Jamie's new Family

These 2 girls have become the sisters Jamie didnt have. We first met Emmie the little blonde girl who is 6 mos younger than Jamie at a library and they really hit it off. So I talked with the mom and we exchanged email addresses. A week later she tapped me on the shoulder at the church we had just returned to after a 3 yr hiatus.

That was a year ago. We have since me Kelseys family also from church. It's nice to have family friends who have kids the same age. Since we really don't have family here in the area, it seems like we have more of a connection when we hang with other families.

Church is really helping with this. I am really enjoying us feeling more connected.

In other news Jamie's recital is this weekend and my mother and brother in law will be coming to see her performance. Then we will have a bit of a get together afterwards. No photos may be taken at the recital so memories will have to suffice.

And work is going much better. Thank god. I am really trying to do my best and it's paying off.

I decluttered a bit today in anticipation of my mother in law sleeping in the guest room. It isn't perfect but it sure felt good to get out 2 boxes and 3 bags of stuff to the garbage and goodwill. (Good bye old vcr tapes of Cosby & ER - right in the trash they went!)

Life is good.

Mothers Day

It seems like a lot of holidays are becoming more than one day long. Halloween and Christmas has activities and events for weeks leading up to the actual day. Valentines Day has the anticipation leading up to it with preparing the cards/goodies for kids class.

On Tuesdays we usually take Jamie to ChikFilA for their kids day. Since I have been working late hours so much I don't always make it. (Which often means a load of Mommy guilt- One week I missed her first public vocal performance - they had a Karaoke machine that week!)

Anyway as we had just returned from our Weekend retreat, Mothers Day week was busy and I chose to do grocery shopping and come straight home after work rather than joining Jamie and Mike at ChikFilA.

She came home with the cutest clay flower pot painted by her (Mike said she worked on it for over an hour!) with flower seeds planted in it. Such a nice surprise for me and it wasn't even Mothers Day yet!

By Mothers Day morning when these photos were taken the seeds had sprouted!

Our weekend retreat

We stayed at O'Leno State Park for our weekend retreat and it was on the shore of the Santa Fe River. Alot of the structures including this bridge we are standing in front of were built during the great depression by the Civilian Conservation Corp.

The entire campsite which consisted of several cabins, a dining hall and a rec hall besides the river, and many of the structures were also built by the CCC. Before the CCC came along the site was a town originally called Keno named for the game of chance which was abandoned when the railroad bypassed the tiny town.

If you have never heard of the Civilian Conservation Corp go here for information. Briefly they were mostly young men that wer put to work by Roosevelt to build our state parks system. Most of the money they earned was sent home to destitute families. Truly an admirable venture for all. Maybe we should think of putting the unemployed to work in this manner again and perhaps rebuild our highways and biways, but I digress.

This bridge was truly amazing, it was a suspension bridge about forty feet above the river that swayed when you walked across it. The kids were fascinated. Parents were a bit wary of the kids getting on the bridge alone.

There were 8 of us that bunked together in a 2 room cabin, Our family of three, Stephanie and her 3 year old girl Emmie and Mason and Sara and their 5 year old girl Kelsey or as Jamie calls her Kellesy.

Jamie didn't get a nap on Saturday, she ripped and roared all day and by this time on Sunday (about 3pm) was really getting a bit cranky.

So we decided before breaking up for the trip back home that we wanted a photo of our group at the bridge. Jamie just wasn't wanting to go along with it. If you click onthe photos you can see her scowl and look straight down while we all we smiling. (Note the tipped heads of me and Sara - what's up with that?)

After the photos Jamie slammed herself to the ground and had a grand tantrum. I remember a story my mom always tells about one of my tantrums and decided to try it.

I had the camera in my hand and I said "I am going to take a movie of this tantrum, Hey everybody come and look at Jamie having a tantrum!" Boy it really made her mad, she got so mad she let out an enraged scream and then quit.

Later on the way home she napped most of the way home. I had told her if she was a good girl on the way home we would take a dip in the pool when we got home. So when she woke up from the nap she sang a song "I love mommy...mommy mommy, I love my mommy" It was really cute and she was just so darned cheerful.

We did swim after we got home. Later after the swim she said, "Mommy I think I am crazy, I don't want to be crazy".

Did she have an epiphany? She sure has been cheerful and more cooperative this week.

Weekend retreat was great

We went away to stay for the weekend in rustic cabins at a state park with our church group and it was great. A bit more rustic than we are used to but still so enjoyable. The cabin we were in actually had indoor plumbing though the shower leaked 5 gallons/per hour. How do I know it was five gallons? because it was leaking so bad it was splashing the entire bathroom floor, theen someone would go in there with dirty shoes and we had a mud puddle for a bathroom. So I took the wastecan and put it under the showerhead and we took a towel to create a dam to keep the splash from coming out into the other half of the room. That waste can filled up every hour!

But I digress...despite the ticks (I found one on me 3 days and 3 showers later! Mike found one on him in the pool on SUnday night and our friend Stephanie peeled one off of her on Saturday and had another on her last night)...the lack of Air conditioning in almost 90 degree heat and sleeping in the same room with two other families all of which was an adjustment let me tell ya...we just had the greatest time!

Friday night we had square dancing in an old fashioned rec hall made of log cabins with a tin roof. I missed the first round of dancing as I had Kitchen duty after the meal so when I came in Mike was already dancing. I was pretty surprised as he isn't much of a dancer. The next dance was a line dance and I got out there with Jamie and the kids and stumbled around a bit...during the dance all of a sudden we heard a rat tat tat!! I thought some kid had a cap gun, but no it was hail! and was it ever intense! It was the size of walnuts and went on for over 10 minutes. With the tin roof it was earsplitting loud. THe dance stopped and everyone had their ears plugged. Jamie cried at first, then I had her laughing, it was exciting! And what a memory! None of us will ever forget it!

The next day we went to a place called Ichnetucknee- and floated down a river that originates at a natural spring in inner tubes and rafts. it was beautiful and so relaxing.

Jamie had a great time with her friends - they got coated with shaving cream and ran through sprinklers together, ripped and roared on the playground and just basically spent time together playing outside.

Good times.

Jamie likes the "Fake Part" of Grease

I am lucky enough to get some free tickets now and then from where I work to certain off broadway productions. A couple of months back I asked about getting Free tickets to take Jamie to something and thought they didn't have what I was asking for at the time (can't even remember what it was!) I was able to score four tickets to Grease.

In preparation for seeing the play I got a copy of Grease from the library to show Jamie and get her familiarized with the story. (and yes I skipped the racy scene with Rizzo and her guy)...anyway we watched the movie enough where she was excited when the commercials started airing last week.

So last night was the big night, and Grandma (my mom) went with us as I got four tickets. Several times during the performance Jamie whispered to me "Is the fake part next?" or "I like the fake part, will it be soon" etc...

I'm like "what in the world is the fake part baby?"

Finally as the story progressed I realized what she was talking about...where the Olivia Newton John character - Sandy Dumbrowski - dressed up like Rizzo...get it?
The fake part. Where Sandy gives up who she is in order to please her man and be something she isn't.

Hmmmm, not sure if that is a quality I want my girl to adopt.

Anyway a good time was had by all despite my mom muttering more than once that she didn't think it was appropriate for Jamie to go to that production. I thought Jamie did very well..she stayed pretty quiet and other some running and flouncing her pettycoats in the aisle during intermission pretty much stayed seated.

I'm glad I took her. Jamie has loved musicals since she was first exposed to them as a baby. She especially loves musicals that have dancing and Grease has both.

Was it mean to think to myself during one of my moms rants that Jamie was too young to be there that perhaps my mom is too old to be there?

Hey at least I didn't say it out loud. This woman and I can really get into it and I was determined to enjoy the night. (And we did!)

A whole days living by four pm!

Mike and Jamie at church last week.

Jamie is finally down for her nap. Yes she is still napping at four years and four months old and as far as I'm concerned she will continue to nap at least for now.

We had an extra long dance class this morning as we missed last week since the older students were at a competition. It was fun, lots of log rolls, crab walks, some skipping and hooping...its really not a 'dance' class, more of a rythmic movement class.

Her other class during the week at daycare is more of a ballet type dance class - she will be in an actual recital coming up in a few weeks and it's being held at a real venue. The same place I saw River Dance and the Nutcracker. They are going to wear real costumes and I am supposed to put Jamies hair up in a bun.

Hmmm, not sure how that will work. I know I need to start practicing...probably should have let her hair grow out.

Anyway after Dance class today Jamie and I went straight to her school's grounds as they were having a Spring Fest of sorts. Lots of bouncy houses and other games and fun. We went through the $20 worth of tickets in about 2 hours. Jamie got to bounce and jump plenty, eat cotton candy, get her face painted, her nails done, her hair dyed with dots of bright red and purple, bat some balls, throw frisbees and toss bean bags, 'fish' for prizes, dig for gold, play her first game of putt putt plus see a couple of her friends from school.

During all this there was an 8 yr old child wandering around kind of latching on to folks. At the beginning she was right there with Jamie and I during our game of Putt Putt. Then about an hour and a half later when Elizabeth and her mom came, the little girl was hanging with them. I asked Mary Ann, Elizabeths mom is she knew the child and she said no, she was just there with them.

I mentioned to one of the folks at one of the rides that I thought the little girl was there alone and he said no, her mom was there somewhere with a younger sister.

I just thought it was strange. Would you let your 8 yr old beautiful little girl wander around alone during something like this?

I lost a strip of the tickets towards the end, but when we got our lunch to go the nice man there let us get a hot dog and a hamburger despite being four ticket short.

Then we came home and took our first dip in the pool. Well Jamie did. Although it was 79 degrees, I just couldnt go in entirely. So I worked on Vaccuming and scooping while Mike helped as well.

After all of this I took Jamie up to read to and she started crying and fussing, not wanting to take her nap.

But she is sleeping now...and I am thinking about it.

Back in the swing of things

It was hard to go back to work this week, Jamie had a hard time getting up for school too. She is not a morning person. Lots of complaints about having to get up at 7am again.

If she had her way she would sleep til 8 or 9am every day. On weekends and holidays I am always up before her. That is my alone time as Mike NEVER gets up before he has to.

Work hasn't been too bad lately. I can't say more than that as it is still very stressful.

Our vacation was just so blissful...wish they could happen every month!

Spring Break!

We just returned from a mini vaca - just a four day jaunt down state to do some theme parks and visit a friend. We spent Easter at the Water Park in Orlando - Typhoon Lagoon and had a blast! Jamie did the children slides for the first time and we just really had a nice time.

Then we drove further down state to my friends house in Bradenton and stayed with them while going to Busch Gardens the next 2 days. My friends house was beautiful and laid out so that we had 2 bedrooms and a bathroom virtually to ourselves.

The first day in Busch Gardens did not go well though. Durn you would think they would advertise the fact that the New Preschool part - Sesame Street world or somesuch is almost all water! It had a lot of spouting water gushers and water showering down or being poured out of buckets. And we didn't bring towels or suits...we just weren't prepared for that!

Once Jamie saw the water features she didn't want to do anything else. Lots of whining and crying ensued. I don't know about you, but that isn't what I go on vacation to experience. We finally had to leave the area! We took her off past that part and 'had a talk' with her. It helped a bit, but that day just wasn't our best day on vacation. We experienced no roller coasters or big people attractions that day. It was all about her...

We arrived back to my friends past 8pm, worn out and frazzled. Diana suggested we do something else the next day, (We considered going to Siesta Key which is supposed to be one of the worlds most beautiful beaches but nixed that when finding out the water temperature was only 75 degrees) but we had gotten passes for the year for Busch Gardens so we decided to go back that next day.

The second day we brought towels and water shoes and wore our bathing suits. My how this day went better!

First of all when arriving we went on a Roller Coaster first thing. They have 'Baby swap' there...just like at Disney. It allows one of the parents to go thru the line while the other waits off to the side. Then when parent one comes off the ride, she takes the 'baby' and parent two gets right on without waiting! At this particular ride which was a wooden rollar coaster Mike and Jamie went up the exit and waited at the top where the cars where arriving and departing. Jamie cried the whole time.

But she got over it. We then did a couple of Animal encounters, one with Chimps and Apes with a ranger explaining their habits and personalities, another called Rhino Ralley where you go on an off road adventure and get up close and personal with a live Rhino!

Then when we left there it was all about Jamie for quite a while, we went straight over to the 'Sesame Street Water park' and she had a blast. I left Mike with her after a bit and went to the next area to board my second roller coaster ride of the day 'Sheikra'.

Sheikra is an african Hawk that dives straight down to get its prey. This coaster had 2 straight drops down. Underneath the coaster they had a 'splash zone' where the kids who still had thier water attire on would stand under the coaster's path and get drenched. This held great appeal for Jamie so Mike followed with her and she had that experience as well. Then Mike and I did "Baby Swap" so he could ride and I could ride again. This ride they let me and Jamie stay below while he rode and tthen she wrote me a pass to go up the fast route when he came down. This was preferable as it allowed Jamie to run and play with another little girl and drink and eat while waiting.

And that's all we had time for. It was 6 by the time we finished and I wanted to head back and spend some time with Diana. We weren't as exhausted. The day went better and we all had a good time.

Day four didn't turn out so well. I had planned on us returning to the water park on the way back home. Orlando is about the halfway point between Bradenton and Jax so it makes sense. Plus on our Magic Your Way Disney passes we have the added on Water Parks option. For only about $30 each the Water park option gives you 7 additional days in either water park. You have to use those days before the last Main Park admission is used or you lose them. I also upgraded to the No Expiration option so there are no worries about how long it will take to use our passes. So this will be the summer of the water parks.

And it has finally heated up here in Florida! Also the water parks heat their water to ensure attendance during non summer days. So the plan was to stop again at Typhoon Lagoon as their other water park Blizzard Beach is closed for refurbishing.

We arrived about 2pm to a sign saying the park had reached capacity! We were all disapointed, but I was proud that Jamie didn't do a huge amount of whining.

We pulled over in a Holiday Inn parking lot and tried to get on Wifi (why must those hotels all password protect their Wifi!?) and ate our Subway lunch that we purchased on the way. I had to pull out my Orlando book as we couldn't get on the Wifi; and we found a Science Museum to go to. We also have an annual ATSI pass that allows us to get into over 100 Science Center Museums all over the country.

So that was our last day. It went well overall, and I really did relax and enjoy my family. That is the point of it all.

Now we are home. I am up early alone, considering a Maid service to help with this house cleaning. I never have hired help before. I cleaned houses as a young adult and always vowed I would hire someone to do my dirty work, but Mike doesn't seem to like the idea. This morning I had a "Groupon" delivered to my email for Kitchen and 2 Baths cleaned for $35. Sounds like a deal to me.

So, what are you doing on your spring break?

Pump it up Party Last weekend

Jamie had a blast at the party last weekend. You can see she really felt she should be in the Princess chair opening gifts. I managed to persuade her to come out of the chair but she stayed front and center shreiking 'I have one of those!' after the gifts and basically staying right there in the thick of things.

I now have a 'short list' of 6 of the girls she would want to invite should we have a party for her anytime soon... Maybe we will, have a pool party this summer. Jamie will be a bit heartbroken there will be no gifts for her. Wish we could move her birthday to July!

Her first anticipated 'Social event!'

Yes Jamie's good friend is having a Birthday party at our local jumping spot. You know the places with the giant inflatables? Anyway she is so excited and so cute about telling me "Madison is going to be there and Christian too!" She is also already lobbying for her White Leather flip flops to be worn! "Sorry baby, this place requires you to wear shoes." Hope she gets it so we can avoid the shoe war that day.

Other recent events:

When I came home from work Jamie ran to me and said "Mommy, mommy I didn't take anyones purse today!" See previous post about concerns about Jamie and others possessions.

After dance class Jamie wowed the class with her Hula hoop performance. She can keep it going for a good long while! She has that perfect shimmy. While there I tried it out and was able to keep one of those larger ones going for quite a while. I had read about this recent fad of adults using the hula hoop for exercise. And yes I mean the actual hula hoop not the virtual hoop on Wii Fit.

Not that I can use the Wii Fit as it doesn't seem to be available anymore unless you want to pay a premium on ebay.

Speaking of Wii, I need to get back on it. I am finally feeling better - almost 100%! I just don't relish rising at 6am to do it...

Who Did It Clock

Ok so I saw this clock at a thrift store and thought it was cute, and that it would work as my Lap swimming clock. I like to put one in the Living Room window facing out into the yard and the pool so when swimming laps I can time my 25 minutes that I usually do.

Mike put batteries in it and we couldn't figure out what this noise was that went off every hour instead of a chime. It sounded a bit like the speaker was blown and was just this weird BLPHTBLPHTBLPHT

It says right on it "Who Did It" and it has different peoples faces on it. Hmmm what could it be?

I did a search for "Who did it Clock" and found this website


Guess what that noise is? Jamie just loves it and my mom and I think it's funny too...but it offends Mike's sensibilities a bit. He says things like "Oh yes honey that clock makes us fit in into the upper echelon of high society". He is such a prude.

It's a Fart Clock!

Will this winter ever end?

Stating to feel better FINALLY, but I am telling you this winter has been brutal. I know you folks up north have had it worse than us in Florida. But my darned electric bill was almost $500 in January and almost $400 for February. They just don't build the houses here to stay warm. We live in a 1958 circa split level with no attic and no insulation between the ceiling and the roof. Plus we have a wall of windows on the back of the house looking out over the pool. I'm thinking they are probably the originaly windows too.

It will be going down into the freezing temperatures for the umpteenth time tonight.

This has been the winter of my discontent and I am ready for it to be over.

Sometimes it's time for a change

But the question is am I up for it...Change is very difficult for me.

I just know that life is too short. Too short to be waking up worrying in the night.

Too short to be snapping at my husband and child.

Too short to be wishing the days away each week.

But am I able to do what is needed to be done? Today I took a first step.

Not sure it will get me down the right path. But I had to at least try something different.

I just haven't felt well & Jamie isn't doing well either

I have been out of the loop as I dont feel well physically, and not too great emotionally and spiritually. I know bronchitus takes it's toll on me, so this too shall pass.

In the meantime I have gotten in trouble at work again. I probably do need to look for another job. I just love my job...or what I do anyway. My job has become very trying to say the least.

Guess that is enough said about that.

On another front, Jamie has taking to stealing. Yup stealing, taking others possessions - mostly at school. When Mike arrives to take her home she will insist that some sweater or bag is hers. He believes her and they take home some other childs jacket. Sheesh, she is so convincing she got the teacher to scotch tape her name onto a dance bag that had a name tag of some other child on it, with dance shoes inside with that same childs name magic markered on the shoes.

And she is very high energy. I had one of the helper parents in my daughters church prek class tell me my daughter is as much work as all of the others combined.

Ahhh good times. Is it spring yet?

Durn it fell off the 30 day challenge wagon!

Well I was doing so good, but then the crud hit me. My annual bout with Bronchitus/sinusitus had me throw in the 30 day challenge with the Wii Active. Shoot it makes me mad. Don't know what it will say to me when I go back to it...Probably Start Over! You are Not The BIGGEST LOSER!!

I'm still dragging myself to work each day, today I went to the Dr. and got prescriptions for Steriods, Antibiotics and nebulizer inhalations.

Here's to breathing free and clear sometime soon though these things seem to drag out many days for me.

I think I have some faulty lungs...knew I shouldn't have been smoking all those years.

Anyone else get this every year?!

This Wii Active gives a good workout

Well I made it through one week of the 30 Day Challenge with this 'game'. It really isn't a game, it's a work out video/guide. It really is like having a personal trainer as it encourages you and nags you if you aren't lunging or squatting low enough, or if you aren't running fast enough.

It gives you rest days periodically and good thing too! Although it changes up the exercises so you don't work the same muscle group two days in a row, it's a heck of a work out, it really gets your heart rate up and keeps you moving. I have been getting up and doing it at 6am before my shower and Jamie wakes up.

I weighed in yesterday for our weightloss challenge and put a couple of the lbs lost back on. Could I have made muscle that quick? Or was it the pizza for lunch?

Need to get back on the food part of this thing. Time to eat more fish.

Ok another couple of pounds lost!

I love to eat. Losing weight is hard for me, but I really am determined. We are doing another Weight Loss challenge at work. This time just a few of us, but that's ok. I am eating alot of fish and fruit. I hope to get down 8 more lbs in the next 6 weeks. (I have lost four lbs so far in the first 2 weeks). This is doable.

I can't find a copy of the Wii fit which I think is too much fun (based on doing it at a friends house twice for 20 minutes or so) I know the real test will be getting it home and actually using it. In the meantime I got a copy of Wii EA Active on sale this week at Target for only $44 based on alot of rave reviews online.

However I bought it Wednesday and it is still in the package!

Love Me Tender

This book with CD is the sweetest for bedtime. All the photographs are handpainted and are of a doting father with his four year old daughter. It is the perfect book for us all to unwind and settle down with at Jamie's bedtime.

THis is still a much treasured ritual in our household and helps immensely to get Jamie to calma down into bedtime mode.

Synopsis from Ebay (They want $46 for this book used!)

Elvis Presley first sang "Love Me Tender" in the 1956 film of the same name. It was Presley's big screen debut and launched a stellar movie career. But it was the song, which Elvis co-wrote, that people took to their hearts. It is still one of his most popular. Now paired with Tom Browning's beautifully rendered paintings, these moving lyrics become a testament to the unconditional love between parent and child. A birthday, a walk in the park, that first tentative bike ride, and other special moments shared between a father and daughter make Elvis Presley's Love Me Tender an album full of precious memories.