My Apologies

April 1st, 2010

I apologize for the lack of posts this past week. As you can see, I’ve been painting and getting the house ready as I am hosting Easter. There are million things I still have to do and I’m trying not to stress. My new theory is as long as the house is relatively clean and the food & company are good, who cares about the rest, right?! Not to mention it is end of the quarter, a very busy time for me at work, and I consistently feel like I am the only one that is not a procrastinator. Anyway - next week should be better, where I’ll have posts on what I included in Easter Baskets, my Easter Table Decor, what home improvement project I’ll be tackling next and a few other odds and ends. Until then, I hope the Easter Bunny hops on over to your house and leaves you some treats. Happy Easter!

Happy Easter!

*Not sure if you can see it in this photo, but The Destroyer is holding his bribe money - a $20 bill. The mall at which we take our Santa/EB photos, has the holiday photo stations right next to the train and carousel rides. I had to let The Destroyer hold the train money with the promise of a ride, just to get him to sit on the EB’s lap. He wasn’t exactly happy, but at least he wasn’t crying! Now if only they could do that with Santa! And check out CheezWaster - he’s wearing the free EB ears they gave out with the photos!

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My Apologies has been posted in Parental Mamamamahoney and Tagged: easter 2010, easter bunny, happy easter, pictures with the easter bunny.

Why There Are Professionals

March 29th, 2010

In August, one Monday night while I was at Weight Watchers, my husband beat down the bathroom down. Under normal circumstances, this fact would put me in a rage like you’ve never seen before. however, upon hearing the story, I probably would have done the same thing. CheezWaster went to use the bathroom, locked the door, and apparently decided to lay on the floor where he proceeded to fall asleep. After noticing that he was gone for an unusually long time, my husband went to check on him. He called CheezWaster’s name, banged on the door, and no response. Fearing the worst, he shouldered down the door, breaking the entire door frame in the process - only to find CheezWaster sleeping. Needless to say, we’ve had the job of fixing the door nagging us for some time now. Back in the winter, my husband and my father-on-law fixed the door and the molding, which I painted. Unfortunately, I also had to remove the wallpaper in this gateway area because the people that owned the home before us wallpapered up the side of the molding. The area is a small hallway that has doors to the basement, the guest room, our office, the bathroom and the linen closet. While it is a small area, it has a lot of molding and a lot of odd corners. Tonight, I did the first coat of the new paint. It is a drastic change to the old color. I’m excited. I like color. The old color was this peachy beige. I’ve never been fond of it, but it matched the color in the wallpaper that is in various rooms on our first floor. In doing this job, I decided a few things:

There are professionals who do this sort of thing and I’m not one of them. I’m having a bitch of a time with the line between the wall and the ceiling, despite using one of those straight edged paint thingies (yes - that is the technical term!) There is such a different between the colors that any curvature in the line is very noticeable.
I’m too damn short to paint. If I stand on the middle rung of the ladder, I’m not high enough. On the top rung, I’m too high and my head it touching the ceiling.
I officially have used muscles I didn’t know existed in my arms. Numerous times, I felt like I was holding the paint holder punishment style. Both of my arms are killing me.
I love my kids and I’m so glad that my husband found our son only sleeping on the floor, but this job SUCKS.
I’m dreading tomorrow because I have to do the second coat.

The dark brown is the new color. To the right of the dark brown is the old color. BIG Difference!

The NEW Bathroom Door Frame

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Why There Are Professionals has been posted in Crafty Mamamamahoney, Disasterous Mamamamahoney, Parental Mamamamahoney and Tagged: bathroom door, beating down the door, home improvement, painting, painting a wall, replacing a door frame, replacing molding.

Absolutely Incredible Kids Day

March 16th, 2010

14^th Annual Absolutely Incredible Kid Day®

March 18, 2010

What’s so absolutely incredible?

Kids. They’re absolutely incredible. And each year on the third Thursday in March (March 18, 2010), Camp Fire USA wants parents and adults everywhere to let kids know just how amazing and valuable they are.

Absolutely Incredible Kid Day® is a national letter-writing campaign where kids receive letters of support, love and encouragement from parents and adults. It only takes a few minutes to jot a note that will be remembered and appreciated for a lifetime. The positive impact of these letters on kids is what Absolutely Incredible Kid Day® is all about.

Write a letter now!

It’s easy to participate in Camp Fire USA’s Absolutely Incredible Kid Day®! Don’t forget to deliver your letter to that special child on March 18, 2010.

Print Absolutely Incredible Kid Day® stationery

Here’s just a few reasons that my kids are absolutely incredible:

Even when I’m angry at them or have yelled at them, they forgive and forget 5 minutes later and give me hugs and kisses.
They have no fear!
No one else can look that cute when they are so messy!
They love to snuggle.
Mommy’s kisses can make all of their hurts go away.

You never know what tomorrow will bring. Hug & Kiss your kids and tell them you love them EVERY day!!!

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Absolutely Incredible Kids Day has been posted in Parental Mamamamahoney and Tagged: campfire usa, holidays in march, incredible kids day, kid love, kids' holidays, march 15.

Spring Things to do With Your Kids

March 11th, 2010

Now that we are working our way out of the winter thaw, I’m taking the boys out more and more to enjoy the beautiful weather we’re having. Here are some free or inexpensive ideas for you to do with your kids before you can bust out the kiddie pools and slip ‘n slides:

PARKS - Check out local parks in your area. If there is a park in my county, I’ve been to it. My kids love running around playgrounds and I’ve found more than a few good ones in our area. I’ve also chatted up some other parents in parks who have told me about some of the more hidden ones in our neighborhood.
ZOOS - We have a small, local zoo. The entrance price is relatively inexpensive and you can spend all day there. We have a family membership as my children love the zoo. We visit on a regular basis and enjoying seeing the animals in all of their splendor.
FARMS - There are some great farms in our area as well where you can often see and/or feed the animals for free. Though - I caution you to be careful of the peacocks! As spring approaches, you’ll also be able to start doing U-pick at the fruit/vegetable farms.
GARDENS - If you don’t have a local garden in your area, check out a local CSA. Often you can reap what you sow. A little elbow grease and a few dollars can get you lots of fruits/veggies. Or why not start your own garden patch? We’ve already begun cleaning out our garden for the next planting season.
LIBRARIES - Our local library starts doing outdoor activities for the kids in the spring such as a bubble day and bug hunting days. The local library is a great, free resource of activities ALL YEAR LONG.
THE BEACH - Hit the beach before it is packed for summer and play in the sand. Be sure to take along your shovels and pails - and a jacket - it is often quite windy by the seashore in spring.
YOUR OWN BACKYARD - Our backyard isn’t huge, but we love to go out with sidewalk chalk, bubbles, and balls. There are so many wonderful, simple games you can play with a ball or a frisbee or a hula hoop!

Because Spring often comes in like a lion and likes to shower those flowers, here are some rainy day fun ideas:

Check out places like Lowe’s, Michael’s and AC Moore - all of which offer free crafting days for kids.
Check out your local Whole Foods. Ours has a free or very inexpensive kids’ activity EVERY Wednesday.
Go to the Pet Shop. My kids love animals and we can always use some more food for our mutant county fair goldfish. The kids love seeing the dogs being groomed, as well as all of the other animals in the shop.
McDonald’s or BK - If your kids are like mine, they need an outlet for their energy. Several McDonald’s and Burger Kings offer Play Areas. You don’t even have to buy any food - though sometimes we’ll grab a post play ice cream snack!
The Mall - our local mall has a play area for kids. The kids can run and you can window shop (or mallercise with the stroller!)

Having fun doesn’t always have to be expensive. Get out and enjoy some time with your kids!

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Spring Things to do With Your Kids has been posted in Kiddie Mamamamahoney, Parental Mamamamahoney and Tagged: csas, free fun for kids, free things to do with kids, gardens, ideas for kids fun, mall, outdoor fun for kids, outside fun for kids, parks, pet shop, spring things, zoos.

Preparing for Spring

March 5th, 2010

Melissa & Doug Rake

Despite the falling snow here in NJ, I’m gearing up for Spring! (it has to be coming soon, right?) I’ve been perusing my seed and plant catalogs and have begun thinking about what I’d like to plant in my garden this year. Our garden not only provides us with vegetables all summer long, it is a haven for fun, peace & relaxation. The kids love to help in the garden and I’m always eager to find kids’ gardening tools that aren’t plastic (our recycle bin is tired of broken plastic shovels). Yesterday, I popped over to Toys R Us and found the most adorable AND functional metal gardening tools for kids. They are made by Melissa and Doug and are sturdy and safe. There are no jagged corners and no sharp ends. The set offers a rake, a hoe, a shovel, a trowel, a cultivator, watering cans, as well as some other odds and ends like sprinklers, lawn games, gardening gloves, sunglasses, a gardening tote, umbrellas, and a bug magnifying glass. I know a few items that are going to make their way into my kids’ Easter baskets. Check out the entire Sunny Patch line here and THINK SPRING!

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Preparing for Spring has been posted in Gardening Mamamamahoney, Kiddie Mamamamahoney, Parental Mamamamahoney and Tagged: children's garden, garden, gardening, gardening tools for kids, gardening with kids, kids in the garden, kids' gardening tools, metal gardening tools for kids.