Caci & Mary performed in an American Idol (like) competition last night. Here is a link to a video of their performance.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sl9A-PcR9bU

I am having trouble trying to get it to embed directly here, so keep checking back in case you have a problem viewing it on YouTube.

Labels: daughter, family, girls, kids

link | posted by editor at 10:39 AM
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A few pics for your viewing pleasure.

Labels: boys, family, family life, girls, kids, son

link | posted by editor at 10:10 PM
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I am so damn sick of constantly fighting with my kids. Why do I even fight with them???

It should be that why we (hubby & I ) says goes. Shouldn't it?

I am sick of being given 100 questions by my kids. Why do we have to go? Why do we have to eat now? Why do we have to take a shower? Why can't I stay out/up later? Why? Why? Why? And then when I tell them why, they get so argumentative - I CANNOT STAND IT!

So I have made a New Years Resolution. No fighting with the kids. I will tell them once (well maybe twice) and that is it. And if they ask why? I will simply say that I am the mother and that is how it is going to be. I figure if I do this long enough, they will eventually know what the answer is and stop asking (arguing) with me.

Now, if only I can stick to it - it should work.

Labels: boys, daughter, family, family life, kids, son, teens

link | posted by editor at 10:51 PM
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Labels: boys, kids, life, son

link | posted by editor at 10:17 PM
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I have been not so dedicated to posting in the last few weeks, but now that the holidays are over and we are sort of back to a normal schedule, I should get back to posting more regularly.

So if you have missed us, sorry!

We missed you too!

So here is a quick family update:

Justy is back in a full arm cast. We thought it would be cut down today, but the one bone is not creating new bone as fast as the other, so it still need extra protection. Hopefully in two weeks he will get his wish and only be casted up to the elbow.

Doodles is the last of us to have had the stomach bug. She still has the lingering headache that accompanied it and didn't go to school today. She made basketball though, of course. And she is so totally looking forward to the High School Musical Concert tomorrow night.

Jon-Jon was to the doc today too. He has a bad ear infection in one ear. The good news is that he is very good taking his medicine and it has been almost a year since his last ear infection - when it was a double one, the day before we got on a plane to Florida. (Which I can't believe was a year ago already - it seems like yesterday!)

Joe-Joe has chapped lips right now - exciting, I know. So, he is currently obsessed with the petroleum jelly. He is finding new places to apply it and smear over. I keep finding greasy piles of it everywhere you would think he is two. Oh yeah, he did smear a whole jar of it on the bathroom cabinets when he was, yeah, just about two.

I am obsessed with baking lately after getting my new stand mixer from my parents for Christmas. I don't remember baking to be so fun! We have cookies galore in the house. Seriously, I think I have to send some in to the teachers at school or deliver plates to the neighbors. That is how much we have!!!

Okay - after that lengthy post about ...did you really miss us that much???

Labels: blogging, daughter, doctors, family, family life, kids, life, Teri, writing

link | posted by editor at 8:12 PM
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Ok -

3 Days until Justin's Birthday!

5 Days until Christmas!

Hours from going CRAZY. Making cookies. Wrapping presents. Getting the kids in bed. Wrapping presents. Cleaning up the kitchen. Figuring out what else I need to get before Christmas. Wrapping presents.

Try not to go too crazy!

Oh - I almost forgot, I have one less thing to go crazy about. Justin is in the clear. His bones are finally growing together and making new bones ! YAY! No more appointments for two weeks!

And maybe I should try and write out my Christmas cards that have been in a tote bag that I brought to Justin's last surgery. You know the ones I was thinking I would have a chance to do them then - which I have basically forgotten about until now. Will they even get there in time?

Should I just forget everything and just go CRAZY now???

Labels: birthdays, boys, Christmas, Christmas Presents, daughter, doctors, family, family life, girls, house, husbands, kids, presents, son, teens, work

link | posted by editor at 9:04 PM
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So, when the Doctor comes in and expresses that she is afraid to look at your X-Rays, should you be worried?

And worry even more when she says she will be right back?

Well, Yes.

And.

Yes.

When she did come back, she gave us a big thumbs up. His bone has finally managed to stay in the same place for the last five days! Yippee! And if it continues to heal this way and looks the same on his X-Ray next Wednesday, then it is (or should be) smooth sailing from there.

Justin was so relieved, as was I.

I am finally feeling into the Holiday spirit.

And I am finally going on a marathon Christmas shopping spree tomorrow.

Thank you good Doctor!

Labels: boys, Christmas, Christmas Presents, doctors, family, family life, kids, son, teens

link | posted by editor at 9:23 PM
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So, I have just realized that it is like...two weeks until Christmas. Actually - less than. Two weeks from right now, all the mayhem will be over.

And guess what? I have not even purchased one single solitary present yet. I have been a bit busy with Justin and his arm and multiple Doctor appointments and surgeries - and then Caci's (yes, Joey & Johnny too) basketball. And school. And work. And life.

Maybe we should just keep busy...
and maybe the kids will forget about Christmas...
yeah, there is an idea.

NOT!

I better get busy!!!

Labels: blogging, Christmas Presents, doctors, family, family life, holidays, jobs, kids, presents

link | posted by editor at 10:19 PM
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Happy Birthday to you.
Happy Birthday to you.
Happy Birthday my Jo-Jo.
Happy Birthday to you!

Labels: birthdays, boys, family, family life, kids, life

link | posted by editor at 11:27 PM
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Labels: beauty, blogging, family, jobs, kids, Teri, women, work, writing

link | posted by editor at 9:27 PM
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JoJo and I were talking today when the subject came up about making wishes.

You have heard the sayings -

When you see a shooting star - make a wish.

Blow your fallen eyelash off of your finger - make a wish.

Blow out your birthday candles - make a wish.

And we have concluded: No more wishes here, for they never come true.

Labels: birthdays, family, kids, son

link | posted by editor at 7:37 PM
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A fun little "Get TO Know Yo" List.

The titles in bold are the things I have done.

What have you done??? Pass it on.

01. Bought everyone in the bar a drink
02. Swam with wild dolphins
03. Climbed a mountain
04. Taken a Ferrari for a test drive
05. Been inside the Great Pyramid
06. Held a tarantula
07. Taken a candlelit bath with someone
08. Said “I love you” and meant it
09. Hugged a tree
10. Bungee jumped
11. Visited Paris (the Hotel in Las Vegas)
12. Watched a lightning storm at sea
13. Stayed up all night long and saw the sun rise
14. Seen the Northern Lights
15. Gone to a huge sports game
16. Walked the stairs to the top of the leaning Tower of Pisa
17. Grown and eaten your own vegetables
18. Touched an iceberg
19. Slept under the stars
20. Changed a baby’s diaper (only a few hundred times)
21. Taken a trip in a hot air balloon (just a short one, for about 15 minutes, but I did!)
22. Watched a meteor shower
23. Gotten drunk on champagne (on just one glass - I am so lame!!!)
24. Given more than you can afford to charity
25. Looked up at the night sky through a telescope
26. Had an uncontrollable giggling fit at the worst possible moment
27. Had a food fight
28. Bet on a winning horse
29. Asked out a stranger
30. Had a snowball fight
31. Screamed as loudly as you possibly can
32. Held a lamb
33. Seen a total eclipse
34. Ridden a roller coaster
35. Hit a home run
36. Danced like a fool and not cared who was looking
37. Adopted an accent for an entire day
38. Actually felt happy about your life, even for just a moment
39. Had two hard drives for your computer
40. Visited all 50 states
41. Taken care of someone who was drunk.
42. Had amazing friends
43. Danced with a stranger in a foreign country
44. Watched wild whales
45. Stolen a sign
46. Backpacked in Europe.
47. Taken a road-trip
48. Gone rock climbing
49. Midnight walk on the beach
50. Gone sky diving
51. Visited Ireland
52. Been heartbroken longer than you were actually in love
53. In a restaurant, sat at a stranger’s table and had a meal with them
54. Visited Japan
55. Milked a cow (and a goat)
56. Alphabetized your CDs
57. Pretended to be a superhero
58. Sung karaoke
59. Lounged around in bed all day
60. Played touch football
61. Gone scuba diving
62. Kissed in the rain
63. Played in the mud
64. Played in the rain
65. Gone to a drive-in theater
66. Visited the Great Wall of China
67. Started a business
68. Fallen in love and not had your heart broken
69. Toured an ancient site
70. Taken a martial arts class
71. Played Dungeons & Dragons for more than 6 hours straight
72. Gotten married
73. Been in a movie
74. Crashed a party
75. Gotten divorced
76. Gone without food for 5 days
77. Made cookies from scratch
78. Won first prize in a costume contest
79. Ridden a gondola in Venice (Does it count at the Venice hotel in Vegas?)
80. Gotten a tattoo
81. Rafted the Snake River
82. Been on television news programs as an “expert” (Does a magazine article count?)
83. Got flowers for no reason
85. Been to Las Vegas
86. Recorded music
87. Eaten shark
88. Kissed on the first date
89. Gone to Thailand
90. Bought a house
91. Been in a combat zone (does my house count???)
92. Buried one/both of your parents
93. Been on a cruise ship
94. Spoken more than one language fluently well enough to have a decent conversation
95. Performed in Rocky Horror
96. Raised (raising) children
97. Followed your favorite band/singer on tour
99. Taken an exotic bicycle tour in a foreign country
100. Picked up and moved to another city to just start over
101. Walked the Golden Gate Bridge
102. Sang loudly in the car, and didn’t stop when you knew someone was looking
103. Had plastic surgery
104. Survived an accident that you shouldn’t have survived
105. Wrote articles for a large publication
106. Lost over 100 pounds
107. Held someone while they were having a flashback
108. Piloted an airplane
109. Touched a stingray
110. Broken someone’s heart
111. Helped an animal give birth
112. Won money on a T.V. game show
113. Broken a bone
114. Gone on an African photo safari
115. Had a facial part pierced other than your ears
116. Fired a rifle, shotgun, or pistol
117. Eaten mushrooms that were gathered in the wild
118. Ridden a horse
119. Had major surgery
120. Had a snake as a pet
121. Hiked to the bottom of the Grand Canyon
122. Slept for more than 30 hours over the course of 48 hours
123. Visited more foreign countries than U.S. states
124. Visited all 7 continents
125. Taken a canoe trip that lasted more than 2 days
126. Eaten kangaroo meat
127. Eaten sushi
128. Had your picture in the newspaper
129. Changed someone’s mind about something you care deeply about
130. Gone back to school
131. Parasailed
132. Touched a cockroach
133. Eaten fried green tomatoes
134. Read The Iliad
135. Selected one “important” author who you missed in school, and read
136. Killed and prepared an animal for eating (Poor Henrietta, the Pig.)
137. Skipped all your school reunions
138. Communicated with someone without sharing a common spoken language
139. Been elected to public office
140. Written your own computer language
141. Thought to yourself that you’re living your dream
142. Had to put someone you love into hospice care
143. Built your own PC from parts
144. Sold your own artwork to someone who didn’t know you
145. Had a booth at a street fair
146. Dyed your hair
147. Been a DJ
148. Shaved your head
149. Caused a car accident
150. Saved someone’s life
151. Finished a marathon
152. Buried a Child
153. Graduated from College
154. Cooked an entire meal
155. Said a Prayer
156. Told a lie
157. Skipped School
158. Faked being sick
159. Egged someones house
160. Got an idea from this list of something that you would like to before you die

Labels: blogging, family, family life, friends, house, jobs, kids

link | posted by editor at 11:26 PM
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The kids, the phone, the dog, the phone, the kids, the husband, the phone, the phone, the phone...

In the last hour-
I Gave Caci money to go with her friend to get Ice Cream.
Answered the phone.
Found a glue stick for Joey.
Answered the phone.
Answered the call waiting.
Helped Joey make a man out of leaves.
Installed a computer program for Johnny - while answering the phone 3 more times.
Helped Joey tie his shoes.
Answered the phone.
Let the dog out. Cleaned up his throw up while answering the phone.
Told Justin to turn the music down.
Called to check in on Caci.
Called for Joey to come in while answering the phone.
Told hubby which windows I wanted - as if he will listen.
Answered the phone.
I had to physically bring the phone up to Justin because the music was still so friggin' loud that he couldn't hear me yelling for him.
Emptied the boys laundry basket.
Answered the phone.
Got the dog some fresh water.
Tried to make a grocery list - but the phone rang again - and I had a beep coming in that I refused to answer this time.
Tried to complete grocery list.
Called to check on Caci again because she may have been the one beeping in.
Ignored the ringing phone while I helped Johnny find the computer games guide book.
Answered the door while the phone was ringing again.
Called Caci, as it was her that called when I was answering the door.
Grabbed a bag of fun size M & M's closed my office door, and sat down to check my e-mail and wound up writing this lame post.

You think I would be 100 pounds by the way I never stop.

Perhaps, I should give up the M & M's - and probably food in general. And stop answering the phone ;)

Labels: blogging, candy, daughter, family, family life, house, husbands, kids, life, son, teens, women, work, writing

link | posted by editor at 4:49 PM
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Labels: boys, bride, costumes, daughter, family, family life, girls, Grim Reaper, Halloween, holidays, kids, life, Sith Lord, son

link | posted by editor at 8:56 AM
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Shit - It stopped raining already.

And it is only 4:00 P.M.

And - no, we are still not leaving the house.

Yes, I am one cruel motherf*****.

Labels: family, family life, kids, life

link | posted by editor at 3:05 PM
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Labels: boys, family, family life, kids, life, son

link | posted by editor at 6:34 PM
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What is the deal with all of the homework?

Enrolling my kids in public school should have not made me basically enroll again. I mean I went through 1st grade, 3rd, 5th, and 9th grade many (many,many,many) years ago. So why is it that I spend 2 - 3 hours a night doing homework?

It used to be that I would help them study for a test, go over weekly spelling words, and assist on a large project. This school year is just so different. I am having to sit down with each of the four kids and take turns with them going over and explaining homework.

For God sakes, even my first grader needs a good half hour of help every night.

And my 9th grader needs me to help him with Latin. Latin! I never took Latin. Spanish came back to me as I took Spanish for 3 years in high school, but they now teach Spanish for 4 years in middle school. So Latin is - well, very foreign to me.

Doodles is learning Geometry - of course, the one subject I got a "C" in during high school. Mind you, she is in 5th grade, and it is full blown Geometry.

And Jon-Jon, my precious Jon-Jon. He has a form of dyslexia that really impedes his learning, but he is struggling through. He has been tested and falls into the extremely high IQ categories, but struggles with reading and writing everyday. His homework gets modified , but it is such a struggle for him. I don't mind helping him, because he becomes so very proud of his accomplishments. It breaks my heart that we can't get it out of him, and it is so mystifying to him that he can't either.

Well, school is never easy, is it?

I was always a very large supporter of public education, but with MCAS (the standardized tests in Massachusetts) and the entire curriculum being based upon that and trying to improve scoring - it isn't what learning should be.

And homework, in my opinion, is just out of control!

Labels: daughter, family, family life, homework, kids, MCAS, school, son

link | posted by editor at 12:51 PM
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I like music.

I really do.

I just hate that Justy loves to blare his montage of music at night - with the bass so low, that the whole frickin' house vibrates.

Hubby calls me irrational. Swears he doesn't hear it. "Let him be who he is. It relaxes him".

For God sake - I (the mother of your most preeeeecious Justy, and your 3 other children) need to relax! LET ME RELAX!

And there is no relaxing going on when I want to jump out of my skin from hearing Knarles Barkley 's bass to Crazy over and over. And over. And over. AGAIN!

Just tonight, I ran and unplugged the woofer thing. I kept the cord that connects it to the computer. That's it. Done. Let the noise just come out of your built in Dell notebook speakers. Oh well. Maybe he will listen next time when I tell him to turn the bass down.

So relax, my dear Justy. And hubby too. Know that you son is relaxing to his music before bed. And know that I am finally relaxing to a more quiet - unvibrating house.

If only the music of Pow-Pow snoring would lull me to sleep now.

NOT RELAXING!

Where are my earplugs?

Labels: boys, family, family life, kids, life, teens

link | posted by editor at 10:25 PM
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If you have a chance, please read this article: Longmeadow School Cancels Recess After Rifle Report.

I live in Longmeadow. Down the street from the school. And the woods are almost behind my house. Oh - and the woods are part of one of our beautiful Parks! And I believe that the woods in the 1/2 mile range from St. Mary's school are located in our public Parks. Hmmm... Do we allowing hunting or target practice at the Park now?

With all that has happened recently with school shootings - the police said what? That it is not unusual to see someone carrying a pellet or bb gun into the woods.

Aren't the police here to protect us?

Geez - they have no problem complaining that my son likes to skateboard in town - and they have no problem of taking that from him. But when someone is suspected of carrying what just may be a real gun into the woods in our town they do what? NOTHING!

I figured that at least word had gotten out to the other schools in town. I assumed - especially from the "How We Protect Our Schools" letter we received from the Superintendent last week - that the schools would have kept the children in for the rest of the day until this issue was fully investigated. But no. No one knew. Recess was held. And the doors were open to the school - just as they always are.

Do we really need our police department spending the amount of time that they do protecting us from the 12 - 16 year olds hanging outside of Friendly's and those skateboarding and scootering in town - then protecting us from what can really harm us - or even worse our children.

We need a change. We need to be proactive. We need to have those that are here to protect and serve - do just that! Protect us from suspects that may be carrying a gun. And alert us to be on the lookout. And then report on the findings.

Please protect and serve our precious town and those that live in it from the real dangers we live with.

Labels: daughter, family, family life, kids, life, teens, women

link | posted by editor at 11:28 PM
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No.

You don't know me.

Or my other blogs.

I write 3 of them for a living.

This one is for me.

I am a 39 year young mom of 4. I have 2 kids (6 & 9 - both boys), 1 tween (11 year old girl), 1 teen (14 year old boy). I have a husband (48), and a dog (4).

Oh yeah - and a house under re-construction (DON'T. EVER. DO IT.).

We live in a typical - if there is such a thing - suburban community in New England.

I call my kids by their nicknames. a lot. So for all intents and purposes, I will list them for you - so you just might be able to follow along and see who the hell I may be talking about!
hubby - my husband
justy - my oldest boy
doodles - my only girl
jon-jon - my 9 year old boy
joe-joe - my 6 year old boy
pow-pow - my 4 year old dog

Labels: family, kids, life, teens, women

link | posted by editor at 12:24 PM
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my profile

cast of characters:
mom - me (39)
hubby - my husband (48)
justy - my oldest boy (15)
doodles - my only girl (11)
jon-jon - my middle boy (9)
jo-jo - my baby (7)
pow-pow - my dog (4)

Contact

Headstrong Link!
Some Pic's.
Why Must We Fight?
Who is this Kid?
How Have You Been?
The Countdown Begins!
No More Surgery - At Least For Now!
Two Weeks Until Christmas???
Happy Birthday & Happy Thanksgiving!
ALLURE Magazine!
No More Wishes!
Getting to Know Me - Pass it On!
Leave Me Alone!
Happy Halloween!
It Stopped Raining!
Cousins.
Homework.
Music.
Too Scary!
Another Blog.

• A Socialite's Life


• Amalah


• BeautifulMakeupSearch


• Club Mom


• Glam.com


• Pink is the New Blog

• Blogger
• girliebits