Us In Jersey

School Back in Session~ Wrap Up

2008-09-16T05:10:00.000-07:00

K, it's been a month of being blog lazy but life crazy! But here I am and I will try to catch you up as quickly as possible.

My favorite thing to report is that school is back in session! I love this time of the year, but on the downside it's always sooo hectic!

Over Labor Day we went 'down the shore' for three days (most of my readers are not from Jersey so down the shore in Jersey lingo simply means 'we went to the beach'). It was a nice way to wrap up the summer. We had a good time and will definitely be doing it again next year. Our friends Heather and Tom and her son Cole met us down there and we just hung, relaxed, chilled, drank a few and spent WAY to much money. Seaside is a boardwalk with arcades, rollercoasters, food, shopping, food and did I mention food? Jersey beaches are NOTHING like Cali beaches, but it's still pretty damn cool.

Jimmy is now three and a half months old and is just a doll! Love that little man to death!

'What'chu talking about momma?!"

Goog has got a new job, 40 (forty.. that pesky car payment!) hours a week at a child care center called Child Time. So far she seems to be enjoying it. She watches kids from 4 months old to 3 years. No, she has not been been puked, peed or pooed on yet. Give her time! Also, She starts school Oct-3. So she is pretty busy, it's all I can do to make her eat as she is coming and going. Which is the downside of her busy life... she has lost 10 pounds. For those of you who have seen Goog, you know she does not have 10 pounds to lose. So we're trying to fatten her up.

Goog and Brian at Seaside Heights going on waverunners.

Robbie is now a Staff Sergeant in CAP! woo-hoo! This was a tough rank to get, the tests were really hard but he did it! He is also having a great time at the Neshanic Station fire department junior firefighter program. In a year and a half he can actually go to calls. He's still working at McDonalds and we opened a debit account for him. So now he always has money and access to it. So when his paycheck comes, half goes into his savings account for his car and the other half is his to spend as he pleases. Usually on food. :-D

Brian, Goog and Rob

Rob at 2am after the charter fishing boat trip. He caught 10 really nice blue fish. DAMN did he stink! All that 'dirt' on his shirt.... fish guts. No lie.

Joey: he did a fantastic job in Oklahoma as Will Parker. He has only been in the performing arts for a year but when I see how far he has come in that year it only confirms what I have been saying about him since he was 5, "Joey is destined to be on a stage one day". He started high school and so far likes it. He auditioned for chorale at school and I am pleased to say that out of 50 guys who tried out only 10 made it! Furthermore, out of the whole freshman class, only 4 kids made it and they were all guys. I guess those voice lessons are paying off? Go Joe! Today he auditions for the school musical Beauty and the Beast. But, using the words of his voice teacher, "being a freshman chances are he will get a part equivalent of the spatula in 'Be Our Guest'" which is fine because Central has a reputation of putting on GREAT shows. Good luck Blowey!

Here is a picture of Chris and Joey following a football game they lost this past Sunday. The pic says it all. :-(

The addition: well the ball is rolling there. We got the approval from the county, now we have to get the plans submitted to the township and then we're good to go! We are adding about 1,000 feet of living space and a new kitchen. I am thrilled about the kitchen because right now it's about 25 years old and looks every bit of 25 years old. A larger deck and front porch will also be added. So, come on... let's get this show on the road already!

To amuse some of you ::coughsmomcoughs:: here is a picture of Cooper after getting stung by a bee. Can ya tell where he got stung?

Jimmy with his Halloween pumpkin sweatshirt on... complete with puke for that added drama for the picture.

Picture of Jimmy on the beach taken by his auntie Heather.

Ewwww!

2008-08-02T17:58:00.000-07:00

Here's proof that real men change poopy diapers! Go Chris!

Here's Robbie at a CAP fire drill fooling around with one of the police cars:

And here he is with the fire hose:

And here is Jimmy's new toy for tummy time. Contrary to his little face... he does like it.

Big Boy Swim!

2008-07-20T07:37:00.001-07:00

The past few days in Jersey have been brutally HOT. Not just HOT but HUMID HOT. Yuck, ewww and gross! Anyhow, last night we attended an outdoor wedding for some good friends of ours and when we got home I felt sticky and gross, so I decided to take little Jimmy-san out for a big boy swim in the pool. Here he is:

And as promised: here is Rob in his Mickey D uniform! (Hey Tamar, don't show Steven cause I know he will taunt him mercilessly. On second thought, go for it!)

He looks thrilled, eh? Just wait till that paycheck comes in.

Rob Rocks!

2008-07-16T09:07:00.000-07:00

Two posts in a week, WOW!

I wanted to update you on Rob: He got the job at Mickey D's and now dons the goofy uniform only to get a paycheck every two weeks. Plus last night he had his first drill with the Neshanic fire department complete with the full fireman uniform. Way to go Rob! We are so incredibly proud of him and his attitude towards life. Rob's not the kind to take anything for granted, he is a very hard worker and will usually do what it takes to get the job done. Hopefully I'll have a picture of him during the drill real soon (we're waiting for the fire department to get them posted on their site).

In the mean time here is a picture of Jimmy with his daddy. This photo was a Father's Day present for Chris. Enjoy!

A Fluke?

2008-07-15T05:53:00.000-07:00

Ok, I am not sure if this was a total accident or for real... but last night Little Jimmy-san rolled over from tummy to back four times in a row. It's funny because I was talking to my mom and Heather about it the other night and they both said rolling over comes later on( it seems I forgot almost everything about baby milestones, oops!).

Anyhow, you be the judge and tell me if it's intentional or just sheer coincidence. (FYI: he then rolled once more that direction and twice the other way)

Then Mr. Joe Cool thought no one was looking and got caught:

Then had to play it off by teasing his poor witto bruber:

Settling In

2008-07-05T17:41:00.000-07:00

Jimmy in his 'New Brother' hat on the Fourth...

Grandma Julie pulling Jimmy's ears out to make him look.... like a little goofball. :-D

Yes, I am incredibly behind, but never fear I have come to remedy my poor neglected blog.

Well... six weeks marks a big milestone for the little pip squeek~ one and a half month old! woo-hoo! Almost big boy now, and he continues to grow by the minute I think. He is a whooping ten pounds and sleeps, on average, six hours a night. Niiiiiice indeed.

He flashes his cute little smiles when the mood strikes which is usually followed by a stream of crocodile tears for some reason known only to him. He is still a cuddler which I never complain about (well, maybe at 4 am when he gets the urge for some cuddling) and he's working on holding up his own head. All in all, life with Little Jimmy is settling in and he is an absolute joy. Cooper has accepted his new status of low man on the totem pole, so all is good!

As for Mz. Goog-Thang, she is enjoying the summer with her new car. Unfortunately Tumble Time, the place she has been working for over three years, went out of business so she needs to get moving to find another job to replace those hours. But here is a recent picture of her and her friend Courtney at Joey's 8th grade graduation. (the two of them do look alot alike, so Goog is on the left)

Moving on to Mr. Robbie, the nursey he applied for a job never called back :-( so he applied at Mickey D's and has an interview today! Good luck Rob! AND, the best part of all... he was voted into the Neshanic Station fire company! He has his first drill tomorrow night. He is pretty stoked and we are soooo proud of him! Other then that, so far his summer has been spent on the river, fishing and tubing. It's nice have a river a mile from the house to keep the boys occupied. Here is a picture of him on the Fourth setting off some fireworks.

And finally Goey Ooey, Mr. Joey just finished up Beauty and the Beast at Bucks County Playhouse Children's Theatre and had a blast. Here is a picture of him in his Gustav (The Disney Gaston character) costume. In July he will be Shere Khan the tiger villain in The Jungle Book and then in August he will step into his biggest part to date: Will Parker in Oklahoma! He really worked hard on that part and nailed his audition song. Congrats to you Joe! Can't wait to see you perform! So keep your calenders free for July 24th for Jungle Book and August 24th for Oklahoma.

Now, on to Chris and I: we are waiting for the final plans from the architect and we have our contractor picked out... so the addition should be a go over the next few months. I CAN'T WAIT! The building process is gonna suck, but I have to focus on the end result and realize it's all gonna be worth it. Yes... I shall stay positive. Anyhow, that's all the excitement for now. I shall post more at a later date. Have a great day!

Jimmy in his Fourth of July outfit.

Rob with sparklers

With his grandma Bobbi

And his grandma Julie

And Joey with his momma

James Michael Has Arrived!

2008-06-04T07:06:00.000-07:00

Just a quick update: James Michael was born May 27 at 6:22 pm. He was 7 lbs and 12 oz. A lot smaller then the ultrasound had predicted, thank God! We went into the hospital at 6 am, they broke my water around 10 am to try to push him along then gave me potocin at 12 pm which started the hard core contractions around 5 pm and the little guy finally came at 6:22.

He is an absolute doll and I love him to death! So far, he's a good little baby and is purely breastfed which can get tiresome at times, but it's the best thing for him.

Due to the new little bundle I have had zero time to keep up on my postings... so I shall be back soon as our home finds a new rhythm and routine.

He Did It!

2008-05-13T05:33:00.000-07:00

I am proud to announce Rob passed his tests and is now a Senior Airman! Woo-hoo! Congratulations Robbie!

Now: for those of you with weak stomachs... you might want to scroll quickly past the next set of pictures. This past weekend the CAP squadron attended an Open House for a local fire/EMT squad and they had a pig roast. Well, Rob being Rob decided to eat one of the pig's eyeballs. So wrong on so many levels. YUCK!

Told ya... you should have just scrolled on by.

He Cooperated!

2008-05-08T15:50:00.000-07:00

Hey All!

James Michael FINALLY cooperated! At todays final ultra-sound his hands were busy gripping the umbilical cord and not covering his little face. So we have a good shot of the little guy.

Lots of Catch Up!

2008-05-02T04:31:00.000-07:00

Just a quick post to catch you up on the goings on here in Jersey:

Goog got a new car! Woo-hoo! She has been diligently saving her nickels and last weekend she became the proud owner of a 2006 Toyota Scion TC. It's a cute little car and a great chance to get her credit going. Congrats Goog! She has also picked up my job Minalex while I am on maternity leave, which is great because she is gonna need the cash. :-) Welcome to the Big Girl world Mz. Goog.

Joey: Remember a while back he auditioned for Bucks County Playhouse Children's Theatre? Well, he got the part of Gustov in Beauty and the Beast! ::cheers:: And remember he auditioned for the Downtown Players 2008 company last weekend? He made it! woo-hoo! Congrats Joe!

Last night he participated in a Teen Arts Vocal Critique and sang the song Close Every Door from Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat. Out of a score of 35 he got a 28. Not to shabby for a kid who has only been singing for six months. He has a great vocal teacher. Here is a video of him singing, the audio is funky so you may have to fiddle with the volume. (As for the sweater vest.. well he has decided he's going to bring them back into style. Ummmm, yeah. Ok)

On Monday Rob tested in the leadership portion for his Senior Airman rank in CAP and got an 80%! He has one more test to take, Aerospace, which he took this past Monday but missed it by ONE point~ Arrrrgh! So close! Anyhow, he will take it again and hopefully ACE it. Good luck, we're all rooting for you! But on another note, this past Monday they did PT (physical training) and he broke a squadron record for the shuttle run. There was no living with him that night! :-) Congrats Rob and good luck on Monday. The squadron also had their O-flights this past weekend. Here is a picture of Rob in the air flying over our house.

Little James is really thinking hard about being born. Thursday (May1) we had a Dr apt and I am dialated to 1.5 already. The Dr said to get my bag packed and don't expect to carry the little guy full term. We have our fingers crossed.

My girlfriend Nancy from Illinois was out this past weekend. Talk about a small world, she had a business meeting the next town over from us so she came in a few days earlier and crashed the Casey pad. It was great to see her, the workaholic she is. :-) We hit New Hope, eating lunch at Lily's on the Canal and buying some gargoyles and incense while Joey was at his audition. Monday we spent the entire day beading and making jewelry and eating Chili's. We sent her back with a new son: Mojito (Goog's little dog). When she first arrived she feel in love with him and two days later he was flying back to Chicago with her. She is thrilled and tells me she is so in love with the little guy. I am glad to know he is somewhere where he will be spoiled rotten.

Here are a few pictures of the yard starting to take shape. My favorite planter and the front yard with the trees in bloom:

Maternity Leave From the Band

2008-04-26T14:23:00.000-07:00

Last night Chris' band played one final gig before he goes on 'maternity' leave. At the beginning of the second set the lead singer announced that he had something special for Chris and he started the set with an an acoustic version of James Taylor's, 'Sweet Baby James'. It was the sweetest thing and had Chris on the verge of tears throughout the entire song. I really wish I could have been there to see/hear it. Steve has an amazing voice and is an incredible musician so hopefully the next time we see him and his wife I can bribe him to sing the song for me.

If your unfamiliar with the song, here are the lyrics and a You Tube link to James Talyor singing it:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5EoNd_maBbY

There is a young cowboy he lives on the range
His horse and his cattle are his only companions
He works in the saddle and he sleeps in the canyons
Waiting for Summer, his pastures to change

And as the moon rises he sits by his fire
Thinking about women and glasses of beer
And closing his eyes as the doggies retire
He sings out a song which is soft but it's clear
As if maybe someone could hear

(Chorus)
Goodnight you moonlight ladies
Rockabye sweet baby James
Deep greens and blues are the colors I choose
Won't you let me go down in my dreams
And rockabye sweet baby James

Now the first of December was covered with snow
And so was the turnpike from Stockbridge to Boston
Lord, the Berkshires seemed dream-like on account of that frosting
With ten miles behind me and ten thousand more to go

There's a song that they sing when they take to the highway
A song that they sing when they take to the sea
A song that they sing of their home in the sky
Maybe you can believe it if it helps you to sleep
But singing works just fine for me

Don't worry OTC guys... Chris WILL be back. I am sure I will be glad to send him back to band rehearsal before to long. :-P

Nesting!

2008-04-24T06:36:00.001-07:00

Hey All!

Well... I think the nesting instinct has started to kick in. Yesterday I found myself standing in the middle of my bedroom, I looked around, I opened a drawer and then the closet, pondered my options for a moment then before I realized what I was doing, the entire room was torn apart and being put back together again.

The end result: one HUGE black contractor trash bag full of clothes headed to the Goodwill, drawers with room for more clothes (muh ha ha ha sorry Chris), a closet that is organized in which air can freely flow through, freshly steam cleaned carpets, and a large box full of trash and 'get rid of' stuff. Damn, it felt good! You know when you clean your closets, and they look so good inside, that each time you walk by ya open the door to take a peek at how nice it looks? That's me! So, if no one gives me the brownie button I deserve for a job well done... then I am going to Mrs. Fields today and gonna get one for myself ~ dag na bit! :-D

Prior to my cleaning the room rampage, I've been busy getting James Michaels 'stuff' in order. Washing his sheets, clothes, blankets, burp towels... you name it. Besides the playyard sheets which are on order from Target, I think we are ready for his arrival. It's gonna be a LONG five weeks. ::sighs::

I am looking forward to this weekend, my girlfriend Nancy is coming out from Chicago for a visit. Given my condition, it's gonna be a mellow weekend (but we WILL make it to New Hope when Joey has his theater company audition.) But a visit with Nancy is always a good time.... she is a piece of work and someone I completely admire. I will keep you posted!

I am gonna head out to the mall now and get my brownie since no one has handed me one.... although Robbie did make some lemon-poppy seed muffins last night. Mmmm. It's wonderful to have a son that cooks plus I am sure he will have a very grateful wife one day. Although, the one thing we do need to work on is clean-up. That's gonna be tough. Yeah.

A Weekend To Remember~

2008-04-21T04:59:00.001-07:00

Good Morning!

Sit back with a cup of hot tea or coffee (or wine if you prefer) before tackling this post, I think it's gonna be a looong one.

WoW! What a weekend! Besides the weather being spectacular on Saturday and 'eh' on Sunday, the entire weekend was spent in the company of family and friends. Very cool, indeed.

Saturday morning kicked off with the opening performance of Willy Wonka, with our very own Joey playing grandpa George (don't confuse that with Grandpa Joe who accompanies Charlie into the chocolate factory) and our niece Lily playing the part of one of the squirrels in the nut room who get to send Veruca Salt on her merry way down the garbage shoot. BAD NUT! This was Joey's first time with only speaking roles and he was hesitant about it, but his lines were of a comedic nature and he delivered them with great timing and enthusiasm. We are very proud of him! The final show was Sunday night, and as with the closing of every show he has done he gets pretty bummed out. Saying goodbye to a cast you have been working closely with for two months doesn't get any easier, I am sure. But soon he will be on to his next project with a new bunch of great people! In a week or two we should have some pictures of the cast of Willy Wonka so I will get them posted as soon as they are in my hands.

Following the show, I was going to 'do lunch' with my sister-in-law, niece, Joe and Chris' cousin... as it turns out the 'lunch' was a baby shower for little James Michael! I had a great time and saw so many people I have not seen in ages! The food was fantastic and the cake was absolutely adorable, as were the cupcakes with the initials JMC on them.

At the shower I got to witness one of the most incredible displays of sisterly love I have seen in a LONG time: When Chris was a little boy he carried around a stuffed bear named Teddy. Ya know, the kind you buy at the fabric store where you sew the two pieces together and stuff it with stuffing? Apparently, when one Teddy died a horrible death of limb amputation and stuffing leakage, in order for his mom or grandma to make him a new one, they had to sew the old stinky dead Teddy into the new one. So, needless to say, Teddy was the pride and joy of one Little Chris.

When I was done opening James Michael's presents, Chris was handed a present of his own. He looked a bit scared at first, but once he saw what was inside, he almost broke down in tears. In the box was a brand new Teddy (minus the stink) and a framed picture of him as a child with a dead Teddy. Attached to the new Teddy was a note that read: 'To Sweet Baby James~ I Love You Already~ Aunt Susan'. Now here's the really cool part... Susan bought the fabric 18 years ago at an antique show, and has been patiently waiting for his first baby to be born. This story just amazes me and really makes me smile. But the funniest part is that it was bought at an "antique show' 18 years ago... what would it be now? A fossil? Sorry Chris. :-P

All in all, the shower was a great time and I have come to the conclusion that when Aunt Vicki and Aunt Susan come over to visit James Michael, we will definitely have to check their bags before they leave to make sure they are not trying to smuggle Little James out. :-D

Following the shower our friends Steve & Sarah came over and helped us unload and get everything organized. Plus Steve helped Chris put together the portable playpen, stroller, car seat and musical rocker. It was pretty damn funny watching the two of them get their asses kicked by baby furniture. But in the end the men prevailed and we rewarded them with left over food from the shower. Then we sat on the deck with a fire in the chiminea watching the sun go down. The perfect end to a perfect day.

Joey was pretty tuckered out when everything was said and done:

Sunday, Chris and I ran to Babies R Us and I got everything else James Michael will need for his arrival and then I napped before we went to the final Willy Wonka show.

My thanks to Chris' mom and sister Vicki for the shower. They put a lot of hard work and planning into it and it was beautiful, thoughtful and a great time. My thanks to my friends and family who were there to share the day with us and especially my thanks to Chris for simply being.... HIM. I don't think my own parents could have handpicked a more perfect husband for me.

Goog and Lily hamming it up for the camera, and below Rob trying real hard to be patient with the shenanigans of a 'baby shower'. He really had so many other things he could have been doing. :-P Sorry Rob.
Have a beautiful day!

~T

Last Year.....

2008-04-16T14:43:00.000-07:00

Ya know... after looking at the picture I added in the last post with the purple flowers, I felt rejuvenated! After all, this is the time of the year when there is no place I would rather be then in my garden. Mother Nature granted us with a gorgeous spring day with temperatures in the 70's, so I spent some time with some of my old friends: my rosemary, roses, sage, wildflowers, lavender and many others who are starting to slowly shake off the effects of winter and usher in spring like only they can do.

I did some trimming, moving pots and planters around, planning for new plants and yes I was already yanking out some dandelions. Due to the baby, I know this year's garden wont be as impressive as last years but at least I can put my two cents in here and there... I will keep you posted. In the meantime, here are a few pictures from my garden last year.

Yep! It's Been a While....

2008-04-16T05:54:00.000-07:00

Wow, it's been a while since I have posted anything here and my girlfriend Sarah keeps reminding me, "Um... when ya gonna post something?" So here I am, with the next best thing to pen in hand and that's keyboard under finger tips.

Yesterday we got another peek at James Michael still in utero with an ultrasound, and right now he is in the 69 percentile with an approx weight of 5.12 lbs. 5.12 lbs with 6 more weeks to go!!!!!! Ok, did God not punish me enough with a 8+ pounder named Joey whose head was damn near the size of a large bowling ball? I guess not. So wait as I must as Little James MIchael continues to grow larger, and larger... and larger yet. In light of my complaining about delivering another potentially large baby, I would not change a thing. If doing everything right during pregnancy so I have a very healthy child also means I will have to deliver a miniature lumberjack, I am ok with it. He deserves every chance I can possibly give him. :-)

Let's talk about Mz. Goog~ She is close to wrapping up her second semester at college and I am proud to say her grades have gone up this semester. Amazing what can be accomplished when it's your own money that pays for your education. To catch those up who do not know, the deal we made with her was that we would play for A's & B's. Anything less, she pays us back and then she pays for school the next semester. So, if she finishes with high grades this semester, we will pick up her school bill next year.

She is also in the process of looking for a new car. It's taking a while because at 19 your ideas of a new car with a new car payment usually exceed what your actually capable of doing. So, in a nut shell, right now she pays $50 a month for her car insurance (we pick up the other half) and that is her ONLY monthly payment. If she gets the car she has her sights set on, that $50 a month would turn into $550. (additional insurance, loan to car company and payback loan to us). So we are waiting for her to come to us with a reasonable car & car payment that will not bury her and screw her for the next umpteen years. Oh to be 19 and clueless again. NOT!

Robbie AKA Mr. Hobs~ He applied for a job at a local nursery and I am really keeping my fingers crossed that he gets this job. If local managers only knew the work ethic Rob had, he would have companies fighting to hire him, but all he needs is that chance to show he is willing and CAN work circles around most adults. That kid is amazing when he is outside with any tool in hand conquering a job that most people will put off. But what's most amazing is that he's utterly incapable of bending over to pick up a piece of paper or wrapper that has fallen on the floor. Strange, yes?

Fishing season, rather trout season has opened so we really don't see Rob anymore. BUT we made one thing clear, we WILL NOT have a repeat experience of the 'Goose Incident' like last year. Last year some kids raided a goose nest, so Rob being Rob decided to bring the eggs home and hatch them. He hid a box in his room, stole my heating pad and became mother goose to these 'dead' eggs. I told him he was crazy and to get rid of the eggs, and I took my heating pad back. Well... I get a call about a month or so later from Rob telling me an egg hatched and a baby goose was in his room. Yep. In fact, here is a picture of the little guy with Cooper Casey aka The Asshole. We took the goose to a bird rehabilitation facility, so hopefully he is living a happy goose life somewhere.

Joey.. Joey.. Joey.... He Who Has Bowling Ball Head.... will be performing in Willy Wonka this weekend as Grandpa George. He's performing with the same theater group he did Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat in January. Then next weekend he will audition for the same theater groups Company. It is a 6 month commitment, with 3 performances over the summer and lots of workshops. It will be great experience for him! I will keep you posted.

As for Chris and I... we are beginning to focus on the arrival of the little guy and most of all we are trying to get the home addition moving. Yeah.. that's gonna be real fun.

Anyhow... I am outta here and have a beautiful Day!

A Star Is Born! (Kind of....)

2008-03-14T07:40:00.001-07:00

G'day!

Well... last night was opening night of Bugsy Malone and Joey's first singing solo. I am glad to report he did a fantastic job! I hope to have a video of it posted on the web somewhere in the very near future. In the meantime, I am posting a picture of the cast during the bow and the other picture is Dandy Dan, Fizzy & Bugsy Malone.

I was lucky to get a picture of Shorty and her two brothers. Usually she doesn't allow them to stand that close to her out of fear of contamination. I must say that Robbie has gotten much better in the bathing & cologne department. He is beginning to realize that a half of bottle of Axe Body Spray does not remedy the lack of a bath. Joey on the other hand... well baby steps.

I always did said Joey was gonna be on a stage and here's the proof.

Weekend Reflection

2008-03-10T06:56:00.000-07:00

It was a CRAaaazy weekend, but in the end a great time. Take some great friends, an awesome rib roast and sticky toffee pudding, some wild weather, a little maternity clothes shopping and the pilot of New Amsterdam and I don't think things could have been much better. Oh wait~ sleep. More sleep could have made it perfect.

As it turns out it was the 'spring your clock up one hour' time of the year. Typically, I dread this time of the year. I hate the fact that it's lighter outside longer when it freezing ass cold outside. I am more of the snuggle under the blanket with a fire roaring kinda girl. When spring gets here, it gets here. Don't rush it! Not anymore though.... This year was different, this year the lose of an hour didn't really piss me off as it does in the past... either I am genuinely looking forward to spring OR I was so ding dang tired from the dinner party the night before that I wasn't really coherent about the time change until I woke up this morning and had to get the boys up in pitch black darkness. Who knows, but some politicians somewhere with their scientific facts and data apparently know what's best for me, therefore I must submit for they are the all knowing~all seeing~ all caring~ and do nothing but aggravate my life career politicians. Yee-Haw! Go Hillary! Umm, yeah.

So, I made it to Monday and alls well that ended well on the weekend. A few highlights of the kids: Rob (and Chris & his dad) had a great time at the USS New Jersey with the CAP squadron, although it was raining, but what's a little rain to a group of guys in BDU's?

Joey auditioned for Bucks County PlayHouse Children's Theatre... we won't find out until May if he made it for any of the plays they perform between May-December. Good Luck Blowey. This Thursday & Friday are the performances of his middle school play: Bugsy Malone where he has his first singing solo. Break a Leg Joe!

Mz. Thang... She worked alot this weekend which is good. Being 19 and suddenly having bills to pay gets to be a pain as she is finding out. Oh, she learned last week that puppies ARE NOT cheap. Little Mojito got neutered... with a nice hefty bill to go along with it. She also applied for her first big girl credit card. Good luck to you Goog!

Tracie signing out. Have a beautiful day!

To Be Organic & Natural or Not to Be

2008-03-07T04:04:00.000-08:00

I went grocery shopping yesterday with a goal in mind: not to exceed $170 for this weeks groceries. I failed miserably and almost choked on my organic Bolthouse drink when the cashier told me, "that will be $217.00 please." Where did I go wrong? My careful planning! My paying attention to what I threw into my cart! It all failed me! Now I am forced to take a look at what my family eats and weigh the benefits of what I do buy as compared to what I do not.

The stage is set with two teenage boys who eat like ravenous gators on a bi-monthly purge and a pettit, 95-lb daughter who can pack it in like any Sumo wrestler might before a Sumo match. Then there's Chris a normal adult eater and myself... whom, I to am normal... but Little Jimmy still in utero, BOY that kid can eat!

About a year and a half ago I made some changes in our diets. My first goal, which I still adhere to today is I refuse to buy processed cookies and chips as 'snacks'. No more Oreos, Chips Ahoy, Pringles, fruit snacks, Doritos, etc. Instead I buy alot of the Kashi products, organic/natural cookies and fruit bar for said 'snacks'. Once the kids got over the initial withdraws of no processed after taste and that lovely film left in the mouth from all the poly-hydro laboratory created gook packed into every crunchy little morsel, they adjusted and actually began to like some of the stuff, make that alot of the stuff. But it comes at a cost, usually one to two dollars more per item on the average then the mainstream 'snacks'.

I have also rid ourselves of things like Hamburger Helper & Chef-Boy-R-Dee and the following stuff I do get in natural/organic: cereal, canned soup, spaghetti sauce, canned tomato products, mac & cheese, to name a few. Again, all at a cost.

A regular grocery trip, complete with a weeks worth of healthy meals, breakfasts and snacks was costing my anywhere from $250-$300 a week. A WEEK! Good Lord! So I try to justify it by saying, 'Ok, if we went out to dinner every night as a family, starting at $60 per meal, then $300 is a drop in the bucket." Right? Wrong. When I took a look at what a typical fast food meal costs you in carbs, fat & empty calories, as well as lost nutrition my mind changed, real quick.

I am not going to get into scientific studies, but when you take a look at kids today and the ADD/ADHD epidemic it makes you wonder IS there a connection? Food allergies, is there a connection? What seems to me, higher cancer rates, is there a connection? I, for one, do not know the correct answer. All I know is it is my responsibility to try to teach my kids to eat healthy and when I pump then full of hydro-anything, refined sugar, lab chemicals, pesticides, etc. am I doing my job correctly? Yes, my wallet is heavier when I don't cave into the natural/organic 'fad', but it makes me feel better and the kids are calmer since the food changes.
When I see my kids reach for a banana or yogurt instead of complaining that there are no Doritos in the house, then I am doing my job. Therefore, in the long run I think the higher cost of food is worth the long term benefits because you never what tomorrow will bring and I would rather take the chance of putting healthy little bodies (or in my son's cases healthy BIG bodies) into the world then bodies weighed down with additional lab created crap their bodies don't need nor want.

The man's POV, snoogles, guitars, pregnancy.......

2008-03-05T12:35:00.000-08:00

Well....let's look at things from my perspective today.....I might not be as eloquent as Tracie, but I mean well. :)
Although I've been a father for over 10 years now, Tracie being pregnant definitely makes me looks at life from a slightly different angle.
For most of the time I've been with Tracie, I have taken it that she can handle things on her own, she's always been tough. Well, let me tell ya that between slowing our lives down, and her being pregnant, that view has changed for me. I now find myself being very defensive for her....like the guy that rear-ended her last week. My blood was boiling because this less than perfect soul literally slammed his way into our lives, and messed with my wife and little Jimmy Boy. Grrrr.....Carma is gonna catch up with him (and I hope the prosecutor does too).
As we sat in the hospital Friday night, I was terrified! I couldn't let T see that, because of course, I had to be the strong one. I was an emotional wreck by time Saturday came along! Whew...what a relief. But, at that moment in time, there was no where in the world I would rather have been. And one of the best parts of life are having friends like Bill, who knew I was a wreck, came to the hospital I think more for support of me than Tracie!!! Thanks Bill! The moral of this story......dont' mess with my family!!!
So you've been asking yourself, "What the hell is a snoogle?" Well.....it's basically a pillow that resembles a baby elephant trunk, and yes, Tracie sleeps with it!! It's the funniest thing....but it has made her sleep much better......although I find myself dreaming of slimy peanuts and big red noses, then the snoring starts and I'm wide awake again.....hmmm....yes, pregnancy does have it's bad points too.
Now for the guitar issue. I'm with Tracie. I thought Guitar Hero was gonna change the world....I mean, come on, what better house for this game than the Casey house full of music lovers. Well, I'll tell ya......there are songs and bands I loved before Guitar Hero, but now I'm selling the damnned cd's on Ebay! You can only hear Santana, Slow Ride, Message In A Bottle (which is twice as worse 'cause I play it in the band too), so many times and keep your sanity. If anyone wants Wii, which we highly recommend, I'll be glad to deliver it to your house free of charge. :)
And as a proud father of a new firefighter-to-be, I reminded Rob of one important thing last night after his meeting. Since he doesn't have his license yet, he will owe me for all the 3am trips to the firehouse so he can watch a bunch of grown men climb a tree to save a cat.
Well, I've rambled enough for my first blog ever......
Just remember - Life Is Good.

Rain, Politics, Guitar and Some Fire

2008-03-05T03:59:00.000-08:00

I woke up this dreary rainy day to find out that Mz. Thang Hillary Clinton had a great day in the Ohio & Texas primaries. It makes me shudder to think there are people who would choose to live on promises and ego trips rather then common sense and reality. People wake up! WHAT has she done as senator for New York besides campaign for her presidential run? It. Baffles. Me.

I gave up following politics for a reason; it gives me ulcers, headaches, convulsions and irritates the living piss outta me. Therefore I will refrain from commenting on this topic and instead talk about.... ME! :-P Well, maybe not me but my 'peeps'.

So, last night Rob was walking on a cloud because he was attending a local fire company meeting which have a jr firefighter program and filled out an application. Now waiting for his acceptance call he jumps to answer his phone when it rings. Never seen the kid move so fast. Waiting can take forever sometimes. Good luck Rob! I hope you get the spot. The best part of the whole deal is, if he makes the squad they monitor his grades. Yee-haw! Yes, every now and then God throws me a bone and makes my life a little easier and more enjoyable.

Goog. Yes, the Original Mz. Thang herself and her new found love for Guitar Hero has gotten on my last nerve. The kids have Guitar Hero on the Wii system which is in the family room and cannot be moved. I was told it's a family interactive game, so I thought "Great! I'll set it up permanently in the family room so we can all play and bond and be like the Cleavers." Um, yeah. Anyhow.... that decision back-fired on me and now I have to hear the same 4 songs, cranked loudly, as she strums away on this plastic Barbie guitar with cheesy little stickers haphazardly stuck to it by our in-house artist Joey. Any bone God did throw me, was quickly taken back.

I am posting a picture of Rob doing a drill with another fire company as a Civil Air Patrol event.

Have a great day!

Being Right & A Little Peek

2008-03-04T10:59:00.000-08:00

Lovely. In my last post I admitted that Chris was right about something... and let me tell you, he wont let me hear the end of it. I suppose being male, married and therefore usually wrong... when your wife throws you a bone and admits you were right about something, you wanna jump on that band wagon and ride the wave for as long as you can. Enjoy it Hon, your bit of limelight is almost up. :-)

Anyhow, today we went in for our 28 week ultrasound to see how little James Michael is doing. I am glad to report, he is doing quite well. He's estimated at 2.8 lbs and is a wiggler. He would not hold still long enough for the ultrasound technician to snap a good 3-D full face shot. But the picture posted here is the best we got with an uncooperative little person. I can't wait to meet the little guy!

A cool event is happening this weekend for Robbie and his Civil Air Patrol Squadron, they are going to visit the USS New Jersey in Camden. What will make the trip even more special is that Lt. Pittenger's (a senior member of the squadron) father served on the USS New Jersey and will accompany the squadron on their trip. The stories he'll tell the cadets I am sure will be priceless!

Gonna close for now. Have a great one!

Relax and Just Say 'No'. Good Luck.

2008-03-03T04:46:00.000-08:00

I think it's time to slow down a bit and realize that I am 38, pregnant and can say, "No." Such an easy word to say, but sometimes really hard to say. Most of all, I need to start focusing on allowing myself some downtime to sit back and let my mind and body rest. I am surely not OLD, yet I am not quite the young whipper snapper I used to be... so I need to adjust my life accordingly. So, the Million Dollar Question... Where do I begin? For starters not with the week I just had.

So, this past week got off to a funky start when Joey (my youngest at 13) carries down the loose change jar and proceeds to count out 200 pennies. 200 Pennies in which I found out were to pay for his school lunch per a mass test message that went around the school like wild fire. I thought no harm since maybe 4-5 kids will actually go though with it. I didn't see many kids cutting into their IM, MySpace, FaceBook, Xbox or Wii time to count out 200 smelly pennies to give to unsuspecting lunch ladies. Anyhow, apparently 29 of them did and man did a ruckus get stirred! Two detentions, a number of newscasts, newspaper articles, blogs, Cafe Press t-shirts and calls from the School District Superintendent and many parents with VERY different opinions all clashed. To me, the bottom line was this: Yes it was funny and very entertaining BUT if the prank causes disruption then he should be held accountable by the authority in charge, in this case the school. Whether or not I agree with the discipline, I think he needs to have respect for the schools authority and my getting involved and demeaning the school's authority is not teaching him anything. Mommy will not always be there, so he needs to think on his own feet and be ready for the repercussions. Anyhow, that's my two cents on an event that was blown totally out of proportion and became some kind of crusade for parents with WAY to much time on their hands.

With that said, the next phase of my crazy week was on Friday by my getting rear-ended by a kid (I say kid, but he was in his early 20's) with no car insurance. Luckily, I was in an SUV and he a little sports car that basically went under my bumper. Thinking the baby and I were fine from the jolt I told the officer I did not need medical attention. Anyhow, I did call my OB to see if they wanted me to get checked and they recommended I go to the emergency room to have the baby monitored. To me, the baby is in his nice cushy little home so I never thought there would be an issue with him. As it turns out I was having small contractions which were finally stopped six hours later by that god-awful shot they give you that feels like a bee-sting. I also learned that jolts like that could do a lot of damage to little people still in womb, the worst being the placenta could be ripped from the uterine wall. That's pretty scary. Anyhow, little James and mom are fine although sore. I think Chris gained a few more gray hairs from the ordeal, but that's nothing new cause ever since he met me his head seems to get grayer and grayer by the year. Strange.

So, after a weekend of not doing much but relaxing I think I finally realized I should do what my husband has been yelling at me to do all along since I got pregnant: relax and take it easy. First off how do I admit to him that he might be right and secondly with all the chaos in my house how am I supposed to relax? people gotta go places, dinners gotta be made, stuff needs to be picked up and put away. Life doesn't stop because mom needs downtime.... I guess it all boils down to being consistent as a parent and saying 'No' when needed. Those, I fear, are my two downfalls. Time to get to work on fixing my problem areas, but the good news is: being consistent and saying 'No' can be easily done from my recliner. :-D

Greetings From Jersey

2008-01-30T11:00:00.000-08:00

Greetings All!

As you know I am married with 3 kids (19, 15 & 13) and expecting one more in May.