Funny Quotes

The kids have the day off school today because of the snow, so we're watching the recording of last night's "So You Think You Can Dance." However, the kids are incapable of sitting next to each other without tormenting each other. In the space of 10 minutes, they managed to not only drive me crazy, but make me laugh. Where do they come up with this stuff???

First....

Me: "If you two don't keep your hands and feet to yourself, you'll have to go downstairs!"
Dominic: "With the rats?"

WTH??? It's our finished basement full of toys. What's with the rats comment? LOL! Then a few minutes later someone on the show used the word "ordinary."

Francesca: "What does 'ordinary' mean?"
Me: "It means regular. something that's just regular and not special."
Dominic: "Like you, Francesca."
Francesca: "Yeah, I'm ordinary."

Everyone Left

Thanksgiving is over and everyone is gone. Chris went back to work, the kids went back to school, and my family just pulled out of the driveway. I hate this part of the holidays when I'm home alone, crying and sad that our families live so far away. My stomach churns and it just all around sucks. I wish someone had told me when I was in high school or college about how hard it is to not have family around once your grown, married and have kids. Sure, moving away when you're young and single sounds exciting and grown-up, but that doesn't last. Now we're settled, Chris is in a job market with no prospects in PA, and we have to settle for seeing our families just a handful of times each year.

I'm already brainwashing my kids to stay close to home.

Parent Teacher Conferences

Today was parent-teacher conference day! The kids had a half day of school so the conferences could be held in the afternoon. They got off the bus just before 12:30, we had lunch, then it was back to school for conferences at 2:00 and 2:15 PM.

Francesca's conference was first. Her teacher Mrs. Flamand is about my age or maybe a couple of years younger. I like her - she's very personable, nice, and just a normal person - someone I'd be friends with! She told me that Francesca is quiet and studious (my child? quiet?) and doing very well. She is competent in everything they want her to be at this point. Her reading is definitely at level and a little above, so she may move to the more advanced group in the next couple of months if she keeps progressing as she has been. The only thing she needs to work on is her pencil grip.

Dominic's teacher said he's basically good at everything - math, money, time, science, spelling, reading, etc. She wasn't even aware that he's the youngest in the class by at least 4 months because he fits in well, is social, and is at the top of the class for all of the subjects. So our decision to put him in first grade last year instead of Kindergarten seems to be working out okay so far! She also said he's polite and a good kid. The only thing he needs to work on is his spacing when he writes since he tends to squish some words together, especially when using regular wide-ruled paper instead of the handwriting paper with the dotted line across the middle.

My kids are smart - yay! And apparently they are also well-behaved at school. *whew*

Hawaii Here We Come!

Well, it's official! I earned my third trip from Usborne Books! Chris and I have already been on an Alaskan cruise, spent 7 days in Rome, and now we're set for a Hawaiian cruise in April! I'm so excited! (Well, not about the traveling & flying to get there part, but definitely about the cruise part.)

We'll be cruising on the Pride of America, a ship with Norwegian Cruise Lines. The cruise starts in Honolulu, spends two days in Maui, one day in Hilo, one in Kona, two in Kauai, and then it's back to Honolulu. The ship has 10 restaurants, about 9 bars/nightclubs, 2 pools, hot tubs, a theater, and lots of other stuff including a gyrosphere!

We went to Hawaii for our honeymoon, so it's fitting that we'll go back again in 2010 - next year is our 10-year anniversary. What better way to spend it than on a second honeymoon in Hawaii?

Trick-or-Treat!

We had such a fun night trick-or-treating this year. At least most of us did! Chris usually takes the kids out with Pete while Lori and I stay home to give out candy. But this year we invited my friend Lois and her daughter Mia to come trick-or-treat with us. They live on a winding, rural road and don't usually trick-or-treat. So this year, Pete, Lois & I were on walking duty. I left Chris armed with a cauldron of treats and his convict costume. I was dressed in Aunt Lorraine's wedding dress as my token dead/zombie bride. We got really lucky with the weather - it was about 60 degrees. Woohoo!

Dominic was Mario from Super Mario Brothers, complete with bushy black mustache!

Once all of the kids were dressed, they were raring to go! We were lucky to get them to stay in one place long enough to take a picture. The following two photos were taken with the kids all standing on the big rock in the Beaudoin's yard. Francesca is next to Dominic in her geisha, I mean, Asian Princess, outfit. Mia is next to hear in the front center. Scout was Super Girl and she's in the back center. Logan was really cute in his policeman costume (far right). Their cousin Nick was also trick-or-treating with them this year - he's between Scout and Logan in the back.

Francesca and Logan didn't make it very far. After going down the Woodridge cul-de-sac and back past our house, Francesca got halfway around Coldbrook before I couldn't take the whining anymore and agreed to take her home. Logan opted to also head back, so I dropped them both off before meeting up with the others. Once we completed our neighborhood, we headed over to an adjoining group of streets to get even more candy (like my kids need it - or can even eat 3/4 of it!) After starting at 6:00, our trick-or-treating excursion finally wrapped up just before 8:00. We snapped a couple of pictures in the house before Lois & Mia headed home to sleep off the sugar high.

Halloween Pictures from School

At long last, here are some pictures of the kids from Halloween! First, they had a Halloween parade and party at school on Friday, October 30th. I went to Francesca's classroom early to help her teach get all of the kids into their costumes, then watched the parade, and also helped out in her and Dominic's classrooms for the celebration afterwards.

Pics from trick-or-treat coming soon!

Halloween Zumba

I've been teaching Zumba for almost 3 months now and really enjoying it! So for my two Halloween classes (Wed, Oct 28 and Sat, Oct 31) I decided to choreograph to all Halloween themed music (Thriller, Monster Mash, Sympathy for the Devil, etc) and have everyone dress up. Turns out that all of the Saturday soccer games were moved early in the day because of Halloween and overlapped with Zumba, so the turn out wasn't that high, but we still had a great time!

Here's a picture of me and my awesome friend Lori before Wednesday's Halloween Zumba!

She was a cute garden fairy and I was a "gothic mummy" (that's what the name on my costume said). So she wasn't quite as believable doing her zombie walk during Thriller - too cutesy for a zombie! :)

Apple Picking

We managed to squeeze in two apple picking trips this year - one at the beginning of September and another on Halloween between Dominic's last soccer game and trick-or-treating. Pickings were slim, but we filled our bag mostly with yummy Topaz apples. Maybe tomorrow I'll make a pie....

Here are pictures of us picking at Tougas Farm...

Francesca's Playdate

Tomorrow I'm taking Francesca on a playdate to her friend Jaden's house. Jaden is a cute, quiet little boy in her class. They've taken a liking to each other and we always hear about Jaden and his parents always hear about Francesca. Now, Jaden's parents are divorced - his mom lives in Millbury and his dad lives in Holden, and the playdate is at the dad's house. I'm already working on topics of conversation including did you grow up around here, what made you become a firefighter, and why did your marriage fail? Just kidding on the last one! (I tried to convince Chris to take her but he doesn't want to. You all know how much he likes making conversation with strangers.)

Anyway, Francesca is very excited about her playdate tomorrow! Today at dinner she told us that she can't wait because Jaden wants to play the kissing game. I asked her what that was and she said "It's when we just kiss like crazy!"

Okay, maybe Jaden isn't as shy and quiet as I thought....

I explained that with the swine flu going around, it's probably not a good idea to be doing any kissing right now. It should be safe by the time she's 20.

(Speaking of the swine flu, there were 9 kids absent in Dominic's class today. NINE out of twenty-one. I wonder if we'll be next....)

Wish Lists

I just added wish lists to our blog. If you look on the right side of the screen and scroll down, you'll see the lists so far.

Please let me know if you purchase anything for the kids from their lists so I can remove it. And as always, include gift receipts in case we get doubles or clothes don't fit.

Happy shopping!

Halloween

Picture coming soon! I promise!

Political Correctness

The other day, Francesca grabbed Chris's arm with both hands and twisted them in opposite directions to "burn" his skin. Now, we all remember what we called this when we were growing up, right? Well, Chris said, "Ow! What are you doing???" and Francesca replied,

"I'm giving you an American sunburn!"

Yes, and they also sit "criss-cross applesauce" these days.

It's "crisp" outside

It is definitely fall here in New England, although we had a taste of snow last week. I'm talking GIANT flakes, thick and blizzardy (I think I made up a new word), and even sticking a bit in some places. The kids were very excited and wanted to build snowmen. But it was 35 degrees so we didn't have any significant snow on the ground. Thank goodness - I am NOT ready for winter!

We are all ready for Halloween. The kids have their costumes. Dominic is going to be Mario from the Super Mario Brothers, complete with red hat and black mustache. It should be a riot, I can't wait to take pictures of him with the 'stache! Francesca is officially an "Asian Princess," which I guess is the politically correct name for geisha. I think I'm going to do her face all white with those very red lips just in the center. Wish me luck taming that mane of hers into a bun!

I'll be dressing up for my Halloween Zumba classes this Wednesday and again on Saturday. I'm doing all Halloween-themed music and prizes for best costume, best zombie walk, etc. Speaking of which, I still haven't finished choreographing the songs or finalizing the playlist, let alone memorizing the choreo - and I only have two days! So that's what I'm off to do...

Stay tuned early next week for Halloween pictures!

Cuddly Question

This morning, Francesca climbed in bed to cuddle with me for a few minutes before it was time to start the day. While we were lying there, she asked me:

"Imagine what it would it be like if I had five arms."

She then proceeded to tell me that she'd have the two she has now, plus three more across the front of her chest.

"These two, plus one here, one here, and one more right here in the middle."

Yes, that would be interesting.

Rainy Sunday

It's a rainy Sunday here in Millbury, MA. Unfortunately this has put a kink in our plans to go apple picking today. We really want to go as a family before the end of the season, but unfortunately our weekends have been jam packed with dance, Zumba, soccer, CCD, church, the farm, and my Usborne home shows.

Going to Mass has become the biggest pain, I hate to say. Not only did they change our Mass time to 10:30 (right smack in the middle of the morning so we can't do anything before other than CCD and then it's lunch time), but it has been lasting between 1:15 and 1:30 hrs instead of the typical hour. Take today - getting out of church just before noon, then by the time we get home and make lunch it's now 1:05 PM and Chris and I haven't eaten yet. (Our calzones are in the oven as I type.) Then at 2:00 we go to the farm, get home between 3 & 3:30, clean and put away all of the produce, then it's time to make dinner!

Today we were going to squeeze apple picking in between lunch and the farm since I don't have an afternoon home show, but now it's raining. And cold. Looks like a quick trip to the farm will be plenty of outdoors for the Beyer family today!

Yesterday however was a beautiful day! The forecast called for 60 degrees as the high temperature, but it went up to 69 and was sunny all day. I had an Usborne booth at the Northboro Applefest (a neighboring town) and they had a great turnout! I sold about $450 in books and scheduled 3 home shows, so it was a great work day for me! *whew!*

Time to check the calzone!

Baggers

The kids and I stopped at the grocery store on the way home from gymnastics today. We purchased a bag of egg noodles, a 3 1/2 lb package of ground beef, asparagus and a pack of rolls.

I just unpacked the bag. The rolls were on top. Nice job, I thought. Until I found the egg noodles. On the bottom. Under the beef. Yep, fragile bag of noodles under close to four pounds of meat. That makes sense.

I can't help but remember bagging disasters in the past. Like the infamous onions, laundry detergent, chicken, eggs, and bread debacle (the latter three all turned on their sides).

Really people, it's not that hard.

Zumba

Since I have so much free time (uh-huh, yeah....), I recently added another fun thing to my life. I'm now a Zumba instructor!

The kids both have dance class on Saturday morning, so during the hour class, all of the moms would sit and talk (with Dunkin Donuts in hand). We told Patti (the owner) that she should have something for us to do while the kids dance - something like Zumba! (Zumba is a Latin-dance based fitness class - see www.zumba.com for info.) She wasn't having luck finding an instructor, so I volunteered to go to training and teach the class. (It was a moment of insanity! LOL!) So I got certified on August 1st and started teaching just after Labor Day. It's now week three of classes and I'm having so much fun! Instead of paying to go to a class twice each week, I'm getting paid to teach it. Not too shabby!

This past weekend I did a 3-song Zumba demo at our town's annual Block Party. A picture made it onto the web site for our local paper. And it's not half bad!

Soccer Star

Dominic is playing soccer this year for the first time. It's a short season that lasts just two months - September and October. Both kids do dance and gymnastics all year and I like to limit them to two activities, but we agreed on soccer since it is short.

He's been loving it so far, which is a good! (And a relief!) Their first game got rained out, so they had their first one this past Saturday. Unfortunately I couldn't attend because I was selling my books and doing a Zumba demo at the Millbury Block Party in town, but Chris took some pictures. His team won with a score of 9-3, so that was very exciting! Dominic is #6.

And here's one of Francesca watching the game. Crazy fuzzy hair!

Wicked Small

Francesca has to print words for her Kindergarten homework. She prints in this tiny, neat handwriting - so little and cute! Chris was looking at it the other day and said "Do you write this? You did a good job!" Francesca replied,

"Yes, it's wicked small."

Long time no type...

Now that the kids are in school all day, there's no excuse for me to not update our family blog more often. I mean, nothing other than Usborne, Zumba, laundry, cleaning, cooking, grocery shopping.... How did I get all this done while they were home?!?!

I have a lot to share, but want to start off with a cute little conversation I had with Francesca on Sunday. Chris mentioned seeing a hot air balloon when he was taking Dominic to Sunday school....

F: I think I would really like to ride in a hot air balloon.
Me: You would?
F: Yes, because when we were at Kennywood I rode the parachutes and really love them, so I think I would also really love riding in a hot air balloon.
Me: I don't know, they go really high. And I think the sides of the basket are tall so you might not be able to see much.
F: Well then they'd have to make a hot air balloon for kids with shorter sides. That way we could see out. And it would be only for kids, but the kid driving it would have to be 10.

I love how her little mind thinks of these things and then she puts them into words in her cute little voice. So matter of fact!

Today is gymnastics day. It's Tuesday. Of course, Wednesdays and Thursdays are also gymnastics days - Tue/Thurs for Francesca and Wed for Dominic. Tuesdays are also soccer practice days for Dominic. Then on Saturdays they both have dance in the morning while I teach Zumba at the studio, so we're busy bees!

More on Zumba and other Beyer Family news soon.... (I hope...)

More Vacation Fun....

Okay, I'm ready to write more about our vacation so far! Where was I?

Backing up, we arrived in Olean, NY around 4:00 pm on Saturday after leaving home around 8:30 AM. GG had dinner almost ready - stuffed grape leaves and salad - yum! Mike, Kym, Caden and Colin arrived not even 10 minutes after we did, so we all had dinner together. Kym and I even got a few minutes of girl bonding time alone in the car as we did a quick run to Tasta Pizza to supplement dinner. It was so nice having everyone together. Well, we did miss Courtney, but she had a sleepover that night so she couldn't come.

After dinner we went to a local parade. There were so many firetrucks - Dominic was in his glory! Oh, and the Shriners were in these little go-carts zipping all over the place which was very entertaining. People in the parade were throwing candy to all of the kids, so Dominic and Francesca were scrambling to get their share. Not that they can eat much of it, but half the fun is grabbing it! They did have dum-dum lollipops, Starburst, and Smarties, which is more candy than they usually eat in three months.

When the parade was over, we went to the carnival. The first thing we had was taffy - fresh made! Talk about dangerous for fillings - it was so good but so soft and sticky! After 5 minutes later, Kym and I shared a fried dough with lots of cinnamon and powdered sugar. Thank goodness Gail let me know that I was literally covered down my front with powdered sugar on my dark clothes! Chris would probably have let me walk around like that the entire time! :)

All of the kids rode a bunch of rides - Francesca, Dominic, Caden and Colin - and Chris and Mike rode with them sometimes. They even rode these adorable little ponies. Colin was a little reticent and didn't ride, but the other three did - thanks to GG's splurge. I need to see if she has a cord that fits my camera so I can upload some pictures here rather than wait until we're back in MA!

By the time we got home and the kids got in bed, it was late. I'm talking 9:30 late - which is an hour and a half past their bedtime. We had spent the whole day in the car and neither of them napped (Dominic doesn't usually but Francesca often needs to), so it was a very long and busy day for them.

Of course they were both up early and out their bedroom doors promptly at 7:00. Sleep in? What's that? My kids are incapable of sleeping in. (Although I'm sure I'll eat those words as the teen years approach!)

More on Splash Lagoon and other visit details soon!

July Vacation

Summer is here! Well, in that the kids are both out of school and the official first day of summer has come and gone. Unfortunately it's been rainy and chilly for weeks now so it doesn't feel like summer. Dominic keeps insisting that it's not summer. The kids don't quite get that the temperature is not what determines the season.

We're currently in Olean, NY at GG's house. Our whirlwind week of vacation will be spent half here with my mother-in-law and half at my parent's house in Trafford, PA - complete with their big Fourth of July picnic.

Yesterday we spent the whole day in Erie, PA at Splash Lagoon, and indoor water park with GG, Uncle Mike, Aunt Kym, Courtney, Caden & Colin. Our kids had a fabulous time on the waterslides and in the pool. I was so proud of both of them, but especially Dominic for going down the "Shark Attack" slide by himself. It's a body slide - no inner tube - and not only does it go pretty fast, it's pitch black inside the enclosed slide! Francesca was more timid and at first wouldn't go down the bigger slides in a double tube with me or Chris, but finally decided to try it and ended up loving it!

Ooop, I'm being summoned. We're off to the YMCA for family swim this morning (this is turning into a water vacation!) so I have to put on my bathing suit and head out. I'll write more about our trip soon!

My Baby Girl is Getting Big!

A week or two ago, we pulled out the kids' bikes, including a beat up, hand me down, little 12" 2-wheeler. It's a good learning bike - you don't care if it gets crashed or beat up. :) We tried to get Francesca on it to just push off with her feet and drift a few feet - Chris even took the pedals off so they weren't in the way. She did a few times, didn't get very far, and was pretty much done with the bike in 2 minutes. Last weekend, she told Chris to put the pedals back on - something about a bike with no pedals just rubbed her the wrong way. But basically the bike has been languishing in the back of the garage, leaning crookedly against the trash cans.

Yesterday (Friday) while Dominic was in school, the sun came up and it was a beautiful day, so Francesca and I spent a bunch of it outside. (I was weeding, so it wasn't all fun and games, but at least my flower beds look much better!) Anyway, I convinced her to try out the bike. Her confidence wasn't very high - she didn't want to go on the street and puts her feet down when she feels like she's going too fast to which I yell "NO NO NO! You have to use your BRAKES!!!" I have these visions of her snapping her leg. *shiver*

Now, I am not gifted with an abundance of patience. In that sense, I take more after my Dad than my Mom (oh the horrific memories of fear and yelling when learning to drive...). As I was trying to teach her yesterday, neighbors could probably hear my yells of "Pedal pedal PEDAL!!! Don't put your feet down!!! BRAKE!!!" from houses away. And I do admit that I resorted to bribes and even a few threats to basically force her to keep trying for more than 5 minutes. The results... she could pedal the length of the driveway on her own - even a little longer when she wasn't whining!

This morning, we went outside around 9:00 AM to show Chris her accomplishment and guess what - she got even better! Her confidence was noticeably higher, plus she got to show off not only for Chris but for our 7 year old neighbor who was watching from their front door (and who does not ride a 2-wheeler yet). Francesca can go pretty much down the whole street, on the sidewalk (without wobbling into the grass), started going by herself a bunch of times, and even used her brakes a few times! She did so well that we rode down the street to our neighborhood cul-de-sac where she and Dominic rode in circles for quite a while.

I'm so proud of her! Dominic learned to ride a 2-wheeler with no training wheels the summer of '07 - he was almost exactly 4 1/2. Now Francesca can ride one, too, and before her 5th birthday as well! (With a little over 2 months to spare!) I guess my children are gifted with good balance!

Next step - the training wheels will come off her nice Dora bike. Then our little hand-me-down beater bike can move on to the next child in need.

I just couldn't stop smiling as I watched her riding around the neighborhood. I'm definitely a proud mama. :)

Mustang

Today I brought home my new (well, it's new to me!) Mustang. It's a 2009 45th anniversary Mustang in vapor silver. I like the black "Mustang" stripe along the bottom of the sides. :) When I first started my Usborne Books business, I told Chris that I was going to buy myself a Mustang. This may not be the Shelby Cobra 6-speed of my dreams, but it'll certainly do!

Here are some pictures of me bringing my baby home...

Here's the 45th anniversary emblem on the side:

A Couple Easter Photos

To tide you over for a little while, here are a couple of Easter pictures. The first one is of Dominic posing with my gorgeous Paskas. (I discovered in Italian they are Pani di Pasqua which translates as "Bread of Easter.") These were the best mine ever turned out - they rose super high, were baked through the middle, but not dry. Sooo good! I've been eating Paska toast every morning!

And here is our family picture after we got home from church on Easter Sunday. I'm wearing my new dress that I bought in Rome. :)

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Been a while...

Yes, it's been a while since I've blogged. We were in Rome for a week, then it was Easter, then my Dad had back surgery this past Monday, I have two book fairs going on plus a home show and kick-off show and parent's association stuff. Not to mention that on Tuesday I had the worst migraine I've ever had - the only one that didn't respond at all to medication. One or two Advil usually do the trick, but I was only able to function after 2 Advil, 2 Excedrin Migraine, 1 prescription anti-nausea pill, and a big dose of Valium. It was horrific.

I will try to update soon, but in the meantime, I have posted pictures to my Facebook page. If you don't have an account, just go to facebook.com, create one, then search for me and add me as a friend. If you're lucky, I'll accept. :)

Hooligan

None of us wants our child to be the one hurt on the school playground. On the same note, we also don't want our child to be the one hurting another kid. Which is worse? Having physical pain inflicted on your son or daughter and feeling indignation on behalf of your child? Or the embarrassment, mortification, and doling out punishment when your own child is the bully?

I'd have to say the latter is worse. And yes, it's from recent personal experience.

Every time our phone rings and I see "Town of Millbury" on the Caller ID, I get nervous. Calls from the school show up that way. With all of Dominic's allergies, I dread calls from the school, always wondering if today is the day I'm going to get the call saying his Epi-Pen was needed, they called the ambulance, or worse. Fortunately, the school administration usually start the conversation with "This is so-and-so from the school - Dominic's okay..." before they launch into the reason for calling.

One of the dreaded "Town of Millbury" calls came today around 3:00 pm. The guidance counselor from the school introduced himself, let me know that Dominic was okay, but that there was an "incident" at recess. I immediately figured he fell and got hurt or maybe another child hurt him. Boy, was I ever wrong. Apparently, Dominic decided to throw a rock at recess. Apparently, his friend Aidan was standing in front of him. And apparently, the rock struck Aidan in the forehead and made him bleed.

I think I'll just crawl into a hole with my hooligan child, thank you very much.

Dominic spent the rest of recess and all of lunch in the Vice Principal's office (whom I despise - if you look up "bitchy" in the dictionary, her picture should be there). Tomorrow he will spend recess with the guidance counselor so they can have a little talk. I believe that's entirely appropriate - he needs to have some consequences for his actions and hopefully will feel bad enough about it to never do it again.

Now, the rock throwing wasn't meant maliciously - even the school administration told me that. Dominic wasn't aiming for his friend or trying to hit anyone. He merely wanted to throw the rock but unfortunately he doesn't have the best aim and his throws tend to end up anywhere and everywhere - this time at his friend's forehead. Even so, I want him to realize that throwing rocks is not appropriate, especially in a crowded playground! Here at home, he isn't allowed to play with his friends/neighbors or have any screen time (TV, computer, Wii) for a week, which is basically until Chris and I leave for Rome next Tuesday.

And as if it isn't bad enough that it was my child who was the thrower, I also found out how big the rock was...

The size of a small orange.

*sigh*

9 Days and Counting...

In 9 days, Chris and I are headed to Rome! It's the free trip I earned from my Usborne Books business. Well, free in that my airfare and hotel are paid for, but since I decided to take Chris, I'm paying his way from the profits I made last year. I figure he's worth it considering he does a lot of my loading & unloading of the van when I go to events. He even has his own special IBUBH t-shirt (International Brotherhood of Usborne Book Haulers). It has a top 10 ways you know know you're a book hauler, my favorite of which is "You've ever made the UPS man cry." I don't know about cry, but I'm sure I made one quit! :)

Anyway, Chris called our credit card company today to let them know that we would be using our Visa in Italy. How horrible it would be if they thought it was stolen and canceled it! We're also going to call the credit union to see if we can get any Euros before we go so we don't have to immediately change money there.

I've also been planning out or days. Not Clark-Griswold-every-minute-accounted-for planning, but a general idea of when to see certain sights with specific things we have scheduled as well. For example, on Friday at 10:00 am, we have tickets for a tour of the Vatican Museum and Sistine Chapel. Then at 3:00 pm, we have tickets for the Vatican Necropolis - the underground excavations that they only let 200 people through each day. On Saturday, we have a day trip to Pompeii on a bus filled with other Usborne consultants & their families, then on Sunday we have tickets to Palm Sunday Mass at the Vatican. *whew!*

We arrive in Rome Wednesday morning, April 1st, at 7:00 am and then wait for a bus to our hotel. I'm thinking Wednesday may be a wash considering we'll be exhausted from losing 5 hours and flying at night. (We leave Tuesday at 5:00 PM, so when we arrive in Rome it will feel like 2:00 am our time.) I'm hoping hoping hoping we can check in early at the hotel, take a nap for an hour or two, and then wander the streets of Rome for a little while before our group reception/welcome from 5-6 pm. So no plans for Wednesday.

Thursday we're going to the Colloseum and the Roman Forum, then wandering and eating the rest of the day until dusk. Our plan is to have dinner and then follow the "Night Walk" from the Rick Steves' Rome travel guide, which ends very close to where our hotel offers a round trip shuttle service so we can get back there easily. No plans yet for Sunday afternoon or Monday, then we leave early Tuesday morning to come home.

I'm getting excited! I have our packing list all typed up and was doing a bunch of laundry today to get caught up and start putting aside clothes I want to take on our trip. Now I just have to cross my fingers that the time change and travel anxiety don't mess up my system too much..... Say a little prayer for us next week!

Spring Has Almost Sprung

Mother Nature is giving us a teaser of Spring, and we're taking advantage of it! The kids spent two hours playing outside today. The sun was out and the temperature was teetering on fifty degrees - a great time to run around and get some fresh air. Scout and Logan from next door were also drinking in the sunshine, so the four of them hula-hooped, kicked a soccer ball around, threw a frisbee, and hit a ball off a tee. I took a few pictures - enjoy!

Here's one of Dominic with his goofy grin:

Here are a couple close ups of my beautiful girl...

Fun Saturday!

It's Saturday again - one of my favorite days of the week. Chris is home and we have a lazy morning before dance class at 10:45. Sometimes I wish dance class was earlier so we could do something afterwards before lunch time, but I have to admit that I do like just lounging around in our pajamas until 10:00 on Saturdays. :)

The kids are finishing up lunch and then we're headed to Target for a birthday present. The party is today at 2:00 so we're going directly there from Target. I have a gift bag, tissue and the birthday cards the kids made ready to go! The party is at the Ecotarium in Worcester, so the kids will get to see some animals and ride the little train around the grounds. They're very excited. I'm not sure I'm quite as excited - it's still pretty cold outside with the wind.

Last night I hosted an Usborne Mystery Hostess show where I gave away the free and half-price books to my guests. We had a great time - everyone was fun and friendly - plus I booked four home shows! Two of them are for the last weekend this month, which is 2 days before we leave for Rome. That means I'm going to be busy trying to finish my taxes, sending invitations and preparing for the shows, and packing. Wish me luck!

Okay, we need to get moving - more soon!

Another Weekend Over

It's Sunday night again. It seems as though I wait all week for the weekend, when Chris and I and the kids have all of that time together. No work, no school, just fun family time! Then I blink and it's Monday again. Where do the weekends go?

We did get to play outside today - it was near 60 degrees! The sun was behind big clouds much of the day, and the breeze picked up in the afternoon, so it was still chilly. But it was nice to let the kids ride their bikes around the driveway. We even took a walk around the neighborhood with Rogue. The poor dog usually does nothing buy lay around inside the house or lay around outside, so hopefully a little exercise will do him good! (At least he doesn't have a nibble bell... Okay, long story for another day, but my mom will get that one!)

But somehow, even with two whole days, I still managed to not touch my taxes once. Or make any Usborne phone calls. I know we all deserve some down time and some lazy time here and there, but I really need to somehow get out of the rut that I'm in. Perhaps once Spring finally gets here - and stays! - I'll feel more energetic and less blah. Well, I'm crossing my fingers.

The kids are doing great. I had a parent-teacher conference at Francesca's school last week. She got check-pluses in the "Always" column for many of the skills they report on, and the others were mostly all checks in the same column. She did get an "almost always" on dressing herself (shoes, coat, hat, mittens, snapping her pants after using the potty, etc.) That's mostly because she's lazy, not so much that she can't do it (except the pants snapping - that can be tricky.) The only thing she got lower on was trying to sound out works as well as recognizing some simple sight words. Oh man, bad mommy! Bad mommy! With Dominic, he taught himself to read within a day or two of his 4th birthday. I don't have any practice helping a child to figure it all out!

Francesca's teacher recommended making flash cards with their list of sight words and practicing them at home. I tried it today - there are about 20 words on the list. Halfway through, Francesca was DONE. To be honest, so was I. She doesn't like to sound things out - she'd rather just look at the first letter and pick any word out of her head that starts with that letter. When I try to get her to look at the written letters to see if those sounds are part of the word, she is not only uninterested, but whines about it. She needs to start doing it, but I don't want it to be miserable for both of us. Not only will it drive me crazy, but she's not going to learn if it isn't enjoyable. I'm at a bit of a loss. I guess I'll just try even a couple of words each day. I might have to resort to bribery.... Hmmm... maybe a mini marshmallow for every word she reads correctly!

It hit me today that she'll be 5 years old this summer. Five. FIVE. Crazy! And then she goes to kindergarten in the fall! Oh man, I hope she's ready. I hope I'm ready. At least I won't have an excuse to not work my Usborne business or not exercise once I'm home alone all day. I just hope I can handle it mentally. I have a tendency these days to have anxiety, feel lonely, and find it difficult to muster up motivation. I think I'm going to need to really schedule my days this fall so that I don't find myself wasting away in the house accomplishing nothing.

And on that happy note, it's bedtime! Supposedly we may get 2-4 inches of snow tomorrow. Oh yeah, 63 degrees today, snow tomorrow. What the heck??? I'm just hoping school isn't cancelled - I need a little time to prepare for my team meeting tomorrow night!

Too much to type

I know, I know, I haven't posted anything new in a while! There's too much going on to spend time typing...

GG was here for a visit, Chris and I got to go out for a romantic, fancy Valentine's Dinner followed by shopping where I got a pair of fierce shoes, the kids have this week off school, we've had a few playdates, the President of our parents' association went psycho on me, and Francesca is sleeping in for her nap! She's usually up right at 2:00 (she has to stay in her room until then), but it's 2:30 and she's still sleeping - unbelievable! Of course, today is the day that I'm waiting for her to wake up to go to the grocery store. I'm on a mission to get this Honey Chipotle Pretzel Dip that one of my hostesses served at her home show last weekend. It was soooo good - sweet and spicy! She got it from a grocery store that's about 30 minutes away, so we're going to do an excursion. If Francesca ever wakes up....

Valentine's Day Dance

Today was the big Valentine's Day dance for Francesca's school. It was so adorable! The parents' association rented out a hall, decorated, and hired a DJ, plus there was a bake sale and crafts for the kids to do. All of the preschool and Kindergarten kids dressed up in their finest Valentine's Day outfits and came to party the afternoon away!

Here are the kid shortly after arriving - having some fun on the dance floor with all of the balloons:

There was a photo op spot complete with a white "throne" to sit on, so we took the opportunity to get a family photo. I think it's the first year that Francesca wasn't whining and refusing to look at the camera during the Valentine's Day photo!


At one point, the DJ brought out hula hoops for a hula hooping contest. Chris and I were totally amazed at Dominic! He went from zero to hero in hula hooping and we have no idea how! He was even twirling two hoops at once! His friend, Paige, was REALLY good, but he was holding his own pretty well - probably the second best "hooper" in the crowd of kids.

I'm really going to miss Francesca's school next year when she goes off to public school with Dominic. They do such fun things for the children - Pumpkinfest, Valentine's Day dance, Field Day (a HUGE event), enrichment programs, etc. It's just not the same for Dominic this year at Millbury public. Plus I'm going to miss the teachers at Country Montessori - they are so great and really nice. I know I'll be crying the last day of school this year.

Gobble Gobble

Our friendly neighborhood turkey reappeared today after a several-week hiatus from our neighborhood. As we drove through our neighborhood after I picked Francesca up from school, she ran down the sidewalk - following our minivan - and proceeded to stand outside our front door making this pitiful gobble-crying noise. We went out to say hello to her, but felt bad making a run for the door and leaving her outside.

She's been given several names by various people. I suggested Butterball, which seems to have stuck, although I preferred Sweet Potato. Francesca adamantly insists her name is Lollipop. Regardless of her name, she likes to hang out with us at the bus stop and will stand within 6 inches of people. She likes the company - in the past she has come running down the street to hang with us when we're gathered at the bus stop. Of course, she then also chooses someone to follow home where she looks in their doors and windows while leaving poop presents on their front step. Our neighbors Rosie and Shana are TERRIFIED of the turkey. They scream, run, and have even knocked on a strange man's door at 6:30 am so he could save them from the turkey. :)

Poor turkey. She thinks she's people.

Princesses

Yesterday, Chris asked Francesca why she liked princesses so much. She replied:

"Because they are nice and beautiful and... not wicked!"

Steelers are the Superbowl Champs!

Holy cow, what a Superbowl it was last night!

We started off with some neighbors coming over around 5:30 for an hour of socializing and food. Just before kick-off, I moved the munchies from the island in the kitchen to the coffee table in the family room - right in front of the TV. For the first half, it seemed as though the Steelers had it in the bag. During halftime, everyone headed home to get their kids in bed, Chris and I did some quick clean up, then settled down for the second half.

And then the stress began! The Steelers were ahead, then the Cardinals score but are still behind, then they score again and are up by 3 points with only 3-ish minutes in the game! AAAGGHH!!! Steelers have the ball, moving it down field, less than a minute on the clock. OMG, Santonio Holmes makes an incredible catch in the end zone to put the Steelers in the lead by 4 pts with about 30 seconds left in the game! The Cardinals start moving the ball down the field, making me nervous, but then a turnover put the ball back in the Steeler's possession with only a few seconds on the clock for a Steelers victory! Holy heck, talk about a roller coaster ride! Wow. It was a good game, but a little too close for my comfort. I'm just so glad the Steelers won!

Here's a picture of us earlier in the day just after church (yes, we wore our Steelers shirts to church in Patriots territory!). Francesca wasn't cooperating, but what else is new?

GO STEELERS!!!!

Countdown to the Superbowl!

Tomorrow is the Superbowl - Steelers vs. Cardinals. And if you know me at all, you know who I'm rooting for!

We have our Steelers clothes all laid out and ready to go for tomorrow. I think we're going to wear them to church. :) We're having two of our neighbor families over for the game. I can't wait! I didn't want to just sit at home and watch TV like Chris and I usually do. The Superbowl is a special occasion! I made two big pots of chili today. Tomorrow I'm going to make two giant sandwiches (one loaf of Italian bread each) and taco dip. Our neighbors are bringing chicken wings, dip, and desserts. Yum! Hopefully I can enjoy the social aspect of the game and not spend the whole time yelling at the TV!

Here are a couple of great links to Steelers fan songs. Make sure to check them out!
Here We Go Steelers Song
Pop Rocks (11-13 yr olds) singing "Heartbreaker" Steelers-style

I have to finish eating the bread pudding that I made the other day so that there's room in the fridge for all of the Superbowl food. It was an experiment - I didn't even know if I liked bread pudding, but I had 2/3 of a loaf of day-old, pretty stale Italian bread that I didn't want to waste. Check out how pretty it turned out (and it tasted good, too!):


The kids had dance class this morning and Francesca looked so cute that I had to pull out the camera. Aren't these sweet pictures?

No School Again Today

Today is yet another snow day where school was canceled. So far we've gotten about an inch and a half of snow and it's doing this little rainy/icy thing now but nothing too bad. It's 1:13 pm. So really, couldn't they have went to school? It was no surprise that hundreds of schools canceled last night BEFORE any snow even started. They cancel at the prediction of snow here, which is just odd to me. I remember that happening last year and the storm ended up missing us entirely. Oops! Don't get me wrong, I want my kids to be safe and don't want the bus sliding off the road, but I also don't want them unnecessarily going to school until the Fourth of July.

Regardless, we were all home today. Chris and several of his co-workers decided to work from home today to do all of their peer reviews for their yearly "focal" evaluations. The threat of snow and school closings was a good excuse for them to take a break from "real" work and get those done.

The kids and I spent the morning playing "Hi Ho Cherry-O" and "Sequence for Kids." Counting and strategy - that's educational! We also did some watercolor paintings of castles using my favorite craft book - 365 Things to Make and Do. Then we watched "Kung Fu Panda," had lunch, and now Francesca is napping. Dominic just came downstairs from a half hour of quiet reading time. He read "Robert and the Sneaker Snobs" and is going to tell me about it now, so toodle-loo!

Tagged

Okay, Kym tagged me to put this survey and answers in my blog, so here it is:

Here are the 8s:

Rules:1) Post Rules on your blog
2) Answer the six "8" items
3) Let each person know they have been tagged by leaving them a comment

8 favorite shows
American Idol
House
Bones
24
Grey's Anatomy
Survivor
Desperate Housewives
So You Think You Can Dance

8 things I did yesterday
Worked out with "My Fitness Coach" on the Wii
Did Laundry
Made Dinner
Took Dominic to the bus in the AM & picked him up in the PM
Went to WalMart
Had lunch with Francesca
Watched TV with Chris after the kids were in bed
Went to the post office

8 things I look forward to
Going to Rome in April
Seeing my Mom for a few days when she comes to stay with the kids when we're in Rome
Chris getting home from work
The weekend
Watching my children grow up
The Brioche I have in the oven right now
Going to Disney in 2010
Warm weather!

8 things I wish for
Dominic and Francesca to outgrow their food allergies
Dominic and Francesca to outgrow their food allergies
Dominic and Francesca to outgrow their food allergies
Dominic and Francesca to outgrow their food allergies
Dominic and Francesca to outgrow their food allergies
Dominic and Francesca to outgrow their food allergies
Dominic and Francesca to outgrow their food allergies
Dominic and Francesca to outgrow their food allergies

8 Restaurants
The Longhorn
TGI Fridays
Qdoba
Sonoma
Papa Gino's
Primanti Brothers!!!
The Cheesecake Factory (for dessert)
Outback

I'm not tagging anyone. Uh-oh, I'm breaking the rules! The tag police are going to get me! :)

Kids In Bed

The kids are in bed, la la-la la! I love this time of night where the kids are in bed (by 7:56) so we can relax on the couch and watch TV for a couple of hours. Reeeelax. What a good word. And I could use it. I worked out again today using "My Fitness Coach" on the Wii and that trainer (her name is Maya) once again kicked my butt. To add insult to injury, after I was done sweating to the Wii for half an hour, I decided to do this 12-Minute Miracle exercise routine from these new "Thin Thighs" cards I bought off the clearance table at Barnes and Noble. HOLY MOLY MY THIGHS HURT!!! And I think my hamstrings have sprung.

Hold on, I think I hear screaming from Francesca's room. Hard to tell with the dishwasher and dryer both going plus Chris running water. Oh yeah, that's her. "Honey, go check on Francesca!" There, my job is done.

Anyway, I am so looking forward to curling up with some tea and watching House and 24 tonight. Oh, that Jack Bauer... I think he totally rocks. (I think that may also have more than a little to do with the fact that he also played David in "The Lost Boys.")

Tomorrow I have to pull out Francesca's immunization records, her birth certificate, and a copy of one of our home-related bills to prove our town residency so I can register Francesca for kindergarten on Wednesday morning. Kindergarten! I can't believe it! She still seems so young - and even though she's super smart and right where she should be for her age, Dominic was reading at 4 1/2. I guess that makes me feel like she's younger for her age. Will she be ready? Will she do well? I'm sure she will, but it's so nerve-wracking! Here I am, already anxious about sending her off on the big bus and it's still 7 months away! My baby... doing on the bus.... to the big school... Oh y eah, there will be tears that day for sure.

But for now, she's lucky not to be beat every day. :)

Rotten Egg

Dominic is in tears. Why, you ask? Because he was the "rotten egg" coming down the stairs. This is the kid that anytime he's going anywhere - up the stairs, down the stairs, out the door, even getting dressed... - he'll sing-song "last one down's a rotten egg!" (Of course he waits until he's in first place and guaranteed not to be the rotten egg before he does it.) He just took a shower and on the way down the stairs with Chris, Francesca said the last one down was... well, you know. Chris got down first, so Dominic is crying because he's the rotten egg. Apparently he can dish it out, but can't take it. Good. Now we can ban the whole rotten egg thing - it was driving me crazy anyway!

Getting Fit

Over the holidays when I got together with my friends Darlene and Crista, Crista's friend (Christine, I think?) mentioned that a trainer had called her "skinny fat." That's how I've considered myself since then - skinny but out of shape. No muscle and no cardio ability. Last year I joined "Curves" and went regularly (3 days per week) for a couple of months and was so proud, but then wasn't feeling well for a while and took a break. Since August I've only went a few times. It's the same problem I've always had - I like to work out once I've started, it's just getting there or getting started that gives me trouble. I'm lazy that way, I admit it. It's easier to stay home. But when I do go, I enjoy it and feel good about it. (You'd think that would be motivation to go, but my laziness is stubborn.) However, I am determined to exercise more - whether it's at home or at Curves. Maybe if I don't put pressure on myself to leave the house to exercise, I'll do it. It's a theory. :)

Part of trying to stack the odds in my favor is having options at home. We've had a Wii Fit for a while and I like it, but because of all the clicking between exercises, I feel like I get about 30 minutes of exercise for an hour or time, and it ends up being not cardio intense at all. I will use it for yoga, balance, and some strength training, but want to mix it up a bit. I pulled out my old Tae Bo tapes and also my Buns of Steel tape. (Yes, tapes! VHS rules! LOL!) And I got a new Wii "game." I put game in quotes because it is so not a game - it is a serious workout. It's called "My Fitness Coach" and it kicked my butt the first time I did it today! I'm hoping to do it 3 times a week for 30-45 minutes each time. Wish me luck!

There, that's my resolution to go from skinny fat to skinny fit. That one vowel change makes a world of difference! Now that I've written it for all of you to read, maybe that will motivate - or guilt - me into following through. So ask me how it's going - hopefully I'll be able to answer without guilt!

Back to School!

Today both kids are in school. Finally. I feel as though they haven't been in a regular school routine since Christmas vacation. We've had a few snow days and two hour delays, plus they had off for MLK day and yesterday as a "professional development" day (most likely scheduled for yesterday due to the inauguration of our new President). Francesca ended up with 5 days in a row off, while Dominic had 4 in a row. I have to admit, we were all ready for them to go to school this morning!

With the cold and snow (and spotty school schedule), we've been playing quite a bit of the Wii. I usually don't let them in front of a screen (TV or computer) for more than 30-60 minutes per day, but I let that limit slide quite a bit due to the interactive nature of the Wii. (Okay, and because we were stuck inside, bored, and driving each other crazy!) The kids pooled their Target gift cards that they got for Christmas and bought a new game called "Outdoor Adventure." It comes with a mat and can be played by either 1 or 2 players (unfortunately there's no 4 player option). It's fun and keep them moving - pumping their arms while doing a mine cart ride, running and jumping over hurdles, and paddling a kayak. My arms were exhausted yesterday after doing the mine cart - I thought they were going to fall off and I actually think they are a little sore today! I do know that we all needed drinks of water after playing, so that's a good sign that we were active. :)

I'm just hoping that once the weather warms up a bit, I can drag them away from the Wii and get them outside!

More Snow

We woke up this morning to snow! We weren't really expecting any, but then again we haven't paid attention much to the weather the past couple of days. We ended up getting about six inches overnight and through lunch time today. When Chris took Dominic to Sunday school at 8:45, the roads were pretty treacherous and hadn't been plowed. He said he was fishtailing in the truck even in four wheel drive. When we went to church for 10:00, there were still no signs of plows. I guess that's what happens when it snows on a Sunday!

Between the snow and the frigid temperatures (-0.3 degrees, are you kidding me?), we have been stuck in the house all weekend. By this afternoon, the kids were nuts. My patience, which isn't that great on a good day, was sorely tested and I have to admit that I failed. Yes, there was some yelling in our house. I just couldn't take the craziness, the climbing on the couch, kicking, whining, and a multitude of other pent-up behaviors. After about 20 minutes in their own rooms, they calmed down a bunch, so we made chocolate cupcakes using one of the allergen-free box mixes that Aunt Lorraine got them for Christmas.

While they cooled, Chris and I made dinner and the kids set the table for dinner. We had pasta puttanesca and homemade bread - yummy!

Now it's time to watch the Steelers play in the AFC championship game. If they win this one, they go to the Superbowl! I have my fingers crossed! Go Steelers!

(The kids have the next two days off school for MLK day and the inauguration - aka teacher development day. I am going to have to plan some activities so we don't all drive each other crazy!)

Updates

Just posting a few miscellaneous updates....

Francesca is still doing nebulizer treatments for her cough/breathing. We were doing them 4 times per day since we saw the doctor last week. We went again yesterday and she said to drop to 3 times per day for a couple of days, then 2 times per day for a couple, then if Francesca isn't coughing or wheezing we can stop them altogether. However, if we can't get her off the treatments or if her cough gets worse, then we'll have to start her on a daily asthma preventative like Dominic takes. (He takes two different ones, actually.) So cross your fingers!

While we were at her doctor's appointment, her doc asked if she'd had a fever since we were there last Thursday (and it was 103.2). I said no, she hasn't been warm since then. We came home, she took a nap, and wouldn't you know it, woke up with a fever and was miserable the rest of the evening. *sigh* Luckily some Motrin helped and she's been fine so far today. *knock wood*

We just got back from gymnastics class and dinner is started. We're having Asian Orange Salmon - yum! We aren't huge fish eaters, but there are a few things that we like and this is one of my favorites. Soy sauce, orange juice, garlic and brown sugar make a yummy marinade/glaze for salmon. Francesca probably won't eat it, but she doesn't eat anything for dinner these days. Overnight she turned into a picky eater who doesn't like whatever is on the table, whether she's eaten in the past or even had it at all before. It's infuriating to have mealtime be a struggle with her. We tell her fine, don't eat it, but she sits and whines and grunts and pouts and demands something else, so she really does ruin dinner for us a lot of the time. It used to be such a nice family time, which makes it all the more frustrating that it's become so unpleasant (unless we're having sloppy joes, mac & cheese, or spaghetti).

Wish us luck for a halfway pleasant dinner tonight! (I'm not getting my hopes up.)

Fun in the Snow

Yesterday we woke up to snow. Nothing major, just about three inches had fallen overnight. Since it wasn't bitterly cold (it was in the 20's rather than single digits), we decided to all go out in the snow. Chris snowblowed and I did a little shoveling, then we did a little sledding and made some snow angels. Chris got two snowball makers at his company's Yankee Gift Swap before Christmas, so Dominic had a great time making snowballs and tossing them at Chris - and me!

Here's my little snow angel! It was a riot, she'd walk around seemingly aimlessly until she found a pristine spot of snow, then just fall over backwards like she had passed out. The first time, she scared me - until I saw her arms and legs going to make the angel. Cute!

I always have the task of creating the sledding path by throwing myself and the sled down our tiny hill over and over and over, each time going maybe 12 inches farther than the last time. By the time it's ready and the sled will actually slide all the way down to the back yard, I'm exhausted! Luckily the kids were willing to give me a push so I could enjoy the ride.

Until next time....

Lazy Sunday

It's a lazy Sunday morning here at the Beyer household. Yesterday we took all of the Christmas decorations and the tree down, so things look pretty bare in comparison. Then we played Mario Kart online with Uncle Mike and Courtney for a while. This morning we woke up to about 3 inches of snow on the ground - nothing major, but Sunday school was canceled for Dominic. That gave us an excuse to *gasp!* skip church today. I feel a little guilty about it (isn't guilt a cornerstone of religion anyway?) but not guilty enough to go. Plus it starts in 3 minutes and we're still in our pajamas.

So today we'll do some house clean up (hopefully), play, cook, and basically waste the day away with no particular plans. I love days like this! :)

Just a Bronchial Thing

Francesca doesn't have pneumonia, thank goodness. Just a "bronchial thing" mostly on her left side causing wheezing on that side. She has to do albuterol via a nebulizer every 4-6 hours during the day until Tuesday when we go back to the doctor. She also had a fever of 103.2 degrees - yikes - so she got Motrin at the doctor's office and she'll get another dose before bed.

This is only the second time she's ever needed the nebulizer; the other was 14-15 months ago. So the wheezing isn't quite bad or frequent enough for an asthma diagnosis requiring a daily preventative medication. I'm crossing my fingers that it stays that way. Poor Dominic takes two daily preventatives, so I was hoping we'd dodge that bullet with Francesca. It's looking less likely that she'll be spared the asthma diagnosis, but there's still hope - I hope.

I also hope that the albuterol doesn't affect here like it did Dominic. It made him hyper and extremely emotional. Francesca is emotional and flies into fits enough as it is, we certainly don't need medication making it worse!

Time for the kids' bedtime routine, then we have two blissful hours with no kids before Chris and I go to bed. I wonder if there's anything good on TV?

Rockin' Pneumonia and the Boogie-Woogie Flu

Poor Francesca. She's had a cough forever now - over a month, at least. The past couple of days, it's sounded more phlegmy, she's had a little fever, and it sounded like she was wheezing. Chris has been giving her the albuterol inhaler for the wheezing, but I figured it was time to go to the doctor. I called today just after she went down for her nap and they definitely want to see her today. In fact, the receptionist said she can't schedule me for tomorrow because of the wheezing. The problem is that they wanted to see us at 2:30, but I have to be at Dominic's bus stop by 3:15 and it's a 20 minute drive from the doctor's office. Plus it takes a good 8-10 minutes to get out of their office, down six floors, through the hospital, to the parking garage, and then to the car, so we'd have to leave the office by 2:45 and you know that wouldn't happen.

I was transferred to a nurse, explained the situation to her, and she said with the symptoms lasting so long and now getting worse plus adding in fever and wheezing, that she may have walking pneumonia. Just what I wanted to hear. I explained that I definitely want to bring her in - that's why I called - but I really didn't have a choice about getting my son off the bus. Sometimes it's harder than usual to not have family close by. I wish I could call my mom and say "hey, can you grab Dominic at the bus stop for me?" Add another drop to the homesick bucket.

Luckily the nurse said they'd squeeze Francesca in at 2:00. (They go to lunch from 1-2:00, so that's the earliest we could get there when they'd be open since I called at about 12:40.) So in a few minutes I'll be waking her up from her nap, which is never pleasant, and headed there - fingers crossed that they'll actually be able to see us right away. She may need chest x-rays, so I emailed our neighbor to see if she could grab Dominic at the bus if I don't make it there on time. I haven't heard back from her yet - she's at work so I can't call - but I'm crossing my fingers that she'll be able to be my back-up.

I'll post later with the diagnosis. Cross your fingers that it isn't too bad...

Millbury Public - CLOSED

School is closed today. We woke up to slushy roads that weren't too bad, but according to the news, we were in a "hole" in the storm with lots still to come. That was about an hour ago and now it's "raining" little ice balls. Chris is considering working from home, and I hope he decides to. It makes me nervous having him drive when the weather and roads are bad.

In the meantime, we have the news on the TV. They just showed a few shots from Israel. Dominic was watching and said "That's Canada, right?" Canada??? Not sure where that came from, but it made me smile. Good thing he got that interactive globe from Santa - we went and found Israel on it.

Uh-oh, trouble in the kitchen. Apparently Francesca just wiped a booger on Chris's shirt, which he isn't happy about. Rather than go get a tissue like he told her, Francesca is now carrying on and working up to hysterics. Good morning everyone!

My BFFs

I totally forgot to post this photo earlier. It was taken while we were visiting my parents' house over the holidays. These are my two best friends in the world - Crista on the left and Darlene in the middle.

We've been friends since 3rd grade, which just proves that the best friends someone can have are ones they've had from childhood. (Why is it so much harder to make a really good friend as an adult???)

The picture was taken at Crista's apartment. For years I used to invite a bunch of girl friends to my parents' house over Christmas for lots of wine and carrying on. As the years have passed with me here in MA, I've gradually fallen out of touch with a couple of those people. Factor in a husband and kids, and having "the girls" over was difficult. Hello?? We need privacy to talk about women stuff! Thank goodness Crista offered up her bachelorette pad about three years ago for the three of us to get together. I LOVE our post-Christmas girls night with taco dip (made without chili sauce, of course), stuffed mushrooms (blackened), drinks (Cosmos that could remove paint), and wonderful conversation (yoohoo, entertaining, and bleaching of an unmentionable). I just wish I was there so we could do it more often. I'm thinking twice a week would be good....

"Wintry" Mix

It's Tuesday night and the weather forecast online is calling for a "wintry" mix tonight & tomorrow. First of all, should it be "wintery" and not "wintry?" Regardless, that's what we're supposed to get, and the news is already showing school closings. It's not snowing yet, but the anticipation of snow and rain is enough to get those school scrambling to cancel.

We'll see what happens with our schools in the morning. I really want the kids to have school. Don't get me wrong, I don't want them to go if the roads are unsafe, but I really do enjoy that couple of hours of time alone when Francesca is in preschool. It isn't much time, but if I hustle I can accomplish quite a bit. Today I dropped her off, went to WalMart to get a bunch of groceries, stopped at Goretti's Supermarket on the way home to take advantage of their Tuesday chicken special (boneless breasts for $1.98/lb!), put it all away, swept out the garage, did a load of laundry, mixed up a batch of bread dough (from the book "Artisan Bread in 5 Minutes a Day" - love it!) and then went to pick her up. While she napped, I put away a few more presents, organized our boxes & gift wrap, did more laundry including washing the kitchen throw rugs, ran the central vac all downstairs, and mopped the never-ending expanse of tile. As the afternoon went on, I also washed dishes, baked bread for dinner, played Dance Dance Revolution (DDR) on the Wii, and made White Bean Chicken Chili for dinner. *whew!*

If they do have school tomorrow and there's no delay, I may actually go to Curves. My membership is ticking away and I haven't went regularly since August. Yikes. I can't even remember when my year started, but there can't be much left so I'd better take advantage of it while I can. The good news is that our health insurance paid for more than half of the membership (nice perk) so I don't feel quite as guilty as I would if I had paid for all of it.

I'm off to bed with Chris in a few minutes. The sooner we go to sleep, the sooner we'll wake up and see if the "wintry" mix lives up to the hype.

Christmas is over and we're home at last!

We're home, we're home, we're home! La la la-la la la! Oh, I can't tell you how happy I was to get home, to sleep in my own bed, to take a nice long shower in my own bathroom.... Don't get me wrong, I love to travel and see our families, but living out of a suitcase in someone else's house with all different stuff can get old very quickly.

We did have a great time at GG's house while we were there. On Wednesday, Mike, Kym, Courtney, Caden and Colin came from Buffalo for dinner and to visit with us. Here's a great shot of all 5 kids together. We wanted a nicer background, but when you can get all five sitting together and looking somewhat at the camera, you take your shot! I also got a nice picture of Gail and her two grown-up babies.

Francesca got to pal around and carry on with her Uncle (and Godfather). And Dominic was enjoying having some boy cousins to hang out with. Both kids love their cousins - it's too bad we can't see more of them!

Little Miss Cranky Pants (not to be confused with Little Miss Sunshine), had a few moments of crankitude. But so did Courtney, which makes me tremble in fear thinking about how Francesca is going to be when hormones come into play!

Mikey (aka Little Mikey) and Kasey even came to visit Wednesday night. Mikey is Chris's cousin, and he and Kasey are some of the nicest people I've ever met. They are so sweet, funny, and adorable. The kids love them, too. In fact, they LOVE Mikey, they have from the first time they met him. Even Francesca, who can be a little shy and clingy around people she doesn't know, hangs all over him. (Although I don't think she knew what to do about the beard this time! :)

We drove back to MA from Chris's mom's house on Thursday. The original plan was to come home on Friday, but it snowed there on Wednesday, was forecasted to be clear on Thursday, and then the weather report said snow for Friday, Saturday and Sunday. Not wanting to drive 8 hours in the snow, we moved our departure up a day and got home Thursday around 4:30 PM. (Just in time for me to cook dinner.)

If you remember from earlier posts, Santa had not yet visited the Beyer family here in MA. Since we were gone, we let him know that he could skip us on Christmas Eve and drop off the presents after we got home. So late Thursday night, while we were all asleep, Santa came!

The kids got tons of great stuff from Santa. The first thing was new suitcases for each of them! They have little kid suitcases, but as they have grown, so have their clothes! Summer travel isn't too bad - shorts and bathing suits don't take up much room. But our Christmas travel requires sweaters and pants and boots - oh my! We had to scrounge for size-appropriate luggage for their clothes for this Christmas vacation. Santa must have seen that and made sure they each have their own color-coded bags for next time!

Dominic got some new cars from "Cars," some DVDs (Schoolhouse Rock and Gremlins, along with Wall-E to share with Francesca), clothes, puzzles, and a super cool interactive globe that tells you countries, states & territories, population, climate, distance between two points on it, etc. I'm horrible at geography, so it could help me, too! We opened presents from GG and Uncle Mike, Aunt Kym and their kids as well. Dominic got video games from them for the Wii - Mario Party 8 and Smarty Pants.

Francesca started out a bit grumpy (big surprise there), but got into the swing of things as she started opening her gifts. She got lots of Fancy Nancy stuff - the "Bonjour Butterfly" book, clothes for her Fancy Nancy doll (GG got her the doll for Christmas), FN clothes for her to dress up in (purse, sunglasses, skirt, shoes, feather boa), the Sleeping Beauty DVD, and some pretty earrings. She also got Carnival Games for the Wii from Mike, Kym, Courtney, Caden and Colin.

The kids also gave us our gifts, which was so sweet. They had bought them in secret at our church's holiday fair. There was a separate shopping room for kids - no parents allowed! Each item cost $1, so they each went in with $2 and came out with presents for us.

Dominic got Chris a classic cars calendar, and Francesca got him a notepad with a patriotic theme - she loves everything that have American flags on them. Francesca got me a pretty ceramic flower pot with pink and purple flowers. It matches her room very nicely, which I find pretty darn convenient. :) Dominic got me a super cute necklace that looks like a strand of tiny Christmas lights. I wore it all day yesterday - it went perfect with my red sweater.