Barne's Bunch update

So I've been really quiet here on this blog. So I thought I would share with you all what the Barnes Bunch has been up to so far in 2012.

Starting with moi: I started a blogger internship recently which has been improving things over on my Monica's Mom Musings blog. Here was my first blog post on the Mom's Talk Network blog though: Teaching Our Daughters About Real Beauty And The Photoshop Effect. Other than my blogging stuff I am doing all the usual mommy stuff too. Cooking, cleaning, refereeing, homework help. Typical mom stuff.

Joe: He's working. Someone is retiring at the end of the month so we are hoping he gets promoted.

Natalie: She's doing pretty good in 7th grade this year. Finally adjusted to middle school and the expectations of her.

Kaitlyn: She's been playing her clarinet. She had a concert this past week and it was very impressive. For a group of kids who have only been playing an instrument for a few months they did great. She's also doing well in 4th grade and making lots of friends. She just went on a sleepover last week at a friends house and wanted to stay the whole weekend.

CJ: We have been buckling down on the potty training with CJ. He has been dry and poopy free during the day for over a week now. So proud of him. I am hoping once we fully get him trained during the day that night time training will be super easy and we can be done with diapers, at least for him. He's loving preschool this year. He's always talking about the kids in his class and makes up the funniest stories too. He has quite the imagination on him.

Alyssa: Well, she has been doing what babies do. She still has her gimpy crawl, but she gets from one point to the other pretty fast. She is cruising the furniture and she can stand up. No walking yet. She loves to eat and we have introduced coconut milk to her diet as well which she loves. That was supposed to be for CJ, but he won't drink it and Alyssa loves it. In less than 2 weeks Alyssa will be 1! Hard to believe.

So that's what's going on around here. I'll try to get some recent pictures up soon.

Mom Questions

I totally stole this from someone else's blog, but I was curious how my kids would answer these questions. There was a theme going on here with some of them and some of them were just funny.

1. What is something mom always says to you?
Natalie: Stop lying! (this is true, I do say this to her a lot unfortunately)
Kaitlyn: Clean your room.
CJ: Froggy! (I have no idea what he's talking about)

2. What makes mom happy?
Natalie: When I bring home good grades.
Kaitlyn: When I clean my room.
CJ: Daddy.

3. What makes mom sad?
Natalie: To know that I don't listen to her all the time.
Kaitlyn: When I don't clean my room. (a bit of a theme here)
CJ: When I do pee pee in my wear wear (underwear).

4. How does your mom make you laugh?
Natalie: Tells funny stories and jokes.
Kaitlyn: When she tickles me.
CJ: Cause she's funny

5. What was your mom like as a child?
Natalie: Polite, unlike me, behaved. (Oh boy if only she knew me)
Kaitlyn: I have no clue.
CJ: Pretty.

6. How old is your mom?
Natalie: 32
Kaitlyn: 32?
CJ: 25 (I'm surprised he didn't say 40!)

7. How tall is your mom?
Natalie: 5 foot 4 inches
Kaitlyn: I have no clue.
CJ: You big.

8. What is her favorite thing to do?
Natalie: Playing with her kids.
Kaitlyn: Cook cookies.
CJ: Watch TV

9. What does your mom do when you're not around?
Natalie: Talks about me a lot.
Kaitlyn: Watches TV.
CJ: Tickle Alyssa. (okay?)

10. If your mom becomes famous, what will it be for?
Natalie: How nice she is.
Kaitlyn: Baking cookies.
CJ: You be fired! (I think he was getting a little frustrated with me)

11. What is your mom really good at?
Natalie: Tetris. (this is true, I am good at Tetris)
Kaitlyn: Making cookies.
CJ: Tip toe. (uhh, what?)

12. What is your mom not very good at?
Natalie: Staying calm. (She had a very hard time coming up with this answer)
Kaitlyn: I don't know she's good at a lot of things.
CJ: You're awesome! (Awww, that's sweet all the kids had a really hard time answering this, if only they knew, there's lots I'm not so good at.)

13. What does your mom do for a job?
Natalie: She's a house mother, she takes care of her kids.
Kaitlyn: Nothing, she takes care of us.
CJ: makes cookies.

14.What is your mom's favorite food?
Natalie: Chicken parm
Kaitlyn: Chicken parmagiana.
CJ: Stars. (Again, what?)

15.What makes you proud of your mom?
Natalie: I'm proud of her when she gets her way.
Kaitlyn: When she makes such good cookies.
CJ: That he can beat me up. (?????)

16. If your mom were a cartoon character, who would she be?
Natalie: Mickey Mouse
Kaitlyn: Minnie Mouse
CJ: You Phineas

17. What do you and your mom do together?
Natalie: Talk
Kaitlyn: Sometimes we make friendship bracelets.
CJ: Hide. (Not sure, sometimes I help him find a hiding place when he's playing hide and seek)

18. How are you and your mom the same?
Natalie: We like the same kind of foods, and we look alike.
Kaitlyn: We both like cooking.
CJ: You fired, not talking to you. (Yeah, he was getting really frustrated)

19. How are you and your mom different?
Natalie: She's better behaved than I am.
Kaitlyn: Our eyes.
CJ: I don't know.

20. How do you know your mom loves you?
Natalie: Cause she takes good care of me, looks out for me, and makes sure I get good grades so I get into a good college.
Kaitlyn: Cause she says it.
CJ: SO MUCH!

21. What does your mom like most about your dad?
Natalie: How loving he is.
Kaitlyn: He's nice.
CJ: He's funny

22. Where is your mom's favorite place to go?
Natalie: Her friends house.
Kaitlyn: The mall (not really)
CJ: Outside. (I think this is his favorite place to go, lol)

15 Year High School Reunion

I was shocked recently to come to the realization that it has been 15 years since I graduated from high school. I was forcefully recommended to join a Facebook group for our 15 year class reunion. They are trying to put something together.

I have been amusing myself in reading the rantings of my old classmates talking about places to have the reunion and that we should do a pizza and beer thing. Or how about karaoke? There was a whole back and forth thing about how great that would be. When asked if spouses/significant others would be attending too because they were trying to get a head count someone had replied if her "baby's daddy" couldn't come then she'd be going with someone else. Not sure that I would have worded it that way and was a little shocked to see that on there.

I have also been looking through the people who are a member of this group and I can't for the life of me remember half of them. None of them had a strong impact on my life I suppose. There are a few on there who I had been in school with since Kindergarten so I remembered them, but the majority of I totally don't remember. I keep telling Joe I should get out my old high school year book to jog my memory here.

I have become a bit in sticker shock here too. Now mind you in all honesty I never had any intention of attending my class reunion. I doubt I'll ever go because clearly these people just meant so little to me or else I would remember them. However, it has been announced the approximate cost per person to do this is $75. The planner is trying to justify it saying hey we're in our 30's we should be able to afford this. It's 4 hours of open bar, food, and light entertainment/music. I can't help but think too though that we are in a recession. There could be a lot of people out of work right now. $150 is a lot of money for a 4 hour night out with my husband. Because on top of that $150 I also have to find someone to watch our four kids. Plus clothes for the event. Seems a bit much, especially since I'm not going to drink. Does it really have to be open bar though? Couldn't it be some drink vouchers maybe? Did they really look into all of their options to keep the cost down and maybe knock off $25 a head?

I am apparently not the only one who thinks the price is a bit steep either. There has been some other concerns about the cost. Apparently there are funds for these reunions too, but I'm not sure if any are being used for this night or they are saving them for the 20 year reunion. I can't help but wonder why the cost would have to be so high. And if they are going to do something bigger for the 20 year reunion I can only imagine what that cost will be. But as I said I have no intention of going. I just have been finding the ramblings of my former classmates amusing. Sorry class of 96, but you won't be catching me at any high school reunions. Certainly not at these prices!

A Look Back and A Look Forward

With 2010 coming to a close I have been doing a little looking back at our year and also a little looking forward to what 2011 will bring us.

2010 wasn't all that bad. It brought a lot of changes for the Barnes Bunch. We moved to a new apartment in January. Much bigger than our old one. I finally got the school to write up an IEP for Kaitlyn after nearly 2 years of trying. Natalie graduated from elementary school and moved up to the middle school. Kaitlyn started a new school for 3rd grade this year which has proven to be the best thing for her. CJ even started preschool. He is really starting to come out of his shell and attempting things he normally wouldn't. I got pregnant with baby number 4. It made for a very interesting 2010.

And now looking forward to 2011. Of course the biggest thing of all will be baby #4's arrival. I can't wait for this pregnancy to be over and to meet this little girl. Hoping to see continued improvement in Kaitlyn's reading. Hoping CJ is potty trained very early on in 2011. So much to look forward to in 2011!

Watching My Boy

Today I was out and about and had some time to kill. I didn't want to drive home only to have to go back out to pick CJ up from school so I headed to the school very early to pick him up. I was prepared with some word searches and paper and pen to work on plans for CJ's birthday party. It was nice to just sit in the quiet car without looking around at the many tasks I must accomplish at home.

Shortly before CJ's dismissal the children had come out to play so I sat and watched what my little man does when he thinks I am not around. I watched him just stand there while other children ran all around the playground. Then two boys came up to him with a ball and started playing catch with him. They were cheering him on too and giving him hugs. I couldn't help but tear up sitting there watching these children interact with my son in that way.

CJ spent the rest of the time just running around with these boys and seemingly having a blast. Then they lined up for dismissal and I went over to get him and he came running right up to me. CJ is the smallest in his class. It really would be very easy for him to get pushed around. And I know that it does happen, but I also love this age and how it doesn't matter what your skill level or what your differences are. Kids this age just don't care. They will take you under their wing and play with you. I know it won't always be like this, but I do hope that CJ can always find and make a few good friends who will be there and look out for him. And I will happily watch from a distance as he figures things out, but always be there for him when things don't go as well as they did for him today. Sure would be nice though if we all could have the innocence of a 3 year old. I know some grown ups who could have taken a lesson or two from these children on the playground today.

Cha-cha-cha-changes...

CJ has been in preschool for less than a month now. In that month I have seen so many changes in him. I'd say mostly for the good. Some things I've noticed...

1. He actually will walk up and down the stairs. In the past he would stand on the top or bottom of the stairs insisting that someone pick him up. Now he'll actually go up and down them. It takes him forever, but he's trying.

2. He no longer cries when going to school. He actually talks about going to school and can't wait to be there.

3. He attempts to read along when you're reading a book to him. He points out what's happening in the pictures and will make up his own stories.

4. He has actually peed on the potty. It has only happened twice. Once at home and once at school, but it's a start.

5. He tells stories about his day and asks questions.

6. He tries to mimic his teacher by holding up his book to read it to you like you're his class of students.

7, He insists on doing things for himself. Putting shoes on, pulling pants up, taking coat off. He says, "Me do it!"

8. He washes his hands all the time. Usually he does it without being told to, but even if you tell him to he's running into the bathroom to do it.

9. He has really gotten into a routine and tells me what we are going to do next.

All of these things have already happened within the first month of school. I can only imagine what my little sponge will be like by the time June gets here. Might just be a completely different kid by then...

Monica's Musings #9

Just a bunch of random stuff from me...

For the most part school is going well. After 9 days of school CJ finally has stopped crying before he goes in. As a matter of fact today we pulled into the parking lot and he started to clap and say, "Yay school!" Always good to hear. Not sure how much more I could take of that and was thinking that maybe he was just too young.

Kaitlyn's teacher this year LOVES her! Feelings seem pretty mutual. I have come to the conclusion that the reason she gives me trouble with her Math homework (her best subject) is because she just wants that one on one attention with Mr. T. It used to be her writing/reading homework we had trouble with and she'd breeze through the math worksheets. And in all honesty I know she understands this stuff in math. Well, now she doesn't fight with me so much on the writing/reading homework, but without fail we fight about math. I gave up the other day and said you know what fine if you don't know how to do this or understand it then you just leave those problems the way you have them and tell your teacher you don't get it. Then I spoke to her teachers and he told me that he sat with her for a few and she was fine with it. He told me how he was teaching it to her (I said pretty much the same thing) and she got it right off the bat. Then yesterday she purposely didn't answer something on her homework because she wanted to get help from Mr. T. Guess what? She figured out the answer with very little help from me. Go figure. So basically my theory is that she is trying to frustrate me so much that I say oh just get help from your teacher and then she gets to spend one on one time with him and show her what she's got. She knows she can do it so that's why she's fighting me so hard on it because she wants to impress Mr. T with her knowledge.

Natalie hates middle school. Okay, I hated middle school too. But Natalie does not understand that it has to be different from elementary school. I knew this would be a tough adjustment for her. She hates change. I have no doubt she can pull this off and do well, but she needs to push herself to do it. And my controlling ways are fighting the urge everyday to just jump in there and intervene with her teachers. Seriously, I think I will feel much better once they call me with my username and password so I can get onto the parents site and view her grades and assignments handed in. Nothing comes home anymore.

I'm thinking about another picnic lunch today with CJ. It's a nice day out again and we had such a nice time last week. I don't feel like I spend enough time with him now that he's in school. He goes to school, comes home, eats lunch, and takes a nap until around the time Natalie gets home from school. So we don't get much time just me and him. So maybe we should just make this a weekly thing. Well, at least until the freezing cold weather gets here.

I guess that's about all I have on my mind now.

Happy September

Wow, I am really doing bad with my blog. It's September and I can count on one hand how many blog posts I've done over the summer. I can't believe it's September already. So tomorrow is the girls first day of school. Natalie starts middle school and Kaitlyn starts a new elementary school. We had Natalie's middle school orientation last night. I had hoped some of her fears would be put to rest, but I think it just made her more anxious. She has her schedule, her homeroom, her locker, and combination. She got to try out her locker. She does already have her locker number and combo memorized, but she's not all that confident in the use of her locker. She has a tendency to go slightly past the number and then tries to correct it by turning it back which is what messes her up. Sometimes I hate that I can't be there to help her. She'll get the hang of it though. She is definitely nervous though and by the end of the evening you could tell she was just exhausted with it all. I was trying to give her every opportunity to try to find her way around, but she was just not interested. I keep telling her that if she has any questions she just has to find an adult. They kept stressing to the kids that all they need to know is their name and their team color and they are fine. If they know those two things then they can get them where they need to be. So Natalie's ahead of the game there.

So Natalie's green team is the split 6th/7th grade team. What does this mean? It means Natalie will be walking the hall with 7th graders. They shouldn't be in class with her. I'm not crazy about that, but then again I guess she'll be on the bus with the 7th and 8th graders anyways. I'm sure she'll be fine, but I'm her mom and I worry about her ;). Her best friend is NOT on her team. So this is very disappointing for her. As a matter of fact she didn't see anyone she's friends with on her team. So she's very upset about that. I told her there will be other kids with the same situation that she can make friends with. She says she is not making any friends this year. That will change quickly I'm sure.

So anyways, here it is September 1st. Tomorrow the girls will go to the bus stop and ride the bus for the very first time and leave me and CJ home by ourselves. Then Friday CJ and I will go to his Pre-K orientation at his school. He starts on Tuesday. My kids are getting so big. Watch out for pictures from the 1st day of school. Sorry, I won't be able to get any pictures of them with their teacher this year like I have in the past because we are no longer in walking distance.

Summer at a Glance

Wow, it's been over a month since I've blogged. I guess I should tell you what we've been up to. We have been having a very lazy summer. Home most of the time. Some fishing, some swimming, some drive in movies, some shopping, some library, some massive storms to contend with, and that's pretty much been our summer. It's amazing towards the end of the year I can't wait for them to be out so I don't have to be anywhere by a certain time. But then when summer is here I can't wait for them to go back. All of the, "Can we do this, can we do that!" The, "I'm bored". And of course the bickering that they end up doing. Wears on a person. I think we've mad a few memories this summer though. Let me share a few with you.

Kaitlyn had a pizza party with her soccer team and received a trophy.

Playing at the splash pad




A little fishing


A soccer tournamentKaitlyn on the soccer field with her team

Kaitlyn got a medal and water bottle

4th of July Fireworks at the All American Boom





A little view of Mother Nature and what she can do
A beautiful rainbow we saw after a quick rain at the drive in
It was a double rainbow

I am not too sure when CT became a midwestern state with tornadoes and all, but just this past Wednesday on Joe's birthday we had a EF1 Tornado show up. This wasn't the first one of the state this season either. I remember growing up we'd occasionally hear of tornado warnings, but I don't remember there ever being one. We've had hurricanes and blizzards, but not tornadoes. It wasn't too far from our house actually. As a matter of fact I was outside during the worst of it on our covered porch trying to get our dog inside with his cage. I got drenched and I couldn't get the door open. I had never seen rain go sideways quite like that before. CJ was completely freaked out. I was trying to remain calm, but I knew things did not look good out there. Our power was out so I got the radio out and listened. They were warning of tornadoes. Almost as quickly as it showed up it all ended too. We surveyed the damage around the house and we were very fortunate. A tree in our back yard, or rather the neighbor's back yard, had fallen in their driveway. Right where the neighbor parks, but they weren't home. There were some branches littering the streets but that was about it in our neighborhood. We went out that night for dinner, for Joe's birthday, but we would have had to anyways without power. We came home around 9:30 and our power appeared to just be back on. We were lucky though as our friends didn't get power back until 1 in the morning and even all day Thursday there were still parts of the city without power. We drove around Thursday checking on some of the damage. Here was what it looked like at a local park where we swim, go in the splash pad, and fish...

A tree completely uprooted by the tornado right next to a tree that was just splintered right off at the base. Perfectly healthy strong trees down in their prime


It has been an interesting summer to say the least so far. Now that I've updated you on what we've been doing be sure to watch out for some news I have to share.

Middle Grade Authors

As the mom of two girls between the ages of 8 and 12 when I came across this new blog about middle grade authors I said this is for me. And then I realized they are also giving away free books! Free books! Who can say no to that? I want free books. My kids want free books. I know my oldest will devour these books and eventually I hope my younger daughter would too. Go check it out for yourself though and see if you'd like to enter the giveaway as well. But at the very least look at their blog and see what they are starting over there. Certainly looks like it will be interesting. So hop on over to From the Mixed Up Files and check out what they are doing over there.

Happy 35 Years Mom and Dad

Today my parents have been married for 35 years! That almost doesn't seem to happen enough now a days. Congratulations Mom and Dad!

I hope 25 years from now Joe and I will be able to say the same thing. I'm not sure what it is that makes my parents marriage work. Sometimes I must say I don't know how my mom puts up with my dad. Sorry dad, but it's true, you have your moments. Mom, back me up here. But they truly love each other. They have been a couple since 1969 and they haven't looked back since. I know it wasn't always easy for either of them though. They really truly love each other though. And 2 children and 4 grandchildren later they are still going strong. So they must be doing something right.

So Mom and Dad I really hope to have what the two of you have in 25 years with my own husband. Thanks for giving me a look at a good marriage growing up and something that I can strive to achieve in my own life.

I will not be censored

Boy has my blog been rocking a few boats lately. So yet again I feel the need to state the purpose of my blog. I write for me. I write for my kids. I write for my family. I write for me. Yes, it may sound selfish that I said me twice, but I enjoy writing. I enjoy expressing myself. I enjoy having a place to remember what has happened in my life. And sometimes that means the bad too.

I do not live in a bubble. I am out in the world and have many contacts. Some family contacts, some school contacts, some good friends, some community contacts. All of these people touch my life in some way on a daily basis. And therefore it would be nice if people did not just assume that when I write something it ALWAYS has to be about them. It might only be partially about you and partially about someone else. But maybe you need to take a good long look at yourself if what I have to say upsets you so much because sometimes the truth hurts.

So I'm saying it loud: I WILL NOT BE CENSORED! We live in America where it is my right to have freedom of speech. And if you do not like what I have to say, then you do not have to read it. But I will not stop writing about what I'm thinking or feeling in the moment. As always my comments are open if you feel the need to object to anything that say, then you are more than welcome to post a comment. If you agree with everything I say I definitely encourage those comments as well, but understand that I will not stop writing what I'm thinking and feeling in the moment. No one can make me!

Some things I have learned...

if you are not willing to accept help when it is offered, then don't expect to get it when you want it...

never question another person's finances or assume they can afford something that they cannot. And when they tell you they cannot afford something take them at their word and don't just assume that they'll pay you what you want anyways. That does NOTmake a promise or an agreement just because in your head you felt they should pay that amount...

if you don't expect a lot of people, then they can't disappoint you...

sometimes silence really is golden...

just because someone is family does not mean you can't hurt, offend, or upset them. So be careful what you say and how you say it to your loved ones. They might not be here tomorrow...

give people the benefit of the doubt. Sometimes they'll surprise you and really mean well...

and finally, honesty really is the best policy.

Something that Needs to be Said

So I have discovered that my blog has more of a following than I thought it did. I am thrilled about this and also realizing that with this comes a great responsibility I suppose. However, in talking to my original readers who have been reading from the beginning I know I don't want things to change. So my blog will continue to be a place for me to share my life and all aspects of it. And if that means that I am complaining about the people in my life (ie children's teachers, schooling, or even my family) then you will just have to understand this is what is on my mind. I have always kept my comments open. They are not moderated. So if anyone ever has issue or takes offense to what I have to say then they are free to let me know. To let the world know. If you think that I don't have my facts straight then I welcome the comments telling me so. I will not be censoring myself though. So rest assured I will continue to write how I feel no matter who is reading. If you don't like it you don't have to read it. Nothing is changing on this blog. Accept maybe now more of you will begin to comment and let me know what you are thinking. That I sure would like. I like to know who is reading. As always I appreciate all of my readers. This blog will remain uncensored and public as I know it has helped many people.

A letter to Kaitlyn's teacher

Dear Kaitlyn's teacher,
All year long I have been trying to give you the benefit of the doubt. You seemed to care and want to find out what was wrong with my child. I have let the things she has come home telling me slide. I'm afraid I can do that no longer.

So just FYI, it is not okay that as a punishment to the whole class for some talking out of turn that you make them miss part of their lunch. My daughter deserves the entire 20 minutes she is given and should not either be forced to scarf down her food at lightning speed or not get to finish her lunch because she did not have enough time. Especially if she is not the one acting up. She deserves to have her snack every single day. Not miss it because she's pulled out for extra reading time and it should not be given to her half an hour before lunch time either. That defeats the whole purpose of a snack.

I should be spoken to when you have issues with her homework, any extra work you send home for her to do with me, and if you disapprove of her clothing. You are not to bring these concerns up to Kaitlyn. And until you are buying her clothes you will not be telling my child what to wear to school. This is a public school and the length of her shorts is my concern not yours.

If I choose not to do the memorization phrases with her during a school vacation or over the weekend my daughter SHOULD NOT receive any flack about it. Our time is much better spent actually reading rather than memorizing when she is home. I am perfectly fine with doing that as part of her homework, but as far as I am concerned this is only teaching her to memorize and not read and it is not helping her one bit.

Taking away a part of my child's education because of how another child behaves is not acceptable at all. My child deserves to have computer time. If you want to take recess or free time away from the children when the class acts out that's one thing. I may not entirely agree with the whole class being in trouble for the actions of a few, but I get that peer pressure is a good teaching tool for those who do act out. However, when you start taking away from my child's education and learning time for this little teaching tool then we have a problem. I would like to keep my child interested in learning and in school and if you are going to take away everything she enjoys because of another child's actions then that is a serious problem. Don't allow those children to participate, but don't prevent my child from having that experience. I have taken a lot of time to teach my children manners and respect and they should be getting back what they give.

I cannot hold my tongue any longer. There is only another 6 weeks of school left and I am hoping we can end on a good note this year.

Sincerely,
Kaitlyn's mom

Monica's Musings #4

Wow, two of my musings in one week. What is going on? Truth be told I want to write a blog post, but there's so much little mundane stuff to write about. They really don't each deserve their own blog post. It's the normal day in and day out of being a mom really. But I want to blog! And since this is about my life and all aspects of it (including the boring and mundane stuff) I'm going to write about it. It can't all be fun fun fun right?

*I have spent everyday this week at the doctor's office. Well, at the surgeons office. My cyst is healing up nicely though and I am hoping tomorrow is my last day there. I'm feeling much better really.

*Who would have thought a surgeon would also be an expert in dermatology? My doctor sent me to the doctor for my abcess, but wanted him to check my Rosecea too. She said he knows a lot about this kind of stuff. I guess she was right because he has started treating me for that as well. He says it looks better already. I don't know that I see a difference. I'll have to give it more time.

*I have a 2 year old boy right now who thinks eating and sleeping are optional. He is so crabby. Poor kid is drooling non stop though. It's like Niagra Falls coming out of his mouth. So you know what that means, right? He's teething. And since he's 2 that means it's molars. And that means he is just miserable. Lets hope these teeth hurry up and get in. I wish I could say I could see what's going on in there, but I can't get a good look.

*Every time I think I have made a decision about where to put Kaitlyn for school next year I begin to doubt myself. Go with your first instincts though, right? I'm truly thinking it might actually be best for Kaitlyn to go to the school in our district. A change of scenery and people looking at what's going on with her could do her some good. And truth be told it could do me some good too. I'm beginning to feel that my thoughts and opinions are not as respected as I thought they were in this school. Boy am I going to miss PTA though and boy do I hate leaving my wonderful officers with no one to replace me. I really have to do what's best for my girl though.

*So if Kaitlyn goes to the school that's in district that means she will be bused. And if she's bused then I can put CJ in the 3 year old pre-k program they have. And I know he is ready for it, but I don't know if I'm ready for it. I got a little glimpse yesterday of how he can handle a school like setting without me. I left him with my friends at playgroup yesterday while I went to the doctor. The report that I got when I came back was he did really well. He never asked for me. He did look around like hey I know mom was here where'd she go, but never cried. When he needed to find an adult to sit with he stood in the middle of the circle unsure of what to do until my friend offered her lap and he happily sat down with her. So I know this would do him a world of good.

*We have an orientation for Natalie to go to the middle school next year. When did this happen exactly? When did I become the mom to an almost middle schooler? Eleven years goes by so fast.

*We are all happily getting ready for my cousin's wedding in less than a month. We will spend a weekend in New Jersey checking out the sites in New York. The kids are all very excited and have accumulated quite a bit of spending cash for our trip. And what works out even better is both girls have a field trip their first day back to school after our fun filled weekend. So the fun just doesn't end for them. What a nice way to ease back into school.

Well, that's about all I have for now. Hope you enjoyed the mundane parts of my life and what has been on my mind over the week.

Total Newborn Overload

Okay, so I just saw the teeniest little baby girl I've ever seen. She's such a peanut. Such a cutie though. So without further ado here are the promised pictures of the newborn baby girl. Meet Jazmyn...

Look at that itty bitty little face

CJ's already showing her the ropes

Don't you dare eat me

Baby feet. Don't you just want to eat them up?

Covering her eyes

Natalie holding Jazmyn

Kaitlyn holding Jazmyn

CJ and Natalie with Jazmyn



CJ checking out the baby

CJ and Hunter holding Jazmyn

There are her eyes

There's her nose

So was it worth the wait? The kids were completely enthralled with her. Natalie didn't want to put her down. CJ was very curious about her. He made me nervous, but he did good. He was pretty gentle. He hasn't had too much baby experience so I wasn't sure how he'd be. He wasn't upset when I was holding her. I didn't really think he would be though. Now if Joe had held her that might have been an issue. It was so great getting to meet Baby Jazmyn though. I'm relieved she's doing well after a rough beginning there. She will be coming home tomorrow. And none too soon either because as much as I love my friend's children I am very ready to have my home back.

A Comparison of Cakes

Today was my cousin's bridal shower. Less than a month ago I was telling a long tale of a difficult day for my friend's baby shower. I don't think I could have handled another shower like that. So I was determined to make today more enjoyable for me. And I must say I did succeed. I have many pictures to share, but for now I would like to give you a little comparison of the cakes from both showers. Now granted one was a baby shower and one was a bridal shower. One had a photo on it the other did not. One was a sheet cake one was round. But still this is how a cake SHOULD be decorated and how a cake should NOT be decorated.

The bridal shower cake purchased from Sam's Club

The baby shower cake purchased from Stop and Shop

Now which cake would you rather have at your event? I know I was much more pleased with the cake for the bridal shower. Now I know the colors are different and ones a sheet cake and the other a round cake, but still you can see the quality is just much better. The round cake has much neater writing on it and pretty flowers and designs. The sheet cake looked like it was just thrown together without a care. Now I know when I don't want to make my own cakes where I'm going to purchase cakes from.

It's the Little Things

Isn't it amazing how the littlest things can make a child's day? Kaitlyn declared tonight, "This is the best day ever!" What made her say that? Joe made milkshakes for dessert. A chocolate milkshake made today the best day ever. It cheered Natalie up from not getting extra recess at school despite having earned it. It made Kaitlyn's day the best ever. CJ wasn't too impressed with it, but well it's cold and he doesn't like ice cream. Weird kid I know. I have no idea what's wrong with the boy. He won't eat ice cream or popsicles or really anything that has been frozen. But for the girls a simple milkshake makes their day. It really is just the little things.

And he Wonders Why I Get Upset

I debated writing this post because of what some of my family members might say when they read it. But then I thought well this is my blog about my thoughts and feelings and I'm just going to say it. So just a little disclaimer in the beginning here if my inlaws are reading this this is my blog and I'll say what I want to.

Okay, that said. My brother in law is a member of the United States Army. He has not been a member for very long. Joined in his late 30's and he's now 40. Don't get me wrong, I think it's great that he wants to serve his country. What I don't think is great is that he whines and complains that he's stationed miles away from his family (meaning his wife and her three children whom he has only been married to now for going on 3 years, but who he has had a long on again off again relationship with lots of infidelity on her part, but then suddenly when there's the chance that he could be shipped over seas she amazingly wants to marry him). Yeah, but we won't go into my feelings about her. Well, wait a minute that's not true, I just might bring her up again.

So then there are families much like my friend Renee's family who are in the process of getting ready for something like his one millionth deployment to Afghanastan. All year long or longer deployments. He has missed out on much of his children's lives in this time. And through it all my friend Renee has managed to deal with all of the kids and numerous medical problems and surgeries without her husband there to help her.

Then we go back to my brother in law. His wife and family could have moved with him to North Carolina. There was a house there for them and everything. First the excuse was they couldn't sell the house here so they had to stay. Now never mind that her father lives in the house with them and could have stayed behind to sell the house. Or the house could have sold with no one in it. Then it was her health. She couldn't be in a warm climate. Well, anyone who has been in New England in the summer knows that it definitely gets very hot and very humid here. Maybe not for as long as it would in North Carolina, but it definitely gets hot here. But this started their crusade of getting him transferred closer to home. Letters from us as the family stating that we can't take care of her because we have our own responsibilities.

All the while I kept thinking of Renee who's husband was probably deployed yet again. She didn't get to write letters stating what a hard ship it was for her husband to be away. Even though with four children at the time under the age of 8, one of them with Down Syndrome and Cancer. And now, just three months after adopting their 5th child from the middle east who also has Down Syndrome her husband is preparing for another deployment. But for her this is just the life of a military wife and family. They do what they have to do. Just about 6 years ago she moved with her husband out of her comfort zone and home of California her entire life and moved to TN because that was where he was stationed. They have made a home in TN. They have a life and friends there. She found a support system so when her husband is away she has someone to lean on and help pick up the slack. Right now she's in the process of talking to her 5 children about daddy going away again and making out wills and power of attorney and all the other stuff that goes into preparing for a deployment.

Then there is my brother in law who did get his transfer closer to home. He's now stationed out of NY, but still only is home on the weekends. And there is still the complaints of I never get to see my spouse. But that is by their choice. They have chosen to keep two separate homes. It does not have to be this way for them. So why wouldn't I be upset when I see my friend just going about life and dealing with the day to day things without complaining that her husband is being deployed yet again? They have never had to deal with deployments. He has always been close enough and capable of coming home should there be an emergency. Maybe they should be counting their blessings and thanking the men like Frank Garcia who are leaving their families behind yet again. I know I am forever grateful to people like him.

And I know many other military families who have had some difficult things to deal with from the military. Situations where they weren't allowed to move with their spouse. Having to uproot the entire family and move overseas. And they have done it with some complaint yes, but not with some motive to try and find a way out of it. Yes, it stinks, but it is the life of the military. And if you can't handle the things the military throws at you, then maybe the military is not the place for you. And that, brother in law of mine, is why I get so upset when you complain about not seeing your family. Because the truth of it is, if your family really wanted to be with you, then nothing would stop them. I know if Joe's job told him he had to move hundreds of miles away I sure would be following him. No house not selling or medical condition would keep me from being with my husband. And my children from being with their father.