Oh! Totally forgot to mention that Paul and I got new cell phones, Motorola V120c, and a new cellular service. We had Cingular but it really sucked. We went with Verizon Family Share. At least we will be saving a couple of bucks a month.

Good evening! I hope everyone had a good weekend. We got a lot of work done around the house. Paul washes and cleaned both cars, practically detailing them. They look gorgeous! He powerwashed the house and it looks SO much nicer. I can't believe it. The pool got up to 90 degrees again this weekend! Ahhh! Talk about heaven! Moira was at a baseball game last night. When my sis in law brought Moira home, at 1130pm, she was totally wired. Full of sugar and adreneline. Oy.Today I just did some cleaning and took the kids back into the pool. They had so much fun. I got a slight sunburn - just barely pink. I am already getting a nice tan. I don't want to get all brown and full of skin cancer (which also runs in my family). So - I will have to be careful... Mom was discharged from the hospital today. Thank you again for all the kind emails, comments and cards! Shelley - got your card the other day! I was going to buy THAT one for YOU! LOL!

I weeded out a few old blog links and would like to add a few more. Any suggestions?

ok - I was a little excited when I wrote the previous post. My final exam grade was 96 but my grade for the class is 89. Still - woohoo!

89 baby! WOOOOOOOOOOOOHOOOOOOOOOOOO!

STILL waiting!! ACK!

Oh man - I *just* finished my final. I had to access Jeff's (instructor) computer, get a file and adjust the default website in IIS on my computer. That was the hardest part for me ::sigh:: I think I did it right. It came up under my localhost as well as the default for IE. I am waiting for my grade now ::biting fingernails::

My thoughts are going to Zannie and Allan. He was one of the WorldCom employees that was laid off today. Top officials at WorldCom were subpoenaed today.

Man - my afternoon just flew by ::WHOOSH:: The kids played with PlayDoh (DOH!) for an hour. My carpet was a mess afterwards... messier than usual! Now, I made an inpromptu fort with a sheet and 2 chairs. They are thrilled. I am SuperMom! LOL!

Susan got the keys to her new place! YAY! Happy painting ::snicker::

I visited my Mom last night. I brought Moira with me. Mom needed a few things from the house so we stopped there first. We got to the hospital around 7-ish. I bought Moira a late dinner and we ate with Mom, in her room. Mom will be in the hospital through the weekend. I can't go up to see her today because I have my final. Tomorrow, Tim will be down and he will go there for a while. I will probably come up on Sunday and help her out with some things at that time. She is pretty beat. The pneumonia is really kicking the crap out of her. She isn't getting much sleep but who the hell can really sleep in the hospital anyway? My Dad, when he was in for the triple bypass, had a helluva time. He is a super light sleeper to begin with so he was pretty happy to get home. Wish me luck on my final! I typed up more of my notes last night. I can use my notes tonight so I am trying to get everything typed up and filed in my notebook. AND - just in case, backed up on a floppy disk. After this class, I am FREE! No more school! Moira is pretty excited about that. She likes it when I am home. Tomorrow, Moira is going to a Blue Claws (minor league baseball) game tomorrow night with my sis in law and her boyfriend. What a life this kid has! Certainly a better social schedule than I.

picked this up from Jason Heard Wed. mornings at 6:40 AM on Newsradio 970 WFLA-Tampa. Visit Tedd Webb online at, http://www.teddwebb.com . I was watching TV last night and saw the promotion of the BET Movie Awards. BET stands for Black Entertainment Television. I thought for a moment, man have we built a distance between ourselves. We are really into hyphenating ourselves. Imagine the horror of someone starting the WET. The White Entertainment Network? What if they sponsored the WET Movie Awards, and only white people would be eligible to win? I can hear the out cry now. Why then is it OK and acceptable for the BET Movie Awards. We are all one people. Right now we have one common enemy, one common goal. Why do we insist on dividing ourselves into little categories. African American, Hispanic-American, Italian-American, hey folks we are "Americans"! It's time we took a long look at the situation, instead of creating more distant between ourselves, let's close ranks. Let us show the world we are "one country, indivisible, with freedom and justice for all". WE could spend the rest of our lives hyphenating ourselves into little corners, and that is exactly what our enemies would want. Union philosophy, fingers gripped together form one strong hand, individually they can be broken. This 4th of July, be proud to fly the flag, be proud to sing our hymns of praise and glory. This country has earned the respect from the rest of the world, let's make sure the locals give theirs.

Moira and I are going to visit Mom tonight. I talked to her earlier and it looks like she will be in for the weekend and possibly discharged on Monday. She sounds a little better today although still a little weak.

Has anyone seen the Sears commercial with the guy who walks into his kitchen, opens the fridge and pulls out the carton of milk? He sneaks a quick glance at his wife, who has her back to him while reading the paper at the kitchen table, then quickly chugs the milk. A moment later, he spews out a mouthful of milk and leans over the kitchen sink, gagging. His wife, who hasn't turned around at all, calmly states "Oh, by the way, the refrigerator is broken." The man responds by gagging again, still leaning over the sink. Heehee.

Damn - 78 on the quiz.. crap. There goes my average. I will kick ass on the final to make up for it. I got killed on the bianary translation ::sigh:: and a couple definitions too. I got out of class early and stopped at Toys R Us to pick up stuff for Moira's birthday (July 8th). I found such cool stuff for her! She has been wanting Matchbox cars so I got her some of those plus a carrying case for them. I saw Pixter, which is like a PDA that you can draw with, write stories, play games, etc. I had to get that and a carry case. Of course, there are also several plug in cartridges for it (ranging from $10-$20 dollars each). I also got Perfection, new reels for her Viewmaster, a new LeapPad book with cartridge, a lava lamp, a loom set (for making a potholder), and a couple books. While in line, Tim called. Mom is doing much better. She is still on oxygen and the steroids but has also been using a nebulizer, which seems to be helping. I am going up to see her tomorrow. Thank you all SO much for your kind emails and comments! :::::smooches:::::

Blogging from class. I just finished a quiz. I got stuck on a couple terms like FQDN. I don't remember that one from class. I am sure I would have written that one down. Crap. But - my quiz average is about 85%. Not bad. Could be better but I am not uphappy. My Mom is still in the hospital. Tim is with her now. I don't know what other medications she is on right now. I spoke to her earlier and she sounded a little better. Her doctors are thinking she might be coming home by this weekend. YAY! I have posted some flyers around my town, hoping to get some responses from other people who have food allergies. I want to set up some kind of support group so people can get accurate information regarding food allergies. I don't really want it to be a pity party type of group - more like a network of information. I think this will become my new mission. Yes - it does seem like I am really going all out. Yes - I have some family members who just don't get it and think that Paul and I are just being "overprotective" and we are "overreacting" to Olivia's allergies. Sure, yeah.. ok. How's about you drink some arsenic and see how that affects you. I don't want to POISON my child. PEANUTS, EGGS, MILK, FISH =POISON to Olivia's immune system. So yeah - call me anal. I am quite concerned about this. It *is* life threatening to my child. I *will* do everything in my power to make sure she gets a fair shot and is not just catagorized as "special needs" (which is a HUGE fear of mine). Personally, I think she is an extremely bright child. She can say her ABC's, counts to 25, knows her name (first and last) and can spell them, knows her address, phone number and knows that milk and peanuts can make her sick. Ok ok.. so I am bragging a bit ::grin:: It's my blog.. I can brag! And Moira, well, again, brilliant! Counts to 100 (by way of 1's, 5's and 10's), can read on a 2nd grade level, writes very well, loves science and worms, and changes all the levels on her computer games to the highest settings. She's a goofball! LOL! Well - looks like break time is over.. will try to blog more later!

Happy 1 year (and 1 day) blog day (bloggerversary?)to Rich!

Ok ok - I will join in with everyone else (link via Colin) Kate is: Kate is the proverbial ''one woman Rockband '', once seen, never forgotten. Kate is continuing to work steadily on a new album Kate is the oppressively heavy, rust-encrusted anchor to which that airship is cruelly tethered Kate is what's called a transsexual person Kate Is Awarded a Position With the Cathedral of St. AugustineKensington School for the Blind Kate is also featured on SSP Records CD Christmases to Come Kate is looking to pass the ball while Azzi is guarding her Kate is also a truly striking woman, and one of the most beautiful women on the planet Kate is a founding partner of Gregory Consulting Limited Kate is a multi document editor Kate is all manufactured in rural America with great attention to detail Kate is on Fire Kate is listed as guest for "The Real Deal" convention Kate is finally born!!! Kate is reportedly (April 26) in early negotiations to star with Johnny Depp in Never Land Kate is your source for the renaissance clothing and accessories (garb) you need to enhance your experience Kate is a UK Web Woman Kate is a woman of strength with a great deal of integrity and her music reflects her conviction. She's also a babe. Kate is interested in the area of Usability Engineering (UE) Kate is the rock of the Division Kate Is Great Kate is now working on her own original novel Kate is her helpful alter-ego Hmmm - I like about 1/2 of these!

K.A.T.E.: Kinetic Android Trained for Exploration link via Jason

Just set up a playdate for Moira on Monday. Another lil stinker added to the house for a few hours! At least they can go in the pool. Speaking of pools, the solar cover is WONDERFUL. The pool must have been 90 degrees. Just like a bath. Ahhhhhhhhh!

I contacted this morning by a producer from 48 Hours regarding an upcoming show about severe food allergies. It will probably be airing sometime in September. I don't know if we will be on it or not. She asked me a lot of questions, including asking about our decision to homeschool Olivia due to the severity of her allergies. I know of one family who has already been chosen. I think it will be a most informative show and you can damn well bet I will be taping it!

I DID get a reply from the email I sent to the editor other day. Here it is: Thank you for your feedback. The author's comment relating to food allergies was inappropriate. Her comment was not intended to be malicious but was instead included because of her real concern for those with food allergies. Instead of suggesting the exclusion of those with food allergies, the column could have suggested parents make note of the ingredients in the potluck item they contribute in case those with food allergies need that information. Recognizing that food allergies are a great concern to many, we'd like to write an article on the subject. If contacted, would you be willing to be a source for the article? Sincerely, Todd P*** WOO! Go me! Go me!

Good-bye Google Challenge. You will be missed ::sniffle::

WHY am I still awake?? ACK!

Mom has pneumonia. Tim will be taking a 1/2 day tomorrow so he can go to the hospital. ***UPDATE*** Heard from Tim - Mom is on steriods for the swelling in her lungs and is still on antibiotics.

I snagged this link (the $20.00 bill theory) from Jason. Either way, it's awfully interesting.

I didn't lay down... but I got 2 loads of laundry done. And the dishes. Off to conquer the bathroom!

Hi! I am so tired. I don't think I can handle nights like this for much longer. I got home by 1015am. Chatted with Paul for a few minutes before he left for work. Olivia work up with a temperature of 103.1 - Motrin time. Poor kid. I am pretty sure we got my Mom sick, again. I feel so guilty about this - dammit. The kids are stuck with me today and I am so sleepy. I don't want to do anything. If I manage to perk up, I might take them in the pool. I did talk to Mom and she is ok. Still feeling crappy and most likely in the hospital for a couple days. I am starting to babble.. I gotta go lay down..

::yawn:: Yes.. I am blogging at 336am. I just got back from the hospital. My Mom has been feeling sick the past few days (coughing, fever today). Her doctor wanted her to go to the ER tonight. She calls me at 545-ish to tell me she this. By 9pm, Dan, her companion, had gone home. So, I drove up and stayed with her in the ER until 240am, when a bed was finally available. She has xrays done - nothing visible. On her CAT scan, it showed 2 masses in her left lung. There is a possibility of pneumonia. Her fever is up and down. I will know more tomorrow. After she was taken up to the room, I left the ER and headed back to Mom's place so I could pack her bag (toiletries, etc). I spoke to Paul and we decided that I would just sleep at Mom's tonight.. er.. this morning and come home LATER this morning. I am off to bed.. g'night.. I will update later..

Hmm - looks like I can email the LINK to the photo album. Weird..

Michael very kindly pointed out a potential problem on my blog. Thank you SO much - I do owe you one! If anyone commented on the last post, sorry. I deleted it. I will repost the link to my Ofoto pictures shortly.

Princess #1 is still languishing in bed while Princess #2 is eating toast and watching DragonTales. Does anyone else find a few of the voices on DragonTales extemely annoying? Like Elmo annoying? ::sigh:: The kids love the show and there are a lot of positive messages through it but the voices drive me crazy! UGH! I have to do some banking, pay some bills.. always fun. I need to go furniture shopping. I am buying a new entertainment unit. I want one with doors so it can hide the TV and all the stuff that goes along with it. DVD, VHS, CD player and cd's, etc.. Plus, I am also putting it in a corner so I have to measure the units I look at to make sure they will fit! THEN - I get to take the girls food shopping. Always an adventure!

Another busy day today. The girls spent the day outside.. swimming, sandbox, playing ball. It was very nice. Moira is swimming pretty good. Olivia has figured out how to float, with her swimmies. The solar cover has made a slight difference in the temperature of the pool. Even Paul was in the pool today with the girls. He has been very busy painting our old bureas. They look great! Finally - we will have furniture that is all the same color and looks like a set! I have to buy glass pulls - 28 of them! UGH! I think they are about $4-$5 EACH! I have to to a search and see if I can find an online source that might be a BIT cheaper! Well - I am pooped. I will write more tomorrow.. G'night!

HOME at LAST! Lordy I am so tired! I was up late last night (145am) and woke up this morning around 745am. I had to finish getting the baby shower stuff done (finish up pasta salad, make dip, etc), get Moira ready for the beach and get stuff to bring to my Mom's home. We met Tim (my brother) at Mom's. I install the car seat in his Jeep, give him strict instructions to put sunscreen on Moira every 40 minutes (she is SO fair) and not to spoil the shit out of her for the day. Well - at least he put sunscreen on her.. She got so spoiled today! LOL! After leaving Mom's place, I drove down to my inlaws house in Toms River. Luckily, I didn't get stuck in any traffic and I got there around 1215pm. My other 2 sis in laws were already there as well as my inlaws. They decorated the place nicely and had TONS of food. The pregnant sis in law knew about the party and managed to get there right on time! ::smile:: She got so much stuff. A lot of boy clothes. My niece ( preggo sis in law's 1st child) was just out of her mind today. The poor kid. Ate all kinds of junk. But - we all survived and had a very nice time. Paul spent the day with Olivia and they had a lot of fun too. It was Olivia day! They went for a walk, went swimming, played with sidewalk chalk, played in the backyard.. the works! The kids conked out by 830pm. Paul is exhausted and I am pretty pooped myself! I might blog more later.. but, if I don't.. I hope everyone is having a GREAT weekend!

I have a baby shower to go to tomorrow for my sis in law. She is due August 1st. She already has a 1.5 yr old at home. Now - there will be 2 babies under 2 years old when Colin Michael is born... Ai yi yi..

Bahahahaha...talk about a cruel irony.. this poor sap never had a chance! (link via Shelley)

I wonder if I will even get a response from the email I sent earlier. Probably not. Idiots.

Brrrr! Pool is COLD! The girls and I drove over to the pool place and picked up a solar cover - $50.00 ::sigh:: This pool is getting expensive. I vacuumed the pool and got all the crap off the bottom. As I was skimming, however, I did managed to find a wasps nest. It was under the top edge of the pool. I must have startled them when I was banging the edge of the skimmer against the top of the pool. A couple of the little bastards stung me but luckily not the kids. So - I got the Wasp and Hornet spray and soaked the nest. Haha - you little bastards! You are DEAD! ::muhahahaha::

I think today will be POOL DAY! The water is finally warm enough. I think I need to get a solar cover. My neighbor got one and she said her pool was 90 degrees! HEAVEN!

"This summer, I'm counting on potlucks to help me maintain my connections with others.The plan is to make it easy to regularly see friends. So, I've set up a basic structure: meet twice a month, always at the same time and place. We're going to a park as long as the weather holds out. I've also invited almost everyone I know who has children without severe food allergies. I'm hoping that a large number of families in the “pool” will result in having enough people at any given time, without everyone feeling they need to be there every time." The excerpt above is from this article and it made me SO freaking angry. I have to deal with morons like this ALL the time. My reply to the editor via email: Dear Editor: I just finished reading your "Daily Bread" article by Tree Brown Hayes. I am very upset at the author's statement: "I've also invited almost everyone I know who has children without severe food allergies. I'm hoping that a large number of families in the “pool” will result in having enough people at any given time, without everyone feeling they need to be there every time." Why does the author blatantly state against inviting children with severe food allergies? What if the children were in a wheelchair or suffered from cystic fibrosis? Certainly no less a medical condition than a fatal allergy. What about people allergic to bee stings? Should they also be omitted from the "opportunities to socialize with people I care deeply about?" What if some of the people the author claims to "care(s) so deeply about" have children or other family members with food allergies? If the author decided not to include people with brown skin, would this article have even been published? Does the author even know people with food allergies? It certainly is a rather odd statement to just toss in the article. My child and husband have life threatening food allergies and we participate in plenty of family outings, including a family reunion that took place several states away. The phrase "Be prepared" clearly comes to mind. Safety is key. It is a shame to think that children with food allergies should be excluded because of lack of accommodation. All children, whether they have food allergies or not, should be supervised properly, especially in a park, no matter if food is present or not. These children need to be part of normal activities -- not excluded or ostracized because of their allergies. Sincerely, Kate

We had a GREAT time in Pt Pleasant last night. Olivia freaked out when we were walking by the ocean. She started screaming at the top of her lungs, in my ear, that the ocean "was gonna get me!" ::eyeroll:: Poor kid. So -Olivia and I sat on the beach, watching Paul and Moira get their toes wet. It was very cute indeed. The kids LOVED the rides. I took Moira on the Tilt a Whirl (hehe) and made it spin. She was screaming and laughing. I took a bunch of pictures but I need to edit them. So, I will post them up later.

Happy Birthday Erin!

All packed ::phew:: Ya know, sometimes I wish I was able to not worry about the food allergy situation. I am worried about tonight. The boardwalk will be a walking food allergy nightmare. No ice cream (dairy), no candy (dairy and nut contamination) no fries (fried in peanut oil), no dinner at the stands (HUGE contamination issues).. oy.. I feel so overwhelemed some days. But, we are all packed and ready to go. I am armed with wipes, Epi-Pens and Benedryl (Paul and Olivia), cell phone and insurance cards. Now - it's time for fun! ::grin::

Well - the kidlets and I will be meeting Paul at McD's for an early dinner. Then, we will be going to the boardwalk in Pt. Pleasant. The kids are so excited! I will be bringing the camera and snapping lots of pics! I gotta go pack the diaper bag!

Captain James T. Kirk's command chair and platform from the U.S.S. Enterprise is up for auction on Ebay June 27, and the bidding has started at $80,000.

About Terry Barton - "She's very reliable," Work said. "She is a girl that goes out of her way to help others. She always has been that way and would do just about anything for anybody." Yeah - right. Good job Ranger Rick. She's a freaking nutcase. Who in the wide wide world of sports goes into a forrest, during a drought no less, to burn a fucking letter? She is being held without bail, faces up to 65 years and she is looking at a a million dollar fine. For burning a letter. Moron. I feel sorry for her 2 daughters.

Hey guys - Good thoughts for Shelley and her friend who is very ill. Thanks.

Has anyone ever ordered from Omaha Steaks? They look so darn delicious - but Paul gets all weird about the idea of me ordering from them. Feh.

If you are an M&M connoisseur, you have to check this out.. way cool!

So much news tonight! White House briefly evacuated, Police Tell Why Kidnapped Girl's Sister Stayed Silent (Anyone else think this is very similar to the Ramsey case?), rehab time for the Piano Man and now there are purple M&M's!

Class is DRAGGING major ass tonight. ::yawn::

HUGE thunderstorm around 530pm this evening.. Made driving to school a complete pain in the ass. I could barely see the road..

Oh my God! The mail just arrived. There was a package from Amazon. Cool, I am thinking my book club's newest selection I just ordered is here. Nope. Erin just sent me My Fair Lady on DVD! She is just the coolest! :::smooches:::

Moira's last day of school went well. She is upset though. She says she will miss her teacher. I liked her Kindergarten teacher. Really nice woman. I hope the first grade teacher is just as good, if not better.

Just got back from KMart.. I just realized that I forgot the VERY thing I need to buy. Crap.

Todd Bridges? He will play Juice, a character "Y&R" executive producer David Shaughnessy describes as "a real out-and-out bad guy ...bent on revenge." Oy.

Holy Cow! I just got off the phone with AAA. I had the NICEST young lady answer the phone. She was so freakin chirpy and perky. I felt like I was talking to a Disney character. She was very sweet and she answered my questions. Thank you AAA!

I am "Dauntless" You have eluded capture, killed the assassin, reclaimed the family jewels and are now confronted with 100 armed men and no visible means of escape. Are you kidding? You live for these scenarios and always manage to escape. What's YOUR Austin Power's spy name?

Heading to bed.. G'nite!

One more!

BLUE You give your love and friendship unconditionaly. You enjoy long, thoughful conversations rich in philosophy and spirituality. You are very loyal and intuitive.

I am still up.. finishing making thank you cards for Moira's teachers and wrapping gifts. Boy - these teachers have the life! Just ask Shelley and Scott! ::teehee::

Poor Susan - packing DOES suck.

The playdate has left the building.... they had so much fun today.. I would love to have her over again.

So far the girls have played inside, then outside, now inside again. They pulled out the dress up box - they looked SO adorable.. (deranged but adorable) when they were done.

The playdate has begun ::dum da dum dum::

Had a nice night last night. I BBQ'ed some chicken and we had fries and fresh veggies with it. The girls must be feeling better (or hitting a growth spurt) because they ate really well. After dinner, Moira gave Paul a Father's Day card she had made in school (and had forgotten about). It had several very sweet poems on them. Paul had to excuse himself after he read them - he got all teary ::sniff:: it was so sweet. While the girls played after dinner, I worked on my troops paperwork that I have been neglecting to finish. I still have some paperwork left but not nearly as much! I see the light at the end of the paperwork tunnel! Moira has a buddy coming over today after school. Hopefully, her friend can stay for dinner. (hot dogs and hamburgers). They have half days now and tomorrow is the last day of school! I can't believe that her school year is over already! I am also in the midst of planning a mini trip to Baltimore sometime in August. Sunday - Tuesday kind of thing. It's only a 3.5 hr drive from us. The girls can handle the car ride. I want to do the aquarium. I also found Port Discovery, the DUCKS, Inner Harbor. I don't know if I will have time to do all of them though. Any suggestions? Remember, I have a 2.5 yr old and soon to be 6 yr old and I need to stay away from food related events due to Paul and Olivia's allergies.

A quick trip to the doctor. Eyes and chest are fine. Ears still a bit red. Her nose is running but it's clear snot (Eww - I know.). We just have to keep up the breathing treatments, every 4 hrs. Poor munchkin. I hope Olivia kicks this thing soon.

Oooh! Time to discuss the book!

Friday Five (on Monday) 1. How often do you do laundry? HAHAHAHAHAHA! At least 1-2 loads a day.I believe it is my cross to bear in this life. 2. What's in a typical wash load? Clothes and towels/washcloths. Bedding once a week. 3. Front or top loader? Powder or liquid detergent? FRONT loader baby! Woohoo! I used Liquid Arm and Hammer Sensitive Skin - perfume and dye free. 4. Do you use fabric softener in the rinse cycle? Ewwww. No. Smells oogy! 5. Dryer or clothesline? I prefer the clothesline but I use the dryer too.

I hope all you Dads (and Dad's to be, like Allan) had a great Father's Day! Olivia had a pretty major setback healthwise ::sigh:: Poor kid. She was coughing ALL day yesterday. Breathing treatments didn't seem to bring much relief. Neither did constant nose blowing. It's that DAMN post nasal drip that makes her cough and cough. After all the coughing, she starts wheezing, CAUSED by coughinh. Finally, we gave her some Benedryl, in the hopes that it would dry her nose out. She stopped coughing... and conked out. And woke up an hour later, totally revved up and ready to party. She didn't get to bed until 1am. Of course, there is no trace of coughing this morning... so when I make the doctor's appointment, she will appear to be fine. Dammit - I can't win. I think it's time to see a pediatric ENT and get some other opinions.

Hate SUV's? Do oblivious drivers make you want to scream? Check out this list of pet peeves!

Scott is REALLY a funny guy.. especially after a few drinks!

We had a busy day here today.. I had a registration meeting for my Girl Scout troop at 915am. Dad came down for a quick visit and we gave him his Father's Day presents. I hope he liked them! Then, we zipped up to visit Paul's Dad and Mom for a couple hours. Olivia was wheezing pretty badly by the time we left. I suspect it was the cat hair (they have 2 cats). I gave her a dose of Benedryl and she fell asleep while we were driving home. She was so out of it that we put her in for a nap and let her crash for about 45 minutes. Moira wanted to watch "Return of the Jedi" again so the 3 of us hung out and watched the movie. I woke Olivia up about half way through it. She was still woozy and was dozing on my lap during the 2nd half of the movie. We gave her a breathing treatment around 6pm. Both girls were way off schedule today - we just got them to bed about 20 minutes ago! Ahh - what the hell.. it's a Saturday. No big plans for tomorrow except Paul's birthday is tomorrow as well as Father's Day. We will have a nice pancake breakfast and let him open his presents. After that, I will put him to work! I have lots of things that need to be done! I want to repaint our 3 dressers a gloss white so they need to be sanded down and primed. I will have to get new pulls and I might stencil on the front of the dressers too. Anyone know of a good website where I can purchase glass pulls?

Moira had a half day today and next week. Wow - school's almost over! My baby will be going to FIRST grade next year! ::sniffle::

In local news - Father Allegedly Left Son in Hot Car Allegedly? The security guard FOUND the baby, 18 months old, IN his car. The sick bastard - his car had reached a high of 130 degrees. He says he forgot to drop his son off at his grandmother's house. How on EARTH do you forget you child is in the car? You don't. Unless you want to forget.

Mom came down around 3pm. She brought some steaks for dinner. So, I whipped up a marinade for the steaks, made a huge salad, rice and homemade icing for the cake. Everything was SO yummy! The kids loved the cake. Paul and my brother got me flowers. They are just beautiful. My Mom gave me the box set of all 4 hardback Harry Potter books! Woohoo! I have read them, albeit via borrowed books, but now I can read them again! I also got some pearls added to my ongoing strand of pearls. Martha Stewart gardening clogs(which are very comfortable), more books, some hat boxes and a few cool knickknacks. I had a perfectly lovely day today. Thank you all for your ecards, snail mail cards, comments and emails. You have all made my birthday very special!

I am posting like a maniac! What's up with THAT?

I am baking a cake with a mix that I purchased from Miss Robens. They sell a LOT of products that are allergen free. Cake and cookie mixes, puddings, pastas, condiments, breads and many many other items. I highly recommend it to anyone who is dealing with food allergies.

Woo - she's awake.. and seems like she is doing ok ::knocking wood::

Oooh - Beach Blanket Bingo on AMC!

Holy cow - Olivia is still sleeping...

Gemini Compatibility Compatible - Aries, Leo, Libra, Aquarius Complex Feelings - Gemini, Sagittarius (Paul is a Gemini too) Strange Attractors - Virgo, Pisces Incompatible - Taurus, Cancer, Scorpio, Capricorn The Air element of Gemini brings communication, intellect and speed! This is one of the joy- of-life signs, one that reaches out, expands and expresses. Gemini is an inquisitive student with a quick grasp of subjects. Mutable motivation brings adaptability. This is wonderful because variety-loving Gemini needs change. A flexible personality ensures that Gemini can connect with others. Gemini's active energy can go too far, and then Gemini has a hard time finding the right direction. Members of this sign needs a countervailing force of stability. The desire to communicate quickly and rapidly benefits when tempered by receptivity. Then not only can the Twins speak, they can listen in return -- and complete the circuit! Balance comes from slowing down, listening, and learning the fine art of follow-through!

Gemini Horoscope Thu Jun. 13, 2002 Too much stress from overwork might have you feeling a little bit under the weather, dear Gemini. You'll need to take some time out and rest, and you aren't likely to be used to this. Therefore you could well be feeling restless and frustrated. The best thing to do at times like this is to distract yourself. If you've been considering doing some research, this is the time to go for it. At the very least, read something that engrosses you. Hmm - seems pretty much on the mark for me. I am reasearching my family tree. I am in a book club. And I work too darn hard around here! LOL!

Mmmm! Nothing like a birthday bagel and coffee. Yummy! Wow - my blog looks SO nice without the advertising! Thanks again Susan. She's DA bomb! Olivia is passed out on the couch. She has been sleeping for about 40 minutes. My poor baby. She still had a fever this morning so I dosed her up with Motrin and gave her Amoxicillan. That was a fight - she hates it. I get to torture her 3 times a day and make her take the anitbiotic. She actually takes all the other stuff with no problem. Well - I had better get moving. Mom is coming down bringing birthday stuff and steak. I need to clean my living room and kitchen. Hmmmfph. Some happy birthday!

Oh my God - I am 32. Yuck.

Why on earth is that banner flashing that today is my birthday? Is it June 13th already?

I must have caught a second wind.. I am feeling almost perky. Note I wrote almost ::grin:: Paul and I were discussing all the medications that have been prescribed for the girls. I think we will be holding a lot of them back until they each get over their respective cold/ear infection. I know I am pretty concerned as to how much medication they have. It's almost disturbing.. I would hate to give them stuff they *really* don't need.

So tired.... :::::yawning::::::: Must sleep soon...

OH my gosh! Thank you SO much to Susan! I now have an AD FREE blog! WOW! {{{{{Susan}}}}} You are truly a sweetheart. I am really and truly touched. I am really blessed to have made such wonderful friends while blogging in the past 6 months. :::sniffle::: I love you guys! : - )

Oh God - let me try to recap all the events of last night. WARNING: This will be a very long post. Ya know, I thought it was weird that Miss O fell asleep on me yesterday. I had put her down to sleep in her bed after holding her for about 20 minutes. I was a little worried she would wake up when I put her down - but she gave me a sweet smile, rolled over and went right back to sleep. I had to wake her up at 3pm so we could get Moira at the bus stop. I noticed Olivia was a bit flushed but I attributed that to her sleeping on her face while napping. By 430pm, she was laying, belly down on the couch, resting her. Took her temperature at 515pm - 102.8. Crap. I dosed her up with Motrin. We eat dinner. Olivia ate an amazingly good dinner (I should haven known better). I really needed to go food shopping and I had planned on taking Moira with me. There was a project handed out for school, involving the local supermarkets and the alphabet. Whoever completes it gets a prize from the supermarket and the school. Paul decided to take the girls and do that while I food shopped. Oy. An hour later, they have found most of the letters (hidden throughout the supermarket) and I am ready to leave. I help them find a couple more letters and we are done. They go to the courtesy desk for Moira's prize. I am in line, checking out. $226.00 later and I am on my merry way home. I get in the door and Paul had gotten the kids ready for bed. We get the car unloaded and groceries put away. Olivia wanted me to hold her - was very fussy. Paul tucked Moira in bed while I was holding Olivia. As I am on the couch with her, she instantly falls asleep (passes out) on me. I take her temp again. 103.8. I called the doctor. Obviously not in the office at 930pm. After speaking to the nurse answering service, it was decided to go to the ER. While I am talking to the nurse, Paul is holding Olivia. She was complaining that her tummy hurt and she was going to "splurp". I get off the phone and start packing the diaper bag. Then it happens. BARF. Olivia barfed all over Paul. She freaks out and is crying and barfing some more. He zooms into the bathroom with her and starts getting her cleaned up. I go in and try to help. Barf is the ONE thing that really "gets" to me. SO - I am gagging and trying to clean. Olivia starts barfing some more and Paul just kinda threw me out of the bathroom (thankfully). Fast forward 30 minutes. Olivia is cleaned up and so is Paul. The bathroom is still oogy but Paul said he would take care of it. I drove with Olivia to the ER. The hospital is about 6 minutes from my house. We get there at 1035pm. It was packed. ::sigh:: Olivia was pretty zonked out - all sweaty and very sleepy. We weren't seen by the triage nurse until 1115pm. He takes some info and wants to take her temperature. Rectally. Oof. Olivia is not usually that cooperative about rectal thermometers. Never has been. The bonus was that she was so out of it, she didn't realize what happened until it happened to her. 103.3 More Mortin. We wait for a few more minutes and then we are called into the ER. 1130pm. We are shown into a little curtained room. And we wait. And wait. AND wait. To the ER's credit, they were really busy. There is no chair in the room so I am sitting on the gurney/bed, holding Olivia, who is sleeping like a log. Poor baby - so tired. When one barfs up dinner, one tends to get sore and tired. While waiting, there are several people around me, in mysteriously curtained off areas. One woman is moaning "Ai yi yi.. I need something for the PAIN" about every 2-3 minutes. There is an old person ( I think a woman) who was calling out "Help", "God Almighty" and "Get me down" approximately every 6-10 seconds for 90 minutes. She would get moan, get progressively louder and then moan some more. Poor old bitch. I felt bad for her. I felt worse for the people sitting next to her. I was about 2-3 "rooms" over. Apparently, she was in restraints because she kept trying to get out of bed and would fall to the floor. She was also trying to take her diaper off. God - I hope I don't get like that when I am old. I hope Paul just puts a pillow over my face at that point. A nurse comes in and wants to take Olivia's temperature again. Rectally. As I undo her diaper, Olivia figures out what's going on (she's no dummy) and starts to scream. Luckily, the nurse is FAST and we get it. 101.5 - and that's AFTER the Motrin the triage nurse gave her. The ER doc finally comes in. Nice guy. He apologized for the delay in seeing us. He checks Olivia's nose, ears, mouth, chest, etc. Her ears are a bit red, according to him. We discussed her medical history. Olivia has Vesicoureteral Reflux. (Urine normally flows in one direction -- down from the kidneys, through tubes called ureters, to the bladder. Vesicoureteral reflux (VUR) is the abnormal flow of urine from the bladder back into the ureters). It pretty much resolved itself with the help of antibiotics - took about a year. (She has been hospitalized 2 times due to high fevers, dehydration and UTI's). The doc thought is would be best if we tested for a UTI. We needed a urine sample. The nurse came back in and "bagged" Olivia. Imagine a plastic bag with adhesive. You can guess where it was placed. You can imagine how thrilled Olivia was to have this done. Luckily, the nurse brought in stickers and a cup of Jello. Olivia was now her new buddy. What can I say? My kid is easy to con! I had brought a couple books, sippy cup, bottled water and a deck of cards in the diaper bag. Olivia was fussing about the bag. I told her she could take it off after she peed in it. She drank alot of water while we played with the cards. She finally peed about 30 minutes later. I take the bag off and give it to the nurse. Enough in the bag to bring to the lab for tests. We finally got the results at 250am. Negative. No UTI. Thank God. We get a script for amoxicillan and we are outta there! Home by 3am. She's in bed by 320am. Paul tucked her in and sang "You are my Sunshine" to her. ::smile:: He comes out and we discuss the events of the night/morning. Moira had gotten up when Olivia barfed and she didn't get back to bed until 1130pm. She has this cough that isn't quitting. It's a nasty cough. I kept her home today. She is still coughing. Poor damn kid. Olivia is a bit perkier this morning. I didn't get to bed until 345am. Moira woke me up at 730am, wanting to go to school. Nope. She's not too upset about it. Olivia woke up at 930am. Guess who will be napping today? Hopefully, ALL of us. Paul went to work this morning but is hopefully taking a half day. I am beat. I don't think I will be going to school tonight. Not on 4 hours of sleep. No effing way...

Olivia is asleep right now, sitting in my lap. I was reading some blogs and she wanted to sit with me. I guess she got nice and comfy and zonked right out! Let me tell ya, being a Mom is great - especially these kinds of perks.

I never got a chance to update last night. I had Bonkos and didn't get home until 1030pm! Wheee! We ran a bit late because we also had a small baby shower for one of the women. She is due next month and will be having a little boy :::awwwwww::: We all got up on time today but Moira was having her birthday party in class today. Yes - her birthday is in July. Her teacher thought it would be nice if all the kids (who have summer birthdays) were able to celebrate their birthdays too. So - today was Moira's UNBIRTHDAY party ::grin:: We stopped at Pathmark this morning to pick up cupcakes to bring in to school. Nothing like last minute planning. Oh - and I have to share with you guys that I have an AWESOME long distance company. I pay .03 a minute! My long distance bill has dropped from an average of $55.00 to $19.00! YEAH baby!

Ding dong the Don is dead Which old Don? The Dapper Don Ding dong the Teflon Don is deaaaaaad.

Shelley recommended a new blog for me to read - Jamie aka Ravenstone Tower Chronicles. Go on - check him out! ***UPDATE*** Hrm - it seems I have been duped! Jaime is not a 13 year old boy. He is a grown woman named Sunny, who invented the entire story. HEy - what can I say - she writes beautifully! Hope she keeps the story going.

I wonder what Paul is getting me for my birthday? He always asks me and I keep telling him to look at my Amazon wish list. PLUS - they wrap and deliver! Geez - how hard can that be??

Anyone else having problems with Blogger? Grr! I can't update my template - it's not holding ANY of my changes. CRAP.

Good morning. We woke up late again. I guess this is becoming a Monday morning tradition around here! Not the kids fault. Paul and I were up late, doing things around the house. Get your collective minds out of the gutter - we were replacing the front porch light and the crappy ceiling fan in the living room. Now we have a nice QUIET Hunter fan. I LOVE IT! I had a great chat with Shelley and Scott the other night. Man - I wish they lived closer. They are too much fun! I am waiting for the building inspector to stop by to inspect the pool. Of course, I will probably be stuck here all day waiting for him. Jerk. If I am lucky, he will get here in the next hour. I need to go food shopping and I also have to stop at the pharmacy to pick up MORE medication. Thank God for insurance and prescription plans! Some good news - my Dad went back to work today! YAY Dad. He was going crazy being at home. Hopefully, I will be bale to get together with him sometime soon. I have been doing pretty good on the family tree although I don't know many dates and names. But, I have done well with working what I have! I need to corner my Step-Mom and my Mom and get more info from them too!

GORGEOUS day today! WOW! I love days like this - cool and sunny. Ahh! Perfect for the kids. They had SO much fun today. Allison, one of Moira's friends came over today, around 11am. They played inside and outside. Just kept going in and out.. in and out. It was cute, especially watching Olivia trying to keep up with them. To Moira's credit, she put up with a lot from Olivia today! Around 3pm, ANOTHER buddy, Nick, stopped by to play. Allison left at 345pm and Nick left at 430pm. It's good when Moira has a friend (or 2) over. It keeps her out of MY hair. For some very ODD reason, she seems to think that Paul and I are supposed to play with her all day. Sure - right. I did some crafts with the girls earlier - we made bracelets and necklaces with the zillions of beads that I own. Hmm - time to restock. We used a lot of beads! We just finished dinner. The kids are pooped. They are playing blocks on the living room floor right now and I just popped in Fantasia (the first one). Hey - classical music is good for the brain. Paul is working in our room - finishing the painting. I know.. it took a long time but we have SO many projects going on at the same time. Poor guy - he is SO over-extended. I will be heading to Home Depot later. I have to get a new porch light. Yay! I have hated the one we have for a loooong time. Plus, I need to get play sand for the sand box. Gosh - I hate that thing :::grumble::: but the kids adore playing in it. How can I say no? I am such a push-over.

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.

Another thing... Does anyone else find the "Pet Psychic" disturbing? She's a freakin nut. And.. I just love all of the DirecTV commercials. Heee.

I am watching Making Marines on the Discovery channel. The Drill Sergeants are very scary. I can't believe they have any voices left, judging by the way they scream at the newbies. They are filming the new recruits at Parris Island. The poor bastards. Paul got called into work about 20 minutes ago. Damn it. I did get to read some of my book club selection "Invisible Monsters". What a freak-ass book. Oy. VERY disturbing indeed!