Mother's Day Look Back

Now that my 13th Mother's Day as a mother is over I would like to share some things I was thinking about this year. I was thinking back to my very first Mother's Day when Natalie was just a few weeks old. It was a special day I'm sure. However, I distinctly remember wanting a true day off from being a mom. Meaning no diaper changes, no feedings, just me enjoying the day. It didn't happen that way of course. And it never has, but every year I would always really really want that on Mother's Day. Just that one day.

This year I just didn't care. Maybe I've learned to just not expect it. Maybe I've learned to not expect a whole lot. Maybe mothering is just so much a part of who I am now that I just wouldn't know what to do with myself. Now don't get me wrong, I've enjoyed all of my other Mother's Days even if it wasn't what I expected it to be. This year was just different.

I got up like any other day and I fed Alyssa. CJ cried for daddy who wasn't home and didn't want me to get him out. I did dishes, I washed laundry, I cleaned up, I gave baths, and I of course changed diapers. I broke up fights and dealt with preteen attitude and toddler temper tantrums. I did what I do everyday. I was a mom. I got presents and dinner out with family. I cut up my toddlers meal and I shared my meal with one of my children. I did not resent a single second of having to do any of it either just because it was Mother's Day.

As shocking as this may be, the best gift I got for Mother's Day was Alyssa not crying during her bath. It's the little things. Don't get me wrong, I love my bracelet that the kids got me, I love the necklace that Joe got me, and I loved my millions of homemade cards and artwork from the children, but to not have to bathe a screaming squirmy baby really was the best thing I could have gotten. It took me 13 years to get it I guess, but being a mom really is a 24/7 job. There really is no break from it and I wouldn't have it any other way.

If I had to change anything about the day it would have been a televised Mets game and they would have won. I mean really, is that asking too much?

In honor of Mother's Day starting tonight and for the next 4 Mondays I am going to be sharing my birth stories. So check back later.

Week In Review: May 17 - May 23, 2009

Here is this weeks Week In Review for May 17 - May 23, 2009

Sunday: A lazy day for the most part. I did all of the laundry from the week. Washed dishes. Joe wanted pizza for dinner so we ordered out. After eating the kids all showered and bathed and went to bed. Joe and I watched our second movie that we rented. He fell asleep during it. I didn't pay too close attention to it because I was checking my baseball score. They lost. Guess the movie wasn't all that good.

Monday: CJ decided that 3 a.m. was a good time to get up and play. Took about an hour to finally get him settled down and back to sleep. Needless to say getting up a few hours later wasn't the greatest. I brought the girls to school and came back and did some stuff online. Put CJ down for a nap. Talked to someone at the school in the FRC about the science program we brought to the school this week. Everything was going great. Then we had to wake CJ up to bring Joe to work. As we were driving I got a call from Claudia about our PAT visit we had rescheduled. I almost forgot about it. So CJ and I went home after dropping Joe off at work and I cleaned up a little. We had lunch and Claudia came over. We had a little pretend tea party with CJ. I see everyday how different it is having a boy. The girls at his age would have been all over the tea party he was more interested in putting the top on the tea pot and taking it off. He did pretend to eat some stuff though, but it definitely was not his cup of tea so to speak. Give the boy a car any day and he'll make all sorts of sound effects. But tea cups and he just doesn't know what to do. She left then I had to go get the girls from school. Kaitlyn couldn't find her jacket so I had to wait for her. She did find it. I talked to my PTA VP for a few about our upcoming BBQ and what we should charge for tickets. Then we left. The girls did homework and then we had to go back out to pick up Joe. We then went to Walmart to get some envelopes and then to Blockbuster to return the movie. Then over to Game Stop for Kaitlyn to pick out a new Wii game to replace one she sold on ebay. Went home and I started dinner, but discovered I was out of lemon. So ran to the store to buy some lemon and came back to finish up dinner. We ate and the kids got ready for bed. Sent them to bed and then Joe and I watched TV. My cousin got proposed to so when I was told I was too excited to go to bed so I stayed up until about 1.

Tuesday: Got up on time again this morning. Got everyone ready and I brought the girls to school. Joe stayed home with CJ. I went in to check with the science performing people. They were all set. My other officers arrived and we did some things at the school and then watched the science performance on Matter. It was great. Hopefully the kids learned a lot. After the show I did a few more things at the school and then went to the post office. After the post office I came home where I worked on editing tons of pictures. CJ got up from his nap and Joe fed him lunch. Put way too much jelly on his sandwich and he had it all over him. So I put CJ in the tub to clean him off. He pooed in the tub. So after getting him out and handed off to Joe I emptied and washed the tub. Then washed the towels because CJ also peed on the bath mat. By the time everything was cleaned up it was time to pick the girls up from school. I brought them home and they did their homework while I continued working on pictures. Joe went to work. I dried the towels; I washed dishes and figured out what to do for dinner. Just spaghetti. CJ was so anxious to eat he reached up on the counter while his food was cooling and grabbed his plate. When did he get tall enough to reach the counter? Ugh, he keeps me on my toes. Fed the kids and gave them dessert and CJ got his cookie EVERYWHERE. So bath number 2 for him. Got him all washed up and everyone ready for bed. Sent them to bed and then hung out playing around on the computer and waited for Joe to come home. He came home and we watched some TV together before we went to bed.

Wednesday: Finally spring is here. Hopefully to stay. Woke up to beautiful sun shiny weather. Got everyone ready. Joe took the car to work so we had to walk to school. I showered and got CJ dressed. And then we were off. Got to school on time and CJ and I went down to playgroup. He is changing so much. Before at playgroup he could have cared less who touched a toy he had been playing with. Heck, a kid could have come up and grabbed something out of his hands and he would have been fine with that. He's definitely becoming a toddler though. He was playing with a shape sorter and decided that was his toy. It didn't matter if he had put it down and moved onto something else no one else could play with that. No major meltdowns yet, but I can tell they are coming with him. His PT came to playgroup for his final visit. CJ is now a Birth to Three graduate. He no longer needs her services. We will continue with the PAT visits and Ages and Stages through the FRC to make sure he remains on track and continues to grow, but everyone thinks he's going to do so well. I agree he's amazing. He has overcome a lot. So after playgroup CJ and I walked home and I put him down for a nap. Then I worked on some BBQ stuff. Not too much since it was contingent on phone calls and I had to wait for people to call back. So I mostly ended up playing on the computer and folding some laundry. I did finally get all the information I wanted and figured out we are going to be way under what we budgeted for the BBQ this year. That is awesome. CJ got up from his nap when I was on the phone. Thankfully he entertained himself until I could get off and make his lunch. I fed him and then we played for a few before we had to walk to go pick up his sisters. I got some Avon fundraiser stuff from my PTA VP that needed to be exchanged and then got the girls and we walked home. They did their homework. Joe came home and we went to the grocery store to pick up some staples (ie bread, drink boxes, and snack for school). A few things turned into $60 worth of stuff. Came home and put everything away and then washed dishes and cooked dinner. We put CJ to bed early while the girls stayed up a little past their bedtime to watch a movie with us. They went to bed and I played on the computer while Joe shaved and took a bath. I laid down on the couch and fell asleep. Joe woke me up around 11:30. I tried to go back to sleep, but I couldn't so I ended up staying up until after 2 a.m.

Thursday: I was woken up early by a loud engine and couldn't go back to sleep. So I got about 3 hours of sleep. Got up to check my e-mail and play on the computer again. The kids slowly started getting up. Joe went to work. I walked the girls to school. Came home and played with CJ until it was time for his nap. I honestly did not accomplish much today. I cleared some stuff off our DVR and that's about it. Joe had a job interview after work which was why he took the car. He called me about 2:30 to say he was on his way home. He came home and we went to get the girls and then went to the bank to deposit some checks we had received. Then we went to Game Stop so Natalie could buy a game. She had won a $15 gift card to Walmart for her poem, but she didn't want anything at Walmart. So we offered to buy her gift card off of her so she could get something else. She chose a game for the Wii. We came home and the girls did homework. Kaitlyn didn't like that she had to redo her homework and spent a lot of time crying about that. So she wasn't allowed to play the new nintendo game. Once Natalie finished her homework without argument she did get to play her new game. Then we had dinner the girls cleaned their room and I chatted with my cousin online. She asked me to be the maid of honor at her wedding. I accepted. Joe and I watched some TV and then stayed up way too late again.

Friday: Got up and showered. The girls decided they didn't have to get ready for school today that they could just flit around here this morning like they had no place to be. Not a good way to start the day and not a way to make mom happy ;). Somehow they got out the door on time and to school. I've been finding old childhood friends on Facebook so I spent part of the morning doing that. Then I lost my internet connection so I spent an hour on the phone with the phone company finding out what happened to my DSL. They wrongly shut it off and can't get it turned back on until Wednesday because of the holiday. Nice! So I'm on dial up. Back to the stone ages. It's so slow!!! So my internet time has been limited. I brought Joe to work. Then I went to my Avon lady to make some exchanges and then home for lunch. I tried to deal with the slow internet connection, but everything took twice as long. I went to pick the girls up from school. Came home for a few before getting Joe from work. We went to Walmart and got the kids some new shirts and some sunblock. Then we came home to figure out dinner. Ended up taking the kids to Friendly's. After dinner we came home and I watched the Mets game. I fell asleep before it was over, but I know they won.

Saturday: Slept in. Finally catching up on all of those late nights this week. Fed the kids. Joe's sister called. So I had to wake him up to talk to her. He talked on the phone for a while. Everything is fine though. She needs money for some bond on their grandmother's house, but she doesn't know why since the state has the house. We took it easy in the morning. CJ took his nap. Then we went to a picnic at the park that we were invited to. We had a very nice time at the picnic. There was some excitement at the park as some kid got injured at the skate park. Three ambulances and fire trucks later the kid was on his way to the hospital. From what I understand he broke his arm and the bone was sticking out. Ouch! We stayed and played wiffle ball though and then cleaned up and came home. Then we just relaxed for the rest of the evening at home and slowly my allergies started acting up. So I spent the evening with itchy watery eyes and sniffling and sneezing. But hey, the Mets pulled off a win in the 9th inning to the Red Sox so I was happy despite my discomfort.

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It was not a disappointment

And the Mets did NOT disappoint today! They beat the Reds 2-1 today. Now they need to keep this kind of play up. Lets Go Mets!

Opening Day

For me, spring doesn't really get here until baseball officially starts. More specifically not until the Mets officially start. And today is the day. Mets play in Cincinatti today. I can't wait. Lets Go Mets! 2009 is going to be their year.

A Season of Ups and Downs is Over

I am one bummed Mets fan. My baseball season is now officially over. No more nail biting, no more breathless moments, and no more near heart attacks. At least not until April. The Mets are not moving on to the post season again this year. And again this year they loose it on the last day of the regular season to the Florida Marlins of all teams. I suppose it's fitting since they put the final nail in the coffin of their historic collapse last year. There was a small glimmer of hope that they would move on today, but unfortunately as is the story of the Mets their bullpen could not hold on and sadly Chicago couldn't pull out one more win for the Mets today. So now I need to let all of this sink in and then in a few months start watching as they trade and pick up new players. I certainly hope that a closer and some more starting pitching is on the list of prospects for them. It's too bad Johan Santana can't pitch everyday. Perhaps if he did we would have had a chance this year. So this die hard Mets fan says so long to another season that could have been. Team tight rope, thanks again for dashing all of your fans dreams. Hopefully Citi Field next year is better luck for you than Shea Stadium has been the last few years!

Wordless Wednesday: NY Mets MVP

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Surprise Surprise

Just 19 hours after the Mets abruptly fire their manager Willie Randolph in the most distasteful of ways the Mets are still playing badly. Surprise Surprise. That's right, it's not all the managers fault. You have one of the highest played teams in baseball and they are certainly not playing like that. Three errors last night! Missed opportunities. Poor pitching. No hitting in clutch situations. How can this be a managers fault? It can't be. You wanna blame someone? I blame Omar Minaya. He brought these players here who are playing poorly so perhaps it's his head who needs to be on the chopping block. And I smell a little hostility in the players with Jerry Manuel taking over for Willie Randolph. They can say all the right words to the press, but I watched that game last night. In the first inning Jose Reyes leaves the game because of an injured hamstring. Now lets start with the fact that he ran to first base without hobbling at all. He managed to stand there while Louis Castillo came to bat and took a pitch. Then suddenly he's pulling at his leg? What could he have done to himself? Then he clearly doesn't want to leave the game and says he's fine, but the new manager tells him to get off the field and he was visibly upset. Well, good for you Reyes for wanting to stay in the game, but probably not the best reaction in front of EVERYONE that you did not agree with this brand spanking new managers call. All I know is tonight should be an interesting game. Oliver Perez takes the mound. And the one pitching coach out there who was able to make him a 15 game winner last season is not there to help guide him through it. Yes Perez is sporadic. He always has been. Why would that be any different? I can't see things improving with a new pitching coach who hasn't figured out how to deal with Perez yet. Have I said that firing Willie Randolph was the dumbest move ever? It should have been done after they choked last year if it was going to be done. Certainly not dragged on like this and allowed to fester. And certainly not across the country in the middle of the night.

METS WIN!

Here it is 11:05 at night and I should be in bed, but instead I'm up watching the Mets game praying for a win. It was a game they had won in the 9th inning before Arizona tied it up and off to extra innings the game goes. And finally in 13 innings Mets WIN! A final of 5-3 with a walk off home run by Carlos Beltran. It's about time! Lets Go Mets! Now they just need to keep the wins coming. METS WIN! METS WIN! METS WIN!

A Very Angry Mets Fan

So I have been a Mets fan since I was in middle school. It all began when I found out that the boy I had a crush on (Chris Koteas) was a Mets fan. I had to like what he liked to get his attention. It didn't work, but I became a huge fan of baseball or really the Mets in the process.

So I've been watching Mets baseball now for 20 years. Most of that time the Mets were not a great team. Not a championship team by any means. I still stood firm that my Mets were the best team in baseball. And in recent years they have really formed into that championship baseball team. Just two years ago they were the National League East champions. As a matter of fact they won the National League East with a few weeks still to play of baseball that year. They however burnt out quickly I suppose as they didn't go on to become the National League Champions and lost to of all teams the St. Louis Cardinals. Okay, I was disappointed when that happened, but they made it to the post season with a young team they'd do it again.

So then last year they started out great. They were leading the National League East by 7 games. That's right SEVEN games. It was going to be another run away with the National League East championship. I had dreams of being in the hospital giving birth to my son while watching my Mets win the World Series. I mean there were only 2 weeks to go and they had a SEVEN game lead in the National League East. They blew it though with a historic collapse. No team has ever lost with that little amount of time left and that large of a lead. What a thing to have on your record, right?

Well, there's nothing we can do there's next year. I watched the Mets over the winter trade players and top prospects of theres for other position players when all along knowing their biggest down fall has been their starting pitching. And since Tom Glavine, who put the final nail in the coffin of the Mets historic collapse last year decided to get the heck out of dodge and go back to his beloved Atlanta Braves we were down a pitcher. And there's only one really great pitcher out there which the Mets were showing no interest in. Mr. Johan Santana was playing cat and mouse with the Yankees and the Red Sox. So there goes starting pitching right? But then this glimmer of hope. Just weeks before spring training begins out of no where the Mets make a deal and get Johan Santana. Okay, now we're in business right.

One would think we've got a starting rotation featuring Johan Santana and Pedro Martinez. But Pedro gets injured his first day pitching and just now has come off the disabled list. Plagued with injury after injury the Mets are not playing like a championship baseball team by any means. They are 2 games under 500 and 7 1/2 games out of first place. Yes, there's still a lot more games to be played, but you know what I'm really angry now.

I'm not angry at the Mets manager Willie Randolph. I mean the man can only do so much without actually going out there and pitching the ball and playing in the field and hitting himself. I don't believe in blaming the manager for these sorts of things. These players who are being paid millions of dollars need to step up. We've got Johan Santana who is the highest paid pitcher in baseball on our team, right. He should have the most wins by far as a pitcher, but he doesn't. Seven wins is nothing at this point in time from a pitcher who is making the kind of money he's making. Oh and lets not forget about Oliver Perez. A pitcher who went into arbitration in the off season because he didn't think the Mets were giving him enough money for him to sign a contract with. Before this last outing of his he only went 1/3 of an inning and gave up 6 runs. Now what's that all about? Does he deserve his salary? Not when he plays like that he doesn't.

Okay, so what about their defense this year? There's Jose Reyes. I love the guy. He's a spark plug for the team. But what's with all the errors Jose? Ten errors already? What's up with that? He had 12 errors I believe all of last year. He better clean up his act.

Then there is the hitting. Or the lack there of rather. It's coming in dribs and drabs. Nothing is consistent. Perhaps what they need is much more practice. Get out there and run drills and batting practice an hour more than usual. Or better yet how about paying for actual performance? Maybe instead of these huge contracts for players in baseball or any sport for that matter they all get a certain salary like any other company would do for their employees based on experience and time with the company. And then if they perform well they get a bonus. Because you know no player ever plays as well as when it's time to sign a new contract. This lets fire the manager stuff though is just crazy. It's the players who need to step up to the plate and do what they are being paid these large sums of money to do.

I have been patient with my team. I still love my Mets. I loved them pre-championship caliber team and I love them now. I am just becoming very angry with everything that has been happening. I know they can play like the team who ran away with the National League East title in 2006. They are still that team. They should be better than that team with all of their new additions. I am tired of watching this lousy play. This is a team that can be 11 games over 500 and in first place if they would just start playing like they love the game again. So LETS GO METS!

Alls Quiet in Blog Land

Well, at least on the blogs I read everyday. Been a quiet day. I'm bored. I should be doing laundry, but I'm not really motivated to do it. Another hour until my Mets game comes on. I really hate those late afternoon games on the weekend. I just went to a tag sale that my friend was having to raise money for Autism Speaks. She'll be participating in the Walk Now for Autism next weekend so I was trying to help her out. Got some stuff for the girls which took forever. Well, I should say Natalie took forever picking something out for herself.

So now I'm just killing some time. Does anyone collect Box Tops for their school? I'm the Box Tops coordinator at our school. Okay, yes I do it all. PTA president, Girl Scout leader, Box Tops coordinator, and looks like next year I'll be doing PTA treasurer too as we have no volunteers for that. Anyways, I'm trying to wrap up our Box Top collection. We've been doing a Box Tops 500 race. Each class has their own race car which races to 500 Box Tops. The winning class gets an ice cream party. I told them that whichever class wins the most would get a special prize at the end of the year never once disclosing what this prize would be. And you know what? I still don't know what that prize will be. Problem is I don't have one winning class. We've had 4 different classes win so far this year. So I'm doing one final push to the finish. They have until June 13th to get their box tops in to me. One of the classes that had already won was in the lead, but now another class has come out of no where with over 200 Box Tops. This class hasn't won at all this year. Ahhhhh, they are making this so difficult for me. I just want one clear winner here not a five way tie. Oh well, I'll figure something out I'm sure.

We got our Girl Scout cookie incentives last night. I wasn't aware that our troop had earned $75 to use at the Girl Scout store. That will come in very handy with the end of the year approaching and Try Its to buy for each of the girls. Natalie gets $35 in camp credits which can also be used at the Girl Scout store. We don't do camping so she can get her Junior uniform with that gift certificate.

Well, I guess that's about it. School's out for the summer on June 17th. Kaitlyn has her Kindergarten Ceremony on June 13th. Next Friday is our schools end of the year BBQ. Lots of fun stuff coming up. I hope you're all prepared to see tons of pictures.