Happy New Year!

Hey Everybody! Happy New Year! The kids and I had a GREAT night, despite being without Daddy. The band thing can really be bittersweet sometimes. I couldn't be married to a real Rock Star. That would really suck. No amount of money can replace having your spouse (or daddy) with you, especially for a holiday. We did leave home and head to Jo-Ann Fabrics before they closed to get a tiny bit of fleece (it was all on sale and we had coupons) and then on to the Mall to return a couple of pair of slippers that we received as Christmas Gifts. They were Buster Browns and Stride Rite, and both of them started to fall apart on Christmas DAY (yes, the quality of things these days is really frustrating!) We ended up getting a knock-off pillow pet at Marshall's for $12.99, then enjoying dinner at Jimmy John's (Kids Choice, and Mommy's too!) and then we went back to the mall for the 7:15 showing of Yogi Bear. This was Marek's first ever movie in the theater, and my first time taking both kids by myself... and to a bigger theater nonetheless! It was exciting and went great. There were only TWO downsides. 1. The place was packed and there were many people who weren't paying attention at all and I think I said "Excuse us" Nicely about 100 times before I started to say "Please excuse us, we need to get through" You can't walk single file with a toddler on each side, it doesn't work. People can be very rude when it comes to this. Not to mention that I wasn't about to loose a child in the shuffle (although I almost lost Ardyn once because no one would move and I had to let go of her hand for a second and she went the other way.)

So the second problem? The movie. It was BAD. I rarely say a movie was BAD but this one, was BAD. Poor Yogi and Boo Boo seemed to be absent from WAY to many scenes. There was more bad acting by humans and a lot of boring crappy plot to go along with it. It was a serious injustice to Yogi. I have never been in a theater with that many people looking so bored. I have only left a movie theater once in my life, and I was dying to leave. The kids did amazingly well. Ardyn was a bit restless and a couple of times she asked if it was time to go (which has never happened before, and her first movie was a human/animated Alvin and The Chipmunks Squeakuel. The best part of the movie was a fast paced rescue scene towards the end, but when there was about 10 minutes left in the movie everyone was like "yeah yeah" and was putting on their coats ready to leave. Seriously, the whole movie should have held attention like that 15 minutes towards the end did. It was seriously slow and disappointing. Yogi and Boo Boo were so cute, but the movie didn't even seem to be about them, and they were absent from about 50% of the film, which was frustrating.

So, not the best first movie experience for Marek, but it was still nice to be together, and he sat through the whole thing... so I can't imagine how excited he will be for Cars 2. There were lots of great previews, including The Smurf Movie and HOP (which you have to check out if you haven't seen a preview. The kids are gonna love this one, and Mom and Dad too!) The kids were dancing in the theater and it was all I could do to not scream "Whoo Hoo!" right along with it. The website is cute too, and since there isn't much plot info from the teaser trailer, you can see more there. And no mother will be upset to sit through another CGI movie with James Marsden. :)

2008

Well, of course, Happy 2008. I wonder how many posts I begin with the word "Well"? Too many. But I already have a resolution, so I guess I can keep up with that behavior all year if I want.

Last night was an okay night. I had chili in the crock pot, and taco dip with rice and hamburger in another crock pot. I also made 4-mini loaves of corn bread from scratch. I got to try out the Organic Corn Meal that I bought at the Amish Country Lane Market outside Tampico. It was DELICIOUS! This is not your jiffy mix cornbread, that's for darn sure! Sweet and crumbly. Yum.

So Evan and I ate and the beebs sat in her high chair at the table with us. We sang silly songs. Then we watched TV. Grandpa and Grandma Rodgers popped in for a visit. Grandpa ate chili and cornbread and used the internet, while Grandma held Ardyn and chatted with her. Then Grandma ate taco dip and cornbread. Eventually it was time for Ardyn's bed, so grandma and grandpa left. By that time Evan was napping in bed. I watched some TV and read the new issue of Mothering magazine. Then Evan woke up, and I pumped milk and went to bed myself. I saw the ball drop at 11pm CST, and poor Old Dick Clark doing his best to keep up with the countdown and trying to speak as clearly as possible. Evan gave me a kiss and said happy new year when I climbed into bed, and then I was out like a light.

Ardyn woke up at 3:30 and wouldn't go back to sleep. I was trying to let her play until she was tired, and Evan said "Do you want me to go get her and bring her to you?" and I said "If you go get her, she's all yours. I am too tired and I am not getting up." He didn't like that plan, so he went back to sleep, and eventually her playing turned to crying and so I gave her a pacifier and she slept till 4:30. Then I went back and got her, and changed her, and fed her, and lay her in bed with me and we slept till about 9:20 this morning. Thank god.

This morning we decided that we were going to trek to grandma's to help her with her computer and her new iPod. Well, it took FOREVER to get going. I was ready by 10am. Then I decided to call Anya. She wasn't home so I waited a while. Then I worked on my computer. Then we took new year's pics of Ardyn. Then I decided we were just going to go. As we were getting ready, Evan went to put gas in the SUV so I could take it, and grandpa Bob showed up with the 4-wheeler to kindly plow our driveway! About this time Ardyn was SO tired and SO fussy she was driving me bonkers. Once the driveway was done, we just decided to take off. Route 6 wasn't bad. When we got to Route 40 I was delighted to see that it was clear! This wasn't going to be so bad! Then about a quarter of a mile later, 40 turned to a nightmare. The usual blowing snow, white-out conditions, and drifts covering the entire southbound lane. Ugh. I got all the way down route 40 to Manlius, and then saw that Manlius township wasn't plowed, and that the white out was twice as bad because it was an east-west road and all open country. It was terrible. I realized that I might make it to mom and dad's, but we would never make it back. We could only stay a couple of hours if that because it would be getting dark before long, and because it appeared that route 40 would be down to one lane or completely closed very soon due to the snow. I called mom. I was sad. But Ardyn and I turned around and drift busted all the way home. Bummer.

So that was our New Year's Day... and now I am cleaning up all the dishes from last night, running the dishwasher, and sterilizing bottles and breast pumps for tomorrow. Ugh. It would have been smarter to stay home, but I had been home all weekend and on New Year's Eve, and it just felt like a day to get out of the house. Well... we did, but not for long.

The house was spotless yesterday when I got home- the cleaning people had been here and I had everything picked up. Now it looks terrible after making all that food and hanging out being lazy. Ardyn is napping and I am beginning to terribly regret that I am not napping with her. Sleepy!

Happy New Year!

Sunday. No- wait. Monday!

Welcome to 2007!

Once again I prepare for bed, and a new work week. Yippee Skippy. Tonight we had Sesame Chicken Stir Fry and I worked on laundry while watching The Frighteners with Michael J Fox.

Today I cleaned, since it's the holiday, the cleaning people didn't come, and that means a 4 week stretch between cleanings. I picked up the house, and vacuumed the living room, dinind room, and kitchen, and vacuumed and mopped the bathroom. I dusted a little, did some dishes, ran the dishwasher, and washed the bedding, towels, and rugs. Evan vacuumed the spare bedroom and the office. All that's left is to vacuum our bedroom and the front porch, and that might be a tomorrow goal. I just got the sheets out of the dryer, made the bed, and took my nighttime round of pills and vitamins. I set out Cheerios, Oatmeal, and a banana to take to work for lunch this week, and put a load of good clothes in the dryer and dark clothes in the wash. I checked my email.

Today I finished the book "Good Grief" By Lolly Winston. It was okay. My next book needs to be better... I have had pretty boring reads lately.

For New Year's we went to John and Amethyst's house and had steaks and all kinds of goodies for dinner, and then we played lots of Wii (nintendo) and played Cranium and Trivial Pursuit Totally 80's. We got home after 2:30am and didn't go to bed until around 4:30am. We didn't kiss at midnight, we were playing a game and were across the room from each other. Oh well. I suppose after 10 years the novelty wears off.

I don't have alot going on this week, I'd like to just be home at night and relax, eat dinner, and maybe organize or read at home. Relax. That's the key! SOMEONE needs to clean the scrapbook/room and office soon and continue some scrapbooking projects. I need to pick up my Christmas Card Mess in there.

Today we watched the History Channel, they had an all day food marathon, starting with "American Foods" that went through the history of the hamburger and all the fast food chains that served them, and then went through Fried Chicken, the Sandwich, The Hot Dog, etc. Then there was the candy special, that went through snack food like Chips and Pretzels, and then candy and chocolates, and then pastries and bread. I had to eat a twinkie and a hostess cupcake. Yum. Then tonight there have been documentaries on Coffee, Distillaries, and Breweries. It was a fabulous thing to watch, and I am SOOO Glad we got to miss all these stupid football games! Yeah!

Thinking of crawling into bed and watching Conan O'Brien ("the Korean Missle will land in California and open up a nail salon.") and maybe hanging up some laundry.

Everyone have a great great week. Relax!