A Day at Disney

We had a wonderful day at Walt Disney World and Disney MGM. Here are the pictures from our day.

Here are a few new pictures of Jimmy that have been taken for the last few days. Check out his new Disney Pixar Cars rug that Nani bought for him and he loves it. She also bought several of the cars from the movie and that is all he has been playing with. He is such a gorgeous little guy, even when he is goofying around in pictures.

Happy 9th Birthday Taylor

Taylor celebrated her 9Th birthday yesterday and what a day she had starting at 6 a.m. ready to open her presents. After all the presents were opened, Eric and I went to the kitchen and made her egg casserole, which turned out great. We got Taylor a Baskins Robbins ice cream cake and clown ice cream cones (she has a Barbie candle against her wish but I couldn't find my candles and so she settled for that one.) Eric and I took the kids to Lake Bonny Park for an hour or so while mom stuck around the house and had some quiet time to herself. Taylor wanted meatball grinders for dinner and that is exactly what she got, all in all, she had a pretty good birthday. Today we are headed to Disney World where we will be park hopping today but Jimmy is running 104 temperature so Mom is staying with him, but we couldn't disappoint Taylor. I will take as many pictures as I can and have them posted tonight. Mom is leaving tomorrow morning and we hate to see her go, especially Jimmy who has wanted nothing to do with any of us but wants his Nani all the time. He wants to go back with her so bad and she is planning on coming back soon to pick the kids up and take them back with her for a week or so. check back to check out Taylor's Disney pictures.

Taylor's Birthday Gifts:

Daddy, Mommy and Jimmy: Tinkerbell chair, Outfit designer kit, Disney World

Nani, Grandpa Ky-Ky: Tinkerbell wall clock, Tinkerbell clothes hamper, jammies, outfit, Tinkerbell throw pillow, Tinkerbell lamp, 2 Tinkerbell posters

Poppa and Nani Celli: 3-piece Disney Princess baby doll set (playpen, stroller and High chair)

Maw-Maw: porcelain doll

Aunt Nini: CD walkman

Teresa and Isaiah: make your own bracelet set

Thanks to all who got her something, she loved all of it and had a great birthday.

Taylor's Big Surprise

Taylor's big birthday surprise arrived yesterday afternoon! We took Taylor to the airport and she was expecting to pick up a friend of Eric's when actually we were picking up my mom. Mom decided last week to fly here the day after Thanksgiving and surprise Taylor, and boy did it. Taylor and Jimmy were sitting at a table in the airport when my mom walked up behind them, I had the camcorder in my hand to catch her reaction, when I saw Mom I lifted it and she must have seen me and turned around and then looked back at me and the next thing I knew she had whipped her head back around and jumped off the seat and ran to my mom. Tay and Jim were both so excited. Jimmy actually thought Nani flew out here to pick him up and take him back to Kansas City.

Mom took the kids to Wal-Mart this morning and bought things to decorate their rooms. She took them to dinner at Red Lobster tonight and then to the movies to see Flushed Away. Jimmy is actally sick today and I plan on keeping him home all day tomorrow and hopefully he will be all better on Monday so we can go to Disney World. He was running a temp and has a bad cough, but he loves him Nani being here.

It was a hard secret to keep but the kids were surprised and I am very happy to have my mom here with me. She is driving all over the place and having fun with her grandkids. Thanks for coming and making the kids so happy and me too. I love having you with me and my family and I know this is one of the best birthday presents Taylor could get. We love you Mom/Nani!

Happy Thanksgiving

Well, the turkey is in the oven and the giblets and neck are simmering on the stove (so my cats can enjoy a good dinner too), and the rest will be prepared when Taylor wakes up. Jimmy tried to wake up with me but since it was so early I sent him back to bed, I want him to have a happy day, not a grumpy one. Hopefully everyone will have a great day and the food will be fabulous! Love you all and miss you, have a great Turkey Day!

Getting Back on My Feet

I am finally getting over my kidney infection and now I am able to move around. I started having bad pains Sunday night and today is really the first day that I have been able to move about. I prepared the pumpkin pie and cranberries this morning, which makes two less things that will need to be done tomorrow. Jimmy and Taylor helped with the pie and it turned out very nice. I have been in pain the last few days, so it is nice not having it constantly. I still have the throbbing that comes along with this but it is nothing too bad and I am grateful, I was afraid that I would be down for the count Thanksgiving. Jimmy wants to help tomorrow as well so I will let him join in on the cooking as well. He loves the kitchen and "making" (which is our stirring.)

Taylor knows now where we are taking her for her birthday, Disney World yet again. We figured it's a fun thing for both of the kids and they will really enjoy themselves. We are actually going on Monday instead of Sunday so we will beat the weekend crowds that we had to fight last year. Being a holiday weekend as well makes it worse and kids go back to school Monday so hopefully it won't be too bad. She still has one big surprise she has to wait for and that will be the best ever. She doesn't even know she has one coming but it will blow her away!

I wish everyone a great Thanksgiving and we all send our love. It is hard to be away from family for the holidays but we do think of each and everyone of you. Hopefully next year we can come to town for Thanksgiving and Chip's birthday. I will be posting pictures soon so keep checking back.

Shopping is On!

I finally did my Christmas shopping last night and got most of it done in one trip. Eric watched the kids as I made my way to Wal-Mart last night when hardly anyone was there, no mad rush except outside where there were tents and long lines of people waiting for the new Nintendo. I feel better now that I finally got my shopping started and was able to find almost everything on Tay's list. Jimmy is another story, I was able to pick up a few of his things but I will have to order the rest from the Internet, they barely had anything that he wanted. I have a good idea what I am getting Eric for Christmas but I will have to wait closer to the day.

My daughter's birthday is in a week and she will now have the best birthday. Our plans are now under wraps but Eric and I have figured the best thing for her birthday and she will love it. I will post pictures the night of her big day for all to see. She will have one of the best birthdays ever, I can guarantee it!

We did buy our turkey yesterday at Sam's and got a great deal on it and I picked up a 3 lb. bag of cranberries. We all love cranberries so 3 lbs. is perfect. The kids and I are going to the store today to pick up the rest of the things we need for our dinner. Eric is spending the day at the Bucc's game with his friend Sid and I hope he is having a great day. He was pretty excited this morning to go and let around 10:00 so he could beat some of the traffic. I tried to get him to wear his Chief's sweatshirt but that was a no-go of course.

I have also decided to redo Jimmy's bedroom in Disney Pixar's Cars. I figured it would look great with his race car bed and it is one of Jimmy's favorite Disney movies ever. He loves Tow Mater (ME TOO!) and watches the movie everyday, sometimes twice and laughs all through it. I can't wait to get started on his room, it will be a lot of fun.

The countdown is on for Thanksgiving and Tay and I have been planning our dinner. We have invited our wonderful neighbor's who plan to join us for our "lunch" before heading to their family dinner. Our menu is ready to go and we plan to go shopping Friday for all of our needs. So far our dinner menu is:

-Turkey
-Dressing
-Cranberries
-Dumplings
-Mashed Potatoes
-Corn
-Green Bean Casserole
-Fruit Salad
-Pumpkin Pie

I may have forgotten something but that is pretty good I think. I will wake up bright and early to put the turkey on and then wake Taylor up so we can start cooking. I cannot wait to cook with my daughter, we had so much fun last year. Here, I thought I would have a horrible holiday since it was the first I was away from my family, but it was great making memories and traditions with my own family at home.

Taylor's birthday is the Sunday after Thanksgiving and she is so excited. She has scratched all of the plans she thought she wanted for her birthday and has decided to go to one of the Tampa malls so she can visit Build-A-Bear, get her ears pierced again (like she needs more holes in her head hehehe) and lunch at The Cheesecake Factory. Eric promised her an outfit from Limited Too and a Coach purse she found with Tinkerbell. Taylor is a very good little girl and deserves a great birthday where she is the "Princess of the Day". She has asked me to make her Bistecca Pizzaiola for her birthday dinner and she wants my breakfast casserole for breakfast and I plan to do all of them for her. She will have 3 good meals on her special day. I can't believe my baby is going to be nine, it's sad to know she is growing up.

Our Weekend

I have to say it has been a long weekend and it all started Friday evening when Teresa and Jen invited me over to chat. This is nothing new, we spend each evening visiting but for some reason the night flew by and when I decided to run downstairs to grab a new pack of cigs and noticed it was 4:30 a.m. Teresa put on my coffee and we sat outside and watched the sun rise. Jen had headed to bed around 1 a.m. and when she woke up to get ready for work and saw us in the same place she left us, she was shocked. I finally got into my own bed at 7 a.m. and Eric asked if I was just coming to bed and when I said yes he didn't believe me. After I told him we just got to talking he laughed. He kept the kids quiet and let me sleep most of Saturday. We went to lunch and did some shopping for me to come home and go back to bed. When I finally woke up we put in a movie and watched Polar Express with the kids. Eric took us to Cracker Barrel for breakfast Sunday and then we spent the rest of the day cleaning and resting. The kids got their rooms picked up, they weren't too bad but did need a good pick-up.

I did talk to Rachel yesterday and everything is going great with her. She is very excited for the new baby and can't wait to start buying things for her bundle of joy. She is a little unsure about actually giving birth and said she is hoping for a C-Section, but I told her she will be fine.

Eric and I have also decided it is time to expand our family too with a third and final child. I am only giving myself until 30, that gives me a year and if it doesn't happen I will be done. I would love to have another baby but I know that I am also happy with what I have so I won't be too disappointed if it doesn't happen. We spent part of the afternoon discussing this issue and decided that now is the best time and for once we are on the same page. So, if all goes well, we will have a Tony or Kiara sometime next year.

We started this morning off with a great breakfast and started school. This is our last week until after Thanksgiving and Taylor is so happy for this week to be over. Jimmy is also doing great in school and is starting to really recognize letters and numbers along with letter sounds. His ability to write letters is great, he mocks me and does them perfect the first time. I have two very bright kids and I am happy that I get to spend everyday with them. I have the best job in the world.

I decided to put my Christmas Village up yesterday since I had bought a few new pieces for it. By this morning the cats have been playing in the "snow" and my village people were knocked over, so I guess it will be a long season with them getting into things. Here is the picture of the village before the cats got a hold of it.

Taylor and Cody

This is Taylor's new friend Cody. These two were playing on the computer, which is their favorite thing to do. I really enjoy having him around, he is very respectful and an all around great kid. He lives about 10 minutes away but he is always welcome to come around anytime. I am sure you will hear more about him, he seems to be around a lot these days.

We have a day off of school today but spent the rest of the week working our butts off. I ran into a little problem that I am not sure how it happened but we ended up about two weeks a head in Spelling and History, so we are taking a little break from these two subjects so we can catch up quicker. We will be all caught up by next Friday, our last day before Thanksgiving Break. Thanksgiving Break will give Taylor and Jimmy 11 days (that's including weekends) off school. I don't ever remember getting that much time off, but we go with Polk County School District and that's what they have.

I have a couple birthdays coming up and of course Christmas, so I have got to start shopping. I don't even know where to start and do not even have the desire. I have never felt like this before, usually at this I time my Christmas is almost done and I think I only have a few presents, which I bought right after last Christmas. Alisha, Renee and Susan, please send me lists for the kids so I know what they would like. I will be shopping for kids only this year and for my siblings and parents. Eric and I are buying a yearly pass to Cypress Gardens so we can take the kids. Teresa will be getting one for her and Isaiah, so now we can take the kids once a week. Cypress also has a water park that is included in the park admission and the passes are so cheap, $70 a piece and that included weekend concerts, both parks and parking...World's of Fun isn't even that cheap and they don't include Ocean's of Fun.

I am hosting a movie day for the kids in the neighborhood since there is no school today. I must be crazy because the younger kids want to play while the older ones get mad because they want to watch. We will be viewing Cars today with lots of popcorn and nachos. It works out pretty good, each parent sends a certain goodie (drinks, popcorn, chips) so one person isn't paying for all. Teresa will probably come along as well so I won't be in a looney bin after the movie is over.

A Little 9 Week Research

Baby Dooley is now 9 weeks old. She/He can now move all limbs (shoulders, elbows, wrists, knees and ankles), the touch pads of fingers are developing, eyelids are fused until 27 weeks, and earlobes are now developed. Since we haven't seen Rachel in awhile I thought I'd do some research and find out a little about the baby.

I do have my predictions, I think she will have a boy on June 12, 2006. I actually had a feeling she was going to have a little girl but I looked at the Chinese chart and it was correct for both of my children and felt I better go with that. It says it's 99% accurate (I'm not saying I believe that) so what does it hurt to have a few wives' tales thrown into the mixed.

Rachel, if you get to read this, I thought I would post a picture of a 9 week old fetus through a 3-D sonogram, so you could see what your little one looks like.

We have had a busy weekend starting with Sunday when Eric took me on a great date. We decided at the last minute to drive to Tampa and have dinner at The Cheesecake Factory. After the best dinner we decided to head over to The Hard Rock Casino to help me with my gambling withdraws (yes, I admit it, after being in KC for so long with Nani I became a slot machine junkie) and it helped and I started winning right when we walked in. We only stayed about an hour when I cashed out and headed home to our children. Taylor and Jimmy had so much fun staying with Teresa and I guess Taylor kept everyone really entertained.

I also want to let everyone know that Taylor's grades are in on her homeschool page if anyone wants to check them out.

Taylor has found her a boyfriend named Cody and he has been here two days in a row after school. Cody is 10-years-old and he is a very good boy. The two of them play Pogo Bowl on Pogo.com and it's funny listening to them talk about the TV shows they watch on MTV. I guess one good thing about this is that I haven't heard one word about Chad in a few days.

Jimmy the Pop Star

Attack on the Inside

Here is Underground's first video and thought I would share it with all. This is titled "Attack on the Inside" and one of my favorite songs.

Halloween/Birthdays and More

Halloween went great this year and the kids had a blast and tons of candy. We decided to walk the neighborhood with Teresa and Isaiah. After the "Trick or Treating" we all met up at Bev's for sweet tea and CSI. Jimmy actually went to sleep on his own he was so pooped and Taylor settled down with some TV in bed. If you haven't seen Izabel's costume, you need to head over to her site, she is such a cutie.

I know I am a day late but Happy Birthday Maw-Maw. Yesterday she celebrated her birthday and we were able to get a hold of her to sing and wish her the best. Tomorrow I get to celebrate my own birthday but Eric and I are celebrating Saturday night when Teresa gets back from her fishing trip. She called me the other night and volunteered to watch the kids so Eric and I could have a night out. I couldn't believe it, we have only gone out twice (excluding when I came to visit while in Missouri) since we have lived here. Mom watched the kids for us when she was in town and so did Nani and Poppa. We have decided to try out the new steakhouse Louie Mac's so hopefully it will have a good prime rib.

I also want to announce that we are expecting a new baby in our family! Rachel Nikole just let us know that she is 2 months pregnant and we all wish her nothing but the best. She is living in Atlanta with her boyfriend and everything is going good. I will give updates as they come in through that famous grapevine. I love and miss you Rach and congradulations on your baby.

Jimmy and Isaiah

Party Day

The Halloween party went great today and all the kids had a blast. At the last minute I decided to purchase silly string and we gave it to the kids at the end of the day and let them go at it. It was so much fun watching them and of course we had Gannon to keep us girls entertained with jokes and all the silly things he does. Being the only man who actually showed up he did a great job grilling for us. Eric got stuck at work late and has yet to get home. I hate inventory weekend but at least he will be done this evening.

First thing this morning, the kids and I still in our jammies, headed over to Teresa's for coffee and muffins. The kids played and watched TV while we sat outside and talked over coffee and cigarettes. Teresa and I decided to do some shopping while Greg (her brother) watched the kids. We ended up just buying a few pairs of jammies but it was nice to get out for a bit. Today ended up being great and thanks to all who attended, we really enjoyed to see you all.

Getting Ready to Party

We have two Halloween parties in a row, one tonight and we are throwing one tomorrow evening. Taylor and Jimmy are so excited for both of these and the kids and I have been baking the last few days and even had Isaiah come help us decorate cookies yesterday. Hope you all enjoy the videos of the kids that I posted, I figured everyone would like to see them. I had to help them talk, it's like once the camera is on they can't find things to talk about but when the camera's off they can't be quiet.

Jimmy has been thinking a lot about Christmas lately and cannot wait to sit on Santa's lap to tell him what he wants. After much consideration of what he was going to ask for, he decided to make it easy and is planning to tell Santa he wants every toy avilable. He wants a four wheeler the most and is really hoping to get that, a blue one so it will be like Scrambler, the four-wheeler from Bob the Builder.

Taylor just wants the rest of her Tinkerbell bedroom accessories and a pair of rollerblades. She really wants some "Heelies" but since she is now wearing a size 7 shoe in women's they don't make them that big so she will settle for the blades. I cannot believe my daughter is wearing the same size of shoe as me and she is not even 9 yet.

I will be posting pictures of the parties and wish you all could be here to see the kids and how much they are growing. Thanks to all who sent cards for birthdays and Halloween, the children and I are very greatful that you took the time to do that. The kids enjoy getting things in the mail and were very excited when they saw they had their own. We love you all. xxoo

I want to let everyone know Taylor had her test in American Heritage yesterday and got every answer correct, I was so proud but not surprised. She absorbs every detail of that class because like I have said h=before, she loves that class.

Jimmy asked me to take his training wheels off again for the first time in several months and he was off without any problems at all. He rode for hours but I had to make him come inside for awhile. I don't know if he just had a hard weekend and he was wore out but he was crying over everything and he was being so mean to his friends. I have never seen him like this and even Teresa thought maybe he wasn't feeling good. I made him come inside for about 30 minutes and I put Over the Hedge on for him to watch until Daddy got home. When he heard Eric's truck he was out the door to show Daddy how good he did on his bike.

Eric decided he wanted to go out to eat again, this is getting old and as we were driving to the restaurant I told him this is the last time for a while, I need home cooked food which seems like it has been forever. It was different when it was just him and I but with two kids it costs at least $50 to go out and we have been eating out for the last week. I am planning on having stuffed pork chops tonight and they will be ready before he gets home so the suggestion can not even come up. Taylor is so excited to try these pork chops and the reason I think is because she knows I cook them in beer. She had asked me if they make you drunk and I had to explain to her the what happens when you cook alcohol. I started making this dinner when I was around 14-years-old when we were vacationing in Madeira Beach, Florida and everyone went to the pool and I stayed home to watch my soaps. A cooking show came on before they started and this was the recipe they were making and I wrote it down and cooked it for my family for dinner. It makes me think of the condo in Florida and how I felt so "adult" going to Publix with my mom and picking up the ingredients and cooking for everyone and they liked it, it became a meal we ate often. I haven't had it in awhile because Eric hates stuffing, but I decided I am making it anyway and he can remove the stuffing if he doesn't like it.

The kids got their costumes yesterday and Taylor still is being a Gothic fairy, go figure. I had to order Jimmy's off the Internet because he wanted to Diego, but changed his mind when he saw a Bob the Builder costume he liked much better. The costume actually comes with a tool belt and talking tools and should arrive Friday. We got all the accessories to go with Taylor's and she should look great. We are having a Halloween party Saturday evening with the kids in the neighborhood. Everyone is so great in pitching in so my children can have a Halloween party as well since they don't get a school party. We are having goodies, games and party favors and the kids will dress up in their costumes. It should be fun and I will post pictures of the party.

Jimmy Being Goofy

Everyone who knows Jimmy, knows that he loves to make goofy faces all the time. Most of the time I do not post those pictures but he looks so cute in these one. He also wanted me to get a picture of him reading his new Dora book that I bought him the other night. For some reason Jimmy loves stacking the couch pillows up on one side of the couch and laying on them. He looked so cute doing that I pulled out the camera and his silliness came out and he would not let me get a picture of just a smile.

Taylor in School

Here are some pictures I snapped of Taylor during school. She is working on her favorite subject American Heritage. If it were up to her this would be the only subject she did all day. She begs me to let her read ahead every night. I finally had to ask her to look up so I could get a picture of her pretty face.

Taylor and Jimmy had each of their friends Emily and Jon spend the night Friday and that went great. Emily, of course has spent many nights here but Jon tried one other time without success, but Friday turned out great and the two boys went right to sleep at bedtime. Emily decided on staying Saturday night as well and Jon opted to head home Saturday afternoon.

We took Emily, Taylor and Jimmy to Chili's last night for dinner and like always the food was great. We are used to getting chips and salsa for an appetizer but decided to get hot wings, Southwest Egg rolls, fried cheese and chips/salsa and it was great. Jimmy let us know when we sat down that he didn't like food or drink "many more", so I shared with him and he was surprised to learn that cheese sticks were actually a food. Later in the meal a man came to the table and made the kids balloons, Jimmy got a motorcycle, Emily a hat and Taylor a butterfly. After dinner I dropped Eric and the girls at the house and decided to take just Jimmy out, which doesn't happen too often. We headed to the bookstore where I got a new Stephen King book and I let him play with the Thomas train set they have out in the kids area. He not only played with the train but sat and watched some Dragon Tales. When he was finished he picked out two Dora the Explorer books and I picked two up for Taylor. I have been telling her about a set of books I used to read when I was her age called Amelia Bedila and I found some last night so I picked one out for her. She loves poetry as well so I found a book hard cover book of silly poetry (what she is learning in school right now) called "Where the Sidewalk Ends" and she got a kick out of that. I was also able to find her something for Christmas that she will love.

I am glad that my two kids love books as much as I do and we enjoy going to the bookstore where we can stay for hours. Eric is not a reader and hates going with us but every once in awhile if we are out I will tell him to stop at one and he will, but he doesn't enjoy the browsing and letting the kids do their own thing in the kids area. I figured last night would be perfect for some alone time with my son and let me tell you, he was absolutely great. I told him the rest of the night how proud I was that he was able to listen and by not throwing any fits when I said it was time to go.

He has been playing outside with Isaiah all morning and is now at his house playing trains. These boys are so good and so much a like. As Eric was leaving this afternoon and found out where Jimmy was he said, "It's so cute to watch them hug, they are great friends." That is true, I am glad Jimmy has someone like Isaiah to play with, he is a wonderful little guy and he has such a cute voice.

Taylor and I have already started planning our Thanksgiving dinner and we are so excited to start cooking. Last year was our first year without family for holidays but we started our own tradition and no matter what I am going to keep it. Taylor and I woke up early last Thanksgiving and started cooking, Tay helping me with everything and I love that memory and decided that from here on our holiday's will be spent at home with Tay and I as the chefs. We are having company this year on Thanksgiving, the more the merrier, but it will be us in the kitchen and I can't wait.

Wasp Nests

These are just a couple of the wasp nests that Eric tore down yesterday, the biggest one is still attached to the bush but he will work on getting that one out. The two in the picture were side by side in the same bush. We have several hundred dead wasps lying around now and we will be working on clean up this afternoon.

Bell At Sleep

I have been having a little problem with Bell and my purse. If I leave it on the floor she will pull the contents out and then climb inside for her nap. The kids had decided to have a picnic outside for lunch so we walked to the back yard and sat up where I sat and watched the kids eat. I had left my purse on the kitchen table, where the cat is not allowed. I walked in from outside to find a couple recipts outside my purse and a sleeping kitten inside of it. I had to snap this picture because she looked so cute. I guess I will have to start keeping my purse in the closet.

This is what you see in our house every night after Eric gets home from work. He comes through the door and picks up Bell and sits on the couch and this is where they are for almost the entire evening. Most of the time they are both sleeping. When bedtime rolls around he goes in search of her (if she has gotten off of his lap) and brings her to the bed and says "Here's our Baby." I think he means his baby because ever since I have brought her home she definately favors Eric. He buys her toys and has even brought things from work that have red laser lights on them to play with her. He finally has a cat that loves him.

Jimmy and Isaiah

These two are so cute to watch playing with each other. I have made good friends with Isaiah's "Nini" (Grandma Teresa) and mom (Jennifer) who live in Tim, Tonya, Clayton and Hanna's old house. We spend a lot of time outside with these kids. These two are very loving little boys, they are constantly hugging and saying, "I love you Friend." Isaiah is a 11 month younger than Jimmy but they get along so well, I'm glad Jim has someone to keep him busy.

Wasp Issues

You may have to click on the picture to get a better look but we have been infested with wasps outside in our bush. Eric brought home some mega wasp spray from work to take care of these suckers and it kills them immediately and even causes the larvae to drop from the nest. After spraying the huge nest in the bush (I will post pictures of the nest after Eric takes it out tonight) hundreds of wasps started falling from the bush. I took this picture but it doesn't show the complete amount, it was unbelievable see that many in one place. We have had problems with people getting stung who come to visit, they have been everywhere.

This is what happens to a little boy when he has a sister. He did not like the wig one bit and tore it off after this picture was snapped. He still looks like a boy to me, but he is a spitting image of his mommy.

My Two Girls

Bell and Gabby enjoying their "goodie" for the day.

Busy Weekend

I haven't had a chance to post in a few days, it has been very hectic around here since last Thursday. Not only was I working on teaching my children but I was also fighting with the damn cable company to get my work order taken care of. They sent another guy out not letting him know that we needed the new wires. I could understand this if I was working with a different person each time but I am working with one guy who knows the situation, so I was starting to get very angry that it wasn't taken care of by now. Finally, I called Bright House myself and let them know that I need wires and to get someone out by Saturday for the install. That was all it took, they were here Saturday morning and now I have cable, phone and internet once again.

You would think our worries were over, not even close. Eric started hooking all of his electronics to the TV when it slipped and crashed to the floor screen down. Not good, not only did it break our receiver, but our DVD player is now toast and it pulled the new DVR front off (we were able to fix that one), now we needed a TV. So, Saturday evening I spent a lot of time on the computer looking for who had the best TV and one that we could agree on. Sunday morning we got up and headed to Best Buy where we were on the search for the one we found on the internet when I saw the TV I had wanted for a long time, a rear projection, these are very hard to find and the one I found was a great deal. I don't know if they are planning to eliminate these because of the flatscreen projection that everyone wants on their wall but I was so happy. It is a 52-inch LCD widescreen and they have really eliminated the bulk of the rear projection, so this TV is perfect. Eric really wanted to watch his shows from the wall (I don't understand it) but he liked this one as well.

Taylor took this opportunity at Best Buy to show me the iPOD that she wants for her birthday. If anyone can tell me what the use is for this product please let me know. I asked Taylor why she needed this little contraption and her answer was, "Because none of my friends have on," and had a look on her face like, duh Mom. I do not know what they are for, I am guessing music but really I have no clue. They sell them with the MP3 players (another item I don't understand). Taylor wants everything Tinkerbell for her birthday and Christmas, she is a Tinkerbell nut, but I like her still having some sort of cartoon character that she likes. Now all I ever hear her say is, "Mom, come look, the guy is on that I think is cuter than Chad!" This is a every night thing, I have told her several times that I don't need to look at him nightly. We are again taking her to Orlando for her birthday and will have a day full of FUN! Hopefully she will be happy this time around and not complain. There are so many parks to Orlando and we have only visited 3 of them so we like checking out the different places.

Jimmy has been doing great as well, he just plays with Isaiah everyday and they are so cute to watch. We are having a little issue with Jimmy and that is bad words. We try not to say things around him (of course, they slip here and there) but he is constantly getting in trouble for this. Last night when he used the f-word several times to Taylor I sent him to his room and followed after him and collected every Bob the Builder thing he owned and put them in a box and told him he lost them until he can talk better. I also included he will start losing his toys everytime one of those 4-letter words escape his mouth. When Eric got home he went straight to his room and had a talk with him. I will also take advice on this subject, but please don't ask me to wash his mouth out with soap, that is a disgusting thing and I could never bring myself to do that. He is such a good boy and I know he has been with people that forget they have children around, but I am really scared he may say these words around one of his friends and the parents won't let Jimmy around. This hasn't happened yet, but I don't want to take the chance. I really don't have too many problems with Jimmy, he listens really well for his age and he is very loving and caring about his family and friends and the boy shares everything, which is great and makes me so proud.

I spent last night with the neighborhood women sitting outside enjoying the gorgeous weather. I have found a neighborhood of women who are a lot like I am, we are stay-at-home moms/grandma's who like to talk and smoke and it got us in trouble last night from our significant others, yep, we were outside pulling our lawn chairs to a yard and of course our drinks, cigarettes and ashtrays (lol) from about 9 pm to 2 am we talked and laughed, keeping our husbands awake. A few of the men (including Eric) came out wondering what the hell was going on. We live around great people and we all get along which is great. We had a new couple move in last weekend and yesterday we did the welcome wagon and invited their 6-year-old to come play with our children. The new couple sent him out and sat on the curb to watch in front of my house but they really didn't talk too much. That's fine, I am sure they will come around as well, especially when they see us out every evening laughing. Eric just talks to Gannon and will say "hi" and "How are you?" to my group of friends but then he's inside watching TV, if him and Gannon aren't making a date to play video games.

Hope everyone is doing well and I will post some pictures quick. Love ya all!

Taylor's Tinkerbell Bedroom

Stand Up for America

I am not usually so political on this site but I have had a few things that have just really been bothering me and what I am about to talk about is one of them. English as the American language. I think that if you can't speak English you either need to learn it or you're S.O.L. Do you really enjoy having to look at a book of directions to put something together only to spend ten minutes trying to find English? I don't think you should be able to come over to this country and get free aid, free loans, free medical care and so on, without knowing our language. I am sick of paying for foreigners, I don't care who you are, get a job and become an American citizen or leave, period. We are Americans and we need to save our language and our country.

The Picture above is my Grandpa Salvatore Maucelli who came to Ellis Island from Comporeale, Sicily and guess what, he had to learn English (at least enough to get by), he had to work and still did not get any special treatment just because he was from another country, he worked his ass off. He raised his 3 sons and his daughter by himself and even though he spoke broken English, he made damn sure all his children spoke great English. Why can't that be now? I refuse to let my children learn Spanish, I could care less how many people speak it in America today, I am an American and I will speak English, only English, if you can't understand me TOO BAD!

Why have so many American men and women lost their lives over the years fighting in all the different wars? For you and me, our freedom, our Constitution, FOR OUR COUNTRY and OUR LANGUAGE! I get very upset when I read that our congress is actually voting on bill whether to keep English as the United States of America's language. What the hell, if they change this we are not America anymore, we are a third world country and our freedom is over. Do what you can to fight this, do it for your children, write letters and do research on your computers what these men and women have voted for and against to determine how you vote in the upcoming elections or start learning every language in the world because before long that is what we will have to know so we can survive in America. Sucks doesn't it?

Celebrating A Holiday

Today was a no school day in honor of Columbus Day. Of course, he was our first study in Our American Heritage and Taylor said he was the most interesting so far. I have a huge belief in Columbus Day with him being an Italian and I am very proud of my heritage.

We had a very relaxing day today and enjoyed our day off, but I felt like I was not being productive. I did some laundry but just had that "something is missing" feeling. After having a day all alone yesterday (yes, no kids and no husband) I was actually bored out of my mind and ready to start Monday. Last night I worked on lesson plans and have been working on getting a Halloween party going. I figured my kids should still get to enjoy a party with all their friends even though they aren't in public school.

Speaking of public school, with everything that has been going on in the last couple weeks I am so glad that I chose homeschooling. I would not feel any better with my kids in a lock down; what keeps a shooter from shooting through class room windows? I can't believe someone was so messed up to go after the Amish community as well. I think they need to figure out a way to keep those children in a safe enviroment at all times, I would pay the extra tax for that. Do you really feel safe sending your children off to school everyday not knowing what kid is pissed off at them or a teacher or some sick perverted man is after a room full of little girls or boys and decides to execute them when he's done? I feel totally safe everyday, I know where my kids are and what they are doing, I know who they are hanging out with and who their friend's parents are. I am in control of my children's lives and know everything that is going on in their lives. I am not saying that every parent needs to home school, that is not possible, but at least know what is going on in their lives--EVERYTHING! There are way too many people who don't care about what happens to their kids and I think that needs to be addressed. If you feel it is okay to send your 6 week old infant to a daycare just so you don't have to care for him or her, you should not be a parent. I am not speaking to the one parent households, I am talking about the family that brings in a good income and can live on one salary.

If you find it necessary to work, why not find a job when your spouse is at home so their is always a parent in the home with your child. I look at myself, my cousin, my friends, my mother and grandmother who chose to spend their every waking day with their children and not to let some complete stranger raise their child. Thank you Mom for spending all the time you did with me, making me who I am today. Thank you Alisha and Greg for spending your days raising your gorgeous little girl, she will thank you for that one day. I feel their are too many people out in our world who do not deserve to be a parent, everything in your life comes above your child!

Do you realize that todays children would be so much more respectible if parents took time for them and to teach them values. I want everyone to think about that, it's our future, our children's and grandchildren's future, they deserve everything we had as children and everything we didn't have. Do you know why we grew up poor but didn't realize it, because our mom's were home everyday and did everything she could to make sure we still didn't do without. We as children did not know our parents hardly had a pot to piss in. These days kids need $120 shoes, a cell phone, DVD players and all 20 video game consoles, guess what, you can say NO and they get over it. I learned that, I always thought no matter the price if Taylor wanted it I had to get it and now I have come to discover I created something that is very hard to nip in the bud...tantrums, crying, screaming and name calling. We work on that everyday and she knows that I can't get her everything she asks for and she has done very good with that. Now I walk into a store and I tell both her and Jimmy what I am getting and nothing else, doesn't mean that they don't hint, but there are no hard feelings when they walk out empty handed.

All I am saying, give your kids your time, even if you are tired from a full days work, ask how their day was, what they did and laugh with them. Can you name all your children's favorites, if you can't I am sure they would be happy to tell you. Love your kids the way they love you!