Summer Bucket List

This is a list the kids and I aren’t actually probably going to get fully through this summer but just some things we are hoping to do (though not all are hoping to do all of them)…

  • Drive in
  • Museum of Fine Arts
  • Museum of Science
  • Site of the bombing
  • Aquarium
  • Camping
  • Beach
  • Six Flags
  • TGI Fridays
  • Boat day
  • Niagara Falls
  • More fires at the house
  • Paint Brittany’s chalkboard wall
  • Crafts
  • Paint Mom’s Room (gray)
  • Paint Kitchen (yellow)
  • Castle Island
  • Run more often
  • Baseball Games – Cape Cod League / Red Sox
  • Cape Tour
  • Inside Castle at the island
  • Put away money to buy a Keurig
  • Yard sale
  • Remodel / Rearrange our tiny living space
  • Work on living room table
  • Brittany’s graduation project
  • Photo shoot
  • Kitchen floor

This is a work in progress…more might be added, more might come off but I’m hoping to get through at least some of it.  Money will be an issue but with some (redoing the kitchen floor) gift cards earned through work, some might be possible.  And some might just not happen but it’s things I would like to see happen and I get to do them with the kids.  Nothing on here, with the exception of Brittany’s graduation project, cannot be done with both kids.  I am excited to start our summer!!

Ten on Thursday

Gift Card

So as I’ve earned some gift cards from work, I’ve been thinking about them a lot recently and if I could have gift cards with unlimited funds, not including like the Visa, MasterCard or American Express type ones, which ones would I want…here is the list I’ve come up with, in no particular order…

1.  Mary Lou’s

2.  Crate n Barrel

3.  Stop n Shop, which would include gas and food

4.  Barnes and Noble

5.  Joann’s Fabrics

6.  DSW or some other shoe store where I could get cute shoes to show off the pedicures that I’m getting!

7.  Kohl’s

8.  Bruins Pro Shop

9.  Some place for Zumba classes

10.  Bi-weekly nail / pedicure spa

Oh and of course…I wouldn’t be putting the money on these unlimited gift cards.  I need to find a gift card fairy.  :)

Ten on Tuesday

So just a couple of things you may or may not know about me.  Please don’t think less of me :)

1.  I dance when I clean the house, fold the laundry, iron (which I very rarely do), sew, drive…pretty much everything.

2.  I love to sing at the top of my lungs with the kids…I’m pretty sure they love it!

3.  I pee with the door open.  I don’t like being in there by myself.

4.  I am afraid of the dark.  And I hate being alone at night.  I love being home by myself during the day, but at night, I’m nervous and will check the locks on both doors a couple of times before I head to bed.

5.  I need the TV to sleep more often than not.  My mind races and I go over everything and having the TV on helps me stop thinking and just zone.

6.  I am not as organized as I wish I was or some might think I am because of all the things I post on Facebook (I really do love to bake and do a lot of it, while doing the laundry and washing the dishes and cleaning the house and just doing a bunch of things).

7.  I have a very strong sense of smell and I hate, hate, hate nasty smells.  There are stores I won’t go in because of a smell once (7-11 in Whitman, any Kmart).

8.  I am scared out of my mind to take my Property and Casualty Licensing test.  I was told that 1% of the people who take the test pass it on their first try and I want to be part of that 1% but I haven’t been great about studying either.  I keep telling myself I have time, where the class I have to take isn’t until the end of June and the actual test is July 1st.  I need that push again.

9.  I love to cook and bake but for the life of me, I cannot cook on the grill.  I don’t know how it happens, but when I do, it comes out burnt on the outside and still cold and frozen on the inside.  Go figure.  I need a lesson or two.

10.  I love TMZ, Jerry Springer and Steve Wilkos.  They are guilty pleasures for me.  So sad, I know.  I’m embarrassed to even type it.

Back on track

So I need to get back on track as I don’t want to look like this again…

November 2011

 

That was so gross and I can’t believe I looked like that!  And I am disappointed in myself that I have really been slacking recently.  I don’t want to be that girl anymore and I know the face I’m making is funny in that picture, but it kind of works for how I felt in that picture.  I want to look okay in my bathing suit this summer (I’ve bought two and shorts will probably be worn over the bottoms anyway because of the stretch marks from having children and then from losing weight).  So with some help from Brittany, I am getting back on track.  I started today and am going to start tracking again and get some exercise in again.  If I had gotten weighed the other day, I think I may have been fired and definitely would have had to pay, so that is too close for comfort for me.  My goal with weight watchers has been 150 and today I got on the scale and weighed 152 lbs.  That would make me have to pay and possibly get me fired.  This is nuts!

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So this book will be with me where ever I may go, it has each day for the week, along with a place to mark off the extra 49 points plus.  I didn’t start until Monday and weigh in on Saturdays so I missed out on doing the weekend and I never really counted anyway.  I need to.  I have to get those numbers under control.  I have to count for every BLT (bite, lick, taste) that I put in my mouth.  So today, I ate a yummy salad for lunch with my dressing that was such a big hit last year.  I stayed within my 32 points allowed, actually only eating 30 points today.  I know that I have gone into the 49 points for the week over the weekend.  I may have actually gone over them so this weigh in might not be so good either, but I am going to take responsibility for my actions this week (and pray I don’t go over).  But if I do, I’m ready to face the consequences.

Ten on Tuesday

So I’ve noticed some things around the house that confuse me…

1.  Why, when the kids take a shower, is it wetter around the towel that is down on the ground to catch the water when they get out than on the actual towel?

2.  Where do the controllers go?  I put it on the table and when I come home, it’s missing.  Where did it go?

3.  How do lights get turned on when I know they turned them off?  I will come out of a room, say the kitchen, and the light will be off shut off as I leave.  A child gets up and goes in there and then the light is on but they didn’t turn it on.

4.  As I’ve said in a previous post, where does the silverware go?

5.  How do folded clothes end up in the laundry room?  They are folded.  Wouldn’t that mean they are clean?

6.  Why don’t the sheets stay on the bed?  Though in all fairness, they actually have to go on the bed to stay on the bed.

7.  Why, when someone finishes something, does the empty box stay in the cabinet or on the counter?  Why can’t that be thrown out.

8.  How come when one of the staples gets finished – milk, eggs, bread – does no one say anything to me and I find out the hard way when I go to use something.

9.  Why can no one change the toilet paper roll?  They put it next to the toilet paper dispenser but can’t put it on the roll.  I would even be okay if it was on wrong, though I would definitely change it.  But why not just put it on?

10.  We recently just had a soap dispenser get as close to the bottom as it could be, and then maybe have water added to it instead of grabbing a new dispenser.  I unfortunately am guilty of this too.  I’m sorry.

March Foodie Reveal Day – Guest Post

My foodie pen pal for this month does not have a blog but she sent me a nice email about what she received and after making sure it was okay to share, here is what she had to say:

 

rsz_rebecca_kracht

 

Hi Julie!
I just walked in from work and was SO excited to see that your package arrived. Let me tell you, you hit the nail on the head.
I am utterly addicted to cookies (and ate one immediately…delicious!), Kind bars are my favorite, and espresso flavored chocolate items are one of my biggest weaknesses. I cannot wait to heat some up!
I eat oatmeal a few times a week and have looked at those cups multiple times without ever “splurging” because I had my plain oatmeal at home. Kettle chips are pretty much the only kind I think are worth eating, but I’ve never tried the Cape Cod brand.
The mashed potatoes look like they’ll be awesome and everything else will be perfect for taking to work for snacking.
Thanks so much for making my Monday special and for putting so much thought into my box. I hope yours arrives soon and does the same for you.
Rebecca
Thank you Rebecca!  It was my pleasure!!

Foodie Penpals Reveal Day

March came with some great surprises from my pen pal Brianne Kilkpatrick and she did an amazing job!  As you may guess, these last few months haven’t been easy so the timing of this package was perfect, before the day we even had to ship it!  OMG!  Thank you Brianne!


The package!!
I have to tell you that when that Priority Mail package comes in, I am the happiest girl in the world!  I love that box.  It is my Christmas, with all the exciting goodies that might come in the box and this month was no different.  Brianne did a great job!

 

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She satisfied mine and Brittany’s sweet tooth, Zachary too!  This was a yummy package that I have thoroughly enjoyed!

 

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As you can see, we LOVED these!  I have to get some more of them and I think that as far as Weight Watchers points, they were only like 1 or 2PP per serving.  The only problem with it was that each serving was one piece.  That’s okay.  I ate them and truly enjoyed them.  They looked like they were going to be a little crispier than they were but they were soft and chewy and oh so yummy!  Brittany and I ate them up by the handful!  Oh my!

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I love anything bars, chocolate, granola, anything and these didn’t disappoint either.  The chocolate truffle candy bar was yummy!  I love truffle.  Quest Bars are so good and this one was chewy and chocolaty and super tasty.  The Cinnamon Pecan Protein Simply Bar smelled amazing but wasn’t as tasty as I thought it was going to be.  The smell promised more taste than there actually was.

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Plaintain chips are a great little snack and was happy to have these.

The last two things in the package were my favorite thing and something that I did try though with much trepidation.  I am not a big spicy person so the Wasabi Peas were not one of my favorites.  I do have a friend that I believe will love them and am sending them off to her.

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Lastly, my favorite thing in the package.  I have been looking at this myself for months to send to a foodie pen pal at Trader Joe’s and now I am going to have to get some and send it to someone.  Oh my!  This on a piece of toast with some butter, it just drips off the side and on to the plate.  Brittany and I have enjoyed this so much.  Strangely, Zachary isn’t as much of a fan of it as I thought he would but apparantly he’s a bit nuts because this stuff is so good!  With a little bit of Fluff too.  Again, I must just say Oh My!!

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Thank you Brianne!  This was perfect!

Do you want to be a foodie pen pal like me and get yummy treats in the mail?  It’s super easy!  To participate in April’s swap, click here.  Remember that in order to participate, you need to sign up by April 4th as the pairing will be emailed on April 5th.  If you are unsure, read on to see what this is all about.

~ On the 5th of every month, you will received your pen pal pairing via email.  It will be your responsibility to contact them and get their mailing address and any other information you might need like allergies or dietary restrictions.
~You will have until the 15th of the month to put your box of goodies in the mail.  On the last day of the month, you will post about the goodies you received from your pen pal!
~ The boxes are to be filled with fun foodie things, local food items or even homemade treats (my favorite)!  The spending limit is $15.  The box must include something written.  This can be anything from a note explaining what’s in the box to a fun recipe…use your imagination (I’ve written mine out in the tune of the song My Favorite Things).
~ You are responsible for figuring out the best way to ship your items depending on their size and how fragile they are.  (Don’t forget about flat rate boxes!).
~ Foodie Pen Pals is open to blog readers as well as bloggers.  If you’re a reader and get paired with a blogger, you are to write a short guest post for your pen pal to post on their blog about what you received.  If two readers are paired together, neither needs to worry about writing a post for that month.
~ Foodie Pen Pals is open to US, Canadian and European residents.  Please note, Canadian residents will be paired with other Canadians only, same with Europeans.  We’ve determined things might get slow and backed up if we’re trying to send foods through customs across the border from US to Canada and vice versa.

Now that you’ve read the rules, easy aren’t they.  Have you clicked here yet?  What’s stopping you?

 

 

 

Happy Easter

So the morning was pretty tough for me but the afternoon with the family was great!  Dinner at Mom and Dad’s was yummy, the weather was perfect and the kids were happy.  Turned out to be a great day!
Brittany and Zachary Brittany and Lucy Brittany and Jack Big Cookie Smile All the kids Trying to get Zachary to smile Three of us Pop and Brittany Justin Hidden Emme Emme loves Justin


 

 

 

Easter – Post one

Happy Easter.  I never realized how hard this whole separation thing and the holidays were going to affect me and we are only at Easter.  What’s Thanksgiving going to be like when I don’t get to see them really at all.  Thank God for the football game (hopefully it will be on Thanksgiving this year as the year before when it was away, it was the night before) or I won’t get to see them until Eric drops them at Walmart for Black Friday shopping.  It isn’t even 10 am and the kids left with Eric to see his family less than two hours ago and though I started laundry before they left, I am now on my fourth load of laundry (and I do at least a load every day so there wasn’t much so this is sheets and comforters and even Eric’s sheets from his bed), I have swept and washed the kitchen floor, I have done now three blogs, including this one and cleaned the oven (including inhaling some of the oven cleaner…not sure if that is good)…anything to keep busy and they still won’t be home for another 2-3 hours so we can head to my parents for dinner.  Anything to keep my mind on them not being here.  I don’t know what more to do other than get myself ready and that takes less than half an hour.  This is harder than I thought it was going to be.  And yes, I’m taking a selfish moment because I know that this is also hard on them.  I’m not discounting that but right now, I’m the only one home and I’m kind of going a little nuts so I’m going to take a minute for me.

Hopefully Post #2 from my parents house is a happier one.