Family

Weekend Funnies

May 6, 2013 By AnnMarie

I was supposed to have a day to myself. One to catch my breath. We were supposed to have a family day. We haven’t in a long time unless you count the drive back from Indiana. I don’t think you can count wanting to kill your siblings as family time.

Family time started with going to Tommy’s game. I got there just in time to see him not catch a ball in left field. I stayed to see him bat and when he struck out and was beside himself (when will he learn that there is no crying in baseball?), I went over to the dugout and he wouldn’t look at me. I asked him if he wanted us to leave and he said yes. That sucked for so many reasons. I finally made it to a game and was asked to leave by my son. I guess that is really the only reason it sucked. Oh, wait, it also sucked that as soon as I left, he hit a ball to the fence and did okay in the field. Guess it really is me.

Then…I took Nico driving. Friends, I might not make it through this milestone. I am not the first person that has a 15-year-old with a permit but why, why didn’t all of you who have gone before me talk about how unbelievably stressful and vomit-inducing of an experience it is to sit in the passenger seat while your child, the same child that thought it would be fun to jump down a flight of stairs just to see if he could, learns how to brake and turn A CAR! I took him to a nearby subdivision that has a somewhat busy but not really busy main road. I vowed I would be calm while he drove. I would be the parent that was encouraging without yelling or making him feel like driving was the hardest thing to do. He would look back on this time and feel grateful that his mom made this time less scary. Long story short, at one point we were headed to County Farm Road (if you don’t know what that is, it is a REALLY busy road) because he missed a turn I told him to take and I put my foot on the dashboard, you know…on the brake I wish was there, covered my eyes and screamed, “OH MY GOD, WE’RE GOING TO DIE!!!” I didn’t see that there was one more turn we could make before getting there. I freaked again when a cop car was behind us and when we passed a party that had cars parked on both sides of the road leaving a narrow road and a car was behind him so he went a little faster than I would have liked. He did really well. It was me that didn’t. Leo took him later and he drove to Target and back so there you go. At some point, he is going to ask me to let him drive to Target and back and I’m going to have to let him do it. Is it possible for me to avoid him until he gets his license?

Remember how I said getting Nico up was a problem? We bought him this high-techy iPod alarm so that he could charge his phone and wake up on time. It has been going off every ten minutes. We read the directions and can’t seem to figure it out. This, my friends, is what we call KARMA.

Today was the first day that I can remember that Leo and Nico left on time. So far, I love the hard to understand, might be broken alarm.

I didn’t get my day this weekend and I am not sure I will this week but this Mother’s Day? It’s going to be spent exactly how I want. I’m going to sleep in, spend some time with the kids, they are going to go to Leo’s mom’s while I go to Barnes and Noble and then I’ll meet up with them again at my sister’s to celebrate my mom. And that, my friends, is a day well spent!

What about you? Ever been asked to leave a game by your child? Any driving with teen tips? How are you hoping to spend your Mother’s Day?

Filed Under: Family, Nico, Random Thoughts, Tommy 18 Comments

Six Thoughts for Saturday

May 4, 2013 By AnnMarie

When I use numbers, it’s easier for me to narrow down what I am thinking about. Otherwise, I’ll write like I talk and that is a lot.

1. I really, really love our dentist, Dr. Dykes and my kids’ orthodontist, Dr. Golden. I think they are the most trustworthy people in the dental field. Both could take us for a lot of money because what do I know about teeth? They never do things just because they can. They always do what is best for the patient. I will forever be grateful to Dr. Dykes for sending me to get my tongue looked at. It ended up a little bit of a nightmare but had I not gotten it taken care of, it could have been a lot worse. Belle and Nico both have cavities and need fillings but I am rest assured that they truly need them because he’s been watching those areas for a little bit and they haven’t gone away. Dr. Golden saw both Tommy and Isabella and said at this time, they do not need braces. I thought for sure that they were going to. Right there, $10,000 saved.

2. I am soooo behind on reading blogs. I am hoping to catch up tonight. I’m buying myself some wine to sit, read and enjoy. Please know that if you haven’t seen me around, it’s only because I am insanely busy. I try to read blogs from my phone while in carpool lines or dentist’s offices but can’t comment on them. I miss you all!

3. I need someone who has or had teenagers to please tell me how you get them to MOVE. I am very close to buying 5 alarm clocks and setting them myself to get Nico to wake up and get a move on. It is causing major issues over here, one being that I am mad at him all the time. Am I not supposed to say that? Is he going to read this years from now and feel bad? Um…I don’t really care because at the moment, he changes the atmosphere in this house. I can’t turn around and play Doc McStuffins with a smile on my face when I just finished yelling for Nico to get in the shower or do his treatment for the 5th time.

4. I need prayers that the surgeon can fit Nico’s surgery in sooner than the July 15th date they gave me. I see him on Friday and Nico sounds awful. I don’t know how to get him some relief. Meds aren’t working and unless I am up his butt, he doesn’t do what he is supposed to. In case you haven’t figured it out, Nico is a little exhausting these days.

5. We just got back from the ER. Yes, you read that right. Belle and Gia were running away from an ANT and Belle accidentally tripped Gia, who fell on her face. You know how they say the head and the mouth bleed a lot? They aren’t kidding. Blood everywhere. And after 15 years at this gig, did I stay calm? No, I did not. I panicked so much so that Nico, just like Leo kept telling me to stop freaking out and it was ridiculous to take her to the ER. Isn’t that lovely to hear from my 15-year-old when I am mid-panic? Plus I am getting no Mother of the Year award for not reassuring Belle that it was okay and was an accident. It would have helped if she didn’t call me or text me every two minutes while I was gone, with the nurse or with the doctor. When I finally talked to her and told her that it was okay and was an accident, she insisted that it was not. It was like banging my already throbbing head against a wall.

6. This week was a tough one. Leo was gone. Dentist appointments galore. Running around from one carpool to the next. Finding out the boys need surgery. A frustrated teen. Unexpected basketball games. A canceled birthday celebration (an example of walking the walk after talking the talk…your party, you help…you don’t help, no party). So, I decided that I am not going to go to any games this weekend. Leo is going to them all. And I don’t feel one ounce of guilt. Thank you L.B. for freeing me of it. My house looks like a battleground, I can’t remember the last time I washed my hair (yep, that bad of a week) and there is a headache lurking that I’m afraid if I go to any sporting events will develop into a full-blown migraine.

I’m looking forward to next week. Tomorrow is a new day with a fresh start. It seems strange already thinking of tomorrow’s fresh start when it is only 1:30 in the afternoon. Strange or sad?

What are some of your thoughts on this Saturday?

Filed Under: chaos, Family, Gia, Odd things that happen in my family, Random Thoughts, Uncategorized 20 Comments

Indiana

April 22, 2013 By AnnMarie

I am going to start by saying, “Leo, I am sorry that I wrote angry the other day. I still HATE the poker club but I appreciate that you drove us to Indiana.” See, several things happened for the weekend to have shaken down the way it did.

1. I am a big freaking baby.

2. We had a huge rainstorm that lasted a few days causing the surrounding towns to be flooded (our town was in a state of emergency but luckily, we were fine) and several roads to be shut down. All I had to see was a few highways shut down for me to go into a panic about getting stuck and the plan changed.

3. I am a big freaking baby.

Okay so maybe not several things but maybe 2 things. Nico and Belle went with friends of ours earlier and then Tommy, Gia and me went at 11:30 when Leo got home from poker (sadly, he did not come in first). We did not get into our hotel until 4:00am and had to be up at 7 for Nico’s game. Rather than give you a play-by-play, I’ll do an old school run down.

B is for basketball and a lot of it. I saw only two of Nico’s games but thanks to Leo and Nico saw many, many more games than that. You know what I like about watching kids I don’t know play basketball while occupying Gia and Belle? Nothing.

A is for all of the money we spent on concessions and fast food. I think the healthiest thing Gia ate all weekend was a Snickers (that is healthy because of the nuts, right?).

S is for swimming. I took the kids swimming while Leo went to watch more games. Belle lasted a whole ten minutes before she was done watching Gia and we spent the next 45 minutes fighting about how if she would just play with her for a little bit longer, she’ll want to get out and then Belle could do whatever she wanted. The last thing I wanted to do was get in the pool with a bunch of teenage kids.

K is for kicking and screaming which is what happened in our hotel room and the car the entire time (or when they were awake).

E is for eating. I think we set some kind of record for eating junk. I didn’t even go to dinner with the team because Gia was so crabby and Nico was not wanting her to go. He said he hates when she throws a fit and people stare at us. This makes me laugh and wish I had video of some of his fits that he threw at restaurants and how I felt the same way and like I had to, he needs to get over it.

T is for terrible refs. In all the years I have watched basketball games (from going with my dad to the games he coached, going with him when he scouted games, cheering in high school for it, watching the guy I dated play it, watching Leo play in several leagues, watching Nico and now Tommy, there have been a ton), the refs at this tournament were the worst. Just awful. On the first day, they didn’t call anything and it was a free for all. The second day, the game took twice as long because the whistle blew constantly and at one point, we had 10 fouls and the other team had 1. It was so unfairly reffed (is that a word?) that the boys couldn’t even play basketball. It was awful.

B is for being short. I cannot believe how short I am. When you attend a basketball tournament where teams come from all over and are 15, 16 and 17 years old, there are some TALL kids. I felt like how a mouse must feel in a crowd of giraffes. And Gia? She walked through a couple of players’ legs. If I was a mouse, she was an ant. It’s funny because I never feel short until I am around high school basketball players. What is up with that? I don’t remember the guys I went to high school with being that big. I mean there were some but not this many.

A is for angry. Put six people in a room that sleeps 3 and you get six angry people. Nico was so tired. It was partly our fault. I don’t think he slept well waiting for us to get there and then when he did finally fall asleep, we woke him up to get in because he double-bolted the room. For the record, I was a nervous wreck with them staying in the room alone until we got there and kept in touch by texting constantly. They were only alone from 11-4 but no one got any sleep. Our friends were right by them and did a good job of taking care of them. Belle and Tommy had to sleep in sleeping bags on the floor so you can imagine the moods they were in. Keeping a 3-year-old who hasn’t slept very much in a tight space for two days is a sure-fire way to get an angry kid. She kept saying, “I want to go downstairs” (we were on the first floor).

L is for Leo. He got us there safe and sound and didn’t complain at all when I wanted him to either come get me to go to Nico’s games or wanted him to take me back. I’m not sure what was up with his GPS but he kept going in the wrong direction. I wish I had a dime for each time I heard, “Hmmm…I’m going the wrong way” right before a swift U-turn. Again, if it was me, who knows where we would have ended up so I am not at all complaining. Oh, and each time we got to where we were going, he would say, “Hmmm…I think this was actually faster.” Every.Single.Time. (For the record, it was not faster.)

L is for lucky. Nico has a great team with great families. I enjoyed watching the games so much because of the people I was sitting with. I never advocate getting kicked out of a game but the one game I went to where it was so heavily one-sided was only tolerable because of the other parents. It helps that some of the parents are as loud as Leo so I am not the only wife cringing. I think Nico is very lucky to have this experience with these coaches and these boys. I feel very lucky that we all got to see him play in this tournament.

I almost made this word “Basketbally” so I could have a Y is for yelling because though at Disney, I am a “yes parent”, in Indiana, I am a “no parent” which led to a lot of yelling.

It’s always nice to get away but next time, I want a room with two full beds and a fridge. And next time, Nico is going to have to get over Gia throwing a fit because I am going out to eat. And I am going to have the biggest margarita the restaurant serves because vacationing for tournaments warrants a stiff drink from time to time.

Filed Under: basketball, Family, Vacation 19 Comments

What Might Have Been

April 7, 2013 By AnnMarie

Today Rocco would have been 5 years old. I don’t know for sure if this would have been his birthday since it was only my due date but it is the only date that I have. That’s not entiredly true. I have the date I delivered him but I hate that date. That date doesn’t remind me of what could have been. That date is all about feeling my heart break in a million pieces. I am crabby around that date. Today, in the quiet of my room, I allow myself to be sad. Not for long and not enough that my kids or Leo feel it but quietly, I think of these things:

This date makes me think of a little boy with blond hair and green eyes that won’t get to be tucked in tonight.

This date makes me think of not dropping that little boy off at preschool tomorrow morning.

It makes me think of the little boy I won’t get to cuddle with and say, “Today, you are 5! You are getting too big!”

It makes me think of little league games I will miss.

It makes me think of how I won’t get to hug that little 5-year-old and smell that little boy smell (you know the one that smells like a wet dog) after he plays catch with Leo in the back yard.

It makes me wonder what being a mom of 5 kids feels like.

It makes me think of a little brother that would adore his two big brothers, be mothered by his older sister and be bothered by his little sister.

Or would they be best buds playing Legos and pretend animal games or super hero games?

Would Gia be a different kind of child if she had a sibling closer to her age?

Would I be a different kind of mom if Rocco lived?

Do I miss him? That is hard to say because he was never here.

I miss the idea of him. I live with a lot of “might have beens” and that hurts.

Sometimes I dream of him. Or at least I assume it’s him. A little blond boy with green eyes that looks like Tommy.

I hope I dream of him tonight and I hope I get to tell him that I love him because I do and I wish I could give him a hug and a kiss after I told him, “Happy Birthday.”

Filed Under: Family, Uncategorized 43 Comments

Say Cheese!

April 3, 2013 By AnnMarie

We are the worst at taking family pictures. And that bums me out because it’s important to me to have a family picture at family parties or events. I love looking through them to see how we have all changed and how the kids have grown (I do not enjoy seeing how I have ). It always starts and ends up the same. Complaining and whining from the older kids in the beginning and then yelling, sweating (sometimes a pinch or two) and everyone mad at everyone involved. I’ve decided to share so that some good can come from it. A laugh or two:

First there is finding the person to take the picture. If it is anyone from the generation above me, there is an explanation of how the camera works and a for sure, “Oh, wait…where do I look? Uh, the screen is black. What did I do? What is this green box? So I hold it half-way and then what? Ooops, I took the picture. I didn’t know that was going to happen.”

The oops one.

Then there is the one where everyone looks okay except for Leo but it was too far:

So you tell the person you want it closer:

Yes, this was a second try at closer. You can tell by Belle’s head.

So you say, “CLOSER, PLEASE”:

Not bad but what is Belle doing and why is Leo smiling like a frumpazoid?

Not bad but why is Tommy sideways and Belle has a better smile than that. And why is Leo smiling like a frumpazoid? And why is there a line through my face?

And then we tried again:

Okay, cuter smile on Belle but still frumpazoid on Leo and now Nico’s one eye is closed. And why is it so grainy?

I just knew we could get a better picture so maybe closer would work better:

Oh, good, everyone is smiling but wait…we can’t really see Gia and why, why sunburn line, just why?

Let’s try again. One more time:

Stick your head out Gia. Good. Wait...we lost Nico.

Stick your head out, Gia. Good. Finally. Wait…we lost Nico and there is that unfortunate sunburn line showing again. Darn.

After this picture, there were beads of sweat on my forehead and possibly on Leo’s as well. I didn’t even include the pictures that were taken on accident because the person held it down too long and I forgot to switch it out of “sports mode”. Let’s just say, it was like watching a mini-movie with all the frames of the slow movement. And there were a lot of them. I’m not going to lie, there was yelling and arguing and maybe a tear or two by me for failing at something I wanted so badly which led to this:

Someone was in a horrible mood after.

In case you wanted another chuckle, this was what happened when I tried to get a family picture while we were looking for eggs:

Do I really have to explain why I don’t like this one? Nico and Tommy (in case I do).

Nico, Nico, Nico. He hates taking pictures but is the reason we have to do so many over.

And then everyone moving and Gia deciding she is done so we get the blurry one that was inevitable at some point.

And then I tried to get one as we were leaving to go home:

No explanation necessary.

One last time:

Really?

I quit.

Jody Byas, please tell me you are still taking pictures and that you’ll take ours again. Soon before I give up forever. Help a woman who just wants a decent family picture.

Tell me it’s not just my family or just tell me that my personal torture made you laugh so that something good came from it.

No Related Posts

Filed Under: chaos, Family, Holidays 27 Comments

Essence of Now: Spring Break and Easter

April 2, 2013 By AnnMarie

One of the more discouraging parts of Spring Break was that I brought my point and shoot camera that is a little ancient. I was frustrated that the memory card wasn’t big enough so I thought I would just run to Target and get a new one. Well, since it is ancient, they no longer sell the memory cards that my camera takes and I bought the wrong one. Huge bummer that I only had the camera from my phone. Nico, being the typical boy teen hates when I take his picture and it showed all over our Easter pics. Probably an overload of pictures but I wanted to get them both in.

Spring Break:

An airport shot where everyone is happy to be off the plane and in Miami.

Tell me again why we live in the Midwest?

This is all Nico wanted to do, not that I blame him.

Leo and my first date night. Legal Sea Food and Barnes and Noble. My happy place. Nico

is thrilled to be in the picture.

What? Did you want pictures of the plane ride home where Gia screamed for 45 minutes and strangers felt compelled to stop and ask me if I tried certain things to get her to stop? Because I love that they think I haven’t thought of giving her candy or letting her play with my phone. Did you want a picture of Nico asking me in frustration, “What does she want?” Um, my dear son, if I knew, don’t you think I’d give it to her?!

Easter:

Three people and a reluctant dad awake and ready to go find eggs.

And one not so much.

This little one came in first.

This one came in second and we’re not sure why in the world,

Leo is making that face. Because every Easter morning needs a troll face?

This one was third, though there was some mix-up with Gia taking one of his eggs so he couldn’t find it.

This one doesn’t care that he was last.

Candy for breakfast! Should be great while we are sitting in church and the sugar crash comes.

Tune in tomorrow when I show you what happens when I try to get a family picture. I promise, you’ll get a good laugh. Jody, are you reading this? Come see and then please help. Until then, here are a few that did turn out:

Someone LOVES to be dressed up. Yay!

My mom and the girls. How cute is my mom?

Yep. That’s as good as it got. I’m telling you. Tune in tomorrow.

How was your Easter and are your kids better at taking pictures than mine are? Some of these are like the 5th takes.

Linking up with My Time as Mom and Mama Track:

Spring Break 2013: Forgiveness

Filed Under: Essence of Now, Family, Holidays 19 Comments

Spring Break 2013: Forgiveness

March 30, 2013 By AnnMarie

We headed to Florida to stay with Leo’s mom and step-dad. I know I said I wasn’t going to do that ever again but Gia is older, Nico is older and I am not the same person I was two years ago. We left Monday afternoon and came back Friday afternoon. Pictures to come in a post later this week.

I’ll spare you the details of the stress of the plane ride with it starting out with us not having seats together at all. You see, we did but then the airline canceled our flight only to reschedule it for the same time but they didn’t give us our same seats. Can you imagine Gia sitting by two strangers? Can you imagine the horror the two strangers would feel? After many discussions, Leo came to the rescue once again and the problem was fixed.

I could talk about the difficulties of keeping everyone happy being the ages that they are. I could talk about the fact that Leo is the only one tan since he used an entire can of SPF 30 sunscreen. The rest of us either stupidly used 15 on the first day (me) or 50 (the kids) and burned to a crisp. Can someone tell me how someone can burn using 50 because I thought I was doing the right thing? I could talk about all the time Leo took to go fishing or all the bonding time Gia and I got because we never get to do that at home (can you hear the sarcasm dripping from the words). I could talk about how Belle kept talking about people when they were still within earshot.

I could talk about how Leo and I had about a half hour alone the whole trip. Leo’s mom and Arnie are so good about giving Leo and me some alone time to go to dinner or go see a movie or go to Barnes and Noble but this trip was different. Nico was having a tough time. He’s at that age where all he wanted to do was go to the pool and didn’t want to do the things that the twins wanted to do or the things they usually do so he went with Leo and me on our first date night. We went to Barnes and Noble after dinner where I felt a little rushed and didn’t get any writing done since Nico was tired from being out in the sun all day.

We spent a lot of time at the pool which I loved. After burning the day before, I put 50 on and tried to keep the burned parts covered but in the end, I ended up with splotches of burnt patches all over. I’d post a picture but you’ll have to take my word for it when I say, “It’s not a good look.”

On our third night and second date night, Gia came with us. To say it was a night cut short is an understatement. We ate at the mall and then went to Barnes and Noble again for another shot at writing but with Gia there, there was no way.

What I do want to talk about on this eve of Easter is forgiveness and how it was the main theme of this vacation and what a hard path it is to take. I have been angry and frustrated for far too long and for things that have happened over the course of 20 years. I had reached a point where I was tired of feeling bitter and resentful. A quote that made a lot of sense to me was from Joyce Meyer,

“Harboring unforgiveness is like drinking poison and hoping your enemy will
die! Unforgiveness poisons anyone who holds it, causing him to become
bitter. And it is impossible to be bitter and get better at the same
time!“

I tried. I really tried. I was laid back. I was easy-going. I let things roll off my back. Little by little every boundary that I had worked hard to build over the years was crossed. Letting it roll off my back was getting old and feeling like “I gave and inch and a foot was taken” was settling in. It was rough because my kids and Leo knew that I was turning over a new leaf but my kids still felt the need to tell me EVERYTHING. And that takes its toll. Hearing things that aren’t true. Being blamed for things that are not my fault. All without defending myself or saying something. It was not a horrible time and I feel good that I gave it my all. I learned things about myself. I am capable of letting things go. I have no patience for dramatics of any sort. I enjoy spending time with Leo and the kids. I can only do short spurts of time. Forgiving is hard. After years of hurts, it has to be a conscious choice to forgive. You have to be able to look at the person that is hurting you and choose to see things differently. You have to be able to say, “In the grand scheme of things, does this really matter?” If it doesn’t, then let it go. I feel lighter. Happier. Even in the end when those feelings started to resurface, my good friend, Pam reminded me that “Rome was not built in a day. Baby steps” and I, for one am glad I took them.

What about you? Is there someone that if you forgave them, you’d feel lighter, happier? Why let them steal one more day of joy from you? There isn’t? Then just tell me how your spring break was. I’ve missed you guys!

**In case you are wondering, this post was approved by Leo.

Essence of Now: Spring Break and Easter

Filed Under: Family, Vacation 26 Comments

Essence of Now: Weekend Update

February 25, 2013 By AnnMarie

After the week I had with Nico being sick and then Tommy and Belle’s appointment being such a fiasco, I was really hoping for a nice, quiet weekend and for the most part, it was. The weekends just aren’t relaxing anymore.

Friday:

Tommy had a game in Elmhurst that I didn’t go to. I had planned on going but the weather wasn’t that great and I didn’t want to bring Gia because when she goes, I don’t get to see the game anyway. I have to make more of an effort, get a babysitter or suck it up and bring her and see what I can. Now that Nico’s season is over and there is some time before his next phase of basketball, hopefully this won’t even be an issue. Belle went over to a friend’s house so Nico, Gia and I ordered Chinese food and I got to see Gia loving Nico because no one else was around. Normally, he aggravates her until she screams and then asks, “Why doesn’t she love me?”

Teaching her how to blow bubbles with a straw.

Saturday:

It was Nico’s last two games of his freshmen year. Both were so exciting. One was to a team that played dirty and got called on some of their elbowing and grabbing. I love when that happens. Their fans were a bunch of “alpha males” yelling things the entire game so when we won, it was especially sweet. The second game was to a team that previously beat us badly and beating them meant we would win the whole tournament and we did! It was a great way to end the season.

Taken with my phone so not the best.

The phone camera is not good at action shots but still a cool picture.

After that we went to my sister’s for my nephew’s birthday. I would have loved to have gotten a picture of Tommy and Gino but the minute we get there, those two go off and aren’t seen or heard from until it’s time to go home. I did, however get a picture of Gia and her other bff, my nephew, Frankie.

They are only 3 months apart. Gia is a little shorty, like me.

And Frankie’s dad, my brother-in-law, Santo and Leo:

Sunday:

We finally had a day where we had no sports obligations. Isabella and I went to church and then Leo and I went on our weekly date to Target. It’s the one day I let myself have a hot chocolate and other than talking about our finances in the home improvement aisle, I really enjoy it. Target, hot chocolate and Leo, three of my favorite things. While there, Leo has a habit of wandering off and spending an insane amount of time contemplating whether he should buy something. It’s been a running joke that if left alone, he would spend a half hour picking out buns or hot sauce or even ketchup. Honestly, the extra 50 cents that I would spend just buying the name brand would be worth it for the time wasted deciding. This Sunday, we needed to buy a new garbage can for our kitchen. Seriously, that is 45 minutes that I’ll never get back and I know more about the different kinds than I ever wanted to. I had to make sure that we didn’t even pass the electronics department because he has been known to get lost looking at TVs and we aren’t anywhere near needing a new one.

Leo, so focused on what was on sale in the men’s department that he didn’t even know I was taking the picture:

Hmmm…do I need this shirt? Is it a good deal? Do I already have it?

Picking out the perfect garbage can:

This is all very confusing. Swing top or pivot top? Black or white? Maybe step on? It could be disastrous if we screw this up since we will have this for the next ten years.

Up this week: Volleyball game, volleyball practice, basketball practices, baseball practices, dance classes and a teen that will be home every day at 2:30 ready to eat dinner.

What about you? How was your weekend? Any big plans this week?

Linking up with My Time as Mom and Mama Track for:

Filed Under: Essence of Now, Family 27 Comments

Tidbits from the Weekend

February 11, 2013 By AnnMarie

It was a busy one. A good one but really busy.

Friday, we had the CF fundraiser and let’s just say that the night started with us getting to the place an hour and a half later than I wanted. For those of you that know me and know how I hate being late anywhere, you can guess what kind of mood that started the night off with. I had to run through the tasting part but did get to meet Fabio from Top Chef. People weren’t really taking pictures with him so I didn’t even ask plus, at that point, I was starving so it was more about the race to taste everything. I was basically a teenage boy who is so hungry, they grab at food, shoving it in their mouth not taking caution of how hot it is and burning the whole inside of their mouth. I did it every.single.time. Unlike last year, I didn’t get many pictures. I only took one of Leo and me.

A lot of money was raised and I only had to leave the room once so that I wouldn’t get upset in front of people so other than me hating being dressed up because my feet will never be the same, it was a nice evening. Thanks, Deo and Gina! (Gina, you look FABULOUS!!!)

Saturday, I opted not to go to any basketball games and instead cleaned the house for the sitters that were coming. And if they are reading this, yes, it was messier than what you saw. I tried to catch up on laundry and keep Gia on a schedule so that she wouldn’t be horrible for the sitters. This translates to her wanting lots of Lego® towers and several tea parties and no nap. I missed Nico’s game where someone had said it was his best yet (of course because I am at every other one) and Tommy’s where he got beat up pretty bad. He’s usually on the side of “lost by 1 or lost by 2″. Poor kid. Dinner was filled with so many laughs that my stomach hurt. It was so good to catch up and have an easy night of eating and drinking and talking. Our kids might be different ages and our lives might be upside down crazy but it was like time had stood still and we were right back to when we were in our 20′s. I needed that. I think Leo needed that, too. I say it all the time but there is something about being with people who knew you before “life” happened. Something inside of you clicks and you remember who you used to be before kids or marriage and if you miss that person, it feels good to revisit her. It makes going back to “life” a little easier. Thanks, Heather and Andrew for babysitting! The kids love you guys.

Sunday came and I was in charge of Tommy’s team’s uniform fitting. Yes, my friends, we have already started baseball. It was good to see the families again and it went off without a hitch but all I wanted to do after was crawl in bed. It was raining and cold and I felt heavy. I couldn’t put my finger on why but I felt like the last thing I wanted to do was head out to a basketball game but I had no excuse and Tommy wanted me to go. Youth basketball…brings out all the uglies. Sit a bunch of parents in the stands from both teams and it gets UGLY. I am happy to say that our team is filled with a bunch of down to earth parents that remembers that these kids are 11. The other team…not so much. We moved to the other side pretty quickly but not before I saw that one of the moms was a mean girl from high school. Did she recognize me? I have no idea. For a moment, it seemed like she might have but I wasn’t going to go out of my way to say anything since she was a “louder” mom. What is amazing to me is that when I saw her, my mind went right back to when I was 16 and she embarrassed me in front of our whole math class. She asked really loudly in front of the class if I liked a certain boy and then laughed and said that he didn’t like me which made everyone in the class start laughing. Funny thing was, I was friends with the boy she was talking about and I already had a boyfriend which is what I said at the time but she still embarrassed me and I still remember it. Years later she tried to get a job in my district. I didn’t do anything to make sure she didn’t get one but I wasn’t upset when she didn’t. And there we sat with our kids playing against each other. Tommy’s team won. Tommy had two bloody noses from kids throwing elbows but our team played fair and won in overtime. I think the victory was that much sweeter since the other team (one that is from a town that is notorious for beating everyone) was filled with people who were yelling while our kids were at the free throw line. THEY ARE 11!

After I got home, I felt that heavy feeling again. And then it hit me…I think I’m getting sick. My body ached, my throat wasn’t horrible but I could feel a sore throat coming on, my nose was stuffed and my head…my head felt like there was a little drummer behind my eyes. I was hoping to just lay down with Gia and go to sleep but she and Belle kept goofing around so I left and went to bed. Just left the house the way it was (not good) and went to bed. Gia eventually fell asleep, Tommy and Leo came home from his second game and everyone got their homework done and went to bed but I don’t remember any of it. I was in bed, sore and achy praying that I’d feel better today because unlike anyone else in this family, I don’t get a sick day.

When I woke up this morning, I thought, I am not sick, I am not sick, I am not sick, today will be pajama and movie day but I am not sick. I can’t be sick. Belle has a volleyball game tonight. I’ll pop a Sudafed 12 hour and be fine but it definitely has me thinking about the days when I could hunker down in bed, have my mom bring me food and emerge a few days later feeling all better.

Can I get another weekend day to recover from this weekend?

What about you? How was your weekend?

Filed Under: basketball, Cystic Fibrosis, Family, Random Thoughts, Tommy 28 Comments

5 Things Making Me Happy Right Now

February 6, 2013 By AnnMarie

Happiness. After this week, I cannot wait for it to come to me. I need to go find it. I need to choose to be happy because it is weeks like this past one that do me in. Send me on a downward spiral. I’m not going to let that happen because I am going to focus on what is making me happy right at this moment.

1. Gia is potty-trained! Dear God in Heaven, if there is a silver-lining in that child being sick all week, it is this. I thought about it last night and wondered if I am sad at all at her reaching this milestone. She is still wearing diapers at night and Pull-ups for naps (though these days, the naps are far and few between) but am I sad that she is getting bigger and is no longer a baby? Hmmm….NOPE! Not this one. Just plain relieved and happy to have this one done. I keep thinking about how I am going to spend all the extra money now that we aren’t buying diapers as often and then I remember that I have 3 other money-suckers. I will not elaborate on this because before I dug my heels in and did it, I hated reading about other kids that were potty-trained. I felt like there was a 1000lb weight on me to do it with every announcement. I will just say, it wasn’t as bad as I thought.

Did you hear the news? I don’t wear diapers anymore!

2. Watching Belle play volleyball. I know I was complaining that we added yet another sport to our already crazy schedule but I have now been to two games and I don’t care if she ever plays competitively, she glows when she is out there. She smiles as big as when she is on a field cheering or a stage dancing and she looks like she is having a blast. After years of the boys playing travel something with so much of the focus on win, win, win, it is so refreshing to sit in the stands and watch kids having fun.

It’s a little blurry since she was supposed to be practicing and not posing for a picture for her mom’s blog.

3. Nico being grounded. While I am not happy about the reasons why, I am thrilled not to have to worry about what he is doing, who he is with, how he’s getting there, and how he’s getting home. I was worried that such a harsh punishment would cause him to stay angry and withdraw but it hasn’t. We’ve had some great conversations and though it isn’t all rainbows and happiness, I pray that he is learning that there are consequences for his actions and that we aren’t going to go back on our word. I have said it before and I’ll say it again, this is the hardest stage of parenting for me and I wish I had known then what I know now. I would have totally enjoyed the stages before (well at least before tweendom).

It’s a little dark but he was being a good brother by sitting with Gia while she tried to fall asleep. If he wasn’t grounded, no way he would have been there.

4. Tommy is a self-starter. He is my only one. Tommy might seem like he is off in “LaLa Land” but he has got a really good head on his shoulders. He comes home, gets his homework done (without any help), does his treatment and gets himself ready for practice all without being told (well, he might need to be told once but that is nothing compared to how much nagging goes on with the others). What is even better is that he’s figured out that if he pays attention in school and works hard there, he can have an easier time here at home and that taking tests is a breeze. With him being absent several days last week because he was sick, him being a self-starter makes me happy because it relieves a lot of stress in him catching up.

5. I have big plans this weekend. Normally, I am a “do nothing” kinda gal but after being cooped up in this house for so long, I am ready to get out and have some adult conversation. Leo and I are attending Chef’s Gala again this year with my sister, Gina and brother-in-law, Deo. I plan on throwing caution to the wind and eating my way through the night and starting my 17 Day Diet on Sunday. I was planning on wearing the same outfit I did last year but after reading about the shoes, I remember the pain and might have to find something else. On Saturday we are having dinner with friends of ours that I love, love, love that we don’t get to see very often because we have six kids between us at all different ages and doing all different activities. We grew up with them, vacationed with them all the time, spent almost every weekend with them when we were dating, married and had Nico and miss them terribly. Everyone needs couples in their lives that knew them before the roller coaster of parenting hit and that no matter what life hands you or how busy life gets, if you need them, in a heartbeat, they are there and Adam and Lisa, if you are reading, you are one of ours. We cannot wait to see you guys!

This is going to be my “go-to” picture whenever I am excited about anything and I am excited to spend time with adults this weekend.

I love starting my day thinking of what makes me happy instead of the 400 things I need to do and how I don’t want to do 399 of them. I forgot to add one teeny-tiny thing that is making me happy: Tonight is my Barnes and Noble night!!! Yahoo!

On a side note, those of you that comment, I am just wondering, do you have to subscribe to my comments in order to see my response to your comment or does it automatically come to you in your email? Those that might be shy about commenting because they aren’t sure how, you just have to put your name (any name, yours, your blog, a username you use), an email (and it doesn’t even have to be a real one and I am the only one that sees it) and you don’t need a website. In case you are reading and were unsure of how to comment, WP makes it easier to comment, I think. At least I hope I am one of the blogs that is easy to comment on. You guys will have to let me know.

What about you? What is making you happy today?

Feeling glass half-full and pouring my heart out with Shell :

Filed Under: Family, Gia, Isabella, Nico, Pour Your Heart Out, Tommy 34 Comments

Weekend Funnies

Related Posts:

Six Thoughts for Saturday

Related Posts:

Indiana

Related Posts:

What Might Have Been

Related Posts:

Say Cheese!

Related Posts:

Essence of Now: Spring Break and Easter

Related Posts:

Spring Break 2013: Forgiveness

Related Posts:

Essence of Now: Weekend Update

Related Posts:

Tidbits from the Weekend

Related Posts:

5 Things Making Me Happy Right Now

Related Posts:

Let’s Connect!

About Me

Straight to your inbox

Grab It:

My Family

Archives

Find me on Facebook

Proud Member:

If you like what you read, click below and vote for me!