Ghosts, and goblins, and chainsaw's.....oh my!

Last night, with Matt and Molly being at a halloween party, I got the rare opportunity to have some "special time" with Ryan and Emilie. We have a few halloween sites around here to choose from but I really wanted to surprise them. I had them thinking we were just going to the outlet mall, and doing BORING STUFF, like shopping, when in reality, I was going to surprise them and bring them to a haunted hayride. I decided instead to bring them here to a haunted house thats actually put on by a regular family. This family for the last few years has been putting on this event with a slew of volunteers to raise money for the local youth and family services, and in addition for it being for a wonderful cause, it was a blast!

The kids were so excited! The cost was reasonable, and included popcorn, hot chocolate, candy, little toys and free t-shirts! Can't beat it. Its actors are all kids and while it IS scary and I wouldn't have brought the little ones, I think it was perfect for Ryan and Emilie! Emilie gripped my hand the whole time while Ryan talked to the actors! LOL We had spiders falling on our head, and screams coming from all directions. At one point, in the end while we were outside going through some sort of maze to get out, there was someone "chasing" Ryan with a chainsaw! It made me feel good to know I had done something like this with them, instead of staying home to get more housework done!

Otherwise, since we did do a little bit of shopping last night, I actually bought a pair of jeans 4 sizes SMALLER than I used to wear! And we're talking an actual 8 sizes, but since going down 2 numbers is actually one size... heck, its damn confusing! I also got myself a turtleneck sweater...something I never would have bought being 60 pounds heavier! It was really cool to shop in regular sizes.

And weigh-in this morning went better than expected. Lost 1.8... and considering the halloween candy I've splurged on, I did well. I also received my 50 pound magnet! I'm almost down 70 pounds total now.

So, thats all for now. Ryan and Emilie are sleeping over my in-laws tonight, so its just me and the little ones. My sister's moving into her new house today, and as soon as Chris gets home tonight, I'll be heading over.

Hope everyone has a Happy Halloween!

Friday Mayhem

It can only get better. It can only get better. I'm visually reminding myself of this fact.

Last night the older kids decided it was about time to start their book reports that were due today! They've known about them all month, and I've pushed them every goshdarned day to start them, but did they? NO. I can remember doing the same thing when I was a kid....always wait till the last minute, whether it was a project or a book report, and staying up late to do it. It must just be a kid thing..and I'm trying to figure out a way to get next month's report started a little earlier. I'm hoping anyway.

So I allowed them to stay up no later than 11pm. They do need to deal with the consequences if its not completed, but maybe they'll learn? Chris wanted them to go straight to bed, but I'm hoping when they're tired today, they'll remember that next month!

So, this morning, I had everything set. Crackers and cheese were in the fridge for me to cut up this morning for Molly's party at preschool. Matt's costume was already in his backpack ready to go. I had to wake Emilie up early to finish the damn report, and set off to work feeling fairly confident that everything was under control.

Of course, it wasn't.

In the mornings, Chris meets me at my layover to give me Matt and Molly. He gets them all up and dressed, and makes lunches. He drops them off and I find out from him that Matt doesn't have his costume in his backpack anymore.... he tried it on again this morning. Molly's costume was never put in her backpack, so its at home too. Had to run home after work to get both. Chris had also brought the cheese and crackers, not knowing I still needed to cut the cheese. I figured I'd do that before I go back for her party though. I dropped Molly off, and found out the party was right after the parade! Not closer to picking her up as I had thought! So , I ended up missing the party, didn't contribute the cheese and crackers, and raced to the elementary school to get Matt's costume in on time. I ended up leaving the preschool without saying goodbye to Molly, which made me feel like a horrible Mom!

But now I'm home. Matt and Molly have a halloween party to attend later on tonight, and I'm taking Ryan and Emilie with me shopping at the outlet mall to hopefully find them some clothes. And I can't even say that my weigh-in for tomorrow will be good.... oh well!

It can only get better. It can only get better.

Its about time

Last night Jen finally chose her dress! As much as I enjoy dress shopping, I'm glad she made up her mind. She's going to look gorgeous! Now its time to start shopping for MY dress, one of these days...lol

My mom treated us afterwards to dinner at Red Lobster! Have I mentioned how addicted I am to the cheddar bay biscuits?? They are sooo good, I could have wasted all the rest of my WW points on them! I did really well eating.... no alcohol for me, since it tends to be a waste of points, and I had some broiled fish, scallops and shrimp scampi, and considering that most seafood is very low in points, I just had to watch for the sauces and stuff. It was very yummy!

I am such a procrastinator by the way. Halloween is in 3 short days, and I only have one kid set with a costume! Matthew has his halloween parade tomorrow at school, and I'll be one of those parents out at the store this afternoon searching through the halloween remains for a spiderman costume. I used to be so good at making my kids costumes, but my creativity seems to have run out! Plus with all my obvious free time I should be able to whip something up. NOT.

The ex-aka: biological asshole showed up at my job the other day. I am so glad that my bosses are as protective as they are. They had my back for sure. They were concerned with my safety, and even when I told them it was okay, they still stayed close by. Turns out the B.A. was served papers at his job for contempt of child support. I'll start by saying that I filed those papers in FEBRUARY! Him and I made an agreement about 2 months ago that if either one of us wanted to file papers behind the others back, we'd talk about it first... and I suggested it purely to protect myself, so that I wouldn't get blindsided myself. So he was pissed that he was served in front of other people, so decided to "pay me back" by showing up at my job. The thing is, the papers clearly say that they were filed in February, but all the same I yelled right back. Anyway, thats all about that.

Otherwise, the only other thing I have to write about is that Molly learned to tie her shoes! She's only 4! I'm so proud of her! Her sister also taught herself just as young, but with girls, I think its easier because its a fine motor skill. Boys learn how to do the bigger stuff first.

So, I'm off for now, hope everyone has a wonderful day!

I forgot to mention yesterday.... my sister, Jen, closed on her house yesterday afternoon!! I am so excited for her. This house wasn't the one I wrote about a month ago...that one fell through, cause the owner didn't want to stick with the original offer and details ( paying half the closing), and wanted to rent it to them instead! I went and saw it after the closing, and its really nice! A cute little landscaped backyard, and lots of possibilities. It needs a little work, but its mostly surface stuff like painting and stuff.

And got into another argument with the biological asshole on Saturday. Again. Never fails. He's all of a sudden concerned where the child support he's paying is actually going to go. Of course he's not concerned when he doesn't pay. Jerk.

Off to the dentist, have a great day!

weekend round-up

We had another long and busy weekend! Weigh-in went well on Saturday.... I lost 3.2! Total is now 64 pounds. Did the whole dress shopping thing again, and I think Jen is ALMOST sure of her dress decision. LOL I got my hair cut! About 4-5 inches chopped off, and I must say, it looks very cute. Really slims down my face.

Went pumpkin picking on Sunday and froze our butts off. Picked 2 huge pumpkins that now grace our front porch just waiting to be sliced into! Had yet another soccer game where the boys again kicked ass, and rounded off the day with the weekly grocery shopping. Fun, huh?

I've been doing so good with my points again this week. Weekends usually get a little crazy because I'll eat things I don't normally eat during the week. Last night we made meatball grinders with ground turkey, and I did the whole weighing thing with the meatballs, and even counted the dressing on my salad, and the croutons! Go me!

Anyway, I'm off to pick up Molly from preschool, so I'll post more later!

TGIF!!!

Another Friday back again! This week has been a super long one, which most seem to be..lol

This afternoon the kids and I are heading to the park to enjoy one of the last warmer days of the fall. Its definitely not warm, but in the upper 50's, so I figure we should take advantage of it while we can! We're planning on meeting up with another Mom and her kids which is really cool! Too often when I take the kids to the park, there's no other parents there for me to chat with, and this Mom really seems as if its someone I could be friends with.

Tomorrow, I'm off yet again to go dress shopping with Jen and my mom. I have the babysitter from 11:30 on, so since the appointment for the dresses isn't until 3:30, I'm thinking I just might get my hair cut! It has been months since getting it cut.... I think last winter or spring! So anyway, I've been going back and forth between getting it permed or cut. The problem is, I can't afford to get it professionally permed, so I'd need someone to do it for me, and thats not going to happen anytime soon. And it also needs to be colored and highlighted again, but I won't do it unless my hair is either permed or cut. So now I just don't know how short to get it. It'll definitely be interesting.

I really need to get out. I'd love to be able to go to a bar/dance club but then I worry about the calories in the drinks. lol I want to go to the casino, but won't have the money for that for a few more weeks. Looks like I'll just have to relax while out tomorrow!

Cross your fingers for weigh-in tomorrow! And I hope everyone has a great weekend!

Almost too late

I woke up this morning at 6:45!! Way too late to be waking up for me. I had roughly 10 minutes, and that was pushing it, to find some clothes, brush my teeth, wake up the older kids, and get my shoes on!

Got to work with minutes to spare, but still had to rush. I had a fleeting thought to call in sick. It would have been easier than all the rushing around I did. Did the gym after work. According to their scale I'm down over 2 pounds for the week already! Usually the scale runs one or two pounds more than the WW scale, so I'm going to stay on track, and just wait till Saturday.

Also, I had my first meeting with a child phychologist(sp?) to give her some background on Ryan. He'll start going next week for sessions. I'm really hoping that this helps. I just want to know whats going on with him! He's a super sweet kid, but is way too angry and aggressive. His biological asshole has ADHD so I suppose thats a possibility. Just going to have to wait and see what pans out.

Odd's and End's

A rainy, dreary day here in Ct today. A high in the upper 40's. A good day to snuggle and do nothing. Molly's been asleep on the couch since 10:45. She has a nasty cold that she probably got from me!

I managed to clean and organize the kitchen and kids' rooms, along with putting away laundry. I'm on my 3rd cup of coffee, and its so quiet in the house!

I'm back to being calm and rational, thank you. I reread my last post, and I sounded looney! Sorry about that, but thanks to those of you who commented! As I suspected, I gained last week. 1.4 pounds. I chatted with my leader after the meeting, and she gave me some good tips to try, and I'm happy to say, I'm back on track. Eating is going well this week, and I'm back to feeling as if I can do this for another 6 months! I made a goal for myself to lose 15 pounds by the end of the year. I think its possible, at least I hope so. I need to lose probably another 5-10 pounds to get down to the next size, and since I own 3 pairs of jeans that Jen handed down to me, I don't want to buy anymore, since I'm so close to them being too big for me.

Yesterday, it being Monday, both Chris and I leave for work by 7 am. We've been allowing Ryan and Emilie to stay home and get on the bus at 7:30, and until yesterday it was working well. Around the time their busdriver was to pick them up, I got a call across the radio telling me that only Ryan got on. Ryan had told the driver that Emilie wasn't going to school but wasn't sick either. My darling 9 year old was trying to skip school! So, of course, by the time I got out of work at 9, I had to race Molly to preschool, skip working out, and head home to drag my daughter to the horrible place we call Middle School.

I was pretty proud of myself though. Instead of storming in the house, and yelling at her, I stayed calm and rational :) All I had to say was "explanation please", and the tears started. She didn't want to go to school because it was "boring", and they don't do "anything fun". She had a stomach ache and a headache too. I took her temperature, hugged her, and told her she WAS going to school! Got her a snack, and some tylenol (daily headaches are back!) Told her that school was important, and she needed an education. Told her that sometimes Daddy and I don't like to go to work, but we have to. Told her she'd have to ride my bus for the rest of the week as punishment, and had her calm enough to drop her off.

So, thats about all going on around here. I've gotta get on the ball with Holloween costumes, and think about Christmas shopping. I think at the end of the week I'll start a layaway. I've already started my master list of what to get for everyone. Along with researching lowfat versions of the christmas cookies I make every year.

Hope everyone has a great week!

No title

It would take brain power to think of a catchy title, and right now I don't have much power left. I wanted to write a post, considering its been 3 DAYS since I've written anything, but to be totally honest, I don't really know what to write.

I could write about how I went dress shopping with Jen again, and it was supposed to be for bridesmaid dresses, but we AGAIN looked at wedding gowns. And I could write about how she's changed her mind, once again, and has 6 favorite gowns, in 3 different stores! She wants an unusual color for the bridesmaid dresses, and found one called "Ruby", and once I got used to the color and look of the dress she picked, she changed her mind. My brain is fried, can't go into more detail right now.

I also could write how for the last 3 days, I haven't spent more than 2 hours at home, unless I count the time I'm in bed sleeping. Or how I had a child put on my bus yesterday KICKING AND SCREAMING by the principal and teacher, who had to literally carry him to my bus. Thats just wrong. Or how I had a child today who thought it would be cool to spit big globs of spit onto my bus floor. Or the kid that decided to chew up paper and spit it at another kid, and then claim he didn't do it. Isn't my life the coolest?

I also could write about how I FINALLY got a child support check, but because I'm fucking DETERMINED to go apple-picking this weekend, and there's a soccer game, I won't have any TIME to go shopping for winter clothes for the kids. Even trying to figure out when I'll do the grocery shopping.

Or how I brought Molly to the dentist the other day, and it was determined that my baby girl would need one of her teeth capped. What a fuckin' horrible mother I am! I brush her teeth for her, and floss them, and she eats healthy, and thats what happens. And how while tears streamed down her face during the novacaine needle, and the drill sounds, even with the "strawberry flavored laughing gas", that I sat in the corner of the room with tears streaming down MY face. And when faced with a couple hundred dollar dentist bill, that doesn't include the $300 for Matt next week, that I broke down in tears right in front of the receptionist, because damn it, I need to find the goddamned money tree, unless I'm going to pull it out of my ass!

Or really, truly, I could write about how I know I'm either staying the same with my weight this week or gaining, because I can't resist the vanilla wafers that stare at me every time I open the snack cabinet. Or the peanut M & M's I bought today after stuffing myself with a chicken and cheese quesadilla last night, along with the huge pina colada I used to wash down the spicy salsa and FRIED tortilla chips.

Damn, I need a vacation. Alone.

Its been awhile....

.....but I'm here and still alive. I actually didn't realize until I thought about it , how long it had been since I'd posted, and now I have so much to write about! I'll break it down, because we all know how I like to write long posts!

-weigh-in went okay....lost .6 Better than gaining, but I had just gotten my monthly friend.

-Went dress shopping with Jen, my Mom, the other bridesmaid(her friend from work)on Saturday afternoon. Jen has it down to 2 dresses....we're actually getting somewhere! I'm so excited for her! Both are strapless...one is on the simple and elegant side and the other is the "cinderella" type. Guess which one I like better? Yeah, she looks beautiful in the cinderella type gown, its perfect for her!


-Sunday was Day 1 of the Columbia Tournament for soccer. We were given 2 WHOLE DAYS NOTICE on it. Guess it was a last minute thing. Saturday's games were awesome! They won one, they lost one. Lost the 2nd game against a team they had lost against before. This team really should have been up another division...they are that good! We were told they had one game for Monday, unless they made it into the finals, in which case, they'd play an extra game. I didn't think anything of it, because I didn't know how it worked, since they had lost a game already.

- Monday, we're back up to the field. Minus Chris this time, since he needed to work. I figured we had one game, and we'd be home in time for me to watch my soap opera! I was wrong! They won their first game which put them into the semi-finals! The team was so excited! Their second game, they played an UNDEFEATED team, and won again! This game was a little more dramatic. The goalie for the other team got hurt, and had to be put on a backboard and brought to the hospital. and since he was moving a little, I'm assuming he'll be okay. But the time kept ticking.... no time-outs for us. By the end of the game, the score was still 0-0. Went into 2 5-minute overtimes. Still no score. Then went into "sudden death". Each team got a chance to make a goal, and we ended up winning! That put us into the finals! At this point, I had totally not prepared to stay this long, but was lucky enough to have some cash to get the kids something to eat. Then came the last game. Guess who we were playing? The same team that had beat us twice before! Can I tell you how stressed us parents had been during all these games? OMG, it was torture! To make a long story short, the final game was dramatic, but they did end up losing! The score was 1-0, but the kids played so hard! And Ryan makes one hell of a defense! All the parents were talking about him! He's small but fast, and has this way of kicking the ball right out of the way, and kicking it in the right direction! I'm pretty proud of him! These last few days have been very long, but very exciting, thats for sure.

-And that brings us to today. I have nothing planned. Nada. There's no school today due to a "teachers day" so the kids and I are just hanging out. I'm going to do some laundry, dust, mop the floor, and hopefully get out halloween decorations. Oh, and watch my soap. All of it. And thats a pretty big deal around here! LOL

Hope everyone has a great week!
-

Another week coming to an end. Change of plans this weekend,....again. No apple-picking. Ryan's coach called last night and they have a last minute soccer tournament to attend this weekend. Both Sunday and Monday. 3 games, unless they win all 3 and then they play a 4th. Should be interesting to say the least! At least Chris will be with us for the Sunday games though.

I'm feeling a little bit better today. I can actually breath through my nose now, but I sound like crap still. If I don't feel better by Tuesday, I'm going to go to the Dr's.

Otherwise, I really have nothing to write about. So, hope everyone has a great weekend!

Sick and Tired

Still sick as a dog, with no hope in sight. I'm so beat... I was literally gone from my house from 6:45 am till 4:30 this afternoon. Did my trip to Mystic which went well, and Molly had a blast watching all the whales and fish,etc. As soon as I got home this afternoon I needed to rush to make dinner because Ryan had soccer practice. Then Emilie mentions how she needs a book for a book report, and needs it for TOMORROW! So, we add in a trip to the library. At that point I was so frazzled! I hadn't had a second to sit down, unless I count the time in the drivers seat, but my sciatic nerve was acting up big time, so even that was uncomfortable. I still needed to fit in homework, the library, baths, dishes, the list goes on and on. I literally ate dinner on the way to soccer practice in the car, with my plate and fork. My Mom saved the day though! She took Emi to the library for me, and even got me a coffee! I was dying for caffeine! I'm losing my voice, my lips are chapped since I can't breath through my nose.... I'm whining, sorry about this!

So I was supposed to go to dress shop with Jen tomorrow, but realized this afternoon that another trip I signed up for was for tomorrow instead of next Wednesday! Its a 6 hour trip, so I'll again be gone all day long! And if we didn't need the money so bad I would have skipped it, but Christmas is coming, and we need it bad. An extra 11 hours in my paycheck this week will do wonders, so I needed to cancel on my sister. She's freaking out about not yet finding her dress, and its been so hard to coordinate my schedule with hers, and my Mom's. So, that meant I needed to find a sitter for Saturday so that we can go. To make a long story short, we've been using my teenager cousin for occassional babysitting, but with 4 kids, it gets really expensive. Now, I find out my brother and SIL have called her, and my SIL will literally call 3 months in advance to get my cousin to babysit just so we don't get her first. And she's the only one we have to babysit, so its a big deal. Of course, we still need to inquire at the High School, and maybe get someone local. Okay, I'm seriously typing too much now! LOL

I need a break. I'm so tired of being the only one stressing over bills, and stressing to get everything done . And being sick on top of it doesn't help! Chris just has to worry about going to work and coming home. I get to do everything else, and its pissing me off! I told him to be careful with his "weekly allowance" this week, since we're tight on cash, and turns out by yesterday he was out of money! And can't even remember what he spent everything on!

I'm done rambling.... time to hit the sack!

Change of plans

So yesterday we didn't end up going apple-picking. My sister and I went to a funeral instead. Lovely, eh? Its was for my Grandfather's brother's wife. I think. I'm not sure what relation that would give me... maybe great aunt? I didn't know her very well, so it hasn't affected me much, but considering she was family, Jen and I felt we should be there to offer support. That's what family does, ya know?

Apple-picking has been rescheduled for next Sunday, and we HAVE to go! Not many weekends left if we want to find apples on the trees. I'm in for a busy week too. I'm goddamn sick. Like really sick. The can't breath kind of sick. The kind where your nose runs, but yet feels stuffy so you can't blow it out kind of sick. I'm hoping its just a regular cold and not a sinus infection. It sucks. Tomorrow I have a field trip to Mystic Aquarium for work which should be fun! I'll be taking Molly with me and it'll be a girls' day to check out all the cool stuff there. The best part about it , is I'll be getting paid for 9 hours of work! My regular 2 hours in the morning, plus 5 hours for the trip, even though I only need to drive there and drive back. Plus, my regular 2 afternoon hours. That'll perk up the paycheck, I'll telling ya! Wednesday, I have a meeting with the person who will be evaluating Ryan.. I guess I need to meet with her to give her the background history. And then after that appt. I'll be meeting up with Jen to look some more for her wedding dress! Thank goodness Chris will be home from work to take and pick up Molly from preschool!

The week is just stretching out very long. At some point I need to put away laundry and keep everything else up in the house. But this sick thing is just making everything seem so much bigger. Overwhelming. Plus, my sciatic nerve is still acting up, so that makes walking and bending uncomfortable. I think I need to see a chiropractor for that one. Its been 2 weeks now...damn long enough!

Another exciting post from me. At least since I'm sick and don't feel like eating, I know I'll lose this week. :)

Here's the other picture! Its weird- I have to keep trying to post over and over, because for some reason the computer all of a sudden restarts! Not sure if there's a loose wire or something,since I don't have any problems any other time. Okay, isn't this picture the coolest? We were sitting in front of the bonfire, and Roman was braiding Emilie's hair! The glow really focuses on them...I love it! Nevermind, how many guys do you know that braid hair? LOL 

Another Saturday, here again

Another weigh-in today. I'm so glad I go to meetings... really makes me accountable, and the support is amazing!

Lost 1.8....for a total of, drumroll please.....60 POUNDS!!! Is anyone sick of hearing about my weightloss yet? Too bad. lol

In meetings everyone gets a star sticker for every 5 pounds lost, and today while "sharing" and receiving my sticker, I was asked how much I lost, and the whole room gasped. I did have to say I've lost 45 pounds, because that's how much I've lost on Weight Watchers, but oh how I wanted to say the full 60. I lost 15 pounds on my own before starting WW, but could only divulge the WW pounds lost while on program.

Otherwise on the homefront, talked to "biological asshole" today and I should get my first child support payment next week. Its about time. I also asked if he'd be able to give me half the cost of the soccer jacket I bought for Ryan, which ended up being $55...we'll see about that one. I need to run to the store soon to get the stuff for the spaghetti sauce, and need to clean up the house. I decided I'm packing up the kids' rooms. Everything except clothes, their beds and their bookcases. Then, MAYBE they'll be able to keep them picked up. Its a vicious cycle. Laundry gets done and folded but it can't get put away because there's nowhere to walk! So it stays in the livingroom, which in turn stays cluttered because of all the laundry. I can't stand it!

Wow, things really are exciting around here, huh?

Its taken me 1 month month to actually get these few pictures posted, but eventually I did. And even though none are of me, they were such great pictures that I just had to post them! This first one is a picture of my sister Jen with her fiancee Roman...aren't they the cutest couple ever??? Why can't I be that photogenic?  

TGIF!!!

I am SO GLAD its Friday!! This week ended up feeling so long, and the kids on the bus have been driving me crazy, and I just wanted to finish this week, so I can rest and relax and have fun this weekend!

Ryan had his soccer game today, and they kicked ass! Final score 11-0!! I kinda felt bad for the other team though.... they were trying so hard, and they should have gotten one or two goals so that they didn't feel so bad.... I know how Ryan's team would have felt if the tables were turned. But, it was good anyway.... Ryan ended up being on the front line for some of the game... and I'm not even sure of the correct name of the position but he almost scored a goal! Soccer is his passion...he doesn't want to do baseball or football, only soccer. He briefly spoke about doing track, and I'm trying to encourage him on that, because he's a really fast runner. Never mind he could get some more energy out!

I'm so excited for tomorrow night. Normally we order pizza out, because I'm a pizza freak, but in the effort to not spend so much money I'm making my homemade spaghetti sauce, and its sooo yummy! I'm going to make sure we have italian bread, and apple crisp for dessert. My mouth is watering right now just thinking about it. Then of course, Sunday, we'll be doing apple-picking. I plan on making some homemade applesauce, along with an apple pie or two. Jen and Roman are coming with us, so I'm hoping Jen will get some pictures on her digital camera and I'll post some! The day will be in the lower 60's for a temp, so it'll be perfect picking weather!

Which reminds me. I have a few pics from our pig roast that I think I'll post. Nevermind I've had them for over a week already, but I don't find much time during the week to get online so I'll do that next.

Hope everyone has a great weekend!