Argh...this is the second time I am typing this so it will be abridged.  Explorer had a error while I submitted and lost the whole thing.  I hate when that happens. 

Evening All!  Tommy has decided to head to bed early, it is 9:14 and he is down for the night.  So what a great night for me to head to bed early as well.  I hada terrible time getting up this morning so I could use an early bedtime. 

Today was a fine day at work, I was out of the office at homevisits.  I also stopped at Kid R Us and got some great outfits for Tommy on clearance.  I got a number of summer rompers for him and they were only 2.50 each.   The big store in Burnsville always has great end of the season sales.  30-70% off.  I am the queen of clearance.  I still need to find him a winter jacket for next year.  I am going to go to Mervyn's this weekend and check their clearance.  If I buy the jacket now, I get it sooo much cheaper than buy it next year.

Let's see....today Tommy and Daddy went to the library.  Paul had reserved a CD called Chicken Soup for the Little Souls that he wanted to check out for Tommy.   He also picked me up a book called Super Baby Food.  We plan on making our own baby food for Tommy.  I had a number of friends do this and they said it was so much better tasting and cheaper (there I show my thriftiness again).  

Tonight we went to the Families First Class with Tommy.  He was the only baby in the class.  The next yougest had recently turned 1.  But it was a nice time.  First we had circle time.  Tommy enjoyed that the singing, dancing and musical instruments.  He loves to hear people sing, he was all smiles!   Then it was separation time, but I brought Tommy with me as I knew he would fuss,  he had already started actually.  He was fine during the parent education time as well.  There was a rocking chair in the class room so I could rock him and he fell asleep for 1/2 of the class.  Class was sort of a introduction time, ice breaker .   We did talk about intuition and our children.  About following what we *know about our children, as we know them the best.  It seemed like a real nice bunch of people.  So I think it will be enjoyable to continue to attend that classes.  It is nice to meet more people from the church as well.  We don't seem to meet that many people since we jsut come to Sunday service and then leave.  It is such a big church. 

Well Tommy is actually still sleeping so I am off  to crawl in bed and read about making baby food

Today I bought my yearly Anne Geddes Calendar.  This one is cool as it is a collection of past prints and there is a little bit of info about the shoot which I thought was interesting.  I always wonder, how did they get the baby to do that.   Sorry, sort of hard to read.

Quote:

You are a marvel. Each second we live is a new and unique moment of the universe, a moment that will never be again... And what do we teach our children? We teach them that two and two makes four, and that Paris is the capital of France.  When will we also teach them what they are?   We should say to each of them:  Do you know what you are?  You are a marvel.  You are unique.  In all the years that have passed, there has never been another child like you.  Your legs, your arms, your clever fingers, the way you move.  You may become Shakespeare, a Michelangelo, a Beethoven.  You have the capacity for anything.  Yes, you are a marvel.  And when you grow up, can you then harm another who is, like you, a marvel?  You must work - we must all work - to make the world worthy of its children."     Pablo Casals

 I don't want to go to work..............WHAAAH!!!   Yeah yeah I know.....but I will....off I go.   This morning Tommy woke up very happy.  After sleeping for ten hours I heard him in his room babbling  and chatting to himself.  What a lovely way to wake up.  His daddy went in to visit him and Tommy planted one of those "Aint' I the cutest baby in the world" smiles upon his daddy and melted his heart as only Tommy can do.

Well, it seems like the only time I will have to update or comment will be for a bit before bed.   So here I am.  Well today was a fairly productive day, at least productive enough for me.    I was at work early enough to be prepared for my 9:00am meeting.  That is pretty good for me.  It doesn't matter what time I get to work, I never seem to make it out of there until around 6:00.   So of course I worked late again today.

When I got home my hubby had prepared a wonderful surprise supper.  He had grilled steaks outside (remember we live in Minnesota, LOL).  Sure sign of a nice winter   So we enjoyed supper, than I played with Tommy for the evening.  He was in a pretty good mood.  He figured out how to kick his legs and kick me, which he found funny.   Then I got him ready for bed and we watched a bit of TV.   I enjoy watching Judging Amy on Tuesdays.   I like Maxine, the social worker.   Yes, that could be because I *am a social worker, but she has a great attitude about the job.   One that if I had, I would probably not have a job, but it is fun to watch her

Tommy headed to bed around 10:30.  I still have to print out about 7 more holiday newsletters to mail.  I am so terribly behind schedule this year.  It is totally not like me.  I am obsessed with schedules and list and time tables.......LOL!!

I am glad to report that the antibiotics are working great!  I am feeling better and better.   I best head to bed as I have a busy day of home visits scheduled for tomorrow.  And the bonus is the visits are with families I enjoy visiting. 

I *have to be home from work tomorrow early as we start our Families First classes with Tommy tomorrow at our church.  Should be interesting............:) 

Ok, what is with the spell checker on xanga????  I click spell check and it says, it looks good, no errors.....ummm....I can see errors.   Isn't this feature working??  Why again did I pay for premium services???  Oh yeah, so I can bombard you with pics of my kidlets...........

Have a great night!!!  It is almost 11:00 so I got to scoot!  Type at ya again tomorrow night

I thought I would log on and say good night....thanks for all the get well wishes!  And I *did go to the Dr and have antibiotics now.  WOO HOO!!!   I stayed home from work today, so I will have to go in early tomorrow and prepare for my 9:00am meeting. ARGH!!  

BRB, gotta take a swig of Nyquil.  Yeah....this means sleep!  Tommy is getting to be such a good little speeper, I am sooo happy about that.  We are able to lay him down at night to go to bed, even when he is awake and usually he will babble to himself and go to sleep.   He is sleeping on average about 6-8 hours at a time.  WHOA!!    

Hey, CyndiM, we will have to get the kidlets together sometime.   That would be fun.    I saw on the new picture you have up of J, that you have the same toy we co.  The play gym thing with the dangling toys.   I got our from my SIL, so I jsut used links and hung some black and white toys.  It is Tommy's favorite toy!  He has been batting at toys on there since about December 16th.  LOL!!!    Santa bought him a new one, the sparkling symphony gym for xmas, but he prefers the other one still.   Oh well....he just giggles away.  He is so much fun and is always smiling now.   Always the nicest thing in the world to see after a day at work.  I haven't put him in the tub with me yet, but maybe I will have to try that.  He loves to splash in the infant tub.   It is just the idea that he always seems to either pee or poop in the water...LOL!!   I don't want to sit in that!!  ICK!

I did baby swim lessons with my oldest son, Josh.  But he was older.  He was about one year at the time.  

This Wednesday we start our Families First Classes at church with Tommy.  My hubby and I wanted to be more involved in our church than just attending service every Sunday.  So our church offers a program very similar to Early Childhood Family Education through the school district, but christian based.  We signed up for the classes.   So us in a room full of new parents and newborns...LOL!!  Should be interesting.   I will fill you in on it after we go.   It works out well as it is at the same time Josh has confirmation and it will allow us to meet others from our church that have children Tommy's age. 

Well time for me to get to bed before I fall asleep!!   Take Care!

Ok, head is throbbing, eyes hurt and I have sharp pain in my sinus when I breathe....yep, this cold seems to have gone into a sinus infection...........GRRRRRRRRRRR.. I hate that! I always seem to get at least two every winter. Well so I will need to call the clinic in the AM and get an appointment. I will be upset if I must miss another day of work. I didn't go in on Friday as I was feeling lousy.
Well I am off to bed and am leaving hubby to fend with the little one. Hopefully he will be down for the night soon. He is sleeping so wonderfully at night now. He sleeps usually around 8 hours. Night!

ok...I don't gripe a lot, but here is my major one.  It is sure difficult being a blended family, not it is hard to love the children.  It is very hard to co-parent children with ex's.  Especially when both ex's parent different than us.    I can't stand that both my oldest and my stepson can't find a single thing to occupy their time unless they are either watching TV or playing on the computer.   "I'm bored, otherwise"

Today I almost was at the edge of going to their rooms and packing up all their toys and donating them to someone who would play with them.   Erik has toys from Christmas he didn't even open.   All he wants to do it sit in front of the TV.   Doesn't his Mom ever have him do anything else in life.  The kid has seen every single movie on Disney and can tell you what is on next.  I don't even know what 1/2 of these shows are, no make that 3/4.   No wonder the kid has been struggling all his life intellectually.   When will anyone catch on, never because it is never their fault now is it. 

I make a point of having some organized activities on the weekends all the boys are here.  Last night we played board games....tonight we went to a cousins b-day party.  Tomorrow afternoon we are watching amovie together with popcorn.  I am ok with TV if we are watching one movie together, not just Erik just sitting in front of the screen not interacting with anyone.   Gee people, do you suppose that is why his vocabulary and everything else is delayed???? DUH!

Now as for my oldest...Joshua.  He is very intelligent, and very good at programming computers, but that doesn't mean you can sit in front of a computer screen 24 hours a day.   Today I let him be on for about 2 hours, then I said, no more for the day.

The most difficult thing in this all is my hubby.  Of course he will say this is not true...etc.  But let me tell you IT IS!!  The man is one the computer many hours a day.  I try to limit myself to about an hour a day.  And that hour is spread out throughout the day with a majority of it being after the kids are in bed.   if my hubby isn't on the computer he watches TV...get a hobby or complete some project!   Yes, dear our toilet *Still doesn't work in the basement.  Yes yes yes...I know you forgot about it.  I could list soooo many more things...but why you get the drift.  And if I mention this issue to my hubby....oh he will go on and on about how *he can't *do anything or have a hobby!   He never gets to do anything.  Hmmmmm....don't get me started!   Hmmm...I msut admit I am not home with him during the week as I am at work, but he is on the computer when I leave in the morning and he is there when I get home.  I am sure he feeds tha baby occassionally and uses the bathroom thorughout the day....ROFL!!!  But of course he will say different...and the house, well I must admit the laundry is sometimes done...I jsut would be a beter stay at home parent.  And of course I would because I am the very anal Monica ( see previous freinds quiz)!  Have a been complaining enough yet???

So how do you tell your son, that you can't just sit on the computer all day, when he sees his Dad doing that.  And Josh so looks up to my hubby and wants to be a computer guy just like him.   ARGH!!!!  Sorry, I am going to continue to limit it.

Tomorrow if Erik tells me once he is bored, I swear I am packing up all those unopened toys and giving them to good will!    Also he gets so engrossed in the TV that after lunch I had to tell him three times that we were having dessert now.  Next time I am saying it only twice, than he can go without.  

I truly think 1/2 of the problem is my hubby.  I feel he is so unsupportive when it come to this issue.  He goes well it *is winter, what do you expect them to do???  DUH!! Play????  Gee, I never had a computer to use all the time and I got good grades in school.   I even God forbid, developed a hobby or two that continued into adulthood.   Something I could have in common with a mate.  My sons will only have a mate, if they don't mind being totally ignored or are obsessed with computer and TV. 

Tommy is going to be in for a rude awaking.   He doesn't have another set of parents, only us.  And haven't get to go to another house and have an XBox after his mother said no more video games!!!  Who spends 400.00 on a video game.....where are you priorities.   another DUH!

CupOJava - MADE me take my first quiz ever.  How could I resist a Friends quiz.....so who am I, well this is no surprise!!!

Monica

Mon! You're the normal one, honey, in the best way possible. You're caring, you're responsible, you look to the future—what a gem. Wait a second, did you just start editing for grammar mistakes in the middle of reading your own compliments? Ok, so you like things, well, the way you like them. But even when you're smiling through clenched teeth, waiting for everyone else to get with the program, deep down, you're really still smiling. You're just waiting for that impatient moment to pass.

When it comes right down to it, you are thoughtful, meticulous, and good at what you do. As for romance, you can be a little picky and want things to be just-so. We wouldn't expect anything less. And like the original Monica, if you can avoid rushing into things, you'll find the right match and all the happiness your sweet, finicky, heart deserves.

Find out what friend you resemble....

Tommy in his baptism outfit. 

Yes, I am up and showered and dressed and it is 9:00am.  And NO I am not dressed to my shoes.....Oh well.   Tommy slept from 10:30 until 6:40 this morning.  GOOD BOY!!   He is napping in his swing right now.  We are needing to go to Sam's club and buy diapers and we need to be home in time to baby sit my SIL's kids.  

I need to also buy something to make my flylady calendar stay on the side of my fridge!  Did I ever tell you how much I love this calendar.  Great big squares to write in. 

Well I am off to get my shoes on and head to Sam's on a Saturday morning.....yes, I *AM crazy!!!