Something's wrong with this picture....

Well, Mother Nature did NOT take my letter to heart and it is at the moment snowing in upstate New York. The grass is still visible but my deck is not and it's a frigid 27 degrees outside. Jack drove 40 mph on the thruway amidst snow plows and blizzard-like conditions for a "leisurely" 2+ hour commute to Rochester. Harrison has a turtleneck and a sweatshirt on for preschool and when I bundled the kids up to go to school I was seriously questioned by Jacqueline as to why her hat and gloves were on her backpack. Again. She asked me this with a look on her face that read "mommy has lost it for real this time." No MOMMY hasn't lost it, Mother Nature has. The local weatherman was kind enough to tell us this morning that the weather is more like January 7th than April 7th. Really? Thanks for rubbing it in! I keep reminding myself that this IS April and it's only a matter of time before the weather improves...... Right?

An Open Letter to Mother Nature.....

I have about had it with the weather here this winter, so in desperation I have decided to write to the "big cheese" of weather. With April vacation coming next week I am starting to get a bit panicky about having to entertain the kids inside all week without completely going insane. Here goes....

Dear Mother Nature,
A damp, frigid "hello" from Upstate New York where winter never ends. Don't get me wrong, it is beautiful here, but, this year in particular, I'm starting to believe winter is NEVER GOING TO END. Yes, we've had a day or two of nicer weather - sunny and 60 - but it's all a tease. 60 and sunny one day, 20 and snowing 12 hours later. It's no wonder everyone's sick. The germs can't figure out what the heck to do! The kids and their classmates just seem to be passing the same viruses back and forth....kind of like germ volleyball or viral tag. The dogs have even had colds and a stomach "bug". So, Mother Nature, I'm all for a good joke, but enough already. How about some sun and 50 or 60 degrees that lasts a week or so and just keeps getting better. Next week would be a great time to start since it's school vacation. I am hearing of more snow in our forecast for tonight, but I don't think it'd be too late to change that now would it? I don't think I'm being greedy asking for this as it IS April.
Hoping you will listen to my plea,
A desperate mom

Well, let's hope that does the trick! If not, the kids and I will be cooped up inside getting on each other's nerves next week. There's only so many times I can play various board games, do Easy Bake Oven, and destroy the kitchen table with arts and crafts. Here's to warmer weather!!

It's that time of year again!!!

At long last, a new post. I admit I have been really bad about updating my blog. I update my Facebook page regularly, so for those of you who haven't joined Facebook yet...sign up and you can see updates daily!! Anyway, Jacqueline started cheerleading competitions again and just completed her second of the season on Saturday. They were amazing this weekend...mini, youth and senior teams took 1st, and the juniors were 2nd. It was a long day in Albany but a fun and successful day.

Allison is continuing to dance and is on the dance team this year. She will start competing in May. She's even doing a solo this year!! She takes after mom...much better at dance than the tumbling stuff! She had no interest in cheering this year and I really think it was because of the tumbling!! She's doing really well and working hard!

Harrison is LOVING preschool. He is so different than his sisters. He really gets involved in everything at school. He loves when I get to come in an be the parent helper, too. We can't believe he will be 4 in just a few months!! He's growing up way too fast!!

We had a really rough fall/early winter here. Jack's business deal went down the crapper and he found himself looking for a new job in a bad economy. Luckily, he found one and is really enjoying his job again. The only downfall is a 1 1/2 - 2 hour commute each way. He has been working at home a few days a week which helps. His company is hoping to get a project here at Ithaca College which would be about a 10 minute commute - much better. He'll find out at the end of February! I am also looking to go back to work part time now...thank you economy...and am currently awaiting my NYS PT license. Not a lot of jobs out there, but hoping to find something!

My parents moved to Horseheads, NY in November - about 45 minutes away from us. It's been great having them close by and we got to spend the holidays with them - first time in 4 years!!

That's about it in a nutshell. Please do join Facebook for more regular updates!! Hope you are all well and surviving in this lovely economy!!

My How the Cat Has Grown!!

Now, I really don't think we feed the cats THAT much food...oh, wait, it's Cooper...Sorry, dude, you just will NOT fit thru there...

Allison turns 6!!

Today was a big day for Allison - she turned 6 years old!! She's been excited about her birthday, but it was very hard getting out of her exactly what she wanted for her birthday! Unlike her big sister, she's pretty vague about her desires when it comes to birthday's (and Christmas for that matter!) Harrison was insistant that the "big" gift was a truck. Luckily, for Allison, it was a Barbie. She got some video games for the Wii and for her Nintendo DS, an Eric Carle board game (she really loves his books), a Barbie that has red hair just like she does, and a cute little outfit (that's actually a bit big but she HAD to wear it today - anyway, I'm sure I'll shrink it, it's all cotton!!) She has the outfit on in the pictures. We had dinner at home per her request - chicken, fettucini alfredo, broccoli, and garlic bread. If that sounds familiar, it's the same thing Jacqueline requested for her birthday. Easy, comfort food - yes, they are my kids....For dessert she requested a brownie "cake" with chocolate frosting and chocolate brownie ice cream. Even I, a die hard chocolate addict, could not down all that chocolate!! Mom made the brownie and Allison decorated it when she got home from school. It was quite a masterpiece and she was very proud of it. Jacqueline wrote a very nice note to her sister in her card. It really proves to me that she is very grown up and does truly love her sister. As she put it "...even though we have some tough times, I still love you...." They never cease to amaze me. All in all, she had a very happy birthday and we are very happy our Allison is happy!!

I know I shouldn't say it but.........

I think I actually am starting to feel BETTER........I started taking antibiotics on Tuesday evening since my fever came back and I was feeling considerably worse at that point. Pretty sure I ended up with either bronchitis or pneumonia. I can still feel lots of stuff in my lungs when I take a deep breath!! And I'm still coughing alot. I have 2 more days of antibiotics so hopefully I'll feel much better by the weekend.

We went to Allison's open house last night and it was so nice! Allison was so excited to show us her classroom, introduce us to her teacher and help us find everything on the scavenger hunt list. We really had a fun time!! She starts her private dance lessons again in 2 weeks and will be going to NYC for a dance workshop with her teacher and some other dance team members in November. Should be exciting for her (and me too!!) We'll get some mom and Allison time which we really need!! Jacqueline is busy with cheerleading and has also joined 3rd/4th grade chorus this year - they meet at 7:30 AM on Thursdays - that's a real treat!! She loves it and is excited about being in their production of the Nutcracker this winter. I think that's the main reason she joined!! Harrison is still loving pre-school and still cries on occasion when I come to pick him up to go home!! So different than his sisters! He brings home paintings every time and he is quite proud of them - today he painted a rollercoaster.

My parents are moving to Horseheads, NY (about 45 minutes from us) within the next 6 weeks. They are excited as are we. It will be very nice to have them close again and be able to help them out. I really miss them as do the kids. Harrison cried when we dropped them off at the airport - "I want grandma and grandpa come to our house!!!!" It was quite heart-wrenching. Glad to have them moving closer again!!

That's all for today. Time to run Jacqueline to practice....again. It really amazes me how much better she is behaved when she stays very busy and active!!

Have a good day!!
Sam

The Never Ending Sickness and Other Tidbits from New York

Sorry it's been a while since I posted. I am STILL SICK and went back to the doctor yesterday pretty much begging him for help. The nice man couldn't find anything "dangerous" as he put it, but did give me some Tylenol with Codeine so I can sleep at night without coughing my brains out!! It helped until around 2:30 this morning when I woke up to go to the bathroom and couldn't get back to sleep. I contemplated taking another one, but didn't want to be a zombie at Harrison's usual wake-up time of 6 a.m. - this morning was actually 5:53 I believe!! At least I got about 5 hours cough free, passed out cold sleep. It's a start!! Now Jack has caught the "illness" which I pray is not as long and drawn out as mine. The only thing worse than sick kids is a sick workaholic husband who refuses to stay home when he's sick until he's so sick that he's ordered to stay out of work and rest or be put in the hospital by the doctor, not that that's ever happened in this house. (Snicker, snicker)

Some good news to report - my parents have been here the last week as well and have found a really nice Senior Living Complex in Horseheads to move to. For those of you not familiar with Central New York, yes, the town REALLY IS called Horseheads. They will be moving here in November. More on that to come!

I finally got to meet Jacqueline's teacher at Open House on Wednesday and I really like her!! I get to go to Allison's Open House this Wednesday. Cheerleading and dance started this week and the girls are so excited!! They'll be busy!! (As will mom) Nothing else exciting to report here for now. Have a great weekend!