Back on track

I have been a bit neglectful of my 101 in 1001 lately. Not that it isn't in the back of my mind all of the time, but I haven't really been focusing on it.

I am still stuck on 3 books out of 50. This has to do with the whopper of a book I started but can't really get into the story. The book is almost 800 pages and I'm about half way through right now. The people who recommended this book said it changed their lives...I'm still wondering if I am reading the same book they did, or if the life changing wonderfulness hasn't happened yet. I have decided to take a break from the book and read something else I will like better. I will come back to it, however, since I am not one to leave something half finished.

I have completely bagged goal #25. I thought it would be good for me to expand my vocabulary, but learning a new word every day has turned out to be quite a drag. Maybe the way I went about it through dictionary.com is why it stinks, but i hate it none the less. I want my goals to be fulfilling, not irritating, so I will be replacing it with something else soon.

Goal #38 has been sitting there taunting me. I used to exercise 5 days a week, without fail. I even kept that up the whole time I was pregnant, only stopping with 2 weeks left before I had Nathan. I don't know why I have fallen off the wagon so badly, but I hate it. I don't sleep as well, I don't have the energy I did before, and of course I am hating the way my body looks right now. I do not want to get pregnant again with this extra weight, so when I start back to work on the 5th I am going to attack this goal, with a vengence!!

I was doing so well with using the reusable grocery bags, but have fallen off the wagon with those too. My old car comes out of the shop tomorrow and I will transfer the bags from my old trunk to my new one and work harder on using them again!

I did manage to make progress of 2 other goals this week. I went to my 2nd concert (out of the 3 on my goals) and we tried a new restaurant. I am now at 4/10 on that goal. I have decided that the new restaurant thing only applies to me and not Aaron. He grew up here and has been to a lot of places that I haven't, so if it's new to me, then I'm counting it! We went to Cuban Revolution for lunch on Sunday. It came highly recommended so I wanted to try it out. I need to start asking people what dish they love when they tell me about places because one of the dishes we got was just so-so. I liked the steak sandwich, it was a nice Cuban twist on a staple, and had great spices and flavor. The chicken burrito we got (we always share our food) was kind of bland so I wouldn't order it again. Nathan loved the black beans and rice, although he did deposit them all over me when we got home (see this post).

I hesitate to make "New Years resolutions" as I feel I never stick to them. We'll just say I am going to renew my commitment to my 101 and call it a day!

Not Me! Monday

Could it be? What's that you say?? A Monday I don't have to work, hooray!! In good fashion I will have to say that I am not absolutely giddy that I am in my jammies writing my post. This is one Monday that being in said jammies at this time is not going to make me late for work! I'd like to blame MckMama for my obsession with these posts, but we all know that you can lead a horse to water but ya can't make 'em drink. If you want to drink in the hilarity, head on over to her blog and wallow in the fun with us!

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I did not trip while going up the stairs at work and drop my timer down 2 flights of stairs trying to grab the hand rail. I was not amazed that it didn’t break into a million pieces, though it did completely reset the timer and clock.

I didn’t wash my hands with the worst smelling sop ever and then have to smell it for over an hour until I could leave the lab and wash my hands in our office bathroom with different soap. I didn't look mildly crazy since I kept smelling my hands and grimacing.

When arriving at my In-laws house for our Christmas Eve party, I did not drop their present (our professional pictures) in a giant puddle. If that happened, I would not immediately throw the rest of the stuff I was holding onto the hood of my car (while yelling profanities) and rip the paper off of their gift to avoid soaking the photos. Since that did not happen to me, I did not have to give them their present unwrapped and explain my clumsiness.

I was not one of the 4 oldest people at a concert the other night. I was not secretly happy that we could have a spot at the bar with a perfect view since people weren’t fighting to get a drink!



My little man didn't misjudge the height of a step and fall right on his noggin. If that happened, I would be a calm parent, not freak out and snatch him up probably making him dizzy. He didn't cough up a little bit of lunch, start choking on it and then proceed to throw up all over me. At the first sign of gagging I turned him around. I am not stupid enough to stand there and let him puke on me...4 times. Nope, not me!

What did you "not" do this week??

What I Got

I went to my second concert last night (Goal #19: Attend 3 concerts)! You'd think, for a girl that had been to 1 concert in the last 3 years, it would take me the entire 1001 days to achieve my goal of attending 3 concerts. It seems I may finish this goal rather early! The first concert was, of course, Coldplay for my birthday in October. Last night we went to see Badfish at Lupo's.

Badfish is a cover tribute band to Sublime, and I love Sublime, so I jumped at the idea of seeing them. I saw Sublime in concert in high school. I still remember it like it was yesterday. December 2, 1995. My senior year of high school. I was such a goodie-two-shoes, so a Sublime concert was definitely stepping out of my range of normal at that time. I guess it was the beginning of me stepping out of my range of normal...for a few crazy years. Anyway, I digress.

When I told Aaron I wanted to go see this band at Lupo's, let's just say, he was less than thrilled. He is not a big fan of sardine-like crowds or standing to watch concerts. I told him that, even though Joelle and I had seats at Coldplay, we didn't sit down once. Um, he was still unconvinced, but he agreed to go anyway. It was Joelle's birthday so her husband had no grounds to object and the 4 of us went.

We decided to go out to dinner before the concert so we met up at Mediterraneo for some wine and way-too-freaking-expensive-especially-right-after-Christmas good food. After we left the restaurant, we embarked on the park-a-thon that happens any time you want to go anywhere in downtown Providence. This consists of driving around the same few blocks of one way streets surrounding your destination, for what seems like forever trying to find a place to park. After about 15 minutes we managed to find a spot because of my hawk eyes (yes, this time I used the saying appropriately) and went in for the show!

I had never been to Lupo's before so I was unaware that it wasn't an out of diapers yet kind of crowd. Seriously, we were probably the oldest 4 people in there! Most of these kids were probably embryos when Sublime came out. The bright side was we were able to post up at the middle bar, which is raised above the floor in front of the stage. We had to let the occasional person in to get a drink, but we had the perfect vantage point for the concert. Plus, I didn't almost get my ribs broken, like the first Sublime concert I went to (did I mention I was in the 2nd row the first time??). Sadly this is the only picture I got of the whole outing since I forgot my camera {bad blogger!!} and had to take this shot with the hubby's new phone.

We had a good time. Aaron even surprised me by getting into it and dancing and singing along. I will attribute that to the amount of adult beverages he imbibed, but he had fun just the same. This is the latest we've been out in forever, 1am! We grabbed some nasty Whopper juniors on the way home to prevent the inevitable hangover of the next morning and got home to relieve the grandparents. I was super tired the next morning but feeling great otherwise. Only one more concert and goal 19 bites the dust! Something tells me that I won't have any problems with this goal...unlike number 38.

Merry Christmas to All

We had 2 wonderful days filled with friends and family. Christmas eve we went to a party at Aaron's parent's house. Aaron's dad always hosts the Christmas eve party for the family. Last year Aaron's dad and step mother went to Mexico so we hosted the party and, let me tell you, I was happy to give it back to them this year! I love Aaron's family and we all sat around, ate, sang songs (well, some of us sang!) and shared fun stories. There is always great food (I made stuffed mushrooms this year), fabulous wine, and a loud and crazy Italian family, which I love being a part of.

Natey loves his cousins and got to play with Lily and hang out with Eve. Lily decorated her gingerbread house. Well, she tried and then proceeded to eat the pieces when it crashed.
Aaron and I (yes he actually did most of the work) made Natey a tie onesie for the party. He looked so cute and partied with us way past his normal bed time (7:30pm) until 9! He started to get pooped toward the end, but he hung in there like a champ!

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Christmas day started off at home with just Natey, daddy and I. It was so fun to sit in our jammies and open presents. Natey got into riping the paper and opening presents. I even managed to surprise Aaron which, for those who know him, is almost impossible. Let's just say that this was the first time in 5 years that he didn't guess what I got him!!! He is the king of spoiling surprises and always wants to give you hints about your gift or give it to you early. I tell him he is worse than a kid when it comes to things like that!

We went to Aaron's mom and step dad's house and had an early dinner with them, two of Aaron's brothers, one of his sisters, their significant others, and Natey's cousin Aiden. We had dinner and opened presents. The highlight for Nate was the Radio Flyer horsey he got from Santa. He is really into horsies right now and he loves it and kept yelling "Ye haw" as he happily bounced and rocked the afternoon away.

I missed my side of the family a lot, but I got to talk to all of them at some point today. I really missed having my mom there but, as I watched the video Aaron took of Natey and I opening presents, I saw a lot of her in me. I don't often watch myself in action, but in that 5 minute video, I saw some of her mannerisms, her smile and mostly the glow she had when she looked at me and my brother in myself and I knew she was right there with me all along.

Merry Christmas everyone. I hope you had a wonderful day filled with everything you wished for this year.

...and to all a good night.

Winter Wonderland

Natey had his first snowy adventure with his bestest friend Tyler. Tyler and Nate were born a week apart and, since his mommy and I are so close, it's like they had a built in best friend from birth. They are just getting to the age where they can have fun together and what better way to have fun in the snow than going sledding?? We got a little over a foot of snow here from Friday through Sunday so we decided to take the boys out to enjoy it. It was Natey's first time in the snow and he was such a good sport. He loves Tyler and they had a little bit of interaction before getting to the main event.

Since it was his first time, we sent him down with daddy (I took a couple turns with him too) a couple of times before he went down by himself. Joelle had a little munchkin sled that they got to ride in by themselves. I was a little weary at first, but they put Tyler in it the day before and he did great. Plus, the snow was fluffy and slow and the hill that we were sending them down was pint sized and not too steep.

The whole outing was a success, and it was so much fun. The boys had a good time and didn't mind the fact that it was snowing the whole time. Natey mostly wanted to eat the snow and "weeeeeee'd" all the way down the hill. The only lesson I learn for next time is that I will get him fully dressed BEFORE we get there. i thought he'd get too hot so I waited to put on his snow pants, jacket, gloves, hat and boots until we got there. This was not a good idea. It was snowing and cold and it was such a pain to try to get him dressed. He will just have to be Ralphie's little bro next time and be bundled to the nines during the ride over!

Not Me! Monday

Twas the Monday before Christmas and all through the house, not a soul was getting ready to leave this house....


That is only partly true. I'm up and, I guess, that counts as part of getting ready to go to work, right?? Anyway, it is Monday and time to tell you what I absolutely did not do last week! Check out MckMama's blog to play along.

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I did not say, "I have ears like a hawk....'s eyes" to my husband when I heard him talking about me to my MIL. I did not loose my leverage at that ridiculous statement since all he did was laugh at me.

After my slip of the tongue, I didn't proceed to google "hawk" and "ears" to see if, in fact, they do have good hearing, simply to vindicate myself. I didn't feel a bit better when I discovered that they can pinpoint the exact source of a sound...WITH THEIR HEARING!! My hubby was still unimpressed with my logic.

I was not irritated with the weather when, right after I bought my new car, it rained and then dumped a foot of snow on us. I don't care how pretty my car is, and if I did, I would not wish we had not turned our garage into a family room, just so I could park Huey in it!

I didn't write a sad post right before Christmas. This is a happy time and I don't spend my time wallowing in loss. I don't miss my mother terribly and secretly hope what I get for Christmas is a vivid dream of her like when I was pregnant.

I am not so thrilled that I only have 2 more days of work (including today) before I get 12 whole days in a row off! I didn't almost call out today because it was freezing outside and I wanted to spend the day in jammies with my boy. Nope, not me! I am dedicated to my work and would never think about doing that!!

What did you "not" do this week??

Wishing and hoping

I just love Christmas time with my boy. Since my mom passed away, Christmas has been really hard for me. Some of my favorite childhood memories revolve around special holiday moments with my mom. I knew, after that first Christmas without her (a month after she passed), that Christmas wouldn't be the same until I had children of my own. Now that I have Natey, I feel a renewed sense of Christmas spirit. Seeing things through his eyes makes everything more magical. Even though I have a wonderful husband, a beautiful boy, a good job and a warm home it doesn't stop me from wishing for more.

I wish she was here now.

I wish she could hear her grandson's sweet little voice saying "lu you".

I wish I could send her a Christmas card with my little boy on Santa's lap.

I wish we could bake cookies and fudge together.

I wish we could reminisce about each ornament as we hung them on the tree.

I wish....

Christmas is a time of wishing and hoping. Natey is my hope for the future and my greatest wish come true. I am so thankful for the life I have now, I just wish she could share it with me.

Santa baby

We finally took Natey to see Santa! I know it's kinda late, but there were extenuating circumstances that kept us away. Like the blue bruise he had in the middle of his forehead from bonking it at his grandparents house (I know, I'm vain...it's terrible), or the fact that he was a snotty miserable mess for over a week. We have been prepping him for Santa for over a month. I've been reading him Santa books, pointing out the Santas we saw around town and teaching him "Ho, Ho, Ho" (which he said to Santa...it was so cute!). I hoped that all of this prepping would come in handy when he met the big guy (it was the same Santa as last year) ...and it did!


Woo hooo! It couldn't have gone any better! Natey was so excited and the picture came out perfect! I know this is a rare occasion so I won't get too overconfident about future Santa pictures (or the EB for that matter), but it was nice to get a great shot one second after he sat down. The poor lady in front of me was having quite a time trying to get her son to cooperate and I felt for her.

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After Santa, Natey had to go for his 18 month visit at the pediatrician. He was 26 pounds 14 oz and 34 1/2 inches long! Yet again Natey is hovering in the 95th percentile for height and ~60th percentile for weight. Hopefully this keeps up and he ends up being taller than Aaron and I! The doctor's office had a tree in the waiting room, and I managed to get one picture where he wasn't sprinting about and blurry.

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This post wouldn't be complete without a glimpse at last year's Christmas pictures. You already saw last year's picture with Santa on my ornament so here are a couple we took of him with our Christmas tree. The second one was the picture I used for our Christmas cards last year.

What's on your tree?

This week's ornament is the one I bought last year for Nathan's first Christmas. Here is his chubby little self with Santa. Poor kid. It looks like he has about 8 chins. To this day, the only part of him that is chubby is his chin and cheeks!

Since this is my (count 'em) 3rd post of the day, I will keep it short and sweet!

***UPDATED*** In my haste I forgot to link to Katie over at This Crazy Life who is hosting What's on your tree Wednesday! Sorry Katie, my holiday brain is shot!!

1.5 Years and counting

Hi Natey,

You are 18 months old. How did that happen??? I blinked, that's how! You are amazing me all of the time with your new tricks. Here's some of what you can do now.

• You are working on your 13th tooth. The top right canine has poked its tip through. You will probably have all of your teeth by the time you are 2!!
• Your curls are getting a bit unruly, but every time I think about cutting your hair it makes me sad, so we'll hold out a while longer.
• You are starting to make sentences. They are only 2 or 3 words, but you say things like "bankalee (blanky) where?" and "I lu you".
• You can count to 5. Sometimes you need a little encouragement, but I think that has more to do with how easily distracted you are!
• You no longer think blue is the only color. You can identify white and pink (weird, I know) and sometimes green.
• You like to tell me when it's raining while we drive in the car.
• You had your first official tantrum the other night. You were flopping around like a fish out of water and I was sure you were going to hurt yourself. Luckily momma's singing still calms you down...30 minutes of singing that is!
• Your favorite word right now is more. You use it when ever you want something. Here's how the conversation usually goes.

Natey: "more"

Me: "more what?" {trying to figure out what you want}

Natey: "more, puleese"

While I appreciate the manners, you need to insert the name of the item you would like when I ask what!!

• You know Santa by sight and I love that you say "Ho, ho, ho!" while patting your tummy. Let's hope the visit to Santa's lap goes smoothly this weekend.
• Somehow, you know all of the names of the Backyardigans. I swear you only watch 2 shows a day!!
• You learned "knock, knock" and like to do it to every door we come to.
• You say "arm in" when you see me get your jacket, and you can almost put it on by yourself.
• You're obsessed with my keys. If I even attempt to unlock a door without your help you get very upset.
• You are getting more cuddly as the days go by. You say "tisses" (kisses) and "hug ums" and then offer a smooch or a squeeze to mommy or daddy.
• You have stopped saying Dadoo for the most part. Daddy is what you are calling him now. :o( I will miss that a lot. I thought it was so sweet.
• You can feed yourself with a spoon. The fork is still iffy, but you can scoop like a champ!

Tomorrow you have your 18 month well visit and I will update with your height and weight. I love you little man!

The newest addition to the family

Here he is, the newest member of the clan....Huey



Huey is a 2008 Toyota Highlander and the apple of his new mommy's eye!! This picture is, of course, not Huey but his stunt double. Huey is covered in slushy snow and not willing to pose for pictures at the present time.

Not Me! Monday

It's Monday and I can't believe it is only 10 days until Christmas!! This month has already flown by, and with the frenzy of the season, you know we have all misplaced our brains from time to time! Cleanse your soul with us over at MckMama's. Laughing at yourself (and others) will help you de-stress on the home stretch of the holidays!
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I did not allow my 1 1/2 year old to eat only goldfish crackers, cheese, milk, and juice for 5 days since that's all he felt up to eating. It did not tear my heart out to see him all stuffed up and crying because he was gagging on ANYTHING else I tried to feed him. I was not thrilled last night when he ate an actual meal without turning his head and saying "Nahhhhh"!

While trying to pull my thumb drive out of the back of my computer, I did not drop it behind our {extremely heavy} office desk. When I tried to move the desk I was not completely amazed to see the loot that was hiding behind the desk. Besides the dust bunnies, I did not find: 2 hair clips, another thumb drive (that I thought was lost), my makeup bag (wha??), a Lego man, and 3 goldfish crackers. I wonder if my son is the culprit or if the elves that steal the socks from the dryer are to blame for this??

When attempting to remove said items I did not use a pair of kitchen tongs since I could not reach the little things entangled in the mess of cords. I was not super proud of my ingenuity...until I finished and saw my hubby, standing behind me, giggling at my expense.

I did not get side tracked, organizing our entire office {including drawers}, when I was supposed to be working on the shirts and onesies I have to mail out today. That 2 hour diversion did not cause me to say up until midnight getting everything finished! I am not exhausted today because of it. Nope, not me!!

I didn't open my very own Etsy store this weekend {PeddleMyWares.etsy.com} !!! I am not super excited and so grateful to all of the people who participated in the naming of the store! {I used a couple of the other suggestions for product names!!!} I would not totally love if everyone would go check out my store and tell their friends about it too!! {It's still a work in progress and I can take orders for things that aren't in there yet, just ask!!}

What did you "not" do this week??