but if it weren't for 'shabby blogs' or 'cutest blog on the block' .. my page would be ugly and boring!
so blogspot ... i, as a dedicated blogger and follower, demand you fix these issues of mine promptly!! ;]
July 19, 2010
two new bloggers!!
i just wanted to write a quick post to shout out to two of my friends - who have recently become bloggers :) PLEASSEEEEEE stop by their blog and follow them [of course] they are both awesome girls and their blogs are sure to keep you amused ;)
... and baby makes five
stephanie just had her third baby! ms gianna [which i'm sure you have read about on my blog] is a miracleee baby and i'm sure she will post about her and her other two beautiful babies tons!
and
blah blah blogg
hehe, kaths blog will get a makeover - i promise you! even if i have to do it myself!
check 'em out :)
... and baby makes five
stephanie just had her third baby! ms gianna [which i'm sure you have read about on my blog] is a miracleee baby and i'm sure she will post about her and her other two beautiful babies tons!
and
blah blah blogg
hehe, kaths blog will get a makeover - i promise you! even if i have to do it myself!
check 'em out :)
meet & greet monday
hello anyone/everyone stopping by from Southern Reflections for Meet & Greet Monday :)
... only good thing about a monday? new blog friends! ;]
thirteen months
my little BIG mancub is thirteen months old today. meaning, he has been ONE YEAR for ONE month [for those math-challenged, haha]. it's CRAZY how he has changed in a matter of a month.
the night before he turned one, he took his very first step. [he had been cruising furniture and anything else he could for a little while at that point] - each day he would get more confident in his steps and as of today, i would consider my little man a walker ;) he still crawls when he is either a) lazy or b) in a hurry, but the majority of the time he is on his feet. he has also learned to stand up on his own to walk versus having to pull up on the something to begin. it's funny though because one day adam and i were talking, wondering when he'd start doing that and the next evening - we noticed he was! well, i noticed he had plopped down in the middle of the floor and the next time i looked at him - he was up on his feet. so we watched and watched and saw him do it - now, he does it quite often. ya see, he is still VERY clumsy because he is just now learning to use those two feet of his. he plops on his butt quite often and has to use this newly learned skill to get back up!
so - allllll day long he is walking back and forth, falling on his butt and getting back up. he even runs a little bit ;] he likes to walk all around our house and move things from their place and put them somewhere else. ;]
i've also noticed that he is quite a little 'cleaner' ... and by that i mean anytime he has a napkin or washcloth, he rubs it against a surface - as if to be cleaning. he has been doing this for a while actually, especially in the tub but i've begun to notice it more and more. over the weekend he was in the kitchen with me and found a napkins and began 'wiping' the trash can! HAHA! :) if only he could use some clorox cleaning spray while he was wiping :)
he is also becoming more and more vocal. still 'mama' and 'dada' are his main words but he 'talks' ALLLL the time. nobody understands his little babble, but it's REALLLLY cute. he does say 'tickle tickle' though .. haha!!! if you start tickling him (which we do A LOT because his laugh is awesome) and then stop - if he wants you to do it again - he goes 'tickle tickle tickle' in the cutest little whisper-like voice (probably because that's how i say it to him). i'm trying to capture this on video, but it's not that easy! haha!
he is also pointing [since he's can't speak yet] at things when he wants them. i'm not a huge fan of pointing especially when it's accompanied by grunting but i know this how babies do ... and of course, since it's from kullen - it's cute. thankfully the grunting hasn't started yet - hopefully it doesn'ttttt! ;]
also - since his first birthday, he has become the PERFECT [repeat: PERFECT] nighttime baby. we never have issues anymore and we owe it all to caterpillar family! [sorry if anyone is annoyed with my shoutouts to her but you have NO IDEA how much her advice and personal experiences helped me!] he sleeps for about 10 hours every night - uninteruppted! if anything, he'll wake up and cry for a second and go right back to sleep. i haven't had to get up from my sleep and tend to you in weeks - and it has been soooooo nice :)
he is also beginning to use utensils more. actually, yesterday he had oatmeal for breakfast and when he was about done, i gave the bowl to him just to see how he'd do. he scooped up his oatmeal but by the time he made it to his mouth, all the oatmeal had slid off the spoon and onto his tray. once something is on his tray - he is a HANDS ON eater ;) he'll get it soon enough though!
not TOO many updates since last month - but thought i'd blog about them anyway.
14 months might be interesting since i read in our babycenter update that now is the time where picking eating, waking up at night and many accidents [from learning to walk] occur. HOOORRAAAYYYY! hehe but regardless ...
happy 13 months kullenman!!! ♥
mama loves you! :)
the night before he turned one, he took his very first step. [he had been cruising furniture and anything else he could for a little while at that point] - each day he would get more confident in his steps and as of today, i would consider my little man a walker ;) he still crawls when he is either a) lazy or b) in a hurry, but the majority of the time he is on his feet. he has also learned to stand up on his own to walk versus having to pull up on the something to begin. it's funny though because one day adam and i were talking, wondering when he'd start doing that and the next evening - we noticed he was! well, i noticed he had plopped down in the middle of the floor and the next time i looked at him - he was up on his feet. so we watched and watched and saw him do it - now, he does it quite often. ya see, he is still VERY clumsy because he is just now learning to use those two feet of his. he plops on his butt quite often and has to use this newly learned skill to get back up!
so - allllll day long he is walking back and forth, falling on his butt and getting back up. he even runs a little bit ;] he likes to walk all around our house and move things from their place and put them somewhere else. ;]
i've also noticed that he is quite a little 'cleaner' ... and by that i mean anytime he has a napkin or washcloth, he rubs it against a surface - as if to be cleaning. he has been doing this for a while actually, especially in the tub but i've begun to notice it more and more. over the weekend he was in the kitchen with me and found a napkins and began 'wiping' the trash can! HAHA! :) if only he could use some clorox cleaning spray while he was wiping :)
he is also becoming more and more vocal. still 'mama' and 'dada' are his main words but he 'talks' ALLLL the time. nobody understands his little babble, but it's REALLLLY cute. he does say 'tickle tickle' though .. haha!!! if you start tickling him (which we do A LOT because his laugh is awesome) and then stop - if he wants you to do it again - he goes 'tickle tickle tickle' in the cutest little whisper-like voice (probably because that's how i say it to him). i'm trying to capture this on video, but it's not that easy! haha!
he is also pointing [since he's can't speak yet] at things when he wants them. i'm not a huge fan of pointing especially when it's accompanied by grunting but i know this how babies do ... and of course, since it's from kullen - it's cute. thankfully the grunting hasn't started yet - hopefully it doesn'ttttt! ;]
also - since his first birthday, he has become the PERFECT [repeat: PERFECT] nighttime baby. we never have issues anymore and we owe it all to caterpillar family! [sorry if anyone is annoyed with my shoutouts to her but you have NO IDEA how much her advice and personal experiences helped me!] he sleeps for about 10 hours every night - uninteruppted! if anything, he'll wake up and cry for a second and go right back to sleep. i haven't had to get up from my sleep and tend to you in weeks - and it has been soooooo nice :)
he is also beginning to use utensils more. actually, yesterday he had oatmeal for breakfast and when he was about done, i gave the bowl to him just to see how he'd do. he scooped up his oatmeal but by the time he made it to his mouth, all the oatmeal had slid off the spoon and onto his tray. once something is on his tray - he is a HANDS ON eater ;) he'll get it soon enough though!
not TOO many updates since last month - but thought i'd blog about them anyway.
14 months might be interesting since i read in our babycenter update that now is the time where picking eating, waking up at night and many accidents [from learning to walk] occur. HOOORRAAAYYYY! hehe but regardless ...
mama loves you! :)
July 16, 2010
concert love
since i am going to see pepper/311/offspring tonight with fellow blogger mandee - i am in concert mode! =D i figured what better to blog about than concerts!? :D
lets start with my very first one - hanson!!! yes, HANSON!!! i was THE BIGGGGEST hanson fan, ever. zach<3333 i actually remember the details of this concert very well. my dad was supposed to buy us the tickets - this was when you had to CALL ticketmaster and get tickets. well, my mom was working a part time job on this particular saturday so my dad was supposed to call promptly at 10am to get tickets. well he didn't wake up (obviously neither did i) and didn't order our tickets until later on - leaving us with tickets in the VERY last row of the pavillion!!! (remember this dad?). i didn't even care because i just knew zach would see me and pick me out of the crowd and ask me to marry him right then and there! BA HAHA! well, we get to our seats (we being me, my sister, our friends lisa and kelly and their uncle rick) and some people had HUGE signs that were preventing us from seeing. we (me and lisa - kelly and my sis were like 6, they could care less) complained to the staff and they said there wasn't anything they could do. we were SO upset. buuuut, the people in front of us said they knew someone with tickets closer to the stage and they would trade with me and lisa. SOOOO - we got to see hanson MUCH closer - unfortunately, zach did NOT see me and did NOT ask me to marry him. my love for hanson still remains - but definitely not like it used too :) i haven't seen them in concert since! haha
a few years later ... i replaced my love for zach hanson with mr. marshall mathers <3 this love has never died (haha) infact - i sorta think my hubby looks like eminem now and then. that's actually the original reason i was attracted to him! hehe!
so, my dad was a litttttle strict when i was growing up and wouldn't buy me tickets to eminem, go figure. LUCKILY - my bud terry from private school loved eminem as much as i did and called me one day saying he had 2 extra tickets to his concert, the anger management tour. after begggggging my dad - me and cousin were able to go with terry and his cousin to see him!! :D ahhhh-mazing! i was actually lucky enough to see him everytime he's come to our area - which is three! the second time was in the summer of 2002 - the anger management tour 2! me and cousin went :) and the last time was in 2005 for the third part of the anger management tour! included in that 3 part tour i saw some other great artist - limp bizkit, papa roach (who i've actually seen more times than i can count! haha), 50 cent, lil john, busta rhymes, d12, obie trice, mobb deep, & cypress hill to name a few!
i also went to an alanis morisette concert with cousin in 2002. my cousin is her BIGGEST fan and has seen her everytime she's been around and i was lucky enough to go with her this time. most likely because she won the tickets [probably from z104 - remember them?! haha] on the way home from my high school graduation! ;] buuut the way alanis swings her hair and dances around stage is awesome but she can still sit on a stool and sing an amazing ballad and manage to keep the audiences' attention! i loved her :)
also, regarding ticket winning - my mom won tickets to a lenny kravitz and p!nk concert and was nice enough to let ME have the tickets so me and cousin could go :D i do believe this was my first p!nk concert. you see, i LOOOVEEEEE p!nk. from the first time i heard her song and saw her bright pink hair - i loved her! i still, to this day, love her. i see her EVERY chance i get and don't plan on changing that. she has one of the most AMAZING voices i have ever heard and not to mention she's GORGEOUSSSSS!!!! i have actually been EXTREMELY lucky when it comes to p!nk. in 2006, p!nk performed a private concert at XM radio here in DC and because i was her myspace 'fan' ... they sent out a myspace bulletin saying the first [number of] people that respond will get free tickets. so, i immediately ran down to my cousins desk [she works down the hall from me] and told her to send an email. so, her and i BOTH got 2 free tickets to see p!nk at this private concert. her boyfriend at the time was unable to come so my little sister got to attend. the 4 of us, i'm sure, will NEVER forget that day. we got necklace passes [that still hangs in my car] with p!nks picture and the date of the show on it. we got to sit in a tiny room, with about 40 other people and listen to her perform. best.[concert]day.of.my.life! i even got to go to the microphone and ask her a question! i asked her 'was the song 'the one that got away' written about anyone inparticular?' .. her response was 'i'll never tellllll' - in a singing voice :)
last year, i got to see p!nk again for her 'funhouse' tour. we [steph, john, cousin, zannie and mandee] got general floor [standing room] tickets and mangaged to get ourselves SUPER close to the stange. basically, front row! another AMAZING concert experience!! =D can't wait to see my giL p!nk again <3
photo actually taken by me :)
another band that i've seen everytime they've come to town is paramore!!!! i LOVE LOVE LOVEEEEEE me some paramore. infact, i will be seeing them for my fourth time at the end of this month! :)
the first time i went with hub, sis, kath, michele and matt - what a BLAST!!! =D we worked our way as close as we possibly could and rocked out - then went and watched the other bands from the upper deck!
the 2nd time i saw paramore - was 5 days before i gave birth to my son :) we saw them with no doubt - BOTH were amazing! <3 check out these - first one is pre-pregnancy, obviously. 2nd is 9 months prego - still rockin the same shirt ;]
the 3rd time seeing paramore was the ulalume festival right around halloween. we got general standing area and got pretty close to the stage that time as well. this time it was just me, sis and hub <3
and the concert coming up - which there will be a blog about i'm sure - is also general standing and sis and hub are going but also my kathgirl is going too :D cannoooooottt wait! =D
another FUN concert was right before i found out i was pregnant - and it was NEW KIDS ON THE BLOCK!!!! =D now, i have ALWAYS wanted to see them. back in the 90s when they were popular - i remember they played at lake compoundce in bristol, CT which was RIGHT by my house. i could hear the concerts from my bedroom window. i was SO upset that i couldn't see them but you bet your butt when they came back to maryland in 2009 - i was RIGHT there!!! me, cousin and aubrey went and acted like we were kids again and had an absolute BLAST!!! even rocked the side pony ;]
maroon 5 - ahhhh. i have seen them twice! :) me, hub, cousin and eric went and saw them once and loooveeeed them! :D and we also got to go see them when they toured with counting crows - now THAT was a good show! :) this time we were joined by mandee and her hub. those two bands were amazing and hope to see them again :D
we've also gone to our local radio station's country music fest - better known as wmzQfest! we've gone a couple years now and have seen tons of amazing artists - including: trace adkins, gretchen wilson, montgomery gentry, sugarland, phil vassar and rodney atkins! we ALWAYS have a blast at this festival! =)
i have been SO lucky when it comes to concerts :) i'm excited to add pepper, 311 and offspring to my concert list and in a few weeks i'll be adding a few more - including shinedown and sevendust! they are performing at the Carnival of Madess tour and we got tickets. Chevelle is also going to be there - and me and the hub LOVE chevelle and have already seen them twice :D puddle of mudd will also be there and we've seen them before at the chili cookoff (with chevelle)!
speaking of the DC101 chili cookoff - we've gone a couple years now and have seen another handful of great bands - papa roach, third eye blind, red jumpsuit apparatas, dan band, finger 11, seether, buckcherry, three days grace, breaking benjamin, hoobastank, and carbon leaf just to name a few!!!
well, thats all i can think of at the moment - and i have to get some work done before i get outta here for the weekend!!! i'll be posting about tonights concert later on! :)
lets start with my very first one - hanson!!! yes, HANSON!!! i was THE BIGGGGEST hanson fan, ever. zach<3333 i actually remember the details of this concert very well. my dad was supposed to buy us the tickets - this was when you had to CALL ticketmaster and get tickets. well, my mom was working a part time job on this particular saturday so my dad was supposed to call promptly at 10am to get tickets. well he didn't wake up (obviously neither did i) and didn't order our tickets until later on - leaving us with tickets in the VERY last row of the pavillion!!! (remember this dad?). i didn't even care because i just knew zach would see me and pick me out of the crowd and ask me to marry him right then and there! BA HAHA! well, we get to our seats (we being me, my sister, our friends lisa and kelly and their uncle rick) and some people had HUGE signs that were preventing us from seeing. we (me and lisa - kelly and my sis were like 6, they could care less) complained to the staff and they said there wasn't anything they could do. we were SO upset. buuuut, the people in front of us said they knew someone with tickets closer to the stage and they would trade with me and lisa. SOOOO - we got to see hanson MUCH closer - unfortunately, zach did NOT see me and did NOT ask me to marry him. my love for hanson still remains - but definitely not like it used too :) i haven't seen them in concert since! haha
a few years later ... i replaced my love for zach hanson with mr. marshall mathers <3 this love has never died (haha) infact - i sorta think my hubby looks like eminem now and then. that's actually the original reason i was attracted to him! hehe!
so, my dad was a litttttle strict when i was growing up and wouldn't buy me tickets to eminem, go figure. LUCKILY - my bud terry from private school loved eminem as much as i did and called me one day saying he had 2 extra tickets to his concert, the anger management tour. after begggggging my dad - me and cousin were able to go with terry and his cousin to see him!! :D ahhhh-mazing! i was actually lucky enough to see him everytime he's come to our area - which is three! the second time was in the summer of 2002 - the anger management tour 2! me and cousin went :) and the last time was in 2005 for the third part of the anger management tour! included in that 3 part tour i saw some other great artist - limp bizkit, papa roach (who i've actually seen more times than i can count! haha), 50 cent, lil john, busta rhymes, d12, obie trice, mobb deep, & cypress hill to name a few!
i also went to an alanis morisette concert with cousin in 2002. my cousin is her BIGGEST fan and has seen her everytime she's been around and i was lucky enough to go with her this time. most likely because she won the tickets [probably from z104 - remember them?! haha] on the way home from my high school graduation! ;] buuut the way alanis swings her hair and dances around stage is awesome but she can still sit on a stool and sing an amazing ballad and manage to keep the audiences' attention! i loved her :)
also, regarding ticket winning - my mom won tickets to a lenny kravitz and p!nk concert and was nice enough to let ME have the tickets so me and cousin could go :D i do believe this was my first p!nk concert. you see, i LOOOVEEEEE p!nk. from the first time i heard her song and saw her bright pink hair - i loved her! i still, to this day, love her. i see her EVERY chance i get and don't plan on changing that. she has one of the most AMAZING voices i have ever heard and not to mention she's GORGEOUSSSSS!!!! i have actually been EXTREMELY lucky when it comes to p!nk. in 2006, p!nk performed a private concert at XM radio here in DC and because i was her myspace 'fan' ... they sent out a myspace bulletin saying the first [number of] people that respond will get free tickets. so, i immediately ran down to my cousins desk [she works down the hall from me] and told her to send an email. so, her and i BOTH got 2 free tickets to see p!nk at this private concert. her boyfriend at the time was unable to come so my little sister got to attend. the 4 of us, i'm sure, will NEVER forget that day. we got necklace passes [that still hangs in my car] with p!nks picture and the date of the show on it. we got to sit in a tiny room, with about 40 other people and listen to her perform. best.[concert]day.of.my.life! i even got to go to the microphone and ask her a question! i asked her 'was the song 'the one that got away' written about anyone inparticular?' .. her response was 'i'll never tellllll' - in a singing voice :)
last year, i got to see p!nk again for her 'funhouse' tour. we [steph, john, cousin, zannie and mandee] got general floor [standing room] tickets and mangaged to get ourselves SUPER close to the stange. basically, front row! another AMAZING concert experience!! =D can't wait to see my giL p!nk again <3
another band that i've seen everytime they've come to town is paramore!!!! i LOVE LOVE LOVEEEEEE me some paramore. infact, i will be seeing them for my fourth time at the end of this month! :)
the first time i went with hub, sis, kath, michele and matt - what a BLAST!!! =D we worked our way as close as we possibly could and rocked out - then went and watched the other bands from the upper deck!
the 2nd time i saw paramore - was 5 days before i gave birth to my son :) we saw them with no doubt - BOTH were amazing! <3 check out these - first one is pre-pregnancy, obviously. 2nd is 9 months prego - still rockin the same shirt ;]
the 3rd time seeing paramore was the ulalume festival right around halloween. we got general standing area and got pretty close to the stage that time as well. this time it was just me, sis and hub <3
and the concert coming up - which there will be a blog about i'm sure - is also general standing and sis and hub are going but also my kathgirl is going too :D cannoooooottt wait! =D
another FUN concert was right before i found out i was pregnant - and it was NEW KIDS ON THE BLOCK!!!! =D now, i have ALWAYS wanted to see them. back in the 90s when they were popular - i remember they played at lake compoundce in bristol, CT which was RIGHT by my house. i could hear the concerts from my bedroom window. i was SO upset that i couldn't see them but you bet your butt when they came back to maryland in 2009 - i was RIGHT there!!! me, cousin and aubrey went and acted like we were kids again and had an absolute BLAST!!! even rocked the side pony ;]
maroon 5 - ahhhh. i have seen them twice! :) me, hub, cousin and eric went and saw them once and loooveeeed them! :D and we also got to go see them when they toured with counting crows - now THAT was a good show! :) this time we were joined by mandee and her hub. those two bands were amazing and hope to see them again :D
we've also gone to our local radio station's country music fest - better known as wmzQfest! we've gone a couple years now and have seen tons of amazing artists - including: trace adkins, gretchen wilson, montgomery gentry, sugarland, phil vassar and rodney atkins! we ALWAYS have a blast at this festival! =)
i have been SO lucky when it comes to concerts :) i'm excited to add pepper, 311 and offspring to my concert list and in a few weeks i'll be adding a few more - including shinedown and sevendust! they are performing at the Carnival of Madess tour and we got tickets. Chevelle is also going to be there - and me and the hub LOVE chevelle and have already seen them twice :D puddle of mudd will also be there and we've seen them before at the chili cookoff (with chevelle)!
speaking of the DC101 chili cookoff - we've gone a couple years now and have seen another handful of great bands - papa roach, third eye blind, red jumpsuit apparatas, dan band, finger 11, seether, buckcherry, three days grace, breaking benjamin, hoobastank, and carbon leaf just to name a few!!!
well, thats all i can think of at the moment - and i have to get some work done before i get outta here for the weekend!!! i'll be posting about tonights concert later on! :)
July 15, 2010
i know ..
i have been a bad blogger lately! =( i'm sorrrrrry - BUT it's been hard with a WALKING child :D
;]
anyway - i should have some more stuff to blog about soon! new recipe tonight, 311/offpsring/pepper concert tomorrow and some weekend projects i'm sure :D
happy thursday!
;]
anyway - i should have some more stuff to blog about soon! new recipe tonight, 311/offpsring/pepper concert tomorrow and some weekend projects i'm sure :D
July 13, 2010
project: kindle cover
FINISHED! phew. after much agony (haha, okay it wasn't TOOOOO much) the kindle cover project is complete. it is by no means perfect - but i started and finished it so for that, i am proud :D after joining the blogging world and seeing all you creative people - i was inspired! so i had my nana bring me a sewing machine up so i could join in on the creative/crafty fun! so, the sewing machine sat on my kitchen table for about 3 weeks ... even after i made the trip to the fabric store to aquire all the needed supplies! well, this weekend i was determined to at least START my project. on saturday night, i got out my fabric, measuring tape and scissors and began cutting the required amount of fabric!
thats 2 pieces measuring 6 1/4″ x 23″
and 1 piece measuring 6 1/2″ x 5″
after that, it was time to cut the cardboard which i took from the inside of an old binder i had. problem is, i have no more binders lying around so i'm going to have to find something else to use for next time. i'm sure i can find cardboard or something similiar at the fabric store or perhaps even an arts & crafts store!
piece 1 - 4″ x 5 3/4″
piece 2 - 3/8″ x 5 3/4″
piece 3 - 8 1/4″ x 5 3/4″
piece 4 - 3/8″ x 5 3/4″
piece 5 - 8″ x 5 3/4″
so, yeah - that was the easy part! now for the FUN. ;]
from there - you take your smallest piece of fabric and fold it in half. then fold the two corner down and pin in place. then take one of your 5 3/4" boards and line it up in the center. using a pen, mark the two sides. then sew a straight stitch where you've marked and trim off the extra fabric (corner pieces) you should have a little 'pocket'-like piece.
that part was pretty confusing to me so, of course, i forgot to take pictures. ha!
after that - line your 'pocket' up at the bottom of one of your long pieces of fabric. make it as flat as you possibly can and then pin in place.
then place your other long piece of fabric over top, line up bottom edges and pin in place. then sew a horizontal line across the bottom of the fabric, allowing 1/4" for seam.
fold your top piece of fabric back and you'll see the little 'pocket' sewn inside.
using your fingers, puff out the corners of the pocket and line them up with the edge of the fabric. make as flat as possible and pin in place. once pinned, fold back the top piece of fabric. on both sides - measure 2 1/2" up from the bottom and mark with pen. slip your elastic in between the two layers of fabric at the marks and pin in place. you should have a little extra elastic sticking out on both ends.
allign your sides all the way up, using pins to hold them together. now - sew up the right side and then the left - leaving the top part open!
now, flip the entire thing inside out. you'll have a loose 'tube'. your elastic will be on one side and your pocket will be on the other. unfortunately - mine went a little wrong here. my pocket did not get sewn to the sides, it must have been too short. =/ so, you may want to make the pocket a little bigger because you can always trim off the extra!
now, you want to insert the carboard into the tube. starting with piece #5 - and push it all the way down to the bottom.
sew a horizontal line across, as close to the cardboard as possible. repeat this with the remaining pieces. insert and sew up. once you get to the last peice, you can do a fancy stitch or close it up however you like. since i am a beginner, i just did a regular stitch and trimmed the edges. hopefully, as i get better, i can make it a little more neat. and your finish product should look something like this:
taaaadaaaaa!!! not perfection but not bad for my first attempt ;) i plan on going to joanne's sooooon so i can make another! haha!
and since i was feeling crafty - i sewed up a strap cover for my camera. again, nothing fancy AT ALL. next time i will sew up around the edges to make it look a little better but for now, it'll do :D
ew, please forgive the trim in the background. we need more white paint!!!! hehe!
and 1 piece measuring 6 1/2″ x 5″
after that, it was time to cut the cardboard which i took from the inside of an old binder i had. problem is, i have no more binders lying around so i'm going to have to find something else to use for next time. i'm sure i can find cardboard or something similiar at the fabric store or perhaps even an arts & crafts store!
piece 2 - 3/8″ x 5 3/4″
piece 3 - 8 1/4″ x 5 3/4″
piece 4 - 3/8″ x 5 3/4″
piece 5 - 8″ x 5 3/4″
so, yeah - that was the easy part! now for the FUN. ;]
from there - you take your smallest piece of fabric and fold it in half. then fold the two corner down and pin in place. then take one of your 5 3/4" boards and line it up in the center. using a pen, mark the two sides. then sew a straight stitch where you've marked and trim off the extra fabric (corner pieces) you should have a little 'pocket'-like piece.
that part was pretty confusing to me so, of course, i forgot to take pictures. ha!
after that - line your 'pocket' up at the bottom of one of your long pieces of fabric. make it as flat as you possibly can and then pin in place.
then place your other long piece of fabric over top, line up bottom edges and pin in place. then sew a horizontal line across the bottom of the fabric, allowing 1/4" for seam.
fold your top piece of fabric back and you'll see the little 'pocket' sewn inside.
using your fingers, puff out the corners of the pocket and line them up with the edge of the fabric. make as flat as possible and pin in place. once pinned, fold back the top piece of fabric. on both sides - measure 2 1/2" up from the bottom and mark with pen. slip your elastic in between the two layers of fabric at the marks and pin in place. you should have a little extra elastic sticking out on both ends.
allign your sides all the way up, using pins to hold them together. now - sew up the right side and then the left - leaving the top part open!
now, flip the entire thing inside out. you'll have a loose 'tube'. your elastic will be on one side and your pocket will be on the other. unfortunately - mine went a little wrong here. my pocket did not get sewn to the sides, it must have been too short. =/ so, you may want to make the pocket a little bigger because you can always trim off the extra!
now, you want to insert the carboard into the tube. starting with piece #5 - and push it all the way down to the bottom.
sew a horizontal line across, as close to the cardboard as possible. repeat this with the remaining pieces. insert and sew up. once you get to the last peice, you can do a fancy stitch or close it up however you like. since i am a beginner, i just did a regular stitch and trimmed the edges. hopefully, as i get better, i can make it a little more neat. and your finish product should look something like this:
taaaadaaaaa!!! not perfection but not bad for my first attempt ;) i plan on going to joanne's sooooon so i can make another! haha!
and since i was feeling crafty - i sewed up a strap cover for my camera. again, nothing fancy AT ALL. next time i will sew up around the edges to make it look a little better but for now, it'll do :D
ew, please forgive the trim in the background. we need more white paint!!!! hehe!
July 12, 2010
& i'd like to thank ...
God, my husband, my family and friends for making this all possible .. ;] hehe, just kidding!
guess who got another award? this giiiiirl! :)
HUGE thanks to jessi over at caterpillar family :) head over to her newly vamped blog and check her out! and grab her super cute button too!! =D jessi is an amazing blogger as well as mother and her green ideas, babywearing and ERF thoughts are truly inspiring - not to mention she's pretty darn funny! ;]
she passed the sunshine award on to me - because i light up her life, right jessi? hehe!
so the rules are -
1. Thank the blogger who gave it to you (thanks jessi!!!)
2. List 7 things that people may not know about you
3. pass the love to 15 deserving bloggers that you have discovered recently
4. let them know that you gave them an award
easy enough. being that i just got the versatile blogger award last week and listed 7 things - i am going to switch it up a tad and just list 7 random things about my weekend! here goes -
1. kullen slept in his crib every night without waking up once :) HOORAAAYYY!
2. i started working on my kindle cover (which is a total disaster, post to follow)
3. i meal planned for the next two weeks (also post to follow)
4. i got to see lots of babies over the weekend, thus intensifying my baby fever!
5. i organized and cleaned MOST of the house ;]
6. saved 10.75$ using coupons at one of my grocery trips!
7. bought kullen a toy box and put it together myself. now my living room looks somewhat tidy :)
and now - the lucky 15 areeeee [drum roll pleaseeeee!]
1. jenni from the blog
2. la buena vida
3. living semi-crunchy
4. sisters' stuff
5. adventures in cloth diapering
6. the vaughns
7. random pockets of chaos
8. tales of a domestic goddess
9. adventures in mommyhood
10. life with leah
11. my little apricot
12. heidbrink happenings
13. life uncommon
14. a ruffle in time
15. the crafty nest - who will be excused from reposting since she just gave an early birth to her son :) congrats!
so, there ya go. this was hard picking JUST 15! hahaha! :)
hope everyone had a great weekend!
guess who got another award? this giiiiirl! :)
HUGE thanks to jessi over at caterpillar family :) head over to her newly vamped blog and check her out! and grab her super cute button too!! =D jessi is an amazing blogger as well as mother and her green ideas, babywearing and ERF thoughts are truly inspiring - not to mention she's pretty darn funny! ;]
she passed the sunshine award on to me - because i light up her life, right jessi? hehe!
so the rules are -
1. Thank the blogger who gave it to you (thanks jessi!!!)
2. List 7 things that people may not know about you
3. pass the love to 15 deserving bloggers that you have discovered recently
4. let them know that you gave them an award
easy enough. being that i just got the versatile blogger award last week and listed 7 things - i am going to switch it up a tad and just list 7 random things about my weekend! here goes -
1. kullen slept in his crib every night without waking up once :) HOORAAAYYY!
2. i started working on my kindle cover (which is a total disaster, post to follow)
3. i meal planned for the next two weeks (also post to follow)
4. i got to see lots of babies over the weekend, thus intensifying my baby fever!
5. i organized and cleaned MOST of the house ;]
6. saved 10.75$ using coupons at one of my grocery trips!
7. bought kullen a toy box and put it together myself. now my living room looks somewhat tidy :)
and now - the lucky 15 areeeee [drum roll pleaseeeee!]
1. jenni from the blog
2. la buena vida
3. living semi-crunchy
4. sisters' stuff
5. adventures in cloth diapering
6. the vaughns
7. random pockets of chaos
8. tales of a domestic goddess
9. adventures in mommyhood
10. life with leah
11. my little apricot
12. heidbrink happenings
13. life uncommon
14. a ruffle in time
15. the crafty nest - who will be excused from reposting since she just gave an early birth to her son :) congrats!
so, there ya go. this was hard picking JUST 15! hahaha! :)
hope everyone had a great weekend!
July 9, 2010
friday love
it's new friend friday <3
also - i stumbled across a new blog [from nff] and found this friday fun-tivity! :) thanks jessie!
five question friday!
1. What is one food you could eat everyday?
chicken philly cheesesteak with green peppers, onions, lettuce, tomato, mayo and ketchup! YUM!!!
2. Are you working in the career you thought you would be when you were 18?
definitely not. i had full intentions of being famous; somehow, someway - and that obviously didn't work out at all. next i realized that i just DID NOT want to work - so being a stay at home wife/mom was right up my alley - i'm obviously still working on that. meanwhile, working for the government pays the bills. huff.
3. What is something that you wish you would have done when you were younger and you didn't?
went to school/college to be a sonographer or l&d nurse. what a fun gig.
4. What color are your kitchen walls?
yellow :)
5. Do you remember what your very first favorite song was?
jimmy cracked corn and i don't careeeeeeeee ;) that or jesus loves me!!
have i mentioned?
my son LOVES spaghetti?! ;]
before -
during -
after -
*note* - he isn't eating with utensils just yet, but he's working on it! he likes to hang on to one while he eats and will occasionally scoop some food up and attempt to eat it off! one downfall to this - he only does it with OUR forks. he will throw his SAFE fork on the floor and yell for mine ... =/
before -
during -
after -
*note* - he isn't eating with utensils just yet, but he's working on it! he likes to hang on to one while he eats and will occasionally scoop some food up and attempt to eat it off! one downfall to this - he only does it with OUR forks. he will throw his SAFE fork on the floor and yell for mine ... =/
July 7, 2010
fourth feverrrrr
i have so much to catch up on - kullens sleep situation, 4th of july, and 365 project just to name a few! i swear, i'll catch up eventually ;)
so - lets start with kullen-man and his sleep! things are going GREAT! :D we left off on friday, where we had a pretty successful night [thanks to hub] and i'm not sure if i mentioned it but i was a little worried about the weekend because i knew we'd be going away for at least ONE night and i know how routines can get thrown off when going on 'vacation'. well - friday was fine - put him in his crib and he stayed there, but did wake up. on saturday, we woke up around 7am and had to go wake mr. man up! :) we ventured down to our friend joey's lake house for a 4th of july pig roast and as soon as we got there adam realized he left the pack and play in HIS car. you've gotttttta be kidding me! luckily - joey's parents had an extra one so we were saved!!! - of course, things did get thrown off a tad ... kullen would not go to sleep on his own -- well, he probably WOULD but if i would have left him there - but instead, i laid on the bed with him while he drank his bottle and the next thing i knew - i woke up and it was dark! haha! he woke up that night around 4am and i had a hard time getting him back to sleep but eventually did. we spend all day sunday at joey's as well ... kullen took a nap in his pack and play after swimming and lunch and i was able to catch some rays while mostly everyone was out on the boat! we had a huge crab feast - where kullen tried his first crab - and loved it! :) after cleaning up and packing our stuff - we decided to head back home. of course kullen slept the whole way home (which was about an hour and a half) so i was worried how our night would go. once we got home, we gave him a bath and did our normal nighttime routine of milk and story before putting him in his crib. once i put him there, i don't think he made a peep. i woke up the next morning around 8 and went into his room (paranoid mom!) to find my little man just starting to wake up! he had slept in his bed ALL night without waking up ONCE!!! i was so proud of him!! :) so, monday night and last night were just as good ... we did our nighttime routine and put him in his crib - of course he cried some but was asleep within 10 minutes. both monday and tuesday night - he did wake up between 12:30-1:00am but i just went in and laid him back down, rubbing his back and he was back to sleep almost immediately. :D i didn't realize how happy having this whole routine would make me ... it's nice to not have to fight him to go to sleep, or lay with him while he tosses and turns. i can lay him down and then still have an hour or two of 'me' time to get some things done - or just be completely lazy and catch up on tv (which is what i have been doing!)
but, all in all - we had a good fourth of july. sadly - we didn't see a single firework though :( well, honestly, i'm not too upset about it - i know next year kullen will probably be begging to see them - so this year was us taking advantage of NOT having to do the whole firework fiasco ;) the time at joey's was a blast and we look forward to doing it again soon!
i wish i had more pictures from the weekend but unfortunately, my camera was on it's last leg so i didn't get nearly as many as i wanted too =(
us <3
kids :)
water baby!
monday we went to the pool with my mom and sister!
<3
also - i guess i should clarify something i mentioned in my last post. it's true - adam and i are trying for our second baby. :) i am not broadcasting this all over, but consider it a special treat for my blog readers ;) so pleaseeee - if we're facebook friends, don't mention anything on there - i don't want EVERYONE knowing just yet because i, of course, have the fear of infertility. that was definitely something i hated last go round ... once people knew that i was trying, it was all they asked about. and everytime i had to tell them 'not yet' i felt like a total failure - SO - until there is a bun in the oven, i won't be talking much about it (that's the plan anyway)
but yes - i have been off my pill for a few months but we haven't actually been 'trying' - last month we were ... uh, not careful, but i didn't go to any extremes of 'trying' so when i got my period this month - i was not surprised. disappointed, absolutely, but not surprised.
so while we were at joey's over the weekend - adam and i were chatting about something and he just came out and said that he was disappointed that i wasn't pregnant. so, i preceed to slap his arm and ask him why the heck he didn't tell me that he was READY! he said 'of course i'm ready ... why else would i be okay with no birth control' HAHAHA :) so, i asked him if we could REALLY try this month and he said absolutely - so that's the plan. i consider this month one of trying! so, stay tuned - my bloggers will be the first to know :)
and, in last post, i mentioned the fears of having another baby - and they are still something that i will battle with but when me and adam had kullen, we said we wanted our kids to be 2 years apart so we are infact sticking to our original plan. if i were to get pregnant this month, baby #2 would be born in april - and kullen would be turning two that june!
and i have heard some people say they'd rather get one potty trained and past terrible twos before even thinking of having another but i think i'm total opposite with that. i don't want to get used to kullen being potty trained and doing everything on his own - and then be thrown for a loop when i newborn comes. we'll see how this goes over when i actually DO have a newborn and 2 year old ;)
so, thats pretty much all that's going on over in the poag world :) kullen is walking more and more - but crawling is still his main mode of transport :) he walked from the bathroom into the hallway yesterday - so cute! he walks like frankenstein - with his arms out in front of him!! haha i can't help but laugh!
i wonder what kullen would say about mommy and daddy having another baby?! ;]
so - lets start with kullen-man and his sleep! things are going GREAT! :D we left off on friday, where we had a pretty successful night [thanks to hub] and i'm not sure if i mentioned it but i was a little worried about the weekend because i knew we'd be going away for at least ONE night and i know how routines can get thrown off when going on 'vacation'. well - friday was fine - put him in his crib and he stayed there, but did wake up. on saturday, we woke up around 7am and had to go wake mr. man up! :) we ventured down to our friend joey's lake house for a 4th of july pig roast and as soon as we got there adam realized he left the pack and play in HIS car. you've gotttttta be kidding me! luckily - joey's parents had an extra one so we were saved!!! - of course, things did get thrown off a tad ... kullen would not go to sleep on his own -- well, he probably WOULD but if i would have left him there - but instead, i laid on the bed with him while he drank his bottle and the next thing i knew - i woke up and it was dark! haha! he woke up that night around 4am and i had a hard time getting him back to sleep but eventually did. we spend all day sunday at joey's as well ... kullen took a nap in his pack and play after swimming and lunch and i was able to catch some rays while mostly everyone was out on the boat! we had a huge crab feast - where kullen tried his first crab - and loved it! :) after cleaning up and packing our stuff - we decided to head back home. of course kullen slept the whole way home (which was about an hour and a half) so i was worried how our night would go. once we got home, we gave him a bath and did our normal nighttime routine of milk and story before putting him in his crib. once i put him there, i don't think he made a peep. i woke up the next morning around 8 and went into his room (paranoid mom!) to find my little man just starting to wake up! he had slept in his bed ALL night without waking up ONCE!!! i was so proud of him!! :) so, monday night and last night were just as good ... we did our nighttime routine and put him in his crib - of course he cried some but was asleep within 10 minutes. both monday and tuesday night - he did wake up between 12:30-1:00am but i just went in and laid him back down, rubbing his back and he was back to sleep almost immediately. :D i didn't realize how happy having this whole routine would make me ... it's nice to not have to fight him to go to sleep, or lay with him while he tosses and turns. i can lay him down and then still have an hour or two of 'me' time to get some things done - or just be completely lazy and catch up on tv (which is what i have been doing!)
but, all in all - we had a good fourth of july. sadly - we didn't see a single firework though :( well, honestly, i'm not too upset about it - i know next year kullen will probably be begging to see them - so this year was us taking advantage of NOT having to do the whole firework fiasco ;) the time at joey's was a blast and we look forward to doing it again soon!
i wish i had more pictures from the weekend but unfortunately, my camera was on it's last leg so i didn't get nearly as many as i wanted too =(
us <3
kids :)
water baby!
monday we went to the pool with my mom and sister!
<3
also - i guess i should clarify something i mentioned in my last post. it's true - adam and i are trying for our second baby. :) i am not broadcasting this all over, but consider it a special treat for my blog readers ;) so pleaseeee - if we're facebook friends, don't mention anything on there - i don't want EVERYONE knowing just yet because i, of course, have the fear of infertility. that was definitely something i hated last go round ... once people knew that i was trying, it was all they asked about. and everytime i had to tell them 'not yet' i felt like a total failure - SO - until there is a bun in the oven, i won't be talking much about it (that's the plan anyway)
but yes - i have been off my pill for a few months but we haven't actually been 'trying' - last month we were ... uh, not careful, but i didn't go to any extremes of 'trying' so when i got my period this month - i was not surprised. disappointed, absolutely, but not surprised.
so while we were at joey's over the weekend - adam and i were chatting about something and he just came out and said that he was disappointed that i wasn't pregnant. so, i preceed to slap his arm and ask him why the heck he didn't tell me that he was READY! he said 'of course i'm ready ... why else would i be okay with no birth control' HAHAHA :) so, i asked him if we could REALLY try this month and he said absolutely - so that's the plan. i consider this month one of trying! so, stay tuned - my bloggers will be the first to know :)
and, in last post, i mentioned the fears of having another baby - and they are still something that i will battle with but when me and adam had kullen, we said we wanted our kids to be 2 years apart so we are infact sticking to our original plan. if i were to get pregnant this month, baby #2 would be born in april - and kullen would be turning two that june!
and i have heard some people say they'd rather get one potty trained and past terrible twos before even thinking of having another but i think i'm total opposite with that. i don't want to get used to kullen being potty trained and doing everything on his own - and then be thrown for a loop when i newborn comes. we'll see how this goes over when i actually DO have a newborn and 2 year old ;)
so, thats pretty much all that's going on over in the poag world :) kullen is walking more and more - but crawling is still his main mode of transport :) he walked from the bathroom into the hallway yesterday - so cute! he walks like frankenstein - with his arms out in front of him!! haha i can't help but laugh!
i wonder what kullen would say about mommy and daddy having another baby?! ;]
July 6, 2010
blog award :)
how exciting - my first one! even after i have been a blog-slacker the past few days (4th of july weekend getaway with NO cell OR computer) - so it's nice to have a little something to come back too!
i received this award from adventures in cloth diapering - a new favorite blog of mine :)
The guidelines for accepting this award require the recipient to (1) thank the person who gave it to you; (2) tell 7 things about yourself; and (3) pass the award on to some marvelous bloggers, whom you have recently discovered and think are fantastic.
sooo - thank you Mrs. Mommy for my FIRST blog award :)
and for seven things - hm!!!
1. i work for the government and while i love the money i make, i absolutely HATE working. i want nothing more than to stay home with my son [and future kids]
2. speaking of, my husband and i are trying for our second baby.
3. i HATE wearing shoes, i am barefoot as MUCH as possible.
4. i have all these ideas in my head for craft projects and home organization but fear i don't have the talent to complete them.
5. i'd love to be green/hippy-ish and "live off the land" on a farm and make all my own clothings, food and cleaning supplies.
6. i only like my handwriting when i use sharpie ultra fine point pens.
7. i love my son SO much and wonder how i will love another baby as much as him but at the same time fear that i will not be able to love him as much once we have a second baby.
the three blogs i pass this award to are:
caterpillar family
good food, good friends, good life
confessions of a trophy wife
i received this award from adventures in cloth diapering - a new favorite blog of mine :)
The guidelines for accepting this award require the recipient to (1) thank the person who gave it to you; (2) tell 7 things about yourself; and (3) pass the award on to some marvelous bloggers, whom you have recently discovered and think are fantastic.
sooo - thank you Mrs. Mommy for my FIRST blog award :)
and for seven things - hm!!!
1. i work for the government and while i love the money i make, i absolutely HATE working. i want nothing more than to stay home with my son [and future kids]
2. speaking of, my husband and i are trying for our second baby.
3. i HATE wearing shoes, i am barefoot as MUCH as possible.
4. i have all these ideas in my head for craft projects and home organization but fear i don't have the talent to complete them.
5. i'd love to be green/hippy-ish and "live off the land" on a farm and make all my own clothings, food and cleaning supplies.
6. i only like my handwriting when i use sharpie ultra fine point pens.
7. i love my son SO much and wonder how i will love another baby as much as him but at the same time fear that i will not be able to love him as much once we have a second baby.
the three blogs i pass this award to are:
caterpillar family
good food, good friends, good life
confessions of a trophy wife
July 2, 2010
dad/hubby of the year!
well, night two. complete and total SUCCESSSSSSSSSS!!!!! :D
thanks to - hub! he was super dad last night and i praise/thank him for it!
so, last night things were thrown off a tad ... after adam gave kullen his bath, i called and asked him to meet me at rita's, which he wasn't too happy about since he had just bathed kullen but he did anyway. we chatted with some friends and ate some ice and then went home. it was around 9pm - which is later than kullen usually stays up so i figured bedtime would be a cinch. ha!
i made his sippy, put his pjs on, turned the light off and rocked him while he drank. well - problem number one was that he didn't want his milk. he didn't even drink half, so i was worried i'd be up in the night with a hungry kid. so, i kissed him and put him in his crib. immediately he began crying and kicking his feet. i knew i had to leave him though, and i did. he screamed for what seemed like EVER and my heart was breaking. the screaming never slowed up so after about 10 or so minutes, i went back in and picked him up and rocked him a bit. i knew he was sleepy and would go to sleep with me holding him but that defeats the whole purpose of what we're trying to do - so i turned on his little lamp so he wasn't in complete darkness and put him back in his crib. he was crying but it wasn't AS instense as before. so i shut the door and went and sat on my bed with the monitor. finally, the crying slowed and turned into wimpers. i told adam that if he stopped crying within a few minutes to go in his room and check on him and turn his lamp off. i jumped in the shower and when i got out - adam was walking back in our room. he says 'he saw me!!' but i didn't hear crying on the monitor so i asked him what he meant. he said that he tip toed in kullens room but as soon as he got the door open, kullen peeked his head up and looked at him! haha! considering i didn't hear crying, i figured kullen was half asleep when he did that. SO - i waited a few minutes and went back in and turned his lamp off.
then i questioned myself about that ... should i leave the lamp on all night so if/when he wakes up in the night he's not freaked by pitch black? i wouldn't have a problem but the lamp is bright so adam put one of kullens little baseball hats on top and i just have a fear of that starting a fire. i need a night light for him!
so, anyway - decided to leave the light OFF.
well, went to bed and of course kullen woke up crying around midnight. i didn't budge. he was screaming pretty loud - loud enough to wake up hub (which says a lot!)
well adam got up - and i figured he'd just bring him back in our bed but instead the crying ceased and adam came back to bed within 5 minutes. i couldn't believe it! back to sleep we went. well, around 3:00am - the screaming started again, instensly! adam got up again!!! woah! i think he knew i was going to just let him cry (i had stated that to him earlier, but come on - we all know i wouldn't have really done that for long!) well, after a few minutes the screaming didn't die down and i yelled to adam 'just bring him in here' ... see, adam gets up for the day between 3:30-4am so i felt bad that he was up taking care of kullen (obviously not bad enough since i continued to lay there, hehe) ... but, after a few more minutes, the crying stopped and adam came back to bed! it was 3:20. it took him exactly 20 minutes to calm mr. man down and get him back in his crib.
my alarm went off at 5:20 this morning and i woke up to an empty bed. something i haven't done in a WHILE. i grabbed the monitor only to realize it wasn't even ON!!! which scared me, what if he had been crying and i didn't hear? (yeah right! haha) so, i crept in his room only to find him sound asleep :)
so, here's hoping this routine continues. now that we've had a successful night of keeping him in his crib, i feel like it will be easier and easier. can't wait for the day when i blog about my boy sleeping in his crib without waking up AT ALL during the night! ;]
disclaimer:
i know people will think 'her one year old isn't sleeping through the night yet?!!!' but despite what most think - it's not THAT uncommon. plus, i consider a child to 'sleep through the night' when they are no longer waking up to feed. just because they get up once or twice due to being startled out of sleep, bad dream, turning the wrong way or whatever the case may be - doesn't mean they aren't sleeping through the night. kullen sleeps ALL night! he may wake up once but it's brief and really, most of us adults do the same thing. i know i do - to go the bathroom, to adjust myself, because i had a weird/bad dream ... so before anyone starts thinking bad thoughts about a kid (which is wrong in itself!)... just wait until YOU have a kid! it's not as easy as it seems, trust me! ;]
sorry for the negative part - but i have just seen blogs, comments and random posts of people down talking kids and their parents and half of them aren't even parents! it's like how dare you judge anyone's parenting when you aren't even parents!! how dare you judge anyone's parenting period. until you've been in their shoes - which you NEVER will be because no two kids are alike - don't judge!
thanks to - hub! he was super dad last night and i praise/thank him for it!
so, last night things were thrown off a tad ... after adam gave kullen his bath, i called and asked him to meet me at rita's, which he wasn't too happy about since he had just bathed kullen but he did anyway. we chatted with some friends and ate some ice and then went home. it was around 9pm - which is later than kullen usually stays up so i figured bedtime would be a cinch. ha!
i made his sippy, put his pjs on, turned the light off and rocked him while he drank. well - problem number one was that he didn't want his milk. he didn't even drink half, so i was worried i'd be up in the night with a hungry kid. so, i kissed him and put him in his crib. immediately he began crying and kicking his feet. i knew i had to leave him though, and i did. he screamed for what seemed like EVER and my heart was breaking. the screaming never slowed up so after about 10 or so minutes, i went back in and picked him up and rocked him a bit. i knew he was sleepy and would go to sleep with me holding him but that defeats the whole purpose of what we're trying to do - so i turned on his little lamp so he wasn't in complete darkness and put him back in his crib. he was crying but it wasn't AS instense as before. so i shut the door and went and sat on my bed with the monitor. finally, the crying slowed and turned into wimpers. i told adam that if he stopped crying within a few minutes to go in his room and check on him and turn his lamp off. i jumped in the shower and when i got out - adam was walking back in our room. he says 'he saw me!!' but i didn't hear crying on the monitor so i asked him what he meant. he said that he tip toed in kullens room but as soon as he got the door open, kullen peeked his head up and looked at him! haha! considering i didn't hear crying, i figured kullen was half asleep when he did that. SO - i waited a few minutes and went back in and turned his lamp off.
then i questioned myself about that ... should i leave the lamp on all night so if/when he wakes up in the night he's not freaked by pitch black? i wouldn't have a problem but the lamp is bright so adam put one of kullens little baseball hats on top and i just have a fear of that starting a fire. i need a night light for him!
so, anyway - decided to leave the light OFF.
well, went to bed and of course kullen woke up crying around midnight. i didn't budge. he was screaming pretty loud - loud enough to wake up hub (which says a lot!)
well adam got up - and i figured he'd just bring him back in our bed but instead the crying ceased and adam came back to bed within 5 minutes. i couldn't believe it! back to sleep we went. well, around 3:00am - the screaming started again, instensly! adam got up again!!! woah! i think he knew i was going to just let him cry (i had stated that to him earlier, but come on - we all know i wouldn't have really done that for long!) well, after a few minutes the screaming didn't die down and i yelled to adam 'just bring him in here' ... see, adam gets up for the day between 3:30-4am so i felt bad that he was up taking care of kullen (obviously not bad enough since i continued to lay there, hehe) ... but, after a few more minutes, the crying stopped and adam came back to bed! it was 3:20. it took him exactly 20 minutes to calm mr. man down and get him back in his crib.
my alarm went off at 5:20 this morning and i woke up to an empty bed. something i haven't done in a WHILE. i grabbed the monitor only to realize it wasn't even ON!!! which scared me, what if he had been crying and i didn't hear? (yeah right! haha) so, i crept in his room only to find him sound asleep :)
so, here's hoping this routine continues. now that we've had a successful night of keeping him in his crib, i feel like it will be easier and easier. can't wait for the day when i blog about my boy sleeping in his crib without waking up AT ALL during the night! ;]
disclaimer:
i know people will think 'her one year old isn't sleeping through the night yet?!!!' but despite what most think - it's not THAT uncommon. plus, i consider a child to 'sleep through the night' when they are no longer waking up to feed. just because they get up once or twice due to being startled out of sleep, bad dream, turning the wrong way or whatever the case may be - doesn't mean they aren't sleeping through the night. kullen sleeps ALL night! he may wake up once but it's brief and really, most of us adults do the same thing. i know i do - to go the bathroom, to adjust myself, because i had a weird/bad dream ... so before anyone starts thinking bad thoughts about a kid (which is wrong in itself!)... just wait until YOU have a kid! it's not as easy as it seems, trust me! ;]
sorry for the negative part - but i have just seen blogs, comments and random posts of people down talking kids and their parents and half of them aren't even parents! it's like how dare you judge anyone's parenting when you aren't even parents!! how dare you judge anyone's parenting period. until you've been in their shoes - which you NEVER will be because no two kids are alike - don't judge!
July 1, 2010
sleep battle
it's time.
time for kullen to sleep in his own crib, all night.
when kullen was first born, he was in the basinet next to my bed ... eventually, that turnd into IN my bed. and yes, before all you non-parents sit there and say 'my kid will never end up in my bed' - i said the SAME thing. i had heard of parents not being able to break their kid of it and thought it was ridiculous that their kid was even IN their bed to begin with and yet when i was in the parent shoes - my how things changed. not only do you love that tiny little baby more than ANYTHING - you are SLEEP DEPRIVED. if the only way you can get sleep is to have them in bed with you, believe me - you'll do it.
finally - when kullen was able to sleep through the night - he went back to the basinet but probably still ended up in our bed majority of the time. i just love having him there, he's a good little cuddler - plus, it's the cutest thing when they wake up and crawl all over you to wake you up!
anyway - so, once kullen outgrew his basinet - we set the pack n play up beside my bed because i still wasn't ready for him to be in a whole seperate room! he slept in there great. hardly ended up in our bed, except for weekends when he would wake up at 6am and i knew putting him with me would allow us both to sleep for 2 more hours!
well - after much persuasion from hubby - and friends/family - i decided it was time to put kullen in his own room. so, our nightly routine became him falling asleep in our bed and moving him to his crib. all worked well except for the fact that he would wake up every night - different times - and i would go get him and bring him back into our bed to continue our peaceful slumber.
well, i still don't personally mind him in my bed, but i know this has to be stopped now because it's only going to get harder and harder.
so, after talking with our pediatrician and a good friend for some advice, we have a plan. and last night was night 1 of said plan.
kullen got his bath and pjs. we made him his sippy and him and i went into his room and shut the door. i sat in the rocker with him and read him a story, while he drank his sippy. now, some nights he is sooo tired he will fall asleep during his sippy/bottle - those are the easy nights. last night was not. after he finished, i put him in his crib, turned the monitor on and left him. he was okay for the first 5 or so minutes but then he began to cry. and cry. and cryyyyy. my husband started to walk in there at one point and i stopped him reminding him we had to be strong. well, a few minutes later - i went in there. i just had to make sure he wasn't stuck between the bars of his crib or whatever! so, there he was .. bawling his little eyeballs out and reaching up for me. i picked him up and rocked him a bit - and his eyes rolled back and so i put him in the crib. nope, not happening - he was sitting up, crying again. so i laid him back down and stepped back ... this happened about 20 times - with him crying the entire time. finally, i kissed him and laid him down once more and walked out of the room. i sat outside his door, listening and he was crying but it was slowly fading to a wimper. finally, it was quiet. after 10 or so minutes, i crept in there just to be sure he was okay - and sure enough, he was soundly sleeping.
this was the first part of the plan. making him go to sleep, in his crib, on his own. success.
the next step was to set a time - a time that if he woke up after, we would go get him. so i set the time for 12-12:30. so, he woke up around 11ish crying .. i went to the bathroom and when i came back, he was not crying anymore so i went back to sleep. he woke up again around 12ish so i went and picked him up, rocked him for a while and tried to put him back in the crib. the minute i tried to lay him down, his eyes were WIDE open and i knew this wasn't going to happen. meaning - FAIL. i gave in and brought him back to bed with me.
FAIL! FAIL! FAIL!
so, tonight - we will try again.
if ... er, WHEN he wakes up - i will NOT go get him. i will let him cry. UNLESS - he cries for more than 30 minutes straight, then i will go get him, of couse.
i'll post details tomorrow.
wish us luck!
PS - MY BABY SISTER GOT HER LICENSCE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! GO ZANNIE!!!! :D
time for kullen to sleep in his own crib, all night.
when kullen was first born, he was in the basinet next to my bed ... eventually, that turnd into IN my bed. and yes, before all you non-parents sit there and say 'my kid will never end up in my bed' - i said the SAME thing. i had heard of parents not being able to break their kid of it and thought it was ridiculous that their kid was even IN their bed to begin with and yet when i was in the parent shoes - my how things changed. not only do you love that tiny little baby more than ANYTHING - you are SLEEP DEPRIVED. if the only way you can get sleep is to have them in bed with you, believe me - you'll do it.
finally - when kullen was able to sleep through the night - he went back to the basinet but probably still ended up in our bed majority of the time. i just love having him there, he's a good little cuddler - plus, it's the cutest thing when they wake up and crawl all over you to wake you up!
anyway - so, once kullen outgrew his basinet - we set the pack n play up beside my bed because i still wasn't ready for him to be in a whole seperate room! he slept in there great. hardly ended up in our bed, except for weekends when he would wake up at 6am and i knew putting him with me would allow us both to sleep for 2 more hours!
well - after much persuasion from hubby - and friends/family - i decided it was time to put kullen in his own room. so, our nightly routine became him falling asleep in our bed and moving him to his crib. all worked well except for the fact that he would wake up every night - different times - and i would go get him and bring him back into our bed to continue our peaceful slumber.
well, i still don't personally mind him in my bed, but i know this has to be stopped now because it's only going to get harder and harder.
so, after talking with our pediatrician and a good friend for some advice, we have a plan. and last night was night 1 of said plan.
kullen got his bath and pjs. we made him his sippy and him and i went into his room and shut the door. i sat in the rocker with him and read him a story, while he drank his sippy. now, some nights he is sooo tired he will fall asleep during his sippy/bottle - those are the easy nights. last night was not. after he finished, i put him in his crib, turned the monitor on and left him. he was okay for the first 5 or so minutes but then he began to cry. and cry. and cryyyyy. my husband started to walk in there at one point and i stopped him reminding him we had to be strong. well, a few minutes later - i went in there. i just had to make sure he wasn't stuck between the bars of his crib or whatever! so, there he was .. bawling his little eyeballs out and reaching up for me. i picked him up and rocked him a bit - and his eyes rolled back and so i put him in the crib. nope, not happening - he was sitting up, crying again. so i laid him back down and stepped back ... this happened about 20 times - with him crying the entire time. finally, i kissed him and laid him down once more and walked out of the room. i sat outside his door, listening and he was crying but it was slowly fading to a wimper. finally, it was quiet. after 10 or so minutes, i crept in there just to be sure he was okay - and sure enough, he was soundly sleeping.
this was the first part of the plan. making him go to sleep, in his crib, on his own. success.
the next step was to set a time - a time that if he woke up after, we would go get him. so i set the time for 12-12:30. so, he woke up around 11ish crying .. i went to the bathroom and when i came back, he was not crying anymore so i went back to sleep. he woke up again around 12ish so i went and picked him up, rocked him for a while and tried to put him back in the crib. the minute i tried to lay him down, his eyes were WIDE open and i knew this wasn't going to happen. meaning - FAIL. i gave in and brought him back to bed with me.
FAIL! FAIL! FAIL!
so, tonight - we will try again.
if ... er, WHEN he wakes up - i will NOT go get him. i will let him cry. UNLESS - he cries for more than 30 minutes straight, then i will go get him, of couse.
i'll post details tomorrow.
wish us luck!
PS - MY BABY SISTER GOT HER LICENSCE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! GO ZANNIE!!!! :D
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