Top 10 Things Big Sister do to Baby Brothers

Well, for all those who had girls first and then had a boy here are some things you should watch out for.

The top 10 things big sisters will do to their baby brother
10. Big sisters will fight with each other over who their baby brother likes the most.
9. Big sisters will constantly be loving on and kissing and cuddling their baby brother.
8. Big sisters will always be trying to pick up their baby brother even though he might be half their size.
7. Big sisters will try to change their baby brothers diaper and not tell anyone.
6. Big sisters will feed their baby brother a sour patch kid when mom's not looking.
5. Big sisters will open their baby brother's bottle just to see if they can do it.
4. Big sisters will go "shopping" in their room for stuff they don't like, want, or play with anymore to give to their baby brother for his birthday.
3. Big sisters will from time to time get fed up with their baby brother getting into their stuff, but will still think he's the cutest thing ever.
2. Big sisters will teach their baby brother all the things you don't want them to learn.

and the # 1 thing big sister will do to their baby brother is....






Dress their baby brother up like Snow White!

31 Things...

Somehow I knew as I was reading Erin's Blog that she was going to tag me for this project. And sure enough as I got to the end there was my name. So here are my answers to these 31 things...

31 Things....
1. Where is your cell phone? Right here next to me on my desk in hopes that it rings with either an RSVP for CJ's party or my PTA VP finally calls me back about getting the pumpkins to the school tonight.

2. Where is your significant other? At his new job working his butt off. Poor guy has been getting maybe 4 hours of sleep with a cold and working 19 hour days.

3. Your hair color? When I was little it was strawberry blonde, but now it's more brown with red highlights.

4. Your mother? Patricia

5. Your father? Peter

6.Your favorite thing? Family Time. We don't get a lot of it so we have to make the most of it when we're all together.

7. Your dream last night? I don't often remember my dreams and last night was no different.

8. Your dream/goal? Well, my dream is more for my kids that they grow up healthy and happy and become good adults and are happy in their lives.

9. The room you're in? living room watching CJ crawl around and get into EVERYTHING.

10. Your hobby? A little bit of this and a little bit of that, hehehehe. I guess mostly baking and blogging.

11. Your fear? leaving my kids without a mother, heights, and snakes.

12.Where do you want to be in six years? I'd like to at least own my own home in 6 years. Maybe here in CT, maybe somewhere else. As long as I'm with my hubby and my kids I'm good.

13. Where were you last night? Just hanging out at home. Joe was working and we're down to one car so I couldn't go anywhere.

14. What you’re not? Skinny

15. One of your wish list items? to have my own car again.

16. Where you grew up? Trumbull, CT

17. The last thing you did? Walked the girls to school and baby it's cold outside.

18What are you wearing? Sweatpants and a sweatshirt and sneakers

19. Your TV? A JVC 28 inch I think

20. Your pet? no pets

21. Your computer? Compaq Presario

22. Your mood? tired

23. Missing someone? Right now my husband and the girls.

.24.Your car? Right now my car is Joe's car which is a 1994 Pontiac Grand Am. Impressive that it has less than 40,000 miles on it.

.25. Something you’re not wearing? Hmmm, I guess I'm not wearing a lot of things. Like anything sexy because who has time for that with three kids, I'm not wearing makeup and usually don't, I'm not wearing my contacts anymore because I need to get new ones, but that's another thing I don't have the money for right now. I could probably go on and on here.

26. Favorite store? JC Penney

27. Your summer? Busy, but fun with lots of neat little trips. One to Six Flags and one to Philly

28.. Love someone? Of course, lots of someones.

29. Your favorite color? blue

30.When is the last time you laughed? Hmmm, probably yesterday when the kids did something funny.

31. Last time you cried? I don't really remember, it's been a while.

And there you have it 31 Things. I'm not tagging anyone, but if you want to do this too feel free to.

Returning Toys

I don't know what to do. Many of you have read the issues that I have with my parents. If not feel free to go back and read.

Things have been quiet with them for the most part. We spoke on the phone back in the beginning of September when my mom called to tell me she had diabetes. They don't call when she's in the hospital, but they do when she's diagnosed diabetic. I wasn't really sure what to say or do at that point, but I let them talk to the girls for quite some time on the phone. Then I had gotten back on the phone with them and they started the lecturing and how do I know if they've changed or not. Well, case in point you are still lecturing me and bringing up how wrong I have been in everything. A week prior my dad had called wanting to bring all of the stuff they had for the children back to our house because it's too hard for them to look at. And because I didn't answer the phone and call them back that very same day I ruined everything. We got off the phone not really resolving anything and I hadn't heard from them since.

Now here it is two weeks before CJ's 1st birthday. I am preparing his invites to go out for his birthday party. I even have my parents on the guest list in spite of everything. I was running a little late yesterday in leaving the house to go pick up the girls from school. Good thing I was I suppose or maybe not. I was counting money from our PTA book fair so I went to the kitchen to wash my hands before I left to pick the girls up from school. I looked out my kitchen window and I saw a car in the parking lot that looked like my moms. I figured it couldn't be. My parents both work during the day and I hadn't heard from them. The upstairs neighbors are moving out so I thought maybe they had someone here to help them get the last of their stuff. I didn't even think much when I saw someone on my porch just to the side of my door with a bag. Again, thinking it was the 3rd floor finally finishing their move. I grabbed my stuff and went to walk out the door and there on my porch was boxes and bags of stuff with Natalie's name on it and my dad was walking down the sidewalk. He didn't see me. I turned around and went back into the house to tell Joe what had happened and ask him that while I'm picking the girls up from school he bring all this stuff in and hide it because I didn't know how to explain to the girls that Grandma and Grandpa were breaking up with us.

I left to get the girls and came back home. Joe forgot one thing on the porch. Two small plastic chairs which were at my parents house that the girls saw and immediately recognized as something from Grandma and Grandpa's. They asked, I lied. We haven't told them about all of the stuff. They suspect something is up though. Since stuff just got piled in my room they have seen some things. I don't know what to tell them. How do you tell a 9 year old and a 6 year old that their grandparents never plan on seeing them again so they brought all of their stuff back? What do I even do with all of this stuff? I was planning on just getting rid of it. I've also been debating about whether or not I should bother inviting them to CJ's birthday party after this. How can I not invite them though they are his grandparents? If they come though will they ask the girls if they got their stuff? If I get rid of it all how do I explain that? So I guess I'll just keep it and if they come to the party I'll give it all back to them. If not then I'll dispose of it all somehow hopefully in a way that the girls aren't aware of what I've done.

I don't even know what to do at this point. I reach out time and time again and time and time again I get slapped in the face. When am I going to learn? It's clear that my parents have no intention of working anything out. If they did then they wouldn't get rid of all the children's toys. I mean what if I did start allowing them to spend time with them? What would they tell them about where all the stuff they had at their house went? I know the saying goes you always hurt the ones you love, but really this is getting ridiculous with them.

The Much Awaited Conferences

Well, as expected Natalie's conference was full of praises and she's a great student. She's quiet when she should be and talks when she is supposed to. She always is able to answer questions and she reads, writes, and does her math correctly. She's a pleasure to have in class and other than her funny looks he's happy to have her in his class ;). He teases her all the time, hehehehe. Good thing we tease her at home all the time too ;).

Now for Kaitlyn's; it actually went better than I was expecting. Of course her reading is a concern. She's off by about three reading levels of where they want her to be. She's reading level 4/5's now and should be a 12 by December. Her teacher says there is definitely progress though and with us working at home and the extra help she gets in school she doesn't see any problems in her getting this down. Obviously her writing will come as the reading comes too. All other areas she seems to be doing what is expected for her to be doing. Socially she's doing great too. She has friends and she listens and follows rules and she definitely tries. So her teacher says she's a pleasure to have in class. She participates well too. So she's got what she needs to be a good student.

I asked about doing more phonics with her and her teacher said they are actually beginning to go back to the phonics. So she gets both phonics and whole word. I mentioned my concerns about dyslexia and how it does run in the family. Her teacher was very receptive. She said her mixing up the letters now is very common, but if she's still doing it by mid year then they'll look into some sort of testing to rule anything out. Knowing there's a family history there really seemed to make it more of a concern. So I'm confident that we'll be able to solve these reading struggles.

All things considered I'm proud of both of my girls for trying their hardest. That's all I can ask for out of them, right?

A New Job

I'm back to being a SAHM again. I had to quit my job at Kohl's because Joe's hours changed at work and it just wasn't working out for me to continue working. Of course no only were his hours changed, but they were cut too. Nice timing with the holidays. Well, Joe ended up having an interview this week and he was called yesterday that he got the job. It's full time plus overtime. It pays more than Stop and Shop. He is keeping Stop and Shop though, but since they cut him down to minimum hours anyways he figured he mine as well make it official that that's what he wants to work. At least it makes up for me having to quit my part time job. Joe starts next Monday.

New School Project on Hold?

Ever since Natalie was in Kindergarten we have been hearing that they are going to be building a brand new K-8 school to replace some of the older schools in our town. My children go to school in a 95 year old brick school building. There is no handicap access in the school. The only bathrooms are on the basement floor. If any child breaks his leg then he has no way of getting down to the bathroom or lunch room in that school. Any child who lives in the area, but is handicapped has to be sent to a different school because they can't accommodate him there.

So four years ago I began hearing about this new school project and it would be done by the time Natalie started middle school and therefore she would basically remain in the same school until 8th grade. At first I wasn't too thrilled about the thought of a K-8 school, but then as I began to learn more I warmed up to the idea.

Now, here Natalie is in 4th grade and they don't even have a site for the new school. Every time they take two steps forward they then take two steps back. Last year the city council was trying to get them to use a location which would take 30 homes away from people! Thirty homes in our neighborhood. Thirty homes of the very same children who would be attending that school. Thankfully they finally saw the light and realized that was a very bad idea. Although, I think it was more because they realized it was a flood zone and part of the area was contaminated and clean up would be a pain.

So then they began focusing their energy on this sand pit. It seemed like the perfect location. However, the owners wanted more than twice what it was worth to sell. Then they discovered that the roads in the area couldn't handle all the added traffic of a 900 student school. So now it was time to scramble to find another property where really there is none. But a glimmer of hope. They found a property where they wouldn't have to take anyone's home and would be relatively easy to buy up. Everyone was for this site. It was looking like ground could be broken by 2010 and the new school open by 2012. Now granted the only one of my children who would ever attend this new school would be the baby, but hey it's progress.

But then the financial crisis came into play. The state was going to reimburse over 70% of this to the town, but now with the bank crisis this suddenly is looking like it's not going to happen. So now the city council doesn't want to put money out that might not be reimbursed to buy another property.

But you know what, all this time they've been arguing about where to put it there has been this perfect property right in the center of town already bought and ready to be built on by the city. The old "mall site" is just sitting there. Seventeen acres of land which is costing the city money on a daily basis. Seventeen acres of land which was supposed to be built up with businesses and stuff, but no one is interested in building there. So this eye sore just sits there unused while they fight over a school for our children. And there was an article in the paper today about it too.

So as a parent who has been hearing about this new school for the past 4 years I really want to know what is so important about building a business at this location? Why aren't our children coming first? If they don't have the money to make this school project happen then what are they going to do with that 95 year old school building which my children are attending? The one which a year ago this past spring had a foot of standing water in the library because of a bad rain storm? The one with the asphault playground which has torn up my children's knees and pants? The one without handicap access so when my daughter sprained her ankle last year I had to keep her out of school for a day because I didn't want her going up and down the stairs all day long on it? The one where in the dead of winter one classroom can be so hot they have to have the windows open to cool it down, but the classroom across the hall is so cold the children are all wearing their winter coats to do their work? I get they are all about the almighty dollar, but don't our children deserve more? Don't the children who managed to make safe harbor on the state testing for the past 3 out of 4 years deserve more? The children who attend this run down school where only 4 out of the 10 elementary schools here managed to have enough improvement on the mastery testing that they are no longer on the No Child Left Behind watch list. When are they going to get noticed and rewarded for their accomplishments? Why are our city leaders and officials so sure that the right thing for this city is a bunch of businesses which lets face it in this economy probably aren't too interested in starting up new in a state with such high taxes and cost of living? Our children are our future and therefore I do think a school would be just perfect and very useful at the old "mall site"!

Happy Blogoversary to you!

Today is my good friend Renee's one year Blogoversary and she's celebrating by giving stuff away to us her readers! Woohoo! So go check out Renee's page. She writes an awesome mommy blog that you have got to read! Happy Blogoversary Renee!

Sickies Running Wild

We have dealt with a week long stomach bug in our house this week. Natalie got it Monday and stayed home from school. She was back on Tuesday though. Then Wednesday night I started feeling yucky. It took me a bit longer than Natalie to recoup though. I was all done throwing up Thursday, but I was achy and very weak. Probably from not eating anything though. Then Thursday afternoon CJ got it. And well those who have dealt with a puking baby you know that is no fun. Thankfully he only threw up twice though and was good by Friday. Then early this morning Kaitlyn ended up with it. No fun when your good friend has a birthday party that you really want to go to. I tried to tell her she shouldn't try it because she was too sick, but she said she was fine. We got to the bowling alley though and she threw up in the parking lot. Well, I'm glad she did it there. So Joe took her home while I took Natalie and CJ to the party. She was much better after that though, but then about 4 tonight Joe got it. I was supposed to work tonight. I called out though because I couldn't see leaving Joe with all the kids with the way I knew he was feeling. Especially since one of them wasn't 100% herself. So here I am like my third week into working and I called out. Probably not the best thing, but hey my family has got to come first and they needed me tonight. Kaitlyn passed out on the couch on daddy tonight and when we sent her to bed she said she didn't feel good again. I think she just needs some sleep though. I'm hoping Joe is doing better. He has eaten and I think kept it down so far. I'm hoping this is it. Everyone has gotten the stomach bug so now this thing can leave our house thank you very much.