Thursday, July 31, 2008

No more "Manny being Manny"

See you later, you arrogant, yet awesome hitter, you.

Tuesday, July 29, 2008

My son, the copycat!

Nik is working out in the basement and I went down to see if Dougie was down there with him, and this is what I found...Dougie was trying to copy everything Nik did...unfortunately, he's not big enough to do some of it! The push ups are my favorite part, he barely moves off the ground, but still makes the grunting noises! Silly Boy!


Monday, July 28, 2008

Happy Day!

Today marks weeks 28 in my pregnancy. I'm in the third trimester and I can *see* the light at the end of the tunnel. This past weekend was stressful and Sunday was just awful. I went to my 10 year high school reunion and spent the day talking about myself. I'd much rather be talking about my kids or my job than just about me (and having to say the same things over and over wasn't very fun either.) Overall, it was a pretty good reunion, the weather was nice, we had a good turnout and at least I wasn't the only pregnant one there (5 ups for Julie!).

Sunday was just a down day. I don't really know how to explain it any other way. I was just down. It was raining, Dougie was moody and Nik was going to the movies with Jamie. There wasn't really anything I could do except wait for the day to be over. When Dougie got up from his nap around 4:15 he just sat upstairs and cried. I had NO IDEA what was wrong with him and he couldn't tell me. He just kept saying "No, Mommy!" He stayed upstair for a good 20 minutes before I coaxed him to come down...still crying. Since my pregnancy hormones were in full swing yesterday, I sat on the couch and cried with him. He finally snapped out of it (and so did I) and we went to the grocery store (Through some of the worst thunderstorms I've driven through in a long time!) and got some sherbet.

Of course, there was no electricity when we got home, but we had a nice, family, candlelight dinner at the table!

It's amazing what a little retail therapy will do! This morning I set out to Motherhood to look for some sales and I found two really cute shirts on sale for $9.99! I am so happy! After that, Dougie and I went to Barnes and Noble. Dougie played with the trains and I looked at books for my class...I have $300 bucks to spend, but I want to spend it VERY wisely. I'm in desperate need of literature circle books....so I'm going to make a list and ask for help when I go back. I decided to head over to school to see if Jerry was there to talk about my long term sub...he was and he just about made my day! Not only are we getting the ball rolling to get me a sub, he also told me that he ordered a computer for my classroom! This was the best news I heard all week! For those of you who might not know how my school budget works, every October/November I have to submit my "budget". I was told when I was first hired to put everything you could imagine on your budget and that the administration will cut where they think is necessary. I have a laptop that the district provides to each teacher, but other than that I have NO classroom computer. We have access to computers on wheels (COWs), they have about 25 laptops that are mobile and can go into any classroom, but I wanted a computer that could stay in my classroom all the time that the kids would have access to. Jerry told me today that he had to fight for it, but that it was ordered last week! HOORAY! I'm so excited. It doesn't sound like much, but I am THRILLED!

Friday, July 25, 2008

We've hit a milestone, of sorts.

This morning Dougie let me sleep in until 8:15. I am really starting to LOVE Fridays. Nik is now working a 4-day work week, so he had every Friday off. It gives us a lot of family time on the weekends! Since I went out with my mom last night (we got pedicures and we out to dinner, yum!) we didn't get to do groceries. So at about 9:30, Dougie and woke up Daddy and decided to head out to run some errands. That's when we made the decision...it was time, Dougie needed his first haircut!

After we got groceries we headed over to Hair Excitement. Dougie liked watching the "water".



Even though he kept telling us he was going to be a "big boy" and sit in the chair, when the time came, he decided he would rather not...



But Rebecca, the hair stylist, knew exactly what to do! She got a really cool animal themed apron AND a lollipop. Now, we're a GO!





With his lollipop in hand, Rebecca wet down his hair and began to cut it, she gave me his first curl that she cut and she understood that I still wanted him to look like a little boy, and NOT a little man. She told me she'd give him a trim and still leave some of his curls...Momma was happy!



Dougie was being so good, I didn't want to say anything to jinx it! He just sat there, eating his lollipop and watching her cut his hair in the mirror.











By the time we were ready to go, Dougie was a pro! He looks about a year older to me and Nik, but I think he also looks super cute! Here's the final product!

Tuesday, July 22, 2008

No words...

I had to catch a bat that was flying around my room last night. It was not fun.

Sunday, July 20, 2008

If you work in a Children's store...

Shouldn't you be able to read the body language of a frustrated mother?

When Hayley and I were checking out, I decided I needed a little bit of chocolate for the ride home. To set the scene, there were two people at cash registers and the line was taking FOR EVER to move. We had TWO tired toddlers with us who were ready to go and very small purchases to make. I only had M&Ms and Dougie was holding them, being VERY patient (as patient as a two year old can be!)

Well, I get to the cashier and hand her the M&Ms, Dougie started crying because he thought I was taking them away from him. I tried telling him I just had to pay for them, but he was SO overtired at this point he just went into hysterics. You would think that this lady would continue to cash me out quickly but instead she asked me some of the DUMBEST questions...here is how it all went down..Remember, Dougie is crying hysterically throughout this ENTIRE thing.

"Is this all for you today? -Lady
"Yes" -Me
"Did you find everything alright? -Lady
"Yes" -Me
"Is there anything else I could have helped you with today?" -Lady
"No, thank you." -Me
"Do you need any batteries with your purchase?" -Lady
"No, THANK YOU!" -Me
"Okay, that's $1.19, please swipe your card" -Lady
So, I swipe my card and start to put it away.
"I need to see your card to verify your signature." -Lady
"Okay," -Me (So I hand her my card)
"I can't see the signature, do you have an ID?" -Lady
"Yes, here you go" -Me
"Thank you, you should really think about signing your card again, Ma'am, I couldn't see your last name." -Lady
"Okay, Thank you." -Me
THEN, she turns to my son and says, "What's wrong honey?"

I understand what her job is, I get that my signature was worn off, but seriously? For $1.19??? If I were using a stolen credit card, I'd buy more than M&Ms.

Good Times were had by all!

I'm exhausted. Dougie and I just got back from spending the day with Hayley and Penelope. We went out to lunch and then did a little baby shopping. Hayley got Pens the cutest dress for only 5 bucks! I thought about buying a take home outfit for the baby, but decided to wait until I went shopping with Daddy to pick one out.

It was nice to spend the day with Hayley. She is pregnant too and due in November, so we spent almost the whole afternoon taking baby! We went to the Olive Garden for lunch and Dougie and I shared spaghetti and meatballs. (I think Dougie mostly ate the breadsticks!) Hayley and I sat in Babies R Us and spent a while just sitting in the gliders while the kids played in the shopping carts. I'm addicted to those gliders and REALLY want one for my room (or the nursery) but I doubt we'll be able to afford it (They were $500.00)

Nik went off paintballing today (I really can't wait to see him when he gets home, all covered in welts and bruises, but hey! He wanted to go!)

We went to the IMAX theatre yesterday and saw "The Dark Knight". It was really good. (Maybe not Oscar-worthy good in my opinion, but good!) Then we went out to dinner. Overall, it's been a good, busy weekend!

I'm 27 weeks tomorrow...bring on the third trimester!

Friday, July 18, 2008

It's official...

I'm HUGE. There is a certain point in pregnancy where your body just stops allowing you to do certain things. These things include, but are not limited to, sleeping, picking things up off the floor, playing on the floor with other children, sitting comfortably on the couch, walking without waddling, and many many more.

I only have 13 weeks left. It doesn't sound like a lot, but it's going to be a LONG 13 weeks.

Wednesday, July 16, 2008

Hahaha

You've got to read this! (or at least look at the pictures!)

http://www.cracked.com/article_16475_20-baby-products-great-traumatizing-infants.html

as Dougie would say, "Are you sad, Mommy?"

I just got home from running a few errands while Dougie took his nap. Nik is home sick again, so I had the luxury of going out without a two-year old in tow.

I went to Target and Hannaford to pick up a few things. While I was checking out at Hannaford, there was this old man behind me in line. All he put on the belt to buy was a small can of corn...but sticking out (literally, half of the bag was sticking out) was a bag of cat food. I wanted to offer to buy the cat food him, but everything happened so fast. After I finished checking out, the cashier looked at me, then back at him and them looked at me again, almost asking me what she should do with her eyes. I signed my slip and before I could say anything, the cashier asked the man to put the cat food on the belt and to "wait right there". She called her manager and they excused him of trying to steal the cat food. I felt so much sympathy for this man, I wish I had spoken up and offered to buy the cat food.

I hope someone in management at the grocery store had a little bit of empathy and will hopefully not file charges against this man. He was simply trying to feed his cat! I don't think he was stealing for any bit of thrill or because he was so good at it (trust me, he wasn't very good at it!)

I am thankful for all I have. Thankful for my job, my husband and my family.

A normal Tuesday...

After taking pictures of my daily life, I realized how boring it is. We'll see how this goes before I decide to do another one!

Dougie let me sleep in a bit this morning, he didn't get me up until 7:14. I rolled out of bed and put on my glasses. I slept pretty good last night, so I wasn't dragging, I was just getting ready to get my big belly and my big butt out of bed. Dougie takes a while to wake up, so we watched "Curios George" on TV (well he watched, I talked to Liz!)



After a bit of TV, Dougie was ready for breakfast. In this shot, you can clearly see that he has a BIG breakfast. Applesauce, oatmeal and yogurt...always lined up the way you see it here. What can I say? The boy likes routine.



After breakfast, Daddy called us on the phone.


After about another 15 minutes watching TV, I decided it was time to get dressed and take a shower. While I'm in the shower, Dougie hangs out in my room. Lately, he's been wanting a snack, even though he just had breakfast. So, before I took my shower, I washed and cut some grapes and Dougie played with magnets on the fridge.



I have to go to school this morning to drop off my letter to my students, so after my shower, We got on our shoes, got into "Mommy's urple car" (isn't toddler talk fun?) and headed to school.


Dougie loves to go to “Mommy’s school” because he can color on my white board.


After I finished what I needed to do at school, Dougie and I headed to Dunkin’ Donuts for a drink and some munchkins. I also picked up a couple chocolate glazed crullers (they call them “sticks”) for Nik and Jamie.


After a crying fit in the car because Jamie was asleep when we tried to drop off his donut, we went home and played for a bit in the house. Then it was time for lunch.


After lunch we went up stairs and picked out a couple books to read before Dougie’s nap. He still naps about 2-3 hours a day…I LOVE IT. I hope he naps forever!



I’ve made some goals for myself about using his nap time wisely. It’s a couple hours that I can either spend picking up, planning, cleaning or watching TV. Today I decided I should start planning for next year. I’m going to have a sub for most of the year, so the more planning I do now, the better! I worked on my Poetry Unit during his nap today. Each month I have the kids write a poem and at the end of the year they publish a little book. They’ll have 10 poems by the end of the year and I NEED my sub to do this for me, the kids read them at a event we have called “Artists and Authors Night”. Without these poems, I wouldn’t have anything for them to do!


Nik came home from work early because he wasn’t feeling well, so at 2:30 even though Dougie wasn’t up from his nap yet, I got Fenway in the car and took him to the groomers (which was LONG overdue).

When I got home at 3:15 both of them were still sleeping, so I continued to work on my lesson planning (which also consisted of me talking to Liz on AIM some more and one of my former students who is going to Ireland on Sunday.)

Dougie woke up at about 3:45 from his nap. We played a little bit more and also watched a few parts of the movie “The Incredibles”. We went upstairs and tried to wake Daddy up by playing on the bed and running around the room and we decided we were all hungry for dinner. I didn’t feel like cooking, so South Berwick House of Pizza it was! While Daddy went to pick up the food, Dougie and I cleaned up the living room.



Then it was time for a little bit of a temper tantrum. (We almost made it through the day without one!


And then dinner…


We got the call the Fenway was all done and all three of us piled in the car to pick him. Doesn’t he look cute?


Then it was time for bed for Dougie…more books and then bed!



On Tuesday’s during the school year, Nik plays poker with his Dad. My friend Tiffany and I started having girls night while he played and have continued through the summer. Tiffany came over and we talked for a bit. Then she decided she wanted ice-cream…so off we went. I got sorbet, since ice-cream gives me major heartburn and we laughed and added friends to her myspace.



Nik joined us and we watched a bit of the all-star game too. Tiffany went home at about 10 and Nik and I headed up to bed. Apparently the all-star game went to extra innings, but I was asleep by then!



Are you entertained?

Monday, July 14, 2008

How can I be so overwhelmed and bored at the same time?

I have SO much to do before I go back to school that I can't even imagine how I'm going to get it all done. Today Dougie and I set out to run errands. He desperately needs new summer pjs, since we only have pjs with pants AND he has started taking off his own diaper. I also returned the Avent bottles I used with Dougie since they contain BPA and BabiesRUs is giving 100% refunds to buy BPA free bottles. I got almost $25.00 for 5 used bottles, what a deal!





I finished cleaning the cradle (it was dusty and a little moldy) from being in the basement. I used bleach, water and soap (bleach is a big no-no while pregnant, don't tell on me!) and it looks great. I bought a new mattress and washed and dried the bedding. Nothing else is ready, but I have a place for the baby to sleep! There are a few things I need for this baby, so I put some things on my registry, even though I'm pretty sure I'm not having a shower this time around. I borrowed a lot of stuff with Dougie and I can't borrow that stuff this time around from the same person, since she and I aren't speaking! (LONG story)


I'm not sleeping well at night, but it comes with a one plus..I get to talk to Liz all morning long! This morning I was up at 4:45, had breakfast with Nik and then talked to Liz for two hours. I'm pretty tired, but I'm not going to nap, I have to write a letter to my students for the fall.

It's Monday...I'm 26 weeks today!

Thursday, July 10, 2008

VOTE!

Wednesday, July 9, 2008

My idea

I think that while I'm on summer vacation I'm going to try to use a lot of pictures to show what my daily life is like. Far too often I think that people assume because I'm on "vacation" that I get to sit around at home and do nothing all day except eat bonbons. (Do they even make bonbons anymore?)

So, tomorrow I'm going to start "A day in the life" using pictures. I hope to do this each week, but who knows if I will remember.

When I woke up this morning it was already hot out. I woke up around 6:30 but I didn't get out of bed until I head Dougie calling for his Daddy at 7:15. We called Daddy just to curb the fact that Dougie misses him during the day and then watched some cartoons. We also sent a video to Auntie Liz in Ireland!

One of the teachers I work with is coming to get some help with a computer program at 10, so I have to clean up a bit! But just as I promised...a 25 week belly shot.



Tuesday, July 8, 2008

What I see when I look down...

First Post

My husband stole my idea without even knowing it, and now the two of us are the newest members of the blogging community.  I'm not sure what I am going to use this blog for most, but I'll try to update as often as possible.  I'm a 5th grade teacher, a mom of one (with another on the way!) and a wife of 4 years to Nik.  


I'm trying to raise my kids right, which I find to be a constant struggle.  My mom said to me last month that I was a much better Mom than she ever was, that I was more patient and kind.  I try to be all of those things to my own children and to my students.  But I'll admit that there are times I get frustrated and I don't feel like I'm doing a very good job at all.

Baby number two is due in October and I'm having a pretty good pregnancy so far.  I'm 25 weeks along and I'll have Nik take a picture of me later so I can post it.  I've got a round belly, but it isn't big by any means. 

So, there's my first post.  Back to watching "Cars" with Dougie!