Busy morning.. Olivia slept very badly last night. She and I slept in the recliner for a couple hours last night. (around 1245am to 330am). I tucked her back into bed at that time. Around 5am, she woke up screaming. Her eyes were sealed shut - poor baby. We wiped her face and calmed her down and she ended up going back to bed. She woke back up around 6am, coughing and crying. She woke up Moira. I went to bed and Paul got the girls set up. He walked Moira to the bus stop while I packed the diaper bag and things for the doctor's appointment. We had her tested again today for food and environmental allergies. On a scale of 1-4, with 4 being the highest (most dangerous level - anaphylactic), she is a 4 to dairy, peanuts and cat, 2 to eggs, grass, dust mites, and a 1 to peas. The bonus to the testing is that she CAN now have green beans, chocolate (dairy, peanut and egg free, of course), strawberries, raspberries, and blueberries. I managed to get a nap when we got home. We were in the office for about 2 hours. Olivia, who has given up napping for the past 3 months) took a nap too. Of course, she was doped up on Zyrtec that the doctor had given her in the office. They had given her a drop test with milk. Just dabbed some on her skin. BANG - hives ALL over. It was pretty disturbing to watch. Thank goodness Paul was with me. I was able to concentrate and ask a LOT of questions and wrote down the answers. She got a ton of prescriptions (Claritin, Nasonex, Albuterol, Pulmicort and a new combination drug DuoNeb {albuterol and atrovent}) Oy. Thank God for insurance plans. These are not all to be taken at the same time! Some are as needed - in case she starts wheezing. The 4 of us were supposed to meet up with my brother at Mom's place tomorrow for an early birthday dinner. I had to cancel because we are all still sick. OH! Great news with my Mom - she had another PET scan done yesterday to see if there was any cancer. There was NOTHING on the scans! YAY! YAY! Negative results! Woohoo!. ::taking deep breath:: I am typed out! I have class tonight ::sniffle::cough::hack:: I will try to update later.

Holy crap! TONS of rain here. My neighborhood was flooded - with up to 2 FEET of water! More crazy thunder and lightening. Paul had to drain 3-4 inches out of the pool. Twice. There was one lightening hit that actually made our telephone ring. Very bizzare. My street flooded. The cross street at the end of the block also flooded. I videotaped it. Unreal. The kids were freaking out with all the thunder and lightening. But, they are in bed now and all is quiet in the KateSpot home. I still have slight touch of laryngitis and now my throat is sore too. Olivia's eyes are not looking too good - I think she either has pink eye or some type of eye infection. Great. She also has her skin test tomorrow. Paul took the day off so we can both be there for the test. 9am. Poor kid - it's been 2 years since the last test. She isn't going to like it but I am hoping we will get good results.

I have been cleaning all day - yuck. I folded laundry, vacuumed, cleaned the bathroom, cleaned the kitchen, sorted through the girls clothes and I still have to go to the store and the pharmacy! I have lost power twice today - Grr! It's very humid here in NJ. I hope we get more rain. It should cool off after the rain. We had some serious sounding thunder last night with a really cool lightening display.

Happy Anniversary Paul. I can't believe that 9 years ago today, we stood together in front our family and friends, pledging to share our lives together. The time has passed us by so very quickly.. So many wonderful times... some bad... too many sad times. We have 2 beautiful children and a great place to live. I have much to be thankful for. I appreciate you and everything you have done for our family. Here's wishing for a lifetime of happiness and love. I love you.

Escaped Prisoner on the Loose Lovely. Freakin dirtbag.

Congratulations to Susan on becoming an official homeowner. Wait til tax time - all that interest! All those write-offs!

I feel like a slug today. I have class tonight and I am SO tired. Olivia has been hacking and scratching today. I had to take her off her Claritin since she is having allergy testing on Friday. She needs to be antihistimine free for 72 hours. Poor kid - she is miserable. I gave her Delsym - jeez, that stuff just smells horrible and tastes worse than it smells!

The show was SO cute.. I couldn't help crying through it. I am sure Paul will hear every sniffle I made while I was taping the show.

Moira's kindergarten class is performing in an "end of the year" show. I can't wait to see it! Starts at 1015am. I am bringing my camcorder and camera... and Olivia. Oy - I hope she behaves!

From Fox News - The bus flipped over twice and some passengers were hurled onto the asphalt, while others, including a man and woman embracing in their final moments, died trapped in the burning vehicle. Many passengers were soldiers en route to bases in the West Bank.

I feel so icky ::cough cough:: I am losing my voice!

Paul and I have been doing a lot of research on our family tree. We have found a lot of his family as far back as the late 1700's! It's like working on a giant puzzle.

I am back from the mall. I had to take the Parkway there and it is STILL very smoky. I saw several firetrucks on the side of the road. There were a LOT of smoking patches on the ground, on both sides of the parkway. It was very creepy to drive through it. And the smell - Ew!

Gorgeous day today. So, I am off to the mall. I need to get my Mom a birthday gift. We share the same birthday! Paul's birthday is the 16th and our 9 year wedding anniversary is the 6th (Thursday). I had best get shopping! Tata for now!

Just got the kidlets into bed. Moira had soccer tonight. I think her team won... I am not sure. I stopped keeping score. I brought the camcorder and taped some of the game. It's so damn cute to watch the munchkins run all over the field.

Well - I got bored with the other template, so I updated it! Still working on links, etc... Whaddya think?

Did anyone hear about the fire in Berkley Township yesterday? Parts of the Garden State Parkway had to be shut down due to smoke and fire!

Damn It I had a whole long post written out and POOF! Gone

Good evening! We had a very productive day today. Paul didn't get home until 7am! The girls and I were up and doing our morning routine by 915. I mowed the front and side yard while the girls drew chalk pictures on the walkway. Paul woke up around noon. After lunch, I helped him take the cover off the pool. We didn't use chlorine last year. Instead, we used Biguanide. It's not as harsh on the skin and eyes. So, when we took the cover off, the water was pretty damn clear. The kids wanted to go swimming! Yeah, right.. NOT. Tomorrow, we will add the rest of the chemicals needed and we will probably be swimming by the weekend! YAY! Dinner tonight was quite simple - grilled steaks, mashed potatoes, fresh veggies for salad... yummy. After dinner, the girls wanted to go in the sprinkler. They lasted about 15 minutes. Well water is cold! Bath, book and bed! They were both in bed by 830 and I haven't heard a peep out of them! I have to teach Sunday School tomorrow and next Sunday. Then - I get the summer off from teaching! I need to find a craft for tomorrow - better late than never, eh?

Interesting article found on FoxNews - NEW YORK — A "lady" doesn't ask a man for a date, eat grits, forward joke e-mails or cuss at work — and she always knows which teams are playing in the Super Bowl. Some quotes from this article are: "According to the slew of new books on women's etiquette, a gal must follow the above rules or her reputation, and possibly her career and love life, will pay the price." and "Many men have thanked me for writing this book," she said. "They say they feel overpowered by female aggression and would love to see more ladylike behavior." Fucking dream on.