SNOW SNOW SNOW

OK, so I think we have finally started to dig out of our houses here on the east coast! I have over 4 feet - YES,  4 FEET of snow in my yard!!! J and Buglaroo had fun playing in all the snow though! Well, I am sure J didn't have so much fun shoveling it, but he built a ramp out of snow for Buglaroo to sled down. She loved it!! We are supposed to get more snow on Monday, but for once I am praying we don't!! We have not even shoveled our sidewalk yet because we have no idea where to put all this snow!!! It was enough just trying to shovel the driveway! Buglaroo is feeling much better, and Didi is slowly recovering, but I am sick now!! I am hanging in there, but I have a horrible cough!! I am hoping it goes away quickly!! Anyhow, on that note I am going to grab some much needed rest. Hope you all have a great Valentine's Day!!

A little update

Things have been busy! I haven't been able to write over the last week and 1/2. Both girls have been sick. Nothing big - just bad colds form what I see, but sick nonetheless! It's the first time in her whole life that Didi is sick and she is a champ!! She's not too big a fan of me wiping her nose though! They are getting better day by day. I called Buglaroo out sick from school last Friday and this Monday. She is doing better, but still has a bad cough on and off.
I have been doing good working out, with the exception of this past week. I am really hoping to get back on track this upcoming week. I also have been trying to eat healthier and I have cut my portions. I don't think I have lost weight yet, so I am going to try and step up my exercise routine! I'll keep you updated.
This past week I made an apple cake for the first time ever!! I made it completely from scratch too! No box involved! lol! It turned out pretty good!! We had too many apples and some were going bad, so that was my attempt at using some of the apples up. I think another goal that I am going to make is to start trying to make things from scratch instead of opening a box or jar. We will see how that goes!
I have also been trying to reuse things before I recycle them. So far I have turned 1 old candle jar into a pen and pencil holder (much prettier than the black plastic one I had!!) and another old candle jar into a paintbrush holder. I have a spaghetti sauce jar, a wine bottle, and another jar that I have washed out and I am looking for a way to reuse them. I also reused a Glade candle jar by taking the wax out of the bottom, cleaning out the jar, and then using it in my bathroom to store Q-Tips. It is more convenient and prettier than the big box! I'll let you know what I do with the rest of the items! Hopefully I can clean out some drawers and find the thing to get pictures from my camera to my computer so I can show you some of the things I have done!
Another thing I did was my hair. I made the decision to do it myself at home. I didn't cut it, but just had a friend help me highlight it. Yes, I know it is much better to go to a professional, but I really don't have the money or time to keep up with that. Every time I think I am going to regularly go to a professional, time passes by and my hair starts looking awful. If I can just get an at home routine going that works, I think I will be fine and save money in the meantime! So, my hair turned out OK. The roots are a little more brassy then I would like. I am thinking about going back to Sally Beauty Supply and asking them if there is something that can fix that.  If not, I am going to wait a week or 2 (hey, I don't want my hair to fall out!!) and try re- highlighting it and hoping it will all blend together better. I think my roots got too long so that when I did them this time I didn't leave the solution on long enough to color them properly. However, the rest of my hair was previously highlighted, so it took to the color faster and looks more blonde. I will put up pictures when I can. It didn't turn out perfect or how I envisioned, but it's not bad enough where I am running to a professional today (which has happened in the past!!).
So this weekend we are bracing for a huge snowstorm!! I work throughout most of it, but I am trying to think of fun things I can do with the girls when I am not working. Any suggestions??
Thats all for now! :-)

A Proud Moment

So today Buglaroo received the Catholic Sacrament of First Reconciliation! I was so proud of her! She was one of the first children to confess her sins, and she did not look nervous at all! This may be the proud Momma in me, but I said that she is so good, she couldn't have that much to confess! :-) She now says she feels "lighter" for confessing her sins. I am very proud of my girl!

Didi has been trying her hardest to walk and talk! She wants to be so much like her big sister!! She now says "Momma", "Daddy", "no", "bye-bye", and can show you where her teeth are - the 2 teeth she has. lol!

I didn't have the most productive day today, but I did pretty good with not eating a lot of junk! We went out to eat to celebrate Buglaroo's 1st Reconciliation and I ordered a filet mignon. I was sooo hungry for it and then it came... COVERED IN BLUE CHEESE CRUMBLES! Grrr.. I am a very picky eater, and I don't like blue cheese. I tried scraping it off, but it still smelled like blue cheese! So, I didn't eat it. Yes... I wasted it.. but it didn't really go to waste since my husband ate it and and saved what he ordered to be his lunch tomorrow. Instead, I had my side and part of my husband's side of red potatoes and broccoli, cauliflower, and carrots. It was really yummy, a small portion, and I was full by the end of it! I thought that was pretty good. Anyhow, I have huge motivation to really get in shape. My goal is to loose at least 50 pounds by July 16, 2010. I have a wedding that day, and a wedding the next day too! That will be a busy weekend!! I want to put on a cute summer dress for both weddings and look and feel great! I am going to look at dresses to inspire me! Wish me luck! I will make sure to keep you updated!

Monday Blues

Every Monday I log onto facebook and most people have status updates about how much they dislike Mondays. I happen to like Mondays. Granted, it's my longest workday of the week, but that's fine by me! Maybe its because I work from home, or because my husband has off a couple days during the week, or it could even be because both my husband and I work weekends, but I just don't have that "ugh Monday" and "TGIF!" attitude. I want to give Monday a new name. For my personal goal of self-improvement I am calling it "Money Monday". Every "Money Monday" I am going to sit down and pay bills, or just make sure my finances are on track if I have already paid the bills. That way, I am dedicating 1 day a week to checking up on finances. Also, every Monday I am going to put just $5.00 in a jar somewhere. Of course, that jar needs to be hidden from my family or the money will be gone! I am going to save this money for last minute cash emergencies (no, the ice-cream man in the summer does not count as a last minute cash emergency!). My goal is to not touch this jar at all. Then, when the jar reaches over $100.00, I am going to deposit it into my bank savings account and not touch it!  Of course, I'll start all over with the jar then.  Now, with $5 a week, it will take me almost 4 years to save $1,000.00 in my savings account, so here is where I am really going to test myself. Every time I want to spend money on something, even if it's a coffee at Dunkin Donuts or an unnecessary trip to the grocery store, I am going to first think "Do I need this??" and then, if I feel I don't need it, I am going to take the money I would have spent and put it in my jar! The way I spend money sometimes, that jar will hit $1,000.00 in no time! lol! I think that for every $1,000.00 I save, I am going to take $50.00 and spend it on me! Lol, yes, me. Ordinarily, that sounds awfully selfish, but if you know me, you know that it's not often I spend money on getting my hair and nails done. I will use that $50.00 on something that will better me. That means that I can't just go buy anything, spend it on the house, my husband, or the kids. The rule will be that it has to better me in some way.  I am sure there is all sorts of loopholes with this, but I am really going to try and stick with it. When I get there (notice I said "when" and not "if"), I'll let you know what I spent it on! This should be very interesting. Hopefully before I know it I will have saved enough money to redo my kitchen! :-)

Although this plan is very exciting for me, I want to make Mondays good for you readers as well. I am trying to think of a creative idea that I can do every Monday for my blog. Any ideas??? "Miracle Mondays" I could tell you an encouraging or inspiring story... "Myth Mondays" I could uncover the truth about myths out there...  "Makeover Mondays" I could do a project to "makeover" my house and tell you all about it. I'll have to think of some more ideas, and let me know if you have any suggestions!! For now, I have to make dinner and get ready to work again. Happy Monday Everyone!

Something is in the attic!

OK, so my day was pretty quiet today. I had a relaxing day and then had to work (I work from home) from 4-midnight. Since we are all trying to save the planet, we have a big recycling bin in our garage that is conveniently placed right outside the door that goes from the house to the garage. Shortly after work, I opened the door to recycle a water bottle... and I heard it!!! Something scattered on the other side of my car! I am POSITIVE something was there, but I am not sure how big it was. I am hoping it is just a mouse - maybe a large mouse!! I have 3 kitties in my home, so should that mouse (or mice - if there is 1, then there is more!) get in my house, certain death is in his future. I am an animal lover by far, but I have my boundaries!! Plus, its only natural for my cats to kill things like mice. The other part of me is worried that it could be a squirrel!! Now, being the "Panicy Pete" (as my husband likes to call me), we have year-round pest protection from Ehrlich Pest Control, so if it is a mouse, we are covered! A squirrel on the other hand... we are not!!! Ugh, that's more money out of our pocket during a time when we just can't afford it. Now, in our garage is a metal ladder that goes up to the attic. No, the hole to the attic isn't covered (and is quite large) and I haven't seen any reason to cover it thus far. Since I panic about almost everything, I have done some squirrel research.. and I am more worried! I should know better than to Google problems I have.. it only leads to more panic with me! At any rate, I found out a couple of things about having a squirrel in your home...

1. THEY ARE NOT GOOD!!! They cause all sorts of damage to the structure of your home and chew wires, which could even cause a house fire!
2. Although they aren't active outside at night, they feel safer indoors, so they can be active at night.
3. They are attracted to light when indoors (of course, I always forget to turn off my garage light!!)
4. They could potentially nest under my car hood (yes, when reading that I immediately got in my car and drove it around the block hoping to shake any squirrels out of it!!) and if they do that, they most likely would chew wires in my car, causing more damage and costing me more money (sigh...).
5. Most likely if a squirrel is in your attic, it has a nest with young in it.

Like I said, I am an animal lover, so I now face quite a dilemma!! I think of my baby girls, and I don't want to hurt - much less kill any momma or her babies!! SO.. what to do now??? I have my quarterly Ehrlich visit coming up in early February, but with all the information about how much damage squirrels can cause, I am not sure if I want to wait! My 2 worries with taking the "Ehrlich Option" are 1- will Ehrlich humanely get rid of my furry pests, or will they kill them and 2- how much is that going to cost me?? Another option (or so I read) is to call my local Animal Control or SPCA and see if they will come trap the squirrels. I would have to research into this option, as some sites said it's free but you should make a donation and other sites said they will only help you or provide you with a trap. I have told you about the "Ehrlich Option" and the "SPCA Option", which leads me to the "Be Brave Option". The third option I have is to try and trap it on my own (humanely of course!). I read about lots of things I can do to determine if I do have a squirrel problem, such as place cotton balls on the floor in the attic and look for signs of disturbance or look for squirrel droppings around the attic (eeewww) or even put peanut butter on a cracker and place it under a light and see if anything happens to it.  Now, I can be brave and do this - it's the actual setting up the trap and once the squirrel is caught taking the trap far away and releasing the squirrel that I have a problem with. If I catch the Momma, then what about the babies (if there are any)??? Also, if any trap is placed up there (which really seems like the only way to actually capture and get rid of the squirrels), I have to check it daily! I have made the decision that I do not want to kill the squirrel, because that's not nice, and a rotting squirrel can really stink up the house! Ugh, this could all be a headache I don't need right now! My worst fear - its an animal larger than a squirrel!! My best hope - a cute little kitten has wandered into our garage and needs a home! :-) Wish me luck, and I will keep you updated!!

There's Something Wrong with the World Today

I am making this post because someone else's blog has got me thinking. As I was reading through blogs yesterday, I came across one site where a woman was blogging about how she had a nice family blog, but some creepy person decided to steal her pictures of her family and use them as their own. Horrible!! Just, horrible!!! What is wrong with this world???? All this got me to think "what makes people do things that intentionally harm another person?". Any ideas on this, people? Maybe I have such a good heart and such a good brain, that I can't even bring myself to this type of person's level to understand why they would do such a thing! I recently watched the movie "The Invention of Lying". I wouldn't really rave about the movie, but it was OK. It did make me think about how the world would be if no one lied. I think lies are the start of bad deeds. You can start doing something as simple and basic as lying, and if the "bad" is in your soul, that little bit of lying could lead to a life of horrible things. I'm am going to end this post by VERY VERY KINDLY asking all you readers out there PLEASE DO NOT STEAL MY PICTURES. The pictures I have up are of my precious babies, and I would like them to remain mine. PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE, leave them alone. I thank you in advance!

Let me introduce myself..

Welcome anyone and everyone who is reading this blog! This is my first shot at blogging, so please hang in there with me as I get used to this! :-) I am a 28 year old who is changing her life! There are 2 beautiful girls in my life - lets call them Buglaroo and Didi. Buglaroo is 8 years old and Didi is 10 months old. These beautiful girls are my daughters, and the reason I am changing my life. I want them to look at their momma and see a beautiful, strong, confident, sensible woman who has her cookies all together! Unfortunately, I am not quite so sure that is what they would see now. I am not so sure I could see that right now! Granted, the life I have is one I am thankful for. I have a husband, two happy and healthy daughters, a beautiful home I own, and wonderful family and friends (although, I'll touch upon that friend part at a later time!). What I do need to change, is my health and some bad habits I have. To start, I am 5'4" and about 210 pounds last I checked, although Buglaroo is selling Girl Scout cookies, so maybe I should make it 220 pounds!! Those cookies are fantabulous!!!! I can't get enough of them - see why I am heavy?! There's no self control in this momma when it comes to food! So here's the deal... I am asking anyone reading this blog to help hold me accountable! If you catch me going on and on about something I did or ate that doesn't fit my goal to change my life, then call me out on it!! Bring it on! :-) My weight is just one thing I want to change... there is more to come! I will be giving tips on projects I am doing around my house, ways I am losing weight and getting healthy, new friends I am meeting, and many other things that will contribute to making my life a more balanced, happy, and healthier one! Please come back and read on! Yes, I am not too proud to beg!! :-)